Chapter Fifteen
Drinking a cup of coffee at midnight was always a foolish idea, but Toni was exhausted to the point of blurry vision. And she needed not to be.
No matter what time he rolled in, she planned to be awake when Zach returned home. Something had transpired earlier in the day, something that scared the fuck out of a tough group of men who were usually the ones scaring the fuck out of others.
When Zach had been a no show around the time the sun was setting her concern turned to full-on worry. Even though she didn’t have any right to inquire about Zach’s business, she’d called Shell in the hopes of at least learning if he was okay.
All her friend had been able to do was ratchet the worry up another notch with her own anxiety. Both of them had bikers follow them home from the diner. Then, Copper had called Shell and told her to stay put with Beth until she heard from him again. The call had been hours ago.
So that left Toni sitting outside in the rocking chair for three hours with her mug of coffee, in a slightly stalkerish manner. The porch lights were off in the hopes that Zach wouldn’t notice her watching out for him. She just needed to know when he arrived home and that he was safe.
And every one of those one hundred and eighty-four minutes was spent trying to think about anything other than why she cared so much. Cared to the point she couldn’t stop her knee from bouncing and her stomach from churning with apprehension.
Twenty minutes and a fresh cup of coffee later, headlights popped up in the distance. A caravan of two single lights followed by a double traveled down the road toward her. Two bikes and a car. Toni straightened as they drew near and slowed.
One of the bikes turned into Zach’s driveway while an SUV and the other motorcycle rode the extra few feet to her property. Before her mind had a chance to process what was happening, she shot to her feet and started down the walkway toward the vehicles.
A man climbed off the bike and removed his helmet. As he came into clearer view, Toni’s steps faltered. She’d assumed it would be Zach. But it wasn’t. It was the really severe, unsmiling man who hadn’t spoken but two words to her when Zach introduced them at the bonfire. Rocket, if she recalled correctly.
“Is Zach okay?” she asked. No point in social pleasantries. She wanted one thing from the man in front of her and it was to learn about Zach.
“In the car.” Rocket jerked a thumb in the direction of the car.
Zach sat in the passenger seat, staring out the window with a vacant expression.
“That didn’t answer my question.” The temperature had dropped over the past few hours, and Toni now regretted the denim shorts and thin T-shirt that read Sunny with a Chance of Wine. She crossed her arms over her chest feeling somewhat naked under Rocket’s assessing gaze.
Instead of talking, he focused on observing and seemed to see so much.
“Shit day,” he said.
Guess that was all she was gonna get out of Rocket. Whoever was in the driver’s seat spoke to Zach and he blinked as if just realizing the car was no longer in motion. With a nod for the driver, he opened the door and climbed out, stumbling before he got his footing.
“Is he drunk?” she asked without taking her eyes off the man whose blue eyes were devoid of their usual verve for life.
“Nah, not really. Just exhausted. He needs to sleep. He won’t hurt you.”
“What? No. I wasn’t worried about that. I know he won’t. I’m just concerned for him.”
As Zach closed the distance between them, Toni gasped and rushed forward. “What the hell happened to your hands?” She lifted one large hand and stared in horror at the ravaged knuckles. The skin resembled meat fresh out of a grinder.
“Picked the wrong opponent.” His voice was so flat, so dead, a prickle of fear coasted up her spine. This was a man in pain. Suffering. “Way too tall and hard for me to beat.”
Her face screwed up and she looked to Rocket. What on earth was Zach talking about?
“Tree,” was all he said.
A tree? Zach had attacked a tree? In all the time she spent with him, she’d never seen him lose his cool. Sure, he was the enforcer for an MC, so she was well aware he had a capacity for violence, but she always imagined it was meticulous, calculated. Pounding a tree until he decimated his knuckles was an act based purely on out of control emotion.
Whatever happened that day had devastated him. He needed care, softness, and she could give that to him. She could put her reservations about men like him on hold for one night to care for him.
“Come on inside,” she said.
He stared at her for a moment, then nodded and trudged toward the house.
With a heavy heart, Toni gave Rocket a sad smile. “Thanks for bringing him here.”
He scratched at the dark stubble covering his square jaw. “Take good care of my boy. Be gentle with him.”
His message seemed to have a deeper meaning than just being gentle as she doctored his wounds, but she wasn’t in the mood to decipher riddles. As it was, those were more words than he’d strung together in the two times she’d met him.
