Mara

 

It took a couple days to reach our destination, and by then I was tired and cranky. Rocky hadn’t touched me since that first night at the motel in Kansas, not willingly anyway. He let me sleep in his arms both nights we were on the road, and each of those mornings I woke to his cock poking me in the ass and his hand cupping my breast. I’d thought that maybe understanding my life a little more would have proven to him that he was exactly what I needed, but if anything, he seemed to distance himself further. The moment he realized I was awake, he’d roll out of bed and do his best not to touch me.

Sitting in the truck, so close and yet so far from him, hadn’t been easy. I’d worn one of the few dresses I’d purchased, hoping to entice him, but he had barely spared me a glance. I was glad we’d finally reached our destination. I didn’t know what I’d expected when he said we were going to a compound, but the large metal fence topped with what looked to be barbed wire gave me pause. Were they trying to keep something in or keep everyone else out? And if they didn’t like strangers, how were they going to react to me being here? Rocky pulled through the gates and stopped in front of a large building with a long porch across the front.

A man stood leaning against a porch post, a cigarette in his hand, and his gaze fastened on Rocky’s truck. Those dark eyes didn’t seem to miss anything, and I wondered who he was. There was a leather vest over his shoulders that said something on the front I couldn’t read from so far away. Rocky turned off the truck and got out, but I wasn’t about to move until someone said I should. While I knew Rocky was a Marine and something of a badass, the man on the porch gave off the danger vibe. I was starting to question if it had been wise to come here.

They spoke for a few minutes, and Rocky gestured toward the truck. I hoped they weren’t talking about me, but something told me I wasn’t that lucky. The scary-looking man came down the steps and followed Rocky over to my door. When Rocky opened it and pulled me out, I stumbled and clutched at him. He didn’t even look at me, and I released him quickly, taking a step away.

“Venom, this is Mara. She needs our help,” Rocky said.

Venom stared at me for a few minutes, and I stared back, my heart hammering in my chest. I wasn’t sure I even blinked. After a moment, his lips tipped up on one corner.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mara. The simple fact you got Rocky off that damn mountain makes you more than welcome here. My old lady is inside, along with Torch’s woman. While you don’t you have a drink with them while Rocky gets the rest of us caught up?” Venom asked.

“Old lady?” Was his grandmother inside?

Venom turned an amused glance toward Rocky. “Did you tell her anything about where you were bringing her?”

Rocky shrugged.

No, the man hadn’t told me much of anything. Where exactly was I? The stitching on Venom’s vest said Dixie Reapers MC with his name and VP. I didn’t have any idea what any of it meant, and I was starting to feel a little like Alice down the rabbit hole. Except, I had a feeling this was far more fucked up than Wonderland. What had Rocky gotten me into by bringing me here?

“Ridley is my woman,” Venom said. “My kids are in there too if that makes you feel any better about going inside. You’re safe here.”

I nodded and followed them inside. If there were kids in there, then it couldn’t be too scary, could it? The interior was dim, but I saw two women sitting at two tables in the corner, a baby in a carrier on one of the tabletops. There was a little girl who looked about three sitting near the baby, a coloring book and crayons in front of her. Rocky urged me over toward them with Venom at his side.

“Baby girl, Rocky’s home, and he brought a guest,” Venom said.

The blonde looked up and smiled. “I’m Ridley, and this is Isabella. Come sit with us while the men go talk. Rocky hasn’t been home in forever so I’m sure they have a lot to discuss.”

“I’m Mara,” I said as I sank onto a chair.

“Want something to drink?” Ridley asked.

“Um, a soda would be fine. Any kind is okay.”

“Johnny,” Isabella called out to a man behind the bar. “Bring Mara a Coke.”

“So, are you Rocky’s old lady?” Ridley asked. “He was single when he left here, but it doesn’t surprise me he’d bring someone home.”

My cheeks flushed. I still didn’t know exactly what an old lady was, but it was obvious that Ridley and Venom were together, and she assumed that I was with Rocky in that same way. As much as I would love to be Rocky’s, I doubted that would ever happen. The man had made it clear that he thought it was a bad idea.

“He’s helping me,” I said.

Ridley snickered.

“Why is that funny?” I asked.

“When I came here, I was running from my mom and stepdad. They had very bad things planned for me,” Ridley said. “My dad is part of the club, and I thought he could help me. What I didn’t count on, was Venom. One look and I was hooked. I knew I wanted that man to be my first, last, and only.” She waved at the kids. “You see how that turned out.”

“And my father traded me to Torch for services rendered. He had good intentions, though. My dad is in a dangerous line of work, and he wanted someone to protect me.” Isabella smiled and showed off her baby bump. “I think it’s safe to say I’ve been well and truly claimed.”

