Out From Under Read online

  “And for the record, I do know whether she murdered someone, and the answer is no but…a prospect tried to rape her when she was fifteen; Trey shot him in the head right in front of her. And just so you don’t have any doubts about my lack of knowledge, I knew he was dangerous. I’ve seen plenty of violence go down in South Boston including people shot in front of me; like those men were never caught, I just assumed he was too crafty to actually be caught for any of his nefarious activities.”

  “So, her opening herself up to you, showing you her true self, the ugly side of her, made you fall in love with her?”

  “Yes,” Linx replied. “We didn’t have the complication of sex. All we had was our conversations, booze, and a joint every now and then. I didn’t have to fuck her to know I loved her. She was more naked and vulnerable with me when we talked than she was last night when we made love for the first time. We didn’t even fool around before. Yes, I’m truly am a man: I love sex as much as the next but…it was never about that. Does it help that I think Trista is hot as hell? Fuck yeah, but that’s not all she is. Hell, her looks aren’t even a tenth of the reason why I fell for her.

  “She never treated me like anything but a friend. She never acted star-struck and the fact that she’s spent so much time around men comes out loud and clear. She was never scared or quiet around me and she never threw herself at me. She treated me like I could have been a chick, only with a dick. We talked a lot and I told her…everything…about me. She’s even met my boys. They love her and she loves them.”

  Linx looked over Talia’s shoulder and watched as Trista walked outside to join them.

  Talia looked down at her growing belly. “I suppose that’s why I fell in love with Jaden, then. I saw him at his worst, most ugly and I thought: if I can accept this, then I can deal with anything. It was the opposite with Seth. I only saw the beauty and when the ugly emerged, I couldn’t handle it. I began to hate him. Funny, how love can turn into hate.”

  Trista cleared her throat. “Tal, we’ve gotta go. Linx and I have to meet up with Trey. He needs money and apparently now that I am married to Linx, well, he thinks I am Mrs. Moneybags.”

  “How much does he want? I gave him ten thousand last night…in cash. That’s the only way I could get him and that annoying Clooney to leave. I can’t believe you let that fuckwad put his dick inside you.”

  “He wore a condom every time we did it…and it was something to do at the time. Isn’t that how relationships usually go?” Trista rolled her eyes, obviously annoyed.

  “Come on, we better get a move on.”

  Linx helped Talia back inside before he and Trista took off. He was already exhausted and the day was only half way over.

  Chapter Nineteen

  IF I HADN’T already been in love with Linx before that day, I was by the end of it.

  He knew how much I didn’t want to see Trey, but he drove to Caesars Palace and we took full advantage of their valet service. We found the douchebag out by the pool, in a private cabana. Keri was with him and smoked a cigarette lazily as we entered.

  “Hey, sis.” Trey sat up, lighting a Marlboro as well.

  There were several empty glasses; it was obvious they’d both been downing cocktails for a while.

  “How’d you get here so quickly?” I questioned Keri, as she hung all over him like a cheap suit.

  “I flew out last night when he told me to meet him here. I’m the one who charged the suite. By the way, I need that money back.”

  I glanced at her with cool, emotionless eyes. “What the fuck do I look like? Bank of America? Wells, fucking, Fargo? Ask Trey to reimburse you—he scored money off our cousin last night and now you’re asking me for money. What do you need it for?”

  “There’s no guarantee Brooklyn is gonna make it and I’m not sticking around here to face a murder charge. Keri and I are going to Ireland. You know Grandma and Granddad live over there now? Outside of Omagh.”

  “How are you getting there? You’re a convicted felon, Trey.”

  Trey grabbed what looked like an Adios Motherfucker and swigged from the glass. “Not anymore, and I am not becoming one any time soon either. My parole ended after the two years I was supposed to serve. I have both my U.S. and Irish passports. I got them as soon as I could. Keri and I are leaving tonight.”

  Linx stepped forward. “I’ll give you the money.”

  I stared at him but he refused to look at me.

