by L. Wilder
I reached down, and as I lifted her to her feet, I said, “I love your mouth, wildcat, but I need to be inside you … now.”
Kenadee
I could no longer deny it. I was falling in love with Sawyer Mathews. Our connection was like nothing I had ever known, and with each moment we spent together, I’d find another reason to love him. People would probably think I was crazy for falling for a man like Sawyer. They’d probably think I was naïve for thinking that things between us could ever work, especially when our lives were so vastly different.
I’d centered my entire life around trying to save lives, and now, here I am considering a lifestyle, Sawyer’s way of life, one where death followed in Fury’s wake. I was sure it had in the past and almost certain that it would again, but I knew there was more to Sawyer than just the cut he wore on his back. There was good in him. I’d seen it with my own eyes whenever he was with his son, his parents, and even his brothers. Most of all, I’d seen it when he was with me. He was loving and protective, and there was a tenderness in his touch that I’d never felt with any man. We might’ve been from two completely different worlds, but when we were together it was like two stars colliding in the night. Right or wrong, he was the man who held my heart in his hand, as I held his. He trailed kisses along my neck, sending chills throughout my entire body as he led me over to the bed. As much as I wanted him, I was worried that he wasn’t physically ready, so I looked up at him and said, “I’m not sure this is a good idea.”
“Oh, I think it’s a good idea.” He smirked. “In fact, I know it’s a great idea.”
“But what if we get carried away and you hurt yourself?”
“Oh, I plan on us getting carried away, wildcat, but I’ll be letting you do most of the work.” He winked.
There was nothing sexier than Sawyer’s playful side, and without any further hesitations, I found myself reaching for the hem of his shirt, tugging unsuccessfully. “Um … This has gotta go.”
“Gonna need a hand, beautiful.”
I smiled as I held onto the fabric, making it easier for him slip his right arm out of the sleeve, and then he pulled it over his head. He winced as he lowered himself to the bed. Seeing how unbelievably hot he looked sitting there, my entire body hummed with anticipation. I eagerly removed my tank top, tossing it behind me, and his eyes followed my hands as they lowered my pants down my legs. I felt the heat of his stare as his eyes slowly roamed over me, and a needful ache burned inside of me when he growled, “Never seen a woman as beautiful as you.”
“When you say it like that, I almost believe it.” I stepped towards him but stopped when he reached for his jeans. Knowing he was about to get a condom, I told him, “I’m on the pill.”
It was clear from the expression on his face that the news pleased him. I smiled as I continued towards him. I was careful not to touch the wound on his thigh as I eased myself down on top of him, straddling him as he pulled me in for another kiss. When I was in his arms, he made me feel beautiful and wanted, like I was the most desirable woman on the planet, and as his hand slid down my back, I became completely consumed with need. He took my breasts in his hands, gently caressing each with the pad of his thumb. My head fell back as he raised his mouth to my nipple and began nipping and sucking the sensitive flesh, sending jolts of pleasure down my spine. The warmth of his breath caressed my skin when he whispered, “You’re the only one, Kenadee.”
A low, agonizing growl vibrated through his chest when I rocked my hips forward, causing his erection to rake against my warm, wet center. I loved that I was having such an effect on him, and feeling like a powerful seductress, I rocked my hips back and forth, rubbing my clit against him.
“Fuck,” he groaned as he dug his fingers into my flesh.
While I enjoyed seeing him respond to my touch, the anticipation of having him inside me had become too much to bear. I reached beneath me, taking his long, thick shaft in my hand, slowly stroking him up and down before positioning him at my entrance. With one swift thrust, he slammed deep inside me, giving me every inch of his rock-hard cock. I stilled for a moment, trying to adjust to him before I started to move my hips again. I gasped when he shifted forward, finding that spot that made every nerve in me tingle. He placed his hands on my hips as I slowly began to move, groaning at the jolts of pleasure that shot through me.
Consumed with lust and emotion, I looked at him and with my voice trembling, I whispered, “I’ve never wanted anyone like I want you.”
“You’ve got me, baby. All of me.”
I leaned forward, pressing my lips against his, and his hand instinctively reached towards the nape of my neck and grasped at the hair that fell around my shoulder, holding me in place as he deepened the kiss. I moved against him, and with each shift forward, I was getting closer to the edge. I pushed against him, forcing him further inside me, and inhaled a deep breath when I felt the tremors of my impending orgasm. His fingers dug into my hips as he guided me back and forth, over and over again, until I reached a demanding pace. I placed my hands on the headboard, trying to steady myself as I tried to maintain the relentless rhythm he’d set. My body trembled with anticipation when I felt my climax building, burning through my veins.
“Oh God, Sawyer. I’m coming.”
“That’s it, wildcat. Give it to me.”
His breath quickened as I tightened around him, and I could see he was struggling to maintain his control. My muscles began to quiver when he put his hands under my ass and lifted me higher as he angled his position, finding the spot he knew would send me over the edge.
“Yes!” I cried out as my orgasm surged through my body. I was lost in my own sensuous pleasure when he finally found his own release. His brows furrowed as he thrust forcefully into me one last time.
