Lady Guardians_Forgiven

by Reana Malori

  She didn't know what else to say, he was right. Reed wanted to protect her, and it felt good to have someone on her side. The only person who knew how this was impacting her was the man on the other side of the phone. Her friends knew some of the story, but not everything. No one in her family knew. Especially her mother. That would set everyone off in a tizzy if her mother got wind of this. When she’d first began riding motorcycles, her mother warned her, “Riding bikes and acting like a man is going to bring more trouble than you want.” If she breathed a word of this to her mother, that’d be the first thing she’d blame for everything happening. Riding bikes and acting like a man. She didn’t feel like defending her life choices again, especially not right now.

  Reed's voice broke through her thoughts, “I'm on my way to you. Just stay there and don’t leave. I'll be there in fifteen minutes.”

  Hanging up the phone, Geneva breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want to depend on Reed, but it felt really good to know he was there for her. Something happened between them in the last week, and she didn't want to let it go. The intense feelings she had towards him had only become greater each day they spent together.

  The way he looked at her as if she were the most important thing in his world. The way he promised to protect her. He’d been by her side pretty much every day since they’d first met. Everything he'd done for her over the last week showed her just how much he cared about her. She didn't have to be the strong one in this relationship. If she could even call this a relationship. Maybe she should just consider it good sex. No, what they had was more than just good sex. Although... she should probably say great sex if she were being honest.

  Looking back over at the table, she noticed her friends watching her every move. “What are you looking at Angela?” she called out.

  Her friend shrugged her shoulders, a huge grin on her face. “I'm looking at a woman who’s sprung. That man must have put it on you good.”

  Penny laughed just as Denise walked in the door. “Okay, so who needs to get got?”

  Leave it up to Denise to look at the situation and determine—within a few seconds—that someone needed to be handled. Considering Denise was a former Marine, her assessment didn’t surprise Geneva one bit. She didn't know how she’d become friends with this crazy group of women, but she had. And she was damn happy about it too. “Denise,” she called out, “you are not allowed to shoot anyone.”

  Stomping over in their direction, Denise patted her hip where her .9mm Glock was holstered. “Goddamnit Geneva,” Denise yelled back at her. “You never let me have any fun.”

  The three of them laughed and that released some of the tension floating around the room. Geneva knew the situation was serious. There was no other way to look at it. But she had her friends, she had her Club, and most importantly she had Reed. For now, that was enough.

  Chapter Eleven

  When she heard Reed’s bike pull up in the Club parking lot, she walked out got settled on her bike. Introductions and friendly banter with her friends would need to happen another day.

  His first words were to tell her she wasn’t going to be out of his sight again. Which is how they ended up going to her house. She tried to make a joke and ask him why they weren't going to his apartment; if he were afraid she’d find out all his dirty secrets. He gave her a look that tore at her heart and made her sorry for the joke. She could see it in his eyes. Not only did he want to protect her, he needed to protect her. Based on what he’d been through in the past, she was woman enough to close her mouth and simply nod at his edict. She didn’t want to go to his house anyway.

  He’d taken a few breaths and looked over at her as she started her engine. “Sweetheart, your home is where you are most comfortable. So that means wherever you are, that's where I am. So, we're going to your house.”

  Smiling at his explanation, she nodded. She knew how serious the situation was and considering what he did for a living, she’d have followed him where he led. But, the part of her that continued to question if Reed was the right man for her melted at his words. That he could get out of his own headspace for a minute and give her an explanation and insight into what he was thinking, meant a lot to her.

  As soon as she and Reed walked into the house they picked up the phone to call the police. Once on the phone with the cops, they explained what happened. They told them about the text she’d received. They said they were going to set up a trace on her phone to see if they could figure out who was calling her from a blocked number. Her first thought was why hadn’t they done it already. She knew the cops were there to help, but she wasn't holding her breath that they’d figure it out. It didn’t seem like they were prepared for this. Sooner or later, they’d have to call in the big dogs to handle this. It just felt as if she were wasting time dealing with the locals. Reed told her not to say anything about her suspicions that someone was feeding information to the people who were after her. He said he wanted them to keep those opinions to themselves for now, which she was fine with.

  Looking over at the large man pacing her living room floor, she bit her bottom lip. There was so much she wanted to say. To ask him. Why was he so attracted to her? Why had they connected so quickly? Was he truly her knight in shining armor? Was he the one who was going to finally stick by her side?

  “Baby why are you looking at me like that?” She looked up and noticed him staring at her, his brow quirked up in question.

  Damn, he’s fine. How the hell did I get so lucky? “I was just wondering."

  “Wondering what?” he said, taking a few steps closer to her.

  “Well, I was wondering why me?” After asking the question, she looked into his eyes and saw his shock. She shrugged her shoulders, dipping her eyes down low so that she no longer looked directly into his face. If she looked at him, he would know. Not only was she questioning why he’d chosen her, but how she could feel this intense need for him after such a brief time. None of this made sense, but it felt so right.

