Josh Pierce.
How in the hell had we missed that the newest prospect of the Horsemen was related to sweet Sadie? Actually, that was precisely why—Sadie was sweet. She was the quintessential girl next door. Couple that with her owning a trendy bakery and no one would guess her brother, younger by the looks of it, would be a scumbag.
“Who are you?” Josh feigned ignorance.
“You know who I am, asshole. Now answer Sadie, why are you here?”
Sadie’s already-taut frame jerked right before her back snapped straighter and she turned to granite in my arms. Which pissed me off more than I had been when I overhead her begging for more time to pay her rent. And I was pissed. Not because no one on my team had put two and two together linking Josh to Sadie. Not because I was irritated that she’d refused the hundred dollars I’d left in the tip jar. And I wasn’t pissed because her brother was a monumental prick.
No, I was pissed because I’d thought a lot about what it would be like to have Sadie in my arms. And not once had I pictured the first time I felt her pressed up against me, she’d be stiff as a board and facing off with a criminal. And it sucked, because now that I had her close, I could smell the cinnamon and sugar that clung to her clothes which made me want to drop my lips to her neck and see if she tasted as good as she smelled.
I didn’t need the confirmation that the idiot standing in front of me was nothing like the woman in my arms; so when Josh pushed his shoulders back and puffed out his chest, he not only proved he was an asswipe but what he said next proved irrevocably he was also a total fucking moron.
“If you know who I am then you know you better show me some respect before you buy yourself a world of hurt.” Josh finished his tough-guy threat with a jerk of his chin that made him look more foolish than threatening.
“Oh my God,” Sadie whispered, then said louder, “did you really just say that?”
“Asshole knows better than to disrespect a Horsemen.”
I tried, I really did, but I couldn’t hold back my laughter. I laughed so hard I shook with it, which meant Sadie went along for the ride. The unfortunate consequence was that Sadie’s very nice ass rubbed against my crotch. Again, something I’d given a lot of thought to, the way she’d feel moving against me. But not like this. Not when I couldn’t fully appreciate her beauty and not when I couldn’t express just how remarkable she felt.
“You laughing at me, bitch?”
Josh took a step toward us, and without thought, I pushed Sadie behind me. Her squeal of surprise told me I hadn’t done so gently and that pissed me right the fuck off. Both the need to protect her from her asshole brother, who should’ve been the one showing concern for his sister, and the fact I’d scared her.
“This is your one warning, motherfucker. Whatever it is you think you’re gonna do, don’t. But if you’re dumb enough to step to me, you damn well won’t be doing it in front of your sister’s bakery.”
I felt Sadie’s hand plant on the middle of my back and her other went to my shoulder and again disappointment washed over me. Not because I didn’t want her hands on me; I damn well did, I just didn’t want them on me in the middle of a drama with her brother.
“You calling me dumb, asshole?”
Josh took another step closer. Evidence was suggesting that not only was Josh dumb, he was also stupid as fuck.
“Sadie, go back down to Smutties. Tell Letty to lock the doors, I’ll come—”
“No.”
“Babe—”
“No way, Reese. I’m not leaving you.”
Leaving me.
Not her brother.
Me.
Damn, that felt good. So good, it pissed me right the fuck off.
“Step up, asshole,” Josh unwisely taunted.
“Oh, please,” Sadie snickered from behind me. “Since when do you talk like that? Step up? Who do you think you are, Mr. Billy Badass? Jesus, Josh, Reese has three inches and fifty pounds of muscle on you, he’d kick your ass. Which, honestly, you’re such a pain in mine, it might be fun to watch. But I know you. You wouldn’t take your licks like a man; you’d call Mom and Dad and bamboozle them into paying your medical bills.”
“Fuck you, Sadie.”
“You’re done,” I announced. “Turn your ass around and leave.”
“I’m far from done. I came here to talk to my sister and I’m not leaving until I talk to her.”
“I think Sadie opening with ‘why are you here’ was a pretty good indication that not only was she not expecting a visit but wasn’t happy you showed. If you want to talk to your sister, I suggest you call her, and if she doesn’t pick up you can take that as a read, she doesn’t want to talk to you.”
“You good, brother?” I heard Davis Wright ask from behind me.
Perfect timing.
“Take Sadie to Smutties,” I told Davis.
