by Lane Hart
“I seriously doubt anyone would think that about you,” I tell him. Based on what I know about him already, he doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who would do something like that.
“Maybe that’s one reason why I’m nervous about speaking up,” he says with a sigh. “But it would be really nice to actually have family again. Seems like I’ve been alone for years now. I haven’t spoken to my mom since I graduated from the academy. Even while I was there, I only saw her maybe three times a year. I’m still too angry to look at her.”
It’s hard to imagine someone willingly avoiding one of their living parents when I would give anything to see mine again.
“You have every right to be angry at your mother. She should have told you who your father was and let you meet him,” I agree. “But if you never forgive her, then you’ll lose out on the years you could’ve had with her.”
“Yeah,” he agrees. “She’s probably been worried sick about me, since I left graduation without saying goodbye or telling her where I was going.”
“When was that?” I ask.
“A little over three years ago.”
“Jesus, Maddox!” I spring up into a sitting position. “She probably thinks you’re dead!” I tell him. “You should call her. Now.”
“Says the woman who didn’t want me to use the phone while it’s storming outside,” he mutters with a grin.
“After the storm is over then,” I tell him. “Please?”
“I’ll think about it,” he agrees.
“No more sex unless you promise me that you’ll call her,” I tell him, while pointing my index finger at his bare chest. His, smooth, sexy chest that almost has me taking back my threat.
“Fine!” Maddox eventually agrees before he reaches up and pulls me back down on him. Then he rolls us over so that he’s on top. “Now I know why men do whatever crazy shit women want just to keep them happy,” he says as he lowers his lips to mine for a soft kiss. “You give them a taste of heaven, and then lock them out until you get what you want.”
“You have us all figured out,” I tell him with a grin.
“And you used sex to get a better grade?” he asks.
“Yeah,” I answer. “I mean, the reason I got behind in the first place was because of afternoon thunderstorms.”
Pulling back to see my face, he says, “You didn’t go to class because it was storming?”
“Well, yeah.”
“Did you try and explain that to the professor?” he asks.
“No.”
“Why not? If he was a decent guy, then I’m sure he would’ve understood.”
“No, he wouldn’t,” I reply. “He would think it was some bullshit excuse, and then I would’ve been screwed.”
“So, you screwed him instead,” Maddox responds.
“Right. And it worked. Just like I knew that it would.”
“What if he had reported you?” he asks.
“Maddox, I’m not a complete idiot. I wouldn’t have propositioned him if I hadn’t seen his chubby bulging in the front of his slacks.”
“Oh,” he mutters, brow furrowing. “Is that why you propositioned me? You knew I would cave, and you would get what you wanted? To stay here?”
“Yes, and I was right with you, with my professor, and the police officer. Oh, and my landlord.”
Pushing himself up until there’s more space between us and he’s straddling me, Maddox sits back on his heels and says, “What’s this about a police officer and the landlord?”
“I was going thirty miles over the speed limit,” I explain. “Forget the ticket, the cop threatened to take my license!”
“You had sex with him too?” he asks, the disapproval dripping off of his words.
“He was single and willing,” I say. “And what’s with the judging? If I were one of the…the guys in the MC sleeping with a bunch of ‘club sluts,’ you would offer me a fist bump, right? But because I’m a small, delicate woman, who looks sixteen instead of twenty-two, I’m supposed to wait until I’m married?” I scoff. “I am so sick of the double standard that women aren’t supposed to have sex, but men can? I mean, come on!”
“I’m not judging because of the sex,” Maddox tells me.
“But you are judging me.”
“I just think that sleeping with people to get what you want is a little…”
“Slutty?” I supply for him when he pauses.
“No, I didn’t say that,” he scoffs.
“So, then what did you mean?”
Running his fingers through his messy brown hair, he says, “You shouldn’t have to screw men to get your way. If you had just told me about your phobia, then I probably would’ve caved. And your professor most likely would have given you a break.”
“What about the police officer?” I ask. “Or my landlord? I pleaded my case with both of them, and it got me nowhere. They didn’t give a shit about me or my feelings! All they wanted was a quick fuck with no strings attached.”
“Did you even want them?” Maddox asks.
“Of course. I wouldn’t sleep with some gross guy. Yuck.”
Scrubbing his palm over his face, he asks, “Why did you think you had to sleep with the landlord?”
“Because he was going to make me get rid of Stella.”
Lowering his hand, Maddox says, “The cat?”
“Pets aren’t allowed here,” I explain.
“And you knew that before you got Stella?”
“Yes.”
“So then why…”
“Because I was lonely, and I wanted a friend,” I respond. “My roommate is a real bitch.”
“And you told the landlord that, but he still said hell no?” he guesses.
“Yep,” I answer. “And since War is paying for this place, I couldn’t exactly ask him to move me into someplace that allows pets.”
“So, you got a cat, knowing you weren’t allowed to have it, and then slept with the landlord?” Maddox summarizes.
“I did. Look, I had the hots for him anyway, the discussion we had about the cat just…opened some doors. It was a casual thing, which I’m sure you understand.”
Maddox lets out a soft sigh as I shift underneath him, getting more comfortable while also grinding myself against his rapidly thickening cock.
