Finally, they entered a little room on the second floor. Fleur had a vague perception of it, but her eyelids were so heavy she couldn’t process it all. Tomorrow. She’d worry about it tomorrow.
Chapter Four
Lightning splayed across the sky, lighting the room through the open windows. The scent of rain was heavy in the air. A few seconds later a clap of thunder sounded in the distance. Beast sat in the dark watching the bed where his little pixie lay asleep like the dead. Doc had said she’d need to sleep off the drug, but the way Fleur had protested Beast had thought maybe she wasn’t feeling it. Apparently, she was.
He’d had time to reflect on everything that had transpired that night. It wasn’t over yet. There was still the fucking bartender and New Kid to deal with. The only thing he’d heard back from Thorn was a one-word message. “OK.” The president hadn’t sought him out, nor had the vice-president. Until they did, he wasn’t moving from Fleur’s side. Mainly because, if he did, he’d make his way to the basement where he knew the men were being held and he’d kill the fucking sons of bitches. Slowly.
“Ohhh.” A faint groan came from Fleur.
“Hey you,” Beast said, leaning over to brush one chestnut-colored curl from her forehead. The stubborn thing fell right back without even a moment’s hesitation. “How you feelin’?”
“Like I got run over by a train.” There was a pause. “And like a cat shit in my mouth,” she muttered, not moving a muscle.
Beast grunted. “Not surprised. How’s your back?”
She groaned before sitting up, moving her body slightly as if testing the waters. “Not too bad. Sore. Not unbearable.” She looked down at herself, then up at him. There was no fear in her eyes, and she seemed to be aware of herself. “This is not my shirt.”
“No. It’s not.”
When he said nothing else, she pulled up the covers and looked underneath before laying them back on her lap. “Not my boxers, either.”
“Nope.” Again, she seemed to wait for further explanation. When he offered none, she crossed her arms over her chest. “You wanna explain that?”
“Didn’t think your dress would be comfortable, so I put you in something that was.” She continued to stare at him. “Promise I didn’t look at you.” Which was a bold-faced lie and she knew it.
She snorted. “I just bet you didn’t. What time is it?”
“Five in the morning.”
“So I’ve not been sleeping that long.”
“No. But you slept like the dead. Willing to bet you need more.”
“Can’t argue with you there.” She groaned and swung those shapely legs of hers over the side of the bed.
“Not the best idea for you to get up yet.”
“Well, it’s either I get up or you’re going to have to change the sheets. I gotta pee, big guy.”
For such a tiny little thing she sure could be a spitfire. “I’ll help you. Can’t have you fallin’ on my watch.”
“Park it, big guy. You’re not helping me to the bathroom.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Keep it up and I’ll carry you and stay in there with you.”
Her eyes narrowed. “If you think you can bully me, think again. I will totally piss this bed full before I’ll let that happen. Once a fucking night is enough.”
That pulled him up short. “Didn’t mean to scare you,” he muttered. “I just --”
“You didn’t scare me. You tried to go all dominant and shit. I get that’s probably your personality, big as you are, but I’m not into it. I don’t respond to it. Especially not after this mess. Debbie makes me doubt myself and I get shy, which is why I ended up at that stupid club in the first place. I let her push me around. Not happening again.”
“Fuck,” Beast muttered. “I’m… uh…” He cleared his throat. “I didn’t intend to boss you around.” He never apologized as a rule. Apologizing meant admitting he was wrong, and he never second-guessed himself. His decisions kept his club -- his family -- safe. “Well, not much, anyway.”
She stood gingerly, taking it slow. Beast tensed up, not wanting to ignore her wishes but needing to make sure she didn’t fall. “Right. Very convincing, big guy.”
Her trek to the bathroom was uneventful, thank God, but Beast practically held his breath the entire time. Why did he even give a fuck? She was the one being stubborn. If she fell it was on her. Except he knew it would hurt him worse than it would hurt her.
