Bash (Diablo Disciples MC #6)

SIXTEEN

Charlotte

Charlotte could count on one hand, and have five fingers left over, for the number of times she’d woken up in a stranger’s bed.

Being confused was an understatement as her eyelids flickered open and her familiar bedroom wasn’t there.

Neither was the twenty-two pounds cat, whose routine was usually creeping up on her bed, reminding Charlotte, with great bellowing meows, it was way past breakfast. Prince would wither into stardust if he didn’t get his special homemade food at a specific time. For a cat who didn’t wear a watch and couldn’t read a clock, his belly always sensed when she was a minute over mealtimes.

Her groggy mind started functioning one cog at a time while Lottie rubbed at her tired eyes. Her head was banging like a tambourine, the throbbing pain traveling from one temple to the other, as she realized where she was.

She would have accepted if she had no memory of last night. Sometimes it was better not to know, like when you went all psycho with jealousy at some guy’s place.

In a hurry, all the shameful information was downloaded. She was mortified, from bothering the gate guy to accusing Bash of hanging out with strippers.

For such a controlled person, she’d been off the scale last night.

She glanced to the other side of the bed, regretting it when her head went on a vertigo tour and caused nausea to ripple up into her throat. But she was alone in the bed. The pillow appeared to have been used, leading her to believe that Bash had also slept there.

Bash. Oh, dear heavenly angels. She moaned, lying there like a lump of mortified jello.

Please let it all be a dream .

Forcing herself to move, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and realized she was only wearing an oversized t-shirt. Heat burned her cheeks, knowing she was wearing Bash’s clothing. A swift scan around the room failed to reveal the whereabouts of her clothes.

Right on the heels of that emergency came another one, when her bladder made itself known in a screaming way. Lottie crossed her knees and prayed she could hang on, but that was looking less likely as the minutes crawled by.

Speaking of which, what was the time? Her purse sat on a chair, and she lunged for it. A sweep of relief when she found her phone inside and saw it was after ten a.m.

There were several texts from Toni on the locked screen, but her head was pounding, and she didn’t have the mental bandwidth to deal with her friend yet, so she put the phone down. It was no good; she needed to use a restroom.

She unlocked the door from within and cautiously peered outside. The landing appeared calm, and there was a door at the end with a bathroom symbol. Hallelujah, rejoice. Hold on, bladder.

In Lottie’s wildest dreams, she never thought she would have to do the hundred-yard tiptoe run in a foreign hallway, dressed in a man’s t-shirt.

But here she was.

It was by the grace of fate that the bathroom was unoccupied. It smelled of pine and bleach and had a row of sinks plus four stalls. Without haste, she hot-footed into one, locked it behind her, and did her business.

Lottie wondered about the chaos Prince must be causing at home. Despite her cat’s aloof personality, he didn’t always enjoy being alone. When she was at home, he sought her out and would sprawl on the floor, acting like he didn’t care one iota for her. Yet, Prince would trail behind whenever she moved rooms, searching for a new place to relax.

The aim was to find her clothes and escape without being seen. That meant calling a cab and Lottie was so deep in her thoughts that when she flushed and exited the stall and headed to wash her hands, she came to a screeching stop when the door suddenly swung open.

Whereas she was horrified to be found barely dressed, the guy looked her up and down, grinning.

“Hi,” he said, “Did you sleep well, Lottie?”

Crap ! He knew her. If her brain cylinders were functioning properly, she would recognize his face.

“I slept fine.” She answered and turned on the faucet to wash her hands. After drying with a paper towel she threw into the nearby trashcan, she headed for the door without another word to the guy. But he was hot on her heels.

“Wait up. If you’re looking for Bash, he’s…”

She spun around so fast and crashed into the hard male chest behind her, almost squishing her nose.

“Ouch, goddamn.” She cursed as he grabbed her arms while she rubbed her sore nose. She wasn’t even put right on her feet when she heard the best sound ever.

“Splice, brother. Is there a reason you have your fucking hands on my girl?”

The warning timber of Bash’s powerful voice was a gift from god, and all of Lottie’s former embarrassment fled the scene when she saw him charging down the hallway. Looking like a mixture of thunder and paradise. All she wanted to do was run and hide behind him.

She’d never done the morning-after walk of shame. There was no blueprint for how she should act. She’d already run through the body checks; nothing felt sore or used. She was fairly certain they hadn’t had sex.

