I hate violence…and yet…
Knox is doing the things other people can’t or won’t do to keep others safe. I don’t know who he is protecting most. Me. Or Jackal. But I don’t think it matters.
Something strange twists low in my stomach. The first time I saw Knox hurt someone, fear had rifled through me. I was probably only nineteen when I cycled by the clubhouse and saw Knox beat a man in the lot.
But now, I feel something else entirely.
I hate that it feels a lot like pride.
I hate that it feels like safety, because I shouldn’t need his protection.
I love that he would do this…for me.
Knox looks up and his eyes meet mine. For a second, the entire world seems to pause.
North follows his line of sight, then leans to Knox and whispers something to him.
Knox tips his chin in my direction. There’s nothing optional about the gesture. I wonder what it means for me, that I’m a witness to this. Will images of Pax on the floor stick with me forever?
The thought flickers through my mind as I respond to his beckon.
North glances between us, then grins like he knows exactly what Knox intends to do. Every other set of eyes turns to face me as I descend the stairs. Eight hardened bikers staring at me from beneath the harsh lights.
I should be terrified.
Instead, I’m hideously turned on. I feel alive in my own skin, for once. Like I’m taking control of my destiny, for a change. And I feel safe, because Knox is close by.
Knox watches me expectantly, and for some reason, I don’t want to do anything to let him down. I want to be the woman who can withstand this.
The one who is willing to walk through fire to make him happy.
Pax groans as he regains consciousness. Vandal steps forward and kicks him beneath the jaw, sending him back to the concrete and unconsciousness.
Even the wanton act of violence can’t stop the need to jump Knox where he stands, blood be damned.
When Knox reaches for me, he doesn’t speak right away. His gaze moves over my face, searching for something. Then, the corner of his mouth lifts. “You couldn’t stay put, huh?”
I shake my head. “I didn’t want to be trapped in that room if anything happened to you.”
His hand closes around my wrist. “We’ll have conversations about you doing what I say, later, but I think it’s time I formally introduced you to my brotherhood.”
Knox pulls me gently but firmly into the circle of men, into his space, positioning me in front of him like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
His body presses against my back, solid and steady. One of his arms slips around me, his hand settling so his finger and thumb cup the underside of my breast.
The other hand comes up slowly, his fingers curling loosely around my neck, his thumb brushing along my jaw in a move so protective and possessive, I feel the same kind of intensity that fills me when an orgasm starts to build.
The men around us go completely still.
“Y’all know I don’t repeat myself,” Knox says finally. “But this is Maren Caldwell, and she’s under my protection because she’s mine. And before any of you decide you’ve got an opinion about that, I want to remind you of something.” He pauses, and I feel the inhale of breath and the tightening of his arms around me. “In all the years I have been president of this club, I’ve never made the wrong call.”
The statement should be arrogant, and yet, somehow, I can believe it.
A couple of the men look at one another, but no one argues. I know these faces; I’ve grown up in a small town with them and their leather patches. But there’s a weird feeling of power in standing here. Of being claimed. Of someone wanting mein spiteof the consequences.
“I hid out at Maren’s during the storm. I saw those two men attacking her, but they got away before I could chase them.” He tilts my head where my bruise and grazes are still visible. “Icarried her to safety, and we knew it was too late for me to go anywhere else in the hurricane. More than that, I wanted to stay. There’s no endgame, no ulterior motive. I’m not fucking her so I can break her heart. You respect her the way you respect me. You do that, the rest of the men will follow.”
“It’s a big ask, Prez,” Havoc says.
