“Yeah, tell me something I don’t know,” she snorts.
“You can’t stay here, Clee.”
“Pretty sure it’s not your call where I live,” she says, like a smart ass. I want nothing more than to shove my dick between those smart lips—show her how I tolerate smart ass women.
“I’m not fucking with you, Cleo. This shit that I’m dealing with is not a fucking joke. I’m about five minutes from carrying you outta here, putting you on the back of my bike, and taking you to my place to keep you safe,” I grind out.
“So you’d kidnap me. And how is that safer than some unknown thing that probably isn’t even going to affect me?” she asks, arching a brow.
I stand up and walk toward her, wrapping one hand around the side of her neck and the other at her waist, tugging her against my chest before I dip my chin slightly to look into her pretty, light brown eyes. Goddamn, she smells so fucking good. I can’t even fight my cock from going completely hard. Her smell, her softness pressed against me, it’s impossible.
“If I gotta kidnap your smartass mouth to keep you safe, I will. These fucks will do a lot worse than kidnap you, Clee. They’ll take you, keep you, fuck you, and sell you. That something you want to leave to chance?” I ask, squeezing the side of her neck gently. I watch as her eyes widen, surprise marring her features.
“What on earth are you involved in, Pax?” she whispers. It’s like a goddamn punch to my gut.
Pax.
I haven’t been called that in years—eleven years—not since the day I left her.
“Not me bein’ involved with them, sweetheart. They want control over my club, and they’re willing to try to take that in ways that are… unsavory,” I murmur, my thumb tracing her big, full lips.
“Pax, baby,” she whispers.
Fuck, my cock goes rock hard as her eyes search mine. I lean down slightly and press my lips to hers. Inhaling her sweet scent, feeling her warm lips against mine as I press my hand against her back a little harder, bringing her even closer to me.
“Not lettin’ a fuckin’ thing touch you, Cleo,” I murmur after I pull my lips away from hers slightly.
We stay silent for a beat, and then her body stiffens. That’s when I know that she’s putting her defenses back up. I don’t blame her a bit, but having her sweetness in my arms again, fuck it was better than I remembered. She takes a step back, and I let her, allowing my hands to fall away from her.
“You need to go,” she grinds out.
“I’m not fuckin’ with you, Cleo. This shit is dangerous, and I’m worried they’ll come after you,” I inform her. She’s not listening. I can tell by the pissed off look in her eyes.
“I’ve been just fine for eleven years. I’ll be fine for eleven more without you,” she says, lifting her chin slightly as she delivers her blow. A blow I wholeheartedly deserve.
“Know you’re pissed, sweetheart, and you have every fuckin’ right—but you have to put that shit to the side and listen to what I’m telling you. This is no fuckin’ joke,” I practically plead to her.
“If I have any problems, I’ll call Lisandro,” she says.
My eyes narrow as I ask, “Who the fuck is Lisandro?”
“None of your business,” she says, adding a little grin.
“Cleo,” I snap.
“Seriously, none of your business, Paxton. I’ll keep an eye out, like you said. I’ll watch out for suspicious things, and I’ll call Lisandro if I need help,” she retorts, a little too brightly.
“We ain’t done talking,” I say, pointing at her.
“No, I do want to talk, but we can do that when I have divorce papers drawn up that you can sign.”
I feel my stomach drop and my eyes widen slightly at her words. Divorce papers. I hadn’t thought about that.
Divorce.
The word is ugly, though it’s not as if I hadn’t thought of it over the past decade. I have. However, right now, it doesn’t feel right. There’s something here between us, and no way in fuck am I going to walk away just yet.
Once The Cartel is handled, then maybe it’s something we can discuss; but for some reason, it definitely doesn’t feel right.
“No divorce, Cleo,” I growl. Her eyes widen.
“Paxton, you can’t be serious. Why not?” she practically screeches, her voice hitching up higher.
“’Cause,” I shrug, taking another step toward her.
