She really looked at him, committing to memory everything about his face. He had laugh lines around his eyes that made her wonder about his age. He didn’t look older than his mid-thirties, but something told her he was much older. It didn’t matter. She couldn’t stop herself as she stole another kiss.
He smiled against her lips and exhaled slowly. “Baby, you’re making it hard to be something close to a gentleman here.”
“Then stop trying,” she said, moving along with the beat of the music. She worked her body on his lap, giving him one hell of an up-close-and-personal erotic dance.
He stiffened under her and sucked in a big breath. She realized then that he’d nearly come in his jeans. Grinning, she tried to move on him again, but he held her in place, shaking his head.
“Baby. No.”
Baby?
She’d never been one for pet names before, but she liked hearing the word fall from his lips. “Dance with me.”
“I don’t dance,” he said, his voice deepening.
Ignoring his protest, she put her lips to his ear, ruffling his hair in the process. “Dance with me.”
He shook as he held her steady. “You’re challenging my self-restraint, but you know that already, don’t you, baby?”
She licked his outer ear in a seductive manner, causing his body to jerk more. “I love it when you call me baby.”
“Yeah, well, I fucking love everything about you,” he said before clearing his throat, his gaze darting away. “I mean that I like you. Yes, like.”
She laughed. “Uh-huh.”
He kept her locked in place, his strength impressing her. “We need to slow this way down.”
“We’re in a sex club. We should speed this way up,” she said, moving her hand to his clothed erection. She cupped him, her gaze colliding with his. “Don’t you agree?”
He closed his eyes. “Normally, yes. Right now, something deep down is telling me to take a breath, and to stop things right where they are, to be continued later, in private.”
She grunted, her bottom lip poking out in a pout.
He looked at her and licked her lip.
Galiena tried to move on him again, but he continued to hold her in place. It was clear that he was in control, for now. Need burned its way through her and she bit at his mouth, wanting him to surrender.
“Baby,” he said, the resolve in his voice wavering slightly. It was enough for her to know she was making progress. “Not here. Not like this.”
“Here is perfect. This is perfect,” she protested.
“No,” he said, the word slicing through the moment. “I want you, baby. More than you’ll ever fucking realize, but I can’t take you here where so many others can see.”
She eyed him. “Shy? Not into voyeurism?”
The bad-boy grin he gave her said he was into a hell of a lot more than simply watching or being watched during sex. “Oh, any other time—any other woman—they can look their fill, but not now. Not with you.”
The mention of other women falling from his lips set her on edge. She didn’t know why. She’d never been the jealous type before. In fact, she’d always liked hearing her clients talk of their other conquests. But not this man. She didn’t want to think of him being with another woman.
She narrowed her gaze on him, her ire rising. “How many other women have there been?”
“Never bothered to count,” he said, trying to kiss her again.
It was Galiena who stopped the interaction between them this time. “Oh, really?”
He froze. “Baby?”
“Don’t baby me.”
His cheeks flushed. “Shit.”
“Uh-huh.” She was about to read him the riot act, though she wasn’t exactly sure why, when something else made itself known.
Real hunger.
For actual food.
Suddenly, she felt as if she could eat and eat until she popped. She glanced around and spotted the old crazy-looking man who had been getting lap dances on the other side of the stage. He was standing now, waving at her. He pointed to his table. On it was a veritable buffet of food.
“Bane, bring her over to eat!” he yelled across the crowded club. “She’s hungry. Gus said so.”
Bane? And who was Gus?
The man under her grunted. “I swear I’m going to kill that little shit.”
“You’re Bane?”
He nodded.
The name suited him. It was manly and powerful, like him. Plus, he did have a quality about him that said he could make someone miserable if he really wanted to. She laughed softly.
“Well, I think he’s adorable,” she said, remaining on his lap.
He stiffened. “Not so much after you get to know him. Bill can wear on your nerves really fast.”
She couldn’t seem to stop herself as she planted a row of chaste kisses on Bane’s jawline.
