Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
“You finally went for it,” Fuse said, a statement rather than a question. He swirled the scotch in his glass. “Took you long enough.”
Thane glanced between us. “You knew about him and Kenna?”
“There wasn’t a ‘me and Kenna’ until this afternoon,” I explained evenly, meeting Thane’s stare without flinching. “We’re figuring it out.”
“I don’t really give a fuck what’s going on, as long as it doesn’t affect the club,” Thane growled, his stare sharp enough to cut. “Where’s Hatchet?”
I shrugged. “He left after Kenna spoke to him. He needed air. Nothing a night with a sweetbutt or two won’t fix for him.”
Thane grumbled under his breath, shaking his head as he walked away.
Fuse caught Leah’s attention with an almost imperceptible nod and pointed at his scotch of choice before returning his eyes to me.
“I know losing Rose was hard. Hatchet’ll come around.
Once he realizes the Merrick he knew ten years ago is back, once he realizes you and Kenna just work, he’ll be happy for you, too.
Let him work through his shit on his own, and don’t lose sleep over claiming that woman.
” His tone left no room for argument, his advice echoing through me like an order.
I followed his gaze toward Kenna, my heart both filling with the sight of her and wrenching at the memory of Rose.
“It feels different this time,” I murmured. With Rose, I’d mistaken her chaos and intensity for passion. I’d thought the fighting and make-up sex meant we cared. But the truth settled in my chest—we’d been burning down, not burning bright.
“You finally see it, don’t you?” Fuse asked as if he’d read my mind. “You and Rose were fire and gasoline. You couldn’t see through the smoke.”
My jaw tightened. He wasn’t wrong.
Fuse nodded toward Kenna. “You’re different with her.
You don’t brace yourself for a fight when she looks at you.
You’ve both buried love. Lived through the kind of loss that strips you to bone.
Not everyone comes back from that. But you two?
You get it. You both crawled out of the wreckage and somehow found each other through the smoke. ”
“I don't know what this is yet between us, but it feels like the first good thing I’ve had in a long time. And after everything we’ve been through, I don’t want to waste time or fuck this up.”
Without looking away, Fuse slid a glass toward me. “To not fucking this up,” he said, raising his glass in a toast.
I savored the way the bourbon cut all the way down. He was right. Kenna had rekindled something within me that had been snuffed out when I buried Rose. My gaze returned to Kenna.
“You don’t get many chances like this in life. Go get your woman before she changes her mind,” Fuse said, pushing my shoulder.
I shot him a glare that only made him smirk, then turned toward the hallway to stalk away. Reaper’s eyes narrowed at me as I approached.
“We’ll be talking about this little surprise tomorrow,” he said.
“You’re one to talk,” I reminded him. He gave a half shrug—a silent acknowledgment that he’d hesitated to admit his obsession with Eva at first, too.
I caught Kenna’s hand and threaded my fingers through hers, tugging her toward the shadowed hallway at the back of the clubhouse.
Eva caught my eye over her shoulder, grinning like she already knew exactly where this was going. She waggled her brows at me before disappearing into the main room with Reaper.
“Where are you taking me?” Kenna asked breathlessly.
I spun her gently until her back pressed to the wall, one hand braced beside her head. “I needed to do this,” I growled, tipping her chin up before crushing my mouth to hers.
She let out a small chirp of surprise that I swallowed with a kiss. I trailed my lips down the slope of her neck, breathing her in. Sweet. Floral. Mine.
“I’ve wanted to touch you all day,” I murmured against her skin. My teeth grazed her collarbone. “Kiss you. Bite you. Taste you.”
I pulled back to gaze into her eyes, her pupils blown wide and cheeks flushed.
“Then do it,” she whispered.
A low rumble escaped my chest as I claimed her mouth again, taking our kiss deeper.
My hands traced the lines of her body through the thin dress, memorizing every curve until my palm cupped the perfect round of her ass.
She pressed against me instinctively, hips meeting mine.
Lust and desire ignited between us, and regret for not making a move sooner coursed through me.
I should have claimed this woman the day I met her.
I pulled back just enough to meet her eyes. “You can tell me to slow down. If it’s too much—”
“Don’t stop. I want more. I want all of you.”
“Good,” I said softly, my tone deceptively smooth as my hand skimmed beneath the hem of her dress. My fingers toyed just shy of her inner thigh.
“Merrick,” she breathed, darting a glance toward the open end of the hallway. “What are you doing? Someone could see us.”
I adjusted my stance, half shielding her with my body.
“They’ll only see my back.” My fingertip teased the edge of her thong before brushing it aside.
“And even if they did see you …” I drew slow circles over her clit with my thumb, watching her grip the wall for balance “… no one here would care. We’re outlaws, Wildfire. ”
A reluctant moan slipped from her throat. “We should stop.”
I kissed just below her jaw. “You don’t want me to stop. Eyes on me, Wildfire.”
She whimpered, hips tipping forward when I slid my fingers through her slick heat.
“You’re soaked for me,” I murmured, my thumb finding her clit again before I slid a finger inside her, curling it in precisely the way I knew would undo her. “And so fucking tight.”
