At my first full glimpse of her face, I realized she was at least several years younger than me, but I mentally shrugged. It couldn't be that big of a difference with a womanly body like that. She had puffy, pink lips that had my dick standing to attention at the thought of them wrapped around it. Her hazel eyes were surrounded by thick, blond lashes, and they were focused on me as I approached. The heat in them intensified the desire coursing through my body. When she lifted her hand and brushed some of her hair back, I breathed a sigh of relief when I didn’t spot a ring on her finger. I kept my expression neutral, but inside, I was floored at my body’s reaction to her. I hadn’t felt attraction like this in...I couldn’t even remember when. I’d been so focused on my job and raising my girl that I hadn’t had time to think about women.
I didn’t know who this sexy angel was, but as soon as I got Cat’s friend taken care of, I was going to find out and introduce her to my bed.
As I neared them, my angel fanned her face and muttered something to Cat. I didn’t hear anything past her comment about Kyle being hot. Blood rushed to my head, causing a roaring sound that drowned out the rest while my gaze tinged with red. I didn’t understand my anger at first, then it hit me. Well, shit. I was fucking jealous.
“Link,” Catt greeted when I reached them. I raised my chin in silent greeting, unable to pull my eyes away from the gorgeous stranger. “This is Harlowe Reed.”
Everything in my body froze, and I could have sworn even the world stopped spinning for a couple of heartbeats.
Son of a bitch.
This was Harlowe Reed? The twenty-year-old kid I was assigned to babysit? Fuck. I’d been lusting after a girl only a year older than my daughter. I suddenly felt like a dirty old man, especially since my body didn’t seem to give a flying fuck about our age difference. I still wanted her. Bad. Which just pissed me the hell off.
The scowl on my face matched my mood, and normally, that would be enough to have people shaking in their boots. But Harlowe didn’t seem intimidated. She smiled and winked, throwing me for a loop. “You know, all that gruffness does is make you sexier.”
I barely managed to keep my jaw from dropping. Her attitude should have made me furious, but I was too busy concentrating on not dragging her into my arms and kissing the fuck out of her.
Cat burst out laughing and threw her arm around Harlowe, then gestured to me. “Harlowe, this is Lincoln Nash, you can call him Link. Scout had to go on a run, so Link will be your shadow while you’re here.” Harlowe raised her hand and wiggled her fingers in a little wave. “I’ll have one of the guys put the Charger in an empty bay.”
My eyebrows raised, and I glanced at the blue sports car before looking back at Harlowe. “That’s your car?”
Cat beamed at Harlowe with pride and answered for her. “Yup. She and her dad restored it.”
Ah, that explained it. It was sentimental. Her dad had fixed it up, probably had her handing him wrenches or something. Harlowe thanked Cat, then her eyes caught on something over my shoulder and she smiled brightly. I tried not to be a jackass and demand that she only smile at me.
“Is this the kid you were expecting, Link?” Rider asked as he ambled up next to me. I didn’t miss his teasing tone and made a mental reminder to kick his ass later.
My eyes were still glued on Harlowe, and they narrowed when she leaned toward Cat and stage-whispered, “Is being hot a requirement to join this MC?”
A growl rumbled in my throat, and I bent to grab Harlowe's bag from the ground, then snatched her hand and started dragging her toward the clubhouse. Even though I had no intention of claiming Harlowe, I still felt like a fucking caveman. The thought caused me to slow my pace and glance back to make sure I wasn't going too fast.
Harlowe looked surprised, but she didn’t argue or try to disengage our hands. My skin was burning where we touched, and the heat was slowly spreading throughout my body. Once we reached the door, I dropped her hand and urged her to step in first so I could guide her without touching her.
“Stay away from the prospects and other patches,” I found myself telling her as I took her a roundabout way to the living quarters in order to avoid the main area in the lodge. “You need something, you come to me or Cat. Understood?”
