by Jani Kay
Countless sleepless nights in the Beverley Hills house convinced me never to push aside my gut instinct again. If I'd warned Cobra then, Mia might not have lost her baby and Cobra could’ve been spared the bullets that nearly ended his life.
If he laughed it off and ignored it, I'd at least have told him. It was time for our monthly meeting and all the boys were gathered around the big table in the clubroom. Ox had thrown out the hangers-on as well as the new barmaid because only patched members were allowed to attend these meetings.
I grabbed a beer and sat at my usual place at Cobra’s right hand. We didn’t say anything to one another; in fact, he looked surprised as hell to see me there. He stood at the head of the table, his legs spread wide and his arms folded across his chest as he waited for everyone to settle down.
Hammer laughed and elbowed me in the ribs. “We better get Ryder a fucking straight jacket. His tic is reminding me of Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther movie. Fucking hilarious.”
It wasn’t funny. My fucking eye had twitched all week. I didn’t know if Marianne had gypsy blood in her veins, but whenever I had a premonition, it usually came to being.
I cleared my throat. “Something’s wrong. Don’t ask me how I know, I just do. I had this same feeling in my gut before the shootout last time . . . but I ignored it because I thought it was fucked up. I'm not making that same mistake. You’ve got to stop this deal. Shit is going down.”
Christ, for once I hoped to be wrong. I was still trying to come to grips with what’d happened to Peanut; I didn’t have the slightest fucking inclination to cope with this shit. Cobra and I’d had our differences before, but it was reaching an all-time high.
“Listen to Ryder, brother, he’s always been right when he’s had these fucking hunches. Every fucking time. Even when we got Mia out of Mexico, and you said he was talking through his ass. Remember?”
Razor was an unlikely ally . . . he was hotheaded and acted on the spur of the moment; unlike me, who liked to think things through first.
“What? Now the fucking twitchy eye gives Ryder fucking superpowers? That’s bullshit and you both know it.” Grumpy as hell, Cobra frowned, his eyebrows knitted together as he stared us down as if we were crazy. “It's the way we’ve always done fucking business in the past. It worked for our pop when he was pres, and it will work for us.”
“Ha ha, that was before fucking Sons of Anarchy aired on TV. Now everyone is a fucking expert on how bikers do things, brother. The old ways aren’t going to work anymore.”
I’d never seen Razor challenge Cobra like he was today. It was a first I never thought I'd experience. My mouth hung slightly open as I watched the two brothers disagree, Razor and me on one side, and Cobra on the other. It had never happened before.
“Since you two fuckfaces became involved with those cousins, your brains have turned to shit. I'm the fucking pres; I make the fucking rules. Understood?”
Razor stood taller in his boots and crossed his brute arms across his chest. “Not if you’re gonna get us all fucking killed. I’m in the prime of my life, brother. I'm not going down for a harebrained scheme as old as the hills.”
Ratbag piped up from his corner. “Man, the thing that worries me most is how Texan disappeared. I'm convinced the cops snatched him. He’d never leave his bike in the middle of nowhere and not report back to the club in a week.”
“Yeah, about that . . . I’ve tried every informant we have—I can’t find a fucking thing on his whereabouts. That smells like shit to me,” Hammer said, deep worry lines etched into his forehead. If Hammer couldn’t find anything—online, or through his connections—nobody could.
Alarm bells went off in my head. Something major was going on. I probably looked like I was certifiable the way my fucking eye was twitching.
Ratbag jumped to Texan’s defense. “Hey, Texan would never spill his guts would he? I mean, he’s been a brother since he was a kid. Born into the biker fold. He’d die before he told anyone anything about what was going on.”
Razor lifted an eyebrow and shook his head. “You dumb Aussie, haven’t you learned anything about human nature? As soon as things turn to shit, survival instincts kick in . . . most fuckers I know would sell their mothers if it meant they’d stay alive. Seen it happen time and again. People suck.”
“Not our man Texan. He loves Scorpio Stingers. We’re his brothers, for fuck’s sake,” Ratbag insisted. Yeah, he always tried to see the good in people. That’s why I loved the motherfucker. Even if he was wrong this time.
