He cupped the heavy weight of my breasts in each of his hands and mimicked the way I had been playing with his piercings on my own. It made me suck in a sharp sound of pleasure. I sat myself down on his erection and let each inch by delectable inch slide inside my welcoming heat. I braced my hands on his chest and leaned forward so that we were cocooned in the dark fall of my hair. Everything about us just felt so good and so right. As we started to move I groaned and whispered.
“You are my perfect match.”
His eyes got heavy-lidded and his breath started to whoosh in and out as I really started to rock on top of him.
“And you’re mine.”
There wasn’t any space to talk after that. There were only the sounds of kissing, of bodies moving together, of flesh on flesh and pleasure as it filled the room. There were hands on faces, there were hands between legs, there were kisses and bites, and there was more than one orgasm as we moved together and against one another. There were soft sighs and dirty swearwords, and at one point when he had his mouth between my legs and knees up around my ears, I was pretty sure I saw the God I had always heard so much about.
Hours later, when morning was just starting to creep in, I laid my head on his chest after he dragged me into the shower and settled into the only place I was ever supposed to be.
The journey to get here had been long, often filled with wrong turns and missteps, but at the end of it, all that really mattered was the destination no matter how long it took to get there.
EPILOGUE
I WAS TRYING REALLY hard not to smile at the disgruntled expression on Salem’s face as she glared at me in the reflection of the bathroom mirror. It would have been easier to believe she was actually upset if her lipstick wasn’t smudged across her pouting mouth and the hem of her dress wasn’t up around her waist as I drove into her balls deep, from behind. I had one hand on top of hers where she was braced against the mirror and the other on the edge of the sink so I had the optimum amount of leverage.
“We’re going to be late.” I could tell she wanted to sound annoyed but it faded away on a sigh when I moved a hand around to her front and tickled her inner thigh as I searched for her hot center.
I had to laugh. We were late a lot. That’s what happened when your girl looked like her and had a preference for skirts and dresses and not wearing anything underneath them. Her head dropped forward and I felt her body get tight around me. I bent a little so I could kiss her on the back of her neck where her hair was pulled up in a complicated twist that looked like something from a Good Housekeeping ad from the 1950s.
“No one cares if we’re late.” They all knew the reason why by now, and as long as I was happy, as long as Salem and I showed up smiling, no one gave a shit if we rolled in a half an hour or so behind schedule.
She swore at me but her dark eyes glittered where they were locked on mine in the mirror and I could tell she was close. That was a good thing because I wasn’t going to last much longer. I tapped her clit with my thumb, sank my teeth into her neck, and that was all it took. I felt her shudder under my hands and against my chest, I felt her come apart for me, and I quickly followed.
When I pulled back all I had to do was get resituated and zip my pants up. She had to redo half of her makeup and make sure she didn’t look thoroughly debauched and rumpled. I grinned at her because even as she slicked red lipstick back on, there was no hiding the languid and satisfied gleam in her dark gaze.
“You’re a sex fiend.” She was laughing about it now because even though she might not like showing up late, she never told me no when I turned all my amorous attention onto her, which I did a lot since I had moved her into my place almost as soon as she had unpacked from her trip to Texas.
For a while we had thought Poppy would want to move into Salem’s old apartment, but as of now the younger Cruz sister was still bunking with Sayer and it seemed like she was in no hurry to leave. It had been months, and while Poppy was making tiny steps of progress, she was still skittish and jumpy, still a shadow of the young girl I had known so long ago. The only person she really seemed comfortable around was my sister, and as long as Sayer was willing to be her guiding light, neither Salem nor I saw a reason to push the issue.
“You love it.” I made sure I didn’t have her lipstick all over my face and walked out of the bathroom.
She followed me, rolling her eyes. “I love you—it is just one of the side benefits.”
I chuckled and helped her into her long coat. It was the middle of December and all the ups and downs of summer and fall had changed just as fast as the Colorado weather. The new shop was a raging success. The store was generating steady income and the online market was so busy that Salem was trying to convince Nash to hire someone specifically to manage that branch of the business. The grand opening of the store has been a major party, and every last Saturday of the month Salem arranged different art installations that turned the store into an eclectic gallery showcase. It was opening doors to new customers, to a new breed of clientele, and showcased tattooing and art in the same kind of light. She was brilliant and she was making all of us a whole lot of money. So much money in fact that Rule and Nash were throwing around the idea of opening a third store in either Boulder or Colorado Springs the following year. Salem had turned the Marked into its own little tattoo empire.
Tonight we were headed to the Bar for a combined baby shower–farewell party. Shaw was due at the end of January and Jet and Ayden were moving after the first of the year. It was a bittersweet celebration and there were bound to be tears of sorrow and happiness. Life just kept moving forward and everyone had to find the path they were meant to be on. As bummed as I was to see my best friend go, I knew it was what was best for him and his wife. Jet deserved to be happy and the only way for him to do that was to be with Ayden as much as he possibly could. Besides, with a baby on the way and a wedding lurking on the horizon, it wasn’t like Ayden and Jet were going to be strangers. They would be back often and they would always be welcomed with open arms.