Harlowe glanced back at me with curious eyes but nodded silently. Satisfied, I pointed at a few rooms as we passed them. “That’s my office. If I’m not in the garage or on a ride, I’m usually in there. Kitchen is through that door. You aren’t required to work around here, but I’m sure Cat would love your help, and it would give you something to do.”
We reached the stairs to the second floor, and I gestured for her to head up. “I’ll show you to your room, then I’ve got shit to do.”
I steered her to the left when we reached the landing, and we were a couple of feet from her door when I heard one of my brothers call out a greeting. Bear lifted his chin at me, but his eyes were admiring Harlowe’s curves. I punched his shoulder and growled, “Eyes to yourself, asshole.” Bear’s brow shot up, and he looked like he was going to say something, but the look on my face shut him up, and he quickly passed us with a silent nod.
Harlowe’s assigned room was across the hall from Bear’s, and as I looked around, I realized all the other rooms were occupied by single men. Without overthinking it, I put my hand on Harlowe’s lower back and turned us both around to guide her to the other side of the house.
I stopped outside a different room and fished a key out of my pocket, then unlocked the door and gave Harlowe a nudge to enter. I had no fucking clue what had possessed me to put her in my room. I just knew I wouldn’t be able to breathe until she was away from all those young, horny fuckers.
“You can stay here,” I grunted as I tossed her bag onto the unmade bed. The space was fairly tidy, but I still found myself quickly gathering up my dirty laundry and tossing it in the basket by the closet. I knew I should change the sheets on the bed, but if I couldn't be in bed with her, I wanted to know she was still sleeping surrounded by me. “Bathroom is through there, and you can hang whatever you want in the closet.”
While she wandered around checking things out, I put a few things away and grabbed clean clothes for the next day. When I came out of the bathroom after getting my shaving shit, I found Harlowe standing by the couch in the small living room area. She’d picked up the framed photo from the end table and was staring at it with an unreadable expression.
“Who is this?” she asked when she noticed my eyes on her. There was an edge to her tone that sounded a lot like jealousy, and it brought an involuntary grin to my face. Harlowe’s expression melted into one of shock as she took in my expression. She shifted and her legs squeezed together as her gaze darted everywhere but at me. Apparently, my smile turned her on, which was something I didn’t need to know because her state of arousal was making it almost impossible to ignore my own animal instincts when it came to this girl.
Clearing my throat, I tried to focus on something other than the way her nipples had hardened and were poking through her T-shirt. “My daughter, Larissa,” I grunted. Relief crept into her eyes, and I nearly groaned knowing that she was having territorial feelings over me. Before I did something reckless, I needed to get the fuck away from temptation.
“Make yourself at home, but don’t wander off alone.” Stomping toward the door, I yanked it open but then stopped before stepping into the hall. I silently called myself fifty kinds of stupid as I shrugged off my cut. Twisting my torso, I tossed it onto the bed and pierced Harlowe with a serious stare. “Wear that. It’ll tell people you’re under my protection.” And that you’re mine.
I huffed in annoyance at my weakness and marched out of the room, heading down to my office. Cat had told me she’d be showing Harlowe around and keeping an eye on her, so I buried myself in work and tried to forget about my sexy angel. I didn’t bother with a break at dinnertime either, afraid I’d give in to my hunger for something else altogether. By the time I shut off my computer and
locked up my office, it was almost midnight.
I’d worked all fucking day and had barely put a dent in the shit I needed to get done. It didn’t matter that I hadn’t seen Harlowe since I left her in my room earlier. I couldn’t stop thinking about her—and fantasizing about her mouthwatering curves. It was going to be a long fucking night, but I reminded myself it was for the best as I took the stairs two at a time. However, I didn’t head to the left and the empty room she was originally assigned to when I got to the top. I just wanted to check on her. It was my job to make sure she was safe.
There was no light under the door to my room, so I used my key to open it quietly and slipped inside. I toed off my shoes and padded over to the bed, just to make sure she was sleeping peacefully. I nearly choked at the sight of Harlowe sprawled on her stomach in my bed.
