Chasing redemption, p.11
Chasing Redemption, page 11
“That analogy is gross.” Adrienne ate another spoonful of ice cream and narrowed her eyes at me. “Are you like … okay?” she asked, cocking her head to the side.
“I’m fine,” I lied. I wasn’t fine, but not because of what had gone down at that farmhouse.
“And how’s Reaper?” Adrienne asked, not giving up.
“Fine. I guess. I don’t know.” Probably pissed that I’d hit it and quit it like a horny frat boy.
Pursing her lips, she dug a chunk of brownie out of the carton and put it in her mouth. “Your shirt’s inside out.”
I looked down and felt my face heat. My shirt was in fact inside out. That was when I realized I was missing something else. Underwear. They were somewhere on Reaper’s living room floor. I jabbed a finger at Adrienne. “Don’t talk with your mouth full, you vulgarian.”
The three of them fell into each other, laughing and high-fiving.
“Jerks. All of you. I’m going to bed.”
“Wait. Come back. We want details,” Jessen called out as I climbed the stairs.
“How big was his dick?” Adrienne shouted before dissolving into laughter.
“I need new, less nosy friends.” I muttered as I hit the top of the stairs.
“We heard that,” Chris yelled. “You’ll never escape us.”
Rolling my eyes, I stomped into the guest bedroom and changed into a T-shirt and sweatpants. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.
“Everyone understand the plan?” Betty asked, sitting back in her chair. We all nodded.
“Good. Once we bury Hell’s Spawn so deep they can’t find their way back, I’ll let Redemption know.” She tapped her fingers against the table. “Nice idea to take out the leader. He wasn’t the brightest. A real vindictive piece of work.”
I groaned. “It wasn’t on purpose.”
“Right. Right. Had to protect your man. We get it.” Tyler’s lips ticked up at the edges.
“He is not my man. Don’t act like you wouldn’t have taken the shots.” I wanted to rage and was proud of how evenly I spoke. “Can we get over the minor slip in judgment? It was the adrenaline.”
I’d tried to deny that anything happened between Reaper and me. They’d laughed at me. It infuriated me that I couldn’t get away with a single tiny lie with them. Okay, that’s not true. But in this case, I wish they’d taken what I said at face value.
“Right, yeah. Of course, we’d never let one of us get hurt. Except none of us followed our childhood crush into the woods and proceeded to save him,” Chris taunted me.
“You still never answered my question. How big was his dick? Guy’s a giant. Promise of the premise and all that.” Adrienne waggled her eyebrows, and I briefly considered shaving them off in her sleep but nixed the idea. Too simple for the Queen of Pranks. I still hadn’t gotten her back from the office chair debacle three weeks ago.
Betty cleared her throat, and the rest of us snapped to attention. “You all have your assignments. Make sure that every man who wears the Hell’s Spawn logo knows it was us. Tear them down so they’ll never rebuild again.” She eyed each of us. “When you get back, we’ll deal with whatever shit Corven put into play.”
Yippy. Couldn’t wait to deal with the husbands.
Chapter Eighteen
PEYTON
It had been thirty-nine hours since I speed-walked away from Reaper. No running involved, despite what Adrienne had to say about it. I felt like that was an important distinction.
I wasn’t nervous. Okay, maybe I was a tiny bit apprehensive about seeing him. Whatever.
It was easy to pretend it had never happened. Until I closed my eyes, and the events of that night started playing like an X-rated movie in my mind. Torture was the best way to describe what my brain was putting me through.
An elbow to my ribs brought me back to our current situation. We were following a prospect into Chapel, where every member of Redemption was waiting for us.
Was I worried about how they might respond to what we’d done? A little. But at the end of the day, it was our screwup—fine, my screwup that had forced our hand. That meant we’d needed to deal with Hell’s Spawn ourselves.
We hadn’t merely dismantled them, we’d pulverized them. And it was so much easier than it should have been.
