Page 64 of Thornhill Road

“Would’ve lost that bet,” said Mustang as he dropped trou.

“What bet?” I murmured, admiring his nakedness as he came to join me between the sheets.

“Never fucked a woman capable of crashing as fast as you do after sex. Least not a sober one.”

I hummed a laugh as I rested my cheek atop my knee.

He sat with his back propped against the wall behind the bed.

He was in a good mood, and my body still felt relaxed and sated, but there was a reason I was still awake—and I didn’t want to keep it from him.

I dropped my gaze to look at his hand. The blood had long since been washed away, but bruises had started to form on the skin across his knuckles. Before we left his house earlier, he'd let me look at it. Begrudgingly. As soon as I was sure he hadn’t broken anything, he wouldn’t let me fuss over him anymore.

“Mustang?” I whispered, lifting my eyes to find his.

“Right here, sugar.”

“What happened today? With Mary-Kate’s mother?”

His demeanor shifted in the second it took me to blink.

It wasn’t a chill I felt at the visible change I saw in his eyes, more like a silent warning to brace myself. So, I did. I sat up straight, hugging the sheet to my chest as I let my knees drop to the bed, angling my body toward his.

I was open. I was ready, and I wanted him to know that.

He received my message and started sharing.

“The only reason I don’t have MK full time is because I’ve got a dick, not a pussy. I can’t be her mom, and I know she needs one.I know because I did, and I’ve got a dick. When I lost mine, I felt it. Trix is a selfish bitch, but MK loves her, and I know I gotta respect that.

“She also knows shit about me and the club she shouldn’t know. Met her when the Stallions were in a different place. Stuff she knows could get a brother popped if she played her cards right. Not sure she’s smart enough to play those cards right, but she threatens me with that shit all the time.

“Trix walks a fine line. I tolerate her for my girl, but I sure as fuck don’t need to tolerate the shit company she keeps—especially if it means they’re gettin’ high with MK closed up in another room. I don’t have a stick up my ass. Trix wants to find an escape from her miserable life, all the power to her—just not when she’s got MK.

“I grew up with an abusive parent who was hooked on his own drug, and I’ll do what I’ve got to, to make sure my girl doesn’t endure the same fate. I can’t win every battle, but I will win this one. I'm prepared to fall on my sword if I have to. Trix keeps goin’ down this road, I will get full custody, even if that means my MK hates me for it one day.”

He’d laid it all out there, plain and simple. It was a lot to absorb, but he’d definitely filled in the blanks. He didn’t mess around when it came to the safety and wellbeing of his daughter. I got that. I admired it, even. His tactics were a bit rough, but so was he.

He was a Stallion.

It wasthatrealization which hit me anew.

I’d known since the moment I met him he was part of a motorcycle club—and not one of those clubs that got together just to ride for fun. It wasn’t like the Wild Stallions were in the news for stirring up trouble—but it seemed unlikely they weren’t the kind that stirred the pot every now and again. I’d just never seriously considered what that could look like.

I reached up and swept a bit of hair behind my ear, ignoring the nervous pang in my belly as I asked, “Um—what do you mean when you saythe Stallions were in a different place?”

He studied me for a full minute, then warned, “Baby, you open this door—it don’t shut.”

I could feel my chest rising and falling as my breaths grew shallow. He was giving me the chance to change my mind—to keep my eyes closed and just enjoy the ride.

But I was his woman. Iwantedto be his woman. I couldn’t do that in a state of blind ignorance. I wouldn’t. Moreover, if there was any chance the truth could break us, I needed to know before it was too late.

Before such a truth could destroy me.

“Mustang, I want to know.”

He hesitated a minute longer, then gave it to me straight.

“Bull’s the president of the Wild Stallions MC. Not just the Gillette chapter—the whole organization. He’s a good man. A family man. He’s business savvy, always thinkin’ ten steps ahead. He was one of the founding members twenty-seven years ago—but he’s only been our leader the last four, and he didn’t earn his title simply by puttin’ in the time. He fought for it. Lost blood and brothers for it. It was a hostile takeover during the club’s darkest time.”

---