Max (Ride Series Second Generation Book 6)

by Megan O'Brien

  He wanted to know if Jared touched me.

  I shook my head. “He died yesterday, almost immediately after he locked me in that cell.” I shivered, knowing how much worse it could have been.

  Some of the tightness in his body eased at that news.

  “We have to get that leg seen to. I’d be more comfortable taking you to Tag’s. Laurie can take care of you there. I just… I need to keep you close. I need to know I can get to you.” His voice was pained as he struggled to explain himself.

  I placed my hand on the side of his neck, relishing the feel of his pulse thumping under my skin. “That’s fine.”

  I looked over Max’s shoulder at the quaint little house that had been my own personal house of horrors. “What are you going to do about him?” I asked quietly.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Max was quick to assure me. “All you need to focus on is that he’s gone. It’s over. Finally.” He exhaled.

  “Finally,” I agreed as a look passed over his face that I couldn’t place. It almost looked like regret.

  “Just wish I could’ve put that asshole down myself,” he explained. “Was lookin’ forward to that. Let’s get you out of here.” He gently guided me further into the truck, closing the door for me.

  “I don’t get it,” I murmured in confusion as we pulled away from the curb. “He barely even talked to me. He asked me out a few times in high school, but it’s not like he even really tried to date me.” I shook my head in bafflement. “Aside from hiring that guy to attack me in the parking lot and wanting to look like a savior or something, he kept his distance.”

  Max’s forearm tensed on the wheel as he glanced over at me briefly. “He was fucking twisted, babe. Who knows how his mind worked? Probably better to try not to think about it.”

  That was easier said than done, and we both knew it.

  “Are my parents okay?” I asked.

  He nodded. “Your pop was way calmer than me,” he admitted. “The entire club rallied. No one slept, barely ate. We weren’t going to quit until we found you.” He glanced at me again, his eyes flashing. “I would have never quit, Wren.”

  “I know.” And I did. I’d never doubted it. “How did you find me?”

  “Mad has a source,” he replied simply, and I sensed he didn’t want to get into it now. That was fine by me. Now that I was safe, exhaustion was setting in with full force.

  When we pulled up in front of Tag and Laurie’s two-story home, I was somewhere between sleep and wakefulness. Max had me in his arms before I was even aware he’d stopped the truck.

  I opened my eyes, blearily noting Laurie’s petite form peeking out from behind her massive husband.

  “Oh dear,” she greeted with concern when she got a look at me. “Let’s get you inside.”

  “Holy shit, that’s a lot of blood!” a young voice cried from the couch when we entered the living room. Seated beside his sisters, Talon was staring at us with an open mouth.

  “Mouth, Talon,” Laurie chastised.

  “Sorry, Ma,” he muttered, turning his eyes back to the TV as the girls giggled.

  “Don’t let your brother give you any ideas.” Tag looked pointedly at the girls as he followed us into the kitchen where Laurie sat me in a chair.

  “Three must be a bit of a handful,” I commented, needing to fill the tense atmosphere with conversation. Laurie snorted as she dug around in a first aid kit. “We had twins, and then this one just had to have one more.” She shot a playful look at her husband.

  “Takes two, baby,” Tag grinned. “As I remember, I didn’t have to work too hard to convince you.”

  Laurie blushed adorably, and I marveled that they were still so in love with each other.

  “Three doesn’t sound so bad.” Max shrugged as he leaned against the counter, watching Laurie prep her supplies.

  My head snapped to his in surprise. We’d never talked about children. “Oh yeah? You gonna carry them?” I asked dryly.

  His lips tipped up, eyes flashing with humor.

  Laurie appraised me with a raised brow. “Men,” she muttered with a wink. “All right,” she continued as I laughed and Tag mock growled. “Let’s get this cleaned up and see what we’re working with.” She gently washed away the rest of the dried blood. “You did a great job with this, Wren,” she commended as she removed the tourniquet still tied around my thigh. I’d been afraid to remove it. “I’m going to need to remove this bullet. I’ll give you something to numb the area.”

