“Tina was turning into a beautiful woman, though mom was still a drunk. When my four years were up, the country was still at war. I reenlisted. Tina said I should. She seemed fine. I figured in another two years, I’d’ve saved enough for a house and some. When I got back, Tina had a five-month-old and was drinking, heavily. She didn’t mention it. Hadn’t seen her for a year, so I had no clue.
“The father was long gone. I did what I could. Sent Tina to rehab, got an apartment, and took care of Della. Knew about the club, had thought about joining for a while. I told Army ‘bout it, and we joined together. I moved Tina and Della into their apartment, bought my house around the time I started as a prospect. About nine months later, Army and I were patched. My mom died a year later. A year after that, finished remodeling my house. Tried to move Della and Tina in, and Tina refused, so I live alone.”
He waited for her to push him away.
Instead she smiled, sadly. Tears welled in her eyes and spilled. “You aren’t a rebound. You are exactly the man I thought you to be,” she whispered, and then she pressed her lips against his, softly, just like the first time.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Hovering over her, resting his weight on his elbows, Jace recounted his life. Allie stared at him wide-eyed, unable to believe everything he’d endured, everything he’d achieved. When he was done, his arms tightened around her almost as if afraid she would run. His face a mask of anguish, hidden sorrow in his eyes.
She knew then, one certain truth: sometimes the people who hadn’t seemed to have accomplished much had accomplished the most.
Jace was one of those people, exactly the man she thought him to be.
No matter what happened between them, she’d never regret loving him. Despite the odds, he managed to make a man out of himself, make something of his life, for himself, but especially for his sister. He was the type of man who deserved to be loved and was worth loving.
Allie smiled. Tears glistened, then fell. “You aren’t a rebound. You are exactly the man I thought you to be.” She kissed him, pressing her lips lightly against his.
When she pulled away, his brows drew together. “I want to tell Ty tomorrow.”
He shook his head and cupped her cheek. “Allie, baby, think you need some time—”
“No, I don’t. I’ve missed you. A lot. I don’t want to lie to Ty anymore. I don’t want to sneak around anymore. I just want to be…us.”
He threaded his fingers through her hair. “I gotta agree with you, Allie. Hate fuckin’ lying to Army, to my brothers, and I hate sneaking around, but you gotta be prepared. This isn’t gonna go smooth with your brother. If he gets real pissed, I can get kicked out of the club—”
She’d completely forgotten that part. “Maybe we shouldn’t then—”
“It happens, you’re worth it. I’d give the club up for you in a heartbeat. I wanna do this, us. It’s gonna happen sometime. The longer we sneak around, the harder it’ll be to tell them, and the more pissed off they’ll be.”
Smiling, she nodded.
“You let me handle it—”
What? No way was that happening. Ty was her brother, her family. She knew him better than anyone, meaning she knew how to deal with him, and his moods better than anyone. “I’ll handle my brother—”
“Allie.” His voice low and firm. “It’s club shit. I deal with club shit, remember?”
She shook her head. “He’s my brother. I deal with my brother.”
His eyes hardened. “Club business.”
“It’s family business, and I’m Ty’s family.”
“Alyssa, you’re not in the position to rile me.”
“What—”
He crushed his lips against hers, silencing her. He then delved his tongue into her mouth roughly, giving her a kiss that had her heated and wet in seconds.
Allie missed him. She missed him so damned much. It had been so long, too long. Two whole days, and she needed him.
She shifted her hips, grinding against the length of his erection. He wrapped his arms around her, releasing his weight and trapping her so she couldn’t move. The head of his shaft pressed between her legs. She squirmed, fighting to rub against him.
But he didn’t bulge, not an inch. Instead he trailed his mouth down her neck. “You gonna let me handle it?”
His heated breath at her neck, she shivered, her nipples puckering against his chest. She lost track of thought except for the length of him against her. Him, she couldn’t forget. “W-what?”
He nibbled on her ear, one hand running up her leg, lifting it, and resting it against his back, and then he ground into her.
She moaned.
“You gonna let me handle it, baby?”
Handle what? What had they been talking about? She couldn’t focus.
He pressed into her again, his cock rubbing against her clit over her jeans.
She whimpered, but she remembered, sort of. “This is…not fair.”
He chuckled.
