Instead, he tasted the beer and sat at the center island, awaiting her return. Reveling in the feel of the liquid on his tongue. He hadn’t realized how parched he was.
Only a few minutes passed before she stomped in wearing a little dress. It was clear as fuck that she didn’t have anything on under it. Right now, she wasn’t even wearing her stilettos.
She walked to him…and punched the living fuck out of his jaw.
“You’re an asshole,” she hissed, and hit him again.
He jumped to his feet. “Fuck, Megan!” he roared. “Don’t hit me again.”
“Or what?” she snarled. “I should kick you, stomp you, and scratch you to pieces, jerk. You didn’t have the decency to leave when you saw me with no clothes on.”
“What the fuck are you doing walking around in the middle of the day in only heels?” he fumed. In the back of his head, he told himself it wasn’t his business. Who gave a fuck if she ran through a field of daisies without clothes? What the fuck was wrong with him? “What were you doing?”
“Waiting for my husband in my house.”
“You shouldn’t leave the goddamn door unlocked.”
“You shouldn’t walk in to my house uninvited.”
He stiffened. “According to you, we all have an open invitation.”
She threw him the evil eye. “You know what that means, Johnnie Donovan. Come any time but ring the bell.” She nodded to the door he’d come through. “Can you please leave?”
“Not until you give me some advice.”
“I’m not giving you advice because I’m not talking to you ever again. What you did disrespected Christopher. But most of all, it disrespected me, and I’m not standing for that, so go.”
He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Fuck. I’m sorry. Okay? But, damn it, Megan, you’re…” Gorgeous. In love with your husband. Respectful of his wants and needs. He closed his eyes. His cock fucking hurt.
Grabbing the bottle of beer, he swigged from it, then started toward Megan. She scooted in the opposite direction, her panic returning. For a moment, her reaction stopped him cold. He’d forgotten her history with her stepfather.
Regret punched him. “I’m sorry, baby,” he whispered, holding his hands up. “I swear I’d never do anything to hurt you.”
She swallowed, her look suspicious. She blurred before him, then split into four Megans. Narrowing his eyes, he refocused on one of her.
“I need help with Kendall,” he told her. His voice sounded far away and distant.
Was he having a mental break?
“Oh, no,” Megan screeched. Either she saw no indication he was in distress or she didn’t care. “I’m not getting in the middle of you and your wife’s business. She and I have been getting along just fine. And you don’t need help with her. You need respect for her.”
“I respect my wife!” he spat, immediately on the defensive. He wasn’t having a fucking nervous breakdown. He was fucking sick of Megan and Kendall.
“The respect you have, or don’t, isn’t up for debate,” she retorted. “The past few minutes suggest otherwise.”
He gave her a pleading look. Besides her lingering fear, fury darkened her eyes.
“Kendall wants to represent the Imperials’ enforcer,” he blurted.
Megan’s mouth dropped open. “The Imperials?” she echoed. “The club Christopher is having trouble with?”
He nodded, seizing on her shock. “I’ve told her fuck no. She and I got into a huge argument two days ago. She won’t even sleep in the same bed with me. But I’m so fucking pissed with her. She doesn’t seem to give a shit she’d risk my life by going against Christopher’s rules. He’d accuse me of not being able to handle her.”
Folding her arms, Megan lifted a brow at him. He took umbrage at her silent insult, but only scowled at her.
“Why are you two even together?” she asked sullenly.
“Because we love each other,” he declared.
She rolled her eyes and snorted.
“Jesus, you can be a little cunt,” he told her, whatever restraint he used with her completely missing, as if someone else had invaded his body.
Her eyes widened, then watered, sending immediate remorse through him.
“Megan,” he started.
She drew herself up. Barely clearing five feet, she still took on the mien of an angry little queen. “This conversation is done,” she said flatly. “And if you ever talk to me again, I’m telling Christopher all about today.”
She swiped at an angry tear, then turned toward the door. He rushed behind her and caught her arm, spinning her back to face him. He was frustrated, confused, at his wit’s end, and filled with lust. Put together, it made a fucked-up combination that set his temper on edge. He couldn’t allow her to leave with things as they were between them. Yet, the words flying out his mouth dug a deeper hole.
