Chapter Fifteen
My phone rang at eleven that night.
“Yeah?” I asked, not quite asleep but not entirely awake, either.
“I just got back to town,” Hunter said. “I know it’s last minute, but can I come and pick you up?”
“Of course!” I said, a wave of excitement perking me up. “When?”
“I’m just down the street.”
“Um, I need to grab some stuff,” I said, glancing around frantically. “Give me fifteen minutes? Or at least ten?”
“Ten,” he replied, his voice low and sexy. “F*ck, I can’t wait to get my hands on you, babe. The shit I’m gonna do to your body … Don’t forget to grab that dirty book of yours. You don’t need clothes, but the book sounds like my kind of reading.”
I giggled, feeling all silly and happy.
“See you soon, babe,” I said, hanging up the phone. I started grabbing things quickly and throwing them into my backpack. Then I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and nearly screamed. My hair was all lank and flattened, I’d already washed off my makeup, and even my teeth felt grimy.
Like something out of a horror movie.
I darted across the hallway to the bathroom and brushed my teeth, then sprayed some dry shampoo into my hair and slapped on some lip gloss. Full makeup wasn’t really an option at this point, but it was better than nothing. I dashed off a quick note for Cookie and crept quietly out of my room to the kitchen, where I propped it up on the table. I figured I’d email her, too, that should cover things well enough. Then I walked out into the living room to find one of the prospects, Gordie, on the couch watching TV.
Pisser. I’d been hoping he’d be asleep.
“What’s up?” he asked, taking in my backpack and shoes.
“I’m going out,” I told him brightly. Nothing to see here. “Don’t worry about it.”
He stood up immediately, fully alert.
“I have orders to keep all of you safe in the house.”
“You don’t get to make that decision,” I told him, sounding far more confident than I felt. “I appreciate the concern, but I’m not a prisoner.”
“I’m calling Deke.”
“Fine, call him,” I said, moving toward the door. Unfortunately, he was bigger than me and he blocked it. “Are we really going to do this? Like, are you actually planning to hold me prisoner in this living room?”
“If I have to,” he told me, his voice grim. “Deke can decide.”
Double pisser.
I whipped out my phone and called Hunter.
“I have a situation,” I told him. “They aren’t gonna let me leave. Maybe we should just do this tomorrow …”
Hunter growled through the phone.
“I’ll be there in a minute,” he said,
“Wait! What do you mean?”
“I’m coming to get you. How many guys are in the house?”
“Just one,” I said frantically. “But seriously, this could get ugly. Why don’t I—”
There was a pounding on the door.
I locked eyes with Gordie.
“That’s Hunter, and I don’t think he’s going away,” I told him quietly. “Is this really worth a fight? Just let me head out, okay? You don’t have a right to keep me away from him.”
“Not my call to make,” he said, shaking his head. “Deke’s on his way. You sit tight and he’ll decide how to handle this.”
Hunter pounded the door again. Shit. I texted him.
ME: Deke is coming so I think you should just go home. We don’t want a fight over this. Not now, when everyone is so touchy
HUNTER: No f*cking way. You’re my old lady and you’re coming home with me. They have a problem with it, I’ll call in my brothers to help me
I froze. That didn’t sound good. Not at all.
ME: What about the truce? Wasn’t that our first priority?
HUNTER: I’ve already claimed you in front of my club, you’re my property now. If the Reapers won’t let my old lady come with me, that’s an act of war
I read the words and felt sick. Had he lost his mind? Yes, I decided. He had. Apparently he was so tired and worn out he’d forgotten what really mattered here.
Keeping the peace for all our sakes.
ME: It’s just one night babe. We’ll get it sorted out tomorrow. You have too much to lose here
HUNTER: No f*cking way. I back down now it shows weakness. I’m not the one being unreasonable here Em. I just want to pick up my girl friend
More pounding on the door. Gordie looked nervous, but he stood his ground, blocking me.
“Open up!” Hunter shouted outside.
ME: Is this really about us, or about you making some kind of point with Deke?
HUNTER: It started out about us. But him saying I can’t see my woman? Thats a problem. Deke is pulling up now. We’ll figure it out
Sure enough, I heard a truck engine. Cookie wandered out into the living room wearing a man’s bathrobe, rubbing her eyes.
