Chapter Six

Piston

The expression on Venus's face was one I wanted to remember for the rest of my life. In fact, it was a look I'd be telling children in the clubs about for years. When we were old and I was gray and Venus finally got tired of all the pink and was gray with me, I'd be tellin' everyone about how the most feared woman I'd ever met turned a very unflattering shade of red at the mention of doing something in a bed other than sleep.

Her fists clenched at her sides, and for a moment I thought she might actually take a swing at me. But instead, Venus let out a long, slow breath and shook her head. "You are impossible," she muttered, though a slight twitch of her lips suggested she was fighting back a reluctant smile.

At that moment, though, both humor and desire swirled in the tension-filled room like a tangible force. I knew Venus well enough to understand her boundaries and her triggers. She was as fierce in her personal space as she was in a brawl, and crossing that line without an explicit invitation was something I would never do. Didn't mean I wouldn't push her. Just a little.

"Not impossible." I took a slow step toward her. "But I'm bettin' you're not nearly as opposed to sleepin' with me as you're lettin' on."

"Sleep, Piston. Sleep is operative word." She gave me a stern look. It was kind of cute, really. I mean, once you got past the daggers she had for nails and knowing that one swipe across a man's privates could very well emasculate him.

"Sure. Sleep can come. You know. After ."

Her eyes got wide and she actually took a defensive step backward before stopping herself. Her head went up and her eyes flashed with defiance. "Not happening."

"Oh? Tell me you didn't like it when I kissed you. Tell me that and make me believe it." I crossed my arms over my chest and looked down my nose at her.

She opened her mouth, probably to tell me she hadn't liked me kissing her, but nothing came out. She tried again. Still nothing.

" Blyat !"

The next thing I knew, Venus took the two steps separating us. Her hand went to my beard, and she pulled me down to her and fused her mouth to mine.

The kiss was fierce, almost punishing, as if she was trying to prove a point with her lips and teeth but ended up proving something else entirely. Her fingernails dug into the skin of my face as she pulled me closer, and I could feel the fire that always simmered just beneath her surface when we were together flare up like a torch thrown into dry straw.

Venus was the first to pull away, breathing hard. Her eyes were bright with something that wasn't anger. There was heat there, undeniable and raw, and it burned all the more brightly framed by the flush on her cheeks.

"I hate you," she whispered, her voice husky.

I chuckled low in my throat, though laughing was the last thing I felt like doing. I was just as affected as she was and didn't care who knew it. "I know, Shortcake."

Venus's chest heaved as she glared at me, her fury mingling with the unmistakable glow of desire. "This changes nothing." I thought she was trying to sound angry and perhaps she did. Her voice, though, betrayed the conflict swirling within her. "You're still bastard and I still hate you."

Her breath was hot on my face, her anger palpable, yet so was the pull between us, like opposing magnets being forced together.

"You might hate me," I said, my voice low and steady as her stormy gaze locked onto mine. This was a pivotal moment. I knew it as well as I knew my own name. I wanted to push her, but I knew better. Yeah. I was probably gonna fuck her tonight, but it wouldn't change much. At least, not on the surface. "But you can't deny there's something here. Something that ain't just gonna disappear because you want it to."

Venus snorted, a sound that would've been dismissive if her eyes hadn't been scanning my face like she was trying to read a complicated map. "You think you know everything, Piston."

"I don't," I admitted without hesitation, I had my hands resting on her hips, but not holding her back. I had to. Otherwise, I'd have them fisted in her hair as I fucked her mouth with my tongue. "I don't know near everything. If I did, you'd have been in my bed a very, very long time ago."

I saw the exact moment my words registered. Her eyes widened, then narrowed. I timed my movement perfectly and covered her lips with mine the second she opened her mouth, likely to give me a piece of her mind.

If it was possible, this kiss was even more fiery than the last. There was a struggle for dominance and, I gotta tell ya, I have no idea how I managed to win that initial battle. Probably because it was a sneak attack.

