Devil's Angels Boxed Set: Bikers and Alpha Bad Boy Erotic Romance (23 page)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Ellie smiled the entire time she was doing her laps. The look on his face when she’d suggested that page number had been priceless. Floating aimlessly now that her muscles were loose and warm, her thoughts wandered, as they usually did to that mess involving her Dad.

She didn’t like the thought that her Dad might do something as stupid as hurting her. After hearing that he’d beaten her Mom though, it was not something she could ignore. If he felt like she knew too much–

“I could feel you thinking from all the way over there,” Rex spoke quietly into her ear, startling her. When she flailed and her head went under, he pulled her back up, grinning at her.

Sputtering, Ellie pushed strands her hair from her face. “That was so wrong.”

“What? The thinking too loud thing or the causing you to dunk under the water thing?” He chuckled, watching little sparks going off in her eyes. There was one sure fire way to distract her. He pulled her close and let her feel the hard length of him press into her belly.

Humming under her breath, Ellie pressed closer, letting her hands roam up the naked expanse of his back. “I take it you like page 328.”

Rex looked down into her eyes, wanting to be clear. “It was great, but only because I saw the two of us and not those characters on the page.” Lifting her higher up in the water, he nuzzled her neck and let his breath blaze a trail from behind her ear down to her collarbone. When she shivered he had to stop a groan. “Come inside with me.”

She didn’t trust her voice not to shake so she nodded her yes. It had taken him just seconds to reduce her insides to molten lava. A whisper in her ear, a breath of air on her neck, and the grip of his hands on her waist were enough to set off every nerve ending.

He released her waist and took her hand, pulling her out of the pool. He took a towel for himself and handed her one so they could dry off. All of that was a blur to Ellie, because she was too busy watching him slide the towel over the tanned planes of his chest.

Taking the towel from her hands, he turned her around and began to gently dry the water from her hair, working his fingers through it to get out the worst of the tangles. Something as simple as the feel of him stroking her hair, being careful not to pull or yank—it went against the tough image he projected to world and made her heart stutter.

He started leading her inside, but she was so distracted by the play of the muscles in his back that she didn’t notice until she was standing next to the bed. Candles were lit and several of her scarves were lying on the bed, waiting. Page 328, in real life.

Eyes wide, she watched him watching her. His mouth was relaxed but there was a tension in his body language that gave away his nerves. Knowing that helped settle her own. There was an unspoken question in his eyes. Trust was what he was asking for, and trust was what she offered. She moved back to the middle of the bed and smiled, the edges of her lips trembling almost imperceptibly.

The blindfold went on first. Immediately, her hearing seemed to heighten and focus on Rex’s every movement. She felt his hands undo the back of her suit and pull the top down to her waist. She felt his breath on her shoulder, followed by the tips of his fingers running down over her arm to her elbow, then lower to her forearm. Taking hold of her wrist, he ran his thumb over the thin-skinned area where her pulse pounded. His fingers left only to be replaced by the softness of a silky scarf.

The scarf wasn’t tight on her wrist, but her heart rate still kicked up a notch or two. There was a gentle pull as he tested his knot, then a more demanding pull as he stretched her arm back toward the headboard. Knowing how to respond from the scene she’d written, she lay back and let him tie the other end to the bedpost.

He repeated the same motions for her other arm, and then there was nothing but silence. She couldn’t hear him moving or breathing. It was a disconcerting sensation. When his fingertips touched the skin between her breasts, she sucked in a hard breath. With both hands, he caressed her stomach, reaching under the suit to work it down and off of her legs.

There was something inherently erotic about the fact that he could see her while she couldn’t see him. Completely nude, tied to the bed, and at his mercy. What was he thinking? Without her being able to see him, there was no way to judge his thoughts. The touch of silk against the skin of her inner thigh was so soft that for a moment she thought she’d imagined it—until it wrapped around her ankle.

