14 – Ciara
“ A h, girl, there is a big scary biker in the hall asking for you.”
My head whips up from the book I was trying very hard to study to see Paulie standing in front of me, his eyes wide, a slight smirk on his face. He’s not even in this class, so the fact that he’s here means that what he’s saying is true. My eyes dart to Gerard, who is watching Paulie deliver his message, concern on his face.
“Spike?” I whisper.
“Yep. Oh, man, seeing that guy never gets old. I have shivers.”
Lord.
Pushing to my feet, I tell Gerard I’ll be right back and leave.
He can’t really stop me from leaving, considering I’m a grown ass adult.
Not that I think he would.
Stepping outside of the classroom, I see Spike standing in the hall, arms crossed over his chest, watching the students walking past him, some of their mouths slightly agape. Oh man. This is really happening. He has chosen now to come in here and do what exactly? Say sorry? Break up with me? Tell me some horrible news? I don’t know, but when his eyes swing to mine, I pause, and my body stiffens as my breath gets stuck in my throat.
God he’s beautiful.
I have missed him so damn much.
He uncrosses his arms and strides toward me. Paulie literally squeaks beside me, and it takes everything for me not to elbow him. He’s acting like a love-struck teenager. When Spike comes to a stop, he doesn’t speak—instead, his hand reaches out and curls around the back of my neck as he pulls me forward, crushing his lips down over mine.
Paulie cries out, then claps, but I’ve lost focus on anyone but Spike.
His hot mouth.
The comfort of his body against mine.
I melt into him.
When he pulls back, his hand slides around to my chin and he tips my head back. “I fucked up. No other words. Just simple. I won’t do it again. You and those kids are the reason I breathe, and if I ever made you feel like you weren’t, then I’m so fuckin’ sorry, baby.”
I swallow the lump in my throat. “You hurt me.”
“I know that, and it won’t happen again.”
“The club?”
“It’s fixed.”
I could sigh with relief.
“Made a mistake doin’ what I was doin’ but I was strugglin’. Should have told you, and I didn’t. That won’t happen again either. Forgive me?”
“Oh, lord, forgive him, girl,” Paulie shrieks.
Spike moves his eyes from mine to Paulie’s and stares at him for a minute, his face slightly twisted in disgust, then he’s focused back on me. I try not to laugh. Paulie will grow on him; I know he will.
“I guess I can forgive you, in time.” I grin up at Spike, and his face breaks out into that smile I have missed so damn much.
“I’ll take it.”
He kisses me again and we’re interrupted by the clearing of a throat. Pulling back, I see Gerard standing at the door to his classroom, giving us a look that tells me he is less than impressed by our public display of affection. Spike gives him a once over before looking down at me and offering me a lazy half grin. “I’ll be waiting for you to finish.”
Paulie fans himself, and I let my hand lash out and slap him.
Bloody devil.
“I can’t wait,” I murmur.
Spike disappears, and I turn to face Gerard. “So sorry.”
He nods but doesn’t say anything more.
I rush back into class, giddy as I finish up the lesson. I haven’t seen Spike like that in so long, it makes my heart swell and my soul feel a little calmer. Maybe things will work out after all. If I can just find out what happened to Alyssa, then I’ll be able to finish things up and focus back on the very thing I came here for ... Becoming a nurse.
Once I’ve finished my lessons for the day, I head out and back toward my room. Spike is waiting as he said he would be, leaning against a pole, his arms crossed, dark sunglasses on, watching me nearing. My stomach does a flip flop, and I can’t help the silly smile that stretches across my face as I come to a stop in front of him.
“Let’s go before my dick busts out my jeans and I fuck you right here on campus,” he growls.
Oh.
Well then.
“Maybe I want to make you wait,” I tease.
Leaning down, he scoops me up and throws me over his shoulder. My giggles trail out as he walks me inside, only pausing for me to use my pass on the locks. The moment we’re in my room, he kicks the door closed, tosses me down on the bed, and brings his body over mine. The smell of leather, and him, makes everything inside me roar to life. I lift my head, pressing my lips to his and kissing him deep and hard.
His tongue dances with mine as my fingers glide up and over his arms, stretching out across his back as I press him down into me, spreading my legs wide as he grinds his dick against me, causing a gasp to leave my mouth. Curling my fingers into his hair, I tug, pulling his lips from mine so I can see his eyes. “I want you in my mouth.”
A low growl leaves his throat.
Then he’s off me in seconds, standing before me, his powerful body panting with lust as he tugs as his jacket, dropping it to the floor before removing the rest of his clothes until he’s standing before me, gloriously naked. His huge form is impressive, no matter how often I’ve looked at him standing in front of me like this. His muscled form is powerful as he steps toward me, flexing as he does.
His cock stands up, hard and thick, and as he curls his hand around it, my body burns for him.
