BAD BOY ROMANCE: DIESEL: Contemporary Bad Boy Biker MC Romance (Box Set) (New Adult Sports Romance Short Stories Boxset) (80 page)

Chapter 5

           “I still don’t think this is necessary.” Adrien gave Morgan a sidelong look as she repeated herself for the fifth time that morning. Or maybe it was six. He had lost count.

           “I know you don’t. But I know it is.” He sighed, flipping the pancake slowly turning a golden brown in the skillet in front of him. “I just want you to be safe. I can’t– I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you.”

           Her arms were around him, holding him from behind and he had to close his eyes at how good it felt. He knew he convinced Morgan to move in with him for her own protection, but he couldn’t deny how much he loved having her there.

           And it wasn’t just the nights that she spent in his bed, although he definitely treasured that as well, but it was the feeling of waking up and having her arms wrapped around him. Looking over and knowing she would be there. Even as simple as watching a movie together on the couch. It all just felt so…right to him. More right than anything in his fucked up life ever had. And it boiled his blood that someone would try and threaten her.

           Adrien had given the incident at Morgan’s apartment a lot more thought over the past several days since she moved in with him. More and more he was convinced that Harris was behind it, but he’d had word from his friend Grant that Harris had been seen at the lodge all night. But Adrien wouldn’t put it past him to send one of his henchmen in his place.

           Finally, the pancakes were done and he plated them up, adding a generous dollop of pure maple syrup and slid one of the plates in front of Morgan where she sat at his small kitchen table. She snorted a laugh as she looked down at the plate before grinning up at him.

           “Mickey Mouse pancake?” Morgan asked through her smile and Adrien felt warmth sweep through him at her expression.

           “They happen to be my specialty.” He said, digging into his own. She just shook her head before taking a bite. She groaned around the fork in her mouth and he was instantly hard as the sensual sound swept over him.

           “Okay. You were right. These are delicious.”

           “You have no idea,” He said softly.

           “Huh? What was that?” She asked, her brows quizzical as she glance across the table at him.

           “What?” He said, shaking his head as he tried to regain control over his wayward body, “nothing, it was nothing.” Adrien cursed himself for sounding like a complete fool and cast about for something to say, anything to distract him from grabbing her and leaning her across the table and taking her then and there.

           “I am a pretty good cook, you know.” He finally landed on.  Morgan glanced at him with an amused expression drawing over her features.

           “I know. I remember that first dinner you made for me at the cabin. Remember, you caught those fish?”

           “Oh, uh, yeah. The fish, right,” He cleared his throat, looking away and hoping she would find a different topic to talk about.

           “You didn’t really catch those fish did you?” Her next question came and he almost groaned, his face turning red.

           “That’s not true. I most definitely did catch those fish, just maybe not with the same method that I taught you.” He said, trying to make his voice sound serious as embarrassment and humor warred within him.         

           “Oh, you mean with the berries as bait?” She laughed and as he looked up he couldn’t help but laugh right along with her. God, he loved this woman. More than he could ever put into words. A second later she had hopped up from her seat and was around the table, snuggling herself into his lap before he even realized her intention.

           Morgan wrapped her arms around his neck and he forgot all about breakfast, or anything else for that matter. His lips fell onto hers with a hunger that was always simmering just below the surface. He angled his head for deeper access, swallowing the moan she let out on a breathy whisper. With a grin she looked up at him.

    “Hey, I have a better idea for our morning instead of breakfast.” Adrien grinned back at her, instantly hard and so full of love he could barely speak. So he didn't, he just lifted her in his arms and carried her back to his bed.

Much later, Morgan emerged from the shower to find a note scrawled in Adrien’s handwriting letting her know he had run down to the bar to meet with the distributor. She shook her head at the little hearts he had drawn at the bottom, chuckling to herself as she folded it carefully. He was such a mystery, even still. Everyday she was learning something more about him, and everything she learned had her falling more and more in love with him.

It should have terrified her. She should have been running,

screaming for the hills. But instead she was grinning to herself as she walked around Adrien’s apartment, thinking about how happy she was to be living with him.

Morgan shook her head at her own foolish behavior. She had already trusted him once and gotten burned, even though she understood now why he couldn’t tell her the truth. It was hard to just come out and tell someone you were half bear. She got it. She really did. She remembered that morning, when he had held her in his arms and told her he loved her. Morgan had looked up into his eyes and she had seen the sincerity shining in their golden depths.

She read the note again, tracing Adrien’s handwriting with

finger before she finally made herself put it down.  Morgan laughed out loud. She was grinning like an idiot again, but she couldn’t help it. She had never been this happy before in her life, and even though she knew they still had issues that they needed to work out, she also knew it was because of Adrien.

