Protector (Grim Legion MC #1) Read online

  Sliding the slip of silk aside, I delved into her wetness, causing her to groan loudly, her hands tightening on my hair.

  “Yes,” she whimpered, bucking against my hand. “Right there.”

  I tore my mouth away from her breast and pushed up her skirt roughly, until I was face-to-face with her mound.

  “What about this?” I asked lightly, before touching my mouth to the core of her.

  Nat whimpered as my tongue found the pulsating nub, stroking it lightly to get my first taste of her body.

  “Please,” she begged, pulling me closer still. “I’m so close.”

  I grabbed her ass and pulled her against my face, going to town until she screamed out my name, her orgasm coming in waves.

  It was the hottest fucking thing I had ever seen.

  I rode with her until she stopped bucking, wasting no time bending her over the couch behind us while dropping my jeans. My cock was hard and ready, and she put up no resistance as I inched into her, until I was filling her completely.

  “Fox,” she sobbed, tightening around me. “Yes, oh yes.”

  I grabbed her hips and slammed into her, getting another scream from her that shattered the silence of the house. It wasn’t going to be long, but I was going to enjoy it while I could.

  She bucked against me, and I gritted my teeth, giving her what she wanted as we fell into a comfortable rhythm, our bodies slapping together. I wanted to feast on her body, but tonight this was all about getting this pull between us out of the way.

  Nat orgasmed around my cock, and I roared with my own, pouring into her with a hard thrust. My knees grew weak, and I gasped for breath, surprised by my own release.

  Hell, how long had it been, truly?

  Finally, after a moment, I backed out, taking a look at her exposed ass before she turned around, a catlike grin on her face.

  “That was… I don’t know what that was.”

  I pulled her toward me, kissing her hard on the lips.

  “That was what we both wanted. I don’t fucking care what you say.”

  She wound her arms around my neck, kissing me back.

  “No, I wouldn’t lie about that. I-I just… I don’t know.”

  I scooped her up in my arms, walking us both back to the bathroom.

  “Come on, I’m not done with you yet.”

  **

  An hour later, I laid back on the pillow, feeling largely depleted and knowing I had to get Nat back to the mansion before too much time had passed. Another round or two of mind-blowing sex had ensued, and she was currently attempting to pull herself together in the bathroom.

  I was fucking happy, even if it was completely wrong to feel that way. Nat was an engaged woman, and I had just fucked her every which way to Sunday.

  And I didn’t feel bad about it.

  Blowing out a breath, I thought about the words that I would say to her when she came out. Was I ready to beg her to call off this farce of a wedding? Hell, I didn’t know. I didn’t know if I was ready to make a commitment with a woman like Nat. She liked the finer things in life. I couldn’t give her that kind of shit.

  Plus, she had her own agenda when it came to this marriage she was insisting on. I didn’t know how I could fit into her plans. But I wasn’t planning on just walking away. No, I had roughly three weeks to talk her out of this wedding, maybe even show her that life was okay outside of her gilded cage.

  The toilet flushed, and I sat up in bed, watching as Nat came out, dressed again. She was fucking gorgeous, and now that I had a taste of her, I wasn’t ready to give that up.

  “Hey.”

  She looked at me, biting her lower lip.

  “Um, Fox. I-I know this was all sudden, and we both wanted this, but it can’t happen again. I… We can’t do this again.”

  I frowned.

  “What?”

  She looked away.

  “I-I am engaged to be married and that is complicated enough. I will take the blame for this, but I can’t have this going on as well.”

  Pushing aside the covers, I stood up, not caring that I was stark naked.

  “You are taking the blame? Which time? The first or the third?”

  She looked up at me, her eyes betraying what words were coming out of her mouth. I could still see the longing there, the heat that was barely simmering under the surface.

  “I… Please, you have to understand.”

  I blew out a breath, running a hand through my hair.

  “Fine, whatever. I’ll take you home.”

  She didn’t say anything as I picked up my clothes, yanking them on angrily. I knew she wasn’t meaning what she was saying, that she wasn’t wanting this to be the only time between us. She was confused.

  Hell, I was confused.

  But I would be damned if I was going to let her off the hook that quickly.

  **

  The next day, I walked through the mansion, a grim smile on my face. I was exhausted, having not slept very well in that guest bedroom, knowing that Nat was only a few feet away.

  That, and I had dreamed about her when I had slept, waking up with a raging hard-on this morning that could not be relieved in the way I wanted it to be.

  So, I had concentrated on other things, putting in a few calls and making a game plan to keep Nat safe.

  In case she decided to kick me to the curb after last night.

