Ruled

by Elle Kennedy

  “Seriously, what’s wrong with you guys?” Rylan asked in exasperation. “I’ve never met two people who are so against orgasms. What, you allergic to them or something?”

  Sloan clenched his teeth again.

  “We both know you were hard as a rock the other night, Sloan. That filthy show Reese and I put on for you? You loved every second of it. You loved holding her down while I pounded into her from behind. I saw your face. I saw this”—before Sloan could blink, Rylan’s large hand was cupping his groin—“hard as a rock,” Rylan repeated. “So why do you keep putting up a fight? What the hell is wrong with you?”

  Sloan pushed that large hand away, but not before the other man felt him hardening. When Rylan smirked, a growl tore out of Sloan’s throat. “What’s wrong with me? What the hell is wrong with you, jackass?”

  Rylan blinked. “Me?”

  “Are you addicted to sex, is that it? You got some sort of sickness that prevents you from keeping your cock in your pants?” Sloan curled his hands into fists. “You can’t go three goddamn days without getting any action? Jesus, man, you came half a dozen times that night. And then you got your rocks off again, jacking yourself in front of Reese—”

  A smile flitted across Rylan’s lips. “She told you about that?”

  The visible amusement only intensified Sloan’s anger. Breathing hard, he planted his palms against Rylan’s solid chest and backed the other man against the cracked concrete wall, until their faces were inches apart.

  “Why is everything a goddamn joke to you?” Sloan hissed.

  Those blue eyes locked with his, then lowered to his hands, which were flattened against Rylan’s pecs. “What are you doing, brother?” Rylan’s voice was low, curious.

  “Giving you what you want,” Sloan bit out. “Sex, right? Orgasms? Seems like those are the only thoughts your pretty blond head is capable of producing.”

  “Fuck you.” A heavy hand clamped on Sloan’s shoulder as Rylan tried to shove him away. “So I like to screw. Big goddamn deal. Not everyone is as uptight about sex as you are—”

  Sloan crashed his mouth down on Rylan’s before the bastard could finish that sentence.

  The kiss was brutal. Merciless. A hard collision of mouths that drew a harsh grunt from Rylan, a hiss from Sloan. He thrust his tongue past Rylan’s parted lips and deepened the kiss, grinding his lower body against the erection straining behind Rylan’s zipper.

  Lust surged through his blood, clouding his senses, fogging his surroundings. It’d been ages since he’d had his tongue in someone’s mouth, his dick rubbing up against a warm body.

  “This is what you wanted, right?” he rasped against Rylan’s lips. “Is this party private enough for you?”

  Rylan let out a labored breath. “Sloan—”

  He cut him off with another kiss, as greedy and punishing as the first. Rylan’s answering growl vibrated all the way down to Sloan’s aching balls. One of his hands landed on Rylan’s waist, curling over it, digging into the waistband of the man’s jeans. His tongue slicked over Rylan’s, again and again, until finally he broke their mouths apart, breathing hard.

  “Is that all you’ve got?” Rylan’s expression shone with humor, glittered with arousal.

  Sloan almost slugged him in that pretty face of his. Goddamn it. Everything was a joke to this man. Rylan had no idea how close to the edge Sloan was. One push and he’d topple right over it.

  “Don’t test me, Rylan.” He scraped one hand over his beard and stumbled backward. “I’m in a foul mood right now, so unless you feel like bending over and letting me take out all my frustration on that tight ass of yours, I suggest you walk away.”

  There was a sharp intake of breath. Rylan dragged his knuckles over his mouth, a mouth that was still wet from Sloan’s kisses. Then he dropped his hand, turned toward the stairs, and rapidly ascended them without a word or a backward glance.

  Sloan chuckled humorlessly as he watched the other man go. “Yeah,” he called out, his smug voice echoing in the narrow stairwell. “That’s what I thought.”

  10

  Reese swallowed her annoyance when she opened the door to find Hudson behind it. Sloan wasn’t back yet from wherever it was he’d stomped off to, though Reese suspected he was staying away on purpose. She didn’t blame him. She’d had no right to blow up at him like that.

