I'm just beginning to drift into a relaxed state when someone knocks on the bedroom door. My heart stops from the sudden break in silence and I cover myself with my hands. "Who is it?"
"Bree." I hear before a second, lighter knock. "I thought you might like some company."
Crap. I'd rather be left to wait out my sentencing in the tub, but Bree and I have a special bond. When she first came to the club, most of the membership rejected her while the sweetbutts hated her for being the one to finally tame Bear. All of the sweetbutts but me. I had Gears and as much as I admire Bear's leadership skills and smoking body, hot headed isn't my type.
"I'll be right out," I say, slipping as I stand in the bath and reach for the towel from the rack on the wall. I owe Bree, and being honest with myself, she's the only person in the club who would come close to understanding how I feel right now.
I slip into Doc's undershirt and boxers, wrap the towel around my wet hair, and crack the door open to find Bree standing with a bottle of wine resting between her hand and her hip and two glasses in the other. "Thought you could use some girl time. It's my payback for when you helped me out when I first came here."
I smile. Bree is so different from Bear, like the ocean and the moon dated and somehow they make it work. I open the door fully and she steps in before closing it quickly behind her. She drops the bottle and glasses on the top of the dresser and opens the door again to peer out.
"I had to make sure the coast was clear, in case any of the prospects heard me come up the stairs. I'm not here for drinks. I know that's not what you need right now."
My heart is racing in my chest when she turns back to me. "Why did you come then?"
"Don't you want to know what the guys are talking about?"
More than anything, but church is sacred. Not even the prospects are allowed in. An ol'lady and an exiled sweetbutt would be severely punished for breaking that sacred oath.
"Yes, but—"
Before I can finish, Bree has my hand in hers and one finger over her lips. "I learned a long time ago to fend for myself around here and that includes knowing what the guys are up to at all times. If I show you my secret, you have to promise to never tell Bear or the others."
"Promise?" It's funny I even question if I would tell. I have no loyalties to the club anymore. Who would I even tell other than Doc? But the thought is still there in the back of my mind as if it's encased in muscle memory. “Not a word.”
"Follow me then." She opens the door and looks both ways down the hall before pulling me out behind her. We make it down the hall and to the back stairs that come out by the kitchen area for the bar. At one point, a voice breaks the silence and we both stop and glance at each other. It's a prospect blowing off steam and as soon as we hear the back door to the bar close, we rush down the rest of the stairs and out the side door of the old motel.
"The guys are smart, but for years they've overlooked this one little thing," Bree says as she stacks two wooden boxes on top of each other so she's right under a metal shoot. "This used to be a vent when the motel used the room for a laundry. Now they hold church in the room, not knowing their voices carry out here."
Bree pulls me up to stand next to her and I press one ear to the opening in the vent.
"She was exiled for a reason." Bear's deep voice booms through the metal vent, followed by several grunts of agreement.
Bree glances at me as if to say she's sorry, but I know Bear well enough to understand he's only doing what's right for the club.
"She wasn't given much choice in whether she left or stayed." I can't be sure, but I think its' Doc talking now.
"We asked." Gunner's lighter tone breaks in. "We promised her protection. I even offered her Everly's old room until she got on her feet again, but she chose Gears over her family."
My stomach tightens at hearing all the chances I had again. All reminders of the mistake I made.
"But did you step in when Gears beat the shit out of her?" Doc's voice is louder now. It's harsh and I have to pull back from the vent to keep from hurting my ear. "Did anyone tell Dawn they'd protect her from him? Did anyone make a move to save her from the abuse?"
The room is silent. Bree reaches for my shoulder.
"Several times, Brother." I'm guessing it's Gunner speaking again since his tone is calm. “I did. Everly did. Bear offered her asylum. As a club, we did right by Dawn. She was family and we tried to protect her, but in the end, she chose Gears."
Gunner's truth stabs at my middle. I squeeze my arms around my stomach to hold in the pain, but it doesn't help.