“It’s always Christopher.” He shook her. “Tell me. What the hell does he have that I don’t? How could he get you when I loved you just as much? How does he fascinate my wife so much when she hates the fucking ground he walks on?”
She struggled against his hold, but he wouldn’t release her. Crying out in frustration, she attempted to knee him in the groin but he reared away.
“Why don’t you ask Kendall what my husband has, since she threw herself at him several times.”
“You don’t think Christopher ever get a hard cock for her?” he growled, like a madman. “She’s gorgeous. Long. Strong. A challenge that any man revels in.”
She managed to get her hands free and dug her nails into his arms, drawing blood.
“Ouch!” he yelled, releasing her.
She stumbled back.
“Tell me what to do, Megan,” he demanded, forgetting his aching arms. “Tell me how to make Kendall love me for me. How can I make her love me enough not to risk my fucking life for her own selfish reasons?”
It didn’t matter that Megan was now sobbing. Her tears only enraged him more. They were real. Unlike Kendall, who used tears like she did sex. As a weapon.
In a blind rage, he swiped all her containers off her kitchen island, eliciting another sob-scream from her. She filled Christopher’s house with love and happiness. Made it a place of warmth and joy.
Kendall had issues, and Johnnie would give his life to help her through them. But dying for bullshit? No. Just fuck no.
“Christopher has cameras everywhere, Johnnie,” Megan said around sniffles. “You’re going to die because of your stupidity, not because of anything Kendall is doing.”
At her announcement, he stilled. His mind spun a million miles a minute. One part of him recalled his time with Megan—his feelings for her. Just as fast came memories of Kendall.
Maybe, it was a losing battle. Maybe, he never should’ve married her. Defeated, he sat, landing flat on his ass since he wasn’t remotely close to a chair. Hanging his head in his hands, he felt as if his entire world was ending.
Valentine’s Day was six weeks away. He should’ve been planning a romantic getaway to celebrate their five years of knowing each other. Instead, he was questioning his value. His worthiness.
His manhood.
“You crossed a line today, Johnnie,” Megan said in a quiet, miserable voice. “You called me a cunt.”
“And?” he raged. “Christopher calls my woman a cunt all the time. You’re not better than her. Do you ever tell him not to call Kendall that?”
“I’m going upstairs,” Megan said tiredly, ignoring his question. Of course she would. She didn’t have a fucking satisfactory answer. “Leave. Stay. Die. I don’t care.”
“Do you know how much I hate you?” he asked in a broken voice.
“I don’t care. Your feelings for me aren’t important. Only Christopher’s matter.”
She left him alone on her kitchen floor, her words ringing in his ears.
REACHING HER BEDROOM, MEGGIE slammed the door shut and stumbled to the bed. She sat on the edge and stared, her mind su
rfing from her encounter to Johnnie to blankness and, finally, to the reality of the situation.
Johnnie was going to die. Christopher would kill him. Even if he hadn’t shook Meggie and called her a cunt, he’d walked in uninvited and seen her naked, then refused to immediately turn away.
“Oh God! Oh God! Oh God!” Meggie wailed, jumping from the bed and pacing. Nausea churned in her stomach. No matter what, Christopher would never forgive himself if he shot Johnnie, once the dust settled.
They were brothers, even if she and Kendall had created an almost irreparable rift between them. As much as Meggie and Christopher loved each other—trusted each other—they still had bouts of doubt and insecurity where Johnnie and Kendall were concerned.
Her husband despised the ground Kendall walked on. Yet Kendall was relentless in her quest. Meggie pretended not to notice the looks Kendall gave Christopher. She ignored Kendall’s untoward comments.
Johnnie, however, was another story. As much as Johnnie envied Christopher’s charisma, his charm and magnetism, her husband always felt…insecure…?...about the holiday season Meggie and Johnnie spent together.
Balling her fists, Meggie paced a little more, her thoughts jumbled and confused. On the one hand, she wanted to never, ever forgive him or look at him again. On the flip side, she knew her brother-in-law was close to a mental break down. All because Kendall was restless.