But trying to sneak out of the MC was pointless because Bash’s eyes devoured until he loomed over her. He reached out and pulled her close, wrapping his arm around her. On reflex, Lottie’s arm sneaked around his back, and she felt Bash inhale until it stretched his shirt. However, his gaze remained fixed on Splice. Ahh, yes. His face came back to her now. He’d tried flirting at the hospital to provoke Bash.

“It was my fault. I turned and bumped into him.”

“See, not my fault.”

“You were in the same fucking bathroom as her.” Accused a growling Bash. For one thrilling moment, Lottie thought how sexy it was that he was protective over another man touching her.

“Man, I didn’t know she was there until I arrived. I can’t see through doors.”

She nearly giggled at his response and saw Splice’s eyes turn her way and glint with amusement.

Splice’s lack of X-ray vision didn’t appease the growling biker because he went on. “You should have left as soon as you saw her in my fucking shirt.”

Oh, boy . She was in his clothes and very little of them. Her embarrassment returned, and she squeezed his waist, interrupting him before Bash turned into a caveman and threw his friend into a wall. They could wrestle later, but she needed her clothes.

“Bash, I need my clothes.”

His head dropped and all the visible signs of his aggression at Splice disappeared when he smiled at her.

“Come with me, little darling,” he spoke roughly. Lottie felt the invite tugging low in her abdomen.

Splice turned to push open the bathroom door, and she heard him muttering. “Another one bites the dust. May the sucker rest in peace.”

“Fuck off, Splice,” Bash answered. Once they were in his room, she blushed as he checked her out.

Last night, Bash had been casually dressed. Today, he wore his MC garb. He looked every inch the formidable biker she was used to. But nothing about how he was staring at her stopped her stomach from whipping up a nervous storm.

What could she say?

Lottie didn’t know where to start, so it all blurted in a mad rush. “I’m sorry for coming here last night. I wasn’t in my right mind, and I didn’t have any right to say the things I said about the strippers or what you do with them. I’m sorry if I embarrassed you in front of your people. I’m trying not to die of mortification when I remember everything I said to you.”

His eyes slit to narrow lines. “You remember everything you told me?”

“My head is hurting, but I think I remember most things. I’m never drinking again.” It had been blatant stupidity. And it would serve as a lesson for Lottie to never let herself get pushed into acting recklessly again.

Before Lottie realized what was happening, Bash took her into his arms, put himself on the side of the bed, and then placed her on his lap. She didn’t know what to do, but she was definitely swooning.

“I brought water and some pain pills.” It showed her weakened state when she opened her mouth for the unknown pills as he dropped them onto her tongue and then uncapped the water for her to sip.

“If you’ve just drugged me after the night I had, I will do some fantastic martial arts on you,” she warned, only for Bash to chuckle and brush a kiss on her forehead.

“I had a great night, too.”

With quickness, Lottie arranged through the train of proceedings. From scarfing those stupid edibles, taking a cab to the MC and finding Bash, then stripping off in front of him… oh, shit, she’d done that! Her face bloomed. In addition to that, she had shared a lot of personal information, then slept in his bed, and now was sitting on his lap.

Considering that, why wasn’t she feeling more freaked out? It was a lot of emotionally based things all at once, and yet, she was at ease on his lap with his face right there, if she dared to turn her head to look at him.

“You have to look at me sometime, Charlotte.” His voice was thick with laughter, like he was reading her racing thoughts.

“Nuh huh,” she replied, and he nuzzled her cheek with his beard. Bash was nuzzling her!

“Since when do we get touchy?” But she knew the answer and was dying a thousand squirmy deaths.

“Since you had your tongue in my mouth, baby.”

“You kissed me!” she accused, finally looking at the smiling biker. “My tongue was trying to fight you out of my mouth, but I was very drunk, and you exploited my weakened state.”

Another hot little nuzzle. His abrasive facial hair tickled her skin. She had no idea how touchy-feely Bash could be, and her senses were trying to catch up with her feelings.

“Is that the stance you’re taking, hm?” his voice smiled, and when she looked up through her lashes, his eyes were intense with color. “Oh, little darling, these next minutes will be so fun for me. You might wanna hold on to my shoulders, dig your nails in if you have to.”

She was instantly on high alert, as if she thought a giraffe family might storm in. She took a deep breath and asked nervously. “What does that mean?”

“Besides how much you love kissing me, I’m gonna remind you of everything you said last night.”

“Nooooo.” she wailed, smacking a hand over his smiley mouth. “Don’t you dare, Benjamin Laurent. I know the opposite of CPR.”

