Braxton
Chapter fifteen
It’s been three days, and no word from Nik.
Vanessa has been a mess, not that anyone could blame her.
Every night she sleeps in my bed, but we do nothing more than sleep.
At least we try. Vanessa tosses and turns all night, and sometimes I feel her shaking as she tries to cry quietly so she doesn’t wake me.
Each time that happens, I put my arms around her, and she allows me to pull her into my chest. I hold her until the crying subsides, and she falls back asleep for a couple hours at most. I’ve never seen this side of her.
She’s near despondent with each hour that passes without word from Nik.
I have half a mind to call him myself and demand to know where he’s at with the information she gave him, but Ozzy would chew my ass out if I did that.
The club wants Sokolov and Russ found too, but it’s probably not a good idea to rush the head of the Bratva. Plus, I believe Nik will call us when he’s exhausted every possible lead we gave him.
Vanessa was worried that all the old ladies she’d made friends with would hate her after finding out about what she did.
Honestly, I was a little worried about it too.
One thing about my brother’s women is they are fiercely protective of their men.
Deadly, even. And it’s no secret that Lucy in particular is tough as nails and not what I would consider the forgiving type.
Color me shocked when we got back from New York and the girls showed up at the clubhouse, and it was Lucy who walked straight up to Vanessa and wrapped her in a hug.
It may have been a different story if Jude was with me that day in Boston, but Lucy said she understood about making impossible choices when your life and the lives of people you loved were on the line.
Then she took Vanessa outside and shot some shit up.
Very on brand for Jude’s woman. They’ve even played a few games of pool since Lucy swears that Vanessa is the only one who can match her in the skill department, much to Jude’s irritation.
Of course, anytime Lucy lost a game, she blamed it on her stomach being in the way. Also very on brand for Lucy.
Cece has been here every day, and the women have formed a close bond.
All the old ladies have actually been great.
Cece is a constant these days, and the rest of the women filter in and out of the clubhouse depending on their schedules.
Going from being worried that Vanessa would be ostracized to watching these women form a tight circle around her has been comforting for both of us, especially for Vanessa.
It’s late and everyone has finally left. It’s almost as though everyone wants to stay well into the night just in case we get a phone call and need to get to New York or wherever.
Vanessa and I slip under the covers, and she’s on her side facing me. Her eyes are exhausted, but it doesn’t matter how tired she is; I know sleep still won’t come easily for her.
“What’s going to happen when we find my sister and mom?” she asks in a whisper.
I fucking love that she says when, not if. It shows me that even though she’s scared beyond measure, she still has hope, and she needs to hold on to that for dear life. We don’t know how long this is going to take, but there’s no way in hell any of us will be giving up until we find them.
“Well,” I start, turning on my side to face her.
“I figure you’ll want a house where your mom and sister will feel safe.
So we’ll start looking as soon as they’re back.
Twelve-year-old girls probably want to pick out their own room and all the shit that goes in them, so it’s important to have her input. ”
Not that I know much about girls Noel’s age, but Barrett has a daughter and he bragged for weeks about how much Syd loved her room and was proud that he could give it to her.
“My mom will want a nice kitchen. Something big and airy. Oh, and yellow—that buttery-soft shade, not one that blinds you when you walk through the door. She always said she wanted a yellow kitchen.”
“She can have whatever kitchen she wants.” I reach my hand out and tuck a piece of her blond hair behind her ear. “I’m pretty handy with home renovations. I helped Cash with his.”
“We’ll also need to find one with a big backyard,” she continues.
“Noel is so damn smart and great with all the science-y things. My mom said on more than one occasion she was afraid Noel was going to blow up the apartment with one of her experiments. She’ll need a space far enough away from the house so my mom doesn’t have a heart attack. ”
“Definitely. That’ll be top priority.”
Vanessa smiles and looks from my lips to my eyes as though she’s considering her next move.
Then she leans toward me and presses her lips to mine.
