As she headed toward the door, sliding her hands along the slim-fitting skirt, she paused, remembering what it felt like to have each man stroke her while kissing her. Thick, hard digits pulled more than just orgasms from her body. They made a connection, a physical contact so deep that she feared pushing them away might be too late. It saddened her, and the need to remain in control had to be her focus.
As she opened the door, prepared to battle all the emotions, as well as the control and command of five soldiers, she stopped short. The three women who were in the ladies room preparing for class earlier, now stood in the hallway, and were currently trying to corner Hook, and the deep, angry, jealous feeling shocked Merica. It was like a switch was flicked. Mine. He’s mine. Get away from him.
Then, as she wondered if this were a game or if maybe what everyone thought about Hook being anti-social and not talking to anyone or hanging out with anyone was possibly a lie. That maybe he secretly met up with women, screwed them, and let them continuously flirty with him as he pretended in public to not be interested. It was a whirlwind of thoughts she just couldn’t seem to process or handle.
“I told you before I’m not interested,” he said to them, but Hook’s eyes were glued to Merica’s. He completely ignored the three women, who were still trying to vie for his attention, but as one of them reached out to touch him, he walked past her, eyes glued to Merica’s, and the women saw it. That he showed absolutely no interest in them but in her as he stalked toward Merica, grabbed her by her blouse and hip, pulled her close, and kissed her. He had her pressed up against the wall by the door. She barely heard the gasps and then the women walk away. His firm, hard, possessive hold made her body shake even more than it was already shaking. When he gently released her lips, she stared at his dark brown eyes, that beard, that completely powerful look of I’m-in-command-and-control-of-everything, and she exhaled, leaned her head back against the wall, and closed her eyes.
“This can’t be real,” she whispered. His large, warm, callused hand cupped her cheek and stroked her lips. His other hand eased up her side against her ribs and brushed along the side of her breast.
“It has to be because nothing ever felt so strong, so deep, and so instant. Not the need to possess you, to claim you as mine, or to let every other fucking guy know that you’re off-limits. Fuck, I don’t understand it either, but it’s real.” He pressed his mouth to hers again.
This time she ran her hands over his body from hips to chest. Felt stone beneath her palms and his muscular chest. She was shaking with desire. She didn’t know what to do or how to react, and she hugged him, her face against his chest, and he held her tight, ran his palm along her ass cheek,, and as she blinked her eyes open toward the hallway and entrance to the gym, she saw the guy who attacked her at her mom’s house. He was with Lucky and a few others. Their eyes locked onto one another’s. She didn’t move, finding safety and security in Hook’s embrace. She tried not to react, but tears filled her eyes, and then she narrowed them at him. He looked at Hook, who was just holding her possessively, and the man looked shocked as he gave Lucky’s arm a tap and nodded toward her and Hook before he quickly walked out of the gym.
He was scared of Hook. Of course he was. The man was lethal looking, never mind capable in the ring, the cage, the mats, or wherever. There would be no more problems with that man, whoever he was. There was no need to take this any further. Hook had already solved the problem, and he didn’t even know it.
* * * *
“I can’t force her to press charges, nor can I force her to accept your guardianship. I can’t. She doesn’t live in Repose, and not that it matters, but she has the final say and isn’t budging,” Cesar said to Romano and the others before looking at Merica sitting in the chair, legs crossed and hands clasped on her lap.
Romano exhaled with his hands on his hips.
“Merica, we aren’t just claiming guardianship out of rules and regulations.”
Cherokee was sitting next to her, and Spartan, John, Hans, Nolan, and Brye were there, too, along with Hook and the rest of Romano’s team.
“I’m not pressing charges, and as far as guardianship is concerned, it’s something to discuss at a later date, possibly, but not now,” she said.
“This is bullshit, plain and simple. You’re scared and being stubborn. Why? I want to know why,” Greco demanded to know, raising his voice.
“Greco,” Romano said his name, and he could see Merica shaking.
“If she isn’t ready, then you wait. It isn’t like you aren’t going to protect her and do everything that is required and comes naturally as guardians,” Spartan added.
“Spartan is right. Guardianship can be issued as a precautionary measure to provide security and protection to any woman in need of that protection. Doesn’t matter where she lives. We can make that official, and claiming her as your woman at a later date will be handled when the time comes,” Cesar said but looked at Merica.
“I’d like a few minutes alone with Merica if you all don’t mind,” Cesar said, and Romano was shocked.
“What for?” he asked.
“Rules of Repose, Romano. Stand down and have your men go outside and get some fresh air,” Spartan ordered.
Romano glanced at Merica, who worried her bottom lip. Cherokee caressed her shoulder.
“I’ll see you outside,” she said, and then everyone started walking out. Except for Spartan and Cesar, along with Merica.
Romano clenched his teeth. He wasn’t a patient man when it came to the things he wanted and to protecting what he felt responsible for. The woman was stubborn and had fears, and he wanted to break down those walls and find out what they were and conquer them.
“We’ll wait outside then.” Romano walked out with his friends.
Hans placed his hand on his shoulder as they left the office.
