HARDCORE: Storm MC(12)

Not that Sienna was just any other woman, either. She was not fair game. She was mine. I didn’t want to think it beyond that point.



So I wasn’t gonna touch Knuckles’s “old lady” reference with a pole, but I also wasn’t gonna stand for any of his shit. “You keep your fucking hands to yourself, Knuck. Your face is ugly enough as it is—you don’t want my help rearranging it again.”



A quick lift of his chin at me and Sienna, and he sucked in one side of his mouth. “You took the pick of the litter, dude. Can’t blame a man for tryin’. Fine piece of ass, that one.”



“I’m standing right here, and I can hear you just fine, asshole,” Sienna piped up. Fucking hysterical, this woman.



I looked down at her fondly and hooked her neck with my arm, bringing her in close to my side. “Go find your own piece of ass, man. This one is gonna be busy for a while.”



Sienna elbowed my ribs, apparently not best pleased with my response. I moved my palm to the nape of her neck and gave her firm pressure. It seemed to do the trick, calming her. I’d probably be getting an earful later, but in public and for now, she’d behave. This was important in the MC world. Good girl. She was doing so well.



I tipped my chin to Knuck with a half-smile, and he winked at her in appreciation. We left the building.



But we were both beat, done for the night, so I walked her to her car and saw her settled inside. Remembering myself, I said, “Give me your phone.” She did, and I programmed my number and messaged myself. After handing it back, I leaned in and gave her a hard, deep kiss. “Drive careful,” I told her. Then I watched her take off, made my way to my bike, and rode home.



As soon as I got inside my place, I poured myself a healthy two fingers of bourbon on the rocks and spread out on my favorite armchair, thinking about the past few hours.



It finally dawned on me, the profundity of what had passed. From the purview of Storm, I had effectively claimed Sienna as my own when I took her away from Loco. So now I had to decide—and fast—how best to play this in the days ahead, how to make the most of the situation, given all that I also had going on with regard to retaliation for Manny and the problems within the MC.



I knew Sienna was used to being in control and calling all the shots. I didn’t hold any illusions that tonight marked the end of her bossiness. This would have to stop. I was known in the MC as a leader; hell, I was a dominant guy by nature, and no way would I play backseat to her driver. So we had that issue to get clear. It was going to be a battle of wills.



I felt my cheeks lifting, my lips tipping up at the corners, and I realized I was looking forward to it. Damn, that woman entertained me. This was actually going to be fun.



I shook my head, realizing that I had had very little going on in my world that gave me any kind of pleasure in recent months, with the singular exception of Sienna. So, pain in the ass or not, I figured it was probably also going to be great for me, having her as an outlet. And not just a sexual one, because I also thrived on our verbal play. Hell, every interaction. She gave me a serious boost in energy that I could use, first to revenge Manny’s death, and then either to extract myself from Storm, or to lead a full-on mutiny against Clav’s inept leadership. Fuck my life, this shit was unreal. You couldn’t write this stuff.



My biggest concern with regard to Sienna was keeping her compartmentalized, keeping my focus on the MC issues and on taking care of business with that ass-hat boss of Hardcore, Joey Ronn, that murdering motherfucker. With Sienna in the picture, I’d now also have to worry about making sure she was safe from any ramifications from my actions. Fuck. It was a really fine line I’d have to walk, on all sides. I felt like a spider balancing on my own web. I’d have to navigate carefully on all fronts, or risk getting myself—and her—entangled in the complexities, even putting our lives on the line.



But there was no other option. She’d proven to be a danger to herself tonight, with the boss-prick Ronn pimping her out, the asshat Fielding going grabby, and her own antics getting too close to Loco. It didn’t add up, and she clearly had needed, and then really wanted, my protection, my body. Me.



That was something.



Too tired at this point to process anything further, I bailed and went to bed.





Chapter Five



Sienna



I woke up unhurriedly, my body sore and relaxed, my muscles needing to stretch. As a dancer, this was a daily recurrence, but this time there was something more to it. I felt warm and relaxed in a way I hadn’t in months, and then I remembered why.