by Zara Teleg
“Daisy?” Rage shook his head with disgust. “Kai didn’t touch her. Believe me. She may be a piece of ass, but he loves you, kid.”
“You are just full of compliments.” My eyes fluttered.
The truck rocked over the gravel drive as we pulled in. My eyes scanned the lot, looking for any signs of Kai.
“He ain’t here.” Rage leaned over me, popping the lock open.
“How do you know?”
“‘Cause he’s been on a binge at the club since he left The Pit on Sunday. I would imagine he is still in a drunken stupor. I’m heading over there now.”
“Oh.” Disappointment gnawed at my gut. I opened the door, hopping down from the big black truck.
“Thanks for the ride.”
“Yup.”
I closed the door and took a breath before looking up to the window where I loved to catch a glimpse of Kai when I got home at night. Now it just looked cold and unwelcoming.
Checking the time, I did not have time to change. I grabbed my uniform and keys and headed to The Ridge.
“Paige! Oh God, I’m so glad to see you.” Amber ran over, hugging me tightly. “Are you doing okay?” Her eyes were full of what seemed like genuine concern.
“Yeah, I haven’t talked to Kai yet,” I sighed.
Amber frowned and continued to fill the salt shakers.
“Give him time. After we talked,” she looked around and lowered her voice, “well, I went to Daisy’s to give her a piece of my mind. Confront her for all the devious shit she’s done over the years.” She glanced around again. “And guess what?” Her voice was now just over a whisper.
“What?” I rubbed my eyes, not liking where she was going.
“She answered the door in a towel.”
My eyes grew wide. “And?”
“And Officer High and Mighty Doug Jones was sitting on the bed smoking a cigarette, in a towel too.”
“Oh, Doug.” I shook my head, feeling bad that he gave in to the crush he’d had for nearly fifteen years, knowing she was probably just using him.
“Anyway, I pulled her outside and gave her a little piece of my mind.” Amber set down the shaker of salt and grabbed both my elbows. “She actually broke down and cried and admitted that Kai rejected her.”
“Really?” Excitement grew in my belly. He had been telling the truth. I never even gave him a chance to explain.
“Why don’t you look happy?” Amber leaned close to me, studying my face.
“Amber, I made a mess of things. I didn’t even give him a chance to explain. I ran off with Havoc. I lied about Venom.” I threw my head back and rubbed my hands on my head. “Amber, I may have lost him forever.”
Any relief I had felt moments ago was replaced by a gut-stabbing dread.
“I need to find him. I need to talk to him.” I began taking off my apron. “Can you cover my tables?”
“Yeah, I got you. Just go.”
I ran to the locker room and changed into my jeans and the Stained Souls tank top. I now wished I’d chosen something else to wear.
“Where ya going?” Tracy waved as I ran out the door.
Kai
“I’m glad you’re still here.” Colt stopped me as I was putting on my jacket and walking to my bike.
“I was just leaving.”
“No, we need to talk. Rage is on his way.”
“What now?” I tapped a smoke out of my pack and leaned against my bike.
“You’ll find out as soon as he gets here.”
“Can’t wait,” I groaned as the sun penetrated my eyes, making my headache worse.
By the time I stomped out my smoke, Rage’s bike was echoing down the drive. He pulled in next to me.
“Kai.” He gave me a head tilt.
“Does that mean you’re not going to try to kill me today?”
“It’s early. Don’t press your luck.” He slapped my shoulder hard.
“What the hell is this about?” I followed him back into the clubhouse and to the private room where we hold our meetings.
Colt pointed to the chair and shut the door, locking it.
“Rage, you want to start?” he said. Colt pulled a tightly rolled joint from his pocket. His silver lighter clicked, then the flame danced, singeing the end of the paper as he inhaled.
“Okay, you both are freaking me out now. What the hell is going on?”
Colt first offered the joint to Rage, who waved him off before he let out a breath and began to speak.
