8. Priest

She holdsme tight around my waist and I feel every single inch of her body pressed against me. I'm not supposed to be feeling turned on; this woman is in need.

She was just assaulted by a man who won't be breathing for much longer, and she needs my help. But I can't choose what my dick responds to, and it's responding to her in a big way. I'm hard, my cock pressing against my zipper as I try to keep my thoughts on the road and not on her. Of course, my mind wants to remind me that she's a virgin and has never been touched. I've never been with a virgin before, not that I plan on being with one now, but I can't deny that I thought about what it would be like. The idea that the asshole who she was betrothed to, or worse, that prick that assaulted her, could've been her first, makes me want to commit bloody murder. And maybe I will.

There is no redemption for him for attacking an innocent woman. It's high time some of these asswipes were dealt a taste of their own medicine; and I'm serious when I say he's going to pay for what he did. Her face is swollen; too soon to bruise, but it will. The cut above her eye isn't severe, but needs to be looked at. I don't want her getting an infection. And she might tell Casey things she won't tell me, and though she says nothing happened, I want to be sure. She could be in shock, though she trusted me enough to get on my sled and let me take her away.

My condo is in the heart district of the Irish Channel, just off Magazine street. It's a historic two story with one bed and one bath, plus an attic space I use as an office. It has a modern, updated kitchen and separate living area. It's not huge, but it's fine for just me. Plus, I've lots of storage with a two-car garage I built and a storage shed where me and Dad finished off my bike. Hawk, the club"s Road Captain and the motorcycle mechanic, did most of the legwork when I couldn't, and I owe him a lot. My sled is my baby, and while I'm not precious with it, I also keep it in pristine condition. After the wreck it came to me in, I'm proud that I was able to bring the old girl back to life.

I have no plans what to do with Bella after tonight, but that doesn't matter. I'll talk to Dan; I'm sure he's got some suggestions. Then there"s the issue of her going to Texas and the urgency of her leaving. I could drive her, that would be the safer option.

My condo is about a fifteen minute drive from downtown, and as we sail through the city, I find myself wishing the drive was long.

I never had a woman on the back of my sled. Ever.

It's not because I don't like the idea of it, but within an MC it means something. Usually, only the club girls who are ol' ladies — the women who are more or less married to one of the brothers — are the only ones who ride. If you take a chick on the back of your ride; you're sending a clear message that she"s yours and you intend on claiming her at church. All women in the club have to be claimed. It's an old tradition and kinda sexist if you want to get technical, but the women of the club accept it and they're more than happy to be on the back of one of the brothers' sleds. It also means they're off limits and can't be approached or touched by any other man. Unless they want to start shit and that's never pleasant.

I don't know why I'm even thinking about ol' ladies and the drama they all bring, but it draws a smile to my face. My brothers' who have ol' ladies will certainly attest to the fact that it's no picnic. There's Deanna, Cash's wife and his best friend's daughter. Then Jett and Summer; one of the club girls from Bracken Ridge, Arizona. Hawk got caught last year by Jas, the club's accountant and feisty little ball buster. Harlem fell for bakery owner Indigo, and they're now trying for a baby. Tag and Luna finally stopped pretending they weren't an item, and recently Rock and Aspyn announced they were moving in together.

They all seem happier and the world didn't fall down on them when they surrendered their balls. I laugh when I think about Tag and his distaste at the women taking over and inserting themselves into club business. No matter what happens and how much the boys talk about it, there's always pillow talk. The women of the MC know more about what's going on than most of us the majority of the time.

When I roll up to my place, I go around the back, pulling into the garage where I park, kicking the stand down and turning the engine off. Bella is still wrapped around me.

"You good?"

I turn and see she's buried her face into my shoulder. At first I'm concerned, then she peers up at me with a big shit-eating grin on her face.

"That was amazing!"

I chuckle. "I'm glad. You had me worried there for a second."

She uses my body to dismount as I enjoy the feel of her hands on me, and by the time I'm swinging my leg over, she's pulling her helmet off.

I smile when I see her hair all disheveled and her eyes gleaming with excitement.

"No, I mean, it was terrifying, but so cool. I've never been an adrenaline junkie before, but now I see the appeal."

I laugh. "Adrenaline junkie? I can't personally see that look on you, but being on a motorcycle gives you a sense of freedom that you won't get anywhere else."

"I get it. I can see how it could get addictive."

I smile, taking the helmet from her. She has a small backpack and nothing else. It makes me feel bad that she has no possessions, or probably a change of clothes, but we'll have to rectify that. If she'll let me take her shopping.

"If you like, I'll call Casey, she could come by later today."

"If you're that concerned about me, then okay, but I don't really like doctors, or medical people."

