Chapter 10
GEMMA
W armth anchored me before I even opened my eyes. A hard chest was pressed against my back, and a strong arm was slung around my waist. My neck was turned toward the heat, with my cheek resting against his ridiculously firm pec. The steady rhythm of a heartbeat thrummed beneath my ear.
It took a moment to remember where I was. And why I felt more at peace than I had in weeks.
Callum.
I didn’t move, giving myself time to feel the soft sheets beneath me and the quiet hush of early morning. I dragged the clean scent of soap and leather that clung to his skin into my lungs.
For the first time in a long while, I wasn’t afraid to fall apart. Wrapped in his arms, I knew I was safe.
My fingers moved without thinking, brushing lightly along the veins on the inside of his forearm where it rested against my ribs.
“I know you’re awake.” His voice was thick with sleep.
I smiled into his pec. “How?”
“Your breathing changed. And you’ve been tracing the same spot on my arm for the past five minutes.”
“Maybe I’m just an active sleeper,” I murmured.
“Not sure who’s been lyin’ to you, baby, but you sleep like a fucking log.” His chest shook as he chuckled. “Except for the drool, you barely moved all night.”
I twisted around to glare up at him. “I do not drool.”
He swept his thumb gently across my bottom lip. “Guess you’re right.”
“There’s no guessing about it,” I grumbled. “And there hasn’t been anyone to tell me how I sleep since I’ve never spent the night with a guy before, which you know after well…”
“You really gonna blush after I tasted almost every inch of your body?” He dragged his palm down my back to cup my butt. “I only missed a few spots, but I’ll make up for it later.”
A shiver raced up my spine at his sensual promise. One that I sadly couldn’t take advantage of now because we needed to stop by my studio to grab a few things before Callum got busy with work.
“I’m going to hold you to that.”
“Good.” He brushed his lips against mine. “We better get moving or I’ll end up buried in you for the rest of the day. Your pussy needs a break after last night, and we have shit to do.”
“Unfortunately,” I grumbled as he rolled us out of bed.
We got ready to head out, with Callum ducking down to the kitchen to snag us some coffee. Mine was made exactly how I liked it, which I was still grinning over half an hour later when we climbed on his motorcycle to drive to my house.
I thoroughly enjoyed being wrapped around his muscular body. Wishing the ride was longer, I pouted as I tugged my helmet off.
Callum spotted my expression and shook his head with a deep chuckle. “Don’t worry, baby. You’ll be on the back of my bike as often as you want.”
“Yay!” I did a dorky dance to celebrate.
“The only woman who’s ever been there.”
My heart swelled, but my good humor vanished when we turned the corner around the house, and I saw the entrance to my studio.
“Fuck,” Hawk bit out, gripping my arm to pull me against his side. “Stick close, baby. I don’t want you out here in the open while I get a closer look.”
“Okay,” I whispered, my stomach in knots as I took in the damage to my beloved space.
The outside of my studio looked like it had been through a war zone.
Someone had smashed the exterior lights, and glass and plastic covered the ground.
My flowerpots were shattered, and the soil was dumped everywhere.
The bushes were hacked apart, branches splintered and strewn across the yard.
Spray paint stretched across the pale blue siding in jagged, angry letters I couldn’t even process yet.
But what stopped me cold were the scratches. Deep gouges were carved into the studio door. Unlike the paint, they couldn’t be washed away.
I barely registered when Callum pulled me against his chest. My whole body had gone cold.
“I don’t understand,” I whispered against his shirt. “Why would someone do this?”
“I don’t know, baby. But I’m gonna find out.”
The conviction in his deep voice kept my tears at bay. At least for now. “Thank you.”
“Stay behind me,” he growled, releasing me only long enough to stride toward the door. His shoulders were tight, his spine was ramrod straight, and his steps were deadly quiet.
I wrapped my arms around my torso and followed, careful to stay close. The back of my throat burned as I spotted the broken pot that had once held a lavender plant from my mother’s garden.
“They didn’t go inside.” Callum scanned the entrance with laser focus. “No damage to the lock. No breach through the windows.”
I pressed my trembling fingers against my lips. “They came here to do all of this without even going inside?”
“They probably knew I upgraded the security,” he explained. “Realized the bug was found and didn’t want to risk getting caught.”
“But they still did it. Because of me.”
He turned so fast I flinched. “No, this is not on you.”
“I should’ve?—”
“Absolutely not,” he cut in again, voice rising with a fury I hadn’t seen from him before. “You didn’t do a damn thing wrong. They came after you, Gemma. And they’re my fucking problem. Not yours.”
Any trace of the calm, quiet man I’d woken up beside had been stripped away. Something lethal simmered just beneath the surface, and for the first time, I wondered what he’d do to the person trying to destroy my life. If he’d kill for me.
My breath stuttered.
His eyes locked on mine. “We’ll burn this whole fucking town to the ground before we let anyone else be damaged because of this. You hear me?”
I nodded, unsure if I was more shaken by the damage or the intensity in his vow.
A tiny flicker of fear curled in my belly, but it was quickly extinguished.
Deep in my bones, I knew he would never hurt me or anyone who didn’t deserve it.
But there was no mistaking the edge in his voice.
Or the way his eyes had gone cold and flat when he looked at the damage.
All that fury was for me, making me the safest person in Old Bridge because Callum wouldn’t hesitate to destroy anyone who tried to harm me.
I was devastated, shaken, and exhausted, but I took comfort in knowing that no matter what came next, I wouldn’t be facing it alone.
The same couldn’t be said for my clients, though. Until the guys figured out who was doing this, they could still be at risk. And they didn’t even know it.
I turned slowly, taking in the wreckage one last time before whispering, “Should we call the police?”
His jaw tightened as he looked back at me. “No cops.”
I wasn’t surprised by his answer since he’d talked me into keeping them out of everything so far. But I still had to ask after what we’d found here today. And I wasn’t as convinced now that they should still be kept out of it.
I heaved a deep sigh. “Okay.”
“Stone will handle everything,” he added, moving close again to wrap his arms around me.
“Stone?” I echoed. The name was familiar, but I’d met so many guys at the clubhouse that it was difficult to keep them all straight.
“He’s the club lawyer, so he knows how to work the system better than any of us.”
I felt a little better knowing Callum was getting their lawyer involved, just in case things somehow got even worse than they already were. Between Ellen being missing, the bug he found in my studio, and the destruction we were staring at, I didn’t even want to consider what else could go wrong.
Almost as though he could sense the direction my thoughts had taken, Callum’s arms tightened around me.
“Stone is damn good at what he does. He’s gotten some of my club brothers out of even more fucked-up situations than this before.
And with Ellen missing, he’ll be all in.
We don’t mess around when it comes to protecting people who need it. Club or not.”
It finally clicked for me. The Iron Rogues wasn’t just a motorcycle club. They didn’t ask the cops for help because they were the help.
They handled things on their terms and in their own way. Fast and without all the red tape the police had to deal with.
I let out a shaky breath as the guilt I’d been carrying for dragging them into my mess began to loosen its hold.
I hadn’t asked for this level of protection, but they hadn’t hesitated to offer it.
Calling Lainie had been the best decision I could’ve made.
I was lucky to have the Iron Rogues on my side.
And it had brought Callum into my life.
I leaned back to look up at him—this gorgeous but dangerous man who made me feel seen—and something inside me settled.
I wasn’t alone. Maybe I never would be again.
Feeling a little lighter, I gestured toward the mess surrounding us and asked, “What about all this?”
He smirked. “One of the best parts of being an Iron Rogue…someone is always around to help clean up when shit goes down.”