Rocky

I’d not stopped driving, except for gas and food, until we reached Wichita, Kansas. We’d been on the road for over eight hours, but I’d wanted to put as much distance between us and the Rossi clan as I could. Mara had napped off and on, and my eyes were starting to feel like sandpaper, but I’d pushed through. Stopping at a Target gave us a chance to stretch our legs, and Mara the opportunity to buy more clothes. I’d sent her off for whatever girly shit she needed, while I grabbed a small rolling suitcase for her new things. It didn’t take me long to find her in the lingerie department.

Seeing the pink, lacy bra in her hands made me audibly swallow as I imagined the scrap of cloth cupping the rather spectacular breasts that peeked through the V-neck of her sweater. Whatever she was wearing right now seemed to barely contain them. I willed my cock into submission, not wanting to walk around the store with a tent in my jeans. Maybe it had been too damn long since I’d had a woman, but something told me it wouldn’t matter if I’d gotten laid last week. There was just something about Mara. She was curvy as fuck, just the way I liked a woman. And the innocence in her eyes made me want to corrupt her.

I set the suitcase into the shopping cart she was using and tried my damnedest not to think about her wearing any of the things she’d picked up since I’d left her in the shoe department an hour ago. The panties now in her hands were so sheer they wouldn’t hide anything. She studied them, holding them up to the light, before tossing them into the cart, then reached for another pair made of black lace.

“Are you doing this on purpose?” I asked.

She turned to me with wide, innocent eyes, the lace panties clutched in her hands. But that look was a little too innocent. Yeah, the minx knew exactly what she was doing. She’d made it no secret she wanted me, but I wasn’t the right man for an innocent virgin like her. I turned away from her, surveying the area. I didn’t think it was likely that Sebastian Rossi could find us here, but the Rossi family had eyes everywhere. If anyone recognized Mara, we were screwed. Not that Target was really the type of place millionaire criminals liked to shop. They had a tendency to lean more toward silk shirts and custom-made suits. We were surrounded by moms and teens, and the occasional disgruntled dad following his family, each step labored, as if he’d rather be anywhere else.

“I’m almost done,” she said.

I looked into the cart that was nearly overflowing with clothes and shoes. I couldn’t imagine what else she could possibly need. As she left the lingerie department, tossing in some sleepwear that I knew was designed to kill me, I trailed behind her. It was another half hour of her tossing things into the cart before we were able to check out. I had no idea how long we’d been in the store, but it felt like forever. Now I knew why my friends had always declined to shop with their women. This was insane. How could one woman need so much shit?

The cashier rang up the total, and my eyebrows shot upward when it came out to almost four hundred dollars, but before I could reach for my wallet, Mara was pulling cash from her pocket. That must have been what she’d gotten out of her bag before we’d come into the store, but I hoped she wasn’t using everything she had. It wasn’t like she could access the funds in her account or use her credit cards. Not unless she wanted to lead Sebastian right to her location.

She pulled five one-hundred dollar bills off the roll, then shoved the rest back into her pocket. It looked like she had maybe another five hundred. It wasn’t going to last her long, not unless I found a way to get Sebastian off her trail. If Torch didn’t have any ideas, I’d have to hope that whatever Wire had come up with would incriminate the entire Rossi family. Even if she went on the run, they would eventually catch up to her. She just didn’t have the resources she would need to stay ahead of the Rossi family, or those in their employ. Their reach was far and wide, spanning continents, and Mara didn’t stand a chance. Not on her own anyway.

I loaded her things into the back seat of the truck, then drove to a small town a little farther down the highway before pulling into a motel. I was exhausted, and Mara probably was too. It was past time for dinner and some sleep; then we’d get a fresh start in the morning. The Sleepy-Daze Motel looked like it had seen better days, but it would do for tonight. Mara waited in the truck while I got a room key, then I pulled around to the back and parked in front of room 117.

“We’ll take all your things inside, and you can pack your new suitcase, then use your old bag for your dirty clothes until we reach the compound. Then you can do some laundry,” I said. Not really having any idea where she’d stay once we got there, but we’d figure that part out later.

I helped her carry everything inside, but I froze in the doorway and silently cursed. One. Fucking. Bed. When the asshole behind the counter hadn’t asked if I wanted one bed or two, I assumed all the rooms came with two. Guess that just went to show what happened when you assumed shit. Mara pushed at me, and I entered the room fully, giving her enough space to step inside. She dropped her stuff on the bed but didn’t comment on our accommodations.

“You want to eat in or go out?” I asked. “I saw a burger place a few lights back. I could swing through and pick up something, or there was a Waffle House on the corner.”

“Burgers are fine,” she said. “I’m going to sort this stuff out, then take a quick shower while you’re gone.”

I nodded. “Anything special on your burger?”

