Corrupting Cinderella (41 page)

The battle goes out of her, and she deflates like a balloon. Not what I wanted. “Doll, I cannot do anything about my past. We talked about that. But you’re my future. Some guys still fuck around on their ol’ ladies, I won’t deny it. You don’t ever have to worry. I waited my whole life for you. I’m not gonna fuck it up by tapping every bitch who looks at me sideways. Been there, done that.”

All at once, the fire is back. My girl really hates when I use the “b” word.

“Normally ol’ ladies segregate themselves from club girls altogether. Unfortunately, you don’t have that luxury since you’re the
only
ol’ lady.” I give her a smirk, which thankfully she returns.

Time to wrap this up and get to the point. “So, you understand that in any crowd of bikers, whether Lost Kings or some other tribe, an ol’ lady being LOKI property is not a derogatory thing. It’s a respect thing. If we had a visiting club here, none of them would approach you unless I okayed it.”

“That’s just weird.”

“Look at it this way—no one is going to hit on you.” She should appreciate that. Girls usually hate unwanted attention, right?

“Great. Put me out to pasture. Call me old
and
have me thinking every man in the world thinks I’m an ugly hag?”

“What?”

“Sometimes girls like to be hit on. It reaffirms we still look good. You’re taking that away from me.”

Is she fucking with me?

“Babe. In my world, hitting on another man’s ol’ lady is absolutely not tolerated. It is grounds for a beat down.”

She leans over and kisses me softly. “Then you better compliment me often.”

My desire for her is slowly strangling my balls. “In about five minutes, I’m going to have you bent over that bed
showing
you how fucking hot I think you are.”

Her cheeks flush red, and she gestures for me to hurry up.

“Trust me, I’ve had to threaten every one of my brothers with physical violence at one time or another because they’ve
affirmed
how good you look.”

A slow smirk spreads across her lips, and a little too late it occurs to me I should have kept that tidbit to myself.

“Even Wrath?” She scrunches her nose in disbelief.

“Especially him,” I growl. “
Especially
after that incident in the garage,” I remind her. She turns a nice shade of pink at the memory.

Raking my fingers through my hair, I grit out, “Can I please finish?”

“I’m all ears.” She sits back, crosses her legs, and gives me her best attentive student stare.

Shaking my head, I continue. “So, sometimes when a woman has been taken as an ol’ lady, her man gives her a vest with her own patch.”

Reality seems to crash into her with the force of a freight train. “Are you saying you want to give me that?” she asks softly.

Finally. Christ, it took a fucking hour to get to the good part.

“Yes.”

“Is this the biker equivalent of an engagement ring?”

“Sort of. It’s more than that, really. Will you wear it for me?”

“Where?”

I almost snap, but then I rein it in and realize she’s worried about wearing it in
her
world. “Only when you’re in my world, babe. I’m not asking you to wear it to court or something.”

“Hmmm…so I’ll kinda be like a superhero with a secret identity?” she asks with a sweet lilt in her voice.

Fuck, I love this woman.

She’s going to be the best ol’ lady ever.

Completely overwhelmed with everything Rock has explained to me, one thought burns brighter than everything else. Whatever this is, it’s a big commitment. Waves of anxiety are rolling off him.

Too stunned to give him the answer he wants, I bust out the superhero quip.

He seems to appreciate it, though, and some of his tension fades.

I hold my breath, then jump. “Of course I’ll wear it.”

He blows out a relieved breath, and it hits me how nervous Rock was about this conversation. A shiver of warmth spreads through my chest at the glimpse of vulnerability.

I really love this man.

It’s starting to sink in that I’m in way deep. Not only with Rock. But with all of his brothers too.

And I’m okay with that.

As an only child, I never had anyone to look out for me. After my father died and my mother turned into a negligent train wreck, I spent a lot of time fending for myself. My mother didn’t get her act together until I was in my twenties. By then, I’d been taking care of myself for a long time, and she seemed pleased to be relieved of any parental obligations. My husband came through the foster care system with his bitchy sister as his only family. Clay and I formed our own small family, and I never desired anything more.

Until now.

Rock is offering me a true family.

A bloodthirsty family with a bit of chauvinistic bent. But family.

Although I still can’t comprehend the emotional strength it takes to be available to all the brothers, I understand why Trinity feels safe with the club.

“Baby doll, you make me so fucking happy.” He stands and pulls me up with him. The way he drags his gaze down my body raises my temperature by at least five degrees. On the way up he lingers on my breasts, then finally locks eyes with me. Those deep, gray depths with flecks of blue turn almost black. Smoldering for me.

His jaw ticks. “You’re mine, baby doll.”

“Yes, I am.”

“Going to fuck you now.” He squeezes the words out through gritted teeth.

The words are harsh, but his touch is gentle. I hold my breath as he traces his knuckles over my breasts. My nipples harden under his attention, straining through my shirt. He flattens his palms over both breasts, his thumbs drawing tight circles over the peaks. Through my clothes, I still feel the heat and respond instantly.

One hand drops to my hip, and I’m yanked against him as he kisses me hard.

In between kisses, I breathe out, “Yes.”

