by Sam Crescent
“Here, yes. Come.” He wrapped an arm around her waist. “Organize the meet.”
He led Hannah out of the building.
“I feel I should be back at the office.”
“And why would you feel like that?” he asked, helping her into the car. He loved buckling her in.
“Because I’m supposed to be helping, and right now I feel like I’m hindering. You don’t have to worry about me.”
“No need to worry.”
He climbed behind the wheel, and joined the traffic.
“Can I ask you a question?” She turned toward him.
“You can ask me anything.”
“Chase, the bartender back at Dirty, he was saying some things.”
He gripped the steering wheel tighter. “What kinds of things?”
“He said something about your reputation, and it made me wonder. Have I missed something? You have a reputation? What for? I didn’t get it.”
“Before I became a businessman, I didn’t come from very good people. My mom, she tried, don’t get me wrong. My dad was a deadbeat. An addict. He didn’t have time for the woman he married or the brat he helped to conceive.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. Before I was even a teenager, I’d get into a lot of fights. I had a lot of anger. I was entered into fights. To win meant money. As I got older, I started to earn a lot of money. In time, that money helped me set up what you see now.”
“You won every single fight?”
“Yes. You see, Hannah, I don’t lose. I never allow myself to doubt for even a second that I’ll lose. I win, it’s as simple as that.”
“And if you do lose?”
“I don’t lose. I don’t have time to lose.”
He navigated the streets, growing increasingly impatient with other drivers who constantly stopped and started or didn’t have a fucking clue where they were going.
“So, your reputation is that of being a fighter?”
“A winning fighter.” It wasn’t lies. It was just part of the truth. Part of the legacy he’d created. If people didn’t know who he was now, the Street King, they knew of his undefeated reputation.
“Did you love fighting?”
“It helped to calm the rage inside me. I wanted to hurt people, and fighting gave me somewhere to fight, to hurt. It’s what I needed.”
“Do you still fight?” she asked.
“No.” It wasn’t a total lie. He didn’t fight within a ring. The only beatings he dished out were to those who deserved them.
There was never any innocence within the ring. That was taken long before anyone entered.
“Do you miss it?”
He had to think about her question. Before each fight, he’d feel the monster building within him. He’d remember the sight of his mother, dead from an overdose even though she wasn’t an addict. He’d see his father, and the hatred he felt for that son of a bitch, knew no limits. He’d attack his opponents, but the real person he’d been fighting was his father.
“No. I don’t miss it. It was another time.”
Killing his father hadn’t helped ease the monster within. If anything, it had made him hungry. His old man got away too lightly, and it had pissed him off that he had no restraint. It took him a lot longer to finally ease the pain that he’d experienced.
Meeting Hannah had filled him with a new sense of purpose.
She had no idea that he was in love with her and had been for a long time. She was the first person that made him believe in love, in happiness, in the good of others.
Even when she’d been alone and all those fuckers at school hadn’t turned up for her birthday, she’d accepted it, and instead talked with him. A stranger who the night before had massacred an entire MC.
“At least now you know that you’re someone to aspire to. You started off fighting and worked your way up to be a well-respected businessman.” She reached over, taking his hand.
She didn’t know the truth. That he was about to force Chase, the bartender who nearly told her the truth, into a fighting ring. How he was going to make him fight his way to survival. Or that he was hunting Lawrence and when he finally got his hands on the man, he intended to put all of his skills into practice to make sure he lived long enough to feel all the pain and wish for death.
He wasn’t a good man.
Never claimed to be.
His lies were all to help Hannah adapt.
Pulling up into the spot outside of Sin, he turned off the ignition. He’d never doubted his decisions before.
When he started this, he only saw one goal, Hannah as his wife. No, that was too basic. Hannah belonging to him, completely devoted. He’d not considered anything else.
He worked hard to make sure she had an easy life while he let her live out her college dream. Manipulating her life behind the scenes where she didn’t even know him.
Now though, what if she found out?
He shook his head. He wouldn’t let that happen.
“I can’t go on a vacation,” he said.
She smiled, tilting her head back. He cupped her cheek, running his thumb across her flesh.
“You’re a busy, hard-working man.”
“I’ve got a late-night meeting Friday. Rome is going to keep you company,” he said.
“I can stay home alone, you know. I’m not going to do anything crazy.” She frowned.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Why didn’t you tell me you’d sent Emily out to buy another building or to look at potential buildings for investment or another nightclub? She said one of those things, but I can’t remember which one.”
When he called Emily, he’d ordered her to tell Hannah something, whatever was required to stop her worrying. It wasn’t like she could have told her that she was in rehab because her ex-boss had drugged her.
Your lies are going to push her away.
“It completely slipped my mind. I organized this weeks ago, and seeing as Emily was the only one available, it seemed like a pretty good deal.”
“She’s not been working for you that long.”
