MOAN: The Cantonneli Mafia

by Sophia Gray

  “Wait,” Cade said. He pulled away and sat down in the chair opposite from me. “We need to talk.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “Oh yeah?”

  “Yeah,” Cade said. “What are we gonna do?”

  I sighed and rested my chin in my hands. “I guess we’ll stay engaged,” I said softly. “At least for a little while. I have to tell my parents, and I have to figure out what to do about school.”

  Cade stared at me. “What do you mean?”

  I bit my lip. “I mean, I don’t know that I can go back,” I said quietly. “I bombed my midterms. I flunked every single one. And I don’t exactly feel like it fits me anymore. You know?”

  “Vanessa,” Cade said dully. “That was your dream. You always wanted to be a doctor. I don’t want you to give that up for me. You need to pursue your dream.”

  I swallowed hard and shifted uncomfortably in my seat. “It’s not just that,” I said. “If we’re going to be together…” I trailed off. “What if something happens to you? Everyone would find out. My career would be ruined.”

  “You can’t think about that,” Cade said softly.

  “I want to be with you,” I said. “And it’s not like I’m going to forget what I’ve learned in school. I know at least enough to be a nurse practitioner by now.” I flexed my arm. “I’m tough, Cade. I know what I’m doing.”

  “I don’t want you giving up on school,” Cade said gruffly.

  “You think Rudy would let us stay together if I stayed in school?”

  The question hung in the air like a balloon.

  Cade glanced down at the floor. “Shit, Vanessa, I don’t know. Maybe? Maybe not. You’d have to talk to him.”

  “I have a feeling he wouldn’t want me around anymore, not if I’m always on the outside.” Scooting closer, I took Cade’s hand in mine and laced our fingers together. “If we want to be together, this is how we’re gonna have to do it, Cade. This is the only way. I have to leave school and support you full-time.”

  Cade shook his head. “I don’t wanna think about this,” he said gruffly. “I want you to talk to Rudy before you make up your mind.”

  “What if I tell you that I never really wanted to be a doctor?”

  “I’d think you were lying,” Cade said. There was a playful gleam in his eye. “Don’t you remember? We talked about it the night we met?”

  I shrugged. “We talked about a lot of things that night, and most of them aren’t true anymore,” I said softly. “And right now, I know that I have to drop out of school.” I stood up and wiped my palms on my jeans. “Is Colton here? I wanna talk to him.”

  Cade narrowed his eyes. “He doesn’t like talking to outsiders,” he said. But when he saw my expression and the way my arms were crossed over my chest, he sighed. “Fine,” Cade said. “Come with me.” He took my hand and led me down a small hallway. I didn’t recognize the clubhouse very well. Even though I’d been here before, it didn’t look anything like it had the night of the party. The floor was free of beer bottles and women like Kimmy weren’t lurking at every turn. Thank god, I thought. Not like I ever want to see her again, anyway.

  Cade rapped on a door that was flush with the wall, making it look like a panel instead of a door. There was a gruff call from inside, and Cade gently pushed the door panel to the side and led me into the darkness.

  When my eyes adjusted, I realized that we were standing in a kind of modified hospital room. It wasn’t white, but rather paneled in wood with a big white hospital bed in the center of the room. An older man, Colton, was seated down with an oxygen tube taped to his face.

  “Colton, this is Vanessa Bailey,” Cade said. “She’s my…fiancée. And I just won the right to her.”

  Colton coughed. He was old, with wrinkled skin, but there was a twinkle in his eye. “Ah, Vanessa, I’ve heard about you.”

  I blinked. “You have?”

  Colton laughed. “Rudy really pissed off Cade,” he said. His voice was that of a much younger man, of a man Cade’s age. I could tell that even though he was older, he was still very much into being a full member of the MC. “Cade didn’t show up for days.”

  I blinked. “Oh,” I said softly. “I’m sorry.”

  Colton waved a hand in the air. “Not the first time a woman has come into this club,” he said. He waved his hand.

  Cade glanced at me. “Vanessa wants to stick around with us,” he said. “She wants to marry me and drop out of med school.”

  “I’ve proven myself,” I said firmly. “I know that I can handle anything that comes my way. I broke Isaac’s arm, you know, the Demon Catcher’s lieutenant. I told him I was going to set it and instead I gave him a worse fracture.”

  Colton nodded. I could tell he was thinking about it. “That may be,” he said. “But are you sure you’re in this for the long haul? How old are you, eighteen? Nineteen?”

  “Twenty-one.” I blushed. “My birthday is next month.”

  “And what do you want, Vanessa?”

  “I want to marry Cade, and I don’t ever want to leave his side.” The words spilled out of my mouth before I could think about them, but after I’d said them, I knew they were true. “I love him, and I realize now that I just want to devote my life to being his. I want to be an honorary member of the club, and use my medical experience to help out everyone in the Bleeding Prophets if they get injured.”

