“You know, Stonewall, for a new couple, they should be horny for each other. They sure didn’t act it at my place. Maybe you need to keep an eye on them. Maybe they’re faking it,” Trick said with an evil grin.
—
Thorn suppressed the urge to smash in his uncle’s face.
How many times had he fought the desire to do so over the years? He forced his fingers to uncurl and relax on Cassidy’s arm. His distrust of his uncle was part of the reason he’d left home at seventeen. It was maybe a small part of why he understood Storm’s need to be considered a man. Only Thorn wished the boy would join the Army, or anything else on the right side of the law. The Brothers of Mayhem certainly wasn’t the place for him. They’d get him killed.
Storm was at the bottom of his list of problems at the moment. His uncle and Stonewall needed their attention drawn away from Thorn and Cassidy’s sex life, or lack of the same.
“Trick, what are you doing here?” Thorn had never imagined he and Stonewall were friends. Trick loved being in control, the center of attention. Stonewall had the same frame of mind. Unless they had a united goal.
Shit! He appeared to be their field post.
“Why, me and Stonewall are old gambling buddies, you could say.” He cackled.
That was it. Money. They loved the green stuff. How could they benefit from hurting him?
Before Thorn could question him further, Stonewall offered, “How about a little bet, Trick?” Thorn didn’t like the sound of all that glee in the prez’s voice. “Before daybreak tomorrow, Thorn gives it good to his old lady, and you pay me twenty percent more on that deal we agreed on last night.”
His uncle’s face lit up. “I love a good bet.” Stonewall reached out to shake on it, but Trick held back. “What do I get out of it, if I win?”
“You get to keep the original cut.” Stonewall crossed his arms as if nothing more needed to be said.
Trick spat on the floor. A handful of Brothers stepped forward grumbling at what they perceived as an insult. His uncle ignored the threat. Thorn knew the man was smart, despite his lecherous ways.
“That’s not enough. I already have that.” He eyed Thorn and Cassidy.
Hair on the back of Thorn’s neck stood up. It was like a snowball rolling down a hill in hell, unexpected and unlikely, but just as dangerous if it smashed into someone at the bottom.
“Hey, this isn’t your—”
The two old men ignored Thorn, and Trick said, “I get twenty percent more.”
“What the fuck?” Stonewall crowded Trick and stabbed the man’s chest with a finger. “That would give you eighty percent! No fucking way!”
Trick brushed it off. “I guess you better make sure they fuck like bunnies. I’ll stick around and make sure you don’t cheat.”
“You’re both fucking crazy!” Thorn stepped in front of Cassidy as he pushed her in the direction of her brother. “There’s no way we’ll be part of your crazy-ass bet. What we do in private is none of your damn business!”
“Hey, I have some say about it too!” Cassidy started toward Stonewall, but Thorn was relieved to see Storm grab her arms. At that moment, five Brothers jumped Thorn.
Cassidy cried out, “No! Stop it! You’re hurting him!”
He knew if he lost his footing they’d start kicking his kidneys and stomach, sending him to the hospital, and then the operation would be scrubbed, and the last eighteen months of his life wouldn’t mean shit. On top of that, it would leave Cassidy to fend for herself. That was, if her brother didn’t stick around. So he jabbed and elbowed the best he could. Even if he wanted to reach his knife or gun, too many fists and feet were coming at him.
“Back off, boys!” Stonewall shot his gun into the floor, inches from Thorn’s feet. “We can’t have him too busted up to get it up. Take him and the bitch upstairs into the spare room. There’s a bed, and it’s right above the bar. We should hear it all.”
Laughing and hooting filled the cavernous room.
That quickly, the attitude of the room changed. From wanting to beat his ass to party mode.
Thorn hurt all over. One eye was swelling shut and his ribs ached; possibly a couple were cracked. Hands pulled him toward the stairs. He heard Cassidy screaming and Storm arguing with Stonewall.
“Fuck you! Don’t treat my sister like this! She isn’t your slut to do with as you want.” Mac stepped up and backhanded Storm across the mouth. The teenager staggered and collapsed to his knees. Blood flowed from his nose and trickled from one corner of his lips.
