Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
ANDER
I didn’t think it was going to be so hard to see Zavier and walk away from him. Part of me wanted to invite him to stay at my house too, but then Raven would’ve fucked off on both of us and gotten herself killed.
I liked her defiance, it made my dick hard, but she’d been through enough bullshit lately, so forcing her to face Zavier when she obviously wasn’t ready to was a bad idea.
She was angry with him because of me, so it was up to me to repair the damage.
I loved him, he was my platonic soulmate, and seeing him hurting because of me sucked.
I kept an eye on our surroundings as I drove home, noticing that Raven didn’t make a move to climb out when I parked in the garage.
“Penny for your thoughts,” I offered, not expecting the little demon to start swinging at me.
“Why did you tell him?” she shouted, her knuckles connecting with my cheek. She was pissed, trying to hit me again, and a better man would’ve just let her get it out.
I wasn’t that man though.
I grabbed her flailing arms and tightened my hand around both wrists, grabbing her chin firmly with my free hand to push her back until her head smacked against the window.
“Are you fucking finished?” I asked in a low tone, her eyes flashing with anger at being restrained.
“Let me?—”
“No. I told Lopez about you getting hurt because he loves you. Do you understand the power you have over him? Let him worry about you because someone fucking has to. I don’t know why you and the guys are all fighting, but I know you’re blaming Zavier for you getting hurt. That wasn’t his fault, Raven. Now, get your bratty little ass into the house.”
“Or what?” she bit out as she tried yanking her hands back but failed.
“Or, I put you over my fucking knee and spank you.” Her eyes flashed with something that definitely wasn’t anger, and I relaxed my grip on her face slightly. “Bluebird, if you wanted me to spank you, all you had to do was ask instead of playing this little game with me.”
“Fuck you,” she spat as I let her go, and I chuckled as she fled the car and slammed the door.
She could fuck me if she wanted, I had no problem with that.
I hadn’t had sex in months, and the thought made the amusement fall from my face. I’d expected Blake to run back to me like she always did, but I was pretty sure we were really over this time.
I wanted to hate her, I really did, but I couldn’t blame her for choosing her sister over me. She was a good person, making selfless choices to better her and Kate’s lives, and if it hadn’t killed me when she’d walked away, I would’ve admired her for it.
Wishing her the best was all I could do.
The fact that Stefano was now after everyone I was close to made me feel a little better that Blake was safely away from me though. Now, I just had to keep Raven and the guys safe.
Raven impatiently stood by the door with her arms crossed, waiting for me to unlock it and let her into the house. She ignored me as I approached, shoving past once I’d opened the door, and I sighed when I heard her slam the bedroom door.
There was no way I was winning any points with her today, so I had to hope she calmed down later and joined me for dinner without stabbing me with my own damn fork.
I got comfortable on the couch and put the TV on, trying to focus on something other than Raven for a while, but it was hard.
I’d always wanted to fuck her, she was hot, but then I’d gotten caught up in Blake, and those feelings faded. Now that she was in my damn house sassing me, my dick reminded me how long it had been since someone other than myself had touched it.
I scolded myself for even thinking about it. For one, Raven fucking hated me, and secondly, what if Blake did come back? She’d never want to fix things if I’d been with Raven.
Especially since Raven was the one girl I’d had to convince Blake that she hadn’t had to worry about.
I never would’ve cheated on Blake, I wasn’t that kind of man, but she still had doubts when it came to the blue-haired tornado that was currently taking over my bedroom.
It took a while, but I finally managed to zone out and immerse myself in whatever bullshit was on TV. It wasn’t until darkness had fallen and I was serving dinner, that I realized how quiet Raven had been.
“Raven! Dinner!” I called out, placing both plates on the counter and grabbing a beer and a Coke from the fridge. Raven hated alcohol, and with a father like hers, I wasn’t surprised, so I’d make sure to keep the Coke stocked for her. “Raven!”
Silence met me, and I frowned, walking to my bedroom and cracking it open. “Bluebird?”
