Page 48 of Scorched King

“That’s why someone as sweet and light as yourself has no business with someone like me. Not to mention we both know I’m too old and you’re too young.”

The words landed like a slap.

Too young.

Right.

My chest tightened, but I forced my expression to stay blank. No reaction. No weakness.

“Right,” I said, lifting my chin. “Too young. Got it.”

But anger at that tired excuse made me squirm and when his hard cock bumped against my clit we both gasped. My mind blanked as I tried to remember what else I’d been about to say.

His hands came down to my waist and he pressed my hips downward along the full length of his cock. It didn’t even seem to make a difference that we both had layers of clothing separating us. At the sensation of his hardness against my softness, I lostmy breath. The friction between us was electric, as if the material of our clothes didn’t even exist.

“You’re too good for this life. Especially for me.”

“Too good?” I choked on the words. “Sweet and light? Have you lost your mind? I know you know where I come from so how can you accuse me of being too anything for your club? Maybe too used up you mean. You think I don’t know men who know where I come from will only think I’m good for one thing?” I tried shoving away from him, but his hands were like iron vises on my hips and it was clear he wasn’t going to let me get away gracefully.

“Don’t ever say bullshit like that,” he growled, the tone so menacing even I was taken aback. His fingers tightened on my skin and I knew they were going to leave bruises in their wake. “I don’t hold anyone’s past against them. Especially you, babe. You did what you had to in order to survive. That’s fucking life. We all have done that at one time or another. Some of us much worse.”

Tears pricked at the back of my eyes at his words, but no way would I let a single one fall. How many tears had I already shed for the shit I’d endured? “And you allowed me to get away from that life. You took a chance on me as a dancer when I had no real experience and without that, I’d still be selling my body in that seedy motel.” A rough shudder worked down my spine thinking about it. I didn’t regret doing what I had to in order to survive, but I never wanted to go back there either. “You gave me the closest thing I’ve ever had to a family.”

“Babe,” he whispered, his fingers tighter than ever on my hips. Someone else might have cried out from the pain of his bruising grip, but I didn’t. I relished it. Sometimes the numbness of life became too much to bear and if all you could get to feel alive waspain, then it was pain you relished. “Ain’t no one trying to get rid of you.”

I made a noise at the back of my throat that was part whimper and part scoff. No matter what he said, if the president of the club couldn’t bear to have me around, my days were numbered plain and simple.

“But if you want to stay with us, someone like Bear would be a better match. He’s a good man. He can give you what you need. Especially that family you ache for. That man would plant so many babies in you, you’d never get a fucking break.”

Fresh anger rose alongside my pain. I could barely believe what he’d just said. It hurt so much I thought my heart might wither and die in my chest at that very moment.

“Is that your big plan, then? Hand me over to Bear like it means nothing? I know a lot of MC clubs consider their women property, but I thought Wrath was different.” I paused, trying to catch my breath. “I thoughtyouwere different.”

“I guess that’s where you’re wrong. Ain’t no one at Wrath into using their women in ways they don’t love, but make no mistake on our possessive natures. Whether you’re an old lady, a club girl or an employee, as long as you choose to live here, you belong to the club. Which means you follow my goddamned rules. All of them.”

A more intense shiver traveled down my spine and into the wet core between my legs. He might have meant that proclamation to frighten me, but it had the opposite effect. I wanted more. And he must have sensed my reaction because when I looked up into his crystal blue eyes that were now slightly hooded, I saw the same kind of reaction.

How was I ever going to get past this—incessant want. The time apart from him had done nothing to cool my desire. And it seemed as long as his actions didn’t match his words, I was never going to stop aching for him. He was right. I felt that belonging to Wrath down to my bones and I loved that feeling. It didn’t suffocate like one might expect. Not at all. Instead there was an odd sense of freedom when it came to knowing you had a whole club of men at your back.

But he was wrong about one thing. “I’m not going to be Bear’s old lady. I—I can’t.”

“Why’s that, baby girl? He wants you. It’s on his face every time he talks about or looks at you. He’d work his ass off to make you happy. You’d never want for anything.”

The fact JD was rubbing his cock along my seam as he talked about me going to another man seemed as wrong as it did right. “Is that what you really want? Me and Bear together? Should I invite him over to take over right now? You getting me primed for another man?”

He froze, his eyes going from their cool blue to a stormy dark in an instant. I wasn’t sure what possessed me to say those words, but they were out there now and even if I wanted to, I couldn’t take them back.

After the silence between us stretched far too long, he finally responded. “Don’t be a brat, babe. You know this is more than about sex. If I thought you’d be happy with just sex from me, and if I thought you could handle that darkness in me, I’d be buried balls deep in your beautiful cunt, with my fingers working that tight asshole at the same time, until you begged me to shove my cock down your throat so you could swallow down my cum.”

My stomach jerked at the vivid picture JD painted with his words while his cock brushed against my clit. He had no idea how badly I wanted that very thing or how far I might go to get it. “You’ve always underestimated me. Since that first day we met when you didn’t think I had enough experience to handle working for you, to the job at the casino that you reluctantly allowed. And yet…” This time I took the lead and fighting his grip, I pushed down against his cock, causing us both to take a sharp breath. “I’ve done well with all of them.”

He lifted his hand and reached for my nipple, taking it between his fingers and twisting it until I wanted to scream.

“I didn’t underestimate you. I would have never given you any job if I didn’t think you could do it. That you do all of them better than anyone else is a testament to your perfection. It’s why I can’t keep my filthy hands off of you.”

My stomach swooped again and my head buzzed with his high praise. JD wasn’t the kind of man to gush about others, so hearing him now meant something. More than I wanted to admit.

“I like your filthy hands.”

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