Retribution (The Lone Riders MC Series Book 2)

by Michelle Betham

  ‘Jesus, Mia…’

  ‘Sshh…’ She put her fingers to his lips, slowly shaking her head. ‘I want to see you naked, Ben. I haven’t seen you naked, and I want to. Oh, God, do I want to…’

  He picked her up, her legs immediately wrapping themselves around him as his mouth lowered down on to hers in a desperate kiss. ‘We’re not gonna make it upstairs, baby,’ he murmured, and she wasn’t going to argue with that. She could feel his hard-on digging into her already.

  ‘Living room.’ She smiled, and he returned it, her stomach flipping what felt like a zillion somersaults as he carried her over to the couch and laid her down. ‘Okay, handsome. Show me what you got, come on.’

  He laughed, standing up and cocking his head slightly as he looked at her. ‘Right back at ya, beautiful.’

  She wriggled free of her skirt, kneeling up to pull off her T-shirt, leaving her in nothing but the tiniest of white panties and bra. And her biker boots.

  ‘Leave those on,’ he said, indicating the boots. ‘But everything else comes off.’

  She slowly unclasped her bra, pulling it away from her breasts, arching her back and pushing them out, just a touch.

  ‘Jesus fucking Christ,’ Ben groaned. ‘Lie down.’

  ‘You’re pretty forceful when you want to be, aren’t you, lawyer man? And you’re still fully clothed.’

  ‘Just lie down, Mia.’

  She did as she was told, enjoying the game, stretching her arms up above her head as he leaned over her, his mouth covering one of her breasts, his tongue flicking over her nipple. Not half an hour ago she’d been choosing cereal in the grocery store, and now she had this tall, insanely handsome man sucking on her tits, the promise of his dick inside her just minutes away. She really was one very lucky lady right now.

  Gasping quietly as she felt his fingers hook into her panties, she closed her eyes as he slowly pulled them down, his murmured appreciation enough to make that wetness between her legs intensify. She could feel it seeping out of her, and all she wanted was for him to plunge into it; to take her slow and steady.

  ‘You better be naked, mister,’ she said quietly, the second she couldn’t feel his hands on her any more. ‘Oh, baby,’ she groaned, opening her eyes to see him standing there in all his hard, toned, tattooed glory. ‘I guess I got my wish, huh?’ He was taking her breath away; the most beautiful man she’d seen in a long time. Tall and lean but with muscles in all the right places, he had a body that Mia could only describe as perfect. In her eyes. She never had gone for the too-well-built type – something Lennie had turned himself into after his brother’s death. But Ben, he had the six-pack, the strong thighs; hips she couldn’t wait to wrap her legs around. He just hadn’t pushed it too far. And with tattoos she hadn’t realized he had covering more of his skin than she’d anticipated, she briefly wondered just how much truth he was really telling her about his biker past.

  But those thoughts were quickly forgotten as her eyes dipped to his hard dick, erect and promising her a ride she was going to wish would never end, and it was like her legs were operating on auto-pilot as they opened wide for him.

  ‘I guess you did.’ He threw her another of those smiles that made her heart race before he finally lay over her, and she pulled her legs up around him, the feel of his naked body against hers making her heart race even faster.

  Keeping her arms up above her head, she closed her eyes again as he kissed the base of her throat, his hands holding on to her hips and she arched her back, pushing up against him, silently begging him to dive into her. She was desperate to feel him inside her now, to fuck the foreplay and just take her, any way he wanted to. Because she was dying here. Her skin felt as if it was on fire, the ache between her legs almost unbearable and she couldn’t help but cry out in frustration as he refrained from coming in too soon. She could feel him, hard and throbbing against her, and she was soaking him, she could feel how wet she was, but he was keeping her waiting, and it was killing her.

  ‘Ben…’ Her moans filled the room, her frustration becoming more evident by the second as he continued to play with her, his fingers grazing her nipples, his mouth travelling over her skin, each tiny, feather-light kiss sending a million minute electric shocks surging through her, until she could take no more, she really couldn’t. ‘Jesus, Ben, just fuck me!’ She’d almost screamed out the words, her hips bucking right up against him. And he got the message. As his fingers intertwined with hers, she finally felt him push into her, and the relief that followed was all-consuming.

