Tatum stood at the window in Brute’s room. With her arms crossed over her chest, she stared outside but saw nothing. Her mind was reeling from what she’d learned tonight. At long last, she knew who she was, she also knew where she came from, and that someone out there had indeed loved her.
Resting her forehead on the glass, she closed her eyes. She couldn’t believe how one lone woman had caused so much havoc, so much pain in so many people’s lives. This Cheryl had lied, ruined lives, taken advantage of life’s twists and turns and hurt so many people over the years. Only one time had she seen so much evil in any one person. She’d known Mrs. Wyman was cruel but this Cheryl person was so much more than just cruel, she was an evil incarnate.
Again, Tatum felt left out in the wind though, with no anchor and it was a scary place to be.
Brute’s arms wrapped around her waist as he pulled her close to him. Whispering, “What are you thinking about?”
Tatum shook her head. “Trying to sort everything out. It’s a mess isn’t it?”
Brute laid his head on top of hers and stared at their reflection in the glass. He spoke softly, “The puzzle pieces are coming together and that’s a good thing. We have some answers now, at least. I’m not sure how everyone is going to feel about the answers, but we’ve got them.” He paused, looking down at her. “How are you feeling about what you learned tonight?”
She gazed up at him and asked, “Honestly?”
Brute nodded.
She wet her dry lips and shrugged. “I’m not sure. All my life, all I ever wanted was to know who I was.” Exhaling loudly, she shook her head a little. “Well, I guess now, I know. I just don’t understand it all yet.”
“What are you going to do with that knowledge?”
“When Dennis snapped Mrs. Wyman’s neck… I admit, I didn’t feel a thing one way or the other about her life ending. I didn’t feel sorry or sad. I didn’t even feel happy when she was finally gone. It was like…I felt no emotions whatsoever… I felt nothing. No … I take that back. I did feel something. I’d heard them talking before he killed her and for the first time in my life, I felt hopeful. I knew if I could follow him I might find out who I was. I didn’t even hesitate, even knowing he could snap my neck just as easily as he had hers. I followed him all the way here.” She took a deep breath while looking up at him again, and she smiled. Raising her hands to touch his cheeks she whispered, “I didn’t know I was coming toward my destiny. I was terrified yet excited, the closer I got the more calm I became. I think I knew from the moment I got here that I would find the answers I always sought. I didn’t know the how or why, but I knew this was where I was supposed to be.”
“And now?” Brute asked. “Now that you have answers, well at least some of the answers you wanted…How are you feeling about that?”
“I’m not really sure,” she admitted. “I found out who I am. I found out that my mom loved and wanted me before I was born but that opened up another can of worms. Because she was lied to as my life became a living hell and for what? I still have no idea what this Cheryl planned or why she gave me to that monster. Were she and this Dennis person going to use me against my father? Would he even have wanted me? My mom did what she did because of her love for me. She believes he would have wanted me but I don’t know that. I don’t know what kind of man he was back then, or much less what kind of man he is today. She was afraid of him for a reason, yet she put her life on the line for me tonight when she called my dad and told him about me but where does that leave me, or her?” She laid her head on his chest. “So many unanswered questions keep going round and round in my head until I can’t even think anymore.”
Brute held her close. “Maybe you just need some rest. I know I need to hold you, so let’s go to bed.”
Tatum looked up at him with a question in her eyes. They hadn’t gone past the holding part since he’d first showed her his bedroom but tonight, she wanted more. Being in his arms at night was wonderful, cocooned in his warm embrace, safe for the first time in her memory. Now, her body was waking up to his every touch and the way he looked at her.
No one had ever looked at her like he did. Now,she wanted more.
His touch excited her in a way she never felt before and she wanted to explore those feelings. She just lacked the courage to reach out for what she wanted. She turned and walked to the bathroom, where she stripped off her clothes and got ready for bed.
She opened the bathroom door and found Brute standing there shirtless. Gasping softly at the sight of him without his shirt, she just stared at him. She’d seen him like this before but tonight? Dayum, he looked good.