The longer he took, the more hyperaware she became. Her own breathing was so loud in her ears that she lost track of Rex after he finished tying off her legs. It seemed like hours had passed, but she knew it had only been minutes. She was so hot and so wet that she could feel the wetness seeping from her body, nipples hard as diamonds and trembling on top of mounds raised high by the position of her arms.

A barely perceptible rustling of fabric let her know that he was still in the room. A real-life experience of something she had written was showing her that she really hadn’t had a clue what she was talking about. This was so much more than what she’d imagined.

If there had been a time that she was more turned on, she couldn’t remember it. The need to rub her thighs together and ease some of the ache was outrageous. His thumb ran across her bottom lip and she gasped at the contact, simple as it was.

The sight of her was something Rex was never going to forget, not even if a thousand women came after her. Her cheeks were flushed a color that he usually only saw
after
she came. Her lips were wet from her tongue, and opened slightly with her heavier breathing. Her nipples were just a shade or two darker than her lips, and so hard you could almost see them throbbing.

But it was the glistening wetness between her thighs that was making it hard for him to think. He caught her trying to rub those softly rounded thighs together several times already. His sweet little Ellie had a darker side, and it was turning him on beyond belief.

He reached out to touch her. His hand shook. He stared at it, something deep in his gut twisting. He’d been having sex since he was 14; not even during his first time had his hands shook. Shaking his head, he cast the thought aside. It was for another time.

The sound of fabric snapping made her insides clench. A slide of cold satin across the throbbing heat of her nipples had her back arching up off of the bed. Anticipation had heightened her senses unbelievably. He used the taut edges of the fabric to tease and flick at her nipples, making them even harder.

Rex leaned down close to her ear, but not close enough to touch. Heat radiated off her skin. “I think it would ruin things if I followed that scene from the book exactly, don’t you?”

Her whimper was all the answer he needed. He used the end of the scarf to tease her belly, watching it dance.

“You smell like summer and sex.” The words, whispered huskily, raised her heart rate another notch.

Something soft and velvety marked a slow trail up the outside of her thigh. At first she couldn’t imagine what it could be, then the scent of roses reached her. It was such a different texture and she was starting to like it when he stopped abruptly. It took all of her willpower not to cry out.

His weight dipped the bed beside her then moved to settle between her widely spread legs. The velvet warmth of the rose caressed the skin of her mound, moving down over her outer lips then back up. She had to hold her breath. She was dying for him to touch her with his flesh. Any flesh.

The sound of his breathing reached her ears; he wasn’t as unaffected as he wanted to appear. She heard foil wrapping tear open, and then the hiss of his breath as he rolled on a condom. No, he was affected.

He slid his hands up under her ass and lifted enough to line his body up with hers. She was so wet that the tip of his cock easily parted her lips. The long moan that came from deep in her chest nearly undid him before he could even begin.

Taking his time, he slid the entire length of his cock inside of her heat then held very still. The very act of breathing was almost too much movement for him to take at that point. When he could think again, he moved forward, putting her thighs over his, the scarves just long enough for the move without tightening painfully against her ankles.

With her thighs tight against his, Ellie couldn’t move much at all. She was dying to push her hips back, get some movement to ease the growing ache low in her gut. The position he had put her in was doing something that felt good but also odd at the same time. A feeling of fullness and pressure that was maddening. The most she could do was squeeze and release her inner muscles, which only increased the feeling of pressure but was too good to stop.

It was so hard to restrain himself from pounding into her over and over until he couldn’t think or see or move. The way she was squeezing his shaft was making it impossible to concentrate on what he wanted to do to her. Reaching out, he took her nipples between his fingers and plucked them to full attention, rolling them gently with just enough pressure to make her want more. She tried pushing her breasts closer, harder into his hands but he pulled back and she gave up.

He ran his thumb over her bottom lip, pushing forward until it was in her mouth. She flicked it with her tongue to mimic what she would do to another, more sensitive part of him if she wasn’t tied to the bed. When he pulled it out and used the moisture to wet her nipples she gasped loudly. When he blew cool air over the tips and made them pound with blood, she held in a scream.

