I Have to Have Her Read online

  “It usually works. Have you heard it before?”

  She laughed. “Not in a long time.”

  “So you should be impressed.”

  “Being picked up in a bar isn’t impressive. Now over coffee, that’s something different.” Realizing what she’d just said, heat filled her cheeks. “I’m not telling you to ask me out for coffee or anything.”

  “You’re charming. Has anyone ever told you that?”

  She pressed her lips together and shook her head. “Not recently.” She wasn’t about to tell him her ex referred to her as a weirdo.

  “I’m Lucas.” He held his hand out.

  She shook his hand.

  His grip was firm. He didn’t let go of her hand as he drew it to his lips, kissing her.

  “And you’re a charmer.”

  “I like to think of myself as old-fashioned.”

  “Right,” she said with a chuckle. “I’m just me.”

  “Hello, Just Me.”

  “Stop it.” She waved her hand in front of her. “You’re flirting, stop.”

  “I don’t see a ring on your finger and any guy who lets you out on your own, well, that’s their loss and I have to say they don’t deserve you.”

  She thought about Gabriel. “I’m not … taken.”

  “Well, then, how about I take you on that dance floor and show you what it feels like to belong to me?”

  “She’s taken.” Gabriel suddenly pressed against her back, his hand snaking around her waist.

  She tensed up.

  “Oh, I thought she said—”

  “Fuck off.”

  Gabriel grabbed her hand and once again, she was being pulled to wherever he wanted her. She tried to fight him off, but he wouldn’t let her go.

  “Damn it, Gabriel. Let me go,” she said.

  He ignored her and rather than cause a scene because Rhianna was close by, he moved them away so no one could hear. “Your sister will be able to see,” she said.

  “Rhianna is being taken care of as we speak.”

  They passed several guards, all of which were there to see her humiliation as he pulled her like a rag doll to wherever he wanted. It pissed her off.

  “Will you stop!”

  He slammed the door and let her go.

  At least he hadn’t pushed her up against a wall or tried to have his way with her. Gabriel paced and she watched him, aware of his anger.

  “You’re not fucking taken? I heard that right!”

  “Gabriel?”

  “You’re mine, Claire. No other man gets to touch you, do you understand that?” He stood in front of her, anger coming off him in waves.

  She stumbled back and he growled. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

  “I know.”

  “Then what the fuck was that? Why are you dressed like that?”

  “Rhianna wanted to have some fun.” She glanced down at the white dress. Yes, it was revealing, enhancing her small waist, large hips, and tits, but she liked it. “What’s wrong with the way I’m dressed? If my memory serves, you and I, we’re not … together. You’re using me. We’ve had seven days. That’s it. Twenty-six days left. That’s all we’ve got.”

  She nibbled on her lip as he glared down at her. Did she sound desperate? That wasn’t what she was going for. This arrangement with Gabriel wasn’t right. “We should just end it now.”

  “No,” he said.

  “You don’t get to decide.”

  “But I do.” He stepped toward her and she moved back. He kept on coming and she tried to put distance between them, but it didn’t work. She fell back on the sofa and he followed her down.

  “You keep trapping me,” she said.

  “I think you like being kept in one place.”

  “You’ve got a high opinion of yourself,” she said.

  “You like what I do to you, Claire. You can’t deny it.”

  “So you know how to make a woman beg. It’s not like it’s something you haven’t done before.”

  “I haven’t heard you beg,” he said. “I’ve gone easy on you. You think you know everything there is to know about me.”

  “I do.”

  He cupped her knees and pushed underneath her dress. “You can stop me at any time. If that’s what you want to do.”

  She didn’t speak, didn’t even mutter a sound.

  Watching him, she waited. He shoved her back, pushing the dress out of his way. He tore away her panties and spread her legs.

  “You’ve got such a pretty pussy. You know I think about this all day?”

  “No, you don’t,” she said.

  He smiled. “But I do. It’s all I can think about.” He ran his fingers across her flesh. His touch soft, gentle. “Spread your lips for me.”

  “Gabriel.”

  “Right now, I want to go downstairs and fuck up the face of that bastard. You want to be responsible for me hurting someone?”

  “That won’t be my fault.”

  “You can distract me now.”

  “This is blackmail.”

  “You know you want it.

  “Doesn’t make it right,” she said.

  “You need to stop thinking. Just do as you’re told.”

  She wanted to fight him, but she didn’t like the thought of him hurting someone or even getting hurt himself. It wasn’t like what he was asking was such a bad thing.

  Reaching between her legs, she followed his instruction and waited. He stared at her. She didn’t know how he was able to make her feel so aroused with just one look.

  With his gaze on her, he leaned forward and licked across her clit. He circled the bud, sucking it into his mouth and flicking his tongue back and forth.

  She cried out as he continued to tease her. His teeth created just the right amount of pain and he soothed it with his tongue. Over and over, he worked her flesh, building up her orgasm, driving her hotter, harder. She whimpered his name, feeling on the brink, so consumed and flushed.

  When she came, she couldn’t contain his name or her moans. He held her ass, pressing his face against her heated flesh, and she cupped the back of his head, reveling in the sensations of the orgasm.

