Chapter Twenty-Six
“Well, I think that’s the last of ’em,” Shell said as she capped the tube of antibiotic ointment and sank to the bed next to Toni. “Looks like you went three rounds with an angry cat and lost, but I don’t think any of them need stitches.”
“I feel like I should be making a pussy joke right now, but I got nothing.”
Shell giggled. “I’ll excuse you just this once since it’s late, you had a traumatic night, and you’re scratched to shit, but you owe me one pussy joke.”
“Got it. Hey, thanks for doing this, hon.” Toni rotated her arm back and forth. They’d decided to only put bandages on the deepest of the cuts, so she had about three or four on each arm and one on her neck. The few lines on her face were unattractive, but superficial and already scabbing over.
“No problem.” Shell had been in the rec room of the clubhouse when Toni returned, watching infomercials and drinking coffee, unable to sleep. She hadn’t said it was because she was waiting up for Copper specifically, but she didn’t have to. It was written all over her face. “So how are you really?”
Toni sighed and flopped back on the bed, her feet still on the floor. “I’m not sure. Kinda feel numb right now. I’ll probably lose my shit at some point. Wanna place a bet on when it will happen?”
Squeezing Toni’s hand, Shell shook her head. “You feel free to break down whenever you need to. If that man of yours isn’t around to catch your fall, you can always cry on my shoulders. They may be small, but trust me, they can hold a lot of weight.”
Her man. Reminding Shell that Zach wasn’t her man would be fruitless. “I may take you up on that.”
Shell laid back on the bed next to Toni. “God, I hope Mav’s okay. Shark may be dead, but Copper’s not gonna stop until the whole gang is six feet under.”
A chill skittered down Toni’s spine. Shell stared at the ceiling. She grew up in the club, would know much better than Toni how things worked, so she didn’t doubt Shell’s statement for one minute. Copper’s expression had been murderous. Shit was about to get real.
With a groan, Shell pushed up onto her elbows. “Well, I’d better get back. Beth is sleeping in one of the spare rooms.” She sat up straight and peered down at Toni, who didn’t have the energy to see her friend out. “I’m so sorry for what you went through tonight. But I’m so grateful to you for what you did for Mav and the rest of my family. So, thank you. Regardless of what happens between you and Zach, you have a sister for life.”
“Thanks, Shell.”
“Feel free to raid the kitchen or rec room. Make yourself at home.” She winked. “And I’m sure Zach wouldn’t complain if he came back to find you sleeping in his bed.”
After dropping a kiss on Toni’s forehead, Shell was gone and closing the door softly behind her. Copper had a damn good woman waiting for him when he finally got his head out of his ass.
Quiet filled the room. Used to living alone, Toni usually adored the silent peace of being solo. Not tonight. Tonight, the lack of noise and companionship just allowed her to replay the past day like a film loop in her head.
Everything about that day, from waking in Zach’s arms, to receiving the video file, to spilling her guts about the past filtered through her brain. Especially the part where she murdered a man.
Fuck. She’d killed someone.
Killed someone.
Killed…
Granted, the man she killed would have raped her for sure and probably tortured her before possibly killing her, but still... She’d taken a life. Ended it. There was a person who would no longer get to live on earth thanks to her.
It was a lot to process.
Too much.
Toni toed off her shoes and climbed under the brown comforter in Zach’s very utilitarian bedroom. No pictures, no color, not much of anything besides a bed, bookcase, and big screen TV.
Boring.
But it smelled of Zach, which was comforting, and she had high hopes she would just pass out and begin the process of putting the events of the day behind her.
An hour later, she’d counted to three hundred and twenty-four, rearranged her closet in her mind, and planned her outfit for the next day. Oh, and she’d obsessed.
Suddenly, the bedding was smothering her, shrinking down around her and cutting off her air. She threw back the covers and climbed out of bed. Maybe some kind of snack would settle her nerves.
The clubhouse was easy to navigate, with the kitchen being at the bottom of the stairs and to the right. It was deadly quiet, almost creepy. No one was partying. Most of the men were probably dealing with the fallout of her killing Shark, while the rest waited for news of Mav. A few were left there to guard the clubhouse, but they were on post outside.
Just as she reached for the freezer in hopes of finding some ice cream, footsteps sounded behind her. Toni gasped and spun, her back hitting the refrigerator and her hand flying up to her racing heart.
“Zach,” she breathed. “How’s Maverick?” One of the things she’d been obsessing about.
“Fucking beat to shit. Infected arm. But he’s getting good care. He’ll be okay.”
She nodded. “Good. That’s good.”
