Penni continued to hit the biker who raised his arm to protect himself while jerking her purse out of her hand. The purse, which only had a simple snap closure, immediately flew open, spilling the contents of the purse onto the floor.

As Penni dropped to the floor, picking up the scattered contents and putting them back in her purse, her face blushed bright red when Jackal took the foil packet out of her hand. Penni got back to her feet, jerking it out of Jackal's hand before putting it back in her purse.

"You ready?" King picked up her purse from the table.

"What? I can't leave Penni when-"

"Ice is going to make sure she gets home safely for me." As King maneuvered her through the crowd, she looked back at Vida and Sawyer, who both seemed to have their hands full of angry husbands.

"King, you're overreacting."

King didn't say anything, leading her through the doorway to his car. Henry watched their approach with a grin.

She slid in the car, turning back to King who slid in after her. Her mouth snapped open, ready to give him h.e.l.l then closed it just as quickly when she saw the expression on his face he was no longer attempting to hide. Her instincts had her scooting away from him, hugging the opposite door as Henry closed his.

King leaned back indolently against the expensive leather, smoothing out his pants with an elegant hand. "Why didn't you tell me where you were going?"

"I don't have to tell you what I do every minute of the day."

"No, only when you meet middle men and f.u.c.k around on me."

d.a.m.n.

Evie gathered her temper. "First off, I resent your lack of trust. Secondly, I served in the military with Rabbit. I heard he was in town, and we met for lunch. That was it. Penni wanted to go out; I went with her. I had no intention of f.u.c.king around tonight."

King picked up her purse that was lying on the seat between them. Opening it, his hand reached inside, pulling out the condoms. "Then why did you need these?" He put them back in her purse, closing it then handing it to her.

"I don't owe you any explanations," Evie said, looking out the window.

"Yes, you do."

After the car had pulled up in front of King's building, Henry opened the door for them. They walked through the lobby in silence. The ride in the elevator was filled with tension.

Inside the penthouse, King went to the bar, pouring them both drinks while Evie stood stiffly by the couch, shivering at King's cold att.i.tude. She had never seen this side of him. She had seen his arrogant and stubborn side, and she had seen him run his club with a business att.i.tude, always maintaining a professional facade. But not this cold, detached side.

The man standing across the room from her, unb.u.t.toning his shirt to show his muscular chest, was a man who had fought his way up from the streets, willing to do whatever it took to take what he wanted.

"I think this is partly my fault; I did not make myself clear. I expect a certain type of behavior from my woman, and one of those is not to f.u.c.k other men when she's mine."

"I'm not yours."

"Yes, you are. You don't want to admit it, but you are, Evie. All mine."

When Evie shook her head, King set his gla.s.s down on the bar. She expected him to grab her, so she tensed, preparing to fight him. Instead, he went to the window.

"Come here." Evie dropped her purse on the counter, moving to stand at the window, staring out like he was.

"That is my city. I own every person in it. Most don't know it, but I do. Just like you."

Again, Evie started to shake her head, yet in the next instant, he had moved so fast she didn't have time to react. He jerked her top and bra from her body then ripped her skirt away. Evie trembled as she stood naked in front of him, only wearing a black thong that barely covered her shaved p.u.s.s.y.

He pressed her back against the window. "You put this tat on you, showing you belong to The Last Riders, but I'm going to pay Colton for a cover-up. My name will cover it because you belong to me now."

Her hands went to his shoulders to push him away. "I belong to them."

"Exactly who do you belong to? Train? He f.u.c.ks anything that moves. Rider? He likes sharing, doesn't he? But he doesn't want to claim anyone. Cash? h.e.l.l, he won't even let you sleep in his bed. Viper? He belongs to Winter. Knox? He belongs to Diamond. Shade? He belongs to Lily. I can keep on going, Evie. You're just a f.u.c.k-toy to those men."

"Shut up," Evie screamed.

"What's wrong, Evie? Does the truth hurt?"

"No. It doesn't. I don't belong to them; I'm a part of them. They have my back. They protect me."

"They use you."

