MILITARY ROMANCE: The War Within Himself (Alpha Bad Boy Marine Army Seal) (Contemporary Military Suspense & Thriller Romance) (41 page)

“Boss? We heard glass breaking. Just wanted to—” The new voice cut itself off and laughed. “Should’ve known.”

The spell was broken. I pushed Stone away and hopped of the shelf. I slipped on some of the broken glass and had to grab his arm to keep from falling. No man should be allowed to fill out that well, I decided. It was too hard to resist.

“I’d better get going.”

Stone grabbed the belt loop of my shorts and stopped me short when I tried to walk away. “No, you don’t. You still never told me why you were here.”

The guy at the door quietly excused himself. He seemed to recognize his boss’s scary voice. I wasn’t threatened. I looked back at him and then down at my belt loop. “Hands off.”

He just grinned at me. “Tell me why you’re here.”

I made a decision right then. There was no way I was going to be able to do my story after that kiss. My whole investigation was ruined. I shook my head. Maybe I wasn't good enough to be a hard-hitting writ “I’m a journalist. I wanted to write a story about a biker club. Forget it, though. I give up. I’ll just keep the nickname Fluffy.”

His face hardened and he stood up taller. “What kind of story?”

I reached into my little purse and grabbed a brush so I could brush the knots out of my hair and put it in a ponytail. “I wanted to see how women are treated here. I’ve read a lot of awful things about MCs. I also heard a lot of bad shit about that bar you all frequent. Gang bangs and the sort. I wanted to know if it was true.”

Stone’s face went red and furious. “Are you fucking kidding me? You hear about gang bangs and women being treated like shit, so you dress up like a groupie to come and hang out? You have a fucking perverted fantasy you wanted to come true? Because that’s what could’ve happened. Those women that came in? Fair game. They come in here with the understanding that any member can fuck them any way they like. You wanted to be a part of that?”

I shook my head, effectively getting my brush stuck in my hair. “God, no! They don’t all hook up, surely!”

He grabbed the brush and started pulling strands of my hair free. “Hook up. This isn’t the fucking prom, Fluffy. This is a biker club. They’re all going to get fucked tonight, some of them more than once.”

“Oh, god.” I snatched the brush out of my hair, ripping out enough strands to really hurt. “Shit!”

“Calm down. Nothing’s going to happen to you. You want to write a story about it? You can stay and watch if you want. I’m not sure you’re going to want to see everything that happens here.”

He paused and crossed his arms over his chest. “My guys treat their women right. They don’t hit them or do anything that the women don’t want. I don’t tolerate that shit. If there are gang bangs happening, it’s because everyone involved wants it. Not all clubs are bad, Fluffy.”

I mocked him and crossed my arms. “You’re telling me a woman enjoys getting fucked by twenty big biker guys in one night? In the middle of a bar while strangers watch?”

He stepped closer to me, and an animalistic smile crossed his face. “Honey, you need to get in touch with your sexuality. Lots of women like that sort of thing.”

My cheeks burned and I had to look away. “I find it awful.”

Stone’s body was so close to mine that I could feel his vest touching my arms. “You’re more of a one man kind of woman? I prefer it that way. If my girl’s walking funny the next day, I want to know it’s because of something I did, not one of my buddies.”

I choked on the saliva that was pooling in my mouth at the idea of Stone making me walk funny. I turned away from him. “I don’t like to share and I don’t like to be shared. That’s all I want to say about that. I don’t think I should watch anything. I should probably just go home.”

“What about your story?”

My story was over. I’d just find something else to write about. “I hear there’s a new type of gel manicure that’s going to be big. I’ll just keep writing about things that don’t matter to anyone over the age of twenty. Who needs to make a career for themselves? Not me! I like being a joke!”

By the end I was yelling and gesturing madly with my arms. Stone was just staring at me with his eyes crinkling in the corners like he was fighting a laugh. He grabbed my arm and pulled me into the main area.

