I thrust my hips up repeatedly into the bitch riding me and trying not to moan like a porn star.
“If you want to get off, I suggest you get yourself there,” I tell her, gritting my teeth.
Continuing to pound into her, the girl reaches down between us and plays with her clit. I don’t kiss her, play with her tits, or anything else. Other than my hands on her hips to slide her up and down my cock, I don’t touch her at all. I don’t want to. She screams out her release as I find my own, filling the condom with my cum.
I lay down on the couch after taking the condom off, tying a knot in it, and tossing it on the floor. The bitch lays down on top of me and before I can tell her to get the fuck up, I’m passing out. Darkness is consuming me and dragging me under for some sweet relief once again.
Waking up to a slamming in the common room, I jump up and knock someone to the floor. Looking down, I see one of the house bunnies lying there glaring up at me. I turn my attention toward the kitchen and catch the back of Annabell flying through the door. Fuck!
She just caught me with my cock out, literally, and one of the house bunnies on top of me. Slim, Hunter, Killer, and Valor stand there looking at me with varying degrees of rage on their faces. I’m not sure who’s more pissed off at me in this moment— Slim or Hunter.
“What did she see?” I croak out.
“What the fuck do you think she saw?” Slim asks. “I don’t know what the fuck to do with you anymore, Vault. But I won’t have that girl hurt any more than she already has been. You’re done fuckin’ with her. I’m glad she’s fuckin’ graduatin’ early and can leave this place behind. She can leave you behind and live the life I thought she’d have with you.”
“Slim . . .” I begin to say.
“Fuckin’ save it. Get this fuckin’ place cleaned up. Since you don’t want to work anymore and all you wanna do is fuckin’ find your way to the bottom of a bottle, you can clean the clubhouse,” he yells before following in Annabell’s direction.
I want to yell out that I’m not a damn Prospect anymore, but one look from Killer stops me in my tracks. He’s right— I’m acting worse than a Prospect because I’m not pulling my weight around here. Fuck!
After helping the house bunny up off the floor and watching her walk away from me, I start picking up the shit in the common room. There’s empty bottles, cups, and breakfast shit littering the tables along with shit all over the floor. It’s been a while since I’ve had to do this kind of work, and it’s not the easiest when I’m still more than a little drunk, but I do what I can before grabbing my bottle and heading to my room so I can be alone for the rest of the night.
The only thoughts running through my head are when I’m going to stop being such a fucking dick to Annabell. She deserves the world and I used to be the man who would give it to her. Now, I’m nothing anyone wants around. Something has to change. Maybe I need to get sober and leave here for a while. Try to find my own way in the world or at least a way to deal with the grief and pain I’m feeling. As long as I’m not hurting my girl anymore, I’ll do whatever it takes.
6
Annabell
IT’S BEEN THREE days since I walked in the clubhouse to find Vault passed out on the couch with a house bunny covering him. I could see his dick hanging out and her with no panties on under her miniscule skirt. My heart shattered all over again as I slammed into a chair in my hasty retreat from the room.
I ran all the way to the house and shut myself in my room. Slim followed me over and tried to talk to me, but I asked him to leave me alone for now. I’ll eventually get over Vault and the love I feel for him. He’s making it easy with the way he’s been acting.
Even before, I knew Vault drank and partied with the guys at the clubhouse. However, it’s all he does now. He’s not going to work, hanging out with anyone in the club, and he mopes around the clubhouse. I get he feels the loss of his dad more than anyone else, except for Valor maybe, but he’s self-destructing and it’s not a good thing. I won’t watch him do this or take the shit he’s been dealing my way.
So, all I’ve been doing is going to school and practice. I’ve been working hard since I’ve doubled up on my junior and senior year so I can graduate earlier than the rest of the class and I’ll be done with school just after my eighteenth birthday. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do.
My plan was to take a few months off and hang out with Vault and help Shy with the girls. Now, I’m just going to go to college at the beginning of the next semester. There’s no reason for me to stick around here and wait for a man who may never be the same again. I won’t let him continue to hurt me the way he has been. So, I’ve already talked to Shy and Slim and let them know I’ll be leaving a few weeks after the end of my semester.
The only time I’m going to come home is if there’s a break and I can walk the stage at high school. It’s something Slim and Shy want to see me do and I want to make them happy. They’ve taken me in and done so much to help me deal with the loss of my family and make sure I have a roof over my head. Things they didn’t have to do because they didn’t know me from anyone else in the world. I’m grateful to them and there’s no way I’ll ever be able to repay them.
It’s why I work so hard at school and try to do as much around the house for them as I can. And why I watch the girls so Shy can hang out with Slim at the clubhouse on party nights. Slim’s been busy with club business and I like to make sure they get to spend time together. It’s important they get to have time alone more than the middle of the night or when the girls are down for a nap.
So, tonight I’ll be watching Kinsliegh and Rayven while they go to the club’s cookout. Well, they’ll have the girls until things get rowdy. Then I’ll have them. Hunter is going to bring them back to the house so I don’t have to go over there. After the last time, I refuse to go to the clubhouse anymore. I don’t need to see Vault wrapped around another house bunny or random slut with his dick hanging out. It’s already a sight I can’t unsee and one I don’t want to relive anytime soon.
