Chapter Seven
Traeger wanted to findevery motherfucker who’d touched Kailani and kill them slowly. No, he wanted to keep them alive, find out what they”d done to her, and then brutalize them daily and make them go through the same things, only ten times worse. When she”d cried out, he’d rushed to her room, not surprised to find it locked but slightly surprised to see she’d put a chair in front of the door. None of that deterred him as she”d screamed. His first thought was someone had gotten in while he’d been out by the water and ran like the hounds of hell were chasing him. However, finding a broken Kailani twisting in the bed, crying, and fighting as if she were being tortured.
Traeger had to breathe in and out and count to ten before approaching the bed. Only then was he able to untwist her from the bedding and call out to her in a voice that didn’t sound guttural. Fuck, he wasn’t cut out to be a babysitter, but he’d be damned if anyone else was allowed to hurt one more hair on her head.
“It’s nice out here,” she whispered.
He brushed off one of the chairs, ensuring no sand had blown onto it. “Take a seat. I didn’t bring any fancy water, just plain bottled stuff.”
She laughed. “If you mean sparkling, that’s good. I”m not too fond of that kind. I do, however, like flavored water, but plain is good too.” She held out her hand, their fingers brushing.
“Good to know.” He twisted the cap off before giving it to her, then grabbed one for himself. “Cheers,” he said, tipping it toward her.
Kailani took a drink, staring out at the ocean instead of at him. Minutes passed with neither of them speaking. “My brother and father are monsters.”
Traeger sat his water down, turning to face her. “I figured that out.”
She didn’t look at him or say anything for another long minute. “When I was sixteen, my mother died. Until then, we were a happy family, or maybe I just thought we were. My mama was the most Bonita mama in the world. Then, one day, she didn’t come home from shopping. The car she was in was blown up. It tore my padre up, made him into a monster. My hermano, Rico, he had to take over. I...I didn’t see my father for two years. On my eighteenth birthday, Rico and my father planned a surprise party. I wasn’t sure what I’d expected. I didn’t have a lot of friends because...of who mi familia is, but I wasn’t expecting a houseful of my father and brother’s associates.” She shuddered.
He didn’t need her to continue her story, but she clearly needed it, so he let her.
“You need to know what, or rather who, you’re protecting. I’m not some innocent damsel in distress, Traeger. My birthday was not what I expected, but it became my life for the next five years. I never knew if I closed my eyes at night if I’d wake up to find one of mi padre’s or hermano’s associates on top of me,” she choked out.
“You don’t have to go on, Kailani,” he said.
She shook her head. “I’d been reading a book that I’d been waiting to read forever. Summer had just started, which I normally don’t look forward to because I...well, I don’t have a lot of friends, so I get lonely. But I was looking forward to going off to college the following school year.” She took a shuddering breath. “I really wanted to go to New York, but my father would never allow me to go so far away. However, I got accepted at the University of Southern California, which was the next best thing since it gave me hope I’d be free one day.”
Traeger let her talk, keeping his body relaxed, although he wanted to scoop her into his arms.
“Rico stormed into my room holding several bags, acting strangely, almost jovial, and that was very odd for him. When he hit me on the ass, it shocked me, yet the gifts were even more out of the normal since my father never allowed me to wear revealing clothing before. I thought it was a joke. Could you imagine your older brother giving you see-through lingerie to wear and expecting you to come down to a party in your honor wearing it?”
Traeger didn’t answer her, giving her the time and space she needed to gather her thoughts.
“I truly thought it was a joke and didn’t put it on. I dressed in one of my favorite outfits and went down, expecting...a party like a normal one. Instead, I found a room filled with men who I knew associated with my father and brother and a glaring father at the bottom of the steps. Mi padre yelled at me, wanting to know what the hell I had on. He looked at my brother like he’d done something wrong. The way my father embarrassed my brother angered him, which didn”t bode well for me. I could see the vein in the side of Rico’s temple pulse, and then he was beside me on the steps, where he grabbed me by the arm and marched me back upstairs. Once we were in my room, he informed me that if I didn’t wear the outfit he bought, he’d allow his bodyguard to do it for me. Trust me, Thomason, his guard would’ve loved to do just that.” Kailani licked her lips, taking a drink of water before continuing. “Rico told me he wouldn’t allow me to disobey him again. If he ordered me to do something, I was to do it or suffer the consequences.”
