Karmen looked at Cora who nodded her head. “I hate to agree with him, but he’s right. What happened tonight was scary as hell, and you need to listen to Nickel.”
Cora popped Karmen’s bubble when she realized she wasn’t going to have Cora in her corner about this. “Fine, but remember that I don’t like this at all.” She opened the passenger door and slipped into the car, the whole while glaring daggers at me.
And she was back to being pissed off.
“You just can’t catch a break with her tonight,” Cora laughed. “At least she got in the front seat and not the back. If she had gotten in the back, I would have said you were really screwed.”
“You’re right about that,” I mumbled.
I rounded the car, moving to the driver’s side while Cora slid into the backseat.
Karmen didn’t talk the whole way back to the clubhouse, and Cora did like she always did and blended into the background.
I had expected Karmen to have a fun night out with her girls and then take her back to the clubhouse to have my way with her, but instead, she was pissed off at me, and I didn’t know how to get out of this one.
What a fucking night.
**********
Chapter 23
Karmen
I was in bed. Alone.
When we got back to the clubhouse, Cora had gone straight to her room, and Nickel had taken me to his and locked the door on the way out. He had spoken two words to me, and neither of them were words of endearment.
“Stay here,” he had grunted.
Stay. Here.
That was all I got from him after I had been almost kidnapped.
Granted, I hadn’t really acted like I needed anything more than that. I seriously was pissed off that Morski had even tried anything tonight because I had so many plans for Nickel after we got home, and now they were all ruined.
I had turned on the TV before I had fallen into bed and had Legally Blonde playing quietly while I plotted Morski’s demise. I knew neither Nickel, and certainly not Pipe, were going to let me help, but I could always daydream of Morski disappearing or being eaten by a bear. Nickel and the Fallen Lords taking care of him was high up on my list of things to happen to him. I liked Nickel and his friends on this side of the prison bars.
Nickel was surprised that I hadn’t freaked out, and honestly, I was surprised as hell too that I hadn’t broken down like Nikki. When Morski had let me go, all I wanted to do was go after him and demand to know why he thought I had to pay for something my dad had done. My life was finally something more than just existing, and now some douchebag was trying to take it away from me.
The door opened, and Nickel slipped into the room. “You’re still up?” he asked, surprised to see me sitting up in bed. I had turned off the overhead light, but I had the lamp on the nightstand on.
“Can’t sleep.”
“Adrenaline,” Nickel mumbled.
Not really. At least, I didn’t think it was. “Where were you?”
Nickel walked into the bathroom, ignoring my question, and I heard the water in the shower turn on. “You tired at all?” he called.
Obviously not at all since I was still up. “No.”
“Come keep me company in the shower.”
I tossed back the covers I had pulled over my lap and shuffled into the bathroom. I was just in time to watch the show of Nickel undressing. I leaned against the doorframe and crossed my arms over my chest. “Are you mad at me?” I really wasn’t sure what Nickel was feeling.
He shook his head and pulled his shirt off. “No. I figured you were the one who was pissed at me.”
I had been for a few minutes, but then my anger had shifted to Morski because he was the one who had caused the night to turn to crap. “Not at you.”
He discarded his boots, kicking them next to the toilet, then his pants hit the floor. “Who you mad at?”
“Morski.”
“Not me for siding with Pipe about taking Nikki home?”
Was it annoying that Nikki couldn’t come back to hang out with me? Yeah, but I understood why she went home too. “Not really. I’ll just see her at work tomorrow.”
“You gonna get in with me?”
“I already showered.” After Nickel had dumped me in his room, I had been a caged animal for a bit and had tried to shower to calm my nerves. It hadn’t really helped.
“Then help me shower.” He turned to look at me, and his fatigue was written all over his face. While I had been pissed at Morski for ruining my girls’ night, Nickel had been meeting with the club figuring out how to actually take care of the problem and not just daydream of him getting eaten by a bear.
“Need someone to wash your back?” I joked.
“I just need you.”
And that’s where it happened.
Nickel standing in his bathroom, the weight of the world weighing down on his shoulders, and all he wanted was me.
I was completely and totally in love with this man.
“Okay,” I whispered. I quickly shimmied out of my pajamas while Nickel took off his boxers and slipped into the shower.
The water was pouring over his head when I stepped into the shower. I grabbed the loofah I had left in the shower and squirted some of the manly body wash I had bought him. He had fought me on it at first, saying that men didn’t use body wash, but he still used it because I had bought it for him. I lathered the soap into the loofah then scooted closer to him.
“I almost lost you tonight, and I’ve barely had any time with you,” he confessed as I ran my hand and loofah over his back.
“I’m still here,” I whispered.
He bowed his head, and let the water run down his neck. He was stuck on the fact that he felt he hadn’t kept me safe, even though I was standing there with him in the shower.
I tossed the loofah on the floor and wrapped my arms around him. “I’m not going anywhere.”
He turned around, his arms circling me. “I love you, Karmen. I’m not going to wait any longer to tell you. I didn’t want to scare you by telling you, but honestly, I know I can’t go another day without telling you. I love you, baby girl.”
I stopped breathing.
