by Juli Valenti
“Continue.”
She watched as he took a deep breath. “I went to your place, but there were three fucking cop cars, officers everywhere. For a moment I was horrified - I thought the crazy bastard had finally gone too far and seriously hurt you, except I realized there were no ambulances or fire trucks. And then, as I parked the bike and started to muscle my way through the crowd to find out what the hell was going on, I saw you. I saw you in your blue scrubs, face red from tears, and your goddamned hands behind your back and in iron.
“I stopped looking for wounds, for damage he may have done to you, and started looking for blood on your hands. Christ, Sarah. I figured you killed the bastard ... I wouldn’t have blamed you, but there wasn’t a single fucking thing I could do to help you. I watched as they carted you - you, the most innocent person I’ve ever known - into the back of a cop SUV and drove away.”
Fallen stopped as Mrs. Norma reappeared with their drinks, placing them in front of each of them. Their plates of food followed, the woman’s age not interfering with her ability to carry the large tray and handle the dishes at the same time. It looked like the night’s special was some beef over rice with a teriyaki gravy, which normally would’ve suited Sarah just fine ... but at the moment she simply wasn’t hungry.
Picking up her fork, she pushed the food around while Lukas made small talk with Mrs. Norma, her eyes on her plate. As much as she hated what happened to her, she hated even more that he had seen it - in live, ugly, snot-filled technicolor. Sarah hadn’t realized he was there, let alone watched as she was loaded like a common criminal, handcuffs and all. And, while she was sure it wasn’t the first time someone he knew was arrested, it bothered her that it was her. That she’d been crying like a baby at the time was just icing on the already messed-up cake.
“Anyway ... I stood there, just staring. I swear my mouth was on the fucking ground. And then I saw that fucking piece of shit,” Lukas continued, snapping her shamed gaze back to him. His fist was balled, his knuckles turning white as anger clouded his handsome face. “That son of a bitch had the balls to smile at me ... fucking smile. Like I hadn’t just watched you get arrested. Like he hadn’t just gotten your ass fucking arrested. Like you weren’t on your way to jail and crying.
“It took everything I had not to just pull down on the bastard. Honestly ... no, never mind,” he stopped his train of thought, shaking his head.
“Honestly, what?” she asked him, curiosity demanding she know what he was going to say. Sarah knew she likely wouldn’t like it; Lukas had a habit of shutting up when about to say something that he thought would offend or scare her. This time, though, she needed to know. She needed to know it all - where he was, why he’d disappeared, why he wasn’t there for her when she’d needed him.
“Sarah —” he started, swallowing hard before turning to face her, his eyes meeting hers, “I wanted to kill him. I wanted to pull my piece and take his ass out, with no information other than he hurt you. He made you cry, and then he fucking smiled at me. But ... but I couldn’t. There were too many goddamned witnesses, too many cops still trolling around and taking their sweet-ass time wasting our tax dollars, so I couldn’t. Instead I got on my bike and I rode. I rode to Reno, stopping only for gas and to piss when I needed to ... crashed out for a few hours, and then rode back.”
“Isn’t the Reno chapter’s clubhouse a good fifteen hours away?”
He shrugged. “More like seventeen. I think I made it in less, though I wasn’t looking, nor did I give a fuck. If I didn’t get the hell out of this fucking town I was going to strangle Vinny, zero fucks given who saw. Jesus, the look on your face, Sarah...”
“I needed you,” she told him, her voice small and childlike, which she hated. He didn’t need guilt from her, nor did she want him to see her vulnerability, but it was the truth. She was exhausted, still shaken and confused over what had happened, and emotionally brittle from spending the night in the most horrific place she’d ever dreamt of. The one person’s voice she’d wanted to hear - needed to hear - hadn’t been around, and while Artist had been wonderful, she wasn’t him.
