Kaden Read online

  When I tried to touch him again, he held my hands out to my sides, all without breaking his stride, his thrusts bringing me closer to the edge. As I skated toward the brink, he released my arms, leaned back, then slowly licked the pad of his thumb before placing it over my clit, pressing down and circling the sensitive bundle of nerves. The sensation was too much. I arched my back, trying to hold off longer but losing that battle with every thrust of his cock and every press of his thumb.

  “I love the way your tits bounce when I’m fucking you,” he groaned, his voice rough with need. His teeth harassed his bottom lip right before his mouth dropped open and he tossed his head back, every muscle in his body locking up. “Fuck!”

  “Kaden… I’m gonna… please,” I pleaded.

  His eyes found mine again. “Yeah?”

  I nodded; the simple one-word answer too much to speak. He fell back on top of me, careful not to crush me with his weight, nuzzling into my neck before whispering in my ear. He professed his love for me in one breath, then told me all the ways he was gonna make me scream in the next. Clutching on to him, I rode the wave, matching his body’s rhythm with my own until we both collapsed in exhaustion.

  Several minutes later, he rolled off me and onto his back, taking me with him. I draped my leg over his and my arm over his waist before resting my head on his chest, the thump of his heart slowing to match mine.

  “I love the details,” I said, trailing my fingers up and down his arm, mindlessly tracing his sleeve tattoo. “Marc did a great job.”

  “He did. I’m thinkin’ about gettin’ another one.”

  “I’m surprised you don’t have a lot more.”

  “It took me a while to figure out my arm. I didn’t want to rush and get just anything.” He lightly squeezed my leg before rolling me onto my back, moving down so his face hovered above my hip bone. His finger trailed over my tattoo. “Did you really let a guy do this?”

  “Yeah.” I looked down at it for the thousandth time since I got it. “He did a good job, didn’t he?” I smiled the same time Kaden frowned. “You don’t like it?”

  “I do. I just hate that any guy was this close to your—”

  “Stop being ridiculous.” I didn’t want to start an argument because he wanted to be all territorial and shit.

  “If you get any more, you either have a chick do it or I have to be with you.”

  A mixture of annoyance and amusement collided but instead of overreacting to a hypothetical situation, I flashed him a smile when I looked down at him, his eyes capturing mine before he pressed his lips to my tattoo.

  “And why’s that?”

  “So I can intercede if he gets too close.”

  “Intercede?”

  “I know big words.” The corners of his mouth finally lifted.

  “That’s a five-cent word at best.” My laugh morphed into a moan when his mouth moved from my tattoo to my inner thigh, his facial hair tickling the sensitive skin.

  “Are you sore?” he mumbled, teasing me with his perfect mouth.

  “A little.” I clutched his shoulders when he spread my legs further apart. He kissed me everywhere but where I wanted him to, teasing me until I could barely stay still. “I don’t want to.”

  That got his attention. “You don’t want to have sex again?” He raised himself until he kneeled in front of me, and I felt more exposed than I had when his face was buried between my legs.

  “No.” He ran his hands down his thighs and slowly nodded. “I don’t want to have sex on the floor again. I think I have rug burn on my back. Can we go to your bedroom?”

  Without a word, Kaden picked me up and practically dragged me upstairs to his room, tossing me on his bed seconds after we entered his space.

  We reconnected three more times, before drifting off into a sound sleep, wrapped up in each other’s arms.

  33

  I woke to the incessant buzzing of my phone. I ignored it the first three times but then decided to answer. Lazily rolling toward the noise, I reached around on the bedside table, knocking over an empty cup and my phone in the process. Hanging over the side of my bed, I stretched my arm, the tips of my fingers feeling around for the damn thing. When I finally found it, I snatched it up, but because I didn’t have a good hold of it, when I held my cell up in front of me, it slipped from my hand and hit me square in the middle of my nose.