“What’s going on?” she asked, sleepily. “I have to be up at four. This better be important.”
“I think we’re having a contest to see who has the biggest dick,” I muttered, frustrated. “Hunter came to pick me up, but Gordie won’t let me out and now Deke’s here. I’m just waiting for them to start whipping out their rulers.”
“Ridiculous,” Cookie said. “Come with me.”
I raised a brow.
“Kind of in the middle of something,” I muttered. I heard Deke’s voice out front, yelling at Hunter. Shit. If we didn’t shut this down, someone was going to get seriously hurt.
“Come. With. Me.” Cookie said, her voice harsher than I’d ever heard it. Damn. She looked almost scarier than Deke.
“Okay,” I said, eyes darting toward Gordie. I followed her back to her bedroom, where Silvie lay sound asleep with her favorite stuffed animal tucked in next to her. Cookie made a “ta-dah!” kind of gesture, showing me the French doors next to her bed.
“You can go out there and sneak around the front,” she said. “Just bypass them entirely.”
I gaped at her and she shrugged.
“Why didn’t I think of that?”
“Because hormones impair thinking,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Go on. Get outside before they start shooting or something.”
“Why are you helping me?”
“Because I’m sick of this shit,” she said, her voice blunt. “The Reapers don’t own either of us. Deke has no right to keep you here and neither does your dad. Make your own decisions, Em. I miss Bagger every day of my life and I wish I’d spent more time with him. We just never know when it’s all going to end, and life is too short to sit around waiting for a man. I still think it’s a mistake to hook up with Hunter, but it’s your mistake to make.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, giving her a quick hug. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Good,” she said. Then an evil smile crossed her face. “I know it’s wrong of me, but I’m really looking forward to Deke losing for once. About time someone stands up to him.”
I stifled a giggle as she turned off the alarm and opened the door. Then I ran quickly across the wet grass, feeling the cold seep into my pink Chucks. I crept carefully around the house to find Hunter and Deke in a standoff on the sidewalk.
Gordie watched from the porch, mesmerized.
“You can leave on your own or we’ll make you, but you aren’t taking Em with you,” Deke was saying. “Not gonna happen.”
Hunter bristled.
“She’s my old lady now. She belongs with me.”
God, it would be so much faster if they just did a side-by-side penis comparison. I ran my eyes over Hunter, torn between wanting to lick his entire body and punch him in the face. Instead of doing either, I walked quietly to my car. I needed to time things perfectly. I took a deep breath and counted to three before opening the door, hopping into my seat, and sliding the key into the ignition, all in one smooth move. The car started right up (thank God!) and I slammed it into reverse, backing out into the street with a jolt.
Both men turned to stare at me, the surprise on their faces priceless.
I rolled down my window, foot poised on the accelerator.
“I’m leaving,” I yelled at them. “Hunter, call me if you’d rather sleep with me than fight with Deke.”
With that, I slammed my foot down and took off into the night.
Damn, that felt good.
“I’ll strangle you if you ever pull something like that again,” Hunter said, pacing back and forth across the hotel room we’d gotten. Under the circumstances, neutral ground seemed like a good idea.
Someone was grumpy.
“You could’ve gotten shot. I could’ve shot you. What were you thinking, sneaking around outside a house under guard?”
I leaned against the bathroom door frame, my arms crossed, and sighed heavily. This reunion had been nowhere near as fun as I’d pictured it. Sweet baby Jesus, but the man could pout.
“Maybe if everyone wasn’t so trigger happy, this wouldn’t be such an issue,” I said, my voice tart. “Don’t give me this shit, Hunter. You caused a big scene because you weren’t willing to wait a few hours to get things sorted out. Someone could’ve gotten hurt. Silvie could’ve gotten hurt. Don’t we have enough to worry about from the cartel? I thought you wanted peace?”
He stopped pacing to snarl at me.
“Goddamn, Em—whose side are you on? I’ve been going hard for four f*cking days. I drove for six hours to get here and claim my woman, and I wasn’t going to let some pissant Reaper prospect keep her from me. You’re mine now. I don’t f*cking share.”
I took a deep breath, poised to rip him a new a*shole. Then it struck me—something was really wrong here. Hunter was usually so cool, always calculating. This was nothing like him, something else was going on here.
