Chapter 16

Emma

“Rebel?” I say cautiously. “What’s going on here?” Ari stands beside me, speechless. She and I both stare at the half-naked woman standing in the middle of the living room. She’s stunningly beautiful, with long red hair sexily draped around her shoulders; perky, creamy white breasts; and legs that go on forever. All she wears are black lacy panties. Even I’m jealous of her, and I have no interest in Rebel in that way. Rebel is standing there shirtless and barefoot, wearing only a pair of sweatpants that hang low on his hips. The scene before us is not good and I can’t wait for his explanation.

But as I look at Rebel, I realize that the expression on his face is not one of a man who’s been caught doing something he shouldn’t. Rebel is a smart guy; even if he’d been stupid enough to cheat on Ari, he wouldn’t do it while Caden was in the same house. That would just be suicidal. There’d be too much risk of him getting caught and I know that Caden would kill him if he did. So that’s definitely not what’s going on here. The more I take in the situation, the more I’m convinced that it isn’t what it seems … but if Rebel doesn’t start explaining soon, or acknowledge Ari like he should, she won’t believe anything that he says.

“Ari …” Rebel says loud enough for all of us to hear and then nothing. Silence deafens the room, then Rebel finally yells, “Ciara, I fucking said to go back to bed! Now!”

The half naked girl whom which I assume is Ciara looks from Rebel to Ari with a pout. “Fine!” she stammers. As she stomps up the stairs, she yells, “Good luck explaining this one!” Her laughter fills the silence in the room.

Rebel watches her go and then turns back toward us. “What are you girls doing here?” he asks as he gestures for us to come in.

We walk through the door silently, bags in hand. It’s one of the most awkward moments of my life. It’s obvious that we’ve interrupted something, but part of me is sure that Rebel isn’t at fault. “Maybe first you should explain what we walked in on,” I say. Ari still hasn’t spoken a word, not even a hello.

Rebel looks at Ari apologetically and says, “Babe, it’s not what it looks like, I swear. I never touched her.”

Ari doesn’t say a word, but her eyes begin to well up with tears.

“Honey, maybe you and I should step outside and let these two have some privacy,” I say.

“No!” Ari says. “Stay here and hear what he’s got to say. Then, Emma, you can tell my brother all about it,” she threatens.

Rebel flinches at her words, then reaches for Ari’s arm and pulls her over to the couch. “Sit,” he says. “There’s no need to involve Ice in this. Just let me explain.”

As she sits down, she looks at her watch and says, “We’ve been here long enough. You can start explaining any time, Rebel. I’m not going anywhere.” She crosses her arms and adds, “Yet!”

Honey and I walk over to the two chairs across from the couch and sit down. Rebel says, “Today, we finally got a lead on my mam and da. I was pumped, anxious, and unable to sleep. So, I came downstairs to get something to eat. Ciara came down after me.”

“Why is she even here in the middle of the night?” Ari asks.

“She is dating my brother, Damon. I assume she was in his room.”

Ari seems to accept that reply and silently gestures for Rebel to go on. He says, “She came down half-naked and tried to get me to take her back to my room, but I refused. I never touched her and I didn’t instigate this.” He says pleadingly, “I swear!”

He waits for Ari to say something, but she remains quiet, apparently in deep thought. Then he adds, “Babe, do you really think I’d be so stupid to do something like this with your brother upstairs? He’d fucking kill me!”

Ari still doesn’t say a word, but I think his last words hit home with her. She really couldn’t argue with his last point unless she knew he had a death wish.

I can see the uncertainty in her eyes. She’s torn. She wants to believe him, but what we walked in on totally contradicts everything he said. I decide it’s time for the “big sister” to jump in. I say, “Ari?” She looks over at me. “I believe he’s telling the truth. If there’s only one thing he’s said tonight that makes perfect sense and totally backs up his story, it’s the fact that he wouldn’t be stupid enough to do this with Caden in the house.”

She looks at me and finally speaks, acting as if Rebel wasn’t even in the room. “But how do you know, Emma? How do I know I can trust him?” she asks.

“Has he ever given you any reason, ever, to mistrust him?” I say.

“No.”

“And do you think he would be stupid enough to take the risk?” I ask.

“No,” she says as she looks over at him.

“Then I think you have your answer. You need to give him the benefit of the doubt and not make assumptions about things that didn’t happen.”

Still looking at Rebel and crying silent tears, she says nothing. He pulls her into his arms and says, “Babe, I love you. I would never do anything to fuck up what we have. Ever.”

“I love you too, Rebel,” she says, hugging him back.

They hug for a few more minutes and then Rebel says, “So what the hell, ladies? What’re you doing here?”

Honey says, “That’s a long story.” Laughing, she adds, “I’ll let Emma tell you.”

I roll my eyes and think, Thanks, Honey.

Just as I prepare to tell my story, we hear someone coming down the stairs. “What the fuck is all the noise about?” Cade asks.

Oh, shit. I was hoping I’d have a little more time before he knew I was here. Nothing ever goes according to plan.

