CHAPTER 20

Taz

Flick was fucking killing me. What looked suspiciously like love shone bright in her gaze as she stared up at me, but she hadn’t said the words. And I knew she wouldn’t. I had to keep my own fucking mouth shut, so I wouldn’t start begging her to fucking choose me and stay here.

Only way to shut myself up was to keep my mouth busy, so I kissed her again. Absorbing as much of her taste and scent as I could, I slid my cock deep within her again. Her channel was tight from her orgasms and rippled around me. I loved that I could take her without a condom. Before her, I’d never gone bareback, but now that I’d had Flick with no barrier, I couldn’t imagine having to put one between us. Couldn’t imagine fucking anyone else, either.

I was in so much fucking trouble, but right now I didn’t want to think about it. I had her wet and willing beneath me and I intended to take full advantage. For as long as I could.

I kept my strokes slow and steady, enjoying every fucking second of the feel of her flesh against mine. I kissed her mouth, suckled on her perfect fucking tits. And shuddered when she arched up beneath me and dug her fingernails into my shoulders.

Making love to Flick had my arousal building slowly, and I didn’t expect my climax to hit when it did. It was a sudden explosion that had me jerking inside her, and sweat dripping down my spine.

“Fuck me.”

My arms gave out, and my weight dropped on her.

“Hmmm.”

Rolling to the side, I kept her with me, holding her close in against me. Her lips were soft against my chest as she feathered kisses over my skulls and web tattoos. Over my stupid fucking heart that she now owned.

“Flick, kitty—”

“Don’t say it. You know I don’t really have a choice here. Don’t make this harder than it already is.”

My stupid fucking eyes started stinging and I held her tighter so she wouldn’t see I was struggling. After a few minutes, I pressed a kiss to the top of her head, then rolled out of bed. Heading back to the bathroom, I quickly cleaned up before getting dressed. My clothes from yesterday weren’t too bad, thankfully. Flick, on the other hand, definitely needed to find a change of clothes before we visited her uncle.

“Wanna go via your place first? Then over to see Gus.”

She gave me a sad little smile as she pulled her dirty shirt back over her head. “That’d be great. You know where it is?”

“Of course.”

Hadn’t been inside it, though. Seemed strange that the first time I’d be seeing where she’d lived while she’d been in Bridgewater was on the last day we had together.

“C’mon, let’s get moving before everyone starts arriving for church.”

We managed to get out of the clubhouse without too much trouble and it was a fucking bittersweet feeling having her wrapped around me on the back of my bike. It wasn’t until I pulled up to the front of her building that it hit me, and I chuckled.

“What’s so funny?”

“Just realized you’re in the same fucking hotel that Zara stayed in when she first came to town.”

“Huh. Guess there’s not much around here that’s this cheap. Bet Mac liked her staying here.”

I scoffed. “First time he came and saw the inside, he packed her up and shifted her down to the clubhouse. Of course, she did have trouble on her heels.”

The conversation stalled out as she slid off from behind me.

“You wanna come in while I get changed?”

I shook my head with a wince as my cock hardened at the thought. “Better not. Or I’ll have you up against the wall and we’ll never get to the hospital.”

Her eyes dilated and she licked her lips, making me groan. “Woman, quit that shit right now and go get changed. I only got so much control around you.”

With a completely adorable little gasp, she spun and fled up the stairs to her apartment, or was it a hotel room? Not that it mattered, she wasn’t staying. Which left me alone to adjust my erection—riding with a hard-on was a bitch and a half. I tried to think unsexy thoughts as I waited but my brain wasn’t playing fair. It seems stuck on a loop of images of Flick and wont fucking quit.

Ten long minutes later, she came back out and slid on behind me without a word. I took off toward the hospital, half wanting to get this day over with, and half wanting to drag it out. This shit was why I’d never done relationships. This feeling rejected shit at the end of it fucking sucked. Big time.

Flick

This prolonged goodbye shit sucked ass. Sorrow radiated from Taz like a fog that surrounded him. It was gutting me to watch him suffer, but I couldn’t fix it. I didn’t have that power, at least, not at the moment. My uncle however, I could cheer up. We entered the hospital and I ignored all the stares from the staff. I was sure by now everyone knew I’d been led out at gunpoint yesterday. With my chin held high I walked to Uncle Gus’s room, where I found him looking almost as miserable as Taz did. They were a pair.

“Hey, Uncle Gus.”

His face brightened as I entered the room with Taz beside me.

“Damn, it’s good to see you, girl. Come here.”

I went over to him and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“You’re a good man, Taz. Thank you for bringing her back. What did it end up costing?”

“It was the club that saved her, Gus. Most of the Charons rode up to get her back late yesterday. We got back early this morning.”

