Soothing His Madness

by Kayn, Debra

  "Ray. I used every penny I had in savings, called a favor on a couple of the guys who owed me money, and got enough dough together where I thought Ray would take the deal. He did. The motherfucker couldn't care less about the kids and as long as Jodie is settled and has money in her pocket, I figure I have about two months before I have to worry about her showing up to see the kids." He leaned down until she was breathing the same air. "They're out of our lives for now. I took care of things."

  "But the court ruled—"

  "I took care of things." He kissed her softly. "Let me do my job of taking care of my family."

  She relaxed and nodded. "Okay, but this has got to stop. You can't do things behind my back when what you do affects me."

  "I hear you." He kissed her lightly. "Some things though, I'm going to do and you're going to have to accept them because I'm not going to have my woman treating me like pussy…when it concerns my kids, I deal with it. Can you honestly tell me they're better off with Jodie and Ray?"

  "No," she whispered.

  He nodded. "Do they belong to me?"

  "Yeah, but you also belong to me." She blinked extra-long and then looked up into his eyes. "Just, please, let me be your old lady once in a while, huh?"

  He kissed her again. "Yeah, I can do that."

  "Good." She wiggled away from him.

  He pulled her back. "Here's something else. I want you with me if you're not at work. I want both of us covering the kids when they're not in school."

  "Because of Ray?" she asked.

  "Yeah, and Los Li will be arriving in Pitnam tomorrow." He smoothed her hair back from her face. "Need you safe. Need my kids safe."

  "Los Li came through years ago, when I first started working here." She shuddered. "A couple of their guys came into the bar when Bantorus members were out on a run. The riders who stayed behind didn't recognize them, but when one of them started mouthing off, everything went crazy. They caused a lot of damage and trouble."

  "They start anything with you?" His gaze intensified.

  She shook her head. "Not really, I hid in the office with Sugar once the fighting started. Do you remember her?"

  "Yeah, she's out of the club and doesn't have anything to do with bikers anymore." He dropped his head. "Rain will have you protected here. I'm a phone call away if they show up. I won't let anything happen."

  She shrugged off his concern. "I know. I'm not worried about them."

  He kissed her hard. "Let's get the kids home and settled. Then we'll talk more."

  "Talk?" She laughed. "The only time we do that is when I fight with you."

  He looped his arm over her shoulders. "Yeah, well, I like fighting."

  "No, you just like to shut me up." She stopped walking and turned to him. "We need a new bed. If your kids are living with us, there's no way we're using that squeaky old mattress of yours."

  He pulled her along. "We'll use the floor."

  She leaned against his side, slipping her hand into his back pocket on his jeans. Confident she won this last round of being included into his decisions and she got the honest answers she was looking for, she relaxed. Later, she'd find out more in case there was a threat against the boys that she'd have to watch out for. The Los Li problem didn't concern her, but Slade's ex freaked her the way out. She didn't trust the woman.

  Chapter Twelve

  Tension mounted around the table in the clubroom in Cactus Cove. Slade eyed his president. The news of a lockdown was expected, but the reason behind Los Li's visit went unexplained, and that bothered him.

  "What the hell?" Slade pushed off the table and teetered on the back legs of the chair. "Since when do we take a passive stance against outlaws in Pitnam?"

  "Defense tactics." Rain, unaffected by Slade's statement, motioned to the other end of the table. "Fill them in, Jedman."

  "Los Li should pull down I-5 around three tomorrow. They've sent a message through the Lagsturns—who won't set foot in Pitnam in respect of Raul." Jedman paused when several bikers cleared their throat in amusement around the table.

  "Fuck off." Raul locked his hands behind his head. "Be glad for my connections or you'd have visitors you weren't expecting."

  "All right. Everybody knock it off." Rain leaned forward and braced his elbows on the table. "Jedman, Sanchez, Ronny, Mac and Travis will meet Los Li and escort them to the hotel—he held his hand up, quieting the commotion—the single guys will keep watch overnight and the next morning. I'll join the first riders and escort the fuckers out of town. We've been through this before and as long as Los Li stays clean, they can pass through. To deny them is only asking for retaliation and at the moment, I don't think any of us want another gun pointed at our heads. Agree?"

