Текст книги "Command"

Автор книги: Nina Levine

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Текущая страница: 7 (всего у книги 14 страниц)

9

Scott

Three Days Later

“Julio is bad news, brother. If I were you, I’d be helping him take his last breath.”

I rubbed the back of my neck as I listened to King tell me what I already knew. Nash, J and I had just arrived back at the clubhouse after our trip home from Adelaide. King had left a message on my phone so I’d called him straight back in case he had some new information for us. All I really wanted to do was get to Harlow – six days without her and I was edgy as hell. “I just got back from Adelaide. Bourne wants us to help him get rid of Julio so he can take over his territory.”

“Why does he need your help?”

“Good question. Says he needs his hands clean to avoid retaliation from Julio’s allies, but I can’t help think there’s more to this I’m not seeing.” My stomach grumbled with hunger and exhaustion washed over me as my mind continued to search for the answer that felt just out of reach.

King remained silent for a few moments and I imagined his mind also looking for an answer. “Bourne’s a sneaky bastard, for sure, but I can’t see how helping him on this could hurt you. From what I’ve learnt of Julio, he’ll work to gather allies in Queensland and eventually that could hurt you, so getting rid of him can only be a good thing. And to have Bourne owe you can never be a bad thing.”

This was the same conclusion I’d come to. “Thanks for looking into it,” I said before we ended the call.

“King had nothing new?” J asked.

“No.”

“Fuck,” J muttered. The three of us were in agreement over our distrust of Bourne and what his true agenda was, and we’d been hoping King would be able to shed some light on it for us.

“Yeah, fuck is about right,” I agreed as we headed inside.

Inside to Harlow.

Club members filled the clubhouse. Four o’clock in the afternoon signalled it was time to wind down for the day – time for a drink with your brothers before heading home to your old lady.

I pushed my way through the crowd, doing my best not to get side-tracked from my end goal, but fifteen minutes later and I was still stuck talking to some of the guys who were anxious to know how our trip had panned out.

Fuck.

My dick was getting as frustrated as the rest of me.

And then a loud whistle sounded and the voice that caused my dick to go from frustrated to hard in less than a second, sounded. “Boys, you’ve had your turn with my man, now it’s my time.”

Wolf whistles and dirty cheers erupted as my eyes finally landed on the woman I’d missed like fuck.

She came to me with a sexy smile and reached straight for my ass with both hands. “Next time you go away, consider taking me with you,” she said before kissing me.

No fucking arguments there.

Fuck, her lips and body were teasing me with promises of the kind of sex that six days away from your woman would lead to.

I ended the kiss and moved my mouth close to her ear. “Baby, I’m not letting you out of my sight ever again. And I hope like fuck that you’re ready for a long night.”

She moaned as I ground myself against her. “It’s a good thing I’m feeling better now.”

Thank God she was feeling better. I’d been concerned about her, but Mum had finally reported yesterday that she was doing much better. And who would have thought me going away would lead Harlow and my mother to bond in the way they had. Just another thing to add to my list of ‘Shit I’ll Never Understand, But Am Thankful For’.

I ran my hand over her ass and up her back. When I found her hair, I took hold and pulled her head back so I could dip my mouth to her neck. Fuck she smells good. I kissed her and as she moaned again, I added my teeth to the kiss, and fuck if she didn’t arch her back and press her front to me harder.

Pulling away, I rasped, “Jesus, woman, I need to get you out of here, otherwise your ass is gonna be planted on that couch and my dick is gonna be buried so far deep in you before you can stop me.”

Her mouth turned up in a grin, but she didn’t say anything.

“What?” I demanded.

“There is no way Scott Cole is going to fuck his woman in front of his club, but I love your enthusiasm. Personally, I think these guys are so involved in their drinking that we could probably have sex on that couch and none of them would even notice.”

I raised my brows. “You wanna see just where Scott Cole would fuck his woman? ‘Cause I’m happy to show you.”

Her grin grew. “I dare you, baby.”

Fuck.

She knows me too fucking well and she’s fucking playing me.

I kept my gaze trained on her while I pulled out my phone and called Griff. When he answered, I said, “You guys right if I head home for the night?”

“Yeah, brother. We’ve got it under control. Church is scheduled for ten in the morning and then we’ve got the re-opening of Trilogy tomorrow night.”

My gaze dropped to Harlow’s lips as she licked them, and my dick begged for that tongue. I raised my finger to her lips and closed her mouth, holding my finger there as I replied, “See you in the morning.”

