HANDS OFF MY BRIDE

by Claire St. Rose

  But so quickly, the noise was over.

  “What’s the plan if the Soul Stealers lose?” James whispered to Charlie. He had his back to the other man, and was staring at the door.

  “Yeah,” Charlie said, raising his gun and aiming it at the back of James' head, “about that.”

  “No!” Dakota screamed and she launched herself at Charlie, knocking the man over. But it didn’t matter; a single shot had been fired. It had slammed James Hastings forward and splintered the door. Dakota turned and saw her godfather slump down face-first into a puddle of blood.

  “Get off me, bitch,” Charlie said, shoving Dakota and pointing the gun at her.

  Dakota scrambled back, and that was when Joey stood and pulling a short blade from inside his pocket, jamming it into the other man’s side and grabbing the gun in one swift motion. Charlie screamed out in pain and fell to the floor, leaving Joey standing over him with a thin blade in his left hand.

  “Is it over?” Dakota asked, staring stunned at the violence and bloodshed around them.

  “Yeah, it’s over,” Joey said as the white door was kicked in, and Adam ran into the room, his gun drawn.

  CHAPTER FORTY

  It took one ferocious kick from Adam, and then it was done. The door crashed down and he raced into the small room, and then stopped as he saw the chaos that waited inside. Two men struggled on the floor; Joey standing over them both with a knife, and Dakota slumped on the floor. Everything was covered in blood and Adam couldn’t tell where it had come from, who was bleeding.

  “I’m okay and she’s okay,” Joey said, as his entire body sagged. There was a dull clatter as the thin blade he had snuck away from the Soul Stealers fell to the floor. He staggered and leaned against a wall and Mike and Ronnie rushed in, supporting him between their arms and taking him outside.

  “Someone should call an ambulance,” Dakota said as she stood shakily to her feet. Adam looked at her stunned. Her clothes were splattered with blood, she was pale, but she didn’t look weak or scared; she looked brave and strong.

  Adam nodded and then he couldn’t stop himself. In two steps he was on her, wrapping his arms around her, enveloping her in his strong embrace. He held her tight against his chest and he felt her body go weak beneath him as she muffled a sob into his shirt and when she began to shake, he only held her tighter.

  “It was James,” she whispered.

  For a moment Adam was confused, who was James, what was she talking about? From behind him he heard a grunt, still holding Dakota Adam turned and looked down. One of the men grunted and half sat up, holding his side where blood was pouring out. It took him a moment to recognize the handsome face and the perfect suit underneath the mess. But yes, there he was, James Hastings. The man who had told Adam he should never contact Dakota again. It had been him, the man who had hired Scarred Angels. James had been behind all of the attacks, everything that had happened. In a twisted way, it made perfect sense; no one was going to question the man who had hired the protection, the one who seemed so kind and caring.

  “Take them out, clear the building, and call an ambulance,” Adam instructed as members of Scarred Angels roughly took the men by their arms and pulled them out of the room, ignoring their cries of pain. “You, too,” he whispered to Dakota, kissing the top of her head. She nodded and pulled herself away, hastily wiping the tears from her face. “You didn’t need to do this,” Adam continued. “You didn’t need to come here and pay for Joey’s release. I never would have hurt you or your father, and neither would anyone in Scarred Angels. They were mad, but they shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

  “I know,” Dakota said with a nod. “I just wanted it to be over.”

  “It’s over now,” Adam said, putting his hand on the small of her back and guiding her out of the room and out into the parking lot. The bikes were still a wall of light and the Soul Stealers were still hogtied on the ground in front of the building.

  “Everyone’s out, boss,” Adam heard someone say and he nodded as he walked over to Joey, whose bruised and battered face somehow looked even worse than the picture.

  “You look awful,” Adam said to his oldest friend.

  “Really?” Joey responded. “I feel great. Let’s hit the town, make it an all-nighter,” he said, swaying on his feet.

  “An ambulance and cops are on the way. They’ll be here in fifteen,” someone said.

  “Let’s do this then. You get the honors,” Adam said to Joey.

  Together, Adam, Joey and the members of Scarred Angels poured gas over the building, while other cleared the area around the building. The bikers and their hostages travelled farther down the lane, away from the clubhouse. In the end, it was only Dakota, Adam, and Joey standing in the gasoline soaked clubhouse of the Soul Stealers. It was as dilapidated and sad as ever, and no one regretted what was about to happen.

  They walked out to the front porch and then down to the gravel walkway. Adam handed Joey a pack of matches. Without hesitation Joey lit the pack and tossed it into the clubhouse. The flame sat there for a moment, burning away, and then it caught the gasoline and the group watched as the flame spread from the floors to the walls to roof and then the entire building was aflame as they turned and walked away.

  “Shame about that building,” Joey said. “Going up in flames for no reason.”

  “It definitely wasn’t up to code,” Dakota said as her hand found Adam’s and together she and Joey filled him in on James's plan and Charlie’s place in it. Adam couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t believe the selfishness of a man like James Hasting. The Kanes had saved his company, and out of jealousy had tried to have them killed.

