Page 17

Fifteen

Blink of an Eye

Blade

L ater in the evening, after my parents and kid sister have left, the party turns into a real club party.

Hanna and Risk are on kid duty tonight, which means a sleepover with all the rug rats.

In the morning, one of the other moms will supply copious amounts of coffee, and Hanna and Risk will get a day of rest. Knowing Risk, he’ll take the time alone with his wife to do anything but rest. Risk adores Hanna and has since the day he saw her deliver a cake to the club.

Those two are meant to be together. As much as Risk loves Hanna, Hanna dotes on her husband and son.

It’s the same throughout the club between the other men and their wives.

For the longest time, I was immersed in fitting in, working hard, and proving myself.

Women were a distraction, albeit a lovely one, but my focus on the club was all I could handle.

The biker bunnies were fun, but any relationship with them was just a good time for one night and nothing else.

With Emryn, I want to know her. I mean, know everything about her, from the way she takes her coffee to her deepest darkest fears.

I have an urge to protect her, and I don’t even know from what.

Demon’s words come to mind. Live in the moment.

Don’t ask for trouble, because it will come calling.

Just be prepared when it does. Demon has survived a great deal of tragedy.

I’m not sure if I would have made it through if it had been me.

Being a rock star isn’t all it’s made out to be.

He rose to the top, got sucked into drugs and alcohol, like the rest of the band, then watched his best friend die in front of him.

That was just the beginning of the downward hell he lived. But he’s still standing.

Maddie coaxes Emryn to dance with the others while Demon belts out his latest tune with Maddie’s band. The women move to the beat of the music, but my eyes are glued to Emryn shaking her ass, hand in the air, with her hair tousled around her face. She’s fucking gorgeous.

I’m not much of a dancer, but I move onto the dance floor and go to Emryn, snaking my hand around her waist from behind her.

She turns her head and leans back into me, rubbing her bottom into my groin.

Emryn and I sway to the melody for a while longer, and when Demon sings his final note, I dip my mouth to her ear.

“I want to show you my room,” I say, then nip her lobe.

Emryn takes my hand and leads me back into the compound.

Silently, we walk through the building. The boisterous voices from the party ebb as we move up the stairs to the second-floor bedrooms. My bedroom is at the end of the long hallway.

When I first moved in and saw it was available, I grabbed it.

I like privacy, and with most of the club brothers having a home and a place of their own to go to at night, I have the quietest room of all.

I click on the lights, and Emryn surveys the small space.

It’s nothing fancy, but it’s neat and clean.

I like an orderly room. Maybe it’s my mother drilling it into my head from the time I was three to pick up my toys, but mostly, I like to know where everything is.

I’m the same with my workspace. The bed is always made, my clothes are put away, and even my small bathroom is clean.

I’m no decorator, but I managed to make my space my own.

I have pictures of me and my brothers on the wall, and a few more of my family.

I’ve never needed much; just give me a place to sleep and my Harley, and bikes and cars to work on, and I’m a happy man.

“What do you think?” I ask.

Emryn sits on the edge of my bed. “It’s homey. I didn’t expect that,” she says, reaching over to the photo of me and my family on the bedside table. She glances up at me and says, “You’re very close to your family, aren’t you?” I can hear the sadness in her tone.

“Yeah. My parents are great. Jaci can be a handful, but she’s got a heart full of love.

She’s still trying to figure out where she fits.

She’s got another year of college, but I’m not sure if she figured out her passion.

I think she should work with kids, because her face lights up whenever she’s around them. ”

“Jaci liked hanging around the play area with the little ones more than the adults,” she says. “She’d be a fantastic teacher.”

I shrug. “I gave her my opinion, but it’s her life to lead and her choices to make. God knows no one could talk me out of becoming a mechanic. Not that they tried. Mom and Dad were always on my side and told me that if I chose a profession, I’d better pick something I love.”

And there it is, that profound look of sadness.

Fuck, I hate it, but I don’t know what to do about it.

I lose her eyes when she lowers her gaze to her lap, and I see her hands tightly clasped.

I’m about to straight out ask her what the hell is going on in her head when she reaches out, taking my hand and pulling me down to sit by her side.

“My family doesn’t work like yours. They’re not bad people, just different.

I know you want me to tell you more, but I’m not ready.

Not yet anyway,” she says, lifting her eyes to mine.

“Do you think you can be a little more patient?” She sucks in her lower lip between her teeth, her expression pleading for me to understand.

I recall my father’s advice, and my answer was that I would give her time. “Yeah, babe. You take the time you need, but this is something that’s on your mind a lot, and it will come back and bite again and again until whatever it is you’re dealing with is resolved.”