“Paige told Juliet everything. You know, about her biological family and the reason she had been pushing Juliet away.”
“Yeah, I know, all to find out her mother’s dead and she has no leads on her father.”
Rage looked at Colt, who now passed the joint in my direction.
“Take it,” he demanded. I did as he asked, pulling in a long drag before motioning for Rage to continue.
“Well, that’s where you are wrong.” Rage cracked his knuckles and tilted his head back. “Apparently, she found a letter her grandmother had tucked away. It was from her mother, and inside, it had details about her father along with a picture.”
I sucked in again as my body had a sudden chill break through it.
“The letter also came with a warning begging her not to look for her father and that it could put her in danger if anyone found out who she really was.”
“Okay, no amount of weed is going to keep me from freaking out. Now tell me, who the fuck is Paige’s father?” I slammed my hands to the table.
Colt and Rage shared glances again. “You can’t do anything stupid, Kai. I know you two are on the outs, but I know you still love her.”
“Who?” I demanded.
Colt cut in, “Venom.”
“Venom? The Cajun Kings’ Venom?” I shook my head, not believing him.
“Sorry, my brother, the one and only. He’s a cruel bastard, and Paige found that out the hard way.”
“That’s why she was asking all those questions.” I clenched my fist closed, pounding it on the table. “And what do you mean she found out the hard way?”
“When she left with Havoc, it wasn’t to go home with him, but to find her daddy.”
I rose from my seat and walked back and forth. “And did she find him?”
“Yes. Unfortunately, she did.”
“What does that mean?” I stopped my pacing and faced the two. Colt sat on the edge of the table and huffed. Rage closed his eyes and a frown formed on his face.
“She told Juliet he was awful to her. I guess she built him up in her head, and he rejected her. It was so cold, she could barely talk about it. She’s devastated.”
“I’ll fucking kill that bastard.”
All I could think about was how lost she was when she went to see her grandmother in Louisiana. She so desperately wanted to find some piece of her she felt was missing.
“Wait, Kai. That’s not all.”
I threw my hands in the air. “Of course, it isn’t.”
“Colt?” Rage turned to him to tell the rest.
He cleared his throat. “I got a call from Vicious this morning. He said after Paige left their clubhouse, Venom went off the rails. He tore shit down and completely lost his shit. Venom left there in a fit of rage and hasn’t been seen or heard from since. They are really concerned he went after Viper.”
“Why would he go after Viper? He’s the president of the Devil’s Damned and his estranged brother, right?” I asked.
“Yeah, but apparently the whole reason the brothers broke apart had something to do with Paige’s mother. Vicious is afraid Venom might do something reckless because—” Colt stopped talking and pinched the bridge of his nose, taking in a deep breath. “Because if Viper and the Damned find out about Paige, she could be in danger. Venom has a long list of enemies and makes a conscious effort to never get close to anyone. That man has a heart of stone. Now, whether he wants to admit it or not, the only woman he ever loved left behind a daughter, his daughter, and
a target for enemies to use against him.”
“FUCK!” I picked up the closest chair, bashing it over the table. “I gotta find her and talk to her.” I headed out, knowing Paige would be at work.
“Wait, Kai!” Rage hollered behind me.
I flew out of the building, roaring my bike to life and headed to The Ridge.
I almost didn’t see the girl running between the cars in the parking lot until I nearly flipped off my bike, stopping before I hit her.
“Watch where you’re—”
Her hand was on her chest, and her eyes were big as saucers. I jumped off my bike, grabbing hold of her.
“Tink, where are you going?”
“Oh, Kai, I was coming to find you.” She placed her arms around me, squeezing tightly. “I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”
“Nah, baby, don’t say that.” I took her face in my hands and crashed my lips over hers. “Get on, let’s go home.”
“But Kai, there are things I have to tell you.”
“Tink, we got all the time in the world. And right now, all that matters is that you are with me, wrapping your arms around me and coming home with me.”
Her lips trembled. “Take me home.”
