Now that I’d calmed down, I rolled my eyes. “Or, you could not overreact and break into Valen’s home while I’m here with my small child, scaring me three-quarters to death.”
He sighed. “Three quarters, huh?”
“More than half, so, yes, three-quarters.”
“By the way, Alamo’s been gone for months, so this is your home now, and I didn’t break in. I’ve got keys and the alarm code.”
“Since when?” I asked.
“Yesterday. I didn’t want to wait until you got the nerve up to ask me, so I grabbed a spare.”
“Were you planning on telling me this?” I ground out.
“Yep. Tonight… when I brought you dinner.”
I met his eyes. “You brought me dinner?”
“Well, no, on accounta the fact you didn’t answer your phone, so I rode here first,” he said. “But it wouldn’t matter. Need to lock you and Kinsey down for a few days.”
“Why?”
“Doc’s demandin’ it. Not sure all the details right now.”
“Not sure or not at liberty to say?” I challenged.
He raised an eyebrow and I had my answer. If he didn’t really know, he’d say he didn’t know.
“I just got Kinsey to sleep,” I complained.
“I’ll move her,” he said.
“Can it wait?”
“Babe, if I thought it could wait, I wouldn’t be here.”
“You gonna feed me?” I demanded.
“There’s food at the club,” he said. “You need to pack enough shit for a few days.”
“Wait,” I said. “We need to talk.”
“No.”
“What? Why?”
“Because I already know what you wanna talk about and, honestly, I’m a little pissed you’re just now getting to it.”
I snorted. “There’s no way you could know what—”
“Kinsey’s my daughter?” he said. “Yeah, I know.”
I let out a frustrated squeak. “How long have you known?”
“I confirmed it a couple of weeks ago.” He pulled out a lighter and started flipping the top open and closed. He’d done this since we were teens. He’d light his cigarette and then flip the top while he smoked. I knew it was a nervous habit, because he’d quit smoking years ago, and it didn’t really bother me, but now I couldn’t stop myself from snatching it from him.
“Oh my god, Knox, you better start giving me complete sentences with all the information.”
“I’ll fill you in when you’re locked down and safe.”
“I have a job,” I reminded him. I was one of the receptionists at a huge law firm, and considering Michael never allowed me to work, I had no discernable skills, it was a miracle I even got hired.
“You hate your job.”
He was right. I did hate it. It was catty and cutthroat, and my boss was a dick.
“I still need it though,” I ground out.
“Debatable,” he retorted.
“Knox,” I said in exasperation.
“I will take you to and from work, baby. For now, let’s just get this done.”
I knew I wouldn’t get more for the moment, so I handed him back his lighter and we rushed around, packing up a few things and loading them into my car, before Badger carried a still sleeping Kinsey out to my car and loaded her into her car seat. She never woke up, so we took off for the compound without incident, Knox following on his bike. After I parked my car in the back, Knox met us and carried Kinsey upstairs to a room down the hall from Alamo’s.
“Why are we up here?” I asked in a whisper.
“You and I are sleepin’ in a room with an adjoining door to Kinsey. Figured you’d want to be close.”
“You and I are sleeping…?”
Kinsey stirred, and Badger rocked her gently. “Shhh,” he whispered.
He gave me a chin lift and I pushed open the door, stepping back so Knox could carry her inside. I followed and waited while he tucked her into the big bed, flipping on a monitor on the nightstand and handing me the receiver.
“You have a baby monitor?”
“Shhh,” he whispered again, and pushed me gently from the room.
“Knox, if she wakes up, she’s gonna freak.”
“That’s why you have the baby monitor. We’ll be close.”
“Knox—”
“Baby, give me a sec and I’ll explain everything. But you keep yabberin’ here in the hallway, you’ll wake her.”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t yabber,” I grumbled, and followed him into the room next door.
