“I’m sure she’s with Cat, Mac. I need to talk to you for a minute.”
My brows raised at his tone. He sounded almost hesitant, which was rare. I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at him, waiting.
“I walked in on a conversation between Bridget and Cat this morning,” he started. He went on to explain everything about Bridget’s bruises and what else had happened.
Fury burned in my gut, and I clenched my fists in an effort to expend some of my energy so I wouldn’t blow the roof off with my temper.
“She was way outta line, brother,” I growled.
Scout held up his hands in surrender. “She knows that, believe me. But she owned up to her mistakes and I think you’ll find she’ll have Bridget’s back from now on.”
I glared at him. “She fucking better. ‘Cause she’s on thin-fucking ice with me. If Bridget so much as—”
“She’s good, Mac.” Scout’s eyes narrowed as he cut me off. “I told you because we don’t keep secrets and shit, but you gotta trust me to handle my woman. Besides that, you know Cat. She’s good.”
I nodded, trying to let go of my anger. He was right, but I was having a hard time accepting it with the red haze of anger that came with the thought of Bridget being hurt, physically or verbally.
Scout took a step forward, his gray eyes probing mine. “Won’t happen again. We good?”
I blew out a breath and nodded as I rounded the desk and headed for the door. “Yeah.”
The first place I checked was the kitchen, but there were only a couple of guys sitting around the long, wooden table, talking and drinking. I headed to our room next but was waylaid by our enforcer, Dax, as I jogged up the stairs.
“Yo. Cat took your lady shopping.”
I pivoted and descended the stairs before responding. “She what? Where?”
Dax shrugged. “Fuck if I know. I’m just relaying a message because Cat threatened to rip off my balls if I didn’t let you know.” He turned and began to walk away, shaking his head. “Don’t know when I turned into such a pussy that I ended up a messenger boy instead of a bad ass fucking enforcer.”
The corners of my mouth edged up as I made my way out to the garage to check on our latest order for custom bikes. We’d have to keep this shit on a leash and make sure that it never got around what suckers we were for our women.
“Hi.” A soft, sweet voice brought my head up fast and I cursed as my forehead slammed into the bike I was currently under.
“Are you okay?” Bridget’s frantic voice came closer as I slid out from under the hog. She kneeled beside me, her blue eyes filled with worry.
I was about to tell her I was fine but the words caught in my throat as my eyes traveled over her. She was wearing a pink, sleeveless top that had a V in the front, showing a hint of her luscious cleavage. It clung to her in all the right places, and my mouth began to water while my fingers itched to tug it down and bare her gorgeous tits.
Her tiny, denim shorts that made her legs look a mile long, and I had a feeling they cupped her pert little ass perfectly. She glowed with confidence and smiled as she watched me ogle her.
“Where’s my cut?” I growled. It came out sounding grittier than I’d intended, due to my suddenly lust-consumed state. Her eyes filled with hurt, and I instantly wanted to slam my fist into my own face. I should have complimented her first and not been so harsh when I did finally say something. But damn, this woman kept throwing me off balance.
“You look absolutely gorgeous, baby,” I told her as I ran a finger down her velvety cheek. “But, I told you, you always gotta be wearing my mark. It keeps you safe.”
Her smile returned, though somewhat timidly, and she reached for a bag she’d set near her feet. “Sorry, I forgot to put it back on.” She dug through the contents then pulled my leather vest from the depths and quickly donned it.
“Now you look too fucking good, baby.” I grinned and her cheeks dusted with pink as her smile grew. “Cat took you shopping?” I growled playfully and dragged her into my lap to kiss the fuck out of her. “I like seeing you in my clothes.”
She giggled and pulled back to gaze up at me. “As much as I like wearing your clothes, they aren’t very practical for me since you’re practically twice my size.” The pink in her cheeks spread over her whole face and she ducked her head and mumbled something.
I put a finger under her chin and lifted her face. “Didn’t understand that, baby.”