Panic hit me when I glanced around the room to find no sign of her, and I only calmed when I saw that her bags were missing, which meant she hadn’t been taken.
The little hellcat had snuck out.
She’d been alone for hours, so she could’ve been anywhere by now.
I grabbed my phone to text as I headed into the garage, starting the car.
Ander: Do me a favor. Ping Raven’s phone for me. Discreetly.
Cruz: New phone, who’s this?
Ander: You know exactly who this is.
Cruz: Oh my God. Dad? Is that you?
Ander: CRUZ. NOW.
Cruz: That attitude screams Reid. Did you get a new phone number, bro?
I went to toss my phone onto the passenger seat, but he texted again.
Cruz: Dude, chill. I’m only playing. She’s at the Pit. What’s wrong, lost her already?
Ander: Something like that. Thanks.
I tossed the phone aside and drove towards the Pit, keeping my eyes peeled for psycho mafia men on the way.
At least she didn’t have to worry about Devon bothering her now, and he’d been one of the only problems she’d had when I’d left.
I parked and made my way to the hole in the fence, stepping through it and spotting Raven instantly. She was angrily painting the wall in the corner, her bags by her feet.
I heard people talking about me as I moved towards her, and despite her not acknowledging me, her body language told me she was aware of my presence.
“You can’t just wander off alone,” I said when it was obvious that she wasn’t going to talk to me. She didn’t turn, continuing to spray her emotions onto the wall as she spoke.
“So, what? You expect me to be a good girl and glue myself to your side for the rest of my life? News flash, Ander. I want nothing to do with you.”
“Come back to the house.”
“No.”
“You’re just going to crash here?” I asked dryly, and she nodded silently. “You’re being ridiculous.”
“Am I?” she huffed, finally turning to glare at me. “I’m no safer with you. This all started because of you.”
“You are, actually. No one’s going to touch you without your permission at my house,” I grunted, her shoulders tensing. I didn’t care if I was making her uncomfortable from memories of last night.
If it made her use her brain, I’d do it.
“I doubt that. You’ve always wanted to fuck me,” she said bluntly, and I couldn’t help the huff of laughter that left me.
“No shit? It’s only satisfying if you’re begging me for it though. Trust me, you’re safe. Besides, I’d much rather let you dominate me.”
Her eyes flickered with interest before she caught herself thinking about it, and she scowled as she turned back to her artwork.
I got comfortable and made it obvious that I wasn’t going anywhere, letting her work in silence while I kept my eyes on everyone else. Most people here weren’t a threat, but that didn’t mean one wouldn’t slip through the cracks.
Heights locals were desperate for money most of the time, so Stefano’s men could easily convince someone to hurt Raven for a price.
I wasn’t surprised when after an hour, Zavier appeared through the hole in the fence.
He leaned against the wall beside me, silently assessing Raven before speaking to me. “The more I think about her staying with you, the more annoyed I’m getting. I don’t trust you, so you can leave. She can stay at the compound, the guys have offered her a room.”
It stung, even though he had every reason not to trust me to keep her safe. I could tell it had taken a lot for him to come to that conclusion too from the way he couldn’t look me in the eye.
“I’m not staying with you either. I have a home, and I’m quite capable of looking out for myself. I’ve been a little distracted lately, but I’m fine now,” Raven answered sharply, not seeming surprised by Zavier’s appearance either.
I felt better knowing she was aware of her surroundings.
“I’m not letting you back in that house alone. You’re going to get assaulted,” I said, knowing Zavier was watching me for an explanation. Raven didn’t answer, so I kept talking, needing to convince her to stay with me. “Your dad could somehow drug you and let people pay to fuck you while you’re out cold. Do you understand? His friends haven’t exactly hidden their interest in you.”
“You need to back off. I have it handled.”
“I’d never force you into anything, but if you think you’re staying in that house alone, you have another thing coming. I will one hundred percent chain you up in my house if I have to,” I warned, not expecting Zavier to move towards her and literally toss her over his shoulder.
