Chapter 6
Vector
Sitting at my usual table in the back, I keep my eyes trained on the door, only half listening to the guys around me, I find myself anxiously awaiting Sloane’s arrival.
Frowning when a thin, heavily tattooed arm slides over my shoulder, Any tries to sit on my lap just as Rouge plops on Tyrant’s lap across from me with a narrow tube top barely covering her tits. Tyrant’s hand slides around her, taking up most of the space between her chest and her Daisy Dukes.
“Get the fuck off me,” I growl at Any, she and every one of the club girls in here know I’m not into PDA. If I have need of relief, I signal to one of them, but I’m not into snuggling. In my mind, that shit’s for relationships and it’s been over a decade since I had one of those. I hadn’t even considered it again until a certain redhead popped into my world.
“You look like you could use some cheering up,” she squeals as Styx grabs her from behind and pulls her down onto his lap.
“I need some cheering up,” he tells her, not caring that she doesn’t seem interested even as she turns to kiss his neck with one of her eyes still on me.
Roman gives me a pointed look since he knows that Sloane’s on her way, and I understand his silent question about what to do with the girls, but I shake my head in reply. “Might as well rip the fucking bandage off.”
He nods, but I see the wheels turning in his head as his mind ticks off all the possible outcomes.
“Is Bridget around?” he asks. Turning, his eyes search the room as he takes inventory of all the women that are hanging around—or on, our brothers.
“She’s in the office,” I exhale and reach for the pack of Reds on the table, lighting one up. “She said I messed up her whole system when she was away, but she promised to take a break when Sloane gets here.”
“Who’s Sloane?” Any asks, her head snapping around, making me think her nickname should be a version of nosy as fuck , instead of anything goes .
Roman slams his hand down on the table, equally pissed that she thinks that our business is any concern of hers. Looking back to me, he continues, “Bridget just likes to give you shit, she’s probably sitting in there playing solitaire, milking it to make you feel bad.”
“Why don’t you make yourself useful and go get us a bottle of Patron and a couple of pitchers of beer?” Styx asks Any, pushing her away since she’s not even faking interest in him right now. Rouge shifts, as though to go with her, but Tyrant doesn’t loosen his hold on her waist.
“He wasn’t talking to you,” he grunts out, reaching his other hand up to pull her leg over his other knee before spreading his legs and resting his hand over her kitty.
“Do you think Sloane will be cool with this?” Roman asks, tilting his head in Rouge’s direction.
“Guess we’ll find out,” I respond, slowly standing up as I keep my hands on the table to give the muscles in my leg a chance to stretch, when my attention is drawn by the door opening and closing. My lack of patience rears its head as I wait for the crowd to shift out of the way.
Exhaling when I see her, I keep my eyes focused on where Sloane is standing right inside the doorway, her eyes scanning the room until they land on me. I’m about to take a step in her direction when Any comes over with a couple of pitchers, not caring that one of her tits escapes the narrow strip of fabric covering her nipple as she bends over to put the drinks on the table.
I look from the club whore back to Sloane in time to see my sister walk up to her, her hand extended as she introduces herself.
Sloane
This isn’t the first motorcycle club that I’ve been around, and I accepted the invite to the party tonight to get a better feel for the level of crazy I’d be in for if things progress with Vector and me.
Catching a glimpse of a random woman’s tit didn’t surprise me as much as seeing the beautiful woman striding toward me, her first words are drowned out by the music and noise from all those crowded in here.
“… been looking forward to meeting you,” she says with a sincere smile that lights up her face. “I don’t think Vector’s ever told me about a woman before. Or invited one here, come to think of it.”
“Sorry,” I say, touching my ear to indicate that I missed some of that. “I’m Sloane, are you Bridget?”
She nods, finally releasing my hand to turn and motion toward the bar and the dark alcove to the side of it as she leans closer.
“It’s too loud in here, let’s grab a drink then chat for a few where we won’t be screaming at each other,” she suggests and I eagerly follow her.
Looking back at Vector, he’s still standing near the table in the back, but now he’s frowning as he watches the direction his sister is leading me. Just as he strides forward to intercept us, the mostly naked woman at his side follows his line of sight and furiously frowns in my direction.
I blow her a kiss before hurrying to catch up with Bridget.
Following Bridget’s lead, I request a light beer and get that just as Vector’s hand slides across my lower back.
“I like your hair like that,” he compliments me as he places a quick kiss on my cheek.
