Chapter Nine
Jinx
Hundreds of pieces of paper lay before Winter and me on the kitchen table. It’s a financial day. A day we dedicate to going over figures and bills. We’ve been sitting here for a few hours and Winter hasn’t said one word to me while we pore over the paperwork, she only moves papers in front of me when she wants me to look at.
Maybe if I direct a question at her, she’ll respond.
I give it a go. “What’s with everyone lately?”
Her shoulders slump, and she drops the light bill to the new BDSM club to the table. “Too much change,” she mumbles. “The brothers are getting used to the transfers, and the tension is high.”
I already know these things, this isn’t what is causing the riff around Breakneck though.
“I believe there’s more to it,” I say to her when I stamp the nail salon light bill as paid.
“It’s been quiet. It’s about to get loud.”
My hands pause on the next bill. “What do you mean?”
I never ask questions about Breakneck, but her phrasing makes my skin crawl with worry.
“They’ve been biding their time dealing with the cartel, my husbands over it.”
I set the bill back on the table. “I knew it was serious because they issued the lockdown, but it’s serious enough for the entire family to be on edge?”
I don’t miss the stray tear she swipes away from her face while checking the baby monitor.
“Yes.”
And Sniper wanted to complain about me learning how to shoot, my request was validated. All he did this morning while training me on the ins and outs of gun control was whine about me not needing a gun. He was obviously wrong.
“I had my first lesson with guns this morning,” I tell her.
“That’s great.”
It’s as if I’m pulling her teeth.
I go back to the paperwork in uncomfortable silence, angry at the way everyone is acting. If I’m going to be stuck in an environment for long periods of time, I want it to be a friendly one. If it keeps it up, I’m going to have no choice but to take Braxxon up on his offer to get the hell out of here.
“Husband said you and Pyro hooked up last night.”
What the hell?
“Pyro told him?”
Winter snickers under her breath. “Nope. He heard you guys in the garage.”
I sag my shoulders in relief, thankful Pyro isn’t the one sharing our encounter with everyone.
“How was it?”
“Unexpected,” I say truthfully. “I’m not even ready for that kind of intimacy but it happened, and it wasn’t bad.”
Fucking amazing is what it was.
“You know he isn’t over his ex, right? And you shouldn’t be messing around with a brother right now. Too much going on.”
I flinch with her words, they pierce my heart with deep pain.
Not because Pyro isn’t over Lana but because Winter’s rude to me about it.
It’s not a secret Pyro is still clinging onto his feelings for Lana. He’s admitted to being fucked up over her death, and it’s one of the main reasons my friendship with him has come easy.
He has a heart.
“We’re only friends,” I whisper as I stomp down the tears, shove my chair back, and leave the room.
“Jinx wait!”
Ignoring her I enter the downstairs bathroom, shut and lock the door behind me and let the tears fall; watching them in the mirror. The woman who peers back at me isn’t the cheerful woman who was in the mirror this very morning, the woman who stares back at me now is the one I used to see for months after my kidnapping and rape. A knock on the door rips me away from the reunion I’m having with a woman in the mirror.
“I’m sorry, Jinx. I didn’t mean anything by it,” Winter whispers strain through the wooden door.
I push back against the wall and slide down to the floor, tucking my legs with my arms for comfort.
“Please open up,” she begs.
As if I didn’t already feel like I was an outsider all these months, she goes right ahead and reminds me I am when I’m starting to feel at home.
It hurts.
Bad.
“What’s goin’ on?” A voice questions Winter on the other side of my safe haven.
“I fucked up, Sniper. I fucked up,” she cries.
Sniper.
Great. Sniper’s going to call Pyro, and he doesn’t need to be bothered with my hysterics while he’s on watch, his focus is what keeps him alert and alive.
She doesn’t tell him what I said or what she said, she only tells him she hurt my feelings and feels awful for it.
I won’t leave the bathroom until I calm down and my face isn’t red from tears. I won’t give any of them the satisfaction of doing what they ask me to do. I’m not one to be ordered around, I deserve some respect and some privacy. After I was kidnapped and raped, I didn’t go to the FBI and report what happened to me. I kept it quiet because they requested me to do so because they wanted to handle it in-house and I respected it.
It shows my loyalty to Breakneck, so of course, it freaking hurts when the president’s wife reprimands me for messing around with a brother.