Traeger watched as a tear rolled down her cheek, seeing how hard she fought to control the shudders wracking her frame. However, he didn’t try and interrupt her.
“When I made my way out of my room wearing the scraps Rico had given me, I felt more exposed than if I’d been naked. I stood at the top of the stairs and thought of launching myself over the ledge instead of walking down them. I met my father’s gaze and knew that he would prefer me dead and thought, screw that. I held my head high and took the steps one at a time. Every person there was male, and I felt like I was on display, which I was. They all had this knowing look in their eyes, each planning what they would do to me. The one saving grace was my prick of a brother wouldn’t be privy to...my earning my keep. He informed me he wouldn’t be sticking around while that happened. Oh, and he was gracious enough to ensure one of his buddies was the first, so I didn’t have to lose my virginity to an old man with quote-unquote saggy balls.” She wiped her cheeks with the back of her hands.
Traeger gripped the bottle of water, wishing he could’ve been there for her. Fuck, how the hell could a father and brother not only allow but facilitate such shit?
Kailani inhaled deeply. “I don’t know why they hated me so deeply. Rico was older than me by twelve years, so there shouldn’t have been any resentment. Heck, our father didn’t show me any favoritism, quite the opposite. Of course, after that...that first night, I realized it wasn’t me, or not just me, but women in general. Neither my father nor my brother respects women. I don’t know that they respect anyone other than themselves.” She turned to stare at him, her eyes shimmering in the darkness.
“I’d say men like them only respect power and who can give it to them. Whatever they see as below them is nothing.” He traced the water dripping on the bottle with one finger, thinking of how life for Kailani must’ve been. One huge nightmare, day after day, night after night.
She nodded. “I think you’re right. That first night... was, or rather is, a blur mostly, as was the next couple of days. I remember coming down to breakfast, hardly able to move; every part of my body ached. I probably should’ve gone to the hospital to be checked out, at the very least. However, my father would never have allowed that. Instead, I suffered in silence, wincing with each movement. My father met my gaze, his steady as he regarded me. He’d left the house shortly after the auction, everyone there knowing what would happen next. I begged my father not to go, but he walked out without looking back. The bastard was too much of a pussy to stay and watch or be near when his own daughter was being raped by a man he’d allowed into his own home, yet that morning at breakfast, he held my gaze as if he was lord and master.” She took another drink, her voice cracking.
“He is a pussy. Any man who must force a woman to have sex or allows a woman to be forced to have sex is a pussy. No, a man, a father who does that, is worse than a pussy,” he growled.
She gave a mirthless chuckle. “In my world, it is normal. You see, my father thought offering me a new car would make it better. Maybe I should’ve taken it, but I have pride. When he laid a set of keys on the table that morning, tapping them with one long finger, saying in his clipped accent, ‘a present for you”, like that would make up for what I’d gone through. I got up from the table, pushing them back toward him with as much dignity as I could, and told him I didn’t want payment for being his whore. I told him that was his son’s job. I limped away, which wasn’t a great way to exit, but he let me go without another word. I remember walking out, my head high, holding my breath, waiting for one of the bodyguards to drag me back into the room for a beating.”
He could see the fear and horror written on her face, could tell she’d relived the entire scene all over again as she’d sat there and told him of it. Son-of-a-bitch, how this beautiful, strong woman stood up to her bastard of a father only days after enduring what she had showed him just how much of a fighter she was.
“Don’t,” she whispered.
Traeger cocked his head in question.
“You’re feeling sorry for me. Don’t. I learned quick that night that wishes were for fairytales. You see, the first man to take me was Rico’s friend. He bought me for the weekend. That’s how my father had it set up, auction-style. The bastard had slipped his jacket over my shoulders after he won the auction that night, making me think he might be gallant, like a knight in shining armor. That was the first and last time he showed any kindness. I don’t want a knight or some fairytale prince Traeger.”
