She’d call out my name, a mixture of moaning and grunting. She’d tug at her restraints and try to move her ankles, but her movements were fruitless. I had her right where I wanted her that night, and so long as she allowed me access to her body, I would do disgusting things with it. I had slid into her dripping pussy easily, fucking her as I poured wax upon her nipples. She arched into me and whimpered, her hips trying to buck into me as I pinned her to the bed.
I slammed into her body until she shook with her orgasm, her juices spraying out onto my pelvis. I leaned down and captured her lips at that very moment, swallowing her whimpers and tired cries of mercy as she came down from her high.
Then I took to my blade and watched her eyes grow wide as I flicked the hardened wax from her nipples.
That was my favorite memory of her that night. Not because she was spread for me and not because she sprayed me with her arousal. Not because my cock slid effortlessly into her tight pussy and not because she was tied down for my taking.
It was the fear she was fighting through in order to experience something new. It was the inherent trust she had for me that night that I wouldn’t hurt her. I came at her with a knife and hot wax, wanting her to experience something she’d never had before. She had a safe word. She had a way out.
And instead of taking it, she fought through her fear to experience something.
That was how I knew she was strong. That was how I knew she was capable of becoming so much more than she was now. So much more than the scared little girl being ushered around by her bullshit father. She was scared of something. She was being tied down by something. I knew what it looked like to tie her down. I knew what that fear in her eyes looked like.
Which meant that whatever was tying her down was more frightful than a stranger coming at her with a knife.
Whatever the hell was going on with my Harper, I was going to figure it out. I was going to figure out how the fuck to fix it, and then I was going to figure out how to help her.
Her and my unborn child.
“Cade?”
I panned my gaze up to Doc, who was giving me a funny look.
“You good?”
“Yep,” I said.
“Your intercom not working?” he asked.
“Just in my own head. What’s up?” I asked.
“Uh huh. Well, we’re all heading back. Everything’s cleared up, and no threat will be happening today. We’re gonna go celebrate a smooth gig. Come on.”
“Sounds good to me. I could use a drink,” I said.
“To get out of your head?”
I threw Doc a blank stare before he hopped onto his bike.
“Come on, Thinker. Follow me.”
9
Harper
Back in my room, with my head in my hands, I wept. I couldn’t believe I’d just seen Cade. I never thought in a million years I would ever see that man again, but here he was. In the same damn city, I was in. Affiliated with the biker club that guarded this town. My mind raced with the implications as I curled up in bed, listening to my parents argue once again.
“She wouldn’t let me in the bathroom with her, Ryan,” my mother said.
“You were supposed to stay with her at all times, Patrice. That biker guy had to coax her out of the bathroom and get her to the fucking car!”
“Well, she got there, didn’t she?” my mother asked.
“Yeah, and now an entire group of people knows how screwed up our family is,” my father said.
“Oh, and that’ll… what? Affect your votes? You think those outlaw bikers fucking care about this town?”
I pulled the covers over my head and buried myself in my pillow. Of course, they cared about this town. Anyone who grew up here knew of the shit they did. The painstaking lengths they went to in order to protect this city. Sure, there were rumors of ‘guns for hire’ and pedaling firearms and shit, but they protected their own. Their family. The place they loved.
There was a lot to admire about that.
And it told me a lot about Cade.
Shit. It was just supposed to be a night of fun. A night of losing myself to a life I wished I live. Experiencing freedom and tasting what it was like to be away from my parent’s expectations. And I had to admit, when I found out I was pregnant, part of me was excited. Cade had altered my life in many ways that night. He helped me to understand things about myself I would’ve never found out otherwise. In those few hours we spent with one another, he taught me about trust. Lust. Punishment and reward, and how the two could intertwine for some of the most powerful orgasms I’d ever experienced. He taught me about beauty, and what it felt like to be cherished.
He taught me what a real man would do to a woman, and how he could make her feel.
The idea of having a part of Cade with me forever helped me to get through the morning sickness. It helped me to get through the restless nights and the vivid dreams that plagued me. It helped me through the screaming match when I broke the news to my parents that I was pregnant.
And it helped me now. Whenever they were fighting about me for whatever fucking reason.
But that was all it was supposed to be. A part of him. Not all of him. He wasn’t supposed to be here. He was never supposed to pop back up. When I left that rally in South Dakota, all I’d wished for was a piece of him to remember him by. Which was exactly what I’d gotten. A piece of him was growing within me, changing me for the better and pushing me towards a life I knew I needed but was always afraid to reach out for. The desperate need to get this child away from the toxicity of this home was what was pushing me. Shoving me towards a life I knew I deserved-- a life I needed-- in order to flourish in a way that would make me happy.
But now Cade was here. And Cade knew I was pregnant.
We would never work as a couple. We lived in two different worlds. I lived a very public life because of my father, and on a good day he led an invisible one. Things could never work between him and I. Our lives just weren’t meant for that type of thing.
