“No. He might suspect, but he doesn’t know.”
“How can you be so sure?” Her worried look would have been adorable had the situation been a little less grave.
He shot her a pointed look. “Because. I’m still alive. If Jack knew, he wouldn’t have hesitated to use that gun that he keeps hidden in the back of his pants.”
“Jack doesn’t-”
“Jack always considered himself a bad guy, I think, but in reality, he isn’t that bad at all. Never was. He’s just about the only guy I know who could actually go full on domestic with a wife and a job and live in the suburbs for god’s sake.”
“So maybe he did know and he didn’t want to splatter your brains all over the wall. That would really upset my sister and all. She’s already thrown up once tonight. Don’t need that happening again.”
Her innocent words froze him. He pushed himself, though it required most of his strength, up into a sitting position. “Did you say she threw up?” Something about Jack’s words from earlier, the look on his face… it all made sense.
“Yeah. She wasn’t feeling well.”
“Okay- you need to tell me your name right now.”
His goddess shifted in the chair, clearly uncomfortable at the intensity all of a sudden. It was like the air had been sucked clean out of the room. She fidgeted for a minute, toying with the book in her hands.
“Kate,” she finally whispered, all of her coy, easy confidence long gone. “It’s Kate.”
“Kate.” He tried the name on his tongue. He liked that. It was a sensible name, a strong name. A beautiful, resilient kind of name. “Kate,” he said again.
“Yeah. It’s Kate. Don’t keep saying it like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like it tastes good.”
“I’m not the one who just made a show earlier of licking-”
“Stop.” Her eyes shot daggers. “Don’t bring that up again. That was a mistake. I was angry and uh- something else and it’s never going to happen again.”
“What was the something else?”
Kate threw down the book. “God, you’re annoying. Did anyone ever tell you that? I liked you better when you were asleep.”
“And I liked you better when you were on top of me.”
She pursed her lips and shook her head. “Yeah. I’ll bet you did. Keep dreaming. Never going to happen again. You only get one massive lapse in judgment per lifetime. That one was yours.”
“Actually, I think it was yours.”
“No, well, it was mine, but it was also yours, since it happened to you. Don’t push me. I still have that gun behind me on the dresser.” Her eyes strayed to it and he knew she’d get there faster than he ever could. She knew it too. She also knew that he would never try.
“Okay. Well, I have something to tell you, Kate, that you’re not going to like. It makes it even more important for me to get out of here as soon as possible.”
“Why?” Her lips parted. “Why- what do you- okay. Just spit it out. I’m done with the games for tonight.”
“Technically, since we’re in the early hours of the morning, it’s actually a new day.”
Kate leaned forward, hair falling over her shoulder in a lush black cascade. Her eyes glittered and her lips turned up in a mockery of a smile. “You know, you should tell me about what you mentioned earlier. Those techniques you use that you enjoy so much more than killing someone.”
“Never said I enjoyed them. I said they were more effective.”
She batted her long, thick eyelashes. “Well, you should teach me a few of them. I’d really like to use them on you right fucking now!” The last words were spoken with angry emphasis and all of her fake niceness fled. “You better start talking. Tell me whatever it is you have to say.”
“Uh- you’re not- you’re not going to like it. It’s going to make you worry more. Maybe I shouldn’t tell you if you don’t already know.”
“Just spit it out!” Tia glanced at the roof above them and lowered her voice, clearly aware that there were other people in the house. “Just tell me. It’s the last time I’m going to ask nicely.”
“Or what? You’ll get the kitchen scissors and cut my balls off?”
“Is that one of your techniques? I could see how that would make someone talk.”
He grinned, actually genuinely enjoying himself. God, he could do this all day. Spar with her. Engage in a battle of wits. Throw her onto the bed and bury his face in her sweet pussy. Fuck her senseless after. He could definitely do that all day. All day and all night. It didn’t sound like a bad life. He’d have to remember to include that in his proposal when he asked her, or rather, told her, that she was coming with him.
