Untouchable: A Dark Bad Boy Romance

by Kathryn Thomas

  Finally, her hands touched his shaft, and she let her palm and fingers run up and down its length. She felt him harden impossibly under her touch, and when she looked up at him, she discovered that Lind’s blue eyes had already gone dark with lust. She licked his shaft languidly and relished in his groan.

  “Do you want me to suck you?” she asked boldly.

  If Lind was shocked by this sudden change in her personality, he didn’t show it. Instead, he nodded shakily, gasping as Eve’s hand continued to stroke him.

  “Say it,” she murmured, her lips close to his tip, her breath ghosting over his sensitive skin.

  Lind swallowed visibly. “I…I want…” He gasped again. “I want you to suck me,” he finally managed.

  Eve grinned, pleased, and let her lips press a delicate kiss to Lind’s tip. He instantly tensed and gasped in response. She set out a gentle rhythm of licks, kisses, and sucking movements. She danced between long strokes and quick flicks of her tongue that drove him insane. When she took his length into her mouth, Lind tensed even further.

  “Oh God…” he gasped out.

  His strain to hold back gave Eve a surge of dominance. She had him. Diamondbacks be damned, she had him, here and now.

  She made sure that her lips remained in constant contact with the sensitive skin of his cock as she sucked, her tongue teasing him constantly. She encircled the base with two of her fingers, creating a cock ring of flesh. Her fingers followed the movement of her mouth, so that they could echo the touches that had Lind gasp and moan. She varied the rhythm, leading him to the brink only to push him back again.

  It was driving Lind insane, she could tell. When she looked up at him, his blue eyes were dazed with the intensity of his pleasure. She knew he wouldn’t be able to hold on for long, no matter how hard he tried, and that knowledge was enough to make her wet, too. The great Viper had no say in this matter.

  Lind finally came with a hoarse cry, and Eve accommodated him. The taste was as intense as everything else about Lind.

  Eventually, Eve pulled back, smirking. Lind was still in the throes of the afterglow. He looked up at her with a mixture of adoration and surprise, like he still couldn’t wrap his mind around this new side of her.

  “I was not…expecting that,” he said.

  Eve’s smirk broadened. “I’m full of surprises.”

  Lind smiled and grabbed her wrist, pulling her back down on top of him. He kissed her, seeming not to mind the taste of himself still lingering on her lips and tongue.

  “I’m sorry,” he said after a moment. “I wish I could tell you more, but—”

  “Shh,” Eve interrupted him, gently but firmly. “Let’s not talk about it now. In fact, let’s not talk at all.”

  Lind nodded. “Agreed.”

  He wrapped his arms around her, and she moved around until she was settled in, nestled against his side with her head resting on his chest.

  It was almost impossible to believe they were the same people who had been fighting since the previous evening. In the quiet of the early morning, in the silence of Eve’s bedroom, everything that wasn’t the two of them right in this moment seemed to simply fade away. Eve knew it would still be there once they left her bed and ventured back out of this room, but she was in no hurry to leave just yet.

  She didn’t know what would happen now. She didn’t know if Lind was ever going to let her in. She didn’t know what he would do to this person—whoever they were—that was after them. All she knew was that she didn’t want to think about any of that right now. The one thing she knew for sure was that they were headed for a very rough patch, and she was going to relish this quiet moment for as long as she could.

  She felt Lind tighten his hold around her, as if he were guessing her thoughts, and she responded by tightening her own embrace. They didn’t sleep, but they remained true to their word, and both refrained from speaking and ruining the moment.

  Eve thought of the Diamondbacks, of the men who would be called in to protect her. She didn’t trust them, but what choice did she have? And perhaps this forced close contact with them would be her chance to finally prove herself. Perhaps she could finally prove to them and, most importantly, to Lind that she wasn’t some helpless damsel in distress. That she could take their truth, whatever it was.

  Most of all, she could finally make them all realize that she was not going anywhere, and that she was as much a part of Lind’s life as they were.

  CHAPTER FORTY

  The next few weeks were a nightmare. Eve could not move a step on her own; someone from the Diamondbacks was always with her. It was very rarely Lind. She wasn’t seeing much of him, and when she did, they usually ended up fighting. His anxiety was palpable and getting worse by the minute, leading him to make life downright impossible for Eve. She refused to “report to him” (as he had put it) when it came to her comings and goings, but he was always up to speed thanks to her bodyguards, who told him about every little thing Eve did—the places she went, the people she saw. It was disconcerting.

  As the days progressed without the Diamondbacks having found the man who was behind all this—because by now Eve had been able to at least gather that the person was a “he”—Lind’s frustration grew, and he became more and more impossible. Eve could hardly remember the last time they had sex or managed to have a conversation without being at each other’s throat in two seconds flat. It was getting to be unbearable, but she really had nowhere to run.

