Finally, the tension was too great for her to stay silent. “Do I get a say in this?”

  “No,” both men said simultaneously. Her interruption seemed to make both men reach a conclusion. Cain nodded once, then stood, leaving the room. All but Bohannon followed him.

  “So, am I your prisoner now?”

  Bohannon just stared at her. Looking into his eyes was the most terrifying thing Luna had ever experienced. She’d almost rather be back in the woods with a gun pointed at her. This man could hurt her in so many ways…

  “I suppose you could look at it that way,” he finally acknowledged. “Or you could choose to involve yourself in whatever plan we come up with to free your brother.”

  “I’m surprised you’d trust me that much.”

  “I don’t.” No hesitation.

  “Then what do you expect of me?”

  “To do what I fucking tell you.” He snagged her arm and pulled her along with him. “Come with me.”

  “Do I have a choice?”

  “Not in the least.”

  Chapter Three

  Bohannon didn’t take her far. Not even outside the clubhouse compound. The suite he took her to wasn’t overly large, but had a separate living and sleeping area. An apartment. The living and dining areas were combined, and the kitchen small, but definitely comfortable for one or two people. She had her own full bathroom as well, and it again struck her at how much like a resort hotel the clubhouse was.

  “You’ll stay here until I come up with a more permanent solution.” Bohannon’s tone was gruff, daring her to refuse.

  “More permanent? How long will you keep me here?”

  “Until you’re safe. Do you want to be out in the city, unprotected until Scars and Bars hunt you down? Because, trust me, they’re looking for you even now.”

  Luna gasped. “But it’s only been two hours. They probably don’t even know something has gone wrong yet.”

  “They do.”

  “You seem certain.”

  He gave her an impatient look as if she should understand everything that had happened. “You don’t honestly think we’d deliver a message like that and just leave it to chance they’d figure out who stopped their deal, do you? We dropped every single man killed in that raid on the doorstep of Scars and Bars. The drugs are destroyed.“

  “Then Markus is as good as dead.” Despite the panic welling up inside her and a nearly smothering grief, there was also a humiliating amount of relief. Markus had been in trouble for years. He’d left their parents destitute before they’d passed away, then blown through his part of the life insurance and started working on Luna’s. Before she’d realized it, he’d gone through everything she had, and she was taking out loans to bail him out of debts he owed one drug dealer or another. Until this last time, when she’d finally told him she had nothing left to give. Her job in the flooring mill didn’t pay much, and she barely had enough for gas to get to work once she’d paid all the loan payments and rent. She practically lived off peanut butter and water as it was.

  With relief came shame for feeling that way toward her brother. She didn’t want him dead. Quite the opposite. But she wanted the loving person she’d grown up with. Not the drug addict occupying his body. Looking back, his drug use was probably what had driven Gage away.

  “We already told you we might not be able to prevent a bad outcome with your brother.”

  “I know. But he’s still my brother.” She sighed before sinking into a nearby chair. It wasn’t overly expensive looking, but was obviously a quality piece of furniture. What kind of club had she stumbled into? “Look,” she said, resigning herself to whatever fate awaited her. “I can’t stay here. I have to work. If I miss, I’ll get fired, and I can’t afford that. Besides the fact I need a place to live, I’ve got several loans to pay back before I’m truly free of Markus’s legacy, no matter what’s happened to him.”

  Bohannon just looked at her.

  “I mean, I can’t just not pay what I owe.”

  Still he said nothing.

  “I have to work, Bohannon! I have to!” She was getting a little desperate. Though Luna knew he wasn’t letting her go, would likely use her part on the earlier misadventure to force her to stay, she had to try.

  “You done?”

  Fucker. When she didn’t respond, he nodded once in a crisp movement. “Good. You’ll stay here until we fix this. After that?” He shrugged. “We’ll see.”

  “What do you mean ‘we’ll see?’ You can’t keep me here if I don’t want to stay!”