“Ratbag, we have to consider all our options; even the unpleasant ones. Not because we don’t trust our brothers, but because we can’t take risks. You get that, huh?” Usually Ratbag listened to what I said. He’d adopted me as his older brother a long time ago and I was totally cool with that, although I was thankful I didn’t speak with the weird twang he did.
Cobra banged his fist on the table. Since the shootout he’d been moody and mercurial. I never knew what he was thinking any more.
The sad thing was that none of the brothers even knew about my and Jade’s loss. I couldn’t tell them, because talking about Jade would stir up all kinds of shit. As far as everyone at the club knew, I wasn’t seeing her any longer. Fuck, I didn’t know how to tell them the truth, and right now it was getting more difficult.
As if he’d read my mind, Cobra trained his gaze on me, a smirk on his face. “And just guess who’s causing all the shit? None other than that cop brother of Jade’s. Fucking Summers is up to something big. Our snitches have heard rumbles from the Special Ops office. There’s an election coming up, the head honchos want some action. You know what that means, huh?”
Chapter Forty — Harrison
Why was it that when I couldn’t sleep lately, I’d think of Eva? The way she moved across a room, they way her eyes sparkled when she spoke about her career, filled with passion and excitement, the way she placed her hand on my arm whenever she wanted to make a point, ever so casually so that it felt so natural, yet gripped my fucking heart into a vice and held it there for as long as she touched me.
I wanted to hear her voice, see her smile, and feel her warm skin on mine.
There was no denying it any longer. Eva excited me, filled my thoughts and raging cock with memories of her, even when I least expected it: at home, at work, in my sleep, for fuck’s sake. Since I’d met her, I couldn’t shake her, or get her smell out of my nostrils, her laugh out of my mind. I laughed—hard and cynical. I’d tried.
My gut instinct told me that in spite of her tough and sometimes aloof exterior, she would bend to my bidding in the bedroom. The harder the nut was to crack, the more I wanted to assert my dominance over it. I wanted Eva to yield to me. She was the one woman I hadn’t been able to fathom, the one who challenges all my senses.
I had to have her.
Over the years the craving to dominate had grown stronger. Most men with such tendencies found a submissive and trained her to their way, to serve their every need. But that would’ve meant commitment on some level; a kind of permanence I wasn’t ready for.
Sometimes I was lucky. Some of the women I fucked were naturally submissive and eager to please. I’d tie them up, sometimes blindfold them and have my way with them. But the problem with most submissive women was that they were extremely needy. They always wanted more. They needed a man to take care of them—there was no way I was getting in that deep. So when I found a woman willing to play along, I absolutely made the best of it, fucking her for hours on end, sometimes a full weekend before finally cutting the ties.
Forty minutes later, I found myself outside Eva’s apartment, lighting up a smoke and staring up at her window. I was a fucking coward, hoping to catch a glimpse of her, but not having the balls to call her and ask her on a date.
I knew why. She was connected to fucking Ryder Knox, the man I wished would disappear from my and Jade’s life. I'd be a fucking traitor if I let my attraction to Eva go any further while I warned Jade t
o stay away from Ryder.
But this was different. Wasn’t it? Eva was only Ryder’s half-sister. They didn’t grow up together. She had nothing to do with the criminal biker lifestyle I abhorred.
I stood leaning against the lamppost, lost in thought, when I felt a hand on my arm. Startled, I jumped and reached for my gun. Fuck, I’d lost concentration for a while, and getting caught off-guard rattled the shit out of me.
“Harrison? What are you doing here? Another taxi misfortune?” Her voice was low and raspy. I looked around for the dog, but all I saw were pools of light from the posts that spotlighted Main Street. No dog.
“Eva. I couldn’t sleep.” I offered by way of explanation, knowing it didn’t make any fucking sense. “Where’s the dog?”
Her face dropped. “Miu-miu is gone.”
“What? Where to?” Did dogs go on vacations or visits? Was there something I didn’t know that was a new trend?
“He stole her. His way of punishing me.”
