by Cameron Hart
“What happened?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well first you were grinning like the cat that caught the damn canary when you saw the cop you’d be working with. And then both of you were pissy and miserable for the last week and a half. And now, you’re something else entirely.”
So much for trying to play everything off as fine.
“What am I now?”
“Now you look… lonely.”
“Excuse me?” I snap my head up from the beer I’ve been sipping at for the last twenty minutes.
“Yeah. You look like you miss her, man.”
I open my mouth to protest, even though he’s totally right, but before I can say anything, Kennedy comes waltzing into the bar. She’s wearing a red halter dress that flares out at the hips, showcasing her perfect curves. Kennedy’s hair is down long again, which has my hands twitching to grab it roughly, but also to stroke it gently. How the hell can hair fuck me up so bad?
She looks around the bar tentatively, and for a second I think she’s here for me. But then I see Mia waving her over to a table with Claire, Liv, and Beth. I can’t help but feel a pang of disappointment.
“You know she was coming tonight?” I grunt at Carter, who has a shit-eating grin on his face.
He shrugs. Asshole.
“Let’s go over,” he suggests.
“Naw, she’s here for the girls. I’ll leave her be.” God, I sound pathetic.
“Oh don’t be so dramatic, Slash. She wouldn’t have come here tonight if she didn’t want to see you too. She knows this is where we hang out almost every night.”
“I think you underestimate how much she hates me.”
“She does not hate you, dude. I see the way you guys look at each other during our meetings. Or, rather, how much effort you guys put into not looking at each other. What are you waiting for?”
“You know it’s not that simple, Carter. She’s here for a job. We have the Devil’s Knights to think about. It’s so much bigger than me. River’s words, not mine.” I scoff.
“What about River?” Stacy asks, coming up behind me to clear out empty bottles away. “Was he discouraging you from being with Kennedy?”
I roll my eyes at Stace. Apparently in the few weeks since Kennedy has been here, everyone has been very gossipy about our interactions. Thank god no one was at the bar last night, or else they would know exactly how correct their assumptions are. I do want to fuck her. But I also want to hold her. Protect her. Keep her.
That realization slams into me. I want to keep her. My eyes find their way to where she’s sitting, and I take her in. She looks equal parts uncomfortable and desperate. Like she wants to have friends but doesn’t know how. Shit, I get that feeling.
“Slash!” Stacy barks in my ear.
“Fuck! What?”
She grins ear to ear. “Oh, nothing. You get to work on keeping those promises you’re making her with your eyes and leave River to me.”
Stacy walks away before I can say anything. Carter claps my back and stands up, heading towards the girls’ table. I suppose he knows I’m going to follow him. So, I do. He’s right, there’s no way I’d actually let Kennedy walk out of this bar with at least saying hello.
As if on cue, Jax and Dom see Carter and I making our way towards the girls’ table, and they also head that way. I have a feeling this whole thing has been carefully orchestrated, but fuck if I care. Hell, I’m even grateful for it.
Wren, Mia’s husband, is already at the table, helping Claire push a second table over and gathering the chairs. When we all get there, a well-choreographed shuffle takes place so that each woman is sitting by her man, leaving one open chair for me. Next to Kennedy. I shake my head and smile, looking over at Carter who is trying way too hard to appear innocent.
Kennedy looks up at me with those brown eyes of hers, and to my surprise, there’s a hint of relief in them.
“I told you my hangover cure was legit. You’re out drinking again already,” I tease, sitting down next to her.
“Just water for me,” she says, motioning towards her glass. “I’m never drinking again.”
“Ah, just give it a few days. You’ll be back on the bandwagon in no time.”
Kennedy rolls her eyes and tries to cover her smile by drinking some of her water.
“Have you always lived in San Francisco, Kennedy?” Claire asks.
“Nope. I went to the police academy in LA and was hired on the force at nineteen. Made detective not long after. And then got promoted to the special crimes unit in San Fran last year.”
