Dark As Coal

Chapter 4

Adeline

Over the past couple of weeks, things with Coal and I have drastically changed.

Gone was the hard man, and in its place was someone that was softening.

Softening in a way I never could have imagined.

I still have yet to be kissed by him, and I wanted it, desperately.

I wanted to feel his lips on mine.

But I learned early on to never push Coal. He would make his move when he was good and ready, and I had to honor that.

See, I no longer used my room at the clubhouse.

If I was there, I ended up in his bed every night.

Unfortunately, he had yet to stay the night at my house. But that was okay. We were a work in progress.

They say the best things come to those who wait for it, and fight like hell to keep it once they have it.

And if I ever had Coal, you best believe I was going to fight like hell to keep him.

Last night, he had to take care of something for the club.

And since they had some boys there, and I got a bad vibe from one of them, Asher had been cool with me not being there.

Therefore, as a result of his body not being beside mine, I had tossed and turned all night and ended up sleeping like shit.

Even though I was tired, I tried not to let it get me down today.

See, there were days I freaking loved being a teacher.

And then there were days when I absolutely abhorred it.

Like today.

Every single kid woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.

And being that most of them were either five years old or six years old, I had been wanting to pull my hair out by the time nine am rolled around.

They didn’t want to learn more numbers.

They didn’t want to know how to sound out words like bug, dog, dig, gig, zig, or zag.

Nor did they care about listening to me when I told them not to throw things.

And by the time lunch rolled around, eight parents had to be called due to a food fight that had been started because Jamison told Owen that his momma was nothing more than a whore.

And Owen being Owen… nobody insulted his momma.

That was the only time I smiled in the whole day.

I hadn’t remembered sending a text to Coal on my way back to the classroom once the last student had been sent home.

Nor had I recalled him replying.

Nor my response to him.

It wasn’t until I sat in my car in the teacher’s parking lot with music playing, decompressing that there was a knock on my window.

I jumped at the sound and then felt my whole body relax when I saw exactly who it was and then I frowned.

Hurriedly, I lowered my window and asked, “Coal? Is everything okay?”

He lifted one single brow at me and asked, “You don’t remember texting me?”

“Umm…” and with that, I tagged my phone from the cupholder and pulled up our text thread.

And that was when I saw it.

Me – Would it be illegal to pull the fire alarm and send everyone home?

Coal – Probably. What happened?

Me – You know those days where you just want to crawl back in bed and cover up and tell the whole world it can go fuck itself?

Coal – Yeah.

Me – Well, put those wants into the minds of twenty-two kindergartners.

Coal – Shit.

Me – Shit is right. I would give my other kidney to be able to go home, curl up on the couch, eat Chinese food, turn my phone off, and watch reruns of Bones.

Coal – Tell you what. Need a day like that. I’ll grab the food. Follow you home, and we’ll do it.

Me – I could kiss you right now.

Coal – Lips are yours for the taking.

And then, I held my breath for a beat, recalled what I thought about kissing him, and since he texted what he did, well, I took a cue from Coal.

I placed my phone back in the cupholder, and then looked up at him and crooked my finger.

The man didn’t hesitate, to move his head in, and then, I finally had his lips against mine.

The kiss was tentative at first, but when Coal brought his hand to side of my face, angled my head, the kiss turned wild and hot. I felt his tongue swipe at my lips, they opened automatically, and then… his tongue played with mine.

The taste of him, like this. There was nothing like it.

I loved the way Coal smelled.

I love the way he tasted.

But this… well… this was my version of cocaine.

I’ll never forget my first kiss and it made it all the sweeter that it was our first kiss.

Little did I know that not only was it my very first kiss… but it was his too.

He had followed me home, taken my keys from me, unlocked my door, and told me to go change while he got the food ready.

When I came out of my bedroom in a long-sleeved tee and a pair of shorts, Coal looked me up and down and then patted the couch just as his other hand grabbed the blanket I had on the back of the couch.

And for the next five hours, we both had our phones off, we ate Chinese food, and I was informed to never watch this show without him.

And after that night, as long as he didn’t have something to do at the club, he was at my house, either I cooked, or he picked something up, and we watched Bones.

And yes… sometimes, we made it to my bed… but most of the time, my couch was never leaving my house. But the icing on all of that, no matter where we ended up, going hard, or fucking softly, our lips meeting started it all.

It was safe to say, I wasn’t the only one addicted to our kisses.

No, he didn’t stay the night, but that hadn’t bothered me.

Things were going the way they were going, and I knew they were going at the speed that he wanted them to go.

