by Simone Elise
My head snapped in the direction of Ryder. “What?”
“Maiden’s got a hard-on for you, but you’re clearly Hammer’s, so which one do you answer to?” He looked at me with no judgment. “Or do they share you?”
I just stood there for a few moments before I realized he actually expected a reply. Heavy boots stomping this way stopped me from snapping at him and pointing it out to him that I was neither.
“Emmie.” Maiden’s tone took my full attention. It was tight with emotion, and it sent a wave of nausea through my body because he had used that tone on me once before, and the news he’d delivered then, cost me my best friend for a year.
As I stared at him and read his body language, I slowly started to shake my head. “No,” I said, fear wrapping itself around my neck, slowly strangling me.
“It didn’t happen on purpose.” Maiden’s words brought no comfort to me.
Tears sprang to my eyes. “I can’t hear this… I just can’t…” My hands tightened into fists, not out of anger but out of anxiety. I couldn’t hear it. I didn’t want to hear it.
“Emmie…”
“Don’t!” I put my hand up. There was nothing he could say that would make this better or make me feel better. The tears ran down my cheeks freely now.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked, still clenching my fists. “We’ve been together for a week.” That was what hurt me the most. We had been one-on-one for a week, and he would have known.
Maiden opened his mouth, and I knew it would be another empty ‘sorry’ or ‘I didn’t mean it.’
I knew it was part of the lifestyle, but that wasn’t bringing much comfort to me right now.
My breathing started to get sharper as I struggled to inhale.
Dad’s hands landed on my shoulders. “Emmie, just breathe, sweetheart.”
Breathe? Breathe? Maiden was going back to prison. How the hell could I breathe right now?
“I told you she wasn’t ready to hear it!” Maiden shouted at Dad while I firmly pushed Dad’s hands off my shoulders.
They rode for freedom, and they lived for thrills, but those thrills cost them what they were riding for, to begin with.
“Stop, sweetheart.” Maiden took Dad’s place in front of me, and it was the first time he touched me after what happened between us. “We got through it last year, so we can do it.”
My vision was slightly blurry as I looked up into his eyes. “You promised me.” With those three words, the reality of the situation caused the guard I kept up to shatter, and I took off.
I weaved past him and Dad, but Grit’s hand locked on my arm, and he said, “You haven’t heard it all yet, little Emmie. Let us finish.”
“Maiden is going back to prison. I get it. I don’t need to hear another word.”
But Grit’s expression was tight as he slowly shook his head. “Sorry, little Emmie, but it isn’t Maiden. It’s… your dad.”
I flung around and looked at the man who would be facing time.
Hammer, my dad…
No. Surely not. Dad would never put himself in a position that would result in me losing him. He was my support, he was… As I stared at him, disbelief spread across my face.
“Let you down, Emmie. Not gonna lie.” He moved toward me. “But we will get you through this. It’s one of the reasons Ryder is here. He is taking care of the club while I’m in.”
I put my hand up to stop him from making another move.
The club would survive, I knew that, but me surviving this was unlikely.
“Grit is stepping up—”
“I don’t want to hear a word about what is happening in the club! We all know that is zero of my business.” I unclenched my hands. “I told you I won’t ever interfere with club business”—I then slowly backed away from them—“and unlike some people, I keep my word.”
I didn’t have to say another word. As I walked back into the clubhouse, the anxiety brought the demons to life, which had been silent all today. Now, however, they were stirring, and the voices filled my mind.
Everyone leaves. Everyone lies. And no one loves you, Emmeline.
Chapter 6
Libby
Once we reached the main highway, I loosened my grip on his waist, leaned my head back to stare up at the stars, and smiled. I was finally able to breathe normally since the night began, and the tension and anxiety left my body. Absentmindedly, my fingers started to rub the silky smooth skin of Lynx’s stomach just above his waistband, then exhaustion set in as I placed my cheek against his bare back, enjoying the warmth radiating from him. With my eyes shut, I continued tracing patterns on his skin and felt his body tremble. I was so at ease, so comfortable that a feeling of safety I’d never felt before consumed me, and I wondered if he felt the same intense connection I felt forming invisibly between us.
