Then I push him back and smile at the wild energy radiating off him.
I watch him walk through the main room, giving a nod to Mac as he claps him on the back, and returning a wave to Trip before he disappears down the hall, that fine fucking ass teasing me the entire way.
Then I turn to Kurt, who’s watching me from the bar.
“Please tell me you didn’t bring him with you,” he says as I approach him.
“Ok, I won’t,” I say, taking the beer Caz hands me.
“For fuck’s sake, Alder.” Kurt drags a hand down his face, but lets it go with a breath. “Any trouble?”
I shake my head and take a long drink. “Nope. He’s in the old quarry near Stanley.”
Kurt nods slowly. “Good. Everything else is covered. Donnie was seen at the station all night, working on a case he has. And I had some of the guys out on repo and others in the garage.” He glances over at Mac, Trip, Rex, and Cory on the couches. “All of your names are on work orders tonight, so with that and repo receipts, everyone in the club is accounted for on club business.”
“Perfect.” I take another drink, then set the bottle down and slowly spin it with my fingers. “Sons own the guns.”
Kurt lets out a slow breath. “Fuck.”
“Yeah,” I sigh.
And much as I want to rip into him for not moving ahead sooner with my plan and staying out of guns completely, I keep it to myself for now. I don’t have it in me to get into it tonight, and I have better things to do.
I take one more swig of my beer, then set it on the bar and make my way straight for my room, ignoring Mac’s call behind me to take good care of Cade.
Oh, I fucking will.
I push the door open just as the shower cuts off behind the bathroom door. I sit on the edge of the bed with my elbows on my knees, and wait for Cade to come out.
And when he does, with his bare chest glistening, a towel riding low on his hips, his hair a damp mess over his forehead, everything I’ve been holding onto since yesterday just fades into the background.
The stress of finding the rat, and knowing what I had to do, was eating away at me. And now that it’s handled, the next problem is already clawing at my skin and begging for attention. I need to convince my club to think bigger than they ever have, and pull them into something more than scraps and survival, and keep the Dominion Sons the fuck out of New Brunswick. I need to protect the club and our home.
And I think I also need to protect Cade from himself.
But right now, looking at his bright eyes and the way he’s holding himself like he has meaning and purpose in this world… I just need him.
I hold out my hand, and he steps forward to take it. He lets me pull him down onto my lap, so he straddles my hips, and I close my eyes and breathe him in. He’s still warm from the shower, and his skin is damp under my hands as I run them up his back.
His fingers slip into my hair, and I exhale as I let him lift the last bit of weight from my shoulders so I can breathe again.
Then his hands shift to slide under the shoulders of my cut, and he shoves it down my arms. I shrug out of it, watching as his gaze travels over the holster beneath. His fingers slip under the straps, and he slides them down my arms until he’s holding the gun in his hands, staring down at it.
And worry starts to creep in.
I saw the way he stared at Henry’s body with wide eyes, like he was floating outside of himself and couldn’t even move.
But I also saw the way he looked at me, and camealivein my grasp, giving me something to hold on to when I needed it, just as much as he did.
He lifts his eyes to meet mine, and I look into them, searching for anything that might tell me he’s not on board with this life. That the ugliest parts of it are too much for him, and that he’ll see death every night when he closes his eyes… and blame me for it.
But it’s not there.
Instead, I see acceptance, understanding, and… excitement.
And maybe that’s worse. I don’t know… but I also can’t bring myself to care too much right now. Because it’s a look I haven’t seen on him before, and it’s one I fucking love.
I pull him into a fierce kiss, and he melts into me, letting me take everything I need from him. My hands trail up his bare back as I take in the feeling of his skin, and the way his tongue slides against mine, and I can’t fucking get enough of this man.
