Exquisite Redemption (Iron Horse MC Book 3) (15 page)

Dammit, Beach had managed to fuck me stupid without having actually fucked me.

“You are out of your mind,” I squeaked out as he pressed his ginormous, hard cock against me, carefully keeping his upper body light over mine.

“Listen real good, Sarah. Yesterday you showed me you’re something special, something I want to hold on to, and I always get what I want. ’Sides, I owe you for saving my life, and I don’t take that kinda shit lightly.”

Right away, I groaned. My father, bless his insane heart, is a scary motherfucker, as were all his friends. Former super-secret assassins for the US military, able to kill a man a hundred and fifty ways in five minutes and all that bullshit. While my dad was now king of a series of vast prepper compounds out in Texas Hill Country, he’d never lost his savage edge. Being that I was familiar with badass-men behavior, I knew Beach feeling like he owed me was not good. Badasses paid their debts, always, and if his way of paying it was by watching over me, I’d never get away from him.

“Well you can repay that debt by letting me go.”

“They’ll come for you.”

I turned over so I could look him straight in the eye. “I can take care of myself.”

“I’m not sayin’ this to be a dick.” He huffed out a breath that warmed the skin behind my ear. “But no matter how good you are, my brothers and I can give you more protection than you would have on your own. Even you, my lethal beauty, gotta sleep.”

“They have better things to do than babysit me, I’m sure.”

“
Mi riena
, you saved the life of the National President, which means they owe you.”

I could tell he thought I should be impressed or something by that, but in this case, ignorance was bliss and I sighed. “I told you, I can take care of myself. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“Bullshit.”

“Excuse me?”

His expression hardened and anger flashed through his gaze, speeding my pulse in response. “Bullshit. You need someone watchin’ over you. Fuck, woman, you’re a danger to
yourself
. Your decision-making skills are shit, and you’re far too trustin’ for your own good. Case in point, how we met last night. What the fuck were you thinkin’, coming by your fuckin’ self to a one-percenter party not knowing shit about the MC life?”

“Hey now,” I gave him a good glare and tried to ignore how much I wanted to suck on his lips. “Scarlet and Smoke invited me, two people who I happen to like, and I have no fucking idea what a one-percent party is. I was just trying to have fun before I have to change my life.”

His body lost some of its tension on top of me. “Change your life? What’re you talkin’ about?”

The stress caused by our conversation was getting the better of me and I ended up being way more honest than I intended. “I’m worn out, Beach. Maybe not on the outside, but on the inside I’m so tired of the bullshit I’ve had to endure. I want to be normal. I want to settle down, stand on my own feet, and work a job where people don’t instantly judge me for my profession. I want to go to sleep knowing I don’t have to worry about people trying to kill me. All I want is to have a safe home to raise my family in.”

“Family?” His eyes widened and I swear grew a lighter blue.

“Don’t freak out, I don’t want a kid right now. I can’t.”

“Can you not get pregnant, honey?” he asked in an incredibly gentle way, his worry for me cutting through my anger.

“No, I’m sure I can, but I’ve been on the shot since I was fourteen. Cramps,”

I bold-faced lied. I went on the shot at fourteen because I was curious about sex, hormonal, and had a mother who was only too happy to ensure I wouldn’t get knocked up. Having a pregnant daughter would have messed with her plans.

“The point isn’t about having kids for me right now, the point is to have a stable home. A slice of the normal life for whatever children I may have far, far in the future after a ring is on my finger and I have a husband I love.” I rubbed my forehead. “Can we drop it?”

“Honey, no matter how hard you try, you’ll never be normal. You’re exquisite, funny, and so fuckin’ adorable I just want to hold you against me like this all day. I get wantin’ to make your own way in the world, Lord knows I’ve had to fight for everything I got, but you will never blend in. No matter where you go, you’re gonna shine like a diamond among pebbles. ’Sides, I know that life wouldn’t make you happy.”

