Page 4 of The Big Bad's Claim
I frown, not picking up what he means. How could he know? There’s no way he could have seen her, not when I told her to stay in the bedroom... I step into the hall and my eyes find her immediately. She’s got gravity to her, and I’m drawn to the sight of her full hips, dark hair, and golden skin. Like the first time, it takes me physical effort to stop my jaw from dropping. Then it gets to me.
Kenna Jordan is standing next to one of the tables, her wavy hair loose behind her back, a cautious smile on her lips. And several pairs of eyes on her. Of male eyes.
My heart kicks in my chest and shoots up my throat. Anger like nothing I’ve ever felt courses through my veins, setting my body on fire. It’s acid burning my stomach, flames inside my skull. Baring my teeth, I become an animal. I stride to her, glaring at each one of the men sitting there. They meet my eyes and diminish. They know they shouldn’t dare. They know they fucked up big time. A roar climbs my throat, and I could fucking kill each one of them with my bare hands.
Kenna turns slowly to me. Her eyes light up, and it’s beautiful and enticing, and the sight of those plump lips tightens my pants like crazy. Then she sees it. She sees the madness in me and her smile disappears.
“Blaise, I...” she starts, but I don’t let her finish. Holy fuck, my name on her tongue just makes it ten times worse. I feel insanity ripping through me.
I bend and grip her knees, throwing her over my shoulder. She squeals and hits my back, and I turn around and shoulder Wrath out of the way before I march to the bedrooms. Once I find mine, I throw the door open, then drop her on the old mattress. She bounces, the loose shirt she’s wearing climbing her stomach with the motion. I frown, recognizing the shirt.
Fuck, it’s mine. It’s my shirt. She’s wearing my shirt. My gaze rakes down her form, the swell of her breasts, to the exposed creamy rolls of her sexy stomach. My cock is about to burst through the zipper. One look at her and I’m ready to go.
“I’m sorry!” she gasps, breathless, and there’s an edge to her voice that makes me pause. Fuck, I hate to hear fear in her voice. I couldn't bear it... Though she should be. She should keep her distance.
Fuck. What is this girl doing to my head?
“What were you doing out there?” I demand. “I told you to stay here.”
She catches her breath, her chest going up and down. “I... I know, but I haven’t eaten since lunch, and I heard people out there, so I thought I could... You know...” And her stomach rumbles. Her cheeks go bright red, and a new feeling blooms inside me.
Shame. I can’t believe I daydreamed so long about her, I forgot to bring her food. Shifting my weight from foot to foot, I race a hand through my hair and take deep breaths. Shit, I don’t think I’ve ever lost my cool like this before... But she does things to me I never experienced.
Kenna sits up, covering her stomach and fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. “Sorry about the shirt, too. I just really wanted to change out of mine.”
She has no idea what the sight of her wearing my clothes does to my head. I shake myself back to reality. It’s understandable to be attracted to her—she’s gorgeous and has curves for days. But she’s also much younger than me, and a client. She looks innocent, and she’s afraid. I should not want to rip her clothes off. I should not want to take her bareback and make her scream my name until the entire city knew she belongs to me.
I swallow hard, then close my hands into fists. “No, this is on me,” I say. “I lost track of time. You shouldn’t have needed to come down.” I take a deep breath and release it. “Come on. As long as you stick with me, you’ll be fine. Those men would have devoured you if given the chance.”
She peers up at me, then shoots to her feet. Kenna bites down on her lip, but a smile threatens to spill either way. I force my gaze away, even as my body warms up at her proximity. Even when all I want is to reach out and touch her again.
I can’t allow myself to be any closer to this woman. She’s too bright for my darkness. Too beautiful for my ugliness. I’m not good, and I’m not gentle, and I could devour her and destroy her like a black hole. There’s nothing for her in this life.
3
KENNA
Even with the stiff mattress, and the smell of beer and sweat that seems to permeate every nook and cranny in the place, I wake up rested. The walls are paper thin and the boys downstairs go to sleep much later than me, but I still can’t remember the last time I slept this well.
Blaise took me downstairs and quickly introduced me to more people than I can remember. He barked orders at the guys, and a man left the hall to cook us dinner. I had never had a greasier and tastier burger in my entire life. Then I sat there, sipping beer as the others talked loud and laughed, and girls arrived to keep them company. It was fascinating, unlike anything I’ve ever seen.
The men are boastful, noisy, and violent. But as I sat there, with Blaise hovering around me like a guardian, I had not an inch of fear. I felt safe as I watched the ins and outs of a biker club until I grew too drowsy, ready to sleep. Blaise walked me to the bedroom—his bedroom—but didn’t look twice my way as he closed the door.
I wake up to the sun filtering through absent blinds. After washing my mouth and showering in the bathroom across the hallway, I notice how empty the premises are. How empty this bathroom always is. I wonder if Blaise ordered the guys to use another one and leave this one for me.
He shouldn’t have to. Heat spreads over my cheeks as I wonder about this, and I cross back to the bedroom. The empty bedroom. The one thing I had when I ran from Todd was my purse, and there I kept my phone, charger, and some snacks. Blaise is giving me space, and keeping me safe, but does he need to? I had to call in sick, twice, and soon enough they’ll kick me into unemployment for not showing up. I have no clothes here, no way to distract myself. My life is on hold because of Todd.
Because I overheard Todd discussing the price of a hit while he cleaned his pistol. God, I never expected that. We weren’t exactly happy, and he never talked much about his job, but a hitman? I thought that was something out of the movies.
Standing in the middle of the bedroom, I glance at my things, and at the shirt I’m still wearing. My clothes are two days old, and I can’t keep digging into Blaise’s wardrobe—even if I would do that—his clothes are comfy and he smells amazing. I shake my head. This might have been silly. I might have gotten myself in trouble, closing a deal with these bikers when I didn’t even need to. Maybe Todd didn’t hear me walking in. Maybe he’s wondering where I am, worried about my safety.
I pick up my phone. Maybe one phone call is all we need, and I’ll fix everything. If I can convince Todd I heard nothing... If he believes I never made it home for another reason...
There are several missed calls on my phone. I didn’t even check it last night. After unlocking the device, I go through the calls. They’re all from Todd. All twenty-five of them. My stomach churns as I open the messaging app.
Todd:Hey. Where are you?
Todd:Don’t ghost me, Kenna.
