Reb surveyed the room. A potbellied middle-aged man cringed in a recliner. A slightly younger but rough-looking woman squealed and hid behind her hands. And a young man in his twenties and Coke-bottle glasses cowered behind a floral sofa.
Michael was conspicuously absent.
Reb gestured to the hall, and Axle took off to make a quick search.
“Where is he?” Reb barked.
“Wh-h-h-who?” The woman shook with her stutter.
“Your son-of-a-bitch son!”
She threw a panicked look at the young man who ducked behind the sofa. “Chris?”
“No, the son of a bitch who likes to show love with his fists and terrify women.”
Axle came back down the hall twirling a baseball bat he must’ve picked up on his search. “It’s clear.”
The woman threw her husband a help me look, but he seemed to be more concerned with his comical attempt to edge toward the landline.
Axle helped him out by ripping the line out of the wall. The phone made a few sad beeps as he threw it on the floor at the man’s feet.
Reb smiled menacingly. “So, Michael? Where’s he hiding?”
The man gaped between Reb and the heap that’d been his phone. “Now, see here. You can’t just come barging into our house and—”
“Did you help him get away with it before?” Reb crossed his arms over his chest.
The couple traded a panicked look, but Reb was distracted by the telltale beeps coming from behind the sofa. He tipped his head at Axle and motioned to the couch. Axle tossed Reb the bat, then crossed the room and pulled the guy up, his cellphone glued to his ear.
“Two bikers have inva—gah!”
Axle ripped the phone from his hand and stomped it under his boot. The phone made a sickening crack as the screen splintered. Amazingly they could still hear a tinny voice coming from the phone.
“Sir? Sir, is everything all right? We’re sending police to your location. Can you confirm your address as—”
Reb dove for the phone and stabbed at the red cancel button. The splintered glass tore into his finger, but he hardly felt it. Pocketing the phone, he turned to his gaping audience. “So where were we? Oh yeah, your girlfriend-beating, psycho son. Have you seen him lately?”
“Michael?” The young guy who Reb deduced was named Chris blinked at him from behind his thick glasses. “Michael’s in Texas.”
“Bullshit.” Reb pivoted and slammed the baseball bat down on the glass coffee table. The table erupted in an explosion of glass that sent shards raining down on him. Reb shook off the glass like a dog then pointed the bat at Chris. “I know he’s been in town today, so don’t lie to me, punk. Next time it’ll be your kneecaps.”
Chris shuddered in Axle’s grip. “No, I swear. He’s in Texas, visiting a friend. He called me last night from a Rangers game.”
Reb took a step toward Chris and a wet spot bloomed on the kid’s crotch. He’d pissed himself.
“He’s there, I swear.” A tear rolled down Chris’s cheek.
Axle shoved the kid away with a disgusted expression. “We should make tracks, boss. If they traced the call, the cops will be here in a few minutes.”
“He’s in town. I know it.” Reb shook his head. “Just give me one more minute with them.”
“We don’t got a minute.”
In the distance Reb heard the wail of a siren. Son of a bitch. He pointed his bat at the family. “You say one word about who we are to the pigs, and we’ll be back. But we’ll bring our own weapons next time. You tell Michael I’m looking for him. Believe me, he won’t like what happens when I find him.”
Axle preceded him out the mostly open door. When they reached their bikes, Reb stashed the bat and broken cellphone in his saddlebag. Now that both had his fingerprints and traces of his blood on them he couldn’t afford to leave either behind. They hopped on their bikes and rode in the opposite direction of the sirens.
Reb was still hopped up. Where was that punk-ass bitch hiding? He didn’t believe the brother, Chris, despite the fact he’d made the kid piss himself.
Because if it wasn’t Michael, that meant Emily had another menacing asshole in her life, and Reb didn’t like that thought at all.
Axle said as much when they pulled up to the clubhouse. They parked their bikes and took off their helmets, but Reb didn’t get off his bike. Axle closed the distance between them. “So if it’s not the ex, who should we be looking at?”
Reb shook his head. “Dammit. I was so sure it was Michael.”