“That’s murder,” he laughed, mumbling behind her hand, and then the devil licked her palm, and she pulled it back. “And I know for certain you don’t want me dead. But the first thing I need to say. If you keep calling me Benjamin, I’m gonna fuck you. I had no idea how hearing you say it would affect me in the dirtiest, hottest way, and you said it about a hundred fucking times last night, until I had to jerk off before climbing into bed with you. From now on, be a good girl and only use it when you want me worshipping between your thighs, okay?”

Lottie had no words. Speechless. Struck dumb. There she perched on a devilish biker, listening to instructions to only to call him by his real name when she wanted fucking. For the first time, no words would come.

“You weren’t tongue-tied last night, my little chatterbox.” He chuckled diabolically, reminding Lottie of how open she’d been with the TMI.

“Forget everything. It was all lies. I’m infamous for storytelling.”

“Nice try, darling,” he smirked. Lottie’s heart felt airy, as if his nearness was causing her motherboard check engine lights to flash madly.

There was no explanation for why she felt as relaxed as she did, considering the current wearing no panties yet sitting on a man’s lap situation.

“Can I put on my panties before you remind me of last night? I assume you have my underwear…”

The darkening passion that entered Bash’s eyes threatened her lungs with early retirement. The lust hit her low, directly in her core. Lottie couldn’t look away from his magnificent eyes.

Not when she was feeling the same thing mirrored back at her.

* * *

Bash produced her clothes, all neatly folded and smelling fresh.

Knowing he’d laundered her clothes put a warm feeling in her chest. No one had shown her such a small yet profoundly caring gesture in a long time.

When he sat on his bed and reached for a packet of smokes and a silver lighter, Lottie gaped at him.

“I don’t suppose I’m getting privacy to dress…”

Bash lit up, watching her from under his heavily hooded eyelids like he had no place else in the world he wanted to be.

Something loosened in Lottie’s belly, and she took his silent dare. If he wanted to watch her getting dressed, the biker could.

Fearlessly, she inserted her legs into the holes of the panties, smoothly pulling them under the t-shirt. When putting on the bra, Lottie turned her back, throwing his t-shirt over her shoulder. She heard Bash catch it, and then he groaned. “Fuck, my clothes smell like you.”

Her head whipped around. And yep, he had the white material up to his nose, inhaling like a pervert. Every part of Lottie’s cheeks flamed. The rest of her clothes were put on faster, and she finally faced him.

“I don’t like you smoking,” she scowled, watching as he tugged on the cigarette and then blew out the smoke. “It’s bad for you.”

“A lot of things are bad for me, Charlotte,” he said, resting the hand holding the half-smoked cigarette on his thigh.

“You should quit.”

“Who’s asking, little darling? Just a health professional or my woman?”

Would this man ever stop stunning words out of her?

I think I’m addicted to you, Bash . The memory of saying that saturated her mind, and Lottie’s backside found the chair behind her so she could step into her boots. Being Bash’s good girl was something else she’d said to him during her drunkenness.

“You never talk to me like this.” She breathed around erratic heartbeats. Unable to draw her gaze away from Bash.

“Then it’s about time I did. Things changed between us last night, Charlotte. We can’t go back to how it was.”

Her forehead puckered. “What does that mean? You won’t be my friend any longer?”

“If you need me to be your friend, I’m your friend. But we’re gonna be so much more.”

A hot pulsation darted through her.

She had no rebuttal words for that, not after her confessional session was out in the open.

As Bash leaned over to stub out the cigarette into an ashtray, his t-shirt rode up, and she spied part of his washboard stomach. Every inch of mouth wetness dried up, and she was still dreamily staring when his head rose and found her looking at him. The smirk he flashed Lottie said he knew exactly what she was doing, and he liked it.

“Ah, little darling, you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” He said as his eyes ate her up with a gaze so lewd her inner thighs squeezed together to stop her panties from disintegrating.

“You don’t have to flatter me,” even as her cheeks bloomed with happiness. It was a weird sensation. She didn’t seek validation through compliments. But it seemed her system had gone through a factory reset for this man. Each time Bash heaped compliments on her, she fell into a series of modest euphoria flutters that were impossible to control.

Bash crouched in front of her. Lottie’s nerves eased when he grabbed her chin with a finger and thumb.

“Do we need to work on your self-esteem?”

Lottie chuffed a laugh. “Hardly. I have plenty of that, thank you.”