But the look on his face when he saw my stomach. The way he started to piece everything together. The way he grabbed my arm and the strength behind his muscles. I closed my eyes and recounted his beautiful stare. His pillowy lips. Just his hand coming down on my arm reminded me of how he commanded my body. How he took what was his while cherishing every inch of me.
Seeing him again made me want him again. Now that he was so close, I could taste him. I could remember what it felt like to have his cock between my lips. What it felt like to have his body filling mine to the brim. I wanted to wrap my legs around his waist again. I wanted to be bent over his lap again. I wanted him to tie me down and make me cry with frustration until he rolled climax after climax over my body.
Would he see me again? Did he even want to? He lived in town, and I led a public life. But was it possible for me to see him again?
Now that he was so close, it was all I could think about.
My parents continued to fight in the other room, but I was too busy thinking about Cade. A smile crossed my face at the thought of feeling his lips against mine, but my father busting into my room ripped me back to reality. He ripped the covers off me, and I took in his angry stare, my mother hot on his heels as she tried to drag him out of the room.
“Just leave her alone, Ryan. This is between us,” my mother said.
“The next time you go off like that without your mother and embarrass me like that, I’ll be the one pulling you out the restroom. Do you understand me, Harper?”
I nodded mindlessly before I cast my gaze on my bed.
It would never work between us. If I ever saw Cade again, I would have to be strong. I couldn’t approach him, and he couldn’t approach me. If my father ever found out that he was the father of my child, his grip on me would tighten, and everything I’d been planning would be jeopardized.
I’d never be able to leave again, and my child would be stuck in this cycle of destruction.
As much as I wanted
Cade, I couldn’t have him, and as tears ran down my cheeks, I heard my father storm out of my room and slammed the door.
“Come on, sweetheart. Why don’t you and I go get some dinner?”
My mother’s voice sounded so far away as I laid back down onto my pillow.
Just three more weeks.
Three more weeks and this nightmare would be over.
10
Cade
Ever since the rally, I couldn’t get Harper off my mind. It was distracting me from my work and keeping me up at night. I had to find a way to talk with her. To get her away from her parents and have a conversation with her. It felt like her parents were manipulating her. Parading her around for her father’s sake. If I could get her alone, secured away from her family, I knew I could get her to talk with me.
The light in her eyes was no longer there. That fierce light that guided me to her had dimmed in her beautiful stare. I saw it the moment she turned around and looked at me. She was scared. Fearful. Timid.
Not at all like the young woman I’d met at the rally.
The only way I knew I could get around her without throwing red flags was to get Ryan to hire us. Permanently. As his private protection through the rest of his campaign. I went through our files and found his office number, then called him up on my cell phone. It would register as an unknown number on his end, but I was hoping he would pick up anyway.
And sure enough, he did.
“Ryan Thomas speaking.”
“Mr. Thomas. My name’s Cade. I’m a representative of The Black Angels.”
“Why in the world are you calling me on my office line,” he said in a whisper.
“I wanted to call and offer our services for the rest of your campaign,” I said.
“Well, my family and I are just fine. Nothing happened at the rally so that we won’t be needing your services any longer.”
“That isn’t true,” I lied. “We just got done debriefing. The reason I had to run backstage was because there were some rowdy guys that slipped by the police officers posted in the back. The only reason I went in search for your daughter was because I figured she was their target.”
“Wait a second, what?” he asked.
“We didn’t want to cause any more of a scene at the rally, but since I was the one that went after them, I told the club I would call you.”
I was lying through my fucking teeth, but I didn’t care. I could tell by his silence that he was mulling it over. Turning over my proposition in my head. All I had to do was get him to agree, and for the right price, we would be all over that fucking family. If I could convince Ryan that I was in it to save Harper, he might even appoint me as her personal bodyguard.
Which meant I could get that alone time with her.
“How many rowdy men got by the police?” Ryan asked.
“Three that I could find,” I said.
“That you could find.”
“Yes, sir. And the police weren’t any help. They were ready to talk, and it wasn’t until I threatened them that they kept their mouths shut.”
“You what?” he asked.
“Listen. There is a threat looming out there, and it was proven at the rally. And the police? You can’t make the police department sign a waiver not to talk. If they continue to guard you and something happens, someone will talk to the press. But with us? We’ll sign whatever you want. For the right price, of course.”
“Well first, I want to thank you. For personally making sure my daughter was all right. She and that child of hers mean… a lot to me,” he said.
Yeah, I’m sure they fucking do, you prick.
“I can only imagine,” I said.
“What um… price… are we talking?” he asked.
“Three hundred thousand, and that comes with up to twenty-four-seven guarding and a private bodyguard for your daughter. Someone to escort her around town should she leave and someone to make sure she gets from A to B safely.”
“My daughter rarely leaves the house,” he said. “That won’t be necessary.”
