Avenging Us (Rocker Series Book 3) (23 page)

Things evolved between Abel and me. Our relationship outside of the bedroom was tender and full of mutual respect. We were equal parts of one whole. But behind the closed doors of our bedroom, his dominance is what kept me grounded. Pain became central to my pleasure. It heightened my senses and adrenaline. There was something incredible about not being able to sit down because your ass was bruised after a good spanking. My body began to crave it. Giving up control felt liberating. In recent days, he’d decided to keep closer tabs on me. Giving me little assignments independent of Bella. I saw it as another way to assert his dominance, and something he needed to quell his worry. But, at the end of it all, it was his lazy smile that oozed hot sex and danger as he stalked toward me. The gentle way he lifted my chin to meet his lips, and the wild look in his eyes when he caught me staring. He was one big, massive dose of predatory possession. I needed to be wanted, and he wanted to be needed. He always had a way of making me feel speechless, hypnotized, and utterly enthralled with him.

“Give her to me.” Chance reached for Bella, drawing her into his arms. “Are you going to stand there daydreaming all day about the broody alpha that makes your heart pitter-patter? And lord knows what else.” He held up his hand, stopping me before I could speak. “Don’t even tell me. I don’t want to know what twistedness lurks beyond the doors to your bedroom.”

“Ha! Don’t hate because you’re frustrated.” I gazed into the kitchen where Michael was and paused. “What’s up with the two of you? Hit it and quit it type of guy?” I grabbed Bella’s pacifier off the table, quickly pushing it into her mouth. One thing I learned as a mother was the many faces of Bella and what they meant. She was about to have a meltdown, and her feeding wasn’t for another thirty minutes.

He frowned and his handsome face darkened. “I wish I knew, but he’s been cold and distant. I don’t want to push. The broody alpha doesn’t help…throwing his testosterone all over my fairy dust.”

Seeing his genuine sadness made me unhappy. I hoped what he said wasn’t true. Did Abel make Michael uncomfortable enough to back off Chance? A man with Chance’s looks could get anyone, yet there was an unbelievable insecurity about him. “I’ll talk to him. I honestly don’t think it has to do with him. If it did, that would be fucked up. It’s not like his job is in jeopardy.”

“We don’t know if he knows that, do we? Maybe it’s an employment thing? Or he’s backing off out of respect for Abel?”

I pondered the question for some time as Chance walked Bella around. Abel had a way of driving anyone crazy. Maybe he needed to be reminded about desires. That emotion didn’t distinguish between genders. Everyone deserved it.

I grabbed Bella’s burp cloth and followed Chance’s deep voice. He was rocking Bella in a chair under a palm tree. I placed the cloth over his shoulder and sat down next to him. With complete confidence, I asked Chance a question that had been burning my brain for some time now. “What’s the deal with Giselle?”

“She’s a dark sea of troubling thoughts.” Was all he said.

My mood plummeted, and I sank into the possibility that she had Abel on her radar, muddled by the possibility that she and Abel had something sexual at one time despite his protests. “In English, please. I sense she’s here for a reason. And it has nothing to do with business or the interview.”

“You’d be correct.” He paused. “I’ve long suspected she’s been hiding something.”

I gave him a begging look, and he finally relented with a sigh. “Okay, this is just my suspicion, which is often right, but of course, I don’t have any real proof.”

I nodded in a silent standoff. I was dug in and wasn’t moving until he spilled.

“She’s been in love with Jake since she was a teenage girl. But he never paid any attention to it. Ignored it.”

“Jake?” I asked, feeling less irritated and suddenly lighter. “Just because he ignored it doesn’t mean a thing. You read, don’t you? Guys do that all the time. Act one way…when the truth is the polar opposite.” I huffed, almost feeling bad for her.
Almost
. Then it all came rushing back. The clicking of puzzle pieces perfectly fitting together. My fingers ran through the blades of grass, separating each one as I ran down my mental check list.

An exasperated sigh left his mouth, catching my attention. “I’m bored with this conversation.” His confession caught me off guard…since when did Chance ever bore of gossip?

