Spiked Roses: The Complete Top Shelf Series

by Alta Hensley

  Makayla whimpered in her sleep and snuggled up even closer to me. Her pert tits pressed up against my side, and I about lost my damn mind. My cock painfully tenting my pants was going to make falling asleep next to impossible even though the sun was about to rise. I needed to get some sleep if I didn’t want to be completely useless for the rest of the day. Not to mention, I needed to sleep off this cheap wine drunk that caused me to fucking kiss Makayla!

  I’m sorry, Rhett.

  I’m so fucking sorry.

  I would do better tomorrow. I vowed it so. I would keep my damn hands off Makayla no matter how hot this woman was. I had self-control.

  I had self-control.

  Fuck.

  I hoped I had self-control.

  Chapter Seven

  Makayla

  My eyes fluttered open to find shadows cast against the walls of the room. Outside the window, I could see the sun had been up for several hours. It had to be midday by now. I tried to stretch awake and was restricted by strong arms wrapped around me. I was on Alec’s chest as it softly rose with his steady breathing. The smell of his manliness invaded my senses, and the desire to move my hand that was resting on his chest to his lower region was almost unbearable. This man had a power over me that I had never experienced. Everything about this was wrong. Papa would be so upset. So very wrong, but I couldn’t stop it.

  I felt his arms tighten around me and pull me a little closer to his body. “Did you sleep well?”

  His simple question and the huskiness in his voice sent fire through my body. “Yes… I did. Thank you. I guess I was more tired than I thought.”

  “You’ve been through a lot.”

  “I guess we both have. It was a long drive and night,” I said, feeling the need to have small talk and not face what had happened before we had fallen asleep.

  “Do you have a headache?”

  I paused to assess my body to see if I did. “No. I feel fine.”

  “You’re lucky then. Nothing is worse than a cheap wine hangover. Well, maybe cheap champagne hangover.”

  “I had fun last night. Thank you for allowing us to just relax and not… well, thank you for just letting us have fun,” I said.

  Alec patted my arm. “I had fun too. It’s been a long time since I have felt like that. Totally at peace and relaxed. This house always had a way of doing that for me.”

  I adjusted my head so I could look into Alec’s eyes. “I’m glad you are here. That I don’t have to do this alone.”

  We both stared at each other for a few moments, scanning each other’s face, searching for a peek into our souls.

  “Alec, I don’t usually lay in bed with a man like this. I don’t usually kiss… well I don’t have any experience in this at all. And then the fact that you are my…” I didn’t want to say the word.

  “Stop. Don’t say that. I’m not your uncle. You have to stop calling me that.” He sighed loudly and stared up at the ceiling. “But that still doesn’t make this right. We shouldn’t have kissed. We shouldn’t be here like this. This isn’t the way it should be. But we have to take this uncle thing off the table. It was cute when you were ten, but now… now it is just… well, I think it’s time to end it. Just Alec from now on.” He sighed deeply. “I don’t know what the fuck got into me last night. I’m sorry, and I am going to make damn sure it never happens again. It shouldn’t have happened, and I take full responsibility. I’m not going to blame the wine or anything else. It was wrong, and it won’t happen again.”

  I took a deep breath before speaking. I wanted to be honest with how I felt even if it meant upsetting Alec. “So if this isn’t the way it should be, then why are we lying here? Why did we have the most amazing kiss earlier? Why do I want… more? This is wrong, Alec. You and I both know it, but at the same time, I don’t care.”

  Our lips were so close, that I silently begged for him to kiss me. I could have closed the distance, but I wanted it to be him. I wanted to know that he felt this too. That it wasn’t just the wine from last night. We weren’t drunk now. We weren’t out of our minds. I wanted him to kiss me because he wanted to. I wanted there to be no excuse other than he wanted to kiss me again.

  As if reading my thoughts, Alec lowered his mouth to mine. He kissed with more passion, and more excitement than the night before. He rolled me over onto my back and pressed his body on top of me. His mouth continued to claim mine as I could feel his desire building. I gasped at the sudden change but pulled him closer.