  Colton nodded. He rubbed his chin with one hand. “It’s true we’re in need of a medic,” he said slowly. “Our last one, well, he’s not around anymore.” He exchanged a dark look with Cade. “Cade, I think you should consider what this young woman wants. I think she’s made a good point, and I think she can handle herself.”

  Cade nodded. “She’s done everything right,” he said. “And we saw each other behind Rudy’s back because I told her to, that wasn’t her idea.”

  I almost piped up that I’d wanted to see Cade just as much as he’d wanted to see me, but something about Cade’s expression told me not to say anything.

  “Right,” I said slowly. “And I hated going behind Cade’s lieutenant’s back, Colton. I really did. That made me really uncomfortable.”

  Colton shifted on the hospital bed. “I understand, Vanessa.” He stared at me. “Are you sure that you have what it takes for life with the Prophets?”

  I swallowed hard. “I think I can handle whatever comes my way,” I said honestly. “I’ve dreamed of belonging to a family like this since I was a little kid, and that’s what I care about.”

  Colton nodded. “I think it’s a good idea,” he said slowly. “We’ve never had a female honorary member, but you know, there’s a first time for everything.” He clapped his hands together and nodded. “Now, I need to take a nap,” he said, leaning back on the bed. “Cade, you go ahead and tell Rudy.”

  “Thank you,” I said to Colton, bobbing my head slightly. “I really, really appreciate this.”

  Colton grinned. “You’d better stay close, in case I need you,” he said. He began to wheeze and adjusted the flow coming from his oxygen tank. “Cade, you found a good one.”

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Three Weeks Later

  I rubbed my eyes as I sat up in bed. When I realized the other side was cool, I frowned. Cade wasn’t there, and suddenly there was a lump in my throat as I wondered where he’d gone.

  Three weeks after the incident, I was finally able to sleep without having a nightmare. After Cade and I had talked to Colton that day, we’d decided on having a short engagement. He told me that I could expect a wedding any day, but I wasn’t holding my breath. After all, the Prophets were pushing a tremendous amount of E right now, and I knew that I should probably wait until things had really settled down.

  I’d moved out of my small, shitty apartment and into a house owned by the club. Cade had lived there with Boulder and Tyler but they moved out, into another house that was down the block. Cade and I had been on our own for weeks, and it already felt like newlywed bliss. I couldn’t im
agine how it would feel to be actually married to the man I loved so much.

  “Cade!” I called as I slipped out of bed and pulled a robe around my naked body. “Where are you?”

  “Babe, I’m in the kitchen,” Cade called back loudly.

  It smelled delicious in the hallway. I grinned to myself and padded down the carpet in my bare feet.

  Cade was standing at the stove flipping pancakes. There was a plate full of bacon and sausages on the table and my mouth began to water at the delicious aroma. Stepping close, I grabbed a piece of bacon and popped it into my mouth behind Cade’s back.

  “Hey!” Cade said. “No sneaking!” He winked at me, walking over and wrapping me in his arms. As we kissed passionately, I felt myself melt against his strong, muscular body.

  “Sorry,” I murmured. “I couldn’t resist.”

  “You ready for today?” Cade raised his eyebrows at me. “I bet you’re pretty damn excited.”

  I frowned. “Wait, what’s today?”

  Cade grinned. “Something that you’re really gonna love,” he said. He reached around and swatted me playfully the ass. “Go get dressed!”

  I pouted. “It’s ten in the morning,” I whined. “What’s the rush?”

  Cade tapped his wrist, where a watch would be if he wore one. “Just go put some clothes on,” he said. “And then I promise, you can pig out on breakfast.”

  As I stepped back into the bedroom and opened the closet, I was stunned to see a gorgeous white dress hanging there. All of my other clothes had been pushed to the side and the beaded white dress was front and center. I gasped It was beautiful. I’d never seen anything like it before.

  “You like it?”

  I jumped. Cade was standing in the doorway right behind me. I grinned and nodded enthusiastically.

  “It’s beautiful,” I said softly. “What’s the occasion?”

  “Thought you might like something nice for your first patch day,” Cade said. He winked at me.

  I clapped a hand to my forehead. “I can’t believe I forgot!” Today was the day that Colton and Rudy were finally going to patch me into the Bleeding Prophets. I was going to be an honorary member. I wouldn’t have my own bike, but I’d ride behind Cade, on his. And I’d be the official medic.

  “And,” Cade said with a grin, “it’s our wedding day.”

  I gaped at him. “Are you kidding me?”

  Cade shook his head. “Nope,” he said. He winked at me and I felt my heart melt. “I called your gay buddy, Calvin, to ask about wedding dresses. He sent this one over. He couldn’t make it to the ceremony, but he sends his love.”

