Knees in the Breeze (Kings of Vengeance MC Book 3), page 12
Rhino tipped his head to the side. “Club business.”
Dammit. He caught onto my work-around of club business crap. “Well, since it’s club business and all, I hope you give him the chance to explain everything before Kings serve him their own kind of justice.”
He nodded. “Hopefully, it doesn’t come down to that, but I can tell you most of the club is on the same page as you, Pet.”
“Good. That makes me freakin’ happy.”
“Freakin’,” Rhino laughed. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you curse, Pet. Always freakin’, frig, crap. Even when you’re mad.”
I shrugged. “I’m not a cusser.”
“A rarity in a clubhouse.”
“You and the guys swear enough for me.” I pressed my forehead against his. “It’s feels like the calm before the storm, Rhino. I have an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach.”
“Don’t worry about Core, Petra. He’s not worth it.”
I shook my head. “It’s not Core, Rhino, or at least, I don’t think it is. It just feels like something horrible is about to happen.”
“You clairvoyant now?”
I slapped his shoulder. “You a butthead now?”
He delved his fingers into my hair and tipped my head back. He pressed a kiss to the base of my neck and traced a trail with his tongue to my lips. “Nothing is going to happen to you, Petra. You’re my world.”
His declaration pierced my heart, and the words were out of my mouth before I could stop them.
“I love you.” I could hear my words echo in the empty room. I held my breath praying to God he didn’t laugh in my face.
“Pet,” he whispered.
I bit my lip and closed my eyes. I shouldn’t have said it. I knew he couldn’t love me. I wasn’t worth it. I wasn’t the thing he wanted forever. I was just for now. Stupid, stupid, Petra.
“Open your eyes.”
I shook my head. “Nope. Not happening. You can tell me to get lost while my eyes are closed.” I didn’t want to see his face when he said he didn’t love me. I wanted to keep my memories I had before this and not taint them with what he was about to say.
“Petra.”
Ugh. He used my full name. I had grown fond of Pet. Only from him, though.
Something brushed against my lips, and I startled. There were some drawbacks to refusing to open my eyes.
His soft lips pressed against mine. Kissing Rhino was my favorite thing. Even if he was about to tell me to get lost, I was still going to lose myself in the kiss. It was likely our last.
Things had changed quickly when I opened my mouth and didn’t think before I spoke.
Just enjoy the now and hold onto all the good memories.
This kiss was going to have to hold me over for the rest of my life.
*
Rhino
Her lips yielded under mine. She wanted this. She wanted me.
She fucking loved me.
Why in the hell wouldn’t she open her eyes?
I wasn’t going to tell her I loved her when her fucking eyes were shut. “Open your eyes,” I whispered against her lips.
She shook her head.
Jesus. I kissed her again, this time hard. She gasped under the pressure of my lips, and I took my opening. Literally.
My tongue swept into her mouth, and I was determined to kiss her until we both passed out or she opened her damn eyes.
Her hands were all over my body. She tugged up my shirt and pressed her hands to my bare back. I wrapped my arms around her and stood. I planted her ass on the table and leaned into her. She braced her hands behind her and moaned.
Her eyes stayed closed, and it spurred me on to kiss even more.
Touch her more.
“I’ll fuck you right here on this table, Petra. Open your damn eyes.”
She pushed off the table, pressed her tits against me, and delved her fingers into my hair. We were seconds away from crossing the line to where I couldn’t stop.
I couldn’t count how many times over the past week that I had taken Petra and taken what I wanted.
This was different.
This was more than fucking and enjoying each other.
This was taking with no intention of giving it back.
Petra had taken my heart, and I was going to take hers.
“Rhino,” she gasped against my lips. “Please.”
I grabbed the hem of her shirt and yanked it over her head. My lips were back on hers before it fell to the floor.
Her hands slid down my face, over my chest, and her fingers fumbled with the buttons of my jeans. I brushed her hands away and popped open the button. Her hands greedily pulled down my jeans to free my dick, and her hands were on me.
Skin to skin.
She stroked my cock and rocked forward ‘til her ass was on the edge of the table. With one hand, I lifted her up by her arm and my other hand yanked her soft cotton pants down. “Why the fuck aren’t you wearing underwear?” I growled.
Her only response was to stroke my dick faster.
If that was how she wanted to play, then I was game. I was going to make Petra scream my name.
In one swift move, I lifted her into my arms, tuned around, and pressed her against the wall. “Wrap your legs around me.”
She complied before I got all the words out of my mouth, and her sweet pussy nestled my cock.
“Open yourself to me,” I grunted.
Her hand snaked between us, and I pushed her against the wall and watched. She dragged her fingers through her wet pussy and parted her lips.
I slammed my lips down on hers and drove my dick inside.
Her eyes popped open, and my name ripped from her lips.
The fucking door was open and anyone within ear shot could hear me fucking Petra. I was too far gone to care.
“I love you, Petra.” I thrust deep and pressed my lips to hers for a swift kiss. “Loved you for a while now but I was too scared to tell you.”
