Creed’s Honor by Simone Nicholls

My head was pounding, to the point that I couldn’t open my fucking eyes. The slight opening in the curtain was letting light in, and it felt like the sunlight was making everything a hell of a lot worse. I groaned when there was a knock on my dorm door. I physically couldn’t open my eyes, let alone get out of bed.

What the fuck was Hades’ whiskey made of—pure and utter poison?

I heard the door unlock, and only one other person had a key.

“Creed?” Holly’s voice was so soft, and I then heard the door close softly. I groaned when I felt the bed dip. “How are you feeling?”

I couldn’t open my eyes. All I could do was make some weird grunt as I groaned.

I kept my arm across my face. That was when the little light that was getting in stopped. Holly must have fixed the curtain.

Holly gently pulled my arm from my face and laid a cold face washer and ice pack across my face.

“Trust me. It helps,” Holly whispered in my ear before kissing my cheek.

I might have been barely alive, but I knew I didn’t want her to leave, so I weakly tried to stop her from getting up by putting my hand on her lap.

“Don’t go,” I bit out. I wanted to see her face, but I physically couldn’t open my eyes. Was it selfish of me to want to hold her, even in this state? My need for her overpowered my better judgement.

Her fingers were running over my arm, tracing my tattoos, when I felt her lean closer. Hell, I knew she got closer because her scent was intoxicating.

“I won’t,” she whispered in my ear and then kissed my cheek again. I don’t know why, but just knowing she wasn’t going anywhere had my body rejecting my need for sleep. The feel of her touch was intoxicating, casting relaxation through me.

* * *

Holly Kincaid. She was the type of girl all us blokes wanted. Not just for the flawless figure. Nah. Holly was the whole package. When you watched her smile light up her entire face and saw her electric blues get fuelled with happiness—well, it just caused you to smile as well. But that was nothing on the woman she was. Loyalty for the club, her family, ran through her veins. She was the type of girl to lie dead straight to the police to protect her family. On top of that, she had intelligence that outdid any other woman I knew.

But the main reason every member of this club would want to lock down a girl like Holly was because of her club loyalty. She understood the lifestyle in a way a club girl never could. A club girl, she’d spread her legs, but she would also open her mouth to the police if pressed.

Holly was the type of girl that would pull the gun from the back of your waist and point it straight in your enemy’s face if needed, and I had no fucking doubt that Holly would, and could, pull the trigger.

The type of blood that ran through Holly’s veins was unquestionably the golden elixir that every biker wanted in their old lady.

Then, there with her loyalty was her heart, pure and caring. When she loved, she loved hard, and just like her loyalty, her love had no limits.

It was customary around the club that when we needed laundry done, we got a club girl to do it. You know, put the lines and charm on thick. Every biker in this clubhouse did it. I normally did the same thing, till I fucked Holly in her bedroom. That quick fuck, well, it was as if I had sold my soul. Because I couldn’t even charm my normal club girl into doing my laundry. I settled on just buying new clothes. Can’t fucking explain it. I was single, a hundred per cent fucking single. But I was beginning to question that. Because as weak as this sounded, my heart was claimed by Holly. Every time a girl made a move on me, every fucking time, my skin would crawl, and it just didn’t feel right.

She wasn’t mine. I wasn’t hers. Yet. I couldn’t even get the courage to ask a club girl to do my fucking laundry—without feeling like I was betraying her. How fucked up was that?

But right now, I was thankful for that feeling always stopping me from asking a club girl to do it. I was getting a fantastic fucking view right now all because of it. Holly was bending over, pulling my washing out of my machine.

Woke up to her gone and the anger I felt didn’t even cover it until I realised how spotless the room was. The lack of washing told me I would find her here. Wasn’t sure how I could thank her, but with her bending straight over like that, I was beginning to think of one way.

She hadn’t even realised I was standing there. Her headphones in, bending at the hips like that, she was fucking asking for it. I softly closed the door, keeping my eyes on her as I walked up behind her.

I wasn’t even surprised as I approached her that she hadn’t heard me. Knowing Holly, she would be listening to a lecture. Wasn’t sure what I wanted to do first, so I placed my hands on her hips, and she stilled. I knew she had seen my finger tattoos as soon as she relaxed. Moving my hands over her hips, I pulled her back to me. Her head went to the side, and I couldn’t fucking stop myself as my lips went to hers. She wasn’t mine, yet I was kissing her like she had always been and will always be.

It was the soft moan from her lips that snapped my willpower. I spun her around and lifted her in one fluent movement, placing her on the laundry bench. She raised her arms, her fingers weaving into my hair, and all my sensors were suffocating, her scent, the feel of her soft fingers running up my arms. I couldn’t stop myself from pulling her closer into me.

Was I still high on Hades’ whiskey to think that Holly and I could work? I invaded her mouth with my tongue, and she pressed her breasts into my chest. Just as I was about to lose control, the communal laundry door swung open.

I was a fucking man, but seeing her brother standing there—I felt like a teenager being caught by the teacher for kissing in the hallway.

Kobra’s eyes ran over Holly. Maybe it was the fact I had pushed up her T-shirt to the point it was just covering her breasts, or perhaps it was the fact that I had her pinned between my legs. But nah, I think the determining factor to his smouldering rage was Holly’s hands on my belt.

Seeing his eyes harden on her was as if he had thrown gasoline on the flame known as my protection for Holly.

His breathing became sharper, and he was either a second away from roaring at her or punching me. If he even raised his voice at her, I’d be the one starting the fight.

“What the fuck you want, Kobra?” I snapped at him, seeing as he wasn’t fucking getting to the point of why he was there.

His eyes of rage slowly went from Holly to me. It was at this moment I knew Kobra’s and my casual friendship was over. He knew, and so did Hades that Holly’s friendship always came first for me, but I was I lying to myself if I said that all we had was a friendship.

“Holly, can I have a word with Creed for a minute?” Kobra asked, his eyes locked on me. Knowing that there was a chance this would get physical, I let go of Holly, forcing myself to act like everything was fine as she gave me a questionable look.

“Go, darling. Everything is fine,” I reassured her, to which she just nodded her head and slowly left. I couldn’t stop my smirk when she took my basket of clothes and left. Kobra knew right away that she was heading back to my room, and as soon as he said whatever threat he had to say—I was going there too.

Holly walked out, and Kobra closed the door before crossing his arms, looking me up and down and then finally shaking his head.

“You’ll never be good enough. You know that, right?” He asked a mocking question to which I kept my lips shut. “Dad isn’t ever going to approve, and you know why, Creed?”

“Because I’m at his table?” I shot back at him because that was the reason Taron was sent away.

“No.” Kobra tilted his head slightly. “Because you haven’t earnt respect in his eyes. Haven’t ya noticed how he has always kept you at arm’s length?”

“You trying to threaten me, Kobra? Is that it?” I asked, already bored with this subject.

“Holly likes you,” Kobra said and then sighed. “But Dad isn’t ever gonna let you two be anything. Because he believes a man has to have loyalty.”

“You saying I’m not loyal to Holly?” Now that was insulting me on a level that would make me lose my shit.

Kobra’s lips twitched up. “Nah, brother. I’m saying if Hades doesn’t think you are loyal to the brotherhood, ain’t no way in hell he is letting you near his daughter.” Kobra’s gaze landed on mine. “If you want Holly, you need Hades to approve. So if I was you, I’d start thinking on how you show Hades that yer loyal to the club more than his daughter.”

“That doesn’t make sense. Wouldn’t he want me more loyal to Holly than a brotherhood patch?”

Kobra shrugged his shoulders and didn’t say another word. He just turned, opened the door, and left.