by KB Winters
“Why?”
He was so inquisitive it always amazed me. “Well I imagine they think it will hurt more.” I shouldn’t even be having this conversation with someone Beau’s age but the more he understood about what was happening, the calmer he would be later.
“Don’t worry, Mom. Cross will keep us safe.” Beau was so full of confidence in a man he didn’t know that well that I almost believed him. I hoped Cross could keep us safe and I believed he would. But there was a niggling doubt, and I’d feel a lot better if I knew who the big bad was. “We should decorate this room for Cross!”
Once again he was right. Looking around Cross’s room, it was bare, not one photo in sight. Not even of his wife. His parents. Other than deodorant and cologne and a few outfits that hung in the closet, the room was austere and all but empty. Beau and I had brought more stuff than was already in here.
“That’s a good idea but let’s not go crazy, maybe start with a couple drawings.”
“Okay. Jana has art supplies in front, can I go draw with her?” I gave a quick nod and his feet took off. He yanked the door open and ran smack into his second favorite person in the world.
“Hi Cross! I’m going to make some drawings for your room. Bye!”
Cross chuckled at his energy, stepping inside the room and filling it instantly. “To have that kind of energy right now.”
“Or anytime,” I agreed with a smile. And then something stopped me in my tracks. Beau’s energy level. He’d been running around these last few days like a normal kid. No wheezing. No coughing. Could it be true? The stem cell treatments had started to work? A brush of hopefulness and gratitude rushed through me but before I could indulge it, Cross was asking for my attention.
“Are you guys okay here?” he asked.
“Yeah. Better safe than sorry regardless if we want to be here, or if we’re important to the club, right?” The words came out harsher than I expected, and it was stupid to wish for a different answer, but for now, I decided I wouldn’t deny my feelings for him, at least not to myself.
He opened his mouth to say something and then closed it. For a second, I thought I saw disappointment flash across his handsome face, but then I remembered, he was still in love with someone else.
“I know none of this is personal, Cross, we’ll be fine.”
“Thanks for that thing with Ripcord,” he said. “It was stupid as hell but also brave and very helpful.”
Brave and helpful? Just what every woman wanted to hear, right? I crossed my arms and stared at him for a long time, wishing I’d never gotten involved with him while mentally calculating what I could do to have more time with him. “Thank you, I guess.”
His mouth curled into a sensual smile. “Think we have time for a proper thanks?”
I most certainly did. “If I say no, will you take it as a challenge?”
“Damn fucking right, I will.” Cross’s booted foot kicked the door shut and he twisted the lock before advancing on me and pressing his body against mine. He pushed me down on the bed. “It’s been too fucking long, Moon. I need you.”
His voice was low and dark, raw with need as he stripped me out of my clothes and tore off my panties.
“Cross, don’t tease.”
But he did, lightly brushing his fingers up and down my pussy lips, drawing a shiver out.
“But teasing you is so fun, Moon.” He applied more pressure, little by little, until I was crazed with need. Then he slipped a thick finger inside me and I arched my back and closed my eyes.
“Yes.”
“Fuck, I love how hungry you are for me.” His finger twisted and I moved closer, crying out my pleasure. “Yes.”
Cross groaned and pulled me closer, grabbing me by the waist and flipping me over on my knees. He lifted me up until I rested on all fours.
“Now that you have me here, what will you do with me?” Just the sight of him over my shoulder had me aching with desire.
“You want me to tell you how I’m going to slide my tongue inside your asshole, finger fucking you until you beg me to make you come?”
I nodded, feeling breathless as more desire leaked out of me.
“Or do you want me to tell you how much you’ll love it when I eat your pussy and finger your ass, making you come so hard your juices run all over me. Then I’m going to drink every last drop before I fuck you until you pass out.”
“I…I’m liking the sound of that.” I liked it too much but my body didn’t care. His words were like dousing a fire with kerosene and the only thing I wanted was for his words to become reality. “What are you waiting for?”
“Until you’re ready, Moon.”
“I’m ready,” I insisted.
He shook his head with a smile, looking like the bad boy next door with his dark hair and tattoos that gave him a devil-may-care air that only added to his appeal. And he had my mouth watering as he undressed. “Not yet, you’re not. Turn around.”
I did as he commanded. That deep voice so smooth and thick like honey sent a shiver straight through me. And Cross knew what he was doing, the waiting. The anticipating. It built up my expectation, it tortured me. It thrilled me.
And when his tongue finally touched me, exactly where and how he promised, I did beg him. I begged for more of his wicked tongue, more of everything. “Please,” I begged, desperate for release.
My legs collapsed when he gave me what I begged for, the pulsing vibrations of his laugh had another orgasm building quickly within me.
“Keep going. Let go, baby, he ordered as he turned me over and put his mouth on me, fulfilling every dirty word until another orgasm rushed out of me in just seconds.
“Cross,” I cried out his name when he turned me back over on my knees and slid into me from behind, his warm breath fanning down my back. His breath came out in short shallow bursts as aftershocks pulsed around him.
“Moon, fuck. Yes.” His words were raw and gritty, hitting me right where I needed them.
