by LeAnn Ashers
They all glare at me. Travis starts to charge them, but Trenton and I hold him back. They turn around and walk out of the building, the door slamming shut behind them. Travis turns around and tucks me tightly against his chest. “Tell Lane what the fuck just happened, they have it out for us. This is not just about Bailey. They originally sought out Adeline,” he tells Smiley, who nods then takes out his phone. Travis looks down at me. “You will be fine, you will be safe. Those fuckers will never touch you.”
I nod and close my eyes. This has been one of the best and worst dates of my life, the best because it’s with Travis and the worst because someone wants to hurt me. Just my luck, right?
“The others will be here any minute,” Smiley tells Travis and the others, but I don’t move from his chest. His hands are running up and down my back, and I shiver at the feel of him moving against me. Travis sits down and pulls me onto his lap. Walker and Trenton are staring at the door, and I can see they are majorly pissed off. Smiley is holding Adeline tightly; they are such a beautiful couple. From the moment I met them, I knew I wanted that kind of love someday. The way he took care of her was something I had never seen before.
A few minutes later the door opens, and Lane walks in with a bunch of other members I don’t know yet. Smiley steps away from Adeline, and I get off of Travis to allow him to go to the others. “I will be back in a few, sweetheart.” He kisses the side of my head, and Adeline joins me.
“He will protect you. Don’t worry about a thing, sweetheart.” She takes my hand and gives it a comforting squeeze.
“I know he will.” I have never felt unsafe around him.
Travis explains what happened and, one by one, they all look at me, shocked. Travis, on the other hand, has a smirk on his face.
“I think you’ve got some admirers,” Adeline teases and I laugh slightly.
“I’ve just got a temper.”
“Mhm. You are made to be a part of the MC life. Mind you, I am not much of a fighter, but I take care of everyone—that’s my role.”
I smile. “You’re everyone’s mom.” I lean over and hug her.
“Thank you, baby.” She rubs the back of my head, and I close my eyes, wishing once again my mother were like her. I miss her. I wish she were there when I had Gabby. One of the nurses held my hand and stayed with me the whole time. That was so amazing of her—otherwise I would have been completely alone.
Travis breaks away from the group of guys and walks over to me. “You ready to go home, baby?”
I nod, getting off the chair, and he takes my hand. I am tired. It’s been a long night; it’s dragged on since everything went down.
Everyone follows us out of the bar, and Travis approaches his bike. “You will ride in front of me. I don’t want your back exposed.”
“But won’t yours be exposed?”
He gives me a look. “Momma, it’s my job to protect you.” I hold my hands up in defeat. I know when to pick my battles and when to let them go, and I know that he is serious about being protective.
One of the guys stands at my back while Travis gets on his bike. “I’m Bailey, it’s nice to meet you.”
He smiles. He has that geeky bad boy vibe that we all love. “My name is Aiden. I’m one of the new members.”
Travis looks over at us. “He just got patched in last week.”
I smile. “Well, congrats on that.”
His smile is utterly sexy. “Why thank you, sweetheart.” He winks at me for good measure. Uhh…this one is completely dangerous, I do believe, but Travis is more dangerous to me. He has already stolen a huge piece of me.
“Back the fuck off, Aiden,” Travis says in a growl that goes straight down to my lady bits.
Aiden takes a step closer to me. “Or what? This fine lady might want to ride with me.” He tilts his head to the side, studying me. I can tell he is fucking with Travis, so I laugh out loud.
“You want me to fucking show you?” Much to my utter surprise, Travis takes his gun out.
Aiden laughs out loud. “Well shoot me if you want, fucker, I’m just messing with you. She knows I’m joking.” He keeps on laughing.
Travis puts his gun back, takes my arm, and pulls me toward him. “Put your leg over here.” He pats the seat, and soon I am sitting in front of him. “Just lean back and hold on for the ride,” he whispers into my ear. The double meaning sends a shiver right down my spine. Oh boy.
He turns on the bike and, one by one, the others do the same. Smiley pulls up with Adeline sitting in the same fashion as me. They are such a hot older couple; I hope I look like that when I am older. Lane raises his hand and takes off, the others following suit. I notice, right off the bat, that they are trying to keep Travis and Smiley in the middle, to protect us. How freaking amazing are these guys?
