Soothing His Madness (7 page)

Chapter Twelve

Tension mounted
around the table in the clubroom in Cactus Cove. Slade eyed his president. The
news of a lockdown was expected, but the reason behind Los Li's visit went
unexplained, and that bothered him.

"What the hell?"
Slade pushed off the table and teetered on the back legs of the chair.
"Since when do we take a passive stance against outlaws in Pitnam?"

"Defense
tactics." Rain, unaffected by Slade's statement, motioned to the other end
of the table. "Fill them in, Jedman."

"Los Li should
pull down I-5 around three tomorrow. They've sent a message through the
Lagsturns—who won't set foot in Pitnam in respect of Raul." Jedman paused when
several bikers cleared their throat in amusement around the table.

"Fuck
off." Raul locked his hands behind his head. "Be glad for my
connections or you'd have visitors you weren't expecting."

"All right.
Everybody knock it off." Rain leaned forward and braced his elbows on the
table. "Jedman, Sanchez, Ronny, Mac and Travis will meet Los Li and escort
them to the hotel—he held his hand up, quieting the commotion—the single guys
will keep watch overnight and the next morning. I'll join the first riders and
escort the fuckers out of town. We've been through this before and as long as
Los Li stays clean, they can pass through. To deny them is only asking for
retaliation and at the moment, I don't think any of us want another gun pointed
at our heads. Agree?"

Slade nodded. He
backed his president, and wanted the Los li out of town and away from his
family. The whole community of Pitnam relied on the Bantorus MC to keep the
town safe and their families away from harm. Sometimes that took the Bantorus
into the wrong side of the fight to get it done. Last year, they almost lost a
few members when the Lagsturns Motorcycle Club stayed around too long.

Rain's wife, Tori,
almost lost her life because of an acquaintance of the Lagsturns, who turned
out to be Tori's psycho half-brother. Slade fisted his hands. He would not let
that happen to Taylor.

In the end, Tori
lived to see another day. Then through trouble at Lagsturns MC with the Los Li,
they now had a former Lagsturns president sitting at their table, along with
his woman. Slade gazed down the table. So far, Raul Sanchez held his own and
only benefited the club by being a member. Nevertheless, Raul hadn't earned the
right for Slade to trust him yet.

"Next order of
business." Rain hit the gavel on the table. "To protect our vice
president, I need an update on where Ray is and any news that he's going back
on his word."

"He's paid
half of his debt to Banjoey and is back to hitting the underground tables. He's
played in two big stakes games and walked away poorer," Travis said,
winching as he looked at Slade. "He's getting desperate and doesn't seem
to be easing back on his habit. He's contacted Crazy Kelly about sitting in on
Saturday's game."

Slade already heard
the news and he was not happy. A deal was a deal, but until Ray reneged and
came after his kids, or let Jodie seek visitation, he'd stay away. Maybe if he
got lucky, Crazy Kelly would kill the motherfucker for him. The high stacks
slash bondsman wouldn't let Ray walk away if he lost everything.

"Any other
news?" Rain waited and when everyone remained quiet, he hit the table and
dismissed the meeting. "Slade, stay after, we need to talk."

He nodded and moved
out of the way, lifting his chin to the other members as they walked out of the
room. Jedman elbowed him and grinned. He punched his friend in the shoulder and
moved around the table to sit by Rain.

When the door shut,
Rain rubbed his hand over his jaw and shook his head. "I don’t know how
much you know about the last time Los Li came into town, because you were out
on a run and missed watching them in action."

Slade remembered
that time. "It was last summer, and Jodie served me with custody papers. I
took the boys camping up in Puget Sound to get them away from the stress. What
I know about the Los Li situation and what went down at the bar, I heard when I
got back and helped with clean up."

"Thought
so." Rain exhaled loudly. "I had all the girls working the tables,
keeping them close. They shacked up in the cabins in back for the week Los Li
was in town, but a guy named Toma' had a little problem keeping his dick in his
pants. Caught him outside the cabin window where Taylor was staying more than
once. The guy has a rap sheet longer than a roll of toilet paper."

