by Penny Dee
I owed her at least that much.
In five years, I had managed to save a lot of cash. Enough to ensure Indy would see her dream through to the end.
“Would you like to see her?” The gentleman behind the desk asked. “I had my secretary find out where she’d be this morning in case you wanted to—”
“That won’t be necessary. And if we could keep this between us, I’d be grateful.”
I stood and so did he.
“You don’t want Miss Parrish knowing the donation is from you?”
I shook my head.
“Not from me,” I said. “Let her know it was from someone who believes she is going to do great things.”
We shook hands and I left his office. Outside, the rain had stopped but it was cold and wet, and I shoved my hands in my jeans. Despite the weather, the campus was crowded with students making their way to and from class. I wasn’t wearing my cut and was able to blend in easily as I made my way toward the parking lot. In another life, one where I hadn’t fucked up, I would have walked these grounds as a student. But in this life, I walked it as a stranger who had no business being there, other than to ensure someone very special got to follow her dream.
If I hadn’t glanced to my right I would have missed her. But I did and the sight of her stopped me in my tracks and sent a ferocious pain spiraling through me. She was walking with a group of people, her beautiful blonde hair almost hidden by the beanie she wore, her face pink with cold. She was clutching a Styrofoam cup of coffee between her gloved hands as she chatted happily to the guy walking beside her. Suddenly, her beautiful, pink lips broke into a devastating smile as she laughed at something he said and my heart squeezed painfully in my chest. She didn’t see me and I was glad. Five years had passed since I’d spoken to her, and the agony in my heart was as real as the last time I’d seen her. Her seeing me and walking away would end me.
I turned my back and began to walk away.
It would be years before I would see her again.
And by then she would be with another man.
INDY
Now
It was Wednesday. And every Wednesday night, apparently, there was a fight for money at the clubhouse. Tonight, it was Cade and Hawke.
Typically, it was a club member thing only. But Cade seemed determined to keep me close and brought me along.
Isaac sat down next to me, and for a moment he didn’t speak, he just joined me in watching Cade in the ring, occasionally raising his bottle of beer to his lips to take a sip.
“He’s different around you,” he said finally.
“He is?”
Isaac smiled and it was the gorgeous, perfect, pearly white smile that made all the girls drop their panties. Of course, it did. He was a Calley, and they all possessed a spell-binding allure about them that they used to mesmerize women to get exactly what they wanted.
“Yeah, he is. But then again, that boy always was a fool for you.” He lit a cigarette and it hung off his lip. “Good to see some things don’t change.”
“He’s changed,” I said, turning back to the action in the ring.
“Yeah?”
“He’s harder. Something’s changed in him.”
Just as I said it, Cade unleashed a vicious right hook on Hawke’s left cheek and split it open, and the crowd of bikers cheered.
“Yeah, well, a lot of water has rushed under that bridge,” Isaac said. “We all have to grow up sometimes, I guess.”
“It’s not that. There’s something else. Something I can’t quite put my finger on. But it’s made him harder than I remember. Darker.”
Isaac put down his beer bottle and drew on his cigarette. “Travis Hawthorne.”
My eyes darted to his. I recognized the name immediately. Once upon a time, Travis Hawthorne had held us all in a state of terror for more than an hour as he roamed the school hallways with a loaded shotgun, a Glock, and enough ammunition to arm an entire infantry.
“What about him?” I asked.
Isaac drew on his smoke and then forced it out both nostrils.
“He got out. Some years back.”
I gasped. “How can that be? He was a psychopath!”
“Not according to his doctors.” He shook his head. “They let him out about four years ago.”
“That’s crazy,” I whispered.
“That’s not the half of it,” Isaac said. “Two months after he got out, Travis killed a young woman and her elderly parents.”
My hand went to my mouth. “Why?”
“Because he is a psychopathic asshole.”
Jesus.
“What happened?”
“He came across them at the supermarket, followed them to their farmhouse, and then did what he did. Why, because that kid was crazier than a cut snake. Did all kinds of terrible things to the woman, before and after he killed her.” Isaac shook his head. “Cops caught up with him in Tennessee. He was driving her car, and apparently the taillight was out. I guess he figured he was busted, so he decided to go out in a hail of bullets.”
“Goddamn.”
Isaac relit his cigarette because it had gone out. “Cade blames himself. Believes if he had killed Travis all those years ago instead of wounding him, the woman and her parents would still be alive.”
“But it’s not his fault.”
“I know that, and you know that. But Cade? He thinks he’s responsible for three lives when he could’ve taken just the one.” He looked regretful. “He had a real hard time after that, Indy. He took it hard. At the time, he was dating a girl named Krista and we all thought he would end up marrying her. Then all of a sudden, he broke up with her and withdrew into himself. It took him a while to get his head right again.” He sighed. “Not that I’m sure he ever did.”
My stomach heated with jealousy at the mention of an ex-girlfriend. The thought of him with someone else made me feel vulnerable because it was a reminder of how close I had come to losing Cade for good.
