Prince: Devil's Fighters MC

by Kathryn Thomas

  She alternated between long, slow, sensuous sucking motions and hard, fast ones, making her actions utterly unpredictable in their varied rhythm. Soon, she was tasting pre-come, and soon enough she could feel the tremors in Prince’s body that told her he was trying very hard to hold back.

  She pulled back ever so slowly, teasing him even with that one motion, and she looked up at him. The darkening of his green eyes was enough to renew her own arousal.

  “You can let go,” she said.

  She didn’t give him time to reply before she went back to minister all of her attentions on his erection.

  It wasn’t long before Prince complied. Alyssa took him in readily, and when all was said and done, he pulled her in for a long kiss and flipped them over, taking her in his arms to do so. When she looked up at him then, all traces of sleep had left his eyes and had been replaced with the hungry, devilish twinkle that she loved.

  They made love for a very long time, both of them completely ignorant and uncaring of the passing of the time. Gloriously enough, they had nowhere else to be that morning but in each other’s arms. Alyssa let Prince have his way with her, because his way was also her way. It was tender and slow at times, and at times it was urgent and fast and furious. Alyssa rode her own sexual energy with a passion and an awareness that she had never possessed before Prince.

  When they both finally lay sated next to each other on the rumpled, wet sheets, Alyssa felt blissful. She always felt that way after having sex with Prince. It was yet another miraculous aspect of her relationship with him; the universe could be ending outside and her world might be slipping away from underneath her feet, but after Prince touched her, Alyssa always felt at peace.

  “I’ll make breakfast,” she said, kissing him thoroughly before getting out of bed and slipping into her robe.

  “Toast and scrambled eggs?” Prince requested, with a childish light in his green eyes. He always looked happy whenever the talk was about food. Alyssa found it incredibly endearing.

  She smiled. “Sure.”

  As she walked downstairs, she heard Prince get up, and a moment later the rush of the shower reached her ears.

  There was something domestic about preparing breakfast for the both of them while Prince was in the shower. It had become sort of an after-morning-sex routine, and while comforting, it was oddly at odds with the precarious quality of their situation. Coming to think about it, their whole relationship was at odds with their predicament.

  While they worked to create the right circumstances that would allow them to flee to Canada and away from the Devil’s Fighters and their horrid illegal fighting rings, their relationship was strengthening. It was disconcerting how, even in these very abnormal circumstances, their union was taking mundane steps. The first date. The first time they slept together without doing anything. Going to the movies. Talking, getting to know the adult version of each other after they had separated in their early twenties.

  Their relationship was blossoming. They were learning intimacy, the kind that comes from domesticity as well as from under the covers. Alyssa loved it, but it also terrified her. It wasn’t the sort of commitment that that kind of relationship brought along that scared her; it was how attached she was becoming. She would have been a fool not to admit that their plan, whatever it would be, could backfire. She would have been an idiot not to take into consideration the possibility that they might fail and that they would end up being forced to separate again—if not worse. Prince could end up getting himself killed. She could get herself killed, too. These were all very real possibilities when dealing with Benedict Lenday and the Devil’s Fighters.

  By logic, Alyssa would have been wise not to get too attached. She would have been wise not to let herself savor this intimacy that they were creating and get used to it. There was a very real chance that this happiness that she felt mounting inside of her whenever she stopped to reflect on her relationship with Prince might be snatched away at a moment’s notice. And yet, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t help but dive deeper and deeper into it.

  Because the thing was, if she didn’t let herself feel it all, then what was she even doing still in Pinebrook? If she didn’t allow herself to really build something with Prince, then what were they fighting for?

  By the time Prince emerged from upstairs, Alyssa had breakfast ready. She placed the mugs and plates on the table and sat across from him, watching him as he happily dug in. As odd as it may sound, she liked to watch Prince eat; he savored every bite. He applied the same rule to his life in general, savoring every little thing about it. Alyssa thought Prince’s appetite for life was nothing short of miraculous, considering the life he had led.