Cleo backs up with each step I take until her back hits the wall. I cage her in, one hand wrapped around the side of her small waist, the other at the side of her head, my fingers buried in her soft as fuck red hair. She breathes heavily, and I can’t help the smile that tips my lips. I know it’s me, my proximity to her, that makes her that way.
CLEO
He’s so close to me, I can smell him. He doesn’t smell like he did all those years ago. I can still remember how he smelled like dirt, spice, and just him.
Now, there are hints of oil and leather mixed with his scent, and I wouldn’t have ever thought it was possible, but he smells better than he ever has.
I’m trying to stay still, caged in his arms as I tell myself to breathe, his eyes stormy blue and looking right at mine. Dammit, he’s still so gorgeous that he renders me speechless and stupid.
Nothing has changed.
I’m still this shy girl when I’m near him. He’s always owned me and had control over me, just with one look.
“You need to leave,” I whisper.
“Sweetheart, my innocent girl,” he rasps. It makes my knees shake.
Sweetheart. I’d almost forgotten the way he would whisper that to me, when he was deep inside of me—the week I had him, that is. I should have cherished it more, knowing he was going to take it all away in a heartbeat. I should have committed it to memory better, instead of the haziness I’m stuck with now.
“I’m not,” I whisper.
“Yeah, baby, you are. My Clee, so shy, so innocent, my sweetheart,” he mutters pressing his hard length against my stomach.
“I’m thirty years old, Paxton,” I say lamely.
“Yeah, baby, I know how old you are. Doesn’t make you less innocent; less shy,” he chuckles. I grind my teeth together in annoyance. “You can’t deny it, so don’t even try.”
Paxton’s lips touch mine again and for whatever asinine reason, I don’t push him away. Rather, I stupidly open for him. When his tongue touches my lips, then swipes inside of my mouth, I can’t stop myself from grabbing his t-shirt with my fingers and holding onto him with a moan.
He tastes better than he smells, and he’s so good at this, kissing, making me feel absolutely beautiful in his arms. I’d forgotten it all. I thought I’d remembered how he felt. I was wrong. Nothing prepared me for the wave of emotions the second his tongue slid inside of my mouth.
Pulling away from me slightly, he rests his forehead against mine, and we both breathe heavily, our chests rising and falling a few times before he speaks, his voice soft and gentle.
“Sweetheart, I missed you,” he whispers.
I close my eyes for a moment, trying to keep my tears at bay. These words, I’ve wanted them, I’ve wished for them, and I’ve prayed for them. They’re here now, mine for the taking, but they aren’t as sweet as I’d hoped they’d be. Instead, they’re marred by the years of pain between us. It’s been too long. Eleven years too long.
“Leave, now,” I urge softly.
“You don’t mean that, baby,” he says, his voice still gentle.
“I do. You need to leave, now,” I state a little firmer. He takes a step back from me, and I force myself to release my hold on his shirt. His eyes scan my face and he nods.
“Not gonna be gone for long, Clee; and I ain’t far. You feel uncomfortable at all, call me. You want to talk to me, call me. You need me for whatever reason, call me,” his last words end on an urging type tone, but I can do nothing but nod.
I step aside from the door and watch him walk away from me. I lock the door and th
en I bring my fingertips up to my lips and touch them. They’re slightly swollen from his kiss, and I can’t tear my eyes away from the door.
Paxton Hill is going to obliterate me.
I can’t let that happen, not again.
True, I’m not the sweet eighteen-year-old I once was, the overly trusting innocent child. But that doesn’t mean that I’ve changed all that much.
I’m still, as he pegged me, very innocent in a lot of ways. I haven’t been in a lot of relationships. I have one best friend, and Paxton was the great love of my life.
I haven’t lived a lot, nor have I loved a lot. He knows how to talk to me, how to play me, and I refuse to allow that this time. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to stop it. Deep down, I want it, and I want him.
I still want my husband.
