by Harley Wylde
“Changed my mind. We’re having that talk now,” I said. I led her over to the bed and sat, pulling her down onto my lap where I could hold onto her. Something told me she’d bolt first chance she got. “Something’s wrong. Don’t bother denying it. I’m thinking it went sideways a while back and no one noticed.”
She took a shaky breath and leaned against me. “It’s better if I don’t go back.”
“Why? You can’t just say shit like that and think I’m going to walk away, Shella.”
She burrowed closer, twisting so she could wrap her arms around my neck. I ran my hand down her hair, my imagination in overload. Not once had I ever seen her act like this. What the fuck had happened to her? If someone had hurt her, I’d gut them.
“Talk to me,” I said softly.
“Everyone was always so focused on Lilian. Worried about her. I understood, but when I needed the club the most they just decided I was a problem. A bratty kid.”
As much as I wanted to ask questions, I waited. It was clear she struggled to tell me whatever was weighing on her. The thought she’d been hurting all this time ate at me. She was right. The club had just thought she was being a brat. None of us had stopped to question why she was acting out of character. If she’d been hurt, we were just as much to blame as whoever had touched her.
Oh God. Surely not… I tightened my hold on her. Please don’t let her say she was raped.
“The kids at school weren’t exactly nice to me,” she said. “They’d teased me from the beginning, but I didn’t want Dad to worry so I kept quiet. Except they never stopped and it got worse. At first, it was just taunts and mean words. Until it wasn’t.”
I held her close and closed my eyes, wishing I’d known. It wasn’t like I could scare the shit out of a bunch of teenagers at the high school, but I’d have done something. Anything. Shella had been so sweet, thoughtful, and downright adorable. All the signs were there. Why hadn’t I seen them?
“The cheerleaders cornered me in the locker room right after gym one afternoon. School was out and the gym was deserted. I’d just gotten out of the shower and they’d hidden my clothes. The more upset I got, the meaner they became. They shoved me into the hall and into the boy’s locker room.”
“Naked?” I asked, fury building inside me. It burned in my veins and my jaw locked tight to the point of pain. If I ever got my hands on those little monsters, I wouldn’t hold back. Didn’t matter how old they were. They couldn’t do shit like that and get away with it.
She nodded against me, hiding her face.
“The football team was in there. They laughed. Made fun of me. And then… then they…”
I felt her tears before I heard the first sniffle. My heart broke for her. We’d thought she was running wild. It never occurred to any of us she was acting out, that someone had hurt her in the worst possible way.
“How many?” I asked, not surprised my voice didn’t sound the least bit steady.
“All the ones still there,” she said softly. “Some had left already. I’d been a virgin. It felt like they ripped me apart inside. I wanted to die. It took me forever to stand, much less walk to my car. When I got home, I was going to tell Dad, but Lilian was having a bad day and freaking out. I knew if she heard what had happened to me, it would only make things worse. So I took a shower and kept quiet. Except I couldn’t get clean. No matter how much I scrubbed or how many showers I took, I was still dirty.”
“Jesus, Shella. I wish you’d told someone! If not Griz or Lilian, then anyone else in the club! We’re your family, baby. You should have gone to the police and had every one of those fuckers arrested.”
“I went to stay with a friend while Dad dealt with Lilian. Her oldest sister was in medical school and she checked me over, gave me something for the pain. She tried to talk to me into going to the hospital, but I knew they’d call the police and Dad. Lilian didn’t need that right then. I managed to get tested for STDs and took the morning-after pill just in case, but it wasn’t easy to do without Dad finding out.” Her gaze dropped, as if she couldn’t stand to look at me right then. “By the next day, the entire school was calling me a whore. It wasn’t just in the hallways but on social media. I even got some text messages about it. So… I decided to prove them right. Besides, I figured it wouldn’t hurt as much if they didn’t have to hold me down. As screwed up as it sounds, it made me feel like I was in control. After I’d had time to heal, I became what they’d been calling me.”