  Max moved to my side, taking my hand as she produced a needle that was way too big for my liking.

  “Eyes on me, baby,” Max commanded gently, and I lifted my eyes to his.

  I winced as an incredible sting hit my calf.

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart,” Laurie murmured.

  “How’s Rosie?” I asked Max through gritted teeth.

  Max looked down at me, stroking my hair back, and from the look in his eyes, I knew she’d gotten to him too. “Fine. She wasn’t hurting for love, believe me. Frank’s a bit jealous.”

  “He shit in the tub again?”

  “Yep.”

  I laughed despite myself. “Figures.”

  “You still want lasagna tonight?” he asked softly.

  “That sounds amazing. I’m actually starving,” I admitted, my hunger returning full force at the mere thought.

  “Start with this,” Laurie suggested, placing a banana in my hand. Max reached out to grab it, peeling it for me.

  I didn’t think anything had ever tasted so good once he handed it to me. I forced myself not to eat it in two bites.

  “You’re probably dehydrated. Tag, get her some water, would you?” she asked her husband.

  A second later, a glass of water was placed in my hand, which I promptly tipped back, chugging the contents. I hadn’t realized how thirsty I was. He took it back to refill it.

  “Just about done,” she informed me, and I looked down at her in surprise.

  I’d always known Laurie was good. Along with Jill and Scarlet who were also nurses, she’d been stitching up members of the club for years and had been head nurse at the hospital for over a decade. But that had still been crazy fast.

  “Your body already did most of the hard work,” she explained with a warm smile. “Just needed to clean you up and get that bullet out. You’ll be sore for a while, but you should heal without any complications. Anything comes up, you know where to find me.” She placed a bandage over the wound.

  “Max, a word,” Tag requested, cocking his head toward the other room.

  When Max seemed reluctant to leave me, I squeezed his hand. “I’m fine, babe. We’re about done here anyway.”

  He blew out a breath, nodding once. “I’ll be right back,” he replied as he followed Tag out of sight.

  “Phew. I remember those days.” Laurie smiled after him.

  “What days?”

  “The beginning.” She sighed blissfully. “Tag all but carried me over his shoulder with a club in his hand when we started dating.” She laughed. “Sometimes he still does,” she confided with a whisper.

  I laughed, hoping when we were their age that we still had the same passion they clearly did.

  It was only a moment later that Max returned. “She’ll be fine,” Laurie informed him at the look of worry on his face. “Just keep weight off her leg for a little while and make sure she gets plenty of liquids.”

  Max nodded. “Thanks, Laurie.”

  “Any time.”

  “I’ll catch up with you later,” Max told Tag as he swept me up into his arms, preparing to walk us out. I had a feeling he’d be wanting to carry me for the near future. I didn’t plan to argue.

  Tag nodded before his eyes turned to me. “Glad you’re all right, honey.”

  “Thanks, Tag.”

  Max gently deposited me back in the passenger side of the truck, kissing my forehead. “Let’s get you home.”

  I sighed blissfully. Nothing had ever sounded better.
>
  Chapter 33

  WREN

  He kept my hand in his for the entire drive home, and I had no doubt he’d have pulled me into his lap if that was safe. I stared out the window, feeling exhausted, hungry, and otherwise numb. The past twenty-four hours felt so surreal, like someone else’s nightmare.

  “Everyone is still here?” I yelped in alarm when we’d pulled up the driveway, which was packed with bikes and SUVs.

  Max looked over at me, concern clear in his eyes. “They’re just worried about you, baby.”

  “I know,” I murmured. “I’m just… I’m not ready. I feel like I can’t….” I struggled to find the words to convey the torrent of emotions swelling up inside me.

  He cupped my neck gently. “Okay, babe. I’ve got you, don’t worry,” he soothed. “I’m gonna carry you inside and tell everyone you’re not up to visitors right now. Okay?”

