Chapter 28
Emerson
It had been three days since I'd walked into Ace's house and had my world shattered. Three days since we'd talked it out, and then fucked it out, coming to a better understanding about what it meant to be claimed by him.
He owned me.
And I loved it.
I’d never thought that I was the kind of woman who would go for the supreme alpha male who was dominant in all things. I’d never thought that I would like to be controlled in the bedroom. Ace’s domination was not the type in which he treated his female like a slave, as if she were nothing and couldn't think for herself. Ace dominated me in a way that turned me on and made me feel special. Made me feel safe. He listened when he needed to, and acted when he had to. Sometimes I would test him by being stubborn, loving it when he turned all alpha on me. It often led to the best sex I'd ever had.
Raw and primal.
We'd been careful because he was still healing, but I'd already experienced the full effects of the moments when he lost control and went all in. He liked it rough, and I soon discovered that I did too. He was thorough. He was an unselfish lover. And I came apart in his arms. The orgasms he'd given me were intense and wildly satisfying, and nothing like I'd ever experienced before. He left my body totally and pleasantly exhausted, and my mind in a dreamy cloud of orgasmic bliss.
I knew that there had to be more than great sex in a relationship, and things seemed to be moving fast for us. But after months of denial on both of our parts, we were making up for lost time. When a Sentinel fell for a woman, he didn't mess around. It was fast, hard, and unconditional. I already loved Ace, we were halfway there.
My phone dinged, interrupting my thoughts and the coffee cups I'd been washing out. I glanced down to where my phone was sitting on the counter next to the sink. It was Bonnie. I dried my hands on a paper towel and reached for it.
U there?
Yea whatsup?
Just makin sure ur ok bfor we take off for Ft. Lauderdale.
Why wouldn't I b ok?
U seemed spooked bout something the other day.
I'm good. This is the weekend u tell ur folks, huh?
Yea. Excited! David's a little worried.
Why? They like him don't they?
They luv him! But he's worried they're goin to pressure us to get married.
Lol. Just keep their minds on the baby.
Lol. That wont b hard.
Let me know when ur back and we'll get together, k?
K. Talk to u then!
Bonnie was right, I had been spooked the other day, and I'd been thinking about my father ever since, praying that I didn't see him again. Bonnie was a good friend, but I didn't want her to worry about me. Mostly I didn't want her, or anyone else, to feel sorry for me, and that's what would happen if they found out what I was hiding. I couldn't bear the look of pity in their eyes, or worse, the condemnation of someone who blamed me for what had happened. I knew that that kind of thing happened to victims of abuse and molestation, because some people couldn't accept that it happened. It didn't make them bad people, but I knew that ignorance of the circumstances often led people to think the wrong thing.
"Baby."
I jumped at the closeness of Ace's growly voice against my ear. His arms snaked around my waist from behind, pulling me back against him. A sigh of bliss escaped my lips when I realized that he was naked from the waist up.
"My brothers are coming over for church. Can you make yourself scarce?"
I smiled and then sighed as pleasure zinged through me. Ace was nuzzling the back of my ear with his nose, his warm breath tickling my skin. A tingle traveled down my spine as I laid my head back against his shoulder. I loved that he couldn't seem to keep his hands off me. "You afraid that I'll hear something that I shouldn't?"
"Yeah. I don't want to put you in that position."
"I know how to keep a secret," I said, feeling my nipples harden against my thin tee. Just being close to Ace aroused me. I liked his hands on me. "Do you want me to make some coffee?"
He laughed softly. "Baby, we like the hard stuff when we're talking serious club business."
"Cheese and crackers?"
"Now you're just fucking with me," he grinned against my neck.
"I like fucking with you." I brought my arms up and wrapped them around the back of his neck. His big, capable hands splayed over my lower belly and slowly glided up to my breasts, cupping them. Something clenched in my core when his thumbs flicked across my nipples with enough force to drag a moan from me. "You're making me wet."
He growled and closed his hands over my breasts as if he had no control. "Fuck, baby girl, you can't say shit like that and not expect me to fuck you."
I giggled. "Would that be so bad, biker man? I'm not complaining." I relished in my power over the big man. But he had power over me, too.
As if something unspoken passed between us, I tilted my face upward toward his and he leaned down and kissed me with rough passion. His mouth was coaxing, and masterful, and I eagerly opened mine to his thrusting tongue. He tasted like smoky heat and coffee.
His low groan revealed his rising lust, and his hands went to the hem of my tee. Before I knew it, his hands were smoothing beneath the material, up my naked skin and covering my breasts. I wasn't wearing a bra, at his request. Ace liked easy access to my body and didn't want me wearing undergarments that would get in the way of his roaming fingers. We were still grinding our mouths together, his hands squeezing and shaping my breasts, when the door opened.
"Whoa, brother, get a fucking room!"
I made a panicked move to get away from Ace, but he held me against him. At least he lowered his hands. "Fuck you, brother," he said to a smiling Gabe. Tanner was right behind him. "Show my woman some respect by knocking next time."
"Hi, sweetheart." Gabe totally ignored Ace. "He hasn't chased you away yet?" He gave me a wink.
Tanner followed with, "Looks like you've recovered, brother. Hi, sweetheart."
Ace growled, and I knew that he was recalling the incident with Candy and what his brothers’ interference had almost ruined for us. I turned in his arms, meeting his eyes. "Let it go, honey." Arousal flared in his eyes when I called him that. "It was just a misunderstanding, right?"
"What was a misunderstanding?" Tanner inquired.
Ace ignored Tanner's question. "They're lucky you're so fucking sweet and forgiving," he snarled, looking over my head at his brothers. One-by-one, they made eye contact with me and acknowledged me with a nod.
