Chapter 6
NICOLE
N icole couldn’t sleep.
The clubhouse had gone quiet hours ago, only the occasional creak of boots or the hum of a bike outside breaking the silence.
Kayleigh was curled up safe in her room next door.
She’d convinced Emilee to read her all the bedtime stories.
She could hear her daughter’s laughter as Emilee changed her voice to match the character.
She’d gone in and offered to take over but Kayleigh shook her head and shooed her away.
In fact, after returning from the ride with Slash, she’d barely seen her daughter.
There were so many people here and they were spoiling Kayleigh rotten.
Between her aunt VanVan, the other women seemed to genuinely enjoy her presence.
The men, too. She had them all wrapped around her little finger.
Nicole should have been relieved. She should have crawled into bed and fallen asleep after the many restless nights she’d had.
Instead, she paced.
Slash’s words from the last two days circled her mind, sharp and infuriating. Rules. Protection. Discipline. Daddy.
She’d spent years being controlled by a man who broke her down with fists and cruel words.
She’d sworn never again. But also, she knew, Slash was not Brock.
She had to stop. Stop comparing him. Stop thinking about her asshole ex.
The only thing good to come out of their relationship was the little girl in the room next door.
The walls felt too close. The air, too heavy. She needed space. Just a walk around the clubhouse. Just a few minutes to breathe.
Quietly, she slipped out of her room, bare feet padding across the hallway. She’d only made it outside to the porch when she heard footsteps behind her.
“Nicole.”
She froze.
Slash stepped out of the shadows like he’d been waiting for her, arms folded across his massive chest, his scar catching the dim porch light.
Her stomach dropped.
“What the hell are you doing outside?” he asked, voice low and rough.
She swallowed hard. “I just… couldn’t sleep. I needed air.”
He tilted his head, studying her like she was a puzzle he intended to solve. “Where were you headed?”
“Nowhere.” She lifted her chin, defensive. “Just thought I would walk around outside the building. I was going to stay close.”
His eyes narrowed. “We’ve been over this.
” He wasn’t lying. When they’d returned from their motorcycle ride, something had changed between them.
He’d tipped her chin up and let her know that he fully intended to enforce the rules he’d given yesterday.
“You don’t go outside without me or another Watchmen. You broke rule number one.”
Something in her bristled. “It’s not like I was running away. You said the compound is safe.”
Slash’s jaw flexed. He stepped forward, and she instinctively backed up until her shoulders hit the building wall.
“It is but nowhere is impenetrable,” he said, his voice dark as thunder. “I would have walked with you. Or at least, if you needed space, I would sit out here and watch you walk circles around the building. And I told you what would happen if you broke my rules.”
Her pulse hammered. “Slash?—”
“That’s Daddy when you’re in trouble.”
Her knees nearly buckled at the word, heat licking down her spine. The or? Was no longer an or. She knew. If she consented. If she said the word, there was no going back.
He reached for her wrist, not rough, but firm. Inevitable. “We’re doing this now. You’ll learn quickly that I don’t make empty threats.”
Her breath caught. “You wouldn’t?—”
But he was already guiding her into the building, up the stairs to his room, shutting the door behind them.
The air inside was heavy, charged. He sat on the edge of the bed and tugged her between his knees.
“Last chance,” he said, his scarred face unreadable. “You can admit you broke my rule, apologize, and I’ll spank your butt and we move forward. Or you can keep fighting me, what’s going on between us, and I’ll walk away. I’ll protect you from afar.”
Nicole’s chest heaved.
Her pride screamed at her to leave. Not chance this with him. But her body betrayed her. Heat curled low, pulse thundered in her chest, thighs pressing together.
She whispered, “I don’t do rules.”
Slash’s eyes darkened. “You do now.”
“I don’t do relationships.”
“You do now.”
“I don’t–”
“You do. Tell me to stop and I will. But if you don’t, things change. They change now, little girl. I’m Daddy and you’re my cherished woman who I not only protect, but I show how good belonging to me can feel. Yes or no, Baby?”
