His Lady: The Wounded Souls

by Leah Sharelle

  Seb disappeared into the building safely with Mia and Shiloh while the rest of us stayed where we were, guns still at the ready.

  “Found this on the pool table, Pres, sitting there in plain sight for anyone to see.” Ford held out a sheet of white paper.

  Booth took it and read it silently, anger and shock passing over his features as he read. I knew it wasn’t going to be good—nothing ever was if it had anything to do with Rogue.

  “What is it, brother?” Deck was the first to ask. He had gone through the fear of having not only his woman in danger but also his daughter. If anyone wanted this prick caught, it was Deck.

  Booth blew out a breath. “It says, ‘At this point, I don’t give a fuck which one of the bitches die. By the end of the week, you will have a dead body.’”

  Cold fear like I had never felt before coursed through my body as I fought my instinct to run and find Rainn and my kids. I was supposed to have them until tomorrow, but now? I just wanted them as far away from Rogue’s evil reach as possible.

  “How the fucking hell did he get this into the compound and on the pool table?” Creed shouted, his weapon still trained and his whole body wired with tension. Creed, the sniper, was in action, and that was not a good thing for Rogue.

  “Ford, check the security tapes. There is no way whoever did that wasn’t caught on tape. War room in ten minutes. Go see your women first and see for yourself they are okay,” Booth said before sprinting off to do exactly that.

  The rest of us followed close on his heels. Booth was fast as one of his favourite outlets in the dessert was to run around the FOB. There were times he would run for hours before exhaustion took over, and he had no choice but to stop. Creed and I joined him on many of those runs and beat him once or twice, which was why we were the closest on his heels.

  ———

  I pulled into the compound parking lot, this time without my kids. After the shit that went down earlier with the threatening note, Booth had intended for us to go into the war room and check out the footage, but when we got into the main room, we discovered the women had actually seen the note before Ford. So Booth cancelled the meeting and, instead, took a distraught Stella back to their suite and encouraged us all to do the same. Darth and Seb went out and did a sweep of the grounds, just to make sure there was no one lurking around, and Squid checked every room in the compound, just in case whoever left the note was stupid enough to hang around.

  Deck, Steel, and Darth had gone off with their women while Creed and the prospects walked the grounds on detail. Armed.

  Rainn and I spent a little more time with Eb and James before I took them back to their mother. Rainn had wanted to go with me for the drive. Christ, I wanted to take her with me and not let her out of my sight after hearing what was in that threat, but I couldn’t risk her being in the car with me as a target. Images of Booth and of Deck falling to his knees when Teach, Stella, and Shiloh had been in that car accident were fresh in my mind. My brother had nearly lost his whole life that day, and Booth nearly lost his before it even had a chance to start. No way was I going to purposely put Rainn out there so a crazy fucking idiot could take her out. No fucking way.

  I got out of my car and headed tiredly to the compound. I was so fucking weary, so tired of all the bullshit going on. Still worried that I had harmed my relationship with my lady because of my dick mouth.

  “Hey, Enforcer, all quiet in here tonight. The planned party has been cancelled, and everyone else is in their rooms, except Rainn,” Seb told me. He was sitting on a chair that faced the front door, a loaded weapon leaning against his leg.

  “Where is she?”

  “Dance room. Been in there since you left. Doors closed and no one has gone in there,” he assured me.

  He must have heard my meltdown earlier in the day, and it meant a lot that he wasn’t making fun of me because now really wasn’t the time.

  “Thanks, brother. No sleeping. Stay alert.”

  “Copy that,” was his clipped reply.

  Seb had been a fucking good soldier, one of the best to have at your back, and I trusted him completely, but Rogue was one step ahead of us all the time. If he could get either himself or his accomplice into the building, nothing was stopping him from walking right in and killing one of the women. Just the thought made me wanted to kill or vomit. Or both.

  Chapter 26

  RAINN

  The beat of the music pumped through my body with a steady pulse. I loved those times when it was just the music and me, the steps of the dance flowing from my mind and onto the pole. Or in this case, the chair.

