Chapter Seven

Memphis

" Y our bike is ridiculous, Memphis," Kylie complains, eyeing my Harley like it's a caged beast ready to pounce as we stand in the private garage attached to the bar. "It was built for a giant. I'm not a giant."

I can't help but chuckle at the look on her face. She's fucking cute when she's nervous. Not that I can blame her in this case. My bike is a fucking beast. The chrome and black Harley was custom built for a motherfucker my size, not for a girl her size.

"Get your cute ass on," I tell her anyway, plunking a helmet down on her head. It's way too big for her, but damn if she doesn't look sexy as hell wearing my shit anyway.

"Really, Memphis? I knew you had a big head, but this thing is enormous," she grumbles, clearly unimpressed.

"You haven't even seen my enormous head, Toto. Quit bitching and get your cute ass on the bike."

She huffs at me, but steps forward reluctantly. I offer her a hand to help her on the bike. She hesitates for a moment before slipping her hand into mine. I hold her steady as she swings a leg over, allowing me to help her slide onto the leather seat.

Once she's settled, I hop on in front of her and feel her wrap her arms around me, holding tight. Her hands are dangerously close to my cock, and I have to stifle a groan. I can't even lie, though. She's soft and cuddly as fuck—the perfect little backpack.

I rev the bike and take off, making her squeal and cling to me as if she's afraid I'm going to wreck this big bitch with her on the back. As if that will ever happen. I've been riding since I was a teenager. She's perfectly safe with me.

Within minutes, however, I feel her body relax against mine as we head toward my place. At one point, she even squeals with laughter. The sound sends a thrill through me that I didn't know I could feel anymore.

I decide to take the long way home, just to keep her close to me as long as possible.

Memories of the past still weigh heavily on my mind. I'm not sure why I brought them up to her. Actually, that's not true. I want her to know every single fucking part of me. It's been a long damn time since anyone has known me like that. Not even Riley and Cash know all my secrets. No one does.

But Kylie? I want her to know everything. Every dark corner and crowded crevice will be hers. She has a right to know what the fuck she's getting herself into. But goddamn, revisiting that shit isn't easy. I buried it for a reason, left the man I used to be in the past because there was no future in being him. There was just blood and pain and more fucking violence.

Everyone I cared about died in a spray of bullets, cut down by another MC in an attack we didn't see coming. I was the only survivor—luck of the draw because I wasn't at the clubhouse at the time. I was out making a goddamn drug run.

I made it back in time to watch my best friend take his last breath, and I couldn't stop it. I couldn't do anything but hold him in my arms as he gasped that he didn't want to fucking die.

Those words haunted me for a long time. They still do. I think they always will.

I took out as many of the Graceland Reapers as I could before I walked away. And then I rode my ass out of town, and I never looked back.

When I walked away, I was done with that shit. Being that man took everything from me. It took Jayson, my peace, and my own damn humanity. It turned me into a murderer—one who doesn't even regret his crimes.

I regret a lot of things, but not what I did. Those motherfuckers deserved the justice I meted out. My club may have operated outside the law, but we had no beef with them. What they did was unforgiveable.

But with Kylie wrapped around me and the road beneath us, the memories start to loosen their grip. The wind whips around us, drowning out the world. It leaves only the two of us in our little bubble, far removed from the past, the future, and anything resembling reality.

It's just us—the past a distant memory that holds no sway here.

"Memphis, this is amazing!" she shouts into my ear.

I can't help but grin, her voice chasing away the demons that haunt me.

Her grip on me tightens as we race through my neighborhood, each house situated a little further apart than the last. She splays her hands flat across my abdomen, sliding lower. My heart races as the heat of her palm sears me.

And when her hand slips lower, brushing against my cock through my jeans, I can't help but growl a curse, desperate for her touch. For her. Christ, she has no idea how badly I want her hands on my body.

I've thought of nothing else since she walked her fine ass into my bar and started reading in the corner. I don't even care anymore what she's up to or why she's lying about who she is. It doesn't fucking matter. All that matters is her and the way she makes me feel.

