Wild Thing

by Nicola Marsh

  Makayla didn’t reply. For the simple reason she didn’t know what to say. But whatever he had to say, she didn’t want to be twisted like a pretzel in her tiny car, eyeing him while he divulged whatever declaration he had to make.

  Her heart thudded out of control as she managed to start the engine and steer the car out onto the road.

  ‘Where are we going?’

  She shot him a sideways glance. ‘You’ll find out.’

  Thankfully, he didn’t say anything, content to let her drive. Then again, he’d said enough.

  ‘I’m not letting you go...never again.’

  What the hell did he mean by that?

  She couldn’t take him to her place, in case Charlotte was home. And she felt foolish driving to his apartment after the way things had ended between them. So she settled for her favourite spot when she wanted to get away from life.

  Fifteen minutes later, she’d parked in secluded bushland on top of a cliff, with magnificent views of the harbour.

  ‘This is my favourite go-to place and if you tell anyone it’s here I’ll have to kill you,’ she said, finally breaking the silence.

  ‘It’s beautiful.’ He swivelled his body to face her, moonlight illuminating the chiselled planes of his cheeks, his jaw. ‘It’s perfect.’

  ‘For what?’

  ‘Starting the rest of our lives.’

  He pronounced it like a fait accompli as once again she struggled to gain control of her galloping heart.

  ‘I think I’ve missed something,’ she said, her voice sounding way too quivery. ‘We’re over and I’m heading to New York. What part of that screams a long-lasting relationship to you?’

  ‘The part where I love you and have been too proud or too stupid to tell you.’ He clasped her hand where it rested on her gearshift. ‘The part where I tell you why I freak out every time I think of you trying to make it on your own.’ He lifted her hand to his lips and brushed a feather-light kiss across the back of it. ‘The part where I tell you I’ll do whatever it takes to be with you. Quit my job. Follow you to New York. To the ends of the bloody earth if needs be, to ensure we’re together.’

  The blood drained from Makayla’s head, making her woozy. Nothing about this evening made sense, starting with her crappy performance and culminating in this surreal moment, where the guy she’d fallen for was vowing to follow her to maintain their relationship.

  ‘I’m having a hard time computing this,’ she admitted, confusion making her brain hurt. ‘I just don’t get it.’

  ‘I visited my father yesterday. Learned a few things that helped me put things in perspective.’ He threaded his fingers through hers and held on tight, as if he’d never let go. ‘I don’t want any secrets between us. You need to know everything before we go any further.’

  ‘Okay,’ she said, the gravity in his tone making her wonder what deep, dark secret he had to reveal and how it would impact them.

  ‘That night I saw you strip and I freaked out? It wasn’t only because I’d worked around Kings Cross and seen women on a slippery slope.’ He half turned and stared out of the window. ‘It’s because it happened to my mum. We had no money, stripping paid well, so she ended up in that profession. I learned yesterday my dad virtually pushed her into it then despised her for it, making it untenable for her to stay around so she left. I was six at the time. I lost my mum and it devastated me. When I saw you stripping, I didn’t want to lose you too.’

  Shocked, she sucked in a breath. Poor Hudson. No wonder he’d had a coronary when he’d seen her that night.

  ‘When I was sixteen, I wanted to find Mum and I traced her to Melbourne. Took the train down there. Followed a bunch of leads and finally found her.’ He swallowed and locked gazes with her, the agony in his eyes making her chest ache. ‘Dead. In a bedsit, from a drug overdose. She’d been prostituting to support her habit—’

  His voice broke, and she leaned across the console to wrap her arms around him. How had they been best friends and she’d known nothing of this? Of the kind of heartache that shaped a young man and made him fear anything remotely resembling an emotional commitment?

  ‘I never told anyone,’ he murmured, clinging to her, before gently easing back. ‘But I’m sorry I let all that affect our friendship back then and how I treated you when I heard you were heading to New York.’

  ‘It’s okay, I get it now.’

  And she did. Hudson wasn’t the narrow-minded, overbearing, possessive prick she’d assumed. He was a guy scarred by his past and concerned for her welfare because of it.

