Then his face turned toward my body, and his mouth grazed my skin. I came alive at his touch, the feeling of his lips on me. He skimmed my curves with the tips of his fingers, from shoulder to hip, leaving goosebumps in his wake.
He grasped my hips, turning me, seating me on the bed. Then he lowered me back, leaning over me. I gave in easily, wanting him, needing the comfort of his arms after the nightmare of the day. He kissed me slowly, solemnly, driving away the fear and pain. All that was left was pleasure. He sucked my bottom lip between his, making me moan.
His mouth traveled down my neck to my chest. I held his head in my hands, sighing, encouraging him to keep going. Now that he had lit my flame, I wanted him to burn me up with it. I wanted nothing but him. Wetness and an almost painful ache bloomed between my legs as he drove me higher with his lingering kisses to my breasts, stomach, navel.
I writhed, arching my back when he worshiped me. But it wasn't enough. I needed all of him.
I spread my legs, inviting him inside. "Please … " I whispered, pulling him up toward me from where he lingered between my thighs. "I need you."
He crawled back up, lowering his body over mine. He was so strong, muscles bulging. He would kill anybody who came between the two of us. He'd already killed for me, I was sure. All the thought did was turn me on more, and I reached up to meet his lips with mine.
I felt him pressing against me, and I reached down to guide him. He thrust forward slowly, almost achingly slow. I sighed with satisfaction when he was finally inside me.
We made love. Every sound from him, every movement, was like joy blossoming inside me. I couldn't get enough of him-his smell, his taste, the look in his eyes. I stared into them as he moved, brushing my mouth over his, smiling. This was it. All I would ever need.
His thrusts grew stronger. I threw my head back and moaned, eyes closed, wishing it never had to end. Every time he connected with me, I cried out a little louder.
I turned my head from side to side, unable to take the pleasure. It was almost unbearably sweet. I ran my hands over his arms, and he took one of my hands in his. He held it between our chests as he drove himself into me, slowly, gently.
We sped up, moving together. My hips rose to meet his thrusts. He buried his face in my neck, groaning. The friction built and built. I pulled him closer with my legs, gripping him tight. The tension in my core got bigger and tighter, and I moved closer to the edge …
"Wake up!"
I jumped, startled. My heart raced. I blinked hard, trying to get my bearings.
Someone had their face up close to mine. "Shit, thought she was dead," he muttered, laughing. The man behind him laughed, too.
I shook my head, confused. Where was I? I'd just been … with Vince …
No. My heart clenched, then broke. I'd just been dreaming. That was all. I was still tied up, still at the mercy of the Wolves. In particular, the man crouching in front of me. He was missing two teeth, and his breath reeked of booze and cigarettes. A tear rolled down my cheek. It had been a dream. Nobody came for me.
"Alex would be pissed if she died on us," he said, grinning. "Especially if we didn't get a chance to have a little fun with her first."
The terror had to be plain on my face, since he and the guy behind him broke up in raucous, drunken laughter. He stood, moving away from me. I thanked God for small favors. Still, both of them looked me up and down before leaving, closing the door behind them.
I screamed from behind my gag. I screamed and screamed until my voice broke and the tears choked me. I hoped they all died.
I closed my eyes, praying to go back to my dream. But it was gone.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Vince
I looked out at them, waiting for a response. I hoped they could forgive me for what I was about to do.
Axel stepped forward. "You're so full of shit."
My mouth gaped open. That was the last thing I expected to hear. Were they that pissed at me?
He grinned and continued. "Do you really think we would let you go through with this all by yourself?"
Frankie joined him. "Stop bein' stupid. We've got your back. No way you're goin' in there alone."
I looked at all of them, from one to the other. They all nodded in unison. "What do you mean?"
"We mean you're our leader. You'll always be our leader. It doesn't matter what that asshole York wants. He can't just take your place because he says so." Frankie came to me, slapping me on the back. "We're gonna get him. And we're gonna make those sons of bitches pay for what they did to us."
"How? Did you come up with something?"
"Fuck yeah, we came up with somethin'!" Frankie laughed, slapping my back again. "What'd you think we were in there so long for?"
"Listen, the Wolves might have more men than we do, but we have more firepower. That includes explosives." Ralph led me to the game room, where a set of blueprints stretched across the table. They'd put away the cards pretty quickly, I noticed. I guessed when desperate times called, they could step up in a hurry.
"How the hell did you get your hands on these?" I looked around, wondering who did it.
"We've had them for years. Rex got a hold of 'em back in the day. We never had to use 'em before now."
I looked them over. "This was from back when it was a warehouse," I said.
"Right, but they haven't made any renovations the way we did. Besides, if we planted explosives around the outside … "
"That's what you wanna do?" I looked around the table. "You wanna blow them the fuck up?"
They nodded. Every man in the club. "The vote was unanimous," Chip said. "But if the president wants to veto it … that's your call, and your right."
I looked at the blueprints, then back up at them. "Hell no. I want this. For our guys. For our club." I didn't mention Erica, not wanting to piss anybody off. I didn't know how they felt about her, since she sort of got us into a lot of this.
Axel cleared his throat. "Don't forget Erica. She's one of us now. This is for her, too." The rest of the club agreed.
I didn't know what to say, so I stayed silent. I could only look at them in gratitude before getting on with business.
"How much C-4 we got?" I looked up at Ralph, the demolitions expert.
"Enough to take them down easy." He pointed to the places along the outside of the warehouse where the explosives would be set up. "I'll want three guys on this with me."
"All right. The main goal is to take it all out," I said. "Everything. All of them. Are you all ready to do this?"
"Fuck yeah," Frankie spat. "I can't wait to see them go up."
I nodded. "They'll all be there if Erica's there. York's not stupid. He'll want the place guarded, big-time. They have at least thirty, forty guys. He's expecting me, but he's not expecting me alone. He knows I'll bring some of you with me-I'd be stupid not to, since I wanna make sure Erica's safe."
I thought it through. "While I'm inside, you'll be setting up the explosives outside. How long do you think it will take?"
Ralph shrugged. "That, I don't know. Depends on how many of them are guarding the outside of the clubhouse."
"Right. So the explosives should be set in place before I go in. I'll only go when everything's ready. You'll start the timer when I'm inside."
I heard a few whistles from my guys. "Shit, Vince. I don't know. That's pretty risky." If Frankie thought so, it had to be. I wouldn't back down.
"I know, but it's the only way I'll be sure how much time I have. What's the point of getting Erica out of there if half the club follows me out and misses the explosion? I want them all in there. Every one of them. It'll be up to me to get her out quietly. I want it timed just right." I looked around the room. Their jaws were tight. So was mine. "I think ten minutes should be enough."
"Oh, shit, come on. Fifteen, at least," Ralph said.
I thought about it. "All right. Fifteen. We'll just have to hope nobody goes in to check on her after she's gone." I looked at the blueprints again. With my finger, I traced a trail. "I'll go in through the front, here. This is their lounge area, if you can call it that." I grimaced, remembering how disgusting the place had been when I was there earlier. "I doubt they'd have her there. Maybe in one of these other rooms." I circled them with my finger. "I'll ask to see her first, make sure she's all right. Then, I'll ask to see York privately. He'll love the chance to get me alone. Then … I'll take care of him."
That was all I had to say. The guys knew what I meant. My blood was boiling so hot, I looked forward to the chance.