It isn’t her business what I do with my personal life, it wasn’t Braxxon’s business either.
“Leave her alone,” Sniper warns.
My phone vibrates in the pocket of my sundress, and I pull it out to read it. I don’t get many texts, so I welcome the distraction.
Pyro.
Shit!
What happened?
Sniper must have sent him a text, I didn’t hear him make a phone call on the other side of the door, and I know he’s still there.
Your president told Winter, and she scolded me.
It takes a few minutes for his response which is simple and to the point.
I’ve had enough. I’ll fuckin’ handle it.
I slide my phone to the floor and lean my head against the wall. “I’ll be alright, Sniper. You can go.”
He knocks his knuckles on the door twice. “If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure.”
I close my eyes and slip off my shoes when I hear his footsteps retreat from the door.
I was already conflicted about my growing feelings towards Pyro, then last night happened, and I became even more conflicted.
Granted, I’ve never really been close with Winter, but I have enough friendship with her to be trusted with her millions; none of it makes any sense now with how she treated me.
All of a sudden, I can’t breathe in here, I stand too fast and stumble backward reaching for the doorknob to steady myself. When I get my feet under me, I unlock the door and sprint out of the housing building and into the parking lot. I place my hands on my knees to try and catch my breath. Still, I’m unable to breathe and have a sudden urge of wanting out of here. I take off running through the parking lot and to the security gate.
“Open it up,” I demand with tears streaming down my face. “Now!” The prospect and Rap who are on gate duty look startled and confused. “I can’t fucking breathe in here!”
Rap jumps from his seat and moves towards me, and I step closer to the gate. “Open the fucking gate,” I gasp through painful breaths. “Breathe. I wanna,” I gasp for air. “Breathe.”
“I can’t let you leave Jinx.”
I rush him, grab his cut in my hands and jerk him hard. “Let me out!”
“What’s goin’ on here,” Sniper yells running up behind Rap.
“I want out,” I scream and shove Rap backward.
I run back to the gate and kick it, the metal monstrosity doesn’t even wiggle, and it further pisses me off.
“Call Pyro, Rap,” Sniper orders.
I grab my hair and pull in frustration. “I don’t want Pyro! I want out!”
When Fox and Seneca jog their way towards us, I send Sniper a glare. “Open the fucking gate,” I grit through my teeth. “I thought you said I wasn’t a prisoner here and I could be done with Breakneck whenever I wanted!”
“Jinx?”
Where’d she come from?
Jinx?” she repeats.
Not now, Piper!
“Where the fuck is Pyro?” Sniper snaps at Rap.
I roll my eyes and untangle my fingers from my hair. “Who cares! Let me out!”
“He’s on his way,” Rap yells. “Fuck!”
“All of you need to leave me alone and let me out of this hell hole!”
“What the fuck happened?” Braxxon questions calmly when he walks up, and his tone sets a fire in me I didn’t even know I had.
“You and your wife happened,” I growl. “My sex life isn’t your goddamn pillow talk, and it certainly doesn’t give her the right to scorn me on it either!”
He doesn’t even flinch from my anger; the asshole only nods and orders the prospect to go and get his wife.
“I want to leave. You swore I could leave whenever I wanted, and I wasn’t a prisoner here. Was it a lie to pacify me?”
Braxxon shoves his hands in his pocket and dares to appear as if all this chaos is usual.
“It wasn’t a lie, but you can’t leave until everything is safe.”
Unbelievable. “So, I am trapped here.”
“Rap head to Pyro’s watch location since he’s on his way,” Braxxon orders.
What is with these people?
“Just let me go,” I beg, new tears spill with my plea. “I can’t breathe here. You guys are killing me,” I gasp. “I want to go.”
“Piper call her therapist,” Braxxon orders and I turn towards her and issue my own warning. “If you make a call to our therapist, I’ll never fucking speak to you again,” I grit with a stone-cold voice. “You will be dead to me.”
Piper’s eyes shed their own tears, and she looks to Sniper for help, who offers nothing in return.
“Do it,” Braxxon roars.
His anger towards Piper snaps Sniper out of his haze. “Don’t fucking yell at my woman, she isn’t a brother!”
“You fucking idiots have so much shit going on, just let me out of this fucking prison,” I plead.
“Jinx,” Piper scorns. “This isn’t you.”