My reply was saturated in sarcasm. “Right, ’cause you know me.”

Instead of getting offended, he ran his fingertips down my cheek, affection obvious in his touch.

“I don’t have to know your favorite color to see your wild spirit. Woman like you always want to be as free as the wind, needs to spread her wings in order to grow, and I can give you that. You’re also the kinda woman who’ll need a man strong enough to satisfy her and keep her safe—and,
mi nina linda,
I got that in spades. Most important, you need someone to trust your heart with and I can promise you’ll never find someone better than me to give it to.” He gently kissed my temple and I tried to resist the lure of his touch even as my stupid soft heart swooned for Beach. “You don’t know me, but I promise you, I will give you the life you need to make you happy in ways you can’t even imagine.”

“The life I want and what you think I need are two different things. Get off of me so I can go home.”

“Nope.” Another gentle kiss, this time to my cheek. “You’re not leaving my sight. Gotta take care of my girl, make her happy, and I can’t do that from another state. Come on, Sarah, give us a chance. Swear it’ll be the best decision you’ve ever made.”

My whole body softened at his words and I drank them in, starved for affection. That was another addiction of mine, the need to feel loved. It had led to more than one regrettable hook-up, but my mother’s love had been a conditional thing and I was often deprived of it.

Considering the way she tried to isolate me from the world, she was my everything, and when she shunned me for some insult, imagined or real, I’d been utterly distraught. Thanks to my therapist, I was aware of how this shaped my psyche and made me vulnerable to assholes, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t utterly taken with the sincerity ringing through his rough voice. Yes, he could be an accomplished liar, but my gut told me he was serious.

“I won’t say I’m not tempted, you could talk a nun out of her panties, but I can’t just run off with you, Beach. I have a life in Las Vegas, a roommate who has a young son I help out with. I can’t abandon Marley.”

He said gently, “You go home, they’re gonna take out the people around you to get to you. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure Marley’s got someone to help her out, but you can’t go back to Vegas, baby. If they can’t get to you, they’ll take out someone around you instead.”

I stiffened.

Shit, if I went home and people came after me, my dad and stepmom would exterminate them before they got within a mile of the house. As fun as that would be to witness, my father would overreact and I’d be lucky if he didn’t lock me in his bunker for the rest of my life. My dad was protective to the extreme and tried to treat me like I was ten. If he thought biker gangs were after me, I’d either be forced to move home with him or be surrounded by his badass buddies acting as unwanted bodyguards 24/7.

“I won’t drag this mess home with me. I’ll take off for a while and let things cool down, but I need to take care of some things first.”

He frowned, obviously not liking my answer. “Not gonna happen. Besides, you said you wanted to start a new life. You are, but you’re doin’ it in Austin,
mi riena
, and you’re gonna do it with me having your back.”

“I don’t need you at my back.”

This man had the patience of a saint, ’cause most guys I know would have been ready to strangle me by now. Instead of getting angry, he got gentle, which had a much more devastating effect on me. I could be pissed at him if he was being a jerk, but not when he was being sweet…in a kinda jerk-ish way.

The lines of his face relaxed as he continued to drink me in, a peace I’d never seen before softening his constant glare against the world. My stupid heart wanted to believe I was the only one he’d ever looked at this way, but that was impossible. He was too old to have not loved someone deeply, at least once.

He rubbed his thumb over my lips and the urge to suck it tormented me. “Baby, you have no idea what you need, but I’m gonna take great pleasure in showin’ you.”

“You know, your cryptic remarks are getting seriously annoying.”

“Then let me be a little more direct.” His large, warm hand cupped my breast and I froze, his thumb just inches below my nipple, which strained against the thin fabric of the t-shirt. “I’m gonna fuck all that stress and sass outta you until you walk around with a permanent smile on your face.”

I tried to sound offended but instead words came out in a breathy, “Pardon me?”