The Bar was packed when we got there. Rome had closed the business to the public for the night but that didn’t mean the place wasn’t filled to the brim with family and friends wanting to say good-bye and welcome the newest addition to our crazy family. Salem looked at me with wide eyes as we walked through the door because we were obviously the last to show. There was no missing the way Asa winked at me in approval from behind the bar or the way Nash gave me a high five. I just shrugged at her and gave her an incorrigible grin. She wacked me on the stomach with the back of her hand and glided away on those sky-high heels that were part of the temptation that made us late to start with.
Jet walked over and handed me a beer that I clicked against the top of the one he held in his hand.
“Gonna miss you, dude.”
He nodded as we watched both of our ladies hug. That was a lot of dark-haired beauty to take in.
“I know. You’ll come to Austin.” It wasn’t a question and it didn’t need to be. I would go to Austin to visit.
“You know it.”
“I would have been worried about you if Salem hadn’t shown up to stake her claim. I’m glad you have her.”
She threw her head back and laughed at something Saint said to her and reached out to put her hand on Poppy’s arm where she was hovering uncertainly off to the side of the group where the girls had gathered.
I was going to say something dirty about having her up against the sink not even twenty minutes before but I caught sight of Zeb moving toward my sister where she was leaning against the bar and talking with Asa. He had been working on her house for the last month and every time we talked he dropped none-too-subtle hints that he would like to nail more than her rotting floorboards. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that yet or if I was even allowed to have an opinion, so I just watched him pursue her with a scowl.
“She makes everything in my life better. She always did. I love you guys and was really lucky when Phil broug
ht me here and I finally found a place where I fit in and belonged.” I pointed at Salem with the top of my beer and lifted and eyebrow at her when she caught me staring at her. She grinned back at me and slicked her tongue across her bottom lip. It made me chuckle and want to pull her dress up over her ass again. I looked back at my friend. “But she is my home. I didn’t know I was wandering until she found me.”
Jet muttered his agreement and we both had to grin as Shaw waddled with her big belly to where Ayden was so they could hold on to each other. They were both crying and blubbering all over each other and as girlie and emotional as it seemed, it was really beautiful. Those girls really loved one another and both of their lives were about to change in major ways.
Rule was sitting with Rome and the brothers had their heads bent close together. They were talking in quiet tones as Cora sat next to them with a wiggling Remy on her lap. The baby was a handful, full of energy, babbling away between words and not quite words, and looked like she was ready to get up and go at just ten months. She was starting to walk just a little bit, so Rome kept telling Cora to let her down, but mama bear was adamant that the baby was not going to crawl around in whatever might be on the bar floor. Rome acted insulted, like the bar was spotless, but when he took little RJ from her mom he didn’t put her down either. He just bounced the little bundle up and down on his leg until she squealed in delight.
Rule shook his head, probably because it was his future playing right out in front of him, and got up to go collect his pregnant wife. She was still crying when he got to her, so he pulled her into a tight hug and rested his cheek on the top of her fair head. Jet didn’t say anything but silently left my side so he could collect his own crying lady and offer whatever comfort he could. Like I thought, tears of happiness and sorrow.
I put my beer back up to my lips and was going to make my way over to my own girl when I saw Saint suddenly pull away from the group with her phone to her ear. She had to leave early on more than one occasion because of work, so I hoped the hospital wasn’t calling to ruin her evening. She was talking rapidly and I saw her gaze shoot up to Nash where he was talking with Cora’s dad. He immediately stopped midsentence and found his way over to the pretty redhead’s side.
I frowned in concern as they both shared a frowning look as Saint continued to talk animatedly into the phone. I was going to go ask if everything was all right when a light hand touched my elbow. I looked down and smiled softly at Poppy. It had taken months to get her comfortable enough to even be alone in a room with me again, so the fact she was okay with person-on-person contact was a giant leap in the right direction.
“How’s it going?”
She nodded a little bit and forced a tight grin. “Every day gets a little bit better. It’s hard not to appreciate making it out alive in such a beautiful place filled with so many wonderful people.” She cleared her throat and reached out to squeeze my hand. “I never did tell you thank you. Thank you for bringing me home. Thank you for trying to take care of me. Thank you for welcoming us into your family. Thank you for loving my sister . . . just thank you for being great.”
I thought she would probably get uncomfortable if I tried to hug her, so I just brought her hand where it was resting on the top of mine up to my lips and gave it a light kiss.
“Anytime, Poppy. None that stuff makes me great, it just makes me a man trying to do right by someone he cares about.”
That heartbreaking smile was back on her face as she pulled away from me. “I think you are the only man in my entire life that has ever tried to do right by me.”
I was going to reply that she should only let people in her life that did right by her from here on out but got interrupted when Nash and Saint went rushing by shoving arms into coats and looking wild-eyed and slightly frantic.
“Whoa . . . you two okay?”
Saint didn’t stop. She was pulling her long hair out of the collar of her jacket and practically jogging to the front door of the bar.
