“How are you getting over there?” Connie asked, knowing that Cal had headed to the club already. He’d needed to meet with the Sinners and I wanted to let Laurie and Mason get to know each other a bit before I headed out.
“Tag is my chauffeur.” I grimaced, reaching over to take Mason back. “I told Cal a bunch of times I could drive myself, but he was adamant about it. He also wouldn’t let Tag bring me on his bike. Something about me not being on anyone’s bike but his.” I rolled my eyes at my over-the-top alpha.
Ettie laughed. “Sounds familiar,” she replied knowingly. “We’ve gotta jet,” she added, turning to Connie with a lifted brow. “Preggers takes about a decade to pick something to wear, so we better get started.”
Connie groaned dramatically. “I told you I already picked out my outfit! I’ll be two seconds,” she protested.
Ettie shot me a yeah right look that had me smothering a grin.
The doorbell rang just as I was walking the girls out. “Hey, come on in,” I greeted Laurie, ushering her inside. “These are my friends Connie and Ettie,” I introduced.
“Nice to meet you,” Connie replied as Ettie waved. “We’ve got to head out. Have fun with Bubs.”
Laurie nodded a bit shyly. “Nice to meet you too. Have fun tonight.”
“See you in a few, Jilly,” Con added as both girls waved and headed out the door.
“You look great.” Laurie grinned when I shut the door behind them.
“Thanks. You’re sure it’s not too much?” I asked worriedly.
“No, you look awesome,” she assured me. “Do you want to show me where everything is so you can take off?” she added, looking around Cal’s place.
“Sure thing,” I agreed, beginning to do just that.
By the time Tag’s truck rumbled to a stop in the driveway, Laurie and Mason were getting along fine. I’d given her a tour and walked her through the alarm system. I hadn’t told her that Ram, one of the Knights prospects, would be out front all night. I didn’t want to freak her out.
“I’m just about ready,” I told Tag by way of greeting when I opened the door to him. “Just need to grab my purse. This is Laurie,” I introduced distractedly. “She’s watching Mason tonight.”
His gaze swept over her and I didn’t imagine the hunger there. “Laurie.” His murmured rasp was deeper than usual.
Oh boy.
When I reentered the room, they were still staring at each other. “Uh, I’m ready,” I broke in.
I watched Tag visibly shake himself and nod to me. I turned to Laurie. “Call me if you need anything. Anything,” I emphasized.
She shifted Mason in her arms. “I will. But we’ll be fine,” she assured me, her cheeks pink from the blush Tag had no doubt caused. “Have fun.”
“Thanks. See you later,” I replied, with a quick kiss to Mason’s forehead.
“What was that about?” I demanded on a laugh when Tag had pulled out of the driveway.
“What was what?” he grunted.
“Oh come on, you could cut the sexual tension with a knife!”
He shrugged, his hand flexing on the steering wheel. “What’s her story?” he asked gruffly.
“We work together at the hospital. She’s just out of nursing school,” I explained. “She’s young. Maybe too young for you,” I added with a lifted brow.
“We’ll see,” he murmured vaguely, appearing lost in his own thoughts. I left him to it, preoccupied myself with the night to come.
The club was packed when we arrived. I looked around, overwhelmed by all of the unfamiliar faces.
Tag propelled me forward with a gentle nudge. “I’m sure the girls are out back. I’ll go tell Prez we’re here,” he told me, wandering off before I could reply.
I noticed several bikers’ eyes following my progress as I made my way out back. I realized with surprise that they were checking me out.
It felt both good and off-putting at the same time.
When a hand smacked my ass, squeezing briefly, I gasped in shock. I whirled around, gaze narrowed on the bearded biker who leered back at me. “Darlin’, you have legs for days and an ass that could make a man’s dreams come true.” He grinned, moving to make another grab for me.
I grabbed his wrist before he could touch me again. “You don’t want to do that again,” I warned.
He chortled. “Oh, I don’t?” His daring tone had my blood boiling.
“Sunny, man, don’t you know who that is?” the biker next to him warned, his gaze sweeping nervously over the crowd.