For several minutes he remained as still as possible, fighting the urge to touch her the entire time. It was a form of torture, for both of them. With every contraction of her muscles he got closer and closer to losing control and he couldn’t let that happen before he sent her screaming into an orgasm like nothing before.

Gritting his teeth, he managed to hang on for another minute. He wasn’t even sure that what he wanted to happen was possible for her. Not all women could do it, from what information he had gleaned from the internet. Still, he wanted to try. With her. For her.

Placing his thumb just under her clit and right where his cock met her flesh, he pressed gently then stroked up and over her clit, then back down. He set up a rhythm--press, rub up, rub down. Slowly at first, then faster and faster again. She was whipping her head from side to side, biting her bottom lip to keep from crying out.

Raising up onto his knees, he stroked into her, once, twice, then lay still. She cried out and a fine sheen of sweat broke out over her chest and forehead. She began to plead, repeating one word over and over.
Please.

He actually felt the change, a pushing against his cock instead of the sucking into motion from before. Knowing it was time, he leaned into her and pounded into her with steady strokes of his cock.

The pressure inside of her body was demanding. She was right on the edge of something, but it was just out of reach somehow. Instead of fighting the restraints she was grasping them tightly, like a lifeline. He pressed down right above her clit and she got that much closer.

She was fighting the natural needs of her body. He pressed down a little harder above her clit and leaned forward, whispering close to her ear, “Let go.”

That small change in position was the tipping point. Everything inside her stilled, then blew up. She came so hard that fluid from her body rushed out. Screaming, she came back together only to fly apart again quickly.

Unable to hold back, Rex was banging his pelvis into the softness of her body when it happened. Fluid gushed out and coated their thighs. Her contractions were so hard that he was barely able to keep moving. When she relaxed, he went deep and she gushed again, sending him over the line. All he could do was hang on as his body shook and his cock pumped jet after jet of fluid.

When the last tremors had gone, his muscles were weak and his heart was racing. The ringing in his ears was lessening and there was this strange noise. Laughter. Ellie was laughing, deep and jolly.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Manny had sat in his hiding spot outside the storage units every night since the night Xander had failed to have him killed. Finally, tonight, he saw movement. Several trucks had shown up with Karthadossian members behind the wheels. They unlocked the storage unit where he’d seen them put George’s body and began rolling out several sealed oil drums.

Dammit.
They were getting rid of the bodies. Manny made sure the sound was off on his phone and began to take pictures. Each driver. The number of barrels and the trucks themselves. If Xander was getting rid of evidence, then it was obvious that Manny had made him nervous by not showing up that night.

But the photos wouldn’t prove anything unless he could also figure out where they were taking the barrels. Only problem was there was no way he would have time to get back to the club, get a vehicle, and follow them. Even if he could, it would be a big risk trying to follow them on these back roads without being seen.

For the first time since this whole affair had started, Manny didn’t know what to do. Losing the leverage of a storage building full of dead bodies was a real blow, especially considering that he still wasn’t exactly sure what was in the other units. Drugs, guns—it had to be something big enough to kill over. Xander was in over his head this time, but without enough info on the operation, Manny wasn’t going to get the revenge he craved.

The trucks pulled away and Manny ducked down to keep from being spotted by any headlights. His only evidence was driving away, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop them. He could call the cops, but by the time they got around to raiding the other storage units, Xander would have moved whatever was kept there to another secure location.

Manny was stuck. He pounded his fist angrily into the ground. When he couldn’t hear the trucks any longer, he got up and dialed Rex on his cell phone.

***

Ellie couldn’t stop laughing. Her heart was pounding so hard it almost hurt, but she felt light as air and…soft. Thighs still shaking from the power of her orgasm, she was finally able to calm down a little and the laughter toned down to small rounds of giggling. By the time Rex got back from cleaning up and dealing with the condom, she was coming down off the high and ready to be let out of her bindings.

