Declan: Royal Bastards MC: Flagstaff Chapter (Book 2), page 6
“What you’ve said checks some boxes on Arabia, plus a missing guy I’ve been looking for; just know, I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt solely because we didn’t have intel on your brother and if someone covered up a missing kid, then there’s more going on.” Declan’s hand has gone from gentle to fisted in my hair and I tilt my head to the side to relieve the pain. Leaning down, he licks the side of my neck, leaving his lips on the shell of my ear.
“I think you’re smart enough to know what I want from you, it’s just a matter of how I’ll approach it once we check out your story.” His last words are barely whispered in my ear before he’s pushing me off his lap and turning me toward the door.
Squeezing my eyes shut for the hundredth time today, I speed walk toward his room. Getting there, I consider using the pillows to make separate areas for us, but I know that won’t fly so I simply crawl into bed. The thought pops into my head that maybe I shouldn’t take the word of the man who had me kidnapped, but in my heart, I believe him.
Declan
Crossing my bedroom, I head straight to my shower, knowing I need to take care of my wood before I crawl into bed with Jenna. I want her too badly to introduce her to my tastes tonight.
If I lay my hands on her I know I won’t stop, and she doesn’t haven’t any fucking clue what she’s in for if I could manage to seduce her.
That leaves me handling my dick like I have been the past couple of months, jacking off in a shower. Drying off, I take a deep breath as I pull on a pair of clean briefs and head out to join her.
I nearly laugh, she’s as stiff as a board on the furthest edge of my mattress and has turned one of two pillows lengthwise; trying to create space between where our heads will rest.
Joining her, I immediately move the pillow and chuckle at the glare she gives me.
“I still can’t get over your eyes, sometimes they look almost purple,” I tell her and Jenna lets out the breath she was holding and closes her eyes as if to hide them from me.
“You aren’t actually trying to pull a line on me right now, are you?” Her voice sounds strained and I want to grin at the frustration I can feel coming off her waves.
Reaching down, I thread my fingers through hers and tug them up, kissing each finger until I catch her peeking at me. “I used my only line on you the first time we met.”
Jenna knits her brow together trying to remember what I’m talking about. The second her nostrils flare, I feel that same damn grin tugging my lips to the side again; I can’t remember ever smiling this much.
“Whatever!” she says, bringing her knees up between us when I lean into her.
“Does that mean you’re not gonna show me your tits tonight?” I lower my voice as I raise her hand closer to the headboard, slowly, so she doesn’t guess my intent.
“Please don’t…” she barely whispers, locking eyes with me. “You’re going to handcuff me to the bed, aren’t you?”
I click the cuff that’s up there around her wrist instead of answering, freeing her wrists from the other restraints; I’m surprised she figured out what I was trying to do under the radar. “Trust me, you’ll rest easier like this than what I had originally planned for you.”
“What if there’s a fire?” she blurts her question out suddenly but it’s the tremor rolling through her body that tells me it’s a real fear of hers.
“Jenna,” I say, sliding my hand up to her face. “I may have wanted to strangle you for running off with that cash, but I covered for you with my MC. When you get to know me a little better, you’ll understand the lengths I go to protecting what’s mine.”
“What’s ‘yours’?” she repeats, her eyes hardening make me doubt she realizes she’s leaned into me again.
“Yeah. Like my bikes. And a classic truck I’ve restored.”
“Did you just compare me to a fucking bike…”
I slam my mouth over hers, her fury setting my adrenaline free to rush through my bloodstream and I feel like I could conquer anything.
Pressing her to open her mouth, she nips my bottom lip between her front teeth—holding it there like a threat if I dare proceed.
It’s so goddamn easy to underestimate her, the serene appearance she wears like a second skin to camouflage who she really is. No matter the years she spent cultivating it, I’m going to be the one to lick every inch of it away until I expose the woman she was meant to be.
Worried about my lip being torn asunder, I slide a hand down her side and cup her ass.
