by Ruby Dixon
“Gonna get my kiss first,” Locke tells him.
A kiss sounds wonderful to me. I tilt my face up, and Locke’s lips brush over mine in a gentle caress, almost like a greeting of their own.
And I feel like crying with happiness. I don’t care the reasons behind why they’re here— I’m just glad they’re here.
“My turn,” Epic says, and I turn from Locke into his arms. He grabs me, all wicked grins, and pulls me into a deep dip, forcing me to put my hands around his neck to steady my balance. “Hello, Becks. Long time no see.”
“Hi yourself,” I whisper.
Then he kisses me, and it’s not polite or sweet like Locke’s kiss; I don’t think Epic knows how to kiss a woman any other way than completely devouring…and I don’t mind one bit. I cling to him as his lips move over mine, his tongue stroking into my mouth.
“Should probably move somewhere private,” Locke murmurs as Epic kisses the breath out of me. “Starting to get a few stares.”
I pull back, panting. Of course. “Right. My roommate’s gone. Come up to my dorm?”
“You gonna get in trouble?” Epic asks.
“I don’t care,” I say firmly, and I mean it. I take each man’s arm and lead them toward my building. I’m suddenly so glad that Enid’s gone, because Locke and Epic and I can sit and talk and I don’t have to worry about my roomie giving me weird stares or asking questions.
The dorm isn’t too crowded, though we do get a few odd looks. I don’t care. I’m too happy. My lips are tingling from their kisses, and I might be squeezing their arms tight just in case they change their minds and try to get away. Not a freaking chance.
We make it back to my room and I shut the door behind us, locking it. If Enid comes back early, she’ll just have to knock. “Have a seat anywhere.”
Epic goes to my side of the room and flops down on the bed, his hands behind his head like he owns the place. To think I was crying into my pillow five minutes ago.
Locke looks less comfortable, moving around the room and peering at the few photos I have up, then glancing at my laptop. “Homework?” he asks. “This a bad time?”
“Not at all,” I say quickly, and move to shut my laptop. I push it aside and sit on top of my desk, looking at them. “Why are you here?” Oh shit, that came out wrong. “Not that I’m not happy to see you—I’m just surprised.”
“That’s us,” Epic says, relaxing. “Full of surprises.”
Locke just snorts.
The awkward silence fills the small room for a moment longer, and I decide I need to break the ice. Again. I look over at Epic. “You kept the Bieber hair?”
He scowls and rubs a hand through his hair. “Aw, man. You had to go there, Becks?”
I shrug, pretending to be more casual than I am. “I’m just a little surprised to see it.”
“Kept it because it reminded me of you…though they are giving me shit back home.” He nods at Locke. “Next time, that one goes blond.”
“Won’t be a next time,” Locke says. He leans against the wall and crosses his arms over his chest, looking menacing but casual all at once. “We took care of the guy running the stables. Not just your stable. All of them. No one’s going to be running that chain anymore.”
My eyes widen. “You did?” I feel suspiciously like crying again. “For me?”
“Hell yeah,” Epic says. “We take care of you. You’re ours.”
And that makes me wonder—does he mean ‘ours’ as in belonging to the Bedlam Butchers? Or ‘ours’ as in belonging to him and Locke? I get a sinking feeling, wondering if they drove up here just to tell me that they took care of the stables. “Is that all you came here for?”
They exchange a look.
“Not all,” Epic says slowly. He sits up.
“Oh?”
“Thought we’d ask you to be property.”
I frown in his direction, because I don’t quite understand what he just said. “Do what?”
“Property. You know, property.” Epic nervously rubs a hand over his hair again. “Fuck, maybe you don’t know.” He gives Locke a helpless look. “You wanna take it from here, buddy?”
Locke nods and gets to his feet. “When a guy gets patched, he can claim a girl as his property. Make her his old lady.”
“We have a vest for you and everything,” Epic agrees.
“Old lady?” I echo. I’ve heard the term before and it’s making my heart beat a little faster, but I need to hear it from them to be certain.