  Tori’s last routine at Body and Souls before she died, though horrible, had given me a great idea. My pregnancy meant I wasn’t going to be able to perform it, but I wanted to get it down and show some of the other girls so they could add it to their repertoires. If they did it right, it would take Body and Souls to the level of a classy strip club. Mannix always prided himself on running a reputable club—clean girls, no drugs, and no under the table hooking. I was proud to be able to help him with that. Being the head dancer for the club, I made sure each of my dancers met Mannix’s requirements.

  Now my dancing was just for fun, fitness, and to keep my skills honed. If Charlotte and I were going to convince Booth to let us use that empty building for a dance school, I wanted to be on my game.

  I spoke briefly to Booth earlier when all the guys came rushing in from the shooting range, all of them wired tighter than a barbed wire fence. I asked him for some time to talk about something, and he promised after the guys had their next scheduled meeting, I could go in and discuss my idea. I was excited about it, and I was determined to be ready for that meeting. Booth wasn’t going to be disappointed about giving me that chance.

  I returned my concentration to the routine, my hips no stranger to the grinding despite the extra weight my body was carrying. Every now and then, one or both of the babies would roll almost as if they were dancing with me, making me chuckle.

  It felt good—no audience, no catcalling from sleazy men, just pure enjoyment.

  “Now if this isn’t the best thing to come home to.”

  My head whipped around and watched as my man stalked towards me, a feral look in his eye. He was turned on. Yay.

  “Hey there, Beast. The kids get home, okay?” I asked, still dancing, only now I was in seductress mode, something that Mannix had been front and centre of many times in our past.

  “Please, don’t mention the kids when my dick is hard, and I’m watching my woman dance like a sexy temptress,” he begged with his hand on his crotch, which looked very big and very hard.

  With a sly smile, I pushed the chair forward.

  “Take a seat. I won’t be too much longer,” I purred.

  He dropped down into the chair, pulling his lips in between his teeth. His control was waning, so it was not going to take much on my part to make him beg. And he was going to beg, of that, I was going to make sure.

  “Lady—”

  He tried to talk, but I interrupted him. This was my show, and I was in charge. He handed over control to me in bed that first night we got back together, and it was hard for him, but it proved he was capable of it. My changing body gave me a small amount of panic—after all, it was my money-maker and the reason Mannix was attracted to me in the first place. This was my way of releasing some of that panic.

  “Shush, sit back, and enjoy the show, big boy.”

  The music changed songs, and Tim McGraw’s ‘She’s My Kind of Rain’ came through the speakers.

  Ha, perfect! The tempo was slow and the words full of meaning. I looked over my shoulder to make sure the door was firmly closed because I didn’t want anyone seeing what I was about to do, and Mannix definitely wouldn’t, going by his outburst at lunch.

  “I planned to add the chair to my routine, but now it’s just for you,” I said in a sultry tone as I slowly removed my workout shorts. The lycra proved challenging to take off, and it took a l
ot of shimming to work them from my thighs. When I finally had them off and tossed behind me, I just had one of Mannix’s dress shirts on. Only three of the middle buttons were fastened, the sleeves were rolled mid-arm, and my hair was down just how Mannix liked it. And the last surprise for my man—no underwear.

  “Damn right it’s just for me. Fuck me, Lady, you are the sexiest woman I have ever laid eyes on,” he said with a smirk.

  His ever-present eye patch gave his joke merit. Most people didn’t know how to phrase that line when it came to Mannix since he still had two eyes, but only one had sight in it, so they weren’t sure how to put it exactly. He really didn’t care. Sometimes, he said eyes, and sometimes, he said eye. He wasn’t sensitive that way.

  “Is that right? Even with my round belly, which is going to get even bigger in the coming months,” I asked.

  I stood behind him now, and my hands combed through his messy hair, made a pass over his neck, and under his shirt to his shoulders where his muscles rippled under my touch, but the collar of his shirt made it hard for me to touch Mannix where I wanted. My hands needed to be everywhere, all over him.

