Page 2

Slider

I eyed Surge across the room, noting the way he leaned into the pretty blonde.

Looked like he was back to banging the club whores, which was a pity.

I’d already scanned the offerings tonight and no one snagged my attention.

It wasn’t like he and I were in a relationship, but we had fun from time to time, and had been a sure thing the last three weeks.

I’d thought he was getting as tired of the club sluts as I was, but it seemed I was wrong.

The men we called brothers, the Hades Abyss, didn’t seem to care who we fucked, as long as we handled shit when we were needed.

Even after I’d been named the club’s Secretary, no one had batted an eye at me spending time with Surge.

I knew a lot of clubs wouldn’t feel the same.

But none of that seemed to matter right now.

The way Surge’s face was practically in the blonde’s fake breasts told me he’d already found his hook-up for the night, and it wasn’t me.

One thing was for sure.

If he thought he was tumbling back into my bed, he’d better get tested first.

We’d gone together weeks ago to have that done, and since we’d only been with each other after getting the all clear, not to mention we’d still used protection, I hadn’t been worried.

But there was no telling what some of those women were carrying, and I liked my dick too much to take any chances with it rotting off.

A bit of latex wasn’t foolproof.

Pushing to my feet, I ambled through the clubhouse and headed outside.

I leaned against the porch post, wondering if I was getting too old for this shit.

I wasn’t even thirty, but the fact that easy pussy, or even easy ass for that matter, didn’t seem all that appealing anymore made me wonder if I was going to fall prey to the same bug that had bitten Rocket and Spider.

Was I ready to settle down?

And if so, did I want to settle down with a woman or a guy?

I was pretty sure my club wouldn’t care that Surge and I had been fucking, but would they be quite so accepting if it was a permanent thing?

How would it look for a club officer to be gay?

Technically, I was bisexual, but to some people it wouldn’t make a difference.

Speak of the devil.

I smelled Surge’s cologne before I saw him.

“We good?” he asked.

“Yep. Just tired of the scene inside.”

He shoved a mug of beer toward me.

“Here. Drink. Might take the edge off.”

I took it and gulped down half.

It was more bitter than what I usually had, but beer was beer.

At least, tonight it was.

Maybe if I got drunk, I wouldn’t care that I’d be spending the night alone.

He rubbed the back of his neck and cast a look around before reaching for my hand.

He twined his fingers with mine.

“I know you want more than what I can give you, and you should have it. I’m sorry I’m not ready to settle down, and I hope things don’t get weird between us. I like you, a lot, but I still want to have fun and meet new people. Maybe learn some new things.”

I could understand that.

He was younger than me.

While I’d been partying hard since high school, Surge was only recently experimenting and opening up more.

He’d been a bit reserved when he’d first asked to prospect.

I gave his hand a squeeze before letting go.

“It’s fine. I get it. You were clear up front that we were just having fun. Guess I’m just… envious. I see what Spider and Rocket have, and I think I might want that too.”

He looked torn.

Before I could react, he pressed his lips against mine in a fast, hard kiss, then took a step back.

The way his hand shook belied his agitation, but I hadn’t kicked him out of bed.

This was his doing.

I didn’t understand what he was thinking or feeling.

Had he just been scared of getting too close to someone?

“This might be overstepping, but there’s a gift at your place. All right, so I seriously overstepped, but I think it’s what you need. Before you even said anything, I could tell that you were starting to get that itch. I knew that our time was up or you’d start wanting more from me. You’ve had that look in your eyes almost since the beginning. I’ve been working on this surprise for over a week.”

A week.

For a week he’d planning to end things and hadn’t given me a fucking hint?

All he’d had to do was say he was bored and we’d have gone our separate ways.

No big deal.

If he’d just talked to me, been honest about what he was thinking and feeling, then maybe I wouldn’t be so disappointed right now.

I’d expected more from him.

Not more as in a relationship that was long-lasting, but I’d thought he was man enough to be up front about shit.

“What the fuck does that mean?” I asked.

“You want someone steady in your life, and that’s fine. It’s just not something I want right now,” he said.

“Maybe someday. I don’t know. But it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have it. All I want is for you to be happy, Slider. Now go check out your gift.”

I ran a hand down my face, wondering if there was a way to rewind and undo this conversation.

It was weird as shit and getting worse by the moment.

“What the fuck kind of gift is supposed to resolve my relationship status? You better not have hired a fucking stripper.” Nothing against those women, or men, but they just didn’t do anything for me.

I didn’t like fake.

If someone was with me, I wanted it to be genuine, which was probably why I was so fucking tired of the scene in the clubhouse every night.