“Doubt it. Once you make a man piss himself, he’ll tell you anything you want to hear, and that pussy didn’t change his story.”
“True.”
“Could’ve been some Tramps. They did strike your house. After we blew up their stash, they could’ve set their sights on our women.”
Shit. Reb closed his eyes and said every curse he could think of. He’d done this to Emily. He’d brought his fucking crazy turf war into her life. Made her a target. Fuck.
Reb scrubbed a hand over his buzzed head. “Most likely. It’s not like Emily has a whole fucking list of enemies. She’s too goddamn sweet. Me, on the other hand…”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah.” Reb flicked the buckle on his helmet. “If it’s the Tramps, maybe we should pull all the women and children to the safe house until things calm down.”
“I don’t have a family, so I can’t really say what’s the best move there. And we don’t know for sure that it was the Tramps. I haven’t heard of any sightings in the valley lately. Have you?”
“No, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t here.”
“True.” Axle pulled a cigarette out of his vest pocket and lit it up. “So what’s our next move, boss?”
“Fuck me. I don’t know.” Reb squinted at the streetlight as he thought it through, then turned back to Axle. “Put the guys on alert. No women should be out alone, just to be on the safe side. If anything out of the ordinary goes on, we’ll pull families to the safe house.”
“I’ll send out the message. But I’d bet my Harley Panhead that we’re dealing with Tramps. We’ve fucked them with the Mafia and killed one of their guys. They’ll be looking for some payback.”
“Yeah, tell the boys to be ready for anything. We don’t wanna get caught with our thumbs up our ass when this escalates.”
“Sure thing, boss.”
Reb exchanged a fist bump with Axle, then started his bike.
He had a horny woman waiting for him at home.
—
Unlike the last time he’d left Emily at his house, she wasn’t sleeping on the couch with tear tracks on her cheeks when he got home tonight. Reb hesitated for a second, then locked the door behind him and made for his bedroom. If she wasn’t in his bed—and mostly naked—there would be hell to pay. He opened his bedroom door and the sight there made him stop in his tracks.
Emily was asleep on top of the covers on her stomach, one knee bent. Her shirt—check that, his shirt—rode up on her back and displayed her tiny panties to perfection. Christ, that small amount of skin got him harder than the last time he had a lap dance.
Reb toed off his boots and ripped his clothes off with impatient hands. Once he was nude, he stalked toward his unsuspecting prey. Emily slept blissfully on and looked so fucking gorgeous in his shirt. The two grinning skulls on her back marked her as his property and made the caveman inside him roar. She was his.
When he reached the bed, he put one knee on the mattress and jostled the bed slightly. Emily groaned and rolled to her back, still asleep. The gods must’ve been smiling on Reb, because now he had her exactly as he wanted her—minus the clothes, of course. But he’d take care of that soon enough.
Her black panties peeked at him from between her thighs. An almost indecipherable wet spot was visible at the center of her. His girl had gone to bed so horny it had left a mark. And her nipples were hard beneath his shirt. Whether it was from her dreams or the cool temperature of the roo
m, he didn’t know, but he was sure as fuck gonna take advantage. Where to start?
Reb crawled up the mattress until he was next to her side. Still she slept on. His eyes darted from her hardened nipples to her panties and back again. Making a decision, he bent his head and captured her covered nipple in his mouth. He suckled, pulling the delicate tip deep into his mouth until the shirt covering her was saturated and his dick was throbbing.
“Wha—Reb? What’s going on?” Emily’s groggy voice was so fucking sexy.
“Just saying hello.” Reb moved to her other nipple and gave it as much attention as the first.
Emily’s husky laughter filled his ears and tugged deep at his soul. She clasped the back of his head with a warm hand. “Well, hello there.”
Irritated by the material between him and her delicious body, he leaned back and grabbed the bottom of the shirt with his fists and pulled. The material gave way in a satisfying rip. He flung the scraps of the shirt down. The collar still encircled Emily’s neck, but the part he wanted to get to—her delectable breasts—was out in the open for his hungry eyes and hands.
