by Kay Maree
“Who hurt you? Tell me his name and I’ll make sure he never gets near you again.”
Her face paled as her eyes went wide. She held herself stiff for a moment, twisting her fists against my chest, then she seemed to deflate before me, tears filling her eyes.
“It’s not your concern—”
I cut her off by slamming my palms against the wall on either side of her shoulders, ignoring the way the rough brick cut into my skin.
“Bullshit! You are my concern, Veronica. I will keep you protected, but it’ll be fucking hard if my hands are tied behind my back. Tell me the information I need to make sure you stay safe.”
“Blade, I’ve been living here for seven years and haven’t seen or heard from him. I’m safe here. You don’t need to do anything.”
So she had been hurt. Fuck it all. I wanted blood on her behalf. Rage and fury held me motionless as she shifted her hands, releasing my shirt then reaching up to cup my face like I’d done to her earlier. She stroked her fingers through my short beard for a few moments and I closed my eyes at the feel of her soft hands on me. My imagination took the sensation and ran with it, picturing how it would feel to be naked before her, with her hands exploring my bare flesh, wrapping around my cock and stroking me.
Her lips pressing a soft kiss to the corner of my mouth had my mind back in the moment, and I opened my eyes in time to see her brush a tear away before she ducked under my arm and strode away from me.
I watched her go, torn about whether to chase her or not. Fuck it. I jogged after her, reaching her as she unlocked her car and opened the door.
“Wait! Veronica, don’t leave like this. We need to talk about it.”
With a huff, she turned on me. “Talk about what, Blade? That someone hurt me? Yeah, he did. But it’s over and done with. I don’t want to revisit it.”
“Don’t make me go looking for information, little dove. I’ll do it because I need to know how to keep you safe, but I’d prefer you just tell me.”
I winced when fear, clear as day, crossed her features. “You wouldn’t dare! Do not go digging, Blade. You have no right. Leave my past the hell alone.” She shook her head. “Leave me the hell alone.”
“You don’t mean that. You wouldn’t have kissed me like you did if you really wanted me to leave you be. I’ll follow you home, then we can talk in private.”
I didn’t give her a choice, just turned from her and strode over to my new bike. The black and chrome 2002 Fat Boy had been well cared for and I knew it was destined to be mine when I’d seen it earlier. I was extra grateful I now had a bike when she took off out of the lot, clearly trying to leave me behind. Fuck, I hoped she didn’t call the cops on me for this, but I couldn’t leave her alone after what just happened. I’d brought shit up from her past and no matter what she said, she’d be thinking about it now. That was my fault and I wanted to be there to comfort her. I also wanted to get to the bottom of what had happened to her, so I could make it all better for her.
With the taste of her kiss still on my lips, I twisted the throttle and followed her down the road. I was not going to let my girl get away that easily.
Veronica
No, no, no. This wasn’t happening.
How the hell had I gone from flying so high to crashing so hard? I smacked my hands against my steering wheel as I glanced in the rear-view mirror to see a bike gaining on me. I knew I wouldn’t be able to outrun him. As he grew closer, I could see the firm set of his jaw. He wasn’t going to let this slide. I was going to have to tell him something. That, or call the cops on his ass. I shook my head. I wouldn’t do that. In a way, it was nice to have someone care. Hopefully it didn’t cost him what it had cost my parents.
I’m not sure how young I was when my uncle first started grooming me. I couldn’t remember a time when my uncle hadn’t taken an unhealthy interest in me. The older I got, the further he pushed his seduction with me. By the time my parents figured out he was doing things that he shouldn’t, I was in my early teens
They’d been devastated when I’d confessed how long he’d been doing things to me. But my uncle was the mayor, and not a clean and upstanding one. There was no way to make him pay through the legal system. So, my parents did what they could. They sent me away to boarding school.
I’d gotten six months of peace before my parents paid the price for taking me away from him. He killed them. Oh, sure, it was on the record as a tragic car accident where my dad lost control of their car and it went over a cliff. I never did believe that story. But none of that changed the fact in the aftermath of their deaths, my custody was handed over to the only remaining relative. My uncle. Who’d promptly pulled me from the boarding school and brought me home.
