by Sophia Gray
“Yeah?” Me and Spike answered at the same time.
“That’s blood poisoning. He needs a hospital and a real doctor right away.”
“No.” Javier shook his head.
“You will die; do you understand that? Die if you don’t go. I can’t fix this, the infection is too far gone, it’s in the blood stream and it will travel to your heart. The IV will help a little, but it’s not strong enough.” She looked to me with a plea for help.
“Javier, you—”
“I said no.” He sent a glare at me. “Look, I know you’re doing your thing, helping me, but I’m not going to a hospital. If this don’t work, then too bad for me.” His voice was strangled by the end and his face looked a bit paler.
Beth sighed. “Fine.” She plucked off her gloves with a snap and began rolling up the used packages into a paper towel. Tossing it all in the trash can, she looked back over to JC. “Spike, can you drive me back? My lunch is almost over.”
JC waited for me to give my nod before he walked around the bed toward her. “Sure, let’s get going.”
“Keep the bandages clean. There’s more on the table here if you need.” She gave Javier the last instructions before she left. At the door she paused and looked back at him, as though she wanted to say something but thought better of it.
I walked her and JC out of the house. She didn’t let me kiss her. Instead she kept a full arm’s length out of reach. “I haven’t even gotten her on my bike yet.” I looked over at JC’s bike. She was strapping on the helmet and waiting for him.
“Too bad.” He laughed. “I think it was her first time, she held on to me so damn tight she almost Heimliched my lunch.”
The image of her wrapping her arms around him made my stomach turn. “You make sure you keep her hands on your stomach, and you keep yours to your damn self.” His grin didn’t make me feel any better.
“That girl’s only got eyes for you, man.” He shook his head and headed over to the bike. I looked at his hair then—it was spiked in every which way, and freshly bleached, too.
I watched him get on the bike and her get settled behind him, wishing it was me brining her back to the hospital. I had to finish my conversation with Javier first, then I could focus on that sweet ass of mine. Watching her ride down the street behind him on that bike didn’t do much for my mood though.
Completely ignoring the assholes sitting on the porch, I stormed back into Javier’s bedroom. Tossing my ass in the chair, I got settled and waited for him to look at me before I started firing more questions at him. The room smelled of ointments and medicine now that Beth had done her doctoring. It almost covered up the stench of rot that greeted me earlier. Almost.
“What about Gray? You talk with him?” I started my questions up again.
“That crazy ass guy? Yeah. Talked with him a few weeks ago.” He paused to cough, groaning at the pain the movement caused. “Wants to pick up the business you and Jason turned your backs on.”
“You reach out to him?”
“No. He came to me.” He pointed a finger at himself and closed his eyes again. He needed to get his ass to the hospital.
“You make a deal to work with the club again?”
He sputtered a few more times, wiping away a trickle of blood that he coughed up. “No.” He took a ragged breath. “After last time, I didn’t need no biker shit again. I work on my own, have a few crews that move my shit now.”
“Javier. Your girl’s here.” The smaller of the three from the porch pushed past me and into the room.
“Let her in, fucker.” Javier waved a hand.
The scrawny kid nodded and ducked back out. I had my answers, I didn’t need to hang out.
“I’ll let you to it.” I didn’t bother trying to shake his hand. He was back to coughing and groaning. He waved me away and I headed out the door.
“Hey. Thanks for bringing your girl by. The pain’s a little less now.” He gave me a nod and rested his head back on the headboard.
“No problem.”
I passed who I assumed was his girl, a short, stocky-looking woman with dark brown hair pulled tight into a high bun. Black eyeliner penciled thick around her eyes and a deep red lipstick covered her lips. “He needs to get to a hospital.” I stopped her in the hall. “He’s going to die if he doesn’t.”
“You think I haven’t told him that?” she demanded. “He won’t listen.”
“Clean those wounds out best you can, get him some more antibiotics. One of his guys should be able to track some down or hit up a pharmacy. Maybe he’ll scrape by.”
She looked me over, appraising me to see if she could trust me or not. “Yeah. Okay. I’ll try.” She walked away, going into the bedroom. I heard more coughing and shook my head. Stupid ass crazy man. Not working with him had been the best decision Jason ever made.
Gray talked a big game about getting out of illegal runs, yet he made a meeting with Javier about his drugs? I wasn’t even surprised by his deceit. Javier turned him down, but there were other crews that may have taken him up on his offer.
Leaving the stench filled house, I hopped on my bike and headed toward home. Beth’s shift would be ending in a few hours, and I needed to swing by and swap out my bike for the car.
Chapter Fifteen
BETH
Rafe stood in the doorway of my bedroom as I slid the backing onto my earring. “What?” I looked down at my outfit. A simple black cotton dress. The only dress I owned. “Not good enough?”
“Fuck, baby, better than good.”
“Rafe, we are about to go to a funeral,” I reminded him. I’d seen that look in his eye enough times to know what it meant. He was hungry. And not for food.