“I’m not at all.” I looked at him and squinted my eyes, wondering if I would be able to read his mind if I tried hard enough. They say two people who are really close could communicate without words. I’d only hoped that to be true with Chance. “Did you see the way she looked at Jake, Ender, and Jessie?” I waved my hand. “No, of course you didn’t. You weren’t there. But I was.” And here I thought she was a snotty, self-absorbed bitch. Meanwhile…

“Jake would never act on it, even if he felt anything toward her. And if he’s had any feelings all these years, he’s a damn good actor,” he said as he stood up. “Ender would kill him, and you know how the boys are about the band. It’s their life…”

I followed him, thinking on his words as they sifted through my brain, not bothering to respond. I tabled the conversation to do some sleuthing on my own. I mean, if Ender and Jake liked to share, and Ender’s sister was into Jake… I shuddered, that was even too much for my perverted mind.

“Hun, a word to the wise…let it go. You don’t want to stir any of this shit up. Let the chips fall where they may. You have a wedding in a few weeks. I’d be concentrating on fitting into my dress, not boy-meets-girl nonsense.”

I gave him a death glare and took my baby back. “I hope your perfectly long lashes burn off your face for that comment.” I took Bella into the house to nurse her. I’ve lost a few pounds, and the book said the nursing helped. But I was always hungry, and I did need proper nutrition for the baby.

Bella’s mouth worked my breast as I sat, rocking her in her nursery. Ever since that jackass mentioned food, I couldn’t think of anything other than how positively famished I was. I kept a few peanut butter cups in a small jar on her changing table. My stomach growled in protest as I walked over to grab one. To my surprise, it was empty and filled with golden raisins and almonds. A neatly folded piece of paper lay on top.
What the fuck?
Balancing Bella with one arm, I unraveled it between my thumb and forefinger and couldn’t believe my eyes.

You have a fitting this week

Signed,
Tough love
…

It was fucking Chance’s handwriting
.

Bastard.

What a little bitch. So I took the whole jar and dumped it into the trashcan.
Raisins,
I thought, shaking my head. Now, I’d plot all the ways to exact revenge. Everything he held dear would be fair game. You don’t fuck with someone’s peanut butter cups—ever.

In a half hours’ time, Abel loomed in the doorway. My body already aware of his presence. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.” His voice was full of concern. “Is she sleeping?”

I nodded, not willing to verbally answer in the hopes he’d take the hint. My hands still soothed Bella as I walked through the space to her cradle. Following my lead, he kept quiet until I put Bella down.

“You look upset,” he said. But I wasn’t… I was livid. Not upset. He sat on the bed, drawing me to him. “Tell me what’s got you so upset? I came home early, figuring we could go out tonight for a bite to eat,” he said casually. I melted into him, and focused on his clean scent to calm me.

I may have come off sounding irrational or even unhinged, but I didn’t care. I just blurted it out. “Chance took my hidden stash of peanut butter cups. Replaced them with plump, ugly, yellow raisins, and I want you to kill him for me.” A sexy smirk of delight came over his face and I blushed because now I felt like an idiot. A pissed off idiot that wanted a bloody massacre.

“Fine, but you have to help. We’re a team; isn’t that what you keep saying? So, we will kill him together.” His voice rumbled as he focused on my lips. He hadn’t made another sound, but his warm breath made me hot and cold all over, making it hard to concentrate on the massacre of Chance. His power challenged me physically, mentally, and stopped all other thoughts. Mind-fucking me…

“I absolutely hate you. You know that, right?”

“Yet your eyes devour me.” He paused. “My lustful little beauty.” His lips were on the tender part of my neck before I could bat an eye. There was no pretending his words didn’t hold merit. Our passion was always so raw and undeniable. It would be a lie to deny it out loud. His colorful fingers kneaded my shoulder and moved down my arms. Transfixed by their beauty, I watched the colors bleed into my skin.

I sighed loudly, letting go of any anger I felt toward the unmentionable one. I needed to get ahead of the escalating passion or we wouldn’t be leaving here. “I’d love to have dinner with you,” I whispered through a moan.

He stopped dead in his tracks. “It’s settled then? You want to go out?”

I couldn’t blame him for being so tentative. My emotions we all over the place. “Yes, I need this. We need this.”

He nodded his agreement with a kiss to my cheek and then grabbed his phone, scrolling through his contacts. When he turned to face me, he asked, “Can you be ready in an hour?”

“Yes, but—” I didn’t get a chance to utter the word before I was cut off.

“There’s breast milk in the refrigerator, right?”