As long as I had my time with him, then I was golden.

However, that first night, the cherry on top of that amazing night…It was seeing the hoodie I had worn that morning all those weeks ago, lying on my couch.

***

With my gray wool socks covering my feet, the pumpkin spice scent from my latte filling my senses along with the first day of fall I breathed it all in.

This was my favorite time of year.

Sure, there were a few holidays that took place during Fall; like Halloween and Thanksgiving, but they weren’t important to me.

Watching the leaves changing, the colors in the sky changing, I couldn’t explain it, but it was my favorite season.

And no, not just because it was football season.

My good mood which always took place on the first day of fall was interrupted by the sound I heard.

Or, I should say, by the sounds I heard.

Yes, I worked the so-called nine-to-five like a normal person, but on the nights, well, that was when I let my hair down and became my alter ego.

And that took place with one man and only one man.

Seeing the four bikes that were making their way up my drive I took in a deep breath.

“Hey guys, what’s up?” I asked them after Asher killed his motor and then took off his helmet revealing the handsome face that sat beneath it, but he had nothing on Coal.

“We need you at the clubhouse, darlin’. Coal is on a tear about something, and he won”t talk. Wasn’t there. Said they tried your cell, but you didn’t answer.” Asher said, and I could tell that it was bad.

I sighed then shook my head, “I have to go to work.”

“Know that darlin’, but he’s tearing shit apart. A-fucking-gain. Five brothers have already tried to get him to chill the fuck out but it”s not working.”

And that was when Irish took off his brain bucket as they called it and I saw the purple bruise on the right side of his face.

Sighing because I hadn’t wanted to use any of my sick days, rather I was saving all of them to tack onto my vacation time. And right now, I am at three weeks of vacation time and twenty-three sick days.

Growling I grabbed my phone and called the principal, Embrey, she answered on the second ring, “Hey sweetie, what”s up?”

“I”ve got a personal matter that I need to see to. I haven’t called in or been late since I started. I’m sorry.”

“Girl, you are the hardest-working person here. Take it. If you need more time off just let me know, and no, this doesn’t take from your sick days.”

“Thanks, boss lady.” I smiled and then hung up.

“Give me five,” I told Asher but judging by the look on his face I shouldn’t bother and that I needed to get my ass in gear.

Running into my house, I pulled on his hoodie, grabbed my bag, took my keys from the hook, pocketed my phone, and then locked my door.

Grabbing my coffee, I raced to my truck, but heard Asher calling to me, “Darlin’, it’ll be easier if you get on the back of one of the bikes.”

I hollered at him over my shoulder as I jumped in my truck, “Easier probably. But for his peace of mind and the mood y’all are telling me he’s in; I highly doubt it.”

He cursed, “Fuck. Hate when you”re right. Okay, follow behind me and Pipe. Irish and Rome will fall behind the truck.”

Nodding, I started my baby up.

We made it to the clubhouse in under ten minutes when it usually took twenty.

Shutting my truck off, I had just opened my door when I heard a loud boom from inside the clubhouse followed by the most guttural roar I have ever heard.

That alone had the men abandoning their bikes and racing inside the clubhouse.

Running right behind them, I didn’t even notice the gravel digging into my socks.

And the sight before me had me cringing.

Couches were overturned. The big metal cut-out sign of the insignia for the club that hung off the main wall near where they held church was lying on its side halfway through the clubhouse.

I heard Angelyn before I saw her, and she was trying to get him to calm down by yelling at him, did she not realize that that wouldn’t work?

Priest yelled at her, “Know you’re trying Angelyn but you’re only making it worse. We are waiting for someone, so just back off.”

“I can’t back off. He’s hurting.” She said as she tried to step towards Coal.

“Angelyn, know you haven’t been here that long, but you need to get this. There is only one person on this planet who can talk Coal down when he gets like this. And you are not her.” Pipe snapped at her.

“Well, she’s not here so he must not be too important to her,” Angelyn said as she snapped at Pipe who raised a brow at her.

Every man in the room chuckled, but it was Whit who said, “Yeah, you”re delusional.”

Whatever Whit was about to say was unsaid when his eyes landed on Asher and then they searched for me.

He smiled then, “Tell us what we need to do, doll.”

I smiled at him and then looked at Coal as I said, “Get everyone behind me.”

“You heard her, everyone behind Adeline,” Asher called out as Coal grabbed the door to church.

And then he practically ripped it off the hinges with his bare hands and before he could throw it, I called out very softly, “Coal Baby?”