She was wearing one of my old T-shirts that had ridden up to expose her tiny white panties that barely covered her luscious ass. Her face was turned in my direction, and she looked peaceful and content. Her bee-stung lips were slightly parted, and images of sliding my dick through the opening assaulted me. I’d been hard as a fucking rock the second I saw all that creamy skin, but the salacious pictures in my head had come leaking from the tip.
I told myself to back away, to get the fuck out of the room. Then Harlowe sighed and flipped onto her back. Her big tits bounced as she got settled, and I licked my lips, wanting desperately to taste them. My eyes involuntarily scanned her from head to toe, and when they landed at the apex of her thighs, I nearly came at the dark, wet spot on her panties.
Anger rushed through me as I wondered who she was dreaming of that had gotten her that wet. I nearly lunged at her to shake her awake and demand the name so I could kill the motherfucker. Then she sighed again and whispered, “Link.”
Fuck it. I was done with staying away for her own good. I was no one’s white knight. I was a selfish asshole who took what he wanted. And I wanted Harlowe, so I was fucking keeping her.
3
Harlowe
Surrounded by Link’s scent, I wasn’t surprised that my dreams were full of the sexy biker. I didn’t understand what had caused him to switch directions and take me to his room when it had been clear that he’d been leading me to a different one, but I wasn’t going to argue about his decision. Not when sleeping in his room meant I felt closer to the man who’d drawn such a strong and unexpected response from my body.
His gruffness hadn’t done anything to dim my desire, either. Instead, it had only made me more fascinated by the man—something I hadn’t been able to hide from Cat. But she’d refused to answer any of my questions about him. She’d just grinned as she eyed the vest Link had ordered me to wear before telling me that I’d see for myself what he was like soon enough. I highly doubted she was right since the man seemed determined to hide from me even though he was supposed to be responsible for my safety. He hadn’t shown up for dinner—which I’d helped Cat make—and he hadn’t joined any of the guys at the bar before I’d headed to bed.
After taking a shower that left me smelling like Link since I’d used his shampoo and soap, I’d fallen onto his mattress in an exhausted heap. I’d briefly considered looking for him, but my drive across several states had left me with no energy. Shortly after my head hit the pillow, I fell asleep. It normally took an awful lot to wake me up, but being in a strange place under even stranger circumstances—not to mention my erotic dreams—left me more aware of my surroundings than usual. And as soon as a hard body slid into bed with me, I reacted.
All the training Huntley had insisted on kicked in. When a muscular arm started to wrap around the front of my body, I levered up on my forearm that had been tucked under the pillow beneath my head and threw my other arm backward to nail the person in their ribs with my elbow. When the hold on me loosened, I aimed a punch between their legs before rolling forward to get away. I didn’t get far, though. But the scream I’d been about to let out died in my lungs when I realized the object of my fantasies was the one who’d climbed into bed with me.
“Calm down, angel. It’s just me,” Link grunted as he flipped me onto my back and pressed me into the mattress.
“What are you doing in my bed?” I hissed, my heart still racing over the scare he’d given me.
“This is my room and my bed.” He lifted a little, his gaze running down my body as though it was his, too. And damn if it didn’t react as though he was right.
With how he’d avoided me, I probably should’ve pushed him off me or tried to nail him in the balls again—especially since he’d climbed into bed with me in nothing other than his boxer briefs. But that would’ve been like cutting off my nose to spite my face when having him this close made me feel as though my panties were going to burst into flames. “I didn’t hurt your...um”—my cheeks heated as I stumbled over which word to use and finally decided to go with being vague when a deep chuckle rumbled up his chest—“you, did I?”
“You did your best, but luckily, your aim was off by a couple of inches.” He dropped down again, his hips wedging between my thighs, and I felt the proof of exactly how okay he was as his hard length nudged my drenched core.
“Sorry,” I whispered with a shiver, trying my best not to wrap my legs around his waist and rub myself against him. “I guess striking out is a reflex when I’m startled.”
