Stain (King's Harlots MC Book 2)

by J. M. Walker

  In a quick move, I fisted her hair, pulling her head back roughly. “You will do what I say,” I growled in her ear. “If you want to make it out alive, you will do exactly what I tell you to do. You got me?”

  She pushed me, glaring daggers between Charles and me. A tingle shot up my back. What I wouldn’t give to have her over my knee and the feeling of her flesh burning beneath my palm.

  “You need to tighten your leash,” Charles teased. “Two days.” He snapped his fingers and approached the door, his two goons following behind him.

  I pulled Meeka out of their way, careful not to let them touch her.

  Charles chuckled, his laughter fading when the door closed.

  “Fuck.” I let out a heavy sigh, pushing a hand through my hair.

  “Asher Donovan,” Meeka snapped, “tell me what the hell is going on. Now.”

  BESIDES THE fact that Charles Brian scared the ever-living shit out of me, the new feelings tore through me over my best friend as well. Life was playing a trick on me because I knew there was no way Asher would just go ahead and give me to Charles. Who the hell does that?

  I stood there with my hands on my hips, staring up at the eyes I had looked into since I was a child. Since we were in kindergarten together and all the way through high school. Asher didn’t respond to my question. Why would he? There was only a monster who wanted to claim me as his own if Asher didn’t train me accordingly. I felt like I had been sucked into a life that wasn’t mine. My parents would lose their shit if they knew what I did to bring down those bastards. “Asher.”

  He moved to the couch, sitting down, and dropped his head in his hands. “Shit is getting out of hand,” he mumbled.

  “If you need my help, you need to give me more information.” I sat beside him, touching his arm gently. “I need to know.”

  “I need to work out.”

  “No, tell me first. Something, at least,” I insisted, sitting forward.

  “What do you want me to say, Meeka?” His gaze hardened. “That I forced you into this shithole of a mess? That I have no idea what I’m fucking doing? That this isn’t even my fucking job but Angel insists on me helping? That we’re all so fucking desperate to bring down these bastards that we would do anything, no matter the cost?”

  “Tell him you quit,” I suggested, my heart thumping hard against my ribs. There had to be a reason why Angel would get Asher to go undercover. Something wasn’t being said, but I wasn’t sure how much information Asher could give out.

  “It’s not that easy. Angel is my brother. Whatever he needs, I am there.”

  “But you make it sound like you have no choice. Angel wouldn’t do that to you.” I didn’t know Angel well, but I knew he cared about his brothers and would lay his life on the line to make sure they were protected and safe.

  “I need to work out.” He rose to his feet. “Are you coming?”

  “I still don’t know what’s going on.” I followed behind him as he led us to the gym at the back of his house. “How do you expect me to play along if I don’t have any details?”

  “You’ve done it before, Meeka. Look at what we both did with Violet.” Rolling his shoulders, he hopped from foot to foot. Violet was Jay’s twin and someone I wasn’t allowed to see for fear it would be a trigger for her. Because of that, I would never forgive myself for using her the way we did. We brought down one of the corrupt men in the organization but losing a friend wasn’t worth it.

  “Yeah, and look what that almost cost us,” I mumbled, holding the large punching bag in front of me.

  “Everything worked out.” Asher landed his fist against the bag, the sound reverberating through the room.

  He made it sound so easy. Do something. Apologize. Move on. He wasn’t stupid enough to believe life was like that, but there was no arguing with him when it came to Vice-One.

  “Why are you undercover when SEALs deal with terrorists?”

  Asher paused, his gaze sliding to mine. “We came across a bunker filled with females of all ages.” His eyes flashed, falling back into his memory. “The smell … So much death. It was putrid. It was something I never expected. None of us did. We had come across death before but,” his face paled. “This was different. It made us keep going.”

  “And now?”

  “I thought I would never smell it again.” He cleared his throat. “Being undercover has nothing to do with me being a SEAL.”

  “You’re right, because like you said, it’s not your job. So why the hell is Angel making you do this? The FBI should be all over it. They have people for this type of job.”

