by Lane Hart
“I know it’s not much, but I just sleep here,” I say to Mercy as I push open the door and flip on the light, realizing that my worry is more about her thinking I’m poor and shit since she’s so classy.
“I can’t wait to see your place,” she says with a grin before she goes inside and starts looking around.
The first spot her eyes land is on the desk that’s covered in junk.
“What’s all that?” she asks while I close the door and lock it behind me.
“Nothing,” I answer, looking over the dusty antique clock along with several watches and ancient electronics with the wires hanging out. “Just some crap I’m trying to fix.”
“You’re gonna fix all of this?” Mercy asks, walking over to take a closer look.
“I’m gonna try to,” I reply.
“Will you keep it all? Are you a collector?” she asks while glancing back at the room that’s pretty much empty other than the furniture.
“Nah. There’s a pawn shop just down the road. I help out the old guy who owns it when he takes in crap that doesn’t work. He’s a sucker for a sob story.”
“Oh,” she says. “So you fix things for him? That’s nice of you.”
“Just trying to pay back a little of my debt to society,” I mutter.
“What’s that?” Mercy asks.
“Nothing,” I tell her. What would she think of me if she knew I used to go around stealing people’s shit just like her creepy stalker stole from her? I know I fucked people over, and at the time I didn’t think I had a choice. It was either hurt strangers by taking their belongings or my brother and I would get kicked out on the streets where we would starve to death.
Ready to strip down for bed, I remove my cut and hang it up in the closet before pulling off my shirt.
“Can I sleep in that?” Mercy asks, eyeing my worn, black Motorhead tee.
Fuck yes, she can.
I toss the shirt to her. Although I would rather sleep with her naked, seeing her in a shirt that belongs to me is the next best thing.
“Thanks,” she says as she pulls the material over her head.
We both meet in the center of the bed where Mercy says, “I’m so tired. Will you just hold me tonight?”
“You don’t ever need to even ask, Red,” I assure her as I wrap my arms around her and pull her closer to me. “The answer to that question is always yes.”
“Thanks,” she says with her face buried in my neck, allowing me to get a big whiff of the mango scent of her shampoo.
Honestly, I’m too tired to even try to fuck her tonight. There’s always tomorrow or the next day. So, for now, I place a kiss on top of her head and drift off to sleep.
…
“Yo, Abe. Church in ten if you’re here!” Sax yells through the door after he knocks on it, startling me and Mercy both awake.
“Go back to sleep,” I murmur to her as I rub her hair to calm her down. It’s probably late in the morning, but she needs the sleep even more than I do. Once she relaxes and is settled back down, I ease out of her grasp and cram my pillow in her arms instead. The way she squeezes it to her chest and presses her face into it makes me regret my decision to leave. But the truth is, I may not be around the club much for the next few days. I need to drop in on a meeting to catch up on everything, especially Hector.
I take a fast as fuck shower, pull on a clean pair of jeans and a tee over my still damp body, and then grab my phone to check the time on the way out the door. It’s only eleven, so maybe I can get a few more hours of sleep with Mercy after our meeting.
Locking my apartment door behind me, I head down the hall where Sax is holding the phone bucket. I toss mine inside and give him a nod before entering the chapel. All of my brothers are already sitting around the table except for Torin, which isn’t surprising. I lock eyes with my brother, Gabriel, to see how he’s holding up. He seems good, so I jerk my chin up in a greeting that he returns before Sax joins us after shutting the door.
“So what’s up?” I ask as I take my usual seat on Chase’s left. He may not have a Sergeant at Arms as VP; but if he did, I know I would be his man.
“We’ve got a hit on Hector’s daughter,” he says solemnly before his usual smile bursts free. “She’s in Vegas, so who’s up to pop in and say hello after we have a fucking wedding?”
“Yeah!” the whole table roars in agreement.
“Congrats, man,” I tell him with a clasp of my hand on his shoulder. Chase and Sasha have wanted to elope for over ten years. It looks like fate is finally letting them get their chance.