“Are you still dancing?” I murmur into her ear. Jenna’s breath hitches up as she nods her head.
“I try… I mean, I do the exercises when Justin’s at school.”
“You have a fucking YouTube page dedicated to you. I must have watched your performances a thousand times.” Jenna’s body stiffens up again with my words.
“I’m not that person anymore,” she says, her eyes daring me to find fault with her.
“Good,” I growl, pulling her body over to cover mine. “You stopped caring as much that last year you were in school, your perfectly timed moves had no fire. There’s so much more to you than mediocre performances, or lap dances for old men.”
The Jenna I want to be mine, set stages ablaze for years. Maybe it was the stress of her mother’s illness that last year, but once her moves became cold calculation, I lost interest in watching them.
“They set my grandma’s house on fire, Declan.” Jenna’s voice is barely above a whisper when she reminds me of her worry about being in this position. “Promise me you won’t let me die like that.”
Letting out a sigh, I pull her into my arms; it might not be what she wants, but it’s the only comfort I’m willing to give her right now.
*
It’s been a long time since I woke up tangled around a woman, and even longer since I found myself grinning in the morning. Jenna’s hair is splayed out around her head and her mouth is hanging open with a bit of moisture on one side.
My phone is buzzing on the nightstand behind me but I can’t find an easy way to pull myself free of her, especially since our legs are tangled and my hard-on is cradled against her pussy. Or it would be, if we had gone to bed naked.
Swinging my arm behind me, I locate my phone by patting around.
“Kid wants to talk to his sister,” Diesel announces.
“What fucking time is it?” I growl.
“He won’t stop talking. He even talks in his sleep, Prez. Christ, she better be worth it.”
“Jenna,” I say, nudging her awake. “Justin wants to talk to you.”
After her eyes slowly open, she registers where she is and that her wrist is still cuffed to the headboard, as she nearly jack knifes off the bed.
“For the record, I spent the night on a twin-size bed. Do you know how fucking small those things are?” Diesel’s rhetorical question is almost drowned out by the sounds of bones cracking.
“Yeah, where’d the kid sleep?” I ask.
“Floor. Ranger made a fort for him; he loved it. Here, I’m passing the phone.” Diesel sounds like he was run over by a train and for once, it’s not from a night of drinking.
I hit the speaker and lean back, keeping my eyes on Jenna’s face.
“Are you okay?” they both ask at the same time and laugh at each other.
“The guy, Ranger, he moved the couch in front of the door but then there was space between the wall and dresser so…” Holy shit, five seconds in and I want to put duct tape on the kid’s mouth.
That is, until I see the smile that slowly spreads across Jenna’s face—erasing the worried expression that she woke up with.
“They say I talk too much, Jenna. Do I?” His voice changes from a childish tone to all seriousness once he stops rambling on about his fort.
“Well, you’ve got a lot on your mind, J-man.” Jenna’s eyes flash up to mine and I can see the humor in them. “But you’ve got to help them get-a-move-on today. How about we make a quick list to keep you on track?”
With that, Jenna rattles off things to pack and ways to be helpful; she even works in listening more at one point before Diesel gets the phone back from Justin and briefs me on his plans.
“His teacher wanted him to be medicated for ADHD,” she tells me when I disconnect the call. “He really doesn’t have a problem focusing, Justin just…”
“He’s what? You said six? Let me guess, he will also run and play like a maniac then nap for a couple hours?” I question her, surprised that she hasn’t pulled back from me yet; I’ve been slowly rocking my hips against her since the call began.
“Do you have kids?” Jenna asks, her eyes darting around the room.
“I don’t know. No woman I was ever with tried to pin one on me, plus I keep my dick wrapped up tight, believe you me,” I tell her. “But I was a boy, once upon a time, and no one ever tried to diagnose me.”
“I’m of the opinion that it’s just his age also. Being a has-been dancer—on the lam—sometimes exercise teacher, and current waitress, doesn’t help my cred with his teachers, however.”
