No Mercy

by Tory Richards

  “Nah, if he wanted us gone he’d do it himself.”

  “Who knows what the bastard would do?”

  “We do business with him, but that don’t mean shit.”

  “Maybe Prez is right, time to cut ties with him.”

  “I got a kid to think about now, too.”

  “So we’re a bunch of pussies now?” That came from Painter again.

  I glanced at Hawk, wondering how long he was going to let this go on, realizing that he was letting the men have their say. He sat at the head of the table, a serious expression on his face, revealing a patience he wasn’t known for. It was just another change that had taken place in him since Audra had come into his life. I couldn’t fault her for that, she was good for him. She’d taken a monster and turned him human again. She’d saved Hawk from himself.

  “There’s a lot at stake here, brothers. We’re not going to take a vote today. I want you to think about your decision carefully, make sure you’re prepared for the consequences, because once we’re in, we’re in till the end. Questions?” Everyone remained quiet. “Meet back here the same time tomorrow morning.”

  Chairs scraped back. Murmurs between the men filtered back to where Hawk and I remained sitting. When the room was empty and the door had closed, a calm remained behind that spoke volumes. It was the kind of peace we’d craved during so many years of chaos, and savored now that it was ours. Tomorrow’s vote could change everything.

  “I get why you’re reluctant to take this job.”

  Hawk shrugged and leaned back in his chair. “Yeah. But I’ll stand behind my brothers if they decide they want to do it. Five million is a shit load of money to pass up. We’ll send our families to the safe house in Canada.”

  I stared at him for a moment, digesting what he’d just said. “Since when do we have a fucking safe house in Canada?”

  His expression gave nothing away. “Since I used club money to purchase one. A place big enough to house our families became available a few years ago in Canmore, so I purchased it under an alias. Thought it made sense to keep it quiet until it became absolutely necessary.”

  Some of the brothers shared club information with their old ladies. They weren’t supposed to, but it happened. We had a couple of safe houses the members knew about, and there was always the possibility that their existence and locations had been compromised over the years. Old ladies came and went, brothers talked in their sleep. Shit happened. A secret safe house that only Hawk was aware of? In my opinion it was a damned smart move. There was a reason he was the president.

  The fact that he’d made a major purchase using club money without taking a vote may piss some brothers off, but they’d get over it, especially if it turned out that we needed the place.

  I frowned. “Where the fuck is Canmore?”

  “Alberta.”

  “You going to mention the place to the brothers tomorrow?”

  “If I need to, otherwise it remains our little secret.”

  I thought about it for a second before nodding in agreement. I rarely questioned Hawk’s decisions. Most of the time we thought alot alike. Grinning, I got to my feet. “Come on, I feel like a drink.”

  Then I’d go home to my son and to a woman who didn’t know she was mine yet.

  Chapter 13

  Allie

  I puffed out a noisy breath and stood, surveying the end result of a day of hard work. The two bedrooms Rock had given Sam and me had been empty except for a bed and a chest of drawers in mine, and I’d decided to tackle Sam’s room first. Apart from the size and neutral color of the walls, it looked pretty darn close to the room he’d had back in Cedar Key. Looking around at all the pirate stuff we’d brought with us, I couldn’t help wondering when he’d outgrow it and move on to the next phase. He’d been into pirates for a couple of years now.

  Satisfied that there was nothing else for me to do, I moved on to my room. I could at least make up my bed for the night, and then I would get a shower and look around to see what I could make for dinner. Rock had left us as soon as he and the boys had unloaded the U-haul truck, saying that he’d order for a pizza to be delivered at lunch time, but I didn’t feel like eating it again for dinner. Besides, Sam had picked off all of the pepperoni and cheese on the remaining pieces.

  Smiling at that, I moved to the boxes against the wall and searched over the labels until I came to the one marked “bedding”. I resisted the urge to keep going once my bed was made. There was always tomorrow, but first on my agenda would be to get Sam enrolled into school. I wanted him back into his normal routine as soon as possible.

  After grabbing some clean clothes I padded barefoot to the metal railing at the edge of the loft, and glanced down into the living room where Sam was watching TV.

  “You okay down there?”

  He glanced up at me with a big smile. Sam had started out helping me, but halfway through the day he’d grown bored and restless, getting in the way more than he was helping out. That was when I realized that it was time to send him downstairs to watch his shows. “Yep! I’m hungry though.”

  “Me, too,” I agreed. “Let me get a quick shower and I’ll come down and fix dinner, okay?” He just nodded and turned his attention back to the TV.

  I turned and headed toward the bathroom. Rock had a nice house, much nicer than I’d been expecting. It was a large home tucked deep into the Maine woods. The second story was designed like an open loft, yet it had separate bedrooms and bathrooms, and an industrial railing as the only thing keeping anyone from toppling down to the first floor. The downstairs had an open floor concept, combining the kitchen, huge living room and informal dining area all together. The only other room was a bathroom. It was an older home that had obviously been renovated.