He flipped on the light and I was pleasantly surprised by the large bedroom. It contained a king-sized bed and a sofa by the window, along with a decent flat screen TV and a mini fridge. I’d been here enough to know that every room had its own bathroom, so if we didn’t want to leave for several days, we’d be fine.
“What about our stuff?” I asked, dropping my purse on the bed.
“I’ll order food and grab your bags when the pizza gets here.”
“And that’s when you’ll tell me how you know about Kins?”
“I’ll tell now, just let me order.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and ordered a large pizza, then tugged me onto the sofa next to him, setting his lighter on the side table. “When we came to get you, you know after Michael almost killed you?”
I nodded.
“The second I saw Kinsey, I wondered… but then I did the math and hoped—”
“You hoped?” I whispered.
His eyes softened, and he smiled. “Quin, I love you. ’Course I fuckin’ hoped.”
“You still love me?”
He cocked his head and frowned. “Did you seriously doubt that?”
“I married some other man… after our only night together… I don’t know that I’d forgive you that quickly.”
“Two separate things, Quin.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“Already forgiven.” He pulled me onto his lap.
“If you want to do a DNA test for Kinsey—”
“Already did it.”
I dropped my head back and swore at the ceiling. “Please, Lord, help me not murder him.”
He chuckled. “We’ve wasted enough fuckin’ time not bein’ together, Quin, and that’s on me as much as it’s on you.”
“How do you figure?”
“I shoulda fought for you.”
“You’d be dead,” I ground out.
“Okay, I’m not goin’ around with you on that again, Welly.”
I sighed. “So, you confirmed Kinsey’s yours?”
“Yep,” he said.
“Let me up,” I snapped and pushed at his shoulders.
“Settle.”
“If I want to get up, I should be allowed to get up.”
He released me, and I rose to my feet.
“You had no right to do that.” I threw my hands in the air. “You should have asked me.”
He leaned forward, settling his elbows on his knees, his lighter back in his hands and he studied the lid as he flipped it open, then closed again. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“At first, I wasn’t sure, and I didn’t want to hope. But then, Michael informed me that he’d had a vasectomy a year before he forced me to marry him, so there was no way Kinsey was his. He’d kept me in the dark the entire time, just another way to torture me. When I found out the truth, I felt free, which I stupidly said out loud and it’s why he hit Kinsey.”
“He hit Kinsey?”
I nodded. “I was going to run. Take her somewhere he’d never find us. But then you and Valen were there and I didn’t have to. I was going to tell you about Kinsey tonight, obviously, and talk to you about doing a DNA test for you to be sure. I’ve never slept with anyone else, but I wanted you to know she was yours. But you’re you and you always have to mess up my system.”
“If I wait for you to get the nerve up to tell me anything, Quin, I’ll be in an old folks’ home before I get
your memo.”
I crossed my arms and forced back tears. He was right. Michael had taught me well and I hated that. I was terrified to say the wrong thing, even though I knew Knox would never hurt me. “I know.”
He stood and closed the distance between us, wrapping his arms around me. “Baby, it’s gonna take time. You’ll figure out I have your back and that you can trust me with everything. But in the meantime, I’m gonna get some things together, and one of those things is makin’ sure Kinsey’s covered.”
“Michael’s not on the birth certificate.”
He met my eyes. “No shit?”
“No shit.”
“How’d you manage that?”
“There was a really nice nurse there who helped me. She lied to him about the paperwork already being turned in and that all was in order with all of his information.”
“Does he know?”
I shrugged, sliding my hands under his cut and up his back. “If he does, he never let on.”
“Okay, baby. We’ll make it right.”
“I love you, too,” I whispered.
“I know.”
I frowned up at him. “Can you maybe pretend you don’t know everything once in a while?”
He smiled and stroked my cheek. “Yeah, honey. I can do that.”
I leaned into his hand. “Why are we here?”
“Another body was found and there were threats made against Willow, Jasmine, and Remington.”
“Specifically?”
“Yeah. I don’t know all the particulars. We’re gonna meet when Finch and Alamo get here. Probably in the morning.”