“Jesus, no, I don’t cut people’s balls off,” he said when he realized she was waiting for an answer. “I just said that since it seems right up your alley with all the knives and guns you’ve already threatened my cock with.”
She smirked at him. “Turns out all I needed was my hand.”
He actually rolled his eyes. It hurt, but he did it anyway. “Ha fucking ha. That’s real fucking funny.”
“Just tell me what you know about my sister. Now. Did Jack say something?”
“He didn’t. Not exactly. I can just- tell. I’ve known him for a while. I’m good at reading people. That’s what I did at the club.”
“Read people?”
“Sort of. I sort of- was good at finding people. Tracking them down.”
“So you did that and let the other guys do the dirty work? The clean up?” She stared at him, clearly disgusted. With him.
He didn’t like that look on her face. He didn’t like the judgment and condemnation in her eyes. “Look,” he huffed, rising to the bait when normally he would have played it cool. “You grew up in a different world than I did. You were always safe with a good family, I bet. You always had someone there to fall back on. You had nice things, nice parents, a nice life. You still do. So don’t sit there and pass judgment on me. Because I didn’t have any of those things. I survived some shit you wouldn’t be able to stand for a minute, let alone years.”
Kate’s face settled into a hard expression. She chewed on her bottom lip. “Alright,” she finally sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m just- tired. Like I said. Frustrated.”
“Sexually frustrated?”
“No!” She said sharply then glanced up again and moderated her voice. “No. I- I’m just- tired. My emotions are completely frayed from all of this. It’s the lack of sleep, I swear. It led me to make a very shitty decision earlier.”
“One you don’t regret.”
“One I definitely regret.” She sighed. “Now. Please. My sister... before I really do go get the kitchen scissors.”
“If you cut my balls off, you’d miss them.”
“What? Why would I miss your balls?” She couldn’t completely hide the regret in her eyes, like she really would miss them when he left.
“Well, because if you cut them off now, you’re going to regret that when it comes time for kids.”
“Kids?” Her mouth fell open and her eyes widened. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“See, this is the thing. I told you earlier that you’re mine. You’ve always been mine. You just don’t know it yet.”
“And I told you that you’re full of shit.”
He nodded. “Right. You did. I’m still not taking no for an answer. When I go, you’re coming with me.”
Kate stared at him hard. The only sign she’d even heard him was the slight flare of her nostrils. Then she slapped a hand over her mouth to smother her hysterical laughter. She shook with it, rocked back and forth, grabbed at her stomach with her free hand. Afterwards, she wiped tears from her beautiful glacier eyes.
“Oh god. Oh my god. That’s hilarious. You should do stand up. Your sense of humor is just so- so crazy. Oh wow. I can’t believe you just said that.” She stared hard at him for a minute. “You were joking, right? Trying to get a rise out of m
e? That’s what this whole thing has been about? The whole I’m yours bullshit? I thought that was just to get in my pants, but you’ve already pretty much done that, with your face at least, so I thought you’d drop it after. Especially since I already said there is no chance of that happening again.”
Creed smiled right along with her. He let her have her fun. She’d come around. He only needed a day to convince her. Which was a good thing, because he was sure that’s all he had.
“I’ll tell you something else that you’re going to find funny. And not in the haha sort of way.”
“What?” Kate was back to staring at him, guarded, waiting for whatever terrible thing he was obviously going to come up with next.
“Your sister…” She leaned forward, hanging on every single word. “She’s pregnant.”
Chapter 11
KATE
Jack left early that morning, before the sun was even up, confirming what Creed had said about him not going to work. Tia popped into the room at just after seven to say goodbye. She looked better. Still pale, but there was a bit of color in her cheeks.
Kate wanted to call her back, to demand to know if it was true, to ask why she hadn’t told her yet, but she let her sister go.
They had time for that after. After Creed was gone.
