Release (14 page)

“Damn.” I wrapped my arms around his back. “I’m not letting you leave. Not now that I know what you’re capable of.”

He laughed into my neck. “I want you to stay with me on weekends. We’ll make up for lost time.”

His cock was rock hard against my thigh. And though I’d just had the best orgasm of my life, I still hungered for more of him.

“I’m not on the pill,” I said, disappointment in my tone. “But I’ll get on it.”

“You don’t have to get on it unless you want to. We can use condoms. And we don’t have to have sex yet if you’re not ready.”

“Oh, I’m ready. I’m ready right now. Maybe we can run to the drugstore?”

He lifted his head from my neck and smiled, brows arched. “I have one in my wallet.”

My lips parted in a surprised grin. “What are you waiting for?”

He pulled his wallet from his back pocket. “I just need to make sure it’s not expired.”

My heart swelled with love for him. In a world full of men looking for a quick lay, I’d found a gem who treasured the intimacy of sex.

“We’re good,” he said, grinning and tossing it to the bed. My body hummed its approval.

“Why does it have an ‘x’ on it?” I asked, lifting my head for a better look.

Orion shook his head, still grinning. “Niko. He did that at Christmas time so he could check and see if I’d been with anyone and tease the fuck out of me over it.”

“You’re the sweetest, sexiest thing I’ve ever seen,” I said. “Come here.”

Our make out session was so much more this time. Feeling his warm skin against mine was pure bliss. And the revelation of my secret had changed things between us. His acceptance of me had opened a door in my heart that had been closed for a very long time.

He lavished attention on my bare body until I didn’t think I could stand it anymore. He kissed, stroked and sucked until I was on the verge of coming again. I moaned my approval when he finally tore open the condom and rolled it on.

“Okay?” he asked, leaning over me.

“Yes,” I said softly. Orion’s strength didn’t intimidate me. It made me feel protected.

His eyes slid closed for just a second when he entered me in one long, full thrust. I sucked in a breath, lost in the sensation of being filled by him. The discomfort was outweighed by the heady rush I felt when his eyes met mine. This was what it was supposed to be like. I wasn’t a virgin, but this was most definitely a first for me.

My body relaxed as he moved in and out of me, and soon I was pushing my hips up into his eagerly. His body was made for this – it was all long, lean muscle that he moved with expert precision.

We came together in an overwhelming rush of sweaty skin and groans. My final cry of pleasure floated into Orion’s open mouth a second after he’d kissed me. With one final thrust, he let out a powerful groan that I felt against my chest.

My worries about Matt were forgotten as we both drifted off to sleep in a haze. I couldn’t even bear to think about him leaving. For today, there was just this. Just us breaking down the final wall that had stood between us.

I hadn’t meant to fall in love with Orion Caldwell. But there was no going back now. I knew in my heart that for the rest of my life, it was him or no one for me.

I added weight to the bar I was about to use at the gym, wanting a little more strain than usual. I was wound tight with tension and anger this morning.

Images of Samara being abused played in my mind on repeat. I couldn’t stop imagining the terror on her face when that asshole had her pressed against the wall or the agony she must’ve felt when he’d raped her.

She was already wounded from her childhood. And that sick fuck had used her pain to manipulate her further.

Last night I’d only thought of her. She was scared and upset, and even though finding out about her past had been like a knife to the heart, she needed me to be there for her. The sex had been more emotional and raw than I’d ever experienced. Nothing but us existed in those hours.

But when she drifted off to sleep, I stared up into the dark nothingness and fantasized about getting my hands on Matt. It was different than the burst of adrenaline and testosterone that hit when I was fighting in a game. This was a slow, deep anger that burned in my gut. He deserved to feel the fear she’d felt. Not empty fear, either. The kind with a follow-through that would make him realize he hadn’t even been as scared as he should’ve been.

In two short months, Samara had become my girl. I wanted her to know she was safe with me. And I wanted Matt to be physically incapable of ever hurting her again.

My muscles burned as I forced the bar up. Sweat was pouring off me. As soon as I finished this workout – before I even showered – I was planning to call someone I knew would help me make this happen.

