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  Devil, who only spoke when he felt it absolutely necessary, said, “Sit the fuck down, Hyde, and get your shit together, man.”

  I eyed Devil and he gave me a nod. He approved of what I’d done. I’d never hear those words from his lips, but Devil’s actions always said everything you needed to know.

  Hyde now turned his filthy stare to Devil. “Clearly, I’m the only one here who does have his shit together. I can’t fucking believe none of you are worried about this.”

  Nitro sat next to me, his body tense, and his mouth firmly closed. No love was lost between him and Hyde, and I knew if he got into a heated discussion now, the fists would likely come out. Nitro was a smart man and extremely disciplined at keeping his mouth shut where Hyde was concerned, but today he lost the fight to contain himself. Cold eyes pierced Hyde and his voice was deathly calm when he spoke. “Clearly you’re the only one who is forgetting Kick’s loyalty to Storm. He’s done shit for us that no man should ever have to fucking do, and he does it without a fucking word of complaint. I think you need to step the fuck back, pull your fucking head in, and shut the fuck up.”

  King smashed his fist down on the bench and stood, fury circling him. “Enough!” he roared. Pointing at Hyde, he yelled, “Sit down, Hyde, and don’t say another fucking word.” He watched as Hyde followed his orders, and then he turned to face everyone. “We’re not fucking announcing anything to the world. Everyone is to keep their ear out and if you hear anything, you bring it to me. We clear?”

  I looked around the table and found everyone nodding their agreement. Hyde nodded but his body language screamed his resistance.

  “Right, that’s settled. Anything else?” King asked, a look of impatience plastered across his face. He glanced around the table and when no one spoke, he brought the gavel down to signal we were done.

  Hyde stormed out, and I watched King as his gaze followed Hyde. He’d always had a close relationship with his Vice President, but Hyde seemed to be causing him headaches lately. He eventually tore his eyes from Hyde and looked at me. “Don’t worry about Hyde. I’ll take care of him,” he said, mistaking my concern for something it wasn’t.

  I shook my head. “I’m more concerned for you, Prez,” I admitted.

  A frown creased his forehead. “Why?”

  “Your VP doesn’t have your back and he’s the one who’s supposed to have it more than anyone else.”

  He processed that silently. “Yeah,” he muttered, deep in thought. “He’ll fucking have it soon enough, brother,” he added, before stalking out of the room.

  King could be persuasive, but I feared Hyde was in one of his moods at the moment and when Hyde was in a mood, nothing could get through to him.

  Fuck.

  ***

  Kick

  17 years old

  I placed the joint between my lips and inhaled its magic. The magic that would help numb me and make me forget, for even just a few hours, the shit I had to deal with at home. I sucked it deep into my lungs and held it there for a long while before slowly exhaling and letting my head drop back against the wall. I passed the joint to Jeremy and heard him take a hit.

  When he was done, he passed it back to me and stretched out on his back on the floor. It was three o’clock in the morning and his house was silent as his family slept. We’d just gotten back from a lame party. He turned to look at me. “That party was shit.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, not one chick worth scoring.”

  He laughed. “That’s one way to gauge it.”

  My brows rose. “How else would you gauge it, dude?”

  “The lack of alcohol there, for one.”

  “Well, there is that, too, but I could have lived with that if there had been at least one hot chick, but there wasn’t even that.”

  He turned silent and I moved my head from the wall to see what he was doing. Jeremy had been off all week and tonight his mood had shifted into something else again and I struggled to pick it. “What’s up, man? You’ve been acting strange all week.”

  His body tensed but then he sat up and stared at me. The light from outside splashed across the room and I could make out the strain on his face and the rigid set of his shoulders. “Do you have secrets, Kick?” he asked, his voice heavy with burden.

  “Jesus, man, we all have secrets. What the fuck’s going on?”

  The moment stretched before us, long and deathly silent. Whatever the hell he had on his mind was eating him up. I’d never seen Jeremy so troubled. Usually, he was the kind of guy who was confident and not fearful of anything.

  Finally, he spoke. “I’m gay.”