"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, Dawn. They have no idea what they're talking about and—"
I jump off the boxes and speak up to quiet her. "It's not their fault," I tell her. "Everything they've said is true. I'm the traitor, not the club. I knew that coming here. But Doc." My voice turns thick and my words stick in my throat. "He was so sure this would be okay. That I'd be able to get back on my feet here." I glance up at Bree. "I think I really just wanted this to work for him, you know."
Bree jumps off the boxes and wraps an arm around me. "I'm sure you did. We all want what's best for Doc."
Another voice vibrates through the vent, loud enough we can hear it from the ground. "I don't remember you stepping up to claim her, Doc. If you were so worried about her then, why didn't you take her? Gears didn't have any power over you. The brotherhood would have backed you up."
I'm as still as I can possibly be listening for an answer, and by the way Bree sucks in a breath and holds it, she's doing the same. Only, nothing comes. And why should it? Doc doesn't owe me anything.
"Come on," Bree says softly, stepping in front of me. "We have time before they break to get you back in the room. Bear won't throw you out tonight, and tomorrow we can take my truck and look for a place to set you up in town."
I smile at her, because if I don't, I know I'm bursting into tears. "Thanks Bree, but I can handle things on my own. If they want me out, I'd rather get started now."
Bree gives me a look like she wants to argue, but she doesn't and I'm thankful. I've run out of steam for one day. If I can get back to the room and my things and get Bree to help me out the side door again, I can be gone before I cause Doc any more trouble.
"Bree," I say as I take her hand to stop at the door. "Thanks for being a friend."
She grins and pulls me into a hug. "You started it when you were the only girl who'd speak to me here. Just returning the favor."
As she steps away and opens the door, I'm struck again with a sadness so deep it almost takes my breath away. I gave up everything for Gears. My home. My family. My friends.
I won't let Doc do the same. He deserves so much better than that.
* * *
Doc
Bear doesn't have a fucking clue what he's talking about. When Gears left with Dawn, it took every ounce of strength I had to admit to myself she loved the bastard. Fuck yes, I could have claimed her. I could have taken her to my bed and forced myself on her and there wouldn't have been a damn thing anyone could have done about it.
But that's the part Bear gets wrong every time. I've never wanted to claim anyone. There's no loyalty in ownership, no love in holding someone hostage. I wanted Dawn to be with me because she chose me.
"What do you plan to do with her then? Throw her out for the fucking Devils to take?"
Bear glares at me. I know the look. I'm crossing a line, but I don't fucking care. Dawn isn't a piece of meat to be tossed around until she lands in some bargain basement shop to be sold off.
"That was her choice, Brother."
"And Bree?" I know I'm taking things too far when I mention Bear's ol'lady, but fuck it all to hell, we broke the rules for her once. "It wasn't so long ago we had this same meeting over her."
Bear steps up until he's in my face. "Leave Bree out of this."
Gunner is at our side in a second. He has a hand on each of our shoulders, but I wish he'd back the hell off.
He's got ten years on both of us and I'd hate to see how much those years have slowed him down in a fight.
"I move to call this meeting," he says. "Dawn stays the night. In the morning, she finds somewhere outside Tempest Elite's borders to land. No harm, no foul."
"Fuck that." I roll my shoulder out from under Gunner's hand and head for the door. "You want her gone so bad, I'll take her away. But I won't be coming back."
"Doc." Bear growls a warning shot. "You don't want to do that." This is the same damn conversation we had when Gears was exiled from the club. Dawn stood right in the same spot I am now and declared, after all of our offers of help, that if he went, she did too.
I drop my head to the door for a second, letting that memory set in before I open the doors and find her standing just outside. She's wearing one of my tee shirts and a pair of boxers peaks out from under the hem. Her hair is wet and slicked back and her face is pale except for the blush that covers her cheeks at the sight of me.