  “Woohee,” my guest let out as we walked through the kitchen, headed to the backyard. “This is high dollar here.”

  “Keep your tongue inside your mouth, alright?” I muttered lightly, but with no heat. “They will think we are backwoods country.”

  She let out a husky laugh.

  “We are backwoods country. I don’t know who you are trying to fool, cousin, but there is no other way around it.”

  I grinned as we stepped outside, under the pagoda that housed the outside kitchen area, complete with seating and a fucking TV on the stone wall.

  “Just try to remember your manners, alright?”

  My cousin, Becky, laughed.

  “Who the hell are we meeting then? The president?”

  I ignored her, walking in the direction of the pool, where Nat and Alice were lounging, catching some rays. Her mother wasn’t far from them, curled up under an umbrella with a multitude of catalogs laid out on the large lounger she occupied. No doubt wedding catalogs.

  “Ladies,” I called out, trying to ignore the fact that Nat had on one of her tiny bikinis again.

  Nat leaned up, lowering her sunglasses.

  “Fox.”

  I watched as her gaze slipped to Becky, her eyes hardening before she slipped her sunglasses in place.

  “Fox,” Alice said, a knowing look on her face.

  Great, just fucking great. Nat didn’t want to do it again, but she was spilling her guts to her friend? It made no sense.

  So, I decided to have a little fun.

  “Ladies,” I started out, sliding an arm around Becky.

  Becky flinched at the surprising show of affection, and I pulled her closer to me, knowing she would likely kick my ass later on for this.

  “This is Becky. I’ve brought her here to teach you some self-defense.”

  “Really?” Alice asked with sudden interest. “Oh, I have always wanted to take one of those classes.”

  “Fabulous,” Nat said dryly, her body language telling me that she was sizing up Becky.

  Becky looked up at me, a grin on her face, and I realized she knew what I was trying to do. Now I would owe her a steak dinner for this, on top of the bouncer time I had already promised her for even agreeing to come out here.

  Becky ran one of the most successful strip-joints this side of Nevada, and I was damn proud that my cousin had turned into such a good businesswoman. She knew her shit, and the women who worked for her appreciated how she looked out for them, ensuring they had a solid job and were safe doing it. I bounced there from time to time and maybe had enjoyed a show or two.

  �
�Well, Fox,” she purred, running her fingers lightly over my shoulder. “You know I would do anything for you, anything at all.”

  I heard Nat’s snort and nearly laughed aloud. It served her right to be jealous. After last night and the tortured sleep I had been put through, it was time she felt some of the effects. Stepping away from Becky, I gestured toward the women.

  “They are all yours.”

  “Oh no,” Becky said with a sly smile. “I need your help too.”

  Before I knew it, I found myself facing a pissed-off Nat, her body wrapped in a robe cinched tightly around her waist. She had taken off her sunglasses, so I could see how mad she really was, but that didn’t hide the fact she had dark circles under her eyes.

  “Didn’t get much sleep?” I asked lightly, as Becky started to show Alice how to make a proper fist.

  Nat gave me a sickly-sweet smile.

  “Of course I did. Didn’t you?”

  I gave her a thin smile.

  “Lie to me again, and I will kiss you right here and now.”

  Her eyes widened, and I looked over her shoulder, seeing her mother eyeing us with some interest. “I bet your mom over there would love to see that.”

  “Shut up,” she hissed, her glance sliding over to Becky. “The least you could have done was tell me you are sleeping with her.”

  Becky walked over, a grin on her face.

  “That would be very weird my friend, very weird indeed. I mean, my cousin is hot, but I don’t see him like that.”

  The look on Nat’s face was priceless, and I laughed, unable to help it.

  “You lied to me.”

  I shook my head.

  “No, that was your perception. I never said anything to lead you down that path.”

  Instead of smarting off, she blew out a breath.

  “I guess you’re right.”

  I stepped closer, holding up my hands.

  “Hit me.”

  She chuckled.

  “Oh, I would like to right now, very hard.”

  “Show me how mad you are,” I countered. “Come on, Nat. I know you aren’t scared.”

  Nat’s gaze narrowed, and she swung at my hand with her left one, connecting solidly. I felt the sting of her punch, surprised when she didn’t even flinch or rub her hand.

  “That was pretty good,” I admitted.

  “Three years of kickboxing,” she replied evenly. “Would you like to see my high kick?”

  “No,” I answered, stepping closer until there were mere inches between us. “What did I do wrong?”

  She swallowed.

  “I… We can’t talk about this here.”

