by Alexa Riley
“Cas.” Lucias just says the one word.
“No. I’m not alright. Vincent is going to fucking kill me. I’m never going to hear the end of this. Ever.” She picks up her phone once again, typing away, not seeming to be in pain. More annoyed and agitated than anything. She actually didn’t even seem mad at me that I shot her. More pissed at herself. Or whatever this Vincent was going to do.
He walks over to her, looking down at her thigh. He pulls the bandage back to look at the wound before reapplying it, shaking his head.
“You did this?” He looks back over at me, and this time I can’t read his face at all. Holy shit, I’m standing with no freaking pants on in the middle of a motorcycle club after I shot one of their people. I pull at the bottom of my shirt, trying to make it longer.
I’m not sure if he means the bandage and stitching, or the shooting, so I just nod because, hell, I did do both.
“Someone want to tell me what happened?” He looks around the room at everybody, and it’s then I notice there are a few other men who have joined us. I go to step back, but bump into Savage, which makes me jump. Jesus, he takes up all the freaking space around here.
“What happened is Vincent is never letting me out of the house again. He already follows me around. I’m shocked he hasn’t scented my blood and isn’t here already,” Cas half-whines before dropping her head back down onto the sofa, ignoring Lucias’s question.
“Went to find Pinch. He wasn’t home, but his bitch was,” the man who had been carrying Cas and drove us here says.
I scrunch my face at his word bitch. For some reason, out of everything, that name seems to be the straw that is about to break this camel’s back. I feel the lump start to grow in my throat, but I try to hold it back by biting the inside of my cheek, hoping the pain will halt it.
I feel my body go lax, and I start to feel a little colder than before. I’m crashing. The adrenaline is leaving my body, and I clench my fist, hoping to stop the shaking that I know is going to come.
Lucias’s whole body seems to go rock solid, his hard stare landing on me. I can practically feel the anger pulsing off him in waves.
“You belong to Pinch.” The disgust is clear in his voice, and it also doesn’t sound like a question. More of an accusation. He lets out an angry huff, and his nostrils flare. “Not any more, you don’t.”
What the hell does that mean? Like, he’s going to kill me?
I feel my legs start to shake, and before I know it, Savage has me by the waist, stopping me from hitting the floor. I’m shocked he even cared enough to catch me.
I’m quickly pulled from Savage’s arms and into Lucias’s.
“I’ll be back. No one fucking go anywhere.”
“What the fuck was that?” I hear Cas say, and then a few others mumble as Lucias carries me from the room.
I have no energy to fight him. What’s the point? I just rest my head against his chest as he takes a set of stairs. It’s then I really notice we’re in some giant house.
We go up two flights of stairs until we reach the third floor. There are two doors, one at either end of the hall. One door opens, and a small blonde woman pops her head out, giving us a strange look.
“Savage is downstairs,” he tells the woman as he turns. She just nods before a half-smile pulls at her face.
At the end of the hall, he opens a door before dropping me on a bed. He stares down at me for a minute, and I feel my heartbeat pick up. I scramble for the other side of the bed, and Lucias just lifts his hand and points at me.
“Don’t even think about trying to leave.” With that, he turns, exiting through the door he just entered, and I hear a lock click into place.
4
Lucias
I stand there outside the door having just locked it. I rest my forehead against it and press both my hands to the wood, wanting desperately to go back in there.
My heart sank when they told me she was Pinch’s. How could she belong to a little shit like that? I never thought I would be the kind of man that would take a woman from another man, but it looks like that’s what’s about to happen, because no way will I be giving her back to him.
I push away from the door and head back downstairs to find out what the fuck is going on.
When I get downstairs, I see everyone is over by Casper on the couch. They step back when the see me, and I look down at her.
“What’s wrong?” I ask no one in particular.
“Vincent is on his way,” Savage murmurs, and I roll my eyes. They all act like he’s going to burn the place down. He has a temper when it comes to Casper, but he’d never do anything that would actually upset her.
