"You're injured," Luna protests, her nurse's instincts kicking in.
"It's just a graze," Chaos insists, looking to King. "This is our club too. They shot up our home."
Rookie nods in agreement, despite the butterfly bandages holding together a nasty cut on his cheek. "We want payback. We earned it."
"You sure? This isn't going to be clean, and I need everyone at one hundred percent."
"We're sure," Rookie says firmly. "We're putting our lives on the line for the Savage Riders. That's what being a prospect is all about, right? Proving our commitment?"
King exchanges a look with Tank, who gives a slight nod. "Alright," King decides. "Gear up. We leave in five."
As the prospects hurry to arm themselves, King turns to Beast. "You're still on protection detail here. When Rage gets back with his boy, tell him to stay here and help you protect our home. He's not going to be happy we left without him, but we can't wait. The sooner this is solved, the better."
Beast nods, his expression grim. "I've got things covered here. No one gets in or out without going through me first."
"Good," King says, then looks at Luna, Amelia, Anna, and me. "Stay inside, away from windows. Beast knows what to do if there's another attack."
Luna steps forward to kiss King goodbye, whispering something in his ear that makes him smile momentarily. Amelia does the same with Tank, her fingers gripping his cut as she pulls him down for a quick, fierce kiss. "Come back to us," she says simply.
Tank nods, touching Anna's head gently before following King toward the door where Steel, Torch, and now the armed prospects wait.
"Everyone upstairs. No better place than the safe room," Beast announces once the others have left. "It's easier to protect one space than the whole clubhouse."
Chapter 7 - Beast
Everyone looks to me like I'm their last hope, and right now, I fucking am. With King, Tank, and the others gone to deal with the Iron Eagles, I'm all that stands between these people and danger.
"Everyone upstairs. No better place than the safe room," I announce, my voice steady despite the storm of emotions churning inside me. "It's easier to protect one space than the whole clubhouse."
As I usher Luna, Amelia, and Anna toward the stairs, I can't stop replaying what just happened. Why did I step between Jenny and Tank? Why did I feel that overwhelming need to protect her, to claim her as mine? And why the fuck did I publicly announce we were together like that was some established fact and not a charade we cooked up yesterday?
More importantly, why didn't Jenny correct me? She could have told everyone the truth right then and saved us both a world of trouble with Tank. Instead, she doubled down on the lie.
"Beast," Jenny says quietly as the others start climbing the stairs. "I need to talk to you. Privately."
I want to tell her now isn't the time, that I need to secure the perimeter, check the surveillance feeds, position myself strategically. But the determined look in her eyes makes it clear this conversation is happening whether I like it or not.
"Five minutes," I concede. "Then you join the others in the safe room."
I follow her up the stairs, my eyes involuntarily drawn to the sway of her ass in that tight black dress. Each step makes thefabric shift over her curves, and my cock twitches back to life. Fucking traitor.
Jenny leads me to her small apartment, and I have to duck to enter the doorway. Once inside, the space feels even more confined than it did yesterday. She's so close I could just reach out, grab her, and pull her against me. The thought makes my dick swell painfully against my jeans.
She paces the small area between her bed and the kitchenette before finally dropping down onto the mattress with an exasperated sigh. Her breasts bounce with the movement, and I grip the inside of my jeans pocket, trying to give myself some relief and maintain control.
"I'm beyond pissed at you," she says abruptly, green eyes flashing. "I was okay with you saying we're together for your mom's sake, but you should have at least warned me before announcing it to the entire fucking club! I was caught completely off guard, and I hate that. I hate lying to my brother, and he looked heartbroken."
"I'm sorry," I say, and I mean it. "I spoke before I thought. I just... I hated the way Tank was trying to control you, like you're his property. And I hated that he doesn't trust me enough to be with his sister."
Her expression softens slightly, and I continue, "I get why he's protective. My reputation with women isn't exactly stellar. But he should know me better than that. If I was seriously involved with his sister, it would be because it was real. Because I'd never hurt anyone connected to the club. I might be a piece of shit sometimes, but I'm not a fucking idiot."
"That makes sense," Jenny acknowledges, "but you still should have asked me first."
"You're right," I agree, stepping closer to her. "I fucked up."
I tower over her seated form, and when she looks up at me, her face is directly level with the bulge in my jeans. I can't help but imagine how she'd look on her knees, those full lips stretched around my cock, gagging as I push deeper into her throat. I notice her gaze drop briefly to my crotch before returning to my face, and I wonder if she can tell how hard I am.
The neckline of her dress has shifted, revealing more of her cleavage, and now I'm picturing my mouth on her tits, tongue circling her nipples until they're stiff peaks. Goddamn it. I'm losing what little control I have left. My cock strains painfully against my zipper, and my pulse hammers in my ears.
