Chapter 15 - Liv
CHAPTER 15 - LIV
Where the hell was Dash taking me? Repeated taps on his shoulder failed to get him to turn off at the exit to Pack Hester’s road. Asshole ignored me, veered off onto the highway instead, and my gut hardened.
I wanted off this bike. To get back home to Heather and see if she was okay. Clean the crusted blood from my skin and clothing. Nurse my bruises with a few vodka shots. Warn my father of possible reprisals. Alter our plans because I ruined them by lighting the match for war and Dash fucking Lumbry obliterated any chance of peace.
Fire swept across my chest that he disrespected my wishes to turn around and go home. My taps turned to thumps on his arm to make him abandon whatever plan he concocted in his recalcitrant brain.
His palm came down on my thigh, fingers spearing into the flesh either side of my knee, squeezing, attempting to quell my resistance. I jolted at the power surging up my thigh, hitting me in the chest, sparking like livewires. Desire flamed across my body, my she wolf submitting to her mate’s order, while I gave it everything I had not to fall under his spell again. The vibrating bike engine between my legs didn’t help things, gunning my pussy. I tightened my legs on the bike and Dash, sensing the slight yawn of his wolf at what he interpreted as my submission.
Fuck, no.
I fought off the spiking pleasure of a damn orgasm and the urge to roll off the side of the damn bike to get home. Action I couldn’t take for my safety, leaving me stuck with him for the moment.
Being this close to Dash Lumbry was dangerous. I lost myself to the feeling of his hard body cocooned to mine. The warmth of his legs and back softened and melted me, and my core contracted. His palm tensing on my thigh as pleasure steamrolled my pussy.
No. Hell, no!
I shifted on the seat to stop the oncoming crest, observing the open paddocks of Glanmire and the road winding its way to the Blue Mountains. Damn it. Too late. Lightning tore through me and my body quaked. Legs slack, arms like jelly, I almost rolled off the bike, riding the aftershocks.
Dash’s wolf noticed along our dulled link, his grip on me rigid, holding me in place. My body admitted defeat, leaving my mind to continue the fight alone.
Fuck. I was an idiot to get on the bike with Dash. Stupid to place my trust in him when he broke it, our definition of getting me home safely vastly differed. Twisted emotions spiraled through me: frustration, inadequacy, insecurity, and embarrassment for letting Dash deceive me a second time.
Last night when he asked about my cake tasting appointment time, I never expected him to show up when he had a habit of running away, let alone interfere in the plan and bust into the bakery, claim ownership over me and sign my death warrant. Our packs’ certificates as well. That was the mystery that was Dash Lumbry. He worked by his own schedule and rules. Unpredictability and spontaneity attracted me to him. Spending time with him was always fun and impromptu, which was novel compared to my structured upbringing. Now I wasn’t so sure I wanted the bad boy when he drove me to ruin.
Before our untimely demise occurred, Father was going to punish me severely for this. I had the chance to get the jump on it if Dash would only listen and take me home.
Goddamit. I wasn’t letting him win and kept pounding his arm, thigh, and back. Stubborn asshole didn’t relent, revving his engine and riding faster, defying me. Tablelands rich with agriculture steepened in terrain, scaling the motorcycle’s purr as it worked hard to ascend steeper and rougher country. I scolded the tingles rippling between my legs, building up to a second crest and didn’t let them work me over a second time… which I suspected damn Dash aimed for, cranking the throttle unnecessarily as if he wanted to milk another orgasm from me.
Focus. Focus. Focus.
Wilderness exploded as we exited Hester turf and entered Lumbry territory. Sandstone cliffs towered over the rolling hills of the Capertee Valley.
By the time he slowed down, rolling into a long, seventies-style brick home, my bicep ached, my knuckles blistered, and my fight drained. He cut the engine and slid off his helmet, and if I wasn’t so flustered and pissed, I would have taken a moment to admire his flattened hair.
Instead, I was off the bike faster than a shewolf scared off by a rabbit trap. Helmet torn off and thumped on the back of his bike, I shouted, “What the hell, Dash? Where am I?”
Remaining on the bike, Dash’s nostrils flared, taking in my scent, his chest rumbling in response to my frustration to bring me down a notch. His silver gaze roamed over my body, his pupils shrinking to murderous knives at the bruise on my face. One kick and he was off the bike and at my side. Rough fingertips brushed the inside of my arm, a thumb skimmed over my cheek, casting away the burning ache of being hit by TJ’s hard skull. Spikes of heat hit my veins that Dash’s wolf was still in charge. The one part of him that wanted me.
