Wrath
I stood there stunned at Jalisa’s reaction.
I was trying not to be hurt by it, but I hadn’t expected her to react like she had.
If she objected, why didn’t she voice it like she had when her dad suggested one of the Fiends?
Thinking of that made my anger over Psycho’s solution want to return.
When he’d suggested it, I wanted to punch him and scream no .
“You’re an idiot. Go after her and talk this out,” Rage growled in my ear. He’d gotten off the table when things calmed earlier.
“How am I an idiot? She ran out. I don’t think she wants to talk to me or anyone else,” I told him.
“Which one of your brothers do you want her to become an old lady to?” Dad asked.
Immediate fury lit my nerves. “Not a fucking single one!” I snapped.
“Really? From what I just heard, you were offering her a Pagan. Any would do. Maybe I should go ask her which one she’s willing to live with and have sex with.” He smirked as he half-turned away. I grabbed his arm and spun him back to face me.
“If you fucking do that, I’ll put you on your ass,” I threatened. I’d never done that to my dad.
“Why?”
“What do you mean, why? I don’t want her with any of them!”
“But that’s not what you said, Wrath. You should’ve asked her to be your old lady if you want her for yourself. You offered her to be a Pagan’s woman.” His voice had dropped.
I thought back over my wording, and I groaned. “Shit, I did. But you saw how she reacted. She doesn’t want to be with any of us.”
“No, I saw her react calmly with an explanation when being offered to her dad’s brothers. She ran out of here after your offer. She doesn’t want one of our brothers. She wants you, son.”
Others were still muttering and talking. Some were watching us, but we lowered our voices. I was feeling sick, but his words made me perk up.
“Do you truly believe she does?” I asked, afraid to hope he was right.
“I do. I’ve seen how you’ve been with her.
She’s been here only a few days, and you’ve acted differently.
I’ve done some hinting, but you didn’t take it seriously.
So here’s my fatherly advice. Get your ass down there, get her to talk to you, and make your real offer.
Tell her you want her. And whatever you do, don’t leave her thinking you’re only doing it to protect her. ”
Excitement coursed through me. I spun on my heels and rushed to the hallway without another word.
“Where is he going? I want to see my daughter,” Psycho demanded. I ignored him and kept going. Dad and Storm could keep the rest under control. Arriving at her door, I knocked.
“Jalisa, it’s Wrath. Open the door. We need to talk,” I called out.
I listened, but there was no response. I knocked louder. Maybe she was in the bathroom. “Jalisa, open up. I need to talk to you. I have to explain my offer.”
Again, there was no answer, but I swore for a moment that I heard a muffled sob.
God, don’t tell me she was in there crying.
That wouldn’t do. After trying the door handle and finding it locked, I walked off and went to my office without bothering with a third knock.
I had a master key for every door in the clubhouse in case of an emergency. I got hers and returned to her room.
Without warning her, I inserted the key and unlocked the door. Easing the door open, I slid inside. The room was dark except for faint bands of light coming through the slats on the window blind. Tonight, it was a full moon, enough to navigate by. I saw the bed and a small lump on it.
Transversing the room, I made it to the bed. I sat on the edge as I said, “Jalisa, you—”
Immediately, I had a furious animal attacking me. She turned over and came at me. I was shoved and almost fell off the bed.
“Get the hell out of here! This is my room. Leave. How dare you come in here?” she hissed.
Her hands were punching at me. I didn’t want to hurt her, but I wasn’t prepared to be scratched or hit.
I captured her flailing hands. I pushed her backward.
She fell back on the pillows. Jalisa was wiggling like mad, and it was hard to keep my grip without hurting her.
I leaned into her, putting some weight on her.
When it didn’t help, I ended up straddling her waist and pinning her wrists to the mattress. I lowered my head.
“Settle your ass and listen. There’s no need to be acting all crazy,” I told her.
“Get off me, or I’ll show you crazy,” she snapped.
“Not until we talk.”
She reared her head up, trying to head-butt me. I barely avoided it. She was struggling harder than ever. I’d never seen such a wildcat in my life. Although it was a serious moment, possibly the most important of my life, her battling me turned me on. My cock was growing hard.
“Jalisa, I don’t want to hurt you. Please, calm down. Let me explain. Then, if you want me to leave, I will.”
She was breathing hard, and I could see the faintest outline of her face.
Slowly, the fight in her eased. I was scared to move in case it was a ploy.
Eventually, I took a chance. I put one of her wrists with the other to be held by one of my hands.
I used my free one to turn on her night table light.
She blinked at the brightness, and I saw the stain of tears on her face. I ran my fingers along her cheek. She shook her head, but I wouldn’t let her shake me loose. She blinked a few times, then glared up at me. I swore I saw pain there.
“I’m sorry I had to do it this way, but you wouldn’t let me in. We have to talk. It’s too important not to.”
“There’s nothing to talk about. In case you can’t read between the lines, I’m saying no to your generous offer.
I want you to let me up. I’m going home with Dad and the other Fiends.
I’ll find another way to get Killer to show himself.
You and your club are free of any unpalatable sacrifices,” she snarled.
Taking a deep breath and praying Dad was right, I lowered my head closer to hers. She continued glaring at me. “Tell me why you reacted so badly to me suggesting the same thing your dad did for the Fiends?”
“Go to hell. I want you to get off me. I need to pack my things and then return to Athens.”
“No, you’re not. You’re answering the question. I haven’t gotten the chance to talk to you privately.”