I never even knew people like this existed. Here I am, my world completely changed. It’s like I am fated to be here. One day I was a makeup artist struggling to feed myself, and now I am here in a beautiful home. The most amazing part is Travis; he is surprising me at every turn.
People stop to stare as we drive past; they are in awe of all of these men. I do not blame them; they have a way of commanding everyone’s attention. Hell, even Adeline has a way of getting everyone to stop and stare at her. It’s the way she carries herself. Joslyn is absolutely beautiful, and I can tell she has a beautiful heart too.
My hair is flying out behind me. I wrap it around my hand and hold it so it’s not in Travis’s face. He takes my hand in his and wraps my arm around my chest, crossing his arm over it, so my arm and his are hugging my front. He is holding me. I close my eyes, enjoying this beautiful moment of being completely and utterly free. My heart and soul feel free. I have found where I am meant to be: right here.
We slow down at the gate to our community. It opens and slams shut behind us. He pulls into my driveway and turns off the bike, and I climb off first. Travis holds my hand, and we walk into the house.
Wilder and Joslyn are sitting on the couch. Wilder gets up and takes Travis into the kitchen, and I sit on the couch with Joslyn. I accidentally brush my knuckles against the couch, and I hiss and look at my hand.
“Woah slugger, what did you do?” Joslyn touches the side of my hand. I hesitate; I don’t want people to think I am this really angry person who just wants to fight. I am just extremely protective.
“Three women cornered Adeline in the bathroom.” I wait for her reaction.
She laughs. “You go, girl. Adeline didn’t deserve that.”
I nod. “She really didn’t. How was Gabby?” I am dying to go upstairs and check on her.
“She is an absolute angel! Anytime you need someone to watch her, I am more than willing.” Joslyn beams.
“Thank you so much. I am here to babysit your babies any time too.” I scoot to the edge of the couch. “I need to go see my baby. I will be back.” It takes everything in me not to run. I push open her door; she is asleep holding the bunny rabbit that Travis got her the other day. I walk to the edge of the bed and bend down, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
Her eyes open. “Hi, Momma.” My heart swells. I will never grow tired of hearing her call me that.
“Hi, sweet baby. Did you have fun?”
“Lots.” She yawns and smacks her lips. She is so adorable. “Go back to sleep. Pancakes for breakfast in the morning?”
She nods. “Please.”
I laugh and kiss her cheek. “Goodnight, baby.”
“Night, Momma.”
I walk into my bedroom. I need to get out of these clothes, which are covered in bar grime and god-knows-what from those hoe bags, and into some sweatpants and a baggy T-shirt.
When I walk downstairs, Travis is sitting on the couch, and Joslyn and Wilder have left. Travis pats the place beside him. I sit down and he wraps his arm around me. He is so warm. I close my eyes for a second, just enjoying the moment.
“Long night, huh?” He runs his hand up and down my back before making his way to
my hair, rubbing my scalp.
“It was a good night, no matter what,” I say.
“Thank fuck, Momma.” You couldn’t stop the smile on my face no matter what. I love it when he calls me that. “I am going to run next door to get some clothes, and I will be right back. Lock the door behind me. Until this threat is dealt with, I will be staying here.” He says this in a tone that dares me to argue, and you know what? I am not going to.
“Alright.” I shrug. He’s staring at me in disbelief, but I pretend to not notice. But I notice everything. I noticed that smile he just had on his face. I did that. Yeah, that makes me feel like a million bucks. I follow him to the door.
“See you in a few.” He winks and leaves, taking my breath with him.
Travis
What a fucking night. I never expected for it to turn out this way. I knew something was fucking wrong when they never came back from the bathroom. Then I saw Adeline waving for us.
I saw three girls walk into the bathroom after that, and I was fucking paranoid. My first instinct was they better not have fucking touched her. She is too sweet for that.
What I never expected was for her to fight like that. She even flushed one of their heads in the toilet. But I am fucking proud of her, sticking up for Adeline and herself. She doesn’t need to take anything from anyone, and I am glad she didn’t.