Turned out that thirty-nine hours wasn’t nearly long enough for my body to forget the pleasure he’d harnessed with tongue, teeth, hands, and cock. The second I entered the Chapel, my body lit up like a Christmas tree.
His gaze was like a caress, following me as I walked into the room and lined up next to my team. He didn’t bother to hide his concern, but it was quickly snuffed out by anger. Good. Anger I could deal with. Compassion? Not so much.
I so badly wanted to glare back because this was all his fault anyway, but this wasn’t the time or place to handle our personal business.
Years of growing up in this life, witnessing how the old ladies dealt with their men had me checking myself. Not because I thought Reaper was mine. He wasn’t. I didn’t care about how easily their prides got bruised because that was their problem. Not mine. But it was ingrained in me to treat the patched brothers with respect, especially in here, their most sacred, official space.
I forced myself to look away from him and studied Midas. He looked a bit worse for wear with various cuts and bruises and the bandage peeking out from under his shirt. When I looked at my brother, I thought the scowl on his face was for me, but when I looked closer, I realized it was aimed at Chris. I glanced over at her, but she was looking straight ahead, her eyes trained on nothing in particular. Huh. Wonder what that’s about.
My eyes were drawn back to Reaper. I’d never experienced anything like what we shared. That hunger, like he couldn’t possibly get enough of me. It must have been the adrenaline. At least that was what I kept telling myself. It was a one-time thing. A mistake.
“So, what you’re saying is they backed down?” Uncle Wolf asked, his skepticism clear. I hadn’t paid attention to what Betty said, but there was no need. I’d been involved in every step. It was up to me to ensure my family’s safety.
Tyler snorted and tried to cover it with a cough. “They have a lot more to focus on than continuing their fight with Redemption.” Her lips ticked up, Tyler’s version of an all-out smile. “We also explained that we pulled the trigger, and your guys had nothing to do with it. So if they want retribution, they have our address.”
I let myself preen a bit, remembering how we’d threatened them. Blew shit up. I hadn’t had that much fun in a long time.
Uncle Wolf leaned back in his chair and looked over at High. They had one of their silent conversations before turning back to us.
“How did you convince them?” High asked.
“You want a play-by-play?” Tyler snapped, her attitude bordering on the edge of what was acceptable in Chapel. The brothers were clearly still angry and wanted blood, and she wasn’t helping deescalate the situation.
Uncle Wolf lifted his eyebrows and nodded.
Before Tyler had the chance to open her mouth and start a war with her vitriolic sarcasm, Jessen jumped in. “Raids on their drug houses. Took all their goods and their cash.” The large amount of money we’d obtained would go toward helping our rescue efforts, and we’d flushed the drugs. “All their drivers’ licenses have been suspended, and half of them are currently sitting in jail under a fun variety of charges, like illegal possession of firearms, possession with intent to distribute, and selling fake scripts.” She snapped her fingers. “Oh, and two of their clubhouses burned to the ground early this morning. Crescent City and the one up in St. Helens on the Washington border.”
“Someone must’ve left a burner on,” I quipped. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Betty shaking her head. She should have known better than to send our resident pyromaniac to canvas the clubhouses. At least Adrienne had made sure they were empty when she lit the fuses.
“So zero blowback,” Reaper said to the room at large, but I knew the words were directed at me. “Not even for killing their president?”
“No blowback. Corven wasn’t well liked, if you can believe it.” I was aware of every movement Reaper made. From when he leaned back in his chair to the slow trail his eyes made up and down my body. His analysis was all I could focus on, and I missed whatever Betty said next. My palms started to sweat, and my body grew warmer. There were too many people stuffed into this room. I needed to get out of here so I could breathe.
Tension grew as Reaper glared at me, his furious gaze somehow seductive, until it was so thick I could taste it on my tongue. I was sure everyone in the room could. At some point my team had finished delivering the news, but I wasn’t paying the slightest bit of attention to what was said. Only that I needed to get out.
We filed back out of the room, and it took everything in me not to sprint out to the car and zip away. I made it as far as the main room before a thick arm wrapped around my waist and hoisted me against a hard body. One I could officially say I was intimately familiar with.
