by S. Nelson
Arching a dangerous brow, he proclaimed, “Today’s our wedding day.”
Sully
Trigger must have surely put something in the shot Marek practically forced me to drink. Something so powerful it caused me to hallucinate. A thin bead of sweat broke out on my hairline, my face and body suddenly feeling very overheated. The voices around me dimmed to an almost inaudible level, the women’s movements distorted and blurred.
There was no way in hell he had just said what I thought he did.
Today is our wedding day?
Trying again to pry my hands from his, he tightened his hold once again and pulled me to him. His clenched jaw and steeled posture loomed over me with a power I’d never known before.
“Don’t fight it, Sully. There’s no way out of this, and it’s useless to try and think of one.” His scent tortured me, flicking on a light inside me I never even knew existed. Yet, he enraged me to the point that all I wanted to do was shield myself by lashing out at him. Hurt him like he was hurting me. Surely, he knew such a union was the same as signing my death warrant. He’d grown up in the same type of life I had, so he knew exactly what he was doing.
He was using me as a ploy to get back at the Savage Reapers for God knows what. But whatever it was, it must have been life-altering to be pulling a stunt like this.
Struggling with every ounce of energy I possessed, I wore myself out. And quickly. When he started walking forward, I dragged my feet and made it harder on him to move me. Or so I thought. My resistance was a mere annoyance, seeing as how he towered over me, no match for his sheer strength and will.
“No,” I cried, but Marek trudged toward someone standing in the far corner of the room. The man’s hands were clasped in front of him, an amused look on his face while he watched us approach.
“Yes,” my captor sneered, whipping his head in my direction to show me how pissed he was. “Let’s go.” He jerked me forward so harshly I swear he almost ripped my arm out of its goddamn socket. There were fleeting moments when he showed me an ounce of compassion, and I’d been a fool to think he was being nice during those times. But he wasn’t. He was playing me, just like everyone else in my life did, although he was the nicest man I’d ever encountered, which evidently wasn’t saying much.
“I can’t marry you!” I yelled, kicking my feet at the backs of his legs, struggling to dislodge his hold on me. But he was fierce, dragging me forward until we came to stand in front of the man with long gray hair, another club member who was obviously going to officiate the marriage.
Jerking his chin in the man’s direction, he bit out, “Git on with it.” Besides the fact that the bride-to-be was trying desperately to flee, everyone had a big fat smile plastered on their stupid faces. They all acted like what was transpiring was the most normal thing in the world. Then again, for all I knew, it was. Maybe they made a habit out of kidnapping other clubs’ women and marrying them the following day.
What the hell did I know, anyway?
The man before us started speaking, but stopped briefly when someone entered the room, yelling and carrying on enough to disrupt the forced arrangement.
“Shit! Did I miss it?” the VP to the club yelled. He walked toward us, his brows arched and waiting for an answer.
“Sit down, Stone,” Marek demanded. “We’re just gettin’ to it.” I saw Marek wink at his second in command, and it pissed me off even more than I already was.
The one thing I was thankful for, however, was that Stone’s unannounced interruption was the one thing which drew Marek’s attention away for a split second. Enough time to loosen his hold on me. As soon as I felt the tension leave his hands, I yanked mine free, turned around and fled.
But I didn’t get very far. Blinded by paranoia and fury, I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going and instead of running toward safety, I ran right into the strong hold of the one man who’d just allowed me the opportunity to hightail it out of there.
Smacking right into his large frame, Stone’s hands came up to hold me captive. “Whoa, sweetheart,” he mocked. “Where do you think you’re going? Don’t you know what an honor it is to marry the president of the Knights Corruption? Fuck! I don’t even think he’s ever had a girlfriend before now,” he said, looking directly over my head and straight at Marek, I was sure. Turning me around, he shoved me toward his friend, laughing at my back while I tried to find another way free.
But it was useless.
