Fury and pride ripped through Soloman as he stalked out of the mess that had once been Merchant's beautifully furnished lobby entrance. Now, instead of dealing with this shit, as the boss should, he would have to go find his own personal Houdini woman and explain to her exactly what he meant by stay in the fucking bedroom. Goddamn was she ever a handful. And she'd stolen another fucking vehicle.
He threw his cigarillo into the gutter and flung open the door to Roman's '69 Mustang. Soloman was starting to to run out of his own cars. Without being asked, Roman drove like a demon, running lights to get them to Riley’s garage. Their guy had spotted her pulling his bike into the lot thirty minutes earlier. Soloman already had three men sitting on the shop ensuring her safety. And making sure she didn’t pull another disappearing act on him before he could get his hands on her.
“Gonna mess her up?” Roman grunted from the driver’s seat.
Soloman turned his face slowly to look at his right-hand man. Roman’s jaw was knotted with tension, the old gang tattoos rippling down the cords of his throat. He knew he was overstepping with the boss, but he chose to ask the question anyway. Roman had a pretty fucked up moral compass when it came to everyone in the world except one particular blond. And now, apparently, the woman that was fiercely loyal to Katie Pullman had wormed her way into his affections.
Soloman studied him for a moment, wondering if this was going to be a problem. He couldn’t have a man unwilling to pull the trigger, no matter who the gun was pointed at. Then again, that gun would never turn on Riley and he knew it would tear her heart out if he ever gave the order to take out her friends. So, he didn’t think there would be a problem.
“That woman has disobeyed me at every turn, stolen at least two of my vehicles and I’m guessing is instrumental in turning my Audi to ash,” he responded quietly. “Have I harmed her yet?”
Roman’s eyes met his for a second before turning back to the road. A flicker of relief had passed through them. “I’m fucking pissed that I have to chase this woman all over a city we both know I own, but I’m not going to mess up my future wife. I want her the way she is,” he growled, tapping his fingers impatiently against the windowsill as they pulled up to Riley’s garage. He reached for the door. “Maybe just a little less goddamned headstrong.”
An uneasy hush fell over the garage when Roman and Soloman stepped through the shadows of the doorway. Something metal hit the concrete floor and an engine being quickly shut off were the only sounds that could be heard throughout the large area. Soloman’s eyes narrowed as he scanned the space. He didn’t see her. She was either in her office or she was hiding out in the bowels of the building where they kept the stolen vehicles. It wasn’t like her to hide.
“Close the doors and get out,” he barked.
The harsh words had every man dropping their work and moving for the exit. As loyal as they were to Riley Bancroft, they valued life too much to cross Soloman Hart for the sake of a job. Within seconds, there was no one left but the two tall, sinister men waiting on the owner to show herself. Silence reigned.
Without turning to face his man, Soloman said, “Go and keep an eye on things outside. They won’t leave her for long. She inspires loyalty in dickless idiots.”
Roman grunted, turned on his heel and slammed out the door. Seconds later, Riley emerged from the depths of the building with a frown on her face. Wendell Pullman was only a few steps behind her. He was scowling in an attempt to cover his fear.
She crossed her arms over breasts chilled by the shadowy interior of the garage. He watched her every movement with a predatory glint. “I thought it might be you causing havoc in my shop,” she said, her voice a husky shiver of apprehension.
“And yet you still chose to run from me,” he gritted out, anger sizzling through his veins. His dick pressed hard against the front of his suit pants. He did nothing to hide his sizeable erection. He’d discarded his suit jacket and tie in the back of Roman’s car already, knowing exactly how he would want Riley once he found her.
She shrugged lightly. “Lock me up like an animal and you better believe I’ll find a way to escape my cage.”
The negligent way she spoke to him, as though his words, his fucking orders, meant nothing to her, made him see red. Worse, she spoke back to him in front of someone. An outsider. That someone was taking a protective step closer to Soloman’s woman.