My eyes were wide as I stared at them.

“So, has Rocky claimed you?” Ridley asked.

“No. Not for lack of trying on my part.”

Isabella smiled widely. “Then you do want him?”

I nodded. “He’s doing his best to avoid me, though. We had to share a bed on the way here from Colorado whenever we stopped at motels, and I’d wake up in his arms every morning, but then he’d move away and act like nothing had happened. It only took us three days to get here, but it was enough for me to know I want more with him.”

“And he knows you want him?” Ridley asked. “Because, while I don’t know Rocky as well as the others, he isn’t really the type to keep his hands to himself. If he sees a woman he wants, he takes her.”

My cheeks burned. “He said…”

Ridley grinned at my discomfort and leaned in closer. “He said what?”

“He said if he claimed my virgin pussy that I was his, and he wouldn’t let me go,” I mumbled, embarrassed beyond belief.

Ridley cackled, and Isabella seemed to find my situation humorous.

“Do you want him to claim you?” Isabella asked.

“Yes, but he’s being stubborn. He thinks he’s all wrong for me. I don’t care about our age difference or all the things he thinks he’s done that were so horrible. He’s a good man, whether he believes it or not.”

Ridley and Isabella shared a look, both of them grinning.

“I think it’s time we bust up Church,” Isabella said.

“Torch is going to spank you,” Ridley said. “Remember what he said last time we barged in there?”

Isabella shrugged. “He won’t hurt me. He may be all gruff and growly in front of his men, but at home he treats me like I’m made of glass.”

“Um, what do you mean by Church?” I asked.

“The Dixie Reapers are an MC,” Ridley said. “Do you know what that is?”

“Not really.”

“The men in this club are bikers,” Isabella said. “The leather vests everyone wears are called cuts. Ridley and I each have one too, but ours are a little different. Mine says Property of Torch and hers says Property of Venom. Like our tattoos,” she said, showing off her arm.

I stared and couldn’t quite understand what I was seeing. “You let him brand you?”

“It’s part of this way of life,” Ridley said. “And if you want to be Rocky’s, then you’ll wear one too. It lets anyone who meets us know that we’re taken. If they see our Dixie Reapers cuts when we’re out, they’ll know they’ll get their asses kicked for messing with us. It’s a way of protecting us. And the guys are a bit territorial, so I think it’s a big turn on for them when we wear their names.”

I tried to absorb what they were telling me. If I were to let Rocky claim me, then I’d have to get tattooed like a pet, and wear something that claimed I was his property? I wasn’t certain how I felt about that. The women in front of me seemed content, happy even. But their men had marked them like possessions, some trophies to be carried around. Was that what I wanted?

“They own you?” I asked. “Like, they order you around, and you have to do whatever they say?”

“If Torch tells me to do something, it’s usually for my own good,” Isabella said. “He would never tell me to do something that would hurt me, and he would never try to tear me down. He loves me, and I love him. We may not have what some consider a conventional relationship, but it doesn’t make it any less than what people outside these gates have. I mean, we’re married, but there’s a huge age difference between us and the whole property thing. Your average person on the street might not be as accepting of this life, but Torch treats me well.”

“I grew up in this way of life,” Ridley said. “My daddy was a biker long before I was ever born. Venom talks a good game in front of his brothers, but when it’s just the two of us? He’s a completely different man. Oh, he’s still bossy, but I don’t exactly mind following his orders in the bedroom. I know that he loves me, and he adores our kids. Being his old lady isn’t just about him owning me. I have his protection, and the protection of this entire club. There isn’t anything any man here wouldn’t do for me or my kids.”

“You don’t feel degraded?” I asked, genuinely curious. “I’m not trying to offend you, either of you, I just want to understand. I guess the concept of being property is a little weird to me.”

Ridley looked at Isabella. “How else can we explain this?”

“Torch is the President of this club,” Isabella said. “And it used to be the most important thing in his life. It’s still really important to him, and he’d gladly die for anyone who’s part of the Dixie Reapers. But as his old lady, as his wife, I come first, and so will our children. He may claim me as his property, but I also know that he’s completely devoted to me and would die for me. When he claimed me, it was so much more than a marriage. It’s forever. Once he inked me as his, that was it. I became his, but he also became mine.”

“I think I understand.” And I did, a little. The tattoo, the cut, they were just words, just symbols. A sign to others to back off.

“Still want Rocky?” Ridley asked.

“If he claims me, it’s forever,” I said. “No matter how much trouble I bring with me, he wouldn’t turn me away? He wouldn’t abandon me?”

