by Ava Grace
We stood at the bar and chatted for a few minutes before spotting Faith on the other side of the room, talking to a couple of women. When she looked our way, she waved then said something to one of the women before they all came over to join us.
“Hey!” Faith greeted. “Violet, Libby, this is Andi and Sienna. Andi is married to Hunter, The Devil’s road captain and Sienna goes out with Dev, one of the brothers.”
After the introductions had been made, Faith turned to Libby and me and asked, “So how come you two ended up here tonight?”
“Mason and I were having dinner with Violet and Luke at Buck’s,” Libby explained, “When Luke spotted a couple of men who’d had dealings with Ryker.”
Andi threw her long blonde hair over her shoulder. “He was a nasty piece of work. I never liked him.”
“Me, either,” Sienna said. She had a short, pixie cut that made the small, delicate features on face seam somehow ethereal. “So what happened with the men at the restaurant?”
I wasn’t in the mood to rehash everything so I gave them the cliff notes version. “To cut a long story short. They threatened us then one of them leered at me so Luke punched him.”
Faith gasped.
Sienna’s eyes widened. “Wow, so, you must be Luke’s old lady.”
Faith chuckled. “That means you’re his girlfriend. I didn’t understand the term at first, either.” Her eyes widened in realization. “Oh! Are you dating Luke?”
“They’re just friends,” Libby supplied helpfully.
I nodded in agreement, but Andi shot me a dubious look. “Girl, if you’re here, it’s because you’re important to Luke. When they want someone, these boys don’t mess around. You’re his old lady alright.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. I wasn’t sure I wanted to be anyone’s old lady. What did it mean, exactly? It sounded derogatory.
A few moments later, Mason rejoined our group and informed us that the brothers were in church, whatever the hell that meant. The confusion must have shown on my face because Faith explained it to me.
“It’s their club meeting.”
“Just a meeting?” I said. “Then why do they call it church?”
Everyone shrugged.
“What’s happening?” Libby asked.
Mason put his arm around her shoulders. “We might have to stay here for a while, babe. They’re gonna vote on it. Ethan is on his way over. We’re going to see if we can come up with a solution.”
I gazed around the room, feeling more out of my element than ever. We made small talk for another ten minutes or so before Luke and the others all filed back into the room. Luke and Coop headed our way and as soon as he reached me, Luke slid an arm around my back and pulled me in for a kiss.
“Hey,” he said when he leaned back. “Did you miss me?”
I grinned up at him. “Not in the slightest.”
He let out a hearty chuckle.
I was still contemplating the scratch of his beard against my chin when it occurred to me that friends didn’t kiss each full on the lips to say hello. I glanced over his shoulder with a wince.
Libby looked as if all her Christmases had come at once and Faith was out and out gawping at me.
Andi cocked her hip. “Old lady,” she said with a nod.
Sienna voiced her agreement. “Mmm hmm.”
I gave up trying to convince them otherwise.
Luke arched an eyebrow. “Do I want to know what you were talking about?”
“Probably not.”
He sighed. “I figured as much. Come on,” he said taking hold of my hand.
I let him lead me away from the others. “Where are we going?”
“There’s a room here that we can use. I thought you might want to freshen up.”
“What about the others?”
“Coop is going to show Mason and Libby where they can spend the night.”
We crossed the large open room then headed down a long corridor that had doors on either side of it. At the end, we turned left, and I was surprised to see another corridor of equal length to the first.
“Wow, how big is this place?”
“Pretty big,” Luke replied. “This whole clubhouse was built around the old mining cabins that used to be here.”
I frowned. “How can I have lived in Creede my whole life without knowing that?”
He chuckled and opened one of the doors. “Here we are.”
I stepped into the room and took a look around. There wasn’t much to it—a bed, a couple of bedside cabinets and a chest of drawers. There was a door on one of the walls and I nodded to it.
“Bathroom,” Luke explained.
“Why do you need all these bedrooms?”
Luke shrugged. “Some of the brothers crash out here.”
“Do you sleep here?”
“Sure, when I’ve had too much to drink to get on my motorcycle.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Who did you stay here with?”
“Why, are you jealous?”
“No. This just all seems very… convenient.”
Luke pinched the bridge of his nose. “Let me ask you something. Do you see a line of women out there ready and waiting to serve all the brothers?”
I glared at him. “No.”
“What kind of place do you think this is, Vi? Or more importantly, what sort of men do you take us all for?”
He had a point.
And it was a good one.
I heaved a sigh. “Okay, so maybe I have been watching one too many television programs about motorcycle clubs.”
“Ya think? Admit it, you’re jealous at the thought of me being with someone else.”
“Am not.”
“I am,” he admitted.
I stared at him. “What do you mean?”
“The other day when I saw your husband at your door, I wanted to kill him. Just the thought of him with his hands all over you sends me into a blind rage.”
“He was my husband, Luke.”
“I know that. Still don’t have to like it.”
“And he’ll never have his hands on me again,” I vowed.
He nodded. “Know that too.”
