***Ramrod***
“What do you mean by that, Doll?” I try to keep my tone as soft as possible but what I would like to do is grab her shoulders and shake every single last bit of information out of her. Then I can round every single one of my brothers together and clear all her problems away before I claim her as mine.
Fuck. What? I close my eyes to take a deep breath and give my head a little shake. I need to get a grip on my damn self. It’s being close to her, when she touched me just now, even when it was just a fucking finger pressing into my pecs; she lights me up with cravings that no other woman has managed to unleash inside me.
Instead of holding her in a tight embrace, I chose to let her go and let my hands trail up to cup her cheeks. I place a gentle kiss on her forehead before I step away. I have to keep my distance for now and the only way to do that is to slip into work mode. Guiding her toward the couch, we both sit down and I wait for Doll to start giving me her words.
“My sister and I used to be close. But you know how life happens…and then Alina got a job in another state. Shortly after, she told me that she got involved with someone and that made us have less time together. A call here, a text there, but it slowly faded to one text a month and even that skipped sometimes. Hell, I didn’t even get a chance to meet her boyfriend face to face. Everything I know about that guy was sent through text. She even stopped updating her status on social media, too consumed by that guy, or I dunno…” She sighs and tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear. “We were both busy leading our lives. Then after years of not really talking, she suddenly calls me in full panic mode. I had to calm her down and ask her three times to repeat herself because she wasn’t making any sense.”
Doll jolts upright and rubs her palms on her thighs. There’s a panicked look on her face.
“Calm down,” I tell her with a firm voice, “you’re safe here.”
“Says who?” she snaps. “You?” Doll shakes her head. “I thought my sister was safe, I was safe…so excuse me if I don’t suck up all the good vibes to get relieved and skip toward a long and happy life.”
I tilt my head to the left and hold her stare. Instead of throwing back words, diving into confrontation, I chose to wait her out. It’s clear to me that she’s just lashing out, probably due to the emotions and memories that are triggered by talking to me about it. A frustrated growl slips over her lips and I fight like hell not to laugh. It’s fucked up, I know, this shit is too serious, but she’s just all kinds of cute and gorgeous to me right now.
“Okay, fine. You want it, you got it. Here Alina goes, spilling words like a waterfall. Nothing makes sense and then she tells me to meet up with her. I went to the place where she wanted us to meet, except she never showed. Or she left before I got there because I saw footsteps in the dirt. I tried calling but she didn’t answer. I drove to her place but it was all empty, no sign of her boyfriend either. I had no clue what was going on other than her jumbled words that really sank in when I was standing there waiting for her to show up.” Doll swallows and looks at me with her heart in her eyes, tearing up with grief. “Her boyfriend turned out to be a dirty cop. She said if she didn’t make it…it would be his fault. That she was the one who would pay for his fuckups. I went to the police, but it only got worse. I thought it was a good time to skip town for a few days and…”
“Lemme guess,” I growl. “You ran into the cop boyfriend, or the dirty stuff he rubbed his badge on? Fucking dirty scumbag. I hate those fuckers…they’re the worst kind. Lie straight to your face. For fuck’s sake they need to be the good guys, fucking power play.”
Her shoulders sag. “I don’t know how...I mean, he was the one who took me, but there was also another guy, or two? I was scared and it’s all so fuzzy. I overheard some of their discussions.” A sob slips out before she whispers again in distress, “I don’t know.”
I grab her shoulders and drag her against my chest. “I’m going to fix this, sugar. Not one fucking doubt in my mind, rest assured I will find these fuckers and take every single fucking worry out of your life. That being said, I will also try to figure out what happened to your sister.”
She mutters a soft thank you against my chest.
“Don’t thank me yet, sugar, because I’m telling you straight up that I won’t let you out of my sight from now until the moment I have cleared it all up. And if I’m not around, I will have at least two of my brothers with you at all times,” I vow.
I brace myself because I expect her to fight me on this. Except it doesn’t happen. Instead she tightens her arms and snuggles even closer.
I let my fingers slide into her hair and wrap it around my fist, pulling her head back while I give it a short pull. Hardening my voice, I snap, “Am I clear?”
She gasps instead of answering me. I tighten my hold and her fucking pupils dilate. The corner of my mouth twitches. I want words coming from that mouth and yet all I can think of is guiding her to her knees and shoving my cock down her throat. Why in the hell do I have my fist in her hair, ready to guide her and have her abide to my wishes?
I let my fingers loosen and stroke her cheek. “I need an answer, sugar.”
She clears her throat. “Right. Yes. Totally understand. I’ll do anything you ask...need.” Doll clears her throat again and shakes her head. “Crap, you’re distracting. What I mean is, you’re right, I will let you handle this and listen to your instructions to keep me safe.”
