Riding Steele: Untamed (2 page)

Wild Card picked up Laurie’s plate and the two empty mugs, then headed out of the room. Long moments passed and no one said anything.

Laurie sat impatiently, wondering what to do next. The two men seemed happy to just ignore her. Shock had picked up a book and was reading while Steele just gazed outside.

She stood up and walked across the room, having to pass behind the men sitting on the couch.

“What are you doing?” Steele asked.

“Nothing.”

She kept moving toward the front of the house. He stood up and followed her. Her heart thumped, but she walked toward the entrance, and the front door.

She reached for the doorknob.

“Where are you going?”

She gripped it and hesitated. “Nowhere.”

He said nothing more, so she turned the knob.

“You said you weren’t going anywhere.”

She glanced at him. “I just want to go outside.”

“No.”

“But I—”

“No.” His tone was sharp this time.

She drew in a deep breath and sighed. “You’re treating me like a child.”

His lips turned up in a grin, wiping away the severe expression of a moment ago. “Maybe I should spank your bottom.”

She drew in a deep breath as she stared at him. The thought of his big hand smacking across her bare behind sent a shudder through her that wasn’t entirely unpleasant. A confusion of need and anxiety swirled through her. She didn’t know what to make of her own response.

His expression turned serious again. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m not really going to punish you.”

Her throat tightened and she dropped her gaze to the floor, then stepped back from the door.

*

Damn, the trapped frightened look in her eyes tore at Steele’s heart. Clearly, she didn’t believe him. And why should she? They had brought her here against her will, and now they wouldn’t let her go. She had no reason to trust him. And given how her boyfriend had treated her in the parking garage, she had no reason to trust any man.

A question sprang to his mind. Had that bastard of a boyfriend mistreated her before? And how badly?

“Laurie, I’m not going to hurt you. I promise you that. Nor will anyone else here. You’re under my protection.”

She nodded again. “I just … want to go outside,” she said in a stilted voice. “I need fresh air. And exercise.” She drew in a deep breath, her hands clenched at her sides. “I just want to go for a walk.”

He grinned. “Now you sound like a dog.”

“Does that mean you’re going to put me on a leash?” she asked, her eyes flashing.

He almost thought she was joking to lighten the mood, but the haunted look in her eyes told him maybe she was talking from experience … and not a pleasant one.

He gazed at her, assessing. It wasn’t right to keep her locked up in here. The sun was shining outside. It was a beautiful summer day, meant to be enjoyed in such a stunning location.

Wild Card appeared from the kitchen and walked toward them. “Why don’t I go for a walk with her?”

Steele glanced at her, wondering how she’d feel about that since Wild Card was the one who had kidnapped her, but her expression gave nothing away. Well, that was the choice she was given. Go with Wild Card, or stay here.

“Okay, but under one condition.” He was not going to chance her running off. He could tell she was just as headstrong as his sister Chrissy had been, and would defy him just for the sake of it, so until he could convince her she was better off staying here, he had to take every precaution to protect her.

*

Laurie’s stomach tensed as the door swung open, revealing the gravel road leading to the cabin. The damned man had handcuffed her to Wild Card, which had dashed her hopes of finding a way to slip free and disappear down that path.

She stepped outside, Wild Card by her side. She breathed in the fresh air, enjoying the sunshine on her face and naked arms. There were three big motorcycles parked in the gravel area by the house. The man named Rip had gone into town, so there was one bike for each man in the house, but not one for Raven.

If Laurie could figure out how to drive one of the big machines, maybe at some point she could use one to escape, but even if she could slip away from her escort, they would hear her start it up, and they would be able to easily chase her down. Either way, she’d probably be killed trying to ride one of those things any distance. And she’d didn’t even know how to start one, or even if they needed a key like a car.

“The place where Raven went to swim is over that way.” Wild Card pointed to a path that disappeared through the trees as he fell into step beside her. “There’s a beach out in front of the cabin, but she found a quiet, secluded spot she likes. She’s probably still swimming if you want to join her.”

