Steven (The Skulls Book 15) Read online

  “It’s … the club … I’m always questioning myself. Am I making the right decisions? Should I have listened to Michael? Fuck, I can’t … I don’t know how Tiny coped.”

  “I imagine he had these moments like you. You’re responsible for everyone. What do you think? Deep down in your heart?”

  “I think it’s good for the club, and good for us all. I know Ned wanted us to go back to the gun trade, and I told him no.”

  She was more than happy about that. Being without Lash scared her. She loved him so much, and she couldn’t imagine life without him. They had been through everything together, and now not being with each other was just wrong.

  “There are other clubs that can do that kind of dirty work. I wanted out. I wanted us to be legit, and this opportunity with Michael, it gives us that. I want that.” Lash pulled her close, kissing the top of her head.

  “Then what has you worried?”

  “We need to bring Sally in. We’ve got to get her to talk about a guy from her past. We need more intel, and I don’t want her to relive a life that she’s been doing everything to avoid.”

  Angel held his face, forcing him to look at her. “You’re good, Lash. You’re a good man, and don’t forget that. These moments of doubt are what make you a good person. If you didn’t doubt or reflect, you’d be a bad Prez. They rely on you to keep them safe. Remember that.”

  He smiled. “Woman, you have a way with words.”

  She winked at him. “I read the dictionary while I wait for you.” Pressing a kiss to his lips, she smiled. “Now, come to bed, and I’ll make sure you stop worrying.”

  Chapter Ten

  Sally gasped as Steven ran the soap over her body. She tilted her head up away from the spray of water as he continued to wash her body. It was the morning, and Saturday, so she didn’t have anywhere else to be.

  “I can’t get enough of you,” he said, growling against her shoulder.

  “I don’t want you to get enough of me.”

  She smiled as his hand dipped down her stomach. The soap was already on the floor where he’d dropped it. He teased through her slit, stroking her clit as he nuzzled her neck. Closing her eyes, she opened her legs, and then glanced down to see him playing with her.

  “Do you like that, baby? Do you like to see me touching you?”

  “Yes. It feels so good. Please, don’t stop.”

  “Don’t worry, I have no intention of stopping, ever.” He moved from her clit to plunge inside her.

  “I need you.” She reached behind her to grasp his cock. The three times that she’d had him didn’t feel like enough, and she wanted him again. “Please.”

  He kissed her shoulder, and reached out of the shower, grabbing the condom from the counter. She waited as he rolled the condom on, and moved her so that she was open. She wore the prosthetic, and was able to shower with it on. Sometimes though, if she’d been wearing it all day, she’d take a bath without it. When she was with Steven, she didn’t feel conscious of it. His response to her was heady, and she didn’t want to let him go.

  His cock pressed against her opening, and she cried out as he plunged every single inch inside her, making her cry out his name for more.

  “You’re so fucking beautiful. You feel so good wrapped around my cock. I love you, baby, fucking love you.”

  He grabbed her hips, and she held onto the wall as he fucked her hard. One of his hands moved from her hips and stroked her clit, bringing her to orgasm. He didn’t stop with his thrusts, going deeper still.

  She loved the feel of his dick inside her, and she never wanted him to stop.

  “Come all over my cock, Sally. Come for me.”

  He teased her pussy until she exploded, shouting his name as she came. She’d not even come down from her orgasm when he fucked her hard. Even as he did, she was sure he was holding a little bit back, but she didn’t mind. This was not a race, and she didn’t want to rush everything.

  Steven bit down on her neck as he came. His cock pulsed inside her, filling the condom with his release as he did.

  “That is the best morning I’ve ever had,” she said, laughing.

  “The morning is not even near to being over.”

  She loved his teasing. “I can’t wait to see what else you have in store.”

  They finished showering, and Steven wanted to dry her body, and she couldn’t stop giggling as he rubbed the towel all over her.

  “You just like getting a sneaky feel,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. He grabbed her naked ass, giving it a squeeze.