“Then believe what I say. You are fucking stunning . Even when you wear those plain scrubs that make your ass so fucking hot, I can’t even think about anything else when we eat lunch together. Once I savor every inch of you, you’ll understand how irresistible you are.”

“Bash.” She breathed, scandalized, and turned on. “You can’t say things like that.”

“Yes, I fucking can.” He smirked. “You’re addicted to me, little darling. You want me all to yourself.” He added.

“A biker who smokes and swears too much,” she muttered, rolling her eyes, but Bash only grinned at her in return. “Lucky girl.”

Yeah, she was.

But she was also terrified of going to the next stage with him.

She’d grown comfortable with him in the friendzone. She could handle him in that zone. But now he’d stepped out of it, forcibly dragging her along. She didn’t have the manual for handling this version of Bash. He was unleashed and scaring her hormones into quivering all over the place.

“You need to slow down a bit.”

“No,” he answered, climbing to his feet. He dropped a kiss to the top of her head and thankfully put some space between them so Lottie’s poor lungs could inflate without stuttering. “We’re happening, Charlotte. You already feel it changing, don’t you?”

What could she say? The truth was all that was needed. “Yes. But it doesn’t mean we have to move at warped speed. I was high last night for the first time, and things happened, and I slept in a bed with you without my underwear! And now you’re all smoldering, bossy biker, and I can’t catch my breath. You need to give me time to catch up to where you are.”

“Ah, my little darling, you are so cute.” He soothed, and she wanted to kick him in the leg for that cute remark. She would rather he went back to calling her stunning. “You are in the same place, Charlotte. You hid how you felt about me. I was hatching plans like a madman, trying to get you to fall for me, and you already had. There’s no way we’re staying static now.”

Lottie gaped. His words reverberated around her head. “You… you were hatching plans.” She smiled. God, he was adorable. “Now, who’s being cute? Bash and his cute little plans.”

“Keep working that mouth, Charlotte. You’ll get the same thing as last night, but you won’t work it out on my leg this time.”

Heat as hot as a Floridian summer blasted her all over. His meaning was clear, reminding her of how she’d had an orgasm on his lap. Before she could utter a word, Bash went on. It was embarrassing enough to know last night happened without rehashing it minute-by-minute.

“If you remember all those fantasies, you whispered into my chest. Trusted I’d keep them between us. Then you remember what I promised you, Charlotte. You’re safe with me. All of you. Your heart and soul. I’ve wanted you for so fucking long, and now I know you feel the same. I’m not pumping the brakes, baby. I’m the man to give you everything you confessed you wanted between us, but was too frightened to reach out. There’s no need to be afraid now. I’ll take over.”

Oh, wow .

His words became a key, springing open a lonely place within Lottie’s chest.

This patient man claimed her, even though she was as far removed from any biker as a woman could be. He wanted her.

Sifting through her feelings, which had grown impossibly larger over the months, she knew it in the structure of her bones and the very breath. There was no putting her thoughts back under lock and key. Not when she’d poured them into his hands.

“Before Bash.” She started, and he cocked a curious eyebrow. “That’s how I categorize everything I was before I met you. I say and do things now I never have, and didn’t want to. I don’t know if I’m good at this, Bash.” She gestured a hand between her and him.

There was an urgent part of her that wanted his control. To free her from all decisions. She wanted his attention, desperately . It ate at her all the time, and those pockets of time spent with him felt like an oasis she couldn’t wait to return to when they were apart.

Though the unknown scared her silly, she craved to explore the part of him that was raw and animalistic, the side of Bash that made him look at her like she was a piece of cheesecake. For months, she’d been around his softer side. The side of him who was her friend only. But now they’d shifted dynamics. Lottie couldn’t disguise wanting to experience the primal side of Bash. That was the in-charge man who’d talked her through an orgasm.

Without warning, he sprang forward and pulled her up to her feet, cupping her face; he wore a look of awe. “Look what you keep giving me, little darling. I’m gonna eat you a-fucking-live.”

“Oh, wow.” If she knew more about relationships, she might have expected him to be this intense and swoony. But she was in unfamiliar waters with a shark who scented her blood, and all Lottie could think of was to swim closer.

She dropped her gaze to his mouth, and Bash groaned. She couldn’t forget how much she enjoyed his kisses and how addictive his taste was.

“Charlotte. Don’t look so hungry at me, or we won’t leave this room for a month, and I’m trying so hard to give you a good experience with your first fuck.”

“ Oh, god .” She buried her face, but he wouldn’t let her hide.

