Chapter Twenty-One
Six Days Later
I’d informed Heather I needed to step back from our Logan Grant investigation. I even fessed up about the nature of Logan’s threats. She insisted we needed to go to the Chief of Staff and file an official complaint with HR, but I told her I wasn’t ready for that. When she bluntly informed me that made me no different than any of the other women he’d victimized, I had to swallow that truth. There wasn’t much more I could say.
I wasn’t going to tell her I’d handed our problem to the Wild Stallions.
Things between us were a little strained for a couple of days. I could tell she was disappointed in my decision, but she was also my friend. She didn’t hold it against me but told me she’d stand by my side when I was ready to issue my complaint.
As for Kade and the Stallions' involvement, he hadn’t brought up the subject since the morning I told him, so I didn’t mention it either. We fell into our usual routine, and I came home to find him on my couch every night during my next rotation of shifts. On Sunday, to my delight, we’d been invited over to Bull and Winnie’s for a cookout, and it was amazing.
Mustang, Tess, and Mary-Kate were there, along with Wrangler and his two kids. Bull and Winnie had three boys of their own, which made the whole thing feel like a family affair. It was the most time I’d spent with any of his brothers in a space quiet enough to engage in conversation, and I loved seeing my man kicked back and relaxed with the family with whom he was meant to ride. More than that, I liked being out as Maverick’s lady for an afternoon.
His world wasn’t all darkness and mayhem.
At one point, Tess and I snuck away so I could get a peek at her tattoo. I still wasn’t sure whether or not I could ever go under the needle, but I had to admit—her ink was a beautiful symbol of the love she had for her perfect match.
It wasn’t until almost a week later, when I arrived at the hospital on Tuesday morning, that it occurred to me something was amiss. While I was living life as normal, unburdened by a problem I’d surrendered to Kade, there was far more going on behind the scenes, completely out of my purview.
Apparently, Dr. Grant was MIA. No one had seen him since he’d left the ER after his shift on Friday. He wasn’t scheduled to work the weekend, but he’d been a no-show on Monday, and Heather was putting in extra hours that day to cover his continued absence.
“I had to ask my mother-in-law to cover for me this morning to handle school drop-off. Scott left last night for a business trip. He’ll be gone the next two days. Honestly, Logan couldn’t have picked worse timing,” Heather grumbled. She glanced around to be sure she wasn’t overheard before she asked, “You’re still on a hiatus regarding that thing, right? You haven’t found anything or mentioned anything that might spook him?”
My stomach felt suddenly hollow.
I pictured the guys sitting around the fire pit in Bull’s gigantic backyard as the sun went down. All of them in their kuttes, all of them covered in ink, everyone but Mustang with a beer in his hand. Mary-Kate and Otto, Bull’s youngest son, were chasing each other, weaving in and out of the space between the chairs and laughing.
Then I blinked, and I saw a different scene. Mustang looming over his prey in the middle of his biker bar’s parking lot, Maverick and another Stallion holding him back, their brothers riled up around them.
Kade’s world wasn’t all darkness and mayhem—but that didn’t make it any less dangerous.
“Jenna?”
I shook my head clear and focused my gaze on Heather. Not fifteen minutes ago, I’d kissed Kade goodbye. Outside of the hours he’d been at work the previous day, he’d been with me. I genuinely didn’t know if Logan’s disappearance had something to do with the Stallions or not.
“No. No, I don’t know anything,” I stammered.
“I figured as much. Anyway, I could use your help. Bay five.”
“Yeah. Sure.”
There was enough to do that for the next few hours, I hardly thought of Logan.
I was at the nurses’ station, just getting ready to take my meal break, when he walked into the emergency room. I froze when I saw him, startled by the way he looked. He wasn’t beaten, bruised, or bloody—he was pale, with dark circles under his eyes, like he hadn’t slept in days. His hair was combed, but he wasn’t dressed for work. He wore jeans and a button-up shirt he hadn’t bothered to tuck in.
When his eyes found mine, his step faltered a little, but then he headed straight for me. I watched him approach, my heart racing, but not in fear. If anything, he looked to be the one afraid.
He stopped on the other side of the desk, a healthy distance between us, and said, “I’m sorry. For all of it. You were right about me. About what I’ve done.” His voice was weak and scratchy, like he’d worn out his vocal cords screaming for hours. “I don’t have a good excuse, unless you count a broken heart. Six years ago, I…” he trailed off and then shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. It doesn’t excuse my actions.”
