Call Me...Vengeance: Book 1 in the Vengeance MC Series (21 page)

“Oh,” Beth murmurs. “Last night and this morning meant all that?”

Fuck she’s adorable.

“Yeah, it did. You answered me with a question, though, sweetheart. I need you to confirm you get me, then tell me what your take on it was.”

Studying me intently, Beth lips quirks as she says,

“I’m sure it won’t come as a surprise that I don’t do this sort of thing often. I don’t sleep with men I barely know. So if you’re asking me if I think this is kind of a big deal, I’ll answer that by saying; most definitely. What I don’t understand is where you see this going. I only just met you, and call me crazy, but of the twice we’ve spent time together, one of them was under threat of a hail of bullets so I’m not sure that actually constitutes a date.”

“It doesn’t matter if you’d call last night a date or not, Beth because I don’t date,” I return.

“You-you don’t date? Ah, Jackson,” she stutters. “If that’s the case, then what is it we’re doing here because you’re confusing the hell out of me.”

“I don’t date, baby. I don’t woo women. I don’t take women out to lunch or dinner unless I’m hungry and happen to have one with me at the time. And, I don’t do movies. If you and I are going to do this, you’ve gotta deal with that, baby.”

Tipping her head still confused, she asks,

“So let me get this straight. You don’t do any of the things that define dating, but you want to have a relationship with me which I’ll never be able to label. So when I gab on the phone with my girls or meet up with friends for drinks what is it you expect me to tell them? Yes, I’m banging a shit hot biker. No, I’m not dating him. And yes, his cock really is that big.” She ends irritably.

It’s then I shove my face into her neck and burst out laughing.

When I’ve got a handle on my hilarity, I tilt my head back piercing her eyes with mine.

“Baby,” I rumble. “You don’t have to tell your friends shit, but if you’ve gotta put a label on what we’ve got going on here, you can tell them you’re my woman, and I’m your man.”

“I’m your woman? What does that even
mean
?”

“It means that I’m the man who’ll ensure you’re taken care of, that you’re protected, safe, and you want for nothing. I’m the man who’ll make sure you end every day with an orgasm or two, maybe three if you’re a good girl. And it means I’m the man who’s lucky enough to have you go to sleep in his bed, in his arms every night and wake up that way every morning. That gonna work for you?” I question through a grin.

“Ah, yes,” she replies without hesitation. Like I said, fucking adorable.

Pulling her in for a deep, wet kiss, I place my palms flat on her thighs when I’m finished taking her mouth.

“Right, that’s sorted now too. I’ve gotta give you the rest, but I don’t have a lot of time, sweetheart. Church is scheduled for a half hour from now and we’ve still gotta shower. And you know when I get you in there naked, wet, and slippery I’m gonna have to take care of both of us again, so you need to shut it while I tell you this next bit. You can ask questions later when I’ve got more time to answer them, yeah?”

“I’m not sure I like the sound of that, handsome,” Beth snaps.

“Which part? Me telling you I’m gonna get you off in the shower, which I’ll expand on by saying that when I do, I’m gonna make sure you’re hot, dripping, and panting for me. I’ll use my fingers to prime you before I fuck you so hard you’ll feel me inside you for the next week. Or are you pissed about me not having time to answer questions that will answer themselves within a couple of days of you being here?”

“Oh my God, are you kidding me? You did not just say that,” she says, mouth gaping at me.

“Abso-fucking-lutely, I did. I meant every word of it too,” I confirm. “Now, quiet while I finish this, baby.”

Glaring at me, Beth snaps her mouth closed, but not before she huffs at me and rolls her eyes. Ignoring her pouting, I let her in on the rest.

“The men you saw me talking to last night are not good men. Hells Riders is nothing like Vengeance, and the fucked up shit they’re into isn’t something I’m ever gonna discuss with you. And before you say anything, it’s not because it’s club business. It’s because you don’t need to have images of the level of fucked up they are in your head. I’ll confirm they’re the reason soft lockdown is happening, but that’s all you’re getting.”

Sucking in a breath, I go on.

“Bella will be around this morning. She’s not on lockdown, though, so don’t expect her to be here all the time. She’s free to come and go as she pleases, so if you want company, I’ll get you a burner phone so you can call her and get her ass out here. Next up,” I say squeezing her thighs. “There are a few people that’ll be here that aren’t usually around. One’s a woman who’ll be staying here for a while coming in from a club we’re friendly with, and the other is a woman I was with years ago.”

“Um, what?” Beth interrupts.

