25. Be the Storm

25 BE THE STORM

Koen

“You have to be quiet, Angel. Your pleasure is for my ears only.” I added a second finger, pumping them in and out of her pussy slowly.

We’d been too exhausted and a little too drunk last night for me to enjoy my wife properly. But when I woke up this morning to her naked ass grinding against my cock, all bets were off.

Unfortunately, we weren’t the only ones who drank like fish. No one was in any shape to drive after that, which meant we had a house full of guests. Guests who had no business listening to my Angel moan.

She was lying on her side in front of me with her leg propped up on mine, opening her wide. While one hand played between her silky thighs, I snaked the other under her body to cup her breast.

“If you keep doing that, everyone on the block will hear me scream your name,” she panted.

I stilled my fingers. “Do you want me to stop? ”

Rocking back, she rubbed against my aching cock. “Don’t you dare.”

“Give me your mouth.”

She turned her head and I captured her lips, driving my tongue in at the same time my fingers began moving again. In and out. Slow and steady. The position didn’t allow for me to deepen the kiss the way I wanted, but it was enough. She was enough.

Pressing my thumb to her clit, I pinched her nipple, drinking down her cries of ecstasy. I brought her close to the edge, backing off right before she could fall.

She pulled away from my mouth. “Koen, please.”

“What do you want, Angel?” I added a twist to my wrist on the next stroke.

“Fuck,” she groaned, then gasped when I found that spot deep inside.

“Such a dirty mouth.” I sucked on the lobe of her ear. “Do you want my cock?”

“Yes.”

“Say it.”

“Fuck me, Koen. Make me yours.”

“You’ve always been mine, Jade, and you always will be.” I bit down on the soft skin where her shoulder met her neck and sucked hard. Marking her. “Ride me.”

Rolling onto my back, I helped her straddle my thighs. She was a vision. Her hair was messy and her skin glistened with sweat, but she’d never looked more beautiful than she did at that moment.

My dick jerked when she swiped her thumb over the sensitive head, gathering the drops of precum which had leaked out. When she put her thumb in her mouth, the last bit of control I was holding on to fled.

Grasping her hips, I grunted, “Put me inside, Jade.”

Wrapping her small hand around my shaft, she held it steady while she slowly lowered herself. Watching her body stretch as she took me inch by inch was the sweetest torture I’d ever experienced. Nothing would ever come close to the intense feelings of love I held for this remarkable woman.

My heart pounded in my chest as my thoughts veered to a dark place. I’d almost lost her. Seconds. If I’d found her seconds later—No! Keaton was right. She was here with me and no number of what-ifs would change those facts. I wouldn’t let them.

Once I was fully sheathed in her warmth, she breathed a ragged sigh. Her sinful chocolate-brown eyes locked on mine and then we moved together. My hands squeezed the flesh of her hips, rolling it between my fingers as I met each of her downward glides with a smooth upward thrust. We set a leisurely pace, neither one of us frantic to find release.

My gaze traveled to her tits as they swayed with our movements. Curling up, I captured a pert nipple between my lips, sucking hard before switching to the other one to do the same.

“Yes,” she moaned, clenching my dick so hard I saw stars.

“Goddamn, Angel. You feel so good.”

Bending my knees, I tightened my grip on her waist and rolled, flipping our position without breaking our intimate connection. Her heels dug into my back as she wrapped her legs around me. The passion building between us exploded into tiny shards of rapture while I drove into her body. Once. Twice. She arched her spine, moaning my name. I held on as long as I could, driving my hips through her orgasm, but the way her pussy milked my cock was too much to bear. Slamming balls deep one last time, I emptied myself inside her.

Not wanting to crush her with my weight, I wrapped her in my arms and collapsed to the side, pulling her with me.

“Love you, Angel.”

“I love you too.”

Pulling a blanket over the top of us, we drifted back to sleep until the sounds of our guests moving around downstairs woke us up for the second time.

“Are you sure this is what she wants?” Keaton asked as we climbed out of my car four days later, stepping onto the parking lot of a seedy motel on the outskirts of town.

“Positive. As much as it burns my gut, she has a plan and I have to let it play out.”

We leaned against the hood of the Camaro, arms crossed over our chests, watching while our contact at the local PD, Detective Shayne Black, pounded her fist on room one oh three. She was accompanied by two uniformed officers. The red-and-blue flashing lights of their cruisers glinted off the dirt covered door.

“Huntington Police Department. Open up.”

Yesterday, Nelson and I turned over all the evidence we found, including a video of both Bill and Trudy Trumble entering a local pawn shop with the stolen jewelry box. They sold off Jade and Jett’s memories of their grandmother for a measly three grand. The hurt they inflicted on the people I love would fade. I’d make damn sure of it. I just hoped the cash was worth their freedom .

When the door finally opened, the Trumbles tried to argue their way out of the mess they’d brought on themselves. In the end, justice prevailed. Even as my heart broke for my Angel and her brother, I took great satisfaction in watching them be led away in handcuffs.

Pulling my phone out of my back pocket, I sent a text.

