Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
Fury
I don’t think I’ve ever come so hard. Not since the first time I had sex, and that was once again with Xanthe. She snuggles into my side, our breathing heavy with exertion. “Let’s do that again,” I murmur sleepily, “in a few hours.”
She giggles, and the sound warms my heart. “Last night, you couldn’t escape fast enough, and now, you want to stay in my bed?” Her tone is teasing.
“You wouldn’t take no for an answer,” I say, smirking, and she lightly taps my chest in warning. “And as usual, you got your own way.” That’s not a lie. Xanthe always gets her own way because I have no defences when it comes to her. She breaks them all.
“It’s not my fault you let jealousy win.”
I shift onto my side, propping my head on my hand so I can look at her. “In all seriousness, stay away from my brothers.” My tone leaves no room for teasing, and her smile fades. “The punishment for fighting my brothers over a woman that I haven’t claimed is serious. But I’d go there, Xanth, for you.” I stroke my fingers down her cheek. “Don’t make me.”
She gives a small nod, not quite meeting my eyes. “I wouldn’t want to cause you any problems with your family . . . again.”
“Now, sleep,” I say, flopping back down and wrapping my arms around her until she’s snuggled against my chest.
There’s banging, and it wakes me from a peaceful slumber. I sit upright, taking a second to realise I’m not in my own room. Xanthe stirs beside me, and for the first time in years, I relax knowing she’s here and I didn’t dream the entire thing. The banging sounds again, and I carefully slip from the bed, trying not to disturb her.
Grizz is pacing outside the room, and I frown, wondering why the hell he’s knocking on Xanthe’s bedroom door. “I tried your door first,” he explains, answering my unasked question. “You have a visitor,” he adds. “Donnie.”
My frown deepens. “What the fuck is he doing here?”
“He’s acting all smiles and shit, but I reckon he suspects she’s here. So, if I were you, I’d hide her just in case,” he says, nodding past me to Xanthe.
I glance back, relieved to see she’s still sleeping. “Tell him I’m not here,” I snap, pissed that Donnie would come to my home. He’s overstepping boundaries.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
I groan in frustration. “Fine. Let me wake her and explain.”
“I’ll tell him you’re on your way. Grab a whore on your way so it throws him off the scent.”
I close the door, locking it to be safe, and go back to where Xanthe is looking peaceful. I bend down to place a kiss on her cheek, and she smiles, stretching out until the sheet falls away. I stare at her naked body, my cock arousing at the sight. “Good morning,” she murmurs, her voice raspy from sleep.
“We have a problem,” I say, and I hate the way her smile immediately fades. “Donnie has turned up here. He’s downstairs.”
She sits up, grabbing the sheet and holding it to her chest. “Shit. Does he know I’m here?”
“I have no idea. I’m gonna go and find out. But for now, you need to stay in here.”
I go to leave, but she grabs my wrist, halting me. “What if he knows and he hurts you?” There’s genuine concern in her eyes, and I smile, rubbing my thumb over her lips before leaning down to capture her mouth in a kiss.
When I pull back, I offer a reassuring smile. “I can handle him. Don’t worry, I’ll be back.”
I knock on Jennie’s bedroom door, and it’s minutes before she opens up, rubbing her eyes sleepily. One of the prospects is asleep in the bed behind her. “Grab something sexy,” I order, and she perks up immediately. “Nothing like that,” I add quickly. “I need you to play a part. Follow my lead and don’t mention Xanthe.” She nods, grabbing her silk nightdress from the floor and pulling it on while following me downstairs.
Donnie is waiting patiently by the bar with Axel. I hear the brothers in the kitchen, the usual breakfast banter ongoing, although I know they’ll be waiting for a signal in case this shit goes downhill.
“Donnie,” I greet, keeping hold of Jennie’s hand.
He makes a tsking sound, smirking slightly as his eyes run over my bruised face. “You came off worse than normal.” His eyes then run over Jennie, and his smirk gets bigger. “But you found a good way to forget the pain.”
“Don’t let the bruises fool you, I only get hit when I want to.”
He chuckles. “I called. You didn’t answer.”
I shrug. “I slept well.” I glance to Jennie, and she returns my smirk. “After our workout, I took tablets to knock me out.” He stares at me for a few silent seconds, but I don’t break eye contact. He’s checking my body language to see if I’m nervous. “Was it urgent?” I ask.
He shrugs. “Not particularly. I sent Chevy instead. I wanted you to watch the hospital.” Axel scoffs, shaking his head in irritation, and it gains Donnie’s attention. “Something you want to say?”
“We agreed you’d make use of Fury to pay his debt. Wasting his time watching out for some bitch you’re lusting after don’t seem like a good use of his time.”
