Chapter Five

 Chapter Five

The deep, heavy bass from the large speakers vibrated forcefully through the thick wooden floorboards. It made the entire room shake as the massive party kicked into full swing. It was only my third night staying at the compound, but I had already learned one important thing: the Iron Reapers did not do anything small. When they threw a party, they went completely all out.

Friday nights at the clubhouse meant pure, unadulterated chaos. The music was incredibly loud, pounding right through your chest. Alcoholic drinks were overflowing from plastic cups and glass bottles at the long bar. The air was thick and gray with a heavy cloud of cigarette smoke, making the bright lights look blurry. Bodies were packed tightly into every single corner of the massive main room, and the crowd was so big that it was spilling out through the wide open doors into the fenced gravel yard outside.

Riley had spent the last hour helping me get ready upstairs. She had kindly lent me a tight black tank top and a pair of dark denim jeans that actually fit my small body perfectly, unlike my old loose clothes. But even with the new clothes, the most important part of my outfit was still the same. Stone’s heavy leather vest—his cut—hung low and heavy on my bare shoulders. The bold words on the front patch, *Property of Stone*, announced my new status to every single person in the building. As I looked at myself in the mirror, I felt incredibly exposed, but at the exact same time, I felt strangely safe and protected.

"You look absolutely amazing, Tessa," Riley said with a wide, playful wink as we walked out of the bedroom and headed down the long hallway toward the stairs. "Trust me on this one. Stone is not going to let you out of his sight for a single second tonight."

That statement turned out to be a massive understatement.

Stone found me the exact second my sneakers hit the bottom step of the wooden stairs. He was leaning casually against the far wall, wearing his own full leather vest. He held a cold bottle of beer in his large, tattooed hand, looking every single inch like the dangerous, powerful president that he was. The moment his dark, intense eyes landed on my body, they lit up with a sudden flash of something deeply possessive and incredibly hungry. It made my breath catch in my throat.

"Come here right now, little dove," he growled out. His voice was a low, rough rumble that easily cut through the loud music playing around us.

He didn't wait for me to walk all the way over to him. He stepped forward, hooked one thick, calloused finger into the front belt loop of my new jeans, and pulled my body firmly against his hard chest. The sudden impact made my heart race. One of his massive, warm hands settled very low on my back, resting right above the soft curve of my ass.

"You wearing my leather cut like that should be completely illegal," he murmured, his dark gaze traveling slowly over my exposed collarbones and down the tight black fabric of my top.

"It is really heavy," I muttered softly, my voice trembling just a little bit.

But even though I said it was heavy, I did not try to pull my body away from his hold. The intense heat radiating off his massive chest felt incredibly good against the cool night air that was drifting into the room from the open front doors.

He leaned his massive head down, his full lips brushing lightly against the sensitive skin of my ear. "You will get completely used to the heavy weight of the leather, Tessa," he whispered, his hot breath sending a delicious shiver straight down my spine. "Just like you are quickly getting used to having me around."

Before I could find the words to respond to him, Jax appeared out of the thick crowd. He was carrying a tray of small glass shots, laughing loudly and shouting over the music. From that moment on, the party only grew wilder and crazier. Everywhere I looked, huge bikers were playing pool, couples were kissing deeply in the dark corners of the room, and busy prospects were running back and forth delivering fresh drinks to the members.

Through all the wild behavior, Stone kept me completely glued to his side. He never let his hand leave my body. A little later in the evening, when he walked over to one of the big, worn leather couches in the corner, he sat down and immediately pulled me straight onto his lap. He did it so smoothly, like it was the most natural thing in the world for us to do. He wrapped his thick, muscular arm tightly around my waist, holding me securely against him. Every few minutes, his large fingers would absentmindedly trace the edges of the *Property of Stone* patch sewn on my chest, as if he was constantly reminding himself that I was there.

A sensible voice deep inside my head told me that I should hate how easily I was slipping into this strange, lawless routine. I was a normal girl, a civilian. I didn't belong in a dangerous biker fortress. But the truth was, I didn't hate it at all. Every single time Stone touched me, every single time one of his massive club brothers nodded at me with deep respect, the old version of Tessa began to fade away. The sad girl who had spent two long years waiting and crying for Tyler to finally notice her felt further and further away, like a distant memory of a completely different person.

About two hours into the party, the heavy iron gates at the front of the compound buzzed loudly. Someone at the entrance opened them to let a small group of outsiders into the yard. They were friends of friends, regular people from the local town who wanted to experience the wild thrill of a real Reaper party. I didn't think anything of it at first. People from town came to the open parties all the time.

But then, a very familiar, shocking voice cut straight through the loud music and the roar of the crowd.

"Tessa!"

The moment that voice hit my ears, my stomach dropped completely, turning into a cold, heavy lump of ice.

I looked up quickly. Tyler was pushing his way through the tight crowd of bikers. His eyes were wide with total shock as he took in the wild scene around him. He looked completely out of place in his neat, ironed button-down shirt and clean blue jeans. He looked like a boy playing in a world meant for dangerous men. When his gaze finally landed on the couch, and he saw me sitting directly on Stone's lap with my arm resting on the president's broad shoulder, his face twisted with total disbelief, anger, and something much sharper.

