Chapter Thirteen
Cheshire
After dinner, everyone tended to scatter to their rooms or linger in the common area. Since Eliza had been alone for so long, I was taking a gamble on her not wanting to feel isolated right now. If I didn’t see her, then I’d know she was in her room, and I’d give her space. But I was eager to spend time with her. She’d already gotten under my skin. All it took was a smile from her, and I would do anything she asked of me.
The dim light in the far corner of the Underland MC clubhouse cast long shadows across the leather couch. I’d found Eliza in this quiet corner.
“Cheshire,” she whispered.
I took a step, my boots thudding against the floor. The world narrowed to just us, the noise fading into nothing. Her gaze held me captive, a siren’s call I couldn’t resist. My heart had been pounding out a rhythm that screamed her name.
“Eliza,” I said. Just saying her name made me happy.
She had been close enough that I could see the rise and fall of her chest, quick and uneven. I reached out, slowly, deliberately. My fingertips grazed her cheek, brushing a rebellious strand of hair behind her ear.
“Cheshire,” she murmured again, briefly closing her eyes and leaning into my touch.
“Shhh.” My hand lingered on her face, my thumb stroking her skin. Couldn’t help it. Every time I looked into her eyes, I felt so lost. Powerless.
I breathed her in, and I could smell the soap she used to wash up. If it were quiet in here, I wondered if I’d be able to hear her heartbeat. I wanted her, more than I’d ever wanted anything.
“Eliza, I won’t deny what I feel for you. I want you. I think you feel the same, but… I’m worried I’ll move too fast. I don’t want to overwhelm you.”
“Cheshire.” She paused. “No… Charlie. When I’m with you, I feel like I’m on fire. My heart races, and it feels like something is buzzing under my skin. Anticipation, or maybe… I don’t know. I don’t have a label for it.”
Damn if her words didn’t hit me like a freight train. I’d already told her she was mine, but hearing the words made it all seem new. It amazed me I could make her feel that way. From the first moment I’d taken her to my room, I’d worried I was merely someone to sate her curiosity. Even after unofficially claiming her, some part of me had wondered if she really understood and accepted what it meant. She was so damn innocent, but now I wondered if I could hope for something real, a passion that could burn brighter than all the stars in the sky.
“Eliza.” I wanted to tell her everything, lay it all out bare. But words didn’t come easily. So I showed her.
I tugged her against my body, tipping her chin up. As badly as I wanted to kiss her, I wasn’t sure she’d want that in front of everyone. Instead, I let her see the desire I knew had to be burning in my gaze.
“Tell me,” I rasped. “Tell me you’re mine.”
“Cheshire. I want to be with you. If you want to call me yours, then I think I’d like that. A lot.”
“God, Eliza…” My lips twisted into a half-smile as I fought the beast of desire gnawing at my restraint. I wanted her. Here. Now. But my sweet little innocent Eliza deserved better. I whispered her name again, my breath ghosting her lips. It was a tease, a taste of sin I wasn’t sure we should indulge in. But damn me, I wanted it.
Her scent wrapped around me, all sweet and floral, out of place in the grit and shadows of the clubhouse. My chest was tight, wound up with a mix of need and something else -- something that felt too much like… love. But it was far too soon for the L word.
She leaned against me even more. Staring up into my eyes, she parted her lips, as if begging for a kiss. Then she damned us both by uttering the words.
“Kiss me,” she said. It shredded the last of my control. I was the club’s Vice President. I was supposed to be all cool calculation and strategy. But none of that mattered right now, not with her voice threading through my thoughts like a siren’s song.
I captured her mouth, gave in to the heat. It was a searing connection that branded me, scorched away the shadows. Her lips were soft, warm, and all the warnings in my head turned to dust.
I didn’t care who might be watching. Didn’t care that we weren’t in the privacy of my room. I needed to taste her. To own her in whatever way possible.
“Eliza,” I muttered against her mouth, tasting her sweetness. Her hands, tentative at first, found the edges of my cut, pulling me closer. And I was lost in her.
Heat. It was all I felt, all I was. Eliza’s lips under mine, her breath mingling with my own. I was teetering on a cliff.
“Charlie,” she whispered, and that’s when I snapped.
I jerked back, gasping for air like I’d been underwater too long. My heart hammered against my ribcage, every beat screaming at me to take her, claim her. But I couldn’t. Wouldn’t. Not like this.
“I can’t lose control, Eliza. Not with you.” The words came out hard, edged with desperation.
She blinked up at me, confusion clouding those big eyes. They were wide, too damn innocent. I saw longing there, a mirror of my own. With anyone else, I might have tossed them over my shoulder and carried them off to bed. But not with her.
“I need to protect you,” I said, forcing the words out even as my body screamed to close the distance between us again. “And that means keeping a distance until we’re out of danger. I can’t risk screwing things up because you’re on my mind even more than you already are.”
“Distance?” she asked. She watched me, her face unreadable. “Out of danger.”
Her brow furrowed, and my fingers itched to reach up and smooth the worry lines. But I’d caused them and didn’t have the right to reach for her. Not now.
Her hand shot out, fingers clutching the edge of my cut. I stared at her fingers, where they gripped the leather.
“Eliza.” My tone held a note of warning. I was so close to losing it.
“Worried?” Her eyes were wide, searching mine -- seeking truth or lies, I couldn’t tell.
“Yes,” I admitted. She held my gaze, and I knew I was losing the battle. “Damnit. Listen, Eliza. This isn’t a good idea.”
No matter what I said, she didn’t release me. If anything, she seemed to hold on even tighter. A part of me was glad, because I honestly didn’t want her to let me go.
Before I realized what she was doing, Eliza closed the gap between us, pressing her lips to mine. “What if I don’t want to wait? What if waiting means we can never be together?”
