by Shyla Colt
“I know, but there are a lot of rules.” She raised her shoulders and gave him a small smile.
“You’re a smart girl with a good head on your shoulders. What you don’t know, you’ll figure out.”
Dani reappeared with the kids, and everything about him changed. Even in public there was a softer side to this man when his kids were involved. It gave her hope. Maybe this arrangement wouldn’t be as terrifying as she first thought.
***
Shit. Demon watched the white cut-off shorts creep up the back of Ardy’s legs as she lifted Harley into her car seat. He’d have to be dead not to notice the coke bottle shape she was rocking. Yet, it was his attraction to her gentle spirit he hated. A woman like that didn’t belong with a man like him. He was done trying to do long-term.
She backed out the car, and he licked his lips. Over the past couple of days with Harley on her hip and Rocket by her side, many had mistaken her for their mom. The thought acted like a bucket of cold water to his hard-on. All the more reason to keep this shit platonic.
“Having issues there, Demon?” a familiar female voice said.
He glanced down at the tiny thorn in his ass named Dani and scowled. “No, and it’ll stay that way as long as you keep your mouth shut.”
“What? I’m offended.” Dani placed a hand on her chest.
“No, you’re sneaky, and always trying to match-make.” Demon glowered down at her.
“I just think it’s time to get back on the horse,” Dani said.
“I’m fine as-is, Dani.” The pint-sized pixie meant well. While Dani respected him and backed his every decision, there was no underlying fear of him like some of his members held. A perk of being raised up like brother and sister.
“It’s not me you should be worried about. She’ll be living with you when we get back.” Dani patted his back. “I’m going to join her so we can head back to the hotel.” She strolled off, and Demon did his best not to go after her and wring her neck. Dani knew his type—tall, curvy, and sincere. This life had a way of hardening people. When he came home, he wanted to shed that skin and sink into something soft.
“Yo, you coming or what?” Lefty’s voice pulled him from inside his own mind.
“Yeah, man, I’m coming.” Demon turned away from the domestic display and followed his vice president back to the tent to close down shop and head to the local bar to shoot the shit.
“What was Dani on about?” Lefty said.
“Her usual mischief.” Demon shook his head.
Lefty chuckled. “She trying to push you and the newbie together?”
“That obvious?” Demon winced.
“Only to me. You have to admit, she’s your type.” Left shrugged.
“Was. I don’t have a type anymore.”
Lefty snorted. “You might not commit, but you definitely have a type.”
Demon rolled his eyes, but remained quiet as they moved to the tent and began to lock down the empty space. Taking all their things out every night was a pain in the ass, but if someone got in and stole something expensive, he’d be out for blood. Better to avoid it altogether. In a town like this, hovering on the border of poverty, one of these parts could go a long way.
“You know, she’s cute,” Lefty said.
“Dani?” Demon said. “I always knew there was a spark between the two of you.”
“That ball buster? No way in hell, I’m talking about your little house mouse, Ardy.”
Demon snorted. “We both know she’s not a house mouse.”
“Why, because you’re putting her in the role of nanny? Please, she’s living in your house until her family’s debt’s been paid. If that’s not a house mouse, I don’t know what is.”
“I don’t want this kid to get a bad label. You know?” Demon shrugged. He tried not to completely sully clean things, and this girl might as well be Snow White.
“Kid? Isn’t she twenty-three,” Lefty said.
“Yeah, in normal people years, not club life years. We both know there’s a huge difference,” Demon said as they walked toward their bikes, the last two to leave, like always.
“Hate to point it out, but you’re already protective.”
“Because she’s mine to keep safe. I’m giving her back to her parents exactly the way I took her,” Demon said, narrowing his eyes at his friend.
Lefty snickered. “Don’t be so sure there, D.” He mounted his bike, turned it on, and pulled the throttle.
Asshole. Demon laughed as he followed his example, and they pulled out of the parking lot and headed to the bar. I need to squash this now. Dani and Lefty could be meddlesome. If they both got together, the outcome could be less than pleasing.
