Page 24 of Blackbeard (Blackjacks MC #2)

I pinched the skin between her shoulder blades with my teeth.

Tasting her. Marking her. Every stroke pulled a wrecked little sound from Leigh as she curled her fingers into the sheets.

When she tilted her head to the side, exposing her neck, I buried my face there—sucking at her pulse, smoothing my tongue over the hickey I left behind.

I was doomed after this. The point of no return. There would be no keeping Leigh at arm’s length anymore. From here on out, I would want her wrapped around my cock at every opportunity.

Sitting back, I straddled her, watching the grip of her pink pussy lips swallowing my cock, again and again. My balls contracted, impending orgasm spooling low and tight through my muscles.

Some primal urge led me to cover Leigh’s body with my own. Eyes closed, nuzzling into her hair with a kiss. Burying my cock to the hilt, I circled my hips, grinding and throbbing.

Leigh lifted her head, arching her neck and keening like a cat in heat.

“ Fuck, yes, yes, yes—”

Threading my fingers into her hair, I tangled her locks around my fingers and pulled , plunging my cock deep—once, twice—at the same time. She shattered and I exploded, frantically pumping my hips through our combined orgasms for a sloppy, sticky mess.

I collapsed next to Leigh, holding her hips snug against my groin. She wiggled back, tugging my arm around her waist.

A smile touched my lips and I palmed her breast, burrowed my face into the curve of her neck.

Maybe I could get used to being a married man after all.

A week before the Makarov run was scheduled to go down, I found Baby Doll in the clubhouse on a quiet morning. Every gun she owned—five total—was in pieces on the table before her. She thoroughly cleaned and inspected each piece, before putting the gun back together again.

Big G and Vlad were zoned out in front of the television, talking in low voices and nursing cups of coffee.

Crash emerged from the kitchen with a mop and a bucket of soapy water. He lifted his hand in greeting, but he didn’t say anything before he disappeared out of sight.

Mornings weren’t typically crowded or loud affairs at the clubhouse. Only a handful of us were early birds. The rest of us drank too much, stayed up too late, and overslept the next day.

But this deal with the Makarovs and the Forsaken had everyone more subdued than usual. Kingpin made it clear that no man—or woman—among us would be forced into taking the gig. Each person had to assess for themselves whether they were willing to take on the risks that came with this job.

If anyone chose to stay behind, it wouldn’t be held against them.

None of us backed out. Even Crash was allowed to volunteer, as long as he didn’t get in the way.

Baby Doll used her foot to push out the chair across from her, wordlessly inviting me to sit. She continued to assemble her pistol while I took a seat.

“You’re glowing,” she said, indignant. “That harpy of a wife you signed up for was supposed to bleed the life out of you.”

I breathed a faint laugh and picked up a bristle brush, cleaning out the muzzle of her shotgun.

“Honestly, I’m surprised she didn’t stab me in my sleep within the first seventy-two hours of our marriage. Sometimes, I’m amazed I’m still breathing, to be honest.”

“Well,” Baby Doll replied. “I wagered fifty bucks that your bride would get sick of your shit after two weeks and demand a divorce.”

“Your confidence in me is heartwarming,” I said in a flat voice.

“Spike, on the other hand,” Baby Doll continued, showing no remorse and no mercy. “He wagered that you would be hypnotized by pussy, committed to doing everything in your power to make the marriage work. So I lost,” she sulked. “And Spike was fucking right.”

I pressed my lips together tightly to smother my amusement.

“He’ll never let you hear the end of it now,” I pointed out.

Baby Doll groaned.

“God, I hate you. You’re my best friend, and you failed me. How could you do this to me, Diego?”

She tossed her rag at me playfully. I caught it in mid-air and tossed it back, hitting her in the face. She sputtered and wrinkled her nose at me.

But I knew her well enough to recognize when she was looking out for me, concerned. We worked in silence for a few minutes, while I debated how much to tell her.

Taking Leigh to meet my parents had changed things between us, creating a shift that was…domestic, intimate, embodying what a marriage was supposed to be, not a damned business deal.

Even though Leigh was beginning to win me over, I couldn’t say the same was true for my club.

“Would you believe me if I told you that I wasn’t thinking with my downstairs brain in this scenario?”

