Crush avoids my eyes for a minute and then turns his head so his eyes, once again, lock with mine.
“There wasn’t anything to set free.”
I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose, where I feel the tension starting to build.
Fuck, it’s going to be a long day.
Chapter 15
Nicole
I must have dozed off. I have no idea when or for how long, but I do know it is dark now. Dragon is beside me, his front is to my back, spooning me. His arm is loose over our child, cupping my stomach.
“Dani?” I whisper already knowing the answer, but hoping against hope I am wrong.
“She was already gone, Mama,” he says softly, the words seeming to haunt the room.
I can’t stop the sob of pain that escapes my lips. I feel his breath against my hair and he kisses my ear, gathering me closer.
“We’ll find her, Nicole. I promise you, baby, we’ll find her.”
I want to believe his words, honest, but I can’t seem to. All I feel is that Dani is in trouble and neither one of us may survive this, because I have to help her.
“I’m scared, Dragon.”
“I know baby. I know.”
He turns me to my back and his large hand brushes along the side of my face.
“I’ll make this right. I promise. I will make this right for you, Mama.”
He’s breaking my heart. He’s blaming himself and he shouldn’t. It was my secret, it was my lies that brought us to this point. I touch his lips with my fingers. My man. How empty my life was without him.
“I love you so much, Dragon.”
“I feel the same Mama, right down to the…”
“Marrow of my bones…” I say with him, a weak smile on my face.
“We’ll get through this. There’s nothing we can’t handle when we work together.”
I wish I could believe that. I can’t. I feel defeated.
“Do you trust me, Nicole?”
“You know I do.”
“Then believe in this,” he says and his eyes bore into mine.
I lean up and let my tongue dance over his nipple, he groans. I suck it into my mouth, while letting my fingernails drag along his side.
“What are you doing, Mama?” He asks his eyes closed.
“I must not be doing it right if you have to ask me,” I whisper against his skin.
“Mama, you’re upset and tired. You’ve had a rough day,” he protests but even I can tell his heart isn’t in it. Which is good, totally good.
I stop and look up at him so he can see the truth in my eyes.
“Dragon, I need you tonight. Poncho said I was fine. I just need to feel you holding me in your arms, so I can forget about everything but us. Give that to me, please?”
He pulls away from me and for a moment all I can feel is disappointment. Total disappointment.
Then he pulls the covers from me. Up until this point his eyes have never left mine. Now they do. Now, they travel the length of my body and I feel the heat of embarrassment flush my face.
I’ve always had image problems because I wasn’t skinny. Dragon has slowly made me appreciate my curves, but since I got pregnant I cringe at how my hips have grown, my stomach is so big these days I feel like I waddle, and I still have three more months to go. There is nothing sexy about my body, nothing at all. Every time I see a Twinkie get close to Dragon, I want to go running like a banshee, screaming and clawing her eyes out. Luckily, he never gives another woman the time of day. I think if he did, part of my soul would wither.
“Stop it, Mama,” his gruff command sends chills through me.
“Stop what?”
“You are beautiful. Fuck, woman, you take my breath away every day. You have since the beginning,” he says, sliding off the bed at an angle so he’s stretched along the side of my legs. He runs his hands up my calves and the warm feel of him creates a friction that instantly makes me hungry for more.
I arc my head back as I feel his tongue slide along the inside of my kneecap. Who knew that was an erogenous zone? I think maybe with Dragon, my entire body is in that zone. He kisses along the outside of my thigh now, at the same time his hand is brushing on the inside. I know he can feel the wetness and the heat he has created. In that, I feel no embarrassment. He owns my body.
When his fingertips brush against my center, teasing the fine hairs that rest there, I can’t stop a whimper from escaping.
“Nicole.”
I hadn’t realized my eyes closed until I hear my name. Slowly, I open them to find him looking down and smiling at me.
“I’ve wanted you and no one else, from the first moment I set eyes on you. The fact that you’re carrying my child only strengthens that, Mama.”
“You just wanted to get laid, Dragon. You even scoped out Dani,” I argue thinking back to that day at the gas station, where I met him.
His eyes darken, somehow, and his face becomes harder. I know that look and I might be in trouble. Dragon’s hands pull my legs farther apart. One hand moves to my pussy and instantly starts teasing my clit. No slow build up here, just an immediate punch of adrenaline and need. He must have decided I was wet enough to accept him, because without another thought, he lifts himself over me and thrusts inside, all in one fluid motion.
“How many women have I sunk my cock into since we met, Nicole?”
I bring my legs up so they cradle him on each side, and just that simple adjustment takes him deeper inside. Not as deep as I want, because Dragon is bracing himself above me, but still deep enough that the fact he is not moving, drives me crazy.
“Dragon, move, baby,” I urge.
“How many women have got my dick since you came into my life, Nicole?”
I try to move for him, but without his help it just won’t get us there. I groan out in frustration.
“Will you move?”
“Answer the fucking question, woman.”
“None!”
“And how many woman have I looked at since that night at the Wolf’s Den when I finally had you.”
“Finally? Dragon, you fucked me pretty soon after we met. I was kind of a horn dog around you.”