A full body shudder ran through me as I pulled up in front of my little house. The memories were crowding in on me, too many to force them all away. I didn’t want this. Any of it. I hadn’t wanted it back then, and I sure as fuck didn’t want to relive it now. I sure as hell didn’t want Blade to run off after my uncle and get himself hurt, or killed. When the loud rumble of his bike cut off, the air was unnaturally quiet. But I couldn’t move. Couldn’t peel my fingers away from the steering wheel to hit the garage door opener so I could put my car away. When my door opened, letting the cool outside air wash over me, I jerked against the seat but still I couldn’t release my tight grip.
“Fuck, ba— Veronica.”
He remembered I didn’t like being called baby. Couldn’t stand it. I was grateful he’d listened when I’d mentioned it the other day. Without moving, I watched as he turned the engine off and pulled the keys from the ignition, then gently pried my hands from the wheel, using his grip on them to pull me up and out of the car. Once standing, he wrapped his uninjured arm around my waist, pulling me in tightly against him as he closed my door and locked it. I normally put it in the garage but I’d worry about that later. I nuzzled my nose in against his chest, inhaling his scent. My head felt strange, like I couldn’t quite grab the thoughts that were passing me by. But at least the memories were starting to fade away, for the moment.
“C’mon, my little dove.”
He scooped my trembling body up in his arms and I had the brief worry he was hurting his burns by carrying me, but before I could voice anything, the thought floated away. I kept my face pressed against him as he started moving. The next thing I knew, I was sitting in his lap on my couch, his touch gentle on my face and hair. He’d pulled my throw blanket over me and I was cozy and warm, curled up against his strong chest.
The comparison to how my uncle would hold me had me tensing for a moment, but before I completely lost my damn mind, I focused on the differences. Blade’s hands were nowhere near the junction of my thighs or my boobs. He was stroking my hair and cheek gently. He hadn’t removed any of my clothes, he’d only taken off my shoes before he’d pulled a blanket over me.
Blade was not my uncle.
He was not there to hurt me. Hopefully.
Taking a deep breath, I spread my fingers out over his chest, but I wanted more contact. Needed to be closer. Carefully, I slipped three buttons through their holes then slid my hand inside, my palm sliding over the smooth, warm skin of his pectoral muscle. Pressing it flat, I sighed at the feel of his heart thumping against my palm.
“You back with me, Veronica?”
“Hmm. How long was I out?”
“Not sure. Ten minutes or so. Scared the hell outta me, sweetheart. I was getting ready to call Keys to get Donna over here. That happen often?”
“I’m not even sure what that was…”
He reached under the blanket and flicked open the rest of his buttons. I lifted myself up for a moment as he leaned forward and shrugged out of it. “This okay?”
“Yeah, more than okay.”
I snuggled back against him, loving how his warm skin felt against my cheek. How would it feel to be completely naked with him? I mentally shook my head. Nope, I wasn’t going to pu
sh this there. Baby steps, I needed to take this thing in tiny, little, baby steps so I didn’t freak out again.
“Good. I like having you in my arms, pressed against me. Close your eyes and get some rest, little dove. I’ve got you covered. Just forget about whatever the fuck I triggered. You’re safe with me.”
On some level I knew I was being stupidly naive for believing this man, but I was so damn tired and it felt so nice to be held by him. Felt good to have his muscular body surrounding mine, caging me in with a sensation of safety rather than danger. With a deep sigh, I once more nuzzled in against him and closed my eyes, letting myself go.
CHAPTER FIVE
Blade
What a fucking week.
After a long, sleepless night on Veronica’s couch holding her while she slept like the dead against my bare chest, I’d hauled my ass back to the clubhouse to discover Bash’s—one of the prospects—mother had passed away. Man was understandably a mess and everyone was focused on getting him through the week. I didn’t know him well enough to know what was going on in his head, but with how withdrawn he’d been, it didn’t surprise me when, on Thursday night, it was announced that in the morning he was going to head up north for a while, maybe for good. Seemed like the guy had been well-liked and the mood around the clubhouse had been a somber one all fucking week.
