Page 26 of Riot’s Thorn (Sons of Erebus: Reno, NV #4)
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
RIOT
I collapse forward, catching my weight on my elbows so I don’t crush her.
We’re both panting and sticky, a feeling that would normally have me out of this bed and in the shower before my partner can complain.
But this is Parker, my woman , the one who’ll be by my side forever, so I don’t want to pull out.
Matter of fact, if I could spend the rest of my life nestled inside her glorious pussy, I would.
Her breath hitches as if she’s. . . crying? Why is she crying?
I have a hard time keeping up with her emotions on a good day, but today has been the hardest. She struggles with her attraction to me, and logically, I understand. Who falls in love with a psychopath? And even worse, who falls in love with the psychopath who murdered their father?
I know I’m unlovable. The things I do make me the worst of what society has produced. But that’s why I’m keeping her sequestered. She can be with me, and no one cares. There’s no judgment. How does she not understand what I’ve done for her?
“What’s wrong?” I ask, even though I don’t really want to. I’d rather ignore the problem until it goes away, but this comes with the territory of being a good boyfriend.
“I honestly don’t know. It’s all just so overwhelming.”
I’m so out of my element here, so I do what feels natural—I change the subject to buy myself time to think. “Did you know most rats can squeeze through a hole smaller than their heads?”
Her brows furrow. “What?”
“They have a collapsible skeleton; it folds down like an umbrella.”
“Oh. That’s, that’s really cool.” She sucks in her lips, trying to stop another wave of tears.
I sigh. “I’ve heard the guys talk about never sleeping with a virgin because bitches get emotionally attached. Is that it? You’re feeling attached and don’t want to be?”
It was the wrong thing to say. She shoves at my chest, but she should know by now that I don’t move unless I want to, and I’m not going anywhere until we figure this out.
“No, asshole. It’s not that. I was feeling like I was tired of fighting this thing between us, and maybe it would be best for me to just marry you until things calm down, but?—”
“Not until things calm down. Until death, Little Thorn. But I’m glad you’re coming around.”
“I said I was . After this conversation, I’m back to being anti-Riot.”
“No, you’re not.” I nip her lips.
“Yes, I am.” She shoves at me again, but I grip her thigh and hike it higher on my hip, keeping my cock inside her. “Get off me.”
“Look at you,” I say, licking up one of the trails of tears on her cheek. “You have mascara lines tracking down your face, your glossy lip shit is smeared all over your mouth, and your hair is a rat’s nest—exactly how my little whore should look.”
“Riot.” My name on her lips has my cock’s attention.
“And I’ve never seen you look more beautiful, all messy with my cum leaking out of you.”
Her cheeks redden, but she ignores my compliment. “When was the last time you were tested for STIs?”
“Last month.”
Her head cocks and her eyes narrow. “Really?”
“I don’t lie. Bones tests us every three months. Why do you ask?”
“Because we didn’t use a condom. Who’s Bones?”
“He’s our doctor. And I know we didn’t use a condom. I don’t want anything between us. Ever.”
Her eyes soften slightly. “Aren’t you worried about babies?”
“Do I need to worry about babies?” I ask.
“No, I’m on birth control.”
“Then why are we talking about this?” I push myself up onto my knees and gingerly pull free from her body. If I don’t do it now, I’ll just fuck her again, and her cunt is probably sore. “Pull your legs back.”
“What? No.”
I reach over and pinch her nipple until she winces. “Do it.”
“Things are messy down there,” she says lowly.
“I know. I want to see.”
“You’re so gross.”
“You don’t know the half of it. Now let me see my pussy.”
She looks at the ceiling as she draws her knees to her chest. “There.”
“Good girl.” I watch as my cum drips down her pussy, all the way to her asshole. Not wanting her to lose any of what I gave her, I trace my finger in the opposite direction and push my cum back inside. “Fuck me. This is just the beginning. I have so much I want to do with you.”
“We need to talk about this.” She lowers her legs, and I sigh in disappointment.
“About what?”
“About this.” She motions between us. “I don’t think this should happen again.”
“This is happening again.” I slide off the bed.
“I don’t think it’s a good?—”
Her words are cut off when I throw her arms over my shoulder and, in one swift motion, put her in a fireman’s hold and carry her to the bathroom.
She squeals and fights, but it’s in vain.
I step into the tub, wondering if it’s finally time to update my cabin.
This shower is too small for both of us to fit comfortably.
I don’t mind being close, but it would be nice to have a bit more room.
After lowering her to her feet, I turn on the water, waiting until it heats before pulling the lever for the shower.
We get hit with freezing cold water for a few seconds before the warm has a chance to work through the pipes, making her holler even louder.
But soon, she settles, and I turn us so the spray is mostly on her, like the goddamn gentleman I’m not.
“Riot,” she says in that tone I’m learning means she’s about to say something that’ll piss me off. “None of this is okay. We can’t have sex again. Out of all the people in the world, you are probably the last person I should be naked with right now.”
“You liked it.” I squirt shampoo into my palm and turn her around so I can wash her hair. The scent of her shampoo turns my semi into more of a three-quarters erection. It reminds me of our first night together, when I had her in my arms.