Donnie laughs. “You’re right, Axel. And I respect you, so I’m going to take your remark on board.”
“I’m pretty sure the debt is almost paid,” Axel adds, arching a brow.
Donnie’s smirk fades. His jaw clenches, and he shoves his hands in his pockets. He’s annoyed. “It’s paid when I say it is.”
It’s Axel’s turn to laugh. “That’s where you’re wrong,” he says firmly. “This is my club, Donnie, and the only reason you’re still breathing is because I allow it.”
I clear my throat, and they both look in my direction. “Is there a reason you’re here, Donnie?” I ask, breaking the tension.
His smile returns. “I’m glad you asked. I have a fight. If you win, it will clear your debt completely.”
Hope fills my chest. With him out of my life, things will be easier. “Okay.”
“Wait,” says Axel, concern filling his face. “With who?”
Donnie grins wide. “See, he has sense,” he tells me, nodding. “Always ask who your opponent is.”
“Cut the crap,” snaps Axel. “Who is it?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“Bullshit,” Axel growls. “He ain’t fighting a big fight without knowing who it’s with.”
“It’s fine,” I say. “I’ll win.”
“Excellent. See you tomorrow, eight sharp. You’ll be in the ring by nine.” And he leaves.
Axel glares at me. “What?” I ask. “I’ll do the stupid fight, and we can get him out of my life.”
“There’s no way he’s gonna make it that easy to get out of debt.”
“You don’t think I can win?” I ask, smirking.
“It depends who you’re fighting and you know it.”
I find Xanthe in the shower and strip quickly to join her. She gasps when I run my hands over her soapy body, sliding my palms up to her breasts and teasing her nipples while gently nipping her neck. She turns in my arms. “What happened?”
I kiss her, running my fingers through her wet hair. “He just wanted to line up a new fight.”
“Is that wise?” she asks, skimming her fingers over my swollen undereye.
“I’ll be fine,” I reassure her. “And once I win this, I’m debt free.”
“That’s why you fight for him?” she asks, frowning. “And why you do the things you do?” I kiss her again, but this time, she pulls back. “Stop avoiding the conversation.”
“Yes,” I reply. “I was supposed to throw a fight before and I didn’t.”
“Why?”
I shrug. “I don’t like to lose.”
“Isn’t it illegal to throw a fight?”
I laugh. “After all the shit you’ve seen, you’re concerned he’s fixing fights?”
She smiles. “I want you to be done with him.”
“After tomorrow night, I will be.”
“And then what?”
I sigh, pressing my forehead to hers. “I don’t know. He’s got someone watching the hospital for you today.”
“He knows my shift patterns.”
“He isn’t giving up, that’s for sure.”
“Maybe I could change my job,” she suggests. “We could move?”
“Move?” I feel like I’m finally settling here, and there’s no way I can go back to Nottingham. “There aren’t too many fractions to this club,” I say, “and I like this one.”
“I don’t see how I can stay here when he’s looking for me. And I don’t want us to lose one another again.” She stands on her tiptoes to kiss me. I’m relieved she feels the same way, because the thought of losing her again is too painful to imagine.
“If I make you mine,” I begin, unsure how she’ll take the news, “the club will have no choice but to protect you.”
Her eyes widen. “What does that mean?”
“I could make you my old lady.”
Her brows furrow. “Old lady?”
I back her to the tiles and lift her, lining myself up at her entrance and kissing her until she’s breathless. As I enter her, I add, “It’s basically like marriage. I’ll belong to you, and you’ll belong to me. You’ll be my old lady.”
She gasps as I fill her. “Marriage without the big ceremony?” she whispers, her eyes tightly closed as I fuck her.
“Yeah, but just as binding.”
“It’s not legal though?”
I move faster, and she cries out, gripping my shoulders. “It is in my eyes and in the eyes of the club.” I feel nervous as I wait for her answer. It’s huge. I’ve never even considered taking an old lady. But this way, I can make sure she’s protected. No matter what happens to me, she’ll always be looked after. She tightens around my cock, and I see her begin to spiral, so I slow down. Her eyes shoot open questionably. “I want your answer,” I say, taking her lower lip between my teeth and gently tugging it.
“I can’t even think straight,” she pants.
I slam into her, and she cries out again. I grin. “I can draw this out as long as needed.”
“Fine,” she hisses, narrowing her eyes. “Whatever you want.”
Relief floods me, and I move fast, fucking her so hard, my legs cramp in protest. She shudders, screaming out as her orgasm rips through her. I follow, releasing into her on a long, drawn-out groan. I rest my forehead on her shoulder, waiting for the blood to drain from my cock and fill the rest of my body again.
I pull from her, and she glances down. “You didn’t use a condom?”
