by Harley Wylde
I’d always laughed at the romances where the hero and heroine took one look at one another and fell instantly in love. I didn’t think this was love, but I certainly felt a warmth and fondness for Fox. Breaker may have rescued me from Balmoral, but Fox had saved me in every other way. I’d grown more in the two nights I’d known him, felt more at ease in the presence of a man than I had in what felt like forever, and I didn’t know why. I also didn’t really care about the why part of it all.
Fox was amazing, and he was mine. I didn’t need to know more than that.
“Make love to me, Josh.”
I felt him smile against my neck as he nibbled on me. “Thought that’s what I was doing. I must be out of practice if you can’t tell.”
My brow furrowed. I couldn’t claim experience, but shouldn’t there be fewer clothes separating us? I tugged at his shirt, wanting it off. The stubborn man refused to give me what I wanted. Instead, he worked his way down my body. When he sat up and reached for my panties, my breath caught. He eased them over my hips and down my legs. My heart fluttered like the wings of a hummingbird as he parted my thighs and settled between my splayed legs.
“Josh?”
“I’m going to make you feel good, sweetheart. Trust me?”
I nodded. Of course, I trusted him. I would have never let him get this far otherwise. My cheeks burned as he spread me open, and I felt his tongue lap against me. I squirmed, but he held me tight.
“Want me to stop?” he asked.
“No. Yes. Maybe? It feels… odd.”
He cocked his head and waited. I didn’t have more to say about it. Odd seemed to cover it, well as good as any other word. It hadn’t hurt. If anything, I’d go so far as to say it felt nice. I didn’t understand why he wanted his face there, though.
“But not bad?”
“No. It’s not bad.” Fox licked his lips and blew across my pussy. My breath caught at the sensation. I felt my clit harden. “That’s… that’s…”
He flicked his tongue across the swollen bud, and I gasped, my eyes going wide. He did it again, and I couldn’t stop the keening sound that slipped past my lips. Oh, God! I’d never known any part of sex could feel so good.
“Will you let me keep going?” he asked.
I nodded, not sure I could speak.
He licked, sucked, and teased me until I nearly sobbed. My body shook and strained. There was something just out of reach, a feeling I craved yet had never experienced. Frustration welled inside me, as I waited for release. I could feel it, so close and I couldn’t quite get there. I didn’t know what to ask for.
Fox sucked my clit into his mouth and gave it a hard pull. I drew in a breath and felt like I was flying and coming apart at the same time. The sensations nearly overwhelmed me as I cried out, throwing my head back as my thighs clenched hard around him. My body trembled and I held back a sob from the intensity of the orgasm.
“That’s it, beautiful. Come for me,” he murmured, licking me again.
“Josh! I… what…” My chest heaved as I tried to catch my breath. I stared down at him in amazement. All the movies I’d watched, or books I’d read, hadn’t prepared me for what he’d just done. Reading about an orgasm, or seeing one faked on TV, wasn’t nearly the same as feeling it.
He levered himself up and sat on his knees, wiping his hand across his beard. “Now, do you still think sex is painful or scary? Or do you see what you’ve experienced so far wasn’t sex? What those men did was all about control and inflicting pain.”
“Yes, Josh. I understand the difference.” I reached my hand out for him. “Will you take off your shirt? I don’t like being the only one naked.”
He stripped his shirt over his head, and I pushed up on my elbows to get a good look at him. Even though he had a lean build, his broad chest had definition, and I saw a hint of abs. He didn’t look like the underwear models in magazine ads, or the buff actors on TV. Despite the fact I could tell he kept himself in shape, he wasn’t a solid mass of muscle. He was… perfect. To me, anyway.
His hands went the waistband of his underwear and he paused. “You sure about this, Raven? We can stop. I’m okay waiting however long I need to. I told you the truth when I said I would be all right if we never had sex. I just want you, in whatever capacity you’ll allow.”