“Why do it in private? Hell, you should’ve stood me on the table and had an auction.
Ask who in the room is willing to claim me.
Maybe multiple guys wouldn’t mind sacrificing their freedom to fuck me for the rest of their lives.
Do I get a say in who it is, or am I just letting the men decide?
Fuck, why didn’t you and my dad make it a party and invite more clubs to join? ”
Her words made the rage inside of me catch fire. “I’m not putting you on a table. And don’t talk about men fucking you unless you want me to lose my cool. I’m on edge, Jalisa,” I warned her.
“Why are you on edge? You should be relieved. You don’t have to sacrifice one of your men. And I’m out of your hair as soon as I pack.”
“Christ, stop! Listen to me. I wanted to talk to you about this to get your thoughts on it—”
“Well, you have them. No fucking way!” She cut me off.
She kept wiggling and trying to get loose. It made her body rub against mine. That resulted in my hard-on worsening. Her feistiness was both aggravating and exciting me. I wasn’t getting anywhere with a lengthy explanation, so I decided to go for it.
“I want to ask you to be my old lady, Jalisa,” I blurted out.
She stopped moving. Her eyes stared into mine, and then I saw tears in them. Before I could ask why, she replied.
“Oh, so the great Wrath is going to do the deed. Rather than force one of his men to claim me, he’ll do it.
What a wonderful president. And how soon should I expect you to begin ignoring me and screwing other women?
A day? I mean, after all, it’s not a real claim.
You have some hero complex that’s making you do it.
My answer is hell no. I’ll go stand naked outside the Outlaws’ compound and offer myself to them before I force anyone to surrender their freedom for such a stupid reason. ”
My fury bubbled over. Letting out a loud growl, I lowered my head and latched onto her mouth.
She tried to shake my mouth loose, but I bit at her lips, causing her to gasp.
Then, I slid my tongue inside. I held her chin with one hand to explore her sweet mouth.
She made noises like she wanted me to stop, but I didn’t.
Suddenly, her resistance melted away, and I felt her mouth move.
She was kissing me back, and her tongue was teasing mine. I groaned.
Her taste was sweet. I sucked her bottom lip into my mouth and then lightly nibbled.
She moaned. Her pelvis reflexively pushed up into my groin.
I knew the moment she felt my erection. She froze and gasped.
I hated to stop our kiss, but I needed to explain.
I finished by leaving three swift pecks on her lips before I lifted my head.
Her face was flushed, and her gaze was dazed.
“You’re — ” she whispered, but I put my finger over her mouth to shush her.
“I’m hard. You’re a sexy, gorgeous woman. Just looking at you can turn most men on. However…” I paused because she tried to wiggle again. I clenched my thighs to hold her still, then continued.
“And before you say it’s automatic because of my rubbing against you, the answer is, no, it’s not.
Yes, I find you sexually attractive. But it’s more than that, Jalisa.
And I’m not asking you to be my old lady as a sacrifice to protect you.
Does it help with that? I hope it will. But that’s not the reason behind it.
Nor is the fact that your dad offered the same with his club.
I want you because you intrigue me, I adore your many attitudes, I want to discover more about you, and yes, I’m sexually attracted to you. ”
“That doesn’t mean you have to claim me. You could ask if I’d be willing to be a fuck buddy until your fascination is satisfied. I can’t believe I’m the first woman to ever do all those things to you. And you don’t seem to have made any of them your old lady. That isn’t a reason to claim someone.”
“What is a reason?” I asked. I was holding back reacting to her fuck buddy offer.
“Because you can’t see yourself living without them.
You find everything about them you crave more of.
You want them physically and emotionally.
You love them, or at least see it developing into love with time.
You yearn to have a life with them and even a family.
You don’t just do it to protect someone or assuage your lust.”
“You’re right. You don’t do it for mere lust or protection. And all those things you say should be reasons I agree with. I’d never offer you to be a temporary fuck buddy. It’s an insult, and you deserve better.”
“Then explain why you’re offering such a thing,” she begged.
“Because in the few days you’ve been here, I’ve been unable to think of hardly anything but you.
You stunned me when I saw you, and it keeps happening.
You’re strong and sassy, and so many things about you make me want to learn more.
I’ve never had this kind of reaction to a woman.
And I’ve never thought of offering one my property patch, period.
However, I can’t see you with anyone else.
The mere thought makes me crazy, and I want to rip heads off.
I want you for me. And despite what you think, it’s not to slacken my lust and then be done. And I won’t stray.
“Taking an old lady in the Pagans or our friends’ clubs is a solemn vow.
It’s fast, I know. But I’ve seen it happen this way over and over.
It does last. That’s why I wanted to ask you to be my old lady.
I was hoping you felt for me even a tenth the way I do you.
We would’ve presented it to the Fiends tomorrow night if you had said yes.
They interrupted before I had a chance to talk to you.
The speech I had prepared with all my thoughts went out the door.
I’m saying it all wrong, but I mean every damn word. I want you as my old lady, Jalisa.”
I stopped to catch my breath and see what she’d say or do.
I wasn’t fast enough when she lunged her head toward me.
It was a good thing I didn’t stop her. Jalisa kissed me.
She hungrily latched onto my lips, and I happily returned it.
I didn’t know how long we kissed before we were broken apart.
It wasn’t by either of us but by a loud pounding on the door and Psycho hollering.
“Jalisa, open this door. Wrath, what the fuck is going on in there? I want to see my daughter. She’s coming home with us right now!”