Chapter Seventeen
Naomi
The morning sun is streaming through the window, a stale, unfamiliar scent filling my nose. I open my eyes slowly, trying to get my bearings. Where am I?
A soft exhale from a bare chest beneath me has all my memories flooding back. Every breath, touch and feeling buries me—until I blink out of it and meet Kolter’s sleepy gaze.
“What’s wrong?” he rumbles, his voice rough.
“Nothing. I just… I was trying to figure out if everything from last night was a dream or not.”
He tilts his head to the side in curiosity and maybe a touch of amusement.
“Like the club,” I say. “And the… guy. You… removing him. Then…” I swallow. “And then back here, and all the things we said to each other after we—”
Kolter leans forward, squeezing my cheeks in one of his hands as he presses his lips to mine.
Okay. Confirmed. Definitely not a dream. All of it, definitely real.
Holy moly.
“You know, Peaches. I get that you were a sweet virgin about twelve hours ago, but you better get used to talking about the way I fuck you into oblivion because it’s gonna keep happening.”
“It is?” I ask, not even attempting to keep the hopeful lilt from my voice.
A crooked smirk lifts one side of his mouth before he places a quick kiss on my forehead. “Yes. A lot. I’m giving you the day to recover, but that’s all I’m giving you.”
“I’m fine,” I say quickly, causing him to laugh and shake his head.
Slowly, Kolter untangles himself from the bed and pushes to stand.
He’s completely naked, and in the light of day, I can’t help but admire his bare butt as he slides on his boxers and jeans—more or less dry now.
My God. Men are blessed with being pretty enough not to need makeup and they also have better butts than us? Where is the justice in the world?
He rifles through his drawers before tossing me a pair of black sweatpants and a T-shirt. “Here, put these on.”
“Why?” I ask, peeling the covers away from me and sliding out of bed.
Kolter’s gaze moves to me, his eyes slowly raking over me from head to toe, a lustful haze clouding his features before he shakes his head and curses under his breath.
“Because if you go out there in your ‘come fuck me’ little black dress, I’m gonna have to kill every last goddamn man in this MC.”
I can’t help but flush. “It wasn’t a come… F me dress,” I mutter in defense.
Kolter finishes pulling on his own T-shirt then closes the distance between us. “Trust me, Peaches, that’s the signal you were sending. That’s why a man is dead this morning and you’re in bed with me instead of tucked back home.”
My eyes widen. “He’s dead?”
Kolter scoffs like I just made a joke, but when he sees the look on my face, he frowns. “I thought you knew.”
I did. Deep down. There was too much blood. He went too still. I knew Kolter didn’t call 911 or have a medical team rush to his aid. Of course he was dead. Still, hearing it—hearing him say that it was my fault—unsettles me.
“So, I killed a man?” I ask tightly.
What looks like empathy crosses his face before Kolter cups the back of my head in his hands. “No, Peaches, I did. I killed him for touching my girl.”
“But I wasn’t—”
His finger comes to my lips, freezing them in place as he levels me with a hard look. “Are you honestly going to lie to me and tell me that you haven’t been mine since the moment I set eyes on you? That I haven’t been yours in return?”
“I…”
That’s all I can manage to say. That’s all I can manage to think because what the hell else am I supposed to think or say when this man is telling me all the things I used to dream about? And now he’s here, in front of me, melting me in my place.
Kolter reaches for the shirt and sweatpants, then slides both onto me—dropping a few kisses against my skin along the way—before rising to his full height once more.
“I’m going to talk to one of my guys, and then we’re going to leave. I’ll take you to breakfast and then take you home, okay?”
I smile softly. “Okay.”
Kolter’s fingers intertwine with mine, sending my heart skipping a beat like I’m a lovesick teenager and we’re walking the school halls for the first time as an official couple. How stupid am I?
When Kolter pulls the door open, the air around us instantly shifts, like the safe, warm cocoon we’ve been wrapped in for the last few hours has been snatched away, leaving us cast adrift in the early-morning chill.
