by Wilder, L.
When we pulled up to the clubhouse, it was nearly three in the morning. We were all exhausted and ready to call it a day. Before we went inside, Gus called us all over to him and said, “You boys did good tonight. I wish Runt and Lowball would’ve been here to see it, but I know they were here in spirit. Tomorrow starts a new day. Lockdown is over, but we’re not out of the woods just yet. Stay alert. I want you to keep your eyes and ears open in case there is blowback from all of this. As of now, we don’t know much about these Culebra motherfuckers, and there could be more of them … lots more.”
My blood ran cold at the thought. With everything happening so fast, we hadn’t had the time to gather the intel that we normally would. Concerned, I asked, “And if there are?”
“Then, we’ll need to be ready for them to retaliate. Before we worry about that, we’ll need Riggs to do some digging—lots of digging. For now, take the next few hours to re-coup, and then, I want us working to get the garage and diner back open, and we’ll need to plan a memorial run and cookout for our boys this weekend.”
“Ready whenever you are, Prez. Just say the word,” T-Bone assured him.
“Get some rest, boys.”
As the others started to disperse, I heard Riggs ask Gus, “What are we gonna do about the kid?”
“I’m sure we can find someone to take her in,” Gus grumbled.
Moose shook his head as he said, “Louise has someone that’ll take her.”
“Who?”
“One of the waitresses at the diner. A real sweet girl. She and her husband have been trying to have kids for years and haven’t had any luck. Poor thing’s been working double shifts for months just so she can cover the costs of adoption. They’ll take good care of the baby.”
“You think she’ll keep quiet?”
“No doubt. Besides, we’ve got Riggs. He can make anything look legit.”
“Then make it happen, and tell Louise that we’ll do whatever we can to help them out.”
“Got it.”
I hated to bring it up, but it was a question that needed to be asked. “And Terry?”
Riggs looked at me with a grimace. “Shadow put that dude through hell. Maybe we should consider giving him a second chance.”
“Fuck no. He was there the night we took out Johnny. He knew the consequences for fucking with the club,” Gus growled. “There’ll be no more chances for Terry Dillion. I’ll have T-Bone and a couple of the prospects take care of him in the morning. Too fucking tired to deal with that shit tonight.”
“Understood.”
Once we were done talking, I followed Riggs inside and then headed straight to my room for a hot shower. After I threw on a pair of sweats, I started to get in my bed, but stopped. The thought of climbing into it alone just didn’t appeal to me—not when Kenadee was just down the hall. Without a second thought, I headed towards her room. I was so intent on lying in the bed next to her that I didn’t even feel guilty when I picked the lock and slipped into her room without knocking. Just being in the same room with her set my entire body at ease, and the tension I’d been carrying with me through the night quickly started to fade. I carefully lowered myself onto her bed, trying my best not to wake her as I lay down next to her, inhaling her scent as I draped my arm across her waist.
I lay there for several moments, just listening to the soothing sound of her breathing, and I thought she was still asleep until I heard her whisper, “Sawyer?”
I kissed her lightly on the shoulder. “It’s late. Go back to sleep.”
“Is everything okay?”
“More than okay.” I paused for a moment, then told her, “Looks like you’ll get to sleep in your own bed tomorrow night.”
“What?”
“The lockdown’s over. You get to go home.”
I didn’t miss the hint of disappointment in her voice, when she muttered, “Oh.”
“You can always change your mind about coming back to my place.”
“I know.”
Wishing she would, I ran my hand along her hip. “Now, get some sleep.”
She slowly inched her hips back, gently pressing her ass against my cock as she whispered seductively, “What if I don’t want to go back to sleep?”
“You’re not tired, wildcat?” I asked as my hand trailed down her abdomen and slipped beneath her lace panties.
