Nobody's Darlin', page 15
“Go ahead, baby,” Cash encourages.
“Should we get bumpers?” she asks while holding the ball against her chest.
“Darlin’ there isn’t much I wouldn’t do for you, but I’m not bowlin’ with bumpers,” I deadpan, and she rolls her eyes at me, turning away and standing straight in our lane.
She takes a few steps and flings the ball pretty straight, but it’s hard to watch where the ball is going, ‘cause when she bends over all I notice are the tight black shorts she has on under her dress.
It seems like I’m not the only one looking either. Cash I can deal with, I’m wrapping my mind around the asshole becoming my pack mate, but the greasy fuck who sprays the stink-away spray in the bowlin’ shoes? Ain’t no fuckin’ way.
“You tryin’ to lose an eyeball today, asshole?” I ask him, his forehead furrows as he looks at me with his beady eyes.
“I was just watchin’ everyone bowl,” he replies.
Lily waves at us from the alley, and I give her a quick wave before I stand up and walk to the next table, leaning down to get in his face.
“Look at my girl again. Go on, do it,” I taunt him. He doesn’t listen, so I grab the back of his neck and force him to look at where Lily’s standing. “I said take a fuckin’ look.”
The man sputters, but with my hand on his neck, he follows directions.
“Girls like that don’t look twice at a piece of shit like you, do they?”
“N-n-no,” he stutters, a sheen of sweat coating his skin, and it makes me wonder if I can get him to piss his pants.
“Didn’t think so. I get it, big man. She’s hard not to look at. But I promise you, if you look up my girl’s skirt again, I’ll scoop your fuckin’ eyes out and shove them up your dick hole. You feel me?”
He swallows and shifts in his seat. “I feel you,” he confirms.
“Good boy. Now, fuck off,” I growl, slapping the back of his neck harder than necessary.
I go back and sit at the table. Lily’s cheeks are pink, obviously having heard the tail end of the conversation.
“It’s your turn,” she squeaks.
“Thanks, darlin’.”
I take my turn, and to my dismay, when I look at the scoreboard I realize Lily knocked down two more pins than me.
“It’s not too late to get bumpers, ya know?” she teases as I take my seat back. Cash laughs at her joke, and I grab the bottom of her chair, dragging her over to me.
“You think you’re funny, darlin’?”
“Yeah, I think I am,” she sasses with the cutest fuckin’ smirk I’ve ever seen.
I lean forward and give her a chaste kiss against her lips. Satisfaction courses through me when her scent fills my nose. It’s heady, knowing I can get her so turned on by a single kiss. It makes me want to do more in this shitty bowlin’ alley. But that scent was for me, and I don’t plan on letting any of the local jerkoffs catch a whiff.
Cash clears his throat, his pupils blown as he takes in Lily’s scent.
“It’s your turn, baby,” he says to her. She pops up out of her seat, and I make extra sure no one is looking at her ass or up her dress as she bowls.
The rounds go by quickly. Cash and I are a few pitchers in, while Lily sticks to Dr Pepper.
“You want a glass?” I ask her, holding the beer up.
She scrunches her nose and shakes her head.
“I could get you one of those girly drinks,” I offer, and she gives me a small smile.
“They don’t have cocktails or wine here.”
“No, but they have those things. What the fuck are they called?” I ask, lookin’ at Cash.
“Seltzers?” he asks, lookin’ at me like I’m fuckin’ stupid.
“That’s okay. I don’t really like those either. Plus, it’s only two more days until my birthday,” she points out.
“Anything you were hopin’ for on your birthday?” I ask. Her face falls a little, but she shakes her head.
“I’m going to run to the bathroom real quick,” she says.
“I’ll go with you.”
She points at the bathroom, which is less than forty feet away. “It’s right there. I think I can manage,” she says with a smile. She leans down and kisses my cheek before kissing Cash’s.
“I didn’t realize her birthday was in two days,” he comments like I was the one keeping this big secret from him.