“Yes, I pumped this morning,” I answered, the excitement constricting my insides. He barked out a series of orders, despite my fingers to my lips. I went to my closet wondering what not only would fit, but what I would look good in. Where was he taking me? Who in the hell was going to watch Bella?

The click of his phone sounded and it was back in his pocket. “We will have to wait to kill Chance. He’s agreed to watch Bella.” He spun me until my back was against his chest. His hands squeezed my engorged breasts before they gripped my thighs pulling me onto his hard cock.
Disarming
. That’s what you call this. Who could concentrate on a
murder
with his sexual cloak shrouding me.

“Where are we going?” I moaned, feeling suddenly very hot. His hand glided back and forth over my yoga pants, and the intimate contact felt divine.

“Santa Catalina. We’ll only be fifteen minutes away in case of anything.” He bit the back of my neck and released me with a pat on the ass. “Forty-five minutes now…my beauty. Best be ready on time.”

I tapped out a quick text to Cindy, letting her know Chance would be babysitting Bella. Hopefully, she’d stop in to check up on them. Abel had already told me that Woody and Cindy were talking again. I had to wonder if that wasn’t partly the reason for her lack of contact. On a normal day, in a normal world, this wouldn’t happen. However, this was Lethal Abel boys we were talking about. They had an unassuming way of encompassing and dominating your thoughts without you even knowing it.

Forty minutes later, and with five to spare, I wrote out a list of all possible scenarios and what to do. Bella was down for a few hours, and in very capable hands. Cindy and Woody were going to stop by, so my anxiety wasn’t reaching explosive levels.

Abel left the front door open, choosing to wait outside for me. I took a deep, calming breath and went to him. I told myself I had dressed for me, but it was all about him. It was a plain, black satin cocktail dress that hit me just below the knee. The top was fitted with one shoulder that fell off loosely. The bodice was tight, holding in any undesirable bumps. It didn’t scream siren, but was provocative, sexy, and potent on the eye. And, I felt fantastic in it. I was even amazed at my transformation. Feeling a bit like my old self, there was confidence in my step with every sway of my hips.

I heard his sharp inhale before I saw him. His eyebrow raised and his lips parted with just a hint of that shiny tongue ring. I ran my hands over my arms, feeling a prickle of awareness. The black pupils nearly ate away his gorgeous green eyes. He leaned against the car, his hair long enough to slick back, adding a touch of old Hollywood meets new vogue rocker chic. He donned a beige fitted suit, crisp white shirt, with a tan textured Gucci tie. The black Ferragamo belt added a touch of color. My eyes traveled up and down, leisurely taking him in. His legs were crossed at the ankle, showing off his black YSL loafers. My god, he was a walking couture billboard, and cleaned up exquisitely, nearly rendering me speechless.

“Whoa,” I said as he stepped close enough for our lips to touch.

“Whoa yourself.” His eyes held mine in captivity. “Come, my beauty.” He extended his hand and I folded into the back seat of the Phantom. Scott drove us tonight. Abel rarely drove anymore in LA. The media was a constant battle that neither of us wanted to deal with. With his temper, it was only a matter of time before he ran someone over. And with my hormones all over the place, I just might’ve let him.

We drove in the opposite direction of LA traffic, and I wondered where this place was. Everything lavish and trendy was in Hollywood. There was no need to venture off anywhere else. Ten minutes and three drugging kisses later, we pulled up to a private airstrip. My mind raced, wondering where in the hell this Casa Catalina was that we needed to be on an airstrip.

The car pulled alongside a small black helicopter. “Wait one minute. I thought we were going to a restaurant.”

The driver opened his door, ushering us out and into the waiting helicopter.

“We are.”

I took his hand, following him out, willing to play along. I wasn’t dealing with a normal man here. He lived by his own code. He bent down, sweeping me off my feet to lift me into the copter. Abel got in behind me, and Scott opened the front, getting into the pilot’s seat. Scott reached for the headphones, placing them over his ears, and started to flip some switches.

“He can’t fly…” I shouted as the propeller’s started up, causing a loud hum. “Can he?” I felt overly panicked, hoping my life wouldn’t flash before my eyes.

“He’s licensed, and we’ll be fine. I promise,” Abel said, kissing my nose. “Here, put these on.” He handed me a set of headphones, the big kind that fit over the entire ear with a mouthpiece attached to one side.