Scratch

What the fuck are you doing, old man? She’s younger than your damn daughter. Giving myself a pep talk didn’t stop my dick from getting hard when I was around Clarity. I’d managed to think of her as just some helpless waif who needed some assistance. Then I’d gone and kissed her. Biggest fucking mistake I’d ever made because now all I wanted was another taste.

Caleb was upstairs in his new bedroom sleeping, and Clarity was putting her things away in the bedroom I’d given her. Fuck if I didn’t want her things mixed in with mine, though. It was completely insane, and I felt like a pervert for wanting in her pants. It was more than just that, though. I enjoyed the time we’d spent together today, liked talking to her, and just something as simple as holding her hand. I’d never felt like that about a woman before, which meant I was in deep shit.

The doorbell rang and I went to get it, not wanting it to ring a second time and wake up Caleb. Poor kid probably hadn’t had a decent nap since they’d been out on the streets. I pulled open the door and stared at the President of my club. Cinder tossed down his cigarette and put it out with his boot before pushing past me into the house.

“Well, come in,” I said.

“What the fuck, Scratch?” Cinder asked. “Half the club is talking about some woman and kid you moved into your house. Did you knock up some club slut?”

“Again, you mean?” I asked, thinking about my daughter’s mother. “Clarity is so far from being a club slut the mere thought of that is laughable.”

“But you aren’t denying knocking up some woman?” he asked.

I crossed my arms and knew I needed to make a decision. I could claim Caleb as mine, and get shit for supposedly being with a seventeen-year-old girl, which is how old she’d been when she was raped, or I could tell the truth. Then again, I didn’t know shit about genetics. Could two dark-haired people have a kid with white-blond hair? It was possible no one would believe me anyway, just from looking at the kid, but I didn’t like the thought of the club thinking badly of Clarity, and I didn’t want them to know she was raped, not unless she wanted to tell them. That shit was personal, and I knew most women didn’t exactly want to scream something like that from the rooftops. I remained mute as I stared at my Pres, but I heard the soft tread of footsteps and knew Clarity would be here any second.

“All you need to know is that they’re under my protection,” I said.

“Jesus Christ,” Cinder muttered. “First you knock up some club slut, then Jackal knocks up a Reaper’s sister, and now this? Why can’t any of you do things the normal way?”

I felt Clarity’s small hand on my back. “Everything all right?”

“It’s fine, kitten. My Pres was just stopping by to say hi. Isn’t that right, Cinder?” I asked the man who was still shaking his head in disbelief.

“She doesn’t even look legal. Are we going to have to worry about cops?” Cinder asked.

“I’m nineteen,” Clarity said. I wasn’t going to correct her, since she’d told me was nearly nineteen. Still way too fucking young for me, and I knew it.

“And your boy is how old?” Cinder asked.

“Two,” she answered.

Cinder let out a slew of cuss words and began pacing my living room. Clarity’s hand wrapped around my bicep, and she gripped me tight. I felt a slight tremor and knew she was scared. Wrapping an arm around her waist, I pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Kitten, why don’t you go check on Caleb? I’ll be up in a few minutes.”

She nodded and slipped out of the room, casting one last nervous glance at Cinder.

“Calm the fuck down,” I told him. “You may be the president of this club, but you’re also my best friend. Do you think I’d do anything to hurt her? That woman is the sweetest thing I’ve ever met, and I’d sooner cut off my balls than harm her in any way.”

“She was seventeen when that kid was born,” he said, his voice a near growl.

I sighed and knew I’d have to tell him the truth, but I didn’t want it spread around the club. “This stays between the two of us,” I said. “I won’t have anyone looking at her differently because of what happened to her.”

Cinder stopped and faced me. “What the fuck does that mean?”

“Some asshole raped her when she was still a kid herself. Knocked her up and she took off. I found her living on the streets with a little boy clutched in her arms. Something about them…” I shook my head.

“So this is you being a knight in shining armor?” he asked, seeming a bit calmer. “You’re not fucking her?”

I shrugged. I wasn’t. Not yet, but after kissing her and the way she’d responded to me, I had a feeling if she stayed in my home it would happen sooner or later.

“This is fucked-up,” Cinder said. “I won’t tell the club, but they won’t be happy with the idea of you sleeping with a kid, especially at your age.”

I snorted. “You’re older than me.”

“Yeah, and I keep my dick in my pants if they aren’t over thirty. Even then I feel like a dirty old man since I could easily be their daddy. Why do you think I don’t get laid as much as I used to? It’s not because I can’t get it up. It’s hard to find a club slut who isn’t some naïve kid wanting to claw her way up the ranks and thinking she’ll get there by spreading her legs for anyone in a cut.”

He wasn’t wrong about the club whores.