"Fuck, Toto," I mutter under my breath, bucking my hips into her hand. She wraps her fingers around me, squeezing through my pants. Her body presses closer, the heat of her pussy against my lower back, her tits crushed against me. That fucking hand slowly driving me crazy as she strokes me.

There's no way I can keep this fucking bike on the road with her hands on me like this. All I can think about is her. But we're nearly to my place.

I can make it.

Fuck. I will make it.

I squeeze the throttle, and the bike darts forward.

She finds a rhythm, jacking my cock through my jeans.

We weave on the road, my concentration scattered as she wreaks havoc on my body with that fucking perfect hand.

I pull through the gates, gunning it until we're safely inside the garage. Finally. Jesus Christ.

I kill the throttle, and the bike goes silent.

Kylie squeaks when I grab her suddenly, hauling her around until she's straddling me.

"You're on the verge of getting yourself bent over these handlebars and fucked sideways, princess," I rasp, my voice strained. She moans my name, making my cock throb. In one swift motion, I rip her helmet off, tossing it aside. "You drive me fucking crazy, Toto."

"Good," she says, her emerald eyes dark and heated. "Because you drive me crazy too."

My lips crash down on hers in a ravenous kiss, my hand tangled in her hair. I devour her mouth like a man starved, our tongues tangling. She tastes like honey and sin, and I can't get enough.

But somehow, I manage to break the kiss before we get carried away. With her, it's so fucking easy to do. As soon as she's in my arms, I'm lost, drowning in the feel of her pressed against me.

Her breath tickles my neck as she leans in close, running her fingers gently over my bruised knuckles. "You went after Phantom instead of going to practice today," she whispers, her eyes soft and searching as she meets my gaze.

"Never denied it," I say with a shrug, trying to keep my cool despite the warmth pooling in my chest at her touch. Christ, the things she does to me. A simple touch from her and I'm a goddamn livewire shooting off sparks.

"Why?" The word slips out in a vulnerable plea for understanding that makes me want to break down walls for her.

I tilt her chin up, forcing her to meet my gaze. "Because he put his hands on you. He hurt you. He scared you." I'm not sure which answer she wants, so I give them all to her…every single reason I went after him today. "Because you're mine, and I always fucking take care of what belongs to me, Toto. Always."

She bites her lip and nods, tears shimmering in her lashes.

I tug her lips gently from between her teeth. "I'm the only one who gets to bite that lip, princess."

She smiles at me like I hung the moon just for her, and damn if that doesn't make my heart race. Damn if it doesn't make me want to be that man for her. I'm not good enough for her. Doesn't matter if I have money in the bank and fans screaming my name, she deserves better. But that isn't going to stop me from claiming and possessing every inch of her. Until she's stripped raw, consumed by me, I won't quit. I can't.

"Let's get you inside," I say, scooping her off the bike.

She glances all around, staring at my space as I carry her into the house, kicking the door shut behind us. My boots echo against the white porcelain tiles. Floor to ceiling windows line one wall, offering a view of the manicured grounds and the glittering lights of Nashville in the distance.

The furnishings are sparse but comfortable—oversized leather couches and chairs in deep shades of brown and black. Chrome and glass accent tables catch the dim lighting. It's the kind of furniture a single motherfucker like me would pick out— functional and easy to maintain. No fussy throw pillows or knick-knacks, no personal touches.

I spend most of my time at the bar, on the road, or handling my career. It hasn't left much time to think about shit like decorating.

I carry her through the living room into the kitchen and set her down gently at the massive island in the center, tucking strands of hair behind her ears.

"What do you want to eat, Toto?"

"Food."

"Smart ass."

She smirks at me.

"Keep it up, princess. After your little stunt on the bike, I'm just itching to fill that smart fuckin' mouth so full you won't be able to speak," I growl, wrapping a hand around her throat to pull her close. "In fact, you won't even be able to breathe."