Kennedy is not one to brag much, but I can hear the pride behind her words. Clearly, she’s very driven and her career means a lot to her. That would have been a total red flag for me before – especially considering she’s a goddamn cop, but I can’t seem to care about that right now. All I feel is pride for how hard she’s worked and how driven she is.
“Impressive!” Mia exclaims. “And what about before LA?”
“Um… I was just, around, I guess. Moved a lot.” She takes a swig of her water.
“Do you have family here?” Mia presses.
Kennedy shakes her head no.
“Where are they? Still in Cali, or a different state?”
“I grew up in foster care,” Kennedy blurts. I can tell she’s uncomfortable and totally out of her element. Without thinking, I slide my hand over her leg and squeeze her bare knee. She seems to relax a little at my touch, which makes me unreasonably happy.
“Hey, me too!” Liv says, diverting some of the attention away from Kennedy.
“Yeah?” Kennedy’s voice is tentative, still not liking all the attention on her.
“Yup. It fucking sucked.” Carter slips his arm around Liv’s hips and pulls her close. I long to do the same for Kennedy.
Kennedy nods. “That it did.” I rub circles on the skin of her thigh with my thumb, hoping it provides some sort of comfort.
“Cheers to getting out of the system and finding our own family!” Liv raises her glass and Kennedy follows suit. We all raise our glasses.
“To family!” Mia echoes.
I look around the table at the happy couples, some of whom are well on their way to creating their own families. I might not have had the traditional family growing up, but Stacy made sure I knew I was loved. The guys at Chaos always had my back, even before I patched in, and more so now that I’m a member.
My eyes land on Kennedy, who is messing with the corner of her napkin. I get the feeling that she never found a family. Her words from last night come flooding back.
No one has ever wanted me.
Fuck. I do. I want her so damn bad. I want all of her. More than she could ever know.
Side conversations break out between a few people, and soon no one else is paying much attention to Kennedy and me.
“You look beautiful,” I say, earning me a small, heart-stopping smile.
“I mean, it’s no jeans and t-shirt,” she smirks, no doubt remembering that I told her I liked her outfit this morning.
“A close second,” I chuckle.
We stare at each other for a few seconds before her eyes dart down towards the table.
“I don’t know why I came here tonight,” she says finally. “I don’t really do this sort of thing.”
“No? So it’s just my luck that I found you in two different bars, two nights in a row?”
She rolls her eyes again. “I don’t know if luck had anything to do with it.”
“So you’re saying you planned to run into me? Why, Kennedy, I’m flattered,” I give her my most devious smile.
“What? No, I didn’t mean… I… I just meant I don’t have…” Kennedy looks up towards the ceiling and takes a deep breath. “Friends. I don’t really have friends.”
I remove my hand from her thigh and tuck some of her hair behind her ear before cupping the back of her neck to hold her in place. Leaning forward, I gently kiss her temple.
“You do no
w, sweetheart,” I whisper.
When I pull back, Kennedy looks me in the eyes, searching me for something. I let my hand drop to the back of her chair, noticing Stacy standing nearby. I nod at her and she looks like she’s about to burst into tears of pure happiness.
Kennedy drinks the last of her water, and Stacy is right there to fill it up for her. I can tell Stace wants to ask her a million questions and also hug her and ask when the wedding is, but my sister knows how to read people and she can see Kennedy is already uncomfortable.
Stacey backs away, but not before shooting me a wink. Normally, it’d piss me off, but right now it just feels right. Everyone here seems to know Kennedy is mine. Now, I just need to make her see that too.
We get carried away in conversation over the next couple of hours. Kennedy doesn’t reveal much about herself, but she’s good at getting information out of others. I suppose that makes sense, what with her being a cop and all. I find little ways to touch her throughout the evening – rubbing her back, playing with the ends of her hair, rubbing my hand up and down her thighs.