The deep sound vibrated in her chest. Panting, she couldn’t take anymore, so she begged. “Honey, pleaseee…”
His lips slammed down hard on hers. Brutal, like he was trying to punish her, but it only got her wetter.
“Know what you gotta say, baby.” His hand trailing to her breast, he lowered her shirt, buried his face, and sucked her nipple.
She would lose her mind. “Yes…please.”
He released her nipple. She whimpered at the loss.
His face inches from hers, he asked again, “You gonna let me handle it?”
“Yes, honey. Whatever you want, just please.”
The heat of his body was gone but not for long. He removed her jeans and thong, then grabbed her around the waist, hoisting her up on her knees, and bent her over the couch. The next instant, he was behind her. One hand gripping her waist, the other he snaked around her stomach. He cupped her breast, hauled her back against him, and buried himself inside her.
She screamed, loud.
“Fuckin’ heaven, baby,” he whispered against her neck.
She shivered, her legs trembling. He pulled out of her, then pushed into her again and again. Hard and fast, like he knew she liked it, like he was rewarding her. He kept his pace, in and out of her quickly. Then his hand at her breast slid down her body agonizingly slow. Finally, he cupped her flesh and rubbed his fingers against her clit. “Come with me, baby.”
She threw her head back because she came, hard. He didn’t stop. He continued to move inside her, continued to rub her. Then the unimaginable happened, something she’d never experienced before, something she’d thought a myth. Moments after her release, the pleasure started again. It built and built and didn’t stop building.
He wrapped his arm across her, gripping her shoulder, holding her still, and close against him. “I feel you…” He groaned, pumping inside her faster.
His words threw her over. Feeling his cock pulsate inside, she screamed. A second orgasm flooded her blood, her veins. She swore she felt it in her soul.
He growled, muttering an almost incoherent, “Fuckin’ heaven.”
When he stilled, his feverish breaths heated her neck, his arm still tight around her, holding her up. He shifted them until his back lay flat against the couch, and she was sprawled on top of him. One arm around her waist, the other buried in her hair.
They stayed like that for a while, catching their breaths.
Finally, he broke the silence. “Tina’s off tomorrow. First thing, I talk to Army.”
She tensed against him.
He rubbed his hand against her back soothingly then pressed his lips against her forehead. “Don’t worry, baby, everything’s gonna be fine.”
She lifted her head to meet his eyes. “I want to be there with you.”
He lifted his head, pressed a kiss to her lips. “Gotta talk to your brother alone.”
“I know you two need to talk ‘man to man’ or whatever because you’re both macho men bikers, but he needs to know how I feel about this.” She hesitated. “You said you wouldn’t control my life. If you leave without me, then you are. He’s my brother, and I know my brother. He needs to know how I feel.”
His eyes hardened, the way they did when he was angry, probably the “control” comment she made but it had to be done. There was no other way to get through to him, like she knew there was no way to get through to her brother unless she was there.
“Knew you were smart from one look. Didn’t know you had it in you to bring up shit like that to try to get me to agree though.”
She smiled. “Look who’s talking, Mr. I-use-sex-to-get-what-I-want.”
He fought a smile, and then he gave up. She had a point. He didn’t seem to mind. “It’s for your own good.”
“It’s for our own good.”
****
“What. The. Fuck?”
The shriek woke her. The next instant, Jace grasped under her arms and shoved her behind him. Simultaneously, he threw a blanket over her.
A heavy sleeper meant all that movement and still she was half asleep trying to process everything when she heard another shriek.
“What the
fuck
?”
Oh, shit. She knew that voice. Her brother, of course. He had the worst timing, ever.
“Let me explain.”
Jace. She could hear him but couldn’t see his face considering he shoved her behind him. All she could see—the mass of muscles lining his back and the Hell Ryders tat. Trying to gather her thoughts with a sleep-hazed mind wasn’t easy.
“Explain? What the fuck are you gonna explain? How you been fuckin’ my sister behind my back?”
Shit. Shit. Shit. She was naked. Jace was naked, and her brother was in her room. She should’ve never given him a key.
Wrapping and tightening the blanket around herself, she peered over Jace’s shoulder. Only caught a brief glimpse of Ty, before Jace felt her move and pushed her fully behind him.
“Allie’s in the fuckin’ room. Calm down, and we’ll talk about this.”
