Strength from Loyalty (Lost Kings MC 3)

“Poor Z’s going to have his hands full with the both of them,” she says with a snort.

“I’m sure he’ll manage.”

She’s quiet after that. I realize she’s drifted to sleep and click the radio on low. Kind of reminds me of the first time she spent the night at the clubhouse. I glance over at her and smile with satisfaction at the way my ring looks on her finger.

She doesn’t stir when I park the car or when I open her door. Shaking my head, I extract her from the seatbelt and gather her into my arms. Trinity and Wrath pull up just as I’m realizing I can’t juggle Hope and get the front door open.

Wrath snickers. “It’s sad that you gotta keep druggin’ your girl to get her up here.”

“Fuck you.” But I’m laughing as I say it. “Grab her stuff for me?” I ask, nodding at my car.

Trinity gets the door for me and they follow me inside. “Nice pink bag,” she teases Wrath, who grins.

“What the hell’s in it? It’s heavy.”

Trinity starts giggling. “Books and sex toys.”

Wrath looks at me and raises an eyebrow. “Her friends’ idea of an engagement present,” I explain.

Of course, he digs through it and starts laughing his ass off.

“Give me that,” Trinity says, snatching Hope’s things out of his hands. “I’ll go drop this in front of your door, prez.” Wrath watches her run up the stairs.

Hope stirs and blinks up at me. “Where are we?”

Home. “Clubhouse, doll. Can I set you down?”

She tosses her head side to side like she just realized she’s midair and giggles. “Yeah.”

“Have a nice nap?” Wrath asks.

“I guess.”

Wrath’s got that expression on his face that I know means trouble. “So a paddle—that for you or him?” he asks, nodding at me.

Her cheeks turn pink. “Neither! Mara’s idea of a joke.”

“Sure, whatever you say, Cinderella.”

“There’s a guy’s guide for going down on his girl. You can have that since Rock doesn’t need it.”

Yeah, Hope’s definitely drunk.

Wrath throws his head back, laughing. “Trust me, neither do I,” he manages. Trinity appears at the top of the stairs, and Wrath calls up to her, “Right, babe?”

She waits until she’s downstairs with us before answering. “What am I agreeing to?”

“All right, doll, time for bed,” I say, curling my arm around Hope’s waist.

She follows but calls out to Trinity. “I offered him the guide to going down.”

Trinity giggles. “No. He doesn’t need it.”

Jesus Christ.

“Leave it for Murphy. Brother needs all the help he can get,” Wrath calls out as I drag Hope up the stairs while she yells, “Ewwww!” all the way.

“No more liquor for you, lightweight,” I tease as I guide her inside my bedroom.

A sensual tingling down below pulls me from sleep. My arms stretch over my head as a shudder works over my body.

Rough hands skim under my tank top, palming my breasts, thumbs brushing over my nipples. My lips part, and I moan. Blinking my eyes open, I find Rock’s face inches from mine.

“Morning, baby doll,” he greets in his sexy rasp.

I can’t stop myself from reaching out to trace my fingers over his cheek, prickly with morning stubble. He turns and presses kisses to my fingertips. “Morning.”

His hands continue pushing up my tank top until my only choice is to sit up and fling it on the floor. “Ready to come for me?”

“How long have you been up?”

He glances down the length of our bodies, and my eyes are immediately drawn to his thick erection. “Long time,” he answers with a filthy grin.

“Oh yeah?”

He lowers himself over me. “Mm-hmm.” His lips find mine, soft at first, then insistent, until I open for him. All his pent-up need comes through in each kiss, lick, and stroke of his tongue against mine.

He nips his way down my neck, leaving a wet trail. Dipping his head lower, he takes one of my nipples into his mouth, and I gasp. Always thorough, Rock pays equal attention to both breasts. Soft, sucking pressure zings straight to my clit.

“Please,” I beg. I’m not even sure what I’m asking for.

“What do you need?”

“You.”

“Good. Been thinking about your little bag of presents all night.”

“Oh, geez.” I roll to the side, but he catches me around the middle, pinning me where he wants me. Rock is multitalented. He manages to hold me down while working my shorts off. Of course, I offer assistance and kick them off my legs.

