“Thanks for everything, Nate.”
I shoot a quick glance to the guys behind as they snicker.
“Listen, I’m flattered, but don’t let Davo see you kissing guys.” I say it jokingly, but Melody scurries back, breaking all contact. “He sends his love by the way.”
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking,” she replies meekly.
“Hey, no, it was a joke, honey. It’s just that he seems kinda into you.”
“Please don’t tell him, I, uh, don’t want him to get mad at me.”
“Hey,” I shout loudly, causing her to jerk, her scared eyes landing on mine.
“He isn’t going to hurt you. I know Davo. He isn’t that kind of guy. He isn’t Levin.”
With fear etched across her face I only imagine what that sick fuck put her through. “You’re safe, Melody. Please, don’t be fearful.”
“Shall I show you inside?” she asks trying to change the subject. Stepping back, she holds out her arm, instructing for me to step inside.
“Sure,” I say, nodding to the guys behind me to follow along. As we step inside, the smell of fresh paint hits my senses and light floods the once dark and dingy space.
“As you can see, the whole place has had a major face-lift.”
“Wow,” Zane gasps as he takes in the look of the club. “I almost feel like I don’t belong here.” He laughs as he strolls over to the granite worktop, running his hand over the bar area. “You’ve really gone upscale.”
“It’s where the money’s at,” Melody informs him. “Follow me, I’ll show you the rooms.” Leading us through the locked door, she opens the first room. We peer in and gather inside.
“Better, right?”
“Like a five-star hotel,” Roach adds. “The guys ain’t ever gonna leave this place.”
“This isn’t another Savage haunt. This is business.”
“What?” he all but shrieks. “You gotta be kidding me?”
“No, man. Well, not once this place is open. I’m sure we can do a private opening night, just for our guys, right?” I turn to look at Melody, seeking her approval.
“I think a thanks is the least we can do.”
“How far from being finished are we?”
“There’re just two more rooms to finish and the office, oh, and the sign outside. Once you decide on a name that is. You also have some paperwork to sign and the builders to pay.”
Heading out of the room, I follow her as we make our way back to the main room. Melody steps behind the bar, retrieving a box, digging inside she takes out several sets of paperwork, lining them up in front of me. “This might take a while… beer?”
Sliding onto the barstool, I scan the paperwork while Melody removes the bottle caps, placing three beers on the counter.
Zane and Roach take their beers and sit on the brand-new couches in the bar area.
“I’m trusting you guys to not ruin the brand-new furniture, got it?” Melody declares, pointing her finger between the guys.
The more I stare at the damn paperwork, the less sense it makes. Melody must see my blank expression. “Hey, don’t worry. I got everything up and running like we discussed. There are no hidden surprises or anything. Trust me.”
“You’re a good girl, darlin’, but I live and die by the saying ‘trust no one.’”
She sucks in a sharp breath, her teeth clenched together. “No way to live your life, Nate.”
“It’s the only way when you’re constantly looking over your shoulder.”
“But the guys, you must trust them, right?” Leaning forward, she pushes the bottle in front of me, her eyes wider than normal and awaiting my response.
“Until they give me reason to doubt them, of course.”
“Hey, hey,” Zane suddenly yells and I drop down from the stool, my head whips from side to side as my hand finds my gun and I’m looking for the cause of the commotion.
Brewer.
“We ain’t open, asshole,” Zane snarls, getting in front of Brewer, his face practically touching Brewer’s.
“Back the fuck up, VP. Just here to check out the new establishment.”
Tilting my head from side to side, I click out my tense neck muscles as I step toward the entrance. “You fucking heard him, Brewer. Not open.”
“You’re a hard man to track down, Nate. We have unfinished business. I need that deal. The deal you promised me.”
Glancing over my shoulder at Melody, I know this isn’t a conversation I want to have within her earshot. “Let’s take a walk outside,” I instruct with a tip of my head. I clench my teeth, my anger increases with every step I take. How the fuck did he get past security?