Didn’t sound fucked up at all. I knew exactly what she meant. People could only hurt you if you let them. By not acting like the victim, it had probably thrown them off their game. They’d expected her to cry, to cower, and instead she’d embraced the names they called her and turned the tables on them.
“I want a list of every person responsible,” I said. “And it’s not negotiable.”
“It’s been a long time, Talon. I graduated two years ago,” she said.
“Doesn’t matter, baby. They hurt you in the worst way possible and I intend to see them pay. Even if I can’t physically harm every single one, I can make their lives extremely uncomfortable. Besides, there’s a chance you weren’t the only one. What if some of those boys raped other girls? What if they’re continuing to hurt women even now?”
She sagged against me. “I never thought of that.”
I understood why she hadn’t come home. She’d been hurting all that time, and none of us had paid attention. Then Griz had asked her to go visit her half-sister and get away from the Devil’s Fury for a while. If he knew what she’d been through, he’d kick his own ass for doing that to her. She’d needed us and we’d turned her away. I felt sick just thinking about it.
“Now I’m going home pregnant,” she said. “It’s just going to reinforce all the bad things they think about me.”
“You know, I’ve been trying to track you down for a month. No one knows I just found you last night.” I knew what I was about to say could very well freak her the fuck out, but I knew it was the right thing to do. She needed me, and I’d always had a soft spot for Shella, even before I’d seen her as a woman and not a kid. Now I desired her the way a man wants a sexy, vibrant woman. “I’m claiming you. Not asking. Just telling you that’s how it is. Don’t have to say a word about the baby just yet. Let them think it’s mine.”
She pulled back and stared at me, eyes wide and lips parted. I ran my fingers over her cheek.
“That kid will be mine in every way that counts. Don’t matter if we aren’t blood. You ever decide to tell them I’m not their sperm donor, we’ll cross that bridge then. For now, I’ll be the only dad he or she knows, and the club won’t be any wiser. Babies come early all the time.”
“I can’t let you do that, Talon. I know when you claim someone it’s forever. You deserve so much better than me.”
I shut her up the only way I knew how. I kissed the hell out of her. It might have started soft and sweet, but I couldn’t get enough of her. Deepening the kiss, I fisted her hair in my hand, holding her still as I dominated her mouth. So fucking sweet! So damn perfect. If she hadn’t left, would I have ever noticed her this way? Wanted her as bad as I did now?
When I drew back, her lips were swollen, and she looked sexy as fuck.
“Talon.” My name was nearly a whisper.
“There’s no one better than you, sweetheart, so I don’t ever want to hear you say that shit again. Hear me?”
She nodded.
“It’s time to make new memories, Shella. Start a new life. I’ll be with you every step of the way. We’re in this together now. Hear me?”
“I hear you, Talon.” Her eyes had a soft look to them as she stared at me. “I don’t know why you want to keep me. I’m not anything special, and I’ll just bring trouble to your door. But… thank you. For coming to get me, for letting me tell you what happened in high school, and for accepting me despite everything.”
I flipped us so she was lying on the bed and I braced myself over h
er. “Let’s get one thing straight. You were a victim in high school, Shell. What happened to you is unforgiveable and the fact you kept going, without the support of your family, tells me you’re a strong woman. The Shella I watched on the webcam show was hot as fuck and got me harder than granite. And the one I watched strip last night was like a wet dream. There’s nothing to ‘accept’ as you put it. I’m a lucky bastard to call you mine, and I damn well know it. You’re getting a man twice your age, and I won’t lie, the club whores will give you shit, try to make it sound like they own me. You ready for that? Ready to fight for what’s yours?”
She reached up, her touch light as she ran her fingers over the stubble on my jaw. “Are you? Mine?”
“Don’t belong to anyone else, baby. Never have. Never will. I’m yours every bit as much as you’re mine. Another man so much as looks at you and I’ll knock his teeth down his damn throat. This sexy body is for my viewing pleasure only.”