  Bohannon took the two steps separating him from her and pushed her against the nearby wall. When her hands automatically went to his chest, pushing at him, he snagged both wrists and pinned them above her head in one of his big hands. Luna gasped, her mind telling her she was afraid. Her body told an altogether different story.

  It was stupid. He was asserting his dominance over her, not in a sexual context, but in a way to tell her not to go against him. To do as he commanded. Yet, she recognized the dominant lover he would be. His large body so completely dwarfed hers that he could manhandle her and use her body for his pleasure and, as perverse as it was, the thought turned her on more than she’d ever experienced before.

  Her breasts ached for his touch. He pinned her between his big frame and the wall and she nearly moaned in delight as his chest mashed against hers. Could he feel her nipples stabbing him? Did she want him to? It was all Luna could manage to not lift her leg to hook around his hip and thrust her pussy at him in invitation.

  “No one said you’d stay here against your will,” he grated. His voice was husky. Menacing.

  Sexy.

  Luna couldn’t speak. She could be as cutting as the next bitch, but this man was so far out of her league she couldn’t form words. He oozed sex and violence, a combination she’d thought she never wanted to experience. Yet, she had the feeling there was nothing this man could do to her she wouldn’t enjoy. He was nothing like her. He lived in a world where the rules were vastly different, even though they resided in the middle of civilized society. What startled -- and scared -- her the most was to realize exactly how much she wanted Bohannon in that moment. Despite the situation, despite the circumstances, this was still her Gage. Her mind might scream “no,” but her heart screamed a resounding “yes.”

  When she didn’t say anything, simply stood passively beneath him trying to process her own lust, he gave her a humorless grin. The look said he knew exactly what she was struggling with and welcomed it.

  “I never keep women who don’t want to be kept. But I’ve been known to make more than one good girl turn rogue.”

  The second her little whimper of need escaped, Bohannon took possession of Luna’s mouth. He knew he was being a bastard, but he’d been wanting to kiss her from the moment she’d stepped out of that Goddamned truck. She was too beautiful. Too innocent. If he’d had any decency in him at all, he’d have locked her in his room and left. That wasn’t happening. He’d take whatever she wanted to give him and coax a few things she didn’t. When it was over, they’d go their separate ways and remember the pleasure they’d shared as a fond memory.

  She stood passively for a while, letting him take the lead. Moans and little cries when he nipped her bottom lip sounded like the sweetest music. Bohannon kept her hands pinned in one hand while his other slid the length of her side, molding the side of her breast, her nipped-in waist, to finally settle on the curve of her generous hip. His fingers dug in there, holding her to him.

  When she darted her little tongue inside his mouth, meeting his boldly thrusting one with a tentative stroke, Bohannon urged her leg up to circle his hip. He raked his fingernails from the high hem of her shorts down the length of her thigh until he hooked his hand around the back of her knee to keep her where he wanted her.

  He pulled back then, needing to see her expression. Hoping to see a dazed look of lust on her lovely face. He wasn’t disappointed. She looked stunned and confused, needing more yet unable to express her desires.

  Slowly, giving her time to tell him to go to hell if she didn’t want more, Bohannon leaned into her, pressing the thickness of his cock to the apex of her thighs. He swore he could feel the heat of her little pussy through their clothing. Instead of rebuffing him, she tilted her pelvis, beginning a slow, sensual movement that ran the length of his dick over and over.

  “Little witch.” He threw his head back, savoring the feel for that one blistering second. “No,” he bit out, leaning his full weight against her so she had to stop moving. “I won’t be keeping you against your will.” He dipped his head to take her mouth again, thrusting his tongue deep. Holding himself tightly against her, he gave one hard thrust against her, needing to push her just that much closer to the edge. “But I will be keeping you.”

  With one last, hard kiss, Bohannon shoved himself away from her. He didn’t look back as he opened the door and exited his room. He should really put her in her own room, but he just plain didn’t want to. Having her there where he could seduce her at his leisure appealed to him on a primitive level. He doubted Cain would object since he’d pretty much done the same thing to secure his own woman.

