Page 14 of Unmasked Anarchy (Fallen Sons MC #3)

I go back to Kael.

What is there to lose now? The question echoes in my mind, a haunting reminder of my situation.

I fear what Gage will do, the unpredictable storm that follows in his wake, and I know I am risking the club being here, but I have nowhere else to go.

The weight of my choices presses down on me, each step toward the clubhouse heavy with uncertainty.

The second I walk through the front gates, tears streaking my face, one of the guys calls Kael out.

The air is thick with tension, the unspoken understanding that something has shifted, that my presence here is a gamble with stakes higher than I can comprehend.

As Kael emerges, his eyes meet mine, and in that moment, the world narrows to just the two of us.

There’s a flicker of something in his gaze—concern, anger, maybe even understanding—and it’s enough to make my heart race, a mix of fear and relief that leaves me breathless.

I’m standing on the edge, teetering between the safety of the familiar and the unknown path that lies ahead, and all I can do is hope that I’ve made the right choice.

He steps forward and his fingers carefully grip my jaw and he tips my head back. “What did he fuckin’ do?”

“He’s just being himself. But I don’t think I can handle it a second longer. He is going to want blood for me being here, so I understand if you want me to ...”

He cuts me off with a finger to my lips. “Don’t finish that sentence. You slept yet?”

I shake my head.

“Come.”

Kael leads me toward his room in large set of dorms on the compound.

Not even a hint of curiosity from the other guys sitting at the chairs and tables in the middle, just a few subtle nods and coffee mug scrapes against the lounge table.

I realize as I follow him through the door to his room, I’m shivering.

I’m over tired.

My head is pounding.

And my entire world just blew up.

It’s not surprising.

Kael’s room is bigger than I would have expected, with a large double bed in the middle, the blanket thrown back messily. There is a window above the bed, open and letting a soft breeze in. There is a small kitchenette to the left and a bathroom to the right. It’s quite cozy.

I watch as he walks toward a dresser, pulling it open and rummaging through. No words, just the sound of drawers sticking and sliding, and then he’s handing me a dark t-shirt. It’s his, and I can already smell him on it, making my tummy tighten and my heart weak.

This man has such a strange hold over me.

“Go shower,” he says, and gestures to the bathroom door with a jut of his chin. “Use whatever. I left a towel in there.”

I offer a small smile, going into the bathroom and closing the door. I get undressed and step in. Under the spray, I press my palms against the cheap tile and let myself cry silent, angry tears, hating how Gage’s words still fill up my head, how his actions can still hurt me so damned much.

Eventually, I get out.

I dry off then wrap a towel over my hair and tug Kael’s t-shirt down.

It covers me so completely, hanging halfway down my thighs.

My body aches, but I feel the faintest relief, being clean always makes me feel better.

When I emerge, Kael’s already in bed, propped against a headboard that’s just a slab of wood.

There’s a space beside him, clearly for me.

For a second I just stand there, towel in my hands.

He flips the blanket back. “Get in. I won’t bite.”

I am so tired, I don’t even question it. I crawl up onto the mattress and slide under, the sheets soft against my skin. Kael shifts, and then before I know it, I’m being pulled against his bare chest, my cheek flush against his skin. I stiffen, but only for a second.

“Relax, darlin’,” he murmurs. “I won’t do anythin’ you don’t ask for.”

I exhale, slowly sinking into him.

He feels incredible next to me.

I can’t remember the last time someone held me like this.

“Want to tell me what happened when you went back?” he asks, his voice low but relaxed.

“I found him in bed with two other women. I went mad at him, he accused me of sleeping with you, so I told him what happened. He lost it, threatened me, told me I am never leaving and that he will make the club wish they had never met me. I’m sorry, Kael. I should have kept my damn mouth shut.”

I expect him to be pissed. Instead, I feel the warmth of his hand settle over my stomach, his fingers tracing small circles on my flesh.

“Nobody is goin’ to touch you or the club, not here, not with us. You don’t need to worry.”

I think about Wolfe and the club, someone like me could bring a lot of heat to them. My jaw tightens, and I stare up at the ceiling. “Gage doesn’t let things go,” I say. “He’ll come for you, for everyone. He won’t stop.”

Kael’s hand moves, almost absent, making circles over my hip bone. “He’s not the first man with a grudge I’ve come across,” he says, a low rumble in his chest. “The club won’t let him hurt you.”

I exhale. “You make it sound so simple.”

“Doesn’t have to be complicated,” he murmurs, and now his thumb shadows the line of my ribs, up and down. My pulse quickens.

“What if Wolfe doesn’t want this on him?” I ask, softer now. “What if I’m not worth all the hell I bring?”

Kael’s body tenses, subtle, but I feel it. “That’s not for you to worry about,” he murmurs. “Wolfe wants you safe as much as I do. If Gage wants a war, we’ll make sure he doesn’t come out standing.”

His hand continues its exploration. It’s not sexual, just soft. Still, my lungs suddenly feel as though they aren’t taking enough air. I swallow, uncomfortable with the familiar flutter stirring deep down.

“You don’t even know me enough to help me like this.”

He chuckles, low. “I know enough.”

I close my eyes, counting my breaths. I am tired. So tired. But I don’t want to sleep, not yet. Kael’s finger dips lower, tracing my flesh, just above the ugly scar. My whole body flushes and I stiffen, scared of how this makes me feel.

He pauses, and without thought, I immediately blurt, “I want you, but I’m scared. I’m scared of the way you make me feel.”