"Mm," she hums, her lips an inch from mine. "You know what they say, Memphis. It's the small objects that create the choking hazards."

I crush my mouth to hers, silencing her with a hard kiss. "Fuckin' savage," I mutter against her lips before pulling away to make her something to eat. If I don't feed her now, the only thing I'll be feeding her tonight is cock and cum. And when she's gagging on all nine inches, she'll see for herself that the armchair experts don't know every goddamn thing.

She laughs quietly as I stride to the fridge to start pulling out ingredients and then turn on the indoor grill to get it heating.

"You owe me a story," she says, her voice light as she watches me form meat into burger patties.

"Is the Wizard of Oz not doing it for you anymore, Toto?" I ask, adding spice to the meat.

"I finished the series two days ago, Memphis."

I glance at her over my shoulder, startled. "When the fuck did you find time to read an entire series?"

"I'll never tell." She beams at me, batting her lashes. "Now, spill. How did you get into music?"

I slap two burgers onto the grill, and the sizzle of the meat fills the air. As I cook burgers, I find myself sharing a piece of my soul.

"Music has always been an escape for me, even when I was a kid," I confess, assembling a salad. "Didn't have much family, just a brother. Jayson." His name catches in my throat, the memories too close to the surface to stay buried. I push them down anyway, fighting to keep them contained. "When he died, music was all I had left."

Kylie is quiet for a long moment—too long.

I turn to glance at her to find her staring at me, an odd look on her face, almost as if she wants to cry. She notices me staring and blinks rapidly, schooling her expression.

Jesus. Is she ready to cry for me?

"Riley found you in a bar, right?" she asks before I can say anything, her voice probing as she tries to understand the man I've become.

I hesitate for a moment, and then decide to circle back to whatever the fuck that look was after I answer her questions.

"Yeah." I nod, my throat tight. "She found me playing with the house band in some dive in Knoxville." It was…fuck…I don't even know. Two or three years after Jayson died. The days all blurred together.

"She signed you?" The shadows in her eyes are gone too. So are the tears. I could almost believe I imagined them; except I know damn well I didn't. She was ready to cry.

Who the fuck is she?

I nod again. "I don't know why the fuck she decided to take a chance on me. I didn't deserve it. I still don't. But she hauled my ass out of there and signed me the next day. She changed my whole life, gave me a reason to keep going when I had none."

I spent the first few years working with the studio band, laying down tracks for albums. And then she introduced me to Cami and Bentley Reynolds. Once I started touring, I never stopped. Between them, Winter Pyke, Kasen Alexander, Gwen London, and Clayton Devine, I've spent most of the last five years on the road.

"Had it not been for her, I'm not sure I'd still be here," I admit softly. "I was fucked up in the head for a long time, just trying to make it through every goddamn day. I wasn't living, princess. I was just surviving."

The sizzle of the burgers fades, replaced by the pounding of my heart as Kylie slips from her stool and walks toward me. My breath hitches when I realize what she's doing.

"Kylie," I warn, but she ignores me, pushing her way into my arms to hug me tight.

"I'm glad she found you, Memphis," she whispers, her breath warm against my skin. "I'm glad she gave you a reason to keep going. I'm glad you're here now." She squeezes me as if she intends to hold all my fucked-up, broken pieces together. "Jayson would want this for you."

"Jesus Christ," I growl, dropping the spatula and boosting her up into my arms. Her body fits against mine like perfectly slotted puzzle pieces clicking together. "You keep putting yourself in my space like this, and I'm going to stop being a gentleman, Toto. I'm going to take exactly what I want from you."

"Who's stopping you, Memphis?" she whispers, her eyes burning into mine.

"Last chance, little girl," I warn her, my voice rough with need as I turn off the grill and press her back against the fridge, my mouth inches from her. "Stop me now, or I'm not fuckin' stopping until you're screaming my name."

"Memphis? Shut up and fuck me already."

That's all the encouragement I need. A growl rips from my chest as I take her lips in a desperate kiss, storming toward the bedroom with her in my arms. She kisses me back the same way, as if she needs my air in her lungs to survive.