  “It’s not a sneaky feel if you know all about it.”

  “That is very true.” Kissing him again, she pulled away, reaching into her bag to pull out another thong. This one was black, and she saw him watching as she slid it up her legs, and then settle it against her mound and ass. Giving a little turn, she bent over. “What do you think?”

  “I think you’re doing this on purpose to drive me crazy. How is a man supposed to focus like that?”

  She chuckled as she grabbed her lace bra and put that on. Then she took several steps toward him. He had sat down on the edge of the bed. Taking his hand, she locked their fingers together. “I love being with you.”

  “Good, because I’m not getting rid of you even if you beg me to.”

  She hadn’t seen the playful side of Steven in some time. “Steven, there’s going to be a lot of things that I can’t do.”

  “Name one of them,” he said.

  “Wear heels. My therapist said that having a prosthetic didn’t stop me wearing them, but I have tried and I cannot do it at all. I’m not balanced.”

  Steven stood. His hands going to her hips. “Do you really think I’m that shallow that I want to see you in heels?”

  “Don’t you?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t give a fuck about heels. It’s you that I love. So you won’t wear heels. It means I’ll always be taller than you, and I won’t be scared to death if you decide to take a little fall. I’d worry more about you than anything else.”

  “You mean that?”

  “Of course I do.” He kissed her lips. “Heels don’t make the woman, Sally. You’re the woman I love, and that is never going to change. You’re beautiful, smart, charming when you want to be, and I hate to break it to you, you’re pretty damn hot in the sack.”

  “You think so?”

  “I can’t get enough of you.” Just then, his stomach growled, and Sally pulled away.

  “I can take care of that other need as well.” She moved away and pulled on an ankle length skirt and a crop top. It was still really hot outside. Tying her hair up onto her head in a messy bun, she headed for the kitchen. Opening the fridge, she took out some eggs, milk, and butter.

  She heard Steven moving around his bedroom. The maple syrup she had gotten him was in the back of the fridge. She had discovered that he had a love of this stuff, and tended to use way more than he needed.

  Since Lacey couldn’t cook, Sally had been the one in the kitchen, or Whizz, who could cook a few things. She’d been teaching Daisy when her sister wanted to learn. She had just put the cooled, melted butter into the pancake mix when her cell phone began to ring. Steven walked in at the same time, and took a seat. Seeing it was Whizz on the phone, she let Steven see that it was him.

  “Hey, Dad, is everything okay?”

  Steven took a seat at the counter but didn’t say a word.

  “Hey, so there’s something going on at home, and Lacey and I would like you to come home.”

  Sally frowned. “You want me to come home?”

  “I know I’m being the uncool dad, and you have a life and all that, but we need to talk to you, and it’s not something that could be done over the phone.”

  “Is it serious?”

  “No, not serious. Will you come home?”

  “Erm, sure, yeah. I’m just eating breakfast. I’ll be home in an hour or so.”

  “Okay, great. Do you want me to come and
pick you up?”

  “No, no, that’s fine. I don’t need you to pick me up.” She said her goodbyes and hung up the phone. “That’s weird. He’s never usually wanted me to come home so early.”

  “Did he say why?”

  “No. It was important, and he didn’t want me talking about it over the phone.”

  “I’ll take you home.”

  She shook her head. “Do you want to tell him that we’re together?”

  “Do you?”

  “I don’t mind at all. Is something going on at the club?”

  “It is,” Steven said. “Now isn’t a great time to tell him.”

  She stared at him, getting that he was being vague. “Okay. We won’t tell him right now. Are you not allowed to tell me what’s going on with the club?”

  “Pretty much. It’s club business, and I can’t say anything.”

  “Okay then. You’re no help at all. We’ll eat breakfast, and then I’ll head on over there.”

  The happy euphoria had been interrupted, and it no longer felt okay anymore. She didn’t like how it had changed, but there was nothing she could do.