“You’re all standing around like it’s a goddamn funeral. Savage, get Julie back upstairs. Scribe, get in my office. The rest of you clear out. He’s gonna be pissed as fuck when he sees Cas like this and I’d rather not make it a scene.”
The guys move away, and I look down at Cas as she sits up on the sofa.
“You realize there might be a funeral,” she says, sounding defeated.
I put my hand on her shoulder and smile down at her. “He’s gonna be pissed as fuck, Mackenzie.”
I laugh as she throws my arm off her shoulder and makes a growling sound. I love that woman like a brother, so I can’t help but poke the bear. She might be pouting about what Vincent is going to do when he gets her, but she isn’t fooling anyone. She gets off on how he acts towards her.
Turning to walk away, I see Vincent enter the club and make a beeline for Cas. I go into my office and shut the door behind Scribe and me before the shit hits the fan.
Taking my seat at my desk, I see Ham on the couch with Scribe. Knox “Scribe” Robertson and I go way back, and having him as our resident accountant/hacker is the reason for the nickname. He keeps logs of all our shit and spends about ninety percent of his time on his computer. If he’s not on his computer, he’s on his bike doing club shit. From what I hear, he’s got a long line of women chasing after him, but he’s yet to let one hold him down.
“So what the fuck happened tonight?” I ask, wanting to get the whole story.
“We went looking for Pinch. When that shit went down with the Five Aces last month, I went searching and found out that our prospect had something to do with it.”
Scribe is talking about how the Five Aces came to our territory and fucked with our shop. Only someone with inside information would have known when to hit us and where things were. They came in the rear entrance of the property and fucked up the shop pretty bad. We’ve got three other shops in town that people drive from states away to use, but it seems the Five Aces got a hold of those, too.
Whoever gave them this information could have done it for a few reasons: he was looking to make a name for himself, he owed a fuck-ton of debt, or needed a fix and this was the only way to get it.
I had construction crews on site right after the hit, but it’ll take time and cost us money, not only in repairs but in business lost. This is a bigger headache than I ever wanted to deal with, but as club President, it’s my job.
The door opens and Savage walks in, shaking his head and laughing.
“What?” Scribe and I ask at the same time.
“If I’m not mistaken, Vincent is saying he’s going to shoot himself in the leg and see how much Cas likes it. I don’t know. I walked out when she pulled her gun out and offered to do it herself.”
“So no sign of Pinch?” I say, changing the subject and getting back to the problem at hand.
“None,” Scribe says, looking down at his phone. “I can do some digging. If he pops up, you’ll be the first to know.”
I look over at Savage and we lock eyes. He’s worried about me and the girl upstairs. He knows me well enough that we don’t have to speak. We’ve been through ten tons of shit together, so he knows when something is off.
“I got it,” is all I have to say before he nods and turns to leave.
“I’m going back upstairs with shortcake
. Someone holler if you need anything.” Savage says before exciting to go get his Julie.
I turn to Scribe and clear my throat. He looks up from his phone at me and shrugs his shoulder. “Sorry, I was canceling the raid I was supposed to do tonight.”
“Like I know what that means. Go back to the doc’s house and get her some goddamn clothes. She’s gonna be here for a while. And make sure you get her glasses. She can’t see shit without them.”
He raises his eyebrow at me, but I just ignore it.
“Will do, Pres,” he says, getting off the couch. “Come on, Ham. You can ride in the sidecar.”
I bite my bottom lip to keep from smiling. Scribe had a sidecar made especially for Ham, and I hate to admit it but it may be the cutest thing in the world to see that damn bulldog wearing goggles as he rides beside him.
Ham jumps up happily and comes over to me for the okay. I scratch behind his ear, telling him he can go, and then he’s bouncing behind Scribe out of my office.
