Page 27 of Saving Helena

“He’s intense but hot,” Jillian whispered. I heard he’s done serious time. Not that I care,” she was quick to add. Plenty of bikers had brushes with the law due to the illegal nature of club life, but I wouldn’t lie and say that you couldn’t see the marks it left on a man. Pike was one of those guys who looked like he’d been behind bars.

“We celebrating or what fuckers?” Pike was raucous and loud as he threw his arms wide, drawing smiles and hooting calls from his men. Not to mention appreciative looks from the ladies.

“If you need me, Jills,” I started, looking at Maddox.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” She made shooing motions with her hands. “Go on.”

Jillian and Whitney had been working the bar for a long time. I was extra and probably in the way at this point. Grabbing a few extra lime slices before I left and sprinkling them with salt, I moved to Maddox. He turned toward me, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “Hey, princess. I was wondering where you were.”

I shrugged, offering him a small smile in return. “I was trying to finish up some last-minute stuff with Amber and Jillian that someone had kept me from earlier.”

Maddox chuckled, running a hand down my side. “Someone should keep their hands to themselves.”

“I like their hands, though.” Thinking about all the things I could put his hands to work with made my panties wet.

“Is that right?” His hooded eyes smoldered as he dragged me closer and then moved the exact hands we were discussing over my side underneath my t-shirt, tracing my skin in small s-curves. We’d not had as much time today as I would have liked, but hopefully, that would be rectified later tonight.

“That’s right,” I affirmed, flickering my gaze around the room. It's incredible to see everyone coming together like this.”

I’d heard Maddox’s tone when he mentioned that he and Pike had come up in the foster system together, but there was something he wasn’t telling me. I wondered how far he trusted him—how well he knew him. I wasn’t sure I had any right to press him for information about his past friendships. My knowledge about Maddox Bishop was piteously small.

Maddox’s expression furrowed, his eyes scanning over the floor before us. “Yeah, it is good. We needed this alliance with the Cobras if we would continue to grow in a couple of areas. Not having an agreement with them was a problem.”

“Well, looks like you made it happen then,” I paused. “Look, later, we need to talk. About what I found in the books.”

His hand landed on my hip, hooking into one of the loops of my jeans. His gaze lingered hungrily on mine for a moment longer. “We can do that, princess. Anything you want.”

The promise was there again, low and hot. I’m sure he knew that I was being serious. We had the finances to talk about, and I actually needed to talk seriously with him, but damn with his teasing. Two could play at that game.

“Anything Maddox?” I ran my hand inside his vest and under his t-shirt, enjoying the swift intake of breath. “I was thinking about earlier. Maybe we could continue that.”

“Anything,” he answered as I dipped my fingers slightly down to the tight band where his belt held his pants against his skin. Like the flutter of a dove’s wings, I skimmed my fingers to trace the tight muscles that sketched an obvious six-pack at the edge of his pants.

“Who’s this?” The voice from behind us took us both by surprise. I snatched my hand back quicker than if I had laid my hand on a hot stove. Then I was pissed at myself.

As I looked to see who had interrupted our moment, my heart stilled at the sight of Pike standing there. His eyes flickered between Maddox and me, and a smug grin played on his lips that I wasn’t sure how to read.

“This is Helena,” Maddox replied curtly, clearly unhappy about the interruption, his hand tightening on my hip as he straightened up. He shifted his body so that it was covering mine. He might as well have peed on me.

Pike's grin widened, his gaze lingering on me in a calculating way that confused me. “Ah, I see now. Well, Maddox, you always did have good taste.” His tone was almost too smooth, and I could sense the underlying edge of arrogance that lurked beneath the charm.

I forced a polite smile, trying to ignore the uncomfortable knot in my stomach. I wish I had pressed Maddox a little more about his relationship with Pike and whether or not he trusted him. It was hard to know what vibe I was picking up from him.

“Nice to meet you,” I hesitated but offered my hand in greeting anyway.

Pike took my hand, turning it over and peering at my nails; his grip was firm but not overly aggressive. “Helena.” He seemed to consider for a moment, but I knew it was an act. “Helena Marsh, then, right? Roscoe’s daughter?”

I raised an eyebrow, suppressing the urge to roll my eyes. “So? What about it?”

“I’m just asking.” He winked at Maddox, which made my blood boil. “No reason.”

“Do you want to hear some stories about baby Maddox?” he asked, instantly redeeming himself. I quirked my eyebrow.

“What kind of stories do you have?” This piqued my interest. I’d love to hear about Maddox’s childhood. We’d barely had time to get to know each other at this point so that any stories would be good stories, in my opinion. My knowledge bank was woefully thin on knowledge regarding Maddox Bishop at this point.

“There are all kinds, good stories and bad stories. You’ll be able to take your pick, baby Marsh.”

“Ah, come on, asswipe. You don’t need to spread lies,” Maddox moaned. “Don’t be a dick.”

---