Evening Primrose (Devil's Hornets MC Book 2) (6 page)

“I want to get out of here.”

“That isn’t in the plan. You called Smith to tell him what to do because he’s the new President of the Reapers.”

The damaged man on the floor laughed. “Over my dead body, he will be.”

“My thoughts precisely.” Jack walked around the room striking matches and dropping them in strategic places that Pyro had left some of his magic. The warm room was getting hotter when he got closer to the door, and Jack knew that if he didn’t get out of there, he would be sharing the same fiery death as Johnson. “Tell the devil the Hornets sent you.”

CHAPTER NINE

Natalie sat in the huge van looking at the solemn men that surrounded her. She felt like she was in a dream and any minute she’d wake up and be back in that locked box with Big Rich, the large man whose name she didn’t know as he made the film for Jack and his crew. After the making of the video tape, Rich didn’t bother her sexually again. In fact, it was mellow until earlier in the evening with the last man came in. Johnson was his name. She’d learned that when Jack and his friends came busting in like angels—dirty, hairy angels—but she was never happier to see a group of people in her whole life.

Jack sat next to her, but he hadn’t acknowledged her at all… unless you wanted to count him responding to her touch on his back when he was beating up Johnson. She wasn’t fond of the man personally. He’d entered the room calling her names and accusing her of being just like all of Jack’s other women. When she said she didn’t know what he was talking about, he slapped her so hard her ears were ringing.

She put her hand in Jack’s and hoped he’d hold on because she was about to break down. It was dumb, she knew, because the worst was over, but telling herself that wasn’t working.

When they finally got to her apartment, she was shaking. These men had come to her defense, and they were all as stoic as stones. She would not be the wilting flower to simper and snivel.

Getting out of the van, she poked her head back in. “I want to thank you guys for coming to my rescue. Even if I wasn’t the only reason you came, words can’t express how happy I was to see you and how much I appreciate what you had to do to get me out.”

“Anytime, miss.” Someone in the back spoke up, and it made her feel good that someone acknowledged what she was feeling.

“I’ll walk her up,” Jack said to the driver, and she felt a little insecure. He wasn’t talking to her. There was no big hug of greeting. She knew they’d just killed a man and the flames that shot out of the window where they kept her carried the heartless soul of the man who’d ordered such a vile fate for her.

When she got up to the security door, she realized she didn’t have any keys and she didn’t have a phone, but Jack slid around her and opened up the door with a key. They walked to her door, and he repeated the act, but he stepped into her house and walked around making sure everything was alright.

“We got all your locks changed here and at the shop. All the keys are on this ring,” he said, setting the jangling noise makers on her table. “There will be someone posted outside your apartment building, and I’ll make sure someone gets you to work.”

The air in the room was stifling, and it seemed like it was smothering her. She looked over at Jack who seemed like he’d checked out long before they’d come into the house.

“It’s because he made me come, isn’t it?”

“What?” Jack turned to her looking puzzled.

“The reason you don’t want to be with me anymore.” She didn’t want to have to spell this out; she knew that he knew what she was talking about, but before he left she wanted to have an answer. He didn’t say anything, but he looked like he was fixated on her cheek.

He walked over to her and touched the spot that seemed to transfix him. His hand felt cool on her cheek. That was where she was slapped earlier, but it shouldn’t be hot to the touch still or maybe that is what she was like all over. Her body was probably trying to burn that whole situation out of her brain… have mercy, she wished that were possible.

“I can’t believe he hit you.” Jack said as he stared at her, and she grabbed his hand and held on to it.

“I can’t believe you’re trying to make me stay here by myself. This isn’t something I like admitting to, but I’m afraid to be by myself.”

“Do you want me to ask someone to stay with you?” Jack said like she wasn’t used to sleeping with him and sleeping in his bed.

“No, I don’t. I wanted you to stay here. With me.” She didn’t want there to be any way to misunderstand what she was saying.

The deep breath he took told the story, and she knew that whatever the reason he would come up with didn’t matter. He didn’t want her anymore, and that was that. She’d gone through a lot in the last day or so, and although she didn’t want to bother Jack anymore, she didn’t want to feel as icky as the last 31 hours had made her feel.

“Come in the bathroom while I take a shower,” Natalie asked in the form of a statement. “Please.”

He followed her as she went into her room and picked out some clothes to wear and her favorite lotion. She watched everything he did as if she could soak up all the memories and save them for a later day.

She didn’t remember a time when they weren’t chatting and laughing their way through long drives, good food, and great sex, but it seemed like those days were over. That wasn’t what this was supposed to be about; she was supposed to be taking… taking back her life and her sexuality. Natalie owned the desire she had for Jack and she honored it, because when she was sitting in that box of a room that she didn’t even realize had windows, she didn’t think she’d ever feel desire again or the air on her face. But she was here, and she was going to live her life to the fullest.

The water was perfect, and she took off her clothes and stepped under the water feeling the dirt and the grime wash away. Although she wanted to live her life to the fullest, she didn’t know how to get him involved in what she wanted. She was contemplating what to do next when two large hands plunged into her hair and she startled.

“It’s okay, it’s just me,” he whispered in a voice she was familiar with, and the unstoppable tears ran down her face. It was stupid, but she was happy to let the water of the shower hide the tears.

He washed her hair and moved his hands down her body washing her clean. When he was finished, she was a bit disappointed. Don’t people give out orgasms anymore?