  “I can’t explain this. I can’t explain why I want you so bad, so quick. Tell me to stop and I will. Tell me no, and I will get up this second.” Alec paused from his onslaught of kisses to examine my face. “Call me a bastard and slap my face. Do something to stop this and I will.”

  I smiled at the look of concern mixed with passion on his face. “Alec, I want this, too. I don’t know why. I don’t know how. All I do know is that I want to feel you inside of me.”

  “Makayla,” Alec moaned.

  He moved his mouth to my neck and started to place soft kisses while his hand slowly worked its way under my shirt. His palm cupped my breasts, and I arched my back to meet his touch. His lips moved to my ear, and he lightly nipped. I could hear his ragged breathing and feel his body tense with pent up passion.

  I lowered my hand to his bulging erection pressing against his pants. When my fingers made contact, Alec moaned in desire.

  “Jesus, Makayla! I want to be soft. I want to be gentle… but you are driving me crazy. I can’t give you the gentle love you deserve. I don’t know how to handle innocence.”

  I undid his belt buckle, unbuttoned, and unzipped in one fluid motion. “I don’t want to be treated like a little girl who needs to be protected. I’m a woman with the same needs as yours. I want my first time to be with you. Take it,” I demanded, as I boldly wrapped my hand around his throbbing member.

  A growl worked its way past Alec’s lips as he began to rip off my clothing in a fire of passion and fury. I met his crazed desire by stripping him bare as well. Within seconds, our bodies were nude and entangled together.

  I glanced down at his penis and froze. I had never seen one before, and it must have been written all over my face because Alec stopped moving and studied me.

  “You’ve never seen a cock before.” He wasn’t asking. He was stating, and I watched his face harden, and his eyes darken.

  Shooting out of bed at rapid speed, Alec reached for his pants and quickly pulled them over his hips. “We have to stop. I can’t believe I am doing this.” He looked at me and ran his hands through his hair before reaching for his shirt. “I’m old enough to be your… fuck! Your fucking father! I can’t believe I even considered this. I considered taking your damn virginity! What kind of man am I?”

  “Alec, I’m an adult and can make my own decisions. The last thing I want is to be a damn virgin. I can tell you that much. And why is it bad that I want my first time to be with you? Why are you freaking out? We are both consenting adults.”

  Pulling his shirt over his head, he said, “Your father would fucking kill me. This is against everything that is right. I know better than this. I’m taking advantage of the situation. I can’t believe I kissed you again… and…” he looked at me naked in bed, his gaze lingering on my pussy and then my breasts before saying, “And I got us to this point. I’m taking advantage of you.”

  “No, you are not! I wanted this just as much. Maybe more. You said it yourself. You are not my uncle. Why does this have to be wrong?”

  “Because it is!” He took a deep breath. “It’s so wrong in so many ways.”

  Before I could protest any further or even cover my nude body, Alec bolted out of my room, closing the door behind him, and leaving me alone with my thoughts and the throbbing between my legs.

  Chapter Eight

  Alec

  Fuck Rhett to hell for doing this to me. Even taking away the emotional stress he was putting me through hoping he would somehow be able to pull
himself from the mess he was in with The Iron Colt Brotherhood, the man had sentenced me to complete and utter torture.

  I didn’t think even the strongest of monks who had sworn complete celibacy would be able to resist Makayla Knox. To say the woman was beautiful really wasn’t a strong enough description. Her big innocent eyes had a power over me every single time I looked into them. I wasn’t a man to just kiss a female. In fact, I wasn’t much of a kisser. I preferred to fuck and be done. Kissing was just fluff that I would do to get in a girl’s pants if I absolutely had to. But with Makayla, it was all I could do to not kiss the girl—repeatedly.

  And I blamed Rhett.

  So, if the asshole somehow came out of this in one piece, I was going to kick his ass.