I didn’t know what to say, but that didn’t seem to matter. He didn’t wait for my response before he shifted his attention behind me. I looked to see Abbie standing there, her expression as astonished as I felt when he addressed her next.
“I took advantage of you, and I shouldn’t have. There’s nothing I can say to make up for what I’ve done. Not even I’m sorry—but I am. Believe me, I’ve never been sorrier in my life.”
“Okay,” she whispered.
He didn’t say anything else before he turned and headed out of the emergency room, further into the bowels of the hospital. Abbie and I looked at each other, perplexed beyond words.
“What just happened?” asked Heather.
I sank into a nearby chair as I replayed the last two minutes in my mind.
“I don’t know,” I murmured.
'We’re not one trick ponies.'
All this time, I thought retaliation from the Stallions looked a certain way. Kade tried to tell me that wasn’t true, but I’d just seen proof. Physically, Logan looked perfectly fine. But whatever the Stallions had done—and there was no doubt we had the Wild Stallions to thank for his apologies—it broke Logan’s will.
'We’ll send the appropriate message. Nothing more, nothing less.'
I was still processing when, less than ten minutes later, Logan was being escorted from the hospital by a security guard.
My mouth fell open as I watched him leave, his gaze fixed on the ground as he went.
'Nothing more, nothing less.'
My chest got tight as it dawned on me that Kade had listened. He’d really listened. I didn’t know how he’d done it, but him and his brothers had managed to get Logan to turn himself in. That was the only explanation for the security escort. Moreover, it was the best outcome I could have hoped for—Dr. Grant’s termination. With any luck, an investigation would follow, and he’d lose his medical license. Surely women would come forward now; now that he’d lost his power over them.
I knew I would.
“How?” breathed Abbie.
I looked up at her from where I sat, a small smile tugging at my lips as I shook my head.
“I don’t know, and I don’t care.”
It was the truth.
I didn’t care.
I was going to take a page out of Tess’s book, and I wasn’t going to dig for details.
This was the world I lived in now. A world where I was protected by a man who would do anything to keep me safe and on his arm.
And in return, I was going to love him.
No matter what.
It hadn’t taken me long to figure out how I was going to say thank you to my man. I did have to call in a few favors and pick-up a weekend shift to make it work with my schedule, but it was going to be worth it. When I got home from the hospital, I climbed the stairs and found Kade not on the couch but coming from the kitchen, a fresh bottle of beer in his hand.
His hair was loose, and he was wearing his trucker style baseball cap—backwards, of course. He was also dressed as always. Boots. Jeans. Tee. Kutte. He was perpetually ready for anything.
“Right, okay—by the time you’re finished drinking that, I should be ready to go.”
“Ready to go where?”
I walked right up to him, reaching for his cheek—smooth and free of stubble, the way I liked it best—and pulled him toward me for a quick kiss. He didn’t deny me, his mustache tickling my upper lip before I pulled away.
“We’re going to the clubhouse.” I frowned as it occurred to me that it was only Tuesday. “Do people hang out at the clubhouse on Tuesday nights?”
“Foxy, people live at the clubhouse.”
My smile of relief wiped away my frown, and I started for my bedroom as I replied, “Cool. Also, maybe feed me before we go. We’re getting drunk tonight.”
“What?” he called after me.
“Your lady is feeling wild, Kade. Roll with it,” I yelled down the hallway.
He said nothing in reply, and I took this to mean he was going to roll with it.
I knew there was no way I could convince him I was feeling wild and then suggest we take my ride instead of his, which meant we’d be on his Harley. It also meant whatever outfit I threw together would consist of close-toed shoes and jeans. As I was aiming for sexy that night, my choices had been whittled down to a very select few tops—half of which I ruled out because we were no longer in the middle of summer and the sun had gone down.
All that to say, I’d chosen a pair of high-waisted, distressed, light-washed denim jeans that hugged me just right and my blush, fitted, three-quarter-length sleeve top with the asymmetrical neckline that left one of my shoulders on display. I plucked a thong and my strapless bra from my dresser, gathered my outfit and hurried for the bathroom, warning Kade as I went that I’d be ready in twenty minutes.
