Beast grumbles his way toward us, coming to a halt at the kitchen threshold. He lifts his chin at me, then turns to Cherry, looking her over nice and slow. “Elle…”
With her attention glued to Beast, I watch her eyes flare under his gaze. Oh, man. She fucking wants it. She licks her lips and forces out a choked, “Morning.Rylandwas telling me how he got the nickname Rattler.”She says my name like she’s in on a secret. I fucking love it.
“The Diamond Back in the hat?” Beast chuckles.
“Um… what?” Elle asks, eyes wide. “You didn’t tell me that part!”
“Did you know that if you get a snake cold enough, it’ll basically hibernate?” I ask her. Cherry nods and I realize that, as a schoolteacher, she probably knows a lot about animals.
“This Chaos punk was selling drugs at the middle school. Talking to teenage girls… and more. So I stole my grandpa’s cowboy hat, insulated it with a bit of pillow fluff, and shoved a chilled rattlesnake in there. I tracked the guy down at the diner over in Peril and set that snake right next to his eggs and bacon.”
“What did he do?” she asks.
“Sat real fuckin’ still, is what he did.” I laugh. “Didn’t move a muscle while I told him to stay out of Haven.”
Elle’s jaw drops. “You. Are. Insane,” she mutters.
“Eh, I handled a lot of snakes as a kid.” I shrug. “And it was worth it. She barely even rattled, but he pissed himself and took off running. Never set foot in Haven again.”
“Well, Rattler suits you.” The smile on her lips heats my blood as she turns to Beast. “What about you? I doubt your birth certificate reads ‘Beast’.”
“I’m an ex-Ranger. I came to the Sinners with a… certain set of skills. When I was a prospect, we got into a scuffle with some of your guys—”
“I cannot stress this enough,” Cherry interrupts with a shiver. “They’renotmy guys.”
“We ran across some Chaos riders near the border, and they were dead set on blood. They outnumbered us—”
“By a lot,” I interject.
Beast shrugs. “And I held my own—”
I roll my eyes. Leave it to Beast to undersell the story. “He literallythrewa guy. Picked him up by his cut and tossed him down the hill.”
Cherry eyes him, one eyebrow climbing, but Beast shrugs it off. “Picked up some of your stuff,” he grunts, holding a duffel bag in her direction. Cherry’s eyes light up and then immediately tighten.
“Wait, you went tomyhouse?” Her tone is simmering with disbelief.
Beast holds up her keys, dangling them from one finger. “Yup.” Her hand shoots out, but she’s just a hair too slow as he pulls them out of her reach. Elle huffs and grits her teeth, but turns her focus to the bag.
“Please tell me you brought my—” The second she has the bag unzipped, her words turn to an unintelligible growl. Peeking over to see what has her panties so twisted, I’m delighted with the contents. There might be clothes in the bottom of the bag, but if they’re in there, they’re buried under a mountain of dirty novels and sex toys.
I choke back a surprised snort. “I stand corrected,” I say to Beast, reaching into the bag and coming out with a pair of rose gold nipple clamps.
“Excuse you.” Elle sputters and snatches them back. She turns on Beast, glaring at him. “Touch my personal things again, and I’ll use them on you.”
He shrugs. “First time for everything, I guess.”
“You know what?” Elle’s eyes burn with indignation as she steps toward him. “You don’t get to treat me like this.”
“Like what?” His voice is casual as fuck.
“Like I’m club candy.” She’s spitting mad. “Like I’m so easy, you can snap your fingers and I’ll spread my legs.”
“Is that what you think?” Beast’s voice drops to a dangerous pitch as he takes a step toward her. Elle takes an instinctive step back—right into my chest. She freezes, the soft curve of her ass nestled against my dick. The warmth of her body spreading to mine. She trembles like a kitten, but that rapid breathing doesn’t seem scared. On the contrary. She waits for him to corner her.
Beast grips her chin, lifting her face to meet his eyes. “I brought your books because it’s obvious you enjoy them. Theaccessorieswere a bonus. I figured you’re wound so tight a good orgasm or two couldn’t hurt.”
As he leans in close, I stroke the long locks of her hair away from her neck. I can’t help myself. I breathe her in, running my fingertips over the little freckles that kiss her skin.