Liberate Us (Next Generation Book 8) Page 2

  Clearly, I had a type.

  Arms suddenly wrapped around my middle.

  I stiffened.

  Sammy’s eyes darkened, that scowl deepening on his face. Before I knew what he was doing, he was up and out of his seat and stomping toward me.

  Amber

  I wasn’t overly sure why I was surprised that Sammy reacted the way he did when another man touched me, but I was. Especially when Sammy pushed the guy away from me before I could even see who it was. Not that I needed to because no matter where I went and who I was with, a certain individual always showed up and I didn’t need to actually see his face to know who it was.

  But before I could stop him, Sammy had Will Hodges up against the wall. Will apparently thought it was funny and laughed.

  “Something funny, fucker?” Sammy growled, pushing his forearm into Will’s jugular.

  “Yeah,” Will grit out through clenched teeth. “Just think it’s funny that you think she’s actually worth it.”

  I glared at him. As much as I didn’t actually want to stop Sammy, I went up to them and grabbed Sammy’s arm. “Stop.”

  “Yeah, stop,” Will mocked not attempting to push Sam away either.

  Before they caused a scene, I pushed my way between them and shoved Sammy back, separating them. Just when I thought he was going to leave and not even bother, Sammy grabbed my hand, pulling me back toward him.

  “What are you doing here, Will?” I demanded, ignoring the fact that my hand was in Sammy’s, or that I was standing so close to him I could practically feel his heart beating in my own chest.

  “I came to say hi,” Will told me, running a hand through his longer black hair that hit just below his ears. His piercing green eyes locked with mine, his full lips pulling up into a smile that forced a small dimple to pop in his left cheek. A dimple that reminded me so much of his brother it was unreal. The two had been a year apart but you would never know. They were so damn similar in looks that you would think they were twins.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked him, my breath catching as Sammy ran his hand up my forearm and enclosed his fingers around it, pulling me into him. That single movement made my hand bump his crotch. My mouth went dry as he pushed his pelvis into my touch, almost as if he was letting me know that every inch of him was mine if I wanted it. The movement had been so subtle, no one would even notice. But I did because I knew that Sammy didn’t do anything by chance. He had motive and a reason for everything.

  “I came here…” Will crossed his arms under his broad chest, his eyes flicking above my head. “You can leave.”

  Sammy grunted, leaning down to my ear. “Did you want his arms around you, Red?”

  “No,” I whispered.

  “Did you want him to touch you?” he asked, his lips brushing over the shell of my ear.

  I swallowed hard, shaking my head. “No, I did not want Will to touch me,” I said, keeping my eyes locked with someone from my past who I really wished would leave me alone.

  Will narrowed his brows at me. “She’s lying.”

  “Doesn’t matter if she’s lying or not. You do not put your hands on someone without their permission.”

  I looked up at Sammy.

  “Don’t give me that look, Red.” He gave my ass a pinch. “I know you want my hands on you.”

  I snorted. “But have I actually ever said that?”

  “No, you haven’t but you’ve never pushed me away either. Have you?”

  He got me there. “True.”

  Sammy winked.

  That single act made my heart flutter.

  “You here for a reason?” Sammy asked Will, not looking away from me.

  “Yeah, I’m here to talk to Red but I can see that she’s clearly busy.”

  Will’s words pulled my attention back to him.

  “I’ll see you soon.” He nodded once and made his way toward the entrance of the club before disappearing out the double set of doors.

  As soon as I could no longer see him, a breath I didn’t realize I had been holding, left me.

  “What was that about?”

  My head whipped around, finding Sammy’s brother coming toward us. I had never officially met him, but I knew of him. He had been coming to the club with Sam and a few of the other members of Hell’s Harlem.

  “Fucker touched Red without her permission,” Sammy growled, running his finger along the side of my hand that was still touching his crotch.

  Cyrus glanced at me before looking back at his brother. “You need to stop beating up every man who breathes the same air as she does.”

