Chapter 23

TWENTY-THREE

GNAW

I stepinto the clubhouse bar, not sure what I expect to walk into, what I think I'm going to find, but it isn't my woman, Shawn, and Ryan huddling together, eating desserts and laughing.

"Fuck," Atomic mutters. "We're fucked now. There's three of them."

My lips twitch into a smile at the sight of them together. This is what I have wanted since the moment I laid eyes on Kyle at that bar. I knew she was special, and I knew this is where she belonged.

I was right.

"We are," King chuckles. "But they're going to keep us on our toes if nothing else."

He doesn't stay beside us long enough to hear our response. Instead, he marches straight for his woman. I watch as he extends his index finger and slides it down her throat before moving toward the bassinet that is set up behind the dessert table.

He reaches for baby Brendan and picks him up, cradling him in his arms. He looks so fucking small in King's arms. For whatever reason, it makes me want one. I've never thought about having kids before. But seeing these brand-new families and meeting Kyle, I want it—I want it all.

And I want to start on it immediately.

I want her tethered to me in a way where she will never be able to leave. I want her pregnant and at my side. My woman for fucking life.

Without another word to the men, it's my turn to make my way toward my woman. She senses me as I approach. Slowly, she turns her head, her gaze finding mine almost instantly. She stops speaking as her lips turn up into a smile.

It's all I need.

One look into her face, into her eyes, speaks volumes.

She feels the same way I do. Moving around to face her completely, I hold out my hand. She slips her fingers into my waiting palm before she stands to her feet.

Wrapping my arm around the backs of her thighs, I pick her up. She cries out, gripping my shoulders as I carry her straight toward my room. Her gaze focuses on mine, her smile wide. But I can tell she's terrified.

I don't know if that fucker hurt her while he had her, but I'm going to find out. Then I'm going to kill him, too.

Xavier and Talon will not survive this war.

I will ensure that.

Personally.

Nobody will ever touch her again. They'll never get the chance. I'm going to ensure that she always, always has fucking protection. I don't care in what form, but she will have it. Even if it means I never let her out of my sight again.

Once we're in my bedroom, I slowly set her down to her feet. My eyes look nowhere else but hers, trying to gauge her mood. I don't know if she's been hurt, if she's scared, relieved, or what she's feeling. But I want to know it all.

Lifting my hands, I cup her cheeks. "Did he hurt you?" I ask.

My eyes never look away from hers. I search her gaze as she gives me a single smile. I don't know what the fuck to think. I can't read her. I'm going to need her to tell me immediately. I already know I'm not good enough for her. I need to at least take care of this so I can prove myself.

"He didn't hurt me," she whispers. "I was locked in that room. But nothing happened."

"And your ex?" I ask.

Her eyes widen. I need her to speak, to tell me what exactly occurred. I need to know how I'm going to torture him. Because that is exactly what's going to happen. I'm going to torture that motherfucker, with a smile on my goddamn face.

"I only saw him twice, but he didn't touch me. They promised him that he could have me, but then he was taken away. Talon wouldn't let him anywhere near me. I don't know what happened or why, but Xavier seemed scared of him."

I snort.

I bet the pussy was terrified.

Probably shit himself a little, too.

Shifting my face closer to hers, I touch my forehead against her own. I close my eyes as I inhale through my nose, letting it out my mouth. I take in her scent, and it grounds me.

"Never," I grind out. "Never will that man touch you. He won't be alive long enough to ever try again. Never will you be taken from me by anyone again. Not fucking ever. Never again, baby. Not as long as I have breath in my body will anything like this ever happen to you again."

"Never again," she whispers.

My lips twitch into a small smile. I don't give her the chance to say anything else. There's nothing left to say. I won't allow a protest of ending Xavier or Talon. That decision has been made.

Slamming my mouth against hers, I kiss her.

It's long and hard—wet, too.

I want to consume her the way she consumes me.

Wholly.

KYLE

His kissand arms are a welcome change from the terrified loneliness I've felt the past few days. Opening my mouth widely, I accept his tongue, his taste… I welcome it. Because it's amazing, just like him.

A shiver of desire slides down my spine. I know I need a shower, maybe even need to wash my hair, but I can't think of anything else aside from him being inside of me.

