by S. Nelson
That was an unwritten rule—no other women for him, and no other men for me.
But I guessed that had changed now. We were free to pursue whoever we wanted. Problem was I wasn’t interested in anyone but him.
Could he say the same?
After promising Sully I would call her and set up a day and time for me to come by her house and hang out, and thanking Tripp for going with us, even though he’d pretty much been forced, I walked toward my uncle. As soon as he saw me approaching, he opened his arms wide and waited for me to nestle into him. I loved him dearly. His protectiveness over me was sometimes irritating, but deep down I didn’t mind it so much. I would never tell him that, though, because he would only go further into the realm of crazy uncle protecting his only niece.
No, the current level of overprotectiveness he displayed toward me was good enough.
“How are you, sweetheart?” he asked, kissing the top of my head before releasing me.
“Good.”
“How’s work going?”
“Good,” I answered again. Before he asked any more questions, I interjected and switched the subject. “Uncle Trig, Dad wants you to come over for dinner soon. You up for it?” My uncle and father got along just fine, often finding time to hang out before my mother died. But it seemed ever since her death, her brother and my father distanced themselves from each other. I wasn’t sure if it was because the other reminded them too much of my mother, or if they had some sort of falling out. I had no idea. All I knew was that my uncle stopped coming around after the funeral. I found it odd but I never pressed, not wanting to step into something personal I had no business in.
“Tell him thanks for the offer, but I’m busy.”
“You don’t even know what day it is,” I countered, looking at him in confusion.
“I’ll be busy,” he retorted, suddenly looking a bit uncomfortable.
“Okay.” I sighed, deciding it was indeed best to change the subject.
We stood close to each other, but thankfully Mother Nature called before it became awkward. Excusing myself, I walked toward the entrance to the club, hoping and praying I wouldn’t run into Stone.
Once I finished using the restroom, I opened the door and shut off the light. Taking a few steps down the hallway, I heard a noise coming from the bedroom Stone used. When I stepped closer, I realized it was a woman’s voice.
“You like that, baby?” she said. “Come on, Stone,” she urged. “What’s wrong? Looking at my tits doesn’t do it for you?”
Instant sickness flipped my stomach, and my heart felt like it had been ripped from my chest. Clutching at the walls to hold me up, my mind was quickly bombarded with images of Stone having sex with someone else, a faceless woman. A woman with a high-pitched, whiny voice.
He’d obviously moved on from me rather quickly, but could I really be upset? I was the one who told him good-bye, after all. It just would’ve been nice if he could have at least waited a few more days before jumping into bed with some club skank.
I heard him grumble something before his door flung open, and out walked a bleached-blonde, fake-titted bimbo. The dark circles under her eyes revealed she was beat, someone who would most likely spread her nasty legs for anyone willing.
In shock from witnessing what I did, I was still frozen in place when Stone appeared in the doorway, raking his eyes over my stunned face before he let a curse fly from his mouth.
“Goddamn it, Addy. What are you doing here?” He looked embarrassed and angry all wrapped in one.
“Don’t mind me,” I said sarcastically as I turned around. “I just dropped Sully and Tripp off and decided to say hi to my uncle. The only reason I came back here was to use the bathroom before I headed home.” Having no idea why I felt the need to explain myself, I shut my mouth and started walking away. I didn’t get very far before his fingers circled my wrist to halt me.
“Don’t go, baby. Let’s talk,” he said, a softness to his voice I hadn’t heard in quite some time. Outside of the bedroom, at least.
“I don’t have anything to say to you, so why don’t you talk to the skank who came out of your room,” I seethed, anger pouring out of me before I could even think to suppress it.
Turning me around, he pulled me close. Lifting my chin so he could look in my eyes, he asked, “You pissed another woman was trying to get my attention? Because you’re the one who threw me away.”
He spoke the truth, but the words still killed me.
“You can do whatever you want. You’re free to fuck as many lowlife, scum-sucking skanks you want. Just do me a favor and wrap it up, unless of course you don’t care about your dick falling off.” The venom in my voice wrapped around me like a warm blanket. I spewed the words so easily it was as if I’d been holding them back for some time.
His eyes widened at my choice of words . . . but then he smiled. Big. Damnit! He reveled in my irritation, and for someone who claimed they didn’t care, I’d just proved the opposite.
“I don’t want that whore. She came into my room and propositioned me. I told her to get lost. It was just unfortunate you were here to witness any of it.” Leaning in closer, his mouth rested just above mine. “I only want you, Addy. Only you.” His lips were so close I could taste him already.
Thankfully, we were interrupted before I gave in.
“Stone, there you are,” Marek called out, walking straight toward us and completely ignoring the fact he’d almost caught us in a compromising embrace.
Staring at me for another few seconds, Stone finally broke our connection and stepped back. With a puff of his chest, he glided past me and followed Marek toward Chambers to no doubt talk about club business.
And I was left standing in an abandoned hallway, trying to figure out what just happened.
