by Lilly Atlas
Rocket shifted his attention to Chloe. She was gazing down at him with a look of concern on her face, still clinging tight to his hand. “It’s okay,” she whispered as she lifted her free hand to his face. That soft palm cupping his three-day unshaven face was the last straw. He rose, careful not to send her to the concrete floor.
Being a burden to his club was fucking bad enough. Having them wonder what kind of heinous deeds he’d committed in the past and whether they were going to be the ones to pay for his past sins cut to the bone. Copper was right. He was a protector. As SAA, he looked out for the club. Anticipated threats and trouble before it arose and did what he needed to neutralize it before it touched any of his family.
Being the one to disrupt that family sickened him. And now Chloe felt the need to comfort him.
Fuck that.
“Izzy and Steph picked up some clothes for you. Get whatever shit you might need for a few days and meet me at my bike in ten minutes,” he said.
“Oh. Uh, sure.” She blinked, clearly caught off guard by his sudden command and change of attitude. “Where are we going?”
He needed space from the club. Needed to purge the poison from his mind without feeling like the thousand-pound chain dragging everyone down. But he refused to let her out of his sight, so she’d be tagging along. “My house.”
“Holy shit,” Shell whispered which was followed by Copper’s low chuckle.
“What?” Chloe asked, flicking a glance at Shell.
“Oh, uh, nothing.” Shell’s eyes were comically wide.
Great, now he was bound to be the topic of conversation for a host of brand-new reasons.
Fuck it all. He needed a goddammed break.
“Ten minutes,” he said as he spun on his heel and tromped outside where at least the trees wouldn’t be digging into his private shit.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
ARMS LIMP AT her sides, Chloe watched Rocket’s back as he practically fled from the clubhouse. The urge to chase after him was strong. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and give back some of the support he’d shown her. But she resisted. The most important thing she’d learned about him in the recent past was his absolute need for privacy. He hated people prying in his business. Went hand in hand with him not loving conversation. If he kept quiet, didn’t draw attention to himself, people wouldn’t ask questions and delve into his affairs. Most likely, he wanted, or needed, some space at the moment.
“All right, you all can scatter now,” Copper said. “Talk to you for a second, Chloe?”
Uh oh. Even though he hadn’t come down on her as she’d expected when she walked into the room, he intimidated the crap out of her. He’d probably scare just about anyone. At well over six feet with a thick beard not too far off her own hair color, bulging muscles, and plenty of ink, he was a threat just by sight. Chloe shivered. Better Shell got to be the one to deal with him on a daily basis than her.
Swallowing her nerves, she closed the ten-foot distance to where Copper stood holding Shell’s hand. “Sure, uh, what’s up?” She shifted, feeling like a bug under a microscope.
Copper studied her until she could no longer stand the intense scrutiny. Thank God for his observant woman. “Copper, stop scowling at her. You’re freaking her out.” She elbowed him then smiled brightly at Chloe. “Sorry, Chloe, he’s just growly because he’s working through this new threat to the club.”
“It’s all right.” God, she wished she had something to do with her hands besides play with the hem of Rocket’s T-shirt.
“I can’t believe Rocket is taking you to his house. None of us have ever been there.” She looked up at her man who was still staring at Chloe. “Well maybe this lug has, but no one else. It’s actually become somewhat of an urban legend among the guys. Rumor has it he lives in a mid-century castle complete with a dungeon and tall towers.”
Copper made a sound close to a snort.
“What?” Shell blinked up at her man, giving him an innocent smile. But her lips betrayed her. They twitched with the effort not to laugh.
“What the hell are you going on about? A fucking castle in the Smokey Mountains?”
Shell just shrugged, lifting her hands. “Just what I’ve heard.”
With a roll of his eyes, Copper pulled her close to his side. He might pretend to be annoyed, but his eyes now sparkled with mirth, making him a much less menacing character. “You know what a Sergeant at Arms is?”
Hello topic change. “Uh, no, I don’t have a clue.”
