Zorro (Reapers MC Book 16) Read online

  Shaking my head, I take a sip of the hot chocolate and stare out into the distance. The tall pine trees are scattered throughout the property, but about half a mile down the lane that leads to Blackjack and Ashley’s house, there’s a line of pine trees that blocks the sights. It’s almost like a small forest. Grim told me there’s a creek that goes in through the woods and one day, on a warmer one, he’ll show me. Said it would be a great place to go hiking. Natalie’s been on him the last few weeks about doing some therapy and working his legs. He was lucky with the accident, but it doesn’t mean he doesn’t have any problems.

  The door creaks from behind me and I find myself turning to look back, Zorro comes walking out of the clubhouse in his jacket and cocks a brow. “Didn’t think you’d be out here in the cold.”

  “It might seem silly, but I think it’s too pretty of a night to stay inside. I wanted the full Montana experience,” I tell him with a smile, lifting my mug. The whipped cream has now melted into my drink, but I’m sure he knows I’m not drinking coffee at this hour.

  “I’m shocked you’re not wrapped up in a red plaid blanket too, with those extra fuzzy socks you ladies love to wear,” Zorro jokes, and honestly, I’m relieved. We’re putting what happened today behind us and I was worried for a bit we’d both make a spectacle about discussing it in depth.

  I kick up my foot. “You caught me red handed. They’re under the boots.”

  He shakes his head in an amused manner. “I fuckin’ knew it.”

  Zorro walks across the porch and comes up behind me, wraps his arms around my body, and holds me against his chest. He dips his chin to my shoulder and presses a soft kiss to my neck. “I don’t ever want to lose you, and I hope you know I’d never keep something from you on purpose, especially if I felt like it was going to put me in risk of you walkin’ out of my life.”

  I nod. “I do. I mean, I know why you didn’t tell me. You have no feelings for her so you felt it was irrelevant.” I thought we could avoid talking about this, but I guess not.

  “Exactly. It seemed fuckin’ stupid to bring up the past. I don’t ask you about your other boyfriends.” The fact Zorro called himself my boyfriend makes me smile so wide. We said we weren’t going to fight this any longer, but we never put a label on it, until now, I guess.

  “Speaking of my previous relationships, that’s why I freaked out on you the way I did. I know your situation with Shiloh wasn’t the same thing at all . . . but it brought up a really dark part of my life. The insecurities and pain just came rushing in. Hit too close to home for me.”

  Zorro releases his arms and turns me around to look at him. He takes my mug from my hands and places it on the wooden railing, then takes my face in the palms of his hands and stares into my eyes. “You have nothing to fear with me, sweet girl. Tienes mí corazón. No, you are my heart and I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you. God, you make me feel shit I never thought was possible.” His eyes dart across my face, taking in every detail, surveying every feature. The fact he told me I have his heart makes my own flutter in my chest.

  “What are you saying, Santiago?” My words come out in a breathless whisper, while both excitement and fear strikes through me.

  “I-I’m saying you’ve got me, sweet girl. You’ve got my heart. You’ve got every part of me. I’m saying . . . I’m saying I’d sacrifice everything for you if that’s what I needed to do. But damn, Ruby, I told the club you’re it for me. You’re the woman I want. You’re the . . . shit, you’re the one I want to come home to every night, on my worst days and my best. I know I don’t deserve you, but I’m standin’ here layin’ out every feelin’ I have for you and I’m prayin’ you’re as serious as I am about this. ‘Cause I mean it when I say I told them, I told everyone you were my ol’ lady, babe, and your brothers shook my fuckin’ hand so I don’t think they’ll be a problem anymore.”

  My heart shoots up into my throat at his words. Not just at the fact my brothers gave him their blessing, but at every single thing he’s said. I was so worried for such a long time that he wouldn’t want me. That I had a silly, little crush on this masculine man . . . but here we are.

  Everything happens so quickly, but the need to kiss him completely takes over me. I snake my arm around his neck and stand up on my tippy toes, pressing my lips onto his in a feverish haze. Every word he’s said is on repeat in my mind, every declaration of his feelings toward me, every confirmation I needed to know this is right. That we’re right.

