The Skulls Read online

  “What, Mikey?” Lash asked, without taking his eyes away from her.

  Her heart pounded rapidly inside her chest.

  “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

  “Perfectly. It’s time, and I’ve waited long enough. You know Tiny’s patience will only last so long,” Lash said.

  The two men were having a conversation between her. Angel didn’t have a clue what they were talking about and stayed silent. She’d learned never to interrupt and never to interfere. It was easy to always be silent and stare at the floor.

  “Be careful. That kind of sweetness is hard to come by,” Mikey said.

  “I will. I’ll be here more often. You won’t have to worry about watching anymore.”

  The men were even speaking in code, or at least it sounded like they were.

  “I’ll always watch.”

  She glanced up in time to see Mikey smile down at her. “Take care, sweetness.”

  The older man walked away. During their conversation Lash hadn’t taken his hands off her. His palm rested against her thick stomach, and Angel couldn’t help but make a comparison between her body and the other women she’d seen around the bar.

  “You’ve got a protector. I like that,” Lash said, against her ear.

  Angel looked around the bar to see if anyone noticed them. No one looked in their direction. She didn’t fight Lash even when he started to move her away from the bar. He took her around the back and up a set of steps.

  The touch around her stomach was light, but she sensed the strength within his grip.

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “Somewhere quiet where we won’t be disturbed.”

  Her heart raced. The tone of his voice made goose-bumps erupt all over her arms.

  “Why?”

  “Because I’ve waited long enough. I need you to myself.”

  She didn’t understand his tone. It was strange and sounded possessive and as if he’d been waiting for a chance to get her alone.

  Why?

  Angel knew she wasn’t anything special, and she certainly wasn’t a beautiful woman with a slim figure.

  When they made it to her room she tensed. Lash pushed open the door and still with a hand around her waist, he shut and locked the door. They were alone in her room. She lived out of her suitcase, and the case was open in the corner.

  “You haven’t unpacked?” he asked.

  “No.”

  What else was she supposed to say?

  He moved to the bed, forced her to sit down and then went to her suitcase. She watched as he pulled her clothes out, moving to the wardrobe.

  “Why are you putting my clothes away?” she asked.

  “This is your home. You need your clothes hanging up.”

  “I’m not staying here. When my Dad makes the money—” Angel didn’t get chance to finish her sentence. Her faith in her father was not all that great.

  “Your Dad will never make the money in time. He’s fallen so far behind he’d be lucky to get out of this year with his life, let alone debt free. His ass is owned by the club. Live with it, Angel.”

  She shook her head. What he was saying was wrong even though she knew it in her heart to be true. Faced with the truth by Lash, she fought to hold on to what little belief she held in her father. There’s no way her father couldn’t get the money back. He promised her when she left he would get the money and get her back, so she had to try to believe it of him. Not once, when her mother was alive, had she doubted her father, and now this large, sexy, domineering man was telling her that her father would never get the money and she’d never get out of here, and it was all too much.

  He finished putting her few clothes up and then grabbed her underwear to place them inside a drawer.

  Finished, he turned back to her. His arms were thick and covered in tattoos. He wore a black vest with a pair of black jeans.

  His hands rested on hips as he stared at her.

  “Will you kill my Dad?” she asked, staring at her hands where they rested on her legs. This was the first time she’d had a long conversation with any member of The Skulls.

  “Not if he works for us and if you remain in our care.”

  “Care? You call this care?” She bit down on her lip trying to stop herself from speaking. Talking out of turn was not allowed.

  He took a seat next to her and caressed her cheek. The moment he touched her heat filled her body. His touch made her want so much more. No man had affected her in such a way, and she was terrified of what that meant.

  ****

  Lash turned her to look at him. Her green eyes cut a path straight to his heart. He didn’t know what it was about this woman that stopped him in his tracks, but from the first moment he laid eyes on her, Lash hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her.

  The feelings were intense and all-consuming.

  Seeing her suitcase filled in the corner angered him. Now her clothes were hung up, and he intended to move them into his room soon.

  Angel wasn’t leaving the club or his side, and soon he’d have her in him home, by his side as his wife.

  “What would you call it?” he asked.

  She shook her head, trying to pull away from his touch. Lash stayed by her side, refusing to leave and stopping her from pulling out of his touch.

  “Talk to me.”

  “How can I talk to you? You’re one of the members who are keeping me here.”

  She closed her eyes, took several deep breaths. All the time Lash watched her. He couldn’t get enough of her, and the possessive feeling inside him only intensified with every passing minute.

  “I’m not like those girls. I don’t sleep with guys, and I don’t use my body for anyone.” Angel tucked her hair behind her ear.

  Lash turned her around and slowly unbound her hair until it fell around her shoulders in delightful waves. For the first time, Lash ran his fingers through her hair, relishing the feel of the silken waves sliding through his fingers.

  He liked the fact she didn’t argue. Angel did as he wanted without comment. Did she know how addictive her response was to him? Lash wanted to push her to see how far she’d allow him to go.

  She was only nineteen whereas he was in his late twenties, twenty-nine to be exact.