  ‘But I’m not going to earn money that way ever again. It’s a promise I made to myself after that one night.’ Her nose crinkled like she’d smelled something bad. ‘I couldn’t handle it and I wouldn’t do it for anyone else but Mum. So you can rest assured I won’t fall into disrepute in New York so you don’t have to follow me there—’

  ‘I do.’ He reached for both her hands and held them. ‘I love you. I want to be with you. And I’ve wasted enough years we could’ve been together by my own misconceptions.’

  The heaviness that had weighed her down during her performance tonight lifted. ‘That’s twice you’ve said you love me. Must be real.’

  ‘And you haven’t said it once.’ A glimmer of a smile played about his mouth. ‘Does that mean you don’t feel the same way?’

  ‘Don’t be an idiot, of course I love you.’ She slipped a hand from his to thump him on the chest. ‘I love you so much. There’s a difference between not giving up my independence and dreams for any man, and giving up the man of my dreams.’

  ‘Poetic,’ he said, a moment before he claimed her mouth in a sizzling kiss that branded her as his. Or maybe it was the other way around.

  Their tongues tangled, sinuous and hot, as he moved his lips over hers in that commanding way she loved.

  He groaned into her mouth, his hands finding her breasts. She arched into him. Wanting him to touch her everywhere. She’d missed him, missed this. This way of making her feel like she was the only woman in the world for him. After his honest declaration, maybe she was.

  He tried to get closer to her and thunked his head on the car roof. ‘Damn, not enough room,’ he said with a rueful grin.

  Her body throbbed with wanting him and her panties were soaked. No way were they leaving here without getting the happy ending they both wanted.

  ‘There’s always the back seat?’ She quirked an eyebrow in a saucy invitation, and he laughed.

  ‘You’re serious?’

  ‘Unless you want to wait ’til we get back to your place—’

  ‘Back seat it is,’ he said, already clambering over the console with a few bumps, curses and grunts.

  She all but tumbled into his lap in her haste to follow, and they laughed in a tangle of limbs.

  ‘How many times have you brought a boy up here to make out in the back seat?’

  ‘As of now, only one.’ She settled herself on his lap, anticipation making her crazy for him.

  ‘So I’m your one and only? I like the sound of that.’

  He flicked his thumbs across her nipples, rigid beneath the leotard she hadn’t changed out of in her haste to escape the club.

  She moaned, and he fastened his mouth where his thumb had been a moment ago, giving a sharp nip that made her grab his head and hold on.

  As his teeth continued to torture her nipples to the point of exquisite pleasure, she heard him unzip. Heard the rip of foil. Felt his fingers pull aside her panties.

  Then finally, finally, he was inside her. Hard and thick and perfect.

  His mouth released her nipple, only to claim her lips again, his tongue mimicking the demanding thrusts of his cock below.

  Bracing her arms against the back seat, she rode him with abandon. Pumping up and down as if she’d never get enough. Every slide making her muscle
s tense. Every thrust bringing release closer.

  The car filled with murmured pleas for satisfaction. Naughty demands. Each and every word bringing her closer to tumbling into the dazzling abyss she craved with his every touch.

  Soon their frantic panting was the only sound in the car, the fogged windows enclosing them in their own private pleasure cave. Then he touched her clit, circling it, and she couldn’t hold back any longer. Her orgasm crashed over her in a cataclysmic wave, making her see stars in the darkness.

  Hudson grabbed her waist, anchoring her in a world where she floated; weightless, boneless, mindless with pleasure.

  He thrust upward one last time before groaning her name, so raw, so guttural; she’d never heard anything so beautiful.

  Crushing her to him, he didn’t move, didn’t speak.

  No words were necessary.

  They’d said all that needed to be said.

  Hudson loved her. She loved him.

  He wanted to foster her dream, not tear it down.

  And they’d just sealed their love in the best way possible.

  How the hell did she get so lucky?

  EPILOGUE

  AFTER THE ROUSING send-off Tanner had hosted for them at Embue last night, Hudson hadn’t expected the gang to turn up at the airport to farewell them.

