Marlon Neon Marksman MC, page 4
He’s right. All I can do is nod.
His eyes narrow. “Please tell me the reason you left town wasn’t to go to Mickey’s fucking funeral.”
I bite my lip, unable to meet his gaze as I yet again give him a nod. I expect him to throw curses at me but instead he reaches out and drags me against him, wrapping his strong arm around me while his other hand cups the back of my head as he keeps my face buried against his chest.
I feel his fingers slide into my hair as he tightens his grip and pulls gently to connect our gaze. “We bump heads a lot but I need for us to work together on this. You need to,”
“Hold up...I need to...what? Now you wait a minute. First you mention we bump heads, stating we need to work together and then you start to order me to do...what?” I challenge. Is he seriously implying I’m the one who’s causing issues? I need to...what? Change? Anger runs through me, and I don’t even know where it’s coming from.
He’s still holding me in his grip and it’s pissing me off even more and yet he doesn’t move except for his head that slowly slides from left to right. “The reason I mentioned you needed to do something is because I already claimed you. I’m the one here who’s not afraid to admit I want you in my bed, at my fucking side, and taking things on together. Hell, my guys know I’ve got an Old Lady. I haven’t fucked or touched a woman since I laid eyes on you, so yeah, honey. You need to accept there’s an us. I don’t care if you think it’s only for now. I’ll take it. A little warning, though. I’ll try like hell to turn it into forever. But for right now, you gotta follow my lead and let me do my thing so I still have you when I kill the one who’s after you.” He swallows and I can see the emotions swirling in his eyes, threatening to tip over and yet I know this man would never shed a single tear. “Even if you leave when I’ve handled the situation for you...I’ll still have you walking the earth.”
This man should really keep his mouth shut. Because when he starts to ramble out words like this, my insides turn to mush and I want to melt into his arms. His little admission about not touching another woman since we met is highly unbelievable with all the naked women walking around the clubhouse. A clubhouse he’s Prez of I might add.
Though I know he’s tried to woo me in every way possible. And yes, he did grovel and gave me a peace offering concerning the attack on my life with his VP, but still. I have no clue how to handle him or allow myself to give into what he’s offering.
At times I found it challenging and exciting to push him away. Ugh. It’s frustrating and I’m fucking judgmental. Until now, I’ve always riled him up and discarded him. Hell, I never gave him a fair shot. Maybe now is the right time, and like he said; we need to be an us to be able to work together.
“Okay,” I mutter and watch how his eyes widen in shock.
The corner of my mouth twitches. He was expecting a fight. Well, tough luck. I feel the need to challenge him and might as well reap all the benefits because I know this man can kiss like sin wrapped with fire.
“Come on, Poster Boy, let’s seal the deal with a kiss,” I challenge.
I don’t have time to brace myself. His mouth crashes against mine, his tongue demanding entrance I gladly surrender to. It’s feral. Always has been between us. We have the kind of connection that’s similar to throwing accelerant on fire. It’s exactly what fuels me to dig my fists in his leather cut and try to drag him closer.
The connection breaks when I hear Karma’s voice. “Jeez, Unique. I leave you alone for a few minutes and you’re attacking...oh, wait. That’s...oh, wow. Carry on.”
Peacock and Marlon both chuckle while I’m totally embarrassed. Great, just great. More to add to the growing pile of misery life has already thrown at me.
Chapter 05
***Marlon***
It’s damn hard to make her cheeks flush the way flames have licked her skin right now, but damn...when she does? The most gorgeous sight ever. Though I know very well she’s feeling out of place with how she surrendered to me only moments before. Or hell, she’s probably just plain embarrassed with Karma and Peacock walking in on us. First fucking carefree kiss where she doesn’t push me back in anger, and we get interrupted.
I take her face in my hands and brush my thumbs over those rosy cheeks. “Business before pleasure. Let’s talk with our friends first before we continue to seal the deal.”
She narrows her eyes and steps away from my touch. Clearly, she’s trying to put the wall between us back in place. “The deal is sealed as far as I’m concerned.”