We're a frenzy of movement, colliding into walls as we kiss. I'm too goddamn greedy to wait to get her naked. I need my fucking hands on her body now. Apparently, she feels the same way because she's just as eager as I am.

A whirlwind of desperate hands and torn fabric follows in our wake.

I nip her neck and then bite down on one hard nipple just before we reach the bedroom, making her sob my name in ecstasy. Her nails rake down my back hard enough to make my balls throb.

Fuck, she's a little hellcat.

I yank her pants and panties off, tossing her onto the bed. She bounces when she lands, sprawling across the dark duvet like a little sacrifice, all trembling and eager.

"Memphis," she moans, a plea in her voice as she stares up at me. She's so damn beautiful. Christ, every inch of her is soft and round. There isn't a spot on her that I don't want to put my mouth on right fucking now.

I can't help but stare at her as she watches me finish undressing, her legs chafing together in anticipation.

"You like watching me, Toto?" I smirk, wrapping a hand around my hard cock. My voice is so rough with need, I don't even recognize it. This is what she does to me. This is how she makes me ache.

She bites her lip and then nods.

"Spread your legs and let me see what I'm going to be pounding my name into later," I demand, my eyes locked onto hers as I jerk myself off. She obeys, slowly parting her thighs, granting me a sinful view that has my blood boiling with desire.

Fucking hell. I've never seen anything more beautiful than that pink pussy dripping wet for me. Her clit is hard, peeping from between her puffy lips. Her juices coat her thick inner thighs. She's bare, every inch of her on display as she spreads her legs wide, letting me look my fill.

"God, Memphis," she whispers, her cheeks flushed with desire and vulnerability. The raw need in her voice tugs at something deep within me, something I didn't even know I was capable of feeling.

Devotion. Pure, unfiltered devotion.

I storm toward the bed, driven by the need to claim her in every way possible. I need her taste on my tongue, my hands on her body. Christ, I need to consume and be consumed by her.

I wrap my hands around her thighs, hauling her to the edge of the bed. She gasps—the sweetest little sound of delight, as I fall to my knees in front of her, eye level with the heaven between her legs.

I lean forward, kissing a trail up her leg. Her smell—sweet, tangy pussy—reaches me, and I remember the taste of her as I licked her juices from my fingers in my office. Whatever restrain I had left—if I had any at all—snaps like a cord pulled taut and then released.

I fall on her like a man possessed, licking and biting, leaving no inch of her untouched. She gasps and squirms beneath me as I smack her ass, bite her nipples, and practically devour her. I'm not gentle with her. I'm a fucking beast claiming my prize.

It's not enough. I want more. I need everything she has until she breaks for me.

"I want you choking on my cock while you're coming on my tongue, princess," I growl, lifting her up with ease to position her over my face. "Been thinking about it since you walked into my bar."

"Memphis, I—"

"Haven't ever done this before?" I smirk, reading the uncertainty in her eyes. "I'm aware. Doesn't mean you aren't going to learn. Up." I tap her hip, urging her to straddle my face. "Sit on my face like you own the motherfucker."

She lowers herself onto me gently, her trembling thighs framing my face.

I guide her body above mine, growing impatient as she hesitates. "I didn't ask you to be nice and polite about it. I told you to sit your sexy ass down and let me eat, Kylie. So sit the fuck down." I yank her down onto me, and she cries out when my tongue meets her clit.

Ah, goddamn, yeah. This right here is where she belongs—with me, in my world, wrapped up in the chaos and passion that we create together. And I'll be damned if I let anything stand in our way.

"God, Memphis," she gasps, stretching forward until her mouth finds the head of my cock. Christ Almighty. That mouth is a deadly weapon in more ways than one.

"Damn, Toto, just like that," I groan, unable to stop myself from bucking my hips to make her take more of me.

She moans around my cock as I bury my face between her thick thighs, licking and sucking at her sweet pussy like a man starved. Christ, she tastes like fucking heaven—tangy and musky, coating my tongue as I lap at her juices. I can't get enough.

