Kace moves over to the edge of the bed and sits down next to me, his thigh touches mine and that all too familiar spark shoots through me. Even though I feel like a part of me is dying right now, the energy that Kace and I share keeps my heart thumping.

He looks me deeply in the eyes and sighs. “I know this is hard. I’m so sorry I brought all of this on you. If I had my time over, I would have left you alone. Kept you out of this. Stopped you from being in my world. Then you would be safe from everything. Then you would be—”

I reach up placing my hand on his cheek and shake my head interrupting him. “No, as much as I hate this, as much as living like this makes me feel like I’m losing myself, you’re the only good thing in my life, Kace. Without you, I don’t even know where I would be right now.”

He sighs exasperated and looks down. “Safe.”

“Maybe, but you think my life before you was great? It wasn’t, Kace. Sure I had a great job, but my boss was a prick. Sure I had Molly, but she’s here now, too. Yes, I don’t have my family, but these people, your team, they’re like family until I can get back to mine. It’s not so bad, I just have to remember that when I’m drowning in all the other stuff.”

He looks back up into my eyes, his are droopy and sad. “I’m still unhappy you’re going through all of this… you, Molly, Liam, your parents… none of you should be dragged into my family mess.”

“Hey, your family’s my family, right? We’re in this together, Kace. You and me, the whole way, till the end.”

Kace purses his lips and nods. His hand comes up smoothing some hair behind my ear and I lean my cheek into his palm. He inches closer, the mint on his breath an intoxicating reminder of all things Kace. I lean forward running my hand up his strong bicep and into his hair pulling him in. Our lips crash together, needing the comfort of each other as we kiss frantically. My heart starts to race a little quicker.

Today has been chaotic and maybe some relief from the tension is just what the doctor ordered. My hand runs down to the bottom of his shirt, and I lift it up and yank it over his sculptured abs. He lifts his arms up helping me ease the shirt off and I throw it to the floor showing me how dirty, sweaty and bruised he is from today’s attack.

Pulling my lips from his, I chew on my bottom lip and glance down to his body where red marks line his chest and bruises brand his skin like well-worn armor. Looking closely at the mark where the bruising is still clearly visible from where the bullet hit the vest when Luca shot him not that long ago, I exhale and run my fingers along all the marks and shake my head as he sighs.

“I’m fine, honestly.”

“What happened?”

“I was caught in a blast and it knocked me into the scrub onto some logs. Really Lily, I promise, I’ve had much worse,” he says.

“I hate that my brothers did this to you.”

His hand comes up caressing my cheek again soothing away my tension. “Hey, they may have the same blood, but that doesn’t make them your brothers by the definition of the word. They’re not like Liam.”

I look up at him and weakly smile with a nod then stand from the bed. He raises an eyebrow at me as I grab his hand and pull him with me. “C’mon.”

“Where are we going?” he asks with a slight chuckle in his voice.

“To wash off the shit of today,” I say and head toward the adjoining bathroom. He walks with me into the small stylish room. It has the necessities—a toilet, a sink and a shower.

I turn to Kace and pull on his jeans, undoing his buttons. He smiles and lets me undress him. As I pull down on his jeans and boxer briefs he stops me. He won’t let me bend down because of my knee, so he takes them off along with his shoes and then moves in running his hands up and down my arms gently soothing me.

Seeing him standing here in front of me completely naked is having a crazy effect on me. My aim is to ultimately get clean, but all I want to do in the shower is get very, very dirty with him. Smiling at that thought, I chew on my bottom lip as he pulls my top over my head and leans in kissing my collarbone. A gasp leaves my lips as my body sags, needing him to keep touching me. His hands move to my yoga pants and he slides them off with ease along with my panties and shoes as I hobble on the spot. My knee is swollen from today’s excessive forced exercise, but I know Kace will help me.

“Get in,” he says in a low gravelly voice that makes my insides quiver with need. I smirk and turn, opening the shower door and limp in. He follows me and flicks on the water. The alcove is big enough for me to stand out of the way while the water comes to temperature. Kace steps up to me pushing me back against the wall. His hands come out either side of the wall encasing me in, and I swallow hard looking at the intense look of lust in his eyes.

