Chapter 25
MAX
I sipped coffee on the back deck the next morning, staring out over the landscape as the sun rose above the mountains to the east. I’d needed to get out of bed—it was too tempting to take Wren again, and I knew she was sore.
Last night had been one of the best of my life. She’d given herself to me so willingly. Nothing better.
I watched the dogs sniffing their way through their territory, ever watchful as Frank hopefully unsuccessfully hunted for mice.
The door slid open behind me, and I turned to watch Wren step toward me dressed in nothing but one of my tees and panties.
I pulled her into my side, grabbing her ass as I took her mouth in what I’d intended to be a soft kiss but quickly turned out to be much more.
“You weren’t in bed,” she accused when we finally broke apart, her lips swollen and pink.
“You’re sore, and if I’d stayed, I don’t think I could have helped myself,” I admitted ruefully.
She smiled, clearly pleased. “What’s on for today?”
I shrugged. “Was hoping we could take it easy. There’s a thing at the club tonight, but we can go only if we feel like it.”
“That sounds great,” she agreed. “What are those brochures on the counter?”
“Kevin dropped by some patio door design ideas yesterday. I was waiting for you to have a look at them.”
“Me? Why?”
“So I don’t pick something you don’t like,” I replied, as though it should be obvious, and it should be.
“Max, it’s your house.” She still sounded utterly confused.
“No.” I shook my head slowly, calling for patience. “It’s our house. It became your house when you moved in, before that even.” I stepped closer to her cupping her jaw in my hands, tipping her face up to look at me. “Figured you’d know that since you let me inside you last night, since I’m the only man that has ever been there or will ever be there, and since you love me and I love the fuck out of you, that you’re mine in every sense of the word.”
I watched the pulse kick in her neck as a gorgeous blush tinged her cheeks.
“If you don’t like it here, then we can find a different place, but gotta tell you, babe, I like the space and the quiet.”
“I love it here too, Max.”
“So, you get me?” I prompted with a swat to her backside.
“I get you,” she replied with a gorgeous smile.
I grinned, knowing I smiled so much more often now that she was in my life. “Great. Now, will you please go pick some doors? I hate doing that shit,” I grumbled.
“Bossy,” she muttered without ire.
“Your cross to bear, sweetheart.”
****
When we walked into the club later that night, hand in hand, Wren was almost immediately pulled away by Ginnie, X’s woman, chattering something about the salon.
With her purple hair and sleeve of tattoos, Ginnie had never been afraid to stand out or to speak up. She and X were perfect together.
I watched Wren go, eyeing her delicious ass I’d sunk my teeth in the night before, the memory the only perk of her walking away from me.
“Max, wasn’t sure you’d make it out,” X goaded as he handed me a beer.
“A warm, soft woman or you assholes? It was a tough choice.” I snorted.
He grinned, clinking his beer with mine. “I know exactly what you mean,” he replied, his eyes on Ginnie.
“Mad around?” I asked, surveying the room packed with club members, old ladies, and a few cherries.
“Out back. Scar made her ribs, so I was just headed that way.” X tilted his head toward the back patio where a fire pit was lit and the barbeque was getting a workout. Cole’s wife, Scarlet, made the best damn ribs I’d ever had. But that wasn’t what I was focused on tonight.
That source of Mad’s had been bothering me ever since the attack at my house. I wanted to know who it was to make sure we didn’t get caught with our pants down again.
“There aren’t many left,” Maddox said by way of greeting as he mowed through the last rib on his plate.
“I’m good,” I declined. “I wanted to talk to you.”
Sensing my mood, he stood up straighter, dropping the rib on his plate. “What about?”
“Your source,” I replied. “Bad information almost got my woman snatched. I want to know who it is.”
He cocked his head to the side, his gray eyes assessing me. “No.”
“No?” I demanded as X and Gunner joined our tense discussion.
“What’s going on?” Gun asked.
“I want to know who Mad’s source is,” I told him.
Mad sighed, running a hand over his whiskers. “Listen, I understand why you’d be pissed.” He was clearly trying to diffuse the situation. “But that information? It had nothing to do with my source. She was fed wrong information herself.”
“It’s a she?” I demanded, incredulously.
Maddox winced. Clearly, he hadn’t meant to share that piece of information. “Fuck. Yes, it’s a she,” he acknowledged. “And she’s risking her ass telling me anything. All her intel up until now has been good. I promised I’d protect her identity, even from you, and I intend to keep that promise.”
I cocked my head to the side, studying my friend. “You have feelings for this woman?”
He looked torn as to how to respond. “It’s complicated.”
“Isn’t it always?” Gunner snorted.
Mad eyed me steadily. “My feelings have nothing to do with her intentions, which I know are pure. I trust her, Max. I need you to take my word on it. I’m not telling you who she is.”
“Fine,” I agreed after a pause. The truth was, I trusted Maddox implicitly. Though that wouldn’t stop me from digging deeper the next time we got intel.
“Thank you,” he replied seriously.
“Phew, now that’s over, let’s have a fucking drink, yeah?” Gunner chortled, always the first to try to lighten the mood.
“Yeah,” I agreed as Wren slipped under my arm. Instantly, my mood lightened. “Hi, babe. What are you girls up to?”
“Not much. I’m going to spend part of the morning at the salon with Ginnie and Grace tomorrow,” she shared as Ginnie sidled up to X, and he promptly pulled her in close.
I looked at my girl, not eager to have anything change about her appearance. “What are you doing at the salon?”
“Don’t worry. You’ll like whatever we do.” Ginnie tried to reassure me with a wink.
“You don’t need to change anything. You’re perfect,” I mumbled grumpily.
Wren laughed a bit uncomfortably. “I’m glad you think so.”
I knew so but sensed I’d embarrass her if I pressed the subject. “We’ll need to get a man on you. I have shit to do for a few hours in the morning, but I can take over in the afternoon.”
“I can do it,” X offered. I wasn’t surprised; it would give him an excuse to be close to Ginnie, even if that meant hanging around the salon.
“Okay, well now that the babysitters are lined up, we can live our lives,” Wren mumbled.
I kissed her temple. “It’s temporary, babe. Not that I won’t always want to follow you around,” I added.
I was only partially kidding.
“I know.” She sighed. “I just hate feeling like a burden.”
“It’s not a problem,” X was quick to assure her, and I shot him a grateful look. “I need to get my tips frosted anyway,” he added, pointing to his bald head.
Ginnie rolled her eyes with a grin. “Yeah, babe. While we’re at it, we’ll get in that time machine and go back to when that was actually cool.”
“And to when you had hair,” Cash put in with a grin.
“Fuck off,” X rumbled without malice, grabbing the last of the ribs, the ultimate revenge.