He leaned forward, placing gentle kisses over my face with soft puckered lips as he said, “I’m gonna fuck you so good you’ll be nothin but happiness in my arms. Got lots of jagged ice surrounding you, warnin’ a man off. Most guys wouldn’t have the temperament to love you like you need to be loved, but I do.”

“Whatever.”

The soft rumble of laughter came from deep in his chest as he resumed touching me. I swear I wanted to purr like a spoiled cat and it irritated me that he had me so far under his spell. For whatever reason, the dirty daydream of rubbing my nipples against his furry chest came to me and I mentally bitch-slapped myself.

“I’ve had a brief taste of the incredible warmth of your heart past all those barriers, and I want it. If I need to destroy you with orgasms to get you there, I will. And once you let me in, you’ll know that there’s no one on earth better for you than me.”

I should not have felt that right in my clit. Certainly not in my nipples as well. I knew I was staring at Beach’s mouth, wanting so bad to kiss him again, to feel those gentle, puckered sucks on my sensitive breasts.

I wiggled onto my back beneath him and he lifted enough to allow my movements. As soon as I was settled, he slid one hand up to cup my breast, his long fingers squeezing gently. His thumb made a brief pass over my nipple and I shivered at the way that touch made my pussy clench. Our eyes met and I found myself leaning closer to him, holding his gaze the whole time.

A banging thumping came from the front door. “Yo, Prez, time to go. Got company on the way of the blue variety. Seems someone tipped them off ’bout you bein’ in town.”

Cursing, Beach rolled out of the bed and winced a bit as he hit his bad leg, then held his hand out to me. “Come on, babe, neither of us want to be here when the cops arrive.”

Panic hit me hard as I stared at his rough and tattooed hand, the promises he made me battering my self-control. This was all too real, too serious. I knew if I took his hand, I’d be sealing my fate with him.

A pain pierced my chest as I forced the words, surprised by how much it hurt to spit them out, to turn my back on the dubious promise of happiness he offered me. “I’m not going with you.”

He shook his head and gave me a look I couldn’t quite interpret. “You wanna argue with me here so we can hang around long enough to get arrested, or you wanna get out of here and onto my jet? Promise you it’s more comfortable than sittin’ in an interrogation room. It’s waitin’ for us at a private airstrip.”

“Are we wanted for what happened up at Sturgis?”

My worry must have shown on my face because he slowly softened before my very eyes. “I told you I’d take care of that shit, and I did. No one is comin’ after us from law enforcement for what happened.”

“Um, you mean multiple homicides just somehow vanished?”

“Yep. We don’t want trouble, and neither do any of the other clubs. You’d be surprised how loyal people can be when you got their respect. Now, enough with this shit. Time to go.”

Having no interest in being questioned by the police, considering my Sarah Star alias was totally made up with forged documents, I allowed him to haul me off the bed with a huff. He threw his shit into his bag from the dresser, but when he pulled the gun out, he put it into his saddlebag.

When he handed me my boots, cleaned and with my knife and phone back in their respective pockets, I couldn’t help but sigh in relief. “Fine, but if I don’t call my family ASAP we’re fucked. Lead the way,
Presidente
, but I really need to make this call.”

He nodded, still going through his stuff. “Do what you need, I’ll take care of everything else.”

His constant harping about taking care of me was both irritating and enamoring me. I think I might be emotionally bipolar. Wouldn’t be a big surprise considering my family. Thankfully, the person I was about to call was super cool. Mimi wouldn’t give me too much shit.

I hoped.

Her phone range once before she answered with a snarl. “This better be Sarah, safe and sound.”

“I’m hunky-dory.”

“You are not, in any way, shape, or form, hunky-dory.”

Well, maybe I’d ticked off Mimi a little bit with my lack of communication. “I’m sorry! I’m safe, but things have been crazy. I would have called you but I was down for the count with a migraine.”

“Oh,
tesoro
.” Her voice went soft right away. She understood what that meant, having nursed me through more than a few. “Are you all right? How bad was it?”