Dark Fall (Back Down Devil MC #3)(37)

After three drinks, Kaity felt a connection to Emily and Avery. They were welcoming and honest. Well, they were honest about everything except Erik. When she asked about him they insisted that Kaity talk to Erik. They stayed out of his business and that only made the mystery of Erik more enticing.

When the guys finally came back, it wasn’t a celebration at all. They were pissed off. Emily and Avery went to their men, to Gaige and Landon. The bar filled up, drinks were ordered, and women poured in.

Slowly, Kaity stood from her barstool. She could see Erik talking to the really big guy, Nate. Erik pointed to his stomach, shook his head, waved his hands. He was animated and angry. Nate squeezed Erik’s shoulder and then went to the bar. That’s when Erik turned. His eyes met Kaity’s and there was a moment when the world froze.

They just stared at each other.

Kaity wasn’t sure if she was even welcome there anymore. But then Erik nodded. Just once. And in that simple nod, Kaity felt her heart race and knew if she stayed in the clubhouse with Erik her life would continue to change.





seventeen.



Erik was pretty drunk. He had been building a good buzz the entire night as he played darts and pool. He met with everyone who normally sat at the table, and they discussed their options for the silent war that raged outside. His eyes were all over Kaity the entire time, too. Watching her as she drank. Watching her talk and laugh with both Emily and Avery. Erik caught himself comparing Kaity to Emily and Avery. How much prettier she was. How big her tits looked in the shirt she wore. He noticed her jeans weren’t ripped, which meant she had borrowed clothes from either Emily or Avery.

He couldn’t stop picturing her naked body under the hot water. The sight of her wet skin. The look in her eyes. The way her mouth fit around his cock. How her body felt against his.

Erik had no idea what time it was when he fell into the bar next to Miller. Miller hovered over an empty shot glass. His eyes were glossy and he was drunk as hell.

If Miller showed any sign of weakness it would flow right through the entire MC.

“What do we do?” Miller asked.

“We fight,” Erik said.

“Fight what?”

“We’re doing the right thing,” Erik said. “We keep going. We’re strong. Something will give soon. Remember what that old man said. There was something with the man’s eye, right? Like me. That means a scar.”

“Yeah, but didn’t those grease *s tell you it was a scar on his neck?”

Erik nodded. “We’re dealing with more than one person then.”

“Fuck.”

“Strokner warned us,” Erik said.

“Let’s get together in the morning and figure out our next step,” Miller said. “I need to find some comfort for the night and clear my head.”

“Plenty to choose from,” Erik said.

He elbowed Miller and smiled.

There were plenty of women strutting around the clubhouse, looking for some action. But Erik didn’t give a f*ck about any of them except Kaity. She sat alone at the end of the bar, peeling the label off a beer bottle. As Erik made his way over to her he reminded himself that the first night was out of generosity and for her own safety. If she stayed tonight, this would mean something more.

Erik put his hand around the beer bottle and tossed it away. Then he grabbed her face and forced her to look at him.

“What are you thinking right now?” he asked.

“The truth?” Kaity said.

Erik nodded.

“All the questions burning in my head about you that I’m afraid to ask.”

“What are you afraid of? What’s the worst that can happen in life?”

“Death, I guess.”

“Are you afraid to die?”

“No.”

“Then ask me anything you want,” Erik said.

“Will you take me to your room?”

“Sure.”

Erik cringed on the inside. He was falling downhill, and fast. Slipping and sliding, unable to change focus for a second from Kaity. As Erik stayed three steps behind Kaity, he stared at her ass in those jeans. He would finally have a piece of ass in his bed he could really enjoy.

The moment Erik saw Kaity hit the bed, she looked ready to fall asleep. He stood at the edge of the bed, debating what to do. He could open his jeans, pull himself out, and find out just how much Kaity wanted to earn her way to be close to him. Then again she had already been shot at and reduced to fighting off Blaine's sick advances. Did she really need to prove herself any more than that?

Before Erik could make a decision, Kaity’s eyes were shut. Her lips parted as she breathed, her chin tucked to her shoulder. The feelings he had when he looked at her were overwhelming and they created a new urge to just pull the trigger so that he wouldn't have to deal with them.

Instead, he climbed into bed and gently moved Kaity under the covers. She purred and moaned a few times, making Erik grit his teeth as he stiffened. He closed his eyes and the room spun over and over. He had no idea what the club was going to do about any of it. Severed fingers. Jonesy being kidnapped. Bombings. Senseless murders. It was big, and maybe even bigger than what the MC was capable of. That kind of thought scared Erik more than anything else ever could. If Back Down Devil MC wasn’t the strongest presence in Frelen - and beyond - then it wouldn't be long before someone finished digging the graves for everyone at the table, including Erik himself.