by Nina Levine
Hyde pulled out his phone and dialled King. Leaving it on speaker, he said, “They’ve got something planned.”
I waited for King’s outburst. He’d been on edge for weeks and his moods revealed how tense he was. However, instead of a tirade, we got silence. And then—“Keep on him. I’ll arrange more men so we can put eyes on him 24/7.” We’d been spreading our guys thin watching a few different Silver Hell members, but keeping someone on Dragon full-time hadn’t been necessary because he hadn’t been involved in anything but sitting in their clubhouse issuing orders. Devil had called in his movements earlier that day when he’d left the clubhouse, causing King to send Hyde and me to watch him.
Hyde frowned. “You occupied, King?”
“Yeah.” His voice was tight. Reserved. Before we could ask any more questions, he said, “Call me if you have anything, otherwise I’m busy.”
“What the fuck?” Hyde asked to no one in particular when King abruptly ended the call.
I shrugged. “We’ll find out soon enough.”
Hyde stared at me. “Where’s your fucking head at these days, brother?”
I didn’t like the accusation I heard. Hyde had been riding my ass for days, and I’d had enough. “Where the fuck do you think it is?”
“I’ll tell you where it’s not. It’s not focused on your club, and that shit needs to stop today. We need you alert and ready at a moment’s notice, and I’m not convinced you’re any of those things.”
My shoulders tightened and I clenched my fists. I’d fucking knock him out if he kept this shit up. “I’m here every-fucking-day, from almost sun up to way past sun-fucking-down, Hyde. I’m giving everything to this club and I’m ready for whatever Silver Hell bring at us. I don’t know what the fuck’s gotten into you this week, but I’m goddam tired of you breathing down my fucking neck for something I haven’t done.”
His glare didn’t let up. “So that’s why you forgot to tell us that Silver Hell had a meeting with Sutherland this week and why you were late for Church two days ago. Yeah, I’d say your commitment is solid, Nitro.” He turned the keys in the ignition. “Sort your shit out and do it fast.”
* * *
I sat back in the armchair, wrapped my hand around my dick, and watched as Tatum came towards me. I’d been thinking about her all fucking day. Her sweet cunt was never far from my thoughts these days. Almost three weeks of fucking her daily, usually twice a day, and I had turned into a junkie. I craved being inside her in a way I’d never craved pussy. Hell, the fact I kept coming back for more even though I knew she’d never let me fuck her the way I wanted to, said a fuck of a lot.
“Been thinking about you today,” she said as she stood in front of me, positioning her feet on the floor either side of my legs.
I ran my eyes over her naked body and pressed a hand to her thigh, curling my fingers around her leg. I continued to slide my other hand up and down my dick. “Tell me what you were thinking.”
“I was wondering how it would feel if you fucked me bare.”
I gripped her leg harder and pumped my cock a little faster. Her voice was like a stream of sex floating all around me. She intoxicated me with that fucking voice, almost as much as she did with her scent and her touch and her taste. “You wanna feel my dick, skin-to-skin, Vegas?”
She bent and her legs slid along mine as she sat on me. I wished like hell I was naked, too. One thrust and I’d be inside her. She linked her hands around my neck. “I bet you’re thinking that if you didn’t have those jeans on right now, you’d be inside me already.”
Tatum’s mind worked in ways I appreciated. Smart as hell and dirty as fuck, she was in sync with me when it came to sex. Except when it came to letting me take my blade to her. “How about you take them off so I can show you how good I feel?”
She pressed her body hard against mine and brought her lips close to my mouth. So damn close I could feel her breath. Could practically taste her. “How about I drag this out so that by the time you show me how good it feels, you’re worked up as fuck and you bring your fury with you.”
I scooped her hair into my hand and tugged it. “My fury?”
She rocked into me. “Yeah,” she murmured, biting my bottom lip and sucking it into her mouth. “I like it when you slam that dick of yours into me like you’re trying to push it all the way through me.”