When he started to take off his jacket, I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. “What are you doing?”
“I’m taking a shower. It’s been a long day. You want to join me?”
I didn’t reply.
He threw the jacket on top of the chest then pulled his tee shirt over his head. The action made the muscles in his arms and chest flex. They were impressive muscles. I sucked in a breath.
Luke’s eyes raked boldly over me. “Like what you see?”
He kicked off his boots then reached for the button on his jeans. “You can do more than just look, you know.”
Actually, I could, couldn’t I?
Wasn’t that the point of our friends with benefits arrangement? We were both free to fully enjoy each other’s company, and each other’s bodies, no strings attached. I walked forward, lifted my hands and placed them on his chest, drawing my finger across one of his nipples.
“How’s this?” I whispered.
Our eyes locked and our breathing came in unison.
“It’s a good start. But this would be better.”
He took hold of one of my hands then dragged it down his muscled stomach before placing it over the bulge in his briefs. I squeezed him lightly through the material. He hissed.
His gaze was riveted on my face. The next moment, I was locked in Luke’s steely embrace as his lips crashed against mine and he pushed his tongue into my mouth. I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him to me, kissing him harder. I needed this. I hadn’t even realized how much until his tongue was halfway down my throat.
Luke pulled away from the kiss just long enough to slide my jacket off my shoulders and grip the hem of my top before dragging it up and over my head. He tossed it aside then leaned down and sucked one of my nipples into his mouth through the lacy material of my bra.
I threw my head back and groaned as a pleasing, tingling sensation made its way from the point of contact of his mouth then out and over my entire body. Goosebumps rose on my flesh. My pussy clenched.
“God, Luke,” I breathed. “Yes.”
He did it again with the other nipple and my back arched violently as if on its own volition. He dragged the lacy material out of the way and when his hot, wet mouth surrounded the puckered little nub and he gripped it between his teeth, I let out a ragged groan.
Things became frenzied after that.
Our mouths met—a clash of lips and teeth and tongue. Luke grabbed the cheeks of my ass and pulled me roughly up against his straining erection.
“Want this?” he asked into my mouth.
In response, I kicked off my shoes and pulled at the button and zipper of my jeans. He helped me to drag them down my thighs and off my feet before we started in on his. My underwear and his were the only things left when he tackled me and brought me down on the bed before coming down heavily on top of me. He pressed his hard cock against my core as he attacked my mouth. I was so turned on I could hardly breathe.
I pulled at his briefs, dragging them over his firm round ass at the same time that he tore at my g-string. But his body was so tight against mine, he couldn’t get it down over my hips so he ripped it right off my body. I had just enough time to gasp before he pushed his cock into me with one long thrust, filling me so completely and so perfectly. I threw my head back against the pillows and shouted out his name.
He didn’t go slow. He didn’t take his time. He didn’t build up to a mad, passionate crescendo. He fucked me. Deep. Hard.
There was nothing I could do, but wrap my legs around his waist, grab hold of the cheeks of his ass and hold on for the ride of my life.
I’d never been fucked so thoroughly before—so intensely. Just when I thought he couldn’t fuck me any harder, he did. In the past when I came there was a slow build up—a warning. This time there was none. I came so suddenly and so unexpectedly that my entire body convulsed.
Luke roared into my mouth and fucked me through it and he kept on fucking me until I was sure I couldn’t take any more. I was sweating and boneless and limp when Luke grunted into my mouth and stilled his hips, pinning me to the bed as he emptied his cock inside me. I continued to shudder through his release and was still twitching long after he’d collapsed on top of me in a heap. I couldn’t move—could hardly breathe. But I was more content than I could remember being.
I was almost dozing off when Luke slid out of me, jolting me awake. He sprang up and reached a hand down to help me up.
“How about that shower now?” he asked.
I let him help me up, but I felt like I’d run a marathon. I barely had the energy to move. He led me to the shower, helped me into the tub then washed my body and my hair before taking me again up against the cool tiles. Afterward, he handed me a towel and helped me to dry off. I managed to get myself dressed again, but we didn’t speak and the silence was actually quite welcome. It gave me time to process what we’d just done.
I felt as if I was in a bubble which was keeping me safe and secluded from the outside world. And I didn’t want to get back to it. Not yet, at least. I wanted to climb back into bed and lie next to him, at least for a little while longer. But I knew that we couldn’t. We needed to find out what was going on outside our room. I was desperate to know if there had been any developments.
When Luke got a weird expression on his face, I knew instantly that something was up. “What is it?” I asked. “What’s wrong?”
“I forgot to tell you something earlier.”
“What?”
“My sister is on her way here.”
I stared at him blankly with my mouth hanging open. “Say that again?”
“Look, those goons seemed to know who I was,” he reasoned. “Which means that anyone connected to me, or to any of the brothers isn’t safe right now. Ethan said he’d pick Andrea up on his way here. I just thought you should be prepared for questions when she arrives. Actually, she’s probably here already.”
I heaved a sigh. “Perfect. What am I supposed to tell her?”
