“YOU NEED TO stop calling me, Kenny,” I told my brother. I paced back and forth, shielding myself at the side of Jay and Angel’s house. I had stowed away, hiding while my friends hung out by the bonfire.
“If I don’t keep calling you, you will think I’m not serious,” Kenny stated. “Listen—”
“No,” I snapped. “You need to listen to me. You need to give me time. I can’t just drop everything and do what you want. I have a good life here. I have friends. These people are my family.”
“I’m your fucking family, Creena,” he boomed, his rough voice sending my nerves on edge. “Or do I need to remind you? Maybe I should have my goons, as you like to call them, show up there and force you to come home.”
“I don’t have a damn home,” I said, my voice rising. “And you can’t make me do shit.”
Kenny chuckled, the cold, evil sound sending a nervous flutter racing through me.
“I’m happy,” I repeated. “Why are you trying to take this from me?”
“I am your family and I need you. And are you really happy? Because every time I see photos of you, you don’t look it.”
Squeezing my eyes shut, I counted to ten and let out a slow breath. “How long have you been watching me?” I knew it was bound to happen. It made sense. Kenny was a paranoid fucker. He said he trusted me when really, I knew he didn’t. He didn’t trust anyone but himself. And he would do anything and go through anyone to get to the top of the food chain.
“I’ve been watching you from the moment you said goodbye and left the country.”
The air in my lungs tightened. Sliding down the wall, I dropped my head in my hands. “I need time.”
“These bastards won’t wait, Creena. You of all people should know that.”
“We’re working on bringing them down.”
Kenny barked a laugh. “I love you but even you’re not that stupid. You think your little club and those guys who fight for their fucking country can bring down an entity taking over this motherfucking world? Come on. Seriously. Use your head.”
“Fuck you.” I rose to my feet. “You don’t know half the shit we’ve done. I don’t see your men killing off any of these fuckers.” Kenny didn’t say anything for so long, I thought he had hung up. “Are you still there?”
“Who have you killed?” he asked, his voice taking on a dark tone I didn’t like.
“I haven’t killed anyone,” I told him. “Not lately anyway,” I added for reassurance. “What’s going on with you?”
“I have to go. Remember what I said.” Kenny hung up, the silence deafening.
I looked at my phone, wondering what the hell just happened.
“Creena,” Stone said as he came around the corner. “What are you doing back here?”
“Trying not to lose my mind,” I muttered, pinching the bridge of my nose. Shoving the phone into my bag, I turned to him. “You going to demand answers again?”
“Depends.” He crossed his arms under his chest.
“On what?”
“You going to demand answers from me?”
“I …” I huffed. “I haven’t asked you anything.”
“Don’t get defensive.” He chuckled. “I was teasing.”
“I don’t like being teased,” I grumbled.
Stone closed the distance between us and wrapped his arms around me, holding me against him. “I promise. No more teasing.” He leaned back and placed a soft kiss on my mouth. “But we need to make an appearance before I fuck you against the wall. I’m sure Angel and Jay wouldn’t be too happy about that.”
“Hmm … well …” I tugged him closer, covering his mouth with mine. I needed to forget for a moment the shit with my brother. With everything. I wanted to just feel and lose myself in Stone.
Brushing my hands beneath his shirt, I grazed my fingers up the length of his hard torso until I reached his pierced nipple. Giving the barbell a gentle tug, I swallowed his groan. My tongue slid along his, attempting with everything in me to control the kiss.
“Baby girl,” Stone breathed, backing me up into the dark corner beside the house. “Fuck.”
I released his mouth with a wet smack, leaning my forehead against his chest and breathed through the racing of my heart. “What are you doing to me, Stone?”
He pulled my hand from beneath his shirt and kissed my knuckles. “Same thing you’re doing to me.”
“Yeah?” I licked my kiss swollen lips. “And what’s that?”
“Helping me live again.”
***
(Stone)
I wasn’t sure how I felt about Creena but I knew I needed more. I needed to know that I was it for her. That our darkness together could shed some light on both of our lives. We had secrets. Maybe we would never share the full extent of them with each other but I knew without a fucking doubt that I wanted to tell Creena as much as I could.