You know what? No. It wasn't a sneak attack. She kissed me first, Goddamnit! She started this. It was only fair I finish it. True or not, the thought gave me the strength I needed to power through the intoxicating taste of her sweet lips and tongue and prove to her I could handle her. I could command her when necessary. It wasn't something she necessarily wanted, but she needed it. No matter what she wanted, no matter how much she might be attracted to me, Venus -- Ulyana Volkov -- would never permanently attach herself to a mate she thought of as weaker than she was.

This was the moment I'd trained for my entire life. Nothing had ever been as important to me as this woman. Nothing ever would. I had no children. Had no prospect for having children. Even if I knew for sure she could have children, the woman would never put herself in a situation where she couldn't control what was happening to her body. For Venus, it was all about control. It had been drummed into her from the day Victor had shipped her off to what amounted to assassin school.

Now, adopting little girls? Absolutely. She'd gather them in droves and make them just as outrageous and deadly as she was. Little boys were out of the question because she'd make them into men who were capable and willing to take over the world. Then she'd cheer them on from the sidelines with a pink concoction that looked like some fruity little drink with no bite, of which one sip would knock you on your ass. No. Being pregnant was an obvious vulnerability and that was something Venus would never allow herself. She'd been trained to view children the same way. As a something to be used against her. Over the years, however, I saw how she passively watched over every child in any club she visited. Like she'd already adopted the lot and hadn't bothered to tell anyone.

With a grunt, I lifted her up without breaking our contact. She wrapped her legs around my waist as I pressed her against the nearest wall. I pressed as much of my body against hers as I could so there was no way she could miss the way my cock stood hard and proud for her.

Venus gasped into my mouth and I took her breath into my lungs, breathing in as she breathed out. She shuddered, but one hand landed on my shoulder and she clutched me to her, those nails of hers once again digging into my skin. Which made me even harder for her. I wanted to feel those wicked things digging furrows down my back. If she drew blood, I'd wear the scratches like badges of fucking honor.

She slid her other hand around my neck and grabbed the hair at my nape, pulling hard enough to send a jolt of pleasure-pain shooting straight to my dick. I growled against her lips, my grip on her hips tightening in response. The wall was unyielding behind her, but I doubt either of us cared. I knew I was a writhing mass of need and fucking lust by this point. I knew I couldn't give in to those desires though. Not this time. Later. After she fully trusted me. Or, rather, once she realized she fully trusted me. If she didn't already, I'd have been dead the first week we spent together hunting that motherfucker, Victor.

I shoved a hand up the bottom of her leather vest. Fuck, it wasn't easy. I was certain I scratched or pinched her skin more than once. If I did, Venus didn't care. If anything, it spurred her on.

Next thing I knew, she had my vest and shirt off, and the front zipper of her vest undone. Her breasts mashed against my chest and she rubbed herself over me like a cat marking its territory. Her nipples grazed over my chest hair and she gasped, looking into my eyes with that eerie pink gaze of hers.

She bared her teeth at me. "This doesn't mean anything," she said, her voice thick with lust and something else I was too chicken shit to try to decipher. Mainly because I needed every single ounce of control I had to make it through this encounter on top. If she got the best of me, if I lost myself in her body the way I wanted to, I'd never get another chance with her. I absolutely had to prove to her I could handle anything she threw at me and come out on top.

I held her gaze, even though I knew the reason she was looking at me now was her go-to effort to throw someone off. And, let's face it, those pink eyes would normally do the trick. They weren't just strangely colored contacts, they were bright fuckin' pink. It wouldn't surprise me if they fucking glowed in the dark. I didn't flinch. I held her gaze with what I hoped was a steady one of my own.

"Tell yourself that, baby. But it means everything ."

Her lips twitched in a semblance of a smile, though it was as dangerous as it was inviting. I knew she'd been a trained and very skilled seductress. I'd seen her smile exactly like this many times before she pounced.

