by Jade Kuzma
I looked at Roman and couldn’t help but giggle softly to myself. The blood in my veins was gone, replaced completely by alcohol. I didn’t know what came over me.
“Arthur hired you to protect me,” I said. “So… protect me.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Roman said.
“Show me what you got.”
I freed my hand from Roman and took a step back.
“If you can’t beat the shit out of this guy, then you’re not fit to watch over me,” I said.
“Are you fucking kidding me right now?” Roman said, his eyes wide.
The crowd in the parking lot started to gather around as the man moved closer to Roman.
“I haven’t seen you around here,” the man said.
He eyeballed the patch on Roman’s chest.
“Devil… There haven’t been any Devils in Ivory for years.”
“I said mind your own business…” Roman said, frustration growing on his face.
“Nah. I’ve always wanted to beat the shit out of a Devil. Now’s my chance.”
“Tonight is not a good night to start shit with me.”
“Oh, I think it is.”
The man suddenly took a hard swing at Roman. I gasped as Roman ducked out of the way and threw his on fist in response. Blood splattered on the asphalt along with what sounded like a tooth. The man slumped to the ground in a heap on his back. He stopped moving except for his chest as he took deep breaths in his unconsciousness.
It all happened so quickly that I wasn’t sure how to respond.
“Motherfucker,” Roman muttered.
He shook his hand. Seeing Roman grimace suddenly sobered me up a bit.
“There?” he said as he held his hand out to the man on the ground. “That good enough for you?”
“Okay,” I sighed. “You win.”
He kept staring at me. I was expecting him to be angry with me. But then the strangest thing happened.
The tiniest little smirk formed on his lips. If my cheeks weren’t already red from the alcohol, they would have flushed with embarrassment from the way he smiled. I bit my bottom lip and grinned back at him.
“Come on,” he said as he got onto his bike. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
Seeing Roman on his bike was an inviting sight. I hopped onto the seat and wrapped my arms tight around him.
The bike sped off down the road. Finn’s was gone and all of the drama of the night along with it.
Chapter 5
ROMAN
I wiped away the blood on my knuckles then examined them a little closer. The pain had subsided as quickly as it happened, so I knew the injury wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been.
I sat on the edge of the bed in my hotel room and listened to the sound of Mia finishing up in the bathroom. A few seconds later, she stepped out looking a lot fresher than she did when I first saw her. It was a remarkable difference.
Even though she had so much to drink, she was still something to look at. Long, flowy black hair. Tan skin. Full lips with a tinge of red lipstick on them. Deep brown eyes.
Then there was her outfit. A slim waist with a top that hugged her tits just right. She was a foot shorter than me but she still carried herself with a confidence I wasn’t used to seeing. Maybe it was just because I’d been around Ivory women all my life that made her seem so different. Or maybe she really was the daughter of a Mafioso, so she had reason to be as confident as she seemed.
Right now though, she seemed a little sheepish for whatever reason.
“Sorry,” she said.
“Sorry?”
“About your hand. I didn’t mean to get you into trouble.”
“Oh… This… Well, that’s what happens when you throw a punch. You try to aim for the jaw but sometimes you get the teeth. Guys at Finn’s are always looking for an excuse to throw hands.”
Mia took a seat on the edge of the other bed right across from me. She kept staring at the bloody knuckles on my hand.
“I think he got the worst of it,” she said.
“Poor bastard crossed the wrong motherfucker…”
“It was the alcohol that made me do it.”
“Was it?”
“Well…”
She gave me an impish little grin. All I could do was chuckle and shake my head.
“I figured if Arthur sent you, I had to make sure you were capable of doing the job,” she said. “You wouldn’t be much of a bodyguard if you couldn’t protect me from a single biker.”
“There’s a difference between protecting you from a biker and starting shit. Just because I can doesn’t mean I go looking for trouble. Don’t make my job harder than it has to be.”
“I know,” she said, still grinning at me. “It… It won’t happen again.”
“Right.”
I sighed a deep breath and examined my knuckles.
“I’ve gotta admit, I’m a little surprised,” she said.
“Surprised?”
“Yeah. I mean, don’t take this the wrong way, but you don’t exactly seem like the passive type. You’re not afraid of getting your hands dirty, are you?”
“If that’s your way of calling me some kind of a wimp, who’s afraid of getting into a fight, I can tell you that isn’t the case. I’ve been getting into scraps since I was a kid.”
“Then why—”
“I just did a four-year bid. I’ll be on parole for a couple of years. I’m pretty sure getting into bar fights is a violation. Saying the woman I was paid to protect told me to slug a man wouldn’t be a very good excuse. I can handle jail. But if I head back, I’d need a better reason than this.”
“I suppose you would…”
Her smile grew even wider. The way she smiled made her whole face beam. White teeth. Dimples on her cheeks. It was hard not to chuckle from the way she was looking at me even though I wasn’t in the best mood.
“Why the hell did you decide to go Finn’s?” I said.
