Vengeance Road

by Christine Feehan

  “I plan on finding a woman,” Maestro said. “And Savage makes sense to me.”

  “What does he mean, then?” Blythe asked.

  Maestro flashed her a grin. “He means we need to communicate the importance of her obedience in a way she can understand and not forget.” He made a grab at the chip bowl, missed and hurried out before he could be asked any more questions.

  The others followed, leaving Breezy alone with the women. Blythe, Anya and Breezy looked to Lana and Alena. When they continued mixing the bowls of potato salad in silence, Blythe cleared her throat.

  Lana glanced at her. “You won’t like it or agree, Blythe.”

  “Maybe not, but one thing I’ve learned over the years, Lana, is not to judge others. Especially any member of Torpedo Ink. I don’t know all their stories, and I shouldn’t. That’s private between all of you and the one you want to share with.”

  “Savage would probably retaliate physically.”

  At Blythe’s gasp, Lana shook her head. “Not like any of you are thinking. He wouldn’t beat her, but he’d definitely react in a physical way. He’s a very physical man.”

  “So is Reaper, but he doesn’t beat me,” Anya said.

  “If Savage or Maestro were in a relationship,” Alena said, reaching for the enormous pasta bowls, “the relationship would include some kind of dominant-submissive crap. At least with Maestro. With Savage it would include more than that.”

  Blythe shrugged. “As long as it was consensual, then it would be all right with me.”

  Lana nudged Alena. “Ice is always talking about kidnapping his woman and knocking her up. He’s the one you need to talk to about the meaning of the word consensual.”

  The two of them laughed. Blythe, Breezy and Anya couldn’t help laughing with them.

  “One of these days, Ice is going to fall hard,” Blythe said.

  “Yes, he is,” Alena admitted, sobering. “He’s got this capacity to love beyond measure. Totally. If any woman ever hurts him . . .” She trailed off.

  “Give her a chance,” Blythe advised. “If he finds someone, you have to step back for a while and let them work it out. If you threaten her, she may run.”

  Anya nodded. “I wanted to run when you and Lana had a little talk with me.”

  “That was me,” Lana said. She leaned over and hugged Anya. “I still feel awful about that. You’re so good for Reaper.”

  “You notice he isn’t back with the groceries,” Anya pointed out and burst out laughing. “There’s no taming that man, not that I want to.”

  “I want to know how Breezy’s doing in that house of hers,” Blythe said. “Do you get lost in it?”

  “Yes. I think Steele wants to fill it up with children. He also doesn’t like me lifting a finger to clean it. I’ve insisted on cleaning the kitchen and our bedroom myself. Even with that, he wants the service to do deep cleaning in the kitchen once a week. I love the house, though. Who wouldn’t? Right now, Maestro and Keys are staying there with us.”

  “You okay with that?” Lana asked.

  Breezy nodded, suddenly realizing she was more than okay with it, even more so since Steele had told her about his past and Demyan. She was definitely looking at Absinthe with far more sympathy. “Actually, it’s great having them there. It makes Steele feel better having two more pairs of eyes on Zane, especially after what happened, the kidnapping and all.” She ducked her head, concentrating on cutting up cucumbers. “I sometimes can’t breathe when I think about what happened, so having extra eyes on him makes me just as happy as Steele.”

  “I can imagine,” Blythe said.

  “That was so awful,” Anya said. “Reaper was very torn. He wanted to watch over Czar, Blythe and the children as well as me, but also go with the others to help out.”

  “We were good. Everyone was so amazing. Maestro and Keys are wonderful. They look after Steele and I appreciate that. It must be how you feel, Blythe, when Reaper and Savage are with Czar.”

  Blythe nodded. “Absolutely.”

  “I can breathe easier because Maestro and Keys look after Zane too. They’re a huge help. Both even change diapers, although they’d murder me for telling you that. They’re helping with potty-training.” She laughed. “Their ideas are rather unique, but effective. He’s young to be potty-trained, especially for a boy, but he’s already trying to emulate them. He’d been doing very well, not having any problems except at night, until he was kidnapped. He went backward a bit.”

