by Kasey Krane
“Yeah, me too,” he said.
We sat up in bed like that, with our arms around each other.
Outside, the sun was rising. A new day was beginning. Neither of us had slept a wink.
It had been a long night. A life-changing night. I hadn’t expected this outcome, but I couldn’t be happier. I’d spent the past year fantasizing about what would happen if we did get back together and now it was actually happening. Now I was really here in his arms. There was the possibility of a future together.
As he held me close to his chest, I could feel myself drifting off. I was going to sleep peacefully.
11
Drax
We fell asleep in each other’s arms. When I woke up, Mary-Beth was snuggled up in my lap and I was leaning back in the bed. The sun filtered in through the white curtains on the window. The little secret apartment was bright and sunny. Perfect day to start a new life.
It did feel like a new life now that I had Mary-Beth back in it. I couldn’t wait for her to wake up so I could kiss her again. I watched her sleeping, refusing to move because she looked so peaceful now.
There was no going back. No regrets. No second guessing.
She was my woman and I was going to do whatever I needed to do to keep her safe.
In the bright light of the apartment, her golden hair shone like the sun, spread over my chest like a gold blanket. She was keeping me warm. We were both stark naked. Just the way I liked it.
I knew I was getting fuckin’ soppy. That was the effect this woman had on me. Every time she was around me, I felt weak.
The last time we were together, I’d resisted that feeling. I didn’t want to feel weak. I didn’t want to feel like I didn’t have everything under control. I hated having a liability.
But the past year had taught me a lesson.
I needed her. She kept me grounded. Without her, I was lost. I was willing to feel as weak as she made me, just so I could wake up like this with her every day.
I moved a little and she stirred. I stared at her while she blinked her eyes open.
“Morning sleepy head,” I said in a low voice. She was smiling at me. That beautiful gorgeous smile that brightened my world.
“Were you staring at me?” she asked and lifted herself up so she could kiss the bottom of my chin.
“I literally have nothing else to do.”
“What time is it?” she asked, dragging herself away, pulling the sheets with her so that I was left completely exposed.
“I have no idea.”
She checked her phone on the couch.
“It’s noon!” she exclaimed. “Are you hungry? I’m starving.”
“Yeah, me too.”
She started opening and closing the cupboards in the kitchen. She wasn’t going to find anything in there other than tinned soup. I wanted to give her the world.
“Why don’t you freshen up? Just chill here, and I’ll go get us something to eat.”
She looked up at me with a bright face.
“I’ve missed this,” she said as I jumped out of bed to get dressed. “I’ve missed being pampered.”
“Well that is the only thing I want to do. Make you feel like the queen that you are,” I said.
By the time I was out of the door, Mary-Beth was already in the shower.
I returned to the apartment with bread, eggs, milk and cheese. She was in nothing but the spare robe from the bathroom. I hadn’t put it there, so she must have brought it from long ago.
“This is exactly what I want you to wear all the time,” I said and undid the knot at her waist. The robe fell open, exposing her perfect tits to me. I reached for them and she mmmed with delight. Her skin was luscious, fresh and soft…a little damp from the shower. Her hair smelled minty clean.
“You go shower now and I’ll make us some breakfast,” she said, turning on the coffee machine.
I kissed her before I started stripping, then I went to the bathroom and hopped in the shower.
It was only when the hot water hit me, steaming up my skin, that I was reminded of the reality of our situation. Spending all this time alone with Mary-Beth made me forget why we were even here. I’d forgotten about Crash and the Silver Knights. The fact that they were eventually going to find us, find Mary-Beth with me. And Crash would fuckin’ lose his mind.
I soaped up quickly. I had to come up with a plan.
I would have to do something to keep Mary-Beth safe. She would need a twenty-four-seven vigil around her.
I knew what Crash was capable of. I knew what he had done to Flash’s girl because he knew she was vulnerable. And it wouldn’t matter that Mary-Beth was his sister; if he knew I took her under my wing, he was going to think of an appropriate punishment for her. He would make her suffer.
I turned off the shower and started drying up. Usually, I was able to think straight. Think logically. But right then in the shower, I felt like I was out of control. Losing it. I had this bitter taste in my mouth I couldn’t get rid of. Something told me I shouldn’t have let Mary-Beth out of my sight. I shouldn’t even have left her out there alone in the kitchen.
What if the Silver Knights had been watching me? What if they’d followed me back here from the grocery store? They’d find this apartment. Our cover was blown.
I ran out of the bathroom. “MB!” I shouted her name. I hadn’t even dressed myself. “MB!” I growled. There was no response as I tied the towel at my waist. “Fuck,” I grunted under my breath.
But at the bedroom door, I could see the living room. The kitchen. She was at the counter with her back turned to me. Two mugs of steaming coffee sat beside her. She was toasting some bread and cooking eggs.
“MB? Didn’t you hear me calling you?”
She looked over her shoulder at me and smiled weakly. “No, sorry, I was lost in my thoughts. Breakfast is ready.”