“Bullshit. You were magnificent. But it was not soon, Mama. Each day was a fucking waste,” he argues, holding himself over me with one arm, while tangling his free hand in my hair.
“Dragon…”
“I’m only half alive without you Mama, it was true then and that hasn’t changed. Hell, if anything, it’s just stronger. You’re my soul, woman, my very fucking soul.”
Finally, he starts to move, his body an instrument that plays mine completely. His thrusts are measured, slow and methodical. When he moves his free hand down to torture my clit in unison with them, I can’t hold back.
I disintegrate into a million pieces. Screaming out his name so loud I figure they can hear us three states over. It doesn’t matter, nothing matters except Dragon. I want to wrap my legs around him and pull him tighter. I want to feel his weight rest on me. I can’t have that, so I do the only thing I’m able to do at this moment.
“I love you. No matter what, I’ll always love you, Dragon.”
That seems to satisfy him because, with a moan of pleasure, he starts going over the edge and I watch. I watch every feeling, every drop of emotion, every small piece of happiness and pleasure that reflects on his face, I watch and commit it all to memory. I’m going to need it, because I’m scared Michael is going to win.
Chapter 16
Dragon
Today is the day. My wedding. Never fucking thought I’d want it, and now I can’t wait for it. Today is the day I make Nicole legally mine. It’s stupid. In my world, papers and legal titles don’t mean shit. You fight and earn what you get, you fight to keep it. Still, with Nicole, I want to have her in every way physically and humanly possible. That includes, my ring on her finger, and giving her my name. I want…no I need that. I always hated my name; found it just another thing the world mocked m
e with. Nicole made it okay to pass my name on to our son or daughter. So, this wedding is pretty damned important for a lot of reasons.
So important, I find myself wearing a damn monkey suit to make my woman happy. Fuck, I hate this shit. Still, my woman wanted one day filled with the dreams of her wedding that she has secretly harbored for years. Wearing a monkey suit to give her that dream? It seems a small enough thing to do. She’s so upset over her girl and so withdrawn since she found out that Kavanagh has Dani, I’d do anything to make her smile even tying this mother-fucking-god-damned tie around my neck. Except I’ve tried a hundred times and still don’t have it.
“Fuck!” I yell out, looking in the mirror of the small chapel and trying to tie the damned thing and failing yet again.
“Having trouble there, Drag?” Dance asks, walking in wearing his own version of the monkey suit, dress pants, white silk shirt, but buttoned down and no tie. My men may kill me. I’m not sure I’d blame them.
“Fucking-son-of-a-bitching thing, I can’t get it tied.”
Dance comes over and starts to work on my tie, the smart ass look on his face pisses me off, but I’ve got enough fires going. I’ll beat him down a different day.
“Any word from Crush?”
“No, not since he stomped out of the school the other day.”
“He’ll come around, Bro’.”
“I’m not so sure, but that shit needed to be addressed.”
“What about Bull?” Dance asks backing away from me as I look in the mirror. The tie is fixed perfectly.
“Who taught you how to do that shit?”
“I’m a man of many skills, Drag-o.”
“Whatever,” I say adjusting the tie.
I’m tempted to yank that shit off, but I don’t. I’m already feeling guilty because I know I’m pushing Nicole into the wedding today. She would rather call it off and wait until we get Dani back and Kavanagh is not an issue. She told me what Kavanagh said he would do. I’m convinced going against him is the only way to draw him out. I need for him to lose control. Men who are not in control get sloppy—they make mistakes.
Plus, I want this marriage done. I do not want to wait. Hell, we’ve had too much of that shit and things keep coming our way. If I don’t get my ring on her finger soon, we may never get married and that is unacceptable.
“So, really, have you talked to Bull?” Dance asks again.
“No, something going on?”
“You see how he is. Brother’s got shit muddling in his brain Drag, I see it miles off and I think he’s pissed at the ass chewing you gave him over Nicole.”
“She could have been killed, Dance. He knew better than to leave her alone.”
Dancer holds up his hand.
“I hear you, brother. I’m just saying, you’re doing an awful lot of ordering Bull around to do shit, that normally, a club enforcer does not do. And shit he used to do, you’re not relying on him to do. Brother has a crap load of shit to work through, but not having the trust of his Prez, well it ain’t going to help, Drag. That’s all I’m saying.”
“Moving in with a woman and living out of the club has turned you into a weeping whiney vagina,” I grumble turning my back on him. He actually has a point. I haven’t been calling on Bull to handle shit. He needs time to recover and he has issues with strength right now. I should have talked it over with him though. If I can just get through this damn wedding, I will.
“Fuck you, I’m not the one wearing a tie and standing before a preacher.”
“You would if Carrie demanded it.”
“Care Bear wouldn’t. That’s why she’s perfect for me.”
“Whatever. She’s got a bun in the oven, women go bat-shit crazy when those hormones start talking.”
“Odd, from where I’m standing it’s you that seems all gung-ho for the wedding, not the bride.”
I flip him off. He’s right and I don’t want to fucking talk about it.
