Max (Ride Series Second Generation Book 6)

by Megan O'Brien

  I shrugged, taking a sip of my beer, not wanting to get into the details. “Not necessarily, though I knew I wanted to be out of town away from things.”

  “This is your sanctuary,” she deduced, looking affectionately at both dogs sprawled at our feet.

  “Never thought about it that way, but I guess you’re right,” I acknowledged. “I want it to be yours too.”

  She turned her head to smile at me, looking more relaxed than I’d seen her since her accident. “I could see that happening easily. But, Max,” she began somewhat hesitantly, “I miss my friends and being out.”

  I knew where she was going with this, and knew I’d likely waited too long to lay it out for her.

  She emitted a soft growl of frustration, misinterpreting my silence. “I know I’m still sore, but the doctor said its fine,” she protested.

  “This isn’t about what the doctor said,” I shared, reaching over to coax her hair behind her ear. “There are some things I was waiting to tell you until you were feeling a bit better.”

  I watched as dread shuttered her expression. I hated having to put that look on her face. “What?”

  “There were more deliveries at your place in Portland. Some more threatening than others. And the guy who attacked you in the parking lot? He was killed—murdered I think.”

  She sucked in a shocked breath, wincing at the pain in her ribs.

  “Fuck, this is why I was waiting to tell you,” I ground out. “Do you need some pain killers?”

  “No.” She shook her head in frustration. “I want to know more about the news that impacts my life that you waited to tell me about,” she insisted angrily. “How long have you known about this?”

  “About a week.”

  Her mouth dropped open in surprise. “What else do you know?”

  “With the way your attacker was killed, a car accident, I’m sure it was your stalker that ran you off the road. That means he’s here in Hawthorne and likely knows where you are too.”

  “Shit,” she breathed as I reached over to take her hand. I could feel her pulse racing under my thumb as I stroked her soft skin.

  “Until he’s dealt with, I don’t intend to let you out of my sight, and in the rare instances where I need to, you’ll have a man on you.”

  “My dad knows this?” she asked woodenly.

  “He does.”

  “So, you two are in cahoots then? I think I liked it better when you weren’t getting along,” she mumbled, and I was relieved to see some of her trademark sass back in action.

  I bit back a smile. “Cahoots? Babe, you’ve been watching too much Law and Order.”

  She glared at me.

  “He’s not going to touch a hair on your head,” I swore. “But I need you to work with me. I know you’re feeling cooped up, but until this blows over, we need to be really fucking careful.”

  She sighed, and I knew she understood. “Fine, I get that. I wish you would have told me sooner.” She paused to give me a pointed look. “But I get it. Still, don’t you think we can venture out to the club now and again? To Mad’s? Both those places are well protected.”

  She had a point. I knew there was a good part of me that just wanted to keep her to myself regardless of any danger she was in. But eventually that would make her unhappy, and I’d never want to be the cause of that.

  “Yeah, we can do that,” I agreed somewhat begrudgingly.

  She shot me a warm smile. “Don’t worry, honey, we’ll spend plenty of nights locking ourselves away from the world like you used to, except now you’re stuck with me.” She winked.

  “Sounds fucking perfect,” I replied with conviction, squeezing her hand that was still placed in mine.

  “Now that we’re getting all this out there, where did my pop go? Should I be worried?” she asked.

  I deliberated for only a moment on how much to share. Wren would never be the kind of woman that would accept me keeping things from her. And hell, I didn’t want that kind of woman anyway. “We’ve had some issues with a mafia organization in Vegas.” I took a swig of my beer before continuing. “They’ve started trying to expand their business, running drugs and firearms through our area to get up to Oregon. We’re not gonna let that happen.”

  “Good.” She nodded. That was my girl. She didn’t complain about the business itself or worry further now that she knew the state of play. She trusted the club, and me, to handle our business. That meant more than I could ever say.

  “Things heat up, it’ll be more than you that’s on lockdown,” I shared.