I spread her open with my thumbs, exposing her pretty pink folds. Fuck, what a sight. I dive in, tongue-fucking her tight little hole, stabbing deep inside her. She cries out, her thighs trembling against my face as I eat her like a fucking beast.

"Oh god, Memphis!" she gasps around my cock, rocking her hips against my mouth until she's riding my face.

I growl in approval, the vibrations making her whimper. My nose bumps against her hard little clit as I tongue her deeper, as far as I can reach. In and out, I thrust into her hot cunt, reveling in her reaction, in the way she's losing control above me.

I pull back just enough to suck hard on her swollen clit, flicking the sensitive bud with the tip of my tongue rapidly.

"Memphis!" she shouts, my name garbled by my dick in her mouth. I smirk against her pussy, knowing she's close. I want to drive her out of her mind, make her come so hard she sees stars.

Without warning, I move lower, circling her tight asshole with my tongue. That's all it takes to send her hurtling over the edge.

She explodes above me, her body spasming and shuddering as she comes hard on my tongue. A gush of sweet honey floods my mouth, coating my lips and chin as she squirts.

Something primal inside snaps and I toss her off, pinning her beneath me.

"You just fuckin' squirted all over me, princess," I growl, my eyes locked on hers.

"I'm sorry!" she sobs, her pupils dilated with lust.

"Sorry? Fuck no," I snarl, hauling her legs up over my hips. My cock glides through her soaked folds, and I know exactly what heaven feels like. It's this mouthy little minx naked and trembling beneath me. "You're about to do it again, baby. On my fuckin' cock this time while I fuck the cherry out of you."

I kiss her fiercely as I line up at her tight little hole and push forward. I take it slow, knowing damn well this is her first time. I'm not going to fuck it up and hurt her.

"Memphis," she whispers against my lips.

"Trust me, Toto," I murmur, my voice softening as I catch a glimpse of the vulnerability in her eyes. And in that moment, I vow to protect her—not just now, but forever. From whatever she's running from, from her secrets, even from myself if that's what I have to do.

She's mine. In every way, she's mine.

"I'm ready," she whispers.

I tighten my grip on her, sliding forward. Her tight cunt envelops the head of my cock. Even dripping wet, she's so goddamn tight I have to fight for every inch.

She claws at my back, sobbing my name.

"Fuck, Toto," I gasp against her lips. "You feel so goddamn good." It's like a fucking inferno in there, and I'm losing myself to the heat.

"Memphis," she whispers, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"Stay with me, baby," I tell her as I feel her barrier against the head of my cock. I grit my teeth as I snap my hips forward, popping her cherry.

She cries out, arching beneath me as my hips come to rest against hers.

"Breathe with me, Toto." I press my forehead to hers as I try to gauge her reaction. "Just breathe with me."

She doesn't seem to be in pain, though. Instead, an expression of pure bliss washes over her face. I'm not hurting her. Thank fucking God. A wave of relief crashes over me, allowing me to breathe. The last thing I want to do is cause her pain.

I capture her lips in a searing kiss, rolling one hard nipple between my fingers. She moans into my mouth, her pussy squeezing my cock so tight I see stars. I've never felt anything like this before—the perfect friction, the scorching heat threatening to burn me alive from the inside out.

"Memphis," she gasps as I break the kiss to trail my lips down the column of her throat. I nip and suck at her tender skin, marking her as mine. Mine to worship, mine to claim, mine to cherish. Mine to fuck.

"More," she pleads, her nails digging into my shoulders, urging me to move.

"Fuck, you're gonna be the death of me," I growl, starting to fuck her. I go slow at first, shallow thrusts to let her get used to my size.

As she adjusts, I pick up the pace, unable to stop myself from pounding into her with a fury that surprises even me.

I wrap one hand around her throat, pinning her to the bed, while I grab her wrist with my other hand, guiding her fingers between her legs to play with her pussy.

