SALEM

After a few hours of being left alone in Cole’s room, I got concerned because no man I’ve ever come across could talk for as long as he’s been away. These guys in particular are more grunters and pranksters, using actions more than words to express themselves, they are in no way that long-winded when it comes to talking.

At least I didn’t think so.

When I crept down the stairs, I noticed Cole and Master’s heads bent toward each other, beers in their hands, and I knew that they’d need some time so that Cole could help him deal with the emotions running through his system.

When I hit the hallway, Aspen scared the ever-loving shit out of me when she was standing directly behind me, tears streaming down her face as she watched her husband struggle to deal with the news.

“Wanna clue me in as to why my old man looks like he's crushed? Do you know, Salem?”

“I have my suspicions. Cole and I were talking earlier, and we think we know who’s behind the shooting at the studio,” I admit.

“Who do you think it is?” she whispers out the question.

“Honestly? Because, Aspen, I’m not sure that me adding to your stress is necessarily a good thing.”

“Not knowing is more stressful on me than not knowing what’s going on, Salem.”

“I can understand that, Aspen. Is there somewhere private we can go to talk?” I’m worried that if I open up to her, Cole’s going to get pissed, but as her friend, how can I keep my hunch from her?

“Yeah. Let’s head to the game room. It’s empty and we can talk privately there,” she suggests, leading me to the room. Before I get a chance to say anything, it’s like she’s a psychic and predicts, “It’s Sicily, isn’t it?”

“What makes you say that?” I ask her.

“Because I’ve spent the better portion of the day going through a list of suspects and she’s the only one left that hasn’t been terminated, for lack of a better word,” she deduces.

“She is the one Cole and I have surmised is the more questionable suspect. As you’ve pointed out, she’s the only one left around that can’t be dismissed because everyone else has been circumvented,” I confirm.

“Circumvented,” she snorts. “I was waiting on Master to come to bed so I could bring her up in conversation as the one person I suspect. She’s the only one with a motive. It’s good to know that I’m not the only one who’s suspicious of her shady, wrinkled ass,” she hisses, rubbing her extended belly.

Looking down, I can see her baby rolling around.

“That looks painful,” I say, pointing at where a limb is clearly visible as it pushes outward from the inside, the perfect replication of a teeny-tiny impression of a foot.

“Not painful per se, but it can be uncomfortable at times as he or she grows and runs out of room to move around,” Aspen affirms.

“What are you two ladies up to? Why aren’t y'all in bed? Better yet, should I be worried? Are you plotting to take over the world?” Master asks, leaning against the door’s jamb. My head whips around, I didn’t even hear the door open which confirms the fact that I’m not as observant as I need to be after today’s events.

“I asked Salem to talk some things out with me. I was going to ask you about this when you came to bed, but I got antsy and needed someone to hash my thoughts out with,” Aspen tells him.

Master sighs before walking fully into the room and taking a seat on the cushion next to his woman. “What’s bugging you, tiny dancer?”

I find his nickname for her to be exceedingly sweet considering he comes across as the type of man who eats bullets for breakfast and chases them down with vast amounts of beer. I have to bite back my laugh at my thoughts because they’re highly inappropriate considering the current discussion.

“My mind wouldn’t settle. The only person who I could come up with who would have an agenda against us is Sicily. I thought maybe I was losing my touch with reality until Salem talked it out with me and told me she has the same allegations as I do. What do you and the guys think?” Aspen asks, reaching out and clutching Master’s hand with hers.

“I think both of y’all’s hunches are dead on,” he admits. “But, baby, this is club business, you two can’t get involved in any way. And for the sanity of all us men, don’t tell Charlee or Cameron about this. They’ll get a wild hair up their ass and get destructive then go all vigilante. You know how hard it is to reel those two in.”

“Yeah, they’re pretty headstrong,” I insert. “They’d take this on themselves and track the old ninny down.”

Aspen barks out a laugh before sharing what vision ran through her head. “I can see it now. Picture this, all black attire, black toboggans, face paint, knives strapped to their belts, and guns in each hand. Sicily wouldn’t know what hit her.”

“I think she would,” I chuckle. “Haven’t you referred to her as the gun-wielding granny?”

“Yes,” Aspen hisses out the word while shaking her head. “She’s a hag, Salem. The old shrunken prune is a bloodthirsty crone who wears a gun on her waist. It’s inside of a sheath connected to a belt settled next to her hip. Her fucking drawers sag from the weight of her pistol. She acts like she lives in the wild west. It’s ridiculous!”

“Wow. Your description of her is quite colorful there, Aspen,” I tease, the visual causing me to snicker out loud. “Bet her granny panties are barely hanging on.”

“Just you wait. If you ever see her, you’ll understand what I’m saying,” she digresses.

“Okay, enough about the bitch. You, ma’am, need some sleep.” Master stands and hauls Aspen up, tucking her into his chest. “You need anything before we head on up to bed, Salem?”

“Nah. I’m good, Master. Thank you, though.”

“I’ve got her, brother,” Cole says, walking up next to me and skimming the back of his hand across my jaw. “Ready for bed, Salem?”

“I am, Cole.”

“See ya in the morning,” Master states as he and Aspen head out.

“Everything good?” Cole asks me.

“Yeah, babe. Everything’s good,” I answer.

“Great. Let’s get outta here.”