  “Can we talk?” Hudson asked tentatively.

  She had to fight from answering with a sharp no. She wasn’t in the mood to chitchat with Connor’s woman. She didn’t know Hudson, and, frankly, she wasn’t sure she liked her.

  Con might be able to get past the fact that Hudson was the twin sister of an Enforcer, but Reese never forgot it, not for one second.

  Still, leadership meant she sometimes had to interact with people she wouldn’t normally choose as friends. Besides that, Connor might change his mind about assisting with the outpost attacks if he found out Reese had treated Hudson with anything less than respect.

  “Sure,” she said, opening the door wider so the blonde could step inside.

  Hudson glanced around the apartment as they entered the living area. To anyone else, it might look like she was admiring her surroundings, but Reese didn’t miss the shrewd glint in those eyes as they swept the room. The woman wasn’t admiring, but assessing.

  “You want something to drink?” Reese offered in a reluctant attempt to be a good hostess.

  “No, thanks.” Hudson gestured to the couch. “May I sit?”

  “Knock yourself out.”

  The other woman settled on the sofa. Reese remained standing, crossing her arms over her chest.

  After a beat, Hudson’s scrutinizing eyes turned to Reese, who scrutinized right back.

  There was no denying that Hudson was stunning. She had big gray eyes, flawless porcelain skin, and golden hair tied up in a messy twist. Reese could see why Connor had such a hard-on for the woman. What she couldn’t fathom was how on earth Connor could trust someone who was so closely connected to the GC.

  “What do you need?” Reese barked when the silence dragged on.

  Hudson met her gaze head on. “I’d like your permission to let Dominik know about our plan to take out the outposts.”

  Our plan? She managed to stifle a cutting retort by reminding herself that she needed Connor on her side. Which meant playing nice with his woman.

  Still, Hudson’s request was so absurd it made Reese laugh. “Absolutely not,” she replied.

  “I urge you to reconsider,” Hudson said in a calm, even voice.

  “I won’t.”

  “At least let me make my case?”

  Another burst of irritation went off inside her. If this woman thought for one moment that Reese was going to include the head Enforcer in her plans to take out his troops, she was out of her mind.

  Play nice, warned the soft voice in her head.

  She drew a breath and sat down in the armchair opposite the couch. “Fine. Make your case.”

  Hudson clasped her hands in her lap. “I’m sure Con already told you, but Dominik and I have been communicating over a satellite phone he gave me when he helped me escape the Enforcer compound.”

  “I’m aware of that, yes.”

  “Well, Dom’s been doing everything in his power to keep the colony sweeps away from Con’s camp, and I know for a fact he’s working behind the scenes to take Commander Ferris down.”

  Reese smirked. “I’m sure he is.”

  “He is,” Hudson insisted. “Ferris has been giving the Enforcers a drug cocktail for the past couple years. Some aggression drug that’s messing with their heads, making them increasingly violent and short-tempered.”

  “Uh-huh. That’s why they’re bloodthirsty maniacs—because of drugs.” Sarcasm dripped from her tone.

  “It’s true. The last time I saw my brother, he was a dif
ferent person. Snapping in and out of rages, confused about where he was and what he was doing. I heard about the drugging from an Enforcer deserter we came across this summer, and after I told Dom about it, he weaned himself off the cocktail. So did some of his men, other Enforcers he trusts with his life. They’re all sick about what Ferris is ordering them to do to outlaws.”

  That triggered another harsh laugh in Reese. “Right. I bet they cry themselves to sleep every night. Sorry, honey, but you’re not convincing me of a damn thing here. I don’t give a shit that he’s your brother—he can’t be trusted. He’s the enemy.”

  “Reese—”

  She held up her hand to silence the woman, the anger in her gut boiling over. “He kills people, Hudson. He sends troops to hunt us down and kill us!”

  Hudson gave a stubborn shake of her head. “That’s not Dom. It’s Ferris. Dominik believed in the Surrender Law. He used to give outlaws a chance to willingly move to West City.”

  “Willingly?” Reese scoffed. “Bullshit. Anyone who said no would be executed.”