“Oh, fuck.” The pleasure in his voice sent warmth rushing through me, down to my cunt and soaking us where we were joined.
“Fuck!”
“Cross.” His strokes were long and deep, slow. Sensual and all-consuming. I nearly fell right then and there.
Over the edge.
Into love.
Maybe.
One hand went to my breast, kneading and squeezing as he thrust into me. Long, deep strokes that shook the bed and touched me to my soul.
“You’re mine, baby.” He repeated the words over and over again like it was a spell he’d conjured up. Over and over as he pushed me closer and closer to the edge of everything. And when his teeth sank into the soft skin between my neck and shoulder, I fell.
Completely.
One tear slipped from the corner of my eye and I was happy I was face down on the bed, so he couldn’t see me. When a pounding knock rattled the door, I felt nothing but relief.
However temporary it turned out to be.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Cross
“The bottom line is, we have no beef with the Reckless Bastards and Ripcord thinks we might be able to help each other out.”
The Sons of Sin MC President, Gage, looked at me with a serious expression on his face. There was no bullshit posturing or anything. They knew this was serious shit, just as we did.
“I think so, too,” I admitted reluctantly. It wasn’t just Moon’s advice or gentle push, it was the right decision for the club. And having another MC’s help would increase our chances of getting out of this shit alive.
“We have a lot of balls in the air right now, but you let me know if you find anything out and I’ll do the same.”
Gage nodded, easily accepting the answer. “You really think you can take down a politician?”
I grinned. “Haven’t you been watching the news, Gage?”
“No shit?” He shot back, voice filled with awe. “In that case, I hope to talk to you soon, Cross.”
I no
dded at Gage and hopped back on my bike, eager to get back to the clubhouse. And if I was being honest, Moon too. The past week had been too hectic and we hadn’t spent as much time together as I would have liked and the fact that I wanted to spend more time with her meant I might have to start living my life again.
But I couldn’t dwell on it, not until this Roadkill and Pacheco bullshit was behind us. When I arrived at the clubhouse I had one thing on my mind, a sweet taste of Moon’s addictive mouth but it wasn’t her pretty face I saw when I walked in.
“Hey man, I got something to show you. Two things actually.” Jag met me at the door, walking beside me. “The Sun just ran a front page story outlining the corruption of Pacheco and they claim to have proof that he’s a stakeholder in the sale of underage girls.”
The shit-eating grin he wore was a goddamn welcome sight to see.
“Thank fuck some media outlets are still interested in the fucking news, right?” I took the paper from him, listening with half an ear while skimming the article. In just the course of a week they’d managed to find the one thing we couldn’t.
“Damn, they took what you sent and turned it into dynamite. Fucking dynamite, man.”
Jag dropped down at one of the tables and grinned. “They found what we couldn’t and I’m damn glad they did. Pacheco’s gotta be shittin’ in his pants right now.”
I hoped that fucker was scared shitless. “Everyone else see this?”
Gunnar and Savior nodded, Lasso shrugged and the rest gave halfhearted nods because as good as it was, it would be better if that fucker didn’t take another breath.
Ever.
“If he isn’t yet, he will be soon. I also got something from Vivi.” Jag turned the screen to me and I frowned.
“Uh, man I’m glad you got photos from your girl, but this isn’t the kind of shit you share.”
Gunnar let out a loud guffaw. “Dude we’re happy you’re getting phone sex or cybersex or whatever, but that ain’t exactly club business.”
Jag frowned and turned the image back around. It wasn’t all that bad, just plenty of cleavage, more than he probably wanted us to see. “It’s got encrypted data in it you dumb fuck. Not even her tits if you must know. You fuckers are sick.”
Gunnar let out another thunderous laugh at being able to get a rise out of calm and cool Jag. “Then turn it back around and let me look at it.”
“Dick,” Jag muttered again before turning the screen back my way. “This just came in with all the shit the Sun uncovered, but we also got the website data. I was able to ID a few of the girls and though I can’t confirm it, I think this is Ripcord’s sister. Jessica Stephens.”
Shit. She had the same blonde hair and same blue eyes as her brother. “Do we have an address or anything?”
“I’m working on it.”
“Good.”
I could deal with a lot when it came to ways to make money that weren’t strictly on the up and up, but teenage pussy was off limits and for that sin alone, I’d kill every single one of those motherfuckers.
“Holy shit. You gotta see this, Cross.”
I looked up at the screen that faced me again and whistled. “No fucking way?”
“What? Let me see,” Gunnar insisted like a school girl eager for gossip. “Holy fucking shit, is this for real?”
“Vivi wouldn’t send it if it wasn’t.”
And what she had sent was the fucking nail in Pacheco’s coffin.
“What do you want to do with this?” Jag asked.
The answer was simple. “I want this shit to lead the news for the rest of the goddamn week,” I said.
But first I needed to give Ripcord a head’s up. “Give me thirty minutes and then send it out with the missing person’s report for Jessica.”
Fuck me, I didn’t want to have to be the one to deliver this kind of news. Because I had so much shit to deal with, I called up Gage. It was his club, his man. He could deal with that shit.
“I’ll be back.”
