Bo took measured breaths, doing everything in his power not to rush at Ray and punch the living shit out of him. Not when he had a gun trained on Dakota. But there was no hell he would watch him rape—well, anyone, but especially not the woman he loved.
Bo stepped forward slowly, eyes darting around the living room as he formulated a plan. So Ray wanted to make him hurt—payback, no doubt—and possibly even deliver him to Demon Seed, if his pending affiliation with them was any clue.
There was no way in hell Ray would accomplish either of those things—even if he had to die trying.
Bo had entered the apartment complex on the strict orders that his club brothers wait for his word. He’d known they’d be entering a hostage situation, and any number of extra players would only work against him. Bo had to solve this on his own from the inside. His brothers would come in only if there was gunfire or shouting.
Ray waved the gun toward the wall facing the couch. “Sit there.”
Bo leaned against the wall, giving him the meanest stare possible.
“I said sit,” Ray spat.
Bo lowered slowly, coming to his knees. His last line of defense niggled inside his sock—the tiny knife stowed away for emergencies—and he watched while Ray grinned down at Dakota. Her tear-streaked cheeks made his heart wrench. Just hang on darlin’. I’ll get you out of this.
Her messy black hair showed signs of struggle; a bruise formed on the side of her face, and her neck. Emotion tightened his chest and he balled his fists, drawing a hand subtly closer to the sock where the knife was stowed. Ray snapped his eyes toward him.
“Hands in the air.”
Bo gritted his teeth, putting his hands in the air.
“Now.” Ray pushed his pants down with a free hand, the gun pressed against Dakota’s temple. Pain slashed through him. If Ray wanted to hurt him, he’d picked the right thing. This was one of the most fucked up situations he’d ever been in…and Dakota didn’t deserve to be involved.
That’s why she ran. Look at what you bring to her.
His throat tightened and he watched Dakota with pleading eyes, trying to send as much calmness to her as he could. I’ll get you out of his. I promise I will. Just distract him long enough for me.
Ray’s dick pressed against his boxers, tenting the fabric. He laughed a little, smoothing a hand over Dakota’s creamy thigh. “Yeah, not too hard to get turned on for this one.” He glanced back at Bo, who scowled at him. “Am I right?”
“Don’t fucking talk about her like that,” Bo snapped, the anger making fast coils inside him. This was too much. He’d only grazed her thigh and he could snap his neck in half.
“Oh, come on Bo.” Ray tutted, like he was being unreasonable. “I know how you operate. I was your brother for five years, remember? I watched you treat every woman like a piece of shit. Now I want to do the same and you suddenly have a problem with it?” He scoffed, swinging the gun toward Bo.
“Leave her the fuck alone,” Bo growled, staring him down. “Shoot me if you want, but you don’t touch her.”
“Oooh. Testy.” Ray chuckled. “Actually, I’ll do whatever the hell I want. Just so you know.” Ray swung the gun back toward Dakota, smashing the barrel against her temple.
“Spread your legs.” Ray’s command made Bo’s stomach turn. Dakota shook her head, teary eyes staring up at Ray with pure fear.
“I said, spread your legs.” Ray slapped her across the cheek, the curt crack of his palm against skin ricocheting throughout the room. Bo swallowed his reaction, trying to steel himself, to play it calm and collected as long as he could.
Dakota kept her legs pressed together and rolled away from him. Bo perked up. Ray struggled to press the gun to her head again, reaching for her with a free hand. He grabbed at her waist, sliding her closer. Bo lowered a hand to his sock, keeping the other one in the air, and quietly fished out his secret knife.
When Ray straightened, his back almost totally toward him, Bo launched to his feet and raced forward, wrapping a thick arm around Ray’s neck. Ray yelped, both hands coming to the arm at his neck, the gun clattering to the floor.
“Bo, what the fuck are you doing.” His voice came out strangled. “Let me go.”
“You’ve gotta be fuckin’ nuts.” Bo wrestled him to the ground, his tiny yet super-sharp knife pressed to his throat. A trickle of blood showed already. “I already told you once not to touch her like that. Now you’re gonna die.”