The stab of pain in her chest was sudden and unexpected. He needs to go. It was never in dispute that he was going to leave. Kate was shocked only at her reaction to the thought of his massive frame not filling out that bed. She’d watched him on and off for days, while he was unconscious, fighting for his life.
She’d spent the better part of the night, after Creed fell into an exhausted sleep, battling her own fatigue. She needed to stay awake. To keep watch. Not to watch him. There was a difference.
After Tia popped into the room and left, Kate unfolded her limbs out of the chair, which had long ago become uncomfortable. It wasn’t meant to be sat or slept in, it was meant for office work. She cast one last sidelong glance at Creed before she left the room.
He was still sleeping, his short hair mashed up on the side he’d spent most of the night facing, his features calm and serene. He breathed deeply and evenly, his chest and shoulders rising and falling, the sheets rising and falling. The bruising all over his body was fading.
Kate gave herself a shake. She shouldn’t stand in the doorway and watch him sleep. After she’d spent all night doing just that. He’d drifted off, powerless to fight the rest he so badly needed.
She steered herself towards the kitchen, where she made a fresh pot of coffee. She was so tired, her brain wrapped up in layers of fog, that she didn’t hear the soft footsteps until they were right behind her. She gasped as a set of strong hands encircled her waist and drew her into a granite wall. A very naked granite wall.
“Oh my god.” She pulled away and stalked forward, shutting all the blinds in the kitchen. “What the fuck? You can’t just walk around the place naked. The neighbors will see.”
Creed laughed low in his throat. The deep, rumbly sound did something to her belly. “So what if they see? I’m sure it’s not the first naked neighbor in the place.”
“No one walks around like that in the suburbs. You’re lucky someone didn’t see and call the cops.”
“Call the cops? Is it a crime here to be naked in your own house?”
“That’s the thing. They’d know this isn’t your house. This is Jack and Tia’s house. They’d think you’re some weird naked burglar or something.”
Creed laughed again, his shoulders shaking. Kate tried very hard to keep her eyes on his face, but they dipped down once and- holy shit. It was pretty evident that Creed was ready to pick up where he’d left off the night before.
“Uh-uh,” she shook her head. “That,’ she pointed at his fully erect cock, which was so hard it stood up nearly vertical against the planes of his stomach. “That is not happening again. We had this talk already.”
Creed’s dark eyes shone in response to her words. He titled his head and set his jaw, clearly too stubborn or thick headed to actually hear what she was saying. “No. You had that talk. You tried to sit there and give me all the reasons that I’m allowed to make you feel good. I didn’t say I agree with them.” He stepped closer and Kate edged back, against the counter. “You’re only delaying the inevitable. You’re mine, Kate.”
“Yeah, got that. I’ve always been yours.” She put on a deep voice and mocked him. “But get this. This is a memo of my own. I’m not yours. I’ve never been yours. I’ll never be yours. So get over yourself, go find a fucking pair of pants somewhere, and then we can have a cup of coffee like normal, decent people.”
The light in Creed’s eyes never wavered. If anything, it intensified. He took another step closer, hemming Kate in, trapping her between the counter and his hard body. She froze and when she tried to take a deep breath to calm her racing heart, she found that she could barely force anything into her lungs.
“What if I don’t want to be decent? You already know that I’m not like other people.”
Kate attempted to roll her eyes. She reached back and slammed her hands against the cupboards to brace herself. Her chest heaved wildly. So much for pretending that he doesn’t affect me.
Of course he knew. He inhaled, scenting her fear and her reluctant desire that was so obvious. Creed grinned. “I know that you don’t want to be like anyone else either.” He brushed his index finger lightly over her collarbones and Kate shivered. “You still have the same clothes on from last night. Don’t be shy. I already know what’s underneath.”
“And it’s yours,” she snapped, mocking him again.
“Yes.” His finger dragged a line of fire up her neck, tilting her chin up. “It’s mine.”