No! I shouted at my shewolf, warning her to stay away and let me handle it. Whenever she got involved, we lost our battle with Dash. I wanted all of him to want and accept me, not just his animal.
I rubbed at my arms, retreating, not wanting him to touch me and lull me back to his side. “Where are we?”
Silver dropped away from his eyes as his human regained control. “We’re at my clubhouse. We need to lay low while the cops pick up the Malices and question them.”
Clubhouse. The word conjured up all sorts of bad images. Raging parties, wild nights, skanky women, alcohol, drugs, and seedy activities.
Thoughts that sent my pulse spiking as I studied the building. Brick exterior, tiled roof in need of repair, peeling paint, front door that had seen better days with rusty hinges and chips in the wood. Dash had another thing coming if he thought I was staying here.
I threw my arms up in frustration. “What makes you think the baker will stay quiet?” Rancid fear stained his clothes and shop. “What if he has cameras in his shop to identify us?”
“He didn’t.” Dash flashed teeth. “I checked.”
Good old Lumbry soldier scans. Relief flamed away the chill gripping my bones. That didn’t eliminate potential witnesses outside the shop.
Right now, my biggest concern was getting back to my sister and pack and fortifying our lands and patrols for possible retribution.
“Thanks for getting me out of that mess and bringing me here, Dash.” Despite the damage it caused our goal, in a messed- up way, it was kind of sweet. My body hummed, remembering the way he defended my safety against the Umbras. The only person in that conversation to have my back… for whatever purpose he harbored. “I appreciate that you want to protect me, but you need to take me home.”
Silver flashed in his eyes as his wolf claimed dominion over him. “Where you’ll be dangled as bait for TJ? Over my dead body!” The way his Alpha thundered at me curled my toes and danced up the back of my legs, thighs, over my ass, up my spine, popping along my neck.
That delight lasted a second before irritation spiked my gut. I withheld the emotion from my voice. “Dash, please. The safest place is with my pack.”
“Not after what just happened,” he growled back, and fuck, the toe-curling spread to my fingers, itching to curl over his cut, drag him closer for a kiss.
I glanced at the garage where one of his men cleaned grease from a motorcycle part. “How many men do you have here? Six to defend against ten times that amount of Malice soldiers?”
“I’m not letting him hurt you ever again.” His protective growl shimmied through my body. That sounded like the Dash I remembered. The one who cockblocked his own brother from getting near me so he had me all to himself.
Regret clamped my body. Maybe I chose the wrong Lumbry brother. Chase was always the safer option. The gentleman who wouldn’t have broken my heart. Pity I didn’t want a gentleman or a prince. I wanted an antihero with a heart. Therein lay my problem.
I rolled my shoulders to shake off the next childish swoon. “Where’s Heather?”
Dash examined his watch. “Steele dropped her off home and is probably on his way back to the club.”
“Why’d you bring me here and not her?”
“I want you with me.”
Selfish bastard. I pressed my fingers to the bridge of my nose, instantly regretting it when pain lanced down my cheek.
Dash’s jaw firmed. “Liv, let me get you a painkiller.”
I raised my palm and shook my head, losing my patience with him. Years’ worth of frustration tipped over and I let him have it. “You just cost us the element of surprise.”
My bad. I accepted my part in that. Tensions were on high the moment the Malices arrived. TJ was out for vengeance for getting his ass kicked at the Lunar Ceremony, and Heather and I were in his sights for it. The son of a bitch’s aggression set my shewolf on edge, and I snapped, punching him when he hurt my sister. No one touched her without reprisal from me. Acts that antagonized the asshole to the point of smashing my face.
Dash’s animal responded by coming to the rescue. If it weren’t for me, he might have remained outside, watching from wherever he came from, playing out the Umbras’ plans instead of demolishing them.
“Worth it to have you safe.” On one hand, my wolf wanted to nuzzle his neck and settle into our den. On the other, I longed to knee him in the balls for his reckless and selfish disregard for the objective. Punch myself while I was at it. Knock some damn sense into me.
All my gratitude went up in smoke. “I fucking started this shitstorm, but you thwarted our effort. I thought we agreed to follow the plan.”
At least, he seemed to be onboard when his father threatened to tear up his contract for the motorcycle club. Never saw Dash back down so fast.