Chapter Five
CLEO
I pull my car into the same parking spot that I always park in—every day for the last ten years. I’m not big on change, obviously, and the same goes for my general habits.
It’s Tuesday, and it’s seven-thirty in the morning. I arrive at the office at seven-thirty so that I have adequate time to prepare for the arrival of my boss, Stephenson Voight.
Although, I was only allowed to call him Stephenson while he was fucking me. The next day, it was back to Mr. Voight, and has been for years. It doesn’t bother me, though. I’d rather be detached from him. It makes my colossal mistake of allowing him inside of me to burn a little less.
When I arrive upstairs at my desk, I let out a surprised squeak when I see Mr. Garcia sitting in my chair.
“C-Can I help you, Mr. Garcia?” I ask, furrowing my brow in confusion.
“You’re a very pretty girl, Cleo. Voight has enlightened me that you’re also a very single girl,” he rumbles. “That’s not the case exactly though, is it?” he asks.
Alarm bells ring in my head. Is this what Paxton was talking about? I start to panic, my breathing coming faster and faster.
“Don’t be scared. I actually wanted to know if you were single because I found you quite alluring, but I looked into you, and you’re married,” he grunts, narrowing his eye at me.
“My husband and I are estranged,” I whisper, trying my hardest to calm down.
“Then it would do me great honor if you would accompany me to dinner Friday evening,” he says with a flourish of his hand.
Honestly, I want to tell him no. Aside from the fact that he’s old enough to be my father, he scares the heck out of me. He’s meeting with a criminal defense attorney, which means he’s possibly done something very bad. I don’t need that.
I’ve got Paxton, who is obviously not hanging around at churches and helping nuns cross the street to get to mass on time. The last thing I need is another trouble making man in my midst.
“Sure, that sounds just lovely,” I say, hoping he’ll scurry on out of here so that I can call Lisandro and panic like the scardy cat that I am.
“I’ll pick you up around eight,” he murmurs. With a wink, he walks away from me.
I reach for my phone but then decide to sit down after he’s left.
“This is all a big coincidence. It’s not as if he’s the first client that’s ever asked me out. I can’t believe I let Pax get to me, and that I said yes to Mr. Garcia. This is all so silly,” I whisper to myself.
Mr. Voight walks in five minutes later, and I’m so busy throughout the day, even working through my lunch, that I don’t even think about calling Lisandro. I definitely don’t think about calling Paxton. It’s all just a silly coincidence, I decide.
Yeah.
That’s it.
A complete and total coincidence.
The parking lot is absolutely empty, save for my shitty maroon car, when it’s time for me to leave the office. I’m usually not this late, but there were some important court documents that had to be prepared tonight so that first thing in the morning Mr. Voight could send them out to be filed.
Now it’s late, really late, and I’m all alone in a deserted parking lot, in an area that is sparsely populated in the evenings. I fumble with my key, trying to hurry and get it into my lock, pissed off at myself for not having a car with automatic entry.
Once the door is unlocked, I yank it open and slide inside of the driver’s seat, locking myself inside with a long exhale.
Starting my engine, I switch on my headlights and gasp. An expensive, black sedan is parked directly across the lot from me.
The windows are too dark to see if there’s a shadow, indicating that there’s someone inside. Nevertheless, I get a foreboding feeling, as though I’m being watched. It sends a chill up my spine.
I decide to drive home. I should go somewhere else, in case this person is following me, but I don’t. Though, I keep my one eye on my rearview mirror and another on the road. It doesn’t appear as though the sedan is following me, but now I’m more than a little freaked out.
Now, I’m flat out scared.
Once I’m home, I turn on all of my lights, after locking myself inside, and I try to breathe. It’s time to call Lisandro.
“Did that fucker show up again?” he growls into the phone.
“Not tonight,” I whisper.
“Clee, what’s happened?” he asks, his voice dipping a little lower in obvious concern.
I take a deep breath and then I tell him everything. I tell him about The Cartel, Paxton’s warnings and then seeing that car, more than once.