  “Yes, yes, yes,” she said, screaming for more.

  He kissed her clit and pulled away.

  “You’re wrong. We’ve got longer than twenty-six days. You’re mine, Claire. No men, no women, just me. Don’t ever tell another man you’re single again. And another thing, stay away from Lucas.”

  “You know him?”

  “I do.”

  “Oh.”

  “There’s no oh about it. He’s a dangerous person.”

  “Like you?”

  He stared at her. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay away. I’m getting one of my men to drive you back to our apartment.”

  “What about Rhianna?”

  “She’s being taken care of.”

  Getting to her feet, she saw Gabriel put her panties in his pocket. There was something oddly erotic about him keeping her underwear.

  “Why do we have more than twenty-six days?” she asked.

  He sat behind his desk. He looked every part the king he claimed himself to be. She had no doubt about the power he wielded.

  “I’m familiar with the female anatomy, Claire. You’ll be having a menstrual cycle soon, and well, however long that lasts is the number of additional days you’ll be mine.”

  This was one of those moments where she wished she hadn’t asked.

  Chapter Six

  Gabriel arrived at the private location in the middle of nowhere. No houses, no cars, no street lamps. Just the glow of the car lights and the single bike waiting for him.

  As he climbed out of his car, the glare of the lights made it impossible for him to see the man who currently leaned on the seat of his bike, smoking a cigarette.

  “Good of you to come, Gabriel.”

  “What the fuck do you want, Lucas?” He’d been given the note not long after he’d sent Claire
home to their apartment. He intended to join her but first, he needed to deal with this business.

  Lucas was the president of one of the deadliest MCs he’d ever known. So far, he hadn’t encroached on his territory and even tonight, he’d been respectful by not wearing his leather cut or bringing any more men.

  “Let’s say I want to make a deal with you. I know you’ve got another offer elsewhere for transporting drugs through your turf,” Lucas said.

  “If you know so much, then you’re aware I’ve declined any such access.” He avoided deals with MCs at all costs. They were way too volatile. They had their own set of rules and changed them with the whims of the clubs and any new president who killed their way to the top. He wasn’t interested in dealing with that kind of shit. He avoided them like the fucking plague.

  Lucas’s presence in his club wasn’t a good thing.

  “I want to know the route they wanted.”

  “Not happening. I don’t talk shop with the likes of you.”

  Lucas smiled. “That woman tonight was a fine piece of ass.”

  Gabriel tensed up.

  “I know all about you, Locke. You’ve got a sister who you guard, and a lot of different pies all lined up. Women are like ice cream, you have a taste and move on. You’ve never been seen with the same woman twice and you certainly don’t stake a claim.”

  “You need to leave my city before you overstay your welcome.”

  “In case you forgot, I didn’t ask for an invitation, and by your own rules, I’m not marked.” Lucas held his hands out and spun in a circle. “I don’t want to mess in your shit, and I’m quite happy to help you, Gabriel. Sooner or later, you’re going to realize your power is only strong enough when you’ve got men to back it up. I want nothing from you but the route. If I saw the way you were with that woman today, Claire, others are always watching. The problem with being a king is someone’s always waiting to watch you fall.” Lucas got back on his bike.

  The warning was clear. He was being watched but also, there was a brewing war between two MCs, and Lucas had been the first one to make his move.

  Climbing back into his car, he gave his man the order to take him back to his apartment where Claire would be waiting.

  He wasn’t sure if he wanted to give the details of the route to Lucas. He didn’t like being given ultimatums. This city belonged to him, and he had no interest in coming between two MCs. However, if one was on the left and the other was on the right, he was in the middle just waiting to become the war ground.

  The apartment was quiet when he entered. He and Claire had yet to use this place at all. So far, he’d taken her at the private club, in his office, or in his other apartment where his sister lived. Their arrangement was still a secret from his sister and he intended to keep it that way.

  Removing his shoes and jacket, he glanced into the living room and found Claire curled up on the sofa. She wore one of the negligees he’d purchased for her. The bedroom had a wardrobe where he’d organized clothes in her size.

  He stepped into the room and moved toward the coffee table. An old mug sat there with what looked like some remnants of hot chocolate. Reaching out, he stroked the curls back from her face. She let out a whimper but didn’t pull away.

  She was beautiful.

  Tonight, seeing her on the security monitor after his men alerted him to her entering the nightclub, he’d been pissed. The sweet smile she never showed him, on display for a stranger. Lucas of all people. He’d felt this overwhelming, possessive need to keep her, to mark her.

  No woman had ever gotten under his skin like this and he didn’t like it. There was no mistaking Claire was different.

  He touched her cheek and she opened her eyes, groaning. “Gabriel,” she said.

  “It’s okay. It’s just me.”

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Yes, everything is fine,” he said. He took care of all matters that would touch her.

  “I like the apartment.”

  “Good.” He leaned forward and brushed his lips across hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he lifted her into his arms.

  “I can walk.”

  “And I can carry you. I like having you in my arms.”