“No!” Sadie’s denial was punctuated by her nails digging into my shoulder. “Josh, please leave. I don’t need this in front of my bakery. Actually, I don’t need this at all. I know why you’re here and the answer is still no. And not just because you already owe me over three-thousand dollars. I told you I didn’t have any more to give you and I wasn’t lying. I don’t have it. So please stop calling me and asking.”
“I told you I’m working on something. I’ll pay you back.”
Three-thousand dollars? Sadie was having money troubles, behind on her rent, and this motherfucker owed her three-thousand-fucking-dollars.
“You got until the end of the week to pay your sister back,” I growled.
“Sister?” Davis grunted. “Fuck me. This asshole’s sweet Sadie’s brother?”
I felt Sadie step closer. Her forehead hit my back and I knew she was hiding from the embarrassment. Though she didn’t have one thing to be embarrassed about. Josh’s life choices said not one bad thing about her.
“Do you know who you’re fuckin’ talking to?”
Christ, not this again.
“Yeah, asshole, I know I’m talking to a fucking prospect,” Davis started. “Says so right there on your pussy vest. The question is, do you know who you’re talking to? Don’t know how Zeus runs his club. Don’t care to know. Don’t know how much he allows his prospects in on. But you’d have to be the stupidest fucker on the planet not to have heard who we are. You’d also have to be seriously dim not to see where your sister is right now. And just in case you’re not smart enough to put it together I’ll spell it out for you—she’s standing behind Reese, meaning he’s shielding her from you. In other words, your sister’s now got protection. You should run back to that dump you call a clubhouse and spread that shit far and wide. And while you’re doing that, let it sink in so you don’t forget.”
“Fuck—”
“I see you’re not playing this smart,” I cut him off before he dug himself a deeper hole. “Now this has gone on long enough. We’re in front of Sadie’s business. I’ve asked you to leave. You don’t do that now, I’m calling the cops. It’ll suck, you standing out here causing a scene when your sister’s got cakes to sell, but I can’t stop you unless I physically remove you. Which isn’t an option while I got your sister curled into my back.”
Josh’s ugly scowl turned into an even uglier smile when he spat, “Pussy.”
I looked to my right. Seeing Davis now right beside me, I smiled at my friend.
“Right.” I chuckled.
Josh’s eyes darted between Davis and me, and just when I thought he was going to do the smart thing and walk away, he did the opposite.
“This isn’t done, Sadie,” he threatened.
Three things happened simultaneously. Sadie jolted at her brother’s threat. Davis moved and in a gentle but forceful movement pulled Sadie away from me and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
And I rushed Josh.
My hand went to his throat and I walked him back five steps before I dipped my head and my forehead hit his.
“I warned you, motherfucker. You didn’t listen. Now you’re gonna learn the hard way how badly you just fucked up.”
I shoved Josh back, watched him stumble, and advanced again.
“You don’t—”
“No, you don’t know. I see you again, we got trouble, the kind that’s gonna land you a stint in a hospital bed. I see you near Sadie, I hear about you harassing her, that hospital stay’s gonna turn into you having a permanent limp. You think to threaten her again, bring any of those fucked-up, pieces-of-shit Horsemen around, you won’t have to worry about the limp because I’ll fuckin’ end you.”
“That’s my sister,” he lamely protested.
“You’re right she is, which begs the question why you’re jacking her around. You got a week to come up with the three thousand you owe. No joke, Josh. Seven days. She doesn’t have cash in hand, me and my team will be at the clubhouse to collect.”
“I can’t—”
“You fuckin’ will. Period. You find a way or serious as fuck, I’ll be at the clubhouse.”
“You do that.” Josh smiled.
“I see you think Zeus will have your back. Good luck with that.”
I heard a sharp whistle. I stepped away from Josh and glanced over my shoulder. Sadie looked angry as hell shoving away from Davis. My friend was doing his best to keep her contained while not putting his hands on her.
I didn’t bother sparing Josh another look. I turned my back on him knowing he wouldn’t make a move on me. The guy was dumb enough to talk shit but wasn’t stupid enough to take it further.
I made it to Davis and Sadie, nabbed her hand, and started to walk her to the front door of her bakery.
“I’ll be over to fill you in when I’m done talking to Sadie.”
Davis gave me a chin lift, a smile, and he was on his way back to Smutties.
We entered Treats. Sadie followed me, but when we got to the counter, I stepped to the side to allow her to go first. She walked us behind the counter, pushed open a swinging door, then led me through the kitchen to her office.