Stone
“I can’t take it anymore, man. I have to kill that fucker or I’m gonna go insane.” Marek paced back and forth, grabbing his hair in anger while he tried to figure out the best way to handle the issue with Yanez. We despised that the bastard still sucked air into his lecherous lungs. “Sully wakes up almost every night now, screaming and fighting, as if she’s trying to push someone off her. Seeing Yanez again has brought back that night full force.” He turned glassy eyes on me. “I feel so fuckin’ helpless.” It was rare to see such emotion on my best friend’s face. It was a true testament to how he felt about his woman.
Not wanting to call him out on his brief moment of weakness, I chose to offer my undying support instead. “I’m ready for whatever you wanna do, but we have to be smart, Prez. We can’t go on a killing rampage and expect nothing to happen. We’d be putting everyone we care about at risk. And for what?” The question left my mouth before I could take it back.
Fury blazed from my friend’s eyes, stalking toward me with his fists drawn. “Sorry,” I grumbled. “Wrong question.” He composed himself before continuing to pace. Taking my seat to the left of his head chair, I leaned back and started spouting off scenarios that might work to our advantage.
“How about we mess with his truck and cut his brake lines? Or we could make it look like a robbery gone bad, kill him before anyone was the wiser?” So many thoughts rambled around inside my head I wasn’t sure how they sounded when I said them out loud. Marek was still restless, so nothing had grabbed his attention yet. Flinging myself forward, I pounded my fists on the table and yelled, “I fuckin’ got it, brother!” My lips curved up in a menacing smile. “We set him up.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, Carrillo seems like he’s a man of his word. If he told you he was going to cut the Savage Reapers out of any further dealings with Los Zappas, only to find out Yanez is still doing some side dealings with them, then wouldn’t that prove he isn’t loyal to his boss, and that he’s only looking out for himself? It questions allegiance and all that happy shit.”
For the first time since we entered Chambers, Marek stilled and contemplated my suggestion. His eyes lit up, looking forw
ard to something akin to a plan. I knew the man was itching to set things right, although no matter how many men he killed, it wouldn’t take away the pain of knowing Sully had been abused, repeatedly. First by her father, then Vex . . . and now Yanez.
Were there more who needed to pay?
I could try to convince the man to eradicate all his guilty feelings at not having been there for the woman he loved when she was being violated. He hadn’t even known her then. But I could imagine that I would feel the same exact way if the roles were reversed and we were talking about Addy. Even though the woman didn’t want me anymore, I would still give my life to protect her, to avenge her against anyone who dared to wrong her.
“Yes,” Marek said, drawing me back from my makeshift thoughts. “That could definitely work. And if I know anything about that piece of shit, we wouldn’t really have to set him up. I have no doubt he would go behind Carrillo’s back with some shady dealings. We just have to catch him in the act.” Hope sprung to life in his expression, and I was only too happy to be the person who inspired the brief reprieve from his misery. “Then after Yanez seals his own fate, we’ll deal with Psych once and for all.”
With a plan set, all we had to do was decide who was gonna follow Yanez around while we put everything into place.
Adelaide
Warm breath stroked my belly, firm yet soft lips trailing tantalizing kisses toward my center. The one area aching for his touch. His teasing made me squirm, and just when I thought I was going to break a hip trying to jerk closer to his mouth, a strong hand settled over my stomach, holding me in place.
“Stop moving, baby, or I’m gonna tie you to the goddamn bed.” Kissing my inner thigh, he asked, “Is that what you want? I think you enjoyed it last time.” His voice lowered to a dangerous level, lust infused with impatience.
“I don’t care what you do, just give me what I need,” I demanded, a fire lighting up inside me so fierce I thought I was going to burn alive. Shivers bounced throughout my body, my pussy beyond drenched with desire just waiting to feel his tongue. A blast of cool air puffed against me and I jerked. “Stop teasing me, Stone.” My tone became rather needy, even though I tried to will my voice to remain unfettered.
“Always so impatient,” he teased before pushing my legs further apart. He used those talented hands of his to spread me open. At first, I thought he was going to continue to hold back, but when I felt his tongue swipe through me, I arched my back and pushed my ass into the bed. Even though I was waiting for his assault, it was already bordering too much. I was so revved up I almost came on the spot. My sensitivity level was high; a few more strokes like the first one and I would be sated before we really heated things up.
“I could eat you all day long,” he rasped.
“And I would let youuuuuu,” I agreed, the last word prolonged because he’d hit that one perfect spot.
“You’re so hungry for me. I can taste it. Savor it on my tongue.” His beard tickled my inner thighs while his tongue assaulted me. The feeling was out of this world. Mind-blowing. An ache bloomed deep inside, and that need coupled with the spark of desire, courtesy of his talented tongue, was almost unbearable.
“Please . . .” I begged. One word, but it said so much.
“Okay, I’ll give you what you want, but you have to promise me you won’t see Stone anymore. I want you, Adelaide. Me. I can love you like he can’t.” Encased in the throes of ecstasy was a funny place to realize who you desired wasn’t who was pleasuring you. Looking down, I saw the top of Robby’s disheveled curly head of hair. Before I could speak, he pulled his mouth away and crawled up my body, licking his lips as he drew closer.