“There was no hope for it with this humidity, so I didn’t bother trying to straighten it today,” I wait until we enter the quiet sanctuary, so I can respond without shouting.
“Tell me about it,” Bridget agrees with a flip of her own wavy hair. “I’m going to have to get back to work, but I wanted to meet the woman who finally caught Vector’s attention!”
“Fury …” The warning conveyed in Vector’s voice has me grinning in his sister’s direction.
“You don’t seem like a ‘Fury’ to me,” I say, giving his sister an assessing glance.
“Just a joke between Dad and Vector.” She waves off her road name with her perfectly manicured hand, but the blush on her cheeks tells me there’s more to the story. “So, you work for the county?”
“No, I’m with Virginia Gas. I’m the project manager for the upgrade the county wants though. And how about you? You said you’re working tonight?” I ask her in return.
“I’m an accountant. I don’t usually work nights, but I was down in Florida dealing with my mom and now it sounds like I’ll have a trip out west next week, so I’m trying to see how big a mess my darling brother made of my books while I was gone,” she explains, and I’m more than a little surprised to see an old-fashioned ledger on the desk behind her.
Figuring that’s none of my business, I decide to tease Vector instead of commenting on it. “And how big a mess did he make?”
“Aren’t you supposed to be on my side?” he asks me with a wink.
“I didn’t take you for the sensitive type,” I retort, getting a laugh from Bridget.
“Trust me, he isn’t! However, in his defense, so far it actually looks pretty good,” she announces, and he regally nods his head from where he’s standing near the door. “I’m hoping to finish up tonight so I can just chill out tomorrow. Do you have any siblings, Sloane?”
“I have three brothers.” I’m slow to answer her question, then find it easier to throw my beer back rather than elaborating.
“Me too! Vector and me have the same father, but different mothers,” she explains. “I’m the youngest, how about you?”
“I’m the third. Oh! Vector assured me that he had someone clean your kitchen after the carnage I left behind.” I quickly change the subject to an easier topic. It did look like someone was murdered in there after I scraped my knee the day of the kids’ party, but it’s impossible not to notice the look Bridget and Vector exchange.
“I felt so bad. I knew that transition plate was loose, but it’s one of those things around your house that you just live with, y’know?” Bridget barely misses a beat before helping me skip her attempt to find out about my family.
“Yeah, and I want a full list of things that need to be done around your place,” Vector responds after taking a long pull from his beer. “I’ll have the prospects handle everything while you’re gone.”
“Right, like the idea of prospects handling my things doesn’t make me cringe,” she says, turning his words on him. “And don’t say, you’ll have one of the guys supervising them. Roman, Swann, or Oak are the only guys I’ll accept.”
“Actually, Swann doesn’t have reliable childcare the next couple of weeks, I’ll put him on it so he can keep an eye on Evon over there,” Vector decides, but it’s the smile that he and Bridget exchange that tells me they’re pretty in tune with each other.
“Evon is …” Bridget starts, turning to include me in the conversation again.
“Adorable and bossy? Yes, she helped your brother nurse me after I fell,” I interrupt with a smile.
“Hey, is there any carpentry work that needs to be handled?” Vector asks, straightening up from his position against the wall as the idea strikes him. “Sloane, do you think I could get your granddad out of retirement?”
His thoughtful idea causes butterflies to start beating in my chest and a slow smile spreads across my face as I nod, too choked up to say anything.
“Typically, when a woman looks at a man like that, I’d take my leave, but I’m the one working here.” Bridget’s words, coming from a stranger might have rubbed me the wrong way, if not for the wistful expression on her face. “I hope we can hang out when I get back, Sloane.”
The hug she gives me as we’re leaving is completely unexpected, but welcome regardless.
“Vector,” I barely whisper his name, holding him in place within the alcove. “Thank you. Really, for thinking of that.”
“I know things aren’t easy, with his arthritis, but sometimes they’re harder when you don’t have enough to keep you occupied either,” he answers with a shrug, studying my face as he wraps his arms around me. “We can skip the party, if you want …”
“Why? Are you worried the girl with her tits out will scare me off?”
“Ya noticed that, huh?”
“You’re not forgetting my daddy’s a roughneck, are you? I can hold my own,” I tell him, lifting my face up until there’s less than an inch between our lips. “If I think you’re worth it, that is.”
Just as he starts to shift down to me, I close my eyes expecting a kiss. Until a second later when he’s by-passed my mouth and is down low enough to bend me over his shoulder. Screaming with surprise, I drop what’s left of my beer as I try to get a hold of him.
