His Beauty_The Wounded Souls

by Leah Sharelle

  I’d told him I loved him and was rejected in return, not to mention I practically threw myself at his club brothers and got rejected there, too. Yeah, there was no way I was going back in there to get my stuff. No thanks. I’d had enough humiliation for a lifetime. Been there, done that, and got the T-shirt to prove it.

  Rubbing my arms against the chilly night air, I pointed myself in the direction of Rainn’s place. It was a ten-minute drive from here, so I should be home within the hour if the boogieman didn’t get me on the way. Laughing at myself, I started to set a brisk pace. Despite my bravado, walking late at night was not my favourite thing to do, especially with a madman out looking for vengeance against the club.

  7

  STEEL

  “If there isn’t a club member here, then you are the security for the women here,” I yelled at both of the barbacks, who were new employees of the Bar and Grill. My regular guys took off to Bali for a month to make some big dollars during the busiest tourist season there. I couldn’t blame them for that because they had tuition to pay, plus other expenses, but I couldn’t wait until I got them back. I intended to increase their pay rate so they didn’t feel like they had to go away again.

  “It ain’t our job to protect the bartenders. We get paid to stock the alcohol,” one of the idiots backchatted.

  I clenched my fist against my thigh, and without even looking at it, I knew it had to be turning white from squeezing it so tightly. I wanted to fucking kill this little shit, and just maybe I would if I got another look at the marks on Mia’s wrist. I swore my vision blurred for a second when I first saw what was going down.

  “Is that right? Well, if you stock the bar, why is Rainn trekking down to the cellar for scotch and hooking up kegs?” I’d looked to my side and noticed Rainn standing there with a bottle of Glenfiddich 21 Year Old scotch whisky and the keys to the keg cellar.

  “Because they were too busy flirting with the waitresses to see, let alone give a shit,” Rainn answered for them. The sexy dancer stalked to the bar and slammed the pricey scotch down on the wood surface, not at all concerned that it cost over two hundred dollars per bottle for that shit. She then turned to me. “You should have been here, too, Steel. Mia pulled a double tonight, and without a patch here, this lot of idiots just play up, and the bimbo waitresses do, too,” the redhead scolded me in only a way Rainn could—with plenty of sass and fire.

  I held back my smirk, knowing if I didn’t, I might very well have sore balls for the next week. My mind briefly wandered back to the time Mannix got a knee to his jewels from her one day when he’d pissed her off, so I simply nodded my head because she was right. I dropped the ball tonight and let my thing with Callie cloud my judgement, which put Mia in a potentially dangerous situation.

  “I get it, Rainn, and I promise it won’t happen again. Let’s get this staff shit sorted out, and then I will see you and Mia home,” I said as I searched around the room for Mia and felt a surge of relief when I spied her bag and jacket behind the bar. Why I felt that relief, I really didn’t want to deal with just yet. Having feelings for two women at once was kinda crazy, but having feelings for sisters was monumentally fucked up. And I had a feeling Mia wasn’t going to make my life easy by just saying, ‘Yes, Steel. Three bags full, Steel.’ She was going to fight me, kicking and screaming, after my behaviour of late. Then, of course, there was the elephant in the room named Callie, which needed figuring out, too. I did know I didn’t enjoy her using me and shit anymore, and my opinion of her had lowered quite a bit after her treatment of Mia at the compound.

  “She’s gone home already,” Rainn said, interrupting my thought process.

  Huh? She what? “Gone?”

  “Yep. She left when she ran out of the bar.”

  I stalked over to where Mia’s bag and jacket were sitting, and when I opened the zip, I didn’t need to search too deep to find her car keys. Panic flooded me even more than before as, in my head, I quickly tried to calculate how long it had been since she left.

