Page 11 of Saving Helena

He skillfully maneuvered his bike to a stop, the chrome exhaust pipes emitting a final growl before falling silent. Dressed in the iconic black leather cut with theclub'slogo, Maddox dismounted and approached with a purposeful stride. Rough, blond, and bearded with piercing eyes that were as captivating as ever, therewas an edge to him that had always given Maddox Bishop that undeniable extra sex appeal. Panties had dropped for him since I could remember. There was also that part of him that had always seemed to be begging someone to challenge him, push him just a little farther. It had always been appealing. I could tell thathadn’tchanged. The three years since the funeral had only made him more handsome.

"Helena,"he said, his voice so deep that shivers went down my spine. “You okay?”His eyes traveled from my batteredsneakers and faded jeansto my loose hair, doinga completeinventory.I wondered if he still saw the teenagerwholeft here, the girl who played dress up for herfather’sfuneral a few years ago, or a woman.Which Helena did he see now? Did he see that young girl that he saiddidn’tbelong?

I nodded, struggling to meet his intense gaze."Yeah, just in a rough spot. I need your help with something. Some advice.”I added,“Thanks for coming.”Biting my lip, I forced myself to swallow my pride.“Can I stay at the club for a few nights?"

Maddox'sexpression softenedmomentarily, concern breaking through his tough exterior."C’mon,let'sget you out of here.We’lltalk back at the Open Road,”he gestured towards the waiting motorcycle.

I flashed him a grin. Even though this had been a long day and I was in trouble, Iwouldenjoy every second of this ride. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be sitting on the back of Maddox’s bike. Well, maybe in some of those dreams …

“Let’sprotect that pretty brainpan of yours,”he said, coming forward gently with a spare helmet.

“Just,”Maddox started and then paused, tilting his head as he looked at me for a moment, brushing a thumb over my jaw.“Let me look at you for a minute.”My thoughts stilled, my heart pounding as his eyes searched mine.

“Are youalright,Helena?”Those hazel eyes looked at me again, narrowing.

“Can we talk about it later?”I was pretty good at deflectingbecause he nodded.

“Sure, baby.” My heart stuttered at the endearment. “You’vegrown up finally, haven’tyou, princess.”It was a statement, so Ididn’tbother to answer, butI held his gaze as he smoothed the hair behind my ears and pulled the helmet over my head, tryingto ignore how his callused fingers brushed the edges of my cheeks.

Grabbing my bag, he strapped it to his bag and then climbed on.

As I got onto the back ofMaddox'sbike, the smell of the leather and engine oil enveloped me — the smells I associated with him. I wrapped my arms around his torso, fitting myself to him, fisting my hands into his t-shirt as the engine roared to life again. Leaving the crappy evening behindme,I gave myself over to the night, the motorcycle, and Maddox. God, I was glad to be home.

CHAPTER TEN

Maddox

Fuck, I swore my heart was about to burst out of my chest when that phone rang. The contact,“Princess,”lighting up for the first time. The thought of her being in trouble sent shivers down my spine. If anything happened to her, Iwasn'tsure how I would have handled it.

It had been three long years since she had been back after Roscoe passed away. Every year trying to stay awayhadbeen agony. The only thing that kept me in check was the video feed from outside her apartment. At leastthen,I got a small piece of her. Honestly, Iwasn’tsure Icouldstay away from much longer. Each time I went to do a check on her, it seemed like it wasn’t enough, and I risked getting closer. She’d been at a craft fair once looking at earrings, and I was just behind the booth’s curtains, which was one step to disaster. I’d been considering popping out and saying it was a coincidence. Instead, I’d paid the guy off and lurked back with my dick hard enough to pound nails, watching as her fingers brushed each set of earrings that she liked.

As I rolled up to the curb,ittook every ounce of strengthI hadto keep the bike steady.Helena Marsh was no longer the girl she was when I joined the Brotherhood. She had grown into the vision I always knew she would be.Her eyes, that familiar shade of blue, locked onto mine, shining withthat same rocky glint that Roscoe had.Damn, she had always had beautiful hair. Tons of it, thick and long, falling over her shoulders and down her back in waves. Not that fake blond either, but the kind that looked like sunshine and honey.

I knewthis wouldhave repercussions with some of the club members, Dimitri in particular.Nothing else couldbe done, andI would never turn her away.For her own good,I should –to keep her away from me, but Iwouldn’t.Even Ididn’thave willpower thatstrong. She was here now, and I was keeping her.

Maybe she thought I would, though. I chewed on that for a moment. When I first joined the Brotherhood, I was a dick to her on purpose more than once. She had always beenbeautifulbut way too young. Roscoe knew it and protected her as he should have. Helena was like a baby giraffe on new legs trying out her feminine wiles. I had establishedearlyon that shewouldn’ttryout any of those skills on me. A man could only be tortured so much, after all.

Dressed down in a leather jacket and jeans, this was a stark contrast to the fancy shit she wore atRoscoe'sfuneral.Don’tget me wrong, she looked good then, too, with her golden hair pulled back and pearls at her ears.

I had almost caved when she came out of the bathroom at Roscoe’s funeral with it down around her shoulders – actually got my hands into those silken tresses and pulled. Stopping myself had been a miracle. Thank fuckI’dhad the sense to send her away. She’d needed a little more time on her own to grow up. Not to mention, I had enough respect for Roscoe not to fuck his daughter the day we buried him, barely. I’d been hanging on by a thread.

Three years later, she had matured even more, and I felt a surge of pride as I witnessedthe woman she had become. The wind played with her hair, whichconstantlytaunted me as she casually tucked one loose honey strand behind her ear, her gaze unwavering.

"Helena,"I greeted her, my voice rough."It has been a long damn time."

She nodded, acknowledging the silent connection between us. Her eyes were wary, though. That was fair."Yeah, it has. Good to see you, Maddox.”Her big blue eyes found mine. I wondered when she was going to tell me what the fuck was so wrong that she was here, ofall places.“Could I stay at the club for a few nights?"

“Sure, princess.”Ididn’tbother to mention that she would be staying from now on. I had enjoyed watching her from afar, but the thought of her in my bed made my dick twitch. There was no way that I was waiting for Helena Marsh anymore.

Now was not the time for all the questions I had. Helena was back where she belonged, andtime for questions would come later. Looking at her closely, though, I could see shadows in those blue eyes that made me think she was scared. That made me wonder what kind of help she had come to the club for. Not that I gave a fuck. She could have whatever help she needed from me. I would lay the world at her feet if she needed it. She came to me for help, andthat was as good as a surrender.

For years, Ihad kept away from her. When I saw her atRoscoe’sfuneral, she had been away for years.I’dbeen sneaking over to her college in Tempe a couple of times a month to catch a glimpse of her like a crack addict, watching her go to her classes or work her night job as a barista. She had seemed happy.

When she had run into me that day of the funeral, I had almost taken her then but felt like an asshole for even thinking about it when she was crying all those pretty tears. Now I tried to ignore the inconvenient fact that my dick was suddenly hard as a rock against my zipper as I brushed her hair back from her face.

I had only had one occasion to touch her, and I forced myself not to linger like I would have liked. Now, therewould be nothing to stop me from pursuing her. Decency, maybe, but Iwasn’tsure I had any of that left.

She smelled like coconut, a distraction Ididn'tneed. As she nestled behind me, her tits pressing against my back, I forced myself to focus on the road in front of us.

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