“Yes. Oh, god. Yes.” Was she consenting to a spanking or sex? Or both?
In one swift motion, he pulled her down over his lap.
“Wait!” she yelped, struggling instinctively. She needed more time.
“Settle,” he ordered, one broad hand pressed firmly against her back. “You’re safe. But you’re getting punished for breaking Daddy’s rules.”
Her breath came fast and shallow as he tugged her pajama shorts down to mid-thigh. Cool air kissed her skin, followed a heartbeat later by the hot sting of his palm.
Smack.
She gasped.
Smack.
Her body jolted, a mix of shame, anger, and something she couldn’t name flooding her veins.
“Count,” he growled.
Her eyes widened. “W-what?”
“You heard me, little girl. You count. I need you to focus on this. Focus on us. Don’t think about anything or anyone else. Focus on the fact that I am not mad at you, this isn’t out of anger. This is what good control looks like, little girl. Now count.”
Her voice shook. “One.”
Smack.
“Two.”
Smack.
“Three—ah!” That one hurt. The swat landed below the curve of her cheek. Her yelp filled the room, sharp and relentless. Her cheeks burned, tears prickling at the corners of her eyes as the sting built into something overwhelming.
By ten, she was trembling. By fifteen, tears slid down her face.
Not as much from the pain, but from the emotional connection.
This was different. It stung but it didn’t hurt, not like Brock had done.
She didn’t feel helpless across Slash’s lap.
She felt empowered. She knew if she told him to stop, he would.
That was the most freeing realization she’d ever felt.
And then the tears came and she was sobbing.
Slash’s hand slowed, rubbing her lower back, grounding her. “That’s it. All done, sweetheart.” He lifted her, settling her carefully in his lap, cradling her against his chest. One big hand cupped the back of her head, the other stroking her arm.
“You’re safe,” he murmured, voice rough but gentle now. “You follow Daddy’s rules, and nobody will hurt you. Not even you.”
She cried against him, shaking with relief and humiliation, but also something she couldn’t deny—something warm, steady, right .
When her sobs quieted, she whispered, raw and broken, “Why are you doing this?”
He tipped her chin up with a scarred finger, forcing her to meet his gaze.
“Because you need someone strong enough to carry you through the storm,” he said simply. “And I’m not letting you drown on my watch.” His palm rubbed soothing circles down her back, grounding her against the solid wall of his chest. “That’s it, baby girl. Let it out. No shame in tears.”
Her breath hitched. “I—I don’t usually cry.”
He rumbled low in his chest. “Yeah, you do. You just don’t let anybody see it.”
The words gutted her because they were true.
All those years with her ex, she’d learned to swallow pain, hide tears, put on a brave face for Kayleigh. Crying made her weak. Crying made her a target.
But in Slash’s arms, weakness didn’t feel like weakness.
It felt like relief. She let him cradle her until the sobs ceased and the room stopped spinning. She wiped her eyes on his shirt and took a deep breath. She shifted in Slash’s lap, every movement making her butt sting all over again.
He shifted her, reaching for a small duffel at the side of his bed. She blinked in surprise when he pulled out… a soft teddy bear.
Her lips parted. “Slash, is that?—”
“Daddy,” he corrected gently, tipping her chin up so she couldn’t hide. “And yeah. Every little needs a teddy bear.”
Her cheeks flamed. “I don’t… I mean, I’ve read about it, but I’ve never?—”
“Shh.” His thumb brushed her damp cheek. “No rules tonight. No pressure. Just you, me, and this bear. You sit right here on Daddy’s lap and hug him until you feel better. Understand?”
Her bottom still smarted from his palm, but her heart… her heart ached for this. For safety. For softness.
She nodded, voice small. “Yes, Daddy.”
As she hugged the bear, the weight in her chest loosened, her breaths evening out. Slash watched her quietly, one arm around her middle, thumb brushing lazy strokes over her ribs. The other hand rested heavy on her thigh, a constant reminder of his claim.
Minutes ticked by in silence until she whispered, “I don’t understand you.”
