by A. M. Myers
“What happened?” I whisper.
“She died.”
“Oh.” My heart breaks for him, for the pain that I can’t even imagine, and suddenly everything makes sense. I get why he was pushing me away and fighting our connection. “I’m so sorry.”
He blinks in shock. “You’re sorry? For what?”
“If I had known, I never would have…”
He presses a finger over my lips. “You don’t have a single thing to apologize for. I handled this all wrong.”
“No, it’s okay.”
He stops me, shaking his head as he grabs my hand and squeezes it. “You fucking terrify me, Ali. I’m scared shitless of letting you in but I can’t walk away either. You’re mine, and that’s the end of it.”
“Is it now?”
He grins and slides his hand into my hair, pulling me down to him. “Yeah, it is. You can fight, Baby, but we’ll always end up back here. I think you know that, too.”
“It scares me to trust you,” I whisper against his lips, and he pulls back to look in my eyes.
“Why?”
I force a smile to my face and shrug. “Trust issues. My last boyfriend wasn’t all that great.”
“I’m not like any other punk ass bitch you’ve been with in your life, Ali. I did a shitty job dealing with this before but that’s done now. You are my woman, and I’ll never give you a reason to lose faith in me. Anything you ever need or want, I’ll move mountains to give it to you.”
Wow.
I honestly couldn’t tell you if I said the word or just thought it because he stuns me. He seems so sure of himself now, the hesitation that was always present between us before is long gone. My gaze drops down to his full lips, and I’m consumed with thoughts of kissing him because any other response would pale in comparison. His thoughts must mimic my own because he pulls me to him and claims my lips as the arm wrapped around my back tightens. I wrap my arms around his neck, threading my fingers through his dark hair, and he groans, his grip on the back of my neck tightening.
His kiss isn’t hard or demanding like the last time we were together but it’s just intense, hypnotizing me with its slow, seductive rhythm as one of his hands cradles the back of my head and the other massages my ass. His touch assaults me from all angles, a tingling sensation scattering across my skin and shooting between my legs. Grabbing his cut, I grind against him, letting out a quiet moan as I drive myself crazy.
“Come with me,” I whisper, climbing off him and grabbing his hand. He laces our fingers together as I lead him to my bedroom, and even that simple action makes my heart race.
When we get to my bedroom, I turn his back to the bed and shove him so he falls back onto the mattress. He arches a brow, a wide grin on his face as I reach around to my side and unzip my pants, sliding them down my legs. His gaze falls between my thighs, and he licks his lips, his cock twitching in his jeans. Slowly, in an effort to tease him, I reach down and guide my shirt up my belly, over my breasts, and finally pull it over my head.
Molten gray eyes trace a path up my body, taking their time to enjoy every inch of me, and I feel sexy and powerful standing before him like this. When his gaze meets mine, I smile and reach behind my back, unhooking my bra, and letting it fall down my arms. He licks his lips again, and I can clearly see his need. Sitting up on the bed, he rips his cut off, tossing it on the chair in the corner of the room before turning back to me and pulling his t-shirt over his head. He unbuckles his jeans and holds a hand out to me. I walk over to him and slip my hand into his, intertwining our fingers again as I climb on top of him and push his shoulders back down to the bed.
An easy smile curves his lips as he reaches up and wraps his hand around the back of my neck, pulling me down to him as he leans up to kiss me. I follow him down to the bed, releasing his hand to run my fingers over his inked skin. He shudders and wraps his arms around me before flipping me to my back and standing to shove his jeans off, his cock springing free.
He climbs back over me and grabs my hip as he takes my lips in a scorching kiss, his grip on me so determined. It reinforces his words from earlier. I’m his. I can’t doubt that when he’s holding me and kissing me like this. Reaching between us, he rubs circles over my clit with his thumb, and I buck underneath him, grabbing his shoulder as I moan. He flicks his tongue against my neck before sinking his teeth into my skin, and I moan again, desire pooling between my thighs.
