by K. A. Ware
Pressing her cheek more firmly into my chest, she let out a happy sounding hum of contentment. “Me too.”
I could’ve let the moment go there, I could’ve kept quiet and enjoyed the rest of our lazy Sunday morning, but I didn’t. Not sure if I was trying to reassure her or myself, decided to give her one more truth. “I meant what I said last night, though. I’m all in.”
Rabbit was quiet for a long time, and I wondered if she’d even heard me when she finally spoke. “I know you are. I’m trying to get there.” Her voice was barely a whisper in the otherwise silent room. I felt the dampness of her tears on my bare chest and held her close, knowing that meant more than any words I could offer her.
Her hesitance stung, but I understood it. I couldn’t fault her for her hang-ups, she had them for a reason. Despite it all, we’d made progress last night. I could wait a little longer to have all of her.
A woman like Rabbit was worth the wait.
Twenty-One
BAZ
The road had always been my favorite place. Just me and my bike, burning gas and eating up asphalt with the horizon as my only destination.
Not today, though.
Between the Sinners, Rabbit, the gavel looming over my head, and whatever the fuck was going on with Jester and Harley, my head was too full to shut off. I could usually find solace in the open road, a clarity I couldn’t find anywhere else. Now it felt like no matter how many miles I traveled, I couldn’t escape the things that plagued my mind.
As I followed behind Chains and my dad, a pit of dread ate away at my insides. It had been two weeks since we had fed bogus information to our table, and a week and a half since we confirmed the leak was coming from inside our charter.
Chains told the table that a problem with Johnny’s arrangement at the Canadian border had forced the Spokane chapter to sit on the shipment of heroin for an extra week. I’d thought he’d given too much information telling the boys where the stash house was. It was too easy, anyone with half a brain would see that it was a trap, but I was wrong. Chains coordinated with Hash and had the empty stash house under surveillance. Sure enough, two days later, a group of Sinners was caught on camera breaking into the house.
Knowing that we were the weak link had cut deep, and as much as Ox’s betrayal stung, I wasn’t looking forward to putting a brother down. Of course, Chains was far more meticulous than I was, insisting there wasn’t enough proof to condemn Ox yet. My gut told me otherwise, but Chains was still my president, and he refused to make a move until we caught Ox in the act.
If we were going to expose the rat and wipe out the Sinners in one shot, we needed all the charters on board which is why we had headed north to Spokane to meet with the chapter presidents under the guise of a charity run.
The meeting had gone better than I’d expected. Even though it felt good to have a plan in place finally, I couldn’t shake the shot to the heart of my faith in the brotherhood this whole situation had pulled the trigger on. The entire foundation of everything I’d ever known was built on trust and brotherhood. If I couldn’t trust the men at my back, it all came crumbling down.
As if the betrayal wasn’t enough, there was the fucking shame to contend with on top of it all. We had a rat in our club, the fucking mother chapter. We’d patched in a motherfucking traitor. The worst part was that soon, everyone would know. The look in the eyes of the Chapter Presidents and VPs—men I’d grown up idolizing—made my stomach turn. I didn’t think I’d ever forget the expression of pity and disappointment in their faces.
“Have you smoked out the rat yet?” Hash asked, leaning back in his chair. His grizzled features making his expression look even more menacing in the dim light of the Spokane clubhouse chapel. No one liked a rat, but bikers especially loathed betrayal. It went against everything we believed in.
I’d been invited into a meeting with all the chapter Presidents and VPs to discuss our mutual Sinners problem, and while I knew Chains had already filled everyone in on our leak before the meeting, Hash’s question still felt like a gut punch.
I opened my mouth to tell him we knew who it was, but we hadn’t gotten enough proof when Chains spoke.
“Not yet, we’ve narrowed it down, but we need solid evidence before we can move on it. Which is why we asked all of you here today.”
“The fuck you waitin’ for? If ya narrowed it down, bring ‘em in ‘ere, and my knife’ll get the truth outta ‘em,” Hog, the Eugene president asked. Despite having lived in the northwest for as long as I can remember, Hog still held tight to his Kentucky twang.