After several moments, I slowly eased off him and lowered myself down onto the bed next to him. I laid my head on the pillow and listened to the sounds of our erratic breathing slow into a steady rhythm. Goosebumps rose on my skin when his lips brushed across my shoulder and along the curve of my neck. When he reached my ear, he whispered, “Mine.”
When I heard those words, I was overcome with emotion. He was right. I was his, and I felt the exact same way about him. I turned towards him and placed the palm of my hand on his cheek as I whispered, “Mine.”
He pressed his lips against mine, kissing me softly before he said, “I don’t deserve you.”
I smiled as I teased him. “Probably not, but you got me.”
We settled back on the bed, and as I curled up next to him, he asked, “How did the tour go with Mom today?”
“Pretty good, I guess.” I sighed. “This place is even bigger than I thought.”
“It’s easy to get turned around.”
“Yeah or end up in rooms where you don’t belong.” I sassed. “But, I’ll figure it out.”
“I know you will.”
“Oh, and she told me about not talking about anything that happens at the club and all that, which I get … but it wasn’t easy when I called Robyn this afternoon.”
He glanced over at me with a concerned look. “You talked to Robyn?”
“She’d messaged me a million times, and I couldn’t just keep her hanging like that. I had to tell her something, but it would’ve helped if I knew that Riggs had already told her that we went to Vegas. That one caught me by surprise.”
“Vegas?” He chuckled. “Where the hell did he come up with that?”
“I have no idea, but he had her thinking we’d eloped or something. The poor thing was freaking out, but I managed to convince her that she had nothing to worry about. Then, I had to call my shift manager at work and do it all over again.”
“How did that go?”
“Fine. I have lots of days built up, so she really couldn’t say much. She was just ticked about the short notice.”
“Sorry about that.”
“It’s not a big deal. I just wish I knew how long we were going to be here. I hated to t
ell her that I would need off indefinitely. It sounds so daunting.”
“I’m thinking it might be sooner than later.” My eyes widened when he said it, and I desperately wanted to ask him if something had happened. But I clenched my jaw and did everything in my power to keep my mouth shut. I just laid there and stared at the ceiling, trying to hide my agony. Like he knew exactly what I was thinking, he eased up on his elbow and looked down at me with a smirk. “You wanting to ask me something?”
“Nope. I’m good.”
“You sure?”
“Yep.”
“Umm-hmm.”
He was clearly goading me, so I glared at him with a scowl. “I’m doing my best to follow the rules here, Sawyer. You’re not helping matters.”
“You’re right, and since you brought it up, I’ve got one more.”
“One more what?”
“Rule. No more walking around the clubhouse without any clothes on.”
“You wanna tell me what the hell you are talking about because I’m pretty sure I’ve missed something.”
“I’m talking about earlier … when you came down to the med-room.”
“Yeah. I was wearing a tank top and sleep pants.”
“You weren’t wearing a bra, Kenadee,” he scolded. “I trust my brothers, but you’re mine and what you’ve got under your clothes is for my eyes only.”
“Okay. I think I can manage that. I’ll add it to the list,” I teased.
“Good.” His stomach growled as he turned to the tray of food that Riggs had brought. “What do we got over there?”
“A couple of burgers, I think. Let me go check.” I eased off the bed, and after I slipped on my clothes, I grabbed the tray of food, bringing it over to the edge of the bed. As I looked down at all it, I gasped. “There’s enough here for ten people.”
“Good.” He grabbed one of the burgers and took a big bite. With his mouth full, he said, “I’m starving. Haven’t eaten anything since breakfast.”
Laughing, I reached for one of the burgers and took a small bite. Even though it was cold, it was still really good. “These are incredible.”
“Cyrus must’ve made ‘em.” He grabbed one of the bottles of water and took a long drink, before finishing off his first burger. “He’s gonna make someone a good husband one day.”
“Yeah, it’s hard to beat a man who can cook.”
“Good thing I’m so good at it,” he said playfully. “That’s how I won you over, isn’t it? That grilled cheese was the winning shot.”
“Umm … that, and you’re a really good kisser.”
“A good kisser, huh? Interesting.” A sexy smirk crossed his handsome face as he asked, “What else do you think I’m good at?”
“Sawyer Mathews, are you fishing for compliments?” I asked playfully.
“Nope. Not at all. Just happen to think that there are things a man should know when going into a relationship with a woman.”
“You’re so full of it.” When he just sat there staring at me, I knew he wasn’t going to let it go, so I sighed. “Besides, it’s hard to say. There just so happens to be lots of things that I like about you.”
He cocked his eyebrow as he pushed, “Um-hmm. Such as?”
“Something tells me I’m going to regret this … but, I like your walk … I like the sound of your voice when you’re tired. I love your eyes. It’s like you can see right to my soul when you look at me, and I can see into yours. And …” My eyes drifted to the ceiling as I quickly said, “And you have an incredible body and a great ass, but you already know that.”
He sat there staring at me as he thought about everything I’d said. After several moments, his lips curled into a mischievous smile. “I do have a great ass.”
“Yeah, I should’ve never told you any of that.” I rolled my eyes. “At least I didn’t tell you what Robyn said about you earlier.”