They pulled up to Bull’s Bar, and he sought the most unlikely woman he could find—a curly-haired redhead who looked like a strong wind could blow her over. She glanced up, and he flashed a smile, motioning for her to come over with his head. Time to put on a show. She walked toward them with an extra sway in her steps. The painted on black jeans and low cut black tank top left nothing to the imagination.
“Hi.” Her breathy voice made his skin crawl. She reeked of desperation and the desire to ride out on the back of someone’s bike.
“How do you feel about keeping me company tonight…” Demon paused, flashing her an inquisitive gaze.
“Jill,” she said.
“Jill.” He let the name slide of his tongue.
“I’d love to,” she said.
He swung an arm around her shoulders and guided her to the bar, winking at Lefty, who smirked and shook his head.
“What do you want to drink?” Demon asked.
“Whatever’s on tap is fine.” Jill smiled up at him, and he grunted. No love connections will be made here.
“My kind of girl.”
Jill was three beer deeps and getting frisky when his phone rang. The ring tone jarred him immediately. “I have to take this.” He pushed her off his lap as he stood, and walked outside with the phone to his ear. “Hey, Ardy, what’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure. Rocket had some sort of nightmare, and I can’t get him to calm down. He keeps asking for you.”
Demon closed his eyes and mentally counted to ten. “Hold tight, I’ll be right there.” I should’ve broken that bitch’s neck the minute I found out what the fuck she was doing. Strung out druggie. He walked back to the bar.
“Hey, that was Ardy. Rocket needs me.”
“All right, man, we’ll catch up with you tomorrow,” Lefty said.
“Wait.” Jill jumped up. “You’re leaving?”
“Yeah.” He turned on his heel and walked toward the door feeling like he’d dodged a bullet.
****
He rapped on the hotel door, shifting his weight. The door opened, and he stepped inside.
“Daddy!”
“Hey, Rocky, I’m right here.” He walked to the bed and sank down on the edge. “Did you have a bad dream?” Rocket nodded, snuggling into his side. “Do you want to talk about it?” Rocket paused, tilted his head back, and met his gaze. Demon held his breath. Please open up so I can help you. Rocket opened his mouth and snapped it shut again, shaking his head. “That’s okay, buddy, whenever you’re ready.” Demon ran his hands through his son’s soft curls an inhaled the clean scent of baby soap. In his arms and in the bed beside him rested the best parts of him. “You think you can go back to sleep now?”
“Will you stay?” Rocket whispered. The tiny voice twisted his guts.
“Of course. I’ll be on the couch. You know Ardy would never hurt you, right?” he said.
“I…” Rocket nodded his head.
“Good boy. You relax and get some sleep.” He continued to sit beside his son until his breathing evened and his body relaxed. Carefully, he eased out of bed and found Ardy pacing the length of the kitchenette.
“Is he okay? I didn’t know what to do, and trying to approach him seemed to make it worse.” She ran a hand through her hair. “What was that?”
>
Demon sighed. “That’s the byproduct of a drug-addicted mother who only cared about her next high.” He shook his head. “The thing about addicts is they’re adaptable, good at hiding their issues as long as they get a regular fix. I should’ve seen it sooner.” He shook his head. Anger welled up in his chest.
“So his nightmares are… memories?” Ardy whispered.
“Yeah.” He nodded.
“What do I do when that happens?”
“Call me immediately. We’ve been working on it, and he seems to like you. I hoped maybe it wouldn’t be a problem.” He shook his head. “Guess I jumped the gun.”
“I am so sorry. I can’t imagine what that must’ve been like for you.” She reached out and rested a hand on his hand. “My family might not be the richest, but we’ve always had each other, and when one of us hurts, we all do.” He caught a bit of a brogue as she spoke of her family. The quirk made his lips twitch upward. The sincerity in her face, and the concern for Rocket audible in her voice endeared her to him. Shit. He allowed attachments to form he knew he shouldn’t have. She squeezed his hand, and his heart kicked up a notch. Despite her apprehension, she didn’t seem to be frightened by him. He licked his lips.
