Bayou Bishops Box Set: Books 1-12

CHAPTER 7

Cat intended to write Jesus a thank you note for the day so far. She couldn’t stop smiling, mostly because of how Ethan was being so different. His non-stop flirting and compliments kept her with a permanent blush.

“Number ten!” she called, yanking her pole, and reeling in with a laugh at his muttered fish insults while knowing he wasn’t really offended.

“There goes the rest of my manhood. I think they’re smelling that foot balm and can’t resist.”

She laughed gasping. “He’s big! Come help me!”

He set his pole down and hurried over, getting the net.

“It’s a huge sun perch! Oh, he’s beautiful!”

“Got em’,” Ethan said, scooping up the floundering beauty and adding him to the large ice chest. “Wow,” he said, peering in at their haul.

“We did good,” she said, setting her pole down.

“You did good, you caught over half.”

“You probably let me win because you’re so sweet,” she accused, loving when he laughed a big real laugh.

“Yes, I have all the fish tagged and speak to them through my phone app.”

“I bet you would probably make one just to be nice to me.”

He gave one of his slow, muscle-melting grins. “Is my obsession that obvious?”

Oh God, she loved him flirty. Every time he made her laugh, it put this amazing smile on his face, and she was becoming addicted to the exchange.

“I’m hungry!” she announced. “And ready for a break.”

“Mon Dieu, there is a God.”

“You’re hungry?” she cried. “Why didn’t you say so?”

“And miss out getting my fishing pride crushed by you?”

She hurried to their camp area before he tried to hog all the work. “Since I’m the amazing fisher, I’ll fix the food.”

“And you have to feed me,” he reminded.

“Yes,” she said, smiling and thrilled about that. To be able to stare at his mouth was all the payment. He had the sexiest mouth on the planet.

“And I get to feed you dessert,” he said, adding wood to their little fire.

“Fine,” she sighed, as she uncovered the dishes and loaded a plate with food. “You can spoon feed me hot chocolate.”

“Mmm,” he said, making her tummy flip at the sexual sound.

God, she knew something was coming. It had been building up all day and it was closer than ever. “I’m not a sexy eater,” she said, digging for more of his compliments.

He chuckled and she aimed her grin over her shoulder. “Well, your mouth is entirely unaware that it has raunchy sex with its food.”

Oh God, her rule for not laughing obnoxiously loud had long been out the window. But he seemed to love them so no regret. She went next to him and set the plate of food down and opened up a napkin, tucking it in his shirt.

“You plan to make a mess?”

She gave a giggle. “I know how to feed. The question is, do you know how to be fed.”

“I see. Well, hurry, I’m starving.”

She grinned for the first five bites, reaching out and wiping food from the corner of his mouth. Without warning, he leaned and sucked her finger, stealing her breath and brain cells. Oh mercy. His tongue was a show by itself. You want me to lick you right here.

She set the fork on the plate, and it toppled right out. “Shit,” she whispered, glancing at him and catching his sexy grin. “That’s your fault.”

“You don’t like getting your finger sucked?”

All her brain heard was suck and finger and getting it. “I’m not used to it. Never said I didn’t like it.”

“Eat while I make your dessert.”

“I sure will,” she said, hungry after smelling his food. He was an amazing cook. “Did you take culinary classes or something?” she wondered, watching him heat water at the fire while she let her mouth have raunchy sex with her meal.

“Self-taught mostly. And an amazing app.”

She nodded, shoveling another forkful into the sexpot. “All my recipes are scribbled. On these little…index cards,” she said around a mouthful, gathering the last of it onto her fork. “Mmm. One more bite for the raunch factory.” She devoured the entire thing in one go, grinning at his gorgeous laugh.

He turned, presenting his backside then removed his shirt. The sight of his tattooed, tan muscles stole all her smiles and dang near her food from her stomach. His pants suddenly went down next, and she swallowed down the food creeping back up her throat.

“Gonna wash all this fish-fun off me.” He made his way to their supplies and pulled out that water tank with the hose she’d seen and wondered over. That was a shower?

“Well…ain’t you fancy,” she muttered, her gaze devouring his near naked body.

She snuck peeks at him while he showered in his underwear, the size of his bulge indicating he was aroused. Probably as much as she was. Would he make a move or what? She did not look forward to those logistics after all the embarrassing half-assed ones. Half because it was only ever her and never him. The why of that was gradually changing in her mind, especially after spending the day getting to know him. He was the sweetest man under his scary exterior. Was it possible he was…nervous? Lord, he didn’t act nervous when he did the things he had. What if he was nervous for the other way around? Her doing something to him? She considered his past and those addictions. She wished she knew more about that to know which direction to go or not go. She didn’t want to say or do anything to cause him any kind of…triggers.

But how to find that out without pressing random buttons? She remembered the marriage classes the Belle Eveque was requiring. Thank the lord for that angel. But that didn’t help her now. She glanced at him, rinsing his hair, her lust at full throttle wishing she was the water licking down his body like a whore on a hotdog.

