Chapter 13
Rue
I wake up before Carnage and shuffle to the bathroom for a quick pee.
When I return, I stand at the side of the bed watching him sleep.
He looks so peaceful right now, all his hard edges softened.
I’m really starting to like him, which is probably a dumb thing to do.
What could he possibly see in someone like me beyond any physical attraction?
I shake my head and crawl back into bed, tempted to cuddle in closer, but when my body brushes against his, I can feel his cock. It’s not hard, which is kind of nice. It’s warm and soft.
I pull back the blankets and take in his nudity before sliding lower and gently opening my mouth to draw his cock inside.
I don’t suck at all, I just hold it there, enjoying its weight on my tongue, his scent, and the closeness.
I hope it’s okay since I didn’t ask first. I’ll ask him when he’s awake.
Before long, my eyes grow heavy again and I drift back to sleep.
Mmm, so warm.
My eyelids flutter open as sunlight dapples the room through the curtains. I look up to see Carnage smiling down at me, carding his fingers through my hair.
“Morning,” he says.
“Morming,” I reply, only then realizing his cock is still in my mouth. He immediately begins to stiffen, and I giggle. “Smorry.”
Carnage chuckles. “What a nice way to wake up.”
I slide off his cock, grinning. “You looked so good naked, and I just wanted to feel you in my mouth again. I should have asked if it’s okay.”
His smile warms. “It’s okay. You can do that whenever you like.”
“I will, then.” I glance down at his now-hard cock. “I can take care of that too.”
“Later.” He brushes his thumb over my chin. “I need to use the bathroom, then we should get some breakfast.”
“Who’s cooking today?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know. Probably Ghost. Why?”
“Maybe I could?”
His smile spreads. “You want to cook for us?”
“I do. It’s the least I can do to thank everyone for having me here.”
“You don’t have to repay us.”
“I know, but I want to do something nice. I’m having the best week ever because of you and the guys in this house.”
“Well, I doubt anyone will argue with you. Ghost likes cooking, but I’m sure he’d be happy to take a day off.”
“Cool.” That excites me. Having something productive to do is good. Plus, I bet it’s fun to cook in their big fancy kitchen. Leon never cooked or had anyone do it; we just lived on takeout.
“Ready to get up?” Carnage asks.
“Yes.”
We dress quietly, stealing glances and flashing smiles at each other. I don’t know what Carnage is thinking about, but I’m thinking about sex. There are so many things I still want to do.
As I walk downstairs with Carnage, my thoughts return to what Leon planned for me.
I knew the virgin thing did something for him, but I didn’t know why.
Turns out I was just a bargaining chip to further his criminal activities.
I’m so naive and stupid. No. I shake my head.
Carnage is right. I have to stop beating myself up for my past mistakes and move forward.
Step one: Have more sex with Carnage. All the sex.
Step two: Make a plan for what I’m doing after Leon is taken care of.
I need a notebook and a computer. I can research cities where it might be easier for me to get on my feet. Places I can find a job and a decent apartment that’s affordable.
Carnage loops his hand around mine as he leads me down the hall to the kitchen, and for just a few seconds my heart aches with yearning.
Obviously this is a temporary thing, and it’s not like it’s a relationship, but I kind of feel sad that I’ll have to leave him at some point and will probably never see him again.
“You good?” he asks, clearly picking up on my silence.
“Yes, very. Just thinking about stuff.”
“Just remember, you aren’t alone. You’ve got me and my brothers on your side and that’s really all you need.”
“I know. I was mostly thinking about after that when I don’t have you anymore.”
“One day at a time.”
I nod, putting a smile on my face. The kitchen is empty except for one man sitting at the island sipping a cup of coffee. His head is down and he’s reading some papers. When he looks up, I almost startle from the intensity of his dark gaze and the frown on his face.
His eyes narrow as he focuses on me, then Carnage. “A guest?”
“Hey, Shadow,” Carnage says. “I was gonna bring him to you today to introduce you. That’s what the team meeting this morning is about.”
Oh shit. This is the boss man. Fuck, he’s intimidating.
I’ve never seen hair so dark, and I have to wonder if it’s natural or if he dyes it that color.
His skin is pale and his features are strong, giving him the appearance of a sexy but frightening vampire.
At least, the ones I picture from some of the novels I’ve read.
Carnage puts his arm around my shoulders, pulling me a little closer. “Shadow, this is Rue. He’s my guest for now while I take care of a situation on his behalf.”
“Situation?” Shadow asks, raising an eyebrow.
Carnage turns to me with a tight smile. “Why don’t you go to the rec room and let me catch Shadow up?”