I shake my head while I suck air into my lungs. “Thank Winter, she showed me where I stand,” I smart off while wiping my tears away with my palms and the gate opens up. I turn to make a run for it and arms snatch me up. I kick and scream to be let go, but the hold tightens when Pyro’s SUV comes into view. I’ll never get out of here now.
Pyro doesn’t even shut the SUV off when he pulls in, he opens the door and screams for Seneca to get his hands off me as he runs with a limp over to me.
Seneca doesn’t even let me go until Pyro has a hold of my arms. “If you ever touch her again, I’ll fuckin’ kill you,” he warns. “She doesn’t like bein’ touched,” he grits through his teeth and lifts me effortlessly into his arms in an infant hold. I have no choice but to put my arms around his neck and dig my head into his chest while I continue to gasp for breath.
“I wanna leave, Pyro, let me leave.” My plea barely audible, his arms tighten as he walks us away. “I can’t darlin’, I’m your friend now,” he whispers into my hair.
“Thanks, Berry,” he murmurs.
I assume she opened the door for him moments ago cause we’re heading up the stairs of the housing building. I try to scurry out of his arms, his hold is too tight, and it should piss me off but exhaustion is setting in, and I stop fighting.
When I pull my head away from his chest, we’re entering his room, he kicks the door shut and walks us to his bathroom, kicks the toilet lid to a close and sets me down gently. I keep my head tucked down to avoid his eyes, I’ll lose it again if we make eye contact.
I hear water running and then he’s sitting down on the floor and picking up my feet and putting them in his lap. “Look at me, Shortcake.”
I shake my head no.
“Your feet are a mess, where's your shoes?”
I can’t help the laugh that bubbles from my throat and shrug.
“Words. Give em’ to me,” Pyro orders while he wipes my feet with a warm washcloth.
My fingernails dig into my palms when being trapped here sets in once more. “I… I…,” I cry. “I’m…a…a prisoner,” I hiccup when I finally look at him. “He owns me!”
His hands stop wiping my feet and a look of fury forms on his face. “No one owns you, baby. No one.”
I hiss and try to jerk my right foot away when the cloth swipes at a fresh cut.
“I’m a mess, Pyro. What’s wrong with me?” I whisper through more tears.
He stops cleaning my feet and looks at me so deeply I swear I can feel him inching his way into my soul. Pyro’s green eyes soften when he understands my question was a serious one. “Listen to me carefully, baby. There isn’t a single thing wrong with you,” he says softly. “You’re coming back from something a ton of women can’t come back from. You’re halfway there.”
I hiccup and rip my eyes away from his, lifting the bottom of my dress up to wipe my face with. “I’m a mess.”
Pyro puts my feet on the ground and stands when I drop my dress from my hands. He kicks his boots off, takes his wallet and phone from his jean pockets, and removes his cut, he then leans into the shower and turns the water on. “What are you doing?” I whisper and get no response.
A moment later he stands me up and ushers me backward into the shower and takes me with him as he slides down the wall and sits us on the floor. “We’re gonna relax.”
A sigh leaves my lips, and I lean my head against his chest while he cradles me tight.
When his fingers begin to rub my head, the tears come again, and he takes them in stride. He says nothing, it’s as if he knows what I need, which should scare me. We haven’t been close for very long, but his touch and his comforting ways seem to calm me.
It’s baffling.
I shut my eyes and drown in the comfort he’s created for me.
∞∞∞
When I come to, I’m in his bed with his green eyes smiling at me. “What,” I ask when I look down and notice he’s put one of his t-shirts on me. “How did I not wake up,” I say, confused.
He still says nothing and reaches for one of my hands and threads our fingers together with a grin on his gorgeous face. “My touch must’ve been magical,” he teases and brings my hand to his mouth to kiss it. “In all seriousness, you were mentally drained, darlin’.”
I use my free hand to drag his blanket over us. “Why didn’t you cover me up?”
His green eyes turn serious. “I didn’t want you to wake up and freak out. Hence why I was bein’ a creeper.”
A small smile lifts on my lips. “Thank you, Pyro.”
He flips over onto his back, taking our adjoined hands with him, the movement pulling me closer to him. “It’s Stefan.”
I lean up on an elbow and peer down. “What?”
“My name. It’s Stefan. You deserve somethin’ personal from me. That’s as personal as it gets around here.”
“Stefan.” I test it on my lips. “It’s a hot name. I like it.”