I love watching him work it as he moves toward me, gliding his hand up and down, squeezing and pulling until he stops in front of me. I’m sitting on the edge of the bed, staring up at him through my lashes. Licking my lips, I reach out and curl my hand around the hard length, shuffling forward and lowering my mouth over him. He isn’t wearing his spikes, but the piercings still tickle my lips as I slide them up and down, taking him as deep as I can.
His hands are in my hair, his body is tight, and every now and then a pleasured growl leaves his throat.
It’s fucking incredible.
Moving my fingers down between my legs, I find my aching clit and rub as need builds inside me. With every moan against his dick, he lets out a feral hiss. I know he likes the feeling of it traveling through his flesh, and I love the way it swells in my mouth every time I do it.
“If you keep suckin’ me like that, I won’t be inside you, and I need to be inside you.”
Without giving me a chance to argue, his dick pops from my mouth and he leans down, hauling me up against him. His fingers bite into my backside as he brings his mouth down to mine, and then we’re frantic. We’re all hands and desperate grip as he removes my clothes and lifts me up, my legs around his hips.
Pushing me against the wall, he enters me with one hard thrust, making me groan as I stretch around him. Clutching his shoulders, my head drops back into the wall as he fucks me with a ferocity I have so missed. It’s wild and passionate, free of any restraint. He drives his cock in and out until I’m screaming with pleasure, not caring that everyone else might be able to hear.
When we find our release, it’s together, and it’s fucking exceptional.
Dropping my forehead to his, I try to steady my ragged breathing as I hold his gaze, staring at him for a long moment and realizing just how much I’ve missed him. He pulls me closer to him, wrapping his arms around me, and I know in that moment, he’s telling me the same. Spike is my soulmate, on a level I can’t explain. He’s everything and more.
I don’t think I could ever be myself in a world without him.
And that scares me.
“TELL ME EVERYTHING ,” Paulie orders as we drive toward the restaurant Alyssa was in to see if we can get answers. “I want to know every filthy detail, leave nothing out.”
Halo smirks in the back seat, and I know Paulie is growing on her, too.
He really has that effect on people.
“I’m not telling you shit.” I laugh, curling my fingers around the steering wheel and focusing on the road. “Just know it was epic.”
He squeals and then slams his hands onto the dash. “I’m so jealous. I want a man to throw me over his shoulder and do wicked things with me.”
Halo giggles.
“Trust me, he brings his fair amount of problems,” I point out.
I don’t mean it, though. I’d take all the problems and more when it comes to Spike. I love him in a way that’s terrifying. Knowing that things are better between us heals something inside me. I don’t like a world where we aren’t perfect.
He has gone back home to be with the kids, and I’ll return tomorrow, then we’re going to work on figuring this out so that I can get back on with my normal life. I know the police are going to come knocking again soon, mostly because they have zero other suspects. Whoever Alyssa was seeing, she kept him well hidden because nobody seems to know who he is.
Even the police.
Arriving at the restaurant, we find a park and then make our way in. I can see why they came here. It is surrounded by beautiful gardens, with paths that wind through, flowers blooming in full color and tables in multiple different locations that you can sit and enjoy the crisp sunshine and fresh air. The inside is just as nice, with rustic wooden booths, warm lighting, and soft music.
It’s gorgeous.
“Can I help you today?”
A woman in her early twenties with slicked back blond hair and a bright smile greets us.
“Hi, we were wondering if you could help us by telling us if you might remember this girl coming in here?”
Halo is straight to the point, and she turns her phone around to show the girl a picture. She takes the phone, studying it for a minute, then looks back up at us. “I don’t, but I’m only new here. My friend works most days, I’ll get him.”
“Thank you.”
She turns and we wait patiently as she goes and gets her colleague and returns with him by her side. He’s around Paulie’s age and has a boy next door smile and scruffy brown hair. His eyes are as light as the sky and a scattering of freckles across his nose gives him a boyish charm that is hard to ignore.
“I’m Gray. Can I help you?”
Paulie nudges me with his shoulder, and I glance at him as Halo asks Gray the same question. Paulie fans himself and then nods at Gray. I smother a smile and shake my head, before focusing back on the conversation.
“Oh, I remember her alright.”
My eyes widen and my heart skips a beat. “You do?”
Gray nods. “That day they caused such a scene. They came in all happy and lovey, had some lunch and took photos, and then this argument broke out. I don’t know what it was about, but he was yelling at her and telling her that he couldn’t keep doing this, that she was too much, and he wasn’t ever going to give her what she wanted. There were a lot of tears, and then she stormed out.”
Halo glances at me, her eyes sad.
“Do you happen to remember what he looked like?” I ask.
Gray thinks on it. “To be honest, not really. I remember he had dark hair, but that was about it.”
