Chapter Three
Beast
Shit. Shit. Shit. I’d just fucked a damn virgin, and one who happened to be the princess of the Dixie Reapers MC.
If her daddy didn’t tear me a new asshole, the club’s VP currently at my compound might do the job for him.
Had Venom left her here knowing she was innocent, and counting on me to not fuck up and take her like some… well… beast?
I’d have to call Torch. It was the right thing to do, even if I did dread it.
Maybe I could put it off for a bit. Jesus.
All the women in the world and I had to decide I wanted to keep the daughter of another club’s President.
I wasn’t sure how it would all play out, but I knew one thing.
I wasn’t giving her up. Lyssa was mine now, and they’d have to take her by force.
I’d never willingly let her walk away. Not to mention she might very well be pregnant with my kid already.
The thought of her swollen with my child made my cock hard again.
Even at forty-two, I could still go more than once on the nights I yanked one out, but the club whores didn’t hold my interest anymore.
I’d just never gotten hard thinking about knocking one of them up.
Then again, Lyssa was far from being like those women.
Not that there was anything wrong with them.
I’d enjoyed them and had no problem with a woman embracing her sexuality.
But knowing Lyssa had been innocent, that I was the only man she’d ever had between her thighs, it made me feel like King-fucking-Kong.
I eased out from under her and went to take a shower.
When I’d come home, I’d had no intention of starting anything with her.
I’d wanted to make sure she was all right, find out what she knew about Tony, and come up with a plan.
Instead, I’d gotten balls deep inside her and decided she wasn’t leaving my bed.
I heard a chatter behind me and saw my two ferrets -- Bandit and Pirate -- on their hind legs watching me.
I paused to give them a scratch. My brothers gave me shit for having them as pets.
I’d gone with Forge to the pet store to pick up food for the stray cats that kept wandering into the compound, only to overhear someone trying to dump their ferrets at the store, claiming they couldn’t keep them anymore.
I’d had them three years now, and they’d been a few years old when I’d gotten them.
They wouldn’t live forever, but I’d done my best to give them a good life while I had them.
“You two stay out of trouble. No snooping in her bag!”
They chattered at me again, either in agreement or the ferret version of laughter because I knew they’d damn well do as they pleased. Especially when it came to stealing shit. Anytime something went missing, I usually found it in their hoard.
I cranked the hot water until steam billowed from the glass stall and stepped under the spray.
Not once in all my life had I ever lost my cool and gone bare with a woman.
Until now. My high school sweetheart had ended up pregnant, but only because the condom broke.
I thought about Lo and wondered what she’d think of all this.
Even before she’d found out about the baby, I’d planned to hold onto her for life.
I’d even worked my ass off to buy her an engagement ring right before graduation.
No one knew about her. Not here anyway. The only people who’d been part of my life back there were either dead or we’d lost track of one another.
I leaned my head against the wall as the water pounded my back and thought of her sweet smile, and her gentle nature.
I’d never known a woman like her and hadn’t been looking for one.
I’d thought Charlotte was my second chance at happiness, but I’d been wrong.
She’d wanted no part of this life, and I couldn’t blame her.
It had hurt like a bitch when she’d left, but I got it.
She didn’t feel safe, and I couldn’t promise she’d never be in the line of fire again.
Someone had used her to get to the club, and I knew damn well any woman one of us claimed could face the same thing in the future.
But Lyssa knew the score. She’d been raised in this life.
Hell, she’d strolled into my clubhouse bold as brass and kissed me.
While there had been some club whores who’d done that, they’d all been after something, like status.
With Lyssa, she’d just wanted to make a point with the guy who wouldn’t stop chasing her.
The fact she picked me out of everyone else admittedly stroked my ego.
Any of my brothers would have helped her if she’d asked.
My thoughts drifted back to Lo. My kid would be older than Lyssa by now, if he’d lived.
Instead, Fate had been cruel and stolen not only my son but my wife too.
And yeah, I’d married Lo first chance I’d had after graduation.
