by C. M. Marin
I expect Nate’s pace to ebb, but for a very long couple of minutes, it doesn’t. I don’t know where we’re going, but as long as it’s far away from that cabin, I’m fine with it.
When his hasty steps finally come to a halt in an abrupt way before he rips his cut off my head and cautiously sets me down on the uneven ground, it’s difficult to even raise my gaze to look at him as I launch into a coughing fit. I don’t understand why, because we’re now far away from the thick smoke that had invaded every corner of the cabin.
“Try to breathe slowly, baby,” Nate urges.
“I’m good, I’m…” I cough one more time as I see him kneeling in front of me. “I’m alright, I’m not hurt. I’m good.”
“Besides your cheek, you mean,” he grinds out, his jaw stiff, but I don’t think he can see the bruise―if there even is one to see―through the darkness of the woods. “Who’s taking care of the bodies?” he asks, though it’s obviously not to me.
“Cody, Brent and Blane,” Ben answers, and I look up to see him, Liam and Melvin standing near five bikes waiting not too far from a road. “Grant and his guys are helping them deal with everything.”
“Good,” he says, but he sounds exhausted. “Let’s get the hell away too before the cops roll up,” he decides just as a loud booming startling me disturbs the silence of the woods.
In the distance, bright flames and thick, black smoke rise high into the sky. We can’t see it from where we are, but the cabin most likely just blew up. Chills run up my spine thinking about the fact that we were right in there not even five minutes ago.
But then…
“Oh God, where’s Jayce?”
My shaky hand grasps Nate’s shirt while acute anguish spreads quickly in me.
“I’m here, sweetheart,” Jayce says with a reassuring tone, and my eyes immediately search him. When they find him, I sag in relief for the umpteenth time tonight as he goes on, “Let’s get you home now.”
I nod, and as untrustworthy and jelly-like as my legs still feel, I stand up, walk to Nate’s bike and climb on it with the firmest, more confident motions I can manage.
Within seconds, the guys are on their bikes, and my arms are coiled around Nate’s waist in the tightest embrace. We all flee away from that place of hell, and as we do, I wonder if Nate killed Colin. Or if someone else did. I remember Jayce telling me that Colin was the only one missing. Someone must have found him at some point, I suppose. And the thing is, I feel nothing thinking about him dead. There’s nothing left in me to feel when it comes to him. No sadness, no happiness. No relief either. Just nothing.
Chapter 35
Nate
My hands move to grasp Cam’s ass when she quits her spot on the couch beside me to come straddling me. It’s automatic. Can’t help it. Especially since I’ve been torturing myself by keeping some distance between us for the past five unending days. Sure, she’d been leaning into my side for the past hour while my fingers played through her hair, but that wasn’t remotely as close as I would have wanted us to be if my head hadn’t been so messed-up. It’s still messed-up, but I know there’s no use in trying to find enough willpower in me to push her away. And the fact that we’re alone in the club right now isn’t helping me stay away from her.
Most of the guys left for a ride this morning. The rest of them are outside, working on their bikes.
“I need you to talk to me before I go crazy, Nate.” Her tone confesses clearly her irritated mood.
Should have known this was coming. Still, tempting fate, I frown like I’m lost as to what she’s talking about.
She reacts to my silent bullshit by blowing a frustrated breath. Her hands then go up to rub her face, and she suddenly looks even more exhausted than she did all week. She looks thoroughly drained. Not that this is surprising considering the shitty summer she’s had. What surprises me, though, is the fact that she’s still in Twican after that fucking night five days ago. It’s barely believable that what happened didn’t push her over the edge and make her run away again.
“You’re not yourself since last week,” she adds sternly, her legitimate observation confirming her annoyance. “Is it because of what happened in that cabin or is there something else going on? If your mood is club related, just say so and I won’t ask again, but at least I’ll know where I stand.”