  “What the fuck?” I grumbled, taking a breath to release some of my early morning frustration. When the device started vibrating again, I swiped the screen, not even bothering to see who was on the other end.

  “Where the hell you been?” Linc shouted.

  “Sleeping. Where do you think?”

  “Get your ass downstairs. I’m on your front porch.” He hung up before I could refuse.

  Riley groaned beside me, the sound adorable and one I looked forward to hearing more often. She raised her hands above her head in a stretch and the covers shifted, the top half of her naked and on full display. Her eyelids fluttered open, and as soon as she saw me hovering over her, she smiled and arched her back.

  “Keep it up and you’re gonna get it again.” My mouth was suspended over hers, and while I wanted to ravage her, I pecked her lips instead, pulling back before she tried to deepen the kiss.

  “Why do you think I’m doin’ it?” She reached for me and I fought the urge to pin her beneath me, her brother be damned.

  “Linc’s outside.”

  “Why?” Her eyes were wide open now.

  “Beats me. But somethin’ tells me you should probably get up.” I headed for the bathroom to take care of business before dealing with my unwelcome guest.

  “What time is it?” she shouted after me.

  “Seven thirty.”

  “What the hell is he doing here that early?” She kept asking me questions I didn’t have answers for. “Where are my clothes?”

  That one I knew. “In the living room with mine. Just throw on one of my shirts.” I strolled out of the bathroom and grabbed a pair of pajama bottoms from my dresser. “I’ll meet you down there.”

  “Wait.” I turned to face her. “I don’t think I should go down there with you. He’ll see me.” I laughed but stopped as soon as she pursed her lips and scrunched her face.

  “We’re not hiding anymore, Ry. Grab a shirt and get your ass down there.”

  “But I don’t have any underwear.” She threw the covers off her and hopped out of bed, the sight of her making my dick twitch. But unless I wanted to greet Linc with a hard-on, I’d better walk away now.

  “You’ll be fine,” I said before disappearing from the room.

  I was halfway down the steps when Linc started banging on my door. “Kaden! Come on, let me in!”

  “I’m coming,” I yelled back, aggravation boiling up inside me because my first morning with Riley had been cut short on account of her brother’s impatience.

  Once I opened the door, he pushed past me, never waiting for me to invite him. “Where the hell did you go after the party? And have you seen Riley? We’ve been trying to call her, but her phone keeps going right to voicemail.”

  Linc looked frazzled. His dark hair stuck up on the sides like he’d forgotten to brush it. There was something on his mind, other than his sister. When I didn’t answer quick enough, he stepped in front of me, invading my personal space.

  “If I didn’t love you like a brother, something which makes this whole thing with Riley even more fucked up, I’d punch you in the face, too.” He ran his fingers through his already disheveled hair.

  “I get it.” I put my hand on his shoulder, but he moved away from me. I didn’t take offense because I realized him finding out I’d had a relationship with his sister, right under his nose, would take some getting used to. If I had a sister and the roles were reversed, I wasn’t sure I’d be so forgiving.

  “So? Did you talk to her afterward?”

  “Talk to who?” Riley asked, walking into the living room to join us, dressed only in a
dark gray T-shirt of mine, sans underwear, of course.

  Linc’s attention bounced from me to Riley and back again, over and over for what felt like forever before he shook his head. “Don’t… don’t tell me.” He pointed between us. “Why is she wearin’…” He stepped closer to his sister. “Why are you wearin’ his shirt?” Then he looked around the room and spotted our discarded clothes near the sofa. “Are you kiddin’ me?”

  I wrapped my arm around Riley’s waist and pulled her impossibly close. “We’re not hidin’ anymore. We’re together again and it’s gonna stay that way. I don’t care who has a problem with it.” My fingertips ghosted over my lip when I spoke, remembering the one person who was gonna give me the hardest time, if he didn’t try and kill me that was. “How was Stone after I left?” I already knew the answer before he spoke.