No fear. No judgment.
I wanted to strip myself completely and show her everything. Every inch. Every damn piece of my soul.
“We need to … We need to stop.” Creena blew out a slow breath. “This is fast, Stone. This is really fast.”
“It is.” My thumb brushed along her bottom lip. “We’ve been friends for a while. It’s not like I just met you yesterday. I don’t know about you but I need this. It’s distracting.”
“I need this too,” she whispered, pulling out of my grasp and gave herself a shake. “Let’s go before Brogan finds us and puts us in her chair.”
I laughed, tapping her lightly on the ass. “You’ll come home with me?”
“You really have to ask?” She stopped. “Actually, you’re going to come home with me. I forgot I have to work tomorrow and I live closer.”
“Okay, baby girl.” I kissed her softly on the mouth. “Whatever you need.”
“I need you.” She sighed. “Your kisses are going to drug me the fuck up.”
“God, I love your mouth.” I kissed her again before leading her to the bonfire in the middle of the backyard.
“It’s about time you guys make an appearance,” Dale teased, taking a swig from his beer.
Max shook her head, leaning against him, and whispered to him.
He chuckled, kissing her nose.
“It’s nice to see you two getting along,” I threw back at him. Knowing what they had been through and how they worked through it together was inspiring. But Max was a better person than I was because I would have kicked Dale’s ass long ago.
Dale raised a blonde eyebrow. “Checking me out, brother?”
I grunted. “In your dreams, sweetheart.”
Dale blew me a kiss.
“Will you two stop?” Max laughed.
He grinned, smacking a hard peck on her lips.
“Where’s everyone else?” Creena asked, stretching her legs out in front of her.
“Right here,” Angel said, sitting on a patio chair and pulling his wife down onto his lap.
Jay kissed his cheek, muttering something only he could hear.
“I know, princess,” he grumbled, giving her a sad smile.
My heart jumped. “What’s going on?”
Jay met my gaze. “Nothing really. We’ve just been feeling off.”
“We’re feeling it too,” Brogan said, coming up to the bonfire with Coby at her side. She sat on a blanket, pulling him down beside her. Every so often, she would smile at him and he would smile back. But what I noticed was that those smiles never reached their eyes.
“Where’s Lian and Henley?” I asked, pulling Creena against me.
“They mentioned something about going to a club tonight.” Dale shrugged. “Not sure.”
“What kind of club?” Brogan asked, her eyes bright with interest.
“Some club out in the middle of nowhere.” Dale finished the rest of his beer, looking pointedly at each of us. “What?”
“You can’t leave me hanging like that.” Brogan sat forward. “What kind of club?”
“Are all of you really that bored?” Dale chuckled, but the smile soon fell from his face when the air around us became thick.
Truth was, we weren’t bored. We were just waiting. So, any new piece of information outside of our world, piqued our curiosity.
“Listen.” Dale rubbed the back of his neck. “I heard them talking. Not sure where the club is. Not sure exactly what goes on there. But I know it has to do with BDSM of some sort.”
“Sounds interesting,” Coby muttered, wrapping his arm tighter around Brogan.
She grinned.
“Don’t get any bright ideas,” Jay joked, poking Angel in the side.
He whispered something to her, forcing a rosy glow to hit her cheeks.
“I change my mind.” She kissed him hard on the mouth. “Think of all the ideas you want.”
All of us laughed.
The mere thought of bringing Creena to one of those clubs sent a shiver down my spine. My dick jumped in my pants, a low rumble permeating from my chest.
Creena gripped my knee. “That sound is fucking sexy.”
“Is it?” I brushed my nose along her nape. “How sexy is it?”
“Extremely.” She shivered, wrapping my arm around her waist. “Stone?”
“Yeah?” My lips grazed along the shell of her ear.
“Whatever happens—” She looked up at me. “Whatever comes of this, please don’t stop touching me.”
Her words threw me off. It was the first thing she had said that was even remotely close to how she felt about me. But like the fool I was, all I could do was nod.
Whatever this was we shared, I enjoyed it. I didn’t want it to end, and I would do everything in my damn power to make sure that never happened. Creena and I needed each other. I just had to figure out a way to prove it to her.