The Sinner’s Tribe Motorcycle Club, Books 1-3 (29 page)

“You're so fucking hot, I can't decide if I want to rip that dress off you or fuck you in it first.” He slid a hand over her hip, pulling her toward him.

“You're looking pretty fine yourself.” She cupped his jaw, rough with a five-o'clock shadow. “I like this look. Nothing screams ‘badass' better than bristles.”

He caught her hand and brought her palm to his lips. “You haven't even
seen
badass, sweetheart. I've been gentle with you so far, but seeing you in that dress and those fuck-me shoes, I'm thinking I'm done with gentle.” With his free hand on her ass, he pulled her closer, between his spread legs, an entirely possessive move that was clearly meant as a message to every man in the room.

Arianne bit her lip against the arousal raging through her body. “Are you trying to turn me on?”

He traced lazy circles up the inside of her thigh, his fingers delving beneath her dress. Arianne gasped, and a slow, sensual smile spread across his face.” You're already turned on. Should we see just how wet you are?” He eased her dress up an inch, and Arianne slapped his hand away.

“We're in public.”

“My people.” He pulled her against him, his fingers digging into her ass. “My bar. My rules. If I wanted to take you over my knee and spank you for making a man so hard he can barely think, no one's gonna stop me.”

Her nerve endings tingled. The idea of giving up that much control both scared and excited her. “I'll stop you.”

Jagger stilled, his gaze focused, intent. “No, you won't. You like that idea.” He shifted in his chair, spreading his legs farther apart. “Jesus. My girl wants to be spanked. And I thought I was hard before.” He caressed her ass, then gave her a pinch. “Tonight.”

The DJ played JT's “Not a Bad Thing,” and she crooked her finger and took a step back, beckoning him out of the chair, desperate to distract him from the turn of a conversation she wasn't quite ready to have.

Once she hit the dance floor, she ran her hands down her hips, dancing to the beat, her gaze fixed on him. Although he didn't move, his eyes followed every sweep of her hands as she caressed her way up her body, and his tongue darted out to lick his lips.

And then he was out of the chair and in front of her—so close, his raw, sensual scent of leather and soap, the heat of his body, and the evidence of his desire filled her with dangerous thoughts.

“We're leaving.”

“It's Dawn's birthday.”

“Now.”

She leaned up and pressed a kiss to his throat, feeling the beat of his pulse on her lips. “One dance.”

He grunted his assent, then wrapped his arms around her and swayed them to the music. She was pressed so hard against him, that she could feel the rigid line of his shaft against her hips, the pounding of his heart against her breasts.

Arianne moved trembling hands over his shoulders, tangling them in his soft, thick hair. “Is this how you dance?”

Jagger jerked her closer, thrusting his knee between her legs, forcing her dress to ride dangerously high. “Sweetheart, this is how I fuck.”

Arianne softened against him, her nose pressed into the hollow at the base of his throat, her body hyperaware of every stroke of his hands down her back, the press of his thigh against the curve of her sex, the rapid thud of his heart against her chest. “What happens now?”

He twisted his hand in her hair and tugged her head back, his lips scorching a trail along her jaw. “Now, we're leaving. Soon, I'm gonna fuck you in that sexy little red dress and those sexy little heels. Later, I'm gonna take them off and you're gonna kneel in front of me and show me how sweet that dirty little mouth can be.”

The press of his hard body against her was pure bliss. Lightning bolts of pleasure speared through her veins until every part of her body was hot and sensitive to his touch.

“And you will
never
do what you did tonight,” he growled. “A dress like this, you wear only for me. Touching yourself, you do only for me. And you drink only when I'm with you so I can take advantage.”

Drunk on his savage masculinity and his sensual promises, and maybe two too many drinks, she leaned up and nipped his ear. “I'm not afraid of you.”

His fingers sank into her waist and he lowered his head, his dark eyes intense as he sealed his mouth over hers and stole her breath in a scorching kiss. Her lips parted and their tongues met, tangled, thrust together deep and wet as he took control. “Looking the way you look and dancing the way you danced in front of other men, you should damn well be afraid.”

*   *   *

His tongue was down her throat when the first shots rang out.