Bull and Freak pick that minute to walk in. They’re dressed like Dance. Hell maybe I should take the tie off too, just so we can match? Women like that shit right?
“Drag, we got some problems.”
“What do you mean problems?” Fuck, I knew something was going to happen, I just knew it.
“Torch was going through surveillance video and found Kavanagh’s man visiting the church this morning,” Freak says and I want to rip his face off.
“How the fuck was this not caught the minute he stepped foot on the fucking property?”
“Don’t look at me, it’s not like you put me in charge of security, Dragon,” Bull says and shit, he’s right, plus this just adds strength to Dancer’s remarks earlier.
“Do we know what that son of a bitch did while he was here?”
“Cameras lost sight of him for about five minutes so he couldn’t have done much,” Freak says, but he’s wrong.
“You can plant a motherfucking bomb in five minutes. Do we at least know in what direction he went?”
“Toward the rooms the women are using,” Freak says raking his fingers through his beard.
I look at Bull. “You’re in charge, get this place on lockdown and find out what the son of a bitch did!”
Bull looks at me funny but he doesn’t say anything. He nods once and takes off behind Freak. I follow them out the door with Dancer on my heels. I need to make sure Nicole is okay. Then I need to kill some people, because I’m pretty sure right now that’s all that will make me feel better.
Chapter 17
Nicole
My wedding day. It should be a day filled with joy, excitement and dreams being fulfilled. Instead, it’s raining and the dark clouds outside seem like a beacon for evil. Evil that’s threatening me at every turn. I keep looking over my shoulder, expecting to see Michael or his goon Donald. I’m anticipating the sound of gunfire and having dead bodies littering the church pews. These are not the visions a bride should have the day of her wedding.
I look in the mirror at my princess dress, fixing my hair one last time in the style that Dani and I had decided on. Dani. I don’t want to get married worried and scared about what is happening to her. I want her with me. Dragon told me to trust him. He told me to put this on his shoulders and just go through with the wedding. He’s convinced that we can do anything together, I love him and don’t want to disappoint him. So I’m standing here at Faith Baptist Church, looking in a mirror at my perfect dress and preparing to walk down the aisle to the man I love. My hands are shaking at the thought. Not because of bridal nerves, no, that would be too normal…I’m going against direct orders from Michael. What will he do to retaliate? It’s a situation no woman should have to face. How can I get married to Dragon with everything going on with Dani? Can I disappoint Dragon, knowing I love him with everything inside of me and he’s convinced this is the right thing to do?
Before I can get lost in more dismal thoughts, there’s a quiet knock at the door. I turn around just as it opens, and Carrie is standing there in her pink bridesmaid dress, holding her bouquet of white roses. The opposite of mine, since I have pink roses for my bouquet. She really is beautiful. Dani and I decided to go sleek and sexy with the bridesmaid dresses and I really love them. She’s also holding a small blue box with a matching ribbon on it.
“You look gorgeous!” She says and it makes me smile.
“I was just about to say the same about you. Dancer will flip when he sees you.”
“I’m just about to go show him. This was delivered to our room instead of yours and it has your name on it. It’s a Tiffany box, so I thought it might be something you want before your wedding.”
“Really? I wasn’t expecting anything.”
“I bet Dragon wanted to surprise you,” she says handing the box to me. There’s no tag on it, other than the signature Tiffany blue box and ribbon.
“Damn! Care Bear, how am I supposed to let you walk down the aisle looking like that?”
I look up to see Dancer and Dragon come to the door
. My eyes lock with Dragon’s. I see the worry etched in his face and I hate that I put it there. I can’t change it though, and the fact that he has now seen me before the ceremony on our wedding day just jumps out at me. Like we need any more bad luck.
“Dragon! You’re not supposed to see me!”
“Bullshit, you’re mine. I want to see you, then I see you.”
Damn man is so irritatingly cocky. It’s a good thing I love him.
“It’s bad enough we slept together last night, God knows we don’t need any more bad luck.”
“Woman, you are not spending a night out of my bed. It’s not happening. Same with the other shit. We’re not going to listen to old wives’ tales.”
I just shake my head. I could talk until I’m blue in the face and it wouldn’t do any good.
“Care Bear, I got something I want to talk to you about. Come outside with me for a bit by the church gazebo.”
“Something you want to talk to me about?” Carrie asks and I laugh as I watch Dancer move his eyebrows back and forth.
“Let’s go outside and we’ll talk about the first thing that pops up.”
Carrie seems confused for a minute and then slaps him playfully on the arm.
“You’re like a giant kid,” she says but I notice she lets him lead her from the room.
They laugh and joke as they leave and I smile. I’m glad they finally seem to be happy. I look up at Dragon and the smile freezes on my face. He’s tense and worried. I’ve seen that look too many times to mistake it now.
“What’s up?”
“Nothing, baby, I was just checking on you, I needed to see you.”
He’s lying. I know it. I decide to let him get away with it.
“No word on the men you have searching for Dani?”
He shakes his head and even though I knew the answer before I asked, the response still hurts.
“Come outside with me for a little bit. The men want to check the rooms and everything to make sure it’s safe.”
Trusting Bull: Savage Brothers MC Page 48
