by Joanna Wylde
“He’s cute,” I said, flushing because the answer was so stupid. “I’m shallow, all right? And he’s fun. I never thought there was any potential for a future there, but that’s not what I’m looking for. I just wanted someone to hang out with. And…okay, this part is really embarrassing.”
I shot another look at him. Shade waited patiently. No pressure. I felt myself relaxing more.
“I thought he was sexy on his bike,” I admitted. “He asked me out and we had fun. I started hanging around with his riding club a lot, and I liked them, too. That’s how I got the job at the Pit.”
“You know he’s cheating on you, right?” Shade asked casually. My stomach clenched, although I didn’t know why. I’d suspected it already, and considering the guy had tried to trade me for a motorcycle, it wasn’t like I had any illusions that he was a keeper.
“Let’s talk about something else.”
“Sure,” Shade said. “You’re new to the area. How’d you end up in Violetta?”
“How do you know I’m new?” I asked, startled.
“Because I made it my business to know,” he replied. “Hand me the bottle.”
I stepped over to the dresser and grabbed it, walking hesitantly toward the bed. I expected him to take it but he held out his glass instead. Pouring carefully, I gave him a refill.
“You can sit down,” he said, glancing toward the empty space beside him. “If I was going to pull something, I would’ve by now.”
“You sure you aren’t just trying to get me drunk so I’ll have sex with you?” I asked. Then I gave myself a mental kick, because that’s the kind of thing you think, not the kind of thing you say. Shade burst out laughing and for once the sound wasn’t mocking.
“Of course I’m trying to get you drunk,” he said. “I want to fuck you—this isn’t a secret. But I’m also not a fuckin’ rapist—think we covered that already—so all you have to do is say no and you’ll be fine. In the meantime, you might as well take a break, because I’m not getting up and you’re gonna get tired of standing eventually.”
I was tired, actually, and my feet hurt. They always did after a shift at the bar. The bed looked comfortable enough and mostly clean. Not only that, Shade genuinely wasn’t putting any moves on me. He seemed to be relaxed and enjoying his drink.
“Okay,” I said, expecting him to scoot over and make room.
“You wanna climb over me or use those legs of yours to walk around to the other side?” he asked, sounding amused. “I’m not moving my ass just so you can steal the warm spot.”
“You sure aren’t…”
Shade’s mouth quirked. “Aren’t what?”
“Aren’t trying very hard to get me into bed,” I said. A giggle broke free and I felt my cheeks warm. Shade shrugged.
“We covered this. Now you sitting your ass down or not? I want another drink, so hand that bottle over.”
“You’re full of shit!” I said, waving my hand grandly. My drink sloshed and I licked the side of the cup, because this whiskey was way too good to waste even a single drop. “Wonder Woman is better than Batman. She’s got real power, not just fancy toys. Although she has those, too, which means anything Batman can do, she can do better.”
“Nope,” Shade said, shaking his head seriously. “She’s hot, I’ll give her that, but he’d take her in a fair fight.”
I held up a hand for him to wait as I polished off my booze.
“No way. She’s a goddess of war and she’s one of the best hand-to-hand fighters in history. She’s got an invisible jet, for God’s sake. How can you compete with that? All he has is a bunch of money and the stupid Batmobile.”
“Hand over the cup,” Shade said, narrowing his eyes.
“Why?” I asked, narrowing mine right back. I was good and drunk now, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to be done for the night.
“Demonstration,” he replied. “C’mon. Or are you chicken?”
“What are we, kindergartners?”
“You’re the one insisting Wonder Woman can take Batman,” he replied. “Chicken.”
Then he leaned toward me, raising a single finger to poke me in the center of my chest. Not copping a feel or anything remotely sexual, either. This was pure taunt. I handed him the cup and he tossed it on the floor, nearly falling off the bed in the process. I smirked—guess I wasn’t the only drunk one. Then he started listing to the side and I lunged for him, grabbing his shirt to keep him from going over.