“Yeah, why is this fucker still breathin’?” Tink, the Billings VP asked. He’d gotten his name from his father and president, Grizz because he was always tinkering with shit as a kid.
Tink’s mom, Dorothy, loved to tell the story about how she’d left him home alone for the first time when he was ten and came back to every single one of their kitchen appliances in pieces. His excuse? He wanted to know what the insides looked like. The man was a mechanical savant. When Risa had far surpassed our mechanical abilities, Pops shipped her up to Billings for a few weeks every summer to learn from him.
“What would that do to the other two brothers that were innocent?” Chains asked, his voice booming over the chatter.
When no one answered, Chains continued. “Accusations cut deep, accuse a brother of betraying his family, that shit festers and spreads. We’re already losing one brother, don’t want to make it three.”
“No one wants that. You’re making the right call, brother,” Hash said with a nod, officially shutting down any potential objections. Behind Chains, Hash was the longest reigning president and yielded a pretty strong pull with the rest of the men in the room. If I had to guess, when Chains stepped down, my bet was on Hash as our next National President.
Chains nodded his appreciation for the back-up. “We have a plan, but it’ll take all of us to pull off. If we can manage it, we’ll be rid of the rat and the Sinners by the end of next week.”
Hash shared a look with Grizz, the Billings chapter president before turning his attention back to Chains. “Let’s hear it then. I think I speak for everyone at this table when I say the Sinners have worn out their welcome.”
All the chapter presidents had agreed that the Sinners were a problem that couldn’t go unchecked. It took a minute for a few of them to come around when I laid out my plan of attack, but eventually, each promised to bring the plan back to their clubs for a vote. It was just a formality, with the unwanted attention the Sinners were drawing, and the agreement of each chapter’s President and VP, the deal was as good as done.
My suspicions had been spot on. The Sinners had been wreaking havoc in every territory. They were too disorganized to accomplish more than stirring up a shitstorm, but it was enough to call attention to the MC presence in the area. More attention meant more payoffs and a lot of bad press we didn’t fucking need.
The Knights had always kept a low profile, working hard to prevent our illegal dealings from bleeding into the outside world. We used charity runs and community service projects to boost our image. We didn’t roll around town causing trouble, public shootouts and casualties weren’t our style. We weren’t law-abiding citizens by any stretch, but we weren’t reckless.
We couldn’t afford to let it go on. The evidence was stacked against them, and the Sinners had been found guilty and sentenced to death.
We may not be reckless, but we are fucking ruthless.
Twisting the throttle just a little more, I picked up the pace, eager to get back to my woman. Being away, even just for two days, had been hell. I’d grown accustomed to falling asleep with her in my arms each night making time on the road feel like a chore. I’d always been the first to volunteer for a run, but I was starting to understand what the guys with old ladies and families had been talking about all these years. When you had someone waiting for you at home, the road didn’t feel like such a constant necessity.
I realized with s
tartling clarity that Rabbit was my someone. I wasn’t sure when it happened, but it did. Somewhere between trying to fuck her out of my system and her finally opening up to me, my priorities, my world, had shifted. The only thing that worried me was that I didn’t know where the club lined up in my newly shuffled priorities. The club was supposed to come first, always, but if it were between the club and Rabbit, I wasn’t so sure I’d choose the club anymore. And that scared the fuck out of me.
What I did know, was that I had to protect her. I hadn’t told my brothers about her connection to the Sinners, at least not yet. I knew Rabbit held no loyalty to the club she grew up in, but I didn’t want to give anyone a reason to question my judgment on the matter. I absently wondered if I trusted my own judgment in regards to the Sinners, but quickly dismissed it. I’d made the call before I’d known about her past. Rabbit’s history with the Sinners didn’t influence my decision, but it sure as hell would influence how much I enjoyed carrying out the orders.