His chest tightened
and he pulled his boots back to the chair and leaned forward, not liking the
news. "What are you saying?"

"I'm
saying…you watch Taylor. That guy has a hard on for your woman, and if he
returns he might think beatin' off isn't going to do it for him." Rain
gazed at him intently. "You and I both know there's only so much we can do
to contain this town. If hell breaks loose, we're going to have more trouble
than we can handle and things could get ugly. Bantorus MC is small to the
amount of people Los Li have on their payroll."

He nodded. If the
boys weren't in school, it'd be the perfect time to take a family vacation. He
didn't want Taylor anywhere around Los Li, and he wouldn't take a chance on her
safety.

"I know what
you're thinking, but the safest place for her is at Cactus Cove. We'll set a
member on her whether you're with her or not. I also talked to the garage, and
you're off work until Los Li are out of town," Rain said. "I need you
here."

"Thanks."
Slade's fingers curled into fists. "Tell me more about that guy
Toma'."

Rain shrugged.
"Not much to say. He's been with Los Li for twelve years, six of those
years inside the pen for rape and manufacturing. Like the whole organization,
they have connections behind bars and outside. I trust no one when it comes to
the Bantorus women."

That wasn't telling
Slade much. Rain's protectiveness over Tori rivaled his own with Taylor. When
he got home, he'd talk to Taylor about her past with Los Li and find out how
much of what went on during their last visit she was aware of, and set down
some rules until Pitnam was safe again.

"All
right." Slade stood. "We deal with whatever comes and I'll talk to
Taylor."

Rain walked him to
the door. "Taylor was kept in the dark. She won't know much. Hell, Tori was
kept in the dark. This time…I got a bad feeling. I don't know how much we can
keep from them without jeopardizing their safety."

He studied his
president. "Because of the rumor of Los Li transporting illegally through
Pitnam?"

"No."
Rain shook his head. "They're looking for female merchandise, man."

"Jesus,"
he muttered.

Rain slapped him on
the shoulder. "We'll lock the club down and keep everyone safe."

Slade walked out
the door. The ache inside him grew. He'd never settle until there was no threat
against his kids being ripped away from him again and his woman no longer had
to worry about the simplest things.

If only the court
could see that, the Bantorus Motorcycle Club kept him sane, that letting him
raise his kids without any judgments was the best thing for them. He walked out
into the bar, spotted Taylor, and leaned against the wall, not ready to
interrupt her yet.

She stood beside a
table, talking with Pete, the manager of Shift's Garage where Slade worked, Pet's
daughter, Kristen, and Gary, another mechanic and Bantorus member. At ease with
her job, she smiled and laughed at the men's teasing. He took in her hair she
left down around her shoulders, because he'd told her this morning how much he
loved the length. The tightness in his chest eased somewhat. He'd noticed that
she took everything he said to heart.

Whether he thanked
her for dinner or mentioned he liked his socks paired up in the drawer, she was
always trying to please him. It was her nature. She was like that with
everyone. She remembered favorite drinks, lunch requests on Wednesdays, and everyone's
birthday. Hell, when he'd hauled the few boxes over from her house to his, she
was adamant about taking her calendar. Almost every day had a note on it to
remind her of silly things, like baking cupcakes for the boys, delivering a
daisy to Janice on the anniversary of her husband's death. What kind of person
went out of their way to make others feel loved?

When he asked her
about it, she only shrugged, and said everyone deserves to have someone pay
attention to important dates. He wanted to be a better man for her, to give her
back what she gave everyone else. He pushed away from the wall, and approached
the table.

Taylor turned and
smiled. "Hey, meeting over?"

"Yeah."
He nodded at Gary, Kristen, and Pete. "I'm going to run by the house and
pack a bag for the kids. We're going to stay in one of the cabins for a few
days until things settle down."

Taylor pulled his
arm, dragging him a few feet away. "Tori stopped in while you and the
others were shut inside the room and told me what was going on. Is this necessary?
Can't we all stay at the house?"

