4. Saxon
4
SAXON
I wake to the sweet scent of her .
Those intoxicating pheromones, like rain on a summer’s day.
Tammy’s soft body is pressed up against mine, so soft and so smooth, enticing in ways I swore I’d never allow myself to feel. The warmth and feel of her skin is already familiar. Already comforting. Promising a future together that I’m actually allowing myself to envision.
And that future looks like heaven already.
Normally I’d already be up and moving. Done with breakfast and on my way to the club house to deal with whatever problems the day will bring. But this morning, I’m lying here like a helpless idiot, staring at the curves of Tammy’s shoulder and the slope of her nape, breathing in her beauty while I think about what a lucky bastard I am.
I should say something. Wake her. Maybe offer to make her some breakfast. But I don’t. I just lie there in the silence, letting the moment stretch on as I listen to the soft sounds of her breath. Tammy is a wonder I never expected. Everything I never knew I wanted.
And she’s here. Now .
Lying in my bed. And I can’t imagine any other woman ever taking her place.
I’m not used to being with a girl who isn’t going to just be some fleeting moment in my life. A fling, a quick fuck to cure the darkness of a bad day.
My mind is still a blur from last night. From the way her body fit perfectly against mine, just like I knew it would. How incredible she felt when I slid inside her little virgin pussy and claimed her as mine. The way I devoured her like I was on death row and she was my last meal.
I am not used to this.
And if I’m being honest with myself, I’m not sure I know how to deal with it either. I’m a loner. An outlaw. I live my life the way I want to live it, with no ties to anyone but my brotherhood. But I’m not just about push away this incredible girl who just crashed into my life. No way in hell.
The sound of a key in my lock jolts me out of my daydreaming, and the hair on the back of my neck instantly stands up. The door opens, and I hear a set of footsteps into the apartment. My whole body goes tense.
I know those footsteps.
I know them all too well.
Roxy.
My arm wraps instinctively around Tammy, pulling her close. I hear her breath catch as she goes stiff against me. I try to hide her by pulling the blanket up. I don’t want Roxy to see and drag her into our bullshit.
But it’s too late.
“Saxon, you dirty dog.” Her voice cuts through the harmony of the room like a saw scraping across my ribs. “I didn’t think you’d still be in a bed with a girl at this hour. Are you two… snuggling ?”
Her tone is wet with venomous sarcasm, an obnoxious tickle I’m all too familiar with. No matter how hard I try, I just cannot shake Roxy from my life. She just won’t get the message.
With every fiber of my being, I pray that Tammy is asleep and can’t hear any of this, but I can feel her body tense against mine, and she’s breathing heavier too. She’s awake, she’s heard Roxy’s bullshit, and must already be formulating a thousand questions for me.
“Roxy, what the fuck do you think you’re doing here?” I growl back as I slide out of bed, my voice low and coarse with the remnants of sleep. “And didn’t I tell you to give me back my goddamn key?”
I glare at her with a stern warning in my eyes. I don’t need her causing problems for me. Especially not right now. Not with Tammy here. But Roxy reads me like a book and steps into the room, loving every second of the tension she’s created. She’s wearing a short black skirt and a goth lace tube top. She’s got her makeup done as though she’s here for date-night and is looking at me like I never broke up with her.
I feel nothing romantically for her. But we went through so much together–so many fights, fucks, breakups and makeups–that she knows just how to push my buttons and get under my skin. And she delights in it.
“I just came to chat,” she says with a cool shrug, eyeing the room like she pays the rent on it. “But you’re clearly busy.”
Aside from her earlier comment, she hasn’t even acknowledged Tammy. She’s trying to pretend like her presence doesn’t bother her, but her narrow eyes shift toward the bed, an unmistakable possessiveness in her bitter gaze.
“Tammy, isn’t it?” I stiffen at the question. How the hell does she know Tammy’s name? She tries to step past me toward the bed, but I move in front of her, blocking her way.
What the hell is going on here?
Roxy sure didn’t just come here to chat.
