Redemption Road (Roughneck #3) (6 page)

Chapter 10

As I drove home from work that evening, I had mixed feelings about my little outburst this morning. It felt good to finally stand up to Jake. I was sick of being his doormat. On the other hand, I’m sure it would only piss him off more and fuel his fire. But I hadn’t had any phone calls from Jake today; things had been peaceful. Thank God. Hopefully, it would stay that way. But if I knew Jake, he wasn’t going to give up so easily. He was used to getting his way, in every aspect of his life.

When I pulled into my driveway, I was immediately concerned. I noticed Sam’s car, an older blue pickup, and a white van. What was going on? As I got closer, I noticed the business name on the van. Marten’s Alarm Company. I pulled my car into the driveway and got out, looking for Sam. She was standing on the front porch, on her phone when I spotted her.

“They’re almost finished,” she said into her phone. I looked at Sam as I waited for her to explain what was going on.

“Kash,” she mouthed to me, and pointed to her phone. I just shook my head and waited.

“Ok, damn, dude, I got it,” she said with a laugh, and then hung up.

“Hey girl!” she said with a smile.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Kash is having an alarm installed,” she said.

“That’s probably a good idea,” I said, but feeling guilty that I was causing so much drama.

“He said he wanted to make sure nobody messed with his shit, but I’m pretty sure it has more to do with you than anything else,” she said to me with squinted eyes, trying to read my thoughts.

“I don’t know about that,” I said. Kash probably just didn’t want some psycho rummaging through his stuff.

“He asked if you were ok at least five times, but got pissy with me when I asked why he was so worried about you. You’re not sleeping with him, are you, Mackenzie?”

“No, I’m definitely not,” I said, in complete honesty.

“Good, because Kash is my family. I’m forced to love him, but he’s bad news when it comes to women,” Sam said as she eyed me, trying to read me, I could tell.

“You don’t have to worry, I’m not looking for anything like that,” I said, that part was a complete lie. Because the truth was, I wanted Kash more than anything in my life, but I couldn’t let it happen.

“Well, girls, he’s just about done.” A large bearded man walked over to us.

“Thanks for coming by, Uncle Jimmy,” Sam said to the man.

“The alarm guys have been here most of the day, so Uncle Jimmy came to watch over everything until I got off work,” Sam said, as she looked at me.

“Well, thank you both, so much,” I said, because I was extremely grateful. I didn’t know how I would ever get to sleep tonight otherwise, knowing that Jake had the nerve to come in here.

“It was all Kash,” Jimmy said. “That little fucker was fired up this morning and made sure this got done today, I just waited around.” He smiled.

“The tech does want to go over the instructions with you and set your code, all that good stuff, so if you’ll run in the house real quick,” He said.

“Absolutely, thanks again,” I said, as I headed inside.

Sam stayed with me while the alarm technician went over all the instructions and did a walkthrough with me. I felt so much better knowing that if Jake pulled this crap again, the police would be here within minutes. Once everyone left and I was home alone, I decided to microwave my dinner and relax with a glass of wine. My phone was sitting on the table and went off as soon as I sat down.

Jake: The alarm was a nice touch.

Me: Please leave me alone.

Jake: Or what? You going to flip me off? Turning into a brave little bitch aren’t you?

Me: Go to hell.

Jake: You sure are mouthy to be all alone, without your new fuck buddy to protect you.

Me: Please stop. I don’t want anything to do with you. Just leave me alone. It’s over. I don’t know how many times I have to tell you that.

Jake: Because it’s not your choice.

Me: IT IS!!! I don’t want you!
I don’t need you anymore! I don’t love you! I hate you actually!

I hit send before I could even change my mind. I’m sure it would just piss him off more, but I was sick of him. I was sick of being scared. I was sick of not speaking my mind and letting other people run my life.

Jake: Cunt.

Fuck him, I thought as I poured myself my third glass of wine. I wasn’t much of a drinker, especially alone, but I really needed to calm my nerves. Plus, I was hoping it would help me sleep. The only way he would stop calling is if I changed my number, so that was exactly my plan for tomorrow after work. My only option was to make it impossible for him to get to me. So I would take every step necessary to do just that.

My phone started to ring as I was climbing in bed. Three glasses of wine was definitely my limit tonight; I was about to fall asleep, and didn’t really want to answer. Especially if it was Jake. But my heart did a little flip when I saw HIS name on the screen.

“Hello,” I said through a smile, trying to stifle my buzz giggle.

“Hey,” Kash said. He sounded sleepy. And sexy. So sexy.