“You know me. I never follow orders.” His bad-boy vibe was heady as sin and twice as dangerous. What hooked me in the first place. This time, I was older, wiser, and warier.
I needed a bottle of tequila and a bed to nurse this ache in my nose, behind my eyes, and forehead. “Fuck, Dash. TJ knows we’re Lunar mates. He’ll suspect an ambush from the Lumbrys at the wedding now. You should have let me handle it. Coming to my rescue put us back to square one.”
Stones crunched as Dash moved to me, eyes a dark silver and every bit the predator. “You’re a shitty actor, Liv. You gave away the game long before I charged in there.”
I snarled at him, hating he was right that I wore my emotions on my sleeve. Sending me in to pretend otherwise was laughable.
His hand settled over my breastbone, and I resented the way he touched me, like it was his right because we were bonded. “Did you know what your terror did to me?” He thumped his chest with his palm, and I felt the echo of his suffering along our strained link.
Why should he care when he loved Whitney? His possessiveness was just our Lunar bond talking, a wolf’s territorial nature over his mate, not him.
He rumbled with fury as he collected my right wrist, nuzzling his face to it. Fireworks went off in my chest. Not again. My wolf mooning over him. Whenever he did this, he crumbled a wall around my heart.
Before he had a chance to detonate another, I swatted away his arm. “Don’t touch me, Dash. You have no right to. You gave that up when you broke our Lunar bond.”
Fuck. Together we were a stubborn, fiery combination that threatened to burn everything around us down and consume us. This was wrong. We weren’t good together when TJ flared Dash’s jealousy, and vice versa with Whitney. I wasn’t replacing a toxic relationship with TJ for one with Dash. I had a thing called pride… well, not much of it when I let Dash’s wolf touch me intimately.
Dash caught my jaw. Not brutal and domineering like TJ, possessive and feral with ownership. His thumb swiped over my lip and for three heartbeats I lost track of time. “Don’t taunt me with what I can’t have, or I’ll teach that mouth a lesson.”
First instinct: heat drained between my legs and exploded. What kind of lesson? When? Where? Sign me up, cowboy!
Second instinct: fuck him . Who did he think he was, talking to me like that? I wasn’t his and never would be. He renounced our Lunar bond and any claim to me. Made it clear he wasn’t good for me. If he thought I’d be his side girl, the one who stayed at his club while he went home to his love, he had another think coming.
My mouth hinged open to let him have it when Dash bared down on me and claimed my mouth, his touch on my shoulder burning through the fabric of my blouse, branding me as his. Wild and wet like a storm, his kiss seared with frustrated passion. His burnt amber scent sweetened and wrapped around me like a rough, warm blanket. Tongue prying open my mouth, his kiss turned rougher and tempestuous, sucking more air from my lungs, fueling his war to conquer me. Fuck, his mouth did things to me that sparked the broken threads that connected our soul.
Alpha dominance weighed down on me to give in to him and let him take care of me. Faint hints of his wolf’s need tightened our link that was barely perceptible after he snapped our Lunar bond, but since, all my nerves were focused on him, I felt every spark. So much for erasing him from my heart.
A dark voice reminded me of what he was capable of. Betrayal. Silence. Darkness. The thought snapped me out of his dizzying kiss, and I bit his bottom lip to stop him, the move encouraging him. One palm coasted from my shoulder to my lower back, the other gripped as much ass as he could fit in his large hand. The other voice of my wolf reminded me that we still cared for Dash, and time didn’t diminish those feelings, it just warped them into something untrusting and unforgiving.
Dash came to his senses and snapped back from me. Breathing hard, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hoodie. Confusion tangled our bond into knots. He didn’t know what he wanted. Hell, if I were honest, I didn’t either.
Damnit. Four years ago, I vowed to never think of Dash Lumbry again. Slowly, I rebuilt my heart piece by piece into a jagged artwork, just to have him walk back into my life and threaten to destroy all my hard work. Only this time, he came bearing alliances and sweet promises of protection. I longed for a bond deeper than something political and territorial. His return dethroned all my plans for any chance of happiness.
Dash knew how to win me back with his dark promise of protection. Damn my wolf for rolling over every time he came near. She wanted her Lunar mate, to bond and belong to him. Part of me wanted the same. The wary side of me kept a blade between us at all times to fend off attempts to break my walls.
Smoke wiped away the silver of his wolf as the human side of him returned. He held out his palm for me to take. “Come inside and I’ll get you cleaned up. Then we’ll decide what to do.”