“Zavier!” she bit out as she thrashed, but he just tightened his grip on her and nodded to me.
“Grab her things.”
I bent down to grab them, ignoring everyone who was gossiping as we headed towards the hole in the fence, and I held it open as best as I could so he could slip through without putting Raven down.
I unlocked the Supra, watching as Zavier opened the passenger door and put Raven back on her feet. Supra’s weren’t exactly spacey, but he didn’t seem to give a shit when he climbed in and forced her to sit on his lap, shutting them both inside.
I chuckled quietly as I moved to the driver’s side and climbed in, trying to make her bags fit on her lap. She swung an arm out to whack me, and Zavier wrestled to get his arms around her like a band.
“Stop it,” he said way too calmly, his mouth pressing against her neck and halting her attack on us. She wanted to fight him, I could tell, but her body’s instant reaction to his soft touch almost made me jealous of how easy she’d calmed.
He’d always been good with her though.
My dick hardened without permission as she inhaled sharply, her voice tight. “Zavier.”
“Stop fighting me,” he answered, relaxing his hold on her when she didn’t make a move to escape, and I almost felt like I was intruding on something private when he kept placing soft kisses below her ear.
What the hell had happened since I’d left? Had they gotten together then broken up?
Had he been the one to knock her up?
Now that Raven was unlikely to kill us, I started the car and headed towards home, glancing at them every so often. They didn’t talk, he just held her and she relaxed into him.
Something had definitely happened between them.
They didn’t move when I parked in the garage, so I mumbled that I’d give them some privacy as I grabbed her bags and climbed out, heading into the house ahead of them.
Hopefully, Zavier could convince her not to go back to that house.
Raven
I watched Ander walk inside through the garage’s internal access, almost wishing he’d come back. Zavier’s lips were putting terrible images into my head, and Ander being there had stopped me acting on them.
“I hate that you’re shutting me out,” Zavier murmured, nuzzling into my neck. “I miss you, and it’s fucking killing me, Rae.”
“I don’t even know why I’m so mad at you. It’s Ander’s fucking fault,” I said quietly, tilting my head to try and look at him. The car was way too cramped for this.
“You can be mad at me, it’s still sort of my fault, just don’t shut me out. Let me stay here with you. I don’t completely trust Ander’s motives for keeping you here.”
“You didn’t see him the other night, Zav,” I whispered, my skin crawling at the memory. “He was so fucking angry at them for touching me. One second they were stripping me, and the next, they were just dead. He wouldn’t have saved me like that unless he wanted me safe.”
“I wish you’d called me,” he replied, burying his face in my neck to hold me a little tighter. “But I’m glad you at least had Ander.”
“I wish I’d called you too,” I sighed as he opened the door so I could climb out. I waited as he did the same, and then he was pulling me against him to drop a kiss on my forehead.
I grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him down for a kiss, his body tense for a moment before he kissed me back enthusiastically, turning me to push me back against the car.
Something inside me clicked into place, and I slid my hand higher into his hair to keep him close. The more I touched him, the more the tension left me.
“We need to stop before I fuck this up,” he said against my lips, his hands going to my waist as he stroked his thumbs back and forth.
“You can’t. I want you to touch me.”
“I want to bend you over the fucking car and rail you until you can’t walk,” he answered dryly, moving back to cup my cheek affectionately. “Let’s go inside so we can talk things over with Ander. He knows more about these people than us, so if he has a plan, I want to know about it.”
I almost told him to bend me over, but I wasn’t sure it was a good idea. We needed to put everything on the table first, and as much as it sounded fun, I wasn’t sure my body would handle rough sex just yet. The bruises were fading, but they were still there.
I’d only just stopped bleeding too.
He steered me into the house, and Ander glanced up from the couch with a smirk. “Kissed and made up?”
“Bite me,” I grumbled, flipping him off when he clacked his teeth at me.
“Come here then. I’ll do more than bite you.”
“You’re all talk, I bet. Do you even know what to do with a pussy?” I asked, and Zavier snorted as he sat on the couch, tugging me down onto his lap so that I was straddling him.
