Walking into the bar, my cock ached to the point I thought I might pass out. The cause—one pilgrim blonde. One pilgrim blonde that just flashed me a winning smile—a genuine smile—sucking the breath from my lungs and almost knocking me on my ass.
The bitch had killed me yesterday. Her face, the way she would look up at me under those long lashes, all innocent and Bambi-eyed. Her face when she saw downtown Austin for the first time. Her scrunched-up nose when she’d debated about trying coffee. And that look of fuckin’ pure happiness when she saw that church, tears in her eyes as she heard the gospel choir sing.
Fuck, I wanted her. More than I’d ever wanted a bitch before. She never knew what she was doing to me all damn day, but minute by minute, she was crawling under my skin, making my fucking chest hurt outta crazy need to protect her. Hell, she hadn’t even realized that she’d been abused all her life. And then when we stood at the entrance to Styx’s apartment and she’d asked me to take her out again tomorrow… I’d fuckin’ turned to dust.
And I’d agreed. The stupid cunt that I was agreed. And I was banned from touching her, but like a moth to a fucking flame, I couldn’t keep away. It took all I had not to grab her cheeks and kiss the fuck outta her mouth just so I knew her taste.
As I walked through to the bar, Styx, Tank, Cowboy, and Hush were sitting around a table. Styx saw me coming and immediately got up.
“You’ve been gone all day,” he’d signed.
“Yeah,” I said.
His dark eyebrows pulled down. “Where you been?”
“With Lilah.”
“All this time?” he signed, his face suspicious.
“Yeah, all this time. Took her for breakfast, drove her ‘round the city, then brought her back,” I explained, seeing a look of surprise on my brother’s face.
He cocked his head. “And she was okay? Never freaked the fuck out on you?”
I shrugged. “Didn’t like it at first, then got over it and fuckin’ dealt. Surprised the fuck outta me, really.”
Styx blew out a long breath, then closed his eyes. “Thank you, brother,” he signed, then opened his eyes.
“No problem,” I said. “Doing it again tomorrow.”
Styx’s calm expression soon hardened. “Why?”
Jaw clenching, I replied, “‘Cause she asked.”
Styx glared and signed, “Don’t fuck up with her, brother. She ain’t one of your sluts.”
Stepping closer to my best friend, I said, “Prez, you fuckin’ roped me into this shit, and I’m doing it. She wanted me to take her out again. I said yes because of you. So you don’t lose Mae. Fuckin’ trust that I got your back.”
“And that’s the only reason you’re sticking with her? ‘Cause I know you’re hard up for the bitch,” he signed.
I just raised an eyebrow, not wanting to lie to the only person I could ever trust, and Styx shook his head in exasperation. Finally cracking a smirk, he threw his arm around my shoulder. We walked over to the bar, got rip-roaring drunk, and then the slut brigade arrived. The music cranked loud, more brothers showed face, and the real party fucking started.
Stumbling to my room, drunk as all hell, I’d noticed Tiff and Jules waiting on the bed… only they didn’t much look like Tiff and Jules. Their short skirts and see-through tops were gone. Both sat waiting in short, gray familiar dresses, their long tanned legs on show, but both were wearing headdresses, the kind Lilah always wore, their blond hair tied back in a bun… just like Lilah.
Fuck, one look at those god-awful things and my cock got rock solid. I was fucking turned on by the worse fashion statement on Earth.
Tiff smiled wide as I entered, playing with the long tie from the headdress, curling it around her finger. “Ky, baby,” she mewled. “We’ve been waiting for you.”
“Yeah?” I asked, locking my door and shedding my cut and boots.
Jules jumped off the bed and stood in front of my swaying ass, dipping her head, and said, “Yeah, baby, we went to church but got thrown out for being bad little girls.”