Page 6

Chapter

Six

LUNA

M axim has me stay in his room as he tends to business. This time, I make sure to lock the door so Jasper can’t get in.

It’s not lost on me, though, that I traded captivity in my lighthouse for locking myself in Maxim’s room to avoid danger. But I trust Maxim. With God, I always felt a little uncertainty. He would say things to make me uncomfortable, like commenting on my body or criticizing me for wanting to leave. I know Maxim doesn’t want to keep me in his room forever.

It’s just temporary until …

Until what? What does my future even look like? I don’t have an ID or any way to get a job. I don’t have any skill sets. I was watching Rose earlier behind the bar, seeing how she made all these different drinks. She told me she got paid to do it. I don’t know how to do anything like that. It’s become clear to me that I’ll need money to live anywhere.

I don’t even know how to go about getting money in the first place.

Once again, I feel like an utter failure.

I flop back onto the bed and calm my racing heart. Everything will be all right. I have Maxim in my life. It’s clear from how he’s treated me that he cares for me. I don’t have to worry.

I think back to his shirtless chest. How strong it looked. How different from my chest it looked. I saw the way he looked at me as I touched him. It was a mix of softness and … something else. Something I can’t put my finger on.

But I know how it made me feel.

There was a heat building in my body that I’ve never felt before.

In fact, I feel that same heat building right now. There’s a flutter between my legs when I think of him. Sometimes, back at the lighthouse, when I would wake up from sleeping, I’d feel this sensation. It would always feel good. But it only ever happened when I was asleep.

Because when I was awake, the sound of God’s voice would make that feeling between my legs disappear.

I feel it in full force now.

Letting my body move on instinct, I rock my hips back and forth. It’s what feels natural. I grab his pillow and put it between my legs. The sensation of something pressing against my body makes me feel wild. My hips buck harder against the pillow.

My eyes flutter shut from the good feeling. It’s like it’s trying to take over my entire body. The image of Maxim shirtless keeps running through my mind as I grind my hips down harder on the pillow.

This pleasurable feeling is so new. I’ve felt happiness trying a new food or reading a new book, but never something like this. This pleasure feels more primal. More consuming.

More addicting.

I don’t want this feeling to end.

My hips are going crazy as I rock them into the pillow. It feels so good. So good. So …

The door opens, and Maxim steps inside.

And an intense, pleasurable sensation washes over me right at that moment. It’s so intense that a sound I’ve never made before leaves my mouth. My entire body trembles from it.

Maxim stares at me wide-eyed as I flop back onto the bed. What was that? I wonder. If I knew my body had the ability to do that, I would’ve done it sooner.

“Hi,” I say, stretching on the bed. “I thought you were going to be gone a while.”

“Uh …” He clears his throat and turns away from me. “I forgot my wallet.” Without looking at me, he grabs his wallet from the nightstand. “Sorry. I didn’t realize you’d be …”

“Be what?”

Finally, his eyes meet mine. “You know. Doing that.”

“Doing what?”

“What you were just doing.” He smiles slightly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Fuck, I’m not good with this.”

“I’ve never done that before. I just felt something in my body and knew I had to do something about it. It felt amazing.”

“I’m sure it did.”

“What was it?”

His eyes widen even more. “You don’t know.” He shakes his head. “Of course, you don’t know. You’ve been sheltered your whole life. Uh, you looked like you were … pleasuring yourself.” I’ve never seen Maxim’s face turn red. It’s fascinating.

“It did feel good.”

“No, uh, Luna, it’s an act called masturbation. It’s when someone touches themselves and makes themselves … come.” He shakes his head again. “Shit, I really am not good at this.”

“Come?”

“Orgasm. That’s what you had. At least that’s what it looked like to me.”

“Oh. It felt amazing. I want to do it again!”

He laughs slightly and turns his body away. “I’m sure you do. But it’s something you do by yourself or with another person. It’s not something you do in public.”

“I understand.”

“Good. I don’t want Jasper seeing you that way.” He still can’t look at me as he says it, and I wonder why.

“Why not?”

“Because I just don’t. I don’t want any of the other men seeing you that way. But, of course, if you wanted to be with someone else, I won’t stop you.”

“Maxim, I don’t really understand what you’re talking about.”

“I’m not explaining this well. But I need to head out. We’ll talk more about this later.”

“Ok,” I whisper, feeling strangely upset by his response. “We’ll talk later.”

“Right.” He nods at the bed, shakes his head, and quickly turns on his heel and walks away. Maxim seemed … flustered, I realize. I wonder why.

Why did my act of masturbation make him act that way?

Rose will tell me.

I find her behind the bar, handing beers to two men. I’m not sure what their names are yet. There are too many people for me to keep track of.

