Soothing His Madness (11 page)

Chapter Twenty

Slade pinned Taylor
to the bed. Hands linked above her head, she bit her bottom lip to keep from
laughing. She'd tried to get up and wake the boys for school, thinking Slade
was still asleep after suffering through a stressful evening during the
drive-by shooting. She'd thought to sneak out of the room, but he'd caught her.

Not that she was
fighting him too hard.

"The boys will
be late." She hooked her leg around his thigh and careened her neck to
give him access to her throat.

He nibbled her
flesh, sucking his way up to her ear. "They have plenty of time. They're
boys, they don't primp."

She smiled at the
ceiling as pleasure twirled throughout her body. "That's good to
know."

"Yep."
His lips curved against her skin.

Somehow in the
middle of the night, he'd removed her panties and oversized Tee. She only knew
when she woke up, she was bare, he was hard, and she knew that if she would've
woke him, they'd set the mattress to squeaking.

God, she hated the
mattress.

First chance she
got, she'd buy them a new one. One quiet and firmer, but not too firm they
couldn't cuddle and get cozy.

Slade took his hand
down between their bodies and stroked her sex. Her legs widened and she arched
against his hand. Morning sex was underrated. She'd rarely had him during the
day or in the early mornings in the past. He was in and out, leaving her house
in the darkness, so nobody found out about them.

"Wet, baby
girl." He shifted his hips, putting his hardness at her opening.
"Warm."

He slid inside of
her. Her body melted around him.

Wrapped in a cocoon
comprised of arms and legs, she was hot. The temperature contradicted the
tangible bite of passion doing crazy things to her. Her nipples, hard and
throbbing, pressed against his chest, seeking his warmth. Her lower stomach
quivered, caught between becoming a fiery furnace and an earthquake, created a
mix of euphoria she was desperate to capture.

"That's it.
Let me feel you." He lowered his head, taking her nipple in his mouth.

The suction from
his mouth seared through her soul, grabbing her womb, and tickling it into
submission. She panted, reaching higher, greedily taking from him. Her hand
fisted in his hair, holding him in place, wanting him to continue and never
stop.

Her urgency had Slade
grinding against her, then pulling almost out, before plunging back in to set
the rhythm. She met him move for move, her sex pulsating with tension.

"Love
that," he muttered.

She flung her arms
out to the sides, searching for something to hold, and came away with a handful
of blanket. He shifted angles, holding her legs up at his shoulders and the
sensation…the sensation was freaking wonderful. Her body trilled in response,
taking her to the edge. One more stroke of his cock, and she found the pillow
beside her head and covered her face, muffling her scream.

Her body spasmed in
wonderment. Each tiny jolt better than the last. Until finally, she could breathe,
think, and see again.

Slade hovered over
her, staring at her intently as she came to her senses. She caressed his chest,
so in love with the man that gave her everything.

"I lost you
there for a minute." He frowned, still inside her body, still moving,
still trying desperately to give her more than she needed.

"No," she
said. "You took me to the most beautiful place."

With that, he
growled, plunging into her, holding still, while he found his own release and
the pleasure of going to paradise. The unabashed thrill left him shaky and
heaving to catch his breath. He filled her with more peace than she'd felt in
the last twenty-four hours.

They must've dozed
off, because a knock sent Slade rolling off her. She grabbed wildly for the
blankets and looked guiltily at Slade and then the clock. The boys only had
thirty minutes before school started.

Slade rushed to the
bathroom and came out wearing his jeans. "Door's opened."

Lee peeked around
the door, happy and smiling. Nothing got this kid down for long and he'd easily
fallen back into a schedule, because he was living at home where he belonged.

"Hey,
sweetheart. You ready for breakfast?" Taylor squirmed to the edge of the
mattress, covered neck to toe with a blanket.

"Can I have
Fruit Loops?" Lee blinked at her with lashes so long they were the envy of
every teenage girl. "Please?"

They were running
late. She nodded. "Okay, but I'll be in there to make you some peanut
butter toast. Have Kurt pour you both some orange juice too. Oh, and don't
forget to remind me to mark your sandwiches when I pack your lunch."

Lee's stuck out his
tongue and gagged. "I hate tuna."

"I'll remember
that this time." She laughed. "Scoot now, before we're late."

