by James, Marie
A look of sadness washed over his face before he corrects. “Well, we’re going to remedy that today.”
***
“He did not need all of this stuff,” I tell Diego as I sit on the floor holding the little, white ball of fur.
The lady at the shelter said he was a mixed breed, but he has some Akita in him, which she explained means he will be a very large protective dog. I had to have him immediately. He’s tiny right now so I can’t really picture it, but I’m hopeful.
“He will eventually,” he says taking toys and dog bones out of a bag. He bought everything he saw at the pet store and doubled up on some things. “I don’t want you to run out of anything while I’m gone.”
He insisted on buying everything at the store, and he paid for the adoption fee. I lower him to the huge dog bed Diego brought in and set up in the corner. He assures me the dog will grow into the thing, but it nearly swallows him now.
“We need to name him,” I say as I walk up to him, wrap my arms around his waist, and lean my head against his broad chest.
“He needs to have a strong, manly name,” Diego insists.
“I’ll think of something,” I tell him. “How long do you have before you leave?”
He holds me tighter. “Less than an hour. Come here,” he says pulling away from my chest and walking closer to the bed. “Lay down with me for a while.
I kick off my shoes and lay beside him, situating myself against his chest when he lays downs. One of his arms is behind my back, and the other reaches down tugs on my thigh, so my leg angles across his lower body. The fit is perfect, and I sigh into his chest as his fingers trace the hemline of my shorts on my thigh. It’s not even sexual, just incredibly comforting.
“Em,” I hear Diego say. The sound of his voice startles me, and I realize that I’ve fallen asleep on his chest. “Fuck, I don’t want to leave.” His voice is a rough rumble under the ear I have pressed to his body.
I grip a handful of his t-shirt in my hand, wishing I could hold on to him and not have to let go.
He flips me on my back and hovers my body. I spread my legs instinctively so he can settle between them. We’re fully clothed, but that doesn’t prevent me from wrapping one of my legs over his hip.
“I want you to miss me,” he says as I watch the flecks of gold in his otherwise chocolate brown eyes.
“I already do,” I whisper as a tear escapes my eye and runs down the side of my face.
“I know it makes me an asshole, but this tear,” he says as he sweeps it off my face with the tip of his finger, “this tear makes me happy.” He gives me the sweetest kiss on my lips. “It lets me know I have something to come home to; I have someone missing me while I’m gone.”
I give him a sad smile and place my hand on his cheek, loving how he tilts his head into my touch. “I’ll be here when you get back, Diego. Just, please, stay safe. I don’t know what you’re doing out there…” My voice cracks, and I close my eyes softly so the emotion can pass enough for me to continue. “Every second you’re gone I’ll miss you.”
“You have to take care of the baby while I’m gone. He’ll keep you busy, but you need to think of a name for him.” I realize that he’s talking about the puppy.
“What’s your middle name?” I ask him.
“Oliveras. It was my mother’s maiden name.”
“Perfect,” I say to him and look over at the still sleeping puppy in the humongous bed. “Oliver. We’ll call him Ollie.”
His eyes shine down on me, but he doesn’t say anything. “I love that name.” He kisses me but doesn’t linger on my lips. Groaning, he climbs off of the bed and pulls me along with him.
“The guys are waiting,” he says walking to the big duffle bag he packed earlier and placed by the door. “Walk me out?”
I place my hand in the one he’s holding out for me, and he tugs me to his side. I wrap my arms around his waist as we make our way out of the clubhouse to the SUV waiting for him. It’s awkward, but that doesn’t stop either one of us.
There are at least a dozen people standing around talking out front when we make it out the front door.
Diego turns me so we’re chest to chest, and my back is to the majority of the group. I look into his eyes one more time, and the rest of the world just seems to fade away. I don’t have to worry about a thing when his arms are around me.
“If you need anything you go to Kid or Doc.” I nod my head in understanding. He lets the strap of the duffle bag fall off of his shoulder, and it hits the wooden patio with a soft thud. “Kiss me goodbye,” he says leaning his mouth down to mine.