He caught her face and held it gently. “Is he right? Are you hungry?”
Shame filled her, but she nodded. “Starving.”
Bane stood, lifting her in his arms from a seated position, showing off just how strong he was. He didn’t even seem as if it caused him effort. She expected him to set her down to walk on her own. He didn’t. He carried her as if she were a child all the way around the stage, to the table the old man was at.
It was then Galiena noticed a man in a helmet sitting at the table behind them. He was working on what looked to be his fifth drink, if the empties were any indication. He lifted his hand, giving her a thumb’s up as he stared in her direction, kind of, from behind a pair of goggles.
Bill pulled a chair out for Galiena and Bane set her in it gently, before standing next to her as if on sentry duty. “Eat.”
She jerked at the gruffness in his voice.
Bill waved a hand dismissively. “Ignore monkey-boy. He’s all bark. Here. Gus said you like French fries. We got all the kinds they have. He also said you really like chicken. They only had that in a sandwich form. We ordered you four of them. Do you want more?”
Confused, Galiena watched the small man. “Who’s Gus? And how did he know I liked all this?”
Bill thumbed in the direction of the man in the helmet. “That’s Gus. You gonna eat, Galiena?”
She paused. How did he know her name?
Bill pushed a plate of fries at her. “Gus says not to touch you yet. That it’s only safe right now for Bane to do that. But Gus also says you have to eat. Says you haven’t eaten real food in weeks. Says your body is gonna shut down soon. And we can’t have that. Oh, and I like your hair long. Plus, you’re hotter now that you’re of age.”
She wasn’t sure what he was going on about or how he knew all he did about her.
“Eat before you pass out or something,” he said impatiently.
Embarrassed, Galiena looked up, worried at what response she’d get from Bane about it all. She found he wasn’t paying attention. His focus was on something across the bar, and he seemed to be on high alert.
Bill nudged the plate. “Ignore him. He’s in full alpha-male mode. It’s also called dickhead mode. Gus says that Bane isn’t listening to us right now. That being an alpha makes his ability to multitask nearly nonexistent. Also makes him stubborn. Eat. Drink some water. You’re safe with us. With him for sure. In case you haven’t noticed, he could tear a person’s head off without really trying. We heard about him cutting a dude in half a few weeks ago. He can also take on like ten assholes at once. Maybe more.”
She grinned at the man’s attempt at setting her mind at ease. “Shifter?” she asked, popping a fry into her mouth. It was delicious, but her stomach, denied real food for too long, wasn’t sure it wanted it.
“A monkey one.” Bill nodded, his eyes wide. “But really, shifters are the worst to deal with. Walk around with their heads up their asses all day while they posture and growl. I like vampires much better. They’re less full of the need to prove they’re men.”
Sounded about right.
She’d n
ever met a monkey-shifter before. Bane seemed really big to be able to shift into a small monkey. But she’d once met a man who could turn into a bunny, so really, anything was possible.
She smiled wider at Bill. “What about you? What are you?”
“I’m sort of a supplier, I guess. I got the hook-up on good drugs. Folks call me Wild Bill.” He leaned in closer, but didn’t make contact with her. “I have a great line on high-impact weapons too. Need one?”
“Um, not right now. I’m kind of a walking weapon.”
He nodded. “Gus said as much.”
“Gus hasn’t said anything,” she returned, trying to eat another fry. “Does he talk?”
Bill tapped his temple. “Sure. I hear him in here. He says he can’t do it with you. Says you’ve got something that blocks him. Cool, because sometimes I can’t get any sleep because he talks all night.”
She glanced at Gus to find him still sipping his drink. She didn’t press for more information. Instead, she ate another fry. Her gaze went back to Bill. “Would your friend like some food? You have enough here to feed an army.”
“Nah, Gus is getting hammered,” said Bill, thumbing again in the direction of his buddy. “It’s good he lives a bit. Best we not add too much food right now. Don’t know if he’ll gift it back to us later. If you know what I mean.”
