Stone (Knights Corruption MC Series Book 2) (7 page)

Not once.

Not even to tell me to go to hell.

Nothing.

Parking my bike in the lot attached to her building, I trudged up the four flights of stairs until I reached her apartment. I’d been inside quite a few times, and I prayed my impromptu visit wouldn’t cause her to turn me away.

I knew I pushed her buttons, but she pushed mine right back.

Knocking three times, I breathed deeply, mentally going over what I was gonna say as soon as she opened the door. Looking down at my boots, I waited ten seconds before rapping on the door again. My fist was cocked back to knock a third time when the door finally opened, but instead of Addy answering, some young kid stood in front of me. He laughed and yelled something over his shoulder before his eyes connected with mine.

Who the fuck is this guy?

“Can I help you?” the little bastard greeted, a dimple showing on his ridiculously cherub-looking face. His innocence instantly pricked my nerves. Of course, I reacted without thinking, gripping the kid’s collar and pulling him closer so I could intimidate him. His eyes widened and his mouth fell open in surprise. He was a few inches shorter than me, but he was no lanky fuck. Definitely built, his broad shoulders filling the doorway, he was still no match for me, something I needed to show him in case he had any ideas toward my woman.

“Who. The. Fuck. Are. You?” I enunciated clearly. “And what are you doing inside Addy’s apartment?” Shoving him hard, he stumbled back inside, reaching out to grab something to steady himself, but he only found air. He fell backward and hit the ground with a heavy thud, his right arm going underneath him and twisting weirdly beneath his body. The grimace on his face told me he hurt himself when he fell, but I didn’t care. All that was on my radar was finding out who this stranger was and getting rid of him quickly so I could finish my conversation with Addy.

Stepping forward and leaning over the kid, I reached for him one more time, but a shrill yell from across the room stopped me. I looked to my right and all I saw was a frenzied woman headed straight for me.

“Stone!” she screeched. “What is wrong with you?” Her voice cracked, her volume level increasing with each word she threw my way. It was her way of letting me know she was livid; her voice often rose an octave when she was extremely irate. Resting on her knees, she tended to the kid on the floor, checking him over to see if he was all right. He flinched when she touched his wrist, and for a split second I felt bad. But only for a brief moment. Until I remembered there was another male inside her personal space and I had no idea who he was.

Pointing, I asked, “Who the fuck is he, Addy?” My impatience was weighing heavily on me, and if I didn’t get answers soon I was gonna flip out. And that wouldn’t be good for anyone.

Helping him to his feet, she guided him to the dark leather sofa against the back wall. Closely inspecting his injury again, she rested it on the arm of the couch while she walked toward her small kitchen, grabbed a dishtowel and an ice pack before stepping in front of the kid again. I kept referring to him as a kid because I knew he was young, but he wasn’t a teenager, which meant he was a threat to what was mine.

After she finished wrapping his wrist, she turned her fury-filled glare on me, walking toward me with such menace in her eyes, she instantly put me on alert. I’d definitely been on the receiving end of her anger before, more times than I could count, but this time was a little different. The kid sitting on her couch meant something to her, which put me in an even fouler mood.

The little spitfire stood her ground in front of me, her blonde hair falling in her eyes as she slapped my chest with her hands. Her sudden surprise attack made me jerk back a step, but only because I hadn’t expected her to react so fiercely.

“What is wrong with you?” she repeated. “Seriously, are you on drugs or something? Because that would sure explain why you’re acting so damn crazy lately.” She stood so close I could smell her perfume, and while I tried to maintain my stance, she disarmed me. Her scent wafted around me, making me think of pinning her on her back, and having her beg for my cock before ravaging her.

When I didn’t answer, she slapped my chest again, this time grabbing my leather cut and trying to shove me back toward the front door. Even though she was beyond angered, there was no way she was able to physically move me. The first time I was caught off guard, but now I was resolute in my stance. I towered over her by at least half a foot and had her by a good hundred pounds.

I didn’t answer her earlier question because I wasn’t gonna dignify it with a response. She knew damn well I wasn’t on anything. I guessed my behavior would have made sense if I was taking something, but it was all me. Ever since she’d come into my life up close and personal, I’d acted like a maniac. Moody and temperamental. More so than usual. Marek had called me on it, and now Addy was doing the same, although it wasn’t the first time she’d made mention of it.

“Who is he?” I barked, my jaw clenched so tight I thought I was gonna shatter my teeth. “Answer me,” I demanded when she remained close-lipped.

“No. I won’t answer you. It’s none of your damn business. We aren’t together, and you have no right to come here and start assaulting my guests.” She took a few deep breaths before continuing to tell me exactly what she thought. “You need to leave. Now,” she said, pointing toward her front door.

“No.” Short and simple. There was no way I was going anywhere, not until I found out who this guy was. As if sensing I was gonna erupt again, he rose from the couch and approached us, cradling his wrist in his hand, trying to keep the ice pack steady in order to do its required job.

“Addy, I can leave. I don’t want to cause any problems.” He looked pensive and a bit afraid of the scene unfolding in front of him.

Without turning in his direction, still locking her gaze on me, she said, “You’re not going anywhere, Robby.” Softening her tone, she urged him to take a seat. “Please sit back down. We’re going to eat dinner as planned. That’s not changing because my ass of a friend decided to bust in here and go all psycho.”