Shade caught my arm, using the momentum to pull me onto his body with sudden force. My hands hit his chest and I raised my head to stare at him, stunned.
“What the hell are you doing?” I asked. Shade wrapped his arms around my waist, holding me tight to his body.
“Demonstrating.”
I frowned, trying to figure it out, and then he rolled over, pinning me with his body. One of his knees came down between my thighs, spreading my legs. My hands were trapped tight against his chest, our faces inches apart. My head spun from the booze and as he grinned at me, I realized I’d made a very serious mistake.
Shade was nowhere near as drunk as me.
Not even close.
“Batman will always win,” he said, giving me that same predatory look that’d scared the crap out of me earlier. It still scared me a little, but it was exciting, too. I could smell him, all leather and whiskey and pure sex. There was something about being held down like this…like I could just relax and let it happen, without having to take responsibility for it.
Shut the fuck up, Mandy. You think Wonder Woman would settle for this?
She really wouldn’t.
“You should let me go,” I told Shade, my voice firm.
“Admit that Batman would beat Wonder Woman and I will,” he said, his voice penetrating the fog clogging my mind. “He’s stronger and he can hold his liquor better. It’s basic physics. Throw in some chemistry with all that body mass and Wonder Woman doesn’t have a chance.”
“Fuck you,” I whispered, mesmerized. There were tingles rushing through me and my head was spinning. All I could see were his eyes, dark and pulsing with something that had absolutely nothing to do with the relative fighting strengths of superheroes.
“You can fuck me any time you want, baby,” he said. The words were low, grating with a need so intense I clenched my thighs. Stop this. Stop it right now or you’ll let him do it. I lunged toward him with my teeth and he laughed, pinning me with his hips, his cock rock hard against my stomach.
“You can’t win,” Shade taunted. “I’m stronger than you.”
“I thought this was about superheroes,” I managed to say, shoving at his chest. He reached between us, grabbing my wrists and pinning them over my head one at a time, until both were held tight in one strong hand.
“What are we, in kindergarten?” he asked, repeating my own words mockingly. Then he ground his hips into mine. The weight of his body pulled down the neck of my shirt and I knew all sorts of cleavage was on display.
You can use this, my inner Wonder Woman whispered. Take back control. Do it for me and Hippolyta and all the other Amazons. Teach him a lesson. I wished I could but he had a point with the whole physics thing.
I’ve never even owned a magic lasso, I told her mournfully.
The sexy bastard causing all my trouble stayed silent, waiting me out.
“One kiss,” I said finally, glaring. Shade smiled.
“One kiss in exchange for what?”
“Letting me go.”
“I can just take a kiss and keep you here,” he said. “New deal. One kiss and you admit Wonder Woman would lose. Then I’ll let you go.”
“Absolutely not. No kiss, no admission,” I countered. “In exchange, you let me go and I won’t press charges for assault.”
Shade burst out laughing. “Pretty ballsy for someone stuck in the middle of a Reapers’ clubhouse without a cell phone or a ride home.”
He made a good point.
Think about what I’d do in this
situation, Wonder Woman said firmly. Are you really going to let this biker win? Kick his ass!
Unfortunately, my best thinking parts were all drunk, which meant that the non-thinking parts—specifically those between my legs—were taking over fast. They sort of liked the idea of Batman in charge, and Shade was already dressed in black and everything. Behave, I instructed them firmly.
“One kiss with tongue,” I countered. “I won’t give up Wonder Woman, but I won’t press charges, either.”
“One kiss with tongue,” he replied, eyes darkening. “And you sleep with me tonight. I don’t really give a fuck about Wonder Woman.”
“Sleep with you?” I hissed. “Oh, hell no. I’m not that drunk.”
“Not sex. Just sleep. Right here in this bed, with me. All night.”
“No sex.”
“No sex unless you want it,” he said, and my breath caught because I sort of did want it.