“Oh my God.” Emily gasped. “That was the hottest freaking thing you’ve ever done.”
“Well, hold on tight, ’cause you’re in for a wild ride tonight, baby.” Reb grinned down at her before closing the distance between them and taking her mouth in a scorching kiss. His tongue dueled with hers while his hands made quick work of the scrap of fabric covering her sweet pussy. As he kissed his way along her proud jawline to her delicate throat, his fingers teased the seam of her cunt. He drew her moisture up toward her clit. Thumbing back the hood, he carefully traced the outer edge of her clitoris.
Emily groaned and tried to close her legs around his hand. Reb distracted her by scraping his teeth along the sensitive skin just below her jaw. He sucked her skin into his mouth until she relaxed her legs and twisted closer to him.
Reb took full advantage.
He left her—no doubt throbbing—hickey to kiss a trail down her neck and chest to her hard, thrusting nipples. He took one into his mouth as he drew one finger down the seam of her cunt and teased her opening. But just when her body tightened, his finger darted back north and played with her clit. He kept her guessing, nuzzling one breast then the other, teasing her clit, then thrusting one, two, and finally three fingers inside her. Just when she was close to orgasming he’d change it up. Until she moaned in disappointment. Until she finally snapped.
“Oh my God, Reb. Please. Please let me…” She groaned when he left her hanging again. “What’s the point of this if you won’t let me come?”
“Haven’t you ever spent days dreaming about something, wanting it with every fiber of your being?”
She bit her lip. “I used to feel that way about having a real family, before Jessica’s parents took me in.”
“Ah, baby, that fucking hurts my heart.” Reb leaned down and gently kissed her lips. Breaking the kiss, he looked deeply into her eyes. “But not what I’m talking about. Have you ever wanted something delicious, something dangerous or bad for you? You spent so much time trying not to think about it that it was all you could think about?”
She nodded slightly.
“And how did it taste once you finally had it?”
Emily licked her lips. “So fucking good.”
Reb groaned. There was nothing hotter than a good girl turned bad. And Emily was looking very bad at the moment.
He leaned back and grasped his dick in his left hand. Reb pumped it once, twice. Emily’s eyes narrowed as she watched him. He would’ve sworn he saw saliva pool in her mouth but maybe he was being too optimistic. Leaning over to the nightstand, he pulled open the drawer and took out a condom.
“Before you…suit up, maybe I should help you out there?” Emily blinked up at him with her innocent baby blue eyes.
“Christ.” Reb closed his eyes and had to concentrate on not coming all over her tight little body. Fuck, that wasn’t helping. He mentally pictured the starting lineup of the San Francisco Giants. Their new starting pitcher was an ugly son of a bitch. That helped.
Some.
“Reb? Are you okay? Is that not…Do you not like that? Or just don’t want me to—”
His eyes flew open. “No, baby. It’s not you. Believe me.” He gestured to his throbbing dick that even the Giants’ starting pitcher couldn’t deflate. “But you’ve got me on a razor’s edge. Just the thought of your lips wrapped around me is enough to—” He groaned.
“ ’Kay. Maybe later?”
“If you want me to actually fuck you and not shoot off all over your breasts before I get inside you, you gotta stop with the sweet eyes and hot mouth. God, baby, that mouth.” Reb closed his eyes again and pictured every fucking ugly-ass ballplayer he could think of. Once his cock was back to a manageable throb, he rolled the condom on.
“As long as I get to play with Mr. Albert later.”
Reb glared at Emily. “No fucking way are you naming my dick. And definitely not some lame-ass name like Albert. If anything, it should be something dangerous.”
“Like Cobra? Or Viper?”
“What? Fuck no. One of our members is named Viper.”
“And you don’t want to be thinking about him right now. Check. Or any time you’re holding your cock, really.”
It was the first time Reb had ever thrust into a woman while laughing. And damn it felt good. Not just physically, but deep in his soul.