“What about these?” she asked, hoping he’d suggest taking them off.

He shrugged. “They can get wet.”

Disappointment washed through her, but she would dearly love to go for a swim on this beautiful day. She loved the water.

“I don’t have a bathing suit,” she said.

He grinned. “That never stopped Raven.”

Laurie stiffened.

“Oh, no, look … I wasn’t suggesting anything. Like Steele said, no one here’s going to hurt you in any way. I just meant you could swim in your … uh …” Finally, he just shook his head. “Never mind.”

She held her silence as they walked along the grass.

He sighed. “I really am sorry you’re stuck here when you don’t want to be.”

She nodded. “You’ve already explained that.”

She didn’t want to hear him tell her again that he’d done it for her own good. She didn’t want to think about the fact she had a boyfriend who wanted to hurt her. And she didn’t want to think about the fact that when she went back, he would find her and make her pay for embarrassing him. And defying him.

A cell phone rang and Wild Card pulled it from his pocket. “Yeah?” He glanced toward the house. “Okay, I’ll go find him and call you back.” He glanced at Laurie as he slipped the phone back into his pocket. “We have to go back in the house.”

She gazed at him with pleading eyes. “No, please, just a little longer.”

“I have to find Steele.”

“Just let me stay out here until you get back.” She glanced around and pointed to a deck along one side of the house with a hot tub. “You could handcuff me to the railing.”

He glanced at the wooden railing and gazed at her, then reached in his back pocket.

“Okay.” He led her to the deck, which was only a few steps up and unlocked his cuff and fastened it around the first post at the bottom of the stairs.

“I’ll be right back.”

He shoved the key in his back pocket, but as he walked away, she noticed that it had actually fallen to the ground. It landed on the grass, so it made no sound.

Wild Card disappeared into the house. She stood frozen for a moment, overjoyed at her good luck. She had intended to try and find a way to break the post, or kick it from the railing and pull the cuff free, which was a long shot, but now she didn’t have to.

She leaned over and tried to reach the key, but it was a little too far away. She stretched out her leg and was able to pull it closer, then pick it up and unlock the cuff.

She sucked in a deep breath, thrilled at her newfound freedom, then hurried toward the path leading to the bushes. Wild Card had said that Raven was swimming in a secluded spot. They probably wouldn’t expect her to go in that direction, since he’d told her Raven had gone this way, but even if they did, she hoped she could slip past where the woman was swimming and disappear into the woods.

She didn’t relish fighting her way through the brush, wild animals possibly about, but she knew if she stayed to the road, they would find her right away.

Her heart hammered as she approached the bushes, then sighed in relief as she stepped out of sight of the cabin. The path was merely a balding strip through the grass, worn down by people continually treading on it.

The trees weren’t very dense so she easily made her way along the path. She headed toward thicker brush ahead, feeling far too visible here. She needed to be out of sight, and she needed somewhere to hide once they found out she was missing.

Once she reached the bushes, rather than relaxing, her heart pounded faster. She was really doing this. Trying to escape the big, tough bikers who had kidnapped her.

Soon she saw the glitter of water through the trees ahead. As she drew nearer, she saw a flash of red. When she looked closer, she realized it was a red bikini, abandoned on the small strip of sand at the water’s edge. She looked out in the water and saw Raven sitting on a rock in the water, her bare breasts visible above the surface.

Oh, God, how could the woman just discard her bathing suit like that and expose herself with all these men around?

She drew in a deep breath and decided she should be able to slip by and continue through the woods without the woman seeing her, but as she continued along the path, Raven pushed herself from the rock and slipped into the water, which was only to her waist it turned out, then started walking toward the shore. Laurie scooted along the path faster, wanting to get past where Raven could see her before she reached the shore.

“Hey, bitch.”

Laurie froze in her tracks. The male voice, which sent a shudder of dread through her, wasn’t familiar. And it wasn’t close to her. She ducked down, but kept moving closer to the lake, being careful to stay hidden. As she got closer, she saw a big man with short-cropped hair and a fringe of whiskers along his chin standing on the shore, wearing tight jeans and a black tank top that revealed his muscular shoulders and bulging arms, both covered in a tribal tattoo design.