“Next time I use chains, little girl,” he snarled, stabbing his middle finger at her. “Let’s see if you can turn yourself loose if you're chained to me or my goddamned bed at all times.”
“You’re a fucking lunatic!” she yelled back at him, finally losing her cool and lunging toward him. Wendell caught her arm as if to remind her of exactly who she was freaking out at.
Soloman’s dark gaze zeroed in on Wendell who must have sensed the imminent danger. He dropped his hand as though it were about to be ripped off.
“Get the fuck out. Now.” Soloman’s deep voice held such quiet menace that only the incredibly brave would’ve disobeyed.
Wendell’s feet immediately shuffled toward the exit, but he glanced desperately at Riley as though he wanted to grab hold of her and drag her out with him. He wouldn’t have made it two steps before he died an incredibly quick and gruesome death. She put a soft hand on his arm and gave him a quick, negative shake of her head, urging him to leave quickly.
“Take. Your. Fucking. Hand. Off. Now.” Soloman gritted out with incredible patience that he was not known for. He was navigating new territory with this woman and he didn't enjoy it. A small, dark part of him questioned if he would have been better off just killing her all those weeks ago as he’d originally planned. Of course, he now knew it would have be like cutting out his own heart.
Riley dropped her hand and watched with undisguised longing as her last champion left her alone and unprotected with the most evil man in the city. A man determined to own her until she bowed down and broke beneath him. When the door closed behind Wendell, she turned and faced Soloman, glaring at him with flashing velvet eyes. Her hands were fisted angrily at her sides.
“Come here,” Soloman commanded quietly.
She ignored him, standing her ground.
He raised an eyebrow. “If I have to come over there, I promise little girl, I will put you on your knees and break that mouth in. And I won't be gentle.”
“Fuck you,” she spat, “since when have you been gentle?”
He didn’t give her any more chances. Stalking toward her, he reached out and took her arm in a brutal hold as she tried to stumble away from him. She cried out when he shook her and snarled into her face, “I have been more lenient with you than any other. No more, Riley.”
She brought her hands up, but he shoved them down, heedless of the delicate bones he might be bruising. He took her tank top and bra in one hand and ruthlessly yanked them down below her breasts, stretching the material to accommodate her cleavage. He let go and allowed the underwire and elasticized top to push the gorgeous globes up. She gasped and squirmed in his hold.
“Soloman…” she cried out.
Ignoring her, he bent his head and clamped his teeth over one already hard, succulent rose-coloured nipple. He sucked hard on the peak until she was begging him breathlessly to ease up. He wrapped a thick arm around her waist and clamped her hard against his rock-hard erection before moving to pay attention to her other breast. While sucking and biting it into turgid awareness, he fingered and squeezed the wet nipple of her other breast until she was practically crying in his arms. She alternately begged him to stop while at the same time clamping her arms around his neck and holding him hard against her and arching her back, thrusting her breasts toward his hot, torturous mouth.
“Oh fuck, oh god, I think I’m go… going to come just from this,” she moaned in garbled surprise.
He let go of her breasts and pushed her slightly away from him. “No, gorgeous,” he said with a cruel smile. “Bad girls don’t get to come.”
She stared up at him, a cloudy frown on her beautiful face. As the dreaminess began to clear and anger set in, she reached for her bra. He slapped her hand away, catching her nipple in the process. She gasped and flushed at the small bite of pain. She tried reaching for her shirt again and he deliberately slapped her other breast, flicking her nipple. She cried out sharply and thrust her breasts out involuntarily.
Her eyes popped open and she stared up at him in horror. They both knew she had just given him something very special. A piece of herself. Something she shouldn't have given. Something he could and would use against her. She enjoyed pain with her pleasure. Fuck, she was too perfect.
“On your knees,” he demanded, steel underlying his words.
She licked her lips and glanced down toward his raging hard on. She was a curious little kitty. She was also headstrong and willful. Which girl was going to win this round? Her chocolate eyes hardened and she shook her head, chin coming up defiantly. His lips pressed together, tightening his scar into a thin line. He had hoped playing first would soften her up a little. Ah well. Her downfall would be so much sweeter for the fight. She would make a magnificent queen.