Isabella’s gaze softened. “No. He wouldn’t abandon you, and neither would anyone else in the Dixie Reapers. You’d be family, to all of us. Something tells me that you need that almost as much as you need Rocky.”

Isabella saw more than I wanted her to, but it wouldn’t be long before everyone here knew my story. Rocky was likely talking to Venom about it now, and possibly others. These women seemed nice, and I wondered if maybe I could have friends if I stayed here. Would it hurt to open up to them? To tell them at least a little bit of what I’d been through? I didn’t know if their men would like that, though, and I certainly didn’t want some big, badass biker to toss me out on my butt. Something about the way they watched me, the look in their eyes, said that I could trust them.

“Rocky rescued me,” I said. “My stepbrother tried to rape me, so I ran. I ended up crashing down the mountain when something ran in front of my car, and Rocky pulled me from the wreckage. He took me to his cabin and took care of me.”

Their eyes were wide. I didn’t know how much more I should say. Would Rocky, or their men, want them to know who my stepbrother was? Or that Rocky had served with my dad? I didn’t know what was and wasn’t allowed. If these were just random women I’d met, it would be different, but they were part of a lifestyle I didn’t really understand that well. The last thing I wanted to do was get them, or me, into trouble. I had enough of that already.

“Why do you want Rocky?” Ridley asked. “Because he rescued you?”

“I’ve never really been interested in guys. But with Rocky… he makes me feel things I’ve never felt before, and he makes me feel safe. I haven’t felt safe in so long. It’s not just that, though. He’s the only guy I’ve ever desired. I’m nineteen, and I’ve never wanted to feel a man’s hands on me until now. That has to mean something, doesn’t it?” I asked. “I want him to be my first, my only. He doesn’t want me, though. Or at least he doesn’t want to want me. I know I make him hard, but maybe any woman can do that. You said he’s never had trouble getting a woman, so maybe I’m seeing a special connection that isn’t even there.”

I stared at the table, feeling dejected. I had absolutely no experience with boys my age, much less a man like Rocky. Even if there was a way to make him act on his attraction, I didn’t know if I should. If he used me, then tossed me away, I think I’d feel even worse than I already did. Maybe it was better to leave things as they were. I had no idea what was going to happen to me, or where I would go when I left this place. I’d watched enough movies to know I shouldn’t use my credit cards, and I only had five hundred left in cash. That wasn’t going to get me very far.

“You really want Rocky?” Isabella asked.

“Yeah, but I don’t want to force him to be with me. He either wants to or he doesn’t, and right now, it seems like he doesn’t. I don’t know why I thought he’d be any different.”

“Different from what?” Ridley asked.

“From the other guys I’ve known. My stepbrother is the only one who’s ever wanted me like that.”

Fire flashed in Ridley’s eyes. “Trying to rape you isn’t even nearly the same thing as wanting you. What he did was horrible and wrong. It was the violent act that was getting him off, not because he desires you.”

“Then I guess no one has ever wanted me like that,” I said. “Why would they? I’m just this big fat disgusting blob. My ass jiggles; my stomach jiggles. I’m so far from sexy it’s not even funny.”

Tears blurred my vision, but it was hard to miss the huge man kneeling beside me. Rocky lightly gripped my chin and turned my face toward him. I blinked, but the tears just slipped down my cheeks faster. Something was different. He was wearing one of those leather vests. A cut, with his name on the front. When I focused on his face, the intensity of his gaze made my breath stall in my lungs.

“You think I don’t want you? That you’re undesirable?” he asked.

“No one’s ever wanted me,” I said softly. “Why would you be any different?”

“I’m going to say this once, and once only, so listen carefully,” he said. “I happen to love the fact that you’re fuller figured. Your curves drive me crazy and make me want to do things I shouldn’t. You’re beautiful, Mara, inside and out. And you deserve someone better than me. You need someone who can give you the white picket fence, kids, and normal life. My life is never going to be normal. Danger is all around me all the fucking time, and I don’t want that for you.”

“I stabbed Sebastian Rossi,” I said. “He’s going to come for me. The entire family may come for me. I don’t know what you do here that’s so dangerous, and I don’t need to know. But do you honestly think I’m safer out there, on my own, than here with you? You think some random guy on the street will be better at protecting me than a Marine?”

“I’m not in the Marines anymore.”

“Once a Marine, always a Marine,” I said, quoting something I’d heard my dad say when I was younger.

He smiled faintly.

