Chapter 15
LUCY
“Say yes.”
I press the unlock button on my key fob as I walk across the parking lot to my truck, Michael hot on my heels. He showed up at the zoo minutes before I was done for the day, and despite my protests, he insisted on walking me out.
Stopping to face him, I force a smile. “I’m sorry, Michael. I really am,” I lie. “But I just don’t have the time for dating.”
His jaw tics, but that’s the only indication that he’s upset about being turned down. “I understand.” I turn back around, knowing my truck is mere feet away, but he grabs my arm, forcing me to remain in place. “Maybe when your schedule opens up, we can—”
“Maybe,” I say, anger surfacing at his nerve.
“Babydoll?”
I whip my head to the side at the pet name Zombie seems intent on saddling me with. He’s standing next to my truck, hands shoved into his pockets, and a scowl on his face. Where he came from, I have no idea, but at the moment, I don’t give a damn.
Michael’s grip on my arm tightens. “Him?” he sneers.
“No, not him,” I reply, exasperated. “Now, let me go.”
After a moment’s hesitation, he releases me with a little shove. I stumble backward, and large hands settle on my waist to steady me. Heat immediately skitters through my body, and I have to close my eyes to regain my composure.
Zombie’s hands disappear, and he steps around me, placing himself between me and Michael.
“Touch her again,” the biker snarls. “I fucking dare ya.”
Michael bristles. “Or what?”
“Or nothing,” I snap, moving to stand next to Zombie. “Both of you need to leave me alone.”
With that, I stomp to my truck and open the door. Climbing in, I breathe a sigh of relief when I’m able to shut the door without interference from either of them. I start the engine and pull out of the lot, wanting to get home and put the last few minutes behind me.
Unfortunately, as I’m walking from the vehicle to the front door of my condo, the unmistakable rumble of a motorcycle taunts me. I’m putting my key into the lock when Zombie parks at the curb, and he’s so fast that he stops me from closing the door after I step inside.
“I’m coming in whether you like it or not,” he says, his tone harsh. “But I’d prefer you like it.”
Recognizing that there’s no point in arguing, I turn away from him to walk through the living room to the kitchen. “You coming?” I ask when I don’t hear him enter behind me.
“Not yet.”
Gasping, I spin around and punch Zombie in the chest with both hands. “Jesus, you scared me.”
He gently wraps his fingers around my wrists to stop my assault. “Didn’t mean to, babydoll.” Using the pads of his thumbs, he rubs my flesh, and I can’t contain the shiver that races through me. “Mmm, so responsive.”
I manage to extricate myself from his hold and take a step back. “What do you want?”
As if he hadn’t just lit my body on fire, he says, “You’re time’s up.”
When I woke up this morning, I knew I was nearing my deadline to give him and the club a decision about my cooperation, but I was so busy at work that I managed to forget about it.
“So, what’s it gonna be?” he asks.
“I’m in,” I blurt, surprising even myself.
Carolyn uncovered numerous files that detailed Dr. Binks’ interactions with the club.
Fortunately, they were cryptic enough that all she did was flag them for me to decipher and upload into the database.
I also spoke with my mentor, and he assured me that, while the club works on the wrong side of the law, they would make sure that I didn’t get swept up in anything unsavory.
Even with his reassurances, I was fully prepared to say no.
Then Zombie touched me, and all of my good sense fled like a thief in the night.
Zombie must be as surprised as I am because he cocks his head to the side and arches a brow. “You’re in?”
I nod. “But I’ve got conditions.”
He straightens with what can only be described as a feral grin. “Please tell me one of your conditions is unlimited orgasms.”
Unable to contain it, I snort out a laugh. “For you or for me?”
“Both.”
“Uh, no, not one of my conditions,” I tell him, and I lower my head to hide my smile when he frowns like a kid who just learned there’s no Santa Claus.
Rather than give him time to derail the conversation, I continue.
“First, I need some sort of assurance that nothing will ever be linked back to me. If you’re caught, my name won’t be dropped in some fucked up effort to save yourself. ”
“I’ll do you one better,” he says. “Not only will I not throw you under the bus, but neither will anyone else in the club. That’s not how we roll. If you’re in, you’re family, and we take care of family.”
Deciding to take him at his word, I nod.