Wincing slightly, insecurities flooded my mind. There was no way a man like him would ever be interested in a girl like me—anxiety riddled, talked to herself, insecure, loud and obnoxious at times… The list could go on, so I would enjoy the time I’ve been given with him because I knew once we reached the hotel, I would probably never see him again.
Much to my dismay, all too soon, we pulled up to my hotel, and with eyes half shut, I peeled myself away from him and haphazardly climbed off his bike, stumbling slightly. I righted myself before shaking my head, trying to wake up a little, but failing tremendously.
With eyes widening, I watched as he put down his kickstand and climbed off his bike, then slowly walked around it, running his hand through his hair. My mouth went dry as I licked my lips, taking him in as he stalked toward me. I took several steps back until my back hit against the hotel wall, watching with eyes wide as he continued forward before placing his hands on either side of the wall. He pressed his body flush against mine. Leaning my head against the wall, I looked up at him as my hands instinctively latched onto his waist. I could feel how hard he was against my stomach as he leaned over, pressed his head against the right side of my neck, and inhaled slowly, sending chills up and down my spine. I bit my lip, holding back a moan as my eyes clamped shut. I pulled him in closer if that were even possible at the moment, and he growled at the extra friction, nipping at my ear and neck with just the right amount of pressure. His rough beard tickled my skin, and a soft moan escaped my lips as my whole body felt like it was on fire. He ground his hips into mine slowly, powerfully, and it had me squirming, not at all bothered by the fact we were outside where anyone and everyone could see what was going on or that the bruise I knew I was going to get on my neck from that man’s hands was really sore. It was just him and me, and nothing else mattered to me at that very moment.
My eyes locked with his, and I didn’t know why, but he looked at me in a way that almost said he knew me before this evening. Was that even possible?
“Libby, what the fuck are you doing?” shouted a voice from my left.
I jumped, squealing slightly as Lynx’s whole body went rigid, and a growl escaped his lips as he glared icily in the direction of the intruder, not moving an inch from the position he was in.
Turning my head, I caught a glimpse of Critter standing a few feet away just outside the entrance of the hotel.
A look of anger washed over his face as he eyed Lynx before looking at me with disappointment. “Libby, what the fuck? You have handprints on your neck. I heard about what happened,” Critter all but shouted. He took a couple more steps toward us and extended his hand like he was going to try to grab me and pull me away from Lynx.
Without a word, Lynx used his left arm to push me behind him, then he stepped forward and using his right arm, he punched Critter in the face hard enough that a crack was heard, a sure sign his nose had been broken.
“What the fuck man? What the hell was that for?!” Critter sputtered as his hands flew to his nose. Blood covered his hands, and he made no move to come toward me again. “Fuck, never mind. I get it, but come on, Libby, I got a call from Rusty, and you need to get your shit from
the hotel room. The man who attacked you is the same man who was stalking Emmie. He got loose, and your father wants you at the estate immediately. It ain’t safe anymore, and he’s more dangerous than we thought. I can’t give you more than that because it’s club business, but you gotta go.”
“What? Like hell I’m going anywhere with you. It’s your fault I’m caught up in this mess anyway. You fucking promised you wouldn’t abandon me at that fight, and you did, you ass, and now you’re telling the psycho who tried to kill me is on the loose, and you want me to go with you!” Panic gripped me. “Wait, that means Emmie is in danger too!” Had anyone else thought about my cousin and what this could mean to her? “Someone has to warn Emmie!” As I looked between them both, Critter wiped the blood from his face.
“Maiden is looking after her,” Critter replied.
“That wasn’t my question. Has anyone told her?” I knew my uncle, and he liked to keep secrets from Emmie in case it caused her stress or brought on her symptoms. So I knew they would keep something like this from her.
“Maiden’s handling it.”