“You fuckin’ kidding me? You’re fuckin’ my sister in her fuckin’ house, and I’m supposed to be fuckin’ calm? She’s off fuckin’ limits, and you’re my fuckin’ brother. Before the club, we were brothers. We served together. I trusted you. You fuckin’ stabbed me in the back—”
Gripping the blanket firmly around herself, she moved away from Jace. He reached for her, wrapping his arm around her waist. Finally though, she caught a good glimpse of her brother. Nostrils flared, eyes glaring and deadpanned on Jace.
“Ty—” All she got out before Jace pushed her behind him.
“Stop it, Jace,” she snapped.
“You touch her again. I’ll fuckin’ shoot you on the spot.”
Oh, God. She’d made it worse. A lot worse.
Jace released her.
Blanket still firmly wrapped around her, she pulled herself beside Jace. Her eyes gravitating to the gun in Ty’s hand, pointed toward the ground. His finger on the trigger.
The breath rushed out of her. She squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head. “Don’t, Ty. Don’t hurt him.” Her voice cracked.
“You’ve fuckin’ scared her half to fuckin’ death. Put that shit away.” His voice low, but there was a menacing sound to it that hadn’t been there before.
Ty put the gun on the back waistband of his jeans.
Only then did she meet Ty’s gaze. “Ty…” Her voice came out shaky. “It’s not what it looks like.”
“Looks like he’s been fuckin’ you for a while, Allie, hiding you like you aren’t worth being claimed. Looks like you been lying to me. Looks and sounds like you’ve fallen for a biker.”
He’d made it sound so bad. If she wasn’t so guilt-ridden, and insecure, she would’ve denied Jace was hiding her. She would’ve said something or done something like fight the tears spilling from her eyes.
“Fuckin’ asshole,” Jace snapped. “You wanna be a dick? Be a fuckin’ dick to me. Don’t be a fuckin’ dick to her. She’s your sister.”
“Says the brother who’s been fuckin’ her,” Ty shot back.
Jace jackknifed out of bed. In a split second, he faced off her brother, butt naked.
She managed then to find her voice. “Stop!”
Their gazes shot to her.
“You want to know the truth, Ty?”
His gaze on her, he jerked his head.
“The truth is I’ve wanted Jace since I met him. He made it hard because he was always mad. I thought he didn’t like me. That would’ve turned me off except every now and then he did something sweet, like rough up my ex or let me cry when I needed it.
“Then you left, and you left him here, who I was trying to avoid because he was always so cold with me. The night the rock was thrown at my window I was freaked and again, he was here being sweet. I kissed him. Then we started dating, but it wasn’t easy because I’m off limits. We didn’t have another choice but to keep us a secret.”
Clutching the blanket against her, she rose and rested her weight on her knees. “I’m sorry for lying to you, but you have to understand, Ty, this was harder for him and me than it was for you. You’re my family. I lied, and it hurts. Jace has been lying too, and it hurts him too because you and the club are his family.
“Despite the fact Jace and I are consenting adults, you made it impossible for us not to hide. I get why you were protecting me, and I’m glad, but this is different. Before you start pointing fingers at us, please think about that.”
She fell silent and waited for Ty to say something, anything.
After a long moment, his eyes scanning her face the entire time, he turned to Jace, his jaw set in anger. “Gotta talk to Allie. Alone.”
Jace fisted his hands, and then reluctantly nodded. He strode to her, cupped the back of her head, tugged her against him, and kissed her forehead. He met her eyes. “Be outside.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
He pulled on his jeans, walked out of her room, and out of sight. Her front door opened, then closed. Only then did she meet her brother’s eyes. He was still angry, really angry.
“You love him.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement.
She nodded. “Yes, Ty. I’m in love with him.”
He sighed heavily, closed the distanced between them, and sat on the edge of her bed. Resting his elbows on his knees, he buried his face in his hands.
“Ty?”
He looked at her.
“I’ve never felt this way about anyone. He may not feel the same.” She shrugged. “I don’t know, but I know I love him. I loved him before I knew he didn’t go to college, before I knew he grew up in a trailer. Now I’m certain because despite the odds, he’s a good man. He made himself that man. I know he deserves to be loved like I love him…even if he doesn’t love me.” Her voice cracked.