“You fuckin’ pussy! You’ve been dodging me and wasting my time for too damn long.”
“I’m telling Mom and Dad, and they’re not going to be happy. Dad will make sure you go to jail.”
“Be a fuckin’ man and stand up!”
“I’m not going to fight you, Chet.”
“What, you only beat up women?”
Bret shook his head. “I didn’t mean to hurt Autumn. I called and apologized. She forgave me. I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“How the fuck does that work, asshole? Her face was bruised and swollen for days, and you’re telling me you didn’t mean to do it? Then, why the fuck did you? Why didn’t you stop after the first punch? If you were pissed about me, then you should’ve punched me, not her.”
“I did stop. You know I’ve never hit a woman before.”
“I only know you’re a lying sack of shit who hurt Autumn, and she may have forgiven you, but I haven’t. Stand the fuck up!”
“I’m not going to. This is crazy.”
“I’m done with this shit.” Chains bent down and yanked Bret up, then he punched him in the face.
“Shit, Chet! That hurt,” Bret said as he tried to run away.
Chains punched him two more times before throwing him on the hard, icy ground. He lifted his leg and was ready to plant his steel-toed boot into his brother’s side, but he stopped. Bret lay in a curled up position, his crimson blood staining the fresh white snow.
“Stay away from Autumn.”
Bret looked up, his face bloody and swollen. “I think I’m dying.”
Chains rolled his eyes as he leaned over and picked up his brother. “You’re not gonna die. I didn’t even break anything. You got what you gave Autumn. Go inside and clean up.”
He took his phone out of his pocket and texted Jigger and Crow to head out, then he watched Bret slip and slide on the ice as his brother walked to the back door.
Before he went inside, Bret looked over his shoulder. “I really am sorry for what I did to Autumn.”
“You should be. You treated her like shit—didn’t even help pay for canceling the wedding, and then you beat her up? If you weren’t my brother, I would’ve killed you for what you did to her.”
Bret nodded, then disappeared inside.
Chains pulled the Tahoe away from the curb just as a police car pulled up in front of Tequila Willy’s. In the rearview mirror, he saw Sheriff Wexler step out of the car. The badge would take a report, but that was where it would end. No decent man would blame Chains for what he’d done. That night had been about an eye for an eye, and the bad blood they had between them didn’t figure into the beating. Bret had hurt Autumn, and Chains had hurt Bret back. It was the flow of life that made things balanced and right, at least in Chains’s world.
A few miles away, he pulled the car over and got out, then picked up some snow and washed the blood off his hands. He jumped back into the car and headed over to Autumn’s place.
Thor ran out of the house when Chains opened the door and barked up a storm. He opened the garage door and the Siberian dashed out to enjoy the cold weather.
“You’re home.” Autumn pulled her sweater around tighter as if to keep out the cold.
“What I had to do didn’t take as long as I thought.” Chains had figured Bret would have at least put up a fight. He wrapped his arms around her and felt her shiver against him. “You better get inside—it’s freezing. I’m gonna take Thor for a quick walk, then I’ll warm you up.” He brushed his lips across hers and stepped back.
Chains watched as Thor ran around the small park near the house, and he realized that the dog needed way more space than what he had at Autumn’s home. Chains spent four or five nights a week at her place, and Thor was always with him. The other times, Chains was at the clubhouse with acres of land surrounding it. Siberian huskies were bred to run long distances, and they required a lot of exercise, so the club’s setting was perfect for Thor.
A half hour later, Chains was drying the husky off with a large towel Autumn had given him. He refreshed Thor’s water bowl, gave him a treat, and went upstairs to take a quick shower.
When he came down, Autumn was dozing on the couch with the fireplace burning brightly and the television on low. He loved looking at her while she slept. There was something about it that made him feel trusted. And lucky.
Chains sank down on the couch and placed her feet on top of his thighs. Cinder, stretched across the top of the sofa, stared at him for a few seconds, then put her head down on her paws. Autumn stirred slightly and then her lids fluttered open.
