I turn to Gecko. “I like your hair. I tried to dye mine pink once but it turned out orange. It was not a good look for me.”
“Thanks, sweets. What about piercings, you have any?”
“I like them but I don’t think I could pull them off on my face like you. I don’t look tough enough.” He chuckles at that. “I have my ears done, my belly button, and both nipples, though.” I feel Halo’s sharp intake of breath behind me and the unmistakable bulge in his lap. I also have the undivided attention of every male at the table and none of them are looking at my eyes. Typical.
“I’m joking, well, about the nipples. I really do have my belly button pierced.” I lean back into Halo, who grips both my hips to stop me from falling, and raise the hem of my T-shirt to show them the pink gem just inside my belly button.
“Nice, sweets. I know a great guy that does all my piercings, so if you ever do decide to get those nipples done, let me know,” Gecko offers. It’s not something I’ve really thought about but if Halo’s rapidly growing dick is any indication, he loves the idea.
A shudder runs through me as Orion leans over and traces his finger around my piercing. I yank my top back down and sit forward again, trying to ignore the flush of heat rushing through my body from his touch. “Very sexy,” Orion whispers so only Halo and I can hear him. “I wonder how much you would squirm if I traced it with my tongue?” Halo groans softly at his words, making my pulse speed up, but I decide to ignore them both and focus on Half-pint.
“I can’t reach the top shelf but I’m awesome at hide-and-seek,” I deadpan.
He counters with, “Punching someone in the face who is over six foot is awkward as fuck but I can rip someone’s balls off with one hand.”
I nod in understanding. “Good chat.”
That makes all the guys laugh. I look at Rebel and study him closely. His eyes are guarded. It’s hard to see someone so young looking so jaded.
“I miss my brothers so I’m adopting you, okay?” He looks completely taken aback, as if that was the last thing he was expecting, which I’m sure it was.
“It comes with the perks of borrowing my awesome truck from time to time, although if you get blood in it, please wash it, and I will be your wing chick when you want something other than sweet butt, okay?”
He considers it for a second before he nods his head. “Works for me.”
Orion grabs my hand, pulling me up and leading me toward the door.
“Come on, gorgeous. Let’s go pick up the things you need before you adopt anyone else. We can get coffee on the way.”
“Now you’re speaking my language, Adonis.”
“Hold up.” Halo stands and snags me from Orion. Before I can even speak, his lips are on mine and his hand is burrowed into my hair. The guys at the table whistle but all I care about is the feel of Halo’s tongue against mine. When he pulls away, I moan in protest but he just laughs, the fucker, and kisses the tip of my nose.
“I have to go out for a job. I’m going to be gone for a few days, so try to stay out of trouble, okay?” My brain freezes from shock, and before I can say anything he kisses me one last time, says his goodbyes, and heads off. I just stare at his retreating back, still feeling the weight of his lips on mine.
“Come on,” Orion tells me laughing, before flinging his arm around my shoulder and leading us out into the bright morning sunshine.
“He just kissed me.” I point out something Orion is very much aware of.
“He sure did. Feel good?” he asks. I look at him to see if this is some kind of trick but his expression doesn’t show any anger or jealousy.
“I… it was good,” I reply, not sure what the fuck is going on.
“Good?” He laughs before leaning in and whispering against my ear. “I bet if I slipped my fingers inside your panties, I would find them wet. I’d say that was better than good.” Cocky, stupid, arrogant bikers.
“Well, you’d be wrong,” I tell him.
“Is that so? Care to prove it?” His voice has taken on a husky quality.
I reach up and tug his T-shirt so he bends down a little. I place my lips against his ear and whisper, “I’m afraid that won’t be possible. You see, I’m not wearing any.” And with my lie scoring a direct hit, judging by Orion’s groan, I strut to the truck feeling pretty fucking proud of myself.
Chapter Four
It was after we had shopped for a bunch of stuff, half of which I wouldn’t need and all of which Orion insisted on paying for, I realized these guys, or at least Orion, might be interested in me for more than just sex. How did I come to this conclusion? Watching him interact with Laura, our glamorous assistant today.
