by Evie Monroe
He looked kinda helpless when he said, “Don’t think I have a choice.”
“You do. I’m sure if you told her you didn’t want her seeing me anymore, I’d have to believe she’d probably do what you told her.”
He smirked. “And if she kicked you to the curb, you’d kick my ass. I know how that works.”
“First thing you need to know if you’re gonna be a Cobra,” I said, laughing, “is that we aren’t too fond of kicking our brother’s asses.”
The smirk became a smile. A real one, the first I’d seen on the kid since I met him. He was about to say something when he stopped and lifted his phone out of his pocket, checking the display. “Shit. It’s Scar,” he said, his voice small.
“Answer it,” I directed.
He put the phone to his ear. “Hey man . . .” he said, speaking in a stilted, nervous tone, the way he’d spoken to me, before he’d gotten more comfortable. “Yeah. Yeah. Okay. I can be there. Give me twenty.”
He hung up the phone, a look of dread on his face.
“Fuck me,” he muttered, trying to stick the phone back in his pocket. He missed the first try. “FUCK. ME.”
“They need you?”
He nodded. “Yeah. To help out with some of their bikes, or something. I’ve got to go to their clubhouse.”
“All right.”
He walked to his bike like his boots were made of lead. “Have fun with my sister,” he said. I couldn’t tell if he was teasing me or if he really meant it.
Then he took off. I finished my cigarette, stubbed it out on the ground, and followed the way he’d gone about five minutes later, heading south, back into Aveline Bay.
I had a girl I couldn’t wait to see.
Chapter Eighteen
Charlotte
Two days after I last saw Hart, I was going fucking insane.
It wasn’t anything new to me. I’d met guys, gone crazy over them, only to have them drop off the face of the earth. The thing was, Hart didn’t seem like that kind of guy.
I got the feeling he was keeping a respectful distance because of Jojo, and I got confirmation of that after I finally bit the bullet and texted him. After that, I told him I really needed to speak to him.
Then, no answer.
He may have been trustworthy and loyal, but he knew how to play infuriating mind games like all the other guys.
It was nearly nine, and the vet hadn’t given me any hours until the weekend, so I was sitting in bed, watching mindless reality television and wondering how I was going to make rent, when my phone buzzed. I was hoping for a message from Jojo, since he’d left a few hours before, to see friends, he’d said. I wasn’t sure what that meant.
But instead, I saw Hart’s name on the display.
I rocketed up in my bed and read the message. Can you meet me?
I looked across the room, at my reflection in the mirror above the dresser. In the greenish glow of the television, I had quite the zombie-ish appearance. I smoothed down my flyaway hair and wiped at my cheeks, then typed in: Where?
I licked my lips, waiting for a response. You know where Green Grove Park is?
Of course I knew Green Grove Park, a ten-minute walk from me, but not much of a park anymore. Heavily wooded and behind a housing development, it was home to a dilapidated metal swing set and a bunch of really old grills and camping sites. Always empty of picnickers, now, most of the time it was where kids went to get high.
I figured he must really be worried about the other motorcycle club seeing us together if he wanted to meet there. I typed in: Y.
Picnic tables. Fifteen minutes.
He sounded so very authoritative, I had to wonder if he was used to ordering people around and getting them to do his bidding. I’d only known him for a few days, and yet, he had me jumping when he said jump.
Heart pounding in my chest, I sprang out of bed. In a flash I’d slipped into denim shorts and a tank top, stuck my hair in a messy bun, blushed my cheeks and glossed my lips, even though we were meeting in the dark.
Didn’t matter. I couldn’t wait to see him.
Oh, yeah. And talk about how to protect Jojo. On my way out the door, I looked at my phone and realized that in my excitement, I’d missed a text from Jojo. It said: I’ll be home around eleven.
I smiled and checked the time. Two more hours. At least something Hart had said to him had clicked. Still, I had to wonder, if he wasn’t with Hart . . . what was he doing? Was he with that other club? I hated thinking of him lying to them, digging himself deeper into trouble.