  By the time they reached the rest of the gang farther down the dirt road they could hear the cry of ambulances and police sirens and soon enough the howl of a fire truck. Adam sent the members of Scarred Angels home, all but Joey and Bill, who were sitting next to each other on the ground comparing wounds.

  “I’m so sorry I got you shot,” Dakota said to Bill, kneeling down next to him.

  “Actually, it sounds like you saved my life,” Bill said. “According to Joey, that man was aiming at James Hastings’ head, which is at the same level as my head. It would have been a kill shot had you not tackled him like a linebacker.”

  Adam watched as Dakota gave her uncle a grateful smile. True or not, it made her feel better and Adam was again surprised by his uncle’s kindness. As the police and ambulances travelled down the lane Adam reached down and ran his hands over Dakota’s back.

  “Can we go back to your house now?” she asked, looking at him with those beautiful eyes of hers.

  “Of course,” he answered, taking her hand in his.

  CHAPTER FORTY ONE

  “You came to Echo Lane alone?” Dakota must have heard that questions a thousand times as she watched the club headquarters of the Soul Stealers burn down to nothing.

  “Yes,” she answered with a sigh. “They had taken a friend hostage. I had come to pay the ransom.” She told her story a thousand different ways. The only lie she told that night was about the burning of the clubhouse. “No idea what happened. It just lit up. Somebody must have been careless with a cigarette, or something.” Fortunately, no one seemed too interested in the details of the fire. Another slum in Echo Lane burned to the ground, the sad reality of how the neighborhood was treated.

  Eventually she and Adam were told they could leave. The members of the Soul Stealers were untied, rounded up, and taken into custody. Over half of them had outstanding warrants for everything from late child support to attempted murder. Her clothes reeked of smoke from the fire and Dakota was sure she had never felt this tired before.

  Standing by her car, she watched as Adam shook Detective Evans’ hand. He looked so strong and confident, like a general who had been victorious in that day’s battle, not a single man lost. He was like no one Dakota had ever met, or ever would meet again. Now, all she had to do was make sure nothing came between them ever aga
in.

  “Bill and Joey are at the hospital,” Adam said as he walked over to her. “Nothing too serious; they should be able to go home tomorrow.”

  “I’m so glad,” Dakota said with a sigh. “I don’t know how I would live with myself if something happened to them.”

  “Hey,” Adam said, tilting her chin up so she was forced to look him in the eye. “None of this was your fault. None of it.” She nodded and smiled, but she couldn’t quite believe him. Her wealth brought her so much: a lovely house, the world’s best education, travel, everything; but it came with its own cost. She would always be a target; there would always be people who hated her because of her family’s money. All she could do was surround herself with people who loved her for who she was, people who would fight for her, who would travel to Echo Lane with an army for her.

  That night, Dakota drove to Adam’s house with Adam on his bike following her. It reminded her of the time he had caught her roughing up a teddy bear outside the Kane Home for Young Boys. Just like that night, he travelled behind her, occasionally driving beside her when the road opened to two lanes. She watched him in her rearview mirror, wondering how she had ever resented his presence. Now she never wanted to be parted from him ever again.

  It was near four in the morning when they finally reached home. Dakota managed to stagger into the house and up the stairs, already feeling so familiar in his home. She stripped off her filthy clothes and watched as Adam did the same. Together they ran a hot shower and let the warm water wash away everything that had happened to them. They cleaned each other, washing each other’s hair, running soap up and down their tired bodies. Finally, once clean, they collapsed into bed together, falling asleep almost the moment their heads hit the pillow.

  It was one in the afternoon when Dakota woke to the sensation of strong hands running up and down her back and squeezing her backside. She smiled into the pillow, but otherwise didn’t move. She enjoyed his touch too much to interrupt it. His warm hands made her skin tremble and, finally, she couldn’t stop a pleasant sigh from escaping her lips.

  She turned over onto her back and looked at Adam in the bed next to her. His hair was messy and his beard had grown thicker; how long had it been since he last shaved? She wondered. She reached out with her hand and stroked his cheek, letting her fingers play in the stubble.

  “Good afternoon,” he said.

  “Afternoon? What time is it?” Dakota asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

  “A little after one,” Adam answered as his hands resumed the exploration of her body. He ran them up and down her thighs, over her stomach, tracing the outline of her breast, and coming up to caress her cheek.

  “After college I promised myself no more sleeping into the afternoon.”

  “I think, after last night, we can make an exception,” Adam said.

  Dakota half sat up and took a drink from the bottle of water on the nightstand. She stretched out her arms once before snuggling back down into the bed. She was still exhausted; she was ready to sleep for years. But Adam’s hands, travelling up and down her body were becoming preferable to sleep. She couldn’t help but move her body to accommodate him, to give him better access to all the places she wanted him to touch.

