Exquisite Redemption (Iron Horse MC Book 3) (24 page)

To be honest, I loved being pinned to him like this, allowing him to do as he wished with me. It was completely freeing in a way I’ve rarely experienced, a clean and pure surrender to a man who would take care of me. I knew he’d take a bullet for me, knew I could count on him when it got rough, knew he was strong enough to protect me and I cannot tell you how much it turned me on. I could trust him, at least with my safety, and it was heady stuff. That trust allowed me to whisper, “Bite me, where my neck meets my shoulder.”

He didn’t hesitate, instead jerking my head to the side so the line of my neck was exposed, then sinking his teeth into that sensitive bundle of nerves and muscle. Right away my whole body clenched down and I began to writhe on him, fucking him with everything I had while only being allowed to move a couple inches in either direction. His hand on my ass held me tight and I didn’t fight him, the feeling of clutching his cock with my internal muscles so damn satisfying.

My clit was so sensitive by this point that the rub of his body against mine had me seeing stars.

Beach licked at the bite mark on my body, the pain so damn brilliant. “Bite me when you come, Sarah.”

I whimpered then began to kiss his neck, licking the skin and circling my hips while he thrust up. The taste of his salty skin was addictive and as I lightly set my teeth against him, he began to tense beneath me. I could feel his cock getting bigger and knew he was about to climax, his thrusts bouncing me as he fucked me hard.

It was enough to send me over the edge and I pressed up on my arms, wanting to watch him come.

“Carlos,” I gasped as my body tightened even further.

His deep blue gaze met mine, pupils huge with lust, and he stared at me as our orgasms consumed us, each struggling not to lose our connection in our bliss.

The last of my contractions swam through me and I collapsed on his chest, my cheek pillowed by his fur and my body still attached to his.

As I felt something leak out, I sat up with a gasp.

“Shit!”

“What?” Beach asked as he sat up as well, his hands going around my hips.

“No condom!”

He blinked up at me, then blew out a long breath. “Shit. You on the pill, right?”

“Not the pill, the shot, but that doesn’t prevent STDs!”

“Babe, I always wrap my shit up, but we’ll get tested. You clean?”

“Yes, I’m usually very careful. Like super careful.” My stomach clenched and I rolled off of him, hissing as my body protested the quick movement. “Shit!”

“Easy.” He rose off the bed and came over to my side as I slowly stood. “What are you doin?”

“I need to get cleaned up.”

He nodded and let me go. When I stepped into the bathroom, I found him moving in behind me as I went to close the door. “I said I need to get cleaned up.”

“Me too. Babe, you get so wet when you come you flooded me.”

“Shut up!” I shrieked as my face turned no doubt flaming tomato red.

“Why? It’s fuckin hot.”

As if to prove this fact, his cock twitched, then began to thicken again.

Jesus he was endowed.

“I need to get clean,” I announced, deciding I was done with this discussion.

Once the water was to my liking, I stepped into the glass-enclosed space, not at all surprised when Beach followed me in. I also wasn’t surprised when bath time turned into sexy time, but I was surprised Beach was able to give me three really fucking good orgasms before we returned to bed.

Chapter 12

A
knock came at the bedroom door, waking me from a deep and restful sleep. Warm, I was so incredibly warm and comfortable, hating whoever had torn me from dreamland. And I felt better. Way better. Yeah, I was sore, but nowhere near as bad as yesterday. I was even breathing easy. Damn, now I had proof Beach’s big dick had magical healing properties.

Maybe I should build a shrine to it.

The knocking interrupted my meandering and pervy thoughts.

Beach’s arms tightened around me and he muttered into my neck, “Go away.”

The knocking came again, more insistent this time, followed by a very familiar voice. “Sarah Jane Anderson, open this door right now.”

I let out a little shriek of irrational fear at the sound of my stepmother Mimi’s voice, and Beach was instantly awake, reaching for the gun he kept next to the bed.

“No,” I yelled to both the man and the people at the door, “wait!”

But neither of them waited, and Mimi stepped into the room then got an eyeful of a naked, semi-aroused Beach holding a gun on her. She stood, frozen, her dark eyes wide as she took Beach in, her pretty cheeks flushed.

Even though my stepmom is pushing sixty, she is still hot and dressed to impress in hella-cute skirts and tops. Today was no exception, a pretty black silk blouse coupled with a green, blue, and black color-blocked skirt and heels.

Shit, I should have known she’d hunt me down after my less-than-frequent phone calls.

Behind her, a small woman I’ve never seen before pushed past a stunned Mimi and glared at Beach, who was now lowering his gun. She had short hair, a light brown with hints of grey, along with lovely eyes lined by the kind of wrinkles you get from smiling in the sun a lot. Petite and dressed in jeans and a mint-green t-shirt, she still packed a punch with her presence. “Boy, what the hell is wrong with you, pullin’ a gun on Sarah’s mama? Have you lost your damn mind? And put some clothes on! She’s going to think I raised a nudist.”