Sunny grinned, seeming to enjoy the challenge as I continued to try to hold his hand away from me. “No, should I?” he challenged.
“Yes. You fucking should.” Cal’s snarl sounded from behind me a second before his hand slipped around my waist, propelling me behind him. He stepped into Sunny’s space, the picture of fury as he towered over the other man. “That’s my woman you put your hands on.” He glowered.
Sunny’s eyes shot wide with fear. “Oh shit, Prez, I had no idea.” He shook his head adamantly.
“I’m not your fucking Prez,” Cal growled. “My men don’t put their hands on women that don’t want them to. But I doubt Henry puts up with this shit either,” he added, referring to the Sinners’ president.
Sunny’s eyes darted to me briefly before flitting back to Cal.
“Don’t fucking look at her,” Cal ordered. “You look at me.”
“I didn’t mean anything by it,” Sunny protested. “It’ll never happen again, I swear.”
“Damn right it won’t. Because you won’t step foot in my club again. Get the fuck out,” Cal clipped. “I see you again and I’ll make you fucking bleed.”
My heart hammered at his words and I wasn’t even on the receiving end of them. Cal could deliver a threat, that was for sure.
Sunny swallowed visibly and with a single nod, turned on a heel and disappeared through the crowd.
Cal turned to me, his eyes dark. “My office. Now.”
I followed him on shaking legs. Though I knew Cal wouldn’t hurt me, my instinct was to be afraid of any man in a bad temper.
He took my hand, his grip firm and warm on mine as he led me through the crowd. Everyone parted for Cal, making way for the most powerful man in the room.
The obvious impact of his presence on those around him was something to be seen.
He kicked the office door closed and guided me to sit on the edge of his desk. His muscular arms framed my body as he leaned over me, his head bowed toward my lap.
I didn’t know what to do. I’d never seen this side of Cal. After a moment of indecision, I went with my instincts and tentatively placed my hand on his upper back. His body heaved with every breath as he made a visible effort to calm down.
When his head rose and his eyes met mine they were lighter, though the turmoil was obvious just beneath the surface. “You all right?” he demanded.
I bit my lip and nodded. “It was no big deal—I had it handled,” I assured him.
His eyes narrowed. “It’s a big fucking deal. No one touches you. The fact that anyone would dare, especially here, makes me so fucking pissed it’s taking everything in me not to go after that asshole.”
“I’m okay,” I murmured, stroking a hand over his shoulder.
He swallowed hard. “I don’t understand all you’ve been through—not the half of it, I’m sure, but I can gather enough to figure you haven’t been treated well. That ends.” He growled. “That isn’t your life, not anymore,” he added, his hand cupping my neck tenderly.
Those words meant more to me than I could ever say. The fact that I believed them meant even more.
“I know it isn’t,” I assured him.
He nodded, rising to his full height. He took my hand and I hopped off his desk. His hand returned to my neck, his thumb tilting my chin upwards to meet his eyes. “You look…. Fuck, baby. You look so hot,” he rasped.
I blushed. “I thought maybe it was a bit much.”
He dipped his head, scenting my neck in such erotic appreciation that I had to lean back against the desk for support. “It’s a test of my self-control, I admit. But you look drop-dead gorgeous.” He skimmed his lips along my collarbone and I could swear I felt his tongue for a moment.
My breathing was embarrassingly loud in the quiet space, the sound of the revelry beyond the door a muted hum.
“Can’t wait to see what you look like in nothing at all,” he murmured against my skin. “Been dreamin’ about that.” His hands wandered down my body, moving to my backside and gripping firmly.
I gasped, grabbing his forearms to steady myself. I’d never wanted a man so badly in my life. I was a breath away from begging when an abrupt knock sounded against the door.
“What?” Cal barked with irritation.
“I need a word,” replied an unfamiliar male voice.
Cal inhaled deeply and took a step away from me, running a hand through his hair. I was gratified to see that he seemed to need a minute to collect himself. As it was, I’d need much more than that.
“Come in,” Cal replied, reaching out to squeeze my shoulder briefly as I stood on wobbly legs.
