Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Katrina
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
The guys had come back a while ago and have been cooped up in a room together since. Though it was after Dagger came to me, engulfing me in his arms. He kissed me deeply and told me about the damage to the studio. Granted, he didn’t go into detail.
I glance back over to the doors he was behind with his brothers, worrying my bottom lip.
“It takes some getting used to when you’re new and haven’t grown up in the life,” Avery says. Taking a seat on one of the chairs next to the couch I’m curled up on, my knees tucked under me, my body leaning against the armrest.
Thankfully, I was, for the most part, left alone with my thoughts for a while after Dagger joined his brothers. I think everyone needed a few to themselves. The only one I had near me was Drogon, however, I put him in Dagger’s room in his habitat, which he had a prospect set up in there for me.
“What do you mean?” I ask, taking the woman in.
Avery had been so nice to me. All of the women had, except for that one.
Avery confided she was a big fan of my music and asked question after question about my music.
But she hadn’t been all up in my face about it.
Mostly she’d been excited to meet me. After initially meeting me, she seems solemn, thoughtful, and calm.
“This, the waiting. Not knowing what’s going on with your man.
It takes time. I didn’t grow up in this life, and I’d been living my life just fine, or I thought I was before Hammer slammed his way into it.
The guys are all protective, but when they have a woman that means something to them, they go into superdrive.
Don’t take it to heart that he doesn’t talk right away about what’s going on. He will. Just in his time.”
“Something happened,” I whisper.
“Yeah, it did,” she confirms for me. “I don’t know what it is either, but I know my man, he’ll tell me what he wants to share, and I’ll take what he wants to unburden without hesitation.”
I cock my head, taking Avery in so clearly. Some might take her for being a weakling, only she’s not that at all. She’s strong. Just as every last woman here holds a strength within them in some form or another. They each have a story that is meant for them alone.
The hum of a song starts in my head, something new. Something I have to store away for later.
“He’ll talk to you,” Avery says with a smile, and I nod.
“I hope so.” I give her a smile in return.
“How are you feeling with your family showing today?”
I’m thankful for the change of subject. “The anxiety was massive for a while, but it wasn’t as nerve-racking as I thought it would be. Especially after the way I met Chelsea. The way she handled Diana was comical.”
“From what she said, it could have been even funnier. She’s mellowed out somewhat since having Sterling. Granted, if one of the clubwhores messed with Lucky, she’d fuck them up in a heartbeat.”
“Fuck.” We both jerk at the little girl’s squeal as she toddles over. Arms out to her Momma. “Momma, fuck. Fuck.”
Avery groans and picks her daughter up. “We don’t say that word, Taylor.”
Taylor laughs and throws her arms around her mom, repeating the word.
I grin as Avery looks to the ceiling.
“God save me. I know I shouldn’t have cursed in front of her, but does her first word seriously have to be that?”
I laugh as I lower a hand to rest over my small bump. I can’t wait to meet this one.
Taylor continues to babble ‘fuck’ happily, completely oblivious to her mother’s embarrassment.
I watch as Avery tries to distract her daughter with a toy from her pocket, but the little girl is having none of it.
I could tell she was tired, but fighting it.
Instead of being cranky like most kids, she’s completely the opposite. Her eyes are heavy.
The doors I’d seen Dagger step through before closing open, and Taylor squeals, “Dadda fuck. Fuck. Dadda.” When he emerges.
Hammer grins at his daughter as he makes his way toward his woman and daughter. Taking the little girl from his woman, he rests a hand on her back. Taylor immediately lays her head on his shoulder and closes her eyes with a sigh. A true daddy’s girl right there.
I wonder if my dad knew about me, if I would have been a daddy’s girl.
Dagger approaches me, stretches a hand out, and pulls me to my feet. “Come on, baby.”
Instead of taking me toward the exit, he guides me to his room. I’m grateful we’re not just leaving since I didn’t want to leave Drogon here. I want to get him to my place as well.
In Dagger’s room, closed away from the rest of the world, he guides me over to the bed, undresses both of us, and lays me down on the bed. He yanks the covers over us and holds me close.
“You okay?” he finally asks after a while of just lying here.
“Are you?” I ask in return, drawing circles on his chest.
“I am now.”
“You want to tell me what happened? I know something did.” I really want to know, but I won’t push him.
Dagger sighs and tells me everything that happened at the studio, all that he hadn’t already shared.
Including the phone conversation he had with a man who threatened the life of my baby and me.
There’s no doubt in my mind that he’s keeping anything from me when he finishes by telling me Axe and Rogue had gone to look for Carl Riggs, only to find him in his office with his throat sliced.
“I’ll sell the warehouse,” I tell him when he’s done filling me in.
“You’re not selling anything, baby,” he grunts. “There’s more to this than just that warehouse, he wants you now too, and that’s something he’s not getting.”