“That old lady picked up Madison already.” He took a step into the room.
“Mrs. Olsen,” I corrected him, and moved further away from him. “We don’t have time.”
“Are you telling me no?” His eyebrows shot up, and his lips thinned. “How do you think I respond to you trying to deny me that sweet ass of yours?”
“You’re going to try and spank me because I said no?” I laughed, but he didn’t find it funny at all. Before I could maneuver around him, his hands were on my hips and he spun me around. His large hand pushed on my back until I was face down over my bed, my ass high in the air. He flipped the hem of my dress up and exposed my ass to him.
Not sure I wanted to fight him or not, I tried to look over my shoulder at him. He was intently gazing at my backside, while his fingers ran under the elastic of my panties. “I don’t like these.” With both hands he pulled them until they were scrunched up between my cheeks and ripped them.
“Rafe!” I gasped, and tried to get up but one hard swat to my ass had me back in position.
“I’ll buy you new ones that match the bra I’m going to buy.” I could hear the levity in his voice and no longer worried that he was going to spank me. So, when his hand landed harshly on the bottom curve of my ass, I yelped in surprise. “Fuck, your ass looks so hot when it’s pink.” He continued to reign down swats to my bare ass, spreading them out all around until my entire backside was warm.
I wiggled beneath his hand but didn’t fight to get away. The burn melted into my body, spreading like a wildfire until every nerve ending was lit with a new energy. I slid my legs apart more, and arched my back to stick my ass out further toward him. I needed him. In the most carnal ways, I needed his cock to be buried inside of me, to release some of the pressure building there.
One of his hands snaked into my hair, twisting it around his fist. “That’s it, give me your ass.” His slap landed harder. “Spread your legs apart, I want to see that wet pussy.” Moving my feet a few steps wider, I felt his fingers dip into my sex. I groaned and tried to press my forehead into the bed, but he yanked my hair back until I was looking up at the ceiling. No matter what the moment, the man had to be in full control, and I was coming to love it. It was as if my body fed off of his dominance.
The next slap
landed right on the crevice of my ass cheeks, brushing against my pussy. I jumped a bit, but he held on to me firmly as he delivered another right in the same spot. “Rafe!”
“Take it, Beth. Your pussy is drenched, you fucking love it as much as I do.” He swatted me twice more, right in the same spot. My pussy began to tingle from the slaps but I couldn’t deny that my clit wanted more attention, too.
“Please. I need you, Rafe. Please.” I reached back and tried to grab his shirt, to pull him toward me, but he slapped my hand out of the way.
“Hands behind you. Fold them on your back.”
The positioning was a bit uncomfortable. My scalp burned beneath his fist, and my shoulders were tense as I folded my hands at the small of my back like he said. “That’s a good girl.” Just as he finished his sentence, two fingers sunk into me and I cried out with relief. It wasn’t enough, not nearly as full as when his cock was inside of me, but it was enough to take a little of the edge off my need.
I pushed back against his hand, needing him to go faster, to push harder. Frustrated that he hadn’t even started to unzip his pants, I groaned. “Rafe, please! I need you!”
He laughed. His fingers were gone in the next second and he pulled me backward. I slid off the bed and onto my knees, somehow managing to keep my hands behind me. He released my hair to unbuckle his belt, and unzip his black jeans.
“Is this what you wanted?” His hand wrapped around the base of his thick cock and stroked it a few times. A small bead of moisture pooled at the tip and without thinking I leaned forward and licked it off, grinning up at him. “Open your mouth.” He growled. I parted my lips slightly. Two could play his game. “Wider.” His hand was back in my air and he tugged on it. Apparently only one could play. My lips widened and he thrust his cock into my mouth until it touched the back of my throat, making me gag.
I hadn’t been ready, but he seemed pleased with the result. “Fuck. Relax your throat.” He pulled out and I closed my mouth to swallow. “Open your mouth, don’t you close it again or you can forget about coming tonight.”
If he hadn’t shoved his cock right back into my mouth I would have argued with him, but his cock filled my mouth and pressed against my throat. I relaxed as best I could and took him deeper, running my tongue along the underside of his dick. He tasted like salt, and strength. If strength had a taste, it was him.
My hands remained behind my back as he used my mouth as his little fuck toy. Tears spilled from the sides of my eyes when he held me close to the base of his cock, taking almost all of him down my throat. Then he pulled all the way out, fisting his cock. “Suck off your spit,” he ordered, and I went about cleaning off all my saliva. I couldn’t explain it but the more animalistic he became the more my pussy clenched and begged for him to fill me.
I dragged my tongue over the head of his cock, lapping up the moisture there and sucking hard on the side of his shaft. He groaned again and pulled away, pressing his cock to my lips. I moved my eyes to look up at him without moving my head. He was grinning down at me, the creases in his cheek were easy to see when he smiled so widely. I was making him happy, and that thought, that I was on my knees and making my man happy, nearly had me coming without even his fucking touch.