  “That would make sense,” Blythe said. “He might have other behaviors as well.”

  Breezy nodded. “He wakes up scared and I rock him. He likes everyone singing to him. We’ve ordered a piano because Maestro says we really need one for him, and I know the piano in particular is a really good instrument for children.”

  “How do you know all that stuff about kids?” Lana asked. “You were always good with them in the club as well. I know, because I admired you for it. It always seemed so natural.”

  Breezy hadn’t known Lana had even watched her, and she felt a warmth spread through her at the obviously sincere compliment. “I read lots of books. I didn’t want to be like my father, and none of the women he brought home were kid friendly, so I read tons. I still do. Every parenting book I can get my hands on. I’m determined I won’t ever be like Bridges.”

  “I don’t think you have to worry on that account,” Alena assured.

  The roar of Harleys filled the air. They’d been hearing the rumble growing louder for some time, and now they were in the yard. Several trucks accompanied the bikes. The women looked at one another. It was a party, and parties meant men and women they didn’t know but welcomed all the same.

  Breezy tried not to tense up. She was part of the welcoming crew. It wasn’t like they had many women in their club. Heidi and Betina would be there. Both women worked as waitresses in the bar and were patch chasers. Anya was friends with them, but Breezy hadn’t really been around them.

  Steele claimed he wouldn’t want anyone but her, not even when others threw themselves at him. She knew she should trust him, but it was hard to get that picture of him out of her mind—the one where he’d gotten up nude from under three equally naked women. A part of her wanted to run home and hide like a coward.

  “Take a deep breath,” Lana whispered. “He loves you. He doesn’t even look at anyone else. I doubt he can see anyone but you.”

  Breezy was embarrassed that Lana had recognized she was struggling with the idea of going to the party because of what she’d seen. She should have the confidence to deal with parties. Steele hadn’t been with her then. He had explained the three women, and she’d chosen to accept that explanation. She either trusted him or she didn’t, and after demanding he trust her, she had to get over this last hurdle. She was determined she would.

  “I’m just being silly.” She ran a hand over the soft little spot she couldn’t quite get rid of since Zane was born. “I don’t look the same, no matter how much exercise I do. I swim every day, several times a day.” She also had sex more than once a day and she’d lost weight, but not that little soft area she couldn’t quite overcome. Okay, if she was honest, she’d had it before Zane was born, but it was nice to have pregnancy as an excuse.

  Lana looked her up and down. “Breezy, you’re gorgeous. The moment you go out there with the rest of them, I guarantee Steele will be glued to your side. He’ll make it very plain that you’re his old lady, and the women will definitely get the message along with the men.”

  The noise level in the compound went up several notches, although it was still somewhat muffled in the kitchen. “Czar wants Steele to talk to every man personally. All of us have,” Alena said, “but him. His opinion is very important. If he nixes even one, we’re not going through with it. Steele has a real feel for what people are like.”

  Breezy nodded. She wasn’t going
to panic. She had to trust Steele. She loved him, and she believed in him. He’d insisted on putting the apps on her phone that would allow her to find him wherever he was. She had resisted looking, although she knew he had several times because he’d sent her over a dozen text messages that she hadn’t answered asking her why she was still in the kitchen and to get her ass out there.

  Three women were escorted into the kitchen by Preacher. He introduced them. Two were old ladies and one was a sister of an old lady. They seemed embarrassed that they were all that were offering to help. They brought food with them though, and Breezy was happy she only had to be friendly with them while she struggled to feel confident.

  Steele stomped into the room. “Woman. What the fuck?”

  Anya laughed aloud. Lana and Alena snickered. Blythe, always sweet, hid her smile.

  Breezy sent him a look. “It’s called working, honey. That’s what the fuck. I’m working. There aren’t that many of us to get the food ready.”

