by Lane Hart
With that, I get up to go find Maddox.
He has Professor Talbot up against a wall in the kitchen, plowing his fist into his flabby abdomen until he doubles over. On the way to the ground, Maddox slams his knee into his face, likely busting his nose because blood starts to spray everywhere.
And Jesus, he’s so fucking hot.
My avenging angel, not the bleeding professor.
I’ve never seen someone so tough and badass. Knowing that Maddox is so angry and inflicting pain on them for trying to hurt me makes me love him even more.
Oh shit.
No, I didn’t mean to use that word. I don’t love Maddox. I barely know him!
He’s just a really amazing guy who is sweet and hot as sin, but doesn’t want to be with me...
“Let’s go, fucker,” Maddox says before he grabs the back of Professor Talbot’s shirt, where he’s down on his hands and knees, then literally drags him through the living room and to the foyer to join his friend.
“I want you two to listen to me very closely,” Maddox says when he crouches down to see their faces better on the ground. “If either of you say a single sleazy word to Audrey, I’m gonna come back here. Best-case scenario? You never walk again. Worst? You never breathe again. Is that clear?”
“Yes,” both men mutter.
“I couldn’t hear you,” Maddox says as he turns his ear to them. “Yes, what?”
“Yes, sir,” they both grumble.
“That’s better,” Maddox replies as he stands and straightens. “Now, apologize to Audrey and tell her that you will never try to blackmail her again for sex, and that she is going to pass this semester with flying fucking colors.”
“I’m sorry,” Professor Burrows says.
“I’m sorry. You don’t have to come to my class. I-I’ll pass you,” Professor Talbot frantically tells me.
“No, I’m going to come to class and I’m going to earn whatever grade I get, fair and square,” I tell him. “But I’m going to do it without touching either of you again.”
Maddox holds out his palm for me. “Ready?”
“Ready,” I agree, then throw Professor Burrows’ phone at him before he leads me out the door.
“Thank you,” I tell Maddox as we walk to my car, my hand still in his, gripping it tightly because I know that soon, he’s going to pull away and leave.
He lifts my knuckles to his lips and kisses them before grinning like a madman. “You’re welcome. That was really fun, actually. It’s nice to have an outlet to get rid of all the shit I keep bottled up. When I’m with you, I find all sorts of outlets for my emotions.”
“What shit do you keep bottled up?” I ask when we get to the passenger side of my car. Rather than get in and separate from his touch, I lean my back against it to keep him talking.
“Everything.”
“Everything?” I repeat.
“Yeah, for years, it’s felt like every time I start to figure out where the puzzle pieces of my life go, they all get tossed around again. It’s so fucking frustrating!” he tells me, reaching up to tug on his hair with his free hand while still holding mine. “But then, being here with you just feels…right, like the pieces are easily falling into place without me trying.”
“It feels like that for me too,” I agree. “Even though we haven’t known each other long, I think I already know you.”
Letting my hand go to cup my face in between his hands, Maddox says, “You’re the first person to see the real me, so thank you,” before he brushes a soft kiss over my lips.
The night air swirling around us is heavy and charged, like right before a storm, as our eyes stay locked on each other. The way Maddox looks at me and makes me feel is both terrifying and invigorating.
“Do you maybe want to come back to my apartment tonight?” I ask, breaking the silence and bracing myself for his rejection.
“Hell yes,” he actually agrees instead. “I’m so damn tired, I could pass out standing right here.”
Oh.
Sleep is not exactly what I had in mind, but I’ll gladly take every minute I can get with him.
“Then, let’s go. I’ll drive us back,” I tell Maddox before I give him another quick kiss and then slip away from him.
Chapter Seventeen
Maddox
I didn’t plan on collapsing into Audrey’s bed and falling asleep as soon as we walked in the door, but that’s what happened.
It felt nice to be back in her room, surrounded by her warmth and her sweet scent. Hell, I even missed Stella, who curled up at my feet before I crashed, exhausted from the days without sleep and the beating I put on the professors.
Waking up with Audrey in my arms again feels perfect. I love the way she reaches for me in the dark, like even when she’s unconscious, she knows I’ll keep her safe and take care of her. It’s a heady feeling I’ll never get tired of.
Except, I can’t get used to it either.
I’m days away from patching into the Savage Kings, and now I get why War kept Ren and Audrey away from the MC. I can’t even imagine how devastating it would be if one of the club’s enemies went after her…
“Holy shit!” I exclaim, as I jackknife into a sitting position in her bed.
“What’s wrong?” Audrey asks as she sits up beside me, her bleary eyes trying to blink open.
Unfortunately, she’s still fully clothed, like I am, since I was too tired to get undressed last night. At least she put on her pajamas.
“Nothing’s wrong. I just had an idea, one that will help the club,” I explain. “All thanks to you.”
“Me?” she asks. “How’s that?”
“I would do anything for you.” I reach for the side of her face to bring her mouth to mine. “You know that, right?” I ask, as I keep feathering kisses over her lips.
“Good to know,” Audrey says against my lips, as her hands reach for my shoulders to push my cut down them. “Does that include making love to me right now?”