Instinct sent him diving behind the low retaining wall surrounding the dance floor, dragging Arianne with him. Screams echoed around them. Glass shattered. He looked over the wall, and his blood pumped hot in his veins.
Leo
. What the fuck was he doing here, and who the hell did he have with him?

Jagger counted at least twelve men wearing cuts, six from the Black Jacks and six with patches he didn't recognize. They had secured all the exits and were herding people into the center of the bar.

“What's going on?” Arianne pulled her .38 from her purse and then rolled her eyes when Jagger scowled. “I grew up in an outlaw MC. You think I'd go anywhere without my gun? Usually I carry a .22 in my purse, but I haven't been able to go home yet to get it.”

He didn't want her armed and ready to engage the enemy. He wanted her safe. Preferably hidden away in a cupboard or locked in a bathroom. “You won't be using it. Leo's out there. He's got another club with him. They might be wanting to patch over to the Jacks, so he's puttin' them through their paces. In my fucking bar.”

More shots rang out. More screams. Leo's men shouted for everyone to take a seat and stay put.

Arianne peeked over the wall and huddled back down. “Road Kill. They've been trying to patch over to the Jacks for years. They'd pretty much do anything for Viper's protection.”

“Like retrieving Viper's daughter?”

Arianne paled. “Yeah. That would do it. Bringing me in would win them all sorts of favors from Viper.”

Jagger caught sight of Cade behind an overturned table near the kitchen door, and Zane behind the bar. Gunner and Sparky were caught in the middle and were standing with T-Rex and Tank, forming a wall between Leo and Arianne's friends. The rest of the brothers were scattered around the room, each one under the guard of one of Leo's men.

Arianne checked her clip and disengaged her safety. “Well, he's ruined yet another date for me, although your fingers are intact. This time he's not getting away with it.”

“Wasn't aware we were on a date.”

“I wanna hang with an MC president, I can't be expecting candlelit dinners and walks in the moonlight. Shootings and fights seem to be par for the dating course with you. And if you want to get romantic and give me a present, I could use a new clip.”

Jagger chuckled, “She's my kind of girl.”

Arianne rolled to her knees. “You want to take him out, or shall I?”

Jagger grabbed her wrist, his moment of humor forgotten. “You're gonna stay put until Cade signals it's clear, then I'm gonna cover you while you run for the kitchen.”

She yanked her hand away. “Typical man. You want me to stay in the kitchen while the boys watch the game. No, thank you. First, I'm not leaving my friends. And second, Leo and I have a score to settle.”

“Fuck, Arianne.” He yanked her down. “This is no time for games.”

“I'm not playing games. I'm playing to win.”

“You hiding from me, Vexy?” Leo's voice rang out in the now silent bar. “Scared I'm gonna shoot you? I'm disappointed. It wasn't that long ago we were in bed together and you were screaming my name.”

“Bastard.” And before Jagger could stop her, she stood.

“Get out, Leo. You don't belong here.”

Leo sneered. “Neither do you. Once a Jack, always a Jack. No matter how many damn Sinners you sleep with.”

Enraged, Jagger pushed himself to his feet, angling his body to protect Arianne as he made a quick assessment of the situation. The Sinners caught in the center of the bar had now ringed the girls, protecting them from Leo's men. Leo stood near the front door, flanked by Black Jacks, while a couple of bikers from Road Kill took up the rear. Cade and Zane were still hiding near the back and side exits. Leo's bikers patrolled the perimeter of the bar, shoving stray Sinners toward the crowd in the center.

Jagger bit his lip and tasted blood. Leo stood directly across from Arianne, not even bothering to watch the civilian roundup. “What do you want, Leo?” He kept his voice low, forcing Leo to lean in, straining to hear. “Aside from a quick death, which you're not gonna get.”

Leo shot at the mirror ball above the dance floor and it exploded into pieces, raining down on the hardwood below. “Sinners blew up our ice house. We've come for a little retribution. Thought we'd redecorate your bar with bullets. And while we're here, I'll just take Vexy home.”

“She belongs to the Sinners now.” Jagger tensed, waiting for her usual retort that she didn't belong to anyone, but it never came. He glanced quickly to the side and saw Cade and Zane in position near the exits.

“She belongs to me.” Leo sneered. “I had her first. Or did she forget to tell you?”