“I’m still having trouble imagining my brother as part of this ‘Savage Kings,’” I tell Maddox. “I mean, I don’t know if I really believed you were the ‘badass biker’ type until you messed those guys up. I’ve seen some fistfights before, but what you did…that was an entirely different level of violence, you know? Does War do things…like that?”
Instead of replying, Maddox just stares at me, his eyes only inches away from mine. He searches my face while reaching up to brush my hair back behind my ear.
“What is it?” I ask him.
Chapter Six
Maddox
Holy shit!
Why did it take me this long to see what Audrey is doing?
She’s been playing me from the start, just like she played her professor, a police officer, and her fucking landlord!
The only difference is, she’s played me for the long game because she didn’t want to leave her apartment.
I get that her fear is serious, and I understand that it comes from a very shitty past where she lost her parents. But like I told her, if she had just explained all of that to me from the beginning, instead of lying about who she was and fucking me, then I would’ve let her stay here.
Probably.
Maybe?
Okay, so I’m not sure if I would’ve done that, or just grabbed her and ran out into the storm to get her inland. Guess now we’ll never know.
The lights suddenly flicker back on in the bedroom, as if my epiphany was responsible for the surge.
“Yay! We have power!” Audrey says.
“Yay,” I repeat, without any of her enthusiasm.
If the power is back on, then the conditions outside must have improved, which mean
s I no longer need to stay here.
Moving off of Audrey, I find my boxer briefs I lost days ago, and start putting them on.
“What are you doing?” Audrey asks, when I reach for my jeans to pull them up my legs.
“Getting dressed,” I reply, as if it’s obvious. “If the power is on, then that means the storm is over and the roads are clear.”
Going over to the window, I lift one of the blinds to peek outside over the top of her dresser. I have to squint because the sun is so bright. Tree limbs, leaves, and debris are scattered around the roads, yards, and on the vehicles, but the water has receded.
“You’re leaving?” Audrey asks.
“Yeah,” I respond.
Why am I dreading that so much? I should be angry at her for using me like every other man she comes across in life who doesn’t automatically bend to her will. Instead, there’s just this ache in my chest that wishes the power would’ve stayed off a little longer…
“I should get back and see how bad a shape the island is in,” I tell her. “You want to call War and tell him we’re ‘back’?” I ask, using finger quotes around the last word since we were supposed to be in Raleigh.
“Okay,” Audrey agrees. “I’ll tell him that my roommate called and said the power was back on.”
“Right,” I agree, thinking she’s pretty damn good at lying. I wonder how many other lies she’s told her brother.
“Thanks for staying with me,” she says.
“No problem,” I reply as I slip on my T-shirt and then move the sleeping yellow kitten from my cut to put it on. After I’m dressed, I stand there and look at Audrey, still naked in bed, hair tussled from all the fun we had. But that’s all it was—fun. Is that why I’m dreading leaving her? Because I’ll miss the sex? That’s probably all there is to it. I got attached because she was my first and second and third, and however many times we fucked in three days. It’ll be impossible to forget her now, no matter how hard I try.
Even if she wasn’t just sleeping with me to get her way and pass the time, it’s not like I could keep coming to see her. Not without War finding out and then doing what he threatened—taking my cut and kicking my ass.
Now that it’s time to leave, though, I can’t figure out how to say goodbye. “See ya later” doesn’t work because I won’t be seeing her later, or ever again, since War makes a point of keeping his family separate from the MC. So instead, I just tell Audrey, “Thanks for everything.”
“No, thank you, Maddox,” she says before she jumps out of bed and then comes over to throw her arms around my neck, still completely naked. It’s like she’s trying her best to tempt me into tearing off my clothes and throwing her back in bed.
But I can’t. Not this time.
So, I give her a brief hug and then push her away. “See ya.” I say the stupid words, even though we both know they’re bullshit.
“See ya, Maddox,” Audrey replies, and then I make myself walk away from her.
…
Audrey
Once I hear the door close behind Maddox, I pick up Stella and cuddle her to my bare chest, then go into the living room to lock the door. When I turn back to the empty apartment, a weight sinks into my gut, a hollow aching that I know well. I put my cat down and go to the bathroom to start the shower, hoping that I’ll be able to get some hot water.
As I sit on the edge of the tub, waiting for the freezing spray to pass, I feel a hot tear trickle down my cheek. I look around before swiping it away, irrationally worried that Maddox might burst back in and see it. I’m not upset about him leaving, and I didn’t think that these last few days were turning into…something!
“Ugh, what the fuck!” I groan as I feel the water. I’m not sure if I’m referring to the fact that the shower is still freezing, or to the jumble of emotions whirling around inside me in a nauseating spin.
Giving up on the shower, I go back to my room to find my pajamas, then spend a few minutes cleaning up the apartment. Maddox and I spent most of the last few days in my room, but I do need to dispose of the wine bottles and cake pan, evidence of the little bit of looting he engaged in during the storm.