“Be happy, Prez! We got those fuckers now!” Gunnar pounded his fist on the table and howled like a goddamn loon.
I was happy but the closer we got to Pacheco’s bullshit, the bigger the target was on our backs.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Moon
The past few days had been tense and everyone was starting to feel stir crazy from being cooped up in the Reckless Bastards compound all week. Their hospitality was nice and I felt safe enough to stay, but cabin fever was starting to set in. I joined Jana, Teddy, Rocky and Mandy at a picnic table behind the clubhouse filled with food and lemonade. It was nice, feeling like I had a group of friends to sit around and just talk with, and pretend like there wasn’t danger lurking around every corner.
“But what I really wanna know,” Jana began with a mischievous smile and a soft caress of her belly, “is what’s going on with you and Cross, Moon?”
I blinked at the sound of my name and looked up at four pairs of expectant eyeballs. “We’re enjoying each other’s company, that’s all.” I didn’t bother to tell them I wanted more because I knew Cross didn’t have anything to give to anyone other than Lauren.
And I wouldn’t take that from him—or her.
Teddy arched a perfectly sculpted auburn brow and leaned back in her seat. “Because of the whole biker thing? Because I had that same thought when Jana first met Max, but these guys are bigger marshmallows than the guys I worked with when I was a model. And Cross is fuckin’ hot. Not as hot as my Tate but hot, nevertheless.”
“No, not because of the biker thing, Teddy.” Not that I could reasonably say anything else while surrounded by four women married to or engaged to be married to a family of bikers.
“Then, what?” Teddy’s expression was pure disbelief but it didn’t bother me.
“It’s the whole still in love with his wife thing.” I stared right back at Teddy, daring her to give me a hard time, but she didn’t. Instead her expression softened, and she did that sympathetic head tilt that could produce rage in me like no other, so I looked away.
Jana’s big green eyes blinked slowly, shocked. “I’m surprised he even told you about her. He never talks about her.”
Probably because he didn’t want to share her with anyone. I shrugged off her effort to make the secret into something it wasn’t. “People always tell me things they shouldn’t or don’t want to. It’s a gift, or a curse, I suppose.” Though that one time a woman confessed that she was cheating on her husband with his sister had left even me shocked.
“You’re wrong, and scared,” Jana accused, her steely glare daring me to challenge her. “That’s okay, we were all scared once.”
I shook my head, refusing to let her words or their determined and eager head nods sway me. I knew the truth. “I can’t put myself in a situation that I know will end badly, especially with everything I have on my plate. I need to make good choices for me and Beau.”
Teddy and Rocky both laughed. “I find good choices to be terribly boring,” the stunning redhead said with a laugh.
“Maybe but I’m all Beau has and I can’t afford to lose my shit over a man, especially one who has heartache written all over him. Boring is preferable to broken.”
“Who said anything about broken?” Rocky asked, far too astutely. “Oh shit, you like him. Like seriously maybe-could be love, kind of like?”
I shook my head silently.
“That’s bullshit Moon and you know it,” Jana said with more ferocity than I expected. “It’s not just you and Beau anymore. You have us. All of us.”
I accepted their kind words because it was the only thing to do in the moment. Cross was their family, technically the boss of their men and I knew how break ups in a situation like this worked. I’d seen it plenty with my family’s social circle. Usually the couples all kept the half of the couple with the most power or influence, so usually the husband. I vowed that after this was all over, I’d do better about getting out and making new friends.
&n
bsp; Living life.
“Thanks, ladies.” My phone vibrated in my pocket and I pulled it out, frowning at the unknown number. “Excuse me. Hello?” I got up from the table and walked to a spot where I could hear.
“Is this Moonbeam Vanderbilt?”
I didn’t recognize the almost robotic voice but immediately I went on alert. “Who’s asking?”
“Please confirm your identity, ma’am.” The voice on the other end spoke with an air of authority and a whole lot of irritation.
“You first.”
“Officer Jones,” he grunted out angrily.
“That’s a common name, do you have a first name?” What kind of cop called without identifying themselves?
“No.”
“Okay, neither do I. Have a good day.” I ended the call and took a quick glance over my shoulder where Beau played with the other kids but mostly he climbed up Stitch’s long body which was perfect since he was little more than a kid himself. My phone rang again and I went in search of Jag. I couldn’t be sure, but if the caller was a cop, he was a crooked one.
Jag looked up when I placed a hand on his shoulder and I pointed at the ringing phone. “What’s up?”
I answered the phone on speaker. “Hello?”
“Ms. Vanderbilt?”
“Who’s calling?” I couldn’t help but smile at the frustrated growl he let out.
“Officer Jones.” Jag grabbed the phone from my hands and did a bunch of quick hand moves before he handed it back. The call was recording and I relaxed.
“Officer Jones who refuses to identify himself properly? Tell you what, keep your first name and give me your badge number.”
“Are you Moonbeam Vanderbilt, mother of Rainbeau Vanderbilt?”
“How is this any of your business? I don’t even know who you are.”
“There’s been an accident at the camp, Ms. Vanderbilt.”
Jag’s dark brows rose in question and I shook my head, pointing at the area just outside where Beau played with his friends.