  “How did she leave with her keys and money still here?” I asked, holding up her bag and shaking it in the air. Jesus Christ, would she have just started walking? Watching the horror pass across Rainn’s face, I was going with yes. Fuck. That silly, sweet, sexy woman. Snatching up her jacket, I passed the barbacks and said, “You have work until the end of next week. You can stay till then and make some money or piss off now. I don’t give a fuck. Rainn, you choose what to do with the waitress staff, and then call Ford with your decision. Get him to contact the boys in Bali and get them back ASAP. Tell him to offer them whatever he has to—just get them back.” I yelled the last part as I made my way down the corridor to the back entrance that opened to the staff car park. The first thing I saw as I threw open the heavy door was Mia’s brand new car sitting under the bright lighting the club had upgraded to when we bought the Bar and Grill.

  “Fucking hell, Mia.” I growled as I passed her car and headed straight for my bike. I couldn’t understand why she would invite danger and walk home. Wait, home? My mind wandered back to earlier when Callie said that mean shit about selling their place. Mia wasn’t living there, so where? Stella and Teach lived at the club, and Vegas lived with Darth most of the time at the club, so there was just one place left. Jumping on my bike, I roared my prized possession after Trigger—my Harley Davidson Super Glide, which had Steel painted in blue on the tank with a painted ghost image of a sniper rifle, dog tags, and the dates of my fallen teammates. Creed did all the painting himself. In fact, Creed painted all our bikes to match our own uniqueness. We pretty well left it all up to him, and he nailed every single bike. His own was the best.

  Pulling out of the car park, I pointed my bike in the direction of Rainn’s house.

  It didn’t take long before the beam of my headlight picked up a solitary figure walking briskly along the footpath. The huddled form hugged the fence line of the houses, staying as far away from the road as possible. Good girl. At least she remembered some of her self-defence training. Of course, not walking in the dark on your own when an unstable lunatic was gunning for all the women of the Wounded Souls seemed to be forgotten. I revved my engine to warn that I had seen her, then pulled just ahead of her and got off the bike but left it idling.

  “What the fuck, Mia? Have you lost your senses?” I shouted at her. I wasn’t mad at her as much as I was scared for her, but I was pissed she wasn’t thinking about her safety at all.

  “Steel, please, just go. I am fine, really. Thanks for saving me back there, but you can go back to Callie now,” she said in a small, dejected voice, her hands rubbing her wrists.

  I looked closer and saw definite finger marks on the slim wrists. Fucking hell, those fuckers got off far too lightly. I should have ripped their hearts out through their throats. But what hurt more was Mia’s defeated posture, her head down and shoulders slumped. I did this to her. I was just as confused as she was. At least she knew her feelings. I, on the other hand, had no idea why I sent Wes or the prospects away who had been sniffing around Mia.

  “Beauty, please, let me take you home. It’s not safe to be walking around at night, and it’s fucking freezing,” I said as I took off my cut and wrapped it around her shoulders, ignoring her protests—which, to be fair, were pitiful. She was chilled to the bone, and I knew she appreciated the instant warmth my cut provided her. I heard her sigh deeply, then watched as she slowly nodded her head. Damn it. Fuck it. Things needed to be said, and I needed to explain myself about Callie.

  “Come on, Beauty. Let’s get you home and warm.” I took her hand, being careful not to grab her too high and touch the bruises, and led her to my bike. Mia stood there compliantly as I put on her helmet and fastened it. Once happy everything was properly in place, I straddled my bike, but at the last minute, my leg buckled beneath me for a second, and I nearly fell against the bike. Mia reacted fast, grabbing me by my hand and pulling with all her might to give me the second I needed to gather myself and regain my foot
ing.

  “Steel! Are you okay?” she said in a rush. The panic in her voice was clear, and I really fucking liked it. I nearly went arse over in front of her for the second time today, and she didn’t laugh or sneer at me, not Mia. Not my beauty.

  “Yeah, Beauty. I’m fine, thanks. Let’s get going. I think both of us need a break today,” I said softly, looking at her intently until I saw something other than resignation. What I saw was understanding and something I was not ready to admit aloud. But the thought of it made me feel pretty fucking good.

  We got on the bike and settled like we were old hands at it, and we were. Most of the time, when the club went on runs with the girls, or we dropped Mia off at work, she was with me. Unless Callie joined us, then Mia was with one of the prospects. She was an old hand at being a pillion passenger, and most of us wanted her behind us since it made the trip that much more enjoyable if the person riding with you knew how to let go and trust your abilities as a rider.

