Beast Page 2

  “Thought Venom was coming,” I said as I joined the men at a table.

  “He is. He should be here any minute. Had to pull off to take a call,” Zipper said.

  “Then I guess we’d better wait for him.” I waved a hand at some club girls waiting off to the side. “Want any entertainment?”

  Saint shook his head. “I’ve got an old lady at home.”

  “Same,” Zipper said.

  Grimm eyed the ladies but shook his head. “Venom won’t be long.”

  Saint ran a hand through his hair and leaned back. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Beast. There are only two things in this world that will make Torch lose his shit. Anyone hurting his wife, or someone threatening his kids. Tread carefully. I have no idea what you’re doing with Lyssa, but she’s not like the women over there.”

  I saw Brick and Drifter out of the corner of my eye, both placing their hands over their weapons. I kicked my feet out in front of me and folded my arms over my abdomen as I eyed Saint. “You’ve got balls, I’ll give you that. Walking into my house, disrespecting my woman, and giving me veiled threats? You want my help or you want a war?”

  Zipper spit out his beer. “Your woman? Holy fuck.”

  Sunlight poured into the clubhouse as the doors opened and Venom strolled in. “Thanks for meeting with us.”

  I shook his hand and motioned for him to sit. “I was just getting acquainted with these three.”

  “Lyssa is here,” Grimm said.

  Venom gave a short nod. “I know. I’m glad.”

  He knew? I wasn’t about to ask how. He’d either seen her SUV, or someone had tipped him off. Maybe the call he’d gotten on the way here? Which meant someone was most likely tracking her vehicle or phone. My money was on Wire.

  “You’re glad, VP?” Saint asked. “You said we needed to go get her. Did you know she would be here?”

  “Yes, I’m glad, and no, I didn’t know she’d come here.” Venom sighed. “We’ve got problems. Or more accurately, Lyssa does. Some little punk has been after her, but word is he’s part of the Mancini family. There’s a site Wire ran across. The Mancini family is going to auction off women. Some will become wives of men with particular tastes. Others will go to brothels worldwide. Lyssa’s name was recently added to the list.”

  “Torch received pictures of Lyssa. Some punk ass kid named Tony was trying to get in her pants, and she keeps rejecting him. Now he’s out for revenge. Those pictures have been uploaded to the auction site and the description makes it clear she needs a firm hand. Bidding has already started. She’s a bit old for the men wanting a wife, which means she’ll likely end up in a brothel somewhere.”

  “Over my fucking dead body,” I muttered.

  Venom scratched at the beard along his jaw, his gaze intent as he watched me. Yeah, I’d said more than I should have, but one look and I already knew I’d lay down my life for that woman. I was so fucked.

  “Since Lyssa is already here,” Venom said, “we just need you to keep an eye on her. But if you can spare anyone, we’d appreciate some extra hands. The Devil’s Fury and Devil’s Boneyard have both agreed to help us find as many of the young girls as possible, but I wouldn’t be opposed to a few more men.”

  “Why drive all the way here? You could have just asked over the phone,” I said.

  “We want as many men on this as we can get. Wire and Lavender are working as fast as they can on the computer end of things, but I want as many hands available for any rescue attempts as possible.” Venom folded his arms over his chest. “Look, you don’t have women here other than the whores, and now Lyssa. Since she’s here, I won’t ask for much, but even one man could be a help. As for why I came in person, I was heading to Lyssa’s next. You were on the way.”

  I had to wonder, if Venom had been aware Lyssa was here when he’d pulled up, that had to mean someone had been keeping tabs on her location. Why had they planned to go any farther once they got here? Or had they just known she was mobile but not her destination?

  “Prospect okay?” I asked. “Our club isn’t as large as yours. With Lyssa here, I don’t want any patched brothers or officers leaving and putting her at risk.”

  “As long as it’s someone you trust.”

  I yelled out for Iggy, one of our newer prospects. He hurried toward me and stopped by the table. “You need something, Pres?”

  “These men need some help rescuing girls from the Mancini family. I want you to head out with them tomorrow and help wherever you’re needed.”

