Beyond the Cut (Sinner's Tribe Motorcycle Club #2)(49)
“Fuck.” Cade wanted nothing more than to yank open the door and leave the goddamn board behind, but Jagger hadn’t adjourned the meeting and he didn’t want to put his good friend Gunner in the position of having to deal with his breach of the rules. “How can I protect her if my hands are tied? I shoulda voted to off him that very first day.”
“Then we would be having a very different conversation right now,” Jagger said. “The Brethren would have been part of the attack last night. We barely fought off the Jacks as it was.”
“Why are you so damn riled?” Gunner’s forehead creased with a frown. “It’s not like she’s your old lady. You never cared this much about the other women you took to bed…”
“What if she was?” He felt the rightness of the idea the moment he spoke the words. “She would be entitled to Sinner protection as my old lady.”
Jagger quirked an appreciative eyebrow. “Mad Dog would no longer suffer under the illusion that Dawn belonged to him. And if he did harass her, you could act to defend your old lady, regardless of the agreement we made with the Brethren.”
“No f*cking way.” Gunner shot out of his seat. “You can’t take an old lady. You’re you. You got a rep to protect. And who am I gonna go drinking with? We got parties lined up every weekend for the next couple of months. And the twins with the biggest—”
“It wouldn’t be permanent,” Cade said quickly. “Just until Mad Dog is no longer a threat.”
“I’m good with that,” Jagger settled back in his chair. “Dawn’s got herself in a bad situation and Arianne has been harassing me about our decision not to touch Mad Dog for the last few weeks.”
“What does Dawn think of this idea?” Zane voiced the question on everyone’s lips.
“I haven’t asked her.” Cade inhaled and released a long breath. “Might take a lot of convincing because she’s made it pretty damn clear she isn’t interested in being anyone’s old lady.”
“I got faith in you, brother.” Jagger gave him a wicked smile. “If anyone can convince a woman to do anything, it’s you.”
*
“Dawn. Wake up.”
Half asleep in Cade’s bed, his warm, naked body tucked around her, Dawn wasn’t inclined to climb out of her cave of oblivion. “Sleeping,” she mumbled.
“Babe. I need to talk to you.” He turned her gently, resting her head on his shoulder so he could harass her face-to-face. “I couldn’t sleep.”
“I wasn’t having any problems.” She squeezed her eyes closed and buried her face in his neck, breathing in his warm masculine scent. She’d dragged herself to work in the morning, stumbled through her job in the afternoon, spent a few hours sorting her house while the workmen changed the locks and window, and barely made it through her shift at the bar before Cade picked her up and took her back to the clubhouse.
Too tired to eat, she’d allowed him to put her to bed, expecting to sleep until the sun came up.
Apparently, Cade had other ideas, and now that she was awake, she had some ideas, too.
“I know a cure for insomnia.” She eased herself on top of him, perversely pleased she’d gone to bed without any clothes. Cradling his hips with her thighs, she slid down until he was perfectly placed, his semi-erect shaft nestled against the curve of her sex.
Cade groaned. “You’re making this hard.”
“Yes, I am.” She wiggled on top of him, delighted at his instant response. One thing about Cade, he could perform at a moment’s notice.
“What happened last night at your house, can’t happen again.” Cade stroked his hand down her back. “I can’t touch him, but I can’t sit back and let him threaten you, either. It’s gone too far.”
“What are you going to do?”
He spread his legs, parting her wide, and his cock slid through her wet folds. “I’ve thought of another way.”
“What way? And don’t think I don’t realize you’re trying to distract me.”
Cade leaned up and caught her nipple between his teeth, licking and sucking until she moaned. “You’re gonna be my old lady.”
“I don’t want to be your old lady.” She reared back, her breath catching in her throat. “I don’t want to be anyone’s old lady. Been there. Done that. Got the bruises and the emotional trauma to show it.”
“Shhhh, babe.” Cade’s strong arms wrapped around her and he pulled her down to his chest. “It won’t be permanent. Right now, Mad Dog still thinks you’re his, and he’s using the pass Wolf bought him to ride freely through town. That puts you in danger. So we make him understand you’re taken and he’s got no claim on you. And if he does come near you again, I can deal with him without going against the club ’cause I’m defending my old lady. No one f*cks with a biker’s old lady.”
“I haven’t even gotten used to the fact that we occasionally have hot sex. Being an old lady is too big a step. I can’t deal with the violence, Cade. I can’t be part of this world again.”
He rocked his hips against her, his erection sliding against her clit. “You’re gonna say yes, because you can’t fight Jimmy alone. He’s part of the Brethren and to stand a chance you need a club on your side. And it’s not forever. There’s an election coming up and once it’s done and the Brethren patch over to us, Mad Dog is dead. You’ll be safe and … “He hesitated. “The Sinners can help you get your girls back.”