“You’re overreacting,” I said slowly and deliberately. “I hear what you’re saying, but it’s not making sense. This isn’t like you. What happened?”
His face twisted, and he turned away from me, running a hand through his hair.
“Bad shit, Em,” he said finally. “I saw some bad shit today. Did some bad shit. I just needed to be near you, around someone clean and whole. He wouldn’t let me have you.”
Well, f*ck. Now he looked all broken, and seeing this big, strong man so close to the edge made my insides twist. I still wanted to kick him, but I wanted to make him feel better even more. Hunter turned away, so I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist, pulling him back into me. My cheek rubbed against the red devil on the back of his cut, reminding me that I’d left my club behind for this man.
“You have me,” I said into his back, letting go of my anger. I started running my hands up and down his stomach. I loved the feel of his hard muscles, but this was about more than sensation. He needed to realize how much I wanted him, how special he was to me. I tugged his shirt slowly out of his pants, trailing my fingers along his bare skin. Those amazing muscles of his tightened and he groaned.
“You don’t have to tell me about it,” I whispered, knowing he couldn’t. “Just relax, okay? Let’s just finish fighting tomorrow.”
“Do we really have to fight?” he asked, sounding exhausted. “God, Em. You have no idea. No f*cking idea at all …”
Shit. What the hell had happened?
I slid my hands lower and caught his fly, pulling apart the button and sliding down the zipper. His cock was still soft, something I’d never felt from him before, but instead of being disappointed I was curious.
I wanted to explore. Seeing as he clearly had something he needed to forget, now was the perfect time to satisfy my curiosity and distract him in the process. I rubbed his length gently through the soft fabric of his boxer briefs with one hand, using the other to lower his pants. He sighed, and I felt him stir to life. I continued my exploration, finding the head as it slowly hardened, running my fingers around the ridge ringing it.
“That’s really good, babe.”
“Then I must be doing it right,” I murmured, wishing I were tall enough to kiss the back of his neck. “Let me make you feel good again, Liam. I want you to feel clean.”
He reached down and caught my hand in his, pulling it away long enough to shove down his briefs. Then he was putting my hand around his cock again, wrapping the fingers around his erection and using me to squeeze himself tighter than I would’ve dared on my own.
I moved my hand up and down, his length growing harder with every stroke. Then I slid my other hand up and under his shirt, savoring the ridges of his abdominals once more before finding his chest. His nipple.
I pinched it and Hunter inhaled sharply.
“Good?” I asked, the question a whisper.
“Very,” he said. “Very f*cking good.”
“Just relax and enjoy. Let me help you.”
He sighed heavily. Something had obviously gone terribly wrong, something I might never know the details of. But whatever it was, when he needed peace, he’d come to me.
I liked that idea very much.
Hunter’s cock was fully erect now. I kept playing with his nipple, working his cock slow and fast alternately, exploring what seemed to give him the most pleasure.
After a few minutes he gasped, his hand catching mine again, jerking it up and down. Now it seemed almost as if he was using my touch to punish himself. I couldn’t imagine something so rough could be anything but painful, but the groans coming from his mouth weren’t unhappy.
“Christ,” he muttered, reaching around with his free arm to grab me, pulling me hard into his body. The embroidery of his patches rubbed against my cheek. Would I ever have sex with him fully naked?
Not at this rate.
His hips started pulsing forward involuntarily, and his hand around my back tightened. My arm was growing tired but I didn’t care. I didn’t really care about anything—all I wanted was to bring him some kind of relief.
Well, that’s a lie.
I very much wanted his dick in my body, but this was clearly working for him. He needed my touch more than I needed his, at least for the moment. Hunter gave a long, low groan and then I felt it hit. He came in a series of pulses that seemed to run along the bottom of his cock. I slowed my hand, thinking I should stop, but he grasped me and kept moving.
All righty then.
I kept stroking him for another minute as his body shuddered and then relaxed against mine. Finally his hand dropped away and I let him go, wrapping both arms around his waist.
“You know, I’d planned for something a little more mutual,” he said slowly. “Sorry. Just a shit night. I’ll get you off—”
“Don’t worry about that right now,” I said, still hugging him. “You’re tired and I want you to rest. You’ll need your strength for later, I think. Right?”
