Devil May Care: Boxed Set (119 page)

“Okay,” I said. My voice came out as a squeak and I frowned. “What is it?”

“As soon as we can get out of here, I want to start this with you, for real.” Mickey looked at me with unblinking, serious blue eyes. “I wanna get out of here with you and my mom, and we’ll start a new life together.”

I blushed. I couldn’t believe it, it was like he’d read my mind from last night. Nervously, I bit my lip.

“Is that even possible?” I asked softly. “I mean, wouldn’t it be too hard?”

Mickey shook his head and tightened his grip around my shoulders. “I promise, Ella, everything’s going to be okay. We’ll get through this, and I’ll always keep you safe. You’re all I want, and I’m going to work hard to make sure you know that, okay?”

I looked at him in disbelief. I couldn’t believe what he was saying. Me? He wanted
me
? Me, plain ol’ Ella Riley? I blinked at him. Mickey continued like he hadn’t even noticed my reaction.

“I just have to get rid of some of the bad cops first,” Mickey said softly. “There are a lot of them around here, and it might not be a quick jaunt. But I promise, Ella. I promise to do that and then we can be on our own.”

You’re crazy
, I thought.
You’re absolutely fucking nuts
. But all I could do was grin. So what if it was farfetched? It was still nice to hear.
 

The whole rest of the morning, I had a dazed smile on my face. All I could think about was me and Mickey, and me and Mickey together, alone, forever. It was all a girl could really want. Little did I know what we’d have to go through in order to get it.

Mickey

As I was talking to Ella, her eyes lit up with excitement. She was practically glowing when I told her my plan. I’d been up for hours thinking of how to pull it off. Now, in the light of day, I wasn’t so sure I’d be able to manage everything. But damn if I wouldn’t let that stop me.

Something had changed between us. As much as I’d liked Ella before, watching her patch up my guys had really done something to me. It was like she really cared about me. She’d really had every right to refuse stitching up a bunch of rough bikers who only looked at her like a piece of meat. But she hadn’t even asked questions, she’d gotten right down and gotten her hands dirty. Very dirty. I cringed when I thought of her covered in blood. Even though none of the blood had been hers, it still hadn’t been fun to watch.

I couldn’t believe what I’d said to Ella, about wanting just her. I’d never even
thought
about settling down, not even with someone as gorgeous as Ella. Most of the time when I had a woman, I got bored after two nights. But with Ella, things just got more exciting. Was this love? Was this what it felt like to be in love? I had no idea, I’d never been in love. The only woman I was fond of saying I loved was my mom. And obviously I still loved her, but Ella was different. She was so smart, so caring, so kind. She did everything I asked with a grin on her face and even came up with ways to make my life easier. She was really pretty incredible, especially for a chick with no knowledge of The Irish. And, surprisingly, the guys even liked her. Mason and Jimmy had both given me a ribbing about what it meant for me to really settle down, but I knew deep down they couldn’t possibly have minded.

It still seemed crazy that after all of the excitement of the past few months, I wanted Ella as much as I did. I was amazed that I hadn’t gotten hooked on the instability of violence, hiding in Ireland, and hiding away back home. But my desire for her was stronger than my desire for almost everything else in life. I didn’t even
feel
like myself anymore.

It wasn’t just enough to have Ella. I wanted her, I wanted to keep her safe, and I wanted to make her happy. At first I would have thought it would have been easy to manage. But now I was starting to realize just how deep we were. This was a bad situation, and if we didn’t get out fast, everything would be ruined forever. Ella didn’t deserve a lifetime of misery, and I didn’t want to be the one giving it to her. I could handle dealing with it myself, but not with her. Ella deserved only the best, and I wanted to give it to her.

But all of that depended on me keeping her safe. As I watched her small form sleeping next to me, I was filled with a powerful mix of the urge to protect her and the urge to wake her up for another fuck. Ella was the hottest, most powerful woman that I’d ever met. And lately, it seemed like she was really starting to harness that power.

I loved the way she’d let me finger her little asshole when we’d been in the shower. She’d been tight and willing, and in time I wanted to fuck her there, too. But all of that had to wait until this shit could be taken care of.

