by April Lust
I deserve this, just like I deserve radio silence from Beast.
“I hope so,” I say softly.
“Just get out there and do your best,” Patty says. She pats me gently on the shoulder.
“Patty?”
As she reaches the door, Patty turns around. “What is it, dahling?”
“Is the house full?”
Patty grins. “It’s packed out there,” she says. “Now, go out and there and dance, Natalia. I know you can do it. I’ll be here rooting for you the whole time.”
I’m shaking with fear and anticipation by the time the house lights go down. As I step onto stage, I force myself to let my mind go, to let Beast go. My body skims gracefully across the stage as I give myself over to the music. After a few seconds, I’m completely immersed in the rhythm of the dance.
I’m amazed at how quickly the time flies by. By the end of the ballet, I’m drenched in sweat and my limbs are shaking from exhaustion. This is the most convincing performance I’ve ever given, and I’d be proud of myself if I didn’t feel so exhausted.
I don’t want to go back onstage to take a curtain call, but the house is roaring and stomping their feet. I’m soaked to the bone and shivering. Suddenly, it feels like I’m coming down with the flu.
Patty wraps a shawl around my shoulders as soon as I come off stage. “Dear, that was beautiful,” Patty whispers. “You dance more beautifully than ever before. “
I nod. I’m so numb that I can barely think of anything except going home and crawling into bed. I feel like a zombie as I walk back onstage and join hands with the other dancers.
The house lights go up, and I glance into the audience as I rise from my bow. There, in the front row, is Beast. He’s almost hidden behind the biggest bouquet of roses I’ve ever seen, and I realize his eyes are locked on me.
I know what I have to do.
As soon as the curtain falls, I pull away from the other dancers, ignoring the cries from Patty and the costume mistress. The theater is packed, but I run back out onstage and leap down to the floor.
“Beast!” I cry loudly. “Beast! Where are you?”
And just like magic, he’s right in front of me. He holds the roses out to me but I push them to the side and leap into his arms, wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. When his lips meet mine, I begin to weep. My body is so full of love for him that I feel like my heart is going to break when the kiss is broken.
He gently pulls away from me. His handsome face is wrought with emotion. We kiss again and his tongue slips into my mouth, gently tangoing with my tongue. My limbs are exhausted from dancing so hard, but my tummy leaps with arousal when Beast’s hands slide down my back and squeeze my ass. I moan softly, grinding my pelvis against his rock-hard abdomen.
It’s easy to forget we’re in a room full of people.
Gently, Beast lowers me down to the ground. “Natalia, I’m so sorry.” His blue eyes are honest, and I know he’s speaking from the heart.
“No, I’m sorry,” I say softly. “I don’t deserve you, Beast.”
He drops to one knee and I gasp. My hands fly to my mouth and cover my lips as I watch Beast pulls a small velvet box from one of his pockets. When he opens it, I gasp. There’s a huge diamond ring inside, the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen. The stone is round cut with a halo, and it’s made of white gold with rose gold filigree on each side of the center stone.
“Natalia,” Beast asks quietly. His voice sends a new shiver of desire down my spine.
“Yes?”
“Will you marry me?”
Chapter 3 6 Natalia
Six Months Later
“I can’t find anything in here!” I complain loudly, turning around from the counter to glance inside the brown moving box. “How the hell am I supposed to make tea if I can’t find the kettle?”
Beast appears moments later. “Need something?”
I roll my eyes. “I want tea,” I say, pouting and pointing to the box. “But I can’t find the kettle anywhere!”
Beast laughs. He reaches down into another box and pulls out the small electric tea kettle. I recognize it immediately. It’s one of the only things he managed to bring from the warehouse.
We’ve just moved in together. Planning a wedding is hard, especially when you don’t even live with your fiancé. So, Beast finally agreed to find us an apartment. It wasn’t too far from his warehouse. I knew when I said yes to his proposal, I was no doubt agreeing to a lot of late nights with the Renegade Reapers. But being with Beast was worth it. If this is the price I have to pay to stay with the love of my life, I don’t mind one bit.
Beast walks to the counter and plugs in the kettle before dashing it under the sink and filling it with water. I set two Styrofoam cups with tea bags and a healthy dose of honey.
“It’s good for your throat,” I say to Beast. He rolls his eyes. After six months together, he’s still trying to convince me he doesn’t have a sweet tooth.
