by C. M. Owens
He doesn’t.
If anything, he holds me tighter than he’s ever held me before, and he kisses me like he’s starved and desperate.
Apparently I’ve said the magic words.
Primal and hungry, he continues to devour me, and I finally have to break the kiss just to breathe, turning my head up so that my eyes find the ceiling. My hands move to his hair when he starts kissing down my neck. His mouth is a divine mixture of hot and wet, while his touch stays the perfect blend of possessive and wanting.
I don’t realize I’m being lowered to the ground until my feet are touching it, and Drex tears at the front button of my shorts, ripping them open like he doesn’t have the patience for zippers and things. I moan, still reveling in the feel of his lips on my neck, as he pushes my panties and shorts down in unison, and I kick out of them as quickly as I can.
He pulls back, but before I can protest, he’s tugging my shirt over my head, forcing my arms up so the shirt can be removed. His lips are back on mine the second it’s gone, but the kiss is brief because he lifts me quickly, and I suck in a breath when I go up higher than expected.
“Back against the wall, and legs on my shoulders,” he orders in a tone that doesn’t allow room for hesitation.
Immediately my legs lift and I maneuver them awkwardly until they rest around his shoulders, but my entire body trembles when his hot breath fans my clit seconds before his tongue darts out and licks against the sensitive flesh. I wobble, and my back thumps against the wall as the breath leaves me in a rush.
“Should have put your back against the wall,” he murmurs darkly, a smirk in his voice.
Absolutely no words form, even though I want to say something. Drex Caine doesn’t ever tease. He does everything to the extreme, making you feel everything on an intense level not meant for the weak.
He sucks my clit into his mouth, putting me on a quick path to Mind Blownville, and I moan and grasp at the wall above my head. Even lifted this high in the air, the high ceiling is still out of reach, giving me nothing to steady myself with.
My legs tighten on his shoulders as he wraps his arms around my thighs and brings his hands up to my hips, holding me against his face as he continues to shatter any coherent thoughts.
My hands come down, and my fingers latch onto his hair, steadying myself to keep from falling forward when my body tries to buckle.
“So close,” I whimper. “Please.”
A growl rips free from his throat, and his mouth… I love his mouth. His mouth is my hero.
It almost feels like something explodes inside me with the force of ten orgasms, and I somehow manage not to strangle him when my legs try to clamp down in response. It takes me a second to realize that hellacious animal sound in the room is coming from me, and it ends on a hoarse curse as my entire body goes limp.
I feel myself sliding down the wall, but Drex somehow manages to do all the work of getting me down without my help. When did my legs get off his shoulders?
Frazzled pieces of my mind misfire and refuse to work collectively until he’s carrying me toward the bed, and I lazily try to kiss him. But my mouth misses and I settle for running my lips up his jaw.
“Remember you chose this,” he says quietly while putting me down on the bed.
I stare at him from half-lidded eyes, watching as he tears his shirt over his head. His eyes rake over my bare body—except for the bra I’m still in. I’d take my bra off if my arms would move, but I’m a pile of overly relaxed limbs and incredibly sensitive flesh, still coming down from the euphoric high.
Drex smirks like he’s enjoying the fact I’m mush, and he slowly draws out the process of undoing his jeans. As soon as he’s bare, I’m pretty sure I lick my lips.
“What’re you thinking, Eve?” he asks, slowly crawling over me as I let my eyes drop to the hard flesh that is hovering over my body.
Swallowing, I answer with a breathy, shameless tone. “That it’s been too long since you’ve been inside me.”
Crude but effective.
When my eyes come back up to meet his, I watch as his gaze darkens, and he lowers himself until he’s pushing against me, nudging against the slick skin with the head of his—
My breath leaves in a rush as he thrusts in deep, and a guttural sound of relief leaves his lips as he buries his face against my neck.
“You can’t leave now,” he murmurs against my neck, as his hips rock once and he pushes in deeper. “You had your chance.”
