NINETEEN
Harper
Throughout dinner, Angie had been giving Harper inquisitive glances.
Being in a family of snoops, she didn’t delve too much into the looks. When someone had something to say, they usually said it.
Knox had already taken off before the last dish was cleared off the table. Zane and Saint played video games, and her parents were out on the deck with Lawless.
Harper was drying, and Angie put the dishes away in her cabinet.
“That crème br?lée was killer,” she remarked, her belly nicely packed.
“I know, right? It was the best the bakery had.” Angie was not a cook; she made the basics, but anything fancy was all Lawless’ domain. But given that Angie was one of, if not the brainiest woman Harper knew, it was okay that she used her brain for other things and not culinary skills, especially since she had a hubby who would cook her anything.
She’d long admired their solid, synchronized relationship. Lawless breathed for her, and Angie lived for him.
It was awe-inspiring, as it was nauseatingly cute.
The dishes were done, and Harper was just killing time before heading home to finish another paper—only the third from the last, and then college was history. Hallefuckinglujah, she thought, practically buzzing with anticipation. Even better, she was about to step right into a job as a junior research assistant at Angie’s law firm—completely earned through her hard work, no nepotism involved.
Out on the deck, her parents were canoodling. She grinned for their adorableness, clearing her throat to alert her presence.
“Child present,” she announced, and her mom, sitting astride her husband’s lap, grinned.
“Your dad told me he’s taking me to Boston next weekend. I had to give him a little kiss, sweetheart.”
“Yeah, yeah, tell it to my therapist.” She joked, wholly used to seeing her parents fawning all over each other with epic love. She couldn’t even pretend they didn’t have sex. They were probably banging every day.
Their love story began with trauma, so Harper didn’t mind if they wanted to show PDA. She loved seeing them in love.
“Dramatic as ever, doodle-bug,” her dad remarked, smirking as he caressed his wife’s thigh.
“Are we all going to Boston?” she asked. “I am still your child, you know! Your children need vacations. Since when have we been left behind?”
Okay, she was dramatic, just like her mom; she was also joking. There was no spare time in her schedule to waltz off to Boston, though she loved it there. As much as she enjoyed seeing her parents in love, she didn’t want details of their dirty weekend away or to be their third wheel.
“No, we’re being terrible parents and leaving you home alone. We’ll leave out hunks of bread. You’ll be fine.” Smiled, Zara and Harper laughed.
The mention of bread made her think of the mysterious and confusing gifts.
Two weeks ago, they’d started arriving the day after Cain had left her apartment.
It started with coffee being delivered directly to her classes. It wasn’t from a chain coffee place, either. It was somewhere fancy, where an espresso latte cost fifteen bucks.
“I think you made a mistake.” She told the courier.
“Nope. If you’re Harper Emerson.”
Oh, my god . That maniac had used his name. Technically, it was her name if she acknowledged she was married to him.
Which she didn’t.
“Keep your voice down.” She hissed, snatching the cup, noticing nosy people listening in. “Wait, I’ll give you a tip.” She said as he turned to leave, and he smiled. “It’s already sorted. I got a hundred bucks for bringing you that.”
The lunatic had more money than sense.
But the gifts didn’t stop there.
Every day, it was something else.
A box of mini sandwiches and cake samples. A red scarf and black ankle boots when there was a spring snowstorm, which kept her at home for two days. Plus, a bottle of her favorite perfume and a fluffy throw blanket.
Then there was the candy. So much candy. How could she tell the same courier to return it when she loved candy? So she’d taken the red box from him and asked if he needed a tip. Each time, he told her it was sorted. He’d probably earned over a thousand bucks in tips alone by now.
Two weeks of silly little gifts from Cain.
They never came with a note, and she refused to text and ask him what he was up to. There was no way he was romancing her. It was absurd.
That he could be romantically interested caused her to feel flustered and excited.
“Sweetheart, are you listening?” her mom said, and Harper snapped her eyes up, ashamed she’d been caught thinking about Cain when she had worked so hard to forget he existed.
“Sorry, what did you say?”
Her mom frowned. “You’re working too hard. Are you getting enough sleep?”
“I sleep like a hibernating bear, Mom. I’m good, just ready to graduate.” It wasn’t altogether a lie, yet she felt her belly churn with guilt. She left them cuddling on the decking, only to walk into the kitchen to find Lawless with his hand curled around Angie’s neck, their heads close together, and she overheard against her will. “You know what happens when you give me lip, angel.”