  Iggy nodded. “I’ll be ready to go whenever they are.”

  “Seven o’clock,” Venom said. “You got a place where we can crash for the rest of today? Been riding for two days trying to gather up a few allies. I’d planned to talk to you tomorrow, after we’d had a night to rest and let Wire have a little more time to do his thing, but that call on the way here changed things. Now that I know Lyssa is handled, it’s one less worry.”

  “If you don’t mind the noise of the clubhouse, I’ve got a few rooms upstairs you can use,” I said.

  “We’ll take them,” Venom said.

  I tapped my knuckles on the table. “All right. I’ll have Brick get things set up for you. Not to be rude, but I have a woman I need to wrangle.”

  Venom’s lips twitched. “Good luck. At least she’s not as wild as my Farrah.”

  I stopped long enough to give instructions to Brick, then rode my bike back to my house. Although, if I’d have known about the sight that would greet me, I might have come home sooner.

  Chapter Two

  Lyssa

  The President of the Reckless Kings was one fine man. I couldn’t tell for certain how old he was, but I honestly didn’t care. My dad was about thirty years older than my mom, and they adored each other. If anything, it had taught me to view people with my heart and not my eyes. Beast might be huge, and perhaps to some he seemed scary, but he’d put himself between me and Tony. He had a protective streak a mile wide, and I had a feeling he had a good heart too.

  Having lived with the Dixie Reapers MC all my life, being around tough bikers wasn’t anything new. I’d learned long ago most of them had a soft marshmallow center when it came to their women and kids, and by extension all other kids in the club. Well, maybe not Farrah. She’d terrorized so many people, I’d been surprised they hadn’t thrown a party when she’d decided to strike out on her own. If her dad hadn’t been the VP, they very well might have done just that.

  After being on the run from Tony, I felt like warmed-over crap. I didn’t know where Beast would want me to stay. The duffle in my hand didn’t hold a lot. Just enough to get me through a few days. I dropped it on his bedroom floor and pulled out my sleep shorts and a tank. I hadn’t slept in two days and knew it wouldn’t be long before I crashed. Hard. At first, I hadn’t wanted to come here. I’d hoped when I got on the road, I could lose the asshole. But every time I’d stopped, he’d quickly caught up to me. Finding the Reckless Kings had been a last-ditch effort.

  I pulled the ends of my hair up to my nose and grimaced. I hadn’t planned to wash it, but there was no way I was going to bed smelling like cigarettes. I got into the shower, marveling at the luxury of Beast’s home. The shower was big enough for four or five people, with a bench seat along one of the shorter walls. It had three showerheads and a solid glass wall with a door that was so seamless it was damn near hidden. Steam billowed into the bathroom from the stall and I sighed in pleasure as the water beat down on me.

  Picking up the green bar of soap, I took a quick sniff and smiled when I realized it was Irish Spring. What were the odds he’d like the same soap as me? I’d never cared for the girly shit. Simple, clean scents were my favorite. My perfume, which I seldom wore, had a warm spicy smell. If anyone gave me floral shit, or worse -- vanilla, I’d throat punch them. That crap was just nasty and gave me a damn headache.

  I grabbed his two-in-one shampoo, trying not to cringe at the thought of what it would do to my hair, and washed the long tresses. Anything was better than nothing at this point. I rinsed the suds and shut off the water.

  I stepped out onto the bathmat and dried off with a towel I found under the sink and pulled on my pajamas. Not a hair dryer in sight. Going to bed with wet hair was another thing I disliked, but it couldn’t be helped for the moment. Yawning so wide my jaw cracked, I made my way into Beast’s bedroom. I gave the covers a yank, then collapsed face first, not even bothering to pull the blankets back over me. My eyes were closed before my head hit the pillow and exhaustion weighed me down.

  I heard a scratching noise and hoped like hell he didn’t have rats. There were a lot of things I could handle, but rats weren’t one of them. The bed covers tugged and jerked underneath my feet and I opened my eyes only to realize I was face to face with a weasel. I screamed and jerked upright, sitting on my knees as two of them jumped around me on the bed.