She cleared her throat and glanced away but forced her eyes back to mine before speaking. “I—um—also got some stuff…you know, just for you.” Then she gestured to a pink striped bag hiding behind the one I’d seen next to her.
I jumped to my feet and tossed her over my shoulder, then scooped up the bags and raced for the clubhouse, Bridget giggling all the way.
Just as I entered, I almost ran into Dax. “Gotta talk, Prez.”
“Later,” I barked as I tried to move around him.
He grabbed my arm, and I spun around with a murderous scowl.
“Hospital called. Logan’s awake.”
Chapter Ten
Bridget
“Thank fuck,” Mac sighed as he set me on my feet before swatting me on my ass, hard enough that I felt it but not so much that it hurt. “Gimme a second, baby.”
“Okay, I’ll take these”—I grabbed the bags out of his hand, shuffling the one with the lingerie I’d purchased to the back as I blushed—“and meet you up in your room.”
“Ours, Bridget,” Mac corrected.
The guy who stopped us looked as confused as I felt.
“Huh?” I asked.
He lifted a hand and traced along my collarbone and down my chest where his cut rested. “You’re wearing my mark, sleeping in my bed. I’ve claimed you, baby. That makes my room our room.”
“Oh! Right. Yeah,” I mumbled, trying to keep my cool when all I wanted to do was jump for joy.
“Fucking adorable.” I peeked up to find him smiling down at me with a knowing grin. “Take your shit up to our room while I talk to Dax.”
I did as he asked, dumping my shopping bags on the bed before heading into the bathroom to freshen up. My outing to the mall with Cat brought a whole new meaning to the phrase “shop ‘til you drop.” I’d been surprised by how well the VP’s old lady knew her way around all the best stores. And then surprise turned to shock when she’d dragged me into Victoria’s Secret to help me pick out sexy stuff that was “guaranteed to bring Mac to his knees,” as she’d put it.
I’d been a little uncomfortable at first, but she’d been so darn excited to help me that I’d gone with it anyway. And once I’d pictured Mac’s reaction to me in the scraps of black lace that she’d shoved into my hands before pushing me into a changing room, I’d become eager to try on all sorts of things I’d never have considered before. When we’d left the store, I couldn’t wait to get back to the Silver Saints compound so I could show Mac everything I’d bought. Unfortunately, when I walked out of the bathroom and saw the stony look on his face, I knew I was going to have to wait before I’d have the chance to model it all for him.
“Shit, baby,” he groaned, pulling me into his strong arms. “If this wasn’t so damn important, I’d fuck that look of disappointment right off your face. But we’ve been waiting to be able to talk to one of my guys who’s in the hospital, and one of the prospects called to let me know that Logan’s finally awake. I’ve gotta head to the hospital, and it can’t wait.”
I thought back to what I’d overheard when Mac called my dad the day he’d taken me. “The one in the coma?”
“Yup.”
“Because of something someone in the Hounds of Hellfire did?” I whispered.
“One of those motherfuckers beat the shit out of my Road Captain with a baseball bat because he didn’t like it when Logan stepped in when he was roughing up a woman.”
“No,” I gasped in shock. I knew the guys in my dad’s club weren’t model citizens, but I couldn’t picture o
ne of them doing that. Going after another guy with a baseball bat in a fit of rage? Maybe. Knocking a woman around? No way. “Are you sure that’s what happened? My dad would never put up with one of his guys hitting a woman.”
“I’ve got zero doubt about it, Bridget. Neither does your dad. He knows which of his men put Logan in the hospital, and he hasn’t done jack shit to make it right.”
“No.” I shook my head, refusing to believe that was true. “My dad wouldn’t do that.”
“I’m sorry, baby, but he did. I talked to him myself this morning.”
Ducking my head as my eyes filled with tears, Mac pulled me into his arms. Although I didn’t know any details because it was club business, I was aware that my dad did things that weren’t legal. I had been ever since kindergarten when some of my classmates’ parents didn’t want them to be my friend because of who my dad was. It’d never really bothered me since I was well loved by him. If other people wanted me to choose between them and my dad, there was no contest. But that was before Mac. I didn’t know what I’d do if I ever had to choose between the two most important men in my life.
