Escape to Heaven (Heaven on Earth Book 1) (9 page)

Briefly, his head lifted as he gave her the words to help her find release. “Come for me, baby. Let me hear you.” Mouth latching on to her swollen pussy, his tongue beat a quick pulse against her clit as he took her to Heaven and back.

As her body sprinted towards the finish line, the feelings of ecstasy and satisfaction coursed through her like nothing she had ever felt before. Even as she squirmed and twisted her hips, her juices released into his mouth, and still he did not stop. Stefano continued to lick and suck at her flesh, while her body continued to release mini-orgasms that made the pleasure seem unstoppable, almost unbearable.

She vaguely registered him sitting up and licking his lips, capturing even more of her essence on his tongue. Shirt, belt, and pants slowly peeled away from his body, and a condom was produced and fitted over his cock. And oh, damn, what a specimen of manhood he had. Their nights of kissing and touching had not prepared her for the real thing. His body was absolute perfection. Obviously in great shape, Stefano was perfectly proportioned and sported a wonderful deep golden skin tone that complemented his dark hair. It made her ache for him all the more and thank her lucky stars that this man wanted her as much as she wanted him.

As he leaned over her, lifting her legs to allow more room for his frame, her arms lifted and grabbed hold of his biceps. There were no concerns about being ready, but she knew the ride wouldn’t be easy. It had been a long time since she had been this intimate with a man, and it would be a tight fit.

His lips met hers in a sensuous kiss, his tongue mating with hers as he slowly began to press into her body. Tasting her essence, she became even wetter, knowing his passion matched hers. Because of his size, he took it slow, rocking into her body an inch at a time, allowing her slick channel to stretch and become accustomed to his size. With each motion forward with his hips, he whispered hot, sexy words to her. Telling her how much he wanted her, desired her, and needed her.

Finally, once he was fully seated, his strokes became longer and deeper. The sensations were so intense, her skin tingled. Their groans of pleasure became louder and more frequent as his hips rocked into hers, the tip of his cock reaching for her womb. There was no going back, and nothing had ever been this good, this all-consuming. As they both screamed out in completion, Adele knew she would do everything she could to make sure this man stayed by her side. All the challenges, all of the heartache she had been through, had led up to this point in her life. Now that she had touched happiness and understood what it felt like to be truly loved as a woman, she would not give it up without a fight.

Chapter Eight

Stefano was not happy with the information Tony’s contact had found. He had received the package this morning with a message to call Noah, Tony, and Daniel as soon as he received it. It seemed that Joey was nowhere to be found and had missed several check-in meetings with his parole officer. Three months ago, he had been released from prison for good behavior. What they had not found out until after he was released was that someone on the outside had been helping him keep track of Adele’s whereabouts.

He was still a bit upset that Adele had waited so long to give him the full story of what had occurred with her ex-husband. Even though he understood her need to be cautious, it still hurt that she had not felt he could be trusted with the information from the very beginning. The signs of abuse had been there from the start, but he had not understood the reality of her situation until she’d explained to him, in excruciating detail, what she had gone through.

Adele had also explained about the calls that had come through when they’d first met. He was amazed that even though she was stressed and concerned about the calls, she had still given him a chance. He now understood what had prompted the guys to stay overnight at her house when they’d first started dating. At first he’d thought it was because of him, and he wasn’t sure if he was pleased or not to hear the real reason. However, once he’d left Adele’s house after their conversation, his chest feeling as if someone was squeezing the breath of out of him, he had quickly made his way to Tony’s office off of
K Street
in the heart of Washington, DC, and not so subtly demanded to see him and get some answers. Unfortunately, the answers did nothing to make him feel better. If anything, they only made him that much more determined to protect Adele, while also solidifying their relationship and showing her how it felt to be truly loved.

Although the late-night calls had stopped, looking at the papers in his hand, he knew Adele wasn’t out of danger. His gut churned with the implications of this information, and he knew he had to call a meeting with the guys today. Mouth twisted into a grimace, he acknowledged that the meeting would also involve Ethan. Adele had made it quite clear that all of the guys were her family, and even if he and Ethan never became best friends, he respected his place in her life.

