by Carol Lynne
“Penny told Hog you had an issue with the drugs.” Cecil narrowed his eyes. “Is this going to become a problem?”
Oddly enough, with everything else going on, he hadn’t given a lot of thought to the hard drugs he’d seen in the club’s San Antonio headquarters. “Not unless you expect me to deal ’em, but if I’m going to keep working with the girls, I want them cut off that shit. Penny looks thinner and older than the last time I saw her. It’s just common sense to take care of our assets.”
“When the girls use, we make more because they do it with their johns,” Hog argued.
Stake hooked his thumbs in his front pocket. “Then put me on protection.”
“You’re good with the whores,” Cecil said.
“I’m good with drug-free whores. Seriously, Prez, I don’t have the stomach for it after what went down with Smash.” He looked pointedly at Cecil, letting the Prez know he knew what had really gone down the day Smash had shot the cop. It had been Cecil’s reckless driving that had caught the attention of the patrolman. With the car loaded with drugs, Cecil had panicked and reached for his gun. When the young officer had taken aim and fired a wayward shot at Cecil with his own gun, Smash had shot the cop from the passenger side of the car, saving Cecil’s life. “You want the drug business, fine, but I want nothing to do with it.”
“You’re part of this club,” Hog reminded Stake. “You do what we say.”
“No,” Stake disagreed. “I follow the majority vote, and unless there was a meeting I wasn’t informed of, there was no vote on meth and heroine.”
Hog got to his feet to face off with Stake. “You disrespectful sonofabitch.”
Stake glanced at Cecil. “Call off your guard dog before I put the old man in the ground.” At close to sixty-five, Hog talked a big game, but he was no match for Stake’s speed and strength.
“You fuckin’ punk,” Hog said, charging toward Stake.
Stake stepped to the side and connected a hard punch to Hog’s ribs. “Cecil.”
“That’s enough,” Cecil finally announced, getting to his feet to come around from behind the desk. He walked up to Stake and stared him in the eyes. “Don’t push me.”
“Or what?” Stake was tired of the bullshit. Most of the newly patched club members had no respect, and the old dogs were so fucking full of themselves that they thought they could start making up their own rules. Well, Stake didn’t sign up for that, and he’d be damned if he’d stick around if that’s the way things were going to be. “Maybe when I take Santana to the Barbeque and Blues run in Fayetteville in October, I should just stay.” The Kings had several chapters sprinkled around the southern half of the United States. Maybe getting her away from Gordon and Broken Ridge would be the best thing for them.
“Don’t start that shit,” Cecil growled.
It wasn’t the first time Stake had asked for a transfer to another chapter. Soon after Smash had been killed, he couldn’t stand to look at his uncle and had practically begged to be let loose to go somewhere else. At the time, Cecil had refused, telling Stake it would kill his mother if he moved away. Stake knew it was bullshit. The only time his mom even remembered she had a son was when she was between husbands or boyfriends and needed something fixed.
“Gordon got off. He’s gonna walk away with only a few stitches,” Stake announced, keeping one eye on Cecil and the other on Hog who was rubbing his side. “The way I see it, either Gordon needs to fucking die, or I need to get Santana the hell away from this town.” He planned to take care of Gordon regardless, but Cecil didn’t need to know that.
“The cops’ll expect you to act on Gordon, so you’d best lay your ass low for the time being,” Cecil ordered, leaning back to sit on the edge of his desk. “You continue to make weekly trips to check on the girls and stop giving them shit about the drugs, and I’ll think about a transfer between now and the Fayetteville ride.”
“Who’s going to watch Santana when I’m gone? If you think I’m leaving her alone with someone like Gordon running loose, you’re fucking crazy.” No way would Stake take Santana to check in on a bunch of whores. She might be aware that the Kings peddled pussy, but that didn’t mean he wanted her around it.
“We’ll figure something out,” Cecil replied.
“What’s going on between the two of you?” Magic asked.