“C’mon. You’re coming to the hospital with me.”
“Are you sure?” I sniffled.
His arms tightened around me briefly, and then he set me away. Looking down at me, he swiped his thumbs over my cheeks to wipe away my tears. “I’m not gonna leave you alone when you’re like this. I should have kept my damn mouth shut. That shit is between your dad and me. Between the Hounds of Hellfire and the Silver Saints. It doesn’t have anything to do with you.”
“You kidnapped me because of it,” I reminded him.
“That was then. This is now.”
He must have considered the conversation closed because he led me out the door and to his bike. As soon as I was settled behind him, with the helmet he’d given me securely in place, we roared away from the clubhouse with several of the guys following behind us. It took us about fifteen minutes to make it to the hospital, but it hadn’t been long enough for me to come to terms with the idea that my dad was the bad guy in this situation. So, I was quiet as Mac led the way upstairs to Logan’s hospital room, his hand wrapped around mine to keep me close. He only let go when we were through the door and he walked to the side of the hospital bed. In it was a man with shaggy blond hair and blue eyes on a heavily bruised face. One of his legs was casted and in traction, and the arm on the opposite side was in a sling. He gave me a curious look before switching his gaze to Mac and offering him a sheepish grin.
“How long was I out?” he asked.
“About a week,” Mac answered.
“That’s what they told me.” Logan’s blue eyes slid my way again. “But then I saw you holding hands like a sap, and I figured it’d been long enough that hell froze over.”
I giggled at the joke, but Mac just glared at him. “Too early for you to joke about being in a fucking coma, man. I was starting to think you’d never wake up.”
“Sorry, Prez. I guess I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I got my ass beat so bad by a motherfucking Hound of Hellfire that I missed an entire week of my life.”
I cringed at the reminder of my dad’s involvement in this man ending up in the condition he was in, but neither man seemed to notice and the other guys were behind me and couldn’t see my face.
“But don’t worry, I’ll more than make up for lost time once I get my hands on him.”
“Ahem,” Scout cleared his throat, stepping next to me and jerking his head in my direction.
“Can you go get Logan some water, baby? I’m sure he’s thirsty,” Mac asked.
I knew he was trying to get me out of the room, but with the direction the conversation had turned I was glad for the excuse. “Sure.”
“Make it ice chips, sweetheart,” Logan said. Mac growled at him, moving so his view of me was blocked. “I didn’t mean anything by it, Prez. Don’t know the girl’s name and didn’t know what else to call her.”
“Blue,” Scout offered. “You can call her Blue.”
“Works for me,” Logan muttered. “I’m thirsty as fuck, but the doc won’t let me have anything but ice chips. So if Blue could grab me some, I’d be grateful.”
“Will do,” I called out as I hurried out of the room. The nurses’ station was right around the corner, so it didn’t take me long to get what Logan needed. When I made it back to his room, the door was only cracked open about an inch but I could hear the low murmur of male voices. I started to open my mouth to make sure they knew I was there, but then what Mac was saying hit me and I froze in my tracks.
“Pierce called this morning. He’s willing to make the trade. Their guy for Bridget.”
“Damn, this situation is fucked since Bridget’s the chick you looked like you were going to put me back in my coma for after I called her sweetheart. What’d you tell him?” Logan asked.
“What the fuck did you think I said? I gave him the time and place for the meet. This Saturday at the races.”
“No,” I mouthed, my eyes welling with tears. Swiveling on my foot, I dropped the pitcher of ice as I ran quickly. I needed to be alone. Needed to figure out what to think. One question kept echoing in my mind. Had he been playing me the whole time?
Chapter Eleven
Mac
All eyes swung to the partially open door when something clattered and bounced off the linoleum floor. I only caught a glimpse of Bridget’s expression before she took off, but it was enough for me to see her blue eyes swimming with hurt.