Venus pushed back slightly to study me, her expression unreadable. "You think you're ready for this? For me?" she challenged, her voice laced with both skepticism and intrigue.

"Oh, I'm very ready, Venus. The question is, are you?" Did I have doubts? Yep. I had many. Not doubts that we belonged together -- I was already hers and had been since the moment I claimed her, when I'd gone to help get Lemon back. Venus needed to realize she was mine as well. She wasn't there yet. My doubts centered on myself and if I could be what Venus needed. I was a strong, dominant man, but Venus was unlike any other woman I'd ever encountered.

"You think so?" She tilted her head and, for the first time, I thought I might have penetrated that shield she kept around her all the time. She tried to look amused, but there was something in her eyes that told me she was now wary. She sensed the predator, but couldn't find him.

"I'm not just ready, baby. I'm here to prove I'm exactly what you need. And I will be everything you could ever imagine in a partner." I replied, tightening my grip on her hips and pressing my cock harder against her. I thrust my hips between her thighs so the hard ridge of my cock rubbed over her clit. I knew I got it right when she shivered in my arms. Her gaze skittered from mine and she grunted, almost in pain.

When sweat erupted over her skin and beaded on her forehead and upper lip, I couldn't help the smirk I knew painted my lips.

Our breaths mingled, those fierce eyes of hers imploring me to challenge her, to prove my resolve. "Everything," she repeated, her voice now a whisper caught between defiance and a plea. It was clear Venus was wrestling with her own desires and the harsh rules set for her long before she was capable of defying them. From there they'd been drilled into her until each of those rules became part of her psyche. The weight of that stare felt like a challenge carved in stone, daring me to carve my name alongside hers.

Suddenly, her hands moved with purpose, tracing the contours of my face before pulling me closer. Her lips sought mine again with an urgency, like her actions were almost a plea for me to make good on my promise. Our kiss deepened, tongues clashing in an erotic dance.

As her lips moved against mine with an almost ferocious need, I could feel the barriers she built around herself beginning to crumble. The intensity of her kiss conveyed more than words ever could; it was her response to my challenge, daring me to keep up with the storm that was Venus.

With every touch, every clash of our tongues, I felt more of her walls fall away. Oh, she fought to hold them up. Probably thought that, if she could wrest control from me, I'd give in and fuck her already. Then she could use my inability to resist the call of her body as evidence I wasn't strong enough to handle her. She could bend me to her will and Venus would never belong to a man she could control.

She reached between us to unfasten my jeans. My cock sprang free and I nearly groaned at the instant relief. Sure, I still throbbed and ached like a motherfucker -- especially when she reached between us to stroke my cock -- but I felt like I had some room to breathe. Which is what I needed to keep control of this situation.

I gripped her hips, shoving her off me so that she was on her feet. Venus was a tall woman. Unlike her sister, Millie, who was short and slight, Venus was five-ten with some bulk to her. She definitely had the look of a woman who was physically fit. I might be a decade older than her, I was six-five and very heavily muscled. As intimidating as she could be to most men, I wasn't most men. And I knew by the looks the woman gave me when she thought I wasn't looking, Venus liked what she saw.

I spun her around, mashing her against the wall. My cock wanted to nestle between her cheeks, but was prevented by all that Godforsaken pink. Which kinda made me smile too. I knew why she wore pink. I also happened to know she hated every second of it, but had embraced the woman she'd become when she landed with Argent Tech and the Shadow Demons.

"Did I say you could touch?" I growled the words beside her ear, needing to instill a bit of unease in her.

"Fuck you, Piston," she spat back over her shoulder.

I gave her an evil chuckle. "Oh yeah. You're gonna fuck me all right."

She gave a screech of anger, trying to swipe back at me with her nails. I was ready for her and caught her wrists in my hands, bringing them over her head and holding them there. She managed to get my leg through my jeans, though. Probably brought blood too. If this situation had been less dire, I'd have smiled. Which would likely have set her off, and not in a good way.