“Maybe we need to carve out some time up at the cabin this weekend so I can learn my lesson.” Replied a seductively smiling Angela.
Oh, god, please save her from couples who want to hump all the time.
“Do I need to wear a bell to warn everyone I’m still here and to hold off on the foreplay?” she announced.
They weren’t embarrassed to be caught mid-foreplay. Lawless smirked, his hand still latched around his wife’s neck.
“If you wear a pretty little bell around your neck, people are going to think someone has collared you, darling,” Angie answered and pressed a kiss to Lawless’ chin before she stepped out of his reach.
Hadn’t Cain already collared her with invisible chains? Ugh.
“Lawless, go outside and break up those two lovebirds before they have sex on our decking.” She shooed her husband out of the room. And then she turned to Harper. “You, sit. Tell me what’s going on.”
Harper’s eyes widened, though she plonked on a bar stool. Angie took the one next to her. “What do you mean?”
“What do I mean? I have eyes, girlie. And everyone else has eyes. I’m only surprised they haven’t noticed, too.”
On alert, Harper’s spine tightened. “Noticed what?”
“Shall I lay down the evidence?”
She groaned. “Oh, please don’t go all lawyer on me. Just spit it out, Angie.”
Her sister/second mom/confidant smiled. “I put it to the court that you, Harper Marinos, have a man you’re keeping from us.”
Every skill Harper had she’d learned from criminal bikers, so when she schooled her face into not reacting, those skills were working overtime.
“That’s a terrible thing to accuse a girl of. Like I have time for a man.”
Angie laughed. “Nice try. Remember, a few weeks back, you were working on the Kendell case for me? I was going to drop off a flash drive at your place instead of putting it in the portal. What did I see parked outside your apartment? A nice sporty motorcycle that doesn’t belong to anyone from the club. So I was a considerate sister and didn’t disturb your little date, but it was late, Harper. And you know what I saw when I rode there at seven thirty the next morning? That same bike was still in the parking space.”
She grinned like she had the case sewn up.
Which, of course, she did.
It was the night Cain descended and took care of her.
“You caught me. I bought a motorbike.”
“You liar.” She poked. “Spill your guts, or do I need to present more evidence?”
Harper grimaced. “Is there more?”
“Naturally. Someone had goodies delivered to you twice this week at the club and office, and you were all squirrelly and blushing about it.”
“You are so nosy!” she accused. “I never poked my nose in when Lawless was romancing you.”
Angie’s dark eyes sparkled with humor. “You were still a baby. You’ve been plenty nosy since.”
That was fair.
And yet, she didn’t enjoy being emotionally cornered, especially since she hadn’t planned on telling Angie anything. Telling anyone about Cain. It was impossible to know where to start.
“You were also acting weird during the rally. And you went off by yourself for ages. Lawless thought you’d hooked up with someone.”
“I don’t hook up.” She’d just given her husband a blowjob, that was all.
“That’s what I told him. But there’s someone. I’m right, aren’t I? Is it a college professor? Or someone from a rival club?” Fuck, if only Angie knew the depths of Cain, she’d definitely class him as a rival to their MC. Angie’s face softened. “You don’t need to tell me anything you’re not ready to share.” She loved that about Angie, so she exhaled and let her shoulders come down from around her ears.
“It’s something, and it’s nothing. It’s early.” Was all she could commit to without telling outright lies.
“Well, I’m here if you need to talk about this something and nothing. Just tell me it isn’t anyone from the club. Some of those hangarounds and prospects are good-looking boys, but Rider would kill them for touching you.”
“Ugh,” she pulled a face. “If he doesn’t have a rank, I don’t want to know.”
What rank would Cain hold if he were part of the MC? She wondered. She could see him working alongside Grinder within the tracking team. But also in intelligence. He’d also fit in with the enforcers.
It was wild to think he could be part of her world one day. But that was not happening when he wanted to smash that world apart.
And when she left Angie’s house sometime later, she inhaled on the doorstep, taking a lungful of cool air to dampen her raging thoughts.
It didn’t help, and there was one good reason for that. The idling bike was sitting on the opposite side of the road.