“Much better,” he murmurs.

Wriggling my hands free, I run them all over his back and shoulders. “I love how you feel,” I whisper.

Against my face, Rock grins. “Feeling’s mutual.” He touches his forehead to mine. “I need inside you so bad. I’ve been half hard all night.”

“You’re never half anything,” I tease. “You should have woken me up,” I add.

He shifts, and it’s difficult to describe how excruciatingly perfect he feels against me. Skin on skin, the firm weight of his big body pressing into mine. A delicious shiver of anticipation flutters over my skin. His lips press against my cheek, trailing against my neck, and I sigh.

His body shifts again, but I’m too excited to bother to see what he’s doing. I assume he’s searching for a condom.

Instead, he reaches between us, caressing, then flicking his fingers over my clit, massaging, rubbing—driving me nuts.

“Rock, that’s not… I’m ready,” I beg.

He sort of chuckles against my hair, and I’m still not smart enough to figure out he’s up to something.

The sharp tingling between my legs intensifies. “What the—”

More chuckling. “Warming lube,” he answers.

“You, ahhhh, you better fuck me—now.”

He has the nerve to laugh harder and take his time reaching for a condom. Underneath him, I struggle and wriggle, trying to get some sort of relief. He pauses to stroke my hair, which would be sweet if I didn’t need him to stroke somewhere else instead. Preferably with his cock. My heels dig into the mattress, legs spreading wider, hips arching, anything to get what I need.

“Fuck, you’re pretty when you’re desperate,” he whispers as he sinks into me.

The insistent throbbing between my legs isn’t satisfied, though. “Rock,” I plead.

“Hold on.”

I arch, grinding up against him in time to his furious thrusts. The drag and friction of his cock sends shooting sparks of pleasure up my spine. I roll my hips, but after a while, his movements turn wild and unhinged. His forearms planted beside my head hold him up, keeping me caged in. His thumbs stroke over my cheeks. Then his mouth captures mine in a kiss that’s almost tender despite the intensity of his thrusting.

Heat shivers over my chest, down my legs. Finally, I’m ready to tip over that glorious edge I’ve been seeking. My back arches, my hard nipples pressing against him. A sharp moan tears from my throat. My body jerks in violent waves of pleasure. I’m panting, trying to catch my breath, when Rock’s arms scoop underneath me, twisting us until I’m on top.

“I love watching you come more than anything.”

My skin blazes at his words. “Yeah?”

He rubs his thumb over my cheek. “You’re always so shy, reserved, and in your own head. I like seeing you let go. Knowing I made you do it.”

I plant my hands on his chest and sit up a little. My hips circle and I grind myself down hard. “We’re not done, are we?”

“Fuck, no,” he groans as I slowly keep working myself up and down.

His bottom lip rolls inward and he bites down. Sexiest face ever. That storm-gray gaze clings to mine while I ride him. He lets me tease him and please myself. Lets me think I’m in control while I’m on top. After another orgasm burns through me, he shows me who’s act

ually in charge.

Strong fingers dig into my hips, holding me in place, while his hips snap up. I lean back, bracing my hands on his thighs. Beneath me, he tenses and lets out a deep, grunting shout of pleasure.

I’m done. I give him a second, then drape myself over him, kissing his neck and shoulder while he groans into my hair. His hands lift my hips, setting me next to him gently. Chest still heaving, he rolls to the side for a second, then returns, tucking me tight against him.

My hands drift down against the hard bricks of his abs, stopping to tickle his hip where the anchor tattoo with my name rests.

His breathing slows, and he presses a kiss to my cheek. “Wanna go back to sleep, baby?”

“No. This is nice.”

His hand roams up and down my back, stopping to squeeze my ass every now and then.

As far as I’m concerned, nothing outside this room matters.

Finally asking Hope to be my wife has lifted a weight off my shoulders. She still flashes me a dazed smile every time she glances at her ring.

I’m pretty thunderstruck myself, although I’m making an effort to keep it under wraps. My brothers, of course, see right through my bullshit act.

