Chapter Seven
Gideon
"What the fuck?" Kane roars when he sees the dressing room after the show.
Kenna cut it half an hour short. She was wrecked after seeing the photos. I don't know how the fuck she even got back on stage at all, but she did it. She may think she lacks courage because she's afraid of loving and losing, but she's one of the strongest people I've ever met.
It takes courage and balls of brass to get up there and face an entire crowd with a smile after seeing some shit like this, but she did it. She sang her heart out. Unless you know her, you would never have guessed that five minutes before she jumped back on stage, she was nearly in tears in my arms, staring at the evidence that someone has been following her for months.
I'm mad as hell that the motherfucker was here, and I didn't know it. I should have been paying closer attention. That's why I'm here. To protect her and keep shit like this from happening. But tonight, I let her down. I failed. That's on me.
"This is on me, Kane," I say, blowing out a breath. "I should have been doing my fucking job instead of enjoying the show."
"This isn't on you," he disagrees with a sharp shake of his head. "You were sitting front and center by that stage. If anyone tried to get to her, they would have to go through you. You can't guard her and the dressing room at the same damn time."
"We need to step up security at her shows."
She and Maya are locked in Clive's office right now, waiting for us to finish documenting and cleaning up this mess. I don't want her to see it again, but I don't want anyone else touching it, either. If there are fingerprints on any of these photos, I want them preserved.
"Yeah, no kidding." Her brother rattles off a string of curses, snatching up a photo from the desk. "You don't leave her fucking side. I don't care what she says, you're at her side unless I am."
"Not a problem. I have no intention of leaving her side."
He meets my gaze, his expression sharp, assessing. "Is there something going on between you and my sister, Carmichael?"
"If you're asking if I'm sleeping with your sister, that's between me and her," I say. "But if you're asking if I have feelings for your sister, that's a different answer. Which is it?"
"Jesus Christ," he mutters. "I fucking knew you were catching feelings when I saw you watching her on stage tonight."
"It doesn't change the fact that I'm the best man for this job, Kane. If anything, it guarantees I'm the best man for this job. You think I'm going to let anything happen to her when I'm pretty goddamn sure I'm falling for her?"
"You're pretty goddamn sure?" His narrowed eyes tell me that isn't the answer he wants to hear. "We're talking about my baby sister. If you're sleeping in her bed, you better be real fucking sure, Carmichael. There's a reason I've chased off every man who comes sniffing around. They don't deserve her, and they aren't worthy of her."
"No one is. Especially not me," I say frankly. "I never have been and never will be. There isn't a motherfucker on this planet worthy of her. But that doesn't change the fact that you won't be chasing me off. She needs me, and I'm not going anywhere. No disrespect to you, but she's the only one who gets to decide what path her future takes and who she shares it with. I plan to be that man. Get used to it. If you break her heart, it'll piss me off."
"And if you break it, they won't even find pieces of you," he growls.
"I can live with that." The last thing I'm going to do is break her heart. Once she gives it to me, I plan to guard it like the treasure it is. She won't ever have to worry about me destroying it. "Just so you know, she's terrified of falling in love. She's afraid of losing someone else she cares about like you guys lost your dad."
"Shit." Kane rakes a hand through his hair. "I'll talk to her."
"No need. I'm working on it. I just thought you should know she's been carrying that since he died."
Kane jerks his head in a nod. "Appreciate that. They were close." He sighs. "Our Ma kind of fell apart without him. I guess I get why she's so fucking afraid to risk it. Some people, you never get over."
"Yeah," I say quietly. I'm beginning to get that. I think Kane's wife might be one of those people for him. Kenna is for me. If something happened to her, I wouldn't move on. I wouldn't get over it. She's been in my life for such a short time, but she's already left such a massive impact.
Fuck. I have to find whoever is threatening her. There is no other choice. Because if anything happens to her, I'm going to lose my goddamn mind. And so is the man standing beside me.