  I push my lips past his, glide my tongue along his teeth, and kiss him like he’s the literal air I’m breathing. He rips his mouth away from mine, panting heavily against my lips. “Not here. I can’t. I’m going to lose my fucking shit with you, sweet girl, but not here.” Zorro hoists me up in his arms and before I know it, we’re walking into the clubhouse. He heads straight for our bedroom and once we’re inside he’s locking the deadbolt, tossing me on the bed and ripping his shirt off. It happens quickly but it’s like my eyes see it in slow motion. The way he pulls it up and his chiseled abs are perfectly on display, revealing more of his god-like physique moment after moment. As he pulls it over his head it messes up his dark hair a bit and he throws it on the floor.

  “I won’t always be able to be gentle with you, Ruby. Right now I’m having a really hard time holdin’ back. Fuck, so hard.” The imprint under his jeans shows me just how hard this is, on both accounts.

  I know he’s holding back because he’s afraid of my reaction, because he doesn’t want to scare me, but . . . I want this.

  I want us.

  My past doesn’t define my future, and I won’t let what they did to me that night scare me away from my happiness with him. He was gentle with me the first time and it was amazing, but I need to accept Zorro for everything he is. Even if it’s darkness.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The universe gave me a relentlessly loyal heart, I could love through a lifetime

  ~ Butterflies Rising

  Zorro

  I need to be gentle with her. Even knowing that I couldn’t stop the need to throw her down on the bed. But this moment is unlike any we’ve ever had. Here she is, leaning back on her elbows, smiling up at me. It’s not a jolly smile, but a sinful one. Like she’s ready for what’s coming.

  Fuck, I’m so afraid for what I’m about to do tonight. Yet I’m standin’ here tossin’ my shirt on the damn ground, ready to destroy her pussy.

  “I won’t always be able to be gentle with you, Ruby. Right now, I’m having a really hard time holdin’ back. Fuck, so hard,” I admit in a hungered growl. I’ve always been the man who’s taken what he’s wanted, but with Ruby I’ll never take a damn thing, even in my sick lust filled gaze I will ask her, because at the end of the day I know what happened to her. And while I might not ever be able to understand the way it makes someone feel, I never want to hurt her. I wouldn’t ever be able to live with myself if I did that.

  With those bright blue eyes of hers she stares into mine and utters words I never dreamed she ever would. “I’m not asking you to hold back, Santiago. I’m in this with you. I’m not some delicate little girl. I can handle whatever you’re throwing my way.”

  My cock throbs at her words, ready to ram into her sweet heat. I gulp and lick my lips as the throbbing intensifies. My balls tighten up, demanding me to ravage her, but still I’m trying to hold back. I don’t want to do anything that could fuck this up between us. Ruby is too special. She’s too unique.

  She’s everything I ever fucking wanted in this life.

  And I won’t fuck it up.

  Clearing my throat, my voice comes out in a cracked tone. “You’ve had some intense shit happen to you, sweet girl. I’m not lookin’ to remind you of that.” Even the brief mention of what she’s been through makes me want to bash skulls in, and I sure as fuck will. Tomorrow morning, I leave for Stonewall University and I’ll get my revenge for her. I’ll kill every motherfucker who dared to be involved in what happened. She doesn’t need to know a
bout the lengths I’ll go to get revenge for her, or the ones I’ll go to protect her.

  “How could you ever remind me of them?” Her question almost causes tears to come to my eyes.

  I take a step toward her and keep my eyes trained on hers. “I’m not ever tryin’ to get anywhere near that level, Ruby. I’m not . . . I’m far more fucked up than you could ever imagine. I got issues, baby. I got real issues.”

  “I don’t expect perfection, Santiago. What I expect is a partner and I know I have one—you. Now come here and take what’s yours, what you claimed.”

  Her words imprint on my mind and I can’t hold myself back. I jump on the bed like a damn cheetah, hovering over her body, and slam my lips down onto hers. Ruby shimmies out of her pants and paws at my jeans like a bitch in heat.

