I reach over to the coffee table, resembling the phone that is still ringing. I glance down at the screen and see it’s Santana. Why would she be calling me so late? I lift it and press the answer putting, pressing it to my ear. “Hello?”

“Pip, oh thank God you’re home.”

She sounds frantic.

“Tana, what’s wrong? What is it?”

“The boys arrived home about an hour ago. Maddox is beside himself, he said something went down with Tyke. He said . . .” She chokes out a sob and my heart freezes.

“Tana, what?”

“He said they ran into a problem with a group of criminals they didn’t want to see. He said these guys ambushed them on their way out of town, and a lot of blood was shed. Three of the J.W. members were shot. No one was killed on our side. But . . . he said Tyke disappeared and they couldn’t find him.” She takes a shaky breath and I want to scream at her to keep going.

She finally does. “When they finally got a lead on his location, they found out he had been taken by the leader of this criminal organization. He won’t tell me who they are, but when they went in to get him out, Tyke had already killed the leader and a group of his top men. He said Tyke is in danger, big amounts of it, and so is the whole club. He wants us all on lockdown.”

No.

“No,” I rasp. “Is Tyke hurt?”

“I don’t know. He said as soon as they rolled into town, Tyke disappeared. He thinks he’ll come to you.”

Oh God.

“How bad is this, Tana?”

“I’ve never seen them so frantic in my life, and that’s not a lie. Whoever they messed with has them worried about serious retaliation. Maddox says as soon as Tyke arrives there, you need to get to the compound. We are going up to a cabin in the mountains that they use when things are dangerous like this.”

“I . . . I have a job,” I whisper. “I have a woman and her child living with me now. I can’t just leave, Tana. I’m not even part of the club.”

“No,” she says softly. “But you’re Tyke’s lady.”

“I’m not,” I whisper.

“Look, just sit tight, okay? See if Tyke shows; if he doesn’t, let me know and we’ll come and get you. We can discuss it then.”

“Okay.”

We say our goodbyes and hang up, just as I hear the bellow of a Harley-Davidson outside my house. She was right; Tyke did come to me. That makes my heart clench and swell all at the same time. I stand in the spot I’m already in and watch the door, unable to process anything.

A moment later, it swings open and Tyke comes in. He’s limping in a bad way, his entire leg looks as if every touch is agony. He’s dressed all in black, with his cut hugging his shoulders and chains hanging from his jeans. He looks dangerous. More dangerous than I’ve ever seen him. His face is messed up, with bruises on his temple, cheek and jaw. His lip is busted. One eye is swollen shut. His knuckles are red raw.

His hair is a mess, and his eyes are wild as they fall on me. Something in my body explodes and a warmth rushes between my legs. It’s so unexpected that I gasp, my lips parting gently. Tyke’s eyes drop to my lips and then, in a low, husky tone, he rumbles, “Fuck it. Fuck all of it. I’m takin’ what’s mine, what’s always been mine.”

Then he strides—well, more like limps—towards me. His arm goes around my waist, catching me off balance, and I fall into him. I gasp and try to steady myself, but he’s backing me towards the kitchen counter, frenzy clearly having taken hold of his body. When my back hits the cool wood, his lips are on mine.

There is no warning. Nothing gentle. And something inside my belly is igniting like a fire that’s been snuffed out for far too long.

Tyke’s lips are scratchy, and I don’t care that they’re sore. I kiss him back with a force I didn’t know I had. My hands go up and tangle in his messy hair and when he reaches down, curling his hand around my bottom, I let him lift me so my legs are wrapped around his hips. He kisses me like that, with my body pressed into the counter, until we’re both panting.

Then he turns us, still holding me, and takes the few steps to the sofa. He drops down and I land underneath his big, wound up body. He feels like stone against me, hot, searing stone. His lips find my neck and he gently suckles my skin. “Was a fuckin’ fool,” he murmurs there. “Wanted you since the minute I laid eyes on you. Too stupid to see you wanted me too. Not waitin’ a second longer to take you. Let me fuck you, Pippa. I’ll do it slow, but baby, let me fuck you.”

God, his voice. His words, so husky and low, make my belly clench. I want him. I’ve always wanted him. If I trust anyone to take what I’ve managed to keep safe all these years, it would be Tyke. “Yes,” I whisper. “Yes.”

He groans, and his lips move over my skin, still frenzied. He gently takes hold of my nighty and lifts it up, removing it from my body. I’ve got only a pair of panties on underneath, and when his eyes find my breasts, I flush. My hands go to cover them, feeling uneasy and unsure, but he wraps his fingers around my wrists and pulls them back. “No,” he rasps. “You let me see every inch, darlin’.”

I let him pull my hands away and watch his face twist with something amazing as he takes in my bare breasts. His eyes meet mine and I see the appreciation in them. I’ve always believed my breasts to be tiny and unattractive to the male eye, but the way Tyke is looking at them has me believing I might have just had it wrong all this time.