“You should go back to sleep,” he said, trying not to sound too bossy.
She glared at him. “I should get a motel room, but it’s five in the morning. Rest assured that tomorrow I will.”
“Fleur, look. I’m just trying to help you. It was a rough night, and I’ve still got things to take care of. Fuckin’ New Kid and the fuckin’ bartender have still got to be dealt with. It would be much better if you stayed here with the club until all that’s gone away.”
“The club. You mean the Playground? I thought we were someplace else?”
“We are. Remember?”
“I thought I did,” she muttered.
“I’m the enforcer to Salvation’s Bane, an MC here in Palm Beach. We own the Playground as well as a couple strip joints. You’re at our clubhouse. Which means as long as you’re here, you’re under our protection. Which means, you follow my rules.”
“How did ‘our protection’ turn into ‘your rules?’”
“I’m the enforcer. I make the rules. As for protection, no one comes into our clubhouse and harasses our people. The entire club would fight to the death to protect anyone under our roof.”
“Sounds a bit farfetched.”
“It’s not. Just go back to sleep. In the morning we’ll sort it all out.”
She sat on the bed and sighed. “Look. Thanks for everything you did. If you hadn’t stormed into that room…”
“I did. That’s my job.” He knew he sounded gruff, but he had no idea how to handle this. He wasn’t smooth with women. They flocked to him because of his size and the fact he was a biker. It wasn’t that he wanted to fuck this girl, but he’d hoped to at least make a positive impression.
OK. Who was he kidding? He wanted to fuck her. Bad. Awful as it was, he kept seeing her naked body in his mind. Only, instead of writhing on the bed in pain as that fuckhead beat her with a whip, he wanted her writhing atop his body in ecstasy as he fucked her until they both passed out. And he could fuck for a long fucking time.
“I just want you to know I’m aware of how much trouble I was in and that you’re the one who got me out. I appreciate it.”
“So you understand I just want you safe. Right?”
“I know where you’re going with this, Beast. I get you.” She tucked her legs back under the covers and curled onto her side before looking up at him again. “I’ll stay until you tell me it’s safe. You’ll have to clue me in to the rules, though. Because I have no clue how I should behave in an MC clubhouse.” Her brows furrowed. “Do you even say it that way? Is it a motorcycle club clubhouse?”
His own chuckle surprised Beast. He wasn’t the kind of man who laughed much. “The only rule you need to worry about is to do what I tell you. Beyond that, there aren’t many rules. Don’t betray the club. Don’t talk about anything you see here unless it’s with me. That’s it. The girls will probably test you, but that’s normal.”
“Test me?”
“Oh yeah. They got Vicious’s ol’ lady drunk at the first party she went to.”
“That doesn’t sound too bad.”
“Well, once her inhibitions were gone, she put on a show like no one had ever seen. And we own two strip clubs.”
“Wow. Was she pissed?”
He shrugged. “Don’t know what she said to Vicious in private, but I can tell you it backfired mightily on the girls. They all got laid, but every single man in the club had visions of Lucy in his head when they fucked, I can tell you that.”
She opened her mouth then closed it. Tried again. “I have no idea what to sa
y to that.”
He snorted. “Not much to say. Everyone had a good time and Vicious learned a thing or two about his ol’ lady. Mainly that she’s an exhibitionist.”
“Holy shit!”
That got a chuckle out of him. Again, it startled him that the sound came so easily. It made his chest feel funny, too. OK, so it wasn’t the sound of his laughter that got him. It was the woman in front of him. She made him do it so easily. Almost casually. Every time he did it, he could see her lips twitch. Most of the time, her smile followed. And it was a glorious smile. Fucking glorious! Just like the sunshine he’d nicknamed her.
“Yeah. That’s what we said. They tend to not be discreet about fuckin’. Vicious has always been up for a good time, but I think he’s met his match in Lucy.”
