Page 68 of Filthy Hot

“I don’t want to worry about anything,” she says in a whisper. “But I worry about Talon. He’s scary, Rider.”

Holding her closer to me, I slip my tongue out and taste the pad of her thumb. “Don’t let him scare you, baby. That man is one of the biggest pussies I’ve ever met. He’s abusing women as a way to assert his dominance and control. He wants to harass an old man who has spent his entire life working and creating a club that is wildly successful. All because he wants a piece of piethat he was too lazy to make himself. And what makes him even more of a pussy is the fact that he comes to a small town to do all of that, because he couldn’t hack it in a bigger city like Dallas.”

“The way those women talk about him. The way their eyes glaze over when his name is even mentioned. He’s dangerous, Rider,” she exhales.

I chuckle, my gaze searching hers for a moment before I speak. “He is dangerous, baby. But that doesn’t make him less of a pussy. Now, just get some sleep because I fucking got this, baby. I got you, and I got this.”

She lets out a slow exhale as I release my grip on her hair. Her head slowly lowers, and her cheek rests against my chest. I run my fingers up and down her back, my eyelids growing heavy, and I fall asleep soundly for the first time since my mother died.

It’s amazing and perfect—two words that I wasn’t sure could ever go together, but they do. They work perfectly… together.

KYLE

I’m notsure what time I wake up, but when I do, I’m alone again. However, this time doesn’t feel as ominous. I don’t think anyone is downstairs, that Talon is anywhere near here, but that doesn’t make me feel completely comfortable and safe. I don’t know if I ever will again.

I thought Pineville was my safe haven. I’m feeling anything but safe right now. I hate it, too. I want to feel relief. I want to be wrapped in Rider’s arms and know that nothing will ever happen to me again.

Because this man is, without a doubt,theone for me. The absolute one. Throwing my legs over the side of the bed, I stand on shaky thighs. My entire body is sore. Rider worked every inchof my body last night, this morning, and hopefully every day until the day I die.

When I walk out of the bathroom, I stop in my tracks at the sight of him. He’s sitting on the edge of the bed, dressed, but he’s not empty-handed. He’s got a coffee in one hand and a bag in the other.

“I brought breakfast,” he says with a smirk.

My eyes widen, and my lips twitch into a small smile. “Breakfast,” I murmur as my feet carry me over to him.

Rider thrusts his hand forward, holding out the coffee for me. Slipping it from his fingers, I bring it to my lips and take a sip. I swear my eyes roll into the back of my head as the warm liquid slides down my throat.

He wraps his arm around my waist and tugs me down so my ass lands on his upper thigh. I turn to look at him, and my lips curve up into a smile. His arm tugs me a little closer to him, and I lean against his chest slightly.

“I have some things I need to do today. You’ll stay here, inside. Don’t leave this building, yeah?”

“Where are you going?”

He hums but doesn’t answer me. I sink my teeth into the corner of my bottom lip. Then he tilts his head to the side. I watch him, waiting for his response. He clears his throat before he speaks.

“I can’t tell you that, baby.”

My brows knit together. “You can’t tell me?” I ask.

He nods his head, his arm flexing around me. “I can’t tell you,” he repeats, confirming his words.

I open my mouth then snap it closed. Asking him anything else would be dumb. He’s already said that he can’t tell me, but I want to know. And I don’t understand why he can’t tell me. Then I think about last night, or rather early this morning, and everything that happened.

As I was sitting in that room with Shawn and Ryan last night, they were so calm and collected, as if they had done that a million times. Or maybe they knew their men so well that they trusted them implicitly.

I want to trust Rider that way. I thought I did, but I just don’t know him yet.

“The MC, it’s a club. Since it’s a club, we have rules and duties that non-members can’t be privy to,” he explains. I like that he’s telling me this so openly. “And a decision was made this morning with some things that I need to do. So, I’ll do them today.”

“But I can’t know,” I say.

He nods once. “You can’t know,” he confirms.

“Will you be safe?”

I’m not sure why I ask that, maybe because I’m the one not feeling safe right now. Maybe because this all seems so incredibly chaotic.

The hand around my waist slowly slides up the center of my spine. Then I feel his fingers curl around the back of my neck and flex gently. My attention is on him. I am his. Rider’s eyes search mine before he speaks again.

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