  She sighed, looking up at the stars. “Wouldn’t be the first time,” she pointed out.

  “Nope,” I agreed as she yawned huge. It had been a big day for her, and I needed to make sure she got enough rest. “What do you say we go to bed?”

  She nodded. “That sounds good.”

  I stood up, pulling her up with me, and guided her inside and down the hall, with the dogs and cat trailing behind us. “I’m gonna shut things down. You go on and get ready.”

  She nodded sleepily, wandering off down the hall as I watched her hungrily. It was going to be the goddamn challenge of my life to keep my hands to myself, but she was still in pain. I needed to go slow, to be careful, when what I really wanted was to throw her on the nearest surface and pound into her sweet little body until neither of us could breathe.

  I shook my head, trying to clear it as I moved around the house, checking the alarms and turning off lights. I moved slowly, letting her have some time to adjust, wanting her to be comfortable and not to crowd her as she got used to my space.

  When I wandered back to the bedroom, I nearly laughed out loud. Wren was already passed out under the covers with both dogs and the goddamn cat on the bed.

  “Off,” I commanded as quietly as possible. The dogs knew they weren’t allowed up there and skulked guiltily to their beds on the floor. “You too,” I added to Frank, who just eyed me in challenge.

  Damn cat.

  I picked him up and put him on the floor, knowing he’d just jump back up in a few minutes. Trying to prove who was boss with him was impossible, but I kept trying, fighting a losing battle.

  I crawled into bed, wanting to pull Wren into my arms but knowing that could hurt her. For now, I was content to have her in my bed, a place I’d dreamed of her resting her head for so goddamn long I wasn’t even sure when the wish had originally been planted.

  “Night, baby,” I murmured, relishing the sound of her sweet little sigh as I followed her into sleep.

  Chapter 19

  WREN

  When I woke up, it took me a minute to remember where I was. The rumble of Frank’s purr as he lay beside me brought me back with a smile. I still couldn’t believe I was in Max’s bed. The beauty of that would take some blissful time to get used to.

  Max was nowhere to be seen, but I could hear what sounded like breakfast being made in the kitchen. The fact that Max could cook was sexy as hell and very welcome since I certainly couldn’t.

  I rose from bed gingerly, still sore but feeling better every day. Frank stretched and yawned, giving me an annoyed look for disturbing his slumber as he jumped off the bed and strutted from the room.

  I found Max, shirtless and wearing black sweats that hung low on his trim hips, as he stood by the stove, making an omelet. My mouth watered, and it had nothing to do with food.

  He turned to watch me approach, his gaze warm, his full lips tipped in a smile. “Hi, baby.” He pulled me gently in his arms, and my hands pressed to his firm chest as his lips met mine. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, deepening the kiss. He growled low, his hands moving to cup my backside covered in only panties and the tee I’d worn to bed.

  “You need to wear more clothes if I’m going to control myself,” he rumbled against my lips.

  “What if I don’t want you to control yourself?” I panted as he nipped at my neck, making my knees weak.

  He dropped his head to my shoulder. “You’re dangero
us, woman.”

  I laughed quietly, holding him against me. “I don’t think you have to be quite so careful with me.”

  His head snapped up at the intention in my words.

  I bit my lip, knowing I’d have to convince him a bit. “I want you, Max. Will you touch me? Please?”

  He groaned, the sound low and pained. “If only you hadn’t said please.”

  I grinned in triumph as he crouched to slide my panties down my legs before lifting me by the hips onto the countertop. “That omelet will be ruined, but my breakfast is going to be fucking spectacular.” He licked his lips as he lifted my tee carefully over my head.

  My heart pounded in anticipation as his mouth dropped to my breast, licking and biting my nipple gently as he continued his journey.

  When he reached my core, he looked up at me, biting my inner thigh gently. “You’re so fucking gorgeous, Wren,” he told me reverently before he took a long, leisurely lick up my center. The sounds of pleasure he made were only eclipsed by my own as I let how good everything he was doing to me be known, loudly.