“Are you on birth control?” I blurt out the question without thinking and her eyes widen just before I hear her pull at her cuffed hand again.
“No.”
“Good.”
“Good? Why is that good? Why did you ask me that?” Jenna’s voice gets higher as she goes on, her cheeks pinkening as she slaps my hand away from her hip.
“Fuck, don’t tell me you’re a virgin?” I snap.
She shakes her head and for some reason, I’m relieved. “That was a disaster.” She mumbles and I raise an eyebrow at her.
Jenna opens her mouth but wisely catches herself before giving me a full confession; one that I don’t want.
Chapter 7
Jenna
Even years later, when I replay the memory of how I gave it up to my dance partner, thinking we were, at least, friends and how he treated me after the weekend we shared, still pisses me off so much that I almost miss Declan’s face leaning in to kiss me.
Declan’s been humping my hip like a dog these past few minutes; I’m sure he thinks he’s being subtle but there’s no missing the size of the dick that’s pressing against my side.
Considering, just yesterday, I was kidnapped and separated from my brother, I can’t remember the last time I rested so well. The muscular warmth of his body against mine was comforting instead of menacing, but more than that it was the quiet assurance he gave me last night when he included me in, what seemed like a nightly ritual for him.
His after-dinner cigar and whiskey on his back deck—if that doesn’t scream confirmed bachelor, I don’t know what does.
The heat that ran through my body the day we met wasn’t just a run of the mill audition for him, I now know he felt that spark also.
When Declan’s lips cover mine, his kiss is softer than it was yesterday. Less demanding and more like he’s trying to figure me out. His body slides over to cover half of mine while he gently sucks on my tongue. Declan’s hand closes over my breast and I arch up to eagerly meet his touch.
I’m nearly humming into his mouth and I use my free hand to pull him closer to me—then his phone buzzes again, bringing me back to reality. When I realize he has no interest in it, I nudge him, finally pushing him away from me.
“It can wait,” he mumbles, sliding down to kiss my neck.
“What if it’s about Justin?” I ask, even as I wrap my leg around his hip. I can’t decide if I’m worried or relieved when the ringing starts again after a brief pause.
His teeth nip my neck and I let out a yelp then swipe my tongue against his ear in return. Leaning back, he looks at his phone before slamming it back down. “It ain’t anyone with your brother.”
Next the doorbell rings right before someone starts pounding on it.
“Fuck,” he growls as he rolls off of me. “I’ll be right back.”
“Don’t you dare leave me cuffed to this bed!” I yell at his back, furious when he closes his bedroom door behind him.
At first the voices that drift back to me sound urgent, even though they’re muffled. Next the swearing starts, and I can hear someone stomping up the hall until Declan swings the door back open.
His skin is no longer his customary light tan, it’s bright read, showing his fury and I scramble back against the headboard even though some part of me knows it isn’t me he looks like he wants to kill.
“Is Justin alright?” I ask quietly as he starts getting dressed.
“As far as I know,” he bites out. “I’m needed elsewhere. I’ll get you to the clubhouse and Joey will stay with you. I want you in my room at all times. These should fit,” he says tossing me some shorts.
“They’re huge!”
“Joey said she’d bring you something that’ll work until your things get here,” he replies, but I can tell that whatever news he got is his only real focus right now, and decide to stay quiet while he uncuffs me.
Hurriedly pulling the shorts on and pulling the string tight around my waist, I scoop up my shoes and follow him. He opens a door that leads to a large garage and my eyes widen when I see three motorcycles, a pickup truck, and an SUV. Looking over his shoulder, he lets out a sigh and heads to the pickup, opening the passenger door and nodding at me.
I’m biting my tongue on a good dozen questions, including who Joey is to him, but he immediately pops in an earpiece and calls someone.
