Page 41 of The Sentinels

I smiled, and then groaned when his spent cock slipped out of me. I lowered my leg and then reached for Ace's shoulders to steady myself. "How do you think I feel?"

He surprised me by asking, "I don't know. How do you feel?"

"You want the sappy words, biker man, or do you want the cold, hard facts?" I teased.

"Cold, hard facts every time, baby."

I took a breath. "You filled my pussy with your seed, biker man. I feel totally fucked by you. I feel owned."

He growled before giving me a hard, brief kiss. "Exactly how a man wants his woman to feel after he's done fucking her."

His woman? I contained my happiness, because I was afraid that his idea of what being "his woman" was wasn't the same as mine. Men like Ace were possessive. I'd seen it time and time again with other Sentinels and the way they treated their women.

"Why, Emerson?" he asked me unexpectedly. I was confused by his question until he continued with, "Why did you let me treat you like a fucking whore?"

I knew that he was referring to all of the months that I’d serviced him at the bar, getting nothing but his dirty money in return. He could not understand how I could have allowed him to treat me so carelessly for so long.

I shrugged. "Isn't that what you wanted?” He frowned. "For months I watched you take a different woman out back. I knew what you were doing. Everyone knew. The Sentinels don't exactly keep their sexual conquests to themselves." Neither did the women. They loved bragging about their victories.

"You could have told me the truth the first time I dragged you out back, baby. You took my money."

I blushed hotly at that. "Yeah. I was stunned the first time you handed me money. By the time I was able to talk, you'd already gone back inside." I smiled and stepped around him, walking to a cupboard in the kitchen.

"That doesn't explain why you let me treat you like that." He'd turned and followed me.

I reached for a box, turned and faced him again as I set it on the counter in front of him. I was tempted to lie to him until I remembered that he had asked for the cold, hard facts. "I wanted you," I said simply. I pushed the box toward him. "Every cent you gave me is in this box. I never meant to keep it, or spend it."

He paid the box no mind, a frown still set on his rugged face. "You wanted me enough to let me treat you like a whore?" He crossed his arms.

I didn't understand his growing anger. "At the time I thought that's what you wanted, biker man. The women you, ah,associatedwith had questionable reputations." I shrugged. "I had developed a, ah, big crush on you, and when you finally noticed me I thought it was best not to reveal that I was a good girl." He snorted at that. "Well, it's true, I am a good girl."

His lips quirked in mild humor. "Yeah, baby girl, you're good at some things."

His meaning wasn't lost on me. The way his eyes swept down my body caused me to go hot inside. Suddenly I was reminded of how wet I was below. I needed a shower, but first I wanted the answers to some questions. "Why did you treat me so differently? I knew you'd fucked those other women when you took them out back. Was it that you didn't want me bad enough to fuck me too?"

"Christ, after the last twenty-four hours, how can you ask me that?" Ace grumbled. "You were so fucking good with your mouth that I was afraid to take things any further with you. Since you seemed willing to continue that way, I took advantage. And when you weren't sucking my dick, I ignored you altogether." He took a breath, releasing it with a look of regret. "I didn't want to see or think of you as anyone I might need in my life."

I just stared at him, not sure of what to do with his explanation. Even though it made him sound like a selfish bastard, I appreciated his honesty. I could almost understand it. I knew some of Ace's story; I knew that of all the Sentinels, he was the most dangerous and unpredictable. He wasn't lovable; he wasn't friendly, except to his brothers and their families. He used women because they allowed him to. I'd heard some of them bragging about being with him, but because he was one of the Sentinels, a biker, and not because of who he was as a man.

Some had made disparaging remarks about his scars when they'd thought that no one was around to hear. But if I had heard them, I was almost certain that Ace had, too. I wondered how deep his scars went, and if that was the reason that he stayed away from women unless they were willing to satisfy his physical needs only. I wondered if any of those women had offered him more than just her body.

"And now?" I finally asked softly, thinking back to his last remark. "How do you see me now, Ace? You don't do repeats. You men--" and by that I meant the Sentinels, "--are so worried that every woman is out to trap you into something that you're not ready for that your ‘hit it and quit it’ rule is known to just about everyone in town. Is this it for us?"

Amusement filled the darkness in his eyes.

I didn't like it, and I slapped my hands on my hips. "I swear if you toss any more money at me I'm going to cut your dick off and hang it up at the bar." Apparently my threat didn't worry him in the least, because his expression didn't waver.

"Calm down, baby girl. Though I like the way your tits bounced when you slapped your hands on your hips." In spite of my obvious annoyance, he wrapped a hand around the back of my neck and pulled me closer. I opened my mouth to protest, but he swooped down and covered it with his, thrusting his tongue inside and effectively shutting me up.

It didn't take long before I was melting against him again and the only thing that I was feeling was his hard chest against my breasts, his hardening cock poking into my belly. Why was I allowing him to have this much power over me? I knew the answer already--because I'd waited so long for him. As the passion ignited between us, he gripped my hair and pulled my head back, placing his mouth against the arch of my vulnerable throat with a groan. His teeth clamped down on me, causing a shiver to go through me.

"I thought I'd made myself clear earlier, baby. Consider yourself claimed."

"You claim all the women you fuck?"

He snorted. "Fuck, no, but I'm claimingyou, Emerson. And in case that's not clear enough that means you belong to me."

I was the one snorting now. "Just like that?" Inside I was secretly thrilled. "Sounds kind of barbaric."

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