“Jesus,” I hissed. “You’re a dirty fucking girl, Vegas.”
Her eyes held mine. “I’m an honest fucking girl, Nitro. I don’t pussyfoot around when it comes to sex. I like cock and I fucking love yours. And I have no issues telling a guy how I like him to use his cock.”
Her honesty was something that drew me to her. I liked her no-bullshit approach to life. Letting go of her hair, I ran my hands down her back and cupped her ass when I reached it. Holding her tight, I pushed up out of the chair, taking her with me. Her legs wrapped around my body and I walked us into her bedroom.
I deposited her on the bed and then undid my jeans. Her eyes tracked my movements and her breathing picked up as she watched my clothes fall to the ground.
Lowering myself to the bed, I moved over her. I slid my dick through her wetness and said, “Do you know what I have no issues with?”
“What?” she panted.
“With a woman who tells me like it is. And whose cunt is as greedy as yours is for me.”
She folded her legs around me and clung tightly. “Well, I’m telling you right now, you need to get that dick inside me and you need to do it fast.”
My eyes searched hers. “I don’t have a condom on, Tatum.”
She knew what I was asking and what I was saying. At her nod and, “I know,” my restraint snapped and I thrust inside her exactly how she liked it. With all the fury I’d been living that day.
“Oh, God,” Tatum moaned, squeezing me harder. “Yes!”
Fuck, being inside Tatum was where I needed to be. It was as if I broke away from the world the minute I entered her. All the complicated shit in my life was left behind, all the worry eased, all the baggage I carried dropped. When I was deep in her, all I chased was the hush, the calm, the fucking peace that being with her brought me.
Her fingernails clawed down my back as I pounded into her. She met every thrust, taking it hungrily and pushing me for more. In return, I drove my dick as far into her as I could, as hard as I fucking could, giving her the fury she wanted.
I fucked her like a savage.
Wild.
Clawing at each other.
Teeth biting.
Breathless.
I didn’t hold anything back and neither did she. Our bodies collided in a violent rush of demand and desire. We both needed this. Almost as much as the air we breathed.
“Fuck… fuck… fuck,” she panted as she squeezed me deep inside her and came. Her eyes closed and she slowed her movements as she drew every drop of pleasure from her orgasm.
I’d watched Tatum come every single time I’d fucked her. I made a point never to miss it because she was so fucking beautiful when she had my dick buried inside making her feel good. It was the only time I saw the real Tatum, the one who let herself feel and experience everything happening to her. The rest of the time she held me at arm’s length, throwing wall after wall up at me. Guarding that cracked heart of hers. Not that I wanted her heart, but I wanted a peek inside. I wanted to know what made her so damn fearless and so fucking fragile all at the same time.
My balls tightened and I rammed into her one last time before coming inside her. Every muscle in my body tensed as the orgasm tore through me, releasing a fuckload of pent-up pressure.
I collapsed onto the bed beside her. Spent. Completely done for. It was the first time I’d ever fucked a woman without a condom and it was fucking amazing. Turning, I found her watching me, a look of absolute bliss on her face.
Smiling, she said, “I could give up exercise at the moment.”
“You want me to up my game, Vegas? I could work out those muscles o
f yours more often.”
She rolled my way, curling her arms into her body. “Fuck, I don’t think I could take it more than twice a day from you.”
“You wanna test that theory?”
Another smile on her lips. “You don’t give up easily, do you?”
“Never have, never will. What’s the point of life if you crack at the first sign of hardship.”
“Who taught you that? Your parents?”
I stared at her. We’d never talked much after sex. Usually we were both in a rush to get out the door in the morning or we passed out exhausted late at night. This was new and I wasn’t sure if it was a road I wanted to travel with her.
When I didn’t answer, she pushed me. “I’m actually not thinking it was your parents.”
That was enough for me to bite. “You’ve got it all figured out, have you?” My words came out a little harshly. She had no fucking clue what my parents taught me.
