“To leave, now. He wants us to go to his house and stay there until he arrives.”
Amberlee resists heading toward the door. “I need to grab a few things.”
Gripping her arm, I redirect her. “No, you don’t. Let’s go.”
CHAPTER TEN
——
DOMINIC
MUSCLES STRETCHED TIGHT, my anger is boiling inside me. At my back is Tex, Mercy, and Alcho. The four of us descend on Ditch, dragging him to his feet. With a slap to his face, he comes to, arms still bound behind him.
“Put him on the couch,” I order.
Teeth clenched, I lean over him. “How long have you had the cocaine problem?”
“Dominic? What the fuck is going on? Untie me.”
“How long?” I bark.
Jumping, Ditch’s twitchy eyes focus in on me. With the fear I see in his gaze, I’d say his memories just came back. “Shit…fuck, I didn’t touch her.”
“How long? I won’t ask again.”
“A few months. I can quit, Dom. I just need to wean off it.”
“Uh huh. You been burning our clients to get your fix too?”
Ditch’s lip twitches. His head lolls back as he struggles with the truth and its consequences.
“Not enough for them to notice.”
“I see.”
Struggling with the zip ties, he squirms beneath my hardened gaze. “C’mon, Dom. Get me out of these things.”
Staring into his eyes, I want to kill him. I want to gut him and watch his intestines spill out onto my boots. No one touches Erika, but me.
Glancing at the claw marks on his arms, my gaze returns to him and narrows.
“She challenged you, huh? That Erika is a smart-mouthed bitch who needed to learn a lesson. Am I right?”
Lip curling, he snarls. “She got between us. Ran her mouth like she doesn’t have a place. It was none of her business.”
“Instead of calling me to handle it, you thought you’d rough her up and shove your dick in her?”
“I didn’t touch her,” he seethes.
Squatting down, I level my gaze with his.
“I think we both know you’ve been wanting to fuck her pussy for a while now. Only problem was, she didn’t want your limp dick, and her sister doesn’t want it anymore either, and that fucks with your head, doesn’t it?”
“Fuck you.”
With a flick of my wrist, I pull the blade from its sheath beneath my jacket. A sharp, shrill scream fills the house as I cut through flesh and bone, piercing the knife through his leg, just behind the knee.
“You know I don’t like being lied to, Ditch. Now tell me the truth.” Twisting the blade, saliva dribbles from the corners of his lips as he clenches his teeth through the pain.
“Fuuuuck.” His eyes pinch shut as I twist more. “Yes, damn it, I was gonna rape her!”
Leaving the blade in place, I slam my hand into the side of his leg. Grimacing, Ditch’s cold brown eyes flicker with fear.
“Here’s how this is gonna go. The executive board is gonna meet. We both know the ending result of that meeting is you’re gonna be stripped of your colors, but before then, you and I are gonna have some quality time together to work out our personal problem.”
With a bob of my head, I gesture for my brothers to step outside.
“Fuck…no. C’mon, Tex, Mercy, don’t leave me with him. You’re my fucking brothers too.”
Mercy turns his body, a merciless stare centered on Ditch. “A brother doesn’t cut deals and leave his other brothers at risk of retaliation or a burned reputation, and you sure as hell don’t try to rape a brother’s ol’ lady.” With a snicker, Mercy’s expression morphs. “You should’ve known not to fuck with Dom’s girl. Now you pay the price.”
The door clicks behind them and Ditch’s head slouches. “Do you understand I was high? I wouldn’t have tried to rape her if I had my head straight.” Pleading eyes raise to mine. “I’m sorry, Dom.”
Shaking my head, I rise to my feet. “It’s too late for that.”
Fist clenching together, I slam it into his face, once, twice, another, until the blood pours over his skin and chest.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
——
ERIKA
TREMBLING IN MY arms, I pat Amberlee’s hair, attempting to soothe her as we sit huddled on Dominic’s couch.