Struggling with the men holding his arms and any part of clothing on his body to keep him from moving, Thorn tried to turn and reach Cassidy, to protect her.
Hell, the question he’d had earlier came to mind: How was he to protect her when he had a hard enough time protecting himself?
“Take the boy and lock him in the basement,” Stonewall ordered.
More shouting and the thumps of flesh meeting fist resounded in the room. Cassidy shouted, “Don’t hurt Storm!”
They dragged Thorn up a steep metal staircase and down a long, dark hall. Before they opened the door to the room, they lifted his gun and knife. Then they shoved him in. He tripped over an old, creaky desk chair and landed on a bed. Nothing else was in the room. He regained his feet and caught Cassidy as they threw her in after him. Her clothes were torn and disheveled. The assholes had taken advantage of their predicament and copped several feels.
He wrapped his arms around her. “I’m so sorry that I’ve gotten you into this.”
She sniffed and pushed away. “Your plan backfired, but it was your uncle’s sick mind that got us here. I don’t blame you.” She wiped underneath her eyes, clearing up the dark circles of eye makeup. Her eyes were red. She was handling it well, considering all the emotions she’d been through in the last thirty minutes.
Once again, she surprised him with her levelheaded thinking, though he believed she’d been too generous. That soft heart of hers was shining through.
Somehow he needed to find a way to get both of them out of this mess. He knew one thing. No way was he having sex with her.
Dean Harper, his supervisor and handler, would tie Thorn up by his balls for even thinking about it. Problem was, he’d more than thought about it—he wished it were possible. Only with the threat of death, his or another’s, would he be allowed to break that rule. It could jeopardize the whole operation. If he appeared to be using a civilian for sex, they’d fry him on the stand.
No way could they have sex.
Shit! How many times would he say it before his dick stood down?
—
Cassidy hugged herself. “I’m sorry, Thorn.”
“You have nothing to be sorry about.”
“If I hadn’t made Stonewall so mad, we wouldn’t be here now.”
He pulled her back into his arms.
She wanted to soak in his body heat—she’d never been so afraid in her whole life—but she had to be brave. Chill bumps traveled down her spine.
“What are we going to do?” she whispered.
“I’ll think of something. I promise you have nothing to worry about.”
“Are you real?”
He leaned back, still holding her.
“Pardon?”
“Like that. You don’t talk like anyone I know. You have the looks, the tats, the clothes, you ride a bike like you’re born to it, you even have the family, but you’re too nice.”
“Because I didn’t fall on you as soon as the door closed?”
“Maybe.”
The door slammed against the wall. Stonewall filled the doorway. “What? The lovebirds aren’t going at it?”
“Fuck you!” Thorn squeezed and then released her. He moved off to the side, pulling Stonewall’s attention in his direction, stepping closer to the dangerous man. “You really expect us to follow your orders so you can win a damn bet?”
She appreciated Thorn’s attempt to pull Stonewall’s beady gaze off her, but s
he doubted it would do any good. The old fart creeped her out.
Mitch had told her over and over again to stay away from the Brothers, and especially Stonewall. The Skull was as mean as a rabid dog and just as unpredictable. The two men’s friendship had died years ago, and her foster dad had never told her the details of their argument.
“Actually…yes. See, if you don’t, I’ll have your ass tied down so you can watch as the boys have a little fun with your girlfriend. They’ll demonstrate how it’s done.” His hand pretended to yank a cord above his head, an outlaw-motorcycle-club sign for gangbanging.
“You son of a bitch—” Thorn cut off his rant when two of the Brothers, Bullhead and Crush, walked in behind Stonewall. Cassidy had heard of them. The men did Stonewall’s dirty work and enjoyed dealing out pain.
The men crossed their arms over massive chests, their heads thrown back as they stared down their noses with their icy gazes at Thorn.