As soon as I’m through the door, my eyes look for the shithead who was supposed to be keeping this place safe. His solemn-looking eyes meet mine and without a word leaving my mouth, I give him a warning. Cocksucker is going to be finding a new fucking job after this. Tired of his bullshit, I stop walking and place my arms across my chest. “Here’s the fucking deal.”
He stops walking, turning to face me with his crew standing behind him. “We hand over when it's time. You’re pushing for something that has not yet been agreed.”
“My contacts are waiting. I need those drugs and that deal like yesterday. You better make sure that this deal happens because believe me, your life is hanging in the balance here.”
“Like fuck it does.” My heart pounds as I reach down, grab my gun and point it in the face of the cocksucker who has got some serious fucking balls coming here and using my life as a bargaining chip.
“Why you always gotta be this way?” he asks, letting out an exasperated breath. “So goddamn difficult.”
This asshole is really starting to piss me off.
Lowering my gun, I release the safety and squeeze the trigger. The sound of the gunshot rings out and Brewer’s feet leave the ground as he jerks back, a look of disbelief appears on his aged face.
“What the fuck? You goddamn son-of-a-bitch!”
“Let's call that a warning.”
“You stupid fucking kid.”
“I’m no kid…”
But he doesn’t let me finish. “Barely out of diapers,” he taunts, lifting the back of his hand and wiping his mouth.
Pushing the gun inside the waistband of my jeans I slowly step closer. “Don’t fucking underestimate me, Brewer. This diaper-wearing biker is the one that killed his own father and gained the support of a whole club. You want to keep pushing me, so be it. But I will snap, then you’ll be the one fucking begging for your life, not me.” My finger pressed against his chest and my face inches from his I can’t control the snarl on my face. “You don’t get to come here, making demands.”
“I need answers and I’m fucking tired of waiting.”
“You want the deal, then it happens at the right time. We have our last deal with Brax today, then we’ll all get together and you can plead your case to him.”
He scoffs lifting his head and taking a step back. Peering over his shoulder his VP steps forward and whispers something in his ear.
“Well, Nate, it’s been a pleasure, as always.” His tone is filled with sarcasm. “We appreciate your warm welcome but we should really head on out. I’ll expect a call tomorrow when we’re ready to move forward with the deal.”
Pulling my brows together, I glare at him wondering why the sudden change in his attitude.
“I’ll be in touch,” I growl, turning and making my way over to the entrance. The security guy stands beside the entrance, his hands clasped together in front of him. “You… you stupid son-of-a-bitch. You ever let anyone walk in here again and I’ll fucking kill you. Got that?”
Dropping his head he mumbles, “Won’t happen again, boss.”
“Damn fucking straight it won’t.”
I storm back inside, met with the face of fear. “I think we really need to look at the security here. I don’t want just anyone walking in this place. That’s not how it’s going to work around here.”<
br />
“Good.” She shudders. “Because that asshole gives me the creeps. Hunter and the younger guys are not so bad, but there’s something about him I can’t quite put my finger on.”
I nod letting out a controlled sigh. The fact that asshole is Tara’s father doesn’t help the cause. It only adds another fucked-up element to the whole thing. But he has to go. If our club is to prosper, I need that bastard out of the picture. Because the war between our two clubs will only worsen. And I’m not letting this club go down without a fight.
Nate
Waiting at our meeting spot, I check the time and let out a low growl. This is the last place I want to be. My girl is at home, yet I’m here. Doing a deal that goes against everything I believe in for this club.
“He’s late,” Zane mutters as he paces back and forth in front of me. My men are restless and these deals are always huge risks.
“Chill. He’ll be here.”
The sound of engines approaching puts us on high alert. I step up from my rest position against the bike. My men gather around, watching as the SUV and truck drive down the track, stopping just in front of us.
Brax jumps out of his SUV, stepping over to me and offers me his hand. “Hey, man.”
Taking his hand I pull him in for a man hug. “Good to see you.”