  My brother’s hazel-green eyes brightened. “Cool, man. I knew a smart guy like you wasn’t strapped for cash.”

  “I also have an Irish passport. My parents are first-generation Americans; all four of my grandparents were born in Northern Ireland. It certainly doesn’t hurt that I’m famous so I am considered quite special by the Irish government. If you fuck up, or do anything else to embarrass your sister, I will fly over to Ireland and kick your ass myself.”

  Trey laughed out loud. “Dude, I knew it was gonna be awesome to have you as a brother-in-law. I got mad respect for anyone who can step up and say something like that to me. Trista tell you about the last man who tried to take something from her she didn’t wanna give?”

  I felt like I was watching a tennis match. Linx’s whole body stance had changed and he was definitely in fight mode. It must have been a South Boston thing; he was completely serious and he didn’t flinch. This wasn’t a side I’d ever seen from him, but I knew right then and there that if he hadn’t become a musician, he would have ended up a carbon copy of Trey.

  “Yeah, she did. Kind of hard to get away with firing a nine millimeter in a hotel pool area filled with tourists and witnesses, though. You’re already in trouble for shooting Brooklyn Decker. Don’t force me to do something stupid like call the cops and tell them what I know—”

  “You wouldn’t dare, rock star. Do you really want the world to know your teenage bride is the sister of a notorious motorcycle club member, or that I am a former felon? I didn’t think so.”

  “So, you’re cool with me and Trista? You’re not gonna put a hit out on me?”

  “No. As long as Trista is happy, it’s all good. You’d better keep it that way though, because the moment I see tears in her eyes, and they’re caused by you, you’re fucking dead.”

  I rolled my eyes, sick of my brother’s bravado. “Seriously, Trey, if you don’t quit with all the threats then neither of us are going to give you a dime.”

  “Hey, that’s so not cool,” Keri responded, her tone carrying a slight slur. “You know why we need that money.”

  “And what—besides a freshly licked lesbo pussy—are you adding to this ‘Getaway fund’?” I snapped back.

  She didn’t blush but she did stand in six-inch, hooker mules and walked away in the tiny bikini she wore.

  “Why are you always throwing her job in her face? She’d be strictly dickly if it wasn’t for me, but no way am I going to have some guy bangin’ my girl, on or off film.”

  “But her eating pussy, and being eaten out on film, is perfectly acceptable.” I shook my head sadly. “Mom and Dad would turn over in their graves if they saw how low you have sunk. I thought she was just some skank on the side that you were screwing. I had no idea you planned to embarrass our family name by making an ‘honest’ woman out of her and giving that slut our last name!”

  “Hey! Whatever you think of Keri, she’s stuck by me through thick and thin for over three years, Trista. You don’t think I’ve cheated on her with every hot Demon scrubber that has come into the clubhouse? Or even when I am out on the road and I need a little action? She’s loyal and would never leave my side,” Trey explained, his voice calm.

  Linx interrupted them, as he pulled his Galaxy Note out of his pocket and checked the screen. “Trista and I have a late lunch scheduled. I suppose you want the money in cash?”

  “Actually, I have an account you can wire it to.” Trey grabbed a hotel pen and pad, which displayed the ostentatious Caesars Palace logo, and wrote it down. As he handed it to Linx
, he said, “You can just send it there. It’s an account no one knows about, not even the club. It can’t be frozen by the government.”

  “It’s twenty grand, Trey. The bank has to report it to the government. Are you sure they won’t freeze that account?”

  “Positive. The account is in Switzerland and the money gets transferred out of the account and into yet another account. It’s a little something I worked out myself. It hops three more accounts before it ends up in the Cayman Islands. It’s a completely untraceable system; even I don’t know the four intermittent accounts it goes through. The only accounts that are mine are the one in Switzerland and the one in the Caymans. I have been doing it for years and haven’t been caught yet. Did you forget I was a whiz with computers?”

  “How could I, when you never let me, Trey?”

  Linx cleared his throat and grabbed my hand. “I’ll make the transfer as soon as we get back to our hotel suite. Take care and have a safe flight.”