Shoving my phone in my pocket, I growled, “I want you outside. Now.”

Her grin disappeared and gave way to a sexy curl of her lips. Without another word, she turned and began walking outside. My eyes dropped to her ass. The way it swayed under the tight fit of her short, black dress almost made me come in my pants.

That dress is fucking perfect.

I followed her outside and as we walked past the corner of the building, I snagged her around the waist, lifted her to rest against my body and carried her around the corner. I then deposited her on the ground and pushed her up against the building. My hands went to the hem of her dress and I pulled it up to reveal her panties. I slid one hand inside to find her pussy while my other hand moved to take hold of her chin.

My eyes found hers and I demanded, “You good if I fuck my woman now?”

Those beautiful eyes of hers widened and she nodded. Her arms came around my neck and she said, “I thought you were going to make me wait until we got home.”

My heart sped up and my self-control almost reached breaking point. “Harlow, six days without your pussy and I’m ready to snap my dick off and suck it myself, but even that wouldn’t be enough. I need you. I’m not sure you realise how fuckin’ whipped for you I am. No way in hell can I wait until we get home.”

She wrapped one leg around me and used it to lift herself off the ground and into my arms while wrapping her other leg around me at the same time. Then her lips came to mine and she kissed me with the same desperate need I had for her. Her lips were almost brutal and her tongue demanded nothing less than everything I had to give, until the point we were both panting.

When the kiss ended, we stared at each other through wild eyes for a moment.

She’s mine, but I need more.

I need her like I’ve never needed anyone.

I need forever.

“What?” she panted out as we clung to each other in that suspended-in-time moment.

“I need you, Harlow.”

“You have me, baby.”

“No, I need more. I want forever with you.” My mind raced with the words I couldn’t quite find to make her understand and my chest pumped harder as my urgency grew.

“We have forever, Scott. I want that, too.” Her words came out fast, like she was trying to hurry me, but as much as I needed to be inside her, I needed to make her grasp what I was asking for.

“Marry me.” Fuck, I’d never imagined proposing to Harlow when I had her pushed up against a wall with her dress around her waist and my dick bulging out of my pants, but life hardly ever went the way I envisioned.

Understanding finally dawned in her eyes, and her face lit up with a huge smile. “That’s a given, but you’re going to have to give me a proper proposal before I actually say yes.”

Her sass was one of the reasons I loved her and she didn’t let me down. I shook my head and muttered, “Of course I fuckin’ am. But let’s be clear – we are getting married and it will be soon.”

She tightened her arms around me. “The only thing we need to be clear about right in this minute is the fact you’re going to get your dick out real soon and fuck me. Turns out I’m a cranky bitch when my man goes away, so you need to fix that fast. And I bet when I’m no longer cranky, you can get me to agree to all sorts of things.”

“Fuck,” I growled. “I’m having second thoughts about taking you away with me next time. Turns out I fuckin’ love your dirty mouth when you’re a cranky bitch.”

She opened her mouth but before she could get any words out, I crashed my mouth down onto hers and stole her breath with a kiss. The way she groaned into it and pushed her body against mine told me she loved it.

While I kissed her, I reached down and undid my pants to free my cock. I then slid Harlow’s panties to the side and positioned her so I could enter her.

Finally.

Fuck.

She was so damn wet and ready for me, welcoming me home. Her pussy squeezed around my dick and my eyes closed as I enjoyed the fuck out of that.

And then I pulled out and thrust back in.

And I knew I’d never go six days without her again.

As I held her tight and fucked her hard, I managed to get out, “This is going to be fast, baby.”

She gripped me hard and fought for her release as hard as I did. And as we worked together to find the magic we always found, I knew I’d always fight hard for her.

For absolutely every part of her.

The sex.

The good times.

The bad times.

And the sweet, sweet moments where I knew no matter how much shit we had to go through, we’d make it.

10

Harlow

“Six days away from J, and I was going crazy,” Madison said as we watched Scott and J on the other side of the restaurant.

It was the night after they’d returned from their trip, and we were at the re-opening of Storm’s restaurant, Trilogy. Most of the club members were in attendance, along with their old ladies.

I turned to Madison with a frown. “Griff’s not here. He’s coming, right?”

“As far as I know, he is. But can we get back to more important things, please?”

“What?” I was so distracted tonight. Scott had asked me to marry him last night, and yet, I still hadn’t told him I was pregnant.

Nerves whooshed through me at the thought.

I’m pregnant.

