We didn’t pass many people on the way to my room, but the ones we did went hurrying away once they clocked my expression. We headed to a bank of rooms on the first floor at the back of the house and stopped at the fourth door on the left. Keeping a tight hold on her hand, I dug my keys out of the inner pocket on my cut and unlocked the door. Then I quickly ushered her in and slammed it shut before turning the lock.
When I pivoted back around, I glanced at her face and almost winced at how uneasy she looked. Some of her fear had returned, and I wanted to beat the shit out of myself for letting that happen. I softened my expression and canted my head toward the small couch situated against the wall across from the bed.
I glanced around and frowned at what I saw. My room was neat and tidy, but it wasn’t big. It hadn’t been an issue before because I’d never had a woman in here. I hadn’t really been interested in women for a long time. I wanted a family, but it was more of an idea than something I was actually working toward. Now that I’d found Lucy, I knew it was because I’d been waiting for her.
“Let’s talk about what’s going to happen next,” I said softly as I sat on the couch and tugged her down onto the neighboring cushion.
“Um...how exactly do you take care of things around here? Am I going to have to work off my debt as a maid or something?” Her eyes went wide as saucers when she gasped, “You aren’t going to turn me into your sex slave, are you?”
I would have been thoroughly offended except the glint in her eye told me she was mostly joking. Not only that, but she looked as though she wasn’t one hundred percent against the idea, which had my cock swelling to epic proportions. I chuckled to hide my grunt of pain as I tried to adjust myself surreptitiously. “As appealing as that thought is—no, little doll. I think you’ve been reading too many of those books my sisters like.” One corner of her mouth lifted just the tiniest bit. “I don’t care about the wallet, Lucy. I brought you here because you are obviously in trouble, and you’re going to tell me the whole story.”
3
Lucy
I’d spent the past week feeling as though I’d never run far enough to feel safe again. As ridiculous as it sounded, sitting in a locked room inside a biker clubhouse with Dominic was the first time I sensed I was out of harm’s way. All I knew about him was his first name, that he was a part of the Silver Saints MC, and he had enough power for the sheriff to back off. Those things should’ve scared me, but I couldn’t forget how sheltered I’d felt in his arms while we were on his motorcycle. Something about Dominic called to me—and it wasn’t just the sexual chemistry that practically crackled in the air around us.
Whatever it was, I found myself spilling my guts about what had driven me away from the life I’d built for myself. “When I left my apartment to go to work two Fridays ago, my neighbor’s boyfriend was walking into our building. He always skeeved me out whenever I saw him around, so I didn’t say anything and scooted past him as quickly as I could.”
“Did he do something specific to set off your radar?” Dominic asked, leaning forward and resting his forearms on his thighs.
I swallowed down the gulp in my throat as I remembered the first few times I’d run into the guy. “At first, it was just how he had no problem checking me out even when his girlfriend was standing right next to him. But then a few weeks ago, I bumped into him in the hallway when he was leaving her apartment by himself, and he took it up a notch. He scanned me from head to toe, licked his lips, and asked if I was single. When I told him I was seeing someone, he shrugged his shoulders as though it was no big deal, but I swear I felt his gaze on my butt as I let myself into my place.”
“You got a man?” he bit out, his hands fisting hard enough that his knuckles turned white.
I felt my cheeks fill with heat as I shook my head. “No, I lied because it seemed like the quickest way to get him to back off. I’m not sure if it worked or not since I didn’t see him much over the next couple of weeks and my neighbor was always with him. Except for that last time, and he must’ve been distracted because he barely even glanced my way when I went past him. I didn’t think much about it until I scrolled through the local news before leaving work. It was kind of my ritual before heading home, along with checking my social media. But I didn’t get that far because there was an article posted about a murder in my building.”
“Fuck,” he groaned, dropping his head low. “It was your neighbor?”