“He’s going to come for me, Erika. He’s going to kill me. They’ll all rape me and beat me for betraying him, for hitting that bottle over his head.”
“No, they won’t. Dominic will handle it. He already had plans to deal with Ditch’s cocaine use.”
“Ditch has lost his fucking mind.” With shaking hands, she rummages through her purse, searching for cigarettes. “Dominic is going to flip over him trying to rape you.”
Finding her purpose, she pulls the lighter and pack from the bag.
“I’m going out back for a smoke. Can you please find some liquor?”
“Yeah.”
Following her into the kitchen, she slips out the back door, and I collect a glass and pour Jack Daniels into it.
The next three hours, I spend waiting on edge, worried about what the fallout will be from today’s situation. Finally, shortly after nine pm, Dominic steps through his door. Amberlee is upstairs, passed out in his guest room from drinking a whole bottle of Jack.
Rushing to him, I fill the space between his arms and lay my head on his chest.
“Baby, get me a drink, then join me on the couch.”
Returning to the living room, he’s removed his colors and I can see the blood spatter on his gray shirt.
Taking the glass, Dominic chugs it down, then pulls me onto his lap. Touching my face, he turns it to examine the bruised skin. Eyes roaming over me, he catches every scratch and bruise.
Reaching between my legs, he settles his hand there, holding me, his thumb gently rubbing me. Looking off, his green eyes turn lethal. “He didn’t get his cock inside you, did he?”
“No.” Leaning against his chest, I brush my hand through his hair and caress his face, drawing his gaze to me. “Alee stopped him before he could.”
Eyes pinched closed, he drops his head back, heaving a sigh.
“I wanted to kill him earlier. Came close to it.”
“What happened?”
“We found him tied up where you left him. I questioned him, and he admitted to some things including trying to rape you. I told him he’d be stripped of his colors and then I beat him until he was coughing up blood, gasping for air.”
“Good.”
Maybe I shouldn’t feel that way about his beating, but I do. He’s beat my sister enough times, and after what he tried to do to me today, I have no compassion for him.
“What happens now?”
Dominic’s forefinger and thumb rub over his stubble. “The board meets, we strip Ditch of his colors, we cover our asses for the shit he pulled. If he comes around, he’s liable to get an ass whooping from any of us. If I see him again, I won’t hesitate to kill him.”
Putting my head to his, I affectionately caress his neck and face. Bringing my lips to his, I pull him from his thoughts, feathering his lips until he gives in to our kiss. Passion sparks between us, our tongues lashing out for the other.
The glass cup clinks on the end table. I’m placed in his hands, then laid beneath him on the couch. Removing his shirt, he caresses my arms as I massage up and down his abs.
“You ok to take me?”
Lust and concern mingle in his eyes.
“Yes. I want you to touch me everywhere. Make me forget his disgusting hands were ever on me.”
With a shadow of a smile, he unbuckles his jeans. Undressing us both, he intertwines his fingers with mine as he eases his hardened erection into my slick opening. With each thrust and each kiss, the day’s events slip from my mind as I lose myself in the rapturous pleasure he’s giving my body.
***
Lying in his bed together, I take another sip
of Jack, letting the liquid warm my belly before I curl into his chest. Hand grazing along my side, he kisses my head.
“You know you’re doing shit to me, don’t you?”
“What do you mean?” I ask, twirling my finger over his chest tattoos.
“I’m feeling things for you a hell of a lot faster than I’ve ever felt for anyone.”
Looking up at him, I admire his intense green eyes. “I don’t want that to stop.”
“Tell me how you’re feeling then.”
“I’m completely hooked. I don’t want what we have to end.”
“You’re young though. You might change your mind.”
Splaying my palm flat on his chest, I raise myself to view his face and glare at him.
“Don’t use the age card. I want you, Dominic. I’ve wanted you since the first moment I saw you. I’d finger myself fantasizing about you. Call your name when I came. You’re better than I expected, and the chemistry is far better than I imagined. I’m all in. Keep treating me like you have, I’ll never have a reason to leave.”