Zach didn’t say anything else and apprehension crawled through Toni. He looked exhausted, hair mussed, circles under his eyes, clothes a mess. But there was a tension about him that had her uncertain how to proceed. Holding himself rigid, he clenched his jaw and the blue eyes she loved so much had darkened with what she could only assume was displeasure.
“Um, do—”
“What the fuck, Toni?” he suddenly roared, making her jerk and smack her head on the freezer.
“Zach?”
He stormed toward her, stopping only when his palms slapped against the freezer on either side of her head.
“I swear to Christ, woman, if you ever do that again, if you ever offer yourself up to some fucking psycho, I’ll take you over my knee and tan your ass until it’s redder than your pussy.”
Toni’s eyes widened and she gasped. But not in fear or horror. Was it sick if her core clenched and the cheeks of her ass tingled in anticipation? Because if it was, she’d never tell a soul, but if not…
“I had to,” she whispered. “I saw Maverick and just…had to.”
Zach groaned and dropped his head into the curve of Toni’s neck. When he sighed, his warm breath ticked her collar bone. “I get it, baby. I do. But shit, when I saw you walking toward him and Rocket held me back…” He rolled his forehead back and forth across her shoulder. “Fuck.”
Toni threaded her fingers through Zach’s hair. “I’m okay,” she said. “And Maverick will be okay. And no one else got hurt. Except Ken. God, I’m so sorry about Ken.”
“Shhh.” His tongue licked out and trailed up the side of her neck, making her tremble with need. When he reached her ear, he nipped the lobe and Toni’s eyes fluttered closed. The tiny bite of his teeth on her sensitive flesh did crazy things to her. “I don’t think you’re ready to hear how much I fucking care about you, Toni. Promise me you won’t ever put yourself in danger like that again. Please, baby. Just say it.”
There was anguish in his voice, as though he was in real pain. Protecting the club was everything to him, but this seemed so much more. His hands dropped to her hips and he kneaded her flesh. This was more than his responsibility as the enforcer. It was intimate, it was deep, and it reached inside and wrapped itself around her soul.
So dangerous.
But in that moment, she didn’t care. All she could think of was soothing him. Finding a way to show him how much she cared for him as well without having to bare her soul and say the words.
And she knew exactly how to do it. Without a word, she reached for Zach’s belt and had it unbuckled in seconds flat. The zipper of his worn jeans was next, followed by a push of the denim and his boxer briefs over his hips. She worked fast and was on her knees before his jeans hit the ground.
“Toni, what are you—oh, fuck.”
She wrapped her hand around the base of his cock and licked up the slit, capturing a drop of precum with her tongue. He may have been pissed at her for endangering herself, but that hadn’t put a damper on his desire. He’d been steel-hard before she even touched him.
“Shit, babe, you don’t need to do this. You should be resting.”
Clearly, she needed to up her game if he was still able to think about her scratches. Flattening her tongue, she ran it from the base of his dick, straight to the head and followed it up with a slow swirl around the tip. Then she opened wide and sucked him in.
“Shit. Fuck. Okay, babe, you win. You do need to do this. Every fucking day.”
Pride flared in Toni as she giggled around his shaft. The vibrations must have been working for him because he cursed again and dropped one of his hands to her head. He gathered her hair away from her face and gazed down at her.
Still full of him, she raised her eyes and stared up at his face.
“So fucking beautiful,” he said, stroking over her cheek before bracing himself on the freezer once again.
Toni grabbed ahold of the backs of Zach’s thighs and drew her lips back until just the tip remained. She sucked hard then took him deep again. His fingers tightened in her hair, holding her steady, but not stealing her control. Sometime that would be fine, him taking over, but tonight she wanted and needed to be in the driver’s seat.
Taking him to the back of her throat, Toni breathed through her nose and fought the clench of her gag reflex. She swallowed and was rewarded by the jerk of Zach’s hips and low growl.
As she worked her mouth over him again and again, Toni completely lost herself in the act. His manly scent, salty flavor, the feel of his hardness against her tongue, his grunts and hisses of pleasure, the sting of her hair pulling against his hold. It all worked to drive her nearly as insane as she was making him.
She was torn between the desire to see this to completion and the need for him to fuck her. She desperately wanted to feel him inside her. It was the only thing that would end her spiraling thoughts.
Then suddenly, as she cupped his balls and gave the gentlest of tugs, the decision was ripped from her.
~ ~ ~ ~
Zach’s entire body was on fire with the need to climax. Locking his teeth together, he battled coming too soon as Toni sucked like he’d never had.
Damn, the woman’s mouth could start wars.
The moment he felt her soft hand cup his balls, he knew he was out of time. He shoved his hands under her arms and heaved her up. “Need to fuck you.”