With her hearing back to normal, she could hear him moving around the bathroom, running water then shutting off the light as he came out. His fingers were gentle as he untied the knots around her ankles. He caressed the skin there, making her smile softly.

He was a study in contradictions, her Rex. He seemed much older than his age most of the time, the result of his harsh childhood. Yet, despite the violence and uncertainty of his upbringing, he was kind and caring. There was a deep belief in her soul that knew beyond doubt that he was a good man.

The calluses on his hands told the story of how hard he worked. Technically, he was the boss, but he never hesitated to get his hands dirty and help out. He was loyal to a fault, even though the people he was loyal to didn’t always have his best interests at heart.

His protective nature showed in his worrying about her safety. He could have easily walked away and left her to find a way out of the mess she had gotten herself into. He made her feel safe, and not just in this situation, but in general. “Safe” was something she couldn’t remember feeling before.

When her legs were free and he’d inspected her flesh to his satisfaction, she felt him move back between them. Using a warm washcloth, he began to wipe the nearly dry fluid off of her body. He was so gentle, so careful. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes, and this time it wasn’t from laughter.

“I can do that, if you’d untie my hands,” her voice was husky with emotion. Hopefully he would think it was from all the screaming she did earlier.

“I want to do it,” his voice matched hers, low and husky, softer than usual.

She let him. When he was done, he took the cloth back to the bathroom and moved to the head of the bed to untie her arms. He kissed her right wrist once the knot was free, and placed her arm across her belly. Reaching across, he untied the left and gave it the same treatment.

Finally free, she reached up to take off her blindfold, and surprised when he swept her up and settled her by his side, tucking her into the curve of his body, her face in the crook of his neck.

“Rex?”

“You trusted me,” his voice came out rougher than he wanted, but he couldn’t help it. He wanted to say more, but the words were stuck behind a giant knot in his throat. He ran his fingers up and down her arm, raising gooseflesh.

Moving her head slightly, she pressed her lips to the sensitive flesh under his jaw.

“When haven’t I?”

That was it. The moment that all the remaining pieces from years of anger and hurt and fear fell away. It took his breath for a moment. He wasn’t a man for poetic words, but he found himself wishing he was so he could give them to her. He would have to settle for doing the best he could.

“I’ve never known anyone like you. Being around you seems to make a person want to be better. Do better.”

She smiled against his skin. “I’m not half of what you’re making me out to be, Rex. I have my faults. My secrets.”

His head came up a little so he could look down at her. “Secrets, huh?” His tone was teasing and his heart felt light. He didn’t want to let her go. Didn’t want to move or think about what could happen in the future. For once he just wanted to be here in the moment.

“Deep, dark secrets that would make your skin crawl,” she teased back, poking him in his ribs and laughing when he jumped like it tickled.

“Bodies in the closet–” he began, interrupted by the sound of his cell trying to vibrate its way off her dresser. It was nearly midnight and he wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone other than Ellie. When it stopped vibrating  and then immediately started up again he began to worry a little.

“Get it, Rex. What if something happened?” Ellie moved out of his arms and gave him a light nudge.

Snatching the phone up, he managed to get to the call right before it went to voicemail. It was his Dad.

“Is everything alright?”

“Well, no. Why else would I be calling you in the middle of the damn night?” There was definite annoyance in his Dad’s tone.

“What happened?” Rex was anxious as he pulled on his jeans. “Are you hurt?” Distracted and worried, he didn’t hear Ellie come up behind him, dressed in her robe.

“No, I’m not hurt. Just pissed off.”

“Are you going to tell me why or do we have to play twenty questions?” Running a hand through his hair, Rex let relief rush over him. As long as his Dad was okay they could deal with anything.

Ellie could hear every word Manny said. The obvious relief in Rex’s stance was comforting. Then she heard Manny say something that turned her blood to ice.