Then little things started happening with her. She is not fighting me anymore, and I am grateful for that. I just want her to be happy. I want to make her happy. I walk inside my house with a fucking smile on my face, knowing that I am going right back to see her.
Bailey
Once Travis left to go to his house, I went to my bathroom and took off my makeup. A huge part of me wants to go to bed and not think about those guys threatening me.
I also want to watch a movie with Travis; maybe he will cuddle? I go into the kitchen and bring out a snack and a couple of sodas. Just as I set everything on the coffee table, there’s a knock at the door.
I let Travis in. He’s already changed into a pair of sweats and a shirt. Goodness me, he is beautiful. His eyes are out of this world, such a piercing blue. As he locks the door, he spots the food on the coffee table.
“Movie night?” I ask, trying to hide my shaking hands.
“I love that, Momma.” He sets his bag down, walks over to the couch, and just sits down so casually. How can he be so casual? I wish I were that relaxed. I feel like screaming half the time. I let out a deep breath; then I sit beside Travis and grab a bag of potato chips and a soda.
“Scary movie?” He picks up the remote and turns on The Conjuring. I swallow hard. Should I mention that I am easily scared? I still run down the hallway in fear of something grabbing me. “Sure.” I shrug. He turns it on and settles deeper into the couch. I pray that this movie is not terrifying.
Ohhh, it’s bad alright. I’ve already discarded my snacks and am hiding under the blanket, making sure all my body parts are covered. I don’t want to be dragged down to the basement. I jump at a scary part and scoot over against Travis. He laughs loudly and puts his arm around me. “I will protect you, baby,” he teases, holding me close.
The little girl is getting dragged—oh my God! “Poor little girl,” I whisper.
Travis’s body starts shaking from laughing at me. “Baby, it’s not real.” He kisses the top of my head, and I look up at him. When he meets my eyes, my heart starts pounding. Look away, Bailey! But I can’t; my eyes are locked into his. His hand cups my jaw, his thumb stroking my cheekbone. I lick my lips and he lowers his head. Is this really happening?
His lips touch mine. I open my mouth and he takes control of the kiss. His lips are full and so freaking soft, so different from any kiss I have had before—this is fire. I press myself closer to him, kissing him back with everything in me. My heart is pounding so hard I am sure he can feel it.
His hand slips from my face to my hips, and I am lifted off the couch until I am straddling him. I feel him. He is rock hard under me. The second thought that crosses my mind: wow, he is big! The third: I want him to take me.
Travis’s lips move across mine like he is making love to me, so sweet, hard, and fucking sexy at the same time. I will never be the same after this kiss. I’ve been wanting to do this since the moment I saw him shirtless.
I hold my breath as I sneak my hand under his shirt. I shiver, goosebumps covering my arm. His abs make me want to drool; they are something you only see on TV. His lips move from mine, and I take in a deep breath. My eyes are still clenched closed, and his hands drift down to my ass and squeeze. Just a little movement of my hips, and I know that I will be pure mush. It’s been five years since I’ve had male contact, and let me tell you, Randall absolutely sucked in bed.
I am sick to my stomach even thinking about it. He was handsome, and that was all there was to him. Selfish, evil, manipulative, and so much more.
Travis’s lips are down to my neck. My toes curl and I can’t help but rub my clit gently on his dick through his sweats. I feel his teeth drag across my collarbone. I jolt and I am shaking at this point. I need so much, but I don’t know how to ask for it. Do I even want to?
He finally tears his lips from my neck and looks into my eyes. “Fucking beautiful.” I smile, lower my face, and wrap my arms around his neck. He shifts his bottom half, and his dick rubs against me. I moan slightly before I catch myself.
“Want to go upstairs?” I ask, my voice almost hoarse, and I am instantly terrified because what made me ask that? Oh, I know. I am a horny bitch who wants to get some dick.
His eyes search my face. “You want this?” he asks, and my heart settles down, because that is why I am sure. He is sweet and kind and wants to make sure I am okay. He is all about me; he has done absolutely nothing but focus on my needs.