She spotted Cain immediately, as if her body was honed to his frequency. She quickly checked behind her to see that none of her family had followed her out. Noticing it was safe, she dashed across the road, out of breath despite the short distance. The man in black, riding the aerodynamic bike, caused her physical response. His hair looked windswept, and his face was edged in muscular lines. Harper stopped inches from him, drawn to his gravitational pull, though she’d meant to give him hell for being anywhere near her family. Speech failed her; she could only stare at him.
He stroked a single fingertip across the very surface of her cheek, and Harper would swear she felt the earth move. Not in the cheesy movie line way, but shaking under her feet.
The touch was erotic and sweet. Also weird because Cain was not known for his affectionate side. The situation felt volatile, as if she were a pressure cooker about to blow.
It was a snap from her belly to her chest. A heat roared through her bloodstream until she was pure fire.
She couldn’t breathe yet panted through parted lips through no fault of her own except to say her reaction to Cain, and that one fingertip became a fixed memory in time, never to be erased or altered.
It was there now.
Her family was close by, and yet it wasn’t that who made a tangible, visceral clenching sensation grab at her chest and her stomach in tandem.
A simple tilt of his lips at the very corner that spoke of sin, desire, and darkness.
It made her hands tremble, and her knees weaken so much that she had to lock them in place.
What was he thinking coming here, of all places?
“Nothing to say, little girl?”
Oh, his voice . She’d missed that voice.
It was a startling realization that though she knew he could be dangerous, she should be scared, only she wasn’t.
The whole damn world around her, bikers included, drifted away until it was only her and him.
For weeks, she’d been seesawing between worrying and loathing.
Yet, those negative feelings disappeared instantly when she was near him.
They faced each other. The ache in her chest was like an electrical current.
The happiness in her heart.
The longing everywhere else.
So this was what it felt like to be attracted to someone terrible for you. Harper had forever wondered how women could fall for a villain. She’d always thought she had more brains than ever to let it happen. But there was a strong sensation growing roots in her chest the longer she stared into Cain’s bottomless gray eyes.
It was far from rational, not logical in the slightest. Downright madness.
This feeling had nothing to do with intellect. Harper was positive she’d shut down her brain. The urge was simple and fundamental.
Her body felt his presence deeply, on a primal level, craving his touch with every ragged breath; as much as she wanted him to go away and never return, a part of Harper craved being near his darkness and evilness. It was a craving she’d never had, and now she couldn’t think without it.
His nostrils flared like he was feeling the same thing.
Cain being here was dangerous—almost as if he wanted her family to catch him. Maybe she should let it happen; confronting her father might finally force Cain to move on. Yet the thought of never seeing that devil’s face again—one that both infuriated and ignited her—hurt her deeply. It was all just a giant fucking mess.
If she knew why she was so drawn to him, she’d have at least half the answers to her problems. She’d never been overrun with emotions for a man before. She was attracted to capable men. Harper readily admitted her personality and attitude meant weaker men didn’t interest her. She knew she’d always needed someone to handle her in all moods and not be intimidated by her MC connection.
But she could never have prepared for a man like Cain.
Someone who burned with hate and revenge.
The ease with which he’d put her on her knees and fucked her throat was proof enough that she wasn’t herself around him.
He smirked a little, and she blinked, inhaling quicker.
The truth was simple.
Something feminine within her enjoyed the idea of a bigger, more powerful man.
Someone who could protect her from dangers, both real and imaginary. Yet, not take a backseat with her overpowering Marinos attitude. A man who would even put her in the right place. The way Cain steamrolled into her life, not giving any fucks about the consequences. He gave off that vibe in spades.
She finally found her voice after eons of staring.
“What are you doing here, Cain?”
“I’m here to claim my wife. What else?” he smirked.
A dizzying jolt of heat went through her, and it became an inferno when he held out his helmet, obviously wanting her to put it on and climb onto the bike with him.
She glanced at Angela’s estate house again, wondering if the cameras were picking this up. Would Lawless look at it later and get nosy by doing a facial recognition search?
Cain held his tongue for once, almost like he was letting her decide.
Which was laughable, as she hadn’t made a sensible decision about him yet.
The surrounding air shifted, and without thought, she grabbed the helmet, slipped it on, and was on the seat behind him before she knew it.
Poor decisions were still decisions. Harper knew by climbing onto Cain’s bike, she’d live with the consequences of hers.
He parked the bike sometime later outside of the impressive mansion.