He reached out and took a firm hold of her ponytail, drawing a startled gasp from her perfect, pouty lips. His balls ached just from that one look. He gave in and brought his tattooed hand up to her face. She flinched, but he held her tight, shoving his thumb into her mouth. She looked surprised for a second and then tried to jerk back. He held her jaw tight and forced his thumb deep into the silken recess of her mouth, enjoying the soft, wet feel of her, knowing he was seconds away from feeling that tongue slide along his dick. She gurgled a little before closing her lips around his thumb and sucking him helplessly.
Fuck, she felt like heaven and her lips hadn’t even touched his cock. Unable to wait a moment longer, he used her ponytail to drag her ruthlessly to the floor of the garage. He controlled her fall so her knees wouldn’t bang hard against the unyielding concrete. Her hands clutched desperately against his thighs, trying to gain some kind of control as she went down. He jerked her head back for just a second, watching the prick of tears form in her wide, innocent eyes as she took the bite of pain in her scalp with a hiss. He slashed a knowing grin down at her and she glared back. He knew her guilty little secret now. He knew she liked that bite of pain. He tightened his fingers, enjoying the way her hands flexed involuntarily into his thighs as her eyes clouded.
He pressed his thumb against her lips, taking just a moment to savour their plush softness before reaching for his belt. He made quick work of his pants, pulling his thick, engorged cock out. She licked her lips, the breath rushing out of her mouth in quick pants of anticipation and anxiety. She wanted to take him in her mouth, but she knew he was going to control every moment. Her eyes flickered up to him and, fuck, he could tell she was turned on by the prospect.
With one hand on the base of his cock and the other on the back of her head he urged her forward, tapping the purple crown against her mouth. He groaned out loud as precum smeared across the perfect, plump surface of her lips, painting her, claiming her. He pushed against her, forcing her lips to part. He’d intended to go slow, enjoy the view as he went deep the first time, but the primitive sight of her pretty little mouth stretching to take his big cock was too much.
Adjusting his grip on the back of her head, he slammed himself forcefully into her mouth, making her take as much of him as she could. Her eyes flew wide and she gurgled in protest as spit pooled around her lips. She gagged against him, her lips stretched wide. Her hands fisted against his thighs. She rolled her eyes desperately up to his, tears forming and overflowing. Fuck, he couldn’t believe how good her throat felt working to accommodate him. He wasn’t even all the way in. He could only imagine what that would feel like.
“Just breathe through your nose, baby. You’ll be fine,” he growled down at her through gritted teeth.
She was moving under him, struggling against his hold. Finally, he allowed her to move back a little. She took a few deep breaths and wiped at the spit that had gathered on her chin. He swiped his thumb along her chin and stuffed it in her mouth. She looked up at him shocked and then began sucking greedily. Ah fuck, such a good girl. He pulled his thumb out and lined his cock back up with her mouth. She tried to turn her face away instinctively, but he used her hair to guide her back and slammed himself back in.
This time instead of just feeling the squeeze of her throat, he fucked her mouth, feeling the incredible velvet glide of her silken mouth against every inch of his cock as he forced it inside her. She choked and gagged on him, but after a moment, caught onto the rhythm and began enthusiastically sucking as best she could while he brutally used her. She moaned in delight, obliviously caught up in the barbaric act. She was so much better than he’d ever hoped for.
She clutched at his muscular ass with her small spread fingers as he used her face for his own pleasure. Far from fighting him, she was helping to give him the best goddamned blow job of his entire life. He was most definitely in love. His gorgeous woman was sealing her fate more effectively with every lick and squeeze than anything else possibly could. He would never let her go.
With a roar, he clamped her head tightly against him and pumped himself into the wet, silken depths of her throat, coming with such ferocity that he doubted she was prepared. He could feel her trembling against his legs as she gagged and coughed on dick, her body automatically coughing up what he was forcing into her. He wouldn’t let her though. She’d just have to take every drop until he was satisfied. After a few seconds, he released her. She collapsed onto her hands and knees on the concrete, gasping for breath.