Both the men glance at me, and I find myself shrinking inwards. That’s one thing I’ve learned in this short time: I don’t always like male attention. Their eyes are too powerful. Too hungry. Too much anger in them.

Except for Maxim. His eyes only make me feel warm inside.

“Shoo,” Rose says to the men, waving them away. They don’t put up a fight and take their beers to the other side of the room. Jasper isn’t here, but Sal is. I notice him looking at me.

“Sal!” Rose barks. He jerks and turns away.

“How do you do that?” I ask.

“How do I do what?” She wipes down the bar.

“Make these men respond like that. You’re so brave.”

“Oh, hon. I’ve had practice. Lots and lots of practice. Once you learn how to defend yourself, men tend to leave you alone. A lot of these men want an easy mark, so don’t make it easy on them.”

“I’m easy?”

“Yes and no. They find you quiet and innocent. That makes you a target. But you’re not easy. There’s a quality about you that interests them. They’ve never seen it in a woman before. The women who tend to hang around bikers are not usually innocent.”

I lean on the bar and notice it’s slightly sticky. Why is everything a little bit sticky around here? “Why are they not innocent?”

“Broken girls looking for a home. But they usually have to sleep with the men around here to get a warm bed.”

“I sleep with Maxim.”

Rose smiles and shakes her head as she grabs a couple of glasses and cleans them. “No, you don’t. You sleep in his bed. But when I say the women around here sleep with men, I mean sex.”

“Oh. Maxim told me what that is. God never did.” I’m starting to see that there’s so much God kept from me, which angers me.

“Of course, he didn’t. That bastard wanted to keep you locked up.”

“Rose, I have something to tell you.”

“Ok …” she says slowly, setting the glasses down. “What’s up?”

“I masturbated.”

She makes a sharp sound before clearing her throat. “All right.”

“Maxim walked in on me doing it.”

“Ah.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“So, what happened?” she asks, placing her hands on her hips.

“He got all red and awkward. I’ve never seen him act like that before. Why?”

“It’s probably because he’s trying to respect you. Unlike a lot of the men around here, Maxim has a good heart when it comes to women. He probably felt awkward because he didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“Why wouldn’t he want to make me uncomfortable?”

“Because he cares for you. He wants to help you. He doesn’t want you to think he’s taking advantage of you. And masturbating tends to be a solitary, private act. He probably didn’t know how to respond to that, especially since you’re so innocent.”

“I think I’m getting tired of being called innocent.”

“Hey, being innocent isn’t a bad thing. Honestly, in this life, it can be a godsend.”

I deflate a little at the word ‘God.’ “Is there any news about who took me?”

“Maxim hasn’t said anything, and you would probably be the first one he’d tell.”

The mood shifts in the room. It happens before I even notice anything wrong. But I can see on Rose’s face as she looks behind me that something is very wrong.

When I turn around, I see Jack is back.

And he’s looking right at me.

“Maxim isn’t here,” he says, sauntering over to me and putting his hand on my arm. “So there’s no one stopping me from taking what’s mine.”

“Think again.” Rose pulls out a shotgun from behind the bar. “Take your damn hands off her.”

Jack smirks and instead of doing what Rose wants, he grabs my arm and hauls me off the stool. “She belongs to me.”

“Not if you’re dead.”

More bikers appear in the common room, including Jasper. He’s watching everything with intense fascination.

“Let me go,” I whisper.

“How meek you are,” Jack taunts. “But you’re coming with me.”

Rose fires off a shot into the ground, making Jack jump back so fast he stumbles to the floor. “Next time, I won’t miss.”

That makes a lot of the men laugh, including Sal, who’s snacking on peanuts like it’s a performance rather than something to worry about.

Jasper doesn’t laugh, though. He only looks between Jack and me with an expression I don’t like. It’s not quite cold. It’s more … contemplative.

“Get out of here,” Rose threatens.

Jack scrambles to his feet and points at me. “I’ll be back for you, girl.”

“Get out,” some of the men mutter.

Colin approaches me. “Are you ok?”

“I’m fine.” Shaken but fine. If I were on my own, that would have been a lot worse. But I wasn’t on my own. I have Rose. I’ve never had a friend before. It feels almost as good as when Maxim looks at me.

“Can I get you anything?” Colin asks. “Help you out? Maxim told me I need to help keep an eye on you.”

“I appreciate that, Colin.” He sort of looks like a puppy. I always wanted a puppy, but God never gave me one.

“Do you need a glass of water? I can get you one.” He rushes behind the bar and pours me a cup.

“Pussy,” Jasper mutters, walking over to the bar and leaning against it. I don’t like how close he is to me. The heat from his body radiates over to mine.

“I’m just trying to help,” Colin says, passing me the glass. I take a large sip and let it calm my nerves. The shotgun blast was loud, and my ears are still ringing.

