by Voss, Deja
“I don’t want you doing that shit anymore,” Judas said, wrinkling his brow. “You’re a different woman now, Athena. You got a kid. You got a husband.”
“I also got a club to protect,” she said. She looked just like her brother when she squinted her eyes like that. They were both spitting images of their father, the founder of MC. It was in their blood. Judas might have been her husband, but the club was bigger than all of us. Bigger than any of our bonds. “I won’t sign anything. I’m not making any guarantees. I’m just going to go in and do a little investigating of my own. If Kevin’s up to something shady, I need to get the word out. I don’t want to see any of my friends in the industry get taken advantage of. It’s hard enough as it is.”
“She’s going by Lyndsay Smith,” I said. “Kevin’s using her as some sort of business associate. I don’t know all the details of the deal. I just know she’s only doing the Sabine get up on special occasions.”
“What a fucking disaster,” Colt said. “You sure this agency is legit?
I cupped my head in my hands. Nothing really made much sense right now. My relationship with Sage had only gotten more complicated since she showed up here, and I wasn’t sure if I was thinking with my brain or blinded by my emotions. “I thought the agency was legit, fuck, dude, I dedicated fifteen years of my life to that shit. The best years of my life. Had the best times and the worst times. Made a shit load of money. Traveled all over the world. After our time in training, I stopped questioning things. Maybe it was because the money was coming in. Maybe it was because I just wanted to be wherever that woman was. I’d do anything for her.”
It was the first time I’d openly admitted it to anyone but myself. I’d do anything for her but leave her the hell alone to do her job, even though I’d promised her a million times over. I had no idea what the fuck I was doing here. Ruining everything. As usual. Just when we were having a breakthrough, I had to come in and light shit on fire.
“If we send Athena in, we can’t get in trouble as long as she doesn’t do anything shady, right?” Colt asked. “She needs her own personal bodyguards. That’s the story. No harm, no foul, right?”
“I mean, technically,” I said. Athena could be our golden ticket to keeping things on the up and up.
“You just gotta nut up and hide your crazy around that chick.”
I knew this was going to be the hardest undercover mission of my entire career. Trying to act like it didn’t bother the hell out of me seeing the way men looked at her perfect body. My body. Mine only. Made my mind go to a dark place. Thinking about marking her up with hickeys, getting my initials tattooed on her hip right where everybody could see, spanking her perfect ass until my hand prints glowed bright red. She’d love it all, and that’s why I loved it. That kinda shit drove her wild, and it was true, I’d go to the end of the world for Sage.
Soon.
If I cold keep myself under control for the rest of her mission, we had the rest of our lives to be as kinky as we wanted. I could feel her caving last night, and it wasn’t because I was putting the pressure on her. Something changed. Maybe it was the reality that we could exist outside of the confines of our work relationship. Maybe she finally realized how much I fucking loved her.
Soon.
“You start acting like an asshole, and we’re pulling you outta there,” Colt said. “Same for you, husband.”
Judas was still grumbling to himself. He knew exactly what he signed up when he got into Athena, but shit had definitely changed over the last year. There was no doubt in anybody’s mind he was the only person she loved, but even talking about her time in the business was like ripping open old scabs.
“Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I’m personally pumped,” Athena said. “I don’t miss the things I did in that business, but I miss the business, not gonna lie. It’s hard trying to walk away from that and act like a normal person. You can surround yourself with love and build the life of your dreams, but there’s always that nagging voice telling you you’re different form everyone else. It’s going to be like going to a class reunion, and remembering why I fucking hated high school.”
She laughed and reached for Judas’ hand, squeezing it lovingly. I could relate on so many levels. The agency shaped me into the man I am today, and there were moments where I knew it would be easier just to swallow my pride and reenlist, even if it meant sacrificing my mental health. Riding that feeling out was a lot harder every time Sage was nearby. Being surrounded by the MC made things a little easier, kept me busy, took the edge off, but even in a group of outlaws, there were days I felt like an outsider.
“I always wondered what your life was like before you came here, Law. Seemed so mysterious and glamorous. It’ll be fun to spend some time in your shoes. You think I’ll make a good undercover spy?”
“Sweetie, I wasn’t a spy. Wasn’t my job to go in and sneak around and snitch on people. I was the guy they sent in to fuck shit up. Sage and I, we were the people who got called on to change the story the bad guys were writing.” Even if it meant taking lives. Even if it meant putting ourselves in front of a bullet. Even if it meant watching someone else get hurt for the greater good.
“Well I’m just spying. And maybe doing a little research for my own personal life if you know what I’m saying. See how the technology has changed over the years. Maybe get some new ideas for our date nights,” she said, winking at Judas.
“You keep your pussy in your pants,” he said.
“What about lesbian shit?” she asked, licking her lips at me.
“Absolutely no lesbian shit.” I knew she was kidding but Sage was off limits to everyone under this roof, even Athena. That was where I put my foot down.
“I might not be anti lesbian shit in the right context,” Judas said with a shrug.
“Ya’ll are fucking nasty,” Colt said. “Quit wasting my time. What do you want me to do with this?” He held up the contract.
