Fighting for Flight (27 page)

My vision goes black as two words scream in my
head.

Help me!

Raven

One minute I’m choking, desperate for air, and the
next I’m on all fours sucking precious oxygen into my lungs.
Hearing a scuffle, I turn to see what freed me.

Shock freezes my body. Vince is on his back and
Jonah is straddling him. His fists are pounding Vince’s face. His
colorful arms are blurry with the speed of each blow. The sickening
thud of each blow is a drastic contrast to the beauty and fluidity
of his movements. Jonah’s arms swing with deadly accuracy. But
Vince is out, his body flopping from side to side with the power of
each punch.

“Jonah, stop. You’ll kill him.” My burning throat
makes my voice a little more than a whisper, not enough to
penetrate Jonah’s rage.

I crawl to him with trepidation and place myself by
Vince’s bloody face.

“Jonah, stop. I’m okay. I’m right here. You have to
stop now.” My voice is gentle, and it’s then that his arms slow
their gory punishment.

Jonah’s body stills, but his chest swells and
deflates with deep breaths. Reaching forward, I place my hand on
his forearm. His head jerks, and his eyes connect with mine, wild
and distant. He blinks a couple times and I see my Jonah
return.

“God, baby, are you okay?” His words falter with the
power of each breath.

Jumping off Vince, he pulls me to my feet. His eyes
move over my body along with his hands.

“I was out front. I saw Eve run from behind the
club. I ran as fast as I could. He had you . . . Shit, are you
okay?”

“I’m fine. Just a little scared. Where’s Eve?”

“I told her to go to the truck and sit tight.” He
looks back at an unconscious Vince. “Who the fuck is that piece of
shit?”

I drop my eyes to the ground, wanting to slap
myself. I never told Jonah about Vince. “That’s Vince, Eve’s
boyfriend,” I take a deep breath, “and Dominick’s right hand.”

His eyes grow narrow and his muscles tense. “That
motherfucker!”

An echo of Jonah’s curse rings off the walls of the
alley. The H2 I saw at Eve’s the other night is parked there,
hidden in a service entrance of the warehouse next to the club.
Without a soul around, I’m thankful no one was a witness to what
Jonah did to Vince. But I can’t help but wonder what would have
happened if Jonah hadn’t shown up when he did.

“We need to get out of here.” I rub my neck and
wince as my shoulder protests the movement.

Jonah looks undecided as to whether he should finish
the job he started on Vince or get us to the truck. Moaning drifts
from the bloodied piece of meat beside us, and that seems to force
Jonah into a snap decision. He wraps one arm around my shoulders
and the other around my stomach, supporting my weight, and we hurry
to the truck.

It’s a silent ride to Eve’s house except for her
occasional apologies for Vince’s behavior. I see hurt in her eyes,
but not hurt that she just found out her boyfriend is abusive. The
pain in her eyes is that of a girl with a broken heart. Will she
always be attracted to men who hurt her like her father did? God, I
hope not.

We drop her off at her insistence. She wants to be
alone, and I don’t blame her. She has a lot to think about. Jonah
walks through her house, turning on all the lights and making sure
she feels safe before she locks herself inside.

Safe in the cab of the truck, I allow myself to feel
the weight of what happened. I turn my head to face out the window,
not wanting to give Jonah any more to worry about. A silent sob
rips through my body as tears of fear, guilt, and anxiety flow down
my cheeks. The driver side door slams shut and a warm hand covers
mine. I interlace our fingers, hold on tight, and vow to never let
go.

~*~

Jonah

“That son of a bitch!” Blake’s response to my
re-telling of the evening’s events mirrors my own.

I grip my phone tighter before loosening my hold,
remembering what happened the last time I took out my anger on my
phone. To avoid putting my fist through a wall, I force myself to
my bed.

“You told him at Zeus’s Playground to pull his tails
on Raven. I was there. I heard you!”

I don’t know if calling Blake was the smartest
choice. Talking shit out with Blake usually helps me decompress.
Right now, he’s just getting me worked up. I sit back and stare at
the ceiling, hoping I can calm my ass down before Raven gets out of
the shower. The poor girl has had a round trip ticket to hell and
back. The last thing she needs is her raging boyfriend climbing the
fucking walls like a caged animal.