“Seems to me there may be more to this situation than she’s letting on to. Maybe we need to look into her mother’s boyfriend and find out more about Merica and her mom. Could help in case something unexpected was to arise. We know how these things tend to go.”
“I was thinking the same thing. In between doing some research, we’ll work on gaining Merica’s trust so she can see we’re real and in it for the long haul.”
“Are you now? We want you to be a hundred percent sure, ’cause I’ll tell you, if you screw this up, Cherokee, plus all the other friends, will tear your asses apart,” he teased, and Romano snickered as he shook his head.
“Merica may be stubborn, but we’re a thousand times worse. She’ll cave in. We won’t give her much of a choice.”
Hans nodded.
* * * *
Spartan took a seat next to Merica, and Cesar leaned against his desk in the office. She straightened out her shoulders as Cesar stared at the scrape by her eye.
“They’re quite the intimidating men. I’m certain you’re feeling a lot right now, Merica. My job is to insure the safety, as well as happiness, of not only the members and residents of Repose but of my friends, their friends, and any person I come in contact with that needs help.”
“I understand that, Cesar. I respect what you do, how you run this town, and I’ve always felt safe whenever I came here. That hasn’t changed. The series of events that has taken place in my personal life in the last few days has affected me in every possible way, but it isn’t anything I can’t handle.”
“You don’t know that,” Cesar added.
“I know I need to stay clear of my mother. That will keep me out of her boyfriend’s radar. I’ve been taking care of myself since I was a kid. Worked at twelve years old, studied hard, saved money, put myself through school, and tried to do as my father asked me to do while he served in the Marine Corps.”
“He was a Marine?” Spartan asked.
She looked at him and nodded.
“Was his life. Did tour after tour, came back for long visits, but after about six months home, things would start to get bad again between him an
d my mom. She wasn’t a good mother, a good wife, and she cheated on him. A lot. He finally called it quits while I was in college living away.”
“He passed away when?” Spartan asked.
“Three years ago, and despite what my mom put him through, he had an insurance policy and we were covered. We just needed to be smart. My mom isn’t. She met her boyfriend and has been spending money like crazy.”
“When did you move out?” Spartan asked her.
She snorted. “Spartan, I haven’t lived with my mother since I was sixteen. My friend Kerry and I both had family troubles. We went to school together, worked our asses off in school, got scholarships, and we moved into an apartment together. A friend of hers, an older guy, got the lease under his name as a cover until we were twenty-one. I can’t tell you the number of times I got a phone call from police or from the hospital that my mom was drunk, found passed out, or had been beaten up by some asshole boyfriend.”
“Then why do you still talk to her?” Cesar asked.
She swallowed hard. The tears filled her eyes.
“My dad always asked me to keep watch over my mom when he was on a tour of duty. I guess I feel guilty not checking in on her even knowing how she is.”
“That’s tough. I can understand that, but I think, considering the situation, and what could have been a hell of a lot worse of an incident, you need to cut ties completely.”
“Oh, I know that, Spartan. Believe me, I do.” She reached up and stroked the scratch.
“Her boyfriend didn’t strike me and cause this. The two of them. He and my mom were fist fighting and yelling, and I tried to intervene but took a hit from his watch.”
“But he had a guy show up ready to sexually assault you,” Cesar added.
“Yes. Don’t understand why, or what he was thinking, and don’t care. I don’t plan on ever seeing either of them again.”
“That’s all good, but you don’t know if they’ll come looking to cause you more problems,” Cesar said to her.
“I don’t, but I’ll take the necessary precautions.”
“That won’t be enough. We need to confirm that you’ll accept Romano, Hook, Ricci, Greco, and Rossi’s guardianship of you, as your protection,” Cesar said to her.
“I understand the rules and regulations. I know what I’m capable of and not capable of handling. I’m not stupid. I don’t know enough self-defense to protect myself. I’ve been lucky that nothing like this has happened before. Usually I just say I’m not interested and the men get it.”
“Romano, Hook, and the men are special men. They truly have feelings for you. I know they’re hard and ornery, and maybe seem aggressive in their personalities, but it’s from being soldiers. Exceptional ones that have never shown vulnerability and weakness. That isn’t easy for them, but it doesn’t make them untrustworthy. They will be loyal and will protect you with a hundred percent of what they have,” Cesar said to her.
She shook her head.
“They feel compelled to watch over me because of the rules.”
“No, it’s more than that, Merica. I’ve known these men for many years. They’re as hardcore, full throttle soldiers as any. I swear I didn’t think I would ever see the day they would settle down. They got the look in their eyes,” Spartan said to her, holding her gaze.
“The look?” she asked, eyes squinted.
“Yes. The look of love, of passion, of protectiveness and desire to possess, protect and make known that you’re their woman. It is not bullshit, and they are not men that would allow rules and regulations to dictate their decisions. If they didn’t have strong feelings for you or want you as anything more than a temporary pleasure, then they wouldn’t have called us, wouldn’t have staked an official claim and asked for our approval. They do not do anything they don’t want to do. Believe me, they can be some of the most stubborn, bullheaded SOB’s I’ve ever had under my command.”