I’d happily carve up anyone who posed a threat to my woman. She was mine, and therefore untouchable. I would spill blood in every corner of the world to protect her, no matter the cost. Which was another reason it killed me to be so far away.
Since Butter was now a full-patch member, he made the run to Spokane with us. I’d left Cato, a prospect with six months under his belt, back in Portland with strict instructions to keep an eye on Rabbit. I hated the idea of leaving her alone, but it was club business and couldn’t be avoided. Thankfully, she understood. That’s not to say she was particularly excited to have a shadow while I was out of town.
I caught a hell of a lot of attitude for it, but as long as she was safe, I didn’t care how much she bitched and moaned about it. While I’d been dealing with betrayal and subterfuge over the past two weeks, Rabbit had been a light in my otherwise dark days.
Aside from the mind-blowing sex, we’d grown closer. With finals over, she had the summer free until her doctorate program started in the fall. I wasn’t excited about having to share my time when she started classes again, but I knew how important becoming a psychologist was to her. She wanted to help women who had been abused like Stella. Her compassion made me love her even more. Because I did love her, even if she was still trying to figure it out.
I caught sight of Rabbit as soon as I pushed through the crowd at the front of the club and began making my way to the bar. She was leaning against the bar, talking to the bartender. As if she could sense me, her head turned and scanned the crowd, her gaze snagging on me. If I expected her to run into my arms and greet me like a soldier coming home from war, I was sorely mistaken. Instead of elation at my appearance, her eyes narrowed, and her lips flattened into a hard line.
Shit. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.
Pushing off the bar, she marched in my direction, hellfire in her eyes. “I thought we agreed you weren’t going to come in here while I was working anymore?” she hissed when she finally intercepted me.
“Fuck that. I’ve been away for two days. I wanted to see my woman.”
She rolled her eyes and settled her hands on her hips, drawing my attention to the sheer black lace dress she was wearing. “This is where I work. You can’t just go all caveman and start growling at the customers. I have to make money.”
I grinned as a plan started to formulate in my mind. “Not a problem, how much for a private dance?” I asked, already imagining a thousand ways I could defile her with fifteen minutes in the champagne room. As embarrassing as it was, given the state of my blue balls, I didn’t even think I’d need the full fifteen minutes.
Rabbit’s eyes widened slightly, and even though she tried to cover it up, I saw the need behind those whiskey-colored irises. Straightening, she let her arms fall to her sides and smirked at me. “Two hundred for twenty minutes.”
“Never heard of a champagne room costing more than a hundred.”
“Then you’ve never been to a decent club. You have to pay for quality. Should I make it three hundred?”
I laughed, I’d missed the banter we so quickly fell into. “Lead the way.”
She raised a brow and held out her hand. “You pay up-front.”
“Seriously?”
Pursing her lips, she shot me an ice-cold glare. “I never joke about my money. Cough it up or leave, buddy.”
Buddy?
I was going to spank that attitude right out of her. Retrieving my wallet, I thumbed through the bills, pulling out three crisp hundreds and handing them over.
She folded the bills and tucked them into her bra. “Follow me,” she snapped, turning on her heel and heading for a hallway on the opposite side of the main stage.
Trailing behind her like a fucking lost puppy, I stared at her ass, mesmerized by the way her hips swayed with every step.
She led me down a hallway, each of the rooms adorned with a red and green light above the door. We passed four occupied rooms with the red light illuminated before she ushered me into the last open room at the end of the hall.
I stepped into the small room, bare except for a small stage with a pole in the center and a black leather couch. She closed the door behind us, flicking the light switch on the wall to signify the room was occupied. It was the same system I’d seen in other clubs, at least the ones that weren’t complete shit holes.
My hand shot out, hooking her around the waist and pulling her body flush against mine. Immediately the scent of coconuts surrounded me and I breathed in deep, it had only been two days, but I was like a goddamn fiend, itching for my next fix of my perfect fucking woman. I bent my head to take her mouth, but she put her fingers to my lips, stopping my pursuit.