“Logan,” I whisper, a desperate plea in my voice. Although, I’m not all that sure what, exactly, I’m begging for.
“God, I missed you, Baby,” he whispers in my ear, pulling his hand away, and rubbing his cock against my lace-covered pussy.
“Please,” I whine, and he pulls back, hooking his fingers in my panties before pulling them down my legs.
“Please, what? Tell me what you want, Alison.”
I reach out to grab his cock, and he slaps my hand away, shaking his head.
“Tell me what you want,” he repeats, and I moan, lifting my hips off the bed in an effort to get the friction I need.
“Sweet Ali, this problem of yours could be so easily solved if you’d just tell me what you want,” he teases, a smug grin on his face. Son of a bitch. He’s going to make me say it.
“I want your cock.”
His grin grows, and he leans over me again, positioning himself at my entrance. “You ask for anything and it’s yours,” he says, reminding me of his words earlier as he plunges into me and holds himself there.
I gasp, my body quickly adjusting to his size. He remains still, and I start to feel that desperate need again as I try to wiggle underneath him. Pinning me with his eyes, he slowly pulls out and sinks back into me with the same slow pace he kissed me with, and I can’t pull my gaze away as he does it again and again. I bite down on my lip, peeking up at him through hooded eyes as he keeps his pace, dragging his cock out of me deliberately before sinking back in at the same casual pace. Moaning, I slide my hands down his body, my nails digging into his skin as the desire simmering in my belly begins to build.
“You like that, Gorgeous?” he asks, and I nod. “Or maybe you would prefer if I flipped you on all fours and fucked you so good that you couldn’t stand for a couple hours?”
I moan, and my hips rise off the bed to meet his as he drives back into me while he chuckles.
“I think that was a yes. Was that a yes, Kitten?”
I shoot him a confused look. “Kitten?”
“Well, I was going to call you Ali-Cat but I figured you wouldn’t appreciate that.”
“Smart move,” I half moan as he plunges into me a little harder this time.
“Actually, I think Kitten is kind of perfect after today.”
How the hell is he holding a conversation with me right now? The man has nerves of fucking steel and the patience of a saint. It’s so hard to concentrate on what’s coming out of his mouth when I’m consumed by what he’s doing between my legs.
“Why’s that?”
“Because you’re all cute and sweet, and then all of a sudden the claws come out like they did today when I tried to get you to have lunch with me.”
“Clever,” I say through gritted teeth as he continues driving me out of my mind. Has he slowed down? I swear he’s thrusting slower than he was before. I claw at his back, desperate for more. He groans through his grin.
“Ah, see, there they are.”
“I swear to God, Logan,” I say, glaring up at him, “I will show you fucking claws if you don’t pick up the pace.”
“Like this?” he asks as he pulls back and drives into me hard and fast, just the way I want it. Something between a gasp and moan comes out of my mouth, and I fist the sheets underneath me. He slows down again, and I lose it. I wrap my leg around his waist and use my other foot to kick off the bed and roll us. He lands on his back with a thud and looks up at me in surprise for a moment. I rise up and sink back down, finding the perfect rhythm to send me building toward the orgasm he was denyin
g me.
He grabs my hips, his fingers digging into my skin, and I brace myself with one hand on his chest as I close my eyes and lose myself to the intoxicating sensation of Logan filling me.
“You’re so fucking gorgeous, Kitten,” he rasps, sounding just as lost as I am right now, and I open my eyes. He’s looking up at me, the fire in his eyes hot enough to burn me up. I lean down to kiss him, and he knocks my hand off his chest, pulling me down to him as he starts driving up into me. My mind blanks, and all I can do is ride the wave as I race toward the release that I’ve been begging for.
“That’s it, Baby. I want you to come all over my cock. Give it to me,” he growls in my ear. I catapult over the edge, crying out into the room as my body tenses and my pussy grips his length. Wave after wave of pleasure washes over me, and I gasp for air on his chest as he continues thrusting up into me, seeking his own orgasm and prolonging mine.