Remington was now Finch’s woman, and although I’d known her for years, Finch was new to me. He was visiting from Portland, Oregon, and he and Remi were a new couple, so the fact that someone would threaten her, in particular, was scary as hell. It meant someone knew things about the club… maybe someone from the inside.
“Is there a mole?” I asked.
“I think you’re watching too much TV.”
“Please, Badger, patronize me more,” I ground out.
He sighed. “I don’t mean to patronize you, Quin. I just don’t want this to touch you.”
“I know. And I recognize that part of the reason I’m reacting to your tone is because of what Michael did to me…” I shook my head. “I don’t know. I just…”
“I get it, honey,” he said, sliding his hand to my neck. “We’ll sort it out.”
Kinsey’s whimper sounded over the baby monitor and Knox released me, pushing open the adjoining door. “Hey, princess.”
“Mama.”
“I’m here, baby,” I said, and worked to get her settled. “We’re having a sleepover with Uncle Alamo and Knox, okay? If you need me, I’m right through that door.”
“Potty.”
“Okay, munchkin, let’s go potty.”
Knox went to deal with the food and I helped Kinsey, settling her back into bed just as Knox returned with my bag and the food.
I walked back into Knox’s room, keeping the door cracked slightly and sat at the little table by the window to eat.
“Am I really sleeping here with you?” I asked my pizza.
“Yeah,” Knox said.
“In the bed… together?”
“Yeah, honey.”
“I can’t.”
“Look at me, Welly.” I met his eyes and he smiled. “I’m gonna hold you. Nothin’ else, unless you want me to. It’s time we start our lives together, don’t you think?”
“Bad things happen when we do that,” I whispered.
Any time I’d let myself be happy, shit went down. Knox getting beaten and Jasmine getting kidnapped were just a couple of examples. It wasn’t worth it.
He set his beer down and moved his chair so he was facing me, our knees touching. “Nothing bad’s gonna happen. You’re safe. Michael can’t touch you.”
“He could touch you, though,” I countered. “He’s done it before.”
“We’re dealing with Michael.”
“If anything happened to you again, I couldn’t live with myself.”
“Nothing’s going to happen to me. Trust me.” He took my hands and kissed each palm. “Sleep with me tonight and you’ll see. Okay?”
There was nothing in the world I wanted more. His arms around me while I slept. We’d waited a long time, but my fear swamped me, and I didn’t know how to swim out of the bog.
“We got this, Quin. It’s time.”
I blinked back tears and nodded. “Okay.”
He kissed me, then his lips moved to my neck, while a hand went to the hem of my shirt and pulled it off in one quick swoop.
“I thought you were just going to hold me,” I challenged.
He grinned. “Anytime you want me to stop, you let me know.”
He pulled one bra cup down, scraping a nail across my nipple before leaning down to draw my nipple into his mouth. I gasped as he blew gently where he’d sucked, feeling the bud tighten as he sucked again.
I felt the clasp of my bra give and then Knox slid it down my arms, then he cupped each breast and kissed me again.
“My body’s changed a lot,” I warned.
“Baby, you’re perfect.”
“So are you.” I unbuttoned his jeans and slid the zipper down, feeling his hard length against my hand. I slipped my hand under his boxer briefs to cup him, wrapping my hand around him and squeezing gently.
“Fuck, I’ve missed your hands.”
“My hands have missed you.” I smiled, running my hand up and down his length until he pulled my hand away.
“Want this to last, baby.”
He kissed me quickly as he pushed my jeans and panties from my hips. I lost all coherent thought after that as he slid his hand between my legs and grinned. “Already wet.”
I nodded and then gasped as he dragged my wetness to my clit with his finger. He sat on the chair by the window and pulled me on top of him. I straddled him, and he fisted his cock, then guided it inside of me.
Slowly.
Gently.
I took his face in my hands. “Is this your new definition of holding me?”
He grinned. “Yeah. You like it?”
“A little too much,” I admitted.
