Chapter Seven
“What are you doing?” Hex asked as Elle started digging through the bags still scattered on the bed.
“Finding something to wear, I need to change.”
“Why?”
She scowled at him.
“Because we’re leaving. I can’t go out like this.” She motioned to herself.
“Why not? I’d be proud to have you on my arm, no matter what you’re wearing.”
She froze and looked at him as if she was trying to tell if he was lying.
He didn’t think about what he was doing, he stepped in, hooked an arm around her middle, and tugged her against him as he smashed his mouth against hers as he tried to show her just how deeply he felt.
That what he wanted was her, not about what she wore.
She stood stunned for a moment, not moving, then she relaxed against him.
Her hands came up to his chest, and she parted her lips and let him in.
Unable to resist, Hex buried his hand in Elle’s hair as he lost himself in her taste.
Her fingers curled until they were fisted in his shirt, holding on to him as if they were adrift at sea and he was her only hope of survival.
Not that Hex minded. He would be her lifeline any day.
As he lost track of the world around them, his arm moved from around her waist, hooking up under the oversized t-shirt she wore and up her torso. He reveled in the soft, smooth feel of her skin. He cupped her ribs, letting his thumb play back and forth over the underside of her full breast.
Elle arched her back, pressing closer to him without breaking the kiss. Unable to resist the temptation, he moved his hand up to cup her tit, squeezing gently. Her flinch brought him back to the present. Hex broke the kiss and looked down at her, searching her face.
“Did I hurt you?” That was the last thing he wanted to do.
“A little.” Her face flamed. “They’re a little sensitive.”
“Then I’ll be careful.” He glanced around. “But do we want to do this here? Or you want to head back to my place?”
Elle looked up at him, her face turning even redder, though he hadn’t thought that was possible.
“Um. If it wouldn’t upset you too much, I’d rather go to your place.” She kept her gaze averted, as if afraid he’d get angry.
Hex used the hand still buried in her hair to tilt her head back, so she looked up at him.
“Sugar, I want you to feel comfortable and safe.” He pulled his hand out of her top and cupped her cheek. “Never worry about telling me what you want. I can’t guarantee I’ll always be able to give you what you want, but I promise to try.”
She didn’t say anything but lowered her head to rest her forehead on his shoulder.
“Did you order any shoes in all this?” He looked at the bags scattered along the bed.
Elle laughed. “Yeah. There’s a pair of flip flops here somewhere.” She moved out of his arms and started digging through the bags.
“What do we want to do with this?” he said stepping away from her to stand next to the dress she’d worn earlier.
“Leave it. Let the maid have it.”
Hex looked at Elle, one brow lifted. “You sure?”
“I’m sure. I want nothing to do with it. I never want to see it again.”
He looked down at the dress then over at Elle. “All right then. Anything you want to take other than this stuff?” He motioned to the bed.
“I’ll need my handbag, it’s got my keys.”
He looked around, finding where she’d set her bag.
He picked it up and carried it to the bed where he set it before pulling the knife from his pocket and opening it with a flick of his wrist. He took her flip flops, cut strings and tags, then handed them back while she picked up her phone from beside the bed and tucked it into her handbag.
He put the whiskey he’d brought in one of the shopping bags and gathered them all in one hand.
“Need anything else?” he asked, watching her.
Elle scanned the room, then turned back to him. “Nothing. Let’s get out of here.”
“Sounds good to me.” He dropped a quick kiss on top of her head then went to the door.
“I parked next to you, and I’d say hop on with me and I’ll send a prospect for your car, but I’m on the bike.
As much as I can’t wait to have you ride with me, I won’t put you at risk, not right now.
” He held the door open for her then walked down the hall at her side.
“So, what are we going to do?”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys.
“You’re gonna follow me in your car. When we get to the compound, I’ll make sure they let you in.
You go straight to my place. Let yourself in and make yourself at home.
” He pulled apart the divided key ring and handed her the one with the keys to the house.
“I need to stop and talk to the guys for a few minutes, but I won’t be far behind you.
” He walked her to her car. “Pop the trunk, sugar.” He waited until she did, then put the bags from her delivery inside.
He went back to the front of the car and opened the driver’s door and waited while she got inside and buckled her seat belt.
“You know where it is, just in case, but I’m not going to lose you.
” He leaned in and dropped a gentle kiss on the tip of her nose before he pulled back and went to the next space where he’d backed in his bike when he parked it.
It only took him a moment to pull on his helmet and start the engine, then they were on the road.
He pulled up to the guard shack and motioned for Chase to come closer.
“What can I do for you?” the prospect asked as he got close.
“Let the car behind me in, then close the gate. No one that’s not part of the club comes in or out without my permission.”
“Got it. Will do.” Chase looked past him at where Elle had come to a stop behind his bike. He nodded and started to step away.
“One more thing,” Hex said, stopping the prospect. “Take a good look at her. That’s Elizabeth. She’s always welcome here. remember that.”
Chase nodded and stepped back to the guard shack, his eyes still on Elle’s car.
Hex cranked the throttle and eased his bike to the clubhouse where he backed into the row of bikes parked there, then waved to Elle as she drove past. He killed the engine, shed his helmet, and headed inside.
Inside, he stopped a couple of feet in the door and let his eyes adjust for a moment, then scanned the room, looking for specific faces. When he spotted Wrath at one of the pool tables, he headed in his VP’s direction.
