His reddened face shook slightly as he glared at me.
“You—!” his scream of rage was cut off by a cry of pain. Pike leaned over and sank his fist into his stomach.
Pike’s eyes flashed when he saw me launch towards him. I grabbed the scruff of his neck and slammed him into the wall, his head bouncing on the plaster.
“What the fuck?”
“If you’re too stupid to follow orders, I have no fucking use for you. Get. Out.”
I let him go and stepped back, just daring him with my eyes to attack me.
Give me a fucking reason.
He dusted himself off and kicked a stray beer bottle as he left the room. River watched the exchange with a disapproving frown on his face. I eye-fucked him.
Like I give a shit what you think.
“Well? Are you going to tell us, or do I have to start breaking kneecaps?”
The man’s face pinched and squinted, as if he was fighting back tears. He dropped into his hands and his back shook. Tears ran from the cracks in his fingers.
My chest tightened and I wished I were anywhere but here. “Just fucking tell me already!”
He opened his broken mouth, answering the floor. “Two a.m. Docks. Every Thursday. There’s a—a signal.”
“See? Was that so hard?” I nodded to River, who swept past at once.
From the tears still falling onto his lap, I could tell that it was the truth. I swallowed hard and left that small shack, the man’s pleas still ringing in my ears.
“We’ve got the location,” I said to Pike, who sulked by his bike.
“What if he’s lying?” he sneered.
The asshole was being an insolent little shit. I could smash his fucking face in. “Then we’ll find him.”
“Or we could go to his house and pick up his kid.”
My blood ran cold.
“We don’t go after families, you sick fuck.” I stared him down. “If you lay a hand on that kid, I’ll kill you. Understood?”
He was mute.
I bellowed in his face. “Are you deaf?”
“I understand.”
My rage, burning hot, cooled like a forging sword plunged into ice-cold water. “Good.”
Pike’s face twisted with the words he wished he could hurl at me. I jumped back on my bike, glad to see that even if they didn’t fear me, they now respected me.
JULIA
It was nearly five and I couldn’t keep the butterflies still.
Spike was coming for dinner. I leaned over the sink and carefully applied my lipstick for the third time. I kept biting my lip from nerves and ruining it. I brushed my blonde waves, which sat on my bare shoulders. I hadn’t even picked out clothes yet.
Smacking my lips, I returned to the bedroom and opened the closet door, my heart hammering at the sight of Cain’s clothing hanging in the darkness like ghosts waiting for his return.
He’s going to come back.
Whatever I told Spike; I still felt a chill like a cold finger running down my spine whenever I thought of Cain’s return. My heart beat faster and faster and then I tore the house apart to find the coke, because nothing else would quiet my jangling nerves. I didn’t want to die.
I shoved the clothes to the side and found mine. I didn’t want to look like I was trying to be sexy, but God, I wanted him. I wanted his hands on my body, his lips on my face, even if it couldn’t last.
For fuck’s sake, if I could only have him once, it’d be worth the risk. I finally felt like one of those giddy, idiotic women I saw all the time in Los Angeles with their boyfriends.
I pulled on a soft pink blouse and jeans. This isn’t a date, I reminded myself as I carefully rolled on my mascara. This isn’t—
A soft pair of knocks at the door sent an electrical shock through my heart. I almost threw the makeup behind the mirror over the sink. Then I took a couple deep breaths and stared at my reflection until I looked a bit calmer. Reining myself in, I walked over the gleaming floors and grabbed the door’s handle.
He waited behind the door, dressed in dark jeans and leather, as always. A confident smile twitched on his face and it widened when he saw me.
“Hi.” I took the plastic container he handed me, which held a small cake big enough for the both of us. “Thanks, Spike. You didn’t have to get anything.”
Was it me, or did his smile look strained?
“It was no problem.”
His shoulder muscles rippled as he slid his jacket from his arms and hung it on the wall. He looked just like a normal guy without it.
It was several seconds before I realized I was still standing there like an idiot, grinning like a fool. He didn’t seem perturbed by it. Spike looked positively cheerful. That’s what I liked about him. He always lifted my spirits, no matter what.
