Permanent Lines (15 page)

“Are you on the pill, baby?” I whispered softly in her ear after climbing back over
her body. “I need to feel all of you tonight.”

She nodded her head, her breathing too heavy to speak. “Yes,” she said barely audibly.

You’d think I hit the fucking jackpot with the rush of excitement that flooded my
body with her answer. I guess in so many ways I did. Being raw inside of Amelia was
a little piece of heaven … the jackpot. I’d never been undressed in any other woman,
but in Amelia I needed to be, and holy shit was it everything I had ever dreamed it
to be.

I slid in slowly, carefully. She was so fucking wet that I actually cringed at how
amazing it felt. I couldn’t lose my shit before even getting all the way in! I needed
to ride this feeling out as long as I could. There were no words for how fucking good
Amelia felt wrapped around my cock. It was something I would never forget or ever
get enough of.

“Yes … yes … oh God!” She cried louder and louder with each thrust I made, holding
on and gripping my back so hard that I could feel her nails digging into my skin.

The grip she had on me sent a fire raging throughout my body, forcing a pleasure throughout
my veins like no other. I was pushing the brink, ready to fucking cave. My energy
and the strength to hold out was diminishing much faster than I wanted, making my
forehead rest against hers as I tried to hold on to every last ounce of self-control
I had.

“Open your eyes, baby,” I whispered through heavy breaths, knowing the drop was near.
“I want to see you come with me.”

Like my words were the spark she needed to ignite, her pussy clenched so fucking hard
around my cock that it almost was unbearable, forcing me right into an orgasm of my
own. My body spasmed uncontrollably, our eyes frozen, feeling and seeing the pleasure
that we both provided one another. It was the most amazing fucking moment of my life—I
know I’ll never forget it and this night will play on repeat every fucking day of
my life. I didn’t fucking care if we fucked so much that my dick fell off. It was
worth it because this … this right here … was indescribable.

But then everything changed.

Amelia’s cell started ringing from the floor, making her slide out from underneath
me so fast that I almost didn’t know what was happening. The panicked frenzy she was
in told me it wasn’t good. It was like someone had just poured water over her head,
causing her body to do a 180.

“Hello?” she answered, pacing from one side of the room to the other. Her voice sounded
cool and collected, but her body and the way she was chewing on her nails told me
anything but.

She was freaking out, making my blood heat to boiling. I hated this fucking side of
her. I hated seeing how she jumped to his call; it was like someone burning a hole
straight through my body, tearing my heart out by the seams. I didn’t know who this
fucker was, but I wanted to kill him. I wanted to break every fucking bone in his
body and help him to a grueling, dreadful death. I’d never hated anyone like I did
this guy.

“Antonio, no. I told you where I was!” Her voice was growing shaky, tears filling
her eyes. “Don’t hurt him. Please don’t hurt him.” Her tears turned to sobs as she
dropped to her knees. “Please, Antonio!”

I’d had enough. I couldn’t watch this carry on any longer. I couldn’t stand to see
the broken down mess that he made. I jumped from the bed, grabbing the phone from
her hand. She pleaded for me to stop, but I didn’t listen, pressing my thumb down
on the “end” button and then throwing the phone across the room.

“You’re done!” I shouted. “You’re done with him!” I yelled, picking her up off the
ground and holding her in my arms.

She broke away, a mix of anger and fear filling her face as she rushed around the
room, picking her clothes up off the ground and throwing them back on her body.

“You don’t understand what you just did, do you?” She looked up at me, fire burning
through her eyes. “He’s going to kill me. You don’t hang up on Antonio. You don’t—”

I grabbed her arm, making her stop. When I said that she was done, I meant it. I didn’t
care who this fucking Antonio guy was or what crazy shit he was involved in, she was
not
going back. And there was no fucking way, while I was still living, that he would
ever
lay a hand on my girl! Ever!

“Let me go, Merrick. I have to go. I have to find a way … I have to figure something
out to make him believe I wasn’t betraying him.”

“Stop it!” I shouted again, holding her arm so tightly that there was no way she could
escape. I didn’t care if I was going to leave a mark, she wasn’t leaving and she wasn’t
going to go anywhere near that guy. I was keeping her here, safe with me, where I
knew she couldn’t be harmed.

“You don’t get it, do you?” Her voice was turning exhausted, heavy breaths between
her words.

“No, you don’t!” I tried not to yell, but it was hard not to. “You’re not going back
to him, Amelia. I don’t care how fucking dangerous he is.”

She shook her head, her level of frustration and anger lowering. “He will find me,
Merrick.” Her voice was low and shameful. “He’ll find me … and I don’t know what he’ll
do when he does.”

“Who is he involved with, Amelia?”

She closed her eyes and exhaled. I loosened my grip, letting her arm fall free.

“He’s part of the mafia. He runs an underground gambling ring.”

I took her hand and guided her back to the bed, sitting her down next to me, keeping
her hand in mine and caressing the top of it with my thumb.

“He wasn’t doing it when I met him,” she said firmly. “I didn’t even know his family
was in the mob. It wasn’t until his Uncle Marty died that it all got intense. Since
Antonio’s father died when he was young, Antonio was next in line to carry on the
family business. I tried to leave him when it happened, but I was already in. I wasn’t
an official member, but I knew too much. If not Antonio, his family certainly would
kill me if I ever tried to leave.” She focused on our intertwined fingers, pausing.
“They’ll kill you too, if he finds you with me.” She looked up to me. “You’ve gotta
let me go, Merrick.”

I pulled her into my side. “It ain’t happening, baby,” I told her before kissing her
head.

We sat there for a moment in silence. I didn’t know what was going on in her head,
but I knew damn well what was going on in mine.

How the fuck was I going to get her out of this?