“Condition two… I need at least forty-eight hours’ notice in order to get medications for you.
Security called me out on my middle-of-the-night visit, and I don’t want to be put in that position again.
” I don’t bother explaining about Evan. That’s none of his business.
“Twenty-four hours,” Zombie counters. “Sometimes things come up, making any sort of notice impossible, but if we can’t give you twenty-four hours, I give you my word that I’ll figure something else out.”
I make a show of thinking about his counteroffer. “Fine, I can work with that.”
“Anything else?”
“Ten grand a month for my trouble.”
“And if we don’t need anything that month?”
“Consider it a retainer,” I reply with a shrug. “My student loans are astronomical. Vet school was expensive.”
“I’ll have to run that by the club, but I don’t see why we couldn’t do that.”
“They’ll agree,” I say with confidence. “Dr. Binks was being paid seventy-five hundred a month for his cooperation. I’m worth twice that, but I’m willing to work up to that.”
“How generous of you,” he drawls, clearly annoyed. “Is that it?”
“No.” I pause, knowing I won’t be able to fully explain my last condition, especially since I might have an ulterior motive for it. Adrenaline junkie, remember? “If I have to go to the zoo after hours, you’ll need to be with me.”
He narrows his eyes. “Won’t that look more suspicious for security?”
“No.”
I hold my breath as I wait for his response. If I’m going to do this, I’m going to get more than money out of it.
“I can’t promise that I’ll be able to go every time, but I’ll do my best,” he says. “Fair enough?”
“Fair enough.”
“Now, about those orgasms…” Zombie reaches for me, but I evade his touch. “Oh, babydoll, don’t you remember?”
“Remember what?”
“What it felt like to come around my fingers,” he says roughly.
My clit throbs at his words, and I clench my thighs together. “I r-remember.”
He drops his gaze to the juncture between my legs. “So does your body, apparently.”
This time, when he reaches for me, I surrender. Zombie lifts me off my feet to set me on the counter and pushes my knees apart. When he steps forward, his eyes lock on mine.
“Cock, hand, or mouth?” he asks, repeating his words from the night of the gala.
“Doesn’t matter,” I say breathlessly.
Without missing a beat, he grips my hips and pulls me toward him. “All three, then.” Zombie grabs the hem of my shirt and drags it up my torso and over my head before tossing it to the floor. He growls when he sees the lacy bra I’m wearing. “Fucking hell, you’re perfect.”
I reach behind my back to unhook the clasps, but a knock on the door causes me to freeze. Zombie grunts disapprovingly.
“You expecting someone?”
“No.”
“Stay here,” he orders before going to answer the door.
I hear the murmur of voices, but I’m unable to make out the words. When Zombie reappears in my kitchen, he’s carrying a long box that can only be one thing: flowers.
He hands me the box when I hop off the counter. I tug at the ribbon, undoing the bow that’s beautifully prepared, and then lift the lid, all while acutely aware of how intensely Zombie is watching me.
A single red rose is nestled in white tissue paper, and a small white envelope rests on top with my name scrawled in black ink. I take the envelope out of the box to open it and pull out the standard card used by florists.
Zombie must sense my unease as I read the words on the card because he moves to stand behind me and wrap his arms around my waist.
“Saturday. Seven PM. I’ll pick you up at your place,” he reads out loud. “Wear something pretty.” He levels his brown eyes on my green ones. “It’s signed ‘M.M.’. Michael Martin.”
“I guess,” I say, thrown off guard.
“Did I miss something earlier? I know I didn’t catch the entire conversation, but it sure as fuck didn’t sound like you’d just agreed to a date with him.”
His tone sets my teeth on edge. “No, I didn’t, but if I had, that would be none of your business.”
He spins me around and yanks the card from my fingers to tear it into tiny pieces.
“You were mere seconds away from giving me control of your body, your pleasure. I’d say that makes it my business,” he growls, palming my breasts and squeezing.
“You’re mine, Lucy.” Zombie leans down and presses a kiss to the pulse point at my throat.
“All.” He licks a path to my earlobe. “Fucking.” He swirls his tongue around the shell of my ear. “Mine.”
There’s a very tiny part of me that knows I should push him away, argue against his declaration of possession, but there’s a much bigger part that’s demanding I give in and let him possess me in every way possible.
The bigger part wins.
“Yours.”