“That’s good, Kailani. I don’t think I’d look too good in tights. Besides, fairytales are for little girls, and you’re all grown up.”
She laughed. “If I hadn’t been, I sure as hell did that night and every night since then. I thought I’d be saved once I went off to college in the fall, but as you probably figured out, that never happened.”
Fuck, his fist was clenched so tightly he felt his fingernails biting into his palms. “Can I hold you, please?” he bit out.
“What?” she turned to him. Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears.
“I need to hold you, Kailani, but I don’t want to just pick you up. Will you let me hold you?” He held his breath, hoping like hell she said yes. If not, he would be calling King for someone to come and take his place while he went hunting.
With a cry, she leaped out of the seat and into his arms. Traeger closed his eyes, pulling her against his chest, and let her cry until she stopped. He felt his eyes tearing up but didn’t try to stem the tears. No woman should have faced what this woman had been through. A father, a brother, was to protect their family, not do what hers had done. For that, they’d signed their death warrant. Oh, he knew King and the other MC brothers would need to be brought in, but at the end of the day, Traeger would be the one dealing out the justice to them.
“Traeger, will you make love with me?” she whispered.
He stiffened. Kailani had been through so much, and he knew she was only asking because she was having some sort of Stockholm shit. “No, sugar, that’s not what you want or need. Let me hold you. I’ll keep your ghosts at bay, and when the sun comes up, we’ll get some breakfast, and maybe Keys will have some news for us.” Telling her no was one of the hardest things he’d ever done, but shit, he should get a medal for it. His cock jerked in protest.
She sat up, her hip bumping against his dick. “You don’t want me because I’m a whore?”
Traeger gave her a little shake. “Don’t you ever call yourself that ever again. You are the farthest thing from that. Besides, there is nothing wrong with a woman who sells herself if she chooses. Hell, prostitution is the oldest profession in the world. What happened to you wasn’t your fault, and it sure in the hell doesn’t define you. In my eyes, you’re still a virgin.”
Kailani snorted, but he gave her another little shake. “No, listen to me. Did you consent?” At her head shake, he continued. “Then you, sugar, are a virgin. I don’t want to take advantage of your vulnerability. I want you like hell, but I’ll be dammed if I’ll be in the same classification as those other fucks.”
She bent and pressed her forehead against his. “You’re nowhere near their classification. Those fucks are lower than the dirt in a shit-house porta-potty. You, Traeger, are so much better than they ever were. Now, I’ll ask again, so please don’t make me beg. Will you make love with me, not to me?”
He tipped her chin up with one finger, meeting her heated stare with his. “I am not an honorable man, sugar. I can’t offer you pretty words or happily ever after. Hell, I can’t offer you much after this is over. You okay with that?” He wasn’t going to lie to her.
Kailani nodded, looping her arms around his neck. “When this is over, I don’t plan to be around here either. I want tonight, Traeger, and maybe whatever else we can grab while we’re together.”
Hearing her say the same thing as he did didn’t sit well with him, but he wouldn’t allow himself to question the whys. Instead, he bent and covered her lips with his, kissing her like a man deprived of water. He raised his head, checking to see that she was with him. Although she was kissing him back, with her past, he was sure that was something she’d done automatically. However, he knew a woman’s eyes didn’t lie, and right now, Kailani’s were sparkling with joy. Flicking his tongue out, he licked over her bottom lip, repeating the action over her top. “You doing okay, sugar?”
“Yes,” she gasped, her arms around his neck like she was afraid he would push her away.
“Let’s take this inside.” He gave another teasing flick of his tongue over her lips and was rewarded when hers came out to join his.
She shook her head. “No, here. I’ve never made love outside like this.”
The honesty and need shook him. He opened his eyes inquiringly to see Kailani looking up at him, her jaw clenching tightly.
With a nod, he stood, taking her with him to the corner of Cosmo’s patio, where his friend had a set of loungers that resembled a bed. “Anything you want, I’ll give you, sugar.”
