Chapter Twenty-Eight
Wilder
WHEN HE’D been younger, he’d spent too much time partying, losing himself in the haze of alcohol and sex.
He wasn’t one to turn down sex now, especially when Emmett was the one occupying his bed.
When he’d prospected for the Disciples, things had changed.
He’d slowly evolved from that carefree kid into a man he was proud of.
Perhaps it should’ve felt wrong to become a King after so many years wearing the Disciples’ colors on his back, but following Kaz had always felt like the right choice.
His brother was yet to lead him astray, and he didn’t think he ever would.
He turned down an offer of a drink, wanting to remain clearheaded in case he got even just a moment with Emmett.
It wouldn’t be easy with everyone milling around when his bedroom was just off the living room, but at this point, he’d take a stolen kiss in a dark hallway.
He was that desperate for more of Emmett.
The man had turned everything upside down and done so only by being himself.
He felt the turmoil in his chest, and he didn’t know what to think of it.
Obviously, he cared about Emmett far beyond just wanting his body.
He hadn’t lied when he told Emmett that if he didn’t want anything physical between them, then he would be fine with remaining friends.
This connection they had meant way more than sex to him.
Was it fucking explosive, and he couldn’t get enough?
Absolutely. Was Emmett’s company and his friendship more important to him? Yes.
Walking through the crowd, he ended up next to Remy. She looked like she was considering how much alcohol it would take to drown herself, her gaze locked on the glass of what was likely pure vodka in her hand.
“You hiding from Mika?”
He knew she was around somewhere, possibly trying to poison people with her horrible mixing of alcohol.
Remy’s eyes shot to his, a furrow forming between her brows.
“Unlike most men, Mika knows how to take no for an answer.”
“Most men, huh? You ever come across one of those, I’ll hold ‘em down while you have at ‘em.”
Remy snorted. “Don’t doubt it.”
A smile tugged at his lips.
He ran his gaze across the room, seeking out Emmett the way he did every other minute and certainly not because he was supposed to protect him.
He couldn’t get enough of him. If he thought it an option, he’d drag him right back into bed this second.
There was no way Emmett would let him. Well… maybe.
He found Emmett standing at the opposite side of the room, his long-sleeved blue shirt almost the same shade as his eyes.
Emmett lifted his hand to run his fingers through his hair as he talked.
He knew how soft those strands were. Knew what they felt like between his fingers.
He knew how this man tasted, how he felt against him, and a part of him still couldn’t believe Emmett had let him in.
Emmett laughed, and while he couldn’t quite hear it across the room, he already knew exactly what that laugh sounded like: pure delight.
“Who is she?” he asked Remy with a nod toward the woman standing next to Emmett. They looked cozy. He liked seeing that smile on Emmett’s lips. There was something cheeky about it.
He glanced back at Remy when she didn’t answer, not expecting the affronted look she was giving him.
“What?”
“Are you serious?”
He shrugged. “Am I supposed to know her?”
He glanced back at the woman. He’d never seen her before, that much he was sure of. He would’ve remembered. He always remembered.
Talon and Maddox were heading their way, a six-pack of beer and a bowl of snacks between them. Talon raised the six-pack at Wilder in question, and he nodded, figuring at least the beer was safe from Mika’s tampering.
He returned his gaze to Remy, who was still glaring at him. He didn’t like the way her lips pressed into a thin line. What the hell was going on?
“Remy? Seriously? I don’t know her.”
“You really just fuck ‘em and forget ‘em, don’t you?” Remy snapped, the bite in her voice confusing him more than her words.
Before he could ask her what the hell she meant, Maddox and Talon reached them.
Maddox was without his crutches, which meant Emma must’ve declared him fit to walk without them.
He wasn’t dumb enough to go against Emma’s orders.
None of them were. Not even the twins. Well…
Ezra would do it for fun, but that was different.
He still wasn’t sure what drove him, except that he seemed to be a bit of an adrenaline junkie when it came to making questionable decisions.
Maddox clamped a hand on Wilder’s shoulder with a wide grin. “Who did he fuck and forget?”
All color left Remy’s face, and her gaze flashed toward Emmett and the woman he was talking to for a split second before she looked at Wilder with wide eyes.