“Yeah, twenty-one,” I tell him, and he winces at the number. “I guess you’re robbin’ the cradle pretty fuckin’ hard,” I taunt, and he gives me the finger.
“I’m thirty-two.”
“Practically ancient,” I joke.
He sips his beer and tilts his head at me. “Do you mind if I have a moment with her before we go home?” He asks the question in such a pleasant tone that it lets me know that I’ve kinda taken over the date.
I have a tendency to do that shit. As much as this idea of sharing eats away at me, sometimes I put it on the back burner for her.
This man has all but said he would bond and bite her if she wanted it to keep her here. I needed something like that to turn the tides, giving me at least some hope that we can stay with the Dead Palms and get the girl.
“Yeah, man. I can hang here, or meet you back at the compound,” I suggest.
“Appreciate it.”
We sit in silence until Lily comes back, but she isn’t as happy as she was when she first left us. Her face is downtrodden, and she’s holding her arm.
“Everythin’ okay?” I ask her.
“Yeah, I’m ready to go,” she deflects, looking down at the ground.
“Let me see your arm,” I demand.
Her big brown eyes search mine as she bites on her lip.
“Axel, it’s not a big deal. I just want to go,” she begs.
“Show me your arm and we can leave.”
She removes her hand, and I see a red splotchy mark on her arm. It won’t leave a bruise, but clearly, someone grabbed her hard enough to disturb her skin.
“Who touched you?” Cash asks her in a tone that’s so nearing on an Alpha bark, that it even has me going quiet for a moment.
“The guy in the red polo,” she sighs.
“And what did he say?” I ask as calmly as possible.
“He said it was a misunderstanding, and he asked me not to come back here with you two,” she blurts out.
I give her a smile and rub down her arm. “Cash is gonna take you home on his bike. I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?”
“Axel,” she breathes my name out like a plea.
“I’m just gonna settle the tab. I’ll be home later.”
“I know you’re not just settling the tab.”
“And that’s why this is gonna work, darlin’. I’m not nice to anyone but you. I warned that fucker to not look at you. Guess I didn’t specify about touchin’, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that was off the table, too. He’s gonna get a lesson in manners and how to treat a lady while Cash takes you somewhere to enjoy the rest of our date night,” I tell her as calmly as possible.
“You can’t get in trouble,” she reminds me. I smile at her, giving her a quick kiss.
“It would be worth it,” I whisper against her face, kissing her cheek one last time before giving Cash a quick nod. He looks pissed and torn.
Like he can’t decide what’s more important, time alone with Lily or ripping this asshole to shreds. Apparently, the rage written on my face is enough to let him know I got this covered as he leaves the bowlin’ alley with my girl.
If I wasn’t simmering with anger I would think about how mature I am for letting them go off together and how I have no doubt in Cash’s ability to take care of Lily.
But right now, I have other business to handle, so thinking about all that shit is gonna have to wait. I pull out my phone, look at the time, and groan. If Cash didn’t need to get Lily out of here, it would have been an easy two-man job. I have no doubt that I could beat the shit out of this fucker by myself, but I’m feeling creative.
I make the call and he answers on the third ring.
“What?”
“I need you at Dino’s bowlin’ alley in thirty minutes,” I state calmly.
“Why the fuck do you need me at the bowlin’ alley? It’s almost ten,” he complains.
“This man at the counter grabbed Lily, and I was thinkin’ I would teach him a lesson. But if you’re not in, I can handle it on my own,” I reply, knowing I’m going to get my way.
“I’ll be there in twenty,” he replies, hanging up the phone.
I sip my beer and just wait. The announcements let everyone know they are closing for the night, but I just continue to wait for him to get here.
He strolls into the bowlin’ alley with a furious look on his face, and I grin at him.
“Where’s Lily?” Tate demands.
“Cash took her home,” I answer.
“Why do you need me?” he asks, looking irritated that I took him away from no doubt some boring shit he was doing back at the clubhouse.
