Her Journey (Her Series Book 2)

by Rachael Orman

  Before I had fully recovered from my orgasm, another loud banging sounded at the door. Sighing, I lifted Melia off me and laid her in the bed next to me, quickly pulling the covers over her. I grabbed a pair of loose shorts and slipped them on before opening the door a tiny bit.

  “What the fuck do you want?” I growled at the idiot standing there.

  “Um…Uh… Dirty was looking for you.” He stumbled through his words while I glared at him.

  “Fine. Now fuck off. Touch my door again and you are a dead man.” I shut and relocked my door. Turning around, I looked at Melia as she lay in my bed. I’d never brought a woman to my bed. I fucked them all downstairs, but something had made me bring her to my room instead of to the office. Seeing her wrapped in my sheets made me glad that I had. I walked around to the opposite side of the bed to see that her eyes were closed and she was breathing deeply.

  Fucked to sleep — now that was new even for me. I suppose that was a good thing since I know she’d been awake until her last orgasm. So relaxed she fell asleep on me. Not so bored she fell asleep.

  Brushing her hair back off her cheek, I smiled a bit before pulling on the clothes I had on earlier. I slipped quietly out of my room, locking the door behind me so hopefully she wouldn’t be disturbed.

  I went to my office figuring Dirty would be there or know to come find me there. Once I sat in my chair, I leaned over and tied up my boots that I’d just slipped on in my rush to get out of my room before the asshole started banging again.

  “Well, there you are,” Dirty said as he entered my office, shutting the door behind him.

  “Yeah. What do you want?” I asked, kicking my boots up on the corner of my desk, leaning back in my chair and crossing my arms over my chest.

  “Nothing really.” Dirty smiled, scratching his cheek as he sat in one of the chairs on the other side of my desk.

  “Nothing, but you have some douche banging on my door like the house is on fire? Bullshit.” I glared at him. He’d be pissed if I interrupted him and Ryan fucking.

  “Actually, I thought you might be looking for something of yours that I found.” Dirty grinned and it made me frown.

  “Stop fucking around and just tell me whatever the hell it is.” I ground my teeth together. I wasn’t in the mood to play the stupid games.

  “It’s leather. You almost never go anywhere without it on.” I couldn’t help rolling my eyes at Dirty; I swear he acted like he was five years old sometimes.

  “My cut. Fantastic. Where is it?” Dropping my feet to the floor, I sat forward in my chair.

  “I think the real question is, where did I find it?”

  “I swear I’m going to punch you if you don’t stop this shit. I don’t think my sister would be all that happy to see your pretty face all bruised.” I pushed up from my chair, standing over him.

  “Well, you’re lucky I got in the door before Ryan or she would’ve been banging on your door long before I sent that kid up there.” Ellis laughed and shifted so he could reach into his pocket. He threw whatever he took out onto the top of my desk. I looked down at my desk to see the frilly lace panties Melia had been wearing. Snatching them up, I shoved them in my pocket.

  “Where the fuck did you get those?” I growled at Dirty.

  “Right next to your cut. On the floor, near the door out to the garage. Funny. If I didn’t know better, I would think something interesting happened before everyone else arrived back at the house. Pretty sure none of the house whores wear cute little panties like that. And if my memory serves me right, which I’m pretty sure it does, Melia came home on your bike. So one step to another…looks like you ended up getting into a feisty little broad’s panties.” Dirty gave me that smug smile again while pushing the tips of his fingers together.

  I stomped around my desk and grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him up out of the chair. “Listen to me. This doesn’t leave this room. You tell anyone else and I’ll beat the shit out of you. I am not kidding either.” I wasn’t entirely sure where the outburst had come from, but I knew that Melia would not want people talking about us. If there was an us or whatever had happened.

  “Sure. Whatever, man. I didn’t even tell Ryan. I figured you’d want to keep that shit under wraps, just like Ryan and I did at first. I will say, you hurt her and I’m gonna have to hurt you though. Just so we’re clear. And don’t forget, you do anything to hurt those babies and you’ll have not just me, but Ryan to answer to.” Dirty looked unfazed by my actions. I let him go and returned to my chair. I wasn’t about to tell him Ryan had told me to bang Melia. Sometimes conversations were best kept private.