“No. I’m not tired at all,” she whimpered as my fingers slipped between her legs. Her ass slid back against my growing erection, and I groaned in response. With one simple move, she’d made me want her even more. There were no limits to my desire for her. She was everything I’d ever wanted, and I didn’t even realize it until she was in my arms. I slid my fingertips inside her, and the blood rushed to my cock when I found she was already soaked. I’d just begun to stroke her when she moaned, “Oh god, Sawyer!”
The sound of my name from her lips spurred me on, and I couldn’t wait a moment longer to be inside her. Before she could protest, I withdrew my fingers and quickly lowered her panties down her long, lean legs. Once I’d removed my sweats, I dropped my hands to her hips, pulling her ass against me. Instinctively, her legs spread wide for me, giving me complete access as I placed myself at her center. A sense of contentment washed over me when her back arched against me as I drove inside her. She was so fucking tight, and just being inside her made me forget about the craziness of the night. Like all the times before, when she was in my arms, there was no one else. Just her.
“You drive me crazy, wildcat. Never wanted anything like I want you,” I growled as my fingers dug into her hips.
I drove into her again and again, fucking her deep and hard. A fevered moan vibrated through her as she started to grind against me, taking more of me with every shift of her hips. Knowing what she needed, I slid my hand from her hip down between her legs, and her breath quickened when I reached her clit. Pleasured cries echoed through the room when I began to stroke her with a tormenting rhythm, and it wasn’t long before I could feel her muscles contracting all around me as she pleaded, “Don’t stop!”
She felt so damn good, so fucking perfect, and she was mine. Her body started to tremble around me, urging me on as I relentlessly drove inside, over and over, until at last, she let out a tortured groan and clamped down around me. There was no better feeling in the world, and I felt my release building as the muscles in my abdomen and legs grew taut. With one final thrust, I pulled her to me and came deep inside her, growling with complete and utter gratification.
Neither of us moved. We just lay there nestled close together as our breaths started to slow. She reached for my hand, and as she laced her fingers through mine, she tucked my arm under her in a tender embrace. “Sawyer?”
“Um-hmm?”
“Don’t let me go.”
“You want to tell me what you’re talking about?”
“When I go home, don’t let that be the end of this,” she replied softly.
“Again, you could change your mind about coming back to my place.” I teased.
“I’m being serious, Sawyer.” She sighed. “I want this, and I’m just afraid that you’ll give up on me or something.”
“No way that’s gonna happen, baby.” I trailed kisses along her shoulder. “I probably shouldn’t tell you this … but I’ve got this plan. I’m not going to tell you all the details of this said plan, but I will say, I’m thinking this plan might just help me reach my goal.”
“You must be really sleepy, because you’re not making any sense.”
“Let me put it like this … the sooner I get you in my house and in my bed, the better.”
“I like the sound of that.”
“Good. So, you want to move in tomorrow?” I poked.
“Sawyer.”
“I know. I know.” I chucked. “Since you’re heading home, there’s something I need to tell you about Robyn.”
“Robyn?” she asked with surprise.
“Yeah. You know she and Runt had a bit of a thing going.”
“There wasn’t that much to it. They went out that one night after they met at the diner, and she drank way too much. Nothing really happened.”
“Yeah, well. It didn’t exactly end there.”
“What are you talking about?” she shrieked as she broke our embrace and rolled over to face me.
The news obviously took her by surprise and I didn’t want to create a rift between them, but considering the situation, Kenadee needed to know. “It didn’t end that night. They’d been calling and texting, and he even went over to your apartment a couple of times while you were sleeping or when you were out with me.”
“Why didn’t Robyn tell me that?”
“Hell, if I know. Runt didn’t get it either. Actually, it kind of bothered him that they were sneaking around.” I snickered. “Especially after our night out.”
With her back flat on the mattress, she looked up at the ceiling and mumbled, “That little hooker!”