There were too many people present, blocking any plan of escape I could think of. I guessed there really was no way out of my new predicament. With drooped shoulders, I shuffled the few feet necessary to stand next to Marek, keeping my head down and away from his piercing eyes.
“Well, can we continue now?” the man presiding over our entanglement asked.
“Yes,” Marek said curtly.
I tuned out most of what he said, until he came to the part about taking each other as husband and wife. Marek’s simple answer when asked was, “Yeah.” Not ‘I do,’ or even a standard ‘Yes,’ but what did I expect? That the man was in love with me? He was simply doing it to seal my fate, as well as his club’s standing in the war between our two worlds. He didn’t give a shit about me or what I wanted or needed; I was just a piece of property to him, just like I’d been to Vex and my father.
When it was my turn to respond, I picked my head up, looked Marek square in the eyes and said very loudly, “Hell no.” I was hoping it was the loophole to get out of it, my blatant refusal a definite deal-breaker. Didn’t he need my verbal consent?
Maybe outside of club life it would be enough, but not here.
“Don’t need your agreement, darlin’,” Marek condescended. “This is happening either way.”
And it did.
He forcefully slid a ring onto my finger, and the president of our biggest enemy had just made me his wife.
Marek
The plan to marry Psych Brooks’s daughter had come to me after we’d taken her from them. Hell, I hadn’t even planned on taking her when we breached their shitty compound, nothing but a few drunken assholes guarding the gate.
At first, we thought it was too easy, thinking it was a setup and they were gonna surprise us as soon as we stepped foot onto their grounds. But there were no Reapers hiding around the corner ready to attack.
It’d been quite easy, until we knocked down the door to their clubhouse. It was there we came face to face with the soulless men of our enemy. The ones who weren’t drunk or high were extremely skilled in defending their territory, but in the end they were simply no match for me and my men.
Stone had shouted something about snatching Psych’s daughter for the ultimate payback, and I’d readily agreed. When we came to the barricaded room, we knew instinctually she was hiding in there. Over the years, we heard stories of the woman who was kept hidden from the world, her beauty unmatched to any around her. Her hype was built up so much I half-expected to see a used, life-beaten-down woman when we broke down the door.
But as soon as I laid eyes on her, crouching in the corner of the dark room, I knew instantly the rumors were true. Not being able to fully take her all in until we arrived home was torture, but I’d seen enough to sate my curiosity. She was beyond beautiful, even with all the scars and marks, the sunken look of despair in her eyes. Hell, even with the mixture of awe and disgust she threw my way whenever she saw me.
We stood in silence in front of everyone after I shoved the ring on her finger, her defiance coming full force even though it was guarded. She still wasn’t completely sure how I was gonna react to her outbursts. She’d flinch when I moved too quickly, surely from years of abuse at the hands of that psychopath, Vex. Shit, probably from her father as well.
Psych Brooks was the Devil incarnate.
Her fingers twirled the band, and I knew she was gonna try to remove it. I stopped her before she made the attempt. “Don’t even think of taking that off.” I gestured toward her ring. “You won’t like my reactio
n if you do.” I had to threaten her to do as I commanded, otherwise, things were gonna get out of hand.
Her hand dropped to her side, and she glared at me swiftly before lowering her head. I didn’t blame her for not wanting to look at me, but there was no going back now.
We were married.
And no one was gonna change it, not even her.
A silence fell over the gathering, everyone curious as to what was gonna happen next. No one had found out about the impromptu wedding until a few hours prior. There were no questions asked. They all knew better.
My word was law, and it was never to be challenged.
“Kiss her!” someone shouted a few feet away. Sully’s head jerked up and looked at me with wide eyes. Fuck! She’s beautiful. I had no idea when I gave her those clothes how alluring she would look. Her tits were flawless, and don’t get me started on that round, perfect ass of hers. It was a real shame our marriage was one of necessity, otherwise, I would have dragged her back to my room and fucked her long and hard. And each time she looked at me like she was now, I’d slam her against the wall, wrap her legs around my waist and sink inside her so fast she’d give up the breath in her lungs just to keep the connection.