“I’ll let Sasha handle all the arrangements, so whatever date she sets is when we’ll fly out. We need to go ahead and figure out who is staying and who is going,” Chase says.
“I’ll stay behind,” Reece offers, which is no surprise since he’s a homebody. “No offense to the bride or groom.”
“None taken,” Chase agrees with a grin. “We need a few men to stay behind and hold the place down.”
“I’d love to go, but sitting on a plane for hours is damn near impossible with these old knees,” Eddie declares.
“Understood. We’ll need you to help run the salvage yard and probably the bar with Turtle.”
“Done,” Eddie agrees with a nod.
“You know I won’t miss out on your wedding,” I tell Chase.
“Good,” he agrees. “War and Cooper, you want to come along to keep an eye on Torin?”
“Fuck yes,” Cooper agrees.
“I’m in,” War agrees. “Just need to make sure my sister can babysit.”
“Of course,” Chase agrees. “Sax, Dalton, Gabe, Miles, it’s up to you four to decide if you want to go or stay.”
“I don’t want to miss a trip to Vegas,” Sax replies with a grin.
“Me either,” Dalton agrees.
“I’ll stay,” Gabriel declares. “Too many appointments scheduled over the next few weeks. It would be impossible to reschedule them all. Congrats, though, man. I wish you and Sasha the best.”
“Thanks,” Chase replies. “Miles?”
“I’ll stay here,” he answers. “Not supposed to leave the state since I’m still on probation.”
“Then we definitely don’t want you to get locked up for a bullshit violation,” Chase agrees. “And can you check in on Ian while we’re gone, see how he’s holding up and if he needs anything other than a few more Playboys?”
“I can go see him,” Gabe offers excitedly, which makes sense because Ian was his sponsor when he was prospecting, so he’s pretty tight with Ian just like I am with Chase. I know he’s missed the man these last few months. “I mean, if that’s okay with Miles?” my brother adds.
“Good man,” Miles agrees with a tip of his chin in Gabe’s direction. “I always worry the fuckers won’t let me leave once I walk through the prison doors.”
“So, we’ve got it all settled except for the two prospects. Leave them here or take them?” Chase asks.
“Maddox is coming up on a year. So, if he wants to go, I’ll keep an eye on him,” War says since he’s the kid’s sponsor.
“Good,” Chase agrees. Looking to Cooper, he asks, “What about Holden?”
“I think you should keep him here,” Coop responds. “He’s a little hot headed, causing bullshit problems at Avalon when he’s supposed to be there helping me and Miles out with bouncing. We don’t need to draw any attention to ourselves in Vegas. Well, no more than our cuts will get us when we’re on the other side of the country.”
“Very true,” Chase replies. “Talk with me more about him later.”
“Will do,” Coop says.
“I’ll fill everyone in as soon as I have the dates lined up with Sasha. Until then, unless my brother specifically asks, let’s try and keep him out of the loop. Only because Torin is raring to go, and we need to do a little more surveillance on the girl and make plans before heading off half-cocked. All we know right now is that she applied for a driver’s license. Reece tracked down t
he address she listed on it, but it’s for a resort, not a house. We need a little more time to locate her.”
Everyone expresses their agreement with him.
“Next up on the agenda,” Chase says. “Why the fuck is there a pig sitting outside our parking lot?”
“Oh, that would be on me,” I admit, and everyone looks at me in concern, especially Gabe.
“There’s no heat,” I assure them. “It’s for Mercy.”
“You brought her here?” Chase asks with worry in his voice.
“The asshole showed up to her house again last night. Reece has a few images of him, but I’m guessing he was probably gone by the time the police got there. We haven’t heard anything from them so far.”
“Damn,” Chase mutters. “You could’ve brought her to our place.”
“I know, and I appreciate that, but it was around five a.m. by the time we had breakfast. We didn’t want to wake you and Sasha, and you had a late one the night before with Jade.”