Public displays of affection have never been my thing, but there is no way I’m going to deny Diego Anderson when he wants his lips on mine, no matter where we are or who is around. With one hand at my neck, he wraps his other arm around my waist and lifts me up so he can kiss me deeper.
I groan into his mouth. My arms are wrapped around his neck, and I devour him like I’ll never get another taste. He pulls his mouth from mine, and I feel his lips turn up in a smile. Then I hear the cat calls and whistles from the men standing behind me. My cheeks flush immediately, suddenly shy and embarrassed.
“Sorry,” I mutter against where I’ve planted my face on his neck.
“I’m not,” he says quietly in my ear. “I’ve told them you’re mine and off-limits; now they can see it also.”
I shift my weight, realizing he’s still holding me off the ground. I slide deliciously down his body, and for a split second I wonder how embarrassed he’s going to be when I pull away from him, and his crew sees the straining erection in his pants. I look down between us and give him a sly smile.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can, Emmalyn. Listen to Kid if he has concerns about your safety.”
He kisses the tip of my nose and walks around me. I gasp when he stands at the top of the porch stairs and adjusts himself in his jeans in full view and undivided attention of his entire crew.
“Let’s get out of here guys before I delay us even further,” he says as he descends the steps.
He tosses his bag at Wrench’s feet and walks around to the passenger side of the SUV while Shadow climbs into the driver’s seat. Losing site of Diego as he slides into the vehicle I turn my eyes to Wrench, who’s giving me a menacing smile. When he winks at me and licks his lips, my blood runs cold, and my stomach turns. I turn and quickly head back inside.
Chapter 28
Worse than being gone from home for almost three weeks, is it taking another twenty-four hours of travel time to get back after completing a mission. I shouldn’t complain. We’re all making it home in one piece, and we finally got our target.
I’ve only gotten to hear Emmalyn’s voice once since leaving, and that was nine days ago. Texting was just as sporadic. I told the guys not to let anyone know we’re coming home because I want to surprise her. I want to see the look on her beautiful face when I come into the clubhouse after nineteen days of not being there. I want to be able to tell her that I don’t plan on taking another job for months.
I need to hold her, run my nose down her neck, and breathe the magnificent smell of her skin into my lungs, but first I have to make one last stop. I sent the other guys ahead and told them I’d be just a few minutes behind. I head to the pet store to grab a new collar for Ollie. Em mentioned in a text last week that he was growing so fast soon the collar we originally bought for him will be too tight.
I’m twirling the bright orange collar around my finger as I turn down the dark hallway, but I fuck up the rotation on it when I hear Emmalyn cry out from behind the closed door of the bedroom. I sprint down the hall and throw the door open to find Emmalyn crouched down in a ball with a torn shirt. Wrench is standing over her with his pants around his ankles and his disgusting cock in his hands. My ears faintly register the low, pitiful growl of Ollie, but I don’t have time to even cut my eyes to him; I have a man to kill.
His eyes go wide when he sees me and begins to tug
his pants up, only halfway succeeding before I’m across the room and beating his face in with both fists. Em’s crying from ten feet away sends me into a further rage.
“You. Sorry. Piece of. Shit.” I say each word punctuated with a closed, angry fist to his face. His eyes are squeezed tight, and blood pours from his mouth and nose. My vision tunnels and all I can see is red; my heartbeat a thunderous pounding in my ears.
Strong hands pull me away, and I fight them too. Wrench is writhing on the floor at my feet, and as far as I’m concerned that’s enough to go after him again.
“He’s had enough Kincaid,” Shadow hisses in my ears.
I have no idea how long he’s been talking in my ear, but these are the first words I hear. I clench my hands into fists at my sides and look around the room. Several of my guys are standing near Shadow, seething, as mad as I am. With his pants still around his thighs, it’s pretty fucking clear what Wrench was up to in here.
