Claiming Crusher: Savage Brothers MC (19 page)

She strains up to bury her face in my neck and breathes in against my skin.

“Are you sniffing me?”

“You smell good,” she mumbles, her lips placing small kisses against my skin.

I want this. I want more of this. I want this forever. I’m not letting her get away. Her fate is sealed. It was before this, but in this moment with the softness she’s showing me and the peace I feel? It’s cemented.

“I’ve missed the hell out of you, Hellcat.”

I feel her lips stretch into a smile against my neck—which is good. I want to give her more smiles.

“Sure you did, Cowboy.”

“Don’t do that, Dani,” I chastise her, pulling away so she is forced to look at me.

“Do what?” She asks genuinely confused.

“Treat me—treat us like we’re just fucking. We’re not. I know that and you know that.”

“Zander…”

“Admit it, Dani. Give me the words.”

“I…maybe? I don’t know. If it’s not just fucking, what are we?”

Disappointment hits my gut hard, but I shake it off. Dani wasn’t what she appeared to be at first and still she’s let me in. Hell, even after my monumental fuck-up she let me back in. I need to hold on to my patience a little longer.

“I don’t know how to make this any clearer to you. You’re mine.” I tell her, hoping it finally gets through to her.

“I’m not sure I can handle being a man’s property.”

So much for patience. “Too damn bad.”

She pulls up so the upper half of her body is stretched above mine. Which is okay—more than okay. The sheet falls away and pools at her hips. It’s a damn good show and she’s so put out with me that she doesn’t seem to notice.

“What is that?” She asks and I have to force myself not to stare at her breasts. “Why do men think they can own a woman? What in your DNA makes you think that you can have a person as property and do with them whatever you want? What the fuck is it?”

Whoa, there’s a lot there to digest, but along with the anger in her eyes I see something else, and what I see is fear, I need to rid her of that before she can accept my claim.

“It goes both ways, Hellcat. I belong to you too.”

“I…wait…What?”

“I said I’m yours too.”

“What does that mean?”

“Just what I said. I’m yours.”

“As in…all mine?”

I fake a heavy sigh and slide down in the bed further, flopping my hands out on each side. “Do with me what you will, oh Mistress.”

I look up at her and wink. She kind of half smiles, but she’s looking at me more intently than I imagined she would.

“Seriously, Zander.”

I bring my hand up along her jawline, rubbing my thumb along the bone and take a breath.

“Did Nicole explain to you what claiming someone was in the club?”

“Well, yeah, but that’s them. They’re a couple and well we’re…”

“We’re what?” I say trying my best not to get exasperated at her.

“You know what I mean, they’ve been together for a…”

“Damn it woman, how long do you think Dragon and Nicole were together, before he claimed her?”

That seems to make her stop and think, so I press my advantage.

“How long have we been together, Dani? “And I can tell you right now, you can count the month you’ve been gone because my dick hasn’t gone near another woman since the moment I got a taste of you.”

“I…you’re serious?”

“As a heart attack.”

“There are things about me, things you don’t know…and Zander, it’s not that I don’t want to tell you…I just don’t think I’m ready to tell…anyone.”

“Hell…,” I stop when she puts her finger to my lips.

“I’ve been working on it the last month, honest…and I’m not saying this to hurt you, Zander. That’s the last thing I ever want to do, but I’m not sure I can…I mean I’m not sure I’m ready for more than just this…I’m not sure I’m ready for us.” She sighs and it sounds like the weight of the world is on her shoulders. “And I know…” she whispers like it’s a dirty little secret, she doesn’t want to admit. “I know that I’m not ready for others to know there is an ‘us’.”

I let her words sit with me a moment. There are different ways I could react to what she’s telling me, but she’s trying I can tell that and I have seen enough signs to know I need to go slowly here. Still, I need a few things made clear.

“Do you plan on fucking other men while we’re sleeping together?” She jerks back like I slapped her.

“Of course not, but…”

“Do you want to keep going with whatever this is between us?”

“Yes,” she whispers, answering me eagerly and her tone is full of pleasure.

“Then we’ll do this on the down low, just the two of us.” She smiles and I feel the need to clarify my answer. “Just until you work it out in your head Hellcat that the two of us are meant to be together.”

