Crimson Lips [Amazon Warriors] (Siren Publishing Classic) (2 page)

She had never hidden her opinions from the tribe, but while she was still in training, she didn’t cause conflict or initiate fights. Lately however, it seemed she had made it her mission to piss off everyone in the tribe, including Crimson.

Crimson entered the room. When her presence was noted, all the members of the tribe turned toward her, and the chatter died away.

She approached the fighting pair, grabbed each by the back of their clothing, and yanked them apart.

There was a reason she was the leader of the tribe. She was the biggest and strongest female warrior. She was also considered the bravest and most levelheaded person in the tribe. That’s why her predecessor had named Crimson as her successor.

Recently, though, Delila had been testing Crimsons patience.

Crimson looked from Jamall, who hung his head and lowered his eyes showing his shame and respect of his leader, to Delila who stood tall and defiant at Crimson’s shoulder. Her chin tilted back with her eyes firmly fixed on Crimson.

She still held both tightly in her grasp when she looked between both of them when she asked, “What the fuck happened?”

Delila wasted no time in answering the question.

“What happened was that this…man”—she gestured toward Jamall—“thought he could help me and my sisters move the couch, so I explained to him that the day I need the help of a lower-class servant will be the day I love a son…never!”

Crimson turned to Jamall, looking at him in expectance.

Jamall looked Crimson in the eyes when he said, “My apologies, Crimson, I let her words cause me to lose my temper and lash out. It shouldn’t have happened and won’t happen again.”

“You won’t even defend your actions? You’re everything I despise about men. You’re a weak, pathetic excuse for an Amazon. Hell, you’d be a pathetic excuse for a slave. Do you ever get pussy or just act like one?”

Crimson could feel Jamall tensing and getting worked up again. She guessed that was just what Delila was trying to do. What she was saying would be a great insult to any Amazon, male or female.

She nodded toward Jamall’s brother and sister, Hassan and Lotus Mansour, indicating to get their brother out of there. They did as she silently asked, removing Jamall from the situation, giving him time to calm down.

With the “entertainment” stopped, the rest of the tribe followed the Mansour family out of the main house, leaving Crimson to deal with Delila. Only Delila’s older sisters, Vicki and Louise, stuck around, whether to defend their sister or reprimand her, she wasn’t sure.

When she heard the door to the main house close behind the crowd, she let go of Delila and stared down at her. “This tribe has been together for a long time, and no one has ever caused as many problems as you. I should dismiss you from the tribe, let you be someone else’s fucking headache. But your family has been part of this tribe for generations. I don’t want to sully your family’s well-respected name because of one stupid little girl with a superiority complex.”

Delila squared her shoulders and took a small step forward, closing the distance between the two of them. “You done?”

Crimson’s anger started to stir. “You need to be careful who you square up to. The wrong person may see that as a challenge.”

After a minute of staring at each other, Delila looked away, showing submission to her leader.

“Good girl.” Crimson knew she sounded patronizing, but she couldn’t help it. The girl pissed her off. “You will respect each and every member of this tribe, male or female. We may not all be bonded by blood, but this tribe is as close as family, and no one should be belittled within their family. So, keep your Stone Age opinions to yourself, understand?”

Delila went to leave, but Crimson grabbed her elbow as she passed and held her still with her superior strength.

“Understand?” Crimson repeated, squeezing Delila’s arm with a fraction of her strength.

Delila turned to look Crimson in the eye and, with a sneer, said, “Understood.” Somehow Crimson knew this wouldn’t be the last incident to be caused by Delila’s vicious streak.

She watched as Delila stormed out of the main building, slamming doors and cussing as she went.

Crimson turned to Vicki and Louise, who had surprisingly stayed quiet throughout the whole incident. She simply asked, “Do you share your sister’s views?”

“We have all had issues with men in our lives, but we do not blame all men for the actions of a few, whereas Delila’s hatred seems to grow weekly,” Louise stated.

“We are not making excuses for our sister. We know what she said was inappropriate and unacceptable. We have tried to help her deal with her issues with men, but she doesn’t want to listen,” Vicki said.

“I’m sorry you have had bad experiences, but I’m glad it hasn’t had the effect on you two that it seems to have had on your sister. Please keep trying to help your sister respect the people of this tribe because if her attitude and behavior continues to escalate, I will dismiss her from the tribe.”

“Understood, and we will keep trying. We don’t like seeing our sister hurt and angry, but know that if you dismiss her, although for valid reasons, we will leave with her. She may not be perfect, but she’s our sister,” Vicki replied.

Crimson nodded and held out her arm. She clasped Vicki’s elbow as Vicki did hers so they were forearm to forearm. She repeated this with Louise. It was a sign of respect among their people.

“I understand and respect your loyalty to your blood sister, but the tribe is your family, too. You are great warriors and great women, you will be missed, but let us hope it doesn’t come to that.”

They all nodded in agreement and acknowledgement before going their separate ways.

The run through the woods felt like a lifetime ago. Crimson already missed the freedom of it, but the responsibilities of an Amazon tribe leader were never too far away. She loved her tribe and helping the members within it, but once in a while, she wanted to feel free of her responsibilities, have decisions made for her, and lose all control.

Five more minutes and the chopper would be landing. He and his team were coming home from their third tour of duty and looking forward to a couple of months of R and R.

They’d lost a few friends along the way, so in a time-honored tradition, they were going to hit a local bar. They’d drink for their fallen comrades, to celebrate the ones who made it back and to forget the horrors of war before they head back to their normal lives.

