CHAPTER TWENTY

“Being choked half to death. Isn’t that what every woman wants? Maybe ask Santa this year if you've been a good girl, babe. “ - Red Light.

 

 

 

 

When she was eight years old Matty Henderson had pushed her down in the playground scraping the whole left side of her face, she’d picked pebbles from her cheek for hours. Even that hadn’t felt as bad as she did now. She wanted to cry like a little girl and cuddle into the lavender and mashed potatoes scented chest of the lunch lady all over again. She only had a laughing Preacher for company and he didn’t smell anything like a sweet old lunch lady did. Besides that, she wanted to punch him for not warning her.

If Ruby had had any notion, a slight idea of just how much pain she would be in after a grueling eight-hour bike ride with only two bathroom breaks and an hour for lunch, she would have seriously considered not accepting Preacher’s invitation. Because when she finally ----blessedly stepped down off Preacher’s motorcycle, the vibrations from the engine still felt in her bones and skin, every muscle in her lower body cramped all at once until she was forced to rest both of her forearms on the seat he vacated.

“Oh, god. I can’t feel my legs.” She cried out.

His touch came to the base of her spine, massaging with deep fingers, it didn't help at all, she was dead from the waist down, his laugh clear.

“You’ll get your bearings in a minute, babe.”

“I didn’t think I’d ever touch the ground again. If I could get down there I’d kiss it.” She moaned, blood rushing through her legs bringing that weird sensation of being stabbed with a million pins and needles. Squinting her eyes up at him. “Why aren’t you crippled from the waist down as well?”

Preacher grinned. Any other time she would have taken that moment to appreciate just how handsome it made him, the simmering fire and calming storm Asher Priest brought to her poor abused body, but the pins and needles in her legs took precedence. She was dying. Lifting onto her tiptoes, she tried to point her foot to ease it out of her muscles.  

“I've been riding a long time. I’m used to it. Can you stand?”

She groaned but managed it, forcing one bone at a time to get her upright She could empathise with new-born giraffe's when they face planted for their first time standing alone. Determined to not lose her last scrap of pride in front of him and his amused sexy heavy eyes.  

“Your sex trip is looking less sexy, Preacher man.”

“Don’t worry about that, beautiful,” There was his dark smirk and eyes twinkling. “You only gotta lie there, I’ll do all the work.”

She snorted. “How generous.”

“You know I’m all about giving. Especially when it’s in you. Christ. The things I would do, beautiful, places no man has gone. And all you gotta do is lie there and take it.” One of his fingers gently touched her cheek. That was all, and she was on fire from it.

Wind swept out of Ruby’s mouth. She started dry-tongue panting like she was hard up sexually instead of getting laid just this morning. Smiling back she let him help when she shook out her leg, he held her hand and didn’t let go when she was no longer numb.

“I suppose I could let you do that. If you insist.”

“C’mon, beautiful, before you have me screwing your brains out on the ground, let’s head in so I can tell H I’m here.”

She finally looked at their surroundings.  A big building sprawled back for ever, buildings placed in a U formation, one looked like a typical garage, most others were too nondescript to hazard a guess as to what they were. “So, this is another Renegade Souls? You guys breed like bunnies.”

Preacher grinned down at her. “My chapter is the best, baby. But we have them in most every state. H is the president here.”

“What’s the H stand for?”

“Hannibal.”

“Charming. Should I have brought lima beans and chianti?” She was nervous suddenly and Ruby didn’t get nervous. But walking towards the RS building where all the men inside were not known to her, she held onto Preacher’s hand.

“Listen, babe. Before we go in. You gotta know how shit works in an MC by now. They’re going to think that you are free game to…“ Her brow arched. “If I don’t claim you as mine.”

“Claim me as yours?” Every word went up an octave until she was only speaking to dogs from two towns away. She was sure she heard howling. “Claim. Me? What the fuck, Preacher? Did I sneeze and transport myself back to the eighteenth century? Am I about to meet Marty McFly?”

She did know how MC’s work regarding women and archaic behavior and still she was shocked.

And a little turned on.

Shut up. Claimed by Preacher was not a thing. Seduced by Preacher, sure, that was real. But claimed. At least not in the way he was suggesting. Her vagina was his, for the time being. Her skin was free and clear of all Preacher Man brands and that's how it would stay.

 “I can see you’re thrilled about it,” he smirked and ran his free hand over his beard. Sexy bastard grooming at a time like this when she was irritated and horny.

Bastard.