I wasn’t normally like this around men. They got nervous around me, not the other way around.
“I’m sorry, I’m not usually like this,” I said as I shoved the dessert into the fridge. I stared into the white interior of the fridge, hoping the coolness would relieve my burning cheeks.
“I know,” Spike said in an amused voice. Heavy footsteps told me he was right behind me. “Is it because I’m here?”
He leaned against the kitchen island, regarding me with a cocked head.
“Maybe.”
“It is, isn’t it?” He crossed his arms and grinned wider, loving every moment of my embarrassment. “Well, well, well. Turns out that the world-famous hustler has a weak spot after all.”
Ass.
My face probably glowed. “No, I don’t. I make my living hustling guys like you.”
The gaze in his eyes was hot and somewhat forbidding. “I am not like the guys you hustle.”
I smiled, ready to talk back, but something in his gaze told me not to.
“No, you’re not,” I admitted. “Maybe that makes me nervous.”
My heart jumped when he took my hand and brought me closer to him. Every sound in the kitchen was amplified, the simmering vegetables, the sound of my shoes clipping on the tiles, and I suddenly wished there was music.
“Why? ‘Cause you’re not in control for once?”
He held my shoulders and that alone was enough to rob me of breath.
“Are you kidding me? I’m never in control. I can’t remember the last time I chose something for myself.” I sucked in breath when he squeezed my shoulders. He was all around me—all encompassing and intoxicating. “When I’m around you, all bets are off. I can’t hide my feelings and that scares the shit out of me.”
“I have an idea that’ll make it better.”
The frantic pace of my heart was painful. I could feel every finger on my shoulders. They moved in a circular pattern, rising over my bones and falling to gently massage the thick pad of muscle.
I couldn’t think. “Yeah?”
He lowered his head as his fingers moved across my shoulders, sweeping up to my neck to hold me still as his lips fell on mine. He kissed my parted lips as I let out a small gasp. His lips were so soft against mine, a stark contrast to his rugged exterior. His kiss was a gentle caress on my lips and I leaned into him as a moan escaped my mouth.
I wanted this for so long.
The world shrank away. Even the kitchen disappeared, along with all of its noises. I was only aware of his body, his hands still wrapped around my neck, his fingers digging into the back of my head. My skin was hypersensitive to every gentle caress. His thumbs swept up and stroked my jaw, making my whole body shudder.
Then he pulled away, looking flushed and excited. He still held my face, his brown eyes searching me. My heartbeat was obscenely loud.
“Feel better?”
Oddly enough, I did. I felt that my chest would burst with the joy of being so close to him and the nervousness melted away. Why did he do it? What happened to brotherhood and honor?
“Why did you—how?”
He smiled, somehow knowing the question I couldn’t quite ask. “I don’t feel
guilty anymore. He’s not right for you. He’s not right for anyone.”
“I only told you a thousand times.”
But this can’t last. Then my face fell. My happiness popped like soap bubbles.
“Spike.” Emotion thickened my throat. “I don’t know what to do.”
He shrugged, smiling bitterly. “Me neither. Getting mixed up with the Vice President’s old lady was the last thing I wanted, but I can’t seem to stay away from you.”
Another wave of heat spread down my chest and legs as he cupped my chin. “Same here. I don’t know whether I’ll—I don’t know if I can leave him.”
“Stop,” he said in a tender voice. “Don’t think about that yet. Just enjoy it.”
Yes. Just shut up and give in.
I just wanted to sink into his arms and stay there forever. He titled my head with his fingers so that I gazed into his eyes. “Kiss me again, please—”
I didn’t have a chance to finish my sentence. The gentleness from before vanished. His lips took my breath away with a rough kiss. His arms snaked around me, his hands following the curve of my ass. He squeezed and I moaned into his mouth. Spike’s tongue parted my lips and I tasted his mouth, which was sweet. I sucked on his lower lip and grazed my teeth, biting slightly.
