~ ~ ~
I held Winter’s hand tight. I wanted to tell her not to be afraid, but I couldn’t. Why? Because I was fucking terrified. Part of me hoped it had been the police behind us. It would have been easier to navigate the legal system where I had some rights. Dealing with Aldo and the family, however, was much different. There were no rights. There were no privileges. Just commands. Orders that if weren’t followed, people would die. Easily.
We were in a living room in one of Aldo’s beach houses. The guys who came out of the car were with Aldo. He was in the backseat and they let me see him. He looked at me and simply said two words.
“Follow me.”
The car then drove right by the police, Aldo able to give command to them. That meant we would be free in the situation, unless Aldo changed his mind.
That was to still be determined.
The leather couch wasn’t exactly comfortable. The fire in the fireplace was a little too much for the room. It was hot and stuffy. Just beyond the living room was a large glass window and door that went to a balcony.
That’s were Aldo stood. Smoking a cigar. Someone handed him a cell phone. He talked for a few seconds and handed it back to the person. They then put the phone down and stepped on it. That’s how they all communicated. Cell phones that were used once and then destroyed.
When Aldo turned around, he took one last puff on his cigar. He handed it off and then came inside.
Winter gripped my hand tighter.
I couldn’t say a word to her. She was supposed to be dead in all this. Aldo had nothing to do with her. He had no care for her.
Slowly, he walked toward the couch across from us. He put his hands on it.
“Drink?”
“No thanks,” I said.
“You?” he asked Winter.
“No thank you.”
“I heard Stoney is dead. Suicide.”
“Yeah,” I said.
“Dmitry is dead,” Aldo said. “Piece of scum.”
“I agree,” I said.
“But one person isn’t dead that should be,” Aldo said.
“Look, Aldo…”
He pointed at Winter. “I don’t know why you’re sitting on my couch.”
“I didn't do anything,” she said. “I did everything Tripp asked. I knew nothing. You can’t blame me that they’re dead.” Winter sucked in a breath. “She was my…”
Aldo nodded. “I know. My son fucked you over. I knew about Autumn a year ago.”
“What?” I asked. I rose from the couch. “You knew…”
“Tripp, don’t fuck with me,” Aldo said.
“I want to fucking hit you,” I said.
“You owe me a bullet.”
“Then just do it.”
Aldo slowly walked around the couch. He reached for a glass of something on the table. I quickly slapped it out of his hand. I grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him close. The door busted open and men came rushing in.
“Easy!” Aldo ordered. “Leave us be. We’re fine. Aren’t we, Tripp?”
“Yeah,” I growled. “Just fucking fine.”
“Good.”
Winter then stood up. “How did you know about…”
“Please,” Aldo said. I let him go and stood there. “I knew my son was rotten for a long time. He cared about the money. Not the family. Not what we stand for. He cared about himself. I hoped he would eventually disappear. But then he did something stupid. He knocked up a woman who wasn’t one of us.”
“So that means I’m guilty of something?” Winter asked.
“Christ,” I said. “Darling, easy now.”
“Easy now,” Aldo said. “See, we’re not supposed to accept any kind of family that doesn’t have the rich blood of our heritage. Any kind of mixing? What a fucking shame. But there’s always an exception to things. In this case, if Endo were to die… I have no other children, so the closest I’ve got to keeping my legacy, my name, was Autumn.”
“What are you saying?” I asked.
“The night of the fight. It cost me a lot more than some cash on the actual fight. It cost me my son. My only son. But it had to be done.”
“You killed your own son?”
“I didn’t kill him,” Aldo said. “Skull X did.”
“Ray,” I whispered. “Christ, that’s what he was saying. I shot him, Aldo. I shot him out of respect for Endo…”
Aldo put a hand to my face. “No. You did for me. For my family. And now my family can continue to live and survive. It’s tragic what happened to my son. But he has a child to bear the name. Some of the blood.” Aldo grinned. “And it’s you who did it all for me, Tripp. The only man I could trust with such a heavy burden.”
“Trust,” I said. “You trust me?”
“Of course I do. That’s why I sent you. I knew you’d figure something out. I knew you’d find a way inside Winter’s panties.” Aldo stepped back. “Don’t get mad at me for saying it. Because it’s true. You figured it all out.”
“Well, whether it matters or not, I love her,” I said. “And if you kill her, you better kill me.”
“I should kill you for losing that fight,” Aldo said. “But it was my doing. I cost you the fight. So how can I kill you? What kind of man would that make me?”
“A murderer,” Winter said.
“Exactly.” Aldo turned toward Winter. “And you, beautiful Winter. Tripp says you knew nothing. You were just a sidelined casualty to everything.”
“It’s true,” Winter said. “I can tell you anything you want to know. I have nothing to hide from the world.”
“And you love Tripp?”
“Yes. I do.”
Aldo nodded. “So I’m going to lose my best fighter.”
“I never said that,” I said. “Just don’t kill Winter.”
“So if I offered you one favor,” Aldo said. “Anything in the world. A million dollars. A mansion. Never the need to fight again. One thing, Tripp.”
“I want Winter,” I said without hesitation.
“She means that much?”
“More than anything you could ever understand,” I said.
“Done,” Aldo said. He grabbed another glass and poured scotch. He sipped and nodded to both me and Winter. “Salut. I’m going to be leaving for the evening. The house is yours. Tomorrow, I want you to get your keys and get out of here. Take a vacation, Tripp. I’ll be out of town myself. I have to get Andrea and Autumn somewhere safe.”
“They’re alive?” Winter yelled.