“Wassup, fuckstick?” Niko said in greeting.

“Maybe I just miss you,” I said, wiping a towel over my face.

“Doubt it. You only call when you want something.”

“Bullshit.” I sat down on a locker room bench and took a swig of my water. “We’ll see enough of each other soon anyway.”

“Yeah,” he muttered. “Looking forward to sharing a hotel room with you on the road instead of sleeping with my wife.”

I shook my head with disbelief. “I still can’t believe you’re married, douchebag. That’s gonna take some getting used to.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s good though.”

“You let her fuck you in the ass yet?” I asked.

“Fuck you, motherfucker.” His pissed off tone told me I’d hit a nerve. Niko was so easy. Any joke about his asshole being violated got to him.

“I do need something,” I said.

“Yeah, I know. But first I have to say congratulations on using the condom, man.”

I narrowed my eyes in confusion. I hadn’t said a word about me and Samara sleeping together to anyone. “What do you mean?”

“You got laid. I can tell.”

“How?”

“You’re not as uptight as the last time we talked. Your sense of humor’s back. So it must be going well with … did you tell me her name yet?”

“Samara.”

“You gonna keep seeing her when the season starts?”

“Yeah.”

There was a pause before he spoke again. “Just be careful, man.”

“Careful how?”

“You had too much faith in Amy. You love being in love, and it makes you a little bit blind.”

I let his words sink in. “Yeah, I did have too much faith in Amy. But Samara couldn’t be more different from her. She’s quiet and kinda shy. I’ve never been with anyone like her.”

Niko grunted his skepticism. “When do I get to meet her?”

“Soon, I hope.”

“Good.”

I paused before diving in. “It’s not really that I need anything from you, I just wanted to give you a heads-up about something. I’m hiring a private detective to find a guy in Arizona, and when he does, I’m paying the guy a visit. I don’t plan on getting arrested, but just in case. If shit goes bad I’m gonna call you to bail me out. So answer your phone if you see an unknown number.”

“What the fuck’s your beef with this guy, that you’d fly across the country to kick his ass?”

“It’s personal.”

“Yeah, I figured, brother. We trust each other with this stuff, right?”

A stab of guilt hit me. I did trust Niko, but I wouldn’t share Samara’s past with anyone. It was too intimate.

“Just trust me,” I said. “This needs to happen.”

“Don’t show up at camp with your face fucked up,” he warned.

“You think I’m gonna get my ass kicked?” I asked, amused. “I know what I’m doing.”

Another grunt of amusement. “I know that. Alright, then. But hey, you sure you wanna get your hands dirty? I know some guys in New York who can put him in a body cast for airfare and a few thousand bucks.”

“I’m sure. I want to be the one to do it.”

“Okay, man. I’m in. So’s my brother Lyov.”

“No, you don’t need to do that. I can handle it.”

“I know you can, but like you said, shit goes bad sometimes. We’ll be there for backup.”

I sighed into the phone. “Seriously. I could easily get in trouble for this.”

Niko gave a hum of amusement. “I said I’m in. A little trouble now and then keeps things interesting anyway.”

Liz grinned at me from the bakery’s prep table when I walked in the side door and grabbed my apron from its hook.

“Good Lord, girl, you look like death warmed over,” she said. “You’ve got bags under your eyes.”

“Yeah, no makeup today,” I said shortly. “I overslept.”

“I’d oversleep too, if Orion Caldwell was in my bed. I know those purple circles under your eyes mean you had a very good night.”

My cheeks burned. She was right, but
geez
, did she really need to say it so bluntly?

“Orion’s staying with his mom this summer,” I said, washing my hands at the sink. It was true. He technically was.

“Mmm-hmm,” Liz said skeptically. “Is that why his Escalade is parked in front of Petra’s house most every night these days?”

I turned, shaking the water from my hands. “Why is everyone in this town so nosy?”

“What does it matter that everyone knows? He’s the best catch in Henley, Samara.”

Continuing this conversation would just provide more gossip fodder. What was between me and Orion was private to me. Sacred. It was special, and I didn’t care to share it with anyone.