Baby Doll snorted with skepticism.

“Not even a little. I’ve known you for seven or eight years by now, and in all that time, you have never looked at another woman the same way that you look at your wife these days.”

I sighed and folded my arms across the table. She was right. After my breakup with Courtney, I committed myself to life as a bachelor. I swore off having any serious, long term relationships, and never entertained the idea of marriage, no matter how much Abuela heckled me about it.

I didn’t suffer from a lack of companionship. I had the Blackjacks, my family, and good friends like Baby Doll. Getting five minutes alone was a rare occurrence.

But I had to admit, I was beginning to enjoy having Leigh in my home, in my bed. Not just because of the scorching hot sex. And I wasn’t hypnotized by pussy as Spike had claimed.

I slept better when she was next to me. One touch of her smooth skin and it became a little easier to breathe, clearing my head of the countless whirling thoughts that plagued me every waking moment.

But love had blinded me to Courtney’s ambitions years ago. Even though I was a different man now—older, wiser, tough as raw hide—I still wondered if this was another case of my heart running away, willfully closing my eyes to the blazing red warning signs.

“Let’s hear it,” I said.

Baby Doll cast a quick glance in my direction.

“Here what?”

“What’s your read on Leigh?” I prompted. “You have a flawless track record when it comes to seeing through people’s bullshit. So, what’s your take with my new wife?”

Baby Doll shrugged.

“I already told you before. She’s bad news.”

“That’s not specific enough, Baby Doll,” I replied.

“Well, I can’t really—”

“Lillian,” I cut in quietly.

She narrowed her eyes, hating when I used her real name instead of her road name. But I wasn’t doing it to piss her off. I did it to get her attention.

“This is the first time I’ve…felt something for someone since Courtney.”

Understanding dawned in Baby Doll’s eyes.

“I’ve never seen someone read people as well as you do,” I continued. “And I could really use your expert opinion right now.” I blew out a breath and ran a hand through my hair. “Because I’m falling in love with my wife. And if…if she doesn’t feel the same way…”

It would kill me, I thought. I can’t go through that again. Especially when I tried so hard to keep Leigh out, and she still managed to worm her way into my heart regardless of my strongest defenses.

Baby Doll took a bracing breath and set aside her tools. I clenched my jaw, steeling myself for what I was about to hear.

“She’s definitely attracted to you,” Baby Doll said. “You’re easy on the eyes, and she likes what she sees.”

Which was flattering. But there was an air of inevitability and a definitive pause to her words that indicated the other shoe was about to drop.

“Attraction doesn’t mean a damn thing in the long run,” I said.

Baby Doll spread her hands.

“That’s where it gets tricky. Leigh likes you, but I’m just not sure that’s enough to overcome her loyalty to her father and the Forsaken when shit hits the fan.”

I nodded, weighing that piece of information reasonably.

Baby Doll shifted in her seat, chewing on her lower lip as she deliberated what to say next.

“She’s biding her time, Diego. Like a sleeper agent.

As soon as someone says the trigger word, she’ll take out the whole room.

That contract was a way to get her behind our walls, like a Trojan horse.

There’s a slim chance she might allow you to live when things go to hell in a handbasket simply because she’s developed a fondness for you. Or…”

Baby Doll paused and shook her head.

“Or you might be the first one she gets rid of. Your feelings for each other endanger her position more than anything else. She can’t afford to split her loyalties between her father and her husband when you stand on opposing sides.

If she chooses you, she loses everything and everyone she’s ever known. ”

I nodded, letting that grim reality sink in. It wasn’t exactly a surprising revelation—it made perfect sense—but I had hoped for a different answer regardless.

“I can’t say whether Leigh genuinely cares for you or not,” Baby Doll added as gently as she could.

“But at the beginning, my guess is that you were a means to an end and nothing more than collateral damage. An asset she would bleed dry then throw away when you were no longer useful to her. It’s…

hard to tell if that’s changed on her part.

That kind of programming runs deep though. So…”

Baby Doll blew out a breath and met my gaze with an apologetic look.

“If I was in your position, I would operate under the assumption that she’s lying to you.”

Ouch. That stung. But it was exactly what I needed to keep my head on straight, in case I was falling in love with a woman who didn’t love me back. Again.