Chapter Five
H aze
Sleep was impossible.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw one of two things: Nova in that black dress that had my hands itching to touch her, or flashes of the attack outside of the flower shop.
The memories blurred together. Nova's beautiful smile mixed with the sharp pain of boots connecting with my ribs. Her sweet smile kept morphing into shadowed figures emerging from the darkness.
It was fucking with me.
Something about the attack kept nagging at me. There was a detail just out of reach.
Rolling out of bed, I paced the length of my room. I glanced at the clock on my nightstand, noting it was three AM.
Fuck.
Looked like it was going to be another early one, thanks to my mind that wouldn't shut off.
Between Nova and working with Dragon to try and figure out who attacked me, peace was hard to find when the world went quiet.
Dragon had been digging through security footage, trying to identify my attackers.
So far, there’d been nothing concrete. Just shadows and a whole lot of unprovable speculation that it was the Fed who’d been fucking with us.
My thoughts jumped to Nova, and I grunted.
She was small. Delicate. Everything in me screamed that it was my job to protect her, to keep her safe.
Mine.
The caveman thoughts weren't new.
I'd been fighting it since the day Banner and I walked into Sophia's shop. The Prez had become obsessed with his old lady from the moment he put eyes on her photo, and we’d become frequent flyers at her shop ever since.
And now, after flashbacks of her leaning over my broken body that night... Everything was different.
There was no more watching her from a distance. I needed her. Soon.
My phone buzzing on the nightstand pulled me from my racing thoughts.
Kane: I can hear you pacing all the way from the clubhouse.
He was full of shit.
And?
Kane: Gym in 20? Unless you're busy brooding. That's your favorite midnight activity, right?
I snorted at his message. Smartass.
Fuck off
Kane: Love you too, sunshine. Now, get your ass down here.
I rubbed my hand across the top of my head then shrugged.
Fuck it.
I needed to hit something, anyway.
Throwing on some sweats and a tee, I headed out the door.
When I arrived at the clubhouse, it was quiet. I wasn’t surprised.
At this hour, everyone was either passed out or still partying it up down at The Pit where all the illegal fights happened.
Entering the gym, Kane was already in the ring, working combinations on the pads Dragon held.
“Look who decided to grace us with his presence,” Kane called out, that shit-eating grin I'd known since childhood spreading across his face. “Thought maybe you got lost.”
I flipped him off as I made my way over and started to wrap my hands. Dragon's eyes tracked my movements, assessing.
“News?” I asked.
Dragon shook his head, helping Kane out of his gloves. “Security footage is shit. But I found something interesting. There was a black SUV that passed the shop three times that day. No plates, though.”
My ears started ringing as a flash of memory played out in my head like a film reel.
Black SUV. Tinted windows. A hard blow to the back of my head.
“Government?” Kane asked, suddenly serious.
“Could be.” Dragon's expression darkened. “Banner wants to meet tomorrow. Says he might have a lead from his military contacts about our Fed friend.”
I nodded, stepping onto the mats.
My ribs still ached but I was done sitting on the sidelines. Pain was a reminder I was still alive.
Kane and I circled each other, falling into the familiar dance we'd done thousands of times. We knew each other's moves like our own.
“Nova's got you twisted up too?” he finally asked, blocking my jab. “Or is it this shit with the Fed keeping you up?”
Another grunt.
He already knew the answer. It was both.
“She's worth the wait,” Kane said, dancing back from my cross. “But fuck, if I don't want to taste her. The way she looked in that dress tonight...” He whistled low. “Thought I was gonna bust a nut like a ten-year-old.”
The image of Nova's soft lips had me dropping my guard. Kane's hook caught me in the shoulder.
“Focus, lover boy,” he taunted. “Or I'll have to tell our girl that you're getting sloppy.”
That earned him a solid body shot that had him grunting.
“Cheap shot,” he wheezed, but his eyes were dancing with amusement.
We sparred until sweat dripped from both of us, neither gaining the upper hand. By the time we called it, the sun was starting to rise.
“Christ, when did we get old?” Kane groaned, stretching his shoulders. “Remember when we could go all night and still function the next day?”
“Speak for yourself,” Dragon called from his laptop. “Some of us are still young and beautiful.”
I snorted.
Dragon was pushing forty if he was a day.
“Shower,” Kane said, ignoring Dragon's comment. “Then breakfast with our girl. Try not to look like we just went ten rounds, yeah? Might scare her off.”
Our girl.
I liked that.
“Breakfast?” Dragon perked up.
