Ripped (20 page)

“I guess maybe that’s bullshit justification.” I drank more wine.

“No,” she whispered. “I’ve given in to my selfish desires before. I’ve hurt people. Not killed anyone, but… there’s darkness in me too.”

“No, you don’t have to do that,” I said. “You don’t have to try to make us the same. We’re not. I know that I’m not… I know that there’s something wrong with me.”

And then we were both quiet.

Finally, she came through the dark, warm water and got the wine bottle. She poured herself more wine. “So, what happened to Angie, then?”

“She had an abortion,” I said. “She left. She said that she didn’t want something half-monster growing inside her. I didn’t blame her for that.”

Shell furrowed her brow. “That’s a horrible thing to say.”

I shrugged. “It’s what she felt. It was her body. I couldn’t force her to have a baby she didn’t want, could I?”

Shell came closer to me, floating next to me in the water. She ran her knuckles over my jaw. “You’re not a monster.”

I touched her bottom lip. “Aren’t I?”

In the distance, the crickets chirped and the breeze whistled through the trees.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Cade

I woke up with my body wrapped around Shell’s. The two of us were naked and spooning in my bed. There hadn’t been anymore sex after the hot tub last night, but we’d fallen into bed together, and we’d held each other in the night, which was even more confusing.

But I couldn’t think about that because my phone was ringing.

That was what had woken me up.

Shell stirred next to me. “What’s going on?”

I rolled over and snagged my phone from the bedside table. I answered it. “What?”

“Ripper, this is De Luca,” said a heavily accented Italian voice on the other end. “I got something for you.”

I sat up. “Thing is, I’m sort of not really in a place to be taking on new business right now. Sorry about that.”

“What?” De Luca did not sound happy. “You said that any time I needed you, you’d be there. You said that it was a pleasure doing business with me.”

“And it is,” I said. “But right now…” I looked down at Shell, who was squinting at me. I didn’t want to talk about this in front of her. Pushing aside the covers, I got out of bed and wandered over to the door that led out onto the porch that wrapped around my house. Stepping outside, I shut myself out. “I’m just unusually busy at the moment.”

“Should I up my standing offer? This your way of shaking me down for more cash?”

“No,” I said. I was naked outside, and I had to admit I liked the way the breeze felt on my balls. I should come outside naked more often. “I’m busy, that’s all.”

“This is an easy job. I’ll tell you where the guy’s going to be. You just walk in, get it done, leave. You don’t even need to be fancy about it. Everyone will suspect it’s an internal job.”

“Why isn’t it an internal job?” I said. “Surely you got guys who could deal with this.”

“Not someone in my family I’m talking about.”

“Who then?”

“Rafael Gallo.”

“Gallo?” I whistled low under my breath. “That’s not an easy job, De Luca.” Rafael Gallo was the head of the Gallo crime family.

“He’s losing popularity right now. Got deals going with the Irish,” said De Luca. “We want to do this, now is the time. It’ll look like someone in the Gallo family was upset. No one fingers us. And I can’t use my own guys for this. They could get recognized.”

“I’m just saying, the guy doesn’t go anywhere without about five bodyguards.”

“Not when he goes to the pizzeria his nephew owns, which he does every Monday.”

“That’s today.”

“Right. So, today, you do this job for me.”

“Jesus Christ, how about a little notice, De Luca?”

“You’re gonna do it, aren’t you?”

“No,” I said.

But ten minutes later, I’d negotiated an outrageous amount of money out of him, and I came back into the bedroom and went into my closet.

“Who was on the phone?” said Shell from the bed.

I pulled on a pair of sweats and a tank top. “No one,” I said. “Just…” I ducked back out of the closet. “Look, later today, I’m going to have to leave for a little while. You can stay here. It’ll be no big deal.”

“Stay here?” She shot straight up on the bed. “Oh, no, I don’t fucking think so. You leave me alone, I’m going to get killed. Ice will show up.”

“Ice would never come to my home. He knows that’s out of bounds.”

“Wait, you mean he knows where you live?”

“Kind of,” I said, grimacing.

“Kind of? Has he been here?”

“Only a couple times.”

“I’m not staying here alone. I’m coming with you.”

“No way,” I said. I started down the steps. “I’m going for a run.”

* * *

Shell

I seized the robe and ran after him. “Oh, no, you don’t. You’re not going on a run. He’ll kill me while you’re gone.”

“Don’t be paranoid. He won’t come here. It’s out of bounds.”

I ran down the steps. “I don’t trust him. I don’t think you should either.”

He headed for the front door. “I always go for a run.”

I hurled myself after him, and leaped, wedging myself between him and the door. “Don’t leave me.” I looked up at him, my heart pounding. I still remembered what it had been like to be dragged up the hallway in my apartment by Ice. I knew that if Cade hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have survived.

He sighed. “I have to go on a run. I have to get cardio.”

“Skip a day.” I glared at him.

He shook his head. “You run with me.”

I made a face. “I don’t really… run.” I did jog. At a very slow pace. Three days a week. I didn’t really
like
exercise so much as simply do it because you were supposed to.

“So, you’re worried about being killed, you’ll keep up.”

I folded my arms over my chest. “I didn’t bring a sports bra.”

He grinned. “Even better, love.”

“Cade.”

He was still grinning. “I’ll wait five minutes, and then I’m going on a run. If you’re coming along, you better get ready.”

