Wounded (Dogs of War MC Book One) (4 page)

“This is ridiculous,” she got up from the table, wobbled a bit and took a shaky step, intent and getting away from this ludicrous situation. “I’m going to bed and when I wake up things will be normal again,” she nodded her head, convinced she was making the most sensible decision given current circumstances. She was probably in the midst of a nervous breakdown and some rest and a clear head would straighten her right out. Tomorrow she’d google local psychiatrists and see if she could get an appointment soon.

Red put his hand on her arm to steady her, “Sidney, I’m not lying to you, this is real. I’ve been staying in your home for days. I can tell you what we ate for breakfast yesterday, who you talked to on the phone, hell, even what panties you put on before work this morning,” he let his hand trail down to her hip.

Sidney felt the desire flare hot and wild inside her again, she liked the feel of his hand on her and she leaned into him, “Oh yeah? Prove it.”

“They were purple lace things. You started to wear a black cotton pair but you put them back. I, personally think you made the right decision.”

She swayed a little, head swimming with wine and conflicting emotions. “Well, cotton panties are nice and sensible, nothing wrong with those at all. Do you think you could leave now, I’m pretty sure I’d like to mull over this particular hallucination in private.”

“I’m going to need to use your phone to call for a ride,” he looked down at his naked torso and quirked his eyebrow in almost the same exact manner he had when he was a wolf, “and some clothes.”

Sidney sat back down in the chair and closed her eyes, hoping the world would stop spinning, “Sure it’s –“

“In the side pocket of your purse, I know.”

She shook her head. She wasn’t going to think about this anymore, she was going to pass out. It was doubtful that she was going to be able to make it to her bed, but the kitchen table seemed like it’d be a comfortable place to rest for a while. Her head snuggled into her folded arms. Nope, no reason not to sleep sitting in a chair at the table while lying head on said table. It was the most comfortable she’d been in weeks actually. This position was probably good for her spine, look at how they twist themselves up doing yoga and they claim that’s good for you, more people should sleep at tables. Maybe one day she’d write and publish an ebook about the health benefits of kitchen table sleeping.

“… yeah, I know. Couldn’t be helped. Just come get me. Don’t forget the clothes,” she watched him put the phone back in her purse out of half-closed eyes. She’d be glad when he was gone but in the meanwhile he was nice to look at with his sleek toned body and chiseled features. She studied the tattoos of a howling wolf on his shoulder, the words she couldn’t quite make out on his chest, and her gaze dipped lower to the flat planes of his stomach with its tantalizing little happy trail leading below the edge of the sheet… whatever imaginary person he was talking to should totally forget the clothes. “You probably shouldn’t fall asleep there.”

“What?” she snapped out of her appreciative inventory of his attributes.

“You’ll feel like hell when you wake up. Come on, let’s get you in bed.”

Hmm, that sounded like a fine idea. In theory. In reality she didn’t get in bed with strangers… wait, this wasn’t reality, it was her post break up melt down. So really if she did go to bed with him it’d just be masturbation, right? Makes sense. “Ok,” she placed her hand on the table to hoist herself up, or at least she thought she had. Obviously she had misjudged, because she began her descent to the floor.

“Whoa, now,” and suddenly she was in his arms, “You’re not much of a drinker are you?”

“I can hold my own.”

“I can see that,” he smirked. She drifted through the house and landed with a comfortable thud in bed, “There you are. You’ll have a hell of a headache in the morning.”

She ventured opening one eye, “I’ve got to change out of these clothes.”

Red ran his hand through his hair, “A minute ago you were ready to sleep on the table, now you need a nightie, a teddy bear, and to be tucked in?”

“Yup.”

“Fine,” he went over to her chest of drawers and pulled out one of her favorite nightgowns before sitting down beside her on the bed. She watched his large hands as they worked to undo the buttons on her blouse, going lower and lower, exposing more of her torso as they went. He unbuttoned her jeans and his warmth on the skin of her belly felt divine, she closed her eyes as he whisked away her pants. He laid his hand flat on her bare midriff sending tingles up her spine, it’s possible she might have moaned a bit, and he ventured higher, working the front clasp of her bra and opening her breast to the cool air. Her nipples puckered in response and she thought she heard him growl. Looking from beneath her lashes she watched him as his eyes devoured her, tentatively he took one breast in his palm, letting the rosy tip rub against his hard callouses. He leaned over and took the other tip in his mouth, her back arched involuntarily, and within moments he was on her. She spread her legs and wrapped them around him, wanting him to take her right then.

She could feel the hard length of him pressing into her, the only thing separating them was the thin lace of her panties. She rubbed herself against him, yearning, and looked up into his eyes. Those eyes she’d grown so accustomed to, grown to love over the last few days, “I need you inside me,” she breathed. Instead if ripping her panties off like she’d wanted him to do, needed him to do, he groaned deep in his throat and jerked her up to him. His mouth devouring hers, tongue teasing, the intensity of it leaving her dazed when he pulled away.

