Vicious (Salvation’s Bane 1)

by Marteeka Karland

  Once she’d worn herself out, Vicious used his shirt tail to wipe her tears. She gave him an incredulous look.

  “I’m not wiping my nose on your shirt. That’s just gross.” She wiggled until he let her up, and she went to the bathroom to clean up. No way Vicious was letting her distance herself from him. He followed her, using the opportunity to change his shirt as he went.

  “I’m not good at this,” he said, scrubbing his hand over his face. Her tears had nearly ripped out his heart. Not that he was a cold-hearted bastard or anything, but he usually equated women’s tears with manipulation. This had been nothing but raw grief, and he wasn’t about to insult her by even thinking differently. Besides, he’d let more than one tear slip free himself.

  “At what,” she asked quietly. She still hadn’t met his gaze. Standing in front of the vanity mirror, she washed her face. Vicious stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders.

  “I don’t… Lucy, I need you to stay here.” Her gaze snapped up to collide with his. “With me.”

  “I can’t,” she whispered, but Vicious could tell it was more a reflexive response.

  “You can. In fact, I insist.” When she opened her mouth to protest, Vicious turned her around and gripped her shoulders gently, but firmly. “Look. Your sister needs to be with Rycks. Even you can’t deny that. But no one says you have to go as well. We’re only ten minutes from them. You can see her any time you want. I’ll make sure of it. I need you to stay. With me.” He knew he was being repetitive, but he couldn’t think beyond those words. He needed her. With him.

  She looked at him for a long time. Fresh tears seemed to form, but she blinked them back. “I thought…” She closed her eyes, shaking her head a little. “I thought you were angry with me. Tired of me always being in your way.”

  “What?” Had she slapped him, he couldn’t have been more surprised. “No, baby. Never. Why would you think that?”

  “The night you left to go get Lucy. You seemed angry at me. I know I probably cramped your style, but I didn’t mean to. I would have been all right on my own. You didn’t have to shelter me from the other guys.”

  “You sayin’ you wanted other guys hittin’ on you? Cause I’m not OK with that.”

  She blinked. “I don’t understand. I thought this was all for show. I actually thought you’d still have women. You did. Right?”

  Did she look hurt, or was it just wishful thinking? Did he want her to feel as possessive of him as he was her? Absolutely he did.

  Vicious let his hands slide from her shoulders, up her neck, to cup her face gently. “Honey, I’ve not even looked at another woman since I first saw you. I just didn’t want to frighten you off.”

  She gave a little laugh. “So you forced me to sleep with you at night? In your room?”

  He gave her a sheepish grin. “Well, in my defense, you knew that was all bullshit from the start. In any case, I wanted to keep my word to you. I didn’t want to do anything you didn’t want. I was trying to wait until you came to me.”

  Lucy gave him a small, watery smile. “I can’t abandon Lucy, Vicious. I won’t deny I want to stay with you, but my sister needs me.” Vicious could see the truth of it in her eyes. She did want him.

  He lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her tenderly. He’d done so often, but not since the night he left to rescue Mae. He’d missed her. Terribly.

  Lucy felt like she was being torn apart. More than anything in her life, she wanted to stay with Vicious. Like he said, it was only a ten-minute drive to Lake Worth. Maybe she could come visit him. But that wouldn’t be the same, and she knew it. Just as it wouldn’t be the same for her to go visit Mae.

  Kissing Vicious was always so exciting. Like he was on the very verge of losing himself in her. The thought was a heady aphrodisiac. He was so dominant and demanding, but she knew he’d give her anything she needed in the bedroom simply because she wanted it. Looking back over the time she’d been there, he’d pretty much done anything she wanted out of the bedroom.

  He’d protected her from his club and the girls in it, even though she was pretty sure he told the truth when he said none of the men would do anything she didn’t want. She’d seen it every single day she was there. They were a rowdy bunch, but they never touched her or did more than ask her to dance for them. OK, so a few of them had actually gotten on their knees and begged, but she could forgive that because they had seemed really sincere and had respected the “no” she’d given them. They’d also made sure to do it in front of Vicious, which made her think it was as much to make him jealous as it was to see if they could get a repeat of the bonfire performance.