Dom goes silent, his hand returns to caressing me.
“You’re thinking about this because Alee wanted to leave Ditch, aren’t you?”
“It got me thinking.”
Placing his hand on my face, he brings me in for a heated kiss.
“You fingered yourself thinking about me?”
I chuckle before a smile appears. “Yes.”
Eyes admiring mine, I see the emotion in his. It softens them, revealing a side of Dominic I’m certain no person ever gets to see.
“Baby, you shouldn’t want me, but I’m a lucky bastard you do.”
His fingers caress my neck and get lost in my hair as he rolls us, putting me beneath him, kissing me deep.
Hearing a door open, turns both our attention to Amberlee’s presence outside of Dom’s room.
“I should go check on her. She’s scared, Dom, really scared.”
Nodding, he places his folded arms on his bent knees as I climb off the bed. “Let her know she’s not going to be cast out. She’s earned herself enough protection with the deal. I told you…she’s street smart.”
“What about Ditch?” I ask, pulling a shirt over my head.
“She needs to be careful. Once he’s out of the hospital, there’s no telling what he’ll do.”
Walking out of Dom’s room, I catch Amberlee in time as she’s exiting the hallway door of the bathroom.
“How you doing?”
Crossing her arms over herself, she shivers. “I feel like shit. I’m coming down off E, I’ve had too much to drink, and I’m worried how this shit with Ditch is going to be handled.”
Placing an arm around her, I walk with her back into the spare bedroom. The room is plain and doesn’t have much in it, but the bed has a nice wooden head and footboard with a matching nightstand and five drawer dresser.
Sitting with her on the bed, I repeat Dom’s message. Relief washes over her fragile features.
“Thank God. I’ll ask Dom tomorrow how much interaction I’m allowed with the Serpents, but this is a huge relief. Thank you.”
Squeezing me in her arms, she hugs me.
“Have you told Dori what’s going on and where you’re at?”
“No, I didn’t want her to know. She’s unreliable. I was afraid she’d let it slip if she’s high.”
“How’d you get her to agree to the house deal?”
Amberlee’s eyes widen.
“Dom told me.”
“I’m sorry for hiding it from you, but it was my way into the Serpents on my own. It was my own protection.”
“I get it, I just wish all the secrecy would stop. I don’t like being in the dark.”
Rubbing my arm, a smile tugs her lips and then fades. “Dom doesn’t want you to know what’s going on because he cares about you and so do I.”
Looking at her hand rubbing my arm, it warms my chest. “How’d you get Dori to agree? What’s in it for her?”
“Cheap rent and drugs.”
“Jesus, she’s easy.
“She’s worse than me,” she laughs quietly.
“The drugs, Alee, you need to get a handle on them. You seem high all the time and you’ve been fired from two jobs already.”
Running her hand through her hair, she sighs. “Fuck, I know it. I have a problem. I’ll figure out a way to get some help. I don’t want to be drugged out all the damn time. It was just hard dealing with Ditch.”
Placing my hand on her back, I massage her tired and sore muscles. “I understand that, but you’re free from him now, so it’s time to get your shit together.”
Biting her nail, she pops it free from her teeth. “I will, I promise.”
I hope with all my heart she means it. We have our differences, but Amberlee is the only one who has ever cared about me and protected me before meeting Dominic. I owe her so much.
“Should we attempt seeing the movie for the third night in a row?”
“Yes, I need a distraction after work.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
——
ERIKA
TWO WEEKS HAVE gone and I’ve spent most nights at Dominic’s place. A part of me wonders if he’ll ask me to move in or even wants me to. Even though I’d say yes without a second thought, I know it’s too soon for that kind of commitment. I can’t help thinking it though as the last two weeks with him have been incredible.
The rumbling engine of his Harley quiets after he pulls into the parking lot of the Devil’s Serpents clubhouse. In front of me is a large, ranch-style building with a second floor over half the building. The siding is painted black and on the porch, next to the front door, is a sign with the Serpents skull and snake emblem emblazoned in silver.
