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  The poor thing was scared, and Anna, she was boiling.

  “Hey!”

  Still nothing.

  She started to run, and the man, he wasn’t paying any attention, and some of the women were laughing.

  With all of her force, she kicked over his bike, and it did the trick. Greg turned to look at her as she slammed her foot on his bike. She didn’t know if it would do any damage, but he stopped trying to hurt the dog, and walked back to her.

  “You fucking little slut.”

  Acting on instinct, she grabbed the helmet that rested on one side of the handlebars. Pointing up, and swinging her arm around, she hit Greg in the face, taking him down with one hard hit.

  Dropping the helmet, she rushed toward the dog. The last couple of feet, she crouched down, holding her hands out, showing the dog she meant no harm.

  The dog whimpered, and without another word, she gathered it into her arms.

  “You need to be checked out. I’m so sorry, little one. I won’t let anything happen to you again.”

  She turned to look, to find many members of the club looking at her. Landon was near the man she’d hit, glaring at him.

  “I’ve got to take him to the vet. He’s hurting.”

  “I’ll take you.” Landon moved toward the truck, and he helped her inside.

  She didn’t look at Duke. Her thoughts were on the dog in her arms, and she just wanted to protect him.

  ****

  “What the fuck?” Greg asked as he was dragged back into the basement. Duke had him tied to a chair. Blood was pouring from his nose where Landon had hit him hard. He couldn’t blame the brother for taking a swipe at Greg. Anna had been so preoccupied with the dog, she hadn’t seen that Greg had gotten up and was advancing on her to harm her.

  The woman didn’t have a clue.

  Duke had been on his way out of the clubhouse when he heard Anna shouting. He’d watched her as she kicked over the bike, clearly trying to gain the man’s attention.

  Seeing her use the helmet and hitting the man, he didn’t know why, but he felt a sense of pride in her. Greg wasn’t one of the prospects he liked, and after today, he had the perfect excuse to get rid of him.

  “Landon will be dealing with you.”

  “You’re going to let some cunt hit me, and then lock me up? What kind of pussy club is this? Are the women in charge? Is that what this is? Maybe I should go and hang out with Holly. Let her know the kind of pleasure I can give her.”

  Duke slammed his fists against the man’s hand twice. He’d have gone for a third, and to keep on going, but he wasn’t going to give the prick the satisfaction in knowing he’d goaded him.

  “You never lash out at one of our women.”

  “No? Landon doesn’t have a woman.”

  “Anna belongs to him. You’ll see.” He nodded at Preach. “Keep an eye on him.”

  “Gladly. What kind of sick fuck attacks a dog? Those women who were laughing with him, I want them gone,” Preach said. “They have no idea how many times Boy saved my ass.” Boy was the dog Preach had lost during his time in the service.

  “Consider it done.” He gripped Preach’s arm, offering him support. The only time Duke had known Preach to suffer real loss was when he lost Boy.

  Leaving the basement, he found Holly there, biting her nails and looking nervous.

  “You okay?”

  “You’re not going to hurt Anna, are you?”

  “No, why?”

  “It’s … she hit a prospect.”

  “He’s not a club brother, and there’s no way I’d accept that kind of behavior from anyone. Besides, she’s Landon’s woman. Greg went to hit her.” He would have done so as well if Landon hadn’t been there.

  “But he hasn’t made any claim on her,” she said. “Some of the guys won’t agree unless Landon says she’s his woman. Do you think he will?”

  Duke had no doubt. “Did you see the way he looked at her? He’s going to claim her. It’s only a matter of time. When they get back, I’ll talk to him.” He pulled her in close, kissing the top of her head. “What else is troubling you?”

  “Matthew. He’s gone again, and we both know where.”

  “Why does his whereabouts bother you?”

  “We know he’s gone to see Luna. His obsession, it’s getting dangerous. Surely you can see that?”

  “I can, but I trust my son, Holly. We’ve raised him well, and he loves Luna.”