Shit. It was like she’d sucked his brains out through his dick and all that was left was a caveman grunting demands.
Toni didn’t seem to mind. Her lips curved into a sexy grin and she winked. “Something else you have to do first.” Then, she blew what was left of his mind by turning and stepping to the side of the fridge.
All she had on was one of his T-shirts and she drew the hem up and over her ass revealing two flawless globes separated by the vanishing string of her thong. Zach swallowed hard.
I’ll take you over my knee and tan your ass until it’s redder than your pussy.
She wanted it. She wanted his hand on her ass.
Fuck me.
Toni was going to be the death of him.
“Bend over. Arms on the counter,” he ground out, worried his voice would crack and reveal just how affected he was by her trust.
Toni did as he asked, bending at the waist and resting her forearms on the counter. Her gorgeous ass was on full display before him. Starting at her neck, he ran his hand down the length of her spine and over the right cheek of her ass, lingering when she sucked in a breath. She knew what was coming. Fuck, she’d asked for it, but the anticipation was making her edgy.
He withdrew his hand and heard another intake of breath. This time she held it in. Zach breathed as well, then counted to ten in his head. Toni whimpered. He hadn’t even touched her, but anticipation was doing its job. Making her antsy, needy.
Without making a sound, he lifted his hand and brought his palm down with a crack across her ass. She jumped and gasped then let out a low moan. Pink glowed across the cheek. Zach pulled her thong to the side and slid his fingers through her folds.
Just as he suspected.
Drenched.
He slapped her ass again, in the same spot, then once on the other side. Each time his hand connected with her, Toni gasped and grew a little wetter.
“Zach,” she said on a moan the next time his open palm landed on her.
“Never again, right, baby?” he asked.
Slap.
“No.” She moaned. “Never.”
Slap.
“You like this, don’t you?”
Slap.
“Yes.”
“Gonna make you come?”
Slap.
“Yes.”
“Not until I’m inside you.” He shoved her panties down and thrust until his hips met her ass. Some unintelligible sound flew from her and she pushed back against him.
It took a moment to figure out why her pussy felt hotter and wetter than he’d ever experienced. “Shit, condom.” How the hell was he supposed to pull out of her when there was a good chance he’d unload the second he moved.
“Pill. Clean,” she said.
“Hell, me too.”
“Then fuck me, Zach. Now!”
Zach didn’t need to be told twice. He drew back, then snapped his hips forward until she screamed his name. Three thrusts were all it took to have her clamping down on his cock and coming with another shout of his name. That spanking really worked her up. The orgasm seemed to go on and on.
He kept pounding into her for probably nothing more than an embarrassing forty-five seconds, but since she’d already come like the world was ending, he didn’t feel too bad about it. Gripping her hips so hard she might end up with a bruise or two to go along with her scratches, he rammed home and exploded.
Coming bare inside her was the most intense experience of his life. Pleasure spread from his dick through his whole body until he growled out her name and spots danced in front of his vision.
Shit, Zach couldn’t imagine never feeling the sensation of her pussy on his naked cock again. In fact, it was going to have to happen again within in the next half hour.
“You okay?” he asked as he helped Toni stand, once he had control of his limbs back.
She gifted him with a slightly fuck-drunk smile and nodded. “That was, um…unexpected.”
Zach laughed. “I’ll say.” He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a kiss. He explored her mouth, taking everything she had to give.
She owned him. But did she want that? All evidence in the past pointed to no. But after the day they’d had, their connection had grown. She trusted him. She’d proven that to him.
The trick would be getting her to realize that.
Toni was the first to end the kiss. “Um, Zach?”
“Yeah, baby?” He rested his chin on her head.
“We’re in the kitchen. Of your clubhouse. Anyone could walk in at any time, and our assess are kinda bare.”
He’d never tell her, but there was a good chance someone had heard them and they may have even had a prying eye peek in.
After a quick kiss to her lips, he righted his pants. “Come on, babe. Let’s get some shut eye.” He bent down and tucked his shoulder into her stomach before lifting her in a fireman’s carry.
“Zach!” Toni shrieked and scrambled to grab hold of the waistband of his jeans. Her panties were still around her ankles so Zach peeled them off and stuffed them in his pocket. He was starting a collection.
“Wait! You can’t carry me through the place like this!” Her voice was a high-pitched panicked sound, but laughter killed her attempted at anger.
He jogged up the steps. “Everyone’s asleep and if you’d stop screaming like a banshee, they’d stay that way.”
Toni growled and pinched his ass, hard. He couldn’t help but burst out into laughter as he reached his room.
Good fucking end to a day that could have ended quite differently.