I locked up the apartment and walked to the main road, headed for the park, telling myself that I needed to concentrate on getting Jojo out of the MC mess he’d gotten himself into. I steeled myself to be good and do my best to ignore Hart’s muscular body, his low, sexy voice that seemed to vibrate deep inside me, the delicious way he smelled.
Jojo. Saving Jojo. That was the important thing.
I’d forgotten once before, and it had led to the most embarrassing situation of my life. If Jojo had walked in five minutes later, things would’ve been even worse.
I swallowed hard, trying to steel myself when I came to an asphalt path, barred by a metal gate to keep cars from entering. A sign said, Green Grove Park Open from Sunrise to Sunset, but it was so faded by the sun and obscured by tree branches, it was barely visible.
I knew this park well, because when I was a kid, one of my foster parents had enrolled me in a summer camp here. In the dark, though, it looked like a completely different place. As I walked away from the glow of the streetlamps, I found myself in almost perfect blackness.
I knew the general direction of the picnic tables but was pretty sure I wouldn’t find them until I ran straight into one. I fanned my hands out and walked slowly into the depths of the park. Somewhere above, an owl hooted.
It occurred to me that this was damn stupid. Here I was, about to meet a strange guy in the middle of a dark, deserted place, without any backup. This was a recipe for trouble.
The thought didn’t stop me, though. I guess I wanted trouble. I slowed when, in the distance, I saw the tiny fiery tip of a cigarette. A small shaft of moonlight filtered through the trees overhead, illuminating the chrome handlebars of a motorcycle. I took in a shaky breath. “Hart?”
A moment later, my eyes adjusted to the minimal light, and I saw him, motioning for me. He was sitting on the top of one of the picnic tables, smoking a cigarette. “Yeah. Come here.”
I did, careful not to trip over a tree root or the crumbling asphalt of the pathway. As I did, I looked around and rubbed my arms. It was a lot chillier here than I’d expected.
Before I could get much closer, Hart flicked the cigarette away and reached out, snaked a hand around my waist, and pulled me to him. I smelled the scent of his cigarette, mingling with his own delicious aftershave, and as much as I wanted to melt into him, I stiffened. “That’s not what I came here for.”
It didn’t stop him. He dipped his head and buried it in my neck, smelling me, then he delivered feather-like kisses to my collarbone. “It’s okay,” he said, his breath warm on my cool skin and so inviting. “It’s what I came here for.”
I couldn’t stop him. It felt too good. I tilted my head back to the moon to give him better access and leaned in to him. “Why didn’t you call me?”
His voice was muffled against my skin. “Told you. I wanted to make sure Joel was okay with this.”
He trailed his lips up the side of my neck, took my earlobe into his mouth, and sucked, tonguing it gently. I inhaled deeply, before I lost all train of thought. “But . . .he told me you wanted him to join your club.”
“Mmm-hmm,” he growled out. With one hand he pushed my hair back, the other had gone under my tank top and to caress the small of my back. I stood between his legs, my hands on each strong thigh. I could feel his hardening cock against my stomach.
“But I don’t want that,” I said.
He ignored me and just kept nuzzling my ne
ck, sucking on my ear, slowly undoing me. Soon I wouldn’t even know my own name.
“Hart. Stop,” I said. He didn’t. I put both hands on his chest and pushed away. “Listen to me. Stop.”
I couldn’t see his face in the darkness, but I sensed his body tense, and he let out a groan of disappointment. “What? I thought you were gonna let the kid make his own decisions.”
I swallowed. “I don’t think you understand. Yes, he wants to be like you. But he isn’t like you. He’s afraid.”
He let out a breath. “You don’t think I wasn’t afraid when I prospected, too? He just needs to grow some balls.”
“No, he doesn’t!” I fired back. “He’s had enough trauma in his life. Trauma from being tossed around from place to place. No one to care for him. No one to love him. Maybe for once in his life it’d be nice to have some stability, don’t you think? That’s what I’ve been trying to give him.”
