“We had Tate and Alex go take care of him,” I told her. She stiffened. “No, not like that. Just dumping his ass so he has to walk and think on the error of his ways. They promised to threaten him as well. As soon as they get back, we’ll head home.” She tried to move off my lap, but I held tight. Joker moved off to stand by our bikes.

“I’m sorry about earlier, Jessica. I shouldn’t have been such an asshole. I got pissed and then said shit I didn’t mean. I came to find you and you were gone. Baby, I never want you to leave, and I certainly don’t want you to think I’d cheat on you or hurt you. I got mad when you thought I didn’t want you. My temper got the best of me and I spewed a bunch of shit.”

She looked up at me. I could see hurt and doubt in her eyes. Damn! I had my work cut out for me. The little progress I’d made over the last few weeks had been set back by my own stupidity.

“What if you’re wrong? What if you do end up wanting someone else? I wouldn’t be able to handle that, Kellan. Maybe we should take some time and step back.” Her words made terror run through me. I couldn’t lose her.

I kissed her again. Only this time I put all my passion and love into it. I let her feel how much she meant to me in every way. My tongue teased her mouth open to tangle with hers. She moaned softly. I didn’t let up until I had to take a breath. When I lifted my head, I looked her in the eyes.

“I don’t need time. I know it. I love you and I want to be with you for the rest of our lives. Now, if you want to debate this more, we can do it at home. The guys are back.” She glanced over to see them pulling back into the parking lot. We took a couple of minutes to organize ourselves and we got on the road.

I wish she could be on my bike, but she was still shaken up. I wouldn’t risk her getting hurt. In the end, Alex drove the van and Tate got in to drive her car. She rode with him. The whole way back to Hunters Creek, I kept an eye on her car. I’d come so close to losing what mattered to me the most. I had to do better.

I thought about it the whole drive back to the compound. When we pulled into the parking lot, it looked like the whole club was waiting for us. I got off my bike and walked over to her door. She was sitting there looking at all of them. I could see the trepidation on her face. I didn’t let her think about it. I swept her out of the car and into my arms. As we walked inside, everyone was asking her if she was okay. I could hear the worry in their voices. Once inside, I answered for her.

“She needs her hand looked at. She cut it up pretty bad. Other than that, she’s fine. Just tired and in need of some sleep. Let me get her settled. I promise she’ll talk to all of you tomorrow.” They gave her reassuring smiles. I looked at Payne. Not only was he our enforcer, but he was our go-to medic. He not only knew how to take you apart. He knew a lot about how to patch you up. If it was serious enough, we had Doc Weeks to check it out. I didn’t think we needed him, but Payne would know.

“Let me grab my kit and I’ll meet you in your room,” he told me. I took her down the hall. Inside, I got her situated on the bed. She was acting as if she was unsure. I sat down beside her.

“Baby, Payne is going to take a look at your hand and make sure you don’t have any glass still in there or if you need the doc.”

“It’s fine, Kellan. Just sore and painful.”

“Still, I’d feel better if he checked it out.”

“Why would Payne be the one to check it out?”

“Because he knows a lot about injuries and the human body. He’s the one we usually go to when we need something that’s not an emergency or too complicated.”

“Don’t tell her that. She should think I can do it all. That I’m a god when it comes to everything. Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider being with this one? I’m the better man,” Payne teased as he stood in the doorway. She gave him a sweet smile, and I growled.

“Don’t smile at the bastard or I’ll have to kill him. He’s not getting you away from me. Maybe I should take you to see Doc Weeks. I forgot what a wily one this guy is,” I teased. She relaxed to see us joking. That’s what I wanted.

Payne laughed as he pushed me playfully out of the way and sat down next to her. He laid out several things on my nightstand before unwrapping her hand. He took out a penlight and methodically examined her hand for pieces of glass. He found a couple which he took out with a pair of tweezers. Once he was done, he cleaned it, applied what I assumed was antibiotic cream, and then wrapped it back up in gauze.

“There you go, sweetheart. Just keep it dry, change the dressing at least once a day, and if you see it get red, warm to touch, swells or starts to drain, let me know. If you want, I can change the dressing every day. That way you and I can spend some alone time,” he told her with a wiggle of his eyebrows. She laughed as I pretended to wrestle him out of the room. In the hall, I shook his hand.

“Thanks, brother.”

“No problem. Just keep an eye on it. And if she wants a shower, wrap it up in plastic to keep it dry. See you later.”

I went to grab tape and plastic wrap before I went back into my room. I knew she’d want to have a shower before going to bed. When I re-entered the room, I found her lying there, looking lost.

“Babe, let’s get you in the shower. I’ve got some plastic so we can wrap your hand.” Her face brightened. Inside the bathroom, I got the water going as she striped off her clothes. I tried not to let myself get hard looking at her, but it was impossible. Her sexy body called to mine like no other had.

I fought down my erection as I wrapped her hand up. She stepped into the shower. I stayed outside in case she needed me. I knew if I got in there with her, I’d have her pinned up to the wall, sinking into her in a matter of minutes. She needed rest right now, not me pawing all over her. She remained quiet as she washed.

I helped her to dry off and then carried her to bed. I slipped her under the blankets. “Nymph, let me take my shower and then I’ll be back,” I told her as I kissed her on the forehead. She gave me a puzzled look. I hurried into the bathroom.

As I stood under the hot water, I closed my eyes and let my hand tug on my hard-as-steel cock. I let images of her in the shower flick through my mind as I stroked myself. It only took a few minutes for me to come, shooting my cum down the drain. It wasn’t what I wanted or enough, but it would have to do. She was hurting, tired, and probably still a little freaked out about earlier.

Back in the bedroom after drying off, I turned off the light and got into bed with her. I pulled her into my arms and kissed her. “Goodnight, babe. See you in the morning.” She stayed quiet. I laid there for a while before I heard her breathing even out and I knew she was asleep. Tomorrow I’d talk to her about how dangerous her running was. I needed her to know not to ever do that again.


Tags: Ciara St James Hunters Creek Archangel's Warriors MC Romance