SANTANA
I look like a two-dollar hooker.
My boots are up to my knees, my shirt is so tight my boobs are poking out the top, and don’t even get me started on this skirt. Whores would cringe at this shirt; even they would probably throw holy water over me. I try to jerk my top down, but it’s no use. If I pull it down, my boobs will pop out for the world to see.
Peek-a-boo.
“You have no fuckin’ idea how much I want to lock you away, especially when you look like that.”
Maddox’s voice fills the room behind me, and I sigh. I don’t need anymore of his lectures. Maybe this will prove to him that I am old enough to take care of myself, and that he doesn’t need to keep hovering. When I was a terrified teenager it was one thing, but now I’m a grown woman, and he has some serious control issues.
“There is no choice, so there’s no point in going over it,” I say, not looking at him.
“You’ll likely get fuckin’ raped, or . . .”
“Maddox,” I snap. “One of the guys will be with me. I won’t get raped.”
“When you’re in that clubhouse there will be no protection, and—”
“I’ll be fine.”
“—you’ll likely—”
“Fine, Maddox.”
“—be thrown over—”
God, the man won’t stop. I spin around, glaring at him. “Shut up!”
He glares back at me, but he stops talking.
“I’m doing this. Even you know it’s for the best. Now, can you please leave? I have to finish getting ready.”
He tilts his head to the side, giving me a look he’s given me for years now. It makes his blue eyes even more piercing, and his face seem far more intense. His lips twitch with unspoken words as his eyes narrow. “Just come back to me, do you hear?”
I stare at him, surprised. He’s always got something nasty to say, some smartass remark that makes me think he doesn’t care. I swallow and nod, turning before he can see my eyes misting.
“I will.”
I hear him disappear, and something in my chest tugs violently.
What if I never see him again?
~*~*~*~
“Three steps behind,” I hiss to Ray, who is following me.
He snorts. “We ain’t even close, Santana.”
“I don’t care. If someone is watching you, it could blow everything.”
“Hearin’ ya, babe.”
I roll my eyes and walk down the street, my heels clinking. As we approach the bar the Tinman’s Soldiers are said to spend most of their time at, my anxiety levels rise. I can do this; I just have to be believable. They’ll know right away if the guys are going to recognize me; that’s why Ray will be outside, with backup ready if need be.
“You’re on your own now, Tana,” Ray says after another few blocks.
I turn to him. “I’ll call you if I need.”
He nods. “Stay safe.”
I force a smile, and turn, making my way towards the club. I round a corner and see a group of bikers right away. I guess they were right. Jackpot. I straighten my shoulders, poke my breasts out, and strut past them to the front entrance.
Wolf whistles sound out, and my anxiety dies down just slightly as I realize they haven’t figured out who I am. There’s hope—small, but it’s there. I reach the line at the front door, and slip in. A group of girls are snickering behind me, muttering words like “whore” and “skank”.
I roll my eyes and just keep shuffling through the line. I show my I.D at the door and enter the loud, packed club. Neon blue lights shine into my eyes the moment I step inside. People are everywhere, their bodies grinding. I spot the bar and shove through the crowd, heading towards it. The best place to get noticed is right here.
I order a drink and position myself on a stool, crossing my legs so my skirt rides up my thighs. I let my eyes scan the crowd until I notice another group of bikers at the far end of the bar. At least eight of them. I stare at them until one turns and notices me. A slow smirk appears on his lips.
Time to get your whore on, Santana.
I give him a sly smile, turning back to my drink and sliding the straw into my mouth, swallowing it down. I have no doubt he’ll make his way over. I keep drinking until I feel a presence behind me. A hand grazes up my arm. I want to gag, but I force a smile on my face and turn.
The biker standing in front of me is actually quite stunning. His eyes are a crystal green, and his skin a light olive. He’s got ruffled dirty-blond hair. His body is huge, and he’s clearly built—I can tell by the way his muscles bunch and pull around his forearms as he takes a seat beside me.
