by LS Anders
He just knew he was a dead man. He’d witness twelve simultaneous murders. There was no way Vex was going to let him live.
To his surprise, he was left alone with Lucian who tried to smooth things over, making up excuses for what he had thought he’d seen. He’d been reassured he wasn’t going to be killed for what he’d witnessed. Lucian had actually laughed at that which was not the least bit humorous. Why would he be killed when all he’d seen was a simple case of mass murder? The bikers had obviously taken a fight out back. The fight went south and all twelve perished in the upset. And, a stray dog had been running from the all the commotion.
Yeah, right.
It seemed more like Vex had pulled off some kind of fucked up hypnosis, making the men all shoot each other. And, the wolf? Yeah, Lucian said it was a stray dog. Maybe, but it didn’t look like any dog he had ever fucking seen. And, there was still the question of Sevin’s disappearing act and how he’d managed to make it back to the studio before they had. Let’s not forget Lucian’s miraculous speed with which he had made to the tea shop to save Evana.
The whole night had been fucked up. The only good thing was that Evana was safe, and she had twelve less Satan’s Disciples members to worry about. The rest were still out there, and he didn’t have a clue how many in total there were.
Evana trembled again. Even her teeth chattered her in sleep. She had finally agreed to a sleeping pill and had fallen asleep less than half an hour ago.
He pulled the blanket up higher on her shoulders, pressing her back in tighter to his chest as he spooned her. Even in sleep, she was haunted by all the drama.
First, Ryder’s fumbled break-in and now the MC had finally caught up to her after years of looking over her shoulder.
The woman needed a goddamn break from all the drama. They needed to take a long vacation once this was all over.
No. Not we. There was no we. Only her and him. Separate. Not together.
For his own sanity, he needed to remember that.
Despite the sleeping pill, that had been the worst night’s sleep Evana had had in a while, and she’d bet it was the same for Jason, too.
Carefully lifting his arm away, she scooted off the bed. Furrowing his brow at the loss of her body, Jason rolled over onto his back, but didn’t wake up.
She studied his handsome face while he slept. He looked so damn tired. Twin ditches formed between his brows as if he were mulling over something major while he slept.
Jason had told her that all the members that had been following her were dead. She had a creepy feeling there was something else to the story he wasn’t sharing. His eyes were too round as if he were spooked, and his hair was standing up on end as if he had been plowing his hands through the stuff trying to figure something out. That usual mischievous sparkle had been absent. Always ready with a witty remark or a joke, there was nothing funny about what he had told her.
Those guys at Mythical Ink were a force to be reckoned with. That huge one in particular. When Vex had pulled off his shirt, she hadn’t known what to think. Then she’d recognized her late husband’s art displayed on his back.
She hadn’t remembered him coming in the shop, but Kyle had so many clients, she couldn’t have recalled them all. But, someone that looked like him would have left a lasting impression.
Her empty stomach rolled over onto itself. A reminder she hadn’t eaten much of anything that evening. She figured Jason would wake up hungry too, since he’d only picked at a cold roast beef sandwich Cale had stashed for him in the hotel fridge.
Padding over to the desk, she found the room service menu. Looking over the selections, she couldn’t decide. As quietly as possible, she called in the order and gingerly sat next to Jason on the bed while she waited for their breakfast to arrive.
She fondly thought of how Vehn, Cale, and Gabriel had taken such good care of her last night, playing the part of her personal bodyguards.
All three were in the adjoining room next door, and she couldn’t help but wonder which of the two were sharing one of the queen sized beds. She’d guess Cale and Gabriel. Those two had been like brothers ever since Gabriel had started to work at the shop just a few months ago.
A knock at the door had Jason whipping off the covers and jumping to his feet.
“It’s probably room service. I called in breakfast a few minutes ago.”
Jason eyed her while pulling the gun out from where he’d stashed it under the mattress.
“Let me check to be sure.” Jason crept over to the door and leaned in close to the peephole. “Did you order me pancakes?”
“Um…yes.” The smile that creased her face felt foreign.
It was absurd that the man could be concerned over what food items she’d selected after everything that had happened the night before while wielding a gun.
It seemed like a lifetime ago that she felt any kind of humor whatsoever. Jason had that effect on her. He was good for her. A positive force in her life that seemed to brighten her day no matter how gloomy her mood.
The black cloud that always hung over her head had descended and wrapped itself around her the day he left to work at Mythical Ink. The mourning shroud she’d donned after Kyle’s death tightening, hugging her close in its morose grip.
She might have lost Kyle to death, but Jason wasn’t lost to her. Now was her chance to tell him how she felt, but she wasn’t sure how to broach the subject. Worried he hadn’t returned the sentiment when she’d told him last night, she was going to take Avie’s advice and try and salvage the mess that she’d made. Maybe it wasn’t too late for them.
Tucking the gun into the back of his pants, Jason opened the door as the hotel employee rolled in the cart and left.
Beyond empty, the aroma of food had her stomach clenching up tight. She was going to need to take it slow and easy on the eats, or she was likely going to be hugging the toilet.