  Slade nodded. He backed his president, and wanted the Los li out of town and away from his family. The whole community of Pitnam relied on the Bantorus MC to keep the town safe and their families away from harm. Sometimes that took the Bantorus into the wrong side of the fight to get it done. Last year, they almost lost a few members when the Lagsturns Motorcycle Club stayed around too long.

  Rain's wife, Tori, almost lost her life because of an acquaintance of the Lagsturns, who turned out to be Tori's psycho half-brother. Slade fisted his hands. He would not let that happen to Taylor.

  In the end, Tori lived to see another day. Then through trouble at Lagsturns MC with the Los Li, they now had a former Lagsturns president sitting at their table, along with his woman. Slade gazed down the table. So far, Raul Sanchez held his own and only benefited the club by being a member. Nevertheless, Raul hadn't earned the right for Slade to trust him yet.

  "Next order of business." Rain hit the gavel on the table. "To protect our vice president, I need an update on where Ray is and any news that he's going back on his word."

  "He's paid half of his debt to Banjoey and is back to hitting the underground tables. He's played in two big stakes games and walked away poorer," Travis said, winching as he looked at Slade. "He's getting desperate and doesn't seem to be easing back on his habit. He's contacted Crazy Kelly about sitting in on Saturday's game."

  Slade already heard the news and he was not happy. A deal was a deal, but until Ray reneged and came after his kids, or let Jodie seek visitation, he'd stay away. Maybe if he got lucky, Crazy Kelly would kill the motherfucker for him. The high stacks slash bondsman wouldn't let Ray walk away if he lost everything.

  "Any other news?" Rain waited and when everyone remained quiet, he hit the table and dismissed the meeting. "Slade, stay after, we need to talk."

  He nodded and moved out of the way, lifting his chin to the other members as they walked out of the room. Jedman elbowed him and grinned. He punched his friend in the shoulder and moved around the table to sit by Rain.

  When the door shut, Rain rubbed his hand over his jaw and shook his head. "I don’t know how much you know about the last time Los Li came into town, because you were out on a run and missed watching them in action."

  Slade remembered that time. "It was last summer, and Jodie served me with custody papers. I took the boys camping up in Puget Sound to get them away from the stress. What I know about the Los Li situation and what went down at the bar, I heard when I got back and helped with clean up."

  "Thought so." Rain exhaled loudly. "I had all the girls working the tables, keeping them close. They shacked up in the cabins in back for the week Los Li was in town, but a guy named Toma' had a little problem keeping his dick in his pants. Caught him outside the cabin window where Taylor was staying more than once. The guy has a rap sheet longer than a roll of toilet paper."

  His chest tightened and he pulled his boots back to the chair and leaned forward, not liking the news. "What are you saying?"

  "I'm saying…you watch Taylor. That guy has a hard on for your woman, and if he returns he might think beatin' off isn't going to do it for him." Rain gazed at him intently. "You and I both know there's only so much we can do to contain this town. If hell breaks loose, we're going to ha
ve more trouble than we can handle and things could get ugly. Bantorus MC is small to the amount of people Los Li have on their payroll."

  He nodded. If the boys weren't in school, it'd be the perfect time to take a family vacation. He didn't want Taylor anywhere around Los Li, and he wouldn't take a chance on her safety.

  "I know what you're thinking, but the safest place for her is at Cactus Cove. We'll set a member on her whether you're with her or not. I also talked to the garage, and you're off work until Los Li are out of town," Rain said. "I need you here."

  "Thanks." Slade's fingers curled into fists. "Tell me more about that guy Toma'."

  Rain shrugged. "Not much to say. He's been with Los Li for twelve years, six of those years inside the pen for rape and manufacturing. Like the whole organization, they have connections behind bars and outside. I trust no one when it comes to the Bantorus women."