His chest was well muscled. He had these interesting tattoos and a soft looking pelt of chest hair that hid nothing from her eyes. Brute was tall and well built and he took care of his body. In that moment, Tatum’s mouth watered. She lowered her eyes and scooted around him.
Something warm began building inside her and she had never felt this kind of warmth before. She got into bed while Brute disappeared into the bathroom, when she reached for the covers, she wondered what she could do to let him know she was interested in him as a man, not just a protector.
Looking over at the door, she questioned herself. Did she have the courage to do this? With a nod to herself, she quickly snapped off the light and tugged her t-shirt off, tossing it to the floor. She took off her underwear, pulled the covers up to her neck then waited with bated breath for Brute to come to bed.
She heard the door open a few minutes later then held her breath for him to get into bed beside her. She waited for Brute to haul her into his arms like he always did and prayed this was what he wanted too, because she sure as hell did.
Brute got into bed and reached for her. When he felt her bare skin he grumbled, “What the hell?” He stared down at her smile. Pulling her even closer, his hands began running up and down her bare back. “Baby, is this really what you want?”
“Yes,” Tatum whispered in a shaky voice. “I want this, I want you.”
Brute froze at her words and groaned. He didn’t even hesitate. His lips crushed hers and he deepened the kiss while his body heated up at the contact between them. He touched her skin. It felt so warm and so soft against his hands that were roaming over her body at will.
He broke the kiss and whispered, “If we do this baby, I’m claiming you. You’re mine, and I’m keeping you.”
Tatum gazed up at him. “You’re keeping me? You really want me?”
Brute groaned at her simple words. “Yeah baby, I want to keep you. You will belong to me and I’ll belong to you.”
“Just you,” she stated in a worried tone. “I don’t want anyone but you.”
Brute growled, “Yeah, just me. I may share a lot with my brothers but I won’t share my woman and that’s what you are. You are my woman.”
Tatum licked her lips and whispered, “I don’t want to share you either.”
Brute chuckled. “You won’t have to share me with another woman, sweetness, that’s not how I roll. You will get all of me, same as I get all of you. No sharing by either of us.”
“Good.” She leaned over and kissed him back then pulled back to look into his warm eyes. “Then claim me big guy, I want you so bad.”
With a low growl, he rolled her onto her back. He kneed her legs wider and settled in her cradle. He stared into her eyes and found something he was looking for. Her desire, her yearning. Crushing her mouth under his, he began assaulting her senses with his touch, his lips, his tongue, and his hands.
His skin on skin feeling seemed to light a fire in her as Tatum shivered at his touch.
Brute’s kisses trailed to her neck and past that to her breast as he took in one nipple and suckled slowly, enjoying the flavor of her. He slipped a hand down as his fingers touched her core and she was getting wetter and wetter.
At his touch, she cried out with a gasp in her voice.
“I got you baby girl,” Brute soothed her. “Just feel me, enjoy my touch, just relax, and feel me.”
Tatum opened her eyes and stared at him with complete trust in her uniquely colored gaze.
Brute smiled as he continued with soft biting and kissing along her body as he reached her core, then his tongue began devouring her sweet flavor.
Gasping when his tongue entered her, her hips bowed upward.
Brute held her down and licked her while nibbling on her button. He kept at her until he knew she was ready.
Once she had reached her pinnacle, she exploded all over his tongue and fingers.
He licked at her cream and knew he was in a heaven that he’d never had with any other woman. He moved up to kiss her again while sharing her flavor with her, moving into position to claim her. He slowly entered her. Closing his eyes, he growled, “You’re so tight and I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Please don’t stop,” she pleaded. “I need you so much, please don’t stop.”
Brute groaned and smirked at her. “Baby, I can’t stop even if I wanted to.” He pushed in even further. He felt her barrier and paused then captured her lips and plunged through it.
Tatum opened her mouth to scream but his tongue filled her mouth. He waited until she caught her breath and seemed to be moving under him as she thrust her hips up to meet his. She moaned into his mouth and returned his kiss.