“No kissing,” she said, disentangling herself from my arms. “And no touching unless I say so.”
“The fuck, Rabbit? I’ve been gone for days, and you’re not even gonna let me touch you? That’s fucked up.”
Lifting her chin, she glared at me like she was trying to set me on fire using only her mind. “What’s fucked up is you disrespecting the boundaries that we agreed on and waltzing into my place of business without warning. That’s what’s fucked up, Baz. So no, you don’t get to touch or kiss me. I’m going to treat you like a paying customer, that’s it. Now, shut up, sit your ass on the couch, and enjoy the fucking show.”
Even if I wanted to argue, we both knew I’d be spitting bullshit. Because I wasn’t an idiot, I decided to play along, moving to the leather couch in front of the circular stage. I followed Rabbit with my eyes as she went to the iPad embedded in the wall. I couldn’t see what she was doing, but it became obvious when a song I didn’t recognize filled the room.
Rabbit began to move to the beat, her hips swaying. Hooking her thumbs into her stretchy black lace strapless dress, she slowly pulled it down, revealing a matching sheer black lace bra that barely covered her nipples. The fabric pooled at her feet and she stepped out of the dress, her hands already behind her as she unhooked her bra.
My tongue darted out, licking my bottom lip as if I could still taste her perfect fucking skin. My hands itched to reach out and touch all that smoothness and beauty.
Her black lace thong was next to go, followed by her outrageous plastic platform shoes. She wasn’t swaying to the beat anymore. She was on a mission. Whatever she had planned, I just hoped it involved getting buried balls deep in her.
Stepping onto the couch, she placed her feet on either side of me, bracketing my thighs. She reached up, winding a length of black silk I hadn’t noticed hanging from the ceiling, around her wrist. She gripped the fabric and gave it a little test tug. It held firm. Her hips began swaying to the music, and I was once again hypnotized by the way her body followed the beat perfectly. She never stalled or second-guessed herself, she just moved, and it had my dick screaming in my jeans.
My hands wrapped around her calves, gliding up her toned legs. I couldn’t help it, I wanted her, and I wasn’t a patient man. Rabbit stopped dancing and hooked a finger under my chin, forcing me to l
ook up at her.
“No touching.” Her no-nonsense tone had my balls aching.
Watching my woman take charge, even if she was bossing me around with all that attitude, was a huge turn on.
Scratch that, it was hot as fuck.
I let my hands fall to my sides, deciding I wanted to see how she played this out, I wasn’t disappointed.
When the next song started playing, she hooked a leg over the back of the couch, her thigh just grazing my cheek. The new position put her fucking perfect pussy right in front of my face. My eyes trailed up her body until I found her face smirking down at me.
“Lick my pussy,” she demanded. “Now.”
I felt my nostrils flare, a sudden wave of lust and need washing over my body and making my skin heat. I liked women who knew what they wanted, but I’d never been particularly keen on bossy bitches in bed. I was quickly reconsidering my stance on the subject.
Leaning forward, I flicked my tongue against her clit and felt her leg stiffen at my side. Realizing why she’d needed the length of silk hanging from the ceiling, I wondered if she’d ever used it on anyone else. The instant the thought popped into my head, I shoved it away. The past didn’t matter, all that mattered at the moment was the woman in front of me.
“Suck on my clit,” she ordered, her free hand coming to rest at the back of my head.
I did as she asked, taking her clit between my lips. She let out a low moan and ground herself into my mouth.
It wasn’t long before Rabbit barked out another order. “Give me a finger, fuck me with your hand and your mouth.”
Finally.
Letting my hand trail slowly up her leg and inner thigh, I teased her opening with a finger, circling her before finally dipping inside.
“Another,” she gasped, breathless.
Her panting and gasping was doing a number on my dick, at this rate, I’d end up coming in my pants right along with her. Needing this little game she was playing to be over so I could get inside her, I flicked my tongue over her clit as I pushed in another digit. Curling my fingers slightly, I pumped and massaged the spot I knew would send her over the edge.