  “Meeka, damn it,” he snapped, punching the bag hard enough to push me back. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Well, I am so sorry,” I rolled my eyes. “If you want my help, you will tell me. We can keep doing this song and dance shit but we both know that I’m going to win. Like I always do.”

  Our gazes locked, something switching between us. His chest heaved, his back stiffening. All I could think about was running my fingers over his smooth skin, feeling his muscles tighten and twitch beneath them.

  I shook my head, ridding myself of that thought. It is not the time, Meeka. Not the time at all to be thinking about your best friend and how good he would look writhing beneath you. Shit.

  “You need to get those thoughts out of your head, Meeka,” Asher said roughly.

  My cheeks burned. “I’m not thinking anything.”

  He grunted, hitting the bag once again. “I know when a woman is thinking dirty thoughts. Her eyes dilate. Her lips part. That dryness in your mouth? It’s because you turned yourself on. As hot as the couple kisses we shared were, we have a job to do.”

  “You’re so fucking sure of yourself, aren’t you?” I bristled, scowling at the man who invaded my mind.

  “I have every right to be sure of myself, Meeka. I know what your mouth tastes like.” He shrugged. “Just wait until I taste your body.”

  Exasperated, I huffed. “Tell me what I have to do.” I waved a hand in front of me. “What does Charles want?”

  “He wants you perfect because I refuse to use one of his girls.”

  “Use one of his girls? For what?”

  “You do know what he’s involved in, right? What the operation is about?” Asher grabbed hold of the punching bag, staring at me intently.

  “Human trafficking,” I answered, my voice small.

  He scoffed. “Trafficking women for sex, Meeka. They get kidnapped, drugged, and trained. They are then sold to anyone who is willing to spend the money so the females can live out their days serving their Master. Or until their Master gets bored and tosses them aside like shit.”

  “I …” I swallowed hard. “Oh, God.”

  “These men are so fucking vile God has given up on them.” Asher paced back and forth in front of me, pushing his hand through his hair every so often.

  “What am I supposed to do?” I shouldn’t have asked the question. I didn’t want to know the answer but I needed to find out. What my role was in the situation, how I could help my best friend bring down the bastards who had disrupted our small town. I needed to help Asher in any way I could, because as much as he had been trying to hide it, I could see something wasn’t right with him after he came back from his last mission.

  “Submit.”

  I nodded, lowering myself to the floor. Letting my head drop in my hands, I took deep cleansing breaths. Submit. Ha. To whom?

  “Meeka,” Asher said gently.

  “Who am I submitting to?”

  Thick fingers wrapped around my wrist, pulling my hands free from my face.

  I glanced up, staring into Asher’s eyes.

  “Me.”

  A flush of heat washed over my body at the gruffness of that one word. Under normal circumstances, I probably would have laughed and teased him about it. I knew about kink. I’d read stories. Seen movies. But I didn’t know the details. I wasn’t naïve, but I also wasn’t overly sexually experi
enced. It had been awhile. “How?”

  His jaw ticked. “That’s what we need to discuss.”

  “Tell me.”

  “Meeka.” Asher rubbed his thumb over my pulse point in soothing circles.

  “Please. I need to know. I want to help you, but I need you to be honest with me.”

  “Charles wants me to break you. That’s what they do. They’re drugged so they won’t scream and fight back. Once the drugs wear off, pain is used to force them into submission. This lifestyle is sick and twisted, Meeka. They make BDSM sound like it’s evil when it’s really not. Bondage and submission can be a beautiful thing if it’s consensual between all parties. But the organization is making up their own rules.”

  “People pay for this?” My heart raced, my palms becoming sweaty.

  “Yes, Hummingbird. It’s why we need to bring down these bastards. But until we can find out who and where the main hub is, there’s shit we can do.”

  “And that’s what you’re doing?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer.

  “Yeah. I’m so sorry for bringing you into it, but I don’t trust anyone else.” He glanced down at his hand in my lap.

  “I know.” I took a deep breath. “I’m pissed that you didn’t come to me sooner. If you would have told me in the first place, it would have been less of a blow when you gave me that letter from Angel.”

  “How did you know it was from him?”

