by Debra Kayn
"My mouth?" Lilly said, interrupting their informal meeting.
Lilly walked the rest of the way into the room and joined the men at the table. The other men visibly flinched at her approach, their discomfort radiated off each one of them. Ink, despite his frustrations over the situation, sat back to admire her indignation. For the same reason she had all the other men minding their manners, he wanted to plop her over his lap and spank her ass just for being so damn beautiful and spirited.
It was for those reasons; he wasn't afraid to admit that his greatest fear was that some man would take advantage of her and hurt her in the process, and he wouldn't be able to protect her.
Ink met her gaze and softened his voice. "Now that you're working at the Sterling Building and running the Silver Girls, you need to be aware that other men won't back down from you and will see you as a challenge. They know you're different than the dancers, and all men enjoy the hunt. Last night, you'd gained a few admirers."
"Hunt?" She snorted. "You're all blowing this up into something bigger than it is. Men speak before they think. Every. Single. One. Of. You."
He glared. "The point is you're a chick."
"Nice of you to notice, Ink." She hitched her hip and planted her hand on the very curve that grabbed all men's attention. "Maybe you forget that I wear boots for a reason. There's a 9mm in the right boot that the sheriff kindly gave back to me last night. I also have a four-inch knife in my left boot, long enough to puncture a lung on the fattest man in town. I know how to use both."
Lee laughed, noticed the others stern looks thrown at him, and shut his amusement down. Ink refused to let her talk over him. For once, her dad wasn't around to have her back, his MC brothers would bend to her wishes, and he wanted her to know that there were precautions that needed to be in place if she wanted to continue running the Sterling Building.
"I want Big Dawg and Wyatt at the Sterling Building on Friday and Saturday night and the only thing they need to do is watch over Lilly. Remmy, Lee, and the others can keep the girls safe." Ink watched Lilly the whole time. "I don't think now that we're done worrying about Los Li that we should become too lax on the women's safety."
At the mention of Los Li, Lilly's shoulders relaxed. "I'm fine with that, although I'm sure nothing is going to happen. I understand the club's concern, considering our past with Los Li."
The skin between Ink's brows pinched together and he blinked to relieve the pressure. She agreed to his request too easily.
"Okay, if you two are done turning this pre-breakfast get together into foreplay, I'm past ready to eat." Lee stood from the table.
Everyone followed Lee, except Kurt. Ink, aware that Kurt had something to say, waited. Lilly remained where she was standing, not willing to give him time to handle this himself.
Kurt leaned forward and lowered his voice. "You two drive me fucking crazy."
Lilly bit down on her lips. Ink pulled his gaze away from Lilly and shrugged. Nothing was lost on Kurt. He'd known them too long and had come between them before to make sure Ink stayed within the rules of the club.
"I hear or see anything happening between you two...I swear I'll call Prez." Kurt stood and remained by the table. "Figure out what the hell is going on, so I can worry about more important things than if I have a club member on the verge of breaking the rules."
Kurt walked away, and Lilly sat down at the table and waited until the room was clear. Ink leaned forward, planted his elbows on the table, and clasped his hands to keep from touching her.
"See...everyone knows what is going on between us," she whispered.
"They know you want me, and there'd be something wrong with me if I didn't want in your panties." He winked. "Far as they know, I'm just panting after fresh pussy and you're still chasing a childhood crush on an older man."
"Asshole." She laughed.
"I'm your asshole, Ace." He glanced over his shoulder and checked the room before turning around again. "Kiss me fast."
She came out of the chair and leaned across the table. He stood, hooked her neck, and kissed her deep. The power of her warmth shook him clear to his knees. He pulled back and straightened.
"Get out of here and go eat with the others," he said. "Stay away from me for a couple hours, because nothing is going to stop me from having you."
She nodded quickly and hurried out of the room. He walked out the front door, no longer hungry for food. While the others ate, he'd ride into town, grab a coffee, and take more measurements at the Sterling Building. Maybe after he was done, he could put in his hours at the warehouse without fucking up and going after Lilly.
Chapter Fifteen
Lilly walked out the backdoor of the clubhouse, riding high because the Silver Girls had two great performances in a row and the customers obeyed all the rules. She rubbed her arms against the chill in the night air. The girls were entertaining the members inside, and Risa had come down and joined the fun. The only one missing was Ink who had excused himself after the show, so he could work in the warehouse.
She walked up the hill, stifling a yawn. It wasn't hard to convince everyone she was tired and heading to Kurt's house for the night. She tapped out a text to Ink.
U alone?
He replied, Yeah.
Jogging up the path, she no longer felt tired, but excited and anxious to see him. It seemed like forever since they'd had time alone without eyes watching their every move. The bikers seemed hyper alert lately, leaving them no chances to talk or touch.
The large metal door on the warehouse rolled on stubborn, creaky wheels and Ink filled the opening. She sped up and jumped into his arms. He caught her, holding her feet off the ground, and walked her back inside the safety of the building.