I frown. She's doing this to please me? "She's nice, I promise. She won't ask any questions or be nosy, unless you want to tell her things you don't want to tell me."

She stares at me then shocks me by saying, "My virtue is still intact, Priest."

I swallow hard. "I'm glad to hear that. Assholes like Rueben… they'll prey on women they think are easy targets. I've heard he wasn't a good guy, but I couldn't exactly kick him out when he hadn't actually done anything at the time."

"It's not your fault. You couldn't have known."

It feels like my fault. She was in my care and I let her down. I know I can't be everywhere at once, but that night he was asking for Sarah, I should've known he was much too interested in Bella than he should be. To think she spent the entire night frightened and alone in the parish, unsure if he was going to come back bleeding and hurt, has my blood boiling all over again. I will find him, and I'll make him pay. I wasn't kidding about that. The man I used to be when I was in jail, was no saint. And right now, I feel like I might revisit that monster that lies dormant in my body. The one who is capable of killing if the time called for it.

"But he asked about you; well, you told him your name was Sarah, right?"

She nods. "I didn't want him to know anything about me. I had no idea he'd followed me, and probably had been for a while. I thought about waiting at the Soup Kitchen that night, hoping someone would be by in the morning, but then he knew I'd been hanging out there. It's probably the first place he looked."

My heart aches at the sadness in her eyes. I take her backpack off her shoulder and sling it over my arm. "You're safe now, we'll work out what will be best for you once Casey has checked you out and you can get cleaned up." Without wanting to embarrass her, I add, "Do you have any clean clothes? The reason I ask is because my sister has some stuff in the spare room she left until we can go shopping. You're about the same size."

She looks up at me and the innocence in her eyes makes me all the more protective. She's like a little dove; something so precious and delicate that you just can't help but want to admire and nurture it. Even if you know it's a wild creature and you shouldn't. None of it stops me — in fact, it only surges me on.

She looks down at her shoes in that way of hers, her cheeks flushing slightly. I didn't mean it as an insult, but her clothes need washing. She has grass stains on her knees and I don't want to know how she got those.

Cussing Rueben under my breath, I lead her to the house.

"I… I only have a t-shirt and a jacket."

"Okay, so tomorrow we can go shopping if you'd like."

"Um, Priest, I'm sorry but I don't have any money for clothes or anything."

I know she has her pride, so I can't seem like I'm rushing in to save the day. But she needs things to sleep in and girlie stuff.

"It's fine, I've got this."

"I'll pay you back."

"You don't have to do that."

"I want to."

I unlock the back door and push it open, before moving aside. "Ladies first."

She smiles, hugging herself as she steps inside at the same time my cat, Jinx, runs across the floor and she jumps about a mile in the air. He's a fluffy, gray ragdoll and spends all day sleeping and moving around to find sunny spots around the house.

"Holy smokes, Priest!" she gasps. "I just about had a heart attack!"

I grin. "Sorry, I forgot about Jinx. I also have another cat, he's a little weird, I named him Dexter."

"After the TV show?"

"Yeah." I shrug.

"Why is he weird?"

"You'll see."

A few moments later, my hairless Dwelf — a sphynx, dwarf crossed minute elf cat — strolls into the foyer and glances up at us.

"Oh God!" she says. "Oh, Priest, he's gorgeous!"

I laugh. "Glad you think so." He's gray with short, stumpy legs, big ears and these big golden eyes. "Most people are freaked out by him."

"Is he friendly?"

"Very. He thinks he's a dog, and loves to play with his ball and snuggle."

She bends down and he comes to her, sniffing her hand as he purrs and rubs up against her. "He's so sweet."

"I think he likes you," I tell her. That's a good sign. He sometimes doesn't play well with others.

"How long have you had cats?"

I watch her stroking his head as he laps it up. "About five years. Someone I know runs a shelter in town called Faux Paws, and they often get strays, or animals that come into care through no fault of their own. I got Jinx there — he was left in a dumpster as a kitten."

She gasps. "How could anyone do that?"

"People are evil, that's all I know. Little Dexter here, his owners said he scared the children. They at least did the right thing and turned him over to the vet, instead of trying to make a profit or selling him to a breeding farm."

"People are sick."

"Tell me about it. So now they live their best lives with me. Sleeping for twenty-three hours a day, waking only to eat and get tummy rubs and watch television on the couch."

She laughs. "He's adorable." She stands, holding Dexter in her arms. Jinx returns, brushing up against her legs as she looks down. He runs off when she tries to pat him. "I take it Jinx is a little shyer?"

"He likes to run under things and hide until he knows it's okay. We're not sure what happened to him before he was dumped, but he's honestly the sweetest boy," I say. "He'll come to you when he's ready. That's what I love about him. One day, you'll be sittin' there and he'll just crawl into your lap and lie there like nothin' happened. It took a year for him to even come close to me."

