He shook his head.

“I scared you too,” he said. “I’m sorry, babe. But it had to be done. I couldn’t let that guy get away with that any more than I can let your brother off the hook. This is my reality and it’s ugly sometimes. Dragging you into this, I should be sorry. But I’m not. I’m not gonna let you go, Marie. I’m keeping you and I don’t care if I go to hell for doing it. I don’t care about anything but f**king you.”

With that, he pulled my mouth down to his, kissing me hard, tongue thrusting in and taking command. He sat up slowly, swinging his legs off the side of the couch so that I had to straddle him. He thrust his lower body up at me, hands holding my hips as he rubbed the ridge of his jeans-covered c**k against my bare clit. In all the excitement I’d forgotten I was naked under my skirt. Now his fingers reached between us, dipping into my wet opening and sliding around. Suddenly he pushed me up and lifted his hips. I grabbed his shoulders to steady myself as he slid his jeans down, freeing his cock. He took it and rubbed the tip through my wetness, then lined it up with my slit.

“I meant what I said,” Horse told me, his face tight and cold. “You belong to me. Nobody else gets in this pu**y. You got that?”

I nodded quickly, biting my lip.

“Give me the words.”

“I belong to you,” I whispered as he took my hips, gripping them firmly.

“All of them.”

“Nobody gets in this pu**y but you, Horse.”

He held my eyes as he pressed my hips down, forcing his c**k deep as I cried out. Even though he’d f**ked me once that night, this new angle hit me deeper than he’d ever gone. I screamed when the tip of his c**k hit my cervix and spasmed around him. I don’t know if it was pleasure or pain or what, but as he slid me up and then down again, hard, I exploded around him with a cry.

“Put your hands on my shoulders and ride me,” he grunted as I recovered. I did what he said, taking over the rhythm as his hands bit deep into my ass. Every stroke slammed my clit into his pelvic bone, every thrust hit my cervix, and almost immediately I spiraled up again toward another orgasm. His hand dug down between the cheeks of my ass and then his finger went inside me from behind. He thrust it deep, controlling how I rode him as I moved faster and faster. Suddenly he groaned and stopped me, grabbing my hips and standing up to turn me toward the couch, pulling me off his c**k and setting me down.

“Kneel, facing away from me,” he said, voice icy. I shivered, but the look on his face was full of an intensity I’d never seen. Slowly I did as he asked, kneeling on the couch and leaning forward to brace my arms against the back. Once again his c**k entered me, sliding in and out slowly several times. Then he pulled it free and slid it higher, pressing it against my anus.

I froze as he nudged me, trying to breach my opening. I quivered as he absently rubbed one hand up and under the skirt I still wore, as if to soothe me. He started to work the head in and it hurt. A lot. I shivered, thinking of Jeff, telling myself I had to go through with it if I wanted my brother to live. But everything Horse had done to me so far—at least everything sexually—I’d wanted.

This felt like rape.

“Please don’t,” I whispered, knowing I couldn’t stop him. “I don’t think I can handle it if you do this to me. Please.”

Horse stilled and I stopped breathing. I felt the tip of his c**k nudge my opening again and he groaned. Then he dropped it down and plunged back into my pu**y. It’s a good thing he grabbed my hips and held me as he started thrusting because I think I would have collapsed in relief. Then his clever fingers found my clit and I forgot to be upset with him. My arousal returned with a rush and I gasped, dropping my head down against the back of the couch as need spiraled up into me fast and hard.

I came with a desperate cry as Horse joined me, hot seed shooting deep inside my body. We stayed that way, joined, panting. Finally he pulled out and dropped back down on the couch next to me. He grabbed my arm and pulled me across his lap, taking my chin and kissing me one last time. When it ended, I opened my mouth to say something and realized I didn’t know exactly what to say. Thank you for not raping me because my brother owes you money? Um, no.

“Let’s sleep,” he said, lying back and pulling me over his body. He reached up and grabbed the blanket draped across the back of the couch, managing to cover both of us with it. Then his hand wrapped about my ass, sliding between my cheeks, rubbing across my rear opening absently.