She thrust her hands into his hair and tilted his face, capturing his lips. He came at her just as hard, and she arched her back, letting him dominate the kiss. Every time they had a couple days away from each other, feelings intensified instead of diminished.
Her lips fell open on a moan and he plunged his tongue against hers. She wrapped her legs around him tighter. For how much she loved working with the girls, she'd give anything to have one day with Ink and feed the hunger building up inside of her.
His hands spanned her ass, pressing her against him. Her sex pulsed. All those days of going without him and finally having him combined into a wonderful euphoria of feelings lighting her body on fire.
He broke away from her mouth, trailing kisses down her neck. She stretched, giving him access to her chest. "God, yes."
He nosed the material of her Tee to the side, baring a shoulder and sucked the sensitive skin along her collarbone.
The pressure.
The possession.
His mark.
She held his head, afraid he'd leave too soon, and she'd have to walk up to the house by herself to a lonely bed. "Don't stop."
His tongue swiped her skin, softening the power of his claim, and he gazed up at her, drunk off the feelings she witnessed in his eyes.
"Every day gets longer, Ace," he said.
"Then don't pull away." She brushed his hair off his forehead. "Keep me."
"Rules," he muttered, closing his eyes.
She shook his head. "...are made to be broken."
"In your world." His gaze softened. "Not in mine."
She let her head fall back and sighed in disappointment. Men and their regulations were the sore spot in her life.
"We live in the same world, Ink."
"You were born into a position that's respected," he said. "I don't want to talk about what we can't change."
Ink slid her down his body until she was standing in front of him, gazing up into his eyes. She swallowed hard. Nothing about what they were doing was easy.
It wasn't easy when she was twelve years old, sixteen years old, eighteen years old. She was twenty-two years old, and spent a lifetime fighting for him. Just once, she wanted him to fight for her.
"Do you ever fear that someday I'll g
et tired of waiting for you?" She stepped back, putting distance between them.
"Will you?"
She glared. "Can't you answer without avoiding what I asked and throwing another question at me?"
"What do you think?"
"Whatever." She turned around and walked over to one of the stacked crates. "My whole life has been spent counting the seconds until I could catch you away from the other men and have you to myself."
"Do you regret the circumstances or the time you've wasted, Ace?"
She lifted her chin. "That's unfair."
"It's an honest question."
He'd never believe a lie, so she wasn't going to start now. And like all the other times, she wasn't willing to let him go because she gave up or became disillusioned by what they had together.
"No. Neither one of those." She shook her head. "I regret...nevermind."
"Talk to me."
She looked past him at the tools hanging on the wall. "I regret not having the knowledge and experience to get you to open up to me. You tell me to wait, and I will. But, I don't understand why and it makes me feel vulnerable. It hurts."
"That's where you're going to have to trust me." He exhaled loudly. "I swear, Ace. I'm working on it. I don't want you to hurt."
"Then make me stop hurting," she said.
"How?"
"Risa and Kurt are at the clubhouse." She turned around and leaned against the crate to face him. "We could go up to my bedroom at the house. If they come home sooner than I suspect, you can leave out the sliding door in my room and walk down the stairs of the deck. They'd never know you were with me."
"You got this all figured out, huh?"
She nodded, not backing down. "Yes."
His mouth softened, and he shook his head. "I won't disrespect my president in his own house."
"You've had me in your bedroom in the clubhouse," she stated, arguing his theory.
"I've had lots of girls in my bedroom, Ace. It's different."
She closed her eyes an extra beat. She understood why he'd seek out other women, and she believed him when he told her what they had together was different. She could feel the difference. Taste it even. It still hurt.
Until she'd moved to Federal, they never planned to be sexually active. The few times that caught them by surprise were a gift, but she never believed they'd continue because the timing was wrong. She overlooked his need for the bitches, because he was a Bantorus member and single. Since coming here, she only had a couple times where she suspected he had sex with the others, but he never allowed her to question him. Mostly, she tried not to think about it at all.
On the other hand, she had only him to draw her experience from and he had nothing to worry about from her side. Sure, she'd had dates in high school with other boys, attended parties and skanked with guys who tried to get her to have sex with them. All those boys paled to Ink, and it never amounted to having sex.
She'd always saved her firsts for him. Her first kiss, first sex, first love.
He was older, mature, bad for her, good for her, and she only wanted him more with each passing day. Her desire and commitment toward him came from the attention he gave her. She was the only one receiving all of him. It'd taken years to get him to open up and rely on her.
While he only gave her bits and pieces of his past, over time, he'd given her his time and that was precious to her.
"Some information you could keep to yourself." She wrinkled her nose. "I didn't need the bitches thrown in my face."
"Just keeping it real." He braced his hands on the workbench. "Not meaning to hurt you, but I do have a past that has nothing to do with you or how I feel about you, Ace. I've wanted you for years, and to me, the other shit was a way to prove to you that you could do better than me."
"I don't have a past." She swallowed. "Except with you. I've never given you reason to doubt how much I love you."
"I know," he said. "I've hurt you, and I'm still hurting you. Ace, I asked you to hang in a little bit longer. Can you do that for me?"
