Max (Ride Series Second Generation Book 6) Read online

  He raised a confused brow. “You spend every night in my bed, babe.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Yes, but this is Max Jackson’s bedroom,” I emphasized. “The boy I fantasized about for all of middle school and high school. I walked passed it a million times but never dreamed I’d get to sleep in it.” I cringed. “I guess that’s kind of embarrassing to admit.”

  He swept my hair back from my face. “More embarrassing than me scaring off any guy who expressed an interest in you? Or going to high school parties just to keep an eye on you?”

  His words melted me, but I teased him anyway. “Stalker,” I whispered with a grin.

  He grinned back, the light moment between us so necessary and reassuring.

  “Sleep, baby,” he commanded gently.

  I nodded against his chest. Despite everything that had happened that night, with my man’s arms wrapped around me, his dogs snoring contentedly on the floor beside us, I fell asleep without a second thought.

  I woke up alone, stretching stiff limbs as I blearily searched for some clue of the time. I found my phone in my jeans pocket, not surprised that it was after 11:00 a.m. I could hear the sound of pans clanking and the dog’s nails on the hardwood downstairs as I pulled my jeans back up my legs.

  “Any luck finding the one who got away?” I heard Cal ask as I hit the top of the stairs. I froze midstep, unable to hold off from eavesdropping.

  “Not yet,” Max grumbled. “We’re scouting hospitals. Gunner said Bo got him pretty good.”

  Cal grunted in approval just as the dogs came bounding up the stairs to greet me, tongues lolling, tails wagging.

  “Way to be slick, guys,” I whispered, bending to pet them both before making my way downstairs and into the kitchen where every eye turned to me, including Emmie. I wasn’t sure when she’d arrived, but I wasn’t surprised that she’d come over to make sure both Max and I were all right.

  I sided up to Max, feeling slightly shy as I leaned into his side. From what Max had said, both his parents were thrilled Max and I were together, but I was still getting used to the public displays of affection in front of them. He wrapped an arm around me and kissed the top of my head. “Morning, babe. Sleep okay?”

  I nodded, eyeing the coffee pot with an enthusiasm that had Jill smiling and busying herself pouring me a cup. It was in her nature to take care of everyone, so instead of fight her on it, I simply smiled and accepted the cup gratefully when she handed it over.

  When Mason walked in, wearing sweats and no shirt, I nearly choked on my coffee. He’d put on a ton of muscle since I’d last seen him. I knew he was going to college on a football scholarship. Unlike Cal’s other two sons, he hadn’t shown an interest in the club. From what Emmie had told me, in true Cal fashion, he’d accepted what his son wanted and supported him 100 percent.

  “Go put on a shirt,” Max growled irritably.

  “What? Why?” Mason demanded, his mouth full of a muffin his mom had baked.

  I rolled my eyes at my overprotective man. Mason might be stacked, but Max was the only man I had eyes for.

  “Hey, Wren,” Mason greeted while trying to dodge Emmie as she tried to grab his food. “Why are you always stealing? Get your own,” he complained.

  I laughed at their banter, glancing over at Jill, finding her eyes alight with joy. I knew it must mean the world to her to have all three of her kids under one roof.

  Cal pulled her in close and kissed her temple before turning his eyes to Max. “You need help at your place today?”

  Max shook his head. “It sounds like the guys got the window and patio door boarded up last night.”

  “Are you guys going to stay here for a while?” Emmie asked.

  “You’re welcome to,” Jill added.

  Max was about to respond when I interjected. “That’s really thoughtful, but we’ll be fine.”

  Max looked down at me in surprise.

  I shrugged. “I want to be at home.”

  Max kissed the side of my head, pride evident in his expression.

  “Plus, Frank is probably already super pissed,” I added with a laugh. That cat had more personality than most humans I knew.

  “True,” Max muttered.

  “If you ever change your mind, our door is always open,” Jill told us both, reminding me of similar words of welcome she’d bestowed on me many times growing up.

