I nod, then turn to Rake, who looks even more pissed off now.
Great.
I put my arm on my brother’s shoulder and give him my best puppy-dog look, which usually works on him.
Nothing.
Wow, he’s really angry.
“I’m sorry, Rake. I don’t want to hurt you, but I can’t seem to forget the bastard.”
He looks at me then and sighs. “I wanted better for you, Anna.”
I swallow hard at the disappointment in his eyes. “You wanted me here with you in this lifestyle. Please don’t be mad now that I’ve decided to be a part of it.”
“Fuck,” he curses, then kisses me on my forehead. “He hurts you and I’ll kill him. Slowly.”
“So you aren’t going to fight?” I ask, hearing the hope in my voice.
Rake smiles slowly. An evil glint in his eye that sends a shiver down my spine.
“Fuck no, I need this.” He looks down at me. “And stay out of it, Anna. You wanted to be a biker’s woman—now sit here, bite your tongue, and let me take what I’m owed.”
My eyes widen. Rake has never spoken to me like that in my entire life. I step away from him, not seeing my brother, but Rake—the club member. Arrow wraps his arms around my waist from behind and spins me around. Then, with everyone watching, his mouth settles possessively on mine.
Point made.
I’m his, and he’s mine.
And now everyone knows it.
SIXTEEN
DREAD fills my stomach as Rake and Arrow face each other. Why do these men have to act so barbaric? And screw Sin for making me watch it. Arrow pulls off his T-shirt, exposing his smooth, toned chest, and I perk up a little. Faye sends me a knowing smirk before her gaze returns to the two impressive men, staring at each other, waiting for the fight to begin. Rake pulls his shirt off as well, and they both face away from me, talking to Sin. I stare at the dragon tattoos on their backs, both staring at me.
These men live by their own rules, and there is nothing I can do about it. If I want Arrow I know I can’t change him. I have to accept him as he is, and I do.
That, however, doesn’t mean that I will stop being me. It just means that I have to think before I speak.
I’m trying.
Arrow looks over at me just before they get the go-ahead from Sin to start. He lets Rake hit him once, square in the face, then says something to him in a low tone. After that, he gets into the fight. I close my eyes as I hear the sounds of flesh hitting flesh, knowing that, to me, it doesn’t matter who wins this fight. The two men I care about the most are beating the shit out of each other, and all I can do is sit here and let them act like idiots. I hope after they work off all this aggression, Rake can forgive Arrow and let it go. This isn’t the olden days, where he needs to defend my honor because some man took my innocence. Arrow and I haven’t even had sex yet. I look up to see blood dripping down my brother’s face and Arrow’s lip cut open once more. I shoot Sin a dirty look, but he just grins at me.
Why do I want anything to do with these men again?
I stand up and yell at the top of my lungs, “ENOUGH!”
Surprisingly they both turn to me.
“Enough,” I say again, my voice shaky. I grab a first-aid kit from the bathroom, then tend to Arrow’s face. Rake already has two women fussing over him. I gently cup Arrow’s face, lifting it up for me to inspect closely. I don’t like seeing him hurt, even though I now know to expect this kind of shit.
“Fucking stupid,” I mutter to myself, wiping the blood away and checking out the cut. It looks painful, but he is acting like he can’t feel a thing.
He smiles, blood on his teeth. “Nothing like a good fight.”
I wrinkle my nose and look over his ribs. “Anything else hurt?”
He shakes his head and gets on his feet. “I’m fine; now let’s go to bed.”
My head snaps to him. “I’m sorry?”
He smirks. “I’m full of adrenaline, darlin’, and I won the prize. Now let’s go fuck.”
He’s so romantic.
Not.
I look around to see everyone watching us.
“Don’t you all have things to do?” I ask the peanut gallery.
Faye shakes her head and grins.
Arrow, apparently done waiting, lifts me in his arms and carries me bride-style to my bedroom. Throwing me on the bed, he braces himself over me and kisses me, wincing a little because of his cut lip.
“If you’re not up for this, Arrow . . .” I tease, lifting my hips up and feeling just how much he wants it. “I can take care of it myself.”
“No chance in hell, darlin’,” he replies with a smirk, then undoes my jeans and slides them off. Next to go is my black tank top, my bra, and then last of all my panties. I lie there, completely bare before him, but instead of feeling shy, I feel empowered by the look in his eyes.
He likes what he sees, and I like that he likes what he sees.
I lick at my bottom lip. He doesn’t miss the motion.
“So worth the wait,” he says in a low rumble. “So worth it.”
“Glad to please,” I whisper. “Now, your turn.”
He takes off his jeans. He isn’t wearing any underwear.
My mouth waters at the size of his cock, my eyes widening.
Now that is a cock.
Before I’m finished with my perusal, he lies down and rolls me on top of him.
“I want to enjoy this view,” he says as his thumbs swipe over my nipples. “Kiss me.”