  “When will we talk about this?” I asked quietly. “You can’t just pretend it didn’t happen, Nat.”

  Nataliya opened her mouth to speak, but Bryan’s voice filled the air and we jumped apart guiltily.

  “There you are!”

  “Bryan,” Nat’s mother replied with a wide smile. “The girls were just learning a few self-defense tips, apparently. But with you protecting my Nat, she wouldn’t have to worry about something as silly as that.”

  “Of course I will be there to protect her,” Bryan smiled as he walked over and slipped an arm around Nat’s waist. “Darling, I was wondering if you would like to go to dinner with me.”

  “Really?” Nat replied, looking at him. “Dinner?”

  He nodded, pressing a kiss against her brow. I clenched my fists together at my side, knowing I couldn’t interfere, even though I wanted to drown the asshole in the pool and walk away.

  “Maria and Dave have been asking, and I figured tonight was as good a night as any, right?”

  Nat bit her lip.

  “Yes, well, of course. Sure, that will be good.”

  “Great,” Bryan said, looking me up and down. “And we don’t need your help tonight. I can protect my fiancée.”

  I held up my hands, hiding my emotions. I didn’t like the grin on his face. I didn’t like the fact that he was touching Nat.

  But I couldn’t say anything. I couldn’t do anything.

  “Sure, whatever. She has a mean right hook. I think she can protect herself.”

  Nat looked at me, but I was already walking over to Becky and Alice.

  “Who’s that guy?” Becky asked softly, her eyes on Bryan.

  “That’s the groom,” Alice supplied, working on Becky to get her on the ground. “Bryan.”

  I looked at Becky, but she just shook her head at me, turning her attention back to Alice. There was something there, something she wasn’t telling me, and I wasn’t so sure I wanted to find out what it was.

  **

  “Great job, you are a natural.”

  Becky gave Alice a pat on the back, watching as the young woman beamed with happiness.

  Surprisingly, Alice was a quick learner, and after Fox had left them to their own devices, she had been able to show Alice a few tricks. But her mind kept straying back to the man who had walked away with Fox’s new love interest, a man she had seen before.

  She did feel sorry for her cousin. It wasn’t hard to see that he had the hots for the Russian beauty, a woman who was way out of his league. Becky would put a week’s worth of profits on a bet that they had already slept together. What her cousin hadn’t seen was the longing in the woman’s eyes as he had walked away.

  He was in a world of mess.

  “Do you think I can come to some of your classes?” Alice was asking, as she slipped on her flip flops again. “I really would like to work on my defense some more.”

  Becky nodded. “Sure, I would love to have you. If you can get me out of here, I can get you my card.”

  Alice gestured toward the house, and Becky followed her, swallowing hard.

  Whatever her cousin was involved in, he was only going to find heartache there. She was sure of it.

  Chapter 11

  Nataliya

  I walked into the kitchen the next morning, still rubbing the sleep from my eyes. After another restless night, I didn’t know how much more I could take before my body shut down. Not even the wine I’d had at dinner had been enough to put me to sleep, but it had been enough to fend off Bryan as he tried to make his way into my suite after we had gotten back from dinner.

  He had been drunk off his ass too, so I imagined he didn’t remember any of it, which meant I wouldn’t have to explain myself this morning.

  I missed Fox. I hated to admit it to myself, much less to anyone else, but yesterday, when he had shown up with his cousin, my heart had raced uncontrollably. It was hard to not remember the way his hands had glided over my naked body, his lips teasing me until I had gasped.

  Never before had I felt like that with any other man, the craving that had yet to subside. If nothing else, it had grown by leaps and bounds.

  Scrubbing a hand over my face, I pulled a mug down from the cupboard, starting the coffee. I had a shit-ton of things to do that day for the wedding, including a dress-fitting and a meeting with the coordinator to go over the seating chart, again. There was also the matter of a small dinner party that night that I had yet to figure out what to wear to, supposedly an intimate gathering for the wedding party and a few close friends. I had seen the guest list. The attendance was well over one hundred, thanks to my mom.

  “There you are.”

  Speak of the devil. I reached for the cup to put in the coffee machine, not turning around.

  “Good morning, Mother.”

  “Why are you not dressed? We have to be at the dressmaker’s in an hour.”

  I closed the door on the machine, pressing a few buttons to set it going before turning to face her. As usual, she looked flawless in her designer outfit, her hair pulled up in a severe bun.

  “Because, I have an hour to get ready.”

  She frowned, her hands on her hips.

  “Why do you look so tired? You are to be a blushing bride, not a tired one.”

  I pushed my long hair out of my face.