"No, they don't. It's the other way around." Evie laughed at his shocked expression from her admission. "They give me support for..."

"For what?

"For everything," Evie went on, ignoring his questioning gaze. "They give me what I need when I need it. Train and Rider can both f.u.c.k me until I'm too tired to think and can sleep. Cash can take control away when I step out of line. Viper, he helps me make important decisions. They gave me shares of their business. I'm a very wealthy woman because of them. Knox, he's my best friend. He understands what it's like not having the one you love."

"What does Shade give you?"

"None of your f.u.c.king business!"

"Has he f.u.c.ked you since he's been with Lily? Has he already betrayed her?"

"I've never f.u.c.ked Shade! He saved my life. He was the one who found me after those men raped me. He cleaned me up and stood beside me when everyone else called me a wh.o.r.e. He let me stay at his house with his mother and Penni when I got out of the service. He made sure I got counseling. When I joined The Last Riders, he tried to talk me out of it. He never gave me his vote, but I needed The Last Riders, and he finally backed down. He gave me someone I could talk to, and I was someone that could listen to him talk about Lily. That's how I know he will never hurt her; he's done nothing but talk about her for years."

"Why didn't you tell me?" King's shoulders slumped with defeat. Evie knew he only wanted to hear bad things about Shade, not that he was in love with his wife and had longed for her for years.

"Because it's none of your f.u.c.king business!"

"Anything to do with you or Lily concerns me. When are you going to understand? You're not a f.u.c.k-toy to me, Evie. I care about you." His hand cupped her cheek.

"You don't care about me, King." Evie contradicted him.

"You're wrong. It's too late." He turned her to face the window, pressing against her back. "You're mine like every building, man and woman out there belongs to me. I'm never going to let you go."

Chapter 18.

"King, I can't stay here."

His mouth traced a line from one bare shoulder to the other. "Why not? They have so many women they won't even miss you."

"That's not true." She couldn't keep the hurt out of her voice.

"Tell me one who would miss you? Which one would it cause to eat their heart out if you didn't wake next to them? Who would miss you bad enough to come after you? No one. You've been gone for the last two months. How many times have they called you? Told you to hurry back?"

"Stop it, King." He didn't know what he was talking about. It had been several days since they had last called, but they were all busy. It was the factory's busiest time.

"I can't spend an hour in which I don't want to know where you are, what you're doing. I f.u.c.k you hard so you're tired enough to sleep, wake in the middle of the night to make sure you still are, and when I wake in the morning, it makes my day to hear your grumpy voice before I walk out the door. If you left, I would not only miss you, I would come after you and bring your a.s.s back here where you belong-with me." His hand went to her hair, tilting her head back while keeping her body pressed to the window.

She heard him unzip his pants, and Evie trembled at the erotic touch of his hand as his fingers slid under her thong, sweeping through her damp p.u.s.s.y and coming to a stop when he reached her c.l.i.t. He stroked the hood until she pushed her a.s.s back against him, wanting more.

Placing her hands on the window in front of her, she braced herself when she felt his c.o.c.k brush against her opening before sliding inside her in a movement so hard her b.r.e.a.s.t.s were pressed flat against the window. Her legs widened to ease his entry.

"King..."

His hand tightened, bringing her head back to rest on his shoulder as he began f.u.c.king her, staring down into her eyes. The violet depths of his eyes swirled with emotions his image branded her soul. She rose onto her toes in the high heels, trying to give herself more of him.

"What are you going to do, Evie? Does being mine scare you so badly?"

"Yes," Evie admitted out loud to both of them. "You're using me. You want to hurt them."

"Not if it means hurting you. Believe me, Evie; why would I lie? I have nothing to gain except you, and that's all I want."

Evie shuddered as he continued to f.u.c.k her, leading her desire where he wanted it to go, taking the control away from her but giving her what she needed in return.

She moaned as his finger rubbed her c.l.i.t hard while he drove inside of her harder. She couldn't tear her eyes away from him anymore than she was beginning to believe she would be able to leave him.