  God dammit, I’m about to lose all control. I only pray she’ll look at me the same as I ram into her until she’s screaming for me to stop. My dominance has been a major rule breaker in most of my relationships, but she’s a submissive woman and I think she’ll be okay with this. I’d never claim to be in the BDSM lifestyle, but I’m a kinky fucker.

  Wrapping a hand around her throat, I stare into her eyes and look into them with determination. Her hands drop to my groin when I apply the slightest pressure. “I don’t want to fuckin’ scare you away, but you know I have skeletons in my closet, baby. I’m not a good man, and I need you to know that. I’m not a good fucking man.”

  Ruby slides her hand up the side of my face and glides her thumb along my cheek. “I never asked you to be a good man, Santiago. I only asked you to be the right man for me, and you are. You’re fucking perfect.”

  I crash my lips down onto hers and claim her mouth, forcing myself between her lips and our tongues dance in a sinful battle. I can’t fucking stop the pull between us. My dick feels like it’s on fire, needing to be inside her tight heat. I could fucking explode right now, needing to feel her walls wrapping around me. The first time it was so different, but this time I expect her to milk my cock for everything that’s in there.

  Ruby paws at my hips, pulls my belt off, and unzips my pants. My heart pumps heavily in my chest with every moment that passes. The head of my dick pulsates and I feel precum coating it, ready to plow myself deep within her.

  I’m not gonna fuckin’ wait to yank off my pants. I need her now and I’m gonna fuckin’ take her. Her pants are already off, so I move the pathetic excuse of fabric called panties from between us and rock my thick cock inside her. She gasps like she did the first time, rolls her neck back, and moans out in complete pleasure. “Fuck, I forgot how big you were.”

  “Allow me to remind you,” I chuckle. Moving her leg up to get a deeper angle, I ram myself in her tight pussy, coating my cock with her essence every time I thrust inside her. Her walls constrict around me like a boa and I practically release myself in her right now. She’s that tight, like a fuckin’ Chinese finger trap.

  “God dammit,” Ruby screams out, clutching the sheets between her hands.

  I’m not trying to fill her walls with my seed just yet. I want her to wait, I want to have her begging me for her release, but who knows if I’ll be able to wait that long.

  She rolls her hips, lifting them up from the bed at every thrust. Her moans grow louder and louder before her walls begin tightening moreso around me. At the same time her walls tighten, I compress my hands around her throat, feeling the way she struggles to breathe every time she inhales. But she doesn’t freak out, instead her pupils dilate and her eyes are filled with lust. She’s loving the way I’m colliding my cock into her cervix, taking what belongs to me.

  Ruby gnaws on her bottom lip, biting down on it every time she makes a sound, while her eyes beg me for more. I can’t help but smile, knowing the pleasure I’m bringing to my woman. “I can’t hold back for much longer,” I breathe, grunting it out as sweat beads along my forehead.

  “Don’t, please don’t. I don’t want you to,” Ruby whimpers, wrapping her hands around my wrists. She tightens around them, almost urging me to give her my cum, and I don’t hold back any longer.

  My balls tighten and I release myself inside her walls, for the first time marking my territory, taking what belongs to me. At the same time my cum spurts from my cock, I slam my lips back down onto hers. I need to kiss her, to show her that even though she’s mine, I fuckin’ love her.

  God, I fuckin’ love her, and the moment I get back from Stonewall University I’ll make my feelings known.

  Chapter Nineteen

  True love is friendship dipped in honey

  ~ Faraway

  Ruby

  I wake to the feeling of the bed rising from beside me. Bringing my hands up to my eyes, I rub them and open them to see what’s going on. Light shines in through the window and Zorro’s at the bedside putting on his jeans and a long sleeve black shirt. “Are you going somewhere?” I ask him with a raspy voice. I always sound super rough in the morning, like there’s a frog stuck in my throat.