I could have punched him. Instead, I ran to find my clothes. I did have a t-shirt and shorts that I could exercise in. I had brought them just in case. I shrugged into them and a pair of tennis shoes that weren’t really meant for exercise, but would have to do. Then I hurried back to find him waiting for me.

He looked me up and down. “Cute.”

I tugged my hair into a ponytail. “Can’t we just stay here?”

He opened the door.

Obviously not.

“You’ve got to take me on the job with you too,” I said.

“I can’t do that.” He started running.

I ran after him. Jesus, he was fast. “I could be your associate. I could help you out.”

“No, you couldn’t,” he threw over his shoulder.

I pumped my legs, trying to catch up. “I swear you can’t leave me here.”

He slowed his pace, fell into step with me. “You don’t know anything about it, and I don’t want you to.”

“Give me a gun,” I said. “It can’t be that hard. Point and shoot.”

He glanced at me sidelong. “You’re joking, right?”

“No.” I was starting to get out of breath. “You just don’t want me to hold your gun, do you?”

He chuckled. “You want to hold my gun?”

* * *

Shell

Cade’s firm, bare body pressed against me from behind. We were fresh from the shower, both of us naked on the porch outside his bedroom. I was holding a pistol, and his hands were on my hands.

“You’ve got to hold it steady,” he whispered in my ear.

“It’s heavy,” I said softly. “I didn’t know it would be so heavy.” The gun felt cold and smooth in my hands. I liked the power of it.

He pointed. “That tree trunk out there.”

“The one with the target painted on it?”

“That’s the one.”

“You want me to try to shoot it?”

“Yep, that’s the general idea.”

I squinted, trying to line up the barrel of the gun with the target. Then I squeezed both my eyes shut and shot.

The sound was loud, echoing through the surrounding forest.

Cade laughed.

I opened my eyes. “Did I hit it?”

“First of all,” he said, his fingers resting on my bare hips, “you need to keep your eyes open when you shoot the gun.”

“Oh,” I said. I guess that made sense.

“Both of your eyes.” His fingers traveled higher, skimming my ribs. “Try again.”

I looked out at the target. “I don’t understand. How am I supposed to aim?”

“Point the gun in the direction you want to shoot it.”

“I am, but…” I pulled the trigger again.

My bullet hit the tree, but way above the target.

“Better,” he said. He cupped my breasts and ran his thumbs over my nipples.

I sighed at the sensation, leaning into him. “I don’t understand,” I breathed. “Why did I do better that time?”

“It’s all subconscious, love.” He squeezed my breasts. “If you look at something, you aim for it. It’s kind of like Yoda. Try not. Do.”

I giggled. “Next you’ll be telling me to use the Force.”

“Kind of,” he said. “You can’t move things with your mind or anything, but you need to believe that you’re going to hit the target when you look at it. You need to focus all of your essence on what you’re doing, just look at where the shot’s going to go, and then… do it. Shoot it.”

I turned to look at him. “You’re getting all hinky on me.”

“Hinky?” He chuckled again, and his hands roamed over my body, exploring my curves. “What’s that even mean?”

“Oh, don’t you say that in England?” I laughed.

“I told you, I’m as American as you are. I grew up here.”

I turned. “You didn’t tell me that.”

“Didn’t I? I lived with my aunt after my mother died, until I was about ten. My father was kind of a wreck after it happened, but he got himself together eventually and sent for me. We lived in Connecticut.”

“I didn’t know your mother died.”

He shrugged. “It was a long time ago. You going to try to hit that target again?”

I turned to it. “It’s not going to work, just focusing on being able to do it, believing I can or whatever.”

He moved my hair away from my neck and planted a kiss on the nape of my neck. “Just try it, love. Every time you hit it, you get a reward.”

“A reward? What kind of reward?”

“Mmm… you’ll find out if you ever hit the target.”

I smiled at him. Then I raised the gun, stared at the target and aimed the gun with a purpose, two hands holding it firmly. I was just going to blow that target away. I took a deep breath, and I pulled the trigger.

I hit the target. Wood splintered everywhere.

“Did you see that?” I said.

“I did,” he whispered, pinching both my nipples.

I yipped.

He laughed. “Want more of that?”

“Yes.” I bit my lip.

“Hit the target again.” He grinned at me.

I kissed him.

He pulled back. “Now, now. None of that. You hit the target, you get a reward. That’s how it works.”

Many, many bullets later, I had hit the target more times than I had originally thought I ever could, and my final reward was being lifted onto the railing and speared by his huge, hard cock.

I clung to him and he fucked me hard.

And when I came, urged on by his hoarse commands, I felt as if I was tipping off the edge of a cliff and free-falling, buoyed up by warm currents of pleasure and elation.

* * *

Cade

She was sitting in my lap on the porch, and neither of us were wearing anything. I lazily ran my hands over her body. “I’m thinking we should never get dressed again. Clothes are entirely overrated.”

She giggled, snuggling against me. “It does provide easy access, I have to admit.”

“And I like the view.” I squeezed one of her tits. “I’d like these out on display all the time. I never get tired of looking at them. Touching them.”

She shivered against me. “Stop it,” she said in a breathy voice. “You’re going to get me all excited again.”

“Can’t have that, can we, love?” I said, chuckling. I kissed her neck. “You shouldn’t worry, though. I don’t think my cock has it in him to get moving again. You’ve completely worn me out.”

“Really? You have limits?” She wriggled her bottom against me.

I felt a little stirring in my balls. I groaned. “Okay, okay, let’s not test it, shall we?”