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  I looked up at him in alarm, before standing up and moving back a little.

  “Nothing,” I answered quickly.

  "Don't lie to me." He took another drink. "Tell me what made you laugh."

  I thought quickly of an excuse, because the truth would surely make him angry again.

  "I was just thinking how boring tonight would have been at work."

  He nodded.

  “And that’s funny?”

  “In comparison to how I am spending my night, it’s funny.”

  He looked confused.

  “Look, if I don’t laugh, I am going to break down and cry.”

  “More than you already have?”

  Silence descended for a moment before I answered.

  “Yes, more than I already have.”

  He nodded again.

  “You’re scared of me.”

  It was a statement, but I answered him anyway.

  “Yes, I am scared of you.”

  “You don’t need to be scared. If you’re good to me, I’ll be good to you.”

  "Right," I nodded.

  “Why don’t you ask me something?” he said, after a pause.

  My brows knitted in confusion.

  “Like what?”

  “Ask me something. Whatever you want.”

  “Whatever I want?”

  “Yes. Whatever you want, pet.”

  I thought for a moment before answering.

  “Where are we?”

  "Safehouse. We'll stay here for the night and move out early in the morning to another location."

  “Oh,” I replied. “Where?”

  He narrowed his eyes, as if he was trying to read my mind.

  “Why do you need to know that?”

  I shrugged.

  “Just curious, that’s all.”

  He considered me carefully for another few moments.

  "About an hour from Eden,” he replied eventually. “Further into the desert than anyone needs to go. To a place that’s safe. No one apart from a few people knows where it is."

  “Okay.”

  “And there is no chance of escape if that’s what you’re thinking.” He reached his good hand out. “So, when you’re ready, I’ll have my keys back.”

  I bit my lip nervously.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied.

  “Your back pocket. My keys. Hand them over.” He gulped down another mouthful of whiskey. “Right now, pet.”

  Feeling deflated and embarrassed, I pulled the keys from my pocket and placed them on the coffee table in front of us.

  "That wasn’t so hard, was it?" Mason asked.

  There was no point saying no or trying to run away. As injured as he was, he was still more than capable of keeping me under his command. I picked the keys up again. Walking over to the lounger I dreaded what was going to come.

  Would he grab me again and actually break my wrist?

  He held out his hand. I hesitated for a moment before putting the keys flat in his palm. He didn't grab them or my hand, and I slowly retreated backward two steps.

  "Thank you."

  The words caught me by surprise. I wasn’t sure how to react to him thanking me.

  “First door along the hallway is a bathroom. Go and have a shower. I’ll leave something for you to sleep in outside the door.”

  “Thank you, Mason.”

  Chapter 13

  Mason

  I waited until the bathroom door had closed and the shower started running before I stood up and stretched my muscles.

  I was sore, but there was an ache somewhere else that I couldn't seem to get rid of. I had satisfied myself with her before, but I already wanted to have her again.

  I liked the compliance in her. “Yes Mason, no Mason, three bags full Mason”. I smiled at the thought.

  I hadn't wanted to grab her as roughly as I did, but she had been crossing boundaries with her snide remarks and making me so angry that I needed to make her understand. I realized then, however, that being so rough and demanding with her only made her cower away from me in fear. I could see her shaking, scared out of her mind.

  I knew she’d taken my keys the second she did it, and I was going to wait until later to get them back. But from the way she kept pulling away from me, I realized I needed to show her a softer side. I needed her to know that I wasn't just a brute, that I was tough but fair. I had to be, in my position. I had my club to think about. Although I would keep Ruiz away from Cassie, the GRMC was more important than she was.

  Whiskey bottle in hand, I made my way into the kitchen area. I wasn't drunk, nor was I going to get into that state. I was just stressed and needed to relax a little. I needed to take my mind off the pain in my shoulder. I looked at the bandaged wound. I couldn't deny she’d done an excellent job of fixing it.

  After a moment, I pulled my phone out of my pocket. There were several missed calls and messages from the boys. I went straight to a text from Diesel.

  ‘Update???’ was all it said.

  I quickly typed a reply.

  ‘I'm fine. Hiding for the night with it. I will call in the morning’.

  My phone beeped less than a minute later with another message from Diesel. A thumbs-up and nothing else.

  I dropped the phone on the counter and warmed up two cans of chicken and vegetable soup on the stove. The meal wasn't much, but it would do for the night.