“Hell yes,” I agree before I attack her, flattening her back on the mattress while she continues to undress me. Unable to wait another second before I strip her naked too, I kiss my way down her neck and to her stomach before tugging her bottoms down.
“Maddox?” she asks, her tone serious.
“Yeah?” I ask, pausing with my mouth on her belly button.
“Will you come back, even if there’s no one’s ass to kick?”
“I don’t think I could stay away from you if I tried,” I reply honestly, knowing I should. Fuck, I should leave right now and never come back.
But at this moment, not even the threat of War could drag me away from her bed.
…
Audrey
While Maddox and I were sleeping, something changed between us.
And it’s not the sex.
We’d had sex so many times those three days that I lost count, each time even hotter than the last. But this time is…different.
Maddox’s mouth between my legs isn’t just stroking the fires of pleasure to make me orgasm. It’s possessive and dominating, with an intensity I’ve never felt before. He’s owning me.
That much becomes even more obvious after a scream rips from my throat and my eyes roll back in my head.
Maddox’s mouth crashes down on mine as he invades me. The weight of his body presses down on me, so he’s the only thing I can see or feel. And I want all of him.
Our kiss breaks only because we’re both struggling to get air in our lungs. But Maddox doesn’t let up an inch anywhere else. He’s inside me and covering me from head to toe, his forehead resting against mine as he watches my face. One of his palms is planted next to my head to hold just enough of his body off me so that I can still breathe while he rocks into me with slow but deliberate strokes that I never want to end.
“You feel that?” he asks. “It’s perfect because you were made for me and only me.”
“Yes.” I dig my fingers into his shoulders to pull him closer, even thou
gh it’s impossible. “Don’t stop,” I say, meaning more than this moment.
“How could I stop the best thing I’ve ever had?” Maddox asks with a grin before he swoops down and covers my lips with his. Our tongues dance while our bodies join in the same rhythm that doesn’t falter until a wave of euphoria has my thighs tightening around Maddox’s body wedged between them, and my pussy clamps down on his hard length to try and milk him dry, desperate to soak up his seed.
But that doesn’t happen.
While my body is still shuddering, Maddox rears back and then takes himself in his hand, pumping his shaft until his thick release coats my stomach and between my breasts, marking me as his.
“Jesus,” he grumbles before he collapses on top of the mess he just made and places kisses on my jaw. “You are incredible.”
“We’re incredible,” I amend, then ask the question that’s been on my mind ever since I saw him last night. “When are you coming back?”
“I need to get going after we get a shower,” he says, pushing himself up to look at me better. “But I’ll try to come back tonight.”
“Good,” I reply with a smile, liking how he said we would get a shower, meaning together. “I can’t wait.”
“Me either,” he says.
Chapter Eighteen
Maddox
I’m not walking into the salvage yard—I’m practically floating.
And not just because Audrey and I fucked three times before I left her apartment, but because she’s fucking amazing and I can’t wait to see her again. Hopefully tonight, if all goes well with the snitch.
Even the phone call she got from War while I was inside of her the last time this morning couldn’t bring down my good mood. She told him she was doing cardio, which wasn’t exactly a lie.
I’m whistling a happy tune when I walk into the garage where Mike is still tied to the chair, looking like he’s about to die.
“What’s got you in such a jolly mood?” Miles asks, as he stands up from his metal chair and stretches his arms over his head, working out the kinks. “Guess that’s because you weren’t stuck here all night.”
“Nope,” I agree with a smile. I’m hoping my idea works, and no one will have to stay here tonight with the shithead. “I think Mike is finally going to tell us everything we want to know.”
“How’s that?” Miles asks. “We’ve threatened to cut or burn every appendage, and he won’t budge.”
“You haven’t been focusing on the right body part,” I tell him.
“Oh yeah?” he huffs. “What have we missed?”
“His heart,” I reply.
The idea hit me when I woke up this morning with Audrey in my arms and the notion of doing anything for her was cemented inside of me.
“Oh, Mike…” I pull out my phone as I stroll over to stand in front of the abused man. I locate one of the photos from where I followed him, staying out of sight while we were still vetting all the guys, and then show it to him.
“Is this your girl? She’s a pretty one,” I say, causing his hanging head to pop up, eyes bulging in fear. “And look, there’s her license plate number in the shot too. I bet Reece could get an address for her quicker than Miles can snap his fingers.”
“Snap,” Miles says, as he rubs his fingers together.
“Kim doesn’t know shit, I swear!” Mike exclaims, finding energy and enthusiasm he didn’t have just moments ago. “You can’t hurt her!”
Of course the Kings wouldn’t hurt her. But that doesn’t mean I can’t bluff that they will.
“Miles, call Reece and give him the plates,” I instruct like I’m in charge here, because it suddenly feels like I am.
“On it, brother,” Miles replies, as he pulls out his device and then puts it up to his ear.
Whether or not he’s really calling him, I’m not sure, until I hear the ringing and then Reece’s clipped, one-word answer. “What?”