“Will do.”
Without further discussion, he returned to his bike and followed the car down the drive. The second biker must have been returning Zach’s bike because he deposited the motorcycle in Zach’s garage then took his place in the passenger’s seat of the car. Probably not the easiest to ride a motorcycle with hands that were falling apart.
Face expressionless, he waited for her on the porch. “Didn’t want to bleed all over your door,” he said raising his bloody right hand as though she’d forgotten.
“No worries. I’ll get the door.” When she reached the top of the three steps leading to the house, she grabbed her recently poured mug of coffee. The porcelain was still warm to the touch, so the coffee would be as well.
“Here,” she said taking extra care with him as she placed the cup in his hand. “Drink it. It will help sober you the rest of the way up. Hope you like it sweet.”
She opened the door and moved to let him pass. Once he was in her home, she wrapped an arm around his waist and guided him to the bathroom. “Sit.” She pointed to the closed toilet lid.
Listening to her for once, he sat. “Ugh, shit.” He spat a sip of coffee back into the mug. “That’s fuckin’ sweet.”
Her lips quirked. “I warned you. Drink it anyway.”
He grunted then sipped again, swallowing this time.
While he choked down the coffee, Toni rummaged through the cabinet under her bathroom sink for first aid supplies. There wasn’t much, but at least she found some antibiotic cream and bandages. She also grabbed a wash cloth and an empty basin.
Zach’s gaze never strayed from her, heating her skin with its intensity. So many thoughts swirled through her head. The situation was so far out of her normal, she had no idea how to proceed. Did she ask him what happened? Should she play it off and act as normal as possible? How the hell was someone supposed to know what to do when a sexy outlaw biker ended up in their bathroom injured and distraught in the middle of the night? Why was there no precedent for that?
Oh, because things like that never happened.
After she’d filled the basin with warm, soapy water, she placed it on the countertop next to the sink. Taking the wet cloth, she moved over to Zach. Without her asking, he widened his legs and let her move in close.
The second she stepped between his spread thighs, she realized her mistake. He may have been injured, and his head may have been fucked up at the moment, but he was no less potent. In fact, his slightly vulnerable state only drew her more. Playing on every caring, nurturing, feminine instinct she possessed.
And then there was the heat; his body radiated it. And the scent; woodsy, fresh, masculine. And of course, the arms; muscled, inked, and so close they could wrap around her with ease. But worst of all was the fact that his head was now breast-height. If he wanted, all he had to do was lean forward and capture her aching nipple in his mouth. Her thin T-shirt and even thinner lace bra did nothing to hide the effect he was having on her.
She could ignore the pull to him. The pheromones. The chemistry. The need. Hell, she’d been ignoring those things for years. This was no different.
Except it was. Everything about this was different because he wasn’t trying to get in her pants. He wasn’t flirting, joking, flashing her that panty-melting grin. He was just himself. Completely open and at her mercy.
Straightening her spine, she did her best to pretend she wasn’t more turned on in that moment than she’d ever been with Chris or even her boyfriend before him. She lifted one of Zach’s ragged hands and inspected it from all angles. Geez, it was a mess. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
He shrugged. “It’s inevitable. And it needs to be cleaned. Don’t worry about it.”
She turned the hand over until the palm was facing up and began to scrub the dried blood off the intact skin. With just a few swipes, the wash cloth was red and needing to be rinsed. She submerged it and couldn’t help but shudder as the water in the basin grew pink.
Despite the mangled knuckles, his hands felt as strong as they ever did. Once his palm was clean, Toni had the insane urge to lift the hand and hold his palm to her aching breast. Instead, she bent forward and pressed a kiss to the clean skin.
Zach’s sharp inhale had her lifting her head until their gazes me. They stared at each other, the connection so strong she couldn’t break it.
Finally, Zach cleared his throat, popping the bubble of intimacy. “Thanks for this,” he said.
“It’s nothing.” She blinked, then resumed her task. When all of the unmarred skin on both hands was free of dried blood, she had no choice but to move to the wounds.
As gently as she possibly could, she pressed the wet cloth to the torn knuckles. A sharp hiss shot out of Zach’s mouth and made her jump. “I’m sorry,” she said pulling back. The thought of causing him further pain made her want to weep.
“It’s fine. Just finish it.” No longer detached, his voice held the pain he couldn’t mask.
