Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Titan

AFTER PACKING UP everything at Dallas' house that she would need, we made our way over to her dad's house. She rode in the car with him when I really wanted to put her ass on the back of my bike and feel her body wrapped around mine. Seeing her in person wasn't like anything I've ever experienced before. The second she walked into our meeting room, it felt as if all the air was sucked from my body and I couldn't do anything but look at her. She's sexy and gorgeous without having a fucking clue about how she truly looks. I don't know who robbed her of the self-esteem and confidence she should be feeling, but if I ever meet them, they'll know exactly how I feel about their ass. The pictures she has on the dating app don't do her justice at all. Even feeling as vulnerable as she does right now, there's a hidden strength buried deep in her that I will do everything in my power to bring out. When I found her vibrator, the blush that covered her neck and face made my cock harder than it's ever been. I want to make her blush without any clothes in the way so I can see exactly how far it travels across her soft, delectable body.

When we pull up to the mayor's house, I tell everyone to remain outside so we're not all traipsing through his home. Getting off my bike, I meet Dallas and Mayor Parker at his car and follow them up to the front door. Dallas keeps looking back at me as she bites her lip and it's sexy as fuck. Reaching out, I use my thumb to pull her lip free and notice the bite marks marring the soft, plump flesh of her lips.

"You're gonna hurt yourself. Don't do that again, Dallas," I warn her, my voice almost a whisper as I lean in close and speak into her ear so her dad doesn't hear me.

I notice the goosebumps that cover her skin and the tremor that goes through her body from my breath fanning over her skin. It does something to me knowing that I affect her as much as she does me.

The second the front door is opened, the largest dog I've ever seen in my life is standing there. He emits a low growl while looking at me.

"Danger, stand down," Dallas says as she steps up to the beast and gives his head a rub.

Stepping forward slowly, I hold out my hand for him to get a sense of me before moving another step. The dog takes his time sniffing me before butting his head against me. I take that as a good sign and bend down to rub his huge body. Danger leans into my touch as Dallas and the mayor stand near us in complete shock.

"What's wrong?" I question them, standing straight up again so we can get the animals loaded in Dallas' car and head back to the compound.

"Danger doesn't ever go to anyone the way he just did with you. Even Emmie had to spend hours getting him to come to her. You step in the house and in a matter of minutes, he's ready to be your best friend," Dallas answers, her eyes flitting between her dog and me several times.

"I don't know what to tell ya. It's been a long time since I've been around animals, but I love them. He's just a big baby but I know he'll protect you when it's necessary. That's a good dog to have if you live alone," I tell her, closing the door behind me so none of her other animals get out. "Do you have carriers for the cats and rabbit?"

"Yeah. They're in the living room. Darren brought them in from the garage when I messaged him that we were on our way back here," Mayor Parker answers for his daughter who's stunned almost silent from Danger's reaction to me.

The three of us walk into the living room followed by Danger and I see the rabbit hopping around without a care in the world. One of her cats is laying on the couch upside down with his head hanging over the edge. He's completely black with a few white areas of fur. Looking closer, I take in how big he actually is. This cat is huge as he lays spread out on the couch, unbothered by anything around him. Across the room is another cat that's hiding under a chair. I can't see much of anything about this one with the exception of its eyes.

"If you could load up Otis there, I'll get Tillie from under the chair and then my dad can grab Hopper," Dallas says, pointing to the carrier close to the hefty cat sleeping.

"Is Otis friendly or is he gonna claw my face off?" I ask, stepping up in front of him.

"He's friendly and won't give you a hard time going in his carrier. He actually likes it in there because of his bed," Dallas answers as she gets down on her hands and knees in front of the chair.

For several minutes, I don't move a muscle as I watch her ass sway back and forth. Dallas doesn't even realize she's doing it as she tries to coax the cat out from her hiding place. Her sweet voice fills the room and I'm stuck. Everything else disappears as my entire focus is on the woman in front of me. I'd like to say I'm interested in watching her get the cat out of hiding, but that would be a lie. Images of what I want to do to her body fills my mind and plays on repeat until I hear someone clearing their throat next to me. Looking over, I find the mayor staring at me with a knowing look in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," I tell him, feeling chastised without him saying a word to me.

"It's a natural response. Don't think that I haven't been watching you two since the second we walked into the meeting room, Titan. Just don't hurt my baby. Her heart is fragile and has been abused too many times in the past. You love her the way she's meant to be loved and we won't have a single problem," he states, his voice low enough so only I hear him.

"That won't be a problem, sir," I promise him, knowing we have to get moving so I turn to the big cat next to me and carefully lift him into my arms.

