Waging War (The Hounds of Zeus MC, #1)

by Faith Gibson

  “Like I said – bullshit. He lied. I think it’s his sick way of being involved with all the couples. I even accused him of liking to watch.”

  Warryck coughed, and Kerrigan thought he might spit out the beer he’d just drank. After he swallowed, he was grinning. “And what did he say?”

  Kerrigan shrugged, but the memory sent a shiver across her skin. “He turned it around and asked if I like to be watched.” When Warryck narrowed his eyes, she rolled hers. “I don’t, for your information.” Unless it was by Warryck, then she wouldn’t mind.

  “That’s good to know.” Warryck winked at her, and Kerrigan tossed a wadded-up napkin at his face. Faster than should be possible, he caught it before it got close to him.

  “Wow. That was—”

  “I need to know everything about the compound. The layout. How many people are there. How many guards. Anything you can remember that will help us get in and take those bastards down. It’ll take Maveryck a while to get here since he’s riding over from Ohio, and you’ll be gone with your parents by that time.”

  Kerrigan chewed on her lip. If she left with her parents, that meant giving up Warryck, and she wasn’t ready to do that. But what choice did she have? She had just met him, so why was she ready to throw caution to the wind and stay with him? Not that he wanted her. She was probably nothing more than a job to him, or a charity case at the least. Besides that, other than the items he’d bought her, Kerrigan had nothing. All her furniture was locked away in a storage container, and she’d taken her personal items with her when she moved in with Dalton. There was no telling what he’d done with her things. She needed to go with her parents and get her life in order.

  “Yeah, okay.” Sighing, she stood from the bed and headed toward the window. Before she could take a step, a strong hand wrapped around her bicep.

  “Hey, come here.” Warryck pulled her to where she was standing between his spread legs. He slid his fingers down until they circled her wrist. “If you don’t want to talk about it right now, we can give it a rest for a bit.”

  “It’s not that. I...” Kerrigan couldn’t think with his hand on her. She wanted to... What did she want? Him. Kerrigan wanted Warryck, and that made no sense. His sapphire eyes held her as captive as his grip did. She placed her free hand on his shoulder to keep from getting any closer. She’d never been the kind to put herself out there sexually, but Warryck had her wanting to close the distance and straddle his lap. She wanted to know what his lips felt like. What he looked like without his shirt on. What he would feel like when he rolled her so she was under him on the bed, making slow, passionate love. She’d spent months with Dalton in a loveless relationship, and months at the compound with only her memories to comfort her. Was it wrong to want to live in the moment? To actually feel something? To feel alive? Because Warryck made her heart beat wildly.

  “You...? What do you want, Sweetheart?”

  Feeling braver than she’d ever been in her life, Kerrigan leaned over and pressed her lips against his mouth. If he had a wife or girlfriend, he would stop her. Then again, maybe he wouldn’t. She didn’t know him well enough to know whether or not he was a cheater. Warryck growled low in his throat before slipping a hand behind her head and pulling her closer, keeping her lips where he obviously wanted them. He released her wrist and banded a strong arm around her waist, pulling her until she was where she’d wanted to be – straddling his muscular thighs.

  When Warryck licked at her lips, she opened for him. He tasted of burger, onions, and beer. And something uniquely him. As their tongues danced together, it was passionate yet gentle. He didn’t maul her the way Dalton had. Kerrigan had never been kissed with such tenderness and longing. Tugging on her hair, Warryck angled her head so he could kiss her deeper. She wound her arms behind his head, careful of her fingertips. She wanted to dig into the muscles underneath her palms, but that would have to wait until her nails weren’t a mess.

  She couldn’t miss the erection growing longer and harder where she was pressed against his lap. Warryck nipped at her bottom lip before sucking on it. Her nipples hardened, and she pressed them to his chest, wiggling against his hard-on in the process. Warryck stood without warning and turned them, laying Kerrigan on the bed before stretching out over her, his hard cock nestled between her open legs. “I want to make you feel good, Kerrigan. We don’t have to have sex, if you’re not ready or it’s too soon. There are other things we can do.” Warryck hadn’t moved against her. His strong arms were holding him above her, waiting for her answer, and the fact that he didn’t just take what he wanted was sexy as hell.