Meggie drew in a deep, calming breath, willing herself to stop shaking and crying. This was so bad. Worse, she had no clue where Christopher was or what had held him up. She was grateful, but he could walk in at any minute and find her wrecked. And CJ would soon be home from school. And Bunny would soon bring the rest of the kids home. And Meggie needed to start dinner.
She rushed to her side of the bed, picked up her cell phone, and saw four missed calls from Christopher. Chewing her lip, she pressed redial.
“Where the fuck you been, baby?”
The sound of his voice soothed her and she drew in a deep breath.
“Megan? What the fuck wrong?”
She cleared her throat. “Nothing.” Tears thickened her voice, made her hoarse.
“You been fucking cryin’?”
“I just…uh…I just…” Closing her eyes, she sighed, drawing in deep, calming breaths. “It’s nothing. Just watching a sad movie, waiting for you,” she lied.
Silence.
She cringed. This wasn’t going the way it was supposed to, so she cleared her throat again. “Where are you?” she asked in a stronger voice.
“My ass got fuckin’ held up at the club. First, psycho bitch inter-fuckin-rupted me. Then, I got fuckin’ distracted when I re-fuckin-membered Valentine Day comin’ up.”
Yes, Valentine’s Day, when she wanted to host a ball to celebrate both the day and commemorate their church wedding, which had been such a big deal to her. For the past few days, she’d gone back and forth on whether or not to talk to Christopher about renewing their vows. Only this time, she’d tell him he was free to be him. Wear his cut and boots. Even jeans if he wanted to, because that’s who he was, and it was his day, too.
This morning, Kendall had stopped by for coffee, so Meggie put aside their last argument and mentioned the ball again. She didn’t tell her sister-in-law about club issues. Whatever Christopher told Meggie, he did so in confidence. If Johnnie wanted Kendall to know, he’d tell her himself. But it was hard to gauge the best decision to make.
Christopher hadn’t mentioned lockdown, or problems with another club, again. Meggie felt if he thought she’d need to go on lockdown, he would warn her so she could start preparing.
“I strapped a fuckin’ stick of dynamite to my cock and blew it the fuck up.”
Meggie frowned at Christopher’s statement. “Huh?”
“Exactly, Megan,” he shouted. “What the fuck goin’ on? My ass been fuckin’ talkin’ for two fuckin’ minutes and ain’t heard a motherfuckin’ peep from you.”
“I was thinking about Valentine’s Day,” she said.
“What the fuck ‘bout it?” he grouched.
“Well, I want us to renew our vows,” she rushed out. “Have a huge Valentine’s Day Ball.”
“Ain’t no fuckin’ way my ass wearin’ a fuckin’ monkey suit, Megan.”
She smiled at his irritation, her world slowly righting itself again. “Although I’d love for you to, you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
“What the fuck you say?”
Her grin deepened at how perplexed he sounded. “It’s your day, too. That’s why I want us to do the renewal at the Valentine’s Day Ball. You can wear whatever you want. I love you for who you are, not because you’re in a silly, old tux. I just…there’s so much I want to say to you. So much I want the world to know. All I ask is that we write our own vows.”
“For real, baby?” he croaked.
“Yes.”
More silence and then, “Megan, baby, Kendall knew ‘bout this?”
The question surprised her. Yet, she didn’t think she’d recovered enough from her encounter with Johnnie to ask him what Kendall had to do with anything. “Yes. We talked this morning.”
“Fuckin’ motherfuckin’ fuckin’ cunt,” he growled and blew out an irritated breath.
“What’s the matter?” she asked, wincing when Christopher called Kendall the same name Johnnie had bestowed on her. Unless Christopher stopped saying it—and he wouldn’t—Meggie had no right to be so hypocritical. “What happened?”
“Nothin’, baby. Motherfuckin’ Kendall at her fuckin’ games again. Ima tell you all the fuck ‘bout it in a lil’ while. I gotta take care of some shit first. Ima see you in ‘bout a hour.”
“Wait! What were you thinking about Valentine’s Day? Maybe, we can combine our plans.”
