Page 13 of Mercenary's Redemption

To my surprise, instead of pressing the issue further, Holly suddenly closes the distance between us. Before I can react, she starts lashing out, punching at my bare chest with her small fists as fat tears spill down her cheeks.

"Why...do you have...to be so rude?" She demands between sobs, each ineffectual blow punctuating her words. "I know...there's good in you...Chance! Why...can't you...see that?"

I simply stand there, letting her vent her frustrations against me without a word. Truth is, I could easily grab her wrists to halt the assault. But my body remains frozen, unmoving, as wave after wave of her anger and anguish crashes against me.

Maybe I do deserve this, every punch and scream. I am the bad man she believes me to be, after all. So why does this beautiful, caring woman remain so stubbornly convinced that there's some goodness buried inside me?

And the most dangerous question of all—is it even possible that there could be? That the girl somehow senses something I've long since given up hope of?

Chapter 7 - Holly

What am I doing? I'm sitting here punching this hulking, muscular biker like a petulant child throwing a tantrum. A man who has saved me not once but twice now without hesitation. A man who could so easily overpower me and toss me aside like a rag doll if he wished.

Yet Chance remains utterly still and unmoving, taking the blows against his chest without so much as a word of protest. It's like he's allowing me to vent my anger and frustration directly onto him, to unleash all the pent-up emotions swirling inside me in this bizarre way.

Finally, when my fists have gone numb, and I'm simply too exhausted to continue, I cease my ineffectual assault. I sag forward, resting my forehead against his skin as I pant harshly to catch my breath.

"I'm...I'm so sorry," I rasp out between gulps of air. "I'm just...done with men who only know violence. Who think hurting and abandoning the people who l-love them is okay!"

I brace myself, fully expecting Chance to roughly shove me away now, to snarl some harsh rebuke about how he doesn't need to listen to a hysterical woman's ranting. About how he'll treat folks however he damn well pleases, consequences be damned.

Instead, to my utter shock, I feel those powerful, muscled arms encircling me from behind. Chance tugs me flush against his body, holding me in a firm, unrelenting embrace as he rests his cheek atop my head.

"Wh-What are you doing?" I can't help but whisper in confusion, frozen in his unexpected bear hug.

"Dunno..." He rumbles, sounding almost as bewildered as I feel. "It just seemed like you needed a hug."

A surprised little laugh bubbles up from my chest at his simple, honest answer. This brutal, feared man - the terrifying Mercenary himself - is hugging me because he thought I needed it. Because despite all the violence and hardness he wears like a second skin, he still has the capacity for such gentle compassion.

Slowly, I let myself relax back against the solid wall of his body, resting my head against the firm plane of his chest. I can hear the steady thump of his heartbeat drumming in my ear, amazingly calming despite the dried streaks of his blood now staining my arms and clothes.

I lean back slightly in his embrace, tilting my head up to meet Chance's intense hazel gaze. His eyes are glinting with an emotion I can't quite read; lips parted ever so slightly as if begging for a kiss. The afternoon sun rays filter in through the nearby window, hollowing out the rugged lines of his cheeks and jawline.

"I'm surprised your heart is beating so fast," I tease, unable to resist the playful jab. "I thought you didn't have one in there."

Instead of getting riled or defensive like I expected, Chance's full lips quirk up in a wry half-smile.

"Oh, I got one, alright. It just… hasn’t beat like this in a real long time."

The husky timbre of his deep voice sends a shiver rippling through me. Suddenly, it's like the world around us has melted away, leaving just the two of us frozen in an endless moment.

I can feel the thrumming of my own pulse pick up, blood roaring in my ears as the most delicious ache blossoms between my thighs.

Part of me knows I should pull away now, put some distance between us before this... this undeniable spark has a chance to burst into an inferno.

He's the owner of a biker bar, for god's sake - getting involved with a rough man like Chance would only lead to more chaos and danger in my life. What about Jayden? How can I reasonably try to steer my son away from that world while indulging in it myself?

And yet...when Chance's palm comes up to tenderly cup my flushed cheek, I feel rooted to the spot, unable to make my leaden limbs obey. I should say something, anything to break this heated tension before it consumes us both. But all rational thought has fled, leaving only desire coursing through my veins.

"This isn't exactly the place I pictured for our first kiss," Chance rumbles, his voice suddenly pitched lower in a tone that threatens to buckle my knees. “You deserve better than this."

Before I can formulate a response - not that my lust-hazed mind could likely string two coherent words together now - Chance's lips are over mine.

And like a woman lying parched in the desert being offered her first drought-quenching sip of water in days, I can't help but eagerly drink him in.

Chance doesn't waste a second more. With surprising ease, given his powerful musculature, he scoops me up into his arms like I weigh no more than a feather.

"I can't control myself any longer," he mutters. "Have never desired a woman as bad as I desire you. Ever."

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