He flashed me a sexy grin. “Never would’ve guessed from looking at you that you’d have self-defense moves like that.”
“Yeah, my brother made sure I knew how to hold my own. And when he enlisted, he took it up a notch because he didn’t like the idea of not being around to protect me.” My explanation trailed off as I lost the battle to stop myself from moving. I wiggled my hips, and he sank deeper into the apex of my thighs.
“It’s good he sent you to me to keep you safe now,” Link murmured, his hands gliding up my arms and neck to cup my cheeks.
His thumb brushed across my bottom lip as I whispered, “Pretty sure he thought he was sending me to Cat and Scout, not you.”
“Maybe not,” he conceded, his blue eyes darkening with desire. “But his intentions don’t change the outcome. I’m the one protecting you, up close and personal.”
I raised my knees and squeezed his waist with my inner thighs. “You couldn’t get much closer than this.”
He rocked his hips forward. “Trust me, angel. I’m gonna get a fuck of a lot closer.”
Holy crap, his confidence was sexy. If my panties hadn’t already melted off my body, his declaration would’ve been enough to do it. I wasn’t sure how I was going to respond when my lips parted, but it didn’t matter because Link didn’t give me the chance to say anything before he lowered his mouth to mine.
He took full advantage, his tongue sweeping inside. The kiss was hard, but it wasn’t fast. While I clung to his shoulders, he turned his head to better fit our mouths together and deepened the kiss. I held on for dear life as he devoured me. Our tongues tangled, his teeth nipped at my lips, and one of his hands moved to the back of my head to tangle in my hair. With the threat of danger wiped from my brain, all my focus was on the man pressing me into the mattress. My world narrowed down to Link. His intoxicating scent. The heat radiating from his strong body. His taste. The way he touched me.
Link gave me the best first kiss in the history of the world. Nobody would ever convince me otherwise.
Even better, he didn’t stop there. My heart pounded with need as he trailed his mouth down my throat. When he pulled away, I let out a small whimper. “Hush, angel. I just need a little room to get this off your luscious body.”
His hands tugged at the bottom of the shirt I’d grabbed from his dresser and thrown on after my shower. Once I realized what he was trying to do, I lifted my upper body off the bed to make it easier for him to rip the material over my head. After he tossed the shirt on the floor, his gaze focused on my bare breasts.
“Fuck, your tits are perfect.” He lowered his head, and the scruff on his chin scraped d
eliciously across the sensitive skin of my chest before his lips wrapped around a nipple. My fingers delved into his thick hair, and I shivered when he started to suck.
“You like that?” he asked as he kissed his way across my chest to the right to give the other side the same treatment.
“Uh-huh,” I breathed, pressing my head against my pillow when I felt the tug of his lips all the way to my core.
“How about this?” he rasped as he nibbled along my rib cage. I gasped out a yes when he trailed lower and circle his tongue around my belly button.
“Definitely,” I panted.
“Good, because it’s about to get a hell of a lot better,” he rumbled, his breath a puff of hot air against the drenched fabric covering my pussy. After ripping my panties from my body, he wedged his broad shoulders between my thighs and gave my pussy one long lick up to my clit.
“So much better,” I moaned in agreement, my hips lifted instinctively as I tried to get his tongue back on the spot that would send me over the edge.
Link had other ideas, though. He gently lapped at me as he slowly worked a finger inside me up to the knuckle. “Holy fuck, you’re tight.”
It probably wasn’t the best way to deliver the news, but I found myself saying, “Aren’t all virgins?”
Link’s body froze, and then he slowly lifted his head to look at my face. “You telling me I’m the first man to get inside you?”
My cheeks heated with embarrassment as I nodded. “Yeah, I’ve never gotten past first base with anyone else. So you’re the only one who’s ever seen me without a shirt, let alone panties.”
Link’s gaze dropped down to where his finger was halfway inside me, and a muscle jumped in his jaw. “Saved that cherry for me,” he grunted. “Gonna take good care of you, angel.”
LINK: A Silver Saints MC Novella Page 2