  After breakfast, Steven promised he’d clean up the mess, and then they were heading toward town. Her stomach was turning, and she didn’t like how she felt. Steven dropped her off in town, and then she took a cab the rest of the way home. The moment she pulled up to the front door, she saw a couple of cars in the driveway that gave her a moment to pause.

  Paying the driver for the trip, she climbed out of the car and stared at the house. She had never been afraid to come home before, but for some bizarre reason, she couldn’t get away from the fact that something was wrong.

  Steven had been different, Whizz had been different. Everyone she had ever known had all been different.

  Get a grip.

  It’s going to be okay.

  Moving toward the front door, she entered her home and gripped the door handle. She wanted to run, but she closed the door and called out.

  “Mom, Dad, I’m home.” After last night, this change in feeling left her feeling open, raw, exposed.

  “We’re in here.”

  She followed the sound of their voices. Entering the dining room, she saw her mom, dad, Lash, Tiny, and then a guy she didn’t recognize.

  “What’s going on?”

  “We need you to sit down,” Lacey said, patting the empty chair at the table.

  Taking a seat, she looked down at Whizz and saw the guilt in his eyes. “Why do I feel someone has died?”

  “No one has died. Everything is fine.”

  “Have I done something wrong? I don’t talk about the club to anyone.”

  “You’re not in trouble,” Lash said. “This is Michael Granito.” He pointed at the stranger in the room.

  She frowned. “Kelsey’s ex?”

  “Yes.”

  “O-kay. Hello,” she said.

  Michael leaned forward and smiled at her. She recognized that kind of smile. It was the kind that people gave to you when they were trying to reassure you but they wanted something in return. She’d seen it many times, on social workers, teachers, and other … people.

  “Hey, Sally, you’re not in any trouble or in any danger.”

  She had lowered her guard since being with The Skulls, but slowly, she felt it begin to rise up. When she was ready, prepared, she turned toward this Michael and stared him in the eye. “What do you want?”

  “Some pressing evidence has come to light about a certain person, and we need your help to save other people.”

  “Cut the bullshit. Just tell me.”

  “Sally!” Lacey went to touch her arm, but she didn’t want the comfort.

  Right now, she wasn’t Lacey and Whizz’s daughter. Within a matter of seconds from the way they were behaving, Michael’s look, she wasn’t Sally, The Skulls’ daughter. No, she was Sally, the girl that was difficult, the girl that could be passed around as if she were nothing. That girl couldn’t afford to let down her guard, to let anyone in.

  “Lacey, it’s fine,” Whizz said.

  “You went digging,” she said, staring at Michael. “I asked you not to dig. That was all I ever wanted from you. To not dig into a past that was only filled with nightmares. Nothing good can come of it.”

  She didn’t look at Whizz. She couldn’t. His betrayal hurt, and so did Steven’s. They had both lied to her, and right now she was struggling to keep her shit together.

  Knowing that Steven had lied, that he had let her come here without giving her a warning, or to even prepare for this kind of revelation—it hurt so much.

  She had all of her memories, and she had dealt with each one, slowly putting them to sleep so they didn’t hurt her anymore. She wasn’t that weak girl who couldn’t do anything.

  That girl had died, and now she was here, and they were making her aware of so much more.

  Sally wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. She wanted to tell them all to fuck off, but she didn’t. Instead, she stared at Michael and waited.

  He opened up the file on the table. They always had files. Little documents that told secrets of their lives. Mostly she ignored the stuff he had, and she stared at him, waiting.

  “Do you recognize this man?” he asked.

  She glanced down at the photo, and then looked up at him without saying a word. There was nothing for her to say.

  “Sally, we need your help.”

  ****

  Guilt ate at the soul and threatened to drown you in the deepest pit of despair. Steven had never known real misery, not really. He’d lost club brothers, been shot, hurt, and life had truly sucked, but right now he had guilt unlike anything he’d ever felt before.

  Sally had known something was up, and instead of helping her, instead of giving her a chance, he’d let her walk into a minefield.