Tears pricked my eyes at how sweet he was. How could a man who looked so tough be so unfailingly kind? “I’m sure. I want this, Josh.”
He nodded and removed his boxers, tossing them aside. His cock stood erect. Hard and ready. I sat up and reached for him, wrapping my hand around his shaft and giving it a stroke. He groaned and gripped my wrist, stilling my motion.
“Sweetheart, we already know I don’t last long when you do that. If you want me inside you, better save that for another time.”
I lay back again. A case of nerves hit me, but I shoved down the doubts. This was Fox. My hero. The man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. He’d never hurt me and had proven that already. If I were ever going to give myself to someone, it would be him. I couldn’t think of anyone I would trust more. I just wish I felt worthy of him.
He settled over me, his cock nudging my pussy. He braced his weight on his arms and leaned down to kiss me. His lips moved against mine, slowly, as if he wanted to savor the moment. Fox rocked his hips, sliding his cock up and down my pussy until I felt him start to push inside me. My breath stalled a moment, and I gripped his shoulder, my nails biting into him.
“You all right?” he asked, drawing back far enough to look at me.
“Don’t stop.” I tightened my hold on him as Fox slid in deeper. When he’d completely filled me, he held still, giving my body time to adjust. I might not be a virgin, but I hadn’t been with anyone his size either. “So big.”
He chuckled and kissed my nose. “You’re good for my ego. Not big. Just average.”
I shook my head. No, he wasn’t average. He pulled his hips back, then drove forward. On the next stroke, he shifted so that he brushed against my clit.
“Remember our talk about how a cock can’t hurt you by itself?” he asked, driving into me again.
“You’re having this conversation now?”
He smiled. “It’s all in how you use it. And I aim to make you scream my name, in a good way, before I’m done. I may not be as big as you claim, but I know how to use what I’ve got.”
I clung to him as he took me hard and fast, his hips slapping against mine with every thrust. The bed rocked under us, and I felt that same incredible sensation from before building again. Sweat beaded on Fox’s brow and along his body. The intensity of his gaze held me spellbound.
“Come for me, Raven.” He growled, his strokes becoming erratic. “Come for me, baby. Please. I can’t hold out much longer.”
I wiggled my hips until he hit just the right spot and I came, calling out his name. I felt the heat of his release, and still he didn’t slow. Fox kept stroking in and out of me, wringing one more orgasm from me.
“How do you feel about toys?” he murmured, pulling out and tumbling to the bed next to me. He drew me into his arms and held me close.
“Toys?”
“Vibrators and such. I’m thinking we need a small one for your clit. Being inside you is like nothing I’ve ever felt before. You squeeze my dick just right and I can’t last long. I want you mindless with pleasure, so sated you can’t move for hours. I feel like I failed you.”
I curled against him, tracing patterns on his chest. “You didn’t. That was amazing, Josh.”
He kissed my forehead. “I’ll make it better next time.”
I sighed and closed my eyes. It seemed he was going to be stubborn about it. I didn’t need it to be better. As long as he was the one inside me, the one touching me, nothing else mattered. I liked feeling this close to him, like we’d shared something special.
As I felt his release coat my thighs, my heart nearly stopped. “We didn’t use protection.”
“Can’t get you any
more pregnant than you already are,” he said.
“But… what if those guards gave me something?” I leaned up to look at him. Fear filled me at the thought of hurting Fox in any way. What if I’d contracted something that couldn’t be cured? “After the incident with the cowboys, I got tested and I didn’t have anything. They didn’t test me at Balmoral.”
He cupped my cheek. “Easy, beautiful. I should have told you sooner. The doctor’s office called. He had a rapid STD test run on the samples he took during your appointment. You’re clean, and for the record, so am I.”
I eased back down next to him, my heart still racing. I hadn’t even thought to worry about Fox giving me something. It never crossed my mind he’d put me in danger. Even if we hadn’t known each other long, he had too much integrity for something so underhanded as being careless with my health.