“Fuck, baby. You sure the fuck bring a motherfucker to his fuckin’ knees. Before I met you, Valentine’s Day ain’t meant fuck all to my ass. Now, it’s everything to me cuz it mean so much to you,” he said gruffly. “My ass gotta be honest with you. Psycho cunt came to my motherfuckin’ office, askin’ ‘bout some case she wanted to fuckin’ take. John Boy already told her dumb ass fuck no. I ain’t got no motherfuckin’ clue why that bitch thought my fuckin’ ass would say ‘yeah’. Johnnie already fuckin’ know he a dead man if that cunt take another case. I ain’t havin’ her fuck with the club. I clued her the fuck in, too. Any-fuckin-way, she fuckin’ told me ‘bout your ball and that you fuckin’ wanted me to wear a monkey suit. So I been sittin’ here over a hour, plannin’ a trip to that lil’ island Digger took Bunny on their honeymoon.”
“Kendall’s a liar!” Meggie snapped, fed up with both Donovans. “How could you believe her?”
“Cuz you put me in monkey suits two or three fuckin’ times al-fuckin-ready, Megan. What the fuck my ass was supposed to believe?”
“You could’ve called and asked me.”
“Megan, this ain’t nothin’ to make a big fuckin’ deal ‘bout. That cunt—”
“Stop calling her that!” Meggie shouted, bursting into tears. “That’s an ugly word. Suppose Johnnie said that to me?”
“Then I’d cut his fuckin’ tongue out, baby,” Christopher said mater-of-factly. “Then watch him bleed the fuck to death.”
She cried harder.
“Megan, baby, what the fuck wrong? My cock fucked over me a-fuckin-gain and knocked you up?”
“No!”
“Why you cryin’? Talk to me. Cuz if you ain’t gonna tell me, my ass just gonna review the footage ‘til I find out the fuckin’ problem.”
“I’m just disappointed in Kendall.” That was true. Kendall was the catalyst for Johnnie’s behavior and, now, for Christopher’s actions. “I really wanted the ball, but since you’ve spent so much time planning a trip for us, we can do that instead.”
“I love the fuck outta you, Megan.”
“And I love you, Christopher.”
“You want the fuckin’ ball?”
“I do, but we can do it some oth
er time. I wasn’t even sure this was a good idea. I know you were having problems with another club and—”
“No, baby. Other motherfuckers ain’t a fuckin’ problem. Don’t even fuckin’ worry ‘bout them. You fuckin’ want a fuckin’ ball for Valentine Day, you havin’ it. Whatcha gonna wear?”
“I want a red evening gown.”
“Then my ass wearin’ a monkey suit, cuz I know that’s what the fuck you want. How ‘bout I just fuckin’ reschedule our trip? We go in July when we celebratin’ our six years bein’ married?”
“We have to be here for CJ’s birthday.”
“We will,” he assured her. “Just lemme make some fuckin’ calls.”
“Okay. I’m going to start dinner, so I’ll see you in a bit. I love you. Bye.”
“Megan?” Christopher called before she disconnected.
“Yes?”
“Ain’t stoppin’ callin’ Kendall a cunt. That’s what the fuck she is. She start all types of shit and don’t take fuckin’ responsibility for nothin’.”
Meggie already knew this. And Christopher had said something similar a few days ago.
“John Boy just a fuckin’ step away from needin’ to go to his own fuckin’ psycho camp. I hate her for what the fuck she do. She the most callous bitch I ever met. What fuckin’ person who say they love a motherfucker gonna come to the motherfucker who threatened to fuck up her motherfucker if she go back to work…and fuckin’ ask to go the fuck back to work? Fuck. She might as well put a bullet in Johnnie head herself.”
She nodded, although Christopher couldn’t see her.
“I love you, baby,” he told her before disconnecting.
Megan wasn’t a good liar. Her greatest fear was Christopher looking at that footage—hearing it—and seeking retribution against Johnnie. If she could stop that, everything else would fall into place later. She dialed Mortician’s number.
“I need your help,” she whispered when he answered.
“On my way,” he said, without asking questions and hung up.
As she set her phone back on her nightstand, a hand touched her shoulder. She almost jumped out of her skin.
Death Dwellers Motorcycle Club:: Fifteen Bad Boy Biker Books Page 434