“Four of them?” Vicious asked.
“Yes. Before Lucy and Mae came to us, we had also taken in Serelda and Winter. Too many young women for a club like ours, but someone had to watch over them.”
“Are they safe, too?”
“Absolutely. They each have two men who always stay with them. Guards. They have very little privacy, but I’ve worked hard to make sure they are comfortable with the men with them. Also, I put men on them who understand how fragile they are, and who are able to be gentle with them.”
“Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me,” Lucy muttered. When he looked at her sharply, she let out a short, exasperated breath. “Oh, come on, Rycks. Gentle? In a club like Black Reign? I doubt any of you know the meaning of the word.”
“Since El Diablo took over, he’s brought in his own people. There are a few of the original club still there, but most of them… well, they’re no longer with us.”
Yeah. Vicious just bet they weren’t. Bane and Bones both knew firsthand how El Diablo dealt with club members he wanted rid of. It had only been a year since he shot one of his own members in the head during negotiations with Bones.
“Rycks?” Mae voice was soft, but unmistakable. It was the first word the girl had spoken since they’d brought her back. Even Lucy hadn’t been able to get her to talk. Now, she made an effort to sit up, but still clutched the covers tightly to her.
The big man turned back to look at her. His features were still hard, but there was a softness in his eyes that surprised the fuck out of Vicious. This man really cared about that girl in some way.
“Hey,” he said warmly as he entered the room, slowly approaching her. “There’s my girl.” When he got to the bed, Mae sucked in a ragged breath before a sob broke free. She shoved the covers down and flung herself into his arms. Once she started, there seemed to be no way to stop the flood of tears. The girl clung to Rycks like he was her only lifeline. Rycks held her, stroking her back up and down with his big hand. He sat with her on the bed, shielding her from Vicious and Lucy as if he knew Mae wouldn’t like anyone witnessing her breakdown.
They sat that way for several minutes. Lucy cried softly, and Vicious did his best to comfort her. He wrapped her up in his arms much like Rycks had Mae. To his surprise and immediate gratification, Lucy clung to him. He hated she was hurting, but he wanted her to look to him when she was.
Finally, Mae’s sobs turned to little hiccups. Rycks found tissues on the nightstand and dried her tears. He handed her a fresh one so she could blow her nose, then she looked up at him. The sad, lost look on her face tugged at Vicious’s heart.
“I thought… I-I thought you got tired of me always hanging around.” Her voice was small, so very vulnerable. “We always a-argue and y-you get a-agriv-vated with me.”
“No, baby. Never. I just like watching you get irritated. I like seeing all that fire inside you. Lets me know you can deal with anything if you can deal with me.”
“So, you aren’t mad at me?”
“I could never be mad at you, Mae. Never.”
Lucy watched the pair carefully with narrowed eyes. Vicious could see she still didn’t trust Rycks, but wasn’t sure what to make of the gentle way he was with her sister. The girl had wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled into his body like it was her safe haven.
“Mae, honey.” Lucy sat on the other side of her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Baby, look at me.” Mae hesitated, but did as her sister asked. Lucy winced when Mae faced her fully. The girl had been beaten pretty badly. One eye was swollen shut, and her face was a mass of bruises in various stages of healing. Vicious hadn’t seen the rest of her, but he was certain she looked like that all over. “You know Rycks could come see you every day. Right? You could stay here. I think this club is safer than Black Reign.”
Instantly, the girl’s eyes filled with tears, and she turned back to Rycks, her arms tightening around him. “Please don’t leave me,” she begged to Rycks. “I don’t want you to go.”
“Honey, I’m not leaving you if you don’t want me to.” He looked up at Lucy. Vicious could see there was going to be a struggle. First Lucy and Rycks, then him and Lucy. He knew the kind of man Rycks was, so Lucy had no hope of keeping Mae from him, and he knew the kind of man he was. He had no hope of keeping Lucy from leaving to be with her sister. Which meant he was fucked.