I felt my blood boiling as those words rolled off his tongue. He was keeping her in that fucking house. I knew it. I felt my fists clenching at my side as I tried to keep my voice was shaking.
“Well, should she choose to leave and should you want her protected, the offer’s there,” I said.
“Three hundred thousand? And that’s protection until the election?” he asked.
“Yep. There’s a core group of us. Five of us. You get all five of us whenever you need us, then the rest of the Angels at the rest of your rallies.”
“Even at our house during the evening?” he asked.
“Yes, sir. Even then. You just designate who you wish to stay, and we’re there.”
The silence on the phone was deafening. I was ready to reach through the phone and grab his throat. I just wanted him to take the fucking deal so I could get on with this shit.
“Okay,” he said. “You have a deal. But all of you are signing paperwork saying you won’t talk to the media.”
“That’s fine. Let me take it up with the group just so everyone is clear, and we’ll send you the paperwork to sign. Same way we did it the first time. Anonymous carrier. You sign, you pay us half up front, and we get to work.”
“I’ll be on the lookout.”
I hung up the phone and sent a text to Doc. We needed church, and we needed it now. I sat in the clubhouse while the rest of the guys showed up, and I was ready to make this short and sweet. I was one vote and a damn signature away from having Harper all to my fucking self.
“Why are we in church again?” Blade asked. “Didn’t we just do this?”
“You said it was important,” Doc said. “What do you have for us?”
“Ryan Thomas perceived a threat at the rally,” I said.
“But the rally was fine,” Ink said.
“What did you do?” Vex asked.
“I called him like you guys told me to. To let him know the rally went fine. But he had his doubts, and I might have used those doubts to sway him into hiring us for the rest of the campaign.”
“You what?” Blade asked.
“For how much?” Doc asked.
“Three hundred thousand. I told him that got the five of us whenever he wanted us, and the rest of the Angels at the rest of his rallies in town. Plus, private protection for his daughter if he wants it,” I said.
“You just want a piece of that pregnant pussy,” Vex said, grinning.
“Didn’t know you had a thing for lactating titties,” Ink said, chuckling.
“I don’t give a damn what he’s into. Three hundred thousand for less than a month’s worth of work? I’m fucking in,” Blade said.
“Okay. That’s one vote. How to the rest of you guys feel?” Doc asked.
“I’m in. I wanna see if he can slay this pussy,” Vex said.
“Same here. I’m in. And fifty bucks said he can’t,” Ink said.
“Obviously Cade’s all for it, so that’s a majority vote. I’m in as well, by the way. Cade, you arranged this, so you get the paperwork out to him. Call our carrier. He’ll know what to do,” Doc said.
I was seething with how they were talking about Harper, but there was nothing I could do about it. I was just one damn signature away from making bank and talking with Harper, and that was all that mattered.
We ended church, and I pulled out the paperwork, then filled it out and called up our carrier. I gave him the details of what was going on and that this needed to be delivered to Ryan Thomas today.
Then, we needed to set a schedule.
11
Harper
“Harper! Family meeting!”
The door shook on its hinges as I peeled myself from the covers. What the fuck was happening now? There wasn’t a rally today, I didn’t have a doctor’s appointment, and my mother didn’t have anywhere to drag me to in order to keep a watchful eye on me.
What the hell could this family meeting be about
?
I hated these things. Where the three of us sat around the table and pretended to give a shit. Usually, it was just my father telling my mother and me what we should and shouldn’t be doing. Where we should be going, where we should be seen, what we should say if someone from the press approached us. It was annoying, and I was over it. I was over being commanded, and I was over being instructed on what I was supposed to do because of how it would reflect on him.
But I didn’t have a choice, unless I wanted my father to take my door off its frame.
Throwing the covers off my head, I slipped my feet into some slippers. I threw my robe around my body, barely getting it tied before I headed downstairs. The staircase groaned underneath my feet, and I made a mental note of which ones were making noises.
They would be the ones I’d have to avoid when I finally left.
I came around the staircase and headed for the kitchen. I could smell the aroma of freshly-pressed orange juice. I made my way for the kitchen table to pour myself a glass, but when I looked up, I realized my mother had already been crying.
How long did it take me to get down here?
“Sit down, sweetheart,” my father said.
“Juice?” my mother asked.
“No, thank you. What’s going on?” I asked.
My parents looked at each other warily before my mother poured me a glass anyway.
“Honey, someone’s made a threat against me,” he said.
“Doesn’t that happen often?” I asked.
“Not to this extent,” he said.
“Is that why you had all the security at the rally yesterday?” I asked.
“More or less.”
“Well, what did the threat say?” I asked.
“A couple of weeks ago,” my father began, “a package arrived in the mail. It had a few things in it, but among them were photos. Pictures of the family. Of us. Of you.”
“Pictures,” I said.
Cade: Black Angels MC Page 4