  Max slung his arm around my shoulder. “Thanks, Ma. Now, can you pass the muffins before Mason eats all the goddamned food?”

  Chapter 23

  MAX

  “Who does that bike belong to?” Wren asked when we pulled up to our house later that morning.

  “Cash,” I replied. “He texted to say he’d be by to repair the security panel in the master.”

  She nodded, accepting the gesture of brotherhood without comment. She’d grown up in the club; she knew we had each other’s backs, always.

  The drone of a drill toward the back of the house sounded, and we headed that way, finding Cash installing a box in the master bedroom. The window was boarded up in there as well, the glass all cleaned up.

  Cash’s eyes turned to us briefly before returning to work. “Yo. Almost done.”

  “Thanks, man, appreciate it,” I replied meaningfully.

  “No worries. By the way, there’s cat shit in your tub,” Cash shared nonchalantly.

  “What!” Wren exclaimed.

  “Fucking Frank,” I swore, turning to her. “That’s his way of showing us he’s pissed we left him.”

  Her eyes popped wide. “I didn’t think cats cared that much about people.”

  “I don’t know about other cats. I just know Frank. And Frank cares,” I groused as Cash chuckled at my expense.

  “You comin’ to the club later to meet on all this shit?” Cash asked, his chin tipped to the broken patio door.

  “Yeah,” I replied, already planning on taking Wren with me. It’d be a while before I even wanted her in the next room. Last night had shaken me. How close I’d come to losing her, again, wasn’t something I’d be getting over anytime soon, if ever.

  “I’ll come with, work on the car.” She shrugged.

  It was kind of cute the way she talked about it as though it would have been a choice.

  “You want some coffee, Cash?” she offered.

  “That’d be great, darlin’, thanks,” he replied. At my grunt of disapproval over the endearment, he chuckled. “Sorry, let me try again. Thanks, oh sexless one, I would like some coffee.”

  “Better,” I replied as Wren rolled her eyes at me, heading out to the kitchen. I followed her, admiring the sway of her hips as she moved. The minute she reached the kitchen, I tagged her waist, pulling her into me.

  I took her mouth, getting hard instantly at having her close. I needed inside her. These last few weeks exploring her, learning every curve had been incredible, but I needed all of her.

  As if sensing my train of thought, she pulled back, looking up at me with her eyes glazed by lust. She was ready to give herself to me. And I was ready to take.

  “Later.” I nipped her lower lip, grabbing the globes of her ass in my hands.

  “Later,” she agreed breathlessly, knowing exactly what I meant.

  Later couldn’t come soon enough.

  ****

  Got a present for you

  Mad’s text had my interest piqued as Wren and I got ready to leave the house.

  Be there in 20

  I started up the bike as Wren swung up behind me. I loved having her on the back of my bike. I pulled her arms around me tight as we made our way down the drive, Cash following behind us.

  When I walked in the clubhouse, there were a couple of prospects milling around along with a few cherries. After making sure Wren was straight in the garage, I headed down the hall toward the doors where only patched members were welcome.

  I found Mad, Gunner, and X standing over an unfamiliar man slumped in the lone chair that stood in the middle of the room.
/>   “Told you I had a gift.” Maddox looked up at me with a wicked grin.

  “Who’s this?” I asked in confusion.

  “We’ve been canvassing hospitals within 100 miles of here. Guess who turned up with an infected bite wound?” X shared before glowering down at the groaning man. “You should have let that shit fester, asshole,” he taunted, delivering a swift kick to the chair.

  Understanding dawned as I stepped further into the room, shutting the door behind me. This was the asshole who got away. Finding him was a stroke of luck, and we all knew it.

  “Figured this might make up for my bad intel,” Mad grumbled.

  “I still want to talk about that,” I warned before turning my eyes to the hunched figure. “My dog got a good taste of you, huh?” I snickered, my gaze on the man’s bandaged leg.

  “Those dogs are fucking crazy!” he grunted in pain.