  “But at least they were given a choice!” Hudson exhaled in a long rush, then inhaled deeply as if trying to calm herself. “Look. I’m not defending the Enforcers, okay? I’m not defending the council or their crazy laws or the way they view and treat everyone in the free land. All I’m saying is that Dominik is not like them.”

  In that moment, Reese realized that it was more than exquisite looks that drew Connor to this woman. Hudson radiated the kind of strength that Reese appreciated, a fiery confidence you didn’t usually find in a citizen. Then again, Hudson was no regular citizen. She was born in West City, but raised on the Enforcer compound. Her father had been a council member, and, before his death, the commander of the Enforcers.

  “Dom hates what’s happening in the city right now,” Hudson went on. “He hates Ferris and the council, and he wants to help us. If we tell him ahead of time which outposts we’re hitting, he can make it easier for us. Assign certain Enforcers to certain stations . . . Enforcers who buy into Ferris’s bullshit. And the ones who are loyal to Dom will work with us to take out the outposts.”

  Reese leaned forward in her chair. “As tempting as that sounds, I’m gonna have to pass. I don’t trust your brother. Period.”

  Hudson released a tired breath. “Fine. Don’t trust him then. It was worth a shot.” She slowly made her way to the door, but hesitated before turning the knob. “I have one other request . . . I’m trying to look out for my brother. I don’t care if you don’t trust him, because I trust him, and so does Connor.” Her jaw tightened for a moment, and then a puff of breath escaped. “I told Connor I’d follow your orders, so if you don’t want me to warn Dominik, I won’t. But that means there’s a chance Dom might be at one of the outposts, because he stops in on them from time to time. And if he is there, and your attack is successful, I’m asking you to spare him. Take him hostage, lock him up, do whatever you want to him, but please, don’t kill him.”

  Reese arched one brow. Damn, Con’s woman had some balls.

  “At least keep him alive long enough for me to say good-bye to him,” Hudson pleaded.

  “I’ll think about it.” With a shrug, she stood up and joined Hudson by the door. “Anything else you want to discuss or are we done here?” she asked with feigned politeness.

  “One more thing.” Hudson flicked up a brow of her own. “Beckett told me you’re screwing Rylan.”

  A startled chuckle flew out. “Oh, did he?”

  “I’m sure Rylan will tell me about it himself, eventually.” Hudson’s expression hardened with each passing second. “And when he does, I’m going to pat him on the back and congratulate him for finally convincing you to fuck him.”

  Reese narrowed her eyes. Where the hell was Hudson going with this?

  “But I don’t understand his obsession with you, and trust me, I’m not thrilled that he’s put himself in this position.”

  “What position?” Reese asked warily.

  “In the position to get hurt.” Hudson’s tone was flat, disappointed even. “You’re not a soft woman, Reese. You’re not particularly nice either. I get that you have to put on this big, tough act in order to look like a strong, capable leader for your people, but Rylan doesn’t need his spirit crushed by some cold, hard bitch—”

  Oh, hell no. Reese curled both hands into fists to stop herself from pounding the other woman’s face in.

  “—but that’s also an act,” Hudson was saying, her expression going thoughtful. “Or at least I think it is. I don’t know if you’re a bitch, Reese. I don’t know if you’re as hard as you let on. What I do know is that Rylan isn’t as happy-go-lucky as he lets on. He pretends he doesn’t have feelings, but he does. And if you hurt him, I swear on my mother’s life that I’ll—”

  “You’ll what?” she mocked. “Have Connor beat me up?”

  “Of course not.” Hudson bared her teeth in a humorless smile. “I’ll do it myself.”

  11

  “You try to raid an ammo dump by yourself and get torched?” Connor joked as Rylan stomped into Foxworth’s cozy corner restaurant the following evening.

  Something was getting lit tonight, that was for damn sure, Rylan thought sourly as he threw himself into the seat across from Connor.

