Us (13 page)

"Of course. It's not even a question."

The seriousness in his voice startled me, causing an immediate halt to my grinding. Was he promising to create a cocoon for me from now until the day I died?  Was he dedicating himself to being the one that wouldn't let me crumble alone? Shit, did I even know what to do with that information? Not only had no one ever offered to do so, but the idea of letting someone into my private world of crashes was something that had never crossed my mind. I'd never imagined it to even be a possibility.

Yet here was this man, this giant of a man, willing to do this for me. If I could look outside, I'd swear the stars had finally lined up for me. It wasn't
Donte. It could never be Donte, or anyone else. There was only one
us
for me, and it was with a man who'd honor me until we took our last breaths. A man who was willing to wage war to have me by his side.

The weight of my realization scared me, and I did what I did best.

"It's Bonnie and Clyde. Ride or die. This is us, darling," I joked.

"Oh, baby." J took my face in his hands.
"Joking aside, you know you're it for me. You're what I've been waiting for all my life—
who
I've been waiting for. I wish I could've found you sooner, but I'll settle for having you for the rest of our lives."

He pulled my face from the comfort of his warmth, instead replacing it with a leg thrown over my hip. He broug
ht my body closer to his. "We won't be Bonnie and Clyde much longer. We'll get this shit straight." He laughed. "Then maybe we can be Eleanor and Teddy Roosevelt."

I turned my face into his large palm and kissed it. He was so fucking perfect.
Thank you, stars.
"Could we be Beyonce and Jay Z instead?" I smiled against his palm.

"We can be anyone you want. We'll always be us."

"I love you." I gave him a chaste kiss, aware of the guests we had in our private moment. Both sounded fast asleep, but we'd established at Abuelita's that I couldn't really keep it quiet. Not when it came to J and his skillful hands, tongue, and cock. 

He returned the kiss, pulling back with a jerk when that skil
lful cock started to twitch against me.

"Fuck." He grabbed my cheeks
under my daisy dukes and ground himself into me. "I love you so much," he growled. "God, I want you so much, too. Fuck, I want to be inside you, to feel your light flow into me."

"Bathroom?" I offered.

He was out of bed and pulling me behind him in two seconds flat. We barely got the water on before he had both my legs wrapped around him and was buried inside me.

"Fuck, I'll never get tired of this," he growled.

My own hunger was driving me to grip his shoulders, and run my hands down his back. I was almost certain I left marks. I wanted to scream. I wanted to howl like a fucking animal I was so turned on, but instead I met each of his thrusts, pouring the passion I felt into our movements. Just before I was about to explode, I sunk my teeth into his shoulder hoping to contain the sounds of my orgasm.

"Fuck, baby. Give it to me. Give me all of it. Give me all of you." With that he exploded into me,
finding his own release and ignoring all attempts to be quiet.

The water rained down upon us, doing nothing to extinguish the heat searing between us. I gripped my legs tighter around his waist, a quiet moan of satiation escaping past my lips. He moved one of his hands from underneath my ass, and brought it to grip my head. Holding on tighter, he told me what I already knew, but never got tired of hearing.

"I love you."

"Bear," I whispered. "I love you like I've never loved anyone before."

He slowly slid my body down his, allowing my legs a moment to readjust to supporting my weight, a weight he so aptly held. When we were both clean, we dried off and redressed. I put the damn hot shorts back on and crawled into bed with him. We both passed out in record time, exhausted from the demands our bodies had just made on one another. We rested, for tomorrow we'd be going back into battle.

Chapter 18
– J

I didn't want to leave the bed, nor the feeling of Elle beside me. I wanted to freeze time and stay in that hotel room, minus Fernie and Isabel. Though I did feel like Isabel got a taste of her own medicine last night.
I laughed to myself, thinking Dig would love to hear this one, but knowing I'd keep Elle and my lovemaking private. Or maybe I'd give him the CliffsNotes... Shit, I was thinking like a fucking woman, planning how I'd tell Dig what Isabel was forced to listen to. Well, I guess what she might have heard if she was awake. Both her and the kid were still passed out while I lay in bed avoiding thoughts of what the day would bring, and instead focusing on the woman beside me.

She'd slept peacefully last night. No thrashing or screaming. No waking up terrified and unsure of her surroundings. She'
d slept like a mother fucking baby, and for that I gave myself a mental pat on the back. I was the
Master of Fucking Women Senseless
after all. I guess I was the
Master of Fucking Women into a Peaceful Sleep
as well. Or maybe I was just the
Master of Fucking Elle
. It didn't matter. My girl slept in peace, and for that I didn't require any accolades, only the calm look on her face as she lay next to me.

