Stone (Knights Corruption MC Series Book 2) (11 page)

Were there more who needed to pay?

I could try to convince the man to eradicate all his guilty feelings at not having been there for the woman he loved when she was being violated. He hadn’t even known her then. But I could imagine that I would feel the same exact way if the roles were reversed and we were talking about Addy. Even though the woman didn’t want me anymore, I would still give my life to protect her, to avenge her against anyone who dared to wrong her.

“Yes,” Marek said, drawing me back from my makeshift thoughts. “That could definitely work. And if I know anything about that piece of shit, we wouldn’t really have to set him up. I have no doubt he would go behind Carrillo’s back with some shady dealings. We just have to catch him in the act.” Hope sprung to life in his expression, and I was only too happy to be the person who inspired the brief reprieve from his misery. “Then after Yanez seals his own fate, we’ll deal with Psych once and for all.”

With a plan set, all we had to do was decide who was gonna follow Yanez around while we put everything into place.

Adelaide

Warm breath stroked my belly, firm yet soft lips trailing tantalizing kisses toward my center. The one area aching for his touch. His teasing made me squirm, and just when I thought I was going to break a hip trying to jerk closer to his mouth, a strong hand settled over my stomach, holding me in place.

“Stop moving, baby, or I’m gonna tie you to the goddamn bed.” Kissing my inner thigh, he asked, “Is that what you want? I think you enjoyed it last time.” His voice lowered to a dangerous level, lust infused with impatience.

“I don’t care what you do, just give me what I need,” I demanded, a fire lighting up inside me so fierce I thought I was going to burn alive. Shivers bounced throughout my body, my pussy beyond drenched with desire just waiting to feel his tongue. A blast of cool air puffed against me and I jerked. “Stop teasing me, Stone.” My tone became rather needy, even though I tried to will my voice to remain unfettered.

“Always so impatient,” he teased before pushing my legs further apart. He used those talented hands of his to spread me open. At first, I thought he was going to continue to hold back, but when I felt his tongue swipe through me, I arched my back and pushed my ass into the bed. Even though I was waiting for his assault, it was already bordering too much. I was so revved up I almost came on the spot. My sensitivity level was high; a few more strokes like the first one and I would be sated before we really heated things up.

“I could eat you all day long,” he rasped.

“And I would let youuuuuu,” I agreed, the last word prolonged because he’d hit that one perfect spot.

“You’re so hungry for me. I can taste it. Savor it on my tongue.” His beard tickled my inner thighs while his tongue assaulted me. The feeling was out of this world. Mind-blowing. An ache bloomed deep inside, and that need coupled with the spark of desire, courtesy of his talented tongue, was almost unbearable.

“Please . . .” I begged. One word, but it said so much.

“Okay, I’ll give you what you want, but you have to promise me you won’t see Stone anymore. I want you, Adelaide. Me. I can love you like he can’t.” Encased in the throes of ecstasy was a funny place to realize who you desired wasn’t who was pleasuring you. Looking down, I saw the top of Robby’s disheveled curly head of hair. Before I could speak, he pulled his mouth away and crawled up my body, licking his lips as he drew closer.

Movement in the far corner of my room caught my attention. Stone. He was sitting in the chair near the window, leaning forward and resting his forearms on his legs, shaking his head from side to side with a murderous look in his eyes. “I knew it. I knew you wanted him,” he accused, pointing toward Robby, his voice barely above a whisper. “Well, I can’t protect you now, sweetheart. You threw me away. I can’t save you anymore.” Stone lowered his head into his hands, his body shaking in what appeared to be grief and sorrow.

Turning my head back toward Robby, I saw a desperate look on his face and it baffled me. “All I wanted was for you to like me. But what did that get me?” he asked, pointing to his chest. At first, I thought he meant I broke his heart, but then I saw blood start to pour from an open wound. Leaning over me, his lips dangerously close to mine, he whispered, “Dead. That’s what it got me.”

Within seconds, I was covered in Robby’s life source. I tried to scream but he put his hand over my mouth, silencing me before I could call for help. Finally wrenching free from his hold, I turned my head toward the corner of the room, my eyes desperately searching for Stone. But he wasn’t there.

Instead, he was walking toward my bedroom door, mumbling, “I can’t protect you anymore, Addy. You threw me away.”

Then he disappeared into thin air.