“She’s mine, and that’s all you need to know.” Stake wondered if the VP’s question had anything to do with his daughter.
“She your old lady then?” Cecil asked.
Although he hadn’t discussed that sort of arrangement with Santana, Stake felt confident in his feelings. “Looks that way. Which means the Kings are done paying Gordon.”
“Easier said than done,” Hog said, still pissed over Stake’s punch.
“What if Gordon tried to rape Alma. Would you still work with him?” Stake asked.
Hog made a face. “Hell, if Gordon could pry Alma’s legs apart, he’d be doing better than me.”
Stake took a step toward the Sergeant at Arms. “It’s not a fuckin’ joke, asshole!”
“We can’t just stop paying him. Gordon knows our schedules,” Cecil argued.
Stake couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. “I thought you were all about protecting innocents.”
Cecil held up his hand. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I can’t throw away our relationship with Gordon because of the fucked up situation with Santana.”
In that moment, Stake knew he was leaving Broken Ridge with or without Cecil’s permission. He loved being part of a brotherhood, but the Broken Ridge chapter no longer felt like home. “One month,” he said, holding up a finger as he turned and left the office.
* * * *
By the time Stake walked out of the clubhouse, Santana and Tiny had managed to get somewhat reacquainted. She doubted their friendship would ever fully recover, but she was confident that she could talk to Tiny if she needed to.
“Hey,” she greeted Stake with a kiss. Although he kissed her back, she could tell something was wrong. “How’d it go?”
“Not good.” He glanced at Tiny. “Thanks for keeping an eye on my girl.”
Tiny slid off the table. “No problem.” He slapped Stake on the back. “Catch up with you two later.”
As soon as Tiny disappeared into the club, Stake sat down and pulled her onto his lap. “There’s a big gathering in Fayetteville, Arkansas in October. I want you to go with me.”
“Okay,” she agreed. “I’ve always wanted to go with you on a run.”
He kissed her temple. “Something’s been bothering me, and I keep telling myself to give you more time, but I think it’s time we talked.”
“What’s wrong?” She bit her bottom lip. Had Cecil told Stake to get rid of her? She wouldn’t put it past that creepy bastard.
He sighed. “I need to know about the drawings and the shirt.” He tipped her chin up. “I know you had a crush on me when you were younger, but was it more than that?”
Embarrassed by the question, she broke eye contact. “You’re the only man I’ve ever wanted, but until a few days ago, you couldn’t see me as a woman.”
“That’s not true.” He maneuvered her until she straddled his lap, putting the bulge in his jeans against her pussy. “I saw you about seven years ago.”
She nodded, remembering how bad it had hurt when he’d stopped to talk to Gordon and hadn’t even bothered to come over and say hi to her. “I was sunbathing.”
“Yeah, and your tits were so fucking unbelievable that I got hard on the spot,” he confessed.
“So why didn’t you make a move then? Why now?” She’d been almost eighteen with a mother who hadn’t even noticed she was alive. Even though a part of her had hated him, she still would have welcomed his attention.
“You weren’t legal, and even dead, Smash was still my best friend.”
“I never understood why you liked my dad. He was such a bastard.”
“Smash was loyal to me, your mothe
r, and the club. To you, yeah, he was a real sonofabitch for a while. I can’t tell you how many times I asked him why he was so hard on you, and he could never give me an answer.”
“Do you think he hated me?” It was a question she’d asked herself so many times. She’d never understood why he got so mad at her every time he drank. How he could hit his own flesh and blood?
“No.” He cupped her face in his hands. Tears filled his eyes, surprising the hell out of her. “I think…” He shook his head and cleared his throat. “I think he noticed you as a woman, and it filled him with so much shame that he took that anger out on you.”
The thought disgusted her, but something niggled in the back of her mind. In her early years, Smash had been somewhat kind to her. It wasn’t until after she’d started her menstrual cycle that he seemed to change the way he treated her. She couldn’t believe she’d never made the connection. Her hand flew to her mouth as she scrambled off Stake’s lap. “I think I’m gonna be sick.”
