WRAITH (Iron Kings MC, #1)

to those assholes in that tattoo parlor. You were way more brutal than you needed to be and I know you don’t go in for that shit anymore. It was an emotional reaction to their attack on her. The way you handled those guys up at your home followed the same M.O. You were running on rage and fear for the girl’s wellbeing. You let them dislocate your shoulder, for fuck’s sakes. You. The Yoda of field agents. Your experience is unmatched. You’re the best of the best”
I scrubbed my hand over my face roughly. “Fuck, Jesse.”
He chuckled. “We’ve suffered enough. It’s time for us to try to find a happy ending to a fucked-up life. And right now you’ve got the opportunity right in front of you. Take it.”
I wanted to counter, to contest all of his well-made points. But he had irrefutable logic and truth on his side.
It was incredibly rare to find someone who knew all that I was, the down and dirty parts of me, the brutal acts I’d committed, and have that understood.
Ashley was that person. She understood on a level that very few could, or ever would, yet she somehow accepted that in me. She didn’t condone it. No, she was adamant about me keeping on the right path, wanting to guide me into the light with her. Her innocence was revitalizing to a broken bastard like me with a bruised and battered soul. She gave me something that I hadn’t felt in a hell of a long time. Hope. And, damn, could the woman heat my blood and get me going. Just the idea of losing her when she was free to go back to her life, once this threat was over, felt like a brutal sucker punch in the gut. But, if I didn’t do something, if I continued to keep her at a distance, that was exactly what would happen. I’d never see her again. And that reality was far too brutal, even for a hardened guy like me.
“All right,” I found myself relenting. “I’ll take it under advisement.”
We ran through a few more details of his cleanup and I took in his instructions for maintaining my ghost status, in spite of the compromising situation at my home in Langton that risked not only putting me back on the radar, but also putting me on some big time most-wanted lists of law enforcement everywhere. Fortunately, it wasn’t the first go-around for either of us. We knew what we were doing.
Of course, there was a price to pay.
Neither of us could ever walk in the world and be a part of it like other people.
How would that work with Ashley? I was fine staying in the shadows, but she was all innocence and light. She had a zest for life. Being with me risked stripping all of that away from her.
One step at a time.
As I hung up with Jesse, I forced those maudlin thoughts away. I was playing devil’s advocate again. Maybe, because it was easier in many ways. Easier than that risk of opening up and letting someone in. I wasn’t a guy who could take being vulnerable in any way.
Yet, the alternative seemed much worse.
Not having Ashley around.
Not getting to touch her soft skin, to feel her wrapped around me, to see that sparkle in her eyes when I took her, to hear those cock-teasing moans of hers, to relish her infectious giggling.
Losing her was beyond comprehension.
And that was why, before I knew it, I found myself outside her door.
I rapped lightly, not wanting to startle her. She’d had enough bullshit lately. I couldn’t bear to add to it in any way.
I heard the soft pitter-pat of her little feet hurrying over.
The door swung open.
And then the strangest thing happened.
I hesitated, freezing up.
The whole thing was unchartered territory for me and I wasn’t sure of how to proceed.
She stood in the doorway in a pair of lounge shorts and a silky tank top had my cock reacting almost violently. They clung to her luscious compact and curvy body, while also leaving things to the imagination. The lace at the bust, kissing the tops of her full, amazingly perky breasts, called to me.
I reached out, tracing my fingers back and forth along it.
I heard her suck in an unsteady breath at my touch.
My fingers left her top and glided along the nape of her neck in a teasing sensual touch that had her trembling all over.
“Finn?” she queried, softly.
I pulled back and looked deeply into her eyes, my voice hoarse and strained as I confessed, “I can’t keep away any longer.”
She reached out and touched my cheek. “I don’t want you to.”
I stepped into her, but her next reaction pulled me up short.
Her cheeks heated. She stared down at the floor, unable to look me in the eye.
“What’s wrong, little warrior?” I asked gently.
She continued staring down at the floor as she murmured a confession, struggling to get the words out to tell me, “I’ve… uh… this is my first… I’m a virgin.”
“I know.”
My response, clearly unexpected, had her jerking her head back up. A faint, nervous smile ghosted her lips. “You’re way too perceptive sometimes.”
I cupped the side of her face. “You need to be sure that you want this with me.”
“I am sure.” She managed to hold my gaze as she said, “I’m just a little nervous.”
“I don’t want you doing this if you’re not ready. I mean it, Ashley.”
“I am,” she snapped, vehemently. “Finn, I’ve wanted you for a long time. I’m not about to back out now. I want this. I want you.”
The next thing I knew, she was lunging at me and fisting her hands in my tee. She jerked me into her and smashed her lips to mine, kissing me with a burst of passion. Her hands tightened on my shirt and her escalating desperate need fueled mine.
I grasped her hips and hauled her up. She yelped in surprise, making me chuckle, as