Chapter 26

TWENTY-SIX

GNAW

Buryingmy face in Kyle's neck, I thrust inside of her and groan—coming. My cock twitches, my balls draw up. Fuck me, but the way she takes me is beautiful. Lifting my head, I look into her eyes. She's breathing as heavily as I am.

Sliding my tongue along her bottom lip, I take one more taste of her before I slip from her body.

I watch her for a moment, standing and trying not to think about the cramp in my calf. Kyle's legs are spread, her ass still on the edge of the bed as she looks up at me, the little smile on her lips.

Bending, I lift my hand to slide my palm along her jaw, then touch my mouth to hers. "You're so pretty when you're freshly fucked, baby," I murmur against her lips.

"Rider," she breathes.

Slipping my hand between her legs, I glide my index finger through her center, collecting my cum from her cunt. I shift my head backward and lift my hand between us before I slide my finger across her bottom lip, then slip it into her mouth. She sucks my finger, fucking expertly.

Watching her, I let out a groan. "Fuck, baby. So beautiful wearing my cum."

Her lips curve up into a grin as her gaze searches mine. Then I watch as her tongue peeks out and slides across her lip. She tastes my cum from her mouth, and it's fucking gorgeous.

"Next time, you swallow my cum, baby."

"Rider."

I hum. "Sleep, Kyle."

Sliding her up the bed, I place her head on the pillow, then stand and undress. I place my cut on the chair in the corner and turn to face her, then climb into the bed beside her. I wrap my arms around her body and pull her against me.

"I like you in my shirt, Kyle."

She lifts her head, her eyes looking up into mine. I can tell she has a million questions rolling around in her head, and I know I need to answer them. But right now, all I want to fucking do is sleep.

I've been laid, amazingly, and now I need sleep.

Lots of goddamn sleep.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" she asks, her voice soft.

Christ, she's so goddamn sweet, this woman. Sliding my fingers through her hair, I grip the strands as I look into her eyes.

"You worried?" I ask.

"I am," she says without hesitation.

Laughing, I grin as I look into her eyes. "It's all good, baby."

"Do you have Sal back?"

Her questions shouldn't bother me. She's curious, and this all involves her, but I don't want her to be scared because I fucking got this—all of this. Gripping her hair tighter, I tug her head back, her neck exposed and gorgeous.

"I don't," I admit.

I don't want to admit a fucking thing, but I'm not going to lie to her. "Is he going to be okay?" she murmurs.

I hum. I don't know how to answer that. The Southern Mafia is forcing our hand. They came here, trying to start shit. They pulled out guns and lost two of their men in the process. But Talon isn't backing down. He should. The Dark Horse MC isn't going to just take his bullshit.

The Southern Mafia might have a reputation, but they ain't fucking shit. Not in the goddamn slightest. We still have their whores, they still have Sal, but they won't get my woman. Not fucking ever again. They caught me slipping once, but it will never happen again.

"We'll get him back, Kyle."

She presses her lips together, her gaze searching my own. I can tell she's thinking, but she's also scared. I don't blame her. The fact that Talon walked in here in the middle of the night is fucked up.

"I don't want you to worry about anything, Kyle. I got this, all of it."

She releases her lips, and then I feel her arm moving around between us. She cups my cheek as she leans forward and touches her mouth to mine. Her thumb slides across my bottom lip.

"I don't want to worry about anything," she says in a whisper. "But I worry about Talon. He's scary, Rider."

Holding her closer to me, I slip my tongue out and taste the pad of her thumb. "Don't let him scare you, baby. That man is one of the biggest pussies I've ever met. He's abusing women as a way to assert his dominance and control. He wants to harass an old man who has spent his entire life working and creating a club that is wildly successful. All because he wants a piece of pie that he was too lazy to make himself. And what makes him even more of a pussy is the fact that he comes to a small town to do all of that, because he couldn't hack it in a bigger city like Dallas."

"The way those women talk about him. The way their eyes glaze over when his name is even mentioned. He's dangerous, Rider," she exhales.

I chuckle, my gaze searching hers for a moment before I speak. "He is dangerous, baby. But that doesn't make him less of a pussy. Now, just get some sleep because I fucking got this, baby. I got you, and I got this."

She lets out a slow exhale as I release my grip on her hair. Her head slowly lowers, and her cheek rests against my chest. I run my fingers up and down her back, my eyelids growing heavy, and I fall asleep soundly for the first time since my mother died.

It's amazing and perfect—two words that I wasn't sure could ever go together, but they do. They work perfectly… together.

KYLE

I'm notsure what time I wake up, but when I do, I'm alone again. However, this time doesn't feel as ominous. I don't think anyone is downstairs, that Talon is anywhere near here, but that doesn't make me feel completely comfortable and safe. I don't know if I ever will again.

