Storm MC Collection Books 1 - 4 (Motorcycle Club Romance) Page 7

  I yanked my arm out of his grip. “Well, I’m going to be around to help so Brooke will just have to deal with that.”

  His eyes widened. “You’re staying? For good?”

  I nodded. “Yes.” I’d been grappling with the decision, but as soon as the words left my mouth, I knew it was the right one. A sense of peace settled within me.

  Tension thickened in the air as J silently watched me.

  He doesn’t want me to stay.

  That hurt.

  Deep.

  And it shouldn’t have.

  God, why am I even allowing what he thinks to upset me? I’ve moved on. I don’t care what he thinks anymore.

  I pushed my shoulders back and took a deep breath. “Yes, J, like it or not, I’m staying so you’d better get used to it.” Without waiting for his response, I walked outside, in desperate need of a moment to myself to clear my head.

  Ten minutes later, I was considerably calmer after giving myself a pep talk. J was smart enough to give me that space. I’d taken a step towards the house to head back inside when he came out.

  “You’ve missed a call,” he said, handing me my phone before going back inside.

  I checked to see who had called and smiled when I saw it was Serena. Shit, I was supposed to call her when we arrived. I called her back and waited for her to answer.

  “Bitch, I was worried!” she chastised me.

  “Honey, calm down. I’m sorry I didn’t call. I got side-tracked by Scott and Dad, who are being their usual bossy selves. And, don’t get me started on J.”

  “Oh, please do get started on J,” she quipped.

  I laughed and just like that, she broke through my anger and hurt and reminded me how much I needed her in my life. “He’s making me crazy!”

  “Mmmm, what’s he doing? Besides getting your girl bits in a tizz?”

  “He said that if I hadn’t dated Nix, none of this would be happening.” I answered her, the words tearing at my heart.

  “Wow. Holy shit. He might be a hot guy but what an asshole. I hope you told him where to go.”

  “He caught me off guard. I never expected him to say something like that to me. He’s confusing the hell out of me. I just don’t know what to make of it.”

  “Just keep him at a distance, okay. Do what you went there to do, and then you can come home and forget all about him again.”

  I paused for a moment and then sighed. “I wish I could, honey, but I’ve made a decision. I’m going to move back here to be close to Crystal and look out for her.”

  “I thought you might decide to do that. You’re a good woman, Madison Cole, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, especially not J,” she said, and I loved her a little more for her unconditional support.

  “I’m going to miss you. Maybe you should move here too,” I said, meaning every word.

  “Never say never, huh. Gonna visit you real soon, though,” she replied, “And I’ll kick J’s ass if he’s being a fucker to you.”

  I had no doubt about that. “Okay, I’d better go. Can you tell Blake I’ll call him tomorrow? I love you, honey.”

  “Will do. Love you, too, girl,” she said and hung up.

  I went back inside, hoping to say goodbye to Crystal and convince J to take me back to the clubhouse. I didn’t want to hang around Brooke’s for much longer.

  Brooke and Crystal were back in the living room with J, and they were all laughing at something on the television. J looked over at me and then tapped Crystal on the shoulder. “Say goodnight to Madison, angel. We have to go in a minute,” he said, and I was relieved he had the same plans as I did.

  Crystal gave me a long hug and I whispered in her ear, “I love you, baby girl, and I’ll be back to see you soon.”

  She kissed me and then left with Brooke to go to bed. Brooke nodded at me as they left the room. I wasn’t sure what that meant but she didn’t seem to be as hostile towards me as I thought she would be.

  “You ready to go?” J asked, without as much as a glance in my direction. He was already heading towards the front door, my answer clearly not even important.

  I didn’t bother answering him, simply followed him out to his bike. Without uttering a word to each other, we rode back to the clubhouse and my resolve to stay away from him strengthened.