“Just be careful,” he said. “When Darian finds out, she’s going to blow a gasket, and I can only imagine how her husband will react. We have peace with the Dixie Reapers. They’re like fucking family, and I don’t want to wreck that.”

“They are family,” I corrected. My daughter was property of a Reaper, and Jackal was married to a Reaper’s sister. Hell, one of our prospects had met the daughter of another Reaper and had enough of a reaction to the girl it scared the shit out of him. Ever since Janessa had been here, Seamus had gone around fucking anything that would hold still long enough, like he was trying to prove something to himself. I had a feeling that was going to be a shitstorm one day.

“They could stay at the compound,” Cinder offered. “I know it’s not big and we only have a few homes there and the rooms in the clubhouse, but we could make it work. They’d be safe and you’d be free to carry on as usual.”

“I want them here,” I said. “They’re under my…”

“Protection,” he finished for me. “Yeah, I heard you. You going to claim them? Do I need to prepare for that?”

“Don’t know what the future will bring, but I wouldn’t entirely rule out the possibility.”

He nodded ran a hand through his close-cropped silver hair. “Fine. Just let me know if things change.”

“You still looking at that property out in the county?” I asked. A larger compound farther outside town could mean big changes.

“Yeah, why?”

“I know you wanted to hang onto our compound before, because of the history of the place, but if we sell our current location and set up a new, larger compound, I’m not selling this house. I know you like the way the Reapers have their shit set up, but we’re not them. I like living in town.”

Cinder shrugged. “We can talk about it if we move forward with a bid on the property. If you get an old lady, she may have her own opinion on where she wants to live. She’d be safer behind a fence. Her and the kid.”

He wasn’t wrong, but I’d cross that bridge when I got to it. I saw him out, and then went to find Clarity. She was pacing the hall upstairs while Caleb slept soundly in his room. I wrapped my arms around her when she came barreling into me. She trembled and I hated that she’d been scared. If she was going to stay here, though, she’d have to get used to my brothers dropping by, even if they asked questions she might not like.

“Do I have to leave?” she asked. “I don’t think he liked me.”

“Kitten, it’s not that he doesn’t like you. He was concerned that Caleb might be my son.”

She looked up at me. “Why would that be a bad thing?”

“You’re obviously young, and you were still a kid when you had Caleb. Even if it had been consensual, it still would have been statutory rape. Cinder was worried the cops might come down on the club. I would be honored to be Caleb’s dad, but he’s right to be worried,” I said.

“I hadn’t thought of that,” she admitted. “I don’t want you to get into trouble. Maybe we should go?”

“Kitten, I’m sure it’s going to be fine. Most people go out of their way to avoid my club. Cinder just wants to be cautious in case someone tries to start shit. All it would take is one phone call to arouse suspicion and bring the cops to the door. Even though a blood test would prove that Caleb isn’t mine, it could bring the club under scrutiny, and that’s the last thing we need.”

I smoothed the wrinkles between her eyes as she frowned at me, then did the only thing I could think of to get her mind off it. I leaned down and kissed her. It was getting to be a habit, but she tasted so damn sweet. Her body melted against mine and she clutched my shirt. My cock pressed against my zipper and I knew I needed to put a stop to whatever was going on between us before it was too late. She wasn’t ready for this. We barely knew each other, and she wasn’t the type of woman to fall into bed with a stranger. I might not know her well, but I knew enough to discern that much.

I tried to pull away, but her grip tightened on my shirt and she wouldn’t let go. It was damn good for my ego, not that I’d ever lacked female company. A woman like Clarity, though? That was new. She was good, sweet, and if she hadn’t had her innocence stolen, she would likely still be a virgin. The exact opposite of the type of women who flocked to me and my brothers.

“Kitten, we shouldn’t do this,” I said before kissing her again briefly, unable to resist the temptation.

“Caleb will sleep for a while,” she said.

I smiled and smoothed back her hair. “That wasn’t my concern. I’m more than thirty years older than you, and I haven’t exactly led a law-abiding life. You can do a hell of a lot better than me. Hell, I’m old enough to be Caleb’s grandpa and your dad.”

She arched a brow, but didn’t move away.

“I’m not calling you Daddy,” she said.

I gave a bark of laughter and tightened my hold on her. Some men might be into that shit, but I certainly wasn’t. I didn’t want a little girl in my bed, I wanted a woman. And despite Clarity’s young age, she was certainly all woman.

“If you did, I’d have to spank your ass. I’m too damn old for those games.”

“I know I’m young,” she said. “But I had to grow up fast. I’m not some kid who doesn’t know what she wants. No matter how many times you say you’re a bad man, I’ll never believe it. You’ve been wonderful to me and Caleb.”

“If we go down this path, it changes things, kitten. I don’t think you’re ready for that. There’s too much about me and my life that you don’t know.”

“What are you worried about?” she asked.