Tammy stays silent, pretending she’s asleep. And I don’t blame her. I wouldn’t want to get caught up in this shit if I was her either. This is precisely why I didn’t want to bring her into my world–into the wretched mess of my past. It’s a hell of a mess, and the longer Roxy stays, the more I feel my control of the situation slipping.
“We’re over, Roxy. I’ve told you too many times.” My words come out harsher than I intended, but I can’t let Roxy fuck things up for me. Not now. Not when I’ve just claimed Tammy. Not with everything changing.
Roxy’s eyes flare. She’s not backing down. Of course she’s not. It’s not in her nature. “Oh, you think I haven’t heard you?” she asks, her sharp tone hiding something deeper, possibly threatening. “I heard you, Saxon. But I also know you’re full of shit.”
“Don’t start, Roxy–”
“You want to act like this little girl means something to you?” she spits out, pointing a threatening finger at Tammy. My protective instincts flare. This can’t continue. “Fine. Go ahead. But I know who you really are, Saxon. What you’re really like.”
Every one of her words strikes a nerve in me, and I feel the pain of our past like a knife to my spine. I shouldn’t ask her this, but I can’t help myself and snap back, “Yeah? And what’s that?”
She smiles triumphantly.
Shit. I played right into her game like an idiot.
I’m off my game now, and it’s all because of Tammy. It’s like I’m morphing into a whole new man.
“You’re in love with me ,” Roxy replies smugly. I scoff, coughing out a laugh. “You broke up with me because you don’t want to admit it, but it’s okay, bubby. You can come back to Momma whenever you want. I’ll be here.”
I hear Tammy shift beneath the sheets behind me and reach back and place a hand on her waist. “Don’t listen to her,” I whisper. “She’s just trying to cause problems.”
I’m pretty sure I see her nod, but I can’t imagine the confusion and pain she’s feeling now. This is beyond awkward for both of us. I’m used to dealing with Roxy, though. She isn’t.
When I turn back, I see Roxy smiling at us with a dark, calculating gaze, her red lips twisting into an amused smile. “I think I’ll get going now,” she says, hamming it up with an overload of phony sweetness.
She turns and walks out, shaking her hips on the way like she used to do when we were together. I look away, just wanting her to get the fuck out of here, and when the door closes behind her, I take a deep breath and sit back down on the bed.
I run my fingers through Tammy’s hair, but her body stiffens at my touch. When she rolls over to face me, I see a look in her eyes that I can’t quite read. So I lean in and press my lips to her forehead, praying she won’t pull away or just grab her clothes and get the hell out of here.
Thankfully, she doesn’t move.
In fact, I’m pretty sure I hear her take a deep, happy breath as I kiss her.
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper, feeling like the world’s biggest asshole. I should have taken that key back ages ago. I never should have let this happen. “Roxy and I have…history. But she’s nothing to me now. I don’t want her, Tammy. I only want you .”
She doesn’t respond right away. She just looks up at me with these big, innocent, doe eyes, like she’s analyzing me–trying to read my mind. My heart goes tense when I see the gleam from the hint of tears. The pain there that I caused with the mess from my past.
But she doesn’t look away.
After a long moment, she reaches out and offers her hand. I take it, clasping it between both of mine.
“I believe you,” she says softly, drenching me in the warmth of relief. Her voice is somewhat hesitant but solid. And as I look down at her, I make a promise to myself that I will never let Roxy, or anyone else, get in the way of building a life with Tammy. “I’m not going anywhere, Saxon.”
“Good.” I smile, my voice still rough. I kiss her again, this time with a promise of commitment. With the pledge of something deep and real.
My hands move across her body, caressing every naked curve, every silky-smooth inch. She quivers, and as I harden, I lay my body down on top of hers and slide inside. She lets out a soft, tiny gasp as I begin to rut inside her, slow and deliberate, like we’re making passionate love.
But as euphoric as I am, I know this isn’t over. Roxy’s still out there, and unless I’m wrong, she’s planning something. And if I don’t watch out, she’ll ruin everything.