by Jenika Snow
“She’s a class act, Vengeance,” Rocky said.
He wanted to tell everyone that she was his, that Constance was his old lady, that she was going to be in his life forever. He wanted to have her by his side, make her see that they belonged together. He could protect her, could make her see that being with him was what they both needed.
God, she was perfect for him.
Vengeance glanced over his shoulder, smiling. “Yeah, she really fucking is.” But his smile faded when he saw Ranger, one of the new prospects, walking over to her.
Deanna lifted her hand and waved goodbye, and fucking Ranger walked right up to Vengeance’s woman.
Vengeance curled his fingers around the neck of the bottle and clenched his teeth, feeling pissed at the very thought of another man speaking with his woman.
Ranger touched Constance’s arm, and even if it was innocent, Vengeance couldn’t help the rage that burned bright in him.
He fucking lost it.
He moved back from the bar, seeing red. He needed to put everyone and anyone in their place if they crossed the line with Constance. He had Ranger by the throat, pressed to the wall, and glaring at him in a matter of seconds.
“God, Vengeance?” Constance’s voice was low, hesitant.
“Hey man, what’s up?” Ranger said, his voice strained from the pressure Vengeance had on his throat. He also looked scared.
Good.
Vengeance clenched his hand tighter around the other man’s neck.
“You don’t think about her, talk to her, and sure as hell don’t fucking touch her, got it?” Maybe Vengeance was overreacting, but hell, when it came to Constance he couldn’t help it.
Ranger nodded frantically, the fear in his eyes clear.
“She’s mine, and you and every fucker who wants to sniff around her should remember that.”
“What the hell?” Constance said as Vengeance led her down the hall and to an empty room.
He had her pressed to the wall a second later. He didn’t speak at first, but he didn’t need to say anything because feeling him pressed up against her, feeling his hard cock against her belly, was enough of a confirmation of what he wanted and needed.
In the next second, his lips were on hers. All thought left her mind. “You’re mine.” He ravished her mouth. Vengeance took from her, devouring her mouth as if he had a right to it.
And he does.
Vengeance bit her bottom lip before pulling away. They were both panting, and she felt her heart race. At first she’d been annoyed he’d been so brutal, acting live a caveman when she was speaking to that guy. But now all she could think about was how she wanted him.
“I don’t like you talking to other guys. I’m a possessive bastard when it comes to you.”
She licked her lips and stared into his eyes.
“You’re mine. Say it.”
She breathed out heavily. “I’m yours.” And God, that was the truth.
Chapter 12
Constance stared at the graveyard that contained her past. Last night with Vengeance at the clubhouse had been a revelation. Deanna had been one of the nicest and yet strongest women she had ever met. Deanna had pulled her to one side and told her all about her life with Demon, how she’d been taken by the club because of a debt. The story of her love for Demon was kind of inspiring and cool.
Deanna’s life had been totally the opposite of her own, and she was envious of her. Amy, Joker’s old lady, had been just like Deanna, but her own person as well. There had been a darkness in her gaze that only lifted when Joker came. All of the Soldiers’ women were strong in their own way. Deanna had told her that they didn’t have a choice. It was either be strong, or die.
The Soldiers of Wrath had a lot of enemies, and becoming part of Vengeance’s life wouldn’t come without its own set of problems.
She had watched him with his club, with his brothers. Of course she had loved and hated how he reacted when he saw her talking to another man. He’d been so damn possessive, and she had loved the way he’d taken her back to his room, and they had spent the rest of the night there. Her body still ached from the memory of his body on hers, inside her, fucking her.
Vengeance was a man of action. He wasn’t the kind of man who sat back and did nothing, and she loved that about him. Gripping the gate, she stared at all of the gravestones. Her heart no longer felt dead when she looked inside that plot of emptiness. Her parents would hate Vengeance. They’d have begged her to end things. Brando would have put it down to her acting out. Resting her head against the gate leading into her past, she closed her eyes.
Her body ached in all the right delicious ways. Why did she have to be back here? Vengeance wouldn’t be back for a couple of days. He told her that he had some business with an associate of the Soldiers.
She had wanted to go with him but Deanna had told her no one went with the Soldiers during business trips. The Prospects were there to protect them, and that was it. She didn’t have a Prospect, at least she hadn’t seen one.
Next time she would ask Vengeance about that.
“You’re back,” Craig said, making her jump.
She gasped and placed her hand on her chest. “Craig, you scared me.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
Turning toward him, she recalled the strange feelings he’d filled her with the last time she saw him. “It’s okay. Are you wanting to go inside? It’s not open yet, but for you I’ll open early,” Craig said.
“I’m good.”
Craig smiled at her after she spoke.
This was the strangest thing in the world, besides the other week when he came to her work. She smiled even though it felt forced.
“I’m doing great, Craig. How about you?”
“Yeah, I’m doing great.” He reached past her to open up the gate. “Are you coming inside?”
Not wanting to be rude, she nodded and entered the graveyard. For the first time since visiting, she felt a sudden chill at being alone. “I’m going to go and see my parents.”