Me: It’s done.

Angel: Thank you.

“Well, that was rather anticlimactic,” Keaton complained.

“What did you expect? Shayne wasn’t going to let us be a part of her bust.”

“I was there when she arrested the jackass who assaulted Henley and Jade. She must love me more.”

“Maybe, but this one hits a little too close to home.” I pushed off the car, adjusting the sunglasses on my face. “Besides, Jade asked me to let the PD handle it.”

“Smart girl.” He looked at his watch. “I guess we better head back. Lanie should be finished with her debriefing by now.”

Opening the driver’s side door, I slid inside, the engine purring to life when I turned the key.

“I have one more stop to make.”

“Fine by me.” He fastened his seat belt.

Ten minutes later, when we pulled into a parking lot, he eyed me suspiciously but didn’t say a word when I exited the car. Thankfully, Nelson was the best computer geek I knew, so he found what I was looking for in no time flat.

Gravel crunched under my shoes as I moved toward the northwest corner of the small cemetery. I may not have known Gran when she was alive, but from the stories Jade shared, they were a lot alike.

Stepping onto the grass, I located her final resting place with ease. A modest headstone marked the small plot with simple, yet perfect words.

Geraldine Elizabeth Smith

Beloved Wife and Grandmother

Gone Too Soon

I’d only gone to my father’s grave once after his funeral; the day I left California. I had no idea if there was any sort of protocol when visiting the deceased, so I knelt down and spoke from the heart.

“Hi.”

Hi? God, I was an idiot.

Clearing my throat, I started again, “I’m Jade’s husband, Koen. Long story short, we got married out of fear, but I asked her to marry me again because she is my whole world. I love them both more than anything.”

I paused, taking a cleansing breath before forging on.

“I’m not a firm believer in divine intervention, however, I’d like to think you had a hand in keeping her safe until I could get to her. So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. I’ll cherish the time you’ve given us and look forward to meeting you on the other side.”

I pressed my lips to my fingers, then traced them along her name.

“Rest easy, Gran. I’ve got them from here.”

Jad e

No amount of distraction would calm the swarm of butterflies fluttering around in my stomach. Trust me, Koen tried. But even having his talented mouth between my thighs wasn’t enough to unruffle my feathers. My emotions were all over the place. One minute I was so nervous I thought I might be sick, the next I was furious. The only thing I knew for certain was it would be over soon, one way or another.

The fingers of one hand were laced with Koen’s as we climbed the steps leading to the Huntington police station. The other held a thick manila envelope. Yesterday, my parents were arrested, but in a few minutes, they’d have the opportunity to decide their fate.

“You don’t have to do this.” Koen paused in front of the giant glass doors, squeezing my hand.

“Yeah, I do. I’m the only one who can.”

“Are you positive you don’t want me in there?”

“I’m not a hundred-percent sure of anything at the moment.”

I knew it was killing him to stand on the sidelines. His natural instinct was to protect, and here I was, asking him to silently watch while I entered a pit of vipers. It was an impossible situation all around.

“You’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever known, Jade Amber Banks.” I smiled at his use of my new last name. “You’ve got this.”

“I do,” I agreed with more confidence than I was actually feeling.

“I’ll be right on the other side of the one-way glass, so if you give me the word, I’ll be at your side before you can blink.”

“Like a safe word?”

“Fuck.” He shook his head. “You’re gonna make me hard asking about safe words right before we walk into a building full of my colleagues?”

“Sounds like a personal problem,” I quipped.

“It’s gonna be a Jade problem later.”

“Good. Gives me something to look forward to.”

Dropping my hand, he wove his fingers through the hair on either side of my face, gripping the strands while drawing me close until our foreheads touched. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t blink as I stared into his emerald eyes. There was a tempest brewing behind them, which had nothing to do with the cold front moving in. Even as the wind picked up its pace, blowing my dark strands in every direction, we didn’t move. I was mesmerized by the love swirling between us.

“Be the storm, Angel.” He kissed my lips. “Darken their skies. Unleash your fury, but do it without remorse. They deserve to feel every ounce of power you hold in the palm of your hands. Then we get to enjoy what comes after.”

“After?”

“Clear skies.”

He made it sound so simple, and maybe it was. There was only one way to find out. Inhaling through my nose, I blew out a shaky breath.

“Okay. I’m ready.”

“That’s my girl.” With one last peck on my lips, he placed a hand on my lower back, his fingers teasing the top of my ass, and guided us into the station.

You’d have thought with my parents’ criminal history, I’d be well acquainted with the inner workings of a police department, but that was not the case. Up until now, I’d avoided them like the plague. I expected cold and dreary, not bright and lively. There was a low hum of activity as officers shuffled around answering phones or taking statements at one of the desks situated in the middle of the space. The walls were painted light blue in color, giving the wide open space more of a bright, friendly vibe rather than the cold and dreary I expected. It was organized chaos at its finest.

“Koen. Jade.” An older woman greeted us with a half-smile when we reached the back of the room.

“Shayne.” He reached out a hand. “Thank you again for doing this.”