Such a waste of sexiness.
“How you doin’, gorgeous?” he purrs, his voice husky.
I bat my eyelashes at him. “I’m fine, and how are you, handsome?” I make my voice sound light and a little slurry.
“My night just got a whole lot better.”
I lean in close. “Oh, honey, so did mine.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
I drag my feet as I walk into the main living area, having had far too much to drink to take the edge off what’s going down right now. The bikers are piled on the couches at the bar and in the kitchen. They’re restless; why wouldn’t they be? A storm is brewing, and they know it’s going to blow up very soon. When it blows, it will cause a big mess all around, and that’s not something I think they’re entirely prepared for, no matter how good they are. I notice Krypt sitting back against the couch, Penny tucked in beside him.
My heart does a little flip-flop, seeing them like that, because I still don’t understand the relationship between them. He keeps coming back to me, and yet he protects her. It’s glaringly clear that she’s not interested in being an old lady; she just doesn’t have it in her.
Being an old lady scares me, too. I’ll admit that. Not just because it’s a lifetime commitment, bigger than any marriage would ever be, but also because it would mean my entire world would change. No only would I lose my job, I’d lose so much of my family. They’d never understand, especially considering the reason I ended up in this position. How could I honestly ask them to just accept it? They love me, of course, but no one is that willing.
Krypt lifts his eyes and they fall on me, his face quickly changing from bored to lustful in seconds. I know he wants me, he’s made it clear, but I don’t know if I can ever give him what he wants. Besides, Penny, regardless of her fears about being an old lady, is not backing away from him anytime soon. I can understand why, but it makes the situation just slightly more confusing.
Especially when he lets her.
Krypt uncurls his arm from Penny’s shoulders and stands, walking straight past me and out the opposite door. As he passes me, he gives me a look that I’m not entirely sure I can read. It’s either a look that says I don’t want you, or a look that says I do. I have no idea which one it is, but I find myself turning, the alcohol consumed earlier flooding my veins as I follow him down the hall.
I find him in one of the rooms, leaning back on the couch, staring at the door. His face is tight, his eyes slightly hazed from the alcohol, and his big body seems wound up awful tight. He looks up at me when I walk in, and I stare at him for so long, I have to shake my head to break the heated glance between us.
“What are you doin’?” he asks, lifting the beer from his lap and taking a sip.
“Shit is going down, you were out there with Penny and I...I don’t really have anyone to talk to.”
“You made it clear you don’t wanna talk to me,” he points out.
“I did not,” I say, my voice soft. “You hurt me, Krypt. Not the other way around.”
He stares at me, his eyes burning into mine. “Yeah, I did, but you told me I wasn’t what you wanted, didn’t you? In saying that, what I said about Penny meanin’ somethin’ and you not...”
“I know,” I say, my voice low. “You’ve done nothing but show me how much you want me, it’s me who has been a little bitch. I car
e, Krypt. I do or it wouldn’t have hurt.”
His lips quirk, but he quickly swipes it away and nods. “I still shouldn’t have said what I said. Penny matters, Ash. But I should have never made you think you didn’t matter, too. ‘Coz you do. More than you know.”
My hazy mind processes his words, and my lust kicks up. I find myself taking a step closer, wanting him again, needing to remember how his mouth tasted. I don’t ask him; I don’t even speak. It’s a risk, I know that, but I walk forward and climb over him, straddling his hips. He sucks in a breath as my mouth lowers, finding his neck and sucking the slightly salty skin there. God, he tastes so good, and when he rumbles I can feel it radiating through my body.
“You think this is a good idea?” he growls, placing his hands on my hips.
“Why not?” I murmur, sliding my tongue up his flesh. “We’re both alone, and we both want it. I need you to make me feel, Krypt. Please. Everything is so bad right now. You’re the only good thing I have left.”
“Fuck,” he mutters. “What about your shoulder?”
“My shoulder will be fine while I ride you,” I whisper, nipping his earlobe. “Don’t turn me away, you know I need you.”