“Sit on it for a minute,” I suggested. We’d have to wait and see what Athena could come up with. If that was the only way Kevin would agree to letting her in the house, it would have to be our backup plan.
“That’s what she said,” Athena said with a smirk.
“Meeting fucking adjourned.” Colt stood up and rolled his eyes at us. “Keep me in the loop. I got twelve men who are willing to fight to the death for a day in that house. I can only hold em off for so long.”
I stood up and gave him a hug. I didn’t know what got into me, or even what got into him today. His willingness to help take care of someone I cared so much about without so much as knowing her was enough to remind me I was exactly where I belonged. Athena, too.
“I suppose we gotta go on a field trip,” I said.
“You wanna freshen up first?” Judas teased. “Powder your nose so you can be pretty for your lady? She is the breadwinner after all.”
“Fuck off,” I said. “Your wife’s net worth is twelve times yours.”
“That’s baby Harley’s college fund,” Athena said. “So she doesn’t end up like her mama.” She kissed Judas on the lips and tousled his hair. “You wanna come with?”
“I trust you,” he said. He gave her a nod and patted her on the ass, and I knew he meant it. Made me jealous. I could be that man for Sage. Didn’t make me less of a man.
I needed to be that man for her.
“Only lesbian shit,” he said, poking her in the nose.
“Absolutely no lesbian shit,” I said, shaking my head at the two of them.
Chapter Nineteen
Sage:
“What are you doing here?” I stammered. I was still so sore from the night before, and not just physically. He looked way too good in that leather vest and tight jeans and I couldn’t take my eyes off his hands, those magic hands that did things to my body, the things they did to my soul.
“Do I know you?” he asked. He had Athena with him. I couldn’t get over the fact that this woman had just birthed a baby. She had the
body of a twenty year old, and boobs that seemed to point straight up to the ceiling. Underneath the make-up and hair dye, though, you could tell she was naturally stunning. She had these wild eyes that seemed to be drilling a hole right through me. “Oh yeah, you’re Kevin’s girlfriend. We met the other day. You stopped by the clubhouse”
I probably would’ve slapped the silly smirk right off his face if she wasn’t standing there next to him.
“Is he here?” Athena asked. “We’re actually here to talk to him.”
“He’s on his way out, but I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to see you. He’s been waiting for a call from Colt from what I gather,” I said. A call saying ‘no way in hell will we be working with you,’ in my perfect world.
What in the ever-loving fuck was going on here?
I walked them through the giant foyer of the mansion, and Athena looked around wide eyed, running her fingers over the furniture until she flopped down on the couch, making herself at home. Landon just stood off to the side, his hands in his pockets, smirking at me like some kind of weirdo.
Kevin came down the stairs with a backpack on his back and a suitcase in his hands, Grace following behind him dressed in her French maid uniform. It made me nauseous how he paid her to wear that get up around, but she was a smart woman. She knew it was easy money. She could probably put herself through law school with the kind of cash he was paying her. I had no disrespect for these women, I just hated the process.
Which was why I was shocked to see Athena jump up from the couch and run to Kevin like she was greeting some long lost friend. She threw her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek.
“Athena! It’s so good to see you,” he said, dropping his suitcase to the floor. “I was hoping we’d run into each other.”
“Yeah, you were a little incapacitated last night when I talked to you.” His face blushed red. “Happens to the best of us.”
He looked over at Landon and shook his head. “You guys, you really know how to throw a party. I wish I remembered more of it.”
Roofies will do that to you, you sick fucker.
“What’s this all about? Have you and your men come to a decision, I hope?”
“Not quite yet,” Landon said. “I was just bringing Athena over to talk to you.”
“I was hoping I’d get to see Sabine,” she said. “I didn’t really get a chance to talk to her last night. I am dying to catch up with her, and I think I have a proposition you might want in on.”
My stomach lurched. Landon was staring at his shoes with a fascinated smile on his face.
“She left this morning, didn’t she Lyndsay?” Kevin said, grinning at me.
“First flight out she could get. I’m not sure when she’ll be back. Probably not for awhile.”
God damn, this shit was messy. I was pretending to be two different people to twenty different people, and none of these people were me. Except last night. Alone with Landon. That was one hundred percent me, even though I hardly deserved it.
What the hell he was he thinking bringing her over here, though? Was this some kind of power move?
“I still want to talk to you, Kevin. You know, Sabine and I had always said we were going to work together. Wouldn’t that be awesome if we both made our comeback at the same time?”
“That would be amazing.” I could see the dollar bills behind his eyes.
“I can’t even imagine the money people would be willing to throw around to see that. We’re going to be fucking loaded.”
I was going to be fucking sick. And Landon was laughing through it all.
“You guys mind going outside? I want to talk to Kevin in private,” Athena said. I didn’t mind at all. I needed some fresh air. I needed some room to breathe. I needed to tear him a new one.
“You’re a psychopath,” I said, as we stepped on the porch. “Is this some kind of sick perversion of yours? What are you trying to do to me here?”