  “I’m not stupid.” I brushed my thumb over the tiny scars on his knuckles. “You also trained me, remember? I know you had no choice. Maybe I should be more upset, but we both know I can’t stay mad at you.”

  A small smile tugged at his lips. “Probably doesn’t help we both know each other so well, either.”

  I shrugged. Best friends turned lovers. It had happened, but could it happen to us? I wasn’t sure, but if the kisses we shared were any indication, I was up for it.

  “Let’s continue working out before I lose my damn mind,” Asher grumbled, rising to his full height. He went back to the punching bag. It was how he was wired. Whenever frustration settled in, he worked out. It had been like that for years.

  I headed over to the treadmill. Running was my thing. No matter what happened in life, I always felt better after building up a good sweat. If that sweat could be from other things, it would be even more satisfying.

  While Asher lifted some weights, I pounded my feet into the mat of the treadmill. I couldn’t help but wonder if he felt the same about those kisses. Did he kiss me because it was the only thing he could think of? Did he have the same reaction as me? God, I had never worried about that before. Even with the couple of guys I had been with, I didn’t overly care if they were attracted to me. I could never understand why, but I just wasn’t that into them. Maybe I was saving myself for that one, that special person who complemented me.

  Suddenly, I felt a warm body behind me. A large hand reached in front of me, turning off the treadmill. I came to a stop, my heart racing hard against my ribs. My blood pounded, deafening me.

  I didn’t know what Asher’s intentions were. But when his finger brushed down the side of my neck, a purr escaped my mouth. My body betrayed me. It was a small touch but it had been more than I had in months.

  “You interrupted my run,” I told Asher, gripping the sides of the machine.

  “I did.” The deep rumble of his voice washed over me, caressing my skin and squeezing my soul.

  “Why?”

  Asher spun me in his arms, curling his fist in my hair. “Because of this.”

  Before I could protest, his mouth came down on mine. I breathed him in, leaning into his touch. He tasted of mint, smelled of spice, and was hard as a rock. My senses became overloaded, and I couldn’t help but kiss him back.

  Asher curled his fist in my hair, pulling my head back to give him better access to my mouth. His tongue circled against mine. His free hand roamed down the side of my body before gripping my ass. He groaned, the sound rumbling from his broad chest.

  The kiss deepened. Caging me in with his thick arms, Asher ground his pelvis into mine.

  I gasped.

  Lifting me in his arms, Asher wrapped my legs around his waist and pushed his hips into mine.

  All I could do was hold onto him while he took control of my mouth and body. An ache formed between my legs, getting stronger as the kiss went on. He swallowed my sounds of pleasure, massaging his hands into the flesh of my body. Being held by him felt natural. Real. Needed. I couldn’t help but give in.

  Asher broke the kiss, his mouth trailing down the length of my jaw. A peck here. A nip there. With each touch, my heart jumped. Each breath, each moan, I opened myself to him.

  “You are so fucking beautiful, Hummingbird,” he purred against my skin.

  “Asher,” I moaned.

  Shit. A moment of clarity struck me. “No.” I pushed him back, shoving out of his grip, and jumped off the treadmill. With a shaky hand, I brushed it through my hair, trying everything to compose myself. “We can’t.” As much as I wanted to continue—God did I ever want to continue—I couldn’t. We couldn’t. It wasn’t right. We were best friends. It was a heat of the moment situation. He only kissed me to prove a point to Charles.

  Hello, Meeka. He kissed you again, didn’t he?

  I shook myself. “I can’t.”

  “And why not?” he asked, casually leaning against the treadmill with his arms crossed.

  “We’re best friends. It’s not right.”

  “You say that, but yet you keep kissing me back.”

  He stood a foot away from me, but I could still feel him. His hard waist grounding into mine. His length pulsing against my inner thigh. Asher knew I had felt him. Growing. Heating with a fire that could no doubt make me burn with desire. But for him? Those feelings and thoughts were new and overwhelming, hitting me all at once. He must have been battling the same conflict by the look of sheer hunger in his bright-blue eyes. No one had ever looked at me that way. No one had ever kissed me like that. Asher knew I wasn’t overly experienced after many drunken nights of me complaining about the lack of men lining up at my doorstep.