Most of the women turned to look at us and glared at me. Stone didn’t seem to notice as he dragged me across the room to the bar. The topless woman had moved on, and in her place was a different one. Stone didn’t look away from me as he spoke to her. “Give us two shots of whiskey.”

The woman perked up and shook her shoulders a bit, causing her large boobs to wag around. “Can I get you anything else? Anything at all?”

I was just doing everything I could to avoid looking straight at her nipples. They were very large and seemed to be looking right at me. I looked up, and Stone was staring at me with a smirk playing at his lips.

He leaned down and whispered in my ear, “They look right at you, don’t they?”

I surprised myself when I let out a loud laugh. I covered my mouth and winced. “It’s a little unnerving. I’m not sure where exactly I’m supposed to be looking.”

At that moment another topless woman joined her just as she handed Stone our whiskey. I took my shot quickly and then grabbed his, too. I needed both if I was going to be able to stand there for long.

The whiskey burned my throat and warmed my belly. I coughed a bit but set the glass down with a finally steady hand. “That really hit the spot.”

Stone laughed and reached behind the counter to grab two beers. He handed me one and kept one for himself. “Is my beer safe, at least?”

I nodded. “I’m feeling much calmer, so yes.”

“So, what are you going to do, Fluffy? Story or no story?”

I looked around and grimaced. The clubhouse was fuller than before, and the pairings had started getting bolder. Just at first glance I could see at least three men getting blow jobs and another couple that was having sex. I sucked in a big breath and met Stone’s strong gaze. I meant to say no, but instead my mouth decided I needed to make a fool of myself. “Do you normally do this stuff, too?”

A dark smile ghosted across his lips. “What do you think?”

For some unknown reason, I wanted to believe he didn’t do stuff like that. It seemed so crude to me for the men to let women suck them off in front of their friends. I frowned and turned my back to the scene. “If it’s in front of you, why not, huh? Isn’t that the way most men operate?”

“Spoken like someone who’s been stung by a man before.”

I took a long drink of my beer and shrugged. “Who hasn’t been?”

We stood next to each other in silence for a few seconds while we each thought. I realized that I was in
way
over my head. There was no way I could continue the back and forth with Stone and make it out unscathed. Or untouched.

“I’d better go.”

He nodded and grabbed my elbow. His fingers were rough and warm on my bare skin. “I’ll take you home.”

I should’ve said no, but I didn’t trust anyone else to take me. “Okay. I’m parked at the bar.”

We made our way out of the bar and he led me to a large motorcycle. It was sleek and black with so much chrome that it glowed. He stroked his hand over the handlebar and grinned. “Fluffy, meet my pride and joy.”

I’d ridden on the back of a motorcycle before. My dad had owned one when I was growing up. He’d gotten it to putter around the town, but my mom hated it, so it wasn’t long before he sold it. A pulse of excitement shook me. I wanted to ride it.

“You don’t want to pretend to be scared?”

I looked at him like he was an idiot. “No. Why would I? I can’t wait to ride it. Can we take back roads so I don’t have to wear a helmet?”

He laughed and nodded. “You’re a nice surprise.”

I waited until he was on the bike before I climbed on behind him and scooted in close to his back. When the bike roared to life, I felt a throb start up between my legs. I pressed my palms against his lower stomach and my chest into his back.

He wasted no time in taking off. We were flying through the night in seconds, the wind blowing through my hair, and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so happy.

“Faster!” I leaned into him and daringly brushed my lips against his neck. Being on the back of his bike made me feel uninhibited.

The engine roared out more as he made the bike go even faster. We soared down the back road with my hair flying all around us. It was going to be even more tangled, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to keep feeling as free as I was right then.

My hands roamed Stone’s rock-hard chest on their own accord. I laughed when I felt him suck in a deep breath when my fingers skimmed a little too low. I pressed my face into his shoulder and used my teeth to tease his skin.

The ride was over too soon, and before I wanted to be I was back at my car. I climbed off the bike and wobbled a bit. My knees knocked together, and I had to hold on to the roof of my car to keep from falling over.