I kept my eyes trained on him.

However, we all ducked when he let go of the door… none of us noticed Angelyn creeping toward him, but he did, and we knew that when he threw Angelyn across the room like she was a rag doll.

Luckily, Irish was able to grab her so she wouldn’t be harmed. Much.

I heard Asher say in a growl, “You go against one more thing I tell you and I will put a bullet right between your eyes.”

Standing there in my short shorts, my knee-high wool socks, and the oversized hoodie I waited for him to look around the room.

And when he did, I called out again, “Coal Baby.”

That was when his crazed eyes landed on me.

As I looked into his eyes, saw the fire in them, the heat that warned you, that if you got too close you were going to get burnt.

But getting burnt by him was something I lived for.

Craved it.

Needed it.

Stepping over the cushions that were lying on the floor, I lifted my foot to step over another one when I heard Coal growl low.

Freezing, I looked to where his eyes were trained and saw that right below where I was going to place my foot was nothing but broken glass.

Nodding, I stepped somewhere else that was clear and then looked up at Coal.

The beast was still out of him raging but it was eerily calm now.

So calm in fact, that I didn’t move for a few seconds.

That was until I saw his nostrils starting to flare.

That alone got me unstuck as I continued to make my way over to him.

I stopped moving when I was ten feet in front of him.

The silly riddles I used weren’t going to cut it this time. So, I had to try something I read about when dealing with someone who was in a red haze as they referred to it.

But what it really was, in my opinion, was a panic attack.

Keeping my eyes locked with him I spoke ever so softly as if I were coddling a wounded animal that wanted nothing more than to tear anything apart that got too close to it so it wouldn’t get hurt again, “Breathe with me, Coal. In and out.”

Taking his hand that wrapped around the door I grabbed it and placed it over my heart, “Feel this, Coal. Feel this. Feel my heart beating.” As I said that I placed my free hand over his and felt his heart beating erratically.

And then I whispered the words he had whispered to me on a night when it was storming, we were lying naked in front of my fireplace, “You told me that your heart only beats for me while you were falling asleep. I didn’t tell you that mine only beats for you. Feel me, Coal. Just me.”

We stood there for long moments and then as I saw his whole body go lax, I smiled up at him, and winked, “Coal Baby, I took the day off. So how about you use me and let go of everything you’re thinking about right now? Give it all to me Coal.”

Angelyn started again with her mouth, “Now that he’s calm, I’ll take care of him.”

Without even breaking my gaze with Coal I said as harshly as I could muster, “You try to come near him or touch him and I will fulfill the threat that Asher gave you.”

She was off her goddamn rocker when she followed that up with, “Bitch, that man is mine.”

And that one word, Coal tried to take his hand from mine, his dominant hand. The one he used to pull his gun, but I didn’t loosen my hold.

“Has his dick ever been inside of you?” I asked her while still looking at Coal.

I heard her snap, “No, but that doesn’t matter. We connect on a personal level.”

Every single person in the room started laughing but Coal and myself.

“Personal level my ass. Has he ever said one word to you?” Rome asked her.

“No. But he doesn’t need to.” She was fucking delusional.

Then, I repeated those same words, “Coal Baby, I took the day off. So how about you use me and let go of everything you’re thinking about right now? Give it all to me, Coal.”

Just like that, whatever had him upset was gone because a small smile formed on his face and then before I could even blink, I was up and over his shoulder as he carried me up the stairs and to his room.

And if I had known the events that would follow… I would have made such a drastic move a long time ago.

He was thrusting in and out of me. I needed more. I needed it harder. Therefore, I moaned, wanting, needing, “Coal, please. Harder.”

“Don’t want to hurt you,” he whispered into my neck.

I gritted my teeth, trying, trying to not let my temper explode from me. And when he pulled out and pushed into me, I lost the strenuous hold I had on it.

Then I snapped, “Then get the fuck out of me, and go find another girl you’re not afraid is going to break.”

He stilled, “That really what you want?”

“What I want is for you to open your fucking eyes and see me. Me. Not a woman that’s three times less than your size. I want you to see my curves, see that I’m strong. I’m strong enough to take everything you give me.” I snapped at him.

If it were even possible, his entire frame went even stiller.

“And here’s a shocker for you. Maybe, hopefully, you can comprehend every word that’s about to fall from my mouth, but basically. I. Want. You. All. Of. You. I don’t want some half-ass bullshit. Been waiting my whole life for the right man to come along. And that man is on his knees behind me. Now, fucking give it all to me.” I gritted out every word.