“Understood,” he says. “So, she’s got the police escort now?”
“After we realized he broke in her house and keeps coming back, it was pretty much the last resort,” I explain.
“Jesus. Well, let me know if either of you need anything,” Chase says.
“Will do.”
“Then we’re done here,” he says, reaching for the gavel and slamming it down before dropping it right away as if he can’t stand to touch the thing in Torin’s absence.
“So, what’s this about some girl you brought here?” Gabriel asks when he comes up to me. “This your old lady you were talking about the other night?”
“She’s not my old lady,” I assure him, even though I wish she were. “She’s Sasha’s friend, and she’s got a stalker. I’m making sure he doesn’t fuck with her.”
“Sounds like it’s more than that. You said she made you want to be a better man or some shit. That’s deep, man,” he replies. “So, are you gonna let me meet her or what?”
“Yeah, of course,” I tell him. “She’s asleep right…” I start to say before I hear catcalls and whistles from out in the hallway where most of our brothers are leaving.
I hurry up behind them and push my way through to see exactly what they’re losing their shit for. Of course, it’s Mercy; she stepped out of my apartment wearing nothing but my t-shirt.
“Red, get your bare ass back in there!” I shout at her while pointing the way in case she forgot in the two steps she took from the room.
“I missed you,” she says while tugging on the bottom of my shirt, even though it comes down past her knees.
“Yeah, well, miss me in my room or with some more clothes on,” I gripe, even though I can’t actually be mad at her. How could anyone, as beautiful as she looks without a shred of makeup on and her red hair all big and sexy from being tousled in sleep on my pillows in my bed?
“Damn, Abe,” Dalton comments first. “She the one you trying to put on the shot? Give that shit up, man. You better put a baby in her before I do.”
“Shut the fuck up,” I warn him, not liking that thought at all. “All of you need to move the fuck on!” I suddenly roar. My anger from seeing Mercy with all those guys on set, as well as my frustration with this stalker shit gets unleashed on my brothers, who are now gawking at her.
When the entire hallway goes deadly silent, I realize I may have overreacted. But dammit, I’m tired of everyone looking at my woman and trying to get in her absent panties. That’s my pussy, and I don’t want any other dicks going near it.
Silently, everyone finally disperses either to their rooms or up the stairs, except for Gabriel.
“Hi, I’m Abram’s brother, Gabriel,” he says to Mercy, who is still standing in the same spot, refusing to follow my orders. Seems like she only follows the ones that involve us getting naked.
The two shake hands, and Mercy even smiles up at my brother. She looks at me briefly and says, “Abram, huh?” probably since I never told her my full name. “I’m Mercy Daniels. And you two definitely look alike. The eyes and dark hair for sure. Love your ink,” she adds, pointing to the tattoos on his neck and all the way down his arm.
“Thanks,” he says proudly. He may not have tatted the black and white skulls and dragon designs on himself, but he did draw them.
“So my brother is helping you out with a stalker?” Gabriel asks.
“Yes,” she answers, glancing at me again.
“Well if you have any problems with Abram stalking you, or ever need some ink, just let me know.” He even pulls out one of his business cards and hands it to her.
“Thanks, Gabriel. I definitely will,” Mercy agrees with a smile before I pick her up and drag her back into the room with my arm around her waist after a gruff goodbye to my brother. He and I can sometimes go months only grunting at each other, but then he gets all chatty with my girl that he just met.
Chapter Seventeen
Mercy
I woke up clutching a pillow to me that smelled like Abe. For a split second, I panicked when I realized he wasn’t in bed, but then I remembered we’re in his apartment at the MC’s clubhouse and that he’s probably close by. I opened the door to take a quick peek…and found a hall full of tough-looking men in leather heading right for me. Since they had all stopped in their tracks, it didn’t seem polite to just slam the door in their faces. Besides, I wanted to see how Abe would react, if he would introduce us or treat me like I was just a random woman he was sleeping with.