  I slipped my hand from his grasp and walked the short distance to Trey. No matter how much I wanted to hate him for being a fuck-up and possibly having something to do with our family’s death, I still loved him. I would always remember him as the one who protected me at all costs, even when it risked his freedom.

  I had to let go all of the pain and the suffering and most of all, the blame. Deep down in my heart, I knew he’d loved our parents just as much as I did—even if something he’d done caused their deaths, it wasn’t intentional. He’d always tried to protect us and he was there for me when I had no one else to turn to. I couldn’t allow him to leave for Ireland thinking I despised him or that I didn’t care whether he lived or died, when that was the furthest thing from the truth.

  Trey stood and I wrapped my arms around his neck, while his circled my waist, both of us holding on tight. “Take care of yourself, sis, and stop blaming yourself for Mom and Dad’s death. Start living again, because that is the only way you will be able to make a life for yourself and achieve real happiness.”

  “You follow your advice to me,” I whispered to him as he held me against his chest. “It wasn’t your fault, so stop blaming yourself. Stop murdering and hurting people and try to start living again. As our parents’ only son who is still alive, make them proud. You are capable of so much greatness. Stop wallowing in mediocrity, Trey.”

  “So are you. Or what, do you think Linx married you for your good looks?” We stared at each other, his hazel-green eyes intense. “He knows how intelligent you are and I know he can sense that part of you that has yet to be discovered. When you truly allow yourself to love him and be loved back, you’ll take your relationship to the next level. What you two have together is real. Don’t let anyone—not even an occasional asshat and douchebag like me—ruin it for you, okay?”

  I nodded silently as we let go, and I waved goodbye to him before Linx and I left the cabana together.

  THERE WASN’T A late lunch planned, but we did have one in our suite’s living room. We ordered room service and Linx rented Fast & Furious 6 on pay-per-view. I settled next to him and we watched the action-packed film while enjoying various appetizers including marinated shrimp quesadilla, hummus with pita bread, and sweet-chili flame-grilled wings while drinking Heineken.

  It was a perfect afternoon. After the movie ended, we lay in the other’s arms and he kissed me, small, soft, lingering kisses against my brow, my cheeks, my chin, while one hand caressed my scalp. I found this oddly soothing; there was no rush and now that we were married, he knew he could have me whenever he wanted me.

  We were still reckless though, and for someone who feared getting pregnant, I sure didn’t act like it when I sat in his lap, his hard-on an urgent, painful reminder of how sexy he found me and how much I turned him on.

  I suppose I truly was eighteen—I kept thinking that ‘next time’ I would insist he use a condom until I got on the pill or was fitted for an IUD. We were just asking for trouble bare-backing, neither one of us using any form of protection and although I knew it, a part of me couldn’t think past that moment between us.

  Linx cupped my face and kissed me long and hard, our tongues swirling together with a ferocious intensity. All I could focus on at that moment were his hands against my bare back as they roamed underneath my tee-shirt. He took off my shirt and threw it on the sofa before he devoured my neck with a hungry mouth. I could feel his breath at my pulse point as he licked and stroked the area with seductive fingertips.

  “Are you okay with this?” He pulled away from my neck and stared into my eyes, his cornflower blue eyes bright and magnetic.

  “Of course. Do I look like a cock tease?” I kissed his neck and helped him out of his wife beater before he stood, holding his hand out toward me.

  Instead of allowing him to help me up, I unsnapped the button of his jeans and slid the zipper down. The line of hair from his navel to his pubic area was such a turn on and, unlike a lot of guys, he kept himself nice and neat. He might have been covered in ink but my man was certainly not a slob when it came to personal hygiene.

  I pressed my nose to his taught stomach and inhaled the musky scent of him; amber, sage and a hint of lavender.

  “What cologne do you use?” I asked as I kissed the heart tattoo on his stomach, caressing his chest with gentle hands.

  “It’s Dior Homme. My mother bought me a bottle for Christmas about five years ago and I fell in love with it. Cassidy hated it but I still used it. I’m glad you like it.”