“Our woman. Kinda like getting married to both of us, ’cept there’s no preacher involved. Just club.” His cheeks seem to be flushed, and I find it adorable.
They’re asking me to marry them? Joy bursts through me, but I force myself to keep my voice light. “So then it’s not like marriage at all,” I tease. “Just me cooking and cleaning for two guys?”
They exchange a look. “Didn’t really think about cooking or cleaning,” Locke says. “But I’m sure we can divvy chores up appropriate-like.”
Both men look so serious and troubled, it takes everything I have not to laugh. I bite the inside of my cheek and appear to ponder this very seriously. “The last time we talked, you said I should go back to college and go on with my life. I’m curious what’s changed.”
“It’s us,” Epic admits. “I know we’re supposed to let you go for your own good, but fuck that. We miss you.”
“You do?”
Locke nods. “Can’t sleep at night without both of you in bed with me.”
“You’ve got Epic,” I point out. “You can just sleep with him.”
He shakes his head, his expression solemn. “Not the same without you.”
My heart squeezes, because that’s sweet, and exactly what I needed to hear. I’ve been torturing myself for the last few days with thoughts of them making out and having a grand time without me, like discovering that they don’t need a vagina along to weigh them down. “I thought what we had ‘didn’t mean anything.’ Those were your exact words.”
“Well.” They exchange a look and then Epic speaks. “That was us pussing out because we didn’t want you to feel obligated.”
“Obligated?” I repeat, astonished. “Like I would ever sleep with someone because I felt obligated?”
He shrugs, sunglasses glinting. “We didn’t know where your head was after the kidnapping and all. Didn’t want to push you.”
“I suppose that’s fair.”
“And there’s the matter of your brother,” Locke says. “Figured he’d wring our necks if we were supposed to keep you safe and ended up sleeping with you.”
Another fair point, though I’m still hurt that they chose to go with Jim instead of fighting for me. “So how has that changed?”
This time, Locke smirks. He nods at Epic.
I turn to look at Epic and see he’s taking off his sunglasses. He’s also sporting a hell of a black eye. I gasp at the sight of it. “Is that from Jim?”
Epic gives me a sheepish smile. “Told him how I felt. He wasn’t a fan.”
I look over at Locke. “What about you?”
“I ducked,” he says dryly.
“Gemini’s a little protective of you,” Epic says. “But he’s willing to abide by whatever you decide.”
“So we came here to ask you what you decide,” Locke adds.
“I see. Do I get an apology?”
Both men look confused. “Apology?”
“Yes. For basically making me feel like shit and acting like I don’t count. Like I’m nothing to you.”
“You’re everything to us,” Locke says. “We were trying to protect you.”
“From what?”
“From us,” Epic answers. “We’re not good guys. We’re not even remotely good guys. We run with a motorcycle club. That’s not the kind of lifestyle everyone wants.”
“But why don’t you let me figure out what’s right for me?” I counter. “You didn’t even give me a chance to offer my opinion. You just decided for me.”
&
nbsp; The ashamed look on Epic’s face makes me think of my sister’s comment about him being like a puppy, and I almost laugh. Almost. I do want that apology, though. So I cross my arms and wait.
Locke drops to his knees. I’m surprised at the gesture, and even more surprised when Epic drops next to him. “What are you doing?” I ask.
“Groveling at your feet,” Epic says, and puts his forehead on my shoe. “Please forgive us, Becks.”
Locke’s lips twitch, but he doesn’t bend over like Epic. Instead, he clasps his hands in front of his chest. “We’re a pair of shits, all right? But we did it because we love you and think you deserve better than us.”
“I’ll decide what I deserve,” I whisper. They love me? I want to hear that over and over again. “How do I know you won’t just override me in the future?”
“Because if you take our patch, we’re a threesome. You’re ours and we’re yours. And that means you’re Butchers property, too.”
“Basically you’re gonna be sinking to our level,” Epic says from my shoe. “But like, I’m good with that if you’re good with that.”
Locke nudges him, a frown on his face.
“And what about college?” I ask.
