"What about the cuts on your chest. You claim Gordon cut you with your own knife. Is that still the way you remember it?" Jack asked.
Santana nodded.
Jack tore his hat off his head and thumped it against his leg. "Ma'am, the only fingerprints on the knife you turned over to me at the hospital belong to you and Mr. Wills'. Our technicians haven't found a single print on that knife belonging to Pete Gordon."
Santana buried her face against Stake's chest.
He wrapped both arms around her and leaned his rested his chin on the top of her head. "So, what now?"
"We'll continue to investigate, but at this point, if we were forced to arrest someone, it would probably be Miss Rogers."
"We came to you for help," Stake spat, seething at the idea that Santana was, in any way, responsible for what had happened to her. "We told you Gordon was out of control with power in this county, and we'd need outside help to see justice done."
Jack slammed his hat back on his head and narrowed his eyes. "And from what I understand, part of the power Sheriff Gordon wields is a direct result of his affiliation with the Kings of Bedlam. A club you conveniently forgot to tell us you're a member of. Any lawyer will claim the Kings have a beef with Gordon and are merely trying to get rid of him."
"The Kings have nothing to do with this," Stake growled.
"So you say." Jack started to turn around but stopped mid-way. "At this point, we don't have enough evidence to charge Miss Rogers, and we probably won't continue to spend tax dollars on the case. Count yourself lucky, Miss Rogers. I know the justice system doesn't always work the way it should, but putting an innocent woman in jail isn't something I'm willing to do. Unfortunately, I don't have enough to put Gordon away." He continued on, jumping off the porch to the ground below. "I wish things had turned out differently, believe me. The best thing you can do is to avoid Gordon as much as possible from here on out."
Stake watched the Rangers leave. He waited until he heard the SUV pull out of the driveway before speaking. "Gordon won't get away with it. I promise."
"I don't want you to end up like my dad," she whispered.
He swung her up into his arms and headed for the cabin. The revenge he would enact could wait while he branded Santana as his. "Are you on the pill, bug?" he asked, carrying her to his bedroom.
She shook her head.
Fuck. For the first time in his life, he wanted to empty his seed inside a woman, not any woman, his woman. "We'll take care of that tomorrow." He laid her gently on the bed and immediately pulled her shirt over her head. "Tell me you're okay with this?"
"You're the only man I've ever wanted." She unzipped her shorts and pushed them down and off.
Within seconds, she was spread out before him like a sacrificial lamb. As much as he hated the thought of another man touching her, he needed to know a few things. He pushed his jeans down, giving Santana her first glimpse of his cock. While digging a condom out of his wallet, he gave her time to look her fill, unsure of how many naked men she'd seen in the past. "Are you a virgin?"
She bit her lower lip and slowly shook her head from side to side. "I wish I was, but I was tricked into giving it to someone who only wanted it and not me."
"Who?" He tried to control his temper at the thought of someone using her. How many men would he end up killing before he defended the woman who was quickly becoming his entire world? He crawled onto the mattress and bracketed her body with his. On his hands and knees, he stared down at her, waiting for her answer.
"It doesn't matter. It was a long time ago when I was in high school." She touched his chest before running her hands down his body. "I'm yours if you want me."
He watched as one of her delicate hand cupped his balls as the other wrapped around his dick. His body shivered at the contact, proving, once again, that her touch was different. The need to brand her, to make her his outweighed his desire to kiss and lick every inch of her. "I need to fuck you."
She smiled for the first time since the Rangers had intruded. "I'd like that."
He moved to a kneeling position and ripped open the condom package. It felt so wrong to sheathe himself, but neither of them were ready to face the consequences of unprotected sex. He paused in the process of rolling the condom down his length. He'd always sworn he'd never settle down and have kids, but now that he had Santana, he could easily see himself settling down, even if kids still weren't an option for him.
"Stake?"
He blinked several times before continuing. Protection in place, he insinuated himself between her thighs. "Wrap yourself around me," he instructed as he guided the head of his cock to her wet pussy. He drew his crown up and down her slit several times before slowly pushing inside.
Santana pressed her palms against his chest. "Wait," she gasped, closing her eyes. "You're so much bigger than Robby was." Her eyes popped open, and she stared up at Stake, obviously realizing what she'd let slip.
"Langers?" He closed his eyes. Fucking hell, he hated that asshole.
"It doesn't matter." She moved her hands to his back, trying to pull him deeper. "I'm okay, now."
Jealousy had never played a part in his life, and the rage that threatened to overwhelm him had little to do with that damned green-eyed monster, and everything to do with the cop who'd used the woman in his arms.
"Please don't."
He opened his eyes and stared into twin kaleidoscopes. "I'm gonna kill him."
She rolled her eyes. "If you started killing everyone who treated me like shit, this place would turn into a ghost town, and you'd be sitting on death row."
Lowering himself, he sank his cock into her heated depths. Shame filled him, once again. "And I'd be at the top of the list, wouldn't I?"
Santana broke eye contact, giving him his answer. "You never treated me like shit because you forgot I was alive."
He'd give anything to go back and change the past. "I'm here now, and I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you." He took her mouth in a deep kiss as he began to rock in and out of her pussy.
A moan escaped her as she wrapped her legs higher around his back.
"You feel so good," he whispered against her lips as his hips snapped, creating a staccato beat as their flesh slapped together. "I want you on the pill so I can fuck you whenever and wherever I want."
"You can already do that," she panted in his ear.
He gave her a quick kiss. "Not yet, but soon." He reached down and centered her clit between his thumb and forefinger. Pinching the sensitive nub, he nearly lost it when she bucked under him. "Yeah, move for me," he urged.
With a soft groan, she locked her legs around him and started to move under him, meeting each of his thrusts. Fuck, it was a beautiful feeling to be with someone who actually meant something to him. His mouth sought hers in another dance of tongues. Christ, had he ever enjoyed kissing so much? Usually fucking was a way to relieve stress and the bullshit of the day, but everything felt different with Santana. He'd worried that his attraction had more to do with her need for protection, but as he buried his cock time after time, he realized protection had nothing to do with the way she made him feel.
"Stake!" she cried while her body shook with the force of her climax.
"So fucking beautiful," he groaned as he pumped inside her twice more before burying himself deep. He shot into the condom, wishing again that the fucking thing wasn't between them. Soon, he told himself as he collapsed on top of her.
He rolled to her side and removed the condom. "I need to talk to the club, and I'm gonna need you to come with me."
She shook her head. "I can't go there."
"Yes, you can." As much as he wanted to make love to her all night long, there were things that needed doing. With Gordon free, it was only a matter of time before the sonofabitch tried to get at her again. "I need to meet with my brothers because it's important they agree that you're under the club's protection from now on."
He didn't want to worry her, but he needed to be honest. "Gordon's days are numbered, and I need them to accept that."
She snuggled against him and rested her cheek on his chest. "You have a great body." She traced the words tattooed sideways up his torso. "The road is eternal, the wind constant," she read. "That's beautiful. Did you come up with that?"
Stake shook his head. "I read it somewhere, but it always stuck with me. "It's the reason I ride. It's a feeling of freedom that I can't explain to people who don't own a bike."