The door opened, revealing Henry, president of the Sinners. As president of the club Scarlet had grown up in, of the club her father used to lead and had ultimately died for, Henry was like family to her.
“Sorry for interrupting,” Henry said, his eyes swinging from me to Cal.
“What do you need?” Cal replied.
“I want to know what happened with my man,” Henry replied, his arms crossed over his chest. “Word is you banned him.”
The air was charged between the two men. I knew from what the girls had told me and from what I’d seen for myself that the relationship between the Sinners and the Knights was a good one. I also understood that having two club presidents under one roof was a lot of testosterone for any one space to bear.
“He put his hands on my woman,” Cal clipped.
Henry blew out a breath. “Well, shit. Never could say that fucker was smart.” The tension in the room reduced significantly as his gaze swung to me. “Apologies for the disrespect. He’ll be dealt with.”
“I’m fine. Plus, I think Cal already scared the crap out of him,” I added dryly.
Henry chuckled. “I don’t doubt it, but I’ll deal with him myself all the same. My men know better than that.” He cocked his head to the side, his gaze assessing. “Have you met my old lady? She’s been dying to meet you.”
I shook my head.
“Well come on then, let’s get you introduced.” He cocked his head toward the door with a brow raise toward Cal. “That all right with you, Jackson?”
“Fine.” Cal nodded tersely. “But she’s not out of my sight—not for the rest of the night.” His hand flexed on my hip as he pulled me in close.
“Got it,” Henry agreed, biting back a smile. “Jealous looks good on you, Jackson,” he jibed.
“Fuck off,” Cal muttered without malice.
“Got your hands full don’t you, darlin’?” Henry chuckled to me.
He didn’t know the half of it.
“Then your man here punched that asshole right in the face!” Henry laughed as he finished recounting a story about Cal as a young president years ago, taking on the much more experienced, much older president of another club. “This kid starting his own club from the ground up—had balls the size of coconuts.” Henry shook his head with a grin toward Cal.
Cal sat on my right, his hand gripping my thigh as the fire pit blazed in front of us. Some of the Sinners, Cole and Scarlet, Axel and Sophie, and Tag had all gathered to recount stories from the club’s past. I loved hearing about Cal, couldn’t get enough.
“Fucker deserved it,” Cal muttered with a grin, taking a sip of his beer.
“Then what did he do? After you punched him?” I asked.
“Not much, he was passed out.” Cal shrugged as everyone around the fire laughed. “Didn’t get any shit from him or his club after that.”
“Pop knows how to throw a punch,” Cole put in, his arm around Scarlet as she sat nuzzled into his side. “Made sure I did too as soon as I was old enough to make a fist.”
“Hoped you didn’t have to fight much but wanted you to fight smart when you had to,” Cal replied, his tone warm as he regarded his son.
Cole nodded, holding his father’s gaze across the flames before he turned to kiss Scarlet’s temple.
Tag’s phone chimed with a text and I watched his eyes narrow as he read the message. “Prez.” Tag cocked his head to the side in a silent bid for Cal’s time.
That can’t be good.
“A minute, baby,” Cal murmured as he rose to follow Tag inside the club.
Sophie shot me a “don’t freak” look from across the pit.
Right.
By the time Cal returned, Sophie, Scarlet, and I were sitting side by side by the fire. Everyone else had wandered off.
I looked up at him. “Everything okay?”
He appeared to deliberate for a minute.
“We’ll just…,” Sophie began as she and Scarlet stood up. “We’ll just go,” she finished, apparently not able to come up with a good enough excuse.
I was too distracted to tease her.
“Cal,” I pressed, worried now.
“Could be nothing, baby. Ram called in a sedan that could be casing the neighborhood. Requested another of our guys to back him up. Tag already rode out.”
My hands flew to my mouth. “Oh God. We have to go. I need to get to Mason,” I replied urgently.
He nodded, no doubt expecting that reaction. “Babe, he’s safe. Promise. But we’ll go.” He took my hand, leading me out through the crowd. He had a brief word with Cole and Axel before leading us toward the garage bay.
After a night that had been far more fun than I’d expected, this threat was a jolt to the system.