In just a few feet, we’re through the hallway and into the main bar area, which means it takes no time to have what feels like a hundred pairs of eyes on us.
Okay, that’s a gross exaggeration; there are maybe twenty people in the place.
Still, though—the feeling instantly puts me on edge and has me wanting to shrink behind Kolter.
He seems to sense my unease and stands a little taller, blocking me from the onlookers.
“Got a new toy, Blade?” a man calls over. Half of his teeth are missing, and the other half are rotted black.
The way he smiles at me sends goosebumps running up and down my spine, but they’re quickly chased away by Kolter’s snarl.
“I’ll pluck your goddamn eyes from your head if you look at her again—that’s a fucking promise.”
The man seems to take his threat seriously, quickly averting his gaze to the beer in front of him as Kolter begins moving forward, keeping his hand in mine.
We stop at a table with a tall, wide man maybe ten years older than Kolter and a woman. She has long hair and more tattoos and piercings than I can count. She also has an extremely kind smile—a knowing one like she understands how… uncomfortable this situation is for me.
“Stay with her. I’ll be a minute,” Kolter says.
The woman smiles and nods, scooting over to make room for me in the booth. I glance up at Kolter cautiously, and he gives me a quick, encouraging nod.
Slowly, I take a seat beside the woman, and the man stands up, moving to sit on the other side of me. I jolt in surprise, but he lifts his hands in the air to demonstrate his innocence.
“Easy, darlin’. I’m just sitting here so one of these pukes don’t,” he says, jutting his chin towards the room full of men who are still watching me like I’m a steak dinner.
“He looks like a big brute, and he is, but he’ll keep you safe. Boss’s orders and all,” the woman beside me teases.
“Kolter is the boss?” I ask, turning towards her.
“Blade?” she asks. “I mean, sort of. He’s the boss’s son, the future heir and all that, and he’s got a nasty temper.”
I furrow my brows and look over to Kolter, who’s now in the corner with a familiar-looking guy.
It takes me a moment to place him before I realize he’s the guy who guarded my door last night; who was with Kolter in the club that first night.
The way they’re talking, they’re clearly friends.
Both of their faces are pinched and serious, though, and the guy occasionally glances towards me, putting me instantly on edge.
“So, where did you meet Blade?” the woman asks.
I tear my gaze away from Kolter and turn to her. “What?”
She smiles patiently. “Where did you meet him? You don’t look like a typical cut slut.”
Her eyes rake over me, but not in a judgmental way—more like she’s appraising me. Understandable considering I’m drowning in Kolter’s clothes.
“Uh, we grew up together,” I say, hoping that’s okay to say.
It’s not the full truth, but it’s not a lie either. We did grow up together.
Just in the same house.
“Really? That’s cool. Brick and I have been together since I was in high school.”
He nods. “That’s right.”
“Yep, I jumped on the back of his bike and never looked back. I mean, after I found out how hung he was.”
A choked laugh escapes Brick, and my eyes widen in surprise.
“Christ, Star. Think you’re gonna scare the poor girl.”
Star gives me a wicked smile before bumping my shoulder. “She survived the night with Blade—she can take it.”
A memory tugs inside my head. One I struggle to place.
“Star?” I ask.
She smiles. “That’s me.”
It takes me another few seconds—then my eyes widen, and my back goes rigid.
She watches me curiously, her smile slowly falling. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I just… Um. Have you ever been to the club downtown? The—”
“Sex one?” she fills in. “Yeah, I mean the club owns it. We all go all the time. Why do you ask—”
Her words stall as she studies me. Then, without warning, she reaches over and runs her fingers through my hair, startling me. Then she smacks the table and shouts, “Holy shit! Brick! This is our mystery girl!”
“What?” he asks, leaning forward to look at his girl before turning to me.
“Instantly, I thought your voice was familiar, but I couldn’t place it. Oh my God. The one time I wished we weren’t in the dark room. How have you been, baby?” she says, her smile turning a touch seductive she continues playing with my hair.
I swallow awkwardly as Kolter and his friend come over to the table.