Today we'd drive to Kansas City. I could only hope Dig made good on his word to get Son out of there. I didn't need to be dealing with him and Isabel. I already had enough on my plate. Plus, I'd gathered in Mexico that Burns was trying to fuck with me by fucking with my woman. I'd be extra vigilant from here on out. She wouldn't be leaving my side if I could help it. As much as I loved losing myself in Elle, I learned at the park in Monterrey that even by my side she was vulnerable.
I had to keep my head in this game, even if it meant I had to keep my constant desire to be inside Elle at bay. Losing her wasn't an option.

"You look pretty deep in thought there. Wanna share?"

I looked down at my no-longer-sleeping-beauty. She gazed up at me through sleepy, love filled eyes. Fuck if I didn't want to take her again before starting this day.

"You, sweetheart. I'm always thinking of you."

"You're going to give me cavities if you keep being so sweet." She smiled, and I swear it was a smile that was only for me. I never saw her eyes glow like that when she looked at anyone else, especially not José.

"You ready to do this?" I asked her, knowing there was only one answer.

"No, but fuck it. Let's roll outta here. It's hot as fuck, and I'm ready to get home. Well, back to Missouri at least. Shit, the Mid-fucking-west. Never thought I'd say that, but I miss home. I miss Chris and Aaron, my kids, and even the damn kitchen."

"You gonna go back to work in the kitchen?" Why did that catch me so off guard
? She didn't need to work. I assumed she'd go to school full time and volunteer with her kids. What the fuck was I thinking? This was Elle. I should've known she'd have to work. Maybe I'd just hoped it wasn't in the fucking kitchen with Larry—and José.

"
Never mind," I told her. "You wanna wake the troops or should I?"

"Time to get up, people," she yelled. Isabel grumbled from the next bed, and Fernie shot up off the couch, his dick shooting up with him.

"What? Huh?
Qué pasó?"
He looked around, his eyes taking in the hotel room. "Shit," he mumbled and crashed back onto the couch. "Already? I feel like I just went to sleep."

Typical teenager.

"Time to get your asses in gear. Fernie, you get in the shower first. Isabel can go next while J and I go find breakfast." Elle stood up out of bed, stretching her limbs and showing the sensitive skin that covered her body, including the sliver of stomach showing. I adjusted myself under the covers.

When Fernie didn't move, Elle hollered, "Let's go. Time to roll."
She clapped her hands together like a drill sergeant.

Fernie grumbled his way to the bathroom.

"J?" he called.

I walked to the bathroom to find him staring at the shower curtain, half of it on the ground. Shit. Didn't notice that last night. I put it back on the rings and gave him the
shut your mouth
look. He was too tired to argue and turned the water on, but not before mumbling, "Gross."

"Whatever. You know you're sporting that wood for a certain Latina still half asleep out there. Take your shower, kid. I'll be back with breakfast."

I left Fernie to the room we'd apparently desecrated the previous night and found Elle dressed and ready to go.

"What?" She looked at me as I eyed her fully dressed form. "I'm hungry."

"Maybe I just miss the shorts." She smacked me on the arm and told me to hurry up and get dressed before she burned the shorts. God, I hope she planned on stealing those shorts from Isabel.

Once dressed, we exited the hotel room. Elle was right, it was hot as Hades outside. I opened the door to the Toyota, waves of heat billowing out.

"Fuck. You could toast bread on the damn pavement. Blast the air, will you?"

"Already on it," I said reaching for the knob to get some AC going. "It's not my Suburban, but it ha
s air conditioning, so I'm not going to complain about the lack of leg room."

"How far is it to Kansas City from here?"

"About five hours. We're gonna go north through Kansas. I don't got a clue where Burns is, but I'm guessing it's safer than going through Missouri."

Elle looked at her watch. "It's almost nine. If we can get on the road by ten, we can make it there around three this afternoon." She clapped her hands together
and got in the car. "Man, I'm fucking amped. I know we aren't going to Disneyland or anything, but I slept great last night. I just wanna do this shit. Oh, and I'm dying to see the clubhouse too."

I laughed at her enthusiasm, as well as the fact that the clubhouse wasn't a five star motel. It was full of a bunch of men who usually managed to get some chick to clean the place now and again. Elle's enthusiasm to get the day started
was due to the sleep she got the previous night, and I took full credit for it. You know, being the
Master of Fucking
and all.