The back space was bigger than I’d thought it would be. It was also spotless. Stainless steel racks full of baked goods lined the wall opposite the big industrial ovens. It smelled just like she did, cinnamon and sugar with hints of lemon and freshly baked bread. I was still inhaling the goodness when she pulled me into her office and slammed the door.
And when she turned to face me, those gorgeous eyes of hers were sparking fire. Her shoulders were back, her spine was ramrod straight, and her hands were balled into tiny fists.
“What the hell was that?” she spat.
“Sadie—”
She took a step closer, lifted her hand, jabbed a finger at my chest, and continued to hiss, “That was bullshit.”
“Listen to me.”
“No! You listen to me.”
Sadie rocked forward, her hand flattened on my chest, but she gave up her futile attempt at shoving me when my hand came up and circled her wrist. Sadie’s head tipped back to look up at me at the same time I was dipping my chin to look down at her. She glared at me up close, then her eyes started roaming over my face, pausing on my lips. Her gaze came back to mine and I had an altogether different Sadie standing in front of me. The fire was still sparking in her baby blues but now they were blazing with something that looked a lot like lust. Straight up, rip-your-clothes-off lust. The kind that superseded rational thought. The kind that overruled good judgment.
I knew I was right when she attacked.
Her mouth hit mine, her tongue spiked out, demanding entrance and I was all too happy to oblige. I opened for her, felt her lips part, and her tongue glided against mine. Upon my first taste, I knew I was fucked. I wanted more so I took it. My head tilted, she followed my lead, and I deepened the kiss. Sadie’s hand on my chest moved up and I released her wrist. The moment I did, it traveled up and didn’t stop until she was digging her fingertips into the back of my neck. Her other hand went under my shirt. At the feel of her nails scraping their way up my spine, I turned us, pushed her back against the door, and she moaned into my mouth.
It was the moan that snapped my control. No, it was the sexy-as-fuck sound coupled with her nails and the taste of her that made me lose control. My hand went to the front of her jeans. I had the button undone, the zipper down, the tips of my fingers sliding into her panties when I lost Sadie’s hands—but only so she could shove her jeans down over her ass. Then they moved again going to the front of my cargos. While she worked at freeing my cock, my hand slipped down, and it was my turn to groan when I found her wet. So fucking wet she was dripping. From a kiss. I groaned again when Sadie fisted my hard-on, and with a firm grip, she slid from root to tip. She was not gentle—not her grinding down on my fingers, not her tongue dueling with mine, not the way she was jerking my cock.
Christ.
I twisted my hand, added another finger, and Sadie went wild. Her hips bucked and she broke the kiss but only to cry out.
“More,” she pleaded against my lips.
Fuck.
“You gotta tell me how much more you want.”
Her hand stopped on an upward glide and her thumb grazed over the sensitive tip.
Fucking hell.
“I want this.”
To explain what this was she tightened her fist around my cock.
My free hand reached around to my back pocket. I pulled out my wallet and fished out a condom. I dropped my wallet and searched her face for any sign of hesitation. I found none. Seeing nothing but excitement and hunger, I slid my fingers free. Sadie whimpered and I liked that sound. I liked it too fucking much. I liked knowing she was getting off from just my fingers, but I had something better to give her.
I spun her around, yanked her shirt off, and tossed it aside. Next came her bra. Once I had it unhooked, she did the rest and tore it down her arms. When she was done with that, she shimmed her panties down until they caught on her thighs and couldn’t go any lower.
I stepped back and took my fill. Jeans down to her knees, shoes still on, panties pulled tight against her legs, and her sexy bare ass on display.
Jesus fuck, that was so hot my cock twitched as I rolled the condom down my length.
Once I was done, I moved closer, pressed my chest to her back, dropped my mouth to her ear, and growled, “Hands on the door, Sadie.”
I guided the tip through her wet and paused.
“Hands higher, above your head.”
Her hands slid up the door until they were where I asked. It was a struggle, seeing as her legs were trapped, but inch by inch I worked to get inside of her. And with every inch Sadie took, my hands on her hips shook. She was tight as all fuck, especially since she couldn’t spread her legs, so tight I had to fight my need to slam home and get busy fucking her. The only thing stopping me was I didn’t want to hurt her. And impaling her on my cock while I was in that state would undoubtedly bring her pain.
“More, Reese.”
“Not yet.”
