Bound by Affliction

by Ryan Michele

  He turns his back to us, and Rhys pulls out a knife. Cooper looks over out of the corner of his eye and shakes his head. It’s a nice thought, that’s for sure. Rhys sheaves it back in his holder. A chuckle leaves me while he shrugs. This is Ravage.

  We enter the door. Smoke and darkness blanket the space. Men are all around the main area, all eyes coming our way. The air is a bit tight, but what does one expect when a room full of bikers come head to head. My blood is still rushing through my veins from the events earlier. While we’re all still amped up, we aren’t men to have full on problems with a club unless they want to fuck with what is ours; then yes, we have a problem. And it’s one we will deal with by whatever means necessary.

  A man with silver hair rises from his seat, his cut reading president. He makes his way to Cruz with a small limp that he tries to hide, but he does a piss poor job of it.

  “Cruz,” he says, holding out his hand, and my president takes it, shaking once and releasing.

  “Piney, seems we have a bit of a problem here.”

  “I take it the boys are dealt with,” he says, moving back to his chair and motioning for us to take seats as well. Looking around, every one of the men have cuts on their back. This is good. Outsiders need to stay outside, and all these men need to know what will happen to them if they fuck with the Ravage MC or my woman.

  Cruz sits in front of him, while I take a seat off to the side nodding at the man next to me. His cut says Splinter. I don’t even want to know where the hell he got that name from.

  “We handle our shit,” Cruz says, crossing his arms over his chest. “First Nick, Poe, and Len, and now these two fuckers. Your club got a problem with the Ravage MC?” Cruz challenges.

  Coughs come around the room from the Reds. I get it. Cruz is laying it out. Someone came into my club and laid it out, we’d have problems. But this isn’t about someone coming to our club. If they wouldn’t have attacked, we’d never be in this situation. Not a single doubt in my mind what Cruz would do to any one of us if we betrayed our brothers and brought this much attention to the club.

  “Look, Nick got himself into shit, and Len and Poe tagged along for the ride. Their business was with Sinister Sons, not Ravage MC.” He leans back in his chair, boasting his dominance of the room.

  Cruz does the same, except he doesn’t have to try. It’s quite comical actually.

  “Then it was with Ravage. Now your two came after a Ravage-protected woman. Are we gonna continue to have problems with the Devils’ or is this under the rug?” Cruz’s eyes penetrate Piney’s, who then looks to his men.

  “No one else is comin’ after Ravage. They do it’s without my authority, and we will take out our own.” His warning is clear and precise, not that I completely believe him, but it’s a start.

  Cruz shifts slightly in the chair, but it’s GT who talks. “We got problems stemming from Nick and his assholes; shit isn’t gonna be pretty. They got what they deserved and so did the two assholes today. We don’t put out warnings. We just do.”

  “I’ll handle my boys, you handle yours.” It’s a cutting remark, but both GT and Cruz smile sinisterly.

  Cruz turns to me and nods once. “See that man over there? That’s Leah’s man. You fuck with Leah, you fuck with him.” Eyes turn to me and I give nothing away in my appearance, but I do eye every single person in the room.

  “My boy, Cooper,” Cruz starts, twisting his neck to indicate his kid. “That’s Bristyl’s man. She’s no longer under Sinister Sons, she’s Ravage. You, any of you…”—it’s his turn to look amongst the crowd—“...fuck with them, you fuck with us. Bottom line—nothin’ gettin’ you out of that shit. Whatever your shit is with Sinister Sons, it doesn’t touch what’s Ravage’s under any fuckin’ circumstances.” He looks back to Piney. “We got a deal?”

  Looking around the room, some faces are angry, while others couldn't care less about what’s going on in front of them. One looks higher than a fucking kite with his eyes barely open. That guy does straighten just a bit when his president looks at him.

  “We don’t want no trouble. What’s done is done. We have no reason for retaliation, and we have no reason to have a beef with ya. I’ll take care of my boys.”

  Cruz knocks on the table twice and rises. “This is a good thing because we don’t just kill, we make shit hurt.”

