"Would it have mattered? If I'd gone, Ghost, would it have mattered?"

He looked at her like she'd asked the dumbest question ever.

"Yeah, Jess, it would have mattered."

"To you? Or to your club?"

"I'm not gonna lie to you. The information you have is valuable. My club needs you and that information to make a deal to keep the damn Death Heads from pushing into Alabama. You were right. They want the entire Gulf Coast. And yes, we're takin' you to that meet. I'm not gonna deny it. But I'd never let them have you, Jess. Never."

"How can I believe you?"

"Because you know me, baby. You fucking know me."

"I want to believe you."

"Then do it."

She stared at him.

"I promised your brother I'd take care of you. That I'd watch out for you. I promised him."

"When?" She frowned.

"Doesn't matter when. I just did."

"And that's why you're helping me, because of a promise to my brother?" Her heart began to sink. Was she just a debt, a favor owed? Was that all she'd ever be to him?

"Partly."

She started to turn away, her eyes glassing over, but he yanked her back around. "When I'd thought you'd gone-" he broke off searching her eyes. "The panic I felt had nothing to do with any promise I'd made to Robert."

She tried to twist free. "I can't do this."

"The hell you can't. You've fucking pushed and pushed. Well, guess what, darlin', you rattled my cage and awoke the bear. No turnin' back. You wanted me. Now you got me."

And then he was pulling her to the head of the table and lifting her to plop her ass down on the polished wood.

Her startled eyes widened. "Ghost, what are you doing?"

He pushed between her knees to stand with his hips pushing her thighs wide. His hands cupping her face, pulling her head up to lock gazes with her.

"We gonna do this?"

"Ghost-"

"We gonna do this or not?" he growled.

"Do what, Ghost?"

"Us." And then without giving her a chance to speak, his mouth came down on hers, his tongue diving inside. He held her head tipped back locked in his hands as he took his fill. When he finally broke away to gasp in a lungful of air, her mind was turned to mush. She couldn't even remember what they'd been talking about; he'd wiped every thought from her brain.

But Ghost remembered.

"Ain't playin', Jessie. I want you. Right here. Right now. You want to give us a shot, a real shot, then it starts now. You don't, you say the fuckin' word, and I'm done."

She stared up at him, shocked by his words, but as she read the determined expression on his face, she knew he meant them, every last word. And the thought of him 'being done' with her scared her to death. So she reached up, grabbed his face and pulled his mouth back down to hers.

A moment later, she was flat on her back on the table as he leaned over her, his mouth devouring hers, until that wasn't enough anymore, for either of them. He lifted off her and began fumbling with her pants. Then he was pulling off her boots and yanking her jeans off her legs.

His eyes landed on the black lace panties he'd bought her that morning in Omaha, and he hesitated. His palm running over the lace, once, twice, and then he was pulling them off as well.

His eyes locked on her pussy as his hands went to his belt, working the buckle, undoing his jeans.

She knew she was more than ready for him. She'd been soaking wet since the moment he'd backed her against the wall. A second later, he was plunging inside her, his body looming over her, one hand planted in the table next to her head, the other stroking over her, his thumb searching out and finding that spot that had her bucking.

"Oh, God, baby," she breathed.

"Wrap around me, Jess," he commanded, and she did, wrapping both legs around his waist. "Hold onto me."

She did, and he began thrusting, hard and fast, almost as if this was all a dream that would vanish with a poof if he didn't claim her here and now, right this minute.

They stared into each other's eyes, his focused and intent, rapt. Hers wide with wonder and awe.

"Ain't no goin' back. Ain't no changin' your mind tomorrow," he rasped out.

She shook her head. "No, no going back."

"I'm not gonna let you go, Jess." He stared into her eyes with every thrust underlining his meaning. "Not ever."

"Not ever," she repeated, nodding her head in agreement.

"You're gonna find shit out about me. Shit that'll make you want to leave."

"No." She shook her head.

He shook his head, too. "Ain't gonna let you go. Not even then."

"I won't leave." She could see the doubt in his eyes. Her hand stroked his cheek. "I won't."

He turned his head, his mouth kissing her palm, and then he picked up his pace, thrusting into her with the urgency of a man pursued by demons. She wrapped her arms tight around his neck and pulled him close.

"I love you, Ghost. I always have," she whispered in his ear.

A moment later he was pulling out, and she panicked she'd said the wrong thing, until he pulled her off the table only to flip her around and push her face down over it. He slid back into her, pinning her to the surface as he bent over her, his mouth at her ear.

