“Aye. She out drank ya, did she?” Dad laughs. “You ride?” Dad asks in a more jovial tone.
Corbin looks away and starts to tell him about the bike outside, and how he inherited it. My gaze drifts to Austin who is barreling towards me. I don’t think he sees me. He is running from Becca at full speed. When he finally notices me, he tries to come to an unsuccessful stop. He grabs my arm in an attempt to soften the impact. This lightens the blow, however my beer has now foamed up over the top from the collision and is all over the front of my shirt.
“S-s-s-sorry Maura,” Austin stutters. I swing my arm around his neck pulling him into a headlock. I start to give him a noogie. My knuckles hit his wild red curls.
“It’s okay ya little shit.” I say joking. Normally Austin would be squirming and fidgeting, but it almost seems like he is curling into me. What the hell? I look down, my beer drenched shirt apparently gave me a serious case of T.H.O.
“Eww, get lost.” I push the little creeper off of me.
My dad laughs again. “Maura, you might want to go take care of that.”
“I think I have a few things in your closet. Can I have the keys for your room? I Ieft my set at home ”
“Sure.” Dad hands me the keys. I notice Corbin staring at me, his molten gaze ignites my skin, giving me goosebumps. I guess my wet t-shirt has affected more than just the gangly red head. I give Corbin a kiss on his cheek.
“I’ll be right back.”
I make my way down the hall towards my dad’s room. Although he lives with me at the cottage, there are plenty of nights that he stays here so he still keeps a room. There are five rooms, all of which resemble an efficiency type apartment. It’s an open layout with a bathroom and small kitchenette which has a sink, a cupboard, and a mini fridge. Most of the rooms have a couch and a bed, but my dad has a full size bed instead of the standard king size. There is a twin bed in the room for me. Dad would take me every year and let me pick out a new comforter for the bed. It was a small gesture, but I knew he was trying to let me make this space feel like mine.
I take off my purple shirt leaving my black tank on. I grab a towel and pat dry my tank top. Then I find a long sleeve black Harley Davidson shirt that has an outline of a bike similar to mine; hot pink and sparkly. Since I’m here I use the bathroom and freshen up my make-up. When I walk out of the bathroom I find Dawson sitting on the side of my bed with his head hung down. I didn’t hear him come in.
Unlike Corbin who is clean cut, Dawson has a goatee. His hair is dark and longer in length; long enough that he can pull it back into a small ponytail. Right now, he has a few pieces hanging over his brown eyes. He is an attractive man, and if I didn’t think of him like he was blood, I might be interested.
“Daws, what are you doing here?” I move over to him and sit down next to him on the bed. I might not return his feelings, but he is one of my best friends, a brother. He doesn’t answer me. I brush his hair out of his eye and tuck it behind his ear. He turns his face to look at me. I see a flash of hurt in his eyes that quickly changes to a colder look.
“Me? What are you doing here?” He counters.
“I had to change my shirt. Austin soaked me.” I shake my head and am slightly confused.
“Not here in this room, here with this guy?”
“Daws, don’t okay? Corbin is really sweet. He makes me feel safe and cared for. I really care about him, and I want to see where this is going.” Dawson stands from the bed.
“Care about him, huh? Well, I don’t just care about you. I fucking love you.” A pang of hurt spreads through my heart. I don’t like the idea of hurting Dawson. His voice is starting to get heated and raised. “Do you think he loves you? You know he won't be able to see past the club. He won't understand.”
“He’s here, isn’t he?” I say rising on my feet to meet his stare. Yes, he is hurt. But who the hell does he think he is?
“If you think for one second he is here to stay, you're wrong and you know it. He’s probably only here because you let him into that tight pussy of yours. You did, didn’t you? You spread your fucking legs for the first guy who might have the smallest chance of coming up against me. And I say small because I don’t give a fuck how big that dude is, I will take him out. So answer me, Maura,” he grabs me by the back of my hair. It’s tight enough that I can't move my head without it pulling. He brings my face right next to his, close enough to kiss me, “Does it feel good being a whore?”
