Free The Cut by Carol Lynne: Kings of Bedlam MC Series, Book One by Carol Lynne Page A

Mad Dog or Hog could meet him at Santana’s, but Cecil had given him a bullshit excuse about how it would be best for the club if they kept their distance from the crime scene. It was fucked up because Stake didn’t trust himself not to kill Gordon if he saw him.
    She crossed her arms, drawing his attention to her large tits. “Maybe I don’t want you going through my things.”
    “Tough shit.” He decided to tell her the truth. “Gordon’s being released today, and I don’t want you anywhere near him.”
    The color drained from her gorgeous face. “It’s been less than three days. How’s he getting out?”
    “Evidently, his injuries were more superficial then they led us to believe.” He moved to wrap his arms around her. “I won’t let him hurt you again. If the cops don’t do their job, believe me, I’ll take care of Gordon myself.” It’s the way he’d wanted it in the first place. The only reason he’d gone along with Cecil’s demand to take Santana to the hospital was to keep her from getting into trouble with the law.
    “No.” She rested her cheek on his chest. It was something she’d done on several occasions and each time, it filled him with a sense of warmth he’d never felt before. “I lost my dad that way; I won’t lose you, too.”
    He held her tighter. “What kind of man would I be if I let Gordon get away with what he did to you? If it means going to prison, I’ll pay the price.”
    “And leave me alone, just like Smash did, to fend for myself?” She pushed against his chest until he released her. “No. I can’t go through that again. I’ll kill him myself before I let you do something like that for me.”
    No way in hell would he let his woman do his job. Stake stilled, realizing he’d already begun to think of her as his. He watched her pace around the back porch, the T-shirt barely covering her bare ass and knew in his gut, she was his woman. He dug his phone out and looked at the time. If they hurried, they could be in and out of her house before nine. Surely, the hospital wouldn’t release Gordon that early. “Let’s go.”
    She smiled and jumped off the side of the porch to the dirt below. “Are we taking the bike?”
    He would love nothing more than to feel her wrapped around his back, but it wasn’t possible. “I’d like to get everything out of the house that you’re going to need for the next few months. Can’t do that with the bike.” He opened the passenger door of the old truck and waited for her to get in before going around to climb behind the steering wheel.
    “Can we take the bike to the cemetery once we get Momma’s ashes? I think Dad would appreciate that.”
    “Sure.” He kept his eyes on the road and off the bared legs beside him. For three days, those fucking legs had teased him. Although he’d seen her naked on the night of the attack, he hadn’t been in the position to truly worship her body the way it deserved. He wanted to touch and lick every inch of her sun-bronzed skin while she moaned underneath him. Fuck. He released the steering wheel and dropped his right hand to his lap in an attempt to hide his erection. Not to brag, but he was a big man, and when his body decided to respond sexually, there was no way in hell to successfully hide it.
    “Stake?”
    “Yeah?” He waited for her to continue. When she didn’t, he glanced her way.
    “How long before I heal enough?” she asked.
    Since he hadn’t seen her wounds since the first night, he wasn’t sure how to answer. He returned his attention to the gravel road. “I don’t know. Bruises can take a while to disappear completely, but the swelling is pretty much gone already. Why? Are you hurting?”
    She shook her head. “Because I want you to touch me, and you said I needed to heal first.”
    “Fuck, baby,” he groaned. “It’s not your body I’m worried about. I thought I made that clear. I just don’t want to push the physical stuff until I know you’re ready for it.