Mad Sea (4 page)
I’m actually addicted to this woman.
Her taste, still sweet from the Coke, is one I’ll never forget. When I pull away to look down at her, I can’t help the smile tugging at my lips. “What were you going to tell me?”
She flits her fingers along my jawline and threads them in my hair. Her green orbs shimmer in the moonlight. “This date is perfect. I’ve been coasting along for two years. Lonely and bored. Aside from my photography and my roommate, nothing has really excited me. You, Madden Finn, excite me.”
Her chest heaves, and I flicker my gaze to her nipples that are standing at attention under her white dress. I’d give anything for the chance to pull away her wet dress and suck one into my mouth. But, I’m trying something new with this girl. She’s not one of the dumb clubhouse bitches.
Hali is unique.
And I want to keep her as mine.
Fucking treasure her.
“Come on,” I say with a grumble. “I’ll drive you home before you get sick.”
Her eyes widen. “On the motorcycle?”
Laughing, I shake my head. “Too dangerous for you, beautiful. You get to ride in the Jeep.”
She pouts, which makes her all the damn cuter.
How will I ever be able to compartmentalize this girl?
I’m going to want her all of the time.
“New guy,” Jagger grunts as he climbs off his bike. “Ramone fucking vanished.”
My guard is up the moment we arrive at the abandoned factory that backs up to the ocean. Ramone usually meets us here with the newest shipment of cocaine, fresh from Columbia. Before we headed over here, I got a text from someone new. Javier. He’d said he was taking over the business. I told my boys to be alert and ready in case any shit goes down.
“You Javier?” My voice echoes inside the large metal building, now that our bikes aren’t thundering any longer.
The man with dark hair and a goatee nods. “Javier Ramirez. I can assure you, business will go as usual.”
It agitates me that he’s so sure I will want to continue to do business with him. One thing will determine how that goes. The cocaine. Ramone knew his shit and he was honest. Both go a long way in the drug world.
“Let’s see what you’re pushing,” I say as I stride over to him. He’s got a table set up with a bag sitting on top.
He gestures with a wolfish grin that has my hackles on alert. “Sample the product. Columbian perfection.”
Jagger saunters past me. The massive guy is intimidating as hell with a shaved head, neck tattoos, and a perpetual scowl. Javier isn’t immune to Jagger’s intimidation and his eyes become shifty as he watches my friend approach the coke. Jagger dips his finger into the white powder and tastes it. Cassius follows behind him. When Cassius’s shoulders tense, I cut my eyes to Jagger. His gaze flits over to the pallet filled with boxes labeled as flour. Nodding, understanding his message, I make my way over to the table with the coke they just sampled to see for myself what the problem is.
It’s okay.
Not Ramone quality.
“Trust goes a long way with the Southside Sinners. Am I right, Cass?” My eyes remain fixed on Javier. Cassius grunts and stalks over to the pallet.
“That it does, Mad Dog.” He yanks his pocket knife out and cuts open the first box.
“It’s the same,” Javier assures me, his palms in the air. Despite his assurances, I don’t trust the guy.
Jagger walks over to help Cassius. Together, they pull the boxes out, one by one. They’re silent as they cut open each box and sample the goods. Javier has since paled, but wisely remains quiet.
“Well?” I question, my eyes still on Javier.
“No deal.” Cassius’s angry glare meets mine, and I nod my understanding.
With the force of a hurricane Miami hasn’t even seen before, I slam my fist into Javier’s face. The man crumples to his knees, clutching his now bleeding nose.
“Stupid American!” he cries out.
My boys and I all start back toward our bikes. We leave the scammer asshole with his shitty coke to head back to the clubhouse. As soon as we’re inside, I motion for them to follow me into my office for a meeting. Several club whores smile seductively at me as we pass, but I ignore them all. I yearn to think about her. Hali Morgan. The one who continuously plagues my thoughts. However, I’m working hard at keeping her in a safe place where she belongs. Even thinking about her in this environment is detrimental to her safety.