I like boys, always have, always will, but if I were ever going to take a dip in the girl-on-girl pool, it would be with a girl like Laura. She was freaking gorgeous. We’re talking six feet of bronze skin, long tousled waves of brunette hair and a body that would, and probably has, stopped traffic. You could tell she was smart but also super sweet and she never once made googly eyes over Orion. While I dragged him around the store, she followed along, asking questions about my size, style and what kind of pieces I was looking for and not once did he check her out. In fact, he hardly seemed to take his eyes off me. I’ve got to be honest, it’s quite an intoxicating feeling, having the undivided attention of a man like that. It isn’t until we’re back in the truck heading toward the compound once again—with Orion driving because, apparently, if you have a penis, it gives you driving rights over us poor vagina-wearing females—that I say what I’ve realized.
“You like me,” I say quietly.
Orion takes his hand off the gear stick and slides it over one of my thighs.
“Just figured that out, huh?” He chuckles.
“It’s just that Laura was gorgeous and you barely even glanced at her.”
“She was a looker, that’s true, but Luna, you are fucking beautiful. Besides, what kind of dick checks out another woman when he’s standing next to his own?
“I’m your woman?” I blink in surprise. Say what now?
“I’m working on it,” he answers.
When I try to speak, he gives me a look which shuts me up and carries on. “I get that this whole situation is a little fucked-up but I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. You aren’t exactly a prisoner, you must know that. It’s just to save face with other clubs and, well, it gives us all a chance to get to know you better and, Luna, I would really like the chance to get to know you better.”
He’s right. I know I’m not really a prisoner. If I were, I certainly wouldn’t have been allowed the freedom to leave the clubhouse.
“Well, we have a month to get to know each other, right? Hmm… What do I need to know? What’s your favorite color?” Seriously? That’s the best I could come up with?
He full on belly laughs and I’m slightly worried we might crash if he’s not careful. “Of all the questions you could have asked, you went with ‘what’s my favorite color?’” He carries on laughing for a few minutes before he manages to get himself under control.
“I guess black is my favorite color,” he finally answers me. Why am I not surprised? “Okay, my turn. What do you do when you aren’t rescuing dogs?”
“Funny.” I stick out my tongue at him before answering. “I make custom gift baskets for everything from baby showers to retirement gifts. That’s what I was doing yesterday before running into you, making deliveries. There’s a shop in town that sells them.”
“That’s pretty cool.”
I beam a big smile his way. “What about you, what do you do?”
“I’m a sort of bounty hunter. That’s how I got the nickname Orion.”
Orion is a badass name for a badass, hot-as-hell man. “Orion suits you, or Adonis.”
He smiles at that. “Baby, you can call me whatever you like.” He lifts my hand and kisses the back of it, making me blush. That was cheesy as hell but it still does things to my insides.
“What abou
t Halo? What does he do?”
When he doesn’t answer straight away, I turn to face him, worried that I’ve overstepped. He finally speaks. “He’s a facilitator.”
Huh? A facilitator of what? I’m about to ask when he changes the subject. “It’s my father’s birthday on Friday, go with me?”
“Is mister biker man asking me on a date?”
“I don’t date, babe, but make no mistake, I want you, I’m all in, so I’m going to fight tooth and nail to get you to give this thing a shot. Bikers play by different rules, Luna. Our world can be dark and fucked-up, so when you see something that shines brightly, that radiates light and banishes those shadows for a while, well, you grab on to it and you hold on tight. This is me, Luna, holding on tight.”
“How can you say that? You know nothing about me,” I whisper, shocked to my core by his declaration.
“I know you saved a dog that was being hurt regardless of the risk to yourself. I know you were marched into a compound full of dangerous as fuck bikers and held your own. I know you have brothers and miss them and you wear your heart on your sleeve. People are drawn to you, my men included, because you ooze sunshine. I know on a subconscious level you want me because you don’t shy away from my touch and, lastly, I know you are the most beautiful goddamn woman I have ever seen in my life.”