The lads who were single would also be looking for some no-strings-attached pussy.

He’d been pleasing himself with his own hand for months, and he was craving the feel of a warm, wet, welcoming woman.

Sloan Baptiste was so lost in his thoughts about what he’d be doing and who he’d be doing later that night, he hadn’t noticed they’d landed on home soil and were ready to exit the chopper.

The men with families waiting for them always left the chopper first.

When he exited, he looked around to find many of his men with their wives, girlfriends, and kids. He felt like he was missing out. Not because he wanted a family of his own, at least not yet anyway, but he missed his brothers.

Sloan was the eldest of four brothers. They were all very close but all had jobs that took them away from each other. They kept in touch as much as possible, but it wasn’t the same as the banter they had when they were together.

The other guys of his team without a welcome-home party slapped him on the back as if understanding how he felt. They were good guys, and he had fought hard with each and every one of them. They were almost as close as his brothers.

He left the other men with their families. They’d said their
I’ll see you laters
in the chopper before landing. He followed the men ahead of him and looked forward to the night ahead.

Sloan had shit, showered, and shaved before putting on his best clothes. He was ready to hit the bar. He looked and smelled good. He was confident he was going to get laid tonight.

Sloan and the other guys in the team who had stuck around made their way to the Res Inn, as they’d heard it had cheap drinks and, more importantly, beautiful women that shouldn’t present too much of a challenge to get in the sack.

The place was a nice, typical pub for the middle of nowhere. The looks on the local faces told him they weren’t expecting a big group of large men to walk through the door. A lot of them finished their drinks and left shortly after their arrival. He knew him and the guys looked intimidating, but they’d never half emptied a room before.

After ten minutes, the place was as good as dead, but considering the other “local” pub was twenty miles away, they’d stay and drink the bar dry. After eight months in a war zone, a quiet bar was paradise in comparison.

Thirty seconds after that thought, he had to have an urgent rethink. A large group of rowdy men and women swarmed the bar. Turns out they’d heard right. Beautiful women did come to this bar after all, and they didn’t seem intimidated by the large men of his team scattered around the bar.

Now, Sloan wasn’t gay, but he could admit that even the men in the encroaching crowd were good-looking guys. The whole group was amazing to look at. Their beauty, grace, strength, and confidence were awe-inspiring. Now Sloan was the one who felt a little intimidated, and that wasn’t easy to do.

The group didn’t even seem to notice him and his guys. He saw some of the lads try to approach the women of the group and get shot down before they even introduced themselves.

They were told the women ’round here wouldn’t be a challenge. Someone had clearly been taking the piss. They’d have more chance of getting a fuck from a convent of nuns.

* * * *

Crimson really didn’t like going out among the mortals, but as leader of the tribe, she had to make an appearance at the Res Inn where the rest of her tribe was celebrating their recent victory.

Crimson was a confident woman, but the looks she got from the mortal men and women unnerved her. She knew that to them she was intimidating and an oddity amongst their kind, so she tried not to hold it against them.

She was a six-foot-tall woman without heels, and she had well-defined muscles. It was a fact she was proud of as an Amazon warrior but self-conscious about as a woman.

She was running a little late as she went to go check on Jamall. After the previous night’s events, she wanted to make sure he knew that one warrior’s narrow-minded opinion would not sway the tribe. He and all the Amazon males were a valued part of their community.

Once Crimson was sure all her business was settled did she allow herself to relax and get ready for the night out.

It was rare that she made it out at all let alone with all the people she considered her family. No matter what looks she got or the insults she overheard, she was going to enjoy this time and celebrate the end of the war with the tribe she loved.

* * * *

When Sloan turned around to see the newest arrival to the party, his jaw hit the deck.

He’d never seen anything so striking, he just sat there staring.

She was gorgeous.

As a six-foot-three marine, he had never met a woman he would physically have to look up to, but with this woman, he’d be happy to.

She was clearly over six feet with the five-inch, sexy-as-sin, bright-red heels she wore. He stared at her shoes for what felt like an eternity before his gaze slowly traced its way all the way up the longest legs he had ever seen, clad in the tightest pair of skinny jeans that showcased her muscular thighs and, he would guess, a rock-hard ass.

This woman definitely took care of herself. He appreciated that in a woman.

His eyes kept wandering over her body, taking in the simple, white tank top she wore with a thick, bright-red belt that she had secured under her breasts. It accentuated her curves, her voluptuous breasts, and it showcased her sculptured torso.

When he eventually reached her face, he gasped. She had long, mahogany hair that fell to her shoulders in waves. She had smooth, beautifully tanned skin. She obviously spent a lot of time outdoors. She had soft but strong features, and her big, moss-green eyes looked like she held the weight of the world on her shoulders, and he had the urge to help her with whatever burden she carried.

The thing that caught Sloan’s eye the most, though, was her lips. They were the deepest shade of bloodred he had ever seen, and for some reason, he just knew their color wasn’t due to lipstick. They were the most kissable, lickable lips he had ever seen.

In that moment, there were only two things he wanted. One was to taste those luscious lips, and the other was to see her smile. Even knowing the sight would bring him to his knees.

Sloan had no idea how long he had been staring at the beauty before him, but he was brought out of his trance when he saw her move over to the large group of men and woman that had come in shortly after him and his men.

The women within that group had paid little or no attention to the advances of him or his men. Part of him was relieved he hadn’t succeeded with any of those women. It may have ruined his chances with the sexiest woman he had yet to meet.