My orgasm pulses through me, and as he continues to fuck me, it only gets more intense, working through to my fingers and toes as I clench my eyes, barely able to breathe. And then finally, I reach the apex of my high, and as I start coming down, I collapse against my tattoo chair, and Alex loosens his hold in my hair.

  His hands return to my hips as he remains buried deep in my pussy, and we both just breathe, needing a moment to calm down from the high. But one thing is for sure, Alex was right, waiting for this and building that tension between us only made it that much better.

  “Shit, Mace,” he breathes behind me, his thumbs gently brushing over my hips. “Are you okay? That was rough.”

  “Never been better,” I tell him, my pussy shuddering with every slight move he makes, suddenly overly sensitive to his touch. “That was incredible.”

  “You’re telling me.”

  I grin and look back at him. “What can I say?” I ask before adopting my best customer service voice. “We strive to offer a full-service experience here at High Voltage Ink.”

  Alex laughs as he slowly pulls out of me, and I suck in a breath, a little bit sore. “Sorry, Mace. I didn’t even think about using a condom,” he says. “We just got a little carried away.”

  “I know,” I admit. “I realized halfway through, but the idea of you coming inside of me was too good, and I couldn’t stop, but it’s fine. I’m on birth control.”

  “Good,” he murmurs, leaning down and pressing a kiss to my reddened ass cheek as it remains high in the sky, only when I feel him begin to leak out of my pussy, he groans. “Holy fuck. That’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”

  I don’t dare move, loving the way his eyes darken with hunger. He lifts his hand back to my pussy and presses against my clit, and I gasp, feeling as he strokes back up toward my entrance, scooping up his cum before pushing it back inside me.

  His fingers plunge deep, and I immediately clench around him, wanting him to fuck me all over again. He draws his fingers back, and when he reaches around and presses them to my lips, I can’t help but open wide. “See how good we taste together,” he murmurs.

  I suck his fingers dry and a deep hunger returns in my chest. “Alex,” I whisper.

  “Yeah, Mace?”

  I hold his dark stare, letting him see the desperation in my eyes. “I’m going to need you to fuck me again,” I tell him. “And this time, I want it to last all night long.”

  Alex grins, his hand dropping to his cock, and I suck in a breath, seeing just how ready he is. “I’m right there with you, Mace.” And with that, he wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me up so that my back is flush against his chest.

  He cups my tit, flicking his fingers over my sensitive nipple, and before I even get to tell him just how I want it, he’s already pushing back inside me, more than ready to blow my mind all over again.

  It’s a little after one in the morning when Alex curls his arm around my waist and leads me down the street toward our apartment building. I’m starving, and I have to admit, I’ve never been so grateful for the fact that Brooklyn is filled with so many late-night diners.

  I didn’t expect Alex to come in today, and considering I’d planned for an early escape from work, I skipped lunch. But what we just did is considered more than just a workout. It was the best kind of insanity, but I’m exhausted now. I can barely keep myself on my feet. Hell, when we were locking up High Voltage Ink, I had to ask Alex to bend down to lock the deadbolt because I simply couldn’t bend to do it.

  My legs have never shaken like this.

  Having heard my stomach growling for the last hour, we stop by a food truck and I get the best kebab known to man, and as we keep walking, I find myself glancing up at him. “You’re staring, Mace,” he says without even glancing my way.

  “I’m sorry. I just . . .” I pause, letting out a heavy breath, unsure if I’m going to ruin everything by bringing this up. The slight pause has Alex stopping dead in his tracks and meeting my stare, his brows furrowed as he waits for me to figure out whatever the hell it is I’m trying to say. “If we’re really going to do this, then there’s something I should probably let you know.”

  “What’s wrong?” he questions, stepping closer and dropping his hand to my waist.

  “I, ummm . . .” I blow out my cheeks, not knowing how to even start. “You remember the other night when I kinda freaked out and ran to your apartment?”

  “Because you thought someone was in yours.”

  “Yeah,” I say slowly. “I don’t mean to freak you out or try to scare you away, but that’s kinda been going on for a few weeks now.”

  “What? Thinking that you’re hearing someone in your apartment?”

  “No, someone has been sneaking in at night,” I tell him, hoping he doesn’t think I’m crazy. “It started small where I would come home from work and the window would be left open or I’d smell men’s cologne in my apartment. But recently it’s started to escalate.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, the other night I was kinda, you know, having a little alone time in my bed, and I heard someone in my room,” I admit.

  “The fuck?” he questions, that dark, curious gaze searching my eyes. “Did he say something?”

  “Not exactly,” I say. “He was jerking off. I could hear him groaning while he fucked his hand, and I didn’t know what to do. I mean, if I stopped, he would have known that I knew he was there, and if I ran over to your apartment, I didn’t know if I could make it to the door and unlock my deadbolt before he caught up to me. So I just—”

  “Kept going,” he finishes for me. I nod, almost ashamed of how that all went down. “Is that it?” he questions. “I don’t want to sound like an ass or anything, but all of that seems like stuff that could have been imagined, you know? I checked your apartment, and there was definitely nothing in there, and if you called the cops, none of that is going to hold up. They need concrete evidence, like actual proof that someone was in there. What about your cameras?”