Tears filled my eyes as I remembered what had happened to her, and Dominic reached out to lace his fingers through mine. I squeezed his hand and continued, “Yeah, someone killed her that morning. They stabbed her a dozen times, and it had to have happened after I left for work because I heard her singing in the shower as I was getting ready. Our bathrooms shared a wall, and she never held back when she was in there. She picked the silliest songs, and it always made me smile.”
His thumb brushed along the side of my hand. “Did the article mention an estimated time of death?”
“The police thought it happened between eight and noon but were hoping to narrow that down after the autopsy.” I shivered at the thought of the coroner cutting into her body.
“What time did you leave for work?” Dominic asked, drawing my attention back to him.
“Eight thirty.” A tear spilled out and dripped down my cheek. “I knew I should call the police and tell them that I’d seen him there, but I pulled up her social media to look for her boyfriend’s last name since she’d only used his first when she introduced us. One of my co-workers came up behind me when I had a picture of them up on my screen. She recognized him right off the bat and told me he was bad news—an arrogant jerk whose dad gets him out of trouble all the time.”
Dominic used his free hand to wipe the wetness from my cheek. “Shit, did you call the cops after you found out who he was?”
“No,” I whispered, feeling ashamed that I hadn’t done the right thing. “I was trying to decide what to do, but then I spotted his car in the parking lot at work. The news story hadn’t mentioned him, and I couldn’t think of a reason for him to be there unless he was looking for me. I hurried to my car and tried not to freak out as I left to go home like normal. But then he pulled out after me and followed me all the way home, so at the last minute, I kept driving. I managed to lose him at a busy intersection and passed a branch of my bank after another mile. It was open for fifteen more minutes, so I ran inside right before closing and withdrew all the cash in my account. Then I hit up a store to grab snacks, drinks, and a disposable cell phone. With the kind of resources his dad has at his fingertips, I wanted to make it more difficult to track me.”
“It sounds like you made the right calls. If he’s gotten in trouble with the cops before, his dad might have contacts there. And if the douchebag was waiting outside your building, then he sure as fuck remembered seeing you when he got there.” His approval eased some of my guilt. “Did you have trouble finding hotels that would take cash?”
I shrugged and stared down at where our hands were entwined together. “I stayed at no-name roadside motels the first couple of nights until I realized my money wasn’t going to stretch as long as I needed.”
Dominic pressed his finger under my chin and tilted my head up until I stared into his eyes. “Where did you sleep?”
“In my car at rest stops,” I admitted softly. A muscle was jumping in his jaw, and his brown eyes were darker and full of anger. I wasn’t sure if he was still mad at me for what I’d done back at the bar, but I figured apologizing again couldn’t hurt. “I’m so sorry I took your wallet. I’ve never stolen from anyone before, but I was focused on how hungry I am instead of doing the right thing.”
“Fuck,” he bit out, yanking his cell phone from his pocket. He stabbed his finger against the screen while he kept his gaze locked on mine. “I need some food but can’t leave to grab it myself at the moment. Bring it to my room for me?” The person on the other end must’ve agreed because he added, “Yeah, whatever you have
is fine. Throw something sweet and a drink on there too.”
Some of the tension left his frame when he ended the call and said, “Cat is going to bring some food up for you.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, my cheeks filling with heat again. “Can I use your bathroom first?”
“Sure, doll.” He jerked his chin toward the door to my left. “Feel free to use whatever you need. Take a shower if you want. The food will keep when it gets here.”
I flashed him a grateful smile and squeezed his hand one last time before getting up. A few minutes later, I was considering taking him up on his offer to wash up and heard a knock on his door. When it was followed up by a feminine voice, curiosity killed any thought of a shower. I left the bathroom and found Dominic talking to a gorgeous woman. Even though she’d most likely put together the food that was sitting on the table next to the couch that had my stomach growling, I wasn’t happy to see how he was grinning at her. But my jealousy eased when Dominic looked over his shoulder at me and held out a hand. When I reached his side, he wrapped his arm around me. “Cat, this is Lucy. She’s gonna be staying with me, and I’d appreciate it if you could help look out for her when I can’t be around.”
