Chapter Twenty-Seven
Elle
Five days with my shadow and twelve days since I’d touched Rebel. Our relationship was over. He hadn’t signed the divorce papers yet, but that was a technicality. Twelve days of over, but I’d only realized it last night lying alone in my bed. If he’d wanted me, he would’ve found a way to see me. I’d volunteered to come to him last weekend, but he’d been too busy. Everyone slept and I came with my own shadow for protection, so he was making excuses. Time to let him go, like I’d promised.
A tear slipped out, I wiped it away. I had shed enough tears into my pillow in the wee hours of last night. Today I needed to be on my game, figure out my expansion plan, and move on with my damn life.
Once I was in my office, I texted Gator, who thought up biker names anyway, that I was in my office until lunch time. When I’d brought him a big mug of coffee the first morning, he’d given me a toothy grin. We’d exchanged phone numbers and now we were texting buddies—he knew my schedule better than me. Of course that might be because I’d given him access to my calendar after the first time I’d left without him, forgetting about him actually. I’d say we were friends except he refused all my offers to share takeout or to come inside while he watched over me in the evening. He just said no, no negotiation.
Putting bikers and their stupid rules out of my mind, I went over the numbers from Finance again, even though I’d already admitted defeat, for now. Daddy had been right, we didn’t have the cash flow to acquire any of our competitors, at least not the caliber I wanted. Unlike Daddy, I’d sent Chet, my numbers guru, back to his office with the task of figuring out how much revenue we needed to generate to be able to fund my expansion plan.
Alice buzzed the intercom. “There’s a biker at front reception, wanting to work out a bond for someone. He asked for you.”
Was Rebel or one of his guys in trouble? I hurried out the door and past Alice. “Wait. Should I call security?” She gave me a worried frown.
I slowed and the Angels flitted through my mind, but my shadow wouldn’t let them in the building. “Have them on standby.”
I moved down the back steps and came out the side door beside reception. The biker’s back was to me, he wore an Angels of Death vest, or cut as Rebel called it. Shit. I hadn’t brought my gun. I stepped forward, my boots clicking on the tile floor. He turned to me, pulling something from under his vest.
Time slowed.
I spotted the gun handle when he moved his hand. No one brought a gun to my company, threatened my employees.
I spun on my heel and kicked up, hitting him in the wrist with the side of my boot. The gun clattered on the floor.
He lunged forward—Spike, Enforcer—I read the words on the leather vest.
I dodged to the side but his glancing blow sent me staggering back, he’d have broken my jaw, or my whole face, if he’d connected better. Kicking out I struck his knee, spun and kicked up hitting him under the chin, sending his teeth together in a jarring snap. He wavered leaning forward before he fell back, his body thumping against the floor.
“Don’t move,” my security guards shouted, guns pointing at him.
He was out cold, either from the kick or the hit to his head when he fell back, probably both.
The receptionist held the phone in her hand, frozen.
“Put down the phone,” I told her. “We don’t need the police.”
She frowned but did what I told her.
“Restrain him. You have cuffs?” I asked Jed, the senior security guard.
He nodded and bent to cuff the bastard. I grabbed my phone and punched Gator’s number.
“Yeah, darling?” He had a Southern drawl that wasn’t Texan.
“I have an Angel here,” I told him.
“Fuck, fuck, I’m there.” He ran in the front doors seconds later, phone still held in his hand.
He glanced from me to the guy out cold on the floor. “You do that?” Then he narrowed his eyes and moved in closer. “The motherfucker clocked you?” Anger heated his face.
“Glancing blow, he’d have smashed my face to bits if he’d clocked me.”
“We need to call the police.” Larry, the younger security guard, glanced nervously at Gator.
Gator gave a single shake of his head.
“No, we don’t. You two.” I pointed to Larry and Janet, our receptionist. “Go upstairs and take a break. I’m locking our front door, for now. No police, hear me?”
Both nodded.
“Jed could you give me a minute.”
He nodded and walked into the back hall.
“What do you need?” I suspected he needed to take the guy.
“Don’t know the details.” He ran a hand over his shaven head. “No police and we need him out of here. Can we take him to your truck?”
“Can you carry him?” I glanced at Gator. “Here are my keys, I’ll follow in a minute.”
He stared at me as if he wanted to ask questions, but he just nodded. He lifted the still unconscious Spike in a fireman’s carry and I led him to the back door.
Jeb stepped up beside me, worry creasing his lined face.