  “I know it’s soon, but I need to feel alive. I need to know I’m really free, and I want you to do that for me.” She knew she shouldn’t want him. Should tell him no, but her body overrode her brain. If Kerrigan could only be with him until her parents arrived the next day, she didn’t want to waste time talking. She would take what she could get and carry his memory with her. “Please.”

  Warryck ground his jean-clad erection against her core as he crushed their mouths together in a much harsher kiss. Yes! That was more like it. Kerrigan was on fire, and the only relief in sight was on top of her. “Warryck, please...” She tugged at his T-shirt, and Warryck rose onto his knees, grasping behind his neck and removing the garment before tossing it to the floor. Kerrigan licked her lips as she took in his wide chest. His abs were toned, and his Adonis belt cut a perfect V, hidden partially by his jeans. She longed to trace its path with her tongue. With aching fingers, Kerrigan struggled to get the button loose, and Warryck replaced her hand with his and made quick work of undoing it then lowering the zipper.

  While he was busy removing his pants, Kerrigan slipped out of her own T-shirt. He hadn’t bought her new underwear, and the old-fashioned bra was embarrassing, so she removed it as well. When her chest lay bare before him, Warryck lowered his mouth to her neck, nuzzling and sucking at her skin. He licked a path down to one of her nipples, his beard teasing her flesh as he took the hardened bud between his teeth. Kerrigan arched her back to meet him, wrapping her leg around his thigh, begging him with her body to get closer. “I need you,” she husked, grabbing his blond hair and holding his mouth to her breast.

  Warryck pulled off, blowing cool air where his mouth had left her wet and aching. Reaching down between them, he worked to pull Kerrigan’s jeans and panties down her legs, tossing them to the side. His erection stood long and hard, the head wide and glistening. He took it in hand, giving it a few strokes, and Kerrigan wanted it in her mouth. Rolling to her side, she angled her body so she could get close enough to drag her tongue through the moisture. She’d never enjoyed giving blowjobs, but she wanted nothing more than to please him. Warryck’s dick jumped, and she grabbed hold to keep it where she wanted it.

  “Sweetheart, you don’t have to do that.” His large hand pushed her hair off her face, keeping it out of the way, so she had better access. She didn’t have to, but she wanted to. She’d never marveled at the dichotomy of something so rigid being encased in softness until now. Before, she’d wanted to get what she considered a chore over with as soon as possible, and that meant concentrating on maximum stimulation in the shortest amount of time. With Warryck, she wanted to lave and suck all night. She knew that was impossible, but it didn’t mean she wanted to rush bringing him to orgasm. She’d never had to worry about a gag reflex before, but with Warryck, he was longer than any man she’d been with, so she wrapped her hand around the base of his shaft in case he got carried away. If, by some miracle, she was to be with him for longer than this night, she could work on taking all of him then.

  “Sweetheart... Fuck... Kerrigan... Oh fucking Zeus...” Warryck was obviously enjoying himself if he was cursing a fictional Greek god. Kerrigan sucked harder, using both her mouth and her fist, gripping him tighter with each stroke. Her saliva mixed with the precum leaking from his slit made the glide smooth.

  “Fuck, that feels too good, Sweetheart. I’m gonna... Stop. Kerri
gan...” Warryck pulled away, stepping far enough back she couldn’t reach him. His chest was heaving, and there was a storm brewing in his eyes. He had a death grip on the base of his cock, staving off his impending orgasm. “Please tell me I can have you now.”

  “You can have me now.” And forever. That last thought should have scared the shit out of her. It didn’t, and that scared her more.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  War

  WARRYCK dug into his jeans for his wallet, praying to all that was holy he had a condom. No way would he take her bare. Not that he thought she wasn’t safe, but she’d been held captive for weeks, and he doubted she’d been on birth control. He already had one child he hadn’t taken care of. No way he wanted another. At least, not like this. Not in the heat of passion with a woman he didn’t know. When he found what he was looking for, he made quick work of opening the package and rolling it down his hard length, all while taking in Kerrigan’s body. She was scratched and bruised, but she was a vision, lying on her back waiting for him. Crawling onto the bed between her legs, he slid his hands from her ankles up to her knees, pushing them wider.

