Velvet Fire - Ashby Crime Family Romance

“No sign of Brendan in the wreckage of the house, at least not by the time I left, but there were bodies everywhere. Maybe he was there, in the debris, or he’d already left.”

“According to Maisie the explosion was quite a sight, so I imagine he didn’t get away unscathed, and I’m okay with that for now.”

At my stunned look, she rolled her eyes. “Tonight they feel as if they’ve gotten away with something. Bested those Ashby fucks. Let them drink and whoop it up, whatever they need to do to feel like smart men with big swinging dicks. Then we kill them.”

Some days I wondered if the sadistic streak in Ma came about as a result of all the beatings Da unleashed on her, or if it was always there, waiting to get out.

“Do you ever resent marrying Da?”

She shrugged and let out a big plume of smoke on an exhale.

“No. He wasn’t always horrible. When we first met, he was handsome and fun and smart. I figured if I had to get married to fulfill my role in the family, it was worth it. If I had known how bad he would handle failure, I might have reconsidered.”

“At least granddad got to live long enough to see that he was wrong about women running things.”

That brought a smile to her face as I knew it would.

“And that was worth every fucking thing I went through. His belief, his endorsement was the last piece of healing I needed to become the woman you see today.”

“Maisie thinks you’re a certified badass.”

She let out a low laugh. “Well, I know the people who raised her, so I consider it high praise.” Her smile faded. “Did she tell you about the drugs?”

My jaw clenched and I nodded, wishing for the hundredth time that I’d get the chance to kill Brendan fucking Rhymer with my bare hands.

“She says they didn’t touch her otherwise.” And I was choosing to believe that until I had a reason not to.

“I know she’s special to you, Virgil, and that you’re still coming to terms with what that means, but I need you not to be stupid here. Yeah?”

“Yeah, I got it.” I wouldn’t do anything stupid to get Maisie hurt, and I wouldn’t let her do anything to stop me because this wasn’t just about her. It was about all of us.

And the fucking Crusaders.

“Good. You smell like bleach and blood. Leave your clothes where Thomas can take them for disposal.”

She stood and stamped out the joint, which was my cue to leave. “See you in the morning, son.” She paused in the doorway and turned to me. “Tomorrow we have another problem to solve. Savannah Rhymer.”

Oh, fuck me, I’d forgotten about her.

“In the morning,” I reassured her. “Good night, Ma.”

When she was gone, I got to my feet and up the stairs to Maisie’s room for the night. Bonnie was still with her so I went straight to the bathroom and turned the shower on as hot as I could stand it before stepping inside. I let the whole shit storm of a day wash off me, ignoring the putrid scent of burnt flesh and dying screams, replacing them with images of Maisie giving herself over to me. And to pleasure.

I thought of the little gasping noises she made when her pleasure surprised her and the way she bit down on her bottom lip just before her orgasm hit. Thoughts of Maisie filled my head until I was hard and throbbing under the shower spray, gripping my cock for a quick and quiet release that zapped the last of my energy. I dried myself off and slipped on boxers in case Bonnie woke when I opened the door to the bedroom.

My legs were spaghetti by the time I made it back to the bed, feeling my way in the dark before I slid in behind Maisie. I didn’t know if it was me specifically or my heat that she was responding to, but she gravitated toward me until her back was pressed up against my chest. Her ass nestled in the cradle of my hips and she moaned.

“Virgil?” She smiled over her shoulder at me. “You’re back. Is it morning?”

“In a few more hours,” I whispered and pressed a kiss to her shoulder that had her purring like a kitten and rubbing up against me. “Go back to sleep.”

“Bossy,” she moaned but her eyes were already sliding shut again and her breathing slowed and evened out. “Night.”

“Good night, sweetheart.” A smile curled my lips and I wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her tight.

Bonnie stirred from her side of the bed. Her eyes went wide with surprise when she saw us together.

“I’ll, uh, just give you guys some space.” She moved to get up, but I shook my head and pointed to Maisie’s other hand, the one that clasped Bonnie’s.