by Jenika Snow
“Motherfucker,” Jakob said in a low, animalistic voice, and she wasn’t sure if he was cursing at the fact the car behind them was being a prick, or this electricity moving between them.
“It’s green,” she managed to say, feeling that familiar heat, that liveliness that she couldn’t ignore from the moment she saw him on his Harley.
The corner of his mouth lifted in a smile, but it wasn’t one of humor, but one of something … feral almost. The engine of his car roared to life as he went through the intersection. Saya glanced out the side mirror and saw the car that was behind them followed their turns.
“I’m going to stop and get gas,” Jakob said right before he pulled into a station. She waited in the car as he pumped the gas and watched him go into the store. Looking down at her phone she sent a text to Syd, the Sergeant at Arms for the Death Bringers, or the Executioner as he was known in the MC.
We’ll be there in about an hour. Stopping and getting some gas.
Tucking the phone in her purse, she rested her head back on the seat and breathed through the arousal that still pumped through her. A knock on the windshield had her heart racing momentarily. She snapped her eyes open and looked over at the passenger side, seeing three guys close to Jakob’s car. One of them leaned down, a grin on his face. With her window cracked slightly she could hear the other guys talking low, making crude comments about her and what they’d like to do.
“Hey.”
She didn’t respond, and instead looked at the store to see Jakob standing in line waiting to pay for the gas.
“Hey, you don’t speak English or some shit?”
Again, she didn’t respond, and instead went to roll the window up, but he placed a hand on the glass, using force so she couldn’t roll it up.
“Get your fucking hand off the window.” Saya wasn’t going to mince her words, and had tried to ignore him, but clearly he hadn’t taken the hint to get the fuck away from her.
“Damn, you got a mouth on you.” He turned and looked at his friends behind him. “Tommy, Paul, you hear the mouth on this bitch?”
She could have gotten mad, could have screamed and cursed him out, but she wasn’t going to start shit. She glanced at the store again and saw Jakob was paying.
“If I was you I’d get the hell out of here before that guy right there,” she pointed to the store, “kicks your ass.”
The guys straightened and started chuckling. “You mean the asshole that thought a green light meant stop?” All three started laughing harder. He leaned down again, his breath smelling of liquor and the sweet scent of pot coming from him when he moved closer. “I’d say three against one is pretty good odds, don’t you think?”
She rolled up her window before he could stop her, but before she could lock the door, which was what she should have done right away, he had it opened.
“Come on out here, pretty thing.”
“Fuck off,” she said and tried to pull the door closed again.
He went to reach for her, but she saw a flash of movement and then he was being pulled off of her. Jakob was on the guy, beating the shit out of him as Tommy and Paul watched with wide eyes. Jakob was making these low growls as he slammed his fist into the guy’s face.
“Jakob, stop, you’ll kill him.” She was out of the car but didn’t get close, not when she could see the flash of his bear right there at the surface. Jakob pulled away from the guy bleeding on the ground and looked at the other two assholes.
“If you don’t want the shit beat out of you for being near my female, I suggest you fuck off.”
The two guys all but ran away, leaving their pathetic friend on the ground.
Saya looked around, saw several people had stopped and were staring at them, and then glanced at the store. She noticed the cashier on the phone and looking out the window.
“Jakob, come on. She’s calling the police.” Saya got in the car, and Jakob was in the driver’s seat a second later. He peeled out of the gas station, and she finally let herself breathe.
For several minutes neither spoke, and she kept her focus straight ahead.
“I’m sorry you had to see all that shit,” he finally said.
She turned her head toward him, her throat tight, her mouth dry. “You have nothing to be sorry for.” She swallowed again. “Thank you for being there and watching over me.” The car came to a stop as he pulled over on the side of the road. She could tell he was still so pumped from the fight, and she reached out and touched his arm.
“I shouldn’t have lost my cool with you right there, but he shouldn’t have gone near you, Saya.” He was looking down at where her hand was, and she knew she needed to get him back in the place they’d been. She knew she wanted to get his head clear, and the only thing she could think to do that was to kiss him.
“Jakob.” She waited until he looked at her. “If you weren’t there things could have gone differently. I’m glad you beat his ass.” And she was. Without thinking anymore, and just wanting to feel his mouth on hers, she leaned in and kissed him.
When she pulled away, the fierce look on his face had that familiar heat moving through her like a freight train. She wanted him, wanted his big body over hers, making her come, dominating her. She wanted to feel and sense his bear right at the surface, ready to give her everything, and make her yearn for more. Saya had never wanted anything as much as she wanted Jakob, and she could tell he wanted the same thing.
He cleared his throat and moved slightly on the seat, as if trying to get comfortable. Glancing down she could see his massive erection pressed against his jeans.
“Can you smell my arousal?” she asked softly, almost whispering it. Saya felt slightly embarrassed at the fact she actually said those words.
The growl that left him had tingles racing along her skin.
“Yes,” was all he said, but it was all he needed to say. They had somewhere to be right now, and she knew that after it was said and done she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from finally giving into her desires.