“You don’t have to change,” Locke says. “Other than to maybe find a bigger bed. We already talked to Gem and Dom. We can station up here for a few years, keep an eye on the scene. And then when you graduate, we’ll follow you. If it’s back to Albuquerque, great. If not, that’s fine, too.”
I have to admit, I’m a little shocked to hear that. “You’d give up the club for me?”
“It wouldn’t be giving it up,” he clarifies. “Unless that was what you wanted.”
I’m humbled. They’re willing to upend their lives to give being with me a chance? “All right,” I murmur.
Epic sits up. “As in, ‘All right, we should leave the club’?”
“No, I mean I’m willing to give this a chance with you guys.” I bite my lip. “And I could see about transferring to an Albuquerque college for the remainder of my degree, but I don’t know if I’d be able to keep my scholarship going—”
“We’ll pay for it,” Epic says quickly. “I have money.”
Locke just nods.
“Then…okay. I’ll…” I struggle to find the right word. “Patch to you?”
“You become our property. Our old lady.” Locke’s smile moves slowly across his face, and my heart gives a little flip. “And you should probably call your brother and let him know.”
“I’ll call him…later. Epic, what are you doing?” His hand is curling around my ankle and as I watch, he presses his mouth to the sliver of skin showing between my ankle and my shoe.
“Can’t help it. You’re too sexy.” His tongue drags across my skin, making me ticklish. “Been missing you for weeks now. Need to kiss every inch of you.”
I blush, because it feels incredibly intimate and yet strange, and meet Locke’s gaze. He’s watching me with an equally hungry expression, and all the laughter is sucked out of my lungs.
These men are mine now, I realize. What we have is real…and it’s time we consummate things. “I should put a sock on the door,” I tell them. “Let my roommate know not to come back in.”
“You got condoms?”
Locke’s blunt words steal the breath from my lungs, even as Epic pushes up my sweatpants cuff and begins to kiss higher. “I…no. But I’m on the pill.”
His eyes gleam with approval. “Bareback, then.”
“Fuck yeah,” Epic says, and kisses my calf. “Get these clothes off, Becks baby. I need to kiss all of you as of yesterday.”
Locke fishes a sock off of the top of the laundry basket tucked into the corner of the small room and opens the door. He slides it over the knob and then shuts the door and locks it. Then he turns and gives me the hungriest look, and I swear my toes curl.
I suddenly wish I had a bigger bed than a twin. It’s going to be a tight fit for all of us, but I don’t suppose it matters. None of this is about sleeping.
But then Locke is at my side and his hands are on my waist. He kisses me, his mouth caressing mine. His tongue plays lightly against mine, and I forget all about beds and sleeping and anything like that. I put my arms around his neck, and I lean into the kiss even as Epic tugs at my sweatpants, dragging them down my hips.
“Lift your foot,” Epic tells me, and I do. He slides the pants off of one leg and then the other, and I vaguely realize that my panties went with them, and I’m now bare from the waist down. “That’s better,” he murmurs as Locke continues to make love to my mouth, his tongue stroking gently along mine. “Been waiting forever to do this.”
And he nips at my ass.
I’m startled into breaking my kiss with Locke, who just chuckles at my reaction. Locke’s thumb skates along my jaw. “You want us to go extra slow for you tonight? Ease you into things?”
I shake my head. I feel like I’ve had nothing but foreplay and heartbreak so far. I’m half afraid that if we get interrupted again, I’ll never get to the finish line with them. “No. I want everything. Treat me like you want me, not like you’re afraid to break me.”
His hands slide over my front, cupping my breasts through my T-shirt. There’s a wicked gleam in his eyes. “Oh, we plan on that. Epic, you want her pussy first or her tits?”
I shiver at his blunt question, because it’s so very…blatant.
“Mmm, I’ll take pussy for a hundred, Alex.” Epic kisses the spot he just bit, and then moves on to nip my ass cheek a little lower. His hands slide over the fronts of my thighs and he continues to kiss and nip the rounded muscles of my bottom. One hand strokes over my still-bare pussy and rubs my folds. “We need to make her come at least once for each of us.”