  Staring down at his shot glass, he looked at the dark liquid, knowing it wouldn’t do to numb what he was feeling. It wasn’t even about him anymore. It was never about him. This was about Sally and what he’d done.

  “You’re not looking so great,” Drew said, taking a seat beside him.

  “I suggest you don’t talk to me right now.” He wasn’t in the right mind to deal with this fucker.

  “Too bad, you’re the only one sitting at the bar I can talk about.”

  “You got a problem with hearing right now?” Steven asked, glaring at Drew.

  “Nope, but I wanted to let you know that I’m not going to fight this with Sally.”

  This had Steven frowning. “What the fuck?”

  “There’s no point. I don’t want to give up, but what’s the point in fighting? You won. She told me straight, and I always knew she didn’t really have feelings for me.”

  “Then why risk your friendship? You and I both know she doesn’t want to hurt you,” Steven said. “She’s not cold, and you lost everything with her.”

  “I wanted to see if she felt any differently if I admitted the truth to her. It didn’t work, and now I fucked everything up. I know that, and there’s nothing I can do.” Drew shrugged, but Steven saw the pain there.

  “Don’t worry. You’re not the only brother who fell for another woman. Zero did with Nash’s old lady.”

  “Zero had a thing for Sophia?”

  “Yep. It was a big deal, too. Nearly cost the two brothers, and caused a shit storm in the club.” Steven shrugged. “Then he met Prue, and I don’t think he’s ever looked in Sophia’s direction again. Shit happens. You can’t help it.”

  “I do love her,” Drew said.

  “I know.” He knew what it was like to be pulled in by her smile, and then by her cheery self. After everything she’d been through, she shouldn’t be smiling or laughing, and yet she was. He loved her so damn much. “I can’t fault you for wanting to take her away.”

  If he’d not been feeling so guilty right now, he wouldn’t be feeling this way.

  “I better go. I’ve got some food runs to make with Angel, and I drew the short
straw.”

  “Angel’s a darling. Don’t fall for her either.”

  This had Drew laughing, and he didn’t know why, but in the other man giving up, he actually had gained some respect for him.

  Still, Steven would have never given up on Sally, not once.

  “What’s got you at the bar drinking early?” Killer asked.

  “Just got the need for a drink. Why are you so pissed?” Killer gave him a look, and Steven sighed. “You’ve got nothing to worry about. This shit with Michael, it won’t change anything.”

  “Doesn’t mean I like it.”

  “You don’t have to like it, Killer. She’s yours. You’ve got a couple of kids. You’re happy. I saw the way you two were at the barbeque the other week. You don’t have a problem at all.” He finished off the whiskey, and was about to take another when he stopped. He couldn’t drink, not right now. Putting the bottle down, he headed into the kitchen and started the kettle ready for some coffee.

  He checked the time, and wondered how Sally was coping. How she was dealing with everything that was being talked about. He rubbed his temples, and poured himself a strong cup of coffee. Just the scent of it was enough to wake him up. One drink wasn’t going to make him drunk, but he was going to wait a couple of hours before heading back to his apartment. He needed to clean up the dishes that he’d promised Sally.

  Before he’d joined her in the kitchen that morning, he’d been staring at his wardrobe. There was now a section with Sally’s stuff inside.

  She had slowly been bringing her stuff to his place, and he had loved seeing her there. He wanted his space to become part of her, and for them both to find happiness together.

  Reaching into his inside pocket, he pulled out the diamond ring that he’d picked up for her several months ago. He was all ready to make her his woman, but he’d not done it yet. Steven wanted her to have her life. It wouldn’t be long before she was heading back to college, and he wanted that for her.

  He could wait a few more years, but they both knew who she belonged to. She was his in every single way that counted.

  Drinking several cups of coffee, he played cards with a few of the club brothers, lost some cash, and after a couple of hours, he was ready to head back to his apartment. He said goodbye to everyone, and told Killer not to worry, and was on his bike heading back.