  That wasn't telling Slade much. Rain's protectiveness over Tori rivaled his own with Taylor. When he got home, he'd talk to Taylor about her past with Los Li and find out how much of what went on during their last visit she was aware of, and set down some rules until Pitnam was safe again.

  "All right." Slade stood. "We deal with whatever comes and I'll talk to Taylor."

  Rain walked him to the door. "Taylor was kept in the dark. She won't know much. Hell, Tori was kept in the dark. This time…I got a bad feeling. I don't know how much we can keep from them without jeopardizing their safety."

  He studied his president. "Because of the rumor of Los Li transporting illegally through Pitnam?"

  "No." Rain shook his head. "They're looking for female merchandise, man."

  "Jesus," he muttered.

  Rain slapped him on the shoulder. "We'll lock the club down and keep everyone safe."

  Slade walked out the door. The ache inside him grew. He'd never settle until there was no threat against his kids being ripped away from him again and his woman no longer had to worry about the simplest things.

  If only the court could see that, the Bantorus Motorcycle Club kept him sane, that letting him raise his kids without any judgments was the best thing for them. He walked out into the bar, spotted Taylor, and leaned against the wall, not ready to interrupt her yet.

  She stood beside a table, talking with Pete, the manager of Shift's Garage where Slade worked, Pet's daughter, Kristen, and Gary, another mechanic and Bantorus member. At ease with her job, she smiled and laughed at the men's teasing. He took in her hair she left down around her shoulders, because he'd told her this morning how much he loved the length. The tightness in his chest eased somewhat. He'd noticed that she took everything he said to heart.

  Whether he thanked her for dinner or mentioned he liked his socks paired up in the drawer, she was always trying to please him. It was her nature. She was like that with everyone. She remembered favorite drinks, lunch requests on Wednesdays, and everyone's birthday. Hell, when he'd hauled the few boxes over from her house to his, she was adamant about taking her calendar. Almost every day had a note on it to remind her of silly things, like baking cupcakes for the boys, delivering a daisy to Janice on the anniversary of her husband's death. What kind of person went out of their way to make others feel loved?

  When he asked her about it, she only shrugged, and said everyone deserves to have someone pay attention to important dates. He wanted to be a better man for her, to give her back what she gave everyone else. He pushed away from the wall, and approached the table.

  Taylor turned and smiled. "Hey, meeting over?"

  "Yeah." He nodded at Gary, Kristen, and Pete. "I'm going to run by the house and pack a bag for the kids. We're going to stay in one of the cabins for a few days until things settle down."

  Taylor pulled his arm, dragging him a few feet away. "Tori stopped in while you and the others were shut inside the room and told me what was going on. Is this necessary? Can't we all stay at the house?"

  "No." He rubbed the end of the strand of hair falling over her shoulder, near her breast. "We're going in lockdown, baby girl."

  "Shit." She leaned into him and rested her head on his chest. "That sucks."

  He kissed the end of her nose when she gazed back up at him. "Promise me you'll stay inside the bar while I'm gone. I'll grab the kids from school and bring them over."

  "Sure." She kissed him fast. "I'll have the cook make them the macaroni chicken dish, they'll always eat that, and a steak for you while you're gone. Then I'll make up the beds in the cabin."

  "We'll do that together." He lowered his voice. "I'm serious about you not stepping outside without me here."

  "It's right outside the backdoor," she said.

  "Taylor." He lifted her chin. "Not one step out the door."

  She opened her mouth to speak, and then snapped her teeth together. He looked over her head at Rain. No words needed to be spoken between them. Slade knew Rain's position on the situation. He followed Rain's gaze to Ronny, who looked at Torque. All the men lifted their chin in agreement. Taylor wouldn't be left alone, and he wouldn't trust her to keep her promise.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The bare floor of the cabin dug into Slade's knees, but the discomfort that should've been there was missing. He plunged deeper into Taylor. The hard surface had her going nowhere, and every thrust softened by her curves intensified the pleasure. All he could feel was Taylor and she was the best thing he'd ever had.

