White Heat (Lost Kings MC 5)

He meets me at the front door of the clubhouse anyway.

“How’d you know it was me?” I tease, but my voice comes out strained.

“Got radar when it comes to you, Baby Doll.”

I fling myself against him. As soon as he wraps his arms around me my mind settles. “What’s the matter?” he murmurs against my ear.

I pull away so I can see his face. “Sophie showed up.”

“Shit. How’d that go?”

“Bad. It was so awkward. I held it together during dinner, but then we caused a huge scene downstairs outside the restaurant. Half the lawyers and politicians in Empire probably overheard us. She admitted it. Apologized. Asked how she could fix it. But I didn’t have an answer.” I leave out the uglier bits of our fight, especially the part about how she always liked Rock, because on my way home, some of her words hit their target.

“I’m so sorry, baby. I—”

“Rock, it’s fine. I understand why you didn’t want to tell me.”

He nods once, but I can tell it’s still weighing on him. “Don’t turn this into a bigger deal than it is. You and I are fine. Sophie and me, not so much.”

One corner of his mouth turns up and I can see the comforting reply forming on his tongue when Trinity’s voice interrupts.

“I’m glad you’re back, Hope. I have a few things I want to go over with you.” She doesn’t pick her head up once as she rounds the corner and nestles into the sofa while flipping through a huge white binder. Seems she was busy while I was away. I raise an eyebrow at Rock, making him laugh.

“I’m afraid to ask,” I whisper.

“I heard you asked her this morning? She’s been waiting for you since she got home.”

“Oh boy.”

Curling my hand around Rock’s I pull him over to the couch and sit him down. If I have to suffer through this wedding planning stuff, so does he. “Hey, Trin, let me go change. I’ll be right back.”

She pats Rock’s arm like she knows exactly why I sat him there.

If we end up in the bedroom together, we won’t come back downstairs anytime soon.

“I’m not sure I like you two conspiring together,” Rock grumbles.

When I return, Trinity’s chattering away and Rock looks like he wants to run away. I stifle my laughter and squeeze in between them. She’s not seeking any opinions from me though. It’s more like she wants to run things by me, which is fine. Honestly, if I didn’t think she’d kill me, I’d drag Rock down to City Hall, marry him tomorrow and skip all this.

Z joins us by propping half his butt on the arm of the couch. He’s tense, as if he’s ready to run the second Trinity turns her maid-of-honor-zilla eyes on him.

My phone stirs, and I yank it out of my pocket.

“Think it’s Sophie?” Rock asks.

“Maybe.” My face squinches into a frown as the unfamiliar alert of a video text blinks back at me. “Weird,” I mumble. There’s no chance to figure out how to play it, before it starts.

And I just stare.

The angle is terrible. The screen is fuzzy. But I’d recognize those rippling muscles and the inked forearms no matter what. I also recognize Rock’s office at Crystal Ball.

What I don’t recognize is the backside of the girl my fiancé is nailing over his desk. The image of the hands I’ve held and kissed hundreds of times, curled around some strange girl’s waist, holding her down while he fucks her, burns my eyes. Their pornographic moans and grunts fill the air.

I can’t breathe.

Hot and cold prickles over my skin.

My stomach lurches.

“Hope?”

I’m going to be sick.

The phone clatters to the floor as I jump up and run to the bathroom. Pity the drop didn’t break my phone.

The sounds of my fiancé fucking someone else follow me all the way down the hall.

“What the ever-loving fuck?” I’m not shouting, but I’m damn fucking close. Z snatches the phone out of my hand just as Wrath and Murphy walk in the front door.

Wrath lifts his chin at me. “What’s wrong, brother?”

I can’t even put it into words.

Trinity unfolds herself from the couch and gently taps my arm. “I’ll go make sure she’s okay.” She practically runs out of the room.

I need to go check on Hope myself, but I’m frozen. Two questions won’t stop pounding through my head.

One. How do I have a sex tape floating around and didn’t even know it?