He gave a little laugh, turning around to face me, raising a hand to catch my hair in that way he seemed to like so much. His lips took mine, slow and sweet. Then he pulled away, rubbing his nose gently against mine.
“I hate to say it, but I’m about a minute away from passing out, babe. Can we go to sleep? I need you all soft and sweet and wrapped around me.”
“Sure,” I murmured. I pulled away, then considered the mess we’d just made. “Um …”
“I’ll clean it up,” he said quickly. “Just get ready for bed. I want to hold you—remember that night out behind the bunkhouse at your dad’s place? Aside from the part where you nearly killed me, that was one of the best nights of my life.”
“You also held me the night you kidnapped me,” I said, my voice dry. He shrugged.
“That was pretty good, too,” he admitted. “At least for me. But I figured you might have a different perspective …”
“You’ll make it up to me,” I told him, and I had no doubt of it. But not tonight.
My beautiful man needed rest, and he’d damned well get it.
HUNTER
I woke up to an empty bed.
Em had been so cute last night … First she jerked me off like a pro, and then she’d come to bed wearing one of my T-shirts, which I’d confiscated. Guess she didn’t have time to find any of those pretty presents I’d “given” her. Not that it mattered—I didn’t want anything between her skin and mine anyway. I slept surrounded by her warmth and smell and her hair all over my face, which should’ve been annoying but in reality kicked ass.
Her face wasn’t waiting for me when I closed my eyes, though. Nope, I saw the faces of my brothers right before I’d shot them. One of them had cried, begging for his life. The other sneered and flipped me off.
Two of our own, selling us out to the cartel.
It wasn’t the first time I’d killed for the club—but I’d never had to put down a brother like a dog before. I’d known there was dissension in the ranks and fully realized that there were men who’d do anything to keep us from making peace with the Reapers. I even understood their perspective, to a degree. We’d been in a cold war with the other club for close to twenty years. That made for a lot of bad blood.
But they’d gone beyond betrayal—this was treason.
Good men died because of what they’d done.
On the long drive up from Redding, I focused on Em. How much I wanted to hold her and smell her and absolutely not think of anything but her gorgeous body and the flash of her ice-blue eyes.
Then Deke and his pet prospect got in the way and I’d lost it.
F*ck.
I couldn’t believe how stupid I’d been. I hated to admit it, but Em had been right. What the hell was I thinking, risking the peace for one night? With any luck we’d have years together, something that definitely wouldn’t be happening if I started a new war with her dad’s club.
So f*cking stupid … but at least one of us had kept her shit together. A reluctant smile crossed my face, because Em had saved my ass yet again. I heard the shower running in the bathroom, and I realized she must be in there, all slippery and wet. Ten seconds later I was on my feet, sliding back the curtain and stepping in behind her.
“Hey, baby,” I whispered in her ear. “I forgot to give you something last night.”
She gave a sexy little squeak as I slid my hands around her body, grasping her breast and reaching for her * at the same time. Then she leaned into me and for the first time I got to explore her body without rushing.
Beautiful.
Of course, I knew every curve she had. I’d studied her pictures a thousand times, memorizing every inch of her skin and fantasizing about what I’d do to her, given the chance. The reality was better than my dreams. Way better. She was soft, but I felt the strong muscles underneath her curves. I knew she’d have endurance, and despite what she’d said to me that night in Coeur d’Alene, she’d already proven herself one hell of an old lady.
She said she didn’t want to follow orders.
Fine by me—I didn’t need to control her … I just wanted to sit back and watch her, try to figure out what made her tick and hold on for the ride. I knew she’d support me, but I also knew she’d protect me from myself. She’d already protected our clubs. Last night she’d done a better job than I had. I promised myself that I’d never pull that kind of bullshit on her again.
Hell, I should be following her lead, because she’d been smarter than me and Deke put together. Now that I’d cooled off, I could see the humor in the situation. Somehow she’d managed to bypass all of us, not exactly defusing the situation, but definitely ending it without violence.
So what if Deke was pissed? So far as I could tell, the man was permanently pissed. He hated the Jacks and had threatened to kill me more than once, so I wasn’t exactly crying over his hurt feelings. As for Em, she was under my protection now, so it didn’t really matter how frustrated he got. He’d be dealing with me from now on.
Em squirmed in my arms, pulling me out of my thoughts.