“Everything with double bacon and extra cheese.” She smiled. “And I want fries. Do you think they have shakes?”

I shrugged.

“If they do, get me a chocolate one. If not, any type of soda is fine.”

“All right. I’ll be back in a bit. I’m taking the room key with me in case you’re in the shower when I get back. Don’t step out of the room for any reason. This area looks safe enough, but you never can tell.”

“I won’t,” she promised.

I stared at her a moment before heading back out to the truck. She was giving me another of those I’m so innocent looks that I didn’t buy for a minute. There was no doubt she was naïve, and yes, she was a virgin, but I could see the naughtiness lurking inside her, and it called to me. The look in her eyes, the curves of her body, made me want to bend her to my will, command her to do things a good girl would never dream of. My cock started getting hard just thinking about urging Mara to her knees, and I groaned, then readjusted myself as I climbed into the truck.

For a small town, the burger place was packed. The drive-thru said it was closed for maintenance so I had no choice but to go inside. There were at least six groups ahead of me, maybe more. Most were high school kids, and I wondered if this was the local hangout. Every small town had one. With everyone clustered together, it was hard to tell which couples were on a date and which ones were out as a group, but I slowly got closer and closer to the counter.

By the time I placed my order, received my food, then had them correct the parts they’d screwed up, it had been over a half hour since I’d left Mara at the motel. I didn’t like leaving her for so long, not knowing if there was a way for the Rossi family to track her. Ever since she’d asked if they could have microchipped her, I’d kind of wondered if maybe she did have a tracker on her somewhere. Without the right equipment, there was no way to tell, and the only way to remove one would be to cut her open. That wasn’t something I was anxious to do.

I let myself into the motel room and heard the shower running. She’d left the door cracked and light spilled out, as well as a cloud of steam. I set the food on the rickety table near the window and sprawled in one of the chairs. A noise caught my attention, and I focused on the bathroom, thinking Mara had called for me.

“Rocky,” she moaned.

I fisted the arms of the chair as I listened to her whimper and moan some more. Before I knew what I was doing, I was up and moving, crossing the small room and stopping outside the bathroom door. I pushed it open farther, my mouth going dry. The shower curtain wasn’t closed all the way, and Mara was leaned back against the tiled wall, her legs splayed and her fingers playing with her pussy. She drove them in and out as she called my name again, her eyes closed and a look of bliss on her face. Fuck. Me. My cock went from semi-interested to hard as a steel post in a matter of seconds.

I needed to turn around and walk the fuck out, but instead my feet seemed to have a mind of their own as I moved farther into the small space. I pushed the curtain open wider. Reaching for my belt, I unfastened it, then my pants, pulling my cock out. My gaze was fastened on the fingers driving in and out of her as I fisted my dick, giving it a stroke.

A startled gasp had me looking up, and I caught her gaze. She seemed surprised to see me there, but she didn’t stop fucking herself. Her nipples hardened further, and I growled softly.

“Pinch those pretty nipples,” I said.

Her free hand reached up and cupped her breast, rolling the nipple between her fingers. She whimpered, and her legs spread farther. I was playing with fire and I knew it, but fuck if I cared right then. My heart started to thud heavily in my chest as I got closer to coming. Mara stroked her clit and came, screaming my name. Fuck if that didn’t turn me on even more.

Her fingers slid free of her pussy, and she dropped to her knees in the bottom of the tub, panting and looking spent. Seeing her there was almost my undoing. I growled again, stroking harder and faster, but I knew my hand wasn’t what I really wanted.

“Come here, sweet girl,” I said, my voice more growl than anything.

She leaned closer, and I reached out, gripping her hair and tipping her head back a little.

“Open,” I demanded.

Her eyes dilated as her lips parted. I thrust into her mouth, using shallow strokes until she was taking damn near all of me. Jesus but her mouth felt like fucking heaven. I angled her head a little more and slipped in farther. Fucking her mouth with long, deep strokes, I knew I wasn’t going to last but another few seconds.

“I’m about to come, sweet girl. Can you swallow for me?”

She hummed, and I took that to mean yes. With a grunt, my release hit, spurt after spurt of hot cum filling her mouth. Some dribbled from the corner of her mouth, but she took it all. When I had nothing left to give, I pulled free of her mouth and helped her stand up. She rinsed her face off, then blinked at me as if she couldn’t quite believe that had just happened.

I tucked my cock back into my jeans and zipped up, then fastened the button and my belt. I wasn’t quite sure what to say. The way she’d taken my cock was better than anything I’d felt before, but I knew it was wrong to want her the way I did. Not only was she too damn young for me, I had too many demons that I battled every night in my sleep, which she’d find out soon enough if we had to sleep in the same damn bed.