Reaching across the bed, she trailed a finger along my lips. “And there’s the Nitro I haven’t seen in a few weeks.”
Irritated, I sat up and threw my legs over the side of the bed. “Let’s not do this, Tatum.”
“Do what?”
Glancing back at her, I bit out, “Let’s not turn this into something it’s not.”
“Oh, so just because we fuck, we can’t talk?” Her voice rose, letting me know I’d pissed her off.
I stood and reached for my jeans. “You were never interested in talking before.”
She sat up and glared at me. “Yeah, well maybe I wanna talk now.” Moving off the bed, she came to me. “Maybe I’m interested to know stuff about the guy I’m screwing.”
I kept moving, doing up my jeans. I then grabbed my shirt off the floor and threw it over my head. When I was dressed with my boots on, I eyed her. “Maybe it’s time to call it quits. Neither of us wanted anything but sex, so let’s not push it.”
I exited her place without a backwards glance. I had to keep moving forward. Away. Getting myself involved with Tatum in any way other than just sleeping with her was a bad idea. I knew it in my gut. And I knew it in my fucking heart.
* * *
“What the hell crawled up your ass?” Renee demanded the next morning while we discussed the driving test she would be taking at some point. She wanted to do it soon, while I didn’t.
I scowled at her as I settled against the kitchen counter and took a gulp of coffee. Ignoring her question, I said, “I’m just saying that you’re gonna need a hell of a lot more practice before you go for your licence.”
She placed her hand on her hip and threw me a glare. “I’ve almost clocked up my hours. I’m a good driver. When are you going to admit that instead of being an asshole to me about how I need to get more practice in?”
I raked my fingers through my hair. “I never said you weren’t a good dri—”
“Yes, you did! Well, you insinuated it when you said I needed more hours up before you’d let me go for my test. And a head’s up, I don’t need your permission to sit my damn test. You’re not my father.”
Fucking hell. Renee knew how to fucking wound. Something she’d learnt from her mother. I gathered the shred of patience I had left for this conversation. If it had been anyone other than my niece, I would have lost my cool long ago. “I know I’m not your father,” I grit out. “But I’m the only father figure you’ve known, so you’ll listen when I’ve got something to say. You are a good driver, Renee, but the thousands of hours experience I have driving gives me a better perspective on this. I don’t want you out there on the roads with all the dickheads who don’t give a shit about you, your safety or your fucking life, until you’ve clocked up some more hours. And I don’t give a fuck if the government says you only need a hundred and twenty hours, I say you need more. You’re fucking precious to me and I’ll guard your life with everything I have, so that means this argument is over. I win.”
She stared at me in stunned silence.
I drank some more coffee and barked, “What?” Jesus, I swore if she kept pushing me, testing me, I really would lose my shit. It had been a rough night of little sleep after I’d left Tatum’s and I didn’t have the patience I usually did with her.
“That is maybe one of the nicest things you’ve ever said to me.” Her voice cracked and it looked like tears were pooling in her eyes. “I’m sorry I said that thing about you not being my dad. You mightn’t be my father but you practically raised me and I love you for it.” She broke down at that point, confusing the hell out of me. Where had that come from? Renee wasn’t one to cry easily.
I pulled her into my arms. “Fuck, kiddo, I know.” I was fucking useless when it came to this shit. It was a good thing I had no kids of my own because I’d fail them when it came to dealing with emotions. When she moved out of my embrace, I said, “What’s going on, Renee?”
She wiped the tears from her face. “Nothing. I’m just being stupid.”
When she tried to walk away, I grabbed her arm. “Don’t ever say that. You’re not stupid and nothing you feel is stupid.” I hated her reluctance to open up, but I hated more that Marilyn and I had taught her that. Because we had. Kids learnt from example. I knew that better than anyone, and the example we’d set was to shut down and avoid feelings.