Otis is definitely a big boy with some weight to him. When I pick him up, I have to use both hands and he promptly stretches out his body and makes me almost drop him because I'm not ready for it. Keeping him in my arms, I bend down to get him in the carrier on the floor. Otis goes right inside and curls up on the small bed Dallas has inside. He barely glances at me before closing his eyes once more and falling right back to sleep. It must be nice to fall asleep so quickly no matter what's going on around you. I wish that could happen to me, but I usually end up fighting to go to sleep and then only manage to get a few hours. Closing the door on Otis, I don't move the carrier just yet as I turn my attention back to Dallas.

She's still trying to get the other cat to come out from under the chair. She's now laying on the floor in front of the chair as she uses treats and her gentle voice. The mayor and I don't move or speak in case we spook the cat even farther back under the chair that's currently her safe place.

"Come on, Tillie. You know you wanna go for a ride," Dallas says, her voice so sweet it kills me.

Danger comes up and sits between the mayor and myself, leaning heavily against my side. Absentmindedly, I reach down and rub his head while watching Dallas work her magic. Tillie finally starts to slowly inch out from under the chair. The further it comes out into the light, the more I can make out. This cat is so small, I'd say a kitten. It's got orange and white fur that's longer than Otis'. The cat is beautiful and I know it's because Dallas takes excellent care of her babies and ensures they have the best diet, are groomed regularly, and get plenty of exercise. I don't know why Otis is so huge, but maybe it's just the type of cat he is. I'll have to ask her.

After another ten minutes, Dallas finally gets the small fluff ball out from under the chair and scoops it up in her arms. We watch as she carefully stands up and moves to the last empty carrier to put Tillie inside. Tillie doesn't exactly fight Dallas, but the cat sure as hell doesn't want to be locked in the small carrier either. I can hear little growls coming from the animal as Dallas quickly closes the door behind the cat and blows a strand of hair out of her face.

"She's always gonna give you a hard time, Sweetheart," Mayor Parker says, laughter filling his voice as he lifts Hopper's carrier and I do the same with Otis.

"Does Danger just walk out on his own? The guys are out on their bikes and I want to make sure he doesn't attack them," I ask, not sure what Danger will do around so many men he doesn't know with Dallas here.

"He'll be okay as long as he stays close to me. Plus, we don't even have to go in the driveway yet. My car was moved to the garage so we can just take the door off the kitchen and get him in the car before he sees the other guys. He'll have to meet them eventually though or I won't get a second of peace once you leave the house," she answers, laughter falling from me with the thought that I'll be leaving her alone at my house on the compound.

"I'm not goin' anywhere, Sweet Girl. We'll be stayin' in my house together," I tell her, letting her know exactly where I'll be at all times. "The only time I won't be there is if Entice needs coverage or if I have to go to church. Other than those two times, I'll be right at your side."

Dallas gulps at the realization that she's not getting rid of me. She looks at me from the corner of her eye and I shoot her a wink before stepping through the door to the garage her dad just disappeared into. Dallas follows me and we get all the animals loaded in her car in a few minutes. Danger is in the front passenger seat and I have to laugh because he's so damn huge that he barely fits in the seat. I walk to the driver's side and open the door for Dallas. She gets in her seat and I crouch down between the door and her.

"So, when we pull out of here, I need to go directly to the compound I'm gonna be on this side of your car with Tripp in front of you. Don't get too close to him. Eagle will be directly behind you and Cash will be on the opposite side of me. Jay will be in the SUV behind Eagle until he needs to turn off for the store and to grab our dinner from Brothers. Then, Rubber will be behind Eagle. We're gonna keep you surrounded the entire way to the clubhouse. Once we pull inside the gate, Tripp is gonna take you around the clubhouse and up to the house. Just keep followin' him. The rest of the guys will continue to follow because they'll be with us outside the house for the night. I don't have a garage or anything so just park in the driveway but leave room for Tripp and me to get our bikes out still," I tell her, placing my hand on her thigh as she looks down at me with her beautiful eyes.

"Okay. Thank you, Adam. I know this is a lot for your club to take on and I really am scared. I wasn't until I realized this person has been inside my home with my babies and I wasn't there to protect them," she says, tears filling her eyes.

"Don't cry, Sweet Girl. I've got you. Let's get home so we can get you and the animals settled," I tell her, leaning forward and pressing my lips against her forehead in a tender kiss before leaning back and standing so I can close her door.

Mayor Parker opens the garage door and I step out to head for my bike and get back on. The rest of the guys start their engines while I put my bandana and helmet on so we can head out. I'm ready to get home and lock Dallas away where the rest of the world can't get to her. Even if Tripp's inside, I want to make sure Dallas isn't overwhelmed any more than she currently is.