“I like that name better than being called princess.” Her arms held him securely as if she feared he’d drop her.
“It suits you,” he agreed. “Is there anything you don’t like, anything that you don’t want me to do?” If he sounded like a fucking pussy, he didn’t give a shit. With Kailani, he’d be one...for a minute. Hell, he’d be one for as long as it took to get her comfortable.
“I want you, all of you. I’m not scared of men, Traeger. I used techniques to...get through what I had to, but I won’t do that with you. I choose to be here with you completely. Show me what it’s like to want a man. No, scratch that. I want you. Let me be with you.”
Her honesty nearly undid him. He took his time undressing her, lifting the borrowed T-shirt over her head, finding the soft skin underneath sexier than any expensive lingerie. Next, he helped her shimmy the too-big sweats off. Seeing the little patch of downy curls at the apex of her thighs was better than any smooth pussy he’d ever had the pleasure of fucking. “I love these.” He sifted his fingers through them.
Kailani grabbed his face as he ran his fingers up and down her wet slit. “Please, oh God, I need.”
“I know what you need, sugar,” he promised her. His body told him the same thing, but he pushed it back to concentrate on Kailani’s hunger first. He gave her a gentle nudge until she lay flat on the double lounger shaped like a giant circle, shrugging out of his shirt once she settled on her back. Her eyes widened at her first view of his chest. He stood beside her, letting her see him, waiting to hear if she liked what she saw. He’d been wearing a long-sleeved Henley, which covered most of his tattoos. Some women despised tats, but he wouldn’t hide them from her.
“Those are gorgeous. You’re gorgeous. I mean...do men like to be considered that?” She sat up, biting her lip, one hand reaching for his chest.
He placed her palm over his pec, letting her feel how hard his heart was beating. “I’d say I enjoy everything about what you’re doing.”
She tried to trail her hand down to the waist of his jeans, but Traeger knew his control wouldn’t last if she got her hands on his cock. He gripped the back of her hair in his hand and gave a slight tug, tipping her head back so that he could look her in the eye. “If you touch me, this might be over before it begins, sugar.”
KAILANI FELT MOISTUREcoating her inner thighs as his words registered. He was the sexiest man she’d ever seen. Oh, she’d encountered gorgeous men, well-built men. Hell, there’d been men she’d been with who were all the above, but none had been by choice. Traeger was the first man she’d chosen. Like he’d said, this was her first time, and she loved it, loved everything. Even when he’d gripped the back of her hair, the slight sting made nerve endings stand up and shoot straight to her core. “Please, Traeger,” she whispered.
“Oh, I plan to please you.”
He climbed over her, taking her protest away in another kiss, this one deeper and, good lord, so much sexier as his tongue licked the roof of her mouth. She’d never enjoyed kissing before, but as his tongue swept inside, she mimicked what he did, groaning at his taste, wanting to give as much as she received. All thoughts faltered and fled as his hands began tweaking her nipples. His fingers never seemed to stay in one spot long, pinching and pulling her flesh. Kailani was sure she’d go insane by the time he touched her where she most wanted, but then the reality eclipsed her wildest dreams. First, one finger traced her, then he slipped two into her, gathering her juices as he slid them over her clit. Kailani cried out as he tapped her sensitive nub. Fuck, what was he doing to her?
Traeger pulled back, looking down at her, grinning. “You like that?” He didn’t wait for an answer, his lips pulling back into a devious grin as he bent and took one nipple into his mouth.
Kailani wanted to touch him, wanted to see his cock, but he hadn’t taken his jeans off yet. His diabolical fingers continued to torment her, rubbing around her clit, tapping it, and then blessedly, he pushed them into her, pumping in and out while his mouth moved to her other nipple and bit down just this side of pain. She knew her orgasm was close. “I’m going to come, Traeger,” she warned. Why, she had no clue. Hell, she’d never come before without some drug inducing it, but this time, it felt bigger, hotter.
