From The Ashes (The Knights of Mayhem Book 3) (25 page)

“I think it’s an amazing idea.”  He runs his hands up over my breasts, stopping to palm them both up, leaning in to take the pebbled nipples into his mouth.  A moan leaves me at the feeling of his hands and mouth on me.  He pushes the robe off my shoulders and my skin instantly breaks out into goosebumps as the cool air hits my overheated skin.  I lay back and bring him with me as he licks and kisses the tender skin of my neck.  He licks his way back to my breasts, taking each in his mouth, licking and biting at my nipples.  “Oh Roman,”  I tangle my hands in his hair as he kisses down my stomach.

He takes my feet in his hands, lifting them to rest on the table and I let my legs fall open for him.  His big hands grip my thighs to the point of bruising me, but I don’t care; the feel of them on me is more than I can bear.  He stops to look up, piercing me with his blue eyes and  I hold my breath, waiting for him.  He keeps his eyes on me as he drags his tongue through my slick folds, hitting the sensitive bud.  My body jerks as he does it again.  His hand travels from my thigh to find me wet as he pushes two fingers inside.

“Yes.”  I throw my head back and let the pleasure roll over me in waves.  He sucks my clit into his mouth, pulling it through his lips as his tongue goes back to work on me.  His fingertips rub the spot in time with his licks, bringing me to the edge.  “There, right there.”   My body begins to jerk as the pleasure overwhelms me.  He continues to draw out the sinful feelings for a few more minutes. 

He leans up to my ear with the smell of me on his lips.  “Was that good, baby?”  He asks with his fingers still pumping in and out of me.  “You are so fucking wet.”  He removes his fingers, leaving me feeling empty.  I hear the sound of his belt then the zipper of his jeans.  I pry my eyes open so I can watch him enter me, but he’s standing there, holding his dick in his hand.  “But this is what you really want, isn’t it?”

I lick my parched lips at the site of him.  He had pulled his shirt off but left his jeans pushed down around his thighs. 

“Yes.”  I lift my hips to him, offering myself up.  “You know it is.”  He steps between my bent knees and guides himself in.  “Oh shit, that’s so good.”  A low rumble comes from his chest as he begins to move.

“I’ve thought about this all morning, babe.  Fucking you, watching my dick disappear inside you.  I love being buried balls deep inside of you, hearing you scream my name when your pussy clenches around my dick when you come.”

His talking is twisting me up, sending my body into a frenzy.  The sound of the table being shoved across the floor echoes through the otherwise silent house, accompanied by my moans of pleasure.

“Damn, baby, you’re so fucking tight.”  His hands grasp my hips, pulling me back into him as he thrusts forward.  “Oh fuck. You’re gonna be the end of me, woman.”  His words are pushed out from his gritted teeth.  The table hits the far wall, giving him the leverage he needs to fuck the hell out of me.  With each thrust, he continues to lift the table off the floor. The slam of the legs as they hit back down only makes the carnal moment more intense.

“You’re mine.”  I open my eyes to see his sweat slicked chest.  He takes my leg and throws it over his left shoulder, then does the same with the right. 

I palm my boobs and pinch my nipples as he pounds into me. “Oh, fuck yes … fuck me.”

“What a fucking fine sight you are, babe.”  He stills and rolls his hips.  “Look at me, Hollis,”  he demands in a breathless voice.

I pry my eyes open to see my man, my Roman.  “Yes?”  He gives his hips another roll, hitting my sweet spot again, making me jump at the intense sensation it sends over my body.

“Hold on.” I grasp his wrists as he flips me over, face down on the table. 

He covers my body with his and leans in to whisper in my ear.  “Now, really hold the fuck on.”  I feel him stand and position himself fully behind me.  He places my hips right then reaches to my shoulder, taking it with one hand, pulling me down onto him.  I reach to the other side of the table in anticipation of what he’s getting ready to give me.  The first thrust makes me scream and the second one makes me melt.

The fireworks explode and my eyes roll back in my head.  I grind my ass back into him, making him growl.  He smacks my ass while continuing to give it to me.  “Fuck, Hollis.”

“Mmm, baby.”  The smack doesn’t deter me from grinding back into him.