  Her only consolation in all this was that, amongst the Diamondbacks members appointed to guard her, the one who spent the most time on the job was Lucas. One had to be crazy not to grow fond of him at record speed—twenty-four years old, tall, slightly socially awkward but with nerves of steel, witty and a brain that could put anyone to shame. He was adorable and scary all at the same time. At thirty-two years of age, Eve had secretly begun to look at him like a protective little brother. She didn’t think Lucas would be very happy about it if he knew, but she couldn’t help it; he was the first person who showed her signs of real friendship. The other Diamondbacks clearly trusted her as much as she did them—that is to say, not at all—and looked very much like they had been forced to be there whenever their “shift” would come—which they had.

  The more time passed, the more Eve felt like an imposition, a burden. Even to Lind. He was so obsessed with protecting her at all costs that it had really begun to feel like he was doing to keep his conscience clean rather than out of any actual love for her. She felt like she was no different than any other innocent person he might end up protecting from circumstances, which was ironic, considering that was exactly how they had met.

  Eve let the shower spray hit her back until the water ran cold, then she finally turned the tap off and stepped out. It wasn’t like the shower was helping to clear her head anyway. She wrapped herself snug and tight in a large towel and walked out of the bathroom, toweling her hair as she went.

  She found Lucas sitting on the couch in the living room, enjoying a cold beer and reruns of Supernatural, which Eve had found out was his favorite show.

  “Is it a good one?” she asked as she went to sit on the armchair.

  “Oh yes, it’s one of my favorites,” Lucas announced. “Dean gets sucked back to the year 1944 and teams up with Eliot Ness. It would’ve been cool to see some actual gangster action, but it’s still a great episode.”

  He finally tore his gaze away from the screen and seemed to only then notice that Eve was sitting in close proximity wearing nothing but a towel, her blonde hair cascading down her naked shoulders in a wet, golden waterfall. He swallowed visibly and took a long swig of his beer.

  Eve smirked to herself. She had not meant to make him uncomfortable, but it was still nice to be noticed by a man. Lind simply didn’t seem to notice her anymore, and as vain as it may sound, she missed having his intense gaze run appraisingly all over her figure.

  “Anyway, yeah,” Lucas muttered, purposefully returning his eyes’ focus to th
e TV screen, “I like gangster stories, so this episode was appealing to me.”

  He was rambling, but his words still caught Eve’s attention.

  “Is that why you joined a gang?” she asked, as delicately as she could. “You wanted to be a gangster?”

  Lucas went back to look at her, and this time he didn’t seem fazed by her sexual appeal at all. He watched her in confusion, like he couldn’t understand where the question had come from. “No,” he said, frowning. “I’m not twelve, you know. I didn’t have any glorified image of what being in a motorcycle gang is. I’m too smart to be that naïve.” He wasn’t bragging, he was just stating a fact.

  Eve cringed. “I’m sorry,” she said sincerely. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

  Lucas nodded curtly.

  “How about I make us some popcorn so we can really enjoy this favorite episode of yours?” she offered. It was her way of apologizing, and Lucas got it right away.

  He smiled gratefully over at her. “I’d like that, thanks.”

  Eve patted his knee and stood. His eyes did follow her every movement then. He cleared his throat, uneasy.

  “Uh…could you…would you mind…?”

  Eve grinned. “Getting dressed?”

  Lucas flushed scarlet. “It’s just you’re very beautiful, and Lind would have my hide if he knew where my thoughts were headed right now.”

  Eve laughed. The guy was too adorable to be real. “I’ll go put something on.”

  “Thank you,” he said sincerely.

  Eve got dressed quickly in just a simple pair of light-blue jeans and a plain white tank top. She allowed herself the luxury of going barefooted. At first, when this whole “special surveillance” affair had just started, she had worn shoes in her own home at all times, in case she needed to run—either from whoever was after her or from the men who had been put there to guard her. But lately, she had decided that she wouldn’t live in fear and deny herself the comforts of her own house. If she ever needed to run, she would do so without shoes.

  She made the popcorn, grabbed herself a beer from the fridge, and joined Lucas on the couch. Soon enough, she found herself swept away into a fictional world that she had come to appreciate. She had to give it to Lucas…Supernatural was a damn good show. Over the past few weeks, they had shared the viewing of more than one episode together, and Eve found herself hooked pretty much right away. The fact that the two main actors were very easy on the eyes also didn’t hurt. Presently, Eve lost herself in the beauty that was Dean Winchester and forgot all about her problems for forty-five blessed minutes.

  Once the end credits rolled in, Eve stretched, waking herself up from the spell and reluctantly allowing reality to swallow her up again. She switched off the TV and then she just sat there, all her doubts and fears coming back in a dizzying rush.

  “Aren’t you going to bed?” Lucas asked.

  “Eventually. I’m not too eager,” she admitted, “I’ve been having some trouble sleeping.”

  Lucas gave her a sympathetic smile. “It’s going to be okay,” he offered. “We’ll get him, you’ll see.”

  “Who’s ‘he’, Lucas?”

  Luca cringed. “Come on, don’t do this to me. You know I can’t tell you any more than what you already know.”