“Hey,” I said with an exhale, as I crawled in bed.

“You ok?” he asked.

“Yep,” I said with my eyes closed. I was so sleepy.

“The alarm set?” he asked.

“Yes, sir,” I replied with a giggle.

“You been drinking sweetie?” he asked.

“Little bit,” I mumbled.

He started to laugh and I felt a tingle between my thighs.

“Your laugh is sexy,” I said without even thinking. My eyes popped open.  Oh, my God. Did I really just say that?

“Everything about you is sexy,” he said without a hint of laughter.

I didn’t even know how to respond, so I just sat there in silence.

“So, anyway, I was just checking on you. I wanted to make sure the alarm was all set up. Get some sleep, ok?” he said.

“Ok,” I whispered.

“Fuck,” I heard him mumble. It was so quiet. If the house hadn’t been silent, I wouldn’t have heard it at all.

“Goodnight, Kash,” I said quietly.

I heard him exhale loudly before he replied.

“Night,” he said, and then he hung up.

God, his voice. It was so sexy. Everything about him screamed sex appeal. From his piercing eyes, to those full lips. To that tattoo…damn, that tattoo. My hand found its way inside my panties when I thought about him.  I wanted him to touch me so bad, it made me ache. And I knew I had to get rid of that ache or I would never sleep. So, thoughts of Kash helped me along, and I did what needed to be done.

The next morning when my alarm went off, I realized I had slept through the entire night. I don’t know if it was the wine or the alarm, but I was so thankful for the rest. I got ready for work and headed out the door, once I turned off the alarm.

Son of a bitch. You’ve got to be kidding me!

Whore. Cunt. Bitch. Slut.

All the horrible names Jake liked to call me were written in some sort of red polish all over my car windows. I looked around for some sign of him, but of course I didn’t see anything. This was getting ridiculous. So I called the office and left a message for Dr. Weston, letting him know I would be a little late, as I ran into the house and grabbed cleaning supplies and towels. I took pictures with my phone of all the disgusting words on my car before I cleaned them off. I wasn’t driving down the road with that stuff written on there.

I headed straight to the police station to see what I could do. I walked through those glass doors trying to force my feet to keep moving. I couldn’t believe it had finally come down to this. But I couldn’t handle this anymore. It was too much. Luckily, this was such a small town, not much ever happened, so the room was virtually empty.

“Can I help you ma’am?” An older lady sitting behind a desk asked.

“I need to see about filing a restraining order,” I said quietly.

“Have a seat, someone will be with you shortly,” she said with a sad smile.

I sat in the chair trying to keep my knees from bouncing around. I was so nervous.

“Ma’am?” An older man opened one of the doors and looked in my direction.

“Yes, sir,” I said.

“Come with me, please,” he said, as he held the door open for me to walk through. I followed him down the narrow hallway, and then turned left into his office.

“How can I help you?” he said, as he pulled out a yellow notepad.

“I need to see about filing a restraining order against my ex-boyfriend,” I said quietly, holding my bouncing knees in place with the palms of my hands.

“What’s his name?” he asked.

“Jake Edwards,” I said.

“Hmm,” he said with a smirk. I wasn’t sure what that was about, but he seemed to have lost his compassion for me in an instant.

“Why do you feel like you need a restraining order?” he said, as he took a sip of his coffee, and put the notepad down.

“Well, he hit me for one,” I said with a bite to my tone. I didn’t mean to, but he was already pissing me off.

“Did you call the police?” he asked.

“No,” I said, quietly.

“And, why not?” he asked, with that same tone.

“Because I left him, instead,” I said. “But he won’t leave me alone. He broke into the new place I’m staying.”

“He burglarized you’re property?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Did you call the police, then?” he asked with a crooked smile. This guy was a jerk.

“No, because he only took my work clothes, and I couldn’t really prove it was him.”

“Ok,” he said, but I got the feeling he wasn’t even paying attention to me. But I was finishing my story, anyway. I needed help.

“He’s constantly calling me, following me, and this morning this was on my car.” I pulled out my phone and showed him the picture.

“But you didn’t see him vandalize your car?” he asked.

“No, I didn’t,” I said. I had a feeling this was going nowhere fast.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but since you didn’t contact the police at either time of his alleged crimes, and you really have no solid proof that he even did these things, there’s not much I can do.”

“I have the text messages saved,” I said, holding my phone.

“Is he threatening to harm you in those text messages?” he asked, as he shuffled paperwork, without even looking at me.

“No,” I said, realizing I was wasting my time.