I’m not sure what chance I had. Even though he said he’d let me go, we both know he actually wouldn’t. And I’m glad.
My legs find the ability to move up him, and my heels dig into the firm flesh of his ass, prompting him to move.
“I don’t want to leave, Drex. But I do want you to fuck me,” I say against his shoulder before biting the skin ever so lightly.
He pulls out and slams into me, forcing me to cry out, because damn, it feels so good. He shifts up onto one hand, and he slides his other hand down to my hip, curling his fingers around it until he has enough grip on me to lift me at an angle and put me right where he wants me.
Our eyes lock as he fucks me like he’s trying to forever leave his mark. When my second orgasm begins to build and my muscles start to tense, he grunts and thrusts forward, spilling inside me, and I bite back a curse when he leaves me right on the crest.
He grins down at me when I try to force him to keep moving, and he shakes his head.
“Don’t worry, Eve,” he says, leaning down to brush his lips against mine. “I’m not done for the night.”
That doesn’t stop me from feeling annoyed in this moment or from whimpering when he pulls out. But when he kisses me, I forget all about the frustration, and melt against him as he reaches around me and unclasps my bra.
“I want you naked the rest of the day,” he says against my lips.
“I’m good with that plan as long as you stay naked too.”
He chuckles softly while pulling back and taking my bra off completely, tossing it aside like it’s trash that needs to be taken out. That hollow void slowly starts to ebb.
I’ve just signed myself over to Drex indefinitely, and it feels like I finally made the right decision for the first time in my life.
Chapter 31
DREX
“Well, I for one am happy you two reconciled,” Drake says idly while riding his wheelchair around behind me.
“Good. We only did it to please you,” I tell him as my eyes roll.
“Figured as much,” he quips as he follows me.
As soon as his wheelchair clears the path, I shut the door behind us and turn to face the group of guys already assembled in the meeting room.
“Where are we on the fed business and Ben?” I ask them.
All eyes move from me to Drake, and Drake growls at them like he’s a dog or some shit.
“I know you fucks aren’t even thinking about keeping me out of the loop. That bastard almost paralyzed me. I want revenge worse than any of you. Keep staring like that, and your next tattoo will make Drex’s cocksucker daisy seem like a prize.”
Axle’s eyebrows go up as his lips twitch, and I cover my smile with my hand. Never thought I’d fucking be smiling about that damn tattoo. Asshole.
“Right,” Rush says, shifting into business mode. “Did some digging and came up with zero ties to all of our associates and Ben, with one exception—your girl. Obviously it’s not her,” he says, adding that last part quickly when my eyes narrow on him. “Based on the level of intelligence it would take to stay this far off grid, I’ve definitely narrowed down the suspect pool. We have a lot of fucking idiots on the payroll who couldn’t have pulled this off, so—”
“Don’t rule anyone out,” Snake growls, staring straight ahead at nothing as he cracks his knuckles. Everyone turns to face him as his jaw hardens. “Just because they play stupid, it doesn’t mean they are. Sarah was just a stripper in the beginning before she went to work at the salon. She was
just someone with some nifty computer skills on the side, remember? A manicurist by day, fucking assassin by night. So don’t rule anyone out. Especially not her.”
His jaw grinds, and my eyebrows knit together.
“You were defending her when all this came out,” Rush tells him.
“Yeah. Then I realized how fucking stupid she’s made me look for months. She acted like I was the one who taught her how to shoot a fucking gun. Missed most of her targets when we went to the range… Bottom line, check into her. She sold her own father out to the feds. I’ve heard all the talk. He wants revenge. If she did it to him, what the fuck do you think she’d do to us?”
I don’t mention the fact Sarah—Or AJ, or whatever—also covered our asses by plastering her face all over airport cameras and drawing the feds off, even though they still haven’t found her.
“You should look into Eve more. He could have really tortured the fuck out of her, but instead, he kept her hydrated and never physically assaulted her in any way. Little suspicious,” Snake goes on, glaring over at me.