  “I know, Angel. I know you wouldn’t get on your knees if one of the guys asked you to. You’ve never known what it’s like to feel a cock inside you. This world is entirely new to you. I get it. You may not think I do, but I do.”

  The blush stained her cheeks, and he saw it when he turned her around. He wasn’t going to hide who he was. Lash had already done everything he could to make her life at the club bearable. He knew it was only a matter of time before everything went back to normal. The parties would be rowdier and more explicit than ever before.

  There was a time he’d loved the full-blown parties. After a long day, a hard week, or a bad month, there was nothing more satisfying than getting naked and fucking everything in sight.

  He didn’t think about the number of women he’d been with. Last year he’d gotten tested to make sure he was clean. He was clean and intended to stay that way. From the first moment he looked at Angel in town, Lash had known she was the woman for him.

  She nibbled on her lip, and Lash remembered her lips wrapped around a straw. He couldn’t stop it. Holding onto the back of her head, Lash smashed his lips against hers. Her hands moved to his chest, and Lash watched as she closed her eyes. When she did, he closed his own and allowed himself the pleasure of the kiss.

  Angel moaned. He tilted her head back, nibbled on her lip and waited for her to open up to him. Her lips opened, and Lash took full advantage of it. Stroking his tongue into her mouth, Lash made love to her mouth. He fucked her mouth with his tongue, mimicking the movements he wanted to do between her thighs.

  Her hands moved to his chest, gripping the fabric of his vest. Lash moved his hand down from her head to her back. He pushed her back to the bed until she
was under him.

  With careful movements, Lash settled between her thighs, and the denim skirt she wore rode up high around her waist. He stroked a hand up her thigh, feeling her silken skin against his palm.

  Lash didn’t press his cock against her centre. The only thing keeping him away from her was her panties and the denim of his jeans.

  Making love to her mouth, Lash caressed her body as best as he could in the position. Her hands moved from his chest around to his back. Her nails sank into his shirt. If he’d been naked Lash would have her mark his back.

  His cock was thick, and his need for her intensified.

  “Kiss me back,” he said, breaking the kiss long enough to speak.

  Before she got chance to talk or push him away, Lash claimed her lips once again.

  He fucked her mouth with his tongue and pressed his palm between them. Touching her pussy he felt her heat against him. Moaning, Lash kept her mouth occupied at the same time he pushed the fabric of her panties out of his way. He needed to touch her.

  Slipping a finger through her folds, Lash touched her clit. She jumped under his touch. He kept her in place, sinking his fingers into her hair, holding her there.

  Lash stroked her clit feeling her cream soak his fingers. She was so close, and Lash knew she’d never been touched like this before.

  He fingered her clit, kissing her mouth and hoping he wasn’t fucking up what was happening.

  She cried out and seconds later shuddered under his touch. It was the most erotic experience of his life. Lash eased the touch of his fingers and then slowly withdrew from her heat.

  Staring down into her face, Lash waited for her to open her eyes.

  Angel looked at him, her face flushed from her orgasm. It hadn’t taken long at all. He’d known it wouldn’t.

  “You’re beautiful,” he said. Without thinking he brought his fingers to his lips and sucked the cream from them.

  She looked away from him, biting onto her lip.

  “What did I just do?” she asked.

  Her words were so faint that he only just heard them. “I suggest you get used to my touch, baby. I’m not going anywhere, and you’re going to get used to my touch.”

  He pulled her to her feet and started to remove her clothing. All his planning left his thoughts. He’d wasted too long trying to take things slowly with Angel. She wasn’t part of his world, but he’d make sure by the time he got his ring on her finger that she would be.

  Lash was not going to hold back any longer. Angel was going to be claimed whether she liked it or not.

  Pulling her shirt from her body, Lash tore at the denim skirt until she stood in her panties. Lash pulled his vest off. In the next instant he removed her bra and panties and then placed his vest over her head.

  The vest fit perfectly and was a little tight around her large tits. They were his tits.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  He slammed his lips down on hers in answer. “Get in bed,” he said.

  She stared at him for a few minutes and then climbed into the bed.

  Lash knelt beside her, took her hand and stared into her eyes. “Things are going to change for you. You’re not always going to like me, and I accept that. I get what I want, and you’ll do what I ask, and there’s nothing that is going to change who I am. I’ll do my best to make you happy, but from this day forward, you’ll be my woman, Angel. No one will touch you but me.”

  He stroked her hair, kissed her cheek and left the room. Tiny was standing outside waiting for him. The leader of the club had his arms folded over his chest.

  “I see you’ve finally decided to claim her,” Tiny said.

  “Yes.” Lash turned to face his boss and waited for what Tiny had to say.

  “Good. You claim her in front of the other men, and she’ll be yours. Make sure you take care of her, Lash. I don’t want her to be hurt.”

  Tiny didn’t like to involve just anybody. They were a rough crew but a fair one all because of Tiny’s influence. Yes, they ran the occasional coke deal, but it kept the drugs out of their town. Fort Wills was clean, and the folk had them to thank for that, not the cops. None of the crew used drugs either. Tiny made money out of it, and if he caught a member using, they were fucked.

  “I’m taking full responsibility for her,” Lash said.