I had always known she was brave. Bold. But this? This was something else. I’d never thought she’d be the one to initiate a kiss, much less ask for more.
“Eliza…” My throat tightened. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think.
She was right. Every damn word.
Holmes. That bastard. If things went south, this could be my final mission, the one that put an end to me. She was looking at me, eyes blazing. Daring me to choose. Live for now or die waiting. I’d never been one to back down from a challenge, and I wasn’t going to start now.
“Fuck.” My voice was nearly a growl, low, torn from deep within. “Lead the way.”
She smiled with a fearless spark in her gaze. Eliza took my hand and pulled me through the hallways of the clubhouse. The thump of bass from the bar area faded behind us.
“Your room,” she whispered, a devilish promise.
I let her lead, relinquishing control. We reached the door. My sanctuary. Our escape.
“Inside.” My command was ragged, desperate. Maybe I wasn’t as good at giving up control as I’d thought.
The lock clicked behind us, sealing away the world. Just Eliza and me. Nothing else mattered.
I gripped her waist, pulling Eliza to me with a force that left no question about my need. Her body was soft against mine, fitting like she’s been made for this, for me.
“Cheshire…” Her voice was a breathy whisper, but I didn’t let her finish.
“Shh.” I silenced her with a kiss that stole our breaths, rough and all-consuming. It was like an out-of-control wildfire, the kind of kiss that branded your soul. I was lost in the taste of her, the feel of her.
Clothes became trivial barriers. I fumbled with the hem of her shirt, desperate to feel her skin against mine. Then -- a knock. Sharp, insistent. Reality came crashing back.
“Damn it.” I closed my eyes, trying to reel in my emotions.
Eliza’s eyes mirrored my frustration, her chest heaving against mine. Our moment, teetering on the edge of being lost, was now gone. We were silent, listening as footsteps retreated from the door.
“Cheshire?” Her voice was questioning, her gaze searching my face for what came next.
I leaned in and pressed my forehead to hers. Close enough to share breath, to feel her every exhale. “I don’t know, doll,” I admitted. “I get the feeling it’s important and I need to go see what they need. But you and me? If we can ever just… be… then we’ll pick up where we left off.”
I kissed her once more and left the room. Why did it feel like fate was trying to kick me in the balls? As much as I wanted Eliza, she always seemed to be just slightly out of reach. Maybe I shouldn’t have let her go the last time I had her in my bed.
* * *
Eliza
I watched Cheshire walk away, leaving me alone with my heart fluttering and my hands shaking. I sank onto his bed, his scent drifting up from his blankets. I felt entirely too aware of him. Pressing a hand to my mouth, I wished I could hold onto the sensation of him kissing me. Worry ate at me. What if he went after my father and didn’t come back? What if we missed our chance of being together?
I heard footsteps outside the door and glanced up, hoping it was Cheshire. Instead, Jo stood in the doorway. She gave me a sad smile and sighed.
“Looks like my night wasn’t the only one ruined. March had an idea of how to handle things with your father and the others. Think the club is meeting to discuss it.”
“Then I guess the night is over…” I flopped back on Cheshire’s bed. “I’m starting to think I’m going to die a virgin.”
Jo snorted and laughed. “I don’t think that’s going to happen. As swollen as your lips are, Cheshire definitely wants you. The timing is just off.”
“How do you do it?” I asked, glancing her way again. “The waiting and not knowing, the interruptions…”
Jo shrugged a shoulder. “What the club is doing is important. Not only for your safety, but for this town as well. I just try to keep that in mind. I’m not saying I don’t get frustrated. I do. Doesn’t change the fact the Underland MC is fighting a battle they need to win if this town has a chance of surviving.”
I nodded, understanding what she was saying. I knew it, deep down, but it didn’t change the fact it felt like Cheshire was constantly being snatched away from me.
“It sucks, but hang in there,” Jo said. “I promise things will get better. Once they take down your father, the mayor, and his righthand man, Robert Lewis, things will improve around here.”
“You mean until another disaster strikes?” I asked.
“Maybe. Hard to say what will happen in the future. The question is whether you’re ready to stay by his side and fight alongside him or give up and move on with your life elsewhere. Because if you stay in Warren, Cheshire will never let you go. I’ve seen the way he watches you. The man may as well have already tattooed his name on you.”
I pressed a hand to my chest. “I think he did, right here over my heart.”
Jo threw her head back and laughed. “Don’t tell him that. He may actually put his name there. Out of all of them, I think Cheshire is probably the craziest.”
“I’m scared, Jo.” I sat up and joined her at the doorway. We left Cheshire’s room and stood in the hallway. “I’m terrified something will happen to him. I’ve never been so happy before. What if this is all a dream and I wake up back in hell?”
Jo reached for my hand, giving it a squeeze. “You won’t. It’s reality, Eliza. Just hold on to him with all you’ve got… and ride out the storm as best you can.”
Jo walked me to my room, and I lay awake for hours. Closing my eyes, I’d done my best to envision my future with Cheshire. Did he want a family? Would we always live here at the clubhouse? Would our lives always be filled with danger and chaos?
At some point, I fell into a restless sleep, my dreams plagued by nightmares. Cheshire dying at my father’s hands, in multiple ways. Over and over… but the worst part was how helpless I felt each time, unable to stop it from happening. I had no choice but to cry over his lifeless body, unable to change what happened, even when I knew it was coming.
By the time I woke in the morning, my head ached and my heart hurt. What would I do if those dreams became a reality? I didn’t think I could handle losing him. Wasn’t sure I wanted to.
With my thoughts dark and heavy, I forced myself out of bed. Whether I wanted to or not, I needed to get up and face the day head-on.