Not on my watch. Stella wasn’t getting hurt anymore. I failed someone I loved once, and it wasn’t happening again.
“Not happening. Okay, Mannix, I need you to get onto that Shifty arsehole down at that dance club. Rumour has it he is neck deep with a loan shark. Deck, go with him. I think Shifty will be more likely to speak the truth with you there.”
“With fucking pleasure,” Deck agreed readily. I knew he had unfinished business with the guy since I didn’t let him have too much of a go that night we got Teach out of there. Now, though, I didn’t give a fuck what he did.
We went over a few more pressing items concerning the financials of the gun shop and the construction company. Nothing too bad, just some last-minute supplies needed.
“Okay, that’s it. Jason, thanks for your help again. Steel, I want a perimeter search all night. Work up a roster, and put the prospects first. Darth, I need you to buy me one of those leg spreader things on that fucking Christian movie the girls watch.” Banging my hand down hard on the table, I finished the meeting.
“I don’t know what the fuck you are talking about,” Darth said with a growl at me. Shit, fuck me!
“Are you the treasurer and purchasing officer for the club and the businesses?”
“You fucking know I am.”
“Then purchase one for me. For Christ’s sakes, watch the movie, brother. Find out.” I left the room with a pissed-off look at Darth and everyone else laughing at him and me. That movie had a lot to answer for, goddamn it.
As I made my way to the main room, I had one goal. Get Stella, throw her over my shoulder, march into my room, toss her onto my bed, and then lay on top of her and make out like a couple of randy teenagers.
The whole room was deserted. All the women were gone. What the fuck? How long had I been in the war room? Where was my honey? I swallowed the panic that was threatening to take over because, recently, her absences had meant bad things for her.
I heard a noise coming from the kitchen. Of course! Smirking at my stupidity, I strode towards the door, pushed it open, and stilled at the vision in front of me. Oh, Lord. My dick jumped to attention.
Stella was on her back on the floor, her hips arched up in the air with her knees bent and legs slightly parted, and she was thrusting up and down. Over and over.
“Hold and squeeze, hold and squeeze.” She repeated the phrase every time her hips came up off the ground, and as entertaining and erotic as it looked, I had to find out what the fuck she was doing and why.
“Honey, you look absolutely fucking sexy as hell doing that, but what and why?” At the sound of my voice, Stella let out a scream loud enough to wake the dead, making me laugh so hard I nearly choked.
“Not funny, Booth. Seriously, I nearly wet myself.”
That made me laugh harder.
“Sorry, Honey, but what the fuck are you doing?” I asked again as I walked over to her. I reached down and grabbed her hand, then helped her to her feet. Her hand felt so tiny in mine, so fragile. How could anyone want to hit her let alone actually do it? I couldn’t believe what had been happening to her right under my nose.
As if she could hear what I was thinking, Stella hesitantly reached out her hand to touch my face, but she pulled back.
Fuck that. I grabbed her hand back, held it to my cheek, and placed it there, my hand on top of hers. Damn if that didn’t feel good. Her touch was like a balm. Calm and soothing. I closed my eyes and took a few seconds to enjoy this new closeness between us. Our long-overdue talk was going to happen. First, I was going to start with an apology, and then I would explain a few things to her, but this—Stella touching me—was a good start.
“Well?” I prompted, nodding my head to the floor where she had been doing fuck knew what.
Her blush was cute as fuck, and I knew I was in for a typical Stella story.
“Well, Rainn and Vegas once told us that men like their women tight, um, you know, down there,” she said in a rush, pointing to her pubic area hidden under her clothes. “So I was doing my pelvic floor exercises,” she finished with a half-hearted wave of her hand. Her face was flaming red by now. Oh, for fuck’s sake, Mannix and Darth were going to be told to get a handle on their women. First, fucking sex toy parties, and now this.
Taking a deep breath, I lowered myself to her level, and our noses nearly touched. When she breathed out a gasp, I could tell she liked having me so close to her. Well, ditto, honey. Right back at ya.
