Max reached down and grabbed my other hand, placing it to his other leg.
Then it was just my mouth on him.
Holy fuck … yes.
I kept going.
He kept thrusting.
His hands gently touched my hair, fingers sliding through, pushing my hair out of my face, holding it back behind my head.
In complete control of me.
I wasn’t sure if I was sucking him or he was fucking me. The moment was twisted up in a perfect, erotic way.
“Sweetheart, damn,” he growled. “You better be fucking ready for me.”
I moaned with my mouth full. Max grunted and I felt him thickening even more. He was ready to let go and I was ready for him.
I eased my hands up his body, feeling the hardness of him. From the thatch of pubic hair up to his hard stomach muscles. The way he was built was how I had fantasized about for so long. I let everything that surrounded us go. It was about my mouth tasting his hard shaft. About the sounds of his groans as he slid in and out of my mouth. About the urgency even I could feel, knowing we were down to seconds.
Max’s right hand touched my shoulder, pulling. His other hand had a firm grip on my hair. I squeezed my nails harder into his muscular legs.
I kept going. Back and forth.
As I moved down, he started to come.
I paused for a moment, feeling him pulse, his warm release coated my tongue.
I slowed down, worked him as he continued to come. He grunted each time my lips moved back against the tender ridge on the head of his cock. And I stayed with him until he was done.
I let Max tell me when he was done, his hands pushing against my shoulders.
He stepped back, his perfect cock still throbbing, still hard.
I slowly pushed back against the bed, slithered up until I was seated on it again.
Max reached for my chin, his finger ghosted across my dimple. I always hated it. Even though it was subtle, it was there. A kid named Jimmy, in eighth grade, called me butt-chin and it was a short-lived hell which only gave way when I got glasses and braces in the same year.
But that was a lifetime ago.
My eyes couldn’t stop looking at Max’s steel cut body. He was built like an outlaw. Tattoos on his shoulders and arms. Muscles defined through working out but also through earning them by survival.
“Who knew a geek could do that,” he whispered with a grin.
“Stick around,” I said. “I’ll show you more.”
“Trust me, sweetheart, there’s nothing you could show me that I haven’t seen.”
The flirty banter kept me turned on.
I had no intentions of slowing down with Max just yet.
I started to part my legs again, my mind and heart in a fierce argument over what the hell I was trying to do and prove.
Max came toward me.
We were just a few inches apart, ready to start up again.
That’s when someone pounded at the door to the apartment.
*
“They’ll kill you,” I said as I jumped up to my feet.
“Who is they?” Max asked.
“You don’t get it. Hurry up and hide.”
“Fuck that,” Max said. “I don’t fucking hide from anyone. What’s going on here? Did you set me up, sweetheart?”
“No. But I know who is at the door. If I don’t save my ass right now, I’m dead. And so are you.”
Max grabbed my waist. I was still fully naked. He still had his jeans down to his ankles.
“Let’s get something straight here, Jade,” Max said. “You can worry about your ass all you want. I kind of like your ass though. So I’d be willing to help save it. As far as I go? Nobody is coming for me.”
“I’ll beg then,” I blurted you. “I’ll get back on my knees and beg.”
“You get back on your knees and you’ll have another mouthful,” Max said.
The pounding continued at the door.
“They’re going to shoot the door,” I said. “Please, Max. Just stay here. Don’t do anything.”
Max grabbed for his jeans and pulled them up. He took two steps back and folded his arms. It wasn’t the proudest moment for me. I wanted to be shy as I had to get dressed in front of Max, but there was no time to for that.
I grabbed my pants and shoved my legs into them. I would have put on my panties but they were reduced to ripped cloth on the floor. There was a hoodie draped over the dresser so I grabbed that before I hurried out of the bedroom, pulling my hair out of the hoodie. My eyes quickly scanned the rest of the apartment. I spotted Max’s leather cut on the floor. I hooked it with my foot and kicked. The leather cut flew into the kitchen, sliding across the floor.
It was a risk I had to take.
The thudding at the door continued again.
“I’m coming!” I yelled.
I grabbed the door and ripped it open.
Just what I thought.
I felt fierce and bold, thanks to Max.
“What the hell do you want?”
15
(max)
I stood there in the bedroom and listened.
“What the hell do you want?” I heard Jade demand.
“You fucking bitch. Who do you think you are?”
I grabbed the door. I paused for a second and considered everything. I owed Jade nothing. She owed me though. Jumping out and starting a war without seeing the enemy could ignite something bad for the club.
I swallowed my pride and kept my ears open.
“Don, what are you doing here?” Jade asked.
“You know what I’m fucking doing here. Checking up on you.”
“No need. I have a phone.”
“We called you. What were you doing?”
“I was taking a bath, Don,” Jade said. “Okay? I heard you knocking and I scrambled to get some clothes back on.”
“So next time I should just come in,” Don said. “I’d love to find you in a bath. So many things I could do to you …”
My blood started to boil. Who the fuck was this guy?
