Chapter 2 #2
Heat flares between us. Instant, searing heat.
The physical pressure feels heavy despite her slight frame. Her soft ass settles right over my groin. She keeps her spine rigid, refusing to let her back brush my chest. The scent of winter air mixed with cheap citrus and cool mint shampoo drifts up from her scalp, intoxicating my senses.
My hands hover, useless in the air, until instinct takes over entirely. Broad palms clamp down onto her narrow hips, anchoring her in place.
Her muscles jolt under my grip. A sharp intake of breath hisses through her teeth.
"Relax," I grunt near her ear. "Type."
Leaning forward, she positions her hands over the mechanical keyboard. "Don't breathe on my neck."
"I need oxygen, Kaila."
"Get it from somewhere else."
"Type."
She attacks the keys. And God, her speed proves lethal.
Those slender fingers fly across the board in a complete blur. The rapid clack-clack-clack of the mechanical switches fills the room. That rhythm usually soothes my frayed nerves, but now, it just syncs with the heavy pounding of blood rushing south.
I keep my eyes on the screen, but my focus anchors entirely on the woman planted in my lap. Tension coils tight in her core as she works. Her breath hitches every time my thumbs brush the thick denim covering her hipbones.
"You're not just patching the loop," I murmur, watching the code rewrite itself in real-time. "You're building a trap."
"If they attempt to exploit the gap," she reasons, her tone breathy and distracted. "This subroutine catches the packet and traces it back to the source. It turns their attack into a glowing beacon."
Pure, unadulterated competence. Her raw skill sparks a massive surge of heat, more of a turn-on than if she had stripped naked in front of me.
"Smart," I admit, my voice rough.
Relaxing her posture, she completely forgets her position. Her shoulder presses flush against my chest. She fits perfectly in the space I've carved out for her.
"I told you," she whispers, keeping her vision locked on the compiling code. "I'm good."
"You're dangerous."
My arms lock tighter around her waist, dragging her deeper against my groin. Stopping the motion proves impossible. Possession morphs into a living thing, clawing violently against my ribs.
Her typing halts. Her entire body freezes.
"Tracker," she warns, a tremor bleeding into her tone.
"Daniel," I correct. "My name is Daniel."
"Daniel, let me go."
"Not yet. Deploy the patch"
A shaky finger slams the enter key. The screen flashes bright green. PATCH APPLIED.
"There," she breathes out. "Safe."
Safe.
Nothing about this situation offers safety.
The intercom on the desk buzzes, shattering the silence. Logan’s harsh voice fills the loft.
"Tracker, pick up."
Kaila jerks upward, trying to scramble off my lap. I refuse to yield an inch. Smacking the speaker button, I keep one arm locked around her waist like a steel vice.
"Go for Tracker," I reply.
"Scanners are picking up heavy chatter," Logan reports, a tense edge in his tone mirroring a President sensing an incoming storm. "Costas are moving cargo near the gorge. Austin says the perimeter cameras glitched. You seeing anything?"
My eyes flick to the monitor. Thanks to Kaila’s patch, the glitch vanishes. The feed rolls perfectly clear.
"I see them," I confirm. "And I see the trace. Kaila just flagged their command node."
Silence drags on the line. "Kaila? The girl from the cabin?"
"Yeah."
"She's accessing the system?" Logan’s voice drops into a dangerous octave. "Is that smart, brother?"
Tilting my chin, I stare down at the top of her dark hair. A frantic pulse hammers against the delicate skin of her throat.
"She poses no threat to the club, Logan."
"You sure?"
"I'm looking right at her handiwork. The firewall is fully reinforced." I pause, searching for the exact phrasing. "She's one of us."
Kaila stiffens against my chest. Craning her neck, she looks up at me over her shoulder. Her eyes stretch impossibly wide.
"One of us?" she mouths.
"Bring the intel to the table," Logan orders. "Chapel meeting in ten. Bring the girl down here. If she provides value, I want to look her in the eye."
"Copy."
I cut the feed.
Silence rushes back into the room, heavier and thicker than before.
"I don't belong to your club," Kaila whispered. "I'm not a biker or a criminal."
"You hacked a massive data reserve for a cartel," I counter, finally releasing my tight grip on her hips. "You're worse than us, little ghost. You just lack the patch."
Scrambling off my thighs, she puts desperate distance between our bodies. Her arms wrap tightly around her own ribs as she stares at my lap, where her warmth still lingers.
"I did it for Kevin."
"Now you work for me." I stand up, the sudden loss of her weight making my center of gravity to feel physically unbalanced. "Refuse, and Kevin dies. Run, and I hunt you down."
I close the distance. Her boots slide backward until her shoulders hit the humming wall of servers.
Planting a hand flat against the metal rack next to her head, I lean down until our noses almost touch. The reality of her new world needs to sink in deep.
"You fall under my protection now, Kaila. That means nobody lays a hand on you. The cartel, the cops, and my brothers are all completely off-limits."
A sharp inhale expands her lungs. "And you?"
My gaze drops to her mouth. The plump flesh sits pink and slightly swollen from where she has gnawed on the lower lip.
"I remain the exception to every rule."
Pushing off the server rack, I scoop her oversized cotton hoodie from the floor and toss it to her.
"Gear up. We walk to the Chapel now."
Shaking hands grip the cotton hoodie. Her dark eyes, however, hold completely steady. Her spirit remains perfectly intact, silently recalibrating the threat level.
"Fine," she bites out, shoving her arms into the sleeves. "If your brother tries any intimidation tactics, I'm draining his bank accounts."
A dark laugh barks out of my chest before the impulse can be smothered. The sound scrapes rusty against my throat. I haven't genuinely laughed in years.
"Go ahead and try," I challenge, yanking the heavy metal door open. "Logan rejects the banking system. He buries gold in the yard like a pirate."
She blinks rapidly. "You're joking."
"Welcome to Pine Valley."
Ushering her out into the dim hallway, I follow closely behind. My eyes stay locked on the sway of her hips. Every nerve in my body continues humming from the phantom weight of her ass against my lap.
The woman walks straight into a lion's den convinced she plays the part of the prey.
She fails to realize the raw spark inside her possesses enough power to burn the entire forest to ash.
Mine.
The vicious claim echoes through my skull with every heavy step down the steel stairs. I follow her down into the darkness of the clubhouse, fully prepared to bare my teeth at any bastard who dares to look at what belonged to me.