I stared at her a moment before turning and walking out. I sprawled in the chair again, wondering if I’d just damned myself to hell. Now that I’d had a taste of what it would be like to fuck that sweet girl, I knew I wanted her more than my next breath. But she deserved better than a broken-down Marine. What the fuck would Thomas say if he knew I’d just done that with his little girl? He’d probably put his fist through my face and tell me to stay the fuck away from her. But I didn’t know if I could. Walking out of that bathroom had been damn hard, when all I’d wanted to do was strip my clothes off and climb into the shower with her.

She appeared in the bathroom doorway, a towel wrapped around her body. The white terry cloth didn’t quite meet since she had such a luscious figure, and I fought for control. She slowly came closer, stopping in front of me, close enough to touch.

“Rocky, I know you want me. And I know that you don’t want to want me. But I’m not some little girl. Just because I’m inexperienced when it comes to sex, it doesn’t mean that I don’t know what I want. I want you.”

“You don’t know what the fuck you’re asking for, Mara. If I take you, if I claim that virgin pussy, I’m not letting you go. You have no idea who I am, what I’ve done, or what I’m still capable of doing.”

Mara stared at me a moment, and then she sank onto the edge of the bed, facing me with her hands clasped in her lap. “You seem to think that being claimed by you would be the worst thing in the world. Let me ask you something. What exactly does it mean to be claimed by you?”

“You’d be mine. Forever.”

She nodded. “I know we don’t know each other very well, but I also know you’re a good man. You can deny it all you want, but a bad man wouldn’t be haunted by what happened while he was serving his country. A bad man wouldn’t have pulled me from that car and taken care of me. A bad man wouldn’t be helping me right now, making sure that Sebastian Rossi doesn’t get his hands on me. So say what you want, but you’re a good, honorable man, Rocky. So while to you, claiming me forever might be a bad thing, it sounds pretty good to me.”

I opened my mouth, but she raised a hand and stopped me.

“When I was only nine years old, I lost the only person who ever loved me. My mother and stepfather have pretty much ignored me except for when they want to show off their perfect family. My stepbrother tried to rape me, and would have succeeded if I hadn’t stabbed him. I have no friends, and while you say I have a grandmother out there somewhere, I’ve never met her. I have no one, and I haven’t had anyone for a really long time. So if you’re going to threaten me with something, you’re going to have to do better than that.”

She stood and walked over to her suitcase, which she’d packed while I was gone. Then she pulled out some clothes and disappeared back into the bathroom, the door shutting behind her with a click. I’d killed men, women, and children too, and yet she still thought I was a good man? The blood on my hands ensured they would never be clean again. I shouldn’t want to touch her with hands that taken life after life, even if it was in the line of duty. But Mara’s sweet, innocent nature called to something inside me; it pushed back the darkness.

While she got dressed, I pulled out the food I’d purchased for us and set everything out on the table. Her milkshake was melting, and my soda tasted watered down. The bathroom door opened, and my gaze jerked in her direction. The silky tank and shorts she’d put on showed a lot of skin. Her breasts bounced with every step, and I had to look down at my food to keep from going to her. I didn’t care what she said. She deserved better than me. Even if it killed me, I’d stay away. What happened in the bathroom was a mistake, one I wouldn’t be repeating.

“Thank you for dinner,” she said softly as she sat across from me.

I nodded and picked up one of my burgers, taking a big bite. She didn’t complain that the food had cooled, or that her shake had melted. Mara ate every bite, and then gathered our trash and threw it all away. There were shadows under her eyes and without a word, she pulled back the covers and slid into bed. I pulled some clean boxer briefs from my bag, took a quick shower, then cut off the lights in the room. Lying next to her was going to be hell on my control, but I knew if I didn’t get some sleep, we wouldn’t get very far tomorrow. And the sooner we reached my brothers, the better.

I tried to stay on my side of the bed. Sprawled on my back, one arm under my head, I stared at the ceiling. It didn’t take long before Mara was plastered to my side, her leg thrown across mine, and her head on my shoulder. Her arm went across my waist, and I sighed, knowing it was going to be a long-ass night. I curved my arm around her and held her close, her scent teasing me. Slowly, the tension in my body loosened, and my breathing evened out.

Her words about the life she’d led circled my mind. Knowing she’d been alone for so long made my heart hurt for her. The fact her mother didn’t seem to care about her made me wonder why she’d kept Mara all these years. She had to have known that if Thomas’ mother knew about Mara, she would have taken in the child. Had she kept her out of spite? Or was there more going on? I hated having so many questions and no answers, but once we reached the Dixie Reapers compound, I was hoping Wire could shed some light on a few things.

Sleep eventually claimed me, and fuck if it wasn’t the most peaceful night I’d had in ten years. No way in hell I was going to analyze that, though. Some things were better left alone.