I thought Pineville was my safe haven. I'm feeling anything but safe right now. I hate it, too. I want to feel relief. I want to be wrapped in Rider's arms and know that nothing will ever happen to me again.

Because this man is, without a doubt, the one for me. The absolute one. Throwing my legs over the side of the bed, I stand on shaky thighs. My entire body is sore. Rider worked every inch of my body last night, this morning, and hopefully every day until the day I die.

When I walk out of the bathroom, I stop in my tracks at the sight of him. He's sitting on the edge of the bed, dressed, but he's not empty-handed. He's got a coffee in one hand and a bag in the other.

"I brought breakfast," he says with a smirk.

My eyes widen, and my lips twitch into a small smile. "Breakfast," I murmur as my feet carry me over to him.

Rider thrusts his hand forward, holding out the coffee for me. Slipping it from his fingers, I bring it to my lips and take a sip. I swear my eyes roll into the back of my head as the warm liquid slides down my throat.

He wraps his arm around my waist and tugs me down so my ass lands on his upper thigh. I turn to look at him, and my lips curve up into a smile. His arm tugs me a little closer to him, and I lean against his chest slightly.

"I have some things I need to do today. You'll stay here, inside. Don't leave this building, yeah?"

"Where are you going?"

He hums but doesn't answer me. I sink my teeth into the corner of my bottom lip. Then he tilts his head to the side. I watch him, waiting for his response. He clears his throat before he speaks.

"I can't tell you that, baby."

My brows knit together. "You can't tell me?" I ask.

He nods his head, his arm flexing around me. "I can't tell you," he repeats, confirming his words.

I open my mouth then snap it closed. Asking him anything else would be dumb. He's already said that he can't tell me, but I want to know. And I don't understand why he can't tell me. Then I think about last night, or rather early this morning, and everything that happened.

As I was sitting in that room with Shawn and Ryan last night, they were so calm and collected, as if they had done that a million times. Or maybe they knew their men so well that they trusted them implicitly.

I want to trust Rider that way. I thought I did, but I just don't know him yet.

"The MC, it's a club. Since it's a club, we have rules and duties that non-members can't be privy to," he explains. I like that he's telling me this so openly. "And a decision was made this morning with some things that I need to do. So, I'll do them today."

"But I can't know," I say.

He nods once. "You can't know," he confirms.

"Will you be safe?"

I'm not sure why I ask that, maybe because I'm the one not feeling safe right now. Maybe because this all seems so incredibly chaotic.

The hand around my waist slowly slides up the center of my spine. Then I feel his fingers curl around the back of my neck and flex gently. My attention is on him. I am his. Rider's eyes search mine before he speaks again.

"I am always safe, Kyle. You're the one I worry about."

"I'll be safe," I lie.

I don't know if I will, but I want to be.

"When I get back, we'll talk."

My heart slams against my chest at that word—talk. I don't want to talk, not like that. Saying you want to talk means there is a problem. I don't want any problems, not with Rider.

I expect my beating heart to burst through my body and land on the floor somewhere, but it doesn't. Instead, Rider's fingers flex again around the back of my neck, his lips curve up into a grin, and he winks before he speaks.

"A good talk, Kyle. About us and what we want moving forward. But the talk can't happen until all this shit is settled."

My lips part, and I stare at him in awe. Until everything is settled… what does that even mean? And do I want to know? I'm not sure I do. My staring in shock causes him to let out a chuckle.

"It's going to be all good, baby," he rasps.

The hand behind my neck slides around to the side of my throat and slowly glides up my face until he's cupping my cheek. Then I feel his thumb slide across my bottom lip, tugging on it slightly as it does.

"Is it?" I chance asking. "Is it going to be good, because right now, nothing feels good."

"Nothing?" He arches a brow.

"Nothing except you."

He hums and shifts his head forward slightly. I feel his lips touch my bottom one, giving it a kiss before he leans back slightly and speaks again.

"That's all that matters, then, baby. The rest of the shit, let me handle it. Stay here. Stay safe, and when I come back, we'll have that talk about our future."

"Are you going to save Sal?" I ask.

"I'm saving everyone and everything, Kyle."

"Why?" I ask on an exhale.

His gaze focuses on me, his face hardens slightly, and his next words do something to me. They make me feel… safe all over again.

"Because that's what a man does."

And that is that.

That is what a man does.

There are no simpler words to be said that could ever mean more to me than those.

That is what a man does.

I'm in love.

And I don't know that in just a few hours, that love is going to be hanging in the balance, along with my freedom and, ultimately, my life.