  When that was done, I noticed the water in the bathroom was still running and had a sinking feeling in the back of my mind that Cassie had done a runner through the window.

  I stormed down the hall and had just touched the doorknob when the water shut off.

  I sighed in relief and stepped back from the door.

  Clothes, I need to get her clothes.

  I turned to the bedroom, pushed the door open, flicked the light on and walked in.

  I hadn't been out there for over a year. Not only had I not needed to use it as a safehouse, but I hadn't needed the space to clear my head and wind down the same as I used to.

  I went to the drawers and pulled out a shirt and socks. There were no ladies’ panties here. She'd have to go commando or wear the ones I’d given her before.

  I returned to the bathroom door. I paused just as I was about to knock. The sound of snuffling from within had me curious and annoyed.

  What was she crying about now?

  The constant whining was getting on my nerves. The snippy and snide remarks that came out of her mouth every now and then pissed me off as well. And the way her hips swayed when she walked made my thoughts run straight to my cock.

  I refrained from just opening the door and knocked.

  I heard a sniffle, a throat being cleared, then a shaky ‘Yes’.

  “I have a shirt. I don’t have any panties for you, so you’ll have to make do with the ones you have until tomorrow.”

  There was a brief pause before the door opened and a small bruised and rope-burned wrist popped out. I handed her the shirt and socks without a word before heading back to the kitchen area.

  After ladling out two bowls of soup, I dropped down on the lounger and waited for Cassie to make an appearance from the bathroom.

  Ten minutes passed before she finally emerged and walked into the living room.

  I looked up in time to see her stride over and drop down next to me on the lounger, sitting as far away as possible. I watched her out the corner of my eye as she got comfortable, making sure the shirt covered everything. Seeing her not wearing any panties made my dick hard. How easy it would be for us to fuck on the lounger. My arm was sore, though. She'd have to do some of the work, and I didn't think she'd be up to it – not just yet. Maybe another day or so, once she’d stopped lying to herself when she said she didn’t want me.

  I nodded at the bowl.

  "Eat."

  She reached forward and picked the bowl up, mixing the contents for a minute before screwing up her face at them.

  “What is it?”
she asked.

  I almost dropped my spoon as I turned to glare at her. The urge to yell at her was strong, until I saw the sad, wide-eyed look on her face.

  "I'm just asking a question," she whispered before taking a mouthful. She smiled. "Chicken. Thanks."

  I nodded, “You’re welcome.”

  We were both quiet for another minute, then she looked at me expectantly.

  “Yes?” I asked.

  “Am I allowed to talk to you?”

  With an exasperated sigh, I nodded.

  "Yes, you can talk. Just remember, there is a level of respect you need to show."

  "Shouldn't that go both ways?"

  “No. I own you, which means you’re mine and you do as I say.”

  I pushed my empty bowl forward onto the table when I was done and leaned back into the couch, closing my eyes.

  “So, who are you?” she asked.

  I opened my eye a crack to look at her.

  “Mason. Thought we made that clear.” I replied, feeling a little unsure as to what she was asking.

  “I know your name, but who exactly are you?”

  “President of the Ghost Riders Motorcycle Club.”

  “And you sell women for a living?”

  I nodded. “Among other things.”

  “What other things?”

  I didn’t have to answer those questions right now, but there was no way she would ever stop asking me.

  “Drugs, guns, and women we sell for prostitution.”

  “Oh,” Cassie paled. “Am I a prostitute?”

  I swallowed a bitter retort.

  "No, you're not a prostitute."

  “So how did you get into all this?”

  “What’s with all the questions?”

  She shrugged. “You said I could ask questions.”

  “Yeah, but we’re not playing twenty questions.”

  “I’m just curious. My life has gone from boring to terrifying in less than a day. I think I’m entitled to ask a few prying questions.”

  I didn't reply to that. She’d made a valid point. I was almost relieved when the silence extended into a few minutes. I thought the interrogation was over.

  "Can I ask about your tattoos?” Cassie spoke up again. “You have a lot,"

  “Can I ask some stuff about you first?”

  “Sure,” she shrugged.

  “How old are you?”

  Cassie raised her eyebrows.

  "Twenty-five."

  “And you’re a virgin?”

  "Not anymore, thanks to you," she scoffed.

  She looked down at her bowl, her long hair hiding the blush already on her face.

  "I didn't want my first time to be like that."

  I reached over and pulled her hair away, so I could look at her.

  “You’ll be fine. I know you enjoyed it. Back at the club, you came hard all over my cock.”

