by A. M. Myers
“Do it,” he demands as he reaches between us and flicks his thumb over my clit before circling it. It’s all the encouragement I need. My back arches off the bed as my pussy clenches around him with my second release, this one stronger than the first and he grits his teeth. His muscles tense and he thrusts into me one last time, releasing a long, drawn out groan before dropping his head to my chest and blowing out a breath. “Holy shit.”
I nod because I honestly don’t think I have the strength to do anything else right now and he rolls to my side, lying on his back as he pulls me to his chest and rests his hand on my back. It feels so damn comfortable and easy to be here with him and we just lie in the silence for a while, catching our breath as he drags his fingers across my skin.
“So, I have a question about this whole stripper thing,” he says after a while and I pull back to look at him, arching a brow. I knew this was coming.
“Oh, yeah? What’s that?”
He pulls away just enough to roll to his side so he can face me and I do the same. “Can you actually dance on a pole? Like all those crazy moves and stuff?”
“Yeah,” I answer with a laugh. “I started taking lessons just so I didn’t look like an idiot on stage but then I started to really like it so I kept doing it.”
He makes a face. “Hmm…”
“What?”
He shakes his head. “Nothing. I’m just thinking about how I could sneak a stripper pole into my room ‘cause that is something I definitely want to see.”
“Not going to happen,” I say, laughing as I settle back into his arms and he lets out a little huff of annoyance as he pulls me closer.
“Why not? I want to see all your tricks.”
“Baby, even with what just happened, you still haven’t even seen a fraction of my tricks. Why don’t you learn all those first before you worry about the pole?”
He grins and presses his lips to my forehead. “I can’t fucking wait.”
Chapter Twelve
Travis
“Come on, you son of a bitch,” I hiss, gritting my teeth as my fingers fly across my keyboard and I lean in closer to the monitor like it’s going to somehow help me crack this whole thing wide open. “Fucking show me something.”
I’ve been up here all goddamn day, digging into every aspect of Warren Ehlye’s life only to hit dead end after dead end and my patience is gone at this point, fucking non-existent. Hours ago, I thought, maybe, I had finally found something when I stumbled across a bank account in Warren’s name but after further digging, I realized he only uses the damn thing to pull money out of ATMs so it’s not like I can even track his fucking spending. In the end, it was zero help. When I hit another dead end, I ball my fists up with a yell, resigning the urge to fling the keyboard across the room, and fall back into my chair.
Fuck, I need a break.
Just one goddamn break.
Oh, and also, fuck this sadistic asshole and his stupid fucking mind games.
God, I want to put my fist through a wall.
Turning to look out of the window, I blow out a breath and try to calm myself down as I unclench my shaking hands and lay them flat against my thighs. There is a pounding in my ears and lights flash in my vision as memories bombard me.
Of course.
As if this wasn’t hard enough on me already but now Warren’s little game is reminding me of shit I’ve worked too fucking hard to keep buried.
I’m sure that’s what he wants, though.
He wants me to lose control.
“Breathe, asshole,” I whisper to myself, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath through my nose as I attempt to push the memories away. “Think of something happy.”
Rowan’s face pops into my mind and I smile as I feel some of the tension seep out of me. I focus on her, remembering the little show she put on for me last night and how fucking sexy she looked before my mind drifts to the day before that when she kissed me as I was spiraling out of control. I don’t know what it is about her but she calms everything and makes me feel like it’s not an impossible task to find this jackass. Opening my eyes, I release a breath and look at the screen, my mind clearer than a moment ago. When I searched for other properties in Warren’s name, there were none which means he’s got to be renting something. The problem is that it’s not hard to find a landlord that will let you pay in cash and there is no way to track it if you want to stay off the radar, which he clearly does. His bank account flickers through my mind and I remember a charge of four hundred dollars on the first of every month from an ATM and I turn back to the computer. Maybe if I look up the address of the ATM he pulled the money from each month, I could find out the general area he’s living in.
Yeah, the smart thing for him to do would be to pull cash away from home but then that would leave a radius where he never gets cash which would also give away his location. Warren has proven how smart he is in the past though, so he is probably pulling cash out all over the city, changing when and where he does it so it can’t be tracked by me. Honestly, I’m not expecting to find anything because he would never be this careless but I still have to check. Just like I thought, his ATM transactions are completely sporadic and they don’t give me a clue as to where he’s staying. Leaning back in my chair, I stare at the screen as I try to come up with another way to track him.
“Four hundred dollars,” I mutter, shaking my head as I lean forward again. It’s not a lot to live on so he’s either renting an absolute shit hole or he has roommates.
Holy fuck… what if he has a partner?
I haven’t been able to find any evidence to suggest that it’s true but he hasn’t been above using other people to do his dirty work in the past so it’s possible. Jesus, it makes perfect sense. That’s why we can’t track him or get anywhere on this case because not only is he probably using an alias but he has someone he’s working with, someone that can do things like own property or rent cars. Fuck me. He’s buried under so many layers that I don’t stand a chance. Warren is a fucking ghost and that is exactly the way he wants it. It gives him all the freedom he needs to tear this club apart one little piece at a time but who in the fuck would agree to partner with him?
