Rafael moved to the large silver pail to pick up a beer and then sat down on a worn leather chair to get comfortable. This was going to be a good night. He could feel it deep down. Something had been brewing with him for a good while. He’d felt like this before but nothing as strong. That had to be the reason he felt so restless and edgy. If he believed in horoscopes, he would have thought something was in retrograde. One of the club girls was always trying to tell him his horoscope or read his tarot; but, he didn’t believe in that. Luck was something that you had or you didn’t. You played your best game with the cards you were given, and you didn’t whine or cry about the outcome.
He watched the curvy redhead circle back for the fourth time. She wasn’t beautiful in the traditional way. Looking at her as she moved closer, it was her hair that stood out the most; but, she also had a pleasant smile and a way of looking like she was laid back and taking it all in at the same time.
He stood when she got near his seat and reached out to take her hand. She stopped and looked at him, but he knew she couldn’t see much of his face. He was a large bear of a man he’d been told, but he saw no fear in her eyes because of his size. Looking down at her hand in his and seeing how small and soft it was, made him think about how nice it would be when he felt her stroke his cock. Damn. His mind had his cock in her hand before she could say hello. Not that he didn’t love sex, but just her hand in his had him with a semi-stiffy.
She didn’t look surprised, and he knew she wouldn’t be. He knew interest when he saw it, and he’d been drawing women to him like honeybees long before he was of legal age. He was into lots of things some good…most bad—but how he rewarded himself always included a ride in a nice wet pussy. She couldn’t see his face, but she studied his body so hard you’d have thought she had x-ray vison.
“Do I know you? I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before, but you feel familiar,” said the redhead with the light green eyes. There was intelligence in their depths, and he was glad for that because he couldn’t take being with a bubblehead today.
“I’m not sure about feeling familiar, and it’d be hard to say if you’ve seen me before since we’re all in masks, but I’ve seen you before.” Something about this woman made him want her to know who he was, but that was such a foolish thought. He thought someone might have spiked the beer. He glanced around—just to see if anyone was taking an interest in the two of them talking near the corner of the room.
She looked him up and down, like she was searching for clues to solve the mystery, and he waited until she had completed her perusal. There were a lot of thoughts swirling around her mind. He could almost see them, but he thought he’d just talk to her a bit and figure out how to handle it from there.
“I’ve watched you parade around me for the last half hour or so? Are you on the welcome committee?” Rafael knew this was even more dangerous than just walking in here, taking it all in, and then leaving, which had been his original plan. However, this woman had made that plan disappear. She was the new plan—and damned if that didn’t have him almost grinning under the too-warm mask.
She gave him a smile, and her wandering gaze settled on his face. “We like to be careful here.”
“Do I look dangerous to you?” He almost rolled his eyes at himself. What the fuck was he doing? Of course he looked dangerous—just like everyone else in the room. They were all dangerous, and if she didn’t know that, she was in the wrong place.
She didn’t answer with her mouth, but her eyes relayed the message that she thought he was very dangerous. Smart girl. Standing there, looking like she wanted to say more but not knowing where to start, he decided he would help the conversation along.
“Don’t you think someone with a little more muscle would be having this chat with me if I were seen as a problem?” He wanted to calm her down because if they really knew that the fox was in the henhouse there would be bloody trouble that he didn’t want to get into alone. Not to mention the beef his own club would have with him for causing unnecessary tension.
“My name’s Emma…and yours is…?” She waited, and he was a bit shocked she didn’t try to pull her hand away. In fact, she seemed perfectly content to stand there with him holding it.
“Rafe. Nice to meet you,” he said, as he continued the hold he had on her hand, but he added something. He rubbed the middle of her palm with his rough thumb with the greeting. Her hand felt almost fragile when he engulfed it in his large one. This was when he liked having so much experience with women. The slightly widening of her eyes and the quick, soft inhale of breath told him she was as interested as he thought she was. If there were educational degrees in the study of women, he would have a Masters and a Ph.D. would be in his future. She took a quick breath and a nervous look around the room, signaling that although she may have fallen into the situation with him—where he was slowly seducing her—she remembered where she was.
She pulled her hand back and looked around again, as if to see who had watched this seemingly innocent situation in the middle of all of the party guests. “Have you been here before?” she asked.
He shrugged noncommittally; he wasn’t going to give her any ammunition if she was building a case. There were a couple of Headless Reapers looking their way every once in a while, but he thought the draw was this girl more than any interest they had in him. “If you’d like to show me around, I wouldn’t mind a tour.”
She grabbed him another beer and handed it to him. The women didn’t wear masks—probably because the men wanted to look at their pretty faces as they picked and chose which one they wanted. He knew the drill, and if he was going to get something from the fire-haired girl, they were going to have to change their location.
