He didn’t even know it, but he was fulfilling another of my favorite fantasies right in this very moment. There were a few differences, of course. The one I used to play out involved a knight in gleaming plate, preferably named Gallahad or something suitably epic, riding up to my tower on his gallant steed. He would slay the requisite dragon, recite the elegant speech, and then we would ride off into the sunset.
Okay, maybe there were more than a few differences but the general principle was the same.
I was free, totally and completely. Hell, this was a hundred times better than my fantasy. Gallahad didn’t have a damn thing on my tattooed biker. And why even settle for a knight when the King already owned you body and soul?
There was no reason to act like he didn’t. Maybe I wasn’t ready to admit it to him yet, but, I really didn’t have any delusions about that matter.
Creed had killed people earlier. I may have spent a large part of my life as a prisoner to my brother’s wims, but I wasn’t sheltered. That smoke and copper scent still barely clinging to his clothes? Whoever they met with, there was no way in hell he picked that up from a peaceful campfire where they calmly discussed their issues and shook hands at the end. No, that was the smell of gunfire and blood. Yet here I was, stuck to his back like my front was covered in duct tape, my only distant concern being how soon we would get to wherever he was headed.
I was his, for as long as he wanted me. If my brother had done one thing right by me, it was that his treatment had taught me how to roll with the punches. When Creed’s fixation waned, and I had no doubt that it would, it was going to destroy me.
I would recover.
Eventually.
What I would do when that time came, other than keep on keeping on, I wasn’t sure. But for now? I was living a dream version of my life and I wasn’t in any hurry to pinch myself awake.
However long we traveled was lost on me as the landscape rolled by. Before long, he slowed to a more reasonable speed and turned onto an unmarked, yet well worn path that went deeper into the woods. We rode for another minute or two before he stopped completely inside a large clearing, standing the bike up and climbing off before offering his hand.
I was surprised to find my legs were about as useful as jelly as I went to stand and instead collapsed against him. My cheeks heated as he caught me easily, holding all of my weight. “Can we do that again so I can pretend to be graceful?”
“It’s just you and me out here, Red,” he said. “And I could give a fuck less if you were graceful or not.”
“I don’t know. I’m pretty sure I spotted a squirrel a second ago. My woodland creature cred is totally going to be ruined if he tells all his little squirrel buddies about how clumsy I am.”
Creed gently pushed me backwards until he could look down at me, one corner of his lips upturned. The shadows created by the canopy of trees above us played delightfully well with the planes of his face, highlighting his chiseled features. God, I wanted to kiss him so bad right then.
Stupid soft lips, tempting me.
“Tell you what. We’ve got a little bit of a walk ahead of us,” he nodded towards where the path broke down, becoming a vague outline through the moonlit woods. “I’m sure you’ll earn back your ‘cred,’ if you can make it through without me having to carry you”
He leaned forward, so close I could feel his breath on my ear. “But between you and me… Please. Fall. I’d love to throw you over my shoulder again and grab a handful of that tight ass.”
Immediately, I thought of the way he slapped my ass cheek before and desire made my stomach clench. I glanced up at him from beneath my lashes and nearly melted as his grin split into a wide smile. Not fair. At all. I could put up a fight against the scowling Creed, but the playful and sweet versions? My unsteady legs still weren’t ready for how swoon-worthy he was being.
“Where are we anyway?” I asked, stepping away and changing the subject before I begged him to hoist me back up on the bike and rip my clothes off.
“Close to a favorite spot of mine. Follow me.”
Never let it be said that I wasn’t the adventurous type, because I followed Creed deeper into the woods without a moment’s hesitation.
We walked in comfortable silence, our ears filled with the rustle of nocturnal wildlife, the sound of tree branches trembling in the wind in the and the leaves being crushed underfoot. I held my bottom lip between my teeth, concentrating on stepping exactly where he did. Falling into a pit or getting bitten by a snake would’ve certainly put a damper on this night. Of course, I threw my sense of caution to the curb when I glanced up and saw where he was leading us.
“Move it!” I yelled, pushing past him and running full tilt out of the treeline and onto the sand, dodging pieces of driftwood as I went. Hopping on one foot, I tugged off my shoes one by one and threw them haphazardly over my shoulder as I continued my mad dash. I didn't stop until my feet were submerged up to my ankles in the cool water of the lake that stretched for at least a mile in either direction before wrapping around what I guessed was a peninsula in the middle.
I closed my eyes and let out a contented sigh, wiggling my toes. I didn’t open them until I heard a soft splash, and glanced back to see Creed coming in behind me, water soaking the bottoms of his jeans, his boots back on the bank dwarfing my small shoes.
“This place is amazing,” I told him honestly, facing forward again so I could take it all in.
“Your brother found it a while back,” Creed said, a strange note to his voice. “Didn’t look as nice back then though. Years of neglect and being treated like the county dumping grounds hadn’t done it any favors.”