“Do what you must, Stone Age man. But I am not darning your socks or meeting you at the door with slippers.”

“What if I had my cock out?”

“I’d be on my knees. But still with no slippers in my hand.”

He laughed and kissed her spontaneously so when he walked them through the door she was still luxuriating in his taste inside her mouth.

“Look who it is! Can’t get rid of you, Preach.” Shouted one voice. A short man with a mop of orange hair and a big smile, he had a pronounced limp. He came over and slapped hands with Preacher. More men followed and greeted him like he was the prodigal sultan returning home.

“Can’t keep away, Amos. Is H around?”

“He’s in the office. But be warned he’s not in the best mood, son.” Offered an older guy.

All their eyes kept straying to her.

“I live with Hawk, I’m used to bad moods.” Everyone guffawed and asked about Hawk. Ruby only half listened because Preacher had pulled her closer to his side and she wasn’t pulling away, in fact, she got in a little deeper, her arm around his waist.

She was playing the part of claimed.

Nothing more to it.

Sugar bottoms, as she knew the groupies to be, milled around, some giving her curious looks. Don’t worry, hun, I’m claimed, your burly men are safe from me. Look, this one is mine.

“This is Ruby. You ass-clowns, watch your mouth around her, or I’ll break skulls. Baby, I need to go find H, you’ll be okay? Smitty here will get you a drink.”

“I will, lil darlin’, what’ll it be?” The old guy asked smiling to show he was missing nearly all his teeth apart from two. How on earth did he eat an apple, she wondered? But then from the state of his mouth, he probably didn’t eat fruit at all. The sweet old man went on smiling and offered her his arm. “Go ahead,” she told Preacher. “I’m fine. You have a cola, Smitty?”

“Ah, lass. That I do. Come and sit at the bar with me, out the way of these reprobates and you can tell me what a sweet girl is doing with that animal.”

She laughed. Preacher was all animal. She watched him stride away and admired the long span of spine and the glorious butt and his easy strong gait.

He was in the office forty-three minutes before he and two other guys emerged, followed by who she assumed was the man in charge. Hannibal the cannibal. She was dying to quote Silence at the Lambs to someone but didn’t dare in case they assumed it was disrespectful. These bikers were so damn sensitive for people who wore a lot of leather and thumb rings.

Preacher looked over at her and winked.

He winked and her vagina shouted hello back.

Goddamn, the man was working with some good mojo to get her horny from a wink.  

Being the sole focus of Preacher’s gaze had been intimidating once over. The strange feelings in her veins felt like honey sloshing around in there making her blood pump slower to her heart. His gaze was warmth. A connection only they had.  His eyes dark and heavy with their shared pleasure from across the room even as he held a conversation with two men who looked like they chewed glass for shits and giggles. Jesus, they were massive, maybe WWE wrestlers, but next to Preacher they looked a bit puny.

I’ve had all that.

It made her grin.

She buried her mouth in the bottle of cola. No one liked a gloater, as her Uncle Silas would say, it was the work of Satan. Ruby was sure if Satan had tested out Preacher’s bedroom skills he’d be sat smiling like a boastful dickhead, too. Ruby was not one of those kiss-and-tell women, not usually, anyway, but even she was close to opening a blog and telling everyone just how good she’d had it lately. Maybe she could have one of those girlie gossips with her sister. Fat chance.

While he spoke to the guys, she took out her cell and contacted Rita.

Ruby: 4:32 - Hey, Rita. I’m in town. How about I take you out for lunch? Can’t wait to see you.

Not a minute later.

Rita: 4:33 - You’re here????? Why??????

Wow. Not the reaction she expected. Nice to make me welcome, sis. Frowning she replied, with less enthusiasm this time.

Ruby: 4:35 - I had the chance to come. So, what about lunch?

Rita: 4:38 -  I wish you would have told me.

Ruby: 4:38 - I didn’t think it would be a problem.

Common sense told Ruby she was about to be shit all over. What in the hell?

Rita: 4:41 - I’m busy. Maybe we can get together the next time you’re in town.

What in the fucking hell? She’d jumped at the chance to come into Nebraska knowing her car and lack of gas money wouldn’t get her here, and Rita was blowing her off like she didn’t even fucking matter? She grimaced bitterly. This was her family, the ones who used and took and didn’t gave an inch back.

Now if she’d told Rita she had a bunch of money for her she was damn sure she would have left skid marks on the ground in her haste to meet with Ruby.

Ruby: 4:42 - What about dinner then? It doesn’t have to be for long. I’m only here for two days, Rita. Please?