Nodding, Copper said, “It’s an officer position within the MC. Basically protector of the club. No one better for that job than Rocket. He’s held the position for the past few years.”
Copper hit the nail on the head; she couldn’t imagine a man better fit for the job. Logan was nothing if not protective. Warmth filled Chloe’s chest. After suffering through what she had, the idea of having her own personal protector was very appealing. Not that she didn’t want to learn to defend and guard herself. Standing on her own two feet was vital, but having someone in her corner who would always try to step between the evil of the world and her made her heart soar.
“This shit with his past is fucking with his head. You get what I’m saying?”
Like a crate full of bricks, Copper’s underlying meaning slammed into her. Shit, she should have seen it earlier. Her only excuse was that she was still learning about the man who’d come to mean so much to her in a short period of time. “I think I do. Lo—uh, Rocket feels as though he is failing in his job. He feels responsible for bringing danger and trouble to the club.”
Copper nodded and his eyes softened. “The man might put some distance between you. It’s not personal. Just how he deals with shit.”
“I understand. I can give him the space he needs.” After all he’d given her, she’d pay him back with every cent she’d ever earned if it was what he needed.
For the first time, Copper cracked a smile at her. “I ain’t saying it’s what he needs. In fact, I think he needs someone to blow through his solitary nature.”
Chloe pondered that. Sounded like Copper was giving her his stamp of approval. Sure, she could keep Logan from disappearing into himself. But should she? She was already in so deep with him. When the threat was gone, and she returned to her home, life would be hard. She’d be hurt. There were no two ways around it. Feelings had developed for Logan. What those feelings were had yet to be fully fleshed out, but they were the kind that fucked with a girl’s head as well as her heart. And in Chloe’s case, her body.
Shell bounced on the balls of her feet. She looked two seconds away from squealing and clapping her hands. “He wouldn’t be bringing you to his secret castle house if he wanted space from you. Go get him girl!”
“Jesus Christ,” Copper said, running a hand down his face. “You women are fucking nuts.”
Now it was Chloe’s turn to laugh. Maybe the big bad MC president wasn’t so big or so bad after all. Okay, that was a lie, he still was the last person she wanted to cross, but he seemed to be okay with her, so she’d take it.
“Well,” she said taking two steps backward. “I better get going.”
Shell released Copper’s hand, rushed forward, and gave Chloe an exuberant hug. “You’re just what he needs,” she whispered then drew back. With her hands on Chloe’s shoulders, she said, “And I think he’s the same for you.”
He just might be. “Guess I’ll see you guys soon?”
“You bet, girl. I’m working at Toni’s diner the next few days. Stop in for breakfast if you two can come up for air.” With a wink, she stepped back until she bumped Copper’s chest. The prez just gave Chloe a nod as he wrapped his thick forearm around Shell.
“Sounds like a plan. Bye.” With a lame wave, she turned and hustled to Logan’s room.
Come up for air. Ha. That meant she had to dive in to the deep end first. As she threw some things in a bag, her thoughts drifted to Logan. Sexy didn’t come close to describing the sculpted body he
seemed to maintain without much effort. Tanned skin, a smattering of tattoos, muscles that rivaled any male fitness model, he was everything that turned her on physically. Even standing there holding a pair of leggings, her body began to respond to thoughts of him. Her stomach fluttered, nipples tightened, and mouth watered at the idea of licking all those ridges and valleys.
Logan was a protector. Even his brothers knew it. A feeling of peace and clarity settled over her. She was safe with him. At least her body was. He certainly had the potential to obliterate her heart, but that was something she couldn’t worry about right now. One issue at a time and right now, her body was clamoring for top spot.
She was ready. Ready to try for some semblance of a healthy sex life.
But first she had to see what she could do to help Logan battle his own monsters.
Packing took only four minutes plus another two to hightail it outside to Logan’s bike. He sat astride it, dark athletic sunglasses hiding his piercing blue eyes. His attention was on her the moment her foot hit the compacted dirt of the parking lot.