Slim knows why I won’t go to the clubhouse anymore. I’m sure he’s told Shy why, but no one else knows. They don’t need to know why I refuse to go there. I’m sure they can guess, but they’ll leave me alone about it. Slim will make sure of it. That’s one of the reasons I love him like a father. He always watches out for me. Even if he does take it a little overboard sometimes. Like with telling the guys I’m not to be touched. Who does that?
When I talked to Slim about telling the guys in the club that, he just shrugged his shoulders and went on about his business. He said he wasn’t lifting the ban on me and that was pretty much the end of the conversation. Shy keeps telling me he wants better for me, not a Phantom Bastard. He wants me to find a guy with a regular job to settle down with and have a family. Eventually.
That’s not what I want though. I want a man who knows what it means to protect his woman. A man who can slay any demons coming at me. And a man who knows what he wants. The men in the Phantom Bastards are some of the most amazing men I’ve ever met in my life. When I told Slim even my parents would approve of them if they were still alive, Slim just ignored me.
I know the club isn’t always on the right side of the law and things happen with rivals, but at the end of the day, they’d be there for me and anyone else associated with the club. They’ve proven it more than once. What really sinks in my mind though is how they rescued me when they didn’t have to, and how they took me from men who wanted to rape and hurt me just because they thought they could.
“Annabell, we’re headin’ out,” Slim says as I come out of my room.
“Okay. Have fun,” I tell him, walking downstairs with a book in my hand.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come over for something to eat?” Shy asks.
“No, I’m good. I’ll get something simple here,” I respond.
“Okay. If you want, I can make you a plate and have Hunter bring it over when he brings the girls,” Shy te
lls me.
“That sounds good. Thank you, Shy,” I tell her, offering her a small smile.
I know they’re both worried about me and the situation with Vault. They don’t have to worry though. I’m trying not to think about it or him. All they see is me throwing myself into my schoolwork and withdrawing from the club and them. In a way, I suppose I am. Vault belongs in their world— he’s part of the club. I’m just an intruder for a little while until I leave for college. I’m not going to come between them when they’re family.
Vault used to sit on the porch with me and tell me stories about growing up in the club. About how Valor and he used to raise hell and get in trouble by Slim and Hound. They were the only two men who ever gave a shit about the boys and now, they just have Slim. I know he’s laid into Vault about his recent behavior. It’s also why he’s banned him from leaving the clubhouse the last few weeks. He’s worried about him and doesn’t know how to help him. No one does.
I’m sitting on the porch, reading a book, and listening to the music from the clubhouse when one of the SUVs pulls up. I know it’s Hunter with the girls. So, I set my book down and make my way down the steps to help him get them out. I’ll be putting them down for bed soon, but until then, I’m going to play with them and give them their baths.
“How are you, Hunter?” I ask as he lifts Kinsliegh from the car seat she’s in.
“I’m good. How about you? Haven’t seen you around lately,” he asks.
“No, I won’t be going to the clubhouse anymore. It’s too much to be over there these days,” I tell him.
“Vault?” he asks.
I nod my head and realize he’s been paying more attention than a lot of people give him credit for.
“Yeah, but I’ll be okay. I just need some distance. And until I graduate in a few months, this is the way I can get that,” I answer.
“I’m sorry. I’ve been told he’s not normally like this. I know a loss like his is devastatin’, but what he’s doin’ ain’t right either,” Hunter tells me as we walk in the house with the girls.
“He was great when I first got here. Now, I’m just another victim on his path of self-destruction,” I say, setting Rayven’s car seat down on the floor in the living room.
“Oh, let me get your dinner. Shy made sure a plate was made for you before the guys got to dig in,” Hunter says, running back out to the SUV so he can grab whatever else is in there.
I get Rayven out of her car seat and place her in the swing in the living room for her. She’s getting so big already and I want to eat quick before I give them baths and play with them for a while before bed. It’s what I usually do when I have the girls at night. We have our own routine and I’m going to miss it when I leave here, but they’ll adjust to me being gone and so will I.
“Here you go, Annabell,” Hunter says, handing me the tin foil covered plate.
“Thank you, Hunter,” I tell him, taking the plate. “I’m sure you have to get back to the clubhouse. Have fun tonight.”
“I’m not goin’ back. I’m here for the rest of the night. Slim didn’t want you alone once the girls were here. He probably would’ve sent someone over sooner, but we were dealin’ with somethin’,” Hunter says evasively.
“Oh, well, I’m okay here on my own. Don’t want you left out of the night’s festivities,” I tell him.
“Yeah, I’m good. I don’t fuck with the house bunnies. Even if I were more than a Prospect, I still wouldn’t. I’m not really into sloppy seconds,” he tells me.
“Oh, well, you’re more than welcome to hang out in here if you want. I’m just gonna eat before I give them a bath. Then I’ll play with the girls for a while before I put them to bed.”
“I’ll be on the porch. If Slim finds me in here with you, he’ll kill me. You know how it is,” Hunter says.