I’d spent a couple nights over with Veronica during the week, although we still hadn’t had sex yet. She hadn’t confided any more details about her past with me, and Keys had been busy with all the Bash turmoil to spend too much time digging into her history. However, she’d agreed to come to the club barbecue that was going to start soon and spend the night here with me, so I hoped that was a sign she was ready to take the next step.
I couldn’t believe I was willingly taking my time with a woman. Never in my life had I needed to work to get laid. Although, I’d never cared as much about any of the other women I’d previously fucked as I did about Veronica. I couldn’t wait for her to trust me enough to tell me her history. It tore me up inside that I didn’t know how safe she was, because I had no clue who was out there looking for her hard enough she’d had to change her name and run.
“Hey, Blade! Got a minute?”
I turned to see Mac and Scout coming my way. I relaxed when I saw Mac was sporting a grin the size of Texas. Seemed like finally something good had happened for the club.
“Sure, man. What can I do for you?”
“Just got outta church. Some votes were taken.” He tapped his chest, over a new patch that hadn’t been there before that read Vice President.
I reached to shake his hand and clap him on the shoulder. “Whoa! That’s great, man. Congratulations.”
“Thanks, but that wasn’t the only thing we voted on.”
Scout spoke up. “Club voted to give you the chance to prospect in, if you want it.”
That caught me off guard. “What exactly does that mean? Because I’ve seen some of the shit jobs you make prospects do around here and to be honest, I’m likely to throw a punch if I get asked to do some of that shit.”
Scout laughed while Mac paled slightly. “Bit like when Mac and his boys prospected in, we’ll make use of your skills. Which would be wasted on half the shit we get prospects to do. You’re also limited on heavy lifting until that arm heals up. You’ll be doing a lot of security work, guarding either businesses or the women. Shit like that. You also need to pick a business you wanna work in, but you don’t need to do that right now.”
I gave the man a nod. I could live with that.
“How long till I get to call myself a brother?”
For some reason, that made the man wince. “Ah, normally it takes around a year. We’ve been slack lately, but with Mac as VP, I got a feeling that won’t be an issue going forward.”
“Damn straight. Do what you’re asked, keep your nose clean and in a year’s time, you’ll be wearing all your patches.”
I rubbed my hand over my beard for a few seconds before I gave them another nod. “Okay, I’m in.”
The holler Mac let out was loud enough it echoed around the hallway and had Scout and me chuckling.
“Come with me to my office and we’ll get your cut.”
I’d picked up soon after arriving that they called their leather vests their cut, or colors. I couldn’t help the buzz of excitement that flowed through me as I followed Scout and Mac to Scout’s office.
An hour later I stood out the front of the clubhouse, sporting my new leather vest waiting on Veronica. Scout told me I could start my duties tomorrow, but today I could celebrate joining the fold, which sounded like a damn fine idea to me. I couldn’t wait to get Veronica up in my room to help me celebrate.
Her little blue hatchback pulled in and by the time she parked it next to the other vehicles, I was over at her door. Impatient to see her, I opened it up and held my hand out to her. She took it and I pulled her up out of her seat and into my arms. Before she could utter a word, I had my lips on hers, kissing her until we were both breathless.
A few whistles had me pulling away.
“Ah, wow. Um, hi?”
Her cheeks were flushed with color and I grinned down at her.
“Hey, my little dove.”
She stroked her palms over the leather I was now wearing. “So, this is new…”
“Yep, I’m officially a prospect in the Charon MC now.”
“I have no idea what that means, but you look happy, so I take it that’s a good thing.”
“Well, it means I’m staying here in Bridgewater for good. I’ll need to head back to L.A. soon to pack up all my shit and get things finalized, but I’ll be coming back here to live.”
Before she could respond, a high pitched squeal filled the air and we both turned to see what was going on. Mac had just spun his old lady around in a circle while she held their daughter.