  “I’m not going to hurt her. I don’t even know what the hell happened. One minute we were fighting, the next, shit got crazy.” I groaned and ran my hand through my hair. “Half the time I can’t stand her, the other half my dick is trying to claw its way out of my pants to get at her.”

  “Well, you could just try to fuck her out of your system. Use a ball gag or something so she doesn’t talk.” Dirty barked out a laugh and slapped his thigh. “Just kidding. That’d be fucked up. She might be up to just fucking on the side. You know, crazy pregnancy hormones or whatever.”

  “Yeah, I don’t know. I guess we’ll see what happens when she wakes up in my bed.” I stood up again. “Speaking of, I should go back upstairs now that you’re done bothering me. I thought it was something serious you needed.”

  “Oh, it could’ve been very serious if Ryan had found them. I think she wouldn’t care about anyone else, but she knows your past and I don’t think she’d be cool with you banging the woman carrying her kids.” Dirty shrugged and pulled out my cut from behind his back. “But then, I guess that’s something you’ll have to deal with on your own.”

  “I don’t give a fuck what she says. That is one part of my life my sister has no say in. She just thinks she rules this place.” I slipped on my cut and opened the door, waving an arm, telling Dirty to leave before me. When he was out of my office, I locked the door and returned to my room.

  I twisted the knob to my door to find it was unlocked. My temper instantly flaired at who dared to enter my room, but as soon as I looked around it felt like I’d had a bucket of ice water tossed on me. Melia was gone. She’d made the bed and disappeared on me.

  It probably looked like I had disappeared on her; I hadn’t thought to leave a note or anything. Fuck, it’s not like I’m used to trying to be nice to a woman. A failure yet again.

  Frustrated, I punched the wall, leaving a hole in it. I walked over to my bed and threw myself backwards on it. The smell of our recent fucking surrounded me, the distinct scent that was Melia filled my lungs and for the first time in a long time, I was pissed that I didn’t know what to do about a woman. The last woman I had tried to impress ended up breaking my heart. Was I ready to go through that again? No. I didn’t think I ever would be.

  ~Melia~

  Waking up in Wrench’s bed had surprised me. I hadn’t meant to fall asleep. After a quick look around the room, I found I was thankfully alone. Slipping from the bed, I pulled my dress over my head and ran across the hall to my room. I locked the door and hurried into my bathroom, locking that door as well before leaning against it. Letting my legs slide out from under me, I sat on the floor. My head fell backwards, banging against the door as I closed my eyes. Hormones. They had to be the cause. I would never fuck a man like Wrench. I wouldn’t. He was too rough and hard. Although if I stopped freaking out for a moment, I would remember just how careful he’d been with me. Even though he’d fucked hard and deep, he’d never even gotten close to hurting me or being rougher than I wanted at the time. Those thoughts only made my mind whirl faster and turn back to the ‘What did I do?’ variety.

  When my butt became numb from the hard floor, I figured I’d probably hidden in the bathroom long enough. Wrench wouldn’t come crashing through both doors anyway. It was more for my sanity than my safety. I had to stay away from the man for the rest of my stay. It
was almost over, surely I could do it. If he didn’t incite anger and snippy comments, he bred an inferno of lust in my body. Either way, not good. I didn’t want a man in my life. I didn’t want to be a fuck-buddy either, which was more likely what Wrench would expect. Chucking my dress in the corner of the bathroom, I hopped in the shower to wash away the heady scent that reminded me of the way Wrench had held me close while fucking me. There was something almost comforting in his strength, in the way his large, rough hands caressed my tender skin while he bit down on his swollen bottom lip that made me wish that he’d stayed with me in his bed. It didn’t matter though — he hadn’t. I don’t know what had made him leave and I didn’t want to know. It was a mistake. A mistake that felt incredible, but still a mistake.