  But Tanner, Abby and Charlotte had fronted up twenty-four hours later, in the wee small hours, to share a final drink.

  ‘Here’s to Mak taking Broadway by storm.’ Tanner raised a beer. ‘And to my putz of a friend not hanging on to her coat-tails like some dweeb.’

  ‘I’ll drink to that.’ Mak clinked her champagne flute against Tanner’s beer and winked at Hudson. ‘Don’t worry, darling, I’m fine with you tagging along for the ride.’

  Hudson shot Abby a sympathetic look. ‘I have no idea how you put up with this idiot.’

  ‘It’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it.’ Abby leaned her head against Tanner’s shoulder, totally smitten, batting her eyelashes at Hudson’s friend who dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose.

  ‘Sickening,’ Hudson muttered, unable to hide a goofy grin as he locked gazes with Tanner and he saw the same starstruck gleam reflected in his.

  They’d been through so much growing up in Kings Cross. Had survived the tough streets and tougher fathers. Now look how far they’d come. Abby and Mak were beautiful, intelligent and talented in their respective fields, and they adored them.

  ‘How did schmucks like us get so lucky?’ Tanner asked, reading his mind.

  ‘No idea, but I’m eternally frigging grateful.’ Hudson clinked his beer against Tanner’s, counting his blessings daily that he had a woman like Mak in his life.

  ‘If I’d known this would be one giant love-fest, I never would’ve tagged along,’ Charlotte said, poking her tongue out. ‘I’m happy for you guys, but you make me sick.’

  ‘Aww, honey.’ Mak slipped an arm around her friend’s waist. ‘You’ll meet someone soon.’

  ‘Yeah, and I’ll be sitting alongside the pilot flying your plane too.’ Charlotte rolled her eyes. ‘No offence, Hudson and Tanner, but men are the pits.’

  Hating Charlotte’s morose expression, Hudson proposed a toast. ‘To Charlotte. A wonderful woman who needs to find some bozo like us to rip the blinkers from his eyes.’

  ‘To Charlotte.’ They chorused in unison, and Hudson was relieved when she mouthed ‘thank you’ at him.

  Mak tapped her bottom lip, making Hudson hard in an instant. With a little luck and a lot of manoeuvring in a tight space, he might get to join the mile-high club shortly.

  ‘You know, Char, I predict you’ll have some hottie wrapped around your finger by the time we come back for a visit in six months.’ Mak nudged Abby. ‘I’m counting on you to help her find said hottie, okay?’

  ‘Poor you,’ Charlotte said to Abby. ‘Hasn’t happened in twenty-six years, can’t see it happening in six months.’

  Abby glared at Mak. ‘Don’t put that kind of pressure on her.’

  Hudson bit back a laugh. What Abby really meant was, ‘Don’t put that kind of pressure on me.’

  Mak grinned and blew Abby a kiss. ‘I’m going to miss you.’

  ‘You’re going to miss my pastries, more like it.’ Abby sounded curt, but Hudson saw the glint of tears in her eyes.

  Great. Just what he needed when he wanted to whisk his girlfriend away: three blubbering women.

  Intent on circumventing any potential waterworks, he raised his beer again. ‘To us. Following dreams and following our hearts.’

  They echoed his toast, and as Abby, Tanner and Charlotte engaged in a heated debate about online dating sites and their validity for finding long-lasting happiness, Hudson leaned into Mak.

  ‘Ready to embrace your future?’

  ‘With you, always.’ She snuggled into his side, warm and loving, where she belonged.

  This amazing woman wasn’t the only one ready to embrace the future. He had no idea what it might bring but as long as he had Mak, he was ready to face it, head-on.

  * * * * *

  Loved this story?

  Don’t miss SWEET THING by Nicola Marsh,

  already available from Harlequin DARE.

  And look out for PLAY THING—coming soon!

  Dare to read more sexy stories! Check out our other Harlequin DARE titles, available now:

  MAKE ME CRAVE by Katee Robert

  DESTROYED by Jackie Ashenden

  BEST LAID PLANS by Rebecca Hunter

  Keep reading for an excerpt from DESTROYED by Jackie Ashenden.