  I stared at my best friend, taking in the torment he obviously felt over this revelation and hating that he felt that way. Hating that society made him feel that way. “I know,” I said softly.

  His eyes widened but he didn’t say anything.

  “I’ve known you for six years, dude, and for half of that time I’ve figured you were gay.” I shrugged. “So?”

  Anger clouded his face. “So? Do you have any idea how fucking big this is?”

  “It’s not big to me. Like, if you thought it would affect our friendship, it won’t.”

  He sat and stared at me, and I couldn’t work out the thoughts running through his mind. When he eventually blew out a long breath, he said, “Fuck, I never knew you knew.”

  I took another long drag of the joint and then passed it to him. After I blew out the smoke, I asked, “Did you really think I wouldn’t support you?”

  “I didn’t know, but I should have.”

  “Yeah, man, you should have. I’ve always had your back and I always fucking will.”

  “Shit, Kick . . . yeah, I know.”

  I eyed him, curious about something. “Does Evie know?”

  He shook his head. “No, you’re the only person I’ve told.”

  “You should tell her. She won’t care, either.”

  “Thank you,” he said quietly, his hands fidgeting after he passed me back the joint.

  “What for?”

  “For always being there for me. You’ve never let me down,” he said, his voice uneven and his eyes showing me how much this shit was affecting him.

  “Well, for the record, if anyone gives you any fucking grief over this, they’ll have me to deal with. So you like to suck cock. Who the fuck gives a shit?”

  He stared at me in shock for a minute and then he grinned and shook his head. “Fuck, Kick . . .”

  “It’s true, dude, and I’m okay with that, but don’t ever fucking ask me to suck your dick, ‘cause it’s never gonna fucking happen. I’m all for pussy.”

  “I wish I’d told you sooner.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, me too, ‘cause I’ve been wondering. You got any fucking idea how hard it is to think about your best friend being gay without thinking about cock? Thank fuck cock will never have to enter my mind again.” He laughed and I muttered, “Not funny, man. This is serious shit right here.”

  “So you don’t want to come to a gay club and help me find a man when we turn eighteen?”

  I slid back against the wall and closed my eyes. “Fuck, you know I can never say no to you. You and fucking Evie . . . always talking me into doing shit I don’t want to do.”

  My eyes were shut, sleepy, but I heard his laugh.

  Thank god we’d finally had that conversation.

  I really didn’t want to have to think about cock anymore.

  ***

  That night, I knocked on Evie’s front door and reached my arms up to grip onto the doorframe, stretching the tension out of my back. It’d been a long fucking day and she was all I’d been thinking about for hours.

  She answered the door and my dick instantly jerked. I stepped forward, my arm circling her waist and sliding down to grip her ass. “That outfit is dangerous, baby,” I growled into her ear. She had on the skimpiest denim shorts that were really just a scrap of material rather than a pair of shorts, and a tiny, fitted red singlet that stretche
d across tits that were straining to escape it.

  Moving into my space, she put her arms around me, and said, “I’m hoping so.”

  I raised my brows and smirked. “Oh, really?”

  She smiled. “Really.”

  “A man might need to be fed if he’s expected to exert some energy,” I said, still smirking.

  “Might he?” She played with me and I fucking liked it.

  “Well, you could try not feeding me, but I doubt you’ll get much out of me. My woman drained most of my energy last night.”

  A grin decorated her gorgeous face, and I loved that I’d put it there. “Okay, it’s a good thing I cooked extra. I was hoping you’d come over,” she said, grabbing my hand and walking towards the kitchen.

  I let her lead me, my eyes never leaving her ass. “Sweetheart, I don’t want you going out in those shorts. They hardly cover your ass, and I don’t need to be dealing with motherfuckers checking you out, ‘cause that shit could lead to me ending up in jail.”

  She turned and rolled her eyes at me. “No one will be checking me out except for you.”

  I yanked her hand so that she was propelled backwards into my arms. She stumbled but I caught her. When I had her eyes, I said, “Where the fuck do you get the idea that no one would be checking you out, ‘cause last I looked, you’re a fuckin’ beautiful woman?”