Her breath came faster, more shallow. “Merrick …”
“I can’t wait to be inside you. Feel you strangle my cock the way you’re squeezing my fingers right now.”
She let out a clipped laugh. “You are not fucking me in the hallway. We’re going to get caught.”
I smirked. “No one’s looking.”
I continued to stroke her, and when I pressed my palm hard against her clit, her knees nearly buckled.
“Come for me, Wildfire.”
Her answer was a strangled gasp as she shattered against my hand, her body tensing as she pulsed around my fingers. I kissed her through the waves of pleasure, holding her upright until her breathing steadied.
When I finally drew my fingers from her, I held her gaze as I pressed them to my mouth, sucking them clean. “Better than I imagined.”
Shock flashed over her face.
I adjusted my painfully hard dick, smirking. “Another drink?”
Her eyes flicked to the bulge between us. “What about …?
“This was just the appetizer,” I murmured. “I want you in my bed for the main course.”
She bit her lip. “We should go to my place then. I need to feed Brisket before we spend the night together.”
I dipped my head and nipped at her neck. “Fine. But we leave now. I’ve held back long enough.” Wrapping a possessive arm around her waist, I led her out, glaring at any man who dared to look at her as we weaved through the crowd. She was mine—
A familiar ringtone sang from my phone, cutting the thought in half.
Merci.
A ripple of unease slid down my spine. My sister never called. She mostly communicated in short text messages and GIFs, and never when she was on shift at the hospital.
“Merci, what’s up?” I answered.
Her tone was urgent and clipped. “It’s Hatchet. He’s been in an accident.”
My stomach dropped as she continued. “An ambulance just brought him in. He’s in triage with the trauma team right now.”
The words were a punch to the gut. My grip on Kenna tightened, and she looked up at me, confusion etched across her face.
“We’re on our way.”
The music and chatter blurred together as I shoved my phone into my pocket, my focus tunneling as I scanned the room.
I crossed the room in quick strides to where Thane and Reaper sat at the bar. “Merci called. Hatchet’s in the trauma center,” I explained.
Kenna’s hand shot up to cover her mouth, and her eyes widened in shock.
“Goddamn it,” Thane growled. His stool screeched as he stood. “Did the dumbass lay down his fucking bike again?”
“I don’t know. I’m headed there now.” My fingers locked around Kenna’s as I pulled her to follow me. My mind replayed Merci’s frantic tone, every worst-case scenario spiraling through my thoughts.
“If he dies because of me …” Kenna started, her voice cracking.
I jerked to a stop and cradled her face with my hands. “Stop. This isn’t your fault. Hatchet rides his Harley like it’s a dirt bike. It’s not the first time he’s crashed.”
Still, the guilt poisoned her expression. “But he was upset when he left. Because of me. If I hadn’t—”
I interrupted her again. “No matter what happens, this isn’t your fault. Let’s get to the hospital so we can see how the dumbass is doing.”
The night air whipped through the windows of my truck as I sped down the backroads to the hospital. I reached for Kenna’s hand across the console and squeezed it tight. Her eyes glistened with tears under the moonlight.
As we burst through the doors of the ER, I searched the busy space for my sister before shooting her a text. She responded within seconds, promising to bring us an update in a few minutes.
I turned to face Kenna and frowned at the fear and tension etched into her face. I pulled her into my body and wrapped my arms around her.
“He has to be OK,” she whispered, voice muffled against my jacket. “I can’t lose someone else. Not like this.”
“Me neither,” I admitted.
She looked up, desperate. “What if he—”
I shook my head and pulled her closer. “We don’t break that easy. Hatchet’s made of steel and luck. Merci should be out soon to give us an update.”
I glanced up to see Reaper, Eva, Thane, and Fuse streaming through the automatic doors.
“Any updates?” Thane asked.
“Not yet.”
Seconds crawled by. The buzz of the waiting room faded under the weight of what wasn’t being said.
Finally, a set of double doors swung open.
Merci strode out in her blue scrubs, spattered with blood.
A mask hung around her neck. Her tired eyes flicked from me to Kenna in my arms, and I could see the questions forming.
“How is he?” I asked.
“He’s in surgery to stop some internal bleeding. But, all things considered, he’s in decent shape. Could’ve been a lot worse.”
“What happened?” Fuse asked.
“He hit a deer on his bike. Laid it down. Fortunately, he wasn’t going fast, and he was wearing his jacket and helmet, for once.
He was conscious when he came in and recognized me, which is a good sign.
I need to get back there. We’re busy as hell tonight because some gangbanger kids robbed a drugstore. I’ll let you know if anything changes.”
“Thanks, kid,” Thane said, smiling at Merci and pulling her into a hug.
Merci glanced back at me with raised brows. “Are you going to introduce us?”
I rolled my eyes. “Kenna, this is my pain-in-the-ass baby sister, Merci. Also happens to be smart enough to be a doctor.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Kenna.” Merci shifted her eyes to me. “I didn’t realize you were seeing someone.”
“I’m as surprised as you are,” I said with a short laugh.