CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Havoc
I’m draggin’ ass on this hot night. We were prepared for moonshine to move tonight, thanks to the tip from Leighton and some other intel we picked up. Spoiler alert, it didn’t. Instead we sat in the woods, sweating our balls off. Nothing happened and the heat zapped us all. I hate when a plan doesn’t come together, and it’s not very often that mine don’t. Failure for me is a hard pill to swallow.
I park my truck in the driveway, grabbing my stuff as I groan. My shirt’s wet, and my pants are rubbing against my legs in the most uncomfortable way. I want to get in the house, take a shower, and sleep with Leighton curled against me.
We’ve been missing each other the past few nights. She’s had a paper due, and I’ve obviously had work to do. I’m pissed that those nights I’ve spent away from her have been for nothing. Coming up empty-handed is not my idea of a damn good time.
I’ve grabbed my stuff, and I’m fixing to head to the house when I happen to look at the garage and see there’s something on the door. It gives me a weird feeling, like when you know a rifle scope is pinned on you. I place my stuff back in my truck and grab my gun from where I have it holstered, holding it in my hand as I make my way across the driveway. It’s hard not to show fear, because it’s there. My heart pounds, sweat pours down my back and face, and I’d be lying if I said my hands didn’t shake when I grab the piece of paper that’s been taped to the door.
Neither of you are safe. Don’t drop your guard. We’re still coming for you.
“Son of a bitch.” I know it’s from her dad. He’s still pissed she told us about the still over off Old Chapel Hill Road. We thought it would disrupt the flow, and it doesn’t seem to have done so, but maybe we did disrupt something. Looks as if we possibly put a kink in a part of their operation. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be trying to scare me away.
I grab the piece of paper, put it in my pants pocket, and head back to my truck. In reality, I need a minute to let all of this sink in, but I know leaving myself out in the open like this isn’t smart. Picking up my stuff, I don’t waste any time getting into the house.
“Leighton? You here?”
When I initially don’t hear anything my heart drops. Then, I hear her off-key singing in the kitchen, and I can breathe again.
“Right here,” she yells as I enter into that part of the house. “How was it tonight?” she asks, looking at me.
“Shitty. I’m tired, I want to take a shower, and go to bed.”
She comes over and wrinkles her nose at me. “You do stink a little.”
“I stink a lot,” I laugh. “I can smell myself. Cute of you to act like I don’t smell so bad, though.” I lean in, giving her a kiss without touching her, glad to know she’s okay. “How was your night?”
“Same old, same old. Did some homework, cooked dinner for just me.” She throws her bottom lip out, and I reach in, catching it with my teeth.
“I hated being away from you, too. Hopefully not much longer.”
She makes a noise of protest in her throat, as I pull far enough away she can’t try to haul me towards her. “Let me go take a shower.”
I take one in record time, sighing heavily as I appreciate the feel of clean skin. I never realized how much I needed it until I was stuck in the sand for a year. Now? A shower can sometimes be my favorite thing. Putting on a pair of boxers, I tiptoe through the house, checking the locks, the windows, and arming the alarm system. I’m still on edge from the note I found.
Do I think they might make a play for her or me? Maybe – depending on if Jefferson can get anyone to make the play with him. I’m not scared, and I’ll kill him before he can hurt either one of us. I’m beyond sure of that.
When I enter the bedroom, Leighton is on her side, facing away from me. Her eyes are closed, and her breathing is even. Turning off the TV and the lamp, I climb in behind her, but tonight I want to be close to her. I reach over, pulling her against my chest. When she situates herself, her tit falls into the palm of my hand and that’s all it takes for my dick to take notice.
We’ve been passing ships lately, and I’ve missed the fuck out of her. Dropping my mouth to her neck, I lightly kiss the flesh as I squeeze her breast in my hand, rubbing my palm against the hard nipple. I’m making no demands; it’s a lazy seduction, one I hadn’t planned when I laid down behind her and brought her into my arms, but I want her. I want her body sliding against mine, her nails trailing down my back, and the heat of her pussy wrapped around my cock. I shift around, pushing my boxers down to my knees, kicking them off with my feet, as I turn Leighton over onto her back.
