by Khloe Wren
“Ah, fuck. Cin, are you okay? I didn’t mean to scare you.”
I melted a little more at him calling me Cin. Everyone else called me Cindy. One of his palms stayed on my bicep, while the other slid up until it was wrapped around the back of my neck, then his thumb began to stroke the side of my throat. Just like he used to do back in school right before he’d kiss me.
Reality came crashing down. I couldn’t afford to get close to Johnny, my stalker would find out and make me pay. Or him. Twisting out of his grip, I quickly glanced up and down the hallway, searching for people in the darkness who might be watching us. There were two men at the end of the hallway with their backs turned to us but that didn’t mean they weren’t watching. I had no idea who my stalker was, even all these years later, so I had no idea who to watch out for. Before I could make my getaway, Johnny’s hand shackled my wrist.
“Let me go, Johnny. I need to get out of here.”
“Whoa. Stop right there. Why are you so fucking scared? It can’t be me. I’d never hurt you, you know that. Is someone threatening you? Tell me who and I’ll deal with the fucker.”
Tears pricked my eyes at his words. Always so fucking protective. It would be easy to cave in to him, but then what? The last time I’d dared to test if my stalker was still watching, I’d gone out to dinner with a man. I woke the next morning to discover my car had been keyed down the entire length of both sides, and I’d received another note. I’d reported the damage to the police, who still didn’t take it seriously. Whoever it was hadn’t done anything to harm me, and my car apparently could have been damaged by accident. Just like back in school when both Mom and the police wrote it all off without a second thought. I hadn’t even bothered to tell them about the note.
Although, I think the reason the police brushed it off then was because of my involvement with Her Royal Hellions, the roller derby team I was a member of. We had a bit of a reputation for being wild and rough, which apparently meant we didn’t get to be included under the protection of the men in blue. So after that incident, I’d decided I wouldn’t bother telling anyone at all about anything else my stalker did. Clearly, no one was ever going to believe me, so why bother. I also decided it was simply easier, and safer, to stay single. Even if I did get so fucking lonely being on my own all the time.
Blinking away the moisture gathering in my eyes, I kept scanning the hallway.
“I-” Fuck, I wanted to lie. To tell him I barely remembered him, that he should go away and leave me alone, but my tongue refused to form the words. Maybe it was the hard glint in his eyes, so much like the Doms I saw at the BDSM club, Titanium, where I tended the bar, that had me trembling as my heart fought against my mind on what the hell I should do.
“This is fucking bullshit, Cindy.”
Releasing my wrist, he shifted to cup my face as he’d done earlier, then tilted it up toward his. Emotion clogged my throat. No one had ever held me like he had, and still did.
“Johnny...”
His gaze was fixed on my lips and I knew what he was about to do. I knew I should stop him. Kick him in the shins or something, then run like hell. It was the only way to save us both. But that’s not what I did. Not what I really wanted. For the past eighteen years, eight months, two weeks and three days, my heart, soul, body and mind had been craving this man. Not that I’d been counting or anything.
My mind shut down as instinct and desire took over. Pressing my palms against his solid, muscular chest, I leaned into him as his face descended.
His growl filled my ears a moment before his lips brushed over mine. It was a gentle touch, like he was testing his welcome. It wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough. I pushed up onto my tiptoes and boldly nipped at his lower lip before pressing my mouth solidly over his. That move earned me another growl, then he stopped screwing around and took control of our kiss. I slipped my tongue out to greet his when he licked at my lips. The kiss held none of the finesse I knew he had. It was hot, passionate, a little messy, and rapidly had me breathless. I pulled away to take a breath and his grip tightened on my face.
“Get back here, Cin. I’m not nearly done with you.”