"I guess we can rule out her fucking manager," I mutter, pulling on the gloves Clive Rucker gave me. I use them to pull several photos off the wall, tape and all, and then slip them into the Ziploc bags Kane holds out to me.
"Guess so," he grunts.
It couldn't have been John because he was at the table beside us all night. He didn't leave or excuse himself to the bathroom until he stormed out. There's a back entrance to the bar, but he would have had to circle all the way around the block to get to it, and that isn't a short walk. It's nearly a mile. There's no way he would have had time to get to the entrance, hang all of these photos, and get out in the few minutes it took for Kenna to finish her song and us to get back here afterward.
He didn't do this.
Which means we have no fucking suspects at all. Because there are no cameras back here and no one in the bar acted suspicious or odd in any way. They were just country music fans enjoying the music and the woman singing it.
What the fuck am I missing?
"You okay, Sparrow?" I ask, watching as Kenna floats around her living room like a ghost haunting the place. It's breaking my heart. She hasn't been able to sit still since we got home.
"You guys were right about John." She spins to face me, her eyes wide in her pale face. "I saw the way he looked at me tonight when I took you up on stage tonight. You were right about him."
"It wasn't him, Kenna."
"You don't know that," she whispers. "He was really angry. He looked at me like he hated me."
"No, he looked at me like he hates me," I correct, striding toward her. "You did nothing wrong."
"I didn't see what was right in front of my face."
"You don't owe him anything, Sparrow." I stop in front of her, cupping her cheek to tilt her head back. "He's your manager. You don't have to fuck him just because he helped get you a record deal. If he expects that, he's a fucking asshole. That's not love. It's not respect. That's manipulation. It's predatory."
"I thought he was a good guy." Her expression falls. "I thought he was helping me because he believed in me. And all this time, he's just wanted to sleep with me. It all feels wrong now."
"That doesn't mean you don't deserve the deal you got, Sparrow. You've worked your ass off to get where you are. If he opened a door for you because he hoped to get something more out of it, fuck him. But that doesn't mean the door has to close. He may have cracked it open, but your talent allowed you to step through, not him. He can't take that away from you."
"What am I going to do?"
"Fire him and hire someone who deserves to be your manager. Someone who will fight for you every step of the way." I think I may know someone who can help, but I don't tell her that just in case I can't make it happen for her. I don't want to get her hopes up on the off chance that I'm wrong.
"Do you think ?"
"He didn't do it, Sparrow," I say again, my voice firm. "As much as I fucking hate to defend the guy, he wasn't the one who put those pictures up in your dressing room. And if he didn't put them up, chances are, he isn't the one who took them, either."
"How can you be sure?"
"Because stalkers don't work in groups. It's a solitary endeavor. And he didn't leave the table all night until the very end. At that point, he didn't have time to do all of that. And, frankly, even if he'd had time, the photos were hung too goddamn high up for him to reach."
For the first time in hours, she cracks a smile.
"There you are," I murmur, pulling her closer. "There's that fucking perfect smile."
"Gideon."
"Don't Gideon me, baby. I haven't seen that smile in hours. I was going crazy waiting for it." I brush my thumb across her bottom lip. "You have no idea the depths I'd sink to just to see it again, do you?"
"I'm beginning to get a good idea."
"No, I don't think you are." I shake my head, dead serious. "I've been all over this world. I've seen beautiful things. But not a single one of them makes me feel like that smile does. It's my own personal addiction, Kenna. The possibility of getting to see it every day for the rest of my life? That's something worth fighting for. And the possibility of never seeing it again makes my fucking heart hurt."
"Gideon," she whispers.
"I know you're afraid, baby. But you're the bravest person I know. I need you to reach deep for a little of the same courage that allowed you to get back on that stage tonight and trust that I'm not going to break your heart. I need you to want this as much as I do. It'll never work if you don't."