She didn’t want to stop or control them.
Chapter Ten
Jakob had seen some big, mean motherfuckers in his day, but the Death Bringers MC was by far one of the biggest, toughest human MCs he’d seen. They were right up there with the Brothers of Menace, and that was saying something since the Brothers were kings in their own right.
They’d arrived at the Death Bringers MC an hour ago, and they’d eaten despite the fact they’d already had dinner. He’d gotten to know everyone, and now they were saying their goodbyes after being there for a few hours. To say he’d been glared down and “talked to” was an understatement, but he welcomed it all. If it proved he was good for her, a right match in their eyes, he’d do whatever it took.
The one named Syd came up to him and narrowed his eyes. “You treat our girl good, you hear me?”
Jakob nodded. Although he wasn’t intimidated by any of them, simply because he was a shifter and they were human, so therefore he could overpower them, he also showed respect. This was her family.
“Yes, sir. I will treat her like a queen.”
Syd grunted. “Good. She’s a nice girl, smart and beautiful.” Syd took a step closer. “You fuck with her and we’ll find you and fuck you up. We don’t give a shit that you’re a Grizzly. You hear me?”
Jakob nodded. The other Patches stepped behind Syd, eyeing Jakob, and silently saying the same things.
“Okay,” Saya said in a long drawn-out tone. “I think it’s time for us to go.” She said goodbye once more before they left. Once in his car she laughed nervously. “I am so sorry about them intimidating you like that.”
He could have laughed at that, because they hadn’t, and he knew all too well about being protective of loved ones, especially coming from MC members. But he just took her hand and shook his head. “I’d walk through fucking fire to get you to notice me, Saya. That was a cakewalk.”
She sucked in a breath, and he inhaled deeply, loving the sce
nt of her. She was pleased with his response, and he was glad. It was the truth.
“Let’s get out of here,” she said, and he couldn’t think of anything better to do at that moment.
They left the clubhouse, and he wondered about her father, about the life she’d led. He wanted her to be open with him, but he had all the time in the world for that.
Twenty minutes into the drive he felt the change in her, smelled the floral scent in the air. Glancing at her showed she was nervous. She twisted her hands in her lap, kept swallowing, and he reached over and touched her leg, hoping to soothe her.
“You okay?”
She looked at him, and through his peripheral vision he could see her licking her lips, smell the warmth and arousal coming from her. It took everything in him not to growl in approval.
“Jakob…” She paused. “Will you take me to your place?”
He swerved for a second, surprised by her statement, and felt his cock harden. Righting the vehicle, he tightened his hands on the wheel and swallowed.
It took him several seconds to answer. “You sure?” He could have just taken it that she wanted to see his place, but he scented her desire, her need, and he knew she wanted something more than a tour. Hell, he’d wanted her from the moment he saw her.
“I’m more than sure.”
He tightened his hands again, and nodded. “Then that’s where we’ll go.” He glanced at her, saw the flush in her cheeks, the parting of her lips. Fuck, his female was going to be the death of him, but what a fucking way to go.
He was at his place before he even knew it, and once they were inside he didn’t know what to do aside from look at her.
She walked around his place, looking at everything, touching things, but he wanted her scent on his possessions, wanted her mark on them.
“Your place is nice, roomy.”
She moved into the living room and looked at the picture of the Grizzly kids when they were all younger.
“Is this the club, well, before you guys joined?” she asked and looked over her shoulder.
“Yeah, but we were born into the club. It’s always been with us. It’s in our blood,” he managed to say, and walked toward her. He started naming off the guys, but his focus was on her. He wanted to be honest with her, to share himself with her, and he supposed now was as good a time as any.
****
“My life hasn’t been all good, Saya, but it isn’t because I don’t have a loving family or people that care about me.” Jakob’s voice, so husky and masculine, cut Saya deep. “My life hasn’t been good because of the shit I’ve done. It isn’t even all about me being in an MC and doing things that have tainted my soul. It’s all the other stuff afterward, the people I’ve hurt, the darkness that’s consumed me.” He breathed out roughly, as if speaking about it was hard for him. “You should turn and run, and not look back.”
Her heart broke for him, and she knew that no matter what they’d both done and lived through, she wouldn’t turn her back on him.
“I won’t run from you again. I’m not going anywhere.” She smiled, meaning those words. “How can I judge you when the life I’ve led, the decisions I’ve made, and the life I’ve been involved with, isn’t all flowers and unicorns?” She felt stupid as soon as the words left her, especially the last part, but it was the truth.
His jaw hardened at her words, and she reached out and smoothed her hand over his, loving that zing of electricity that consumed her at that small touch. He placed his other hand on hers. “Come closer, Saya.” His voice was so deep.
She took a deep breath and pulled her hands free from his. Her heart was racing, her body on alert. The way he said her name set her on fire, and had every part of her feeling like she’d combust. They’d just been talking about serious shit, stuff that might turn this all cold to hell. But damn, she was so ready for him, so anxious and primed that she couldn’t even breathe.