“Please take care of the cameras then get someone else to cover up front for a while.” I clasped his arm.
He’d worked for us over twenty years and Daddy had dealt with more than a couple hot heads off the books. “You got it, Ellie, just like your daddy.” He left for the security offices.
I walked up to the truck and heard Gator talking on his phone.
“She was tucked inside, I went for a piss break.”
Then silence.
“She knocked him out, and he had a gun.”
Then silence again.
“Got it. Sorry, brother, I had no idea he’d walk into the fucking business.” Head hanging low he hung up. “I will take you home, and if it’s okay, I’ll borrow your truck for a bit.”
“That’s the plan, then.” My face pounded with pain and my headache was building fast.
Gator got behind the wheel and I let him. Alternate endings played through my brain. I didn’t want to think of other scenarios where I didn’t kick the gun out of his hand. I’d acted on instinct and training, now that it was over, my body had the jittery let down of an adrenaline overload.
“How’d you take him out?” Gator glanced at me.
“Karate, I’m a black belt, let’s just say I’m badass.” I tried to make him feel better.
“Good thing, because I fucked up.” He wore his guilt plain for me to see.
“You’re one guy, you did your job and things went sideways. Can’t be the first time?” I grinned over at him. “Last time things went sideways for me, Rebel came running, shooting his gun at the guy choking me out.”
“Yeah?” A hint of a smile showed on his face.
“Yeah, and he didn’t even know me then. It’s how we met.” I chuckled, and tried not to replay the conversation in the diner that day. I had wanted him, even then.
Gator pulled into my driveway and I pressed the button for my garage door. “Leave the keys in the mailbox, I may be asleep. See ya later, Ali-Gator.”
He flipped me the bird.
Inside, I went straight to the freezer for a pack of ice-cold peas then I hit the cabinet for some pain relievers. With the peas pressed to my face I checked the front door to be sure I’d locked it before I headed upstairs.
I changed into one of Rebel’s T-shirts before I slipped under the covers and fell asleep.
* * *
I woke with a start, the low light said I’d slept away most of the day. Then I heard footsteps on the stairs. I eased open my nightstand and drew out my bedroom gun, small caliber but it’d put a hole in someone.
When footsteps continued toward me, I moved to the side of the door where whoever came through wouldn’t see me.
Gun aimed, I held my breath. Rust-colored hair registered first. Exhaling, I lowered my gun. “Goddammit, Rebel, I could have shot you.”
His wild eyes met mine, he took me in and smiled wide. “I see you’re feeling better.” He took the gun from my hand and set it on the dresser. “You worried me.” He stalked back to me.
I opened my mouth to yell some more when his lips crashed into mine. Hot, furious and full of need. He clasped my wrists above me as he ravaged my mouth. I wanted to touch him, to rub my hands all over him, but the bastard wouldn’t let me go. I pushed my body into his, sucked his lip into my mouth and bit down. He groaned before he picked me up and carried me to my bed.
Dropping me onto my bed, he stripped, but his eyes never left me. I started to take my shirt off.
“That’s mine. I’ll do it,” he barked.
I’d never seen him like this and I didn’t know what had created the beast before me. But I knew he was more animal than man right now.
Naked, he prowled forward until he straddled me in bed. Intensity radiating off him, he jerked off my shirt before sliding my panties off me.
Then he just stared down at me. Chiseled perfection all the way down to his rock-hard cock, there wasn’t an ounce of softness in him right now. He excited me, I wanted him to take me, to own me.
“You’re mine. Understand me.”
I nodded.
“Say it.”
“I’m yours.”
Satisfaction, raw and unchecked, settled into his expression. He kneaded my breasts with strong hands that promised pleasure and a little pain. I arched into his touch.
“He bruised you. Hurt you.”
“I kicked his ass.”
His nostrils flared but he didn’t speak. He reached over and grabbed a condom from the nightstand drawer. “Put it on.”
I caressed his cock as I rolled the condom over him. His eyes fluttered closed when I cupped his sac. Then he moved down me, a single finger slid through my seam before he plunged deep until I held all of him inside me.
Holding himself up with his arms, he thrust into me, hard and deep every time. “Mine.”
I reached up to his shoulders, digging my fingers into him, needing to feel him with every part of me.
He shuddered and drew closer to me, moving faster and faster inside me. “Come now,” he commanded me.
My body, already amped up from his possession, lit up at his words. I was on the edge, so close, but I wasn’t giving up that easily. He’d have to force my orgasm from me.