Canary by Tijan
Ash
Something was really wrong.
I sat up in bed, waiting for him until I saw a sweep of headlights pull into the driveway. I was in the middle of the bed, my arms hugging my legs, my knees pulled up against my chest. I was there, and it was a long time before he came in.
That said almost everything to me.
He didn’t want to come in.
Why?
I didn’t wait.
I moved across the bed, standing barefoot and I left.
I was in a tanktop and my underwear, but I hoped Cavers and Jake would be considerate, not come in if they were up? I didn’t know. At this point, I didn’t care.
I found him in the kitchen, a bottle of tequila next to him. The only light was a small nightlight that was left from the guest bathroom, and that’d been overlooked since we normally kept no lights on anywhere we stayed.
He didn’t turn to me, and my gut clenched.
I went to him, crawling onto his lap, my legs straddling him, and I pressed my hands to his chest.
He didn’t grab my legs. He always grabbed my legs.
“What happened?” I asked softly. I was treading with caution.
I’d never felt this from Raize, whatever this was.
He didn’t answer, staring off into the distance behind me.
“Hey.” I slid my hand around his neck, turning his head to see me. I bent down, eye to eye. And I began rubbing my other hand up and down over his chest, slipping under his shirt. “Tell me.”
Now he moved.
His eyes flashed, and his hands gripped my thighs, pulling me tight over him.
He swallowed, his Adam’s apple moving up and down once before he rasped out, “There was a hit on Morales and his girlfriend.”
I rocked back.
The only girlfriend that would affect Raize was his mother.
“Raize,” I murmured.
He kept on, his eyes going back to staring at something behind me. “She was left intact. They executed her with a shot to the forehead.”
I leaned back, trying to get him to look at me. He needed to see me, not whatever was in his head. “Raize.”
“It was Marco.”
“But if he did that? Took over the Morales Cartel?”
“Then he’d come for me…”
Our earlier conversation flared to memory. My question and his response about Marco Estrada, and a whole new slew of chills were slithering through my body.
I rocked forward against him, only half realizing what I was doing.
I said, “Roman is sending you after Marco?”
His hands gripped my thighs again before moving up to my ass. He cupped me there, and he helped move me with my already rocking motion. His hands were kneading my ass, slipping underneath my underwear. “No.”
I frowned. “But—”
His eyes found mine, tipping up. “Roman’s too new over here. He’s not strong enough to take on Estrada, but we’re going to buy time.”
“How?”
His eyes skimmed the room behind us, the hallway. “He’s sending us to go and take Estrada’s half-sister. It’s a stall tactic.”
How he was talking…
He kept on, “He’ll lose time and energy by looking for her. We’ll let him know she’s alive, but then she’ll need to be hidden from him.” He paused. “If that’s what she wants.”
I tipped my head back, touching his chin so he was looking into me and I asked through my eyes. He didn’t want them to know?
His gaze flared, growing fierce, then burning, and then hardening. His hand kept rocking me against him so I was grinding on him.
I saw my answer. He didn’t.
I gave him a small nod, knowing my own eyes softened, and he closed his, getting what he needed from me. His forehead went to my chest. I caught his head, my hand cradling his neck and I brought my other one around, sifting my fingers through his hair.
His mother was dead. We were going to get his sister.
Everything else could wait.
I moved my lips to his ear and said, so quietly, “I’m sorry about your mother.”
His hand snapped up to the back of my neck, gripping me, but he only moved his head back, staring at me with such fierce yearning and a second later, his mouth was on mine. It was hot, demanding. His hands gripped my thighs, digging in, and I felt he needed more. Just more.
I closed my eyes, giving over, and Raize let out a growl, pushing me back.
He adjusted me, yanking my legs open, so I sank farther down on him. He tipped me back.
He was watching, his head back in the shadows, but I wasn’t.
The moonlight was shining in. I was in its spotlight, and Raize wanted to see me.
He kept kneading my thigh, watching me, and I felt an inferno blazing inside of me.
I wanted him, just him, however he gave me right now.
He tipped me back even farther, I was almost half lying on his legs. Almost. He stopped me halfway there, ran his hand up over my stomach, spanning it, and moving up until he was between my breasts. He swiped them, slow, smooth, with his finger, running it over my nipple and I shuddered. Every touch, caress was a tease from him.
I wanted to grind on him, to make this go faster. I ached for him, but something in the air held me back.
He needed to control me.
His hand moved back, turned, grabbed my top and he ripped it apart.
I gasped, arching my back from surprise.
