by Levine, Nina
Everything she did quieted the frenzy in my mind. It was as if by her slowing this down, she slowed my brain down. She pulled all my thoughts into a straight line, helping me focus on the one thing I wanted rather than allowing those thoughts to shoot out in a thousand different directions. It was clarity like I’d never experienced, and fuck, the pleasure was intense.
I needed to be inside her cunt.
Needed her heat.
Her wet tightness around me.
Now.
And while I’d intended to have her from behind, the need to fuck her while looking into her eyes overwhelmed me. I had to fucking watch as she took my dick. As she took everything I had to give her.
I pulled out of her mouth and reached for the condom. After I tore it open, she grabbed it from me and said, “I want you to fuck me bare. I’m on the pill.”
I always made a point not to fuck without a condom. I didn’t wanna put kids out there on the street without a father if the woman fell pregnant and didn’t fucking tell me. I also didn’t wanna have kids with the whores I’d fucked. Lily was different. It was fucking beyond my understanding, but I trusted her. I didn’t hesitate for a second when she asked me for this.
Jerking my chin at her, I directed, “Move back up the bed.”
She did what I said, lying with her head on the pillow, watching and waiting. So fucking ready for me.
I put my knee to the mattress and made my way to her. Placing my hands on her thighs, I spread her legs and bent my face to take another taste of her. I licked her clit before pushing my tongue inside. Fuck, I needed hours with her cunt. With my mouth to it. My tongue inside it. But that would have to be another time. We had that fucking time limit hanging over us, and even more than that, I needed my dick deep inside her.
Kneeling with my legs spread and my ass to my feet, I gripped her and pulled her to me. I positioned her legs over mine, her feet flat to the bed behind me, and without wasting another second, I slammed inside her.
“Oh God,” she cried out, arching her neck while her eyes fluttered closed.
I put my hands to the bed either side of her and bent for a mouthful of tit. As I sucked and bit her, she took hold of my shoulders and gripped me hard. I grunted as her nails dug sharply into my skin, and bit her harder. Lily loved it rough and returned it to me. She reached her hands around to my back and clawed my skin there. That shit hit my veins and my mind at the same time, drawing a savage response from me.
I tore my mouth from her breast and found her eyes as I curled my hand around her throat. Applying enough pressure to steal some of her breath, I thrust hard inside her and growled, “You like that?”
She nodded, her need for me unmistakable, her nails digging into me again.
Her answer stirred my animal side further, and I finally succumbed to it. I allowed my needs to take over fully and pounded into her with unrelenting force. With both hands around her neck, I watched her take everything from me. Nothing escaped my notice. Not the way she bit the inside of her lips, or the way her breathing sped up, or the way her mouth parted and her tongue curled as the pleasure consumed her. I saw it all, and I fucking stored that shit in my mind. I didn’t want to forget any of it.
She came, eyes closed, hands gripping my biceps, squeezing hard enough to leave bruises. I followed her over the edge a moment later, burying my face against her neck to muffle my roar. I stayed there until she let go of my arms and reached her hands up to the back of my neck and threaded her fingers through my hair.
Something about that caused my gut to tighten, and a feeling so violently demanding and unexplainable filled me. It rushed at me, claiming my attention unlike it had been in a long time. It wasn’t just one feeling; it was many intertwined, but together they equalled one.
Mine.
Lily was mine, and I would do whatever the fuck it took to keep her.
Chapter Thirteen
King
I eyed Zane. “So, you’re telling me it was one of Romano’s guys who killed Jen?”
“No, I’m telling you we’ve traced a car caught on the surveillance the day of the murder, to him. On top of that, we can’t trace any of the other vehicles in the area to anyone of significance to you. There are a couple we can’t track at all, but if I had to give you an opinion, I’d put it at around 95 percent certainty it was Romano.”
I leaned back in my office chair and exhaled the breath that had been trapped inside me for weeks. It had to have been Romano.
Zane didn’t wait for a response before continuing. “As for Brant, he’s left Sydney, and as best we can make out, he’s back in Melbourne. We had a hit on his credit card there last night. Still can’t confirm if Ivy is with him or not.”
“Keep tracking him. Winter was supposed to head down there tomorrow. I’ll move that up, and he can go today.”
“Will do.”
After he left, I sat for a moment thinking about all the shit we’d been through over the last few weeks thanks to Romano. While we still had stuff to work through, a weight had lifted off my shoulders. Now we could direct all our efforts to dealing with the feds and then Gambarro. That motherfucker still had to be taken care of.
I exited the office and headed out to search for Hyde. He’d arrived back at the clubhouse about half an hour ago after helping Nitro take care of a cleaning job that had been called in early this morning. Business was almost back to normal on all fronts. We just had one thing left to deal with before club life could go back to normal.
I found Hyde in the kitchen with Scott. Glancing up at me, he said, “Just got a call about that meet with Black Deeds scheduled for Monday. They wanna push it to Thursday. You good with that?”
“Yeah, but let Zero know we won’t push it again.” Looking at Scott, I asked, “You boys pulling out tonight?”