She thinks about it and must agree because she gets this devious little smile on her face and leans down to whisper in my ear, “We have a few hours to play before Ray and Paul make it back.”

“Is that so?” I ask, as her hand slides down under the cover.

“Oh yeah.”

“What would you like to do?” I ask.

“You,” she answers simply and there’s this happiness in her eyes.

“I don’t know Hellcat, I’m pretty tired.”

“Sorry Cowboy, but as my property, you must agree to my demands.”

“Is that so?” I ask on a groan because she wraps my already hard cock in her hands.

“Afraid so, Zander. I don’t make the rules, I just enforce them.”

“Well if there’s no other choice,” I say lifting her up to straddle me. “But, since I’m so tired, maybe you could do all the work.”

And just like that, she guides me inside of her and lowers herself down on my shaft. Heaven. Warm, soft, wet, sweet Heaven.
Dani
.

Dani

T
wo months I’ve
been home. Two months that Zander and I have been hiding whatever we are. Two months that have flown by and even I will admit that it’s good. That being with Zander is good. He’s getting frustrated with me. He’s tired of keeping us a secret. He’s right. I totally agree with him, it’s just anytime I get close to confessing to Nicole that I’m seeing Zander, I chicken out. What if by bringing it out into the open I jinx it? What if that’s the very thing that ends it? I don’t want to lose him. I don’t think I’ll survive losing him. It scares the hell out of me to admit that because no matter how I try to convince myself otherwise, the devil will come calling.

The club has been changing since I came back. There was this darkness over it since Irish’s betrayal. It affected every member in some form or another. I know it’s hurt Zander. He doesn’t talk about it, but he’s having nightmares. He won’t even tell me what the nightmares are about, but on the nights he stays at the house, he rarely sleeps more than a couple of hours. Since I have my own nightmares, I completely understand.

Then there are nights like tonight. I try to avoid nights like tonight. I couldn’t this time. The club is celebrating Carrot Top’s birthday. Carrie is the girl Nicole said the club was protecting because of Dancer. Don’t get me wrong, I like her. She’s sweet, if not a little too innocent. That’s not the reason I have issues with her. No, I have issues because she gravitates towards Zander. At first it didn’t bother me, but then she started calling him Alexander and he lets her…

She’s everything he should have. Sweet, innocent, untouched by the darkness that’s in this world. Someone that could love him wholly and freely. She’s everything I’ve never been. She’s everything I’ve never had the chance to be. She’s sitting with my man, Bull, Freak and Nikki, Nicole and Dragon and they’re laughing. They’re happy. She’s accepted. She hasn’t fucked up. They don’t resent her. They look out for her, they care about her…they gave her a sweet nickname and not because they think she doesn’t have a heart…Yeah, I really should have avoided tonight.

“What’s up Ice? You want to dance?” I look up to find Gun standing by the bar. I shake my head. The man gets an A for effort.

“I thought we agreed you should give up trying?” I ask turning my attention back to my rum and coke, which these days has a lot more coke and very little rum—of course if tonight keeps going this way, that might change.

“Nah, eventually I figure you’ll give in,” he says sitting down.

“Have a seat,” I say sarcastically, but not really being a bitch. Truth is I like Gun. If he’d quit trying to get in my pants, I’d probably talk to him more than anyone.

“Thank you, don’t mind if I do.”

“Why aren’t you over there eating cake and doing birthday shit?” I ask talking about the big table Zander and the others are sitting and laughing at. I don’t turn around to see it, because it kind of…hurts.

“Not my scene,” he says taking a pull off a beer that Six puts down for him.

“What is your scene?” I ask not really interested, but Zander’s laughter rings out and it hits my stomach and pains me. I made this situation and I’m jealous. God, I am so screwed up.

“You got nothing to worry about you know,” he says instead of answering my question.

“What are you talking about?”

“Crush, he’s all tied up over you babe, you got nothing to worry about.”

“I think you should probably quit after that drink, Gun. You’re not making a bit of sense.”

“He’s worried about Red, he thinks of her like a little sister. She’s a lot like Melly and he’s worried because Dance comes back next week.”

His words hit me in the face. Melly? My first instinct is to ask him all about this Melly, but I can’t. That would give away more than I should.