  “When someone comes in and threatens their home and their mistress, then fuck yes, they are,” I replied with pride. “Now, let me tell you how this is gonna go. You’re gonna tell us what we want to know, and maybe, just maybe, the dog bite will be the worst of your injuries. Let’s start with your name.”

  The guy whimpered, clearly terrified, which led me to believe he wasn’t a career criminal. He didn’t look that old, maybe twenty. We could use all of that to our advantage. “Johnny,” he answered finally.

  “Johnny…?” Cash kicked his chair.

  “Johnny Mann,” he replied quietly.

  The name didn’t mean anything to me. “Who gave the order to attack my house?” I demanded.

  “I don’t know his name,” he replied, receiving a threatening growl from Xander.

  “I don’t!” he sputtered. “I was working with my cousins. They had more direct contact.”

  “What did he want?” I demanded.

  “He… he wanted the girl,” he blathered. “He said he’d set up a distraction so we could go in and take her.”

  That explained the false intel.

  “We were supposed to grab her and take her to an address in Reno. Then we’d get the money.”

  My pulse pounded with rage. “What did he want with her?”

  “I don’t know.” He shook his head. “I never talked to him directly, but it sounded like he was an ex-boyfriend or something. That he wanted her back.”

  Realization slammed into me. “Her fucking stalker,” I growled low to Gunner who nodded solemnly.

  Johnny looked at me with fear-filled eyes. “Are you going to kill me?”

  “We might,” X broke in. He always loved this kind of shit.

  “Not if you’re useful.” I shot a pointed look at X to shut it. “You find me someone who talked to that piece of shit directly and give me the address you were supposed to take the girl to,” I said, not wanting to use Wren’s name. “And maybe we’ll let you live.”

  “I can try.” He nodded frantically.

  X had him by the throat so fast I barely saw him move. “You’ll do more than fucking try.”

  X let him go, leaving Johnny to cough and sputter for breath. “I can get you the address, but you already killed my cousins who knew everything,” he protested.

  Fuck. He had a point.

  “Technically, one died on us, literally,” Cash put in dryly.

  I paced the room, ignoring Cash. How did Wren’s stalker know about our business with the Rossi’s? Obviously, he knew enough to set us up so we’d be away from my place. And he was obviously getting desperate to pay kidnappers to make such a bold attempt at a snatch and grab.

  “Get what else you can out of him,” I grunted to X. “I need to get back to Wren.” Even knowing she was safe inside club walls, she was still too far from me.

  X offered a chin lift as I strode out of the room, trying to get a handle on the fear and fury equally permeating through my system.

  This needed to end, and soon. I’d never looked forward to having blood on my hands so much in my life.

  Chapter 24

  WREN

  I’d just slammed the hood shut on the Mustang, content with what I’d done for the day, when Max walked into the garage. He didn’t pause when he saw me, but instead walked directly into my space, pulling me against him and taking my mouth with a kiss so intense all I could do was cling to him for support and give myself over to his mouth.

  “We’re going now,” he panted against my mouth.

  My entire body shivered at his throaty command as he tagged my hand and began to pull me toward his bike.

  My laughter at his haste was promptly swallowed when he pressed me up on the nearest wall, his expression nearly feral. “I have a very loose hold on my control,” he warned. “So, let me tell you what’s gonna happen. I’m gonna get us home, and you’re going to take that fine ass in the house and strip for me. I want you on the bed, and I don’t want anything hiding that body from me. Can you do that?”

  Instead of feeling shy as I would have just mere weeks ago, I was unbelievably turned on by his request and nodded dutifully.

  “Good girl,” he murmured, his eyes straying to my lips before he backed off, pulling me once again toward his bike.

  My heart hammered in my chest as we hit the freeway, anticipation like a living thing between us. Surprisingly, I wasn’t nervous. Not with Max. Instead, all I felt was exhilaration that the man I’d coveted for years was about to be mine.

  “Remember what I said,” he reminded me, his voice an octave lower than normal, after we pulled up in front of his house.