I reached down and slipped my fingers into her hot warmth, and she squeaked in my arms. Why the f*ck was I thinking about Deke when I had a naked woman in my arms?
I swiveled Em in my arms, finding her mouth and sucking her lower lip into mine. Then I lifted her, carrying her out of the tub and setting her on the bathroom counter. My hand slipped between us, dipping into that sweet p-ssy of hers.
So f*cking hot and tight …
Em gasped against my mouth, giving me the opportunity to slip my tongue inside. Down below, I had two fingers up inside her now. She clenched around me, bringing back some mighty fine memories of her wrapped around my cock the other night, when we visited my very favorite alley in the history of time.
She reached down and grabbed my dick, squeezing it hard like I’d taught her the night before.
Very nice.
Then she tried to guide me into her.
“Condom,” I managed to get out. “They’re out in the room.”
“Let’s go find them,” Em whispered, her blue eyes bright and hungry. Like I’d argue with that? She hopped down and tried to push past me, but I caught her, jerking her into my body for a long, hard kiss that left both of us gasping.
“Holy crap,” she muttered as I let her lips go. “How do you do that? Seriously, that was like a movie kiss or something.”
“Chemistry,” I told her. “Technique doesn’t even start to explain something this good.”
She gave me a wicked smile.
“Ooohh, I love chemistry. How ’bout you be the science teacher, and I’ll be the dirty girl who needs detention?”
EM
I tripped out of the bathroom, giggling as Hunter lunged after me. He caught me, lifting me high and throwing me down on the bed. Before I could catch my breath, he had me over his lap, one hand in the center of my back, the other sliding down between the cheeks of my ass.
I screamed, wiggling wildly.
“You said you needed detention,” he told me, his voice stern. “I’m just trying to be a good teacher.”
With this his fingers slid into me, deep. I stiffened at the invasion, then relaxed and sighed as he found my G-spot.
“That good?” he asked, rubbing my back up and down.
“Sure,” I muttered, letting my head fall forward on the bed. It felt more than fine, actually. His fingers kept working me, and then his second hand lifted and smacked my ass abruptly.
I squealed and tried to sit up, but he held me down tight. His thumb had found my *, and now he worked me inside and out. I felt tension spiraling up, and I squirmed awkwardly. I wanted him inside me, damn it. Hunter had other ideas. His clever fingers kept going, pushing me closer to an orgasm.
Holy hell, that was nice.
“You like that?”
“Yeah,” I whimpered, twisting on his lap. “Like” wasn’t really the right word. I wanted him to go faster, harder. Instead he slowed down, teasing me with a low, satisfied laugh.
“Please,” I muttered, closing my eyes. “I need …”
Hunter smacked my ass again. I was so close now, something he must’ve sensed because he sped up again. My orgasm hovered, taunting me. I felt myself reaching for it, my legs stiffening. Hunter’s cock was rock hard beneath me, and I realized with a thrill that after I came, I had another whole ride ahead of me.
That pushed me over the edge.
When I came, it hit so hard I clawed the bed, completely focused on the sensations taking over my body. Holy shit, that was incredible. I drifted through the aftershocks as he lifted me, laying me down on my stomach across the bed. I stretched out my arms, enjoying the feel of cool sheets beneath me as he stretched over me.
Hunter kissed his way slowly down my back, fingers trailing along the lines of my body until they reached my rear. My flesh knew the touch of his hands now, and when he slid his fingers back in, I sighed happily. Then his thumb edged up, lightly touching my a*shole, and I stiffened.
“Trust me, babe?”
I considered the question. I trusted him not to hurt me, but this? I wasn’t sure I was ready for this.
“It’s okay,” he murmured, kissing the small of my back. “Christ, I’ll never run out of ways I want to f*ck you, believe me. If you don’t like one, we’ll move on.”
I sighed, then rolled over. Hunter nudged my knees apart, settling himself over my body as he smoothed a condom down over the length of his erection. I watched, mesmerized that something so large could fit inside me.
Then he kissed me, tongue probing deep as my arms came up around his shoulders. The kiss went on forever, alternating between deep, openmouthed tongue-play and him pulling back to suck and nibble on my lips. The whole time I shifted restlessly beneath him, his dick sliding back and forth along my *.
Perfect.
Hunter lifted his head, eyes dark with need.