“I figured Dance coming back would be good? I thought Nic said him and Carrie were family.”

“She made a bad decision and Dance got in the crossfire because of it. It’s the reason he’s been in the can for the last two years.”

It seems me and Carrot Top have more in common than I imagined. I thought I was the sole heir to the throne of bad decisions. Guess I have some work to do to keep the title. So, fuck it, let’s add one more into the list.

“So, who’s Melly?” I ask, my vision filled with the drink I’ve barely touched.

Gun laughs, and pulls my attention to him. He’s holding out his hand.

“C’mon Ice, if you want that story, I get something out of it. Dance with me.”

“I don’t dance,” I grumble, but let him pull me off the barstool.

“Sure you don’t, I guess Pussy’s just hired you because of your sweet disposition.”

“I never realized you were such a sarcastic ass, Gun. Besides, in case you haven’t noticed, Pussy’s hasn’t let me dance since I got out of the hospital—all I seem good enough for these days is waiting tables.”

“Yeah well, you didn’t think Crush was going to let his woman dance for other men, did you?”

“Motherfucker! I knew it.” Gun laughs as we reach the dance floor, which is really just a corner of the club that’s covered in old, scratched parquet flooring. The rest of the boy’s club has concrete floors. He pulls me in way too close and when I try to put space between us, he pokes me in the ribs, causing me to yell out. “What was that for?”

“Loosen up Ice, I know when I’m out of the running.”

“Yeah well, I heard all too well what you wanted to be in the running for,” I grumble as we start slow dancing to a song I can’t even place, and could care less about.

“Hey, I’m a man and you’re a hot piece of ass,” he responds.

“You’re such a sweet talker Gun. Really, with lines like that I’m surprised there isn’t a gang of women behind you, just waiting for their turn,” I tell him, rolling my eyes.

His hand moves down to my ass and he squeezes.

“If you want to keep your hand, how about you move it up to my back?” I warn him. He laughs, but does as I ask. When he makes no move to talk, I sigh—loudly. “Hello? Melly?”

He laughs, and I know right then he was waiting for me to push it. Asshole.

“Melly is a girl Crush grew up with. He was in love with her. Young love, you know?”

“As in you never forget your first,” I say, while inside my heart feels like it’s in a vice grip. Fuck. “Yeah, I’m familiar.”

“Who knows, they were both kids though. Crush tried to save her and couldn’t. He blames himself.”

“How did she die?”

“Her own father shot her and then turned the gun on himself. Crush was the first to find her,” Gun says with distaste and who could blame him? Even as jealousy hits me, my heart breaks for this unknown girl.

“He told you all of this?” I ask him, not even noticing we’re now dancing on our second song.

“He had nightmares about her in the service, broke down and told me and Freak about it one night while he was drunk, some ghosts don’t let go.”

Fuck, don’t I know that better than anyone?

“Why are you telling me?”

“Because, you can be a hard bitch, but I see that same haunted look in you. Just thought it’d be good if you knew Crush gets it.”

Jesus, men are clueless. He doesn’t even realize he’s ripped me to shreds. I look at my hand and the way it lightly trembles on his shoulder and know I need to get out of here and soon. I’ve not had an attack since Zander came and got me, but I can feel this one coming and it’s going to be bad.

“Can you take me home?” I ask, because I know I can’t drive. There’s just no way.

“I can get Crush to…”

“No!” I yell before I can stop myself. “I mean I don’t want to bother him, I just…I really need to get out of here.”

“Sure, Ice. Come on.” He takes my hand and leads me off the dance floor.

I follow him like a robot. I feel like I’ve taken a knife to the gut and since that’s happened before, I’m all too familiar with the feeling. Trouble is, this one hurts more than the real knife ever did. As we leave the club, I don’t look at the table Zander is sitting at. I don’t look at anything but the back of Gun’s cut, stumbling behind him and wondering if I will survive. The nightmares Zander’s been having? Were they really about this Melly? Does he see the same darkness that Gunner sees? Is he trying to save me because he couldn’t save Melly? The woman he loved, the first woman he loved? Heat surges through me, heating my face. I feel like such a fool. I knew it was too good to be true that someone like Zander could want to be with me, for me—love me for me…