  After he entered the bedroom, he lowered her to the bed, following her down. She let out a moan as he kissed her hard. Slowly, he stood and removed the rest of his clothing as she lay there watching him. Once he was naked, he climbed onto the bed, helping her out of the negligee so they were skin to skin. Flesh to flesh.

  She wrapped her legs around him, and he found her core, plunging into her heat. He kissed her. Every other time they’d been together, he’d fucked her. This time, he made love to her, taking his time, working her body to a fever pitch and pushing her to the edge, but not allowing her to topple over.

  He changed positions so she was the one straddling him. Holding her hips, he guided her over his length, getting her to take all of him, watching her tits swing in front of his face. Reaching up, he took her nipple into his mouth, sucking across the tip. Then he slid his tongue across the valley to take her other nipple.

  “Ride my cock, baby, that’s right, take it.”

  She screamed his name as he thrust his cock up, making her take all of him. He wanted her to forget every single man, every single person, and to just be completely owned by him.

  Lifting her up, he stroked her clit as she rode his length. He watched her slowly come apart, and as she came on his cock, he felt victorious. Once he’d rolled her back to the bed, he spread her open and thrust inside her, finding his own release. Kissing her as he came, spilling his cum deep inside her. Each pulse rushed through his body, wave upon wave until not a drop remained inside him.

  Afterward, he wrapped his arms around her, moving so her back was pressed to his front, but he held her tightly, not letting her go.

  “We don’t sleep together, remember?” she said.

  “There are a lot of things we don’t do together. Do you want to leave?” He waited but she snuggled in.

  He smiled, kissing her shoulder.

  “I’ll go to my own bed in a moment. What am I going to say to Rhianna?”

  “I don’t want to talk about my sister with my cock still inside you.”

  “But she’s going to ask questions.”

  “I’ll deal with her.” He took her hands in his, kissing her fingers. On her left arm, he saw a love heart tattoo. It was the same as the one on his sister. “You got these together?”

  “Yeah, it wasn’t long after we graduated. I was feeling lonely, and Rhianna said—can I say her name?”

  “Yes.”

  “She told me I was never going to be lonely because I would always have her. I wouldn’t be on my own. This is part of our bond.” She tensed in his arms.

  “Don’t.”

  “You don’t know what I’m thinking.”

  “You’re feeling bad because you’re here in this bed with me.”

  “Did you have to sleep with all of her friends?”

  He burst out laughing. “Believe it or not, I didn’t sleep with all of her friends, just the ones I liked.”

  She tried to get away and he held on to her. “Stop.”

  “Nope.”

  “I don’t like this.”

  “Tough. You’re not going or reacting like this. I’ve got you. I’m holding on to you, and I’m not letting you go.”

  She stopped wriggling.

  “You don’t just have my sister,” he said. “You also have me.”

  She scoffed. “This is an arrangement with you. I know for a fact that when you’re bored with me, you’re going to get rid of me. I’m not an idiot. I know how these things work, and besides, your sister has told me plenty of times what a cad you are.”

  “Then enjoy the time you’ve got, because I will get bored and move on. You know that, and so do I.”

  ****

  “I like him, Claire,” Rhianna said.

  Claire glanced across the
café to see who her friend was referring to. “That’s bad news.”

  The man was dressed up in a suit and each time he reached for his coffee, the ink he wore showed. The man in question was one of Gabriel’s guards.

  “Please, like Gabriel would care.”

  “He’s your brother, of course, he’s going to care. What’s his name?” Claire asked.

  The smile on Rhianna’s face broke her heart. “Louis. He’s really nice.”

  “I bet he is. Is that the guy who took you home from the nightclub?”

  “No, that was Drake. He’s an asshole but Louis has been working for Gabriel for a couple of months. He’s really sweet. He’s always nice and whenever I want to go somewhere, he takes me, no questions asked.”

  “Sweetie, that’s his job.”

  “I knew you wouldn’t understand.”

  “I do.” She reached across the table, taking her friend’s hands. “Please, I do. I think you need to be careful is all.”

  “Careful?”

  “You don’t know what he’s like. He works for your brother.”

  Rhianna rolled her eyes. “I’ve accepted what my brother does. I don’t like it. I don’t have to like it and it’s why I always make time to help others. I work at several shelters, volunteer when I can.”

  “I know, but you’d do that anyway.”

  Her friend sighed. “Gabriel doesn’t want me to work and so I do what I must. He’s worried I’ll be taken advantage of.”

  “You do have a good heart,” Claire said.

  The waitress brought them their breakfast and Claire said her thanks. Picking up her knife and fork, she dug into the pancakes. Work had been getting busier at the private strip club that she still didn’t know the name of, not that she wanted too many details. She kept her head down, a smile on her face, and Rhianna was none the wiser.

  “Anyway, enough about me. You’ve been spending a lot of time away. What have you been doing?”

  “Not a lot. Hunting for apartments.”

  “Come on, I see the smile on your face. You cannot tell me that’s all about apartment hunting. You’ve met a man, haven’t you?”

  “No man,” she said, a little too quickly. Picking up her coffee, she took a generous sip. “I’m just trying to find a place but every time I do, I get a call with a ridiculous offer or that someone else was willing to pay double. I tell you, times are tough.”