Ray let a strangled laugh. “You’re wrong, bucko. You killed my brother, so you’re gonna die.” With a hand he groped along the floor, searching for his gun. “You’re next in line.”
Bo wrestled him away from the gun, tightening his hold on his neck. Ray gasped, clutching lamely at his arm. Then his hand fell to his pants crumpled on the floor. He rummaged for something there but Bo yanked him away from that.
Bo looked up to find Dakota’s fearful eyes on him. He nodded toward his guns on the floor and she responded almost instantly, rolling off the couch. When she stood over the guns, Bo flipped Ray onto his back and held his forearm over his throat, enjoying the bulging of his veins at the temples.
“Thanks for the fun time today, Ray.” Bo pressed a knee into his groin, to quiet his thrashing. “I’d send you with a message to pass on to Tony, but I doubt you’ll be seeing him where you’re going.” He grinned sardonically as Dakota kicked a gun his way. The clatter across the floor made Ray crane his neck to look, gasping in the process.
Bo reached for the gun and held it up to Ray’s forehead. “Bye, now.”
Bo grabbed for a couch cushion and held it over Ray’s face before he pulled the trigger, wincing as the muffled blast echoed through the living room. Dakota whimpered and sobbed against the duct tape, her face moist and red. Bo tossed the cushion aside, one entire side covered in blood splatters, chest heaving as he assessed Ray’s lifeless body.
“Darlin’.” Bo pushed himself to standing and raced over to Dakota, who sat limp on the ground. He cupped her face in both hands and looked her up and down, tears choking his throat. “Let’s get this tape off.”
She nodded and he grabbed an edge. “I’m gonna do it fast, okay?”
She nodded again, strands of her dark hair stuck to her forehead.
He grimaced and ripped it off fast. She howled, falling forward against him. He scooped her into his arms, pressing her against him, so thankful for the heat and weight of her that he could cry.
“I’m so sorry for this,” he whispered into her hair, pulling her into his lap. He cradled her there on the kitchen floor, rocking her gently. “I’m so sorry for all of this.”
She sobbed into his chest, clinging to him like he might float away if she didn’t. “Bo, it was so scary. He said so much shit…” Her breath hitched. “I just wanted you to come save me. I needed you.”
“And I came.” He ran a hand through her hair. “He can’t hurt you anymore, darlin’.”
She hooked her arms around his neck. He held her like a child, her head nuzzled into the hollow of his neck. The door creaked open and Turbo stepped in.
“Boss?”
Bo nodded. “It’s all good.” He took a deep inhale of Dakota’s hair. But it hadn’t been all good for almost a week now. Now that she was in his arms, he could breathe again. “I took care of Ray. You guys go to Demon Seed headquarters. Take ‘em out.”
Turbo nodded at the raw directive, his eyes darkening. “I’ll let you know when we get there.”
Bo nodded, tightening his arms around Dakota. When she looked up at him, mascara stains lined her cheeks. “I’m sorry I left.”
He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Don’t be sorry.”
“But I am. I should have just stayed, and talked to you.” She knotted a hand in the front of his shirt. “God, I’ve missed you.”
Bo pressed his lips to her forehead, fighting the tightness in his throat. Outside, the roar of motorcycles filled the air as his brothers hit the road to Demon Seed. “Me too, darlin’.” His voice came out a choked whisper. “More than I can even explain.” A few moments of quiet went by, and then he dared to ask the question that had stormed and clanked around in his mind for days. “Why’d you go?”
Dakota sniffed hard, rubbing her eyes against the inside of her arm. “Because I was pissed at you. Turbo had told me that you killed the president of Demon Seed and I…I don’t know, I just freaked out. This stuff is hard for me to handle, and I felt like you had lied to me. Like if I stayed with you it would just be an endless cycle of this drama.”
Bo pinched his eyes shut, rubbing her back methodically. “I guess I didn’t tell you I did that, huh.”
“No. I felt betrayed.” She drew a ragged breath, then sobbed again. “I don’t like being kept in the dark. And your whole club, it’s just wandering through the darkness.”