"I do want it." Her throat works as she swallows. "I want it so bad, Gideon. But what if ?"
"What if what? Say it, Sparrow?"
"What if something happens to you?" Her voice is a mere scrap of sound, but her question breaks my heart anyway.
"Eventually, something will, Kenna. Eventually, something happens to all of us. That's life, baby. We all live, and we all die. But if we let fear keep us from giving every piece of ourselves to life, we die in a whisper instead of a roar. I want to go out in a roar, surrounded by the people who matter. And I want the same thing for you. You have so much love to give. Don't keep it locked away because you're afraid to lose someone. If you do that, you've already lost everyone before you ever even have them."
I know a thing or two about loss, grief, and death. I was in the military. I was surrounded by all three. And I came away knowing this: fear is insidious. It grows in the darkness, siphoning power from every worry and wayward misgiving. It'll consume you if you let it. The only thing more powerful is our refusal to submit and succumb. We're all going to die eventually. There's no changing that fact. All we can do is accept it and refuse to let it define us or the shape of our lives.
"I know," she whispers. "That's why I'm here right now, Gideon. I don't want to live that way. I don't want to let it chase you away." She swallows again, her gaze shifting across my face. "I'd rather know what it's like to be yours for five minutes than to spend the rest of my life regretting that I didn't take that leap with you. I need to know."
"Know what, Sparrow?"
"What it feels like to belong to you."
Jesus. She's killing me, one sweet little word at a time.
"Show me, Gideon. Please?"
"Now? Tonight?"
"Now. Tonight."
I drag her into my arms, seaming our bodies together. If she wants to drown herself in me, I'll let her. I'll burn out the world and all the ugly things it holds. Whatever she needs. I'm her soldier against the dark. I'm hers to command.
My lips brush hers in soft, lazy passes as I sip from her, taking my time. I run my hands up and down her body, slowly stripping off her cute little jacket and her t-shirt. They fall to the kitchen floor.
"I love these fucking bras," I mutter, toying with the strap. It's just as simple as the one she wore earlier, only this one is pure black. Somehow, it's sexier than any lace or frills or lingerie could ever be.
She smiles up at me, her hazel eyes dark. "It's just a bra, Marine."
"No. It's the bra covering the most incredible pair of tits I've ever seen." I slide the straps down her arms before reaching around to unhook it. "And they're all mine. As far as I'm concerned, that bra is hiding the kingdom, Sparrow."
Her smile grows, only for her head to fall back when I drag the bra off and immediately palm her breast. I love the way she responds to my touch. I roll her nipple between my thumb and forefinger before reaching for the button on her shorts. I watch her face while I strip them and her panties from her, leaving her bare and trembling before me.
She doesn't try to hide herself. She isn't shy or ashamed of her body or who she is. She stands proudly, bravely, a fucking warrior through and through. And damn, I've never seen anything so beautiful.
"What did your song say, Sparrow?" I ask. "Hands leave traces of desire on your skin as I trace every curve and line? Is that right?"
"Y-yes," she whispers.
"Good." I smile, scooping her up into my arms to carry her to the bedroom. She moans as I set to work as I walk, running my hands over the curve of her ass and the soft swell of her hip. Her bare skin feels like silk against my fingertips. She's so damn soft and sweet.
I'm glad I saved myself for her. This is how it's supposed to be. If I would have thought to ask for anything for my first time, it would have been her just like this. Already, this was worth the wait. She was worth it.
I drag the blankets down and then lay her out on the bed. Her hair spills across the pillows. She took it down at some point. Curls frame her face, softening her smoky makeup, making her seem younger than twenty-four.
I strip my tie off, tossing it toward the chaise in the corner. My shirt follows. She licks her lips, watching as I rip my belt free and send it hurtling across the room, too. My pants go next. My dick springs free, bouncing against my stomach.
She presses her thighs together, shifting restlessly.
