“I think I’m the lucky one, Katydid.”
“Still don’t like being compared to a bug, Hunter,” she murmurs, her voice laced with a warning.
It makes me grin. Then again, I’ve always been kind of an asshole who likes to push Katie to the edge—in all things. Luckily for me, she likes that shit and gives as good as she gets.
“You can punish me for it later,” I tell her with a wink.
“You do realize you have this punishment thing backwards, right?”
“I do?” I ask her, feigning innocence.
“Me punishing you isn’t supposed to be about you spanking my ass and then coming over it to soothe the burn,” she mutters, replaying exactly what happened last night with her words.
“But, it was so much fun,” I murmur against her lips. “Didn’t you have fun, Sweetness?” I ask, letting my tongue slide along her bottom one, teasing her, but not taking her mouth… not yet.
“It was fun, you lunatic,” she mutters, her hands coming up to rest on my shoulders, her fingers, sifting through my hair.
“You know I love you, Katie?” I ask her suddenly. Katie’s over her past. It doesn’t seem to bother her anymore and her nightmares have stopped. Still, sometimes, I think I see shadows in her eyes. I fucking hate those shadows. I want them gone. I want my woman breathing free and easy and doing all of that while happy.
“I know, Hunter,” she says quietly. She tilts up higher to press her lips to mine and I take her kiss, letting my tongue slide into her mouth and claim her, losing myself in my woman—just like I always do.
“Fucking-A woman, you give the best kisses.”
Her soft, satisfied smile moves to a grin that makes her eyes light up.
“It’s all about the practice,” she responds.
“Is that a fact?”
I can’t pull away from her. I’m lost in the way her eyes are glittering with happiness, in the tender smile she’s giving me and just the feel of having her in my arms. I loved Katie from the beginning, now what I feel can’t be summed up by the word love. Katie is everything to me.
Abso-fucking-lutely everything.
“How about you tell Skull you can’t come over to help set up, crawl back in bed with me and let me practice on you some more?” she asks, her voice hungry. Fuck, if I don’t love it when my Katie gets needy.
“I have to go in,” I mutter with a sigh.
“I understand,” she says, trying to hide her disappointment.
“Although, I could go in an hour or so late,” I compromise, figuring it will be worth Skull’s ass-chewing.
“Just an hour?” she murmurs.
“I said, or so,” I grin as she reaches down, hooks her fingers in my t-shirt and pulls it over my head.
“Then you better get busy, Bartholomew,” she growls, daring me.
“I showed you last night what happens when you call me that,” I fake snarl, taking her hands and holding them above her head, leaning over her body.
“I know,” she grins. “I was waiting to see if today’s lesson is even better.”
“Fuck, you are perfect,” I moan and then I set about trying to top last night.
Hayden
“You ready?” Michael asks me for the millionth time. Okay. He’s not really asked that many times, but right now it feels like it. We’re sitting in the SUV outside of Michael’s old club. This time, Connor is sleeping and Ryker is singing along with a DVD in the back. My stomach feels like I have the worst case of sea sickness in the history of sea sickness. “Beauty,” Michael says, his voice low, kind of sweet but definitely growly. “Look at me.”
I have to force myself to look at him. I’m freaking out and I don’t even know why I’m freaking out. We’re here to celebrate Michael’s birthday and we’re staying a few days. I’ve visited his club before, but this is the first—the very first—time that Michael has agreed to stay at the club. Always before, we’ve stayed at a hotel. To me that sounds like he misses the club life. It’s okay. The kids and I would be happy as long as Michael was. I could adapt to living in Kentucky and living with his club. I could.
I mean, I already sold my bakery in Wyoming to Jenn and D.D., when I moved back to North Carolina and started a bakery there. It was an adjustment, but I agreed with Michael. North Carolina felt more like the place we belonged. Moving to Kentucky wouldn’t be a lot different…
“Yeah?” I respond, trying to get my courage up to open my car door.
“Whatever is in your head, you need to get rid of it,” he says and he sounds tired. I bite my lip and force myself to look into his eyes.
“Michael, your brothers love you,” I whisper.
“Babe, I know that. I don’t understand why you’re so nervous. We’ve been here before,” he says and he’s right. It’s time I come clean. It’s time I just tell him what I know and make sure that he realizes he has my support.
“Beth called me the other day while you and the boys were playing outside.”
“And?”
“Skull is going to try and talk you into coming back full time. They all are. Your brothers want you back in the fold, Michael.”
“Fuck.”
“She thought it best to warn me because…”
“Because?”
“Skull and the rest… I guess even Beth, though she did, but she doesn’t now and I—”
“Hayden, sweetheart, I normally love it when you rattle on, but if you don’t hurry they’ll come out and ask why we’re sitting in the vehicle and not coming inside,” Michael says gently. I bite my lip, take a breath and try again.
“They all assumed it was my fault you were staying away. Michael….is it my fault?” I whisper that last part, my secret fear.
“I told you it wasn’t. We just had that conversation yesterday, Beauty. Fuck. You’ve been worrying about this for days, haven’t you?”
“Michael you love me. It’s not like you’re going to come right out and tell me that I’m the reason you’re staying away from your club.”
“I would. Have you ever known me to not tell you the truth?” he mumbles and I can see a muscle twitching along his jawline. The same muscle that twitches when he gets angry, or upset with something—or someone.
“I’ve known you to put my feelings above your own,” I tell him truthfully.
“Beauty—”
“Michael, you have to know that I’d follow you anywhere. The boys and I will be with you no matter where you go, or what you do.”
“Beauty, we’ve just now settled in North Carolina. We have our new house… Hell, you finally have your business going the way you want.”
“I could open up the Beast Bakery in Kentucky. It’ll be a huge hit.”
“Beast Bakery?” he laughs, one eyebrow going up in humor and question.
“It’s a working title,” I shrug. “The point is, if you’re happy, I’m happy and I don’t care where that is,” I tell him.
“Lean over here and give your man a kiss,” he mutters.