Stonewall’s leer caused her to shake with each step he took closer. “You look a lot like your ma before she got hooked on meth. The biggest brown eyes and big tits, just like yours.” He ran his tongue over his bottom lip as his gaze lingered on her chest.
Her stomach clenched with a sick feeling. She wanted to place her hands over her breasts, despite wearing a tee shirt, but she refused to show how uncomfortable he made her feel. His type loved making people uneasy or scared.
He reached out and she jerked back, her back hitting the wall. He tugged on a strand of her hair. Thorn shouted an obscenity, and the two men slammed him against the wall.
“Don’t hurt him! I’m his old lady. He’s telling the truth. All along. I’ve been hiding it from Mitch. You know how he feels about you and the club. If he found out that I’ve been seeing Thorn, he’d have a fit. Mitch’ll make Storm return to his house instead of staying with me. I didn’t want to take the chance.” She was panting at the end, fear taking her breath away. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if Thorn was hurt. He’d been protecting her, trying to help.
“Then a little fucking session tonight won’t matter. I’ll leave you two to it.” He yanked on her hair again, causing her to squeak.
“You bastard! Leave her alone!” Thorn struggled against the two large men.
Stonewall opened his hand and chuckled. “I’m leaving. But Crush and Bullhead will stay outside the door and report what they hear. Of course, they may look in every now and again. Don’t worry. They know they can’t join in until sunrise. That is, if you don’t help me win my bet. If I lose, I always get to pound flesh.” Stonewall chortled with his obscene joke.
Cassidy waited until the door closed behind the three men before racing over to Thorn. He sat on the floor, slumped over. Bullhead had drilled a fist into Thorn’s stomach before walking out.
“Oh, my God! Are you okay?” She kneeled at his side. “Can I help you? Can you stand?”
Thorn gingerly inhaled and said in a whisper, “Give me a minute. I need to catch my breath.”
“I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault. You were only trying to help.” Tears flowed down her face. She hadn’t cried in years, but lately, with her brother acting so unlike himself and Thorn’s kindness, everything was becoming too much. People could be mean to her, and her eyes stayed dry, but be nice and she teared up like a wimp.
“Shh, no, no, no. Everything will be okay.” His hand smoothed hair from her face.
“What are we going to do?” She looked up through her eyelashes. Compassion softened his face, telling her so much. “Don’t worry. I don’t expect you to—”
He kissed her.
Chapter 7
Cassidy loved how his mouth responded to hers. Hard, exploring every texture from her lips to her tongue. Delicious heat raced over her skin. The roughness of his stubble reminded her that he was no boy. The noise from the music and shouting downstairs drifted away. It was only the two of them.
When she was sure she was about to faint from all the sensations, he moved back and said in a low voice, “Listen, if you’re willing, we can fool them.”
She slowly opened her eyes, dazed by the overwhelming feelings he brought out of her. A few seconds drifted by before she realized what he’d said.
“What?”
Her face heated when he grinned. She pulled her hands out of his.
In a whisper, he said, “Do you trust me?”
Without hesitation, she answered, “Yes.”
He’d done so much for her. If not for Thorn…she hated to think what Stonewall would do.
“Stonewall has to believe we’re having sex. So follow my lead.” He caressed her cheek.
“Believe?”
His grin grew larger. “Yeah. If and when you and I make…”
Had he just wavered from saying love? He was so adorable. If an over-six-foot, fully patched one percenter could be considered adorable.
“…love, we’ll do it without an audience outside the door.” Thorn leaned in and pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. “Take off your clothes and get on the bed.”
“But you just said—” She was so confused.
“We have to look like we’re fucking.” His blunt words didn’t bother her, but taking off her clothes…she wasn’t a beauty queen. She loved French fries too much.
“Can’t we cover up?” She already knew the answer but had to ask.
“Sorry. Maybe later.”
Several Brothers waiting for a chance to gangbang her, or one hot, sexy Brother who was willing to protect her? It was an easy choice. No one ever said she wasn’t practical. Looking around the room for a place to hide while she undressed, she quickly realized there were no closets or partitions. She turned her back and dropped her top and jeans on the floor.