“And what did she have to say?”
“Oh, no way. I’m not going to tell you that. I don’t think I could take it if your ego got any bigger.”
“Seriously? You’re not gonna tell me?”
“Nope. That one’s staying a secret.” I smiled. “At least for now.”
After we finished eating, I cleared away our mess then crawled back in the bed with Sawyer. I snuggled up next to him, and as I trailed my finger along the lines of his tattoo, we continued to talk until we both eventually drifted off to sleep. I had no idea how long we’d been sleeping when I heard someone knocking on my door. Sawyer was sound asleep, so I got up to see who it was. As soon as I opened the door, Riggs asked, “Sawyer in here with you?”
“Yes.”
Without invitation, he stepped into the room and walked over to the bed, nudging Sawyer. “Get up man. Gus wants us—now.”
As he pulled himself out of bed, Sawyer huffed, “Give me a minute.”
Knowing he’d need some help and guessing he wouldn’t want Riggs to see, I turned to Riggs and said, “He’ll be out in a second.”
Sawyer seemed surprised as he watched Riggs walk out of the room. As soon as I heard the door close, I rushed around the room and collected all of his clothes off the floor. Sawyer looked at me with emotion in his eyes as I knelt down in front of him and helped him put on his jeans. Once we’d gotten them over his thighs, I turned and reached for his shirt. Like the time before, we worked together to put it on him. In a matter of a few seconds, he was dressed, boots and all. After he grabbed his cut, he turned to me, and as he kissed me on the forehead, he whispered, “You’re the only one.”
And then he was gone.
Blaze
Riggs and I walked in utter silence as we made our way down the hall to meet Gus. Even though we were eager to see what Shadow had gotten out of Terry, neither of us were looking forward to going into that room. It wasn’t that we felt sorry for Terry. Fuck that. He deserved everything Shadow dished out for playing his part in Runt and Lowball’s death. For me, it was just the thought of the torture itself. While it astounded me just how much pain and cruelty that the human body could withstand, seeing the end results would often turn my stomach. Something told me that today would be no different. When we got down to the holding room, Gus and Murphy were waiting for us by the door, and as we approached, I was surprised to see that none of the other brothers were there with them.
“What’s the word?” Riggs asked anxiously.
“Not sure yet. He asked for you three specifically, so I was waiting for you to get here before we went in.
When Gus reached for the doorknob, I took a deep breath as I prepared to go in. It was the smell that hit us first, each of us nearly gagging as we stepped inside. It took us a minute to collect ourselves, and then, we spotted Terry. He was bound to a chair in the center of the room, wearing nothing but a pair of soiled boxers, and he was surrounded by his own excrement and vomit. When I looked at him, it was as if I was looking at a shell of the man we’d brought in earlier. He was beaten and bruised with blood oozing from his wounds, and even though he was still technically breathing, there was no life in his eyes, no sense of awareness whatsoever. As I stood there staring at him, I couldn’t help but wonder what Shadow had done to him. When I glanced around the room, I first noticed the car battery and cables. I’d seen Runt’s handy work with those, so it was easy to guess how they’d been used. It was the other tools, like plyers, switch blades, buckets, and old, wet rags that were scattered along the floor that sent an eerie shiver down my spine. There was no doubt in my mind that Terry had been put through hell and back. I just hoped that Shadow had been able to extract the information that we’d need to get the motherfucker who’d attacked the club.
Shadow was standing over in the corner smoking a cigarette when Gus walked over to him. “You okay?”
He nodded. “I’m fine.”
Gus looked over his shoulder at Terry. “Looks like he’s barely hanging on.”
Shadow crossed his arms, making his muscles ripple as he snarled, “Yeah, but he’s aliv
e.”
“Were you able to get anything out of him?” Gus pushed.
“I got plenty, but …” Shadow turned his attention away from Gus and over to us, and there was an urgency in his voice when he said, “I need you to bring me his sister, Kate Dillion.”
“His sister?” I asked with surprise. Suddenly worried that he was about to take things too far, I asked, “Why in the hell do you need his sister?”
His voice was low and threatening as he answered, “I need the sister. It’s important, and the baby, too.”
“Oh, fuck, man. The baby. You gotta be kidding me. Why do you need the baby?” Murphy asked with horror.
Anger flashed through Shadow’s eyes as he barked, “You want to know who’s behind all this shit? Who killed our brothers?”
“Of course, I do!”
“Then, go get the goddamn girl!” he roared. He raked his hand through his hair as he took several deep, agonizing breaths. Once he regained his composure, Shadow turned towards Gus and said, “You’ve gotta trust me on this, Prez”
Gus nodded. “Okay, son. Take it easy. We’ll get the girl, but we’ll need to know where she is first. You think you can get Terry to tell us where we can find her?”
Shadow nodded, then walked over to Terry. After grabbing a fist full of his nappy hair, he jerked his head back and forced Terry to look at him. “Your sister. Where can we find her?”
Terry’s eyes widened as he stuttered, “I … uh … at … the apartment … or the … Rose’s strip … club. I don’t … know.”
“We don’t have time to run all over town looking for her,” Gus complained. “Try having him call her.”