“You’d come more times than you thought was possible,” he answered, making me frown.
“How do you know?”
“I’ve seen it enough. You really thought every night I went out with him that we were doing illegal things?”
Had they shared Blake before?
I kind of wanted to punch him for reminding me that he’d fucked other girls before, and Ander snickered knowingly. “Dude, shut up before you get strangled.”
I grabbed Zavier’s chin firmly, leaning closer. “Do you still think about those girls?”
“What girls?” he said without hesitation, his dick twitching under my ass as my lips brushed his. It was like I’d completely fried his damn brain just from touching him.
It felt so good to have that kind of power over a guy like him.
“Well, I’m fucking hard,” Ander grumbled, giving me an innocent look as I turned my head to glare at him. “What? If you’re going to fuck him on my couch, I’m not giving you privacy. I’m watching.”
“I’m not fucking him on your couch.”
“You’re not?” Zavier groaned, grabbing my hips and grinding his hardening dick up against me. “Do you feel that? That is torture.”
I grinned, leaning back to look at him properly. “I think we need to talk first, don’t you?”
“Does that mean once we’ve talked, we can go to bed?” Zavier asked with a wink, and Ander huffed.
“Absolutely not. You’re not soaking my bed with cum.”
I rolled my eyes and forced myself to get off of Zavier’s lap, moving to sit on the floor in front of them and crossing my legs. “Talk, Lavaro. What’s your plan?”
He winced, leaning back to get comfortable. “I’m still figuring that part out.”
“Then tell us what you already have so we can figure it out together,” Zavier said firmly, turning to angle his body towards Ander. “What does Stefano think I know?”
“Inside information about the drug trade, mostly. He doesn’t have local cops in his pocket like the crews do, so if you talk, it could open an international investigation.”
“Why the fuck did you even let me near that shit in the first place? If it wasn’t your drugs?—”
“You wanted money, and I needed help. I didn’t plan on it being a long-term deal, but everything was running well. I didn’t think he knew about you at all, I swear. From what I can figure out, he had no idea about any of you guys until after I’d left. Once he started digging, people started talking, or he had his guys go over months and months’ worth of footage to find out what he knows now. He doesn’t care about Raven being collateral damage, that’s all she was when you guys were run down. I know how he thinks, so I know for a fact that he’ll target her now to make you come out of hiding.”
“You still should’ve told me we were moving mafia drugs. Be honest, are you more involved with the skin trade than you let on?” Zavier bit out, Ander’s face darkening.
“Stefano deals in the skin trade, of course, but I’m just his drug runner. I don’t know a lot about his other businesses. The American skin trade in general all comes back to mafia ties, but the local auctions are run by corrupt rich pricks, not the mafia. Stefano resides in Italy, but a lot of his men are based in the States for business. I mostly dealt with Stefano directly, so I never really got to snoop on much else.”
My eyes bounced between them both as they talked, and Zavier’s body language changed suddenly, putting me on alert.
“If Stefano stays in Italy, how did you deal with him directly? Were you taking trips over there or something? Seems like a lot of unnecessary shit for a mob boss to handle himself if he has men here.”
Ander shrugged, not seeming bothered by the question. “Just because he lives there, doesn’t mean he never comes to America. A good leader likes to keep tabs on each branch of their business, right? He likes to check on things himself regularly to ensure no one is stabbing him in the back or fucking him over. There’s a reason he’s stayed at the top for so long. He’s been the head of the family business since he turned nineteen when his father was taken out by the cartel.”
“You know a lot about this,” I said slowly, earning an amused glance from him.
“Of course I do. I researched the hell out of them when they dragged me in. I don’t like surprises. Stefano isn’t the type to go on a violent rampage if he can avoid it, and he prefers working alongside the cops and other mafia families than start a war. It’s the cartel you have to watch out for.”
“I’ll keep that in mind while we continue running from the mafia,” I deadpanned.