“What the fuck? How?”
She placed her hand over her heart. “He had one of his guys break into the apartment. They kidnapped my puppy.”
If her eyes hadn’t looked so sad, her mouth turned down, I would have laughed. It was ludicrous. Who the hell kidnapped a fucking dog? And we were paying this moron from our hard-earned wages and heavy taxes? Christ almighty.
“Why would he do that?”
“Because he thinks it gives him power over me. That he can blackmail me into taking him back. He’s tried ever since he took her. But I won’t.” From the determined way her mouth was set, I hoped she’d stick to her decision. I didn’t want the fucking Senator back in her life. Not now, not ever.
She smiled, trying to lighten the mood. “And now he’ll be the one who has to take her out for toilet training at night.”
Her hand was still on my arm. Blood coursed through my veins, making me feel alive again. “Why can’t you sleep?” she asked, genuine concern in her velvety voice.
“I think I did a terrible thing,” I said simply. Had she heard about Jade losing the baby? During the daylight I was so fucking sure it was the right thing that had happened, but at night . . .
Worn out from weeks of sleeplessness, and not being out for pussy since the last time I’d found myself here, had fucked with my mind. Add to that my uncontrollable desire for revenge and I was one fucked up dude. Even I knew that. Sure, I’d jacked off a few times, and always to the image of Eva’s face, her tits, her pussy. Even though I’d never tasted them, just imagining them was enough to make me cum hard.
“Come upstairs. I’ll fix us a drink.” She pulled my arm playfully, taking a few steps backward toward the entrance.
“You should be sleeping. Don’t part-time psychologists who work as music executives need their beauty sleep?”
“So should you. Don’t stalkers who work as badass cops need their beauty sleep as well?”
I chuckled. I loved when she gave it as good as she got. Intelligent women turned me on beyond my wildest imagination. Sure, I sometimes fucked bimbos, but afterward it was always awkward when we had nothing to say to one another.
She led the way inside, and I watched her ass as she climbed the stairs, enjoying the view. I chuckled inwardly—men weren’t gentlemen letting ladies go first, no; it was so they could stare at the ass in their faces undetected and unashamedly. Worked for me.
Eva opened the door. It was warm and cozy inside, a fire crackling in the middle of the room from a sleek, modern double-sided fireplace. She pulled the scarf from around her neck and started unbuttoning her coat. I shrugged out of mine and placed it over the back of the armchair.
“You aren’t listening to me about locking your door. No wonder—”
Frustrated, I turned to look at her as I admonished her. But I couldn’t speak another word. I sucked in a breath as my gaze raked her body. She was wearing lacy red matching underwear only. They matched her heels. Fuck. My Adam’s apple bobbed as I swallowed the lump in my throat.
“You were saying?” she said, her voice low, her eyes pinning me.
“I . . . what I mean . . . er.” I gave up and just stared.
She laughed softly. “I wasn’t expecting guests tonight.”
Closing the distance between us with three long strides, I pulled her to me. “Where have you been, Eva?” My eyes bored into hers. Had she just come back from some dude’s place? Had she just been fucking someone? That would explain the racy underwear and no clothing under her coat.
“I believe that’s really none of your business, Harrison.”
It felt like she’d stuck a dagger into my heart. I ground my teeth together, trying to stay calm. Just the thought of another man touching her sent my blood to boiling point.
“Eva, such a tease. Have you been out fucking someone?”
Her eyes widened. She licked over her lips as she stared back at me without blinking. “No. Actually . . . I just went to mail a birthday card. I was already undressed, getting ready for bed, when I remembered. No harm done if I put on my coat, is there?”
“Good. I don’t want other men touching you.”
“Why is that, Harrison?”
“Fuck. I don’t know . . . just is.” I couldn’t explain this even if my life depended on it.
“You don’t contact me. I don’t see you for weeks. You show up at my doorstep unannounced. But you demand I don’t see other men? That’s a bit . . . strange, don’t you think?”
Acutely aware of her soft curves pressing into my hard body, I felt my cock stiffen. “God, Eva. If you must know . . . I can’t get you out of my mind. I keep thinking of you. What the hell have you done to me?”