Someone who hates us as much as he does?
Someone he manipulated?
Fuck, I don’t even know where to start and there are just too many possibilities to figure it out. It frustrates me more than anything else. I like having the answer. I like being the guy that my brothers can call on when they need help but, in this, I’m fucking useless. And my uselessness is going to get someone I care about hurt… or worse. Turning to look at the door to my room, I think about everyone that is in this clubhouse right now and how much they mean to me. It’s more than they even realize. When I joined this club, I was so fucking lost and angry but they gave me a purpose and a family when I thought I would never have either. Losing them, any of them… it would kill me.
My phone rings on the desk, snapping me out of my thoughts and I shake my head as I scoop it up and glance down at the screen as Storm’s name stares back at me.
“Hey, what’s up?” I answer and he sighs.
“Man, we’ve been sitting on the damn cabin for three fucking days and there is nothing.”
I nod. When Blaze told them to sit on the cabin and watch for Warren, I told him it was stupid but no one listened to me. “Yeah, I figured. It was clear by the shit he left on the walls for us that he was done with the place.”
“I suppose you’re right. How’s shit there?”
“Fine, I think,” I answer with a shrug. Honestly, I don’t have a fucking clue since I haven’t ventured out of my room much today. “The girls are all in your room getting ready for Piper’s bachelorette party.”
He sighs. “Fuck me. I forgot about that shit…. Well, we’re on our way back now.”
“Okay. We’ll be here.”
“Hey, make sure my wife isn’t wearing anything too short… or too low cut… or fucking backless,” he
growls and I laugh, shaking my head.
“Fuck no, dude. I am not going into the middle of that war zone and telling your old lady what she can or can’t wear. If she didn’t kill me, Tate definitely would.”
He scoffs. “Pussy.”
“Asshole.”
“You planning on packing tonight? Just in case?” he asks and I glance up at the sign on the wall that doubles as a gun safe. I usually don’t have a reason to carry but there is no way in hell I’m letting us all go out without bringing my piece along.
“Yeah. I think we all are.”
“Well,” he mutters. “I guess it will be interesting. See y’all soon.”
After we say good-bye, I set my phone back down on the desk and lean back in my chair as I scrub a hand over my face. Honestly, going out tonight is a terrible fucking idea, like we’re waving a red flag at an angry bull, but it also feels like exactly what I need. I’m so goddamn stressed out by all of this and I deserve a few hours to let loose, a few hours to not think about Warren and his plan for us.
“Knock, knock.”
I glance up as Rowan walks into my room, shutting the door behind her and when she turns back to me, I swallow back a groan. Fuck, why the hell does she always have to look so fucking good? Dragging my gaze down her body, I take in the tight gold dress she has on that hits her mid-thigh and I think about how easy it would be to pull it up over her ass and slip inside her. It has cutouts all the way up her body on both sides, revealing tanned skin and my hands ache to touch her.
“Are you trying to give me a coronary?”
She smiles and it lights up her whole face. Jesus, she’s gorgeous and I don’t just mean her body, although that is spectacular but it’s deeper than that. It’s the way her eyes sparkle with this playfulness that makes you want to dive in, consequences be damned, and the way she has the nerves of a virgin and the confidence of a bombshell at the same time, this perfect mixture of contradictions that I can’t quite figure out.
“Is it that good?” she asks and I drag my thoughts back to her dress. Is it that good? Hell fucking yes, it is but she looks just as good in a t-shirt and a pair of jeans.
“Definitely.” I hold my hand out to her and she walks over to me before climbing on my lap and straddling my legs. I drag my hands up her thighs and take a deep, cleansing breath. Fuck. She is magic. “Have you gotten this approved by your brother yet?”
Scowling, she smacks my chest and I can’t help but laugh. “Fuck you. I’m a grown woman and I can wear whatever the hell I want.”
“I think Kodiak would disagree.”
“Lincoln can shove it right up his ass. He doesn’t tell me what to do,” she snaps and I laugh again at her cute little scowl as she glares at my door like Kodiak is standing on the other side. She turns, staring daggers at me but it only makes me laugh harder and her lips twitch. “Stop it. Let me be mad at you.”
I shake my head. “Can’t. Now, come here and kiss me.”
Sighing, she practically melts on my lap, despite the furrow of her brow, and leans in to press her lips to mine as she presses her hands to my chest. I grab her ass, pulling her closer with one hand as I cup her cheek with the other and flick my tongue against her bottom lip. They part in an instant and she moans into the kiss as her fingers grip my t-shirt. All of my stress, all of the shit I work so hard to forget but never really do just melts away with her touch and I’m just a guy, kissing a girl that sets his world on fire. For the first time in a long time, I feel like myself. There is no hiding, there is no mask, there is just us and it’s all because of her.
“You should start getting ready,” she whispers before stealing a few more kisses and when she pulls away, I groan.
“Come back.”
She shakes her head, her smile bright. “I’m serious. We’re all almost ready. You need to get dressed.”
“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” I ask, glancing down at my jeans and t-shirt and she rolls her eyes as she climbs off of my lap.