  ‘You always get what you want by demanding it?’ He smiled, his mouth resting on hers as he thrust deeper.

  She returned the smile. ‘I do now,’ she whispered, her fingers tightening around his as she felt a warm, welcome peace flood through her. This was sex so different to anything they’d shared before. And whilst she loved the hard, fast fucks, those stolen moments when they had to get their kicks as quickly as they could, this was beautiful and different. His thrusts were slower, more gentle; she could feel him fully inside her, feel him moving. And she loved that. She needed it. She needed sex that didn’t just feel as though someone was taking something from her purely for their own gratification without giving a shit what she was feeling. This was special. This was something she hadn’t experienced in a long, long time, and, if she was honest, she hadn’t even wanted to. The thought of a man being this close to her again had been almost abhorrent, after everything Lennie had put her through. Until she’d met Ben Salter, the man who was now coming inside her, filling her with a new hope as their bodies bucked together, their cries mingling; her heart beating hard for a new life she wanted so badly now. So much it hurt.

  ‘Jesus!’ Ben gasped, collapsing on top of her, his breathing heavy and uneven as it fell out of him in short, sharp bursts. ‘That was one hell of a lunch break.’

  She couldn’t help laughing, her fingers stroking his rough chin. He’d let the heavy stubble there grow into a short beard, and she liked it. It suited him. But she doubted this was the first time he’d adopted this look, if he really had once been a biker. ‘So much more exciting than a grilled cheese sandwich, huh?’

  He grinned, and she couldn’t remember when she’d last felt this happy. This relaxed. ‘Yeah.’ He kissed her slow and deep, her fingers sliding into his hair as his hand cupped her bottom, keeping her pressed against him. ‘And as much as I would love to taste dessert, I really do have to get back to work.’

  She ran her thumb gently over his slightly open mouth, her eyes following its every move. ‘Okay.’

  ‘But, if you’ve got nothing planned for this evening…’

  She smiled again as his mouth once more lowered down on to hers. Oh, God, she just wanted to stay there all afternoon and fuck until neither of them could take any more. She wanted to wake up tomorrow sore and unable to walk, her legs aching from the hours they’d spent wrapped around his heartbreakingly hot body. ‘Well, I was gonna pop over to the clubhouse but, you know, all of a sudden the idea of hanging around watching Luca beat the crap out of Kip and Cain at pool isn’t so attractive any more. Not when I could be here, with you. Doing this. All night.’

  He laughed, a low, almost dirty laugh. ‘I’ve really gotta go, beautiful.’

  She nodded, giving him one last kiss before he climbed off her. Sitting up, pulling her knees to her chest, she watched him get dressed, thinking how cruel it was to cover up something so undeniably gorgeous.

  ‘Come here,’ he said, holding out his hand, pulling her up and into his arms.

  ‘I suppose I should think about putting some clothes on, too,’ she sighed, straightening his tie.

  ‘Oh no,’ he murmured, his mouth closing in on hers. ‘You stay just as you are, for the rest of the day, so I can imagine you doing everything bare-ass naked, all afternoon. And when I come back tonight, I still want you to be naked. All ready for me to go back in there…’ He gently pushed two fingers inside her, causing her to gasp as he thrust them up, ‘�
�� and fuck you. All-over-again.’

  ‘You are killing me,’ Mia groaned, slowly moving her hips as he continued to finger-fuck her, his thumb rubbing her clitoris until she had no choice but to fall against him, her body shivering with the force of the surprise orgasm he’d just teased out of her.

  He smiled as he released her, wiping his fingers on a handkerchief he’d taken out of his pocket. And then, with nothing more than a wide grin and a wink, he left.

  Mia waited until she heard the front door close before getting dressed, her skin still tingling from Ben’s touch. She should probably get back to unpacking those groceries. If nothing else, it would take her mind off counting down the hours until Ben returned.

  But she hadn’t been five minutes back in the kitchen when the doorbell rang again, and she felt her stomach give an excited jolt. Had he decided to bunk off for the rest of the day? Maybe he needed an afternoon of hot sex as much as she did.