“Pick out your flower arrangements yet?” Wrath asks with a wiseass smile.

“Aw, now don’t be jealous, dickhead. I’m sure Hope will ask you to be a bridesmaid.”

On my other side, Z snickers like an ass.

Wrath brushes off my joke with a twisted grin.

After waking Hope in my special way, she ended up falling back asleep. Once I refuel, I plan to go back upstairs and wake her up with my face between her legs.

“I’ll be surprised if she asks Sophie to be a bridesmaid after last night,” Trinity comments, pulling me out of my filthy thoughts.

“What?”

Wrath glares at Trinity, but she ignores him. Z quirks an eyebrow.

Trinity lifts her chin at Z. “Your girl Lilly tell you what crawled up Sophie’s ass last night?”

“No.”

“Didn’t she sneak out of here at sunrise?” Wrath asks with a dickish grin.

“Yeah, but we weren’t talking about chick shit all night,” Z grumbles.

Trinity sighs next to me. Normally, I’d laugh, but I want to hear more about what kind of bullshit came out of Sophie’s mouth last night.

“Hope said Sophie acted weird,” I prompt.

“Yeah, she just made this really bad joke about how Hope planned her first wedding so fast they thought she was pregnant. Hope looked like she’d been punched in the gut.”

Godfuckingdammit. This doesn’t sound like the same woman who came into my strip club, begging me to do something to help Hope out of her depression last year. What the fuck is wrong with Sophie lately?

But Sophie isn’t my problem. Hope is.

“That it?” I ask Trinity.

She sort of shrugs, which isn’t comforting. “Yeah, I distracted them by asking about Lilly’s tits.” She glances at Z. “Your girl’s a good sport.”

Z breaks out laughing. “Yeah, but she ain’t my girl.”

By the expression on his face, Wrath is clearly finished with this conversation. “Downstate called. Sway wants you to come pay a visit.”

Now I understand why he’s so annoyed. “Fuck. What for?”

Z bristles. “Fuck that. I ain’t in the mood for that place.”

Wrath flicks his gaze at Z, then back my way. “He said ol’ ladies were invited. It’s not a bad idea for you to bring Hope. Have her meet Tawny…” He lets the idea hang in the air.

Tawny is a hardcore ol’ lady. Her man is president of our downstate charter. I get why Wrath thinks it’s a good idea for Hope to hang out with Tawny for a weekend, but I won’t lie and say there’s no chance Tawny won’t send Hope screaming for the hills.

“What’s this, your last-ditch effort to scare Hope away?” I ask without a trace of humor.

He cracks up. “Yeah, man. If Tawny don’t scare your girl away, nothing will.”

“Don’t subject Hope to that bitch on wheels,” Z pleads with a headshake.

“What exactly did he want?” I ask Wrath.

“Something about national.”

Inwardly, I groan. For bikers who claim to love living on the deviant fringe of society, the Lost Kings have turned into a complicated maze of political bullshit. I prefer to stay out of the political aspects and focus on my own charter.

Unfortunately, there are some responsibilities that can’t be avoided. I can’t deny that when I’ve needed Sway’s help in the past, he or one of his guys has always been there. As much as it annoys me, it looks like I’ll be planning a trip downstate.

Wrath can’t go because he’s still got his cast. Turning to Z, I lift an eyebrow.

“I’d rather not,” he answers my unspoken question.

“Take Murphy and Axel,” Wrath suggests.

“Really, Axel? He’s a fuckin’ kid. Barely been wearing that prospect rocker a month. Bad enough we broke the rule about allowing him up here before his year was up.” I don’t even bother mentioning the bad blood already brewing between Murphy and Axel over Heidi.

“It’ll do Murph some good. Keep his cocky Irish ass in check. Plus, might as well see if Axel can hang now rather than later.”

“That’s fine. Hope likes both of them, and I know they’ll look out for her.”

Wrath seems insulted, which is amusing considering how much he enjoys tormenting my girl.

“Prez, I’ll go if you’re worried about Hope,” Z offers.

“Nah, it’ll be fine.”

“Man, she thinks this place is the gateway to hell. Wait ‘til she sees Sway’s setup,” Wrath says with a little too much glee in his voice.