I glared at her, fighting the urge to rebuke her. I wanted her to constantly be in my line of sight. How was I supposed to get through my fuckin’ day or get any work done if I was so nervous about what happened to her?
“Are you okay, Drax?” she asked. Turning toward me, she started making up two plates with our breakfasts. I strode over to the kitchen island, sat down on the stool. She came over with the plates and mugs. “Hey?” she urged me.
“Yeah, I’m fine, I think I just overreacted there when I didn’t hear you in the kitchen.”
She took a bite of her toast. “I think I’m safest here, Drax. We must go about our lives, and we must fight this. We can’t be hidden away forever, especially not you. Your Club needs you.”
I knew she was right. The guys were all probably wondering where I was. It was afternoon and I hadn’t even looked at my phone yet.
But I had a legitimate reason to worry. She didn’t know what her brother was capable of doing when he found her. Us together.
I drank my coffee but suddenly had no appetite.
“What are we going to do, Drax?” she asked in a low voice. I was trying to think. I stared at the food in my plate. For the first time since I’d become a part of the Iron Thunder MC, I didn’t have an answer to that question.
I had all my guys relying on me. I was their President. I should have known what to do. But I didn’t. I was feeling fear for the first time. Weak. Because I had everything to lose now that she was involved.
Just a day ago, I didn’t give this much of a shit. It was war. One of us was going to win. We were going to lose some, but then we’d win big. I was willing to risk everything to defeat Crash and his MC.
But now the game had changed.
I had Mary-Beth to think about. I couldn’t just make rash decisions. that could end up putting her life in danger. Fuck. I was acting like such a wuss!
“Drax!” I heard her say my name firmly and I looked up to meet her concerned face. “You’re going to figure this out. Are you listening to me?”
There was determination in her eyes. Just as much as she was worried, she was also convinced
of my capabilities. All I needed to do was focus on her, gain my confidence and strength from her. Mary-Beth believed in me and I wasn’t going to let her down.
“Yes. Tell me everything your brother said to you,” I replied and started eating.
She was staring at me for one more moment and then she gulped and gave me a nod. She knew we were back in business. This time, we were going to work as a team.
“I mean, Crash has always been ambitious. Even when we were growing up, he was rarely ever satisfied with what we had. And we had a pretty normal childhood. Not like yours…” She let her voice drift.
I’d forgotten how much Mary-Beth actually knew about me. We’d spent hours discussing our lives in this apartment. She was the first person I opened up to about my childhood.
“But this is something else. When I spoke to him this time, I saw a crazed expression on his face. It was like he was losing his mind. Like he has lost his mind already,” she continued.
I drank the remainder of the coffee in my mug. It was perfect. She always knew how to make the perfect cup of coffee. She remembered exactly how I liked it.
“He wants to take over this town and I don’t think he’s willing to play fair. He wants to destroy Iron Thunder and anything else that comes in his way. He wants to destroy you.”
I nodded. I knew Crash was spinning out of control. I knew he was trying to instigate a war between us for some twisted personal reasons. But I didn’t realize he wanted complete and utter control of everything. He wanted to take Iron Thunder from me.
“And I feel like Eagle has a big part to play in this,” she added.
“His VP?”
Mary-Beth rolled her eyes and shook her head.
“I hate that guy and I’m pretty sure he hates me. He’s been pushing Crash; I can see it. He has some kind of weird hold over him.”
I clenched my jaws in anger.
“I have to discuss this with the MC,” I said. She nodded in agreement. “The others need to get the full picture of what we’re dealing with.”
“Are you going to call Church?”
“Yes.”
I pulled out my phone and started sending out texts. I needed to see the boys immediately. Then I looked up at her, remembering.
“You should come with me. Hang out at the Clubhouse.”
She sighed and shrugged. “I could, but I’m exhausted. I’d like to just hang out here. Besides, I think the others need a bit of time to get used to the idea that you and I are back together again.”
“MB, I’m not leaving you here by yourself.”
“I’m going to have to get on with my life, aren’t I? I have a new business to think about. I have my own stuff to take care of. I can’t just go around hiding in your shadows forever, Drax.”
“Then I’m sending some guys over. To keep watch.”
She didn’t look very happy about the idea, but she agreed. She needed constant protection. I didn’t want to give Crash even one opportunity to take her from me.
I kissed Mary-Beth. Breakfast was done. Our blissful night together was over and now we were back in reality. Church was being set up at the Clubhouse and two guys were coming over to watch over the apartment while she rested.
“I’m going to count down the minutes till I can see you again,” she said after I put on some clothes. I held her close to me, just for one last second before I had to go back to the real world.
“I’ll see you soon, beautiful,” I said.
12
Mary-Beth
Two weeks later
I woke up in bed and turned to the side to find Drax was gone. I grumbled and sat up. I was really hoping to catch him this morning before he left, but he’d managed to slip away again.
Even though we were technically living together now, I barely ever got to see him these days. He was so preoccupied with fighting off the Silver Knights and taking care of the shipments that were due to arrive. Besides, he was also obsessing unhealthily over my safety.