“So, are you from around here?” She walked slightly in front of him, and the sway of her ass couldn’t help but entice him. He loved denim for himself, but she wore it better than most.
“I’m from everywhere, but I’ve been around here for a good while.” They walked outside and were standing on a large wooden porch. It was cool but not enough that he missed the jacket that he’d put in the saddle bag of his cycle. Still, he felt odd roaming around without it. “How long have you been with the Reapers?”
She looked at him as if she was trying to figure out how she wanted to play this. Was she going to give him a load of shit and say she loved everything or was she going to let the sadness in her eyes seep into the words she was going to give him? “A long time.” She chose the truth…good.
“Do you want to go for a ride and talk about it?”
“Talk about what?” she said with a laugh. “You want to talk about how long I’ve been a Headless Reaper girl?”
“We can talk about anything you’d like, but that seems like a pretty great place to start. For what it’s worth, you look like a woman who appreciates a nice ride?”
“It matters who’s giving it,” she said cockily. He liked a woman with a little spunk, and he chuckled despite the hot mask. He wondered how long it would take them to end the mask portion of this function because he could already see that some of the members were taking off their masks. He’d come, he’d seen, and he’d be better off if he left sometime soon.
“Let me grab a few thing and I’ll meet you out front,” she said, as she walked away.
CHAPTER TWO
He decided to walk around—just a little bit—before he left to satisfy his curiosity about the home base of the Reapers. He wouldn’t say he was casing the place, but he liked to know the layout of wherever he was …however infrequently he visited. The building looked like a warehouse from the outside, but it was decked out on the inside. It was basically a cinderblock fortress that would be hard to get into or out of, and it would take gunfire well. Pretty slick trick. Rafael loved things that could be used for more than one thing, and this combination of fortress, housing unit, and business was impressive. Not that he would ever share that information with them.
The party was a festive one, and there we
re wagers going and shit talking everywhere. He’d yet to find anyone who looked like they were going to ask any questions. He walked around and was out before anyone thought to question who he was.
He saw Emma standing at the bottom of the front steps, and she must have retrieved her purse because he didn’t see anything else that was different beside the small pink bag with the long strap that went across her chest.
She turned to look at him as he came down the stairs. “Are you going to take your mask off?”
“Eventually,” he answered, as she looked into his eyes as if she knew who he was. She went out to where he parked his motorcycle and turned, as if she wanted him to follow her. For some reason, he was filled with accomplishment, and he felt as if he had completed a grand heist. He almost turned around to see if anyone noticed but figured he would find out if someone approached them. Taking this woman out from under the noses of his most hated rivals was the sweetest shot of excitement, and it ran through him like a hot rush.
“Alright, but I’d like to see your face before we get on your bike,” she said, as she walked toward the road. She was still leading the way when he spun her around and eased her back against the wall, pulling her arms up and over her head. He jerked up his mask and looked down into her face, as the gasp of recognition filled his ears.
He waited a minute and thought of all the scenarios that could play out. He knew that she would recognize him when he took off his mask. As the vice president of the Mountain Tribesmen, he was vocal and easily identified. Had he been too reckless on this one? If she turned around and ran the short distance into the house, would he have to make fast time to his bike and hot wheel it out of there or would this be the day he met his maker?
The smile she gave him was like a permission slip, and she moved her body as if she wanted more contact with his. He was glad that she made this choice. He kissed her glossy lips, starting it out just how he liked it. He wanted to see if she’d keep up or want him to slow down; but, she was with him the whole way, as he delved into her mouth to taste her. He didn’t do soft and sweet. He was grabby and demanding, and he loved when his women sighed deep into his mouth, a clear indication that they liked pleasure. He enjoyed a woman who liked to get off, and Emma didn’t disappoint him on that score either.
A wildfire. That’s what she turned into when he kissed her. She pulled her hands out of the grasp he had on them, grabbed the back of his neck, and hopped up to wrap her legs around him. He could see that she wasn’t kidding about liking a good ride. If his cock was out and hard, she’d be like a jockey on the final stretch. That thought made him firmer and ready to get this sexual party started. Pushing his hard length into the notch of her jeans where the inseams thickened the material, his cock throbbed, wanting to go further than the jean material would allow. She was starting to make soft mewling sounds in the back of her throat, and he was beginning to believe he’d be able to get this redheaded woman to come for him right here. He wasn’t sure that was a good idea, but he didn’t like the alternative, which was to wait until they’d gotten to a better place.
She stopped abruptly, took that decision out of his hands, and whispered, “Not here. Let’s go somewhere else.”
“Whatever you want to do is fine with me.” That’s what he liked about club girls. They were down for whatever. However, he was sure this had more to do with her not wanting someone to see her with him in front of her club. She unlocked her legs from behind his back and slid down his body, but she didn’t look like she was in a hurry to leave. Staring up into his face with her breaths not quite even, he could tell she was gearing up to say something, but he had no clue as to what it was going to be.