“I almost killed him. I swear if I hadn’t heard
Raven’s voice begging me to stop, I would have. Seeing that
motherfucker with his arms wrapped around her . . .” My sentence
trails off as my jaw clenches so tight I’m spitting words through
my teeth.

“Sounds like it’s time for another meeting with dear
ol’ dad,” Blake says, his voice holding a hint of excitement.

“Yeah, I have to talk to my girl first, get the
story on this Vince guy.” My head falls to the backboard and I rub
my eyes with my free hand. “You should see her arm. All dressed up,
lookin’ hot as hell, with a fucking bruise in the shape of a man’s
hand on her arm.” The calm that had been slowly moving through my
body dissolves into anger. “He had her fucking neck!”

“At least you taught that fucker a lesson. Don’t
think he’ll be messin’ with Raven again after you flipped the
switch on his ass."

He’s got a point. I had to trash one of my favorite
shirts because it was splattered with his blood.

“Look, the fight’s this week. You and Raven lie low
until then. You don’t need any more publicity than you…”

My attention is drawn from Blake to the sound of the
shower being turned off.

“What the fuck is Eve thinking?” His angry question
jerks me back to the conversation.

“Don’t know, don’t fucking care. This douchebag’s
been on Raven’s ass from the get-go. I’m putting this shit to an
end.”

“Fuckin’ A, brother,” Blake says under his
breath.

The bathroom door opens and Raven walks out in
nothing but a towel. My mind clears of everything that happened
tonight at the sight of her wet skin. I imagine drying her with my
mouth as my eyes devour her legs and move over her towel to her
arms. Her arm. The angry bruise brings me back in a violent
rush.

I glare at the color on her arm. “Gotta run. I’ll
talk to you tomorrow.”

“Right. Tell your girl to stay strong.”

“Will do. Later.”

Tossing my phone on the bedside table, I watch Raven
put on a short pair of drawstring sleeping shorts, no panties, and
a thin tank top. Blinking, I tell myself that my body can wait but
the conversation we need to have cannot.

“Baby, come here.”

I make room for her on the bed, and she quickly
takes her place at my side. Her cheek is pressed to my chest and
her finger traces lazy circles on my abdomen. My dick responds
immediately. I place my hand over hers to stop the stimulation
before I forget my own name and bury myself inside her.

“Um, you’re going to have to stop that so we can
talk. Shit happens to my body that short-circuits my brain.”

I feel her smile against my chest. She pushes her
hand out from under mine, down past my belly button. I groan as her
delicate fingers slip beneath my shorts.

“I, ah . . .” My mind goes fuzzy and my heart pounds
in my chest.

Her soft hand grasps me in a firm hold and my hips
jerk in response.
Fuuuck.

“I know you want to talk, Jonah, and we will. But
right now, I need you.”

I can’t remember what we were going to talk about,
and I don’t care.

Her hand picks up its pace and pressure. My eyes fix
on her forearm as her lean muscles flex with each stroke. The
fruity smell from her clean hair makes my mouth water. My lips burn
with the need to kiss her.

“Baby, I want your mouth,” I say, panting.

She kisses my neck, a tease with her full wet lips
that has me achingly frustrated. I wrap my hand behind her neck,
sifting my fingers through her hair, then grip tight. She
moans.

I bring her luscious lips to mine, taking what I
want. Our tongues crash together as I convert my anger from earlier
into passion. The feel of her teeth as she nips impatiently at my
lips makes me think she’s doing the same. My mouth is flooded with
her pure, clean taste. I flex my hands in her hair as her sweet
mouth moves against mine in a sensual rhythm.

She presses her breasts into my chest and her stroke
quickens. I’m fighting not to roll my eyes at the perfection of her
touch. Reaching down, I release my button and zipper, freeing
myself for her. She smiles against my lips then sucks on my lower
lip. I can’t help but imagine she’s sucking on something else, and
I groan.

She breaks the kiss and locks her blue-green eyes on
mine. Her eyebrows raise a fraction as if she’s asking a question.
Then her hand releases me just enough to slide her hand lower.

“Mmm . . .” My head falls back and my eyes slam
shut. She’s never done this before, and I marvel at her growing
confidence. Her gentle play and tender touch are both teasingly
sweet and erotic as hell. My stomach muscles contract as I let her
explore.