  She didn't look like his normal type. Or at least what she initially thought of as his normal type. She was a little too thick, a little too brown, and her mouth never stopped going for more than a few seconds. He seemed more like the type to take control of a woman. Like he’d want someone who needed a man to handle all the tough things in life. But he was here with her. And that had to mean something, right?

  Reed stood in front of her, his strong hands palming her face, “Tell me what's going on in that beautiful mind of yours. Why would you ask me a question like that Geneva?”

  Sighing deeply, she stared into his blue eyes and felt herself falling even deeper under his spell. “I don't know, Reed. Everything is all jumbled up in my head right now. It’s all fucked up and I'm trying to make sense of what's happening. You and I,” she motioned between the two of them. “We don't make sense. On the face of it, we have nothing in common.”

  Shaking his head at her, he interrupted. “I’m not going to let you do that. Don’t question what’s happening here. We have all the important things in common. We both love our bikes. We love our Clubs. I want to sex you up all night. You want to sex me up all night,” he paused as they laughed at his words. “And at the end of the day…hell, everything else can be worked out.”

  Shaking her head at him, she tried to pull away, “This isn't a joke Reed. I'm serious.”

  Refusing to let her go, he pulled her up from her seated position, “I know you are. And that's why I don't want this to become an issue. Don't look at us and question why I'm here. I want you to look at me and tell me that we don’t fit. I need you to understand that I'm exactly where I want to be. With you. And nowhere else.”

  Leave it to Reed to say exactly what she needed to hear. Sometimes he could be so rough around the edges, and then he'd say something so sweet all she could do was snuggle in his arms wishing for more moments like this. Sometimes he would say things to make her feel as if she was the only thing in his life, the most important person in his world.
>
  Speaking of important things, she peered up at him, “What are you doing about work?”

  “My work can take care of itself.”

  “I haven't seen you open your computer since you've been here,” she motioned to the laptop bag lying on the floor.

  Looking over his shoulder, he shrugged. “Well, my work kind of runs itself. I mean I have one or two guys that work underneath me, and they know what needs to be done. If they needed to check in with me every day, then they wouldn’t be on my team.”

  Giving him a sideways glance, she knew her face bore a look of confusion. “What do you mean you have guys that work underneath you? I thought you did this all on your own.” She thought he was just a person who liked to ride his bike and in order to make a living had to do some side work doing physical security. But his words just let her know he was much more than that. And now she was confused. With all the time they spent together, he never mentioned anything about having a team of people working for him. “Reed, do you own your own business?”

  He ran a hand down his face as if he knew this moment was coming and didn't want to face the answer. She wondered why he didn't just want to come out and tell her that he was a business owner. That he ran his own company. Why would he need to keep that a secret?

  “Yeah, I run my own company,” he admitted.

  “And how many people do you have working for you?”

  “Well, I have ten guys working on my team at the moment. They’re all over the world doing jobs, so we aren’t usually in the same state at the same time.”

  “Yeah, go on.” Now she was getting annoyed. Not because he owned a business. That wasn’t it at all. In fact, she was proud of him for that. She was upset because she was finding out he was someone different than she expected and thought she’d come to know. He didn't look like the type to wear a suit and tie every day, but this new information put a new spin on Jamison Reed. He portrayed himself to be a loner. A biker. Someone who thumbed his nose at the rules.

  The real Jamison Reed was someone who had a team of ten men working for him all over the globe. “Reed, I think you need to start telling me the truth. I think there's more to you than you’ve told me.”

  Reed eyed her warily, “Are you concerned about me now?”

  She had to think about her answer. “No. I'm not worried about you. But I am wondering if you're the man I thought you were. I want you to tell me the truth. I want all the information. Don't leave things out. You know more about me, about my situation, my family, and my life, than anyone else. I want you to give me that same courtesy. I know it's only been a week. But with everything that's going on, I need more from you than what you usually give to the women you're with.”

  READ KNEW he was in trouble. He knew that he had held some information back from Geneva, but it was mainly because he wanted to make sure that she was with him for the person he was. Not for the company he ran, or the money he made. He should have known within days that Geneva wasn't like other women, but old habits die hard. Gazing down at the woman who already held his heart, he decided that he was going to tell it all. It wasn't a secret, but it wasn’t something he shared on a regular basis.

  “My company name is Vulcan. I've been up and running for three years now. Ever since I got out of the military. It all started when I was on detail in the military and I met some people who suggested to me that military people were the best ones to provide protection to those who needed additional support. When I got out, I took that idea and I ran with it. I reached out to my network, I made the calls, renewed my connections, and I built a business based on my knowledge of what the military has taught me. And I did it all in the name of my friend. Because protection was what I should have been doing for him that day.” Pausing his story, he sighed. Thinking about the initial reason for starting his business, he felt good that he still held true to why he’d gone down this path. “If I couldn't protect him any longer, then I was going to protect those who couldn't protect themselves.”