  I shake my head. “You think it’s all in my head, don’t you?”

  “No, Mace. I saw the fear in your eyes when you ran into my apartment the other night,” he tells me. “That kind of fear can’t be made up. I just want to know what you’re dealing with.”

  I swallow hard and nod, wanting to trust him. “He left a message for me the other day. I woke up to find words scrawled across my bedroom wall in lipstick.”

  “Fuck. Really?” he says, taking my hand and continuing down the sidewalk. “What did it say?”

  Chills sweep down my spine. “It said ‘pretty, pretty, Kyah. Are you ready to play?’”

  “Fucking hell,” he grunts. “That’s messed up.”

  “Not as messed up as him sneaking in and eating me out while I slept.”

  Alex stops again, his eyes widening in horror. “The fuck, Kyah?” he grunts. “That bastard touched you in your sleep, and you’re only now just telling me? Why the fuck haven’t you said anything sooner?”

  I shake my head, pulling away a step, conflicted by the whole thing. “This is exactly why I didn’t tell you. I don’t want the judgment.”

  “Baby, I’m not judging you, I just don’t understand,” he says. “Is this why you tried to end things and why there’s been a constant show of Grim Reapers cruising past our building?”

  I cringe and nod, not really wanting to explain the whole Mason Ledger thing, but it serves the same purpose. “Yes,” I finally tell him. “I don’t know what to do about this guy. That’s why I had the cameras installed, and so far, they’re turning out to be a waste of time, but what it really comes down to is that I don’t know what this guy is capable of. I don’t want him finding out about you and then doing something to hurt you because of some sick belief that I belong to him. And like I said, things have been escalating with him. Each time he slips through the window or door, or wherever the hell he’s coming from, he pushes the boundaries just a little bit further.”

  Alex watches me just a little too closely, his gaze narrowed. “It excites you, doesn’t it?”

  My eyes widen, and the guilt in my expression is too clear to try and deny it. “I . . . maybe,” I say with a heavy breath. “I’m sorry. I know that’s probably not what you want to hear, but I want to be honest with you.”

  “I only ever want you to be honest with me,” he tells me.

  “Do you hate me for being excited by that?”

  “I’m not going to lie, it’s a definite shot to the ego,” he admits with a stupid grin, “but I could never hate you, Kyah. I respect you for telling me and thinking enough of me that you would push me away in order to keep me safe from this bastard. But if I have to fight some horny stalker to have you, I’ll fucking do it, Mace. I meant what I said back at the shop, I want to see where this goes, and if I’ve gotta sneak into your apartment and fuck you with a mask to get you off, then all you gotta do is say the word.”

  A grin rips across my face, and I clench my thighs before instantly cringing. My pussy needs at least a day or two to recover. “You’d do that for me?”

  “Damn straight, I would,” he says. “But I have to be completely honest. I don’t like the idea that you’re not safe in your home, and maybe until you know what this guy’s intentions are, you should stay with me.”

  I shake my head. “I don’t know if that’s really a good idea. I don’t want to do anything that’s going to set him off.”

  “Babe,” he says, his tone low. “Have you considered that maybe fucking you while you sleep could only be scratching the surface of what he wants?” he questions. “I don’t want to wake up one day and find you dead in your bed.”

  “That’s not going to happen.”

  “How could you know that?”

  “I . . .” I let my words fall away because honestly, he’s right. I don’t know that, I’m just blindly trusting that he wouldn’t hurt me, but in reality, there’s absolutely nothing to suggest he wouldn’t. He’s already shown that he’s messed up in the head, already shown that he’s willing to cross boundaries, so what else is he capable of? And what is it that he actually wants from me?

  “Come on,” Alex says, pressing his hand to my lower back and leading me down the street, clearly seeing how conflicted I am by the question. “Let me take you home.”

  I nod and let him lead me along the sidewalk, hoping like fuck it’s not a question I have to think about for long.

  30

  VIPER

  Anger booms through my chest as I crash down onto my couch. I spent the night watching Kyah’s neighbor fuck her in the tattoo parlor, making it clear that she has no fucking respect for the talk we had yesterday.

  That pussy is mine. I should have been the one bending her over and fucking her like that. Hell, I’m the one who’s put in the years coming to her shop, put in the effort to keep her protected in this fucking town, and yet she still doesn’t fucking respect me.

  I’m her old man, and the fact that she doesn’t even acknowledge or see that makes me fucking burn inside. I’m reaching my limit, and the more I see her flaunting this new shit with her neighbor, the more humiliating it becomes.

  My club knows she belongs to me, knows that I’ve gone out of my way to protect her, and she repays me by rubbing it in my fucking face and making me the fucking laughing stock of my club. This shit isn’t going to fly another day.

  She’s mine, and her time for fucking around is up. But first, there’s one little speed bump standing in my way, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.

  Alex fucking Reid will die tonight, and it will be my pleasure.