“Fill me in,” is all he says during the drive to the imposing complex that has to be the clubhouse. That or a dealership, what with all the bikes parked outside of it. The gates roll open when he approaches, and he drives around to the back of what must have been a warehouse at some point. “Be with you in five.”
“What’s going on?” I ask quietly.
“Club business, baby. I’ll get you up to my room then have someone bring you some food. Joey and the other Ol’ Ladies are being brought in but I’ve already asked that she keep an eye on you. Justin will be here by the end of the day.” He circles the truck and opens the door for me as I try to digest the few details I do have.
“Are we in danger?” I ask, turning my body toward him but not sliding out yet. “I mean more than we usually are?”
Wrapping his arms around me, he nuzzles his face down into my neck, breathing deeply before he responds. “I don’t know the answer to that. Here, I can at least keep you safe.”
With those words, he tugs me from the truck and I follow him in through the door and up a flight of stairs. I look down a long narrow hallway with doors on either side, but hurry to turn after him when he turns the other way. The direction he went only has one door and he opens it, waiting for me as I proceed him into a loft style apartment—not at all what I was expecting.
“You aren’t a guest here, Jenna.” Declan’s voice is low but angry behind me. “It might be a day or two before I get back to you, so I need you to remember that. I’ve killed men for less than what you did.”
His words once again splash cold water over me and I nod.
Pulling me to him, Declan kisses me quickly, almost taking the edge off of his words, before leaving and locking the door behind him. I always feel unbalanced around him, so it’s a moment before my pulse slows down and I step toward the door; unfortunately, I realize I can’t open it from in here.
Fine, that means I get to explore. The small kitchenette turns up nothing but beer and whiskey, I raise my eyebrows at the fancy-ass, but masculine scented, shampoo collection he has going in the bathroom, and I’m just opening the middle drawer of his dresser when I hear the door being opened and turn to see a beautiful woman cursing.
“What the hell is wrong with these men?” she asks when her eyes fall on me, her eyes pausing on my scrapped-up cheek. My jaw drops and I cross to relieve her of the heavy looking tray she’s carrying, because she also has a baby in a sling across her back.
Instead, she kicks the door shut and lowers it to the small table near the makeshift kitchen.
“Are you Joey?” I ask hesitantly, wondering what she knows about me.
“No, Joey had to make a stop on the way here. I’m Marcella. Light was getting nervous downstairs, so I coaxed him to tell me what was wrong. He was under the impression that you might starve if Joey was another moment late, but he insisted that no man was to enter Declan’s room.”
I don’t know what to make of half of her statement, but my stomach speaks up for me.
“Please, dig in,” Marcella insists, smiling at me and she casually swings her baby to hold him and sits in the second chair. “Joey will come up when she gets here.”
“I’m sorry, I’m Jenna,” I finally say, sinking into the other chair and unwrapping the plate closest to me. I groan over the smell of the waffle covered with bacon and reach for the small jar of syrup.
Eating with manners little better than Justin’s, I devour every bite before uncovering the second plate; my eyes flicking up when Marcella starts breastfeeding her son. “This is Teague. He’s as hungry as you are.”
I nod; my mouth too full to say anything.
“He’s my first, but my husband has four older children and two grandchildren—well, he thought he had three grandchildren for a while, but it turned out his oldest son wasn’t the father. Anyway, I’m babbling because I know I’m not supposed to be in your business but I’m a stylist, so I’m used to hearing everyone’s story!” Marcella gives me a lopsided smile before opening her mouth again, until the door opens unexpectedly.
“Oh! Thank God you fed her!” While I’ve guessed that Marcella is a few years older than me, I can tell at first glance that the next woman who comes bearing a tray of food is definitely younger than I am.
“I’m beginning to know what animals at the zoo feel like,” I murmur.
“Well, if you’re done, I wouldn’t mind having a second breakfast. What about you, Joey?” Marcella laughs and I am coming to enjoy her bubbly personality.
“Um, well, I actually already stole the bacon from this tray…” she confesses with a bashful smile.