  Not weasels. Ferrets. What the hell? Beast let these things roam free in his house?

  I cautiously held out my hand for them to sniff me. I’d never seen any running free. The pet store I’d always begged Mom to take me to had them for sale, and I’d thought they were cute. After a moment, they seemed to lose interest and scampered back down, only to disappear through the bedroom door. I’d have to remember to ask him about them later. Once I knew I was alone, and my visitors weren’t returning, I lay down and closed my eyes again.

  A beep from the alarm system I’d spotted in the hall told me someone had opened a door. With everything going on, I should have been more concerned, but I was too tired to run anymore. I sighed and refused to budge. If someone scary came through the door, I’d find the energy to fight back. Until then, I planned to give my best impression of a corpse. Maybe they’d think I’d died and le
ave me alone. It worked for possums.

  Footsteps came up the stairs and down the hallway. I only heard one set, so it wasn’t Tony. He’d never try to come after me on his own, not inside the Reckless Kings’ compound. I seriously hoped Beast had given the order to shut the gate and keep it closed. I didn’t like the fact Tony had waltzed right in earlier, and same for me. There hadn’t been anyone standing guard.

  “Had I known I’d come home to find you in my bed, damn near naked, I’d have rushed through the meeting,” Beast said.

  “Tired,” I mumbled.

  I heard the rustle of something, a zipper, and a moment later, the mattress dipped under his weight. The hair on his legs brushed against mine and I finally managed to crack an eye open. Shirtless, he was even more beautiful, or more accurately, ruggedly handsome. For an older guy with hair going silver, he’d kept in shape. Unlike most of the guys at my dad’s club, Beast didn’t have a full beard. Not that I would call him clean shaven, but the whiskers along his jaw could have easily been only a day or two’s growth.

  His touch was gentle as he brushed my hair back from my face. “Get some sleep, beautiful. We can talk after you’ve rested.”

  He pulled the covers over both of us and tugged me into his arms. I felt oddly right, as if I’d finally found the place where I belonged. I’d never believed in fate or any of that other crap. Now I had to wonder if I’d been wrong. Were we destined to be with one person? And if that was true, had I just found my other half?

  The thought was enough to make me a bit more alert. I opened both eyes and studied Beast. “Why are you here?”

  “Last time I checked, this is my house and my bed.”

  “Okay. But why are you naked in the bed with me?” I asked.

  He flexed his hips. “Not entirely naked.”

  I pretended I didn’t notice the bulge he’d just pressed against me. Good to know the attraction I felt for him wasn’t one-sided. It seemed he was every bit as interested in me.

  “Thanks for playing along earlier,” I said. “With Tony. I’ve been trying to shake him for a while, but he’s like a New York cockroach and keeps coming back.”

  He placed his hand on my hip and tugged me closer. “What do you know about him?”

  “Not much, except he gives me the creeps. He doesn’t like the word ‘no’ and seems to think I should fall at his feet. And he’s determined. You saw how he followed me here. He’s been tracking my every move for weeks now. I left school because of him, and the last two days I’ve not slept at all for fear if I stopped to rest, he’d find me.” I licked my lips. “I’m not scared of much, Beast, but Tony… there’s something not right about him.”

  “And you came here instead of going home? Or to the Devil’s Fury or Devil’s Boneyard?” he asked. “Why? And don’t give me that crap about Lilian.”

  “I was fifteen the first time I heard the story about Lilian and Dragon, and how she’d come here for help. The old ladies talk, not just amongst each other inside the club, but with the others too. One of them talked about you, how you’d helped Lilian and made sure she felt safe. I think I fell in love with the idea of you back then.” I snuggled closer to him, breathing in his scent. “You were like a knight in shining armor, and while I’ve never been a damsel in distress, I just knew if I came here you’d help me.”

  “Your club is under the impression this isn’t your first time here. Although, I think Venom knows otherwise. He knew you were here already, which means someone told him.”