  Destroyed

  by Jackie Ashenden

  CHAPTER ONE

  Summer

  BRAVERY WAS NEVER my strong suit, but I guess it takes a certain amount of courage to talk your way into a biker’s bedroom in an outlaw motorcycle club’s clubhouse purely so you can hide from your father.

  Either that or I was simply stupid, difficult as that was to admit for a person with an IQ score over 170.

  Whatever it was, as I sat on Crash’s bed in his tiny squalid bedroom, my heart racing, listening to the sounds of a heavy driving beat and male laughter going on outside, I was beginning to question my decision big time.

  Two doors separated the bedrooms from the main living area of the clubhouse, but the bikers were so freaking loud I could still hear whatever was going on outside. I didn’t know whether it was a party or what—I’d only ever been in the clubhouse a couple of times before—but whatever it was, it didn’t make me any less nervous.

  Crash had left me in his room, muttering something about why don’t I relax while he went and got us some beers.

  I didn’t really want a beer—I wasn’t a party girl and I didn’t like alcohol—but sitting on Crash’s bed, listening to those sounds outside the door, made the idea of some liquid courage not half-bad.

  Especially since he’d been gone awhile and my anxiousness was starting to tip over into outright fear.

  His room was little more than a closet, the floor covered with dirty clothes and beer cans and all kinds of other things I didn’t want to look at too closely. The bed I was sitting on was unmade and there was a smell to the air that reminded me of my older brother Justin’s room when he was younger. Sweaty teenage boy, musty and a bit rank. It was unpleasant and made me feel sick.

  I wiped my damp palms nervously on my denim mini.

  Okay, maybe it really had been stupid to come here. Then again, I hadn’t known where else to go. I’d been dumb enough to tell Dad about my Silicon Valley job offer, hoping he’d be happy for me, but of course he hadn’t been.

  He’d told me I wasn’t going and that was final, and that he’d do whatever it took to make me stay here in Brooklyn with him.

  I knew what ‘whatever it took’ meant. Emotional manipulation, em
otional blackmail, and if I was really unlucky, he might stoop to physical restraint, too. Dad had always hated being told no.

  The quiet and introverted teen I’d once been would have automatically bowed her head and agreed with him. But I’d just come back from three years at college and the time away from him had allowed me some breathing room. I’d had space to grow, to realise that there was a better life out there, one that wasn’t constantly overshadowed by his presence.

  Sure, I was still quiet and introverted, but when he’d told me I couldn’t go, I discovered I had a bit of backbone after all.

  I couldn’t let him take my dream job away from me. I couldn’t let him stop me from trying to live my life. My ticket was booked and I’d be out of here in a couple of days. All I had to do was avoid him so he couldn’t do his usual emotional number on me and get me to change my mind.

  It would have been fine if I’d been a stronger sort of person, but I wasn’t. He always found my vulnerable spots and used them against me, just like the bullies in school used to. I knew I was weak so it was better I take myself out of the equation. Go somewhere he’d never think to find me, never in a million years.

  The Knights of Ruin MC’s clubhouse.

  As police chief, my dad had had a few run-ins with the Knights in the past, though these days he was best buddies with Keep, the Knights’ president. Dad would never expect me to have run here, not to the most notorious MC in the state, and especially not when Keep would give me up to him first chance he got if I was ever discovered here.

  Which was why I’d come in disguise, dressing up the way I’d seen other girls who wanted a walk on the wild side with a bunch of outlaw bikers do—tiny denim miniskirt and stilettos, a tight blue crop top. I’d had to kill the effect by putting a hoodie on over the top, with the hood pulled up, but I couldn’t afford for anyone to see my face. Not that anyone would recognise me these days, but still. Better safe than sorry.

  Getting in had been a problem. The only biker whose name I could remember—other than Keep—was Tiger. He’d once been my bodyguard for a month back when I was in high school and I still remembered him. I could hardly forget him, truth be told, so his name had been the first on my lips when I’d been interrogated by the prospect at the door. Unfortunately, though, Tiger was ‘busy’ and so I’d had to think fast and make up some other lie.