Fear was making it hard to breathe.
“You moving or not?” he asked. “‘Cause now I’m running low on patience. And girl, when I run out of patience, shit starts to get real bad.”
She heard the low warning and with no other choice, she rolled herself out the door.
Time to meet the boss.
7
As she followed the big guy down the passageway, she took stock of her surroundings. There wasn’t much point in trying to escape. By the time she turned her chair around, no doubt he’d be on her. Still, it kind of irritated her that he seemed to just expect her to follow him like a good little girl.
No one could ever accuse her of being that.
Well, once upon a time she had been. Longing filled her. Things had been so much simpler before her parents died. She’d lived a charmed life. She knew that now. She’d had two big brothers who had adored her, parents who loved her unconditionally.
Yep, life had been perfect. Until she’d ruined it.
And now she spent most of her time trying to forget. To outrun the past. But had she turned into a complete brat? How unfair was she being to everyone around her? She sighed.
“So, if I’m being led to my death could I maybe know your name first?” she asked to distract herself.
“You’re not being led to your death,” he muttered.
“Sure feels like it. Feels like the death march, the green mile, I wasn’t even given a last supper—”
He stopped and turned to look down at her. “Do you always talk this much?”
She licked her lips. “No. I don’t. I’m guessing it’s that whole marching to my death thing.”
He sighed, crossed his arms over his chest. “We’re an MC club, we don’t murder people.”
She leaned forward, whispering, “that’s what someone who was about to murder a person would say.”
“It is? Got a lot of experience with people wanting to murder you?” The tone of his voice said he could easily believe it.
She rolled her eyes. “No. No one has ever wanted to murder me.”
“First time for everything.”
She narrowed her gaze at him. “You were just trying to convince me that I’m not wheeling towards my death.”
He shrugged. “Maybe I changed my mind.”
She tried to ascertain whether he was joking, but he didn’t show any hint of amusement. She swallowed heavily. Crap. Maybe she should be less annoying.
He turned around.
“You still didn’t tell me your name. Is it something weird? Like Gargamel or Shredder or Murky Dismal?”
“Did you just name characters from The Smurfs, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and what the hell was that last one from?”
“Rainbow Brite. You weren’t a fan?”
He gave her an incredulous look. Whoops.
He stilled in front of a door and knocked.
“So, what’s your name?”
Someone called out to enter. Nerves strummed through her. Maybe she should have attempted to escape. What if these guys were dangerous? What if they were criminals? What if they were going to sell her in some private auction to the highest bidder?
She snorted. Nah, not like they’d get much for her. They’d be better off ransoming her to her brothers. At least they didn’t see all her flaws.
“Girl,” the big guy said in a low voice. “Don’t even think about it.”
She glared up at him. “You can’t tell me what to think.”
He leaned in, grasping hold of the arms of her chair. She shied back with a gasp. He frowned.
“All bravado, aren’t you?” he murmured.
Surprisingly, he smelled rather nice. Almost like the ocean. Cool and calm.
“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” she retorted.
Don’t show him you’re afraid.
“You stared down the passage with a look of longing and fear on your face,” he told her. “It’s okay to be scared. Normal, even. But no one is gonna hurt you.”
Yeah, right.
“Two overgrown apes with way too much body hair dragged me into a room, locked me in it and left me there for hours and now you’re pulling me in to meet some boss and you expect me to just go along willingly without even telling me your name.”
He let out another sigh. “You came into our bar. No one has harmed you. And you were locked in that room for half an hour, tops.”
Oh.
“Well, it felt like hours.”
“You always been such a drama queen?”
“I am not a drama queen.” Out of all her friends, she was the one who hated drama. Who tried not to get involved in any of that crap.
“Listen, I get you’re scared. Little thing like you shouldn’t have come here without protection—”
“I’m not that little.” She looked small because of the chair, but she was actually tall and curvy.
“Aren’t you?” he murmured mysteriously.
“Do all bikers talk in riddles?” she snarked.
“Do all rich little girls need lessons on not talking back?” he countered in a hard voice.
Uh-oh.
Might be a good time to try and find some self-preservation skills, Eden. Not easy since she was fairly certain she possessed very few. But still, not pissing off the big biker dude would be a good start.
“You’re a jerk.”
“And you’re a brat. And if you don’t start watching that mouth of yours, you’re gonna find yourself over someone’s knee very quickly.”
He did not just say that.
“What happened to you not touching a woman without their permission?” she snarked.
“A spanking that’s been earned is entirely different. And I didn’t say it would be me doing the spanking.”
Did that mean he was talking about this mysterious boss man? Would he spank her?
Of course not. He’s just trying to rattle you. Wants you off-center and scared.
Yeah, well, he’d succeeded.
The big dude, who still hadn’t given her his name, opened the door and then stepped aside to let her wheel herself in.
“Such a gentleman,” she said with a huff.
She forced herself to look up once she was inside the room and her mouth went dry, her heart racing as she saw who stood across the room, glaring at her.
“Zeke!”
8
You cannot spank her.
You cannot spank her.
At least, he wouldn’t spank her in front of anyone else. He’d never do that. What they shared was between them.