“Stop your fucking moving.”  He holds my ass and pulls me down.  He pound into me, over and over again, ‘til he slows his rhythm, “Oh fuck.”  I feel him empty into me and I love the feel of him staking his claim on me because there isn’t another man who ever will.

He lays down, covering my quivering body with his.  “I love you.”

Roman

We spend the rest of the day in bed, rolling around with each other.  “We’ve got to get up, babe. We’ve gotta be at the clubhouse in about thirty minutes.”  I smack her ass.

“Damn, Roman. There was no need for that,”  she laughs.  

“Then get up and stop being so fucking sexy.”  I throw back the covers and take her naked body in from head to toe.

She stumbles from the bed.  “Okay, I’m done being sexy so stop looking at me.”  She stops at the bathroom door and turns to me.  “Don’t follow me, either.”  Then she walks in, adding a bit more sway to her hips that I can’t resist.   I bound into the room after her and grab her bare ass before she gets in the shower.  She smacks my hand away.  “Roman, we’re going to be late.”

“I don’t care.”  It’s a Sunday afternoon and we’re having our usual dinner.  We’re also going to be celebrating the end of a case we’ve been working on for years, finally putting it to bed.  Markus had plead guilty and was sentenced to life for drug trafficking and a million other charges, largely based on Hollis’s testimony. 

I stand in awe of this woman and of her sacrifices.  She notices me watching her.  “What are you doing?”

“Just watching you.”  I lean back on the counter, crossing my arms over my chest and enjoy the show.

“I see that, but why?”  She turns to rinse the soap out of her beautiful long, chestnut hair. 

“Because I can.”  She laughs at me.

“Roman, you need to start getting ready. I don’t want to be late.”  She turns off the water and reaches for her towel.  Stepping from the shower, she begins to dry her hair, then wraps the towel around her body.  I drag her into my chest as she passes and I feel as she melts into me.

I kiss her before looking into her eyes.  “I love you, Hollis.”

“I love you too, Roman.”  She smiles up at me.  “Are you okay?”

“I have never been better than I am right now.”  I lean in to steal another kiss and revel in the feel of her lips on mine.

She breaks away from me.  “You’re acting so strange.”  She tries to push away from me, but I hold her tight.  “Come on, let me go.”  She struggles with me to turn her loose, but little does she know, I’m never gonna let her go.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Hollis

I look up at him and wonder what has gotten in to him.  Roman is a lot of things, but flighty is not one of them.  I can’t get him to turn me loose. He’s holding me tight to him with a ridiculous grin on his face. 

“Let’s get married.”  The words tumble out of his mouth and he doesn’t look a bit shocked by them. Me, on the other hand, is completely floored by them.

“What?” 

“Married, you know?  I give you a ring and you promise to honor and obey me.”  He smiles, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

“I know what it means.  Are you high?”  I finally get him to turn me loose and I step back from him.

He eyes my shocked face.  “You don’t want to marry me?”

“At some point I do, but I don’t think us jumping into it will do either of us any good.”

“We’re not jumping into it.  Hell, Hollis … we already live together, we’ve known each other for years, and I love you.”  He takes my hand and tugs me back into him.

“I love you too, but―”

“But what?”

“I don’t know. Can we just settle into a regular life first?”

His face turns down, making him look like a little kid.  “Well okay then … whatever.”  He turns away from me, but I stop him.

Now I feel like shit.  “Roman, it’s not that I don’t ever want to marry you, it’s just I think you’re riding a high of the events from the past couple of weeks.”

“No, it’s not that, Hollis.  It’s me wanting to make you mine.”

“I am yours, Roman. There has never been any doubt about that.”  I can tell by the dejected look on his face there is no way I can fix this. 

He forces a smile but it doesn’t reach his eyes.  “Okay, come on.”  He walks past me and out into the room. We both get dressed without saying another word to each other.  He never looks at me, just quietly gets dressed. 

The silent treatment finally gets to me.  “Are you going to mope all day?”

He’s sitting on his side of the bed with his back to me.  “Maybe,”  he says to me over his shoulder.