Stroking my palms down his front and around to grip his hips, I smiled up at him and accepted another of his kisses. This one was a little slower, it was Johnny in full-on seduction mode. It had my brain spinning and my heart tripping over itself. Kissing Johnny was everything I remembered and more. This was no longer a boy but a man. A strong, powerful dominant man. I doubted he was a trained Dom like the men at Titanium, but now that I was back in his arms, feeling him against me again. I knew why I’d always felt so comfortable around those men. Without realizing it, I’d gravitated toward them because they’d reminded me of what I’d left behind. Of what I’d craved. Not that I’d ever indulged. I couldn’t risk my stalker finding out if I did, so I’d stayed behind the bar and simply observed what the others did before going home and taking care of myself.
That had a sob catching in my throat. I was being stupid. So fucking stupid. I tore myself away from him and swiping the tears from my eyes, I ran down the hallway, out to find my team, wishing I had my skates on. I’d be able to get out of here so much faster if I was on my wheels. I needed to get out of the bar and up to my room before Johnny came after me, which I knew he’d do within seconds of me bolting. The fact we weren’t in Houston hopefully meant my stalker wasn’t here watching my every move.
My gaze caught Natalie’s and with a frown, she excused herself from the others and came straight over to me.
“What on earth happened? Do I need to go deal with someone?”
Another sob escaped, and I raised my hand to cover my mouth. Along with being the captain of Her Royal Hellions, Natalie was the owner of Titanium. She was also a Domme, who took no shit from anyone. Even though I’d turned down her offer to train me as a submissive, that hadn’t stopped her from taking me under her wing. She was as protective as Johnny, and one of my closest friends.
“I’ll explain later, but right now, I need to get out of here.”
“Damn straight you’ll explain. C’mon, we’ll head up to your room.”
Leaning into her when she wrapped her arm around my shoulders, I kept my gaze down and let her lead me out of the bar. My mind was spinning while my lips still tingled from Johnny’s kisses. I was so fucking torn about what to do. Part of me wanted to turn around and run back to Johnny, to be wrapped up in his arms as I told him everything and hoped he could somehow magically fix it all. But the bigger part of me, the part that was used to living half a life in order to stay safe, won out like it always did and allowed Natalie to guide me out of the hotel bar and into an elevator.
“Assuming this has something to do with the hot biker who came barreling out of the hallway after you, you sure know how to pick ’em, babe.”
After wiping the tears from my cheeks and trying to regain some level of composure I faced her.
“Biker?”
She cocked a brow in surprise. “What the hell happened between the two of you in that hallway that you didn’t seem to notice that man was wearing Charon MC colors?”
Feeling like the breath had been knocked out of me, I reached out a hand for the wall to steady myself.
“Oh, fuck.”
The Charon MC ruled Bridgewater. That meant he’d stayed local. Bridgewater was only about an hour from Houston. I hadn’t ever seen many of the Charons riding around Houston but they did on occasion. Would he find me again? We were in Austin right now, but we were at a hotel so I doubted he’d think I lived here. What would happen when my stalker discovered Johnny was back in my life?
The ding of the elevator arriving at our floor had me pulling out of my thoughts long enough to follow Natalie down the hallway. Pulling my keycard out, I made fast work of opening things up. Once we were inside the room and the door was shut, she didn’t waste a moment.
“Come and sit down, sugar. I’ll grab us something to drink and then you can explain to me wh
at the fuck just happened downstairs.”
Obediently, I went and sat at the table while Natalie grabbed a couple bottles of water. I was rubbing my temples when she set the bottle in front of me before taking a seat in the chair opposite me. Looking into her dark eyes, I opened my mouth but couldn’t find the words. My thoughts were all jumbled and messy. Closing my mouth, I pressed my fingers against my lips that still tingled from his kisses. Where did I start? How much did Natalie want to know? How much should she know? If I told her everything, would she try to find my stalker to handle him herself? She could get hurt. Or worse, would she not believe me and tell me I was being stupid. I couldn’t lose my place on the team, or my job at Titanium.
“Cindy?”
Natalie was using her Domme voice and it had everything in me stilling.
“Yes, ma’am?”