My fists clench, and Drake rolls in front of me, putting himself and his wheelchair between us like he’s a buffer we can’t just step around.
“I get that you’re pissed, Snake, but watch what you fucking say about Eve. And don’t downplay the shit she just endured. We can trust her,” I say calmly, silently reminding myself he’s in hell right now.
He cuts his eyes away before pushing away from the wall he’s on and shaking his head. “No. We can’t fucking trust anyone.”
He walks out, leaving us all behind as he goes to stew and steam a little more.
“Sarah really fucked his head up. He used to be the nice one,” Drake sighs, then spins his chair around to face the group again. “We should bring Eve in on this. She’s fucking brilliant and she should see the names you’ve compiled.”
I shake my head, and he starts to argue, when Rush picks up a piece of paper and hands it to me. Only it has nothing to do with the problem at hand. My throat tightens when I see the picture attached the page, and I slowly take a seat.
“You found her,” I say quietly.
“Yeah. Herrin would kill for this info. I’m trusting you with it. What do you want me to do? Approach her or leave her alone?”
Pop would kill her if he ever got his hands on her.
“Leave her alone. I just wanted to know she was safe,” I say on a heavy exhale. “Well, check out the details of her life and make sure she’s not in any sort of trouble, then leave her alone if all is good. But wait until we have our shit sorted out and know what we’re dealing with.”
He nods, but I can tell he doesn’t want to wait. When his gaze lingers on the picture, I tense. Some shit never really made sense… But now? Now I think I understand.
“Can we get back to the feds and the Hell Breathers who want us dead now? Or are we going to continue staring at some girl? Who is she?”
“No one,” everyone says in unison to Drake’s question.
“Yeah,” he snorts. “You guys are real subtle. Fine. Whatever. Back to business.”
After four hours, we come up with… not a fucking thing. By the time we leave the meeting room, I’m exhausted and cranky. Snake never returned, which means he’s off getting drunk or fucking someone up. He’s going to end up putting more people in the hospital than me. Not that the ones he’s finding don’t deserve it, but still. He’s a loose cannon and a problem waiting to happen.
All because of a girl.
One fucking girl.
The second I walk into my room, I’m reminded why Snake is all kinds of fucked up.
Eve is smiling from the bed as she closes a laptop, and I watch as she sits back on the pillows. Her smile slowly falls when she takes in my expression.
“Do I want to know what’s wrong?” she asks.
“Any chance you’re a secret assassin on the run from a mob father?” I ask her.
Her eyebrows go up, because we’ve not yet told her about Sarah. Yeah… Not an easy conversation to have. And she didn’t overhear it the day all hell broke loose. Fortunately.
“I watched the Godfather once, but that’s as close as I’ve ever gotten to the mob. No assassin skills either.”
The only reason Sarah would have kept that a secret from Snake was because she was doing something shady. I’ve told Eve shit I never thought I’d tell anyone.
Maybe Snake was right… Maybe Sarah is the one we should be looking harder at.
“Why are you asking me something so random? Don’t tell me I’m already back under a microscope?” Eve groans, drawing me back out of my own head.
When I look up to see the worry creasing her forehead, I force a smooth grin and wink at her.
“The only thing you’re going to be under is me, baby. No worries,” I say coolly, moving toward the bed.
She bites down on her bottom lip as I slide in beside her, and she throws a leg casually over my waist.
“Not tonight. I need a minute to heal, since we didn’t stop until early this morning.” She smirks like she’s toying with me, but I half believe she might really need recovery time.
“What were you doing?” I ask her, pointing at the laptop.
She tenses, and that immediately has my eyebrows raising.
“Are you going to be suspicious of me if I don’t tell you?” she asks.
“No. But this works both ways, Eve. You can’t be suspicious of everything I say and assume I’m being suspicious of you.”
She blows out a breath while dragging the laptop into her lap and turning it back on.
“You’re right,” she says softly. “But don’t get mad when I show you what I’m doing.”
