Page 42 of Royal Sons MC

“Rico stormed into my room holding several bags, acting strangely, almost jovial, and that was very odd for him. When he hit me on the ass, it shocked me, yet the gifts were even more out of the normal since my father never allowed me to wear revealing clothing before. I thought it was a joke. Could you imagine your older brother giving you see-through lingerie to wear and expecting you to come down to a party in your honor wearing it?”

Traeger didn’t answer her, giving her the time and space she needed to gather her thoughts.

“I truly thought it was a joke and didn’t put it on. I dressed in one of my favorite outfits and went down, expecting...a party like a normal one. Instead, I found a room filled with men who I knew associated with my father and brother and a glaring father at the bottom of the steps. Mi padre yelled at me, wanting to know what the hell I had on. He looked at my brother like he’d done something wrong. The way my father embarrassed my brother angered him, which didn't bode well for me. I could see the vein in the side of Rico’s temple pulse, and then he was beside me on the steps, where he grabbed me by the arm and marched me back upstairs. Once we were in my room, he informed me that if I didn’t wear the outfit he bought, he’d allow his bodyguard to do it for me. Trust me, Thomason, his guard would’ve loved to do just that.” Kailani licked her lips, taking a drink of water before continuing. “Rico told me he wouldn’t allow me to disobey him again. If he ordered me to do something, I was to do it or suffer the consequences.”

Traeger watched as a tear rolled down her cheek, seeing how hard she fought to control the shudders wracking her frame. However, he didn’t try and interrupt her.

“When I made my way out of my room wearing the scraps Rico had given me, I felt more exposed than if I’d been naked. I stood at the top of the stairs and thought of launching myself over the ledge instead of walking down them. I met my father’s gaze and knew that he would prefer me dead and thought, screw that. I held my head high and took the steps one at a time. Every person there was male, and I felt like I was on display, which I was. They all had this knowing look in their eyes, each planning what they would do to me. The one saving grace was my prick of a brother wouldn’t be privy to...my earning my keep. He informed me he wouldn’t be sticking around while that happened. Oh, and he was gracious enough to ensure one of his buddies was the first, so I didn’t have to lose my virginity to an old man with quote-unquote saggy balls.” She wiped her cheeks with the back of her hands.

Traeger gripped the bottle of water, wishing he could’ve been there for her. Fuck, how the hell could a father and brother not only allow but facilitate such shit?

Kailani inhaled deeply. “I don’t know why they hated me so deeply. Rico was older than me by twelve years, so there shouldn’t have been any resentment. Heck, our father didn’t show me any favoritism, quite the opposite. Of course, after that...that first night, I realized it wasn’t me, or not just me, but women in general. Neither my father nor my brother respects women. I don’t know that they respect anyone other than themselves.” She turned to stare at him, her eyes shimmering in the darkness.

“I’d say men like them only respect power and who can give it to them. Whatever they see as below them is nothing.” He traced the water dripping on the bottle with one finger, thinking of how life for Kailani must’ve been. One huge nightmare, day after day, night after night.

She nodded. “I think you’re right. That first night... was, or rather is, a blur mostly, as was the next couple of days. I remember coming down to breakfast, hardly able to move; every part of my body ached. I probably should’ve gone to the hospital to be checked out, at the very least. However, my father would never have allowed that. Instead, I suffered in silence, wincing with each movement. My father met my gaze, his steady as he regarded me. He’d left the house shortly after the auction, everyone there knowing what would happen next. I begged my father not to go, but he walked out without looking back. The bastard was too much of a pussy to stay and watch or be near when his own daughter was being raped by a man he’d allowed into his own home, yet that morning at breakfast, he held my gaze as if he was lord and master.” She took another drink, her voice cracking.

“He is a pussy. Any man who must force a woman to have sex or allows a woman to be forced to have sex is a pussy. No, a man, a father who does that, is worse than a pussy,” he growled.

She gave a mirthless chuckle. “In my world, it is normal. You see, my father thought offering me a new car would make it better. Maybe I should’ve taken it, but I have pride. When he laid a set of keys on the table that morning, tapping them with one long finger, saying in his clipped accent, ‘a present for you', like that would make up for what I’d gone through. I got up from the table, pushing them back toward him with as much dignity as I could, and told him I didn’t want payment for being his whore. I told him that was his son’s job. I limped away, which wasn’t a great way to exit, but he let me go without another word. I remember walking out, my head high, holding my breath, waiting for one of the bodyguards to drag me back into the room for a beating.”