I lift an eyebrow as a small reminder of our agreement and the way she’s lashing out at me.
“Fine,” she mutters and then surprises the fuck out of me by grabbing my head to yank it down and smash our lips together.
She bites my bottom lip, making me growl, as I open at her demand. Our tongues start a dance which fires up the hunt to ultimate pleasure for the both of us. I grab her hips and make sure she feels how her kiss affects me. I’m so fucking hard for her, I need to grind myself against her curves to relieve some of the pressure, yet it doesn’t lessen the urge to finally claim her fully.
I meant what I said; I’m taking this arrangement to make it a forever deal for the two of us. A throat clears, and the little interruption makes me realize she’s got a way of consuming me so I only see her, letting the rest of this fucked up world fall away.
“All right kids, plenty of time to hump one another later. I want to have a little chat with Marlon and get to know the finer details of what we’re dealing with,” Peacock states.
The fucker isn’t in charge, and yet he always seems to take lead and get things moving. I can handle this on my own with my MC at my back, but having Peacock right next to me is backup I’ll never turn down. We’ve been through a lot together and the both of us know how to handle shit flawlessly.
Regretfully, I step away and start to relay everything we know up to now. Unique on the other hand doesn’t say a word, only a slight nod here and there. To say her reaction doesn’t sit well with me is an understatement. I damn well know she’s been through enough over the last few hours, and throw in her background which flares up more emotions with it.
My phone beeps indicating I’ve got a message. Leon is waiting downstairs and wants to talk to me. Dammit. I know she’s safe here—even more with Karma and Peacock in the room with her—and yet it’s still not enough.
“Leon wants to give me an update, I’ll be right back,” I mutter and spin on my heels, ignoring the ache in my chest.
If you’d lived the life I have, you would know it’s easy to shove away emotions, lock them up for another point in time to take them out and handle it. Though it’s like slicing a piece of my heart out of my chest and throwing it over my shoulder when it comes to shoving away emotions concerning Unique.
She’s managed to worm herself into every cell of my body. A hit on her life is a damn hit on me and what my life stands for. The person responsible will regret ever being born, I’ll make damn sure of it.
“What ya got?” I snap at Leon when I reach him.
It’s the middle of the night and the main room of the club is empty so we can speak freely. Though Leon looks both nervous and drained.
“The two buildings next to her are considered a loss too. So far it seems the only two deaths are our guys, but my brother will get back to me as soon as they’ve checked the rubble to make sure they haven’t overlooked anything. Fuck. I still can’t believe Lamont and Patrick are gone. I’ve asked Tavi to make arrangements. But Prez, I made the decision to make it appear as Unique died too, and my brother agreed. It will allow us time to figure out why the fuck this happened, and who did this, without worrying about another attack. It was simple enough to whisper some shit to a reporter. Said reporter went over to my brother and asked for verification, he of course couldn’t comment. He did make a face and a slight nod off camera so the reporter took the hint and I saw him speed off, probably to write the story. My brother told me he’d swing by the clubhouse tomorrow to get her statement. If she’s up for it that is...how’s she doing?” Leon asks with genuine concern in his voice.
Like I’ve told Unique, we might never have officially been together, but I already considered her my Old Lady the second I laid eyes on her. From that moment on, no other woman would do, and all my guys know it too. And I must say, I like the split-second decision he made about Unique. Faking her death does buy us some necessary time, and less worry about looking over our shoulders, while we solve this shit.
“Holding up.” It’s all I give him because to be honest, I have no clue how she’s feeling inside. She might look tough but she’s proven herself to surprise me at every turn.
“I want all guys in Church tomorrow afternoon. By then I hope to know more about what’s going on and the arrangements Tavi is making for Lamont and Patrick. Why don’t you get some shuteye? I need to head back upstairs and talk with Peacock some more before I try to get an hour or two of sleep. If I’m fucking lucky, because I don’t think I’ll be able to shut my fucking eyes with all this shit going on.”