She doesn’t respond but lays her head on my shoulder. I gather her into my arms, and she nestles close. “I can’t believe I had a personal concert with Lucien Bardon and Maddie and the Smoking Guns,” she says quietly.

“Best part of your night, huh?”

“Nope.”

“Meeting my family?”

“Nope.”

“The good eats?”

“Nope.” She turns her face to look at me and giggles. “This is the best part. Being with you. All my life, I’ve been looking for someone who wants me for me. You believe in me. That means everything to me.” Her eyes well with tears.

I place my mouth on hers in a soft, sweet kiss that quickly turns into much more. Her arms come around my neck, clinging to me. I lower her onto her back in my bed.

Emryn wrenches her mouth from mine. “Hurry, Ben,” she murmurs.

“Not this time, baby.” I kiss her soundly. “I’m going to take my time. It’s going to go nice and slow, so I can cherish you the way you deserve.”

“Baby—” She gasps when my lips find the sensitive spot on her neck.

“Hush, Emmy. Let me love you.”

Her eyes close and I let my lips roam over her neck, then slowly undress her as my hands wander over her body, inch by inch revealing her creamy flesh.

Painstakingly, I take my time, reveling in every moan, mewl, and quiver that I elicit from her.

Each sound moves me closer and closer to my own intense need to be inside her, but I want this to go slow.

Emryn deserves to feel cherished, and I’m the man to give that to her.

Emryn

I f this is a dream, I never want to wake up.

Blade makes me feel like I’m the only person in his world, as he is in mine.

His gentle touch, the whisper of his lips on my skin, his warm breath on my body, is magnified a thousand times over.

Wetness pools between my thighs, and when his mouth finds my core, he moans against my clit.

My body reacting instantly, my hips shifting beneath him, silently begging for more.

I come undone, his tongue still working its magic on my pussy. Blade rides me through my orgasm, but he doesn’t stop teasing my clit, and the spark that was recently quenched rises again.

“Oh, Ben!” I moan, “I can’t.” I don’t think I have it in me to come again, but Blade isn’t a man who admits defeat.

“I need to hear you come again. It’s like sweet music, Emmy.

I love the way you moan my name. One more, baby.

This time with me inside you,” he says. I feel his thick, hard cock slide through the slickness between my legs.

He slides inside me, slow and gentle. Once he’s rooted deep inside me, he frames my face in his hands, kissing my lids, my cheeks, and then taking my mouth in a passionate kiss.

I love this man. I love him for all that he is and all that he makes me feel. I want to say the words, but I’m terrified, and instead, kiss him back, hoping my body tells him what my mouth isn’t capable of saying.

When Ben begins to move, his thrusts start off slow and steady until we’re both at a fevered pitch when we both come together. Tears of joy stream down my cheeks at the sheer beauty of what he makes me feel.

As Ben kisses my tears away, he murmurs, “Did I hurt you, baby?”

I shake my head. “No, you were perfect. Thank you.”

Ben chuckles. “Don’t know what you’re thanking me for, beautiful. In case you didn’t notice, I was right there with you. And perfect is exactly what we have.”

We lie in each other’s arms, and Ben drifts off to sleep. His breathing steadies, and his features soften while he slumbers. My fingers rest on his handsome face as I pray that my brother won’t take Ben away from me.

My brother has caused too much trouble in the past, but can I protect Ben from Ryan’s manipulative charm? Ryan doesn’t try to make a mess of out my life, yet somehow, I always lose out. I can’t lose Ben, not now that I know how much I love him.

Tomorrow, I decide. I’ll tell him everything tomorrow.

T here’s a pounding at the door, and on the other side, a deep voice calls for Blade. “Blade! Brother, wake up. Problem! Guard wants us all downstairs. We’re gonna ride.”

Blade leaps to his feet, grabs his jeans from the floor, yanks them on, and turns the knob. “Cover up,” he tells me before opening the door. “What’s happening?”

“Aaron was attacked last night. Saint is seeing to him now. This doesn’t go unpunished,” I hear War say.

“I’ll be down in five,” Blade responds.

“You’ve got two minutes. Guard’s beyond pissed,” War says.

“Got it.” Blade shuts the door, reaches for his T-shirt and leather jacket, and comes to the side of the bed. His fists come down on the mattress, his face hovering over my wide-eyed expression. “Don’t leave the club, babe. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“What’s going on?”

“Club business, babe. Promise me,” he demands. I can see that he’s in a rush to leave, and although I want to know more, this isn’t the time.

“I promise,” I whisper. He kisses me quickly and is out the door in a blink of an eye.