“Come over to Nova’s when you’re done in here, fucker.” Kane laughed.
“Food!” Dragon cheered.
After cleaning up in the gym’s locker room, Kane and I headed to the apartment next door, and without knocking, Kane strolled inside.
I growled. “Unlocked.”
She hadn’t locked the door.
The compound was safe, but the attack on me proved that anything was possible. We’d have to talk to her about that.
When we rounded the corner, we found Nova already in the kitchen. She was dressed in another one of those flowery dresses that showed off her long legs.
My hands twitched at my sides. I wanted to trace my fingers along her silky flesh.
“Oh!” she squeaked. “Good morning,” she finished quietly, a blush staining her cheeks as she looked between us.
“There's our girl,” Kane drawled, his voice carrying that edge of command that always made her shiver. “Looking good enough to eat this morning.”
Her blush deepened, but I caught the small smile she tried to hide behind her coffee cup.
I moved closer, drawn to her like a magnet.
When she didn't step back, I reached out, running my knuckles down her arm.
Her breath caught.
Perfect.
“Sleep well, Kitten?” Kane asked, moving to her other side.
“I... yes.” She bit her lower lip, and fuck, if that didn't make my cock ache. “Did you?”
I shook my head, letting my fingers trail up to cup her face. Her skin was so damn soft.
“How could we sleep,” Kane murmured, stepping closer, “when all we could think about was you? Though, Haze here tried to work out his frustration by attempting to rearrange my pretty face.”
Nova's eyes went wide with concern, darting between us. “Are you okay?”
“Please,” Kane scoffed. “Like he could hurt me. Our boy's getting slow in his old age.”
I growled, but the sound died in my throat when Nova's small hand came to rest on my chest.
“You shouldn't be fighting yet,” she scolded softly. “Your ribs...”
The concern in her voice had something warm unfurling in my chest. Before I could respond, Dragon's voice carried from the doorway.
“Don't waste your breath, sweetheart. These two idiots have been beating on each other since they were kids. It's their love language.”
Nova giggled as she watched Dragon head for the coffee pot.
“Got any more of those Pop-Tarts with the sprinkles on ‘em?”
My eyes fell back to Nova, ignoring Dragon’s hunt for food. He could go eat at the clubhouse for all I cared.
“Can I...” My eyes dropped to Nova’s baby blues. She swallowed hard, her eyes fixed on my lips. “Can I kiss you?”
A growl rumbled in my chest. Shit. That was the last thing I expected this morning. “Yes.”
My hands went to her hips as she rose up onto her tiptoes and pressed her soft lips to mine.
Sweet.
Hesitant.
Perfect.
I kept the kiss gentle, letting her set the pace despite everything in me screaming to devour her—to show her exactly what she did to me.
When she pulled back, her cheeks were flushed pink, but before she could step away, Kane's hand curved around the back of her neck.
“My turn, Kitten. Can't let Haze have all the fun.”
His approach was different. As with most things where Kane was concerned, he was rougher, more demanding.
And Nova?
She lit up, her body melting into him. When he finally released his hold, she whimpered, swaying slightly.
The three of us stood frozen, the air thick between us.
“Beautiful,” Kane murmured, his thumb brushing her swollen lower lip.
Nova's eyes fluttered open, dazed and wanting. The sight had my cock hardening even more.
“Too fast?” I asked, needing to know she was okay.
She shook her head. “No.” A shy smile curved her lips. “Can we... can we do that again?”
I nodded, already lowering my head.
When I kissed her this time, I let myself taste her properly. I flexed my hips into her, letting her feel the hard ridge of my cock so she knew exactly what she did to me.
Kane's appreciative growl echoed my own thoughts.
“Jesus Christ,” Dragon muttered from where he was posted up at the counter. “Get a room. Some of us are trying to eat breakfast here.”
Nova buried her face in my chest, embarrassment coloring her cheeks.
But she didn't pull away.
“Jealous?” Kane taunted, his hand still curved possessively around Nova's neck.
“Of you three looking like teenagers at a school dance? Hard pass.” Dragon grabbed his coffee and headed for the door. “But heads-up—Banner's on his way in. Might want to keep the PDA to a minimum, he’s in a fucking mood this morning.”
Nova tensed against me, and I tightened my hold. She was ours now. The club would have to deal with it.
“Don't worry, Kitten,” Kane murmured, pressing a kiss to her temple. “Nothing to be concerned about. Though maybe we should take this somewhere more private next time.”
The promise in his voice made her shiver.
Our girl was finally starting to realize she belonged with us.