I shudder at the thought of ending up in the hands of a man who would have a man killed for no reason. Or would threaten the life of an unborn baby.
“But why me? What does he want with me? With the warehouse?” I whisper, my voice trembling slightly despite my attempt to remain strong.
Dagger’s arms tighten around me, his warmth seeping into my skin.
“Not sure yet what’s so important about the land the warehouse is on, but Cy’s working on it.
We know that the surrounding areas were bought up by the same company.
He’s digging deeper into it. Whoever it was took a hell of a lot of precautions to keep anyone from figuring out who they are.
He’ll find them, though, and we’ll figure this out. ”
I nestle closer against his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. “And in the meantime?”
“For now, we’re staying here at the clubhouse,” he says, his hand moving to rest on my belly. “You and this little one are all that matters. Nobody touches what’s mine.”
The possessiveness in his voice should frighten me, but instead, it brings comfort. I’ve never had someone so fiercely determined to keep me safe. I’ve only ever relied on myself.
Lifting my head off his chest, I reach up and kiss him soundly. His lips are warm against mine, and I feel the tension in his body begin to melt away. When we finally break apart, I rest my forehead against his, breathing him in.
“I’ve never had someone fight for me like this,” I whisper. “It’s . . . overwhelming.”
“Get used to it,” he growls softly, his thumb tracing my jawline. “Told you, baby, you’re mine. And I’ll do whatever it takes to see that you and our little one are safe. Even if it means dying, it’s what I’ll do.”
My heart skips a beat at the mention of him dying for me. I don’t want him to die to protect me. The thought of losing him has my chest constricting and my body going cold.
I kiss him again, this time needing him to warm me back up. I need to feel alive with him and not think about the prospect of him going anywhere.
Straddling him, I look down into those dark eyes that have become my safe harbor. “Don’t talk about dying,” I whisper, my voice catching. “I just found you. I can’t lose you.”
His hands move to my hips, steady and sure. “I’m not planning on going anywhere, baby. Just making sure you understand how serious I am about keeping you safe.”
I roll my hips against him, feeling him harden beneath me. “Show me,” I challenge, needing to feel connected to him in every way possible. “Show me you’re alive, that you’re here with me.”
Dagger grips my hips, lifts me enough to angle me down onto his thick cock.
The feeling of him filling me completely makes me gasp.
My eyes lock with his as I slowly begin to move, taking my time, savoring every sensation.
The way his hands grip my hips, guiding me in a rhythm that has us both breathing harder.
“Fuck, Katrina,” he moans, his eyes never leaving mine. “You feel so goddamn good. Fit me perfectly. Love how your pussy clenches around me like a fuckin’ vise.”
I lean forward, bracing my hands on his chest, letting my hair fall around us like a curtain. “I need you,” I whisper against his lips.
“Ride my cock, baby, show me what you need.”
His hands slide up my sides, thumbs brushing the undersides of my breasts, making me arch into his touch. The threat that hangs over us only intensifies every sensation, every moment we have together. I can’t think about what might happen tomorrow or the next day.
All I can focus on is now.
Him.
Us.
Just two halves of a whole.
Dagger flips us suddenly, pinning me beneath him without breaking our connection.
He hovers above me, his powerful body blocking out everything else. His eyes lock with mine, intense and dark with desire.
“I’ve got you,” he growls, his voice rough with emotion. “Always will.”
I wrap my legs around his waist, pulling him deeper inside me. “Show me.”
Dagger drives into me with a controlled power that has me gasping. Each thrust is deliberate, claiming, his eyes never leaving mine. The tension that had been building inside me with everything happening today eases, leaving me consumed with the here and now . . . of this moment with this man.
My man.
“Only you,” he whispers against my ear as he changes his angle, hitting a spot that makes stars explode behind my eyes. “Only ever you.”
My nails dig into his shoulders as pleasure builds to an almost unbearable intensity. “Van,” I moan, my voice barely recognizable even to myself.
“That’s it, baby. Let go for me. Come all over my cock.”
The orgasm rips through me with such force that I cry out, my body arching beneath him. Dagger follows moments later, his face buried in my neck as he groans my name like a prayer.
We lie there, tangled together, our heartbeats slowly returning to normal. His weight is comforting rather than crushing, anchoring me to the present moment.
Dagger’s weight shifts slightly, but he doesn’t pull away. His breath is warm against my neck as he presses a kiss there, soft and almost reverent.
“I meant what I said,” he murmurs, his voice rough with emotion. “I won’t let anything happen to you or our baby.”
I place my hand over his where it rests over the small bump.
“I know.” It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him I love him, but instead, I close my eyes and inhale, savoring the smell of him, leather and pine.
I love the soothing scent, especially when I’m curled up in his arms as I am now. Nothing is better.