Page 77 of The Bonds We Break

When he’s done, I lick him clean before tipping my head to rest it on his thigh. King releases his hold of my hair and strokes it instead. Here, on my knees, in the safety of this man’s embrace, I feel a sense of peace and quiet that’s rare.

I don’t rush to move. King doesn’t stop stroking my hair. We sit in the most comfortable of silences, letting the ease ripple through us both.

Finally, King’s phone pings, and he stirs to look at it. “Go get ready, Rae.” He leans forward and kisses the top of my head. “Dinner is in thirty minutes, and it’s a ten-minute drive.”

He offers his hand to help me stand, and I sigh as I do so before stretching my hands over my head. “What’s the dress code?”

Carefully, he tucks himself away and zips his jeans. “Casual. But you better walk downstairs in red lipstick.”

I grin at the request. “Maybe I don’t feel like wearing red lipstick.”

He stands and walks to me until we’re chest to chest. I have to look up to see him. He takes my chin and kisses me, swirling his tongue around my mouth, tasting himself on me. “Been thinking about the day I first came to visit you and—”

“You came tovisitme?” I laugh. “That’s one word for it.”

His grin is bashful. “Anyway, you were going out on a date with some guy. You were wearing a fuck-me dress and heels. But that mouth of yours. Red. Fucking. Lips. I want to watch those red lips while you eat dinner. While you sip on drinks and give me sass. I want to spend the whole night thinking about how good they’ll look around my cock and how hot you’ll look when I’ve smudged that shit everywhere. Wear red for me Rae.”

And with a request like that, how could I not?

28

KING

“Ican’t believe you got a prospect to drive us here,” Rae says when I take her hand and help her out of the car.

“It’s his job to do whatever any member of the club asks of him.”

As we walk into the pizza place, I see Saint, Briar, Spark, Iris, Clutch, and Gwen sitting at the table. Thankfully, Saint and Briar are seated at one end of the table. We’ll be at the other end next to Spark and Iris.

“Can’t believe we’re out on a fucking date,” I grumble, even though I pushed Rae into it.

Rae laughs. “This was your idea. I was saying no until you interfered. Plus, it’s a good step. You know, in that conversation we had were we both admitted we might be growing on each other.”

She’s right.

Not that I’m ever going to admit to that.

I’ve got no choice but to stop the cycle of destruction we’re on. I need to put the club above my own feelings. I need to prove to Rae I’m the good man she thinks I am.

What?

Fuck.

No. I’m doing it for the club. Not her.

Since he got back, Saint has been keeping his circle small and only limited to those who didn’t beat him.

Can’t say I blame him.

He took harsh punishments from some of the members. I think about him hanging from the hooks pierced through the skin of his back. When Niro had told me what he planned to do, I thought it was fucking genius. And it likely sent a very real message to anyone who had wild ideas about testing the club’s resolve.

I watched every grim second as those hooks tore through Saint’s skin.

The idea of explaining to Rae what I did to him makes me feel sick.

I don’t want her to hate me for it.

I don’t want it to ruin whatever this thing is that we’re growing from the chaotic mess of how we started.