Seeking Love in Salvation (16 page)

“You think?” she asked him as she slowly rocked her hips. Jace smirked.

Sparrow kissed along her ribs and up her back.

“I think you like being restrained.” Jace took that moment to lift her arms up and place them above his head and shoulders. He latched onto her breast with his mouth as Sparrow drove her wild.

She moaned and widened her thighs, and Jace knew Sparrow was stroking her ass and adding lube to it. “I’d say it’s fair to say you like being filled up with cock. Big time.” He thrust into her and she moaned again.

The moment he pulled his fingers from her ass and replaced them with his cock, Jace knew it. Valentina moaned louder and then gasped. Sparrow thrust into her ass and Jace lifted up and down. Together they claimed her, making love to her and marking her theirs. He nipped her breast and then suckled against her neck as she held onto his shoulders. She was counterthrusting when she started to move faster between them. “Oh, shit, look at that. Our little woman is getting wild,” Ridge stated and smacked her ass. She gasped.

“Oh, hell, Ridge,” Sparrow barked and then came in her ass. As soon as he pulled out, Jace rolled Val to her back and stroked into her deeper, faster, as he held her arms above her head. She cried out and came and he followed suit then scooped her up in his arms and hugged her tight.

“Never like this, Val. You’re perfect.”

Valentina walked onto the porch carrying a cup of coffee.

“Have a good night’s sleep?” Lois asked, not looking at her but smirking.

“Yup,” she said and took a sip from her coffee, sitting down on the chair next to her sister. Val looked out at Kenny as he played with the basketball set.

“You could have stayed there with them. You didn’t have to come home.”

She looked at her sister. Lois turned toward her, smirking.

“I thought you might get upset and thought Kenny would be, too.”

Lois took a deep breath and exhaled. “Sis, you’ve sacrificed so much for us. You don’t need to anymore. I want you to be happy, and if doing four Green Berets does it for you, who am I to disapprove?” she stated sarcastically then wiggled her eyebrows up and down. They both burst out laughing. Valentina tucked her legs underneath her bottom and shifted in her seat.

“Uncomfortable?” Lois teased.

“No,” she replied and gave her a sassy look.

Lois shifted toward her.

“So, how was it? Totally fantasy come true, or overrated and awkward?”

“Definitely not overrated and awkward. It was…beautiful,” Valentina whispered and looked out toward the yard and then to where the Brazos brothers resided. They really didn’t want her to leave last night—well, four o’clock this morning—but she really had been worried about Lois.

Lois stared at her.

“What?”

“Were they gentle with you?” she asked very seriously, and Valentina’s heart ached for her. She reached over and touched her hand.

“They were very gentle, passionate, and caring, more than I could ever imagine any man being.”

“They’re so big, though. What if they aren’t like they claim to be? What if they get angry and hit you, then what? You can’t be foolish and so trusting.”

She shook her head.

“I trust my gut, and I trust what’s in here,” Valentina told her as she put her hand over her chest.

“One day, when you’re not so fearful, or when the right man comes along, you’ll know what I’m talking about, and you’ll know what’s true.”

Lois shook her head and pulled away. She stared out at the yard.

“No. Not me. I could never have happiness like that. Could never trust a man to get close to me, never mind touch me.” Her sister looked so sad and scared, and it killed Valentina inside to see her suffering like this.

“With time, Lois. With therapy and building that self-confidence up again, you’ll be able to let that guard down and let a man love you. Not with fists, with put-downs and with power and control, but with love and compassion. A real man doesn’t manipulate and scare a woman into submitting to them. A real man wants to please a woman, protect her from harm, and take away any hurt she may have, so she’s never sad or discouraged. With time, all wounds heal,” Valentina whispered and leaned back in her chair and watched Kenny with Lois. Maybe, one day, her sister would meet a man—or men—that could love her, heal her, like she deserves.

* * * *

“She took off. Just up and left those kids at the home and disappeared,” Gus told Valentina when she got into work. Valentina was shocked.

“How the hell did she do that?” she asked.

Gus had his hands on his hips. He was a big man. Tall, about six feet, with wide shoulders. He was in his fifties, an attractive man and supposedly an awesome boxer. He looked her over and glanced at Texas Ranger J.R. Cummings.

“Tell her,” he said to J.R.

She looked at J.R. He was in his thirties, a good-looking guy who apparently knew Gunner, Wes, and Garrett really well.

“She knocked out one of the employees that is on duty there in the evenings in case the women or children need anything.”

“Knocked her out?”

“She beat the crap out of her and clubbed her over the head with a piece of wood. The poor woman is in intensive care. She may not make it, Valentina.”

“Oh, my God, what would make her do that, and where the hell did she get the piece of wood from?”

“Under the bed. You know those slats of wood that keep the frame and mattress in place,” Gus told her.

“No one else heard anything?” she asked.

“One of the other mothers did, who was awake feeding her baby. She’s the one that called 911 and got help. It wasn’t until they searched rooms that they realized it was Roxie and that the kids were alone,” J.R. explained.

“She went to Samuel and met up with him, that’s a no-brainer. I told you about the things she said to me the other day. How he comes first and the only reason she keeps the kids is because Samuel expects her to and comes back to her for them.”

“She took off. We don’t know where to look for her, just like we haven’t come up with shit on any of our leads to find Samuel,” J.R. told her. Just then, Gus’s phone rang. He glanced at the ID.

“It’s Gunner. Let me get this.”

She looked at J.R.

“What are they going to do with the kids?” she asked him.

“Social services was called in. It’s not going to be good for Roxie if the woman she assaulted died, never mind the consequences even if she lives. She’s going to jail for assault, for child abandonment. It’s a mess.”

