Savage Love (Back Down Devil MC #7)(105)

“What’s wrong?”

“Just everything got to me at once,” Emily said. “The whiskey. The thoughts. You inside me.”

“Fuck, you are an emotional drunk, beautiful,” Gaige said. He gently touched Emily’s waist and pulled her close. “I don’t know what to say right now. This is because of that shooting.”

“It’s everything,” Emily said. “I saw two people die… one of them my best friend. Her father is going to hurt you, probably me too. And then Max…”

“No, this is bullshit,” Gaige said. He held Emily out by her shoulders. “This is f*cking bullshit. Nobody is going to make you live in fear.”

“Too late,” Emily said as she forced a tearful laugh of disgust. “I can’t stop thinking or seeing or…”

Gaige put a hand to Emily’s mouth and he growled. He slowly slid his thumb along her lips. Emily saw the intensity in his eyes. She had started to cross a delicate line, challenging Gaige’s ability to protect her.

“If you don’t f*cking trust me, then you need to go. I’ll have Blaine take you home and I’ll keep someone near you. But I’m not going to listen to this. I’m sorry for what happened today but that’s our business. People want to hurt us, kill us, all because of who we are. We f*cking deal with it. Same goes for you, if you’re going to be here with us.”

Emily nodded. “I’m so sorry… I ruined this… with us…”

Emily’s head was still spinning. Her body tingled with a pleasure filled warmth, thanks to Gaige, yet her mind kept finding ways to ruin it.

Gaige finally pulled Emily close and held her tight. She continued to cry, unable to control herself. This was going to take time, whether she had it or not, that didn’t matter.

When Gaige released his hold on Emily, he sat on the edge of the bed. He put his hands to his face and took a deep breath.

“I wish I could tell you it gets easier with each bullet. Each death. But it doesn’t. I’m swinging fists to stay alive. It’s not about looking cool and having fun. This is what I have to offer the world.” Gaige sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I lost the care to cry a long time ago, so I’m sorry if I can’t sympathize with you, Emily, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about you. Because I do. Fucking hell, beautiful, I care about you. You have the comfort of my bed and my arms. My two wheels to take us away when we need to ride. It’s my world and I want you in it. But you have to fully trust me and you have to trust the club. There’s going to be bullets and blood, Emily, I can’t control that.”

Emily wiped her eyes and slowly sat down next to Gaige. The seriousness of the conversation didn’t make Emily feel any more sober. If anything, though, it her Emily feel closer to him. Falling for him meant falling hard and fast. Falling for him meant pain.

Emily laid her head on Gaige’s shoulder. He reached and touched her cheek.

“I can’t believe you’re so f*cking drunk right now,” Gaige said.

Emily laughed. “Blame Blaine.”

“I do. You’re lucky you didn’t end up in his bed.”

“I think that’s the scariest place in the world.”

“Yeah, probably.” Gaige turned and looked at Emily. “I will kill Max for you. But I have something else I want to tell you…”

“What?”

Gaige’s face was stern as he looked at Emily. “You’re going to be there. You’re going to see it happen.”

Emily wasn’t sure how to actually process those words. She felt dumbfounded. She blinked and a stray tear fell from her eye.

“I’m going to…”

Gaige nodded. “Yes. I’m going to show you that Max is dead. I’m going to prove my promise to you, beautiful.”

“I believe you,” Emily said. “I don’t need…”

“You do,” Gaige said. He took Emily’s hand. “I want you to look into his eyes and see the fear he made you feel, because when his life ends, so does the fear. For good. Got it?”

Emily slowly nodded. This man was going to kill someone for her.

“Now f*cking kiss me,” Gaige said.

Emily moved to Gaige and kissed him. Hard. Fast. Drunk kisses that were filled with passion and emotion that Gaige may not have understood, but Emily did.

She was in love with him.





twenty.



Gaige lined up the eight ball with a cigarette hanging from his mouth. Blaine stood at the corner pocket, slowly unzipping his pants. Gaige smiled and shook his head.

“Does nothing for me,” Gaige said. “Or to me.”

“Fine,” Blaine said.

Gaige eyed Blaine as he snapped his fingers at a reliever on the couch. She took her shirt off and turned around, cupping her bare breasts. She walked to the pool table and bent down. She pinched her own nipples and tried to tease Gaige with a show.

Focused on the eight ball, Gaige shot and the ball hit and sunk with ease.

“Game,” Gaige said.

He tossed the pool stick to the table and took the cigarette from his mouth. He grabbed his beer resting on another corner pocket of the table and drank from it.

“Fuck, bro,” Blaine said. He put his arm around the reliever and pointed to Gaige. “You’re in love, bro. That’s what this shit is.”