I stand and turn to him.  “Roman, it’s not like I flat out told you I never want to marry you. I just think we should wait a little while.”

“I said fine, Hollis.”  He stands, turning to face me.  We stare at each other from across our bed. 

“Oh my god. You can’t possibly tell me you’re going to act like a two-year-old because I don’t want to run down the aisle to the alter or because I don’t feel the need to publically scream ‘I bagged a Knight.’”

“Come on, Hollis, don’t be ridiculous. That’s not what everyone will think.”

“I’m not the one being ridiculous, you are,”   I scream at him then head into our closet for my shoes.  When I turn, I slam face first into his chest and he engulfs me in his arms.   “Not now. You’ve pissed me off. Let me go.”

“No.”

“What the hell has gotten into you?” 

“I have you under my skin, baby, and it makes me crazy.  When you said we shouldn’t get married, it went all through me.”

“I don’t understand why.”

“Because you’re my woman and I want to put a ring on your finger so the whole world knows it.”

“Why don’t you just tattoo it across my forehead?”  I roll my eyes at him.

“That’s an idea,”  he laughs.  “No, seriously. Let me get you a ring.”  I tense at his statement.  “Hear me out. I’ll do it up right, and it’ll be something you’ll tell our grandkids about.  No pressure to set a date.”

I level my eyes at him.  “Your sister gets wind of this and she’ll have it planned and paid for before you even have time to put the ring
on
my finger.”

He laughs and the smile on his face warms my heart.  “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”  His eyes meet mine.  “So, I guess I’ll just have to go down to Lloyd’s and get drunk and threaten any motherfucker who looks at you.” 

“No, I don’t think you need to do that, either.”  I take his face in my hands.  “I will marry you, Roman Jefferys, and you will know when the time is right to ask me.  I love you with all my heart and you’re never going to be able to get rid of me.”

Roman

I reach to tug the bracelet out of my back pocket and hold it out to her.  “Then will you wear this until you let me put a ring on your finger?”

Her eyes bug out of her head at the sight of the bracelet she’d seen at the market all those years ago.  With tears in her eyes, she holds her arm out to me and I place it on her.

She runs her fingers over the blue and white beads, studying it in disbelief.  “You got it?”

“Yeah, I did, the next day. So this is a reminder that you’re mine, Hollis.”

“Yes, I am, Roman.”

~~~~~~

We walk into the clubhouse around five, everyone present and accounted for.  The air is light and everyone is laughing and talking, just like it used to be.  Caden runs to us and Hollis gathers her up in her arms.  “Hey, Boo.”  Hollis buries her face in Caden’s hair.

Cowboy comes over and I shake his hand.  “Hey, brother, glad you got Hollis here with her coleslaw.”

“Oh shit.”  Hollis looks up at Cowboy. “I can tell you exactly where it is in the fridge.”

“You have got to be kidding me?”  Cowboy throws his head back.  “I’ve been looking forward to that shit all day.”

I smile at him.  “It’s in the cooler.”

“Oh, thank God.”  He takes the bag cooler from my hand, turning to walk to the table.  “This is mine, nobody touch.”

“Is that Hollis’s coleslaw?”  Leo walks over, unzipping the bag and inspecting the contents.

Cowboy jerks the bag away.  “It is, and it’s mine.”

Leo levels his eyes at Cowboy.  “Whatever, dude.” 

Hollis carries Caden, and I walk with my hand at her back.  I have this constant need to touch her, be next to her.  I can’t believe it’s over, that we’re done with an eleven-year-old case and the family that came along with it.  I watch as Hollis hands Caden off to Emily and takes Gia from Avery. 

I survey the room and I’m reminded of our many losses and the few triumphs.  I look over at Hollis and her half smile, hindered by the scar on her cheek. It’s as healed as it’s gonna be.  The angry red line runs from the corner of her mouth to her eye and it will always be there, a reminder for me of what she did for us.  The woman who had become my life, the reason I breathe, had almost given up her life so that we could be free. 

It would always eat at me that she’d gone behind my back to do what she did, but then my heart swells with pride that she’d pulled it off.  She’d saved our children, protected the women, and had taken us men out of the equation all together.  My woman is a badass who has no fear.

The End