The sharp pain I’d once felt when I thought of her tombstone -- Loretta Bradshaw, Wife and Mother -- had lessened over time.
I’d always miss her, and some part of me would love her until I drew my last breath, but I knew she’d want me to live my life and not wallow in self-pity.
A small hand pressed against the center of my back and I glanced over my shoulder. I hadn’t even heard Lyssa enter the bathroom much less the shower. I needed to get my head on straight if I was going to keep her safe. I turned and wrapped my arms around her.
“Everything all right?” she asked.
“Yeah, just taking a trip down memory lane. Not the happy kind either.”
She kissed my chest, then went up on her tiptoes.
I leaned down and let her kiss me. It was soft and sweet.
The kind of kiss you’d expect from a woman who didn’t have much experience, and for some reason, the quick brush of her lips against mine turned me on far more than getting down and dirty with any of the club whores ever had.
“I’m not taking this to the table,” I said. “You’re mine. End of story. Any of them has an issue with it, I’ll be glad to show them the door right after I beat the hell out of them.”
“So bloodthirsty.” She smiled. “I think I like it.”
“You’re not going to try and run? Or refuse to stay with me?” I asked, thinking of Charlotte’s response when I’d said I wanted to make her mine.
She tipped her head to the side and studied me. “Why would I? Am I supposed to be scared of being yours? Do you want me to fight back and say it’s not what I want? I’d be lying, but…”
I didn’t know what to make of her. She’d made herself at home in my bed, let me fuck her hard and without protection, and didn’t balk at me laying claim to her. Yeah, she played by the same rules I did, but still… I’d expected more resistance.
“Are you lulling me into a false sense of security?” I asked.
She snorted and started laughing. “Why the hell would I do that? What’s so confusing about all this? You said I was yours, I agreed, and… what? I don’t get it. Should I throw a tantrum or something?”
I rubbed my hand across the whiskers on my jaw and tried to think of the best way to put it, without pissing her off.
Last thing I needed was her getting jealous when there was no reason to be.
“I wanted to claim a woman a few years ago. This life wasn’t right for her, and she left.
Saw how Lilian ran from Dragon, and I know of others who didn’t agree so easy when their man decided they were getting promoted to old lady status. You’re not what I’m used to.”
She’d grown still at the mention of another woman, but I didn’t see any hurt in her eyes. If anything, she seemed to be attempting to puzzle things out. I could almost hear the gears whirring inside her brain as she pieced things together.
“My mom was given to my dad when she was seventeen. He didn’t claim her in more than name back, then and let her go live her life with the understanding she’d return when she was eighteen.
Except she didn’t. She ran. When she was ready, she showed up at the clubhouse and that was it.
He made her his that very night, and she’s never once regretted it.
“So maybe my view of things is a little different. It never crossed my mind I’d end up with anyone other than a biker.
My daddy is the President of the Dixie Reapers.
My grandfather is the notorious assassin Casper VanHorne.
I was born for this way of life, Eric. So if you want me to be all girly, throw a fit, and squeal about how unfair it is, you’ll be waiting a long time. It’s never going to happen.”
Damn. She really was the perfect old lady. And I knew I was lucky to call her mine. “And the age difference? It doesn’t bother you?”
“Have you ever met my parents? My dad is about thirty years older than my mom. So no, I don’t have a problem with it, and neither can they unless they want to be hypocrites.”
I couldn’t contain my smile. “Remind me to have a front row seat if you ever decide to tell your dad he’s a hypocrite. Torch isn’t someone to mess with. Even if I don’t personally know him all that well, most clubs within several hundred miles know of him, and not to piss the man off.”
She sighed and cuddled closer. “Honestly, I’m waiting on the day he decides to step down.
He’s in his late sixties, and while I’d like to think he’s invincible, I think he’s close to wanting to retire.
Or whatever the hell an MC President does when he hands the reins over to someone else.
He’s always muttering I’m too old for this shit and his bones are creaking more with each passing year.
But if you tell him I said any of that, I’ll kill you in your sleep. ”
“You think he might hand it all over to someone else?” I asked.