Chapter 22
KIT
Heavy rock Christmas music meets our ears as we descend the stairs, along with deep male laughter and the higher-pitched giggle of my Libi. The sound has warmth spreading through my chest, since this is the first time I’ve heard her giggle after getting her back from that Serpent fucker.
My little girl won’t be the same. I fucking hate that thought. I know trauma all too well, and the idea that she feels so terrified all the time makes me want to kill again. But it’s only been two days since it all happened. I need to give her time. We all just need some fucking time.
As we near the bottom of the stairs, my attention gets dragged back to Bell as she tries to pull her hand free from mine, her feet stalling as she stares at the entrance to the living room.
“I’m not letting you go,” I remind her, and I wonder if she gets the double meaning to it.
“Libi doesn’t need to see us holding hands,” Bell whispers as she halts on the second bottom step.
Fuck. The bruising on the side of her face is darker today. It’s really fucking hard to look at, reminding me of her cracked rib.
Fuck. Was I too rough with her when I fucked her just before? Should I have even done that? What about her sobriety? Should I back off until she’s seen a therapist?
I don’t know the answers to any of this, and fuck, I’ll do anything to help her, which includes keeping her safe. Here with me.
“Libi already knows that I like holding hands with you.” I force my grin, and Bell’s dark brows shoot up.
“You told her?”
“I did. I thought she should know why you will be sleeping in my room from now on.”
This time, Bell rolls her eyes.
“I have my own room. You just fucked me in it.”
Nodding, I lean close, bringing us nose to nose.
“I fucked you in the guest room, and since you are no longer a guest, you have to give that room up so a couple of my team members can crash in it.”
As I ease back, a deep frown tugs at her brows, but before she can protest, Libi bounds out into the hall, spotting us.
“Bell! You’re up! Come look!”
With one last slanted glare at me, Bell turns her attention to my daughter, shaking off my hand to take hers as she is dragged into the living room.
Following behind, I hear Bell gasp before she swings back to look at me.
“You found a black Christmas tree?”
“I did.” I nod proudly. “And the guys found the perfect decorations to match Libi’s instructions.”
“Isn’t it pretty?” Libi beams up at Bell before tugging on her hand to bring her closer. “See, there are little skeletons, and skulls, and black baubles…”
“You know, mate, she asked me to tell Santa to wear a black Santa suit next year.”
My eyes snap up to where Wes is smirking next to me.
“A fucking black Santa suit? Where the hell am I going to get that?”
Wes chuckles. “Fucked if I know, but I told her Santa would absolutely do that, so you have a year to figure that shit out.”
I knuckle punch his bandaged arm, and he hisses, holding his wound as his face turns red.
“Fucking uncalled for.”
“Why would you tell her that?” I snap. “Now I’ll need to find someone to fucking make it.”
“Don’t act like it’s a bad fucking idea, mate.” Wes smirks and wags his brows. “I bet Bell will enjoy the suit just as much… Santa.”
I try to swing another punch at his arm, but he dodges it, cackling like a fucking idiot, right as the front door swings open.
“Did someone say it’s Christmas?”
I don’t look behind me at the sound of my sister’s voice. I already knew she was coming. Instead, I keep my eyes trained on the two girls who have my heart.
Libi and Bell.
They spin with wide eyes, never looking more like mother and daughter, even though they aren’t even related.
“Tillie!” Libi screeches over the thump of Spinal Tap’s, Christmas with the Devil, while Bell’s smile lights up her whole face.
I still don’t look at my sister as Libi rushes past me to go to her aunt. I can’t. The sight of Bell happy is just too stunning, even with the bruising on her temple.
As she steps closer, her dark eyes shift from Tillie and Liberty’s reunion to me, and even as that smile remains on her face, her brows shoot up.
“Aren’t you going to say hi to your sister?” she asks quietly, but I shake my head.
“I’m too busy committing that beautiful smile to memory. Tills can wait.”
Bell’s face softens, and her cheeks flush red, and fuck, did I just make Bellicent Bishop blush, again?
“Stop,” she whispers, drawing closer, but not close enough, so I quickly grab her, and gently tug her to my chest.
“I’ll never stop loving you.”
She snorts and rolls her eyes, trying to pull free, but I trap her against my chest, pressing my forehead to hers.
“Did you just fucking snort at me?”
“This thing between us has been a thing for like two minutes. You don’t love me, Kit.”
“You’re wrong, Bell. We’ve known each other for years, and I now realise that I’ve loved you the whole fucking time. I was just too chickenshit to admit it.”
Her plump lips part, but they snap shut again as she struggles to come up with a response.
“Do you know how many times I tried to get this to happen?” Tillie asks suddenly from beside us, and we both turn our heads to see my sister holding Libi in her arms, both of their smiles wide.
“All the sleepovers. Me going to work an hour early when we were still in school, just so you two would be left alone, and you’d have to drive her places. ”
My brows shoot up at Tillie’s admission. “I thought you said you’d de-ball me if—”
“What’s de-ball mean?” Libi asks, and a giggle bursts from Tillie’s lips.
“I don’t know, Libs. Your dad says weird stuff sometimes.”
Bell snorts again, and Libi nods.
“He says weird stuff aaallll the time,” Libi agrees.
“Were you really snowed in?” Bell asks my sister, and Tillie sighs, easing Libi down off her hip.
“Yes. That was totally unplanned. But it seems like the universe wanted the two of you to realise you were made for each other just as much as me.”
“It was Santa!” Libi screeches. “He must have gotten my letter. He gave me what I asked for.”
Libi bounces excitedly on the spot, those big doe eyes bright as they jump between me and Bell.