  10

  Jason

  I collapsed onto the bed, thankful as fuck the day was over. I didn’t have it in me to bother heading home so I crashed in my room at the clubhouse. The ride home from Coffs Harbour had been long, probably because I couldn’t concentrate with my dick doing the fucking happy dance that Madison’s tits and pussy were pressed tight to me. It had been just over four hours of torturous bliss; her on the back of my bike again was something I had never thought would happen, but I was sure as fuck glad it did.

  And then she had gone and pissed me off, and I’d said stuff I wished I could take back because I didn’t really mean it. Fuck, I had really hurt her. I could see it in her eyes and hear it in her voice. Maybe it was my way of pushing her away. There was that old familiar pull to her and I wasn’t sure it was a good idea to even consider getting close again. But, fuck, I just had to be in the same room as her, and I wanted to touch her and bury my dick as far in her as I could.

  Watching her get into an argument with Scott and then listening to her tell me off had been both infuriating and a relief. It was good to see the old Madison back. She had slowly disappeared on me after the incident with Rob all those years ago, and the drinking only made it worse. It had fucking killed me to see her lose her spark. Madison was the kind of woman who didn’t let any man walk all over her, and after we broke up, I’d been horrified watching her allow Nix to control her.

  The night I found her beaten up was one of the worst nights of my life. If I hadn’t let her go, hadn’t given up on us, she wouldn’t have ended up with Nix and he wouldn’t have laid a finger on her. I had sworn death after that and had meant it. Scott and her father had been with me on this, but then club politics got in the way. If we’d followed through on our threat, it would have ended in all-out war between Storm and the Black Deeds, and our club wasn’t ready for that back then. We’d spent the last two years getting our shit in order, getting ready to strike and take the fucker down. Getting Madison out of the picture had been an important part of this plan, even though I hadn’t agreed with it at first. I’d wanted her back with me, where she belonged, but Scott had ordered me to make sure she left town. I’d done this all right; I’d killed any love she might have had left for me the day I told her to get the fuck out; the day I told her I didn’t love her anymore.

  Seeing the difference in her, knew we’d done the right thing. When she left, she’d been drowning in alcohol. I hated watching her do that to herself; I felt useless, unable to make her see what she was doing. My mother had done the same thing and it was like watching re-runs of shitty television; seeing the same old crap over and over, hating it more each time. Madison finally had her life together so it made the last couple of years’ worth it, even if she didn’t want anything to do with me.

  I was almost asleep when Scott bashed on my door. “J, need you, man.”

  “Fuck! Really?” I yelled back. It was just after midnight and I was wiped.

  “Yeah, need you to check on Madison,” he replied.

  Shit, just the sound of her name stirred me. I sat up and reached for my boots. “Hang on, be there in a minute.”

  Scott was pacing at the bar when I found him. He looked up and I was instantly alert. Scott was known for keeping his shit together, but he looked stressed.

  “What’s happened?” I asked.

  He stopped pacing and raked his fingers through his hair. “Davey was keeping an eye on Madison but she ditched him. I’ve got no fuckin’ idea where she is.”

  “Jesus fucking Christ!” I roared. “What the fuck is wrong with these dickheads? They can’t even do a simple job.”

  Scott nodded in agreement. “Yeah, brother.
That leaves you and me to find her. I don’t trust anyone else.”

  “Got any leads at all?” I asked, hoping like hell that he did.

  “No. This is a fuckin’ nightmare because Nix has shown back up in town.”

  Fuck! Not what I wanted to hear. Needing to lash out at something, anything, I turned around and punched the closest wall. Davey was fucking lucky that he wasn’t in sight because I would have pounded him if he was.

  Scott’s phone rang, and while he answered it, I mentally filed through a list of Madison’s old friends trying to work out where she might have gone. I came up short because she had wiped a lot of her friends when she was with Nix.

  “Right, Madison might be at Hyde’s.” He slipped his phone into his pocket. “Let’s go.” He headed towards the front door.

  I reached out and grabbed his arm, turning him around to face me. “You’re fucking kidding me, right? Not even twenty-four hours home and she starts fucking drinking again?” I was pissed. Pissed at her, at Nix, and at the whole fucking situation. Hyde’s was her old favourite drinking ground, and the last place I thought she would be.