Stake was at her side in no time, wrapping an arm around her waist to steady her as he tried to hold her hair back. Her body lurched as she lost her battle to hold it in. Thoughts of her father watching her when she wasn’t aware spiraled through her head. Had she ever changed in front of him? Had he ever snuck into the bathroom while she’d taken a shower? Another round of vomit splashed to the ground as she started to cry. She’d always known her mom didn’t love her, but to find out her dad might have loved her so much he felt the need to beat her every time he got drunk and felt guilty was so fucking sick.
Stake wiped her mouth with the black bandana he usually kept folded in his back pocket. “It’s okay, lady bug. I’ve got you.” He swung her up into his arms and took off around the building to the parking lot.
She clung to Stake. “I know I should be grateful that he didn’t do anything beyond beating me, but I hate him more than I ever have.”
He set her on the back of his bike. “Are you well enough to hang on?” he asked as he buckled her helmet’s chinstrap.
“Yeah, I’m okay. Just take me home. I need a shower.” She wasn’t okay. The revelation about her father did more to screw her up than Gordon could have ever hoped to. Gordon was a pig, but her dad…
Stake climbed on the bike and directed her hands on his stomach instead of his cock. “Just for tonight.”
She closed her eyes and leaned against him as they took off.
* * * *
Once they arrived at the house, Stake gave Santana time alone in the bathroom. When he heard sobs through the bathroom door, it had taken all his strength not to barge in and wrap her in his arms.
He hadn’t known if his suspicions of Smash were right, but it was damn obvious Santana did. “Fuck.” He dragged his fingers through his hair as he paced the bedroom floor. As sick as it was, he gave his friend credit for not acting on his desires. As much as the beatings had affected Santana, rape would have destroyed her.
The door opened and she came out wearing nothing but a goddamn towel. He clenched his hands into fists in an effort to control himself. In her present state, whatever happened between them, needed to be initiated by her.
“I know you said you noticed my body that day when I was sunbathing, but did you ever see me as woman before that?” she asked, her voice still thick from the tears she’d shed.
Holy fucking Christ, how could he answer that question? Had he noticed she was growing into a gorgeous woman, hell yes. If he told her the truth, would she turn away from him? He stared at her for a long time before answering. “Yeah,” he whispered. “I definitely noticed the changes in you as you grew older.”
Her dark eyebrows drew together as she bit her bottom lip. He could tell it wasn’t the answer she’d wanted. He took several steps towards the door. Her apparent disgust was fucking killing him. “I’ll understand if you want to sleep in your room.”
It was the best he could do. He hadn’t even told her the whole truth and he’d hurt her. “I’m sorry.”
Santana dropped her towel and casually walked over to the bed. Rumpled from their earlier lovemaking, the bed looked huge as she slid her tiny body onto the mattress.
“Santana?” he asked as she pulled a sheet over her naked body.
She rolled to her side, away from him, and sighed. “I wish you would’ve loved me enough to take me away from them.”
He knew she was referring to Ellie and Smash. The statement broke his heart. He quickly undressed and joined her in bed, spooning against her back. “Had I taken you away with me, I would’ve been no different than your dad,” he confessed. He buried his face in her thick hair. “There’s a light in you that seems to shine only for me. It’s always been that way. When you were a kid, every time I’d go on the road and see something amazing, I wished you were there with me to experience it, too. I told myself it was because you were the only person who ever seemed happy to see me, and maybe it was.” He shook his head. “All I know is that I’ve loved you in one form or another since I met you.”
He blew out a ragged breath. The depth of what he’d just admitted cut him to the bone. “Once you were older, I got as close as I dared. Believe me, I thought of taking you away more than once, but I knew how you felt about me and in my heart, I knew I wouldn’t have been able to push you away.”
She reached for his hand and put it on her breast. “I’m not a little girl anymore.”