My face soured upon hearing the name. “Maiden! You just had to put her with him, didn’t you?” I groaned. “You know what is going to happen? She is going to fall for him!”
I knew my cousin well. Sure, we had been apart for a while, but Emmie and I just clicked. I guess it was because we both had our quirks.
Emmie and Maiden were like magnets being pulled to one another. I remember the first time they met when we were younger. Maiden had just got patched in, and I swear he was drawn to her.
Emmie had always stood out with her purple hair and flawless makeup. I knew why she always made sure her makeup was done because she wanted to appear to the world that she had it together and was a normal eighteen-year-old when, really, she was anything but normal.
She looked at her schizophrenia as a curse, but I could see that where she was given darkness, she was also gifted in other areas. Like in art. She was incredible at art, and I loved getting drawings from her when I was younger. One of the things I kept in my wallet was a hand-drawn picture she had created of Dad and me when I was little. She said the memory of us on the swing set was always on her mind, and for my tenth birthday, she sent me the picture.
As with anything Emmie did, it was flawless. You would think an artist who had been drawing for years had created it, not a nine-year-old, though she would never agree because she was always underestimating and doubting herself. But she was a hell of a lot stronger than anyone I’d ever met, and I admired her for that.
“Libby, we have to get you out of here.” Critter brought me back to the moment
I shook my head. “I don’t think so. I’m so furious with you right now. Where the fuck did you even go—wait, don’t even answer that because I don’t fucking care! I will find my own way to the estate.”
My mind was racing, and the anxiety was creeping in.
“Jesus, Libby, what the hell have you gone and gotten yourself into this time? This is what happens when you let men make decisions for you. Never again, Libby, never again. You’re a grown-ass woman, and from here on out, you make your own choices. Let me tell you, no man is going to control you anymore,” I rambled on, completely oblivious to the two men who looked at me like I’d lost my mind—which, to some extent, I had. All of the emotions overwhelmed me completely, so not knowing what to think or feel, I spun around and pointed at Critter.
“This is what’s going to happen. You, Critter, are going to leave, and me, I’m dirty, sore, and all wound up, so I’m going inside to take a nice, long shower. Then I’m going to take a nap and figure out how I’m getting to the estate all on my own.” I all but hollered, flailing my arms in the air as I stomped past him toward the hotel where I intended to go straight up to my room, have a shower and nap, and maybe have a massive meltdown in private. Terrified that the creepy man could be anywhere right then, watching me, I shivered and quickly made my way to the elevator. I pressed the button and waited for the doors to open, then rushed into it the second they did, pressing the button to my floor. I shut my eyes and leaned against the cool metal at the back of the elevator, aware another person had entered the elevator just before the doors shut.
“Jesus, Critter, leave me the hell alone before I put laxatives in your beer again,” I grumbled, rubbing the palms of my hands against my eyes in irritation. I slid down to the floor with a groan.
When I got no response, my eyes flew open, and for a second time that night, I found my mouth opening and closing at a loss for words. My face flushed red as I buried my head between my legs in embarrassment. “Oh, God, what did I do to deserve such humiliation,” I whined.
He just chuckled as the ding signaled the elevator had arrived at my floor.
Half tempted to just crawl back to my room, I slowly pushed myself to my feet as Lynx held the elevator door open, watching me with amusement, and a little bit of something else—something darker—shining in his eyes.
“What—What are you doing here,” I stuttered, confused as to why it was him and not Critter.
“Taking you to Florida. I can’t let you go alone,” he replied, daring me to challenge his decision. His deep, husky voice caused butterflies in my stomach.
I thought about challenging him, but he shot me a glare, which silenced me.
Gathering a little courage, I stopped and glared at him. “What are you really doing here? You don’t even know me, so why would you want to take me to the estate? Surely, you have better things to do?” I knew pushing him could potentially piss him off, but I was already on edge, and I needed to know, needed to hear him say it, say something.