  Scott pulled his arm back and snapped at me, “How ‘bout you give her a break? She might surprise the fuck out of you.”

  “Yeah, and she might fucking not.” I fixed an angry glare on him. “I’ve lived with, and buried an alcoholic, motherfucker. I know how they work.” I pushed past him and stormed outside. I was in a really bad mood, and when we found Madison, she wasn’t going to know what fucking hit her, especially if we found her drinking.

  An hour later, we still hadn’t found her. I was surprised but relieved not to find her at Hyde’s; I didn’t want to think about how I would have reacted if we had found her there. We visited some of her old friends, and pissed them all off by waking them up. But none of them had seen her or heard from her. Scott was ropeable and I was pretty close. Then we got a call from Griff; Madison had shown up at the clubhouse.

  We made our way back, and as I stormed into the bar, I noted her tear-stained face, but paid no attention to it. I grabbed her by the arm and pulled her towards me. “Have you any fucking idea how worried we have been?” I yelled at her.

  She crumbled into my arms and started to sob. My reaction was automatic; I held her close, running my hand over her hair, trying to soothe her. The anger left me, and I felt the need to make everything all right for her. “Where were you, baby?” I asked.

  She didn’t answer me and Scott barked at her, “Answer us, Madison. Where the fuck were you?”

  I looked up at him, anger burning through me again, but this time directed at him. “Back the fuck off, brother. In fact, everyone get the fuck out of here,” I bellowed, and when no one moved, I added, “Now!”

  People started moving out of the room and Scott stood there glaring at me for a minute or so, and then he left too.

  I pulled back a little from Madison, to look in her eyes, “Baby, what’s going on? Talk to me.”

  Her eyes slid to mine and the heartache I saw there stabbed me in the fucking heart. “I went to Bec’s house. I just sat outside and remembered stuff, you know, the good times we’d had, even the bad. J, I miss her so much. I can’t believe she’s gone. Even though we weren’t friends anymore, I always thought we’d patch it up.” Tears streamed down her face.

  “Fuck.” I didn’t know what else to say. I was useless at this shit, so I just pulled her close again and held her, letting her get it all out.

  Eventually, she unwrapped her arms from me and wiped the tears from her face. “Sorry. I guess it is really hitting me, now that I’m back here,” she apologised.

  “No need to say sorry. But the next time you want to take off, for fuck’s sake, let one of us know where you’re going. Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  I doubted she meant it. Madison did whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. “Nix is back, apparently. That’s why we were all so pissed at you. Plus, and you might find this hard to believe, we all care about you.”

  She stayed quiet for a moment, appraising me, and then she offered, “Thank you. I’m going to bed now. Goodnight.”

  She left and I stood in stunned silence. She had surprised the fuck out of me and I hated to admit it, but my heart was starting to want what my dick wanted.

  11

  Madison

  I woke up the next morning feeling low. Remembering Bec the previous night had been hard and I was thankful that J had been there for me when I got back. That was a difficult thing to admit to myself. I just wanted to hate him and not have anything to do with him, but then he had to go and be nice to me. And the things he did to my body. God, I was so messed up about him. He’d been back in my life for less than a week, yet there I was, wanting him all over again.

  I decided to put thoughts of J aside and focus on my plan to move back. First order of business would be to call Gina and let her know I wouldn’t be coming back to work. Thank goodness I’d saved some money to get me through until I found a new job.

  I grabbed my phone and dialled her number. “Hi, babe,” she answered.

  “Hey, Gina. I have some bad news for you.” I decided to get straight to the point.

  “You’re not coming back, are you?”

  “I’m so sorry to do this at such short notice but no, I am staying here. My friend’s kid needs me,” I answered her, really regretting having to do this to her.

  “I understand, and actually wondered if you might end up staying. You’re just lucky I love you; otherwise, I would send Zane after you,” she threatened, but I heard the smile in her voice.

