Chapter 13 #2
My stomach tightened at his command. The rough edge of his voice caused heat to pool low in my core despite the hardwood floors biting into my knees.
I held his gaze and took him faster, hollowing my cheeks until his thighs trembled under my hands. His hips jerked forward on instinct, uncontrolled as his groans turned guttural. His fingers flexed in my hair, anchoring me as I worked him relentlessly.
“Fuck, Hellcat,” he choked as hot pulses hit the back of my throat. I swallowed every drop, pulling back slow and deliberate, letting him watch as I swirled my tongue around him one last time and licked my lips clean.
Hatchet sagged against the counter, his chest heaving. I rose to my feet and grinned as I snagged a crispy slice of bacon from the plate beside the stove. I popped it into my mouth, the salty crunch grounding me as I chewed with exaggerated bliss.
“Not bad,” I said, smirking around the mouthful.
Hatchet barked a laugh, still catching his breath. He swiped his thumb across my bottom lip. “I love your smart mouth. In every goddamn way.”
His phone pinged sharply on the counter, shattering the moment. He swore under his breath as he snatched it up, scanning the screen. “I forgot I’m supposed to meet Everest today. We’re working out the details for the gym.”
“That’s fine. I have some errands to run.” I pulled a box of cereal from the cupboard. “You can have the cold, burnt pancakes. I’ll have this.”
He eyed the box. “That’s pure sugar.”
“Good,” I said. “I need something sweet to balance out the savory snack I already had this morning.”
Breakfast felt normal. Easy. Fun. Yet, a niggling thought at the back of my mind reminded me that this wasn’t the norm. For either of us. I cleaned up the kitchen while Hatchet quickly showered and dressed, hurrying to make his forgotten meeting with Everest. At the door, he paused to kiss me.
“Be good,” he murmured, thumb brushing my cheek.
“Me or the dog?”
He smirked. “Chaos isn’t the one I worry about when I leave.”
Then he was gone, leaving the house too quiet and my mind too loud. I hurried through my morning routine, needing something to distract me from the thoughts swirling in my mind.
I boosted Chaos into the front seat of my truck thirty minutes later. Our first stop was Bluebonnet Outdoors to pick up the new hiking boots I’d ordered. The cashier plied her with treats while I tried on the boots.
Afterward, we wandered the little downtown market, her leash loose as I browsed handmade soaps and candles.
I picked up a bag of artisan popcorn, knowing I’d start another movie with Hatchet and maybe the snack would keep us from jumping each other during the opening credits.
After killing as much time as I could without spending my entire paycheck on homemade salsa and sourdough bagels, I decided to head to the park with Chaos to tire her out so I’d have more uninterrupted time with Hatchet later on.
My stomach dropped as I approached the truck, the unnatural lean on the driver’s side stopping me in my tracks. The rubber of the tires gaped where they’d been slashed open. My gut churned, and my heart jumped into my throat.
The market noise faded to a dull roar as adrenaline flooded my system. I turned to move back toward the market, closer to the safety of the crowd of families, and ducked inside a busy booth, peeking around a display of canned jams to see if Luca was nearby.
I couldn’t prove it was him, but I knew it had to be.
I didn’t want to dial Hatchet, but calling anyone else in the club would result in bloodshed and retaliation. Not that Luca didn’t deserve some payback, but I’d taken the Hippocratic oath. At least with Hatchet, I could distract him.
He answered on the first ring. Everest’s laugh carried through the phone, telling me they were still meeting.
“When you’re done, can you come pick me up at the market? Someone slit my tires.”
Hatchet swore. “On my way.”
Fifteen minutes later, the roar of Hatchet’s bike cut through the market. A sleek BMW pulled up behind him with Everest at the wheel. Chaos wiggled and barked, oblivious to my inner turmoil.
“It was Luca, wasn’t it?” Hatchet asked, scanning the busy parking lot.
I shrugged. “Probably.”
“Have you made a police report yet?” Everest asked.
Hatchet glared at him. “We don’t have the police deal with club problems.”
Everest rolled his eyes, reminding me of Kenna’s reaction to the club’s codes.
I bit my lip, more rattled than I cared to admit. “I haven’t called them. I can’t prove it was Luca. And I don’t want you to ask Linc to check the cameras. He’ll tell Reaper, and then Reaper’ll tell Merrick.”
“This is getting out of hand,” Hatchet fumed, stepping closer. His hand twitched like he wanted to pull me closer. “We need to tell Merrick.”
“No,” I insisted. “This is my business. I’m not an old lady, which means you guys can’t get involved.”
“You’re a part of the club,” Hatchet insisted. “You’re more of a Maverick than some of the guys.”
“Promise me,” I asserted. “This stays between us.”
Hatchet stared at me for a beat, his jaw ticking.
Everest glanced between us. “I’ll call roadside assistance. I can have your truck towed.”
“Thanks.” My gaze returned to Hatchet. “Promise me.”
Hatchet grumbled but finally agreed. “Fine. But the next time he even looks your way, it’s done. I’m bringing the entire club to his door.”
After my truck was hauled away, Everest offered to take Chaos back to the clubhouse in his car while I rode on the back of Hatchet’s bike, wearing his helmet since he hadn’t thought to grab the spare.
We arrived first, Hatchet’s reckless speed and familiarity with backroads landing us back at the clubhouse before Everest.
He brushed the hair from my face. “Are you OK?”
I leaned into his touch. “Yeah. Just tired.”
He pulled me into a hug. “Say the word, and I’ll take care of the fucker.”
I sighed into his shoulder. “I know.”
Gravel crunched as Everest pulled into the drive. I stepped back, putting a more appropriate distance between Hatchet and me before anyone noticed.
Everest glanced between us as he set Chaos to the ground. “How do you drive with that demon? She lunged and barked at every car that passed. And then she tried crawling in my lap and licking my face.”
I smiled. “Yeah, that’s her new thing.”
Hatchet glared at me. “You let that dog get away with everything, don’t you?”
I smirked. “She’s cute. I can’t say no.”
Hatchet shook his head. He glanced at Everest. “You all set?”
Everest nodded. “I’ll run everything by my lawyers, but I think we’re good.” He stretched a hand out to shake Hatchet’s. “Looking forward to being your business partner.”