“Jesus Christ, Lucy.” His tone cracked like thunder. “I can’t have you disappearing on me. You think I can bury one Kane and then survive putting the other in the ground?”
That stopped me cold, fury and grief colliding in my chest. “Don’t youdaresay that to me,” I spat. “You did already bury one Kane. Caleb is gone. Dead. Nothing you did stopped it.”
Silence seared across the line.
“Don’t you ever doubt me when I tell you that you’re mine, Lucy. I’m falling, and there’s no crawling back from it.”
My chest clenched, anger warring with the ache those words dragged up. “Then stop treating me like glass,” I said but softer. “I’m not used to leaning on anyone. Not you, not anyone. But maybe things have changed for both of us.”
For a moment, neither of us spoke. The weight of what I’d just admitted sat heavy, fragile and dangerous all at once.
Finally, he let out a rough breath. “Good. Then get your ass back here. We rally at the clubhouse. But damn it, next time, you tell me first.”
I promised him with a nod, even though he couldn’t see it. Fragile wasn’t in my vocabulary, but maybe trust was.
Chapter 49
Reaper
The clubhouse was buzzing. Brothers gathered around the table, faces grim, eyes sharp. The usual chatter was gone, replaced by the weight of what was coming.
Before I started the meeting, I caught Lucy by the elbow and steered her down the hall, past the noise and curious stares, until we reached the back rooms. I pushed one open and shut the door behind us.
She stood her ground, arms crossed, eyes sparking like she was still daring me to try to cage her.
“Sorry,” I muttered, “for yelling earlier. It scared the hell out of me when you went missing, Lucy, and not a lot scares me.”
Her jaw tightened, but she didn’t flinch. “You asked me to get intel. You can’t lock me up forever, Jay. I’m not fragile. You’ve got to stop treating me like I’ll shatter if I step outside your shadow.”
For a moment, the fire in her eyes caught the steel in mine, and neither of us moved. Then I reached into my kutte, pulled the folded sheet she’d handed me, and held it out. “Rail yard, two days from now. You’re sure?”
“Positive,” she said without hesitation. “They’ll be moving heavy, but it’s their weak spot. If the club hits hard, they’ll fold.”
I studied her a beat longer then nodded once. “Alright, then that’s the plan.” My hand brushed hers when I slid the paper back. “For the record, I know you’re not fragile. That’s what scares me most.”
Her breath caught, but she didn’t look away. “Then trust me enough to stand with you, not behind you.”
Her words hung between us, sharp enough to slice, soft enough to tempt. I didn’t think, just moved. One step, then another, until her back pressed to the wall and my palm landed beside her head.
“Luce...” My voice came out rougher than I meant, low with the kind of hunger I usually kept buried. “You think I don’t trust you? I trust you more than anyone. That’s the problem. You’re the one person who could wreck me if I lose you.”
Her lips parted, the spark in her eyes shifting as heat replaced fire. She didn’t back down. She never did.
“Then stop trying to cage me,” she murmured, her breath brushing my jaw, her hand rubbing against my erection. “Stop treating me like I’m breakable and start treating me like I’m yours.”
That snapped whatever leash I had left.
I dropped to my knees before she could argue, hands at her waist, my eyes locked on hers as I snapped open the buttons of her jeans and shoved the denim down over her hips. Her sharp intake of breath hit me harder than any punch.
“Jay...” It was half a warning, half a plea.
“Don’t tell me to stop,” I interrupted, dragging the fabric down. “Not when you asked me to treat you like you’re mine.”
She braced against the wall, wide-eyed, caught between defiance and the heat already breaking across her face. My mouth found the soft skin of her thigh first, teasing, tasting untilshe trembled. When I finally pressed in closer, claiming her with every slow, deliberate stroke of my tongue through her folds, her hands flew to my shoulders, clutching hard.
Her breath came ragged, broken by gasps she couldn’t swallow. “Jay... Oh, God.”
I anchored her with my grip, refusing to let her slip away, drawing out every whimper, every shiver, until she shattered against me. Her head tipped back, her body giving in completely.