He loved me.
I had the sense of panic, but I didn’t run. I couldn’t run from this man anymore. I licked my lips, trying to think of the right words to say. There weren’t any words more right than the ones that were on the tip of my tongue. “I love you, too. I’ve loved you since you called me baby girl.” I closed my eyes, afraid that I gave away too much. The last wall around my heart fell, and Nickel was the one who stood inside the rubble. I was his.
He crashed his lips down on mine. There wasn’t anything more to say or do than to just feel everything he was giving me.
His fingers delved into my hair, tugging my head back, and his lips traveled down my neck, scorching a trail of kisses. My hands traveled over his back, wanting to touch him everywhere but not knowing where to start.
“Goddamn, I love you so much,” he mumbled.
He pressed me against the wall and whispered in my ear, “Say it again.”
“I love you,” I gasped.
He growled low and nipped my earlobe. “How the hell did I get so lucky?”
I was the lucky one, but Nickel’s roaming hands robbed me of all thought.
His tongue touched my lips, and my mouth instantly opened, welcoming him. He kissed me deep and hard as I went up on my toes and pressed into his body.
Everything was different. It was like I was kissing him for the first time. Touching his bare skin for the first time. It was different because I was finally giving him all of me, and I was drowning in the fact that he loved me.
His mouth broke from mine, but he didn’t move far away. Our heavy breathing mingled, and I stared into his eyes. He dropped a kiss to my shoulder and stepped back. “You got two seconds to get out of here before I fuck you against the wall.”
It was a warning I could tell he thought I should
heed, but that wasn’t how I took it. Goosebumps sprung up on my skin, and I knew there wasn’t a chance in hell I was going to get out of this shower without Nickel.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and threaded my fingers through his hair. “You can’t get rid of me. Not with the threat of having your way with me. That’s a guaranteed way to make sure I’ll stay.”
His hands went to my ass, and he lifted me up. “You were fucking made for me.”
My legs wrapped around his waist, and my head snapped back as he pressed me against the wall and sunk into me. A shiver ran up my spine as he thrust deep and hard.
My moans mixed with his low grunts every time he slammed into me. I was in a slippery, slick fog with Nickel giving me exactly what I needed.
I arched my back, pressing against the wall. “Yes, please,” I pleaded, needing more. Nickel pounded into me, his eyes connected with mine. His bottom lip was clenched between his teeth, and this moment would forever be etched into my mind. Nickel Cunningham was mine, and nothing was going to take him away from me.
My orgasm slammed into me, and my legs instinctively tightened around Nickel. He groaned loud, my name ripped from his lips as he pumped his hips feverishly. He sealed his lips to mine, his tongue mimicking the thrust of his hips. I moaned into his mouth as he thrust one last time, and he filled my pussy with his cum.
He buried his face in my neck, his breathing heavy and labored. “Son of bitch,” he gasped. He lifted me from the wall, my arms wrapped around his neck, and he managed to turn the water off with his foot and step from the shower.
I shakily stood, a shiver running through my body. Nickel grabbed one of the new fluffy towels I had bought and wrapped it around my shoulders. “Dry off, do whatever you need to with your hair, then meet me in bed. No clothes,” he ordered.
Nickel grabbed another towel, dried my hair, then quickly toweled himself off. “Two minutes,” he warned as he walked out of the bathroom.
I stood there, not knowing what to do next. What does one do when their life finally lines up the way it should and everything feels right even if you have some crazy guy after you trying to kill you?
You dry your hair and crawl into bed with the man who was going to make everything right.
Sans clothes.
**********
Chapter 24
Nickel
Two weeks.
It had been two fucking weeks, and Morski had ghosted again. Once he had left that bar, we couldn’t even figure out which way he went down the damn street.
The whole club was on guard not knowing when or where he would appear again. Handel was still in solitary, but Wrecker had been able to get word to him that Karmen was being taken care of by the club. I’m sure Handel was scratching his head trying to figure out how his sweet, straight-laced daughter had gotten tangled up with the Fallen Lords.
Karmen had stopped complaining about not being able to leave the club alone, but I knew she just wanted this to be over.
“Hey, what are you doing up?”
I looked over at the bed and saw Karmen up on one elbow, rubbing her eye with the back of her hand. “Can’t sleep.”
She fell back into the pillows and laughed. “You can’t sleep, and I can’t seem to keep my eyes open anymore.”
“Just go back to sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up.”
She lifted her arm in the air and pointed down at the bed. “But I’d rather you be right here. I can’t sleep when you aren’t in bed with me.”
I glanced at the clock next to her. “I’ve been out of bed for two hours, baby girl.”
She grumbled and sat up. Her arm covered her bare chest, and her hair was all over the place. “Well, it took me a bit to realize you weren’t in bed, but when I did, I woke up.”
“Can’t argue with that logic,” I laughed.
“Are you coming back to bed or not? Because if you aren’t, then I’m going to have to stay awake, and then I’m just going to be grumpy all day because I don’t deal well without sleep and then Nikki is going to call you to yell at you for not letting me get enough sleep because you weren’t sleeping with me.”
“That was a mouthful.”