He nodded. “We’ll leave around eight. You sure you don’t need us anymore?”
“Zane’s just advised me he believes Romano was behind the shit that went down, so yeah, I’m sure.” To Hyde, I said, “Let everyone know they can move their families home.”
“It’s about fucking time,” he said, echoing my thoughts. It really fucking was.
Leaving them, I made my way to Annika’s room. I figured she’d be in there trying to get the kids to have an afternoon nap. I was right. She looked at me as I pushed the half-open door all the way open, and put her finger to her lips in a silencing motion.
I jerked my chin at the hallway and she nodded, holding up a finger to let me know she needed a minute.
While I waited for her outside the room, a text came through.
Lily: It’s official, I’m going to prison.
Me: Why?
Lily: Zara’s boyfriend just gave me lip. I really am going to kill the little shit.
Me: I could have a word with him
Lily: To save me from prison?
Me: Yeah
Lily: You really like fucking me, huh?
Me: I like a lot fucking more than that
She didn’t come back straight away, and I took a moment allowing it to sink in just how fucking much I liked hearing from her in the middle of the day.
Lily: You like roast chicken?
Me: Yeah
Lily: I’m cooking it for dinner. You should come. 6pm.
Me: I’ll be there. Don’t commit murder before I see you
Annika stepped out into the hallway as I sent the last message. Closing the door softly behind her, she said, “What’s up? And why do you look all smiley?”
“What the fuck does all smiley mean?”
She pulled her head back, inspecting my face. Waving her finger at me, she said, “That look in your eyes. You might not actually be smiling with your mouth, but your eyes are.”
Another text sounded and I glanced down at my phone.
Lily: You should sleep over more often. I’m liking this side of you.
Lily: I mean, I know there would have to be some hot sex to go with that sleeping over, but jus
t sayin’ I’m down.
Lily: BTW you give good head. I’m always down for that.
Fuck.
Me: Stop texting me. I’m busy
Lily: I wish you were busy with me.
Lily: OK, OK, I’m stopping now. I’ll get you some more beer on the way home. Just let me know if you prefer something different to last night.
I shoved the phone back in my pocket and met Annika’s gaze.
She lifted her brows at me and crossed her arms. “Okay, brother, what gives? Who is this woman and when do I get to meet her?” When I didn’t answer her, she said, “It’s clearly a woman. The only other time in your life that I’ve seen you smile like this was when you were first dating Ivy. You may as well tell me before Skye figures it out. You know what she’s like when someone in the family is dating. I can save you from her if I’m prepared.”
She was right—Skylar had a way of forcing herself on the people we dated. I hadn’t been subjected to it for a long time, but I’d watched as she’d done it to Axe and Nik over the years. Skye was too much for some of the people they dated, but I had a feeling Lily would be okay with her.
“It’s Lily, Skye’s physio, so I think we’re good, Nik.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh my God, I never saw that coming.” She grinned. “I like it.”
Shifting the conversation back to what I came for, I said, “I came to let you know you can take the kids home.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really. I can take you when they wake up if you want.”
A smile spread out across her face. “This is the best news you could have given me. The department called me offering me some days, so I’ll be able to say yes.”
Annika was a primary school relief teacher. She’d taken time off when her dickhead ex-boyfriend had talked her into letting him support her. I’d argued with her over the wisdom of that, but she’d been so infatuated with him she hadn’t been able to see straight. That, and she had a burning desire to be at home for her kids, which I understood. In the end, he’d shown his abusive side and I’d gotten her out of that shit. What I couldn’t get her out of was her inability to find a job that worked in with her kids. I was fucking over the moon to hear the education department had called her.
“Let me know when you’re ready to go,” I said. “I’ll be around the clubhouse all afternoon.”
“Thank you,” she said, like I’d given her the world.
I shook my head. “Don’t thank me, Nik. I put you and the kids in this position, and I fucking hate that I had to.”
Her smile lingered. “You really need to stop giving yourself a hard time over stuff. It’s not like you intentionally cause bad things to happen.”
“No, but I’ve made my choices in life and now I have to live with them. And unfortunately, they affect you guys.”
She placed her hand on my arm. “We might bitch and grumble at you, but deep down we don’t mean it. You have always been there for us, and the shit you’ve done to help won’t ever be forgotten. That’s family, right? We get each other through the crap, regardless of any bad decisions we might make along the way. God knows you’ve stood by me through all the bad choices I’ve ever made. I love you, big brother.”
I took all that, letting it sit in me. She was right—that was what family did.
Reaching for her, I curved my hand around the back of her head and pulled her to me so I could press a kiss to her forehead. Letting her go, I said, “Yeah, Nik, that’s family.”
She shooed me away after that and I headed towards Skylar’s room to give her the good news. After that was Kree, but I knew I was in for an argument there, so I chose to visit her last.
Right before I made it to Skylar, another text hit my phone.
Lily: You didn’t let me know about the beer.
Me: There’s plenty still there. You don’t need to get more
She took a moment to reply.