  I bit my lip and nodded. Getting off the bike, I headed for the house. I dismantled the alarm the way Max had showed me and walked on shaking legs back to the bedroom.

  I rid myself of my clothing, my hands trembling as I unhooked my bra and slid my panties down my legs. I crawled onto the bed as ordered, my heart hammering in my chest as I waited for Max. I didn’t need to wait long. Within moments he appeared in the doorway, his dark eyes sweeping over me.

  “Christ, you’re perfect,” he breathed reverently, his tongue licking his bottom lip in anticipation.

  He truly believed that, I knew he did.

  “I don’t know where to start,” he admitted hungrily.

  I squirmed on the bed. “Well, you’d better start somewhere,” I warned, “or I’m going to have to take care of things myself.”

  His brows rose. “Is that right? That I have to see, but not yet. Not today. Today, you’re all mine.” He pulled his tee off with one hand, revealing the gorgeous abs I’d kissed at every opportunity. His pants came next, leaving him in boxer briefs that did nothing to conceal just how much he wanted me.

  He crawled up from the bottom of the bed, kissing me as he went. When he came to my core, he breathed in deep as though my scent gave him life. His journey continued, licking my belly button before ravishing each breast with his lips and tongue. By the time he reached my mouth, I was a bundle of frantic desire.

  He settled between my legs, pressing against me deliciously as he took my mouth. There was nothing frantic about his movements. His kiss was deep and leisurely, as though he had all the time in the world.

  My hands caressed the glorious muscle in his arms before raking over his broad back in a bid to somehow contain what was already building inside me.

  He took up a slow rhythm, pressing against me as his teeth nipped at my neck and shoulder. I’d never known that a small bite of pain turned me on that much more. Max had discovered that and had frequently used it to his advantage to drive me absolutely crazy.

  “Take these off,” I panted, my fingers at the hem of his boxers.

  “Soon,” he promised, chuckling at my groan of frustration. “There’s only one first time with you,” he murmured, dropping a kiss on my collarbone.

  “There will also be a second and a third,” I reminded him on a moan as his fingers danced over the bundle of nerves screaming for attention.

  “And a twentieth and a hundredth,” he interjected, not pausing his ministrations. �
��I told you I’d be your first and last, and I meant it.”

  I cupped his face in my hands, staring up at the man I’d fallen in love with so absolutely that there was no question he was my forever. “I know.” My breath hitched as a light sheen of sweat broke out over my skin. He played my body like an instrument, watching with hooded eyes as he brought me over the edge.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he murmured as I shuddered in his arms. Finally, when I’d managed to control my breathing somewhat, he moved away from me, but only so far as to slip off his boxers.

  “It’s gonna hurt this first time, babe. Then, it’ll be so fucking good. Promise.” He swore as he moved in between my legs, pressing against my entrance.

  I bit my lip and nodded, forcing myself to relax as he nudged inside me.

  It stung as he pushed further. I was small, and Max definitely was not. But it was a good kind of pain because it meant I was as close to him as you could be with another person.

  “Christ, you feel so good. Are you okay?” he managed through gritted teeth.

  I nodded as he pressed all the way inside me in one fluid thrust. He paused, giving me a moment to adjust. He was being so careful with me, I knew it took everything in him to take me slow.

  “I’m okay, Max. I need you to move.” I marveled at the full feeling of having him inside me.

  He picked up his rhythm to a slow and steady tempo that had me gasping for breath. His fingers moved between my legs, eclipsing the bite of pain with pleasure as he brought me with him toward the pinnacle.

  When he bit down on my shoulder, I cried out his name, hurdling over the edge with him immediately behind me.

  He groaned out my name, the throaty rumble the most beautiful sound. He collapsed gently on top of me, licking at the small mark he’d created as I wrapped my arms and legs around him, wanting to keep him inside me just a bit longer despite the pain.

  He kissed my neck before lifting his head to look me in the eye. “I love you, Wren.”

  “I love you too,” I replied, feeling so deliciously full both body and soul.