by Nina Levine
He reared up onto his knees. “Fuck,” he rasped, his eyes wild with desire. Taking hold of my hips, he positioned his cock and ran it through my wetness. “Jesus, Sophia, I want to draw this out, but, fuck, I need to be inside you, baby.”
I couldn’t move like I wanted to, but I tried to push myself closer to him, to encourage him to give in. It seemed to tip him over the edge, and he gripped my hips firmer and thrust inside me.
Oh, God, this is what heaven feels like.
I closed my eyes and let the pleasure envelope me as he pulled out and thrust back in, over and over. His grunts as he chased his release turned me on more than I already was. Griff expressing his need for me was something I loved hearing.
As my orgasm moved closer, I opened my eyes to look at him. His hands were on the bed on either side of me, and his face was above mine. His eyes were focused on my face, and he dipped his mouth to mine when our gazes met.
He kissed me hard.
Possessive almost.
And my orgasm hit while he took ownership.
I moaned into his mouth, and he caught my lip with his teeth as he dragged his mouth from mine. And then he came with a roar. He thrust hard one last time and then stilled as his orgasm took over. His eyes closed and his body tensed, and – good God – my powerful man came like I’d never seen a man come before. It was like he truly felt his orgasm, experienced it fully in not only his body but also his mind. He let himself go there completely, wherever ‘there’ was.
When he finally opened his eyes, he stared at me through eyes I couldn’t read. We were silent for a few moments and then he pulled out of me, and moved to untie me. My arms were sore and my body was spent. Griff had exhausted me, body and soul, and sleep threatened to overtake me.
“I’ll be back in a minute,” he promised before he left me.
My eyes fluttered closed, and while I tried to fight sleep, to stay awake for when he returned, I failed.
As I drifted off, I wondered what it was about Griff I couldn’t read after he came.
What was he thinking in that moment?
22
Griff
“Cheers!” King said as he raised his beer. “Here’s to brothers and family and motherfucking loyalty.” His eyes blazed with the level of crazy he was well known for. He’d arrived at the clubhouse this morning and had spent an hour grilling Keg about his involvement in stirring shit up between the Brisbane and Sydney clubs, and eventually dragged from Keg that he’d been responsible for it. Keg had also admitted he intended on dealing drugs regularly now that Marcus wasn’t around to do it, and that Marcus had spread lies about Scott.
King had dealt with Keg in the only way King knew how – he’d ensured Keg never took another breath to cause Storm further problems. The most useful part of all this was the fact every Storm member now knew of Marcus’s lies, and many had altered their view of Scott leading the club.
“Fuck, he’s a wild bastard, but thank Christ he did what he did today,” Nash said as he slapped me on the back.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “Things should get back to some kind of order now.”
“I fuckin’ hope so, Griff.”
As King and the boys partied, I went in search of Scott. Finding him in his office, I closed the door behind me and said, “You okay?”
He sat back in his chair and drank some of his beer before replying. “Yeah, it’s just been a long day.”
“Did you get hold of Blade?”
“He’s on his way. Should be here any minute.”
I rubbed the back of my neck trying to get rid of the knots that wouldn’t shift. “Wilder’s run into some problems with the insurance on the restaurant so I’m gonna go over that with him tomorrow. Everything else is good – no issues at any of the other restaurants or Indigo. I’m thinking we can scale back the eyes we’ve got on everyone now that Ricky has been dealt with.”
“You should be right to do that because from what I’ve heard, Ricky’s second in charge isn’t looking in your direction for his death.” Blade’s voice came from the doorway and we turned to him. He entered and added, “Your boys are having a good time out there. How’s that all going?”
“We had a breakthrough today,” Scott said. “One of our members admitted to everyone that Marcus had lied about shit.”
“That should go a long way to you taking control,” Blade said, and we both nodded our agreement. “As far as Bond goes, I’ve got a guy doing time with him, and he owes me. We can set the hit up for this week.”
“Good,” said Scott.
The uneasy feeling in my gut didn’t ease at his words. It wouldn’t until Bond was dealt with once and for all. “Thanks, man,” I said to Blade, and he gave me a nod in return. I couldn’t help but think how much Storm’s relationship with him had changed in a year. He’d become one of our greatest allies.
Blade jerked his head in the direction of the bar. “You boys gonna have a drink?”
Scott nodded as he stood. “Yeah, I’m gonna hang around for awhile.”
“I will, too,” I said. “You should, too, Blade.”
“Layla is working late tonight, so I’ve got a few hours to kill.”
We headed out to join King and the boys. Most members had stayed for a drink when Scott and King put the call out this afternoon, so the bar was busy and loud. It had been too long since we’d let our hair down. This was just what we needed.
* * *
I woke up the next morning alone, in my own bed, and fuck if I didn’t miss the fact Sophia wasn’t pressed up to my body. Stumbling out of bed, I headed first to the bathroom, and then to the medicine cabinet. I’d drunk enough last night to give me one hell of a headache.
Swallowing some aspirin, I showered and dressed, and then headed over to Sophia’s house.