I needed someone with power, who had connections; someone that could make things happen
at the drop of a dime.

I needed Miles Blackwell.

I stood from the end of the bed, slipped on my briefs then pulled my cell from the
pocket of my jeans.

“Kayla, I need to talk to Miles.” I knew it wasn’t the most cordial greeting, but
I also knew she would take me seriously.

“Miles?” she asked, sounding sleepy and confused. “Is everything okay?”

“Please, K. Put him on the phone.”

She didn’t respond, handing him the phone like I asked instead.

“This is Miles,” he answered with his prim, businesslike tone. It didn’t matter who
he was talking to, that’s how he always sounded.

“Miles, it’s Merrick. I need your help.”

He paused for a moment, making my nerves skyrocket. I wasn’t sure how much he knew
about the mob, but I was willing to bet he knew some.

“It’s two in the morning, Merrick,” he answered.

I looked at the clock sitting on my nightstand. I’d forgotten how late it was, but
I also knew the mafia wasn’t a business or organization that cared about time.

“Yeah, sorry ‘bout that, but I could really use your help right now.”

I could hear some movement on his end and then Kayla asked where he was going. I hated
that I was making her worry, but I was freaking the fuck out too.

“What’s going on?” he continued moments later, after a door shut.

“What do you know about underground gambling?” I asked, hoping he had a clue.

He exhaled. “That it’s illegal and pretty damn dangerous. Christ, Merrick, why the
hell are you gambling with them?”

“No. No, I’m not. It’s Amelia.”

“She’s involved with them?” I could hear the confusion in his tone.

“Not willingly, she was in a relationship with one.” I paused. “The leader.”

“Fuck,” he said, but mostly to himself.

“Yeah, man. It’s bad.”

“Is she with you right now?”

“Right next to me.” I squeezed her hand.

“Do they know this? They don’t let members out their sight.” His voice was rising,
gathering the danger we were in.

“He called her, but I grabbed the phone and threw it against the wall.”

“Dammit, Merrick! You gotta get out of there. I guarantee there’s a tracker on her
phone or somewhere on her.”

I ran my hand over my head. Fuck! I’d never thought about that, but he was fucking
right. She had to be tracked, that’s how he knew she wasn’t where she told him. Wherever
that was.

“Ah, fuck!” I swore, completely freaked the fuck out now.

“Get rid of everything she came there with—her phone, clothes, shoes,
everything
. She can’t have anything that he could have tampered with on. I wouldn’t be surprised
if they’re almost to your place. Give her some of your clothes and throw her stuff
out as soon as you get outside. Walk slow, okay? Don’t be obvious, just disguise her
the best you can. From what we know, they probably don’t know who you are … yet. I’ll
call downstairs and make sure they buzz you in immediately. Hurry, Merrick, you don’t
have much time!”

It was like shit got real when I hung up the phone with Miles. For a bit, it was just
about protecting my girl, but I had to put the caveman, chest-pounding, territorial
pitbull aside … I was racing against time, my life, Amelia’s life … I was in fucking
deep.

Before Miles even cut the line, I was pulling clothes from my drawers and throwing
a pair of sweatpants and t-shirt to Amelia.

“What’s this for?” she asked, equally panicked.

“Take off everything—everything! Who knows how much he’s tracking you!” I shouted
across the room, already in my closet getting her a pair of sneakers from the bar’s
lost and found box and tossing them her way as well.

“You can borrow some of Kayla’s clothes once we get to their place.”

Her body froze and face went pale, the clothes hanging limp in her hands.

“Baby, I know this is a lot to take in, but you’ve gotta move. We’ve gotta get outta
here.”

She shook her head and blinked her eyes a few times, bringing herself back up to speed.
I hated pushing her and forcing her to do anything, but I had to … I promised to keep
her safe, so I had to take control.

“Yeah … yeah, okay.” Her voice was low and almost lost-sounding, but she started to
move faster, stripping the clothes she had on and throwing them in the plastic grocery
bag that I tossed at her from the top of my dresser, still sitting there from when
I picked up deodorant and cologne yesterday from the store.

I grabbed a handful of clothes for myself and stuffed them in my backpack, stopping
in the bathroom next to get the necessities—I didn’t know when I would be back. The
empty feeling that I could lose everything I’d worked so hard for filled my gut for
a split second before it was soon forgotten. This was for Amelia. Not having her in
my life created an even bigger hole in my chest, so there wasn’t another option— everything
else could be replaced, my girl couldn’t.

When I re-entered the bedroom, Amelia was standing in the middle, swimming in my clothes,
her hair pulled up underneath a Yankees cap. I smiled. For being in a major shit scenario,
she looked so fucking cute that if we weren’t being chased by the mob, I’d push her
right back down on the bed and show her how much I fucking loved her and how fucking
adorable I thought she was right then.

The side of her mouth curled to a slight grin and for a second the world around us
disappeared like it always did when we were together. It was just Amelia and I.

“It’s gonna be okay,” I told her, genuine sincerity intensifying my words. “We’ll
be fine.” I didn’t know if I was saying it to ease her nerves or mine … probably both,
but it felt necessary. We were both tough and smart and loved each other so fucking
much that everything had to be good. I had just gotten her back. There wasn’t any
other option.

She nodded her head. I didn’t know if she
really
believed me or if she was agreeing just because. Regardless, she appeared to trust
me. If she didn’t, she would have already been long gone, at the mercy of Antonio
despite her feelings for me.

“You ready?” I asked, reaching my hand out to her.

She walked over to where I was standing, moving up to her tippy toes so that our faces
were aligned before softly saying, “Ready,” against my lips.

I touched them gently with mine like it was the calm before the storm, a promise to
one another. Shit was about to hit the fan, but we had each other. At least, that’s
what I communicated in the brief, soft kiss.