Page 37 of Lies Beneath Secrets (Skeleton Crew #1)
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Con
“They’re gone,” I say once everyone has left the room. My blood is still boiling, and damn it if I weren’t in a room full of men who would put a bullet in both of our heads, I would have shot King right then and there. “Are you okay?” I ask, immediately regretting the question. No fucking way is she okay.
“Am I okay?” she whispers. “Am I okay!” She repeats, raising her voice a little louder as she snatches her clothes from the floor. In jerky movements, she pulls on her underwear, jeans, and tries to get her tee shirt to cover her breasts by tying it in the front. “I don’t even know how to explain how much I’m not okay!” Tears stream down her face, and her breathing picks up. “You…” She pauses and looks up at me. “You’re in a biker gang?”
“Club,” I correct her. “I’m part of a club. Have been since I was nineteen.” There’s no need to lie about any of it now. “I was there the night King broke into your apartment. We were looking for someone and tracked him there.”
“Gabe,” she says, giving me pause. I glance around the room, unsure if we should have this conversation.
“How do you know his name?”
“I had seen him once before, only briefly, visiting my mom. We never spoke. So, when he showed up at my apartment, I let him in.” I never once thought she would have known Gabe. “He was beaten pretty badly, so I went to get my first aid kit. That’s when that guy, King, broke in. It only took him seconds to kill Gabe, then he was on me.”
“Did Gabe try to shoot King?” She shakes her head in answer. “Did he even have a gun?” Again, she shakes her head.
“It all went down so fast. Then King threatened to kill me but instead knocked me out. I woke up the next day and was in my bed. My door was fixed, and my apartment was completely cleaned. I thought I had a terrible dream but when I saw my face in the mirror, I knew it had really happened.”
“I knocked you out.” Her head tilts to the side, then her brows rise.
“Seriously?”
“He was going to kill you.” She shakes her head, then winces, rubbing at the base of her skull.
“This is all too much. My head hurts really bad, and I want to go home.” She crosses her arms and looks up at me with pleading eyes. I know damn well what I say next will set her off.
“You can’t.” Her eyes widen and fill with fire. She really hates being told she can’t do something.
“You have to be joking, right?” She lets out a dry laugh. “That asshole had me stripped naked in front of everyone and had his hands all over me. I want a goddamn shower. Take. Me. Home.” I shake my head and grit my teeth together. I want to wash that motherfucker off her too and replace it with me. She’s mine, and that prick will pay for touching her.
“You can’t leave,” I repeat, and I swear if this woman were taller, she would lay me the fuck out right now.
“Why?” The venom she has behind that one word should kill me right on the spot.
“Because,” I breathe in deep through my nose, preparing myself for the yelling that’s about to happen. “Because you belong to the club.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” she asks slowly as if she didn’t understand the words.
“We just voted on?—”
“Answer the fucking question, Conner!” she yells, interrupting me.
“Let me explain!” I yell back. She might only be five feet tall but damn, she’s a fucking firecracker. She’s about to go off too. “We voted to let you become part of the club. That means you stay here. The club owns you.”
“Like I’m a fucking stray dog or something?” Her voice hasn’t gone down any less, and she’s pacing now, that thumb of hers digging into her palm. I’m going to fucking hell.
“No. Jesus. You just can’t leave, all right? You aren’t going back to your fucking life, Lauren. Okay? I’m sorry for this whole mess, but I won’t be sorry about the fact you’re still breathing!” Lauren jerks back as if I slapped her, then tries to walk away from me. She gets to the door before I’m able to grab hold of her.
“Let me go!” she shouts, kicking her legs when I lift her off the floor. “Conner!”
“It’s, Con, baby. Stop fucking calling me Conner,” I hiss and carry a clearly pissed-off Lauren down the hallway of the clubhouse.
“How about asshole? Because that’s what you are! A fucking asshole!” She lands one good hard kick right on my knee, and I damn near fall to the ground before I reach the door I’m looking for.
“As long as it ain’t Conner, go for it.” I manage to get the door open and bring her inside, tossing her onto the bed. She bounces but rebounds quickly. Her little body jumps up and tries to make a dash for the door. I’m ready for it and grip her waist, pulling her back flush against my chest. She struggles a little more until I wrap my hand around her throat, squeezing slightly. My other hand finds the hem of her jeans, flicks them open, and dips inside. It may be an awkward position with our height difference, but I find what I’m looking for. Her pussy is completely soaked. “You like fighting?” I whisper into her ear.
“Fuck you,” she hisses.
“You want me to?” I drag my teeth along her jawline, making her moan before turning her face just enough to plant a kiss on her mouth. She gives in only for a moment before biting my lip and pulling away. “That only turns me on more, baby.” My fingers plunge into her. “Seems the feeling is mutual.” She tightens around my fingers, coating me further with her arousal.
“Con,” she moans as I pull back and swirl some of the slickness around her clit before going back for more.
“That’s it,” I praise her, keeping up with the rhythm. Right when I think she’s about to let go, I pull away and toss her onto the bed again. This time, she doesn’t get back up. This time, she lets me tug off them jeans of hers and push my cock deep inside her.
“You’re such an asshole,” she whimpers between thrusts.
“I know, baby. I know.”