“Morning, handsome,” she greeted me at her front door. Her face had lit up when she’d opened it and that had warmed my cold heart. “I wasn’t expecting you this morning.”
I dropped a kiss onto her lips as my hand caught her around the waist and pulled her to me. “I know, but I have something I want to discuss with you before I head into work.”
She took a good look at me, and said, “You look like you could do with some coffee first. I take it you stayed late last night.”
As we headed into her kitchen, I said, “Got home at about three this morning.”
“Do you boys do that often?”
I considered her question for a moment. “If you’re asking me whether I do it often, the answer is no. The boys used to, but our club has been going through a rough patch the last year or so, and nights like that have been few and far between. Last night helped set us straight again, I think.”
She smiled. “That’s good to hear. And, just so you know, in case I came across as the kind of woman who keeps track of her man and tries to tell him what he can and can’t do…I’m not that kind of woman. In fact, I feel sorry for those kinds of women, that they spend so much energy focused on that, and the men, too…having to put up with your partner dictating who you spend time with and for how long, that would suck. I only asked if that was a regular thing you do, so that I could make plans to have girls’ nights when you have your boys’ nights. I mean, perfect opportunity, right?” She took a deep breath and her eyes widened in the way they did whenever she rambled like this.
I pulled her close again. “Just so you know, I only answered your question because you’re important to me, and I wanted you to know where I stood on this. Spending time with the boys is good. Spending time with you is better.”
Her breathing slowed, and her face flushed with pleasure. “I’ll make coffee now,” she said softly.
I smiled and let her go with a nod. Pulling up a stool, I sat and watched as she busied herself in the kitchen. Sophia was in her element there, and I knew I could pass many hours watching her. There was something about a woman baking in the kitchen that turned me on.
“So, what’s on your mind?” she asked as she pl
aced a mug in front of me.
“I noticed the other day that your back patio needs a fair bit of work. I’m going to the hardware this afternoon and will order the supplies to rebuild it. The pavers are okay; I’ll just need to redo the framework and roof.”
She sat on the stool next to me, staring at me in silence. And then she placed her lips to mine and kissed me in the way any man would want their day to start. When she ended it, she said, “I would love you to do that, Griff. Thank you.”
I didn’t know what to do with her appreciation. It wasn’t something I was used to from people. So I tucked it away and moved on. I drank what was left of my coffee and stood to leave. After placing my mug in the sink, I said, “I’ll be over tonight after you get home from the gym.”
She came to me and slid her arms around my waist. Looking up at me, she said, “We owe Josie a huge thank you. You do know it was her that pushed me to you that night, right?”
“Of course I know it was her. I knew from her eyes that day she faked her fall down the stairs that she had no intention of resting until she got what she wanted.”
“Did you ever think she would get what she wanted?” The hesitation in her voice killed me. Sophia was the kind of woman any man would go to the ends of the Earth for and yet she doubted herself.
I tipped her chin up. “I’m a stubborn asshole and would never have admitted it to Josie, but I wanted you from the first moment I laid eyes on you.”
The smile that lit her face was worth anything it cost me. “You might not say a lot, handsome, but the things you do say are priceless.”
On the way to the clubhouse, I realised I’d give her a million words if it made her happy, and I couldn’t say that about any other woman I’d ever met.
It was quiet when I arrived there. Most of the boys had left after me this morning and some had crashed right where they had their last drink. I ignored the sleeping bodies and headed into the kitchen to get more coffee. My head had almost stopped pounding and I figured one more coffee might do the trick.
As I waited for the kettle to boil, my phone buzzed with a text.
Danny: The trial has been delayed. Not sure how long, but giving you a heads up. Just so you know, though, there’s no way out of this, Michael. You will be called as a witness and everyone will learn your identity.
I didn’t send a text back. Slipping my phone back in my pocket, I thought about Bond. Everything seemed to be falling into place. The trial delay would work well for us with Blade’s plan for Bond this week. No Bond would equal no trial. And my identity would be long buried.
23
Sophia
“What was it like for you growing up with Mum?” Magan asked me as we sat getting pedicures the next afternoon.
Her question surprised me coming out of the blue like that. We’d spoken a little about Mum over the last six months, but the topic almost felt out of bounds most days. Like neither of us wanted to confront our hurt. I guessed with Mum now back in our lives, the hurt was front and centre anyway, so there was nothing holding us back from talking about it.
“I was so young when I lived with her that I adored her. She could do no wrong in my eyes back then. But thinking about it now, as an adult looking back, she struggled as a mother. She didn’t know how to deal with me when I was naughty. Instead of teaching me boundaries, she’d just send me to my bedroom and not talk to me. Her temper was so quick that she’d yell at me for the smallest thing, and I would then spend days trying to please her and make her happy with me again, because when she got mad at me, she held onto it for days, sometimes weeks.”
Magan’s eyes were wide. “I don’t remember her being like that with me.”
Telling the truth but at the same time not wanting to shatter my sister’s rose-coloured memories was a hard thing to do. To top it off, I felt awful because I wanted her to see how badly our mother had treated us. I almost wanted to shake the God’s honest truth into her, but I knew I could never be so cruel. Kids eventually grew up, and at some point their eyes would open and they would work the bad stuff out for themselves. That was one of the bitches of life. You couldn’t hide from the truth forever.