  It felt right to be in this bed with him. She had only been in his house a few times, but already she was so familiar with it. She knew the way the light hit the windows and what his sheets smelled like. These things had become familiar to her in such a short amount of time.

  Adam pulled himself up, so he was leaning on his elbow, his face hovering above hers, and he leaned down and kissed her, his tongue slipping into her mouth as his hand squeezed her breast. Dakota pushed up against him. She had missed his touch, had been worried that she would never feel it again. But here she was, in his bed, and he wanted her more than ever.

  Adam leaned over and kissed her neck, holding her shoulders and pulling her closer. The scruff on his neck scratched pleasantly against the sensitive skin and Dakota moaned in pleasure as his tongue swiped across her skin. He nibbled his way down her neck and brought his mouth to her nipple, sucking and biting as Dakota ran her hands through his hair. She was wearing a t-shirt and nothing else and Adam easily slipped it off of her. His hands slowly travelled from one breast to another, the light touch of his fingers giving her goosebumps as she closed her eyes and sighed. He brought his lips down to her breast and kissed them delicately, running his tongue over her nipples and then biting down gently causing her to gasp.

  His left hand travelled farther down and found that space between her legs. He teased the delicate skin of the inside of her thighs and ran his fingers over her folds, teasing her. Dakota couldn’t help but move her hips, encouraging his touch to go deeper. He brought his head up from her breast and kissed her deeply as his fingers separated her and slipped inside. His fingers moved inside of her, finding her nub and stroking it gently.

  “Yes,” Dakota whispered. Her eyes were closed; her entire body was focused on his touch, on the movement of his fingers inside of her. But his touch was light and teasing, his fingers at times barely touching her at all, driving her wild. She moved her hips against him and kissed him deeply, begging him for more.

  Finally she couldn’t take it anymore and she sat up, gently, pushing him down onto the bed. She ran her hands down to his boxers and felt the length and girth of his erection. He moaned as her fingers teased him, running up and down his shaft, toying with the tip. Then she threw one leg over him, straddling him and she leaned down to kiss him as her hips began to move up and down, his erection, still trapped beneath his boxers grazing against her and she shuddered from the sensation.

  She began to grind herself against him, kissing him deeply, her body moving on its own accord. Now it was Adam’s turn to be teased and he grabbed her hips and her ass, encouraging her to press harder against him as he moaned her name into her shoulder.

  “I want you,” he whispered to her. “I want to be inside of you.”

  “Yes,” Dakota responded and she moved off of him, her fingers finding the waistband of his boxers as she pulled them off of him and tossed them in a corner. She straddled him again. This time, she held his cock and guided it inside of her, gasping as her body stretched to accommodate him. His hands were on her lower back and grabbing her ass, pushing and pulling her as Dakota began to move on top of him, feeling the length of him as she moved.

  She was already wet for him and as she moved she felt her passion grow inside of her. Adam held on to her tightly, pulling her down so their bodies were pressed together. She buried her face in his shoulder as her hips continued to thrust against him. “Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, Adam, yes.” His grip on her back grew tighter as she heard him release a groan and his thrust grew harder and deeper. Dakota pushed back against him as she felt her orgasm grow so great inside of her that she wasn’t sure she could take much more. But she couldn’t stop either. She felt him thrust deep inside of her and she could not stop from crying out. She was so close, moving with him, their bodies in perfect harmony as she lost control as her body pushed and pulled against him desperate for that release only he could give.

  She cried out loudly as she grew closer, her entire body feeling like it was made of flames, and Adam was holding onto her tightly as her pleasure began to consume her. With one last thrust, Dakota felt herself pushed over the edge. Her orgasm took control of her body and she heard Adam cry out and she shuddered and shook as her orgasm ripped through her. She felt herself finish until finally she lay on top of him, exhausted, but satisfied.

  After a few moments, Dakota pulled herself off Adam and collapsed next to him, both out of breath from what had just happened. He felt his hand find hers and squeeze it and she turned her head to smile at him.

  “Hey,” he said, her hand still in his. “Last night, I realized something.”

  “What was that?” Dakota asked.

  “I love you,” he answered. “Somewhere in that fight last night, I realiz
ed it. I love you. I want to be with you.”

  Dakota sat up and looked at him, a smile stretching across her face. “I love you, too.”

  CHAPTER FORTY TWO

  “Coffee?” Adam whispered to Dakota. He could feel himself drifting off again and he needed to be awake.

  “Yes, please,” she whispered. Her eyes were closed, too, and he knew she was just as tired as he was.

  “Don’t move,” Adam whispered. He pulled on sweatpants and a shirt and went downstairs to brew a pot of coffee, returning a few minutes later with two steaming cups. Dakota was sitting up, resting against the headboard. She was still undressed, with a blanket covering her chest. Adam smiled as he handed her the cup and sat down in bed next to her, her head falling on his shoulder.

  “You know, you’ve never actually asked me out.” Dakota said. “And, yet, here I am lying in your bed.”