Radge by Esther E. Schmidt
CHAPTER NINE
– MERIBETH –
I close my eyes and swallow hard, wincing at the throbbing pain in my side. I’m sitting on the bed in our room and I need to lie down. We arrived at the clubhouse about two hours ago and the club doctor stitched me up after inspecting and cleaning the wound.
He mentioned I was lucky enough to turn in time so the bullet just left a large flesh wound when it went through my side without going straight through or hitting anything crucial. I don’t feel lucky, though. And taking a half-assed shower didn’t do me any good either with the whole drying off part being freaking painful.
And let’s not mention I had to sit on a bike for over forty minutes with a wound taped up with some bandages and duct tape. And that was after we made a stop to put the duct tape on while Ramsey made a call to my father to make sure he knew what went down at the hospital.
I’m waiting for the painkillers to kick in but I might be too hyped for them to work anyway. My mind is all over the place, mainly I’m wondering if there were cameras in the parking lot, if there were witnesses, what will happen if these questions are answered with yes? I try to shift and get underneath the sheets when the door opens.
Ramsey steps inside, closes the door and rushes over to the bed to help me. “Are you okay? The doc told me it looked good. He gave you painkillers, right? Need anything stronger?”
“I don’t need anything stronger,” I grumble. “Do you have any news? Did the parking lot have cameras? Were there any witnesses? I didn’t notice anyone around us but they might have taken cover when they started shooting.”
“Your father called, he handled it. As you know he has his contacts at the police station and higher up. He also told me your mother is home now. He’s getting a second opinion about the short-term amnesia.”
“Thanks for giving me an update.” I release a deep sigh and wince at the freaking throbbing pain.
“Can I get you anything?”
I raise one of my eyebrows. “Like beer, popcorn, and a movie? Or maybe another pillow or a foot rub?” I roll my eyes and shake my head for good measure. “Don’t get all soft and fluffy feelings on me because I pushed you out of the way. We made a deal, remember? We’re in this together and if you died it would surpass the whole together thing. But I do want ice cream, though. Screw my fat ass, I deserve ice cream. Chocolate. Oh, and pistachio.”
The corner of his mouth twitches. “You got it, Wifey.”
He takes out his phone and thumbs the screen before he places it on the bedside table. Sliding out of his cut, he hangs it over a chair and grabs the hem of his shirt to pull it over his head.
“I’m going to take a shower.” He drops his jeans to the floor and I’m left staring at his muscled ass as he walks off into the bathroom.
My body might be hurting but that doesn’t stop it from letting desire flow through me. I groan in frustration this time and curl to my side. I close my eyes for a brief moment but when I open them again, I notice the room is plunged into darkness and there’s a warm, hard body behind me. I must have fallen asleep.
Carefully moving my body, I turn and slide my leg over Ramsey’s firm thighs. He falls to his back and groans in his sleep, his arm slides over my back to keep me pinned to his chest.
Words the doctor gave me about not stretching the wound enter my brain but I feel like shit and the hardness pressing near my center reminds me of the pleasure it will give me and it overrides all my senses.
I reach between our bodies and wrap my fingers around his thick girth, letting my thumb tease the piercing that goes straight through his slit. A stuttered breath rips from his body and his muscles grow tight underneath me.
“Babe,” he grunts in a tone of warning. “Don’t fucking start what you can’t finish.”
“Who says I won’t let you finish?” I taunt, giving his now steel dick a firm squeeze along with a few tugs.
Soft curses flow through the dark and his fingers are suddenly gripping my thighs.
“I’m doing all the work,” he orders. “You just spread those lips of your pussy and place me at your entrance so I can feed my cock into that hungry pussy of yours.”
My lungs work hard to get the necessary air in and out of my lungs. This man. He affects me so damn much. I greedily listen to him and when he thrusts his hips off the mattress while simultaneously forcing my hips down–impaling me with his hard length–all I can do is throw my head back and release a long moan.
He stills when he’s deep inside me and when I stare down into his eyes through the simmering darkness, there’s a beacon of light calling something primal from deep inside me. As if we’re connected on a level where there’s only the two of us, unreachable for everyone else.
One of his hands reaches out and gently cups the side of my face. His thumb brushes lovingly over my bottom lip. I lift myself up and slowly let him back inside me while we keep staring at one another.
This is different. No rough fucking. No need for release or drive to take the pleasure as it comes. This right here is a craving for more. A connection that goes beyond a forged bond or a relationship forced into a unity.