“Remy?” Maddox’s voice sounded odd, his gaze following Remy’s, his feet taking him a few steps in the same direction before his body stilled, unnervingly so. Talon sucked in a breath, then cursed and dropped the six-pack onto the nearest table.
Maddox whirled around, something deathly flashing through his eyes as he stared at Wilder in disbelief. The bowl of chips hit the floor.
“You fucked my sister?”
He’d never heard Maddox yell before. Not even when he’d been shot a few weeks ago.
The shouted words had everyone in the room either freezing or jerking their heads around to see what the hell was going on.
He wasn’t quite sure himself because there was no way he’d fucked a woman he’d never met before.
He braced himself when Maddox lunged at him, fully prepared to defend himself despite this clearly being one big misunderstanding. Maddox jerked back inches from Wilder, Talon’s big arms around Maddox’s chest, holding him back.
“Fuck,” Maddox yelled, anger coloring his face as lightning struck in his eyes. “How could you do that? You flip your shit about Solo, and then you go for my fucking sister?”
“I’d be real careful what you accuse me of,” Wilder said, fighting not to grit his teeth.
Maddox looked ready to wring his fucking neck.
He clenched his hands into fists, adrenaline pumping through his veins and making everything look sharper.
“Remy,” Talon snapped.
Remy flinched, eyes darting away. Her voice was low as she said, “She came out of his room.”
Before he could tell them all how fucking absurd that was, Maddox’s sister, the woman who’d been standing with Emmett, slipped between them, her front to Maddox and Talon.
“He didn’t touch me,” she snapped at Maddox.
“Why the fuck were you in his room?”
“I had no idea it was his.”
“Dove,” Maddox hissed.
At least he’d stopped fighting Talon, though the man was smart enough to keep a hold of him.
Dove groaned, her head turning and her gaze landing on Remy. Her voice was cool as she said, “Thanks for this.”
“I’m so sorry,” Remy whispered, the clear distress in her eyes making her look much younger than her twenty-five years.
“Then who the fuck―”
Dove winced, and they all followed her gaze across the room to the couch where the twins, Spencer, and Cooper were hanging out.
The twins had gone still, which in itself was very unusual for them, but they were also both staring at Cooper, whose gaze slowly collided with Dove’s.
His lips quirked as if he was about to smile, and then he noticed Maddox staring at him.
“Oh, fuck,” Cooper exclaimed, backing toward the patio door.
Maddox’s head whirled around, green eyes blazing as he glared at his sister.
“Of all the people in this club, you fucked him? Him?”
Dove shrugged. “Terrible decision, I know.”
“I’m gonna fucking kill him,” Maddox said, voice low and deathly.
“Be my guest,” Dove said with a careless gesture toward the door Cooper was smart enough to disappear through.
Maddox didn’t seem to catch the flash of hurt in Dove’s eyes as she cut her gaze away.
She might seem blasé about Cooper’s impending demise, but he got the feeling there was a lot more to it than that.
“Motherfucker,” Maddox hissed, reaching for the gun holstered at his hip, only to have Talon snatch it before he could pull it out. He scowled at Talon, looking like he was considering whether it was worth it to wrestle his gun from his friend’s grip or not.
Maddox cursed, then took off without his gun, heading for the patio door. Talon sighed and slid Maddox’s gun into the back of his waistband before following, giving Dove a quick look Wilder couldn’t decipher. Dove flipped Talon off, then crossed her arms, glaring after them.
A flash of blue behind Dove had his breathing evening out even as his pulse jumped.
Cerulean blue eyes met his gaze for a heartbeat or two before Emmett put a hand on Dove’s arm and whispered something too low for anyone else to catch.
She nodded, then patted Emmett’s hand before walking after her brother.
Emmett’s gaze clashed with Wilder’s again, and the slight parting of his lips sent a ripple of need through Wilder.
That bite of adrenaline was wrecking his control, and from the flare of Emmett’s pupils, he was noticing.
Fuck. Hopefully, no one else did, because if Maddox reacted this badly, how would all the people who considered Emmett family react?
He was walking a dangerous path, and he couldn’t find a single fuck to give about it because Emmett was worth it.
Seeing Emmett look at him with unrestrained need, hearing the sounds he made when he stopped holding back, it was well worth whatever beating he was sure to earn himself.
A loud yelp from outside had everyone heading for the patio doors, but Wilder didn’t move a muscle, gaze locked on Emmett.