“Did you just come back?” she asked, stifling a yawn.
“It’s been a while.” He massaged her feet, the fuzzy material was soft, like a baby’s blanket. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“I must’ve dozed off.” She let out a big yawn, then pushed up to a sitting position. “It must’ve been the wine I had at dinner tonight.”
“How was the restaurant? What was the name of it?”
“Thai Mango, and it was delicious. Sadie’s obsessed with it the way I am with the Spice Room, so we’ve been eating a lot of Thai and Indian food lately.” She wiggled her toes, then her gaze fell on his swollen knuckles. “What happened?”
He shrugged. “Must’ve hit them against something.” Before Autumn could ask another question, he grabbed her ankles and pulled her toward him.
Laughing, she reached out her arms, and Chains gladly yanked her to him, claiming her mouth in a long, deep kiss.
“Didn’t you promise to warm me up?” she whispered against his lips.
“I did,” he said as his hands touched her shoulders, sweeping her hair over one of them, as he placed feathery kisses on the side of her neck.
“That feels nice,” she murmured.
Chains slowly pushed up the hem of Autumn’s nightshirt, his heated gaze fixed on her sheer panties. “I’m gonna warm you up real good, baby.”
“You always do.” She swiped her tongue across his bottom lip, then placed her hand on his erection. Looking up, he caught her eyes as she slipped it into his sweat pants. He hissed when her soft fingers curled around his dick.
“I want to taste you,” she said, pushing back a bit.
Chains jumped up and pulled off his pants, then guided her to the floor where she kneeled between his legs. When Autumn looked up at him with lowered eyelids and slightly parted lips, he thought he was going to lose it. She grabbed the base of his cock and licked up and down his shaft, rolling her tongue around all sides. He leaned back against the cushion, enjoying the burst of sensations rushing through him as she worked his dick.
Autumn kissed and licked the tip, slowly drawing him into her mouth until she took his whole cock down her throat, her lips tightening as she swirled her tongue.
“That feels so fuckin’ good, baby,” he rasped, his gaze locked on hers.
As she worked her way up and down his hardness, the small whimpers and moans drove him wild. He watched as his cock disappeared between her lips over and over again.
“I don’t wanna blow yet, darlin’,” he said as he gently pushed her head back.
Autumn leaned back on her knees, then rose to her feet. Without breaking eye contact, she slid her panties down her lean legs and stepped out of them. Then, she leaned over Chains and kissed him as he gripped her hips and guided her onto his lap and his dick.
He swept his tongue across her bottom lip as he trailed a hand up her belly and over the ladder of her ribs to the soft underside of her breast. He covered one of her tits with the palm of his hand and squeezed gently. Autumn arched her back, and he palmed the other breast. Grazing her nipple with his thumb, a guttural moan fell from her lips.
As he flicked, pinched, and pulled at her nipples, she rocked her hips and the warm walls encasing his erection tightened around him like a vise. Chains exhaled a ragged breath before capturing her lips. Autumn hooked her arms around him, and he cupped her ass and lifted her up and down. She b
ounced and rolled her hips as the coil at the base of his dick grew tighter and tighter.
“That’s it, baby. Ride that cock,” he growled. “Fuck.”
Chains kissed her tits and sucked her nipples, loving how her breasts swayed and jiggled as she fucked him.
“I’m going to come.” She moaned, moving faster, more frenzied.
When Chains bucked underneath her, she cried out, spasming all around his dick.
“So good, Chains. So fucking good.” She let out a groan.
He held on to Autumn and fucked her until a moment later, when he joined her with a low grunt.
Chains massaged Autumn’s thighs as she rested her forehead against his. With his dick still inside her, they stayed like that until both their breathing had returned to normal.
“That was awesome,” she said as she moved off him. Grabbing several tissues from the box on the coffee table, she handed them to him before ambling toward the guest bathroom.