His grip on me tightens, and he tenses underneath me, groaning in my ear before he collapses back on the bed, his arms splaying out at his sides. We just lie like that for a few minutes before he pulls me off him and moves me to his side, pulling me in close. His breath ruffles my hair as he leans down and presses his lips to the top of my head, breathing me in, and my throat tightens.
“Shit, Baby. I forgot to grab a condom,” he whispers.
“I’m on the pill, and I was telling you the truth when I said I hadn’t been with anyone in two years.”
He looks away from me for a second before meeting my eyes again. “I haven’t exactly been a saint but I’m clean.”
I nod and cuddle back into his side, images of him with other girls assaulting me, and tears sting my eyes.
“Excuse me,” I whisper, untangling myself from his arms and sliding over to the edge of the bed.
“You okay?”
I turn back to him and nod, my eyes burning as tears threaten to fall but I force a smile to my face. “Yeah, just need to pee. I’ll be right back.”
He nods, looking so right lying in my bed, and I turn away before I lose it in front of him. Hopping off the bed, I rush to the bathroom and close the door, turning the faucet on just as the tears start to fall. I cover my mouth as I start to sob so he won’t hear me and press my back to the door. I sink down to the floor and pull my knees to my chest as the tears fall down my cheeks relentlessly.
I’m such an idiot.
I heard everything he said earlier and there is a huge part of me that wants to believe him, that’s urging me to put my trust in him and give this a shot. But it’s the small voice in my head that just made me realize I’m head over heels in love with him and I worry that he won’t stick around. He still has so much pain buried inside him, and I wonder if his pain is going to end up breaking my heart, too.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Storm
“You got news for me, Ray?” I ask, answering my phone as I climb off my bike outside the clubhouse. I hang the helmet on the handlebars and turn toward the parking lot.
“It’s done. Good old Ian is takin’ himself a little vacation to the infirmary.”
Kodiak gives me a little chin lift, and I nod at him as he passes, waiting until he’s walking into the clubhouse to respond. “And he got the message?”
Ray laughs. “Oh, yeah. Loud and clear.”
“You sure?” I still don’t feel settled, and I’m not sure that I ever will. As long as Ian Blackwell is still living, that is.
“Yeah, Storm. Shaun made it very clear that it would be a very traumatic day for him if his brother came around you or your girl again.”
I sigh, my mind calming a little. “All right. Thank you.”
“No problem, man. Just remember, you owe me one.”
“Yeah? So that takes one off all the times you owe me, right?”
He laughs. “That sounds about right.”
Saying good-bye, I hang up and walk into the clubhouse, ready to get church over with already. I just left Ali not even twenty minutes ago but fuck if I don’t miss her right now. It’s only been a few days since I told her about part of my past but she’s already embedded herself in my soul, and I know there’s no letting her go. I don’t even care that she makes me watch those stupid fucking TV shows as long as she’s in my arms and I get to hear her sweet laugh as I make fun of the people on the screen.
“Dude,” Chance says from the couch next to the door as soon as I walk in, “you’re not even trying to hide how whipped you are anymore.”
“Shut the fuck up, Chance,” I growl, shoving him, and he laughs but it’s not convincing. Chance may give me a hard time about Ali but I know that he wants to find a good girl and settle down, too. After all the shit he dealt with from his mom growing up, he wanted a family, and even though he’s found a sense of family in the club, he still wants more. He’s tried a few times but it just didn’t work out. That’s what happens when you try to turn a hoe into a housewife.
“Church,” Blaze barks from the doorway before turning and disappearing back inside. Everyone stares at the spot he just was for a moment before standing up and filing in. I glance over at Chance, and he shrugs. We take our seats as Blaze waits for us at the head of the table, a grim expression on his face. Once we’re all seated, he bangs the gavel on the table and clears his throat.
“Listen up, y’all. We’ve got two jobs this week, and they are both at the end of the week so I want extra surveillance leading up to the transfer. We don’t need another situation like last time. Storm’s eye is just starting to go back to normal.”
