Chapter 33
Emma
I stood there inside the Steel Demons MC clubhouse with an expression of total shock on my face. These people, Slate’s club brothers and their women had come together to make me feel welcome after a hellish night. They’d opened their homes—and their hearts—to me for no other reason than the fact that I mattered to him.
That was something completely foreign to me. For years it had just been me and my friend Sara and then when Alex entered my life it was just me. And now it was hard to believe that all these people were here. For me.
“Is it too much?” Slate’s warm hand settled on the middle of my back, hot and comforting.
I turned and tilted my head back to look at him. His expression was wary, unsure, and I realized that he wasn’t sure how I felt about any of this. “It’s a lot, without a doubt,” I answered honestly. “But in the best possible way.” He didn’t look assured to I turned fully to face him and took his hands in mine. “The last time anyone did something like this for me, just for me, was the night Sara took me out and I met you.”
His expression darkened. “I hate that things have been so fucking difficult for you, Em. You deserve this and so much more.”
I smiled. “I deserve a breakfast bar after spending a night in jail?”
His lips tugged into a reluctant smile. “Damn straight. And a lunch bar. Dinner bar. Dessert bar. Bar bar.” His expression was so fierce, so protective that my heart hammered against my chest.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” His smile was soft and sweet, but it turned protective as he scanned the clubhouse until his gaze landed on Ash. Another, gentler smile spread and when he was sure she was fine, he turned back to me. “How are you really, Emma? You’ve put on a brave face for Ash but talk to me.”
I knew he was itching to ask me about last night and I’d been steadfastly avoiding answering. But he deserved an answer. “That question requires a drink to answer.”
His smile bloomed. “I can do that.”
I kept my gaze on Slate as his long, lean body ambled towards the bar where some of the MC girls worked to mix drinks other than shots and beers for the guys. He moved gracefully, efficiently. His long limbs moved with such ease it was beautiful to watch.
“Somebody’s got it bad.” Peyton’s teasing voice sounded behind me.
I turned with a smile. “Got what?”
Her blue eyes were lit with mischief when I turned to face her. “It. Love. The hots. Whatever it is, you’re in it big time with our resident tech geek.”
I shook my head, not to deny the words but because the denial was instinctive. “I have too much going on to worry about that.” How could I even think about a man, about falling in love when there was a better than good chance that I could lose my freedom.
“That’s exactly when love smacks you right in the ass. I was running from a killer when I got smacked.” She flicked her red hair off her shoulders and smiled again. “Gotta go.”
“One tequila sunrise with an extra shot of tequila for the lady.” When Slate smiled, really and truly smiled, he wasn’t just handsome. He was magnificent.
“Thank you.” I took a long, fortifying sip and smacked my lips loudly. “I needed that.”
Slate’s eyebrows shot up briefly, but his expression was patient and kind.
“I’m doing fine,” I assured him easily. “Honestly. I’ve never been in jail before so that was an experience. Massey was there and he was an asshole but that seems to be his default.”
“Yeah, he doesn’t like that Cross isn’t a sworn enemy of the MC, feels like we get away with too much shit even though that’s not true.”
“No?” It seemed to me their cozy arrangement was very beneficial to the MC.
“No. When we step out of line, he’s the first to let us know it, but we do a lot of community outreach and we have the same goal at the end of the day, keeping Steel City safe and clean for the people who live here.”
He was a unicorn, a bad boy who was a good man. “Friendly but not friends?”
He smiled again. “Something like that.”
“So,” I began slowly, hesitant about whether or not to share my concerns with him.
“So?”
“Kira said something to the sheriff and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. And it would explain why Massey has been so hostile towards me.” It, along with the buzz of the fluorescent light above the cell, had kept me up all night. “Do you think there’s some connection to Alex at the Sheriff’s Department? Or Mark since he used to be a cop?”
“It’s always a possibility. Back in the day we had a few cops on our payroll, but Cross doesn’t do business like that. He got rid of those guys and let it be known that he only has time for cops who want to enforce the law.”
“Admirable but he can’t be everywhere at once.” Just because the sheriff was clean didn’t mean his cops were. “And Mark was a cop which I think matters more than the fact that he was a dirty cop.”
“True,” Slate agreed.
“Kira also mentioned a life insurance policy that listed Mark as the beneficiary. Sheriff Cross seemed shocked about it, but that makes Mark as good a suspect as me, if not better.”
Slate grunted his agreement, his dark brows dipped into a scowl. “I can’t decide if they’re corrupt or incompetent.”
“A little bit of both, I’d say.” I took another long swig and sighed heavily. “Let’s talk about something else.” I was out of jail, at least for now, and the last thing I wanted to do was dwell on it, though it was hard not to, when it seemed like the vultures were circling.
“Something else like how good your legs look in that skirt?” Slate wiggled his brows.
Heat suffused every inch of my body until I was burning up. “Thank you.” The man gave really great compliments and suddenly my nipples were hard and my pussy pulsed. “Too bad we’re not alone.”
His nostrils flared and his skin flushed with desire. “We can be. Just say the word.”
I finished my drink and let out a long, shaky sigh. The room hummed with activity and happiness. Ash was laughing so hard her face was red and tears streamed down her cheeks.
She was happy.
Truly happy the way a little girl should be.
This was my life now and these were my people.
I was okay with that. In fact, I was happy about it.