I love it, it makes me burn hot for him and I clench my thighs together tight trying to dull the ache. He moves in kissing me hard. My hands run up his muscular back as the heavy thumping of the water pummels down his back. The steam rises up through the alcove making everything damp as Kace pushes his body against mine.

His hard cock presses against me as our tongues dance together. His hand moves to my face, caressing it gently while the other moves to my hip gripping it a little firmer. His fingers dig into my skin letting me know he’s feeling the need inside him too. My nails clench into the muscles of his back as I rock my hips into him and moan slightly into his mouth.

He quickly pulls back taking me with him as we move underneath the water. Our faces are out of the stream, but our bodies are being pummeled by the harshness of the piping hot water. That mixed with the intensity of our sensitive skin is making me feel even more aroused. His hand on my hip moves to my ass and he clenches my cheek tightly as he pulls me closer to him. His cock grinds into me and I kiss him harder and with even more passion. I know he wants this. I want it too. The need to be together is beyond any measure. We need to show our love for each other as he shifts his hand around from my ass, down my thigh and back up the front. I part my legs slightly, knowing what he wants as I pant hard through my nose.

His finger reaches its destination and presses hard on my clit. My head falls back with a deep moan as his mouth connects with my throat kissing, nipping and sucking as his hand sweeps to my back basically holding onto me, keeping me steady, in case my legs buckle. Clenching my eyes shut, I let the feeling engulf me, possess me.

I’ve spent so long running from shadows and worrying about life, not living in the moment that I’ve forgotten to feel. Well, I’m feeling right now and the pleasure Kace is giving me is breathtaking.

He rotates and presses firmly again on my clit working me up quickly. He knows my body so well, just the right pressure, just the right spots. He is a magician with his fingers and he’s performing a spell over me right now. I feel as though I’m floating. My back arches while bolts of energy flow over my skin, sending me straight into ecstasy.

“Kace,” I cry out as my mouth goes dry and my breath becomes erratic. The force hits me hard and my knees begin to buckle. He pushes me harder against the wall and moves his weight against me so I don’t fall. His mouth connects with mine quickly, taking me hard as he kisses me forcefully. My hands wrap around his neck as he shifts my injured leg and lifts it up around his waist. He angles himself and swiftly thrusts up inside of me stretching me completely.

I groan into his mouth as the pleasure hits. Kace being inside of me is always the best feeling in the world. Him doing it in a slightly dominant way—even better. One hand goes under my thigh to support it, the other grabs my opposite hand pinning it to the wall beside my head as he continues to thrust. We both moan into each other’s mouths as he moves inside of me. Our tongues against each other’s while we drive together in a blissful harmony.

This now is an in-between state, not quite hard fucking, not quite gentle love making. It’s a nice plateau in the middle. Our bodies shifting together, causing friction, a delightful pressure building, enveloping my senses. His hand moves from my wrist against the wall to my cheek, caressing me tenderly showing more of his affectionate rather than dominant side.

Kace thrusts up inside me deeper as we both moan together working to strive for utter bliss. His thumb gently strokes along my cheek, his fingers holding firm on my jaw letting me know how much he cares for me. My nails dig into his shoulder blades as I ride out the pleasure. Kace’s thick, throbbing cock thrusting inside of me, deeper and deeper hitting just the right spots as he pounds into me against the wall.

The steam from the water, plus the heat from the temperature is making it so hot that sweat blisters on my skin and trickles down my temple. He’s worshiping my body in the best way possible as heat fills and radiates inside me too.

I gasp breaking the kiss from his lips needing some air. My head falls back onto the wall as his mouth rushes down my neck, his teeth graze along my skin as his tongue darts out trailing up some droplets of water as he continues to move inside of me. He’s being attentive and loving, and making sure to show me how much he adores me by taking his time with me. Especially after today.

