Page 19 of Tattered Souls (Whispering Falls #2)

Garrick

Hearing her say she loved me was better than the sounds she made when I made her come.

Hearing her say she loved me was better than that throaty purr my bike makes when I start it up.

Hell, it’s better than any motor I’ve ever heard.

And yeah, I asked her to say it over and over.

And my woman did it with a smile.

She had just called me about dinner, and what she asked me to stop by the store and pick up.

“Got it. Okay.” I said.

She was quiet before she said, “You still there?”

I chuckled, “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

“Thought we said everything we needed to say,” she said.

I shrugged my shoulders even though she couldn’t see me.

“Then this is where you say, either goodbye so I know you're done telling me whatever it was you wanted to tell me, or just say see you soon.”

She was quiet for a beat, and then she said, “Honey.... I’ll see you soon. I don’t really like the thought of telling you goodbye.”

I grinned up at the axle I was replacing, and said, “Yeah. Like that too.”

I heard her smile through the phone, “Okay, then. See you soon.”

“See you soon, Tink,” and then I hung up the phone and got back to work.

Then I whispered, “That’s three . ”

***

I passed by Oak Hill Apartments and had to force myself not to slam on my brakes.

Because coming out of the building were Tatum, Talia, Lila, Everly, and Harlee.

What. The. Fuck?

I waited until there was a lull at the garage, and then I pulled out my phone and called Talia.

She answered on the second ring, chipper, almost too chipper, “Hey G.”

“Where did y’all go today?” I asked Talia.

She sighed, “Garrick.”

“Where?” I asked.

She sighed again, “We went to look at apartments with Tatum.”

I snapped, “Why?”

Talia whispered, “She feels like she’s smothering you.”

At those words, I realized one thing.

Tatum didn’t know how I felt about her.

But she was fucking about to.

I got back to work. And stewed.

Stewed in a way that clients didn’t want to deal with me.

We had eaten dinner; it was good like always.

She kept asking what was bothering me, and I kept refusing to tell her.

Was it messed up what I planned to do?

Yes.

But like I said... I fight dirty.

I pulled out of her and then slowly pushed in again, stopping halfway, and heard her tiny growl, “Garrick.”

I winked down at her, “Give me the answer I want.”

She shook her head.

I lifted a shoulder. “I can do this all night long, Tink. Be glad too. I like the thought of staying in your tight, perfect pussy for hours and hours.”

She growled again, and then feebly attempted to wrap her heels around the backs of my legs to pull me forward.

I grinned then when I didn’t move.

She cursed, “Big bastard.”

“Give me the answer, Tink. You're not going to take away me falling asleep next to sheer fucking beauty every night and then waking up and being able to thank my lucky fucking stars that I got you next to me when I do.”

I watched as her face softened.

And then I bent my neck and kissed away the tear that fell. “You mean it?”

I nodded. “Never say things I don’t mean, Tink. You know this.”

I did it again, pulling out and gliding back in, but stopping, yes, it was hell on me, and I truly didn’t know how much longer I could hold my dick back.

But finally, finally, she whispered, “Okay.”

I lifted a brow, mockingly, “Okay?”

“If you're sure, then yes.” She said as a slow smile formed on her face.

I grinned, then pulled back out and then slammed deep down inside of her, as she moaned, “So good, Garrick.”

“Plan on you being here for the rest of your life,” I said as I did it again, and again, and again.

My balls were slapping her ass when she moaned, “Need something.”

I knew what she needed.

She was my woman.

I brought my thumb to her clit and started rubbing it in small circles.

Then... it was like a cascade of emotions fell over her.

Her eyes locked with mine as her head fell back, her fingernails dug into my forearms, her thighs clenched around my hips, and I felt her.

Coming for me.

Fucking beautiful.

I slammed in once, twice, and then I stilled as hot jets of my cum filled her up.

I buried my face in the crook of her neck, and I whispered, “Don’t ever take you away from me. You can hit me. Cry. Fight me. Give me all of it, baby. But please don’t ever leave me.”

She whispered, “Okay, Honey.”

I smiled into her neck, “That’s four.”

Tatum

“Where are we going?” I asked as I leaned my weight into his back.

He tilted his head and smirked at me, “It’s a surprise.”

I shook my head. “What is it with you and surprises? You don’t like them, but you love to make them happen.”

I felt his shoulders shrug.

“I’m just me. Take it or leave it.” With those oceanlike colored eyes locked onto mine, I smiled.

Then I nodded.

My father had taught me a lesson. Never trust anyone not to hurt you.

But Garrick had proven over and over that I didn’t need to fear him.