  Piney holds his hand out, and Cruz shakes it. Slowly we rise, eyes in the back of our heads, and get the fuck out of there.

  Finally, it’s time to go home and see my woman.

  We pull up to the clubhouse at dusk. I feel her before I see her, which I love. The ride was calming and peaceful, but I wanted to get back to my woman. Leah’s sitting at the picnic table with Bristyl and Princess, a small smile directed my way. Parking my bike, I move over to my woman, her gaze never leaving mine like magnetism pulling us together.

  “Hey,” she says, arching her neck to me. Instead of talking, I pull her up off the bench and press my lips to hers. It takes her a moment, and I’m sure it’s because of the audience around us, but she needs to know; I don’t give a fuck who’s around, I’ll kiss her when I feel like it. I’ll hold her when she’s close. I’ll touch her when I feel like it. I’ll love her…

  “Come on,” I say, pulling her willing body with me through the clubhouse and to my room, kicking the door shut with my boot. Being away from her was more of a challenge than I thought.

  Leah’s eyes blaze with passion as she grabs my shirt and pulls me to her, this time kissing me with a ferocity that turns my dick to steel. Her tenacity takes me a moment to process because I’ve never had this side of her, but I love it. I unbuckle her pants, and she freezes for a moment. It’s only a second, but I feel it, and I’ll damn well work my ass off to make sure that she doesn’t have any of those hesitations with me anymore. Even the brief ones will be gone.

  As she relaxes, I pull her jeans down her legs and kiss up them. Her back is to the door of the room, and her hands are gripping my hair.

  “Green,” she pants. I continue kissing up her body, pulling her shirt as I go, then tearing it off as I take her lips once more.

  “You’re so damn beautiful, Leah.”

  She groans invitingly, and I don’t disappoint. Scooping her up, I set her on the bed as I remove everything from my body. As I lay down, I crook my finger. “Get those panties off and get up here and ride.”

  Her eyes dilate and her breathing is erratic. Slowly, she removes her bright pink underwear and unclasps her bra, letting her tits fall, and my mouth salivates. She breathes in a very deep breath, and I know she’s willing her confidence, which is fine by me. We have to get her past all of the walls. She needs to live happy and free. That’s what I’ll damn well give her.

  As she throws her leg over me, she has no idea how damn beautiful she is, and it’s not just her body. Her strength is unbelievable. Her conviction to start her life again. Her power she is slowly taking back. Everything. The entire package I crave. Damn, I love this woman.

  She rests on my chest, most of her weight on her knees and her hands at my pecs. “I don’t know, Green. I…”

  I knife up and wrap my arms around her. “You’re fucking gorgeous, Leah. Every fuckin’ thing about you is beautiful. I’ll spend every day of my life showing you. Don’t hide from me, baby.”

  Something clicks in her eyes as she kisses me hard and deep then pushes me down to the bed. I reach over, grabbing a condom and hand it to her. She’s a bit timid opening it up and rolling it down my length, and fuck I love the feel of her gripping me. Any damn place she wants is hers.

  When she lowers herself on me, the squeeze is unbelievable. She stretches and molds to me, seating herself down to where her ass is on my legs. She looks down at me, her hand moving up and down my chest through the deep crevices, stopping at my tattoos and tracing them.

  “I love this,” she says, looking at the wide angel wings on my chest. My heart twists.

  “My mother.”

  A s
ad look comes across her face and I buck my hips up, bringing her back to the present. The sadness turns to lust as I do it again and again. On the third time, she takes charge. She rides me, hard. Up and down and circling her hips. I close my eyes and enjoy the feel of her, savoring each movement. My hands rest on her hips, feeling the muscles tighten and relax with each motion.

  She pants, her movements starting to wane, telling me she’s close and she’s about to lose it. Only then do I flip her over and pump into her. Her cries and moans are loud and sexy as hell. I reach down, circling her clit, and she clamps down hard on my cock taking me with her as she comes hard.

