UNBREAKABLE (ABLE SERIES) (35 page)

“Hey, look at me.” I give her another love squeeze, it always gets her attention.

I cup her face with my hands tenderly and gaze at her eyes lovingly. “I love you, Roxanne Grace Oliver, with all that I am. Please, do not mistake it for anything less than what it is.”

I finally said it. My heart waits patiently…my mind hopes fervently that she feels what I’m feeling. She looks at me and smiles, and that smile….her sexy smile lights every nerve in my body, I want to be buried deep inside her.

She snakes her arms around my waist and yanks me closer to her. “Say it again,” She says softly.

“I love you, Roxanne Grace Oliver, with all that I am,” I say again eagerly this time.

“Again,” She requests as she closes her eyes with a smile on her face.

“I love you, love,” I answer with a hint of laughter in my voice.

“I’ve waited so long to hear you say it.” She buries her face into my neck, and her hot breath fires up my need to be in her…to feel her. Hearing her admit she’s waited a long time to hear me say it makes my heart blow up ten times bigger, the faith I have in us takes root deep in my soul.

“Be prepared to always hear it from here on out,” I say as I hold her head, keeping her where she should always be…close to me…me breathing her in, and her relishing my touch.

“Hey, can we have dinner at Nobu? Give my uncle a heads up about our dinner plans; otherwise, he might have a heart attack,” She says as she kisses me attentively, loving me with her lips, and caressing me with her tongue.

All she has to do is ask, and it’s done. I’ll prove my love for her time and time again…for her, I’ll prove it even with my life.

“Okay, I’ll see what I can do.” I give her a chaste kiss, a love pat, and off she goes.

Watching her leave, triggers the fear that has consumed me since this whole thing started. I’ve lived my life with a happy go lucky philosophy, but after falling for Roxy, my life is not my own, but hers. It belongs to her completely, and for her, I’ll give it willingly.

As I walk out of the room, I see LT watching Roxy and Tami leave with Brian. A mixture of guilt and jealousy courses through my heart like two cars in a drag race, one wanting to outrun the other. Jealousy because I don’t want to share her with LT, and guilt for feeling it, knowing I have to.

LT sees me and calls me to him. “How is she? Was she concerned about you and me?”

“She’s good LT, considering what we dropped on her. I…”

“Wait, before you say anything, I just want to say it again; I need my time with her, too. You can respect that, right? I’m not asking you to give me time; I’m telling you I need my time with her.”

This is where the dueling emotions hit me hard. Knowing what I have to do, and fighting not to do it. It goes against everything I want with Roxy. I need her to trust me.

“I gave you my word. You don’t have to ask me twice, but as I told you in the beginning, I’m giving you only two months tops. Get this shit straightened out or I’m putting a clamp on it.”

We stand their staring each other down. Two men, who love Roxy without condition, wanting to protect her, but will probably end up hurting her in the process…or worse losing her all together.

“Stick to what we talked about, and I’ll do my part,” LT’s straight to the point request cuts through all the bullshit.

I lean toward him. “I did. It’s done. I did it not because you wanted me to, but because I wanted to,” Every word I uttered was said with full conviction of how I feel toward Roxy.

LT starts nodding his head as he looks at the floor in deep thought. “I know, Cody. Thank you.”

Wanting to cut this conversation short, I tell him Roxy wants to go out for dinner which earns me a scowl. Now, more than ever, every time we have to venture out, we have to be on point at all times.

LT sighs out loud. “Let me call her and set it up so I’ll take the hit this time. That’s the least I could do.”

After giving him a nod, I make a quick exit so I can leave and be with my girl. Finally, telling her I love her makes me want to be attached to her twenty-four seven. The need to be buried deep in her is so great, I’m afraid I won’t want to be anywhere, but there…deeply sheathed in her warmth and drown in her embrace.

Roxy

I was a roller coaster of emotions to say the least after my uncle unloaded everything on me today. I was mad because they didn’t tell me sooner, relieved they finally told me, afraid someone wants to kill me and my loved ones, happy Cody finally told me he loves me, sick out of my mind knowing my son-of-a-bitch-father is responsible for all of this, agitated because we still have to deal with the problem, and disappointed because everyone I trusted kept something from me.

The ringing of my phone brings me back to earth to face reality. How ironic, even in my daydreams, I can’t seem to escape it.