“He moved all the bodies out of the storage unit. I couldn’t get back to the club in time to follow. They’re all gone, Rex.”

Ellie gasped loudly. Rex turned in time to see all the color drain from her face. She ran from the room and into the bathroom, getting to the toilet before her stomach emptied itself.

“Shit. I have to go, Dad,” Rex dropped the phone but could still hear his Dad talking, his voice getting louder and louder. He ignored him. Ellie was more important right now.

He found her with her head pressed against the cool porcelain of the toilet. She was crying softly.

“Ellie?”

“I heard him. He said—he said bodies, Rex. Plural. Oh, God.” She leaned back over the toilet as her stomach heaved emptily.

Kneeling down beside her, Rex waited for the last of the dry heaves to end. “Ellie, I’m so sorry. You shouldn’t have had to find out like that.” He reached up and turned on the faucet, helping her to stand so she could rinse out her mouth.

Palming water, she filled her mouth over and over, trying to rid herself of the taste of vomit and fear. Her stomach rolled with it still. She grabbed the mouthwash bottle, poured a generous amount into her mouth, and swished vigorously. As soon as she spit it out, she began to sob.

He couldn’t stand to see her crying so hard. Helping her up, he carried her back to the bed and cradled her, letting her sob against his chest. Slowly, the tears began to ebb and she was down to hiccupping breaths.

“I knew he was bad–” Tears threatened again and she had to pause and breathe deeply before continuing. “How many? Do you know?”

His eyes closed. This was a conversation he didn’t want to have with her. Not now, not ever. “I don’t know how many, Ellie.”

“But it’s more than one?” She pulled away, wanting to look into his eyes. “More than five? Ten?” Her voice kept rising, panic and fear taking hold.

Rex wrapped his arms tightly around her. “Don’t do this, Ellie. I am never going to let him get close to you. Never.”

“He’s a killer, Rex.” She pulled away again, anger eating into the fear. “He’s a killer and you and your dad knew. You knew and you didn’t tell me.”

Dread settled into his gut. “No, I didn’t. I was afraid to tell you.”

“You should have told me. I had a right to know,” she pulled out of his arms completely and curled up against the headboard, wrapping her arms around her knees. “That explains why you were so overprotective. It didn’t make sense before, but now—now it does.”

“I was wrong. I should have given you all the information that night,” he got up off the bed and began to pace. His chest felt tight and that knot of fear and dread was growing. She’d put her trust in him only to find out he didn’t deserve it after all.

“Yes, you should have. I needed to know. I believed you and Manny when you said Dad was dangerous, but this—this is beyond what I thought he was capable of. That could have been a big mistake.” Her voice was calmer, her breathing becoming more regular. She knew being this upset with Rex was slightly irrational, but her emotions were spinning out of control.

“Look, Ellie, I realize you’re upset–”

“Don’t finish that sentence. All my life, people have been telling me that their lying to me was for my own good. I’m an adult now and I deserve to be treated as such.” When Rex tried to speak again, she cut him off with an angry, slicing gesture of her hand. “No, just don’t. I need you to leave, Rex. I need time to think some things through.”

“No. Ellie, I won’t leave you here alone when Xander–”

“Xander isn’t going to come here tonight. So go. Please. Before I say something I might seriously regret later.” It bothered her that her temper was making her irrational. Like a part of Xander was alive inside of her. The thought made her stomach lurch.

Seeing that he wasn’t going to be able to rationalize with her at that point, Rex gathered his clothes and got dressed. He would leave her house but he wasn’t going far. He’d give her a little time tonight, then in the morning they would talk it out and she’d see that he only wanted to protect her.

Ellie watched him with dead eyes. She was spiraling out of control and didn’t want anyone here to witness it, especially Rex.

“I’ll give you time to think, Ellie. I can only imagine what’s going through that head of yours, but if you think this is over, whatever this is between us, then you’re wrong.” He tossed his jacket over his arm and walked out of her bedroom, then out the front door.

The minute the door closed, she fell apart.