She got back to work and washed the cuts quickly. When she was satisfied both hands were clean, she dabbed on the antibiotic cream then wrapped the bandages around his battered knuckles. Thankfully, it was just the knuckles, the rest of his hands and fingers were intact.
“There,” she said tossing an extra bandage in the sink. “I think that will hold.”
“Thanks.”
That would have been the perfect time to step back. To put some space between them and remind herself of the reasons she didn’t jump into bed with bad boy bikers. Instead, she said, “If you want to talk abo—”
He gripped her hips in each of his wrapped hands, hauling her even closer as he dropped his head to her stomach.
For about thirty seconds, she stood statue still, frozen with shock. Toni’s mouth opened and closed as she fought for words and her arms hovered in the air. Slowly, she lowered her arms until one hand was on Zach’s head and the other dangled limply at her side. The golden strands of his hair were so soft, she couldn’t help but sift her fingers through them.
He groaned and slid his hands from her hips, around back until he gripped her upper thighs. Or really, the lower curve of her ass. Under her shorts. Skin on skin.
And even though the bulky bandages prevented her from feeling the full effect of his hands on her, it was no less potent. No less stimulating.
Heat shot to her core, dampening her panties and making her knees wobble.
This was not good. Well it felt really good. But it was bad. So, so bad. Because she was about five seconds away from begging him to rip off her shorts and put an end to years of unsatisfying sex.
Then, it happened again. The flash of remembrance. Humiliation, loss of control, panic. All because she fell for the wrong man. Just as she was coming to her senses and was about to step out of his hold, Zach spoke.
“Maverick is missing.”
It was as though someone slammed on the brake while going eighty miles an hour. The screech of skidding tires sounded in her brain, bringing all other thoughts to a halt. “Missing? What do you mean, missing?”
“They took him.” His voice was tortured.
“Who took him?” Who in the world would be stupid enough to take an outlaw biker? How was that even possible? It wasn’t like they could lure Maverick into the back of a van with the promise of candy.
Zach shook his head, rocking it back and forth across her stomach. He tightened his grip on her ass as though afraid she’d leave. While she waited for him to continue, she stroked through his hair, hopefully bringing some sort of comfort with her touch.
“An evil motherfucker. Beat the fuck out of one of our prospects and had a couple guys snatch Mav. We have no clue where he is.” Zach choked on what sounded like a sob. “It’s my job to protect the club and my brothers from outside threats. I fucking failed Mav.”
“No.” She tugged on his head until he lifted it and met her gaze. “No, baby, you did not fail him.” Shit. Why did she call him that? His vulnerability was going to be her greatest downfall. “I’m guessing you spent the entire day working your ass off trying to find him?”
He nodded.
“That right there proves you didn’t fail him. We may not have known each other long, but I know you well enough to know you’ll do everything in your power to find him and bring him home. And you will find him. I have complete faith in you.”
“But what will they do to him before I get there?”
The anguish in his voice nearly knocked her to her knees. If she could take it away, bandage it as she’d done his hands, she would in a heartbeat. A man as powerful and strong as Zach should never feel such anguish. But this was an internal wound, so there was nothing she could do.
Except…
As his gaze bore into hers, the temperature in the bathroom seemed to rise and the air thickened. He flexed his fingers against the backs of her thighs and she whimpered. Those hands would be her undoing. Strong, rough, capable; they could bring both pleasure and pain in equal measures.
“Zach,” she whispered as he nuzzled the side of her cloth covered breast with his nose. “This is a b-bad idea.”
He pressed an open-mouthed kiss to the valley between her breasts. The wet warmth of his mouth had her imagining how amazing it would feel just a couple of inches to the left. Or right.
She needed to stop him. Fist his hair harder and pull his mouth off her.
“Probably,” he whispered, sliding one hand up to the back of her neck. “But I don’t give a fuck.” He applied pressure until she bent her head forward. Their mouths were a mere breath apart when he whispered, “I need you tonight, Toni.”
I need you tonight.
Had there ever been a woman alive able to resist that plea? Need implied so much more than want. It told her that she was vital to him. That he couldn’t make it through the night without her.
And so, as she stared into the depths of his ocean blue eyes, she had a choice to make. Take the safe road she’d been traveling on for years or jump into the abyss that promised pleasure but also had the ability to crush her into dust.
She inhaled, ignored the warning voice in her head, and…jumped.