“Please.”
It was her whispered plea that had me bending at the knees, and with one hard thrust, I drove my cock deep.
I barely heard Sadie’s swift inhale over the roaring in my ears. The feel of her pussy taking all of me—so snug, so warm, so fucking wet—was damn near my undoing.
“Holy…Reese,” she moaned loudly.
I curled tighter against her back, glided my right hand over her ribs, then diagonal, cupped her left breast, and pulled out to the tip and slammed back in.
“You still want more, baby?”
“Yes.”
Her answer wasn’t moaned, it wasn’t a whispered plea, it was hissed.
I used my thumb and forefinger to roll her nipple and asked again, “More?”
Sadie’s head dropped forward, her ass tipped up, and she arched into my hand playing with her nipple.
“Everything.”
I felt the muscles in my neck jump.
Everything.
I couldn’t give Sadie or any other woman everything. But I could give her this. Hot, angry sex against the door. I could give her rip-your-clothes-off-lust and orgasms. I could give her my mouth, my cock, my fingers, any combination of the three, and I could do that all day and night until she was boneless and begging for me to stop. I could fuck her until she was sore.
But I couldn’t give her everything. And since I couldn’t, I fucked into her harder, only pulling out a few inches before driving my cock deep. Sadie came up onto her toes and I rolled my hips and held her where I wanted her.
“Mouth,” I rumbled against her neck.
Sadie lifted her head and turned it toward mine. But before I took it, I asked, “Fucking you rough, baby, you sure you’re good?”
She nodded and closed the distance, and just like the first time, she kissed me. She did it with wild abandon. Nothing held back. Not the way she was groaning down my throat, not the way she was working her hips with mine, and she sure as fuck couldn’t hide her hunger. I liked all of that more than was healthy. I liked it in a way I knew I was coming back for seconds and thirds. Only, next time she’d be naked on a flat surface where I could take my time.
It didn’t take much longer for her orgasm to build. The first flutter around my cock had me ready to explode. And from there it built higher and higher until she broke the kiss to pant my name against my lips as her pussy convulsed.
Fucking hot.
Three more strokes, I drove in deep while slamming her down and spilled into the condom.
Good goddamn.
It took her longer to come down than it did me. But when she did, I had a different kind of wild on my hands. Sadie jerked forward, my still-hard cock slipped out of her, and she turned and plastered her back against the door like she was trying to melt into it. Faster than they came down, she yanked her panties up and settled them over her hips. Next, she tugged up her jeans. When she was done with that her hands came up in a futile attempt to cover her chest.
“Step back.”
“Not until you look at me.”
She didn’t look at me. Her gaze went around the room, the floor, the ceiling—anywhere but me.
“Step back,” she repeated.
“Told you, not until you look at me.”
Slowly, she dragged her eyes up my chest. They lingered on my throat for a moment before her attitude firmly snapped back into place and her narrowed eyes met mine.
“You okay?”
“What?”
“Did I hurt you?” I asked softly.
“No, you didn’t fucking hurt me, Reese.”
Her gaze dropped to my still condom-covered cock and she groaned. This was not the same sexy, pleasure-filled sound she made while we were fucking. This one was full of regret. I didn’t like that one fucking bit. And I hated it even more when her arms crossed over her chest to further hide herself from me.
“Don’t do that, Sadie,” I warned.
“Do what? Fuck you? Too late for that. Act like a dick-starved slut and jump you? Too late—”
“Stop.” I took a step forward, my hands went to her neck, and I gently tipped her head back. “Don’t do that either.”
“You need to leave.”
I bet she’d like that. But I wasn’t leaving until I knew she was okay.
“Not until we talk.”
“No more talking. No more touching. No more fucking. No more coming to my bakery. You’re gonna leave and we’re gonna pretend this never happened.”
It was safe to say the situation I found myself in was a first. Actually, more than one first. I’d never had angry sex against a door, not even with my ex-wife. When she pissed me off or vice versa, the last thing I wanted to do was get anywhere near the bitch. And she felt the same, though her reasons were probably different than mine seeing as she’d been fucking someone else while my ring was still on her finger. And not before and not after my ex-wife had a woman ever kicked me out after sex. It was always the opposite, me trying to extradite myself from a situation I didn’t want to be in.