  Each stroke squeezed his cock, sending an overwhelming urge to take, take, take. He slowed down and dipped his head, taking her nipple in his mouth. His hips jerked, out of his control, and he fought to hold back. She was ready, more than ready, but he enjoyed watching her ache and squirm. Every little movement set him off, and he wanted to die between her thighs, cushioned on her body, doing what he thought about every minute of the day.

  "Slade," she screamed.

  He froze, tormenting them both, and laughed against her skin. Heat rolled off him. He was burning up.

  His muscles spasmed, and at any second he was sure his arms would give up from holding his weight off her. Pure insanity for his woman kept him from taking her too hard on the floor, and only put him on the edge of blowing his load.

  She squeezed his biceps, arching against his pelvis, sinking deeper onto his cock. He groaned and raised his head. Fire lit her eyes, and she looked so damn adorable, all serious and worked up.

  There was something special about making his girl happy. He slowly rode her body and watched her eyelids flutter and her teeth bite into her bottom lip. Yeah, he could do this for fucking-ever.

  She hooked her arm around his neck, pulling herself up and captured his mouth. He couldn't escape if he wanted to, because to do so he'd have to withdraw his cock out of her pussy, and it'd take the whole motorcycle club to get him to do that.

  She shoved her tongue in his mouth, stroking, sucking, nipping. Her pelvis gyrated under him, mimicking her mouth, stroking, pulling him in deeper. Caressed and greedy, he gave up and gave her what they both needed.

  Her breath fanned his face with each plunge, until finally she hung off his neck, arched over backward. Her hair swept the floor, and he nailed her.

  Her body clenched tight around him, shuddering through her release. As if she squeezed the essence out of him, he thrust balls deep and let himself go. He fought keeping his eyes open, because he wanted to see every moment.

  His blood roared, and then he gave her everything and spilled his cum. He rolled, taking her with him, until she lay half on top of his exhausted body. Their breathing filled the small cabin.

  He ran his hand down her back, holding her close. "Okay?"

  "Uh…yeah." She turned her head and looked at him in amusement. "The floor?"

  "It's better than the sofa or the bed. Who knows how many bodies got off on that couch." He strained to sit them both up. "Jesus…I'm not sure I can stand."

  "You are just that good, honey." She kissed him, moving to her feet, acting as if she could go another round.

  He
sat with his jeans around his thighs, bare ass on the wood, and wondered if they had time for another go around. Maybe he'd die just the way he wanted to.

  She pulled her shirt over her head, shoving her arms through the material, and glanced at him. "Are you okay?"

  "Yeah." He clenched his teeth and using the couch, pulled himself up. "Just thinking we should kick it to part two. We can squeeze some more in before getting the boys from the bar."

  Now that he'd put the offer out there, he was ready. Well, he would be in about five minutes. Definitely by the time he got her undressed again and she did that thing with her hands, where she used her fingernails to lightly scratch him, he'd be ready to rock her world.

  Taylor gawked at him. He looked her up and down. His dick pulsed, reminding him that he was still alive. Yeah, he wasn't stupid. He wanted her again.

  "You're kidding?" She snapped her jeans.

  "Nope." He walked over in front of her, grabbed her hips, and brought her into the center of his body. "I'll never get enough of you."

  She became soft again and leaned into him. "Honey, the boys are probably done eating. They had school today, and need to shower and get some sleep."

  "That sounds like a no." He growled, dipping and kissing her neck. "After the boys are asleep?"

  She sighed a happy sound. "Absolutely."

  He smacked her rear, causing her to jolt. "I'll hold you to it."

  She laughed, shaking her head. He sat on the couch and watched her hips sway as she walked into the bathroom. He stretched his arms out and hooked them on the back of the cushions. If he planned to enjoy her all night long, he had to get their talk out of the way.

  He hated talking. Nothing good ever came from voicing his concerns. It was easier to set down the law and know she'd do what needed to be done. Nevertheless, occasionally, she got her hair twisted if she disagreed with him. He sure hoped like hell that this wasn't one of those times.

  Taylor came out of the bathroom, finger combing her hair over one shoulder. He brought his arms down and leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. Just thinking about Los Li rolling into town and looking at Taylor ate away at him.