“Brian,” she moans my name, her nails sinking into my back.
Yeah, I like hearing my name on her lips. She’s the first woman I’ve ever told to call me that. Not even Monica got that from me, and I’m okay with that.
“Mo chathú.” I groan and pick up the pace, fucking her as I need to.
It’s fast-paced. Hard and rough, yet perfect in every way, with how she takes me. I could hurt her if I really wanted to, and she’d take it just the same, getting off on the pleasure of it. Granted, I wouldn’t actually hurt her, but seeing her ass bright from my hand on it or even a flogger, yeah, she’d take it.
One day soon, I’ll take her to my room at the clubhouse, where I’ll enjoy using all sorts of things on her. All of them will have to be new, though. She doesn’t deserve anything less. I’ll strap her to the bed. I’ll chain her to the wall. Give her everything I want to give her, knowing she’ll enjoy every second of it.
CHAPTER 11
HOPE
My body is sore in all the right places, and I’m definitely not complaining. Spending the day with Styxx in his bed is totally worth it. Though, I hated the thought of leaving it and going to work. I wanted to stay right where we were. It was like we were in our own little bubble, and nothing could get through.
Only we had to get my sister from school and pick up his daughter. Doing this with Styxx is strange. I’m not sure how to handle it. I could pretend we were a family doing normal family things, but we weren’t that.
Sure, Styxx said what he said and wants to protect me, however, that doesn’t make me his. I knew that if I pretended to be his, he would shatter and tear me to pieces after this was over, making it the worst thing I could do.
“You okay?” Styxx asks, pulling me from my thoughts while navigating his truck through the school pick-up line.
“I’m fine.” I nearly cringe at the use of that word. I hate when others use that F word with me.
“So when you say you’re fine, you really mean you’re not.” He chuckles and moves us up a few feet. “Is it always this bad in the afternoons?”
“This isn’t as bad as it’s been,” I tell him with a small giggle. “I’ve learned to come at an earlier time so I’m not waiting twenty plus minutes just to get this far. Thankfully, with Promise being in the high school, the line moves faster than it’s been known to do.”
“When she gets her license, you won’t have to worry about this part at all,” he points out.
“Yeah, that will be a blessing, but I’ll hate it because it means she’s growing up that much more. I don’t like the idea of her getting older. I’ve raised her since she was nine, and before that, we were always close. I’d help my parents with her in every way I could.”
“Sounds like a true big sister to me,” Styxx murmurs, nodding.
“Yeah,” I whisper, looking out the passenger window. “She’s all I have left.”
“I get it. Scythe and me were just kids, Isabelle was a baby, when we lost our parents. I don’t even remember them anymore. If it weren’t for our aunt and uncle, we wouldn’t have the stories to talk about. They give us that. They also kept our family cabin in shape until my brother and I could do it ourselves. I go to it sometimes, but Scythe takes Josephine more. Granted, they haven’t been since Auggie was born.”
I nod and look at him. “Losing your parents was hard on you.”
“Losing them was something I don’t wish on anyone. But it killed me not knowing where Isabelle was over the years.”
“I’d never be able to forgive myself if something happened to Promise.” The very thought of it makes my heart ache. I’d hate myself for not protecting her.
“Nothing will happen to your sister, and if it does, I’ll see to it that she’s brought back to you. I promise you that. The shit the club’s been through over the years, we’ve learned to always keep those who are ours close.”
“What do you mean?” I turn in my seat to watch him closely.
Styxx glances at me briefly before answering me. “We’ve dealt with people in the past who have wanted to hurt those we care about. Ivy, Josephine, and the others could explain it a lot better from their perspectives, but we’ve dealt with crazed people after them, jealous women, kidnappings, and all that shit. The last thing any of us wants is for anyone to go through what they’ve been through. It’s a bunch of bullshit, and I won’t let your uncle get anywhere near you or your sister without a fight.”
My heart thumps in my chest as hope blooms within me. While my brain screams caution, the rest of me wants to leap into his arms and hold on for dear life.
I find myself at a loss for words, so I express my gratitude by leaning over the center console and kissing his cheek.
“I’ll take that as your thank you,” Styxx murmurs with a grin as he reaches over to squeeze my thigh and take my hand in his. “You got nothing to thank me for, but I’ll take your kisses anyway I can get them.”
Moving forward in the line, I scan the area, looking for Promise, but I don't see her where she normally is. “Where is she?” I mutter to myself more than Styxx. “She’s usually standing near the flagpole waiting with her friends. Her friends are there, but she’s not.”
“Hold on,” Styxx grunts and pulls out of line to park in an open spot. “We’ll go look for her.”