When Caden gets to the bottom of the steps, I finally get a good look at him. Like Rebel, he’s wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants hanging low on his hips. What is it with these guys and the tease of the pant line low on the hips? It makes me fucking nuts, especially on him! Taking in his beauty, I’m reminded of how magnificent he really is and that he’s all mine. It’s obvious that he hasn’t shaved since he’s been here; his facial hair has thickened. The gray that speckles his beard is damn sexy and he looks absolutely delicious. I think about his stubble against my thighs and I can feel the wetness pooling between my legs. Damn! The baby hormones are in full force right now and my only thought is to devour him. Unfortunately, that’s not possible at the moment. The hormones will have to wait. Besides, I need to deal with his wrath before I get him in bed.

“Fuck, Emma!” he says when he sees us.

“Hey, Cade,” I say meekly. I’m so ready for the shit storm that’s about to happen that I actually brace myself by holding tightly to the arms of the chair.

But instead of receiving Caden’s rage, I experience something much worse. I get the calm and collected Ice. He walks over to me and carefully pulls me up from the chair. His arm wraps around my waist as he pulls me in close. Our bodies are so close that I can actually feel his dick growing hard against me. Holy shit, he’s getting a hard-on in front of all these people and he only has a pair of loose-fitting sweatpants to hide it.

He leans in and I think he’s going to kiss me. But instead, he finally speaks. “I’m not gonna ask why you’re here. I’m not gonna ask why you’ve pulled my sister out of school and brought her with you. I’m not gonna ask why you didn’t give me so much as a notice that you were coming. But if I wasn’t so fucking happy to see you right now, I would put you over my knee and spank your ass!” His last words cause the wetness between my thighs to pool even more. He leans in closer and greedily claims my lips with his.

He releases me from the kiss, leaving me breathless in his wake. He steps back and looks me over. Then his eyes move to Ari and then Honey. Shaking his head, he turns back toward Rebel. “Did you know about this?” he asks.

“No! I’m just as surprised as you,” Rebel replies.

“You can say that again,” Ari says. At her words, everyone busts out laughing. That is, everyone but Caden, who just looks confused.

He turns back toward me and asks, “What the fuck is so funny?”

Smiling, I say, “I’ll fill you in later. It’s a long story.”

“Fine, so tell me why the fuck you’re here. Did something happen?”

“Another long story,” I reply.

“Well, is someone going to tell me what the fuck is going on here?” he says and I can feel his anger rising.

“Babe, I’m really tired. Can we go to bed now? I’ll tell you everything, just not here.” He nods grudgingly, seeming to be placated for a while. I then turn toward Rebel and ask, “Do you have room for us?”

“Of course,” Rebel replies. “Emma, you’re in with Ice, of course. Honey, your room is the first one at the top of the stairs, to the right.”

Ice walks over and grabs Honey’s bags as well as my own, and then starts to head for the stairs. Rebel grabs Ari’s and does the same. As he walks up the stairs, Caden says, “It’s been a long day and I’m sure you girls are tired. Let’s go to bed; we can talk in the morning.”

“Look, I know you’re tired, but do you mind telling me why you’re here?” Cade asks once we’re in our room.

I shake my head. “Like I said, it’s a long story and one I didn’t want to tell you over the phone.”

“Did something happen to the baby?” he asks worriedly.

“Oh, no. The baby and I are perfectly fine,” I say, reassuring him.

“Then what would bring you all the way here?” he asks, confused.

I reach into my purse and pull out the three notes, then hand them to him. “Read them in order. The first one was on my windshield the morning after you left. The second was found on our bed that same night accompanied by a red rose. The third one arrived two days later and was found on the front porch. Next to the note was a pretty basket; inside the basket was a rattlesnake.” He looks at me in shock and then looks back to the notes. He begins to read.

“Holy shit! I assume the person these notes are referring to is Grayson?” he asks.

“That’s what Hawk and I think. At first we thought it was Skid, but Hawk said that Skid wouldn’t lurk in the shadows. He would make it known that he was the one making the threats. Something about his ego.”

“Yeah, that sounds like Skid. Did Hawk have any other ideas?”

“No. He had Spike and Dbag staying with us. When the rattlesnake arrived, it became clear that whoever is doing this knew my every move. I decided that I needed to leave. I didn’t want to get the club involved in another one of my dramas and it was clear that this person was not targeting the club. They’re after you and me.”

“And Ari and Honey?” he asks. “Why are they here?”

“I didn’t intend to bring them, but they insisted they go with me. They blackmailed me, so to speak. Ari knew where you were and Honey threatened to tell Hawk everything. I knew if she did that I would not be able to leave.”

“So Hawk didn’t know you were leaving?” he asks.

“No! Hawk had no idea until ten minutes before I boarded the plane. I called him from the airport, knowing he couldn’t stop me at that point. He still tried to, though—he pulled out all the stops.”

“I see.”

“Please, Cade, don’t be mad at him. He didn’t know. This is all me. If you want to be mad at someone, take it out on me.”

“I’m not gonna take it out on anyone. I understand why you came here. But what makes me mad is that you took risks. If you would’ve called me and told me what was happening, I would’ve made arrangements for you to come.”