“All right,” I replied. When his head lowered toward mine I could hardly breathe, I was so excited. His last kiss had been rough, almost brutal. Now his lips were soft, nipping and nibbling at mine. I opened for him, expecting the kiss to deepen. Instead he touched the corner of my mouth, rubbing his nose alongside mine before drifting down along my jawline.
When his mouth found the spot right below my ear I nearly called bullshit, but it felt so good. Warm tingles ran through my stomach and my nipples hardened. Shade slid down a few inches, pushing my knees apart with his as he settled more firmly between my legs, my hands still held prisoner over my head. His cock pushed directly against my center. I sighed.
This was good. Really good.
Then he caught my earlobe between his lips and my head spun, a mixture of lust and booze making it almost impossible to think.
Almost.
But not quite.
This was happening, I realized. I was actually going to have sex with this man unless I did something to stop it right now because he wanted me. Bad. I wanted him, too, and despite the fact that I hadn’t officially broken up with Rebel yet, that relationship was definitely over.
Would it really be such a horrible idea to sleep with him?
He gave Rebel a $500 discount off a bike to fuck you, Wonder Woman reminded me coldly. And he thinks Batman could beat me and we both know that’s bullshit. Are you a goddess of war or not?
Shade’s tongue slid into my mouth as his hand caught the edge of my shirt, tugging it upward. My head spun because he tasted amazing. Whiskey and smoke and sex and…five hundred dollars to fuck me.
Shut it down, Wonder Woman demanded. You have sex with him tonight and you’re officially a prostitute. A cheap prostitute. You think I’d fuck Batman for anything less than ten grand?
Damn it, she was right. I twisted my head, breaking the kiss. Shade followed, trying to catch my lips. I caught his with my teeth instead, biting him hard enough to draw blood. His head jerked back and he stared down at me, panting.
“You want this as bad as I do.”
“I said one kiss. It’s over,” I insisted, wishing my voice wasn’t so breathless and eager. “Don’t make me bite you again.”
Shade closed his eyes, inhaling slowly. His cock pulsed against me and it took everything I had not to grind up against him.
“Fucking hell,” he muttered, opening his eyes again. “Jesus Christ but you’re a fucking tease.”
“I am not. The agreement was one kiss with tongue.”
Wonder Woman nodded proudly.
Shade rolled off, sitting up on the bed to face away from me, running a hand through his hair.
“I need to get the fuck outta here,” he snapped. Then he stood and made for the door.
“Wait!” I said, reality crushing down around me. I couldn’t have sex with him but that didn’t change the situation—I was alone in the Reapers’ clubhouse, completely at the club’s mercy. “Am I still safe here?”
Shade turned on me, two hundred pounds plus of pissed-off male, and I scrambled back against the wall behind the bed.
The same wall he’d punched a hole through with his bare hand.
“Yeah, you’re safe,” he said coldly. “Not gonna rape you, Mandy. Not gonna roofie you. Not gonna murder you or tie you to the bed or even fucking kiss you again unless you ask, because unlike your piece of shit boyfriend, I’m a real man and I don’t fucking abuse women. You win. I’ll give you a ride home tomorrow and you’ll never have to see me again. Happy?”
He turned away without waiting for an answer, slamming the door behind him as he left the room. This left me alone to gloat over my victory. He was right—I’d won. A full-on triumph for me and Wonder Woman. Somehow it just didn’t quite feel like one, though.
I’m also kind of lonely, she admitted.
Fucking bitch.
She could’ve mentioned that earlier.
Chapter Five
My head throbbed as I stared up at an unfamiliar ceiling.
What the hell?
A thick, muscular arm shifted under me, tucking me into a man’s torso. My head rested against him like a pillow. Too muscular to be Rebel, and he didn’t smell quite right. Not bad, just…different.
Shade.
The night came back in a rush, everything from what Rebel had done to how the big Reaper’s kiss had turned me inside out. Wonder Woman was mixed up in there somehow, but I couldn’t quite remember how. Nothing weird about that. At any rate, Shade had left after I turned him down, but not before promising that I’d be safe. And I had been. I’d sat and stewed for a while, then awarded myself another drink and passed out.