  She would have thought eight years of fighting in the rings to pay up his father’s gambling debt to the Devil’s Fighters would have robbed Prince of all of his light. Instead, the dark world he was immersed in seemed to make him strive even harder to hold on to his true self. He hid it well enough from the outside world, knowing that he couldn’t afford to appear weak or, sometimes, even human. But, much to her relief, Alyssa had learned that the Prince she had fallen in love with back when they were teenagers was still there. She had learned he wasn’t all about the fight and the gang. Prince was still Prince, and she loved him all the more for it.

  “What are you thinking about?”

  His voice startled her from her reverie. Alyssa shook herself out of it and smiled, taking a long sip of coffee.

  “Nothing,” she said. Then, when he kept on staring at her, she amended: “You.”

  “Ah.” Prince grinned, pleased with himself. “That good of a performance, huh?”

  Alyssa laughed. “Yeah.”

  “Seriously, what were you thinking about?” Prince asked again when silence fell over them.

  “I told you,” Alyssa said. “You. Us.”

  Prince frowned. “Are you having second thoughts?”

  “What?” Alyssa blinked at him, surprised. Sometimes, when it came to being with someone, Prince could display astounding lack of self-esteem. “No,” she said, calmly but forcefully. “I’m not having second thoughts. I was just thinking that I love where we’re heading.”

  “Where are we heading?”

  “You know what I mean,” Alyssa said. His thickness on the subject could be infuriating at times. “The way our relationship is going.”

  “Oh.” Prince shifted in his seat, uncomfortable. It always made him uncomfortable to discuss these matters openly, mostly because he didn’t quite know how to express himself. “I really like where we’re going, too.”

  Alyssa beamed. She knew she wouldn’t get anything better than that from him, and she was okay with that. In fact, in Prince language, those words meant a lot more.

  “What are you up to today?” he asked, changing the subject.

  Alyssa was okay with that, too. “Not much,” she said. “I’ll probably go over to Lynn’s later and hang out.” She hesitated. “You?” She was always afraid to ask, but she was also learning that if she wanted to get Prince out of that world, she would also have to get to know it.

  “Rick has a fight later today,” Prince said. “I’m going with him; make sure he’s okay.”

  Alyssa nodded. “You don’t have to fight today?”

  “No,” Prince said, “not today.” He gave her a reassuring smile. “I could come over tonight if you’d like.”

  “I’d like that.”

  Prince grinned playfully, pushing all thoughts of the ring away from both of their minds. “We could have another go.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

  Alyssa laughed. “Not a chance, stud. I think I’ll be getting my period sometime today.”

  Prince scowled. “That’s unfortunate.”

  “Yep. And you might want to stay clear, too. I get very irritable.”

  “I’ve fought worse,” Prince said, smirking.

  Alyssa arched an eyebrow. “I’m not so sure you have.”

  Prince laugh
ed. “Seriously, I’ll come over with food and movies. We’ll make a quiet night out of it.”

  Alyssa looked at him. “Are you sure? Won’t that be too boring for you?”

  “Aly, trust me; I love boring.”

  The unspoken words were clear to both of them. With the kind of live Prince was forced to lead, it was no wonder that a quiet night watching movies would sound like heaven to him.

  “All right then,” Alyssa agreed easily.

  Prince beamed and nodded happily, then he turned his attention back on his breakfast. “Any preference on the movie?” he asked, munching around a mouthful of eggs and toast.

  “Nope. You pick.” Alyssa thought about it for a moment. “But no action flicks.”

  “Promise.”