“How’s Tara?” he asks and I look over his shoulder, watching as my men unload the crates from the truck and work at loading it into ours.
“Ah, man, I dunno. Putting on a brave face I guess. We need to catch up.” I flick my eyes between the men and back at Brax. “You know, privately.”
“My door is always open. Looks like something is bugging you, what is it, man?” His hand resting on my shoulder, he leads us away from the guys, out of earshot.
“Brewer, man. That cocksucker really knows how to push his luck.”
“Gotta take care of him.”
“Doesn’t look like it’s that easy.”
Tilting his head, his eyes narrow on me. “How so?”
“Not here,” I reply in a low voice. “Let’s get tonight done and then I’ll fill you in.” I turn and make my way over to the truck. Stepping inside, I grab the duffle bag with the cash.
“I think this is yours.” Handing him the bag he peers inside, a small smile twitching at the corner of his mouth.
He takes it, turning and handing it to one of his henchmen. “Thanks, man. Gonna miss working with your crazy ass.”
“Well, you’ll inherit Brewer. If you thought I was crazy, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
“Jesus Christ. What have I let you talk me into?”
“Just meet with them, Hunter too. You’ll see it, man. You’ll see that Hunter is your guy. I just gotta make sure the switch in leadership happens.”
“If anyone can, you can.” His hand lands heavily on my back before he turns making his way back to his SUV. “I’ll call you tomorrow. We’ll arrange this meeting. But Hunter has to be there. I want to see the man I’ll be dealing with, not the placebo.”
“Sure, I’ll make it happen,” I reply with a huge grin plastered across my face. Because this whole plan can’t go ahead unless I have him on board.
The engine of the SUV flares to life and the lights shine bright in the dark evening. The wheels churn against the ground beneath them as he pulls away, his other men following the lead.
I step over to my men. “All good?” I ask with a tip of my chin.
“Yeah, man,” Zane replies, clasping his hands together. “You should go, we got this, brother.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. We’ll take it to the barn out by Chester's place, just like we agreed.”
“The old man’s expecting the drop-off, right?”
“Yeah, Davo just called ahead. Everything is in place, brother.” A heavy slap meets the top of my arm as Zane reassures me.
“Good.” I dart out my tongue and wet my dry lips. My father had been running this drug deal for a long time, but it never gets any easier. With each run, the risk increases.
“Go,” he demands with a throaty chuckle. “I’ll handle this, brother.” I stare at my VP and feel thankful to have such a loyal guy by my side.
“Thanks, man.” Heading over to the bike, I mount it, sliding the helmet on and bringing the engine to life.
“Give my love to Tara,” he shouts over the engine noise and flashes me a wink.
“Oh, I will.” I laugh as I head away from our meeting place and home to my girl. My Tara.
Tara
Tossing and turning in bed I wait for Nate to come home. Knowing where he is and what he’s doing doesn’t make it any easier. I still fear that something bad will happen to him. And the vivid thoughts of him being hurt play over in my mind like a nonstop nightmare. Grabbing my phone from the nightstand, I check the time. I yawn, placing my hand over my mouth as I fight back the overwhelming tiredness. The sudden sound of a motorcycle engine, a sound that I would recognize anywhere, rumbles outside the bedroom. As I drop my legs from the side, my feet hit the floor and I rush over to the window. Parting the curtains slightly, I peer out and look down in the driveway. My heart flutters to life at the sight of Nate dismounting his bike. Even after everything that has happened, my body responds to him in a way that only he has ever made me feel. I have a longing, like an ache to be with him all of the time. He’s like an extension of myself I never knew I had.
Slowly, Nate lifts his head, noticing me in the window. I giggle, letting the curtains fall shut. I rush out of the bedroom and head toward the top of the stairs. As I rest my hand on the banister, I see him stepping through the door, his head slowly lifting and his eyes meeting mine. My heart pounds and my throat dries at the sight of him. I don’t know if it’s normal to still feel like a hormonal teenager every time I see him, but I do. And I can’t fight the smile that spreads and the urge that grows in my tummy to have his lips on me, his hands touching me where I need him.