“That’s not true,” he said.
“For me it is.” She sniffed, wiping at her cheeks. “I can’t live like that.”
Bo let her words settle in the air between them, heavy like an angry fist. His mind roiled with responses and pleas, but none made the leap past his lips. Until he blurted, “It won’t be like that anymore. Because I need you in my life.”
Her body shook with a new round of sobs.
“All this bullshit here,” he shifted beneath her, grazing a kiss across her cheek, “This isn’t gonna be the norm. I swear to you. I had to kill Demon Seed’s president. This is what you don’t understand…because I didn’t fucking explain it to you.”
He paused, struggling to find the right words. “I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner. I’ve never…been with someone like you before. I didn’t realize that keeping you in the dark would drive you away.” He took a deep breath, trying to make his voice come out even and strong. “I had to take out the president because ever since he took control, the club has been going down a dark path. We caught them dealing drugs—hard drugs—to kids on the street, picking up innocent people and trying to brainwash them because they need the numbers.”
Dakota sniffed, quieting as she listened to him.
“I mean, that shit’s bad and all…but I wouldn’t kill a guy over it. It’s once he got into sick shit I had to draw the line. He was coming into our territory, but he was bringing demons with it.” He laughed bitterly. “Living up to the name, I guess. We found out he’d started a child porn ring, in our own fucking backyard.” Bo squeezed his eyes shut, the revulsion overtaking him once more, a powerful wave that threatened nausea if he thought about it too long.
“Holy hell.” Dakota’s voice came out quiet and reverent.
“Yeah.” Bo swallowed back a knot of emotion. “Well, there wasn’t much choice after that. He wasn’t gonna be stopped by negotiation. Some cops owed him shit, so they weren’t pursuing anything. The motherfucker was gone—seriously too far gone. We tried everything we could to reason with him, but there came a point when I just had to suck it up and do the job.” He drew a shaky breath. “And I don’t regret it.”
Dakota fingered the hem of his shirt, her silence comfortable and contemplative. He stroked her hair, relishing the wafts of flowery shampoo that reached him.
“I would have killed him too,” she said quietly, her voice dark and unfamiliar. “That’s some fucked up shit.”
Bo nodded, her understanding more relieving than he could have ever imagined. Sharing himself like this with her took an actual weight off of him. “We don’t normally talk about this stuff outside of the Sanctuary. I just want you to understand that.”
Dakota looked up at him, her eyes rimmed red. “Thank you, Bo. For sharing that with me.” She dragged a finger over his cheek, like tracing the shape and feel of him. “It helps more than I can properly explain.”
He pressed kisses to her forehead, to the tip of her nose, over the lush swell of her lips. “I don’t want you to be in the dark anymore. You’re too important for that.”
She pressed herself against him, creamy legs hanging over his lap. “I think it’s the only way I’ll be able to survive this crazy lifestyle.”
Her words sparked hope inside him, pushed him to the edge of delirium. A grin spread across his face and he brushed away a tear sliding down her cheek.
“Don’t you toy with me.” He smoothed his lips against hers, happiness pulsing through him, causing a perma-grin while he showered her with kisses. “You’re talking to a lovesick man, you see.”
Dakota giggled, nuzzling against him until she winced. “Ow.” She touched her neck, fingertips hovering over the area where she bruise formed.
“Don’t touch that spot, darlin’.” He spoke softly, like too much volume might make it hurt more. “We’ve gotta get you out of here, and get you cleaned up.”
She pushed off of him, groaning while she struggled to stand. Bo came to his knees, helping her up, then pulled her into his arms after he stood.
“Can I take you home now?” His hands settled at the delicious dip in her waist, feeling like they’d been made for that spot on her body. Only his hands, only that dip. He’d never touched a woman and felt this way before.
Dakota frowned looking down at her arms and legs. “I think I want to shower first. I just want the feel of him off me.”
Bo nodded, guiding her toward the bathroom. “Of course, darlin’. I’ll help you.”