I wrapped my legs around his waist as he picked me up. He backed me against the wall, his lips still devouring mine. He pulled away, his breathing frantic as he kissed down my neck, his tongue darting out to taste my skin.
“I’ve wanted you since the first time I saw you,” he said in hurried gasps. “Fucking hell, you make me crazy.”
A lecherous swipe of his tongue over the swell of my tits made me moan. His lips gathered my flesh in his mouth and he sucked hard, leaving a wet, bright red mark.
“Spike, don’t!”
He laughed softly in my ear, nibbling on it. Thoughts of how reckless this was disappeared as I slipped further and further into the mind numbing pleasure his lips and tongue gave me. I didn’t want him to stop, and as I caught a glimpse of his fevered gaze, I wondered if he even had the ability to stop. He walked a short distance with me in his arms, and my heart slammed against my chest as he walked in the bedroom—the bed I shared with Cain.
It felt so wrong to be in a room that still smelled faintly of him, but Spike leaned me over the bed, his lips still attached to mine, kissing me senseless. And I didn’t care anymore. I knew this would happen. I knew that if I invited him over, I was essentially inviting him to fuck me. There was no stopping it.
As he kissed me, he unbuttoned my blouse, his lips traveling further and further down with every unsnapped button. I never felt so alive. My back arched into his kisses, powerless against the ecstasy I felt from his lips and his fingers, which stroked the sides of my breasts when my blouse fell away from my arms. I reached up to twine my fingers in his hair, yanking slightly as he reached around me and undid the clasp of my bra. He sighed when it fell down my arms, gazing with pure rapturous delight at my tits.
“Spike, I need you.”
He smiled and kissed me again, this time softly. I grabbed the hem of his shirt and lifted it over his head. His body sank into mine. The heat of both of our bodies touching each other made me gasp.
“I may seem sweet to you now, but it’s taking everything in me not to fuck you how I really want.”
I slid my fingers down his back. “Do it. I want you to.”
He shook his head. “Not tonight. Tonight I’ll be gentle.” He gave me another smile as he slipped down, kissing my breasts and swirling his tongue around my nipples. My pussy clenched with want as he closed his mouth over one and sucked.
Meanwhile, his hands played with my waistband. With one snap, my jeans unbuttoned and his hot hand slipped under my panties to stroke my mound. His middle finger curved and immediately plunged into wetness.
“Goddamn, you’re so wet for me.”
“Spike,” I groaned.
His middle finger stroked me in circles, carefully avoiding my throbbing heat. He kissed me consolingly. “You beautiful, amazing girl. I’m going to make you come so hard.”
It was music to my ears. I was so used to fear and pain. The fact that he cared about my pleasure, getting me off, was completely different than what I was used to. I let out a high, thin gasp as his finger curved sharply and slid inside my pussy with hardly any friction. I dug my fingers in his hair and yanked so hard that he grunted in pain.
Again and again he probed my wetness, stroking my clit as he dazzled me with his lips. I reached down and yanked my jeans off my waist. I kissed him back hard, biting his lip. Red-faced, he withdrew his hand to pull my jeans off my legs and then I was completely naked. He hovered over me, his elbows flat against my sides. He seemed to come back to himself and doubt flickered in his eyes. I swept my hands over his cheeks and behind his head, tightening my fingers in his curls. I pulled his head closer, until I breathed into his mouth.
“Take off your pants.”
Spike didn’t need to be told twice. I reached down and helped him unbuckle his belt, my heart hammering when I heard his zipper and the rough tousle of his jeans sliding off his thick legs. I leaned up and saw his rigid cock. I wanted to touch him, but Spike leaned over me and suddenly my legs flew over his legs and tightened over his torso.
The head of his cock sent a ripple of electricity through my pussy as it pushed against my entrance. His body rocked and his cock shot into me, filling me with his width. His eyes closed as he dug into me, my fingers almost ripping out his hair.
It felt so right. He felt so good. His beautifully carved, tattooed back rose and fell like the ocean. I tightened my legs, squeezing him as he glided up my walls, pounding with an ever-increasing frequency.
