“Killing a decorated cop, no matter how dirty he is, leads to a fuck ton of questions we didn’t want to be stuck answering,” Dax disagreed with a shake of his head.
“If putting him six feet under is what it takes to keep Paisley safe, that’s where he’s going to end up,” Hack growled, his body tense beneath mine.
“This one’s your call, man. You have more at stake than anyone else,” Dax offered. I was surprised at how easily the guys seemed to accept the idea of Hack and me being together since we’d only met an hour ago, but I wasn’t going to question it. We had way more important stuff to figure out.
Hack didn’t take long to come to a decision. “We have a fuck ton of dirt on Clark. I’ll send everything that doesn’t tie back to Lucy or Paisley to IA, making sure they can’t trace it back to me. He’ll be too fucking busy trying to defend himself against all the charges they’ll be able to file that he won’t have time for anything else.”
“You sure this is the route you want to take?” Dax asked. “Helping out the cops isn’t our normal MO.”
Hack smiled, but it was more of an evil smirk to go along with the dark glint in his eyes. “First, we help get the motherfucker convicted, and then I’ll make sure he never leaves prison alive. It shouldn’t be too hard since the inmates will be lining up for the chance to kill a cop. I might even let him live for a couple of years so they can play with him first. Rotting in prison will be hell for a man like Clark, and I want that asshole to feel every minute of the pain that’s in store for him.”
6
Hack
I set a small, flowered bag on the sink in the bathroom, then strolled out and looked around my hotel room. Paisley’s shit was mixed up with mine, and the sight of it created a wave of possession. At the same time, I felt a sense of contentment that would have surprised me if I hadn’t had front row tickets to my brothers falling fast and hard for their women.
Paisley had fallen asleep in my lap while we were putting together our plans last night. I held her close and tried to move as little as possible so she didn’t wake up. I was concerned that she didn’t wake to eat, but after the past twenty-four hours, I imagined she was exhausted. I’d make sure she had plenty of breakfast.
Eventually, I carried her back to her room and tucked her into bed. My first instinct was to put her in mine, but I had a task to complete, and I was less likely to wake her if she was in her own room. And it was only one more night. Besides, if she was in my bed, I would’ve had no shot at staying out of it, and I knew she needed to rest.
Once she was settled, I’d gathered up the bags she hadn’t had a chance to unpack, making my job that much easier. My years in the military came in handy as I moved all of her things into my room with barely a sound. Although, I was pretty sure she was sleeping so hard that it would have taken a lot to disturb her.
After I moved everything over, I debated sleeping in my own room but knew I wouldn’t get a wink of sleep without her safe beside me. Dax had stationed himself outside of Paisley’s room, and he nodded to me as I swiped her card key and entered the room. I appreciated knowing they were keeping watch so I could get some shuteye.
Paisley was sprawled across the bed on her stomach and had thrown off the covers. She must have woken and removed her jeans at some point because she was now in nothing but her T-shirt and purple lace panties that left little to the imagination.
“Fuck.” I gave my body a stern lecture to be on its best behavior before climbing into bed with my girl and tugging her into my arms. She came willingly and snuggled into my embrace, her pert little ass up against my groin. Then she let out a small sigh that had my dick practically weeping at being kept from her pussy.
It was a good thing I could run on only a few hours of sleep because that was all I managed with Paisley shifting and wiggling every so often, making me rock hard. When the sun rose, I nearly flew out of bed so that I wouldn’t give in to my hunger for her. I wanted her to have all the rest she could get, so I calmed myself and gently released her and slid out of bed.
I’d brought a set of clean clothes with me, so I took a quick shower and dressed. Nova was leaning against the wall beside the door when I opened it, sipping from a foam cup that smelled like fresh coffee. My stomach rumbled, having spent the past forty-eight hours living on vending machine food and reheated coffee because I’d been too intent on my task to empty the pot and make a fresh one.