“What are we gonna do, boss?” Steam, a big ‘ol boy with a white beard that resembles Santa’s, questions as he settles on the bench at the table.
I take my place at the head and regard all of the rough men as they sit. “What do our finances look like, Moe?”
Moe, before losing his wife and kids in a car accident, was an accountant at one time. After the most devastating time of his life, he joined our motorcycle club and became our numbers boy. He’s good at what he does. We’ve plenty of investments to keep us funded for years.
“Depends on what you want to do, Mad Dog. I don’t want to work with that lying shithead though. That’ll just fuck things up on our end with our clientele,” he says with a groan.
He leaves the room briefly and returns with the ledger. One of the club bitches comes in to ask if anyone wants a drink. Once we’re all settled with a cold beer, Moe looks up from his paperwork.
“We don’t need it. The stocks are performing well and the mutual funds aren’t losing. There’s enough to pay all the bills and keep things moving comfortably. Hell, we could even drop the arms dealing altogether for three years and five months. We’d still have enough to last that long, operating with all of our assets.”
Cassius grunts his irritation, but it’s Jagger who surprises me with his anger.
“So that’s just it, man? Give it all up and fucking retire for three years?” His brown eyes flicker with rage.
I roll my eyes at him and cross my arms over my chest. “Nobody said anything about quitting, fuckwad. We’re just exploring our options. Let’s keep weapons going like normal. For now, we’re going to bow out of all drug dealings. Cass, you stay on the hunt for a new distributor. Find out what the fuck happened to Ramone.”
My phone beeps in my pocket indicating a text. Everything in me craves to pull it out and read it. Unfortunately, I’m in a bathtub full of sharks. One whiff of something sweet like her, and it will be a frenzy to the death to see who can devour her first.
“Anything else? I’m going for a ride.” I stand and meet their hardened gazes.
“Nope. We got this,” Jagger grumbles.
I slap his back and saunter away from them, trying not to prance all the way back to my bike where I will no doubt eagerly yank out my phone and text back the girl who’s always on my mind.
Once I’m straddling my bike, I pull out my phone.
Hali: I know we weren’t supposed to go out until tomorrow but I really need to see you.
My cock thickens under my thick denim jeans. We’ve been on several dates. All of them end with her straddling me in my jeep with her tongue down my throat. I’ve been dying to fuck her, to claim her as mine, but I’m trying to be a man who deserves her in the first place.
Me: You just miss it when I sniff you.
A grin tugs at my lips. I fire up the engine but don’t leave the parking lot. Soon, my phone chimes again.
Hali: Can you come to my place? I need you right now.
Now, I’m going crazy with desire to strip her down and tongue every inch of her body.
Me: Address, beautiful.
Hali: Bring your gun just in case.
All the blood rushing to my cock runs cold. The address pops up on the screen next, and I waste no time tearing off down the road in that direction. If someone tries to hurt her, I’ll fucking skin them right in front of her. Nobody touches her. Absolutely no one.
I pull up to a fancy apartment complex that overlooks the ocean. Once I park, I pull my piece from my holster and chamber a bullet. Then, I stalk toward the apartment number she gave me. When I reach the door, I hear shouting inside. My first instinct is to barge right in. Unfortunately, it’s locked.
With my fist, I pound on the door. “Open up!”
The shouting, from a male, stops, and I can only hear her sweet sobs from the other side. I’m about to bust open a window when I hear the deadbolt disengage. The moment the door swings open, I shove the barrel of my gun into the chest of a smarmy looking motherfucker.
“You hurt her?” I seethe, venomous rage surging through me.
His eyes dilate and he sways. Drunk ass psycho.
“No, but you will,” he snaps and bares his teeth.
My gaze flits to where she sits in the middle of the living room floor. Shards of glass litter the carpet around her and her face is buried in her hands as she cries.
“Step the fuck back,” I order.
He grits his teeth but makes his way down the hallway toward the living room.
