Page 6 of Edge (Redline Kings MC #4)

CALLIE

I woke up to an unfamiliar woodsy scent, laced with leather, clinging to my sheets. My body ached in places I didn’t know were possible, every muscle humming with the reminder of what had happened last night.

Of who had wrecked me in the very best way. Over and over again.

I stretched cautiously, heat crawling up my neck as flashes came back—Tatum’s rough hands on my skin, the way his mouth had marked me, his voice dark and wicked when he’d told me I was his.

I should’ve been shocked by how easily I’d let him have me, how fast I’d let him claim my virginity.

Instead, I found myself turning onto my side, eyes drawn to the man stretched out beside me.

Tatum slept like he owned the bed, even though it was mine. He was sprawled on his back, one arm flung carelessly over the pillow. My favorite, but I hadn’t needed it last night because I’d been cradled against his chest while I slept.

The morning light cut across his tanned skin, highlighting the speedometer tattoo on his right pec and the ridges of muscle that seemed sculpted from stone.

His beard shadowed the strong lines of his jaw, and his lips curved faintly, like even in sleep he was still satisfied by what had happened between us.

His other arm was under my neck, my cheek resting against his bicep while I stared at him. I carefully pulled the sheet higher over myself, fighting the urge to trace the black lines of the motorcycle helmet and checkered flags inked on his left hip.

My stomach growled, and I winced over how loud it sounded in the silence of my small apartment.

Tatum’s eyes popped open, instantly alert and pinned on me like he hadn’t been asleep at all. “Hungry?”

Heat flooded my cheeks as I thought about how we’d burned off the simple dinner of grilled cheese and tomato soup that we had shared in the middle of the night. Our quiet conversation in the dark had quickly turned into heated passion once we were done. “I, um—yeah. I could do breakfast.”

His grin was lazy. “Good. You’ll eat before we do anything else.”

“Anything else?” I echoed, my voice sounding as breathless as I felt.

His green gaze darkened, sliding down the sheet I clutched. “I’m nowhere near done with you, baby.”

My pulse sped up as he tugged me closer, his head dipping so he could claim my mouth in a deep kiss that took the rest of my breath away. When he finally tore his lips from mine to roll out of bed and snag his jeans from the floor, all I could do was blink up at him and enjoy the show.

After tugging them on, he circled the bed and pressed his palms into the mattress on either side of me. “When do you work next?”

I blinked up at him, unsure of why he wanted to know. “Not until Monday morning. Why?”

His grin turned wicked. “Good. Pack a bag.”

I pushed up on one elbow, startled. “For what?”

He gave me a look that made my cheeks heat. “Because you’re coming home with me, baby.”

I glanced around my tiny apartment. “But?—”

“No.” He kissed me hard, swallowing the rest of my protest before it even had a chance to form.

When he finally pulled back, his eyes gleamed with something fierce.

“I have a fridge that’s actually stocked.

A king-sized bed instead of this little thing.

And I’m gonna spend most of the next two days buried inside you. We’ll be more comfortable there.”

My mouth opened, then closed again. His explanation should’ve been ridiculous, but he made it sound so logical. He was right about the fridge, and my full-size bed was a snug fit for the two of us.

“If we’re going to stay in bed, then…um…I won’t really need a bag. Just a few things, right?”

“Pack more than that.” He stalked over to the closet and tossed my overnight bag at me with a smirk. “For when I convince you to stay longer.”

I shook my head, laughing under my breath as I got up and started gathering clothes. It was ridiculous. We hadn’t known each other for even twenty-four hours. Yet I didn’t feel panicked like I should have. Instead, I was excited to see Tatum’s home and spend more time with him.

By the time I’d stuffed the bag with a couple of pairs of shorts, a few shirts, a pair of jeans—at his insistence, though I had no idea why when it was always hot in July—a couple of sundresses, and several bra and panty sets in an array of colors, Tatum was leaning in the doorway, watching me with a satisfied gleam in his eyes that made my knees weak.

“That all you think you’ll need?” His voice was low and teasing.