Fuck, I can't let her go. I won't make the same mistake twice. I take her all in once more. Her soft curves. Her soft skin against the near translucent fabric. The way she's watching me like I'm her last hope.
Bear's right. I don't want to lose my family, but I'm not going to let Dawn suffer another second for a choice she was forced to make.
I turn back to Bear and the patched brothers all sitting in rows facing me. "Then I've made my choice. As a patched member I have the right to claim anyone I want and I claim Dawn as my own."
Bear and Gunner glance at each other, but I'm not sticking around to hear what they think. Instead I turn to Dawn in time to watch her cheeks turn from pale pink to blood red. She's shocked, and if I give her time to argue, she will. So I don't. I dip down and lift her from her knees until she’s over one of my shoulders.
Dawn beats at my back and demands I put her down. I don't care how hard she punches me. I deserve every hit, and I'm not putting her anywhere until she’s locked safely behind my bedroom door.
She may not want to stay, but I'm not letting her go. Not until she has a solid plan mapped out and I know she'll be safe. And, I think as I reach the top of the steps and round the corner to my bedroom, the longer that takes the better.
I'm going to enjoy my time with Dawn. Even if her leaving will kill me. I'm not making the same mistakes twice. Now’s my chance and damn it to hell, I'm taking it.
Chapter 4
Dawn
"What the fuck, Doc?"
The words shoot out of me in puffs. Doc still has me over one shoulder with my stomach pressed into the hardness of his muscular shoulder. I've punched his back until my fists hurt and now I'm clinging to his shirt to keep from toppling off of him and into the wall. I kick one foot out and try to land it in his gut, but he wraps an arm around the backs of my knees and holds my legs in place.
"Stop kicking me, Baby Girl."
"I'm not your Baby Girl," I hiss. "And for the record, you don't own me."
"If you don't stop..." he growls out before turning the door handle and stepping inside.
"You'll what? Manhandle me?" Before I know what's happening, I'm flying through the air and land on my back on his bed.
"I'll drop you. Where the hell did you learn to fight anyway?"
I rise up on my elbows. "I had brothers."
"I feel sorry for them." Doc rubs the back of one shoulder. I'm sure I've left bruises there, but that's what he gets.
"Don't. They gave as good as they got."
Doc crosses the room to the chest of drawers by the bathroom door and lifts his shirt up over his head. His arms flex with the movement and his shoulders bulge. Hidden under the black Tempest Elite tee shirt he was hiding a full six pack that makes my tongue wag. Holy hell. Doc has always been fit, but I don't remember him ever being rock solid like this.
He turns to open a drawer and I spot the red marks I left on his back. Shit. Why did I have to hit him so hard? It was instinct. The last man who said he owned me beat me and left me with no money and no place to live.
With Doc bent over, I push myself off the bed and examine his back. There's a gash in the middle halfway down his left side and a thick scar in his upper right hip and my marks. Half a dozen of them. I reach for one of the red welts and when my fingers touch it, Doc's muscles coil under my touch. "Does it hurt?” I ask, my voice timid.
"Only when I think about them."
He stands and pulls on a white tank top. The shirt shows off his killer upper arms and the half dozen tattoos he has on each. An eagle, a snake, the American Flag, an insignia I recognize from some of the other guys, and the Tempest Elite motorcycle and circle logo made into a patch.
"I shouldn't have hit you, but you surprised me. Besides”—I rest one hand on his bare shoulder and glance into his eyes—"I thought we agreed you weren't going to make this a thing."
Doc takes my cheek in one large hand and I fight to keep from leaning into him. "I kept my promise. If you didn't want trouble, you should have told Bear to not make it a thing."
I grin at him because what else am I going to do? He's so damn cute when he's trying to be funny. "You disrespected him in front of the patched membership. You know he can't let that go without some type of retaliation."
"I'm not worried."