My shirt fell to the side, down and off my arms. He grabbed it from the back, crumpled it up in a ball and moved it back over my body, moving down.
I was fully displayed for him, until he ran that hand over my stomach, my shirt still in his hold, and I felt him grab the sides of my underwear. I heard a ripping sound, and I couldn’t stop my body from responding.
I almost moaned, biting down on my lip.
Then he was touching me.
I felt the air against my clit, right before his tongue was there. He touched me with my shirt before another growl and the shirt was gone. His other hand came up and he shoved me down, all the way down. The back of my head was on his knees, but he cupped my back, yanking me up. I was arched for him, but he was tasting my clit, his tongue sweeping inside.
I couldn’t hold much longer.
A dark pleasure was building. He was sending it through my whole body. I was for him, to do with what he pleased. My legs were trembling. My whole body was shaking. I kept biting down on my lip, trying not to make a sound, a cry, a scream. I needed the pain to keep me from coming.
Raize needed this dominance over me.
He thrust a finger inside abruptly as he shoved up from the chair.
I cried out from the shock, but my legs wrapped around his waist from reflex.
He was gripping my ass, keeping me in place, and he turned, putting me on the table. He wasn’t gentle. This wasn’t going to be that kind of night.
A second finger moved in, and he thrust deep, long, and he kept going.
He knew what he was doing. He was working me fast, he wanted me to come quick for him.
I opened my eyes, seeing his on mine, a stark hunger reflecting back at me.
He was in pain, it was buried deep down. His mother.
I reached out to touch him, cup the side of his face, but he caught my hand. Almost roughly, but he only caught it. His teeth bared a second, and he adjusted, a third finger shoving up and into me.
I opened my mouth, a guttural groan slipping out. But then Raize leaned over me, pressing my hand down to the table above my head, his hand still there, holding me captive.
He kept thrusting, working me, and I couldn’t hold back.
I tried to squirm, lifting my leg higher around him, but he blocked my leg and kept thrusting. He was relentless, and then he leaned down. I felt his tongue at my clit and I couldn’t hold back anymore. Ripping my hand free, I clasped onto his head with both of my hands, and he kept going.
A muffled scream burst out of me, and my feet found the table, pushing myself up.
I lifted myself even more into Raize’s mouth and his fingers, but the release ripped through me. It was an almost out-of-body experience, and I could only gape, gasping for breath, as another scream tunneled down into my gut, leaving me in shambles from keeping quiet.
I got no time to adjust.
Raize reared back up, staring down at me.
His eyes were dark, hungry, angry. The lust was palpable, and this time we switched.
I was in the shadow. He was in the moonlight.
I saw everything, everything in him.
He rose up, tearing off his shirt, unbuckling his pants. He didn’t push them down, just moved his boxers aside, took out his dick and stroked it. It was already rock hard, lying up against his stomach, but he ran his hand over it, watching me.
My body was still quaking from my release, but I was panting, my chest heaving up and down and I started to throb all over again.
Goddamn.
Every one of his muscles seemed to be straining as he was holding himself back.
I licked my lips.
I wanted that control, that restraint. I wanted anything dark and dangerous he had in him. I wanted him to unleash it on me.
Rising up, I was watching him back, daring him to take control again.
He didn’t. He watched me come up to him. I was still on the table. He was standing between my legs, his hand moving up and down over himself but then it was my turn.
I replaced his hand, and bent down, my mouth going over his tip.
He sucked in his breath, and held still as I worked him.
Up and down. My hand moving around. Cupping the base. I was on his tip, sucking.
His hands grabbed the sides of my head, and his fingers sank in, tangling with my hair. He flexed, his hips moved closer to me and I sank in, taking him all the way in.
I made a choking sound, a deep grunt.
He started to pull out, I caught him, my hand going around, grabbing his ass. I kept him in place and then I pulled my mouth free.
I looked up, he was watching.
A deep and primal, possessive thrill seared me.
He was mine. Mine. No one else’s.
I don’t know what he saw in my eyes, but his flashed and my hand was knocked off his cock.
He bent, grabbed me, and I was up in the air.
He tipped me over his shoulder, one of his hands shoving up between my legs, his fingers back inside of me as he carried me from the kitchen to our room.
I was slammed against the door.
My legs were kicked apart.
He bent down, pulled me out, and then he slid inside.
I couldn’t stop my groan this time, and he didn’t quiet me.
His hand wrapped around my front, cupping my throat, and he held me in place as he fucked me.