“Hey, you heard anything from Cypher?” Hex asked when he reached Wrath where he knocked balls around a table on his own.
“Not recently. Last I saw he was in the command center.”
“Let’s go see. I need to talk to you both.”
Wrath scowled, but laid his cue on the table and followed as Hex headed down the hall to the room Cypher had set up to be the security center of the compound.
From here he could watch any of the cameras they had scattered around the place as well as monitor several other alarms. He could close and lock down the gate and more than that, it was also where he kept his computer set up for when he needed to do a little off the records computer work.
“Oh, good,” Hex said as he reached the command center and found the door open and Cypher at his computer. “Found anything yet?” he asked as he stepped into the room, Wrath right behind him.
“Nothing alarming, but I’m just getting started. All I’ve got so far is what’s publicly available. And there’s nothing surprising there. Can I ask what’s going on?”
Hex took a deep breath and let it out in a rush. He would have to tell them eventually, but if it meant making sure they were all looking out for Elle, he’d tell them now.
“You know I went to a wedding earlier, right?”
“Yeah, but I thought it was a society event.” Wrath looked him up and down. “You look a little underdressed. Unless you were looking to pull a “Friends in Low Places” thing.”
“Fuck you.” Hex didn’t tell them that he’d considered it.
The only thing that had stopped him was the knowledge that Mother would find small ways to make him pay for embarrassing her like that.
And that was just how she would say it too.
For embarrassing her. “Anyway, the bride called it off before the ceremony.”
“That’s your girl, right?” Wrath asked, knowing at least part of the history between Hex and Elle.
“It is.”
“Did she do a Runaway Bride or a My Best Friend’s Wedding?” Cypher asked. “And why were both of those characters played by Julia Roberts?”
Hex frowned at Cypher, wondering what the hell was wrong with the kid and not having any idea how to answer him.
“Did she walk away before the whole walk down the aisle thing or after?” Cypher asked after a moment.
“After.”
“My Best Friend’s Wedding,” he said with a nod. “I take it you’ve been to see her, that’s why you wanted to know where she was, including room number?”
“Yeah. She’s not there anymore by the way.”
“If she’s your ex, why do we care if she walked out on the wedding, much less where she was or is?” Wrath asked, scowling.
“That’s why I needed to talk to the two of you. I’ve put us on a soft lock down.”
“Soft lock down?” Wrath asked. “What the fuck is that?”
“It’s just a closed gate and no one not already part of the club comes and goes without my permission.”
“Why?” Wrath sounded more confused than anything else.
Hex took a deep breath. “Because Elle’s at my place and she doesn’t want to talk to either her former fiancé or her mother right now.”
Wrath lifted one brow. “And we’re a halfway house for runaway brides?”
“No, but I will not deny my woman the right to feel safe in her home.”
Cypher coughed.
“You’ve moved her in?” Wrath’s eyes went wide and he stared at Hex. “Damn, you move fast. How’d you talk her in to walking out on her wedding like that?”
“I didn’t,” Hex said. “I didn’t talk to her before she did it. I barely looked at her. She had her reasons. I’m not going to tell them. That’s up to her. But I’ve offered her run of my place until she’s ready to talk to everyone.”
“Fuck,” Wrath said, turning to walk the length of the command center. He stopped at the far wall and turned around, but he didn’t come back.
“What?” Hex turned to look at his VP.
“I’ll lay odds she told you she’s pregnant and that it’s yours.” Wrath shook his head and continued, “She’s playing on your sympathy.” He folded his arms across his chest as if daring Hex to tell him he was wrong.
Hex didn’t blame him. He knew what his VP was doing.
He was protecting the club, trying to protect his president.
Hell, if he didn’t know Elle so well, he would be suspicious too.
But he wasn’t ready to tell everyone. Not until he’d had a chance to sit down and discuss all the options and make a decision with Elle.
Hex made a mental note to order a property cut for her, then shook his head, not denying what Wrath had said, but not acknowledging it either. He turned to Cypher.
“There’s something off about this Anderson. What man is going to date a woman for over a year, but insist on anything intimate wait until after the wedding?”
“A devout one?” Wrath asked, his tone saying clearly that he didn’t believe it.
“Does he read that way? Have you found anything about him being particularly religious?” Hex asked Cypher.
Cypher shook his head.
“Not that I’ve found so far, and unless we’re talking Lundgren or Ridgeway levels of devotion, I should be seeing something.”
Hex stared at Cypher for a moment before the names registered as purity motivated serial killers.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” he asked.
“More than you want to get into,” Cypher replied without looking away from his screen.
“Any word on what they want us to do with our guest?” Hex asked, changing the subject.
“I got a call from Jake. He said since you said it wasn’t a big deal he’d get back to you in the morning with their decision. He also said that if our guest gives us any trouble, then do what we need to do. There will be no repercussions between clubs if we have to eliminate a threat.”
Hex nodded as he processed that. He didn’t like the crime lord on the compound at the same time as Elle, but he didn’t see anything that could be done about it, at least not tonight.
“All right. I’m headed home. You know where to find me if you need me.” He turned and started out, but stopped at the door and spoke again without bothering to turn around. “Don’t need me.”
He heard Cypher and Wrath chuckling as he left. He didn’t care as long as they didn’t pester him and Elle. He wanted at least one evening with her, uninterrupted if he could get it.