Chapter 4
4
HUNTER
V iper and I had pushed the limits to finish the run as fast as humanly possible. But short of sprouting wings and outrunning the devil himself, we could only ride so damn fast. Two full days on the road, and by the time I’d rolled into the compound, briefed Fox, and grabbed a shower, the bakery had already closed.
I’d tried to sleep but kept waking up soaked in sweat and hard enough to pound nails. After three hours of tossing and cursing, I finally gave up.
Spending ten minutes under an ice-cold spray helped ease the ache in my cock but did nothing for the one in my chest. I’d been shocked at how much I missed her.
I quickly toweled off, padded into the bedroom, checked the clock, and groaned.
Some bakeries opened at the crack of dawn. Not this one. Because the universe liked fucking with me, Country Crust didn’t open its doors until seven.
Which meant I had time to kill. And no patience left to kill it with.
For a second, I considered grabbing my SUV and parking across the street like some unhinged stalker, but if Sadie or her boss saw me, I’d have to come up with a reason to be there. One that didn’t include the words I haven’t stopped thinking about your mouth in two fucking days . It was too early to reveal my level of obsession with Sadie.
I needed to go for a ride.
After throwing on black jeans, a gray T-shirt, and my cut, I sat on the edge of the bed to lace up my boots. Once that was done, I grabbed my keys, wallet, and phone, then headed out to my bike.
June in Tennessee could get hot as hell, but at this hour, it was spring-soft. A cool breeze ruffled my hair as I swung a leg over the bike, then put on my helmet. As I approached the gate, I nodded to the prospect on duty before peeling off down the road.
I took a side route with lots of trees and open fields, less houses, and no traffic. Just the rumble of my engine, the wind in my ears, and the blur of green flashing by in my periphery.
The forty-minute loop cleared most of the clutter from my head, but the second I turned toward town, she was back in my thoughts like she never left.
Sweet, sunshiny Sadie Morgan, with her gorgeous blue eyes and her shy smile that wrecked the fuck out of me.
I glanced at my watch. Six thirty. Son of a bitch . Still thirty fucking minutes.
Figuring I’d just do a drive-by, I headed toward the bakery. Maybe park up the road and find a place to wait without being seen.
It turned out I didn’t need to because she was already outside.
Sadie stood near the side door, talking to some guy who looked like he’d stepped off the cover of a fucking Barbie catalog. Neatly cut blond hair, clean-shaven, and a boy-next-door smile. And young. Probably only a few years older than Sadie.
Not that I gave a shit. Our age difference had ceased to matter once she flashed me that shy smile the first day we met.
The Ken-doll said something, making Sadie laugh.
My jaw hardened, and my hands clenched the handlebars. The next thing I knew, I was easing the bike into the alley and cutting the engine ten feet from them.
Both heads turned, and Ken frowned, but Sadie lit up like I’d just stepped out of her favorite daydream.
“Hunter,” she said softly, a sweet smile curving her plush lips. Her voice was slightly breathless, and it made me think of sex and my name falling from her lips while she broke apart beneath me.
Fucking hell.
My cock twitched, and every possessive instinct I had roared to the surface.
“Wesley,” I said, my voice low and hard.
Her smile faltered. “What?”
“My name,” I told her, watching those pretty brows draw together. “It’s Wesley, sunshine.”
Her lips parted. “But I thought…”
Her hands fluttered nervously at her sides.
“You call me Wesley,” I said, dismounting and prowling toward her. My boots hit the pavement with slow, deliberate steps until I stood only inches away from them.
I reached out and slid my fingers into her soft brown hair, letting the strands slip through my fingers. Her breath caught, and all I could think was… mine .
A throat cleared behind me, and I turned my head slowly, pinning the Ken doll with a look that had ended conversations. And lives.
He shifted his weight like he wanted to run but thought better of it. Then he swallowed hard and straightened his shoulders, trying not to look intimidated.
“We were talking,” he snapped.
Ballsy.
But still a dumbass.
Nobody spoke to an Iron Rogue without respect. And a healthy amount of fear.
I arched a brow but didn’t say a word. I didn’t have to, not when the threat in my silence said everything. He was staring into the eyes of a ruthless predator, and he knew it.
He paled and shifted back a step. Not much, but enough.
So he has some survival instinct buried under all that stupid.
“Go,” I said flatly.
He hesitated, glancing at Sadie.
I growled and took a menacing step forward, seconds away from using my fist to rearrange his face.
Sadie’s hand landed on my arm, warm and light, and my focus snapped back to her.
She looked up at me with wide eyes.
“Wait. Austin is fixing the window,” she explained, motioning to the cracked pane near the door.
“What happened?” I asked, my frown deepening as I looked at the glass. A jagged crack sliced through the center and down to the corner.
Sadie shrugged, but her fingers fidgeted slightly against her apron.
“Probably a rock,” she said too quickly. “No big deal.”
I didn’t answer.
Maybe it was a rock.
But it had hit dead center. Too clean. Too precise.
The window was old and thick, probably original to the building, and that was the only reason it hadn’t shattered. If it had been modern, the glass would’ve blown out completely.
And the way she said it… as though she was trying to convince herself.
My gut twisted, low and hard, and I’d learned a long time ago not to ignore that feeling.
But the extra tension crawling under my skin had a different source—and he was standing right next to her.
I let the kid finish the job, but I didn’t like it. Not the way he stood too close or kept trying to catch Sadie’s eye and engage her in conversation.