“You’re different. It’s not a bad thing, but it means that once I get you in my bed, I’m not going to let you leave. The last thing you need right now is a commitment. And if I claim you, make you my old lady, there’s no going back. You’ll be mine until one of us dies. Focus on you and your boy, get adjusted to life here and to me, and then if you still think you want me, we’ll talk about it.”

“Why do you have to go and be all reasonable?” she asked.

I smiled a little. “Comes with having lived so damn long.”

She snuggled closer; then she yawned.

“You should rest while Caleb is down for nap,” I said. I doubted either of them had slept well the months they were on the street. It would probably take a few days before she looked and felt well rested.

“I don’t want to be alone,” she mumbled.

I lifted her into my arms and carried her down the hall to her bedroom. Even though she was a little on the curvy side, she was too damn light. It made me wonder just how badly she’d been starving herself to make sure her son had food. I left the bedroom door open and eased her onto the mattress, but she refused to let go. It took me a minute to get my boots off while she clung to me, but then I climbed onto the bed with her and held her close. She curled into me and rubbed her nose against my chest. After her third deep breath, I had to fight back a laugh.

“Are you smelling me?” I asked.

“Maybe,” she said, pressing her nose closer to me.

I rubbed my hand up and down her back. “Go to sleep, kitten. I’ll stay right here.”

Once her breathing evened out and her body relaxed, I eased out of the bed and went to check on Caleb. He still slept soundly, his tiny body sprawled across his toddler bed, one foot hanging off the edge. The bear I’d asked Seamus to purchase was clutched in the little boy’s arms, and he looked completely at peace. I looked in on Clarity once more and then decided to do something about the problem I’d had since I kissed her in the hall.

I left my bedroom door open a crack in case Caleb woke up and needed something, but I went into my bathroom and stripped my clothes off. It took a minute for the shower to heat up, then I stepped under the spray and closed my eyes as I wrapped my hand around my cock. I’d been fucking hard since my lips had touched Clarity’s. Club sluts could plaster themselves to me and I didn’t get hard -- most of the time -- but that sweet woman in my arms made my dick stand at attention.

I soaped my hand and started stroking. Long, hard tugs that felt damn good, but not good enough. I tried to picture her, naked and kneeling at my feet, those pouty lips of hers parted. Would she let me grip her hair and fuck her mouth, take complete control of her? Her mouth would probably feel like heaven wrapped around me, sucking me off. I stroked faster and harder, my other hand braced on the wall.

My breath sawed in and out of my lungs, and when I imagined her hands on my body, I could feel them, like she was standing in the shower with me. I felt her lips trail down my spine, her small hand slide around my hip and cover my hand and cock. It was when her thumb stroked over the slit at the head of my cock that my eyes jerked opened and my body went tight. I looked over my shoulder and the little angel was smiling at me shyly.

“Clarity, what the fuck are you doing?” I asked, my voice harsher than I’d meant it to be.

She didn’t flinch, or draw away. If anything, she came closer, pressing her naked body to mine. She slipped under my arm and faced me as her hand gripped my cock again, sliding up and down my shaft.

“Clarity…”

“You might think we shouldn’t have sex, and I understand your concerns, but at least give me this much. Let me make you come.”

My eyes closed tight and I gave a slight nod, having no doubt I was going straight to hell for allowing her to do this. Fuck, I already had a seat reserved. But all the bad shit I’d ever done didn’t compare to giving into her when I knew it was wrong. One of us needed to be the voice of reason, but with her small, soft hand stroking my dick, any sense of self-preservation I’d had was long gone.

Her lips touched my chest, then she gently bit down on my nipple. It was enough to send me over the edge and I came, spurts of cum coating her belly and breasts. When my balls had been drained, a shudder raked my body. It was the hardest I’d come in a while and I stared down at her, trying to figure out what she was thinking or feeling. Her body was flushed and the look in her eyes was pleading with me to touch her.

“Kitten… you shouldn’t have come in here.”

“I want you. I’ve never wanted anyone before, and while it’s a new and scary feeling, I know that I’ll regret it if I just sit back and do nothing. I don’t care if you’re older than me, or that your club does illegal stuff. You make me feel things no one has ever made me feel before, treat Caleb like a treasure, and I…”

I cupped her cheek and ran my thumb along her skin. “You what?”

“Well, we aren’t technically in your bed, so if anything happens here in the shower…” She shrugged.

I bit my lip so I wouldn’t laugh. “Found a loophole, did you? Maybe I should have been a bit clearer. Once my dick is inside you, you’re mine, Clarity. You and Caleb. That’s a big fucking step to take, kitten, especially since you don’t know shit about me.”

She opened her mouth, probably to protest, and I silenced her.

“You trusted Caleb’s dad and look what happened. Just because you think you know me, that you think I’m a good man, it doesn’t mean we should do this. I’m not who you think I am, kitten.”