Two. Who the fuck would send it to Hope?

Z gives the guys a rundown. As if more people need to know about this.

“Bro, you’re safe. It ain’t recent.” He taps the phone. “No anchor tat.”

Wrath glares at him. “It’s disturbing how well you know his body.”

I wrestle the phone out of his hands. “I know it’s not recent, you dick.”

“Shit. That’s cold. She okay?” Murphy asks.

“I don’t know.”

“She saw it?” Wrath asks. “Jesus Christ, where is she?”

I’m shaking with so much rage, I can’t even answer. As I stalk down the hallway, I take a number of deep breaths to calm myself so I can take care of my girl.

My hand presses against the bathroom door, swinging it open just enough to hear the girls’ muffled voices.

“It’s never going to end, is it?” Hope asks.

Trinity mumbles something back, then someone runs water. “Here wash your face.”

“Ugh. I need to brush my teeth. I feel disgusting.”

“Barfing will do that to ya,” Trinity teases. Hope actually laughs and I’m able to relax a notch.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had such a visceral reaction to something.”

“Honey, that’s fucking horrible. I know…I understand, believe me.”

“I have to get out of here.” The panic in Hope’s voice is clear. Fuck me. Things have been so good lately. Something bothers her, we talk it out. No running. Not that she has anywhere to run to now that she sold her house. But my girl’s resourceful; if she wanted to hide out, she would.

“Hope,” I call out.

“Just a sec.”

Trinity brushes past me first and squeezes my arm.

Hope’s pale and water still clings to the ends of her hair from where she must have splashed it on her face.

“You okay, Baby Doll?”

She gives me a weak smile. “Yeah.” She edges out of the bathroom door, careful not to touch me. I want to reach out and hug her to me, but I feel like an utterly disgusting jackass who shouldn’t be anywhere near her.

“Hope, I’m—”

“It’s okay. I’m okay. I uh, just need a few minutes to myself.”

She walks to the front door and I follow. At the last second, I grab her hand and spin her around to face me. “Please don’t go.”

Her big green eyes stare up and I see it. It’s still there. The love she has for me. “I’m not going anywhere, Rock. Well, I do want to take a walk. Can you give me that? Please?”

Christ, I’d give this woman anything in the entire world. “Yeah, baby, I can do that.” My fucking throat’s so tight, I barely get the words out.

“Thank you.” She reaches up and rubs her cheek against mine. “I’m not mad at you, okay? I love you.”

She pulls away and before I answer, she darts out the door, jogging across the parking lot to the trail that will take her to the house we’re building on the property.

She’s not leaving.

I turn to find Z, Wrath and Murphy watching me. “Please tell me one of you fucks recognizes who it is?”

“You don’t even know who it is?” Murphy asks. Wrath slaps him upside the head, saving me the trouble.

“No. Fucking video has to be more than two years old.”

Murphy shakes his head. “What kind of sick bitch keeps that shit for so long?”

“Never mind that, what kind of sick bitch sends it to his ol’ lady? And

why?” Z asks.

I got nothin’.

“I’ll make sure Z works on it. Go check on your girl,” Wrath says while slapping Z’s back.

“Knock it off, asshole,” he says while shrugging Wrath off. He pins me with an irritated look. “I love ya, brother, but I don’t know how many more times I feel like watching this.”

Murphy snickers and takes the phone out of Z’s hands. “Gotta be one of the dancers? Unless you were taking randoms back to your office.”

The look on my face has to be murderous. The smile slides off Murphy’s face and he hurries into the war room to get away from me.

Wrath lifts his chin. “Go. We got this.”

The crisp evening air emphasizes how hot I am. Furious hot. I take my time walking through the woods until my head’s clearer. As I approach the house, my heart kicks up for different reasons. Hope’s sitting on one of the steps to the unfinished front porch. Her head’s turned away, so I have a minute to observe her before she realizes I’m here. She’s not crying, thank fuck.