I was picked up like I weighed nothing, and the only thing that kept me from fighting back was my disinterest in causing another scene to entertain the assholes of Redemption. That and my respect for club politics. Still, I glared at my friends as they stood by with various expressions of amusement on their faces. Chris waved at me as I passed her.
They were dead to me.
He entered a room, slammed the door, and tossed me on the bed. Standing sentry in front of the door, he stared at me, daring me to move him out of my way.
And I would, as soon as I was finished giving him a piece of my mind. I shot off the bed like a rocket. “How dare you fucking cart me around like that. I have enough respect for the brotherhood to know not to challenge you in front of them. Is it so hard for you to show me that same level of respect?”
He stepped forward, an apology shining in his eyes. “Peyton, I—”
Please, like he gives a shit.
“No. You don’t get to say a word. I don’t care what you have to say, what you wanted. It’s irrelevant.” I jabbed my finger into the center of my chest. “I am a person. I am not a fucking thing you can snatch up and cart around because it’s easier for you.”
His shoulders fell and he stared at the ground at my feet. “No, babe. I—” He shook his head. “You were walking away. We needed to talk.”
My stomach churned. I was such an idiot. All this time I thought he’d wanted me. I hadn’t considered that he thought it was as big a mistake as I did. “I get that you don’t want anyone to know. Don’t worry, no one will know you fucked your president’s niece, you have my promise.” I fisted my hands by my side. “But grabbing me? Showing that you have no respect for me, my personal space, or what I want?” As I spoke, Reaper stood up taller, his expression unreadable. “Let me make what I want clear. Get out of my way before I make you.”
Reaper didn’t answer, just kept staring at me with a look on his face that I didn’t understand. When he didn’t move, I stepped toward him, ready to force him.
Without warning, he sprang into action. One moment I was standing, ready to break a piece of him so I could run away and deal with him being embarrassed of me. The next I was on my back on his bed with his body between my thighs.
“You think I’m embarrassed?” I couldn’t respond. What was I supposed to say?
His hands were still holding my waist, and he shook me. “Answer me. You think I’m fucking embarrassed that I finally had you right where I wanted you for years?”
“Yes!” I shrilled, and I opened my mouth to say something else, but Reaper effectively silenced me when he ground his hard dick against me.
“I screwed up,” he muttered as he kissed my cheek and slid his arm around my back. “Years I been paying for it. Years I been waiting for you.” Reaper kissed everywhere he could reach except my mouth.
“Fucking embarrassed.” He shook his head, his beard scraping my skin, making me want more. “Like I could ever be embarrassed of you.” Every kiss, every rough squeeze lit my body up.
A voice in the back of my mind tried to save me and told me to buck him off and walk away. But a louder, more insistent voice screamed at me to go for it. To let Reaper take me wherever he wanted because he was the one who shut my brain off and made me feel.
The reckless voice won. I grabbed him by his hair and slammed my mouth to his. His lips were firm but soft. I wrapped my arms and legs around him, pulling him as close as I could get him. I loved the weight of him on top of me. Loved how big he was, that he blocked out the world around us.
We rocked, grinding on each other. He slid a thigh between us, and the seam of my jeans pressed against my clit, giving me pressure, but I needed more. My body begged for it.
I let out a pained cry, and suddenly I was straddling Reaper. He unzipped my jeans and shoved a hand inside my panties, rubbing against me with two fingers.
“Fuck, baby, you’re soaked.” He slipped those thick fingers inside me, and my head fell back as a low groan slipped past my lips. His other hand was at my waist, guiding me so I was bouncing on his fingers like I’d bounce on his dick. His palm ground against my clit, sending sparks of electricity through my body.
“That’s it. Moan for me. I want it all,” he said, and I could barely make out his words with the way my body lit up. Reaper never pulled back. His fingers slowly pumped into me as I came down. I fell forward, placing my hands on his chest to keep me upright.