  She shrugged.

  “You liked it. Admit it, Cassie.”

  She sighed. “I liked it. Alright? Are you happy?”

  “Very happy,” I nodded. “So why did you move to Eden?”

  “I got a new job.”

  “So, moving here doesn’t have anything to do with that wedding band imprint on your finger?”

  Cassie was quiet for a moment before she finally shook her head.

  “Engagement ring, the imprint is from an engagement ring.”

  She looked at me then and nodded at my body.

  “Your tattoos, there’s one on your side…”

  “No!” I cut her off, my voice harsher than I’d have liked, before she had the chance to continue.

  But Cassie didn’t flinch.

  “The one on your side that says ‘Dana’. Who is she?”

  My fists clenched and unclenched a few times. I finally shook my head.

  "I said no, and you asked anyway." Her eyes widened. "You seem to have a problem doing what you're told. Listen again, because I'm not giving any more warnings. Respect! Show it, or I will put you back on the block. I will not tell you again."

  After a minute Cassie finally nodded.

  “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to be rude. Can we sleep now?”

  “The bedroom. I’ll be in soon.”

  Cassie was up and gone before I could say anything else.

  Chapter 14

  Mason

  I sat up for a long while after Cassie had gone to bed, unable to get the tiny brunette out of my mind. From the moment I saw her, I knew that I wanted her body in every way possible and in every way she could give it to me. But my thoughts were sexual, nothing more, and that was all they still were, would, and needed to be.

  Tiny, tight, sexy, and with fucking perfect curves in all the right places.

  Her dark eyes were soft and doe-like. And the way she looked at me with them, I could read everything she was feeling. Fear, anger, curiosity, and kindness. Somehow, under all her fear and anger, she was still as kind as I knew she’d be.

  But, my God, she was a smart bitch. Timid. I thought she would be more timid and compliant than anything else. But she was cheeky, and only really crawled into her shell and listened when I snapped at her.

  I didn’t want to keep snapping at her. I needed to keep reminding myself that she was scared and confused. She wanted answers, and on more than one topic.

  But… Dana was of no concern to her or anyone else.

  Groaning from frustration, I knew I needed to find a way to get rid of her or else I was going to be in trouble.

  It’s strange, but in the very short time I had been with Cassie she had made everything more exciting. Not exactly a good thing, but she’d made me feel things I hadn’t felt for a long time. Things that I thought I would never feel again.

  Contentment, was one of those things.

  Having her behind me on the bike, her arms wrapped tightly around my middle, was comforting and I couldn’t understand why. I’d have been screwed had anyone asked, because, if I couldn’t wrap my own head around the situation, there’s no way I could even attempt to explain it to anyone else.

  But Cassie was still scared of me. The more I thought on that, the more I didn’t like it. I didn’t want her scared of me. I just wanted her. I wanted her to want me to fuck her hard, over and over. The way she thought of me fucking her every time she saw me. I knew she wanted me. I just wondered how long it would be until she admitted it to herself.

  Getting too close to her wasn’t an option though. And that was for the best, because it was too dangerous. Getting close would end badly for more than just the two of us. I had the club to think about, my brothers and friends. And they had families, too, who I didn’t want to see hurt.

  Beep, beep.

  I got up and grabbed my phone from the counter.

  It was Diesel. The clubhouse had gone. Burnt to a crisp.

  Not bothering to reply, I slammed the phone down on the table. The Cartel had sent the Ghost Rider clubhouse up in flames. I’d watched it with my own eyes and had Cassie as a witness.

  How much farther would they go to get the girl? I needed to protect her, but I had the club to think about as well.

  Cassie

  I lay awake in bed for three hours before I eventually fell asleep. I awoke even more frustrated.

  Thoughts about Mason and the way we’d fucked played over and over again in my mind. It was like the memory was set to repeat and I couldn’t stop, pause, or even play anything else. The feeling of him inside me, of being so full of his cock, and the possessive way in which he had taken me made my legs tingle like they did when I’d come all over him. I wanted it. God, I wanted it so bad. I just wished things were different, that we had met under entirely different circumstances.

  My stomach started twisting in knots at the thought of all the wickedly, crazy, sexy, and insane scenarios in which we could have met. And they were all insane. Mason coming into the hospital ER and me patching him up before we had sex. Or bumping into each other at the grocery store, him helping me
carry my bag to the car, then recognizing each other as neighbors, going out to dinner before heading back to mine - or his - to have hot sex.