She snickered, and Bane’s hands found her shoulders once more. He stood behind her as she picked at the food. Her heart warmed at how protective Bane was being. And his touch made her feel better. As much as she wanted to dig in, her stomach wasn’t exactly cooperating. Though, the more contact Bane made with her, the easier it was to eat without a knot in her gut.
Chapter Eight
Bane stood behind the petite woman, unable to shake the feeling that he had to be at the ready for a fight. As if he had to be prepared to take on the world at a moment’s notice for her. It also felt as if he knew her on some level. Like he’d always known her. She was familiar to him, but he couldn’t place her.
Like you’d ever forget meeting her.
He was torn. Part of him wanted to kill every male in the place for simply being too close to the woman, while the other part of him wanted to spread her out on the table and fuck her until neither of them could move again. To hell with witnesses. He wanted to ram himself in her and spend his seed in her.
She needs your help, not your dick, he thought, despite his cock’s protests.
Ever the vigilant one, he continued to stare around the club. He could have sworn he saw her talking to Lance Toov, a former Immortal Op, earlier as he’d been approaching her. He’d been briefed on the Lance situation and knew the man had fallen into enemy hands. He’d had his mind fucked with and was now doing the dirty work of the bad guys. Was the little woman before him working for the side of bad as well?
She didn’t seem evil to him.
Scared and malnourished? Yes. Evil? No.
But very familiar.
His hand went to where he normally kept his wallet once more. The urge to have the picture of Paisley’s friend in hand was great. Since Bill still hadn’t given the wallet back, Bane was empty-handed.
He glanced down to find the woman picking at the food before her like a bird. Bending, he moved her long brown hair and pressed his lips to her ear. “Eat or I’ll force-feed you.”
The words came out harsh, and he hadn’t even meant to say them at all. He expected her to run from him. He had to seem intimidating to her. Hell, men three times her size had cowered in his presence before wetting themselves when he’d commanded them to do things.
She looked up at him, put a fry in her mouth, and then wrinkled her nose in defiance. The entire act was cheeky and Bane’s lips twitched before he smiled. She beamed up at him and his mind raced with how glorious it would be to wake up next to that smile for the rest of his life.
Mine.
He jerked, his gorilla doing its version of beating at his chest from within. It wanted out. Wanted to put its mark on the small woman before him. The worst part was, he had half a mind to let it.
“There. Was smiling really that hard?” she asked, batting her thick lashes up at him.
Bill slapped the table, laughing loudly. “For him? Yes, smiling was very hard. The more you get to know him, the more you realize being a barrel of laughs isn’t really his thing.”
Bane bit his lip to keep from chuckling. His gaze slid over the woman in the chair, and he froze the minute he realized he could see straight down the top of her dress. His already hard cock threatened to burst free from his jeans.
At first, he stared at her breasts like a total asshole, but then he stopped, zeroing in on the countless bruises on her body. The ill-fitting dress and sweater were too big and bulky for her, and had hidden the state of her body from his view to start with. As he saw just how angry the bruises were, and how they were all in different stages of healing, he saw red. She’d been hurt, more than once, and over a long period of time.
He turned her to face him with more force than he’d intended. His beast wanted to murder whoever hurt her. It wanted to tear the person responsible for her condition limb from limb. “Who hurt you?”
Gulping, she tensed.
Seeing her reaction to him stopped his beast dead cold from trying to push up and out. He took a deep breath, giving his gorilla side a second to cage itself. “Sorry. I just, well, the bruises.”
She tugged at the end of her sweater and averted her gaze.
“Listen, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“I know.”
He bent again, hoping to appear less threatening. From the way Bill was looking at him with nothing short of disappointment on his face, Bane was failing miserably. “If you tell me who hurt you, I promise to make their death slow and painful.”
Bill lowered his head into his hands, shaking his head. “You can’t drive worth a damn, you drink bad milk, and are total shit with the ladies. Tell me what it is you can do.”