She blew her hair out of her face. “You have no idea. I’m surprised that even made sense coming out of my mouth.”
This was the only good thing that had come out of the whole Morski situation. Karmen finally felt comfortable to be herself, and that included telling me whatever she was thinking, whether it was crazy or even didn’t make sense. “Tell me you love me.” This is what she had done to me. While she was more free and open, I craved to hear her say three little words that calmed me and righted my world.
“Only if you get back into bed with me.”
“I can’t sleep.”
She pouted out her bottom lip. “I’ll tell you a bedtime story. I promise it’ll be a good one.” She patted the bed next to her, and my body instantly moved toward her. I couldn’t say no to this woman.
**********
Karmen
Nickel climbed into bed next to me and pulled me into his arms. “This better be a good story with either sex or fighting in it,” he rumbled.
Ha, there wasn’t any fighting in it, but it had to do with sex, kind of. “I’ll try my best to make it entertaining for you.” I smothered a yawn and rested my head on his shoulder.
”Why don’t you sleep, and we’ll continue story time in the morning.”
I shook my head and looked up at him. This was one story he was going to want to hear. I was nervous as hell, but I had been trying to find the right time to tell him what I suspected, and I wasn’t going to let this chance pass me by. “I’m good. At least for a few minutes.”
He grabbed my abandoned pillow and shoved it under his head. “Hit me with it, woman.”
I cleared my throat and plowed forward. “Once upon a time, there lived a prince who drove a magical steed with a powerful engine and super loud pipes.”
Nickel’s smirk and rumble came out. “Sounds like my kind of dude.”
I smiled and rested my hand on his chest. “He was the best kind of dude. He knew what he wanted and wouldn’t let anyone stand in his way. One day, he met the woman who was taking care of his grandmother while she was sick. The prince was instantly taken with the woman, but he was too afraid to talk to her because he felt the nurse was much too gorgeous for him.” Hey, this was my story to tell.
Nickel chuckled. “I can’t believe you’re actually doing this,” he mumbled.
I patted him on the chest. “Shh, you are going to love the ending,” I promised. His shoulder shook beneath me as he smiled down at me. “So, anyway, this badass prince finally got the nerve up to talk to the nurse after months of watching her. The prince finds out there is a bad man after the nurse and decides he’s going to do everything he can to keep her safe. So, he whisks her off to his fortress to hide her away ‘til he can capture the bad guy.”
“Probably be better if he kills the guy,” Nickel interrupted.
“Hey, this is my story. If you think you can do better, you can try after I’m done. So, all the while the prince has the nurse locked in his room, he falls in love with her and has wild monkey sex with her all the time.” I wiggled my eyebrows, and Nickel busted out laughing. “So, while the prince was waiting for the bad man to show his face and having wild monkey sex, something magical was happening that he didn’t even know.”
Nickel looked down at me a quirked his eyebrow. “Is this where the twist comes in that all stories need?”
I nodded my head yes. “So, while the nurse worked during the day and kept the prince company at night, she grew more and more tired and started to feel sick.” Nickel’s body tensed underneath me. “The nurse snuck into the bathroom one night and found out after peeing on a magical stick and her hand—totally gross by the way—she found out she was growing her own little prince or princess.”
Nickel lurched up, taking me with him. He spun me around until I was
straddling his lap and placed his hands on my stomach. “What the hell?” he muttered.
Not exactly the response I had expected, but he at least didn’t tell me to get out. “Wait until I tell our kid when they grow up that the first words out of your mouth when you found out I was pregnant were, ‘what the hell.’”
He looked up at me and shook his head. “Fuck.”
“Even better,” I laugh.
“What? No. Woman, I have no idea what to say. You’re having my baby?” His voice cracked, and my eyes watered.
I tried to swallow around the lump in my throat. “I haven’t gone to the doctor yet, but yes.”
“I’m coming with you to the doctors. We need to make sure he’s okay. We should go right now. We can’t be too careful.” Nickel lifted me into his arms and rolled us off the bed.
I glanced over his shoulder and saw that it was only half past four. “Outlaw, it’s only four thirty, and I’m not that far along. I should be okay until I make a doctor’s appointment in the morning.”
He stopped walking and looked down at my stomach between us. “How far along are you? How long have you known? You had wine the other night.”
I giggled and hooked my fingers under his chin to tilt his head back. “I’m not sure exactly how far along I am, but it’s probably around a month.”
“Shit, Karmen. You’ve been drinking. Hell, you had that night out with the girls where you were drinking.” Nickel looked around panicked. “We need to get you to the doctor right now.”
“What? Are you crazy? Put me down and get a grip, Nickel.”
He stalked toward the door and shook his head. “No, not happening. Not until I know that you and the baby are okay.”
“Ah!” I cried.
Nickel instantly set me down on the ground and got down on his knees in front of me. “Are you okay?” he asked my stomach.
Jesus. If this was any indication on how Nickel was going to be the next nine months, he was going to drive me insane. I put my hands on his shoulders. “I’m fine, the baby is fine, we’re all fine. I think you need to take a breath for a second.” I needed to take one, too.
Fallen Lords MC: Books 1-3 Page 17