  His eyes meet mine and he nods. “Yeah, Zane has me heading out to go on my trip now instead of in a few weeks. I’ll be flying out instead of driving though. It’ll make everything go quicker.”

  I blink a couple times as my memories come flooding back. He needed to head out to go see that club on the East Coast. It wasn’t supposed to happen for a month or so if I’m recalling correctly. “Is everything okay? I mean, you weren’t supposed to go out there yet, right?”

  He gives me a curt nod. “Everything’s as good as it’s gonna be, sweet girl. I need to go out and handle some business for the club. Because of what happened with the Corrupt Kings Zane doesn’t want us to risk being gone when they come back.”

  “Huh? What do you mean?” I ask, now needing to sit up in bed. He didn’t tell me anything about the Corrupt Kings being gone in the first place.

  “Shit,” he grumbles under his breath, instantly telling me he said something he shouldn’t have. “I wasn’t supposed to let that slip, but now that I have, I’ll tell you, but you can’t tell a fuckin’ soul. No one else besides the patched in brothers know, Ruby. You feel me?”

  “Of course. I won’t tell a soul,” I promise, truly meaning it.

  “They were spotted by a club we have an alliance with out in Portland. It’s why Zane wants me to go handle stuff now, so I don’t risk overlapping with the Corrupt Kings when Zane could need me. You get what I’m saying?”

  I nod once. “Yeah, it makes sense.”

  “I’ll be gone a few days, but no more than that. Zane is having Frost come with me to make sure I stick to the schedule and don’t get in any shit while I’m out there.”

  Both nervousness and relief settle deep in my stomach at his words. Relief because he’s not going out there alone, but nervousness because the possibilities are endless. The shootout with the Corrupt Kings confirmed that much. I mean, I always knew the club life was dangerous, but you never really know how dangerous until things happen right in front of your face.

  “Okay, um . . . this is probably a weird question but what happened to the dude in Zane’s house? The one who went into the crystal.”

  “Zane had the boys handle the mess,” Zorro speaks so matter-of-factly.

  Part of me wants to ask what that means, but I know better than to ask. It’ll only give me a visual of something I really don’t need to see.

  “When are you heading to the airport?” I question him, not remembering him mentioning this to me at all. I wonder if he was going to even tell me he was leaving today, or if he was gonna leave a note for me or something.

  “In about three hours, I have a bit of time before I have to go. But I have some stuff around here I need to sort out first, so, I’m heading downstairs and then I’ll be grabbing breakfast really quickly and handlin’ shit. You gonna be okay on your own?”

  I stare at him blankly. “Of course I am. I’m a big girl you know.”

  Zorro snickers lightly, walks over to where I am on the bed and leans d
own. He presses his lips against mine and kisses me in a passionate way. I’m almost automatically expecting him to grab me by the back of the neck and have his way with me before he leaves, but the moment he pulls away I’m proven wrong. I whimper at his absence and he smirks lightly. “I’m going to miss you so much, but I’ll be back before you know it.”

  “Just a few days?” I question, hoping he really only means a couple.

  “Five, maybe six,” he responds, looking into my eyes.

  “Okay, well, be careful. I don’t know what you’re doing or anything, but it feels like something I should say.” Being part of a club is still so new to me, but the danger that’s associated with the guys makes me feel like I need to heed a warning.

  “You’re not wrong, but I’ll be careful. I promise.” Zorro kisses me one last time before he goes over to the door of our bedroom and grabs his cut from the desk beside it. He slides it on and looks back to me one last time, grabbing the set of keys from the blue ceramic bowl on his desk. It has both sets of keys for SUV and bike, plus the key to our room. He glances down for a second at the bowl and clears his throat, “You should keep these keys with you now.”

  I blink in disbelief for a second at what he’s just said. “Like, keep them on me?”

  He cackles lightly and a smile pulls at his lips. “They’re yours, sweet girl. You’re not goin’ anywhere and neither am I, so my spare keys aren’t my spares anymore. They’re your set. You get what I’m sayin’?”

  Heat flushes over my cheeks and I nod. “Yeah, thank you.”