Brute now knew he could move again. He began the age old rhythm that lovers danced to, as she whimpered and called out to him. His need grew as he upped the dance and began thrusting in and out…harder and deeper. He watched her face, as pleasure filled her expression. He wanted to see her as she fell apart in his arms. Her eyes remained locked on him and the color in them deepened. He had never seen a more beautiful sight as he thrust once, twice then the third time, as he burst inside her. She screamed out his name and he held her tight as he poured his essence into her.
When he tried to move, she didn’t seem to want him to as she clung to him tightly. He finally said, “I’ll crush you baby, I’m not going far.” Tatum reluctantly let him go and he settled next to her. “Are you all right?” he finally asked her.
Tatum shook her head.
“Did I hurt you?” he asked her worriedly.
Tatum shook her head and turned to look at him. “No Brute, you didn’t hurt me, you made me feel so wonderful, so… I mean wow!”
Brute closed his eyes in relief. He got up on his elbow and glanced down at her. “You’re mine now, my woman.”
Tatum smiled as she agreed with him. “I so wanted to be your woman. And now, you’re mine too.”
He hauled her into his arms and whispered, “Go to sleep, baby girl. Tomorrow will be here sooner than later.”
The room grew quiet as the moon shone brightly upon them through the curtains.
With a sated sigh of contentment, Tatum snuggled into his embrace and closed her eyes. Her mind was still too full with all the events of the day and then this. What a wonderful thing being with Brute had been. She never knew it would be like that. Now she was his woman and she couldn’t even absorb what that meant. She knew one thing though…She was finally home.
While she laid there thinking about things, she noticed his breathing had slowed and evened out. Opening her eyes, she took a long look over his sweaty body and smiled. How did she ever get a man like this to want her? She had to wonder but she was still so glad that he had wanted her to stay with him.
She moved to lay back down when something caught the corner of her eye and she looked toward the window.
A face appeared on the other side of the glass, looking back at her. The face was sneering at her.
Tatum felt fear closing her throat, making her mute and when the face seemed to move slightly, a hand lifted, she saw this person was holding a gun.
Tatum knew Brute always kept a gun under his pillow. So, while almost holding her breath, she slid her hand under it and grabbed the weapon. Without thinking, she quickly sat up and fired at the window.
Glass shattered and someone screamed as a second shot rang out.
Hearing the gunshot, Brute grabbed his woman, pulling her off the bed with him to the floor. He took the weapon out of her hand and swung it toward the window. He heard someone stumbling away from the building.
There were footsteps running down the hall toward his room.
He tossed Tatum the sheet.
She scrambled to cover herself when the door burst inward and men poured into his room with their weapons drawn.
In the silence that followed their arrival, Hawkins glared at Brute and demanded, “What the hell is going on here?”
Brute nodded toward Tatum. “Ask her, I was sleeping until the shooting started.”
Hawkins turned to Tatum. “What the hell did you see? Why did you shoot out the window?”
Tatum was shaking as she pulled the covers tighter over her. “There was someone standing outside the window and—they pulled a gun. T-they were going to shoot us. So I-I grabbed Brute’s gun out from under his pillow a-and—shot first.”
Hawkins looked over at Kota and ordered, “Better check things out.”
Kota nodded at him then he and two of the brothers left.
Brute plucked his jeans from the floor and pulled them on. Zipping up, he fastened the button.
Both men could now see Kota outside, checking things out.
Brute stepped over closer to peer through the broken window and he froze.
Hawkins moved over to the window as well.
Kota was kneeling down and saw what Brute had. Swinging his gaze up to his dad, he said, “There are footprints in the dirt out here and blood. Somebody was definitely here, all right.”
In the silence after his announcement, a blood curdling scream came from the woods behind the compound. It sounded eerily like a shriek of pure rage rather than pain.
Tatum shivered at the sound of it.
Hawkins shook his head as his angry gaze met Brute’s. “Fuckin’ hell,” he swore softly.