“The only reason I’m even bringing it up is she might ask about him or something. You can’t tell her he was killed at the diner. His death wasn’t reported to the cops, and she’d ask questions about why he hadn’t gone to the hospital, just like you did. We don’t need those kinds of questions. You can say he got called away on a job or you can tell her he was killed in an accident when he was on a run for the club. That’s your call.”
“Neither one of those are exactly great options.”
“Nope, but they’re all you’ve got.”
Her head rolled to the side as she turned to look at me with tired eyes. “Gee, thanks.”
“Just doing what I can to help.” I slipped my arm around her waist and pulled her back over to me, snuggling her close. “Got a big day tomorrow. You’re gonna need your sleep.”
“Okay.” Her body grew still for a moment, and then she whispered, “Sawyer?”
“Yeah?”
“Goodnight.”
I had a feeling she was going to say something else, but since it was late, I didn’t push. Instead, I kissed her shoulder. “Goodnight, wildcat.”
CHAPTER 22
Kenadee
I just wanted to spend the morning wrapped in Sawyer’s arms, revel in the warmth of his body next to mine, but that just wasn’t an option. He needed to help Kevin and his parents get packed up, and I needed to get back to work. Neither of us were exactly thrilled about getting out of that bed. We both knew it would be a while before we had a moment alone together, so we made use of the time we had and made love one last time before he headed out to find his folks. Once he was gone, I took a shower, and after I’d gotten dressed, I started to gather up what few belongings I had that were actually mine. I put everything Sadie had given me in a basket, including the clothes, and placed it on the dresser. I wrote her a quick note and thanked her for letting me borrow them and left it on top of the stack. Once I was done, I went to see if Sawyer was ready to run me over to my apartment.
When I started down to his room, I ran into Riggs. “Hey, doll. You looking for Blaze?”
“Yeah. Have you seen him?”
“He’s just down the hall with his folks. I think he’s helping them load their car.”
“Okay. Thanks, Riggs.”
When I turned to leave, he said, “Hey, Kenadee?”
“Yes?”
“Just wanted to thank you for all you did to help us out. If you ever need anything, and I mean anything, you just let me know,” he told me with sincerity in his voice.
“Thanks, Riggs. I appreciate that.”
“You take care of my boy, Blaze,” he teased. “He’s a good one. He deserves a good woman like you.”
As he started walking away, I called, “Bye, Riggs. You take care of yourself.”
“Plan on it.”
When I got down to Sawyer’s parents’ room, the door was wide open, so I stuck my head in to see if anyone was around. I was surprised to see that the room was empty, and all of their things were already packed and gone. I’d just turned to leave when I heard Janice call out my name. “Kenadee?”
I turned around and found her coming out of the bathroom with a small cosmetics bag. “Hey. I was starting to think you’d already gone.”
“Not just yet, but we’re getting close,” she replied with a twinge of excitement. “Are you looking for Sawyer?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“He just took some of our things out to the car with Dan and Kevin. They’ll be right back.” A strange look crossed her face as she started to walk over to me and said, “I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed our morning together the other day. I think you’re a very special young lady.”
I smiled as I replied, “Thank you, Mrs. Mathews. I enjoyed it, too. Hopefully, we can do it again sometime.”
“I really hope you mean that.” She placed her hand on my shoulder. “Sawyer is very fond of you.”
“And I’m very fond of him.”
“I’ve always said it was going to take a strong woman to show him what it is to really love someone. I think he found that with you.” A hopeful expression crossed her face as she continued, “I hope you found the same in him.”
Just as I was about to respond, Sawyer came up behind us and asked, “What’s the hold up, ladies? We need to get moving.”
“I was just telling Kenadee that I hoped that I would be seeing her again soon.” She stepped over and gave me a quick hug. “Real soon.”
“I’m sure it won’t be too long,” I assured her. “Be sure to tell Dan and Kevin that I said goodbye.”
“I sure will.” As she started walking towards the door, she looked over to Sawyer and said, “I’ll see you back at the house later tonight.”
