When Viper nearly spewed his water, Darcy couldn’t help but grin. “Little witch,” he muttered. “So you learned survival at camp. This the first time you’d attempted in something other than an exercise?”
“Attempt? Bitch, I did it!” When Viper looked at her now-empty plate and raised an eyebrow, she rolled her eyes. “OK, so there are a few things I need to tweak, but I was five days alone in the wilderness and I’m still alive.” She stuck her chin out stubbornly. This man was not going to belittle her skill. She might not be some kind of badass like he obviously was, but she’d broken free of an abusive situation and proven to herself she could survive on her own.
Surprisingly, he nodded. “You did.” He jerked his chin to the back of the RV. “You want a hot shower, it’s back there. Just don’t take all day. Water’s limited.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? A shower? In a camper full of strange men? No thinks. I’ll stink. Besides, I’m sure body odor inhibits rape. Maybe not much, but if that’s on the agenda, I’m damned well gonna make sure you don’t enjoy it.” She was flippant about it, but Darcy couldn’t help remember the pawing hands of her latest stepdad. The one time he’d caught her alone, he’d damned near completed the act. Too bad she’d taken all those self-defense classes her other stepdad had paid for at all those camps. That had been exactly two days before she’d split.
Arkham chuckled. “Look,” he said, getting up from the passenger seat in the front and moving back to the table where she and Viper sat. “If you want to shower, I’ll keep Viper here from jumping you.” He raised his hands in a surrendering gesture. “You’re too young for me, so I’ll restrain myself.”
“And you think I’ll just believe you?”
“No. But the offer still stands.” Viper shrugged. “Besides, you do stink. I’d think you’d want to meet your father not smelling like you’d been out in the wilderness by yourself for the better part of a week.”
Darcy bared her teeth at him before turning her head to look out the window and ignore him. She just stifled the urge to sniff her pits. Bastard.
She rode for a long while in silence, not wanting to talk any of them. Partly because she was trying to be defiant. Partly because she knew they were right. She needed to take a shower or at least wash off.
Apparently the one called Viper had had enough. “Up with you, Lil’ Bit.” He stood, snagging her hand and tugging until he pulled her to her feet. “Time to stop being stubborn.”
“I don’t have any other clothes,” she protested, dragging her feet as he led her toward the bathroom. “I can’t take a shower only to put back on dirty clothes.”
“I’ll find you something. When we get to the clubhouse, the women will help out more.” He opened the bathroom door and nudged her inside, not being rough but making his meaning clear. “Be quick about it.” Then he shut the door, and she heard him moving about the RV.
What the hell had she gotten herself into? Despite her misgivings about being alone with three strange men, the shower called to her. They hadn’t given her any reason to think she was in danger, so she sighed and stripped.
The shower warmed quickly, and the pressure was surprisingly strong. She found pleasantly scented shampoo and matching conditioner as well as shower gel sitting in a neat little row on the molded shelf and helped herself. God, the water felt heavenly! She hadn’t realized how much she needed to be clean until she was scrubbing with her hands over her chilled skin as the water warmed her. Despite the situation, Darcy nearly sighed in contentment. She wished she had time to spend on her hair. Concentrating on the tangle inevitable in her curly hair helped center her. Unfortunately, she only had time to give herself a cursory wash. She’d just finished rinsing her hair and was about to turn the water off when the bathroom door opened.
“T-shirt, gym shorts, socks,” Viper said. Darcy squealed and covered herself even though the frosted shower door blocked his view. “Ain’t nothin’ I ain’t seen before,” he muttered. “Also found you a hairbrush and toothbrush. Both still in the package. Figure the shorts are miles too big, but they got a drawstring to keep ‘em from fallin’ off. Shirt’s too big, too, but you’ll be covered and warm.”
“‘K.” When she didn’t hear the door close, she waited another minute before turning off the water. Darcy opened the shower door and peeked around it.
Viper stood there leaning against the vanity, arms crossed and a sexy, cocky grin on his face.