“Honey, have you given birth to ten kids lately?”
She shook her head back and forth,
“And you are a virgin, yes?”
Her head bobbed up and down, the prettiest pink blush staining her cheeks.
“Then, honey, you are fine. Even if you had given birth, I would still want in there, Stella. Badly.”
Her breath hitched in her throat, and her breasts heaved with effort. This woman was my future.
“What if I weren’t a virgin? Would you still want me?” she asked softly. Her question sent a spark of anger through me. I was a very possessive bastard. I could probably rival Deck in that department. The thought of another man’s hands on Stella, touching her, kissing her, making love to her … Fuck no.
Tilting her chin up so she had no choice but to look at me, I let out a growl. “Listen to me, Stella, because I am only saying this once.” I waited for her nod, then continued, “You are mine. Simple as that. You were always meant to be mine. Virgin or not. But no man will ever put his hands on you or touch this perfect body, ever. Ever. You can do those pelvic things as much as you want, I don’t give a fuck, but all of this”—I pointed to where she had been on the floor—“is not needed. You are perfect. Don’t let anyone give you insecurities when there shouldn’t be any.” I couldn’t say this simply enough. She was perfect to me, and that was all that mattered.
Her answering lit up her face. Her lip was still a bit split but not too badly, and her nose was nearly its normal size, but nothing deterred from her stunning beauty.
“Okay, baby,” she whispered. I noticed that she seemed to call me handsome when we were around other people and baby when we were alone.
“Why do you call me baby when it’s just the two of us?” I was a curious fucker and had a ‘need to know’ compulsion. It kept my men and me alive and had served me well over the years, so I made no apologies.
“You are the president of an MC, a bad-arse biker, the former commanding officer of an elite killing squad. Calling you baby in front of them doesn’t fit the image,” she said, a cheeky grin gracing her face.
Throwing my head back, I let out a laugh. Killing squad. Fuck, my girl was too funny.
“Fair enough, Honey. I can live with that. Now let’s go to bed. I’m fucking exhausted.” I turned to walk out of the kitchen but stopped when I noticed Stella wasn’t coming with me. “Honey?”
She was looking everywhere but at me. One thing I had learnt about Stella Hogan was that she had ‘tells.’ Quite a few, in fact, and when she wouldn’t make eye contact, it was her ‘I’m going to say something really fucking stupid’ tell.
“Umm, is it okay to have an advance on my next wages? I don’t want to go to a women’s shelter tonight, and I don’t have enough cash on me to pay for a motel room.”
I will not get pissed, I will not get pissed, I chanted over and over in my mind as I reined in my temper. If not for the shit she had been through, I might have yelled it instead of saying it to myself.
“Stella— Oh, fuck it.” Ducking my shoulder carefully into her belly, I hoisted her onto my shoulder, mindful of the fact she was still probably very sore.
“Booth, what on earth?” She giggled, and the sound was so amazing. She really looked on the brighter side of life. With everything that had happened to her and to the club, she was still giggling, still making sure I was okay. And apparently, she was worried she wasn’t tight enough for me, for fuck’s sake. I gave her luscious arse a soft tap, shushing her. This woman was about to do my head in.
Taking long, quick strides, I made it to my room in record time. I kicked the door closed behind me and didn’t stop until I hit the bed. Putting Stella down carefully on her feet, I reached behind my head and pulled off my shirt, tossing it to the floor. I made quick work of my jeans and boots while Stella watched me the whole time. Her teeth had pulled her bottom lip in, and her eyes smouldered as she took in my body as I revealed more. I was lucky that during my time in the military, apart from my PTSD, I never got any physical injuries, well, no bullet wounds or stabs, nothing that hadn’t healed and disappeared already. She reached for the hem of her shirt, but I put the brakes on that. I wanted to unwrap my gift myself.