"And that's what I'm afraid of." I've already lost my family because of the reckless actions of one man. I don't want to lose what little I have left because of another. "I'm already worried I got Bree in trouble just by being seen with me."
Doc paces the room and empties his pockets on the nightstand. "I'm sure Bree is fine. She has Bear whipped. He wouldn't dare touch her."
I'm so focused on what Doc is saying, I don't catch that he's taking off his jeans until he steps out of them and throws them over a chair before pulling back the covers on one side of the bed.
"What are you doing?" I ask, glaring at him as he crawls under the covers.
"What does it look like, Princess?"
"I'm not—" My throat tightens over the words. I don't know what I thought would happen tonight. If I slept with the sweetbutts, they'd probably cut my hair in the middle of the night, and there aren't any empty rooms with membership at full capacity.
Doc pats the empty spot in the bed beside him. "The office opens at seven. If you're planning on getting any sleep, you'd better start now."
When I don't move, he reaches for the lamp on the nightstand and turns off the light, leaving the room pitch black.
"You've already helped yourself to my clothes. Why is my bed any different, Dawn?"
I can't see his face to know for sure if he's smiling, but I hear it in his voice.
"Suit yourself," he adds before the bed creaks from him rolling to his side.
I haven't slept in a proper bed in at least a week and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't exhausted. I'm still chilly from the bath and as much as I want to talk myself out of sharing a bed with Doc, the temptation is too much.
I lean down until I feel the bed under my fingers, and I pull back only the top cover and slide in. The bed is big enough for two, but Doc is larger than the average man and takes up more than his half. Even on my side and huddled on the edge, his back touches mine and his heat seeps through the thin sheet separating us.
I'm never going to sleep like this, knowing he's so close and what he's done for me.
"Before we go any further with this, I think we need some ground rules." I turn on my side to face him, waiting for him to do the same, but he doesn't. "Doc. Are you listening?"
He grunts to answer me.
"For starters, I'm done being owned by a man. In front of the club I can be your property for now, but behind closed doors I'm my own woman. Agree?"
He doesn't move or make a sound. I'm going to take that as a yes. "And I'll work for you at the warehouse for a wage, but room and board will be taken out until I find a place of my own. Understood?"
Again. No response. This conversation is going better than I expected. Or at le
ast, Doc isn't fighting me on any of my terms.
"And lastly, if things get out of hand here and the members get rowdy about me staying, you have to let me go. I can find another place a lot easier than you can find a new family."
Doc hasn't responded to a word I've said, and I'm not sure if he's even listening, but at least I've gotten it all out in the open. My terms. He'll have to follow them.
I'm about to turn back to my other side when the bed shakes and Doc comes toward me with one massive arm pulling me into his chest so my face is right under his. He presses one thick thigh between my legs until I'm riding him and my pussy is instantly wet. He clamps his arm around my back and I'm looking into his with nothing but the thin sheet separating us.
Even in the dark, his grey eyes consume me. My skin is on fire and my heart is going to beat right up through my throat any second. I picture Doc pulling us free from the covers and mounting me. He lifts my shirt and cups my breasts before rubbing his beard hard along my sensitive flesh. I'm almost moaning with pleasure when his stern voice pops my bubble.
"Are you done with your demands, Princess? Because I have a few of my own."
It takes a second for sound to reach my lips but I nod and blow out an "Ah-ha."
"Good. Rule One, I don't own you. You're in my bed willingly and that is how it stays. In front of the members and when we are alone. You're here under your own power."
I nod. "Got it." At least we agree on that point.
"Number two." He pulls me closer until the hardness of his chest is squeezing my breasts and my nipples burn. "I'm going to put you to work. You'll earn every damn cent you get, and you'll take it without complaint."
"Okay," I breathe, not sure if I'll ever get to take another breath if he holds me this tight much longer.
"Number three, no one tells me who is important to me. Not you or the club or anyone. If I want you in my bed and in my life, there is nothing anyone can say or do to change my mind."
Doc Page 3