My eyes narrow on her, but she stares at the screen while my laptop finally cuts back on. I shift my gaze to it just as she opens a spreadsheet she’s working on.
“Fuck,” I groan, seeing all the timelines she’s created.
“I’m trying to find out what the feds have to do with the equation. It’s driving me crazy, Drex. And in case you’ve forgotten, Ben and his followers pissed me off too. I’d love to be the one to piece this all together, and since you won’t let me help you, I’m doing it on my own. It’s not up for debate.”
I miss the days she cowered when I raised my voice instead of glaring at me like she’s daring me to try and fucking argue. Maybe I should find out if she stole my balls or some shit.
Someone knocks at the door, interrupting our stare-down, and I answer without looking away. “It’s open.”
I hear the door open, but I continue staring at Eve, who doesn’t have a flicker of submission in her eyes right now.
“Am I interrupting that game to see who blinks first or something?” Rush’s voice has me finally turning to face the door.
“What’s up?”
He glances at Eve then back to me, and he holds up a folder. “Forgot to give you this downstairs. It’s everything that PI you hired found on her, in case you wanted to get caught up to speed.”
“On me?” Eve asks, causing me to groan again.
“No, babe, not you,” I grumble.
“Sorry,” she mutters from behind me. “Stopping now.”
My lips twitch, but Rush just looks confused.
“Folder?” I prompt.
He flips me off while bringing it to me, and I take it from his hand. Loud roars of engines carry up and through the open door, and I set the folder down on the table.
Something every kid has learned is the sound of their parents’ vehicle pulling up. I know the sound of my Pop’s bike, and he shouldn’t be here right now.
“Fuck,” I grumble just as Rush jogs out to go see what’s up, then I turn to face Eve. “Stay put. I’ll be right back.”
Leaning over, I brush my lips over hers, and she runs her hand across my cheek while sighing against my lips. Since I don’t know what Pop wants, I shut the door and lock it on my way out, ensuring no one can touch Eve. Hopefully I’m just being paranoid, but
I don’t like the feeling in my gut.
Just as I walk down the stairs, Pop and twelve of his guys walk in from the hangar.
“To what do I owe this unannounced visit?” I ask, keeping my voice even.
“Last I checked, this is my place.”
Actually, it’s mine. But I don’t point that out.
He walks right up to me, and judging by the look in his eyes, I’m not going to like whatever he’s about to say.
“Just got back from a sit-down with Benny and his heads,” Pop tells me, staring me down like he’s waiting on my reaction.
Sledge never organized that meeting with Benny for me. We got sidetracked. Looks like Pop did it and is announcing his shady shit for all to hear.
“Without me,” I state flatly. “Your VP.” It’s not a question. It’s me pointing out the blatant disrespect in his admission.
Several of our guys bristle. Whether they’re loyal to Pop or not, you never go have a fucking sit-down with another club without your VP, especially when it involves his girl. This was mine to deal with anyway. Not his.
“It’s my club,” Pop growls, casting a glance around at everyone in the room. “Maybe you’ve forgotten,” he says, bringing his eyes back to me. “Maybe I’ve given you too much freedom with me splitting up the club to expand our reach. Maybe you’re just getting a little too big in the head to remember your place. Regardless, it is my decision that matters. Not your ego.”
A coldness settles over me, and a dark smirk emerges on my lips. “That’s how you’re going to play this, Pop? Very well. What did this sit-down bring to the table? Is Benny going to turn his son over? Are the Hell Breathers having a civil war? How did this benefit us? I’m genuinely curious what was said.”
Pop’s eyes turn to angry slits as he takes another step closer, but I don’t flinch. I know what he’s going to say, and all hell is about to break loose.
It’s time to see what guys are on my side.
Chapter 32
EVE
Unable to resist, I unlock and open the door, walking out onto the steel platform in front of the staircase and look down at the standoff below as Herrin and Drex stand toe-to-toe.