Now I’m trying to figure out if he always looks like he wants to kill the men who look at the women he’s fucking.
I don’t have a chance to ask Abe; because as soon as he hauls me into the room and shuts the door, he’s bending me over the bed and ripping his shirt off of me. At first, I have no clue what he plans to do to me, not until I suddenly feel his tongue between my thighs, which his hands spread wide. I cry out in surprise and in ecstasy. Abe knows how loud I am, so does he want the other men in this place to hear me screaming his name?
Apparently he does, because after the first time I shout his name in gratitude for making my body tremble with pleasure, I’m rewarded with a smack to my ass. It’s not hard enough to hurt, so I’m pretty sure it’s a reward for giving him what he wanted.
Once his fingers penetrate me, though, I say so long to the English language and become fluent in mind-fuckish. Abe doesn’t give me any warning before his cock slams inside of my wet, throbbing pussy and takes me higher than I’ve ever been.
When Abe’s quick, hard thrusts finally end with a long grunt, neither of us move, even though most of his weight is pressing me into the mattress. The sounds of our heavy breathing echoes loudly in my ears.
“Sorry,” Abe eventually says.
“For what?” I ask through the pants. “Your talented tongue, fingers, or cock?”
He’s silent a moment before he answers with a short chuckle. “All of the above, along with the ass slap.”
“It’s okay,” I assure him. “It was great. Every second. Just not sure what I did to deserve it.”
“You were too gorgeous to be standing in our hallway wearing nothing but my shirt,” he replies.
Smiling even though he can’t see it, I ask, “Are you always so…possessive with your other beard riders?”
“Hell no,” he grumbles. “I’ve watched my brothers fuck most of the same girls I’ve been with and never gave two shits.”
Ew. Do they really do that? “You guys…share?”
“Oh, yeah,” Abe answers before he finally moves off me so that my lungs can fully expand again. He stretches out on the bed on his back, and I force my weak limbs to crawl further up the mattress so that we’re face to face. “The girls upstairs are community property. They know that when they walk through the door,” he informs me.
“Would you share me?” I ask.
“Fuck no,” is Abe’s instant response before his brows furrow. “Why would you ask me that? Is that what you want?”
&nb
sp; “No,” I answer honestly. “Just wondering why you would share the other women but not me.”
“Because you’re better than all of those girls put together,” he says. “And because I don’t want another man to take my place.”
“As my bodyguard?” I ask, to see if he’ll answer the question about what we are exactly. We’re not dating, so we’re either fuck buddies or friends with benefits.
“Yeah,” Abe answers simply. I wait for him to give me a more detailed explanation of our brand new and somewhat odd relationship, but he doesn’t even after several silent minutes. I guess that means he doesn’t think we’re doing anything more than fooling around.
“Can I, um, use your shower?” I ask to break the silence.
“Go for it,” he replies.
Scooting off the end of the bed, I grab Abe’s shirt I was wearing before he discarded it and head for the adjoining bathroom, even more confused. Why I thought he may want more than to just sleep with me, I’m not entirely sure. But at least now I know the score.
…
Today on set, there’s a competition for the sixteen remaining guys. In four heats, four men are supposed to jump into the mansion’s pool, swim to the other side, grab one of the dummies that each weigh as much as I do (which is incredibly embarrassing), then swim back with it and pull it out of the water. The one with the fastest time wins a private dinner date with me. The dummy represents me, of course; and this little contest is supposed to show me which man I could count on to rescue me if I were drowning.
I cheer on each heat as the guys struggle to haul the heavy dummy while trying to stay afloat. It’s sort of funny to watch them putting the dummy in a headlock, or some even trying to lie on top of it, using it as a floatation device.
Between the first two heats, I make the mistake of glancing over behind the scenes to Abe. Of course, his eyes are on me. Noticing me locking gazes with him, he arches one dark eyebrow as if to say that he has no doubt that he could win a race against these chumps. After they’re all finished, I just may let him give it a go.