His scarred face softened just a fraction. “What’s to understand?”
“You’re… terrifying.” Her cheeks flushed. “But you’re also… this.” She gestured weakly to the teddy bear, the warmth of his chest under her cheek.
“Both can be true.” His voice was steady, unshakable.
“Out there? I’m a fighter. An enforcer. A man who spills blood to keep this family safe.
But with you, Nicole?” His big hand squeezed her thigh, firm and possessive.
“I’ll be whatever you need. Daddy, protector, bastard who reddens your ass when you forget your rules. ”
Her heart lurched at the word your .
Her Daddy.
Something hot curled deep inside her, warring with fear.
She whispered, “What if I can’t give you what you need?”
Slash’s gaze pinned her, intense and unflinching. “Baby girl, you already have. You just don’t know it yet.”
The bear slipped from her fingers. She trembled, not from fear this time, but from the devastating truth.
She wanted to believe him.
She wanted to be his.
Nicole woke to the sound of laughter.
For the first time in forever, she hadn’t dreamed of her ex. She hadn’t jolted awake with dread in her chest. Instead, she’d fallen asleep curled against Slash’s chest and he’d carried her back to her room. He was so respectful of her relationship with Kayleigh.
She blinked, confused when she realized the laughter wasn’t Kayleigh’s. It was rougher, older. It was men out in the clubhouse common room.
The club was awake.
Her stomach growled, and she padded out of her room, cheeks heating when she remembered last night. The spanking, the bear, his steady voice calling her baby girl.
She wasn’t sure how she’d face him after that.
But her thoughts derailed when she spotted Kayleigh at the breakfast table between Emilee and Makenzie, headphones on, watching cartoons on her tablet with a stack of pancakes in front of her.
Relief swept through Nicole. Her little girl looked safe. Happy.
She almost believed things could stay that way.
Until Savage walked in, phone pressed to his ear, his face carved into stone. Slash was two steps behind him, his own expression lethal.
Nicole’s stomach dropped.
“Savage,” she asked, voice trembling, “what is it?”
He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he handed the phone to Slash.
The scarred enforcer’s jaw clenched as he listened, his scar pulling tight with every second. His eyes found Nicole’s and the look in them told her everything.
Something was very, very wrong.
He ended the call with a hard snap of his thumb and turned toward her. “It was your ex.”
Her blood ran cold. “W-what?”
“He had his mother call Dax’s office.” Slash’s voice was gravel, low and dangerous. “Left a message that she knows where you are, that she wants her granddaughter. Said Kayleigh isn’t safe with a bunch of bikers.”
Nicole’s knees weakened. Her ex had always been manipulative, always cruel but this was different. This was a threat. He wanted to take Kayleigh from her, and he wanted her to know he knew exactly where they were.
Slash closed the distance between them in three strides, his big hand cupping the back of her neck. Not gentle. Not soft. Possessive. Anchoring.
“He won’t touch you. He won’t touch her. Do you hear me?”
Nicole’s breath came fast and shallow. “He’s… he’s unpredictable, Slash.” Her throat closed up, the memories choking her.
“Shh.” Slash pressed his forehead to hers, a growl rumbling low in his chest. “Don’t give him that power again. I don’t care what he did before. He doesn’t get near you now. Not while I’m breathing.”
Behind them, the room had gone tense. Lucky muttered a curse, Irish had left the table in a hurry, and Rampage was already pulling his cut on.
The Watchmen didn’t need more details. They’d heard enough.
Nicole clutched Slash’s shirt, her voice breaking. “What if he tries to take her?”
Slash’s eyes darkened, a storm of fury and promise. “Then he’ll learn what kind of monster I really am.”
The room went silent at the raw violence in his tone.
Nicole shivered. Part of her recoiled at the thought of more blood, more violence. But another part, the part that had lived too long in fear, felt a surge of safety so fierce it brought fresh tears to her eyes.
Because for the first time since her world had fallen apart, she knew one thing with bone-deep certainty:
Slash would kill for her.
And God help any man stupid enough to test that vow.