“Pretty sure that won’t be a problem,” Locke says, and tugs at my T-shirt. “Let’s get you naked so I can play with those pretty tits, Becka.”
I raise my arms and he whips the shirt off over my head, then tsks at the sight of my functional, boring white bra. “First time I think I’ve seen you wear one of those.”
“Well, I didn’t think I was going to be needing to get your attention today,” I say, a slight tremor in my voice. I really want to be sexy and confident, but Epic’s mouth and hands are distracting me. I’m trembling as Epic’s fingers skim over the lips of my pussy, and my nipples harden in response. Truth be told, I didn’t expect any of this or I’d have worn sexy lingerie instead of my bland undergarments. Not that they matter, because they’re coming right off.
Locke reaches around my back and unhooks my bra, and I discard it to the floor. “Lift your hair for me, Becka,” Locke tells me. I do so, and his gaze goes to my breasts. “You should see how pretty her breasts are, Epic,” he drawls. He reaches out and brushes his knuckles over the tip of one breast, sending shivers through my body and making my nipples tighten even more.
“He’s seen them,” I reply, breathless.
“Not today he hasn’t.”
Epic’s response is to drag his fingers up and down the slick folds of my pussy, then tease my clit. “You tell me about ’em and I’ll keep fingering her.”
Locke’s hands cup my breasts, and I moan. “They’re the perfect handfuls. Sweet and heavy, but not too big, not too small. Skin’s like silk.”
“Yeah, her pussy’s like silk, too,” Epic murmurs, and circles my clit.
I nearly bend over double at how good that feels. A whimper chokes in my throat and my body tenses, clenching.
Locke moves forward again and his mouth claims mine in another expert kiss—deep, wet, and searing. He caresses one of my bare breasts as he does, thumbing the nipple and teasing it until I’m moaning into his mouth. All the while, Epic’s stroking my pussy, fingers gliding along my folds. I feel dangerously close to coming already, and I’ve barely touched them.
That has to change.
I let go of my hair and run my hands up and down Locke’s arms. He’s wearing a plain white T-shirt under his cut,
and it shows off his tanned, muscular arms amazingly well. I get even more turned on just moving my fingers over his skin, and all the while, he’s rubbing my nipple like it’s the center of his universe.
“Turn her around,” Epic murmurs as he kisses my buttock again. “Wanna lick her pussy for a bit.”
I moan.
“You heard the man,” Locke whispers against my mouth. He turns me and keeps a hand on my breast, still determined to keep teasing my nipple. Epic pushes my thighs apart slightly and buries his face between them, and I feel his tongue flash along my clit.
My knees go weak, and I lean back against Locke’s strong chest.
He grabs a handful of my hair, lifting it from my neck, and then pauses. “What’s this?”
Epic looks up, mouth wet and sultry from being on my pussy. “What?”
I’m momentarily baffled, too, until I realize what Locke is looking at. “I got a tattoo,” I say shyly. “On my neck, to cover the brand. I didn’t want it to be there for the rest of my life, so I got something to cover it.”
“It’s nice,” Locke says, his fingers stroking over my neck. “Expensive?”
“A little.” Okay, it was a lot, but once I told the girl at the tattoo parlor why I wanted to get it covered, she gave me a huge discount and a lot of sympathy. The cluster of heavily detailed roses and lilies doesn’t quite hide the raised lines of the brand, but it’s also not evident unless you lean in to look for it. More than that, it’s something I chose to represent me versus someone branding me as a slave. Funny how Locke and Epic are going to ‘claim’ me as their property, but I’m the one that’s in charge of the relationship. If I told them to leave right now, they would. If I told them I wanted to wait six months before we had sex, I’m pretty sure they’d go along with that, too.
Of course, I’m not crazy.
What I am is really, really turned on. And so when Epic stands up so he can get a good look at my tattoo, I squirm, because I want his mouth back between my legs.
“Ooh, hey, that’s pretty sweet, Becks. I like it.” I can feel Epic’s breath on my skin as he leans in and presses a kiss to the tattoo. “Feel like it’s something we should have done for you, though.” He sounds sad.