Nash paused for a second and looked after his girl with darkening purple eyes.
“That was Saint’s boss at the ER. They just rolled in multiple injuries from a police shootout in Five Points. She knows that Saint and Royal are friends, so she called her to give her a heads-up that Royal and her partner were two of the officers they were bringing in. She couldn’t give her any more information, but Saint being Saint she isn’t going to wait around and find out how bad the situation is, she’s going to dive headfirst into it. We’re headed to the hospital now. Can you tell everyone why we’re bouncing early?”
I nodded solemnly and watched as he turned to race after his lady. Suddenly the beer in my hand didn’t seem as appetizing and the festive mood didn’t fit right. Royal had been lying low ever since she had put cuffs on Asa. I think she was worried about the reception she would receive from everyone for locking up one of ours.
I walked over to the bar so I could set the beer down and shrugged when Asa looked at it and then up at me.
“Not in the mood to drink all of a sudden.”
His amber eyes flashed in question. “What’s up?”
“Nash just said that a bunch of cops got hurt. He and Saint left to find out if Royal was one of them.”
His gaze narrowed just a fraction and he put his hands on the bar in front of him. “That’s a pretty girl with a shitty job. I hope she’s okay.” His drawl sounded a little more pronounced, a little thicker than it normally did, and I wondered if he was saying something I wasn’t entirely hearing.
“Me, too.”
I sighed as Salem suddenly appeared at my side. She settled her hip next to mine and wrapped her arm around my waist. Her head rested on my shoulder and her hair tickled my chin. She was so much more than my lady—she was my best friend, my muse, my lover, my future. Without her the road stretched dark and endless in front of me; with her the path I wanted to travel was crystal clear.
“You all right? I felt your mood crash from across the room.”
I tilted my head so I could rub my cheek against the crown of her head.
“Nash and Saint just left for the hospital because Royal may or may not be hurt.”
She was silent for a second and then pulled back so she was looking up at me. She put a hand on my chest and tapped her fingers against my heart.
“Let’s go.”
I lifted my eyebrows at her. “Really?”
She nodded at me and said, “Royal went out of her way to help us with the situation with Poppy, and Saint is going to need a friend if things are bad. Besides, Nash spent so time in a hospital with Phil I’m sure he could use a distraction from the bad memories if they are going to be there for awhile. That’s what we do, take care of one another.”
“I more than love you, Salem. Every day it feels like so much more than the day before.”
I agreed that we should go and asked Asa to let everyone know what was going on if they asked. I didn’t want to make an announcement because I knew if I did the entire bar would pack it in and head on over to the ER and today wasn’t a day for that. There was too many good-byes to say and too many firsts to enjoy.
I got Salem’s coat and told Jet what was going on. He gave me a tight one-arm hug that had more back pounding to it than actual embracing and told me my cowboy boots needed Texas dust back on them. I really was going to miss the tight-pants-wearing son of a bitch.
Once we were in the car Salem reached out and put her hand on my knee as we drove the dark Denver streets.
“No matter how the road winds and turns, as long as you are there at the end of it I’ll be happy, Rowdy.”
I felt her words spread and expand in my chest so there was no room for it to be empty, no room there to be afraid of what might or might not happen in the future. Any bad luck I might have had paled in comparison to the supreme good fortune that had given me this woman as my own. I looked at her out of the corner of my eye and told her the only thing I could:
“I’m a lucky man.”
>
Asa and Royal’s story to be continued . . .
AUTHOR’S NOTE
I just wanna say quickly that I know it’s a lot more complicated to get someone out of jail than I made it seem with Asa. I try really hard to write as true to life as I can, but sometimes a scene, and in this case not just the scene, but an entire future book, sort of hinge on me bending the rules of reality just a little bit.
I also know it is nearly impossible to get in touch with a lawyer on the weekend!
Just play along with these little inconsistencies for me J. The threads that tie Asa and Royal together are interesting and complicated, so I had to take a little creative license in order to start weaving them together.
Rowdy and Salem’s Playlist
(It’s a doozy! I could listen to it all day long.)
Nikki Lane—“Gone, Gone, Gone,” “Coming Home to You”
Patterson Hood—“Belvedere,” “Back of a Bible”
Ryan Bingham—“Guess Who’s Knocking”
American Aquarium—“Casualties”
Devil Doll—“The Things You Make Me Do”
American Aquarium—“I’m Not Going to the Bar”
Hank Williams Jr.—“Family Tradition”
David Allan Coe—“Mama Tried”
John Paul Keith—“She’ll Dance to Anything”
Carl Perkins—“Honey, Don’t”
Scott H. Biram—“Lost Case of Being Found”
The Cramps—“The Way I Walk”
The Reverend Horton Heat—“Jimbo Song”
Justin Townes Earle—“Baby’s Got a Bad Idea”
Old Crow Medicine Show—“Wagon Wheel,” “Hard to Love”
Dirty River Boys—“My Son”
JD McPherson—“Wolf Teeth”
Empress of Fur—“Mad Mad Bad Bad Mama”
Dwight Yoakam—“Little Sister”