                 “Get a hold of yourself, Morgan,” she chastised herself as she walked into the living room. She flipped on the small tv, aimlessly flipping through the channels, but she felt restless and all she could think about was when Adrien would be back from the bar.

                  She knew he would want to personally oversee the delivery of their supplier’s products himself, and knowing how much he cared about the place, breathing down their necks the whole time just to make sure that it was all done perfectly.

                  With an irritated sigh, Morgan flicked of the television set and wandered around the small space. She knew she was there just because Adrien didn’t think her place was safe, but she thought that might have just become an excuse to keep her there longer. Every time that she asked about getting her locks replaced he had some other reason to put it off. Not that she was complaining. Her body heated just thinking about him and she had to take a deep breath to calm her suddenly racing pulse.

                 Morgan was walking past his desk when something caught her eye. She stopped, looking down at the small book filled with scribbled handwriting that looked so much like Adrien’s own. A diary? It didn’t seem likely. He just didn’t seem like the type to want to write down his feelings. He was more the type to just act on them and think about it later.

                  Without a second thought she picked up the small leather bound book, fascinated at the possible insight into the man she loved but as she flipped through the pages Morgan quickly realizes that it wasn’t Adrien that had written these words, but his father. The pages were yellowed with age and use and some of the ink was smudges so badly she could barely make it out.

    There was a torn scrap of paper that seemed as if Adrien had been using it as a bookmark to mark his place in the journal. Careful not to lose his spot, she flipped to the back of the book. It had always been her habit as a child to read the last page first, and she hadn’t quite grown out of it.

    Finally, she found it, the last page with writing on it and she frowned slightly as she struggled to make out the words. It seemed to have been written more hurried than the rest of the pages, as if there was an added urgency to these sentences than the last.

                  Bit by bit she made them out and she froze, then reread the entire page as her frown drew even deeper. She couldn’t believe it! This whole time Adrien had this book and hadn’t bothered to look at this page. She knew if he had he would have acted on it. Morgan read them one more time, just to be sure before she went and found Adrien. This was far too important to wait. The words started mid sentence at the top of the page.

                 
...I can’t believe I fell for it. I was such a fool, and now I’m afraid I’ll have to pay the price. I never should have trusted him. Adrien, my son, if you ever read these words I hope you will act on the knowledge wiser than I did. I’m so sorry, my son. I’m afraid it’s already too late for me.

                  Listen, please, there is a bear in the tribe, eager, ambitious. His name is Harris
Demarion.
 If anything happens to me, he’s the one behind it. He wants to be leader of the tribe but has no idea what it means. He’s mad and power hungry and I have to do whatever I can to protect our people. I love you, Adrien, and I’m sorry. So, so sorry…

                  The words trailed off and smudged too much at the end for her to make out anything else, but what she had was enough. More than enough. The knowledge that the crazy old man who had tried to ruin her life and tear her away from her mate was the same one who had plotted to have Adrien’s father killed burned through her. She had to tell Adrien. He had to know!

                 Morgan turned to head down the stairs to the bar to show him the journal when the front door suddenly opened. She opened her mouth to speak, to tell Adrien what she had discovered but the words froze in her throat before she could get them out.

                 A large, grim looking man stepped into the apartment. He was definitely not Adrien. With a shriek she turned to try and flee but she only got a step before a blinding pain exploded against the back of her head, and her world went black.

Chapter 6

           Adrien swept up the stairs two at a time. He had wrapped things up at the bar as quickly as he could because all he had been able to think about the entire time was getting back to Morgan. He couldn’t stand to be apart from her, and there was an itch at the back of his neck telling him that she needed him.

           He made it to front door of his apartment and stalled when he saw that the front door was swinging open. Adrien cursed out loud as he barged through the open door, panic flooding his system as he looked around and saw no sign of Morgan. Fear threatened to choke him as he saw the spots of blood that were already drying on his hard wood floor and he cried out at the sight. No. This couldn’t be happening. She had to be alright. He refused to allow anything else.

               With a roar of anger, he spun on his heels, slamming his fist into the nearest wall. The impact rattled through him but gave him a moment of clarity as the pain in his hand interrupted the pain stabbing through his heart at the thought of Morgan hurt, or maybe worse.
No, I can’t think like that
, he reminded himself trying to shake off the horrible thought.

               With a grimace, he shook his hand, not even feeling the numbing pain anymore as his emotions threatened to overwhelm him again. Suddenly, the animal inside him roared out his own rage, shocking Adrien at the ferocity of the feeling crashing through him. It was as if his bear half was trying to break free, the only thought in its head was to find whoever had done this and get Morgan back.