“Watch your ass,” I shout at the two of them as they exit. Scribe just throws up deuces at me. Then they’re gone.
When I exit my office, I see that Casper and Vincent are gone. I didn’t hear a gun go off, so I’m guessing they worked it out.
I’ve only got one place I want to be, but as I take the stairs to my room, each step is heavier than the last. What am I going to do with her in there?
Standing outside the door, I wait a beat before entering. How do I explain to Izzy that she’s mine?
5
Izzy
“Shit.” I close the laptop quickly and dash over to the bed when I hear sounds out in the hallway. I lie down and close my eyes, trying to calm my breathing.
“Shortcake, back in bed. You need your rest, baby,” I hear Savage say. I recognize his voice, but his tone is completely different to earlier. It’s all soft and sweet. I never would’ve thought his voice could even do soft and sweet.
“I’m fine, Abe. I’m pregnant not a child,” I hear a woman’s voice snip back at him.
“Get in bed and I’ll eat your pussy until you pass out.” My mouth falls open at his crude words, but it’s strangely hot.
“You’ll do that anyways.” I hear a growl, then a giggle, before a door closes.
I release a breath, realizing that the noise wasn’t Lucias coming back to the room—the room I’m starting to think is his. The sheets smell just like him. I huff at myself for liking the smell a little too much. This man is holding you captive, Izzy. He’s not the sweet man who brings his puppy in every other week. I wait a minute, and when I don’t hear any other sounds, I rush back over to the laptop and open it again.
The locked screen comes up once more, tormenting me. How many times can you guess a password before it locks you out? I wonder if you get locked out for a specific period of time and then you can try again, or if it locks you out permanently. I don’t want anyone to know I was trying to use it. I try his puppy’s name, but no luck. Next I try the name I’d read on the back of their leather jackets. Another bust.
I groan when that doesn’t work. Come on.
I hear another noise and dart to the bed again, closing my eyes, wanting whoever it is to think I’m asleep. I can only imagine what’s going on downstairs. The look on Lucias’s face when he said my brother’s name was filled with pure hate.
I thank God he’s actually in jail because I have a feeling if Lucias gets his hands on him, things will not go well for my brother. He might drive me crazy and I think he needs a good slap in the head, but I don’t want him hurt. He’s my brother. My twin. And I’d told my grandma I’d look after him.
I have to warn him that these people are looking for him. What are the freaking odds that the same man I was crushing after was somehow tangled up with my brother? Maybe the odds were higher than I thought. I have no idea how motorcycle clubs work, but I know Lucias is in one and I know my brother hung with them, too.
The experience I’d had with what my brother had brought to our house showed me I never want to be mixed up with something like that. It’s the reason I kept shooting Lucias down time and time again. Not to mention Lucias is way out of my league and I don’t mean in looks. I mean in life.
I can only picture what goes on in this club if half of what I’ve read in romance novels is true. I don’t ever want to know what’s happened in this very bed I’m lying in. I’m starting to think this is their clubhouse, but if I had to guess what a clubhouse looks like, this wouldn’t be it.
When I hear the door open, I stay extremely still, trying to fake sleep. I hear the door shut, and heavy footsteps move closer to the bed. When I feel fingers rub down my right cheek, it takes everything in me not to open my eyes. The smell of Lucias hits me hard, and I know it’s him. I relax knowing it’s him and not someone else.
I hear a muttered “fuck” and footsteps walking away. Then the laptop opens. Shit. Shit. Shit.
“Couldn’t guess the password, I see,” his deep voice rumbles, but it sounds like he’s smiling. I don’t answer, just keep faking my sleep. I’m not sure if he’s onto me or not, but I’m not giving myself up.
I hear more rustling movements, then feel the bed dip on the other side. Lucias pulls me to him a little, wrapping his body around mine.