  “Homicidal. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so angry before.”

  “He’ll get over it,” Riley said, pulling away from me to gather her clothes from the floor.

  “I don’t think so. And if by some miracle that’s true, it won’t be for a long time.” Linc took to pacing, checking his cell before shoving it back inside his pocket.

  “What’s the reason for the early morning visit?” I plopped down on the couch, watching Riley as she walked toward her brother. Images flashed through my head of the things I would do to her if Linc wasn’t here.

  “I’ll call Mom and let her know I’m okay.” She rose up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek, whispering something into his ear before looking back at me. “I’m gonna get dressed.” She disappeared from the room afterward, leaving the two of us alone.

  Linc paced in front of me, mumbling something right before stopping to stare at me. “I wanted to find out if you talked to Riley, and I see that you have.” He scrunched his face. “I don’t even wanna picture… ugh.”

  “Then don’t,” I responded, already fed up with his opinion on me being with his sister, but before gettin’ surly with him, I took a moment and realized I needed to be patient until he came to grips with the reality of our relationship. He just found out, after all, and if the worst thing he was gonna do was make a face, then I should be relieved.

  “Is that the only reason you’re here? To check up on Riley?”

  “No.” He took his time before speaking again. “Prez wants us all at the clubhouse at nine.”

  “This should be interesting,” I mumbled, leaning back and crossing my arms over my chest. A spike of hesitation spiraled through me. For as much as I wanted to act like I didn’t care about Stone’s reaction to me and his daughter, I was scared of what he would do. The man attacked me, after all, but did he only do that in the heat of the moment, or would he continue to come after me each time he saw me? Would my dad allow his best friend to hit his son again? Would the other guys in the club step in to protect me at any point, or would they side with Stone because I went against club rules? There was no way for me to be sure, other than to just show up and find out.

  Linc opened and closed his mouth twice but never said a word. Something was going on with him, and I had a suspicious feeling it had everything to do with the girl who was being held against her will by the Reapers. But I didn’t have the energy to get into all that with him right now. I had my own shit to deal with.

  I stood up and walked past him. “I’ll see you at nine.” I trekked up the stairs, down the hall, and into my bedroom, closing the door before locking eyes on Riley, who was still wearing my shirt.

  She was on the bed with her arm slung over her eyes. I didn’t think anything of it until I heard her sniffle. I was next to her in seconds, pulling her to her feet. She mumbled something but she complied.

  “Why are you crying?”

  “It’s just a lot to handle.”

  “You mean us?”

  “Partly, yes.” She clarified when I opened my mouth to interrupt. “I’m happy we’re back together.” She laid her hand on my chest before stepping into me. “But because we are….” She struggled to find her next words.

  “I know what you mean. But it’s better than us being apart, so we’ll deal with whatever happens as it comes. Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  I locked my hands behind her back and captured her sweet mouth before asking, “Wanna take a shower together before you leave?”

  “I should get home. I still have to talk to my parents about what they heard… about me being pregnant. I just wanna get this over with so I can move on.”

  I kissed her once more before releasing her, praying I was still alive after my trip to the clubhouse.

  34

  My ride home was on autopilot, all that had transpired in the past twenty-four hours racing through my mind. Before the encounter in the bathroom where I spilled everything, I’d been conflicted about my feelings toward Kaden, and now we were back together. We’d had sex several times on top of everything else, but I supposed there was no better way to end such a chaotic day.

  Walking toward my house, I heard shouting coming from inside. While I wasn’t ready to deal with what I had to tell them, I wanted to get it over with and move on, just like I’d told Kaden earlier. The breath I held tightly in my lungs trickled out slowly when I wrapped my hand around the handle of the front door. “I can do this,” I whispered to myself as I took my first step inside.

  The shouting stopped, and before I saw her coming, my mom barreled toward me, her eyes red and puffy. She pulled me into her arms, and I returned her hug full force, guilt that she was in this state because of me eating me up.

