Page 34 of Gunner
He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and drew me into his chest before kissing me on the temple. “Did you sleep good?”
“I slept great. I’m sorry if I woke you up,” I replied and drank the last of my coffee.
“You didn’t. I got a text from Piper asking if we could stop by around eleven.”
“Did she say what was going on?” I asked, and he shook his head.
I shrugged before standing and walking into the kitchen. Kade followed me, and I felt his warm chest pressed against my back as I reached to grab him a coffee cup from the counter. He pushed me into the counter as his muscular arms caged me in. I tilted my head to look over my shoulder, and he kissed me deeply, pressing his tongue into my mouth, and I groaned into his embrace.
He broke the kiss as his lips slid to my neck, and he worked his way down the column. I could feel his smile against my skin as I shivered under his ministration, and with a kiss under my ear, he stepped back. I nearly fell against the counter, my body tingling from his kiss as he casually poured us a cup of coffee.
I looked at him, and he had a satisfied grin on his face as he handed me the cup. My eyes stayed locked with his as he drank from the cup, and I could feel his need with every passing second. Bear barked next to me, and I looked down to see him sitting at my feet. I peeled the paper wrap off a dog cupcake on the counter, and Kade chuckled as he watched me.
“He’s going to get spoiled with those.”
I looked up at him from my crouching position on the floor as I rubbed Bear’s big furry head. “Good. He deserves to be spoiled.” I stood and walked to the fridge. “Would you like some breakfast?”
“Since it’s just us, let’s be bad and enjoy those delicious red velvet cupcakes for breakfast,” he suggested, wiggling his eyebrows with a smile.
I bit my lip and nodded as he grabbed the plate and followed me into the living room. The fire had warmed the room, and we settled onto the couch with the plate of dessert on the coffee table in front of us.
We enjoyed the sweet desserts and coffee in front of the fire, and I could see us doing this for years to come. Before long, we got cleaned up, and I climbed onto the back of his bike to head to the MC compound. I offered to take my car, but he insisted the weather was nice enough to ride the bike. I knew there wasn’t many good weather days left to ride, so I indulged his cold request.
The air was biting through my wool coat, and I kept my head buried in his back, the smell of his leather jacket overtaking my senses. Kade kept one hand on my knee as he maneuvered the bike down the road leading to the compound. He turned the bike into the driveway, and one of the newer prospects nodded to us before pressing a button to open the gate.
Dalton had taken over some of the security aspects of the club and their businesses since he began working for Callahan about two years ago. He was becoming proficient in computers and, if my guess was correct, hacking. Rumors of Callahan have swirled since he took over Marco’s empire. The streets of the Flats were still rough, but the dangers to the average citizen seemed to be mitigated.
Dalton explained once that Callahan had greater motives for his actions than money and power. I didn’t know what he meant by that, and I wasn’t going to ask. Kade pulled the bike up to the front of the clubhouse and backed it into the long line of motorcycles. There were more bikes here than I was expecting for a Saturday morning.
He helped me off the bike and gripped both my hands into his before blowing his warm breath onto my cold fingers. I smiled at him, and he linked his hand with mine before turning and walking us into the clubhouse. When we walked in, everyone turned their gaze to us, and my steps faltered briefly. He squeezed my hand as we walked through the crowd of brothers and their old ladies.
Piper and Smokey were standing at the front of the bar facing the room, and we walked up to them. Kade smiled and glanced down at me before releasing my hand and stepping up to Smokey.
“You ready?” Smokey asked, and Kade nodded once.
He handed Kade a box before he and Piper stepped away with a reassuring smile. I could feel everyone’s gaze on me, and the scrutiny was becoming too much to handle. I fidgeted under their inspection, feeling unsure of what was happening and why I was the center of attention.
Kade reached into the box with his back to me, and when he turned around, my knees nearly buckled under me. In his tattooed hands was a small black leather jacket, and as he held it up so I could see it, tears filled my eyes. I met his gaze and could see the emotion brewing under the surface as he cleared his throat.
“Sadie. As a member of the Death Hounds, it’s a tradition for the club to be present when a member takes on an old lady. Today, in front of my brothers, I ask that you accept this cut that says you belong to me. Sadie, would you do me the honor of being my old lady and riding into the sunset with me?”
My bottom lip trembled as I nodded and removed my old wool coat. I stepped up to him and turned to offer him my back. He slid the cut onto my arms and reached around to hook the zipper. As he pulled it up, I looked out at the crowd of Death Hounds, who broke into a cheer as Gunner spun me around and kissed me breathless.
We were engulfed by the brothers and their old ladies with hugs and congratulations offered from them as they moved away. Kade had his arm slung over my shoulder, and I looked to see an eager Piper standing with Smokey. I looked up at Kade and whispered, “I’ll be right back.”
He leaned over and kissed me before releasing his hold on me reluctantly. Moving through the group of bikers, I felt safer and more accepted than any other time in my life. Everyone here had some kind of baggage they carried, and no one judged anyone for their past mistakes. The fact that they killed without remorse, if the rumors are to be believed, meant nothing when they came together as a family.
Piper extended her hand to me, and I linked fingers with her as she dragged me from the main room of the clubhouse into the kitchen. She shuffled us to a corner and looked over her shoulder before asking, “So?”
I shook my head and explained, “It didn’t seem like the right time last night.”
“And now?” she asked, tapping her painted nail onto my cut.
“Now?” I replied with a smile. “Now, I show him what his old lady is capable of given the right circumstances.”
She pulled me into a quick hug and whispered, “You’ll know it’s right. Trust him and trust yourself.” She went to leave and turned her head over her shoulder to reason, “And for goodness sakes, have fun.” She wiggled her eyebrows and walked through the doorway to the dining room.
A moment later, Kade walked in, his head swinging through the room until his gaze locked onto mine. With calculated steps, he walked to me with a swagger in his step I’d never witnessed from him. I bit my lip as he approached, and when he was within reach, he gripped onto the front of cut and pulled my body against his.