“He grabbed Lily’s arm, left a mark, and was lookin’ up her skirt,” I remind him. Tate looks around like he will know immediately who committed the crime. “He’s the dude spraying the shoes. He works here so he can bowl for free.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“He’s a bowler. Let’s hit him where it hurts,” I suggest, nudging my head to the lane. “He’s gonna have to stay till clean up, meaning we’ll wait in the bathroom until he’s here alone.”
Tate seems irritated with the plan but goes with it anyway.
We sit in the bathroom for what feels like forever until I decide the timing is right.
He has music playing on the speakers as he bowls a round with all the patrons gone, so he doesn’t even notice us approaching. Tate makes the first move by wrapping his arm around the guy’s neck and dragging him to the ball return machine.
Tate is easily twice the man’s size, so it’s no hard feat to get the guy bent over the machine and hold him there.
“Heard you like puttin’ your hands on Omegas that don’t fuckin’ belong to you,” Tate seethes in his ear.
“I didn’t mean anything by it. I just didn’t want her comin’ back here,” the man sputters.
“Why? Cause you can’t keep your eyes or hands to yourself?” I ask, picking up a bowling ball with each hand.
Tate goes to put his right hand in the hole that spits out the balls, and I tsk. “He was bowlin’ with his left,” I say, and Tate groans, having to readjust the asshole to get his left hand and arm into the return.
“No, please. It was a mistake. I won’t do anything like it again. I promise,” he begs. Tate grins down at the man, and I toss one ball down the lane and quickly toss the other.
“Do we need a third?” I ask Tate in a weirdly sweet voice.
“Yes,” he says, forcing the man’s body to hold still along with his arm.
“You’re so right. You know, three is the perfect number,” I joke, winkin’ at Tate.
He doesn’t even appreciate my joke as I toss the third ball down the lane. We don’t have to wait long as the balls attempt to come back to the front of the lane.
The man cries and begs, but Tate holds him down. I join him as the balls return to us, the machine whirling and the man screaming as we listen to his fingers and wrist breaking. He goes limp against the machine and cries as we step away. He holds his arm pathetically as he looks up at us.
“Fuck with the Dead Palms again and we take more than just your hand,” Tate warns, spitting on the man before we both turn away and leave the establishment.
We stay silent until we’re both on our bikes, and I cut the tension.
“Thanks for comin’ so fast.”
“I came because he disrespected Lily,” he replies.
“Right… the S.Y.W.T.F.”
“What the fuck does that stand for?”
I grin at him and start my engine before I yell out the acronym. “The stepsister you want to fuck.” I feel his glare burning into me as I ride home, wondering if by any chance I’ll be able to catch Lily for a quick kiss—or more—before she goes to bed.
As badly as I want to be back inside that bowling alley giving that dumbass the beating of his life. I know Axel has it covered, and I don’t want Lily around for that shit.
She’s not dumb. She knows the things we do, why guys walk around the compound with black eyes and bloody knuckles. But it’s one thing to know something and another to see it. For me, I don’t want my Omega to deal with that shit.
Maybe it’s a double standard, but I don’t really give a fuck. I want her protected and only to be involved in club business when it's necessary or safe enough. I think our night at the trailer park taught me a lot about Lily.
She isn’t scared of the danger or the lifestyle. She just wants us to be safe, and I can’t imagine asking for much more than that.
I had to modify my bike so she could ride with me, seeing as I’ve never had anyone on the back of my bike before.
“Are you sure we should leave him in there alone?” Lily asks me as I usher her through the side door toward my bike.
“I’m pretty sure that deranged psycho can handle himself better than most Alphas,” I reply, and I don’t miss her smile at my comment. I’m not sure how much she would smile if she actually saw the violence happening in there, but she clearly isn’t upset over it. “He’ll be more than fine.”
“You’re right,” she sighs. “Where are we going?”
“I was thinking we could sneak into the body shop so you could spend some time with Winnie,” I suggest, and her face lights up.
“That sounds perfect.”
I grab the helmet I specifically brought for her; she reaches out to take it, but I shake my head, placing it on her head and buckling the chin strap myself.