  I shifted on my feet. “I should go get ready for my shift.”

  “No.” Sam hooked his pinky around mine. “Who is he to you?”

  I sighed. “My brother-in-law.”

  “You’re married?” Cyrus shook his head. “If you hurt my—”

  “What? No. God, no. I’m not married anymore. My husband died if you must know, but I haven’t even had this conversation with Sammy yet.” I turned toward Sam. “I’m not married. I’m widowed.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” he said gently.

  My stomach twisted. “Don’t be.” I wanted to add that my late husband wasn’t worth the sympathy but refrained and kept that thought to myself.

  Sammy’s eyes searched my face. “What does Will want with you then?”

  “He was a biker. Was in the same crew as Aaron, my late husband, before he went rogue. I’m still friends with some of the guys, so Will tries to get me to give him information from time to time, but I always refuse. I know what happens to snitches. That’s not me.”

  “I’m going to call Jaron. Fucker shouldn’t be here without first notifying us.” Cyrus went back to his table, leaving me alone with his brother.

  Sammy’s eyes burned into me, probably wondering if I was telling the truth or not. I was, but in all fairness to him, he didn’t know me well, so I wouldn’t blame him if he thought I wasn’t.

  “I can feel you staring at me,” I murmured.

  “I’m wondering if you’re telling the truth or not,” he said, taking the thought right out of my head.

  “Trust me, Sam. I have no reason to lie. I married young because I was stupid and didn’t know any better.” A bitter taste filled my mouth, but I pushed those thoughts aside. I couldn’t have this conversation with Sammy yet. If ever at all. “Aaron died four years ago and I’ve been single ever since.” I was pushing thirty and had no intention of ever getting married again, let alone falling in love. “There’s no one stopping us from fucking. You don’t have to worry about another big bad biker cock blocking you.” I patted his chest. “It’s me. I’m choosing not to fuck you.” When I took a step away from him, his hand wrapped around my upper arm.

  “How close are you with Will?”

  I looked up then, being met by dark eyes I had fantasized about for months. “Why?”

  Sammy’s brows narrowed. “Feeling defensive?”

  I shoved out of his grip, pushing him back. “You know—”

  Suddenly, Sammy wrapped a hand around my throat and pushed me back against the door that led to a storage room. He reached around me and opened the door, shoving me into the room.

  “What the hell?” I demanded, pushing against his chest.

  “Stop.” He slammed me up against the door, closing it behind me.

  “No, Sammy, you stop.” I stepped down on his foot, pushing him back with all of my strength.

  He stumbled back. “Amber.”

  I glared at him. “You can’t put your hands on me whenever you feel like it. You can’t demand things of me, talk down to me, treat me like you do, and expect—”

  “Shut the fuck up.” Sammy grabbed the collar of my shirt, pulling me toward him and shoving me up against the door. “I am not him. I am not your husband. I am not anyone you’ve ever been with.”

  I scoffed. “What, Sammy? Are you going to say you’re better?”

  His lips twitched. Was he ac
tually going to smile for once? He removed his hand from my throat, brushing his thumb along the length of my jaw. “I’m not better. People come into our lives at different times for different reasons. They are not better. I am not better. I am just here.”

  “That’s the thing.” I swallowed hard, knowing my next words would probably change things. “You are better. I can’t explain it, but you are.”

  Sammy opened his mouth to respond when a hard knock sounded on the door behind me.

  “Red, Candace is looking for you,” came a feminine voice from the other side.

  “Coming,” I called out. I turned to open the door when a hand slapped against it beside my head.

  “Text me, Red.” Sammy’s mouth brushed along the shell of my ear causing a shiver to ripple down my spine.

  “If I don’t?” I threw at him.

  “You will because I’m sick of fighting this. I made the first move by giving you my number. Now it’s your turn.” He stepped away from me and opened the door.

  Before I could give him any sort of answer, I left the storage room and slowly blew out a breath.