Yeah, I’m going to need to hurry the fuck up to clear up her past so I can make her see the future. Preferably a future where she’ll be on her knees, taking my cock wherever the fuck we need it. Even if it’s in my own hand pumping long enough to spray her with my cum. Fuck. I need another shower. Maybe two. Because rubbing one out won’t cover it and I’ll be needing a cold one after that.
My phone starts to ring and I’m happy for the distraction. Grabbing the thing from my pocket, I see it’s Depay. “Hey man.”
“Hey, do you really have a woman stashed away in your cabin? One who saved our fucking ass from months in hell?” Depay asks.
I’m staring at Doll when I tell him, “Yeah, her name is Doll.”
“Ask her when she can do that shit with Hadley. Is tomorrow morning too soon? I have to work and Diamond has some kind of meeting. I’ll ask Lochlan to tag along if you’re okay with that because I know you have this thing with Deeds,” he tells me and fuck, I totally forgot.
“Dammit, man. I didn’t think, yeah…that will work. Make sure Arlo and that new prospect will tag along too. Probably don’t have to mention the prospect because they’ve become fast buddies. I’ve even seen those two take one of the ho’s for a ride together if you know what I mean. Anyway, I’d like to have safety in numbers since my...” Holy shit, I barely swallow my words because ol’lady was going to be voiced…by me. I clear my throat. “Doll has some shit going on. I’ll discuss it with our Prez when we head on over to the gym to oversee the new equipment coming in.”
“Sounds like a plan. Lynn wants to tag along too, and you know how she is…can’t say no to Lips. I’ll see if Broke wants to go, then we’ll have three brothers and a prospect around those two woman and kids…even the score a bit, yeah?” Depay suggests.
“Perfect, make sure everyone is here at ten. I want her to have a good night’s sleep first. And I don’t want to fucking rush with breakfast and shit,” I tell him.
There’s a long pause before Depay’s voice flows over the phone, “Are you saying you want more time for a morning fuck?”
I pull the phone away from my ear and look at it before I end the call. Fucker. I don’t need that shit. I was thinking in double fucking showers before he called and now I’m back to the same damn lust filled, amped up state I was before he called.
I rub my goatee and connect my gaze with Doll. “Everything is set for tomorrow, so you can take Hadley to the fabric store to get supplies. My Prez’s ol’lady will tag along and so will three of my brothers and a prospect. I have to handle a shipment of new equipment that’s finally coming in tomorrow. We ordered some new stuff for the gym and before they screw it up…”
She holds up her hand. “That’s your thing, no worries, I understand. Thank you for making sure I have all those guys around me you’ve mentioned.”
I give her a tight nod. “Yeah, and that gives me some piece of mind but also a chance to talk to my Prez about the situation. I have to bring it to the table so we can handle your case thoroughly.”
The sigh that flows over her lips sounds as if a part of her worry flows out. “Thank you.”
Fuck. She needs to stop saying thanks. I would rather shut her up by devouring her mouth. I bet she will taste magnificent with lips like hers, plump and mesmerizing. I’m itching to have the feel of them against mine.
I shake my head to clear it, I need a distraction. I’m still holding the phone and offer it to her. “Call your friends, let them know you’re here with me and that you’re checking in.”
Her face turns soft with appreciation. I just fucking know she’s gonna utter those two words again, so I growl low in my throat as a warning. She chuckles in understanding and snatches the phone from me.
Doll dials and places the phone against her ear. I watch how her eyes light up in relief when she starts to speak with her friend. It takes a few minutes before she’s done and is handing the phone back to me.
A content smile forms on those sexy as fuck lips. “Thank you.”
“I’ve mentioned before that you have to stop sayin’ that, right?” I quirk my eyebrow. “I’d rather have something else in return.”
She narrows her eyes. “And that would be? Oh, wait…I know, you want me to make you a giraffe too? Or another stuffed animal?”
A bark of laughter escapes me. “Fuck no. But a kiss would be nice.”
Worth a shot, right? I’ve been thinking about it for too long already and if my cock is getting painfully ignored and I have to rub one out, I’d rather have more than a few memories of her body pressing against mine to fantasize over.
She rolls her eyes but I can see the smile that tugs at her lips when she asks, “A little peck on the cheek or one on the mouth? And if it’s on the mouth…would that one be with or without bonus?”
“Are we negotiating a damn kiss?” I growl. “That shit is supposed to happen naturally.”
“Hey,” she snaps back. “I’m not the one who suggested a kiss as a thank you, Muscleman.”
Fuck this shit. I step forward and her hair is wrapped around my fist before she can gasp. “I’ll give you a fucking bonus alright,” I roughly tell her before I claim her mouth.