We’re both freefalling into a destiny we control in this moment. One where we open ourselves to what the both of us are looking for. Love in an environment thriving on hate, fear, and crimson spilled by those who rule the underworld is unrecognizable and hard to find. But feeling this man reaching out to me as if he’s touching my heart through the light in his eyes envelops me with his adoration with the promise of more lying underneath the surface.
He rocks inside me, slowly, building the electricity which is crackling between us. I gasp when his piercing hits a pleasure spot and he makes sure to hit it over and over sending me into a sea of bliss. Ramsey surges up when I’m overtaken by ecstasy and grips my ass with both hands to keep me pinned to him as he grinds against me.
Shuddering through our orgasms I can feel his cum burst free inside me with hot jets. Our bodies are covered with a sheen of sweat, our breathing harsh and rapid while our hearts race against one another as he takes my body down with him.
He wraps his arms around me and keeps me in place and I let myself drift off to sleep once more. Sated. Warm. Adored. And most of all safe. Funny how being kidnapped led me to this point in my life where deep down I feel this man is my future.
I didn’t think twice when I pulled the trigger yesterday. When I saw the man coming up behind us, gun pointed right at Ramsey’s head I couldn’t let him die. And it’s not because only moments before he released my mother to my father, calling him to let him know where he could find her.
And not because he kissed me in the middle of the clubhouse to drive his point home to the whores who considered me to be on their level. No. It’s everything involving his actions. The way his fingers gently stroke my back, his gaze when it slides over me and causes goose bumps to spread all over my skin.
This man awakens feelings inside me I’ve never felt and can’t wrap my mind around. He’s a man of his word even if he’s cruel and ruthless. He gave me a place beside him and it’s all of it that earned him my respect and in return I gave myself to him.
That’s why it was my instinct to kill a man to save him, even if it meant I was hurt in the process. It was the second time I saved a person I love. My body freezes when the four letter word slides through my brain.
I don’t love him. It’s not possible. It’s merely lust and being appreciated for who I am; we fit together on more levels than one. I mean, my emotions are playing tricks on me because this was the second time I had to kill in order to save someone.
The first person I killed was to save my father. I was barely thirteen years old and ironically enough it was the same kind of fight when Bane’s men came after my father and I to assassinate him.
Ramsey places a kiss on the top of my head and rumbles, “Sleep.”
He’s right. I shouldn’t break my mind about things I can’t comprehend nor understand in this moment. Emotions are tearing through me with the turmoil of events. I take a deep breath and slowly release it, letting my man’s scent fill my lungs. Calmness overtakes me and I let myself drift back to sleep.
The next time I open my eyes is due to the delicious scent of coffee. I scoot up to the headboard and pull the sheets along with me to cover my body. Ramsey is holding a large mug out for me to take and I curl both hands around it. Ramsey fists the sheet and gives it a gentle pull, baring my breasts with the single move.
I glare at him but he shrugs. “Don’t cover your delicious body up when it’s just us.”
Ignoring his comment, I ask, “Any news?”
He sits down next to my calves. “Your father called this morning. He asked for a meeting.”
His face doesn’t give anything away. I know he won’t always give me details about club business though I hope he will choose to keep me somewhat in the loop of things. I don’t function well if I’m pushed aside.
It’s for this reason I try and see where we stand in this when I ask, “With me being your old lady and now you both knowing the truth this was a setup from the start to rip your alliance apart…does this mean the bond is restored and we will continue to handle the transportation of my father’s weapons?”
A sly smile spreads across his face. “Trying to meddle in club business?”
I take a sip of my coffee and decide to go with honesty. “I’m trying to figure out my place in all of this.”
“You’re not a woman who should be kept with a baby hanging off her tit. But I sure as hell don’t want you in the line of fire or your hands tainted with blood.”
“It’s inevitable,” I mutter and finish my coffee, placing the empty cup on the table next to me.
“What? The baby hanging off your tit part?” he snickers and earns himself a glare. He places his hand on my thigh and gives me a squeeze. “Weapon transport is what your father wants to discuss as well as the mutual enemy we now share. He mentioned he has another peace offering for me.”
“Besides me,” I add and purse my lips.
My heart skips a beat, excited by the fact he shared information with me again. He leans forward and places his hand on the back of my neck to keep me in place while his mouth merges over mine. The kiss is gentle, as are his fingers caressing my nape.
