Toni loved his brothers and they all seemed taken with her as well. More often than not, she’d sent a mountain of food to the clubhouse when the diner closed and had quickly earned the nickname of Aunt Jemima, which was immediately shortened to Jem. Everyone seemed to call her by the name except Zach and Shell, who stuck with Toni.
It was easy, re-fitting into Townsend and slipping into Zach’s world. She’d been accepted as is. No questions asked. And that was a great feeling. Somehow, her relationship with Zach was both comfortable and exciting at the same time. The way they interacted, how she could completely be herself around him, and the way he accepted her was the comfortable part. The way he lit her body up with just one look was more exciting than anything she’d ever experienced.
The doorbell rang, and Toni jumped as though the tinny ding-dong had been attached to a live wire placed under her skin. She raced out of the kitchen and back through the small living room.
“Babe, wait,” Zach said from the chair. How was it he could sound like the person at the door was doing nothing more than selling magazines for their high school basketball team? Hell, he’d probably sound more pissed off it was a solicitor. “Come here before you answer it.”
Toni shifted her gaze from Zach to the door and back again. He crooked his finger and she sighed. “I have to get the door, Zach.”
“The suit can wait for a minute. Come close.”
She walked until she was directly between his spread legs, her knees butting up against the couch.
“Closer,” he said. “Bend down and give me those lips.”
She did as he requested, and he caught her by the nape of her neck, dragging her mouth to his for a kiss that was as sweet as it was gentle. Not exactly the norm for them, since they usually flared out of control the second their lips touched. But now, without anywhere for it to go, tenderness was the name of the game.
And it was better than a fistful of valium for calming her.
He pulled back after a second, kissed the tip of her nose, and held their foreheads together. “Everything will be fine, Toni.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. “I’ve been a wreck.”
“I know, baby. Now get the door so we can get this over with and I can take you to your room and eat your pussy. I’m feeling the need to leave my mark on this apartment.”
Jesus. And saying those words wasn’t even the dirtiest thing he could do with that mouth. He released her and she stumbled back a few steps. Could he tell how his promise affected her?
Probably.
Zach seemed to be able to read her like a book.
With her mind full of the filthy things her new boyfriend wanted to do to her, she opened the door and admitted her old boyfriend into her apartment. Before she even had a chance to greet him, he was wrapping his arms around her and holding her way too close for comfort.
“I’m so glad you came to your senses, Toni.”
The moment his arms closed around her, she went completely stiff. Like a two-by-four, instead of the soft, pliant woman she became whenever Zach’s hands were on her. The too-intimate hug needed to end before Zach, or worse yet, Louie, got angry and stepped in.
Toni shoved against his chest to no avail.
Damn it.
She couldn’t even be stronger than Chris? Time for some weight training.
Instead of picking up on her subtle as a pissed off bull cues, Chris lowered his head as though he was going to kiss her.
Zach decided that was the perfect moment to clear his throat.
Chris froze, but only for a second before gripping her shoulders and holding her an arm’s length away. “What the fuck is he doing here?” The word he sounded more like Chris was speaking of the devil than one lone biker.
“Chris—”
“Guess you want the world to see it, huh? See you whoring yourself out for some gangbanger’s fuckfest. Your choice, sweetheart.” As he spoke, he shook her, only once, but it was so hard her neck snapped back then her head wrenched forward before she had a chance to get control of it.
She needn’t have worried about what to do next since her role there had apparently ended.
Zach shot out of the chair and pinned Chris to the back of the closed door so fast, Toni lost her footing as she was released. After staggering a few steps, she regained her balance and stared slack jawed at the scene before her.
Gone was the Zach she’d fallen so hard for over the past few weeks. The man who could make her laugh, smile, swoon, and lose her mind all in the span of a few minutes. Instead, she was wholly in the presence of the Hell’s Handlers’ enforcer.