I’d left Scarlett’s house in a shitty mood the other day, but after spending hours contemplating everything she’d said, I realised she was right. As much as that pained me to admit. And so, I’d taken a test, and confirmed my pregnancy. I’d then proceeded to call in sick to all my jobs and ignored my phone except to take calls off Scott, my mother, Sharon and Cassie.

The last three days had been spent doing some deep soul searching while resting and making art, and I’d come to the decision I was okay with being pregnant. Actually, I was more than okay with it – I was ecstatic. But I was also scared of losing the baby, and perhaps that was why I hadn’t told anyone yet. I knew it was crazy, but telling people made it real. And real meant I had to face my fears because I was sure once Scott knew, he’d want to talk out all my concerns.

“Harlow! Are you even paying attention?” Madison demanded.

I blinked. “I’m sorry. Tell me what’s going on in your world.” I reached for the water in front of me and took a long sip.

“J came home last night and I was ready to jump his bones, and while he did have sex with me, I could tell he really just wanted to go to sleep.”

“And?”

“Do you think that means there’s something going on that he’s not telling me about? Remember the last time he shut down on me was because of a secret he was keeping.”

Scarlett’s words came back to haunt me – You all make shit harder than it has to be.

She’s right.

“Madison, if you think there’s something wrong, just ask him. It’s the only way you’ll know for sure.” My voice was a little snippy when I didn’t mean for it to be.

She stared at me. “Are you okay?”

“Why? Do I not seem okay?”

“You seem off. Are you still feeling sick?”

Her voice held concern, but I didn’t want to get into a conversation about it with her. She’d figure it out fast and I didn’t want anyone to figure it out before I told Scott. Grappling for something to divert her attention, I was relieved when I saw Griff enter the restaurant…with a woman.

“Holy shit,” I murmured. “Who is that with Griff?” Whoever she was, she was stunning. And he held her close, in the way a man held a woman he loved.

Madison followed my gaze and almost choked on her drink. “Geez, Griff’s been holding out.”

We both watched in amazement as Griff led the beautiful blonde our way. His eyes held a warning, and I knew not to make a big scene about this new development in his life. Griff was a very private man and if he kept a woman to himself, I figured he had a good reason. And he was entitled to his privacy.

“Ladies,” he greeted us, his arm firmly around his woman’s waist. “I’d like you to meet my girlfriend, Sophia.”

Madison practically jumped out of her chair in excitement. “It’s so good to meet you!” she exclaimed. “I’m Madison and this is Harlow.”

I expected Sophia to shrink from Madison and her overly excited greeting, but instead, a smile graced her face, and she easily stepped out of Griff’s hold. “It’s so lovely to meet you both.”

Griff whispered something in her ear and she nodded. He then brushed a quick kiss across her lips and left us.

As we all watched him go, Madison murmured, “Griff always did know how to keep a secret.”

Sophia took the seat next to Madison’s and when she eyed the wine bottle in the middle of the table, asked, “Can I please have some of your wine? It’s been a long day and to say I’m a little nervous about meeting everyone tonight is an understatement. Griff’s been holding back on introducing me, wanting time just for us, and while I’m the kind of woman who is willing to wait for my man to get stuff sorted in his mind, I’ve been dying to meet you all. And then he just announced last night that tonight was the night, and I kinda went into panic mode. You know, the whole, ‘what will I wear’, and ‘I’ve gotta get my hair done’, and ‘holy shit, I need new shoes’… So I’m thinking a glass or two of wine right about now would be good.” She stopped rambling and took a deep breath while eyeing us with the kind of look a woman gives another woman when they desperately need to be understood.

I couldn’t help it, I laughed. Pushing the wine bottle her way, I said, “Knock yourself out. And can I just say, you are not at all the kind of woman I ever expected Griff to date. And I mean that in the best possible way.”

She poured herself a glass of wine, took a sip, and then said, “We’re a little bit different, yes.”

Madison had sat back down, and was staring at Sophia in what could only be described as wonder. Leaning her elbows on the table, she demanded, “Tell us everything – how you met Griff, how long you’ve been dating, all about you…we need to know everything.”

Sophia drank some more wine before placing her glass on the table and telling us everything Madison wanted to know. We were still deep in conversation twenty minutes later when Velvet arrived, and I’d already decided I loved Sophia. She was the kind of woman I loved to hang out with – funny, kind and honest – and I could see exactly why Griff had chosen her.

As Velvet took a seat and Madison made introductions, I excused myself to go to the bathroom.

The atmosphere in the restaurant was electric. Storm had worked long hours to get Trilogy back up and running, and the guys were celebrating hard. I made my way to the bathroom fairly easily, but got held up on my way back, so decided to backtrack and find another way through to my table.