“If you want me,” I said, “then take me. I’m yours for as long as you want me, but I’m kind of hoping you’ll decide you don’t ever want to let me go. Because I already know that I want to keep you. I want to wake up every morning with your arms around me, and I want to go to bed every night the same way. I know that I’m younger than you, but I’m not a child, Rocky. I know what I want, and I want you. The question is do you want me too?”

He stared at me for several heartbeats, not saying a word. Rocky looked at someone over my shoulder, but I didn’t dare turn to see who it was. When he focused on me again, there was a determination in his eyes.

“If we do this, then it’s all or nothing,” he said. “You’ll be mine, completely.”

“Does that mean I have to get one of those tattoos like Ridley and Isabella have? Because I’m kind of scared of needles.”

“Yeah, you’ll be inked. Among other things.”

The heat in his eyes told me well enough what those other things would entail. I was actually looking forward to that part, but the tattoo I could live without. I’d never once been tempted to get one, and I didn’t much want to get one now. But if it was required in order for me to be his, then I would do it. For him. I just hoped they had a soundproof room because I was probably going to scream the building down.

“Okay,” I agreed.

“Zipper’s out on a run,” a voice said behind me. “Won’t be back for another day or two.”

“Then I guess the ink can wait,” Rocky said. “You ready to be mine, baby?”

I nodded, a flutter of excitement in my belly.

“Can’t very well claim her in your room here,” the voice behind me said.

Rocky frowned. “That’s all I have right now.”

“What about the yellow house?” Isabella asked. “No one has wanted it because it’s so small, but it might be just right for them.”

“What yellow house?” Rocky asked.

A man with silver hair stepped forward where I could see him. The stitching on his cut said he was the President of the MC.

“She’s talking about that small cottage out past Venom’s house. I had the Prospects pull out the old carpeting and put in laminate flooring, they repainted inside and out, and we put in new appliances. Now that more people are settling down, I thought we should get more homes ready,” the man said.

“Everyone else already picked a house?” Rocky asked.

The man shrugged. “Those who already had old ladies had homes, and Venom and I already had homes. But I wanted to be prepared. It’s just the first house we fixed up. Everyone complained when they heard which project the Prospects were working on, claiming the house should have been torn down.”

“What’s wrong with it?” I asked.

“It’s in good shape,” the man said. “But it’s a three-bedroom one-bath home. The rooms are a little on the small side since the house is only around fourteen hundred square feet. Isabella and Ridley picked out the colors. The outside is yellow with white trim and black shutters.”

“It’s really cute,” Ridley said. “There’s a small front porch with flower boxes on either side of the steps. The backyard is already fenced and has a deck. There’s a small sunroom at the back too.”

“It sounds really nice,” I said. And it really did. I’d never wanted some huge, ostentatious house like the Rossi family owned. I liked the idea of a small cottage. Something cozy.

“It’s not furnished,” Isabella said. “But we could get it done quickly.”

“Bella,” the older man said with a tone of warning.

She smiled brightly at him. “I just need about two or three hours, a handful of Prospects, and a few trucks.”

The man motioned toward me. “Mara might want to furnish her own home.”

Pick out furniture? I’d never gotten to select my own things before. The idea was intriguing. Until Rocky had taken me shopping in Kansas, I’d never even been allowed to choose my own clothes. It had been a freeing experience.

Rocky made me look at him again. “Do you want the house, Mara?”

“Can we go see it?” I asked. I already knew I wanted it, but I still wanted to see what it looked like.

The older man snapped his fingers at Johnny. The younger man retrieved something from a box hanging on the wall behind the bar, then came over and dropped a set of keys into Rocky’s hand.

“Come on, sweet girl. I’ll take you to see the house, then we’ll decide what to do.” Rocky stood up and pulled me to my feet.

I followed him out to his truck, and he boosted me onto the passenger’s seat. He backed out and pulled down a road that looked like it went on forever. It twisted and turned. He pointed out Ridley’s house and kept going. Another two minutes went by, and he pulled down a gravel drive to the most adorable house I’d ever seen. It was just as they had described, except the front door was a deep red with a brass knocker. I fell in love instantly.

Rocky helped me down, and we walked up the steps. The porch was pretty small, but could probably hold a rocking chair or two. There was a black wrought-iron railing around it and down the cement steps. The planters on either side were tiered with three sections on each side. It had to be the cutest home I’d ever seen. When I’d been little, I’d dreamed of having a house like this one day.

He unlocked the door, and we stepped inside. The laminate flooring looked like pine faux wood. It was in every room except the bathroom, which had neutral-colored tile on the floor and inside the tub-shower combo. It was a tiny bathroom compared to what I’d grown accustomed to, only about fifty square feet, but the pedestal sink, toilet, and tub looked new. An oval mirror hung over the sink, but I didn’t see anywhere to store towels or other bathroom things. It would probably be a little cramped for a guy Rocky’s size, but I thought we could make it work.