His other hand tangled in her hair. He ran his fingers through the knots she hadn’t combed out from the night before and pinpricks of pain bloomed over her scalp. She should have fought him, pulled away from his touch, but it felt too damn good. It felt too damn right. That scared the shit out of her. The rightness of it. The fact that she wanted his touch more than she wanted to breathe. Not just wanted, she needed him and she’d never needed anyone before.
Creed stared down at her, his eyes focused on her mouth. They were hot and needy and full of desire. The look on his face made her body ache. The shit they’d done the night before, left unfinished, her body wanted him to give her everything that he hadn’t been able to do the night before when they were interrupted. Her head might say yes, but her body said something else entirely. Her heart said something else.
What the fuck? My heart? Give me a break. It might be ridiculous, but the thought was a hard one to shake and the feeling was even worse.
Kate froze. She couldn’t form another witty comeback or do anything to push him away. She was too shocked at herself to do anything other than stand there.
Creed let his hand fall away from her hair. He reached down and gently tugged her shirt over her head. She had to raise her arms to help him and she was able to do that, as though she was functioning on autopilot. He peeled her leggings away after, throwing them to the side.
She stood, just as naked as he was. Creed stepped between her legs and she parted them to let him. He cupped her face in his hands and growled against her lips.
“If you want out of this, tell me now. Run now, because after I have you, I’m not letting you go. You’re not going to want me to let you go. You’re going to want me over and over and over again.”
“Yes, I know all about your confidence,” she choked, trying to find some shred of wit to use against him. “I also know about how you came in my hand like a teenage boy.”
“That was a compliment,” he rasped, breath hot on her cheek.
Kate shivered hard. Her heart hammered wildly. “Oh? A compliment, hmm?”
“It was just a taste.” His tongue traced her bottom lip and Kate’s insides clenched hard. Her heart went wild.
“A taste. Yeah, it was a taste, alright.”
“Kate…” Creed groaned as he nipped her bottom lip. Her body went from being turned on to just about rocketing through the fucking ceiling. “I’ll warn you, I want you so much that I’ll try and be slow and gentle, but the first time is probably going to be fast and hard.”
“So just like last night. Except instead of my hand you’re going to be inside of me.” He groaned against her lips and she nearly smiled at the small victory.
“Yes, I’ll be inside of you. I’ll fuck you again and again and again. I’m not going to stop until you’re soaking wet.”
“Don’t- uh- shouldn’t I be soaking wet before we even start? You know, so it doesn’t chafe?”
He pressed in against her, his knee jamming up against her sex and all she could do was not to writhe against him to try and diminish the horrible ache. “I wasn’t talking about that. You’ll be wet because you’ll be dripping with my-”
“Okay. Whoa there. God, you have a filthy mouth.”
“I’d ask you to taste it and let me know if you like it, but I know you already do.”
Obviously, he was done with talking, because his mouth crashed over hers. Kate lost it. Her hands scrabbled at his neck, pulling him into her as she kissed him furiously. His tongue thrust through the seam of her lips and danced with hers. He stroked it in hot, erotic motions. She was so wet between her damn legs that when she pressed up against Creed’s leg, she slid around there, creating a delicious friction that she so desperately longed for.
He kissed her like a demon, eating at her mouth, sucking and pulling back, panting, groaning, nipping at her, licking her. It drove her wild and she ground shamelessly against him. Her hand slipped down between them. She gripped his cock and tried to maneuver him over. She needed him inside of her, desperately. She needed him to do what he said he would and fuck her senseless.
Even if it was wrong. Wrong for so many reasons. It felt so fucking right.
His body went rigid when her hand closed around his thick shaft. His hands closed around her waist and she expected him to lift her up onto the counter. She was surprised when he turned her around. He bent her over and her hands slapped the granite counter top. A few inches away, the coffee maker burbled along happily, dripping a steady stream of hot black liquid into the pot below. Sunlight streamed through the cracks in the shuttered blinds, sending little slants of sunlight over her hands. Small dust motes danced in the golden streams.
Lonely Rider - The Box Set: A Motorcycle Club Romance - The Complete Series Page 34