Inside the small bathroom, Bo helped her undress. He unsnapped her bra, delicately sliding the straps down her shoulders. He tossed it aside, then gently pushed her panties down, nuzzling the sweet crease of her pussy as he knelt down.
She stepped out of her panties one foot at a time, grinning down at him. “Thanks.”
He reached into the shower and turned on the water, eyes careening up and down her curvy frame. The tattoo of an angel sprawled over her left thigh, wrapping around the luscious swell of her leg.
“She was looking out for you today.” He smoothed his hand over the tattoo, emotion tightening his chest. Jesus Christ, he’d been so close to losing her…to her suffering needlessly. Because of him.
“And you,” she whispered, holding her palm out to test the water.
Bo stared at the angel, fear shuddering through him, like a delayed release from the earlier events. “Dakota…I almost lost you.” He swallowed hard, grabbing her hand, looking at it like it was the first time all over again. “I can’t…”
“What?” She squeezed his arm.
“I can’t imagine losing you,” he said softly, his gaze traveling over her collarbone, up the sweet, milky curve of her neck. “I never want to lose you.”
“Don’t imagine it, then.” She pinched his cheek, smiling. “We’re alive and well. That’s all that matters.”
He drew a deep breath. “You’re right.”
“Get in the shower with me, you sap.” She tugged at his t-shirt, sending him a sultry look. One that told him exactly what direction this shower might head.
He tugged his shirt off without another thought, making quick work of his buckle and jeans. They crumpled to the floor and he stepped out of his briefs, gobbling up the view of Dakota wetting her hair under the stream of water.
Bo stepped into the shower, tugging the flimsy white shower curtain shut behind him. He smoothed his hands over her shoulders, down the lengths of her arms, taking both of her hands in his.
“The water feels so good,” she murmured, eyes drifting shut as she dipped her head beneath the stream. “This is what I needed. To rinse this entire day off of me.”
“Mmm.” He bit his bottom lip as he took her in, all the sexy arcs and dips of her body, breasts heavy and round in front of him, nipples standing at attention. He tweaked each one, reaching for a bar of soap behind him. “Let me help.”
He soaped her gently, sliding the slippery soap over every square inch of her belly and back, up over her breasts, down the lengths of her arms. He dipped to trace each leg, gently lifting each foot in turn. She smiled down at him, something so tender on her face that it made his heart ache.
When he came to standing again, she lathered her body up and then rinsed off, eyes on him like a magnet. “That helped a lot,” she said, her voice edged with something. “But now I need one more thing to rinse the day away.”
He lifted a brow. “I think I know what you might be lookin’ for.” He leaned in for a kiss, the warm water streaming over his forehead. When they parted, he grabbed her chin between his thumb and forefinger, doubts crowding his head. “But are you sure?”
Something about what she’d been through still sat wrong with him. He didn’t want her to do this because she thought she had to. Just because they were naked in the shower.
She nodded, eyes searching his face. “I’m positive, Bo. I need it. Slow…and right here.”
He ran his thumb over her lips. He could give it to her slow, all right. He wrapped his arms around her, bringing her body against his, his stiff cock pressed up against her belly. Hoisting her at the hips, she giggled and locked her legs around his waist. He pressed her up against the tiles of the shower and she gasped.
“It’s so cold,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. He nuzzled her cheek, his cock seeking the slick heat between her legs. This was a position that made it hard to go slow…but he’d give her his best.
He coaxed a kiss out of her, a long and passionate one that stole his breath afterward, made him press his forehead to hers and draw deep breaths to recover. And then he pressed himself inside, his cock easing in slowly as she adjusted to him again after so much time apart. He gripped at her ass cheeks, fingers making indents as he pressed deeper, sinking further, inch by languorous inch. She gasped, her pussy stretching and yielding to him, her green eyes locked on him as he found the last available millimeter of space.
“Jesus,” she gasped, clutching at his neck. Her eyes fluttered shut as he flexed his hips, starting a slow roll, one that stole his breath as he did it.