“Quiet, baby,” I remind her. “We haven’t been together for years, but there’s history there. With the shit swirling around the MC at the moment I can’t risk leaving her in the wind and one of those assholes getting hold of her. She’s here for her safety and my peace of mind, nothing more to it than that. I’m gonna have to ask you to trust that, baby. Trust that what I’m telling you is the truth, and if you hear different that you’ll come to me and talk about it before getting pissed and doing something stupid.”

“Something stupid,” she hisses. “Like what? Jumping her? Bikini mud wrestling with her for your honor?”

Grinning widely at her, I say,

“While I like the sound of the last one, no, Sweetheart. I mean before you take off on a wild hair because you hear something that hurts your feelings. I’m serious when I say I want to see where this is going between us, Beth, but I can’t do that if you’re not going to give me a fair shot at making this work.”

“I think I can do that,” she answers softly.

“There’s no think about it, Beth. Either you can or you can’t,” I demand more harshly that I intended.

Without hesitation, she repeats,

“Then, yes. Yes, I’ll trust nothing is going on between you, and I’ll talk to you before I get a wild hair and so something stupid.”

“Fucking excellent,” I mutter.

Needing to get my ass up and to church, I shift us to the edge of the bed, Beth still straddling me.

“Sarge is assigned to you, sweetheart. If you need anything, you ask him and he’ll see to it that you get it if he can. If he can’t, you come to me and I’ll make it so. Avery, the woman attached to the MC we’re friendly with is a good egg. She’s sweet, feisty, and funny as fuck. If you’re looking to expand your girl posse, she’s a good woman to add. Stick close to her if you’re uneasy because of anyone, Avery knows her way around an MC. Her Dad’s been a brother since before she was even thought of, so she was born into this shit. If you’ve got questions, ask them, but do it smart and do it quietly. Take her aside, sit her down, but do it privately, baby.”

At her nod, I add,

“I’d ask you to keep your distance from, Laura, but that’s not gonna be realistic. She’s gonna want to talk to you, find out what the deal with us is, and she’ll be nosy as fuck when she does it. It’s up to you what you say to her. You can tell her everything, or nothing, that’s your call, sweetheart. I don’t give a shit what she’s knows, and it won’t be long before she sees for herself what you mean to me, but I’ll leave it up to you for now how you wanna deal with is.”

“Last thing I’ve gotta impress, baby is that you can’t leave the clubhouse. Not at all. You want to go outside you do it with a brother at your back. Preferably, Sarge. You need shit from your apartment, we send one of the prospects to get whatever it is. You feel like going into town that’s not gonna happen for a while, sweetheart. I know you’re new to this, we’re new, but you’re gonna have to trust me on this too. I’ll do everything in my power, bleed and die to keep you safe, but you’ve gotta help me do that, yeah?”

Watching her eyes flash, fear etched all over her beautiful face, Beth drops her head to the crook of my neck inhaling sharply.

“Yes, I’ll help you do that,” she mumbles quietly.

Cupping her face in my palms, lifting it until I’ve got her eyes, I promise,

“I’m not gonna let anything happen to you, sweetheart. I promise. You’ll be safe as long as you have a mind to everything I’ve said, and keep vigilant.”

After a phenomenal shower, featuring some even more incredible sex where Jackson, as promised, used his fingers and cock to bring me over the edge not once, not twice, but three times, I followed him obediently out into the main room of the clubhouse.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that more than a few of the things he’d said while we lay curled together in bed didn’t bother me, but I was choosing to ignore them. At least for now. Trusting him didn’t come naturally to me, and that had nothing to do with barely knowing the man and more to do with my own hang-ups than anything else. But trust him I would. I mean, really, what choice did I have?

My preconceived ideas about what the inside of an MC clubhouse would be like early morning, more like before noon, were wrong. Way wrong. Bacon was frying, coffee had been brewed, and there were, even more, people milling around either with overflowing plates of food or nursing mugs of caffeinated goodness. Men who I would have thought wouldn’t rise from their dens of iniquity until afternoon were dressed in faded jeans, varying degrees of old T-shirts, unlaced motorcycle boots, and all sporting their vests. Honestly, it looked like a convention for the hung over in there this morning.

Yelling from the double doors that led to the forecourt drew my attention before I’d even had a chance to reach for the nectar of the God’s Jackson was offering. Dammit. I really needed that too. But far be it from me to miss out on any form of entertainment where I could get it. Especially if Jackson was to be believed when he told me that I’d be here for a while.

“You cannot be serious?” A woman I hadn’t seen but could most assuredly hear screeched.

“Shit,” Jackson’s deep, booming voice rumbled.

“Serious as a heart attack, Ave,” I believe Fury snaps back.