She snapped her eyes forward when he turned, not wanting to get caught drooling. She realized he was done and smoothed her hands on the blanket, aiming an innocent smile at him as he dropped next to her. Dripping with water. And sex. Jesus, she wanted him for dessert, not stupid chocolate.

“There’s enough for you if you want to rinse off.”

Her panic hit her. “I…uh…”

“I know how not to look.” He angled his gaze at her. “Unlike you.”

Her jaw dropped and she smacked his shoulder, only for her hands to drag along the wet muscle. “You’re…still wet.” She snatched it back and looked at the fire.

He liked looking at her, she remembered. She wanted to ask if he wanted her to shower. Was there a reason he wanted her clean? I’m going to eat this pussy. Ooookay, that was somewhere on the sex horizon because she had no doubt he intended to do it. And lord, she wanted it. But…dammit! Damn her bald vagina!

“You don’t have to,” he said, grinning.

“I was…considering. I showered before coming. Right before. I didn’t really get that dirty, I’m a…pretty clean fisher. I’ll wash my hands though.”

He got up and started doing something. The chocolate, she realized, once her gaze made it past his rippling muscles, again wondering how she was going to get her hands on those without making everything weird. Some way to hide the sexual side of it. Or mask it. They’d been playing around that fire all day like two teenagers playing strip poker. Oh shit. No, they didn’t have cards. Spin the bottle? No, that was all sex.

She needed something…

Truth or Dare!

He returned to the blanket with her cup and sat, stirring it. “Ready for dessert?”

“Ohhhh yeah,” she mumbled all weird, wondering how she would even suggest such a thing.

He presented her with a spoonful and she leaned.

“Careful it’s not too hot,” he murmured.

She hesitated, poking her tongue in it then sipping it from the spoon. She barely caught his grin as her eyes lowered over his body, stopping for a terrifying second at his bulging penis in his underwear. She faced the lagoon and cleared her throat. “When my brother and I were young, we’d uh…play a game called Truth or Dare?” She squinted at him. “Ever hear of it?”

He brought the spoon to her mouth. “I have,” he said softly. He wiped chocolate from her mouth and sucked his finger. “What were you? A dare devil or a truth angel.”

“Truth angel,” she laughed. “But my brother had a rule. After three truths, you had to pick dare. My dad found out he’d dared me to grab a gator’s tail and got so mad he forbid us to play again.”

“Did you?”

“Touch the tail or play again?”

He smiled. “Both.”

She winced. “Yes and… yes.”

“Really,” he muttered, sounding maybe surprised, maybe impressed. Maybe something else.

“Okay, this is way to slow for me.” She took the cup from him and downed the rest of it, cleaning the mess with a single swipe of her tongue.

He stared at her mouth, his expression slowly going serious before raising his gaze to her. “Truth or Dare.”

Oh shit. “You…want to play?”

“Yes.”

“Truth,” she said, fighting to act unfazed by his sudden serious mood.

“Do you like me?”

Her heart pounded. “Yes. I do. Very much,” she added, realizing she’d be asking the same thing. “Truth or Dare.”

He eyed her, his gaze hot, the tip of his tongue sliding slowly. “Truth.”

Oh boy. “Do you like me?”

He held her gaze real tight. “Yes. I do. Very much.”

Oh, very much.

“Truth or Dare,” he said.

“Truth.”

He looked right at her now. “If there was never an agreement between us. Would you…still want to be married to me?”

He lost his courage halfway through and lowered his eyes, like he feared that answer. “Absolutely,” she whispered. “And for more than just your body, even.”

She smiled at hearing his beautiful laugh.

“Truth or Dare,” she said, watching his smile fade.

“I’m getting nervous. Truth.”

She realized for him Truth might be riskier than Dares. She considered the question she needed to ask that would help him the most. And her. “Did you know…” she began. “That no matter what is in your past…you can trust me to never hurt you?”

He stared between them and then looked off to the left. “I believe… you think you mean that.”

She stared at him, her hope crumpling a little. “Well…I dare you to tell me about it. So I can prove it to you.”

He shook his head, and she held her breath, praying he’d just do it. “What do you want to know?”

Oh thank you God. “Tell me why you’re afraid of me knowing?” she urged softly.

“Because…I don’t want you anywhere near that. Everything about you demands I protect you from it.” He looked at her and the real fear in his gaze froze her as much as it pained her. “The things I liked…are direct offspring of the evil that once consumed me.”

“When did that start?”

“Sixteen.”

She nodded. “That’s already a rough age for boys. I’m so sorry you were ever hurt. I know I can’t change anything but…you know me and you…we seem to make a pretty amazing team. We could put—” She stopped at his headshaking. “No what?”

“I don’t want anything to do with it.”

“Then we won’t,” she said simply.

“I wish it was that simple.”

“Well…then explain it to me,” she urged.