“Spike!”
He bent his head to kiss me, silencing my moans, and I responded with a furious passion. I wanted it harder. Faster. But Spike was intent on keeping it slow. He buried himself to the hilt and held himself there, shuddering slightly. He smiled against my lips and then he slid out just as slowly, only to thrust inside again.
“Are you trying to torture me?”
A delicious laugh rumbled in my ears. “I’m trying to be gentle.”
He kissed my ear and I flushed all over, marveling how a badass biker could be so sweet.
“Well, I don’t like gentle.”
He slipped out of me and I worried, thinking that I offended him. Suddenly he grabbed my shoulders and made me sit upright. He kissed me again and my hands explored his powerful chest, his rock-hard shoulders, loving every inch of him. His hand tangled in my hair, he yanked me around and shoved me forward so that I landed on all fours. I gasped as I landed, his hair still clinging my long hair as the other grabbed my waist. Excitement shook my limbs.
“I don’t like it either,” he said in a throaty growl.
Then he thrust into me, deeper and harder than before. I moaned as his cock filled me, his hand jerking my head and making me arch my back. It wasn’t painful; it was fucking hot. His hips slammed into me, still tugging my hair as he thrust forward. I rocked my body in tune with his movements, our bodies smacking together and my wetness all over his thighs.
His groans deepened when I began to rock my hips into his thrusts and he let go of my hair to grab my hips, pulling back with quick jerks.
Smack!
I shuddered as his hand ripped down on my ass with a sudden, sharp blow. The pain accentuated the pleasure throbbing inside my pussy. My face pushed into the comforter as I lifted my ass up so that he could drive into me deeper. I fell to my side as he suddenly flipped me around again, and then my back was against the headboard and he was smashing into me. My legs wound themselves over his back and I held onto his shoulders for dear life, not caring about the pain of my head crashing into the headboard.
He nuzzled my neck, uttering wordless growls that fed my ecstasy. The pleasure vibrated through my body, flushing my breasts and face. I wrenched his hair and screamed as he bit my neck and finally
—he groaned.
Warmth spread inside me as his cock jumped and my pussy clenched around him. He pulsed a few times and then his full weight covered me, my lungs starting to burn. He heard my shallow breaths and lifted himself slightly, still kissing me as if he never wanted to stop.
I just wanted to hold on to this feeling.
His smile warmed me, all the way to my toes.
I’m fucked.
“I’m going to want you every day, every fucking hour.”
You can’t. “Spike, what the fuck are we doing?”
Tears threatened to spill because I knew I wasn’t going to be able to just walk away from Cain. Did I even have the courage to stand in front of him and tell him that I was no longer his?
He sighed. “I’ll tell him next time I visit that you want out.”
“No, I can’t.” I trembled even as Spike held me, but I knew I had to do it. I would never respect myself if I didn’t.
“Yes, you can.” He kissed my cheeks where tears started slipping and didn’t press the issue.
I didn’t want this. I didn’t want to fall for another man when I finally got used to Cain’s callousness. But it was too late, now.
* * *
It was hard to keep myself from grinning like an idiot when the doorbell rang. I half-walked, half-ran to the door and ripped it open. Spike beamed at me. My heart did all kinds of flips in my chest when he crossed the threshold and gathered me in his arms.
Last night, when Spike left, I thought of the future for the first time in my life. I thought of how proud I’d be to be his old lady, to stand beside him, to wake up in his arms every day. It would be like a dream.
Spike’s hot mouth descended on mine, tasting of spiced rum. His face was flushed with color when he pulled away.
“Maybe we should tone it down at the club.”
“Yeah, that’s a good idea.”
He beamed. “I like seeing you smile.”
I hugged his waist, loving how my body fit into his like a glove. I felt his heartbeat like a steady metronome against mine.
When we arrived at the clubhouse, I made sure to walk behind him as we walked into the club.
“Hi, Spike!”
Ruthless (Dark MC Romance) Page 15