“What are you doing?” She squawked her outrage. “Get the fuck out!” Her heart pounded, and it wasn’t all from fear. The man was… magnificent. Darcy wasn’t normally attracted to the bad-boy type, but this guy…
OK, so there was nothing “boy” about Viper. He was all man. Bearded and tattooed, he was sexy and knew it. She doubted there was a woman within a hundred-mile radius who could resist him. Including her. Didn’t mean she’d make it easy for him. He was exactly the type of man she didn’t need in her life. She’d seen her mother bring home man after man just like him. All of them, without fail, had been bad news. Viper definitely fit that bill.
“Just makin’ sure you were payin’ attention.”
“Why would you do that? What the fuck? Pervert!” Darcy poured all her outrage into her expletive, hoping like hell Viper didn’t see through her. Because, no matter how much she wanted to deny it, she was seriously attracted to him. Being in the same room with him, naked as the day she was born, was a fucking turn-on, whether she intended to act on that attraction or not. Didn’t mean her imagination wasn’t running amok to hell and back.
“Never said I wasn’t, Lil’ Bit.” He grinned as he straightened, then indicated the clothes he’d brought her. “We’ll be at the clubhouse in about an hour. Expect you to be out of here and ready.”
“Or what?” she asked defiantly. “You gonna beat my ass?”
“Might,” he answered, a grin tugging wider at his full lips. “More likely, I’ll just haul your pretty ass out, ready or not.”
“Get out,” she repeated.
With a chuckle, Viper pushed off the vanity and left, shutting the door behind him. Darcy stared after him for long moments, waiting to see if he’d come back in when he thought her guard was down. He didn’t. Darcy quickly stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her. He’d obviously picked the lock to get in, and she didn’t trust any of them not to invade her privacy. A vision of all three of the big men holding her down and forcing themselves on her flashed through her mind, and she whimpered before she could stop the sound.
“You OK in there?”
Was Viper standing outside the door?
“Go away!” she yelled at him, not able to put as much force in her command as she’d have liked. She was shaken. Her stepfather had done that to her. Made fear her first reaction. Revulsion when these men were only trying to help. Was it ideal? No. This was exactly the sort of situation she should fear. Three strange men hunting her and picking her up out of the wilderness. No one knew where she was. Probably no one even cared. Yet, these guys had been kind. They’d fed and clothed her. Hadn’t made any overt gestures to indicate she wasn’t safe in their care. She was repaying them with suspicion and insults, none of which she could help. All because Rayburn had attacked her and shaken her belief in everyone around her. That, and the fact that her mother hadn’t believed her, hadn’t even contemplated she was telling the truth. Why should she believe a man she’d never met, a man claiming to be her biological father, would be any better?
Damn Rayburn! She’d hated him from the moment her mother had brought him home. He’d always leered at her, making her uncomfortable around him. When he’d attacked her, she hadn’t been surprised. It did surprise her how the incident had colored her perception of men around her. Probably because she was stupid and naive.
She dressed quickly. No underwear, but the shirt came to her knees and the shorts halfway down her shins. Even if the drawstring failed, she would still be covered. Dressed, she brushed out her long hair,
catching tangles for nearly ten minutes until she finally tamed the unruly curls. Once that was done, she sat on the toilet and put her head in her hands. She was so fucked.
A knock at the door made her cringe in frustration. “Can you not just leave me the fuck alone for five fucking minutes?”
Just as she’d suspected, the doorknob turned, and Viper stood in the opened doorway. He gave a heavy sigh before reaching his hand out to her. “Come on, Lil’ Bit. Out with you.”
“Fucker,” she muttered but stood and let him lead her back to the table. She slid on the bench next to the window and watched the scenery pass as they drove toward their clubhouse and the man claiming to be her biological father.
“You know,” she said, not looking at Viper, “I have no way of knowing if your friend is my father or not. I’ve never even seen a picture of him.”
“Not sure it matters whether you’re actually his or not. He’s all in.”
“Why would he do that? I mean, even if he was with my mom for any length of time, there’s no telling if he actually fathered any child of hers. I say that with the knowledge of a daughter who has seen men come and go from her mother’s bed all her life. My mom has no idea what the word fidelity means.”