“It’s all a coincidence, right?” I ask on a whisper.
“Theo and I will be there as soon as we can, pack a small bag, leave everything else in your place,” he says. I can hear rustling around.
“You’re overreacting,” I cry out.
“Nope. Paxton said some shit, and maybe it was just that—shit. But sweetie pie, he also mentioned a scary as shit group, and that they could know who you are; and for whatever crazy reasons, could try to get to him through you. Now, I’m not having that shit. I’m not going to let that crazy as hell group take you away from me. Not when I haven’t meddled in your life nearly enough to get you to be blissfully happy.”
“Lis, it’s fine. I’m fine. I don’t even know what I believe from Pax,” I say, shaking my head.
“Don’t care if it’s all bullshit, I’m not willing to take that chance,” he cries. A second later, Theo is on the line.
“He’s a Devil. That’s what you told Andro?” Theo asks, his voice deep.
“Yeah, that’s what he told me, and that’s what a patch on his vest said,” I confirm.
“That’s a motorcycle gang, Clee. Notorious Devils. They’re famous, and they’re dangerous as shit. He says The Cartel could be after you to get to him, then they probably are. We’re comin’ to get you.”
My phone goes dead, and I look down to see that he’s hung up on me. I glance around my crappy little apartment with wide eyes. Then I close them, wondering who on earth I’m married to.
Granted, I haven’t seen him in years; but when I married Paxton Hill, he was an active duty enlisted member of the Air Force. I didn’t know his exact job in the military, he never talked about it, but I didn’t think it had anything to do with motorcycle gangs.
Biting my bottom lip, I realize, not for the first time, that I didn’t know Paxton at all. He told me that he wasn’t close to his family and that was why he left Idaho and joined the military, but I don’t know why he wasn’t close to them.
He knows everything about my childhood—about how my parents died; how they weren’t really caring loving people, but they provided for me—then one day, they were just gone.
House fire.
Dad passed out drunk, and his cigarette fell onto the shag carpeting. Luckily, I’d been at school, so I survived. I went to live with Gram in Texas immediately after.
But I don’t know anything about my husband. I never did. He didn’t share a thing about his past or about his life. I would ask him, and he’d shrug off my questions and then change the subject.
/> I didn’t push him. I never pushed him. He was sweet and loving toward me, and I was enamored by him. I soaked up the attention he flourished onto me. I’d never had that before.
Then I agreed to marry him, giving him my virginity and thinking that finally, finally, I was going to have some grand adventure. That I was living a real-life fairy tale of sorts, the strong military man and his devoted wife waiting for him.
That is, until he burst my bubble, hurt me, and then crushed me as he walked out of the door and never even bothered to look back.
There’s a knock on my door , and I look through the peephole to see both Lisandro and Theo standing on the other side. I unlock it and yank it open before throwing myself into their waiting arms. They envelop me in their embrace, and I take in a deep breath.
“I was freaked out, and then I decided it was silly, and then I freaked out again,” I admit as they shuffle me inside of my apartment.
“You got your stuff?” Theo asks.
“Not yet,” I admit.
“Leave your purse and everything here. We’ll figure out that shit later. For now, it needs to look like you vanished. The Cartel, they’re dangerous. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me this shit before. Whatever your ex has going on with them, the last thing you need to be is a pawn,” Theo rumbles.
“Paxton was warning me. He seemed concerned, but I didn’t think it was anything, not really,” I say lamely.
“That’s because you don’t know what he’s into, what this group is into. Now knowing a little, how are you feeling?”
“Terrified,” I whisper.
“Got her shit?” Theo asks above my head. I hadn’t even realized that Lisandro was gone. Turning around, I see he’s walking out of my bedroom.
“A few things. We’ll go shopping. You need to update your pathetic existence of a wardrobe anyway, sweetie pie,” he grins, but I can see that it’s shaky, his lips trembling. He’s scared for me, too.
“My husband is an asshole,” I whisper, looking between my two friends.
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