I sighed as I reached for my phone. There was a sweet little text sitting there from him.
I’m sorry I didn’t wake you before I left, beautiful. I have to go to the store and take care of a few things. I’ll see you tonight. I’ll bring dinner.
I replied with a few hearts and kisses.
I knew he was just trying to do what he thought was the best for me, but staying stuck in here without any freedom to live my life as usual was giving me major cabin fever.
I had to kill time today again.
It had been two weeks since that night I showed up at Fifth Gear, and it felt like I hadn’t done particularly much in the last fourteen days. Now, I pulled myself lazily out of bed and took a long shower.
My brain was buzzing. The less I did to occupy myself, the lazier I was getting. I knew I needed to change a few things around. I needed some degree of normalcy back in my life.
I chose a new pair of jeans and t-shirt from the pile of new clothes Drax had bought for me recently. I did up my hair and spent some time on my makeup. I drank some coffee, ate some eggs and toast, and then headed for the door.
The moment I opened it, I saw Ghost and another guy standing there, in the middle of a conversation which made them both laugh. They had their own Styrofoam cups of coffees, and doughnuts.
“Hey Mary-Beth,” Ghost said with a wave. Darn! I’d completely forgotten about the fact that Drax had two guys watching me around the clock. “Where do you think you’re going?”
I took in a deep breath. “Out.”
I walked past them with determination, but the prospect stood in my path, looking up at Ghost for approval.
“Excuse me?” I snapped at him.
“Mary-Beth, we can’t let you go anywhere. Drax’s orders!”
“I went out a few days ago to my apartment, remember? Everything was fine. Nobody attacked me,” I said, turning to Ghost with my hands on my hips.
“Yeah, but before you go anywhere else, we need approval from Drax.”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“I’m going to meet a friend. To discuss my business. I don’t need Drax’s approval for that!” I snapped again.
Ghost shrugged. “It’s not up to me, Mary-Beth. I’m sorry. He’s asked us to be extra vigilant and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. He’s the boss. Why don’t you call him?”
“You think I need his approval to lead my life?”
Ghost didn’t reply. I felt so mad I could break something!
“Argh!” I grunted angrily and stormed back into the apartment, slamming the door behind me. This was insane. This was unfair! I loved being with Drax and the relationship we were now building, but I hated feeling like I was imprisoned in here.
I paced around the apartment for a few minutes before I decided I had no choice but to call him.
Drax didn’t answer the phone for several rings and when he did, he sounded busy.
“Hey beautiful, sorry, I’m kinda in the middle of something.”
I could hear construction work in the background.
“This won’t take long. All you have to do is tell Ghost and the other guy to back off a little.”
Maybe he could hear the sizzle in my voice as I spoke. Drax sighed. I could sense he was trying to come up with a way to get me off his back.
“MB, you know I can’t spend the day out by yourself, right? I need to keep you safe.”
“I know you’re trying to do that and I’m grateful for your help and your concern, but I hate living like this. I hate that my brother rules our lives.”
“He’s just waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike, MB. He’s waiting for one weak moment when he can attack you. Hurt you. Punish you for being with me.”
I shook my head. Drax wanted what was best for me, and sure, Crash was acting a little crazy—but what was the worst that could happen if he did catch me alone? We’d have another fight.
“I think you’re overreacting, Drax. I need to go see my friend Jackie. We h
ave some business stuff to discuss. I’ll be careful.”
“You’ve forgotten what he was like that night you saw him last. Do you remember what you said to me? That he’s losing his mind. He’s not acting like himself.”
“Fine, send the prospect. He can watch me from a distance. Will that give you some peace of mind? I just want to go back living my life, Drax. Or else I’ll be the one who’ll start losing their mind!”
Drax was thinking. He was silent for a few moments and then I heard him grunt an approval.
“Okay, give me a minute. I’ll call Ghost and let him know. You have a nice day out but be fuckin’ careful, okay?”
I was too delighted to contain my excitement and I made sure he knew exactly how happy he made me.
I decided to meet Jackie at the usual cafe near the studio space I’d recently purchased. She came running in when she saw me sitting at our regular table.
“Mary-Beth, where the hell have you been?”
I stood up so we could hug. Jackie was my closest friend and now she was also going to be my business partner. At Drax’s insistence, I’d only kept in bare-minimum contact with her these past two weeks and I could see she was worried.
“Sorry, hon, there’s a lot of stuff going on right now.”
“Stuff? What stuff?”
“With my brother and Drax…”
“Drax? How is he involved in all this? Have you been seeing him again?”
I licked my lips nervously. I wasn’t sure what Jackie would say about him. I knew she had completely taken my side when Drax and I broke up. And all this while, I’d avoided speaking about him because discussing him made me sad. So I didn’t know what she thought of him.
“Yes. I’ve moved in with him again.”
“What!” she squealed.
“Shhh…keep your voice down. I’m trying not to attract attention,” I whispered. I looked over my shoulder, out of the window and saw the Iron Thunder prospect across the street. He had already instructed me to sit by a window where he could keep an eye on me.