“Hey, LT! What’s up?”

“I hear you want to go out. Is six o’clock good?”

“Um, sure. Everything’s really cool between you and Cody, right?”

He laughs. “We’re good, Roxy. Don’t over think this, okay? Anyway, do not go outside, got that? Tell Cody or Brian I’m coming in through the garage.”

Frustration, not fear, creeps through every pore in my body. It infuriates me knowing every step I have to take now has to be numbered. How long am I going to last being imprisoned in my own house, being guarded by Robocops.

“Damien, please. Nothing’s happened. Why is everyone worried? I don’t get it.”

Talking to him always brings a smile to my face, but when he uses his firm and authoritative tone, it rubs me the wrong way. It’s the same tone my dad uses when he’s upset.

“Roxy, you don’t have to get it. Now, listen up. I’m not your baby sitter, neither am I your fucking father, so I don’t have time to pacify your tantrums. You’ll listen and do as you’re told. Got that?”

I remain quiet. I’m throwing a silent tantrum because I abhor, despise, hate, and loathe this fucking situation. I don’t say a word, and suddenly, I hear a dial tone…dumb fucking G.I. Joe hung up on me!

He wants to play hard ball, I’m game! I have a hard clit!

I walk straight to the kitchen, grab a muffin Tami’s made, while eyeing Cody who’s busy playing with his phone, probably getting instructions from my uncle on when I should take a shit.

He glances my way and smiles at me. The fucker actually smiles at me.

“Hey, love,” He sweetly says, while I’m seething in anger.

Anger, which at the moment, I don’t know who it’s directed toward…Cody or Damien. Both, though, are neck and neck in an attempt to make my life miserable. Brian is a close third.

I take a deep breath, trying to control my temper. “LT called, he said he’ll be here by six.”

A few seconds later, Brian and Tami walk in hand in hand.
Nice Cougar mama walks in with boy toy.

“Good. All you need to do is listen to every word we tell you, end of story.” Cody uses his no non-sense tone that I’m learning to despise, and he’s learning to perfect.

Brian stops short and looks at me. “We have a reservation, right?”

Cody nods. What the hell? Why do I have the feeling I just lost my freedom? I didn’t know my social life is a matter of national security.

“Ugh! You know what, I’m not going! Call Damien and tell him don’t bother coming. You guys are pissing me off! Everyone’s taking this way over the top! I’m not the president of the United freaking States!” My silent tantrum turns into power rage of the vocal kind.

Tami rushes toward me, trying to calm me. “Rox, until the situation is under control, you know you have to listen to them. Trish’s coming home in a couple of days; please, we don’t want to stress her out.”

Cody remains glued to the chair while his eyes focus on me. I can feel his dissatisfaction with my outburst because it’s coming in waves…no correction, it’s like a tsunami pouring out of him….then, it reaches land and makes contact.

“How many times do we have to go through this, Roxy? It’s either you listen, or you listen. Those are the only options you have. Get it through your head, princess.” He manages to throw in a sneer.

Brian stands up, doing the time out sign. “Cody, cool your jets. Roxy, it’s for your own good, okay? We’re under strict orders. It will make our lives much easier if you don’t fight with us.”

Brian’s pleading eyes force me to go along with his plan.

I’m not even nervous anymore about LT and Cody seeing each other, or being in the same room. I’m irritated now, instead of one, I have two G.I. Joes on my ass.

Cody

A couple of hours later, we’re ready to roll. Damien driving the Escalade, Brian riding shot gun, and Roxy’s sandwiched between Tami and me. We’re packing and when I say packing, I mean locked and loaded.

“You should have forced her to wear a vest, B,” Damien states, quickly looking my way through the rear view mirror.

I agree with him, but fashion drama queen almost choked me when I suggested it.

“Oh, hell no! I draw the line there, LT. No way are you going to ruin my fashion style. I’d be lucky to even have a guy approach me.”

She’s jabbing me every time she talks about ‘other guys’. It’s her way of getting a rise out of me because she’s pissed about our Robocop guarding, as she puts it. Taking my chance since LT’s driving, Brian’s our point man, and Tami’s people watching, I tell my love what’s up.

I whisper in her ear so no one else can hear, “This…” I cup her pussy. “…belongs to me. I’m the only one who can dip into that warmth, no one else. You got that?”

