She glared at me for a minute, then huffed and went through her clothes again. When she was dressed in jeans and a purple T-shirt, she twirled around with her arms out. “Satisfied?”
I grinned and ate up the distance between us in two strides. “For now. But I’m gonna need to feed my craving for you again very soon.” She blushed, but her smile was genuine, and her eyes had gone back to sparkling with happiness when she looked at me.
My brothers arrived a couple of minutes later. Paisley gasped when she saw the purple bruise forming on Dom’s jaw. When she asked about it, he grinned. “I had it coming,” he said with a laugh.
“Sure as fuck did,” I muttered. My phone buzzed, and I glanced down to see a text from Benji. “Tip called in. Benji estimates they’ll be at his location in an hour. Plenty of time for us to get there first.”
“Get where?” Paisley asked.
“Time to know you’re safe once and for all.”
* * *
I parked my bike in the woods far enough away not to be noticed but close enough to see the action. Then I pulled Paisley into my lap and curled my arms around her. Not more than a minute later, a squad of police cruisers showed up. At first, John refused to come out. He was yelling out of a second-floor window and I was seconds away from putting a bullet in his head when they finally broke down the door and went in after him.
It wouldn’t have broken my heart to see them bring him out in a body bag, but it wasn’t as satisfying as the plan I had for him. So I was happy to see them hauling him out in handcuffs and shoving him into the back of a car.
I felt Paisley’s sigh of relief as the cars flew past us. “I’d never let anything happen to you. You know that, right?” I whispered.
She snuggled into my embrace and answered me softly. “Yes. But I’m glad to see that monster getting what he deserves.”
Oh, he’d be getting what he deserved all right. She didn’t need to know all those details, though. I didn’t want any more darkness touching her. Watching a man be executed right in front of you was enough shit to deal with.
I kissed her long and deep, reminding myself that she was safe and that she was mine. Then I helped her onto the back of my bike and wrapped her arms around me. Next to being inside her, there was nothing better than this.
“Let’s go home.”
9
Paisley
I was so lost in the exhilaration of being wrapped around Hack’s strong body with the vibration of his bike beneath me—and the relief of seeing John Clark being hauled away in cuffs—that I didn’t stop to think about what going back home might mean for us. Not until we pulled into my neighborhood and I was struck by the fact that I had no idea where he was from. It had to be far enough of a drive that all the guys had stayed at a hotel, though. My high spirits were quickly dulled by worry. I wasn’t sure how a long-distance relationship would work between us, or if Hack would even want to try after he’d already gotten me in bed.
My thoughts quickly spiraled out of control. In the short time we’d spent together, Hack had been amazing. He hadn’t done a single thing to make me feel as though this was just a fling, but I couldn’t stop myself from wondering if this was the end of us. With John Clark in jail, the threat to me was gone, and it was what had brought us together in the first place. By the time he parked in front of my townhouse, I was second-guessing everything and blurted, “How long are you planning to be in town? Do you have to get back home soon? Or can you stay for a while?”
Hack cut off the engine and twisted around to scan my face. He must not have been too worried about what he saw there because his lips curved up in a small grin. When he took off his sunglasses, there was a glint of humor in his dark orbs. “What’s got you all worked up?” I shrugged, and his smile widened. “You were plastered against my back for the entire ride over without an ounce of tension in your sweet body. Something about being back here must’ve set you off.”
“It’s just that I realized I don’t even know where you live or when I’m going to see you next,” I muttered as I climbed off his motorcycle and removed the helmet he had insisted I wear. Spotting Jessica’s car in my spot, I was reminded that I needed to get my car back from the hotel...and that asking Hack to stay with me was a terrible idea. My roommates were horrible, and I hated the idea of them being anywhere near the man I’d somehow managed to fall in love with in no time at all. The depth of my feelings for Hack hit me, and I stumbled over the curb. Strong arms wrapped around my torso, catching me before I fell. “Thanks.”
Hack twisted my body around and pulled me close. “The Silver Saints are based in a town a little more than five hundred miles from here.”
“Five hundred miles?” I mumbled into his chest, feeling the burn of tears filling my eyes. He lived closer