"No." He rubbed
the end of the strand of hair falling over her shoulder, near her breast.
"We're going in lockdown, baby girl."

"Shit."
She leaned into him and rested her head on his chest. "That sucks."

He kissed the end
of her nose when she gazed back up at him. "Promise me you'll stay inside
the bar while I'm gone. I'll grab the kids from school and bring them
over."

"Sure."
She kissed him fast. "I'll have the cook make them the macaroni chicken
dish, they'll always eat that, and a steak for you while you're gone. Then I'll
make up the beds in the cabin."

"We'll do that
together." He lowered his voice. "I'm serious about you not stepping
outside without me here."

"It's right
outside the backdoor," she said.

"Taylor."
He lifted her chin. "Not one step out the door."

She opened her
mouth to speak, and then snapped her teeth together. He looked over her head at
Rain. No words needed to be spoken between them. Slade knew Rain's position on
the situation. He followed Rain's gaze to Ronny, who looked at Torque. All the
men lifted their chin in agreement. Taylor wouldn't be left alone, and he
wouldn't trust her to keep her promise.

Chapter Thirteen

The bare floor of
the cabin dug into Slade's knees, but the discomfort that should've been there
was missing. He plunged deeper into Taylor. The hard surface had her going
nowhere, and every thrust softened by her curves intensified the pleasure. All
he could feel was Taylor and she was the best thing he'd ever had.

Each stroke
squeezed his cock, sending an overwhelming urge to take, take, take. He slowed
down and dipped his head, taking her nipple in his mouth. His hips jerked, out
of his control, and he fought to hold back. She was ready, more than ready, but
he enjoyed watching her ache and squirm. Every little movement set him off, and
he wanted to die between her thighs, cushioned on her body, doing what he
thought about every minute of the day.

"Slade,"
she screamed.

He froze,
tormenting them both, and laughed against her skin. Heat rolled off him. He was
burning up.

His muscles
spasmed, and at any second he was sure his arms would give up from holding his
weight off her. Pure insanity for his woman kept him from taking her too hard
on the floor, and only put him on the edge of blowing his load.

She squeezed his
biceps, arching against his pelvis, sinking deeper onto his cock. He groaned
and raised his head. Fire lit her eyes, and she looked so damn adorable, all
serious and worked up.

There was something
special about making his girl happy. He slowly rode her body and watched her
eyelids flutter and her teeth bite into her bottom lip. Yeah, he could do this
for fucking-ever.

She hooked her arm
around his neck, pulling herself up and captured his mouth. He couldn't escape
if he wanted to, because to do so he'd have to withdraw his cock out of her
pussy, and it'd take the whole motorcycle club to get him to do that.

She shoved her
tongue in his mouth, stroking, sucking, nipping. Her pelvis gyrated under him,
mimicking her mouth, stroking, pulling him in deeper. Caressed and greedy, he
gave up and gave her what they both needed.

Her breath fanned
his face with each plunge, until finally she hung off his neck, arched over
backward. Her hair swept the floor, and he nailed her.

Her body clenched
tight around him, shuddering through her release. As if she squeezed the
essence out of him, he thrust balls deep and let himself go. He fought keeping
his eyes open, because he wanted to see every moment.

His blood roared,
and then he gave her everything and spilled his cum. He rolled, taking her with
him, until she lay half on top of his exhausted body. Their breathing filled
the small cabin.

He ran his hand
down her back, holding her close. "Okay?"

"Uh…yeah."
She turned her head and looked at him in amusement. "The floor?"

"It's better
than the sofa or the bed. Who knows how many bodies got off on that
couch." He strained to sit them both up. "Jesus…I'm not sure I can
stand."

"You are just
that good, honey." She kissed him, moving to her feet, acting as if she
could go another round.

He sat with his
jeans around his thighs, bare ass on the wood, and wondered if they had time
for another go around. Maybe he'd die just the way he wanted to.

She pulled her
shirt over her head, shoving her arms through the material, and glanced at him.
"Are you okay?"