“You ready?” he asked me, positioning the tip of his cock against my opening. I nodded, more than ready. I felt his broad, rounded head push against me, slowly sliding deep inside. This was different than that first time. He was gentle this morning, and while the pain I’d felt in the alley had been sheer pleasure, this was something different entirely.
This was fantastic.
He spread me wide, opening me up as I watched us come together. There was something incredibly sexy about the sight of his cock entering my body.
I reached down between us, rubbing my * gently.
“That’s f*cking hot,” Hunter said, looking up at my face with a smile that literally took my breath away. “I think you should have to touch yourself every time we’re alone together, even if we’re just watching a movie or something.”
“That might get awkward,” I murmured, trying not to giggle.
“I don’t care,” he said, his tone urgent. “F*ck awkward. I want this.”
“Ahh …” I gasped as he hit bottom. I let my hand drop, savoring the feeling of being pinned down.
“I like those little gasping noises you make, too,” he said. “In fact, I like almost everything you do when you’re naked.”
This time I did giggle, although I stopped as he pulled out, then started sliding in a rhythm that had clearly been invented by Satan for the express purpose of driving me crazy. I tilted up my hips just a little, which was just enough to make his cock drag along my * with each stroke. Then I let my arms flop to the side, because everything felt so good I couldn’t imagine doing anything but just lying back and drinking it in.
“Sorry,” I murmured. “I think I’ve lost the ability to move.”
“Your moves last night were pretty good,” he told me. “I’ll give you a freebie?”
“Perfect,” I whimpered, then closed my eyes to focus on the sensations running through me. Damn. Hunter was just really good at sex.
My orgasm built slowly this time.
Not because it wasn’t perfect, the way he moved inside me. But I was more relaxed than I’d been in the alley, able to simply enjoy the feeling of his hard cock filling me and then retreating, brushing my * and bumping my G-spot with every stroke. And even though his movements stayed slow and steady, each one built me up just a little higher until I felt an electrical tension winding tight.
“You getting close?” he asked, dropping his head to kiss the side of my neck.
“Uh-huh,” I managed to say. “Very close. Oh God. Just a little more.”
He sped up then, clearly reading my desire. Now his strokes hit harder, pushing up against my cervix with every thrust. It should’ve been painful, but it felt fantastic.
Just what I needed to push me over the edge.
When I finally came, it was almost a surprise. He’d created such a slow, steady buildup that I hadn’t realized just how close I’d gotten until it hit. I spasmed around him, setting him off because he started moving faster, pounding me into the bed for long seconds before he came, too.
I felt his pulsing release with deep satisfaction, loving the press of his weight across my body. My arms wrapped around him, fingers tracing the lines of his back gently.
“I’ve decided we’re staying here in the hotel,” he muttered, nuzzling my hair. “We’ll have food delivered and I’ll just keep you naked.”
Food?
My stomach woke up, growling suddenly. My cheeks heated with a blush. Could I ever—even for a day—be smooth and fabulous? Apparently not.
“Or I can take you out and we can talk,” Hunter said, winking at me. “I don’t want you fainting from exhaustion, and I have a feeling that if we stay in, you’re not gonna get a chance to actually eat.”
“Waffles?” I asked hopefully. He lifted up on his arms and smiled.
“Honey, seeing as my dick’s still in your body, you can have whatever the hell you want.”
HUNTER
I glanced over at Em, then reached down to catch her hand and put it on my thigh. It wasn’t as good as having her arms around me on the bike, but her sitting next to me in my truck kicked ass in a big way.
God.
I still couldn’t believe I was lucky enough to have this woman, despite everything I’d put her through. Emmy Hayes was either a saint or an idiot. Seeing as we’d already established she was smarter than me, I was hoping for saint.
“So, any place you want to go special?” I asked. She smiled at me, those brilliant blue eyes flashing.
“Anywhere they have food. I can’t believe we’re up already. You’d think we’d be exhausted after last night …”
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I promise I won’t faint on you,” I said with a smirk. She giggled. Then her face sobered.
“Hunter—”
“Liam.”
“Liam, I don’t want to get all weird and serious on you,” she said. “But I’m pretty sure I’ll be getting a pissed-off phone call from my dad in the next hour or so. Things got a little out of control last night … I’m not sure what I should tell him.”