“Stand him up,” I bite out. Itchy and Ace move toward him at my command. “Strip his cut off.” I’ll take pride in burning that motherfucker tonight.
I look at him with nothing but disgust. His eyes are already swelling, and his entire face is covered in blood. I take a step toward him, but Shadow’s strong grip on my shoulder keeps me grounded.
“You’re done here you piece of shit. You’ve been nothing but poison since you stepped foot on this property.” I slide in closer to him. “If I see you here again, if I so much as hear your name spoken in this town, I will hunt you down and make damn certain you never take another breath. Get on your bike and never look back.”
I look back to Emmalyn. She’s still huddled in a small ball in the corner. I can’t see her face because it’s buried in her knees, but her fear is evident in the sobbing shudder of her shoulders.
“Get him the fuck out of here.”
I close my eyes and hold my face up to the ceiling, trying to calm the tremor and rage in my hands before I go to Emmalyn.
“Kincaid,” I hear Kid’s voice in the doorway and my anger is ignited once again.
Shadow wraps his arms around my shoulders from behind keeping me from ripping Kid apart also.
“Where the fuck were you? That piece of shit is in here trying to rape my girl,” I look down at his hands and see a fast food bag in one and a Styrofoam cup in the other. “And you think it’s a good time to go get a fucking burger.”
“Get out of here, Kid. Let him calm down.” Shadow’s voice booms in my head beside my ear.
Kid turns and walks away, and the sight of his retreating back rubs me the wrong way.
“I fucking trusted you!” I yell at his back, and I feel a cold sense of joy when his back stiffens slightly, and his shoulders hunch over as he disappears down the hall.
Once the room is clear, Shadow finally lets me shake him off but stays right at my back. “You need to calm down before you go to her, K. She’s terrified.”
“Close the door behind you,” I tell him without even looking in his direction.
I stand in the middle of the room until I hear the soft click of the door. I stride toward it and lock it, sealing us in here. Slowly I make my way across the room.
“Em,” I say softly but stay a few feet away, giving her room.
She lifts her tear streaked eyes up at me, and I reach for her. My heart breaks when she tries to scramble even further away from me. Her eyes grow wide and terrified at the sight of my blood soaked hands. I pull them back.
“Fuck, Em. I’m so sorry. Did he?” I pause for a second. “Did he hurt you?”
She shakes her head no, and relief washes over me. “There was a knock at the door,” she begins to explain. “I thought it was Kid. I asked him to get me French fries and a chocolate shake.”
“Motherfucker,” I mumble. Add an apology to Kid for the shit that just spewed out of my fucking mouth.
“I… I just pulled open the door, and Wrench was standing there. I tried to close the door, but he was too strong. I ran from him, but he grabbed my shirt.” I see that she’s holding her shirt at her shoulder with one hand, so her breast isn’t exposed.
I can feel the rage begin to seep back into my fingertips.
“He said he was tired of…” she trails off as a sob escapes her throat. “He said he was tired of you getting all the prime pussy, and he’d waited long enough for me.” I ground my teeth together. Being in this room with her is the only thing keeping me from going after Wrench and putting an end to his miserable life right this very second.
I reach for her again, and she turns her head to the side and closes her eyes. “Please don’t,” she begs.
“I want to hold you, Em. I need to comfort you.”
“Your hands,” she says, and I look down and see Wrench’s blood splattered on my hands and halfway up my forearms.
“I’m going to go shower, beautiful.” Her eyes widen, and she looks frightened. “Come in here with me. Sit on the counter and keep me company?”
She begins to stand, and it takes everything I have not to reach out for her and help her up. She scoops up Ollie and holds him to her chest as she walks into the bathroom. I walk in behind her and close and lock us in there as well. She still has a tremble in her hands as she buries her face into Ollie’s fuzzy back. I strip with no preamble and climb into the shower. I begin to wash with mild satisfaction as I see the water at my feet is tinged red with Wrench’s blood.