“Son of a bitch. You’re certain?” she heard Gus say, and when she looked at him, she knew that the call had something to do with Roxie. Valentina couldn’t help but to worry about the kids, though. She felt terrible and wished there was more she could do. Gus disconnected the call after telling Gunner that he was going to send J.R. to headquarters.

“What’s going on?” J.R. beat her to the question.

“Early this morning there was some sort of raid going down connected with associates of Samuel. We only know that because of this investigation and all the names of dealers and suppliers we got so far. Samuel was there.”

“What? Did they get him?” J.R. asked, looking hopeful, and Valentina felt his excitement, too. This would be great.

“No. He got out, but not after he evaded capture and shot two cops. One of them may not make it.”

Valentina covered her mouth with her hand.

“Fuck!” J.R. said and slammed his hand down on the desk. She felt the same anger, the fear and the upset at the news. They were all family, secured by the badge, by their uniforms and the work they did across the nation and around the world.

Those poor kids were going to wind up in foster care. They were more than likely going to be separated and adopted, if they even were adopted. The good thing was that they were young enough.

“J.R. I want you to head there to meet Gunner and go over what they found and also some of the possible leads in locating Samuel. Valentina, if you could go to the women’s shelter and talk to the six-year-old. See if his mother mentioned anything at all about where she went. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”

“Okay,” she said, feeling sick to her stomach.

“I know this is tough, but we need to find them before more people get hurt or killed. Samuel is going to be hunted down by every law enforcement agency in the vicinity. Find Roxie and we find Samuel.”

* * * *

Ridge was coming out of the bank when he spotted Valentina’s car. He looked around for her, feeling his heart race. They hadn’t gotten to speak with her all day. They’d left messages on her cell phone, but she didn’t respond. He had an uneasy feeling in his gut. They had spent the last several days this week talking and hanging out by the fire at night. She couldn’t stay over at their place because she had work and the case she was working on. He was hoping after coming to dinner at their parents’ house tomorrow that she would stay with them and spend Sunday in their bed. They hadn’t gotten an answer out of her yet.

As he decided whether to wait by her car or call her cell phone, he spotted her coming out of the small boutique. She was carrying a teddy bear and a bag with some other things. She got to her car and he hurried over.

“Valentina,” he said her name, and when she turned around, he could see how sad she was. He squinted at her and stepped closer, and she grabbed onto him and hugged him tight. His heart pounded inside of his chest as he wondered what was wrong.

He caressed her back and then her ass, loving how sexy she looked in her dress pants and pale pink cotton blouse.

“What’s wrong, honey?” he asked her, and when she slightly pulled away, he could see all the emotion and unshed tears in her eyes.

“I needed that. God, it feels so good in your arms.” She hugged him again.

He caressed her hair and then cupped her cheeks, making her look up into his eyes. He gave a soft smile.

“Come home with me. Even if it’s just for a little while?” He saw her eyes sparkle a moment and then she leaned up and kissed him. When he released her lips, she swallowed hard.

“I’ll follow you.” She nodded, and he helped open her door. Once she was inside, he hurried to his truck. Something was upsetting her and he intended to find out what.

Fifteen minutes later, he was taking her hand and leading her into the house. It was quiet, but his brothers were around somewhere. He brought her upstairs to the bedroom then kissed her again. That kiss grew desperate and needy really quickly, and they made quick work of removing their clothing. He lifted her up and gently dropped her on the bed, spreading her legs with his thighs as he pressed over her. He cupped her cheeks.

“I missed you, darling. I miss being with you and loving every inch of you. Tell me what you need right now.”

“You. Inside me, where everything is perfect,” she told him, and again her eyes filled with tears that didn’t fall.

Ridge leaned forward to kiss her lips before he trailed kisses over her neck, along her collar bone, and then down to her breast. She ran her fingers through his hair then over his shoulders, making his cock stir and move to get inside of her. He used his hands to caress down her sides to her hips as he suckled her breasts and tugged on the nipples. He spent a little time kissing her scars, thinking about how they could have lost her before they even had the opportunity to meet her and love her. She lifted her hips and thrust them against his groin and hips. Then she gripped his shoulders as he licked down her breast to her belly, to the tattoo of flowers on her hip he loved so much and then lower.

“I love your muscles, and how big, thick, and hard you are. You’re so perfect,” she told him, surprising him.

“You’re the perfect one,” he said, holding her gaze as he used his tongue to lick a pathway to her cunt.

She spread her thighs and held his head as he ate from her cream, explored her pussy lips, and enjoyed the sounds of her moaning, panting, and then releasing more cream. He sucked a little harder. “Oh, Ridge. Oh, please,” she begged and he used his tongue to manipulate her senses, to arouse her cunt and then her anus, licking back and forth over the tight bud.

“I can’t hold off. Fuck,” he exclaimed. He lifted up, pressing his cock to her pussy as he grabbed her wrists and pressed them up above her head. Her full breasts bounced from his abrupt movements, and then she gasped as he shoved into her to the hilt.

“Ridge!” she exclaimed and he thrust again and again then released her hands to kiss her and grip her hips.

“You feel incredible. So tight and hot,” he told her.

“More, Ridge,” she begged of him, and then he allowed her to roll him to his back. She lifted up, tossing her long hair to one side before gripping his shoulders and riding him fast. She looked so beautiful and sexy. “You’re incredible. Fuck, baby, you make me wild.”

“No. No, you make me wild. I want every inch of you, Ridge. All of it, until I can’t take it anymore. Until I can’t think of anything but you inside of me,” she said to him and then rode him faster and faster. He cupped her breasts and pinched her nipples.