“It’s mainly the not knowing who’s behind it, Prez. No worries, we’ll get to the bottom of this and get our revenge, you know we always do,” Leon vows, and he’s right.
“Yeah, we always do,” I agree with determination.
I grab him by the shoulder and give a rough squeeze, thanking him for the words I needed to hear, before I take the stairs and head back up. Stepping into the living room, I find both women sitting on the couch along with a big pile of clothing scattered over them. Peacock is standing in the middle of the room with his arms crossed over his chest while he openly glares at them.
Peacock’s eyes find mine. “Women,” he mutters. “They shove the problems away and start discussing their fucking clothes.”
“Hey,” Karma snaps. “That’s not nice. And for your information, it’s therapeutic. Or would you rather have us blabbering and trying to hold each other up?”
Peacock snorts. “You blabbering? In what universe, dear?”
Karma shoots him a devilish grin. “Right. And we can hardly go on a killing spree when we don’t have any clue whose eye I need to shove my left heel into.”
My buddy’s eyes heat and that’s the moment I tap out. “Okay, you two. Thanks for coming over, and bringing the stuff I asked for, but I want you two to head home. You’re free to come back later tomorrow. Unique has to give her statement in the morning, and I have a meeting with my brothers after she’s done. You can sit in during the meeting if you want.” I direct the last part at Peacock, and he gives me a nod to accept the invitation.
Karma stands up and gives Unique a tight hug before she spins around to face me. “Be nice.”
I lift a single eyebrow. “Is there an ‘or else’ coming with those two words?”
“No.” She flashes me a huge grin before adding, “But just so you know...I’m saving my right heel for your eye.”
Ah, thought so. I give her an approving smile in return. “Good to know.”
Believe me, coming from Karma? It’s not a threat you can ignore. She’s a brilliant assassin, and pointy things are usually her first go-to weapon. Besides, she’s standing up for my woman, even if I’m on her side. I value Karma’s warning and respect the friendship and bond she has with Unique. A few more exchanges of words and goodbyes, and they’re out the door a few minutes after. Unique is folding the clothing Karma brought over.
“Is it enough for a couple of days or did you need anything else?” I ask and I hate to remind her of the fact she lost everything.
She gives a little shake. “No. I think I have enough for a couple of days. I’m lucky I gave Karma a bag with new clothes I designed before I left town a few days ago. We were supposed to do a little photoshoot to put the new designs on my website when I got back. But I guess I can’t add new clothes to my website since I don’t have most of the designs I had in the store. They are all gone, except the ones I’ve got stashed in a storage unit downtown.” She gasps. “What if they rigged the storage unit too? I need to check, I should.”
“No, you shouldn’t,” I say with determination. “I’ll get one of my guys to swing by and check.”
She’s standing before me in a flash, grabbing hold of my leather cut with both hands. “No, you don’t. You can’t! I already got two of your guys killed. Please don’t.”
My fucking chest tightens due to her heartbreaking pleas. “Sweetheart, you didn’t get them killed. The fucker who planted the fucking bomb did. Now we know what to expect so we can be more careful. But if you’d rather have the authorities check it out, I’ll wake up Leon and have his brother handle it.”
I cup the side of her face and let my thumb stroke her cheek. Her eyes close briefly as she leans into my touch. “Okay,” she sighs, but adds in a stern tone. “But let Leon sleep, it can wait till tomorrow. It’s only clothes in a storage unit.”
“You got it. And now I need for you to get upstairs and rest up. I would say sleep but I don’t know if you can, so just go lay down for a bit. We have a lot of shit to deal with tomorrow.”
She keeps staring at me and fire starts to burn inside me with the need to claim her mouth. Inappropriate, I know, because I also want to bend her over the couch and fuck her hard. Regretfully I let my hand fall away and step back.
“Go on up. You can even clean out a drawer to put your clothes in. I’ll take my mom’s room to give you some space, yeah?”
Her head tilts to the side. “Didn’t we just make a deal? Are you backing out? Or am I too much of a wreck to share a bed with?”