  “Okay,” I breathed in relief. Facing their worry all at once was more than I could handle at the moment.

  He came around the side of the truck, sweeping me up in his arms. I clung to his shoulders, burying my face in his neck, breathing in his delicious and soothing scent.

  Our living room erupted with noise the moment we stepped inside.

  Max held a hand up to halt the clamor. “Appreciate the concern. Wren’s okay but not feeling great. I’m going to get her to bed, and she’ll see you all soon,” he announced without preamble. Without waiting for a reply, he strode back toward the master bedroom.

  Part of me felt guilty for not trying to assuage what had to be a very worried room of friends and family, but in that moment, I just needed to shroud myself in a cocoon and pull Max into it.

  He walked into the bathroom, setting me on the counter, resting his hands on either side of me. “Figured you’d want a shower,” he murmured, peering into my eyes. At my nod, he turned on the water before removing his tee shirt.

  I tracked his movements, watching avidly as his skin revealed itself to me. Once he’d removed all his clothes, he started on me, gently pulling my tee shirt up over my head, standing me up to slide my shorts down my legs, careful to avoid my bandage. Every movement was deliberate and deliciously slow.

  I basked in the warmth of his hands on me.

  He guided us into the shower, his back to the spray as wrapped his arms around me. “Your leg okay like this?”

  I nodded against his chest, not wanting anything to disrupt this moment. When the first sob escaped, it racked my entire frame with its intensity. Max only held me tighter, kissing the top of my head. Once I started, I couldn’t seem to stop. I’d thought I was going to die in that cell, looking at a dead psychopath.

  Max didn’t try to talk to me. He didn’t try to tell me it was okay. Instead, he did the only thing I really needed; he held me close until my sobs turned to hiccups and I was too exhausted to produce any more tears.

  Only then did he tilt my head back to look at him. I was sure I looked frightful with makeup running down my face and puffy eyes, but the look of adoration on his face pushed that worry from my mind.

  “You’re here with me, baby. We get to live our forever together. It’s over. It’s over,” he repeated, and I knew he was reminding himself just as much as me.

  I nodded fervently, wanting to cling to thoughts of the future rather than the nightmare of the past.

  “When your mind wants to take you to a dark place, you think about that,” he told me. “You think about the life we get to have together.”

  “Okay, Max,” I agreed readily.

  He kissed me then, slow and sweet, as though rediscovering my mouth. His teeth nipped at my lower lip, his hands grasping my backside as I moaned into his mouth.

  “I need you,” I whispered desperately.

  His shoulders tensed under my fingertips. “Baby, your leg….” His protest was muffled, his lips against my skin.

  “Fuck my leg,” I argued passionately, and he pulled back, looking down at me in surprise.

  “I just spent the past twenty-four hours thinking I might not get another chance to be with you,” I explained through a fresh sheen of tears. “I imagined you holding me. I pictured your hands.” My fingers moved to entwine with his, “I heard your voice. You helped get me through, and you weren’t even there. But now, you’re actually here, under my hands, and… I need you to take it all away. I need you,” I repeated. “Please.”

  “If only you hadn’t said please,” he growled.

  My knees turned weak at the predatory gleam in his eye.

  He lifted me effortlessly, my legs wrapping around his trim waist as he pressed me against the shower wall.

  “Marry me,” he rasped, his face buried in my neck.

  “What?” I honestly wasn’t sure I’d heard him right.

  He pulled back to look me in the eye. “Marry me, Wren.”

  “You’re serious?” I marveled. Everything felt so surreal.

  “I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life,” he said with that trademark intensity I loved about him so damn much.

  “You’re my everything, baby. And I’ve given you all of me and want to keep doing it until the day I die. Nothing has ever felt better. You light up my whole goddamn world. You accept me as I am, but you push me at the same time. I need you. But more importantly, I want you. Marry me.”

  “Yes!” I cried emphatically, my voice ricocheting off the tile.

  His answering grin stopped my heart before sending it into overdrive. “Yeah?”