  As I leaned forward, my breasts pressed against his shoulder blades, and my mouth pressed against his ear.

  “Take off your shirt, Beast,” I ordered, my teeth grazing his lobe.

  Goose bumps danced across his skin, and his breathing picked up. Without any words, Mannix reached behind his head and whipped off his shirt, carelessly tossing it across the room.

  Satisfied with my now unfettered access to my man’s chest, I went back to my exploration of Mannix’s muscled body.

  My breasts took their previous position at his back, the thin material of the shirt doing nothing to hide how hard my nipples were. The hard peaks ached for relief, but I was patient. I wanted to drive him wild before I got to have my turn.

  “Hmmm, I do love your pecs.” I moaned as my hands travelled from his collarbones to grab hold of the muscled pecs in question. The flat discs of his nipples hardened under my administration. Mannix had one weakness—well, one major one. He loved having his nipples touched by my mouth, fingers, or just like I was then, kneading them in my hands, he loved it all.

  “Rainn, I love it when you do that.” He groaned loudly as his head fell back and gave me a beautiful view of his blissful face. He was the most handsome man I had ever seen. Not in-your-face pretty like his twin, or sinfully good looking like Deck or Booth, nope, he was dangerously good looking like Creed. He was scruffy and broody, but not as broody as the road captain. Mannix had more of a devil in him, a ‘what you see is what you get’ type of a guy. He made no excuses for his brash behaviour, and I loved him for that.

  “I know you do. I also know what else you like,” I whispered. With one last grope of his chest, I stood. Then I sauntered around to face him, my hand still on his body, sliding around him just like I would a pole.

  The view from that angle was even better. The man had no chest hair to speak of, only his tattoos. And what works of art they were. Where Mannix’s tattoos were dark, mine were full of colour. His portrayed death and sacrifice while mine showed life and light.

  The only ones that showed any colour at all were the names of his older children. Over his heart, he had their names inked in an infinity symbol. I knew the meaning behind it, and I had been with him when he got it. He wanted something to remind him that no matter what, they would be his children in his heart forever.

  “Tell me, Mannix, are you ever going to calm down with your caveman ways? Or are you always going to be an arsehole, thinking you can tell me what to do all the time.”

  The music had changed yet again, and as the song ‘Slow Hands’ drifted throughout the room, my hips swayed in time to the slow beat. My eyes never left Mannix’s face as my hands slipped provocatively up my thighs, the shirt lifting just enough to give him a titillated view of my bare mound. The growl that left Mannix’s throat egged me on. I turned slowly around, pushing my bum out, showing him that I did indeed have no underwear on.

  I slowly released the three tiny buttons from their holes while my back was still to him. Turning my head, I looked over my shoulder just in time to watch as Mannix unbuckled his belt, made quick work of his button and zipper, then lifted his hips slightly off the chair and pulled his jeans down enough to release the monster that was his cock.

  Drool pooled in my mouth. Damn, this was not going to go the way I had first planned. At first, I wanted to get his input on my chair routine, maybe drive him wild with lust, and then let him fuck me, but Mannix had turned the tables on me. With just one glimpse of his thick, hard erection and the pre-cum sitting invitingly at the slit, I was the one to pant with desire.

  “Enough teasing, Lady. Get over here and fuck me.” The gruff desire and need in his voice was my undoing.

  I pushed the shirt from my body and let it pool at my feet. The light in the room was dull but did nothing to hide my changed body. The heat and blatant longing I saw in his gaze crushed the last of my anxiety. My body was for Mannix only, so it only mattered that he loved it and worshipped it. Being embarrassed over red stretch marks and not being able to see my vagina was stupid. Our passion and love for each other was the reason my body was changing, and that was definitely a good thing.

  With that new outlook, I smiled big and sashayed over to him. His jeans were only down to mid-thigh, his legs spread as much as the denim would allow. With a sly grin, I got an idea. We had done reverse cowgirl plenty of times, and it was one of his favourite positions. Tonight, I wanted to tweak that just a tad. I knew he expected me to straddle him and face him, but with my belly and him in a seated position, I didn’t think that would work well. Instead, I braced my hands on his knees and leaned forward to trace a path up his washboard stomach with my tongue. I gave a small amount of attention to his hard nipples, which earned a low moan from my beast.