I’m not myself because that night in the woods is one I’d do anything to erase from my mind, but I apparently just can’t manage to get there. The silver lining is that Cam didn’t get to witness the outcome of our killing spree since the guys worked fast and hauled the bodies away just before I got her out of that hell of a blaze.
“I’m just tired, baby. There’s nothing to worry about.”
According to her pissed off face, dodging the question wasn’t the right move.
“Don’t do this,” she groans harshly, losing patience. “I’m tired, too, and I don’t have enough patience right now to handle that kind of generic bullshit. You barely talked to me all week, not to mention barely touched me since that night. And even when I’m in your arms, I can sense that you’re only partially with me, and I don’t like that at all. You have to talk to me, Nate.”
My muscles twitch under her soft touch when her hand comes to rest on my abs. My body is still affected by her as strongly as it was the first time I had her lying before me on my bed. I can’t deny it.
The look in her eyes has turned supplicant, and it makes me feel like the worst dick that ever existed, so I finally take a deep breath and decide to talk to her. “That night, when we got back, I didn’t sleep at all. Even after you finally fell asleep, I spent hours watching your restless sleep. And the less peaceful you seemed, the more afraid I was that you would wake up in the morning and tell me you wanted to leave again.”
There. I said it. I’m fucking terrified of her leaving me again. I wouldn’t be able to deal with that. I think I’d kill someone.
“Nate,” she whispers with a sadness that makes me want to punch myself. “I’m not going to leave again. I didn’t want to leave you the first time,” she reminds me apologetically.
She doesn’t need to. There’re only two people I blame for the hell I went through when she ran away. Both are rotting in real hell now. And if I’m being honest, I’m glad she wasn’t around to see me get shot like a fucking game. That would have been one more memory she couldn’t have banished from her mind easily.
“I know that, babe. I know you thought you were protecting me, but the thing is, I couldn’t even blame you if you decided to start over far away from here. You’ve been here two months, and my world has hurt you so much already.”
“Our world,” she retorts, chiding me. “It’s not only your world anymore. It’s mine, too. It’s my world since the day I was born, I just didn’t know it. And even if I didn’t have a brother here I want to get to know, I’d stay because you are here. I love you, and I don’t want to be anywhere but here.”
The sincerity shining in her beautiful eyes gives me enough strength to confess what’s been screwing with my head since I saw her tied up to a fucking chair, a fire that I was responsible for snaking closer to her with every passing second. “I’ve never been so scared of losing someone, Cam. When you went to LA, I lost my damn mind knowing you were so far away from me. Knowing I wouldn’t be there if you needed me to protect you. And last week… Jesus, Cam. When Melvin said you were inside that cabin, I knew I wouldn’t survive it if I had failed you and you had…”
There’s no way I can say it aloud. It’s barely bearable to imagine it. I can’t imagine her not being here. Not existing.
“I had to follow him, Nate. He threatened to kill Jonas and―”
“I know,” I cut her off, my fingertips brushing her cheek. Most people wouldn’t have been brave enough to do it, and I’m so proud of her. “I’m not mad at you for protecting the kid. I’m fucking angry at myself for not being able to protect you.”
Nestling her hand in mine, I bring it to
my lips to place a long kiss on it.
“But you did protect me,” she counters. “It was my choice to let Colin take me there, and you protected me. You and the guys saved me.”
We also almost killed her. Fucking hell. I just hope CJ got back to enough consciousness to feel the fire consume every inch of his skin before he died.
“I still feel like I’ve failed you and now… I know you want to work, and I’m happy they called you for that job in town. I really am, Cam, but just thinking of not being able to have eyes on you at any time makes me antsy as hell.”
At least the school is in town. I would have lost my mind all over again to see her drive farther away every morning.
“Then you know what I feel every time you go out for whatever errand, or go for a ride, or have to go check on something at one of the shops…” She trails off, but her point is clear.
“I never saw it that way.”
“That’s because nobody has ever waited for you while you’re gone doing whatever it is you have to do. But I’m here, and I worry about you, too.”
