Chapter Four
Lyssa
Beast had dropped a lot on me. I hadn’t expected him to be a virgin, but knowing he’d been married, and had asked a second woman to be his had me wondering how I measured up.
What had they been like? There weren’t any pictures in Beast’s home, not even the decorative kind.
It was hard to imagine loving someone and not keeping their picture.
Then again, it could be in his closet or desk.
It wasn’t like I was going to go snooping.
At least he’d told me about them. He’d been honest, which said a lot.
If no one here knew about his wife and child, then he could have easily kept it to himself and I’d have never found out.
Not unless I had a reason to go digging into his background on the computer.
I tried not to do that if I didn’t have to.
Even if Wire and Lavender had taught me a lot, I knew I wasn’t anywhere near their level.
Beast’s home was incredibly clean, especially for a bachelor.
I didn’t have anything to do and I was quickly getting bored.
He’d cleared out two drawers in the dresser for me and I had my own closet.
Although, until my stuff arrived, I didn’t have a lot to fill all that space.
Using Beast’s credit card -- at his insistence -- I’d purchased a few things online.
They hadn’t arrived yet, but were due sometime today.
It would be nice to have a few extra outfits and another pair of shoes.
Bandit and Pirate scampered around my feet as I walked from room to room.
With nothing to clean, I was quickly becoming bored.
I’d left my books behind, and Beast wasn’t about to let me leave the compound and go shop at the nearest bookstore.
And I certainly wasn’t going to ask any of the Prospects to choose something for me, especially since I liked romances.
The hotter the better. Then again, the look on the guy’s face would be priceless.
I’d love to see one of the tough guys around here shopping in the romance section.
I bounced on my toes and twisted my upper body a few times, trying to burn off a little energy.
When that didn’t work, I pulled up a workout video on the living room TV and started stretching.
I wasn’t anywhere near as small as Beast claimed.
I had curves, and those curves had a few curves of their own.
It wasn’t that I was out of shape. I’d exercised plenty both at home and college.
I blamed my DNA. No matter what diet I tried, or workout routine, I never slimmed down all the way.
My clothes made me appear slimmer, but naked?
Well, you could see my soft, pudgy belly then, and the way my thighs jiggled.
At one point, my weight had bothered me.
I’d let girls at school make me feel like shit all because I didn’t meet their standards.
My mom had figured out something was wrong and sat me down for a talk.
After explaining that everyone was beautiful in their own way, no matter how big or small, it made me feel a little better about myself.
Once I accepted that I was just different from the super thin girls in my class, it had become easier to be happy with who I was.
Sweat beaded on my skin as the video came to an end.
My breathing was heavy, and a few drops of sweat landed on the floor at my feet, but I still felt a buzzing under my skin and a need to be on the move.
I hadn’t ever sat in one place for very long and being on lockdown was going to kill me.
If I were at home, I’d walk the compound.
Maybe watch the new Prospects exercise. They had a tendency to start stripping off clothes partway through, and every woman at the compound tried to sneak over to watch. Even the married ones like my mother.
I did a set of jumping jacks, then some lunges.
The feeling in my gut wouldn’t go away. It felt like if I stayed inside the house another moment, I might come apart at the seams. I was ready to scream in frustration.
Beast had mentioned keeping the compound gates closed and assigning a Prospect to stand guard.
Which meant it should be perfectly safe to leave the house as long as I didn’t venture outside the gates.
My nose wrinkled as I caught a whiff of myself. Maybe a shower first.
I ran up the stairs and went to the master bathroom.
I had to peel my clothes off since they were soaked in sweat, then tossed them into the hamper.
Normally, I’d have loved a hot shower, but I left the water on cold and stepped under the spray.
It cooled my heated skin and felt like heaven.
I scrubbed my body, shaved, then washed and conditioned my hair.
By the time I got out, I felt like a different person, although the itch to be out of the house was still there.
I pulled on a pair of my jeans and the boots Beast seemed to love, then eyed my closet.
My options were slim at the moment so I pulled on my long-sleeved tee with skulls and roses down the sleeves.
After I twisted my hair up into a messy knot, I put on a tinted lip balm and decided to check out the clubhouse.