I break into a smile as I swipe a finger through the last bit of frosting still clinging to the pan and suck it off of my finger, remembering all the things that Maddox and I did together. Just the memories of him ease the ache in my guts, and I decide then and there that what we had was more than just a “nice time.” I don’t know what it is between the two of us yet, but I’m almost certain it wasn’t one-sided. Now, I just have to figure out this whole “Savage Kings” business between my brother and Maddox, and if there is some way we can navigate it to find an honest future for all of us.
Chapter Seven
Maddox
I’m strolling down the boardwalk collecting garbage in a trash bag, wasting time and thinking about someone I shouldn’t be when my phone starts ringing in my cut pocket.
“Shit,” I mutter to myself.
Tossing the garbage bag down, I pull the phone out and glance at the screen.
Usually I answer as soon as I see War’s name, but after sleeping with his sister for three days, I’ve been trying really hard to avoid him since I got back to Emerald Isle. He thinks the two of us were in Raleigh because I lied to him. He would kill me if he knew that I stayed in bed with his sister during the hurricane after the entire coast was evacuated.
When the phone stops buzzing for a few seconds before it starts up again, I cave and finally hit the green button to take the call.
“Yes, sir?” I answer.
“Where the hell are you?” War snaps. “I thought you were back in town.”
“Ah, yeah, I am back in town.”
“Then get your ass to the clubhouse!” he shouts through the phone line. “You’re holding up our meeting.”
“What?” I ask in confusion.
“Our meeting was supposed to start ten minutes ago, and we’ve been looking for you!”
“A Savage Kings’ meeting?” I ask for clarification.
“No, Mad Dog, our Girl Scout meeting,” he huffs. “We’re counting to see who sold the most cookies.”
“Huh?” I mutter.
“Get your ass to the chapel!” he yells before hanging up.
That’s when I realize War was being sarcastic, making a joke. He never makes a joke. And I very rarely get invited to a Kings meeting.
“Fuck!” I shout as I take off running as fast as my legs can carry me back to the Savage Asylum. Is today finally the day I’m gonna get my patch? If so, I picked the worst fucking day to go wandering off just to avoid facing my sponsor.
I rush into the bar, punch in the code to get to the basement, and hold on to the railing to take the steps three at a time to get to the bottom. Then, it’s just a quick sprint to the open door, where our VP Chase Fury is waiting with a bucket in his hands.
“Phone,” Chase says as soon as my boots skid to a halt in front of him. I lower my eyes from his face after staring at him for a moment. I don’t want him thinking I’m into dudes when I’m just looking for any family resemblance…
I raced over with my burner still in my hand, so I toss it into the plastic container.
“Get inside,” he tells me. “Everyone’s waiting, and we all have shit to do.”
“Right, sorry,” I say, as I enter the room I’ve only been inside a handful of times. I look around at the long wooden table where all the brothers are waiting with their angry gazes on me, especially War. And I’m a little disappointed that there’s still only one empty seat, which belongs to Ian, their brother in prison, not me.
“Sorry,” I say to everyone again.
Damn. Does this mean I’m not getting my patch? Wait, did War find out about me and Audrey, and tell the MC? Am I here for some type of punishment?
“Find a spot against the wall so we can get started,” Torin, our president and my unknowing cousin, says to me as Chase comes into the room and shuts the door, leaving the phone
bucket outside. The guys take their privacy seriously.
“Yes, sir,” I agree, going over to the wall on the far side of the table to prop myself up out of the way, anxious to find out what’s going on.
“We’re gonna sandwich in the bad news between the good,” Torin starts, then a smile splits his face. “So, first of all, thank you all for asking about Lexi and my new daughter, Kensi. They’re both home and doing great. It was Lexi’s idea to give her part of Kennedy’s name and her own…”
“Glad to hear it,” Coop says, as all the guys cheer and slap their palms on the table.
“Congrats, boss, that’s great news,” Reece tells him.
“Thank you, brothers,” Torin says with a nod. “And let’s also congratulate War on his win in court yesterday.”
“Congrats, man,” Chase says, offering him a fist bump across the table, and the other guys follow suit.
“All right,” Torin says. “Now, before War gives us the bad news, I want to ask everyone to stay calm.”
Muttered curses can be heard around the table at that dismal warning.
“War?” Torin says. “Tell them what you know.”
“Yeah,” War agrees with a nod. “I hate to be the one to break this news to you, but I’ve just learned that the feds have launched an investigation into the Kings.”
Oh shit.
“What the fuck?” someone shouts, most likely Chase, immediately followed by more curses.
War holds up his palms for silence before he goes on to say, “I don’t know much more than that, but I don’t need to tell you all that this is some serious shit. We don’t have details of what they’re looking for or plan to accuse any of us of, but everyone needs to keep their noses spotless over the next few months. Be extremely careful about what you say and where you say it. Burner phones are a must for all club business. If you’re a felon, don’t even think of carrying a weapon other than your knife. Hell, you all need to even do the speed limit. Let’s not give them a single excuse to take one of us in.”
Torin jumps in, “Does anyone need a business card for the club’s criminal attorney? I have a few extra, if so. Keep it on you in your wallet at all times. And if you get cornered or taken in, remember the cardinal rule, don’t say a fucking word about anything to anyone. You ask for our lawyer, and that’s it.”