“I think I better sleep on this. You know I’m probably not going to do anything like that while I’m here. Right?”
“Sunshine, no one expects you to. Join in the fun, watch, or don’t participate in any way. Stay for the food until you see it’s goin’ in a way you are uncomfortable with. No one judges.”
She yawned and stretched, pulling his shirt tight over her tits before she adjusted it absently. Thing nearly swallowed her whole, but she’d gotten tangled settling into bed. “What about you? You judging me for what happened in the club?”
That hit him like she’d slapped him. “Sunshine, none of that was your fault.”
“I didn’t have to walk in there. I could have said ‘no’ to Debbie. I willingly went into a BDSM club, knowing what went on there.” She shook her head slightly. “More precisely, I thought I knew what went on, but that’s not the point.”
“Then what is? ‘Cause, I gotta tell ya, I’m not likin’ where you’re goin’ with this.” Did she really think he’d take advantage of her just because she was in a place like that? “I work there, honey. I’m there every fuckin’ night it’s open. I’ve seen lots of women come and go. Literally. In all senses of the word. All different shapes, sizes, colors, and sexual orientation. They come there for even more different reasons. Some want to fuck anything moving anywhere they can. Others want to find a Dom who can care for their needs, not all of them sexual in nature. Then there are the ones who are just curious. They come in wanting to watch and fantasize. I think you fall into the latter category, though, I bet I could make you want to try at least some of the shit goin’ on in there.”
“In your dreams, big guy.” She yawned again. “That’s not me.”
“Whatever you say, Sunshine.”
He sat back in the chair he’d pulled near the bed and sprawled out. It wasn’t the most comfortable place in the world, but he didn’t want to leave her alone until Doc said it was OK. The longer he sat there, the more uncomfortable it got. And not because of the chair. Picturing Fleur at one of the club’s wild and rowdy parties was getting him hard. Maybe she’d participate, maybe she wouldn’t. But she’d watch. She’d be there. He’d just bet he could coax her behind a palm tree or something. If not, he’d still get to enjoy watching her watch others.
Fuck.
“Gideon?” That sleepy, sultry note to her voice was the nail in his coffin. His cock was sprung like a fucking teenager. Barely suppressing his frustrated groan, he sat up a little straighter.
“You all right, Sunshine?”
“Uh, yeah. I’m fine. I just… well, that chair can’t be comfortable. Why not go on to your room? I promise I won’t get up by myself. You’ve done enough for now.”
“This is my room. And I’m not leavin’ you by yourself. Just go back to sleep.”
There was another long silence. Then, “Beast.” Her tone brooked no nonsense, a bit of a dominant tone to it when he was certain that wasn’t her core personality. He also noticed she used his street name, not his given name. “Just get in the fucking bed, will you?”
“Snippy little thing, huh?”
“I’m not lying here while you’re in that stupid chair like a dumbass. There’s plenty of room in here for both of us.”
“Not afraid I’ll take advantage?”
“Oh, I’m sure you’ll take advantage. But I’m not in a position to be taken advantage of by you, and you’re not the kind of guy to push it.”
He stood and crossed to the bed. Instead of going around to the other side where there was more room and he wouldn’t crowd her, he slipped in close to her small body. “You sure about that?” He took her little hand, his big one wrapping completely around her wrist with room to spare, and pulled it to his crotch. “‘Cause I ain’t sure my own Goddamned self.”
Instead of pulling away, she wrapped those slim fingers around his cock through his jeans. “Absolutely,” she answered. Did she sound a little breathless? “If that was the kind of man you were, you wouldn’t have rescued me from those creeps in the first place.”
Beast let go of her wrist but covered her hand with his, pressing it against his dick so he could move a little and have at least some of the friction he wanted. “You’re gonna be the fuckin’ death of me, woman.”
“Don’t want to kill you,” she purred. “If I did, I wouldn’t get to decide if I wanted to experience what you’ve got down there.”