He turns his head slightly to look at me. “Yeah?”
I shrug with a smile. “It’s okay,” I tease.
“Oh, yeah? Only okay?” he jokes back.
I fake an eyeroll. “Just okay.”
“You little shit, c’mere,” he growls and yanks me to his chest. “You’re fire, darlin’ and I’m ice, wanna play,” he says against my lips.
I don’t use words to answer his question I use body language and move to straddle him under the blanket.
“Fire,” he breathes.
“Ice,” I breathe back when he pushes his hips upwards, forcing a moan from my throat when his cock rubs against my bare pussy.
“Can I taste you,” he whispers against my lips.
I pull back and gaze into his eyes, they are kind, and his touch gentle. If I want him to stop, I know he will, so I lean back and slide off his lap. I push the blanket down and lift his shirt from my body and turn towards him, using no words as my answer. His green eyes blaze as they trail my naked body so slow, I burn from it. It feels like forever before he makes his move, but when he does, his eyes never leave mine.
The only time his gaze breaks mine is when he pulls my thighs apart, and he gets his first look at my wet pussy. “Fuck,” he murmurs as he leans down, his eyes back on mine when his mouth sucks on my clit, he lets out a groan, the rumble causing my body to shiver. I lean back on one elbow and rake a hand through his hair and grind my pussy against his face, the movement spurring him on; he lets my swollen clit go with a pop and moves his mouth to my opening while a finger flicks my clit with ease. I bite my lip when his tongue slides deep inside, and he begins fucking my pussy with his mouth, it feels so good I ride his face even harder while my nails dig into his scalp. When he groans in pleasure, I push against his face, even more, his finger on my clit moving faster with my moans. I drop back and wrap my legs around his neck, pushing his tongue further inside my pussy. I know my moans are getting loud, so I bring my free hand to my mouth and bite down when my orgasm breaks free. “Stefan,” I moan against my hand as Pyro uses his free hand to shuck his jeans, and when he moves up my body while I’m panting, I don’t question what he’s doing. I’m in orgasm bliss, I’m still coming when I feel his bare cock slide against my pussy lips. “Let’s ride together, yeah,” he groans when he slides his thick cock back in forth in between my lips. “Wrap your legs around me, darlin,” he orders with a shudder. It takes me a moment to do as he asks because I’m a shaken mess and my legs feel like jello, but when my thighs wrap around his waist, we come together, his strides never stopping as his hot come squirts the both of us.
He wraps one arm around my neck, pulls me closer to him, and drops his lips to mine, devouring me.
Minutes later, we’re still shaking, but he pulls back with the sexiest smile I’ve ever seen, and I don’t know what he sees in my eyes, but he drops a small peck on my lips before lifting to his knees and giving my pussy a light slap. “Damn, baby.”
I drag a fingernail down his chest. “Who needs therapy when that mouth exists.”
Pyro chuckles and slaps my pussy again. “You’re a dirty, dirty fuck. I love it.”
“I need a shower,” I laugh when I peer down at all the come.
“Next time I’ll eat your ass when my hand is fuckin’ your sweet pussy,” he groans when lifting me into a sitting position. “You’ll squirt all over my fingers,” he growls. “Fuck. Shower. Now.”
“Before we get carried away,” I murmur wrapping my arms around his neck and giving him a small kiss. “I need to make sure we’re on the same page.”
Pyro pulls back. “Okay?”
I scratch his neck lightly with my nails. “I’m fucked up, you’re fucked up. This is for fun, yes?”
His arms pull me closer. “I’ve never had an actual fuck buddy before.”
I giggle. “Me either.”
Pyro nods. “Alright darlin’, I’d be stupid not to agree to no strings attached sex.”
I push up against him and put my lips on his. “Mmhmm.”
We finally pull away from one another and get off the bed and make our way to the shower. The shower we keep PG, his leg bothering him from all the straining, and he assures me repeatedly he’ll be okay once he gets off it and takes his meds.
He falls asleep before me, and I’m left awake with my crazy thoughts. I can’t believe I had a nervous breakdown big enough for me to go off on half the brotherhood and make a sex-pack with Pyro. And even though I know I’m mentally messed up right now, I don’t regret a single second of it. They all needed to know they can’t walk all over my feelings and realize I didn’t choose this particular path for myself.
I’ll get the respect I’m deserved one way or another, I’ve earned it.
∞∞∞