“Everything. Sorry, Cassidy.” His gruff voice brought a heat to her skin, but she wasn’t sure if it was all embarrassment. It was so hot knowing that he watched.
She slipped out of her bra and panties as she heard clothing rustling behind her. He was stripping too.
Arranged against one wall, on a frame with no head- or footboard, the bed had sheets only. Surprisingly, though it smelled dusty, that was all. She ignored his earlier instructions and scooted beneath the top sheet, pulling it to her chin as she shivered. Unable to resist, her gaze landed on Thorn. His body was beautiful, bruises and all. Long, muscled limbs and defined pecs, he had more of a runner’s look to him than a body builder’s. Broad shoulders, lean hips, full tattoo sleeves on his arms, with more flowing down one ribcage to his hip. The glimpse she got was of a long-robed grim reaper with the face hidden in the shadows of its hood.
The mattress dipped, and he rolled onto his back. They stared at the ceiling. Heat from his body warmed her side.
“What do we do now?” she asked. Though embarrassed—he was a stranger no matter what they’d been through together—her skin prickled and tightened with need. It was as if it and the universe were against her being a good girl.
“In a few minutes, we’ll rock the bed.”
“To make the bastards think we’re having sex?” She was quite proud she said it without hesitation. Maybe if they knew each other a little better, it wouldn’t bother her so much. He was different. Nothing that she could put a finger on, but he wasn’t like anyone she’d met before. “Would they fall for it?”
He looked out of the corner of his eyes.
“Yeah. But I have to be on top of you or you’ll need to be on top of me,” his voice softened so as not to carry in the bare room. “We can’t chance one of the shitheads coming in for a verification.”
“I can’t be on top. I’ll be naked.” Heat from embarrassment covered her face that time.
Before she’d sworn to be a good girl, she’d had a serious boyfriend, and had done some things she regretted later, but it was different now. She wasn’t high, and she’d never been forced into a situation like this. Besides, she liked Thorn a lot. It could be because of her feelings that she felt nervous around him.
He leaned in and cupped her face. “It’ll be okay. I promise you’ll enjoy it. You at least deserve that.”
Bouncing on the bed and faking off Stonewall and his men, yes, that would be great. Was that what he meant? She frowned. “Of course it will be fun—”
His mouth taking hers stopped all coherent thought. Solid male chest crushed her breasts flat, and her breath left her body in the good way. He jerked the sheet off her. His hard groin pressed against the crease next to her thigh in rhythm with her fast heartbeat.
Every inch of her body tingled. She wanted to reach down and caress the hot length. Something that felt so good deserved to be stroked. His lips moved from hers, allowing deeper breaths. Their panting filled the room. She’d never been so horny in her life. She was certain imploding would happen next, if he didn’t do something fast.
“Oh, God. Please. Thorn. More.”
He chuckled, and she felt the vibrations all the way to her toes. Her foggy brain didn’t register his amusement.
“Darling, if only you knew how much I hurt.”
“Maybe we could…” How could she say it?
“Shh. Don’t worry. I’ll make it better.”
Better? Yeah. That would be great. She could die with a smile on her face.
They heard a click. She froze.
“It’s okay,” he whispered as his thrusts became harder.
Then one of the guards muttered his disappointment loud enough for them to hear. “Damn! Motherfucker!” The door slammed shut.
Cassidy tried to look around his shoulder, but Thorn shook his head. After a few more thrusts, he stopped and looked back.
“He’s gone for now.”
Face hot, she shoved at his chest.
“Cassidy, stop. We’re not safe yet.”
Just then the door clicked open again.
One of Thorn’s big hands grabbed a thigh and lifted until her ankle hit his waist, and he started thrusting against her pelvic bone. She imagined that from the door, it looked as if they were having sex as his hard cock sawed back and forth over her mons.
She pressed her mouth above his collarbone and bit down to keep from screaming in need. Tears came to her eyes as he continued his rhythmic pounding. He grunted with each thrust.
Hidden Heat (Brothers of Mayhem #1) Page 7