Havoc (Storm MC #8) (18 page)

I
laid
out my new designs on the kitchen table and smiled as I assessed them. Jack, my boss, had seen some of them but I had five new ones for him and was working on a sixth. There had only been two he wasn’t fussed on and I had reworked them. I was confident he would love the changes. Our working relationship was easy so far and I hoped that would continue. I had never felt so happy in my work. To be able to spend my days doing the one job I’d always dreamed of had to be the best thing in the world. The high it gave me cancelled out the stress I felt over not completing my course. Havoc might have been on to something when he suggested I fly by the seat of my pants for a while. I’d been doing that for weeks and had never felt more at peace.

My phone rang and I grinned when I saw it was Jack.

“Hey, Jack, I was just going to call you.”

“What’s doing?” His casual attitude made me love working with him even more. It made work fun, which in turn inspired a rush of ideas.

“I’m just going over the new designs and can’t wait to show them to you.”

“Can we meet tomorrow? I’ve got some other things I want to go over with you as well.”

“Tomorrow would be perfect.”

“Your place?”

“Sounds good. Have you got a minute now to talk about something I want to run by you?”

A knock on the front door interrupted my thoughts and I traipsed down the hall to answer it.

“Sure. Shoot,” Jack said as I opened the door to Velvet.

I ushered her into the kitchen and mouthed, “I won’t be a minute.”

She nodded and took a seat at the table, eyeing my designs.

“I wanted to discuss my working arrangements. As in, where I work. Would you be okay if I didn’t always work from home in Brisbane?” I bit my lip waiting for his response, hoping he would give me the go-ahead to work from wherever I chose.

He was silent for a moment and I held my breath.

Please say yes.

“Are you thinking of travelling?” he asked.

“Maybe, but only if you are okay with it. Work is my number one priority, always, so I don’t want you to think it isn’t.”

“I don’t see why you can’t work from wherever you go. I’d need to see you every now and then, so as long as you make yourself available when that is, everything should be good.”

“Awesome. I’ll keep you updated with my plans. I don’t have anything organised yet because I wanted to run it by you first.”

“Carla, I just want to create a business that people love to work with so if you’re happy, I’m happy. And if you keep creating designs like the ones you have been, I’m bloody ecstatic.”

I wasn’t used to praise like his when it came to work. Waitressing had always been a hard slog and I’d often completed eight-hour shifts feeling exhausted and unappreciated. Working with Jack was a whole new experience.

“Thank you, Jack, that means a lot.” If he could see the grin on my face, he would have understood just how much.

“Okay, I’ve gotta go, but I’ll see you early tomorrow, say nine?”

“Absolutely,” I agreed and we ended the call.

I placed my phone on the kitchen table and turned to face Velvet. “My boss loves me,” I blurted out, still grinning. My body buzzed with excitement at not only his praise, but also at his permission for me to work from anywhere.

Velvet smiled. “I kinda got that impression. What was that all about? Are you thinking about leaving town?”

I took a deep breath. “I’m not sure, Vi, but I want to be with Havoc and his life is on the road. I figured I should work out what my options are.”

Her brows lifted. “Wow, I’m surprised.”

I shrugged. “Well, he might not even want me on the road with him, so it may never eventuate. And I wouldn’t even consider it if Jack wasn’t good with it. Work is my top priority.”

Her mouth spread out into a smile. “I didn’t mean I was surprised in a bad way. I’m happy for you that things are falling into place. And I’m really happy that you’re okay with your plans being altered. The way you’re rolling with the changes and making new plans without losing your cool is awesome. Even Nash mentioned it.”

“Really?” Nash and I hadn’t spent a lot of time together since Havoc left the hospital. All I knew was that he was still against our relationship.

She nodded. “Yeah, he watched you guys together at the clubhouse the other night and mentioned that you seemed really happy. Well, after I prodded him to admit it, that is.”

I sighed. “Of course he would need you to drag it out of him. I wish he would just get over himself and accept this for what it is.”