“Someday,” he whispered softly in my ear. “I don’t want to hurt you. Not until you’re ready for me… But someday I’m going to own all of you, Marie. You’re all mine, babe. Knew it the first time I saw you. Couldn’t give you up if I tried.”

I pretended not to hear him. It took me a long, long time to fall asleep.

Chapter Fifteen

A loud, pounding noise woke me abruptly. I had no idea where I was or what was happening. Horse groaned and I did too. My head hurt like hell. Too much beer…

Oh shit. The party. The sex. Horse beating a man almost to death. This couldn’t be good.

“Horse,” I whispered. More banging. Someone was outside the front door. His eyes opened, taking me in all rumpled and sleepy. He smiled and his hand squeezed my ass as I felt the evidence of his appreciation grow under my stomach.

“Shut the f**k up!” he yelled toward the door, making me flinch. The pounding got louder. Horse rolled me to one side so he could get up and started toward the door, tucking his morning erection into his pants with some effort. Clearly he planned to make the noise go away.

“Horse!” I hissed. He glanced back at me, his expression questioning. “It’s probably the cops. They’re here to arrest you. Should you just open the door like that? Shouldn’t you go out the back or something while I delay them?”

That made him smile and he shook his head, bemused.

“Marie, babe, we’re not on TV,” he said, a hint of laughter in his voice. “What happened last night was club business. No cop’s ever gonna hear anything about it.”

“You almost killed that guy,” I replied, eyes wide. “People tend to notice stuff like that, club business or not.”

“Not a problem,” he said, shaking his head again. “We handle things like this our own way. If I’d roughed him up for no reason, it would start a shit storm like you can’t imagine. But a f**king hangaround shooting at a Reaper’s woman? Drunk and out of control? He’s lucky I got to him before Boonie. Fucking insult to the Silver Bastards, as much as me. Hell, for all I know, Boonie finished the job after I left. Now run upstairs and put on some clothes. I love that look on you, but your pu**y’s flashing me and I don’t feel like sharing. Think we covered that already.”

I blushed and jumped up, having totally forgotten my lack of panties, or even a real skirt. As I ran up the stairs, I heard Horse laughing out loud as he opened the door, and then the clomping of boots as people walked in. I pulled on some jeans and one of my new Harley Davidson tank tops, which actually looked pretty cute and not nearly as slutty as I thought it would. Then I gave my teeth a quick brush and washed my face. The rest of me needed washing too, but I didn’t want to miss anything downstairs so I twisted my hair on top of my head and walked back down.

The living room was empty but I heard voices in the kitchen so I followed them. Horse was pouring freshly brewed coffee for Max and Picnic. All three men looked up as I walked in. Picnic grinned at me. Max stared at me intently, like I was some puzzle he couldn’t quite solve. I nodded, uncertain of my position but wanting to hear any news they might have.

“Hear you had some fun last night,” Picnic said, leaning back against the counter. He wore his gray t-shirt, black leather boots and cut casually, but as always, his looks struck me. That grin didn’t help. I couldn’t quite reconcile the man who stood before me casually drinking coffee with the biker who’d held a gun to my brother’s head two days ago.

“Horse tells me you’re worried about him getting in trouble,” Picnic said, smirking. “Thought we might be the cops.”

I nodded, unsure what to say.

“No worries, darlin’. Horse did the right thing, Boonie already called, explained everything,” Picnic said, grimacing. “Damn, this coffee tastes like ass, Horse. So Marie—for what it’s worth, Boonie feels like shit about what happened. And knowing Darcy, he’s gonna catch more shit about it for a long time. Apparently she’s taken a liking to you, wanted to be sure and let you know you can call her any time. Bitch woke me up at seven in the f**king morning to give me the message.”

He shook his head, looking annoyed. Apparently Picnic liked his sleep.

“Don’t let Boonie hear you call his woman a bitch,” Horse said dryly. “Man’s whipped, might take offense. Remember last time?”