I told him later,when my body was so tired and my brain could barely function. “I love you.”
It was important that he knew, especially tonight.
He froze, then rolled to me. He lifted his head, searched me, and then rolled on top of me.
“I love you back.”He said it back to me right before we passed out.
The sun had long ago rose. I ceased caring.
I just thought, Good.
I knew, deep down, but it was good to hear.
Waking,I knew Raize wasn’t with me. I rolled over, looking, but the room was empty. Glancing at the clock, I’d only been asleep a few hours and hearing noises from the kitchen, I knew the guys were up. Making quick work in the bathroom, washing, cleaning, and I pulled on clothes before heading out.
I wasn’t sure what I’d find, but I wasn’t quite prepared.
Blueprints were spread out on the table.
Cavers had something cooking on the stove.
I was assuming Jake had made coffee since I could smell a fresh pot being brewed.
Gus was chewing on a bone smack in the middle of the kitchen, his back legs spread out and his front two holding the bone up for him.
Jake and Cavers were dressed, ready to go.
Raize had his jeans on, and that was it.
His gun was on the table at his side, but he was shirtless and I could see evidence from our lovemaking last night. Yeah… I wasn’t focusing on that, or the fact that Jake and Cavers both knew where those marks came from.
Moving on.
I also was so very not thinking about what they heard last night. Denial was my friend this morning.
“What’s going on?”
All three heads lifted or turned my way.
Jake and Raize were going over the blueprints.
Gus’ tail started thumping against the floor, but he didn’t stop chewing on his bone.
“Morning. I made coffee.” Jake gestured to the coffee pot.
We’d taken to bringing one with us, and kept stocking from almost every gas station we stopped at.
Cavers angled his head around the guys, holding a wooden spoon in hand. “I’m making omelets. You want anything special on yours?”
Omelets? The morning after Raize found out his mother was killed?
I just shook my head. “No, thank you.” I moved to the coffee machine.
Raize didn’t greet me, but I felt his gaze on me until I had my coffee in hand and I leaned against the counter, looking at his over my mug. He’d been waiting for that look, and his gaze swept over me before becoming hooded again. He turned back to the blueprints.
Jake flashed me a grin. “We got a new mission. Your boy share the details with you? We’re going international, baby.”
I slightly grinned back at Jake, but then Raize straightened. “Don’t call her that.”
Jake’s eyes got wide, and he stepped back from the table. “I wasn’t thinking.” He held up his free hand. His other hand had a mug of coffee in it. “No disrespect intended.”
Raize frowned at him, side-eyeing him. “Have you handled your shit with your woman yet?”
The grin was wiped clean from Jake. He lowered his hand, and his mouth went firm. He shook his head briefly. “I made that call about my mom, but I’ve not handled it yet. I will.”
Raize gave him a brief nod before returning to the blueprints.
“What are you looking at?” I asked as I moved to stand on Raize’s other side, sliding onto a chair with its back to the wall. I was facing where Raize was standing, but rested my coffee on the table by his gun. I moved that over, too, just an inch.
“This is Marco’s main estate.”
My eyebrows shot up. “You got blueprints for that?”
“I got ’em before I left there.” His eyes were steadily on mine. “I knew what I was leaving behind.”
Right.
I glanced at the guys and neither seemed to be paying attention. Cavers was still cooking. Jake was looking toward the living room, lost in his thoughts.
Gus, well, he was infatuated with his bone.
Cavers brought over a plate and handed it to Jake before asking, “When do we leave?”
Raize glanced my way, then to Cavers. “This has to be swift and fast. Eat, then pack, and clean. We go in an hour.”
Jake paused before he took a bite of his omelet. “Do we not want to cross over at night?”
“Going down isn’t an issue. We’ll cross south of Phoenix.”
Cavers nodded. Jake went back to eating.
I was the only one who kept watching Raize, and he went back to studying the blueprints.
I knew he’d have everything figured out if he didn’t already, but we’d do what we did by now.
We’d go down. We’d get his sister. We’d come back up.
There might be some casualties. I was willing to bet it wouldn’t be on our side, and then we’d handle it afterwards.
Raize said before that we were going to war, but that statement was about Roman going after his brothers. But this move, this was the first on a chess board and this was the first act of a whole different war.
And I was in love with Raize.
I’d follow him into any type of war.
As if sensing my thoughts, he didn’t look at me, but he reached out and his hand intertwined with mine. Two of his fingers curled around mine.
We stayed like that until everyone was done with breakfast.
After that, it was time to start another war.
