It's Always Been You (22 page)

Some of the patrons started clapping and hooting. Travis sprinted to the hallway by the restrooms where there appeared to be a commotion.

“Caitlin!” Travis yelled, fear spiking in his throat.

He was about to barge into the ladies room when one of the hipster women said, “If you’re looking for the blonde in a dress, a biker just hauled her outside.” She pointed to the rear exit.

Pure fury flooded his system, not only at the idea that someone was once again stealing his woman, but also because of the possibility Caitlin was hurt.
 

Bursting out the exit, he heard the sounds of a scuffle and a screech that was clearly Caitlin’s voice.

He made it to the parking area where a group of bikes was huddled. A behemoth of a man, maybe two inches taller than Travis and twice as wide, had Caitlin by the shoulders and was shaking her.

Travis’s killer instinct broke free.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Caitlin didn’t think she’d be seeing
scary
Travis any time soon, and yet, here he was again. Even the big guy who held her turned rock solid. His one mistake—he didn’t release her immediately.
 

Duke was picking himself off the ground, not having learned his lesson, and the words out of his mouth only made matters worse. “He’s lying. Doll face over here is not his wife.” His voice was raspy after that blow she delivered to his throat. “Back of my bike, girl. Stop fighting me.”

He tried to wrench her away from his cohort.

“Hold on, Duke,” the big guy snapped. Caitlin was in the middle of a tug o’ war.
 

An angry growl from Travis indicated that he had lost patience. The bikers never saw him coming. Travis struck the big man first with a solid elbow to the jaw. The man howled in pain, releasing Caitlin who was now left with Duke. She rolled her eyes. Duke was a masochist to an idiotic degree. She hauled back and kneed him in the groin. Caitlin didn’t even get to relish her legwork because Travis yanked and shoved her behind him. He slowly backed away with her. His arms were cocked in a fighting stance, daring the gathering crowd of bikers.

“You have a death wish, city boy?” The big guy Travis struck launched straight for him.

Travis pushed her out of the way and quickly planted his shoulder against the oncoming threat, throwing the big man over, forcing him to land flat on his back. A bald biker came at Travis and managed to strike him on the cheek, splitting the skin open with the rings on his finger. Caitlin hated the sound of flesh against flesh.
 

Travis blocked a second hit and planted a solid punch to the other man’s gut. By this time, the guy on the ground had recovered and rejoined the fray. Travis had his eye on him and was able to block a kidney blow; however, the bald biker kicked him right in the gut. The big guy took advantage of a hunched over Travis and locked him in a full nelson and the bald one was setting up to beat on her guy.

Oh, no, they don’t
, Caitlin thought furiously as she did a running jump on top of bald biker’s back, ignoring Travis’s shout to stay out of it. The bald man growled, but she crushed his windpipe with her forearm. She was pried away from him and subdued by yet another biker.

“Caitlin!” Travis yelled furiously. “Don’t fucking touch her!” Travis broke out of the full nelson, twisted and kneed the big guy twice in the gut, and knocked him to his knees by hammering his back with linked hands.

“STOP! What the fuck?” A loud voice boomed and all the bikers froze.

Caitlin was immediately released and she wasted no time flying straight into Travis. Strong arms crushed her in a protective embrace.

“You okay?” he whispered. Though his tone was laden with worry, his face remained harsh, his eyes alert.

Caitlin could only nod, guilt-ridden and flabbergasted at how disaster seemed to follow her every wake.

“Prez,” the big biker acknowledged the newcomer.

“Ashe, what in Jesus Christ is happening here?” A man of about fifty, decked out in a leather cut, faded jeans, and silver chains stepped out of the shadows. “I get a call from the bar that my kids are causing trouble again, and I walk into a parking lot brawl? We’re supposed to be keeping the peace in this town, goddamnit, not breaking it!” His eyes sliced to Travis. “Who are you?”

“The name’s Bennett.”

Irritated at the succinct response, the Prez threw up his hands and said, “Is someone going to tell me what the fuck’s going on?”

“Duke wanted his woman,” the big guy, who Caitlin now knew as Ashe nodded to her and Travis.

“My wife,” Travis snarled.