She didn’t wait around to hear anymore from him. Moving toward her parents and ex-fiancé, she stared at the stones. Rubbing her arms once again, her body ached in all the right ways. She didn’t know if her parents would have liked Vengeance. Brando wouldn’t have. Her ex would have seen him as too much of a criminal. She liked to think that her parents would have been happy because she was.
Glancing up, she saw that Craig was still watching her. The way his gaze seemed to follow her really unnerved her. She smiled in his direction and then looked down at the stones of her past. She couldn’t keep this up, couldn’t let her life revolve around what had happened. Her life was not about what she had or didn’t have.
Vengeance was the life she wanted and what Deanna had told her about. That was the kind of life she wanted more than anything. If he would have her for more than just sex, she would have him.
“You’re not completely pussy-whipped then?” Joker asked.
“You mean like you? You’ve checked your cell phone thousands of times. Why don’t you just call Amy?” Vengeance asked, smirking as Joker looked down at his cell phone once again.
“He did,” Weasel said. “The moment we stopped, he was tap tapping away.”
They had made a stop at a diner and were all enjoying burgers and chili fries. The food wasn’t the best but it was better than nothing, and after a few hours of riding, he was fucking starving.
Vengeance laughed as Joker rolled his eyes.
“I’m pussy-whipped, okay? Get your own damn woman, and we’ll see how you will feel.”
“I’d say Vengeance has his own woman, but he’s pretending he doesn’t,” Weasel said.
“Deanna loved Constance,” Demon said. “She’s hoping she’ll be around the clubhouse more.”
“That’s what I’m hoping. I’m going to ask her when we get back if she’d like to be my old lady.”
“That’s fast,” Weasel said.
“I know
what I feel, and she’s a good woman.” He took a bite of his burger and moaned. Even shit food could hit the right spot.
“She’s the right woman then?” Steel asked.
“Yep, and you should appreciate the lengths I’ll go to for my woman,” Vengeance said.
“You know, throwing a spanner in the works and all that, a few fucks don’t make a good woman,” Weasel said.
Silence rang through the diner, and Vengeance continued to chew his food at the same time he looked at Weasel, his friend.
“You really want to go fucking there?” he asked once he’d finished swallowing.
“I’m just saying. You’ve brought her around the club once. I know you like her and all, but this life isn’t just about being on the road, and fucking your way through random sluts until you find an old lady. She’s different, darker. You met her in a damn cemetery, but that doesn’t mean she’s old lady material.”
“Weasel, you’re crossing the fucking line,” Demon spoke up.
“Am I? Really? I’m not saying anything bad about your old ladies. Not got a problem with them. What I’m worried about is our club brother.” He looked at Vengeance. “You can hate me all you want. Your interest in her I get. She’s different. What I don’t get is after a few weeks, why you want to suddenly bring her into the club life. You’ve got to give it some time.”
When he saw his club brothers felt the same, Vengeance lost all appetite. “I’ll be outside.”
He didn’t linger. Going to his bike, he leaned against it and stared up at the sky. There was a chill in the air, and he wondered what Constance was doing. She had texted him earlier to say she was heading out, and he hadn’t called her yet. He wanted to, but again, he didn’t want to worry if she wasn’t at home.
“You okay?” Demon, his club Prez, asked.
“I’m… fine.” He spoke through gritted teeth. “You agree with that asshole?”
“Yeah, I do.”
He shook his head. “Not once did I stop any of you fuckers from picking your women, and now you’re going to be stopping me. Where is the fairness in that?”
“I didn’t say it was fair. I’ve got to ask you, do you really think she’s got what it takes to be an old lady, Vengeance? Not just you but the whole club has to rely on our women to know they would stand by us. How much do you know about her?”
“I know enough.”
“Do you know enough for her to lie to the fucking cops? Even Amy can do that, and she’s been fucked up in the head for a long time, and I know I can trust her.”
Vengeance gritted his teeth. He didn’t like that he couldn’t answer that. It was true; all of the old ladies would stand by their men without even blinking an eye. Constance, she had been dealt a raw hand, but that didn’t mean for a second she wouldn’t be willing to turn them over to the cops.
“Bring her ’round a lot more, Vengeance. Let the club get used to her, and then when you know for certain, make your move. Do not make a quick decision. You will live to regret it.”
With that, Demon left him alone to deal with his own thoughts.
Chapter 13
When Vengeance left the club, he’d meant to go to Constance, to take her out somewhere nice. Hell, they didn’t even need to go anywhere for him to enjoy her company. Just sitting in silence would be good enough for him, as long as she was with him.
He went over to his bike, got on it, and was smart enough to put his helmet on even though his mind was crazed. He had no doubts Constance was his and didn’t care what his brothers said. He’d make her his old lady, tell her what she meant to him, how serious it was, and that was what mattered.
But right now, he needed to think about how to go about that.