Her hand runs over my chest and glides up my neck until she reaches the back of my head and curls her fingers in my hair.
She throws her leg over my hips and presses closer into me.
“Vanessa,” I start, breaking the kiss. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to…”
“To what? I don’t feel like I have to do anything, Braxton. But I want to do something that feels normal. Feels like us. I need to feel that for a little bit—to feel something good—because I’m going out of my mind, and I need to feel tethered.”
I exhale a deep breath. “Okay, baby. Whatever you need, I’ve got you.”
My hand moves to the back of her neck, and I pull her in for a kiss. Her mouth opens, and our tongues play and tease. Vanessa lets out a little moan when I press my quickly hardening cock to her center.
“God, you feel so good,” she says as she rolls her hips.
Vanessa pushes me gently so I’m lying on my back, straddling my hips before leaning down for another kiss.
My hands trail up the soft skin of her thighs, over her hips and waist, lifting the loose tank top she wore to bed.
When she sits up, she grabs the hem of the thin tank and whips it over her head, dropping it on the floor next to the bed.
“Fuck, baby. You’re goddamned stunning,” I say as my hands travel over her breasts. I rub my palms over her nipples, gently kneading the perfect flesh.
I sit up and take a nipple in my mouth, looking up at her through my lashes.
Vanessa grabs the back of my head and presses me tighter into her chest as she throws her head back on a moan while I gently twist her other nipple in my fingers.
Her hips begin to writhe against me at a faster pace, rubbing her delicious pussy over me again and again.
“God, you’re going to make me come just like this,” she breathes out.
My girl loves nipple play, and on more than one occasion, it hasn’t taken much more than sucking on her like I am now to push her over the edge. But I want her to explode. I want her to feel so fucking good that there’s no room in her head for any other thoughts, at least for a few minutes.
Moving my hand, I slip it under the front of my boxers and pull my cock out.
Vanessa lifts her hips, and I push her panties to the side.
When she slides down my hard length, I’m so fucking close to coming, I instantly start rubbing her clit to make sure I don’t finish before she does.
We haven’t bothered with condoms since the night at Midnight Rose, and tonight I’m thankful for that.
Not only because feeling her with nothing between us is a heaven I’ve never known before, but because the thought of having to break my mouth away from her feels as though it would take a monumental effort that I simply don’t possess.
I need this connection as badly as she does. She hasn’t initiated anything more than a chaste kiss here and there, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to make her feel like I needed to take it any further if her heart wasn’t in it. But tonight, she needs me in a way I’m more than happy to oblige.
Both of Vanessa’s hands grip my short hair, her fingers tunneling through the longer strands on top. “Oh fuck, Braxton, I’m so close. God, just like that. Right there.”
My mouth doesn’t move from her nipple while she rides me, taking what she needs.
As soon as her pussy starts tightening around my cock and her rapid pants turn into soft whimpers, I know she’s teetering on the brink.
My teeth clamp down on her sweet flesh as my fingers furiously rub her clit.
Seconds later, she throws her head back and lets out a long cry of pleasure, her walls pulsing around me.
I release her nipple and slam my mouth to hers as I come deep inside her, moaning into the kiss.
When Vanessa slows her movements, I break away from her mouth and trail my lips down her neck before placing a light kiss on her reddened nipple then blowing on it. Vanessa giggles before smoothing down the wild strands she was pulling at.
She lifts off me and rearranges her panties while I put the waist of my boxers back in place.
She doesn’t say anything as I pull the blanket back over us and lay my head on my pillow next to her.
My lips brush against hers, and she gives me a small smile as her eyes close.
I watch her drift off to sleep, hopeful that tonight she can get a few hours of peace.
I’m bone tired the next morning when I wake up. Vanessa isn’t in bed, which isn’t unusual. Most likely, she woke up with the sun like she’s been doing, then she busies herself in the kitchen until the rest of us get up to greet the morning.