“When I take you, and trust me, I will, you will be sober and you’ll know I’m who and what I am,” he said before he left her there, half naked in bed, wanting and throbbing for him. 

The clubhouse was smoky and loud, as usual, when Ryder walked in. But the plastic cups, cigarette butts, and trash littering the floor were out of place, so were the whores grinding their pelvises against barely conscious or barely interested men. The Club didn’t normally mix business with pleasure.

He smacked Donny-O’s chest, “Hey what’s with the mess and all the Betties?”

“We had a memorial party for you and Saint Nick last night,” Donny-O grinned, “It was awesome man but I was crying so hard over your dead ass I was only able to fuck two chicks.”

Ryder laughed, “Yeah that’s a bitch.” He hated hearing about Saint Nick though; the guy had a wife and two little kids at home.

“Here comes everybody, got your story straight? Make sure you tell them the part about the bath, that shit was hilarious.”

“Yeah yeah, but I need to talk to you later, for real.”

Donny-O nodded, he knew when Ryder was being serious. “Alright man, catch me when it all dies down. Hey and call your mom. She’s been howling and clawing at us the whole time you were gone.”

 “Hey baby I knew you weren’t dead, I knew they couldn’t kill the big bad wolf.”

“Not now Bridget,” he tried to shake the bleach blonde off his chest but she wasn’t having it.

“Oh is that anyway to treat someone who has been pining for you, missing your  - ,“

Moose pushed her off to the side with one hand, “Go rub on someone else darling, I got business with the man.” Bridget pouted and sauntered away sending Ryder a look over her shoulder that let him know she’d be interested in seeing him later, “You keep putting your dick in crazy and you’re going to lose it one day.”

“I haven’t put my dick it that particular bit of crazy since high school.”

Moose shrugged, “Well guess you made an impression.”

“Good to see you back man!”

“Thought we’d lost your dumb ass for good!”

“You’re like a bad penny, just keep turning up.” Ryder was surrounded by his brothers, all wanting to pat him on the back and let him know that they’d been worried about him or sad that he was dead, it was a good feeling to know you’d be missed. And that they’d throw a party full of hookers and high end alcohol for you when you died. He hugged them all and let them punch him, feeling buoyed by their bonds of brotherhood and loyalty… well
most
of them were loyal. 

“Hey fuckface, didn’t think you’d make it back from that one,”  Trainz stood there with his hand up, waiting for Ryder to slap it.

Ryder’s fists balled up beside him, “Yeah I bet you didn’t.”

“Well it’s all good right? You turned up safe and sound.” He smacked Ryder on the arm a few times.

“Yeah, look I need to go call my mom and let her know I’m alright.”

“Yeah, man, I understand, but Big Dog is going to want to see you soon… Red.”

Was the story already around the club that quick, he glanced over at Donny-O who was talking to a group of the guys. Donny-O glanced back and raised his cup, “TO RED!” he toasted loud enough for the whole club to hear.

“Ma I promise, I’m fine,” her screeching could probably be heard on the other side of the clubhouse, “Listen, I’ll come over to your house tonight,” he paused to let her continue to shriek, “I love you, I’ll see you tonight.” He hung up while she was in the middle of accusing him of staying out just to drive her crazy, and that her heart could only take so much.

He threw the phone down on the old ratty quilt his grandmother had made for him and flopped down behind it. He was completely worn ragged.

It had been an experience, but it hadn’t been all bad. His mouth quirked up at the thought of Aubrey, her neat little house and her giant bed. He wasn’t sure which he’d miss more, the belly rubs or sleeping diagonally across that huge mattress.

His room there at the club was comfortable to him, but it held none of the warmth Sidney’s home had. The paint was peeling, showing the cheap wood paneling below, the posters of girls on bikes that plastered all four walls had been there when he’d moved in and he’d kind of liked them… or he’d been too lazy to take them down, the old carpet that was a color green that screamed “70s”, … there just wasn’t much about it that made it his. He had a few pictures of himself with the guys or with old girlfriends tacked here or there but it lacked all the comfort he’d enjoyed at Sidney’s.

He pondered what it was about her place that had made him want to stay another day, knowing that everyone would be worried. Maybe what it lacked was Sidney, with that big beautiful ass and those full –

“Yo, you wanted to talk?” Donny-O popped his head into the room without knocking.

“Yeah, man, come in and shut the door.”

“What’s up?”

“Something weird happened the other night during the fight with the Hellhounds.”

“Yeah?”

“You gotta keep this to yourself though, I don’t want to cause any trouble until I know something for sure.”

“No problem man, what’s happening?”

“Well we were fighting in the forest off Gravel Pit Road right, and I had Trainz and BillCo beside me and shit was going good. We’d found four of them but they wasn’t no match for us.”

“Right”

“But then, all of a sudden BillCo and Trainz disappear and I’m fighting these dudes alone, and what was a fair fight turns into a massacre. I mean they weren’t giving me any slack. I barely got away from them.”

“You think they left you alone on purpose?”

“I think they had it planned with the Hellhounds. When we left that night they made sure I went with them specifically.”

“You’re shitting me man, we’re brothers!”