  “You better because her father is as good as dead. You need to be prepared for the fallout.” Tiny slapped him on the back then left.

  Resting against the door, Lash wondered how she was going to take the next couple of months. He wasn’t waiting around anymore. Angel belonged to him, and the only person who didn’t know that was Angel.

  Chapter Three

  Angel woke up early in the morning to banging on the door. She’d forgotten to set her alarm clock. Seconds later Lash walked in. Everything that happened last night came flooding back to her like a bad memory.

  “Good morning,” he said. He walked to the wardrobe, shook his head, and pulled out a pair of jeans. Her wardrobe was small. She hated clothes shopping and only ever bought what she thought was relevant to her.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked, covering herself with the blanket. She wore his vest shirt and nothing else.

  He’d brought her to orgasm, literally had his naked fingers on her pussy, and she was worried about him seeing her.

  Last night was different. It had been dark last night, whereas it was now morning, and there was no chance for her to hide away from him. It was unfair and cruel.

  “This is not acceptable at all.” He turned to her and started tugging her out of bed.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  Lash wasn’t answering her questions.

  “We’re going shopping, or I might send you out shopping with a Prospect. I’ve got shit to do.”

  Once she was dressed, without panties or a bra, Lash stood back to look at her.

  “I think it will do for now.”

  “Wait, I need a bra and panties. I’ve never worn jeans without panties.”

  He took a step toward her. One hand sank into her hair, tugging on the length and the other rested between her thighs.

  Angel was ashamed by the heat that consumed her from his touch. Would she ever not be affected by him?

  Lash rubbed his hand back and forward creating a friction that almost brought her to her knees. Lash knew all the right buttons to press, and she hated him for it.

  “No. Your tits look wonderful like that, and from now on I say what you wear.”

  Before she could protest his lips were once again on hers.

  The kiss was brutal, all teeth and passion, and not once did Angel try to stop it. Finally, only when Lash was ready, did he break the kiss. Until he was ready, Lash was the one in control. She didn’t have a say in what she wanted. It was all about what Lash wanted.

  She didn’t hate the thought either. Angel had never been good at making a decision or solving a problem. She was a waste of space.

  “Don’t put yourself down. Even when you’re out of my presence I will know about it.”

  “How did you know I was doing that?” she asked. She should have argued his claim that she’d been putting herself down.

  “I know you, baby. I know what you’re thinking, and I see it in your eyes. You’re like an open book. I can read everything by looking at you.” His hand left her hair to grab her wrist. “Come on, it’s breakfast downstairs.”

  “I know. I’m supposed to be the one getting the stuff.”

  “Not anymore. From now on your place is by my side or sat in my lap.” He opened her bedroom door, and together they made their way toward the eating area. The eating area was the main part of the bar. All the tables had been pulled together to make a long table. The kitchen doors were thrown open showing several of the Prospects and the women getting ready to serve.

  “Where the fuck is Angel? She’s supposed to be doing this shit, not me,” Fern asked. Fern was one of the women who got passed
around from member to member. Angel had seen her with a different guy every night. From what she heard none of the men wanted to claim her. She was a sweet-butt whose sole purpose was to open her legs for whoever wanted her.

  Angel would hate that kind of existence, but some women seemed to love it.

  The room went silent as The Skulls noticed Lash and her together. She felt their gazes on her skin and saw them look at her face before looking at Lash’s shirt.

  “It looks like you better get used to being in the kitchen, sweet-butt. Angel has been taken,” Zero said.

  “What?” Fern stormed out of the kitchen, and Angel watched her stop when she looked at her.

  “Oh hell no. That is not fair. She hasn’t even been a member or done the time or the fucking the rest of us have. What does she have that the rest of us don’t?” Her hands were on her hips, and the look Fern shot Lash would have killed him if looks could kill.

  “Lash made a choice. We accepted that choice, and she stays,” Tiny said. He sat at the top of the table with his hands locked together. The leader looked calm and frightening. Tiny always scared Angel. Her grip tightened on Lash’s hand.

  “You’ve got to wait until someone actually wants your sweet ass, baby,” Nash said.

  Angel glanced at Lash’s brother and saw the contempt the other man had for Fern. Most of the men loved to fuck her, but none of them liked her.

  “Whatever.” Fern sent her a glare then stormed back into the kitchen.

  Lash took a seat next to his brother. She made to go to the kitchen, but the hand around her wrist stopped her.

  “I need to go and help,” she said.

  “You’re not helping. Sit the fuck down and wait.”

  Arguing with him was not an option. Glancing around the table, Angel couldn’t see any available chairs free.

  With one quick tug, Lash had her on his lap. She felt the hard ridge of his cock, and she tried her best to ignore it, even as heat filled her cheeks. There was no way for her to ignore Lash. He was too large, and from the feel of his shaft against her ass, he was big everywhere.

  Two cups of coffee were placed in front of her. Angel recognised Tate, Tiny’s daughter, as she placed the cup in front of her. The younger woman rarely came to the club, but when she did the crew were always on their best behaviour. Tiny didn’t like bad shit happening around his girl. Tate was older than Angel by a couple of years.