"Must be talking about the girls you sent here," Mike guessed correctly. "Didn't know Candy was here when I dropped you off, darlin', her car must have been around back." Apparently he'd already gotten an ear-full from Ace.
More of the Sentinels had poured into the room now, their boots stomping heavily over the floor that I'd just washed that morning. In spite of that, I smiled.
"You needed help, brother. Wasn't going to worry about your ass falling down somewhere and coming here to find you'd bled out. Your fucking pride wouldn't let us send Emerson." Tanner's tone made no apologies, and he clearly wasn't worried about the glare that was being directed at him from Ace.
"Enough about this fucking bullshit," Ace snapped. "But since you're all here, I want to make it fucking clear that Emerson is my old lady." The news didn't appear to surprise anyone. "And that means I want her sent to the safe house." I opened my mouth to argue, but a warning look from him made me snap it shut again.
"We'll cover it during church," Tanner said.
"On that note, I guess I'll disappear."
"Don't go far, baby."
I laughed. "That would be hard to do, considering I don't have a car here." I gave his chin a kiss and headed toward the door, the front porch my destination. I enjoyed the peace and tranquility that surrounded Ace's house, and often found myself sitting on the porch during the early morning hours or early evenings.
The fact that I didn't have a car there was a problem. I needed some things from my apartment if I was going to stay with Ace much longer, and we needed groceries. Ace hadn't had much in his fridge when I'd first gotten there, even less now that I was eating his food. Maybe, I thought, I could get one of the men to come back with a car and take me shopping. As I was contemplating that idea, a vehicle that was approaching the house came into view. I recognized Dr. Rivers' Land Rover. He was the only one who'd been to Ace’s house since I'd arrived.
"Good morning!" I called out when he exited his vehicle. I noticed his little black bag. "Making another house call?" At first glance, no one would guess that he was a doctor, not with his long, gray ponytail and the tattoos that ran down his arms.
He returned my smile. "Morning, Em. Yeah. This should be the last time." He climbed the steps and then looked out at all the bikes that were parked in front of the house. "I take it they're all in church?" I nodded as he sat in the chair next to me. "Guess I'll have to wait." His blue eyes were warm and friendly. "So how are you doing? All this quiet driving you crazy yet?"
"Not at all. I love it. There's something so peaceful about sitting here, listening to the birds and other animals. Just last evening a wild pig and her babies showed up down by the water for a drink."
"I've heard they're destructive creatures," he commented. "With all their rooting around."
I nodded, smiling. "Yeah, I guess. I don't think it bothers Ace, though." Not much bothered Ace when it came to the animals that showed up on his land.
"Yeah, I've known Ace and most of the Sentinels for a long time. I'd say Ace is more of an animal person than a people person. Even before he joined the military and came back all messed up."
I wanted to ask questions about the man Ace had been before he’d joined the military, but I knew that Ace wouldn't like that. He'd rather I asked him if there was something I wanted to know. So I remained quiet. Once in a while, the voices of the men inside would carry out, suggesting that there was some arguing was going on. I couldn't tell what was being said, and I wondered if any of it was about Ace's decision to send me away.
After a few minutes of listening, Doctor Rivers snorted in amusement. "Those guys get passionate when it comes to protecting our town. It's been a while since they've had this kind of trouble come through."
"All I know is that it's with another MC. Why aren't the police taking care of it?"
"What makes you think they aren't?" he countered, grinning. "How long you been here?"
"About four years," I replied. I'd decided to move from North Carolina when my father's release date had gotten closer.
He nodded. "The Sentinels have been taking care of Daytona for a long time. The cops appreciate the help, especially when there are problems with outlaw motorcycle clubs."
I nodded. "It seems Daytona draws bikers."
"Always has, since way back before Daytona Beach Bike Week started in nineteen-thirty-seven. The warm weather and the proximity to the ocean has always been a draw. Thousands come for that event, and Biktoberfest." He shrugged. "Some stay and make their homes here."
"Have you lived here long?"
"All my life," he responded. "I moved around when I was younger, but I always came back home."
The sound of another vehicle coming down the drive drew our attention to the road. It was the police. I immediately wondered if their sudden appearance had anything to do with the trouble that had recently gone down between the Sentinels and the Hellraisers. I didn't know what exactly had happened, but the bullet wound on Ace's side told me that it hadn't been good. I wondered if any members of the other club had been wounded, or worse, killed. Suddenly, I was thankful that I didn't know the details.
The only thing that kept me from panicking was the police vehicles apparent lack of urgency. There were no sirens and no flashing lights. They drove up to the side of the doctor's Land Rover, parked, and turned off the ignition. A single officer exited the vehicle. I recognized Deputy Callahan from the times that I’d seen him at After Hours. He'd always struck me as a calm, level-headed man, and just as it had been all of the other times that we’d met, his eye-contact with me was friendly and respectful.
"Hey, miss."
"Officer," I acknowledged with a smile.
He nodded, and then looked at the doctor. "Doc. Are you here professionally?" His gaze flickered to the bag at the doctor's feet.
I wondered what the doctor would say, what the protocol was with regard to responding to questions from the police about the Sentinels. I knew that both the doctor and Deputy Callahan worked closely with the MC. But how much did they really know? Or, was it possible that neither man knew the extent of the relationship each one had with the club, and would err on the side of caution?
Whatever the situation, I was glad when the door opened and Doctor Rivers was saved from having to answer. William poked his head out, pinning his gaze on the officer. "We've been waiting for you," he said, opening the door wider so the other man could enter the house. "Hey, Doc, sorry you made a trip out here for nothing. Ace is good. Check will be in the mail."
Doctor Rivers didn't seem upset or surprised about being dismissed. We exchanged goodbyes, and then I sat back in my chair and watched him leave.