"Touch yourself, Kylie. Let me see how much you love this," I order her, my voice rough and possessive.

Her emerald eyes lock onto mine, wide and glossy. She obeys slowly, rubbing her clit in time with my thrusts as her bottom lip sinks between her teeth. The sight of her pleasuring herself sends lava through my veins. Christ, she's perfect.

"Is this what you wanted, princess? You wanted my cock buried deep inside you, making you feel things you've never felt before?" I rasp.

"God, yes," she moans, her eyes rolling back as she gets closer to the edge. "Don't stop, Memphis."

"I'm not stopping until you're fuckin' ruined for anyone else," I growl, slamming into her harder, the force of my thrusts shaking the bed. My balls slap against her ass with each fierce pump of my hips. "This pussy belongs to me now. Property of Memphis."

She sobs my name like a prayer, rubbing her clit faster.

"That's it, baby. Play with that pretty little clit for me."

"Memphis!" she cries, her fingers working frantically between her legs.

"Louder, princess. I want the whole fuckin' neighborhood to hear you screaming my name when you come on my dick," I demand. I feel her tightening around my cock, her slick walls fluttering and clenching. She's so close, dancing on the razor's edge of ecstasy.

My thrusts become more erratic, the need to come bearing down on me.

"Come for me, Kylie," I command, my voice a dark rumble as my balls draw up. "Cream all over this big fuckin' cock. Show me who this pussy belongs to."

"Oh god, it's yours!" Her head thrashes against the pillow, her dark hair fanning out in a wild halo. "I'm yours, Memphis!"

I slam into her to the hilt, grinding my pelvis against hers hard. "Damn right, you're mine. Now prove it. Squirt on my cock like a good girl."

My filthy command is her undoing.

Her orgasm crashes into her like a tidal wave, violent and all-consuming. She screams my name as she comes, her pussy spasming almost painfully around my cock. A flood of honey gushes out, soaking my balls and thighs as she squirts hard, drenching us both.

"Fuck!" I roar, the heat of her orgasm pushing me over the edge. My hips slam into hers one last time as I come too, pumping her full of my seed.

She claws down my back hard enough to mark me, sobbing my name into the room as she writhes on my cock, her pussy still fluttering and clenching around me. Her unraveling is the sexiest damn thing I've ever seen in my life. My balls aren't even empty, and I already need to see it again. And again. And again.

Her tits heave, shuddering as she goes limp beneath me, her body pliant and spent. I collapse on top of her, keeping my weight off her with my elbows as I press my lips against her ear. Possessiveness roars through me in a black cloud.

"You're mine now, Toto," I murmur, my breathing ragged. "You and your little kitty too."

"You need to ask the Wizard for better jokes. Yours are lame," she groans, making me chuckle. Even completely spent, she has the energy to sass the hell out of me. I fucking love it.

I press a tender kiss to her sweaty chest, right over her heart—the one piece of her I'm so fucking desperate to own. Whether she realizes it or not, she's already captured every fucking inch of mine.

Her eyes flutter open, tangling with mine. The vulnerability in her gaze has me pulling her closer, holding her tighter.

"I never knew it could be like this." She swallows hard, her voice a mere scrap of sound.

I don't think she's talking about sex.

"Never knew what could be like this, Toto?"

"Life," she whispers. "I don't think I've ever actually lived it until now."

"I've done a lot of living, princess. But I only just started doing it right." It's the truth. The MC, music…none of that even compares to this moment with this girl. I brush my lips against her temple, tangling our fingers together. For the first time in my life, I've found something worth fighting for, something worth holding onto.

"Memphis?" she murmurs, breaking the silence.

"Yeah?"

"Promise me you aren't that guy anymore," she pleads quietly. "The one you ran from. I don't need to know what you did or why you think you don't deserve everything you have. Just… promise me that you aren't him anymore."

I roll toward her, tipping her chin up until her eyes meet mine. "I buried that man the day my brother died, Toto. I won't ever be him again," I swear, resting my forehead against hers. "Not a fucking chance."