  Her entire body shakes and quivers. Mine is tense until the orgasm begins to recede. I lean down kissing Leah and maneuvering her so we’re on our sides, still connected. We hold each other like this for long moments, enjoying each other.

  She pulls away, and a smile graces her face. Fucking love I put that on there for her. “Love you, Green.”

  Completeness surrounds me, and I let my feelings go. “Love you too, Leah.”

  Her eyes water as I kiss her more, savoring every touch.

  “Where did you go?” Leah asks, laying on my chest and swirling her finger over my pec.

  Letting out a heavy breath, I say, “Club business. Can’t tell you what. Can’t tell you how. Just know from this moment on, you’re safe. You don’t worry about someone coming in and destroying the place. You’re clear of all that shit and have no worries at all anymore.”

  She’s quiet for a moment, probably processing the words I couldn’t say but implied.

  “What happened to your mom?” Talking about my mother after screwing my woman isn’t the ideal time, but no time really is. Every time I do, it burns in my chest like a fire that will never be put out. It calms down at times, but the blaze is always ready to ignite. At least though, she let the other question go.

  “My mom got really sick. She had a condition where her lungs were pretty much calcifying in her body and making it hard for her to breathe. She was in a coma and on life support for a while, and I ended up having to take her off the vent.”

  Leah’s head lifts up, realization hitting her of the parallels between her and my mother. “Oh my God, Green. I’m so sorry.”

  I brush my hand up the soft skin of her back. “Not your fault, baby. It’s life.”

  She moves her body a bit, getting a better angle. “And you sat there with me in a coma, not knowing if I was going to wake up?”

  Placing my hand behind my head, I look at my woman’s face filled with sadness for me. All the more reason to love her. She cares so damn much and has so much to give. She just needs to realize it. “Yeah. Didn’t like that part one bit, but I wasn’t going to let you lay there by yourself. No fuckin’ way.”

  The ache in my chest pangs from the memories. No matter how much I keep pushing it down, it will always be there. Seeing her laying in the bed. Hearing the beeps of all the machines attached to her small body. Smelling the bleach and overall sickness that comes with being in a hospital. How when I touched her she was so cold at times, freaking me the fuck out. All of it. Guess I’m doing a shit job of really letting it go.

  Tears well her eyes. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that with me. Why didn’t you leave?”

  “No fuckin’ way I was leavin’ you, Leah. I was all in.” Even the breaks sucked, and it was mostly when I got kicked out by her parents to go for a walk or food—or to shower when her dad would point out that I reeked. Those few moments with her out of my sight were difficult.

  A tear falls down her cheek, splashing on my chest. “Even then, you were all in?” she asks, a small trepidation to her tone.

  I smile. “Your father asked me if I was in love with you, and I didn’t have much of an answer for him. But yeah, I fuckin’ loved you.”

  She leans over and kisses me hard. Then continues to kiss down my chest. Down my abs and down to my cock. Her warmth surrounds me as my cock goes deep down her throat. “Holy shit,” I gasp, going to reach for her head then gripping the sheets instead. Sometimes I forget that her scalp is still sensitive, especially when she’s trying to milk my cock dry.

  She works me up and I feel my balls pull up, ready to shoot down her throat. I lift her, flip her around, slide my cock inside of her then fuck her without abandon, only stopping for a brief moment for the rubber. The entire time, she fucking loves it and so do I.

  Now the question is, how can we build a life in Sumner? One where both of us get what we need. I’ll do everything in my power to make sure it happens, no matter the consequences.

  22

  Leah

  “Where are we?” I ask Green as we pull up to a tall apartment building, and I swing off his bike staring up. It has five floors, and I hope it has an elevator. A resident there who went and got groceries would have a hell of a time making those flights with their arms full.

  “When I came to Florida, I had a place here. Now”—he dangles out some keys—“we have a place here.”

  “No way!” Excitement bubbles through. The clubhouse is great and all, but I’m more than ready to get out. Mostly, I stay tucked away in his room except when I work with Princess or when Bristyl is around. But two weeks in a clubhouse with people always coming in and out is a bit much for me. I’m comfortable for the most part, but after having my own space for so long, I’m ready.