I bring my hand up to hit him, and he grabs my wrist before I can connect.
“Truth stings, doesn’t it?” He lets go of my hair and wrist, and shoves me away from him.
Tears cloud my vision, but I will not let them fall. “I’m the whore? Me? You are the one who has been sticking your dick in anything with two legs. And the only reason you want me is because I will never, and I mean never, let your little filthy dick anywhere near me. Now, get the fuck out of here.” I'm so angry.
Get out!” I roar.
“I’ll go, but I’m not wrong.” Dawson says in a more quiet, calm voice. He turns and leaves the room, but not before giving me an icy stare.
I'm left standing in my room, angry at his words, fearful that there may be some truth behind them, and mostly I hurt because despite the anger from Dawson, I can tell how much it hurts him to see me with someone. I don’t want him to hurt, but he has no right to try and make me feel like a whore. That self serving son of a bitch. I have to get out of here.
Chapter 6
As soon as I re-enter the main clubhouse area, I notice that many of the men are no longer in the room, which can only mean that Church is in session.
I lock eyes with Corbin. He is standing at the bar by himself, but turns and meets my gaze. He can see that something is wrong. It’s hard to miss with this damn fair Irish skin that gets blotchy and red when I get upset. I connect with him in the middle of the room and he pulls me protectively into his arms.
“Get me out of here,” I say into his chest. From the safety of his arms, a few tears that I am holding back slip free. Corbin doesn’t hesitate. He grabs my hand, and starts toward the door. We are about to step outside when Skaggs steps in front of the door, blocking our exit. Skaggs is a gangly guy, not much taller than me, but I know that he is decent with a knife.
“Where are you going, Miss Maura?”
“I’m leaving,” I say with certainty.
“They told me no one is to leave ‘til they’re done with Church.”
“Yeah well, you tell Mickey I’ll call him, but I’m out of here.” Skaggs grabs my arm. I think he was going to try and walk me in the other direction away from the door. Uh-oh, wrong move. Corbin’s eyes flash to me. He grabs Skaggs’ hand that is on my arm.
“You take your hand off of her. The only reason your arm is still attached is because Maura says you are like family to her, but if you don’t get the fuck out of her way, I will rip your arm off and shove it down your goddamn throat. Ya got me?” He angrily shouts and peels Skaggs’ hand away from my arm.
Skaggs, nearly a foot shorter than Corbin, tries to stand his ground, but I can tell he is scared. We brush past him, and walk out the door. Corbin gets on his bike, and I slide on behind him.
“Is it wrong that I'm completely turned on by you?” I say in his ear, loud enough that he can hear me over the rumble of his bike. I get a smirk in response that leaves my insides in all kinds of jittery excitement.
It’s late, and our single headlight is the only light on the road that wraps around the lake as we pull up to the cottages. Corbin parks the motorcycle next to my bike, but walks me back to his cottage. I don’t question this, but I’m surprised that we don’t go to mine. We walk inside and he guides me to the bedroom, and sits me down on the bed. I curiously watch as he reaches under the bed, and grabs his duffle bag, lifting it on the bed beside me. He opens the bag and takes out another cloth case. In the silence of the room I watch the Marine assemble a large black gun, moving quickly as he puts the scope on.
Next he takes two additional handguns, pops the clips out of each and loads bullets. I observe the stealth-like way my Marine does this. He sets the guns down on the nightstand next to the bed. This whole process maybe takes a minute or two, and I'm a bit amazed at the ease with which he accomplishes this. I don’t question him. I just sit and stare at him in awe.
He walks in front of me, and strokes the side of my face. I can’t get over the gentleness that he shows me. In two days, I trust him completely. In my life it can be a dangerous, if not deadly thing to let someone in so easily, however Corbin Marx is not just anyone. I’m starting to feel like if ever there was a man who could capture my heart and protect it, protect me, just by his presence alone, it would be Corbin. Not only am I finding strength and comfort in him, but it’s so much more than that. I feel as if my soul is tethered to his. Calling me. Taunting me. Teasing me. Craving Me. It beckons me so fiercely that I'm unsure I can ever walk away.