“Want me to start baking cakes?” I asked Liz.

“Sure.” She stopped stirring batter and looked up at me. “Is there a reason you started parking right by the door?”

I tensed, looking down at the dishes I was gathering. “Just … since it’s still dark when I get here … you know, I feel safer.”

Her brows lowered skeptically for just a second, but then her face cleared. “Sure, not a problem.”

I’d never felt unsafe before Matt was paroled. But now I found myself looking over my shoulder every second I wasn’t with Orion. Though we never got much sleep, I always slept soundly in his arms. He’d become my lover, best friend and protector. I told myself to enjoy the time we had left and not count the days, but I couldn’t help it.

We had five more nights. And after that, I’d be as lonely as I’d been when he got in my line that day at the Supersaver. I’d also be terrified every second that Matt would appear and finish the job he’d started three years ago.

Matt Carlson didn’t look like the type who got his ass kicked often. He was lean and muscular, with dark, hard eyes and a shaved head.

He walked out of a liquor store and got in the passenger seat of the truck that had brought him here. Once the private detective connected us with him, we’d trailed him from a run-down apartment to a gas station and now here.

“These guys might have guns,” Niko said, giving me a serious glance. “Keep your guard up.”

I nodded, staring out the windshield at the back of the truck as we followed it to the outskirts of the small town. When the truck parked in front of a tiny dump of a house, Niko met Lyov’s eyes in the rearview mirror and nodded.

I was glad they’d come with me. Niko and his brother had grown up in a New York neighborhood that forced them to become scrappers. I hadn’t planned on Matt having anyone with him, and I knew they’d handle the guy driving the truck while Matt and I had a talk.

Niko put the rental in park and we all stepped out. Matt scowled as we approached.

“You guys lost?” he said with a sneer.

Lyov approached him and delivered a quick blow to his stomach and Matt doubled over. Niko had ahold of the other guy, speaking to him in a low tone.

“Get the other arm,” Lyov said to me. He nodded toward the alley that ran behind the house.

“What the fuck is this?” Matt hissed, trying to break free.

We dragged him through the trash and rock-filled yard. The closer we got to the alley, the harder he fought to break free.

“I’m gonna fuck you up,” he said, his voice getting louder with each word. “You don’t know who you’re messing with.”

“I know who I’m messing with,” I muttered, shoving him against a crumbling brick wall so hard I heard his teeth rattle.

Lyov moved to the side of the house to stand guard. Matt cocked his arm back to punch me, but not fast enough. I smashed my fist into his face and blood gushed from his nose.

“Fuck!” he cried, bending down and pressing his hands to his nose. “It’s broken, you asshole.”

“No, it’s not,” I said. “Not yet. It didn’t crack.”

He rushed me, still bent over, and we hit the ground together. For a minute, we were a circle of fists and knees – just punching and growling. He was a strong bastard. The thought of him using that strength against Samara fueled a fresh fire in my gut.

I rolled on top of him and slammed his head to the ground. While he was still dazed, I landed another hard blow to his face and a fresh stream of blood poured from his nose.

“Now it’s broken,” I said, panting with exertion. “Listen up, asshole. I know a lot more than just who you are. I know you’re staying with the douchebag who drove you here and I know you two like meth and pot. You violated parole eight hours after you got released from prison, you stupid shit.”

His eyes widened in fear. The private detective I’d had on him for two full days had been worth every penny.

“You planning to find Samara?” I asked.

“What?” When he opened his mouth, blood from his nose ran between his lips. “Samara?”

I picked up two fistfuls of his shirt and slammed him back into the ground.

“Don’t play dumb, asshole. Yes or no?”

“No.” He turned his head to the side to spit out blood.

“If you leave this state – if you so much as leave this shithole town – I will know it. You’re being watched, Matt. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

He nodded and I slammed his head to the ground again, drawing out a weak groan.

“Answer me,” I said, my teeth clenched. I could practically feel the anger seeping out of me.

“Yes, I understand. You’ll know.”

“Not only will I know, I’ll pull you into another dark alley and stab you just like you stabbed her. I’ll put tape over your mouth and leave you there to bleed out.”