He stroked his hand up and down my back, and I closed my eyes, reveling in the moment. When Breaker came for me at Balmoral, I hadn’t known what to think. He’d beaten the guard, but even still, I hadn’t known for certain if I’d be better off by leaving. Then I’d met Fox. One look in his eyes and something inside me had settled. Calmed. I’d felt safe just sitting next to him, safer than I’d felt in such a long time.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the call,” he said. “I actually missed it and listened to the voicemail while you were sleeping. I stepped out of the room to make a call to Spider. He’s calling Church in the morning. That’s the room you went to before at the clubhouse. Will you be all right here by yourself while I’m gone?”
I tensed and tried not to panic. “Why do I have to stay here?”
He kept rubbing my back. “Church is for patched members and officers only. They won’t let you sit in, and I’m not sure you’d be comfortable in the clubhouse by yourself.”
“Who else would be there?”
“Probably a Prospect or two. Maybe some of the girls who come to have some fun. The old ladies typically stay home. Would you want to go hang out with Luciana? Or meet the other women?” he asked.
It would make sense to meet everyone. This would be my home from now on, and the thought of having friends made me smile a little.
“I’d like to meet them,” I said.
“When the call goes out tomorrow for Church, I’ll let Spider know. I’m sure Luciana can set something up. They could all come over here, or I could ask Luciana to pick you up.”
“Are the women never allowed at the clubhouse?” I asked.
“More like they prefer to not be there unless it’s a family event.”
I snuggled closer. “I’d feel better staying close to you. Can you ask them to meet me there? I won’t interrupt your meeting or whatever you’ll be doing. Knowing you’re in the same building will keep my anxiety at a manageable level.”
He kissed the top of my head. “Then I’ll take you with me. We’ll figure it out. But, Raven, sooner or later, I’m going to have to leave you alone while I handle business. As much as I love spending time with you, I can’t be with you every second of every day. You understand, right?”
I nodded. Didn’t mean I had to like it, but he was right. When he needed to get back to work, I’d have to loosen my hold on him. I only hoped it didn’t happen until I’d settled in more and figured out exactly how I fit not only into his life, but with his club as well.
“Get some sleep, Raven. Morning will be here all too soon. I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted.”
“Tired,” I murmured.
He kissed the top of my head again. “Sweet dreams, beautiful.”
I could only hope. The nightmares left me feeling shaken for hours after I woke. I shifted and the stickiness between my legs made me shudder. How long would it take before I wouldn’t associate it with bad things? I refused to let the guards beat me. They wouldn’t make me afraid the rest of my life. I wouldn’t let them.
I heard a soft snore from Fox and smiled. He’d fallen asleep so easily and I envied him a little. With a sigh, I closed my eyes and breathed in his scent. It didn’t take long before sleep pulled me under too.
Chapter Ten
Fox
An insistent chirping sound tugged at me. I groaned and tightened my hold on the woman in my arms, not wanting to move. Sadly, the damn thing making noise wouldn’t shut up. I cracked my eyes open and looked for my phone. My vision blurred and I felt for the annoying piece of technology along the top of the bedside table. Closing my fingers around the device, I squinted and managed to hit the button to silence it.
It was too fucking early. When Spider said ten o’clock for Church, I should have asked him to make it in the afternoon. Of course, I hadn’t planned on staying up making love to my woman. I smiled and looked down at her. She curled against me, her breathing deep and even.
If the vote didn’t go my way today, I’d seriously lose my shit. I hadn’t asked for a single fucking thing. Not once. I gave to this club all the damn time. Had bled for them. Only thing I wanted was Raven. At least her dad seemed okay with me claiming her. Not thrilled, but what father would be?
