Warped (Dueling Devils Book 4) (7 page)

“Not
on my watch,” Monster said.

“That’s
what I was hoping you’d say.” Chase jumped up and patted him on the shoulder. “Be
back in a bit.” She disappeared into the crowd.

“Sorry,
you’re stuck with me.”

Symone
snickered. “It’s okay. I’m pretty sure Chase does as she pleases, so it’s not
like you could stop or predict her next move.”

“You
already picked up on that, huh?” He smirked.

She
snorted and covered her mouth with her hands.

The
sudden fear in her eyes slayed him.

“I’m
sorry,” she whispered.

“That
you think I’m funny?”

“No,
that I forgot myself?”

“I’m
not following you.”

“A
lady should always put her best face forward.”

“No.”
He gently grasped her hand and pulled it down from her face. “You do whatever
the fuck makes you happy. Don’t hide from me or anyone else.”

Her
eyes widened.

“I
don’t know where you’re from, or what you’ve been through and I won’t ask
because that’s none of my business. But I will tell you this. You are free to
be yourself here, whatever that means. Once you’re under our protection, no one
is going to fuck with you. I promise you that.”

She
nodded but remained tucked back into her shell, like a turtle.

The
silence stretched between them. He threw back another shot. “How about I give
you that tour Chase mentioned?”

“Please.”

“Baby,
you don’t ever have to say please to me. All you have to do is ask and if I can
do it, I will.”

“Why?”
she whispered. Her brow furrowed and her thin eyebrows sloped down, almost
meeting. The expression wrinkled her button nose.

Fucking
adorable. What the hell am I doing using words like that?
He
shrugged. “I’m still trying to figure that out. That okay with you?”

She
bit her bottom lip. “I’m not sure yet.”

“Fair
enough.” He stood and held his breath.

Quietly,
she sat on a stool and gave him a slow once over.

His
heartbeat kicked up a notch. His throat grew thick.
She’s one of my own
kind, the scarred and wounded. If she doesn’t want me, that’s it.
She slid
off the stool and his lungs began to work once more.

Her
gaze darted around, like she expected someone to come from nowhere.

“Hey.”

Looking
troubled, she glanced back over at him.

“I
got you, Symone. You’re with me now. You can relax, okay?”

She
swallowed hard and nodded her head.

He
wanted to wrap an arm around her slender shoulders, but he knew that’d be invading
her personal space. He shoved his hands in his pockets to resist temptation and
led her down the hallway to the deck out back.

“Oh,”
she whispered.

“Not
what you expected to see, huh?”

“Not
at all.”

“It’s
been a year of additions since Pres got married and things became a little more
family friendly, if you know what I mean.”

“That’s
nice though, says a lot about him.”

Her
wistful tone wasn’t lost on him. “Yeah, one thing about us bikers. When we
decide to claim someone, we take their happiness pretty damn seriously.”

“Yeah?
And all the club stuff here is what? Just a nice distraction the ladies back
home don’t need to worry about? I know men. They’re never satisfied with what
they have.”

“A
little presumptuous to lump us all in the same category, don’t you think?”
Monster asked.

“I’ll
believe it when I see it with my own eyes.”

“I
think when you find the right one, he’ll show you.”

“I
think it’ll be a cold day in hell when that happens,” she scoffed.

Well,
get ready, because a snow day is coming, baby.

CHAPTER FOUR

S
ymone
blew strands of wayward hair out of her face and finished tallying the last set
of numbers. The old girl had been dumb as a box of rocks, which meant their
accounting had to be overhauled, starting at the date she was hired six months
ago. She hit enter, scribbled the final amount and pushed back from the desk. Her
eyes burned from hours of staring at numbers on a computer screen. She closed
her eyes and rubbed her eyelids with her fingers, in an attempt to massage the
strain away.

God,
I should’ve been out of here three hours ago.

“Hey.”

She
jumped in the chair.

“Sorry
to startle you.” Monster stood in the doorway with his hands up in a comical
expression of surrender. His face and hands were smeared with grease and
droplets of sweat.

She
licked her lips. Something about this man appealed to her on a base level. It
wasn’t an experience she’d had before.

“I
thought I was the only one left. You’re usually out of here around seven.”

“Yeah,
I had to stay and clean up Sarah’s money mess before we got anymore behind.”
She shook her head. “I hope she was pretty, because she couldn’t do her job
worth a damn.”

Monster
burst out laughing. “I always figured. She had that vacant look in her eyes
when you asked her about shit.”

Symone
rolled her eyes. “Well, it’s all settled now. What happened to the girl before
her?”

“Anna?
She was a brother's kid. She graduated college and went off into the real world
to get a nine to five.”

“Ahh,
so you guys were left in the lurch and had to accept whatever you could find at
the drop off a hat.”

“Basically.”

