22. Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Two
Torrent waited in Church. Maverick had told him that he wasn’t going to like hearing what happened but to hold his cool until they were done. They were waiting on Mammoth and Fury to return from their errand. Mav hadn’t elaborated on what the errand was.
Fury walked in, followed by Mammoth. “Secured in the Boneyard. My suggestion would be to let her stew a couple days while we do a deep dive on her connections,” Fury said.
Torrent wondered who they were talking about. Once they were seated, Dragon started.
“So, we had a little drama. Torrent and the guys got pulled over by Useless. He was taking them to jail until Gunner let him know they had video of him breaking the taillight. I wish that was the only drama we had to discuss. Mammoth caught the clubhouse drama on video. Torrent, you’re not going to like what you see, but I need you to remember that the guys had Cecilia’s back the whole time,” Dragon announced, motioning to Mammoth.
Video of Cecilia in the clubhouse common room appeared.
Listening to Jasmine push Cecilia had Torrent fighting to stay seated.
How dare she try to make Cecilia feel less than?
Jasmine had only been a hole he used when he needed relief.
Cecilia, she was his wife, but over the weeks they’d spent together, he looked forward to sharing his day with her.
Her smile when he complimented her food gave him that strange warm feeling in his chest.
When the video finished, Torrent was so proud of Cecilia for standing up for herself. He’d loved seeing Cecilia break Jasmine’s nose. But now, what did they do?
“Cecilia caught that Jasmine knew you guys were on your way back. The question is how?” Dragon asked.
“She already had the information when she entered the room. Do we know where she was before that?” Maverick wondered.
“She wasn’t around all morning. Usually, she hangs in the common room after breakfast, but I worked in there after breakfast and never saw her,” Mammoth recalled.
“I haven’t had time to check surveillance, but after the meeting, I’ll put together a timeline,” Gunner said.
“I agree that leaving her in the Boneyard to think about her future might loosen her lips. Everyone in favor of leaving her for forty-eight hours while we gather intel?” Dragon proposed.
At the ayes, Dragon stared at him.
“I’ll fucking leave her alone, for now,” Torrent grudgingly answered. He’d never wanted to hit a woman, but Jasmine attacking Cecilia had him not caring she was a woman. She needed to keep her hands off Cecilia.
“We’re agreed. Mammoth, you’re in charge of a schedule of brothers to keep an eye on her. I don’t want her left alone down there—keep someone on guard. They’re not allowed to physically hurt her, but anything psychological is on the table. Dismissed,” Dragon commanded.
Torrent hurried out, ignoring all the brothers who wanted to chat. He needed to see with his own eyes that Cecilia was really okay. She’d punched hard. Was her hand okay? She needed them for her job, if she ever got to practice again.
He knocked on Sally and Dragon’s suite, entering as soon as Sally yelled, “Come in!” He clocked Sally and Calliope on the couch. Cecilia was sitting in a chair with an ice bag on her hand. He knelt in front of her.
“Are you okay? Your hand?” he asked, taking the ice bag off and holding her hand in his. He ran his finger along her wrist and up and down each finger, checking to see if she winced at the touch.
“I’m good. The ice bag is because Sally was being cautious. My dad taught me to hit with my thumb on the outside, so it didn’t get hurt,” Cecilia explained, her hand touching his face. “Thank you for checking on me.”
He nodded, his throat tight. He stared into her eyes, telling himself that she was okay. She wasn’t hurt, and from the video he’d seen and how she’d gotten safe from Horse’s Ass—his wife was one fierce woman.
“Calliope and I are going to make a special dessert for dinner tonight. We’re celebrating Cecilia standing up for herself,” Sally shared.
Cecilia chuckled. “We don’t need to celebrate.”
“Yes, we do. It will probably take us a couple hours. Why don’t you two go spend some time together since Torrent’s been gone a couple days. I’ll text before I bring Calliope back,” Sally suggested.
Torrent stood up, holding his hand out to Cecilia. Spending time, sitting on the couch and holding her, knowing she was okay, sounded perfect. Cecilia took his hand, and he led them back to their room. He unlocked the door and held it open for her to go in.
Cecilia walked through the door, heading toward the couch. She stopped short of the couch and turned back toward him.
Torrent walked toward her and wondered if she was going to break down. She had a strange look on her face.
“What’s wrong?” Torrent asked, stepping close.
What was wrong? Nothing was wrong. For once, everything had fallen into place. She was going to ignore the short amount of time she’d known him.
“Nothing’s wrong. I realized that I want this marriage to be real,” she confessed.
Torrent tilted his head as if he didn’t understand what she was saying.
“It is real. The minister was real,” he said, his hand cupping her face. “Are you okay?”
She turned her face, kissing his palm. “I’ve never been better. I mean, I want to be a real wife to you, but I’m scared I’ll freak out if you’re on top of me or behind me.”
He breathed deeply, pulling her close until they were flush. She shivered, his body heat and his smell telling her she was home.
“You are a real wife, and I don’t want you freaking out. Let’s take it slow,” he reassured her.
“Take it slow how?” she demanded, scowling at him. She’d said she wanted to be a real wife to him and his answer was to take it slow. What the fuck?