“No, Stella. Let me do that,” I said, watching her carefully for any reaction that told me she didn’t want this. She was chewing on her bottom lip, which was another tell. This one meant she was nervous as fuck, but there was no need. Bruises or not, this woman was beautiful. Reaching out, I took the hem of her shirt and lifted slowly.
20
STELLA
I was going to be honest. I was nervous. I wasn’t sure what Booth had in store for us tonight, whether he was going to make love to me, spank me, tie me up, or throw me in a hole. Who knew, but it did seem he wanted to undress me himself. I took a steadying breath as I waited for him to take off my shirt. I knew we’d done this a few hours ago in this room, but Booth had left his jeans on and mine. I knew he probably had intentions of going further, judging by him standing in front of me in just his sexy, tight black boxers. Damn, he was a sculptured work of alpha biker art.
“Stell, calm down, Honey. It’s just you and me here. No other person, no ghosts. Just Stella and Booth,” he said softly at the same time he pulled up my shirt.
I lifted my arms for him, and the movement only hurt my ribs a little. They weren’t broken this time—Bradley had cracked two of my ribs the first time he ever kicked me.
“Honey, no ghosts,” Booth reminded me, pulling me out of my head.
How he knew what I was thinking was very disconcerting—handy but annoying. I nodded my head just a little, and he threw my shirt on the ground along with his. He then reached out, and his hands found the waistband of my jeans where he deftly dealt with my button and zipper, his eyes never leaving my face. Booth’s willpower was so much stronger than mine was. My eyes had taken in his muscular form so many times already. I felt like a bit of a leech as I continued to watch him as he peeled my jeans from my legs, dropping to his knees to pull the denim away from my feet.
I groaned as I felt wet kisses on my thighs and hips as he made his way back up to stand in front of me. He never took his eyes off mine the entire journey down and up, making me comfortable—not once did his gaze fall on my bruises and wounds. Tears stung the back of my eyes. How could this man be so sweet and then so hard? Standing before him in my red bra and panties, I should have felt exposed, and I’d thought I would, but I wasn’t. This was Booth, and our connection had been there from the first day we met. Though I had known Deck and Ford for years through school and through Zoe, my time knowing Booth had been limited. I had been around the club a few times when Zoe was alive, but it wasn’t until Ford got me the job that Booth and I embarked on our push and pull relationship.
“Very sexy lingerie, Honey,” Booth said, a growl releasing from his throat as he traced the straps of my bra with his fingers. Then he hooked his fingers underneath and slowly and sensually pulled them down until they slipped from my shoulders, the cups still covering my generous C-cup sized breasts. His head dropped, and instead of kissing my lips, his mouth connected with my neck, nipping and sucking at the skin there, and I let out a moan that was worthy of any brothel. His hands weren’t idle as the snap of my bra at the back was suddenly freed, and I felt my bra go slack. The only thing holding it up was his chest against mine. I leant back and allowed the garment to fall to my feet. Still, his eyes stayed on mine as his mouth hovered over my lips, breathing me. God, I loved that he had a name for that. It was our thing now, something I could do that could soothe him. The feeling of elation that it gave me—that Booth needed me, and I was so important to him—was powerful and overwhelming at the same time.
The cool air caused my nipples to harden straightaway, but Booth still wasn’t looking where I wanted him to. He hooked his fingers on either side of my panties and pushed them over my hips and bottom. One hand brushed lightly over my pubis, which I kept well maintained with a neat patch of hair there, not too much, but just enough. I didn’t like the completely bare look, it just wasn’t for me, but Charlotte preferred it, as did Mia.
My barely there red lace knickers fluttered down my legs and onto my feet, and with a small step from each foot, I was free of them. I was completely naked in front of Booth. All my insecurities should have been coming to the surface, but I was good, calm even.
“Are you going to take your boxers off?” I asked in a throaty whisper. I was trying not to let my gaze travel down his heavily muscled chest and drool, determined that if he had the control, then so did I. But damn, I wanted to look.