I’d done it again. Dammit. I needed to get far away from him, his dick, and his freaking fingers. Sliding off him, I refastened my jeans and went to the door, but as I reached for the doorknob, I was yanked back into Reaper’s chest. He held me there, and I let him. Taking deep breaths, I fixed my hair into a neat ponytail and tried to calm my racing heart.
“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. You think I waited ten years for you to not know what you needed? I know you better than you think.” He paused. “Space. You need space when something life altering happens. You always have. That’s why I didn’t chase you down when you first got back. I knew you needed time to adjust from wherever you were. But from here on out, I’m putting a time limit to how long you get to deal without me. I won’t make the same mistake,” Reaper whispered in my ear, even though we were the only ones in the room. “You’re all I could ever want. All I could ever need. It’s only ever been you.”
He let me go and took a step back, then reached around me and opened the door. “Come on, I’ll walk you out.”
I followed him silently, trying to make sense of his words and what I knew to be true.
Ignoring all the stares, I marched over to my team who waited patiently by the door, appearing bored, but I knew better.
We filed outside. Chris walked next to me. “So, you guys had a good talk?”
Everyone burst out laughing, even Betty, and I rolled my eyes as I climbed into the car.
Chapter Nineteen
PEYTON
The luxury of a lazy morning could not be overstated.
When you had to be ready at the drop of a hat, every calm day was a bit more precious. Heavy fog sat close to the ground, and a good storm was the only thing needed for it to be a perfect morning at my favorite coffee spot in my favorite corner on the massive couch.
There was nothing pending at work, and we’d only gotten about three hours of sleep between the rescue mission and shutting down Hell’s Spawn. So Betty, the magnanimous leader that she was, had let us sleep in.
Reaper appeared, as if by magic, and sat down so close to me that our thighs touched. Sipping his coffee, he played on his phone and ignored me the same way I was ignoring him.
After several minutes, he leaned back and stretched his arm out behind me. “You come here often?”
His casual tone threw me, and I stared down at the page I was reading, unable to focus on the words over my curiosity. What was he planning? I didn’t look up and didn’t answer.
Reaper cleared his throat. “I, uh.” He paused. “I saw you walk in earlier.” He leaned in closer. “You’re the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen.”
I dropped my book in my lap and looked down at my leggings and baggy T-shirt with the words Draco Malfoy is Daddy written across my chest. Save a touch of mascara, my face was bare. The only thing I had going for me was that I’d showered, so at least I knew I didn’t smell. Slowly, I turned my head and found our faces inches apart.
“Did you just call me a creature?” I enunciated each syllable carefully, like I was offended. I wasn’t, but screwing with him was way too much fun to resist.
“Yes, creature. Creatures are like all living things.” He shut his mouth, even though I could tell he wanted to say something else to defend himself. Instead of continuing, he stared at me hard, his jaw flexing. I turned back to my book to continue ignoring him.
“Will you go out on a date? With me?”
“I’m busy that day.” The words were out of my mouth before I had a chance to think. Colt “Reaper” McMillan had asked me out on a date. And asked nicely. Did I wake up in some alternate universe? I discreetly pinched myself and winced. Nope. Definitely not dreaming. If only eighteen-year-old Peyton could see me now.
“I didn’t say what day,” he stated, bringing me back to the conversation I didn’t want to have. Dating him would end in disaster and leave me with a broken heart. And he’d end up dead in a ditch somewhere, courtesy of the girls, with Tyler leading the charge.
“I’m busy that day too.” I stared at my book without seeing the words. Maybe I should’ve considered his offer. But I couldn’t. I refused to let myself go there. I had enough self-preservation left in me, not that it had graced me with its presence the last few times we were alone together.
“If you think saying no will send me on my way, you got another thing coming. I meant what I said. Been waiting ten fucking years for you. You’re mine. You’ve been mine for as long as I can remember. I don’t care how much or how long I gotta fight to get it through that head of yours.” His tone was gruff and left no room for argument.