  Tears welled up in my eyes and I felt my throat swell. “Oh my god,” I breathed, stepping closer and looking at the dress. It was truly beautiful, the most beautiful piece of clothing that I’d ever owned. “Cade, I can’t believe this! Are you serious?”

  Cade nodded. “Serious as anything,” he said. “I thought today, we could knock out two big birds with one stone.”

  I blushed. “I can’t believe it,” I said softly. It wasn’t that I hadn’t trusted Cade when he’d told me to expect a wedding any day, but it seemed so…well, unbelievable. “This is amazing.”

  Cade stepped closer and wrapped me in his arms. His lips warmed the top of my head and I shivered as a bolt of lust crawled down my spine. When our lips met in a passionate kiss, I moaned softly into his mouth.

  Cade pulled away and looked down at me with love shining in his blue eyes. “Are you happy, baby?”

  “I’ve never been so happy in my life,” I replied quietly. “And I can’t believe that you’re going to be my husband.”

  “About damn time,” Cade said huskily. We kissed again and I felt my crotch begin to thump with heated arousal.

  “You should leave me alone so I can get dressed,” I said coyly. “You know, bad luck and all. Groom’s not supposed to see the bride.”

  Cade snorted. “Like hell,” he said. “After what happened, I’m never leaving you again.”

  I sighed and stood close, pressing my forehead against his chest. “I think I can live with that,” I said softly. “As long as you promise it’s forever.” Cade’s fingers lifted my chin until my blue eyes were staring into his own.

  “Baby, I can do better than that,” Cade said lustily. He kissed me softly and I felt a jolt of electricity between our bodies. “I can swear it.”

  The grin that stretched my face was almost painful as I looked into his eyes. “I love you,” I said softly. “And I never wanna be apart from you ever again.”

  Cade grinned. He gripped me tightly and kissed me on the forehead. Love radiated through my body. “I love you, Mrs. Mitchell,” he said softly. “And I always, always will.”

  THE END

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  CONSUME ME: The Bleeding Prophets MC

  I’m on my knees, begging him to consume me.

  I didn’t belong there. I wanted to leave.

  But that didn’t stop him from taking me.

  He was a taste of something utterly forbidden…

  But by the time he’s finished, I’d do anything to have another lick.

  I was raised prim and proper.

  “Yes ma’am,” “no, sir,” hands folded in my lap and hair in perfect braids.

  That’s what I looked like when I showed up to the biker party.

  It was everything I wasn’t:

  Chaos and mayhem.

  Leather and liquor.

  Sex, drugs, and rock and roll.

  Years of a conservative upbringing were screaming at me to get out, get out now.

  But one look at Cade, and I knew I wasn’t going anywhere.

  He was carved out of marble, or so I thought.

  Tattoos coursed over his body.

  He was danger incarnate.

  And I loved it.

  But my taste of forbidden fruit might be the cause of my undoing.

  Cade’s world isn’t all parties and wild rides.

  There’s bad people after him.

  And when they see what I mean to him…

  They decide to come after me, too.

  DEVOUR ME: A Dark Bad Boy Romance (The Wicked Angels MC)

  MY NEED FOR HER MIGHT EAT ME ALIVE.

  I swore off relationships a long time ago.

  I couldn’t bear the pain of losing another love.

  But then Amanda wandered into my world, waking up the beast inside me.

  And he is hungry.

  She was an idiot for wandering outside in snow like this.

  If I hadn’t come along, she’d be a brunette popsicle by now.

  Instead, she’s curled up in front of my fireplace.

  But the danger in my cabin might be worse than the blizzard outside.

  I’m not a man to be trusted.

  I’ve got skeletons in my closet…

  Feelings, desires, needs that I’ve buried deep inside myself.

  And she’s bringing all that roaring to the surface.

  One look at that petite body and I’m rock hard again.

  It’s like the past disappears when she’s around.

  And all that matters is having her.

  The world outside my window may be frozen and foreboding.

  But in here, the heat of my desire will keep us both hot and sweaty.

  It’s only a matter of time until I devour her.

  One More Ride: Carnage Warriors MC

  I’M GONNA TAKE THIS LITTLE PRINCESS ON THE RIDE OF HER LIFE.

  I’m a convict. She’s a prison guard.

  This was never supposed to happen.

  But I saw what I
wanted and I took it…

  And now the world is about to make me pay for daring to break the rules.

  I took her the first time because I needed to remind myself how good it feels to have skin on skin.

  Lips on lips.

  Breath comingling with breath.

  It was what I needed.

  But her moans that night were enough to awaken a beast inside me.

  And when some drunk idiot says the wrong thing in my vicinity, that beast snaps.