"You want it, Sparrow?" I rasp, unable to resist wrapping a fist around my shaft and giving it a few pumps. She has her eyes on me, eating up the sight. I think she likes watching.
"Yes," she pleads. "Please, Gideon."
I crawl onto the bed with her, leaning down to run my lips up her calf. Her soft moan spills across the room.
"We'll get there, Kenna. But not yet." I pick up where I left off leaving traces of desire on her skin as I trace every curve and line. I use my hands and my lips, learning every inch of her body.
She trembles when I kiss her inner thighs. And groans when I drag my teeth down her round belly. She melts into the bed when I brush my fingers down her sides in long, languid strokes.
"I could do this all fucking night, Sparrow."
"I can't!" she cries. "You're torturing me, Gideon."
"No," I breathe, capturing one hard nipple between my teeth as I slip my fingers between her legs. "I'm making love to you."
She cries out, her back bowing from the bed. She's so damn wet. So eager and needy. God. I really could keep her right here like this all night, wringing out orgasm after orgasm.
I stroke her clit, playing between her legs like the greedy bastard I am. I bite and suck on her nipples, greedy for those too. She arches and mewls, gasping for breath as I drive her toward the edge of the cliff, eager to throw her off the side and watch her crumble.
"Gideon, Gideon, please," she pleads.
"No, Sparrow. You don't get what you want until I get what I want."
"W-what?"
"What do I want?" I run my finger in circles around her little fuckhole, before slowly sinking it inside her an inch, just enough to make her crazy. And then I go back to stroking her clit. "For you to come on my fingers first. And then my tongue. And then my cock. In that order, Kenna."
"Oh, God."
"No, baby. The only higher power in this bed is me. If you want to beg someone, you beg me. If you want to plead for mercy, you plead with me." I pull her nipple into my mouth, biting down. "My name is the only one I want to hear from those perfect lips when you're wet and naked and aching for my cock."
She wails my name, turning her head to sink her teeth into my shoulder.
I roar as pain and pleasure roll through me, and she comes all over my fingers. She's still shaking when I dive between her legs, throwing them over my shoulders. I don't give her time to even brace for impact. I hold her legs together, pressing them toward her stomach, forcing my tongue into the tight space between her lower lips.
She clings to my hair, shouting my name as I fuck her with my tongue. With her legs the way they are, I have to fight to get it into her. The tip of my tongue jostles her clit before I shove it into her little fuckhole.
She tears out strands of my hair, screaming my name.
I pull her legs apart, allowing me to get deeper. I want to taste the cherry in her. It belongs to me. I grind my nose against her clit, rocking my hips against the bed as if that'll do anything to ease the ache in my balls. It won't. Nothing short of fucking my kid into this woman is going to do that.
"Gideon, that feels so good. That mouth of yours is driving me crazy," she moans.
Her sweet little moans are driving me crazy.
She's so fucking close. I can feel her fluttering on the edge. She just needs a little bit more. I wrap my lips around her clit, thrusting two fingers inside her, I curl them up, sucking hard at the same time.
She tries to fight it, thrashing beneath me.
I refuse to let up, stroking ruthlessly against her G-Spot again and again as I ride my tongue back and forth against the hood of her clit.
She screams as she shatters, her entire body bowing from the bed. I catch her, dragging her back down into my arms, eating her again. I can't fucking stop. Christ. I can't stop.
She comes again, even harder this time.
I roar her name, crawling over her.
I can't wait. I need inside her.
"Gideon. Gideon," she chants, still writhing through her orgasm as I drag her leg up over my hip. I silence her with my lips on hers, kissing her hard and deep. My cock glides through her folds.
"Fuck," I groan, feeling her slick heat against me for the first time. I'm not going to survive it. I already know I'm not. But goddamn, what a way to go.
"Inside me," she demands, scratching my back. "Get inside me."