She flung her bag on her back and tightened her arms around me. I loved the warmth of her body. This is where she belonged. No other woman could feel this good on the back of my bike.
The kissing and making up started the moment we entered the building. We both couldn’t keep our hands and lips off each other. I spun her onto the wall. I caged her in, breaking our kiss.
“You are not leaving me again. Understand?” I put my hand around her neck before I lifted her chin until her eyes met mine. She shook her head up and down. I gripped her hips and propped her against the wall bringing her hips against mine. I sucked on her neck, which she threw back, moaning and squeezing her legs tightly around me.
“Where did you get this?” My hands were holding her beautiful breasts that were stretching out the soft Stained Souls tank. I dipped my head down, kissing the exposed flesh. She groaned again and rubbed her body against my growing length.
“Take me upstairs.” She ran her fingers through my hair, pulling out the rubber band securing it.
I kept her wrapped around me, our lips locked as I carried her up the stairs. Paige reached down and grabbed the keys, unlocking her door as we continued to attack one another.
Paige
“Holy shit.” I panted, my body gleaming with sweat. I released my grip from Kai’s shoulders and collapsed on top of him.
He rolled over and kissed me again. “I missed you.”
“Well, if this is makeup sex, then I might be fighting with you again soon.” I laughed.
“You mind?” Kai held up his smokes.
“Just this time.” I went around the bed, opening the window.
“Ready for round two?” he teased.
“Let’s go.” I devoured him with my eyes. The man’s body should be illegal, all that ink and muscle. I couldn’t get enough of him.
“My girl. Come here.”
I crawled on the bed and curled into him. He played with my hair, twisting the pale blond tresses between his fingers.
“Colt and Rage talked to me today. They told me about your father.”
I began to pull away, but he snagged me back down against his chest.
“Tink, why didn’t you tell me?”
How do I answer this? I knew I was putting myself in danger, and I knew he might freak out if he knew.
“I see you thinking. An honest answer wouldn’t have you thinking so hard.” He pulled me against him.
“I knew you would freak out, and I needed to do this on my own.” I tipped my head back against his chest and looked up at him.
Kai reached his hand around my neck, holding it tightly before laying his lips on mine. The taste of him filled my veins with heat; it conveyed everything we both felt. Everything in me wanted to stay in that moment forever.
“Kai, I have something else to tell you.” I closed my eyes and dug my nails into my palms.
“Don’t look so worried. Whatever it is, we can get through it. Because there is no way I’m ever letting you leave me again. You have become my world, and I didn’t even see it happening.” He wound his fingers through mine. “What’s on your mind?”
“Well, I—” I blew out a breath.
“C’mon, Tink, you gotta tell me now.”
“Remember the night we spent at your apartment?”
“Yeah, of course, I do.” A sexy smile spread across his face.
“Kai, I’m serious.” I smacked his arm. “That morning, I accidentally came across the box you keep under your bed.” I raised one eyebrow and watched as his face changed. “I didn’t look in it. Well, not then anyway.”
I rubbed my head, making this worse. I decided to just rip it off like a bandage.
“After I saw you with Daisy at the motel, I freaked out. I broke into your apartment and went through the box,” I said quickly and hid my face behind my hands. “I’m so sorry. That’s why I was so freaked out about the two of you. You never told me anything, and when I realized how much she meant to you, I knew it was probably the end of us.”
Kai stood, huffing, rubbing his eyes with his hand before pinching the bridge of his nose. “You shouldn’t have done that. But you are right. I should have told you.” He sat on the edge of the bed. His hand rubbed up and down my leg.
“Kai, why don’t you take pictures anymore?”
His face scrunched and his eyes closed. “I left that behind years ago. When Daisy left, I wanted nothing to do with anything that reminded me of her. I spent a long time moving past that hurt. But it was nothing compared to the days I spent without you.”
He kisses my ankle, then my calf, then my thighs. He made his way to my belly, where he placed tiny kisses everywhere.