They stared at each other, neither moving for a second, neither speaking. But although nothing verbally was said, there was plenty of energy being passed between them, plenty of chemistry and arousal consuming them. And then Jakob reached out and wrapped his hand around her waist, and pulled her forward so she lost her balance and was sitting on his lap. He curled his other hand around the nape of her neck, and held her so possessively that she felt like she was truly his. The hold was gentle, but very proprietary, and even the expression on his face was the same.
“Being with you makes light fill the darkness in me, and I can’t let that go, baby. I won’t. I need you, and I think you need me, too.”
She nodded, not hesitating, and being honest. “Is this really happening?” she asked, feeling slightly ridiculous for saying anything, but then again with Jakob she couldn’t hold her tongue. She wanted to be honest with him in all things, wanted him to know what she was feeling and thinking.
Never had Saya felt like she was so consumed with someone that she couldn’t even think straight. She’d stayed away from bad boys since the incident, and although Jakob was definitely in the “bad boy” category, he was also very different. He was right for her in every way imaginable.
They were so close, only inches apart, that they shared the same air.
“I want it to happen, Saya.” He searched her face with his gaze. “I want to memorize every part of you, want you to smell like me, taste like me when I run my tongue over your flesh.” She was panting at his words. “I want to have you screaming out my name, begging for more, but pleading for me to go easier.” He leaned in another inch until their lips were almost touching. “But I wouldn’t go easy, because you’d want so much more.”
She closed her eyes and moaned. Yes, she’d want so much more.
He didn’t give her time to respond because in the next instant he had his mouth on hers, and his tongue moving along the seam of her lips.
A small groan left her when he tightened his hold on her nape, digging his fingers into her flesh and keeping her right where he wanted her. The way he took possession of her mouth, and held her like he wouldn’t, no, couldn’t allow her to leave, had her lifting her arms and wrapping them around his neck. She needed this, not even realizing how much until this very moment.
A deep sound of need left him when she tilted her head to the side and opened her mouth, taking his tongue inside and moving hers along with his.
When he pulled away she felt drunk from the pleasure he gave her, never having experienced anything like this, never feeling anything this explosive.
“You’re mine, Saya,” he murmured in a husky and desperate voice, his words like gasoline to the fire burning brightly in her.
The way he spoke told her he meant every word. “I don’t want to be anyone else’s.”
He groaned deeply. “I’ll be good to you, treat you like the Queen you are.”
A flash of heat filled her.
“But I’ll also never let anyone else have you. I’ll never let another man touch you, look at you, hell, not even think about you.”
His words were filled with possession, and dammit, she loved it.
She leaned in and kissed him once more, but she felt how tense he was beneath her.
“I don’t want to fight this. I just want to feel alive, to feel something other than this darkness that has consumed me for far too long,” he said against her mouth, pulled back an inch, and looked into her eyes.
“And I feel alive with you, too, Jakob.” And she did. “You are the first person to really make me feel that way since…” She stopped herself, because they hadn’t gone there yet. She hadn’t spoken about her father or what had happened to put him in the situation he was in now. She wanted to be honest with Jakob, but she didn’t want to ruin this moment.
Chapter Eleven
“I knew I was in trouble the moment I saw you,” Jakob said, his voice hoarse, needy.
“Trouble?” Saya asked softly, wanting him to kiss her again.
“The good kind of trouble. The kind that makes a man
want to live, want to protect what’s his.”
Her heart beat faster, harder.
She pressed her chest more firmly against his and loved how hard he was compared to her softness.
“I’m not a good male, Saya, not in any sense of the word.” He was breathing hard, his emotions clear on his face. They were raw, bared.
She couldn’t help but cup his cheeks in her hands, letting him know without words she was right here with him.
“What you see is what you get with me, baby, but I can guarantee I’ll be so fucking good to you.” Their lips were no longer touching, but she was still so close to him that the feel of his warm breath brushed along her mouth.
“I know what I’m getting involved with.” He didn’t know about her father and the MC, but that was something she wanted to talk to him about, too.
“I’ve killed people, Saya, and never thought twice about it.” He ran his hand along her back, up and down, soft and easy, but proprietary all the same. He didn’t say anything for several seconds, but then grabbed her waist and lifted her off of him, still keeping her close, but breaking that intimate contact. It was clear he was being honest with her, and she knew holding off on being honest with him wasn’t right.
“I want to tell you who I am.”
He nodded once.
A beat of silence passed before she continued.
“When I was seventeen years old I was with a guy that I was attracted to because of his bad boy appeal.”
God, even thinking that makes me feel like an asshole.
“Truth was he wasn’t very nice, liked to control everything, and my dad saw that, warned me about him.” She took a deep breath and looked right in Jakob’s eyes. “I didn’t listen to him, though, and I should have. I guess I rebelled, just wanted to do what I wanted no matter what anyone said.” She looked right in his eyes. “My father is the president of the Death Bringers MC.”
Although Jakob didn’t move, didn’t even look like he breathed, he stayed quiet, and she knew she wanted to get this out of the way.