Tears tracked down her cheeks again. Blinking through them and sniffling, she managed to get out, “It’s everything. Mum, life, your club, Dustin… it’s too much. I don’t know how to deal with it anymore.”
Fuck.
I scrubbed my hand over my face. Her words hit me in the gut. They rang true for me, too. Our fucked-up family and my club problems weighed me down like a tonne of bricks on my shoulders most days. The last few weeks had been a reprieve almost. The weight had felt bearable for some reason, but the heaviness had returned overnight. It caused my mood that morning and my lack of patience with Renee.
“I’m going to fix this, Renee.”
She stared at me as if she didn’t quite believe me. However, she nodded and said softly, “I hope so.”
It was the quiet desperation I heard in her voice that made me swear to myself that I would make good on my promise. No fucking way would I chance Renee living in the same darkness her mother did.
26
Tatum
“Scars” by Papa Roach
I exited the car park and headed towards the front door of the club. The warmth of the late September day spread across my back as I walked and inhaled the spring scent I loved. It was my favourite time of year. Right before the heat of summer. It could have been worse, I guessed. I could have lived in Queensland.
“Tatum, wait up,” Posey called out from behind.
I slowed and gave her a smile when she caught up. “Hey, girl, why are you here so early?” She wasn’t due at work for a few more hours.
“I had a hair appointment nearby. Didn’t want to make the drive home to then just come back.”
I eyed her long dark hair. “Looking good.” I took in her glow. “It’s good to see you looking so happy.”
She smiled. “Yeah, life is better and I have you to thank for that. Thank you for caring when so many wouldn’t have.” The genuine gratitude was clear in her voice.
“I’m glad.” This kind of exchange was awkward for me. It wasn’t often that anyone bothered to thank me for anything. Not even Billy half the time.
Thankfully, we were interrupted when Duvall joined us. Posey quickly excused herself, clearly nervous about being near him.
He watched her go. “She’s not a bad kid. Just got mixed up with the wrong guy.”
I laughed. “Kid? She’s not much younger than us.”
“Age doesn’t mean shit when your maturity levels are out of whack, Tatum.”
“That’s true.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “Why do you look so tired? They working you hard?”
He sighed. “When do they not?”
Duvall was a good-looking guy. Blond hair, a strong jaw, and blue eyes that saw more than anyo
ne knew gave him a face that women never forgot. And when they got a look at his tall, well-built body they threw themselves at him. The thing I respected the hell out of was the fact he never used any of those things to work his way through a string of women. Duvall was one of the good guys. His kindness and honesty were just a couple of the reasons I forgave his attitude towards me since I’d left the law. I knew he was disappointed in the choices I’d made for my life and that his disappointment manifested as moodiness or anger.
I jerked my chin at the club. “What brings you out here?”
His eyes held mine. “You.”
There was something in his tone that made me want to walk away from this conversation. But I didn’t. My friend deserved more than that. “What’s up?”
“How are you?”
Oh, God. I definitely did not want to have this conversation. Duvall liked to push me for more than I wanted to give. He came from a touchy-feely family who spewed their emotions all over the damn place. Great people, but I was out when it came to doing that. I gave him a smile, as if that would be enough. “I’m doing well.”
“Yeah, see that’s where I don’t believe you.” And out came the side of Duvall I didn’t like—his arrogant side. This was the Duvall who thought he knew better than me. He didn’t drag his arrogance out often, but when he did, I hated it because it usually ended in us having a fight.
I cocked my head, my annoyance flaring. “Why?” I challenged him, my tone one step away from bitchy.
“Tatum, don’t bullshit me. I see straight through it.”
“I don’t know what bullshit you think I’m feeding you, or why you think that, but I’m telling you that I’m okay and life is good.”
He raked his fingers through his hair and muttered, “Fuck.” He paused for a beat before throwing out, “I’ve seen the footage of you leaving the casino with that asshole biker, so I bloody know you are not okay.”