“Yeah, fuck you,” I half-heartedly say to Blaze, and he barely cracks a smile as chuckles ring out from around the table.
“Now, I plan on takin’ both of them over to Emma and Nix’s so I want two of you to go out there and beef up security. The last thing we need right now is trouble at their place.”
“What exactly are you wantin’ out there?” Smith asks.
“Lights, cameras, and motion detectors, at least. Maybe an electric fence along the front and sides, too.” Smith’s eyebrows shoot up, and he looks over to me for an explanation but I’ve got no idea what’s going on with our president right now. I glance around the table, and the same concern is etched across everyone else’s face as they all stare back at Blaze.
“Next Friday is the first job. Her name is Sammy, and she’s Biche’s girl.”
“Shit,” I curse under my breath as the men around the table echo the same.
“As you might remember, Biche is the piece of shit that set Henn up and got him locked up. He’s moved up the ranks since Henn’s arrest, and no doubt he’s got guys keeping an eye on Sammy. Her best friend is the one who called us. Sammy is on board and ready to leave but she has no access to a phone or anything. We’ve got to figure out who’s watching her without being seen ourselves and form a plan to get her out of there without alerting the bodyguards.”
“Understood, Prez,” Moose says, nodding at Blaze. Blaze just nods in response, looking down at the sheet of paper on the table in front of him.
“The other one is on Saturday. Her name is Nadia, and she’s got a three-month-old baby girl with her. Husband is a shrimper so he’ll be gone all day, and it should be fairly easy.”
“You know better than to say that, Blaze,” Streak says, and Blaze sighs as he nods. His face falls even more as he looks down at the paper in front of him and runs his hand through his hair.
“This morning, I got a call from the nurse that helped Dina out when she came into the ER.”
“She got a new girl that needs help?” Red asks from the back, crossing his arms over his chest as he leans back in his chair. Blaze shakes his head.
“Dina was brought back into the ER last night with a serious brain injury, five broken ribs, and a lot of internal bleeding. They were able to stop the bleeding but when they examined her, it became clear that there was no brain function, and her mother made the decision to turn off life support.”
A hush falls over the room, and I f
eel like I can’t breathe as the past tries to assault me. It feels all too familiar.
“It’s unclear right now what happened. She may have gone back to him or he may have found her. All we know is that no one can find her boyfriend but Rodriguez is looking for him.”
“She wouldn’t have gone back,” Chance says, shaking his head in disbelief.
“You don’t know that, Chance. We’ve been doing this long enough to know better,” Blaze says.
Chance slams his fist on the table, and everyone turns to him. An outburst is completely out of character for him but I know how seriously he takes helping these women. “No. She wouldn’t have gone back. He was right there when we were picking her up. He begged her to come back, and if she didn’t fold then, she wouldn’t have gone back to him.”
“Look, Chance,” Fuzz says, slapping a hand on his shoulder, “we all want to believe that she wouldn’t put herself in that position again but we just don’t know.”
“Anything else?” Blaze asks, scanning the table, and I nod.
“Yeah, I got a call just before we came in here, and the Ian situation is taken care of. He’s got himself an all inclusive five-day, four-night stay in the sick bay.”
Blaze turns his gaze on me, and it’s obvious how much Dina’s death is eating away at him. “You sure?”
“He got the message loud and clear.”
He nods, looking down again as he sighs. “Heard. But keep an eye out. The bastard was deranged six years ago so I can only imagine how messed up he is now. If we need to go further with this, we need to do it smart.”
“Understood.”
He studies me for a moment before nodding and turning back to the table. “Smith and Fuzz, I want you to take care of the security at Nix’s place. They’re waitin’ for you.”
“On it, boss,” Fuzz says, shooting Blaze a mock salute while Smith nods in agreement. This is what these two live for. Emma and Nix’s place will be harder to get into than the White House. Blaze nods and bangs the gavel on the table, storming out of the room before anyone else can even stand.