“Ma’am, look, it’s not illegal to call someone names or send them nasty text messages. I’m not really in the business of getting involved in lovers’ quarrels. And since you didn’t feel it necessary to call the police during either one of the crimes you’re alleging, there’s really not much I can do,” he said, as he slurped loudly on his coffee. Douche.

“So you won’t help me at all?” I asked, pleading. He was a jerk, but he was an officer of the law, and my only hope.

“Not won’t…just can’t,” he said, as he stood and opened his door.

“Now, if you’ll head back up to the front room, I’ve got some pressing business to attend to.”

“Thanks a lot,” I said sarcastically, as I stormed past him and pushed open the door at the end of the hall.

As soon as I got in my car, I couldn’t stop the tears from falling. But they weren’t even tears of sadness. I was pissed off. Isn’t the law supposed to help you? That guy couldn’t have cared less what I had to say. I knew it wouldn’t do any good to try and speak with someone else, not in this little town. There were maybe three cops in the whole town, and they were always together. You couldn’t miss them at the diner or parking lots, just sitting around. Trying to get them to help me would be pointless. Damn it.

Chapter 11

Surprisingly, the next few days went by quietly. I got my number changed, so Jake couldn’t call or text. That was a huge relief. I felt semi-safe in the house with the alarm system set constantly. Jake hadn’t made an appearance, so I was hoping he was finally getting the hint and decided to leave me alone.

But my hopes were shattered when I pulled into my driveway and saw the flowers and box on the doorstep. I didn’t even need to read the card, but I did anyway. Apparently I was a sucker for punishment.

I’m sorry. Please forgive me. –J

I opened the box and there was a teddy bear that had a heart in the middle of it that read “I Love You.” This guy really was out of his mind. I picked up the blood-red roses and the box with the bear inside of it, and walked to the road. I sat both of them in the middle of the street, and walked inside. I didn’t want either one of them in my trashcan. Hopefully someone would drive by soon and run them over.

As soon as I walked inside the house, my phone went off. I wasn’t too worried about checking it, since only a handful of people had my new number.

Kash: On my way in, you need anything?

You.

Me: No thanks! See ya soon!

I got butterflies in my stomach and jumped in the shower. I knew nothing was going to happen, but I at least wanted to smell good and look cute when he got here. I had it bad. I was fully aware. But I couldn’t help it a single bit.

An hour later, I was trying to sit casually on the couch, but the truth was my insides were going crazy waiting to hear that engine come closer. And when it did, I got so excited my teeth literally started to chatter. This is crazy. I can’t have it this bad. I’ve never had it this bad. I’ve never wanted someone so much in my entire life. But just being around him for a couple of days, those intimate moments we shared, completely swallowed me up. And then missing his presence for the past week has bothered me, way more than it should have.

When I heard the door knob turn, I had to grip the cushions of the couch to keep from leaping off of it and attacking him.

“Hey, you,” I said casually, as I glanced his way. Being fake was getting harder by the second, especially when it came to Kash.

“Hey,” he said quietly, and then exhaled as he dropped his bag next to the front door.

“I’m gonna hit the shower, you wanna come?” he said with that sexy grin, as he walked past me.

“I just took one,” I said with a giggle, trying to hide the fact that I wanted to leap off this damn couch right now.

“I can get you dirty again,” he said, as he stopped in the hallway and turned to look at me. He wasn’t smiling. He had a look in his eyes that made me want to crawl on my hands and knees and beg him to take me.

“Kash,” I pleaded. He had no idea how much I wanted to take him up on his offer. But I had to think about the future. I had to think about the potential he had to tear my world apart, even worse than it already was. He had the ability to hurt me emotionally, way more than Jake ever did. I hated Jake for a long time when he shit on me, I was prepared for it. It didn’t faze me the way Kash could. Kash could destroy me.

“I’ll leave the door open, in case you change your mind,” he said, and then kept walking.

He was going to kill me. I heard the shower come on and my feet started moving even though my brain was begging them to stop. They wouldn’t listen. I would just walk past the bathroom, I wouldn’t stop. I just wanted a peek. Just a tiny little peek. When I got to the bathroom, my eyes looked in that direction and I stopped in my tracks. He was standing there with his arms folded, leaning against the sink, completely naked. I should keep walking, but I couldn’t. I just stared at him. My eyes stared at his eyes; they were staring at me so intensely I had to look away. So I made my way down to his lips, those full beautiful lips, down to his chest, and then that thin strip of hair below his belly button. Oh, my God. Was he pierced? Holy shit. I kept staring. It was a bar just below the tip with two silver studs on each end. I had never seen anything like it. I should look away, I couldn’t. No way in hell could I look away. I was fascinated.