He pulls back and places his forehead against mine. “I think you were always meant to be mine. The way you fought for my father’s justice, even before you met me. But don’t think for a second I’ll allow you a seat at my table in church. I will indulge from time to time, probably today to show your father your worth through my eyes, but club business will stay between me and my brothers.”
“Unless you want my help or if it gets to a point where the risk for all of us becomes too high,” I tell him.
“Are you negotiating information flow?” The corner of his mouth twitches.
“Well, I’m not negotiating how many kids will be hanging from my breasts now am I?”
His head falls back and laughter rips from his chest. In a flash he’s towering over me, his mouth back on mine and his tongue plunges into my mouth. The kiss is hard where his actions are soft. He doesn’t give me the full weight of his body and in this instant I hate the fact I’m hurt.
I want our bodies naked, hands roaming free without restrictions but with the wound on my side it’s impossible for the next week at least. The doctor mentioned I have to let the stitches do their job and take it easy but if Ramsey keeps kissing me the way he does I won’t be able to hold back.
His lips leave mine as quick as the kiss started and he’s standing next to the bed, shoving a hand through his hair the next moment.
“Fuck,” he grunts. “You should get dressed.”
I stare at the massive bulge in his pants that’s practically at eye level for me. Moving forward, I lick my bottom lip at the thought of having him in my mouth. It felt incredible when Ramsey put his mouth on me and it triggers the desire to return the favor.
“Babe,” he growls between clenched teeth. “Stop looking at my groin like you want to tear my pants apart and swallow my cock whole.”
“Maybe I do,” I whisper and reach for his zipper.
I can’t even blink so fast the man unbuckles his belt, unzips, and shoves his jeans down to his ankles.
He palms his dick and grips my head as he growls, “Open up, Wifey and take your man’s cock into your hot little…fuuuuuck, yes.”
Only grunts leave his mouth when I start to suck and tease the underside of his dick with my tongue. His hand tightens in my hair and his hips start to move. I’m fighting to breathe when he thrusts into my mouth roughly and hits the back of my throat, triggering my gag reflex.
“Damn, woman. You drive me insane,” he growls.
It’s not an excuse and he doesn’t seem to care when he keeps thrusting roughly, taking lead with every movement of my head.
“Hot, wet, heaven. Almost as good as that pussy of yours. Fuck…suck harder, that’s it. Yeah,” he grunts with rough breaths, eyes looking down on me as if he’s glancing at the seven wonders of the world all at the same time.
Both hands are cupping my face while he throws his hips back and forth.
“I’m gonna coat your fucking tongue with my cum, brand every damn place your body holds,” he warns and keeps my head in place.
A primal roar bounces off the walls as he starts to unload. I try to swallow but the flow is too much. He pulls his softening dick from between my lips and swipes his thumb over the spilled cum.
“Lick,” he croaks.
I hold his stare as I swipe his thumb. He shoves his hands underneath my armpits and hoists me up. His lips slam over mine, his tongue swooping inside. Knowing he can taste himself on me and not give a damn makes me crave him even more.
I sneak my arms around his neck and moan when I feel one of his hands slip between my legs. He places his head near my ear, his breaths hot and heavy. My heart is racing and I squirm under the building pleasure his fingers are giving me.
“Hold still,” he roughly demands against my ear.
I yelp when he pinches my clit, pleasure and pain mixing and shooting electricity through my body.
“You’re going to come for me on my terms. In my arms, on my fingers, you hear me?”
I whimper from the need building inside me. The way his voice flows like raw sex I’m sure I could come with just him demanding my body. But when his fingers start to slide in and out of my pussy, thumb pushing circles against my bundle of nerves, I don’t think I’m able to wait for his demand to come.
“Wait,” he growls.
“I can’t…please,” I croak and moan through the building pleasure.
“Are you going to come for me?” He breathes.
“Yes,” I gasp.
“Coat my fingers with your cum? I can smell how badly your need to please me is. Your pussy trembles around me. Come, sweetness. Come for me, always and only for me,” he growls fiercely.
I splinter apart. Bliss overtakes the blood in my veins and I sag into his arms knowing he’ll keep me safe while I ride out the orgasm he gives me.
“Fucking beautiful,” he murmurs and places a trail of kisses along my jaw.
My heart fills with different emotions and in this moment I let myself feel so much and let the warmth this man gives me seep into my pores.