  I’ve been looking into this bastard, and he’s not as squeaky clean as I originally assumed. Hell, there’s a murder charge and a warrant out for his arrest. Apparently, mommy dearest did something to really ruffle his feathers because he did a number on that bitch, and judging from the crime scene photos, it wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment thing. It was premeditated and carefully planned. It’s no wonder he was dishonorably discharged from the military. Though, it’s that same military who has given him the skills to evade lockup all these years, but not anymore. Not now that he’s in my town.

  Bringing up the security feed of Kyah’s home, I watch as she walks across her small apartment and over to her window. It’s wide open, and her hands hover on the frame, peering out into the night, though all she’s going to see in the street is Spider sitting out on his bike, watching over her. Though with Mason Ledger dead, I could probably pull her protection details, only I can’t quite find it in myself to do it. I like to have this kind of control, knowing where she is at every moment of the day, knowing who she sees, and who she talks to.

  A soft breeze catches in her hair from the open window, and when she finally slides it back into place, she doesn’t grab the key and lock it. I shake my head. She’s never been one to think about her safety. She’s daft like that, but it won’t be something she will have to worry about once I make her my old lady. There’s nowhere she will go without my say-so, and absolutely no one will have access to her. She will be protected at all times. And as for that job of hers, she can continue working at High Voltage Ink as long as I have full access to her schedule and the ability to approve her client list. Though one thing is for sure, the long hours spent working on half naked men will be over, and there will be a lot of tramp stamps in her future.

  Kyah disappears from the camera’s frame, and I skim through the different feeds until I find her in the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of water and digging through the freezer for ice. She drops the cubes into the glass and strides into her room. Flipping to the next camera angle, I watch her place the glass on her bedside table and pull her phone out of her back pocket, tossing it down on her bed.

  Then as she grabs her tank and pulls it over her head, she makes her way into the bathroom. I switch over to my private feed, watching through my hidden camera as she gets undressed and steps into the shower. The water rains down over her, and as she rubs her loofah all over her body, I slip my hand into my pants, imagining the day that I will take her for myself.

  As she finishes in the shower and gets ready for bed, I switch back to the main feed and take a look at the movement in her hallway, making sure all is as it should be, and realizing that now is as good a time as ever, I grab my cut and walk straight back out the door.

  The ride to Kyah’s apartment complex is short, only fifteen minutes in the dead of night, and I pull up beside Spider, nodding as he meets my gaze. “Take off, man,” I tell him. “I’ve got it from here.”

  He doesn’t hesitate, letting his bike rumble to life before taking off into the night, and I waste no time, cutting my engine and making my way across the street. As I approach the front door, trying to remember the access code for the building, a movement in the shadows catches my attention.

  My head snaps up, and when the shadows seem to swallow the person whole, I move toward it, darting around the corner of Kyah’s building and toward the fire escape that leads right up to her window. Only I come to a stop, not seeing anybody.

  I peer into the darkness, checking up and down the length of Kyah’s building, but come up blank. I could have sworn I saw someone sneaking around here. Was it just a trick of the light or am I finally starting to lose my fucking mind?

  Figuring it was nothing, I go to make my way out of the alley when I feel something press into my back, only before I get the chance to grab the bastard, a sharp burn appears at the base of my throat. My eyes widen, and I clutch my neck to find blood pouring over my hands.

  Have I been cut?

  I start choking on my own blood as the body at my back leans in once again. “You’ll never have her. She’s mine, Viper. All fucking mine.” And before I even get a chance to look back or fight, I drop to my knees and feel a rush of cold overwhelm my body, darkness edging my vision.

  As blood pours from the deep gash in my throat and quickly pools beneath me, I stare up at the starry night sky. My limbs go heavy, too heavy to continue clutching my throat and my hand falls lifelessly beside me. The stars above begin to blur until the world completely fades away and then finally, I close my eyes, losing grasp of consciousness.

  31

  KYAH

  Wailing sirens pull me from my sleep, and as my eyes spring open, I see the red and blue flashing lights illuminating my bedroom. I throw myself out of bed in a blind panic.

  What in the fresh hell is going on out there?

  I scurry across the room, my legs wobbling as I make it to the window, catching myself on the frame. Grabbing the handle and yanking it open, I peer into the night and see a flood of police cars and cops sectioning off the street with yellow tape.

  The cops linger in the alleyway beside my building, and as the distant roar of motorbikes grows closer, unease settles into my veins.

  Needing to know what the hell is going on, I hurry out of my bedroom and into my living room. As usual, I find my window wide open, but instead of fretting over it, I throw my head through it, peering down at the chaos below.

  A heavy thumping sounds at my door, but I ignore it as I search through the crowd below, trying to figure out what has their attention. Then as my eyes adjust to the darkness, I finally see it—a body.

  A sharp gasp tears through me when I catch a glimpse of the familiar Grim Reapers cut.

  “Holy shit.”

  The thumping on my door continues. “Mace, baby. You in there?” Alex calls through the door.

  My heart races, and I pull myself away from the window, trying to remember who the hell Viper had stationed outside my building last night. I was so focused on Alex and trying to justify why the hell I’m so blasé about allowing my stalker full access to me, I can’t remember it clearly.