He smirked.

“Why don’t you go home and find out?”

Jesus.

I thrust the half empty mug at him, and stepped off the porch.

My bike was buried three deep so I decided to walk my ass home.

Mostly I didn’t want to stand around waiting for everyone to move their rides when I didn’t know what the fuck was waiting for me at the house.

If Surge had wanted to call it quits between us, all he had to do was say so.

I’d known he wasn’t in it for the long haul, but this was fucking ridiculous.

What the hell kind of gift had he left me?

Swear to Christ if he’d left a woman in my house, some stranger, I might very well kill him.

There were times I had to question his reasoning.

There was shit in my house I didn’t need someone digging through, and I knew enough about women to know they were fucking curious.

If I walked through my door and got shot, with one of my own guns no less, I was going to be fucking pissed.

Worse, if whoever he’d left inside had stolen anything, I was going to pound Surge’s ass into the damn ground.

I stomped up my front steps and threw open the door, not caring if I scared the shit out of whoever was inside.

The lights were on, but I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.

I went room by room, then closed my eyes and took a calming breath before opening the last door -- the one to my bedroom.

Curled in the center of my bed, bare as the day she’d been born, was a small female.

I blinked a few times, thinking my eyes were playing tricks on me.

Then again, the room did spin a little.

Just how strong had that beer been?

Glancing around, I spotted a pile of clothes that looked like they would fall apart at any moment.

They weren’t the type of worn material that people paid high dollar for, but more the kind you owned when things were really fucking bad.

I focused on the woman.

I’d seen plenty of beautiful women before, but this one seemed almost otherworldly.

She was dainty, and delicate.

Her blonde hair was so pale it was nearly white and lay in a wavy tumble across my pillow.

Slowly, I entered the room and shut the door behind me.

Any anger I’d felt melted away.

It seemed he hadn’t left a stripper in my house.

I wasn’t quite certain what he’d done just yet.

But the strippers I’d seen around town wouldn’t have been caught in dead in the clothes piled near the bed.

I hoped to Christ he hadn’t paid some homeless woman to sleep with me.

How was this woman a gift?

I moved closer and reached out to shift a strand of hair that had fallen across her cheek.

It was soft, softer than anything I’d felt before.

Kneeling next to the bed, I studied her a moment.

The sharp blade of her nose, her prominent cheekbones, the way her lashes lay dark against her pale cheeks.

It was a little like discovering the fae were real and one had fallen asleep in my bed.

I smiled a little, thinking of Goldilocks and the Three Bears , except there was only one grumpy bear in this house, and I was quite content to leave her sleeping in my bed.

What.

The Fuck .

Everything felt a little fuzzy and strange.

What the hell was wrong with me?

I’d never had thoughts like this before, and I sure as shit wasn’t poetic.

It felt like I was swaying, but I’d only had half a beer.

The one Surge had given me.

Had he spiked it with something?

And why?

I’d trust him with my life, most of the time, but right now I had to wonder just how well I knew him.

I pulled my phone from my pocket and shot off a text to Surge.

It took a lot longer than normal as I kept hitting the wrong keys, but eventually I made two coherent sentences.

At least, they looked right to me, but with my brain in a fog it was hard to say if they really did make sense.

Who is in my bed and how is she a gift?

And what the hell did you give me?

I waited a few minutes, but didn’t get a response, which meant he was probably balls-deep in one of the whores up at the clubhouse by now.

Or avoiding me.

If he really had drugged my beer, then I’d beat the shit out of him.

Tomorrow.

I looked at the woman again.

Her breasts were on the small side, but her nipples were the prettiest pink.

I caught myself leaning toward her and knew I needed to get away, go sleep on the couch.

There was no way I was taking advantage of a passed-out woman, regardless of what drugs Surge had added to my drink.

I wasn’t a rapist, wasn’t the type of man to take advantage.

The women I took to bed wanted it and knew the score.

This one…

this one was different.

Standing, I meant to take a step toward the door.

Instead, I found myself pulling off my cut and setting it on top of the dresser.

It was almost like my body had a mind of its own as I stripped out of my clothes.

Naked, I slid into bed beside the sweet angel sleeping there.

My cock ached and I already had pre-cum beading on the head.

My hand shook as I reached for her, tracing the curve of her waist and down over her hip.

No!

Don’t touch!

I jerked my hand back.

My gaze raked over her, and I wondered if she expected to have sex with me.

I didn’t have any idea what Surge had told her, what deal he’d made to get her naked in my bed.

It was wrong on so many levels, and I hoped like hell he hadn’t done something awful.