He could see the fear and horror written on her face, could tell she’d relived the entire scene all over again as she’d sat there and told him of it. Son-of-a-bitch, how this beautiful, strong woman stood up to her bastard of a father only days after enduring what she had showed him just how much of a fighter she was.

“Don’t,” she whispered.

Traeger cocked his head in question.

“You’re feeling sorry for me. Don’t. I learned quick that night that wishes were for fairytales. You see, the first man to take me was Rico’s friend. He bought me for the weekend. That’s how my father had it set up, auction-style. The bastard had slipped his jacket over my shoulders after he won the auction that night, making me think he might be gallant, like a knight in shining armor. That was the first and last time he showed any kindness. I don’t want a knight or some fairytale prince Traeger.”

“That’s good, Kailani. I don’t think I’d look too good in tights. Besides, fairytales are for little girls, and you’re all grown up.”

She laughed. “If I hadn’t been, I sure as hell did that night and every night since then. I thought I’d be saved once I went off to college in the fall, but as you probably figured out, that never happened.”

Fuck, his fist was clenched so tightly he felt his fingernails biting into his palms. “Can I hold you, please?” he bit out.

“What?” she turned to him. Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears.

“I need to hold you, Kailani, but I don’t want to just pick you up. Will you let me hold you?” He held his breath, hoping like hell she said yes. If not, he would be calling King for someone to come and take his place while he went hunting.

With a cry, she leaped out of the seat and into his arms. Traeger closed his eyes, pulling her against his chest, and let her cry until she stopped. He felt his eyes tearing up but didn’t try to stem the tears. No woman should have faced what this woman had been through. A father, a brother, was to protect their family, not do what hers had done. For that, they’d signed their death warrant. Oh, he knew King and the other MC brothers would need to be brought in, but at the end of the day, Traeger would be the one dealing out the justice to them.

“Traeger, will you make love with me?” she whispered.

He stiffened. Kailani had been through so much, and he knew she was only asking because she was having some sort of Stockholm shit. “No, sugar, that’s not what you want or need. Let me hold you. I’ll keep your ghosts at bay, and when the sun comes up, we’ll get some breakfast, and maybe Keys will have some news for us.” Telling her no was one of the hardest things he’d ever done, but shit, he should get a medal for it. His cock jerked in protest.

She sat up, her hip bumping against his dick. “You don’t want me because I’m a whore?”

Traeger gave her a little shake. “Don’t you ever call yourself that ever again. You are the farthest thing from that. Besides, there is nothing wrong with a woman who sells herself if she chooses. Hell, prostitution is the oldest profession in the world. What happened to you wasn’t your fault, and it sure in the hell doesn’t define you. In my eyes, you’re still a virgin.”

Kailani snorted, but he gave her another little shake. “No, listen to me. Did you consent?” At her head shake, he continued. “Then you, sugar, are a virgin. I don’t want to take advantage of your vulnerability. I want you like hell, but I’ll be dammed if I’ll be in the same classification as those other fucks.”

She bent and pressed her forehead against his. “You’re nowhere near their classification. Those fucks are lower than the dirt in a shit-house porta-potty. You, Traeger, are so much better than they ever were. Now, I’ll ask again, so please don’t make me beg. Will you make love with me, not to me?”

He tipped her chin up with one finger, meeting her heated stare with his. “I am not an honorable man, sugar. I can’t offer you pretty words or happily ever after. Hell, I can’t offer you much after this is over. You okay with that?” He wasn’t going to lie to her.

Kailani nodded, looping her arms around his neck. “When this is over, I don’t plan to be around here either. I want tonight, Traeger, and maybe whatever else we can grab while we’re together.”

Hearing her say the same thing as he did didn’t sit well with him, but he wouldn’t allow himself to question the whys. Instead, he bent and covered her lips with his, kissing her like a man deprived of water. He raised his head, checking to see that she was with him. Although she was kissing him back, with her past, he was sure that was something she’d done automatically. However, he knew a woman’s eyes didn’t lie, and right now, Kailani’s were sparkling with joy. Flicking his tongue out, he licked over her bottom lip, repeating the action over her top. “You doing okay, sugar?”

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