“All right,” she said. “But I don’t want to be just your old lady. I want a ring so that even outside the club men will know I’m taken.”
I smiled down at her, then gave in and kissed the hell out of her again. “I’ll give you anything you desire… within reason. And a ring sounds like a good idea. We’ll get one today. Just need to ask one of the hackers to work their mojo and marry us. Preferably before Griz finds out and kicks my ass.”
She worried at her lower lip. “Wizard might do it. Titan was worried about backlash on the club after he found out I’d been hired as a webcam girl.”
Interesting. So the Hades Abyss Pres had known Shella was there and what she was up to. I’d be asking why the fuck he’d let her leave, but I’d save it for later. Right now, the woman lying under me needed all my attention. She’d been badly broken and put herself back together the only way she could. From now on, I’d see she was taken care of. Protected.
“You sure you don’t want a real wedding?” I asked.
“Don’t need one. I just need you.”
Well, hell. When she said that, and gave me that soft look, I knew I’d do anything she asked. There was no way to make up for the past, but I could guarantee she had everything she’d want or need in the future. She was mine now, and I never gave up my possessions… especially when this one was quickly worming her way into my heart. I hadn’t even realized I still had one.
Chapter Three
Shella
The last of my stuff had been packed except a change of clothes and anything else I’d need overnight and in the morning. The apartment didn’t look very different. My boxes were stacked by the front door, ready to be loaded into the trunk of my car. I was going home. Just the thought of seeing my dad again made my palms sweat. Then there was the rest of the club. I was certain they didn’t want me back. Didn’t matter that Slash said I was welcome with the Devil’s Fury. When I’d needed them, no one had been there for me. I’d acted out, doing anything to get their attention and deal with the pain I’d felt.
Slash understood now, and I could tell by the look in his eyes he hated himself for not noticing back then. I’d just been a pesky kid. Maybe if I’d told someone what happened things would have been different, but I hadn’t wanted to put Lilian through that. I’d worried about her, even back then. So I’d done the opposite. Not only had I kept my shame a secret, but I decided to make my body my own again the only way I’d known how.
I toyed with the hem of my shirt as I watched Slash put a little product in his messy hair. I didn’t know why he was willing to claim me, to make me his completely. He could do so much better. It wasn’t like he’d ever lacked for options when it came to women. They practically threw themselves at his feet. I couldn’t blame them. I’d had an insane crush on him for as long as I could remember. Those women just saw the Devil’s Fury VP, but it had been something else drawing me to him like a moth to a flame. His smile, the kindness in his eyes, the way he’d dyed his hair a rainbow of colors over the years as a fuck-you to anyone who thought bikers should only look and act a certain way.
As I watched him, I realized it had been more than a crush. I’d been a little in love with him. Having him swoop in and rescue me the way he was, well… it made me fall for him a little more. I worried he’d break my heart if I gave him the chance. I couldn’t let him find out how I felt. Not right now anyway. Maybe someday.
“Ready?” he asked, wiping his hands off on a towel and turning to face me.
“Sure. Where are we going?”
He lifted his chin and stared down his nose at me. “Depends. What’s my wife want to eat?”
Wife. There was a flutter in my stomach. Butterflies.
“Wife?” I asked.
He gave a quick nod. “Spoke to Wizard earlier. In exchange for me not tearing their club apart with my bare hands, he hacked into the county records. According to the Bolivar County clerk’s office, we’re officially married. Congratulations. You’re now Shella Vickers.”
I chewed on my lower lip. “What if you change your mind?”
He was on me in two steps, his hand in my hair, a fierce look on his face. It seemed I’d poked the bear with my comment. Slash pressed his lips to mine and quickly bent me to his will, his mouth ravaging mine. He wasn’t gentle. Didn’t go slow. He took what he wanted. No, demanded my submission. When he broke the kiss, my knees trembled, and I felt like I’d fall to the floor at any moment. I’d never been with a man like him.
“Next time you utter that shit, I’m putting you over my knee and spanking your ass,” he said. “You think I do things lightly? Just rush into something without considering the consequences?”