I hadn’t intended on kissing her, but I didn’t let her in on the secret. I was bored, so I decided to play with her instead. Gripping her arms, I tugged her closer, licking my lips and throwing her a quick wink.
“Whatcha think, wife? Wanna give our guests a show?” She tried to pull away, her head shaking back and forth like she was having a goddamn convulsion. Her repulsion bothered me, even though I tried not to show it. My fingers dug into her soft skin and she winced. I hadn’t meant to be so rough, but I couldn’t help it. Yes, my face didn’t show my annoyance, but my body had taken another directive. My jaw ticked and the mocking look on my face quickly disappeared, replaced by something I had yet to identify.
Every woman I knew would jump at the chance to have my mouth on them. But not her. No, she was freaking out, and it was all due to the thought of being kissed by me. My plan to tease her had just turned into the ultimate goal of planting one on her right there, in front of everyone to see.
I leaned in.
She pulled back.
I leaned in again, pulling her close so she had nowhere to go. She whimpered in my hold, but I didn’t care; she was my wife now, and I would do whatever I wanted to her—within reason, of course.
I hadn’t kissed a woman in years, but my need to make her comply drove me forward.
Slowly inching my hands upward, I rested them on the sides of her face, her body going still when she realized I was gonna go in for the kill. The closer our mouths came together, the more her body relaxed, which was quite odd. I would have thought it’d be the opposite.
Her demeanor softened slightly and I actually thought I might enjoy tasting her. I was but a breath away from her delectable lips when I heard someone close by whisper, “He’s really gonna kiss her.”
Women talked. I knew they did. Although club whores weren’t allowed into the clubhouse unless a ruckus was going on, I knew their chatter spread to all the women of the club, old ladies alike. Everyone knew it was a steadfast rule of mine not to kiss. Again, no psychological reason why, I just didn’t, not with the wannabes I fucked.
“You ready?” I whispered, my lips hovering over hers. I asked the question more to myself than to her, but it didn’t really matter. As I was about to close the deal, Hawke barreled right into me, spilling his drink on the floor at my feet. He was half-drunk and already acting a fool.
Breaking the built-up tension between Sully and me, I backed up immediately and scowled at Hawke, his eyes glazed over as he mumbled an apology. He staggered away, bumping into people while he walked toward the bar to get another drink.
“Trigger!” I shouted. “Cut him off.” I glared at Hawke, the priceless look of shock on his face almost worth me not tasting Sully’s plump lips.
“Come on, Prez,” he pleaded, slumping forward because he realized he wasn’t gonna get another drop of liquor. Edana sidled up next to him, whispering something in his ear which made him smile. Taking her hand, he led her back toward his room, disappearing from sight before I could impose another punishment.
Movement in my periphery caused me to turn my head back toward Sully. She was shifting from one foot to the other, her obvious nervousness becoming quite annoying. She wouldn’t say anything, however, choosing instead to just fidget next to me.
“What’s the problem, Sully?” I growled, my patience evaporating into the air around me. The drawn look on her face almost made me correct my tone, but the fierce look in her eyes when she leered at me pushed that idiotic thought to the side.
“I want to go back to the room now.” When I didn’t answer, she added, “Please.” I realized how hard it was for her to utter the word, but it did nothing to stop me from continuing to be difficult.
Strictly because I wanted to.
Nothing more.
“No. Everyone here came to celebrate our wedding. And, as my wife, you will entertain them.” Flicking my wrist toward the crowd, I demanded, “Go mingle.”
“Mingle?” She sounded shocked. “I’m not your wife. I’m your prisoner,” she angrily huffed.