“Yes,” I blurt out. He looks at me, puzzled for a second, before I put him out of his misery.
“Yes, I’ll go to your dad’s party with you.” What I don’t add is that, with his words, he’s already on his way to making me his and it’s only been twenty-four hours since we met. How am I supposed to survive a month? And how does Halo fit into all this?
We drive in comfortable silence before Orion pulls over and turns into the parking lot of a quaint diner.
“I promised you coffee and I’m a man of my word,” he explains, climbing out of my truck and walking around to my side. He opens the door and offers me his hand. I look up at him in shock for a second. Who knew Mr. Big Bad Biker was such a gentleman? I don’t think any guy has ever held the door open for me before. Silently, he leans in and unclips my belt before gripping my hips and lifting me out. He slides me down his body, far slower than necessary, making my mind flash back to visions of his naked torso. Instead of stepping back, he pushes me up against the truck, his hard body flush with mine, leaving me no other choice but to grip his arms and breathe him in. I look up at him, startled by the intensity I see in his gaze. I lick my lips and my eyes widen as I feel him harden against my stomach.
“Tell me you feel it too,” his deep voice rumbles out, making goosebumps break out all over my skin.
My mind is still stuck on the ever-growing bulge in his pants. “Oh, I feel it,” I mutter.
It takes him a beat to understand what I’m referring to, but when he does, he throws his head back and laughs. I kid you not, I have a mini orgasm right there and then in the middle of the dusty parking lot.
“I have no control over my own goddamn body when you’re around. You make me feel like a fifteen-year-old boy again.”
Rubbing against him a little, I have to disagree. “You don’t feel like a fifteen-year-old boy to me,” I tell him a little breathlessly.
“Jesus, you’re going to be the death of me. Let’s get you some coffee.” He slides me a little farther along the truck so he can slam the door and lock it. I wait for him to pocket the keys before making my move.
“Orion?” I say his name softly, making him turn back toward me. With only pure need fueling my next move, I grab him by the neck of his T-shirt and yank his head down to meet mine before slamming my mouth on his. It takes him about three seconds to overcome his shock and take control. He hoists me up with his hands under my ass, letting me wrap my legs around his waist. He pushes me against the side of the truck as he devours me, thrusting his tongue inside my mouth and frying my senses until all I can think about is him. I have never been kissed like this before and if I live another ten lifetimes, this would still be, hands down, the kiss all other kisses will be measured by. When he reluctantly pulls away, resting his forehead against mine as we both struggle to catch our breath, it dawns on me that I might just be in way over my head.
“Coffee?” My breath caresses his lips, causing a shudder to ripple through him.
“Coffee,” he agrees, sliding me back to my feet before snagging my hand and pulling me toward the diner.
We walk through the doors and find all eyes trained on us, and I flush when I realize everyone could see us through the large plate glass window. Orion ignores everyone, heading for a booth in the back where a few other members of the Kings of Carnage MC are eating. I spot King watching me so I make sure to avoid eye contact with him and check out the other members instead. There are four of them, not counting King. There is a guy about the same age as him on his left with short blond hair and the kind of tan you can only get from spending the bulk of your time outside. Next to him is an older guy, at maybe sixty, with shoulder-length gray hair and slight build. On the opposite side of King is a beast of a man who looks like he might be part machine, reminding me of a bodybuilder in size and shape. Height-wise, he easily towers over everyone else at the table. Heck, he towers over everyone in the diner. He too has shoulder-length hair but his is a rich dark coffee color that matches his eyes. Lastly, on King’s right is a handsome man with dark hair like Orion’s and the same cerulean blue eyes—wait. I look up at Orion in question.
“The guy on the left of King is Joker, our vice president. The guy next to Joker is Chewy. This monster of a man here,” he points at the huge bodybuilder, “is called Conan, and the asshole next to my father is my brother Diesel.”