“I did, but that’s not why this is a bad idea.”
“You really liked it.” I massage the shampoo into her hair, and she leans back into my touch.
“I’m not going to marry you,” she says, but she’s enjoying what I’m doing so much, her words come out slow.
“You will if you ever want to leave here and don’t want to get dead.” I turn her back around to rinse the shampoo before repeating the process with conditioner.
“So, if I don’t mind getting dead , I can leave?”
“No.”
“You can’t force someone to marry you.”
I’m about to argue my point about her being mine and that, yes, I very much can force her, but a pounding on my front door draws both of our attention. “Ignore it.”
“Who is it?”
“I can’t see through walls, so I don’t know.”
“Did you just crack a joke?” She smiles, so I don’t want to tell her it wasn’t a joke. But I can’t see through walls, so I don’t know why she asked me who it was.
As the pounding gets louder, I sigh. “I better go see who it is.”
Climbing out of the shower, I pull the curtain closed after me and wrap a towel around my waist. The pounding sounds more like kicking now, and if this isn’t an emergency, I’m going to be pissed. I finally got Parker naked and was getting ready to wash every inch of her body.
“What?” I bark, throwing the door open.
A wide-eyed Killer stands on the opposite side, her short leg reared back to kick. Her eyes scan me from head to foot, and she smirks. “Hi.”
“Hi? You pound my door down to say hi?”
She shakes her head, and I notice she’s changed from earlier at the party. She’s now dressed in her killing clothes, black from head to toe, a balaclava pulled down around her neck. “No. We have a situation to take care of.”
“What kind of situation?”
“One that requires you to get dressed.”
I peer out into the yard, noticing the music is off and I can’t hear the boisterous sounds of a party anymore. There are too many trees in the way to see what’s going on, but it’s only around eleven at night, and these barbecues usually last long into the morning.
“Where’d everyone go?” I ask.
“That’s the situation. Do you know who Chaplain is?”
“Didn’t she used to hang around?”
“Yeah, and she was also Coyote and Riley’s babysitter. Last year, or maybe two years ago, she graduated from college and started teaching elementary school. She was Tyson’s teacher last year.”
“Coyote, the nomad for the Royal Bastards?” There are only two MCs in Reno worth a shit, the Sons and the Royal Bastards. We’ve had beef with the Bastards in the past, but recently, we’ve formed an unspoken alliance.
“Yeah, but he’s not anymore. He’s local.”
“What does Golden’s kid’s teacher have to do with me?” Our treasurer is the only ranking member who’s a father. The kid seems cool, though I think he’s afraid of me because he keeps his distance. I can’t fault him when the whole club thinks I’m unhinged.
Killer’s way more unhinged than I am, but I guess when you’re five foot nothing and a chick, people think your hairpin trigger is cute and a challenge. When you’re a built six-foot-four man with an inability to relate to others, you’re scary and aloof.
“Chaplain moved here to hide from her ex, and he found her.” Killer’s eyes go dead in the way they do right before she gets stabby.
“I’m guessing he didn’t just want to chat?”
“She’s in intensive care.”
“I’m also guessing you want to take care of the problem?”
“Fuck yeah, I do. Chaplain’s cool, and clearly, she doesn’t have anyone else because her emergency contact was Golden, and he’s an asshole to her.”
“Golden is?” I ask because that guy is nice to a fault. It’s why we call him our Golden Boy. He’s the first one to help old ladies across the street and shit. It’s probably because his one- night stand dropped a newborn on his porch and dipped. Now he thinks he needs to be an example for his kid.
“Yes,” she says exasperatedly. “How do you not know any of this? And can you please put on some clothes? You’re making me uncomfortable.”
“Hold on.” I slam the door in her face before she gets any ideas.
It’s disappointing when I find Parker already in pajamas, tucked into bed and reading a book she found in my closet. I don’t even know where it came from because me and reading don’t get along. Two sentences in, and my mind wanders until I’ve been staring at those same two sentences for an hour.
My towel drops to the ground, and I walk over to my dresser, grabbing a pair of boxers and black jeans.
From my closet, I snag a black T-shirt then toss the clothes on the bed and begin to dress.
Parker lets out a choked sound, and I look up to find her eyes locked on my still semi-erect cock.
Now that I’ve had her, this will be my natural state when she’s in the same vicinity.
“I’m headed out for a while. Need anything?” I tuck my junk in my boxers and pull up my pants.
She sits up. “Where are you going?”
“Got some shit to take care of. Don’t wait up,” I say, tugging my shirt over my head and finger-combing my wet hair.
“Uh, okay. Yeah. Whatever.”
I bend down to kiss her, going for chaste, but she tastes like mint and mine, so I take it deeper until we’re both gasping for air. “Stay out of trouble, Little Thorn.”
“Hard to get into trouble when I’m locked in the cabin.”
“True.”
Reluctantly, I leave her. I’m not sure that’s what I’m supposed to do after popping her cherry, but shit happens no matter what’s going on, and it’s a lesson she’ll have to learn now that she’s with me.