“Did she say a name? Do you have a booking?” Halo questions.
Gray nods. “Let me check.”
He flicks through the bookings in a large book at the front counter and runs his finger down the page. “This was them, Alice and George.”
I frown. Fake names. Of course they were using fake names, they didn’t want anyone to know who they were.
Fuck.
“Was there anything else that stood out, anything at all?” Paulie asks, smiling as he leans against the counter staring at Gray.
“He was really cold to her when she started getting upset. She was crying, and he just kept yelling at her and telling her to calm down, but he showed no compassion at all. It was like he was ashamed of her and just wanted to get her out of there. He kept pulling and urging her to leave.”
Because he didn’t want anyone to recognize him.
It’s something, but it’s just not enough.
No name, no defining features, it feels like we’re back to square one.
Still, I guess at the very least we are on the right track.
We thank Gray and leave, heading back to campus. Once we arrive, we go our separate ways, and I go to my room to gather my things to head home. I want to make it before the kids go to bed. I miss them like crazy.
Unlocking my door, I step inside and gather my things, then I head straight back to my car. I’m gone for no more than half an hour, but something has changed. I know it the second I get closer and see the slip of paper under my windshield wiper. My heart skips a beat as I rush over, pulling it out to reveal a note. Opening, I read the messily scrawled words inside.
You will never be her. She deserved to live. You deserve to die.
What the hell?
My heart skips a beat as I frantically look around, hoping to see something, but the place is empty. Nobody is here. I’m the only one in the parking lot. The letter doesn’t make sense to me. I didn’t kill Alyssa, and even if I did, why would I want to be her? It’s almost as if they think I took her from them because of jealousy.
It just doesn’t make sense.
I’m missing something, I know it.
Heart racing, I get into my car and start it.
Then, I pull out, desperate to get home.
The campus road leads straight out of town and being a quiet day, I get out as quickly as I can. I’m distracted, which is probably why I don’t notice that my brakes feel a little sluggish. It’s only when I go to slow down at a stop sign that I realize my car isn’t slowing the way it should. My heart leaps into my throat as I slam my foot on the brake, over and over, but the car isn’t slowing down.
I’m getting closer to pulling out onto a busy highway and if I don’t stop, I’ll probably die.
A fear unlike anything I’ve ever felt rips through me as I continue to try and slow down, but nothing is working. Making a split-second decision, my babies faces flashing through my mind, I turn the car toward the side of the road at the same time I pull on the handbrake. A frantic yelp escapes my mouth as the car screeches, the tires locking as it spins out of control.
There is nothing I can do but hang on.
My car plummets off the side of the road and slams into a tree, sending me hurtling forward. My head bounces off the steering wheel, and I cry out as pain explodes in my head just as the airbag is released and pushes me back. Head spinning, it takes me a moment to realize what has just happened. My brakes stopped working. They stopped working, and I had an accident.
Blood trickles down my forehead as I try to gather myself, pushing the airbag out of the way and shoving the door open. My head spins a little, and I’m not certain it’s a good idea for me to move, but I have to get out of this car. By the time I have the door open, a man has rushed down and is desperately shoving the airbag away to help me out.
“Ma’am, are you okay?”
“I ... I don’t know,” I croak, my feet hitting the ground as I try to stand, only to tumble into the man’s arms.
“Whoa, stay still. You could be injured. I’m calling for help. Please don’t move.”
He helps me sit on a small fallen log on the side of the road and then he calls for help. A few other people have stopped, but I’m not paying attention. I’m trying to figure out what the hell just happened. One minute I was driving, the next my brakes weren’t working. How do brakes just stop working? It doesn’t make any sense.
“They’re on their way,” the man tells me. “Are you okay?”
“I think so,” I murmur. “My brakes stopped working ...”
Frowning, the man offers to take a look for me. He tells me he was a mechanic when he was younger and goes over to the car which is smooshed against the tree. He can’t get under the hood, for obvious reasons, but he does manage to maneuver around to check. When he returns, his brow is furrowed. “Someone cut your brake line.”
My eyes widen and my heart skips a beat. Did I just hear correctly? He said someone cut my brake line. I don’t understand.
“I ...What?” I whisper.
“The line is cut. You could have been killed.”
Staring down at my trembling hands, I think about the note on my car. Someone cut the line because someone wanted me to crash this car and die. This isn’t just stalking anymore, this is serious. Someone is actually trying to hurt me. Someone wants revenge for a situation that I had nothing to do with, and it doesn’t matter what I do, I can’t seem to fix it.
“The brakes were working for a bit ...” I whisper, looking up at the man.
“The liquid would have slowly come out with each push on your brake, and eventually, they just stop working.”
This is so well planned.
Someone wanted me dead, and they very nearly succeeded.