I need it.

Want it.

Crave it.

Rider nibbles on my bottom lip, then lifts his head, his eyes looking into mine again. I don't know what he's trying to see, but I hope that whatever it is, he finds it in me because I've never felt this way before.

It's amazing and beautiful. It's nothing I expected and everything I've always wanted.

Without a word, I feel his hands reach for my pants, tugging them down past my ass along with my panties. Kicking them off the rest of the way, along with my shoes, I let out a gasp when my shirt is peeled off over my head, my bra unhooked and tossed to the floor.

Before I can say a word, my body is in the air. Rider grips my hips, picking me up off the floor, and I expect to be taken to the bed, but that's not what happens. Instead, he moves forward, and I feel my back slam against the hard door.

I let out a gasp, my eyes wide as I stare into his. He grins. He releases his grip on one of my hips, and I feel his hand between us. Then I hear the rustle of his metal belt before the teeth of his zipper. I expect to feel the head of his length against my center, but I don't.

Instead, I feel his thumb press against my clit.

Gripping the back of his neck with one hand and digging my nails into his shoulder with the other, I gasp. His lips twitch as he begins to move his thumb against my clit in sweet circles. When any part of him touches any part of me, it's like all my nerve endings stand at attention.

My lips part, my eyes widen and watch him, unable to speak as he shifts his hand and sinks two fingers inside of me. My head falls backward, bouncing against the door as I shift my hips, lifting them to meet his touch.

Whimpering, I climb higher and higher, closer and closer to the edge, waiting… hoping to fall over. I want to come. I want him to make me come. I thought I would never see him again. I thought I wouldn't come out of that house alive, yet I'm here, he's here—we're together.

"Please," I exhale.

He hums but doesn't speak, his fingers moving between my legs, his thumb circling that sweet little nub faster and faster, and then it happens. It's so fast. It's so consuming that I don't even realize it's happening until it's happened. It's done. I come, hard, my mouth open, but not a single sound escapes.

Rider shifts his face and leans forward. I feel his mouth touch the side of my neck, then he hums against my skin before he kisses up to my earlobe. His teeth nip me there before he speaks.

"You're mine, Kyle. Only mine."

"Yes," I exhale.

I never thought I could want to belong to a man. Xavier traumatized me to no end, and although his threat is still out there somewhere… I can't help but want to belong to this man. The way he makes me feel, the way he looks at me.

I'm not the same girl who fell in love with Xavier. I've changed, and I know what I want. It's a man who will protect me. Who wants all of me and won't hurt me. I think Rider is that man.

Maybe I'm being stupid and na?ve, I'm not sure, but I also have never felt anything like this before in my entire life, and I'm going for it. I'm going for him. I'm lost in his eyes, my orgasm subsiding as his fingers shift from between me, and I feel the head of his length against my center.

Without a word, he buries himself inside of me. My body stretches, taking him completely inside of me, almost to the point of pain. But it's a delicious pain. I would welcome this pain every single day of my life until the day I die.

"Rider," I whisper.

I watch as his jaw clenches, and a muscle jumps in his cheek as his gaze searches mine. My entire body is trembling as I wait for him to speak. I'm not sure I want him to move, though. The way he is seated inside of me, the way his hips press against mine to keep my back firmly pinned to the wall.

"Fuck," he hisses. "I love it when you say my name like that."

Sinking my teeth into my bottom lip, I try to hide my smile, but it doesn't work. I'm not sure I could ever hide my smile from this man. Gripping the back of his neck, I try to keep from begging for him to move. I love the way he fills me.

"Can you stay right here forever?" I chance asking.

He laughs softly. "I have done nothing on this earth to deserve you, Kyle," he says.

I'm not sure how to respond to that. I want to tell him that he does deserve me, because he's good. But something stops me. Maybe it's because I know he would deny those words if I even tried to say them.

"But fuck me if I don't want to keep you forever, baby. Just like this."

He doesn't allow me to respond. Instead, he slams his mouth against mine in a hard, owning kiss before he begins to move.

Even if I wanted to respond, the words escape me.

I can only feel.

And boy, what a sensation.