I took the quickest shower imaginable, then hopped out and lathered myself in lotion. After I was dressed, I put on a little makeup, sprayed a hint of perfume, and ran a brush through my hair a few times. The latter was probably unnecessary, given the ride I was about to take—but I didn’t have time to think about such details.
“Two minutes,” I told Kade on my way back to the bedroom.
I actually wasn’t sure how long it had been since I started getting ready, if I was even remotely on track, or if maybe Kade had finished his beer and was now waiting impatiently for me to be finished. In any case, once I put on my nude, pointed toe, chunky-heel shoes, I was good to go. I grabbed my purse and headed back to the living room.
Kade looked me up and down slowly, a crooked smile playing at his lips as he asked, “You’re callin’ the shots, babe. What are we eatin’?”
“Something quick. Like Wendy’s or something.”
He quirked an eyebrow at me. “You want me to take you to Wendy’s with you lookin’ like that?”
I grinned. “We’ll take it to go.”
He chuckled, shaking his head as he stood, but asked no further questions.
Twenty minutes later, our sack of food in one hand, mine in his other, Kade led us toward the clubhouse. I made sure to mentally brace myself for anything before we walked inside. I hadn’t been back to the place since the night I came looking for Kade—or, rather, for Maverick, before I even knew his real name.
Not surprisingly, a Tuesday night wasn’t as lively as a Friday, but it was far from empty.
Music was playing overhead, but it was more like background noise than anything else. A few of the guys were in the corner playing pool with a couple of women who were not afraid to show off a good amount of skin. In one glance, I knew their game was to allure the men, not actually to play pool, but at least they weren’t naked.
The same could not be said of all of the women there.
One of the Stallions on a nearby couch was getting a lap dance from a topless woman in G-string; and a few feet away, in an armchair, another Stallion was definitely getting head from a woman who was, as far as I could tell, completely naked.
I was beginning to understand why they’d chosen leather furniture for their décor.
Easier to wipe down.
Though, I doubted they were sterilized.
I was going to do my best to avoid the lounge furniture.
Kade led me straight to the bar, and I was quite pleased to see a couple of familiar faces. Buck, the one who’d escorted me to the clubhouse the last time I was there, was stationed behind the bar. Wrangler occupied a barstool on the opposite side. He sat with two other men Kade introduced as Slick and Shep when we joined them.
“Gotta say, you two were the last I expected to see walk through those doors tonight,” commented Wrangler.
Kade handed me my burger as I replied, “We’re partying. Just as soon as I eat this burger.”
My man smirked at me.
“What?”
“Nothin’, babe. Buck—get my lady a ranch water.”
“We don’t—”
“Don’t care what we don’t got, probie,” he interrupted. “Get my lady a ranch water.”
I looked between Buck and Kade, wondering if maybe I should just settle for a beer. In spite of what happened the last time I drank one, a ranch water was still my drink of choice—partly because I loved them; partly because Kade knew I loved them and ordered me one.
Before I could offer Buck an alternative, Shep piped in. “Hop to, young buck.”
Buck hopped to , abandoning his post behind the bar at a jog.
I wasn’t sure exactly what it meant to be a Stallion probie, but ten minutes later, Buck was back, and he had what he needed to make me a ranch water.
Kade, who had already inhaled his burger, asked for a beer and a shot of tequila.
My man understood the assignment.
I tried to contain my grin.
An hour later, I was halfway through my second ranch water, and I’d downed two shots of tequila with my man and his brothers.
Apparently, the only excuse a biker needed to party was for someone to declare there was a party to be had.
That night, I was that someone.
At best, I was a social drinker, which made me a bit of a lightweight. By the time I’d finished my second cocktail, I was well on my way to drunk. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew I would be in a world of hurt the next day, but I didn’t care.
“Honey?” I slid a hand onto Kade’s thigh and leaned close. “Are you having a good time?”
“Babe, the better question is—are you ?”
“I think I’m drunk.”
He laughed, and my stomach filled with dizzy butterflies.
“I think you’re right. How ‘bout some water?”
I felt myself frown. “That’s not how you party, Kade—Kade, can I call you Kade? Should I call you Maverick? Shit, do the guys know your real name?”
Still grinning, and looking unbearably sexy, he replied, “Foxy, my lady can call me what she likes.”
“Okay,” I murmured, relieved. “Should we do another shot?”
“If you chase yours with water, we’ll do another shot.”