Still don’t know what I’ve done for a girl like her to want me.
“I won’t forget that, but you have to promise me to be careful no matter what. Always. I don’t want you to live in constant paranoia, but you need to keep an eye open when you’re not here or at home.”
Yeah, at home. Now that Rod and his inner circle are gone, we’ll be staying at my house more often. At least during the weekends. Can’t wait to have her there, walking around in my shirt in the morning and sleeping in my bed at night.
Spiders have been quiet, probably trying to reorganize the club. I personally hope they’ll just shut it down, but that most likely won’t happen.
“Only if you promise me the same thing,” she says.
I crack a smile even if her own features aren’t showing anything but seriousness. “We have a deal.”
“And you have to talk to me whenever something is bothering you.”
“Another deal.”
“Wonderful,” she teases as she starts to toy with my shorts. “Now, are you out of this sulky mood?”
“I think my girl did a really good job to help out. Why?” I ask her in a fake innocent tone as my dick seems to already know it’s going to get lucky.
“Because I’m afraid you neglected your girl a little.”
While she’s busy getting my shirt off me like she can’t wait any longer either, my hands move back down to greet her ass with a light squeeze that helps me pull her closer, searching for the contact I’ve madly missed. She gasps in a breath when her crotch meets my growing bulge. Her gaze clouds with the same lust I kept locked away for days.
“Did I?” I muse, enjoying the fact she’s wearing a dress today.
It makes it easier for me to sneak a hand between her legs and firmly press my thumb on her clit. A melodic sigh flows from her lips even before I work her up with small circles drawn on her swelling nub. Given how quickly her panties dampen, freeing her aroused smell, I doubt she’s going to need endless minutes to get ready for more than a little foreplay. Then again, she never does.
Her hips rock on my hand, betraying her need as she voices it with a whimper.
“Easy, baby. I’ll give you what you need.”
My cock pushes against my sweat pants. This girl is a goddess fueling my blood with such a hot need that I could lose myself inside her all day.
“Fuck!”
At Ben’s loud curse, Cam comes out of her lustful daze as she falls into my arms and her face dips to bury into the crook of my neck.
“Ben, get the fuck out of here if you want to keep both your legs intact,” I growl, fighting my smile when Cam laughs against my skin.
“On my way out,” the dickhead laughs, but since he has turned around and can’t see Cam anymore, my murderous vibe tapers off a little. “That said, you got a room,” he comments before finally getting the hell out.
When the door clicks shut and Cam draws away from my neck, my grin is huge as I take in her face.
“Looks like I finally got to make you blush.”
She tilts her head to the side. “Someone just ran into us as you were well on your way to make me come. That’s why my face is red.”
“Are you saying Ben is the reason I’m seeing you all flustered for the first fucking time?” I groan, seriously contemplating running outside and beating the shit out of my brother.
She rolls her eyes. “I know you’re all used to stumbling on people fucking like porn stars, but I’m not. That was mortifying. And now, quit your Neanderthal fit and take me to your room to finish what you’ve started,” she demands.
A squeaky gasp leaves her as she jumps on my lap, her astounded gaze lowering between us.
“You didn’t just pinch my clit!”
“Think I just did,” I shrug, dismissing her outraged tone. “And now, would the woman just shut up and give the man a chance to do his job?” I rise to my feet, securing her against me with one arm since I still have a hand wedged between her legs.
Her giggling dies quickly because she gets busy diving her tongue into my mouth. As soon as I kick the door of my bedroom shut behind us, I press her against the wall and tug her panties aside. I sure don’t have enough patience to take them off her. Then I free my pulsing cock and push deep into her.
Fucking amazing. Her walls coating me feel fucking amazing.
She moans something about having missed me, the softness of her lips grazing my jaw and following a path down my neck until they pause on my shoulder. Her breathing is heavy and hot on my skin, and it turns erratic when my thrusts begin. I fuck her the way she likes me to fuck her. Hard and fast. I fuck her hard enough to make up for the last week. It’s me promising her I love her. Promising her I’ll never let her go. And as her body succumbs to her pleasure, trembling with an exploding orgasm, I can only admit that she was right before. She belongs here. She belongs to this world. She belongs to me.
