He tipped my chin up and stared into my eyes. “I just need you to stay here in bed while I deal with this situation.” He dropped a kiss on my lips.
“But I can help. Iwantto help. I can assist with the women.”
“Tina will be there. She’s familiar with this kind of shit.” Storm’s eyes flitted over my face as if memorizing every detail from my eyes to my lips.
My chest tightened something fierce.
“Well, if I’m going to be with you, shouldn’t I get familiar too?” I didn’t think I’d ever get used to the violent part of the MC life. But the more Storm told me, I would do everything I could to not freak out. I chose to be with him, so I needed totoughen the fuck up, as Storm would probably say.
“You will, Angel, but let’s ease you into it.”
I pouted, but didn’t give him shit about it. I didn’t want to add to his stress. “Okay. I’ll stay put, but if you need me, come get me.”
“I will.” Storm cuddled me close and kissed me for a minute, then tucked me back into bed. Before he left, he made me promise not to leave the room and to text him if I needed anything.
What else could I do but agree? This was his club. He was the president. His brothers didn’t challenge his authority, neither would I.
Five hours later, the sun was awake, and so was I. I had nodded off and on. Tossed and turned, and paced the room. I felt like I was losing my mind, sick with worry for Storm. There wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.
Something didn’t sit right with me. When Track had whispered, I knew it was so I wouldn’t hear. Had someone been killed? I shook the thought out of my head, not wanting to imagine what could’ve happened.
How did I get to this place? Of loving an outlaw biker in such a short amount of time? My heart had been permanently closed off to men. Sure, I had short-term boyfriends in high school and dated in college. But I kept myself mostly closed off because I was pining over a boy I’d never have.
Then my one serious relationship with Dane didn’t last longer than two years. He had screwed with my head from the beginning, but I was too damn blind and stupid to recognize it. After I moved in with him, the physical abuse began and I stuck it out for a while until I finally got out.
I never believed I would love a man the way I had Kaleb. Nor had I planned to get involved with someone so soon after Dane.
But Storm changed everything.
This incredibly sexy, hot-tempered, determined, and strong—so damn strong man came at me with tornadic speed and hurricane strength. He blew into my life and sent me into a whirlwind love affair. The epic kind love stories were made of. With highs so high, they touched the heavens and lows so low it was hell.
Storm might not ever love me the way I loved him. He might not ever say the four-letter word or ask me to marry him. I could honestly see him denying himself true happiness and undying love the way he talked about his demons. Or believing I deserved better than him. But when we were together, he loved me fiercely despite himself.
I replayed his deep voice in my head, whispering,Together, we’re an impenetrable force. Yes, we were.
Somehow, Storm had bypassed my ironclad heart and went straight for my soul. And I fell in love with him. Our sizzling passion and intense emotions were like nothing I’d ever experienced before. Certainly not with Kaleb. He’d only been a teenager back when I gave him my heart, and I was only a kid.
But now I was a grown woman, and Storm was a man. He knew how to love me and pleasure me. Kaleb wouldn’t have been able to do half of what Storm could.
Putting it simply, I loved Storm.
I needed him. And only wanted him.
I had to let Kaleb go. Release him into the wind to blow away and out of my life forever.
Storm deserved all of me. There was no room in my heart for Kaleb anymore. He’d owned it long enough.
28
Storm
I looked each one of my men in the eyes, fury radiating off them, filling the room to a suffocating degree. We’d just reconvened for church after spending the last couple of hours searching for Hunters.
The fuckers had beaten one of the girls because they declined to work for them and raped the other. Both assaults were “a little lesson” to teach other women what would happen if anyone refused a Hunter.
This shit was out of control. I didn’t want to imagine what might’ve happened if Art hadn’t arrived. Nancy had said when the sound of the motorcycle was heard, the Hunters ran.
Iwas losing control in my own goddamned territory.