  How could he blame me for wanting to fuck his daughter? He had sent a goddamn siren to me and then locked me away, with her being my only companion.

  What the fuck did he expect?

  Control. He expected control.

  But fuck that. I had none. None at all.

  Sitting on the porch drinking coffee, I stared out onto the shimmering lake and watched a single boat floating in the distance. I loved this place. I loved every single thing about it… except for my current situation with Makayla. I had brought girls to the house before. It was a romantic setting and a sure way to have a getaway full of sex. Rhett and Minka used to tease me about always bringing a new girl, but never repeating. They would play nice with the girl of choice, but they said it was hard to commit any amount of energy getting to know the visiting woman because it was definitely going to be the last time they ever saw her.

  The sound of running water through unused pipes told me that Makayla was in the shower. Hopefully, a cold one. I didn’t need her to come out and try to resume what I had somehow managed to walk away from. I’d walked away from sex. What sane man did such a thing?

  Though what sane man even got in that situation to begin with?

  For Christ’s sake, she was a kid. A virgin. Rhett’s daughter. Off limits.

  Realizing I had to keep Makayla—and her delicious nude body—off my mind, I decided work was the best thing. Pulling out my phone, and happy that I had at least a little signal, I decided to call Kenneth and check in with Spiked Roses. I had left in such a hurry, that I wanted to put everyone’s mind at ease.

  Kenneth answered the phone almost immediately. “Hey man. We were just talking about you. We’ve been worried. Hey, hold on a sec. I’m going to put you on speakerphone. We are all sitting around the table now and meeting. You can talk to us all at once.” I waited for the second it took for Kenneth to switch over, and heard him say in a far off voice. “So what’s going on?”

  “It’s a fucking mess,” I began. “I got a letter from my old business partner and best friend asking for a favor that made me have to leave right away.”

  I recognized Roman’s voice ask, “Was that Makayla Knox’s father? Is that why you had to take her too?”

  “Yeah. Sorry guys. I hope that didn’t leave you short staffed, but I really had no other choice. My friend felt his daughter’s life was in danger and asked for my help in getting her to a safe spot.”

  “Are you in danger?” I heard Harley Crow ask. “Do you need our help? I’m here for you if you need me.”

  “I wish it were that simple. But there’s nothing any of you can do to help. Trust me, if I could think of a way, I would,” I said, still trying to rack my brain on ways these men could help. They were some of the most fucking powerful and connected men I knew, and if anyone could help, it would be them. Taking a deep breath, I decided to tell them more. I trusted these men more than anything. “It involves a secret society that I’m sure you have all heard of. The Iron Colt Brotherhood. My friend Rhett and I are members. Our fathers, grandfathers and great grandfathers all have been.”

  “Yeah, I’m a member, though not active,” Roman said, though it made complete sense since he was a prince. Royal blood ran thick and heavy in the brotherhood. “Does this have something to do with the ritual coming up?”

  “What ritual?” I heard Matthew ask. “I haven’t heard of this group.”

  “I have,” Lennon added. “Some sick shit happens at these rituals.”

  “I’ll let Roman fill you all in on the brotherhood and the ritual since I don’t have a lot of time,” I said, looking into the house to see if she had come into the main room or kitchen yet. “I don’t want Makayla overhearing me talking to you all about it. But yes, it has to do with the ritual. Makayla’s name was drawn, and now Rhett, as any father would do, is refusing to give her up. So now, his life is on the line. But until this all plays out, he has asked that I stay at a lake house with Makayla to keep her away from all that and safe. I’m not sure when I’ll be back, but I just wanted you all to know what is going on.”

  “Are you sure there isn’t anything I can do?” asked Roman. “I have some connections there and maybe can cash in some favors.”

  “No. Please don’t. I don’t want your name going on a rock. And if I could think of a way to stop the plans for the ritual, I would. But I also know that this group and their activities have gone on for so long, that if there was a way to make a change, it would have happened by now. You can’t change something so thick in tradition and backed by so much wealth and power.”