Lifting the domes off all the plates, Jason whistled low. “You expecting a small army?”
Smiling again, she was actually beginning to feel lighter. “I wasn’t sure what to order, so I just picked a variety.”
“You sure as hell did.”
Taking a seat at the little table in the room, she had chosen one of the plates with the scrambled eggs and toast. A safe choice for her churning insides.
Jason sat across from her setting two plates of food on the table before going back for the plastic coffee carafe. Carrying back two cups, he filled them both and pushed one in her direction.
“Thanks.”
“Sure.”
“Not for the coffee,” she said, quickly glancing up at him.
A look of confusion was sent her way as he took his seat across from her.
“Thanks for coming to my rescue. Again,” she said, picking at her eggs with her fork. Maintaining eye contact with him was impossible. “Why are you always saving me?”
“Maybe because you need me, and you just won’t admit it to yourself.” Jason’s jest wasn’t far from the actual truth.
“You’re so easy.”
When his fork paused mid-way to his mouth, she rushed on to explain. “To be around. You’re an easy person to be with.”
“Well, that’s because we’re friends.”
She cringed away from the word as soon as he spoke it. She needed to have a candid conversation with him about their relationship or what was left of it. Maybe later, this morning she was still too raw to delve deep into emotions with him.
Avie’s words had really hit home, finally pulling off the blinders she’d been wearing ever since Jason had first arrived. She wished with everything in her that they could start over. Another beginning to their first meeting after all these years.
Finishing breakfast, Jason rolled the cart back out into the hall, relocking the door.
She needed a shower in the worst way and this place had an enormous first-class example of one. “I’ll be in here if you need me.”
“I always need you,” Jason mumbl
ed, pointing the remote at the flat screen.
Her heart paused, hope inflating her chest. Had he really just said that?
She enjoyed her shower more knowing that she might stand a chance of fixing the mess she had made with him. She hoped he was still in love with her. But, if she was lucky enough not to have screwed up completely, she needed to set the record straight on his man-whoring ways. Knowing what she did about his reputation, she wasn’t sure if he would be able to promise her monogamy.
Getting accustomed to leaving her past behind was going to be tough. Avie was right, she needed to stop looking back. There was nothing she could do to bring Kyle back, and he wouldn’t have wanted her to stop living.
A healthy cloud of steam escaped into the room as she opened the bathroom door. The hopeful smile that had developed while she showered collapsed at the ashen tone of Jason’s skin.
The name of the MC spoken by the news anchor had her head swiveling towards the television. She expected there to be a story covering the shootings last night, but this was something else.
The mass murders had extended to the five other members that hadn’t ventured into the city, but had remained behind at the hotel in New Rochelle for the bike rally.
How was this possible? She could barely believe what Jason had told her he’d witnessed in that alley behind the bar. But to have the exact same thing happen a few miles away could not be some grotesque coincidence.
The news was calling it a mass suicide. That was the only explanation even worth considering.
Moving over to the end of the bed where he sat, Jason took her hand without his eyes leaving the screen. “How do you think that happened, Jason? You saw the alley shootings. Was there something strange about it, I mean other than a mass killings?”
Jason swallowed hard, blinking at the screen that was showing similar footage from the scene he had witnessed last night.
“What would make all those members do that to each other? It just doesn’t make any sense.”
“No. It doesn’t.” Tugging on her hand, he made room for her to sit with him.
“Do you think the police saw you there?”
“I don’t think so. We got out of there pretty quick,” Jason replied.
“There’s something you’re not telling me.” She turned to face him. “I can see it in your eyes.”
Wrapping his palm around the back of her neck, he rested his forehead against hers.
Her heart bloomed from his touch. She could feel him drawing comfort from her as if he had pulled her into a full on embrace.
“I love you.”
His eyes opened. Pulling back, he smiled at her sadly. “I know you do. We’re friends, after all.”
“No. Not like a friend, Jason. Like the way you love me. You still love me, right?”
Jason searched her face remaining silent. The fine sheen misting over his pale green eyes made them seem more intense. Nodding was all he could seem to manage.
“Marry me, Jason?”
His expression difficult to look at, so painful in its intense joy.
“I think I’m supposed to ask you that,” Jason said, finding his voice.
“Well, then get to asking.”
“Wanna get married?”
“Hell yes,” she laughed.
“Will you come back to work with me at Exotic Ink?”
“Nope.”
His refusal was unexpected. “Why not?”
“Because, I want to call my wife, baby, and you already told me I couldn’t call you that if you’re my boss, so you’ll just have to make do without me. Besides, those guys at Mythical stuck their necks out when they didn’t have to, and if you saw the mess their office is in, you wouldn’t want me to leave. I feel like I own them a debt.”
“I understand,” she smiled. “I’ll miss you, though. I already do. The studio isn’t the same without you. I feel like I’ve lost a limb.”
“I love you. So much,” Jason said, gently squeezing the back of her neck.
“I feel exactly the same. Sorry it took me so long to come around.”
“What made you?”
“I had a little advisor turn me away from my past and show me the way.”