  Her face softened for a moment and she said, “Thank you,” but I wasn’t buying her belief in my words.

  “You’ve got no idea, have you?”

  “What? That you think I’m beautiful?” She seemed genuinely confused at my question.

  “No, that every fuckin’ man finds you beautiful.”

  Her mind hesitated to let her heart believe me; I saw it in her eyes. “Kick . . .” Her voice trailed off and she tried to move out of my hold, but I didn’t let her. No fucking way was she getting out of hearing this.

  “Sweetheart, I’ve been watching assholes eye fuck you for years. Those curves of yours were any man’s fuckin’ dream, and while I’m not a fan of this skin and bones thing you’ve got going on at the moment, you’re still any man’s dream.”

  Her mouth fell open and she stared at me with wide eyes. “You liked my curves?” The uncertainty in her voice fucking killed me.

  “Fuck yes.”

  A smile slowly spread across her face, and I knew she’d heard me, and hoped she would start working on bringing the curves back. When she stood on her toes to give me the kind of kiss a man can only hope for at the end of a hard day, I knew I was in for a good fucking night.

  When she ended the kiss, I slapped her on the ass, and said, “How about some food, woman?”

  She grinned at me, grabbed my hand and led me to the kitchen.

  A moment later, I stood in front of a banquet of food. “You made all this?” I asked, surveying all the dishes.

  She placed plates on the counter for us. “Yeah, I know how much you love my Thai food so I spent the afternoon making it for you.”

  I crossed my arms and leant my hip against the counter. “And what if I hadn’t shown? That’s a fuckload of food, baby.”

  She gave me her sexy grin. “Oh, I was pretty sure you’d show.”

  I raised a brow, amused and way the fuck turned on at her confidence. “Really?”

  A laugh escaped her lips and fuck me, I had to control the urge to close the distance between us and take her right now. She came to me, though, and I knew dinner was gonna go cold. She moved right into my space, laced her hands around my neck and pressed herself against my erection. “Really. You’re a man who can’t get enough pussy ever, and you seem to like mine, so I figured what I gave you this morning wouldn’t be enough and that you’d be back for more.”

  I placed my hands on her ass and gripped her hard. She had no chance of escaping me now even if she wanted to. Bending my mouth to her ear, I growled, “Baby, I don’t just fuckin’ like your pussy. On a scale of one to ten, it rates off the charts. If you were the only woman alive, I’d kill every motherfucker to make sure you only had eyes for me.” I shifted my face so I could look her in the eyes. “And Evie, it’s not just your pussy I love.” I placed my hand over her heart, and whispered, “I love what’s in here.”

  She stared at me, the playfulness gone from her eyes. Her arm reached up and she gently laid her hand against my cheek. “I love you, Kick Hanson.”

  Fuck, I was an idiot to walk away from her three years ago. She had everything I’d ever wanted, but I’d let Jeremy convince me I wasn’t good enough for her. That my world would only bring her harm. In this moment, I knew deep in my bones that I would never let any harm come to her. I’d fight to the bitter end to ensure her safety.

  I lifted her and placed her on the counter. Stepping in between her legs, I brought my hand up to her singlet and skimmed my fingers over her breasts. A moment later, I had her singlet and bra off, and a mouthful of tit. My dick was so damn hard for her and I barely stopped myself from ripping the rest of her clothes off and banging her on the kitchen floor.

  She arched her back, pushing her tit harder against my mouth, and I groaned. I grabbed her hair and pulled her head back. Lifting my mouth from her breast, I trailed kisses up her neck until I reached her mouth. Lightly biting her lip, I asked, “Are we gonna need the cuffs again or are you gonna play fair?”

  Her legs wrapped around me as she promised, “I’ll play fair tonight.”

  I let go of her hair and put my arms around her so I could lift her off the counter and carry her into the bedroom. After I let her down, I asked, “How many orgasms do you want tonight, baby?”

  Eagerness flashed in her eyes and her hands went to her pants to undo them. “Just keep going until I pass out,” she said as she pushed her shorts down.