“You okay to wear you backpack? Might be too big to fit in my saddle bags.”
“Yeah, that’s no problem,” she said as she stepped close to the motorcycle.
He held out a helmet. Probably his only one as he wasn’t wearing one. The thought of him riding without the protection of a helmet had her hesitating to reach for it. Not that he’d ever let her go without, but maybe there was a spare hanging around the clubhouse somewhere.
One look at his face had her scrapping that thought. He’d probably laugh her out of Tennessee if she made a big deal of it.
“You been on a bike before?” he asked as he batted her hands out of the way and clasped the helmet himself.
Chloe blinked and frowned. Was he serious? “Um, yes.” She swallowed around a constricted throat. “Just one time.” The words were practically whispered. Damn her voice for quitting on her now.
Logan’s expression darkened. “Shit. Fuck. I can’t fucking believe I forg—”
“Hey.” She lifted his sunglasses to the top of his head as she stepped into him. “Shh, it’s okay. You forgot. No big deal.”
Charcoal storm clouds darkened in his eyes. “There’s nothing okay about this. Don’t let me off the hook.”
All right, being sorry for the slip-up was one thing. Self-recrimination was a whole other issue. “Logan,” she said with a small laugh. “You think I’m going to complain about you forgetting that the one time I was on a motorcycle was when I was battered and bloody after the worst two days of my life?”
“I’m an asshole.”
She cocked her head which was the wrong move. Unused to wearing the heavy helmet, she felt like she was going to keep going until she hit the ground. She quickly unclasped it and yanked it off.
“Here’s the thing. When I’m with people who know some version of what happened to me, like my family and now your club, I wonder constantly if it’s all they see. If I’m now the girl who was raped and beaten. I can’t stop questioning whether I’m pitied or looked at differently than I was before. You are the only one I spend time with who knows exactly what I looked like that night, because you are the only one outside the hospital who actually saw me. I’ve asked myself a million times whether you see that version of me every time you look at me. So yeah, I’m pretty damn happy that you forgot about it, even it if it was only for thirty seconds. I didn’t get to enjoy my ride that night. This ride, I plan to savor.” She injected as much seduction as she could into her voice. Let him wonder if she was hoping to savor a different ride.
Because she was. It was time.
He growled. Quick as lightning, his hand came around the back of her neck and yanked her forward. When his mouth crushed against hers, she nearly lost her footing. Clinging to the flaps of his cut for dear life was the only reason she remained upright.
Holy hell, the man could kiss. If she had any lingering worry he only saw her as a victim, it evaporated the moment his lips captured hers. There wasn’t a hint of restraint in his kiss. The moment boiled down to nothing more than a man and a woman who wanted to devour each other. No past baggage, current complications, or future uncertainties tainted the perfection.
Logan raked his teeth across her bottom lip, eliciting a deep shudder and a low moan from her. Before she had time to react to the aggressive move, he was plunging his tongue into her mouth and sampling her from within. God, he tasted so damn good. His lips were firm and demanding as he stole her sanity.
She wanted to be bold. To launch her own attack on his mouth, but he controlled her so masterfully she could do nothing but absorb his sensual assault. Finally, when her lungs practically screamed for oxygen, he ended the kiss. Of course, he didn’t just draw away. No, he once again took her lip between his stark white teeth, pulling it out before releasing it. The moment her lip sprung back, she licked the sting away.
Panting, they stared at each other before he finally said, “When I look at you, I see a woman I want to bury myself in so deep I might never find my way out.” He grabbed her hand and placed it over the iron rod tenting his jeans.
Holy shit. How had she missed that?
“I can’t be in a room with you and not be ready to fuck you. You are one hundred percent sexy-as-fuck woman. I do not see you as a victim.”
Her fingers curled around the bulge beneath her palm as her eyes widened. His words…she didn’t know how to describe what they did to her. There was only one thing left to say. “Take me to your house, Logan. I want you.” She was ready to be with him. Ready to leave the safety of other people and be alone with Logan all night. A huge step, but one that felt right.