“I know,” he breathed, turning to face her, his large hand moving to cup her chin and pulling her gaze to meet his once more. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there, I am. I just ... I hate to think about your perfect, beautiful innocence behind bars, scared and hurting. For someone like me, it’s no big deal - most of the club has seen the inside of those walls at some point in time. But for you, Sarah, that’s nowhere I can ever picture you being in. The thoughts I had, the mental images of you curled up on those uncomfortable blue cots, cold and scared, drove me half fucking insane. If it weren’t for Apex and his Serg, Hitch, your ex would’ve ended up in a body bag, and I’d be facing murder charges.”
“I ... I’m not going to lie, Luke. It hurt. I tried to reach you so many times. And thank God for Artist, because if it weren’t for her, I would’ve gone crazy there. I mean, like you said, all of you have been there at some point, but not me; it was something everyone kept saying - I’ve never even gotten so much as a parking ticket. Being in jail,” she told him, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, trying to block the images she’d seen inside booking, “was pretty much my worst nightmare. There were scary people there, from drug addicts to even murderers, and there I was, in jail for something I hadn’t even done. All I wanted when I got out was to fall into your arms, but I didn’t get that option. Instead I had to fall apart completely alone.
“Alone and in the bed and breakfast, I was terrified. Of what I’d seen, of everything that had happened. I was terrified of what had happened to you and why no one could reach you, or knew where you were. And then tonight that biker was brought in, barely holding on to any sort of life, and you were all I could think of. Hell, I could barely do my job, I was so worried it was you with that leather cut dangling off the sides of the stretcher.”
Sarah dropped her face in her hands, breathing deeply. The weight of the last few days was heavy, suffocating, and she felt the way she had when she’d broken down at the B&B after Artist had left her there. Her world was beginning to spin again, a combination of anxiety and lack of sustenance in her system. Strong arms enveloped her, Lukas whispering words of comfort, his breath warm against her cheek. Slowly she felt some of the tension leave her, and for the first time since she’d been arrested, she felt like she could breathe some.
“Come on, baby, you need to eat. And then I need to get you to bed - I know you’re beyond tired, it’s all over your face. Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.”
Nodding, she wiped at her eyes and picked up her fork, hesitantly tasting the meal now room temperature in front of her. To her not-so-surprise, it was delicious and the two ate in comfortable silence. When they were finished, she let Fallen pay, too tired to even try to argue over the bill, and allowed him to lead her through the doors of the restaurant. Vaguely, she remembered waving to Mrs. Norma on their way out, and climbing onto the back of his bike, her arms wrapping around his waist. But as the bike roared to life, the familiar vibration soothing her bones, she once again rested her head on her man’s back, and let the engine’s lullaby soothe her.
Chapter Seven
Sarah waded through warm waters, her body moving slowly as waves crashed against her skin. It was soothing, peaceful, and her lips pulled into a broad smile, a giggle of happiness escaping her. Something brushed her ankle, moving higher, up her calf, and to her knee. She stilled, though not in fear or caution. It felt good, the mixture of the solid something caressing her as the water followed its trail. Another brush to her thigh, then to the other, moving upward, had her eyes closing and a soft sound escaping her lips.
Abruptly, her eyes flickered open, her skin alight and senses alert. Glancing down, she saw the darkness of Luke’s hair through the dim light, his gaze flicking upward as his lips whispered against her bare leg, his hand drawing a tender path up her skin. The muscles in his shoulders flexed as he moved upward, burying
his face against her core, his fingers moving to the sides of the small scrap of fabric covering her.
“Mmmm, Luke,” she groaned, half asleep, her body straining toward him.
Fallen said nothing as he tugged, gliding the offending garment down her legs, to her feet, and dropping to them floor. In a heartbeat he was there, his warmth easing the chill of the air, his nose running up her folds, breathing deeply. Sarah tried to watch him, wanting to see him and what he was going to do, but as he gently parted her and his tongue traced a line up her clit, she had to close her eyes again. The image of him, mixed with his touch and the fog of her lingering dream, was too overwhelming. Her hips arched upward, and a small sound of satisfaction rumbled from his throat against her sensitive flesh.
“Fuck yeah,” he murmured, his breath hot against her skin as he pressed his thumb at her opening and captured her clit between his lips. His tongue and teeth teased at her as his thumb pushed inside. Fallen alternated his movements, his mouth sucking her, his fingers thrusting inside her, stroking her, until her toes were curling and her back lifted from the bed. The grogginess of sleep had long passed and she was practically begging him to finish her, her body weeping, quivering and tightening, yet he pulled away.