“Slow like that, darlin’?” His voice came out guttural, strained against the cyclone of pleasure churning inside him. He almost couldn’t see straight. He rocked against her, which elicited a low moan from her. He palmed the lush roundness of her breast, tweaking her nipples between his thumb and forefinger. It was like being away from her a week had pushed her to divine status…made her a goddess carved from pure lust.
And more than that, he wanted this to show her just how much he needed her in his life. Forever. Because as far as he was concerned, she was his.
Tiny grunts escaped him as he pulled himself out and then eased back in, over and over again, the slowness building a delirious friction that made his vision spotty. Her chest heaved as he worked her, pussy clenching around him once he’d buried himself again.
“Jesus you feel…so good.” Her breath came out as jagged gasps. He pulled out slowly and then eased himself back in, pressing up against her as hard as he could, wiggling his hips. She moaned low, head lolled to the side.
He rocked himself out, body buzzing like a warning signal. “I’m close,” he said, capturing her lips in a kiss. She whimpered, pressing her tongue to meet his, something unhinging deep inside him. It was time. Lips locked, he eased himself in again, rolling his hips, and she tightened around him, clamping him into place, hooking an arm around his neck like steadying him, not letting him move.
He stayed there in place while her pussy did the rest. She flexed and flinched around him, and then she broke the kiss and her head dropped to the wall, a strangled yelp escaping her. “Oh, God, Bo!” Her pussy contracted in waves around him and the sight of her coming undone brought him to the edge too.
He thrust in one more time and then the pleasure mounted and broke, spilling out in powerful, jerky waves that threatened to make his knees buckle. He groaned into the side of her neck as he came, the scent of her mingling with his bliss.
She drew shaky breaths in his arms, eyes shut with a small smile on her face. “Holy fuck.”
He dotted kisses along her jawline, wishing this moment might never end. “Dakota, I love you.”
Her eyes popped open and they grew watery. “What?”
“You heard me.” He smiled lazily, his cock throbbing inside her, like deciding if it wanted to try for round two or not. “I love you.”
She was quiet for a long time, so long that he got scared. Maybe this had been too soon. Maybe he should have waited for a better moment.
“I love you too, Bo.”
Her voice pierced the air like harmony. He grinned, rubbing a thumb over her lips, gobbling up the tender look on her face like it was the last time he’d ever see it. Except it wasn’t the last time—far from it.
The grin grew so large that it threatened to split his face. “Goddamn, those are the best words I’ve ever heard in my life.”
She laughed, nuzzling into his neck.
“I want to be with you, darlin’. Only you.” He brushed his lips against hers, enjoying the shock wave of pleasure that reverberated through him. “I’ve known it practically since I looked at you.”
“Godamnit, Bo.” She pressed her lips against his, inviting a tender kiss. “I know. I fucking know. It’s only you.”
He slipped himself out of her, lowering her gently to the ground. “Finish up in here, then we’ll hit the road. Because if I don’t get out of this shower now, we’ll never leave.”
She laughed, smoothing her hands over his chest. “You’re right. I’ll hurry.”
He stepped out of the shower and dried off, replacing his clothes quickly. A few moments later the water snapped off and Dakota pulled back the shower curtain. He held out the towel, inviting her to step inside, and he dried off every part of her, taking special care to see that she was totally patted down. He led her by the hand to her bedroom, where they searched through her dresser and closet for what little clothes remained.
“I didn’t leave much,” she remarked, pawing through a drawer. “I suppose I should take the rest of this stuff too.”
“We can send a moving truck later this week,” he said. “Scoop up whatever you want.”
“Honestly, I’d rather sell it.” She looked around the room, frowning slightly. “None of this means anything to me. And if it does, I’d rather forget.”
“Whatever you want, darlin’.” He squeezed her ass cheek as she bent over to slip on some underwear. She looked back, grinning at him.
“Careful…or we’ll never leave,” she warned.
Once she’d redressed in leggings and an over-sized t-shirt, she slung her arms around his neck, settling into his lap.
“Ready to go home?” He squeezed her hip, eyes darting over the beautiful curve of her lips, the fascinating arch of her brow.