Cat’s green eyes widened as she nodded. “Sure thing, Dom. Are you going to bring her with you to the hospital?”
“Hospital?” Dom echoed. “Who got hurt?”
“Nobody.” Cat bounced up and down, clapping her hands together. “Harlowe had the baby, so the clubhouse will be pretty empty soon since most of us will clear out to go see how Link handled the whole giving birth thing and being a daddy.”
Dom’s grin widened, making him look even more attractive. “As much as I enjoy giving the old man a hard time, I’m going to stay behind and take care of Lucy. Take some pics for me.”
“Sure thing,” Cat agreed, giving us a little wave before she walked out of the room and shut the door behind her.
“C’mon, let's get you fed.” Butterflies swarmed in my belly as Dom tugged me over to the couch. I had a feeling that pick-pocketing him was going to turn out to be the best decision I’d made.
4
Dom
While I sat on the couch watching Lucy devour the food Cat had brought, I slowly stewed inside. I didn’t like seeing proof that my girl had been going hungry. I hated the idea of her sleeping alone and unprotected in her car. But mostly, I wanted to hunt down and kill the motherfucker who had her scared and on the run. Even if it had sent her straight into my arms.
I was kinda shocked that all the feelings flooding my system didn’t scare me or make me want to hand this girl off to someone else to deal with. In fact, the idea of another man anywhere near her had homicidal thoughts filtering into my mind. But I’d watched Mac and then Link fall hard and fast for their women. It was obvious to me that Lucy was mine, and I was never letting her go. It might take some convincing on her part, but she’d come around eventually. I nearly grinned when I thought about how much fun it would be to sway her with endless, mind-blowing orgasms. Then an image of my woman wearing a vest that branded her as mine while rubbing her swollen belly flashed before my eyes. It was a brilliant idea. I’d knock her the fuck up and tie her to me permanently.
“Thank you. That was delicious.” Lucy’s soft comment broke into my thoughts and brought me back into the moment.
“Still hungry?” I asked gruffly. My voice was strained from the effort it was taking to keep from dragging her to the bed and starting on my plan right that instant. I didn’t want to frighten her any more than she already was.
She shook her head and smiled at me, lighting up her beautiful face and causing warmth to spread throughout my body. I studied her expression for a minute before I was satisfied that she was telling the truth. It also brought the dark circles under her eyes to my attention. I felt like a complete asshole for not realizing how damn tired she had to be.
I stood abruptly and stalked over to a desk, the only other furniture in the room besides the bed, couch, coffee table, and dresser. The drawer I opened squeaked as I yanked it out, and I dug through for a pen and paper before slamming it shut. Then I spun around and marched back to my little doll and shoved the items into her hands. “Write down everything you know about your neighbor and the son of a bitch who killed her. Everything.”
Confusion filled her eyes, and I knew I was being way too fucking gruff. I’d sensed that she’d started to become more relaxed with me, and if I didn’t get control of my anger...and my libido, I was going to lose any ground I’d gained with her. “Please, doll,” I added softly with a smile.
Pink spots appeared on her cheeks as her lips tipped up at the corners. “Okay.” She bent her head and started scribbling on the paper. While I waited, I sent a quick text to one of my brothers, an enforcer who was a genius with a computer. I told Hack to meet me in his room in thirty minutes because I wanted to get Lucy situated first.
It wasn’t long before Lucy was holding up the pen and paper to me. I took them and dropped the writing utensil on the coffee table before folding the paper and stuffing it into my pocket. Then I held out my hand, and when she didn’t hesitate to take it, I rewarded her with a smile and a kiss on her forehead once she was standing.
I’d always been a big guy. I was tall, but my size was punctuated by my muscular build from years of fighting in the UFC. Wouldn’t have ever thought I’d want a woman who was so tiny I could easily crush her, but Lucy brought my body to life. I wanted to cuddle her in my arms and care for her. But I also wanted to kiss every inch of her sexy little body, squeeze her large tits, and taste the nipples poking through her shirt. I was dying to get between her legs and eat her juicy pussy before impaling her with my fat cock and filling her with my come. It was obviously going to take a lot of patience to get her ready so she’d be able to take a big dick like mine, but I had no doubt she’d handle it. She was made for me.