Her now messed up ponytail fell forward obscuring her eyes from his sight. She brought an arm up to cover her quivering lips and wipe away any leftover spit and come from her now red and swollen mouth. He quickly tucked his semi-hard dick back into his pants, buckled his belt and went down onto one knee next to her. Worried that she was upset or hurt, he took her chin in his hand and turned her face toward him. Gently, he brushed her messy brown hair off her forehead.
Blazing eyes met his. She grinned up at him and gave him a silly laugh. “Holy shit, that was hot!”
He couldn’t help himself, he laughed too. He genuinely laughed. For the first time in as long as he could remember. Maybe for the first time ever. This was how he knew Riley was special. She pulled things out of him no one else was capable of. Taking her arm in a gentle grip, he helped her stand up.
He watched her carefully while she attempted to right her clothes, then he reached out and took her hand. “Time to go,” he said, tugging her toward the door.
She resisted, digging her feet in. When he glanced at her, she shook her head. “Soloman, can we just talk for a second?”
“No need to talk,” he growled, tugging harder on her hand until she stumbled against him. Some of the satisfaction he felt at having her suck him off left to be replaced by annoyance at her constant resistance. “You know where I stand. Now walk out the damn door and get in the fucking car. If I have to carry you, I will make sure you regret it later. I have things to take care of. Things I had to leave unfinished to come down here.”
“Please, Soloman!” she said more loudly. The edge of desperation in her voice made him stop and look back at her. Tears shimmered in her dark eyes, making them look bigger, more innocent.
Fuck. He let go of her hand and swung around to face her.
“Speak,” he demanded roughly, shoving a tattooed hand over his head. He didn't miss the flash of fear on her face as her eyes followed his hand before falling away. Fuck, he thought she was getting past her fear of him.
She hesitated for a second but the scowl he gave her suggested she better start talking quickly. She took hold of his wrist in both of her hands and squeezed it pleadingly. “I’ve been away from my garage for several days now, Soloman. It needs me in order to keep running smooth. If I’m not around then invoices don't get done, payments don't get collected and shipments don't get negotiated. This place will fail without me.”
The ice didn’t leave his eyes as he looked down at her. They both read between the lines. He didn't care about her garage. In fact, it was probably for the best if it failed. Then she wouldn't have something to tie her down. Something to keep running back to. A tear trickled from the corner of her eye and spilled down her smooth cheek. He flicked it with the tip of his finger.
“My father built this garage with nothing but hard work and a few good friends,” she told him, her eyes flickering with sadness. “I grew up here. I learned to drive here. I made my best friends here. When he died I made sure that his legacy would continue. No matter what. I’ve poured everything into this place. If I lose it because of you, I promise you will never hold my heart.”
Soloman watched the emotions cross her beautiful face. He wanted to capture each one and cage them for himself. He wanted to be the selfish bastard that he was. She was trying to teach him to be someone else though. He didn't know if he could, but he knew he should try. He gave her a quick nod. Surprise flashed in her eyes.
He chuckled deeply and turned to walk to the door, intent on putting at least two more guys on the garage to keep an eye on his woman. “You can stay for a few hours. I have business at Merchant’s anyway. We’ll discuss what happens after that. No promises though.”
“Soloman…” she called out, guilt and hesitation saturating her voice.
He turned and looked back at her, taking in the way she was biting her lip and refusing to meet his eyes. She definitely had something to tell him that she didn’t want to say. He sighed and rubbed a hand over his short hair. Finally, shaking his head, he said with quiet resignation, “Fuck, woman. I figured you were responsible for doing my car, but the club too? You really know how to push a man’s buttons.”
Her gorgeous eyes snapped up and her mouth popped open into a perfect round ‘oh.’ If he hadn’t just finished using that beautiful little target, she would be back on her knees, with his dick shoved right back in there. He was already stirring at the thought. She nodded guiltily, her messed up ponytail bouncing against her bare shoulders.
