Chapter Ten

"Fuck off! Nah, Cain's a bloke!" Sledge is propping up the bar in the SOK clubhouse, locally sourced can of ale in hand. His nose is scrunched up, his hazel eyes squinting in disbelief as he takes a swig from his drink.

"Tell her to fuck off again and I'll stab you in the hand so you can't ride without being in pain." Aleko's hold around my shoulders tightens, effortlessly pulling me closer to him, and I can't help smiling at the whole situation.

"Damn, dude, that's a bit much, ain't it? You couldn't just punch me or somethin'? No… you'll fuckin' stab me. Wanker." Sledge downs the rest of his drink, crushing the can into his palm when he's finished. "Still don't believe your old lady is Cain." He throws the aluminum over his shoulder as he walks away, shaking his head.

I chuckle, pulling Aleko back to me as he moves to go after Sledge, trying to defend my honor when it's really not necessary. Won't say I don't love it though.

"I can fight my own battles. He isn't the first and won't be the last to not believe I'm Cain. There were even a couple of the Rebels who thought an outside rider was being brought in for the races by my brother and Isa—"

Aleko's growl silences me, because it's not a sexy I-want-to-fuck-you-now growl, it's more of a scary I'm-going-to-kill-things kinda growl. He doesn't even need to speak for me to understand where his head's at. I know the mention of Isaac, the president of the Toxic Rebels, makes Aleko's skin crawl as much as mine. The way this man feels my pain with me is just one of the reasons I'm blowing my original plan to smithereens by revealing I'm actually alive to anyone other than Spence—and Steve.

Living without Aleko has been a torture I've barely endured. After just a few short weeks of knowing him, he managed to integrate himself into my very soul. Being here, with him and his friends, after they helped me bury my brother that I murdered, is all the therapy I feel like I need. They haven't made me out to be a terrible person for what I did or judged me in any way; they simply helped, patted me on the back, and told me they were happy to see me not dead.

The Cain revelation had more comments from them than killing my Jakeass brother. Grinder said he knew Cain was a woman this whole time, Bear's big brown eyes shone with pride as he shook his head in disbelief, and Prez asked if I wanted to prospect for the Sons. The answer was no because I know what prospects go through, and I'm not being a motorcycle club skivvy again. I did it for long enough with the Toxic Rebels. I was—and I supposed I still am—a fully-fledged Toxic Rebel member. Although, with most of them in jail, including the Prez, is the Stonebrook Falls Chapter still even a thing?

"Can I get you a drink?" The prospect, Kincaid, leans over the bar, her thin black tank-top showcasing a full-color sleeve tattoo on her right arm and a beautiful chest tattoo creeping up to her neck. She introduced herself to me when we got back from the race and I think I love her already. She's tall and unassuming, but the dark look in her brown eyes tells me she has a story. I'm not one to have girlfriends, mainly because the ones from the Rebel compound were selfish twats, but I feel like Kincaid is my people.

"No, I'm taking my old lady home." Ninja takes this moment to make his pleasure at going home known, creeping from Aleko's hood onto his shoulder to nuzzle into his neck. Then, Ninja's cute little nose vibrates as he sniffs the air and looks over to me. His tiny eyes widen—if that's at all possible—and he scurries across Aleko's arm wrapped around me and jumps onto my shoulder, where he promptly nuzzles into my neck before settling into my cleavage. It makes me giggle, and Aleko's eyes as he watches us are filled with so much love I think my insides want to burst.

My heart is pounding as I stare right back—after giving Ninja an appropriate amount of attention, of course, scratching his belly and behind his ears.

"Home?"

"Yeah, Cherry. Home."

The short ten-minute ride here was just as fun as our little game of chase last night, but in a different way. We weaved through traffic, held hands as we rode side-by-side, and my cheeks ache from all the smiling. I know we have some things to talk about, and I've personally got a hell of a lot of stuff to work through, but I no longer feel like the weight of the world is on my shoulders.

After we lock up our motorcycles in the secure garage beside the building, Ninja ignores Aleko's open palm and eyes me, his tiny nose twitching.

"Traitor." Aleko grins at his furry pet and shakes his head.

"You wanna come with me, tiny dude?" I swear Ninja nods in response to my question and I hold out my own palm, then bring him in close to my chest, where he promptly settles.