  “Oh, honey.” She pulled back to look at me before hugging me again. “Where were you? We were so worried something happened to you.”

  “I’m fine. I’m sorry I made you worry.” I wanted to remind her I was a twenty-two-year-old woman and could take care of myself, but I kept my mouth shut.

  “I’m just happy you’re home now.” She took a step back, her strained smile telling me the worst was yet to come. “Your dad is….” She shook her head, a lone tear slipping down her cheek. “I’ve never seen him like this, and trust me, I’ve tested the man’s resolve in my time.” The faintest chuckle escaped, but her posture stiffened when we both heard my dad shout from the other room, his voice getting louder, indicating he was headed right for us.

  I felt his presence before I saw him, every muscle in my body locking up. As soon as his eyes met mine, I wanted to slink back out the front door and hide in my car. My own father glared at me with contempt, snarling at me right before he spoke to me.

  “Nice of you to let us know you’re still alive, Riley.” I parted my lips to say something, anything, but he cut me off with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Erase whatever crazy ideas you have in your head about you and him.” He couldn’t even say his name.

  “Dad—”

  “I don’t want to hear anything you have to say. I’m so disappointed in you. We raised you better than this.” He stepped closer, his intention to intimidate me working well.

  I didn’t know if my newfound strength came from finally dealing with what happened years ago, or the knowledge that Kaden still loved me and wanted to be with me, but I cocked my head to the side and glared right back at my dad.

  “Raised me better than what? Not to fall in love?” He scoffed. “Not to make a mistake?”

  “Riley.” My mom said my name in warning, not to poke the bear, so to speak, but I had to say this. When I stepped into my house, I was hell-bent on doing whatever I could to not rock the boat and makes things worse, but I discarded that plan, refusing to stay silent any longer. Kaden was right… no more hiding.

  “I’m sorry I’m not perfect. Kaden and I made a mistake, one he didn’t find out about until yesterday. I never told him about the pregnancy or about the miscarriage.” I didn’t want to go into the details of why, although I was sure he heard them when he’d been listening outside the bathroom door. “But that’s all in the past now. I want to move forward. We want to move forward togeth
er.”

  “We?” He shook his head vigorously. “Not a fuckin’ chance in hell. You’re not to see him. You’re not to talk to him. I don’t even want you mentioning his name in front of me again. He’s lucky I haven’t killed him yet.”

  The way he said yet ignited the flame of fear I had for Kaden’s safety where my dad was concerned.

  “You can’t tell me who I can or can’t be with. I’m twenty-two. I’m an adult.” My voice rose an octave.

  “Not in this house you’re not.”

  “Then maybe it’s time I move out,” I shouted, tearing at my hair because I didn’t know what else to do with myself.

  “You’re not goin’ anywhere.” His voice dropped, the gruffness in his tone scaring me. He would never physically lay a hand on me, but right then, I completely understood why some of the guys at the club were afraid of him, including Kaden.

  “Please calm down. Both of you,” Mom said, caught in the middle of our meltdown.

  “I’m not calming down,” he said. “I run this house and what I say goes.” He turned his back on us, every expletive flying out of his mouth in the span of four seconds.

  Typically, his wife would remind him that he in fact did not run the house, that she had just as much say, but saying such things to him now would be pointless when he was in such a state.

  My dad grabbed his cut from the back of the chair, snatched his keys from the side table, and stormed out of the house, slamming the door so hard I was surprised all the windows didn’t break.

  I broke down in tears, and I would’ve fallen to the floor in complete emotional exhaustion had my mom not been standing there to catch me.

  She kissed the top of my head. “Shh…. It’ll be okay. He’ll calm down, honey. You’ll see.”

  “You don’t even believe that,” I mumbled, clutching on to her while I released my sadness.

  Choosing not to agree or disagree, she led me into the living room and sat me on the couch, sitting right next to me and continuing to offer her support.