“Shit.”
Scout waved at the door. “Go, we got this.”
I nodded, already running into the hallway. “Bridget!” I roared. I caught up to her just as she burst into the waiting room. Snatching her wrist, I hauled her back up against me, lifting her feet clear off the floor.
“Let me go!” she snapped, wiggling frantically.
“No.” My tone was hard as I spoke quietly into her ear. Just the thought of losing her had me on edge. “I already told you, you’re mine.” Her shoulders slumped but she settled a little so I cautiously set her down.
The room was littered with my brothers and a few old ladies, so I led Bridget back into the hallway and found a deserted hospital room.
When I faced her, my heart pounded painfully at the sight of tears streaming down her beautiful face. “Don’t ever run from me, baby,” I growled. “You hear something you don’t like or understand, you come to me. That’s how this is gonna work. Do I make myself clear?”
She backed away and I stifled the urge to make a grab for her. “What do you care? I’m just leverage.” Her back straightened and she glared at me. “I’m not going to be your plaything until you’ve found a better use for me.”
I closed the distance between us in one step and grasped her face, forcing her to look up at me. “Don’t ever refer to yourself as my plaything, baby, or I’ll be bending you over my knee.” I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. “My old lady, my woman, and someday my wife; those describe what you are to me.”
Her blue eyes went wide as saucers and her jaw dropped. I couldn’t resist dipping my head and stealing a fast kiss.
“But…what about…?”
“I needed time to come up with another method to get what I need from your dad, baby. Only agreed to stall him. You aren’t going fucking anywhere without me.” I walked her backwards until she was pressed against the wall. “Pretty sure I made it very clear who you belong to the last couple of days. But, I’m more than happy to remind you.”
I captured her lips in a deep kiss, my palms planted on either side of her head. My hips grinded into her center, making it abundantly clear what she did to me.
My hands slid into her hair, before continuing on and making quick work of the front snap on her shorts. I shoved them down, along with her panties, and hoisted her up with my hands under her ass.
Spinning around, I stalked to the nearest bed and set her on the edge before dropping to my
knees between her legs. I inhaled deeply. “Fuck, you smell good. Taste so fucking good.” Leaning in, I blew on her wet pussy, before licking up her slit. Bridget moaned and fell back onto her elbows, keeping herself elevated just enough that she could watch me. “Good girl. Eyes on me.” I smirked then focused on my task of making her come. My tongue fucked her sweet pussy, my lips sucked hard at her clit, but just as she approached the peak, I backed off.
She whimpered and shuddered, looking at me in disbelief. “Tell me who you belong to, baby, and I’ll let you come.”
“You,” she breathed.
“Fuck yes,” I grunted. This time, when I drove her up, I pushed her right over the edge, soaking in the sounds of her passionate cries.
I surged to my feet and freed my cock, thrusting deep inside her before she’d even recovered.
“Jared,” she gasped. “Yes!”
The sound of her sweet voice calling my name was like fuel on the fire. I held her hips tight as I pounded inside her. I ripped her shirt over her head and bending forward, my lips captured a nipple. I sucked hard, causing her to buck against me.
It didn’t take long for her to explode again and I followed behind her, shouting her name. Still holding her firmly, I pressed our centers together, keeping it sealed so none of my seed would leak out.
“Don’t ever forget you’re mine, Bridget,” I mumbled, my face nestled between her tits. “Hopefully, you’ve already got my baby in your belly to prove it. If not, gonna fuck you every chance I get until you do.”
“Oh my gosh!” she gulped. “We haven’t been using protection!”
I lifted my head and glared at her. “Fuck no, we haven’t. And we aren’t gonna start now.”
“You—you want me to have your baby?” she stuttered.
“Hell yes. Gonna have all my babies.” I grinned this time, my smile growing wider when her face softened despite her obvious attempt to look like a bad ass. It was already a futile effort, considering she was still spread out on the bed with my dick buried deep in her pussy.
My Father's Rival: A Silver Saints MC Novella Page 5