The door slammed.
Slade shook his head, grinning. She smiled. "I love your boys. They're
honest and adorable."

"Don't tell
Kurt that, he's trying to be tough and independent." Slade sighed and
slipped on his vest. "I'll go out and help them. Go ahead and get ready. We'll
both go to drop them off at school."

She nodded. Alone
in the room, she went about getting dressed in her old jeans, a deep purple
Harley Davidson shirt with the scooped neckline, and put her hair up in a messy
ponytail. She made quick work of putting liner and mascara on. After slipping
on her boots, she called it good.

In the kitchen, she
learned Slade was right about the boys taking no time at all to get ready. She
divided their lunches—tuna for Kurt, and peanut butter, no jelly for Lee—and
put the sacks in their backpacks. Then all four of them were out the door and
she swore tomorrow, she'd make them a proper breakfast.

Instant motherhood
was a tough job, but she loved the bustle and chaos. Kids had a way of keeping
life interesting.

In no time, Slade walked
the boys to the front door of Pitnam elementary slash junior high school,
ignoring both the boys complaining of being too old for a chaperone. Taylor sat
in the car, window half down, smiling at the way Slade ignored their words, and
kept trying to put his arm around their shoulders. His teasing relationship with
them softened the embarrassment of being ushered into their classrooms.

A man with a
baseball cap walked around the front of Slade's truck and stopped at her
window. She smiled, ready to say hello, and her body froze when she saw his
face.

She'd never mistake
the blond porn-stache, jumpy eyes, and general sleaziness of the man standing
in front of her. Slade's ex-wife's new husband was not supposed to make contact
with the kids.

"Don't yell
for Slade. I only want to talk with you and then I'll leave with no trouble."
Ray shoved his hands in his front pockets and glanced between her and the front
door of the school.

Taylor willed Slade
to turn around before he walked through the door. She worked her lip in worry,
and wanted Ray gone far away. "What do you want?"

"You and
Ramchett are sitting pretty with the kids now, and Jodie's getting
restless." He sniffed hard, making his mustache come away from his upper
lip. "I need more money to keep Jodie from contacting Slade and demanding
her kids back. She's talking about going to her lawyer and letting him know
Slade's got the boys."

"Slade already
worked out something with you to keep Kurt and Lee." She wasn't going to
admit to anything else. The guy wigged her out.

"Well, see
now, I thought since you and he were together, we could leave Slade out of our
little talk. He can continue taking care of the kids. I don't want them,"
Ray said.

Her jaw fell open
and she clapped her teeth together to keep her shock over Ray's admittance from
showing. "I'm not going to talk with you alone. If you want to deal with
Slade, call him."

Ray shook his head.
"Fine, but he'll lose the kids permanently. I'm sure our lawyer can go
after him for non-custodial kidnapping. He's kept them hidden for the last two
weeks. He's failed to make contact with Jodie. He also lied to his lawyer and
went against a court ordered decision. Not only will he lose the kids, he'll
spend time in jail."

Taylor searched for
Slade, but he'd walked into the school and hadn't returned yet. Dammit, what
was she supposed to do?

"I'll talk to
Slade," she said.

Ray leaned over and
braced his hands on the window. "No, I need money to keep Jodie quiet and away
from her kids. If that doesn't happen, I'll have no other choice than to let
her talk to her lawyer."

She glared.
"How much?"

"Twenty
grand."

"What?"
She snorted. "Slade gave you plenty of—"

"Twenty or
Jodie goes to the lawyer, and you kiss your slapped together family
goodbye," Ray said.

A dirty gambler who
lived off debt and Jodie, Ray would do anything to get his way, even if he
threatened and sought the police. According to Kurt, Ray rarely spent time with
the boys, only used them in his sick custody battle game. If Slade came outside
and spotted Ray talking with her, he'd kill Ray, and then he'd lose his kids
anyway. Everyone would find out Slade had his kids illegally. The school
officials would have no other choice than to call the cops.

"Fine, but I
need to get the money out of my bank account." Her stomach cramped.
"I need the day to do that."

"Three
o'clock," he said.

She shook her head.
"No way. Slade isn't…"

Shit.
She wasn't going to work, and there was no way Slade
was going to let her go run errands without him today. He still wasn't positive
Los Li wouldn't come back around.