It doesn’t last long as a wave of guilt washes over me. I can’t help but wonder if he would have pulled that shit today if I hadn’t taunted him the last couple of weeks. I feel like I set this whole thing into motion. He’s hated me for a long time, but he’s never indicated that he was violent enough to rape a woman, and I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what would’ve happened had I not gotten here when I did.
I promised to protect her, keep her safe, and I may have been the one to send the devil to her doorstep. That knowledge has me questioning my place in her life. At least she knew what she was getting with her husband. With me, she’s not safe from my enemies. Hell, if Wrench’s behavior is any indication, I can’t trust my own club. That thought makes me sick to my stomach.
I place my hands on the tile of the shower wall and lean my head down, letting the hot water cascade down my back. I now doubt my ability to keep her safe, but know I’d never be able to let her go.
Chapter 29
Diego towels off quickly when he finishes his shower and pulls on a pair of boxers. My hands are still trembling as I pet Ollie. I shook them out several times while he was in the shower, but it didn’t work. I feel the beginning of a full body panic attack coming on, and it’s taking everything I can manage not to curl up into a ball and sob.
Diego walks to me with his hands lowered at his sides. I can see they’re clean now, and the sight is slightly calming. When he reached out to me earlier, and they were covered in blood, it was almost like I was back in Denver and Bobby was standing over me with my own blood coating his skin. He gently kisses my forehead but makes no attempt to touch me.
I slip off of the counter, still holding Ollie, and follow him out of the bathroom.
“Let me have him,” he says and reaches for the puppy.
I hand him over and watch as he tries to put him in his bed. Ollie begins to whimper immediately, and Diego looks over his shoulder at me, confused.
I give him a small smile. “He’s not been sleeping there,” I tell him and look at the bed.
He chuckles. “The dog has been sleeping in my bed?”
I hang my head a bit. “I didn’t think you’d have a problem with it.”
He takes a step toward me, and I take a step back. He frowns and places the puppy on the bed. I watch as Ollie heads straight to the top near the pillows and noses his way under the blankets.
“I don’t mind the dog sleeping in the bed,” he says touching my cheek with a tender hand. “I’m jealous he’s been next to you every night while I’ve been away.”
I
lean into his touch. I’ve missed him every second he’s been gone, and my heart is already breaking knowing that he may get a call and be gone again at any time.
“Think you can share the bed with both of us?” he asks playfully. His rage scared me earlier, and this Diego is the man I’m glad to be in the room with. The one from an hour ago terrified me to no end; even though I was grateful he got here in time to keep Wrench from hurting me.
Without giving him an answer I climb under the blankets, scooting Ollie out of the way, and I hold the blankets up so Diego can slide in beside me. I pull my ripped shirt off over my head and lean forward so he can unclasp my bra. I let it slide down my arms and toss both items to the floor. I leave my leggings on because sex is not what this is about.
I lie on his chest as he wraps his arms around me letting the warmth of his skin calm my frazzled nerves.
“I missed you so fucking much,” he whispers in my hair. “If I ever see that piece of shit again, I’ll kill him,” he vows. “I’ll protect you with my life, Em.”
***
My eyes open slowly to the sight of a strong, muscled chest and I smile against his skin. I’d dreamed last night that Diego wasn’t home yet, and I’d resolved myself in my sleep that I’d wake up with nothing but a fuzzy puppy to keep me comfortable.
I kiss his chest and feel his arm around my back pull me tighter against him. I look up into amazing brown eyes, and I’m met with a contented smile.
“How long have you been awake?” He shrugs as if it’s no big deal just to lay here awake with me sleeping on his chest. “You should’ve woken me up.”
“I tried,” he says running a finger down my chin and over my exposed shoulder. “But we do need to get up and get ready.”
I look up at him confused.
“We’re heading to Denver. Kaleb and Josie are getting married this evening.”
I want to shrink back under the covers. After the events of yesterday, the last thing I want to do is have to worry about going to a city where I know Bobby is.