  His lips tugged and teased at hers, his tongue slipping between her lips. When she opened for him, he swept in and tangled his tongue with hers. There was no way to keep the sigh of contentment and desire contained. She didn’t want to. She wanted Vicious. Had from the first moment she’d seen him. He was so larger than life and masculine. His body a work of erotic art. If she could have created the perfect man for her, she’d have created Vicious. She had no idea of his past life, no idea what he’d planned for the future, but she knew she wanted to be with him as long as he’d let her.

  “I want you,” she whispered. “Now. Before I have to leave.”

  “Told you,” he said between kisses. “Don’t want you goin’.”

  “But Mae --”

  “We’ll work that out to your satisfaction without you leavin’.” He continued to kiss her. “Later.”

  He pulled back so he could grab the shirt she wore and whip it over her head, leaving only her lacy bra and jeans. The jeans followed the shirt, and Vicious sank to one knee before her. His hands shaped her curves reverently. Soon, his lips followed, kissing her hip bone, her belly button… and lower. As he pulled her panties over her hips to let them pool at her ankles, he continued to kiss until he got to just above her bare pussy. Then he looked up at her, meeting her gaze with his hot one before he thrust his tongue between her folds.

  Lucy gasped, grasping his shoulders to keep her balance. When she did, Vicious shouldered his way between her legs and plunged his tongue deep. His deep growl rumbled through her body. Her clit throbbed and twitched with every touch of his lips and tongue. When her knees gave out, he set her on the vanity, spread her legs wide, and buried his face between them.

  Bracing her feet on the counter, Lucy grasped Vicious’s hair, unsure if she wanted to pull him to her or push him away to get relief from the awful need he was building steadily and terribly within her. She’d known sex with Vicious would be explosive, but this was more than she’d been ready for. There was no doubt she wanted him. Had to have him. But how much of herself was she really ready to cede to this man?

  Her answer? Everything!

  The second she admitted it to herself, her body surrendered to Vicious, letting him take her where he wanted. Which seemed to be straight into madness.

  “Oh, yeah, baby,” he said in a husky whisper. “That’s it. Let yourself go.” She obeyed without hesitation, spreading her legs as wide as she could, hooking her hands under her knees to keep them apart. He simply spread her lips wider with his big fingers before carefully inserting one inside her.

  Lucy wasn’t a virgin, but her experience had been limited. She had always been very careful not to give the impression she was willing to have sex with customers, and when she and Mae had gone to Black Reign, she’d kept her legs firmly closed to the club members. Now, she had no defense. No reason to hold back. She wanted Vicious, no matter the consequences. For the first time in a very long time, she felt like there might be life beyond exotic dancing and paying her father’s debts. Maybe, just maybe, there could be a happy ever after for her. It was a dangerous line of thinking, but she couldn’t seem to help herself. This was a man she wanted for herself.

  “So fuckin’ tight,” he rasped. “Gonna fuck you soon, Lucy. Gonna put my cock inside you and fuck you ‘til you scream.”

  She was about to scream bef
ore he fucked her. Just a couple more seconds and she would. He seemed to know she was about to come because he suddenly withdrew his fingers and stood. She opened her mouth to protest, but he covered it with his, kissing her so she tasted herself on his lips. That was so fuckin’ hot!

  He stepped back from her and dropped his pants and underwear. Once he was naked, he lifted her, urging her to wrap her legs around his waist, and carried her to the bed.

  Lucy felt like she was in a fairytale. The pleasure and need building inside her didn’t seem real. Women only felt like this in books. Didn’t they? She had no assurances from Vicious he wanted more from her than sex. Had no assurances he even wanted her beyond a week or a month. Hell, she’d known him less time than she’d known Rycks, and now she was willing to throw her lot in with him? Yes. Unquestionably, yes. At least, for now.

  Once he laid her on the bed, Vicious covered her with his big body, settling himself between her legs. At some point, he’d rolled on a condom, holding up the empty packet so she could see it.

  “I look forward to the day when I don’t need these with you, Lucy. I don’t want nothin’ between us.” Then he eased inside her.