Five minutes. Ten. Fifteen. She checked over to Preacher who was still deep in conversation with the wrestlers. Twenty minutes and finally a reply came.

Rita: 5:01 - Can’t. Love you tho!

Yeah. right. Feeling the love, sis. Really.

She was churning inside. What had she done in a past life to deserve the people she had today? God, she must have been a bunny strangler or something. She was tired of being diplomatic, the peacekeeper, Rita only wanted her when she wanted her, god forbid if there was ever a day Ruby was in need, she’d have no one. Without thinking she let herself say everything she was thinking in a fast typed out message, stupid autocorrect meant she had to re-do it slowly the second time

Ruby: 5:09 - You know, just when I think you can’t be any more self-absorbed you show me a new level. I come all this way, Rita, it’s not like you’re making the effort to come to Colorado, you only get in touch when you want money. I’m officially done. You don’t want a sister, you want an endless credit card attached to my fingers. Consider your wish come true, you no longer have a sister. Bye.

Maybe it was pissy of her, but my god, she was so tired of everyone. She pressed send and turned her phone off and sat brooding into her drink.

“What’s a babe like you doing all alone?” She heard. A guy slid onto the bar stool right next to hers. He was big and filled the space, his shoulder almost brushing hers.  A silver ring on each finger crossed as he laced his hands in front of him. Good looking, around mid-thirties, she guessed.

“I’m waiting for the number six bus; do you know if it stops here? I don’t want to be late.”

His pierced lips split with a grin. “Funny. The babe is funny. I like that. I get you another drink, something stronger this time?”

“Thanks, but I’m good with this.”

“Gotcha. I haven’t seen you around here before.” His stare was dreamy intense and deep Hazel.

“I haven’t been to this bus stop before. Thought I’d give it a whirl.”

“Babe,” he laughed. “If you keep doing the funny I’m gonna----”

“You’ll what, Styles?” Interrupted a dark warning voice. The only voice that could make a shiver run the full length of Ruby’s spine as the hand attached to the man who had the dark voice palmed the back of her neck and then she felt the warmth of Preacher along the back of her.

This was what Preacher had meant, about claiming a woman in the eyes of an MC. His hand and mouth trailing against her neck were telling Styles Ruby was no entry for the flirting. She would have laughed and rolled her eyes, and maybe she still would when she was alone with him, but she wouldn’t do anything to make Preacher look foolish in front of members of the club.

She understood the club life and how it worked and how women were mostly treated like interchangeable property. Me Tarzan, you Jane, chest thump.

Maybe his hand and mouth felt nice on her, too. His scent was intoxicating no matter how many times she smelled him, it went right to her head. She was a sweaty pained mess when she stepped off his back and here Preacher was looking and smelling like a GQ model. She pressed her back into his chest and continued to pull around her straw, draining the cola until it gurgled empty at the bottom of the bottle.

“The babe is with you, Preach? Dammit.” Styles didn’t seem too irked by it, she thought, as he laughed and slapped palms with Preacher, doing the manly bro shoulder hug.

“The babe is.  You ready to go, beautiful?”

“Yep.” She turned to Styles and smiled. “Looks like I’m getting an Uber instead of the bus.”

He laughed a rumbled noise. “Damn you, Preacher. You, lucky sonuvabitch. You fall in shit and come up smelling of roses, I swear.”

Whatever that meant. She placed her hand in Asher’s. Once outside she asked “Did you get everything done that you needed to? And please tell me you’re taking me to a bed. My butt needs to lie down so badly I might just fall right here on the ground.” She was muttering Hail Mary’s to whoever the patron Saint of beds was. Pastor Danny would have the answer to that, she could text him quick.

One of the things she liked about Preacher is how he towered over her, wide and strong, making her crane her neck back to look at his eyes. She was not a small woman by any means, but she felt dainty in his dwarfing shadow. He stopped her in the middle of the yard, that somber gaze of his searching her face when she thought he wasn’t going to reply he grasped her chin, turning her head towards him. “You were flirting with one of my brothers.”

Bus stops considered flirting nowadays? Who knew, she was so out of the social media news. Ruby rolled a shoulder, unfazed by his questioning, admitting it. “I was. I liked his rings, I was a second away from asking to try to them on when you interrupted.”

This was where a man usually threw one of those manly huffs. Though they were not in a relationship, it had something to do with that rule; my dick touched it so it’s mine. Arching a perfectly sculpted brow, ready to chew him a new ass if he even dared say something shitty like ‘you are mine and you don’t flirt blah blah’ oh, yeah, Asher Priest, just you dare ------

“It fucking turned me on. I want to fuck you so bad, Rubes.”