The snap of a twig under my boot turns her attention on me. A soft smile lights up her face. “Hey. How’d you know I’d be here?”

“A guess.”

She pats the stone beside her and I take a seat. “You okay?”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Hope, I’m—”

She curls her hand over mine and squeezes. “Don’t. It’s not your fault.”

“Yeah it is. Why do I even know people who do shit like that?”

“Was it a girl from CB?”

Admitting to her that I have no clue who’s on the video is the last thing I want to do. “Don’t do this, Hope.”

We sit there silently holding hands. Both of us staring into the woods.

“I’m sorry I acted like a baby,” she says after a while. I glance over and her cheeks are bright pink. “I’m so embarrassed.”

“Don’t be.” Christ, I’d be worried if it didn’t upset her. “I don’t—I don’t even want to work there anymore.”

“You don’t really.”

“I mean, I shouldn’t be around naked chicks who aren’t my wife.”

She laughs so hard she snorts, which makes her laugh even harder. “I love you, Rock.”

“I’m serious.”

She turns and settles her hand on my cheek. “I knew from day one you owned a strip club. Don’t think because we’re getting married, I expect you to never set foot in there again. I’m not that woman.”

“Yeah, I know you wouldn’t ask that.” I wrap my arms around her shoulders. “Maybe I’ll just make you come with me.”

She snorts again, then turns serious. “Are there any more homemade pornos floating around I should know about?”

“There better not be. I didn’t know about that one.”

She shakes her head, but there’s a smile twitching at the corners of her mouth. She stands and holds her hands out to me. “I’m a lucky girl. My man’s got ladies hanging on to old videos, but the real deal is all mine.”

Should I feel like a pussy because she’s trying to cheer me up? Probably. Do I? No. I’m too fuckin’ happy this fucked-up mess hasn’t made her change her mind.

The guys are all watching me when we return. Waiting to see if I’ll fall apart probably. I’m sure they’re thinking Cinderella’s too soft to take some stupid prank. I stiffen my spine and hold my head up. It’s bad enough they know I ran and threw up after seeing the video. My stomach tilts even thinking about the image of Rock and—

No. Don’t go there.

Wrath’s the first one to ask if I’m okay.

“I’m fine.”

I can tell he’s not convinced but he nods anyway.

Z is much more proactive in defending his president’s reputation. “Hope, you know it wasn’t recent. The tat with your name’s missing.”

My mouth twists down. Is that why they’re worried? “I knew it had to be old.”

Z raises an eyebrow, but doesn’t voice what’s on his mind.

Behind me, Rock slips his arms around my waist and pulls me against him. “Thank you, baby,” he whispers against my ear.

I raise my hand and ruffle his hair, then turn my head to whisper back. “I didn’t think for one second it was recent, Rochlan. I know you. I trust you.”

“I’ve been obsessed with you from the day we met. Couldn’t get hard for another woman if I tried.”

He’s completely serious and instead of laughing, I turn and kiss his cheek. “Good. You want to make our own movie?”

He raises his eyebrows and I love the power I have to still surprise him. He flicks his gaze to something behind me and shakes his head. “No. Because if one of them ever saw it, I’d kill them.”

“Why’re you making murder faces at us, prez?” Z asks and I burst out laughing.

Rock shakes his head, then lifts his chin at Z, I assume, since he’s the one to answer Rock’s unspoken question. “Nah, Murphy’s still looking at it. Might be Lexi.”

I glance up at Rock, but he won’t meet my eyes. He’s too busy staring daggers at Z.

Turning, I catch the look on Z’s face.

Rock, takes my hand, and pulls me toward the war room. “Wait a second, you don’t know who it is?”

“Thanks, dick,” Rock snarls at Z.

It’s sort of disgusting, but also tragically funny. My lips struggle not to smirk. “The trials and tribulations of a reformed manwhore. You could be your own reality television show.”

The guys laugh. Rock’s eyes widen for a second, then he shakes his head. “What have I done to you?”

“Would you rather I laugh or cry?”