His voice was low. “And you? What did you have?”
I didn’t want to go into my sad story, which was probably worse than my brother’s. I just shook my head. “He’s not equipped for this life. And I really worry that being in between clubs is going to take a toll on him.”
“Is that what he said?”
I nodded. “I talked to him the other night. He wants to be a part of something. And he likes you and wants to make you happy. But he’s afraid if he turns down your invitation, you’ll turn your back on him.”
“He said that?”
“He didn’t have to. I can tell. I know him, Hart.”
He was silent for a long moment. “So what are you saying?”
“I’m saying that if there isn’t any way to get out of this web he’s tangled himself up in, then I’m going to take him out of the city. He doesn’t think we can possibly make it with no money and no support, but if he’s in danger, then we have to go.”
“No, you don’t. If he’s a Cobra, we’ll protect him.”
“But he’s not a Cobra. He’s playing tough around you but he’s not you. He’s not some guy who likes to go around causing trouble and being all gangster. He’s a good kid, Hart.”
He came back right away, his voice hard-edged. “What do you mean? That’s not what the Cobras are, Charlie. Maybe the Fury was, but we ain’t the Fury.”
“But . . .” I stammered, feeling him draw me closer. I knew he was looking at me, and even though I could see very little, I couldn’t raise my eyes up to his.
I felt his hands come around me, digging into the pockets of my shorts and caressing my ass. “You know me, right? Am I really such a bad guy?”
“No,” I admitted. “You’re not. But I don’t care. I can’t do this. I need him out of this life completely.”
“You can’t force him.”
I laughed sadly. “You know I can. Yes, he might be pissed for a while and give me crap, but eventually he’ll feel guilty, and he’ll do what I tell him to do. He always does. That’s what tells me he’s still has some of that good kid left in him. And I’m not going to give up on him yet.”
He pulled his hands out of my pockets and straightened. “So that’s it? You’re leaving.”
“Yeah. I think I have to.”
“And I think you’re making a mistake.”
I was glad it was dark. Because if I’d seen those light hazel eyes of his, those eyes that made me do the things I never thought I could do, I knew I’d be a goner. “But what you think,” I said, “doesn’t matter.”
Chapter Nineteen
Hart
Charlie was as pig-headed as they came. Which only made me want her more. She was talking some ridiculous shit about taking her brother and hitting the road, leaving Aveline Bay altogether. How did she think that was going to help her situation?
“What I think doesn’t matter?” I challenged. “Really?”
“Yes. I have to do what’s best for my family.”
“Joel’s going to fight you.”
“I know. But eventually he’ll come around. So that’s why I wanted to talk to you. I want you to stop encouraging him about this Cobras stuff. I want you to tell him that I’m right. That you think the best decision is for us to leave. If we’re both telling him the same thing, he’ll listen.”
I let out a laugh. “Are you kidding me? That’s not the best decision. Not by a long shot.”
Her voice went sour. “Why? You think cruising around here, waiting to be shot is better?”
“No. It just ain’t that simple.”
“Oh? Why not? It’s got to be simpler than staying around here as target practice for a couple of motorcycle clubs. He’s a kid. This way, he can get a fresh—”
“Okay. Hold on. Hold the fuck on. He’s not a kid, Charlie. He’s a grown man. He goes with you because he feels guilty about pissing you off, but sooner or later you’re going to realize you can’t lead him around on a leash for the rest of his life.”
“I’m not leading him on a leash. He agrees with me.”
“He agrees because he doesn’t want you to get hurt. He feels bad because he cares about you and didn’t want you to get wrapped up in this. That’s why he’d leave. But what you two don’t understand is that moving away ain’t going to fix anything.”
She was quiet for a moment. “What do you mean?”
“I mean what I say. You think putting distance between Joel and the Fury will keep him safe? That’s bullshit, Charlie. He knows too much about the club. They won’t care what borders they have to cross. They’ll find him.”
She let out an uneven breath. “Is that true?”
“Yeah.”