She ran her hand across my chest, tracing the lines of my tattoos. “The fact you keep pushing me away tells me enough. Anyone else would have had me naked within minutes of letting me into your shop, or pushed me to my knees and ordered me to suck them off. You didn’t do any of that.”

The fact I’d just tried to be a decent human being and she acted like I’d made the sun rise and set told me quite a bit about everything she’d been through. The things I’d done were things any person should want to do for another, without expecting repayment. Maybe not all the shopping I’d done for them, but giving them a safe place to sleep, feeding them? It was just human decency to do those things. Even a bad man like me wouldn’t let a little kid starve on the streets.

“Please,” she said softly. “No one’s ever touched me the way you do. I want to experience it all. With you. I want to know what it should have felt like the day Caleb was conceived, what it would have felt like if I’d been with a man I’d chosen and not one who took what he wanted.”

Christ! She was fucking killing me with her big eyes and her soft pleas.

“Kitten, I doubt that you’re on birth control, and I don’t keep condoms at home because I never bring women here. I’m clean. I get tested every month, and I always use protection, but you could get pregnant. If only took the one time before…”

“Then pull out.”

“That’s not foolproof, Clarity. You could still get pregnant.”

“Are you going to throw me out and make me leave?” she asked. “I don’t mean out of your shower, but if we… if we’re intimate, will you change your mind and make us leave?”

“No, baby. I told you, once I’m inside you, I’m not letting you go. You’ll be mine, both of you. I’ve lived long enough to know that a woman like you is one in a million. I’d be stupid to let you go.”

“And if I got pregnant, you’d want the baby, wouldn’t you?”

“Of course, I would, but I’m not taking that chance, kitten. You’re still vulnerable and shouldn’t be making that kind of decision right now. I’ll make you feel good, but we aren’t taking this any further until I’ve picked up some condoms. And before you argue, I’m doing it for you. I’d love nothing more than to be inside you bare, but I don’t think that’s what you need right now. After you’re more rested and have had a few more meals in your belly, you’ll likely see that I’m right. We don’t have to rush things.”

She wound my hair around her hand and pulled my head toward hers. “Then make me feel good. No one’s ever made me come before. I’ve never even come by my own hand.”

My lips crashed against hers as I kissed her hard and deep. I reached between her legs, stroking the soft hair covering her pussy before seeking out her wet heat. She was so slick and more than ready to be fucked. I thrust a finger inside her, then added a second. I groaned at how fucking tight she was. Just two of my fingers barely fit inside her, and I wondered if I’d split her in two if I did claim her the way I wanted. If I hadn’t just come, the feel of her around my fingers would have made me hard as a fucking post.

I thrust my fingers in out and of her while I brushed over her clit with my thumb. She made soft sounds and her pussy squeezed tight. I could tell she was already close, and I wanted to push her harder, make her fall and scream out my name. I drew back a little so I could watch her, the cream coating my fingers making me wish it was my cock inside her. She looked fucking beautiful as she panted and sweetly begged me for more.

“I… I feel…” she stammered and bit her lip as she moaned.

“That’s it, kitten. Come for me. Let go.”

“I… I…” She screamed as her hips bucked. “Damon!”

Fucking hell! A woman had never said my real name as she orgasmed, and even though I’d thought I was too damn old to get hard again so soon, my dick seemed to have other ideas. I slid my fingers out of her pussy, then sucked off her cream. Her eyes dilated as she watched me.

“I didn’t know men actually did that. I thought it only happened in books,” she said.

“You taste so damn good, kitten.”

Her gaze dropped to my cock. “You’re hard again.”

I rubbed the back of my neck. “Yeah. Seeing you come seems to affect me that way. I’ll be fine. You should get dressed and check on Caleb.”

She kissed me sweetly, then got out of the shower. Once she had a towel wrapped around her and was gathering her clothes, I turned the hot water all the way off and tried not to curse as the icy water beat down on me. It took a few minutes, but my dick finally deflated and I was able to get out.

Something told me that my life was about to get a hell of a lot more complicated. Now that we’d crossed a line, there was no going back. I only hoped that she didn’t regret it after she’d had some time to think things over. Clarity was the first woman I’d ever invited into my home, other than the invitation I’d extended to my daughter, and she was the first woman who had ever screamed my name like that.

No matter what she decided, I knew this moment was a life changing one for me. After being with her like that, someone as sweet and innocent as she was, club sluts would never do it for me. I leaned against my dresser and crossed my arms as I stared at the opposite wall. Logically, I knew I shouldn’t have touched her, should have never shared that moment with her. But I also knew I’d never regret it. Not even if she walked away and didn’t look back. It would be a memory I’d cherish the rest of my life.

Fuck. I was turning into a goddamn sap in my old age.