My eyes flew open, my heart thrashing inside my chest so hard it actually hurt. Staring off into the darkness, I repeated, “It was just a dream,”
over and over again until my eyes finally adjusted to my surroundings. My ears prickled, on alert for the slightest noise which would tell me I was still locked up tight in the midst of my nightmare.

But nothing.

No noise.

No light.

No hope.

I kept hearing Stone tell me I threw him away, that he couldn’t protect me anymore, and even though I’d been lost to my subconscious, his words—or better yet, his threats—certainly struck a chord. I did toss him aside, and in doing so I’d lost any sense of security I had where he was concerned.

No doubt about it, I did feel safe knowing Stone was only a call away if ever I needed him. Not only was he physically a force to be reckoned with, but his possessive need to protect me was comforting, until he’d crossed the line with his explosive temper. It was during those times when I could hardly handle being around him. He wasn’t so bad in the beginning, simply grunting when he didn’t like another man’s attention directed toward me. It could have been a colleague of mine who stood a little too close, or a man taking a second glance if I walked past, or a club member joking around with me, or God forbid touching me in some small way.

The more time Stone and I spent together the worse he became, which could only predict what our future would hold if something didn’t change.

I knew my refusing to take our ‘relationship’ public was the accelerant to the fire which surrounded us both. He’d said on more than one occasion, “How can I trust you when you won’t even tell anyone we’re together?” It all came down to some form of insecurity with him, and with me. Sometimes. I knew he was surrounded by overly willing tramps, but I had to trust he wouldn’t engage them. There were a few times my jealousy burned hot and I flew off the handle about witnessing a blatant flirtation. The woman toward Stone, not the other way around. But never did I threaten anyone or act like a fucking psychopath. Well . . . not in public, anyway. Ask Stone and he may tell you a different story about my behavior behind closed doors.

We just fueled the bad parts in one another too often, getting worse with each passing day. No, my decision to end things once and for all was the right choice.

Too bad my heart was shredded to pieces because of it.

Adelaide

“Do you want another drink, Adelaide?” Marek asked as Sully and I took a seat on the couch. Tucking my legs underneath me, I got nice and comfy before answering.

“No, thanks. I’m good.” I smiled before turning my focus back on my friend. She looked better than I’d seen her in the past couple weeks, which was definitely a good sign. Something had happened a while back, and I was hoping she would finally open up and talk about it. I wouldn’t pressure her, but I wanted to let her know I was there for her.

Marek was certainly good for Sully. She’d put on a few much-needed pounds since marrying the president of the Knights Corruption. Her personality blossomed as well. She wasn’t the shy introvert she’d been when I first met her, even though it hadn’t been all that long ago.

They complemented each other. Marek was fiercely protective toward her, but she seemed to appreciate it. Her husband, much like Stone, warned everyone not to get too close to her, but unlike my friend, I couldn’t stand when Stone threatened someone just for looking at me.

But Sully and I were different people. Different pasts, different views on things. I knew she’d been abused when she lived with her old club. The Savage Reapers were every bit the bastards I’d heard they were. Even though I wasn’t technically part of the ‘club life,’ I’d overheard my uncle and Stone talk about their enemies.

Kissing the top of his wife’s head, Marek gave me a quick wink before saying, “I’ll leave you two to talk about periods and sappy movies.” He grinned before disappearing from the living room.

“Very funny,” I called out after him, shaking my head and smirking.

Settling back against the plush couch, I directed my attention to Sully. She looked like she wanted to say something but was a bit hesitant.

“What’s up, woman?” I gestured, gently poking her in the side. She laughed and reached for my hand, suddenly becoming very serious.

“You know I value our friendship, right?”

“Of course.” I nodded. “As do I.”

Squeezing my hand, she added, “You were the first person to ever take a genuine interest in me. In who I was. In what I liked and didn’t like. You were my first real friend. Still are.” She looked bashful for a brief moment. “Cole is my friend too, but our relationship is on a different level, you know?”

“I do.” I had learned bits and pieces about how Sully came to be part of the KC MC. Some from Stone, some from my uncle, and some from simply overhearing other members talk. I was happy Marek stormed the Savage Reapers and stole her from them. He’d essentially saved her, in my book.

Anyone with eyes could see they were gaga over each other, a side to Marek I’d never thought I’d see.

If only my life could play out so well. Except without all the abuse and kidnapping. Yeah . . . without all that, thank you very much.

I would have loved nothing more than to claim Stone as my man, but it didn’t look like it was in the cards for us. No happy-ever-after like with my friend and her husband.