“You are my wife. Everyone here is a witness. Now, go and play nice,” I said, patting her ass and ushering her forward into the throngs of people gathered together. Catching Ryder’s attention, I motioned for him to come over. Once he’d gotten close enough, I inspected whether or not he’d been drinking. Beer was fine, but if he’d been drinking hard liquor? Forget about it. I had enough shit to worry about; I didn’t need to wrangle up a few of the brothers to watch his volatile ass.
“What’s up?” he asked.
“You been drinking?”
“It’s a celebration, isn’t it?” He smirked. “Of course I’m drinking.”
“What?”
“What . . . What?”
Frustration shot out of me. “What the hell are you drinking? Beer?”
“Yup. In fact, I’m about to get me another. Want one?” he asked, already preparing to retreat to the bar.
Grabbing hold of his arm to stop him, I laid a very important task on him. “Listen, Stone and I have to talk. I need you to watch Sully while we’re in Chambers.”
Knowing damn well he wouldn’t refuse, he rolled his eyes before agreeing. “Where did she get off to?” he huffed, peering around the room to try and locate her.
“She’s talking to Adelaide. Near the kitchen.” As I walked past, I warned him, “Don’t lose sight of her, Ryder. If anything happens to her, or if she takes off, I’m holding you personally responsible.”
“I know, I know,” he grumbled before snatching a beer from the bar and heading toward the two women engaged in conversation. Well, Adelaide was doing most of the talking, while Sully was propped against the wall with her arms folded tight across her chest.
I’m married.
I’m fucking married, and I have no idea who my wife is.
What the hell was I thinking taking it this far?
Sully
I was beyond exhausted. The day’s surprise debacle took its toll on me, and I wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and drift off into the darkness. But I would be sleeping in his bed. Again. I don’t have any other choice unless I want to sleep on the floor, which I just might consider depending on what happens when he retires for the evening.
Did he expect me to have sex with him now that we were married?
Refusing to give in to my paranoia, I focused on what Adelaide was saying. We’d been talking the majority of the day. Thankfully, she’d saved me from having to talk to everyone else. Well, besides Ryder. The man had become my shadow and butted into our conversation every now and again, especially when Adelaide complained about men. I had a feeling she was talking about one man in particular, but she kept her comments generalized so as not to give anything away.
I was still ve
ry much a stranger to these people. Actually, ‘prisoner’ was more accurate. It was as if I were living in a parallel universe. I’d been taken from my home, forced to wed my enemy, yet no one hurt me. Besides the guy who tried to kiss me in Marek’s room, no one had bothered with me. Adelaide was very sweet. Hell, Ryder was even pleasant, growing more so the more alcohol he consumed. Stone was a little rough around the edges, but even he was complacent around me. Granted, I’d only been there for a day, but a lot had transpired during that time.
A lifetime seemingly passed me by in a mere twenty-four hours.
Finding a brief reprieve in our conversation, I grabbed hold of the opportunity and ran with it. “Adelaide, do you think it would be all right if I went back to my room?” My hopeful eyes pinned hers while she contemplated my question.
“Don’t you mean Marek’s room?” Ryder chuckled. He was drunk and feeling no pain. At least he was a pleasant drunk, laughing and fully engaged, regaling us with stories of pranks he’d been a part of over the years. Leaning against the wall with one arm, his eyes took me in but he wasn’t lecherous about it. It almost seemed like he was assessing the newest member to his club, friendliness and caution meshed together to form a whole new emotion.
“Well . . . Yes. I suppose so,” I retorted, not sure if I should react defensively, coyly or shyly. I was completely out of my element but the two of them made me relax a little, the fear I’d held on to since I was abducted taking a step into the shadows. Not too far, though, because I would need to be on guard once out of their company.
I had a feeling I wasn’t out of the woods. Not by the longest stretch of the imagination. And the majority of my fear had to do with the man who ruled the KC. The man who’d succeeded in snatching me right from under my father’s nose. The man who’d forced me to join into a union with not only him but his club. The man who made me feel things I’d never experienced before, no matter how briefly they rattled my emotions.
My husband.