Movement in the far corner of my room caught my attention. Stone. He was sitting in the chair near the window, leaning forward and resting his forearms on his legs, shaking his head from side to side with a murderous look in his eyes. “I knew it. I knew you wanted him,” he accused, pointing toward Robby, his voice barely above a whisper. “Well, I can’t protect you now, sweetheart. You threw me away. I can’t save you anymore.” Stone lowered his head into his hands, his body shaking in what appeared to be grief and sorrow.
Turning my head back toward Robby, I saw a desperate look on his face and it baffled me. “All I wanted was for you to like me. But what did that get me?” he asked, pointing to his chest. At first, I thought he meant I broke his heart, but then I saw blood start to pour from an open wound. Leaning over me, his lips dangerously close to mine, he whispered, “Dead. That’s what it got me.”
Within seconds, I was covered in Robby’s life source. I tried to scream but he put his hand over my mouth, silencing me before I could call for help. Finally wrenching free from his hold, I turned my head toward the corner of the room, my eyes desperately searching for Stone. But he wasn’t there.
Instead, he was walking toward my bedroom door, mumbling, “I can’t protect you anymore, Addy. You threw me away.”
Then he disappeared into thin air.
My eyes flew open, my heart thrashing inside my chest so hard it actually hurt. Staring off into the darkness, I repeated, “It was just a dream,” over and over again until my eyes finally adjusted to my surroundings. My ears prickled, on alert for the slightest noise which would tell me I was still locked up tight in the midst of my nightmare.
But nothing.
No noise.
No light.
No hope.
I kept hearing Stone tell me I threw him away, that he couldn’t protect me anymore, and even though I’d been lost to my subconscious, his words—or better yet, his threats—certainly struck a chord. I did toss him aside, and in doing so I’d lost any sense of security I had where he was concerned.
No doubt about it, I did feel safe knowing Stone was only a call away if ever I needed him. Not only was he physically a force to be reckoned with, but his possessive need to protect me was comforting, until he’d crossed the line with his explosive temper. It was during those times when I could hardly handle being around him. He wasn’t so bad in the beginning, simply grunting when he didn’t like another man’s attention directed toward me. It could have been a colleague of mine who stood a little too close, or a man taking a second glance if I walked past, or a club member joking around with me, or God forbid touching me in some small way.
The more time Stone and I spent together the worse he became, which could only predict what our future would hold if something didn’t change.
I knew my refusing to take our ‘relationship’ public was the accelerant to the fire which surrounded us both. He’d said on more than one occasion, “How can I trust you when you won’t even tell anyone we’re together?” It all came down to some form of insecurity with him, and with me. Sometimes. I knew he was surrounded by overly willing tramps, but I had to trust he wouldn’t engage them. There were a few times my jealousy burned hot and I flew off the handle about witnessing a blatant flirtation. The woman toward Stone, not the other way around. But never did I threaten anyone or act like a fucking psychopath. Well . . . not in public, anyway. Ask Stone and he may tell you a different story about my behavior behind closed doors.
We just fueled the bad parts in one another too often, getting worse with each passing day. No, my decision to end things once and for all was the right choice.
Too bad my heart was shredded to pieces because of it.
Adelaide
“Do you want another drink, Adelaide?” Marek asked as Sully and I took a seat on the couch. Tucking my legs underneath me, I got nice and comfy before answering.
“No, thanks. I’m good.” I smiled before turning my focus back on my friend. She looked better than I’d seen her in the past couple weeks, which was definitely a good sign. Something had happened a while back, and I was hoping she would finally open up and talk about it. I wouldn’t pressure her, but I wanted to let her know I was there for her.
Marek was certainly good for Sully. She’d put on a few much-needed pounds since marrying the president of
the Knights Corruption. Her personality blossomed as well. She wasn’t the shy introvert she’d been when I first met her, even though it hadn’t been all that long ago.
They complemented each other. Marek was fiercely protective toward her, but she seemed to appreciate it. Her husband, much like Stone, warned everyone not to get too close to her, but unlike my friend, I couldn’t stand when Stone threatened someone just for looking at me.
But Sully and I were different people. Different pasts, different views on things. I knew she’d been abused when she lived with her old club. The Savage Reapers were every bit the bastards I’d heard they were. Even though I wasn’t technically part of the ‘club life,’ I’d overheard my uncle and Stone talk about their enemies.
Kissing the top of his wife’s head, Marek gave me a quick wink before saying, “I’ll leave you two to talk about periods and sappy movies.” He grinned before disappearing from the living room.
“Very funny,” I called out after him, shaking my head and smirking.
Settling back against the plush couch, I directed my attention to Sully. She looked like she wanted to say something but was a bit hesitant.
“What’s up, woman?” I gestured, gently poking her in the side. She laughed and reached for my hand, suddenly becoming very serious.
“You know I value our friendship, right?”