  “Then I’ll round up some of the women and send their asses in here,” Steele declared.

  “We’re good,” Blythe said hastily. “Everything is ready. If you’ll send in a couple of the prospects we can carry everything out to the tables. We’re serving buffet style. Czar said the meat was ready. The pig has been roasting all day, and he barbecued dozens of chickens.”

  “Hyde, Glitch and Fatei are close. I’ll get them,” Steele said. “Miss Sassy can come with me.” He held out his hand.

  Breezy knew better than to ignore him. She’d been raised in the life and knew how it worked. She wasn’t about to embarrass him. She dried off her hands and went to him. Steele swept her under his shoulder, walked her outside where the noise was deafening, and tipped up her face and kissed her. Hard. Possessively. Claiming her just as Lana had said he would.

  “Missed you, baby. We’ve been together nearly every minute and then all of a sudden you weren’t there. I like looking at you. Knowing you’re close.”

  Before she could answer, he whistled to get the attention of the three prospects. He pointed to the kitchen, and all three obeyed without hesitation.

  Steele kept walking her away from the picnic tables, around to the back of the building facing the ocean, where they were alone. He kissed her again and again. Melting her. She couldn’t kiss him without her entire body catching fire. When he lifted his head, she had to cling to him to keep from falling, her knees were that weak.

  “You okay with all this? As soon as I finish talking to everyone, we’ll leave if you’re uncomfortable.”

  “Why would you think I was uncomfortable? I like parties as well as the next person.”

  “Babe.”

  There it was. That voice reprimanding her.

  “I was watching you in the kitchen. I don’t mind if I never go to another one of these parties if it makes you uncomfortable.”

  The vice president couldn’t be absent for every single one of them. She forced a smile, hoping to reassure him. “For a minute I was insecure, and only because I still have baby body. I don’t think I’m ever going to get over baby body, so I’d better be okay with it.” She didn’t know what else to say. It was just a little humiliating that he saw she was upset. She tried to be the best old lady possible, and worrying continually about something he had explained—and she’d accepted—was wrong. She had to let it go.

  “Breezy, there’s no woman more beautiful than you.”

  He meant it. She heard the sincerity and her heart melted. He could do that so easily. “I’m good, Steele, I promise. I just always want to be the best for you. It’s my problem, not yours.”

  “I contributed by being an idiot. I swear, baby—”

  She pressed her fingers to his mouth. “Everything is perfect, Steele. Let’s just have fun. We’ve been cooped up in the house and we get a night off. Let’s make the most of it.” Truthfully, there was a part of her that was excited. She was surrounded by Torpedo Ink. They were everywhere, and when she looked at the other members, they were always watching over them. She might, for the first time, be able to relax and really have fun if she let herself.

  “First, let me see the baby body you’re so worried about.”

  There was pure seduction in his voice, and she shook her head, laughing. “You’re so wrong. We have an entire club to entertain.”

  “I don’t give a fuck about another club. I give a fuck about you. And your body.” Looking into her eyes, Steele pushed her shirt up slowly.

  Breezy couldn’t look away. Staring into Steele’s eyes was one of the sexiest things she’d ever felt, standing there, pressed against the building, his knuckles running slowly up her bare skin as he raised her shirt higher and higher. Her core pulsed with need. Hot. Coiled tight. Wet. Waiting for him. She spent half her time just waiting for him to be inside her.

  “Is this what you’re worried about?” He bent his head to press a kiss to that soft little area that proclaimed she’d had his baby. His teeth scraped gently and then his tongue soothed the ache. “This is my favorite spot.” He pulled the shirt higher, up over her full breasts, holding the material under her chin.

  “You’re such a liar. You love my boobs.”

  He smiled, his eyes on her breasts. “You might be right about that.”

  Breezy wasn’t wearing a bra, although she should have been, but Steele had objected. He liked the way her tight tank shaped her breasts, and she’d gone without the support just for him. Now, in the cool night air, her nipples peaked, and her breasts felt achy and hot. Waiting. Just like her sex, waiting for him.