Chains wiped himself, then pulled on the sweatpants before tossing the used tissues in the trash and washing his hands. He went back to the couch and emotions crisscrossed through him.
“Do you want anything to drink?” Autumn asked, as she scooped up the nightshirt and shimmied it over her head.
“I’m good. I want to talk to you.”
Finger-combing her hair, she glanced over at him. “Nothing serious, I hope.” Trepidation filled her voice.
“It’s serious, but in a good way, I think.” He patted the empty space next to him. “Sit down, darlin’.”
Autumn plopped down on the couch and tucked her legs up under herself. “What do you want to talk about?”
Chains pressed his lips together, then exhaled. “The backyard is too small for Thor.” He saw her jaw clench and twitch. “I’m just saying …” his voice trailed off.
“You’re dumping me, aren’t you?” A slight quiver pierced her voice.
“I’m blowing this all to hell.” He shook his head, then chuckled. “What I’m trying to say is that I love you and want to marry you.”
Autumn’s eyes widened. “Are you serious?”
“I wouldn’t be saying it if I wasn’t. I know it’s too soon, but I feel like we’ve known each other a long time.”
“I was hoping you felt that way. I’ve been in love with you for a while but was afraid you didn’t love me.”
“I’ve been fighting it, but I want to give you my heart and spend our lives together. I want you to be my old lady, darlin’.”
Autumn flung herself at him and peppered his face with kisses as she laughed and then cried, all the while saying “Yes” over and over again.
“I’ll have your cut made so you can wear it at the club and biker events.”
“That sounds great.”
“You don’t even know what the hell I’m talking about, do you?” He smiled.
“No, but you can explain all that to me later.”
He kissed her long and hard, then held her close. “We need to build a house. I saw some land just outta town that’s for sale. It’s on five acres. That’d be cool for Thor.”
“And I can get a horse … maybe two if you’re up to riding.”
“Never been on a horse, but I’ll try it.”
“It can be just as much fun as a motorcycle. When we went riding a few days ago, it felt like I was on a horse galloping in a meadow, but much faster. I can’t believe this. I’m so happy.”
“We’re gonna have a good life.”
She tilted her head up. “You like kids, right?”
Nodding, he replied, “I do.”
“And you want them?”
“Yeah, but we got a bit of time for that.” He kissed the side of her head.
“We do, but I’d like to have a couple before I’m thirty-six.”
“I can arrange that.” He squeezed her tight.
“I love you so much,” she said softly.
“Then, it’s all perfect.”
Chains stared into the fire as he held his woman, the bitter gash inside him from his ex-wife’s betrayal finally healed and gone. Autumn was his today and tomorrow, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Two weeks later
That evening, Autumn stayed late to go over a few lab reports and finish up some paperwork. For the first time since she’d bought the clinic there weren’t any animals in the recovery rooms, so she’d sent Rodney and Lauren home for the night.
Darkness crept in and she could see the moon’s rays streaming in from a window at the end of the hallway, its long streaks looking like ghostly fingers on the blue-speckled floor. She reached over and turned off the music that had provided a pleasant backdrop to the day’s activities. The quiet enveloped her and she was heavy in concentration when the sound of footsteps filtered its way from the reception area. Autumn looked up, expecting to see one of the doctors or employees, but no one was there. Pausing for several seconds, she dismissed the noise to an overactive imagination and looked back at the computer screen to resume her work.
Several minutes later, she heard an unmistakable cough.
“Mark? Is that you?”
Autumn froze and listened: nothing except a tree branch hitting against the building. She meant to call a trimmer to cut back the trees, but she’d been so busy that it had slipped her mind. Does the scraping of branches against windows and stucco sound like a cough? I’m just spooking myself.
Shaking her head, Autumn tried to refocus on the lab reports, but she couldn’t concentrate anymore as she tried to listen for the slightest sound. Did someone break into the building? The clinic carried opioids such as tramadol, a pain medication used by both animals and humans, and hydrocodone, as well as Xanax, a very addictive benzodiazepine. I can’t remember turning on the alarm after Rodney left. But she must have—it was her habit. Then, she remembered the phone had rung just when the tech had waved goodbye to her.