Her breath hitched. “What have I done to you?”
“I’ve never been this obsessed with a woman, Eva. You’ve cast a spell on me.”
My hand snaked around her neck, pulling her body and her mouth closer to mine. Our lips brushed as I whispered. “I want to fuck you, Eva. Every day since I first laid eyes on you, I've wanted to fuck you. That’s why I'm here.”
“Is that right?” she breathed.
“Yes. I want to taste you, Eva. I want to slide my cock inside you.” I watched her eyes glaze over with lust. “I want you, Eva. Say yes.”
I held my breath as she hesitated. She swallowed hard. “Y . . . yes.”
My mouth crashed down onto hers. I kissed her with all the longing and lust I’d been holding back for so long. She had to know just how much I wanted her.
Her hands slid up my torso and around my neck, pulling my hair as I slid my tongue inside her mouth. She moaned as I lifted her leg up to my hip and slipped a finger under the lace, feeling for her wetness. I found her clit and rubbed it while she opened her neck to my mouth, her breath short, fast pants as I circled her wet and swollen nub.
“Oh, God,” she whimpered.
“Yes. To you, I am God. I need your submission, Eva. Give it to me.”
“What do you want, Harrison? Tell me.”
“I need you to follow my orders. Can you do that, Eva?” My voice was raspy. I was so near the edge of cuming in my pants, and she hadn’t even touched me yet. She was driving me fucking wild.
Eyes wide, she nodded.
“Have you ever done this before, Eva? Submitted fully to a man?”
“No. Never.” My cock jerked in my pants, throbbing like a motherfucker.
“Take it all off, Eva, while I watch. Then I'm going to tie you up and fuck you.”
With measured steps that took every inch of control I could muster, I walked toward the armchair and sat down, waiting for her to do as she was told. Her nipples were standing proud, pushing against the lace of her bra. Her breasts had already enlarged and were spilling deliciously over the top where the fabric ended. My cock ached so much I had to adjust it in my pants. An ever-growing wet patch marked exactly where the head lay, my pre-cum spilling forth. Her eyes went to the spot and a slow smile spread over her lips. She knew exactly what she did to me. Fu
ck.
She hardly hesitated. Her hand reached behind her back and undid the clasp of her bra. Good girl. I smiled as she pulled it from her body slowly, watching me from beneath her lashes, before she dropped it to the floor. As the cooler air hit her breasts, her nipples hardened even more.
I nodded approvingly. She was a fucking natural.
Next, she hooked her fingers under her panties and pushed them down. I swallowed, burning to see if she was smooth. She was. Fuck, I was practically salivating.
Her back was pencil-straight, and she remained graceful and dignified as she stepped out of the panties and kicked them to join her bra. Her eyes were pinned on me; we were watching one another, neither willing to look in another direction. My cock was so hard it stung.
“Keep the heels,” I growled. She was just about to say something, but the look on my face must have warned not to. Smart girl. She learned fast.
“Now go to your bed, and lie down spread-eagled. I want to see all of you. Everything.”
She gasped. Would she do as I asked? Submit without question?
For a few fleeting seconds I saw indecision flit across her face. She wasn’t used to taking orders from anyone. Good. That made her submission so much sweeter.
Her eyes shone brightly. She’d made a decision. One that was defying everything she had been taught. She had chosen to live on the edge. To go with this.
My heart raced as she turned and swayed her hips invitingly as she left the room. I should make her wait. Show her who was master. But my cock wouldn’t let me. I wasn’t thinking with the top head any longer.
Straining to control myself, I got up to check out the drinks cabinet. I opened the crystal decanter and sniffed. Perfectly matured, and just what I needed. I poured three fingers into a crystal glass and knocked it back at once. It burned down my throat. I pulled a face as the warmth spread through my body.
I was scared shitless. Never before had I wanted anything this much. It destroyed my plans of never getting involved with a woman. Sex once and let go. No ties, no tomorrows, that was how I operated. Add to that my uncontrollable desire for revenge and I was one messed up dude.