  Which was why Bohannon needed to confide in Cain his plans for Luna. The problem was he had no clue how far he wanted to take this. Sure, she tasted sweet as fuck and would undoubtedly be even better during sex, but he still didn’t have all the information he needed. If she’d been a plant from the Scars and Bars to gain information about Bones, he’d have no choice but to dispose of her. Even now, the thought left a bad taste in his mouth and an ache in his chest. He doubted it was anything so dire as all that, but he still needed the full report from Data before he made up his mind about her.

  “You put her in your room.” Gavin Ferguson, aka Torpedo, was an ex-SEAL and Bohannon’s best friend. Though Bohannon had been a Green Beret instead of a Navy SEAL, the two used their specialized training in a symbiotic way once they’d joined Cain’s contracted team of paramilitary in the company ExFil, and had quickly become nearly inseparable.

  “Best way to keep an eye on her.” Bohannon shrugged as if it was no big deal when both knew it was. The best way to keep a woman from clinging and wanting more than a man wasn’t ready or willing to give was to keep them at a distance. And never, ever, fuck a woman in his own bed.

  “Not buying it,” Torpedo said without a moment’s hesitation. “You see something in her you want for yourself.”

  Bohannon tried to sound casual when he replied. “What’s not to want? She’s beautiful. Seems too innocent to be real. I think I’ll enjoy finding out just how innocent she really is.”

  Immediately, Torpedo scowled, looking for all the world like he might give his brother a beating. “Don’t give me that bullshit!” he snapped. “We’ve known each other too long. Besides, you’d be the first one to say not to treat a woman that way.”

  “What way? Giving her pleasure she didn’t know existed?” Bohannon tried for a cocky smirk but knew his biker brother saw right through him.

  “By taking an innocent and shocking her into submission.” In all the years Bohannon had known Torpedo, he’d never seen his brother look so angry and disappointed as he did now. “I thought you were better than that, Gage.” By calling Bohannon by his given name instead of his road name given by all his brothers, Torpedo made his feelings known.

  Bohannon swiped a hand over his face. “I am,” he muttered. “I’ve known her since she was eight and I was twenty-one. I remember the eight-year-old. Not… this. She’s… I don’t know what she is. But I want her.”

  “Fine. Wait until this business is over then introduce her to this life slowly. Don’t shock her for the sake of your own pleasure. She might enjoy it, but she’ll be appalled with herself and never look at you the same way.”

  “What makes you think I want her to view me as anything other than a badass biker? She’s different, but that doesn’t mean I intend to actually keep her like Cain did Angel.”

  “You put her in your Goddamned room, Bohannon! We never do that! Not even with women we’re seeing for longer than it takes to fuck them! You want this girl for more than a mere night, and you’re fixing to royally fuck up! You know her from your old life? Fine. If you were in that life again, would you be treating her this way?”

  That brought Bohannon up short. This wasn’t about him mistreating a young woman. This was about Torpedo looking out for Bohannon. Just like he always did. Just like they both did for each other. It was for that reason alone Bohannon could admit the truth.

  “I’ve known this version of Luna a couple of hours. She might be a plant by a rival MC. I should keep my distance, but I can’t.”

  “You’re right. You should. You’re not going to, so we’ll work it out. Now, make sure she understands what’s happening and don’t treat her like a patch chaser.” With that, Torpedo pushed his way past Bohannon and down the stairs to the common room.

  Chapter Four

  Luna had never been more confused in her life. Bohannon had kissed her with all the finesse of a wrecking ball, made her want him more than she’d ever thought it possible to want a man, then just left her. All night. She’d waited for him, knowing he’d be back because, really, who kissed a woman the way he did, mastered her body, then didn’t take her? Had he continued his kisses and stroking of her body, Luna knew he was right in that she’d willingly surrender herself to him. Might even beg him to take her.

  But he hadn’t returned. Sometime around daybreak, she’d passed out on the couch, still waiting for him even though that ship had already sailed. Despite how pissed she was, she was equally hurt. How could he force her attention on him in the space of a few hours, then so totally abandon her? More importantly, how could she have let him ensnare her?