“And what was that?” I ask my little girl, watching her smile grow.
“To bring me a new mummy that would make my daddy smile.” She giggles and claps while jumping up and down. “He gave us Bell!”
Fuck… my cold black heart melts completely at Libi’s words, and my gaze darts to Bell for her reaction, but nothing about the warm smile she offers my daughter tells me she’s uncomfortable with the idea.
“I guess I’ll have to thank Santa for that.” Bell smirks, and Libi nods enthusiastically.
“Yes!” Libi cheers, clapping. “Santa loves hugs!”
I can’t fucking help myself. I give Bell another gentle squeeze, making sure she can feel the growing bulge in my shorts as I press my lips to her ear.
“You can thank Santa by wearing the open mouth gag and letting him fuck that tight throat of yours again.”
I’m expecting her to pull away and slap me, but she fucking leans in and nods against my ear.
“Did someone say lunch is ready?” Tillie suddenly bursts out, hurrying for the hallway dragging my daughter behind her, already knowing I’m about to kiss her best friend.
By the time I hear Libi giggling in the next room and the heavy steps of my men following, I have my tongue in Bell’s mouth as she sucks on it, and my hands fisted in her hair as we both fight for control.
We kiss for so long, the hard rod of my cock feels like the skin will split at any moment, but then Bell stops abruptly, her breathy voice drawing my attention.
“You planning on watching the whole event?”
Dragging my heavy lids open, I find Bell staring to the side at my best mate Wes sitting in the armchair, casually watching us dry hump up against the back of the couch.
“I’d rather join in.”
Bell’s brows shoot up, and I chuckle at their exchange.
“He’s the one I said I’d share you with,” I remind her, and those dark orbs flick back to me.
“I thought…”
When she frowns and stiffens in my arms, I realise I’ve fucked up. The only problem is I don’t know how exactly.
“You thought what?”
“Never mind.” She tries to pull away, but once again I keep her trapped in my arms.
“I do mind.” I growl. “Very fucking much. Tell me.”
For a long few beats, Bell just stares at me, and I swear I see a thousand different emotions flicker in her eyes. I should tell Wes to leave, but clearly this has something to do with him.
“Bell. Talk to me. Yell at me. Tell me what I’ve done wrong.”
Her lips part as she shoots a look in Wes’s direction before coming back to me.
“I thought you wanted to keep me,” she whispers, and fuck, my heart cracks as it sinks.
“I fucking do.”
“But you want to share me? That’s normally stuff guys do before they ditch me. Tell a girl what they want to hear just to get what they want, and then leave, like her purpose has been met.”
“Bellicent, fuck. That’s not what’s happening here. I thought you’d enjoy it. Being consumed by two guys at once. Two guys that you can trust completely. But we don’t have to.” I shake my head as I cup her face, hoping she hears the honesty in my voice. “I just want to make you happy.”
She stares at me for a long moment, and even though her eyes glaze over, no tears fall.
“Happiness is a foreign concept to me.”
Fuck if those words aren’t heartbreaking.
“Not anymore, Bells.”
“You fuckers are making me wanna off myself, not get hard. What sort of show is this?”
At the sound of Wes’s voice, Bell finally relaxes, a slight smirk tugging at her lips.
“Do you like to watch?” she asks me, and fuck, I nod quickly. “Good. Give me a few more days to recover, and then I’ll show you how I got the name, The Seduction Slayer.”
My lips spread wide. “Deal. But if you call it my room, and not our room one more time, breath play is off the table for a month.”
She gasps, shoving me back, and I stumble, my cock tenting my shorts.
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“I fucking would, and you know it.” I rearrange my cock, ignoring the way Wes laughs at my expense. “It’s our room. And this is our house.”
“I live in Melbourne.”
“Not anymore. Now you live here.”
She rolls her eyes. “My work is in Melbourne.”
I shrug. “There are predators that need killing in Sydney, Bell. A fucking lot of them.”
“He’s right.” Wes stands from the armchair, pointing at Bell. “You’re needed here. And not just to ride his face.”
When Bell drags her gaze from my best mate back to me, I see the resolve wash over her even before she nods.
“Fine. I’ll move here. I’ll call this place mine, but under one condition.”
“Anything,” I agree, and her smirk turns sinister.
“Rhonda must die. That bitch of a woman doesn’t deserve Libi. And she never fucking deserved you. Kill her, and we have a deal.”
Wes chuckles, clapping me on the shoulder on the way past. “You may as well tell her now.”
“Tell me what?” Bell snaps, her dark brows hitching.
“We killed the leader of the Serpents and some of his men two nights ago. We also discovered a handful of women in the back shed of the house he took you to. They were drugged up and being trafficked. My team put them into protective care where they will get the treatment they need to withdraw and recover, but that comes at a cost.”
Cocking her hip, Bell wraps her arms over her chest. “Which is?”
“We owe them a blood debt. In order to stop a full-blown war igniting between us and them, I have agreed to hand over someone. The same someone that started all of this.”
“Rhonda,” Bell whispers, her arms falling to her sides. “Will they kill her?”
“Most likely. But they may do unthinkable things to her first.”
Slowly, my woman smiles like the cat that got the fucking cream.
“Good. Because that man had plans for Libi. Unimaginable plans that we will never discuss.” Bell’s lip curls in disdain. “Any mother who can treat their child like a bargaining chip, putting them in unspeakable danger, deserves everything the Serpents will give her.”
Fuck. I already know that, but the fact this woman before me feels the same way. So protective of a little girl that isn’t her blood just reconfirms Bell is my fucking soulmate.