I’ve got to get my hands on his skin, slide them over the hard muscles. He’s hard
everywhere,
and I don’t know which of his perfectly sculpted parts I want to fondle first.

I break our kiss to tug his shirt up and over his head, then my own. I shimmy out of my pants next and kick them away.

Down we tumble to the bed. I put my whole body into kissing him. I want him to feel how much everything he said means to me. And that even if I don’t exactly comprehend everything, I get the intent behind his words. I want him to understand I feel the same way.

I honestly think if someone threatened to take him from me, I would kill them.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

It’s time for another club birthday party.

This one better be a lot tamer than the last one I attended with Rock.

It’s for Heidi’s seventeenth birthday. She’s been through a lot in the last few months, and everyone wants to make sure she has a nice afternoon. When her brother asked what she wanted, she said something simple with her two girlfriends, Axel, and her club family around her, so that’s what we’re doing.

Except we’re doing it at Rock’s house. More specifically his backyard, because he did not want a trio of underage girls up at the clubhouse. Teller and I both agreed that seemed best. For now, Teller is sharing custody of Heidi with their grandmother. Most days it doesn’t go well. He tried to set their differences aside and invited his grandmother here today for the party, but she turned him down. Eventually, this stuff will have to be addressed in family court again, but I’m not going to worry about it now.

Instead, I’m thinking about the beautiful cake Trinity brought with her. I’m thinking that it’s a perfect fall day for an outdoor party.

Z took charge of the massive stainless steel grill Rock has nestled into the stone patio out back. The guys wanted to do a pig roast today, but Heidi shrieked when they told her, so it’s hot dogs, hamburgers, and chicken that Z is cooking up.

“You okay, baby doll?” Rock’s arms wrap around my waist, pulling me tight to his front. His lips move against my ear, sending a shiver through me.

“Yup.”

I turn so I’m looking up at him, and a thrill goes through me. He’s one big, sexy man, and he’s all mine.

“You’re sticking around, right?” he asks.

“Of course.”

He breathes a sigh of relief. “I’ll feel better with a female chaperon.”

A quick glance around the party, and I understand why. I trust these guys, but I can see how from the outside it might not look so good. Especially since the girls plan to have a slumber party here afterward. Especially after some of the nasty accusations Heidi’s grandmother made toward the end of the custody dispute.

“That seems prudent,” I say.

Rock quirks an eyebrow at me.

“It seems like the cautious thing to do,” I explain.

He takes his arms from around my waist, plants them at his side, and gives me a sharp glare. “I know what prudent means, Hope.”

I’m blushing furiously. Why do I do things like that?

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it that way.”

“Honey, just because I didn’t go on to college doesn’t mean I don’t know all sorts of five-cent words.” His mouth kicks up in a devilish grin, but I sense he’s still annoyed with me. “Had a very hot English teacher,” he elaborates.

I roll my eyes at him. Of course he did. “Seems like that would have detracted from your learning instead of enhancing it,” I tease.

“Oh, on the contrary, I aimed to impress, so maybe if I ran into her after graduation, I’d have a shot at her.”

“And how did that work out?”

He only smirks at me.

I pop him in the gut with my fist. “Jackass.” Not my smartest move. His abs are like punching a brick wall, and I shake off the sting.

“Can’t you two take it upstairs?” Wrath grumbles as he makes his way over on his crutches.

“You’re mistaken, bro. She’s fixing to kick my ass, not jump my bones.”

Wrath runs his gaze over me. “I don’t think so, brother.”

“Jerk,” I grumble.

“You know it.” He twists to observe the backyard. “Where’s the birthday girl?”

“Inside watching movies with her friends,” I answer.

Wrath rolls his eyes skyward. “It’s a beautiful day. They should be outside.”

Laughter bubbles out of me. “Okay,
Dad
. I’ll let them know.” I’m still giggling as I stroll up to the house, and I hear Wrath grumbling behind me.

Trinity is in the kitchen prepping trays of food to bring outside.

“Do you need help?”

She throws me a harried look but shakes her head. “I got it. Maybe, go hang with the girls?” Trinity says as she jerks her head toward the living room. Girlish giggles seep out into the kitchen.

“You sure you don’t want to hang with them? You’re closer to their age.”

Trinity seems stunned I would even suggest such a thing. “Heidi’s not a big fan of mine.”

This is news to me, but it’s not the time to go digging for information.

Feeling more than a little awkward, I creep into the living room. Mean Girls is on, but they seem more intent on gossip than the movie.

“Is your brother here yet? He’s sooo hot,” Skye giggles.

Heidi’s clearly not thrilled by her friend’s assessment of Teller. “Ewww, he’s a disgusting manwhore.”

A laugh escapes me, and the girls glance up, startled and guilty expressions all around. “Hi, Hope. Come to watch movies with us?” Heidi asks while making room for me on the couch.

Surprised by the invitation, I mumble, “Sure.”

Skye and Penny seem less thrilled by my presence, but they murmur polite hellos at me.

From the corner, Axel startles me with a greeting. He’s on the floor, between Heidi’s feet, while she’s running her hands through his hair. Together, they’re a cute picture of teenage romance.