“Up and over the bed, Beth. I’m going to pound you so hard you’ll forget your fucking name.” He pulled on my hair until I stood, still keeping my hands behind me. “But you’ll never forget who owns you.” He pushed me on the bed firmly. His hands were gone, and I heard him digging around his jeans pocket and ripping open a condom. “Don’t want to ruin your pretty dress.” He laughed as he rolled the rubber over his long shaft.
He didn’t get a chance to ease into me, because as soon as I felt the head of his cock press against my opening, I pushed back until he was completely inside of me. I sighed with relief.
“Greedy little thing tonight, aren’t you?” He gave my hip a slap before reaching up to my hands and gripping them in one hand. “Don’t want to disappoint.” And with that he began to do exactly as he promised. He pounded into me like a beast. Our flesh slapped together as he rammed into me over and over again.
Needing more, I lifted one leg until my knee rested on the bed. He growled with the new tightness of my pussy gripping him and I cried out from the intense sensation of him filling me. My wrists hurt under his grip, but it didn’t compare to the immense pleasure of his hardness pushing into me over and over again.
The pressure in my belly increased until I was going burst, there would be no holding it back. “Now. Rafe. Now.” I screamed and he let go of my hair to reach under me, swirling his finger around my aching clit. It was exactly the thing I needed to catapult me into oblivion.
As the waves of my orgasm smashed into me, he rode me even harder, growling as he found his release. My shoulders felt every little tug he put on my hands as he pumped into me again before stilling as he unloaded his release.
My breath wouldn’t catch up to my body as I lay on the bed, my face pressed against the covers and starting at the headboard. Would I ever get used to the amount of energy it took when he fucked me?
His fingers slowly unraveled from around my wrists and he moved them to my sides. I pressed my palms against the bed, wincing at the soreness of my shoulders with the new range of motion. “Steady.” He leaned forward and rubbed my shoulders. “Okay.” He let me go and pulled free from me, turning to the trash can to take care of the used condom.
When I stood up I glanced at the mess that was my hair in the mirror. And what little makeup I had put on was running down my face. His arms were wrapped around me before I even saw him moving and he held me to his chest. His breathing calmed and I listened to his heart beating in his chest. He seemed to need me, need our closeness at that moment. I didn’t interrupt him; it felt too good to let go yet. And a part of me knew eventually I would have to let him go.
“I need to get cleaned up if we are going to the wake,” I whispered against his leathers.
“Just a little mascara. I don’t like all that outliner shit.”
I pushed away from him, laughing. “It’s eyeliner, not outliner.” He gave my ass another slap and pointed at my dresser where a bunch of my makeup was sprawled out.
“Whatever the fuck you call it. I don’t like it.”
“I had it on before.” I shrugged.
“I know, but you’re too pretty to hide behind all that goop.” He picked up my eyeliner and tucked in his back pocket and walked out of the room. “We leave in five minutes.” I rolled my eyes at his retreating back. Did he think I would sneak some of it on when he wasn’t looking? “Eye rolls will earn you a taste of my belt.”
I shook my head and laughed. As much as that man threatened, I knew he’d never really hurt me. Not truly and never if he could prevent it. He was my protector.
The only trouble was, because of him, I needed a lot of protecting.
***
I still hadn’t ridden on Rafe’s bike with him yet. I thought we would have taken his bike to the viewing since it was for a biker, but he took one look at my dress and pointed to my car. My car that I had yet to drive.
When we pulled into the parking lot of the funeral home, at least three dozen men and women stood outside the front doors. Most in leather kuttes, others in full jackets, but all marked in some way belonging to the club. Stepping out of the car, I smoothed down the skirt of my dress and slung my purse over my shoulder. Rafe walked out the car and gripped my hand.
“You okay?” I asked him when I felt his tight grip.
“Yeah. I’m fine.” He nodded, but didn’t look at me. I walked beside him, feeling the tension increase in his body as we stepped closer to the crowd. My stomach twitched. It was the first time I would be in public on Rafe’s arm. Not only that, but it was for a wake. One of his friends had been killed. No, strike that. Two of his friends had been killed. And someone had tried to scare the shit out of us by blowing out my window.
Any one of those things was reaso
n enough to turn and run away from Rafe and his life, but instead, I increased my hold on his hand and straightened my spine. No one would intimidate me with Rafe near me. I wouldn’t lie to myself and think I was tougher than the women we passed on the way to the front doors, they looked like they could chew me up and spit me out without breaking a sweat, but I wouldn’t allow anyone to keep me from holding my head up high. For now, Rafe was mine, and I was his. For now.
I heard the sniffling of grieving women as we moved closer to the salon. The strong aroma of roses filled the hallway and became stronger as we came to the room. One man, a white-blond-haired man stepped up to Rafe, clasping him on the shoulder and shaking his hand. I pulled back, stepping behind him as the two embraced over the loss of their friend.