”What happened back at the club?” Corbin asks me, bringing me out of my thoughts. I’m not sure what I want to tell him about Dawson.
“Daws had some things to say. Some of which had to do with how you’re only here for a few weeks, and he is afraid that I’m setting myself up to be hurt since you’ll just be leaving. I’m not going to lie. There might be some truth there. Plus, today has been crazy. I’m sure you weren’t expecting that your calm vacation by the lake was going to be caught up in my drama.” I decide not to tell him Dawson’s messed up comments to me.
“Hey, look at me.” Corbin grabs my chin between his thumb and forefinger, and lifts my face so that I'm forced to make eye contact.
“What I said to Mickey about us,” he motions his hand between us, “about not letting you go, I meant that. So, things are messy and you were raised unconventionally. Let’s figure it out.”
“All right. Well, how long do we have before you're gone?”
“I have just over two weeks left. I travel a lot. Right now, I'm out of Quantico, about five hours from here. Sometimes, I have recon missions where I'm off the grid and you won't be able to get a hold of me. I often have to report to D.C. so I’m usually stateside at least once a month. I’m in dangerous situations...a lot, but I'm very good at what I do. The real question is, can you handle this?” The sincerity in his eyes leaves no room for doubt. I'm falling for him and there is no way I could let him go if I tried. There is that saying about the heart wanting what it wants well….
“I want to try,” I say in a sultry way.
His mouth comes crashing down against mine. He leans down over me, pushing me backwards onto the bed. One arm is holding himself up while the other hand hitches under my leg moving me upwards on the bed. He positions himself between my legs. My hands quickly make their way under his t-shirt, and I start to run my fingertips up his rippled abs and chest. I find myself tugging to get his shirt off. I feel his hardened body pressed between my sex, and I want every inch of him inside of me. I start to go for the button on his pants, my fingers slipping the button through the hole. Corbin grabs my hand to stop me.
“Not yet, beautiful Maura. I've been waiting to taste your sweet pussy all day.”
Corbin’s dirty talk has me turned on even more. He sits up grabbing my jeans and panties, pulling them down off of my hips. He stands and continues getting me naked from the bottom down, lifting each leg in the air as he slides the leg of my jeans off. Corbin kneels on the floor and pulls my body to the edge of the bed. He slides his finger between my slick folds.
“So wet for me.” His face comes between my legs and his mouth begins assaulting my clit. His tongue is ravishing my sweet core, sucking and flicking the pink skin.
“Mmmm... perfect,” he mumbles between strokes.
I'm so turned on, I grab my own breast in my hand and start to roll my nipple the way Corbin rolled it earlier. He sees me do this and I notice his eyes flicker a pleased grin. He slips a finger inside of me and I cry out in pleasure. He adds another finger and begins to pump those fingers back and forth while still sucking on my clit. I start to feel my body tighten in response to this and the pressure is building. I am about to scream out, when suddenly Corbin stops and is slamming his hand over my mouth.
“Shhh...someone’s outside.”
“It’s probably just my dad. You do realize we live together?” I say in a hushed tone sitting up.
“It’s not. No bike. Plus, pretty sure they just kicked in your door.” He is helping me with my clothes getting me dressed as quickly as possible.
“We’ll finish this later,” he whispers.
He grabs his gun, the long one that he had to assemble, and he brings it to the window.
“This scope has a night lens,” He looks through the black circular lens towards my cottage.
“Fuck! Listen Maura, I spotted two armed men. I need you to stay here. Can you promise me that? That you’ll stay here?” Corbin has a nervous tone to his voice.
“Just stay. They don’t know we’re here.” I plead hoping he will stay with me and this danger will pass.
“Maura, if I don’t go out there and protect you, who's to say that they don’t come back tomorrow or the next day or three weeks from now when I’m not here?” He asks, not really looking for an answer.