“You are the one. The one that someday I want to have a family with.” He drew a heart with his finger on my stomach. “Like Jenn and Ripper.” His smile was goofy and sweet.
“I thought you would be mad.” I ran my fingers through the loose hairs that were falling from his ponytail.
“I would be lying if I said it was okay to rummage through my private things, but I should have told you about Daisy myself. I should have told you that everything I felt for Daisy all those years ago, what I thought was love, was nothing compared to how I feel about you.” He held my chin in his hand.
“You are everything I never knew I needed. You have changed everything.” His lips pressed lightly against mine, and new tears built, but this time they were happy tears. I hadn’t lost him.
“So the box, the letter, the photos, all those memories don’t make you want to see if there are still any feelings between you?” I traced the sword tattooed on his chest. “I love you, Kai, but I can’t have you moving forward with me only to look back, wondering if you made a mistake.”
“Tink, haven’t you heard a word I’ve said? It’s you I want in my arms, in my head, and in my bed. You are the only one I want.” His voice was strained and desperate. His eyes were green pools of honesty. His hands were warm and holding mine. I was free-falling into his world.
“Kai, I’m sorry I doubted you, and that I didn’t tell you about Venom.” I looked at the floor before making eye contact with him.
“Come here, Tink.” He wrapped me tightly in his arms. “Tell me what happened.” He rocked me. I rubbed my hands up and down the hard muscles in his arms.
“He wasn’t the man I hoped he would be. Venom couldn’t be the man my mother described, the one she loved so much. He was cruel and cold. He couldn’t care less that I was his daughter. I don’t know what I expected, but when I saw him, I saw my eyes staring back at me. There was no denying that.” I let out a huff as my fist formed balls, fire filling my veins again. “I made a huge mistake. I should have never looked for him.”
I got up from the bed and wandered into the kitchen. I slammed
the cabinet doors open and closed, looking for the stash of chocolate peanut butter cups that I kept for emotional emergencies.
I stood on my tiptoes, reaching up for the yellow bag that was just out of reach. I hopped up, snagging it. The bag flew down, raining mini foil-covered candy all over the kitchen.
“It’s that bad?” He eyed me as I systematically bit around the ridged edges of the candy.
“Yes.” I popped the edgeless remainder in my mouth and reached for another.
“Did you ever fantasize how something would be, then it happens, and it is nothing like what you hoped?” I unwrapped another piece as Kai came into the kitchen, taking a handful of his own before stealing the bag and putting it high into the cabinets.
He took the piece I had just unwrapped and tossed it into his mouth. He smiled and spun me around and leaned me into the counter.
“Everything I ever heard about Venom was never warm or nice. His reputation lives up to his name. Cold blooded as a snake, and just as deadly. Maybe, as harsh as this sounds, it was for the best. Your life is just starting. Our life together is just the beginning. You don’t need him. You’ve made it all these years without him.”
Kai lifted me up on the counter and stood between my legs. “Tink, what do you want?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, what do you want to do with your life? Now you know the truth, you can move on, you can live the life you want. No mother, father, sister, or sperm donor can tell you who you are or who you should be.”
I could feel the smile creeping across my lips. “You’re right.”
“This day, you decide. You are free. It’s your life.”
“I know what I want right now.” I tightened my legs around his waist and forced his body into mine. My arms circled his neck as I brought my lips to his. I broke the kiss, bringing my mouth to his ears, whispering, “I want you.”
Kai’s mouth latched onto my neck and sent a thrill through my whole body. It didn’t take long for us to have our clothes on the floor and make love right there on the counter. In the passion of the moment, we gave each other everything we needed. This time, the emotion created a tenderness that was like nothing I had ever felt. Kai was drinking me in and holding me like I would disappear. Each time he filled me was pure bliss, until we both could take no more, and he brought me to heaven. I gripped his shoulders and collapsed against his rigid chest. We were breathless and my body tingled, drunk on his love.
