AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"You haven't tried to confront her?"
He hesitates for a long moment and then curses. "Are we still beating around the fucking bush here or not, Fifth? Because, straight up, Hands and I were going to set a trap for her after Hadley heard her crying, but I figured you'd want to be the one to deal with this shit."
"Why me?" I ask, scowling at him and Hands both.
Hands snorts, looking everywhere but at me.
"Lie to yourself if you want, brother," Cash says. "But don't fucking lie to me. We all know you're in love with the girl. It's not our goddamn business so we mind our own. But either you handle this, or we will. We can't have her sneaking in and out of the clubhouse. Hadley and Kyra are worried about her, and it's scaring the hell out of the girls. They're convinced the fucking place is haunted."
"Gloria and Samara were Googling fucking exorcists this morning," Hands says.
"Jesus Christ," I mutter, feeling like they've got my feet to the fire here. Truth is…I don't want anyone else confronting her. If something's wrong, Ineedto be the man who fixes it for her. I won't sleep until I know she's safe. She's mine to protect. But I'm the motherfucker my brothers look to for guidance on right and wrong. I'm the one who keeps them on the straight and narrow. I'm an officer of the courts for fuck's sake. And she's eighteen years old.
If I confront her, help her…I'll claim her as my own. My life will revolve around her. Her wants, her needs, her safety, her pleasure. I'll devote every fucking minute to her and her happiness. My obsession will run free. There will be no stopping it.
And if she isn't ready for that? What then? Will I be strong enough to walk away?
Yes. If it's what she wants, I'll walk away even if it kills me.
"I'll take care of it," I mutter, sealing my fate.
Chapter Two
Devin
"Oh,shoot,"Iwhisper,grabbing for Jude Despora's desk when my foot catches on the edge of the windowsill and I nearly topple face first onto the floor. I gulp a deep breath and then hold it, listening for any hint that anyone else in the clubhouse might have heard me. It's eerily quiet tonight.
Usually, the club is full of bright, happy sounds—teasing and laughter and friendly conversation. Rulie and Gloria, a middle-aged couple who take care of the place, live here. The MC brothers are in and out at all hours. I'm never alone. Most people would probably think that makes it a terrible hiding spot, but not me. I don't like being alone. There is safety in numbers, and there's nowhere in Silver Spoon Falls as safe as this place.
The Silver Spoon MC is full of powerful men. The whole world is at their disposal. This place is a fortress a lot like the one I grew up in…only there are no shady deals or dangerous criminals here. The brothers are genuinely good men, like Jude. He's a freaking criminal defense lawyer. He owns his own law firm and makes millions. But he never charges the clients he personally represents. When he takes a case, he takes it for free.
He's not the only one who does charity work. The brothers are a family, and this place is like a home. It's the last place my uncle and brother will think to look for me. Even if they do, no one knows I'm here, so the brothers won't have to lie for me. As far as everyone knows, I quit my job and left town, headed in search of adventure. The truth is far less glamourous.
A week ago, I quit my job, threw only what I could carry into a suitcase, and fled my great aunt's in the middle of the night. I've been on the run ever since, trying to avoid being carried back to Houston against my will. I don't belong there. I never did.
My family may be deep into the criminal underworld, but all I want is freedom. I'll run for the rest of my life if that's what it takes to avoid going back to the way I lived before. I love my Uncle Dante and my brother, Dimitri, dearly, but I spent my whole life looking through the lenses of their fear. Until they sent me here, I didn't know what it meant to be a normal girl. I didn't understand freedom.
I refuse to give mine up now that I've tasted it.
Once I'm certain no one heard me nearly fall, I pull myself the rest of the way through Jude's window and then slide it closed behind me. I leave the blinds open to allow a little light to trickle into the room, knowing I can't turn on the bedroom light. Thanks to the giant magnolia tree butting up against the side of the clubhouse, it's not much, but it's better than nothing. I'm not even sure if anyone is here tonight, but I'd rather not take a chance. Getting the brothers mixed up in my problems is the last thing I want to do.
That's not why I come here. I tried leaving town the first night, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't cross beyond theWelcome to Silver Spoon Fallssign. Something drew me here instead.Judedrew me here. No one knows it, but I'm madly in love with him. I have been since the first time I set eyes on him almost a year ago. He came to the flower shop to help pick up flowers for Cash and Hadley's wedding and I just…froze.
It was like the entire world stood still when his blue eyes settled on me. An earthquake started in my belly, growing bigger and bigger. By the time it stopped, it had started a tsunami and set off landslides, caving in entire sections of my being. I was Pangaea splitting apart and creating new land masses. The seas rushed in to fill all those empty spaces. When they settled, I was different. I washis.
I haven't been able to stop thinking about him since. I know he doesn't feel the same way. How could he? In his eyes, I'm just a kid. But when I think about him, Iache. God, I ache so badly. I want him as my own, more than I want air or sunlight or the music that soothes my soul.
So I come here. I sneak through his window. I curl up in his bed and let my mind wander. Sometimes, I pretend that he's touching me. Saying things he shouldn't. He does things he shouldn't. And I love it. Oh god, I love it so much. Other times, he's just cuddling me on his lap or feeding me from his plate. He's taking care of me, and everything in my world is perfect. I feel like a princess…adored and cherished.
It's far better than the reality where he doesn't know I exist, and I've never even been kissed. It's better than sleeping in my car and praying my uncle and brother don't find me. Sleeping in his bed is wrong. I know it is. He'd probably be angry if he knew.
Jude is a certified grump. I've never seen him with anything less than a thunderous scowl on his face. Every time he looks at me, he glowers like I kicked his puppy. It's intimidating…but I'm not intimidated. Seeing that look on his face makes my clit throb and my panties wet. He's a beautiful beast hiding a heart of gold. My fingers ache to weave their way through his dark hair and trace the sharp planes of his face. I want to know what his full lips taste like and if his perpetual five o'clock shadow tickles.
He's a little over six feet tall with deliciously broad shoulders and a tapered waist. In his business suits, he looks every inch the powerhouse attorney he is. The one time I saw him in a t-shirt and jeans, I couldn't even speak full sentences. The thin white fabric stretched over his defined muscles, leaving nothing to the imagination. He looked so damn good!
"Stop thinking about it," I mumble to myself, heat unfurling in my stomach at the memory. I promised myself I wouldn't touch myself in his bed again. When I did it two nights ago, I felt horribly guilty afterward and cried. Sleeping in his bed is bad enough. Getting myself off to dirty thoughts of him in his bed crosses about sixty lines I probably shouldn't cross. He would probably hate me if he knew.
"Stop thinking about what?" a deep voice rumbles in the dark.