She exhaled loudly, unable to stop her irritation from showing. "Okay."
She looked around the warehouse, and instead of going to him, taking the few minutes they had, she pushed off the bench and walked to the door.
Her life was beginning. She could be patient. That didn't mean she liked waiting for him.
Before she walked out, she stopped and said, "I love you."
His gaze softened. His lips moved, and she barely caught the 'come here' that whispered off his lips. She walked back to him and into his embrace. His thick arms circled her, holding her securely and tenderly against him. While most of the time, when they found time together, passion ruled. Fast, hard, and insane, they went at each other as if time was running out. But the times when he only held her close, letting her accept what was happening to her in her own time, were the special moments in her life.
One time, he'd hugged her when she'd tripped coming out of her dad's bar. Instead of handing her off to one of the Bantorus women to have her bloody knees doctored, he'd picked her up and held her, ignoring the blood that had stained his clothes or the tears that wet his shoulder. He'd comforted her until her crying stopped, and then he'd set her on the desk in her dad's office while he bandaged each leg, using the Hello Kitty Band-Aids her dad kept in his desk for her.
Maybe that was the first sign that she was meant to be with him, because at twelve years old, she retold Ink the story of how her mom and dad had met, on the same desk she sat atop, while he made her feel better.
That wasn't the only time Ink had comforted her. When she was sixteen years old, he'd picked her up after prom when her date was too drunk to drive. He'd kept what happened to himself, so her dad wouldn't go kill Dirk Brady. On the way home, Ink held her hand, squeezing her fingers when she started feeling sorry for herself. She still remembered the lecture he gave her about how much better she was than the stupid boys in high school. She'd believed him.
From then on, she held on to the idea that family came first, only one man deserved her, and she was worth more to the right man. So, she'd set her sight on Ink.
"You're right. I have time to wait for you." She gazed up at him. Maybe she was growing up, because for the first time, she wasn't going to settle for being pushed away. "I'm busy with the Silver Girls and besides, you and me...we've fallen into a comfortable routine and Kurt hasn't been riding your ass about paying too much attention to me—probably because you've been working so many hours, but whatever. Things are good. I'll take this and you, whenever I can. If that means a kiss or hug instead of having you completely, I'll deal with it."
His head came back and he frowned. She rose to her tiptoes, kissed him, stepped back and shrugged. "Besides, after I catch up on laundry tomorrow, run a few errands, I'll have some free space in my day to do a few things I've been putting off. I'll probably try and get ahold of Cam and take him up on his offer to visit his house."
She had almost backed up to the door when Ink caught up with her in three steps. His hands went around her upper arms and he pulled her up, closer to the mouth that'd hardened and came bearing down on her.
She took the crushing kiss, thrilled to get a rise out of him. She could give every reason why she could afford to wait for Ink to decide to talk with her dad, but the simple fact was she hated every second. She curled her fingers in his hair, tugged him back.
"I should go before someone comes," she whispered, totally lying.
She didn't care if a Bantorus member walked in or if Kurt caught them. The possessive shake in Ink's arms over her idea to visit Cam meant more.
The assurance he could never give in words, came in the way he held her. Nothing and nobody would take her away from him. He'd fight for her.
He pressed his hardness against her. "My cock is the only one you need."
Her body tingled with need, and she moistened her lips as her sex quivered. One of his hands cupped her ass, dragging her up against his body. The other
hand claimed her neck, holding her in place.
"You belong to me." He growled, holding her possessively.
"I do." She dipped her chin, placing her mouth on the spot she knew drove him wild.
She softened her tongue and swiped the skin, sucked on the flesh that grew hot under her lips. His sculpted chest muscles twitched in arousal.
"You're mine. I'm not going to let anyone come between us, whether you're wearing my stamp or not, Ace," he said, his voice raw and husky. "Do not go to someone else, when I can give you everything you need. You own my heart...don't break it by doing something because you're pissed off at me."
She murmured against his skin in agreement, and sank her teeth into his skin. He hissed, pulling back. Her stomach vibrated at the heated arousal pouring off him.
One minute she was standing and the next, he had her on top of the bench laying down, her skirt shoved up, and his head between her legs. With a swipe of his finger, he'd pulled her panties out of the way and latched on to her sensitive and swollen clit with his mouth. Her upper body rose off the table. An intense wave of pleasure flowed throughout her stomach. He planted his hand in the center of her stomach to hold her down.
Under his mercy, she moaned loudly.
He answered, moaning against her wet sex. Her pussy vibrated and her thighs squeezed his head in response and then reopened when his tongue swept the length of her slit. She dug the heels of her boots into the worktable. She needed his hands, his mouth, his cock.
"Ink," she said, clenching her teeth. "More."
He pulled back and the clink of his buckle hitting the chain on his belt filled the warehouse. She shivered at the loss of heat coming from him. Lifting her head, she watched him roll a condom onto his cock and groan.
"Please," she whispered.
He moved forward. "Scoot back, Ace."
She moved a foot farther up on the table. The cool surface hit her bare ass. She sucked in her breath.