Link
NEVER IN MY life had I craved someone the way I craved Emily. Thinking about Bull spending time with her—getting to know her—while I couldn’t, was twisting me in knots. He’d already seen the inside of her house before me, slept in her spare bed before me, ate her cooking before me, but there was no way I could let him meet Emily’s grandma before I got to.
No fucking way. Not happening.
“You joining us, Prez?” Sage asked, pausing mid-deal.
Four men sat at the table, their cards in front of them, waiting for me to sit my ass down and play. I knew I should, but I couldn’t tear my gaze away from my phone.
“I can’t. I got some shit I gotta take care of.”
Before they could ask any questions that I, myself, didn’t know the answers to, I turned and headed for my bike. I’d be sending Bull back soon enough, and then they’d know. They’d know exactly where I went off to and what I was doing. Who I was doing. I should care about what they’d think and how they’d react, but I couldn’t bring myself to give a single fuck about it.
Flowers. Women love shit like that, so I stopped off at a flower shop. The selection was a bit overwhelming. I scanned the aisles, looking for an arrangement fit for a woman like Emily. No roses. Roses were what Pops got for mom whenever he fucked up, and I saw how well that worked out. No, I needed something that said I couldn’t get her off my mind and she was driving me crazy. I settled on an unusual looking bouquet.
Emily answered the door wearing tight-ass blue jeans tucked into knee-high brown boots. A long white sweater came just below her ass, and a cashmere plaid scarf lay loose around her neck. It was the first time I’d seen her dressed casually, and I was thrown by how damn classy she still managed to look. Her long dark hair was down—not up in its usual bun—and she’d added soft curls to the ends. My fingers itched to run through it as I ravaged her right there in the entryway.
Realizing I needed to say something, I opened my mouth and some shit tumbled out. Emily replied and took the flowers, leaving me standing in the living room, adjusting the growing bulge in my pants.
“Link,” Bull said, sounding a little more amused than he should.
When I scowled at him, he wiped the goofy grin right off his face.
“How’d the meeting go?”
“Good.” Relaxing, I gave him a quick rundown about the club’s discussion before Emily returned and asked what I was doing there.
I told the two of them about the poker game, essentially dismissing Bull.
Rather than head right out, the bastard looked to Emily for permission. What the fuck was that about?
But as I looked at her, I knew. She was a goddamn queen and we were in her court, on her turf. Some base instinct within him knew to ask for permission before leaving her presence. I, on the other hand, didn’t need her permission for shit. She may be a queen, but I was still the fucking king. Time to remind her of that fact. As soon as he left, my lips found hers. Just like in my office, this strong, beautiful, incredible woman gave into me with a moan that took my cock from half-mast to full-sail. Needing to be inside her—claiming her—I released her tits and prepared to take her right there in her living room.
“Grandma,” she whispered, pulling away.
Shit. I’d almost forgotten. Yes, we’d go see her grandmother, but we’d do it my way.
I slid my extra helmet onto Emily’s head and fastened the chin strap. Eyes dilated, lips swollen, she looked at me with a combination of desire and fear that made me want to drag her back inside and finish what we started.
“Unless you want Grandma to eat alone, you best stop lookin’ at me like that,” I said.
“Like what?” she asked.
“Like you’re trying to figure out how to fit my big cock down your throat.”
Her eyes widened, and I wondered if I hit the nail on the head. Before she could recover and fire back some smartass comment, I climbed onto the bike. She followed, wrapping her arms tight around me. Her clean, slightly sweet scent enveloped me as her tits pressed against my back, and I decided right then she needed to spend more time on the back of my bike. I started it up and realized I didn’t even know where the hell we were going.
That’s how much Emily’s presence threw me off.
I got the name and location of the restaurant from her, and we headed out.
Growing up in a motorcycle club, I’d experienced a level of freedom most kids only dreamed about. That’s not to say Pops let me get away with shit, because he most certainly didn’t. Whenever I messed up, he beat my ass good. He kept a pretty tight rein on my sister, but between Naomi and club business, he was too busy to be breathing down my neck all the time. Then I joined the Army and all the precious freedom I’d taken for granted was stripped away. The things I saw… the things I was ordered to do… I learned pretty fast that freedom is just an illusion that could vanish at the whim of a madman’s order.
Nobody in this life is ever really free. Now, the closest I get to feeling free is when my ass is planted on the seat of my bike and the wind is whipping past my face.
I’d never had anyone but my sister on my sled with me, and with Naomi, the freedom had diminished. I’d had to be extra cautious and careful, making sure she was comfortable and safe. Her arms wrapped around me had felt like a goddamn vise, tightening to squeeze the breath out of me every time I sped up or hit the slightest little bump. It had been years since my little sister had ridden with me, and I never wanted to repeat the experience. Not with anyone.
Not until now. With Emily, it was different. Riding with her felt comfortable and right.