The kind of thing we protected women from.

She didn’t look like a prostitute, but what if she was here under duress?

I hadn’t even realized I’d reached for her again until I noticed the way her nipple was hardening against my palm.

Shit .

She was naked, vulnerable, and I was feeling her up while she slept.

This wasn’t me.

I wasn’t the type of asshole who took what wasn’t freely given, didn’t matter if they were male or female.

I forced myself to stop caressing her, even though I could have petted her all night, and gathered her in my arms.

I didn’t know why she was here, who she was, or what the fuck was going on, but the soft scent of her made me want to never let her go.

A protective urge rose inside me.

She felt fragile lying against me, and some fucked-up part of me wanted to slay her dragons and claim her.

I knew it was the drugs, knew I needed to let her go.

I just couldn’t seem to do it.

There was a disconnect between my brain and my body.

What I wanted to do and what my hands kept doing were two different things.

I was going to kill Surge.

I’d never felt like this before.

My dick was harder than granite, and the woman in my arms felt like…

mine.

I rubbed my beard against her neck and breathed her in.

She murmured something in her sleep and snuggled closer, turning so that she faced me.

A soft breath left her, caressing my chest.

Her eyes slowly opened and her unfocused gaze seemed confused at first.

When she truly noticed me, she stiffened for a moment, then reached up to lightly touch my beard.

“Slider?” she asked, her voice soft but the heavy Russian accent was undeniable, and sexy as fuck.

“Yeah. I’m Slider.”

She licked her lips.

“I’m Vasha.”

I reached up and traced her lips.

“Why are you in my bed, Vasha?”

Her face blanked of all expression, except her eyes.

They told me a lot.

Fear.

Whatever had brought her here, she was scared.

“He said you wanted me. Was he wrong?” she asked, her tone uncertain.

“Oh, I want you, krasotka .” I pressed my cock against her, letting her feel exactly how much I wanted her.

A soft gasp escaped her as her eyes went wide.

“You know Russian?”

“Only a few words.” Well, maybe more than a few, but I was far from proficient.

“Grew up in an orphanage with a mix of nationalities. My hometown was a melting pot. There was a Russian neighborhood. Some of those kids lived with me when they lost their families, or were abandoned. I picked up bits and pieces of various languages.”

Her fingers caressed my beard again.

“You want me? Truly?”

“Yeah. I want you, but I don’t take unwilling women, or those who feel they don’t have a choice.” I studied her.

“I have a feeling you’re at least one if not both of those.”

She dropped her gaze and trailed her hand from my beard down my chest.

She pressed her palm tight against my skin, right over my heart.

A strange expression crossed her face before clearing.

“You’re a good man. He said so. Said you wouldn’t hurt me.”

Who had said so?

Surge?

“Of course I won’t hurt you. I’m an asshole, but I’m not a rapist.” My jaw tightened.

“Is that what you think of bikers? We’re just all murderers who fuck women even if they say no?”

Those beautiful silver eyes locked on mine.

“No. I’ve seen monsters. Lived with them. You’re not a monster. But if you don’t want me, if you make me leave… then I have to go back to them. There’s nowhere else to go.”

Shit.

I didn’t know what she was running from, but I understood a little better why she’d willingly be naked in my bed, want to give me anything I asked of her.

She wasn’t scared of me, she was terrified of being sent away.

Surge hadn’t given me a gift.

He’d given me a fucking damsel in distress.

He knew I wouldn’t turn her away.

I also wasn’t going to fuck her.

She could stay without having to sleep in my bed.

Not that I wanted to do much sleeping.

“I’m not going to make you leave, Vasha, but I won’t treat you like a whore either. You don’t have to take off your clothes for me to keep you here.”

She bit her bottom lip, indecision on her face.

I wondered if I was about to find out why she was running.

I wanted her to trust me, to tell me what had her so terrified.

I’d slay dragons for her.

I wanted to blame the drugs, but her situation was rapidly clearing my head.

Hearing that someone might hurt her had been enough to kill whatever buzz I’d had.

“In Russia, I was groomed to be the bride of a repulsive man. He was ugly, inside and out, and cruel. There was no warmth in his gaze. They taught me the way to please a man, to submit to him in every way. I was scared. Terrified. A friend helped, created a listing your Surge found, then he arranged for someone to pull me out of there. When I came to this country, I had only one order to follow. Be good to you.”

She was breaking my fucking heart.

“Vasha. Zolatka , I will protect you with my life, and you don’t have to give me anything in return, much less your body. You aren’t a bartering tool. You honor me with such a gift, but it’s not necessary.”