  Everything was masculine, just like Rock. There were no frilly things to indicate a woman’s touch. The place was clean and orderly, which made me wonder if he had a housekeeper. I couldn’t imagine Rock dusting and vacuuming, or cleaning the bathrooms. It would certainly put a blemish on the macho, manly image that he had going on.

  When I’d known him all those years ago he’d lived at the clubhouse. Since then he must have made a lot of money to be able to afford a place like this. Nothing looked cheap. The kitchen had high-end stainless steel appliances and concrete counter tops. The furniture in the living room was leather, and faced the biggest TV I’d ever seen. I’d made a good home for Sam, but it was clear to see that I would have never been able to compete with what Rock could give him.

  I went to the bathroom, stripped down, and stepped into the glass enclosed shower. Seconds later I was shampooing my hair and lathering my body beneath the steady rainfall shower head. Next time I’d dig out my own toiletries, but for now the earthy scent of sandalwood would have to do. I had to admit that the fact that Rock didn’t have anything for a woman in his shower pleased me.

  I turned off the faucet and opened the glass door. Just as I was reaching for a towel the bathroom door opened. I sucked in my breath and spun around to see Rock standing there, looking big and dangerous. There was a smile on his rugged face, and a look in his eyes that I didn’t like, especially since his smoldering gaze was moving over me. I brought the towel up in front of me too late.

  “Don’t you believe in knocking?” I asked, aware that my heart had started to race. My hair was a dripping mess and I pushed it out of my face. “What if I’d been, ah, using the toilet?”

  He only laughed. “I heard the shower running. I don’t knock in my own home, and don’t think locking a door will keep me out, either.”

  I pressed my lips. “You forced me to come here, the least you can do is give me some space and honor my requests.”

  His expression turned stormy, and he stepped further into the room. “First, I didn’t force you to come here, babe. All I wanted was my son.” His comment shouldn’t have hurt, but it did. “Second, your requests are fucking rules, and I don’t follow rules, I make them. I gave you a room, if you want space the
n stay the hell in there.”

  My jaw dropped, and then anger followed. I wasn’t a child, and Rock had no right speaking to me like I was one. If I hadn’t been standing there completely naked and dripping I would have flown at him. I was shaking with indignation. I wanted to hurt him the way his comment about only wanting Sam to be here had hurt me, but before I could come up with an appropriate jab my mouth was getting me into the usual trouble.

  “You know what, Rock, fuck you! As soon as I can get my own place I’m moving out and taking Sam with me. We can arrange visitation like divorced parents do with children.” I should have insisted on that in the first place. “That way we don’t have to worry about giving each other space or respecting boundaries.”

  “The hell you will,” he snarled right back. “You wanted your own bedroom, I gave it to you. You don’t want to fuck, fine. But Sam stays right here, and if the only way to accomplish that is for you to live here too, than that’s the way it will be. Besides, I won’t be here that much. I stay at the club most of the time.”

  “Where there’s easy pussy?” God, why had I said that out loud? It made me sound jealous.

  “You can’t have it both ways, babe.” I wanted to slap the knowing smirk right off his face. “You don’t want to put out, I have to get it somewhere.”

  I snorted. “As if you’d remain faithful if I did.”

  Rock slammed the door behind him and stormed toward me. Before I knew it my back was against the cold tile wall and he was on top of me. “When we were together I was faithful, Allie.” My breath caught at the closeness of him, and the next thing I knew my hands were above my head and the towel had slipped to the floor. “You think I wouldn’t be again? Pussy is pussy.” He lowered his face closer to whisper the words, “You’re what made it different, babe. No one’s pussy hugs my dick like yours does. You’re the only woman who’s taken all of me and still demanded more.”

  I strained against his hold but couldn’t budge him. Our eyes blazed into each other, held captive by the emotions controlling us. I could smell the whisky on his warm breath as it mingled with mine. I stuck my tongue out to wet my bottom lip, realizing it wouldn’t take much for me to reach out and lick his. That thought sent a firestorm of need through me, and I watched as Rock’s gaze dropped to my mouth. If he kissed me I’d be lost.

  We both knew the power he wielded over me.

  What made me weak in the knees.

  I hated him for it.

  “Don’t,” I whispered as he closed in slowly.

  I saw the slightest twitch on his lips before he smashed his mouth against mine. Damn him! I wanted to fight him. Wildfire exploded inside me, threatening to consume me. His big, hard body crushed me against the unyielding wall, crushing my breasts and all but stealing my breath. His one hand easily held me captive above my head, while his other touched me all over. The roughness of his hand, the calluses, only stimulated my flesh into wanting so much more.

  I heard a moan and realized that it was mine. His answering groan vibrated through me, echoing off the tiled walls. His mouth was devouring mine, tasting and biting at my tongue and lips until they began to swell and tingle. I rocked my hips into his, feeling the hunger in his bowed cock. God, I wanted him inside me. Why was I so weak against him? Men had tried and failed over the years to get me to this level, and yet he did it so easily, without half trying, it seemed.