  “Why do you keep doing that?” I asked, needing to break the unnerving silence between us.

  “Doing what?”

  “Kissing me.”

  “Are you complaining, Hummingbird?” He grinned, his gaze twinkling.

  “I want to know what’s going on.” I took a step back until I hit the wall. With nowhere to run, I lifted my chin and stood my ground.

  “I’ll tell you when you answer my question, Meeka.” He closed the distance between us, placing both hands on either side of my head. He caged me in, his big body towering over my tiny frame but I didn’t feel small. No. With Asher, I felt like a woman who had been opened up to new possibilities. New control. He made me feel powerful even before we ever shared that first kiss.

  “Meeka.” He licked his lips.

  My chest heaved, my nipples hardening at the husky use of my name. “Asher.”

  He leaned down, his mouth brushing over mine. It was so soft, a spark cracked. “I’m going to kiss you again. And you’re not going to complain, are you?”

  I shook my head so slowly I wasn’t sure if it had moved or not.

  “Words,” he demanded, his voice rough. “I need your words.”

  Knowing what we were doing was new for both of us, I appreciated his holding back. But I found that I wanted to venture on that new journey with him. Even if it was just a kiss. I wanted my mouth to be owned by his lips. I wanted him to show me, teach me what it was like to truly be kissed by the person you trusted most in the world. My breath caught.

  Fuck it. “Kiss me.”

  “Fucking a.” His mouth crushed mine, moving fluidly and slow. Oh, so achingly slow.

  I itched to touch him, but my hands stayed at my side.

  Like I had hoped, he controlled me with just a kiss.

  His tongue slid between my lips, dancing a path of pure
lust and passion with mine.

  The kiss was nothing like the previous ones. It was desperate. It hinted with a greater pleasure neither of us had ever experienced. It promised ecstasy.

  I moaned, silently begging for more.

  Asher repeated his movements every so often, causing more sounds of pleasure to leave my mouth.

  I realized he did it when he wanted my moans. My purrs. The desire he built in me to grace his ears. They all belonged to him.

  All too soon, he broke the kiss.

  Our chests rose and fell with ragged breath.

  His eyes glowed, searing into my heart. “Is that the kiss you were hoping for?” His voice came out gravelly. “Because, baby, I’d be happy to do it again.”

  I stepped underneath his arm, walking away from his passionate stare. I needed … I wasn’t even sure, but those kisses … God, could he ever kiss. They were so damn good, they messed with my head.

  “We … That …” I stuttered, brushing a shaky hand down my face. “We can’t do that again.” I kept repeating that statement but even I started not to believe it.

  “And why not? Those moans leaving your mouth were not because you didn’t like it, Meeka.”

  “We’re best friends.” I turned to him. “Our heads are not in the right place.”

  “Oh, I can tell you that my head is in the perfect place. But I do know of an even better spot.” His eyes roamed down the length of my body. “You can deny it all you want, but I know you enjoyed that kiss and I also know, you want more.”

  “Asher.” My cheeks burned.

  “What, Meeka? Did you not like my tongue fucking your mouth? Because I am up for a do over.”

  “I …”

  “Tell me, Hummingbird.” He closed the distance between us and cupped my chin. “Are you up for a do over?”

  “Yes,” I responded without even hesitating.

  He smirked. “Good.” He kissed me hard on the mouth. “Because I am going to have the greatest enjoyment pleasing my body with yours.”

  MOANS. PURRS. Little whimpers that were all meant for me. When my tongue slid into Meeka’s mouth, it teased and caressed. It showed her who was in control. I demanded her pleasure when I deemed it necessary. I took her desire by the reins and gave her a hint of what I was capable of. But I knew it wouldn’t last long. She may have pleaded for me to kiss her back, but she was stuck on the fact that we were best friends. Either way, I would fuck her. Eventually. I understood her hesitation but after the unexpected first kiss we shared, all bets were off. I wanted her. I had wanted her for years, but she didn’t know that. I was too much of a fucking pussy to tell her. Every time I saw her with another guy, I would head to the gym. She was the main reason I had worked out so hard. Among other things.