“Everything okay?” he asks, fighting back a smirk.
“Better now.” I pull in the corner of my bottom lip, biting it a little as I try to calm myself. But it isn’t working.
Slowly, one step at a time, he makes his way up the staircase, stopping when his head is in line with mine.
Nate’s hands wrap around my body, pulling me up, lifting my feet from the floor.
“You don’t know how fucking surreal this is. Knowing you’re here, waiting for me, wanting me.”
“Oh, really? I want you?”
“Yeah.” He smirks, walking me slowly back toward the bedroom window.
“You’re so sure of yourself, aren’t you?” I tease, even though he’s right. I’m melting in his touch, the wetness between my legs almost soaking the small pajama shorts I’m wearing.
Slowing his speed and lowering me to the floor, he tips his head sideways, his eyes wide and focused on my face. “I know, Tara.” His hand cups the side of my face, slowly trailing down across my cheekbone and toward my neck. The soft contact of his hand against my skin does nothing to hide how much I want him. My breathing picks up speed and goose bumps cover my skin.
“What about this?” he asks, lowering his hand to my hardened nipple, grazing his thumb over it. Oh. My. God. It’s like the most delicious torture. A small moan escapes me.
Without another word, he moves me backward until my back meets the wall. His hand finds my knee and his soft touch moves to my inner thigh.
I close my eyes, my head dropping back. Shit, he’s going to feel how wet I am for him.
Slipping his hand further and further inside my pajama shorts, I can’t help but spread my legs wider for him, wanting and needing his touch.
“You deny how much you want me, but your body tells me all I need to know.” His warm breath tickles against my ear. His hand works inside my folds, his thumb massaging the flesh around my clit. He’s teasing me.
I work my body against him, trying to get him to touch me in the spot I need to feel him.
“What
?” he chuckles. “Too much, baby?”
“No,” I blurt out. “I need more.”
His mouth crashes down against mine as heat spreads through my body. Wet heat soaks his hand as he teases and touches me. A moan escapes me, vibrating against his lips.
“Gotta get you out of these clothes.” His voice is almost a growl and my hands reach up, cupping the back of his head while he touches my body to the point of euphoria. Pulling back just enough to look me in the eye, I recognize the desire. The hunger.
Removing his hand from between my legs, he reaches for the hem of my camisole, lifting it and pulling it over my head. He throws it to the floor, his eyes raking over my naked top half.
Nate growls, a throaty sound echoing around the hall. He dips his head, sucking a nipple into his mouth as he teases the sensitive bud. My hands work into his hair as another whine escapes me. His free hand tugs on the shorts, tugging them until they fall and pool around my ankles. His hand works against my pussy one more time, this time hitting my clit, over and over. He dips his fingers inside my opening and spreads the wetness against my engorged clit. A wave of desire sweeps over me and I start to work against his hand, needing to find my release. Everything at my core tightens as the pleasure builds intensely. My back arches away from the wall, my head falling back as I feel myself deliciously close to exploding. Sliding his fingers inside me, he works over my clit with his thumb, moving in a circular motion. My body no longer able to hold on, I orgasm against him, my sex pulsating and my legs weakening.
“Oh, shit,” I cry out as I work through my release.
Sliding his hand across my cheek, his head comes closer, his lips touching mine softly. “So fucking beautiful.”
I gulp down the emotion that forms in my throat. “Even with the scars and short hair?”
“Even more so. The scars only add to your strength and beauty. It shows how much we have fought to be together, and I’ll cherish and love every single fucking scar for the rest of my goddamn life.”
“I love you,” I choke out, trying with all my might to stop the tears from falling. My hands shake, but my need to touch and be close to him doesn’t fade. I reach down, unlatching the button on his jeans and Nate's eyes widen with the look of confusion. Smiling coyly, I pull down his jeans, taking his boxers with them. His cock springs free and I wet my lips.
The complete scars series: Books one-four Page 86