Page 27 of Breaking Storm

“I wasn’t!” Damn, I swore I wouldn’t do it but there they are. Tears glisten my face. I’ve cried so much it’s like the Hoover Dam broke. “This isn’t a true marriage. We don’t even know each other and you—”

“It is a true marriage. Maybe not one we chose or agreed to. Arranged marriages happen, and that’s what this is—arranged, but it still constitutes a marriage.”

The palms of my hands wipe at my tear-stricken face. “What can I do to make school happen for me?” I kneel on the bed. “Please, Joey. I need to go to school.”

His hands rest on his hips, and he tenses his jaw. “Fine. You can go, except sex is back on the table.”

I wipe my face, nod, and say, “Okay.”

“You can register for school, but I’m not waiting until the semester starts.”

“That’s fair.”

He sticks his chin my way. “And it won’t be an in and out thing. We’re going to enjoy sex.”

I roll my eyes at him. “Whatever you say.”

“What? You don’t think sex with me will be enjoyable?”

My hands raise in surrender. “I didn’t say that.”

We slowly ease back into bed, turn off our lights, and lay with our backs to one another. I don’t know if I caved because I want school so much or if I caved because I’m curious about him. To get a glimpse of a non-brooding Joey. This could be one of the worst things I’ve ever done or a not-so-bad decision.

Chapter 12

I WAS DUMBFOUNDED WHEN TEAGAN agreed to sex in exchange for school. My childhood crush, my wife, is willing to let me touch her. Of course, she’s only doing it for school, but I don’t care. Our clusterfuck wedding night ruined things on my end, and all I want is to show her how I feel. To witness her coming undone by my hands. Enjoy her touch. Her wanting me. She’s petite and her toffee copper-streaked hair smells of nature. A combination of apple, honey, and lavender. It’s unique and erotic. In addition to her tiny body near me, her smell conjuring sexual fantasies, I can get lost staring into her denim blue eyes. Teagan is what I want in a wife, and the fact she doesn’t want to be part of this criminal lifestyle makes her all the more attractive.

Since Teagan has agreed to sex, I haven’t stopped thinking about it. Visions of her in numerous sexual positions saturate my mind. Every one of them has her bowing to my needs. Offering herself as a gift. Images of my mouth claiming every dip and curve of her body. My face buried in her pussy. Watching her come on my tongue and dick. To be buried so deep inside her I become her religion as she chants my name, spreading wide to receive penance from my hands, mouth, and cock.

I’ve jacked off more now than I have over the last year. But timing is everything, and there hasn’t been the right moment to worship Teagan. And to be honest, I’m nervous about it. Teagan has become my number one priority. I want to win over her body, mind, and soul. To capture her to the point where she can’t live without me. Where I become a necessity for her to function. It all comes from a lifelong fear of loss, and the idea of someone else touching her, or losing her is unbearable. Even a sweeping thought about it has my heart pounding. As things progress, my jealousy and possessiveness over Teagan rises.

I’m in my home office and Sean is in the yard with Teagan. Sean. Another situation in its entirety. I’ve known the guy my whole life, my best friend, so his admission about his sexual orientation blows my mind. Sean understands and has seen all the seedy details of my family life. Knows the physical and emotional shit I deal with on account of James. We both harbor secrets. Sean has had to remain silent to avoid torture and/or death, because on the streets, that’s what happens if you’re a homosexual. A whisper of it and he wouldn’t have lasted a day, so we’ll remain quiet until there’s an opportunity for us to shed this life.

The sound of Teagan’s beautiful laughter drifts through the office’s open window. I turn to watch the two of them. Sean is protective of her like an older brother. They’ve grown close, and it bothers me.Iwant to cause her laughter. To see her smile and feel her touch when I bring her something she loves.

My phone pings, and I notice Sean glancing at his. In all caps, I read,Colin WARD DEAD. m16t. reg.

Sean turns toward my window, and our eyes meet. We both know Colin. He’s the younger brother of my other bodyguard, Frankie. He is a good kid. Only fucking seventeen. All he ever wanted was to be like his brothers, tough and up for a challenge, except it didn’t come natural to him. Too mild-mannered to take on the brutish command of his brothers. I guess it was only a matter of time before the streets sucked him six feet under.

Teagan is asking Sean what’s wrong. He takes her arm, escorting her into the house, and he comes into my office. I toss my phone on the desk and lean back as Sean falls into one of the chairs. Teagan peeks into the room, taking timid steps until she’s sitting in the chair next to Sean.

Sean shakes his head and says, “Frankie is going to lose it.”

Teagan’s voice is cotton soft when she asks, “What’s going on?”

He looks at her. “You know Frankie?” She nods. “His younger brother Colin was killed. Most likely by a rival gang.” Her hand presses against her breasts.

I swivel sideways in my chair, resting my head against my fingers, and glance out the window. “Meeting is at four today.” My hand drops when my attention returns to them. “Probably about retaliation.”

“Shit. Colin was a good kid born into the wrong family.” Silence falls. There is nothing else to say.

Sean stays with Teagan while I head to the meeting place. When I see Frankie there, I give him a one-shoulder bump and my condolences. Asshole James called the meeting only to play the game of how outraged and hurt he is over the loss of Colin. It’s a front. All he wants is to save face. Rival revenge. After hearing what happened, I tell Frankie I’m there for anything he needs. I don’t care about James’ plans. This is Frankie’s call.

Another gang caught Colin and his girlfriend in a park. They made Colin watch as she was gang raped and then shot him full of holes. Two seventeen-year-olds who could have been anything. Might have had a long life. Unfortunately for them, they’re products of the disease weaved through the streets of Chicago. Infected by their own family, Colin and his girlfriend were flushed like sewage. This life has never sat well with me, but this hit flares my rage and raises my panic because if this happened to Teagan, I’d go mad.

It's been two days since Colin’s death. The wake and funeral are today and I’m on edge. After putting on a suit, I head downstairs while Teagan is still in the washroom, getting ready. Through two cups of coffee and a piece of toast Gerard encourages me to eat, Teagan comes into the room. She slows her steps, taking in my suit. Aside from our wedding, at which neither of us were in the right frame of mind, she’s only seen me in casual clothes. Her heels click against the marble tiles. Even in black, she’s poetry in motion. The room remains quiet while we finish breakfast and steal glances at one another. Even though our wedding wasn’t normal, forced upon us, it didn’t take me long to accept it. Why would it? Aside from our age, Teagan is the one true and good thing in my life. She’s mine.

The funeral home is owned by friends of Frankie’s family. On the car ride to the wake, Sean and I discuss the retaliation James wants. He expects a full-on revolt, but Frankie and his family asked to wait so they can settle into the loss. Plus, Colin’s girlfriend only spoke to Frankie about the guys who did it. He only wants those involved, whereas James is gearing up for a full-fledge war against the entire rival gang. The dick he is, James is ignoring Frankie’s family’s request.

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