“Father? King is your father?” I ask, death staring him. Seems he failed to mention that nugget of information earlier.
“I thought you knew.” He shrugs and the smirk on his face makes me want to punch him.
“Gotta problem with me, missy?” King barks out, causing the other diners to turn our way. If he thinks he’s going to intimidate me, he has another thing coming. I stand tall, all five feet of me, and scowl at him.
“You mean aside from the whole me being a guest of yours?” I spit the word guest out, and the men surrounding us tense. I sigh, knowing I need to back down.
“I just got invited to your birthday party and now I have to get a gift ready for the president of a freaking motorcycle club. I give great gifts,” I explain to him, sitting down next to Diesel and snagging a piece of bacon off his plate and devouring it before I continue, ignoring the incredulous faces looking back at me.
“It’s kind of my thing, but what the heck do you buy someone like you? Maybe I could get vouchers for a strip club or something.” I ponder the last part to myself. I reach over and steal the last piece of bacon off Diesel’s plate as Orion sits down beside me and wraps his arm around my shoulder. I look up at his smiling face as I finish chewing.
“Do you know where I could hire a hooker maybe? A classy one though, because, well, it's your dad and I need to make a good impression.” Then maybe he will forget I stole his dog.
“I never forget anything, missy.” I whip around to find King laughing at me.
“Shit. I said that out loud again, didn’t I?” All of the guys crack up laughing while I bury my head against Orion’s chest.
“I think I’m going to steal your girl, bro,” Diesel says from beside me, chuckling.
“Fuck you. Why would she want you when she’s got this right here?” He waves his hand up and down his body, making me smile.
“So modest,” I tease before facing Diesel. “Hi. I’m sure you’re awesome and you’re really hot but what can I say? Cocky conceited assholes do it for me.”
“Watch it, Luna, or I’ll bend you over this table and show you just how cocky I can be,” Orion whispers in my ear, making my nipples perk up with interest. Thank god for padded bras.
“Well, if you ever change your mind,” Diesel tells me wistfully.
&n
bsp; “I’m good but thanks.” I look back up at King who is watching me without his usual hostile stare.
“So, about those hookers?”
He shakes his head, a smile covering his face that he just can’t fight.
“I think I can manage to get my own pussy for the evening, darlin’, but thanks for the offer.”
“Damn, back to the drawing board,” I mumble to myself. I’ll think of something to give him.
“I’ll take a hooker or two if you’re offering?” the guy called Chewy shouts across the table, not giving a single fuck what the other patrons think.
“I’ll see what I can do.” I look up to ask Orion again to see if he knows where I can find one but shut up when he kisses me stupid in front of everyone. By the time he pulls away, I’m not even sure what my own name is, let alone what I was talking about before.
When the waitress arrives, we order coffee and pancakes, which I wolf down, not realizing just how hungry I was until it was placed in front of me. The guys talk quietly around me but I can tell they are being careful about watching what they say. Part of me gets it but the other part of me just feels uncomfortable and ready to leave. Orion must notice, as he places some money down on the table and tugs me from my seat. I wave goodbye to everyone as he ushers me out the door and back into my truck. He sits beside me, squeezing his hands around the steering wheel.
“Do you have a problem with my brothers or my father?” He turns to look at me with disappointment on his face.
“What? No, I like them just fine. I just feel like an interloper. I could tell they were watching what they were saying like they were waiting for me to leave.” He sighs but loosens his grip on the wheel and reaches over with one hand and squeezes my knee.
“It’s not like that, Luna. It’s just that we don’t discuss club business around women, period. It’s not you personally, it’s just the way it is, the way it’s always been.” I look out the side window as he starts up the truck and stare at the bikers through the diner’s window. See, this is why I’m not sure about staying when the month is up, no matter how I feel about Orion or Halo at the end of it. I’ve spent too long proving to men over and over just how capable I am and I don’t want to be cast back into a role I fought so hard to break away from.
The Queen of Carnage Page 3