“You’re really going to go out with me, looking like this,” she replies, motioning to her body. “Dressed like that.”
I arch a brow. “Am I going out with you? What about your brother?”
“I don’t give a fuck tonight. We’ve been under a shit ton of stress and I want to have fun with you… so you can’t be dressed like that.”
“Fine,” I shoot back with a laugh as I stand up and walk over to my closet. Honestly, I don’t really care what I wear but if it will make her happy, I’ll change. “Are you going to pick it out for me?”
“Absolutely not. You’re a big boy.”
“Nice of you to notice,” I say, wagging my eyebrows before winking at her and she scoffs as she rolls her eyes, fighting back a smile.
“Oh my God, men,” she groans playfully, giving me a little shove before walking over to the bed and sitting on the edge as I start riffling through the closet. “The black one.”
I turn back to her as I pull the black button up shirt out of the closet. “Thought you weren’t gonna pick it out for me.”
“Do whatever you want. I just thought it would look hot on you and I couldn’t help thinking about taking it off of you when we get back,” she says, shrugging like she didn’t just throw down the gauntlet. Fuck me. All night, I’m going to be thinking about getting her back up to my room and peeling that little gold dress off of her with my teeth.
“You got more tricks to show me, Princess?”
She grins. “Maybe. You’ll just have to wait and see.”
“Anyone ever tell you that you’re a tease?” I ask, my gaze flicking down her long, tan legs as she crosses them and leans back on the bed.
Jesus Christ, I want her.
I pull my eyes back up her body and when I meet her eyes, she smiles. “Don’t pretend like you don’t like it, Travis.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I protest, turning away from her as I pull my t-shirt over my head and toss it to the floor before slipping into the button up. She lets out a little laugh and I glance back at her as she stands up, arching a brow in challenge. Oh, that look fucking kills me. It’s the look she gets when she wants to play and that usually only leads to one thing.
“Is that right?”
I suck in a breath as my cock twitches. “Yep.”
“Hmm,” she hums to herself as she struts across my room in her black heels but I turn away like I’m not interested. Also, so she can’t see that I’m fucking hard as a rock now, just from one look. She stops next to me and places her hand on my bare chest before slowly dragging it down the front of my body. Jesus Christ, if she doesn’t stop, we won’t make it to the club. Continuing down over my stomach, she inches lower and lower, torturing me with possibilities as my breath sticks in my throat. Her hand drags down the front of my jeans, brushing over my dick and I bite back a hiss as I turn to look at her. Meeting my eyes, she smiles before leaning in and pressing a kiss to my cheek. “Challenge accepted.”
Fuck. Me.
Chapter Thirteen
Rowan
The door to the club opens and “Shameless” by Camila Cabello rushes out to greet us as I turn to look at Tate and the other girls with a smile. A few of the guys make a noise of annoyance behind us as we all walk into the club but we ignore them, too excited to be bothered by their irritation. My giddiness with going out and having a good time tonight is also the reason I was easily able to brush off my brother’s bitch fit when he saw the little gold dress I have on. The boy really should have learned by now that he can’t tell me what to do. Butterflies flutter around in my belly as we stop just inside the door and my gaze is drawn to the middle of the room where people are dancing together, moving to the beat as it pulses through the club. I’m eager to get out there and let loose.
Something brushes against the back of my hand and I glance to my other side as Travis drags his knuckles across my skin and peeks down at me with a grin, forcing one to my lips as our eyes meet. A shiver races
down my spine at the heat in his eyes and my mind flips to the next time I can get him alone. God, there is something so damn exciting about our little secret but there are times, like tonight, where I just want to hold his hand or dance with him without the rest of the world breathing down on us. It would be amazing if he and I could just be out in the open about our casual, no strings attached relationship without the rest of the club lobbing their expectations at the two of us and ruining it.
“Come with me,” Tate instructs, hooking her arm through mine as she starts dragging me away from the group. “I’m buying you a drink.”
“Goddamn it, Tate!” Lincoln yells and she turns back to him with a look that I can only imagine makes him think twice about saying anything. Or maybe not. I’m halfway convinced that the thing my brother loves most is riling his wife up.
“What?”
He sighs. “Y’all promised to stay together.”
“Look,” she shoots back, grabbing my hand with hers and holding it in the air. “I have my buddy, my taser, and my gun. Are we allowed to go to the bar?”
Stepping toward us, he nods. “If I come with you.”
“Fine, but stay the hell back. We need to have girl talk,” she hisses, turning before he has a chance to reply and dragging me through the crowd. Lincoln makes a noise of frustration as he trails after us and I shake my head. I know we promised the boys we would all stay with them but if anyone can protect me from Warren or whoever the hell is after us, it’s Tate. She’d probably grab him by the balls and eviscerate him right in the middle of this club without a second thought.
“What can I get you, ladies?” the bartender asks, a flirty smile on his face before his gaze flicks to the behemoth behind us. Glancing back at my big brother, I roll my eyes and laugh. He has his large arms crossed over his chest and he’s glaring daggers at the bartender, who has taken a step back.
“I’ll just get a water,” Tate says before turning to look at me. “What do you want? It’s my treat tonight.”