  His closest friend had gotten in yesterday morning, but Rylan had barely spent ten minutes with Connor since his arrival. Con had been hunkered down with Reese and the other leaders all day yesterday and today, strategizing the outpost attacks. And last night, he and Hudson had disappeared into one of the townhouses on the edge of Main Street, proving that just because Connor had finally chosen to lead his small group of outlaws, he hadn’t changed his antisocial ways.

  Rylan knew the couple would’ve welcomed him with open arms if he’d shown up on their doorstep, but he’d been too damn rattled after that unexpected encounter with Sloan. Instead, he’d had dinner with Beckett at the loft that Beck shared with Travis, then ducked into the little apartment he was crashing in and tried to sleep off his frustrations. All of which were of the sexual variety, of course.

  Before, he’d only had to contend with Reese busting his balls. Now he had Sloan doing it too? The goddamn bastard had stuck his tongue down Rylan’s throat—what the hell was that about?

  “I need a drink,” he muttered. “Scratch that. I need a lot of drinks.”

  “Probably not a good idea, man. We’re taking out outposts in a few days. I need your head in the game.” With unexpected concern in his eyes, Connor folded his hands on the table and leaned forward. “If you need to get laid, you know the door to mine and Hudson’s bedroom is always open, right?”

  “Yeah, okay.” Rylan swiveled to see where Bethany was. He was hungry, thirsty, and horny, and felt like only two of his needs were going to be met tonight. Normally, he was an easygoing guy, but everything bothered him right now, making him uncharacteristically short.

  Connor leveled a knowing look at him. “So Reese one and done’d you?”

  “Something like that.”

  His friend lounged back in his chair, and while he didn’t smile, the air of satisfaction Con had been wearing ever since Hudson laid her claim on him sawed at Rylan’s nerves.

  He scowled. If Connor’s mouth so much as twitched at the corners, Rylan was flying over this table and laying into him. “I’m about two seconds from shoving my fist in your smug face.”

  Connor merely shrugged. “Hudson wouldn’t like it. What she would like is for you to come for a visit tonight. She misses you.”

  Rylan waited for his cock to harden while he conjured up mental images from all the times he’d joined Connor and Hudson in their bed. But their faces kept being replaced by other people. People who were pissing him off at the moment.

  “No?” Connor prompted when Rylan didn’t answer. “Well, fuck. Reese really did do a number on you.” He
paused. “So how was she? Lennox says she’s a wildcat in bed.”

  Rylan frowned, surprised by the oddly possessive clench in his chest. He knew Lennox was no stranger to Reese’s bed, but it hadn’t bothered him until right this very moment. And it bothered him even more knowing that Len had been with her more than once, while Rylan was shunned after one night.

  At his prolonged silence, Connor released a low chuckle. “Seriously? You’ve been running your mouth for more than a year about getting that woman in bed, and now that you have, you’re shutting up? The sex didn’t do it for you?”

  “No, it did. It was hot as hell,” he admitted reluctantly. He was even more reluctant as he added, “Sloan was there.”

  Connor’s brows shot up. “Yeah? As an observer or a participant?”

  “He just watched.” Except when he was holding Reese down while Rylan drilled her hard . . . but he kept that dirty detail to himself.

  “Huh,” Connor mused.

  Bitterness tickled his throat. “Those two are joined at the hip. Are you really surprised to hear that Sloan is around while she screws?”

  “Nah, I’m not surprised. Just find it odd that he didn’t join in. I mean, hell, we’ve all seen the way he looks at her—like he wants to feast.”

  Yeah, Rylan was more than familiar with Sloan’s feasting eyes. He’d been on the receiving end of them last night. Right before the man kissed the shit out of him.

  “Don’t even try to make sense of their fucked-up relationship,” he said with a sigh. “It’s bizarre, Con. Reese won’t make a single decision without talking to Sloan first. And I’m not just talking about decisions like when should we butcher the next cow or should we assign two guards to the back gate, or three? I’m talking sex, brother. She had to ask for his opinion before she spread her legs for me.”

  Connor choked out a laugh, which Rylan silenced with a dark glare.

  “You know what? Let’s drop it,” he said shortly. He was relieved when Bethany waddled over to take his order. “Hey, gorgeous. Burger, fries, tallest glass of water you’ve got.”