"I don't have a condom, Sparrow." I thrust my hand into her hair, tipping her head back to kiss her again. "I wouldn't wear one even if I did."
"Gideon."
"I hope I do get you pregnant," I growl, notching my cock at her hot little hole. "I'm certainly going to fucking try."
"Oh my god."
"What'd I tell you, Kenna?" I bend my head, nipping her shoulder. "You can pray to God like a good little girl again tomorrow. But tonight, there is no higher power in this bed. Now kiss me, baby."
She tips her head back, eager and obedient. I claim her lips, wanting her wild with lust before I slip inside her. I'm not small, and this is her first time, too. I don't want to hurt her.
Once she's mewling and rocking beneath me, I press my forehead to hers and slowly push forward. We both moan as the head of my cock slips inside her perfect body. I take it slow, pushing forward inch by exquisite inch, refusing to rush this moment.
We kiss and touch again and again as I slowly claim her. If she feels any pain, she doesn't show it. She's a warrior now just as much as ever. Even when her barrier tears against my cock, all she does is gasp and tremble and then moan my name. I fall still for a moment, giving her time to adjust, kissing the pain from her lips.
Within moments, she's wriggling beneath me, ready for more.
I give it to her. This time, I don't stop until I'm buried to the hilt, her pussy wrapped around every inch of me.
Fuck. If there's anything more perfect than this, I can't imagine it.
I run my nose down her temple in a quest for her ear. "Now you're mine, Sparrow. You belong to me, baby."
"You're mine too, Gideon."
"Yeah. God, yeah." I breathe her in, reveling in this new reality. The one where I belong to this goddess and the future looks a whole helluva lot like that perfect fucking smile.
"Fuck me, Gideon."
"No." I curve my hand around her chin, forcing her to meet my gaze. "I'm not fucking you, Kenna. We're making love."
"Gideon," she whispers, her voice shaking.
"Shh." I run my nose along the side of hers, brushing my lips across hers in a soothing kiss. "I've got you, Sparrow. I've got you."
She sobs my name, anxious, nervous but giving herself over to me without hesitation.
"So brave," I breathe. She's so fucking brave. I cradle her in my arms, rocking into her in slow, deep pulses.
She throws her head back, crying out in shock. In awe.
"You like that, Sparrow?"
"Yes. God, yes, Gideon. More."
Who am I to deny a goddess?
I stroke into her as we kiss and touch. Each stroke is deeper, harder. Her cries grow louder. Her body sweeter. I lose myself in her and the desire raging like an inferno between us.
"Goddamn, Sparrow," I growl, dragging my lips down her throat. "You feel so fucking good." My hand tangles in her hair, tipping her head back to give me better access. "I might keep you here all night."
"Yes."
I chuckle, amused at how readily she agrees. I think she would stay here all night, taking my cock. She's so fucking good at it. Christ. So good. But there's no way I'm going to last. Already, the pleasure is growing painful. I need to fucking come.
She needs to come for me.
I slip my hand between us, homing in on her clit.
"You have to come for me again, Sparrow." I drive into her, fucking her hard and deep as I grind my thumb against her clit, ruthless in my quest to get her off. I want to feel her coming all over me. I need to feel it.
"Come with me," she pleads. "Please?"
"Together."
That seems to appease her. She rocks beneath me, eager to get there now that she knows she isn't going over alone. I pound into her, nipping at her skin, kissing her. Wild for this woman in a thousand different ways.
I don't need her little delighted gasp to know when she's on the edge. I feel it. Feel her trembling there, her inner muscles fluttering around my cock.
I fuck her hard, driving my cock into her again and again, trying to get there with her. Fuck. I don't want this to end.
"Come, Sparrow. Now," I order, claiming her lips in a deep kiss as my balls draw up and the base of my spine tingles.
She cries out, letting go.
We come together, her cry of ecstasy mingling with my growl. Lost in the rhythm, our bodies entwined just like her song said. Every fucking second is perfection.