“Guess Cleo liked that.”
“Guess so.”
As we watched, Mac grabbed Sparrow and gave her a spin too. Even from across the yard I could see the way her face went red, but she was grinning, so all was well.
“Wonder why he’s so excited?”
“That’s Mac, my buddy. He just got voted in as the vice president of the club. It’s a good day. Gonna be one hell of a party. You’re still good to stay the night, yeah?”
I couldn’t believe I was actually nervous she’d changed her mind.
“Ah, yeah, I brought a bag. Change of clothes and stuff.”
Releasing her, I reached past her into the car and grabbed the bag, then shifting her out the way, I shut the door. “Let’s get your shit up to my room, then we’ll head out the back. Make the most of having me the whole time, little dove. Next time I’ll be on duty and have jobs to do before I can relax with you.”
Poor woman looked more than a little stunned as I took her hand and brought her into the clubhouse. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. The main room was just a bunch of tables and chairs with a few couches against the walls. There was also a bar along one wall near where the stairs went up to the upper levels. That’s where I took her, up to the second level, where the bedrooms were. She didn’t say a word as we made our way down the hallway. No one else was up here at this point, everyone was either out the back or in the main room, relaxing. Suited me just fine. Meant I got to my room quickly and once we passed through the door, I tossed her bag on the chair near the bathroom entrance then had her up against the wall, my body pressed against hers.
“Fuck, I missed you.”
I nuzzled my face in against her throat, getting a giggle then a groan out of her. I stroked my hands down her body then back up, catching her shirt on my way, lifting it up and over her head before she knew what I was doing. The blue lacy bra had my dick kicking in my jeans and my mouth salivating for a taste.
“I’m getting the idea blue is your favorite color.”
“I have no idea where you’d get that idea from.
”
I traced a fingertip lightly over the edge of the lace, loving the way goosebumps rose in the wake of my touch. When she shuddered and wrapped her hand around my wrist, I stopped moving and shifted my gaze to her eyes. The moment her eyes locked with mine, her body relaxed.
“We’re good, sweetheart. Just me and you here, gettin’ to know each other. Say the word and we’ll stop, but damn, I’d really like to continue just for a few more minutes. We don’t have long before we need to be downstairs in the yard for the start of the celebrations.”
She cleared her throat. “I think if I can see your eyes, I’ll be fine for a little more.”
I grinned then leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her mouth. “Easily done, my little dove. You keep looking at my eyes, even when I can’t resist your body any longer and have to look down, you keep your gaze on mine and we’ll see how far we can go.”
She nodded and pulled her lower lip between her teeth. I shifted my hands up to push the straps from her shoulders before I slid them behind her back. Kissing her, I flicked open her bra before pulling back. She didn’t stop the material from falling from her body and my breath caught. Even looking at her eyes, I could see her gorgeous tits in my peripheral as I filled my palms with the soft mounds. I wanted to look down and focus on them so badly, but I didn’t want to lose her to the demons in her mind.
Needing a taste, I lowered down to my knees in front of her, still not losing our connection. Then turning my head, I latched onto a nipple, flicking my tongue over the pebbled tip before sucking it deep in my mouth. With a gasp, her eyes went wide and she lifted her hand to thread her fingers through my hair. When I swirled my tongue around her nipple again, she tightened her grip in my hair. As I continued to tease her with my lips and tongue, I flicked the other nipple with my thumb, teasing both at the same time. After a few minutes I switched sides, drawing the sweetest little whimper from her when I gave the nipple I’d just released from my mouth a hard tweak between my thumb and finger.
She was so damn responsive, and her skin tasted as sweet as she smelled. Fuck, I wanted to get my mouth on her pussy something fierce. We didn’t have a whole heap of time right now, but fuck it, I needed a taste of her so badly I willingly took the risk that we’d be late to the party. Dropping my hands away, I switched my mouth back to the other nipple, keeping her panting for me as I lowered my hands to the fly on her pants. I got the button undone and the zipper down before she stiffened up.