He chuckled, rubbing his finger across her forehead, smoothing out the furrows. “We’ve only kissed. Taking it slow means slow.”
“Did anyone ever tell you how maddening you are sometimes?” she huffed. Was this going to be a refrain for the rest of their lives?
“Slow,” he whispered, lifting her hair, his lips caressing her ear, then trailing down her neck.
She shivered, the touch shooting straight to her breasts, igniting a fire.
He trailed kisses across her collarbone, sliding her shirt out of the way.
His soft touch was doing more to her than any sexual act she’d ever experienced.
She dropped her head back, groaning as his finger moved her neckline down until he reached her bra cup. He slipped his finger inside her bra cup to make room for his lips to capture her nipple—his licking and sucking kindled heat in her belly. She pressed closer against his hardness.
“Torrent,” she moaned. She needed more but wasn’t sure what. She was scared she’d freak, but the heaviness was growing, and she ached.
Torrent pulled back, leading her toward the couch. Was he done? Were they going to watch TV with her aching this much?
He took off his cut, laying it on the chair, and then tugged his T-shirt over his head. He sat down on the couch. He stared at her.
“Can I taste your breasts?” he asked.
Cecilia looked at the rough, tattooed biker who was being gentle, giving her all the choices even when his cock was straining against his jeans.
She nodded, reaching for the hem of her shirt.
The heat in Torrent’s eyes had her lifting the shirt over her head and tossing it on the chair.
Her breasts had never been big with a huge amount of cleavage, but she was a solid B cup.
She walked toward him. She wasn’t sure she was brave enough to remove her bra.
Torrent held his hand out. She could do this.
The heat was still bubbling in her core, and she wanted to feel him.
He pulled her closer, settling her legs on either side of his. When she sat down, she could feel his hardened shaft through their jeans.
“Slow,” he murmured, reaching for her. She thought he’d undo her bra, but instead, he slid a finger in the bra cup, pulling it down until her breast and nipple were available. His other hand rested on her waist.
“Still okay?” he asked, leaning close but stopping just short of his lips touching her nipple.
“Yes,” she hummed, reaching to hold her breast out to him.
His tongue peeked out and licked across her nipple.
That slow, gentle touch sent heat flooding to her core, a small moan escaping her.
Torrent took that as a signal to continue.
His lips and tongue teased her nipple and breast. She couldn’t stay still, her hips moving against him.
His hand on her hip helped her move, grinding her against him.
His hardness hit her clit again and again.
“Oh, Torrent, it’s building,” she whispered.
“Let it. Do what feels good,” he encouraged, his finger playing with the breast he’d been tasting and moving to the other.
She rocked against him, the feeling pooling in her core, her nipples beaded. She wanted what he could give her but couldn’t seem to get there.
“Help,” she pleaded, staring at his head against her breast, his lips and tongue continuing to layer the sensations.
He pulled away from her breasts. “Close your eyes,” he commanded softly, his lips claiming hers, his tongue sweeping inside.
She closed her eyes and let Torrent’s hands on her hips guide them.
His hips were grinding against her in the perfect rhythm she hadn’t been able to find by herself.
It was building, and then she was coasting over, every muscle clenching as she shuddered against him.
She slumped against him, his arms sliding around her as she came down.
They hadn’t made love with his cock inside of her, but Torrent touching her and seeing to her needs had been the most intimate moment ever. Despite coming here under awful circumstances, she’d found her man and her home.
She couldn’t hold the words in, even if he didn’t feel the same way yet.
“I love you. You’ve made me feel safe and I’m so grateful,” she breathed, letting the tears course down her cheeks, her arms wrapping around him.
Torrent dropped a kiss on her head, patting her back as she cried.
They weren’t tears of despair. They were cleansing tears.
Horse’s Ass may have taken something from her, but she was a survivor.
Being a survivor didn’t mean she ignored what happened.
It meant she’d work on recovering, knowing that being intimate didn’t mean everything was suddenly perfect.
It was one step forward with many steps back and forward in her future.
“First time I saw you was with blood on your hands and shock in your eyes, but something strange happened in my chest. I didn’t want Dragon being the one close to you.
I kept trying to figure out what was going on.
While I was on the trip, I called Sally and told her how I was feeling.
She asked a question and it changed everything.
She asked, “What if you lost Cecilia tomorrow, how would you feel?” I realized my life would be less because you’re it for me.
We may have married because of the Club, but you’ll become my Ol’ Lady because I love you.
I love the way you care for people, especially Calliope.
I love the way you seamlessly became a part of the club and our family.
I love how your brain can figure out the hardest puzzles, but most of all, I love you because you’re you, and you’re the greatest treasure I’ve ever been given.
I’m a hard man who doesn’t talk a lot, but I need you to know that I will love you until my last breath and ride,” Torrent vowed.
So many words from the man who spoke very little hit home—how perfect they were for each other. They had a long road ahead, and she adored that she’d get to ride it with him.
“Love you,” she murmured, leaning against his chest, so very tired now.
“Love you, too. Sleep. I’ll wake you before our girl comes back,” Torrent promised.