“That is up to you, Stella. If you want this to keep going, then take them off me. If you just want to lie together in bed and snuggle, then that’s what we will do. I can wait until you are ready for as long as you need. But know this”—he hunkered down so his eyes were level with mine—“if you take them off, we will be making love. And once I get inside you, Honey, I am not giving you back,” he promised. His words turned me on, and my core throbbed. I may be a virgin, but I was no stranger to the feeling.
With shaking hands, I worked my way down Booth’s body, taking my time as I felt each ab, each hard plane of rippled muscle, and his hot skin shivered under my touch. I knew he had tattoos, and I wanted to look at them, lick them even, but the staring thing we had going was so hot. I found myself not wanting to look away as his grey eyes scorched me. My hands slid under the waistband, and I deliberately dipped my fingers a bit too low and skimmed the crack of his arse. His control slipped, and the deep growl that left his lips went right between my legs.
“Oh, Honey, you are playing with fire,” he warned me.
As I quickly finished removing his underwear, my hands had a mind of their own and roamed over his fine, taut arse. His cheeks flexed under the scrutiny, and I suddenly had the urge to turn him around so I could get a look at the deliciousness of it. I had no other arses to go off, but I knew in my bones that Booth’s would be more than delicious. A flash caught my attention over Booth’s shoulder, and what I saw nearly had me moaning like a hooker.
“Honey? Look at me.”
Huh, wasn’t I already? My eyes were glued to the mirror attached to the back of the bedroom door, which had Booth’s arse showcased in the reflection. I wanted to sass at him that I was looking at him, but I didn’t want to ruin the perfection of the moment with humour or sass. This moment would be etched in my mind for the rest of my life. Shifting my eyes to him again, what I saw took my breath away. The longing and desire in his grey eyes had me nearly dropping to my knees and my pussy weeping.
“Birth control?
Uh, okay, that was an unexpected question. I was thinking more like ‘my mouth on your nipples?’ but okay, we could start with that.
“Yes, the IUD. My periods were so bad I had to go on birth control, but with Mum’s history of cancer, I wasn’t prepared to go on the pill, so I chose that one instead,” I explained, and he just nodded his head.
“I want in you bare, Honey. You okay with that? I am clean and get tested often for life insurance purposes. And I have never, ever forgotten to glove up.”
It didn’t take long to make my decision because trusting Booth had never been an issue. If he said something, it was golden. Trusting him with my heart? I still didn’t know about that, but I nodded my head, mirroring his response to me.
“Hold on, baby,” he whispered before sweeping down and kissing me senseless, so I held on. His arms were around me, pulling me so close to his chest tha
t I could feel his heartbeat. His hands were all over my back, in my hair, then sweeping down over my bare bum. God, he was consuming me. Soon, my lower body was squirming against his hard-as-steel shaft, making Booth growl and groan against my lips. I didn’t know what I was doing really, but my body seemed to understand its need.
“Booth.” I gasped, tearing my lips from his and taking in a deep gulp of air.
His mouth was busy tracing a wet line down my throat and over my collarbone before finally finding his way to my hard nipples. He ducked his head and took one nipple deep into his mouth, sucking hard, and the pulling sensation made me cry out in surprise and delight. Oh, God, that felt awesome. Holy cow! Pornhub could not have prepared me for the sensations that overwhelmed my body. While he sucked and lightly bit one nipple, he worried the other one with his fingers before giving the whole breast a squeeze. I certainly hoped he never stopped doing that. It was pure pleasure, and I was working on orgasming from that alone.
“Jesus, Stella, your tits are a work of fucking art, Honey.”
Oh, thank God for that. I had always thought my breasts were too big and the pinkish brown nipples too round. Ingrid’s breasts were barely there, so I just assumed Booth was a tiny titty kind of a guy.
“They’re not too big?” I asked, groaning as he changed sides and lavished the same attention on the other breast, sucking and nipping at one while fondling the other. Oh, God, I wondered if I could come from just this alone. Yes, I think I could. Moaning loudly, I let my head fall back on my neck and enjoyed everything he was doing to me.
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