  Steele took his time, kissing his way from that soft little pooch up her rib cage to the underside of her breasts. She had to cling to his shoulders, her nails biting deep, or she might have fallen. He kissed his way over the curve of both breasts and then was sucking hard, flattening her nipple against the roof of his mouth while his hand caressed, kneaded and stroked the other breast. She gasped as sensations poured through her. He wasn’t always gentle, and the contrast between rough and tender kept her off-balance. Then he worked her nipples, sending fiery arrows straight to her clit.

  “Get them off.”

  She could barely hear him with the sound of the blood roaring in her ears. Hot blood rushed through her veins, spreading like a wildfire, until she was consumed with need. Her hands dropped obediently to the waistband of her jeans. They rode low on her hips and were fairly tight. She had to peel them from her, and he didn’t stop sucking at her breast, making it even more difficult.

  Her breath came in ragged pants and she wanted to arch her back, thrust her breasts into his mouth, encourage him to devour her, not bend forward to try to shimmy out of her jeans, but she did it. Fortunately, she had worn flats and she was able to kick them off, which allowed her to step on the jeans to strip them from her body. Then she was naked, the night mist lapping at her body like a thousand tongues to add to the sensual sensations overwhelming her.

  He took his time, lavishing attention on her breasts, tugging and rolling, pinching her nipples until she cried out and then lapping at them to soothe them. His marks were everywhere when he finally lifted his head. He tossed his shirt on the ground and pointed, his eyes that wild midnight color she loved so much.

  She knelt immediately, her hands at his belt, swiftly opening his jeans, and then his fist was in her hair, jerking her head back, and his cock was in her mouth. The weight of it was heavy on her tongue. His girth stretched her lips. She loved the way he felt so heavy and solid, hot and perfect, steel and yet velvet. She wanted him every bit as far gone as she was. Hot and needy. Desperate for her the way she was desperate for him.

  She used every skill she’d ever developed, wanting to please him. She looked up at his face, that perfect face she could spend hours staring at and never get tired of. He was hers. He loved her. She didn’t know how she got so lucky, but kneeling in front of him, his c
ock sliding deep into her mouth and back out, over and over, fast and then slow, deep and shallow, with his fist tight in her hair, she felt like he belonged to her. He was hers, and that was everything she wanted.

  She felt his cock expanding, just as his expression changed and his sac tightened. She swallowed him down, tightening her mouth, stroking with her tongue. He put pressure on her scalp, dragging her head back. She chased after his cock as he took it away from her.

  “Not that way, baby. I want inside you. Stay where you are, stand up and put your hands on the wall, but head down.”

  She stood and turned, mostly because he didn’t give her a choice. His hand went from the grip in her hair to the nape of her neck, pressing her head down with a steady pressure, so that she was bent over, nearly double.

  “I don’t see how I’m going to stay upright,” she said and then hissed when his hand swiped across her damp, needy sex.

  “I’ll keep you where I want you,” he assured, his fingers moving in her. Out of her. Driving her crazy.

  She pushed back, trying to capture his finger as his thumb tapped her clit. Then he was flicking it, leaning in to run his tongue over it. Her breath came in ragged hitches. “Steele.”

  “Be still, Breezy, or we won’t be joining the party. We’ll spend the night right here.”

  She looked up at him from over her shoulder. He looked just as needy, his cock intimidating as he fisted it, pumping up and down, his eyes on her sex. She tried hard not to move, but her body wouldn’t cooperate, not when he continued to stroke and caress. He was the same way with her sex as he had been with her breasts. Keeping her off-balance with rough and then gentle. Soft little flicks that grew suddenly hard, then his tongue, then his mouth drawing out her liquid heat. Teeth that made her gasp. His hand on her buttocks hard, the sound carrying through the night along with her keening pleas.

  “I’m so close.” She was. Her body was coiled so tight the tension was nearly unbearable. “I have to . . .”