Once she was gone, I helped Sawyer gather up the last of his things, and then we headed out to his bike. The ride to my apartment was bitter-sweet. While I was thrilled to have my freedom back, I wasn’t looking forward to saying goodbye to Sawyer. I knew it wasn’t going to be forever. I knew in my heart that my future was with him. I’d just have to be patient and make sure we were both ready before jumping in with both feet. If our love was as strong as I truly believed it was, then spending a little time getting to know one another better would only make what we shared even better.
When he pulled up to the curb, he turned off the engine and helped me off the bike. As I handed him my helmet, he said, “I’ll be here at seven thirty to pick you up for dinner.”
“For what?”
“You said we needed to date, so that’s what we’re gonna do.” He smirked. “Dinner tonight at seven thirty.”
“Oh, okay.”
“Need your mouth, wildcat,” he growled as he pulled me over to him and pressed his lips against mine. There was no better feeling than being kissed by the incredibly sexy, Sawyer Mathews. In a matter of seconds, he had every hormone in my body raging, and I was practically panting as his hand drifted down past my hip. He gave my ass a firm squeeze before releasing me from our embrace. “I’ll see you at seven-thirty.”
“Looking forward to it.”
I was practically skipping as I headed upstairs, and when I walked into the apartment, I was surprised to find Robyn sound asleep on the sofa. Trying my best not to wake her, I stepped inside, carefully closing the door behind me, and just as I was about to turn to go to my room, I tripped over several boxes that were scattered on the floor. The commotion startled Robyn, causing her to shoot up off the sofa with a shriek. “Shit, Kenadee! You scared the crap out of me.”
“Sorry about that. I was trying not to wake you.” I used my foot to scoot the takeout boxes out of the way as I asked, “What is all this?”
“They’re mine. I just haven’t gotten around to picking them up.” She dropped back down on the sofa with a pitiful looking pout. “How was your trip?”
“My trip was fine.” Clearly something was up with her, so I walked over and sat down next to her on the sofa. “What’s going on with you?”
“I’m just in a funk. It’ll pass.”
To say that she was in a funk was the understatement of the year. The apartment was a total wreck and smelled like dirty socks. Her greasy hair was on top of her head, and there were stains on her shirt, making her look like she hadn’t showered in days, and from the dark circles under her eyes, it looked like she hadn’t been sleeping. There was definitely something wrong, which made me wonder if Sawyer had been right about her relationship with Runt. Maybe she really had been seeing him, and the fact that he had suddenly disappeared was making her a little off balance. “This seems like it’s more than just a funk, Robyn. Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’ve just had a rough couple of days.” She feigned a smile. “Now that you’re home, I’ll be back to my old self in no time.”
For reasons I didn’t understand, she simply wouldn’t open up to me. There was no way for me to know for certain if Runt truly was her reason for being so upset or if it was something else altogether. Either way, I couldn’t keep his death a secret from her, so I said, “I’ve got some news I need to tell you.”
“Oh, man. I don’t like the sound of that.”
“You’re right. It’s not exactly good news.” I let out a deep breath before I asked, “You remember Runt, the guy from…”
“Yes, Dee. I remember Runt. What about him?”
“He died the other night.” I waited for a moment, giving her a chance to comprehend what I’d just said, and my heart ached for her when I noticed the tears trickling down her cheek. I hated lying to her, but like Sawyer told me, I didn’t have a choice. “He had an accident on his bike when he was heading back to the clubhouse.”
“What are you talking about?” her voice trembled.
“Honey, he’s gone.”
She dropped her head into her hands and started to weep. Through the muffle of her sobbing, she muttered, “I couldn’t figure out what happened to him.”
“What do you mean?”
With tears steadily streaming down her face, she looked up at me and said, “He called me at work and said that he was coming to get me. He said there was something going on with the club, and he wanted me to stay with him at the clubhouse until the dust settled.”