Chapter Nine
Lucy was becoming desperate. She had absolutely no desire to leave Salvation’s Bane and, more importantly, Vicious. It was obvious Mae felt safe with Rycks. She just wasn’t certain how much she trusted the big man from Black Reign.
Lucy fought back tears. Until that moment, she hadn’t realized how much it would hurt to leave Vicious. Which was ridiculous because they hadn’t known each other that long. A couple weeks, if that. Most of that had been questionable. He was gruff and standoffish during the day, but, God, so wonderful at night. So, what should she do?
“Lucy,” Rycks said as he rubbed Mae’s back over and over. “Mae needs to be with me. You know that.” He sounded gentler than he ever had when speaking to her. “I think Vicious needs you with him as much as I need Mae with me. I would never keep her from you, so I’ll do something I’d never allow another person. You can come and go at Black Reign as you please.” Lucy saw Vicious open his mouth to protest, but Rycks quickly added, “Vicious too. Any time you want to be with her. Day or night. You don’t have to call ahead or let us know before you visit. Nothing will be expected of you, and no one will give Vicious shit.”
“Really?” What he was telling her was unheard of. “Don’t you have to clear that with El Diablo or El Segador? I can’t imagine they’d be good with this.”
“Already done. After I got back from Mae’s rescue, I spoke with them both about this extensively. You can come see Mae whenever you like. Even if one or both of you give us reason to not trust you in our house, you will never be denied access to her.” He looked up at Vicious. “If it means anything to you, Vicious, neither of them hesitated to grant my request. If they had been worried you might betray Reign in any way, they’d never have agreed. No matter what I wanted.”
Mae stirred then. “I could come visit you, too,” she said softly, finally letting go of Rycks, though not getting down from his lap. She did look up at him questioningly.
“Absolutely,” Rycks agreed. “Any time you want, provided Thorn approves the visit.”
“If you’re waiting for an open invitation from us, you won’t get it,” Vicious said. “While Mae is always welcome here --”
“I understand and accept that,” Rycks said, holding up a hand to stop the lecture. “I was not looking for an open invitation. Wouldn’t want one. Much as I respect Thorn and his men, this isn’t my home.”
There was a moment of silence. Lucy wrung her hands, indecision weighing on her. “It feels like I’m abandoning you, Mae,” she said softly. “I never want to be like our mother and father. You’re all the family I have left.”
“You’re not abandoning me, Lucy.” Mae said softly.
“We good?” Rycks looked at Lucy instead of Vicious like she would have expected. He wanted her blessing? That was new. Maybe he meant it when he’d said he’d protect her with his life. Did she trust him? She wasn’t sure. But Mae did. That was obvious.
“Given all you’ve been through, Mae, if you’re good with this, then I suppose it’s only fair that I trust you. The only thing that’s important is that you’re safe. No one can say you aren’t an adult, even if you aren’t eighteen yet. You’ve been through too much to be called a kid. It’s your decision, honey.”
“I want to go with Rycks.” She glanced up at Vicious. “Lucy needs you, though she probably doesn’t want to admit it.”
“I need her too, Mae.”
“I guess we’re good, then,” Lucy said. “If you hurt her, Rycks. I’ll kill you myself.”
To her surprise, Rycks gave her a big smile, all the while holding Lucy closer. “You’ll mak
e a fierce old lady, Lucrecia. Never change.”
Rycks stood with Mae in his arms. The men and women of Salvation’s Bane were waiting silently in the common room when Rycks entered. Each of them smiled at Mae and wished her well. Vicious and Lucy followed them to the truck Rycks had brought. It was running with the air conditioning going. Lucy was glad to see he wasn’t planning on making her ride on the back of a bike. Rycks helped her in and even fastened her seatbelt. He shut the door and went back around to the driver’s side.
“Vicious,” Rycks said. “Thank you and your club for the work you did to get Mae home. I hope no one was injured too badly?”
“We’re all good.” If Vicious was startled at the thanks, he didn’t show it. “Just keep her safe and happy.”
“If I don’t, I’m sure your woman will take care of it.”
