Chapter 11
Cassandra
It was so hot in bed, almost suffocating. I couldn’t lift my arms to throw off my blankets or open my eyes to see where the loud snoring was coming from. It was close, I knew that much. The noise vibrated my eardrum.
Where was I?
Maybe at my dad’s and Jackie’s place. But it didn’t sound like my dad.
Or could this be a dream?
That was it. I was dreaming I was in bed with a man. That would explain why I felt disoriented, overheated, and trapped.
I reached my hand out from my side and felt an arm resting across my stomach. Cautiously, I investigated the heavy object with my fingertips. There was hair and the skin was as hot as a furnace cranked up to the max like it was the middle of winter.
How did I get here?
I tried to remember the last thing I’d done, and I was confident it wasn’t drinking to the point I’d gotten so drunk I ended up in a man’s bed.
I worked and closed the café as I did every day. Lucy was with me.
Alek was there.
Oh my, God! Was I in Alek’s bed?
I could tell I wasn’t naked. What a relief!
Again, I tried to force my eyes open. They were just so heavy. Why was everything extremely heavy?
I swallowed what little saliva I had in my mouth, noting how dry and parched my throat felt.
“Hello,” I whispered in a scratchy voice. “Excuse me but I need water.”
The person next to me stirred a little and lifted their arm off me as they rolled over. The heat went with them, and I felt free and I could breathe better.
Willing myself to open my eyes, I blinked and blinked. I caught a glimpse of his profile, and I couldn’t believe who it was.
Not Alek, thankfully.
But I couldn’t believe it was Chris. How did we get into bed together?
As my eyes focused more, I discovered we were not in my bedroom or at a hotel. It was the most basic room. But the linens smelled like him, and that brought me comfort.
I managed to roll onto my side and face him. Why did he have to be more handsome than when we were teenagers? It was a miracle I’d been able to resist him all this time.
But lying next to him in bed might be when my walls crash down and I surrender.
“Hey. Chris.” I stroked his shoulder. “I’m confused. How did I get here?”
He jerked and his eyes flashed open and he turned his face toward mine. “You’re awake.”
“Just now. Where am I?”
“In my bedroom at the club. How are you feeling? Do you need anything?” He brushed my hair off my face and stared at me.
“Water would be great. Maybe some mouthwash.” I covered my mouth, embarrassed to have morning breath in front of him.
“I’ve got water right here.” He extended his arm back, lifted a bottle of water off a nightstand and presented it to me. “I’ll help you sit up. Go slow.”
“Thanks. Please explain to me what’s going on.” Sitting up, I felt woozy and lightheaded. But I could handle it.
He twisted off the cap and held it for me to drink.
“That’s better. Thanks.” I pushed the bottle away.
He chugged some of my water like he was parched too.
I watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down, then my gaze moved toward his bicep. It had a date tattooed on it, but I couldn’t make out the numbers.
“You’ve been out for hours.” He set the bottle on the table. “I tried to stay awake but I must have eventually crashed out.”
“What do you mean out?”
“You don’t remember what happened? They said the drug might prevent you from fully recalling the incident, but your memory will return.”
“Wow, slow down. What drug and incident?”
“Alek tried to take you, but when you fought back, he drugged you.”
“Oh my gosh. How am I here if he took me?”
“Me and my crew came to your rescue.” He watched me with an arched brow. “I brought you to the clubhouse to keep you safe. Alek is still on the loose.”
Slowly, I was piecing it all together. “There was a masked man driving the car.”
“He’s dead.”
I slid down and pulled the blanket up to my chin as the most terrifying experience of my life started to come back to me.
“Alek had a gun. He said if I didn’t cooperate that he’d kill me.” Tears pooled in my eyes, but I didn’t want to cry. I was alive and safe. There was a lot to be grateful for because it could have ended very badly for me.
“I won’t let him hurt you.” He laced his fingers with mine. “I’ll never let anyone hurt you.”
I believed him. “What time is it?”
“I don’t know. Middle of the night.”
“Will you hold me?” I curled toward him and put my face against his chest.
“Anything you want, sweetheart.” He kissed my forehead. “Are you sure you feel, okay? There’s a nurse in the other room I can get to check you out.”
“The longer I’m awake the better I feel. Just hold me for now, please.” After what sounded like a life-or-death situation, I felt a tugging on my heart to confess my sins to Chris.
How could I not after he saved me from Alek?
“If you’re hungry, I can get you something to eat.” He rubbed soothing circles on my back. Reminded me of when we teenagers and madly in love.
“No, I’m okay. Thanks.”
“Are you angry that I brought you to the clubhouse? It was the only place where I knew I could keep you safe. I couldn’t worry about anything else, Cass. You were unconscious. I couldn’t ask for your permission.” He pressed his lips against my head. “Tell me you don’t hate me.”
“I don’t hate you.” I placed my hand against his cheek and stroked my thumb across it. “I owe you my life.”
“I’ll save you a million times over because I love you, Cass. I never stopped loving you.”
“I know.” I teared up, staring at him. “I know, and I’ve been…”
“Stubborn. But can we finally call a truce? I don’t want to fight. I want to start over with you.”
“It’s not that easy.” The sins of my past could change his mind.
“But it is easy if you let it be. Come on, Cass.” He covered my hand with his. “You were knocked out cold when I thought you were in the car when it exploded. I thought you were gone forever. But you’re right here with me. This is our second chance.”