“Oh… Right… Well… When Arthur and I got into town, I told him I wanted to go out while he did his business. I got into a cab and told him I wanted to go to the most exciting place in town. And that’s how I ended up in Finn’s.”
“Things could’ve ended up a lot worse if I hadn’t shown up.”
“I can see that now. What’s the deal with Finn’s? There are a lot of bikers in that place…”
“It’s not just Finn’s. It’s the entire town. The MCs here are an institution. They’re what make Ivory the city that it is. If you live here long enough, you start to get used to them.”
“I see… And your club…”
She stood up then took a seat right next to me. She ran her fingers on the fabric on my patch. I looked into her eyes as she gazed at it. There was a wonder in the way she stared that couldn’t be faked.
“West Devils… Is that your club?”
“Was my club,” I said.
“What do you mean?” she said, looking up at me.
There was a curiosity in her eyes. It was just as genuine as it had been this entire time. I stared at her and felt something in my chest. I almost wanted to tell her everything.
Stupid…
I swallowed to push everything down and shook my head to break myself out of the trance that I didn’t realize I was in.
“It’s a long story,” I said.
“I’ve got all night to listen.”
“But I’m not in the mood to tell it. Look, you don’t need to worry about my club or what the patch means. All you need to know is that your fiancé hired me to do a job and I’m gonna do it. I’ll be by your side the entire time.”
“Even if I go looking for trouble?”
She gave me a half-smirk that got a laugh out of me.
“Even if you go looking for trouble,” I said with a nod.
She stared at me like something was on her mind. When the smile left her face, it became more obvious.
“You all right?” I said. “You want another drin
k?”
“No,” she scoffed. “I think I’ve had enough to drink tonight.”
“Then what is it? Is there something you need?”
“I…”
She put her head down. She stared at the floor like all the gears in her head were turning. The way she looked… She might have carried herself with a quiet confidence but there was an innocence about her, too. It was hard not to notice how suddenly worried she looked.
“What is it?” I said.
Her throat shifted with a swallow.
“I came here because Arthur is here to do business,” she said. “It was supposed to be an opportunity for me to get to know him better. Before the wedding at the end of the summer.”
“And you want to be with him. You miss him.”
“No,” she said with a laugh, shaking her head. “I don’t miss him at all. I barely know him.”
She looked up at me suddenly. She had these deep brown eyes that I could get lost in. I stared at her and found myself trying to keep my focus.
She inched closer to me on the bed. Her perfume was sweet in my nostrils. Spending four years behind bars, anything feminine smelled like the sweetest thing in the world.
Her face drifted toward mine. My mind was blanking as my face drifted closer to hers.
“You’re engaged,” I whispered.
“I know,” she said. “But I don’t care about him.”
Her breath was warm on my lips. She was so close I could almost taste her.
“Why would you marry me a man you don’t care about?”
“It’s a long story.”
Her eyes started to flicker closed.
“I’ve got all night to listen.”
“But I’m not in the mood to tell it.”
I closed my eyes and let go.
Damn…
Her lips were so fucking soft. It’d been way too fucking long.
I reached my hands up and wrapped them around her. She moaned into my mouth, inviting me even closer. I held her tight as I shoved my tongue between her teeth.
It felt like a dream but I knew she was real because I could taste all of the alcohol. She kissed me with the kind of passion like she’d been missing it just as much as I did. She moaned into my mouth as our kiss got deeper.
She ran her hands over the back of my head, pulling me closer to her. I ran my fingers underneath her top. Her soft skin against my palm was enough to make my cock swell in my pants.
Roman…
There was a voice in my head. An annoying voice that was ruining this moment for me. A 21-year-old woman who’d come out of nowhere was right here in front of me. She was kissing me in my hotel room. Nothing could stop us except for that fucking voice in my head.
Roman…
“I want you,” she whispered. “Please…”
I pulled away from her and opened my eyes long enough to stare into her eyes. We were both breathing hard. I was fighting all of the fucking hormones that were pumping in my veins and making my cock as hard as a rock in my pants.
Roman…
But that damn voice wouldn’t go away. The voice that sounded just like Sebastian telling me to knock it off. He was trying to reason with me but I pushed it aside.
I grabbed Mia by the arms and brought her face back to mine. Another deep kiss was even sweeter than the last one. The way she moaned softly started to drown out all of the doubts in my head.
Roman… A hundred grand… A hundred thousand fucking dollars…
I gasped as my senses slammed into me like a ton of bricks. I pulled away from Mia and let go. I jumped to my feet and turned my back to her.
Goddammit.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to compose myself. Then I slowly turned back around toward her. Mia sat on the edge of the bed, a bit of concern on her face.
You gonna throw away a hundred grand for this bitch?
When I opened my eyes, I saw her staring back at me. Her eyes narrowed and unblinking. A damn seductress.
It’d been too long. Too fucking long.
I rushed my face back to hers and kissed her. There was no turning back now.
Mia took the initiative. She fumbled my shirt up enough just to get to my belt buckle. She undid my belt and zipped me down quick like she’d done it before. My cock was so hard it fucking hurt at this point. She freed my dick from its restraints, letting my jeans and underwear fall down to my knees.