I was tempted to hide under the covers but remained frozen, not wanting to draw anyone’s attention to me.

“Baby,” Beach muttered. “Toss me my pants.”

That snapped Mimi out of ogling everything that was delicious about Beach, and there was a lot to ogle. Not only was he full of golden-god hotness with a nicely built body, his junk was pierced so there was an extra something “oh my” to look at. Now, Mimi is very happily married to my father, but she appreciated a handsome man so I could understand why she was distracted. However, when I moved on the bed, it drew her gaze like a lioness spotting a stupid, wounded gazelle who’d just had sex with a much older leopard.

Mimi’s dark gaze met mine and I had to quell the urge to hide beneath the blankets. “Yes, Sarah, could you please give the gentleman who just exited your bed his pants.”

Before I could move, I had to ask the most important question. “Is Dad here?”

“Would Beach still be alive?”

“Good point.”

I darted for his pants at the end of the bed and tossed them to him, along with his underwear. Before I sat back down, Mimi was at my side, her cheekbones standing out as her face tensed. Oh boy, Mimi was pissed, and that didn’t happen very often. I guess after a lifetime of being an assassin, your standards of what’s considered a big deal changes. That was one of the reasons I got along so well with Mimi, she usually handled my bullshit without freaking out like my dad.

I frowned up at her, not sure why she was suddenly so mad, but then I realized when I’d moved she’d seen my bruised ribs. Her body trembled slightly and I watched as she began to stroke her thigh, where she no doubt had one of her knives stashed. Yes, one of. Mimi was a master at looking feminine while carrying enough weapons to outfit a small hit squad. The fact she was seeking comfort by touching her beloved knife was not a good sign and I tried to figure out ways of blowing off the impending eruption.

Thinking I’d finally pushed her too far, I whispered, “Mimi?”

Something about my voice had her looking up at me, her gaze haunted and filled with pain. “You’re hurt.”

Oh crap on toast.

She lost her fucking mind when Swan or I got hurt.

“Not—”

Her voice shook with suppressed emotion as she whispered, “Someone injured you.”

“Mimi…”

Shit, if I didn’t get her calmed down fast she was going to go on a path of vengeance, and that was bad. It would mean people would die, and I’d get pulled into some mafia bullshit that I’d never manage to escape again. Hell, Mimi’s dad, my mafia boss grandfather Roman Stefano, would finally marry me off to one of his men like he’d been threatening too since I turned eighteen. Not going to lie, he has some really hot men, but even though I’ve had sex with a few of them, none of them were anything but fun while it lasted. Not that grandpa needed to know that; he’d quite literally geld them.

“Meems,” I pulled out the big guns and used the nickname I used to call her when I was younger, one that always made her eyes sparkle, “I’m okay. It’s just bruised ribs, and some bumps, and some other stuff. But no major injuries.”

She studied my face up close. “Are the men who did this to you dead?”

“Yes.”

The fire in her eyes dimmed slightly. “Good, and I don’t want you to spend one damn moment dwelling on those deaths. You did Lady Karma a favor disposing of them.”

“I know.”

She gently hugged me, then reached out and brushed my hair back from my face. “Of course you do. Now, care to explain who the man with an earring through his penis staring at us is? And why he was in your bed?”

I mentally groaned as I turned to find Beach watching Mimi closely. I was certain Mimi knew who he was, no way my dad hadn’t dug up everything he could on Beach, and what she was really asking was who the hell was he to me? I didn’t have a clue, but I knew Mimi well enough to know that if I didn’t answer to her satisfaction, she was going to make trouble. Drinking in the sight of him with his jeans on and nothing else, his magnificent muscles tensed, how protective he was of me, made me want to sigh like a besotted idiot. He was so good-looking even the presence of my family couldn’t keep my body from heating. As if he could sense my gaze on him, he gave me a quick, reassuring look that warmed me from the roots of my hair to the tips of my red painted toenails.

Because of my arousal, my voice came out slightly husky as I said, “This is Carlos, but he goes by the name of Beach. He saved my life, took wonderful care of me, and has treated me like a queen since the moment we met. I promise you, he’s a good guy.”

“Of course he is.” The short woman who’d come in with my stepmother smiled at me, with Birdie, today wearing gold lamé with jeans, watching from the doorway. “I raised him right.”

“Sarah,” Beach said with a hint of laughter in his voice, “I’d like you to meet my mother, Mouse.”

I waved at her, clutching the sheet to me as I forced a smile. “Uh—nice to meet you. Forgive me if I don’t leave the bed at the moment to shake your hand.”