I was frowning again. “Mav, he’s gone.”
Kade’s expression sobered. “I know, babe.”
“I know you know. I know it’s because of you. I don’t know how or when you did it, but—he’s gone, because of you. So, we’re celebrating, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Besides, pretty sure you told me once, I can’t sleep here unless I’m too shit-faced to see straight, and I can still see you just fine.”
This time, when he burst out laughing, he threw his head back while he did it.
It was marvelous.
“Buck—two shots,” he called when he’d recovered himself.
We each downed another shot, and then I decided I was tired of sitting still.
I looked around Kade, toward the back of the expansive room, and saw the same group of people occupying the pool tables.
“Honey?”
“Right here, foxy.”
Pointing in their direction, I asked, “Can you kick those sheep off the table so we can play?”
He was grinning again, his brown eyes gleaming and beautiful, and it made me want to kiss him, but I didn’t.
“You’re a fuckin’ riot tonight, you know that?”
“Isn’t that what they’re called? Winnie mentioned it the other day.”
“Yeah, babe. I can clear a table,” he chuckled as he stood.
He offered me his hand and I took it before I slide off my barstool. As soon as I was on my feet, I lost my balance for a second, the effects of the alcohol coursing through my system hitting me anew. Tightening my grip around his hand, I steadied myself, assured Kade I was fine, and started toward the far side of the room.
Kade cleared one of the tables with hardly more than a jerk of his chin, then racked the balls for our game. I wasn’t good at pool while sober, and I was even worse while drunk. It wasn’t long before Kade took pity on me and offered his assistance. He molded his body around mine, guiding my hands and my cue in order to line up the perfect shot.
Turned out, he was very good. We were well on our way to beating him when his touch became too much for me to ignore. I wanted him, and I no longer had it in me to deny myself.
While he was still bent over me, I let go of my cue, spun my body beneath his, and draped my arms over his shoulders.
“Hi,” I breathed when his eyes found mine.
He smirked, and everything in me told me to kiss the expression away—so I did.
As soon as his tongue made contact with mine, all that existed in the whole wide world was Kade Daughtry.
I felt one of his arms slide across my back, while his other went around my waist, hauling me closer. I moaned unabashedly into his mouth, kissing him deeper, my entire body buzzing with need as my desire for him began to pool between my legs.
“Yeah, alright,” he grunted, abruptly breaking our kiss. “Party’s over. Time for bed.”
My eyes hooded in lust, I nodded in agreement and hummed, “Mmm, bed.”
The next thing I knew, I was cradled in his arms. I playfully kicked my feet, grateful he hadn’t thrown me over his shoulder, and reached for his baseball cap. I slid it on my head backwards as he carried me to the same room he did the last time we were in need of privacy.
Rather than switch on the overhead light, he shut the door behind us and carried me through the darkness before gently laying me on the bed. He then clicked on the lamp on his nightstand and immediately shrugged his way out of his kutte.
Still in the mood to express my gratitude, after he’d carefully discarded his vest, I went to my knees on the floor in front of him and reached for the top button of his jeans. The cement underneath me was incredibly uncomfortable, but I did my best to ignore it and focused on the task at hand.
As soon as I had Kade’s length in my mouth, he swore under his breath as he rested a hand on top of my head. He was fully erect in no time, and I hummed around him as I sucked and stroked, drenching my own thong in the process. I’d found a steady rhythm and was really starting to get into it when his grip on my head tightened. He held me still and pulled himself free in one, swift motion.
“Baby, I’m not—”
“You’re still callin’ the shots, foxy. You want to be in control, I’m good with it—but as much as I like that mouth you’ve got, I’d rather come inside you.”
I shivered at the thought and then nodded in agreement.
He helped me up to my feet, and we both made quick work of our clothes. He was naked first and was stretched out on the bed waiting for me when I was ready.
“Keep the hat,” he told me.
I grinned, plucked the hat from off the floor, slid it back on, and crawled on top of my man.
I leaned down to kiss him and lost myself for a moment, luxuriating in the tender yet insistent way he devoured my mouth—every time. When he reached down between us, his fingers exploring just how wet I was, we both moaned as he inserted two fingers inside of me.
Pressing my hands against his chest, I sat up, breaking our kiss, wanting a whole lot more than his fingers.