I frown slightly. I always use protection, but it felt right. “I guess I got carried away.”
She shoves against my chest. “You dick.”
“What’s the issue? You’ve just agreed to be my old lady.”
She gets out the shower, wrapping a towel around her body. I rinse off, watching as anger radiates from her. I don’t understand why she’s so mad—I can’t think of anything better than filling her with my babies.
“That’s not real life, Reese. There’s no security in pretending to be your fucking wife.” I don’t like the way she curses at me, and I narrow my eyes as she sits on the toilet and uses tissue paper to wipe herself.
“It’s real,” I snap. “Real as any marriage.”
She scoffs. “Right, so when we split and I’m left with your kid, I can take you for half of everything, can I?”
I turn the shower off and grab my own towel, wrapping it around my waist and storming into the bedroom, shaking my head in anger. “First of all, I’d never leave you if you had my kid. Secondly, you’re my old lady, I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you.”
“We fucked twice,” she yells, staring at me in disbelief. “Don’t you think it’s a bit soon to make promises like that? And it’s definitely too soon to have a baby. You’ve lost your mind.”
The second she steps into the room, I rush her, shoving her against the wall and caging her in with a hand either side of her head. “I love you.” I say it clearly, and she inhales sharply. “I’ve loved you since the second I saw you in those ridiculous pink trainers with your hair sprayed up within an inch of its life.”
“It was a nineties party,” she whispers defensively.
“I never stopped. You’re it for me, Xanthe. So, if you’re telling me I’m not the one for you, I’ll back off while you try to figure that out. But you’re my old lady, so get to the same page as me real quick or things will get awkward.” And then I kiss her hard before heading back to my own room.
Xanthe
I stare after him, my heart hammering hard in my chest. He didn’t even give me a chance to tell him I love him too. That no man since him has ever made me feel like he does. But my heart is begging me to be cautious because Fury has the power to destroy me.
I dress and decide to go explore. If Fury is really taking me as his old lady, I should get to know this place and the people in it.
I head downstairs, taking a deep breath before pushing myself to walk into the large main room, where there’s a sea of bikers. I’ve never been one to shy away, but I feel intimidated in this room full of big, burly men. I’m relieved when I see Lexi heading towards me with a wide smile. “Hey, great to see you out of your room,” she says brightly. “We wondered if Fury had grounded you after seeing you with Nyx and the others.”
I return her smile. “No, but he wasn’t happy.”
She links arms with me and leads me over to the couches where some of the other women are sitting. “Well, rumour has it he’s close to claiming you.”
I shrug. “He mentioned it, but I don’t know how serious he is, and to be honest, I don’t really know what the entire claiming thing entails.”
“We can definitely help you with that,” she says, and we sit down. The other women are having smaller conversations amongst themselves, so I turn slightly to Lexi. “It’s basically like marriage,” she tells me.
“That’s what Fury said.”
“It’s pretty huge when the guys take an old lady, and it doesn’t usually happen more than once in a biker’s life. If he’s chosen a woman to be his old lady, he’s letting his brothers know that he intends to be with her for the rest of his life.”
“But it’s not legally binding or anything, so there’s nothing to stop us separating or him changing his mind.”
“He won’t change his mind,” she says, almost laughing. “The fact he even said those words to you means he’s already in love with you.”
I scoff, even though deep down I feel the same. “It’s been a few weeks since I met him again.”
“You’ve known him for years, Xanthe. Maybe the love never left him.”
I nod in agreement. “I know how he feels.”
“So, why is it so hard to believe he’s committing to you?”
“He mentioned that I’d be protected by the club.” She nods. “What if he’s only doing it for that reason? I know he cares about me. He doesn’t want Donnie to hurt me.”
“You’re at the clubhouse in hiding, which means the club is already protecting you. But if you’re worried, talk to him.”
I nod. “What about duties?” I ask.
She arches a brow. “Duties?”
“Yeah, do I have to do anything with this special role betrothed to me?”
She laughs. “Just be his wife.”
“Without the paperwork,” I cut in.
“Look, if marriage means so much to you, then make it legal. But you don’t need to. Fury will protect you and love you and do everything a committed man does.”
“What about the other side of it?” I ask. “The not so legal part?”
“There’s no point pretending it’s not there because we all know it is. But they do everything in their power to keep us out of it. The only time I know shit’s gone down is when my man returns to our bed covered in blood. I’ve learned to not ask questions because I never get answers. All he ever needs from me is comfort.”
“I don’t know if I can live with not knowing that side of his life. But then, at the same time, I don’t think I want to know.”
“If you knew it all and the police came knocking, you might slip up. Not knowing is for the best. Besides, from what I do know, these guys rid the world of bad people, and I’m okay with that.”