I tried to picture Rebel where I was now, taking it easy, watching the water. I couldn’t do it.
“It took a while to get it to this point,” he continued. “But it was worth it.”
I turned then, facing him, feeling the water stir around me. “You cleaned this place up by yourself?”
“Nah, it was a group effort. I brought in all the Sinners to help out.” He shook his head, not really paying me any attention as he looked around. I imagined he was recreating the scene in his head. “Once I decided to claim this area I couldn’t exactly leave it looking fucked up.”
I scoffed before I could stop myself and his eyes landed on me with the kind of intensity that gave me a moment’s pause before I foraged on. “I don’t think lakes work like that. You can’t just point to it and say, mine. Pretty sure they belong to the state or something.”
His glare eased up but it didn’t go away. “When are you going to figure out that the rules don’t apply to me? I wanted to own it and I made it so. There’s even a deed in my office where I had it renamed.”
“What’d you end up calling it?”
“Lake Rebellion.”
The significance of that detonated between us, leaving tension in its wake. I fidgeted, running a nail up and down the seam of my shorts. It was really, finally, hitting me that I wasn’t the only one that had lost a brother and I didn’t know what to say to acknowledge that.
“Don’t you want to know what a gang of bikers wants with a lake?” His deep voice threw out the lifeline and I latched on eagerly.
“Please don’t tell me you dump bodies here.” I was only halfway kidding and I tried to discreetly glance down in case there were any parts floating to the surface.
Creed threw his head back and laughed loud and long, hands over his stomach. I smiled watching him, eyes drinking in the strong column of his neck. Even the way his Adam’s apple bobbed as he tried to contain himself was fascinating.
“You’re something else, you know that?” He shook his head, still smiling from ear to ear. “No, there’s no bodies out here. I didn’t spend a year’s worth of manpower cleaning to have it fucked up all over again. I wanted it because it offered something I didn’t have a lot of. Peace.”
“Every now and then we throw a party out here, but mostly, it stays just like this.” He raised his arms i
ndicating the sprawling view of nature in all its colors, the peaceful water reflecting the moon, the general stillness in the air. “Tex has a house on the other side but no one else really comes here, especially when it’s dark. I love it.”
I found myself moving closer to him and I didn’t question it. When I got within reaching distance, he pulled me to him, wrapping his hands around my waist until we were so close I was tilting my head back to look up at him. “So this is where the great and terrible Creed goes to get away,” I said quietly, drawing random shapes on his shirt. “Consider me surprised.”
“Why’s that?” He asked, looking at me intently.
I quirked a brow, glancing up at him again. He was kidding, right? “You have a bit of a reputation, Creed.” I poked him in the chest for emphasis and he squeezed my hips, looking smug.
“Is that right?”
“I was a bartender in Hillsville, Virginia. The town’s small enough for the main draw to be a flea market. And there were still plenty of people who came through that wouldn’t even say your name without knocking on wood. If I had a quarter for all the ridiculous stories I’ve heard that made you out to be worse than the boogeyman, I would be richer than Scrooge. So trust me, no one would believe you took time off from drinking the blood of virgins and sitting on a throne made of skulls to enjoy nature.”
Creed blinked down at me, seemingly at a loss for words. “Hmmm,” he muttered, scooping me up in a princess carry. I didn’t even startle that time, having grown used to the notion that he was going to do that whenever he felt like it. He looked along the bank for a moment, then strode towards a particularly large piece of driftwood and sat down, positioning me so that I straddled his lap, my hands on his shoulders, feet propped on either side of him. “And what do you think?”
“I’m sorry, what?” It wasn't fair that he kept distracting me with his body. How was a girl supposed to focus while perched on top of two hundred plus pounds of potent male?
“Now that you've seen the real thing, what do you think of my reputation?”
My first instinct was to give him shit about it, but as my mouth opened, I noticed the carefully neutral expression on his face. It took me another several heartbeats to realize he actually looked...guarded. Like he wasn't sure he wanted to hear my answer even though he'd just asked for it.
I worried at my lip as I formulated my response.
We were beyond the point where I considered he might hurt me if I pissed him off, but I was still reliant on him for all the security in my life. Even if I had my wallet, credit cards or phone, which I didn't, I was sure I would find them empty, turned off and disconnected in that order. Going back to Rebel's bar obviously wasn't an option and on the slim chance, and I mean really, really slim chance I could find a job somewhere, there would still be an unknown amount of time where I would be without a roof over my head.
So yes, I thought about my answer very carefully.
At least until Creed pinched me on the side.
“Oww.” I slapped his hand away, and while I was distracted, he swooped in and claimed my lips.
I was too caught off guard to do much more than freeze in place. Then his tongue swept out, sliding across the seam of my lips and I moaned, eyes closing, mouth opening eagerly. Greedily.
