24. Meri
CHAPTER 24
MERI
He’s the best damn Tootsie Pop ever made.
It’s been four days since I walked out of the Soulless Kings clubhouse. Four days that I’ve been alone, in pain both physically and emotionally, marinating in my own misery.
Poker’s called and texted numerous times, and I’ve ignored him each time. It’s not that I don’t want to talk to him, I do. I just don’t want him to talk me out of my decision. The second I hear his voice or see him, I’ll cave, and I can’t do that.
Right now, Poker’s the one who needs protection… from me.
A knock on my door pulls me from my thoughts, and I roll my eyes. Ghost and
Screamer are on guard duty this morning at the front of my house, and I already told them they could come in anytime to get something to eat or drink or to use the restroom.
“It’s open,” I call from my spot on the couch.
I don’t bother hiding the used Kleenex or feel ashamed about the empty pizza box and take-out containers scattered around. I just don’t have it in me to care.
Miserable. I’m fucking miserable.
“This certainly isn’t what I expected.”
I sit up so fast, my head spins. Poker is standing at the end of my couch, arms crossed over his muscled chest.
“W-what are you doing here?” I find the presence of mind to ask.
“I could ask you the same thing,” he snaps. “You left me, Meri. Explain.”
“Didn’t Crow already tell you?”
“I wanna hear it out of you.”
I sigh. I should’ve known he’d do this. “Your life is in danger because of me, Poker. We could’ve died in that wreck,” I practically screech. “What about that do you not get?”
“I don’t get why you fucking left me!” he shouts.
Anger bubbles beneath my skin, and I shoot to my feet. “I left to keep you safe! This is happening because of me. You almost died because of me.” Tears fill my eyes as I continue. “I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if that happened. You say you’ll protect me, but dammit, I can protect you too.”
Poker closes the distance between us and yanks me against his chest, wrapping his arms around me. “Shh, babe. It’s okay. Everything is going to be okay.”
Sobs burst from me, uncontrollable, filled with anguish and fear.
I don’t know how long he holds onto me, but at some point, he lifts me off my feet and carries me to my bedroom. After gently setting me on the mattress, he climbs in with me, curling me into his side.
“Meri, you can’t leave me like that,” he says, his voice cracking with emotion. “Babe, I thought you were dead. When I woke up, and you weren’t there, I thought you’d died.”
I lift myself up onto my elbow and wipe the wetness from my cheeks. “I’m s-sorry. That wasn’t my intention.”
“I know, but fuck. I was… fuck.”
“Poker, I just…” I shake my head to clear the cobwebs. “I will die if anything happens to you because of me. I… I love you.”
His eyes widen, and a grin spreads across his features. “I love you, too, Meri. So goddamn much.”
“Then you have to understand,” I plead. “When I saw the note was addressed to you, all I could see were bad outcomes. Nothing but terrible outcomes that I don’t know how to prevent. And all of it because of me.”
“None of this is your fault,” he snaps. “The blame belongs on whoever is sending the notes. Them and no one else.”
“That doesn’t change the fact that you got hurt.”
“You’re right, it doesn’t. And it doesn’t change the fact that you got hurt, too. But the only way either of us is going to get through it is if we stick together. What we have is good, Meri. It’s so damn good. If we let them break that, they win.”
“I’m so sorry, Poker. Can you forgive me?”
“As long as you promise to never leave me again,” he says. “I can forgive you anything but that.”
“I promise. If I get scared or start having doubts, I’ll talk to you about it.”
“Good.” He grins. “Now, having you this close is doing things to me, babe. Wicked things.”
He flips to his side so he’s facing me and begins to slowly strip my clothes from my body. When I’m down to my sensible cotton panties—I wasn’t planning on company… sue me—I stop him by scooting off the other side of the bed.
“What are you doing?”
“I think I need to express my apologies a little better,” I purr as I walk around to his side of the bed, pushing my panties over my hips as I go.
“How are you planning on doing that?”
After kicking my legs free of the panties, I lean over and start to undress him. One article of clothing at a time, I bare his gorgeous body to me. His muscles flex and his skin ripples as he watches me.
“Meri,” he groans when I press my lips to his exposed stomach. “What are you doing to me?”
Flicking my eyes to his, I whisper huskily, “Licking you like a lollipop.”
I sink my mouth around his hard cock, and his salty flavor bursts on my tongue. Moving to kneel between his legs, I lick and suck his length like he’s the best damn Tootsie Pop ever made. Hell, he’s better.
When he starts to thrust between my lips, fucking my throat with abandon, I cup his balls and roll them around in my hand.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” he moans, his hands fisting in my hair. “I’m gonna come down that pretty throat of yours. You ready, babe?”
I slide off his cock, keeping only his tip between my lips, and nod. Just as his body jerks, I slam back down, and he explodes.
Poker stills after several seconds, and I swallow every last drop of him before releasing his dick and moving back to curl into his side.
“I love being a lollipop,” he says seriously.
I burst into laughter, and he quickly joins me.
“I love licking them,” I tease.
We lie there for a while, neither of us speaking. Simply being with each other is enough. I don’t know how much time passes, but at some point, both our phones ding with a notification. Mine is on my nightstand, and his is in his cut.
Both of us retrieve our devices, and a second later, I’m frozen, and Poker is muttering a string of curse words.
Unknown: M&P- You will pay. -S