“It is,” she insisted.

“And… I want to.”

The effects of whatever Surge had used to dose me were gone now, but I had to wonder if he’d drugged her too.

Her pupils were dilated and her heart rate was a little fast.

I wouldn’t take advantage of her.

She needed me to keep her safe, not shove my dick into her just because she was high and thought that was what she wanted.

“Surge drugged us,” I said.

“You don’t really want this.”

She nodded.

“He did give me something. Because I panicked. I completely lost it and he worried I’d hurt myself. When I was calmer, he explained everything. I’m here because I want to be. He didn’t force this on me. Coming here was my choice. Being in your bed was also my decision. He gave me several opportunities even before leaving Russia to back out of our deal.”

I wanted to ask about that deal, but I didn’t want to push too hard too fast.

What she’d told me was more than I’d hoped to get from her.

“Do you not find me pretty?” she asked, her voice a near whisper.

“I know men don’t have to find a woman beautiful to get hard. It’s why I removed my clothes before lying down. I’d hoped to tempt you.”

Oh, she tempted me all right.

And I felt like an ass for it.

She was vulnerable, and here I was wondering how tight she’d be when I fucked her.

I wouldn’t be that guy.

I’d been him before, taking whatever was offered and not thinking about why they wanted in my pants.

Wouldn’t do that ever again.

“You’re beautiful. I thought a fae had fallen asleep in my bed.”

She smiled a little and her cheeks flushed.

“You can have the bed, Vasha. I’ll sleep on the couch. In the morning, we can discuss things. Whatever you’re running from, or whoever, I can help you. No payment is necessary.” I ran my hand down her hair, cupping the back of her neck.

“Don’t ever let someone take your body as compensation for anything.”

I watched as her eyes filled with tears and my heart lurched.

I hadn’t meant to make her cry!

Before I could apologize, she burrowed into me and held on tight.

When women sprung a leak, I always ran the other way.

This time, I couldn’t.

And oddly, I didn’t want to.

I held Vasha as she cried, just waited as she let it all out.

She hiccupped a few times as she got herself under control, then swiped at the moisture on her cheeks like the salty tracks running down her face offended her.

She took a few deep breaths before she seemed to be back under control.

“Feel better?” I asked.

“Yes.”

I released her, intent on getting out of the bed and putting some much needed space between us.

Rolling to my back, I was about to slide out of the bed when she flung herself at me.

My body locked up tight as her small hand wrapped around my cock.

It felt like my heart was about to pound out of my chest, and all I could hear was static in my ears.

“Vasha.” I put as much warning into my tone as I could, but it didn’t do me a damn bit of good.

The flick of her tongue over the head of my cock had me groaning.

“Vasha, stop,” I said.

My voice was strained even to my ears.

“ Nyet !”

The barked word in Russian caught her attention and she froze, her lips around my shaft.

Her gaze locked on mine.

She retreated, sitting on her knees, hands in her lap, and her chin tipped down so that she stared at the mattress.

What.

The.

Fuck.

“Vasha, look at me.” She didn’t move so I repeated the command in Russian.

Her gaze lifted to mine.

What I saw in her eyes changed everything.

Determination.

Humiliation.

Lust.

Confusion.

One emotion slid into another, then cycled back to the beginning.

She’d mentioned being trained to be a bride.

I had a clue what that meant now.

My Russian wasn’t the best, and I really didn’t know much.

I could hold a decent conversation without embarrassing myself too much, but that was it.

I knew more than I’d told her, but not enough to speak it fluently.

She needed this.

Needed me.

No, she needed me to take control, to command her to do my bidding.

Using only Russian, I barked out another order.

“On your back, hands above your head.”

She scrambled to obey.

When she was lying in the center, her slender fingers wrapped around the spindles on my headboard, I reached into my bedside table drawer and pulled out the handcuffs I’d gotten recently.

I’d intended to use them on Surge, but that didn’t matter now.

Clicking them around her wrists, I locked her to the headboard.

Her pulse fluttered in her neck, but it didn’t escape my notice that her nipples were harder.

I leaned over her, bracing my weight on my arms.

Her gaze flicked to my chest.

She visually traced the ink on my body, then dipped lower over my abdomen and finally to my cock.

Her breath hitched and her lips parted.

It wasn’t fear coming off her right now.

It was one hundred percent need.

“Please,” she begged.

Leaning down, I took one of her nipples into my mouth, lashing it with my tongue before gently biting.

She cried out and thrashed under me, but I didn’t stop, didn’t let up.