"Glad you slept well, and you're welcome."

She leaned over and kissed me on the cheek as I pulled out of the hotel parking lot. We drove down the main drag and into the first fast food restaurant I saw.

"Right on. I never make it in time for McDonald's breakfast." Damn she was adorable. It took all my willpower not to pull the Camry over and fuck her adorable ass.

We ordered a shit load of food and headed back to the room. I stopped outside the door, waiting for Elle to catch up with the cardboard carrier holding four orange juices. I held my finger up to my lips and motioned her closer to the door.

"Come on
, open the door. I have to use the restroom."

We both heard Isabel's accented English
and Fernie's high pitched voice through the hotel room door.

"No. Stay out. I'm almost done." Was Fernie almost done showering or tugging one out?

"
Por favor, Fernando
." Shit, even my dick got a little rise from the way she said his name.

"What's going on in there?" Elle whispered to me.

"In case you forgot, the toilet is in the room with the shower, and it appears our boy is doing his best to avoid Isabel."

Elle didn't waste any time busting into the hotel.

"Hey, Fernie, you're awake. Want some OJ?" She was all smiles as she said this, as if we hadn't just been listening to what could have been Isabel needing to piss, but more likely was her trying to get some morning action. Any doubts I had about Son finding Isabel were lost.

Chapter 19
– Fernie

I snuck into the bathroom before Isabel could get up. Her damn eyes were like black holes sucking me in—I couldn't stop looking at them. I think in school we talked about some Greek ladies getting men to do whatever they said.
That
was Isabel.

As soon as I stepped in the shower, I knew I had to take
care of business or my nuts would be busting all day. My hand was doing its job when the knock came. The
Isabel
knock.

"Come on, open the door. I have to use the restroom."

My mind went a million places in a matter of twenty seconds.

Isabel's hand around me.
Her eyes looking up at me, and that long shining black hair of hers hanging down her back.

"
Por favor, Fernando
."

Mierda
. Only Genny called me by my full name. When I gave her an orgasm the first time—that'd been when she started calling Fernando, and she'd been doing it ever since. The vision in my head changed, and Isabel had brown hair instead of black. It was curly and wild under the water from the shower.

"Fernando!"
Even though Isabel was pissed and yelling at me through the door, it was Genny's sweet voice that I heard. I pictured her perfect, full lips wrapped around—

"I'm coming!" I yelled, Genny on my mind.

And I was.

I did.

Mierda
.

My throat was loose and the words flowed out of my mouth. "I'll be out
en dos minutos.
"

Claro
. I wanted to see
mi mama
, but I had to see Genny again. I know I told her to move on and find someone else, but I really hoped she hadn't. I was selfish. I wanted her to be mine. I wanted that vision to be real.

I'd hustled us some
Wi-Fi at my Abuelita's and had the iPhone Marcos and I shared. The one he gave to me as my parting gift. Genny told me in our almost daily Facebook chats that she wasn't seeing anyone else, and I wanted to believe her. I couldn't imagine my Genny laughing or hugging any other guys. Every
chica
up in The Center wanted Ramón for his papers, but his mug was ugly. No one could deny that either. So Thalia was the only girl he ever stood a chance with. Her
culo
was bigger than Mexico. We all knew her ass would crush any dude stupid enough to let her ride him.

Genesis would never go with
Ramón.

I think.

I hoped.

Mierda
.

Did I really know?

Isabel was standing outside in a towel when I came out. I stared at the floor as I walked past her.

Shoot outs.

Deportation.

Bicycles.

Notebooks.

Ah, I made it to the couch and my clothes with my dick only half hard. I heard the door shut, and turned around to make sure she was safely tucked away in the shower.

Abuelita.

And I was good.

I put my clothes on and had barely sat down when Elle came bursting in, loud as hell and really freaking happy. What was up with her? We were on the run and she was over here passing out orange juice like she was serving us at The Center.

What was up with her ring too? In México, you only had a ring on that finger after you went to the church. Everyone would dress up and come to the chapel. The bride would be in her princess dress and the groom in his dress pants and best boots. They'd present the lasso, the coins, and the rings. We'd dance, eat, and just have a good time. None of that had happened with Elle, yet she had the ring. I
didn't quite understand her, but Elle was definitely one hell of a chick. I guess it made sense that she didn't have a wedding. LOL. I couldn't see Elle in a princess dress. Maybe if she had a knife strapped to her leg.

I stopped my thoughts when my dick started to get hard again.

Mierda
.

Why did that keep happening?