“Yes,” Aldo said. “Of course they are.” He smiled. “While you were fucking around with Skull X, I had my guys get them.”
“You set that entire thing up?” I asked.
“Nobody fucks with my family, Tripp. Ever. Have a good night.”
Aldo slowly walked from the room.
I stood frozen and listened to the door open and close. I turned, just in time for Winter to jump into my arms.
38.
(Winter)
We kissed.
I thought it would never happen again. My lips touched Tripp’s. Our tongues gently came together. My hands tore at his shirt, playing with his hair. My body lost all its control as my hips grind against him, wanting him.
“Fuck, darling,” he said as I kept kissing him. “You need to calm down.”
“Then make me,” I teased.
That was all I needed to say.
Tripp turned and rushed to a door. He opened it and, lucky enough, it was a bedroom door. He kicked the door shut with a hard thud and locked it.
He took me right to the bed and put me down. His lower half pressed hard to my body, the rest of his body hovering over me. His right hand climbed up my shirt, cupping my breast. His other hand on the bed, holding himself up.
I put my hands to the back of his hair and pulled him down. I needed to taste his mouth again. His wicked and amazing tongue darted all around my mouth, sending tingling signals to all the right places in my body.
>
Slowly, his hand crept from my breast and around to my back. I arched my back and he unclasped my bra. He then pulled away and sat me up, taking my shirt off and letting my bra fall forward. I sat there topless, hands on the bed, slightly leaning back.
“Off,” I purred at him.
Tripp ripped his shirt off. When I saw his shoulder, I gasped. I jumped up, my boobs bouncing, my eyes focused on the cut from the knife.
“Your shoulder…”
“It’s fine for now,” he said. “I’ll patch it up later.”
I gently touched the wound and stared into his eyes. “Does it hurt?”
“Nothing hurts when I’m with you, darling.”
I melted everywhere. My panties were getting wet.
I reached forward and grabbed his jeans, quickly opening them. My hands touched his hard stomach muscles and I slipped down into his jeans, pushing them right down. I wasted no time in moving my hand around his thickening cock, tugging at him, finally feeling okay with the world.
“Fuck,” Tripp groaned.
He brought his mouth down to my neck and climbed down to my chest. His mouth and tongue slid over my left breast, circling around my nipple, then suckling until I cried out.
I squeezed at his dick until he groaned.
Then we looked at each other and smiled.
Fuck, I had never experienced a love like this before.
I took my hand off his body and stepped back. My legs hit the bed and I stopped. I reached for my own jeans and opened them. I shoved my hands along the side of my jeans and panties and pushed them down. As I leaned forward, Tripp’s big and strong fighter hands were there to cup my breasts. I was so tender and achy, my breasts and sex connected in such a wild way.
I stepped out of all my clothes and put my hands to Tripp’s waist. I pulled at him, bringing him to me. I fell back to the bed, his hands quick to grab at my back as he eased me down. He came forward with a beautiful force, touching me, thrusting, entering me.
The sudden jolt stole my breath and I cried out in a dry voice. I shut my eyes and put my head back. I felt Tripp’s mouth against my neck, down to my chest again. My hands slowly reached for the covers, curling around them, bracing myself.
He thrust again, finishing me off that quick, holding deep as my pussy tightened around him. I pulsed with a warm gush, whimpering at the rush of pressure.
“Oh, darling,” he whispered, his hot breath against my right breast. “You’re fucking coming already.”
“I can’t help it,” I said.
I rocked my hips, wanting him again. Tripp slowly pulled back and thrust forward again. He eased himself into fucking me, allowing my body to react to his touch the way it needed to. I was a mess for him and I loved it.
As he fucked me harder and faster, one of his hands cupped behind my head, keeping my mouth close to his. His other hand cupped at my ass, holding me right where he wanted me. He loved me, he fucked me, he had all of me.
The sound of his body pounding in and out of me, our bodies hitting together, the wetness, the groans, sighs, whimpers, and grunts… it was easily the hottest sex of my life. My nails dug at his back, slid down to his ass, pulling at him.
“Harder,” I groaned. “Fuck, Tripp, harder.”
He gave it to me harder. Each thrust threw me back on the bed more. When I started to get a little out of reach, he paused for a split second to climb up on the bed. He was then before me, on his knees, his hands touching my inner thighs. He held my legs open and picked right up where he left off. Pumping and thrusting, bringing a pleasure upon my body that left me shuddering and burning, unable to figure out when my climaxes began and ended.
Tripp grunted as he slowed just a little.
He was getting ready to go.
I touched his chest, then moved up to his face. I held his face and pulled, wanting to kiss him as he came inside me.
But then Tripp had a wild move of his own.
He pulled out of my tender body and pulled me on top of him. I cried out as I rolled right over, now on top of him. My hands were at his chest. His hands were at my ass. He guided his cock right back to me and thrust up, burying deep inside me. He then lifted and lowered me on him, until I took over. I fucked and rocked against him hard, desperate to feel him release.
I lowered my mouth to his with a sense of control. I felt his cock getting more and more ready by the second until he started to come. That’s when I came down on him and just held there, moving my hips left to right.
Tripp hissed and bit at my neck, kissing me, groaning each time my pussy squeezed against his pulsing shaft. I couldn’t stop rocking against his body. I then collapsed completely down to him, losing everything to Tripp. His arms went around me and he held me tight.
“You’re amazing, darling,” he whispered to me. “I’ll protect you forever.”
I groaned and kissed Tripp’s neck.
I shut my eyes and fell asleep. In the arms of the man I loved. The man who protected me.