  His tongue explored me eagerly, his large hands gripping my thighs and holding them apart. I was lost to sensation, to his mouth and his fingers as they reached up to tweak my nipples. When his lips zeroed in on my tiny bud of nerves, I nearly came out of my skin. I’d never known anything could feel so good. I also hadn’t realized he’d merely been playing until now. Now, he was chasing my orgasm with earnest. When his finger slid inside me, joining the onslaught of pleasure, I lost it, his name escaping my lips and echoing from the rafters as I threw my head back.

  He licked me once more before kissing my thighs, my belly, and my breasts, moving up my body with predatory grace.

  I wrapped my arms around him, needing him close as I fought for breath, not giving a damn about the twinge in my ribs. He rested his forehead on my shoulder, his arms braced on either side of me, appearing just as moved as I was.

  “Can we do that again?” I asked with a grin once I’d collected myself.

  He winked. “Every goddamn day.”

  That suited me just fine.

  ****

  It was a week later that Max found me in his bedroom digging through my duffle bag for something to wear. “I’m gonna drive you over to your folk’s house for a bit,” he announced, making my stomach drop.

  “So anxious to get rid of me?” I quipped, desperately trying to keep my tone light. I’d been dreading this moment. We’d spent an amazing week together, reading in his living room, watching movies, and sleeping side by side. He’d started to teach me how to cook, and I was surprised to find I was enjoying it. It had been magic, every day. We were in our own little world, but I knew our cocoon couldn’t last forever.

  He shook his head. “Just the opposite. I want to make sure you spend some time with your pop. Sal has to know you want to be here, with me. It can’t just come from me. I don’t think you two have really talked, and you should.”

  I nodded in agreement, touched by how much he obviously respected my dad. “You’re right. We usually talk while we’re working on a car together, but we haven’t recently because of my injuries.”

  “I want you to tell him you’re going to stay with me.”

  I turned to face him, my T-shirt clenched in my fist. The idea of having to talk to my dad about that was daunting, but the idea I was misinterpreting Max’s words was far worse. “How long are we talking?” I asked cautiously. “Just so I know how much stuff I might need,” I added hastily.

  “I want you to move in here,” he replied calmly, as if he’d just mentioned what we were eating next.

  “Move in,” I repeated through barely moving lips.

  He cocked his head to the side, studying my response. “Do you not want to?”

  I sighed. “It’s not that. It’s just, well, I know you like your space. You’re a bit of a loner, Max. A week isn’t necessarily a great sample of what it would be like to live with someone else. To live with me,” I clarified.

  He stepped closer, taking the tee I held and dropping it to the ground. “I like my space better with you in it,” he murmured as he dipped to touch my lips with his. “I’m a grown man, babe. I know what I want. I want you. Move in with me, please?”

  “If only you hadn’t said please.” I grinned up at him, throwing his words back at him.

  His brows rose expectantly. “That a yes?”

  “It’s a yes.” I grinned, feeling positively giddy with joy.

  That joy carried me through our drive passed town toward my parents’ house. I missed being on the bike but knew it wouldn’t be long now when I could ride with him again.

  He dropped me off out front, the engine still running. “I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

  “If I survive.” I groaned dramatically.

  He chuckled. “You’ll survive. You’d better.”

  “Love you, babe,” I replied, the endearment slipping past my lips as naturally as breathing.

  “Love you too.” His gaze heated watched me slide down from the truck.

  I walked into the house, finding my mom in the living room working on her laptop. “Hi, honey,” she greeted with a warm smile. “How are you?”

  “Great,” I replied sincerely. “I feel a lot better.”

  “I’m so glad. Did you eat? I have some leftovers in the fridge.”

  I shook my head. “I’m good.” If anything, I was too good in that department. If Max kept feeding me like he had, I’d gain fifty pounds. “Is Pop around?” I asked, trying to sound casual.