  As I neared the bar, Shawnee Drake placed a pitcher of beer on a tray resting on the bar top.

  “For the guys?” I asked, slipping onto a stool.

  “Yes.” She placed a single bottle of beer on the bar top beside it. “For you.”

  I laughed, picking up the bottle and pulling back half of it before resting it back down. “Thank you.”

  “That bad?” She asked, blowing a loose strand of blond hair out of her eyes.

  “I don’t know anymore.” I chanced a glance at Sammy. He was now sitting with his brother and a few other guys in a booth across the room. He looked up, his eyes meeting mine. He nodded once.

  I gave him a small wave, wondering what we were doing. A part of me wondered why I was keeping him at arm’s length and thought maybe I should just get it done and over with. Then another part knew. He could break me. Literally.

  “Well, I can tell you that I’ve never seen him look at the other girls like he looks at you.”

  “I don’t know.” I shrugged, picking at the label on the bottle of beer I was nursing. “He’s hard to read.”

  “He is.” Shawnee’s lips pulled into a thin line. “I don’t know, baby girl, but just be careful. We don’t need a repeat of...well...just be safe.”

  I nodded, giving her a small smile. “Thank you. I will.” I slipped off the stool and grabbed the tray as Shawnee placed another pitcher on top of it, along with several mugs. “Wish me luck.”

  She laughed. “I’m not sure it’s luck you need. Probably a little cock.”

  I snorted. “I’m not sure it’s so little,” I told her, remembering how Sammy had my hand pressed up against his pelvis earlier.

  Shawnee threw her head back, a laugh booming through her. “God, I love you.”

  I winked, blew her a kiss, and headed toward Sammy’s table when a dark shadow loomed over me.

  I jumped, almost bumping into a large man.

  “Sorry, pet, didn’t mean to startle you.”

  I opened and closed my mouth, but no words came out. The guy was big. Around the same size as Sammy but older.

  “Red, we need our beer,” a deep voice called out from the table.

  “Excuse me,” I whispered, stepping around him and heading to the table of men.

  When I reached the table Sammy was sitting at, I looked back at the mysterious stranger. He was at the bar, talking to Shawnee. She laughed every so often, flung her hair over her shoulder and smiled widely at him. Either she knew him, or she was just having fun flirting with him. I wasn’t sure.

  The older man looked my way over his shoulder, then winked.

  My face heated at being caught staring.

  “Red.”

  “Yeah yeah, hold your horses.” I placed the tray of beer on the table, finding several pairs of eyes looking back at me, but the pair that set my blood on fire looked like he was ready to kill the man who spoke only a handful of words to me.

  “You have your beer. Anything else I can get you?” I shouldn’t have been so curt, but Sammy’s staring had me unhinged.

  “No thank you.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “And you?” I asked Sammy directly.

  “Not sure you can give it to me,” he answered.

  I rolled my eyes. “Did you need anything else from the bar or kitchen?”

  His lips twitched. “You on a platter would work for me.”

  I snorted. “In your dreams, buddy.” Before we both got caught doing something in front of his friends at my place of work, I made my way back to the bar.

  “You okay?” Shawnee asked, stuffing a piece of paper into the back pocket of her jean skirt.

  “You got his number?” I looked around the room, not seeing the stranger anywhere.

  “Maybe.” She winked.

  Before I could ask who he was, I saw Sammy stomping toward me. I braced myself, ready to face his wrath head-on and calling him out on his shit in front of his friends. When he stood a foot away from me, I lifted my hand. “Stop.”

  His brows narrowed but instead of listening to me, he took a step forward.

  “Sammy.” I backed up, my heart suddenly picking up speed. “I...I...”

  He grabbed my hand, pulling me down the hall and away from the viewing eyes of his friends and the people I work with.

  “Don’t.” I pulled my hand from his and lifted both, to ward him off.

  “I’m not going to hurt you.” He pulled me against him, pushing me back until I hit the wall.

  “What if I want you to hurt me?” I murmured, the words leaving my lips before I could even stop them.