  The red curls between her legs were glistening, and that was enough for him to know she was ready. Warryck pushed the head of his cock between her folds, rubbing up and down through the slickness, teasing her clit. Kerrigan arched her back, her head falling to the side, exposing more of her pale neck. His Gryphon roared inside his head, encouraging him to fuck her hard. But this wasn’t just fucking; it was a coming together of mind, body and soul. Warryck knew it was too soon. It had been a long time since he’d made love, and even with Harlow, it had mostly been young hormones coming into play. This beauty spread out before him called to his soul like the sunshine after a long, dreary, winter night. He bent down, taking her mouth in a sweet kiss while he pushed all the way in until he was flush with her mound. He didn’t begin thrusting immediately, giving her time to adjust to being full.

  Kerrigan’s mouth had been heaven, and he almost waited too long to pull out of its warmth. He wanted to shoot his load down her throat. Onto her chest and her full tits. He wanted to paint her with his cum, marking her as his own. More than that, he wanted to fill her core with his seed. Not for the sake of making a child, but so she had something he’d only given one other person. He hated having the condom between them, but for now, it was necessary.

  Warryck eased out of her tight walls until only the tip of his dick remained. He pushed back in, rolling his hips so his groin pressed against her clit. If she gave him the opportunity for round two, he was going to bury his face between her legs and eat her out until she shouted his name. Pulling away from her mouth, Warryck stared into eyes the color of a field of clover, full of emotions he was sure matched his own. He didn’t want to let her go, and if he was reading her right, she wanted to stay with him. Putting that thought away for the moment, Warryck kept up a slower pace until Kerrigan’s even breathing turned into short pants.

  “Warryck, oh, god... Please... I need...” She wrapped her legs around his hips, digging her heels into the globes of his ass.

  “What do you need, Sweetheart?” Warryck wanted this to be the best orgasm of her life.

  “Faster. I need it... harder... I’m not going to break.” Kerrigan’s voice quivered as she met him thrust for thrust. “Oh, yes. I’m...” Kerrigan grabbed at his thighs then hissed. If she wasn’t so close to coming, he would stop and check on her fingers. He counted on her orgasm to help her forget the pain for a few minutes at least. Giving her what she needed, Warryck amped up his thrusts, reaching deep within while he ground his thumb against her clit. It didn’t take long before Kerrigan was panting, her legs quivering as she found her release. Warryck lost all control when her walls clamped down on his cock.

  “Fuck!” He threw his head back, squeezing his eyes and biting his lip to keep his sharp lion teeth from popping out as his balls drew up and his whole body shuddered with his own orgasm. A gentle laugh escaped his mouth as contentment wrapped around his heart. Yep, his heart. He opened his eyes to see Kerrigan smiling. He smiled back at her before releasing the grip he had on her legs and dropping down to press kisses to her nose, her forehead, her cheeks, and finally her lips. “God, you’re perfect.”

  It was Kerrigan’s turn to laugh then. “I assure you, I’m not. I mean, you’ve already heard me belch, but I’ll take your blissed-out compliment for now.”

  Gripping the condom, he eased out and rolled from the bed. “Don’t go anywhere.”

  “I don’t think I could if I wanted to.” Kerrigan tossed both hands to the pillows on either side of her head and let out a deep sigh, still grinning. Damn, she was good for his ego. And his dick.

  Warryck disposed of the condom and stopped to look at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. He was blissed-out, and it had everything to do with Kerrigan. He couldn’t remember sex being that good. Returning to the bed, he pulled the covers down on the side Kerrigan wasn’t lying on. He then strode to the other side where he picked her up and scooted her over so he would be between her and the door. He slid in and pulled her close, wrapping both arms around her. Her hair was still damp, but he didn’t care. He pushed it away from her face so he could drop kisses on her forehead and temple. It had been too long since he held someone after sex. Too long since he wanted the gentle touches and quiet reverence that went with making love and not fucking. He had no doubt he’d made love to Kerrigan, and he didn’t understand why.