The older man winced. “Never thought I’d see the day I’d owe a fucking MC.”

I cocked my head at my uncle. “Why do you hate them so much? MCs, that is.”

“Because they cost me my life.” He paused and with a sigh gave my hand a squeeze. “I had a girl once. Suzi. She was the love of my life. But her parents wouldn’t let us be together. Not with me being who I was. Single mother, no father. We’d both just turned eighteen. So fucking young.” He gave a sad chuckle. “Young and dumb. Anyhow, Suzi threw a fit at her father for stopping her from seeing me. Told him if he thought I was bad, just wait for who she brought home next. Crazy girl went out to the local MC, wanting to find a biker to bring home to daddy.” With a shudder, Gus rubbed his face. “She was so sweet and innocent. Feisty as hell, but no match for those bastards. By morning she was dead. They’d drugged her up, used her well, then drugged her up some more till she OD’ed.”

I couldn’t speak. That was horrific, and I could feel his heartache, it was that strong. I wrapped my arms around him and rested my head on his shoulder.

Taz’s voice was rough. “I’m sorry for your loss, Gus. The Charons would never allow that to happen. We’re drug-free. You have to have seen that we keep that shit off the streets here. We sure as fuck don’t allow it in our clubhouse. Hell, if we heard of that happening to a girl now, we’d ride out to fuck up whoever was responsible, no matter who they were.”

Gus’s large hand patted my back a few times before he spoke again.

“Of course I’ve heard the rumors. But a lifetime of hate is a hard thing to let go of, son. You saving my niece goes a long way toward it, though, depending on what the fuck it’s gonna cost me. Tell me, do I still have a business?”

“I’ll leave you alone with Flick for a few, then we’ll chat about what needs to happen going forward. But rest easy, you and Flick are safe.”

“Not overly reassuring there, Taz.”

Taz shrugged and ducked out of the room.

“Girlie, what the hell is going on here? Don’t think I missed the doctor and nurses suddenly calling you Abbott instead of Vaughn.”

I huffed out a breath, wincing as my ribs protested. Turning, I dragged a chair closer to sit beside the bed.

“It’s a long story. Basically, when Andrew vanished after he returned stateside, I wanted to find him. That led me from accounting in private practice, to becoming a forensic accountant for the FBI. Then, my supervisor sent me down here undercover for an assignment. It’s all blown to hell now. So, I have to go up to Dallas today to report in to my supervisor. No clue if, or when, I’ll be back in Bridgewater.”

“You don’t sound too happy about that. You fall for that man, Taz?”

Damn, but he didn’t miss much.

“Yeah. I didn’t mean to, but I totally did. Not that it matters. My life isn’t my own at the moment.”

“Some advice? Make it your own, sweetheart. Plenty of jobs out there. You don’t have to stick with the same one as though there are no options. If the FBI is controlling your life to the point you can’t live it, maybe it’s time to leave, yeah? Assuming I still have a damn business after all of this, you’re always welcome to come work for me. I’d be more than willing to hand over all the bookwork.”

I gave him what I knew must look like a weak grin. “I’d kind of been thinking the same thing about my current employer, but I need to hear what they have to say. And I’m sure you’ll still have your business. Taz won’t allow you to be hurt like that.”

“So you say. Now, off to Dallas, to do what you have to, then if you want to make Bridgewater your home, you come back here and do it.”

I gave him another kiss on the cheek as I stood to leave.

“I’ll see what I can do, and I’ll see you later.”

I paused at the doorway when my gaze caught on Taz, pacing the hallway like a caged lion. When he caught sight of me he stormed up to stand in front of me.

“I need to go back to Dallas. Report in.”

He nodded, and his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. Then with that growl he did that made me melt, he snatched me to him and covered my mouth with his. Thrusting his tongue between my lips, he invaded me all the way down to my soul. I gripped his arms as he held me close and continued to kiss me stupid. Someone clearing their throat, loudly, had us pulling apart. Then with a shake of his head, he was gone, slipping into my uncle’s room and shutting the door.

I have no idea how long I stood there, just blinking and trying to catch my breath and get my brain firing again.

“Darlin’, if I found me a man who kissed me like that, I’d have him in front of the nearest preacher so he could never get away.”

I shook myself free to see a nurse fanning herself over at the nurses’ station. I gave her a tight smile before I turned and rushed out to my car, which was thankfully where I’d left it yesterday. Had to love a small town.

I wanted to go home, have a long shower and curl up in bed for a day or two and feel sorry for myself as I caught up on sleep, but I couldn’t. My day was far from over and I had a feeling none of what I had to do once I got to Dallas would be enjoyable.