  I undid my jeans as I watched her remove her panties. Fuck, I was almost fucking panting like a horny teenager. She did that to me. I couldn’t even wait. I reached for my dick and gave it a tug while never taking my eyes off her pussy.

  She came closer to me and removed all my clothes while I kept stroking myself. Her scent intoxicated me, sending me closer to the edge. Her first orgasm was gonna come soon because I couldn’t delay this any longer. I had to get my dick in her.

  I scooped her up and a moment later I had her under me on the bed. Reaching down to her pussy, I got her started with my fingers.

  Her hands reached for my face and pulled me down for a kiss. “Fuck, Kick, can we just start with your dick and skip the fingers?” she begged after she let my mouth go.

  How the fuck did I get so lucky?

  I did as she asked and thrust my cock in. “Never say I don’t fuckin’ do as I’m asked,” I grunted as I pulled out and slammed back into her.

  Hard, because she fucking loved it hard.

  She held on tight as I relentlessly chased our orgasms. Her eyes closed and her mouth parted slightly as she took it all. I didn’t move my gaze from her face; watching her unravel with pleasure had to be one of my favourite things to do.

  As my release built, her pussy squeezed around my dick and she cried out my name as she came.

  Fuck.

  I kept at it until it hit me as well, and I gave one last hard thrust before coming inside her. My eyes closed as the orgasm exploded through me. It was the orgasm of motherfucking orgasms.

  Evie did that to me.

  I finally reopened my eyes and found her staring at me with a sexy gaze; a well fucking sated gaze. Shifting so I was beside her on the bed with a leg slung over her, I said, “One down and more to go, but I’m gonna need that food you made me first.”

  She moved onto her side and ran her hand along my leg that was now lying over her legs. Her hand made it to my ass where it lingered for a few moments before she ran it all the way up my side to my face. Smiling at me, she said, “I think that deserves a reward.”

  “Too fuckin’ right that deserves a reward. Fuck, I think it also deserves a blow job later.”

  She licked her lips. �
�You have the best ideas, baby,” she said as she moved off the bed. “I’m going to clean up and then I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”

  Again I wondered, how the hell did I get so damn lucky?

  ***

  We ate dinner and had just finished cleaning up when I leant against the counter and watched Evie finish packing up the leftovers to put in the fridge. The meal she’d cooked had been amazing but she’d always been a good cook so that had never been in doubt. She covered the last dish with tin foil and as she walked to the fridge she caught me watching her and flashed me a smile. Tilting her head, she asked, “What’s going through your mind? You look deep in thought.”

  I wrestled with my decision whether to tell her or not. I’d actually been struggling with this decision for a few days and I’d come to the conclusion that for Evie and I to move forward, I had to tell her.

  “It was Jeremy,” I started and then stopped, trying hard to get the words out right.

  She frowned as she put the last dish in the fridge. Shutting the door, she came to me and asked, “What was Jeremy?”

  Shit, I had to get this out right because I didn’t want her to end up hating him. I raked my fingers through my hair. “The reason I ended things with you. Jeremy convinced me that letting you get close to Storm would put you in danger, so I pulled away.”

  She stared at me, shock evident on her face. “What? I don’t understand . . . why would he do that when he knew all I wanted was to be with you?”

  Fuck.

  I reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her close. “Because he loved you as much as I do. Because he was the best friend either of us had, and he didn’t want you to get hurt from your involvement with the club. Don’t hate him, baby. He only wanted the best for you.”

  Wide eyes looked up at me, and the pain I saw there gutted me.

  Maybe I shouldn’t have told her.

  When she burst into tears, I wrapped her in my arms and pulled her close.

  Her body shook with sobs and I pressed my lips to her forehead, trying to soothe her.

  We stayed wrapped together for a long time, allowing the memories to come and the grief to flow through us. I fucking missed him, and I wondered if this shit would ever get easier. Not having him in my life had been hard but at least I’d always known he was close if I needed him. Now, he was fucking unreachable and that left a hole that would never be filled by anyone ever again. Not even Evie.