Pulling up to the house, I try to take it in through Dallas' eyes. The outside of the house is a soft gray color with black shutters around each window. In the living room, there are floor to ceiling windows without shutters on either side of them. I have a wraparound porch that's currently empty of any furniture. Since I don't spend time here, there was never any reason for me to fill it with anything. The front door of my house is one of those double doors so I don't have to fight to move anything in or out of the house. Plus, I love the look of them. Inside, the entire first floor is an open floor plan. The only exceptions are the bathroom, guest bedroom, my office, the large media room, and the laundry room. Upstairs, there are four more bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a sitting area that looks down over the living room. There's the bare minimum furniture in my house at this point and I know we'll have to get some things over the next few days to ensure Dallas is comfortable here.

Getting off my bike, I quickly make my way over to Dallas and open her door for her as she shuts the engine off. Helping her out of the car, I keep her hand in mine while motioning for Tripp and Cash to get the carriers out of the backseat. They carefully open both back doors of her car and grab the carriers while Danger growls from the front seat. Tripp knows the code to unlock my house so I let them make their way up the steps of the porch and go inside before Dallas and I move to the passenger side and open the door for Danger. He leaps out and eyes Rubber and Eagle as they stand slightly behind the car. With a nod from Dallas each man steps up to Danger and lets him get used to their smell. When Danger doesn't immediately rip their arms from their bodies, I feel it's a successful first meeting.

I lead Danger and Dallas up the steps where Cash is waiting on the porch. Again, we go through Danger meeting him before moving inside the house. Tripp is standing in the living room and Danger makes his way over to him slowly. He's growling but doesn't make any move to attack my best friend. Dallas keeps a close eye on her dog until he finally sits down in front of Tripp and looks up at him. Tripp leans forward and pets Danger for a minute while I give Dallas a tour of the house. She loves it with the small comments she makes and the look in her eyes. I didn't have anything in mind when I chose the colors of each room or the appliances in the kitchen. I have to say, seeing her eyes light up when she saw the kitchen made me feel ten feet tall. She obviously loves the room and can see herself spending time there. The more she can see herself in my house, the better things will be. Eventually, I'll want her here permanently but I know I'll have to work up to that.

"So, which room will I be sleeping in?" Dallas asks as we make our way back down to Tripp and Danger.

"You can choose any room you want except the one on the first floor. Whichever member sleeping inside with us at night will take that room. It would leave you too vulnerable down here alone with only one man standing between you and whoever's after you. I'm not sayin' he's gonna get in my house, but if there's a chance of it happenin', I don't want to take any unnecessary risks. So, I'd actually prefer you in my room since it's at the end of the hall and I can take one of the other rooms as a last defense against any threat," I tell her, knowing I want to be in my bed with her but I won't push for that right now. Not until I know she's ready for more.

"I can't take your room from you, Adam. That's your space and one of the guest rooms will be fine," she argues, looking up at me as we get to the bottom of the stairs.

"I haven't even slept in the bed in there, Dallas. The room has sat vacant and the only reason there are sheets and blankets on the bed right now is because the ol' ladies of the club came over and made the bed. They also made the beds in the guest rooms so they were all ready for us. They're the only ones besides you and Tripp who have been in my house. Well, Cash too since he helped with the carriers. Take the master room and I'll be in the guest room right next to you," I tell her, knowing I won't back down from this when her safety is on the line.

"Okay, Adam," she responds, laying her hand on my chest as I continue to stand before her.

We stand lost in our own world for a minute before Tripp breaks the moment up. Jay's here with the food and groceries since I placed orders he just had to pick up for us. The guys all bring in everything from the SUV after Jay's met Danger and gotten his approval to be in the house. I lead Dallas to the couch so she's out of the way while the guys bring everything in. At the same time, I take our food from Brothers and head for the kitchen to grab plates, drinks, and everything else we need for dinner. Dallas kind of sits in a daze while the rest of us move and work around her.

After eating dinner and getting the things set up for her animals, Dallas releases them from the carriers and spends a few minutes with them. She's ready to crash, I can see it in her slow movements and the way her eyes keep drooping with exhaustion. Taking her hand, I lead her upstairs to my room and straight for the bathroom. Her bags are already in there so she can shower before going to sleep. Leaving her alone is one of the hardest things I've ever done, but I manage to leave the bathroom and bedroom so she can shower and then sleep in peace. I spend some time with Tripp before calling it a night myself. The next few days are gonna be long and filled with turmoil as Hawk tries to figure out who's after Dallas and she gets used to being around me. I need to be at my best for her and getting sleep is the only way that will happen.