Dominic touches my side, scooping me in his gigantic arm after I climb off his bike. With an arousing graze of his hand, he massages my breast then continues his caress up to my neck and jaw. With his guided hand, I’m brought to his lips, giving myself to the pleasure of his kiss.
“You sure you’re okay being here with me?”
Beneath my fingers his hair is soft from the shower we had earlier.
“Yes, of course. I’m not nervous if that’s what you’re wondering.”
“Good. Tonight’s important. Christian has something for you and I want to show you off to my brothers. Not all of them have met you. They’re ready to meet the woman who’s stolen all my attention lately. After they see you, they’ll understand why.”
Nibbling my lip, my cheeks flush.
“Maybe I should apologize for keeping you from business.”
Grip tightening, he pulls me close, kissing the cleavage of my chest.
“Nah, baby. No need to apologize for satisfying me.”
Warmth and wetness linger over my skin from his nibbling lips. Eyes closed, my mouth parts.
“We need to go inside.”
“Yeah? You don’t want me to bend you over my bike and fuck you here and now? I know you’d like it.”
Teasing lips feather across my skin, reaching the outside of my nipple, sending an arousing shiver over my body.
“I do…” My breath hitches when his hand frees my nipple, his mouth ravaging it. Between my legs, my desire burns. “But I don’t want your brothers to watch.”
A warm breath blows across my damp nipple, taunting my need for him.
“I don’t either. I’ll take you inside instead.”
“Promise?” I ask, gripping my fingers in his hair.
With a hiss, he looks at me with promising green eyes. “Yes.”
Walking into the clubhouse isn’t much different from being at my house on Serpent party nights. Clouds of cigarette smoke form an artificial ceiling above, dimming the ugly yellow lamps. Bold, skull and serpent emblems are like a sea of snakes before me. They’re everywhere I look. Beer bottles and liquor glasses clang on the tables in unison with the loud boisterous voices and music. I’m surprised to see a few jackets and vests that displa
y MC club emblems other than the Serpents. I look to Dominic.
“You allow other club members in here?’
With me in tow, he guides me to a table of Serpents I recognize.
“Just the bar and restaurant part of the clubhouse.” He points toward double doors on the left wall of the darkened room. “Not past those doors. That’s our personal clubhouse.”
A Serpent I’ve come to know as Mercy removes his arm off an empty chair. Dominic sits in it, pulling me into his lap.
A young prospect, not much older than me tilts his beer. “What can I get you to drink, Dom?”
Pride flashes in Dominic’s eyes when he brings his attention to the prospect.
“Two beers, two shots of whiskey.”
“You got it.”
With ease, he slips from his chair, headed toward the bar on the backside of the room. Dominic’s thumb slides into my jeans. Caressing me, he quickly falls into conversation with his brothers about their last ride and some club drama.
“Drake and Levi were bitching about how you handled Ditch’s actions,” Mercy shares.
His caressing stops. Fingers tightened, I know he’s holding back his real emotions, shielding them with an expressionless face.
“Yeah? Tell me about it.”
Tex’s eyes roll over my chest and face, then settle on Dominic with a seemingly careless expression. “You know how that clique of whiny asses are. They’re a bunch of boys trying to look out for one another.”
“If they got something to say, they should bring it to the board or to my face.”
“They haven’t been around much since Ditch got out of the hospital,” Mercy tells him behind a beer bottle headed to his lips.
This time, my muscles tighten and Dominic’s hand lifts to my back, caressing me as several eyes around the table take notice of my reaction.
“Excuse me,” I mumble, rising from his lap.
Standing, Dominic takes my hand, stopping me.
“Where you goin’, Sparrow?”
“Bathroom and to check on Alee.”
“What’s she doing tonight?”
“I don’t know which is why I want to find out.”
Clipped Wings : (A Kings MC Romance, Book 2, Standalone) Page 9