She smiles softly. "You're a cat guy."

"I guess I am."

"Huh." She scratches under Dexter's chin and he laps it up. "These kinds of cats are so cool. I know they look kinda weird, but they're so sweet, aren"t you boy?"

Well, I guess she's cool with my animals. I forgot to ask if she was allergic, but I guess she isn't.

"Did you have any pets growin' up?"

She shakes her head. "Never. My father wouldn't even let me get a goldfish."

I scruff Dexter under the chin as he purrs in her arms. "Looks like you've got yourself a new friend."

She looks relaxed and happy, and for a moment it takes my mind off things. And probably hers, too.

"So the guest room slash attic is also partly my office," I say. "It does have a fold out bed, and a closet. It's not as bad as it sounds; it has windows and is quite light and airy. Or if it's too uncomfortable, you could take my bed." The minute the words leave my mouth I regret them.

Her lips part and I realize I've put my foot in it.

"What I meant was, I'd sleep in the attic, and you could take the bed…"

She giggles. It's the first time I've heard a noise like that escape her lips and I like it. "I know what you meant. You don't have to keep tiptoeing around me thinking I'll get the wrong idea about you, Priest. Honestly. The attic will be fine, thank you, for all of this; taking me in and giving me refuge in a safe place. You don't know what it means to me."

"It's the least I could do. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't?"

I move ahead of her, past the mudroom and into the open living area. "I'll give you the full tour, then we can grab something to eat?"

"Okay." She nods, glancing around.

My house is in a nice part of the Irish Channel. It's not a million dollar mansion by any means, but it has old-world charm with its wide-plank wood floors, high ceilings, intact transoms and French doors that lead out to the private balcony on both levels.

It overlooks Constance street, and I'm lucky it's a nice neighborhood and is very quiet. I like to come home to quiet after the craziness of the club and the world in general.

I show her the small living/dining and the kitchen with modern appliances while she looks on silently. I'm a minimal guy and tidy. I don't have a lot of stuff and I'm not home all the time, only to sleep and feed my cats. It's warm, slightly industrial with the color palette, but not really a bachelor pad.

We mount the stairs and I point out the shared bathroom; it has the same wooden floors but white flecked tiles and silver hardware. It's a tub/shower combination and simple but elegant. My sister helped me a lot because she's better at this stuff than I am, but it had to be better than the dark green walls it had before.

"Your home is beautiful, Priest," Bella says. "It has a cozy feel."

"Thank you. I'll show you the attic."

The space has the same decor and flooring as downstairs, with white walls and a long window down one side that I had installed when the roof was redone. Otherwise, this would be too dark for a spare room and just usable as storage. It also has my desk with shelving behind and a computer. The far window facing the front has the couch that folds out to a bed. We can set that up later.

"This is nice, Priest, really. I'm so grateful."

"That's the closet I told you about. If anything suits, you're welcome to wear it."

She looks down again. "Okay."

"Well, I might order us some lunch through DoorDash. What do you feel like?"

She's still holding my cat and he's now asleep in her arms. "Anything, I don't mind."

"No preferences?"

She shakes her head. This indecisiveness can't last. She's shy, but she doesn't have to be like that around me. I'm not gonna get mad at her because she feels like Thai food and I like pizza.

"I'm gonna grab a burger and some fries from Burger Out. I can text you a menu."

"I don't have a phone," she whispers.

Shit. I forgot about that.

I palm the back of my head. "That reminds me. I dropped a cell off with Linda the other night when you didn't come to the Soup Kitchen. I collected it this morning, it"s in my saddle bag."

"Priest, you're doing too much for me."

"It's no big deal. If you'd had that phone last night, you could've called for help." I clear my throat. "I'm sorry, Bella. That it happened. It would make me feel better if you held onto it."

She looks up at me, snuggling her face into my cat's body. "Okay, Priest."

"Are you always gonna do what I tell you?" I quirk an eyebrow.

She shrugs. "It's what I know."

My amusement turns into a frown real quick. "In your family?"

"Yes. I… I was there to be seen and not heard. I don't mean to just go along with whatever you say, but if I disagreed with anyone in my family, the consequences were not worth the punishment."

I stare at her. What kind of monsters did she grow up with? "You don't have to ever agree with me just to keep the peace. If you don't want to do something, then you can say no, got me?"

She nods.

"If somethin' makes you uncomfortable, you just have to say. You're not gonna be in trouble for speakin' your mind. In fact, I'd prefer it."

She doesn"t sound convincing when she says, "I'll try."

It's gonna take some time to gain her trust, but that's exactly what I'm going to do.