Chapter 15
RUSH
I watch Everly across the clubhouse and I can see the tension in her shoulders.
She's talking to Chloe but her smile doesn't reach her eyes. She's distracted.
The news about Diesel flying out here is weighing on her. I can see it in the way she holds herself.
And Ciara's been hovering all night, making her little comments, positioning herself close to me whenever she gets the chance.
I don't see it the way Everly does, but I see that it bothers her.
And that bothers me.
I walk over and my hand goes to Everly's hip automatically. She leans into me.
"You good?" I ask.
"Yeah, fine."
"Liar."
Chloe grins. "I'll leave you two alone."
She walks away and Everly turns to face me.
"What's going on?" I ask.
"Nothing."
"Everly."
She sighs. "I'm just tired of all the pressure—my dad, Ciara, everyone watching us."
"Come with me."
I take her hand and lead her through the clubhouse, out the back door to the parking lot.
It's quieter here, cooler. The city noise is distant.
"Talk to me," I say.
"About what?"
"About what's got under your skin."
She leans against my bike. "My dad's flying out here to intimidate you. Ciara's making her moves. The whole club is watching to see if we crash and burn. It's a lot."
"I know it is."
"And I'm trying not to let it get to me but it's hard."
I step into her space, my hands going to her hips.
"Listen to me," I say. "I'm here. I'm not running. We handle this together."
"What if my dad—"
"I don't care what your dad does. I'm not backing down."
"And Ciara?"
"Ciara's a friend, nothing more. You're the one I want."
She looks up at me and her eyes are searching. "Promise?"
"Yeah, I promise."
I kiss her, and it's supposed to be quick, reassuring.
But it deepens, and suddenly we're pressed against my bike and I can feel her heart pounding.
When I pull back we're both breathing hard.
"Let's get out of here," I say.
"Where?"
"Your place. I need you alone."
The ride back to her flat is torture. She's pressed against my back, her arms around my waist, her breath warm against my neck. Every time I take a turn, she holds tighter and I feel it everywhere—the need to touch her, to ground both of us, to prove that we're real and this matters.
When we pull up outside her building, I kill the engine and help her off.
She doesn't say anything, just takes my hand and leads me inside.
The stairs feel like they take forever. By the time we get to her door I'm wound tight.
She unlocks it and we step inside. The door closes behind us, and the outside world drops away.
It's just us now, just this moment.
She turns to face me and the tension is thick between us.
"Rush," she says quietly.
I step forward and take her face in my hands, tilt her head back.
"I need you," I say.
"I know."
I kiss her and it's not gentle. It's hungry and desperate.
My hands slide into her hair and I pull her closer. She makes a sound against my mouth and it breaks something in me.
I back her against the wall and kiss her harder. My hands are everywhere.
Her neck, her waist, the curve of her hip.
She pulls at my cut and I shrug it off, letting it fall to the floor.
Then her hands are on my shirt, pulling it over my head.
I do the same with hers, pull it off and drop it.
She's wearing a black bra and her skin is flushed. Her breathing is already uneven.
"You're beautiful," I say.
"You're overdressed."
I smile despite the tension coiled in my chest. "We can fix that."
I reach behind her and unhook her bra, slide it off her shoulders.
Her breasts are perfect, nipples already hard. I lean down to take one in my mouth.
She gasps and her hands go to my hair, holding me there.
I suck hard enough to make her moan, then switch to the other side.
My hand slides down her stomach to the button of her jeans.
"These need to come off," I say against her skin.
"Then take them off."
I undo the button and zipper, hook my fingers in the waistband and pull them down along with her underwear.
She steps out of them and stands there completely naked.
I take a second to just look at her, memorize every line, every curve.
"Your turn," she says.
I strip off my jeans and boxer briefs. My cock is already hard and aching.
Her eyes drop and I watch her reaction.
"Jesus," she breathes.
"Too much?"
"Perfect."
I pull her against me, and the feel of her skin on mine is almost too much.
I lift her and she wraps her legs around my waist. I carry her to the bedroom.
We fall onto the bed and I settle between her legs, my cock pressed against her.
She's already wet, and the knowledge makes my control slip.
"I need to be inside you," I say.
"Then do it."
