Page 36 of Rise In Arms

She huffs out an irritated-sounding breath and drops her hands. “Kane, I can’t afford a new car, I’m barely making payments for my bills.”

“That’s taken care of,” I say looking away, and then head to the bathroom, grabbing a clean towel from the armchair on the way and hanging it over the side of the shower rail.

Hazel follows me into the bathroom. “Kane, you can’t keep looking out for me. I need to pay my own way in life.” I sigh and turn to face her, ready to put my foot down but she continues. “I know I’ve told you already, but what you did for me—getting me into college so I can follow my dreams and have a career—is something I will never forget. It’s because of you I’m where I am today.”

I take her in with my eyes and fold my arms over my chest. “You deserve it, babe. And you don’t need to thank me, I wanted to do it.”

She steps in closer, her hand coming to rest on my arm. “Really, Kane. Thank you, and for everything you’re doing for Charity. I know you don’t want to talk about it… but you’re good for her. You’re strong, caring, and look after your own. She needs to know there are still guys like that out there. If you like her, then make it happen.”

I shake my head. “Not happening, sis. She’s got too much on her plate to be dealin’ with a new man. Nah, things are better as is,” I add, even though the words taste slightly bitter in my mouth.

“Don’t lose her to another man. You will, Kane,” Hazel says softly, squeezing my arm.

I grind my teeth at the mention of another man. “Look, let’s just leave it, okay? I don’t need you meddling in my love life. Now, go have a shower and I’ll organize for your bag to be brought over.”

I leave the bathroom and shut the door behind me, hearing the shower start up as I take my phone out of my pocket and text Bear, asking him to grab the girls’ bags from the bikes. I look up after I hit Send, noticing Charity is lying down on my bed, now on her side, eyes on me. She’s so fucking tempting.

“You okay? Need something?” I ask, sitting on the bed beside her and trying to keep my twitching hands under control. All they want to do is reach out and touch her. Then I notice that she’s crying, and I allow myself to catch a tear with my thumb before it falls from her cheek.

“Hey,” I say soothingly, rubbing the tear between my thumb and forefinger. “What’s going on?”

She sniffles and wipes the rest of her tears away with her fingers, then sits up so she’s eye level with me. “Oh, Kane. What am I going to do? I’m having a baby to a man who doesn’t want it. How am I supposed to support me and this baby? I have no money, I’m a student for God’s sake!” she cries.

I grasp behind her neck and bring her into me, letting her cry into my shoulder. “Shush, it will be all right.”

“How can you say that?” she states, looking up at me. “How?” Her lips tremble as she tries to control her emotions.

“I just know, Char. I won’t let anything happen to you. If you need money for you and your child, we will help you.”

“We?” she asks, eyes wide.

“The club,” I explain, catching another tear on my thumb and barely holding back from bringing it to my mouth and tasting it.

“But why would your club help me? They owe me nothing.”

I cup her face in my hands, and again swipe away the next batch of tears. “Because, Charity, you’re under Blood Brothers protection now, and… that’s what we do.”

I can see she’s barely holding it together, and her voice is hoarse when she chokes out, “I’m so scared, Kane, what if he finds me? He’ll kill me for leaving him, I know he will.” She begins to cry again and leans closer into my chest. “I know I act all strong, but I’m not. I’m so scared, Kane.”

I swallow around the sudden lump in my throat. “Now you listen to me,” I state, lifting her face up by her chin. “You are strong—you’re one of the strongest women I’ve ever met—and I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise you that.”

My eyes drop to her moist pink lips, and despite everything, my body and soul are begging me to grab her and kiss her, reassure her with my hands and mouth that I have her back, but I control the urge. That is until her eyes drop to my lips and her tongue sneaks out to lick hers. Slowly, inch my inch, she leans in, her mouth lightly touching mine. I don’t move, I let her take control. She sucks my bottom lip into her mouth, and I feel an electric current run through my body, all the way to the tip of my cock that’s now throbbing.

Her hands come up to my face then, and she holds me gently, her forehead resting against mine. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that. You already warned me that nothing can happen. I’m sorry, Kane.”

Her eyes hesitantly look up at me, and all I can think is, I want her—no, I need her. I wrap my fist in her hair, forcing her face back up to mine. “Don’t ever be fucking sorry, when your lips are on mine,” I growl out, and then with no control left in me, I kiss her—slowly at first, tasting every inch of her mouth. Her moans are music to my ears, and she opens, allowing me entry, where I delve in and tangle my tongue with hers. Her hands slide under my shirt and run up my abs to my chest. I fuckin’ love her hands on me. I can’t help myself and reach out and cup her breasts through her top. They’re just the right size, a full hand with a little left over. I squeeze them together and her nipples harden.

The throbbing down below has become unbearable as my cock hits the zipper of my jeans. We kiss, we suck, all lips and tongue, our bodies caught up in a passionate frenzy. Without thinking I push her down onto the bed again and arch my body over her, resting on my forearms to keep my weight suspended for now. I pull back and look deep into her eyes. “You’re fucking killing me, Char, do you know what you do to me?” She shakes her head, lips swollen and only the tracks of tears remaining. Fuckin’ beautiful. “You make me feel like a man starved, like if I don’t have you I can’t keep on living. You are my… my air, and I can’t even explain how this started. I don’t know what I’m feeling, Charity.”

She smiles, her hand reaching up to my face, and she traces a finger along my bottom lip. “I can’t explain it either. All I know is I want you, and I don’t care that my ex is after me, because with you I feel safe—I feel like I… belong.” She laughs then. “I sound like an idiot, don’t I?” she adds, getting all shy and shit all of a sudden, covering her face with one hand.

I remove it and hold it gently in mine, ensuring I have her full attention. “No, darlin’, not an idiot. Because if you are then I am too, because I feel the same.”

A knock sounds on my bedroom door. “Fuck.”

Charity giggles, and I smirk back at her. “That would be Bear with your bags.”

I get up from the bed and adjust my cock that’s hard as a fucking rock. Charity sits up and throws her legs over the side of the bed, fixing her hair and adjusting her shirt. I walk over to the door and open it, finding Rhyder on the other side instead of Bear, with the girls’ bags in his hands.

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