“It’s my hope having you here will loosen him up around other women. I can see a minor change already.”
She tilted her head. The dark strands of her hair obscured a portion of her face, and he became aware of her attire. Tiny pink shorts with white polka dots and a pink tank top that clung to her full breasts and slender waist. Her hips begged to be kneaded, and the hardened points of her nipples had him wondering if she was cold or aroused. The latter thought lit a fire inside his chest. His pants grew smaller, and he redistributed his weight to relieve the pressure. The air between them became electric. He cleared his throat and removed his hand from beneath hers.
“I’m going to crash on the couch in case he wakes up again. It usually helps him feel secure.”
“Yeah, of course.” She ran a hand through her hair and revealed her oval-shaped face. Her pouty lips were pursed, and he couldn’t help but imagine what they’d look like wrapped around his cock. Fuck. He took a step back. She’s off limits. Leave it to his cock to pick her to react to. He’d slept with plenty of women since the disastrous end with Natasha, but none that mattered. Ardy Larkin was the type of woman that climbed inside your veins and flowed through your blood. The one you never forgot. He couldn’t afford that and didn’t want it.
“I’m going to crash out. We have a long day tomorrow,” he said, glancing away from her face.
“Yeah, of course. Now that I know Rocket’s okay, I’ll head back to bed.”
She walked around him toward the twin bed, and he couldn’t help but turn and admire her. He ran a hand over his face and shook his head to clear the filthy imagery playing in HD behind his lids. Shuffling to the couch, he removed his vest, draped it over one end, and lay down on his makeshift bed. The sound of sheets wrestling did nothing to help him refocus attention. She brought to life a piece of him he’d thought dead. Biting back a growl, he rolled onto his back and covered his face with his arms. He’d claimed her to help him, but he sensed complications ahead in his future. Whether they would be for the better or worse, he couldn’t say.
Chapter Three
Ardy watched Demon, or D as she’d taken to calling him, from beneath her lashes. He challenged all her preconceptions about bikers and their culture. They came off as brash, rude, uncaring, thugs. In reality, they were hard asses because they needed to be, and you’d be hard pressed to find anyone as loyal. They took care of their inner circle and ignored the rest of the world. Not a bad way to live really.
Unsure of where to set her things, she hovered near the couch, clutching the handle of her roller bag for dear life as he got Harley and Rocket settled. The mid-sized, white ranch house with black trim wasn’t what she’d expected. Warm and inviting with a matching navy blue sofa and love seat set with dark wood end tables, it screamed friendly family. Motorcycle memorabilia lined the walls, and numerous cups, posters, and banners peeked out from numerous surfaces, proudly displaying the Dueling Devils’ legacy.
They’d pulled into town a bit after nine, and the kids were spent.
“Hey, have a seat, Ardy. I’ll be with you in ten minutes tops,” D said over his shoulder as he moved from Harley’s room to Rocket’s.
“Okay.” She placed the bag beside the couch and sank down on the edge. It was like starting fresh all over again. She’d navigated her place in the club. They didn’t curb their behavior, but they were kind and respectful. After working for so many years in a bar, it felt vaguely familiar.
“Hey.” D’s gruff voice garnered her attention, and she glanced up and smiled. “They’re practically snoring now; they were so tired.”
“It’s a pretty long trip for little people,” she said.
“True. You ready for me to show you to your room?”
“Yeah.” She stood, stumbling slightly as pins and needles made their way up her legs in protest.
“Whoa.” He caught her in his arms. Warmth spread through her body, and an instant lady hard-on hardened her nipples.
“Sorry. I was sitting in the car for too long.” His warm breath caressed her face, stirring tendrils of hair. Her stomach muscles tightened, and their gazes locked. His licked his lips, and she followed the path his pink tongue took, mesmerized by the light sheen on his perfectly formed lips. He moaned.
“Don’t look at me like that, Ardy.”
“L—like what?” Her chest tightened. This had never been her area of expertise. Flirting was a foreign language, and with her workload and overprotective family, dating had been few and far between.