Rocky opened the small closet in the hall, which had shelves nearly top to bottom. “Looks like a linen closet,” he said.

I peered into the bedrooms. The first two were really small, but would be fine for kids. My cheeks flushed as I thought about having kids with him. The last bedroom was a little bigger and had three windows. It would probably hold a king-size bed, dresser, and possibly one other piece of furniture, but that was about it. It was small for a master bedroom, but not bad overall. There were his-and-hers closets, and though small, they were adequate. Another door drew my attention, and I opened it, stepping down into the sunroom. French doors led into the dining room.

“The kitchen isn’t too terrible,” Rocky said, looking into the room off the dining area.

It was long and skinny, and the washer and dryer took up space along one wall, but there was a pantry and tons of cabinets. The walls were a soft butter color, and the counters, cabinets, and appliances were all white. The only window was at the opposite end of the room over the sink, so the room was a little dreary, but there were two ceiling lights to brighten the space.

“I know it’s not what you’re used to,” Rocky said. “But I think it has potential.”

With the exception of the kitchen, and the sunroom, which was a pale green, the rest of the house had been painted a taupe color. It would make buying furniture easy, since just about anything would match.

“I love it,” I told him honestly. “And we don’t need a lot to start. Obviously, we need a bed and some sheets, but as long we have a place to sleep, maybe some towels so we can shower, then we can get the rest later.”

Rocky leaned against the wall, pulling me toward him. His booted feet were spaced apart, and I stepped between them, pressing my body to his.

“You’re sure about this?” he asked. “There’s no going back. We do this, and that’s it.”

“I’m sure,” I said softly.

“It’s a big decision, Mara. We barely know one another. The life you’ve led…” He shook his head. “I’m taking advantage of you, and I know it. Doesn’t stop me from wanting you, but the last thing I want is for you to wake up one day and regret choosing this path. You could go to school, have a career, lead a regular, normal life like anyone else out there.”

“Rocky, what part of my life has ever been normal? For some reason, my dad kept me a secret from his family. My mom is hiding things and married into a family of criminals. My stepbrother tried to rape me and is likely out to kill me now. Why would I want normal when I don’t even know what that is?”

“Fair enough.”

“I have some money we can put toward the things we’ll need,” I said.

“Keep your money, Mara. You’re mine, and I take care of what’s mine. You want furniture, bedding, and whatever the fuck else we need, I’ll buy it. You want to go out with the girls, I’ll give you money. As of now, you’re my woman, my old lady, and that makes it my job to take care of you.”

It sounded almost like I was trading one cage for another, but anything was better than being with the Rossi family. Rocky might sound all possessive and caveman-like, but I didn’t think he’d ever do something to hurt me. And part of me kind of liked his alpha attitude. With my stepfather and stepbrother, they demanded people follow their orders. But with Rocky… the commanding tone he had made me want to obey. Like in the shower that night. My body responded almost before the words even registered. Maybe that should have scared me, but it didn’t.

His hand fisted in my hair, and he dragged me closer. “Mine.”

His lips closed over mine, and I clung to him, my knees going weak as his tongue swept into my mouth. His kiss said I was his, that he owned me. It was dark, dangerous, commanding. Seductive. A whimper escaped me, and I squeezed my thighs together as a tingle started down low. I wanted him, more than I’d ever wanted anything. And now he was mine. I’d wear his mark, bow to his demands, and in that submission I’d finally experience freedom.

He set me away, his eyes burning with desire. The bulge in his jeans couldn’t be ignored, and I reached for him, but he captured my hands and held them tight.

“You touch me, and I will fuck you here and now. You don’t want me taking your virginity up against the wall, sweet girl. I want a bed, and I want the time to claim you properly.”

My heart hammered in my chest. Rocky took my hand and led me back out to the truck, stopping long enough to lock the house. He sent a text to someone and then pulled out of the driveway and toward the front of the compound. Two more trucks met us there and followed as we pulled out of the gates. Now that he had a mission, I didn’t think anything was going to stop him. Little did I realize that the Marine wanted in my pants so badly that he bought everything he’d need to give me a night to remember, and he managed to do it all in less than two hours. While he and two other men set up the bedroom, I hung the shower curtain and put down the bath mat. I stocked the hall closet with towels, and put our things away. The entire time, my heart raced, and there was a flutter in my belly that seemed to only grow stronger as the minutes ticked by. When Rocky called me to the bedroom, I knew that my life was about to change forever. I just didn’t realize how much.