“All I know is he’s frantic to get you to safety. Anxious to meet you. He’s already claimed you as his so if he has doubts, he’s not voicing them.”
She turned to face Viper. “He doesn’t have to. If he knows my mother at all, he knows the chances are just as high some other dumbass is my father.”
For the first time, Viper’s face turned hard. Even when she’d kneed him in the balls he hadn’t seemed angry at her. Now she was afraid she might have pushed him just a little too far.
“Your father is many things, Darcy. But he’s not a dumbass. He’s probably the most intelligent man I’ve ever met. If he suspects anyone but him fathered you, he doesn’t care. Your mother basically handed him a daughter, and he’s grabbing hold with both hands.”
“That makes no sense,” she scoffed. “I’m a grown-ass woman. I don’t need a daddy at this late date.”
“Honey, every little girl needs a father figure. You might be all grown up, but you need to know there is always gonna to be one man in your life you can count on. Data’s that man. Give him the chance to prove it.”
“He gonna turn out to be some fucking pervert looking for someone to play into his daddy-porn fetish?” That got a growl from Viper, Arkham, and Trucker all three. Viper held her gaze, not saying anything. “What? It’s a legitimate concern! You all may be Mother Teresa but how am I supposed to know that? You’ll pardon me if I don’t take your word for it.” The man absolutely would not make her feel petty about this.
“No one’s askin’ you to take our word for it. Meet the man. Give him a chance. Know he sent out his brothers to find you when he couldn’t.”
“Couldn’t?”
“We all have a set of skills. Your father is the intel guy. Nothing he can’t do with a computer given enough time. No one he can’t find.”
“Except me before now.” Darcy couldn’t help the interruption. She wanted to be antagonistic. Needed to be if she was going to keep her composure.
“He had no reason to be trying because he didn’t know you existed.”
She could argue, but at this point there was really no reason for it. There was no way either of them could win. Instead, she turned back to the window and ignored Viper. It was what she did when she wanted people to leave her alone.
Thirty minutes later, they pulled into the driveway of what looked like a resort hotel or some shit. Nothing really fancy, but certainly not the roach-infested biker clubhouse she was expecting.
She also wasn’t expecting the crowd pouring out of said clubhouse. There had to be thirty or forty men and women. All of them were wearing various pieces of leather, most motorcycle jackets or vests. When someone turned slightly, she saw the recognizable emblem of a motorcycle club with the name Bones above the emblem and the name of their city, Somerset, on the bottom. Some of the women had jackets or vests, but not many and, though dressed appropriately for winter, they wore clothing that accentuated their bodies, particularly their breasts. The men all looked rough, with tattoos and beards of varying lengths, but each one of them, to the man or woman, looked concerned. One man in particular was practically wringing his hands. The crowd surrounded him, some clapping hands on his shoulders in support. An older couple stood nearby, both offering their support and urging the obviously anxious man forward.
“Let’s go, Lil’ Bit.” Viper grinned at her, extending his hand in an obvious command for her to take it. Naturally she wasn’t going anywhere near that.
“Stop calling me that,” Darcy snapped. “It’s demeaning.”
“Sure. Soon as you grow a foot and gain a couple hundred pounds.”
She bared her teeth and hissed at him. Arkham came up behind Viper and smacked the back of his head, something the man obviously did often.
“Stop baiting her.”
“But it’s so much fun, and she rises to it so easily.”
Darcy slid out of the seat and pushed around the two men to get to the exit. Too late, she realized her mistake. There had to be half a foot of snow outside, and she was standing there in her sock feet. Someone opened the door, and it was too late to back-pedal. Viper chuckled and lifted her into his arms. She was so startled not only did she squeal, but she wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging like a baby.
“That’s my Lil’ Bit,” he praised next to her ear. “Now, let’s go meet your family.” She noticed he hadn’t said “daddy” or “father.” Apparently, Viper was smarter than she’d given him credit for. He understood her fears and respected them. Perhaps she needed to reassess this situation.