Her p.u.s.s.y began rippling in the beginning of her climax, and it was then she realized he hadn't worn a condom. She had broken a rule of the club; she had f.u.c.ked without a condom. She closed her eyes tightly as she felt both of them climax, stealing away her last chance of escape.

Somehow, someway, King had managed to steal his way into her heart, so she was going to take a chance and trust him. She had to at least give them a chance; she wanted that happily ever after just once for herself.

King stepped back from the window.

"It's a good thing I'm not afraid of heights," Evie joked, trying to make light of the connection she felt between them.

"I would never let you fall. I'll always be there to catch you." He picked her up, carrying her through the bedroom and into the bathroom. He slid off her high heels like she was Cinderella then lifted her into the shower, turning the water on. They washed off in silence.

When King turned the water off, he pulled her from the shower. Evie then stood at the mirror while he brushed and blow-dried her hair. He treated her as if she was special, as if she meant something to him.

When he was finished, she turned back, taking his hand then leading him to his bed where she pushed him down onto it. "Don't think I didn't notice you didn't use a condom."

King's hand reached out to play with a nipple. "I got carried away."

"You don't get carried away."

"You on the pill?"

"No, implant." Evie bent over his chest, laying her head down so she could hear his heartbeat.

"What are you doing?" She heard his rumbling laughter.

"Making sure you have a heart."

"I have one." He took her hand, placing it on his chest, his gunshot wound just a few inches higher.

Her head dropped to his chest again. "I don't know how to love you, King, but I'm going to try." She let her heart shine in her eyes for a brief glimpse, begging him silently not to hurt her, giving him her trust.

"Evie..." King's voice softened. Neither one of them was used to exposing their hearts. Both of them were used to guarding them while wanting to reach out and take their own grasp at happiness.

Evie did something then she hadn't allowed someone to do in years. He pulled her close, hugging her tight, while she wrapped her own arms around him, hugging him back just as tightly.

Evie woke when the first rays of sunlight started to rise from the sky. Sliding quietly out of bed, trying not to wake King, she went into the bathroom.

Remembering her phone, she went into the other room to get it; she wanted to make sure Penni hadn't left her any messages after their fiasco of clubbing.

She crossed the room, picking up her skirt and top from the floor before going to the couch where she picked up her purse, accidently knocking down the folder King had packed into the apartment with them.

She wasn't going to read them; she had found out everything she already needed to know. She slid the papers back into the folder, rising to her feet, and she was about to set them down when King startled her.

"What are you doing?"

Evie smiled at him tenderly.

"You couldn't even do it one day, could you?"

"What?" Evie asked, confused as to why he was becoming angry.

King motioned to the folder she still had in her hand. "Snooping again? By now you should know I don't keep anything for you to find in the apartment. Didn't Rabbit tell you yesterday I was getting out of the business?"

"You've been watching me? That's how you knew I was at the nightclub last night?"

"Of course, why would I trust you?" King snapped.

Evie felt as if a hole had been drilled in her heart. Setting the file down, she began getting dressed, giving herself time to get her emotions back under control. She finished putting them on then walked across the room to him. Without saying a word, she went into the bathroom, picking up her thong and throwing it into the trashcan, then putting on her heels.

"What are you doing?" Ignoring him, she slid by, walking back through his bedroom. He grabbed her arm in the hallway.

"Let me go." Her deadly-calm voice had him dropping her arm.

Evie went to the couch, picking her purse back up. "Get yourself out of the mess with Ramos. I don't care how, just do it. I checked them out. Ramos plays dirty. He's the type to try to use Lily against you. Let him do his deal or let the Predators deal with it. Either way, go back to Treepoint and visit Lily until the deal's over." Evie went to the door, opening it and closing it behind her.

Once in the elevator, she shut down every emotion she had, shoring the barricades she had let crumble last night. She had known better; she couldn't believe she had fallen for his lies. He had told her he wouldn't let her fall, yet she felt as if she was in a downward spiral she wouldn't be able to recover from.

Going out into the daylight, she started walking down the city street toward Penni's apartment when she heard a car come up behind her. She didn't have to turn to know who it was.