“Bullshit, she ain’t got no ring,” Duke whined, still hunched over from the knee-to-the-balls Caitlin gave him.

Travis cursed beside her. “Doesn’t mean you can just go grab a woman and take off with her.”

“It was Bella’s idea,” Duke added. “She wanted you for herself.”

“My fucking kids, don’t know how the fucking fuck I’ve gone wrong raising ‘em,” the Prez muttered. He then glared at Ashe. “You’re my VP, Ashe. Why are you in the middle of this and not shutting this shit down?”

“This moron hit me.”

“I warned you to let my wife go,” Travis growled. “No one lays their hands on what’s mine and gets away with it.”

It was then that the Prez took a good look at Travis, walking closer and stopping just in front of them. He extended his hand. “I’m Nicholas Crane. President of the Iron Skulls Motorcycle Club.”

There was an uncomfortable pause, where Travis just stared into the eyes of Crane. Then he shook hands with the MC president and said, “Travis Bennett. This is my wife, Caitlin.”

“Damn, Ashe, this guy’s got ex-military written all over him,” Crane guffawed a belly laugh. He eyed Travis critically. “And not regular infantry. What are you? Ranger? Special Forces?”

Travis shook his head. “If you’ll excuse me, I think my wife and I have had enough excitement for tonight. Come on, Caitlin.”

He nodded to Crane and turned around.
 

“SEAL?”

Caitlin’s steps faltered, but Travis kept on moving, his arms tight around her.

When they were a distance away, she heard Crane say loudly, “I’ll be damned, Ashe, you just tangled with a fucking frogman.”

*****

Though he had turned his back away from the Iron Skulls MC, Travis still had all his senses engaged. They passed the entrance of the bar where a group of spectators observed the fight from a safe distance. One of them was Bella. She didn’t look pleased and was staring daggers at Caitlin safely ensconced in Travis’s arms.
 

“Bennett!”

Closing his eyes in resignation, he turned around to face the MC’s VP.
 

Ashe caught up with him. “Sorry for the misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding?” Travis scoffed. “Try attempted kidnapping.”

“Duke has a misguided notion of being an outlaw,” Ashe explained. “The MC is not that way.” He nodded to Bella, who had tensed. “Prez is a good man, but he spoiled his kids after the tragic death of his old lady at the hands of a rival MC. We keep on cleaning up their messes. I wasn’t going to give your woman to him.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“We don’t want you to leave town.”

“Too late for that.”

“This town needs the tourists. Folks like you are probably staying at old Betty’s place. She needs the money.”

Travis sighed, remembering how they snagged their suite via a cancellation. “Well, maybe you guys need to rein in the crazies in your town.”

Bella gasped and huffed away in indignation.

“We’ll take care of it. If you want, Prez can send Duke away for the duration of your stay.”

“That’s probably for the best,” Travis replied. “Because if I see that fucker around, I may just kill him.”

Ashe smiled. “We good?”

Travis inclined his head. He had been ready to pack up and leave tonight. It was going to be a hell of a drive because there was nothing more he wanted to do right now than fuck Caitlin. Hard. He’d already been going half-insane imagining her mouth on some other guy’s dick after her remarks in the car. What happened tonight pushed him past the point of no return. He glanced at the woman tucked safely by his side. He had protected her from the MC, but who was going to protect her from him?

*****

The entrance to their suite was at the side of the inn. This allowed them privacy for their comings and goings. Right now, Caitlin wished there were other people around because Travis had not spoken a word to her since his exchange with Ashe.

He was seething; this much she could tell. And somehow she had a feeling all that energy was directed at her, and she was going to have hell to pay. She just wasn’t sure of the form of payment. She was excited as well as nervous.

Travis unlocked the door. Caitlin hesitated entering. She exhaled deeply. “Travis, I’m sor—”

She yelped as she was dragged inside, the force sending her a couple steps in even as Travis released her hand. “Not a word,” he growled. “Bend over the couch.”

“We need to look at that cut—”

“I’ll live,” Travis said derisively. “You know what will kill me?” He unzipped his shorts and freed his erection. “If I don’t fuck you right now.”

When she still didn’t move, Travis spun her around and pushed her over the edge of the loveseat.

He leaned over her and hissed, “You know why I’m doing this?”