“I hired someone to distract you and piss you off in the process,” she admitted.
“Well it worked,” he grunted. “Must be one crazy motherfucker to mess with me in my town. Jesus, Riley. Were you trying to get someone killed?”
She hung her head a little and twisted the end of her soft ponytail to brush against her full lips. She peeked at him through thick lashes, scraping her doodled-on Sketcher against the concrete. “I wasn’t trying to get anyone killed. I was just super pissed at you. And I won’t give up his name, so don’t even ask,” she said defiantly, tilting her chin a little. “I paid him off and told him to leave town again.”
His lip curved just a little at her sassiness. He could get the name out of her if he really wanted, but he wouldn’t. It was enough that she put a stop to the mischief. Even though it’d cost him his second favourite goddamn car and thousands of dollars in damage to one of his clubs. Fuck, she was worth it though. He’d have to remember her idea of vengeance next time he pissed his beautiful girl off.
“I’ll accept that for now,” he agreed. “I have the one responsible for all the damage anyway. I can spank her ass until I’m satisfied.”
She quit playing with the ends of her hair, allowing them to slither back over her smooth shoulder. She watched him closely with those incredible chocolate eyes as though trying to figure out a puzzle. “You really did know it was me that took out your Audi? And stole the Regera? How the fuck am I still alive after all that, Soloman?”
He stood completely still without speaking, allowing her to work it out on her own. She was a quick woman. Even if she didn’t want to understand, she would come to the correct conclusion. He could see the moment her eyes flared wide. Panic and awe mixed in their velvet depths. She looked as though she wanted to run and hide from him. Not something he would ever allow.
“Y-you actually care about me,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. It was a statement, not a question.
Anger at her refusal to truly understand crashed through him. He tensed his muscles so he wouldn’t stalk back over to her and shake her until she got it through her thick skull.
“Care? That’s a fucking stupid word for what I feel. For what I want from you, Riley,” he growled across the space at her. Fear flashed across her face and he knew she was seconds away from begging him to stop talking. He cut her off, ignoring her vulnerability and plowing on. “I fell for you the first fucking moment I saw those idiotic shoes sticking out from under that stolen car you were working on. For the first time in my life I had to pull back from a kill. I was forced to question my entire existence as you sat on this very pavement and looked up at me with those eyes, begging me not to end your life. Something inside me shifted. You took hold of me that night and haven't let go since.”
She stared at him, her eyes shimmering with tears, small hand covering her mouth. She dropped her hand and said in a shaky voice, “You haven’t let me go either.”
“And I never will,” he said, releasing a breath from deep in his lungs that he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.
He’d been afraid she would reject his words. Throw them in his face and run in the opposite direction. Not that it would matter, but he was man enough to acknowledge it would hurt if she chose that path. Instead, she was looking at him with the first hints of tentative acceptance.
“You love me?” she barely breathed the words.
“What the fuck else could it be?” he groaned, annoyed that she was so slow to come to the correct conclusion. “You’re it for me, woman. Forever, mine. Get used to the idea, because I won't be separated from you.”
She pressed a hand unconsciously against her chest and blinked at him dazedly. She opened her mouth as though searching for the right words. He shook his head. “I know it’s too soon for you, gorgeous,” he said, quirking his lips. “You’ve spent too much time being afraid of me and running in the opposite direction. I’ll give you as much time as you need. I’ll give you forever if that’s what you want. As long as you spend that time with me.”
He winked at her and strode toward the door, leaving her to sort out her twisted emotions and run back to the safety of her office. She needed to check the mirror and make sure she didn’t look like she’d just been mouth-fucked into oblivion. As she adjusted the stretched straps of her bra and tank top, her fingers drifted to her slightly swollen, full, red lips. A dreamy look clouded her brown eyes.
“Wow,” she breathed, leaning her hip against her small desk and covering her face with her hands. “Who knew that man could be so romantic? I am so fucking fucked.”