  She smiled knowingly. “He should be back soon.”

  I flopped down on the couch next to her, leaning against her like I used to when I was small. She wrapped an arm around me, kissing the side of my head.

  “You think he’ll be mad?” I whispered. I didn’t need to explain what I meant. She knew.

  She rested her head on top of mine. “No, honey. He’s just…” She sighed. “Sad to let his baby go.”

  Tears welled in my eyes at the emotion in her words. Clearly my dad wasn’t the only one. “I’m not going far. And I was already away at school. That was much farther,” I protested lightly.

  “This is different.” She pressed her lips to my hair. “It’s a good different though. You found your man, baby.”

  “I did.” I nodded. “But I’ll always need you.”

  “God, I hope so.” She gave a watery laugh. “When you have babies of your own, you’ll understand. You want nothing more than to see your child find love, to find someone who will love them with the same selflessness that you do. But at the same time, you fear it because it means you lose a piece of them. Max is the man in your life now, and your father just has to get used to that. And he will. Because he knows Max has that kind of love for you. You are our greatest joy, Wren. From the very first, that’s been true.”

  Tears slid down my cheeks as I burrowed closer to her, and we simply sat, embracing.

  “Why are both my girls cryin'?” My dad’s demand broke the silence.

  We sat up suddenly, my mom laughing as we wiped our cheeks. “Just talking, baby.” She assured him with a smile. “How about I make some coffee?” she suggested, standing up. She passed my pop with a tender smile as he hooked her around the waist to kiss her. He never let her walk by without a kiss or some sort of touch.

  “You need some help?” I asked him hopefully.

  “Sure thing, little bird,” he replied with a gentle smile as I followed him out to the garage, a space we’d shared for as long as I could remember.

  For a while, we just worked on his car together in silence. Truth be told, there wasn’t really all that much left to do on the Chevy, but I had a feeling he wanted the time together as much as I did.

  “Would you be up for helping me with the Mustang?” I asked after a while. “Whether or not I can actually drive it is a whole other thing,” I added with a grumble.

  He chuckled. “Max still tryin’ to get you in that High
lander?”

  I wrinkled my nose. “Yes, but that isn’t happening. I was actually thinking, what if we installed some safety updates to her? Might be considered sacrilege to some, but it feels like a good compromise.”

  He stood up, wiping his hands with a rag. “That could work. What are you thinking?”

  We spent the next hour pouring over research and plans for what we could and couldn’t install.

  I glanced at my phone, realizing how much time had passed.

  “Max comin’ back to pick you up?” he asked casually.

  I nodded. “He asked me to move in with him,” I shared, knowing it was now or never.

  There was a pregnant pause before he spoke next. “That what you want?”

  “I really do. But it’s important to me that you support me. That you support us. I know us getting together wasn’t easy on you, but I love him.”

  He sighed, turning to look at me his blue eyes piercing. “You’re my little girl, Wren,” his deep voice rumbled. “I think I’ll see you that way forever,” he admitted. “But you’re not. You’re an adult, and you have a good head on your shoulders, always have. I admit I didn’t handle things well when I first found out about you two. You were easy on me growing up; you never showed much interest in boys. But that means your old man didn’t have much practice.” He chuckled self-deprecatingly before his expression grew serious. “Max is a good man. He’ll take care of you, protect you, and I believe he really loves you. That’s about all a father can ask for.” He shrugged.

  I smiled through tears. “Yeah,” I croaked in agreement.

  He wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “I’ll always be here for you, my little bird. Your mom and I both will. And if he hurts you, I’ll kill him.”

  Many fathers might issue that warning, but with mine, the threat had a very real implication. Despite that, I rolled my eyes, wiping tears from my face for the second time that morning.

  “I’ll be sure to tell him,” I muttered dryly.

  “Let’s see what we can finish up on these plans before you need to take off.” He nodded toward what we’d sketched out. “I’ll order these parts, and we can work on it when we get time. She’s at the club,” he reminded me.