While she’d always had luxury in her life, the house was way out of her price bracket, but once Cain led her inside by the hand, she couldn’t think of anything else but the man with the firm grip.
His intentions were obvious when he pushed her back against the closed front door and then loomed over her, exhaling like a fire-breathing dragon.
Her decision had been made. She’d known what he wanted, what he came for, he’d told her, hadn’t he? To claim her. But a flicker of clarity pushed through her busy mind, and she placed a hand on his chest when he dipped in, ready to kiss her.
He growled low at her rejection.
Harper shoved harder into his solid chest and felt her confidence soar when he frowned so darkly she nearly fainted.
“This isn’t what I want.”
“Isn’t it?” he called her on her blatant lie since she was nearly panting at Cain’s nearness. “Tell the lie again when you’re sucking my tongue.”
“You can’t just keep taking things from me,” she breathed as he came closer, drowning her in his woodsy, outdoor fragrance, drawing her into his darkness like a shroud.
Victory was in his eyes when he answered in a rusty tone. “I’ve watched five men touch you today.”
Oh, god, that sense she’d had earlier, the tingly sensation on the back of her neck, was him. Watching her.
She didn’t hate knowing it.
“What men? There were no men.” She recounted who she’d seen today; two were her brothers, maybe a couple of prospects outside the club’s gates. Did he include a barista at the coffee shop? “And even if there were scores of men touching me, it’s nothing to do with you.”
She knew as he lowered his head, almost pressing his forehead to hers, her spine fused to the decorative door, that it was the wrong thing to say.
He wasn’t the type to let a threat go unchallenged.
That was the type of man she wanted, who would react to her blatant force of boundaries. He lacked boundaries where she was concerned, and his manners were non-existent.
“It’s lucky for you and for these imaginary men that I know you aren’t dating any of them. Seeing men touching your hand was enough .” He grated.
Cain’s voice was low and vibrating with sin.
Enough for what? To turn him feral?
The tremble went down to her toes, and Harper arched her neck and leaned her hands into Cain’s chest.
“How do you know I’m not dating anyone? You don’t live here.”
He smirked. It wasn’t a warm smirk, either. It had the devil right there in his eyes.
“Here’s a better question. What do you think I’d do if I caught wind of someone else fucking my wife? Go on, sweet baby, take a running guess. Here’s a hint: it involves lots of stabbing. Over and over until I can grasp his intestines in my bare hands and wrap them around his fucking neck.”
He dipped his head, scenting her neck in such erotic appreciation that Harper had to cling onto his forearms for dear life.
Cain not only shook her world, but he also created earthquakes beneath her feet, and she hadn’t experienced a steady moment in months. She fell quiet. Choosing her battles wisely. Getting into a war with Cain wouldn’t gain her anything but losing more of herself. She opted for a new tactic to persuade him to end his silly feud.
She was going to appeal to his better nature.
If he had one.
He was a master at warfare, at cunning tricks. There was no way Harper could win by letting him see she was intimidated by his moves.
“Open your mouth.” He groaned, forcing her chin to tip back.
He kissed around her throat to her mouth, not waiting for permission, kissing her hard until she saw stars behind her eyelids. Oh, the kiss was incredible, much like the hard-pressed man wedging his knee between her legs, grinding on the part of her that was very soft and very wet already.
“Tell me no,” he murmured against Harper’s lips, almost like he dared her to deny him. “Go ahead, sweet baby. Lie to me some more. Let me know how much you don’t want my mouth or my body on yours. Tell me how much you hate me, hate what I make you feel, hate when I force those orgasms out of you until you’re a clinging mess of need.” Kiss after frantic kiss, she clung to him and listened while he delivered his taunting speech, forcing Harper to face the truth of what they were. “I’m gonna fuck my wife anyway, baby, because I’m the only one who knows what you need.”
The earth shook, and the devil took what she had left, what she’d been holding back from Cain because she’d known, if he had every piece of her, what would be left behind?
His kiss softened, coaxing her as he licked across her tongue, nibbled her lips, and grunted her name with, she’d swear, reverence. But that was wishful thinking.
His agenda had always been transparent.
He wanted to use her until there was nothing left before he took his shot at her father.
Even though she was weak, she kissed him back hard and grabbed him with shaky hands.
She couldn’t tell him no.
Not now.
And she was afraid she never would.
That was the glaring problem causing her the most pain.