“You want more?”
“Yes, please.”
“You scared?”
I shook my head. Despite the abuse I’d suffered at Michael’s hand, I wasn’t afraid of Knox. Maybe I would have been with someone else, but I had always trusted Knox implicitly and all of this felt right.
“You gonna tell me if you want to stop?”
“Yes,” I promised. “But I won’t.”
Anchoring my hands on his shoulders, I raised up, then slid down again.
“Fuck,” he breathed out.
I nodded, leaning forward to kiss him as I continued to impale myself on his dick. He slid his hands to my ass, cupping me and thrusting deeper into me as I rode him, our tongues matching the motion of our bodies as we made love.
One of his hands slid to my breast, cupping it gently as he rolled my nipple into a tight pebble.
“Badger!” I cried out as I came, my pussy contracting around his cock.
He thrust again, then once more, his hand connecting with my bare flesh with a smack, and I cried out as another orgasm hit.
“Shit, sorry, baby.”
“Why are you sorry?” I asked, dropping my forehead to his.
“For slapping your ass.”
“God, I love you,” I whispered. “I’m fine. It was all amazing.”
He kissed me gently. “I love it when you use my club name.”
“You do?”
He nodded. “You are perfect. This is perfect. We are perfect.”
“Yes.” I climbed off of him and headed to the bathroom. He followed.
“We’re gonna spend the next few days reconnecting, okay? I’m not willing to lose you, honey. Either of you.”
“I don’t want that either,” I
said.
“Good. We’ve got nothin’ but time, Quin. It’s all gonna work out. We just need to make our family a priority.”
“I know.”
“Are you willing to do that with me?” he asked.
I took a few minutes and nodded. “Yes.”
“Love you.”
“Love you too,” I said, and then we climbed into bed and I let him hold me.
It was the wrong choice, because just a few days later, my brother was stabbed trying to rescue Remington who had been kidnapped by a crazed stalker.
I vowed then and there that Knox and I had to keep our distance. I refused to put anyone else I loved in danger.
Badger
Present day…
“GODDAMMIT!” I BELLOWED, hurling a half-empty glass of whiskey against the wall.
“Brother,” Dash called as he walked into the great room. “What the fuck?”
I shook my head, dragging my hands down my face.
“Quin still shuttin’ you out?” he asked.
“Yeah. Now, she’s dodging my calls. Again.” It was bad enough she’d changed the locks on the house and reprogrammed the alarm, but now she wouldn’t even take my calls. I hadn’t seen her in almost a month and I was losing my mind.
“What about Kinsey?” Dash asked.
“Quin’s using Alamo as the go-between.” Quin let me see Kinsey anytime I wanted to, and I was finally bonding with my daughter, but Quinlan wouldn’t see me.
Since my day job was working at Alamo’s shop, Alamo would bring Kinsey to me there, or at the compound, and she and I would do something fun before I’d bring her back to her uncle who would take her home.
Up until yesterday, I’d at least been able to talk to Quin on the phone. Now, she’d shut me out completely and I had no idea what the fuck I was supposed to do.
“Shit,” Dash hissed. “I’m sorry, man.”
I grabbed my lighter and flipped open the lid. Fuck, I wanted a smoke, but this was my reminder I had more to live for and had to fight the urge.
“I gotta figure out how to fix this,” I said.
“Willow said she’s at your service, for whatever that’s worth.”
“I appreciate that,” I said, not that I thought it would do any good. Quin was isolating herself again and I was fuckin’ over it. “But I think I have to deal with this alone.”
Dash gave me space, and after I cleaned up the mess I’d created, I climbed on my bike and headed to what would probably be the end of my sanity. It was still light outside, so when I pulled up to Quin’s place, I was able to see that she’d gotten a new doorbell with a camera, which might not bode well for me. I sent her a text before I rang the doorbell… then waited.
Redeeming the Biker's Past (Dogs of Fire: Savannah Chapter Book 3) Page 4