“Rafael Neal,” she said with wonder in her voice. “I’ve always heard you had balls like steel alloy with a carbon chaser—but to walk into our club is one of the most brazen moves I’ve ever seen. I think I’m a bit impressed.”
He had to chuckle about that one. That they’d talked about him wasn’t a surprise, but that she remembered what they’d said and for him to find out was funny. Actually, it was downright hilarious.
“I’ve seen you before, you know,” she said, looking up at him almost shyly. That was almost laughable since she’d been flirting with him all night—not knowing who was behind the mask. Now that she knew, it seemed to calm her down a bit—and he wasn’t sure why.
“I know and you’ve eaten me up at each meeting. That bright red hair is your calling card, and you’ve been flipping it around all night, almost like you were baiting me. Each time I see you out on the town, I wonder why you don’t just flip sides to come get a taste—because it’s apparent how hungry you are for me.” He was just talking trash to her because he knew people didn’t leave one club for another. You barely left your club alive—well, usually. This wasn’t a bridge club or a reading club. Once you joined, it was typically for life. There were a few exceptions; but, for the most part, you either obtained your exit in a body bag or cut up and fed to fish. He understood the world they were a part of, but that didn’t stop him from looking at the woman who so clearly had been interested in more than a simple greeting.
She pushed him back gently and continued to walk to where she was going before he turned her to give her a kiss. It was clear that she was still going to go with him, but she was so silent. When they reached his bike, she looked back at the house in the distance, and he wondered what she was thinking. He’d let her decide what she was going to do; but, if she lifted her leg to get on his bike, it would be all over. She seemed to be torn, and he couldn’t blame her for trying to sort this thing out, especially since the heat from this kiss had cooled. He put the mask in the side compartment of his bike and then looked at his guest once more. It was time to shit or get off the pot, as one of the older brothers liked to say. Getting on his bike, he got out the extra helmet he kept hanging on the back of the bike.
“What’s it going to be, baby?” he asked, knowing she really wanted to come along with him but also knowing it was a hard decision.
She continued to gaze at the house, and he finally looked over to see if she was looking at or signaling to someone, but no one was there. The club was secure, and no one appeared to be looking for their misplaced redhead. She looked at him on the bike, and he swore he could see the moment she made her decision. Her sexy smile had a “fuck it” look to it—Rafe’s favorite kind of smile—and she hopped up behind him holding in a bear hug. The hug felt good, but it also felt a little anxious. Not that she wasn’t in a situation that would fill anyone with anxiety, but it didn’t feel like that was the problem.
“Don’t tell me you don’t like to ride?” he said, not believing a club girl wouldn’t love to ride a motorcycle.
“I’m not telling you that. It just takes a while for me to get adjusted to a new driver. Some drivers are very reckless, weaving this way and that for no reason. I usually ride with Max. He’s an older guy, so he doesn’t need to do tricks or go fast to be happy.”
“You’re telling me you like a nice Sunday drive?”
“Not really that slow, but I like a cautious driver who doesn’t like to do a lot of tricks and drive carelessly. I’m precious cargo, and I’d like to get where I’m going in one piece,” she said, as she sat behind him putting on her helmet.
“The ride on my bike is going to be a quick and easy ride, but when I take your body for a ride I can’t promise it will be either of those things.”
The tinkle of laughter in his ear reminded him to put on his decorated half-helmet before he revved up his ride. With all that she’d said before, he wasn’t sure how this part of the venture would go. Would she be one of those girls who didn’t want to participate with turns making it harder to get around corners? He didn’t have to worry for long because before they’d gotten too far he discovered that she knew how to ride a bike. She moved her body a bit, allowing him to make the curves and bends of the road. He could feel her warm body holding on to his, and his mind said he could feel t
he warmth of her pussy as she sat with him between her legs. All of that coupled with the wind in his face and sitting between the legs of one of his most favorite things made him hornier than ever. There was a low throb in his cock that seemed to ebb and flow while he was at the party—ebb when she walked away from him and throb when she was near. It was as if his body wanted her and knew when she was around.
“Where are you taking me?” she said, and he wondered if she was always this trusting. It wasn’t a trait he usually saw in this type of woman. The club environment tended to make people feel like everyone was against them, causing them to watch their backs at all times.
“I thought we’d go and do a little night shooting. There is a place a few miles from here.” That was an understatement since the ride was quite a ways off; but, he wanted to go somewhere without any people around. The shooting spot was empty, and most of the Tribesmen were occupied. Plus, club members had to sign up to get the keys to the place, and he knew that he had the only set.
The Don's Baby: A Bad Boy Romance Page 24