“So what you’re telling me is to trust you on this? To put aside my experiences with dominant men, with abusive men who act all controlling and aggressive, and trust that they’ll protect me, not hurt me or try and run my life? To trust that they really have feelings for me and want more than just…well…sex?”
Spartan looked at Cesar and then back at her.
“I know it’s scary. Comes and hits you out of left field and sends you on your ass. It happened to my team and me with Cherokee. One look, a few discussions and disagreements.” He smirked. “Then the next thing we know, she’s under our skin, in our hearts, and we want her more than taking our next breath. Trust them, Merica. They will not hurt you or betray you or the trust you give them. They won’t.”
She stared at both men. “I’ve been taking care of myself most of my life. I don’t think I can allow them to take it over.”
“They won’t be taking it over. They’ll respect you for that. Talk to them. Explain your fears, your reasons for hesitating and holding back with them,” Cesar said to her.
“A piece of advice when dealing with Romano, Hook, Greco, Ricci, and Rossi is accept their command. Whatever they order, it’s done with your best interest in mind. By accepting their guardianship, you accept their knowledge, their experiences in knowing what to do to keep you safe,” Spartan said to her.
“That, Spartan, is not going to be easy.” She exhaled.
Twenty minutes later Merica hugged Cherokee good-bye and then walked to her car with the men with her. Her stomach rumbled, and she knew she needed to eat. Her head was pounding, and then Rossi took her hand and she stopped in front of the car.
“We should talk things out. Come to an understanding you feel comfortable with.”
She stared up at him, that crew-cut hair, military expression, and the way his eyes looked at the scrape by her eye before he used his thumb to caress right under it while pursing his lips.
“I have a pounding headache, and I’m hungry, tired, and think I need time to process this.”
“So you’re pushing us away when, right now you need to start learning to depend on us?” Greco asked in a hard tone.
She looked at him and shook her head.
“I was going to say, do you mind if we pick something up to eat, because I don’t feel like making anything? You can come over to my place and we can just spend time together.”
Greco nodded his head, but that fierce expression remained the same. His team shared that look, and Hook was a few feet behind them, arms crossed, wearing an angry expression, but right by her car.
“Keys?” Ricci asked her.
She gave him a firm expression.
“No one drives Frisco but me.” She walked toward her car where Hook stood.
“Frisco? You named your car Frisco?” Rossi asked, but before she could turn to reply, Hook pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight, placed his hand over her ass, and whispered into her ear.
“You didn’t get out of taking a private lesson with me.”
For some reason she found his statement arousing.
“I wasn’t trying to get out of it.”
He kissed her cheek and gave her ass a tap.
“Let’s go.”
“We’ll take care of the food. You all head to her place,” Ricci said as he and Rossi walked to their truck.
She opened her car door, feeling numb and yet filled with anticipation of what would happen next.
She got into the car and didn’t know how she felt about them knowing where she lived already and couldn’t help but wonder if they would investigate her or if they already had. An uneasiness began to simmer in her gut, but she started her car, glanced at Hook sitting next to her, watching her, and she headed home, hoping that this wasn’t a mistake.
Chapter Seven
“What’s going on?”
“I got something for you. Could be useful.”
“What is it now, Logan? I’m busy at the club, trying to get things coordinated for Saturday night.”
“Hook’s got a woman. She’s connected to Ro
dge. It’s his girlfriend’s daughter,” Logan told Torch.
“Really?” Torch asked, and stopped what he was doing and walked away from the bar to his office.
“What do you know about her?”
“She’s fire, like smoking hot, and young, maybe twenty-three tops.”
“How exactly did you come across this information?” he asked Logan.
“Fucking Rodge owes me some money, said he would pay me back in another way. A way that would surely make my night. I showed up at his girlfriend’s house, and there’s this young, sexy woman. Rodge said we’re going to party and take the two of them together, except the daughter didn’t have a clue what was going on.”
“And?”
“And she’s a feisty bitch. I let her go, realizing after she fought for her life that Rodge never told the bitch she was to service me for his debt. That asshole still owes me five grand, and now he’s been trying to get money in on this fight you’re setting up for Saturday.”
“That asshole has been calling the club. He’s going to let on to the fucking fight and get us all busted. Get him to shut his mouth, and find out more about the woman. You said she was with Hook?”
“He was hugging her, his hand on her ass as he kissed her at the gym. She locked gazes with me, and she didn’t tell him who I was. Didn’t rat on me or nothing. I got out of there quickly.”
“Didn’t think Hook even dated women. Always turned down offer after offer when he was fighting.”
“Exactly. This woman ain’t no ordinary screw. She’s classy, like I said, hot, and dresses like she’s got class, which is completely different than her old lady. That bitch is a whore, but Rodge is using her for money she has, from her dead husband’s insurance policy.”
“Well find out more about her and how serious she is with Hook. Could be useful information for a later date if they stay involved. Now that guy was a serious fucking fighter and a gold mine for me. No one has compared to him.”
“How about those two brothers that won the other night?”
Sons of Justice 9: Fighting Chance (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) Page 12