I pull my head back and shake it. “Uh, no. This is about me. I think I have a right to know if I’m getting kicked out or not.”
“Kicked out?” Carnage glances at Shadow. “Why would that happen?”
I gesture to Shadow. “He’s the boss, right? He could tell me to get fucked and handle it on my own.”
“Spicy.” Shadow chuckles. “I like it. I guess I should be used to this by now. Every man who loves one of us has an edge, don’t they?”
Love?
Carnage’s cheeks actually flush with just a tinge of pink as he clears his throat. “Um, boss, Rue’s in a situation and reached out to me for help.”
“What kind of situation?” the borderline-scary man asks.
“I got caught up with a total loser,” I blurt. “Abusive, a criminal, and the worst part is he sold me to a guy and a bunch of friends to have sex with me. Against my will, obviously.”
Shadow’s face goes blank, and he blinks several times before his expression morphs into one of what I can only describe as rage.
“He what? He let people rape you?”
“No,” I say, my voice shaking. “He was organizing it, but Carnage got me out before it could happen. I knew it was coming, kind of, and I saw Carnage out one night and he just looked like someone who could help me.”
“So I kidnapped him.” Carnage grins proudly. “I spoke with Leon, the asshole behind this, and he wants to meet with me tonight to do an exchange.”
“An exchange?” Shadow looks slightly amused now. “He thinks you’re handing Rue over to him?”
“Yep. He’s allegedly bringing money and other men to trade.”
“Disgusting,” Shadow growls. “I assume you have a plan?”
“With your permission to go rogue, I plan to paint the street with his brains.”
My stomach flutters and my cock actually twitches.
Why is this hot? Shouldn’t violence freak me out?
While I sit with that thought for a minute, my mind helpfully provides images of Leon on his knees, all bloodied and beaten, begging Carnage to let him live, but Carnage shakes his head and delivers the final blow.
My whole body flushes with heat and I have to bite my lip to keep from moaning out loud. That’s interesting.
When I blink, Carnage and Shadow are both watching me. “What? Did I miss something?”
Shadow chuckles, sipping his coffee.
“You okay?” Carnage asks.
“Very.”
“Do what you must,” Shadow says. “I don’t give a fuck about ending one more predator in this city. I know you’ll handle it discreetly.”
“Well, eventually. First I’m going to make him bleed, scream, and beg me for death, and before he takes his final breath, I’ll make him apologize to Rue.”
Okay, yeah, definitely hot.
“Sounds like you already have a plan,” Shadow says. “What’s the meeting about?”
“Never done something like this before. I have to give Leon the sense that he’s gonna get Rue back so I can get to the other men he has and make sure no one innocent gets hurt.”
Then I remember something I overheard once. “Wait. There’s an apartment building he talks about a lot. Um…” I tap my fingers on the island. “Lake Breeze, I think it’s called. Does that sound familiar?”
“Fuck,” Carnage mumbles. “We’re well aware of Lake Breeze. It’s basically a slum where there’s all kinds of shady stuff going on. We don’t even go over there if we can avoid it.”
“I don’t know what he does there or if that’s where he keeps other people, but he’s mentioned it a lot when he’s been talking to his guys.”
“It’s a good thing you heard that,” Carnage says, rubbing my shoulder.
One of the guys shuffles into the room, glancing around. I think it’s Ghost, but their names are still a little confusing to me.
“I’m gonna cook,” he says.
“Oh, Rue wanted to,” Carnage says. “If you don’t mind.”
Maybe Ghost grins wide. “Hell yeah. You can cook?”
I nod. “I love cooking. Ghost, right?”
“That’s me.” He pours himself a cup of coffee. “Have at it, Rue.”
He leaves again and I turn around to take in the spacious kitchen. “I’ll get started.”
“Everything you might need is in the fridge or the pantry,” Shadow says.
“Thank you.”
I get busy, deciding to make a quiche after finding all the necessary ingredients.
I’ll cheat and use a biscuit crust since they have several cans of biscuit dough.
While I mix the eggs and chop veggies, Carnage slides up next to me and puts a plate of sliced banana and a cup of coffee on the counter next to me.
“Figured you could use a little snack while you cook.”
“You remembered I like bananas.”
“Yes. They aren’t super ripe. Phantom always buys them when they’re still a little green so they don’t go bad quickly.”
My face lights up. “That’s the way I like them best. They have almost a little snap to them.”
He chuckles. “Whatever you like.”
“Do you like bananas?”
“Sure.” He shrugs. “I’m not a picky eater.”
“I am. Well, not picky, just—”
“Textures.”