“She won’t,” Vicious said. “But I will.”
Rycks nodded before climbing into the truck and pulling out of the driveway.
Lucy had to fight back tears, but she knew it was for the best. “I’m worried,” she said softly, not really expecting anyone to hear her.
“Much as I hate to admit it, I trust him in this. He’ll keep her safe. It’s where she wants to be so she’ll be happy.” Vicious squeezed her shoulder. “Everything will be fine.”
“I hope so. She’s my baby sister. I guess it’s just hard to let go.”
“Come on, honey. Let’s go back inside. There’s a party tonight, and you could use the distraction.” He stopped, looking at her. “Except, no drinking.”
Lucy laughed. “Yeah. No drinking.”
Then he gave her a wicked grin. “Unless you’re up for some wild sex.”
Just like that her whole body went hot. Her knees went weak, and had Vicious not had a good hold on her she might have fallen.
“Yeah, I think you like that idea.”
* * *
That night, the party was in full swing. Instead of that Godawful metal crap the girls had going on last time, they chose a bunch of classic rock stuff. Skynyrd, Zeppelin, AC/DC, and the Stones along with others blasted through the night. For the first time that day, Lucy seemed relaxed. Vicious proudly paraded her around the party, not letting her out of his sight. If he didn’t have an arm around her, he held her fucking hand. Which got him snickers from his brothers when Lucy wasn’t looking. He didn’t care.
Once again, the party moved to the beach and a bonfire. Vicious noticed Lucy didn’t accept any drinks from the girls. She was polite about it, but told them simply, “Learned my lesson the last time.” When a couple of the younger guys approached her and Vicious -- casting Vicious wary glances -- and asked if she was going to dance with the other women, Vicious calmly informed them she was not, and that if they asked her again, he’d break their fucking necks. Both had looked crestfallen instead of appropriately scared and expressed their disappointment. Lucy had smothered a grin, no doubt knowing he was put out they were obviously willing to risk his wrath by asking her in the first place.
Vicious supposed he couldn’t blame them. She wore a little leather skirt that was barely long enough to cover the cheeks of her ass, displaying her long, lean legs. Her soft white tank was tight, exposing her sexy midriff and the sleek muscles of her abdomen. He wanted to be angry she’d chosen to show everyone what was his, but, the fact was, he loved showing her off. He figured she’d done it for him because he suspected she knew he liked it. Lucy was the most beautiful woman there. And she was his. Was he a bastard for wanting to flaunt that just a little? Probably. Didn’t mean he wasn’t going to display her if she was willing and excited by it.
He gave her what he hoped was a withering glare, but she just laughed and slid her arms around him. Naturally, he melted.
They stood with his brothers, eating and talking. He’d given her a beer, even followed by whisky but made sure to space them out. She never once balked. She did start to loosen up, her body swaying to the music as if she was just dying to dance.
Obviously, there was no way he was going to even suggest she dance in front of the others. Not only did he know she was opposed to it, but he was a jealous bastard. But he did get a positively wicked idea.
Handing her another shot of whisky and another beer, he gradually moved her away from the crowd until they were on the fringe of the party. There he gently backed her against a tree and kissed her thoroughly. She went with him, letting him lead her until they were both panting and she was squirming against him, rocking her hips against his leg.
“Seems my girl is a bit horny.” He chuckled. “Was it the music or the alcohol?”
“Mmm, both, maybe. And a healthy dose of you.” She sounded dreamy and breathless. “With you so close and your arms nearly always around me, I’m surrounded by your scent.”
“I take it you like that.” Vicious lowered his mouth to her neck and nibbled. She shivered beneath him, whimpering in her need.
“I love it.”
He pulled back and grinned at her. When her eyes widened, he knew she sensed a trap. With good reason.
“Do you trust me, Lucy?”
“You know I do.”
“Then turn around for me.”
She did, putting her back to his front. Immediately, he slid his hands under her tank, taking in two handfuls of small, firm tit. He pulled and tugged, elongating her nipples until they stood out, stabbing his palms.