Somewhere along the way, our chairs got pushed closer and closer together, to the point where Kennedy is practically on my lap. Not that I mind. I have one arm slung over her shoulders, drawing patterns on the bare skin of her arm. Kennedy is tucked into my side, resting her head on my shoulder. It all feels so natural, like this is what we do every Monday night.
I want to do more though. And I feel like she’s right there with me. I kiss the top of her head, causing her to look up at me. Kennedy gives me a sweet smile, one that I don’t think I’ve ever seen on her before.
“Ready to get out of here?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” she grins.
In an instant, I’m up on my feet and tossing Kennedy over my shoulder.
“Slash! Oh my god!” She yells.
“Shh, baby, don’t want to draw attention to us, now do you?” I tease.
No one else at the table seems even the slightest bit surprised. In fact, they all look pretty amused. Liv appears to be giving Claire some money. I’ll have to ask her about that later.
“We’ll see you guys tomorrow,” I say as I turn around and walk towards the back of the clubhouse where the extra apartments are.
“Have fun!” Mia giggles.
When I get to the apartment I keep here, I set Kennedy down on her feet. As expected, she’s pissed. But only on the surface. There’s definitely fire in her eyes, but it’s more lust than anger.
“What the hell was—”
I cut her off by smashing my mouth over hers. She stills at first, and I wonder if I read her all wrong. But then she goes and blows my whole fucking world apart by biting my lip and sucking it into her mouth. My dick is instantly hard.
I growl and kiss her back with the same intensity. My hands don’t even know what to do, where to touch her first. It’s like her kisses are rendering me stupid, like I’ve never looked at a woman before. Fuck, she might as well be my first everything with the way she’s making me feel right now.
Her hands slide up my chest and wrap around my neck, pulling me closer. My body snaps out of its daze when her nails dig into my scalp, the pain making me growl into her mouth again. I fucking love it. My cock throbs, leaking in my damn jeans. I’ve never been so keyed up from a kiss before. But then again, I’ve never kissed anyone like Kennedy.
I squeeze her hips and pull her soft body into me before sliding my hands up her back to tangle into her hair. I fist her soft strands and pull, ripping her mouth off of mine so I can kiss down her neck and nip below her ear. Kennedy can hardly breathe. I feel her pulse racing underneath my lips, my tongue, as I make my way down her neck.
Resting my head on her shoulder, we’re both panting for air.
“Fuck,” she manages to say. Her fingers are still tangled in my hair, holding me close.
I chuckle and then lift my head, looking over the stunning woman in my arms. Kennedy’s face is flushed, her lips swollen, her hair a mess. Fucking beautiful.
I take the opportunity to slide my hand from the back of her head to the side of her neck, cupping her face gently. There’s something so fragile about this moment. Yeah, we just mauled each other in the doorway of my apartment, and my dick is threatening to punch through my zipper, and that was the single hottest kiss of my whole goddamn life, but… this is Kennedy. She deserves more than a hard fuck.
Don’t get me wrong. I will be fucking her nice and hard. But I can do more. I can be more. I can be better. For her. I want to try.
My thumb brushes along her cheekbone and her eyes flutter open. Kennedy looks up at me through long lashes. Fuck, this woman is breaking me apart and she has no idea. I move my thumb lower to caress her soft, pouty lips, swollen from our kiss.
“I want this,” she whispers against my thumb. “I want you.”
Jesus, those words. The same ones she said last night, though I’m sure she has no memory of them. I lean down, our mouths inches apart. I can feel her warm breath on my skin, making me break out in goosebumps.
“I want you too, Kennedy. I want all of you,” I tell her before closing the distance between us. It’s a slower kiss this time, though no less passionate. I’ve never kissed anyone like this, never gone this slow, but everything in me is saying to take my time, to make her feel special. Wanted.
Kennedy moans into my mouth and grinds her pussy down on me. I don’t even think she’s aware she’s doing it; her body is simply responding to the way I’m making her feel. I love it. I can’t wait to discover all of the other ways she responds to me.