His tongue trails up my neck and along my jaw, and his teeth graze up as he nips my earlobe sending a flutter straight down my side and between my legs. I moan while continuing to move with him, my nails digging further into his skin. He groans, biting slightly harder, not painfully but just enough to send another flutter straight to my clit and immediately a flash of heat flushes right through me.

My eyes scrunch together as flashes of light blast behind my eyes. He thrusts up and it’s all I need to send me off again. My back arches and I feel like I’m floating, my body quivers, every muscle tensing and tightening. He thrusts again hitting just the right spot every time.

“Oh God, Kace,” I call out as the explosion hits. It’s like a million volts flooding through my veins. It’s like it’s the goddamned Fourth of July, and I’m the fuse, but he’s the spark and everything’s just gone off with the biggest of bangs.

I pant trying to catch my breath while I ride out my orgasm and Kace continues to move inside of me. My pussy is clenching around his cock and he groans as he thrusts striving for his own release.

I gather my bearings and bring my face back in line with his, looking him in the eyes. Mine are lazy and lust filled, but I look at him with nothing but adoration as I move with him. Our eyes stay connected the entire time, watching, taking in each other’s pleasure filled faces. His face contorts slightly and I lean in closer to make sure not to shift my gaze. “I love you,” I whisper, and he groans as his cock twitches inside of me and he explodes coming hard. His forehead meets mine as he pushes me back against the wall hard riding out his orgasm. He pants and slows his movements, but doesn’t take his eyes from mine, not for one single second.

“I fucking love you, too, Lily. You’re everything… everything,” he says, and just like that I feel completely alive again.

 

 

After showering and getting ourselves cleaned up, Kace had to go out and talk shop with the guys. So now I’m sitting at the club bar with Molly and Jinx. She seems lovely, really down to earth, and a mothering type. She reminds me of Max from the rehabilitation center, but a womanly version.

“So Jinx, you live in a biker club… that’s gotta come with a dangerous lifestyle, right?” Molly asks.

Jinx smiles and takes in a deep breath sitting back in her chair. “Sure, living with a bunch of bikers might be a little dangerous, but I tell you what, they have my back. These guys… they’d protect me no matter what, they’d lay down their life for me no matter the circumstance. That makes me feel safer than being out in the ‘real world.’” She moves her fingers using air quotes when saying the last two words.

“But, how can you trust them? I mean, look at that guy there...” Molly says, and I open my eyes wide to her as she points to a guy who has clearly taken a long time to grow a mullet and a well-maintained mustache that seems too big for his face. Plus, he does appear quite dirty.

Jinx chuckles and shakes her head. “Who? Rat? He’s harmless. Honestly, ladies, the importance of trust and loyalty in this place goes a long way. Knowing that your man and his brothers will protect you is a wonderful thing.”

“Relying on a man makes women weak,” Molly jabs and I furrow my brows at her.

Jinx chuckles and shakes her head. “Molly sweetheart, you don’t have a man to protect you so I understand why you feel that way. But letting a man protect you and take charge makes them feel like they’re doing their job. It keeps them in the right frame of mind, it keeps you safe, but it certainly doesn’t mean you’re weak because you’re letting them take charge either. You have to be strong. He needs to know you’re behind him one hundred percent because if you break down then he’ll worry about you, and that’s when it’s dangerous for the both of you…” Her eyes flicker with some untold story. “Letting a man take charge does not mean you’re weak. Oh no… not at all. It means you’re supporting him. It takes just as much courage to support him as it does to take charge. Women can lead too, don’t get me wrong. I’m all for empowerment, but sometimes a strong man is only well built by the foundations of a stronger woman holding him up. We gotta keep them strong. And by doing that it keeps everyone strong.”

I gnaw on my bottom lip. I know Jinx is looking at Molly while she’s talking, but I can’t help but feel like she’s directing this little speech at me. She knows this applies to Kace and me. Maybe she knows I’m struggling. Maybe she knows I needed a pep talk. Who knows? All I know is I really like Jinx, and maybe staying at the Malice MC might not be such a bad thing after all.