I reach between us and position myself at her entrance, then I push in slowly.
She's tight and hot and perfect. I have to grit my teeth to keep from losing it.
When I'm fully seated inside her, we both go still.
"You okay?" I ask.
"Yeah, you?"
"Yeah."
I start to move, slow at first, pulling almost all the way out before pushing back in.
She wraps her legs around my waist and pulls me deeper.
"Harder," she says.
"You sure?"
"Yes, please, I need more."
I give her what she wants, picking up the pace, driving into her with more force.
The sound of skin on skin fills the room, her moans, my breathing.
I can feel the edge getting closer, the darkness humming under my skin.
The anger and fear and need all tangled together.
But I lock it down. I stay present. I focus on her.
The way she feels under me, the sounds she makes, the way her body responds to mine.
"Touch yourself," I tell her.
Her hand slides between us and I feel her fingers moving against her clit.
Her inner walls clench around me and I groan.
"Fuck, that's it," I say.
I change the angle and drive deeper, harder, chasing the release I can feel building.
She's close. I can tell by the way her breathing changes, the way she's tightening around me.
"Come for me," I say.
She does, her whole body tensing as she comes apart.
I follow her over the edge, burying myself deep as I come.
The orgasm tears through me and leaves me shaking.
After, I collapse beside her and pull her against me.
We're both sweating and breathing hard.
My hands are still shaking and I clench them into fists.
The old fear stirs, the knowledge that I brought the darkness into this moment.
That edge of anger that was humming under my skin when I fucked her.
I check her face for any sign of fear, any indication that I went too far.
But she's smiling. Her eyes are soft and satisfied.
"You okay?" she asks.
"Yeah, you?"
"Yeah. That was incredible."
I close my eyes and take a breath. "I wasn't too rough?"
"No, you were perfect."
"I felt the anger earlier, at the clubhouse. I was worried I brought it here."
She sits up and touches my face, makes me look at her.
"Rush, I chose this. I wanted this. You didn't hurt me. You didn't scare me."
"You sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure. Stop overthinking it."
"I'm just—"
"I know what you're afraid of, but you're not that person. You're controlled even when you're intense. That's what makes you safe."
The words settle something in my chest.
"Thank you," I say quietly.
"For what?"
"For not being afraid of me."
"I'm not afraid of you, Rush. I'm in love with you."
I pull her down and kiss her, slow and deep.
"I love you too," I say.
We lie there tangled together and I let myself feel it.
The vulnerability, the connection, the terrifying intimacy of being seen.
This makes me feel more alive than I have in years.
It also makes me more afraid of my own darkness.
But I'm not choosing distance. I'm choosing to stay.
To keep being present even when it's hard.
My phone buzzes on the nightstand and I reach for it.
It's a text from Pyro.
Diesel's booked a flight. Gets in Tuesday. Heads up.
I stare at the message and my jaw tightens.
"What is it?" Everly asks.
"Your dad's coming Tuesday."
She closes her eyes. "Fuck."
"Yeah."
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to handle it."
"How?"
"I don't know yet, but I'm not backing down."
She touches my face. "You know he's going to try to scare you off."
"I know."
"And you're still staying?"
"Yeah, I'm still staying."
She kisses me and it's soft and reassuring.
"Okay," she says. "Then we handle it together."
Later, when she's asleep beside me, I lie there thinking about everything.
Diesel's coming to intimidate me, to test whether I'm worth his daughter.
The club is watching to see if I can handle the pressure.
And through it all, I'm trying to be someone worthy of Everly's trust.
Someone who doesn't run when things get hard.
Someone who can be intimate without being destructive.
It's terrifying and I'm not sure I can do it.
But I'm going to try.
Because the alternative is losing her, and that's not an option.
I look down at Everly sleeping against me, and something in my chest tightens.
This is fragile and precious, and I know the storm is coming.
But I'm not planning my escape.
I'm planning to stand my ground.
To prove to Diesel and Ciara and everyone else that I'm worth the risk.
And to prove to myself that I'm not the worst thing I've ever done.
That I'm capable of being loved without destroying it.
I pull Everly closer and close my eyes.
The fear is still there, humming under my skin.
But so is hope.
And right now, that's enough.