“Your brother is a stubborn man, you know that.” She paused and her gaze shifted to my hair. “I love the blonde on you. When did you do that?”

“I saw Roxie a few days ago, on your day off.” I twirled a few strands of my hair. “So you think it suits me? I’m still getting used to it.”

“It really does. When I saw you the other night, I did a double-take because I hardly recognised you.”

“Thanks, Vi. I’ve often thought of trying it and when Havoc’s sister told me he loved blondes, I figured it was a good time to do it.”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “You didn’t do this for him, did you?”

“I did it for me. I mean, the fact he loves blondes spurred me on, but I’d never change something about myself solely to keep him happy. I will admit that I was really nervous about his reaction, though.” I paused for a moment as my insecurities heated my face. “I hate feeling anxious about what my man thinks. It’s something I’ve struggled with whenever I’ve dated a guy I really liked and thought could be the one.”

Her face creased in a frown. “Does Havoc make you feel that way?”

“Not at all and that’s what I love about him. Honestly, up until this point I hadn’t felt any of my usual insecurities. His sister threw me off when she told me he had a type and I didn’t fit it. I know it’s stupid, but—”

She cut me off. “But it’s what us women do, right? We second-guess ourselves and we shouldn’t.”

“Well, I’m working on not doing it anymore.”

“So this whole idea to travel with him isn’t just to fit in with what he might want?”

I smiled. “I love how you worry about me. No, it’s about compromise. He doesn’t want me to change for him and I don’t want him to change for me. If he loves the nomad life, I’m willing to make some adjustments to my life for him. But like I said, who knows what he wants because we’ve yet to discuss it.”

She nodded. “Looks like that’s something you guys need to talk about.”

It was absolutely something we needed to talk about and it would be the topic of our conversation when he took me on a date that night.

I
sat
cross-legged on my bed and watched as Havoc lifted his T-shirt over his head. “Thank you for dinner,” I said, a little distracted by his muscles.

He dropped his shirt and reached for his belt buckle. With a frown, he said, “You didn’t eat much, darlin’. Are you not feeling well?”

His movements continued to distract me as he removed the rest of his clothes. I had to force myself to drag my gaze back to his. “I feel fine, I just wasn’t very hungry because I ate a huge lunch.”

A moment later, he positioned himself on the bed next to me and pulled me onto his lap so I straddled him. His gaze dipped and he trailed a finger along my collarbone. “Why are you wearing clothes?” When we’d arrived home after our date, I’d changed into my favourite piece of clothing to wear to bed—one of his shirts.

I grabbed his finger and halted his progress. “Do you have any idea what your voice does to me when it sounds like that?”

His eyes met mine. “Sounds like what?”

“All gravelly. I’m surprised you don’t have more women lining up at your door with that voice.”

Those eyes of his flashed heat causing my belly to do somersaults.
God, this man
. He only had to look at me like that and talk to me in his I-wanna-do-bad-things-to-you voice and I would let him have his way,
any way
, with me. “I don’t want other women, angel. I only want you.”

I let his finger go. “That’s a good answer, romeo.” Our lips met and I pressed my body hard against his. My fingers threaded through his hair and I moaned as our tongues found each other.

I will never taste him enough.

Or have him enough.

He slid his hands down my sides and around to grip my ass. Pulling his mouth from mine, he rasped, “These clothes really need to come off.” As he said this, he hooked his fingers over my panties and forced them down.

I moved so he could remove them and then sat back down, loving the feel of his hands cradling my ass and his thumbs stroking my skin. “We need to talk,” I whispered.

Raising his brows, he said, “Really? I’m kinda in the middle of something here.”

“You’ve only just started.”

“Like fuck I have. You wore that tight-as-hell dress to dinner. This started then, sweetheart.”

I grinned. “I’m surprised you managed to wait this long.”

“That makes two of us.”

“So you can wait a bit longer then. This is important.”

He moved his hands from under me and glided one up to hold my waist while the other rested on my thigh. “What’s up?”

“I’ve been thinking about us and about the fact you move around a lot. And I’ve been wondering what your plans are for that?”