Oh.

Oh.

Oh, my God.

Her insides, all treacly fell to her feet and died there having mini orgasms.  

What a gorgeous freak of nature he was.

And it was in that very moment of watching Asher lick his bottom lip, sex in his eyes that she knew she’d met her dark match.

That man who could give her every fricking sexual fantasy she didn’t share with anyone.

He could give it to her.

Oh.

Shit.

And then. ... Then he did something that resurrected Ruby’s dead syrupy belly, making it spirit straight up to lodge in her throat. Instead of cranking his head down to kiss her as was the normal way, he put his hands under her armpits and lifted her clean off her feet, dangling her in mid-air, bringing her in effortlessly like she weighed less than a bag of vinegar chips, up to his face and pressed their lips together.

Chaste. Lovely. Claiming.

His kisses were always dynamite, setting off explosions in Ruby’s underwear, this one was no less lethal, only different, softer and he smiled while he did it.

Back on her feet she swayed a little ungraceful, put a hand up to her mouth. “God, I want to fuck that look on your face. C’mon, beautiful, let me finish shit here then we can get to the motel and you out of your clothes and onto my cock.” Hand in hand they headed towards the garage.

She knew one thing for sure when she paused walking, Preacher looked down at her quizzically. She touched his wrist, she couldn’t give him all the power now could she when she said. “I’ll take that fucking hard, Preacher man, when I come all over your face. But remember, I’m a cripple, you have to do all the work.”

Sex with a freak was just the balm she could hide behind. She wanted him to feast on her like he’s eating his last meal. If anyone can stop her feeling crappy it’s Preacher and the sex he gives.

“Goddamn, tiny dancer. Don’t get me hard when I’m about to walk into a shop full of dudes or I’ll take you right here.” That mouth of his.

She laughed and didn’t give a frick. Grow hard, Preacher, she wanted to say. Because she was using him. She used him to get to Nebraska, felt bad about it, but she’d happily use his body over and over until he was dry and spent and couldn’t pound her any longer, because that was her bit of sunshine, that first ray through the clouds, the only thing that made her feel good these days.

They might only be sex between them.

But what sex it was.

Great sex was better than the lonely existence she was in.

She hated her family and she loved her family. She was just tired of her family all together.

The things he makes her feel should be illegal, they probably are in a few states, no one that sexy is a law-abiding citizen and it was taking all her willpower not to worship on the sex alter that is Preacher, and only because his ego is already astronomical and he doesn’t need the petting. But the need…. Boy, it was real.

Sex was her catnip and she had rolled herself in a great batch.

She was going to gorge and make herself feel better.

“I haven’t tried to make you hard. Yet,“ she told him in a whisper only for his ears as they walked into the garage, all men stopped what they were doing and looked their way. “Get me to the motel and I will.”

His laugh reached into her chest. “Behave. For five minutes, then be bad as you want, this won’t take long.”

Five minutes. Then she was banging his brains out.

With him doing all the work, of course.

 

 

 

******

 

 

 

Ruby was determined to kill him. Death by arousal. Here lies Asher Priest. His dick gave out first.

The hotness coming from her was palpable, letting him taste it on his tongue. Something had happened while he talked to H when he’d left her at the bar. Preacher had thought it was Styles who had said something to her, but it was before that glowering at her cell phone. Who had she been talking to? Who put the kicked puppy look in her eyes? His gaze had constantly strayed over to Ruby while he’d been with his brothers, he couldn’t stop his eyes wandering back over to her, she was a hunger gnawing inside his gut, but then he’d seen her face fall, she’d typed out some long-ass message to someone and slipped her phone away.

Who hurt you, baby?

A guy? Homicide increased in his chest. Soon squashed because they weren’t that.

She’d set her rules and for as long as he wanted his dick inside her he had to adhere to them.

Pushing it to the back of his mind to ask her later, he took hold of her hand, saw how she side eyed him but left it in his. He’d liked the guys thinking she belonged to him, he’d been hit with questions soon as he’d walked away from her. Thank fuck he had shown she was taken, or those horn-dogs would have been all over Ruby and he hated to break legs when he’d come all this way to lend a hand.