Picking up the phone, he called around to the guys, arranging to meet them at six o’clock that evening. He had a date with Adele at seven so that would give them plenty of time to come up with a plan. He just prayed Joey wasn’t stupid enough to try something. While Stefano’s ego and male pride screamed at him to go over there and whisk Adele away, he also knew Adele had an entire family to think about, and each and every one of them would give their own lives to keep her safe. If Joey came within spitting distance of Adele, none of them would have any qualms about doing what had to be done.

*****

Joey had been biding his time for a long time... too long, in fact. Tonight was the night, and he was ready to make his move. Adele thought she could get away from him, but she didn’t realize just how determined he was to make her pay for what she had done to him. How dare she attempt to move on with her life after he had been stuck in that hell-hole prison for almost five years? She had no idea what he’d had to endure because of her. His entire life was down the drain. After being convicted of a felony assault, there was nothing else for him to do now. His life would never be the same. It was all her fault, and he would finally have his revenge.

After watching her for almost three months, he knew her routine like the back of his hand. Those six guys who always hung around weren’t coming over tonight, and even if they were, it wouldn’t be until later. If he was going to act, he needed to do it now. His patience was running thin, and he hated that she seemed so happy. Weak women like Adele needed to be scared and cowering on the ground while they were trained to stay in their place. She must have forgotten the lessons he’d taught her so many years ago. His job tonight was to make sure she never forgot again.

*****

Grabbing the bag of groceries from her car, Adele made her way up to the front door of her house. Tonight was a special evening for her and Stefano. It had been three months since they had first started dating, and things were progressing nicely. He seemed to take it in stride when she told him she wanted to cook him a special dinner for their anniversary. While it wasn’t a major milestone for everyone else, for her it was something to be celebrated. She had finally moved on with her life and Joey had no place in it. Her dreams no longer turned into nightmares, nor did she wake up in fear, her arms instinctively rising up to protect her face from a phantom attacker. She no longer jumped at every sound, practically afraid of her own shadow. It felt good to simply live life and enjoy herself for the first time in so many years.

After that first night when they had made love, it was like she turned into a different woman. She wanted him all the time, and she never let him forget it. The things he did to her body and the sensations his touch invoked made her feel so special. Never had she felt this free, this happy, just living her life. Stefano made her feel protected and gave her something she’d never thought she would have—and it felt damn good.

The guys had even remarked on it, in a very begrudging manner. When they were all together, they commented on how much more relaxed she seemed and how her smile came more easily. And although Stefano was a part of her life, he recognized and understood that her brothers weren’t going anywhere. Sunday dinners at her house continued to take place, and Ethan was still the Master Griller, that would never change. The only difference was that there was an extra person in the group now, and his presence was slowly becoming part of the normal arrangement. When one of the guys came back from a mission and stopped by, they would be just as likely to catch Stefano at the house with Adele, just hanging out. Although they were happy for her, it didn’t stop them from giving him a hard time. Laughing under her breath, she knew things were good now. She lived a good life, and things would only get better from here.

Her distracting thoughts about Stefano dulled her awareness of her surroundings. She was usually on high alert, which was a product of always wondering what would happen next with Joey. But not tonight.

As she opened the door to her house and began to step over the threshold, she felt the arm come up and wrap around her waist, while another hand covered her mouth.
What the fuck?
She froze, the groceries for her special dinner with Stefano dropping to the floor as her arms lost their grip. Unsure of what was going on, but knowing she had a problem on her hands, she tensed, ready for almost anything.

“You thought you could get away from me. I found your ass, and I’m going to make you pay for what you did to me.” The words made her blood run cold.

Oh God! It was Joey! She would know that voice anywhere. She had heard it over and over in her nightmares for years. How had he found her? Why was he here?

He spoke again, his voice shaking with what she remembered as anger. “Get in the house. If you make a move and give me a hard time, I won’t kill you quickly. I’ll make it very painful for you, and you really don’t want that, do you?”

Vibrating with both fear and anger, Adele tried to get a grip on her emotions. Joey would have no way of knowing that she was no longer that scared woman he had known five years ago. Caught up in the memories of what she’d experienced with him, she had momentarily reverted back to that person when he had first grabbed her.

She wasn’t going to make any rash moves until he showed his cards. Not sure what type of weapon Joey had on him, she knew the smartest thing she could do was to wait. He had gotten the drop on her, but that had been his only advantage. He should have done whatever he was going to do from the get-go. Because now that she had time to think about the situation, there was no way in hell she was going out like this. Not by his hand.