His lips pressed together before he replied. “Settling back in Brisbane was never on the cards for me but everything’s changed since meeting you. Now I wanna be where you are. Problem is, I love being on the road so I’m not sure where that leaves us.” I loved his honesty and the way it bled into his voice. Havoc had gone from being closed off to me and anything a relationship between us could offer, to being willing to lay his feelings down and open himself up.

I ran my fingers along his arm. “Would you take me on the road with you?”

His brows pulled together. “That would be hard when your work is here.”

“What if my work could be done from anywhere?”

After taking a moment to process that, he said, “If you’re telling me you’ve figured out a way to be on the road with me, I’ll be packing you a bag and sitting that beautiful ass of yours on the back of my bike as soon as I can.”

I looped my arms around his neck. “Looks like you’re gonna have to pack me a bag. I only see one problem.”

“And what’s that?” His hands landed on my ass again. One of my favourite places for them to be.

I pressed my mouth close to his ear. “You told me once that putting me on the back of your bike wasn’t your best move so I’m concerned that your cock will be in permanent pain.”

He laughed and found my gaze again. “Looks like I’ll just have to pop a painkiller and man the fuck up.”

“Good to see you listen to me sometimes,” I said as I savoured the sound of him laughing. Laughter looked good on Havoc and I loved that I’d caused him happiness.

His hands left my ass so he could grip my waist. In one swift movement he had me repositioned with my back to the bed. He hovered over me, his eyes dark with desire and his hands wrapped around my wrists, planted to the bed either side of me. “Now, can I get back to where I was?” he demanded and I quivered at his tone.

Yes.

I nodded but didn’t say a word. I simply waited in anticipation for what was to come.

He pressed my arms into the bed before letting go of my wrists, and ordering, “Don’t move.”

My pulse spiked.

Bossy Havoc could order me around any day.

He removed my shirt before bending to lick one of my nipples and then the other. I almost whimpered at the loss of his mouth when he moved to press kisses down my stomach. Shifting on the bed, he settled in between my legs, drawing them up to rest on his shoulders.

His eyes found mine.

He stilled.

The air vibrated with electricity as we watched each other.

This man was the one for me.

My passion.

My protector.

My love.

I would never want a man as much as I wanted Havoc.

“Fuck.” The word tore from his lips, bruising the air with its intensity.

I forgot his order to not move my arms. Placing my hand on his cheek, I whispered, “I know.”

“Do you?” He forced his demand out on a heavy breath.

I swung my legs off his shoulders and sat. Moving my face close to his, I nodded. “It’s this feeling of being overwhelmed, of being so thankful for this and yet being unsure of where it will end up and hoping it won’t ever end, but knowing if it does, that you’ll have done everything you could to try and force a different outcome. It’s a rush of need, feeling like you can’t ever have enough or be close enough, and wanting it all right now in case you miss out on it later. It’s happiness that shit went down in life because it led us here, to each other, and for being so fucking glad that plans got fucked up even though at the time it sucked.” I paused to take a deep breath. “And it’s relief to have found my person, the one who accepts me in all my screwed-up glory and loves me in spite of it. My soul mate.”

I searched his eyes, waiting.

My words lingered in the room as his eyes searched mine too.

He gripped my neck and crushed a kiss to my lips.

Powerful and demanding, he consumed me. I lost my bearings as he revealed his need for me.

He pushed me for more and I gave it all to him.

He could have everything.

Anything he wanted.

So long as I had him.

As he thrust inside me, he gripped my hair and stilled for a moment. “It’s every-fuckin’-thing you said. Except I know how this is gonna play out and there’s no chance it’s ever gonna end. You’re mine now, Carla.”

I am.

And I’d fight like hell to make sure I always was.

H
avoc’s hand
glided down my stomach to my pussy where it settled. His groan next to my ear was the kind of sound any woman loved to wake up to. And the erection he pressed against my ass resulted in me reaching my hand up to wrap around his neck. As I pulled his face down, he growled, “I want to wake up next to you every morning for the rest of my life.”