Ella coughed, breaking me out of my reverie. Her face turned red and she gasped into her clutched hand, her whole body shaking with the effort of it. When she was done, there were tears in her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she said in her soft voice. “I had some dust in my throat.”

I grinned. “I could think of something better to put down there,” I said wryly. Ella’s face turned from red into a bright purplish shade. I loved the way she looked when she blushed—it was so adorably indignant, I wanted to scoop her up and rip her clothes off every time.

“We’ve got to get to a safe house,” I said under my breath. “I hope you’re up for another long trip today.”

Ella giggled. “I could use a ride,” she said, blushing again. When I didn’t laugh, her face sobered up. “Sorry,” she added. “I’ll be fine in the rig. Can I drive today?”

I looked at her with my eyes narrowed. “Of course not,” I said quickly. “Don’t you know how dangerous that would be? You have to let me do it, Ella. What happens if those assholes show up?”

She nodded and bit her lip. I could tell she was scared again, and that she’d just been trying to lighten the mood. Immediately, I felt guilty for not humoring her. Pulling Ella into my arms, I stroked her face until I felt her petite frame begin to relax. Even though we’d both washed with the cheap hotel shampoo and soap, she still smelled like strawberries. It was a miracle. I was starting to get hard just from having her sweet scent under my nose and her body in my arms when there was a knock on the door.

“I hope it’s not that cunt from the front desk,” I said under my breath. “She’s the last person I wanna deal with now.”

Thankfully, it was Jimmy and Mason. They were standing in the doorway, looking nervous. Jimmy’s face was swollen and puffy and he looked like he hadn’t slept in days. Mason looked just as bad. One of his arms was bandaged from the attack and I knew that they both wanted a rest. But they were dedicated brothers; from their faces, I knew they’d jump as soon as I told them to go.

“We need to get up to the cabin in the mountains,” I told them. “I’m driving the rig and you all make the formation around me.”

Mason and Jimmy nodded. I knew they were both pleased to have a plan of action. After talking about the details for a few more minutes, they left and I turned to Ella. Her gorgeous face registered no shock whatsoever, even though I know she’d had to listen to things just now that she would have never wanted to hear. She looked up at me with a hint of a smile on her pink lips.

“So, are we in trouble?” She raised an eyebrow at me. “Do I have to be on the lookout?”

I grabbed her by both of her shoulders and stared into her face. “No,” I said sternly. “You need to listen to me and stay down at all times until I tell you we’re safe. Do you understand? This is dangerous, Ella.”

She nodded. “I promise I’ll listen. Thank you for keeping me safe.”

I rolled my eyes. “If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place,” I said honestly. “I promise things will be okay, though. Just go with me today and we’ll work it out.”

As we climbed in the truck, I felt Ella’s nervousness fill the cab like a mist. She kept silent and slouched down in the seat, clad in cheap gas station sunglasses and a polyester baseball cap. She looked adorable, like she was going into the witness protection program or something. I couldn’t help but stare at her chest as she adjusted the seat belt between her breasts. She was so fucking hot, I couldn’t wait until later, when I’d make her mine, over and over again.

The ride up to the cabin took most of the morning. I hadn’t been in years, but I never could have forgotten the way. The cabin had been in my family for years but it mostly belonged to the club. I decided that when I left, I’d make sure they still had access to it whenever they needed. It had served as a safe house, retreat, even a vacation spot in better times. I remembered a big raging barbecue that Mason and Jimmy and I had thrown: it had been a fundraiser for the club, and it had been extremely successful. Mason even hired porn stars from a nearby company. I chuckled, thinking about all of the fun I got into during my ‘bachelor’ days.

Bachelor days, really?
I thought with a smirk.
Putting the cart ahead of the horse a little bit, I think
. I looked at Ella, she was off in her own little world, staring out the window, the tip of her nose framed against the glass.

“Where are we going?” she asked in a soft voice. She must have felt my eyes on her even though she wasn’t even looking at me. “Can you at least tell me that?”