“What’s going on?” Kolter asks, looking at me as if checking I’m okay.
“We just made a little discovery. Seems we got there before you, Blade,” Star says, curling her arm round my shoulder.
“Brick and I had a little playtime with this one in the dark room several weeks back. Might just have to fight you for her. That mouth…” she says, biting her lower lip and shaking her head.
“He touched you?” Kolter asks stiffly.
I look to him nervously, not sure what to say. “Um, a little, kinda.”
There’s no hesitation, not a single moment of delay before Kolter drives his fist into Brick’s face. Brick’s hand flies to his mouth to staunch the blood that starts flowing immediately.
“Why did you do that?” I ask, shocked.
“So I could help wash the taste of you out of his mouth,” Kolter growls, keeping his eyes on Brick.
“In my defense, she was way more into Star than me,” Brick tosses back.
Kolter’s eyes cut to Star, who rolls her eyes.
“What? You gonna hit me too? Calm down—it was forever ago.”
Kolter’s chest is heaving as he attempts to control his anger. He reaches for me, wrapping his hand around my arm and yanking me to my feet. I stumble towards him, but he catches me easily, cupping my face then smashing his mouth against my own in a punishing kiss.
It’s filled with rage, but slowly gives way to passion. Before I can fully sink into him, though, he tears his mouth away, tucks me into his side then glowers down at them both.
“Either one of you touches my woman again, I’ll fucking bury you.”
Brick nods like he understands, while Star just rolls her eyes again and mutters, “You’re no fucking fun.”
Brick knocks his boot against hers, silently telling her to shut it. She gives Kolter a fake salute, but he just turns and starts leading me towards the door.
Then he stops.
An older man steps through the doorway. He’s tall, with dirty blonde hair that’s giving way to white and a long scraggly beard.
The scars and wrinkles on his face suggest he’s in his sixties at least—or maybe he’s younger and has just lived a rough life.
Either way, his dark eyes are heavy, and they move from me to Kolter with precision.
“Where you going?” the gruff man asks Kolter.
“Gonna take her home, then go deal with some business at the club.”
The man scoffs and shakes his head. “I know all about your business at the club. Been on the phone with a detective for the last hour keeping them off our fucking ass.”
Kolter’s brow furrows. “What? How? It’s been cleaned up. It was taken care of. Ace?” Kolter says, turning to his friend.
Ace nods. “I oversaw it myself.”
“What you dipshits didn’t oversee is the fucking busboy across the street. Saw a body loaded up into a car and our guys follow said car.”
Kolter’s expression turns stoic. His next words are tight, his voice low. “Does he know?”
“No, not yet.”
The man’s eyes move to mine slowly before he shakes his head and looks back to Kolter. “Care to explain?”
He nods. “I’m gonna run her home, then I’ll be back.”
“That’s not what I fucking said. Now,” he demands, pushing past us and stomping through the bar to the back.
“Fuck,” Kolter curses under his breath. “I gotta handle this. Ace, will you take her home?”
“Of course. Hi,” he greets me, smiling gently like he’s worried he’s going to frighten me.
He’s not as tattooed as all the others, just a scattering of ink on his arms, and definitely not as old either, probably in between Kolter’s age and mine. He has mousy brown hair, a thick matching beard and a single eyebrow piercing.
“Hi,” I say softly.
Kolter drops his mouth to my ear, placing a gentle, unnoticeable kiss there. “He’ll get you home safe. I’ll come by tonight for dinner. Wait for me there.”
I frown and nod, but before I can ask any more questions, he’s gone, following the older man’s path into the back.
“Shall we?” Ace asks, holding the front door open for me.
I look around the bar for a moment. Most everyone is back to focusing on whatever they were doing before Kolter and I appeared, but Star and Brick wave goodbye. Well, Brick puts his hand up and Star winks at me, but same thing.
“Sure,” I say carefully then follow this motorcycle club member that I’ve never really met before, hoping Kolter is a decent judge of character and I don’t end up sleeping with the fishes. Or is that a mob thing? I don’t really know how all this gang stuff works quite yet.