Okay, a few things raised a red flag with me. First, she admitted she was having dinner with this
Robby
character, which made me angry since it’d been a while since she’d agreed to have dinner with me. Second, she referred to me as her
friend
, which instantly set me off. We were so much more than that. Hell, I wanted to claim her as my woman, but she was still giving me the runaround about the dangers of my lifestyle. I couldn’t blame her for worrying, but I assured her the club was going legit, so the dangerous element which had followed us for as long as I’d been a member was diminished. I promised to protect her, assuring her I would never let anything bad happen to her, but still she had issues. I was sure I wasn’t making the best case for myself with the way I was acting, but I had no impulse control. It was on my list of things to address, but right now wasn’t the time.

Looking over Addy’s head, I locked eyes with her guest. “We’re much more than friends,
Robby
.” Clenching my fists, I tried my hardest not to stalk over to him and snatch him up from the sofa. “We fuck! All the time!” I shouted, making sure he heard me loud and clear.

A quick gasp pulled my attention back to the petite blonde woman simmering in front of me. “Oh, my God!” she cried. “Are you
serious
right now?” When I only glared at her, she finally revealed exactly who Robby was, I assumed hoping to calm me down enough to leave. Little did she know, I wasn’t going anywhere. “Robby is my neighbor, and my friend. That’s it, so the fact that you’re acting all crazy isn’t justified. Not one single damn bit. You owe us both an apology before you leave.”

“I’m not apologizing for anything,” I said stubbornly. “No way.”

“Then there is nothing more for us to say to each other.” I didn’t like her tone. It was different from our other fights. She gave off an air of indifference, as if she were dismissing me, not only right then but in the future as well. I was man enough to admit it scared me. I would never voice such a thing, of course, but it made me stop and collect myself.

Swallowing my anger, I blew out a frustrated breath and took a step back.

“Fine,” I bit out. “I’m sorry I barged in here and reacted the way I did.” My words tasted sour on my tongue, and if it weren’t for the woman pushing me, I would have never admitted such a thing.

“That’s it?” she asked, her tone starting to rise again.

Glancing over at Robby, I said, “Sorry you hurt your wrist.” There, that was all I was gonna say. If that wasn’t good enough, then oh well.

Robby rose from the couch and approached us, tentative at first until I silently gave off the vibe that I wouldn’t attack him again. But when he put his hand on her shoulder, I felt myself tense up once more.

“Adelaide, I’m gonna go home. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” He moved toward the door, but before he completely disappeared she spoke up.

“I’m sorry. I’ll refrigerate your dinner.”

“Don’t worry about it. Why don’t you two enjoy it. Sounds like you have a lot to hash out.” Funny thing was, he wasn’t being sarcastic, and for a quick second, I didn’t wanna kill him.

He opened the door and walked into the hallway, and I watched to see which apartment he disappeared into. To my dismay, he lived right next to her. Shaking my head in disgust, I slammed the front door shut and turned my attention back to Addy, but she’d already walked across her place and busied herself wrapping up the food. I continued to stand near the entryway, and when she didn’t say anything for the next minute, I took it upon myself to get comfortable. When I reached the couch, I leaned back, my eyes following her as she continued to distract herself in the kitchen. She was cleaning up, taking her time so she didn’t have to deal with me. But that was fine, because I loved to watch her.

Her long hair flowed down her back, soft waves enthralling me, enticing me to run my fingers through the strands before gripping tight and anchoring her exactly where I wanted her. Even though there was a good chance she wouldn’t give in to me tonight, I could still fantasize. Her dark jeans shaped every single curve, especially when she bent over to pick up something off the floor, her shirt riding up in the back to expose a bit of skin. Once she was upright again, she stretched her arms to reach the cabinet above the fridge, her ass pushing outward while she wrangled a container. I wasn’t sure whether or not she was oblivious to the fact I was leering at her, but she never gave me any indication she was aware I was even in the same vicinity.

She was giving me the silent treatment, but again, I was okay with it.

Like I said, I was content with just watching her.

Adelaide

I knew his eyes were on me the entire time I busied myself with tidying up the kitchen. I’d lost my appetite the second he’d barreled into my apartment. Intuition should have told me he was going to show up at my place, and the fact I invited Robby over for dinner, the same dinner I’d declined the night before, was a stupid move.

But I shouldn’t have had to worry about such things, fearing Stone’s reaction if he happened to come by. I was beyond horrified for my neighbor. He was all of twenty years old and clearly not a match for the likes of the crazy VP of the KC MC.

“Are you almost done?” Stone asked, his tone portraying a calm which indicated he’d never even been upset in the first place. Out of everything, that was what irritated me the most. His voice gave everything away. How telling it was of the man himself. He felt justified, and once he’d exerted himself and the altercation was over, he went back to his
normal
self.

I swore running hot and cold, mostly hot, was in his genetic makeup.

I chose not to respond, my own anger still boiling close to the surface. Having no other way to show him his actions were downright unacceptable, I kept my mouth closed. Using my words did nothing but seem to irritate him further, making him spew his nonsense over and over again until he made me dizzy with aggravation.

Another minute passed and still I kept busy, scrubbing the counter for the third time. I was so lost in my own head I hadn’t even noticed that he’d risen from the couch and walked the few feet to get to the kitchen. I startled when his arm wrapped around my waist, the scouring pad and spray bottle of cleaner I was using dropping to the floor. Before I could say anything he pulled me in to him, my back resting against the solid, well-defined muscles of his chest, his heat instantly enveloping me.