She
snorted. “What are you doing here this late?”

“Finishing
up a job for P. He’s not a man you want to tell you couldn’t get something
done.”

“Yeah,
I think you’re putting it lightly.”

“What?
You scared of him?” Monster tilted his head. “Most girl’s panties drop at the
sight of him.

She
shook her head. “You can see in his eyes he’s a man about his business.”

“You’re
not wrong, but he’s about family too. That’s why he’s such a good leader.”

“Hmm.”

“You’ll
see,” Monster assured her.

“Who
says I’ll be around that long?”

“You
planning on leaving soon?”

“Not
at the moment.”
But you never know.

“No
way to live with one foot always out the door.”

“More
like eyes and options open.”

“You
really believe that?” Monster’s voice gentled.

“Do
you care?”

“Yeah,
I do, Symone.” He stepped inside the office. His broad shoulders stole half the
space and his personality took the rest.

“Why?”
The intensity rolling off him frightened her.

“You
know why.”

She
gripped the desk tightly. “No, I don’t.”

“Then
I’ll show you. Stand up for me, baby.”

Petrified,
she remained in her seat, frozen by a mixture of fear, hope and a tiny bit of
excitement. Monster was like no one she’d ever known. He woke things inside her
she hadn’t known existed and made her want. Wanting lead to pain and
disillusionment.
Eyes open this time.

He
held her gaze and walked over to stand in front of her desk. “You don’t have to
be scared of me, Symone. I will never harm a hair on that pretty little head of
yours. But we can’t deny what’s between us. I refuse to let you do that.
Because it’s not something that happens every day, especially not to me. Not to
people like us.”

“Like
us?”

“Who’ve
seen the worst life has to offer and kept pushing forward. Because we always do
whatever it takes to survive. Don’t you, baby?”

She
nodded her head, under his trance. She felt like a rabbit staring into the hypnotic
eyes of a cobra.

“I
can see it in your eyes that fight that hurt. I knew you’d be able to get me…to
handle me. You’re scared. I understand and respect that. Hell, I’m terrified.”

“Then
why?”

“Because
the other night with you at the clubhouse I felt more alive than I have since
the fire. And that’s something I refuse to walk away from.” He trailed his
fingers down the side of her face. His fingers going over her scarred skin felt
rough. But it took nothing away from the hold he had on her. “So, we can go as
slow as you need, but we will go. ‘Cause I’d never forgive myself if we
didn’t.”

“I
don’t know how.” Her voice shook.

“Fuck,
me neither, doll. But we can learn together.”

His
words sounded good, but she’d learned actions were everything. “I—I don’t know
that I can. There’s so much about me you don’t know.”

“I’ll
learn.” He tipped her face up. “And so will you.”

A
promise loomed in his eyes. A determination she knew wouldn’t be easily swayed.
She licked her lips and fought against his lure. He was a shiny bauble and she
was a magpie. He moved in and she glanced up, unable to move away.

“I’m
going to kiss you now. You ready for that?”

Against
her better judgment, she found herself nodding her head…
yes
.

Heat
rolled off him. The scent of leather, sweat, and oil meshed with his natural
musk. He gripped the back of her neck, squeezing it gently. His calloused
fingers displayed strength and support at the same time. Their lips brushed.
Energy crackled between them.

Streaks
of pleasure ran through her body. He pressed their lips together. Her knees
went weak. This was different. She wanted to kiss him because she could and he
wanted her. His gaze remained trained on hers. Her lids lowered to half-mast
and her mouth opened. He slipped his tongue inside and she whimpered. He tasted
like mint and something intrinsically him. Spicy, addictive, and mouthwatering,
he became the center all her senses focused on. He tilted his head, deepening
their kiss. She leaned toward him and he pulled her body flush against his. The
unmistakable bulge in his pants made her panties wet. There was no fear or need
to pretend here. It became a delicious and decadent feeling she wanted more of.

Their
tongues slicked together. A dull ache began in her core. Her heart pounded. She
was alive and safe for the very first time in a man’s arms.
No, in this
man’s arms.
Monster spoke to a part of her she didn’t’ recognize.
Which
makes him dangerous.
The thought was sobering. She moved her head to the
side and placed her hands on his chest, then pushed gently. Her chest heaved as
she sucked down air. “No, we can’t.”

“We
already did, babe.”

“Doesn’t
mean we have to do it again.”

“You
can’t put this genie back in the bottle.”

“Says
who?”

Monster
chuckled. “Says me. What exists between us is still there.”

She
wanted to tell him he was wrong, but it became hard to dispute the facts when
her panties were waterlogged and her nipples strained to escape the confines of
her bra. She shifted her weight, rubbing her thighs together to provide some
friction.

“You
know I’d be happy to take care of that for you.”

“No,”
she cried out and clamped her legs together.