The corners of his mouth twitched. “That we’re friends?”
I narrowed my eyes. “You’re a real comedian.”
He shrugged. “Don’t sweat it, Vi. You’ve been best friends with my sister your entire life. She’ll be cool about this.”
I seriously doubted that.
“You never told me what happened in the meeting,” I said as I slid my feet into my shoes. “Was anything resolved?”
“Yeah. We voted and I’m sorry to say, we’re on lockdown.”
I did not like the sound of that one bit.
“Lockdown? What the hell does that mean? Are you trying to tell me that we’re trapped here? For how long?”
He shrugged. “Don’t know yet. Why? Is it really that bad here?”
I nodded. “Yes. It is. I can’t stay here, Luke. I’ve got work to do. Commitments. People are counting on me.”
“This is your safety we’re talking about.” He sounded angry now. “You’re life. I’m sorry, but right now, that’s far more important than your job.”
I folded my arms. “I get that those were bad men, okay? I understand that. But how much danger can I actually be in? They don’t know where I live, they don’t even know my name.”
“Be reasonable, Vi. In a town as small as Creede, how difficult do you think it would be for them to find that information out? Coop is going to talk to Ethan. We’re going to see if there is anything we can do legally. But for the time being, you’re stuck here. I’m sorry, babe. That’s just the way it is.”
I glared at him and folded my arms. “Fine. But if I’ve got to stay in this damn place then I need things from my house.”
Luke shook his head. “You can’t go back there yet. It could be dangerous. “
“This isn’t a negotiation,” I said, feeling my temperature rise. “If you want me to stay here then there are things I need from my house.”
He raised his eyebrows inquiringly. “Fine. Tell me what you need and I’ll go and get it for you.”
“You just said we were on lockdown!”
“Let me rephrase. You’re on lockdown.”
I was getting seriously pissed now. “Fine,” I repeated snottily. I reached into my purse, pulled out the keys to my house then handed them over before following Luke back along the corridor to the main room.
“So, what do you need?” he asked as we headed over to the bar. The room was much busier now than it had been when we’d arrived, but I didn’t take in any of the faces because my attention was focused on Luke.
“My laptop for one, with the power cable. It’s on the desk in my office.”
He nodded then turned towards the door.
“And the big black folder on the third shelf from the top marked current jobs.”
He turned and waited. “That it.”
Not even close.
“I want my toothbrush, toothpaste and my make-up bag from the bathroom. If I’m staying for the night” I emphasized, hoping it wouldn’t be any longer than that. “Then I’ll need a clean set of pajamas. They’re in the top drawer in my bedroom. I want some comfy shoes too. I am not going to walk around in these heels all night. Oh and my yoga pants. A clean tee shirt. Um…”
I was still thinking about what else I might need when Luke called out to the room. “Anyone got a damn cage I can borrow?”
Mason tossed him a set of keys. “Here, take my truck.”
Luke threw me a look as he headed for the door.
“Oh and Luke!” I called after him.
He turned, waiting impatiently for my next request.
“Be careful,” I said instead.
He stared at me for a long moment then strode back across the room and bent me over backward, planting a passionate kiss on my lips.
“I’ll be right back,” he promised.
�
�You’d better be.”
That earned me one of his sexy grins. “Why, you gonna miss me?”
I lifted my nose in the air. “Definitely not.”
Luke laughed as he turned for the door. “Yeah, you’ll miss me.”
Would not.
Okay.
Maybe just a little.
Chapter Eleven
Luke
One of the suggestions that Coop had made in church was that if any of the brothers needed to leave the clubhouse, for any reason, it would be best if they didn’t go alone. It was a reasonable enough request, but although I would never have said it to Violet’s face, I honestly didn’t believe that she was in any danger. I hated to admit it, but I agreed with what she’d said. Those two thugs didn’t know who she was and they didn’t know her name.
Violet was just a stranger they’d threatened in order to get a rise out of me.
And boy had it had worked.
When I saw the way he was looking at her, a haze of white-hot fury had clouded my vision. The look had made my skin crawl and I anticipated its presence in many of my nightmares for some time to come. Just the thought of him touching her made me want to tear him apart with my bare hands.
I pulled in a deep breath in an effort to calm down.
They didn’t know who she was and they didn’t know her name.
I kept on reminding myself of those facts as I pulled Mason’s truck up to the sidewalk outside Violet’s house.
Vi lived on a quiet street which had just a few cabin homes spread out along the road. It was almost midnight by the time I walked up the path to her front door and as I wasn’t expecting any trouble, naturally, I let my guard down. The sex I’d just enjoyed had released most of my tension, too. So when I heard a crash in Violet’s living room just as I was about to turn the key in the lock and open the front door, I froze.
My heart thudding heavily in my chest, I put my ear against the door and listened, trying to make out the sound of voices. But there was nothing. The house was quiet again.
The thought of those bastards in her house, rifling through her things brought my anger back full force. I tried to remain calm so that I could keep a clear head, but with each moment that passed, I got more and more riled up.