“There’s a cabin in my family that The Irish use as a safe house, it’s in the mountains, a few hours away from Dos Palmos. I think you’ll like it. It’s a little rustic, but it’s clean and safe. Plus, the guys know their way around the property and it’s got some great woods.”

Ella giggled. “I didn’t really see you as much of a hiker,” she joked.

I laughed. “I hate hiking,” I said in a dry voice. But the woods are good for hiding bikes.

Ella sighed. She stretched her small arms over her head and yawned. I knew that under the sunglasses, there were big dark circles under her brown eyes.

“My family used to come up here on the weekends when I was a little kid,” I mused aloud. Ella looked at me with interest. I wasn’t used to talking about my past, but I had to get used to doing so. If Ella was going to stick around in my life, I wanted her to know everything. I continued, “It was so great to see Mom and Dad together. They were so in love, and so in love with me. We were like a little royal family on retreat.”

Ella smiled wide. “I would have loved to have seen y’all together. What was your favorite part about those trips?”

“Being with Mom and Dad,” I said instantly. “Dad wouldn’t bring club business with us, and Mom would spend the whole day cooking a big meal. Sometimes Dad and I would go fishing, sometimes the three of us would walk through the woods. We always had a big bonfire at the end of each day. I still remember how the fire felt on my skin. The nights get chilly, even in the summer. If we didn’t have to lie low, we could have a fire tonight.”

Ella grinned. “Promise me you’ll take me back there sometime? After all of this is over?”

I grinned back. “Of course, honey,” I said, reaching over and tweaking one of her nipples through her shirt. Ella cried out but the sound turned into a low moan. I felt my cock stiffening between my legs. Even the feel of her little nipples through the cotton of her shirt was enough to drive me wild. If the guys hadn’t been driving alongside of us, I would have pulled her over and taken her right then and there.

“Mickey,” Ella moaned softly. She slipped her hand between her legs and began rubbing at the crotch of her jeans. My eyes bulged out of my head as Ella closed her eyes and tilted her head back against the bench seat. She was crazy; I’d never seen a woman fall in love with her own sexuality the way that Ella had. My cock was rock hard and throbbing between my legs as Ella continued to pleasure herself. She squirmed and writhed on the seat, spreading her legs and rubbing her hand against her pants. As she opened her eyes and gave me a devilish, coy grin, she unsnapped her jeans and slipped her hand inside. The look of pleasure on her face made me almost come in my pants.

“Ella, stop,” I said. My voice was dry and my heart was pounding in my chest. “Unless you want me to crash this rig into the trees, stop right now.”

Ella grinned at me. “I want to tease you,” she said in a soft, singsong voice. “I want to make you hard, Mickey.”

I reached over and grabbed her free hand, rubbing it over my crotch. Ella gasped when she felt my erection but she kept her hand there and gently began rubbing me through my jeans. I could feel the heat from her hand and the sensation was amazing. I was barely aware of my foot pressing down even harder on the gas pedal, and I let out a grunt as Ella increased the speed of her ministrations.

“Am I making you feel good?” Ella asked in the same voice.

I growled and swiped her hand away. “I have to drive,” I said, breathing hard. “And you’re going to get punished for that later, little girl.”

Ella pulled her hand out of her pants. She kept her eyes on me as she licked her fingers, one by one. My cock throbbed, begging for release.

“Yes, Daddy,” Ella said in the same sweet voice. “Whatever you say.”

I was dying to fuck her by the time we pulled up at the cabin. But there was a familiar car in the driveway, and my heart skipped a beat when I realized whose it was.

“Mom!” I cried as we burst into the cabin. “How did you get up here?”

When my mom turned the corner and spotted me, my mouth went dry and my stomach churned with anxiety. I hadn’t seen her in almost a year, and she looked terrible. Mom had always been generously curvy but the chemo had made her look like a stick. She was wearing a kerchief on her head and she had bruises all over her exposed arms.

“Don’t say anything,” she said in the same kindly stern voice that she’d used when I was a boy. “I know I look terrible.”

I rushed across the room and scooped her up in my arms. Mom had always been a great hugger, but now she was so small that she disappeared in my arms. She clung on tight and I smelled her familiar scent—tobacco and chamomile tea.