I ravaged her breasts, leaving whisker burn on her pale skin.

She parted her legs and I knew what she wanted, but I wasn’t ready yet.

She was at my mercy, and I intended to give her as much pleasure as possible.

I licked and kissed my way down her body, taking the time to rub my beard against her once I discovered it made her shiver and moan.

She damn near orgasmed when I scraped it across her breasts.

I’d never had a woman so responsive before, not one who wasn’t faking it anyway.

The way her body flushed, the need in her eyes, and the scent of her arousal proved she was every bit as turned on as I was, possibly more so.

It made me feel a little like a god, the way she begged and pleaded, feeling her body arch and twist.

When I knew I couldn’t take another moment, I finally covered her body with mine and rubbed my cock along her slit, soaking myself in her wet heat.

“Look at me,” I demanded.

Her gaze locked on mine and I slowly sank into her.

She was so fucking tight!

I had to work for it, one inch at a time.

Vasha panted, her body tight.

I was barely in when I felt the resistance and I gave her a hard stare.

“Something I need to know?”

She pressed her lips tight and I started to withdraw.

Vasha cried out and wrapped her legs around me, trying to keep me in place.

“Stay! Don’t stop!”

“Vasha.” My tone held a hint of warning.

“Please. If it’s not you, then who? Who should I give my innocence to?”

I started to tell her it was a gift and should be cherished, and that was enough for everything to click into place in my head.

Surge had left me a gift.

Fucking hell.

He’d known she was innocent.

It wasn’t just Vasha that was my present, but the fact she was untouched.

I was going to kill the fucker.

“I don’t care if it hurts,” she said.

“I want it to be you.”

I leaned down and pressed a kiss to her jaw, then down the column of her neck.

Rubbing my beard against her tender skin, I tried to distract her.

My cock slid another inch into her tight pussy.

She was so fucking wet, but it wasn’t enough.

There was no way to do this without some pain.

I was too damn big and she was tiny.

I closed my eyes and prayed she’d forgive me, then thrust hard and deep.

Vasha stiffened under me.

I murmured words of comfort in her ear, holding still as she adjusted.

As the tension in her body eased, I began to move.

Short, shallow strokes until I was certain she wasn’t in any pain.

Shifting my weight, I rubbed against her clit with every thrust.

It wasn’t long before she was panting and writhing under me.

“That’s it, krasotka . Come for me.”

She let out a keening sound, and then her pussy clenched down and I felt her release coat my dick.

The extra lubrication had me sliding in even farther and I groaned at how fucking incredible she felt.

Most women couldn’t handle all ten inches, but it was as if Vasha had been made just for me.

We fit perfectly.

I drove hard and deep, the headboard slamming into the wall as I took what I wanted, what I needed.

I roared out my release, pumping her full of cum.

Shit .

What the fuck had I just done?

My heart was racing and there was static in my ears as I realized I’d just taken her bare.

My gaze locked on hers, but she only gave me a tender smile.

I had to tell her, let her know what I’d done.

She had a right to know there could be consequences, and if she was angry, then I’d let her lash out all she wanted.

I’d never been so stupid in my life.

“Vasha, I… I’m sorry.”

“It was perfect,” she said.

“No, I meant.” My gut clenched.

“I didn’t use protection.”

She tugged at the handcuffs and I reached for the key.

After I unlocked them, I rubbed her wrists, and realized I was still balls-deep inside her.

I withdrew and winced at the streak of blood on my cock.

She had to be hurting right now.

I got up and went into the bathroom, washing off my dick, then getting a warm wet rag.

Vasha still lay sprawled on her back, a contented look on her face.

Gently, I cleaned her, then pressed the cloth against her pussy.

She moaned a little.

“Sore?” I asked.

“Some,” she said.

“I’ll run a hot bath for you.”

I hesitated only a moment before I pressed my lips to hers.

I felt her fingers wrap around the back of my neck, and it was all the encouragement I needed.

Deepening the kiss, I tried to tell her without words that I would take care of her.

She wasn’t just a one-night stand, not just a random fuck.

When I drew back, her eyes were still closed, but her lips curved in a smile.

Before I could do something stupid, like fuck her again, I went to run a bath.

Was this how Spider had felt?

Or Rocket?

Had they felt this…

sense of ownership with their women?

Seeing Vasha in my bed, before I’d even known her name, I’d wanted her.

Not just to fuck, but I’d wanted to claim every inch of her.

Maybe I was a caveman for thinking such a thing, but she felt like mine, and now that she’d given me her innocence, I didn’t plan to let her go anytime soon.

Maybe not ever.