“It’s waiting. That’s all it’s doing, it’s just fucking waiting. I’ve been celibate and I can already tell that sixteen years is a joke to it. One taste. One step. One inch, that’s all it needs. I know because I already want it more than anything. And when it takes me, Cat, I can’t…” He closed his eyes. “It controls me.”

She was shaking her head. “I won’t let that happen.”

He hit her with angry eyes. “You can’t stop it.”

“Ethan…you’ve never had a partner to help you fight in the right way. I don’t know what this woman you were with did, but I can tell you if she was involved in that, she was bad news and you can thank God he got her out of your life. Look who you are now. You did that. But you didn’t do it alone, people that loved you were there to help you. Let me help you.”

He scrubbed his face and angled it away from her. “I know you’re right. About everything you just said. I know I have to try. There have been plenty of offers. But there has never been anybody who I would ever trust for something like this.” He turned his face toward her now. “But you…I know. I know I can trust you.”

Oh mercy. She wiped her tears, desperate to touch him. “Sorry,” she whispered. “That means a lot to me.”

She chanced a look at him, finding his eyes on her.

“I’m a masochist.”

She stared at him, her brain shooting off in every direction to find the meaning of that. “Alright. Remind me…”

“I like pain,” he said, still looking right at her. “With sex.”

The words sounded winded, and she realized he was affected by his own confession. “Okay. Take your time,” she whispered. “We have all of it we need. Can you tell me how that works?”

“Somebody…gives both. The pain and the sex.”

“Okay, and there. You said it. I know there’s a lot more to say but let’s take a moment to recognize you’ve done the hardest thing ever. You opened that door, and you took that first step.”

His breaths thickened as he angled his head away from her. “I’ve never wanted to kiss a woman the way I want to kiss you.”

Oh Jesus, help them, because he surely meant in that second. “I trust you, Ethan. If you want to try and kiss me…I’m happy to help you with that.”

“What if I can’t stop?”

“Then…let’s talk about the worst-case scenario. How about that?”

“I’ll want it and not stop till I get it. I will find a way to get it,” he said, looking at her now.

What did that mean exactly. “Can you give me an example? You’re talking about force?”

“Not you, no,” he swore. “I would return there.”

Her stomach knotted.

“Return where, honey?”

“To the Dungeon. Where I can have anything and everything I want whenever I want it.”

What on earth dungeon was this? “Is this a real place or…”

“It’s very real.”

Oh God.

“Here? In the swamp?”

“Yes.”

At seeing his fear, she covered his arm with her hand and squeezed. “Look at me.”

He did. Clung to her gaze. She was suddenly in one hell of a corner with him, only it was not her in danger it was him. And that brought her fight with ferocity.

“You listen to me, Ethan. Are you listening?”

He stared at her, his gaze screaming for help.

“You are not going there. Do you understand? If you need to go someplace to get something, you will come to me. Wherever I am. Whatever time. You will find me, and I will take care of you and all your needs no matter how broken you think they are. Are you hearing me,” she ordered softly.

“Yes,” he whispered. “Yes, I hear you.”

His gaze lowered to her mouth and the second she realized he wanted to kiss her but feared, she climbed in his lap and took hold of his face. “I got you.”

His hands held her head and he pulled her mouth to his, kissing her like she’d never dreamed of being kissed before, filling her mouth with his hunger, his agony, his breathtaking buried passions.

Her needs were right behind his, her moans just as desperate. Lord his tongue lashed with a fury along hers and suddenly the ground was at her back and his cock was in her hand.

“Cat,” he croaked, pumping into her grip while filling her mouth with his hot groans.

“I got you, baby,” she answered, her fingers pressing on his butt, digging as she opened her legs. His hand was yanking on her panties as he kissed her, and she lifted her hips, fighting to remove them. “Yes,” she gasped, holding his cock against her opening. Shit he was huge.

“Oh fuck,” he grit, holding himself still while straining out groans. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he said, or explained.

God he was so sweet. “Make love to me. Oh God, I need you so much.”

She couldn’t pin-point what or how or why, but he went from raging hard to suddenly off of her, sitting on the blanket with his back facing her and his head in his hands.

She sat up and put her arms around him. “Hey, you’re okay.”

“I’m not fucking okay, Cat.”

“Tell me what the problem is.”

“My dick decided to quit working, that’s what happened. Because it doesn’t like soft and sweet, or love.”

“Then we don’t use all that.”

“Like fuck will I give you to this monster! That’s what it wants, it wants you! It wants to twist your soul into something you’ll never recognize and I will never let that happen!”

He was pacing, and God he was devastating to look at, so beautiful, broken, and furious because of it.

She got up and ran to him, bear hugging him from behind with all her might. He turned and his arms went around her, hugging back with a desperation that made her cry. “Don’t run from me, Ethan. Don’t run from us.” She looked up. “We don’t give up. Tell me you won’t give up. Please.”

His mouth crashed down on hers, capturing her jaw in his strong hand. “I won’t, I won’t, don’t cry Ma Menou. I won’t give up on us. I swear it.”