It had been mostly empty when I’d arrived yesterday.
I didn’t know if that was the norm or not.
Only one way to find out, and hope Beast didn’t get pissed.
I let myself out of the house and decided to walk to the clubhouse.
It wasn’t that far, and it was a nice day.
Fresh air was always welcome, and I breathed in deep as I set off for the clubhouse.
From the house, I could see a handful of bikes out front and a few cars.
There was no way in hell those cars belonged to any of the Reckless Kings, or the Prospects, which meant there were probably club whores inside. Lovely.
It wasn’t that I had a problem with those women.
They served a purpose, and I didn’t begrudge them a little fun.
But I’d also heard about the ones who didn’t care if a brother was taken and tried to dig her claws in just the same.
Anyone who so much as looked at Beast in a way I didn’t like, I’d be happy to show her the error of her ways.
And if Beast had a problem with it, I’d see how he liked having blue balls.
I’d never disrespect him in front of his club, but at home?
That was another matter. When it was just us, I’d have no problem telling him exactly what I thought.
I pushed my way inside, my eyes adjusting to the dim interior.
Despite the sun shining outside, very little light seemed to pour through the windows.
I scanned the room and didn’t notice Beast. A few brothers were scattered around the room, more than one with a naked woman on his lap.
I ignored them and went up to the bar. The Prospect eyed me before leaning closer.
“You’re not the sort we usually see in here,” he said.
No shit. “I’ll take a bourbon.”
“You got some ID? Because the Pres would have my balls if I served a minor alcohol.”
A minor? Seriously? “First, I’m a legal adult. Second, I didn’t ask you to think. Give me the damn drink.”
“You’re in for a rude awakening, doll. Women don’t give orders around here. You either turn around and leave, or I’d suggest you take a look around and get with the program. The only place you have here is on your knees.”
I felt a spark light up inside me and I used the stool for leverage as I went halfway over the bar, grabbed the asshole by his cut, and dragged him closer. My nose was nearly touching his and I hoped he could see the fury in my eyes.
“I’m not a fucking whore, and I damn sure won’t take any shit from you. You’re a motherfucking Prospect. Don’t act like you’re someone because around here, you’re no one. There are two options. You pour my fucking drink, or… I embarrass you in front of all the men you want to impress.”
I released him and leaned back.
“That was a stupid move,” he said, sneering at me. Before I had time to react, he’d leapt the bar and grabbed my arm. “The only value you have are your tits and your pussy. If you aren’t offering up a nice view at the very least, you need to leave.”
“Get. Your. Hands. Off. Me.” I held back a growl as I narrowed my eyes at him. He shook me like I was a damn rag doll, then started hauling me to the back hall. It hit me that he was probably trying to take me to a room. His? Oh fuck no. “You were warned.”
I twisted in his grasp and punched him in the throat before kneeing him in the balls.
He dropped to the ground, gasping for air, one hand on his throat and the other between his legs.
I heard the scrape of chairs and heavy footsteps.
Looking up from the shithead on the floor, I saw three Reckless Kings heading my way.
“Before any of you lay a hand on me, you might want to check in with your Pres,” I said. “He won’t be happy if you hurt me.”
“Fucking whore,” the Prospect said, still gasping at my feet.
I drew back my foot and kicked him in the ribs, giving him another reason to bitch and moan.
One of the patched members folded his arms over his chest. I eyed his cut and saw the Sergeant-at-Arms patch just under his name.
Forge . If anything, he seemed slightly amused I’d gotten the drop on the man at my feet.
“You need better Prospects,” I said. “This one is weak.”
“And what would you know about it?” one of the others asked. I eyed his cut too. Snake .
“I know my daddy would have hauled his ass out of here and beat the shit out of him for treating me the way he did,” I said, nudging the downed Prospect with the toe of my boot. “Assuming he let him live, he’d have been banned from the club.”
“Who’s your dad?” Forge asked.
“Torch.” I braced my feet shoulder-width apart and crossed my arms. “I’m a Dixie Reaper by blood, but your Pres has decided to make me part of the Reckless Kings.”