The weight and strength of my body pinned her solidly against the wall. I gripped both her wrists in one hand for the few seconds it took me to undo and jerk off my belt. I got it looped around her wrists, held by the buckle and my hand on the end of the leather. I pulled her wrists so her arms bent at the elbow, putting her hands behind her neck. I caught her chin in the crook of my elbow, gripping my belt strap in the same hand, effectively restraining her hands and restricting her head movement at the same time.

"Now," I rasped next to her ear. "What were you saying about fucking me?"

"You know what I meant!" Venus yelled at me as she kicked, scraping her heavy motorcycle boot down my shin. I felt it, but the move wasn't as painful as it could have been had my jeans not had the front reinforced with leather.

I wrapped my other arm around her waist and lifted, mashing her harder against the wall. Her feet flailed, landing blows to my thighs and shins a couple of times. Once she got my knee, but not enough to do real damage. Which told me I was doing exactly the right thing. Had Venus truly wanted free, she'd be free. And I'd be dead.

"And you know what I meant." When she stilled, I continued. "Now. You wanted my cock? Maybe I should give it to you."

A fine tremor took her body again and her skin erupted in gooseflesh. She shuddered, then Venus actually whimpered. God, I was so close to getting what I'd wanted for a fucking decade! Yet, all of this, everything I'd dreamed about having in my life, could crumble at the first sign I couldn't handle Venus enough to control myself. She needed a man stronger than her, and I was determined I'd be that man. No matter what it took.

When she shivered again, sweat erupting over her skin this time, I set her on the floor. I found the button to her pants and unfastened it, then undid her zipper. When she only whimpered again, I worked them over her hips until the pink leather was halfway down her thighs.

Again, I wrapped my arm around her waist. I'd loosened my grip on the belt letting her have some movement in her arms. If Venus felt threatened, there was no doubt she could be free any time she wanted. My job, as I saw it, was to make it so she forgot about wanting to get away from me. If I could override that instinct and help her embrace her own pleasure, maybe, maybe , I could win her heart.

My dick bobbed between her legs. When it bumped against her upper thigh, Venus's knees gave out and she sagged against me, her breath coming in ragged pants. I paused, holding her still, but giving her a moment to fight me if she wanted free. She didn't. Instead, she bared more of her neck to me, a sign of surrender.

"Do you want my cock?" I growled as I rubbed my length along the seam of her pussy. Her wetness coated my dick with silky cream, letting me know how much she needed to fuck. Needed to come. The trick would be to get her to beg me for it. She had to acknowledge it was my cock she was begging for. Me who she wanted to fuck.

"I… I…" She panted, her body limp against me. The only reason she was still on her feet was because I held her up.

"It's not a difficult question, Venus. Do you want my cock buried balls deep inside you or not?"

"Piston!" My name was a strangled cry on her lips. It was my answer, but I needed more.

"That's my name, baby. Now tell me what you want me to do." I ran my lips up and down her neck, grazing my teeth against her and tickling her delicate skin with my beard. "Do you want me to fuck you? To put my dick in that sweet, wet pussy?" She moaned, a desperate sound. "The noises you're making tell me you need to come. Perhaps I'm wrong? I should let you go. Leave you alone and never fuckin' touch you again." I made my words harsh. Angry. I had to push her as hard as I could while still staying in control.

"NO!" She practically screamed the word. "I need to come!"

"Ah, now we're getting somewhere." I praised her by moving my dick more firmly against her pussy. I slid through her lips in s sensual glide, rubbing over her clit, just not as much as she needed. I was sure she was getting just enough stimulation to keep her on edge but not push her over. "Tell me, Ulyana. Tell me what you want me to do. All you have to do is tell me. You don't have to beg. You don't even have to ask. Just tell me what you want me to do and it's yours."