"Tomorrow's
Friday. I'll get the money and meet you on Saturday. I'll call you when it's
safe to meet you." She gripped the armrest, digging her nails into the
leather. "Now go, before Slade comes out here."

"You have my
number?" Ray stepped away from the car.

"Yeah, it's on
the fridge at Slade's in the kids' emergency contacts," she muttered,
hating every bit of today.

Ray hurried away,
got in his car, made a quick U-turn, and then drove off the school property. Her
stomach soured and she laid her head back on the headrest of the seat. It
wasn't the loss of money out of her savings that made her feel ill, but the
fact that Ray was using the children to feed his addiction.

The buses at the
end of the parking lot pulled away, one by one. She gazed at the front door and
found Slade taking the steps two at a time toward her. Disgusted with herself,
she pressed a hand to her upset stomach. There was no way she could tell him
what she'd done. Not now with the trouble with Los Li and their safety in
question. Besides, Slade was finally getting a grip on having his kids back.

She'd pay off Ray
and hope he stayed away for good and left Slade alone. Later, she'd figure out
how to come clean with Slade, once she'd secured his future with his kids.

Chapter Twenty One

Cactus Cove,
despite closing to outsiders at eleven o'clock on a Friday night, remained full.
Bantorus members congregated in the bar, and the children of the members slept
in the room down the hall after struggling to stay awake to watch the movie
Tori put on to keep them away from the adults talking business. Taylor glanced
at her phone again, looking for the return text that Ray got her message about
meeting him in the morning at nine o'clock.

So far, her message
went without a reply.

Thankful that a
stroke of good luck came an hour ago when Slade informed her he had to go on a
ride tomorrow morning to meet with the Lagsturns Motorcycle Club. She'd have
just enough time to ask Janice to come over and stay with the kids while she
walked to the corner of the block to give Ray the money she promised him.

Luckily, Slade gave
her a ride to the bank earlier without any questions. Then he'd sat in the
lobby while she walked to the teller and asked to have privacy to talk with the
manager. Slade hadn't suspected a thing, because she told him she wanted to get
the loan papers on her house to look over before she talked to a property
manager. She did get the papers, but he hadn't found out about the money she'd
withdrawn.

Tori joined Taylor
and Ginger at the table. "Kurt finally fell asleep. He always has his head
in the clouds, doesn't he?"

"Yeah. He's a
smart kid, always thinking and planning." Taylor smiled. "He does
real well in school too, but he shrugs it all off as if it's nothing special.
He's so much like Slade. Lee's more carefree and always trying to make others
laugh but every once in a while, Lee will raise his brows and deadpan, and I
can see Slade as a little boy, always looking for trouble.

"They're good
kids." Tori reached over and squeezed Taylor's hand. "How are you
holding up?"

"Okay, I guess."
She shrugged. "The ride tomorrow makes me nervous with the uncertainty of
why Los Li targeted Bantorus."

"I know."
Tori leaned against the table. "Once it's over though, the guys will
straighten everything out and everyone will be able to relax."

"Maybe,"
she said.

Ginger joined the
conversation. "Is something else going on?"

Taylor shook her
head. "It's probably all the changes lately. I feel like Slade and I've
grown apart in a lot of ways rather than closer since I moved in with him. I
understand a lot has happened, I just miss that time when we crammed everything
into a couple hours, because we knew our time together was short."

Ginger laughed and
sat back against the chair again. "Honey, it's all about sex with bikers.
You feel like you're the only thing in their world when his cock is between
your legs, and feel lost when he's gone. I do the same thing, but I can't make
money spreading my legs. I've got to work."

"Technically,
you could make money…" Tori grinned.

Ginger rubbed her
hands together. "True, and if I wanted to be a bitch, I would. Bikers do
love when I blow—"

Taylor kicked her
lightly under the table. "I really don't need to hear about your sex life.
You bring up Slade's name, and I don’t care if it was in the past, I'll beat
your ass right here in front of everyone."

"Chick
fight." Tori slapped the table. "I want to hear Ginger's stories."

"Get out. You
know she's probably had Rain too…before you rode into town with your fancy
coffee shack." Taylor waved her hands in the air. "Don't you need to
go feed Lilly or something?"

Tori pointed across
the room. Rain held a sleeping Lilly up on his shoulder. Taylor sighed. Lilly's
daddy paid no attention to the other men; he was all about rocking back and
forth on his boots, his hand rubbing circles on his daughter's back.