Stopping, he turned toward me, then raised his eyebrow and smirked. “Believe me, I know you.” Winking, he turned back around and continued forward
“What? What the hell does that mean, you know me? We’ve never even met before tonight, so there’s no way you know me,” I said, completely stunned by his response, as I quickly caught up to him. Opening the hotel room door, I dumped all my belongings onto the floor before crossing my arms and glaring at his back.
“You gonna answer my question, you big brute?”
Laughing, he shook his head, then pulled out his phone and shot off a quick message before walking over to the balcony doors and pulling the curtains open.
“Do I have time to shower before we have to leave? I’m kind of a hot mess right now, and hot showers really help calm my nerves. I’m still a little rattled,” I stuttered nervously as I rocked back and forth, biting my lip. My heart was going a thousand miles an hour because he was here, and we were standing alone in my hotel room.
Nodding in confirmation, he stepped out onto the balcony, and I made my way to the bathroom.
As I stepped into the bathroom, I noticed my reflection in the mirror. Moving to the bench, I placed one hand on the sink, then leaning closer to the mirror, I placed my other hand on my bruised neck. The outline of his fingertips around my neck caused me to shiver, and that was when I noticed a nasty bruise on my arm from where the man had grabbed me. My hands were also pretty scratched up, my hair was a mess, and I had mascara running down my face from all the crying.
“Oh, Libby, you look like you got run over by a truck. Just wonderful! The most gorgeous looking man you’ve ever seen is in your hotel room, and you look like crap, just great,” I muttered quietly to myself. I shut my eyes, and flashbacks of the events that had unfolded flashed through my eyes. I sucked in a breath, shaking slightly as fear slowly crept back into my mind.
“Pull yourself together, Libby. You’re fine. You’re just fine,” I muttered. Opening the glass shower door, I turned on the water and waited for it to get to the right temperature.
Turning back to face the mirror, I removed my tank top and yoga pants, revealing the light-pink lace bra and matching underwear I had on. As I was about to undo the clasp of my bra, I jumped slightly, and my eyes widened as I stared at Lynx, who was leaning against the bathroo
m doorframe. His arms were folded across his chest, and his eyes were locked onto mine like he was daring me to continue, which set my body on fire. Mustering up all the courage I could, which wasn’t much, I slowly continued removing my bra, letting it slowly slide off my arms, and as it dropped to the floor, my eyes never leave his. I reached for my panties next, challenging him to stop me, and when he didn’t, I slid them off, then stepping out of them, I turned toward him slowly. It was my turn to raise an eyebrow and smirk at him before stepping into the shower, letting the hot water wash over me, soothing all the aches and pains, stress and anxiety.
I found anticipation bubbling up in my stomach as I heard the bathroom door shut.
Waiting a few minutes, I heard no further noise, so I glanced through the shower door and noticed he was gone. Humiliation coursed through my veins as I stared at the closed bathroom door,
“Oh, my gosh, what were you thinking, Libby? Of course, he wouldn't want you. We will chalk that all up to adrenaline. You aren’t thinking straight after a very traumatic night. That’s right, now get yourself together, girl, and when you go back out there, pretend this never happened.”
Washing up quickly, I took extra care to clean the small amount of blood off my neck. I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around my body and my hair tightly, then I grabbed the door handle and paused, straining to hear any kind of noise. When I heard nothing, I slowly opened the door and crept into the living area. I didn’t see Lynx right away, and when I glanced out the window, I spotted him on the balcony with his back facing me. I quickly grabbed my bag and purse, then headed back into the bathroom without him noticing.
I opened my bag and pulled out my favorite tattered T-shirt—one of my father’s old band tees from back in the day—then slipped that and a pair of black cotton shorts on.
I then wrung out my hair so I could get it as dry as possible with the towel so I didn’t have to use the hairdryer. I ran my brush through it before packing up my bag and slinging it over my shoulder. Opening the bathroom door and sticking my head out, I noticed he was still on the balcony, facing away from me, so quietly, I headed for the door, and opening it as quietly as possible, I glanced over my shoulder for one last look at the man behind me, and then I left.