He slings his arm over my shoulder. “Neither, if you’re gonna laugh at my expense.”

There’s humor underneath his words, so I didn’t offend him. “Well, who took your off-the-market status the hardest?” Rock rolls his eyes at my question. “That’s probably the best place to start.”

“We’ll figure it out. It won’t happen again,” Z assures me, his expression dark and unreadable.

Understanding whaps me upside the head. “You’re not going to hurt her, are you?”

“No, Hope. I was thinking about asking her to join me for a spa day.”

“Watch it, asshole,” Rock says low enough for Z to sense the danger and back off.

“At the very least she’s fired. Girls know better than to film shit like that. Then to send it to an old lady—no.” Wrath says.

“Yeah, but what if another girl there sent it? Or a jealous boyfriend?”

Wrath places both hands on his hips and narrows his eyes at me. “Are you really defending some bitch who sent you a porno featuring your man, Hope?” he asks.

It is pretty ridiculous, so I laugh. “Honestly, can we just forget about the whole thing? If that’s the worst thing someone can throw at me, I’ll be fine.” My voice betrays my brave words, but the guys nod at me. “Where’s Trinity? We weren’t done with our party stuff.”

Wrath seems to notice Trinity’s absence for the first time. “Shit, I’ll get her,” he grumbles and stalks down the hallway.

Trinity’s coming out of the bathroom when I walk into our room. Rubbing a towel over her face, so she doesn’t see me at first.

“Trin, Hope’s back. She’s looking for you.”

“Is she okay?”

“She’s fine.” Better than I expected honestly. I assumed we were all in for those two taking another “break” after something like that. “Are you okay?” For some reason my girl seems more rattled than anyone.

“Yeah, I just feel bad for her, that’s all.” She hesitates like there’s more on her mind but she doesn’t want to upset me.

“You worried you’re going to get a video next?”

“Am I?”

“No.” Well, at least I don’t think so. It seems Rock wasn’t aware of his. “Babe, I love Rock like a brother, but he’s got blinders when it comes to women. Thinks they’re all sweet, innocent darlin

gs, when in reality most of those bitches would stab their own mother to make an extra buck.”

“Your point?”

My point is, any of the dancers I nailed at CB, I paid close attention to. And there weren’t that many anyway. I preferred club girls who understood the consequences of pulling that kind of stunt. I don’t think any of that is helpful at the moment.

When I don’t answer, Trinity cocks her head. “Is that how you feel about me?”

“No. Fuck no.”

“I’m—”

“One of the sweetest, most generous people I know.” She opens her mouth to protest, I’m sure. “Don’t. Whether you accept it or not, you’ve always been more than just a club girl. And now you’re a maid of honor who has a bride out there waiting for all your great ideas.”

That finally gets a smile out of her. “I think I left my binder out there.”

“Yeah. Better go get it before Hope starts flipping through it and messing up your stuff.”

Now I’ve got her. I hold out my hand and she takes it, staring up at me. “I love you, Wyatt. I want all that stuff to be in our past.”

“It is.”

I wish I felt as convinced as I sound.

“Rock, can I ask you something?” Hope whispers just as I’m on the edge of sleep.

“What, baby?” I mumble.

“I need you to answer honestly. No sparing my feelings or self-esteem boosts.”

Now, I’m fully awake. “What’s wrong, Hope?”

“Can you do that?”

“Yes,” I answer slowly. This feels like a trap and I wonder why she waited until I was half-asleep to ask.

“Am I enough for you?”

“What?”

“Am I enough for you? Do I satisfy you? Make you happy?” Her voice barely rises above a whisper, and I roll over to snap the light on. I need to see her face.

“What’s this about?” I might as well just say it. “The video?”

“No. Yes. I don’t know.”

“How can you ask me that?”

“I don’t know.”

“Hope, look at me.”

It takes her a second but she turns and meets my eyes. “Aren’t we past this?”

Her teeth sink into her bottom lip, rolling half into her mouth and she nods.