I lifted my chin in greeting as I stepped into the hall and quietly shut the door behind me. Nova responded in kind, then canted his head to the right and murmured, “Dom’s got fresh coffee in the room, but the diner across the street is twenty-four hours if you want to get some breakfast for your woman.” I hesitated, my eyes drifting toward the door. I didn’t want to leave in case Paisley woke before I returned, but I also wanted her to have a decent meal. “I’ve got this, man,” Nova insisted.
After another second of indecision, feeding my woman won out. She was going to need her strength when all of this was over because I fully intended to lock us in my room at the clubhouse for several days. If I was lucky, that’s all it would take to convince her to marry me and let me put a baby in her belly. It was ridiculous how many times I’d pictured her round and swollen with our child, considering we hadn’t even met.
I stopped by the front desk and checked Paisley out, then hustled over to the diner to pick up some grub. I must have been wearing my mood in my expression because when the waitress behind the counter saw my cut, then looked at my face, she paled. Then she stuttered through taking my order and practically ran away.
Normally, I would go out of my way not to intimidate a woman, but at the moment, my sole focus was Paisley, so this worked in my favor. A man came out with my order in less than ten minutes, and I left cash on the counter with a very generous tip before rushing out of there.
Nova grinned and wiggled his eyebrows as I approached the door to Paisley’s room. “Best to face the awkward morning after with something to soothe things over. Especially if she found your performance lacking.”
“For fuck’s sake,” I muttered as I rolled my eyes. “If my hands weren’t full of my girl’s breakfast, I’d be breaking your nose right now. Shut the fuck up and open the door.”
Nova kept grinning, and I scowled at him as he grabbed the key card that was held precariously in my full hands and swiped it over the pad. The lock clicked, and he pushed the door back enough from me to get inside, then shut it quietly behind me.
Paisley was sitting up in bed, looking adorable with mussed hair and sleepy eyes. She looked back over her shoulder when she heard me enter and gave me a soft smile. Then her gaze locked onto the food in my hands, and her stomach growled loudly. I laughed, and her cheeks turned a pretty shade of crimson. “When is the last time you ate, baby?” I asked as I took our meals across the room to a small table and chairs set in front of the window.
“Um. I’m not sure.”
I frowned and turned back to look her over as though I was going to see signs of extended weight loss from starvation. When my gaze landed on her bare legs, I sucked in a breath as my cock hardened. Damn, she was gorgeous.
Paisley’s eyes followed my line of sight, and she blushed even harder as she pulled the sheets over her lap. I gave her a disappointed, puppy dog expression, and she giggled. “Where are my pants?” She looked around the room, and her eyes began to slowly widen. “What happened to my things?” Her tone was full of panic, and she threw the covers off her and jumped to her feet. Before she could go racing to every nook and cranny for her stuff, I put my hand on her shoulder.
“Relax, babe. It’s all in my room.” I urged her over to one of the chairs and gently pushed her down into it. All the while ignoring the way she was staring at me like I had two heads. “Eat,” I commanded as I set a cup of coffee in front of her and unwrapped the foil from her breakfast. “I know French toast is your favorite, so I got that,” I explained as I took the seat opposite of her. “Wasn't sure h
ow hungry you’d be, though, so you’ve got eggs, bacon, and toast, too.”
A night of holding back from sinking inside my girl must have taken a lot out of me because I was suddenly famished. I picked up my toasted egg, bacon, and cheese sandwich and was about to bite into it when I caught the expression on her face. She appeared to be stunned by something. “What’s wrong?”
Paisley swallowed hard and cocked her head to the side, her gaze turning inquisitive. “How did you know my favorite breakfast is French toast?”
Shit. I knew I’d have to come clean about watching her eventually, but I was hoping it would be further in the future. Like after I’d put a ring on her finger and our kid in her belly. “I’m very thorough when I do research,” I hedged.
Her brows rose, and she looked...impressed, rather than pissed. “Wow, did you analyze my purchases or receipts and do some fancy figuring that brought you to that conclusion?”