I leaned over and took Isaac’s cigarette from him, inhaling deeply. I hated asking, but I couldn’t help myself. “Do you think he would have married her?”
Isaac thought for a moment, squinting at me through a furrowed brow. “At the time, I did. But looking back . . .”
“What?”
He shrugged. “She wasn’t you.”
We both looked up in time to see Cade drop Hawke to the floor with a powerful right hook. Bull signaled he was the winner by raising one arm above his head and the crowd cheered, except for the bikers who had put money on Hawke.
I handed Isaac his cigarette back. “Am I making a mistake, Isaac?”
“Only if you don’t mean to stick around. That kid has always had his head bent out of shape over you. He’s come close to losing his shit before, and I would fucking hate to see it happen again.”
I found Cade in his bathroom.
“You broke Hawke’s nose,” I said, leaning against the doorway.
He cocked an eyebrow at me. “You checked on Hawke?”
“He was the one lying semi-conscious on the ground,” I said, cocking an eyebrow right back. “Besides, I figured taking care of you might take a little longer.”
My innuendo wasn’t lost on him. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me to him. “I know exactly how you can take care of me.”
He kissed me hard, but I broke it off.
“Let me tend to those cuts and bruises,” I whispered, kissing his jaw. “And then I’ll let you do whatever you want to me.”
I couldn’t lie. Seeing Cade take down Hawke had turned me on. Fist to face. It had been so primal. So, after I dressed his knuckles and sutured a split through his eyebrow, we got naked and I let him do whatever the hell he wanted to me. Which involved a lot of licking, rubbing, touching, and thrusting, and me getting two toe-curling orgasms.
Afterwards, we lay breathless on his bed.
“Isaac told me about Travis Hawthorne,” I murmured against his chest.
Cade didn’t move, but
I felt his breathing pause for a moment. “What about him?”
I sat up and pulled my hair over my shoulders.
“That he got out.” I bit my lower lip, not sure how Cade was going to react. “And that he killed a woman and her parents not long after.”
Sitting up against the pillows, Cade reached for a cigarette from the nightstand and busied himself lighting it. He took a deep drag and let it out with a heavy sigh. In the dim light, his broad chest looked massive.
“He said you blame yourself. That if you had killed him all those years ago, then those people would still be alive.”
He didn’t deny it. “What else did Isaac tell you?”
“That you broke up with Krista not long after.” My eyes met his. “That everyone thought you and she would get married. But then all of a sudden, you broke up with her.”
Again, my stomach knotted at the idea of him with her.
“And?”
“That’s it. That’s all he said.” I couldn’t help but want him to tell me why he broke up with her.
“You want to know the real reason I broke up with Krista?”
“Yes.”
He drew heavily on his cigarette, his blue eyes sparkling across at me. “She wasn’t you.”
“Cade—”
“That’s not a line, Indy. It’s the truth.” He stubbed out his cigarette. “There are only two things I regret in my life. One of them was taken care of by seven police bullets on the side of the road just outside of Hazard, Tennessee. The other just walked back into my life.” He reached over and tucked my hair behind my ear, and he studied my face as he ran the back of his fingers across my cheek. “Losing you was my biggest regret. And after Travis got out and did what he did, it made me realize that I had to make right the one other thing I could change. So, I broke up with Krista and climbed on my bike.”
A strange tingling sensation took up in my stomach.
“I rode all the way to Seattle to find you.”
“You came to Seattle?”
I didn’t know. He had never come to see me. Or contacted me to let me know he was in town. But, why would he? The last time we had spoken I’d told him to stay away from me.
“I rode to your hospital. Waited for you to finish your shift.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“But when I saw you, you were leaving with someone. He had his arms around you, and just as you stepped outside, he paused to kiss you. You were smiling, Indy. You looked so happy. And I knew then, in that moment, that I had no right to be there. I’d had my chance with you and I had blown it. But even then, I couldn’t walk away. I made myself watch you walk off with him, even though my body ached and my mind screamed at me to run after you. How could I? He said something and you laughed, and I could see he made you truly happy. So, I accepted that you were gone and I had to get over it and move on.”
The man he was talking about was a guy called Peter. He was a plastic surgeon at SeaTac Medical where I worked. He was also a huge dating disaster. We had dated for a month and he was charming and interesting. But it ended when I walked in on him eating his receptionist’s pussy during his lunch hour.
I let out a deep breath. I didn’t know what to say.
“He meant nothing,” I finally said. “We dated for a few weeks. But it was nothing.”
“What about Anson?”
His question surprised me.
“What about him?” I asked.
“Did you love him?”
“That’s a random question,” I said.
It wasn’t really. But it caught me off guard.
“Did you?” he asked again, an edge to his voice.
I thought about it and then nodded. “I loved him, yes. But I wasn’t in love with him.”
I felt Cade’s body weaken against me, and when I looked up I saw his jaw was fixed as he stared up at the ceiling.
“That makes me feel insane,” he said finally, his voice hoarse and dark. The silver rings on his fingers glinted in the dim light as he ran his hand through his hair. And he exhaled deeply to calm whatever storm was taking place inside of him.