  A low rumble left from somewhere deep in Sammy’s chest. He pushed his pelvis into me, pressing all of him up against all of me.

  “Everything I do will be because you want it.” He lowered his mouth to the side of my throat. “I will push you. I will break you. I will bend you to my will.” He licked and sucked at my skin. “Ask me why?”

  “Why?” I whispered, shaking against him.

  “Because.” He gave my earlobe a gentle bite. “I know it’s what you need.” He kissed my cheek. “Text me, Red. I’m sick of waiting,” he said, pushing away from me and taking a step back. He turned to head back down the hall, but I needed to know. I needed to know what the hell we were doing.

  “Wait,” I blurted.

  He stopped, looking at me over his shoulder.

  “What are we doing?”

  “Nothing yet.” When he didn’t say any more and we only stood there, staring at each other, I couldn’t help this need for him vibrating through me.

  He tilted his head, staring at me.

  “Sam, I…” I snapped my mouth shut, chewing my bottom lip.

  “I know, Red.” He turned and headed back down the hall from where we came.

  I slid down the wall until I landed on my ass. He knew. He said he knew. But how could he know when I didn’t even know what I was going to say. The handful of encounters I had with Sammy were already enough to knock me off my feet. Literally.

  “Did you need me to get Corbin to kick them out?” Shawnee asked, her shoes coming into my line of sight.

  “No.” I shook my head. “I’m fine. Thank you.”

  “Are you sure? I don’t give a shit if Sammy’s attracted to you. You say the word and we can make them leave. And…”

  I looked up then, being met by my friend’s concerned stare. “Continue.”

  She sighed, pulled her long blond hair back into a ponytail, and tied an elastic around her hair. “I just worry about you. I don’t want you to end up with another guy like Aaron.”

  I laughed then, rising to my full height. “Trust me. Sammy may be an ass, but he is nothing like Aaron.”

  “And how do you know that?” she asked, stepping in line with me as I neared the room that held change rooms, costumes and anything else the girls needed to spice up the
ir routines whenever they danced.

  I thought a moment. How did I know that? It wasn’t like I knew Sammy really. I knew he was brooding, possessive and overbearing but I didn’t really know much about him other than that. “I guess I don’t actually know.”

  “He’s made the other girls cry,” Shawnee pointed out.

  “I know.” I pushed open the door that led to outfits of all different colors. “Have you heard from Gigi? She’s supposed to be teaching us a new routine.” Gigi Rodriguez was a former ballerina who hurt her knee after falling on it the wrong way. She taught us a routine a while ago that we did for Candace, our boss, and she loved it. A few tears were shed but she appreciated it nonetheless.

  “Stop trying to change the subject.”

  “Listen.” I turned toward my friend, someone who had been by my side since we were kids. “I’m attracted to Sammy. There I said it. What he wants is strictly just sex. No emotions. No commitments. Just pure sex.”

  Shawnee frowned. “Is that what you want?”

  “It’s all I can handle now, but Sammy is not Aaron. How do I know this? I don’t know exactly but with Aaron, there were red flags almost instantly that I missed or ignored.” I shrugged. “I was young and naïve. You know how shy and awkward I was growing up. Aaron was the first boy who noticed me, and I fell in love almost instantly.” I sighed, not liking to think ill of the dead but the bastard got what he wanted. I never even had a chance to divorce him before he died. It was like that fact alone made it seem like he still had his clutches in me.

  “Just be careful,” Shawnee said gently, pulling me from my thoughts.

  “I will. I’m going to organize this room finally like Candace asked, so you girls don’t have to do it.”

  “And so you don’t have to see a brooding biker?” Shawnee laughed lightly.

  “Yeah.”

  She came up behind me, wrapping her arms around me from behind. “I love you, Amber, and I can understand being attracted to him but if he hurts you, I will gut him like a fucking fish. I stayed back and minded my own business with Aaron, but no more.” She spun me around. “You hear me?”