My nerves begin to flutter inside of my belly. I remember his promise earlier this morning before we left my house. I just hope he’s still up to putting out this fire that’s stayed ablaze in my core.

POWERHOUSE

Salem enters my room first, she’s still adorned in her jeans and top, but her feet are only covered by socks and it’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen in my life… outside of her miniscule, racy outfit she wears to bed, but this is a different level of sexy altogether.

“Damn, sweetness, you’re fucking beautiful,” I announce as I lean back against the door, reaching behind my back and locking the knob’s mechanism. As soon as the click is heard, the sexual tension between us becomes thick.

“You’re not bad yourself there, Powerhouse,” she purrs. The switch in my name has my dick lengthening in my jeans. There’s something about her using my road name in the bedroom that has me ready to slam her on the bed and fuck her senseless.

“I’m gonna fuck you, babe. Are you ready for this? If not, you better speak up, because if not, I’m gonna claim you right here and right now. Once I do that, there’s no escaping for you. You’ll belong to me and only me. No man other than me will ever touch you again. There’s no way out once I bury myself inside of you. Accepting me as your old man is more binding than a marriage contract. What do you want, Salem?”

“I want you. Only you. Now and forever,” she whispers, reaching down and unbuttoning her jeans. “But you should know, I’m needy. It’s guaranteed that I'll be a downright bitch for a week out of the month. I also don’t share well, Cole. If we do this, then there’s no other woman for you. Ever. If you do cheat on me, and I find out, I will kill her. Then I’ll chop your dick off and blend it so that it can never be surgically reattached. So the question is, Powerhouse, are you sure you want this?”

Fucking hell if her words aren’t a balm to my soul. What she hasn’t realized yet is that she’s it for me. The thought of another woman touching me has my skin crawling.

“Let’s tackle what you’ve said one issue at a time, shall we? It’s my job as your man to see to all of your needs. And see to them I will. When your bitch rears her head for that week, I’ll supply you with chocolate, draw you a warm bath, and massage all of your aches away. And there’s no other woman for me than you, Salem. I knew it the first time I saw you and that feeling’s never gone away. If I stray, which I won’t, I’ll provide you with the knife to kill the bitch myfuckingself. I’m not gonna touch the blend comment, because I want to fuck you, and that threat has my dick wanting to shrivel up and run for cover. So, to answer your question, yes. I’m very fucking sure that I want you. Now and forever, Salem. No doubts whatsoever.”

“Wow, that mouth of yours,” she whistles. “You’re really good at alleviating all of my fears about us, Cole.”

“Come here, Salem. Let me show you what else my mouth is good at,” I order, calling her over to me by curling my finger and waving her over.

She whimpers before saying, “Yes, please.” As she sashays my way, she adds a swivel to her hips while ripping her top over her head. Her bra is see through and it’s like her nipples are playing a game of peekaboo. Because damn, I see them clear as day, and they look mouthwateringly scrumptious. The lace overlay lining the material does nothing to hide the hardness of her erected nubs.

“Lose the bra, Salem.”

With practiced ease, she glides the straps down her shoulder blades then reaches behind her, unclasping the band of the lingerie that contains the fleshy globes, and holds her breasts hostage from me seeing them without any obstruction. Once it’s unlatched, the linen falls carelessly to the ground and pools next to her feet. She steps over it and slides her hands up her torso until she cups her breasts. Before I get the chance to demand she remove them, she nearly brings me to my knees when she tweaks her nipples between her thumb and forefinger.

“Fuck,” I hiss, adjusting my cock in my jeans. “That’s the hottest fucking thing I’ve ever seen.”

She giggles before sassing, “You need to get out more, Powerhouse.” Her tone is flirty, sensual, and raspy. “What should I remove next?”

A smirk crosses my face when I realize that she’s giving into my primal, dominant urges of controlling the removal of her clothing. How she knows that I want this is a mystery to me, but it’s a task I’m more than willing to take on.

Wanting to prolong this as long as I can, I say, “Remove your socks.”

Salem’s tits swing freely, unfettered and unbound as she bends over which elicits a growl to escape from deep within my thorax. She’s killing me ever-so-slowly, one erotic motion at a time with her tactile yet sensual movements.

“Put your hair down, Salem.” Slowly and methodically, she removes the hairband from her hair and I watch as her long locks flow down her chest and cover those delectable breasts from my view. “Push your hair back. Now, love. Don’t hide those fucking tits from me.” With an impish smile tugging on her lips, she gathers her hair into her hands and twists it before tossing it over her shoulder. It falls into silky sheets, as it cascades like a waterfall down her back.

“Now what, Powerhouse?”

“Get those jeans off, but leave on your panties,” I demand, licking my lips. Demurely, she responds to my edict by pushing them down one inch at a time.

As soon as the last cuff of the denim from her jeans are removed from her feet I pounce. In one swift movement, I have her lifted off of the ground and tossed through the air onto the bed where she lands on the mattress and bounces a few times. The tinkling sound of her giggles as they echo through my room has me smiling.

“My turn.”

“Yes, please,” she croons.

I’m in no shape to provide her with the same show she gave me. Within moments I have my clothes shed, climb onto the bed, and up and over her sultry body. Tilting down, I press my lips to hers and begin lapping her pouty lips with my tongue. Her flavor bursts on my buds and I shove my tongue inside.

“Need you, baby,” I decree.

“Then take me,” she commands, her voice timid but unyielding.

“Yes, ma’am.”