Maybe it was just some drunk.
Silence finally returned to her room … followed by a knock at her door. There was no way it was Lord already. He was still on the road outside.
“Open the door, Ally.”
She bit her lip. He knew her name, but she didn’t recognize the voice at all. Ally paced back and forth, finally deciding to ignore the constant knocking.
When he began pounding on it, the frame buckling, panic set in. He was trying to break in, which had to mean he was one of Lord’s enemies. She looked side to side, unable to catch her breath. In a last-ditch effort, she locked herself inside the bathroom, keeping as quiet as possible.
The door burst open, slapping against the wall behind it. “Ally?”
She hated hearing him say her name. The same fear she’d felt when that cop kidnapped her and locked her in his trunk came back with a vengeance. This would probably end up much worse. The Skull Nation would want to make an example of her, to rub her violent death in Lord’s face.
Please hurry up and get upstairs.
The knob of the bathroom door rattled. She didn’t move a muscle. Within seconds, he’d picked the basic lock and opened the door, flicking on the light. Ally sat there on the closed toilet with no way to defend herself, completely cornered.
“Oh, thank God.” He exhaled and rested a hand against the wall. “You’re okay.”
She relaxed somewhat.
“My name’s Whisky. I work for Lord.”
“What’s going on?”
“Three guys were trying to break in your room. If I hadn’t stopped them, Lord would have had my head.”
“Where are they now?”
“Still in the hallway.”
She hadn’t heard any gunshots, but she didn’t dare ask for details. They were likely dead, but she didn’t need to know.
“Thank you,” she said.
“I’m just glad you’re okay. You are okay, eh?”
Ally nodded, the relief making her limbs feel heavy. Her pulse lowered, her breathing returning to normal.
“Where the fuck is she?” the voice bellowed in her hotel room.
Whisky rushed away from her. “In the bathroom,” he said.
Lord’s heavy footfalls came closer. He looked like the devil himself, immediately lifting her up to her feet. “What happened? Are you hurt?”
“Whisky saved me. Strangers were trying to break in my room.”
“Not strangers. Skull Nation. Brick was right, it’s too dangerous keeping a woman,” he said. “They’ll never stop using you against me.”
She narrowed her eyes, not liking where this was going. The thought of losing Lord was just too much.
“Whisky, how’d they get up here? Why weren’t they stopped before coming in the building?”
“There were three of them. They knew exactly where they were going and took the stairs. I got one in the lobby, and was right behind the other two,” said Whisky. “No way was I letting them in this room.”
“Good work. You can head out now that I’m here. Just deal with those bodies.” Lord set his handgun on the nightside table, then shrugged off his leather jacket. Whisky and Lord’s other men filed out of the room, pulling the broken door closed behind them.
He sat on the edge of the bed once they were alone and scrubbed his hands over his face, leaning over his knees.
“Lord, they never got to me. Everything’s fine.”
He ignored her, shaking his head as he stood up, walking back and forth in front of her. “When a prez or high rank has an old lady, it’s a weakness for the entire club. I never thought about the consequences of keeping you. I’m supposed to put the good of the club before everything else.”
“So, you’re not allowed to be happy? You can never have a family?”
He stopped pacing and cupped her face. “When it was my own club that hurt you, I dealt with it. It was in my control. This shit is different. The Skull Nation knows who you are. I don’t know how yet, but they do. This isn’t just about the safety of the club, it’s about protecting you.”
A new desperation crept up on her. She couldn’t lose Lord, not when her heart already beat his name. They’d just started their unorthodox love story.
“So, what are you saying, Lord? You’re done with me? You took my virginity and played with my heart, and now I’m too dangerous to keep?” She pulled away and turned her back to him. No way would she beg him, not after everything she’d endured.
“Ally, you know it’s not like that,” he said. “You want to live your life looking over your shoulder? I can’t be with you every second of every day.”
“What about Whisky? He saved me. He was there. So why are you worried?”
He stood up straight, his expression hard.
“I should have been the one to save you, Ally. Not Whisky, not anyone.”
“They’re your men, doing your bidding. Same thing, Lord.”
“It’s not.”
“Whatever, you manage your whorehouses and do your thing. I’m sure your bed will always be warmed by club whores. Nobody wants to murder them. I’ll just get the hell out of your life. It’s easier for you that way.” Her emotions were bubbling up all over the place. She was a mess, an angry, bitter mess.
She was about to storm out and make the necessary dramatic exit, but he grabbed her arm to keep her in place. “I don’t want this, Ally. But Brick was right.”
“Brick is alone and miserable. He’ll die alone because he doesn’t believe in love.”
“He seems happy. He’s popular with the women,” Lord said.
“Women who sleep with half the club don’t count. You’re all so shallow. Nothing is real in your world. I thought what we had might be different. I was wrong.”
He pulled her against his chest, whispering into her hair. “I wanted to be the one to save you, not Whisky.”
“I don’t care about him, Lord. I’ve been wishing you were here all night. I miss you every time you’re gone.”
His hands tightened in her hair. “I thought it would be easier to cut you loose. You’ve only been in my life for the blink of an eye. But it’s fucking hard. I don’t know why.”
She hoped it was love, some connection deeper than sex and control.
“I want to be with you,” she said. “You’re all I have now.”
Even though her father wasn’t a factor in her life, Lord had turned everything upside down. She had no apartment or job to go back to now. She was completely immersed in his life. His club.
She ran her hands down his chest. He was such a presence, such strength and raw masculinity. The scent of his cologne aroused her. Everything about him turned her on. He didn’t scare her, in fact, he made her feel protected and safe.
Ally curled her fingers around his thick leather belt.
Could he read her mind? Did he know what she wanted from him?
Right now, she needed security, reassurance, love. But she’d settle for sex. All she wanted was to feel desired by Lord, connected in any way possible.
“I’ve never cared about a woman until you. You’ve fucked with my head.”
“You’re allowed to have a life, Lord. Does the club always have to come first?” She slid her hand under his shirt, feeling his warm, firm skin.