  Alyssa thought about the evening ahead. Takeout, a movie, and sitting on the couch without actually having sex on it. Domesticity. She was really coming to adore it.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Alyssa stared into space, the house’s cordless phone still in her hand as she sat on the couch in the living room as if transfixed. The more she replayed the phone call in her mind, the more confused she felt over whether or not she had just gotten good news. The realtor had just struck a deal to sell her parents’ house. There had been a few open houses in the past few weeks, but the possibility of her childhood home really selling had never quite set in—until today, when it had sold. Now, all Alyssa had to do was to give her approval to the deal, and the paperwork would be processed. She wasn’t about to say no; it was a good deal. But she also couldn’t bring herself to be happy about it.

  One would think that selling the house would be one thing off her plate, but it didn’t feel that way; it didn’t bring her any relief. If anything, it made her parents’ absence all the more real and all the more permanent. As long as she had the house, she still had some concrete, living memories of her parents. Now, she would have to box up their lives and put them away forever. It was almost more than she could bear just to think about it, and now that the new owners wanted to settle in next month, she had a little over four weeks to muster up the strength to actually do it.

  Not having the house any longer also rose the thorny question of where she would stay as long as circumstances forced her to remain in Pinebrook. There was simply no way she would stay with Prince. Even though he wasn’t exactly an active member of the Devil’s Fighters and his contribution to the motorcycle gang was limited to being a “hired fist” (as he liked to call himself) to fight in their illegal underground rings, his apartment was still too much of an available territory to any gang member who would come knocking. Alyssa wanted no part of that.

  She could probably find a small place in town to rent for however long she was going to stay. The thought of willingly seeking out accommodations in Pinebrook was depressing. So much for leaving that place behind forever.

  There were moments when Alyssa felt stuck, a victim of circumstances that she had not created. This was one such moment. She wished nothing more than to be able to grab Prince, drive to New Orleans International Airport, and hop on the next plane out of Louisiana. But life didn’t work that way—at least, Prince’s life certainly didn’t, and therefore neither did Alyssa’s. Somehow, he had managed to make her presence in Pinebrook and his life accepted by the Devil’s Fighters, who notoriously required that their ring competitors had no distractions, nothing outside of the club and the fight.

  It wasn’t enough, however. Alyssa knew they were still existing in Pinebrook on borrowed time and that the Devil’s Fighters were still watching their every move like the darkest hawks. They knew she was a risk factor and that Prince might bolt. What they didn’t know was that both Prince and Alyssa were very aware that running would in fact be a suicidal choice. And so they bid their time, and they waited to create the right circumstances to leave. Sometimes it felt like they would have to wait forever.

  Selling her parents’ house and adjusting to that within the borders of Pinebrook only served to remind Alyssa that she wasn’t free to leave—at least, not if she wanted Prince to leave with her. And she desperately wanted that, more than anything.

  She was still trying to get over the sense of loss that the conversation with the realtor had brought, when the phone rang again. It was her cell phone this time, ringing insistently from the kitchen where she had left it earlier.

  Alyssa groaned and stood up. By the time she reached the kitchen’s island where her phone was, the ringing had stopped. She picked it up and checked the display for missed calls. She sighed heavily when she saw that it was the veterinary clinic she worked for in Canada that had been trying to reach her.

  “Shit. What now?” she muttered to herself.

  She took a deep breath and hit the “call back” button.

  “North Van Vet Care, how may I help you?” the receptionist’s voice chirped in her ear.

  “Hey Stacy, it’s Alyssa. Someone just tried to reach me on my cell phone.”

  “Hold on a second, I’ll check.”

  The few moments’ wait that followed felt like an eternity to Alyssa; she had a bad feeling about this.

  Sure enough, when Stacy came back on the line, she didn’t have good news.

  “Yep, Derek’s been wanting to talk to you. I’ll put you through.”

  Crap. “Thanks, Stacy,” Alyssa forced out as kindly as she could.

  Derek was one of the three associates who had founded the clinic. He was the one who came up with the project and who had invested the most capital in it. Derek was The boss. For him to reach out to Alyssa during her personal time was not a good thing.

  “Hello Alyssa.”