“Holden,” she moans, her eyes closed, her legs widening for me.
I brace my knees against her thighs, pushing her shirt up and over her head, leaning down to capture a nipple in my mouth. I bathe it with my tongue, growling when I feel her nails digging into my shoulders, the sharp intake of breath that tells me she’s awake. “Shit,” she pushes her head to the side, thrusting her chest deeper into my mouth.
“Feel good?” I moan as I nip at her skin, sliding down her body until her thighs bracket my shoulders.
“Holden,” she whimpers when I take two fingers, testing out how ready she is.
“Yeah?” I glance up, my eyes on hers in the dim light of our room.
“I don’t know if I can handle it.”
I flash her a grin, accompanied by a wink. “Then you better hang on, baby.”
She’s not ready when I push those two fingers into her, at the same time as I use my mouth to suck on her clit. My tongue worries the piece of flesh, before I pull slightly; pushing my fingers in before pulling them out, making sure she’s ready for this. Making sure she’s ready for me. Her fingers push my head down, as she opens her thighs wide to my body.
“I want you inside me, Holden, not your fingers.”
That’s all the nudge I need. Dragging myself up her body, I spread her thighs further apart and push myself home, moaning as she grips me.
“Feels so good,” she breathes into my neck as I put my hands on either side of her head, in a push up. We slide along the sheets, but when she grasps hold of my ass, I know she’s right there with me. “Harder,” she begs.
“Whatever you need, love.”
“You mean that?” Her eyes are dark as they look into mine. Her face is pleading, when she hooks her legs around my waist.
“I love you, Leigh. I’ve tried so hard to not make things complicated for you, tried to keep my feelings out of every equation because I didn’t want it to cloud any judgement. But I love you.” I bury my head in her neck. “You mean the fucking world to me.”
“I love you, too.” Her voice is strong and soft at the same time, it’s everything I need to push us both to the end.
She screams, I moan, and we wrap our arms around each other, holding tightly to one another.
“I’ve loved you for a long time,” she whispers. “I just didn’t know if you wanted to hear it or not.”
“Probably wouldn’t have listened,” I pant, pulling her against me. “I’m listening now.”
Minutes of silence pass before I hear her whisper.
“Can I ask you a question?”
I’m surprised when her voice cuts through the dark, I thought she’d gone to sleep. “Yeah, you can ask me anything you want.”
“Why hasn’t anyone snapped you up by now? Seriously Holden, you’re a great guy.”
I situate her beside me, running my fingers through her hair as I pull her closer. “I didn’t want it,” I admit, blowing a breath out that moves her hair. “When I was in the military, I had a girlfriend who wrote me a Dear John letter while I was over there.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“No.” I shake my head, entwining our fingers, pressing our palms together. “It’s a common occurrence, believe it or not. It’s hard to deal with, on both sides, and I guess now, being older, I understand more than I did then. I get why she couldn’t live with the unknown. But it broke my heart, and I never wanted to open myself up to that again.” I twist so that we’re face-to-face.
“You never wanted a relationship?”
“Not at first. I came back, did what it took to get back into civilian life, watched my parents retire and move to Gulf Shores, and by that time the job with the MTF came up. I just never had the time, ya know? Never made it a priority. I was good with having a few one night stands here and there, but then I walked into a bar in Birmingham one night, and my mind was blown by the kiss I got unexpectedly.”
She laughs, putting her arms around my neck and pulling us deeper together, hooking one leg at my side. “Best dare I ever took.”
“I can’t tell you how happy I am that you took that dare.”
We’re quiet for a long time this time, but there’s still an adrenaline rush coursing through my body. “Can I ask you something this time?”
She nods, her sleepy voice answering. “Of course, you can ask me anything.”
“Promise me you’ll keep your cell with you in the house at all times, and you’ll keep the alarm armed at all times. Please don’t ask me to tell you why – just trust me. I’m asking for your trust.”
She stills in the moonlight. “You’ve got it, and I promise.”
She makes a noise in her throat, kisses my chin, and we fall asleep wrapped in each other’s arms. It’s where we both belong.
And from here on out, every time we’re in the house, the alarm is set.