Chapter Fifteen
Jake
Where was everyone?
I looked around as I took off my shoes in the foyer. There was only one light on, the one above the kitchen counter. The one on the patio was off, too, and that was always on in the evenings. And it was quiet. Deafeningly so.
Had everyone gone out? Even Lauren?
I had hoped to see her, to apologize to her. No matter what reasons I had for turning my back on her after we had sex, I realized I had acted like a jerk, and that was not who I really was.
I was still scared of how strongly I felt about her. I still felt guilty about not being able to control myself yesterday. I knew I had to face what I did, though, everything I did. At the very least, I had to stop avoiding her. I couldn’t bear it, anyway. I had to tell her I was sorry.
Suddenly, I heard a cry. Lauren’s.
I dropped the bouquet of red gerberas and white orchids I had in my hand and ran down the hallway. There was a light coming from Lauren’s room, so I headed straight there, grabbing the baseball bat hanging on the wall along the way. As soon as I reached the doorway, I stopped, my body going completely still as my breath escaped me.
Lauren was kneeling on the bed, completely naked. Wade knelt behind her, naked as well, kissing her shoulder as he stroked her, his hand somewhere between her legs, while Max, also without a shred of clothing on and his back marked with scratches, knelt in front of her, his mouth on one of her breasts and his hand on the other.
For a moment, I just watched them, mesmerized. They were completely oblivious to my presence, lost in the haze of pleasure they shared, Lauren more than the two men. Her back kept arching as she tugged on Wade’s hair. Her eyes were half-lidded, her lips parted as she let out shuddering breaths, moans, and the occasional cries.
Stunning.
I had told myself I would not have sex with her again, but seeing her like this right now, I remembered just how she looked when our bodies were connected and how amazing it felt to be inside her. Heat flooded my chest and pooled in my balls. My cock swelled.
Just then, Lauren opened her eyes fully, her gaze meeting mine. For a second, they grew wide with surprise, then they softened as her lips formed silent words.
Watch me.
Then she grabbed Wade’s face, turning hers toward him so that they could kiss. As she pulled on his lower lip, she glanced at me. Then she licked his lip and dipped her tongue inside his mouth. She placed her hand over Max’s as well, caressing it as he caressed her breast. As he pinched her nipple, she rubbed the tip and moaned.
I swallowed. By now, even if I wanted to, I couldn’t look away. Not when Lauren was putting on a show just for me.
She wasn’t just telling me to watch her. Her green eyes were seducing me, inviting me to join in on the fun. After Max stood up on the bed and she started licking his cock, she kept glancing at me, showing me her tongue and making sure I was aware of all the things she could do with it.
And damn, there were a lot of things she could do. Things that were causing a stain in my briefs.
My cock throbbed, urging me to be part of the haze of lust on the bed, to get my share of Lauren, and for a moment, I almost dropped the bat in my hand and stepped forward, but I managed to resist the temptation with every ounce of self-control I had, and I rolled my hands into fists and walked away without a sound, trying to forget what I’d just seen with every step that took me further from the sight.
Only after I reached the garage did I have second thoughts, a voice in my head scolding me and calling me a coward.
Didn’t I already regret walking away from her once? Why was I turning my back on her again?
I placed my hands on the top of my head and groaned. What was wrong with me? I couldn’t use the fact that Lauren was Max’s girlfriend as an excuse to run away from what I felt for her anymore. Max was clearly fine with sharing her. So what was holding me back? My past? That vile woman who got me put in jail? The feeling that I didn’t deserve her?
It was true, though. I didn’t deserve her. She was young, adventurous, and optimistic, and she deserved a man who could truly make her happy, like Max. Max could give her everything. Or Wade. I was surprised to see him in Lauren’s bed, but I was glad that he had the courage to overcome his past and take a chance on another woman. He didn’t look like he was going to regret it later either, like I had.
I wasn’t right for Lauren. I would just hold her back and get in her way. So why did I still want her more than anything I’d ever wanted before in my life?
I was still wrestling with my thoughts as I sat on a stool beside my bike, struggling to find the answers to my questions when my phone rang. George’s name appeared on the screen.
I took a deep breath and answered the call. “George?”
“Jake.”
Even from just one syllable, I could hear the fear in George’s voice. I just knew something terrible had happened.
I stood up. “What’s wrong?”
“You have to come to Billie’s.”
“Billie’s?” My eyebrows furrowed. “I thought it was closed for tonight because Billie’s out of town.”
“It is, but Randy just called me. He said he forgot something, so he dropped by the bar and he found that…”
“That what?”
“Someone broke into the place, trashed everything.”
My eyes grew wide. What the hell?
I grabbed the keys to my bike. “I’ll be right there.”
Billie’s had indeed been broken into and trashed, the tables and chairs overturned, the wooden Black Storm cloud that hung from the ceiling on the floor covered in knife slashes and spray paint. The bottles of liquor and the glasses behind the bar had all been shattered to pieces, the expensive alcohol splattered everywhere. Even the frame that held Sam’s picture was broken and on the floor as if someone had stepped on it a dozen times.
My hands clenched into fists just looking at all the mess.
“What about Billie’s room upstairs?” I asked, fearing the worst.
“It’s locked,” Randy answered. “They left it alone.”
Thank goodness for that at least. And thank goodness Billie wasn’t here. Or did they know that and seize the opportunity to strike?
“They came in through the back door,” George said. “The spare key is missing.”
My forehead creased. “They found the key?”
George shrugged. “It seems so.”
Strange. Given all the mess in the room, I thought they’d broken down the back door, too, or at least, broken the locks.
Randy shook his head. “This is terrible. I don’t even know where to start cleaning up.”
“Have any of you talked to Billie?” I asked.
“I have,” George answered. “She was shocked, of course.”
“Did you tell her not to come back yet?”
“I told her it might be safer for her to stay away, but I think she’ll need to hear it from you.”
I nodded. “I’ll call her first thing tomorrow.”
“Do you think it’s the Devils that did this?” George asked. “Are we all in danger now?”
I didn’t know. I didn’t think they would retaliate for what Wade did to those two guys who tried to take Lauren, especially since they were the ones who crossed the line first. I definitely never expected them to trash Black Storm’s headquarters.
If this was really the work of the Devils, then it meant war. And I definitely had no plans of losing.
“Jake,” Randy called my attention. “Look at this.”
He pointed to the bulletin board on the wall. All the pieces of paper that had been on it were now in shreds, but there was one that was intact, one I didn’t remember seeing before.
I approached the board, took the piece of paper off it, and read it, my eyes growing wide.
It was a note that I could only guess had been left by whoever ransacked Billie’s Bar, but what surprised me was that it was addressed to Lauren.
My Sweet Lauren,
You can’t run and hide forever. You may think you’re safe but you’re not. Not from me. I’m coming to get you.
All my love, C.
I frowned and scratched the back of my head. Who on earth was C?