“You don’t have to do things for me,” she says softly.
“I know. I do them because I want to.”
Her cheeks are flushed as I get on the bike first and she hops on the back. When her arms and scent wrap around me, I think I might die. At the very least, the drive home is going to fucking suck with a hard-on.
I toss my helmet on, and she speaks before I start my engine.
“Not a lot of the guys wear helmets,” she comments.
“Yeah, and a lot of them are fucking stupid too,” I respond, making her laugh as she tightens her hold on me.
I’m not sure why it feels so good with Lily, but it does. Something about her scent calls to me like no one else’s has. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m forbidden from being with her, or how badly I want to take care of her.
I know it would be the same with any Omega. My instincts automatically default to caretaker, but with Lily, it feels like more. It’s more than just taking care of her when it comes to her heat or being a protector. I find myself wanting to do things for her that I’ve never wanted to do for anyone else, like let her ride on the back of my bike, keep a fucking puppy in my office, and make sure she’s taking care of herself.
Her hands rub up and down my abdomen, as she holds on tight. I’m driving far more cautiously than I usually do, but it feels nice. Nicer than I ever imagined, it’s an intimacy I’ve never experienced before, and I know it’s something I want more of. I know a lot of the guys will toss whoever needs a ride on the back of their bike, but for me, it seemed too sacred to just let anyone on my bike.
The ride is uneventful, yet peaceful, as we reach the compound. I know where Prez’s cameras are, and I also know where my cameras are. It’s a tidbit I’ve only shared with Tate. After these past few days, I think I’m ready to share it with Axel too, but not yet.
The cameras on the compound aren’t club knowledge. The Prez is the only one with access and that didn’t sit right with me, so I added my own.
I avoid all the cameras I know of and park just outside of the body shop. Lily pops off first, removing her helmet and hair tie, letting her long, dark hair flow down her back. I follow suit and place a hand on her lower back to guide her to the office in the back.
“So, you know where all of my stepdad’s cameras are,” she states, and I smirk to myself. I like that she’s relatively street-smart. She might be naïve in some regards, or rather sheltered, but she grew up around a bunch of criminals. When that happens, you have to be observant. She clicks her tongue before saying, “That’s how you knew about the car when those assholes dropped me off.”
“Something like that,” I reply, and she rolls her eyes.
As soon as we open the door, Winnie is bounding towards Lily who gets on her knees to give the dog some love.
“She’s a good dog,” I tell her. Lily smiles at the compliment.
“She is, isn’t she?”
“Hasn’t hardly pissed on anything and doesn’t seem to bite much.”
“I wish I could be with her all the time,” she says longingly while scooping the dog up and sitting her on her lap once she takes a seat on the couch. I take the spot next to her and pet the little fucker’s head.
“About that—” I start, trying to figure out how to segue into this conversation.
“Kurt likes dogs, just not at his house,” she interrupts- and I wonder if she's concerned about me not being able to handle the dog.
“Are you ready to be on your own? Well, to have a pack and be away from your mom and the Prez?” I ask.
She shrugs, and I abort my mission to tactfully enter this conversation, choosing instead to just blurt out what I’m thinking. “We could bond. Prez wouldn’t be able to say shit with my bite mark on you.” I drag my fingertip along her collarbone, making her shiver.
She takes a moment to let my words sink in, all while looking down at the dog petting her. “Would you hate me if I said I wasn’t ready?”
“Baby girl, I could never hate you. I know it’s soon, we haven’t even had much time to get to know each other. But your scent does something to me that I can’t explain, and I know you’re running out of time.”
She sighs and pets Winnie’s fur. “I know, and my hesitation has nothing to do with you. I just need a few more days until I can get settled,” she says.
“Is this about the money?” I ask her, thinking back to how much was in her account and how she didn’t want to bond until she knew she was safe. I could tell her how safe she would be with me, but I don’t think it would matter. She needs this money in order to feel safe in a relationship, and I can respect that.
