Page 23 of Beyond the Cut
Cade stopped and pulled her to the side after they exited the station. “Aside from Benson, any of your friends want to fuck you?”
“Um… no. Not that I’m aware.”
“Well, I do,” he said. “Means we’re not friends.”
She tugged him forward. “So what does that make us?”
“Still trying to figure that one out.”
The light turned green and Cade led her across the street, his eyes darting from side to side as if he expected a vehicle to blast through the intersection at any minute.Always keeping me safe. He probably had no idea how much those small gestures meant to her.
“The police can’t help you,” he said as if reading her thoughts. “You got a biker problem; you got to deal with it the biker way. Look what happened when you got the courts involved in your custody dispute.”
“Easy to deal with things the biker way when you are a biker. Not so easy when you’re a civilian.”
Cade slowed his steps and stared at her, his face thoughtful. For a moment she wondered if he was thinking of asking her to join the MC, but when she saw his bike parked in an alley near the bus stop, she figured he’d been leading her this way. Always in control, but in a subtle way. She liked it. Maybe too much. She didn’t have to sweat the small stuff when she was with Cade. But what if he took that control too far, the way Jimmy had? She had learned the hard way that in the biker world no one would be there to help her.
“You don’t have to take the bus to work.” He gestured to his bike. “I could give you a ride.”
Dawn’s lips tipped at the corners. “Last time you gave me a ride, we wound up in your bed.”
“That was a good night.”
“A very good night.” She turned to face him. “But it’s almost dark and I have to work tonight, so I think the bus is my safest bet.”
He stroked a warm finger along her jaw. “You’re probably right. Made me hot when you told me ’n’ Benson off in there. Don’t think I’d be able to take you to work without a detour.”
“Are you joking?” She gave him a quizzical look. “I thought alpha male bikers who show up in police stations and do everything except pee on the floor to mark their territory wouldn’t like being told to stand down.” Her cheeks flushed, but she wanted to know. Was he really so different from Jimmy?
Cade pulled her into the alley beside his bike and wrapped one arm tight around her waist, rolling his hips against her. His erection pressed into her stomach, and she bit back a moan.
“Does that feel like joking?” He licked his lips and stared down at her. “I don’t joke about serious things. Painful things.”
Dawn leaned her forehead against his chest and laughed. “Well then, I’ll try not to call you out in public again. I wouldn’t want to cause you any more pain.”
He cupped her jaw in his warm palm and tilted her face up until she met his gaze. “That kind of pain I can take.” His voice dropped, softened. “When it’s ’cause of my sexy girl.”
She was ready for his kiss. Knew it was coming before he lowered his head. And as his lips touched hers, she threw caution aside and pressed up against him, twining her hands around his neck to pull him close so she could feel every inch of his hard body against hers.
“Christ, you’re so fucking hot,” he murmured against her lips. “You’re like a fucking drug. All I was thinking about at the police station was how sweet you’d look naked, and bent over Benson’s desk with my cock in your pussy.” He deepened the kiss, his tongue stroking firmly inside, devouring her. Dawn’s body flamed, sweat trickling between her breasts, and she pulled him down for more.
“I love it when you talk dirty.” She ground her hips against him, pushing him deeper into the shadows, seeking even the smallest bit of friction where she needed it the most. “Talk dirty some more.”
“Fuck.”
“That’s a start.” She nuzzled his neck, frowning when he pulled away. “What’s wrong?”
Cade drew in a ragged breath, his gaze focused on something behind her. “We got trouble. Brethren. Two of ’em. They’re watching us from the other end of the alley. Goddammit. They aren’t supposed to be in town. Jagger and Wolf are negotiating a patch-over but the rules haven’t changed.”
The Brethren patching over to the Sinners?She couldn’t imagine the two clubs had anything in common, and from what she’d seen they didn’t share the same ethos. The Brethren bought, sold, and traded women; they prostituted their sweet butts and turned a blind eye to abuse. The Sinners might be misogynistic, but that kind of behavior didn’t go on in their MC. Jagger and Arianne would never have allowed it.
Dawn followed Cade’s gaze and her heart skipped a beat. “It’s Jimmy. He’s with Trey. They’re always together.”
“Trey is one of the guys who grabbed me,” Cade growled. “Jesus Christ. This is too fucking much. Wanna shoot them dead right here, right now. Trey is fair game, but Mad Dog… I had to agree to let him go. Looks like he’s decided to rub his ‘untouchable’ status in my damn face.” He grabbed her hand and yanked her toward his bike. “Hop on, sweetheart. We’re gonna run them out of town.”
She hesitated, her gaze flicking from Jimmy to Cade and back to Jimmy. If she got on the bike, she would be as good as telling Jimmy he was right about her and Cade: She’d hooked up with a biker, and she was totally and irrevocably finished with Jimmy and the Brethren. But more than that, she would be doing the one thing she’d promised herself she would never do. Was she really ready to get involved in the biker life again?
The bus pulled up at the stop outside the alley, wheels squeaking as it ground to a halt. The door slammed open and Dawn watched the people mounting the stairs into the warm interior. Ten steps and she could be on that bus, warm and safe, and on her way home.