  With Mia snuggled hard against my back, her hands wound tightly around my waist, and her legs wrapped deliciously around my arse and thighs, I pulled back out onto the deserted road and headed off on the ten-minute drive to Rainn’s place. Confusing thoughts of Mia rolled around in my mind, and there were absolutely none of Callie.

  8

  Mia

  I loved being right here. This was my happy place, behind Steel, on his bike, no one else but us.

  This was where we could be happy without any shit or drama—and anything to do with my sister forgotten. At least, by me it was. Steel, I wasn’t so sure about. He could be so confusing. One minute he was taking off with her at the drop of a hat, and the next, he was riding to my rescue. I hated that I couldn’t trust my head and that I couldn’t trust Steel because I really wanted to trust him.

  I had loved him for such a long time now, but Callie was his weakness, and they had a lot of history. I knew about the proposal—how could I not have heard that he got down on one knee and asked my sister to marry him? The entire club had witnessed him asking her to be his wife while I was in danger and after he’d told me on the phone that there was no chance for us. How should I take everything that had happened since? Was he cured of Callie all of a sudden? Was he interested in me? Argh, a woman could go nuts just thinking about it, and I was sick of thinking about it.

  Leaning closer to Steel, I relaxed behind him for what seemed like the first time in months. I was just going to enjoy this moment and any other ones he let me have. I might not get a membership to the woman’s movement anytime soon, but at this point, I didn’t care. I could end up kicking myself for this decision, and it was likely my heart would be broken, but I wanted Steel—consequences be damned.

  The ride ended far too soon. Steel parked his bike in the spot my car usually sat and turned off his engine. Holding out his hand to me, I took it and got off the bike as Steel did the same. I wasn’t sure what possessed me, but I reached out and grabbed Steel’s hand again and led us up the path. Both of us were quiet as my insides did all sorts of somersaults, and a house of butterflies, similar to what I saw at the zoo when I was little, took up residence in my stomach.

  As I made short work of finding the hidden key and unlocking the front door, I found the confidence I never knew I had and tugged Steel inside with me. I didn’t bother with the light or the lounge room. Instead, I led us straight down the hallway to my temporary room.

  It wasn’t until we were standing by my bed that I started to feel out of my depth. Steel was quiet, his face a mask of control, and I couldn’t read him at that moment. Reaching out, I placed one hand on his chest. Even with his cut off, he was the vision of a biker. His black fitted tee moulded to his sculpted abs, the short sleeves hugging his biceps like a second skin, straining against the muscles there.

  The man was a work of art, and I just wanted to lick him everywhere.

  “Mia.” His voice held a tone of warning but bugger that. I had been nothing but cautious my whole life while I watched as my sister took and took and got everything she ever wanted. Now it was my turn. I wanted to live that fantasy, to experience that piece of heaven. I wanted to experience Steel. I wanted him to be my first. I would deal with my heart later.

  “Just for tonight, Steel. Just pretend you want me for just tonight,” I practically begged him. Yep, it seemed I wasn’t beyond begging. Reaching up on my tiptoes, I wrapped my arms around his strong neck.

  And waited.

  Please, don’t reject me. I didn’t say the words, but I knew they were written all over my face.

  Suddenly, his arms banded tightly around my waist as his low growl filled the silence of the room.

  “Jesus, Mia.” As he breathed, his eyes darkened. There was an internal struggle behind them, and I held my breath as I waited for him to make his decision, then his lips crashed into mine.

  I hadn’t kissed many men, but I had kissed, and this blew every other memory out of the water. I gasped when I felt his tongue licking my lips, so I opened my mouth and gave him the entry he wanted.

  When his warm, wet tongue found mine, I was lost. The passion took over my entire body as my hands found their way from his neck and shoulders to his stubbled jaw.

  Oh, God, was this really happening? Was I really kissing Cooper Steel like some wanton sex goddess? Why yes, yes, I was. My inner fangirl did a happy dance as Steel continued to kiss me breathless. I nearly died from lack of oxygen, but no way was I going to stop.