“Rhino,” she whispered.
“Tell me again, Pet. I want to hear the words again.”
She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled herself close. “I love you, Rhino. I fell in love with you the day after Oscar died and you asked if I was okay. You looked me in the eye, and I fell in love with you.”
There weren’t any other words.
Words couldn’t say the things that our bodies were.
Our moans mingled and breathing became pants.
Petra’s sweet pussy milked my cock, and her orgasm slammed into her just as I came inside her. Her body trembled against mine, and she laid her head on my shoulder. Her breaths were short, and she whispered softly, “I love you.”
My heart belonged to her, and if anything happened to her, I would die right along with her.
I had vowed it before, but now I knew I would give my life before anything happened to Petra.
*
Chapter Twenty-Four
Petra
Something wasn’t right…
Sex in church.
I could check that one off my list.
My face heated, and I knew I was blushing ten shades of red.
“Feeling okay?” Core called over the loud machine.
I nodded. “Never better.” I tipped my head toward the button on the wall behind Core. “Hit that.”
We were done for the day. Rhino was sitting in the breakroom waiting for me, and I was ready to get home.
Or to the clubhouse.
Maybe the clubhouse was home now.
It was.
Anywhere with Rhino was my home now.
Rhino and I had spent the whole weekend in bed with short breaks for nourishment. Kimber and Fancy both gave me knowing looks, and one time, Kimber had even thrust her hips at me.
Those two were crazy together but they really were the best friends.
“Uh, have a good night, Core.” I bustled across the plant, but something made me look back toward him.
He wasn’t looking at me, though. He was staring at Queenie. His hands were in his pockets, and he was studying her closely.
What?
I kept walking and looked over my shoulder one last time before I entered the breakroom.
Core took a step in the direction of Queenie, and I had the urge to run and protect her.
The breakroom door opened and almost smacked me in the face. “What the hell are you doing, Pet?” Rhino asked.
I pushed him inside the breakroom and over to the large window that looked onto the work floor. “He’s going to talk to Queenie, Rhino.”
Rhino and I both pressed against the glass and watched Core approach Queenie.
“If he tries to hit on her, she’s going to chew him up and spit him out,” Rhino muttered.
“I hope she knees him in the nuts.”
“What happened to giving the guy the benefit of the doubt?” Rhino laughed.
I still thought he should be able to tell his side of the story to the Kings, but I also didn’t want him hitting on Queenie like a creeper. “She didn’t dismiss him right away,” I muttered.
“Probably because she’s still on the clock and needs her job,” Rhino laughed. “Wait until she catches him in the parking lot later.”
Core talked to her for a few seconds. She said something back, laughed, and then he walked away.
“That’s it?”
“That was pretty anticlimactic,” Rhino complained. “Maybe he was talking to her about work stuff?”
That was a possibility, but why had he waited until the end of the shift?
“You ready to go, Pet?”
I watched Core head to the breakroom. “I guess so,” I mumbled. Unease settle in the pit of my stomach again.
I hadn’t felt it all weekend, but now, it was back.
Something bad was going to happen, and we were all clueless as to what it was.
*
Chapter Twenty-Five
Rhino
Please come back to me…
I had to leave her.
Quinn had just called to tell me they had Core and I needed to get over there now. Point was going to stay with the girls, and he was pissed as hell about it.
“Can we order pizza?” Kimber asked Point.
“No,” he grunted.
“What if we got extra cheese on it?” Fancy asked. “Maybe some extra meat. You look like a guy who likes extra meat.”
Point glared at Fancy, and she raised her hands.
“Or not. No meat for Point, got it.”
Petra and I were in the kitchen, and she was glaring at me.
“Don’t look at me like that, Pet.”
“Where are you going, Rhino?” she asked again.
“Quinn and the guys need some help taking out the garbage.”
She wrinkled her nose and pursed her lips. “That was the worst lie ever.”
It was pretty accurate, though. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“So, you’re going to go galivanting off after Core and I’m just supposed to sit here twiddling my thumbs ‘til you get back?” She pressed a hand to my chest. “That’s not fair.”
Well, she sure as hell wasn’t going to go beat the shit out of Core with me. “Why don’t you invite Queenie over?”
“No,” Point called. “No more women! These three are more than I can handle.”
“Texting her right now,” Fancy called. “I need my Gunner fix.”
“Just think of it as a girl’s night where we won’t interrupt you,” I suggested.
“The only way I would be okay with that was if I knew you were in our room or something, Rhino. There is nothing you can say that will make this okay with me. I know I wanted to knee him in the nuts earlier, but just let Core go.”
“Can’t do that,” Point called.
Jesus. Did Point have bionic hearing? This was an A and B conversation and he needed to ‘C’ his way out of it.
Petra closed her eyes briefly and sighed. I didn’t want her to be worrying about any of this. She had been through so much already. She needed time to just breath and not worry.
I had to be the one to give her that.
*
Petra
I lowered my voice. “I can’t lose you, Rhino. I literally just got you.”