Bracing for the animosity as he spied Red Light, his gaze bouncing down to Ruby’s hand linked to his, he should have taken Ruby to the motel first, but wanted to get this part of the trip over with. As it was he’d been on the phone with his contact for thirty minutes. Genty was a good guy as far as criminals go, knew money, loved money, but was a suspicious motherfucker, and would only deal with people he knew; namely Preacher having to hoof his ass back down here until Genty was comfortable with H. A meet was set up between Genty, H and a few boys tomorrow, play the middleman and hopefully all the business dealing from here on out could be done without him holding hands and petting wary feelings.

“You got a minute, Red?” He called over. Red stepped up from under the hydraulic car lift. Preacher had to clench his jaw from smacking the stubble off his face the way he was eyeing Ruby up and down, fucking her with his nasty gaze.

Keep it together, he warned himself.

“And who is this?” Red chose to ignore Preacher altogether, strolling over he smiled at Ruby. Preacher had seen that smolder before and wanted to smack him harder.

“I’m Ruby. And you are?”

“You can call me Red Light, babe.” Preacher’s back molars turned to dust. Jackass. Red turned a sly look Preacher’s way for a second. Yeah, the asshole knew what he was doing. Taunting Preacher.

Go ahead. Ruby would make ground beef out of Red Light. There was only one man who could match her appetites and she was holding his fucking hand.

Cutting in before Red could make a fool of himself. “H wants us to head over to Barrow to meet with Genty, can you be free sometime tomorrow? He needs to see who he’s gonna be dealing with on a regular basis, cautious fucker, this should smooth things over for everyone once he meets with us.”

Red light looked him square in the eyes, Preacher expected more, but Red shrugged. “Sure.”

Too easy. Five steps away Red enlightened in a quiet tone. “Careful with him, babe. His specialty is choking. And not with consent.”

Motherfucker!

Preacher rounded on him, blood cold in his veins, eyes blazing seeing his smirk and the wink at Ruby. She’d gone deathly still, her fingers flexed inside his.

That giant motherfucker, Preacher was going to kill him.

“Beautiful, why don’t you go and wait with the bike, Red and I are just gonna have a talk.”

With my fist, so far down his throat, he’ll gargle knuckles. Preacher was barely hanging onto his temper.

“I don’t think so. I’ll wait right here.”

“Awe, don’t have a lover’s tiff because of me. You didn’t tell your latest bitch what she has in store, Preacher? I mean it should be on the welcome pack you hand out. After the fucking comes the near-death choking. Just warning you, babe. Wish my sister had been told.”

“Enough, Red! You got beef with me, you have it with me, you don’t talk to her, you don’t fucking look at her.”

“Just a friendly warning is all.” The bastard shrugged grinning slyly.

Ruby dropped his hand.

It was the worst goddamn feeling he’d ever had. His chest tightened in a strong grip until he thought he’d quit breathing altogether.

“What’s he talking about, Asher?”

“It’s nothing. I’ll tell you later. Come on, we’re fucking leaving.” Before he strangled the life out of Red light so the bastard could finally be justified.

She didn’t budge. Instead was staring at Red Light. “Come on, you obviously had something to say to me, so say it, or drop your catty subtleties.”

“Ruby. We’re going.”

“No, your latest bitch wants to hear this. PSA, you overbearing man, you dare call me a bitch again and you’ll be wearing that screwdriver for a new hat.”

Red smiled looking somewhat awed and apologetic towards Ruby. “You’re right, my bad, babe.”

Preacher didn’t like it one fucking bit, he was a second away from losing his shit, it was one thing for the hostility towards him, after all this time it was a drop in the ocean, but to harpoon it at an unsuspecting Ruby just to needle him with, not fucking cool. He bared his teeth and placed himself in front of her blocking her view of the dickhead. “We’re leaving, Rube. Now. I’ll explain later.”

“Why don’t you tell her how you put my sister in the hospital. How she couldn’t speak for two days because of the bruising around her neck. Tell your girl how you did it with only one hand and almost killed her. She deserves to know what she’s getting into. I saw her on the back of your bike, you don’t do that, Preacher. She deserves to know what’s to come. Or have you already given her a little welcome squeeze?”

Fury rose inside him until his feet were moving, his chest expanded with so much fire he had a tight grip of a pair of blue overalls before he realized, shoving him back crashing Red’s spine against the wall, getting in his face snarling like a monster ready to devour its enemy.

He wasn’t aware of Ruby yelling his name.

Only of the thunder rushing through his ears. The dark dangerous leash of Preacher’s past was untethered blowing in the wind of his rage.

He’d had enough of this bullshit.

"E-fucking-nough, I fucking said!"