“I’ll be back soon. Stay in this room no matter what.” He says in a firmer tone. Then he leans down, kisses me on the head, grabs another gun and hands me the third, saying “just in case”, and leaves.
What. The. Fuck.
Does he not realize who my dad is? Who I am? Passive is not really in my fiery Irish blood. What if he needs me? I'm not going to sit back and let him get hurt because of me. Because of the club.
I’m about to walk out of the bedroom when I hear my phone chime signalling a text. I think that there is a chance that it is Corbin, so I fumble through my bag until I see the indicator light. As I reach for it, the phone chimes again. It’s Dawson.
Daws: sorry 4 b4 was pissed
Daws: Micks ticked u left
As much as I'm still angry at Dawson for his earlier words, he’s still my friend and I could really use one right now. I text back.
Me: Guys w guns. Corbin went out there
Daws: Where r u
Me: cottage next to ours
Me: Corbin went to my cottage going after
Daws: On r way, stay put
Daws: Stay put
God, what am I, a dog? What is it with everyone telling me to stay? I quietly exit the cottage, careful to not make any noise. There is a slight creak to the door, but I can’t do anything about that. I stay close to the house and run over the driveways that separate the cottages. My boots crunch over the gravel, so I slow my pace to try and quiet the impact. The air has a cool crispness to it that brings goosebumps over my skin.
I decide that I'm going to look in the window that is on the same side to see if Corbin needs me. I stay low in hopes to not let anyone know of my presence. What I see is shocking. Corbin is standing over two men, one which is barely conscious. I recognize him as the hoodie guy from earlier. His face is even more destroyed. Corbin kicks him.
“And that is for calling her a cunt,” I hear him say. My eyes are fixated. I am both a little mesmerized and frightened at what I see. He backhands the other guy.
“Tell me, what’s Raul planning?” Before I can hear the answer, I feel something cold and hard pressed against the back of my head.
“Listen bitch, do not say a fucking word or your daddy will be scraping your brains from the house for years. Understand?” I nod my head up and down to let him know that I understand. He walks me to the front of the house and swings the front door open. He nudges me into the living room holding the gun to the side of my head but keeping my body in front of his. If what I saw before was shocking, when we walk in, I'm even more shocked. Corbin drops the man he was questioning to the ground, his body lifeless and blood pouring from a hole in his head. Corbin’s eyes meet mine and a look of panic flashes across his face.
This is it. The moment something profound like my life flashing before my eyes should happen. But no. I’m afraid, yet fueled by adrenaline. Then there is Corbin, and this guy is a threat to us, I need to do something. Think Maura, think. What did Dad teach me?
I stomp down hard on the man's foot with my heel, and then immediately elbow him in his stomach. He is surprised, and his grip on me loosens. My eyes flash to Corbin. He has a gun pointed in my direction and I hear a loud pop. Time seems to move in slow motion. The bullet whizzes by my face, so close that I can feel the wind it creates as it cuts through the air. It hits the man next to me directly in the face. I start screaming. I fall to my knees, covered in blood, and I think, brain. My screams are deafening.
“It’s going to be okay. Shh...’”
I’m shaking and sobbing. Corbin literally just blew this man’s head off to protect me; save me. He kneels next to me and starts to wrap me in his arms, but just as he is about to do this, the last man on the ground must have regained consciousness. He’s found a weapon and cocks it back, aiming it at us. Before my mind has time to really register what is happening, Corbin has pulled his trigger again, and there is yet another man lying dead with a bullet in his head.
From growing up in the club I’ve seen my share of shit. I’ve seen men bloody and beaten and sometimes with holes in them, but I’ve never seen anything this bad.
My screams get even louder as Corbin kills the last man. My body is shaking. There is so much blood. I turn my head and start to vomit. Corbin just murdered three men. No, not murdered, protected me. The man had a gun to my head, and he would have killed me. Fuck, his brains just got blown out. I turn and wretch again. Corbin is holding me in his arms.
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