  Leaving the groceries lying on the counter top, she ran to the front door, swinging it open without a moment’s hesitation. And the smile just fell from her terrified face…

  Fourteen

  ‘Mia, and Ben?’ Charlie let out another long, pained sigh, closing his eyes as he listened to Lexi speak.

  ‘Sorry. It just slipped out. I mean, I’m probably banging on about stuff you’re not in the least bit interested in here, but…’

  Charlie sighed again as his daughter continued to tell him something he could have done without hearing. If everything was as it should be – if Lennie was still in Newcastle – then Charlie would probably be quite pleased that Mia seemed to be moving on. Although, in his eyes, he still thought that, maybe, it was a little too soon for her to be throwing herself straight into another relationship. And with Ben? He supposed she could do a lot worse. Ben Salter was a straight-up kind of guy, Charlie knew that much. He seemed steady enough; reliable. Although, in terms of the moral ethics involved…

  ‘… She’s gorgeous, and he’s pretty hot, so, I guess you throw two people like that together and the attraction can sometimes be just too strong, huh?’

  Charlie sat up as Lexi finally finished talking, resting his elbows on the table, pushing one hand through his hair – hair he was surprised hadn’t fallen out by now with the stress he was under. ‘Is it serious?’ he asked. ‘Ben and Mia, I mean.’

  ‘I’m not sure they actually want anyone to know they’re an item. And, in all honesty, I’m not even sure they are an item. I mean, all anyone saw was the two of them sharing a kiss at Mum’s the other night, but poor Kip, he’s devastated…’

  ‘Kip? What’s Kip got to do with it?’

  ‘He’s got a bit of a thing for Mia. He’s been really good to her since she arrived here, and they’ve been getting on really well, so, I guess he thought something might’ve developed from that.’

  ‘But it hasn’t, right?’

  ‘No. It hasn’t. But whether that’s because of Ben… Oh, Dad, you should have seen him. He was trying to pretend he couldn’t care less, but I could tell he was gutted.’

  ‘Tell him to get his arse down to the Candy Cave. Go pick up a hooker or something. Let Mia get on with things.’

  Lexi waited a beat or two before she spoke again. ‘You all right? You seem, I dunno – on edge.’

  ‘Things are just a bit all over the place here at the minute, kiddo. But nothing for you to worry about. Roller’s old lady’s just had a baby, so his head isn’t in the right place right now… I’m behind with the books for the bar, and because Maggie’s away visiting her sister I guess I probably haven’t been eating properly… Too many late nights, sweetheart, that’s all. Your old dad needs his sleep.’

  Again, Lexi waited a few seconds before she said anything. ‘You sure everything’s all right? If you need to…’

  ‘Everything’s fine, Lexi. Okay?’

  ‘Yeah. Okay.’ Lexi knew when to leave a subject alone. And the tone of Charlie’s voice was telling her to leave this one be.

  Charlie let out another heavy sigh, sitting back in his chair. ‘How’s my grandson doing?’

  ‘He’s good. Really good. Callie – Red’s girlfriend – she’s amazing with him. And Ozzie adores her. Well, he adores both of them, really.’

  ‘And Coby? Is he handling everything okay?’

  ‘Coby’s fine. Why wouldn’t he be?’

  ‘Darlin’, your old man is President of an MC that is trying its level best to distance itself from a lot of bad shit. And that isn’t something that happens overnight.’

  ‘Well, he seems to be coping with it all pretty okay to me.’

  ‘Then that’s all that matters. Look, I’d better go. It’s getting late over here, and I probably should try getting some sleep.’

  ‘Yeah. You should. You take care of yourself, Dad, do you hear me?’

  ‘Always, baby. Always.’ Charlie put the phone down and dropped his head into his hands.

  ‘Did you ask her?’

  Charlie looked up as Bear sat down next to him – his newly-appointed V.P., seeing as Lennie had now gone AWOL. ‘I couldn’t, Bear. I don’t want to panic anyone, and as much as I trust my daughter, I’m not sure she would’ve kept this from Mia. And the last thing we need is for Mia to start panicking.’

  ‘So, how are we gonna know if he’s definitely in Paradise?’