Crack.
Arianne fired her gun and the bullet thudded into a pillar to Leo's left.

He startled and jumped to the side, his face twisting in anger. “Fucking bitch.” Leo roared. “Did you just fire at me? What the fuck's happened to you?”

“I found something at the Sinner clubhouse I thought I'd lost a long time ago.” Her voice shook, and Jagger placed a hand on her arm.

“Easy, sweetheart. Room's a powder keg waiting to explode. You kill him now, it will go off, and we don't want to do that until we get the civilians outta here.”

“How about you get your damn hand off my arm?” Arianne grated. “I've always wanted to do that, and if I were aiming to kill, he'd be dead.”

Leo snapped his fingers, and one of the Jacks grabbed a tall redhead and held a gun to her temple.

“Here's how it's gonna be,” Leo shouted. “You got five minutes to vacate the bar before our shooting party starts. Anyone left inside will be considered fair game. Vexy comes with us or I'll tell my brother over there to shoot the girl.”

One of Leo's Jacks opened a side door, and Sparky tried to keep order as people ran out into the alley.

Arianne leaned in to Jagger and murmured. “Look at the Road Kill president. He's not too happy with the new plan. I have a feeling Road Kill thought they were just coming to shoot up the bar and not off pretty girls.”

Jagger took another quick look around. The Sinners who hadn't been rounded up were positioned near the exits and had formed a perimeter around the bar. Cade had been busy. Once they took out the exit guards, they would regain control.

“Leo's the key,” he said. “And you're right. Road Kill isn't fully committed to him. You can see how they're standing slightly apart from his Jacks and the president is hanging back near the door instead of standing by his side. He's probably insulted Viper put Leo in command.”

“Viper will never patch them over. This is a game to him. He dangles the carrot, gets the small clubs to do his dirty work, and then takes the carrot away.”

“You need to get that message to Road Kill's president.”

A smile tugged at her lips. “Leo's in my way. Think you can hit his leg at this distance? I'll go for his shoulder.”

“I'd be happier if you left the bar with everyone else.”

In a wry tone, Arianne said, “Prepare to be disappointed.”

Jagger dropped his hand and signaled their intention to Zane and Cade, who would know to provide cover if this turned into a shoot-out. But he was banking on Road Kill not risking their lives to defend Leo or the few Jacks he'd brought with him.

“Come, Vexy.” Leo snapped his fingers in a pathetic imitation of Viper then fired a warning shot that zinged over her shoulder and shattered the window behind her.

“You're not Viper. Don't even try to pretend.” She pulled the trigger. Jagger did the same. The two shots followed each other in a double thunderclap. Leo screamed and fell to his knees, one hand on his shoulder and one on his thigh.

No one moved.

Arianne glared at the stunned bikers. “Anyone else want to ruin our party?”

 

SEVENTEEN

Only old ladies and brothers can babysit your colors.

“So, this is your apartment. It's not how I pictured it.” Jagger paced around Arianne's living room, his concession to stop at her apartment on the way back to the clubhouse clearly not sitting easily with him. “I thought it would be more girly. Not all this beige furniture and brown tables and landscapes on the walls.”

“Girly?” Arianne's voice shook as adrenaline continued to pound through her body. Not just from the anger and frustration at finding herself in the same situation over and over again—guns and violence and crazy bikers—but also at the thrill of finally having stood up to Leo.

She kicked off her shoes and unzipped the riding leathers Jagger had brought for her. “Notice what I'm wearing? You brought these to the bar for me. Why would you think I'm girly?”

He crossed the room in two long strides and helped her undo the snap on her leather trousers. “'Cause I know what's underneath. Hard on the outside, soft and sweet on the inside.” He slid the trousers down over her hips and steadied her while she kicked them away.

Arianne looked down at him crouched in front of her, his mouth level with the juncture of her thighs. A wave of longing suffused her body, and with it a burst of anger. Tonight was a perfect example of why she needed to get out of Conundrum. She couldn't even go to a birthday party with her friends without some idiot bikers shooting the place up and threatening to drag her back to Viper. But Jagger was making it so damn hard to leave. He'd as good as encouraged her to shoot Leo, stood by her side as she got the revenge she had dreamed about for eleven years, and then praised her for her accuracy.