  “But she wanted to be let go and he let her go.”

  “And now he wants her back. He’s going to win her back. I know he is.” He smiled down at her. “Please, don’t worry. It’s not good for you.”

  “I hate worrying.”

  “I know.” He kissed her again. “I love you.”

  “I love you too. I don’t want him to be heartbroken, is all. If Luna loved him back, she’d have stayed,” Holly said. “Instead, she wanted to get as far away from him as possible.”

  “It’ll all work out in the end. You’ll see. Matthew learns from his mistakes, and this was one he made, and he won’t make it again, I promise.”

  ****

  For a long time, Matthew was content to watch Luna in the shadows, keeping an eye on her, even as it broke his heart to see her with anyone else. Straddling his bike, he stared at the campus. It was late, and he knew from breaking into Luna’s apartment and getting her schedule, she always studied late at the on-campus library.

  Checking the time, he saw it was a little after nine, and she’d be out in just a few minutes.

  He shouldn’t be seeing her, but he couldn’t keep hiding away.

  Several women came and went. A couple eyeballed him but he wasn’t interested. His dick and other chicks were what got him in this situation. Rather than face the fact being with Luna was what he wanted, he’d let hormones and fear drive his decision. He’d almost knocked her up, and he’d have been able to make her his. He’d been both terrified and excited at the thought of being a father. He knew it wasn’t an easy task, being a dad, but if it gave him the second chance he wanted, he’d have taken it.

  When he ran his fingers through his hair, his hands felt clammy.

  In the past couple of years, he’d changed. Just like so many people at the club had changed, Maya being one of them.

  Tapping his fingers on the handlebars of his bike, he watched as Luna left the main building. She was heading his way, keys in hand, and she looked up, stopping in her tracks as she spotted him.

  She stayed perfectly still, and he didn’t like how nervous she looked as she approached. Her car was parked behind him.

  “Matthew, what are you doing here?”

  “I wanted to see you.”

  “You did?”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh.”

  “You don’t have to be afraid.”

  “I’m not afraid. I’m a little surprised you’re here, but I’m not afraid.” She lifted her bag higher on her shoulder. “You come here often, don’t you? I recognize the bike.”

  “I come here as much as I can. I like seeing you.”

  “You do?”

  “Yeah.”

  She nodded. “Are you thinking about attending here?”

  “No. There’s only one reason I’m here.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “I want you back,” he said.

  “Matthew, don’t.”

  “Why not? You think I don’t know of the fuck-up I made all those years ago? How I screwed up?”

  “I don’t want to talk about this,” she said. She didn’t walk away though.

  “Are you seeing someone?”

  She gritted her teeth. “No, I’m not.”

  “Who is the guy I’ve seen you kissing?”

  She blew out a breath. “Are you stalking me?”

  “I want to know the truth,” he said.

  “Matthew, what happened between us was a long time ago. We went through something rough. I wasn’t pregnant, and we moved on. We’re
supposed to move on.”

  “I don’t want to move on.” He stepped away from his bike, closing the distance between them. “Don’t you ever think about what it would have been like if you were pregnant? If I’d knocked you up.”

  “But you didn’t. I just skipped a period. I don’t want to talk about this anymore. You were off enjoying as many girls as you could, and I’ve moved on. I’m living my life, and I’m happy. Why can’t you see that?”

  “Are you happy? The guy I’ve seen kissing you. It’s not serious. Why don’t you give me another chance?” he asked.

  “To break my heart?”

  “To mend what I broke when we were kids. I’m not a kid anymore.”

  “I know, and you’re prospecting for your dad.”

  “No, I’m prospecting for me. This is what I want, and I want you to come back to Vale Valley, to let me prove to you I’ve changed.”

  “You don’t have to prove anything to me. For a long time, I was sad. Then I was heartbroken, and now, I’m just … I’m over what happened. You don’t have to make amends with me. We can be friends.”