Bane cleared his throat. “Erm, okay, I’ll kill them quick?”
The woman touched his face and his entire body lit with need for her. From the moment he’d spotted her from across the bar, he’d wanted her. Wanted to sink into her silken depths and lose himself in her. It was ironic that he’d zeroed in on her, when she wasn’t the type of woman he normally went for in the least. Not to mention, in a club full of topless women, he couldn’t tear his gaze from the one who had nearly every ounce of her skin covered with clothing.
She smiled sweetly, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Thank you for the offer, but I just want to go home. I don’t want to ever be around him again. I want to forget he’s alive. And that his men are too.”
“His men?” he asked, his temper rising. “Give me names.”
Her brows met. “Why? This isn’t your fight. And I’m not sending you to your death. You’re the first person I’ve been able to touch in weeks. I don’t want you dead. I want you on her back, under me as I ride you until you explode in me.”
Bill grinned and gave him double thumbs-up. “Hey, maybe you’re not total shit after all.”
Bane simply stared at the woman who was dressed as if the idea of sex would send her running to confession. Had she really just said what he thought she did? He played it in his head and realized she had indeed said she wanted to ride him until he exploded in her.
I was so wrong. She does need my dick.
His cock throbbed and ached, wanting to give her what she asked for. It was so easy to picture himself lifting her, ripping her clothing off and then rooting himself within her. He knew she would be divine in bed. And he knew he’d lose total control with her. She couldn’t be serious about wanting him. “Um, uh…lady?”
“Galiena,” she said with a wink. “Can we skip the long introductions and possibly just have sex?”
“I really like her!” Bill lifted an arm and moved his hand around as if he were lassoing a bronco. “Grab hold of that one and don’t let go. Bet she’s a wild
one in the sack.”
Bane couldn’t think, let alone respond. His dick was all for the idea. His beast wanted it as well because it wanted an opening to mark her. To claim her.
Mine.
The word nearly fell from his lips. It was there, dancing on the edge, wanting free. His hands burned with the need to shift forms. He backed up fast, worried he’d lose it and turn into a giant silverback gorilla in the middle of a city bar. Sure, no one inside would freak out too much because they were supernaturals, but the minute he broke free of the joint and hit the streets, pandemonium would ensue.
Galiena reached for him and he shot back away from her touch as if it might burn. A hurt expression fell over her face and she drew her hand close to herself.
Instantly, Bane nearly grabbed for her, wanting to hold her close. He wanted to sweep her off her feet and never let go. Right after he shifted and had his way with her.
No! he thought, fearing a repeat of the past. He couldn’t lose control again. The very idea the woman before him could end up a victim of his beast side was too much for him.
Calm yourself, came Gus’s voice in Bane’s head.
That was easier said than done. He’d only come into the place to fetch Bill and Gus before they could manage to get into any more trouble. Why was he suddenly fighting with all he had to keep from spreading out the petite beauty before sinking his teeth into her flesh and his cock into her body? And why was his beast so jumpy?
“Dude, take her up on the offer!” Bill flagged down a waitress and motioned to the two topless women who hadn’t ventured far from him. He pulled money from his jacket pocket. “What do my dolls want?”
The waitress smiled. “Wild Bill, your money is no good here. You know that. Drinks are on the house. Oh, and your buddy is on his fifth jumbo margarita. He really has a thing for those tiny umbrellas, doesn’t he?”
Galiena lowered her gaze from Bane’s. “That’s a no to sex then, isn’t it?”
Wait? She thought he was turning her down?
You didn’t answer her, said Gus in his mind before the sound of a hiccup followed closely.
Bane glanced over to find Gus sipping madly at another drink. Several empties were next to him. The last thing Bane needed was to deal with a drunk Gus. There was no telling what the man might do. “No more for you.”
Isolated Maneuver: An Immortal Ops World Novel (Immortal Outcasts Series Book 3) Page 8