"You are so
lucky," Taylor whispered. "Sometimes I look at Rain and can't believe
he's living the life right now, and other times I know he's doing exactly what
he's always wanted."

Tori stood and
smiled at the girls at the table, yet her gaze locked onto her husband and
daughter. "I do the same thing, and can't imagine being anywhere else."

Slade approached
the table, acknowledged the other women, and held out his hand for Taylor. She
clasped his hand and let him lead her toward the hallway.

He stopped before
they got to the room with the kids. "We need to talk."

She should've known
Slade would find out about her closing out her savings. She pressed her free
hand to her upper chest. Ray demanded every penny she'd saved. Pitnam was a
small-town. Bantorus MC had people in almost every business—even the ones Rain
didn't own. She bit down on her bottom lip and nodded. Bantorus members demanded
to know everything, and she wasn't surprised Slade found out what she had done.

"There's a
rumor going around that Los Li want to widen their territory," he said.

Shocked he wasn't
talking about her deal with Ray, she blinked up at him. "What?"

"Los Li struck
a deal with the Mexican Mafia to run California, while they regroup after
losing their leader. Club Eleven have merged both charters up north and brought
in Los Li to run them. They own Seattle. That puts Bantorus—"

"Right in the
middle of their territory." She rocked back a step and leaned against the
walls. "This is bad. Really bad."

"Yeah." He
stepped over and stood beside her, both of them holding up the wall. "That
explains the drive-by. It wasn't you or me they were gunning for. They want to lessen
the number of Bantorus members. They want to show us that we're weak, and can
come in and wipe us out. All of us have a target on our back."

His news only
confirmed her worries, and added even more. If everyone's safety were at risk,
the citizens of Pitnam would feel the danger invading their town. Bantorus MC
protected the citizens and wouldn't back down. They couldn't escape not
becoming involved with Los Li.

"Does this
have to do with Raul leaving the Lagsturns MC and becoming a Bantorus member?"
She looked up at Slade.

Slade's chest
expanded and he blew out a lungful of air. "We'll find out tomorrow when
we meet with the president of the Lagsturns. Raul's going with us, because we
have a war at our door. That doesn't mean tomorrow will go down easy. The
Lagsturns have an agreement in blood not to retaliate against Raul, but he's
not to face them again. We're going against the code, and seeing if we can get
Lagsturns onboard. We need more men, and we need more men wearing our colors."

"Holy
shit," she muttered. "And Crystal? Is she safe?"

Slade finally
turned to her. "She'll be staying with you tomorrow. We can't put her with
Tori, because of Rain's position."

She pushed off the
wall and faced Slade. "No. Absolutely not. I won't allow the boys to deal
with any more danger in their lives."

Slade hooked her
neck, dragged her to his chest, and breathed. His heart pounded against her
cheek, and her own rapid breath matched his. She'd protect those kids as if
they were her own, and even go against Slade's wishes if she had to.

"I already
called Janice earlier. She's going to keep the boys at her house. We'll take
them over there tonight when it's dark. No one will know they're there, except
us." Slade lowered his voice. "Thanks for looking out for my boys, baby
girl. It's not your job but right now, I need your help."

"Of
course." She hated that he thought she was doing a favor. "I love
them, you know. I've watched them grow up. It's not like they only recently
stepped into my life."

He nodded.
"I'll bring the truck around to the back. Go ahead and wake up the boys,
and wait for me inside. I'll come in and escort you out."

She took his kiss
and held him in front of her. She molded her hand on his roughened cheek.
"Be careful."

"Always."
He kissed her again, and walked away.

She gave her head a
little shake, trying to snap out the craziness threatening to make her go
insane. Before walking into the Cactus Cove all those years ago, she'd never
heard of motorcycle clubs, territories, crazy ex-wives—okay, she heard about
them, but not ex-wife's with a new husband who blackmailed children and wiped
out other people's savings accounts.

Despite the anxiety
over their future and Slade's run tomorrow, one thing was clear. She'd have no
problems getting the money to Ray, because the boys would be safe and away from
her. Now she only had to think of a way to get around Crystal. She walked down
the hall. The woman was smart, but she didn't have her family's happiness at
risk. She'd think of some way to get out of the house and get the money to Ray.