  “I had hoped for some more seduction, a blowjob followed by your mouth on my pussy, but with your magnificent cock out like he is, all hard and solid and very erect, I think I need you inside me now,” I taunted.

  A very telling tick of his jaw assured me he was on the same page as I was.

  “Swing those sexy legs over me now, Rainn, because I am about to rock your fucking world.”

  My inner core muscles clenched painfully. His dirty mouth had always been enough to get me wet before he even touched me.

  “Let’s try something new, babe.” I licked his lips once, which earned yet another low growl, and then I turned around and lowered myself down onto his lap.

  “Guide your cock inside me, Mannix,” I said, breathing heavily as I braced my hands on either side of the chair’s seat. It wasn’t the easiest way to have sex, but I read in one of Charlotte’s maternity magazines that it was not only easier on the belly but with the legs together, it heightened the orgasm. I felt his fist bump against my wet lips as his cock tickled against my entrance.

  “Lean back against me, Rainn, and rest your shoulders on my chest,” Mannix rasped out, his voice laced with desire and need.

  I did as instructed. The new position kept my lower body in the right place, and the reclined position kept me from falling forward, which also meant I could use my hands.

  “Fuck, Rainn, you are choking my cock this way, Lady.” Slowly, Mannix slipped all the way into my channel.

  He wasn’t wrong. This way was so much more intense and fuller than I had ever felt. I rocked in slow circles around him as he pushed his hips up and down.

  “Mannix, Mannix, ooh, babe.” My guttural moans vibrated in my throat as sensations overloaded in my pussy, and Mannix’s arms came around me to band around my overheated breasts. Sensitive from pregnancy, I cried out when his lightly haired arms brushed against my nipples.

  “Did I hurt you?” Mannix asked, concerned. His hips stopped grinding up into me, halting the orgasm that was building.

  “No, don’t stop,” I begged.

  Another moan left me when his hips s
tarted again, his cock hitting deep inside me. My legs squeezed impossibly tighter, and the familiar tingle from my core readied me for what was about to happen. All of a sudden, it hit me. Stars blurred my vision, and bright white light blinded me. There was no slow burn build-up, just an explosion as I fell over the edge into bliss, and it was the most erotic and sensual moment of my life.

  “Mannix!” I screamed.

  “Rainn. Fuck, Rainn, I’m coming. Fuck, I’m coming.”

  A wave of fullness deep inside me followed Mannix’s bellow. As he throbbed over and over, his seed bathed me in its warmth.

  “Jesus, Rainn, that was—”

  “Beautiful,” I finished for him because that was the only word that described how I felt at that very moment. Other words like cherished, loved, safe, and satisfied all came to mind, too, which I also felt, but beautiful best described what just passed between Mannix and me.

  I found the strength to twist my upper body so I could face Mannix, careful not to lose our linked connection. The love in his eye would have brought me to my knees if his cock weren’t still seated deeply in me.

  “That was the most beautiful moment of my life,” I told him, echoing my silent thoughts. “I have never been so in love with a man as I am with you, Mannix Steel,” I whispered, my lips mere millimetres from his. We hadn’t kissed yet, but if I knew my beast, he would remedy that soon enough.

  “I know I’m difficult sometimes and have major arsehole tendencies that will probably drive you crazy. You have to know, though, I live for you, and everything I do is to keep you safe. You, these babies, Ebony and James. I won’t apologise for the man I am,” Mannix said, his eye pleading for me to understand.

  I understood this shit with the club and the shit with Alannah. If there was anyone who understood, I did, but he needed to see that I wouldn’t apologise for the woman I was. I wasn’t the type to sit down and do as I was told. He needed to discuss any concerns with me. If he had earlier, he would have seen I felt the same as he did. Dancing on a stage for men wasn’t something I wanted anymore, but dancing to teach? Damn straight I wanted that.