Page 17 of Slash
The clubhouse had gone quiet hours ago, only the occasional creak of boots or the hum of a bike outside breaking the silence. Kayleigh was curled up safe in her room next door. She’d convinced Emilee to read her all the bedtime stories. She could hear her daughter’s laughter as Emilee changed her voice to match the character. She’d gone in and offered to take over but Kayleigh shook her head and shooed her away. In fact, after returning from the ride with Slash, she’d barely seen her daughter. There were so many people here and they were spoiling Kayleigh rotten. Between her aunt VanVan, the other women seemed to genuinely enjoy her presence. The men, too. She had them all wrapped around her little finger.
Nicole should have been relieved. She should have crawled into bed and fallen asleep after the many restless nights she’d had.
Instead, she paced.
Slash’s words from the last two days circled her mind, sharp and infuriating.Rules. Protection. Discipline. Daddy.
She’d spent years being controlled by a man who broke her down with fists and cruel words. She’d sworn never again. Butalso, she knew, Slash was not Brock. She had to stop. Stop comparing him. Stop thinking about her asshole ex. The only thing good to come out of their relationship was the little girl in the room next door.
The walls felt too close. The air, too heavy. She needed space. Just a walk around the clubhouse. Just a few minutes to breathe.
Quietly, she slipped out of her room, bare feet padding across the hallway. She’d only made it outside to the porch when she heard footsteps behind her.
“Nicole.”
She froze.
Slash stepped out of the shadows like he’d been waiting for her, arms folded across his massive chest, his scar catching the dim porch light.
Her stomach dropped.
“What the hell are you doing outside?” he asked, voice low and rough.
She swallowed hard. “I just… couldn’t sleep. I needed air.”
He tilted his head, studying her like she was a puzzle he intended to solve. “Where were you headed?”
“Nowhere.” She lifted her chin, defensive. “Just thought I would walk around outside the building. I was going to stay close.”
His eyes narrowed. “We’ve been over this.” He wasn’t lying. When they’d returned from their motorcycle ride, something had changed between them. He’d tipped her chin up and let her know that he fully intended to enforce the rules he’d given yesterday. “You don’t go outside without me or another Watchmen. You broke rule number one.”
Something in her bristled. “It’s not like I was running away. You said the compound is safe.”
Slash’s jaw flexed. He stepped forward, and she instinctively backed up until her shoulders hit the building wall.
“It is but nowhere is impenetrable,” he said, his voice dark as thunder. “I would have walked with you. Or at least, if you needed space, I would sit out here and watch you walk circles around the building. And I told you what would happen if you broke my rules.”
Her pulse hammered. “Slash?—”
“That’sDaddywhen you’re in trouble.”
Her knees nearly buckled at the word, heat licking down her spine. The or? Was no longer an or. She knew. If she consented. If she said the word, there was no going back.
He reached for her wrist, not rough, but firm. Inevitable. “We’re doing this now. You’ll learn quickly that I don’t make empty threats.”
Her breath caught. “You wouldn’t?—”
But he was already guiding her into the building, up the stairs to his room, shutting the door behind them.
The air inside was heavy, charged. He sat on the edge of the bed and tugged her between his knees.
“Last chance,” he said, his scarred face unreadable. “You can admit you broke my rule, apologize, and I’ll spank your butt and we move forward. Or you can keep fighting me, what’s going on between us, and I’ll walk away. I’ll protect you from afar.”
Nicole’s chest heaved.
Her pride screamed at her to leave. Not chance this with him. But her body betrayed her. Heat curled low, pulse thundered in her chest, thighs pressing together.
She whispered, “I don’t do rules.”