“Take a couple of deep breaths and drink some water.” She stopped talking while I followed her instructions. By the time I recapped the bottle I felt much calmer but still wasn’t sure where to start. “The time has come for you to tell me your whole story, Cindy. No more hiding. Who is that man to you?”
I shook my head. “He’s no one anymore. But he was once my whole world. We dated in high school.”
Once I started, it all flowed out of me. I gave Natalie everything. From my and Johnny’s first kiss, to me running away after the second threat, to my car getting keyed after I risked going on a date, and how grateful I was to her and Titanium for giving me a safe place I could relax and enjoy myself. Even if I didn’t take full advantage of it.
By the time I finished speaking, it felt as though a great weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I’d never told anyone everything in one hit like that before. When I’d first joined Her Royal Hellions and then when I’d started to work at Titanium, I’d given Natalie and the others the barest amount of information about my history as I could get away with. I hadn’t wanted them to turn away from me. It was that fear that had me still tense now, despite the lightness I felt from having unloaded it all. The fear Natalie was about to reject me had me on edge.
“So much makes sense now. You should have told me everything a long time ago, but I can understand why you didn’t. That’s why you refuse to get out from behind the bar at the club, isn’t it?”
I nodded. “I couldn’t risk my stalker somehow finding out. I have no idea who it is, so I don’t know when he’s close to me.”
“I hope like hell we didn’t let that fucker in, but without knowing who he is, there’s no way of knowing for sure. Fuck, I’m so sorry you’ve been living like this for so long. It’s not natural, or healthy.”
I couldn’t hide my shock. “You believe me, then?”
With a frown, she cocked her head to the side. “Why wouldn’t I believe you?”
“No one else has. My parents and the police have never believed anything I’ve told them. Even when I showed them the notes, they always had a way to explain it away.”
“Well, I’ve got no fucking clue why they didn’t believe you, but I do, and the team will back you up too, when you’re ready to tell them. And the sooner you do, the sooner everyone can keep an eye out and we might just be able to figure out who this bastard is. We take care of our own, and we’ll get to the bottom of it. Well, that’s if we get the chance. Now the Charons are involved I dare say your life is about to get really interesting, sugar. Those men aren’t exactly known for sitting back and letting shit like this slide by, even if it’s happening to someone not involved with the club. Given Johnny seems to be re-staking his claim on you? They’ll have it all sorted out in no time, I’m sure”
“You think he’ll find me again? I mean, we’re pretty far from home right now.”
She patted my hand as she snorted out a laugh. “Oh, honey, I can guarantee you, that man will find you again. And soon.”
Fear and excitement mixed inside me, I couldn’t work out if I wanted him to find me again or not. And was Natalie right? Would he and his club really be able to sort out my stalker issue? Assuming they even believed me.
Chapter 2
Nitro
It was late evening by the time we got back to the clubhouse, but I didn’t waste time once we arrived before I had Keys, the club’s secretary and resident tech guy, looking for info on Cindy. No way was I letting that girl slip through my fingers again. Not with how she fucking kissed me. I had no idea what the fuck was going on with her, or the real reason behind her leaving town when were in school, but I was certain it wasn’t because she didn’t want me―which is what I’d always thought had been the case.
“C’mon, man. Can’t you make all this shit work faster already?”
Keys raised an eyebrow at me as he continued to tap away at his laptop.
“If you want to have a go, I’ll happily leave you to it. I’d much rather be out there with my old lady than in here with your grumpy ass.”
That had me grimacing. Most of the club was out in the yard around the bonfire, enjoying themselves. I knew Keys didn’t have to be in here putting up with my bullshit.
“Fuck, I’m sorry, brother. It’s just, last night, I got this feeling she was being watched or chased or something, I want to fucking know what’s going on with her.” So I can fix it and bring her home with me where she belongs. I didn’t say that out loud, but I was fairly certain Keys knew I was thinking it. “How about I get out of your hair for a bit and go grab us a drink?”