  She gasped. He stretched her until her pussy burned. It wasn’t painful, only full and slightly uncomfortable for several seconds. Vicious let her have the time she needed to adjust. Lucy was very conscious of him watching her, of the carefulness with which he moved. She felt him skin to skin with her belly and knew he was inside her as far as he could go. Lucy instinctively raised her legs so her knees hugged his sides. He gave her a sexy grin, then began to… move.

  The rhythm he set was slow. At first. The more she whimpered and moaned, the faster he moved.

  “That’s it, baby girl. You can take me.”

  “Vicious,” she gasped. “Feels so good!”

  “You feel good, baby. So fuckin’ good I can’t stand it.”

  He rolled them so she straddled him, urging her to sit up on him. Once she did, his hands slid up her body to squeeze and knead her breasts before sliding back to her hips. He urged her to move on him, to ride him.

  “Move your hips, Lucy. Do that erotic dance you do, but do it on my cock.”

  Her eyes widened. “Wow,” she said. “I must have made quite an impression.” She panted as she tried to get a feel for how she could move. She’d never tried this before. Never been on top during sex. Certainly, she’d never experimented with how she could move.

  He chuckled. “You have no idea, honey. I’ve done nothing but think about you since the moment I met you. But, most especially, since I walked in on you dancing in my room. I’ve never seen anything like the way you move. Fuckin’ amazing.”

  Lucy took over moving on him. She locked gazes with him as she moved her hips in a sensual glide. She let her hands wander up her body to undo her hair as she rode him. She let it fall like a silken cape around her. The long, curly mass brushed her hips. When she arched her back, sliding her hips forward, her hair slid over his thighs as well as her ass.

  “Fuck… fuck!” Vicious gripped her thighs, his fingers leaving indentions. “The way you move. Fuck!”

  She loved the way he looked at her, the way his cock throbbed inside her. He looked at her with something like awe. Sweat sheened his body the harder his cock grew. The muscles of his jaw clenched and released over and over. When he’d swelled almost uncomfortably inside her, he rolled them over once again. This time, he hooked one of her legs over his arm before beginning a hard, driving rhythm.

  Lucy gripped Vicious’s shoulders. She hooked her free leg around his lean hip and dug her heel into his ass, urging him forward. It felt like she was flying. Her clit throbbed and ached with every scrape of his body against it. The pleasure building and building inside her was unreal. At some point, she heard herself scream, and a burst of intense pleasure shot through her with lightning speed. Her body seized, her breath caught. When was finally able to take a breath, she screamed again. This time, long and loud. Even to herself, it sounded almost agonized. She’d never done that before. Not for any reason, but certainly not from pleasure.

  Seconds later, Vicious let out his own hoarse shout, roaring to the ceiling as he emptied himself inside her. She could feel his cock pulsing as his seed spurted. She cursed the condom, getting a perverse thrill in thinking he had come inside her. She knew he hadn’t, but in that moment, she’d wanted him to.

  When Vicious collapsed on top of her, Lucy let out a contented moan. Her arms tightened around him, pulling him more fully to her. He rested his weight on top of her even as his own arms snaked fully around her.

  With a groan, Vicious rolled them to their sides. He kissed her gently, brushing wet curls sticking to her face with sweat.

  “You good, baby?”

  She giggled. “I don’t know. I think so?”

  “God, you’re beautiful,” he said, searching her face for something. “So fuckin’ beautiful.”

  “You’re not bad yourself,” she said, shyly. She didn’t want to get up, but Rycks was probably already with her sister. She needed to talk with him and Mae. Needed to see if going with them was even an option. She wondered if Vicious would really insist she stay. Part of her, the biggest part, wanted him to insist she stay. Wanted him to actually prevent her from going. But she couldn’t willingly abandon her sister. It would be far easier to accept if he didn’t give her a choice.

  “Much as I hate to move,” she said, “I need to go talk to Rycks and Mae.”

  “You’re killing me, Lucy,” he muttered.