“Yes.” I glanced at the overnighter, then back at him. “It’s a lot more than I’ll use in two days.”

“You’re adorable when you underestimate me.

” Then he snagged a tote from the hook by the door and filled it himself—shampoo, face wash, my charger, a pair of gym shoes, even the paperback I’d left on the couch.

By the time he was done, it looked like I was heading out for a week instead of a quick visit.

I didn’t argue. Just slipped out of his shirt that I’d borrowed in the middle of the night so he could put it back on while I got dressed in my cutest pair of shorts and a crop top.

While I slid on a pair of sandals, he slung both bags over his shoulder like they weighed nothing and walked me down to the parking lot.

My beat-up little car sat wedged between a gleaming SUV and a rusty pickup, looking embarrassingly out of place. Tatum scowled at it, his jaw flexing.

“This thing’s lucky I don’t live too far away,” he muttered. “Otherwise, I’d make you leave it here, call a prospect to grab your bags, and have you ride with me.”

Heat curled through me at the possessiveness in his tone even though I rolled my eyes. “It gets me where I need to go.”

“Not for long,” he grumbled as he opened the driver’s side door, his hand firm at my lower back.

I wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but the fierce look on his face stopped me from asking. So I bit my tongue and slid behind the wheel—already too far gone for Tatum to turn back.

Tatum’s apartment was a short drive away, but it was nothing like mine.

My place was small, cozy, cluttered with the kinds of things that made sense for a girl just starting out on her own.

His space was wide open, masculine to the bone, with sleek furniture in dark colors and a wall of windows that looked out toward the Gulf.

My bags hit the floor with a soft thump, but before I could take a single step farther, Tatum crowded me back against the door behind me. His body pressed to mine, his green eyes dark and intent.

“Welcome home, baby.”

My brows drew together. “This isn’t?—”

He kissed me before I could finish, his mouth hungry and sure. My protest died in my throat, replaced with a shaky little moan.

By the time he pulled back, my legs were trembling.

“As Tyre would say… mi casa es tu casa .”

“You speak Spanish?”

He shook his head. “Only a few things my brother taught me.”

I swallowed, trying to gather my scattered thoughts as he prowled into the kitchen.

I almost missed the part where he mentioned his older brother was the president of his MC—the Redline Kings.

Tyre, their treasurer, had taught him that line.

“So you think of the other guys in your MC as brothers, too?”

“Absolutely.” He grabbed a bottle of water from the stainless-steel fridge, tossing it to me without looking. I barely caught it, fumbling like an idiot as he leaned a hip against the counter, watching me drink. “My club is a brotherhood by choice.”

I grinned at him. “I love that for you.”

“So damn sweet,” he murmured, straightening to prowl over and give me another kiss. When he was done stealing my breath again, he tugged me to the fridge and opened it again. “See, a fuck of a lot more to choose from than some cheese, bread, eggs, and milk.”

“Okay, you win that one.”

His grin widened. “And I was right about my bed, too.”

I rolled my eyes, but it didn’t stop my pulse from spiking. “You’re impossible.”

His hand slid possessively along my hip. “You’ll find out I’m worse than that.”

My breath caught. He didn’t give me time to respond before he bent and scooped me up like I weighed nothing. A startled squeak escaped me as he carried me down the hall.

The bedroom was exactly what he’d promised—a massive king-sized bed draped in dark sheets that looked sinfully soft. He dropped me onto the mattress, the bounce sending me laughing into the pillows until his mouth found mine again, silencing me with a heated kiss.

“Tatum—” I tried to say, but his fingers were already tugging at the hem of my shirt.

“I’ll feed you after,” he drawled against my lips. “The only thing you need to do right now is hold on.”

Any protest I might’ve made went up in flames as his mouth trailed down my throat. By the time he stripped me bare, all I could think about was the orgasm that was already building.

Later, when I lay curled against his chest with the sheets tangled around us, my body boneless and my eyelids heavy, one thought anchored itself in my hazy mind. I was starving, but Tatum had already given me more than enough to keep me satisfied for now.