Sarah watched, slightly disappointed as he crawled up the bed, his bare chest grazing her nipples and her eager hands tugging at him as he bent to kiss her. She didn’t hesitate as his tongue slipped inside her mouth, exploring her, the taste of her arousal still on his lips. Her teeth nipped at him as his fingers trailed from her breasts and back down, between them, dragging his cock through her wetness.
“You want it, baby?” In reply she nodded, but he shook his head. “Tell me, Sarah.”
“Lukas,” she moaned as the head of his erection caressed her once more. “Please. Yes.”
Not needing any further confirmation, he thrust inside her in one stroke, stealing her breath and forcing his name to come from her lips in a shout.
“Fuck ... that sound. Make it again,” he demanded, withdrawing almost fully, only to seat himself in her again, hard, one arm holding her in place, forcing her to take all he offered. She obliged, her throat dry and her nails finding purchase in his back as he repeated the gesture over and over.
Sarah was completely lost to him, her mind consumed, her body a slave to his. She’d wanted him since she’d met him, and he’d held out for so long she thought she’d go insane. But, in that moment, the world could have crashed down around them and she wouldn’t have cared less - her only care was that he continued to move in her, taking her with him higher and higher until it became too much. Her teeth found purchase on his shoulder as her climax washed through her, her body needing an outlet for the intensity of her orgasm. Distantly she heard him groan moments before pulling out, the warmth of his own pleasure coating her stomach and breasts as his panting sounds mixed with hers.
His breath was labored as he hovered over her, the sweat from his chest dripping onto hers, their chests rising and falling in tune with each other. She stared up at his gorgeous face, once again finding the Lukas she’d met - the one who didn’t seem to have a care in the world, one who hadn’t been a hair trigger away from killing the man who’d gotten her arrested. The man who hadn’t killed multiple people during his time as Sergeant in Arms of Hells Redemption. No, the man above her was almost ... peaceful. Sated.
“Damn,” she gasped once she could make a coherent sound, her fingertips trailing a path down his spine, taking pleasure in the way his muscles flexed at her touch. “Now I see why all the girls are constantly trying to get into your pants ... Hell, I’ve been trying to get into your pants, and haven’t been successful...”
“Sarah,” he started, lifting his body from hers and rolling to the side, propping himself up with an elbow. His voice was hard, without being hurtful, but clearly meaning what he was about to say. “I don’t want you thinking about those women.”
“Well, that’s a pretty damn hard thing not to ... not that it bothers me. It bothers me even less now, but —”
“But what?”
“We’ve been, I guess you could say, dating,” she paused, weakly lifting her hands to make air quotes, “for a while and ... nothing. And not for nothing, but I’ve tried. Honestly, I was starting to think you weren’t interested. I mean, sure we’ve kissed and hugged, and there was that time we — well, yeah. Anyway, I wasn’t sure if you thought of me that way.”
Fallen shook his head. “It’s never been like that, babe. I don’t ever want you thinking that. It was more...” he waved his free hand between them, “that I didn’t want you to be like them. I know my reputation, all the sweeties and more do, and I never wanted you to think you were anything like them. You aren’t the hit it and quit it like they are, or somewhere to climb into after a bad day. I like you more than that. I wanted it to be ... not special, per se, but to mean something. Honestly, I hadn’t even intended to sleep with you now - I had all these thoughts about a nice date and some flowers or something, but after the last few days, I just couldn’t help myself. Besides, it’s your fault.”
“I was asleep!” she squealed as his fingers ticked at her bare skin. “How is that anywhere near my fault?”
“You were all warm and soft and beautiful, pressing your ass against me in your dreams. A massive earthquake couldn’t have kept me from tasting you, from feeling you and your warmth. Plus you were moaning and making all these noises while you slept ... damn, just thinking about it makes me hard again.”