“Oh, you ain’t decided?” Was she playing with him? And why did he like it so fucking much?
“I’m still a little high, Gideon. But I’m not going to lie. I think I might want you, and I have no idea why. I’m not an innocent, but this isn’t me.” She frowned a little. “At least, it’s not who I’ve been since I had to grow up. Now, I’m wondering what partying would be like as an adult.”
“Bane can certainly give you the full experience, if you want it.”
“Not the club, Beast. You. I can’t process the whole club. That’s just too much. But I might be willing to stick with you for a while to see what it’s like.”
“Good idea, Sunshine,” he said, thrusting against her hand once more before pushing it away and turning her over. He spooned her close, making sure to wedge his hard dick between her cheeks as much as he could, giving a good, hard thrust for good measure. She lay on his arm and he curled it around her, his forearm pressed tightly against her breasts, his hand stroking her arm. His other hand rested on her hip, and he desperately wanted to stroke it over her ass.
She shivered in his arms. Good. She wasn’t unaffected. Then she wiggled against him -- just a little -- and shivered again.
“You good? Not scared of me, right?”
“N-no.”
“Horny?”
“You could say that,” she said with a nervous chuckle. “I’ve got a rough, ruggedly handsome man in my bed with an impressive-feeling dick between my ass cheeks. It’s enough to make any woman horny.”
“Can’t say I’m not glad to hear that,” he admitted.
She stretched, thrusting out her chest as she curled an arm around his neck, hissing out a little breath. Beast wanted nothing more than to cup those breasts of hers in his big palms but didn’t dare. Anything that happened tonight was going to be her doing. And he wasn’t fucking her, much as he wanted to. Her admitting she was still buzzed negated that idea. Not that he wouldn’t enjoy fucking her when she’d been drinking -- drunk sex could be good sex -- but not for their first time. And not when she hadn’t given him express permission before she’d gotten drunk. All that made him a better man than he fucking wanted to be.
“Touch me, Beast,” she whispered.
“You want my hands on you?”
“Desperately.”
“You’re gonna have to put them where you want them, Sunshine. You’re still buzzin’ from the GHB, and I’ve done all I’m willing to do on my own.”
“Even if I told you I wanted to?”
“Especially if you told me you wanted to. Anything you want, you’re gonna have to do on your own, and it stops before my cock gets close to your pussy.”
“Oh, God,” she whimpered.
Again, he found himself chuckling. “You like me talkin’ dirty to you?”
<
br /> “Yes. I love dirty talk.”
“That how your other men get you off?” The thought of her with another man sent his hackles rising. A new experience for him since he could give a good Goddamn how many lovers a woman had before him as long as she could satisfy him.
“No,” she answered softly. “Never had anyone who wanted to.”
“Can’t imagine a man not wanting to make his woman wild for him. What kinda dumbasses you been fuckin’?”
She stiffened. “The kind who aren’t bikers or in charge of BDSM clubs,” she snapped. “Maybe you should leave.”
“Hit a nerve?”
“Just because I’ve not had a guy talk dirty to me doesn’t mean I need it to have a good time.”
“Relax, there Sunshine. I was just messin’ with you.” There was that damned chuckle he wasn’t used to.
“Bastard,” she muttered.
Fleur was still for a long time, and Beast thought she might have drifted off to sleep, but then she shivered again, wiggling her ass and driving his cock deeper between her cheeks. “Beast?” Her voice was soft, as if testing to see if he was still awake.
“What is it, Sunshine?”
She took a deep, shuddering breath. Then moved his hand under her shirt to cup her breast.
Reflexively, Beast squeezed, kneading her tit. He was gentle at first, then she whimpered and thrust her chest at him, tightening her grip on his hand, urging him to squeeze harder. He obliged her happily. His lips found her neck, and he trailed his tongue along the skin there. Fleur threaded her fingers through his hair and pulled him tighter to her.
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