She narrows her eyes at me, but it didn’t faze me, especially after I told her I love her. She doesn’t have any business talking about, much less even mentioning ‘other guys’.

As soon as we arrive at the Nobu in La Cienega, we flank both Tami and Roxy. They’re so insulated the only way to move is forward. After being seated, Roxy needs to go to the bathroom, and that’s when she puts her small stiletto clad foot down.

“I’m going to the restroom. Be back in five.”

I stand up, automatically, while Brian and LT both give her dirty looks.

“Hold on to your dicks, gentlemen, my pussy just needs a pee-pee break. If you guys follow me, I swear, I’m going to lose it.”

I have a bad feeling about this. My gut just tells me something’s going down. I’m not one to ignore my intuition, so I stand up and excuse myself. I follow my love who’s currently taking a pee-pee break as she so eloquently stated.

I’m wearing an earpiece so I can stay in constant communication with Brian and LT. I know having LT around throws me off my game, but it is what it is.

Damien’s voice comes through my earpiece. “Do you have a visual on her?”

“I’m on my way, give me two.”

That’s when the shit hits the fan. All I hear is a loud volley of gunshots. My focus is getting to Roxy. I need to get to her…I pull my glock out of my shoulder holster, and run as fast as I can, dodging people running from different directions.

Brian’s voice booms in my ear. “What’s your location?”

LT’s voice comes through seconds later. “Sit Rep, Cody. Tell me you’ve got her.”

“I don’t have a twenty on her, LT. Get Tami out, and get your ass here. Fuck!”

As hard as I try not to panic, I can’t help it. I need to see her…she needs to be safe…I need to keep her safe. As I come to a stop, my back against the wall across the bathroom door, I control my breathing, gun pointing directly at the door, and trigger finger at the ready. Sweat is sliding its way on my face, my hand steady. I pray to God she’s not hurt.

“Cody, stand down. Secure the door and wait. I’m right on your ass.” Damien’s command rings through my earpiece. For the first time in my life, I restrain myself…I control the itch to knock the door off its hinges and get to my girl.

What seems like hours, but in reality is just seconds, since my mind is in overdrive. I start to think about Roxy… What we have…what we share…it’s right. She may put restrictions, conditions, whatever the fuck she wants, but what I feel for her and what I know she feels for me is Definite….Certain…
Unmistakable
.

I can’t wait anymore…I need to get to her. I take a deep breath, centering myself and I go…I go get my girl….

Acknowledgements

Where do I even begin? The best way is to start from the beginning….

I like to give nicknames so watch out for them….

To my God…In my weakness, YOUR strength is made PERFECT.

To my Miracle Man, my hubby, “Mando”, “Sgt. Ace”, thank you for being my source of inspiration and strength. Thanks for compensating when I’m lacking. The big “C” was a rough, turbulent, unforgiving, and crazy ride; but a ride worth taking nonetheless. Through it all, we stayed strong because of HIM and THROUGH HIM. Every time you say, “Let’s Go”; I’ll say, “Here We Go”.

To my triple AAA’s, Andrea and Allysa, who in their own little way encouraged the craziness in me in more ways than one. The strength they give me, in high doses to keep on keeping on, makes everything a lot easier to handle.

To my Angel, Angie Davis, whose patience is beyond this world, I thank you. I invited her to join me in this crazy journey, and to this day, I’m amazed she’s stayed on. She never reached for the eject button. Much to my not so innocent surprise, I never told her there was an eject button. Once she was in, that door was locked, sealed, and timed to never be opened. She is Buzz to my Woody…or is it Marlin to my Dory. She tones down my crazy and gives never ending encouragement to my mostly worried soul. Thanks for BELIEVING.

To my Gandalf the White and Wonder Twin, Heather McNeal…thanks for the ideas, inputs, opinions, suggestions, constructive criticisms, and everything in between. You’ve opened my eyes to be more and not less. She’s a Drill Sergeant without actually realizing she’s being one. Her attention to detail is bordering perfection.

To The Shining Star of Texas, Kelly Elliott, thanks for being an INSPIRATION to many, me included. That’s all!

To my Giggles, Lori Peixoto, your loving words will never be forgotten. They will always be in my “Giggles Rolodex Lock Box.”