“You can thank the prosecutor. He’s the one who gave the thumbs-up.”

“Angel, you remember Detective Black?”

Her face seemed so familiar, but it wasn’t until he said her name did it register where I knew her from. She was the one who took Henley’s and my statements after we were assaulted a while back.

“Yes, of course.” I swallowed hard. “It’s nice to see you again.”

A hint of sympathy crossed her features before she led us down a long hallway. “I’ll be in the room with you––for safety reasons only. You’re running the show, meaning if you change your mind, we leave. Got it?”

“Yup. I got it.”

“Koen, you can wait in here.” She pointed to an unmarked door. “Please try not to break anything.”

“No promises, Shayne,” he grumbled. “Keep her safe.”

Wrapping me in his arms, he hugged me tight to his chest. “So fucking strong.”

I felt the warmth of his stare long after the detective closed the door behind him.

“Fair warning, they’ve been rather vocal since they were brought in and you’ve been their favorite subject.”

“Lovely. ”

The envelope still clutched in my hand shook as she turned the knob.

Be the storm.

They sat side by side with one wrist shackled to a metal bar, which was bolted to a long table. Their heads snapped up at the sound of the door opening. There was no mistaking the sneer which crossed my mother’s face when she saw me, though it was my father who decided to spew his vitriol first.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

I ignored him, crossing the space with my head held high, feigning an air of confidence I definitely did not feel, even with the detective at my side. The chair scraped noisily against the floor as I pulled it out to sit down. Placing the envelope between us, I tapped my fingers along the edges.

“Are you deaf now as well as stupid? I asked why the fuck you’re here.”

“Whenever you’re ready, Jade,” Detective Black reassured. “Not a second before.”

“I thought we were meeting with our lawyer,” my mother finally chimed in. “Where is he?”

“You mean the lawyer you paid for after you stole property from my house?”

I’d had enough. Part of me hoped they’d feel guilt over their actions for once, but that hope died a quick death with her next words.

“She was my mother, so by rights, those jewels were mine.” My mother slammed her fist against the table. “You’re the thief. You stole them just like you stole our son. But don’t worry, we’re gonna take him back too.”

A loud bang sounded from behind the mirror hanging on the wall. Koen. I needed to move this along before he burst through the door next.

“The two of you will never get close to him again,” I seethed.

“How are you gonna stop us?” Dad laughed.

“With these.” I opened the envelope, drawing out the stack of papers and slapping them down with a thud I felt in my bones.

“Do you really think a bunch of paper is going to keep me from my boy?” He sat forward, leaning his elbows against the table.

“In the interest of saving time, give Jade the chance to explain what all of this means, since neither one of you has the capacity to understand legal jargon.” Detective Black muttered that last part under her breath.

“What does gardening have to do with anything?”

Oh my God. After her ridiculousness in the courtroom, I wondered exactly how many brain cells my mother had left in her skull. The answer was now as clear as day. Apparently not enough.

“Are you sure you weren’t adopted?” The detective cocked her head to the side.

Before I could respond, Dad cut in, “I ain’t agreeing to nothing without my lawyer.”

“Dad, you're looking at the possibility of up to ten years in jail for grand larceny, and Mom could get fifteen for breaking and entering. What I’m offering is the deal of a lifetime, but once I leave this room, I’m not coming back.”

Neither one of them said another word, so I took their silence to mean they were listening. Shuffling the papers to get the one I wanted, I laid it out, then took the pen offered by the detective and sat it on top.

“Sign here and you’ll both only do a year.”

“What’s the catch?”

“These are adoption papers.”

“No way in hell,” Mom huffed.

“Shut up, Trudy. I ain’t cut out for prison.”

“Your rights as parents would be gone forever. Jett would be mine.”

“And how does signing over our kid make the charges go away?”

“The only one that would go away completely is the B&E. The district attorney has agreed to prosecute you both on a lesser charge of petty larceny, which only carries a year sentence.”

My father’s face turned bright red. He’d done a good job concealing the man I knew, but now his true colors were about to shine brighter than a beacon on top of a lighthouse. As a child, I feared his temper, but now it only spurred mine on.

“You ungrateful little bitch. You’ve got some nerve waltzing in here, making demands of the people who put a roof over your head for eighteen years. I should tear these papers up and throw them in your damn face.”

“If that’s how you feel, then good luck being Bubba’s bitch.”

I pushed back from the table and started to stand.

“Wait. I said I should, not that I would.”

“We need to think about this.” Mom slouched in her chair.

“I’m leaving in two minutes.”

My bravado was beginning to fail. I gave them two minutes because in three, I’d beg. They didn’t know it, but there was no way in hell I was walking away without those papers signed, even if it meant dropping all charges. It was something Koen and I argued about the night before. In the end, he understood my conviction.

Sweat dripped down my spine as I anxiously awaited their decision. When my father reached for the pen, I nearly fell to the floor with relief. Twenty seconds was all it took for them to choose their freedom over their child.

Twenty seconds.

Then I saw those clear skies.