  She sighed as she sat up. “I can honestly say that was the best experience of my life, Vicious. But my sister’s been through so much. I have to take care of her before I can think about my own life. She wants to go with Rycks so I’m going to talk to him, but she needs me. Her big sister.”

  “Fine. But I’m going with you.”

  * * *

  There was no way in hell Vicious was letting her leave with Rycks. He didn’t care if it was ten minutes across town or ten seconds. Her place was with him. If her sister needed to be with Rycks and Black Reign, that was her choice. He’d learned from Lucy the girl was only seventeen, but from what he knew of their past, Lucy was more of an adult now than most kids in their twenties. She’d lived a hard life. Lucy had tried to shield her younger sister as much as possible, but any woman who could hold her own as a dancer in a strip joint had his respect and deserved a say in her future.

  After they dressed, Vicious pulled her into his arms and kissed her. He tried to express with his kiss what he couldn’t in words. Did he love her? He didn’t know. He’d never loved anyone outside his mother and his brothers, and this was so different it wasn’t even the same thing. These last few days with her weren’t enough to know if he loved her, but he knew he didn’t want to be without her. He’d figure out the rest later.

  She pressed her body against his sweetly, wrapping those slender arms around his neck as she kissed him back. He loved the way she responded to him. There was a quiet passion he was dying to play with. Pushing her sexually was something he craved exploring. First, though, he had to secure her with him. He knew this was going to be a fight, but it was one he had to win.

  Mae’s room was just a couple doors down from theirs, and the second he took Lucy’s hand and pulled her into the hall with him, he saw Rycks approach from the opposite end. His heart pounded with fear when he was a man who feared nothing. Would this be the moment when the other man took his woman?

  No. That couldn’t happen. Hardening his features, he went to meet Rycks head on. The other man looked equally implacable, just as determined as Vicious was.

  They stopped just outside Mae’s room. When Lucy would have entered, Vicious held her back. She looked up at him questioningly but said nothing.

  “I want your personal assurance that, if we let you take Mae, she’ll be protected and safe.” Vicious stared down the other man, needing to be as intimidating as possible.

  Without hesitation, R
ycks answered, “On my life, I will protect her. To the fucking death.”

  Vicious hadn’t expected that. He’d expected reassurances. Promises. This was altogether different. Not because of the words. Because Rycks was dead serious. Vicious believed he would absolutely defend Mae with his life. It was the first time he’d seen evidence there might be a chink in the man’s armor. He had a weakness. Mae.

  “I’ll be going with her,” Lucy said softly. “I need to know what that means for me.”

  Everything in Vicious wanted to roar his objection. He wanted to toss her over his shoulder and take her back to their room. He wanted to tie her to his bed where she could never leave him. But he couldn’t. If Mae truly needed Lucy he couldn’t be that mean and selfish. He hoped they could work something out but, much as he would fight, he had to be sure before he did. Mae was in a fragile state. Lucy was her big sister. Vicious knew that, if Mae needed her sister, there was really no option but to let Lucy go.

  Until he figured out a way to make her stay.

  Rycks’s gaze snapped to Lucy. He said nothing, but turned his head to look at Mae huddled under the covers in the bed. “Has she spoken?”

  Lucy shook her head. “No. The only time she actually responded to a question was when I asked her if she wanted to go back to Black Reign with you. Please understand me, it’s the only reason you’re here. I don’t want her going back to the very people who didn’t care enough about her to prevent this in the first place. As I understand it, because your president is in with some bad people Mae got caught in the middle.” She let that sink in. “I don’t trust any of you with her.”

  Vicious’s heart sank. This wasn’t going to be about what Mae wanted or needed. This was about Lucy not trusting Mae’s protector. Problem was, he couldn’t reassure her, because he didn’t blame her. He didn’t trust the bastard either.

  A flash of pain crossed Rycks’s face, and he turned to look at Mae’s small form. “In my arrogance,” he said, “I thought I had all four of you safe. You all followed the rules, and none of you left the clubhouse. I never thought someone would be so bold as to actually break in. Though there were security measures in place and guards watching the place, I wasn’t as serious about it as I should have been. I’ve since rectified the situation.” His gaze swung back to Lucy. “I never make the same mistake twice.”