“Sorry, Sadie, but that’s gonna be impossible seeing as that was off-the-charts hot and every second is burned into my memory. Every sound you made, how wet you got, how hot and tight you are, how quickly you came with just my cock and me playing with your nipple. All of it. Every single second. So, fuck no, I’m not pretending that didn’t happen. And just to say, it’s gonna happen again.”
I didn’t miss the tremble, nor did I miss the way her eyes flared. She might’ve been pissed she let me fuck her against the door in her office, but she damn well enjoyed it.
“That’s never gonna happen again.”
“Baby, you’re right in front of me.”
“So?”
“I can still taste you on my tongue. I still got your excitement on my cock, and, baby, you were so fucking wet you were dripping down my legs. So, with all that, I don’t get how you think you can lie to me. I see you, Sadie. I can still feel you. You can’t fake what we just had. You got off on it just as much as I did. And not for some fucked-up reason, like you spouted off, because it was a long time coming and you know that, too. Though, warning; next time, I’m tasting something else, and I suspect when I get my mouth between your legs it’s gonna be just as sweet.”
Sadie opened her mouth to say something but promptly clamped it shut. Which was smart because I would’ve called her out on her denial.
Nature being what it was, necessitated me to step back to handle the condom. But before I went in search of a trashcan, I tagged Sadie’s shirt off the floor and handed it to her. She grunted her thanks and to my dismay, she wasted no time covering herself.
I glanced around her office, taking in the tidy space. Finding what I was looking for next to her desk, I moved that way. Much like the front of her bakery, Sadie’s office was an extension of her personality. Soft pinks contrasted by bold white with glossy black accents. Soft and bold. Sweet, pretty, cute with a backbone of steel. That was something I seriously liked, something that had drawn me to her since the day I met her. A friendly smile that made you want to stick around just to see it again and again. Witty comebacks that denoted her intelligence and humor. Her dedication to her business was evident—from the employees she hired to the delicious treats she baked to the time and effort she’d put in to making Treats a place you wanted to visit. But it was her ‘take no shit’ attitude that had sealed it for me. There was something extremely appealing about a woman who not only knew her mind but spoke it.
The day I’d complimented her on her muffins, I was indeed talking about the lemon-poppyseed goodness I kept coming back, day after day, to buy. But Sadie took in my wink, my smile, the teasing tone in my voice and took my compliment to mean something she didn’t take kindly to. I then found the iced coffee she was delivering to my table poured over my head. And damn if I hadn’t found that appealing, too.
All of her grit and attitude, along with a smart and funny personality, wrapped up in a beautiful package with killer curves and I was hooked. Now, knowing she could let go, turn wild, and had no hang-ups about sex, I was seriously fucking hooked.
That was, no hang-ups until the deed was done, then she closed down and called herself a slut. I made a mental note to have a conversation about that at a later date. A time when she wasn’t kicking me out of her office.
I tossed the condom, zipped and buttoned my cargos. I hadn’t removed a single article of clothing and I’d only gotten Sadie half undressed before we went at it. Sadie would likely disagree but that only added to the hotness factor.
“I’m asking you nicely,” she said softly. “Please forget about everything you heard today.”
So, she was trying a new tactic. Sweet Sadie was back.
I turned to face her and I was taken aback by the sadness I saw. I could deal with her pissed, angry, sweet, and turned-on, panting my name while I fucked her. What I couldn’t deal with was her looking like her world was crumbling around her. Which after finding out she had money troubles and a shithead for a brother, I’d reckoned she was getting buried under a pile of shit.
I would not add to that.
I wouldn’t let her swing, either.
However, I would back down. For now.
“I’ll be back in a week with the money your brother owes you.”
“Reese—”
“Sadie,” I interrupted her. “I’ll be back in a week with the money Josh owes you. In the meantime, he tries to fuck with you I wanna know. But since I know you’re not gonna make that call to tell me, I’ll be watching.”
“I don’t want you watching!” she fumed.
I ignored her protest and made my way back to the door. When I got there, I didn’t stop until I was crowding her space. My lips dropped to hers and with the tiniest provocation, she opened for me. That was to say, all it had taken was my chest pressed against hers and my tongue sweeping her bottom lip before her hands went to my waist and she eagerly participated in a deep, wet, insanely great kiss.
And just to prove my point, my hand went under her shirt and my thumb found her pebbled nipple. The kiss lasted until she moaned. Then I broke the kiss but didn’t pull away when I muttered against her lips, “See you soon, Sadie.”
I moved her away from the door and left.