Page 51 of Only You

“What happened? Oh, good, we got her ass at least,” she continued as she looked down at the scene before her.

“Costa shot Nina, I thought… I thought he was ready to shoot Lynx, and I froze. I fucking froze! Fuck!” I yelled. The thought to lift my gun and shoot hadn’t even crossed my mind. I was in protective mode. If anyone was going to take a bullet out of the two of us, it was going to be me. To make matters even worse, Lynx was in a state of shock. My heart broke at the current disarray on her face as she tried to hold it together.

“Let’s go. We need to get her out of here,” I said, lifting her bridal style and carrying her through and out of the estate.

“Get Costa’s ass in the Bio Scan ASAP.” This was why I didn’t like making moves on a whim. Shit never worked out how you wanted it to. The only positive aspect of the outcome was that Costa was aware we were aware of the ports. If we knew, so would The Cartel. At least I hoped his ass was smart enough to know. He would try to hide, but it didn’t matter because there was nowhere to go. Besides, when they were scared, it made them easier to find. As a bonus, I knew where to find his daughter.

CHAPTER 28

Tayla

Ilet the emotions I felt about what happened fill my mind. They were there on the ride from Costa’s estate to HCS’s parking deck and then home. I hadn’t said a word about what I saw or how I felt. The truth was that I didn’t know if I was mad that I hadn’t gotten to do it myself, or the fact that the woman I had called my mother up until a few months ago was gone. I couldn’t even tell you if I would have even done it. There was the possibility that I was thankful I didn’t have to. Maybe it was better this way.

When we pulled into the garage at home, I sat there until Brice came around and opened the door. Instead of bridal style, he turned my body and wrapped me around his waist, carrying me into the house. I buried myself into his neck and inhaled his scent. A carnal desire took over my mind, replacing everything else. I took a chance and flicked my tongue out tasting his skin before I wrapped my lips around it and sucked.

“Tay,” he groaned.

I took my time exploring his neck, then found my way to his lips, throwing my tongue assertively into his mouth. I felt euphoric as he took over, possessing my mouth. I could feel his erection at my center as I circled my hips around it. My back hit the wall as we continued in the throes of passion. My hands haphazardly found their way to his pants undoing his jeans and roughly trying to release his dick. It was what I wanted. I needed it. As I fumbled with his pants, I was placed on my feet.

“Tayla,” he said, his voice stern and laced with concern. I had tunnel vision as I finally wrapped my hands around his dick.

“Tay, Baby, stop,” he groaned as he grabbed my wrists, removing them from inside his pants and briefs. I fought against his restraint on my wrist, trying my best to get free.

“Let me go, Brice. I need it. I want to feel,” I said, strained as the tears crested in my eyes. I’d told myself I wouldn’t shed any, yet here they were, about to fall against my will.

“I’m obsessed with you in every way, Tay, but that’s not what you need. You said you want to feel, then feel, Baby,” Brice said as he cradled my body close to his. Then I took a breath, and there it was, a scream that came from somewhere deep inside me, followed by the sobs. Then there was the anger. It flowed from my body through my arms and into my hands, where they balled into fists as I struck Brice in the chest over and over until I got tired. I fell to the floor, and he fell with me, because he hadn’t let go. He was creating the safe space that provided the love I’d sought my entire life. The unconditional love.

“Stephon was so lucky not to have known his father when everything went down. She was there in my life in some capacity…” I paused to wipe my errant tears.

“I don’t think I would have been able to do it. I’m mad at myself because she didn’t have any problems doing it to me,” I said, letting the silence fill our space. I closed my eyes and was comforted that Brice let me get it all out. The feeling of his arms wrapped around me and his lips resting on my forehead brought me immense peace. While I found myself searching for a constant in my mother, Brice had always been that, without me even having to ask.

“Thank you, Brice, for always being here for me,” I whispered.

“Baby, you don’t even have to thank me for that. I’ll provide that until my last breath,” he said, then lifted my chin to kiss my lips sweetly. He stood us both up, scooping me back into his arms, and headed upstairs. Once there, he headed into the bathroom, sat me on the counter, and started the shower. I watched lustfully as he stripped down. When he caught me, he smirked.

“Not tonight, Tay,” he said as he walked over to help me down from the counter. Once I was on my feet, he began to strip me just as he had himself. We stepped into the shower, which had filled with steam, and he gently pushed me underneath the head, letting the water run over my scalp. I closed my eyes and listened as the water hit the shower floor. My mind finally felt free as my body began to relax. There was no other feeling like it until the feeling of a soapy rag dragged across my body. I inhaled deeply as Brice’sgentle caress moved over my breasts, down my center, and to my toes.

“Mmmm,” I hummed, feeling my body release all its tension down the drain.

“Do you remember when I asked you if you knew about rabid animals?”

“Yeah, I remember. What about them?”

“If you keep this up, I’m going to take my dick and you won’t be able to do a thing to stop me,” I said. he let out a hearty laugh at my declaration. After washing himself, he dried and moisturized our bodies before tucking us into bed. We faced each other as he pulled me further into his embrace.

“Brice, I miss Breezy.”

“Me too. You can get him from Ms. Adri when you want. Steph said she refused to take either of them to A Child’s Haven,” he said.

“I’ll do that,” I said with a sleep-ridden voice.

“Brice, don’t be scared for me when we go out on these missions. What happened to me will never happen again.”

“I know,” he said, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. I didn’t miss the exhausted tone in his voice. It sounded like the world's weight was on his shoulders.

“Go to sleep, Tay. I love you.”

“I love you too, unequivocally.” I felt his smile on my forehead before he left a kiss there. With Nina being gone, a lot of the weight I carried had died with her. I was sure that some of the weight had been lifted from him as well, knowing she’d killed his father.However, she’d left some of that weight behind, and I would help him carry it. That weight involved Costa, who had previously sent men after Brice because Nina told him to; would he still act on that? My mind swam with thoughts as slumber found its way to me.

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