He paused when his hips kissed hers. Reb looked into Emily’s eyes as their laughter faded. He wasn’t sure what he saw there. Vulnerability? Desire? Love? All of the above? Inexplicably, he felt a burning sensation behind his eyes as his vision was obscured by a haze of tears. Like the man he was, he blinked them back.
When his vision cleared he looked down at Emily. A tear slowly ran down her cheek.
“Shit. Are you okay, baby? Did I hurt you?” He made a move to withdraw but Emily stayed him with a hand on his biceps.
“No, kinda the opposite actually.” She smiled through her tears. “It’s a good thing. Trust me.”
Not wanting to examine his feelings at that exact moment, and taking Emily at her word, he slowly withdrew from her body until only the head of his dick was inside her, then thrust deep once more. Whereas before he would’ve closed his eyes and set a punishing pace to get them to the pinnacle as soon as possible, now he gently thrust in and out of Emily’s body, holding her gaze the entire time.
Instead of just fucking, this time it felt deeper. More meaningful. Like somehow he was making her a promise with his body.
Shit, when did he get so poetic?
“Oh, oh, oh.” Emily’s breath grew faster as she got closer to orgasming. “Oh God. Oh Reb. Please. Keep…Right—” She broke off in a groan. Her eyelashes fluttered and her back arched as she went over.
Reb could feel her pussy convulsing around his dick. He wanted more than anything to pound his way to oblivion, but instead he gritted his teeth and paused to watch Emily’s orgasm. She was so fucking gorgeous. That cute way she bit down on her bottom lip. The way her hips rolled when he kept tickling her clit with his thumb.
After a minute, he couldn’t take it anymore. He grasped her hips in his hands and thrust into her hard and quick. And moments later the walls shook with his groan as he followed her over.
Reb hung his head and willed his body to stop shaking, so he’d look less like a pansy when Emily opened her eyes. Finally he found the willpower to heave himself over to her side, where he collapsed in a boneless heap.
“Mmmm.” Emily stretched her arms over her head like a lazy cat. “You really know how to show a lady a good time.”
Reb could only grunt in reply.
“You okay, honey?” The smug satisfaction in Emily’s voice was undeniable. “Did I tire you out too much?”
Reb whipped upright and loomed over Emily’s prone body. “Watch what you say, little girl. I can have you tied down and begging me for release before you could
cry for help.”
Emily’s lips curved with her smile. “Who said I’d want to get away?”
“Not the kind of release I’m talking about.” Reb brushed his lips over hers, then pushed off the bed and stood with a muffled groan. Unlike some people, he hadn’t had any sleep tonight and had spent the last few hours either on his bike or breaking through doors and intimidating assholes. He was bone-ass tired. But that didn’t mean he was gonna let Emily think he was anything other than the hard, driven man he was. He had an image to uphold, after all. “I’m gonna go get rid of this condom. You better be right there when I get back or there will be hell to pay.”
“Promise?”
“One thing you can always count on with me, baby, is that I don’t break my word. Ever.”
It wasn’t exactly an “I love you,” but it was the closest Reb had gotten to saying the words with her. He felt them in his gut, but he wasn’t ready to lay it all out on the table just yet. Something about saying those words to her, while he was still technically tied to his ex, didn’t sit right with him. Emily deserved better.
And he was damn sure gonna see that she got it.
Chapter 19
Emily
AUGUST 27
Two weeks later and I was getting used to my new normal. I had put in my two weeks’ notice, and was counting the days until I was free from yet another crappy job. Between the awkward silences when I joined a group of coworkers and the looks I got when management made us stay after hours for a safety discussion, the writing was on the wall. I’d had an entire lifetime of being the social pariah. Screw that. On the plus side, school had started so I had plenty to keep me busy with my regular job.
And then there was the new car Reb forced me to accept.
After the whole tire-slashing incident, it took forever to get my car fixed, or so I thought. But this afternoon, Reb pulled into his front yard in a powder blue Audi A6 and tossed me the keys.
I caught them in reflex and goggled in amazement at my dream car. “What…How did you know?”
“It’s a little talent of mine.” Reb caught me around the waist and pulled me to him. “And I have a whole network of spies at my disposal.”
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