Speaking of fathers… I wondered when a good time would be to talk to Raven about the baby. I didn’t want to stress her over the situation, but if she wanted to keep him or her, I wanted to start working on the nursery. Or get us moved into one of the new homes. Assuming she would be all right with moving. Since this was the first place she’d felt safe in a while, it might hold sentimental value for her. If that were the case, I’d figure out a way to give us more space. I could always put a tiny house out back for when her dad wanted to visit. Enclose the carport and add a storage room on the other side.
Whatever it took to keep my woman happy.
I ran my fingers through her hair, not wanting to wake her. She had to be exhausted. I remembered what I’d promised her and picked up the phone to text Spider about Luciana and the others meeting Raven at the clubhouse. He’d probably have quite a bit to say about it, but I didn’t have the mental capacity to get into it with him right then. I needed a shower and coffee. Lots of coffee.
“Raven, time to get up.”
She groaned and burrowed farther into my side. Too fucking cute. I smiled and ran my hand up and down her arm. If it were up to me, I’d let her sleep the day away. I knew if I left without her, she’d either freak out when she woke to an empty house, or she’d be upset I hadn’t taken her with me so she could meet the other women.
“Come on, Sleeping Beauty.” I gave her a slight shake. “Time to shower and head to the clubhouse.”
She sighed and opened her eyes, blinking at me a few times. “Shower?”
“Yeah. I got you all dirty last night.” I waggled my eyebrows at her, making her laugh just as I’d intended. I let her go and rolled out of bed, yanking the covers off her in the process. She squealed and made a grab for them. “Nope. Sorry, sweetheart. Got to get up. Or stay home while I go to Church.”
She bolted upright in bed and scrambled off the mattress. “I’m ready.”
I let my gaze skim over her curves. “Not quite. You go with me like that, and I won’t have a club left. I’ll have to kill every last one of them for looking at my woman while she’s naked. Want to shower by yourself, or want to join me?”
She swayed on her feet and yawned widely. “With you.”
Taking her hand, I led her into the bathroom and started the shower. I had a feeling we’d be late to Church, but it would be worth it. Now that I’d had a taste of her, I wasn’t sure I could wash her and not want more.
Once the water had warmed, I nudged her under the spray and followed her into the glassed-in enclosure. I shut the door behind me and took a moment to admire the view. She’d tipped her head back while the water soaked her hair. Rivulets ran down the slopes of her breasts and her belly. My mouth watered, remembering how good she’d tasted.
“I’m one lucky bastard,” I murmured.
She heard me and opened her eyes, giving me a cautious smile. “I’m n
ot too sure about that. I got the better deal.”
I tugged her against me. “How do you figure?”
“I’m broken, Josh. Some part of me will probably always be damaged. Being with you has been amazing, and in just a few days I feel like I’ve come a long way. I’m just worried something will set me off, the nightmares will return, or I’ll wake up one day and it will feel like I can’t breathe and need to escape.”
I cupped her cheek. “And when you feel any of those things, you tell me. I’m here for you, Raven, in whatever capacity you need. I’ll make love to you, when you allow it, and I’ll hold you when you think you’ll fall apart. You’re mine, but there’s a flipside to that. It means I’m yours too. Use me however you need to, sweetheart.”
As soon as I said the words, I caught their double meaning. I hadn’t meant anything sexual. Didn’t mean I’d turn her down if that’s what she needed or wanted. Even though Raven seemed to be doing remarkably well, far better than I’d thought she’d be this soon after escaping Balmoral, I didn’t kid myself into thinking all was well. I knew she’d have demons the rest of her life. She hadn’t needed to tell me. The fact she trusted me enough to share that part of herself, however, meant we were on the right path. She’d heal, even if she never became whole again.
“Do you think they’ll like me? The other women?” she asked. “Luciana seemed nice.”
“They’re going to love you, and remember, they have dark pasts too. They aren’t going to look down on you. They’ll see your strength, just like I do.” I leaned down to kiss her, my lips barely brushing hers before I pulled back. My cock started to harden, and I didn’t want her to feel obligated to do anything. I took a step back, but she advanced.
“You don’t have to do that,” she said.