  “Who else does your company protect other than politicians?”

  “We protect anyone who needs us. That could be politicians, celebrities, those in third world countries. It could be helping a battered wife trying to get away from her husband. When people need us, were there.”

  “Wait a minute,” she interrupted, waving her hand in the air. “Your company does all that?” At his nod, she continued. “Do you expect the people who are escaping abusive relationships or trying to protect their children to pay you for that work?”

  “Not at all. That will never happen. I get paid enough from the other people who have the money to pay my fees. I’ll never need to charge the victims to help them escape a situation like that. That, I will do for free.”

  Looking over at her he knew it was a lot to digest. He knew that the persona he gave off riding his bike, wearing his leather cut, told a different story than who and what he truly was. She looked at him again from head to toe and knew she was coming to that same conclusion.

  “With all that you do, why do you look like this,” she waved her arm in his direction. “Why do what you're doing right now, being a member of an MC, riding a motorcycle everywhere you go?”

  “Because I love what I do for a living, but I need the road to help me be free. I needed the Club to help me keep my sanity when I came home. When every thought in my head was putting my .9mm in my mouth and pulling the trigger, the Club helped bring me back from the edge. I owe my loyalty, and my life, to them. But they know who I am, and they understand that my life is more than just the Club. They also know that I'm loyal to them. I'll never turn against them. I need both sides of my life to stay sane. If not, I'll fucking go crazy. You have to understand baby, as I mentioned before. I'm a broken man. And it's going to take a long time to put all the pieces back together. But my job, Vulcan, it helps ease the pain a little each day, because it allows me to do what I do best. Protect people.”

  Looking into her eyes he began to wonder what she was thinking. He knew that his words were true and honest, but he also knew that his words could be taken in a very different way. He wasn't standing here in her home only because he wanted to protect her. He was here because he was drawn to her from that very first night. That first night, he hadn’t known anything about the situation that she was dealing with. If he had known would he have gone home with her? Would he still be here today? Probably.

  “Baby, talk to me. That doesn't change anything. You and I, what we have going on right here, that shouldn't change just because my day job is different than what you expected.”

  “It doesn't change Reed, but it was just a surprise. You're much more than who I thought you were.”

  Kneeling down a bit, he looked into her eyes. “Is that a bad thing?”

  “No it's not,” she smiled.

  “Good. So, why don't we just sit here, relax, and wait for the cops to do their half-ass job? I’ll give them another two days before me and my team take over,” he said, turning towards the couch and sitting down. He pulled Geneva onto his lap.

  “You mean you don't already have your team looking into this?”

  “Oh sweetheart,” he laughed, “I definitely have my team looking into this. But I wanted to give the police time to do their work. Because ultimately when they fuck up. I'm going to be the one to step in and fix it. Now come here, let me hold you, and I don't want you to worry about this anymore.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Geneva walked into the bedroom later that night after finishing her shower. A towel was wrapped around her body and she used another one to dry her hair. Looking towards her bed, she saw a Reed lying there waiting for her. His thick cock standing straight up and a smile on his face. “Is that all for me?” she said, licking her lips.

  “Damn right it is. Get your fine ass over here.”

  His beautiful smile glistened in the room and she wondered again how she’d gotten so damn lucky. They'd spent the rest of the day talking about their lives, their w
ork, and what made them happy. She discovered he was right. They had more in common than she thought. The way he spoke about his family and his friends and his hometown made her see him in a different light.

  He was just a man.

  He was a fine ass man.

  A fine ass man lying in her bed.

  But he was still just a man.

  And he wanted to be loved by a woman who could truly accept both sides of him. The biker and the businessman. She knew that she was already there. Hell, she’d probably fallen for him the second night they spent together. The way he made her body sing and her head spin with his sweet words. This is what she’d been missing this entire time.

  His outer shell may look rough and his words may not always be smooth, but the man beneath the leather was everything she wanted and more. Releasing the towel from her body she walked over to the bed. His eyes roamed along her entire frame, from her head down to her toes. Licking his lips, he spread his legs a little wider. “You're going to make me do something I'll regret.”

  She smiled, “What would that be?” Stopping at the edge of the bed, she began kneading her breasts, rolling the soft flesh in her hands as she stared down at Reed.

  “Sweetheart, you’re going to make me come sooner than I want. When I come, I want to be deep inside your body. I want to be fucking you into your mattress.” His cock began to grow before her eyes. His hands clenched tight as he held himself back. That she caused this type of reaction in a man like Jamison Reed made her heady with the power she had.

  “What if I want to do something else tonight?” It felt good to tease him.

  “Shit, woman. Don't make me come grab you.”