Page 66 of Havoc

My lips pressed into a firm line as I thought over his words. When I stepped over the threshold into the bedroom, I mumbled, “I guess that’s okay. At least you’re here with me.”

Turning me around, he looked me in the eyes. “I’m not gonna lie to you, sweetheart. I am going to need to leave at some point to track down the computer geek. I can’t ask my club brothers to risk their lives tracking down your enemies while I hide out here with you, safe and sound. No man worth his salt would do something like that.”

My eyes jumped around the room for a brief moment before I asked, “This place locks from the inside, right? God, I hope it does if I end up getting left here alone. The idea of Slater finding me in a place like this and taking his time hurting or killing me like that serial killer hurt the women he brought here terrifies me.”

He immediately reached out and pulled me into the circle of his arms. Holding me tight, he rubbed my back soothingly. “You are never going to be left alone, not on my watch. That’s the whole point of being part of a brotherhood. We protect each other and our loved ones. That means even when I have to leave to take care of business, others will take my place in protecting you. Storm will send some of my club brothers or prospects to secure this location. Even our prospects are experts at guarding shit because from day one, they’re responsible for guarding the clubhouse full-time. They trade off shifts and that’s their most important responsibility while they’re prospecting. I wouldn’t leave you here unless I was a hundred percent sure you were safe.”

I gave him a grateful look and reached up to put my hands on his chest. “You’re shockingly good at making me feel better about my awful situation.” Then I laid my cheek against his chest, making something deep inside shift. It’s like my hands on his body had flipped a switch, making me hyper-aware of how strong and protective he was.

“Yeah, it’s easy to be supportive and keep you safe when my club has stacked all the cards in our favor. I swear, joining the Dark Slayers was the best decision I ever made. I’m usually the one protecting my club brothers and their families. It’s nice to know they are willing to step up and do the same for me.”

I tilted my face up to look at him. “Like I said before, I trust you and your club brothers.”

Staring into my eyes, he tried to use humor to keep things light. “You sure about that? You’d be one of the few women open to seeing us as more than just a bunch of guys who liked to hang out, party, and ride our hogs.”

“I figured out you were more than just a dumb biker stereotype the first time I met you, Havoc. The things I didn’t understand, Zoe explained to me real fast. If I’m adjusting to club life faster than the others, it’s because of the lessons she taught me and the fact that you’re easy to get close to.”

“You sure it’s me you’re thinking of there, sweetness? Remember, I’m the stubborn biker that kept you at arm’s length in the beginning. That gave you a nice hard hate fuck right out of the gate. I didn’t think that you’d ever be able to get past that shit.”

“Shows how much you know. I actually liked that shit. You’re one of the few guys I’ve met that was spontaneous and honest enough to trust jumping into a one-night stand with just for the hell of it. I wouldn’t have traded that night for anything in the world.”

“We don’t have to leave it at a one-nighter. You know that, right?”

Chapter 20

Riley

Standing there wrapped in Havoc’s embrace, there wasn’t anything I wanted more than another night in his strong arms. The only thing holding me back was wanting more than just another one-night stand with him. Deciding it was time to ask for what I really wanted, I took a chance.

Sliding my arms up and around his neck, I tugged his head down to touch mine. “Here’s the thing, Havoc. I’m not really the one-night stand type. I need more.”

His hands tightened on my body, his fingers digging gently into the softness of my hips. He responded roughly, “In case you didn’t notice, I’m fuckin’ crazy for you, sweetness. You can have all of me you want.”

“What I want is exclusive. I don’t want to have to share you with any other woman.”

One big hand slid up my back to gently cup the back of my head and his lips crashed down on mine with an eagerness that he’d clearly been holding back all day. His tongue came out and I opened myself to him. When our tongues slid against each other in a sensual dance, I clung to him as a raw, burning need swept through my entire body, making my clit throb like it had a heartbeat of its own.

When he pulled back to press his forehead against mine again, he spoke, his voice rough but sincere, “You don’t need to worry about other women. There haven’t been any since the day you walked into my life. And there won’t be in the future because you’re it for me.”

I closed my eyes, thankful that we were on the same page. “You’re all I want as well.”

“It’s decided then,” he stated. “From here on out, you’re officially my old lady. I’m glad we had this conversation. It’ll save me from having to beat some brother’s ass for trying to poach you from me.”

I pulled back enough to look at him. This man was dead serious about that poaching comment. “You act like you’re a wildlife ranger and I’m an exotic animal in need of being protected from big game hunters.”

“Like someone once told me, we’re all animals, Riley. But you’re more precious than any other creature that walks the face of the earth to me. I want to not only keep you alive but out of the sights of big game hunters and dirty cops alike.”

I reached up to cup his face in my hands. “Just promise me that you won’t take any unnecessary chances with yourself. You’re the happily ever after that I’ve been dreaming of my whole life. Getting Slater doesn’t matter if I lose you in the process.”

A long silence spun out between us. Although Havoc looked emotional, he didn’t say a word. He just stood there looking down at me as my thumbs gently caressed his battered face. The only sound was the sound of a slowly ticking clock on the wall and our soft breathing. Instead of filling the void with words, I gave him time to come to grips with what I was asking from him. It was basically the rest of his life. And I couldn’t have that if he took unnecessary chances with his life and wound up dead.

His hands came up to cover mine and he pulled my hands away. Then one hand came to thump against his chest, albeit less ferocious than before, but he still repeated his mantra. “I’m hard to kill.” Something about his tone threw me for a loop. His voice sounded hollow and less convinced than before.

“Promise me that you’ll be safe and come back to me if you leave me in this isolated bunker.”

He glanced away. “You’re putting me between a rock and a hard place, Riley. If there is one thing that war taught me, it’s that completing the mission and making it home safely are sometimes not mutually compatible goals. Protecting you is my new self-appointed mission. I promise you that I’ll make sure he’s either locked up or dead, even if I die trying. That’s the only real promise I can make you.”

Reaching up, I balled my fists in his t-shirt. “Then lie to me. Tell me everything’s going to be okay, and you and I are going to have many good years ahead of us. I need a thread of hope to hang onto right now or I’m going to lose my ever-loving mind.”

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