He put his helmet on because safety first and all that shit, kicked the stand up, and cranked the engine. He pulled away from the clubhouse and down the road.
Once on the back street he took the corners sharp, not sure where he was going, but not caring either.
He opened up the engine. The wind blew in his face, the darkness on this stretch of road intense. Clouds hid the moon, but he knew these roads like the back of his hand. As he went faster a rush started to fill him. Vengeance looked down and saw the asphalt moving swiftly beneath him.
He reached up, turned off his headlight, and grinned when the darkness really enveloped him. He was living on the edge, and loving very fucking minute of it.
Adrenaline moved through his veins at the power he felt.
He turned on his headlight again and drove the ten minutes it took to get where he really wanted to go. He finally reached her house and slowed down. He dismounted, and for a second just looked into the sky, and closed his eyes.
It was time to make things with Constance set in stone.
Constance had left the cemetery twenty minutes ago, come home, and was cleaning because she was too restless. After deciding she needed to move on, to not be the type of woman who was morbid and only focusing on the past, all she thought about was Vengeance.
The knock on the door stilled her. She glanced at the clock, saw it was far too late for her to have anyone over, and contemplated not answering it. She also thought about calling Vengeance.
What if it was Craig? After him showing up at the shop, and the weird feeling he gave her, Constance felt like things were not right.
“Constance, baby?” Vengeance’s voice came through and she felt her brows lower. Dropping the rag she was using to clean, she headed to the front door and looked through the peephole. Sure enough, it was Vengeance.
After unlocking the door and pulling it open, she stared at the man she realized she had fallen in love with. “Vengeance?” She said his name softly.
He was in her house, had the door shut, and pulled her into an embrace before she could think. He was kissing her senseless, and when he broke away she was gasping for air.
“Vengeance, what are you doing here?”
“I’ve wanted to tell you this a while ago, but I didn’t know when the right time was, or how you would react.”
“What’s going on?”
He took a step back and smoothed a hand over his hair. “I want you as mine. I fucking love you. I want you as my old lady, to show off, to let everyone know that if they fuck with you they deal with me.”
She was silent for a second, not sure what to say.
“Baby, tell me something, anything.”
She didn’t know what to say, but she knew what she felt. This was fast, sudden … but God, she loved him.
“I love you,” he said softly. “Be mine, just be mine.”
She couldn’t help but smile, feeling elation fill her. “I love you too, Vengeance, and I want that. God, I want that.”
“I fucking love you, baby.” He grabbed her around the waist and hauled her on top of him so she was straddling him. “You’re my old lady. Mine, and I’ll let the world know that.”
“Be with me, Vengeance. Make me feel alive.”
And he did just that.
One month later
One month had already passed since Vengeance came to her house and told her how he felt.
Maybe Constance should have felt weird being on an official date with Vengeance. But it felt right and good. He had taken her on a bike ride through the back roads of town, then dinner at a small bistro. And to top it off he’d taken her to see a chick flick.
At first glance Vengeance didn’t seem like the type of man to even care about pleasing his woman in the means of going on dates. But she’d noticed something different about him right from the beginning, and since they got to know each other she knew he was the one for her.
He was being honest with her in every way. Even if he hated the movie she’d picked out, he pulled her close while they sat and waited for it to come on. He made her feel loved and wanted, and she didn’t want that to end.
She wanted Vengeance in her life forever.
“You want to get some drinks?” he asked and pulled her close to him as they
left the theater and made their way toward his motorcycle.
“Sure, or we can go back to your place.” She grinned.
“Baby, don’t tempt me.”
She chuckled.
“Or we can see another chick flick where the guy doesn’t realize he fucked up at the end of the movie.”
She started laughing again.
He stopped and had her turned so she looked up at him. They stared into each other’s eyes. He cupped her cheeks, and for a second did nothing but stare at her. Constance’s heart beat harder and faster the longer she gazed into his dark eyes.
“What’s wrong?” she asked softly.
“I want you to know I’d never fuck up. I’d never put your happiness on the back-burner. You always come first. Always.”
Her heart stalled for a second.
Vengeance rested his forehead against hers, breathed out slowly, and she smelled the chocolate and popcorn he’d eaten in the theater. It was a sweet, yet intoxicating aroma.
It was strange that this man, who was rough around the edges, could have this soft side.
“I want that happily ever after life with you, baby.” He pulled back just slightly but kept his hands on her cheeks. “I love you.”
“If I didn’t want the hardened biker, the man who knows how to handle himself, I wouldn’t have stayed. I want you, only you. I love you.” She rose on her toes and kissed him on the lips softly. She kept her mouth on his and murmured, “You’re mine the same way I’m yours.” Constance felt the love for this man rise up in her. He wasn’t just the person she’d given herself to more thoroughly, deeply, than anyone else; he was the man that she couldn’t see living without.
“I know I’m not good enough for you.”
For a second she didn’t say anything. She couldn’t. “I love you for who you are. Never think you have to change for me. You opened my eyes, made me feel alive. You make me feel like I’m not alone in this world.”