I swallowed hard and silently lectured my cock to stand the fuck down. Focusing on how tired my doll looked, I managed to contain my raging desire and led her over to my dresser. After rummaging around in the drawers, I handed her a T-shirt and a pair of my boxer briefs. She looked down at them with confusion, and I lifted her chin with one finger. “Go take a shower and change, doll. We’ll get you some new clothes first thing tomorrow. For now, you need some rest, and I’ve got some shit to take care of.”
“Okay,” she agreed. I pointed toward the only other door in the room, and she padded over and disappeared inside. Picturing her wet, naked body, I was never more grateful that despite some of the rooms being small, each one had an en suite bathroom.
I made a couple of phone calls while I waited for her to finish her shower, barely managing to keep from joining her. When I heard the water shut off, I blew out a relieved breath and sighed at my lack of control. After a few more minutes, the door opened and steam billowed out before my girl walked into the room.
Possession slammed into me harder than I’d ever felt it when I saw her wearing my clothes. They dwarfed her, the sleeves hanging past her elbows and the hem falling well past her knees. It was cute as hell and sexy as fuck at the same time. I scanned her from head to toe, and when I spotted her delicate, pink-tipped toes, my cock swelled. I couldn’t believe I was turned on by a pair of feet, but they were as hot as the rest of her.
“Into bed with you,” I commanded, making sure my tone wasn’t too rough. Her cheeks heated, and she glanced between me and the bed a couple of times. I rolled my eyes and closed the distance between us to scoop her into my arms. “I’m not the big, bad wolf, Lucy,” I muttered as I brought her over to the bed. “I have to go, but you’re safe as long as you stay here.” After pulling back the quilt, I lowered her onto the mattress, then yanked it back up to cover her. “Get some sleep and we’ll talk in the morning.” I almost smiled when I spotted the hint of a pout on her lips. It hadn’t escaped my notice that I had an effect on her, but seeing her disappointment that I wasn’t climbing into bed with her made it ev
en clearer.
I bent in half and caged her between my arms, hovering over her. After a soft kiss on her forehead left me feeling empty, I decided to give in to my desire for a real kiss. Swooping down, I sealed my mouth over hers and groaned at the feel of her velvet lips. With a small swipe of my tongue over the bottom one, she immediately opened her mouth, and I growled in approval before sweeping inside to taste her. Fuck.
When she was clinging to my shirt, and I was seconds away from stripping her out of my clothes, I tore myself away. Closing my eyes so I wouldn’t see the way her tits were bouncing with her choppy breaths, I inhaled deeply and let it out slowly in an attempt to calm my racing heart. When I opened my eyes again, she still looked dazed and dreamy-eyed. I wanted nothing more than to devour her.
“Maybe I am the big, bad wolf,” I rasped. “But I promise not to eat you until you tell me to.”
Hack was just arriving at his room when I got there. “How’s the family?” I asked.
He smiled and shook his head as he unlocked the door. “Kid is cute as hell, and it’s hilarious to see Link melting into a puddle of goo for him.”
“Hope they weren’t pissed I wasn’t there.” I hated to think I’d hurt Harlowe’s feelings. We’d become good friends when she first arrived at the compound. She’d also needed our protection at the time, and Link had fallen for and claimed her almost immediately. Seemed like this was becoming a pattern around here.
“Nah, they understood.”
Relieved, I nodded as we walked inside. Hack walked straight to his desk, which was taken up by three large monitors, and turned them on.
“What do you need?” he asked as he plopped down into his comfy desk chair and typed in a series of passcodes to open each screen.
“My girl is the only witness that can place a murderer at the scene of the crime within the window of death.”
Dom: Silver Saints MC Page 2