He
squeezed her neck gently. “You sure about that? I bet if I slip my hands in
your pants right now, you’d be soaking wet.” His voice lowered.

The
husky timbre did funny things to her insides. “I—I’m sure. It’s too much, too
fast.”

His
jaw clenched.

She
flinched.

“Hey,
I’m never going to hurt you, Symone. You can take my word on that.” He released
her neck and moved around to stroke her cheek with the back of his knuckles.
“Someone did a real number on you, didn’t they?”

She
pressed her lips together.

“You
don’t have to tell me right now. I have plenty of secrets myself. But one day,
when we’re both ready.” He nodded his head.

How
can he be so certain?
She'd never been terrified and
fascinated at the same time before. She bowed her head and stared down at her
black pumps. “I just want to shut down the computer so I can leave.”

“You
do that while I clean up and I’ll walk you to your car.”

“You
don’t need to do that.”

“Yes,
I do.” He walked away.

Symone
stared after him, dazed. In a matter of minutes, he’d turned her new life
upside down.
I cannot do this. If I upset him, it’d mess up everything I’m
trying to build here.
She pushed her desire down and returned to her
computer, saving and closing out the programs. She grabbed her purse, slung it
over her shoulder, grabbed her keys from the desk, and headed for the door.

“Trying
to leave me?”

The
voice made her jump. She spun around and found Monster leaned against the wall
opposite her doorway.

She
shrugged.

Hurt
appeared in his eyes and she instantly regretted her decision. The last thing
she wanted to do was cause him pain. “Look, I’m not used to all this.”

“All
what?” Monster shook his head.

“Interest.”

The
harshness melted from his face. “Then you fucking need to get used to it from
me.”

“It’s
not that easy.”

“Tell
me what you need and it's done.”

“If
only I knew. This is a completely new way of life for me. There’s so much you
don’t know. And when you do…” A lump formed in her throat. She struggled to
keep it together, blinking to keep the tears at bay. “Then everything will
change.”

“No.”

“Don’t
say that when you have no clue what my past is filled with.”

“Why?
I don’t give a fuck about then. I care about now.”

She
laughed. “So easy to say.”

“Because
I mean that shit.”

“Right?
You’re a man. If your lips are moving, lies are being told.”

He
recoiled as if she slapped him. “That’s not me, Symone.”

“Yeah,
we’ll see.”

“Yes,
we will. Let’s go before I prove just how wrong you are and how easily I could
slip past those high walls you’ve placed up as defense. Newsflash, they won’t
work on me.”

“And
why not?” she snapped, raising her voice.

“Because
I know those tactics and the reasoning behind them. You don’t want to open up
because you were hurt. Deep down to the bone and it almost crushed your spirit
to smithereens. See, I’m intimately familiar with that expression. I’ve seen it
in the mirror every day for longer than I want to remember.”

She
closed her eyes.
He understands.

“I’m
a monster, I recognize and realize this, but even Frankenstein had a bride.

“You’re
not a monster.”

“You
don’t know the things I’ve done, babe. My hands are covered in blood so red
it’ll never wash away. And I see myself in the mirror.”

He
looked down and her heart ached. “I thought you said past doesn’t matter.”

“Yours,
babe. Mine matters a whole hell of a lot.” He pushed away from the wall. “Let’s
get out of here.”

She
followed behind him feeling as though she’d damaged something very fragile.
Pausing only to kill the lights and lock the front door, they arrived at her
car soon after. He reached his hand out for the keys and she placed them in his
palm, too tired to fight him about his chivalrous acts. He unlocked the door
and rested his arms against the frame as he watched her get in and buckle her
seatbelt. Leaning over her in the seat, he put the key in, the ignition and
turned it over. He backed out and stopped. “You’re probably right to stay away
from me, Symone. I wish I could be a better man and return the favor.” He shut
the door and walked over to his bike, leaving her speechless.

The
man was a tangled web of emotions, pulling in opposite directions. She wanted
to reach out and help him. There was a softness she wanted to nurture and help
grow. It amazed her, the way he’d by-passed her defenses like a world-class
thief hacking a security system. Knowing he wouldn’t leave until she did,
Symone shifted her car into reverse and took off out of the parking lot.
Muddled about the man—what he offered and what she wanted. She let her mind go
blank and enjoyed the drive. The wheels on the pavement and the music coming
through her speakers gave her a place to escape.

*  *  *  *

Stupid,
stupid, stupid.
He cursed himself out as he paced the
length of his room feeling like a caged animal. He’d made a move and she’d
balked.
And how can I blame her?
He’d come on too strong and scared the
shit out of her
. I knew better. She’s skittish and I’m twice her size.
His anger with himself, deepened. This might be my only shot. Negative thoughts
whipped around inside his head like a dark tornado. I have to get her off my
mind.