Unable to help herself, her gaze trailed down his chest, past his abs, finding his words true. She watched as he twitched against his stomach, the skin of his erection growing taut once more, his length hardening and lengthening before her. It was a heady feeling, knowing just the thought of the sounds she made, while unconscious even, could stir a man such as the one beside her.
“Maybe we should do something about that.” Her words came out softly, a small whisper through her lips, but she knew Fallen heard them, his eyebrows rising to take her in. Tentatively, Sarah reached out, her hand tracing a line down before grasping his cock and squeezing. The breath that whistled through his teeth rewarded her, making her brave, and she gripped him tighter, drawing her hand down, then up again.
Intrigued, she sat up, ignoring the now-cool remnants of his previous orgasm that made its path down her skin, and scooted lower on the bed. Her eyes darted to his face, then back to his cock, and she licked her lips, enjoying the groan that escaped him. It was different – before, the haze of sleep had colored most of their foreplay; her body had been ready long before she realized what was going on. Sure, it had felt good and she was happy to oblige him, but this ... this was what she had missed in the span of things. She missed his reactions, the gasped breaths, the groans, the way his forehead scrunched in pleasure and pain and anticipation. Leaning forward, she took the head of him into her mouth and sucked gently, enjoying the way he fit between her lips, his body a contradiction between soft skin and hardness.
The loud bleating of Fallen’s phone ringing interrupted her and she jerked her mouth away, her eyes meeting Luke’s hooded ones. He looked like a cat who was content to ignore whoever was on the other line, but if someone were interrupting him, knowing his reputation, there was a good chance it was important. Adding in that it was just shy of eight in the morning, according to the red-lit clock on his bedside table, and that they’d only been in bed for a few hours, and they more than likely had one hell of a problem on their hands.
Sighing at the missed opportunity, she crawled back up and reached over him, grasping the small electronic and handing it to him. He mirrored her sigh and answered.
“Someone better be fucking dead,” he said in greeting, rolling onto his back as Sarah settled in the crook of his arm. She smiled as his hand came to rest at her hip, his fingers drawing small circles on her bare skin. Luke was quiet as he listened for a moment then glanced at her, a small smirk on his face before pressing the speaker button.
“...that asshole almost pissed his pants, dude. It was fucking awesome...”
“Can you repeat that? I have you on speaker so Sarah can hear.”
“Oh, sure. Hi Sarah - this was really more of a call for you. Got some news for you,” Poet, the president of Hells Redemption, said, her voice cheerful while still holding her usual don’t-fuck-with-me edge even through the cell phone speaker. “Went and paid a visit to Vinny on your behalf today.”
Sarah jerked upright. “You can’t! I’ll go back to jail - no contact, direct or indirect ... the judge was very clear. Shit, I really don’t want to go back to jail, Poet!”
The other woman was quiet for a few moments and Sarah cringed. Being forceful and falling off the deep end toward Tonka and Artist was one thing, as bad as it made her feel, but doing it to Fallen’s President was a song in a completely different tune. “Do you really think I’d do anything to get you thrown back in the tank, Sarah?”
When she spoke, Poet’s voice was narrowed, pointed, a challenge, and Sarah shook her head, though she couldn’t see it. “No.” A small sound to go with how big you just made yourself, her mind added.
“Well, if you’re done, do you want to hear what happened or not?” Without waiting for her to answer, Poet continued, “So anyway, like I was saying, I went to pay a visit to that piece-of-shit douche that fucked your world up; I owed it to Fallen, even if his ass went ghost. I took it upon myself to go over for a little tete a tete ... figured we’d have ourself a nice little conversation. Anyway, he opens the door, finds me there, and immediately cowers. I mean, Jesus, I knew my reputation proceeded me, but I’m not all that scary —”
“Wait, you went alone?” Fallen chimed in, sitting up slightly, ire filling his expression. Sarah knew how the man felt about his position, how seriously he took it. He was Poet’s left hand, the one that got dirty when need be and protected her at all cost, regardless of the consequences that may fall upon him. Oftentimes he was her very own bodyguard, and, more, he enjoyed it. Saying he didn’t like it when she went out alone, especially into a confrontation, without him at her side, was an understatement.