“Maybe by the time she had you, she’d grown a little bit. She was so young when she had me. I don’t know…no mother is perfect, and I don’t ever expect perfection from a person, but I feel like she didn’t try to do better,” I said.
“She said she’s going to try to be better now. And she still wants you to be part of her life. Do you think you ever will be?” The hope on Magan’s face made me pause for a moment. She had an almost desperate need for me to want to be part of their lives, and I so wanted to be a part of Magan’s life, but not our mother’s.
I can’t do it.
Not even for Magan.
I shook my head. “I’m sorry, Magan, but I can’t. Too much has happened for me to be able to let her back in. I don’t trust her…and without trust, I have nothing.” My voice wobbled, and as much as I tried not to let this affect me – because, goddamn it, she’d affected enough of my life already – this stuff hurt.
She took all of that in, and finally nodded. “Okay.” It was only one word, but I felt the emotion behind it, and I valued it for what it represented – her acceptance of my decision.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“So,” she said, changing the conversation, “what’s happening with lover boy?”
I grinned. “I’m sure he would love you calling him that. He’s so far from a boy, babe.”
“Good, I’ll be sure to call him that when I see him next.”
“He’s the kind of man I’ve waited ages for. He did my mowing the other day, fixed my light bulb and washer, and now he’s going to fix my patio.” I all but sighed.
“So you’re telling me that the way to your heart is by doing manly-type jobs?” she teased with a smile.
“Smart-ass,” I muttered. “Seriously, though, men like this don’t just hang around on street corners waiting for a woman to choose them. This is like gold. You have no idea.”
“I can imagine, and I think I need to get to hang out with him for a bit so I can see his awesomeness in action. Do you think he’d also be down with doing assignments for your sister? ‘Cause when school starts back up, I’m going to need help.”
I laughed. “I’d love to see his face if you asked him for help.”
We were busy laughing when my phone sounded with a text.
Griff: I’ll be over at 7. Be ready.
Me: What do you have planned?
Griff: Trust me, sweetheart, you’ll like what I have planned.
Me: I’ll see you then.
“That was him, right?” Magan asked as she had her feet massaged.
“Yeah.” My mind was already focusing on tonight and what he could possibly have planned.
“I guess I’m not getting an invite for dinner tonight.”
I frowned. “Did you want an invite?”
“I’d never knock back dinner that you cook, because not only are you the best cook I know, but it gets me out of the house which means I don’t have to eat the dinner Sue cooks me.” Sue was her foster mother – a prime example of a person who should never have been accepted into the foster care system. She didn’t abuse her foster kids, but she certainly didn’t show them much love.
“I’ll cook. What would you like?” I’d do anything for Magan to try and give her the family experience I’d never had.
Her smile made me happy. “Can you cook those sticky ribs you made that one time for me? They were so good.”
“Sounds good. I’ll let Griff know you’re coming to meet him and have dinner with us.” As I said this, the lady giving me the pedicure distracted me, and all thoughts of dinner were forgotten for now.
* * *
Griff: Get naked. I’ll be there in ten minutes.
Me: Shit, I forgot to tell you my sister is coming for dinner with us.
He didn’t reply for what felt like an hour but was
probably more like a minute.
Griff: Your punishment for not telling me this is going to be exquisite.
I squeezed my legs together as I placed my phone down on the kitchen counter.
Oh, my.
He arrived eleven minutes later and I met him at the front door. His hand landed on my ass and he dragged my body up against his. “Just so you’re aware, making me wait to have you is a form of fucking torture,” he growled into my ear.
Lust somersaulted in my belly.
“I feel the same way, handsome,” I murmured.
Letting me go, he entered my house. “Is your sister here yet?”
I nodded. “Yeah, she’s out on the patio waiting for you. And Griff?”
He stopped and gave me his full attention. “Yeah?”
“Magan’s really excited to spend time with you,” I said softly.
His eyes held mine. “The feeling is mutual, sweetheart.”
I followed him out to the patio and watched as my sister met my boyfriend.
She greeted him with a handshake – something I’d never seen her do before. And her voice was all formal at the beginning of the conversation. It was like she was making a huge effort with him. “Hi, Griff.”
He shook her hand, and from the way she winced a little, I figured he’d forgotten to go easy. Grimacing, he apologized, “Sorry about that.”
She pulled her hand back. “It’s all good.”
The atmosphere turned a little awkward with neither knowing what to say, so I intervened and offered drinks. Once we were all settled at the table with drinks, I asked Griff, “Did you have a good day?”
He took a sip of his drink, and answered, “Yeah, we got through a lot of stuff today that needed taking care of.”
Magan tilted her head. “What do bikers do all day?”
Placing his drink on the table, he looked at her. “Storm has businesses that we run – restaurants and a club – so most of my days are spent working on that.” His shoulders were tense, almost as if he didn’t really want to be discussing this. I was impressed at how open he was being.