She nodded, her heart pounding in her chest with anticipation.
 

Her skirt bunched over her hips, her panties nudged aside, and then he was inside. Filling her to the hilt, he pounded into her without mercy. He bent low by her ear and rasped, “You don’t get to come tonight. You’ve been a bad, bad girl.”
 

And that’s when she felt it, the sting of his palm on her ass. She cried out, not sure if it was in pleasure or pain, but warmth gushed between her legs. The puny loveseat inched stealthily toward the coffee table with the force of his thrusts.
 

“You’ve defied me—”

Thwack!

“Again—”

Thwack!

“and again—”

Thwack! Thwack!

“and again.”

“Travis, oh, God!” she mewled helplessly. She was going to come.

Travis must have felt her spasming inner muscles for he withdrew from her and yanked her from the couch, lifting her over the back of the sofa, he ordered, “On your knees, facing me, and hold on to the edge.”

Caitlin did as she was told. Travis fisted his cock in front of her mouth. “Take it.”

She obeyed with no hesitation and eagerly took in the impressive length of him, swallowing him as far as she could. Travis groaned above her, his hands digging into her hair as he pumped his hips against her. “I’m going to fuck that mouth and mark every part of your body. Got me?” He increased his rhythm and ruthlessly held her there. She tasted the salt of his pre-cum mixed with her own feminine musk. She wanted him inside her, needed to feel him inside her, but sucking him off with abandon was making her horny as hell as if she could spontaneously combust at any moment.

Cum spurted into her mouth. “Fuck! Take it. You fucking take every last drop of that, babe,” Travis demanded, continuing to fuck her face. She welcomed the warm liquid, letting his seed brand her from the inside.
 

“You’re fucking mine, every inch of you,” he whispered harshly. He pulled out of her. Bending over her, he hugged her head close to his chest, kissing the top of her head. She could hear the rapid beating of his heart, the fractured breathing of his lungs.
 

He shifted and plucked her from the couch, carrying her to the bathroom. He sat her on the sink and retrieved a hand towel, soaking it with warm water.

Caitlin watched him, wincing at the cut on his cheekbone. Blood had dripped on his white shirt and dried up there. “Travis, let me clean that cut.” They had stopped at the car earlier for the first aid kit.

“Shh . . .” His voice trailed off. His eyes narrowed in dismay as he stared at her face. “What happened to your forehead?”

Crap.

“Um . . .”

“There’s an angry lump forming—tell me what the fuck happened?” His eyes blinked wildly as if he was trying to recall the events of the night.
 

“I head butted Duke.”
Please don’t ask me why or how.

His eyes turned into a stormy ocean of blue. His voice was measured when he spoke. “How? He’s a foot taller than you; he’s almost as tall as I—fuck! Did he have you—” Travis moved between her legs to prove a hunch as he connected the dots in his head. “You were in the ladies room. Did that fucker do this to you? Did he—”

Her eyes stung, not because of the memory of Duke’s actions, but because Travis’s eyes looked tormented.

“Trav, it’s okay,” she whispered. “He wouldn’t have forced me.”

“He was going to kidnap you.”

She had nothing to say to that. Despite what Duke had done, he never hit her back though. He took it and just took it. Caitlin knew he would never rape her.

Travis was staring at the ceiling, his jaw flexing. He was struggling to maintain control. He took a couple of shallow exhalations and closed his eyes, bowing his head. When he opened them, his hands cupped her face. “Tell me what happened.”

Caitlin told him. Not leaving anything out. He had already gotten hurt because of her. Besides, the truth had a way of slipping out no matter how deep you buried it.
 

He pulled away, nostrils flaring. “He’s dead.”

“No. Let it go, Travis. Please.”

“He touched you.”

“No, he didn’t. He didn’t get a chance.”

“You could’ve been hurt.”
 

“Did you see the other guy?” Caitlin teased to lighten his mood.

“I’m not finding this amusing, sunshine.”

“To his credit, he never hit me. Despite everything I did to him.”

Travis considered this, and shook his head. “You really can take care of yourself.”

“I manage. I don’t think I’d be crazy enough to take on the entire MC.” Her voice turned sharp with the realization of what might have happened if Nicholas Crane hadn’t shown up.