“Not to dredge up the past, but I know I can never take Kyle’s place, and I’m ok with that. A little jealous maybe, but ok.”
“There has always be a place in my heart for you. There has always been. I was just too stubborn to recognize it.”
She went down easily to the mattress with him, reveling in the weight of him on top of her. Her robe fell open to the sides leaving her legs exposed. Lifting himself, Jason wasted no time tugging the tie free of the knot. She arced up as the air in the room touched her bare nipples.
Jason’s eyes latched onto the tight buds that formed beneath his stare. Dropping his mouth to one then the other, she undulated beneath him. The heat and suction from his mouth had her center weeping for his attention.
He continued his assault on her breasts, taking his time loving her as she began to buck and tremble. Going nowhere fast he settled his weight on his elbows, moaning and licking at her puckered flesh.
Jason was still fully clothed, so she took advantage of the friction from where his cotton t-shirt rubbed against her clit. Rolling her hips, she soon found a rhythm that was luring her closer to the edge of shattering.
Lifting himself, she groaned from the loss of his weight. Her orgasm retreating.
“You’re a naughty girl. Did you think you could get yourself off without me knowing?” Jason’s eyes were intense as he looked her over. “You were so close, weren’t you? I could feel that rush of wetness you have just before you cum.”
“Jason, please.” His words were driving her crazy with wanting him.
“You can beg all you want, baby, but you’ll cum when I let you.”
A little surprised from his words, but she was more shocked when he flipped her over onto her belly and stripped the robe from her body. Gripping her hips firmly, he pulled her up onto her knees, her ass high in the air.
“Now that’s a sweet sight,” Jason chuckled.
She turned her face, lying her cheek on the mattress. His hungry look had her intimate flesh pulsing with a need so strong, she nearly came from the feel of it.
Spreading her legs wider with his knees, she thought he would unzip and take her roughly, instead he dipped his head, laying the flat of his tongue against her soft lips, lapping at her before he made one long stroke of his tongue from her clit to her anus.
Her eyes closed, and her back arched from the slick heat of his tongue. Pushing back against him, she burned for more. He obliged by slipping a long finger inside her silky depths, working her slowly. Planting a hand firmly on her ass, he spread her wider touching his tongue to her anus, lavishing her puckered flesh. The sensations were incredible.
Just as she drew close to seeing stars, he pulled away. Leaving the bed, he ditched his clothes. His cock so hard it stood at attention, jutting out from his body. Watching the heaviness of his erection sway as he resumed his position behind her, she was beyond aching to feel the hardness of his shaft filling her.
She jerked when the head of his cock touched her slippery entrance. The tip burned as it pushed inside.
Moaning and pressing back as he eased a finger inside her rectum, he took his time filling her up. Once he was fully seated, he rocked into her as his finger began a smooth, easy rhythm.
She was going to spontaneously combust if she didn’t cum soon, she was sure of it. Reaching between her thighs, she massaged his balls, loving the feel of his ultra-soft skin against her clit.
His head fell back as she began to roll her hips. Holding himself still, he allowed her to pleasure herself before meeting her with his own thrusts.
Her need to orgasm was unbearable. If he pulled away again leaving her wanting, she was going to throw him down and take what she needed. She didn’t mind the alpha male in him wanting to call the shots, but his teasing was downri
ght cruel.
Thankfully, he didn’t slow, but set a pace that had her releasing on a groan. Jason quickened his strokes as she convulsed around him. Just as the scattered pieces of herself began to drift back down into place, she shattered around him again, slamming her eyes closed against the sweet ecstasy.
He followed her soon after, pulsating inside her as he came. Falling over onto his side, she giggled at the crooked grin etched across his face.
“I guess that sealed the deal,” Jason said. Snaking an arm around her, he pulled her towards him. Arranging her limbs so she was intertwined with his and flush against his chest. “No changing your mind. You’re mine forever.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she smiled, snuggling into his warmth.
Sorting through the pile of receipts Lucian had left on his desk, Jason’s decision to stick it out at Mythical Ink was solidified. What a fucking mess. These guys had only been opened for two months and just their accounting was a catastrophe.
“Hey, Jason, a hot red-head is out here looking for you.” Sevin practically skipped over to his desk. “You wanna’ introduce me?”
Curiosity had him heading to the front.
Chatting with Alea was Callie’s friend, Dylan. Both girls looked over as he approached.
“Hey there sexy lady. What brings you here?” Jason greeted her with a hug.
“My bar is just a few blocks away, and Callie said you’d already started working here. You know you left a bunch of sad people in your wake when you defected.”
He jumped when Sevin poked him in the ribs. Tossing him an irritated look, Sevin raised his brows to prompt him for the introduction he was desperate for.
“Dylan, this is one of the owners of this fine establishment, Sevin. Sevin, this is my friend Dylan. Also the owner of the soon to open microbrewery, Wicked Brews.”
“Hello, Miss Dylan.” Pushing him aside, Sevin crowded the red-head, holding the hand she had offered him to shake in both of his like he was going to keep it. “It’s amazing to meet such a fine female as yourself.”