He felt her nipple harden against his palm. “No, you’re not.” Which is why he was going to take her away from the people who still possessed the power to hurt her. “I have to make a few trips into San Antonio over the next month to check on the girls.”
“The prostitutes?” she asked, her body going rigid.
“Yeah, but it’s tying up some loose ends for the club.” He gave her tit a gentle squeeze. “It’s club business, bug, it’s part of a deal I’m trying to work out with Cecil.”
“Do you fuck them?”
He moved enough to force her back to the mattress. “I’ve never fucked them.” He leaned down and took her nipple into his mouth. He sucked and licked the pebbled nub for several moments before releasing her. “I think that’s why the girls trust me so much.” He teased the nipple with the tip of his tongue. “I told you earlier, I’m yours. I’ve never said that to anyone, so you can believe I don’t take it lightly.”
“Can I go with you?”
He shook his head. “I can ask Tiny to stay with you while I’m gone. That is, if the two of you have worked through your differences?”
“We have.” She ran her fingers over his chin. “I like the stubble, but promise you won’t grow a beard again.”
He chuckled, knowing Tiny’s bushy beard had prompted the request. “You’ve made your opinion of beards quite clear, and I haven’t grown one since you told me that first time.” He grinned and threw the sheet back before moving to insinuate himself between her legs. “But…” He stared at her pink pussy and groaned. “You need to understand that a beard is softer than stubble when I’m eating your pussy.”
She gasped as he pressed his mouth against her cunt.
Chapter Six
Dressed in one of Stake’s T-shirts, Santana slid bacon and scrambled eggs onto two plates as Stake entered the kitchen. “Morning.”
He sandwiched her between him and the counter as he filled a mug with coffee. “Still sore?” he asked, grinding his erection against her.
She was, but not enough to pass up morning sex. “A little.”
He narrowed his eyes as he took a sip of coffee. “Liar.” He stepped back and sat in his chair.
It was then that she noticed the wet washcloth and bottle of lube. Was he planning to fuck her? Between the whisker burn and hours of fucking, she wasn’t sure she could handle it despite her body wanting nothing more than to feel him again. She set the plates on the table, and he promptly pulled her plate in front of his chair alongside his. He patted his lap. “Come here, bug.”
“Okay, yes, I lied. I’m sore,�
� she confessed.
He simply nodded and gestured to his lap again. “Sit,” he ordered.
With trepidation, she did as instructed, wincing when her bare ass brushed against the denim of his jeans. She blushed as she remembered him licking not only her pussy but her asshole, as well. It was mortifying to think about in the light of day, but she hadn’t been able to tell him no. The attention to her ass had been unbelievable even though it wasn’t something she’d ever considered doing with a partner.
Stake pushed her legs apart and picked up the wet washcloth. “Relax,” he whispered in her ear as he pressed the cold cloth against her sore cunt. “Those eggs look good.”
She picked up the fork and speared several of the fluffy yellow mounds before holding it to his lips. “Is that your subtle way of asking me to feed you?”
He ran his free hand up under her shirt to squeeze her breast. “My hands are full.”
She leaned against his chest as she followed the eggs with a slice of bacon. The cool cloth on her pussy felt fantastic, but his attention to her tits was making her wet. “I could get used to this.”
“I’m counting on it.” He removed the cloth from her raw skin and fit it under her ass before reaching for the lube. “This’ll help, too.” He poured lube onto his fingers as she continued to feed him. “You should be fine tonight, but keep applying lube to the chafed areas today.” He smeared the lube on the outside of her pussy lips before separating them to take care of her most intimate parts. When he zeroed in on her clit, her entire body jerked.
“Oh, fuck,” she panted, dropping the fork onto the table.
With another deep chuckle, he continued to pluck and rub her clit as her body bucked against him. “Push the dishes to the other side of the table.”
She looked up at him. “What’re you going to do?”
“Your delicate pussy isn’t the only thing that’s sore, is it?” he asked.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. He was going to touch her ass again. She didn’t move right away, and he scowled. “I thought you enjoyed what I did last night?”
