Horse pulled out the gun again when we reached his bike, letting the magazine drop and clearing the slide. Then the entire thing went into one of his saddlebags. We climbed on the Harley and took off into the night.

I didn’t notice the cold at all on the ride home. Go figure.

We got back to the house way too fast. I wasn’t ready to deal with Horse or what I’d witnessed. That guy had to be hurt, bad. I hoped to hell they got him to a hospital, although that might make things worse for us—the cops would come after Horse. Where would that leave me?

Safe, a little voice whispered deep down inside.

We pulled up to the house and he killed the bike. Silence fell between us and I had no idea what to do or say. Wasn’t the first time I’d felt this way either. We seemed to be following a pattern. Outstanding sex. Violent outburst. Cold war.

At least I wasn’t the one who’d pissed him off this time.

Horse didn’t say a thing to me as we walked into the house. But when the door shut behind us and he slid the bolt home he turned to me, eyes burning with something dark and terrible. I froze, pinned by that gaze, understanding what it must feel to be a deer at the moment the hunter pulls the trigger. He shook his head and pulled me into his arms.

“I can’t fucking believe he almost shot you,” he muttered, gripping me so tight it hurt. Then he picked me up and carried me over to the couch, falling back on it and draping me over his body. I collapsed against him, a rush of tears bursting out of me. I don’t know what it was, relief maybe? Horse rubbed my back, making little soothing noises, and eventually I stopped crying. Then I realized my skirt had ridden up and my bare ass was hanging out. I tried to pull away from him but he wouldn’t let me. Instead he took my face in both his hands, forcing me to meet his eyes.

“I’m so sorry, babe,” he said. “I can’t believe that fuckwad. Boonie should be ashamed of himself, letting that shit happen in his house. He wasn’t even a member of the club. You almost got shot by a goddamned hangaround.”

“But I didn’t,” I whispered. “I’m fine, Horse. Really. It scared me but I’m okay.”

He shook his head.

“I scared you too,” he said. “I’m sorry, babe. But it had to be done. I couldn’t let that guy get away with that any more than I can let your brother off the hook. This is my reality and it’s ugly sometimes. Dragging you into this, I should be sorry. But I’m not. I’m not gonna let you go, Marie. I’m keeping you and I don’t care if I go to hell for doing it. I don’t care about anything but fucking you.”

With that, he pulled my mouth down to his, kissing me hard, tongue thrusting in and taking command. He sat up slowly, swinging his legs off the side of the couch so that I had to straddle him. He thrust his lower body up at me, hands holding my hips as he rubbed the ridge of his jeans-covered cock against my bare clit. In all the excitement I’d forgotten I was naked under my skirt. Now his fingers reached between us, dipping into my wet opening and sliding around. Suddenly he pushed me up and lifted his hips. I grabbed his shoulders to steady myself as he slid his jeans down, freeing his cock. He took it and rubbed the tip through my wetness, then lined it up with my slit.

“I meant what I said,” Horse told me, his face tight and cold. “You belong to me. Nobody else gets in this pussy. You got that?”

I nodded quickly, biting my lip.

“Give me the words.”

“I belong to you,” I whispered as he took my hips, gripping them firmly.

“All of them.”

“Nobody gets in this pussy but you, Horse.”

He held my eyes as he pressed my hips down, forcing his cock deep as I cried out. Even though he’d fucked me once that night, this new angle hit me deeper than he’d ever gone. I screamed when the tip of his cock hit my cervix and spasmed around him. I don’t know if it was pleasure or pain or what, but as he slid me up and then down again, hard, I exploded around him with a cry.

“Put your hands on my shoulders and ride me,” he grunted as I recovered. I did what he said, taking over the rhythm as his hands bit deep into my ass. Every stroke slammed my clit into his pelvic bone, every thrust hit my cervix, and almost immediately I spiraled up again toward another orgasm. His hand dug down between the cheeks of my ass and then his finger went inside me from behind. He thrust it deep, controlling how I rode him as I moved faster and faster. Suddenly he groaned and stopped me, grabbing my hips and standing up to turn me toward the couch, pulling me off his cock and setting me down.

“Kneel, facing away from me,” he said, voice icy. I shivered, but the look on his face was full of an intensity I’d never seen. Slowly I did as he asked, kneeling on the couch and leaning forward to brace my arms against the back. Once again his cock entered me, sliding in and out slowly several times. Then he pulled it free and slid it higher, pressing it against my anus.