  I spent the following week in my bed. I let Ryan and Ellis in, but I didn’t leave for any reason. They were more than happy to bring me food and help me with anything else I needed. I was being a coward, I knew it. I was a grown woman, I could control myself, but I found it easier to avoid temptation all together.

  When finally my next doctor appointment rolled around, I packed up all of my clothes and set my bag next to the door for Ellis to take downstairs for me. After a quick shower, I pulled my hair back into a messy bun and dressed in maternity shorts and a blouse Ryan had gotten me. As I was brushing my teeth, a knock sounded on my door. Padding across the room with my toothbrush in my mouth, I opened the door to find Wrench in a finely-tailored suit. I froze, one hand on the door, one hand on my toothbrush in my mouth.

  “I’m here for your bag. Ellis and Ryan are running late, so they asked me to get your stuff in the car,” Wrench said, standing with his legs shoulder-width apart. I continued to stare. I had to give it to him, he looked spectacular in a suit, with the aura of danger that naturally rolled off him. My panties grew damp even though my mind was telling my mouth to move, to say something.

  Instead, I stepped back and pointed my toothbrush to the bag before heading back to the bathroom to finish brushing. When I came out of the bathroom, my bag was gone, as was Wrench. Breathing a sigh of relief, I shoved my toothbrush in my purse along with the other last-minute items I’d kept out of my bag. One last look around the room and I was ready to go. I walked out, leaving the door open a crack behind me. Thankfully, Ryan and Ellis were exiting their room at the same time. No awkward conversations would happen with them around.

  I spotted Wrench in the kitchen, drinking water, leaning against the counter when we made our way to the garage. He was watching me. He’d been waiting for me to come down. Again, I sighed thankful to have avoided him. I felt his hungry eyes rake over my body, setting every inch of my skin on fire with one look. Ryan called out to me and it was then I realized I was no longer following them, but caught in Wrench’s gaze. He took one step toward me and I quickly caught up to Ryan.

  The doctor appointment went perfectly. Everything was looking good. The placenta had moved up and out of the way, meaning I was no longer on bed rest and I could resume a normal routine. It was both good news and bad at the same time. I had grown used to living at the compound with everyone around; there was alwasy someone to talk to or cook for. On the other hand, I was excited to get back to my life. My photography business was waiting, but I had used the last week to make many contacts and set up a few appointments with potential new clients.

  Ryan and Ellis dropped me off at my apartment and helped me get settled in again before heading on their way, Ryan promising to stop by the next day.

  Standing in the middle of my apartment, I slowly turned around taking it all in. It felt so empty. I reminded myself again that it was a good thing. Empty meant quiet which meant no disturbances.

  After unpacking my bag, I sat at the computer to make sure I was ready for my upcoming appointments. It didn’t take long for me to sigh and look around the apartment again. In the few short weeks I’d been gone, I had grown used to all the noises of the house and the men. Guess I would have to adjust to being alone again.

  It was four weeks before I couldn’t put Ryan off any more. She had stopped by my apartment every day, if not multiple times a day, since I moved out. There was going to be a party at the compound and she wanted me to come. It was the party they had moved when they’d gotten into the gun fight and lost a man. Since everyone had fully recovered, they were throwing one to celebrate Hammer’s life .

  Since I was going to have to show up at the house, you bet I was going to dress as sexy as I could even with this huge belly. No matter how much I had tried, I just couldn’t get Wrench off my mind, I couldn’t. The man plagued my thoughts every waking minute. As grateful as I had been to avoid him when I moved out, I wished that I had taken the time and had the uncomfortable conversation. It might have settled some of the curiosity in my head about what Wrench was thinking.

  Thankfully, I was now into my second trimester and the morning sickness was gone. Just in time, too. I had so many clients lined up from the last month of promoting my company. The only time I’d gotten him off my mind had been when I was with clients, so I booked photo shoots as much as I physically could.