“Do I?” he growls.
“Yes,” I whisper.
“Shit is complicated right now. You know that,” he breathes, his big body relaxing beneath me as my mouth works his flesh.
“Because of Penny?” I whisper, moving my mouth across his cheek until I’m kissing the side of his mouth.
“Yeah, amongst other things,” he groans, and I can feel his fingers tighten around my hips.
“Is she your old lady?”
He jerks my hips forward, grinding them against him. “No.”
“Is she going to be your old lady?”
He hisses when my hands find his jeans, and I unbutton them. “No,” he rasps.
“Then there is nothing stopping me from riding your cock right here and right now.”
“Babe,” he protests, but it’s so weak his voice really doesn’t sound like he means it.
“What do you want, Krypt? Decide, now, because I won’t be the play thing between you and her,” I growl, sliding my hand down into his jeans and rubbing my palm over his already throbbing cock.
“You know I want to fuck you,” he hisses. “I need to feel your pussy around me, squeezing my cock like it’s the last thing it’ll ever do.”
“Then there really is no question, is there?”
I slide his cock free, raising myself up and slipping my panties aside before lowering down and letting just the head of his thick length slide into my opening. “Do you want me to stop?” I murmur, meeting his lusty gaze.
“You know I fuckin’ don’t. Shit, babe, if you’re goin’ to torture me at least make it fuckin’ worthwhile.”
“Oh,” I breathe, sliding down further until he’s stretching me so perfectly. “I’m going to make it worthwhile.”
I shove myself down hard and fast, causing an agonized groan to leave his lips. His fingers tighten around my hips and he mutters a few choice curses before he pulls out and thrusts back upwards, causing my fingers to go up and curl in his hair, tugging until his head comes forward and his lips find mine. My shoulder aches, but it’s not enough to stop me. Kissing Krypt is like licking candy—he tastes so damned good, and his lips are so rugged and manly. He kisses a girl like he’s never going to see her again, and she means the world to him.
He makes it count.
His tongue does things to mine that I can’t even begin to describe. He brings my body to life as if he’s always been the lighter to my torch. My nipples turn into hard peaks, and I lean forward, rubbing them against his chest. This earns me more curse words and a “you’re fuckin’ wild.” His cock seems as though it continues to swell inside me, stretching me, opening me for his assault. His mouth devours mine and our bodies mold together as if we were made to fit.
“I need to come, Krypt,” I whimper against his mouth as my pussy clenches tightly around his invading cock.
“Then come,” he barks, his jaw tight. “I want you to come so fuckin’ hard I feel it in my spine, so fuckin’ do it.”
At his words, my pussy convulses and I lose control. I throw my head back and cry out his name. In a rugged tone, he grates out my name, all the while slamming his hips up harder and faster until I can see it in his face that he’s about to find his own release. He gets this look, this gorgeous, pleasured look that has my skin prickling. His lips part just slightly, and his eyes flutter partly closed, almost as if they’re too lazy to stay just slightly open.
“Baby,” he rasps, his voice low and husky. “I’m goin’ to fuckin’ come so hard in you right now.”
I whimper, watching his face, my own body still coming down from my orgasm. His eyes pin mine as he comes, and it’s the best fucking moment of my life. I’ll never forget the way they glaze over, like they want to roll back. His chest rumbles with his pleasure as he shoots jet after jet of his release deep inside me.
I cup his jaw, stroking my thumb over his cheek as he comes down, his body slowly untensing. He turns his face and captures one of my fingers, sucking it into his mouth, and swirling his tongue around the tip. I watch him, our eyes locked, our breathing slowly calming down. It’s a powerful moment, so powerful I turn away, forcing myself to disconnect our blazing stare. I slide off him, pulling my panties aside and straightening my dress.
“You always so scared of intimacy?” he asks, causing my spine to stiffen.
“No,” I say, not looking at him so he can’t see the lie in my eyes.