  I shuddered at that thought. Zane was Blake and Gina’s brother, and a man you didn’t mess with. I’d only met him a few times and he scared the living shit out of me. I never asked Gina or Blake much about him because I really just didn’t want to know who or what he was.

  We chatted a bit more and I promised to visit her often before hanging up. I scrolled through my phone and hit Blake’s number.

  “Baby girl, how are you?” he said as he answered his phone.

  “Have you got a few hours?” I asked, jokingly.

  He chuckled. “That bad? Do you need me to come and sort shit out?”

  “I appreciate that, but no. You’ve got your own things to take care of and I’m a big girl; it’s time for me to sort out everything I walked away from years ago.”

  “Yeah, I guess it is. How’s J? Still being a caveman?” I could hear the annoyance in his voice.

  “J will always be a caveman. It’s just who he is. I’m so confused about him, Blake.” I decided that perhaps a guy’s perspective might be insightful.

  “In what way?”

  I hadn’t ever told my friends much about my relationship with J so I figured it was time to open up a bit, especially if I wanted advice. “I left Brisbane because he told me to. We’d been broken up for about six months but I thought we were going to get back together, and then he told me he didn’t love me anymore and that I needed to leave. He was the one who lined my job up with Gina, through another club member who knew her, I think. He said I needed space from the club to get my drinking sorted. He broke my heart but I thought I was over him. Now I’m not so sure. I don’t know what the fuck to make of it all.”

  “Talk to him. But you need to work out what you want first,” he said.

  “You’re such a guy, Blake. You make it sound so easy.” I sighed. Why did guys think that every situation was so black and white?

  “Well, why do women make everything so hard?” he asked.

  “We don’t!”

  He laughed. “Yeah, you do. We’ll have to agree to disagree. Just promise me you’ll talk to him.”

  “I’ll try, but all we seem to do is argue, so it might not be as easy as you suggest.”

  “Show him a bit of leg. It’ll shut him up for a minute and give you time to talk,” he suggested.

  It was my turn to laugh. “Great plan, maybe I’ll flash my tits too, you know, to give m
e even more time.”

  “Settle down, you want him to be coherent, don’t you? Flashing your tits will send all the blood from his brain to his dick. Take my advice, no tits.”

  “Okay, legs it is. Now, did Serena tell you that I’m moving back here?” I asked, and we talked some more about my move and what was going on in his life before ending the call. I knew it wouldn’t be long before one of us made the trip to visit the other; we couldn’t go too long without needing to see each other.

  “Madison, good to see you, babe.”

  I’d made my way downstairs to the club bar. Turning towards the voice I knew so well, I threw myself at him. “Nash, I’ve missed you,” I said as we hugged.

  “You’re still as fucking hot as you were last time I saw you,” he said, looking me up and down.

  “And you’re still as fucking pervy as you were last time I saw you.” I slapped him on the arm, all the while smiling at him.

  He grinned that wicked smile I remembered and shrugged. “Yep, and still the hot ass you missed out on when you chose that fucker, J.”

  Now it was my turn to grin at him. “Didn’t know what I was getting myself into there, did I? And to think I could have had you.”

  “Fucker’s still got a hard-on for you, too. He’s got pussy anywhere he wants but none of it does what you did for him,” Nash said, shaking his head.

  What the fuck? My mouth dropped open in shock, and I was about to quiz him when we were interrupted.

  “Nash,” J’s voice boomed from behind me and I spun around to see him shooting daggers at Nash. Oh, God, I felt bad for Nash. He and J had always had a hard relationship and J had never taken kindly to Nash’s flirting with me.

  Nash leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Looks like it’s time for me to get out of here.” He kissed my cheek, winked at me and said, “Later, sweet thing.” He lifted his chin at J and then left us alone.

  J walked toward me with a fierce determination and my stomach fluttered. He had a feral look in his eyes and, fuck, it did things to me. “He’s right,” he said as he stopped right in front of me; so close, too close.