“You might change your mind after you hear what I did.”
“Nothing could change my mind.” He shook his head emphatically.
I inhaled a deep breath. It was now or never. We needed a clean slate if we were going to try to start over. And after everything that had happened the past week, I wanted to start over.
“I’ve kept a secret from you.”
“I know what it is.” He pinched his lips together. “I’m not happy about it. Really not happy about it, but I forgive you.”
“What do you think you know?” I was shocked. Who told him? It wasn’t like Josh had a cell phone fifteen years ago and had called Chris before he died.
“I know about the baby.” He dropped his head and shook it. “Why didn’t you tell me about the baby?”
“How do you know I lost the baby? Who told you?”
He lifted his head. “You lost the baby? You didn’t get rid of it?”
“What?” I shouted and sat up. “I would never get rid of our baby. I had an ectopic pregnancy. The baby wasn’t viable and I had to have a procedure done or I could have died.”
“Okay, that’s not at all what I thought happened.” He blew out a relieved breath. “I was going to forgive you anyway, because we were so young. My God, you were only fifteen when we started having sex.”
“Unprotected sex, if you remember.”
“I do. That was on me. I should have been more responsible. I was older.” He stared into my eyes. “But you should have told me, sweetheart. I would have supported you. Took care of you while you covered.”
“Chris, I was so embarrassed and heartbroken. I thought I failed you by losing the baby. My mom told me it could be our secret. But then Josh found out and threatened to tell you. We argued that day.”
“That day?”
I nodded my head. “He stormed out of the house and left on his motorcycle. He was so angry at me. You were his best friend, and it pissed him off that I would keep something so important from you.” A tear rolled down my cheek.
“Damn, sweetheart. No wonder you pushed me away. You blamed yourself for his death.”
“Yes, but I also blamed you for introducing him to motorcycles and filling his head with joining a MC. He might still be here if it weren’t for us.”
He pulled me into his arms. “Yeah, I hate myself for my part.”
“Me, too.”
We stayed like that, wrapped in each other’s arms for a while not saying anything. And then I broke the silence.
“You didn’t say how you found out about the baby.”
“You were mumbling in your sleep. I tried piecing it together.”
“Oh.”
“I’m glad I had it wrong.”
“Does that mean you forgive me for keeping it from you?” I gazed up at him.
“Of course I forgive you. You didn’t get rid of our baby, like having an abortion. You lost it, sweetheart. That was out of your control.”
It was like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders. Much of my torment had been my own doing. I felt responsible for my brother’s death and to punish myself, I wouldn’t allow myself to be with Chris.
“I wouldn’t let myself be with you because it didn’t seem fair to be happy when Josh was dead.”
“But don’t you think he’d want us together because he loved us? I’d bet my life that if he could come down from heaven, he’d lecture us for wasting so much time.”
“We’re still young though.” I smiled, as another tear rolled down the side of my face.
Chris swiped the droplet. “Young enough to start over and find our way back to each other.”
“I would love to start over as grown, mature adults.”
“Good, because having your warm body against mine is putting dirty thoughts in my mind.” He wiggled his eyebrows, and I giggled like a schoolgirl.
“I might be having the same thoughts.” I felt my face heat. “But we’re definitely using a condom if we follow our desires.”
“When it comes to you, I only follow my heart.” He lowered his mouth to mine and kissed me.
I joined him, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him onto me.
His dick grew hard in record time, and I was wetter than I could ever recalled getting.
Being with Chris like this, as adults, was a lot hotter than when we were teenagers.
“Are you sure about this?” he asked. “You were drugged not seven hours ago.”
“Yeah, but I’m well aware of what I’m doing.” I spread my legs and he went between them. “I want you, Chris. But only if you wear a condom.”
“Consider it done.” He flew off the bed and tore off his pants. “You wiggle out of your bottoms while I wrap it up.” His dick sprang forward, like pointing directly at me.
I couldn’t help but gasp. “It’s bigger than I remembered.”
“This is manly cock, sweetheart. Not teeny bopper dick.” He moved quickly sheathing his… cock.
I giggled again, wiggling out of my bottoms like he said. For being adults, we were acting like crazy teenagers. I loved it.
“Are you sure about this?”
“More sure than I’ve ever been about anything.” I reached my hand out to him. “Let’s not waste any more time.”
“Done.” He took it and covered me with his naked body. Finding my wet center, he groaned. “Damn, Cass. I waited a lifetime for you, and I would’ve waited longer.”
“You don’t have to wait any longer.”
Without saying another word, he entered me and it was like the stars had aligned.
I’d reunited with my missing piece, and it was the most incredible feeling.
“It’s been a long time, so if I come quickly, don’t worry. I’ll go longer the next time.”
“Good, because I want to do all the things we never did when we were together.”
“I like this demanding and confident side of you. It turns me on a lot.” He got busy, moving inside me and having him inside me was amazing.
I never wanted to stop.
But it wasn’t lost on me that there was a lot we needed to talk about regarding Alek and how the club would fit into our relationship.
I still wasn’t thrilled about him being an outlaw biker.
I didn’t know much about it, but I liked Silvia and if she could be married to the president of the Kings of Anarchy MC, then I could try to be with the Enforcer, my guy, Slay.
“Go deeper, Chris!” I cried with a smile on my face, happy to be alive and in his bed, finally.