Sometime in the night, he must’ve come back.
Shouldn’t have had so much booze, I thought, blinking at the harsh sunlight. Wait. Sunlight. It was morning, which meant my sister would be headed to work soon.
I needed to get my ass home in time to watch the kids…unless it was too late already.
Shit.
There wasn’t a clock in the room, or a phone. I needed to call her ASAP and let her know I hadn’t flaked, except I sort of had flaked. Not on purpose, though.
Fucking Rebel, setting me up and then leaving me stranded here.
Something stirred against my leg, which was draped over Shade’s body. Some of his parts were less asleep than others, because that was some impressive morning wood poking my thigh. He’d promised to give me a ride in the morning.
This wasn’t the kind of ride I’d been thinking of.
Might be a good idea to find a phone before waking him up. Maybe pull myself together and figure out a plan so that my sister didn’t end up having to choose between her kids and her job. Goddamn men. None of this would’ve happened if we’d stayed single.
If there was one thing we should’ve learned by now, it was that McBride women couldn’t pick men for shit. Our mom had been married five times, and not one of them had been worth keeping. Both Hannah and I had struck out, too, although at least I hadn’t gotten left to raise three kids by myself. Not that I’d trade my little nieces for anything on earth, but still… Men hadn’t exactly been a force for good in our lives.
So. First thing—find a phone and call Hannah. Then figure out how to get home. Shade had promised me a lift, but I didn’t want to wake him up. Not yet. Not in bed with a stiffy of that magnitude.
Sliding out from under his arm very carefully, I dropped my feet to the floor and grabbed my bag. The room looked smaller in the daylight. Dingier, too. Shade might have a few things thrown around, but it obviously wasn’t a full-time home. More of a place to crash. Reminded me of my corner of the bedroom at Hannah’s place. Her ex’s parents had let her stay in the little trailer that she’d shared with Randy rent free, but there wasn’t a hell of a lot of extra room. I kept my stuff in a suitcase and slept on the couch most nights. She insisted we could share the bed, but there was almost always at least one kid in there with us. Nothing quite like three-year-old twins kicking your kidneys to keep you awake and alert all night long.
The couch
was a lot more restful.
Easing open the door, I started down the deserted hallway. There had to be a phone around here somewhere, right? Most of the doors were closed, although a couple had been left open. I glanced in one to find the two girls from the hall last night buck naked on a bed with a biker I’d never seen before.
Damn.
Those girls got around.
I reached the end of the bunkhouse and let myself out into the courtyard, which was full of debris from the party. The fire pit gave off an anemic trail of smoke. Red cups littered the ground, and toward the back I spotted three little tents. Guess they’d had company from out of town. This probably held some significance, but damned if I knew what it might be. The back door of the clubhouse was unlocked, so I let myself in and headed toward the main room, where I finally found signs of life.
Specifically, there was a girl about my age wandering around, picking up garbage and throwing it into a white plastic kitchen bag.
“Grab the broom, will you? And the dustpan. There’s a broken bottle back here,” she said without looking at me. I glanced around, wondering where the broom might be.
“Hey—who the hell are you?” asked someone else, and I looked up to find one of the guys, a younger one who didn’t have a Reaper’s vest, stepping through a side door. The girl spun around and raised her eyebrows, clearly startled.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I thought it was Samantha. She must be back in the kitchen.”
“You didn’t answer the question,” he told me, ignoring the girl. “You look familiar. Where do I know you from?”
“I’m Mandy McBride,” I said, swallowing uncomfortably. “I work at the Pit. Waitress.”
“You’re the waitress?” the girl asked, looking me over with a critical eye. “I heard all about you last night. Shade know you’re leaving?”
“Shade’s asleep,” I said. “I just need to use a phone. I’m supposed to be watching my sister’s kids this morning while she works. Do you have any idea what time it is?”
“It’s about seven,” the girl replied slowly. “And there’s a phone on the wall. But I think you should check with Shade before you do anything. He might have plans—”