He brushed my hair behind my ear and pressed a kiss to my lips. “Nothing is going to happen to me. I swear on everything I am, Petra. Two hours tops, and I’ll be back.”
I wasn’t going to be able to talk him out of it. This is what being part of the club was. I wasn’t stupid, but I didn’t realize I was going to be so terrified when he walked out the door and I wasn’t sure if he would be walking back in. “If you don’t come back through that door, Rhino, I swear to God, I will come to the afterlife and beat the crap out of you.”
“He’ll be fine!” Point called out, and Kimber and Fancy busted out in a round of laughter.
I dropped my head to Rhino’s shoulder and sighed. Dyno needed to put a wall between the living room area and the kitchen. “I love you. Come back to me, Rhino,” I whispered softly.
“I love you, too, Pet.” He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “I’ll always come back to you. I’m lost without you.”
I wrapped my arms tight around him and breathed deep. He was going to be okay.
Everything was going to be okay.
The pit of dread in my stomach was just indigestion.
Rhino managed slip out of my hug, and I fought the urge to run after him when the front door closed.
“Oh, Petra,” Kimber called. “Come help us figure out what pizza we want.”
I sighed and dropped my chin to my chest. I could do this. I could be the girlfriend or ol’ lady to a guy in a motorcycle club.
Fancy and Kimber weren’t standing in the kitchen crying over their guys like I was.
Suck it up, buttercup.
I was an ol’ lady now, and in the eye of impending doom, ol’ ladies ordered pizza and hung out with friends.
“Queenie will be here in an hour,” Fancy called. “Gunner just fell asleep and she doesn’t want to wake him up.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
Being tough was hard.
*
Chapter Twenty-Six
Rhino
The twenty-ninth…
Quinn had sent me the address where to meet him, and I rolled up to two-story house on the outskirts of Whitmore.
Not where I expected to be, but there were four bikes outside and the lights were on.
“About fucking time you got here,” Zephyr called from the front door.
The nearest house was a few hundred feet away, and it looked like no one was home. “Got here as fast as I could. About had to peel Petra off me.”
Zephyr cringed. “She seems like a clinger.”
I growled and walked up the sidewalk to the front door.
Zephyr held up his hands defensively. “I mean that in the best way possible.”
“You hate babies and talk shit about everyone, Zephyr. Good luck finding anyone who actually likes you.” I slapped him on the shoulder and moved around him. “You’re a real dick.”
“Good talk,” Zephyr mumbled. He closed the door behind me, and I moved into the house. “Keep walking. They’re in the kitchen.”
I walked through the living room, skirted around the dining room, and stepped into the kitchen.
“What the hell took so long?” Quinn demanded.
I sighed and rolled my eyes. “You’re gonna have to have Kimber have a talk with Petra about ol’ lady shit.”
“Because I don’t have enough shit going on right now. I’ll get right on that.” Quinn stepped to the side, and Core was sitting there.
His arms were tied behind his back, blood was leaking from his nose, and his mouth was duct taped shut. Someone had been able to get a good hit in.
“You got a little something here, Core.” I motioned to my nose.
Sledge raised his hand. “That would be from me.”
Dyno bumped fists with him and looked like a proud dad after his son hit a homerun.
Quinn grabbed a chair from the wall and set it on front of Core. He straddled it and crossed his arms in front of him. He motioned to Dyno, and Dyno ripped the tape off Core’s mouth.
“Jesus Christ,” Core shouted. “You think you could have done that a little slower?”
Dyno shook his head. “Like a fucking Band-Aid. Just rip that shit off.” He stepped back and smirked. Dyno was enjoying this a little too much. Or maybe it was just right.
“What have you been up to, Core?” Quinn asked.
“Not much.” He struggled against the rope around his hands. “You think maybe you could untie me.”
Quinn shook his head. “Nope.”
Core grunted and sagged in the chair. “I don’t even know why the hell I’m tied up or why you guys are even here.”
Quinn held his hand out to Sledge. Sledge pulled out his phone, hit a few buttons, and handed it to Quinn.
“Maybe this might help you to understand why we’re here.” Quinn tapped the screen and held it up in Core’s face. “That car look familiar to you?”
Core watched the screen. “That’s me.”
Quinn handed the phone back to Sledge. “I guess it’s good you at least admit that. I mean, you’d have to be a fucking dumbass to deny it, but you honestly don’t always make the right decisions, Core.”
“If this is still about the girls and the parking lot, I—”
Quinn waved his hand and shook his head. “This has nothing to do with that. We wanna know why the fuck you were driving around the clubhouse like you were casing the joint.”
Core blew out a breath and sighed “I was trying to get the fucking courage to get out of the car.”
“Why? You thinking of coming into the place and gunning us down?” Quinn asked.
Core shook his head. “The thought didn’t even cross my mind. It was the exact opposite.” He sighed heavily. “I miss the fucking club. I never wanted to leave, but it seemed like the best thing to do. All the guys hated me and didn’t want me there.”
Quinn cocked his head to the side. “Who the fuck told you that?”