“Like you want me to kiss you.”
Her mouth formed on O. “What if I want you to?”
“What?”
“Shit, did I say that out loud?”
He raised an eyebrow. “You regret it.”
“No?” Her voice wavered.
“There you go again, beckoning me with those hazel gems you call eyes. You have no clue what you do to a man like me.”
“W—what kind of man is that?” she whispered.
“A man with a lot of darkness inside. Don’t you know the dark craves the light, seeks it? And here you are practically a beacon.” He brought a hand up and curled a strand of her hair around his finger. “So ripe for the picking. He leaned in toward her, stopping just short of her quivering lips. “Like a succulent cherry, with those big red lips waiting to be kissed.” Her chest heaved. He darted his tongue out and traced her lips. “Is this what you want, Ardy?”
Her hands came out to press against his chest. The hard muscles clenched and she whimpered, allowing her eyes to drift shut as she inhaled his masculine scent. For once in her life, she decided to be selfish and threw caution to the wind. “Yes.”
He buried a hand in her hair and pulled her flush to his body, sucking her bottom lip into his mouth. Her legs weakened, and she leaned into him, marveling at the solid planes of his body against her. The unmistakable bulge straining against her belly filled her with a sense of pride. She’d done that to this powerful man. Growing up living hand to mouth, and part of the only interracial family in the immediate area, she’d always felt a little less than.
His tongue slid between her lips, and her brain flatlined. The only things that existed were the powerful emotions he evoked and how right he felt. She opened her mouth and explored him with a passion that matched his. Emboldened by the approving rumbling in his chest, she wrapped her arms around his neck and tilted her mouth, devouring him, a thirsty woman coming from a long drought. He tasted like sin—potent, intoxicating, and slightly addictive.
His hands slid down and gripped her ass. She gasped, and he pulled back, breathing hard.
“Fuck.”
Please do. She watched him from beneath heavily lidded eyes.
“I can’t offer you anything, Ardy.”
“I
didn’t ask you to.” She shook her head.
“Not out loud, but...you’re not the—”
“Please don’t tell me what type of woman I am. I’m not even sure. This is my chance to explore Figure things out without the whole town watching or everything hanging in the balance.” She glanced away, embarrassed by the state of her life. Horrified by the runaway conversation, she tried to stave the flow of words, but a dam had broken inside her. “I’m not looking for you to put a ring on my finger or make me your old lady. I just want to feel alive.”
He trailed his fingers down the side of her face. Shivers crept up her spine. “You want to experience life? I can show you what it’s like on the edge.” He gripped her hips, lifted her off the ground, and nipped at her neck. “But you have to be sure. Because once I start, I won’t stop until I’m satisfied and you’ve sampled everything I have to offer. It could take awhile.”
She snaked her legs around his waist and moaned. “Positive.”
He strode down the hall to the room at the end and nudged the door open with the tip of his boot. The sound of the surf filled her head as the blood began to rush. Can he feel my heartbeat racing? Light flooded the room. He tossed her onto the bed, and she squealed, bouncing a few times before she settled in the middle and took in her surroundings. The king-sized bed had black linens, a sharp contrast to the beige walls adorned with pictures.
“You look good in my bed.” His husky voice brought her attention back to him. She dug her fingers into the soft cotton sheets. “Nervous?”
“It’s been awhile.” And never with a man like you.’
“Don’t worry, it’s just like riding a bike.” He stalked toward the bed, making her feel like his prey. The bed dipped under his weight, and she trembled. “Spread your legs, pretty girl. Let me in.”
She nibbled the inside of her cheek as she spread her legs. Where’s all my courage now? The sight of his head disappearing between her legs stole her breath. He nipped his way up her inner thigh, pausing at the line where flesh met her denim shorts. “These have to go.” His fingers were nimble as they unbuttoned the top of her pants and slid inside, burrowing beneath her underwear. His finger brushed her slick lips, and she gasped, arching her back. “You like that, baby?”