I had a quick trigger finger and it was being tempted.
“Yeah, whatever, Don,” Jade said. “I don’t know what you want, but get to the point. I’d like to finish my night.”
“You’re supposed to report back to Johnny. You failed to do that. He wanted me to come over here and remind you of that. I was supposed to give you a good shot to the jaw. I used to be a boxer. Back in my day I had a wicked right hook.”
If he hits her, I’ll shoot him. I don’t give a shit about what’s happening, nobody puts their fucking hands on a woman.
“You try and hit me and I’ll kick you in the balls,” Jade said. “If you have any still.”
“Fuck you, bitch,” Don yelled.
“You see that I’m here, that I’m alive,” Jade said. “Now go away, Don. Leave me alone.”
“Wait a second. There’s a motorcycle parked out there.”
Ah, fuck…
That’s when I started to step from the bedroom. I hand my hand back, ready to grab my gun. One foot out of the bedroom and Jade started to talk.
“Maybe there is,” Jade said. “Maybe there’s not.”
“What the fuck are you trying to say?”
“I’ve had a long night,” Jade said. “I’ll talk to Johnny tomorrow.”
“Oh like hell you will. If that motorcycle—”
“You know how to ride it?” Jade interrupted.
What the fuck is she doing?
“No,” Don said.
“Then you have no business here,” Jade said. “Tell Johnny whatever you want. But I’ll be here getting sleep. Like I said, Don, I’ve had a long night.”
“Fine then,” Don said. “I’ll be in touch tomorrow. Sleep tight, Jade. I really hope you know what you’re doing. If not, tonight is your last night alive.”
Don left and I watched as Jade turned to fall against the closed door. I stepped fully out of the bedroom and stared a
t her across the apartment.
“Are you ready to talk yet?” I asked.
She reached back, locking the door.
Then she nodded.
“Max, you’re officially in the middle of my mess now.”
*
Jade sat at the head of her bed, knees bent, hugging herself. I was at the end of the bed, sitting reverse on her desk chair. The night had taken a few twists and turns I didn’t expect, but that was the outlaw life. Nothing was ever set in stone and rarely did things go to anything that resembled an actual plan.
“That was Don,” she said. “He works for Johnny. Johnny is part of the Dorlio family.”
“Christ,” I said. “You’re tied into a mob family. He’s the nephew.”
“He’s got tons of power,” she said.
“Fuck his power. I’d be more worried about those above him. How did you get tied into this? Tell me you weren’t sleeping with him.”
“Never,” she said. “He tried to save my father.”
“So that’s how this ties together neatly with a fucking bow?”
“Yes. I had a decent job. But I had to take care of my father too. He was forever a drunk, Max. Like I said, he never physically abused me. But in other ways … I always felt worthless because of him. He drank because my mother died when I was a baby. I found him on the bathroom floor with blood coming out of his mouth. That’s when the doctors found everything.”
“What’s everything?”
“He needed a partial liver transplant. Emergency. They gave him only months. Because of who he was—he wasn’t a priority. I don’t blame anyone for that. That’s when he started to beg for his life. He stopped drinking and cleaned himself up. He started going to church, even. He became this new man. Where I was working, one of our clients was an associate of Johnny’s. Word got around about my father and suddenly, I was meeting with Johnny. He spoke about some medical center he had south of California. He could get the surgery my father needed.”
“Just like that? Like fucking magic?”
“Yes,” she said. “But I needed money—a lot of money—to make it happen. My job wasn’t cutting it. I was in debt. I was going to lose everything. My father couldn’t afford his medication. Next thing I knew, Johnny put a computer in front of me and wanted to know if I could help him access something. He said his uncle passed away and they were trying to find something out about his estate. It wasn’t all that hard, Max. I did a little digging, a little research, and I was able to help Johnny. When I did that … all my debt went away. My personal debt. Like magic.”
“He was working you, sweetheart,” Max said.
“I know. The more I did, the more he gave me. I was able to put money away. I was able to buy myself something. Like a pair of shoes. Or dinner. My father got better medicine. More expensive medicine. I never got a bill for it. He started to feel better. But he definitely needed the surgery. Johnny set up a meeting with me and made it clear that the surgery could be done but I would have to pay him back. Whatever money I had was mine, but I’d work for him until the debt was paid off. I asked how much the surgery would cost and he said a lot. I just wanted my father to continue to live. So I agreed.”
“And your father is gone now?”
“During recovery,” Jade whispered. “They flew him to another country. They did the surgery. Then he died. They couldn’t bring his body back. Johnny had pictures though. His body rejected the surgery or something. I don’t know. He just … died.”
I ran a hand through my hair and stood up from the chair. I walked to the bed and sat down. I reached for Jade and took her hand.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m sorry you got sucked into that world.”
“I’m still in it,” she said. “I keep making money for Johnny. He keeps making it harder. He never tells me when it’s going to be over.”
“Because he’s not going to stop.”
“Now he has his eyes on you,” she said. “And I don’t know why, Max.”