              And then just as quickly he and the bear were on exactly the same page. Hope flooded through him because he realized something important, something vital. He could still feel the bond. Where Morgan was, he could still feel her, twined around his soul. And he would do whatever he could to get her back safe and sound in his arms.

              That very same hope warred with hopelessness as he he looked around the small apartment for any more clues. Anything else that would lead him back to her, to who hurt her. Because he had now doubt that someone had broken in with the intention of kidnapping and hurting Morgan. What he didn’t understand is why.

              He tracked the trails of blood but they stopped at the door as if someone had picked her up and carried her the rest of the way. So that eliminated most women. A thoughts struck him and he froze. Unless it was a bear. A female from his clan would be more than capable of lifting Morgan, or of hurting her.

              His thoughts caught on that and a face flashed in his mind. Sera. She had threatened Morgan, she had a motive to do this because she insanely believed that if Morgan was out of the way than he would mate with her. He shook his head. It still didn’t seem quite right. Sera was a lot of things, but at the end of the day she wouldn’t get her hands dirty. At heart, she was truly a coward.

              Adrien tried to calm himself, taking deep breaths of the air to try and clear his head so he could think, so he could anything but picture her in pain, being beaten or worse.

              “Fuck!” He growled, letting his head drop despairingly into his hands. He stood there like that for a long moment, just letting it eat at him before he firmed his resolve.

              “Please,” He called out softly to the animal still raging inside him, “Help me, please.” Adrien stilled then, and for the first time in his life every part of him seemed to merge together into one being, neither man nor beast. His senses were suddenly heightened, the world illuminated by scent and sound and as he walked with the legs of a man he could feel the bear’s strength seeping through him. It was one of the most magical things he had ever felt, so at one within himself. But it was marred by the stabbing pain of knowing that Morgan was in trouble.

              Without wasting anymore time, Adrien sniffed at the air, moving around the space until he found the spot where it was most intense. Foremost was the scent of Morgan, her fear acrid and bitter in his nose. He shook it off, focusing deeper. And there it was!

              The smell he had been looking for. His eyes drifted close and a growl hissed past his lips as he inhaled, breathing all of its evil into his lungs, tasting the darkness like oil coating his mouth. He coughed, choking on it, but when he opened his eyes a second later he knew exactly who had taken her. He remembered that scent. A hard smell, with a bitter sharp edge of insanity and depravity. And it belonged to Harris’ right hand man, Theo. That meant that Harris was involved, even thought it still didn’t make sense to him. But he didn’t care. He just needed his mate back. And he would do anything he had to make that happen.

              Frantic with panic and fear, but also riding the hard edge of determination, Adrien stormed back outside. As he ran towards his jeep he was already dialing the number on his cell phone.

              “Come on, Come on Grant. Pick up the god damn phone!” He growled the words as he threw the key in the ignition, turned over the engine until it roared to life, and then peeled out of the driveway at breakneck speeds.

              The other end continued to ring as Fisher didn’t answer the phone and he left a growled message that he hoped was discernable. He told Grant everything that had happened with Morgan being taken and possibly injured, he told him that he knew who it was behind the attack. Theo, and right behind him was that mad man Harris.

              He took off drove down the familiar roads, not even thinking about where he was going as his instincts road him, pushing him onward, pushing him to save his mate.  The one thing he did focus on was the bond. That magical, mysterious thing that connected them, that bound their life forces together.

              Adrien focused as hard as he could, drawing every ounce of strength and warmth and comfort and love, pushing it through the bond and hoping that she could feel it. Because even if she could only feel a tiny part of his love for her, then it would be enough to give her strength. It would be enough. It had to be.

              He wouldn’t allow any other option. She just had to be alright. The image crept like black, choking smoke into her mind of her injured, of her dead and he pushed it away as forcefully as he could. He couldn’t’ let himself think like that or he would just breakdown then and there on the side of the road. And he knew that she needed him to be strong. She needed him to save her. And that was exactly what he was going to do.

              The winding path soon left the buildings and houses of the town and he pressed his foot to the gas pedal, speeding around forested turns and sharp curves, heedless of his own safety. He only had one thought, one goal. He had to find his mate, and he had to protect her. That had become his only mission in life. Because he realized then, without her, his life was meaningless. She was all of the joy and laughter and love in his world and if she was gone…

              He shook off the thought, trying only to focus on the miles of road the jeep was steadily eating up. But it wasn’t fast enough. He knew he had to get there soon. He knew, somehow, that he didn’t have much time.