Chapter Thirty
Is there a better way to wake up in the morning?
Cleo pried her eyes open, glancing down.
Her legs were hooked over his shoulders, and he was gripping her thighs, keeping her from squirming too much.
Wraith liked control in the bedroom, and Cleo was more than happy to play submissive.
She arched her back, drawing her hands down to his shoulders, sliding her fingertips over his skin.
He may be the one leading the charge, but Cleo had learned what got under his skin.
My touch.
His chest rumbled, and a slow growl emerged, vibrating against her clit.
She dropped her hands to the bed, fisting the sheets, swiveling her hips, and essentially riding his mouth.
His tongue flicked over her, and she gasped, squeezing her thighs and feeling his short nails dig into her skin.
Wraith was equally eager for her to come.
Her body stiffened, and her blood rushed through her veins.
“Ahhh, Wraith.” She moaned, riding her climax.
Her breath was heavy as she sunk into the mattress.
A shiver ran over her skin as he kissed her inner thigh.
For as deadly and harsh as he was to the outside world, Wraith was gentle with her.
Unless she wanted more, and he’d always oblige.
When the bed dipped, she blinked open her eyes and watched him walk across their bedroom and grab a pair of sweats. Was he getting dressed?
She leaned up on her elbows. “What are you doing?”
He glanced over, arching his brow. His gaze skimmed over her bare breasts, and his eyes heated. It was clear he was interested in more. And so am I.
“Come here.” She patted the mattress next to her but he hesitated. She lowered her view to the bulge in his sweats. The corner of her mouth curled, and she lifted her hand, curling her finger and beckoning him.
It was Saturday, and they didn’t have any plans for the day. Wraith still had plenty of runs, but they were usually during the week.
When he reached for his T-shirt, she pouted. “You don’t want to come back to bed with me?”
The corner of his mouth spiked. “I’m gonna make coffee, and you’re gonna take a shower.”
“But we don’t have anything going on today. Let’s stay in bed.”
Wraith stalked over to the edge of the bed and planted his fists on either side of her. For a brief second, Cleo thought she had finally convinced him.
Wrong!
He glanced up at the alarm clock on her side table, then brushed his lips against hers and pulled away before she could reach for him. “Get your ass in the shower.”
Wraith walked out of the room without another word. She sighed and rolled out of bed, following his orders. The bathroom was small and space was a hot commodity. She’d gotten some space savers like the shelf over the toilet and a side cart for extra supplies. But it was still tiny.
Cleo crossed the hallway into the spare bedroom that looked more like a storage unit.
Wraith had moved everything from the clubhouse.
While he didn’t have too much, it was still tight with all their belongings combined.
Cleo had set up her vanity in the corner of the room and got ready.
At the same time, she heard the shower and assumed Wraith was getting ready for the day. For what? They had no plans.
When she walked down the hall and into the kitchen, she saw Wraith leaning against the counter and heard the rumbling of engines.
It wasn’t uncommon for a brother or two to stop by.
But Wraith usually gave her a heads up. She slid the curtain to the side and peeked out the window.
She expected one or two bikes. Instead, it looked like a fleet, the whole club pulling onto the property.
Had something happened to Grizz? She usually saw him every day but not yesterday.
Cleo whipped her head to Wraith, who was grabbing a water from the fridge. “Is Grizz okay?”
“Yeah.”
She turned her attention back to the window. “It looks like the whole club is here. What’s going on?”
When Wraith didn’t answer her, she looked over her shoulder. He lifted his chin toward the door. “Ask them.”
This was strange. She made her way to the door and opened it. Ace was standing a few feet away with the others on her stairs and walkway.
“Hi.”
What the heck is going on?
****
Wraith leaned against the wall, watching her greet the brothers. He was going to enjoy this.
“Hi.”
“You ready for us?” Ace asked.
Cleo widened her eyes, looking over at him briefly. Wraith steeled his features, giving nothing away. Cleo smiled, and her brows dipped in confusion.
“For what?”
“Got two kegs, and a shit ton of food. You gonna let us in?” Ace paused. “And show us your house.”
A very belated housewarming party.
Ironically, it was Ace who had brought it up to Wraith. He hadn’t thought much about it after the incident and Ghost’s rant. Cleo had never mentioned it either, and he thought of it as something of the past. Would it really mean that much to her?
Realization set in quickly with his woman, and she smiled, stepping to the side and waving the members inside.
Yeah, it meant that much to her.
“Come in.”
One by one all the brothers crammed into the small house.
As quickly as they walked in, most walked out the back door and into the yard.
Cleo set up all the food, and someone started a fire.
He caught her showing a few members around.
Cue, Oak, and Cypher seemed to take a particular interest in everything she showed them.
It didn’t come as a surprise. But what shocked the hell out of him was Joker trailing behind while she gave her tour.
Wraith walked outside and filled his beer at the keg.
Some brothers stayed longer than others.
It didn’t matter. The only thing that counted was that they all showed up.
For her. Wraith took a sip of his beer about to walk inside when he noticed a lone brother standing at the fire.
Cross. He’d seen his VP plenty of times in the last two weeks since the discovery of Cleo’s pen pal.
They had done a run together, and shared a few drinks at the clubhouse.
He approached the fire, watching Cross stare down at the flames. Wraith had a large presence and couldn’t be ignored. There was no way Cross didn’t sense him. But his VP seemed deep in thought.
Wraith never brought up the letters. And neither did Cross. Until now.
“I got Cleo’s letters on the bike.”
Wraith glanced over at his brother. “You read them?”
Cross stared at the fire, sipping his beer.
“Crazy shit they can do these days. A fucking stranger walking around with Knox’s heart.”
Wraith snorted. “It’s a good fucking heart.”
The corner of Cross’s mouth spiked slightly. “Yeah.”
“Find anything that could be a problem?”
Cross slowly shook his head.
“Hey.”
He glanced over to the back door and watched Cleo walk across the dirt path to the fire. In the spring, he’d plant seed, but for now it was a dustbowl of dirt.
Cleo sidled up next to him. “Did you guys get enough to eat? I was gonna put the food away but wanted to make sure you two were good.”
Wraith watched Cross finally look up. His gaze shifted between him and Cleo and a small smile emerged.
Genuine. It was as if Cross was seeing her for the first time but not as Knox’s sister.
As just family. He chugged his beer and tossed the bottle in the garbage by the fire.
He rounded Wraith, slapping him on the back.
“I’m heading out.”
Cross stopped next to Cleo, grasped her jaw, and leaned in, kissing her cheek. “I like your house.”
Her eyes widened, and she seemed completely caught off guard. It made sense. Cross had never been close with her, always keeping a distance. Cleo quickly recovered, smiling.
“Thanks for coming over.”
Cross lowered his chin and started to the front of the house. “I’ll leave them on the kitchen table.”
He disappeared around the corner, and Cleo turned to Wraith. “Leave what?”
“The letters.”
She raised her brows, and a glimmer of hope shined in her eyes. “Did he read them?”
Yeah, he read them.
“He didn’t say.”
Her shoulders sagged, and she lost a bit of her spark. Wraith cupped her jaw, forcing her to look at him.
“Doesn’t matter. You keep writing to her if you want. Change the address to here.”
Her cheeks pinkened. “I already did.”
Wraith snorted, shaking his head. “Of course you fucking did.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist. “I loved having everyone here. And I love you.”
He pulled her against his chest.
“Love you, too.”