“Please. Take me home, Bo.” She smashed her lips against his and he saw stars behind his eyes.
***
When Dakota returned to the clubhouse, all was quiet. A few club friends Dakota didn’t know lingered, all of whom nodded their heads when she and Bo passed. Before they passed into the back hallway heading toward Bo’s room, someone gasped. Dakota turned, spotting Red coming out of the kitchen. She squealed and ran toward them.
“Dakota, I’ve been worried sick about you!” Red launched herself at her, squeezing her in a hug so tight that she gasped for air. “Oh, my sweet Dakota. I’m so happy to see you’re okay.”
“Mostly,” she said with a weak laugh. She brushed her hair behind an ear, showing off the bruise on the side of her face. “Ray got in a few good punches.”
“And Ray isn’t a problem anymore,” Bo said, squeezing Dakota’s shoulder.
She smiled up at him. There was something magical in his protection. Made her feel like he would be her hero anywhere, no matter what. And it was nice to have someone like that to lean on. Someone who didn’t make her scared to take the weight off her feet.
Bo, I love you. She blinked back a sudden wave of emotion. Jesus, what an emotion wringer this day had been. Every stop in the spectrum between terror and love. She was almost afraid to see what else awaited them. Please, just let things go back to normal now.
Except what was normal? Maybe it was something they’d have to rebuild from scratch.
Red squeezed her wrist before she and Bo shuffled back to the bedroom. Inside the dark, quiet room, Dakota let a long sigh. “I’m home.”
Bo smoothed his hands over her waist, his lips leaving moist trails on the good side of her neck. “God, I love hearing you say that.”
“Babe, it’s true.” Dakota turned to face him, wrapping her arms around his sturdy neck, drinking in the dark lines of his jaw and eyebrows. “I never felt at home in that apartment…which you immediately caught onto.”
Bo hefted with a laugh, rubbing his hands over the mounds of her ass. “Yeah, I caught onto a lot of stuff about you.”
“But here, I feel good. More importantly, I feel good with you.” She rubbed her forehead against the hair on his chin. “I’ve felt good with you since the beginning. Even when I couldn’t understand why.” She paused, relishing the way the warmth of his touch could send shivers through her. Even in moments of openhearted sharing. There was something about Bo that was deeply right. “Hell, I still don’t entirely understand it.”
“Let’s just see where it takes us.” He smoothed his lips against his. “There’s one thing I’m certain about darlin’, and it’s you. When you left, it destroyed me. There’s something serious here. Something I’m willing to go after, even though I’m scared.”
She swallowed back a knot of tears. There was something deeply calming to his words. Like in baring his soul, it allowed her own insecurities to be soothed as well. If they both faced these fears together, who knew where it might lead them?
“Me too, babe.” She clasped her hands against her chest. “It’s what I want too.”
“And shit will calm down,” Bo went on. “I promise you. I’m making it my personal mission to see that it does. Once we find out what happens with the boys today, we might already be well on our way.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, sliding her arms around his waist.
“Demon Seed shouldn’t be a problem much longer,” he murmured, running a hand through her hair. “And you’ll see—being a biker guy’s old lady isn’t so bad.”
She laughed, rubbing her face into his chest. “Yeah, I’m seeing there are some perks.”
“I mean, look at this sweet room.” He swept his arm around. “It comes fully decorated, with a whole stash of weapons in the walls.”
“And there’s always a party going on, somewhere in the clubhouse,” she added.
“And I run the show here,” he said, grin widening. “So if I’m the king of the clubhouse, that makes you the queen.”
She smiled up at him, butterflies making roaring rounds in her belly. “Oh, is that so?”
“Damn straight, darlin’.” He pushed a hand through her hair, tenderness streaking his face. “And everyone will know it. Just you wait.”
He leaned forward, snagging her lips in a kiss, one that sent pleasure spiraling through her, from her toes to her fingertips, with the knowledge that this was right. This was meant to be. And if she’d come to L.A. looking for something, she’d found it in Bo.