His eyes narrowed and he seemed to understand the unspoken plea. She wanted him in a way she hadn’t had him before. Tonight, he wouldn’t be cuffed to a bed, and she wouldn’t be riding him with the sole purpose of ridding her mind of demons. Tonight would be about pleasure.
“Fuck,” he rasped out. “Get on the bike before I lose my mind and take you right here.”
Chloe shivered before throwing one leg over the bike, then donning her helmet for the second time. Once she was settled behind him with her arms snug around his waist, he hit the throttle and made his way toward his home.
The ride was euphoric, something she didn’t have the opportunity to experience last time. Two minutes in, Chloe completely understood the fascination with motorcycles. Rocket handled the winding mountain roads and switchbacks like he was born to it. The first few times he made a nearly ninety-degree turn, her heart lurched into her throat, but it wasn’t long before she realized his skill as a rider and relaxed into the ride. The day was picture-worthy. Crystal clear blue sky, warm sun, slight breeze, mountain view. Damn near perfect.
After fifteen minutes, the scenery grew even more mountainous. They had to be fairly high, elevation-wise. Were they heading toward his house or was he just riding through the mountains to clear his mind?
A few moments later, she got her answer. They pulled up to the most stunning house Chloe had ever seen. “Logan,” she breathed as she hopped off the bike before he’d even killed the engine. Taking two steps toward what could only be described as a log cabin on steroids, she stroked her hand down his arm. “This is where you live?”
He nodded. If only those eyes weren’t hidden behind dark glasses. He was watching her, assessing her reaction to his home, but she was at a disadvantage. His reaction to her impression of his home was obscured.
“It—” she swallowed as an emotion she couldn’t name rose in her throat. “It’s magnificent.” She’d been right, they were fairly high in the mountains and the view from his wraparound porch had to be remarkable. A two-story home made entirely of long logs. The second level also had a balcony winding around the sides of the house. A set of French doors on the second level led inside from the balcony. Was it in the master bedroom? God, how incredible must it be to open those doors and watch the sun rise or set?
Heavenl
y.
“Did you build this?” Any other time she’d have been embarrassed about the reverence in her voice, but come on, the man was an artist.
Again, he only nodded. Made sense. Her presence was the ultimate invasion into his private life. She understood. Since her kidnapping, Scott was the only one beside her parents she’d allowed into her home. Too intimate, having someone in her personal space. Logan’s standard defense mechanism was silence. His impenetrable wall always kept people out. Right then and there it became her mission to infiltrate and stay behind that wall. She’d dipped down a few times, but as evident by his sealed lips, she hadn’t remained there.
“You are incredibly talented, Logan. This house is truly beautiful.”
Finally, he lifted the sunglasses, perching them on his forehead. Keeping that arctic blue gaze on her, he slowly dismounted the bike then strode her way. Was he going to kiss her again? The dominant way he had before? A shiver skittered up her spine as she prepared for another mind-blowing kiss.
When he reached her, he took her hand in his and pressed a quick but intimate peck to her lips. “Let’s go in.”
Her lips tingled from the sweet gesture, but something else burned for more.
Still holding her hand, he guided her into the house. There was no stopping the gasp that left her mouth. Immediately upon entering the home, she was in the great room. On the far wall, a gorgeous stone hearth running straight up to the ceiling surrounded a wood burning fireplace. Oversize plush furniture filled the space around a giant flat screen television. To the right, a large kitchen complete with dark oak cabinets, stainless appliances, and a black and tan granite countertop beckoned. At once, Chloe could imagine herself here, relaxing with a glass of wine after a delicious meal, fire crackling, and Logan’s strong chest beneath her ear as they held each other on the couch.
A sweet fantasy she’d better shake out of her head before she journeyed straight to heartbreak city.
Logan still hadn’t said anything beyond inviting her into the house. Arms folded across his chest, he lingered behind her and let her take in his place. All well and good, but it was time to get him talking again. To tease out the man who’d made her come only hours before.