“Trust me, I’d rather deal with the mafia than the cartel,” Ander chuckled. “For now, I need to stay under the radar while we keep you guys safe. He won’t be expecting me here, and he won’t know how tied in with the crews you are.”
“Why does it matter if you catch him off guard? Do you have some kind of ace up your sleeve that we don’t know about?”
“Not particularly, but I know a lot about the ins and outs of his drug trade business and the way he thinks,” he explained, making Zavier nod slowly.
“That makes sense. Got much dirt on him or his son then? Can we use it to our advantage?”
“What does his son have to do with it? He’s not the problem, Stefano is. If we use his kid against him, we’re no better than they are,” Ander scoffed. “His son’s been good to me.”
“He’s also a fucking mafia prince who’s been groomed to take over the family business when Stefano steps down,” Zavier grunted, motioning to me. “Unless you trust him with our lives?—”
“He’d never hurt you guys,” he said sharply, taking a breath to calm himself before continuing. “Dante isn’t like his father.”
“Great. You’re besties with the kid. Let’s see how loyal he is to you when they get their hands on all of us,” Zavier bit out.
“He’s not a kid. He’s twenty-five.”
“Why are you protecting the guy?” Zavier demanded, and I stood, putting a hand on his shoulder.
“No fighting. We need to work together to handle this,” I said gently, his eyes flaring with irritation.
“I’m not relying on Ander’s friendship with Dante fucking Ricci to keep you safe.”
I sighed, combing my fingers through his hair to calm him. Zavier didn’t get wound up easily, so I knew he was stressed. His arms instantly circled my waist to pull me onto his lap, and I snuggled into him in hopes that it would soothe him.
“Are we trying to outrun Stefano, or kill him?” I finally asked when no one spoke.
“Kill him,” Ander said bluntly.
“Won’t that just make the family come down on us harder for revenge?” Zavier asked flatly, his hand slipping under my shirt to stroke my back. I closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling of his fingers on my skin, not realizing I’d fallen asleep until I felt someone carrying me, which jerked me awake.
“Hey, just me,” Zavier murmured in my ear as he stepped into a room and closed the door behind us. I blinked to wake up more, realizing we were in the bedroom.
“We’re going to bed?”
“It’s late.”
“We weren’t done talking.”
“You slept through the last hour,” he chuckled as he carefully sat me on the edge of the bed to help me take my shoes off, looking around for my things. Ander had put my bags by the door, so Zavier grabbed it and pulled out a shirt, amusement crossing his face when he realized it was one of his. “Have you been sleeping in my clothes all week?”
“I like sleeping in your clothes,” I mumbled, eyeing him curiously when he placed it on the bed beside me. He reached out to grasp the bottom of my shirt, waiting for me to decide if I wanted him to stop or not.
When I nodded, he tugged it over my head, and he groaned when I laid back to shimmy out of my pants. I went to sit up but he moved to stand between my legs, dropping his mouth to my collarbone to trail kisses from one side to the other.
“Zav,” I squeaked out as he started kissing down my chest and stomach, his lips teasing my pussy through my panties. My cheeks heated when he dropped to his knees and buried his nose against the material to literally inhale my scent.
I squirmed, my hand going to his head to push him back. “We can’t.”
“Why not?” he asked, lightly nipping me and making me jump.
“I need a shower, and your perverted bestie is in the other room.”
“No, you don’t, and who cares about him? He won’t come in. He might joke about it, but he has more respect than that,” he promised, his tongue brushing over my panties and teasing my clit. I shuddered, my hand dropping to my side again as he took the elastic of my panties between his teeth and started pulling them down.
My hips lifted off the bed to help him, and once my legs were free of the material, he hooked them over his shoulders and tugged me closer to the edge of the bed, burying his tongue in me without warning.
The sound that left me wasn’t quiet, he’d caught me off guard, and embarrassment filled me when I heard Ander call out that we were assholes.
Zavier didn’t even flinch, continuing to eat my pussy without a care in the world, and I gripped the blanket in both hands when a climax started building fast.