Giving him a break from my shit, I left him to it for a few minutes while I went out to the bar to grab us both a drink. The clubhouse was in full night time mode with brothers and club whores all over the place. I should have been over at Styxx, checking that it was all running well, especially since I’d been out of town for the past five days, but when Scout had heard about what had happened with Cindy he’d told me he’d get the bar taken care of until I got shit sorted.
Not wanting to chat, I kept my head down, and managed to get the drinks and get back out of the main room fairly quickly. After I returned, I set Keys’ drink in front of him before taking a seat myself. Keys was a fucking genius on a computer and I had no doubt he’d get me the information I needed. I just wished he’d find it faster. Or that I could be more patient. But dammit, I’ve been waiting, what? Nineteen years for her. I was done waiting. And I had a feeling that whatever it was that had her so damn nervous was going to come for her sooner rather than later. I intended to be there when it did.
“Right, well, what I have so far on your Miss Cindy Davis is... she shares an apartment in Houston with another woman, Renee Stock. She works two part-time jobs, sales assistant at a small store called Retro Funk and bar-tending at a place called Titanium. She’s also into roller derby. She’s part of a team called Her Royal Hellions. Her roommate is also on the team. You should check out their site. They’re actually pretty good by the looks of it and your girl is all over their site in photos and clips.” He paused to take a drink, staring at me while he did. “If she means this much to you, why haven’t you gone looking for her before now? I mean, from what I’ve found she moved to Houston after she left Bridgewater at sixteen and stayed there.”
I shrugged at his query. “I did all I could to find her when she first left, but I was a fucking kid, man. Didn’t know the first thing about how to find someone who didn’t want to be found. Her parents had just been in a bad car wreck, her dad was seriously hurt. I forget what his injuries were exactly, but he was in hospital for a long damn time. Her mom didn’t get as badly hurt, but she’d still been injured and between recovering herself and trying to help her husband, she was too busy to have time for a lovesick teenage boy looking for their daughter. Especially considering she knew Cin broke up with me before she left. Then, when I came back from the Navy, it had been over ten years. I figured she’d be long gone, settled down somewhere with a husband and two-point-five kids. But that’s not the fucking case. That girl was scared of something. Like petrified, and that’s got me wondering about what r
eally happened all those years ago. Because it wasn’t like we had a fight or anything. One day my world was sunshine and roses, the next it had gone to hell. No warning.”
Keys leaned forward, holding my gaze with his own. “I can get you all the facts and figures you want, but I doubt the internet is gonna tell me the answers you need. Why don’t you go see her parents now?”
I shook my head before I finished off my drink. “They moved while I was deployed. No fucking clue where they are anymore.”
He scribbled something down on a piece of paper. “Well, here’s the addresses for Cindy’s apartment and the shop where she works. She normally works Tuesdays, so how about a few of the boys and I come with you for a ride up to Houston tomorrow and you can see about getting her to agree to lunch or something. Word’s already spread about how she ran out of that fucking bar in Austin. Bulldog thinks like you do about her being scared. So I’d recommend starting off gentle with her, and stick to public settings. Until you know the lay of the land, so to speak.”
Scrubbing a palm over the back of my neck, I reached out with my other hand and took the note. “Yeah. I know I need to go slow with her. But it’s gonna fucking kill me to be so close to her and not have her.”
He started shutting down his laptop. “The right woman will do that to a man, brother. The whole club has your back on this. Whatever it ends up being after her, we’ll deal with it.”
With a nod I stood and we both headed out to the main room. I headed straight for the bar for another drink, but before I could make it I had one of the club whores in my face looking for some attention. With a shake of my head I moved past her, but I didn’t make it far before I had another one in my face telling me she could improve my mood. After dealing with her, I decided that a drink just wasn’t worth the trouble, so I turned to head toward the stairs. It was probably a better idea for me to get a good night’s sleep before tomorrow, anyhow. Because tomorrow I would find a way to get Cindy to fucking tell me what the hell was biting at her heels that had her looking so fucking scared in Austin.