  I felt him walk me back towards the bed until the backs of my knees hit the mattress. His lips were wreaking havoc on mine, but his hands were still on the small of my back, sitting just above the waistband of my jeans. My tee was shorter than my jeans, so the small sliver of exposed skin felt the heat of his hands. I wanted that heat all over my body, my naked body.

  Suddenly, his mouth stopped moving on mine but didn’t lift completely off. As we both panted from the lack of air, his hot breath filled me like mine was him.

  “Be very sure, Beauty. Be sure you want this.” He gave me an out, but there was no need. Even if this was for tonight only, I wanted it.

  Instead of answering, I reached out and lifted the hem of his shirt. I pulled it over his head and tossed it to the floor without any thought, revealing the perfection hidden underneath.

  Oh. My. God.

  And what perfection it was. His entire chest was cut with abs you could do your washing on. His shoulders needed their own postcode they were so big, and the V from his shoulders down passed the washboard abs to yet another sexy V at his waist. Oh, Lord above, thank you for this miracle. My mind raced with things I wanted to do. I mean, I read books, lots of books, and some of the sexy things in them had me quivering with a need I never knew I had. And now, with Steel half-naked in front of me, his lips swollen from our kisses, I wanted to do every single one of them.

  “I want this, Stud, very much,” I told him, using the silly nickname I gave him, my voice cracking with desire.

  Steel smiled a cocky smile, and then he quickly whipped my tee up and over my head and threw it in the same direction his had landed. I didn’t have time to be modest as Steel’s groan of appreciation took over my senses.

  “Fuck me, Mia. Is this what you have had hidden underneath all those smutty T-shirts?” he said with a growl.

  Looking down at myself, I tried to see what Steel saw. I had an obsession with nice bras and knickers, and they needed to match. Never would I walk out of the house with mismatched underwear.

  Today, I’d dressed in my favourite ruby-red satin demi cup bra and matching panties. It was a pretty set and cost me a pretty penny, too, but I liked to feel pretty underneath my clothes. I loved the feel of satin against my skin, not to mention the bra also had a front clasp. It was so hard to come by those in the bigger cup size, so whenever I found one, I snatched up a couple each time. The feel of Steel’s hands gently kneading my breasts suddenly interrupted my thoughts. And oh yes, did it feel good.

  Letting my head roll b
ack on my shoulders, I pushed my tits further into his large, capable hands. I had medium-sized breasts, which were a decent C cup—not as small as Charlotte’s but not as busty as Stella. Obviously, Steel had a definite appreciation for them, thank God, because his hands were doing things—

  “Mia, are you with me, Beauty? Are you sure?”

  Shit! I needed to get out of my head and back into the moment. I didn’t want him to get the impression I didn’t want this to happen. I deftly unclasped the front and let the bra open, the cups falling away and letting everything swing free.

  “Fuck, yeah.” Steel lowered his head immediately, and without warning, his mouth sucked on my nipples.

  I hissed in a breath as his mouth worked the tight peak into an even tighter hard nub.

  The sensitivity of it was off the scale, like nothing I had ever felt before. My hands reached out for his hair as if they had a mind of their own, and I threaded my fingers through his long, silky hair, holding him there in case he got the idea to stop or something stupid like that. I never wanted him to stop. I might have been a virgin, but I knew my body and my mind. I had many sexy dreams when it came to this man. I didn’t suffer from shyness, most of the time.

  Running my hands over his tightly muscled chest, my fingernails lightly scraped all over his back, shoulders, and stomach, enjoying the moan of pleasure it evoked from Steel. His moans alone were making me just as wet as his mouth was, but I wanted more.

  “Beauty, oh fuck, Mia.” It seemed he couldn’t say more than that, but I didn’t care. I loved that I had rendered him speechless.

  Reaching down between us, my hands found his crotch, his hard crotch. Oh, my giddy aunt, he was huge. I opened his button and zipper, and the soft metallic glide of the zip was the only noise apart from our panting.

  Steel placed his hands over mine, halting my mission of getting him to the naked stage of the night. The uncertain look gracing his face had my heart pounding. Was he changing his mind?