My breathing turned rapid, and my thighs tightened around his head as one of his hands covered mine, his tongue moving back and forth over my clit until my back was arching off the bed and a cry left me.
Wave after wave washed over me, and I was still twitching from it when Zavier pushed me onto the bed more so he could kneel between my legs on the mattress and kiss me. I really loved how I tasted on his lips, greedily forcing my tongue into his mouth and making him groan.
“Fuck me,” I begged, trying to reach for his pants, but he stopped me.
“Slow down. Are you supposed to have sex so soon after—” His voice died off, and I winced.
“They said two weeks is recommended. I healed fast though, and I feel fine.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t. I’ll tell you if it’s too uncomfortable,” I insisted. “I got that thing in my arm at the hospital too, so you don’t have to wear a condom.”
“Nope, time out,” he said as he sat back to watch me. “Did they tell you it can take weeks to be in effect, or the chance of pregnancy is higher when your body is healing from a miscarriage?”
“No. Why do you know that?”
“I research girl stuff so I understand it. Sue me,” he muttered, standing and helping himself to Ander’s bedside drawer. He pulled out a condom and a bottle of lube, my nose wrinkling.
“How did you know that was in there?”
“He’s a guy. Most guys keep this shit in their drawers,” he answered dryly, joining me on the bed again. “Take your bra off. I want to see your tits in my face.”
I did as he asked, tossing my bra aside as he got completely naked and rolled the condom on, and sudden nerves hit me. This was Zavier, my first crush. He’d seen me naked plenty, but he’d never been inside me before. Not like this.
He must have sensed my inner battle because he dipped down to kiss me, shoving my worries down as his fingers toyed with my pussy, my body relaxing against his touch with each passing second.
“This is cold,” he warned against my lips as he pulled back slightly, his fingers leaving me. I didn’t know what he was talking about until the cool gel on his fingers touched my pussy and made me jump. “Sorry.”
His slick finger teased my entrance, and I held my breath as he eased it inside, his lips moving to my neck as his thumb found my clit. I gasped as he pushed a second finger inside me, his movements slowing.
“Still okay?” he checked, my hips lifting in encouragement.
“I want?—”
“I know what you want. Let me make sure you’re ready first. I’m not rushing through this. I’ve waited years for it, so a few extra minutes won’t kill us,” he whispered as his fingers stroked my inner walls at a lazy pace, his teeth grazing my shoulder and neck as he teased me.
My breath hitched when he replaced his fingers with the head of his dick, his eyes on mine as he slowly started pushing inside. It was almost too intimate how he stared into my damn soul, assessing every little reaction I had to him stretching me.
In turn, I got to watch his emotions too.
He didn’t look away until he started moving in and out, his mouth landing on mine as my arms wrapped around him to keep him close. It was like he didn’t know where to touch me, his hands moving all over me as I slid a hand down to squeeze his ass.
His muscles flexed under my palm, mumbled curses leaving him as my nails on my other hand dug into his back slightly.
My next orgasm snuck up on me, and a moan left my lips as my body pulsed around him. It was less intense, but I enjoyed riding it out as he kept slowly rocking into me.
“Fuck, Rae,” he breathed, having no problem with me taking over as I nudged his shoulder in encouragement. I rolled with him, straddling his waist and grinding down on him as he sat up. “You’ll make me come if you keep doing that. I’m not ready to be done.”
“We can go again,” I promised, draping my arms around his neck and pressing my chest against his, rolling my hips a little more sharply and loving how his breath hitched.
His fingers threaded through my hair to tug my mouth to his, and I loved when his arm banded around my middle to keep me close. I rocked on him until he came with a groan, my hips slowing to let him ride it out before I stopped.
We were both panting as if we’d fucked like rabbits, his breath mingling with mine as he spoke. “I’m stupidly in love with you, Raven.”
“And I’m stupidly in love with you,” I replied with a smile, his eyes softening.
We sat like that for fuck knows how long before I climbed off him so he could dispose of the condom, and then he tucked me into bed and wrapped himself around me, his lips teasing my neck as I drifted off to sleep.