“No, Talon. I just…” I felt small with him looming over me. Fragile. I’d worked hard to build a tough exterior, but Slash blasted through those walls and left me a mess, worrying I would never be good enough for someone like him. I swallowed hard. “I’m dirty. I’m not… I’m not good enough for you.”
The words were hard to say, and I ended on a near whisper. I felt vulnerable. More so than I had in a long time. This wasn’t just any man. It was Slash. He’d been my ideal ever since I’d met him. No one had ever measured up to him, and I knew they never would.
His touch was gentle as he cupped my cheek, forcing me to hold his gaze. “Baby, you’re not dirty. You’re a survivor, and you’re Goddamn beautiful. And mine.”
I trembled as he leaned down and kissed me soft and slow. It was the kind of kiss I’d always dreamed of and never experienced. I whimpered, clinging to him as tears burned behind my closed eyelids. His kindness unraveled me. This big, badass biker who I knew had killed people, had left a wake of destruction in his path, treated me as if I were the most precious thing in the world.
“Come on, Shell,” he said softly. “Let’s go get some lunch and buy you a wedding ring. I’ll get you a property cut after we’re back home and I’ve had a chance to speak to my brothers in Church.”
I worried they’d deny his request. As long as we were married, they couldn’t kick me out of the compound, could they? The last thing I wanted was to come between Slash and the club. They’d been his family long before I ever came to live there. I didn’t know what would happen if they didn’t accept me. I’d never ask him to leave the club.
And what about his blood family? His brother was with the Dixie Reapers and his sister lived with the Devil’s Boneyard. That was a lot of club members to hate me. Not to mention I’d met Tank before. I really didn’t want on his bad side. Although, he wasn’t nearly as bad as Demon. The Devil’s Fury Sergeant-at-Arms brought new meaning to sadistic when he got pissed at someone.
He took my hand and led me out of the apartment and down to his bike. I hadn’t been on one in a long time. Knowing it was Slash I’d be riding behind made me both excited and scared. He pulled a purple helmet from his saddlebag and I realized it was the one I’d used before. As a teen, I’d taken a few rides with some of the men in the club. Since Grizzly was my adopted dad, his son-in-law, Badger, had often been the one
to let me ride with him. Unless Adalia was with him.
I turned it around in my hands, letting the memories wash over me. It had felt freeing to ride on the back of a motorcycle. The wind in my hair. The thrum of the bike under me. I set the helmet on my head and fastened the chin strap. Slash had already gotten on his Harley and started the engine. I swung my leg over the seat and held onto his waist. He gave me a quick glance over his shoulder before taking my hands and crossing them over his stomach. I felt the hard ridges of his abdomen and a heat flared to life inside me.
His wife. I was this gorgeous man’s wife. Did that mean he planned to consummate our marriage? Preferably tonight. The sooner the better. I only hoped I didn’t disappoint him. While I’d been with a lot of guys and done some seriously wild shit the last year alone, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to measure up to the women he’d been with. Besides, I hadn’t cared about any of those men. They were one-night stands or quick flings. Slash was different. Even if we weren’t married, it still wouldn’t have been the same sleeping with him.
Slash eased the bike out of the parking space and opened her up when we got onto the road. I felt my pulse racing as he rode through town, seeming to have a destination in mind already. It wasn’t a big place, and after a little while, I realized he was passing some of the same places over and over. All right. So maybe he didn’t know where he was going.
“Are you lost?” I shouted, hoping he could hear me.
He gave me a quick smile over his shoulder before facing forward again. Another few minutes and he pulled into the parking lot of a Mexican restaurant. One we’d passed at least three times during our ride. I hadn’t eaten here since I’d moved to town. Mostly because I couldn’t afford it. I’d lived off cheap things like pasta and sandwiches. The few times I’d been to the diner, I’d still gotten whatever was on special that day. He helped me off the bike, hung our helmets on his handlebars, then took my hand, lacing our fingers together.