"Yeah."
He clenched his teeth and using the couch, pulled himself up. "Just
thinking we should kick it to part two. We can squeeze some more in before
getting the boys from the bar."

Now that he'd put
the offer out there, he was ready. Well, he would be in about five minutes. Definitely
by the time he got her undressed again and she did that thing with her hands,
where she used her fingernails to lightly scratch him, he'd be ready to rock
her world.

Taylor gawked at
him. He looked her up and down. His dick pulsed, reminding him that he was
still alive. Yeah, he wasn't stupid. He wanted her again.

"You're
kidding?" She snapped her jeans.

"Nope."
He walked over in front of her, grabbed her hips, and brought her into the
center of his body. "I'll never get enough of you."

She became soft
again and leaned into him. "Honey, the boys are probably done eating. They
had school today, and need to shower and get some sleep."

"That sounds
like a no." He growled, dipping and kissing her neck. "After the boys
are asleep?"

She sighed a happy
sound. "Absolutely."

He smacked her
rear, causing her to jolt. "I'll hold you to it."

She laughed,
shaking her head. He sat on the couch and watched her hips sway as she walked
into the bathroom. He stretched his arms out and hooked them on the back of the
cushions. If he planned to enjoy her all night long, he had to get their talk
out of the way.

He hated talking.
Nothing good ever came from voicing his concerns. It was easier to set down the
law and know she'd do what needed to be done. Nevertheless, occasionally, she
got her hair twisted if she disagreed with him. He sure hoped like hell that
this wasn't one of those times.

Taylor came out of
the bathroom, finger combing her hair over one shoulder. He brought his arms
down and leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. Just thinking about
Los Li rolling into town and looking at Taylor ate away at him.

"Ready?"
She paused at the door.

He motioned her
over. "Come here."

She returned to his
side and sat down. "What's wrong?"

"Rain informed
me about a man named Toma' today," he said.

Her brows lowered.
"Who's that?"

"A member of
Los Li. You met him last year when shit went down at the bar…" He waited,
hoping she had a clue about what he needed to tell her.

"The name doesn't
sound familiar, but there were a lot of men here in the few days they were in
town. Then when the fight broke out and some ugly dude stabbed Ronny in the
leg, I was ushered into the office. I didn't see anything else." She sat
straighter. "Why?"

"It's
imperative that you stick by my side, you and the kids."

"You've said
that a few times, and I told you okay. It's no big deal." She scooted to
the edge of the couch to get up, and Slade stopped her.

"The guy named
Toma' was caught stalking you last time Los Li were in town." He tipped
her chin with his finger. "While you were in the cabin, he was outside the
cabin."

"What? Who
told you that?"

"Rain."
He continued, "The guy was seen outside the cabin more than once."

She curled her lip.
"That's creepy."

"Right."
He inhaled deeply. "Asshole was beatin' off at the window. The second and
last time, is when all hell broke loose."

"What?"
She tried to pull away, but he snagged her hand. "Are you saying it's my
fault, because of that Toma' dude being a pervert that the Los Li want to cause
Bantorus trouble?"

He shook his head.
"No."

"Oh, God. Are
they coming through Pitnam because of me?" She covered her mouth.

"No, baby girl.
They got shit going down, but what they're dealing with is women…bad shit. Seeing
as how that asshole has his eye on you, I want you safe. I don't want him close
enough to you to even try to convince you of working for them. This is
serious." He smoothed the worry out of her face. "You'll be fine as
long as you stick by me."

"Shit,"
she whispered. "Of course, yes, I won't leave your sight and we'll both
watch the kids. At their age, that'll be our biggest job."

He nodded and
kissed her lips softly. "Love you, baby girl."

"I love you
too." She held on to his hand even when he stood and walked out the door
toward the bar.

He held on to her
tightly, not ready to have anything or anyone threaten her. The other news
about Ray blowing the money he'd used to buy him off would wait. Right now,
they had to get through the weekend without any danger coming to Pitnam, the MC,
or his family.