  Something must be wrong with me. It had to be my fault that I couldn’t resist him. I wanted to hate him, but that thought left my head the moment he touched me. As he ground his hard cock into my belly his hand squeezed and tortured my breasts until they were full and achy with need, my nipples painfully erect. I bit down on his bottom lip, but all he did was growl with approval and grind harder into me.

  Finally I turned my face from him. “Rock−” I was out of breath, my whole body flushed with heat and need. “Sam−”

  “Is watching his shows downstairs,” he rasped, putting his mouth against my neck. His hand smoothed down the side of my body, and then inched its way between us to my pussy. “I need to feel how hot and wet you are.”

  I clamped my teeth into my bottom lip to keep from crying out when his finger flicked up and down the seam of my folds. God, that felt good! His mouth closed over my flesh at the same time that he penetrated me, his finger running along my labia. I jerked violently when he flicked my clit and I could feel his smile against my neck. I didn’t care. I was beyond caring. I spread my legs to give him easier access.

  His finger entered me, going deep. I groaned loudly, moving my hips. Rock licked his way back to my lips, biting at them gently. All the while he ground his cock against me, keeping the fires burning.

  “That feel good, baby?” he rasped against my mouth. He added another finger, hooking them inside me, and scraping over my G-spot. My legs quivered weakly.

  I nodded. “Yes!”

  Rock continued to nip at my mouth, using his teeth and tongue. He sucked my bottom lip into his mouth, pulling back and letting it slip out with a pop. “Fuck, baby, I want to slip my dick inside you and pound you until you can’t walk.” His words sent a thrill down my spine. As violent as they sounded, I knew only pleasure would follow. Rock had always made sure of that. “I want to feel your tight pussy squeezing my dick and milking me dry.”

  Oh, God! I was going to climax. His filthy mouth had always managed to get to me. I closed my eyes, shamelessly chasing my orgasm, moving my hips as his fingers stroked me. I could hear my breathing over his, feel my heart pounding wildly, and just when I felt the rush climbing up the side toward the peak of no going back, Rock pulled his fingers from me and his hand away.

  My eyes flew open with disbelief. Even though his face was darkly flushed and there was no denying the arousal present, I wasn’t prepared for the smirk of satisfaction in his slightly amused eyes.

  “Too bad you took sex off the table, babe,” he said in a maddening tone that made me want to scream and lash out at him. “Good thing I remembered that before this went too far.” He released my wrists and stepped back. I was glued to the wall, breathing heavily and too stunned to speak. I watched him reach down and rub his hand over his hard-on. “Guess I’ll be seeing one of the club girls tonight.”

  Damn him, his words hurt. The thought of Rock with a club girl was like a knife to my heart. He’d gotten me all worked up for nothing, only to make a point by showing me that I still wanted him, and that my stupid demands about having my own bedroom and no sex between us was going to backfire on me. The prick! I did want him, but I wanted to take things slowly, unlike the first time around, when I’d practically forced him to take my virginity.

  Well, I wasn’t going to stoop to his level, I wasn’t going to show him how much he’d hurt me. He could do whatever he wanted. All I cared about was Sam and his happiness. I should have been happy that Rock had reminded me of my no sex rule, even if my body was telling me that I was a fool. As we stood there staring at one another it dawned on me that I was still naked. Lifting my head, I pushed away from the wall as if I didn’t have a care in the world.

  “Have a good time then.” I felt Rock’s eyes on me as I walked away. It wasn’t anything he hadn’t seen before, I reminded myself, as I fought to keep from grabbing a towel and wrapping it around me.

  I was proud of how calmly I reached for my sleep tee. I turned back his way as I slipped it over my head. The thin material caught on the tips of my wet breasts. Our eyes met before his gaze dropped to them. Heat infused me as I pulled the material down slowly until it covered my pussy and rested against the top of my thighs, and then I reached for my panties.

  Rock moved and I found myself frozen as he stopped in front of me, a crooked grin on his face. He took my panties from me and bent down. Neither of us spoke as I lifted first one foot and then the other. Inch by inch he tugged the silk up my legs, pausing when he reached the top of my thighs, close to my pussy.

  “Lift your shirt, babe.”

  I did so w
ithout question. His hot breath touched me where I wanted his tongue. I closed my eyes and fought for control. Before I could stop it my hand dropped to his shoulder for support. I wondered why he was taking so long, but when I chanced a glance down he was looking up at me.

  “Prettiest pussy I’ve ever seen,” he said in a deep tone. His nostrils flared, and then his tongue snaked out and he licked me right over my clit. I shuddered wildly with a moan that sounded overloud in the small bathroom. “Best tasting, too,” he added. He pulled up my panties and stood again.

  Without another word he spun on his heel and left the bathroom, leaving me in a state of dizzy arousal and confusion. When my heartbeat had returned to normal I took a deep breath, waited a couple of minutes, and left the bathroom.

  Screw Rock and his ability to make me want him with just a look.