Oh. My. God. He’s spooning me. I can feel my heartbeat pick up. It thumps loudly, and I wonder if only I can hear it. Or is it loud enough for him to hear it, too? His bare legs tangle with mine, making me wonder if he’s naked. He cannot be naked. I feel my body flush, and I’m sure I’ve turned bright red. I’ve never in my life been in bed with a man, unless you count when I was a kid and Dusty and I would fall asleep together watching movies.
His face comes to my neck like he’s trying to bury it there, then I feel a kiss on my neck, soft and warm. I bite my lip, just happy that he can’t see my face from this angle. The blush has to be showing. The light isn’t great in here—just a single lamp is on—but I’m sure he could see it if he looked right at me. I can feel the heat on my cheeks.
He places another kiss, then another, leading up my neck. The arm he has slung around me pulls me even closer as he continues to assault my neck. Wait. Is assault even the right word? I don’t know if I should tell him to stop or just keep faking sleep. I have a feeling he’s onto me. I don’t think much gets past Lucias.
When he makes it up to my ear, he pulls the lobe into his mouth, sucking before giving it a little bite.
“You should have guessed your name.”
6
Lucias
I feel her tense under me, but I just keep holding her tight.
“Why would you have my name as your password?”
Running my nose along the shell of her ear, I kiss her neck and breathe in her scent. “You knew I wanted you for a while now, Izzy.” She stops moving completely, and I swear you could hear a pin drop. “I didn’t think it would happen like this, though. But as long as I got you in my bed, I guess it doesn’t matter.”
“You asked me out and I said no. Is this what you do to women who turn you down?”
She’s pissed, and it makes me smile. I like how sassy she is.
“Women don’t turn me down, baby.” I laugh against her neck and give it another kiss, and I can feel the tension rolling off of her.
“Let me out of this bed. I don’t want to sleep where you’ve had a line of whores in and out of. I’m going to get a disease from lying here.”
Throwing my leg over hers, I hold her tighter and sit up a little to look down at her.
“You’re not going anywhere. Besides, I didn’t say I took women up on it. Just saying they aren’t shooting me down left and right like you did.” I feel her relax slightly, and I lean down to whisper in her ear again. “No woman has ever been in this bed, and there sure as shit hasn’t been one since the day I laid eyes on you.”
I feel her tremble under me, and I close my eyes, wishing there wasn’t anything between us.
“I know you may not be m
ine, but I’m hoping if you stay here long enough that you will be. That you’ll forget about him and choose me.” She takes in a breath and starts to say something, but I slowly snake my hand up her nightshirt, resting it on her hip. “Shhh. Don’t tell me no again, baby. Tonight I just want to lie here and hold you. I promise I won’t do too much. Just a little cuddle.”
I flex my fingers against her hip. I can feel the band of her panties there, and I’d give anything to flip her shirt up and make her show me them. But right now, I just want to sleep with her. Maybe this is all I’ll ever get. Hell, this could be the only night I ever have with her, but I’ll take just this if it means she’s in my arms.
* * *
I wake up sometime later, lying on my back with Izzy on top of me. It’s still dark outside, and the small lamp doesn’t do much to help me see her. I feel her soft body breathing evenly on top of me, and I smile as I lie there. I guess at some point I rolled over and she climbed on, or I flopped back and took her with me. Either way, she’s on top of me, and I’ll take it.
Her thighs are spread on either side of my hips, and my hard cock is straining against my boxer briefs, trying to get at her. I can feel her heat through the material, and all I can think about is sliding them down just a little and pulling her panties to the side. I want to sink into her warmth and just stay there. Not even have sex. I just want to be inside of her.
Her mouth is against my neck, and I can feel her even breaths. She makes a small noise, and I freeze, not wanting her to wake up and move off me. Reaching up, I rub her back gently and she goes back to sleep. Her body moves on top of mine just slightly, and goddamn if her pussy doesn’t rub against my cock. I grit my teeth and hold my breath, thinking if I just remain completely still everything will be okay.