“I’m pretty sure you weren’t celibate during the past twelve years,” I reminded him.
“No. I wasn’t. But I was never in love with anyone.”
“What about Krista? You didn’t love her?”
“No.”
“Isaac said everyone thought you would marry her.”
“Clearly, they were wrong.”
“But you would marry me?” I held up my left hand where Cade’s pinky ring was still on my finger.
“In a heartbeat.” He gave me a sexy, close-lipped smile that pressed his dimples deeper into his cheeks.
I smiled and settled back into his chest.
And then, for reasons only God would know, that was when the realization hit me.
Out of nowhere.
I lifted my head, and my brows pulled in.
“It was you, wasn’t it?” I said with the breathiness of disbelief.
It wasn’t a question. I already knew the answer. And it seemed crazy to me that I had never put two and two together before now.
Cade frowned. “I’m not following.”
I sat up. “When I was in med school my scholarship fell through. The school received a payment from an anonymous benefactor. I figured it must have been the club. My mom said she didn’t know who it was. For years I wondered.” I looked him in the eye. “It was you, wasn’t it?”
He half sat up, his hard stomach rippling with the deep curves and dips of his abdominal muscles. Heat radiated off his strong body as he fixed me with his blue gaze.
“Does it matter?” he asked.
A love so powerful, and so overwhelming washed over me. This man, this towering beast of a man with all his tattoos and muscles—he was the most beautiful soul I had ever met. A fierce love soared through me. My heart swelled, completely seduced by his love for me and the lengths he would go to make me happy.
“I love you so much,” I said, tears welling in my eyes. I rose up onto my knees and felt his strong abs flex and clench as I slid onto him and took his face in my hands. Leaning down, I kissed him tenderly. “Thank you for loving me so much.”
His hands slid up my thighs to my back, his strong fingers trailing up and down my spine. Here, with him, I felt so cared for, so loved, so honored. I sealed my mouth to his and pushed my fingers through his hair as our kiss deepened and I lost myself in the beauty of the only man I could ever love this fiercely.
INDY
Now
The next afternoon, when I finished work, Cade was waiting for me.
“Where are we going?” I asked, taking the helmet from him and climbing onto the back of his bike.
“It’s a surprise.”
“I hate surprises.”
“I know,” he said with a grin.
With a flick of his wrist, we roared off into the late afternoon light and I relaxed behind him, enjoying the warmth of his big body in my arms and the hot summer breeze whipping at my skin. Ten minutes later we pulled up outside of a two-story, brick home and Cade killed the engine.
“Where are we?” I asked, undoing my helmet and placing it on the bike.
Cade winked and grabbed my hand, leading me along the little pathway to the front porch. Three steps and we were at the big oak front door with huge silver handles. He dug into his cut pocket for the key, and opened the door.
Still wondering what we were doing here, I followed him inside and looked around me. Inside, the house was stunning. Polished timber floors. Pale yellow walls with bright white trim. Plush carpet on a sweeping staircase leading up to the second landing.
“What is this?” I asked, trying to take it all in. The tall, arched windows. The French doors leading out to a patio.
“Our new home,” he said. “If you want to live here.”
I raised an eyebrow. “This is ours?”
“I bought it a couple of years ago and
have been leasing it ever since. Up until last week, a British couple rented it but they had to return to England, so now it’s vacant. I considered selling it. But it’s only ten minutes to the hospital and it’s close to everything.”
I had another look around me.
“What do you think?” he asked.
My gaze came back to him, a rising excitement curling its way through me. “I think it’s our new home.”
He grinned, his dimples deepening in his cheeks. “You want to live here?”
“Are you kidding me? Of course, I do!” I twirled around and started to laugh. “Cade, it’s perfect.”
I walked through the beautiful home. Through the large lounge room and into the formal dining room where a massive mahogany table gleamed in golden light. Through the bathrooms with the Italian tile and gleaming marble vanities, and into the guest bedrooms where my feet sank into the plushest carpet I’d ever felt.
When I walked into the kitchen, I stopped. It was incredible. Breathtaking, almost. All glossy and white with stainless steel appliances. I ran my hand along the smooth, marble countertops. “It’s so beautiful.”
Cade came up behind me and put his arms around my waist.
“Welcome home, baby,” he murmured against my throat.
I twisted around in his arms and he kissed me. His mouth moved erotically over mine, his lips taking command, his tongue filling my mouth and tangling in a sensual dance with my tongue. It was a passionate kiss. Luscious. Delicious. Addictive. And I curled my fist into the front of his shirt to hold him close to me as I drank him in.
Home. We were finally home.
Cade groaned hungrily, cupping my face in his strong hands.
Breathless, I pulled back and laughed. “Here?”
“As good a place as any,” he said, kissing me again. He scooped me up into his big arms and carried me through the kitchen and up the stairs to our new bedroom. He laid me down on the freshly made bed. “Just so you know, no one has slept on this bed,” he said as he crawled over me. “I brought it to help the place sell if you didn’t want to live here.”