When I reached for his dick, he pulled out of me, and I grazed his tip back and forth across my entrance, playing with us both. Incredibly turned on and ultra-sensitive, I was amazed by how good it felt. I nudged his engorged tip against my clit, and my breath caught at the sensation. I knew I was being a tease, but I couldn’t stop. I traced a path back and forth between my entrance and my swollen bundle of nerves, working myself up until I was panting.
Then I was coming.
That’s when I took him inside of me. As my core fluttered around him, I remained still, relishing the feeling of being completely full—filled to capacity with all that was Kade.
I squeaked in surprise when he clapped a hand against the side of my ass and then squeezed.
When my eyes found his, smoldering and dark, he muttered, “Don’t stop. Ride, foxy.”
I happily obeyed.
My hands in the middle of his chest, I propped myself against him as I worked my hips up and down—gently at first, then harder as I found the perfect cadence.
“Honey, you feel so good,” I moaned, throwing my head back. “Shit—you feel so good.”
Then he started moving with me, and it got even better.
Every time I came down, he surged up, our connection creating a new spark, over and over. I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination or not, but to my own ears, it sounded like my moans were getting louder as the warmth within me began to grow, the promise of my next orgasm drawing closer and closer.
I didn’t know if it was the tequila or my awareness that we were fucking at the clubhouse or if it was simply Kade and all it was I felt for him in that moment—but I was out of control, driven entirely by a longing that seemed to be buried in the deepest part of me.
I rode him harder. He thrust his hips faster. Then it was all too much.
“ Kade! ” I cried, my entire body trembling as pleasure the likes of which I’d never known crashed through me.
He groaned as my core clamped down unrelentingly around him. His hands at my hips, he pummeled in and out of me, cursing as he spilled his seed, forced to surrender to his own climax.
When he dropped his hips, I came down with him, not stopping until I was plastered against his chest, my face buried in his neck as I tried to catch my breath. I smiled as his own inhales and exhales caused my torso to rise and fall with his. Neither of us spoke for a minute, maybe two or three.
“If that’s how you come when you’re drunk, we might need to think about gettin’ you drunk more often.”
This made me laugh.
“I swear, I thought my dick would get stuck in there.”
Still laughing, I pressed up onto my forearms, wishing to see his face.
He was smiling, and the sight made my sex clench.
His smile got bigger, and my chest constricted.
As my laughter subsided, he wrapped his arms around me and said, “Appreciate what you’re tryin’ to do here, foxy—but it’s not necessary.”
I stared down at him, still half dazed from mind-numbingly amazing sex.
“Gettin’ drunk at the clubhouse,” he clarified.
“Oh,” I breathed. I then knit my eyebrows together and stated, “Actually, it is necessary.”
He shook his head, tracing the fingers of one of his hands up my spine. “Don’t need you to force your way into my world, babe. Went lookin’ for you in yours.”
It was a nice thing for him to say, but I wanted—no, needed him to know that I was capable of existing in both worlds. For him, I would do it. That’s how much he meant to me.
“I don’t want you to have to choose one over the other. Not ever.”
“That right there? That’s all I need.”
“Are you sure?” I asked on a whisper.
“I love you. Pretty fuckin’ sure about that.”
My breath caught and the butterflies in my stomach were instantly stupefied as I replied, “I love you, too, Kade.”
A crooked smile curled the corner of his mouth. “Yeah. Figured that out.”
“What? When?” I asked on a breathy laugh.
“Somewhere between, your lady’s feeling wild, Kade, and, we’re partying. Just as soon as I eat this burger .”
I couldn’t silence my giggle as I hid my face in his neck. “I want you to be as happy as I am.”
He pulled his hat from over my hair then, sinking his fingers into my mane and keeping me close as he said, “You told me once that when you’re with me, it’s effortless. Just be you, babe, and I’ll be happy.”
“Okay,” I whispered.
Kade began to massage my scalp, and my eyes fell closed as I relaxed completely on top of him. He was still inside of me, and I never wanted to move.
“Babe?” he murmured.
I wasn’t sure if we’d been lying there for thirty seconds or thirty minutes, but I couldn’t open my eyes, heavy as my lids felt.
“Hmm?” I hummed softly.
“You about to crash?”
Apparently, I was no match against the tequila.
“Think so.”
He chuckled, and I may have smiled—or maybe I meant to smile, but I was asleep before I could tell for sure.