I froze as he nudged me, trying to breach my opening. I quivered as he absently rubbed one hand up and under the skirt I still wore, as if to soothe me. He started to work the head in and it hurt. A lot. I shivered, thinking of Jeff, telling myself I had to go through with it if I wanted my brother to live. But everything Horse had done to me so far—at least everything sexually—I’d wanted.

This felt like rape.

“Please don’t,” I whispered, knowing I couldn’t stop him. “I don’t think I can handle it if you do this to me. Please.”

Horse stilled and I stopped breathing. I felt the tip of his cock nudge my opening again and he groaned. Then he dropped it down and plunged back into my pussy. It’s a good thing he grabbed my hips and held me as he started thrusting because I think I would have collapsed in relief. Then his clever fingers found my clit and I forgot to be upset with him. My arousal returned with a rush and I gasped, dropping my head down against the back of the couch as need spiraled up into me fast and hard.

I came with a desperate cry as Horse joined me, hot seed shooting deep inside my body. We stayed that way, joined, panting. Finally he pulled out and dropped back down on the couch next to me. He grabbed my arm and pulled me across his lap, taking my chin and kissing me one last time. When it ended, I opened my mouth to say something and realized I didn’t know exactly what to say. Thank you for not raping me because my brother owes you money? Um, no.

“Let’s sleep,” he said, lying back and pulling me over his body. He reached up and grabbed the blanket draped across the back of the couch, managing to cover both of us with it. Then his hand wrapped about my ass, sliding between my cheeks, rubbing across my rear opening absently.

“Someday,” he whispered softly in my ear. “I don’t want to hurt you. Not until you’re ready for me… But someday I’m going to own all of you, Marie. You’re all mine, babe. Knew it the first time I saw you. Couldn’t give you up if I tried.”

I pretended not to hear him. It took me a long, long time to fall asleep.

Chapter Fifteen

A loud, pounding noise woke me abruptly. I had no idea where I was or what was happening. Horse groaned and I did too. My head hurt like hell. Too much beer…

Oh shit. The party. The sex. Horse beating a man almost to death. This couldn’t be good.

“Horse,” I whispered. More banging. Someone was outside the front door. His eyes opened, taking me in all rumpled and sleepy. He smiled and his hand squeezed my ass as I felt the evidence of his appreciation grow under my stomach.

“Shut the fuck up!” he yelled toward the door, making me flinch. The pounding got louder. Horse rolled me to one side so he could get up and started toward the door, tucking his morning erection into his pants with some effort. Clearly he planned to make the noise go away.

“Horse!” I hissed. He glanced back at me, his expression questioning. “It’s probably the cops. They’re here to arrest you. Should you just open the door like that? Shouldn’t you go out the back or something while I delay them?”

That made him smile and he shook his head, bemused.

“Marie, babe, we’re not on TV,” he said, a hint of laughter in his voice. “What happened last night was club business. No cop’s ever gonna hear anything about it.”

“You almost killed that guy,” I replied, eyes wide. “People tend to notice stuff like that, club business or not.”

“Not a problem,” he said, shaking his head again. “We handle things like this our own way. If I’d roughed him up for no reason, it would start a shit storm like you can’t imagine. But a fucking hangaround shooting at a Reaper’s woman? Drunk and out of control? He’s lucky I got to him before Boonie. Fucking insult to the Silver Bastards, as much as me. Hell, for all I know, Boonie finished the job after I left. Now run upstairs and put on some clothes. I love that look on you, but your pussy’s flashing me and I don’t feel like sharing. Think we covered that already.”

I blushed and jumped up, having totally forgotten my lack of panties, or even a real skirt. As I ran up the stairs, I heard Horse laughing out loud as he opened the door, and then the clomping of boots as people walked in. I pulled on some jeans and one of my new Harley Davidson tank tops, which actually looked pretty cute and not nearly as slutty as I thought it would. Then I gave my teeth a quick brush and washed my face. The rest of me needed washing too, but I didn’t want to miss anything downstairs so I twisted my hair on top of my head and walked back down.

The living room was empty but I heard voices in the kitchen so I followed them. Horse was pouring freshly brewed coffee for Max and Picnic. All three men looked up as I walked in. Picnic grinned at me. Max stared at me intently, like I was some puzzle he couldn’t quite solve. I nodded, uncertain of my position but wanting to hear any news they might have.