"What the hell is going on here, Tessa?" Tyler demanded loudly, taking a bold step closer to the leather couch.

The moment he stepped too close, a couple of huge Reapers standing nearby went completely tense. Their smiles vanished, and their eyes narrowed at Tyler. But Stone did not move an inch. He just tightened his heavy arm around my waist, holding me firmer against his chest, and took a slow, calm sip of his cold beer. He looked at Tyler like he was looking at an annoying bug.

Tyler’s eyes flicked rapidly between the two of us. His gaze lingered for a long, painful moment on the *Property of Stone* patch sitting right over my heart.

"I know the truth, Tessa," Tyler shouted, his voice full of wounded pride. "I know you have been crushing on me for two whole years. Everyone back home knows it. Is this crazy stunt just your stupid way of trying to make me jealous? Did you really show up at a biker bar and hook up with some dangerous criminal just to get my attention?"

My cheeks burned with a sudden, intense heat. I felt like the floor was going to open up and swallow me whole. Tyler's harsh words hit me much harder than I expected them to, especially because he was saying them out loud in front of the entire club. He was exposing my biggest, most embarrassing secret to a room full of dangerous killers.

Beneath my thighs, I felt Stone's entire body go completely, deathly still. The lazy amusement in his posture vanished in a split second. A slow, terrifying smile spread across his hard, handsome face. It was the smile of a predator that had just decided exactly how it was going to destroy its prey.

He didn't say a single word to Tyler at first. He didn't waste his breath on an argument. Instead, Stone slid his large hand up the back of my neck, tangled his thick fingers deeply into my hair, and tilted my head back. Before I could even realize what was happening, he pulled my face down and crashed his lips directly onto mine.

The kiss was not gentle. It was not a sweet, soft touch meant to comfort me. And it certainly was not just a fake kiss for show.

His mouth claimed mine with a raw, wild hunger that completely took my breath away. His tongue swept inside my mouth, deep, possessive, and demanding, taking everything I had to give. One of his hands stayed tangled tightly in my hair, holding my head perfectly still, while his other massive arm kept my body pressed completely flush against his hard chest. I let out a soft, surprised gasp against his lips, and Stone took full advantage of it. He deepened the kiss instantly, spinning my head around until the entire room disappeared. A sudden, burning wave of intense heat flooded through my entire body, melting every single muscle I had.

The moment the club saw what was happening, the entire room erupted into a wild roar of loud whistles, rough shouts, and banging cups. They loved it.

When Stone finally pulled his mouth back a few inches, my lips felt completely swollen, hot, and tingly. My breath was coming in short, ragged gasps, and I had to hold onto his broad shoulders just to keep from falling off his lap.

Stone did not look at me. He kept his arm locked around my waist like a heavy band of iron, and he turned his icy, black gaze straight onto Tyler. Tyler was standing there, frozen to the floor, his face completely pale and his eyes wide with horror.

"Does that look like she is trying to get your attention, boy?" Stone asked. His voice was not loud, but it was a low, deadly rumble that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. The sheer danger in his tone made the entire section of the room go completely silent. "Let me make something very clear to you, kid. She is not playing silly games with you anymore. She belongs completely to me now. Turn your weak body around and get the fuck out of my clubhouse right now, before I have my boys carry you out in pieces."

Tyler’s face went from pale to completely white. He looked like he had just seen a ghost. He opened his mouth to speak, to try and say something to defend himself, but he never got the chance.

Two massive, bearded Reapers stepped out of the crowd. One of them placed a heavy, tattooed hand firmly on Tyler’s shoulder, twisting him around. They started steering his weak frame quickly and firmly toward the front doors. Tyler tried to glance back over his shoulder at me one last time, his eyes full of deep hurt, total confusion, and regret. But the bikers didn't care. They pushed him straight out the door, and he disappeared completely into the dark night.

As the loud party noise and the heavy bass slowly picked back up around us, Stone turned my body in his arms. He placed two thick fingers under my chin, tilting my face up higher so that I had no choice but to look straight into his intense, burning stare.

"Our two weeks deal is completely off the table," he said roughly. His deep voice was loud enough for the nearby club members to hear, but it felt incredibly private and intimate to me. His eyes were darker than I had ever seen them before. "You are not leaving this compound when the two weeks are done, Tessa. Not anymore. I am keeping you."

My pulse raced wildly in my ears, pounding like a drum. I knew I should have argued with him. I knew I should have stood up, pushed his chest away, and reminded him that this was supposed to be a temporary game to fix my life. I should have told him that I was a civilian who belonged in a regular town.

Instead, I just sat there on his lap, staring up at the massive, terrifying man who had completely changed my entire life in just three short days. I could feel the heavy weight of his leather cut resting on my shoulders, and I could still taste the rich, dangerous flavor of his lips on mine.

And as I looked into his eyes, a final, terrifying realization washed over me.

I didn't want to leave him. Not now. Not ever.