  They needed to talk, but Kerrigan’s breathing evened out quickly. She’d had a rough day, so he understood her falling asleep. Warryck didn’t mind at all. It gave him the opportunity to hold her close while getting a grasp on his feelings. Or at least trying to. Being a psychologist, he had studied all about why people acted the way they did. While feelings were often blamed on the heart, emotions came from the brain, more specifically the hypothalamus. Knowing this didn’t make it easier to understand why War felt so strongly about this particular woman he’d known only a handful of hours.

  He had known love with Harlow. He had purposely married her. Planned on spending his life with her. They hadn’t planned to have a baby so soon into their relationship, but Lucy happened, and in the beginning, War welcomed impending fatherhood. Harlow hadn’t been perfect, but she had been perfect for him at the time. Had she not died, who knows if their marriage would have lasted. They would have raised Lucy together, but she still wouldn’t have wanted their child to have anything to do with his family. Warryck wondered how Kerrigan would react to a family of bikers. As stunning as she was, the woman was a little rough around the edges. She’d have to be to enjoy a job slinging drinks every night. Dalton had beaten on her, but he hadn’t beaten her. Kerrigan was strong enough to leave in the middle of the night with no money and a shitty car.

  Granted, she had been fooled into going with the man named Stanley, but if her injuries were as bad as she said, Kerrigan was probably ready to pass out and feeling like she really didn’t have a choice. Warryck couldn’t wait to get his hands on the bastard. Him, Gideon, and that Lewis fucker. He knew Mav wouldn’t go into the compound with no backup, and Warryck was determined to go with his twin and whoever else showed up to take down The Sanctuary.

  Like the last time.

  When his brothers had shown up at his graduation, War had been ready to ride off alone and figure out who tried to take Harlow. They had known, but instead of going after the cult members without him, they waited until after graduation so War could get his pound of flesh. Hayden and Kyllian had been too young, but Mav, Ryker, and several other Hounds were there waiting on him. To have his back when they took down the men who were responsible for Harlow’s injuries. If she hadn’t been a Gryphon, hadn’t fought back against her attackers, she might have been lost to him in a different way.

  It had taken more than a week to put their plan in place. That particular compound wasn’t a large one, but it was still a well-oiled machine. People like Gideon Talbert and Obadiah
Hutton, the leader of the cult who tried to take Harlow, weren’t stupid. They were smart, calculating, and they spent years perfecting a sustainable environment where they could survive while living off the grid. They surrounded themselves with like-minded individuals who thought their ideals were the only way folks should live. Men were the lawmakers, while the women silently obeyed. Children were seen and not heard, and were raised to believe what their leader taught them.

  Once they’d figured out the best way to get inside, it didn’t take long for them to find Obadiah. He’d been in the pulpit, preaching his own brand of religion. There had been a few guards scattered around the perimeter, but they were no competition for the Hounds. Whether the males preferred their eagle or their lion, they were all stealthy predators, and the humans didn’t stand a chance. Unlike Kerrigan, where she’d been tricked into going with Stanley under the guise of being taken to a doctor, Obadiah had sought Harlow himself. It was the last mistake the man ever made. Warryck had stormed into the church and dragged the man to a private room where he meted out the same injuries Harlow had sustained. When the leader of the flock begged for mercy, War had shown none. He held up a photo of his late wife and asked, “Like you showed her mercy?”

  The man’s face morphed from recognition to fear in the span of a few seconds. “That’s right, you fucker. She was my wife. The mother of my unborn child. You took her life, and now, I’m taking yours.” Warryck released his Gryphon and tore the man to pieces. The original plan had been to simply take him from the compound and dispose of him elsewhere so the members of the cult couldn’t go to the police, but War had lost his head.

  The lion was more dominant than the eagle when emotions were involved. The eagle was good for hunting from the sky. More prone to thinking things through. The lion? It was a predator, but an impulsive one. When the Gryphon came out, Warryck was still there mentally, but the beast was in control for the most part. When Harlow died and Warryck shifted, he’d barely been able to come back to his human form. He didn’t like not having control, and that had been the last time he’d allowed his inner being to fully form.