I break the kiss and rest my forehead on hers.
“Slash, please…” She whimpers, eyes still closed.
“Please, what, baby girl?”
Kennedy snaps her eyes open, and I watch her pupils dilate right in front of me, like I’m her favorite drug.
“Please fuck me.”
Chapter 9
Kennedy
I don’t know where the words come from, I’ve never been this forward when it comes to sex, but Slash makes me needy. Well, needy and wet. So freaking wet.
Those three words must be the magic password, because Slash has the door unlocked, us inside, and me pressed up against the closed door in about ten seconds.
He’s caging me in, with one muscled and tattooed arm on either side of my head. Slash is just staring at me, but I need him to do something with this ache he’s created between my thighs. I’ve never felt this way and I’m completely out of my element. Normally, I’m in control. Always. But, as with everything pertaining to Slash, my grip is slipping and I’m about to let go completely. I just hope he’s there to catch me.
“Please, Slash, I need you,” I beg again. This is not who I am, I don’t plead for anything, let alone from a man, but this is Slash. I feel safe with him. But also dangerous.
A strangled noise starts low in his chest and claws its way out of his throat as he continues to devour me with his eyes. I want is hands though. His tongue. His teeth. I’m tired of waiting.
I reach out to cup his face, but he stops me, snatching up both of my wrists in one of his large hands and holding them above my head against the wall.
Slash bends down and runs his nose along the base of my neck up to my ear.
“Be very sure this is what you want, Kennedy,” Slash says, his voice deep and gravely, strained with need. “Once we start, I won’t stop until you cum so many times, my name is the only thing you remember. I won’t stop until you pass out from pleasure, only to be woken up again with me buried deep inside of you.” My hips buck at his filthy words, my pussy seeking some sort of relief by rubbing against Slash’s hard body.
He grunts, pressing his body into mine, pinning me to the wall with his hips. “Are you ready for that? For the things I’m going to do to your sexy body? I need you to be sure, Kennedy. There’s no going back after this.”
I should be afraid, right? I should take pause and consider the ramifications
of sleeping with Slash, how it will affect the case, what it will mean for my career. However, those reservations are nowhere to be found. My head has completely checked out of the game, and now my heart and body are taking over.
My body is sure of what it wants. Slash. All of the many, hard inches of Slash, deep inside. Yeah, I can feel his cock digging into my stomach, and fuck if my panties aren’t totally destroyed because of it.
But my heart? My heart already feels like it’s too far gone. What if he’s disappointed? What if I can’t do all of the things the other women he’s been with can? It would destroy me if I didn’t live up to whatever fantasy he clearly has about us.
“Hey,” his voice is much softer now, almost heartbreakingly so. “Talk to me. Do you want this, sweetheart?”
I nod.
“Need your words, baby.”
“I want this. I do. I… What if I’m not…” Fuck, my face turns red. I can’t look him in the eye. This has to be the least sexy thing ever, to talk about how inadequate and inexperienced I feel. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tells me it’s all a mistake and send me home. I’d be mortified, yeah, but it’d probably be for the best.
Slash covers my mouth with his, leading us in a punishing kiss as he rocks his hard cock against my core. My arms are held firmly above my head still, so I can’t touch him, even though I want to. He breaks our kiss and licks and sucks down my neck, making me gasp and shiver when his teeth graze over sensitive spots I didn’t even know I had. Slash’s wicked mouth makes its way down my collar bone, kissing and nipping till he’s at the center of my chest.
“You’re afraid you’re not enough?” He asks, looking up at me from between my breasts.
I nod, shaking with need. How the hell is he making this conversation sexy? I should be mortified, but instead I can’t wait for him to prove me wrong.
“Oh, baby girl. You don’t even know the things you do to me. These tits…” He sucks on one through the fabric of the dress, making me whimper and thrust my chest out. “These perfect tits have taunted me for weeks.”
Slash slides a hand over my side and pauses to squeeze my hips and then my ass.