With a slap on my ass, he grunts and turns, walking through the room as my face flames red and I get a bird’s eye view of everyone laughing and cheering in his wake. Now, technically, I was in the process lifting one hand to shoot them all the bird, it just wasn’t fully extended until the nearly naked woman from earlier stepped into my line of sight.
Somehow, I doubt we’re going to be friends.
Vector
I hate to be taking romantic advice from my baby sister, but I’d be lying to myself if I pretended the look that Sloane gave me didn’t get my pulse racing.
It’s been a long fucking time since I cared enough about any woman to go the extra mile to make them smile, but I’m coming to crave Sloane looking at me like the sun revolves around me.
Entering my apartment, it takes every ounce of control I have, not to toss Sloane on the bed. I simply turn and pin this delightful stick of dynamite against the door.
“Dammit, Andrew!” She even sounds sexy when she snarls out my given name.
Slamming my lips over hers—like she expected me to when we were standing outside my office, the woman starts giving me what-for, while I’m trying to fucking kiss her!
That fucking hair color is all the warning label any man needs , I think, right before I step on her toes. Not hard, just enough so she’ll stop talking. Her momentary gasp is what I need to slide my tongue into her mouth as I cradle the back of her head with my hand.
I know I haven’t heard the last of it, but when she winds her arms around me, rather than pushing me away, I hope that she knows that I just wanted her to myself right now. And maybe, we’ll get to the point where I’ll let her know why I’ll sometimes act like a caveman in front of the others.
Pride is a funny thing. Like an addiction, almost. After all the time I spent in hospitals and rehab institutes, I thought I’d get used to my injury. Instead, I just grew more determined never to let anyone see me falter.
Roman and Oak have known me the longest of any of my brothers; long enough to know when I’m struggling to stand, let alone walk. Carrying Sloane through the room like that was just as much about showing everyone that I’m strong enough, as it was announcing that I’m serious about this woman.
“Vector,” Sloane whispers my name, and when I register the worry in her eyes, I realize I had started to pull away from her.
“I need you,” I tell her.
What she doesn’t know is that’s the most honest thing I’ve said to a woman—excluding my sister—in a very long time.
“Considering what you just did, you’re going to have to prove that,” she replies, placing a light kiss on my lips.
“What did you have in mind?” I ask, watching her as she walks out of her heels and starts undoing her jeans as she crosses to my bed.
It’s the wicked grin she delivers when she sits down to yank them the rest of the way off, and scooches back on the bed that tells me what her price is.
“Yeah. No,” I say, folding my arms across my chest.
This woman simply doesn’t give a fuck, because she just lays back against the pillows with her legs parted and one of her eyebrows lifted.
“Dammit!” I growl after we’ve been locking eyes for what feels like a couple of minutes. “Take your shirt off. If I’m doing that, I want access to your tits.”
I look up at her from between her thighs and level with her, “I’m rusty, tell me when you like something.”
This time as her smile spreads across her face, it’s with appreciation instead of snark and she slides her fingers down to her pussy, parting the lips as she taps—what I assume, is her clit. Letting out a growl, I lean down and swipe my tongue around the spot she indicated and suck it between my teeth.
“Ohhh,” she sighs. “Yes, please.”
Wrapping my arms around her legs, I pull her tighter against my mouth and glance up to see her lightly trace her fingers up her abdomen to massage her nipples. My cock is harder than I ever remember it being, and I’m nearly humping my mattress as she rocks and purrs with each lick and nip I give her.
“I need your cock, Vector,” she pleads with me. Except I can tell how close she is to finding her release and I’m pretty fucking invested in giving it to her this way. “I want to feel you when I come.”
I continue to lick her little nub as I take a minute to figure out if I even have condoms in here, before I let out a sigh as she continues to tug at me to join her.
“I don’t suppose you’ve got a rubber?” I hate to ask her, but it’s a better alternative than leaving her to go find one. She lifts a finger in the direction of her jeans, and ignoring the puzzled expression on her face, I turn to retrieve it.
Suited up, I slide back between her legs, keeping one of them over my shoulder when I thrust into her.
“Fuck,” I ground out the word once I’ve buried my length inside her. “That’s so damn tight.”
Leaning down, I lick and suckle her nipples in turn, leisurely enjoying the feel of her cunt pulsing around my dick, wanting this to last but knowing I’m operating on borrowed time. Increasing our pace, I nearly chuckle at the dirty shit coming out of her mouth.