There’s a knock on the door along with a harsh voice coming from the hallway. “Prez, company.”
Ramsey rips his head from the crook of my neck. “Comin’.” He glances down on me. “Get dressed and meet us in church.”
He steps back and pulls his jeans up, gently shoving his dick back into his pants and pulling up the zipper.
I feel his finger underneath my jaw to connect our gaze. “Fuck, you’re perfect, you know that?” He releases a deep sigh and gives me a quick, hard kiss.
“Clothes, woman,” he growls against my lips and turns to stalk out of the room.
I can feel a huge smile sliding across my face. My heart somehow feels lighter and there’s a bounce in my step when I walk into the bathroom. There’s still so much going on but to have something new and something that feels so right in my life lights my spirit. I allow myself to keep the happy vibe while I quickly handle my business and get dressed.
In this fucked-up world a happy vibe can flip to heartache in the blink of an eye. The reminder of losing Dara and what happened to her is confronting and I can feel the sadness already constricting my chest. Not to mention, Bennie, who Bane’s men killed yesterday.
I wipe away a lone tear and take a deep breath as I grip the doorhandle and step out of the room. Closing the door behind me, I try to focus on what’s to come; meeting my father for the first time since he dismissed me and refused to listen to the truth I was trying to make him see. Anger and aggravation boil up. Gah, my emotions are all over the place.
“They’re in there,” a prospect says who is standing behind the bar as he points at the closed door of the room they call church.
I give him a small smile. “Thanks.”
Not knowing if I should knock, I simply open the door and step inside. All heads turn my way when I close the door behind me.
I’m frozen to my spot when I notice my father. He might be wearing a high-class suit but the fatigue underneath his eyes shows the effect of the dragging havoc he was pulled through recently.
“Wifey,” Ramsey rumbles.
The first time he called me this it sounded weird to my ears but the way he curves his voice and makes it sound like a special endearment has a special effect on me for sure. I stalk toward his outstretched hand and slide my palm over his. He gently pulls and guides me onto his lap, making sure to watch my injury.
“You were saying?” Ramsey says, his gaze locked on my father.
My father leans back in his chair and crosses his arms in front of his chest to stare at us. I have no clue what he sees but after a few breaths he gives a small nod.
He places his forearms on the table and says, “I’d like to continue our business the way we have been handling it for years. As a peace offering, I have Rory bound and gagged in the trunk of our car.” My father’s eyes go to me and they show remorse. “I can’t start to explain how I regret what happened that night when I called you into my office.”
“The damage was done by then,” Ramsey says, giving me a gentle squeeze on my thigh. “But listening to her could have sped up to where we are now, with less casualties such as your wife and another one of our brothers who Bane’s men killed yesterday. But I guess delivering Rory to us is a step in the right direction to work on our partnership and move forward from here on out. Not to mention the woman at my side right where she belongs.”
My father holds my gaze for a heartbeat before it slides to Ramsey. “So I see.”
Brodie shoves his chair back. “Well, if you don’t mind, I’m itching to get my hands bloody and would like to get Rory out of your trunk and start the day with some good old torture.”
My father stands and nods and directs his attention toward Ramsey once more. “I will give you the information for the next shipment. Beth.” His eyes find mine. “Maybe you could call or come by to visit your mother, she needs solid pillars around her to remind her who she once was to pull her out of her amnesia.”
I glance at Ramsey, not knowing how to answer with the reminder of our trip yesterday where Bennie was killed because Bane’s men followed us.
“We will discuss how to handle visits. Between your father’s men and mine we have enough force to take Bane out. First we’re going to squeeze Rory for some information and your father mentioned a few strategic points to attack Bane before you came into church.”
My father nods. “We’re planning to take down Bane very soon.”
I have so many more questions and want to talk to my father about a lot more things but he’s already walking out of church along with two of his guys and Brodie. Dammit, and the most important question burning on my lips is the desire to join in on the torture session they have planned for Rory.
I’ll even settle for a front row seat to see how they get revenge for what was done to Dara and so many others along with her. I tilt my head and stare at my old man. The corner of his lips twitch and he slowly shakes his head.
Dammit. Am I an open book? My face showing the eagerness I feel at the prospect of watching Rory get tortured? The question still burns on my lips but I don’t get to ask it because his mouth captures mine, preventing me from doing anything else but to sink into the kiss.