"Been dreamin' about this since that bathroom in Sturgis." He lifted off her, his hands gripping her hips, pulling her back against him. She felt one big palm slide to the small of her back, stroking up her spine and back almost reverently. "So pretty, baby."

He began moving inside her, and every stroke hit that sweet spot that had her tilting her ass up to meet them.

And then his thrusts became frantic until he finally went rigid above her and exploded inside her with a deep male groan that had to be the sexiest sound she'd ever heard.

After several more slow gliding strokes, he collapsed on top of her, his elbow landing on the table to keep from crushing her, but she welcomed his weight, reveling in the feeling of his big body pressed down on top of her.

She reached back, stroking her hand over his ass, and then trailing her fingers up and down his hip.

She heard him moan with delight in her ear, and she smiled.

He finally lifted up on his elbows, his palm brushing the hair back from her forehead tenderly. Then he dipped his head to sprinkle kisses all over the side of her face.

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

She frowned. "For what."

"I was a selfish bastard just now. Didn't take my time with you."

"You didn't hear me complaining."

He grinned and kissed her ear. "Still gonna make it up to you when we get home."

"I get to go home? I don't have to stay here in lockdown?"

He pressed his weight down on her again with a grin. "I think I can keep you pinned to the bed for most of the night. Although-we could bring the handcuffs along if you think I'm gonna need 'em."

"You're so bad."

"I think you like bad boys."

"Lucky for you, I do."

He slid out and pulled her up, turning her to face him and taking her in his arms. They stared at each other a long moment, and then they both started smiling.

"We're really doing this?" she asked.

"We're really doing this."

Jessie reached down and threaded her fingers through Ghost's hair, her head pressing back into the pillow as his mouth brought her to orgasm again. She moaned and went limp as he climbed up her body. Good to his word, he was definitely making it up to her.

He stared down at her. "I love to watch you come, baby. The way your breathing changes," he paused, his eyes skating down her body. "The way you get all flushed. The way you melt like a big ol' pile of mush."

She lie panting, and tried to laugh, but she didn't have the energy. A devilish look took over his face.

"Ghost, no."

She could barely move, but it seemed he wasn't done with her yet. His mouth latched onto her nipple as his fingers slid between her legs, thrusting inside to stroke her deep and long until her hips were lifting off the bed.

"Ghost, I can't, not again," she pleaded, breathlessly.

He lifted his head to stare down into her eyes, his determined. "Yes, you can."

She thrashed her head from side to side, moaning, "No."

"Yes," he insisted, increasing the pace of his strokes, his thumb taking up a relentless rhythm over her clit. He brought his mouth down, just bare millimeters from her lips, giving her just enough room to breath, and he whispered, "Again, Jess. Give it to me again.

She bucked beneath him, and he leaned further over, one leg pinning hers to the bed as he kept at her, and at her, and at her, until she crashed over the edge, giving him what he'd asked for.

When her eyes finally opened, he grinned down at her.

"My beautiful baby. Maybe she can obey me once in a while."

She huffed out a tired laugh and slugged him in the arm.

"Ooow, she wants to play rough, does she?"

Before she knew what he was about, he rolled, going to his back on the bed and pulling her on top of him, his palm coming down with a crack on her ass cheek.

"Ghost!" she shrieked, trying to get away. They wrestled, him pinning her arms behind her, tickling her until she gasped, "I give, I give!"

He quit, and she collapsed panting on top of him. His palms slid to her face, bringing her mouth down to his, and he kissed her long and sweet.

She pulled back to look at him, and then it was her turn to grin as she began to slid down his body, keeping her eyes locked on his. It didn't take him two seconds to realize where this was going, and he grinned big, one hand sliding to her head, his fingers threading through her hair as he guided her down.

"Mmm, now there's a pretty sight. You between my legs, your hair spread all over me as your mouth takes me deep." He grinned. "If I could only reach my phone, I'd take a picture."

Her mouth popped free. "You'd better not."

His brows rose, the grin still on his face, and his hand already guiding her head back down. "Then you better get back to what you were doin', brat, and take my mind off the idea."

So she got back to what she was doing.

"Damn, that's twice in one night the girl's done what she was told." He grinned. "Miracles do happen."

She smacked her palm on his belly, causing his gut to tighten as he burst out laughing.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

The next day they were back at the clubhouse. There was some type of annual party going on to raise money for some charity that was important to Butcher's ol' lady. Some of the members had taken part in a poker run that had been put on for the charity earlier in the day, but since Ghost was suppose to technically have Jessie on lockdown, they'd slept in.

Now it was late in the afternoon. Most of the club were sitting around outside, when Butcher's ol' lady approached.

"We're about three hundred dollars short."