“Does he know our connection?”
“No. He just chose me because I owe him the most. If I die, oh well. I think he likes the game of it all. But he wants to hurt your motorcycle club.”
“By stealing my ride?” I asked. “What the fuck is that going to do?”
“Maybe he wants to test me,” she said. “Maybe that’s the first step—”
“He’s working with someone,” I said. “Isn’t he?”
“I heard him on the phone. Talking to someone named Mr. Y. That’s who really wants you, I guess.”
She was giving up quite a bit of information. I had to respect her for that.
“So Don came by and spotted my ride.”
“Yeah. I covered my ass though.”
“Until you don’t show up with a motorcycle.”
“That’s tomorrow. He already told me tonight is my last night alive.”
I shook my head. “No, sweetheart, it’s not. You know how to work that motorcycle out there?”
“Yeah. I can ride.”
“You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?”
“That’s me,” she said.
“So you tracked me down. You were going to steal my motorcycle. But here we are instead.”
“Seems fitting,” she said. “My life is never easy and never goes to plan.”
I turned and sat on the edge of the bed. I folded my hands and stared at the floor. It was my damn fault for parking my motorcycle out front like I did. I had all but gotten myself made by being there with Jade.
“If you don’t show up with my motorcycle?”
“He’ll kill me,” she said without hesitation. “He won’t think twice anymore. I’ve had enough chances. I’m completely disposable to Johnny and his family. And my dead body will be nothing more than insurance to the person paying him to come after you.”
I stood up. I looked over my shoulder. I reached into my pocket and grabbed the key to the motorcycle. I put it on the nightstand.
“Don’t think I’m being nice because you sucked my dick,” I said.
“Max—no—”
“Someone is after me. After my club. Right now, you’re my contact point in all of this. Take my ride to Johnny. Find out what comes next. Let me know.”
Jade shook her head. “No way. I can’t do this. I can’t play both sides, Max. This is out of control.”
I turned and leaned over the bed, over her.
“Sweetheart, you did this to yourself. You know damn well the only reason you’re talking to me is because you have no choice but to trust me. I’m your hope. Sorry that your savior isn’t clean cut in a white robe.”
“I prefer you like this anyway,” she whispered and touched my bare chest.
I grabbed her hand and peeled it away. I brought her hand to my mouth and gently kissed it.
“I have to make a call, sweetheart. I’ll be waiting for your call.”
I started to move and Jade damn near jumped off the bed at me. She grabbed the waist of my jeans. She pulled herself to her feet.
“Max, you don’t have to do this.”
“I do, sweetheart. I gave you your first kiss, right? Now I’m going to save your life once and for all.”
Why the fuck was I saying shit like that to her?
She inched forward and kissed my chest.
I left her hanging right there. I tracked down my shirt and my leather cut.
Then I called Cade.
“I need a ride back to the clubhouse.”
16
(max)
Morning meetings were the worst.
But when I had the entire fucking table staring me down, looking ready to shoot me, it took worse to a new level. We all had coffee mugs in front of us and most of us had the first smoke of the day burning.
Prez leaned back in his chair. “You left with a motorcycle and came back without one.”
“It got stolen,” I said.
“What?” Duke asked. “We’re meeting here because of a sto
len motorcycle?”
“How does a fucking ride get stolen?” Kye asked.
“It wasn’t stolen,” Cade said. “It was left on purpose.”
“Care to elaborate, brother?” Prez asked me.
I sipped the hot coffee. It was as black as night and damn near thick as mud. I took a drag of my smoke and let out a long breath.
“Someone is after us,” I said. “I noticed this woman I sort of knew following me. That’s where I was. Trying to settle that up.”
“Pussy,” Cash said. “It always comes back to pussy. I swear, every flag in every country should be pussy. All the maps of the world, pussy. I mean, just think—”
“Cash,” Jasper said. “We can have a pussy talk a later?”
“My bad,” Cash said. He looked at me. “My bad, brother. Continue.”
“Someone is paying the Dorlio family to come after us.”
“Oh, shit,” Prez said. “Why? They’re too big to give a fuck about us.”
“The nephew, Johnny,” I said.
“Hot head,” Cade said. “Thinks he owns the family. He’s a pawn to them. Like the bastard kid, you know? They gave him some money, power, and they let him go play.”
“And his play is to come after Back Down Devil?” Jasper asked, the VP raised an eyebrow in confusion, his eyes beating at me like I had all the fucking answers in the world.
“Your guess is as good as mine, VP,” I said.
“So what the fuck are we doing here?”
“Easy, Jasper,” Trev said. “Let Max speak his peace here.”
“There’s no peace in this, Prez,” I said. “I don’t know if this ties to the house break ins or not. But it looks like someone wants us to be distracted, confused, and then they’re going to hit hard.”
“So someone ordered some woman to steal your motorcycle?” Tristan asked.
“Exactly. One of the guys shows up when I was there last night.”
“You didn’t fucking get him?” Jasper asked.
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