It Ain't Me, Babe

Styx guided my head to the crook of his neck and only then did I set my sobs free.

I cried for a long time before I gave in to exhaustion and drifted off to sleep, still unsure if I was being lured into a den of evil. But I felt completely and utterly safe in the strong arms of the only boy I had ever kissed…

Chapter Seven

Styx

I swear that f**kin’ twitching nose is gonna destroy me.

She’d fallen asleep in my arms, her soft breath fanning my neck. For the first time in my life, I got a goose bump.

A goddamn f**kin’ goose bump.

Pulling in the tiny bitch tighter, I exhaled, my eyes shut tight in agony. I was so f**kin’ hard, painfully hard. She was so damn beautiful I couldn’t believe she was actually real. I’d always wondered what she’d look like older—filled out, hair down, eyes bright—but the reality was mind-blowing. Having her in my arms was the best thing I’d ever felt, and when that nose of hers twitched like Samantha the f**kin’ witch, blood pumped into my c**k and thoughts of being inside her drove me friggin’ insane. Fuck. I didn’t even know her name.

Rolling my head back against the wall, I groaned. Pull yourself together, Styx. You’re the Prez of a f**kin’ gun-trading MC and you’re acting like a damn bitch pu**y.

The bitch moaned in her sleep and nuzzled closer to my chest, her small hand moving to grip my cut, her leg bending slightly to lie over mine. I couldn’t deal with it. If she moved one more inch, I was gonna lose my restraint and f**k her into the mattress.

Scooping her too-thin frame in my arms, I pulled back the black sheets and settled her underneath, smoothing her hair from her face, watching as her full lips tilted into a peaceful smile.

Fuck me, she was beyond beautiful. Even at eleven, I thought that shit true, but now she was way more than a goddamned ten.

Leaving my room, turning the lock, I headed to the lounge and over to the bar. Only a few brothers were left, most gone home or to their bedrooms with their bitches for the night. Lois’d clearly split too. Good. Didn’t want no questions flying my way. Had no answers to give her anyhow.

Walking behind the bar, I poured myself a large bourbon, Ky and Rider sitting around a table, watching my every move. Pit ran across the room and jumped behind the bar. “Fuck, Prez, I’ll get that.” I waved him away with my hand, but the brother took his place as bartender, one of his prospect duties.

I took a seat beside Rider and Ky, meeting their eyes.

“Prez,” Ky greeted.

Frowning at the f**kers, I saw them shift in their seats—they’d been talking.

Out with it, I signed.

Ky rubbed his hand over his mouth. “Styx, man. What the f**k’s up with the bitch?”

Edging forward, I met his gaze head on, my eyes twitching in annoyance.

“I’m not ripping on her. What I mean is that she’s clueless, naïve. She didn’t even know what a f**kin’ biker was or even a motherfuckin’ bike! She don’t speak, looked at the brothers like she was staring at the face of evil. Turns up outta nowhere, bleeding out. We don’t know where she’s from or if someone wants her back. She could be trouble. In case you hadn’t noticed, we’re over-occupied with that shit right now. Don’t need no more.”

Ky shook his head at me, like he didn’t even recognize the man next to him. The man who’d been his best friend for f**kin’ years. “Feds are watching our ass twenty-four-seven. We walk out with a timid, bruised bitch… they’ll be on us and no f**ker will believe the truth ’bout her. I mean, f**k! We got the Chechen run tomorrow. We’re gonna be on the road weeks reclaiming our turf. Don’t need this now.”

Downing my bourbon in one, I savored the smooth, peaty taste. I let the alcohol numb my throat. Slowly opening my eyes, I dropped my glass to the table and buried my hands in my hair. It’d been one… long… fuckin’… day.

“Where’s she now?” Rider asked as he tightened his black Hangmen bandana ’round his head. “Do you need me to check on her?”

Shaking my head, I inhaled and signed out, Sleeping.

Rider nodded. I swear the f**ker looked disappointed. Then he skittered his eyes around the room before they landed back on me. He looked like a man who wanted to say something.

“Look, Styx. When I was younger and my folks died, I was left alone. Wandered for years, scared shitless at first, then hardened up pretty damn quick. Life on the road, y’know? This club was my second chance.”

“What you sayin’, brother?” Ky asked as he placed a hand on Rider’s shoulder.