Lost in my thoughts, I ran into Griff. “Whoa, Harlow, you okay?” he asked after we collided.

“Sorry, I was miles away.” I smiled up at him. “I love Sophia, and I’m really glad you finally introduced us.”

Griff was a man of few words and even less facial expressions, and he didn’t let me down. He simply nodded and said, “Figured it was time to bring her into the club.”

The way he said it made me think he could be making their relationship permanent, but I didn’t push him for more. The little he’d given me was probably all he planned on sharing.

“You do realise you’ve lost her to Madison now, right? At least for some hours every week. She’s planning weekly get togethers for the Storm women now.”

His lips twitched and he nodded again. “Figured that would happen. Sophia will love that.”

As I stood watching him and thinking about how much his life was changing, two hands slid around my waist and warm breath tickled my ear. “By my calculations there are about three more hours of tonight left before I can take you home and practice my proposal to you again. Don’t drink too much tonight, sweetheart, because I’m planning the longest fuckin’ proposal known to man.”

It should have been lust that whooshed through me at his words, but instead, guilt hit me fair in the chest.

I need to tell him there will be no more drinking for me for nine months.

I’ll tell him tonight.

Later.

Before I could respond, Griff’s phone rang and he gave Scott a perplexed look. Scott’s body tensed against mine as we listened to Griff’s call.

“Why are you calling me?” He spoke into the phone with irritation. “We settled the cash the other day which cleared up everything between you and the club.”

Silence while he listened, and then – “That shit’s between you, your brother and whoever the fuck he’s buying drugs from.”

He listened some more before moving his phone away from his mouth and saying to Scott, “It’s that chick we gave that money back to the other day…Says she’s got some drug dealers threatening her.”

“What the fuck does she want us to do about it?” Scott asked as he ran one of his hands over my ass. His body against mine and his hands all over me turned me on, but guilt still filled my mind, as did concern for Scarlett.

“She wants us to go to her house and help her.”

“Jesus, she kicks me in the balls and then wants my help?” Scott muttered.

Griff nodded and opened his mouth to say something, but I cut in. “I think we should help her. Scarlett doesn’t strike me as the kind of person who asks for help unless she really needs it.”

Scott let me go and moved next to me. “Well, she strikes me as the kind of woman who can take care of herself.”

I raised my brows at him. “You’re really gonna let a woman calling for help, fend for herself?”

He raked his fingers through his hair. “Fuck…” Eyeing Griff, he said, “I’ll take Wilder with me, check it out. You right to keep the party going here?”

“Yeah, you guys go.” He put the phone back to his ear. “Scott will be there soon.” When he hung up, he said to Scott, “I’ll text you the address.”

“I’ll go with you and show you where she lives,” I said.

Scott’s eyes darted to mine and he shook his head. “Fuck, no. I don’t want you anywhere near this.”

“Surely I’ll be safe if I’m with you.”

“No,” his voice was firm, “I want you to stay here. If I take you with me, I won’t be able to concentrate on anything but you, and that will put everyone at risk.”

The baby.

“You’re right,” I said softly as I reached for his hand. “Please be safe.”

His face softened and he squeezed my hand. Dipping his face to mine, he kissed me. “I’m always safe, sweetheart,” he tried to reassure me, but my gut swirled with apprehension. Maybe it was the thought of our child, but I had a bad feeling about something.

I reached my hand around his neck and pulled him back for another longer kiss. “I love you,” I whispered, trying to keep the fear from my voice.

He frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” I placed my hands on his chest and pasted a smile on my face. “You should go in case Scarlett really needs you.”

Keeping his attention focused on me for another few moments, he stayed silent, but I knew my man, and he was still trying to decide if I needed him. Eventually he said, “Okay, but if you need me, you call.”

“I will,” I promised and watched as he left.

Turning to Griff, I said, “Can you please let me know if something happens while they are with Scarlett.”

His forehead creased. “You sound worried.”

“I am worried, Griff. I’m not sure why, but I am. I never ask to be involved in club business and I’m not now, but I would like to be kept in the loop on Scott. Please.” The unease hadn’t left me, so I held my ground with Griff. I would not finish this conversation until he gave me his word he would do what I asked.

He contemplated my request and I thought for sure he’d argue with me, but he didn’t. “I’ll let you know how it goes.”

“Thank you.”

I left him and headed back to the girls.

God, I hope my gut is wrong.

I want to marry that man.