  I nodded, grinning from ear to ear. “Yeah.”

  He kissed me then with a ravenous hunger I never wanted to fully satiate. “You’re gonna be my wife,” he growled as he thrust inside me, my answering moan echoing off the shower walls. “I’m going to love you until the day I die. I’m going to live my life to make you so fucking happy.” His body took mine with a sense of ownership, of worship that had my head spinning.

  I grasped his head between my hands, forcing him to look at him. I had nothing to say; I just needed to see his face, to see his eyes as he claimed me.

  The shower wall was cold and unforgiving against my back, the man inside me hard as steel, and yet, I’d never felt so warm or languid in my life.

  “You finish school, gonna put a baby in you,” he grunted.

  I nodded, unable to form words.

  “Fuck, baby, get there,” he gritted out, the muscles in his arms and shoulders deliciously tense as he took me.

  I wrapped my legs around him tighter, pulling him closer, as he brought me to that teasing edge, the one I loved to hate. I wanted to balance just a bit longer, and yet I couldn’t wait to fall over it. Moments later, I tumbled into free fall, calling his name as I went.

  His control slipped as his movements grew frantic seconds before he growled my name, holding himself deep inside me with a roar of contentment.

  “Fuck,” he clipped, his breathing ragged as he bit my neck gently. “Are you okay?” His gaze was worried as he pulled back to look at me.

  “I’m so beyond okay,” I practically slurred.

  “I’m gonna get you to be bed.” He stepped out of the shower with my legs still wrapped around his waist. I rested my head on his shoulder, content to let him take care of me.

  The click of nails on the hardwood and a tiny snort had me lifting my head.

  “I think the ham missed you.” Max chuckled.

  I smacked his arm. “Stop calling her that. And we’re not eating bacon ever again.”

  He raised a brow. “Maybe you’re not.”

  I huffed as he threw a towel down and set me gently on the edge of the bed gently drying me off. “Gonna get that wound redressed,” he mumbled, stalking off toward the bathroom. I watched him go, practically salivating over his delicious backside despite the fact that I’d just had him.

  That hunger went both ways.

  “Hi, Rosie,” I murmured, bending to pick up my sweet little hambone. She wriggled and snorted in my arms as I kissed her.

/>   The dogs and cat looked on with mild annoyance until I made sure to give them some love.

  “They missed you,” Max murmured with a sad smile. I hadn’t even realized he was watching from the doorway as I made goofy faces at the dogs. He dropped to my feet, carefully removing my wet bandage and replacing it with a dry one before coaxing me to sit back as he put the covers over me. “Eat this,” he coaxed handing me a sandwich. “Then you need to get some rest.”

  I yawned huge. “I do,” I agreed. “But you’ll lie down with me, right?” I asked in mild alarm. I needed him close.

  His brows lifted. “If you think you’re getting more than a wall away from me in the near future, we’re gonna have to get straight here, babe. And trust me, it’s more for my sanity than yours.”

  Well, I guess that answered that.

  He put Rosie in her crate as I polished off my sandwich, gesturing for the dogs to their beds before he crawled in beside me, pulling me close. “Sleep, baby.”

  I nodded, snuggling deeper into him. Despite the sun peeking through the blinds, I knew I could.

  The past twenty-four hours still clung to my skin, still tingled at the back of my mind like an itch, but I knew that, with it finally over, I’d have the future I’d always wanted. It was with that simple sense of joy, of a life spent with a gloriously complex man, that I was able to fall asleep.

  Chapter 34

  MAX

  I was fighting like hell not to pace a hole in the floor two weeks later as I waited for Sal.

  “Did you have too much coffee again?” Wren accused, noting my energy.

  “Must’ve,” I lied, forcing myself to appear casual. “Wasn’t Liv supposed to be here soon?” I prompted. I needed her out of here in order to pull this off.

  After spending the past few weeks only leaving her side for one reason, I was finally ready to share the surprise Sal and I had been working on.