Lily: Oh ok. I just thought I’d keep the fridge stocked for you, but that’s fine if you don’t want more.
In my experience, women only used the word fine when they were shitty about something.
Me: Are you pissed at me?
Lily: I’m fine.
Something was off here, so I called. Fucking texts did my head in.
“Hi,” she said, short with me.
“Have we got a problem?”
Silence for a beat. “No.”
“Lily, don’t fuck me around. What’s wrong?”
“I’m not fucking you around,” she said sharply. “There’s nothing wrong.”
I scrubbed my hand over my face. This was the shit I didn’t deal well with when it came to women. The not fucking understanding them or the bullshit that came out of their mouths. “You asked me if I wanted more beer. I didn’t. And then fuck me, you’re shitty about something. What gives?”
“I got the wrong impression, that’s all. Can we just drop this?”
“What fucking impression did you get that was wrong?”
She huffed out a breath. “God, King, why are you being so difficult? Just let it go. It doesn’t matter.”
“Something you need to learn about me right now is that I don’t ever let shit go. Start fucking talking so we can fix this.”
Silence again, and then she finally started talking. “Fine. I thought that you coming over last night and again tonight meant you’d be around more. That made me think you might like some beer in the fridge. And I know there are a few bottles still in there, but I wanted to stock up for you so you don’t run out.”
“Jesus, woman, I’m not seeing the fucking problem here.”
“Well clearly you don’t plan on coming over as often as I thought if you think there’s enough beer in the fridge, so now I feel like an idiot for even mentioning it, okay?”
Fucking hell, this woman.
“First, let’s get something very clear between us—I do plan on coming over a fucking lot. Do not read between lines or twist shit I say in your head or do any of that overthinking bullshit women do. I plan on being at your dinner table and on your couch and in your bed as often as possible. Second, I’ll bring my own fucking beer. I appreciate the fuck out of the shit you do for me, but I take care of you. You don’t take care of me. We clear?” When all I got was the sound of her breathing, I growled, “Lily, are we clear?”
“Yes, we’re clear, but just so you know, if I wanna buy you some beer, I’m gonna buy you some fucking beer.”
Jesus fuck.
“I’ll be over at six.”
“Okay.” This came out a lot fucking softer than everything else she’d said, and it hit me in the gut. Lily’s brand of sweet was everything I’d never had, but exactly what I fucking wanted.
Chapter Fourteen
Lily
It was funny how, in the blink of an eye, life changed, and then in another blink of an eye, it changed again, and although some bad stuff had happened in there, I was running around with a huge smile on my face. Even while ranting at my kids on a crazy Saturday morning. Only one week had passed since Brynn was shot, and yet, so much had happened.
“Why can’t you just let me make my own choices for once?” Zara yelled at me as we stood in my bedroom arguing over her spending the day with her boyfriend.
I was half-naked, wearing only my bra and panties since she’d barged in while I dressed. Story of my life. “Zara, you are fourteen and lately you haven’t been showing me you’re capable of making good decisions. On top of that, how do you expect me to handle the messages I read on your phone from Sam when you refuse to enter into a conversation with me about them? They don’t encourage me to allow you anywhere near him.”
She scowled. “I told you those were private. You shouldn’t have snooped.”
“Yeah well, I’m your mother, so expect me to snoop. And I don’t care what everyone else’s mother does, I’m not changing. I take parenting very seriously and will do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”
“Ugh,” s
he groaned, “you are so annoying! I just wish you could remember what it’s like to be my age.” With that, she stomped out of my bedroom, her shoes thudding all the way to her room before the sound of her door slamming rang in my ears.
Frustration and anger ran through me. Why were teenagers so damn difficult to deal with? I wasn’t convinced I would make it through to see her become an adult. I would probably drink myself into an early grave before then at the rate we were going.
I rummaged in my suitcase for something to wear. Thank God we were going home today. Living out of a suitcase at your mother’s home was only good for a very short time.
The bedroom door closed, causing me to jump. I’d been lost in my own little world, and the sound snapped me out of it. Turning, I found King standing at the door, watching me with that intense stare of his I loved. It stirred butterflies in my tummy and made me go weak at the knees.
He’d come for dinner last night, charmed my mother, and engaged my kids, all before fucking me for the second time that day and exhausting me completely. I’d woken this morning wrapped in his arms and legs again. King could swear all he liked that he didn’t cuddle, but the man freaking cuddled.
“I fixed the light in your mum’s bathroom, so you don’t need to worry about her falling over in there anymore. No fucking clue how she hasn’t fallen yet. That light was too dim for that room,” he said, making my heart speed up a little. He had no idea what it meant to me when he did little things like this for my family. Mum had made a casual remark over breakfast about the light and he’d taken it upon himself to go out and get a new bulb and change it.
I turned the T-shirt I held so it was the right way out to put on. As I lifted it to put it over my head, King closed the distance between us and stopped me. His nostrils flared as he dropped his eyes and ran them down my body. Holding my shirt in one hand, he placed his other one on my breast, sliding his thumb under the material of my bra, and stroking my skin. “You got the kids this afternoon?”