“Her work has impressed me so far. I’m all about helping my employees advance and not to keep them contained unless absolutely necessary.”
She sighed.
He wanted to know what was going on inside her head.
“I better go in.” She opened the car door, and he grabbed her hand, pulling her in close. He kissed her lips, letting her know without a shadow of a doubt who she belonged to.
That sigh she had on her lips seconds ago was soon replaced with a moan. At the start of the kiss, she’d been cold toward him. As he licked across her lips and she opened up, he’d felt her soften.
“Think about me all day.”
“You’re not coming up?” she asked.
“I’ll be up in a minute.”
He watched her go into the safety of his office.
Climbing out of his car, he released a whistle. He didn’t go into his building, and he rounded the back, moving slowly.
He caught sight of the guy with the camera just before he kissed Hannah. There was no way he’d reject her or push her aside.
Kissing her had been a mistake, especially out in public.
The man he was sneaking up on was staring down at his camera.
West heard the small beep as he turned to a new picture. Whoever had hired this guy had used a fucking amateur.
When he was close, he grabbed the man and slammed him up against the brick wall. Before he could react, he had a hand around the man’s throat, the camera on the ground as he squeezed tightly.
“I don’t take kindly to having my privacy invaded.” He pulled him off the wall only to slam him again. The brick and his body stopped the man’s escape. The man’s head hit it with a thud but he didn’t care. “Who do you work for?” He released his hold to give the man time to speak.
“I don’t know.”
“Wrong answer.”
He rammed his fist into
the guy’s gut. While he was on the ground panting for breath, he picked up the camera and saw the photos of Hannah and himself. He didn’t like the look on his face. Anyone who looked at them would see that he was in love with her. This picture in the wrong hands could prove his undoing.
Taking Hannah away from him would be a big mistake.
“Who ordered this?” he asked.
“Please. I don’t know. I just got the call. I was asked to follow her.”
This was going to take a lot more than a morning interrogation.
Annoyed, he slammed his first into the man’s face, knocking him clean out.
Pulling out his cell phone, he dialed Cage.
“I need you to come and collect a body for me. While you’re at it, see if you can find out who sent the order to follow me.”
Chapter Nine
That night, West was waiting for Hannah to finish work. He leaned against the car, and Hannah stared at the vehicle, seeing it was a different one than this morning.
“You like changing cars often?”
“I’ve got a few I like to make an impression with.”
He’d not come back into work, and while she knew it wasn’t her place to ask, her curiosity was getting the better of her. West was fast becoming a mystery. Between his rearranging dates and vacations to his disappearances and just everything in between.
“What’s going on?”
“I’m taking you somewhere.”
“I’m not going home.”
“No. I think it’s time I showed you my apartment.” He held the door of his car open.
Everything was moving so fast for her. One moment he was just a guy in a bar. Now he was … what? Her boyfriend? Lover?
She didn’t know what any of this meant anymore, let alone what her place was in the scheme of things.
Being alone at work, going through numbers and figures, gave her time to think. Between graduation, Lawrence, the new job, sex, and everything in between, she didn’t know what the hell to do.
Just this morning it had been a whirlwind of emotions and now she found herself grounded.
“I think I should go home,” she said.
“Please, Hannah. Don’t withdraw from me now. I know it’s not easy dating me. I’ve got a lot of commitments. I don’t want to keep letting you down.”
“You’re not letting me down. Honestly, you’re not. I just, I need some time. That’s all. We’re going really fast, and there are times I don’t even think I know you. We barely know each other.”
“The best way to do this is to find out by being around each other. I promised to show you my place. Let me do this, and if you’re not happy, I’ll take you back home.”
She tilted her head to the side, watching him.
She hated feeling like a bitch to him, but what else was she supposed to do? In all seriousness right now.
He blew hot all the time.
The cold wasn’t even there. Whenever she was with him, she felt surrounded by him.
“Fine.” She climbed into the car, and he buckled in her seatbelt. “How come you didn’t come in for work?”
“Something came up. Cage hit a snag, and I had to deal with a few problems. It’s nothing I couldn’t handle.”
“Are you used to constantly being dragged away from what you wanted to do for the day?” she asked.
“That’s life, right?”
“Yeah, it is.”
She pushed some hair off her face and stared out of the window.
That nervous feeling had returned, and she didn’t get it.
How could being with one man make her feel so happy and so scared at the same time?
“You know. The stuff that West Gallo is known for. His reputation precedes him. You do realize the kind of guy you’re involved with?”
Chase’s words rang in her head.
She couldn’t shake them.
They were there, like a constant reminder that she was missing something.
Staring out of the window, she tried to make sense of what she actually knew about West Gallo.