“Love your tits, baby. So fuckin’ gorgeous.”
“Love you playing with them.” Unbidden, she pulled her top over her head, dropping it to the ground. Just like he’d hoped she would. They could see the others plainly, but with no outdoor lighting and the fire providing light for the rest of the group, no one could see them. Not that Vicious would care. He’d had sex at parties like this in front of his brothers many times. It was Lucy’s comfort alone that concerned him. “Will you suck on them?”
Instead of answering, he spun her around and latched on to one of her small breasts. The whole thing fit in his mouth, and he took great pleasure in sucking until she cried out. Her hands were threaded in his hair, holding him to her. He let go only to take the nipple between his teeth and bite down gently. It was enough to make her yelp, but not enough to cause real pain. When her hips jerked against him, finding his cock and sliding her pussy against it, he repeated the process with the other breast. She moaned loudly, arching her back, offering herself to him so sweetly.
“So fuckin’ sweet,” he rumbled. “Gonna fuck you in a minute. Right here under the stars beside the sea.”
She gasped, her fingers tightening in his hair. Had she balked, he might have managed to make it to his room with her, but now?
“Oh, God! Yes,” she whimpered. “Do that, Vicious. Fuck me right here!”
He needed no further encouragement. Kneeling before her, he shoved her skirt up to her waist only to discover she didn’t have on panties. “Looks like someone wanted this as much as I did.”
“I remembered the last party. The girls didn’t seem to mind having sex out in the open, and the breeze feels so good on my skin. I’d hoped…”
“All you gotta do is give me the word, honey. I’m good to fuck you anywhere, anytime, in front of anyone you want.”
“That’s so dirty!” Her breath came out in gasps, especially when he pushed her folds apart and darted his tongue between them. He found her clit and fluttered it a few times. Not that he needed to. She was soaking wet, her intimate moisture dripping down her thighs.
“Mine,” he growled as he sucked her clit. “You ready for my cock? Ready for me to shove it deep? Fuck you hard?”
“Yes! Oh, God, Vicious! Yes!
He stood and spun her around. She spread her legs slightly, and he guided himself to her entrance and heaved upward. He was tall, and she was short. He had to widen his stance to get any leverage, but he managed. He hit her deep in that position, driving her up on her toes, but he held her fast. His hands nearly spanned her tiny waist, which he took great delight in. Every
thrust he made was accompanied by a sharp whimper or cry from her. She even dipped her fingers to manipulate her clit and to scissor them around his cock as he fucked her. She might be the death of him. Vicious gripped her hips, pushing a hand against her back until she bent over at the waist while he continued to fuck her.
“Can they see us?” She whimpered. “Can they see you fucking me so hard?”
“Dunno, baby. You want them to? ‘Cause I’ll walk you over there and give them a show like they’ve never seen if you want me to. Show them who you’re fuckin’. Just say the fuckin’ word, baby.” He had only meant to add a bit of excitement because he didn’t think she was ready for anything else. None of their club members had ol’ ladies, but he couldn’t imagine them not fucking their women at parties like this if they had them. It was just part of their life. They all loved sex and loved to show dominance in bed. As long as the women didn’t mind it, it was a fucking turn-on for most of them.
“Oh, God!” Lucy cried out as she came around him, her little pussy milking him with each contraction. “Vicious!”
He pounded into her, holding himself back, not wanting this to end. Felt too fucking good, and the adrenaline rush was the best high he’d ever had. “Yeah, baby. I think you like that idea. Want me to fuck you in front of my brothers? The club girls? Wanna stake your claim on my cock, baby?”
She looked back at him over her shoulder and bared her teeth. “Don’t tempt me.”
He kept fucking her, surging even harder into her at her show of temper. “Fuck!” He slammed into her as deep as he could go and held her tightly to him. Gripping her hip with one hand, he pulled her up by her hair until he could wrap that arm around her chest, his mouth by her ear.
Vicious (Salvation’s Bane 1) Page 10