I didn’t know what to make of Jackson’s statement that Avery would arrive today. Or him telling me that if I felt the urge to enlarge my circle of friends that she would be a good one to include. I’ll give him this, though. Clearly he was not wrong when he described her a feisty.

“So what you’re telling me is, I left my home, my family, my friends, and my job to be locked down, but this time away from everything I know, for an indeterminate amount of time. Did I get that right? Because I shit you not, if that’s the case then I’m turning my ass around and going home now. I can do this shit in, Blackwater,” Avery retorts finally coming into view.

I have to work at not gasping audibly when I catch sight of her because she is beautiful. No, beautiful is too common of a word to describe everything Avery is. She is stunning.

Long dark hair curls to her waist, highlighted with several thick purple streaks that frame her face. A face that is so beyond perfect I can’t accurately describe how lovely she is. Full lips, high cheek bones, and gorgeous what look to be sapphire eyes are the only specific features I can pick out from where I’m sitting. And if that’s the case, I can only image how much more beautiful she is close up.

Avery is petite, to say the least. Possibly five-foot-two or three at most. She’s slim but with curves men drool over, and going based on the looks some of the single men in the room are giving her, drool they do indeed. All but one that is. Fury, the slightly scary, very intense, brooding badass is staring at her like she’s sprouted horns. He is most certainly not salivating over the feisty woman facing off with him.

Or so I thought.

Taking a closer look at him, I can see the shimmer of heat he’s throwing Avery’s way. His eyes are focused solely on her. His attention hasn’t diverted from her once since she’s walked in, regardless of the fact five of his brothers have approached to stand at his back. Hmm, interesting.

“That’s exactly what I’m fucking telling you,” Fury seethes. “It’d be good if for once you’d just do as you’re told instead of running your mouth.”

“Fuck you. Just fuck you, Tanner.”

“Jesus, fuck. Alright already,” Gage, one of Jackson’s brothers who I met last night grumbles. “I get it. We all fucking get it. Neither of you can stand each other, and that shit sucks seeing as you’re stuck sharing the same air for the next fuck knows how long. You wanna tear strips off one another, be my guest. It’d be good if you could do it anywhere else, though.”

“Bite me,” Avery snaps without heat.

Throwing his hands in the air, Fury stalks off in the direction of Jackson’s office. From beside me, Jackson groans,

“This should be a hell of a lot of fun if they’ve already kicked off. Couldn’t wait five fucking minutes before starting their shit. Fucking magnificent.”

Rising up, planting a soft kiss on his cheek, I grin,

“At least it will keep things interesting.”

Hauling me closer, Jackson wraps his arms around me.

“Sure as shit will.” Raising an eyebrow, he asks, “You gonna be alright out here while I’m gone, baby?”

“Mmhmm,” I murmur as his lips touch mine gently.

Losing myself in Jackson’s kiss is the easiest thing I’ve ever done. His kisses are in one word, masterful. There’s never a doubt who’s in control, Jackson takes over before I can even begin. His kisses are hot, wet, deep, and claiming. And I love them. Every last one.

Tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear, he touches his mouth to mine one last time before setting me away from him. Gesturing to the recliner, I was occupying last night, he instructs,

“Sarge is taking a load off waiting for you. You need anything like I said, you go to him. He’s not around for any reason, any of the other guys will help you out, yeah?”

“She’ll be perfectly fine, big man,” Bella chimed in, out of nowhere.

Shooting her a smirk, he replies,

“I’ll hold you to that, B.” Placing his lips on the tip of my nose, Jackson looks deep into my eyes for a moment before whispering, “Be back soon, sweetheart.”

Watching Jackson walk away is almost as good as watching him approach. His faded jeans hug his delicious ass like a second skin, making me shiver in anticipation. The fact that I’ve seen him naked appreciated every inch of his hot, smooth skin still amazes me. I never thought when I was getting ready to go to Hounds last night that I would end up here. And by here I mean, in Jackson’s bed after discussing our non-dating relationship, which by all accounts is more serious than any official relationship I’ve ever heard of.

Bumping me with her shoulder, Bella startles me out of my naked appreciation of the huge man striding down the hall away from me.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer.”

Smiling wide at her, I clasp the mug of coffee I procured, stating,

“If I had a camera or my phone I would. In fact, my friend Bec asked for a photo of a hot, badass biker. If I didn’t want to keep him to myself for a little longer, Jackson would definitely fit the bill.”

“Sure would, but I’m not positive he’d agree with you taking photos of him for your friend to use as female jerk off material.” She’s probably right, but it can’t hurt to ask. Can it?