He rolls toward me, his hard body pressing farther into mine, his hands sliding around my back and pulling me closer as his lips settle against my forehead for a long moment. “If you want me, darlin’, you got me.”

I close my eyes, breathing out against his chest.

“Sleep, baby,” he murmurs. “I got you.”

I have no energy left to fight. I let him hold me, let my guard down for the first time in years. The last thing I feel before sleep drags me under is his hands sliding up and down my back, bringing me a comfort I didn’t know I needed.

For the first time in a long time, I feel light.

Like the weight of the world isn’t crushing me.

I could get used to this.

~*~*~*~*

I WAKE UP TO KAEL’S beard scratching my jaw.

His entire arm wraps around my midsection, one big hand splayed over my belly so I can feel the spread of his fingers through the cotton of his shirt and the thump of his pulse against my spine.

He’s breathing lightly, not snoring, just letting out a slow, steady exhale each time his chest rises.

My sleep’s never deep. I hover at the edge, half-aware, but for once, I don’t hate it. I don’t even mind that my rest is interrupted by the weight of his thigh draped across mine, or how his hand tenses like he’s trying to keep me from slipping away in the night. Maybe he is, maybe I want him to.

Carefully, I roll over to face him. Not easy with the size of his arms caging me in, but I manage, shifting so my nose nearly touches the hollow of his throat.

He’s so warm. I wish I could say there’s some epic battle in my head: Don’t do this, Sable.

This is a mistake, Sable. But I stopped listening the moment I found my husband with two other women.

Not that he’s entirely to blame.

I am equally at fault for the way things ended.

All I want right now is to get closer to the only thing that’s made me feel anything good in years.

So, I let myself settle into him, press my face just under his jaw, and breathe.

Kael’s scent is everywhere, something masculine, leather and whiskey and the faint soap he must have used when he showered.

His hand moves, smooth and deliberate, sliding up my back sleepily.

He’s not as unconscious as I thought. I feel the tension in his arm as he pulls me in, pressing my chest flush to his, and then I’m trapped.

Fuck, I like it. I rest my palm against his sternum, right over his heart, and feel it speed up, just a hair.

Kael murmurs something in that sleepy, sexy voice and I can’t help it.

I kiss him.

It’s not careful. There’s a split-second where he freezes, but then his mouth claims mine hard enough to leave my lips numb, his hands framing my jaw and holding me in place. I only realize I’m making a sound when he presses his tongue past my teeth and a raw, desperate noise tumbles out.

He rolls us so I’m beneath him, bracing himself with his elbows at either side of my head. The covers have gone somewhere, and now the shift of his skin against my bare legs sets every nerve on fire. He’s so fucking heavy, all muscle and heat, and it feels like being pinned by a goddamn bear.

I arch up to meet him, desperate to be touched, and Kael growls against my lips at my impatience. The stubble on his chin burns my skin, but I don’t care. I want the pain; I want the bruises. I want something that will last beyond this perfect, impossible moment.

He bites down on my collarbone, not enough to break skin but enough to make me gasp and wrap my legs around his waist. Somewhere in the back of my mind I wonder if the other guys can hear us, but I don’t care.

Let them. Let all of them know that I am here, that I exist, that for once in my goddamn life I want something and I’m not going to fucking apologize for it.

Kael’s hands are everywhere, my sides, my thighs, the curve of my ass.

He flips me again so I’m straddling his hips, and I ride him through the cotton of his boxers, grinding down until I’m shaking from how badly I want him inside me.

He’s so fucking hard, his cock pressing to my wet pussy in a way that tells me he wants to be inside me just as much.

He’s got his hands tangled in my hair, pulling me down for another kiss.

This one is slower, but no less intense.

He breathes me in, like he’s starving. I tug his boxers down just enough.

He helps, one-handed, too impatient to bother with subtlety.

And then he’s inside me, pushing deep, my body stretching around his large size as a gasp leaves my lips. The pain and pleasure exquisite.

His body tenses and he curses against my lips. I never want to forget the way this feels, his huge body beneath mine, his hands guiding me as I ride him. I run my hands over his biceps, the muscles large and perfect, and I want to feel the way I feel right now forever.

We fuck rough, but it’s strangely sensual at the same time.

It’s almost desperate, like both of us know this could be the first and last time and neither of us are willing to let it go to waste.

I ride him harder, flattening my palms on his chest, digging in my nails.

I don’t want to leave this bed, or this body, or this man who makes me believe I can have something just for myself for once.

Kael grips my waist and flips me underneath again, his hard body coming down over mine as he slowly pushes his cock in once more, thrusts slow but brutal.

Every nerve ending crackles with white heat.

I forget my own name, forget the reason I came here, forget the weight of everything except the man on top of me who treats me like I’m the only thing he’s ever wanted.

When I cum, it’s so hard I can’t see, my entire body trembling beneath him.

Kael follows, not a minute later, silent except for a strangled groan pressed into my hair as he buries his face in my neck.

For a moment, neither of us move, we just lie there, both no doubt thinking about how incredible that was.

Eventually, he rolls off me, but keeps an arm around my waist, a wordless command not to slip away.

I burrow into him, let myself be held, and don’t bother stopping the tears that track silently down the side of my face.

He doesn’t say anything. He just tightens his arm and kisses the top of my head, like he heard all the things I wasn’t brave enough to say.

And for the first time, I feel like I could survive whatever happens next.