I bit into my sandwich and nodded, then I waved a hand toward her food. She finally dug in and thankfully fell quiet. I was satisfied when she ate every bite and asked her if she wanted me to have one of the guys go out and bring her something more. I wanted to make sure she was well fed, but it was a relief when she shook her head and patted her flat belly. While she was eating, she had a tendency to moan in appreciation as she wrapped her lips around the fork—lucky bastard—and closed her eyes with an expression of bliss. Every single time, I’d had to fight not to grab her, toss her on the bed, and find out if that was how she sounded when she came.
I gathered up our trash and stuffed it in the plastic bag I’d used to bring the food to the hotel. Her jeans were in a pile on the floor by the nightstand, and I quickly grabbed them and held them out to her. She flushed again, and I found I really liked it when she did that. It was cute and sexy all at once. It made me want to kiss her all over and find out just how far down that pink hue went.
Paisley jumped up from the table and darted to the bathroom, making me laugh once again. I packed all of the garbage into the small trash bin, then leaned my hip against the dresser and folded my arms across my chest while I waited for her to reappear.
The toilet flushed, and the sink turned on, then she came out with a curious lift to her brow and her lips pursed. “It’s all in your room?” she asked slowly. I nodded, sure she was referring to her bags and toiletries. “You just”—she held her hands out to the sides—“moved me in with you?”
I smiled and walked toward her, letting her see the burning desire in my eyes. “You’ll be staying in my room, baby. Moving you in with me will happen soon.” I pinched her chin between my thumb and forefinger, lifting her face up to mine. “Real fucking soon.”
Dipping my head down, I covered her mouth with mine. The kiss got out of hand real fast, and in the blink of an eye, she had her legs wrapped around my waist and was pressed up against the wall. It was a fucking miracle I was able to slow it down and back off. But we needed to get back to the room and get ready for the day. We had shit to do.
I took her hand and led her across the room. She tugged on my arm, and I halted, turning around to see what she needed. “Yeah, baby?”
“I need to check out.” She gestured to the television, where they had an automated checkout system.
“Taken care of,” I mumbled as I trekked to the door and pulled it open.
“But…but…” Paisley stuttered as she tugged on my arm again. “I have to pay you back. Hey, how did you even know what name to give?”
I sighed and pivoted around, scooped her into my arms, and resumed walking to the elevator. “Research,” I grunted. That seemed to mollify her because she didn’t respond.
When we reached my room, the door was open, and I growled in annoyance at the sight of my brothers lounging around the space as though they owned it. I narrowed my eyes at Link, since he, of all people, should understand that I wanted some time alone with my woman. He grinned in reply, and I mouthed, “Fuck you,” which only made him laugh.
I set Paisley on her feet and pointed at the corner where I’d stowed her bags. “Why don’t you grab some stuff and go relax in a bath, baby,” I suggested softly. “I’ll get the riffraff out.”
She giggled and nodded, then padded over to one of her suitcases and tipped it down so she could unzip it. I spotted Dax’s eyes on her ass and punched him on the arm in the perfect spot to make it numb and useless. “Eyes to yourself, motherfucker,” I growled.
He winced but didn’t say anything. He deserved it, and he knew it.
“Hack?” Paisley drew my gaze to where she was digging through a pile of clothes.
“Yeah, baby?”
“I can’t find my necklace.”
“The one with the purple butterfly?” I asked.
“Yes.” She began tossing everything behind her, and her expression was becoming more worried. “It was my mom’s and—”
“Calm down, baby,” I soothed as I marched over to her and crouched down to pull her into my arms. “You’ve worn it so many times that I knew it was important, so I found it in your suitcase and stowed it in the safe.”
Her face filled with relief, and her tense shoulders drooped. “Oh, thank goodness. I—” She stopped suddenly and raised her eyes to meet mine. They were wary but also curious as she studied me. “How did you know I wear it all the time?”
Son of a fucking bitch.