Getting out of the shower, he opened his arms so he could wrap her in a thick fluffy towel. The only thing that was missing was the fun and laughter.

Walking her back to her room, she wondered what was going on with him. In the warehouse and all the way to where they were now, he seemed distant. Even at this moment it seemed like he was putting on a show for her, but she wasn’t going to complain, because she needed him… she needed this… now.

“Take off the towel and lay down on the bed,” he said in a gruff whisper.

She wanted to ask so many things and say so many more. She was filled with so many emotions. Happy that she was alive, excited to see Jack again, guilty about what happened while she was captive, mad for all the other people that ever happened to and they didn’t have their own retrieval squad, frustrated that she wasn’t able to connect with Jack on the same level they’d had before and physically and emotionally exhausted. She did as he asked and waited to see what he was going to do.

Jack sat down on the edge of the bed, and she could hear the sound of the lotion bottle being pumped right before she felt the cold thick plop on her back. She squealed, and a small chuckle escaped from Jack.

He took his time rubbing the moisturizer into her skin, and she wondered if he was going to say anything. She didn’t want to miss anything, but she was tired.

“I know this has been a hard time for you, but knowing you were in the hands of those goons because of me makes me want to beat myself up. You told me you thought someone was following us, and I blew you off.” He’d finished her back and was working his way down her legs with his large hands kneading away the stress that had balled up in her body leaving her muscles tight.

She turned and looked at him hoping he didn’t look as miserable as he sounded, and he didn’t. He looked worse.

“Jack. The only thing that matters is that we’re both alive and together.” She’d hoped that would bring some cheer to his face, but if anything he looked more distraught.

“Turn over.”

She turned to lie on her back, and she watched to see if anything crossed Jack’s face that would put her in touch with where this was going. Natalie looked hard, but she didn’t see much. There was no disgust, desire, or any other clear indication of what was going on with him. She was encouraged that he was touching her; maybe he was afraid of hurting her.

He put more lotion in his hand but warmed it between the two plates he called hands before he cupped her breasts and rubbed the lotion in with more concentrated interest than they probably deserved, but she felt like a pampered princess and loved every second of the attention.

“You have such a beautiful body, Natalie.” His sweet murmuring was reassuring and comforting, but there was a voice in the back of her head that was not as encouraging. All her life she’d listened to her intuition, but it was telling her things she’d rather not deal with… things she hoped were wrong.

“It’s all yours Jack,” she replied only to watch his whole body stiffen.

He finished lotioning her body and sat on the bed looking like a man tormented, so she did what she’d wanted to do since she’d seen him back in the warehouse. Grabbing the back of his head, she brought him down so she could taste his mouth and draw confidence from just being with him. His kiss had always been electric, and she needed some of that now to get her going and keep her going.

She could feel him pulling her nipples and rubbing up and down her now aroused body. That he could make her want sex when she wasn’t sure she’d ever want to do it again was one thing, but taking her from exhausted to ready to fuck was incredible.

Her mind was frantic to have him, but she couldn’t find the words to say that, so she hoped he could feel it in her kiss. He was still naked from their shower. Moving one of her hands down to his lap to see if he was as excited as she was, he stopped her before she got to where she wanted to go. She knew she should be concerned about that but couldn’t work up the reasons why. Natalie felt like she was on fire, and Jack had the only thing that would cool her down.

When his hand snuck down between her legs, she opened them wide because she wanted him to know she was game for whatever he wanted to do and she was his. Although she loved having his cock plunging into her body and adored the closeness that came with that, she also knew this man had magic fingers. He kissed her mouth and inserted two fingers within the wet entrance to her body.

“Ohhh, that’s so good, Jack. Don’t stop.” Natalie couldn’t stop herself from fucking his fingers. She was dizzy with the desire to be with this man, but her body wanted completion.

Jack moved from kissing her mouth to lapping and nipping at her nipples, and she knew she was close to orgasm but couldn’t round the corner.

“I need more, Jack. I want you inside.” Her eyes were closed because she didn’t know what look would cross his face. If it was anything like the disappointment and disillusionment that had crossed his face before, it would devastate her. She didn’t feel him moving to do anything different, but she did feel him working harder on her breasts.

With him working her body from different angles, it didn’t take long for the loud moans to fill the room. She felt like a woman possessed, and she sounded like one too. Trying to stifle herself was only making it worse so she gave in to the waves of pleasure that ran over her body leaving her limp and satiated.

“Now it’s your turn,” she said when she could finally speak normally.

Placing a kiss on her lips, he withdrew from her body and moved off the bed. That orgasmic feeling of warm, calm bliss was fading fast as the feeling of panic came. Was this something he’d done out of guilt or pity?

“The guy in the tape you watched stopped shortly after he turned it off. He didn’t penetrate me with his cock.” She thought that would make it better, but now she wished she’d have just kept quiet. His face was a snarl of anger but she didn’t know for who. Did she remind him of what he’d seen on that tape? Was he upset with her? “Just in case you wondered.”

“I’m sorry I let that happen to you.” Jack looked at her like he was hurting as much as she was, and it made her want to scream and cry for them both.

“Jack, you didn’t let that happen. They were bad men with an agenda; you can’t hold yourself responsible for each and every person and what they do.” She was a firm believer in being accountable for your words and actions, but no one could be accountable for someone else.