  “I don’t want to be friends.” He cupped her face and slammed his lips down on hers. She didn’t fight him. Her hands went to his arms, but she didn’t push him away and she let out this sweet little sigh that consumed him. He wanted to keep on kissing her but knew he couldn’t. “And you and I both know this isn’t over between us. It will never be over.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Several hours later Landon was pissed off, but Anna was back in his bed, and the dog they’d found was right beside her.

  “I want to call him Boo,” she said.

  “Boo? Why Boo?” Landon sat on the edge of the bed. He’d never taken the time to really care about having a pet or loving one.

  “I don’t know. Just look at his face. Every time I look at him, I just want to go, peekaboo.” She giggled. “I love him so much already.”

  Landon didn’t like how much affection she was bestowing on this lonely dog. He wanted her to look at him like that. Anna had gotten beneath his skin, and he couldn’t walk away. He didn’t understand why, but watching her today, seeing how she defended the vulnerable dog, and put herself in danger, he finally realized what he’d been fighting. Anna wasn’t going to disappear after a couple of decent fucks. She wasn’t someone he wanted to use for pleasure.

  She had gotten beneath his skin because he’d allowed it.

  He’d fallen in love with her crazy vegan self, and he didn’t want to lose her.

  “You know, he can stay at the clubhouse all the time. My place as well.”

  “My apartment,” she said, and she pouted. “They don’t allow pets.”

  “You can move in with me.”

  “Landon, I don’t…”

  He pressed his fingers against her lips.

  “Don’t worry about it right now. It’s something for you to think about.” He leaned down, pressing a kiss to her lips.

  “What does this mean?” she asked.

  “You and I both know what it means.” He stared into her pretty eyes, knowing he’d be more than happy to wake up and fall asleep to her in his arms every single day.

  Even when he was apart from her, he thought about her constantly.

  “I love you too,” she said, frowning.

  He chuckled. “Admitting your feelings shouldn’t make you look like that.”

  “I’m sorry. All of this, it’s … new. I’ve never felt this way with anyone, and I’ve been trying not to feel anything with you. Everywhere I turn people tell me how you use women until you get bored. I don’t want to be a woman you use.”

  “I would never use you.” He laughed. “I did in the beginning, but you were always different.”

  She lifted up, careful not to hurt the dog. “We’re going to make this work. You and I?”

  “Yes.”

  “I don’t know if I’m ready to do the whole old lady thing.”

  “I haven’t asked you to be my old lady,” he said.

  She chuckled. “Of course. How silly of me.”

  “Will you be my old lady?” he asked.

  “Landon!” She shoved at his arm. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

  “You better believe it.” He pressed a kiss to her lips. “I love you. I’ll even make sure I’ve got a sewing room back at my place.”

  “You know, we’ve never been to your place.”

  “I’ll rectify that problem as soon as I see Duke.”

  “Once he knows you and I are together, I can leave, can’t I?”

  “Yes. You’ll be bound to the club just like everyone else.” She took a deep breath, and he pushed some of her hair back off her shoulder. “Do you think you can handle that?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good.”

  “This means Holly and Mary are going to keep interrogating me for recipes, right?”

  “Pretty much. They’re more than successful with what they do.” He cupped her face, kissing her lips. “I’ll be back in a short while.”

  “You’re going to go and do something bad, aren’t you?”

  “I’m going to go and take care of some business.” He got to his feet. Greg was an asshole, and he hadn’t liked him from the start. He’d agreed with the rest of the club to allow him to prospect for the simple fact that just because he didn’t like the guy didn’t mean he couldn’t have a chance to prove him wrong.

  All the man had proven to Landon was he really needed to trust his fucking gut a lot more.

  Leaving the bedroom, he closed it behind him and went in search of Duke.

  Not a big surprise to find him in his office. There was no sign of Holly, and he guessed she was back at their home with the kids while Duke remained to deal with Greg.