Desperate to feel her, I slide a hand beneath her
tank top. Her soft skin is pliable against my rough hands. I cup
her firm breast then knead, rolling the tip between my thumb and
forefinger. Her sexy curves push and rub against me, enticing my
body.

“I want you naked,” I growl.

Pushing myself up, I straddle her knees, and pull
her tank top off. She sucks in a pained breath and falls back to
the bed.

“What’s wrong?”

“My shoulder,” she says with a grimace.

“Shit, baby. I don’t want to do this if it’s going
to hurt you.” The thought alone is like dumping ice cold water on
my crotch. “I already feel like an asshole not giving you more time
to heal after last night.” I sit back on my heels and pray she
doesn’t want to stop.

“I can’t explain it,” she says and pushes herself up
on one elbow. “All I know is that, after everything I went through
tonight, I want to feel safe and cherished. Protected.”

I look into her eyes and watch them brim with
tears.

“I want you . . . I
need
you to love me.
Please.” She’s beautiful all the time, but the vulnerability in her
eyes as she pleads robs me of speech.

I lean forward and she lies back. My tongue licks at
the crease of her mouth, requesting entrance. We have plenty of
time for rough passion. Tonight, I want to love her at a deliberate
pace.

I slip my hand beneath the drawstring of her shorts
and she breaks the kiss, gasping at my contact. Her hips move in
rhythm with my fingers. I brace myself above her on one elbow,
mesmerized by her response: her lip sucked into her mouth, moaning.
White knuckles grip the sheets as her hips push and roll against my
hand.

Perfect.

Her hands move to her shorts, and, with a lift of
her hips, she pulls them down. I do the same, ridding myself of the
stifling confinement. She’s naked before me, chest rising and
falling erratically, and knees wide in invitation. I caress her
thighs, taking in all that is mine. Only mine. She stares openly at
my hard-on, making it twitch, and I watch her eyes widen.

From my kneeling position between her legs, I grab
her hips and pull her up so her ass is resting on my thighs. I
spread my knees, bringing myself lower and pulling her higher until
we meet. Her legs wrap around my waist, and I slip my hands below
her ass and tilt.

“Jonah.” There’s an edge of concern in her
voice.

This is a new position for her, and I’m sure she’s
nervous. My chest swells with the knowledge that every position
will be new to her and I’m the one who gets to teach her.

“Don’t worry, baby. I’ll take care of you.”

Her expression relaxes with a tiny smile.

I push forward, and just like last night, my stomach
is gripped with the urge to thrust.
Slowly.
I repeat it in
my head. Inch by inch I ease into her. My eyes take in the sight of
our bodies connecting. The silky heat, gripping pressure, and
visual stimulation turn me into an emotional live wire. I pull out
an inch and push in two more. Over and over, slowly until I’m
buried deep. I pause and fight the explosion coiling in my body.
Think of something else. I go over a list of choke holds. Triangle
choke, gator roll, rear naked choke . . . Oh, no, not that one.

The image of my body connected to Raven’s becomes
too much. I fall forward, bracing my weight with my arms and
straighten my legs. Raven immediately responds to the closeness of
our mouths by devouring mine. I move above her in lazy strokes,
taking in each sensation. My chest brushes against her breasts with
each painstakingly slow thrust. She squirms with impatience beneath
me.

“Faster, Jonah. Harder,” she says, grasping at my
ass.

“Baby, you’re sore. I need—“

“Take me, please. I want you to.” Her words are
breathy and hot as hell.

My body responds by thrusting in deep. I bite my lip
to keep from calling out in blissful satisfaction as her gripping
heat pulls me in.
Fuck.
She gasps against my neck. I check
her face to see it’s not pain she’s feeling. It’s pleasure. Pulling
out slowly, I push in again, harder this time. She moans and coaxes
me on.

My girl.

Overwhelming emotion and raw need push my hips
deeper. I keep my eyes locked on hers and roll my hips. The sounds
coming from deep in her chest take me to the edge of my
control.

A familiar twinge in my chest warms my skin as I
continue to love Raven. My strokes increase in strength and her
fingernails dig into my ass. She meets each thrust with a push of
her own. Her dark hair is splayed wildly around her face. She
arches back in the way that I know is her signal. She’s close.