  She was startled out of a light doze when someone rapped at the door only to open it immediately and stroll in. A woman. Long legs in Daisy Dukes and killer breasts encased in a leather halter. The woman definitely presented her ample breasts to their best advantage as she entered the room. She wore four-inch-heeled ankle boots and let her hips sway in such a way that any man would take a second -- and third -- look. The shock of another woman entering Bohannon’s room after the possessive way he’d been with her nearly made Luna see double.

  With an exaggerated twist of her ass, the woman walked across the room and looked around, ignoring Luna. After several minutes, the woman finally turned to Luna.

  “You’ll never stay here, you know,” she commented without introduction. “Bohannon never lets a woman stay here. You’re not Bones.” One elegant shoulder rose, relaying her disdain. “You’ll never be one of us.”

  “No one said I wanted to be one of you.” Luna knew she was projecting her fear, anger, and frustration on the woman and the club in general but couldn’t help herself. “You’re all murderers and gangsters. Every single one of you.”

  In an instant, the woman lunged for Luna, her red-tipped fingers like claws coming for Luna’s face. Luna managed to duck, but took the woman’s knee to her midsection, then an awkward slap to her face. Kicking out, Luna knocked her back before scrambling over the couch and running to the table behind her. She grabbed an empty vase. When the woman came at her with a screech, Luna swung. The vase crashed into the woman’s head, dropping her. She wasn’t unconscious, but dazed.

  “Bitch!” the woman screeched

  “Me? You’re the one who started it!”

  “You shouldn’t be here! No one wants you here, no matter if you’re fucking Bohannon or not!”

  “I’m not. And, believe me, no one wants me gone more than me.”

  “What the fuck is going on in here?” Bohannon’s voice boomed from the doorway. His gaze took in the woman on the floor then darted to Luna. She winced at the thunderous expression on his face.

  “Your woman here was just inviting me to leave.” Luna didn’t care if he liked her answer or not, but when he looked even angrier, she took a few involuntary steps backward despite her resolve.

  “Inviting her to leave?” His tone was quiet now. Deadly. Now, his gaze focused on the woman hastily getting to her feet, blood streaking down her temple where it had met with the vase. “You unlocked the door to my room while I wasn’t here and invited my woman to leave?”

  “Your… what?” The blonde hussy looked equal parts terrified and baffled.

  “Out,” he snapped. He didn’t mean Luna.

  “You can’t do this, Bohannon.” The woman tried to sound authoritative, as if she had the final say in the matter. “She’s not one of us.”

  Bohannon held Luna’s gaze for several seconds. She saw menace. A man in need of violence who would not tolerate being defied. When he slowly turned, the blonde took a defensive step backward before catching herself and raising her chin.

  “Jaz, you’re not Bones no matter how much you want to be. Don’t make me have the patched members remind you of that fact.”

  Jaz paled but said nothing. She threw Luna a venomous look before hastening out of the room.

  For several seconds, Bohannon and Luna stared at each other. Each moment that passed saw Luna getting more and more angry. Finally, she couldn’t take the strained silence any longer.

  “What.” It was an angry demand more than a question.

  “She hurt you?”

  “What do you care,” Luna snapped.

  Bohannon closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. When he opened them again, he asked slowly, “Did she hurt you, Luna?”

  “No more than I hurt her. I drew blood. She didn’t.”

  “Let me see.”

  “Like hell! You stay away from me!”

  He actually winced but didn’t get closer to her. “You know I won’t hurt you.”

  “No. I don’t know that in any way!” Now that the adrenaline was leaving her, she started to tremble, her knees going wobbly. She needed to sit down, but that would show weakness. She absolutely refused to look weak in front of this man. Not again. “You’re holding me here against my will. You same as told me you’re not going to help my brother, but you won’t let me go to help him myself! Why would I think you wouldn’t hurt me?” The more she spoke, the angrier she got. When she got angry, she tended to cry. “Just let me go!”

 

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