  “You’re back.”

  “Tests ran on, and the clinic we took him to was filled with injured pets,” Landon said. He’d sat in a waiting room for close to five hours. Anna wouldn’t leave to go and find someplace else, just in case each person had only a couple of minutes between appointments.

  He was tired, and after hearing the truth fall from his woman’s lips, he wanted to go back upstairs and fuck her.

  Of course, he’d have to be careful because of Boo now in his bed.

  “Greg is tied up downstairs. I don’t need to warn you about what you’re about to do. You haven’t made any kind of claim on Anna. The guys will want him punished for even thinking to hit a woman, but they won’t accept any death blow for a pussy, you know that.”

  “Anna’s my woman. She’s the love of my life, and I’m willing to die for her. What he did, he went to hurt my woman, and he hurt a dog. We’re a club with a reputation for doing bad deeds, and there are levels we’re willing to fall to. Hurting a dog is not one of them.”

  Duke sat back.

  “When should I organize the party?” Duke asked.

  “Tomorrow night. I don’t want to give her time to freak out about what is going to happen. Don’t have it crowded either, but we’re also going to need some people willing to get it on. Can you make sure that will happen?” Landon asked.

  “You’ve thought about this?”

  “I never thought I’d want to have a woman to keep as mine, but Anna, I don’t know what the fuck she did to me. One moment I’m happily fucking my way through every single female I can get my hands on. Now, I can’t even look at another woman. I don’t want anyone else. My entire life is about her, and being with her, loving her.” Landon rubbed the back of his head, feeling the growth beginning to return. He once had a nice head full of hair, but after losing to a bet with Knuckles, he ended up shaving his head and getting the ink. He hated not having hair, but he always kept his bargains and deals. “I tried to knock her up.”

  “Tried to?”

  “I didn’t even realize it was what I was doing, but it’s so fucking clear to me now. I’ve tried to pretend it was all for fun, but it’s not. I love that woman more than anything in this world
. I want her tied to me in every way manageable. Will you get Holly to bring a couple of tests tomorrow? There is a chance I knocked her up.”

  “I have a feeling you and Anna are going to provide me with no end to entertainment.”

  He laughed and nodded. “You got that right. I want to go and deal with Greg.”

  “He knows too much to be allowed to leave,” Duke said. “I’ve already got Diaz working on his place. It will look like he simply skipped town. His bike is already crushed and gone.”

  Landon left the office and made his way down toward the basement. Greg was sweating when he caught sight of him.

  Preach was sitting on the stairs, reading a magazine and sipping at coffee.

  “What’s the verdict? You slap me on my wrists, tell me how bad I’ve been, and then, what? I can leave?”

  “You’re not leaving,” Landon said.

  “That woman, I don’t even recognize her. She’s not club property. She’s nothing.”

  “She’s mine.”

  “No.”

  “Yes, I staked my claim on her ass, and you know what this means. You went after one of the club women, and because of that, you’re going to have to pay.”

  Landon didn’t want to make this last. He had no intention of getting blood on his body, so picking up the knife from the table, he approached Greg. The man was screaming, crying, begging. He’d gone from being cocky to scared, and Landon relished the change, watching him. “This is what happens when you don’t control yourself.” With a single swipe of the blade across the man’s throat, Landon killed him.

  This wasn’t the first time he’d killed nor would it be the last. He would protect Anna at all costs.

  ****

  Later that night, Duke leaned against his pickup truck, waiting for him to show up. Holly knew where he was and what he was doing but none of the club knew. He’d bring them all up to speed, but the fewer people who knew about this meeting, the better.

  He’d been waiting an hour before the car finally pulled down the dank round. Duke knew he was starting to get old. The chill was seeping into his bones, and he was tired. All he wanted to do was go and curl up with his woman. Dealing with this shit again, he knew he couldn’t back down. Maya was family, but she’d brought this to his attention and part of him wanted to throttle the little bitch.