  Alyssa cringed. Derek sounded friendly enough, but also all-business. “Hi,” she said, trying not to let her apprehension transpire. “How are you?”

  “Good. How are things in Louisiana?”

  “Complicated,” she admitted truthfully.

  There was a beat of silence from the other end of the line that instantly put her on guard. “I’m sorry,” Derek said. He sounded sincere.

  “It’s okay,” Alyssa said, because really, what else could she say? Things were what they were, and no amount of self-pity would change that. She had long since learned that she was better off taking it all in stride. “So you wanted to talk to me?”

  Speaking of taking things in stride, Alyssa decided to cut to the chase.

  “Yes.” Derek paused again. He sounded uncomfortable, which was very much at odds with his usual confident character. “I’m afraid we need to discuss your situation.”

  Alyssa frowned. “What about my situation?”

  Derek hesitated. “I’m afraid it’s no longer ideal.”

  “What do you mean?”

  A heavy sigh traveled down the line. “We’re swamped here, Alyssa. There’s a lot of work to do. I understand your personal needs right now, I do, but I need to be able to count on all of my staff.”

  A rock had dropped into Alyssa’s stomach. She swallowed hard. “What are you saying, Derek?”

  “I’m saying you’ve had plenty of time off. I need you back here.”

  “I can’t—”

  “Two more weeks, Alyssa,” Derek cut her off firmly. “That’s all I can give you. If you’re not back in two weeks, I’ll be forced to replace you with someone who will be around.”

  Alyssa’s jaw clenched in anger. “This isn’t fair, Derek. I’ve been working hard for four years, you know that.”

  “I know. And you know I’ve done all I could to meet your needs during this difficult time. But this is not a huge clinic, I need all hands on deck.”

  Alyssa knew he was right, but still she couldn’t help feeling like she was being treated unfairly. She had not taken a single personal day before. So what if she needed a couple of months now? She took a deep, calming breath. Deep down, she knew what it must look like to Derek and her coworkers in Vancouver. They didn’t know what was really going on in her life. They probably thought she was taking adv
antage. And maybe, in a way, she was.

  “All right,” she finally said, relenting. “I’ll be back in two weeks.”

  “I mean it, Alyssa.”

  “Yes,” Alyssa said, trying to keep her already flaring temper in check. “So do I.”

  “Good.” Derek sounded somewhat mollified. “I’ll see you then.”

  As she hung up, Alyssa had to fight the sudden urge to hurl the phone at the wall. With just two phone calls, her pretense of tranquility had been shattered. She was very conscious that she was now racing against time, and the pressure of it was already building up inside of her. Two weeks. She had two weeks to somehow convince the Devil’s Fighters to let Prince go. It would require nothing short of a miracle.

  Alyssa felt tears of frustration starting to well up in her eyes, and she wiped them away angrily before they could fall. This was not the time to let panic and discomfort set in; in fact, there was no time for that. Without realizing it, she began pacing around the kitchen, opening and closing cabinets at random as if having something, anything to do could give her purpose and peace of mind. She needed a plan, an actual plan, and she needed it fast.

  Half an hour later, she was still fidgeting and her mind was still a blank. She jumped when there was a knock at the back door, and then she cursed softly but vehemently to herself when she realized she had forgotten about Prince coming over to have dinner together.

  She took a deep breath and tried to pull herself together. She opened the back door, and Prince gave her a bright, oblivious smile. He had an armful of takeout paper bags and a large pizza box.

  “I thought we could have a feast,” he said as he walked in, kissing her swiftly as he passed her by. “I’ve got Chinese and pizza.”

  Alyssa arched an eyebrow. “I’m on my period; I’m not eating for two.”

  Prince shuddered. “God, don’t even.”

  Alyssa closed the door and watched as Prince set everything down on the kitchen’s island.

  “I also rented a movie,” he said, holding up a DVD box. “Romancing the Stone. Remember? We used to love it back when we were kids.”