“You’ll tell him you belong to me now,” I said, turning into a Denny’s parking lot. Not the world’s greatest food, but they’d have waffles. Damn, I’d learn to cook them myself if it made her happy.
“What do you mean, exactly?”
I put the truck into park, then glanced over at her. Uh-oh. Em’s face was shadowed and worried. I reached out and caught her chin, turning her to face me.
“You’re my old lady,” I said, catching and holding her eyes. “I respect that he’s your dad and I don’t want to get between you two. But he needs to know you’re mine now. If he has a problem with that, you hand him off to me. I’m serious, babe. Nobody gets between us. Never again.”
She blinked, her eyes bright.
“Okay,” she whispered. “But—”
“No,” I said. “That’s all there is. We’ll have shit come up, fight, whatever. But you’re mine now. I won’t be sharing you, I won’t be leaving you, and I sure as f*ck won’t let the Reapers take you away from me.”
“I hear what you’re saying,” she said slowly. “But I think I should make something clear, too.”
“What’s that?”
“I don’t share, either. I know guys in clubs who have two or three old ladies. Or they have a citizen wife and a club girlfriend. You should be aware that this is an exclusive relationship, and that’s nonnegotiable.”
I shrugged.
“Okay,” I said, reaching for the door. “Let’s get food.”
She grabbed my arm.
“No, I’m serious,” she said. “You can’t just blow this off.”
“Baby, I’m not blowing it off,” I said, smiling. I kind of liked jealous Em. “But seriously—I don’t give a shit about anyone else anyway. We’re fine.”
She rolled her eyes.
“You’re a little too good at this,” she said. “Got all the right answers.”
“It’s hard to be perfect, but I have lots of practice.”
She hit my arm and laughed. Then her face sobered.
“I have another serious question for you,” she said. “I don’t want the right answer, though. I want the truth, even if it hurts.”
Shit. That didn’t sound good.
“Do you love me?”
I studied her, considering my answer.
“No,” I said finally. Her face fell, but I pushed forward. “My life has been pretty f*cked up, Em. I’m not even sure I believe in love. But here’s what I can tell you—I’ve never given a shit about any woman except you and Kelsey. That’s it. Hell, I don’t even remember their names half the time, and until I saw you I never even saw a problem with that.”
She blinked rapidly. Christ, telling the truth sucked. But she asked for it and I’d already done enough lying.
“I remember the first time I laid eyes on you,” I said. “It was at that little mini mall across from Costco, back in Coeur d’Alene. You’d just gotten your toes painted at the Vietnamese pedicure place. You had those funny, girly things between your toes and you fell off the damned sidewalk because instead of watching where you walked, you were looking at your phone.”
“That never happened. I’ve never fallen down after a pedicure—I’d remember. That would totally ruin the nails.”
“Well, you missed the curb but still managed to catch yourself,” I told her, smiling at the memory. “Your phone fell down and broke, I think. I remember you looked up, right at me in my truck, and started laughing at yourself. Then you waved at me, grabbed the phone, and got in your car.”
She frowned.
“I actually remember that,” she murmured thoughtfully. “That was you?”
“Yup, that was me.”
“That’s … creepy. And weird, because why didn’t I recognize you when we met again?”
“I had a full beard, my hair was shorter, and I was wearing sunglasses,” I said. “Not only that, the window was tinted. I guess my point is this—I’ve spent days f*cking women whose names I couldn’t remember if my life depended on it. But you? I remember everything about the first time I saw you, even though we didn’t even talk to each other. That’s when it started, whatever this is between us. ‘Love’ is a word that doesn’t mean a damned thing to me. ‘Em,’ though? That’s a word that means everything. I’d die for you, babe. Kill for you, too. I stood up to my club for you and I don’t regret any of it, not for a minute. So, you wanted to know how I feel? I don’t even have a word for what I feel, sweetheart. I just know it’s really f*ckin’ good.”
Em sniffed, leaning forward and wrapping her arms around me. She squeezed me tight, then pulled back and took my face in both of her hands, studying me intently.
“I love you, Liam.”
I closed my eyes, savoring the sound of the words. Then I said the only thing I could think of, even though I knew it was f*cking pathetic.
“Thanks.”
Her face fell, although she caught it, smiling at me a little too brightly.
Telling the truth sucks ass.