My lips twitch before I let my smile free. “Yeah, Travis.” I touch the side of his face. One part of me is afraid; I don’t want to give him the wrong impression. I climb off his lap, he takes my hand, and together we go up the stairs to my bedroom. He smirks as he shuts and locks my door. Oh my god, am I really going through with this?
He walks over to me, and his hand cups the back of my neck. He pulls me to him, pressing his lips to mine again. This kiss is different— this one is setting fire to my soul. My toes curl into the carpet, and I grip the front of his shirt. He pushes me back until my legs hit the bed; then he stands back and looks at me. “Are you nervous?” he asks.
I am on edge. “Yeah,” I whisper. I breathe deeply, trying to calm my nerves. “It’s been five years, and I’ve only had sex a handful of times.” I throw it out there for him to take as he will. Randall never even gave me an orgasm. Honestly, he was very unkind during sex. It never once felt great and it hurt. He never cared about me or how I felt, only about himself. But the sad part was I thought that was the way life was supposed to be.
Travis’s face softens and he cups my jaw. “Don’t be scared. I got you, Momma." He stops, his jaw tightening with anger. "I have you now, never be scared with me. I will fucking show you. I will not only protect you physically, I will protect you emotionally, spiritually. Every single part of you. I will take care of you. Your every want will be met and I will fucking give you the world.” He kisses my forehead, searing the moment into my mind forever.
Don’t cry, Bailey. But it is so hard not to. He touched a huge part of me. I am scared, but he is making that okay. “Thank you.” A tear falls down my face. “You’re the most amazing person I have ever met in my life.” I lean forward and kiss him again, this time with so much emotion. I want to say so much, but I just can’t.
His fingers tug on the bottom of my shirt, and I lift my arms as he pulls it over my head, leaving me in my black lace bra. He smiles, dragging his finger down my arm and under my breast, down to my belly button. I suck in a sharp breath as his touch leaves tingles in its wake. His hand is on my back; then his fingers are on my bra clasp. My insides feel like they are shaking from nerves. My bra comes
loose and falls to the floor. I watch as his eyes take me in, and it takes everything in me not to cover myself.
“Beautiful.” His fingers lightly graze the side of my breast. “Perfection.”
My face is hot. I have never been examined like this. “Lie back, Momma.” I do as he asks. His hands grasp the top of my sweatpants. I lift my hips, and he pulls my sweats down my body, taking my panties with them—leaving me completely bare to him. I want to cover myself. His nose flares as he takes in all of me, and his hands grip my hips. “You’re the most beautiful fucking thing in the world.” His voice is deeper than usual.
“Thank you.” He smiles beautifully. It’s hard to believe this person is here in front of me. “I think you’re overdressed.” I lean forward and unbuckle his belt. He lets me unbutton his pants, and I tug them down his legs and pull his boxers off with them. My eyes widen at the size of his dick, and my mouth dries. He is huge and I don’t think that’s going to fit.
“What?” he asks, touching the bottom of my chin.
I manage to collect myself. “You’re huge.”
He laughs with that cocky little smirk on his face. Pun is totally intended there—he has the right to be that way. I sit back and watch him take off the rest of his clothes, trying not to be overly aware of my body, naked in front of him. I think of all of the parts of me that are far from perfect. There are the stretch marks on my stomach, and my boobs aren’t as great as they used to be. But the way he is looking at me is so full of respect, and it’s like he actually thinks I am beautiful.
“Crawl up to the head of the bed,” he tells me. I scoot back and he crawls up the bed with me; my heart is pounding so hard. I am so unbelievably nervous. The nervousness is gone the second his lips touch mine. I close my eyes, dragging my hands up his arms, my back hitting the bed. His hands are running all over my body. It’s like sensory overload. My pussy is aching and dying for him, and his hands are drifting along my inner thighs.
I open my eyes when he pulls back and kisses my forehead. He kisses my cheek then to the nape of my neck. His lips seem to be touching every nerve ending, and his mouth keeps drifting further down. His lips wrap around my nipple, and I throw my head back, hissing, the pleasure shooting straight down to my clit.