He knew that her uncaring attitude was just a front. A way of protecting herself. He’d been fooled for a long time. Had thought that recklessness was her being a selfish little brat. But over time, he’d started paying attention. And he’d seen the mask she wore slip when she thought no one was watching.
What she had yet to realize was that he was always watching.
All right. That sounded creepy. It wasn’t. It was just that Eden Jensen was deep inside him. She’d crept in bit by bit. He’d spent so long being annoyed at her bad attitude that he hadn’t looked at what caused her behavior.
When he’d finally come to realize that he was so annoyed by her because he cared about her, he’d stopped snarling and snapping and started watching. And he’d realized Eden had layers that nobody got close to unravelling.
But he was determined to be the one. In fact, he was going to get to the bottom of who Eden was exactly.
He was also going to damn well ensure that she stopped taking risks. Driving too fast. Getting drunk without anyone around to watch over her. Coming to fucking MC clubs. Alone.
What the hell was she thinking?
His hands itched to take her over his knee, pull down her pants and spank her until she promised to never leave the ranch without him again.
Okay, maybe that was a little over-the-top. A year. She had to promise not to leave the ranch without him for an entire year.
He
ripped his gaze from her to study the large guy who walked into the room behind her. This guy had danger written all over him. And he’d been alone with his girl.
Not. Acceptable.
This couldn’t happen again. She was going to obey him. She was going to submit to him.
Like she did that night of the wedding. When she’d let him in, given him a piece of herself. She’d trusted him. She’d allowed herself be vulnerable around him.
And then she’d pushed him away to protect herself. He had to make her realize that she would never be safer than when she was with him.
“Zeke! What the hell are you doing here? You’re the boss man?”
“Boss man?” he repeated, staring from her to the other man.
The dark-haired, muscular man stepped up beside Eden. Zeke ran his eyes over her. If they’d hurt her in any way, he’d raze this fucking dive to the ground. He gave the man with her a hard look. The other man just raised an eyebrow, looking unconcerned.
Stupid fucker didn’t realize who he was dealing with. Zeke liked it that way, though.
“This is not the boss man,” the man said dryly. “Who the fuck are you?”
The door off to the side of the room opened and the actual President of the Iron Shadows walked in. Jacob Reyes was a dangerous man. Rough, blunt and short-tempered, he was a difficult man. A hard man.
He’d also, once upon a time, been Zeke’s best friend. His foster brother.
“Zeke, what are you doing here? How did you find me? Why are you here?” Eden asked, looking bewildered.
“I called him,” Reyes said coldly. He moved into the room and took a seat behind the scarred, wooden desk. He sat back in the leather chair, studying Eden. “Question is, why are you here, Miss Jensen?”
“You called him? Why would you call Zeke? And how do you know my name?”
The dark-haired man sighed. “Again, girl. We have your phone, your wallet, your license. We know who you are.”
“My stuff better still be in there when I get it back,” she muttered.
“We’re not thieves,” Reyes snapped.
Shit.
Zeke sent him a warning look. He got that he was pissed off by all this. Eden’s little stunt had no doubt pulled Reyes away from whatever woman he had warming his bed. Zeke wasn’t impressed himself. He’d already been on his way here when he’d gotten the call from Reyes. And while he appreciated the head’s up, he knew the other man had to have an ulterior motive.
They hadn’t seen each other in years. How was Reyes only living a few hours away from him? And how did he know Zeke knew Eden? Had he kept tabs on him?
“Duke, you can stay,” Reyes said to the other man.
“Duke?” Eden asked, staring over at the other man. “That’s anti-climactic, you look more like a Tygra or Snarf.”
“Thundercats now?”
She shrugged. “Is Duke a nickname or a real name, ‘cause you know I could help you come up with something a bit scarier. How about—”
“We’re not here to talk about nicknames,” Reyes barked, making Eden startle.
“Is she always like this?” Duke asked him.
Zeke took stock of her, noticed the way she bit her lip as though trying to stop herself from talking. “She’s scared.”
“I’m not scared,” Eden muttered. “Just think I could find him a better nickname than Duke. Like Bones or Skull or Butch.”
“Not very original,” Duke told her.
Zeke moved to stand between her and the other man. “Why is she so scared?”
“She doesn’t look scared to me,” Reyes said in a low, cold voice. “Scared would be a normal reaction. From what I’ve been told she hasn’t shown any fear since she wheeled her way in here and let loose with that smart-ass mouth.”
Duke remained silent, although Zeke thought he saw a flash of something in the other man’s eyes. Regret? Concern? Zeke was usually good at reading other people, but he wouldn’t be playing poker against this man anytime soon.
“Eden, did someone threaten you? Touch you?” His hands clenched into fists.
If they did, they were as good as dead. Zeke moved his gaze from one man to the other. What the fuck was their game here? Why hold her like this? Why call him? Had Reyes been looking for a way to get to him? If so, why not just pick up the damn phone and call him? Obviously, he had his number.
Maybe he needs something over you. Something to use to get you to do what he wants. Zeke could be overly suspicious, he knew that. And he wouldn’t put it past Reyes. Even as a kid, he’d been calculating.