Our tongues met, lightning detonating in my core, setting off a chain reaction. Warmth pooled between my legs, wetness following in behind it. I squeezed him tight between my thighs, fingers curling into claws where they rested on his chest, wrinkling his shirt. My head tilted, deepening the kiss and he did the most bastardly thing he had done yet.
He pulled away.
“You taste like syrup.”
I ignored that comment and blinked my eyes open to find those stormcloud greys brewing with infinitely more lightning. Combining that with the hard length of him pressing up between my legs, I knew he wasn’t as unaffected as he was pretending to be, but still. He had pulled away.
Jerk.
“Stop doubting that you’re mine, Caitlin,” he rumbled, voice deep as I’d ever heard it. “There’s nothing in all of creation that could change that reality. I own you, remember? Now I’m telling you to answer me without any thought for the consequences. There won’t be any.”
“Fine. You want to hear me say it?” My voice was louder than I wanted it to be but I couldn’t bring it back down. Sexual frustration was turning into general pissiness and the tipping point had been reached. “You’re a monster, Creed.” He tensed beneath me and I barreled on. “You’re mean, rude, arrogant, obnoxious, and a murdering criminal on top of it all. Hell, that’s only counting the things I know for sure. And you know what?”
“What?” His tone was sharp as a knife and twice as deadly. The voice of a leader. A killer. A conqueror. But he didn’t scare me.
Not now.
Not ever.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, pressing our foreheads together so that I was the only possible thing he could focus on. Then I smiled.
“I don’t. Fucking. Care.” I would’ve missed the surprise and relief in his eyes if I wasn’t so close to him. That was how fast it was gone. I pressed a soft, chaste kiss to his lips. “You’re a monster, but you’re my monster, for as long as you’ll have me. There’s no place else I’d rather be.”
CHAPTER 9 - Creed
For as long as you’ll have me.
I was damn sure that I was focusing on the wrong thing, but it still pissed me off.
Yes, I was immensely, supremely pleased by everything else she had just said. So fucking pleased in fact, that if she hadn’t been sitting on my lap looking like the ultimate sin with all that soft, pale skin soaking in the moonlight and making her glow, I would’ve waded into the water and roared my pleasure to the goddamn sky. But she was, so that wasn’t an option.
It galled me that she still didn’t believe that I was never letting her go, but thankfully, that was something I could handle, in more ways than one.
First among them being to finally fuck that sweet, little pussy so hard Caitlin would know without a doubt she would never belong to any man other than me.
“You could say something, you know.” Caitlin tilted her head back and looked at me, biting her lip. My cock twitched, growing impossibly harder beneath her. “Kind of putting it all out there right now and you’re just sitting there looking sexy and stuff but really quiet and-”
“Stop talking.” Green eyes flared to bright jade but her mouth snapped shut with an audible click. I knew how fiercely that inner fire burned.
Hot enough to deal with Rebel all this time and still remain herself.
Hot enough to deal with me without a trace of fear, and that was no easy feat.
So I knew what it took for her to obey and I fucking loved it.
“Good girl,” I whispered, leaning in, mouth aligning with hers but stopping centimeters from her perfect, pink lips. Our breath mingled, hers so sweet I had to squeeze her hips in a tight grip to keep from plunging my tongue inside and tasting every single inch. Caitlyn made a small noise in her throat when she realized I wasn’t going to close the distance but she didn't try to either.
I hummed in pleasure at that and claimed that last bit of space, lips ghosting across hers before settling atop them completely. No words needed to pass between us before her lips parted on a soft sigh, allowing my tongue to sweep inside and meet hers. A rough moan sounded at the contact. Fuck if I knew who it came from and I had other concerns.
It wasn’t fair how goddamn good Caitlin tasted.
I wasn’t an addict. I thought I’d tried enough shit in the past to know that for sure. Apparently there was one thing I hadn’t tried. And now that I had, nothing else would ever be enough. Nothing would ever compare. So I did what addicts do best. I consumed my drug of choice like a man possessed.
There was no poetry in the way I claimed her mouth. Nothing sweet about it aside from her taste.
I ate at her face like the monster I was.
L
icking every crevice inside her mouth.
Sucking on her tongue.
Biting at her lips.
She writhed against me, full of passion, panting breaths, and not an ounce of shame. I was reminded that this was the same woman who had been spread and ready to claim the orgasm I had denied her before.
How far does that hedonistic side go? I wondered. And what would she look like when she fully indulged it?
“Clothes. Off. Now.” I bit off each word, punctuating them with the impatience I felt at having to stop kissing her long enough to speak.
Her shirt disappeared so quickly it left me dizzy. Or maybe that was the effect of seeing those perky little breasts again, rose pink nipples beaded and begging for attention I was all too glad to give them. I slowly kissed my way to the side of her mouth, and then to her jaw before dropping down to the smooth column of her neck. Pushing her hair out of the way with my nose, I inhaled her scent deeply.
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