“Sit on the couch. Keep your hands where I can see them,” I hiss. My eyes don’t leave his but I reach for Hali. “Come here, beautiful.”
She launches to her feet and throws herself into my arms. I snake my free arm around her tiny frame, hugging her to me.
“You’re coming with me. Pack a bag. I’ll keep you safe.”
When she reluctantly peels herself from my body and hurries to the bedroom, I turn my attention back to the weasel.
“Who are you?”
He shrugs his shoulders. “Her boyfriend.”
I stiffen at his words and it takes everything in me not to unload my entire magazine into his chest. “Bullshit. You her roommate, Steff?”
His non-response tells me all I need to know. When she mentioned Steff, I assumed it was a chick. Had I known it was a fucking man this entire time, I’d have already whisked her away with me.
“You’re not to look at her. To touch her. To fucking talk to her, asshole. You got me?” I snarl. “She’s not yours.”
He scoffs at my words. “She’s not yours either. The little princess is my responsibility. If I find out you’re fucking her, I will kill you.”
This time, I laugh at his words. “Just try it, punk. Fucking try it.”
Hali rounds the corner with a backpack secured on her shoulders. Her hair has been pulled into a messy bun. For once, she’s not smiling, and it makes me want to throttle that fucker for making her upset. When I see the red mark on her cheek bone, I go blind with rage.
“Please,” she begs, seeing my impending explosion. “Let’s just get out of here, Mad.”
“DON’T FUCK HER!” Steffan’s threat is shouted at us, but it falls on deaf ears as we leave.
With my eyes steady on him, I motion for her to go to the front door. He doesn’t follow us out, but my eyes stay on the door even as she straddles the bike behind me. I’m not calm until her arms are wrapped around my middle and we’re cruising toward my condo. By the time we reach my place, it’s dark.
“Come on,” I tell her as we climb off. Her hand finds mine, and I guide her into my dark house. Once inside, I turn on the light and take her backpack from her. “Spill it, beautiful. Did that motherfucker hurt you?”
Tears well in her eyes and she throws herself into my arms. “He’s my friend. Truthfully. But we met in the strangest of ways. It was like he was waiting for me. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think my father sent him to watch over me. He’s crazy possessive, which is mostly why I haven’t dated in the two years I’ve been here. I always give him the benefit of the doubt, but ever since I’ve started dating you over the past couple of weeks, he’s been losing it. I’ve been careful to hide my phone from him because he’s notorious for invading my privacy. It’s just become so toxic lately. I don’t know what I’m going to do. Maybe once he cools off I can—”
“You’re not going back there,” I cut her off. “Ever. There’s no way that fucker is ever going to touch you again. You can stay here.” I slide my fingers into her hair and dip down to kiss her trembling lips. “You can relax here. You’re safe.”
When she pulls away, her eyes are red from crying. “I think a swim will loosen me up. I’m just emotionally drained and need to take my mind from it all.”
I smile at her. “Go put your swimsuit on. I’ll grab mine and something to drink. Meet me on the back deck and we’ll go down together.
Fifteen minutes later, Hali emerges from the condo, donning the tiniest black bikini I’ve ever seen. The top barely covers her perky tits. It’s nothing but strings and small triangles. Fucking perfect.
Hiding my hard cock behind the bottle of tequila, I motion with my head toward the ocean. “You ready, beautiful?”
She beams at my words and nods. We thread our fingers together, walking hand in hand. Once we are near the water, I drop both towels into the sand and unscrew the tequila. We share a few sips, our eyes never leaving the other, and then I twist the cap back on.
I’m about to motion to the water when she reaches behind her and tugs at the string. The black scrap loosens before the entire top falls into the sand. Her eyes remain focused on her task of getting naked. And my gaze is on her perfect body, visually tasting every single inch of her flesh. Once her bottoms hit the sand too, I watch with pleasure when she runs toward the crashing waves, her creamy white ass bouncing every step of the way.
I don’t remember shedding my trunks.