  “My favorite fragrance is Midnight Poison by Dior, but the last time I was in France, my mother took me to a perfume shop and I had my own perfume made from a mixture of different flowers; the main ingredients are vanilla and freesia. I love it so I use it more than the designer scents.”

  Linx looked down at my face as I grabbed his hard-on. “It’s the first thing I noticed about you. How great you always smell. I am in love with your scent because it represents you.”

  I didn’t feel much like conversation anymore; rather than reply to his statement, I licked the tip of his cock and his breath instantly grew ragged.

  It wasn’t the first time I’d given a blow job, but it was the first I’d actually wanted to do. I wanted to please him and as I wrapped my mouth around the head of him, he moaned through gritted teeth.

  I was surprised when he didn’t grab my head at all, but instead, tilted his head back. He grabbed my free hand and held on while my occupied hand continued to pleasure that male part of him along with my mouth.

  There was will power and skill involved in taking a man deep into your mouth, and I knew all the great tricks because I had held Clooney off as long as possible with a lot of blow jobs.

  My mouth drifted further down as I coaxed more of his thick, veined length past my teeth until the tip of his cock reached the back of my throat. I slowly pulled him out before taking his length all the way back in.

  “Fuck, baby. What are you trying to do to me?” he whispered, his voice husky, as he withdrew from my mouth.

  “Drive you wild with so much passion that you burst.” It was a cheesy line but he still smiled at me.

  “My turn.” He got down on his knees and helped me out of my jeans.

  They ended up on the sofa as he slipped my thong to the side and spread me open with his thumbs. I was already soaked, wet with desire and he played his tongue over my hard clit; it was my turn for ragged and heavy breathing.

  Linx knew exactly what to do to please me; his tongue darting lower until it hovered at my opening and he plunged inside of me.

  I almost came there on the spot because while he tongue fucked me, his thumb grazed softly over my clit, massaging it in slow, circular motions that had me feeling like any moment now, I would come unglued.

  And then just like that, he flipped me over, whispering, “Arch your ass in the air and grip the back of the sofa.”

  I did as I was told; his mouth tackled my clit again while his fingers worked in and out of me, caressing that spongy tissu
e that was my G-spot and I moaned loudly. I was close, so very close to the edge of a waterfall and I knew that when I tumbled over, it would be an adrenaline-rush along with one of the strongest orgasms I’d ever experienced.

  He withdrew his fingers and gripped the firm orbs of my ass before he kissed the small of my back. I didn’t know where to expect his touch next and the anticipation was killing me, thrilling me, turning me on even more. I needed him inside me but he continued to tease me with an expert tongue and skillful fingers. When his tongue reached my neck, I was panting at the feel of his body so close to mine. The heat coming off him seemed to surround me and I found myself trapped in a never-ending inferno of lust and desire.

  I wiggled my ass against his dick and he laughed into my ear.

  “Naughty girl…I didn’t know you liked back door action.”

  “I’ll love it anyway you’re going to give it to me,” I pleaded, surprising myself at the boldness of my statement.

  His cock teased my anus. “Have you ever had a man screw you in the ass?”

  “No.” I hung my head in shame. “My one and only boyfriend before you wanted to get freaky like that but, I just couldn’t do it. I think that is something…too intimate and messy to share with just anyone.”

  “The messy part is right but, rest assured, I am a consummate teacher…however, I won’t be doing that tonight.”

  “You won’t?” I looked over my shoulder. “Wait a minute, you mean you have done it before?”

  “Yes…with both women and men.”

  Was this the other shoe that had yet to be dropped?

  “So, you’re bisexual?”

  “No. It was just something to do at the time, so I did it. I don’t regret it, but I don’t want to do anything sexual with anyone—male or female—except you.”

  Linx kissed my neck as he entered me and I gasped at the feel of him, so big and hard, sliding slowly inside me. I was soaking wet and he didn’t have to work very hard before he was seated all the way inside me. I leaned against him and he managed to stay inside me while his fingers played with my nipples.