Epilogue
Camryn
November and my first Thanksgiving holiday at my new school turned up in a flash. Everything went smoothly, just as Nate repeated me countless times it would. And better yet, no Spiders have been in sight since the night of the fire three months ago. Nate says they’re probably working on reorganizing their club, though he didn’t tell me more than that, adamant to keep me out of club business. I’m good with that, and as far as I’m concerned, I got my peace back the moment Rod and Colin were gone. I let go of my bitterness toward my ex-fiancé a while back. My happiness with Nate is all that matters to me now.
“What’s the deal between them?”
Nate waves his hand to the right as we laze around on a lounger, my back leaning against his front. My head shifts to the jacuzzi where Ben and Colleen are looking relaxed as they face each other.
At least the water is hot in there. Some of the guys went for a swim in the pool earlier, and I found myself shivering just at the sight of them. The temperatures are tolerable, and the sun is shining, allowing us to enjoy our turkey on Nate’s rooftop, but it’s not the scolding hot summer anymore. Far from it.
“What do you mean?” I frown, watching my best friend who seems perfectly at ease in the bubbling water.
“How long have they been fucking?”
“Colleen and Ben? No, there’s definitely nothing between them, believe me. Ben is exactly the kind of guy Colleen swore off. Too many of them broke her heart.”
A humming sound rumbles in his chest. “So, concretely, how many times did she swear she’d never get involved again with whatever kind of guy Ben is supposed to be?”
That question has my brain freezing for a split second before recognition dawns on me.
“They are so sleeping together!” I whisper-yell, glancing at Nate over my shoulder.
“They are,” he confirms. “Thought you knew.”
I snort. “I’m probably the last person Colleen would confess that to. Whatever there is between them, she kn
ows what I’d think about them fucking around. Do you know how many ice creams I shared with her after every new ugly break-up? The last one was the worst. Right before moving in together, the dick dumped her. You’re lucky I’m not obese right now,” I tell him, and he laughs. “Don’t take it wrong, I love the guy, but it’s Ben,” I say, but then something comes to mind. “Except…”
I pause, and I’m lucky I don’t strain a muscle in my neck when my head swivels back to my best friend and her obvious new crush.
How did I miss that?
“Except what?” Nate drawls on a yawn.
“Except that he hasn’t picked up any girls for a while. At least, I haven’t seen him with a girl for months.”
Possibly since the weekend Colleen showed up at my house and ended up at the club.
“Look who’s here!” Ben suddenly shouts giddily.
Every gaze on the rooftop follows his to see that Melvin has just come back up from washing the dishes. That was his last chore as a prospect, though he’s only about to find that out.
“How does my kitchen look like?” Nate asks him as we all watch him strolling toward a chair and dropping on it.
He tears his curious gaze off Ben, who is still grinning at him, to look at Nate. “Kitchen’s spotless, prez.”
After he gently forced me to sit down, Nate grabs Melvin’s brand-new cut under the lounger and leaves me to join his brothers who are all gathering around their new recruit.
Melvin slowly stands when he glimpses at what’s in Nate’s hand, and a full smile brightens my face. He worked so hard for it, both at the club and at the shop where Cody’s been teaching him everything he now knows about bikes and cars. He deserves this.
“Vote was unanimous,” Nate hands him the cut. “Last chance to change your mind. You patch in, you’re in for life. Your choice.”
A boyish grin forms on his face as he glances Cody’s way. The two of them are close. Cody took Melvin under his wing at the shop, but it’s obvious he considers him more than a trainee mechanic. At the way his face fills with pride, I’d say Melvin is like the son he never had the chance to have. And to see the tears in Lilly’s eyes, it won’t be long until she feels the same way toward him. If she doesn’t already.