“Back to being feisty, are we?” Dammit. I’m right back to the thought of wanting to kiss the fuck out of her. Every other woman in the clubhouse would be shaking in a corner, yet she’s got a spine like a spring, bouncing right back into this life, no matter how messed up it is.
“Up the stairs. Now. I’ll take the bag, and the left side of the bed,” I growl and step away from her before I actually do bend her over the couch.
She grumbles something about wanting that side of the bed, the one facing the door, but it’s out of the question. I need to have that side to feel slightly at ease knowing I’m the one in between whatever comes through the door and her, to keep her safe.
I follow her up and drop the bag on the bed. Stalking over to my closet, I clean out a shelf and make sure she’s got enough space to put her clothes away. I leave her to it as I stroll over to my mother’s old bedroom to free Harry.
I’ve kept this room the same ever since my mother left, though now the thought comes to mind to rearrange it. Maybe even make it a space for Unique to work in. I shove that thought away just as fast as it came. She’s not fully into the future where my mind is set when it comes to the two of us. Hell, if this shit didn’t happen, she sure as fuck wouldn’t be in my bedroom out of her own free will.
Harry jumps into my arms and starts to rub his head against my scruff. That’s right, I’m his own personal scratching post. No other affection for this hell-cat, this is all he allows me. Selfish beast. Though it’s something with meaning. Own damn choice and all, cat or not, gotta respect his personality.
I stroll back to my bedroom and lean against the wall, watching Unique fold her clothes and putting them away. She turns her head and glances at me. Well, it might be the cat since he’s purring the fuck out of himself, still using my jaw as a scratching post. Her eyes flame hot and there’s a hint of what seems like jealousy. The corner of my mouth twitches. She catches it and instantly starts to glare.
Internally, I’m smirking. As fucked up as it might be, I hope this shit surrounding her doesn’t clear up too soon. I need time. Time to make her understand she’s allowed to give into the feelings she obviously has for me. We’re perfect for each other and I intend to make sure she sees it too. Even if it means we’re going to wear out our tongues, either with fighting or tongue fucking, but in the end, she will be mine.
Chapter 06
***Unique***
If I had one wish, I would use it to make that fucking cat stop rubbing Marlon’s scruffy jaw. Ugh. How can I be jealous of a cat? A cat! And over a guy I don’t even like. Liar! Ugh. Okay, I might like him, but I’m not supposed to. He gets on my nerves and only wants in my pants, and it might be due to me pushing him away. Men love what they can’t have, right?
Maybe I need to give in. I might as well soothe both our issues; have sex to get the itch scratched so the both of us can move on. It’s been way too long since I’ve had sex anyway. A few minutes of not thinking and ultimate pleasure is exactly the kind of medicine I need. If only the cat could stop rubbing him, another pussy needs his attention; mine.
“Are you going to bed in this room, or keeping the cat company across the room?” I sneer and I even manage to surprise myself with the amount of venom in my voice.
He doesn’t owe me anything, not to mention he’s given me a roof over my head and stepped in to save my ass. Yet, the corner of his mouth twitches as if he knows my reaction is due to the cat’s purring and rubbing.
“Already slipping into the hostile defense mode, are we, honey?” Marlon freaking purrs.
“Something wrong with your voice? Or did the cat do too much rubbing and have you purring just like it?” I scrunch up my nose and give a little shake of my head in a sneer to make it clear I think it’s insane. Great, I’m acting like I’m six years old again and want what I can’t have. “Never mind,” I add and decide to strip and jump into bed before he can form words.
“That’s the second fucking time you flashed me, woman. Third time will be the charm of my cock sliding home,” Marlon growls and I hear Harry hiss as he jumps out of Marlon’s arms and hightails out of the bedroom.
Marlon closes the bedroom door a little too loud and, screwed up as it is, I’m fighting a smile. “Why wait for a third time? We might as well fuck and get it out of our system. An orgasm or two will be just the thing I need to act civil around you.”