“Come on,” Bella prompts, dragging in the direction of Sarge, who’s recently been joined by Avery. “I’ll introduce you to Avery, and we can get the low down on what the hell is going on with her and Fury. It’s boring as batshit around here this morning, I could do with some gossip to liven things up.”

Following closely behind, I almost trip over her as she stops abruptly a few feet from where they’re sitting.

“Holy shit,” she exclaims. Not quietly either.

“What?” I hiss taking a step backward.

“Did Jackson say anything to you about her?” Bella asks shortly. Tracking her gaze, I take in the woman she’s glaring at and draw in a sharp breath.

Oh God, please tell me that’s not Laura, I hope on a sigh. Doing what all of us women do when faced with what we consider a threat, I size her up.

Tall, statuesque even, she has to be at least two or three inches taller than me, and where my hair is a dark auburn with burnished red highlights, hers is a naturally, golden, honey blonde. Rail thin, not a hint of booty or bust, she is my polar opposite to me. Completely.

What strikes me as odd about her is the way she’s blatantly glaring at everyone. Her face is set in a harsh scowl, her brow furrowed, her eyes narrowed, and her lips are pursed angrily. Jackson might not have told me much about Laura, barely anything, actually, but from what he did say, along with what I picked up reading between the lines, she was someone important to him. Obviously, because otherwise why would she be here? But that aside, if she was someone special in his life at one time or another, then why is she looking at everyone with such contempt?

“Yeah,” I sigh. “Yeah, he did.”

“What did he say?” Bella demands sharply. “Actually, forget I asked. I know why she’s here, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. The woman is a heinous bitch I tell you. And when I say bitch, I really mean, she’s a raving, grade A, evil bitch.”

“Nice to see you again too, Bella,” the woman in question snarls.

Jesus, can you say ninja much. I didn’t even see her approach. Pinning her with an equally nasty look, Bella replies,

“I’d say it’s nice to see you, but we both know that would be a fucking lie. What the hell are you doing here anyway, Laura? Don’t you have small animals to terrorize, and a caldron to stir?”

Cackling, and at this point I can absolutely agree with Bella’s intonation that she’s a witch, because that laugh proved it, Laura snarls,

“Classy, Bella. You know why I’m here, Boss brought me. Now, are you going to introduce me to your friend,” she asks gesturing to me before adding, “Is she one of the new whores Boss has pulled up from the gutter?”

Is she for real? She did not just refer to me as a whore did she? I don’t know who the hell she thinks she is, but I’m not going to let that ride. I would do a lot to keep the peace, but I will not accept a stranger speaking to me like that. Oh, fuck no.

Before I can return my own equally nasty barb, Sarge wraps a strong arm around my shoulders pulling me to his side. With a gentle, yet firm squeeze he tells me to keep quiet and let him deal with her.

“I’d watch it, Laura. You might have been something to Boss years ago, but you’re here out of obligation now and we all know it. You included. So, if I were you, I’d tread carefully because I don’t think Prez will be happy you’re directing your venom at his woman.”

“His woman? Are you fucking kidding me? Her?” Laura sneers jabbing a hooker red-tipped fingernail at me. “Jesus, he
has
lowered his standards since me, hasn’t he?”

“No, you listen here bitch,” Bella growls going toe-to-toe with the wicked witch from Wyoming. “You’ve got history with, Boss, great. Wonderful. You’re here at his request, and that’s fine too. But if you think you can come in here and talk shit to my new friend and his girlfriend, you’ve got another thing coming. The guys tolerate you out of respect for their President and friend, but don’t think they won’t kick you out on your bony ass if you keep this shit up. I’ve never been able to stand you, and that will never change. But don’t you think you have enough enemies without making more. You’ve been here for less than a day you crazy bitch. Most people need at least twenty-four hours before alienating everyone within a ten-mile radius.”

Sarge lets out a bark of laughter at my side, Bella looks immensely pleased with herself, but Laura’s face has morphed into an, even more, thunderous expression if that can be believed.

“Fuck you, cunt.”

Oh, my, God. I know I said this before, but please tell me she did not just say that. What woman, a wicked witch or not calls another woman the C-word? Isn’t that against the code? It has to be. But regardless of whether it is or it isn’t, I’m not going to stand by idly and allow some tramp to call my newfound friend a filthy name like that.

Slipping under Sarge’s arm, I step towards her squaring my shoulders and straightening my spine. I really don’t want to cause a scene, so I lower my voice, close enough now that I can keep what’s said between us.

“I must have missed it, but have I done something to you that would imply it was acceptable for you to refer to me as a whore?”