Mouse’s smile grew bigger and I could see shades of Beach in her features. “Don’t you worry about it. We thought you two would be up by now.”

Beach slid back into bed with me, sitting on top of the covers before pulling me to his side so I lay curled into him. Normally I love cuddling, but it was totally awkward with three moms in the room. They all watched us with that intense mom stare that makes you feel like they know ever single bad thing you’ve ever done and are waiting for you to confess your sins.

Letting out a soft chuckle, Beach kissed the top of my head then said, “Ladies, think you could give us a few minutes to get presentable? Sarah is getting uncomfortable with the audience.”

They looked at each other, then looked at him, then back at each other, then nodded in unison.

Jesus, they shared some kind of creepy mother ESP.

Birdie smiled merrily at us. “Come join us downstairs when you’re ready. I have a nice late lunch laid out with cupcakes. It’s all sandwiches and sides, so don’t worry about rushing down. You take your time getting ready, Sarah. No need to hurt yourself rushing around.”

“I’ll take care of her.” Beach lifted his mouth from where it rested in my hair. “Those cupcakes got fudge frosting?”

“Of course, with cookie filling. Oh, and we have homemade cinnamon applesauce.”

My stomach growled as my mouth began to water, loud enough that everyone heard.

Laughing, the women left the room and my ears rang in the silence for a moment.

“Well, Mimi likes you,” I said in a voice that sounded faint even to my ears.

His chuckle vibrated against me and I began to pet his chest, unable to be around him when he was shirtless without wanting my hands on him. “Ya think?”

“Are you alive?”

Another chuckle that made my nipples hard while I stroked him slower. “Last I checked.”

“If she didn’t like you, you’d be gone before you even laid eyes on her.”

“I’d say you’re exaggerating, but I know that woman. You don’t fuck around with Lady Death, and you definitely don’t screw with her daughter.”

“She’s…very protective of me. Something happened in her past that she told me in confidence, which made her this way, so trust me when I say you need to cut her some slack.”

“Something bad.”

“Yeah. Real bad.”

“Bet your dad’s protective of you too.”

“He’s insane,” I said instantly, leaning up so I could look him in the face and try to impress upon him the seriousness of the statement. “For reals.”

Instead of arguing he merely nodded. “Heard that about him.”

My stomach soured a bit as I waited for the judgement I usually got over the fact my father was an illegal arms dealer to enter Beach’s face, but he continued to study me closely. “What else did you hear about me?”

“Not gonna bullshit, had a background check done on you. Your neighbors think you’re the shit, your roommate thinks you’re a guardian angel come to life, and the people you work with sing your praises for being such a nice person. There isn’t a day that goes by where you haven’t helped someone. Your parents may not be the best examples of humanity, but you make the world a better place and that’s a rare fuckin’ gift.”

I really didn’t want to ask, unsure what they had learned, but I needed to know. “What about my birth mother?”

“Married and divorced five times. She’s currently livin’ out in Carmel, California, right now with number six, a banker. Bet all that movin’ around and shit was tough on you.” He looked troubled as he smoothed my hair back from my face. “You still talk to your mom?”

I was at once disappointed and relieved. Disappointed because I hated lying to him about my family, but relieved I didn’t have to explain Billie to him yet. She was so toxic even the thought of her made me feel slightly ill. I wasn’t ready to discuss my past, not yet. Deep in my heart I knew nothing good would come of lying to him, but I decided to keep quiet for now. I wanted to give whatever was going on between us a chance to grow stronger before I let him know just how screwed up I really was.

Right or wrong, I loved the person I was in Beach’s eyes and was too scared of losing him.

“No, I haven’t seen her in a couple years.”

“You have a fallin’ out?”

“Something like that.”

I’d inherited jewelry from my maternal grandmother and my mom had broken into my house and stolen it, then sold it for drugs. The memory of watching the tape from the pawn store with my once-stunning mother on it hawking my grandmother’s Tahitian pearls hurt. After that I’d cut ties with her forever, and so far I’d managed to avoid her. Marley despised her and made sure the security at the gated community I lived in knew I had a restraining order against my mom. Not that she made any effort to see me after she realized I’d never give her any money and was totally over her shit.

“Her loss. And I do mean that. Already know having you in my life is like the sun shining down on me, warming me up, even in the dead of night. Bet she misses your light.”

Tears burned my nose and I looked away, unable to stand his earnest words and how dead wrong they were. “Beach, you really don’t want me in your life. I’m a bad person.”

He closed his eyes, then opened them again and he stared right at me when he said, “I’m sure you believe that bullshit, but no, you aren’t. Don’t know who put that negative poison in your head, but you’re amazing. Fucked up you can’t see that, but I’ll help you get there. It’ll be my privilege to help you see how beautiful you are, inside and out.”