Kash cleared his throat which forced my eyes away from
it.
I was suddenly really embarrassed, but it didn’t lessen my fascination any.

“Come here,” he said.

“I shouldn’t,” I whispered.

“And why not?” he asked.

“Because it’s not right.”

“Says who?” he said, as he raised away from the sink and started to walk towards me.

“Me?” I squeaked.

“Well, that doesn’t sound very convincing, sweetie,” he said, as he faced me and ran his fingertip down my cheek that was finally healed.

“No?” I asked in a whisper.

“No,” he said with a little laugh, as he licked his lips. I think my mouth actually opened a little at the sight of it.

“Do you know how much I’ve been thinking about these lips of yours?” he whispered against my mouth. “The way they taste,” he said, as he ran his tongue across my bottom lip.

“You have?” I whispered, as I moved my face a little closer to his.

“I know you want this as much as I do, I can see it in your eyes, Mackenzie,” he said, as he put his mouth on mine, and I slid my tongue in his mouth. He was right, I couldn’t deny it. I wanted him. Fuck it.

“Do you know how long I’ve waited to see this body again? To touch you?” he said, as he pulled my tank top over my head. I raised my arms to make it easier for him. I wanted my skin against his more than I wanted to breathe right now. He grabbed my breasts with both hands, and then flicked his tongue over each of my nipples. He sucked on them, and then bit my nipple just enough to make it sting a tiny bit. I let out a little cry.

Kash pressed his lips against mine as my hands found his chest and his back. I wanted to touch him all over. I slid my hands down lower until I felt the cool metal.

“Fuck,” he moaned, and then backed me against the wall as he hit his knees and pulled my shorts and panties down in one quick move.

I couldn’t believe this was happening. I felt his cool tongue against my clit and I had to grab onto the towel rack to keep from falling. I felt my toes stand on end as he rubbed his tongue in slow circles against me.

“So fucking sweet,” he whispered, his hot breath almost sending me over the edge. He continued to lick, suck and kiss me gently.
No one but Kash had ever done this to me before.  When I felt the tightening in my stomach, I couldn’t help but grab his hair. He let out a moan and started to run his tongue up and down me with longer, harder strokes. It was almost too much to bear.

“Oh, my God, Kash!” I cried. And then he started licking me faster, until my orgasm took over my body. I cried, and shook, and pulled his hair until I regained a little self-control. I hardly had time to regain my composure when Kash pulled his mouth away from me and grabbed the foil packet out of his jeans that were lying on the bathroom floor.

“I need inside you now, sweetie,” he said, as he tore the packet open with his teeth and slid the condom over himself. All I could do was shake my head. Because I needed the exact same thing.

I grabbed the back of his hair and pulled him to me, kissing him hard, without considering what had just happened. I didn’t care though, I just wanted him. Kash picked me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist. The shower was still running, and he put both of us inside. He placed me against the wet tile and slid inside me as he held my hands over my head. I couldn’t help but moan with each thrust. I watched as beads of water ran down his face onto his lips and down his chin. So sexy. When he pulled himself out of me, I almost whimpered. But he spun me around so fast, I didn’t. He grabbed me gently around the waist and shoved himself inside me once again. At first, he slid in and out of me slowly and gently, circling his hips at the same time. He reached his hand around and started to massage my clit again. It only took a minute before another orgasm started to take over my body. His thrusts became harder and faster at the same time, until he finally collapsed against my back. He stayed in that position for a minute, but once his breathing started to even out, he lifted himself off of me. He wet a washcloth under the warm water and then ran it between my thighs, cleaning me off. I couldn’t turn around and look at him, so I just stared at the tile. He had been home for five minutes and I broke the promise I made to myself. I realized I had no self-control when it came to him. A few minutes later, I heard the shower door open, and he stepped out. I saw him wrap a towel around his waist out of the corner of my eye

“You need a towel?” he asked.

“Please,” I said quietly.

“I’m beat, I’m gonna go to sleep,” he said as he handed me the towel, and gave me a weak smile.

“Ok,” I said, trying not to sound pathetic and sad. But that’s the way I felt in this moment. And used, I felt a little used. Which was stupid; I’m the one who came into the bathroom. I wanted it just as much as he did, probably more. I was an adult, and I could handle this. I decided to keep telling myself that until I believed it. So, I turned the shower water off and wrapped myself in the towel, then walked to my bedroom to get dressed.