Tim was still out there.
For a few hours I’d managed to forget. But as it had always been with him, he didn’t let me laugh for long.
****
When we arrived at Cal’s, Ram was standing out front—arms crossed like a sentry. “Prez.” He nodded, his expression tense. He couldn’t have been older than twenty but it was clear he took his guard duty seriously. With his large build and shaved head that made his eyes appear all the more severe, he certainly looked up to the task.
Cal placed his hand on my lower back. “Head on inside, darlin’. Gonna brief with Ram.”
I nodded and pushed the door open, eager to lay eyes on my boy. Tag was sitting at the bar while Laurie paced, wringing her hands.
“Jill!” she exclaimed when she saw me. “Is everything okay?”
“I think so.” I sighed. “I’m sorry to scare you. My ex is a bastard and these guys are probably just being overly cautious,” I assured her. “Is Mason okay?”
She nodded. “He went down a few hours ago.”
“I’m gonna go check on him,” I replied, setting my purse down and padding down the hall.
I leaned over the crib, sighing in relief as I looked down at him. His arms were splayed out above his head, cheeks flushed with sleep.
Movement by the door drew my attention and I turned as Cal ambled over to stand behind me and look down at Mason. “He sleeps so hard,” he murmured tenderly.
“Always has,” I agreed, leaning back into Cal’s body. His arms wrapped around me and I welcomed his strength. “What’s happening?”
He shrugged. “Could have been nothin’. Ram’s just being cautious, which I’m glad for. I told him to head out. Tag’s gonna stay for a while.”
I had a feeling Tag wasn’t just staying for security purposes.
I nodded. “I’m gonna go say good night to Laurie. Then… I think for tonight I need to sleep in here,” I added, my gaze toward the crib. The small futon against the wall wouldn’t be comfortable, but I needed to be near Mason tonight.
I was relieved when Cal didn
’t fight me on it. Instead his eyes warmed with understanding. “All right, baby. I’ll stay up for a while.”
I nodded, finding some relief in the fact that Cal was guarding us.
“Jill,” he murmured. “All this aside, I had fun with you tonight. I’m proud as hell to have you by my side.”
“And I like being there,” I murmured.
His gaze heated, sweeping over me once before he tapped the doorway in a silent bid good night.
I wanted this life with him—more than anything. And I’d be damned if Tim could take that away.
Chapter 16
I glanced at my watch two days later as my shift came close to ending. Despite the incident the other night likely being a false alarm, Cal had ratcheted up security. He no longer wanted me driving myself to the hospital, and as a result, Mack had dropped me off and Cal would be picking me up. We’d planned on picking Mason up together from day care and going to get burgers. I’d been looking forward to it all day.
It had been a quiet shift. I ducked into the supply room to grab a new pair of scrubs for Dr. Foster. He hadn’t asked me to, but after seeing him get projectile vomited on I assumed he’d want to change and soon.
When the door opened and shut and the light switched off, my heart rate immediately spiked.
I whirled around, my back pressed to the metal racks on the wall. “Hello?” I asked. “Is someone there?”
The chilling silence sent a wave of panic through me. I knew someone was there. I opened my mouth to scream the second before a strong arm snaked around my waist and a hand clamped over my mouth.
“Jill.” Tim’s breath on my ear had me cringing away as I screamed into his hand.
This can’t be happening. How is this happening?
“Shut the fuck up,” he ordered, his other hand moving to my neck and grabbing hard. With him covering my mouth and grasping my neck, I couldn’t breathe. Panic clawed at me as I fought his grip.
I’d taken a self-defense class, but in my panic I fought to remember what to do. I managed to maneuver so that I was facing him. He shoved me into the supply rack, his hand remaining on my neck. I felt him step close to me and I recoiled at his proximity. I couldn’t get enough breath to scream. “You’re not divorcing me. You’re mine. You and Mason are mine. He’s my boy and you’re my wife.” His grip loosened a fraction and I sucked in a breath, gulping for air as tears streamed down my face. “You’re done spreading your legs for that fucking low-life biker I’ve seen you with.”
Cal (The Ride Series Book 5) Page 9