Duke’s gaze narrowed. “Nobody harmed a hair on her head. We don’t fucking hurt women here.”
There was something in his voice that reassured Zeke, although he wouldn’t take anything this guy or any of the others said at face value. Their loyalty was to the club, always. Zeke was under no illusions about that. Besides, he’d never risk Eden’s safety on a hunch.
“No? You just lock them up alone in a dark room for hours,” Eden mocked.
Duke glared down at her. “Half an hour at the most. Sorry if the accommodations weren’t up to your standards.”
Eden just sniffed. Zeke was back to feeling murderous. “You locked her up?”
“You’d rather we gave her free rein of the bar?” Duke gave him an incredulous look.
No, that wouldn’t have been a good idea. Eden could find trouble in a church. She wouldn’t even have to go searching for it here. It would find her.
Duke’s gaze moved to him once more. “She’s fine. Not a hair harmed on her head. Didn’t even gag her, despite the fact she’s got a hell of a set of lungs on her. And she’s a brat.”
Eden gasped. “I am not a brat.”
“She might be a brat,” Zeke acknowledged. “But no one touches her.”
“You’ve claimed her?” Reyes asked casually.
“Yes,” Zeke replied. He wasn’t sure it was the wisest thing to do, to let Reyes know how much she meant to him when he didn’t know what the other man wanted.
There was a reason Reyes had kept her here and called him. And until he knew it, he probably should have kept his feelings for her close to his chest. But Eden was his and he didn’t want any of these assholes thinking they could move in on her.
“I’m sorry, you claim me? Did I just step back in time? Is it the eighteen hundreds now?” Eden asked sarcastically.
Leaning down, he clasped hold of her chin. Then he kissed her. He licked along her lips, felt the moment she let her body override her brain. She opened her mouth and the kiss turned from sweet to possessive. When he pulled back, she stared up at him, her breath coming faster. Her caramel-colored eyes were wide, and he could see her pulse fluttering in her neck.
Her mouth had parted slightly. His cock strained against his jeans uncomfortably and he tried to focus himself.
Think of something else. Something other than her soft lips, her sweet taste, her delicious scent.
The arousal quickly faded and anger filled her eyes. He leaned over her, his hands resting on the arms of her chair.
“Quiet, Eden. You’re safe now. I’m not letting anything happen to you. Even though you’re in a world of trouble for coming here tonight. Alone.” He gave her a stern look, secretly enjoying the way her eyes flared with anger. It seemed he had a special ability when it came to Eden. He could piss her off quicker than anyone else he knew. Even quicker than Clint, which was saying something since that man made an artform at fucking people off.
He straightened.
Reyes leaned forward. “Now that we’ve got that crap out of the way, let’s get down to business, huh?”
“B-business? What business?” Eden asked. Her hands were pressed together. To hide their shaking? From nerves or excitement? He thought it was probably a bit of both. “We don’t have any business with you. I still don’t understand why you’ve kept me here or why you called Zeke.” She waved at Zeke. “He just works for my brother.”
His jaw clenched a
t her dismissive words. “I don’t just work for your brother, princess, and you know it.”
He caught the way her eyes flared. Shared memories filled her eyes before she ducked her head away.
“You’d rather I call your brother?” Reyes snapped.
“What? No!” Eden stared at the leader of the Iron Shadows. “Why do you have to call anyone? I’m a grown woman. You can deal straight with me. I understand all the big words, you know.”
Reyes eyes narrowed at her. “Watch the way you speak to me, little girl.”
Zeke stepped forward, drawing the other man’s attention. “Watch the way you speak to her, Reyes. You just heard me claim her.”
“How come she was alone tonight then?” Reyes asked. “Woman like her, coming into a bar like this with no back-up. Fucking foolish. She’s lucky Ink saw her first.”
“Thought you said you didn’t hurt women,” Eden spat out. “And what do you mean, a woman like me? Cause I’m in a wheelchair? That’s what you mean?”
“No, I mean because you haven’t got the common sense that God gave a fly,” Reyes said. “You need to be back in the nursery, under constant watch with a hand applied firmly and regularly to your butt until you learn some manners and self-preservation. Little girls are better seen and not heard until they learn to obey.”
Zeke was shocked. Not at his words, exactly. But that Reyes had so quickly seen what Eden tried so hard to hide. Was Reyes a Dom? A Daddy Dom? Zeke wouldn’t have pegged him with much of a nurturing side. He struck him as more of a sadist.
“I cannot b-believe you just said that,” she sputtered. “You sexist—”
“Eden,” he warned. He thought Reyes was trying to get a rise from them. And if that’s what he was after, Zeke wasn’t giving it to him. He’d spent years honing his control over himself, over his temper, and Reyes wasn’t going to push him into snapping.
The only person that could cause him to lose his temper was glaring around at everyone in the room.
Besides what he said wasn’t actually wrong in some ways. That bullshit about being seen and not heard was just that, utter crap. That wasn’t the way a relationship like theirs worked. Communication was absolutely key. And if Reyes was any sort of Dom, he’d know that. Which is why Zeke figured he was just trying to push them.
Daring Daddy (Montana Daddies Book 5) Page 7