“Dick,” I mutter ‘cause I know he’s right.

When Rock first asked me if I wanted to take a trip, I was excited. But I had something a little different in mind than what he presents me with.

A trip to visit the downstate charter of the Lost Kings. At first, it’s news to me that there’s another group of Lost Kings somewhere in the state. But then I remember him telling me he’d called some of them in to help out during their dispute with the Vipers. I just didn’t understand what it meant at the time.

Who am I kidding? I still have no idea.

Nor do I understand why Wrath seems so amused and Z so concerned about this trip.

We’re sitting around having breakfast when a bit of a discussion breaks out.

“Prez, I changed my mind. Think I’m gonna ride along,” Z announces.

Rock gives him a sideways glance. Murphy quirks an eyebrow, and Wrath’s mouth twists into a grin.

Trinity’s watching all of this but hasn’t commented yet. “I can go too,” she offers quietly.

This earns her a glare from Wrath.

Rock hasn’t said anything, but there’s an awful lot of tension at the table all of a sudden.

“This is a friendly visit to our brother charter. Z, you want to come, I don’t give a fuck. Trinity, I need you here. Murphy, you’re with me. Teller’s busy with Heidi, so I’m not even bothering him with this. Axel and Hoot will take the van. Dex, Bricks, Ravage, Stash, and Birch, I need here. And I don’t think it needs to be said that Sparky’s not leaving the basement.” He gives Wrath a pointed look.

Rock’s word is final. No one so much as utters a single syllable. He grunts and pushes away from the table.

“Hope.” He jerks his head at me.

Between his gruff tone and the way he kind of ordered me to follow him like a dog, I’m miffed. My chair almost falls over I shove up out of it so fast.

“What’s wrong?” I snap when I catch up to him in the hallway.

Rock’s mouth curves into a soft smile, and for the first time, I notice the lines etched around his eyes. Something about this trip is stressing him out. He holds out his arm, beckoning me closer, and tucks me tight to his side. “Nothing, babe. Just a lot of things to get done before Friday.?

??

Tipping up my head so I can kiss his chin, I ask, “Anything I can do to help?”

“Nah. Just rest up. I gotta take care of some things. You okay?”

“Yeah.”

A couple days later, Trinity sits on the chaise in our bedroom, watching as I rifle through my closet.

“Have you been there?” I ask her.

She snorts as if it’s a silly question. “Long time ago.”

“I suppose it will be a bunch of half-naked chicks running around?” I call out.

“Pretty much.”

“How many of them are going to tell me they fucked my fiancé?”

At that, she chokes with laughter. “None of them if they want to keep breathing. Sway’s ol’ lady runs a tight ship. None of those bitches should backtalk you.”

It dawns on insensitive me that this might be a weird conversation for Trinity to be part of because she’s not an ol’ lady—yet. Technically, she’s one of those girls I’m complaining about. Except I don’t see her that way. I don’t know what her arrangement with Wrath or any of the other guys is. And really, it’s not my business what consenting adults do with their bodies.

What I do know is Trinity has been kind to me since day one, and I like to think we’re friends. So I don’t want to inadvertently hurt her feelings.

Stepping out of the closet, I take in her guarded expression.

“I wish you guys were coming with us,” I say softly. Then thinking it over, I correct myself. “Well, I wish you were coming with us.”

She chuckles and flicks at an invisible piece of lint on her jeans. “Hopefully, Wyatt’s cast comes off next week.”

“That’s good. Maybe he’ll be less cranky.” My attempt at a joke falls flat. “What’s wrong, Trinity?” I ask, tossing some clothes on the bed and heading toward the chaise.

She finally glances up as I sit next to her. “Nothing. I don’t know. I’m not sure what happens… next.”

I assume she’s talking about what happens when Wrath’s cast comes off and he no longer has a reason to stay downstairs in her room, but I wait for her to explain.

Trinity is a tough nut to crack, though.

“He wants… Never mind. It’s stupid.”

The suspense is killing me. I want to grab her and shake really hard. But I’m afraid if I push her, she’ll clam up for good.