Was this how I saw my life playing out? Hell no, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I turned to Slate and smiled. “The word.”
He grabbed my hand, and we did a circuit of the room, thanking everyone for putting this party on for me and hugging them all in grateful goodbyes. It was the fastest I’d ever seen him move and I fought to hold back my laughter.
And my joy.
It made me breathless to see in living color just how much this man wanted me. Being with him sometimes made me feel like the girl I’d been the night we met, fun and vivacious, bold and sexy.
***
Forty-five minutes later we were home.
Slate’s club brother Maverick had offered to let Ash sleep over again. I’d been in two minds, thinking she might be clingy after my night spent in the holding cells, but instead, she’d jumped up and down with excitement. I couldn’t deny I was a little upset, but then I mentally chastised myself, this was how a normal five-year-old acted and was a sign that she was coming out of her shell. Once I’d checked in with Grace and made sure that Ash was settled, I headed upstairs. Slate was waiting for me in our room wearing nothing but a pair of well-fitting boxer briefs as he sat on the bed, looking like a picture. “Hello, handsome.”
His smile brightened. “Come here, beautiful.”
I took one step closer and then another, and another, all while my heart leapt out of my chest to get closer to the man who despite my better judgment I was falling hard and fast for. “Here I am.” I stood between his legs where I felt safe. Desired. Cherished.
“Here you are,” he whispered while his hands slowly undressed me and his eyes stayed glued to my face, as if he couldn’t look away. “Right here,” he kissed a line of heat across my jaw. “And all mine.” The possessive words were accompanied by an equally possessive hold.
All mine. Those words shouldn’t have felt as good as they did, but they slid down my skin his gentle caresses only made real by the slight roughness of his hands. “Yours,” I whispered before our mouths crashed together.
Slate kissed me hard, so deep that I lost myself in the swipe of his tongue, the firm press of his lips against mine. His kisses were my new favorite drug, and I leaned in closer, hungry for another hit of my tattooed hero.
His big hands slid around my shoulders and down my back, gripping my ass as he fell backwards, settling my hot, hungry pussy over where he was long and thick and so fucking hard for me. I moaned and pushed my hips against him harder until I got a taste of that sweet relief. “Slate.” I was breathless and hot as I smiled.
“You make me crazy, Em.”
“Right back at you,” I purred and kissed my way down his body, enjoying the masculine scent of him as it dug its way deep into my brain. The way his chest hair felt on my lips, the way his abs tightened when I kissed him and licked over each hard ridge.
He groaned and gasped as my tits rubbed against his cock. “Emma.”
I gripped him in my hands and gave his cock a hard squeeze as I licked the length of him from base to tip.
“Emma,” he grunted and pumped his hips, sending his cock deeper and deeper into my mouth. It felt good. I was on fire, burning up with the need to make him feel as good as he made me feel. “Fuck, baby.”
After those words I heard another grunt and then I was airborne and falling onto the mattress before his big body settled on top of mine. “Hey.”
“Hey,” he whispered back around a smile. “Need you.”
“I’m right here. Needing you back.” I wrapped my legs around his waist and ground against him. “So fucking bad.”
“Yes,” he growled and pulled back to line our bodies up before he sank deep, so agonizingly slow that a lone tear escaped. “You feel so goddamn good, Emma. How the fuck did I go all this time without you?”
“All that matters is that I’m here now. We’re here together.” I clenched my walls around him because I loved it when his eyes rolled back like that. “Just like that.”
“Emma.” He kept his gaze fixed on me as he pulled out and pushed in again, deeper as he pressed a whisper-soft kiss to my forehead. His gaze was dark and intense as he pushed the damp hairs from my forehead and stared at me like I was something new, something he’d never seen or experienced before.
He thrust slowly and deep, as if to a rhythm only he heard. There was lust there, without a doubt the lust was white-hot, but it also felt like something more was there. Something stronger than lust, more visceral than desire. It was something I couldn’t define but I knew it was significant. I knew that whatever this was, it was it.
It was that thing you looked for your entire life but didn’t know what to do when you actually found it.
“Slate.” I moaned his name and arched into him, the slow slide of his cock in and out, every shift of his hips hit me at the perfect angle. Over and over he hit that spot until the dam broke and sent me flying headfirst into the most brilliant orgasm that lasted so long my muscles ached, but the way Slate pounded into me, harder and faster, kept me on that livewire of pleasure until I couldn’t stand it.
My body tensed and then relaxed, again and again as the aftershocks tore through me like bullets. The intensity of every orgasm, every aftershock, every ripple peeled another layer back until I was left completely exposed. Vulnerable and exposed.
Everything I felt for this man was on full display and while he stared back at me, I felt it too.
“Emma. Mine.” He pumped harder and deeper and then warmth spread throughout my body as his orgasm roared from his body to mine, extending my pleasure until I couldn’t take it anymore and my body went slack.
“Slate. Good god, that was, insane.” It was slow and hot and intense. It was exactly what lovemaking should always be. “Thank you.”
“Thank you,” he murmured and kissed my shoulder, small butterfly kisses that zipped through my body and made me shiver. “Thank you for being you. For taking care of our daughter. For being so fucking incredible.”
“Thank you for making me feel incredible.” I kissed him again, softly and slowly until he was hard again, and I was wet again, and we went at each other.
Again.
And again.