He growls and sweeps me up in his arms. “You’re the only sweet thing I need,” he whispers in my ear. His teeth on the sensitive skin of my earlobe make me shiver, and I moan softly as his tongue slides down my neck.
Arousal swarms in my belly. I tangle my hands in Beast’s hair, and he moves closer, kissing my lips with passion. In his arms, I can’t help but moan and relax against his muscular body. Our kiss grows deeper by the second, and just as I feel his cock start to stiffen in his pants, the tea kettle hisses loudly.
“Damn!” Beast curses.
I smirk as I unplug the kettle and pour us each a cup of tea. “Saved by the bell,” I comment.
Beast rolls his eyes. “Woman, you’re killing me,” he teases.
“We need to work on wedding stuff,” I say. My eye slips down to my left hand, and I spend a delightful moment staring at the ring on my finger. It’s still the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen in my life. I even wear it when I’m dancing, even though I know Patty disapproves.
“You mean, you need to work on wedding stuff,” Beast says. He smirks. “I’m not doing that. That’s woman’s work.”
I roll my eyes. “Like you hate that so much,” I tease. “What about making pancakes? Isn’t that woman’s work, too?”
Beast grins. He grabs me and pulls me close again, biting my lip until I moan with pleasure. He wraps his arms around my waist, and I snuggle against his muscular warmth, taking a deep breath. It feels so good to be with Beast that I can’t even think of being alone, not ever again. He’s the only man I want, and I’m always going to try to be good to him. I’m not that great at relationships, but neither is Beast. We’re learning together.
It’s one of the best things about us.
“Come back to bed,” Beast whispers. He nuzzles at my neck and I jump as the hot arousal surges through my body. “I didn’t get a chance to make love to my fiancée this morning, and I missed it.”
I lick my lips. “I can’t,” I say. “I have to practice, then go into the studio. You know Patty wants to talk to me about something important.”
Beast sighs. “What? You worried you’re gonna get pregnant or something?”
I roll my eyes. “No, that’s what the pill is for, silly,” I say. “Besides, having a baby would ruin my figure.”
Beast chuckles. “You could stand to gain a few pounds, you know.”
I glare at him. “Maybe in a few years, when I can’t dance anymore,” I say finally. The idea of having a family with Beast is beginning to sound like a good one, though selfishly I want a few years where it’s just him and me. I’ve never been so happy in my life, and waking up at three in the morning to feed a baby seems like it might get in the way of all the great sleep I’ve been having with Beast.
“You’ll come around,” Beast teases. “Hey, how many days until the big day?”
My face stretches into a wide grin. “Fifty-six. Not that I’m counting or anything,” I say quickly. My cheeks flush bright red. Secretly, I check the calendar
every morning for the countdown to when I’ll become Beast’s wife. I can’t wait.
“Right,” Beast says. He nods and winks. “Not that we’re counting,” he repeats. I grin at him because just being with him makes me so happy I can’t breathe.
“Well, you’d better drink your tea before it gets cold,” I say. I take my cup and breathe across the surface.
Beast grins. He plucks the cup from my hands and sets it down. “I’ve got a better idea.” Before I can ask what he means, he scoops me up in his arms and tosses me gently over one shoulder.
“Hey! What’s the big idea?”
Beast twists his body around and grins at me before placing a scorching kiss on my lips. Were I standing, it would be enough to make me weak in the knees. “I know you don’t want kids right now,” Beast whispers. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t go practice!”
As he carries me off to our bedroom, I realize I’ve never been so happy in my entire life.
“I love you,” I say softly as Beast carries me up the stairs. “Don’t ever let me go.”
Beast grins. “I love you, too,” he says. “And I’ll never, ever let go.”
THE END
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More by April Lust
BEAST: Renegade Reapers MC
THE BEAST WANTS A BITE OF ME.
It was the perfect name for a man like him.
Beast.
I was just bait in his trap.
But now he’s about to swallow me whole.
Bikers and mobsters and violence, oh my.
I was innocent, ignorant…
Until a past I’d forgotten came racing back to consume me.
Until a beast came out of the darkness.
Not just any beast – but Beast himself.
He’s rugged and tatted, scarred and seductive.
He licks his lips when he sees me like I’m some tasty treat.
And when he lays his hands on me, I realize the truth:
That’s exactly what he thinks I am.
He wants to use me so he can win his bloody war.
But once he gets a taste of my body, he wants to use me for other things, too.
I want away from this hell, by any means possible.
But not if it means leaving Beast behind.
Because the only thing I want more than my old life back…
Is for him to take me like an animal.