At least until the spasm in my leg takes me by surprise. Losing my balance, I fall directly on top of her, nearly over-extending the leg I still have resting on my shoulder.
“Vector?” All desire is gone from her voice as she struggles to readjust herself.
My hands go from caressing her to tightening into fists, both in her hair and the blanket beside her as I attempt to get control of myself.
“Vector? What’s wrong?” Sloane places a hand on my cheek, trying to get me to focus on her. There’s nothing but concern splashed across her face, but I don’t need that from her.
“Get out!” My yell is cut short by one of the worst cramps I’ve felt in years, and I try to roll to the side except my lower back tenses up and even that seems impossible.
“Can I get Bridget? Or Roman?” she quietly asks when I start trying to get my breathing under control.
“No, bitch. Leave and don’t come back,” I growl, so fucking angry that she’s witnessing me like this.
My eyes are nearly slits as I shove my fist into my back, trying to work out the Charlie Horse that developed there—adding to my misery.
The pain on her face is quickly replaced by anger, then another emotion that I don’t have the strength to decipher right not.
Sloane rolls away from me, and watching her walk naked to my bathroom angers me on a deeper level; for no other reason than the sight of her pale, flawless skin. As the pain in my back slowly become tolerable, so do the muscle contractions in my leg, but it’s not until I feel the bed move that I open my eyes again.
She’s got one of my T-shirts over her and is holding the prescription salve that I’ve never used.
“Go. The. Fuck …”
“Shut the hell up,” she snaps at me, putting the jar on the bed between us. “This is what you need, isn’t it? I’m taking your pants off and you better not fight me on that, you dickhead.”
Another flare up renders me unable to stop her from yanking off each of my boots.
“Fuck you for wearing your jeans and boots when you’re having sex,” she mumbles more to herself than to me as she wrestles to get my drawers down.
No one on this property has seen what she’s facing. And right now, I’m too tired to fight her, even when I momentarily consider having her get Bridget.
“Okay, well that wasn’t from a bee sting,” she says, and my eyes shoot to her face. The lack of pity or revulsion stops me from yelling at her again, but I’m still on edge at being exposed like this.
Her eyes study what’s left of my buttocks and thigh on my right leg, and I know goddamn well it ain’t pretty.
“Will it hurt you more if I rub this in right now, or do you need a minute?”
“I’d prefer you didn’t know,” I tell her, continuing to study her face, but only seeing acceptance written across it. “Not like this.”
“You’re a little old to be this vain, Vector.” She lets out a loud sigh as she rolls her eyes, reaching for the salve.
I clamp my hand over her wrist and her eyes meet mine again. “Give me a minute, huh?”
She nods, then does the last thing I expect after the way I spoke to her.
Sloane lays alongside me, tucking my head under her chin as she wraps her arms around my neck and simply stays still.
At some point, her head snaps up and I realize she had started to doze off. Looking up, I smile when I catch her wiping a little drool from the side of her mouth.
“None of them know,” I say, starting a conversation I hoped might happen a few months down the road. “Bridget and some of the guys, they know I was wounded in combat. But they don’t know how bad it is some days.”
“How many rounds of skin grafts did you have?”
Her question gets my full attention, as does the flash of pain in her eyes. The words that I yelled at her when I was in agony, echo in my head.
“Are you familiar with the procedure?” I prod her, curious to know how she so quickly identified what she was seeing. Almost immediately I tighten my arms around her when her eyes flood with tears, but she only gives me a curt nod and bites down on her bottom lip. “Four.”
“My brother. He killed himself. After the second one.” Sloane’s voice is barely audible, and she takes deep breaths in between each word.
I quickly try to fill in the blanks with what I do know about her. “Was he on an oil rig?”
She nods her head again and I can feel her steeling herself to say more. “You may not think it. But you got off so damn easy.”
When she swipes her tears away, we simply lie there studying each other for long moments and as much as I want to justify myself against her accusation of vanity, I can feel how raw her pain is and right now, I know it’s more important that we start to heal a little. Each in our own way.
“I shouldn’t have said that shit,” I say, trying my hand at an apology. Leaning up, I kiss the trail of tears on each of her cheeks. When she reaches for the salve, I roll onto my stomach and allow her to massage it into the scar tissue.
And I wonder if she’ll ever understand how much her ministrations mean to me.