"I guess I'm not the only one who missed you." Smirking, Aleko quickly raises and lowers that one eyebrow as he pulls a cherry sucker from his pocket and pops it into his mouth.

With steady strides, I follow when he turns and heads inside the building. We go up one flight of stairs before turning left to where, I'm assuming, his apartment is. The suite he has at the SOK compound was great, easy, convenient, but this feels like he's letting me see more of him, and I like it.

The apartment is small, with two doors off the open-plan kitchen/living room—I'm guessing for the bedroom and bathroom. What really makes me smile, is the motorcycle frame with custom parts spaced all around where most people would usually have a couch and TV.

"Does this one have a name too?"

"Yeah, Dot's a work in progress." Pride fills his voice as he slides off his jacket and hangs it on a hook by the door, leaving his tattooed arms bare and the white T-shirt hugging his strong biceps.

I can't help but feel that Dot and I have a lot in common because I'm also a work in progress, still trying to figure out who I really am. One thing is for sure: I'm a lot fucked up.

Ninja shuffles around, indicating that he wants to get down, scurrying straight for the snacks Aleko is pulling from the fridge for him.

"Can I use your shower?" For some reason, I now feel incredibly awkward in this new space.

"Yeah. It's the door on the left." Aleko continues to move around the kitchen area, prepping some food and drink for Ninja.

I half-expected him to tell me to wait for him to join me, but I'm in the small bright-white bathroom now and nothing. There's no bath, but the shower is larger than average, surrounded by glass doors with rounded silver handles. A few silver-patterned tiles are interspersed with the plain-white ones on the walls, giving the whole room a beautifully elegant look.

Fifteen minutes later, I'm stepping out of the shower, my thick blonde hair dripping down my back as I wrap the thick gray towel around my body. Disappointment settles in at the fact that Aleko didn't come to shower with me, and I feel like he's still mad at me—understandably so.

Once I'm dry, I towel off my hair and decide to be bold, walking out of the bathroom completely naked. Ninja is on the kitchen counter with his head in a bowl of food, and Aleko has either run away or is in his bedroom.

The heat between us has been sizzling all day, with light touches, cheeky smiles, and longing glances, my pussy is practically begging for an orgasm. Which means any and all thoughts of actual real life shit is being pushed aside—totally on purpose because I'm not ready to truly think about what I've done.

Four pairs of red leather cuffs are laid out on the deep-gray bed sheets, and a fully-clothed Aleko is staring out of the small window at the far side of the bedroom. The sun is setting, leaving an almost angelic glow around him, and he must hear my heart beating loudly in my chest as I admire him because as he turns, his light-blue eyes slowly graze down my naked body. That hunger I've craved all damn day fills his gaze as he prowls toward me like he's a starving lion and I'm a juicy slab of meat laid out for the taking. It shouldn't be sexy, yet here I am.

His movements are fluid, and it's clear he's comfortable in his own body because he knows how to use every inch of it to make me weak at the knees. Stopping inches away from me, he seems to be holding himself back.

"Wh—"

"It's my turn to speak now, Cherry. Inside this room, we follow my rules." Aleko leans in, his T-shirt skimming my nipples that are begging for attention, and sniffs the crook of my neck. "Fucking delicious."

I smile at his approval, grateful for the cherry-scented body wash he had in the bathroom—exactly the same brand I've always used.

"What if I don't want to follow the rules?" My voice is all breathy and completely unexpected.

Aleko chuckles and shakes his head. "You think you have a choice, Cherry?"

Before I can answer, he kisses me, hard and fast. Our tongues duel for dominance and he nips at my lower lip as his hands cup my face. All too soon, it's over and he's pulling away.

"Lie down on the bed."

Again, as I go to speak, he silences me, this time by tweaking my nipple, which makes me yelp. He does it with a stern stare that suggests arguing with him is futile. The only thing holding me back is my intrigue for the cuffs.

"Fine." My sass is all bravado because there isn't anywhere else I'd rather be in this moment.

Aleko picks up the cuffs, putting all but one pair down on the bedside table as I lie on the memory foam mattress. In complete silence, he lifts my left arm and pushes it over my head, then he wraps a leather cuff around my wrist and buckles it firmly in place before attaching the other half of it to the bedpost. He repeats his actions with my other arm, then moves to my ankles.