“How . . . is that how the Cobras operate, too?”
I shrugged. “We don’t take betrayal lightly, but we’re not like the Fury. They won’t show a kid mercy just because he’s a kid. I’ve seen it before with their prospects. In their eyes, the only way out of the club is death.”
She gasped, and her hand flew to her mouth. She didn’t say anything for a long time, and then I heard a quiet sob and realized she was crying.
“Hey,” I said to her.
She continued to cry.
“Hey,” I reached for her arm and drew her close, wrapping her up in a hug.
She sniffled. “Oh, God. It seems like there’s no way out! It’s hopeless,” she wailed against my chest.
“No, it ain’t.”
“What do I do, then, Hart? Tell me what to do,” she begged.
“What I’ve been telling you,” I said, smoothing down her hair.
She looked up at me, and I could just make out her wide eyes in the darkness. “But how do you know that’ll make things okay? If he goes with the Cobras, it’ll just make them angrier.”
“Because one of my brothers, Zain, was once a prospect for the Fury, and he lives every day with an X on his back. But the difference is, we’re always protecting him, and they know if they fuck with him, they’ll have to deal with our wrath. So they don’t.”
Her voice was small. “Can you do that for Jojo?”
“Yeah. That’s the plan. That’s how we’d get him out.”
She pulled away and wiped at her eyes. “And the Cobras will do that for him?”
I nodded. “Yeah. The president of the Fury was fond of beating up on his wife and daughter. We took out Slade, and now we have his family in hiding. We take care of them. We could sure as hell do the same for you.”
She let out a hard breath. “Both of us?”
“Yeah.” She had crossed her arms in front of her, hugging herself, so I took hold of her forearm and pulled her closer. “Listen to me. This isn’t just for Joel. I’d feel better if I was keeping an eye on you.”
“Because they’ll be after me, too.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yeah. They know about you. So they will be. But I’ll keep you safe. If you trust me, Charlie, I’ll keep you safe.”
She nodded and lowered her head. “Thanks, Hart.”
I wrapped my arm around her and she lifted her chin to me, b
egging to be kissed. My mouth descended on hers, and I tasted her. Tasted and kissed and plundered her mouth with my tongue for as long as I could stand it. She felt so right and perfect in my arms, I couldn’t think of leaving. But I needed to get back to Nix.
When I broke the kiss, I didn’t have to ask. She lifted my t-shirt up and started to kiss her way down my chest as I pulled it the rest of the way off. Her hands went to my belt buckle, and she tore my pants open, letting out hot little noises to tell me just how excited she was to get to me.
“You thirsty for something?” I asked her, taking hold of her ponytail to keep it out of the way.
She didn’t answer. She was focused on one thing. I lifted my ass up to pull my pants down as she finished unzipping them and went for my cock, no hesitancy at all. She pulled it out, her tongue still hot on my abdomen, and started to palm my cock, making it harder.
Then she put her tongue on the tip. I leaned back onto my elbows and my head fell to the sky. She felt so damn good. I was glad it was dark because I was so damn horny for her, I couldn’t fucking see straight.
When she licked down my shaft, my elbows buckled, and I nearly fell back on the table. I wanted, needed more of her, on me. She set to her work, taking the head into her mouth, and though I couldn’t see more than her shadow, I knew her eyes were focused on me.
I groaned. “Fuck . . . that’s good.”
Her hot mouth slid up and down on my prick, her tongue going in circles, while she kept one slick finger and thumb wrapped around the base. It felt almost unbearably incredible, like a dream I’d soon wake up from. Grabbing her ponytail tight, I milked it, holding her there with her lips around my base for a couple of seconds before letting her resume her rhythm. She started going up and down, faster and faster on me, so I lifted up off the table and fucked her face.
Any more, and she was going to make me come. “Wait, Charlie . . . fuck. Wait,” I said, nudging her away.
“Was that okay?”
“Fuck yes. But I want to be inside you.”
She straightened and reached for the buttons of her shorts. “Do you have a condom?”