  We haven’t talked about a place though, but it proves once again how Green watches me, knows what I need, and takes care of me. Loves me unconditionally. It’s what I’ve always dreamed of having in a man. Strange how people meet and the situations that bring them together. If I wouldn’t have gone to the rally, I never would have met Green. Yes, the situation is fucked up, and I’m not saying I’d ever want to go through it again. It’s about finding the light and shining the positive on it.

  His grin is so damn sexy. “Yep. Had the brothers bring some of my old stuff out of storage, and we’re set.”

  I wrap my arms around him, hugging him tight. His heartbeat thumps in my ear, and the rhythm is music to my ears. “Thank you.”

  “Baby, know the clubhouse wasn’t ideal for the past coupla weeks, but this place had someone in it. It’s not the same one I had, but similar. It’s now ours until you figure out what kind of house you want. Then we’ll move there.”

  I feel like an ice cream cone on a hot day. “I love you, Green. So damn much.”

  “Love you too. Let’s go check out our new place.”

  Nothing ever sounded better. Another new start. The slate wiped clean and only the future to love each other.

  “Hey!” I greet Green as he walks in the door covered with grease and smelling like an engine. The smell is like home. Him. Perfect.

  He dips down placing a kiss on my lips. “Gotta clean up.” Green takes off down the hallway of our place while I stare at the computer screen.

  I’m easing back into life. Online classes. Even being out around people, I’ll fully admit I’m skittish. Grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants… all of them are normal everyday things. Except when you’re not so ordinary and in a new world, but I’m trying.

  Anne, who Green still doesn’t like and I can’t blame him, gave me the names of some therapists here in Sumner. Two were men, and they were out. I just feel more comfortable with women and luckily there was one. She had a waiting list, but with Anne’s help, I got in about three weeks after moving into our new apartment.

  Margot Shaver and I have only had a few meetings, and we’re still feeling each other out. It’s hard to relive the story of what happened to me, but luckily Margot read all of Anne’s notes and didn’t put me through too much of it.

  One thing we did discuss was school. Going back to classes every day and sitting in the classroom overwhelmed me. The thought of having my back to people in class and watching everyone’s movements didn’t appeal to me. She suggested online classes, and right now I’m enrolled in three. Everything I do is over the Internet, and i
t’s a great alternative until I can get my head screwed on straight with having lots of people around.

  Even the clubhouse and being around all the people is too much. I meet Princess, do my thing, and then come back here. She always invites me to stay for lunch or something to keep me there, but it’s become a small joke that I decline.

  Green comes into the living room, no shirt, sweats hanging off his hips, and a towel that he is rubbing all over his head. He’s utterly delectable. “Is it bad that I want to come over there and bite you?”

  He removes the towel on a smile. “Long as you’re not biting my cock, we’re good.” The towel goes around his shoulders. Never thought that small movement would be hot, but hell it is. Who am I kidding? Anything this man does is hot, sexy, and beautiful at the same time.

  Placing my finger on my chin and tapping it a couple of times, I say, “Hmmm. I was thinking about that actually.”

  Green scoops me off the couch and sets my computer on the coffee table, then sits back down with me on his lap.

  “What’d ya do today?” he asks, brushing my hair behind my ear. I fully admit to being self-conscious about my hair, but when he does sweet things like that, it warms me everywhere and the fear disappears.

  “Studied for a test coming up next week and started my paper on Aphrodite, even though she was a bit devious bartering to be named the most beautiful woman. Who knows if she really was, but it’s been interesting reading about her.” I rest my head on his shoulder, my face in his neck, smelling his clean scent from the shower.

  “Greek Gods, huh?” he starts. “Who needs an old god when you have me?” His fingertips find my stomach, and he starts to tickle me. I cry out with a smile as he doesn’t stop. We wrestle just a bit before he eases off.

  “Didn’t say I wanted one of them. Just that I’m studying them.”

  He grips my neck and pulls me in for a kiss. “Just makin’ sure you know who’s in your bed.”