  “You don’t think I’ve got a right to know who’s after me?”

  “It’s not for me to say,” he replied, shifting uncomfortably on the couch’s pristine cushions.

  “But you agree that this isn’t fair to me.”

  Eve wasn’t proud of herself at that time. She knew her growing friendship with Lucas made him a weak link, and she was exploiting that fact. At this point, however, she was desperate. Lind wasn’t going to tell her anything and was in fact growing more and more distant. Lucas was her only link to the outside world.

  Lucas sighed heavily. “Yes,” he finally admitted. “It’s not fair, I agree. If I were in your position, I would want to know, too. But I don’t call the shots here.”

  Eve watched him curiously. “Are you afraid of Lind?”

  Lucas snorted out a laugh. “Fuck, yeah. Anyone in their right mind would be.”

  Eve suppressed a wince. She had never given much thought to Lind’s past and dark side, but lately she found herself reflecting upon it more and more—possibly due to the fact that he wasn’t showing her much of his good side anymore.

  “He doesn’t have to know,” she said. “But I do. I need to know what’s going on, Lucas. I can’t take this anymore. If you don’t tell me, I’ll find out on my own, and that might not be pretty. I might inadvertently step on someone’s toes.”

  It was, admittedly, a very likely possibility. Eve would pursue the truth no matter what, but she knew almost nothing about the MC’s dynamics, and her quest might create unnecessary drama. And when it came to gangs, drama had a tendency to turn bloody.

  Lucas groaned and ran both hands over his face. “You’ll be the death of me,” he muttered, and that’s when Eve knew he had him.

  “Lind will never know,” she said. “I promise.”

  Lucas emerged from behind his palms and stared at her. “You mean to tell me that you’re not going to confront him afterwards?”

  “I promise,” Eve said again. “I just want to know what I’m up against. Lind doesn’t have to know that I know.”

  Lucas watched her distrustfully.

  “Really, Lucas,” Eve insisted, “it’s not my intention to get you into trouble. I just want to be prepared, that’s all.”

  “Ok,” Lucas finally conceded, reluctantly. “But you better be sure about this because—trust me—you’re not going to like what you’ll hear.”

  That much I’d figured, Eve thought bitterly. She nodded. “I’m sure. It can’t be worse than some of the scenarios I’ve come up with in my head.”

  “Fair enough,” Lucas conceded. “I’m gonna need more alcohol if we’re going to do this.”

  Eve arched an eyebrow. “Shouldn’t you stay sharp so you can protect me?” she teased.

  Lucas snorted. “Sweetheart, two beers aren’t going to knock me out.”

  Eve shook her head fondly and went to the kitchen to fetch her storyteller one more beer. A moment later, she was back on the couch and ready to drink up every single one of Lucas’ words.

  CHAPTER FORTY ONE

  Eve listened intently and carefully. She set out with the best intentions; she was going to withhold any judgment until she had all the facts. But the more the whole sordid tale unfolded, the more absurd it seemed to her.

  Douglas Taylor was one of the founding members of the Diamondbacks, as well as their former president. He was a middle-aged man who gave it all for his club and who was more than happy, when the time came, to step down and hand the reins over to Alec. He stayed on as vice president, supporting the MC and remaining one of the most important elements whose contribution was vital on all operations. He was respected and well-loved.

  So was his old lady. Margaret Taylor was pretty as a flower and tough as nails. She was the only one who could take Douglas’ infamous bad temper in stride and cool his head when it got too hot. Her death sent Taylor over the edge. And it was brought on by Lind.

  It had been an accident, Lucas said. An operation gone horribly wrong. The Diamondbacks and the Sicilians had been rivals since the very beginning, fighting over territory and deals. Skirmishes, mostly, but lately the Italians had grown bolder and more violent. The last drop came when they killed one of the Diamonds. That’s when Alec decided that enough was enough and the matter would have to be settled once and for all.

  The Sicilians’ president wasn’t as young as Alec. In fact, he was from Douglas’ generation and had founded his club in the same way that Taylor had founded his. Everyone knew that the best way to get to Mastropopolo would be through Douglas—specifically, through Douglas’ wife. Filippo Mastropopolo had asked Margaret to marry him once, but she had turned him down in favor of Douglas. The Italian had never gotten over the
insult.

  It had been Lind’s idea to use Margaret as bait. Douglas had opposed it, but his old lady was also tired of the Italians’ violence and was hell bent on playing a role in making it stop.

  It went wrong. Somewhere along the line, some part of the gear got jumbled. The Italians had gunned Margaret down before any of the Diamondbacks waiting to ambush them had the time to even blink.

  Douglas never forgave them. He always blamed Lind, and he quickly spiraled until he took drastic measures. His first and, so far, only attempt at killing Lind had fallen short. The Diamondbacks burned his ink off his back and all but exiled him. The only reason why they didn’t kill him was because Lind refused to let them do it. Taylor had sworn revenge, but they hadn’t heard from him since.