“I only have one sick perversion,” he said, looking into my eyes as he traced his finger down my chest. Intuitively, he found the spot where he left his mark on me, and softly pressed into it until I gasped in shocked pleasure. “And I’m standing right in front of her. There cameras out here?”
I bit my lip and breathed in the spicy smell of his aftershave. We shouldn’t be doing this. Not here. Not anywhere. Not until this investigation was over. I couldn’t be near him without losing my composure. The thoughts racing through my mind right now were even worse than the ones I was feeling last night.
Thoughts of him bending me over the balcony and taking me right here. Marking me. Showing everyone in this house that I was his property. Spanking me. Biting me. Kissing me. Holding me. Promising me forever. A forever I wanted more than anything.
“I’m working,” I said. “You promised me.”
“I promised I would do whatever I could to support you,” he said, leaning in closer. His lips were nearly on mine and I leaned back into the banister, trying not to give in to my growing lust. “I had to see you after last night. I had to make sure you were okay.”
“I’m fine,” I said, my voice coming out choppy. His hand cupped my ass cheek and I jumped.
Truth was, I wasn’t fine. For the first time in my career history, I was over it. I knew there was a reason the agency sent me here, but the only evidence of crimes I’d seen were those against fashion in the form of sequins and spandex, a little recreational drug use, and Kevin being generally disgusting. These were way below my pay grade.
“I’m proud of you,” he said, his voice gravelly, breath right in my ear, making the hair on my neck stand straight up. “The way you carry yourself in every situation. You’re amazing at what you do.”
“You’re just amazing all around,” I said. I let my lips touch his for just a second, the electric spark of our years of collected care for each other igniting this feeling in my spine, like I was being touched from the inside out.
“Probably shouldn’t be doing that, hot stuff,” he teased, pulling away with a smirk. He leaned into me harder, and I could feel his stiff cock pressing against my leg. We definitely shouldn’t be doing this.
“You can’t just roll in here and get me all frazzled. I am on a job.”
“I never frazzled you before,” he said, his fingers grazing my chin as he lifted it to reach his.
“Landon, you’ve frazzled the hell out of me since the day we met and you know it. I just always tried to maintain a professional relationship.”
He laughed that cocky ass laugh that made me crack up, too. Nothing about our relationship was professional. This man had been inside me before we even went out on our first mission. He’d seen me at my worst more times than one. He knew how to mash every single one of my buttons, but we never let love come into the equation. That would’ve been taking things too far. It would’ve been too dangerous for us and for the agency.
Now that we weren’t partners, now that his safety wasn’t hinging on my composure, my mind had room to daydream about what might have been for the two of us if I wasn’t a maniac and he wasn’t way too good for me.
“Did you send her here to spy on me?”
The front door swung open and I’d never seen a man leap like a fucking crash test dummy being flung through the air. He landed on the other side of the porch railing with a thud and we all looked at him in confusion. I tried not to laugh. He’d really lost his edge after being out of the game for so long.
“Bees,” he said, dusting the dirt off his jeans. “I got stung by a bee.”
“Athena’s has expressed interest in partnering with the agency,” Kevin said.
I gulped. He did send her here to spy on me. I clenched my fist and my jaw grew tight. He was so full of shit. All this I love you, I trust you, you’re awesome, what was the point?
He shouldn’t even be here right now. He was getting in my way and getting in my head.
He kept his promise to stay out of my way and let me do my job, alright but sending someb
ody else in was a dick move.
“I personally don’t think that’s a good idea,” I said. “I was talking to Sabine last night, and she said she didn’t like you.”
“Oh she said that?” Athena asked, squinting at me. “What else did she say?”
She looked kind of scary when she was mad. I guess growing up in a motorcycle club wasn’t exactly a soft upbringing. This woman could probably kick my ass if she wanted to even with my Krav Maga training and proficiency in blunt objects.
Landon started to laugh, and so did Athena. “Nobody likes her,” he said. “It’s kind of her thing.”
“Tell that old bitch to get the fuck over it.” She winked at me, and for some reason it hit me right in the core. Landon wouldn’t sell me out, would he? He wouldn’t blow my cover to his friends. Maybe he’d come over here to warn me. “I wanna get my baby into that private preschool. We need to get some money. Sabine and I coming back together, that’ll be life changing for everybody involved.”
“Exactly,” Kevin said, reaching for my hand. I tried not to cringe when he squeezed it. How could something be so dry but so sweaty at the same time. “Bottom line is, everybody plays nice and we all get paid. Or everyone can play naughty, and we all become billionaires.”
Barf in my mouth. How was there not barf in my mouth? I think if I would’ve rolled my eyes any harder they would’ve floated up inside the back of my head.
“I will obviously require my own bodyguards,” she said. “If I’m going to be hanging around the house I want to know the best security is available.”
“Of course,” I said, staring right at Law.
Of course he found a freaking loophole. He promised me the club wouldn’t interfere in my investigation. Technically they weren’t. I hated him in that moment.
“I have to go inside,” I said, for lack of a better option. “Excuse me.”
I didn’t even look over my shoulder at him as I stormed through the door. Didn’t even want to see his smug face. I took the stairs two by two, running for my bedroom and slamming the door behind me.