"I need to restrain you for a while because you have some lessons to learn, my beautiful Cherry Pie." He continues as though he's talking to himself. "I'm not sure how long I'll be able to hold out for because you're a fucking vision. Those pretty pink lips winking at me." Aleko places a tender kiss on the inside of my now cuffed ankle, completely at odds with this sexy, domineering thing he's got going on, before moving to my other foot.

"Maybe you don't need to restrain me. I can be good." I try for my sweetest smile, batting my eyelashes, but his smirk and the way he rolls his eyes in disbelief make me laugh. "Rude."

"I'll show you rude, soon enough." This time he kisses the top of my other foot before crawling up the bed, still wearing his jeans and white T-shirt.

"Why are you still fully clothed?"

"Nah-ah-ah. You don't get to ask the questions tonight. My rules, remember?" He winks, and I swear my clit has a pulse, throbbing to the beat of its own personal rave party where Aleko is the DJ.

Spread-eagle on his bed, there's not really a lot I can do, so I frown to show my faux-displeasure.

Without further preamble, Aleko's tongue is lapping at my juices between my pussy lips, his large hands spread across my hips and thighs. I arch my back as pleasure rolls through my body, and one of his hands slides up my stomach to grip my breast. He pinches and twists at my nipple, then sucks on my clit so hard it almost hurts, but the immediate pleasure overtakes any pain. The ball of his tongue bar against my flesh is as good as I remember, adding an extra sensation to the already mind blowing pleasure.

An orgasm is quickly building, starting in the tips of my toes and my fingertips, and as it begins flowing through me, everything stops.

"No!" My yell is involuntary, but I was so close to coming I could almost taste it. It's like the ghost of that orgasm is now floating away, never to be seen again, which is the exact moment realization dawns on me. So, this is how it's going to go, is it?

Aleko's chuckle from between my legs makes me growl down at him, only making him laugh harder.

"Fuck, that was cute, Cherry." He dives right back in, eating out my pussy like his life depends on every drop of my cum as I buck up against his face, seeking out that delicious friction, chasing my phantom orgasm and begging it to come back.

It doesn't take him long to build me back up again, pinching my nipples and sucking on my clit as he makes my entire body tingle like I'm wrapped in live wire. Just as I'm about to worship at the altar of the big O, everything comes to a screeching halt.

Motherfucker.

Our gazes clash as his mischievous blues meet my narrowed glare and I swear to fuck there's an entire conversation going on between us without a single word being said.

Then he begins again…

This time when the orgasm builds, it's almost painful and I cry out for more. Aleko obliges, using his other hand and pushing it beneath him, sliding one of his fingers around my opening, but never all the way inside.

It feels like he's been teasing me for hours, when logic tells me it can't have been more than a half an hour, but this "no orgasms" rule is well past frustrating and sliding into infuriating territory.

As I'm trying to control my breaths, Aleko reaches into the bottom drawer of his bedside table and pulls out a medium-sized pink dildo.

"I hope you're gonna make me come with that thing, because you're doing a shit job of it so far." I'm being bratty and I don't care.

"Oh, baby, you're going to come so hard you'll see stars, but before that…" He turns the dildo on, so it's vibrating, and pushes it against my clit, making my hips buck again as that familiar throb closes in once more. The pleasure-pain of being held off for so long only seems to intensify it each time.

"Oh fuck, no!" Ghosted.

Aleko moves the dildo away from my pussy and licks the tip, his eyes never leaving mine.

"Tonight, Mackenzie Wilson, you will learn a very valuable lesson in not lying to me. Because I'm telling you now, there is nothing wrong with you for what you had to do. You're not broken, you're not crazy, you're exactly fucking just right." His words are full of fire and they hit the mark.

My heart aches because he's not wrong, I've been feeling all of those things, but I've been pushing them aside in hopes he'd get me off with a rave party between my legs. A hot tear forms in the corner of my eye, but I blink it away.

"I'm going to edge the fuck out of you for another hour before I give you what you need. Because, baby, the first time you come tonight will be with your pussy lips squeezing the life outta my cock." The buzzing of the dildo hits my clit again and I groan, throwing my head back and trying to breathe through it. "Maybe then you'll realize how fucking perfect you are for me because you're not the only one who killed their brother."