I only know about guns because one of my books mentioned it, and I’d asked God. He told me all about guns and how bad men would use them against me.

Except a woman used a gun to save me.

God was wrong about a lot of things.

“She doesn’t need your help.” Jasper places a toothpick in his mouth and eyes me up and down. “She needs a man to show her how to live life.”

Rose rolls her eyes. “Leave her alone.” She grabs the pick from his mouth and flicks it to the ground.

“What the hell, Rose?”

She just shrugs.

Jasper turns back to me with a greedy expression. “I have an honest question for you, Luna. Do you like Maxim?”

“I do.”

“What do you like about him?”

“He’s kind. He makes me feel warm inside.”

“Or do you think the reason you like him is because he’s the first man you ever saw?”

“You were with him.”

“Yes, but you still saw Maxim first. I was just thinking that maybe your fascination with him has to do with the fact that you saw him first. But what if I was the first man you ever laid eyes on?” He sidles closer to me.

“I’m not sure. It didn’t happen that way.”

“I’m a handsome man. I don’t think that’s arrogant of me to say. Do you find me handsome? Answer honestly.”

How else would I answer? “Yes. I do think you’re handsome.”

“See? It could have been my room you were sleeping in instead of Maxim’s. In fact, it’s my room you could sleep in now if you really wanted to.”

My face flushes. Rose just told me that when a man and woman “sleep” together, it means sex. “Do you want to have sex with me?”

“Woah.” He rocks back on his heels. “What a bold question. See? I told everyone you were the one who kissed me. Now, you’re asking me to have sex.”

“No, I … That’s not what I meant.”

“Isn’t it?”

“Leave her alone,” Rose says, slapping a beer in front of him. “Take this and go.”

“Who’s going to make me?” he asks, keeping his eyes only on me. “You’re not gonna use that shotgun on me, Rose. I’m a member of the Knights.”

“Won’t stop me from telling Maxim you keep harassing his girl.”

“Maxim doesn’t have a claim on her. He hasn’t even fucked her.”

I frown. “What does that mean?”

“Trust me, you’d know if he’d done it to you. You’re an untouched virgin. Unclaimed territory. You’re ripe pickings for any of the men here.”

“But what about what I want? Don’t I get a choice?”

“Not in our world, baby.” He grabs my waist and pulls me in close to him. The suddenness makes me react, and I instinctively bring my knee up and hit Jasper between the legs.

He groans and stumbles back, bending over. “You little bitch.”

“Go back to Maxim’s room,” Rose tells me. “Colin, go with her.”

I start to run, but Jasper grabs me again. Before I can even think, he slaps me across the face. The pain is intense. It’s even worse than when he grabbed my face.

“I’ve decided to make you mine,” he growls.

“Let her go,” Colin shouts.

“No.” Jasper brings me flush to his body. My face is stinging, and already, it feels puffy. The only time I’ve ever had a puffy face was when I cried. I’ve cried myself to sleep a lot throughout the years and would always wake up to a puffy face.

Colin runs at Jasper, but Jasper only punches Colin in the face, sending him sprawling to the ground.

The other men in the room don’t do anything.

They just watch.

“Help him!” I scream, but they still don’t move.

Rose moves around the bar, her shotgun back in her hands. “Jasper, let Luna go.”

“No.”

“Jasper, what are you doing?” It’s Tracy, coming down the stairs in nothing but a t-shirt and underwear. “What’s going on?”

His hold on me loosens a little, and I use that to run to Rose, who wraps her arms around me. “Nothing, baby. Just go back to bed.”

Tracy looks between all of us—me huddled in Rose’s arms, Colin on the floor holding his bleeding nose, and Jasper standing alone. “Tell me,” she demands.

“What the fuck is going on here!” Maxim storms into the room, his eyes blazing with fury. The entire room goes silent. Maxim’s footsteps are loud on the hardwood as he gets closer to Jasper. “Why is Colin on the floor? Bleeding?”

“Because Jasper punched him,” Rose says.

“He did,” Colin groans, sitting up.

Maxim gets right in Jasper’s face. “And why did you punch him?”

“I don’t have to explain myself to you.”

“Mmm. I’m your president, Jasper. You seem to have a problem with respect. If you can’t respect me, then you need to get out.”

“I’m not going anywhere. I’m a member of the Knights. I belong here.”

“You’ve been a good member for a lot of years. You’re a good biker. You’re a good friend to these other men. But I have to ask: Why does Luna look terrified right now?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know. She’s a scared little thing. She jumps at her own shadow.”

Maxim turns to me, and instantly, I feel safer with him around. “What happened?”

“Jasper grabbed me again. So, I did what Rose told me to do, and I kneed him in the balls. Then he slapped me.” I point to my hurt cheek.