A shudder of fear crept up her back. I didn’t set the alarm. Dammit! How could I be so forgetful? She strained her ears, but there wasn’t any noise out of the ordinary. Autumn leaned back against the office chair. It was just paranoia. Silly anxiety. The dark night, the suffocating stillness, the wavering moonlight in the corridor had all contributed to her imagination running amuck. A nervous giggle escaped her lips as she looked back at the computer screen. There was only one more report Autumn had to review, and she could finish the paperwork at home. She leaned forward and scanned the results of a feline’s blood test.
A creak. Then another. The pressure of footsteps on the hallway floor.
Autumn held her breath for a second and listened, positive that whoever was out there could hear her heart pounding like a jackhammer.
She leapt to her feet and blindly grabbed for a weapon off the desk: an amethyst geode with a miniature mining diorama in pewter. She’d bought it six months before in a souvenir shop in Central City during a weekend trip.
A long, dark shadow flickered on the floor as the footsteps grew louder, closer. Sweat broke out along Autumn’s hairline, and she gripped her phone and tapped in Chains’s number. Pick up! Pick the fuck up!
“Hi, babe.” The sound of his voice was reassuring, and a sliver of calmness wove through her.
“Someone’s in the building,” she whispered. “I’m alone and the footsteps are coming closer.”
“I’m on my way. Keep talking to me.”
The silhouette of a man stood in the doorway of the office.
“Oh shit! There’s someone here.”
“Baby, I’m coming.”
“Put the phone down.” The stranger’s voice was cold and menacing.
The man walked into the room, and all the air left her lungs with a low hiss as she stared ahead, too terrified to move.
“Fuck!” Chains yelled.
“I told you to put down the fucking phone. Now,” the intruder growled.
Autumn placed the phone on the desk without ending the call. At that mo
ment, she couldn’t remember if he was staying at her house that night or the club. Since they’d gotten engaged, Chains had been spending most of his time at her home. If he was at her place, he was close, but the clubhouse was a bit of a distance from town.
“What do you want?” she asked, her gaze meeting his penetrating one.
“Sit down,” the man said as he settled into one of the chairs in front of her desk.
The stranger looked to be in his late thirties, but there were hints of gray at his temples. His hair was an unruly mop of thick, curly hair. He wore blue jeans and a fitted shirt that showed off his lean and muscular build. His dark eyes were intense and framed by bushy brows. A thin scar down the right side of his face moved when he spoke.
Legs wobbly, Autumn gripped the edge of the desk and sat down.
“Your fiancé owes me money.”
“Chains?” She shook her head. “You must be mistaken.”
“I don’t know who the hell Chains is—the guy I’m talking about is Bret Garver. And he owes me a helluva lot of dough.”
“I’m not engaged to Bret—we broke up a while ago. I don’t know why you’d think I’d pay money Bret owes you. Are you one of the investors in his new business?”
“No—he’s got a big gambling debt, and I loaned him the money with interest, of course, and he’s been hiding out on me. Bret said he’s on the title of this place.” The man looked around the office. “You got a nice setup here—it should be worth something.”
“You need to leave. I don’t know you nor do I know if what you’re telling me is true.”
The loan shark leaned forward. “This can either be easy or hard—it’s your choice, but I’m not leaving until I get some fucking money.”
“How much does Bret owe you?”
The intruder’s smile was jagged like a broken zipper. He leaned back and thrummed fingers dusted with dark hair on his jeans.
“A hundred thou should do it.”
Autumn’s eyes widened. “Dollars? I don’t believe any of this.”
The man leaped up and took a gun out of the pocket of his jacket. “I’m tired of this fuckin’ bullshit. You better have the money or I’m going to burn this place down.” He leaned over and gripped her throat with one massive hand, squeezing tightly.
Chains Page 25