  “And since someone told him, they were probably tracking me,” I said. “Yeah, I’m used to it. I’m sure there’s a chip somewhere on my car, in my phone. Hell, I wouldn’t have put it past Dad to microchip me like a lost puppy, and if not him, then definitely my grandfather. There probably isn’t much they wouldn’t tag so they could find me at any given time. Shoes. Purse. Anything they could attach a tracking device to would be fair game.”

  He ran a hand down my back, stopping just above my ass. Was it wrong I wished he’d kept going? I pressed tighter against him, the heat of his skin seeping into my clothes. I hadn’t thought I was quite as wild and crazy as my best friend, Farrah, but right now, I had to wonder -- What would Farrah do?

  Climb Beast like a tree.

  She’d never backed down from anything she wanted. Which explained why she was now the old lady to Demon, the Sergeant-at-Arms for the Devil’s Fury MC. There probably wasn’t another soul on this earth who could handle her half as well as someone like him.

  “I wouldn’t blame either of them for doing that. The thought of Tony, or anyone else getting their hands on you, makes me want to put my fist through something. Preferably through Tony.” He kissed the top of my head. “When you walked into the clubhouse, I knew I wanted you. Even told Brick I had dibs.”

  I couldn’t contain my snort of laughter. “You called dibs? Are you twelve?”

  His hand smacked my ass and I squeaked in surprise. “Keep sassing me and see what happens.”

  I tipped my head to hold his gaze. “What? You going to put me in time out?”

  “More like fuck you into submission.”

  A shiver raked me, and heat pooled in my belly. I clenched my thighs together. I hadn’t ever had a man make me want him so much just with words. Hell, I’d never wanted a man ever. I’d taken my own virginity when I’d been sixteen, using a vibrator a Prospect had given me. If my dad had ever found out, he’d have booted the guy from the club, after beating his ass. Again, something Farrah had talked me into.

  “With a promise like that, I may be extra bad on purpose.” Like really bad, and often. I had a feeling his version of “fuck you into submission” would leave my pussy aching for days. Was it wrong I got turned-on even more just thinking about it?

  Beast gave a low growl and before I knew what was happening, he had me on my back and pinned to the bed. His hips pressed to mine, and I felt the hard ridge of his cock. Holy shit! I hadn’t thought he’d be small, but the length and width of his dick was a teensy bit intimidating. At least for a virgin. It seemed Beast was big everywhere. It felt like fire licked along my nerve endings and my heart slammed against my ribs. I got even wetter and felt how soaked my sleep shorts were. Could he feel it too? Did he know what he was doing to me?

  “Don’t tempt me, Lyssa. You have no idea how tightly I’m holding onto my control.”

  I took a breath to steady myself. “Then don’t. Don’t hold onto it. Let go, Beast.”

  I’d never wanted anything more. The thought of him filling me up, fucking me, made my nipples rock hard. I shifted a little, rubbing my pussy against him and couldn’t hold back my moan. Jesus, the man was lethal. It should be illegal to be so damn sexy, and so… so… alpha.

  “I don’t do soft and gentle. Something tells me the only experience you’ve had is with boys. I might break you.”

  “You won’t.” I wasn’t about to confess I didn’t have experience with anyone. Boys, men, girls, women. None of them. Only experience I had was with my own hand and my vibrator. If Beast found out I was technically a virgin, he might very well run fast and far. I’d heard men claim it was too much responsibility being a woman’s first.

  His mouth slammed down on mine, his tongue thrusting between my lips. His hand gripped my wrists, keeping them over my head, and the weight of him held me in place. A raw, aching need filled me. Something I’d never felt before. I didn’t just want him, I craved him. The weight of his body over mine spiked my arousal until I nearly begged him for more. I gave myself over to Beast, letting him devour me. My nipples hardened even more, and my sleep shorts got so damn soaked. I’d felt the wetness before, but it was ten times worse. I’d have to wring them out. If he could nearly make me come from a kiss, I wondered what it would be like if he took full advantage of me. And I’d willingly let him.

  “Beast,” I murmured.

  “Eric.” He kissed me again, then nipped my lip. “My name is Eric.”