The guys all laughed and I felt completely out of my depth.

“I don’t have her number,” I said, deciding to focus on little details—like Darcy’s phone number—rather than the fact that we were calmly discussing Horse almost killing a man with his bare hands last night.

“It’s in your new phone,” Picnic responded, grabbing a large, padded envelope from the counter and tossing it to me. I managed to catch it, awkwardly, and opened it to find my car keys, a cell phone and a section of newspaper folded open and highlighted. I pulled out the paper first. It only took about four short sentences to describe the total destruction of our trailer by fire. Resident Jeff Jensen was uninjured, had been found outside, inebriated. No official cause yet, but the fire appeared to be the result of a pipe left burning on the carpet.

My hands shook as I put it back in the envelope.

“Sorry, sweetheart,” said Picnic, and he actually sounded like he meant it. “But we had to get rid of any evidence. Also part of the message to other clubs. Either your trailer or your brother.”

I agreed, remembering how I’d suggested burning the place myself. Anything to protect Jeff. The trailer was just a place to live, and not much of one to be honest.

“I’d like to visit my mom at some point,” I said to Horse. “Can I do that? She’ll be really worried and she doesn’t have a way to get hold of me.”

“You can write her,” he said. “Give her your new phone number if you like, she can call collect after that.”

I pulled out the phone. It wasn’t fancy, but it wasn’t crap either. I turned it on and touched the address book icon. It already had several entries. Horse, Picnic, Darcy and “armory”, whatever that was.

“What about my old phone?” I asked. “Why a new one?”

“You needed a new account for your own protection,” Picnic said. “We aren’t the only people your brother pissed off. Hearing new rumors all the time. This is safer, you should cut contact for a while. Horse will fill you in after we give him the details.”

“Am I allowed to call anyone I want?”

“Depends on whether you want them to stay alive,” Picnic said, shrugging. “Far as I’m concerned, make that first call to your brother. Educational experience for both of you.”

I powered down the phone and stuck it in my pocket quickly.

“Car’s outside,” Picnic added, like this was just some normal social visit. “Painter drove it up here the other day. Piece of shit, broke down on him twice so I had the guys at the shop fix it up for you.”

I pulled out the keys and felt better immediately. Now I had a way to leave. I liked that idea a lot.

“Thanks.”

“No worries,” said Picnic, shrugging. “Don’t do anything stupid, Marie. Got me?”

”Okay.”

“Got that stuff in the barn for you to pick up,” Horse said to Picnic, watching me with speculative eyes. “We’ll talk when I get back,” he told me. “Won’t be long.”

The three men headed outside without another word. I clutched the car keys and ran my fingers over the bump the phone made in my pants. I had my car, I had a phone and I had a little bit of money in the bank. I could call Jeff if I wanted, or just send him a text to make sure he was all right.

I could just drive away and never look back.

Instead I fixed breakfast, finishing up just as Horse walked back into the house. Ari followed him in from outside, looking at the food-filled counter hopefully.

“Good timing,” I said. “Food’s ready. You hungry?”

“Yep,” he said, but he didn’t sit at the table. He came over and wrapped a hand around my neck, pulling me in for a long, slow kiss that tasted like coffee and sex. Every time he touched me I melted. It wasn’t fair. I wrapped my arms around him and Horse reached down, lifting my butt and setting me on the counter. I opened my legs and he nestled up between them.

Unfortunately, he stopped kissing me, pulling away to cradle my face between his hands, examining my face.

“You okay?” he asked.

I nodded. He closed his eyes and then shook his head before opening them again.

“This sucks. Last night was crazy and I scared you, and now I have to tell you something bad,” he said. I stopped breathing. What more could be wrong? I was overloaded already.

“Your brother’s stupider than we thought. He’s got other shit in play, shit we didn’t know about until this morning. You call him, it’s really not gonna help. If he’s smart he’s already ditched his phone and gone off the grid, but I don’t have a lot of faith in his intellect at the moment.”

I opened my mouth to protest, to say something. Horse pressed his finger against my lips, silencing me.