BRANDED: Wild Aces MC
He branded me and made his toy.
I had no choice – I needed the money.
My sister was dying and there was only one valuable thing I could sell:
My virginity.
I just never thought it would go this far.
It started as a crazy joke.
The worst things always do.
But this one has lasted far longer than I imagined.
Selling my virginity…
Even I couldn’t believe I was about to go through with it.
I’d put the ad in the magazine as a last-ditch Hail Mary.
Never expected anyone to answer.
Especially not anyone like him.
Jules.
Rugged. Tatted. Hungry.
Hungry for me, that is.
But it wasn’t enough for him to have me, to bend me over.
No, he wanted an arrangement that was a little more permanent.
He wanted to brand me so the whole world knew that I was his.
And I’m about to let him.
MAX: The Sin Reapers MC
The devil himself couldn’t keep her from me.
She’s my last chance at redemption.
I’ll be damned if I let them take her away.
I promised her father I’d keep her safe,
And I intend to fulfill that promise until my dying breath.
I was a biker from the start.
I never had a chance at another life.
I never wanted it, though.
I was born for the ink and leather.
The rumble of the engine is music to my ears…
And Lucy’s kiss is a drug in my veins.
I’ve protected her since her father died.
Fended off the bastards, fought back the creeps.
She belongs in my arms, now and always.
But she deserves better than this.
I want to get her out, to a world where things aren’t so grim.
We almost made it.
Almost.
But just when we were on the brink of freedom,
The worst man alive clawed us back down.
He’s trying to take her away from me.
But he should’ve known better.
I’ll die to protect what’s mine.
TAKE ME DEEPER: A Bad Boy Biker Romance (The Predators MC)
I’M ABOUT TO TAKE HER DEEPER THAN SHE’S EVER GONE BEFORE.
Jail changed me.
When I get out, I want nothing more than peace and quiet.
But this sexy little hellcat won’t leave me alone.
There’s only one thing I can do: remind her who she belongs to…
Me.
Some people think I’m wild.
Reckless.
Out of control.
That couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Like any man who’s worth a damn, I live by a code.
And that means punishing those who violate my rules.
Lauren’s father hurt her in unforgivable ways…
So I had no choice but to give him a taste of his own medicine.
Consequences be damned – some things simply have to happen.
It put me behind bars, but so be it.
When I got out of here, though, I swore to leave the old me in that cell.
No more crime.
No more violence.
Just a little job to pay the bills, and long chopper rides on the weekend to clear my head.
It almost worked.
Almost.
But then SHE came back.
The one I couldn’t forget.
And now I’m about to risk everything to make her mine again.
TAKE ME FASTER: A Dark Bad Boy Romance (Hellriders MC)
IT CAN ONLY END ONE WAY – BEGGING HIM TO TAKE ME FASTER.
Pax. Just his name makes me shiver.
He was nothing I needed, but everything I’d always wanted.
Falling for him was a one-way ticket to hell…
But I didn’t care if it meant we’d burn together.
If I’d known what was going to happen, I might never have saved him.
I might have just left him there to die.
The biker was in bad shape when I stopped to help.
I’m a nurse – it’s in my DNA.
But that simple act of mercy could very well cost me my life.
It wasn’t an accident that left the man clinging to life on the side of the highway.
It was a vicious, bloody war.
Not the kind of war you read about in the newspapers, either.
This war takes place behind the scenes.
It’s about crime. Power. Torture. Sex.
And now I’m smack dab in the middle of it.
A girl like me doesn’t belong here.
If it weren’t for Pax, I would run screaming.
But the police can’t help me now.
I’m in too deep.
The only one who can save me is the man I can’t bear tearing myself away from.
Pax.
Pax.
Pax, baby, take me faster.
TAKE ME HARDER: A Dark Bad Boy Romance (The Lions MC)
THERE’S ONLY ONE THING I WANT – FOR HIM TO TAKE ME HARDER.
He saved me from an ex-boyfriend with sick intentions.
But what the bad boy wanted from
me might be even worse.
He’s not satisfied with just a kiss.
He wants my body, my heart… and my hand in marriage.
And he won’t take no for an answer.
I should never have been there in the first place.
A biker bar is not a place for a girl like me.
But it turns out to be the best place I could have been.
My creepy ex hunts me down to my car.
Alone, helpless, I thought I’d become just another statistic.
But then Maxwell showed up.
He was sex in a black leather jacket.