  Slipping on a lacy pair of boy-cut panties, I looked at myself in the mirror. There was no longer any doubt about my belly being a pregnant belly. Even with my breasts growing a full cup size, my belly stuck out farther than they did already. It made me nervous to think just how much bigger the babies were going to get, and therefore how much bigger my stomach would get. At my appointment earlier in the week, we’d found out that at our next appointment we would be able to find out what gender the babies were, which was exciting. It would also signify the halfway point of the pregnancy.

  After blow-drying my hair, I spent time curling it and putting on make-up before slipping on a loose, flowing dress that fell past my knees, with an empire waist making my belly stand out. It had a boat neck that showed off some skin, while not showing too much. A pair of ballet flats finished off the outfit and I was out the door.

  Pulling up to the drive, I tried to calm my racing heart. There were so many bikes parked and many of their owners walking around. Ryan said she would meet me at the door or to call her. At the time I hadn’t understood why I would need to call her, it’s not like I hadn’t been to the house before, but seeing all the men I finally got it. I parked on the street instead of trying to drive through the bikes lining either side of the drive. A quick text let Ryan know that I had arrived and was waiting for her to come get me.

  I had gotten much more comfortable with the men that were around the house a lot, but many of the ones I saw didn’t look familiar. It didn’t take Ryan more than a few minutes to make her way out to me. She helped me out of the car with a hand. I was already starting to need help doing things — well, I appreciated help since it was getting harder every day with a hard round belly in my way.

  “Welcome to the party. I hope you’re ready for all the craziness!” Ryan laughed, looping an arm through mine as we walked up the driveway. “It’s not too bad yet, but they’re just getting started.”

  “Great,” I said dryly. I was happy to be back around the group of people that were so much fun while at the same time I was nervous about all the new ones. Some of them looked plain scary and I didn’t want to get anywhere near them.

  Ryan laughed at me and my nerves, still tugging me along. Once we were inside, she led us to the game room. I’d never seen so many people in the house. The sound was a lot louder than normal, not to mention there were even some couples that very likely were up to things I wouldn’t normally consider okay to be doing in public. Trying to ignore them, I looked around for some familiar faces in the crowd.

  I spotted Ellis sitting at a table near a pool table. He was deep in conversation with another man I’d never met before. Thankfully, Monk was sitting next to them, watching the pool game, cheering on his favorite player. I grabbed a chair next to him while Ryan went off to find me some water.

  “Hey, little lady.” Monk turned in his chair to face me.
“Glad you could make it tonight. Ryan said she had to threaten you until you finally agreed to come.”

  “Nah, it wasn’t quite that bad.” I smiled. I’d gotten to know him fairly well when I’d stayed there. He was always the first to show up when I started cooking. Always ready to help me cook because he said that meant it would get to his mouth faster.

  “Good, ‘cause you know my feelings were hurt that you didn’t want to come spend time with us. You know, we all miss our resident chef.” Monk winked at me, making me roll my eyes.

  “I’m not a chef. I make cheap, easy and quick food. No-where near gourmet.” My chair squeaked as I turned to look around the room. Monk’s attention went back to the pool table. I felt like someone was watching me. Ryan said Wrench would be at the party, but that he normally stayed outside for the majority of them. She’d followed up by saying that I wouldn’t be allowed to go outside anyway since everyone was always smoking out there. I hadn’t told her that anything had happened between us, but that didn’t mean Wrench hadn’t. It seemed like she knew something, or she hinted at knowing something.

  Monk ran his hand through his long blond hair. It was past his shoulders, barely. He’d started to grow out a beard as well. He was getting the rough and tough, dirty look some of the scarier men around the house had. He looked at me from the corner of his eye and the edge of his lips curled before he turned again to face me. “What are you looking at?”

  “I was just thinking how much you look like a biker now.” I laughed when he gave me a surprised look.

  “You mean I didn’t look like a biker with-out the facial hair? I wish someone would’ve told me this years ago.” He slapped my back as he barked out a laugh. “Girl, you are too cute.”

  “I’m not cute. I’m sexy, thank you very much. I’m not a girl anymore. See this?” I pointed at my belly. “This is a good sign that it’s been a long time since I was a girl.”