I nod my head in understanding as he walks back outside. I’ll go join him later on. I’m not going to leave him on the porch alone all night. We can talk and hang out until I’m ready for bed. There’s no point in him sitting outside all alone when I like sitting out there too.
So, for the next few hours, I spend my time with Kinsliegh and Rayven. They are such good little girls. We spend an hour just at bath time so they can splash and play in the water. Rayven loves her water time and I always let her have extra time so she can work some of her energy out and get ready for bed.
After I get them settled down and read them a story, I clean up the house and make sure the girls are asleep before grabbing the baby monitor to take outside with me. Hunter is sitting on the steps of the porch as I make my way to the swing I always sit on. He watches me and I’m not sure what the look in his eyes is as I sit down and start to gently sway in the night breeze.
The music from the clubhouse seems to be even louder now and I can hear the laughter and squeals of delight as the men and women cut loose and enjoy their time together. Something I wish I could do with Vault like we used to. It’s not going to happen for us though. Instead, I’ll be the outsider looking in on his life while he fucks his way through women and drinks himself into oblivion.
“You okay over there?” Hunter asks.
“Yeah, just thinking,” I tell him.
“About what?” he questions.
“About how I used to be at the clubhouse and how I loved hanging out with everyone. Now, I’ll only ever see the guys if they come over here or they come to one of my games. It sucks, but I’m not going to have Vault taken away from his family because I can’t get a handle on my feelings for him yet,” I answer honestly.
“I see. Well, you know he’s miserable. Before I left tonight, he was sittin’ alone and not even drinkin’. I haven’t seen him pick a bottle or drink up in days. Not since the last time you were at the clubhouse, if I’m bein’ honest,” Hunter tells me.
“I’m happy for him. Maybe he’ll start to get better now. I’m still not going over there. I know the house bunnies whisper about how pathetic I am behind my back and I’m not going to have Slim yelling at them over trivial shit. I’m fine staying over here. It’s not much longer,” I tell him. “Besides, the company isn’t so bad over here.”
Hunter smiles at me but doesn’t leave his spot on the steps. It’s almost like he’s afraid to sit next to me on the swing. I’m not sure if it’s because of Slim’s warning or if he just doesn’t like me that way. Either way, I’ll enjoy his company until I head back inside. It’s been a while since I’ve had someone other than Slim and Shy to talk to. The last time was when Vault was over here, before he started pushing me away from him.
After a while, I head inside and to bed. I’ve got to study tomorrow for two tests while Shy has the girls. I’ll probably end up watching them tomorrow night for them and I want to be done with what I have to do before then. Climbing into bed after changing into a pair of shorts and a tank top, I fall asleep to thoughts of Vault finally starting to get better.
7
Vault
SLIM HAS LIFTED my not leaving the clubhouse since I stopped drinking. So, I’ve been taking every run the club has and being gone as much as possible. Annabell is never far from my mind. It doesn’t matter where I am, she consumes me.
I can’t believe I fucked up the way I did. Even drunk as hell, I’ve never fucked a house bunny in the common room because I didn’t want Annabell to see that. No matter what’s going on with us, I never want to hurt her and I have. I’ve done more damage to that girl in a few months than a group of men did in hours one night. And that’s the night she lost her entire family.
Annabell can say what she wants, but I know how much pain she’s in. She hasn’t come back to the clubhouse since finding me asleep on the couch with a bitch draped over me. The only person other than Slim and Shy she sees is Hunter. He gives me dirty ass looks every time he sees me. I’d call him on his shit since he’s only a Prospect, but I don’t. He has every right to be pissed at me for my treatment of Annabell.
It’s not surprising to me that Hunter l
ikes my Bell. She pulls everyone toward her and doesn’t let go. Everyone falls in love with her because she’s so sweet and caring toward everyone in her life. I had all that until I fucked it all up. Now, if Annabell even sees me, she turns and heads in the opposite direction. So, I’ve been trying to stay away from the girl who owns me.
When the club goes to her games, I pretend to stay at the clubhouse, but I’m there each and every game, watching her do her thing and loving the way she moves. I hide under the bleachers so I can move depending on where she’s standing. No one has caught me doing this yet, and I don’t want anyone to know. Just before the game ends, I head back to the clubhouse and straight to my room.
Today, I’m leaving on another run. I want to go to Annabell and talk to her before heading out with the guys, but I force myself to stay at the clubhouse. One of the house bunnies is trying to get me to fuck her and I simply ignore her as I sit at a table alone nursing a bottle of water. I’m not in the mood for anyone’s shit. I just want to get on the road and leave the clubhouse for a while.
Valor has told me Annabell still won’t come over here when I’m on a run and that’s not what I want. I overheard Valor and Hunter talking the day after the cookout and Hunter told my brother Bell misses the guys here. So, I figured if I’m gone, she can come back over and be with everyone. Instead, she still stays away. I also know she’s leaving early for college. I’m so damn proud of her and I want to tell her but I don’t want to push her any more than I already have.
Twisted Steel: An MC Romance Anthology Page 12