Chapter Three
“What the fuck happened to her?”
Viper winced at Data’s cutting tone.
“You dunk her in water? It’s fucking winter! What the fuck, Viper?”
“Dude, she took a shower,” came Trucker behind them. “She was fine as frog hair when we found her. Little cold and hungry, but no worse for wear.”
“Get her inside,” Data ordered, ignoring the snickers around him. For such a mild-mannered man, he was turning into a regular overprotective biker dad.
“Relax, brother,” Cain said, appearing from the crowd with his wife Angel in tow. “Angel and the women will get her comfortable, and we’ll all sit down and have a chat.”
“Cain, I didn’t even know I had a fuckin’ kid, much less a daughter! I can’t relax!” He glanced at Viper, narrowing his eyes as the situation really sunk in. Without even realizing what he was doing, Viper settled her closer to him, knowing the other man was fixing to take his prize from him. Her arms sliding around his neck felt so fucking right. Like she’d been born to be in his arms. She was his. Destined. “Oh, no, Viper. No fuckin’ way!”
Darcy looked from him to Data and back. “What?” Her arms tightened just that little bit around his neck and Viper’s chest swelled. The feeling was uncomfortable, but not unpleasant.
Fuck.
Date stormed over to Viper, practically ripping Darcy from him. That feeling in his chest shattered, nearly bringing Viper to his knees. “Fucker,” he muttered, taking a breath to clear his head as he followed Data and everyone else inside. Arkham clapped a hand on his shoulder.
“Pussy whipped without gettin’ the pussy is pretty fuckin’ sad, Viper.”
“Have you always been such an insufferable bastard?”
Arkham shrugged. “Never thought about it.”
“Well think on it. One of these days, your turn’s comin’.”
“Not bloody likely.”
Once inside, the ol’ ladies surrounded Darcy, hugging her and welcoming her to the family. Viper was gratified to see her glancing his way more than once. Always he nodded to her encouragingly, hoping she’d find her footing easily. He stayed close, though, unable to let her out of his sight.
<
br /> “What’s goin’ on between the two of you?” Cain had sidled up to Viper, handing him a beer.
Viper took a long pull, thinking about his answer. What, indeed? “Honestly? Nothin’. She’s distrustful of me, and I’m too old for her.”
“Damned straight,” Data interjected as he joined them. “Way too fuckin’ old.” The man took a pull of his own beer. He turned his head and met Viper’s gaze. “You’ve had my back more than once in the field, Viper. You’re my brother. Don’t make me have to kill you.”
Cain chuckled. Viper grinned, though he couldn’t put his heart into it. Mainly because he was very afraid he’d end up fighting Data one day. Not exactly a fair fight since Data was the geek. Sure, he was wiry and muscled, deadly as any of them, but Viper was definitely the stronger of the two.
“Before you go thinkin’ you can take me, Viper, remember I’m smarter’n you.”
“No question there,” Viper agreed. “Never said you weren’t. Never said we were gonna fight, either.”
“Didn’t have to. I saw the way you held Darcy. The way you’re lookin’ at her now.” Data gave him a look that was positively chilling. “She might be a tough girl, but she ain’t ready for a man like you.”
“Noted,” Viper acknowledged. Had he put it any other way, Viper might have shrugged him off and done whatever the hell he wanted to. But Data was right. Viper didn’t know much about Darcy, but he knew by the glimpses she’d given him into her relationship with her mother and stepfather the girl wasn’t nearly ready for a man like him. Not only was he at least fifteen years her senior, but he was a seasoned, jaded man sexually. No way she’d welcome his advances.
“You know much about her current stepdad?” This had to be dealt with. If Data didn’t want to get involved with it, considering his ex might be personally responsible for anything that had happened to Darcy, Viper would damned well make it his own priority.
“No, but I’ve been looking into him. Once I knew you had Darcy I was able to get a fuckin’ grip.” He glanced at Cain when the man snorted. “OK, so maybe I don’t exactly have a grip on any fucking thing right now. But I did look into Donna’s life after we parted ways.”
Viper (Bones MC 4) Page 2
