Page 38 of Gunner
Chapter 16
Sadie
Ifell asleep in Kade’sarms, feeling more complete than at any time in my life. Him claiming me as his old lady was the final little push I needed to let down my last wall of defense. Feeling him inside me, his touch erasing all the painful memories, gave me the strength to open myself fully to him. When he brought me to orgasm, I felt the last piece of my heart click into place.
After our vigorous lovemaking in the shower, I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore, my body overwhelmed with pleasure. When we fell asleep wrapped in each other’s arms, I felt like I was on top of the world. Gone were the nightmares that plagued me, dragging me into the darkness, and in their place, were dreams of us living our lives free and in love.
When a phone started ringing from the living room before the sun had risen, I immediately worried my weekend crew was MIA and I would have to open the bakery when all I wanted to do was stay curled up by my old man’s side. As I went to roll out of his embrace to answer the phone, Kade pulled me closer to his naked, toned body.
“I’ve got it. It’s mine, darlin’.” He kissed me on the top of my head and climbed out of my bed.
He leaned back with his hands on his lower spine to adjust his back, and I felt bad that he had to fold his tall frame into my full-sized bed. He still had some lingering pain from his time in the military, but he never complained. His tight naked ass was a beautiful sight to look at, and I laid my head over my arm as I watched him leave the bedroom. The ringing started again, and I heard him answer the phone with a gruff tone.
“Hello?” After a moment, he replied, “She’s asleep, man. Is everything okay?” A shuffling sounded through the open bedroom door, and I sat up as Kade poked his head into the room. His eyes were filled with worry as he looked at me, and I sat up quickly, realizing something was wrong. “Yeah. Okay, we’ll see you in a few hours. Drive safely.”
He hung up the phone and let his head drop for a brief moment, and I impatiently waited with my heart in my throat for him to explain. He ran an inked hand through his blond hair and he brought his gaze to mine.
“What’s going on? Who was that on the phone?” I questioned, hearing the worry in my voice.
He reached down and pulled on his blue jeans before he came to sit down on the edge of the bed. I scooted to give him more room, and he grasped my hand with both of his.
“It was Dalton, honey.”
“Is Jacob okay?” I asked and started to get out of bed.
He held my hand firm, and he nodded, relieving some of the worry. “Sadie, Mick had a heart attack sometime during the night. Dalton went to wake him this morning, and he found him already gone. I’m so sorry, baby.”
My eyes filled with tears, and I couldn’t contain them as they streamed down my face. Uncle Mick took care of us when my mother was worthless, making sure we had a roof over our heads, food in our stomachs, and a positive role model to look up to. He worked construction during his years with the club, but I wasn’t naïve to the other things he did for them.
During the single worst day of my life, Uncle Mick picked up the pieces and held me together until I was strong enough to stand on my own. He killed those fuckers who hurt me, and now he was gone.
Kade pulled me into his arms and let me purge the pain of losing the only parental figure in my life. His chest was soaked with my tears, and he rubbed my back as I sobbed in his arms. When the initial shock wore off, I sat back and wiped my face before asking.
“When are they coming home?”
“Dalton said the coroner is finishing up, and they will be on the road within the hour.”
“How’s Jacob?” I asked, worried my baby brother was reeling from losing Uncle Mick.
Jacob benefited the most from Uncle Mick since he left full active statue with the MC. Uncle Mick picked him up from school since kindergarten and helped him with his homework on the nights I couldn’t.
“Dalton said he’s holding up, but I’m sure it hasn’t hit him yet,” Kade reasoned, and I nodded in understanding.
Unable to sleep anymore, I stood from the bed, and Kade mirrored my stance. He brushed his thumb across my cheek and kissed me softly. “I’m sorry, Sadie.”
“Thanks,” I whispered and went to grab my robe from behind the bedroom door, suddenly feeling vulnerable.
After covering my nakedness up, I turned to Kade. “I’m going to make some coffee.”
He nodded and followed me into the kitchen, his expression guarded and his stance near me protective. As much as I loved him and his desire to keep me away from the painful parts of life, this wasn’t something he could save me from. I had to deal with the pain so I could be strong for my brothers. I could fall apart later, if necessary.
I went through the motions of starting a pot of coffee and I faintly heard Kade speaking to someone over the phone from the living room. When he returned, he explained, “I called the club, and Smokey and Piper are on their way over.”
Glancing over my shoulder from my stationary position in front of the coffee maker, I reasoned, “I guess I should get dressed.”
