I stroke myself slowly at first, then faster as images of Holly flood my mind. Her green eyes looking up at me with trust and something more. Her full lips parted in pleasure. Her body, soft and yielding beneath mine.
"Fuck," I mutter, bracing one hand against the shower wall as I pump my cock harder, chasing relief. It doesn't take long. A few minutes of imagining Holly's hands instead of mine, her mouth, her pussy wet and tight around me before I'm coming hard, my release washing down the drain along with whatever self-control I thought I had.
The relief is immediate, but the emotional tangle only tightens. I promised King I'd be careful. I promised myself I wouldn't go there. Yet here I am, jerking off to thoughts of a woman who's depending on me for protection, a woman who has no idea who I really am or what I'm capable of.
After drying off, I pull on a clean pair of boxers and lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling. I should try to sleep. Tomorrow will be complicated enough without adding exhaustion to the mix.
But I promised Holly I'd check on her.
I wait an hour, giving her time to shower and hopefully fall asleep. Then I pull on jeans and a t-shirt and pad quietly down the hallway to her room. I pause outside her door, listening for any sound of distress.
Nothing.
I should leave it at that. Go back to my room, get some sleep, deal with this situation with a clear head in the morning. That would be the smart play.
Instead, I knock softly, three gentle taps that won't wake her if she's already asleep.
The door opens almost immediately, as if she's been waiting. Holly stands there in borrowed clothes: a too-large T-shirt that falls to mid-thigh, exposing long, bare legs that make my cock throb. Her hair is damp from the shower, her face scrubbed clean of makeup, her eyes wide and alert despite the late hour.
"I thought you might be asleep," I say, suddenly feeling foolish for coming.
"I tried," she replies, her voice soft. "Every time I close my eyes, I hear gunshots."
I know that feeling all too well, the way trauma plays on repeat when you try to sleep, the way your body refuses to believe it's safe even when your mind knows it is.
"Do you want to talk? Or I could get you something to help you sleep," I offer.
She shakes her head. "No pills. I need to be alert if..." She trails off, but I understand. If the Iron Eagles come, if we're attacked, if she needs to run again. "Would you... would you just sit with me for a while?"
It's a bad idea. A terrible idea. But I find myself nodding anyway, stepping into her room as she closes the door behind me.
Chapter 4 - Holly
I close the door behind Steel, hardly believing I had the courage to ask him in. The borrowed t-shirt suddenly feels too thin, too revealing, and I fight the urge to cross my arms over my chest where my nipples have hardened to tight peaks beneath the fabric.
"You can sit," I say, gesturing to the small chair in the corner, though what I really want is for him to join me on the bed.
He nods, lowering himself onto the chair, his large frame making it look absurdly small. His hair is damp, like mine, and I realize he must have showered too. The thought of him naked, water cascading down his body, makes heat pool between my thighs. The same heat that had me touching myself in the shower less than an hour ago.
God, I barely know this man, yet I slid my fingers between my legs imagining it was him touching me. Imagining his large, calloused hands spreading me open, his mouth on my pussy, his tongue circling my clit. I'd bitten my lip to keep from moaning as I brought myself to a quick, unsatisfying climax that only left me wanting more.
"You okay?" he asks, his deep voice breaking into my inappropriate thoughts.
"Not really," I admit, perching on the edge of the bed. "Every time I close my eyes, I see those men shooting at us. At James." I swallow hard. "I keep thinking about what would have happened if you hadn't pulled me into that alley."
"But I did," he says simply. "And you're safe now."
Safe. Am I really safe in a motorcycle club's compound, sitting half-naked across from a man who makes my body ache with need? I've never felt less safe from my own desires.
"That moment on the fire escape," I say before I can stop myself. "When you had your hand over my mouth..."
His eyes darken instantly, pupils dilating. "What about it?"
"I..." I falter, not sure how to articulate what I'm feeling. I'm twenty-one years old and completely inexperienced. The sum total of my romantic history consists of a few fumbling kisses from boys in high school before my parents died and I had to become a full-time caretaker for James. "I felt something."
Steel sits very still, his gaze never leaving mine.
"Adrenaline," he says, but there's a roughness to his voice that wasn't there before. "Fear does strange things to your body."
