She sits across from me, cheeks flushed from our shower. That and the slow, tortured lick I gave her pussy when we were in there. I ate her harder than she’s ever been eaten before—her words, not mine. I licked and sucked her until she was squirming above me, my hands on her ass, her leg over my shoulder, the warm water running down over us. When she came in my mouth, I licked her again, her clit swollen and aching. I made sure she came twice before I fucked her again, this time slow and deep.

Now she looks like a fucking angel, dark hair wet and curling at the ends, nothing but my shirt and her panties on. My shirt makes her look tiny, hanging off her. But fuck, I’ve never seen something so perfect in my life. And she loves me. She fucking loves me. I came over here tonight, sure I was going to have to work fucking hard to get her back, but the way she threw herself at me, the intensity in her eyes, I didn’t have to work hard.

She knows I want her. She knows I’ll do anything for her.

That’s all we both want.

“That man,” she asks softly, her voice scratchy from the moaning. “Did you have him because of Trey?”

I hold her eyes. “I can’t discuss much of the club with you, darlin’, just the rules, but I will answer some of your questions about that because it directly links back to you. Yeah, was about Trey. We’re goin’ to find him.”

“Are we still in danger?”

I shrug, because I honestly don’t know. Treyton is clever, he never lets us know whether he’s coming or going, but he has his hand in every pie, and he knows everything. The man has eyes and ears everywhere. And no matter how hard I try, I still can’t figure out who the fuck is giving him information from my club. Not one person has put a foot out of line, leaving me to wonder how the fuck he’s getting what he needs.

“Like to say no, sweetheart, but I can’t be sure. Treyton is clever, and he’s evil as fuck. He has a plan, don’t know what that plan is, and until I do, best to stay as safe as possible. Got my men watching Scarlett and you and the studio, but you know you gotta be extra careful still, don’t you?”

She nods. “Yeah, I try not to spend too much time alone in public places, or here.”

“Good idea. You can spend a few nights at my place, if you’re ever feeling unsafe.”

Never taken a woman back to my place before. Partly because I am rarely there, but mostly because I’ve never respected anyone enough to take them into my personal space. If I want to fuck, I do it at the club, otherwise I don’t do it at all. It’s that simple.

“You want me to go to your place?” she says in her tiny, mousy voice, a small smile playing at the edges of her lips.

“You’re mine, Amalie. So that would be a yes.”

Her smile gets bigger, and I know those words please the fuck out of her.

Good, because they make me damned happy too.

“We have the fair on the weekend, and we’re playing there, are we safe?”

“That I’m not totally confident about, it’s the ultimate place for Treyton to make a move on any one of us if that’s what he decides to do. Because of that, I’ll be setting up extra protection, but I need you to promise me you won’t enter or leave that stage unless you know one of us has eyes on you.”

She nods. “I promise. I don’t want him anywhere near me, ever again.”

Poor girl.

Everyone saw the mess he left her in.

“Never goin’ to let him put a filthy fuckin’ finger on you again if I have any say in the matter. Gotta know, darlin’, and you don’t have to tell me, but he didn’t ... he didn’t hurt you in any other way that wasn’t just physical, did he?”

She shakes her head. “No, he didn’t. He just got hold of me, and then” —she looks away for a second, taking a deep breath— “then he hurt me and sent me back.”

I move closer to her, taking her delicate face in my hand and bringing her close so she can see how fucking serious I am when my next words leave my lips, “You can rest assured that when I get my hands on him, he’ll regret the day he ever laid a hand on you, Amalie. I’ll make him wish he was never born.”

“Are you going to kill him, Malakai?”

I nod, without hesitation. “With my bare fuckin’ hands.”

“Will ... will you get into trouble?”

“No. Because I’m smart, and my club is smart, you don’t have to worry about that.”

“But, it’s still illegal and ....”

I let her go and lean back so she has a better view of me. “You don’t need to worry about it.”

My words are firm. Not mean, but enough to tell her that we’re not discussing this further. She pouts a little, which is fucking cute, but she nods and doesn’t ask any more about it.

“Was that redhead girl helping you?”

Charlie.

The girl who still hasn’t come home.

The girl who is, at best, in the hands of Trey and still alive.

And, at worst, dead.

Because of us.

“She’s helpin’ us, and that’s all you need to know.”

“Do you like her?” she asks, in a small voice.

I grin at her, and her cheeks go that gorgeous shade of red I love so much. “You jealous, baby?”

Her cheeks get redder.

Fucking sweet.

“No, I just ...”

“You’re jealous.”

“No, Malakai, it’s ...”

“Jealous.”

She can’t help it, she laughs.

And it’s a sound I’ve been waiting so fucking long to hear again. I’ll never tire of hearing that sweet sound escape her lips. Every time it does, a little piece of her darkness turns to light and leaves, and slowly she becomes the beauty I see inside her eyes every time I look at her. It changes her face. It changes everything about her.

She’s utterly fucking perfect.

“I told you once, and I’ll tell you again,” I say to her. “I am going to spend the rest of my life hearing that laugh, and that starts today. You clear with me, Amalie? There is no room for anyone else.”

Her lips part, and then she smiles.

Fucking big.

Fucking beautiful.

And that’s all the answer I need.

~*~*~*~