“Mad Dog is back and working over our snitch,” Miles says into the phone. “And we have a license plate for you to run…”
“No! Please,” Mike begs as he fights against the binds and makes the chair legs come off the ground. “I’ll tell you everything, just don’t sic the Kings on her! Please! She’s pregnant, goddammit. Pregnant!”
“You better talk fast,” I tell him, then to Miles, “North Carolina plate, C as in Charlie…”
“The cops pulled me over the day I got my cut!” Mike starts jabbering. “I didn’t do shit, but I had some weed on me. They held me for hours!”
“And?” Miles prompts, still holding the phone to his ear.
“My girl Kim was with me. We just found out we’re going to have a baby. But Kim, she’s not here legally. They were going to deport her, her and my baby, right then and there. Lock me up and ship my girl off. Then this woman came in, said she was with the ATF and could give me a clean record, make this all go away if I gave them information.”
“What was her name and what did you tell her?” I ask.
“P-Peyton. Peyton Bradley. And all I told her were names of members, who hung around, and what they looked like. That’s it, okay! I didn’t give them shit! I didn’t give them shit, and you can’t hurt her, you fucking hear me!” Mike screeches.
“You would have, though,” Miles says. “Eventually.”
Now tears have sprung up in his eyes and are starting to overflow down his cheeks. “No, I swear! None of this was supposed to happen!”
“You hear that, brother?” Miles asks into the phone then gives me a side-eye. “Yeah, Mad Dog came through. Okay. Later,” he says, before closing the burner phone and slipping it back into his pocket. “Now, it’s time for the good stuff.”
“What’s the good stuff?” I ask in concern.
“Cut him loose,” Miles instructs on the way to the door. “Make sure he cuts ties with the ATF, and then is out of the state within an hour. Then, you need to get your ass to the clubhouse.”
“You don’t want me to kill him, do you?” I ask.
“Would you?” he questions.
“If Torin told me to,” I reply.
“Good answer, but no. Cut him loose. The little shit gave us what we need, and he gave us his reasons. Now, he better run for his life.”
“Okay,” I reply with an exhale. I didn’t want to have to kill a man, but I think I could if I had to.
…
An hour later, I’m walking into the Savage Asylum after Mike put me on speaker so I could hear him call it quits with the feds and tell them he’s moving to California with his girlfriend who he promised would be applying for her Visa. I think he meant it too because he blanched after he said it, like he didn’t want me to know where they were headed. Then, I followed them to the airport with the promise that they wouldn’t leave the terminal, unless it was on a plane across the country.
“The Kings are looking for you,” Cedric says with a cringe when I walk past the bar.
“Which one?” I ask, concerned, since I was doing what Miles told me to do.
“All of them,” Cedric whispers. “They’re downstairs in the chapel. You better hurry because they looked pissed!”
“Shit,” I mutter before I punch in the code and then hightail it through the basement to the open chapel door, tossing my phone into the box on the floor outside as I go.
“Sorry,” I tell the guys, when I walk in the room and they’re all seated in their chairs. “Mike called the agent and ended things. Now he’s at the airport, catching a plane as we speak.”
“Shut the door,” Torin barks, completely ignoring my news, his face grimmer than I’ve seen it in months. Fuck, whatever is going on, it’s not good. Are they pissed I threatened to hurt Mike’s girl? Because I wouldn’t.
“You got the name of the ATF agent?” War spins around in his chair to ask.
Swallowing past the knot in my throat, having to look him in the eye after sleeping with his sister again, I say, “Yes, Peyton Bradley. I heard her say so when she answered the phone
.”
Instead of responding, War nods silently, then gets to his feet and stands behind the chair. Tipping his chin up at the seat, he says, “Sit.”
“Sit?” I ask as I glance around the table at the faces of the other members, who look equally pissed and closed off.
“Don’t make me repeat myself,” War threatens, so I walk over and lower myself into his chair, bracing my forearms on the table for whatever comes next.
“Take your cut off,” Torin instructs from his seat at the head of the table. Before I can panic that I’m being kicked out, he lifts up another black leather cut from his lap and lays it flat on the table. “Replace it with this one.”
“Holy shit,” I mutter when I see the words “Savage Kings” on the patches above the bearded skull king with “North Carolina” underneath. “That’s mine?”
“That’s yours, brother,” Torin says before his face finally breaks into a grin.
War’s hands come down hard on my shoulders when he says, “Welcome to the table, brother,” and then peels the prospect cut off my shoulders. “You’ve earned your spot through loyalty and devotion. Now you’re a Savage King until you die or can no longer ride.”
“Wow, thank you,” I say, as I pick up the new cut and hold it in front of me, speechless because it’s finally happening. Vaguely, I accept more congratulations, backslapping hugs, and fist bumps from the rest of the Kings.
My brothers.
War leaves and then comes back with another chair he pulls up to the table in the space to my left. Glancing over at me, he says, “Get comfortable because it’s time for your first meeting.”
“About the shit with the feds?” I ask.
“Yep,” he replies.
“Now that we’ve got the name of the ATF agent investigating us, what are we gonna do?” I ask the table.
“We can’t kill her or hurt her,” Miles says. “If she goes missing, that’ll just draw more attention to the club.”