She looked up at me, her eyes seducing me and erasing all of my thoughts except the ones on her. Her tongue lashed out and licked my tip. I tensed up from the feeling.
I waited too damn long for this…
I gripped the back of her head and forced her mouth on me. She sealed her lips and complied. The wet warmth of her mouth made my knees buckle. I exhaled a deep sigh of ecstasy while she proceeded to go to work.
I was never one to brag about the women I’d been with. Motherfuckers talked about hooking up with broads because of their own insecurities. I didn’t give a shit what other men thought about it. But the way Mia sucked me off… I almost wanted to tell someone else how good it was.
Her tongue on the underside of my shaft. Her spit drenching me and making it easier for me to slide my dick even farther down her throat. The gagging sound she made to try and accommodate me.
I fell deeper down into her seduction. My fingers tightened on her grip and hair to the point that I was doing all the work. I rifled my hips back and forth. She kept groaning in ecstasy with every thrust.
Her hands reached up and grabbed my ass. She dug her nails into my skin. All it did was make me fuck her mouth even harder.
I kept pumping until I couldn’t take it any longer. My balls were tight up against me. My muscles were getting sore. My dick was on the verge of fucking exploding with a bit of cum leaking out of me.
I held her head in place as tight as I could and finally lost myself.
I fired the first shot of cum into her throat and grunted. My knees buckled but I dug my boots into the floor. Another dose of my seed made it hard for me to stay standing. I kept my cock buried in her mouth as every drop spilled out of me. I’ve waited years just do to this to a woman again. I was gonna enjoy every second of it.
Mia gagged a moan as she swallowed me down. She didn’t protest. There was nothing more satisfying than a woman doing whatever it took a woman to please a man.
But when my orgasm ended, my thoughts cleared. Everything came back to me.
My cock flopped out of her mouth. Mia inhaled a deep gasp to catch her breath. Spit dripped down her chin with a bit of my cum mixed in with it. She stared up at me, her eyes watery.
Out of all the women in the world…
A man always made the wrong decision when he was horny. His dick never cared about anything else but being satisfied. As I looked down at Mia, I wasn’t sure what to think.
Damn…
She looked good with that cum on her chin. A slight grin on her face told me she probably enjoyed the way she looked. That fucking stare of hers hadn’t changed.
“Shit,” I muttered.
I pulled my jeans back up and shook my head.
“What’s wrong?”
“I think you know what’s wrong,” I responded.
“What do you mean—”
“I was hired to protect you. That’s it. There’s too much money on the line.”
“Money…”
The smile left her face. She nodded softly and blinked her eyes.
“…Right.”
“Go to sleep,” I said as I turned my back to her. “I’m sure you’ve had a long night.”
“Yeah,” she sighed. “I guess you’re right.”
I headed toward the bathroom to clear my head. Just before I got inside, I turned around to check on her. Apparently, the wild night at Finn’s had taken a toll on her and she was already fast asleep. She looked peaceful.
I couldn’t let anything else cloud my judgment. I had a job to do. Protecting her was my only priority
.
Chapter 6
MIA
“I’m fine. Really.”
“You didn’t return any of my phone calls. You didn’t respond to any of my messages.”
“I know. I just… I had something to drink and I fell asleep.”
“You fell asleep?”
“Don’t worry. That guy you sent for me found me. He did his job.”
I looked over at Roman on the other side of the room. There was a brief moment of silence between Arthur and me.
“Try not to get yourself into trouble.”
“Ivory doesn’t seem like a very troublesome town.”
“Perhaps. But I think you can appreciate the sensitive nature of my business. The man I hired for you isn’t a chauffeur or valet. He was hired to protect you.”
“I’m not a child. I understand.”
“…All right. I’ll see you later this afternoon for lunch. Your father wanted us to take this opportunity in Ivory to get to know each other better. I’ll have some free time then.”
“Yeah… Sure…”
I didn’t bother trying to hide my reluctance to talk to him. As soon as the conversation was over, I let out a soft sigh of relief. I put my phone down and Roman walked toward me.
I was a little hungover but the image of Roman hadn’t changed from the man I first met last night. Tattoos on tan skin. Veiny muscles on his arms hidden underneath a tight t-shirt and a leather vest. Oh, and there were those eyes of his. The morning sun seemed to make his blue eyes shimmer in a way that it was hard not to stare.
He placed a cup of coffee down on the table then took a seat in front of me.
“Thanks,” I sighed. “I know you weren’t hired to take me around town but I really do appreciate.”
“Don’t worry. It’s been a long time since I’ve been to Amy’s. I’m doing this for me.”
He gave me a smirk then took a bite out of his donut. The way his eyes narrowed when he smiled made me giggle.
“Amy’s,” I said as I looked around. “Is that what this place is?”
“Amy’s Bakery has been around for a long time. There’s no better place in the entire world to have a cup of coffee and a donut like this.”
“I wouldn’t expect a man like you to enjoy donuts and coffee.”