“And the price is being, what, owned by you?”
“Something like that,” I mumbled.
“What happens if I say no?”
“Too late now,” I said. “Whether you like it or not, I claimed you, and there’s no going back until I say so.”
“Then say so,” she snapped. “I’m not yours. I’m not anybody’s.”
“You want that?” I asked. “You can have it. But that means you don’t got no protection. The other clubs, if they know you’re claimed by me, they might be a little more willing to not murder you.” I paused and looked at her again. “Without me, though, you’re on your own.”
She glared at me hard for a second, and I just smiled back, relishing her gaze.
“I don’t like this,” she said finally.
“You think I like it?” I asked. “Claiming you means something for me, too.”
“Whatever,” she said, and she went back into her bedroom to finish packing.
I let her stew in there and kept watch at the window.
She still didn’t really get it. Claiming her meant more for me than it did for her. I was responsible for her now, committed to her. The club didn’t have many rules, but it did hold its members to some fucking standards. When you claimed something or someone, that meant she was off limits to every other horny fuck in the area, but it also meant you were committed to her and were expected to keep your dick out of any other snatch.
Which was not something I fucking liked. But I had made my choice, and I wasn’t the type of man to go back on my word, even if she didn’t understand what that meant.
She came back out of her room after another minute, lugging a bag behind her.
I raised an eyebrow. “That’s for one week?”
“Yeah. Got an issue?”
“Might not fit in my place.”
“Too bad,” she said.
I laughed and walked over to her, grabbing the bag from her hand. “Allow me.”
She made a face. “Don’t strain yourself.”
I laughed again and followed her out of the apartment and down the steps. We went out front to my bike, and I took a few minutes to lash the damn bag to the back. She stood by, her arms crossed, looking more annoyed than anything else.
If only she understood what I was doing for her, maybe she wouldn’t be so testy.
Ah well. Didn’t much matter. The girl would learn.
I was a willing and able teacher.
Chapter Seven: Caralee
The ride back to the Demons clubhouse wasn’t as relaxing as most other rides on the back of a bike.
I was way too busy thinking about what Ford had said, and what it all meant.
My head was still a bit dizzy and slow, but I was beginning to come back to myself. I realized that I had been in pretty bad shock when I’d stumbled into that clubhouse, and hadn’t been thinking at all. At the time, I’d thought it was the only thing I could do, the only thing that could protect me.
Now, though, I wasn’t so sure I had made the right decision. What had I given up to get Ford’s protection, and what did that mean for me?
As we sped through the city, my hands clinging to Ford’s muscular body, I couldn’t stop imagining what he was saying to me. We were somehow together now, although I barely knew the guy. I was definitely still in danger, and he made it seem like by claiming me he was committing himself to keeping me safe.
I hadn’t seen Ford in so long. As soon as I’d seen him, though, the memories began to come flooding back from when we were kids. His arrogant smiles, the occasional comments. The night by the lake, the way he made my body feel.
And the way he completely disappeared right after that.
Now he was back in my life, appearing like a whirlwind, and he somehow owned me.
Well, that pissed me off. He had disappeared on me back then. He’d made that choice, not me. I’d wanted to see him again, but he’d had different plans. I hated feeling like just another one of his conquests, but that was probably the truth.
Still, it didn’t make sense that he’d stick up for me like that. Maybe he wanted more from me. Maybe he wanted to find out what he could have had from my body back then if he had stuck around.
Well, there was no way he was getting that. I didn’t care if he still made me feel like a teenager, if my heart pounded in my chest and my pussy got soaking wet when I gripped his body riding on the back of his powerful motorcycle. It didn’t matter if he thought he owned me.
I was going to stick around for as long as I needed for this all to blow over, and then I was done with Ford Cook.