We had been riding for hours, and my legs were getting sore, and my ass was starting to hurt, but that all vanished when I saw the sign.... Myrtle Beach.

I gasped, and then I squealed.

Thankfully, Garrick had full control of the bike, and all he did was laugh.

I’ve never been to the beach.

Ever.

It was something I told him that I wanted to do when we talked about our hopes and dreams.

We stayed for four days.

It had been perfect, the sand between my toes, the hours spent making love.

The women checking Garrick out.

The men checking me out.

Garrick just growled at them, which caused me to laugh.

Something else Garrick had done for me... that was a planned trip in December to take me to the mountains for a week-long getaway, and I couldn’t wait.

And to return the favor... I made one of Garrick’s dreams come true.

I had searched and searched for weeks in secret, and when I told him where we were going and what we were doing, he had taken me into his office and fucked me senseless.

The 1971 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda Convertible was going to be beautiful after they got done with it.

When Dom saw it, he had picked me up and hugged me senseless, and placed a kiss on my cheek.

To which Garrick growled, “Do it again, and I’ll shoot you.”

Garrick

I had just loosened the bolt on my Harley when she came back with two cold beers. She handed me one. I popped the top, then handed it to her, and then I took the second from her.

After I took a pull from the beer, I watched as she walked over to the rolling chair I had bought just for her in the corner of my garage and sat down.

It had to have been a few minutes when she said, “Garrick?”

I looked up from the carburetor and jerked my chin at her.

“Tell me something no one else knows?” she asked.

I looked over at her and winked. “What do you want to know?”

She smiled. “Anything you want to tell me. You know everything about me. And your family probably knows everything about you. But...”

I nodded, then looked out of my garage, and thought about it.

And I knew.

Knew that she was it for me. And like I said, if she ever tried to leave me, I was going to fight dirty.

That was why I took in a breath, and then looked back at her, stood up, and walked over to where she was sitting.

I knelt right in front of her and said, “I need your eyes when I tell you this, okay?”

She set her beer down on the floor and then gave me her undivided attention.

Those sable eyes showing me everything that words couldn’t explain.

I swallowed. “When we were younger, Dad used to take us all out hunting. Deer. I was pretty good at it. Anyway, I had stayed late at school for tutoring. Dad was running late. So, I sat down on the steps and waited. It had to have been five minutes or so when I heard something. Something that didn’t belong. ”

I swallowed.

“It was a little girl’s voice screaming and then silence. At first, I thought nothing about it. Until I heard her scream the word stop. Yeah, she could have been playing with someone. But that wasn’t the sound of a girl playing with someone. That was fear.”

“I got up and crept across the street to the row of houses across the street. I heard it again; the moment I got closer to it. And then, when I was right outside a cracked window, I heard, ‘ Scream all you want. No one is going to come and help you. No one is going to help a whore’s daughter’ .”

Those sable eyes of hers never left mine as I told her the story.

Sure, they shimmered with unshed tears, knowing where this story was going.

“I checked the door and found that it was unlocked. The man really didn’t give a shit.

I opened it, saw a hunting-style type knife on the mantle.

Tagged it, and then I crept toward the sound.

And when I saw him, a man in his fucking forties, on top of a young girl who I knew was only a year younger than me, I moved, and I blacked out. ”

I watched as a tear fell unbidden down her cheek. I brought my thumb up and brushed it away.

“When I came to, the girl was cowering in the corner. I had the knife in my hand, and the man was dead.”

She swallowed, leaned forward, and pressed a kiss on my forehead.

“The girl’s mom came home not even two minutes after it all happened. And when she saw me, the knife, the dead man, and her daughter curled up in the corner with her panties hanging around an ankle, she looked at me, and I’ll never forget what she said.”

“Thank you. For protecting my daughter when I failed to do it.”

“She took the knife from my hand and told me to leave. I did.”

“Thankfully, Dom and his mom lived a few houses down at the time. So, I went there. Dom asked me where the blood came from that was on my hands. Told him I beat a man who was trying to take an older woman’s purse.”

“My dad showed up after I had cleaned myself off. And I never told a soul.” I swallowed.

“My family and I attended the funeral. It broke something inside of me that no one else had shown up for his funeral. For the two of them.”

“Where is she now?” she asked.

I smiled then. “She’s actually happily married, with two kids. She lives in Clover Valley. I text her once a year to check in on her.”

“I have one more question,” she said.

I lifted a brow, waiting.

“Where is he buried?” she asked.

My brows furrowed, “Why?”

“So, I can spit on his grave,” she said.

And at her words, my head fell back, and I laughed.