“Don’t you ever just want to walk away?” Molly asks and instantly I want to slap her mouth shut.

“If you really love someone, you never take the easy way out,” Jinx replies.

I take a deep breath feeling like this is more about me than even Molly is letting on.

“You’re right. I need to just suck it up and stand by Kace,” I say probably louder than I should. Rat and some other club members turn to look at me raising their eyebrows.

Jinx smirks as Molly jolts her head back in shock.

“I ah… think we all need a drink,” Jinx says slapping her hand on the bar.

A club member with a prospect badge on his cut looks up. He nods with a wide smile, then glances toward Molly giving her a sly wink. She tries to hide her smile as he hands us each a bottle of beer.

Three bottles of beer later, Luca and Noah stride in. Noah walks into the room, looks at Molly and throws her a subtle wink causing her cheeks to flush a crimson red.

She didn’t flush when the prospect winked at her. What the hell?

Luca waltzes over to us, snatches my beer and throws back its entire contents. It doesn’t seem to satisfy him, the tension mounts on his face. I’m feeling a little buzzed from my three bottles of beer as Luca looks to me and raises an eyebrow.

“How are you holding up?” Luca asks.

“Why the frown, Mister Brown?” I ask with a giggle.

“That’s not my name,” he replies.

Furrowing my brows, I tilt my head wondering why I never thought to ask Luca’s last name. “What is your last name?”

“Devereaux,” he answers with a weak smile.

I stare at him blankly and shake my head. “What the hell am I meant to rhyme with Devereaux?”

Molly bounces up and down with her hand in the air and I giggle as Luca rolls his eyes. “Oh, God… go on then, do tell.”

“Devereaux is a ho,” Molly calls out loudly making me burst with laughter as I high five her.

Luca smirks looking to the empty beer bottles on the counter. “How much have you girls had to drink?”

Molly tips her drink toward him. “If you were really a secret agent, you should already know the answer to that question.”

Luca leans against the bar casually and nods. “Okay, I’ll give it a go.” He puts his fingers up to Molly’s temple and narrows his eyes like he’s concentrating hard. “Three each, but Jinx has had a few more.”

Molly stares at him in awe. “Whoa… that’s freaky. How did you do that?”

“I counted the bottles on the bar.” Then he winks and turns walking away as Jinx and I laugh hysterically while Molly folds her arms over her chest and huffs like she’s seriously unimpressed.

“He’s never gonna change that boy,” Jinx says shaking her head.

“How long have you known the SO7?” I ask.

She smiles. “Years.”

“I don’t get it. If these guys are meant to be so undercover and shit. How do you know about them and who they are?”

“Falcon was a member of The Agency after he was discharged from the Air Force. My brother got in too deep with the mafia. Falc went in undercover to try and gain some information and met my brother. We were introduced and the connection was instant. But when Falc finally got the chance to get him out of the shithole he’d dug himself into, the mafia had already decided his time was up.”

I shake my head suddenly sobering up. “Shit! I’m so sorry.”

Jinx shakes her head and shrugs. “He dug his own hole and it got him killed.”

“So Falc left The Agency?”

Jinx smiles fondly. “He was given a choice. Stay in The Agency or leave for love. So he left for me, but still continued to do side work for The Agency as a contractor.”

“So how does the MC come into all of this?” Molly asks.

“Falc created the club for guys… for guys like him. Guys who’d left the military and missed the brotherhood, the comradery, and found themselves struggling to fit back into civilian life. The MC only takes members who have served in some way.”

Opening my eyes wide, I gasp, a little shocked at this new information. I was scared of these people and now I find out who they really are, maybe they really aren’t bad at all?

“Is the club on the right side of the law?”

Jinx smirks. “For the most part. These men have skills that sometimes need to be utilized. It would be a shame to let them go to waste.”

Pulling back into myself slightly, I decide not to ask what exactly that means, or to ask any more questions that I don’t actually want to know the answers to. The secrets I already have weigh heavily on my soul, so it’s for the best if I’m in the dark.

Maybe the dark is the best place to be after all…