“I didn’t want to tell you over the phone. I knew you were busy and I knew what you were doing here was dangerous. I didn’t want you to worry until I got here.”

“Then you should have gone to Hawk with your concerns. He would’ve listened and had one of the boys travel with you. What if this person followed you?” He holds up the notes and shakes them in my face. “You didn’t think, Emma. You put yourself and my kid at risk recklessly. You ran scared.”

“I thought I was protecting the club like a good old lady. I didn’t want them to suffer because of me and Grayson anymore.”

“Emma, when are you gonna realize that the club is your family now? They don’t care how much shit you bring down on them. They don’t care about the danger. All they care about is protecting every brother and their families. Our family—it’s the most important thing to us.”

I realize that he’s right. Feeling ashamed of my actions, I say, “I’m sorry. I guess the whole extended family thing is hard to get used to. You know I’m an only child; I don’t have aunts, uncles, or cousins.” I pause and then add, “I was blinded by fear and the only thing I could think was that I needed to get to you.”

He sits down on the bed next to me and pulls me to him. For the first time in days, I finally feel safe. This is what I need. He is what I need. This is where I need to be. He will never comprehend how his presence grounds me, or how his arms around me make me feel that nobody can hurt me. I snuggle up against him while we sit there for several minutes. This is perfection in the simplest form.

Several minutes later, he releases me and gets up from the bed. Pulling me up with him, he says, “C’mon babe, let’s get some sleep.” He laughs seductively and starts to remove my clothes, saying, “I think you need to get more comfortable.”

“So you’re really happy to see me?” I say as I place my hand on his growing erection, gently stroking him through his sweats. Damn, he feels so good.

“Oh, hell yes!” he says as he moans into my neck. “And I’m about to show you how much.” He moves his hands to my hips, digging his fingers into my flesh as if he is holding on for dear life. Looking into my eyes, he reaches down to my skirt and slides his hand up along my left thigh. Traveling to the apex between my thighs, his thumb brushes against my panties and he moans when he feels the wetness that has settled on the silky fabric between my legs. A growl slips from his lips as he takes his finger and moves my panties to one side. My breath hitches as his slips his finger inside me. He nuzzles against my ear and says, “You are so fucking wet for me.” It was my turn to moan, his words lighting a fire within me that rages with desire. I need him, now!

“Caden, please,” I beg.

“What do you want, baby?” he huskily says in my ear.

Dazed with pleasure, I reply, “You.”

“You have me,” he teases. “You need to be more specific, darl’n.”

“Fuck me,” I breathe. “I want you to fuck me.” Hesitating, I add, “Now!” He doesn’t need anything more specific than that, and he quickly begins to remove my clothes. I grasp at the drawstring on his sweatpants and loosen it, urgently pushing them down to his ankles.

He removes my shirt and bra as his eyes greedily roam my body. My heart is racing from the burning heat I see in his eyes. He bends down and captures my left nipple between his lips, sucking it into his warm wet mouth. Oh God! His fingers are still working me and I can feel my orgasm building. Just as I am about to find my release, Cade bites down on my now very erect and sensitive nipple, sending the most incredible pain and pleasure sensations through my body as my orgasm lets loose and my body begins to convulse.

He doesn’t give me time to ride my pleasure out, instead turning me around and bending me over the side of the bed. He slaps my ass, hard, and then plunges himself deep inside me.

He pumps into me hard and fast, and my body is taking every bit of it. I want to scream, but I know it probably wouldn’t be a good idea in a house full of people. So instead, I murmur with each thrust, trying desperately to remain as quiet as I can. He’s close; I can feel him growing inside me and before I know it I can feel his warmth fill me. He pumps so much into me that I feel it dripping down my leg. He fucking owns me. He always has and he always will. As he catches his breath, completely spent, he leans over me and says, “God, baby, I’ve missed you.”

He pulls out of me and I am surprised to see that he is still hard. He lies down on the bed next to me and says, “Come here, baby. I need to see you cum.” I straddle his waist, but he pulls me forward until my knees are nestled on either side of his face. He lightly kisses up my inner thigh, rendering me weak with desire. I place my hands on the wall above his head to maintain some semblance of balance as his tongue slides across my clit. Oh, fuck! I desperately need to cry out, but I hold it in.

He continues to lick at our combined juices; right now, nothing else matters in this world but his warm, velvety soft tongue and what it’s doing to me. My entire body trembles as he continues to swirl his tongue over and around my clit. I begin to grind into his face, increasing the friction that he’s generating.

Just as I’m about to release again, he slides his fingers into me while his tongue continues to wreak havoc on my clit. My orgasm floods my entire body with spasm after spasm as my pussy clamps down on his fingers, milking him for more. When I can’t take any more, I move off of him and lay down on my back next to him.

“You ok, baby?” he asks.

I look over at him and smile, completely satisfied. I have no words, but I am convinced that the purr that comes from deep in my throat tells him that I’ve never been better. I inch myself closer, snuggling into his side.

We lay like that for a while until sleep finally consumes us both.