“Come for me, sugar.” He worked his fingers in and out, looking up at her, before moving his body down, shocking her even more as his mouth latched onto the sensitive nub.
She gasped, flying over the edge with a scream, his name leaving her lips like a prayer. She fell back against the cushions, her body feeling like it had run a marathon.
Traeger continued to flick, caress, tease, and rub her clit, making her jerk at the overstimulated caress. She moaned and grasped at his shoulders, wanting him to fill her. His dark eyes stared up at her. So much need she was sure she could get lost in their depths for the rest of her life, even if all she had was tonight. “Now, Traeger, please.”
“You sure about this, Lani?” he asked.
Tears of happiness filled her at his use of the name she’d told him her friends called her. Of course, she hadn’t had any real friends since she’d been sixteen, not since her mother had been killed. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
He stood up, pulling his wallet out of his pocket. The chain attached to it jangled in the quiet night, echoing loudly. Kailani watched as he fished a condom out. The moment he handed it to her, her hand trembled.
“Hold that for me,” he said, his voice low and sexy.
While she watched, he stripped out of his jeans and boxer briefs, standing before her gloriously naked and hard. He held his hand out for the foil wrapper, but she shook her head.
Kailani had never put a condom on a man before, but again, this was a night of firsts. She ripped the top open with her teeth, pulling the little latex out. “You sure this is going to fit?” she asked, staring at it then at the monster penis in front of her.
Traeger chuckled. “It’s an extra-large. It’ll fit. Want some help?”
She shook her head, her fingers trembling a little as she placed the condom on the tip. Once she had him covered, she smiled up at Traeger. She kissed the head of his cock, winking at him. “You were right.”
“I’m always right. It’s best you know that going in.” He winked, then gave her a little nudge to lie back. Her slender fingers still held his cock, rubbing up and down. “You need to stop that, sugar.” He eased her hands off of him, moving to lie beside her.
The perfect arch of her brow lifted. “Why do you get to have all the fun?”
He raised his own brow. “I don’t think I heard you complaining just a minute ago. Maybe I should do it again?”
Traeger didn’t give her a chance to agree or disagree. He began kissing her, taking away any protest she might make, not that she’d be protesting, but damn, the man was an expert with his mouth. Her nails raked down his back, making him groan and arch away from her. “Sorry,” she gasped.
He shook his head. “Sugar, I love feeling your claws rake my flesh. I like a little pain or, rather, a lot of pain. Can’t you tell?” He ran a hand down his body, which was marked with ink.
Kailani traced his arms with her fingers, loving all the tattoos. “These are gorgeous,” she whispered.
Per her padre and hermano”s orders, she wasn’t allowed to mar her skin. Now, looking at her future, she knew the first thing she would do was get one. “Where did you get these?” she asked, running her finger along the large tattoo covering his pec.
Traeger gave her a hard kiss, his cock nudging her thigh. “We have a friend who owns a shop called Twisted Ink. He or one of the other artists there ink us. If you want to get a piece of art, I”ll take you to see Tymber. I don”t want to talk about other men right now, though. If you’re thinking about anything other than what I can do for you, I’m clearly not doing something right.” He brushed his mouth over hers, then gave her bottom lip a suck before continuing down to her jaw.
When he nibbled on the place between her shoulder and neck, she felt her toes curl and couldn’t control the sigh that escaped. He plumped up her breasts, which weren’t all that big, but he didn’t seem to mind, giving each a lick and suck before continuing south. Her stomach quivered as he placed open-mouth kisses along her abdomen. He tongued her belly button, making her laugh. “That’s better,” he murmured.
“Stop that,” she giggled.
“Nope. I like to hear that sound.” He did it again, using his finger to tickle her sides.
Kailani had never thought she’d laugh while making love, but with Traeger, she did just that, and then all laughter ceased as he moved between her thighs, spreading her wide with his shoulders. He zeroed in on her clit, like a man who knew just what he was doing. Using his thumbs to hold her open, he swiped his tongue up and down, one firm lick after another, until she was squealing and wriggling under him, helpless to do anything but come, riding his face with abandon.