Annoyed as fuck, I crossed my arms and watched him sweat as he replaced the pane under my heavy stare.
Sadie stayed close but quiet. Every time he lifted his voice to ask a question or made a sudden movement, she shifted closer to me. Just barely. You wouldn’t notice if you weren’t trained to see it.
But I saw it and loved knowing she already felt safe with me.
By the time the kid packed up and left—without saying a word to me, a smart move—I was already calculating the angles on the building, itching to put up a camera and a better security system.
Just as I finished scanning the perimeter again, the bakery door swung open and Marcy stepped out, wiping her hands on a towel and grinning like she already knew what I was doing.
I’d met her when she’d signed the lease for the bakery, and my assessment of her had been positive. She was easygoing but sharp. The kind of woman who saw more than she let on and was highly amused when people assumed that her jovial disposition meant she was a little airheaded.
“Something wrong, or are you just looking for an excuse to hang around?” she asked, her eyes dancing as she glanced between me and Sadie.
I pointed at the window. “A broken window, no cameras, and a basic alarm. That’s not gonna cut it.”
Marcy followed my gaze, then shrugged. “We didn’t have any issues during the buildout or while I was gearing up for the opening.”
“Doesn’t mean you won’t now.”
Her smile faded just a touch. She knew I wasn’t playing games.
“Fair enough.” She nodded slowly, and then her grin came right back. “So…are you offering to fix that because this is Iron Rogue’s property, making it club business? Or because a certain someone makes cookies and blushes like a Disney princess?”
I didn’t answer.
Marcy laughed. “Thought so.”
I leveled a look at her. “We take care of what’s ours. Something happens in Iron Rogues’ territory, we handle it before it becomes a problem.”
That part was true.
But it wasn’t the real reason I was here. I took care of what was mine.
Marcy didn’t argue. She didn't look surprised, either.
Her gaze landed on Sadie—who was practically pressed up against my side—and then back at me.
“You gonna do it now, or do you want me to pretend you’re not already planning to stay all morning?”
“Already on it,” I said, pulling out my phone. I called one of our officers, Midnight, who co-owned Iron Shield, our private security company, and told him what I needed. He didn’t ask questions, which was typical since he had a similar background to mine. Though he’d been a SEAL.
“Be there in fifteen,” he grunted.
True to his word, Midnight rolled in fast, his SUV loaded with gear. As he unloaded it, he offered his help.
“Got it handled,” I replied.
He handed over the equipment with a nod, then turned to leave, pausing when he spotted my girl. A barely there smirk formed on his mouth, like he suddenly understood why I wanted to do the job myself.
“You’re so fucked when the guys hear about this,” he gibed, his smirk growing.
He wasn’t wrong. I’d given my brothers plenty of shit when they’d found their old ladies. I was sure they’d use every opportunity to return the favor.
“Fuck off,” I grunted.
He laughed as he climbed back into his SUV before repeating, “So fucked.” Then he was gone.
Marcy disappeared back inside after a minute, trusting me to take care of this.
“I guess I’d better get back to work,” Sadie said reluctantly as she trudged toward the door.
“Go work, sunshine. Let you know when I’m done.”
“Okay,” she replied softly, giving me a sweet smile before following her boss.
I installed the camera they were expecting—just one, right above the entrance. It covered the sidewalk, the parking lot, and part of the road.
Then I added three more. One angled toward the back door. One near the alley. And the last one—smaller and more discreet—just inside, tucked in the upper corner of the front window.
They were all connected to my phone, feeding into an app I controlled. Now I’d be able to see Sadie anytime she was at work.
She wandered back out just as I was putting my tools back into a bag Midnight had brought with the supplies.
“You really didn’t have to do this.” Her voice carried the same sugary warmth that had wrecked me in the first place. “I mean…we’re just a bakery, not exactly a target for robberies or anything like that.”
I looked at her. Really looked. And nearly smiled when she squirmed and red stained her cheeks.
“You’re not just anything,” I told her. My voice came out rougher than I meant it to, but I didn’t bother hiding the hunger and possession I was plagued with.
She blinked, her blue eyes a little hazy and lips parted slightly.
The desire to bite her plush bottom lip was riding me hard, and I had to cough to cover my groan.
I put my hand out and muttered, “Your phone.”
She dug it out of the front pocket of her apron and placed it in my open palm. I quickly added my contact information, then gave it back.
“Anything else happens, you call me,” I instructed. “No matter how small you think it might be.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, her fingers brushing mine as she took back her cell. She was so fucking soft. And warm. It felt like just touching her gave me a fever.
Pink bloomed on her cheeks, and she chewed her bottom lip for a moment before asking, “Do you want mine too?”
“Already have it, sunshine,” I admitted gruffly. It was time I started easing her into her future.
To my astonishment, she didn’t look scared. She also didn’t ask how, and I didn’t volunteer the information.
Then she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear before placing her hand on my biceps and using it for balance as she went up on her toes to brush a kiss over my cheek.
“I hope I see you again soon,” she whispered.
“Count on it, sunshine,” I replied, smiling when she blushed again.
Then she was gone. And I was left feeling cold…bereft. As if I’d lost something precious. I opened the app on my phone and watched her helping customers at the counter for way longer than I should have.
But the window was still nagging at me, triggering my protective instincts.
Sadie was bright and happy, but while most people wouldn’t notice, I knew she was breakable.
And there wasn’t a chance in hell I’d let anything—or anyone—ever come close to trying.
Sadie wasn’t just soft.
She wasn’t just sweet.
She was mine.