Stone stood up from his bike and ran his fingers through his hair. His eyes were on me as he casually sat on his bike seat, facing me, and crossed his legs at the ankle. “You like riding?”

I bit my lip and nodded. I liked riding a lot. It felt like adrenaline was pulsing through my veins at an insane pace. I wanted to grab him and kiss him before begging him to take me back to his place. My body wanted him badly.

“You don’t seem as innocent outside of the clubhouse. The makeup still doesn’t look like you, but without the glare of the groupies you look a little bit like a bad girl.”

I slowly lifted one shoulder. “A girl’s got to have her secrets.”

He sighed and stood up. “I’ve got to get back to the clubhouse. Can I talk you into going back with me?”

I wanted to, I realized with a jarring force. I wanted to show him that I was far from a prude despite my earlier reactions. I just…couldn’t. No matter how badly I wanted to grab him and ravish him, it wasn’t going to work. I had to report back to work bright and early to confess that I hadn’t done my job that night. After bragging about my plan to my boss, who had no faith in me, I was going to have to admit that I couldn't do it. It was going to suck, and I was going to need rest to do it.

“I can’t.”

He nodded and stood up. “Was afraid so. You know where I am if you get antsy for another ride.”

I forced myself to keep my mouth shut as he straddled that big beast and then took off down the road. Too soon he was gone, with just the slowly fading sound of his engine roaring in the distance.

I got into my car and put the keys in the ignition. I was a responsible adult. I’d been making responsible decisions my whole life. I wasn’t going to lose my mind over a pretty face. I’d just drive myself home and take a long, hot shower before going to bed. I’d forget all about Stone and his bedroom eyes.

I sat in my car for longer than I’d ever care to admit, trying to get myself to start it and go home. The more I told myself I was going to go home, the more it felt like my hand with the key and my car ignition were magnets that I couldn’t get together. There seemed to be some hidden force keeping them apart.

I rested my head on my headrest and blew out a big breath. I knew exactly what I needed to do. I had no business getting involved with a biker. I’d gone into the night looking to prove that they were all disrespectful to women. What did it say about me that I was longing to sleep with one after just a few hours?

I had to start my car and go home. I couldn’t do anything about the lust I felt for Stone. That was for the best. Did I really want to go and find him in a place like that clubhouse? People were all having sex right out in the open. What if he expected that? What if one of his buddies tried to join in?

Somehow I knew that Stone wouldn’t allow that. I knew I would be safe with him. As crazy as it was, I was more comfortable with him than I ever had been with my clean-cut boyfriends.

I slammed my hands onto the steering wheel and groaned. I was about to make a mistake. I knew I was, but I couldn’t seem to help myself. Once I decided I was going back to the clubhouse, my keys found the ignition without any problems.

I sped back down the roads I’d just traveled on Stone’s bike and swore at myself the whole way. I stopped twice on the side of the road to give myself a chance to change my mind and turn around. No matter what, my car just kept pointing back to the clubhouse.

I passed the van leaving when I was pulling into the gravel lot outside the large building. Surely the party wasn’t over already. I parked next to Stone’s bike and got out of my car before I could change my mind. I made my way into the clubhouse, but just before I got inside someone grabbed my arm.

It was an older guy I’d seen getting a blow job earlier. My stomach soured when he turned his head to the side and spit out a big wad of chewing tobacco.

“Groupies already left.”

I frowned. “I’m not a groupie. I’m here to see Stone.”

“Every groupie is. Get lost.”

I put my hands on my hips and glared at him. “Get Stone.”

He stood up taller and glared right back at me. “Look here, young lady, you don’t talk to me like that.”

I opened my mouth and screamed Stone’s name. Chewing Tobacco grabbed me and covered my mouth with his hand. I’d seen what he’d been doing with that hand earlier. I wanted no part of it. I threw my elbow back into his gut, and as soon as his grip loosened, I sprinted inside the club and ran right into Stone’s big chest.