The sound that escapes Maxim sends a chill down my spine. Is he angry with me? He grabs Jasper by his jacket and punches Jasper in the face. Jasper responds by grabbing Maxim, and the two of them begin to fight.

Maxim manages to get the upper hand when he kicks Jasper in the stomach, sending him sprawling to the floor. “Get out and don’t come back,” he growls.

“You can’t just do that!”

“I can, and I did. I don’t trust you with Luna, which means I can’t trust you as a member. I can’t trust you to have my back, and I only want men I can trust at my back.”

“I’m not gonna leave.” When Jasper smiles, I see his teeth are bloody. I lean more into Rose, who holds me tighter.

“Yes, you are, or I’m going to hurt you. I’m going to hurt you so fucking bad. Leave now before I do.”

“Please!” Tracy calls out, running over to Jasper’s side. “Don’t kick him out.”

“You’re just worried he’ll dump you the moment he leaves, but Tracy, you can do better than him. You can go with him or stay here. I don’t care. But Jasper isn’t staying a second longer.”

With a huff, Jasper stands up and pulls away from Tracy as she tries to grab him. “You’re going to regret this, Maxim.”

“No, I won’t.”

Jasper turns to the other men, who still haven’t done a thing. “Are none of you going to vouch for me? You all heard Luna ask me to have sex with her. This isn’t my fault.”

“What did you say?” Maxim’s voice has gone eerily quiet.

“You heard me. She”—Jasper points right at me— “is a little slut. She asked me to have sex with her. You can’t trust her. By choosing her over me, you’re going to hurt yourself as president, and you know it.”

“Just fucking go before I shoot you myself.”

Jasper rights his jacket, then leaves the clubhouse. “Pussies,” he says to the other men on his way out.

Tracy doesn’t follow. The moment she sits down on the couch, looking dejected, Sal sidles up beside her. She pushes him away with a disgusted scowl.

“Are you ok?” Maxim asks me, gently touching my cheek. I flinch. “That bastard. I’m so sorry he did this to you. But hopefully, you’ll be safer now with him gone.”

“I don’t know about that,” Rose says. “That man, Jack, came back. I had to put a few shotgun shells on the floor to get him to leave.”

“Good. Don’t hesitate to just shoot him next time. Come on, Luna. Let me get a closer look at your face in the bathroom.”

Once we’re alone in the small space—his body so close to mine—I ask, “Are you mad at me?”

“Why do you keep asking me that?”

“Because you sounded upset when Jasper made his accusations. I thought maybe you believed him. I thought maybe you were angry with me.”

“Luna, no. I’m not angry with you, and I know Jasper was making up lies. I know you didn’t ask him to have sex with you.”

“How do you know?”

“Because you’re innocent.”

I let out a rough breath. “Everyone keeps saying that. What if I don’t want to be so innocent?”

“Well, that’s for you to decide. Just know I’m not angry with you. Honestly, I don’t think I ever could be. You’re too sweet. You’re the sweetest person I have in my life. Shit. I sound pathetic.”

“No, you don’t.” I place my hand over his. “You don’t sound pathetic at all.”

He stares at our hands together before he pulls his away. Disappointment hits me in the heart again. “Let me look at your face.” He gently cups my face between his hands. It’s so different from how Jasper touched me. With Jasper, I wanted to be far away from him, but with Maxim, I only want to get closer.

“No cuts,” he says. “You’ll probably bruise, though. I can get you an ice pack to help with the swelling.” He drops his hands from my face and backs away. Even though there’s only a little bit of distance between us, it feels like a whole lot more.

“Maxim, I did ask Jasper if he wanted to have sex with me.” He tenses but doesn’t say a word as I continue. “But I wasn’t inviting him to do anything. I was just asking if that’s what he wanted from me. Turns out, it was. The more I learn, the more I’m starting to realize you were right about God. He only wanted to have sex with me, too, but he kept me in the dark. He kept me innocent. Just promise me you’ll always explain things to me. I don’t want to be treated like a baby.”

“I promise.” He takes my hand in his again. “I know you’re an adult, Luna. I’ll never keep you in the dark.” He holds my hand a moment longer before letting me go.

I have to believe Maxim is telling me the truth. I don’t have anything else to cling to.

ED

I have a contact at the police department who gets me the info on the license plate of one of the bikers who stole my Luna.

I have an address for one Colin Murphy. It’s a biker clubhouse—it’s a shithole, is what it really is.

I stay in my car and keep an eye on the building. I watch as a man storms out of it in a huff. He’s one of the men who took Luna. Before I can confront him, he gets on his bike and drives away.

I don’t stop watching the clubhouse for hours.

And then finally, I see her.

Luna steps outside with one of the men who took her. The one she rode on the bike with. There she is. My Luna.

I know where she is. Now, I just need to figure out how to take her back.