Raven glanced at the tall, broad-shouldered man and her eyes narrowed.

“We’ve been looking for pussy,” he said, as he unzipped his pants.

We?
Horrified, Laurie glanced around her, worried she’d see other bikers closing in on her. Were they from a rival gang?

Raven backed farther into the water, covering her naked breasts with her hands. But a man, who seemed to come from nowhere, stepped behind her and grabbed her arms.

“Oh, now, don’t go covering those pretty breasts of yours.”

The second man, who must have slipped into the water from the other side of the inlet, forced her arms behind her, thrusting her big breasts forward, the nipples puckered and hard.

He had waded into the water still in his jeans and T-shirt. The sleeves had been torn off, revealing arms just as bulging and inked as his friend’s. His dark brown hair was cropped short on the sides and longer on the top, combed back from his face like a modern-day James Dean and looking every bit as untamed.

Laurie’s heart pounded. A desperate need to escape her captivity still pulsed through her with every beat of her heart, but she couldn’t leave Raven to these men. She needed to get help.

She turned and started to race back along the path. Adrenaline pumped through her and she panted as she flew as fast as she could. She pushed through the bushes, still only halfway back to the cabin, and wham! She slammed into a solid, masculine chest. Steele’s arms came around her, stopping her from tumbling to the ground. She gasped and stared up at his angry face.

As she tried to catch her breath, she realized Wild Card was nowhere to be seen. She pointed toward the lake, but he grasped her shoulders, scowling.

“There you are. I didn’t know where the hell you’d gone. What were you thinking running off like that?” His eyes flashed with anger. “Clearly, your promise means nothing. From now on you don’t get out of my sight. Mine or whoever I assign to watch you. Do you understand?”

Without thinking she nodded. “But—”

“No, buts. You would never have made it back on your own. Don’t you know there are bears around here? And wolves.”

“I mean … Raven …” She pointed to the lake. “She’s in trouble.”

“What?” A look of concern crossed Steele’s face. “What kind of trouble?”

She grabbed his arm, her fingers curling around his solid, reassuring muscles, to pull him with her. He followed, pushing through the bushes with her.

“There are these two men.” She had to run to keep up with his long-legged stride. “They’re … um … assaulting her.”

“Fuck.” He drew his hand free and raced ahead of her. She ran as fast as she could to keep up, but he disappeared through the trees. She was just thankful that he would get to Raven quickly.

He would know what to do.

But when she caught up with him, he just stood by a large tree staring out over the water.

Laurie gazed at the sight of Raven, still standing naked in the water, one man only a foot in front of her and the other still holding her arms trapped behind her.

The man in front of her stepped closer. “Now suck my cock, bitch.”

“And what if I don’t want to?” Raven challenged.

The man behind her slid his arm around the waist and pulled her against his body, his muscular forearm brushing against the undersides of her naked breasts.

“No is not an acceptable answer.” He pressed his hand to the top of her head and pushed her downward. She sank to her knees in front of the other man who then pressed his cock to her lips.

To Laurie’s total surprise, Raven wrapped her hand around the big erection and opened her mouth, then took it inside.

“Aren’t you going to do something?” Laurie murmured to Steele.

“I am. I’m watching.”

Shock vaulted through her. She hadn’t known Steele very long, and even though he’d kidnapped her, or at least, his man Wild Card had, she’d felt he was honorable and protective of his people.

Yet here he was, simply watching while these two men forced Raven to pleasure them.

Raven glided her lips up and down the man’s big member while the man behind her cupped her breast and stroked.

The man whose cock was in her mouth groaned. “Oh, fuck, Rave. Suck it.”

Then he threw his head back and groaned his release. Raven drew back and licked her lips then stood up and turned to the other man.

Laurie’s jaw dropped as she realized Raven knew these men.

“Now that I’m finished with Dom, where’s that delicious cock of yours, Magic?” Raven asked, a salacious smile on her face.