No sooner had Paisley voiced the question than we heard a lot of shuffling and fast footsteps before the door slammed shut. Cowards.
7
Paisley
Hack’s explanation for how he knew I loved French toast had been a stretch, but I believed him since I figured a hacker could get all kinds of details off receipts and stuff. I almost always had bread, eggs, milk, and syrup in my house. Plus, it wasn’t unusual for me to order French toast on the rare times I went out for breakfast, so it wasn’t a leap to assume it was one of my favorite foods. But I couldn’t come up with a reasonable story for why he’d know how often I wear my mom’s butterfly necklace. Passing his knowledge of me off as research only went so far...no matter how good of a kisser Hack was or how easily he made me come.
Staring up at him, I braced myself for his answer. With the way the guys had left as soon as I’d voiced my concern, I expected it to be pretty bad. Hack’s hold on me tightened, and I wondered if he thought I was going to run when I heard what he had to say. “How do you know so much about me, Hack?”
“I’ve been obsessed since I first laid eyes on you.” His tone was gritty and raw, sounding as though the words were being ripped from him. “I was digging into David Clark’s past and felt like I’d been punched in the chest when I pulled up your photo. Wanted to hunt the motherfucker down and murder him when I found out how you’d been threatened to keep quiet. It fucking killed me to let Breaker be the one to take you back to your place after you saw him die. To stay away from you until the time was right. But I couldn’t stay away completely. I had to know you were safe, and seeing you helped keep me from losing my fucking mind.”
His response blew me away. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting to hear, but it wasn’t that he had become fixated on me just from seeing my picture. Or that he’d been biding his time for six months and watching me while doing it. “Right for what?”
“For you to be ready for me, baby.” He cupped my face in his palms, his lips only inches from mine as his dark eyes burned with desire. “You had good reason to be freaked the fuck out the day everything went down with David. I wanted nothing more than to force my way into your life and help you move past it all. But that wasn’t what was best for you back then, and your needs come before mine. Always.”
His declaration shouldn’t have affected me the way it did. I probably should’ve been scared because Hack was part of the MC who’d killed David Clark. Upset by the fact that he’d just admitted to stalking me for the past six months. Worried that he’d moved all my stuff into his room while I slept.
But I wasn’t.
/> Maybe something was wrong with me because I liked how quickly things were moving between us. How he didn’t try to hide that he was into me: that he’d protect me, no matter what it took. Even if it meant making sacrifices for me.
I didn’t want Hack to have to wait any longer to get what he wanted. Throwing caution to the wind, I closed the distance between our mouths and whispered, “You’re what’s best for me now.”
I might’ve initiated the kiss, but Hack took over as soon as our lips touched. His tongue swept inside to tangle with mine, and he tilted my head back to deepen the kiss. By the time he nipped my bottom lip before lifting his head, I was panting in need. “I’ll be what’s best for you for-fucking-ever,” he vowed.
I twined my arms around his neck and wrapped my legs around his waist. His hands went under my butt to hold me in place, and his hard length pressed against my core. “Then don’t wait any longer. Make me yours.”
That was all the encouragement Hack needed. A deep growl rumbled up his chest as he carried me over to the bed. He tossed me onto the middle of the mattress and quickly followed me down. “I’ve spent every fucking second of every single day since I saw your picture, thinking about the moment I could finally lay claim to you.”
I tugged on his shirt to lift it over his head, making him chuckle. His lips were curved up in a cocky grin when I tossed it on the floor. “C’mon, hurry up. I don’t have patience like you do.”
“I’m well past the edge of my control, baby.” He quickly stripped me out of my shirt, bra, and jeans, leaving me in only my lace panties. “But I’m not going to rush this.” He moved down my body, sucking each of my nipples into his mouth before letting them go with a pop. Then he wedged his shoulders between my thighs. “Now that I finally have you where I want you, I’m going to take my time and make sure you enjoy this so much you’ll never want to leave my bed.”
Hack: Silver Saints MC Page 4