“Babe, fuck. You just came in here and gave it to me like you actually meant it, and now you’re gonna walk out?”
I turn to him, keeping my face impassive. “I wasn’t...”
“You get up and walk outta here, there won’t be another time. You get that?”
I swallow, lifting my elbow into my hand to release some of the strain on my shoulder. I stare at him, my eyes soft from our time together.
“You came in here and fucked me; now you’re goin’ to stay and tell me why the fuck you won’t give me more.”
“You confuse me, Krypt. You said I mean something just now, but then there’s Penny and I don’t know—”
“Penny matters to me, but it ain’t in the way you think,” he says, cutting me off.
“Then how is it?” I whisper, my head slightly hazy. “Because you pushed me away the minute she showed up. If you want me to give in, Krypt, you have to as well. I know nothing about you, yet you’re asking me to just be with you.”
He sighs, dropping his head in his hands. “I don’t wanna let her down.”
Let her down?
I walk over, sitting beside him. “How would being with me let her down?”
“Penny and I were together a fair while. I loved her but she was always so perfect. My sister adored her, and we all grew up together. When my sister,” his voice grows thick, “passed, things got tense. Penny suddenly saw me as this bad man, someone she couldn’t trust. When we split, it took a few months for us to find a friendship, but when we did it was good.”
“I still don’t understand.”
“I don’t want her to think I’m some fuckin’ whore who disrespects women. It’s not how my sister saw me, and it ain’t how Penny sees me. It bothers her to see me in this lifestyle, let alone gettin’ my dick wet all the time.”
“She makes you feel ashamed for what you are?” I gasp.
“No,” he says quickly, but I know that’s how he feels. “It’s just that I care about what she thinks, because of Lacey, and I don’t want her bein’ disappointed in me. She’s the only family I have left.”
It makes sense.
“Was Lacey your sister?”
He nods.
“The tattoo on your back?”
He stiffens, but gives me a jerk of his head.
“What happened to her, Krypt?”
His entire body flinches and his face
grows hard. “Car accident,” he rasps out.
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper.
He goes on, and I let him. “Johan was a friend of my fathers, but they quickly became enemies over some pathetic fuckin’ feud. Shit went down, and it went down bad. We were drivin’ home one night; we’d been out with Dad. There was a car behind us, swerving and making a scene. Before we knew it, he was ramming us. A long story short, we were sent spiraling off the road. The car flipped eight times—I know, I counted them.”
I swallow, reaching over and taking his hand.
“My father was dead on impact, but I wasn’t. I won’t give you details on how I knew his life was gone, but it was gruesome. My only concern then was Lacey. She was passed out, blood coming from her mouth. I yelled out for help, when that piece of shit appeared in the window. He smirked at me, the dirty son-of-a-bitch, then he looked at Lacey and back to me. His last words were, ‘such a shame,’ before he walked off and left us there.”
Tears are flowing freely from my eyes now.
“Lacey died before the ambulance arrived. I was the only one to survive. When I got old enough to start lookin’ for that piece of shit, I couldn’t find him. I was messed up and angry.”
“I’m so sorry,” I breathe.
He shakes his head. “He’s dead now. He’s paid for what he done.”
“Doesn’t make it easier.”
“No,” he says, staring at me. “But at least he can’t hurt anyone else.”
Poor Krypt. I can’t imagine how it would have felt for him to watch his sister’s life slip away from him.
“Your mom?” I ask.
“She died when she had Lacey.”
God, could it get any worse? Krypt doesn’t let me say anything, because he gets to his feet. “I’m fuckin’ restless. I can’t sit here when shit could be goin’ bad for Santana.”
“Hey,” I say, reaching out for him. “You’re doing all you can.”
“Fuckin’ hate it, Ash.”
“I know, honey,” I murmur.
He turns, dropping to his knees in front of me. “We gotta stop this bullshit. I don’t play games, Ash, and I don’t have time for them. You know all of me, so now you decide if I’m good enough to hang onto.”