Groceries forgotten where they lay scattered on the floor, Adele knew she would only have a short window of time before he turned on her. He walked her into the house, his body pressed up against hers. Since she knew where both of his hands were, she realized that if he had a weapon, it was put away. She mumbled behind his hand, trying to get him to release her. Yeah, he must be real sure of himself, because he released her mouth and placed his hand around her throat.

Lips turned up in an evil sneer, his gravelly voice was like nails on a chalkboard as he spoke to her. “You got something to say?”

“What do you want, Joey? I didn’t do anything to you. You did it to yourself when you attacked me in our own home.”

“Yes, it
was
your fault! If you hadn’t made me so mad at you, I never would have hit you. It was always your fault. You always made me so angry with you. You knew what would happen and you did it anyway. I never wanted to hurt you, but you always made me. And then you got me sent away. How could you?”

This man was crazy and he was losing it fast. Spittle was flying out of his mouth and onto her face as he yelled at her. Body odor wafted off of him, as if he had not bathed in weeks. His hand tightened on her throat as his anger grew. Adele thought back to all the training she had received over the years and knew that it was now or never. He had begun dragging her into the living room, and that just wasn’t going to happen.

It appeared to take place in slow motion, but she knew it was only a few seconds. It didn’t escape her notice that even though her mind was strong, her body remembered what it felt like to be at this man’s mercy and what she needed to do in order for him to stop beating on her. Her hands dropped down in a submissive posture, her body relaxing in his arms as he continued to yell and scream about how it was her fault he had beat on her. One leg moved out, giving her a wider stance that would allow her weight to shift quickly, her hips canting to the side to give her leverage for what she needed to do. Moves she’d practiced repeatedly over the years played through her mind as she recalled her training sessions with the guys.

Suddenly, her arm flung back and smashed into his testicles, stunning him with the intense pain. Her right knee came up to her waist and she slammed her heel down on his foot, making him yell out in pain, spit forming at the corner of his mouth. In his confusion about which pain to deal with first, he suddenly released her.

She turned her body and grabbed his right arm with her left hand, his body limp due to the pain in his nether regions. Her right arm swung up and her hand slammed into his throat with brute force. The sound of his windpipe being crushed reverberated throughout the room, and his eyes widened at the shock of realizing what she had done. Broken gasps were the only sounds escaping his mouth as the impact of the blow took its toll. His eyes watered, blurring his vision, while his windpipe began to swell, literally choking him where he stood. She couldn’t help yelling her own choice words at him as she gave him a taste of his own medicine.

“You motherfucker, this is the last time you’ll ever come after me. Did you really think I wouldn’t be waiting for you? Surprise, asshole. I’m well prepared for your sorry ass. You’ll never come searching for me again.”

Adele twisted her body around, grabbed hold of his upper arm and flipped him over her side, his body crashing to the floor. Keeping hold of his arm, she lifted her right leg high in the air, simulating a dancer’s kick, her foot reaching level with her face. She knew what she was doing and the potential ramifications of her actions, but nothing would stop her at this moment. She was done with being scared, and this son of a bitch was going to pay. As she slammed the heel of her boot down onto his throat, the impact making a final, sickening crack, the door crashed open and there stood Stefano, Noah, and Ethan. Their nostrils flared wide and their skin flushed with anger.

Stefano rushed to her, pulling her away from Joey’s body, while Noah pulled out his cell phone and dialed the police. Adrenaline high, she turned into Stefano’s comforting and strong embrace, her body shaking from the experience of forcing down the devil who had subjected her to hell for so long. She heard Noah on the telephone, his voice sounding as if he were in a tunnel.

“Yes, please, send the police. We have a situation.”

“Baby, are you okay? Tell me, Adele! Are you hurt?” Stefano’s tortured voice reached her ears.

Not releasing her hold on him, she nodded her head. “I’m fine. Stefano, please take me out of here.”

He lifted her in his strong arms and walked out of the living room, whispering
I love you
'
s
in her ear the entire time. Relaxing in his arms, Adele allowed the words to roll over her like a protective shield.

This was it. It was over. Finally it was over, and she had no regrets. She would do it again if needed. Tightening her arms around the man who had given her a slice of Heaven, she breathed her first breath as a woman who was truly free.