  Charlie had told Bear about sending Mia over to California. He’d had to. Lennie disappearing had meant he really couldn’t do this without somebody’s help. And he could trust Bear with his life. He’d tell everyone else when – and if – that became necessary. But, for now, this was still something he wanted to keep as quiet as possible. ‘I’ve contacted Michael Bailey; he’s the sheriff over there, and an old friend of mine and Tay’s. If Lennie’s in Paradise, or anywhere close by, he’ll know about it.’

  ‘And if he is there?’

  Charlie looked straight at his Vice President. ‘Then you know what we have to do.’

  ***

  Mia tried to close the door as quickly as she’d opened it, but even as she was doing it she knew it was a pointless action. Closing the door on him wasn’t going to make him go away. It wasn’t going to change what was happening here. It was only going to make things worse.

  ‘Don’t even think about it, darlin’,’ Lennie sneered, pushing past her and slamming the door shut behind him.

  Mia backed away, trying desperately to reach into her back pocket for her phone, but he was too quick, grabbing her wrist and smacking the phone from her hand. All Mia could do was watch as it clattered to the floor, his fingers still holding on to her wrist, so tight she could already feel the red marks beginning to form.

  ‘You tell nobody, do you hear me?’ he hissed, his face so close to hers Mia could almost taste the beer and cigarettes he’d so obviously recently indulged in. ‘Nobody.’

  ‘And you think Charlie won’t already know where you are?’

  ‘I saw him leave, Mia,’ Lennie continued, ignoring her question. ‘Is that what you’re into now? Mr. Suit and Tie, all straight-laced and up himself?’

  ‘You have no idea what kind of man he is.’ Her voice was steady, no hint of the fear she was feeling coming through just yet. But for how much longer she could manage to stay calm, she didn’t know. Inside she was terrified, but she needed to show him she wasn’t scared of him any more. She’d fought back in the past, she could do it again.

  ‘You fucking him?’

  ‘Every second I can.’

  ‘Once a whore, always a whore, huh?’

  ‘Bastard!’ she spat, gaining a certain satisfaction from watching her spittle hit his rough cheek, the look of surprise in his eyes as he realized what she’d done.

  ‘You fucking bitch!’ he roared, pushing her back against the wall, his hand still tight around her wrist as he yanked it up towards her head, a pain so sharp shooting up her arm she couldn’t hold back the yelp. ‘Am I hurtin’ you? Yeah. Not such a big girl now, are we?’

  ‘Fuck y
ou!’

  ‘Keep going, darlin’. ‘Cause I’m ready for you, sweetheart. I am so fucking ready.’

  ‘Charlie will know you’ve gone, and he’ll be looking for you. And when he finds you…’

  He yanked at her wrist again, and another shot of pain ran the length of her arm.

  ‘You want to make this public, Lennie? Hmm? You want them to see me with a broken wrist, bruises all over my skin? You want that?’

  ‘Your boyfriend might find a messed-up whore a turn-on,’ Lennie hissed, his face up close to Mia’s again, the smell of him making her feel physically sick. ‘I mean, it certainly doesn’t bother me.’

  She closed her eyes as she heard him unzip himself, preparing herself for something she’d been through many a time before with this man. But she shouldn’t have to go through it again, and from somewhere deep inside she felt a strength rise up from the pit of her stomach, a strength that allowed her to raise her knee, jerking it roughly into his groin, the crunch of it hitting his hard dick loud and satisfying.

  ‘Jesus-fucking-Christ! You fucking bitch!’

  In the split second he let go of her she managed to slip away from his grasp, but as she ran for the door he, again, was too quick for her, grabbing her by her T-shirt and throwing her down on to the stairs.

  ‘You ain’t even worth the bother of a quick fuck. That can wait, but let’s get one thing straight here, darlin’…’ He crouched down so he was on her level, his face once more too close to hers. ‘You’re mine. You made those vows, and they made you mine. And I know that suit-wearing solicitor – the one you’ve been fucking; I know he’s the one Charlie’s got working for him. The one who’s trying to make sure you’re rid of me. But that just ain’t gonna happen, baby.’

  ‘You really think this is gonna work, Lennie?’ Her stomach was twisted into so many knots, a tight, painful fear flooding her body, but she wasn’t going to let him see that fear, she couldn’t do that. Because that would be letting him win.

  ‘You tell anyone I’m here, Mia, and it won’t be you I hurt. Do you understand?’