He owned several businesses that included a waffle house and at least two nightclubs that she’d seen with her own two eyes. He was a businessman. He came from a family with fucked up parents. One died of an overdose, and the other she wasn’t sure of. He’d been one hell of a fighter. No losses throughout his career. The money he earned from fighting had helped to fund his current business ventures. She loved the way he kissed. The touch of his hands all over her body. Stroking her in ways that brought her pleasure at every turn. The feel of his cock. The taste of the forbidden.
Pressing her thighs together at the memories, she looked over at him.
He was staring straight ahead, not paying any attention to her.
She knew quite a bit about him, but again, not anything deep or meaningful.
What was she hoping to find?
The drive to his apartment seemed to go so slow. Rubbing at her head, she tried to think of a million and one different reasons as to why she shouldn’t be anywhere near West Gallo.
There were none.
He’d not given her any reason to think that she was in danger.
The complete opposite, actually.
When he pulled into the private parking for his building, and he climbed out of the car, she was relieved to finally be doing something other than thinking.
Her mind was driving her crazy, thinking of all the endless possibilities about West. She needed to think of the reality. She was a woman he met in the bar, and he was also her boss.
Simple as that.
“I know you’re not happy with me right now, and I hope to make it up to you.”
“You don’t have to worry about anything,” she said. “I’m sorry for sniping at you earlier. I’m just … I’m going crazy with all the changes. I’m good. Honestly. Ignore me.”
He pulled her into his arms and smiled. “You’re not going crazy or anything.” He pressed a kiss to her lips. “We had sex last night. How are you feeling?”
“Do you mean sore?”
“Yes.”
“I’m a little sore.” She looked around the parking lot. “I would really prefer it if we didn’t have this conversation here.”
She already felt her cheeks heating at the thought of someone overhearing them.
“Come on.”
He took her hand, leading her out of the parking lot to his apartment block. He gave a nod at the man behind the main desk, and she blew out a breath.
She was actually going to a guy’s apartment.
How weird that she was twenty-three years old and hadn’t been inside a guy’s place before.
During college she’d been so busy with school work that spending prolonged time with men didn’t appeal. Besides, the dates she went on didn’t exactly go to plan.
Far from it.
The doors opened up and they stepped inside, enclosing them within the small confines of the elevator.
Staring at his reflection, she couldn’t help but admire the sheer maleness of him. The jacket he wore was open, spread out across his chest.
To her, it looked like nothing could keep him at bay. Everything stood at attention, demanding respect.
The doors opened, and she followed him to his door. He released her hand, typing in the keycode, and then she was inside his space.
He flicked on the light, and she licked her dry lips.
His apartment was huge.
“Not bad for a kid that had nothing growing up.”
She stepped into his apartment, aware of her small heels clicking across the floor, echoing around the room.
Everywhere she looked spoke of luxury, wealth, hard work.
Spinning around to look at him, she smiled. “You must be very proud.”
“It feels a lot better like this.” He put his keys into a small dish.
She watched as he removed his jacket, the expanse of his shoulders catching her eye. He was so much larger than her size eig
hteen frame.
“Have you ever gone for something you knew you couldn’t have?” she asked.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because there’s nothing in this world that doesn’t have a price. That I can’t get by some means or another.”
He stepped closer to her, and she held onto her bag. Her nipples grew tight as she watched him. What was it about this man that called to her?
Less than an hour ago, she felt she needed space, and now she wanted nothing more than to be in his arms.
“Take off your clothes,” he said.
He began to open the buttons of his shirt, revealing his inked chest and large, muscular arms.
The shirt fell to the floor, and she watched it go.
She wanted to reach out and touch him.
Only, she put her hand to the button of her jacket.
Opening it up, she stared into his eyes as she removed her clothes. Piece by piece, they dropped to the floor.
West stood before her naked first. His cock was already hard as he wrapped his fingers around the length. As he ran his hands up and down, she watched him play with himself, tease his cock.
She liked to watch.
Even as she was naked, her hands clenched into fists at her side, she kept her gaze on him.
Biting her bottom lip, she stared up his body, wondering for the first time if he’d experienced many broken bones in his time.
With her gaze on his, the blue of his eyes captured her once again like they did that first time.
“Come here.”
Like a lost little lamb, she moved toward her wolf.
She took each step slowly, torturing them both, prolonging that pleasure she knew would explode between them.
She stopped when his cock grazed her stomach, leaving a small patch of pre-cum where he touched.
“Am I close enough?” she asked, looking up at him.
West cupped her face, one of his thumbs running across her bottom lip. “I found your secret stash of books, Hannah.”
Her eyes grew wide.
“The dark ones. I read a few pages of them, and it made me wonder, do you read them because you want the same? Or do you read them because they disgust you?”
“They were private,” she said.
He leaned in close, his lips going to her ear. “When you let me inside your pussy, you left all privacy behind. There’s nothing about you, Hannah, that I don’t want to know.” He nipped at her ear before doing the same to her pulse. Little bites down her body until he reached her tits. “Are you going to tell me the truth or lie to me?”