  “Well, I’m here if you need me,” Roman added. “I’ll attend the ritual if you need me to. Anything.”

  “I appreciate that, Roman,” I sighed, “but I don’t want anyone else messed up in this shit.”

  “Well, we have everything taken care of here at Spiked Roses,” Kenneth said. “Watch your back and keep us posted.”

  I hung up the phone, then I checked some emails and touched base with a few other business associates. I had been doing a pretty damn good job keeping my mind off Makayla until she walked through the screened door onto the porch with a cup of steaming coffee in her hands.

  “Working?” she asked as she walked over and sat down next to me in her favorite rocker.

  I nodded. “Not much, but checking in.”

  “Have you heard from my father?”

  I looked at her to try to read her expression, though her blank stare at the lake as she sipped on her coffee gave me nothing. “No. Not yet.”

  “Do you think we will?”

  “Yes. He said he would, so I know he will.”

  “But he’s fucked right? You feel he is?”

  I sighed. “I know your father is a resourceful man. If there is a way out of the mess, then he’ll find it. We just have to give him the chance to do so. Knowing you are safe will keep his mind focused on what needs to happen.”

  “So what are we going to do today?” Makayla still hadn’t really looked at me and seemed to be putting up a wall around herself. There was a level of distance present now that hadn’t been there before. Even though she was being nice… she was far away.

  Good.

  I took a long sip of my coffee and watched the picturesque scene before me, grateful that we weren’t discussing the awkward situation of both seeing each other naked and the fact that we’d been moments from fucking.

  “Grocery shop, for one. Unless we want to live off of wine in the cellar,” I said, trying not to remember getting drunk and kissing her last night.

  “Doesn’t sound like a bad diet,” she said, turning to me and giving me a smile, though not as warm and endearing as last night. Was she feeling the same level of regret I was for our transactions?

  “I think I want to go for a swim first. Shake off the wine haze I feel from last night,” she said, standing and stretching her body. “Care to join me?”

  “That water is fucking cold. Plus it’s not exactly warm out right now. Are you insane?”

  She giggled. “You always were a fuddy duddy. Mama and I would always have to go into the lake without the big strong men. I remember once when we were walking down to the dock, I overheard Mama calling you both pussies under her breath.” Makayla glanced o
ver her shoulder and winked at me. “I guess some things never change.”

  Acting offended, I asked, “Are you calling me a pussy?”

  “Simply stating a fact is all.”

  “Well, I’ll show you who is and isn’t a pussy,” I said as I swiped off my shirt and headed toward the dock. “I’ll be in that frigid water before you and be able to stay in it longer. Then we’ll see who the real pussy is.”

  “Oh the challenge is on,” Makayla shouted, sprinting toward the dock giggling as she shed her shirt, revealing a white lace bra.

  I didn’t have time to observe or appreciate the way her breasts looked in such little material because I was too busy undressing as I ran toward the pier. Maybe it was Makayla, and it was most definitely the lake house, but I became a changed man when I was here. I felt a sense of freedom and acted like someone I didn’t recognize, a whimsical free spirit. Or at least I acted like someone I hadn’t been in a long time. Not since Minka’s death and never returning the lake.

  I was the first to make it to the end of the dock, and hopping out of my jeans as quickly as I could since I could hear the pitter patter of Makayla’s feet running down the dock my way, I dove in without thought. Dove in without thinking about how unbelievably cold the water would be.

  Completely submerged and sinking to the bottom, it took me several moments for my body to recuperate from the shock of it all. As I came to the surface, I looked up to find Makayla in her jeans and white bra looking down at me, laughing to the point of tears.

  “How’s the water?” she asked between her laughs.

  “Come in and find out for yourself,” I said, treading water and hoping my limbs wouldn’t freeze off.

  “Oh hell no,” she said with a laugh. “I’m not that stupid. It’s cold!”

  “What? You were the one who wanted to jump in!” I said as I watched her continue to laugh so hard she had to bend at the waist and rest her palms on her legs to catch her breath.