“You just remembered that part, huh? I’ve thought about it all night while you wriggled on my chest.”

“Stop.” she warned. “I’m going to die of embarrassment. Can you forget everything I said?”

“Not happening, baby, but I will stop mentioning it.” Whew . And then Bash showed how diabolical he was. “For now.” He added and laughed when she socked him in the gut.

“I’m leaving.”

“I’ll take you home to the cat, baby. And then we’ll grab some food.”

Surprisingly, her headache had lessened, and now her stomach reminded Lottie that she was hungry.

“If Prince has wrecked the house, it’ll be your fault. You should have sent me home last night.”

“And pass up the chance to hear how handsome and hot as fuck you think I am?” his eyes twinkled with saucy evilness, and Lottie considered socking him again.

“You are mean, and I don’t think I like you, Bash.”

“Yeah, baby, you do. You’re fucking crazy about me.”

“I’m leaving.” She huffed, shooting through the door, but the biker was behind her with longer strides. He guided her toward the exit, but she fell short when everyone in the central area noticed her. Bash wrapped his arm around her waist, his lips touching her ear.

“Be my confident little nurse.”

“Hey, guys. Do you want coffee?” called out a pixie-cut redhead with a friendly smile.

“No thanks, Scarlett, I’m taking Charlotte home.”

Charlotte remembered this was the president’s wife, and Lottie smiled at her.

“This is the worst walk of shame I’ve ever done.” She mumbled only for his ears when the boy at the gate last night walked by with the biggest grin and winked at her.

“We’ll talk about how many you’ve done when I get you home.” He growled playfully, and Lottie burst out laughing and jabbing him. “This is my first.”

“Mmm, all these firsts I get.” He made it sound dirty, and she flushed as Chains straddled a bar stool.

“Hey, brother. And Bash’s woman, Lottie.” He called out, wearing a half-smirk. “My harem of wives are at home, if you were wondering.”

“Strike me down now.” Half hiding her face against Bash, she groaned.

“Chains is teasing, darling. He thought that shit was funny.”

“So that you know, I’m never coming back.”

“Yes, you are.” And then, thankfully, he led her outside into the fresh air.

He was so sweet, helping her into his jacket and his bucket helmet. Bash slid a pair of shades over his eyes, pulled a black gaiter mask over his nose, and climbed on in front of her. Lord, he looked like a true outlaw, and her thighs shook with pleasure to be so closely curled around his body. Nothing was the same as it was twenty-four hours ago.

For the first time, she acted impulsively and headed to an unspecified destination without a map.

The destination was Bash. And the journey was unknown.

But she was nervously excited.

* * *

By the time Bash returned from picking up some takeout food, Lottie had showered, tidied her hair and dressed in fresh clothes, fed the sulking cat some treats, and was now sitting on the floor grooming him with his special brush.

She heard Bash coming through the door, having left it unlocked for him, and that anxious tickle in her stomach returned hearing him walking into her house. It intensified when he appeared. He’d toed off his boots, leaving him in socks, and tossed his jacket over the newel post.

“I got breakfast burritos and coffee.”

“Oh, bless you. I’ll finish with his lordship before I eat, but can you hand me the coffee? My brain needs it today.”

Bash held the incredible smelling coffee out of reach when he was closer. Lottie scowled at him. “You know not to play around with my coffee, Ben.”

Bash suddenly dropped to his haunches in front of Lottie with an unmistakable expression. He looked ready to fuck fifteen babies into her while tying her to the ceiling fan and making her beg for mercy. Her hand faltered on Prince’s coat, and the cat howled because Prince loved his pampering time like a Stepford housewife. It was the only time he allowed affection.

Lottie blinked, her mouth dry and her breasts heaving under the fitted t-shirt. Suddenly, she felt very exposed under Bash’s lust-drenched scrutiny, and she didn’t know what had made him react.

“What did I tell you about saying my name, Charlotte?”

“Oh, shit.”

“Oh, shit is right. You use my name if you want to be fucked. Does my little darling need fucking right now before she’s had coffee or breakfast? Because I’m ready to go.”

He’s. Ready. To. Go.

Did that mean he was aroused?

“I didn’t think you meant it.”

“I meant it, so use it wisely, baby.” Then her friendly Bash, the one she knew so well, returned, giving her a wink. He rose to his feet, but lowered his head. “Give me a kiss for this coffee.” He held it out of reach.

“That’s extortion!” She accused. “You never make me pay for coffee.”

“That was before you were my woman.”

Whoosh . Her heart rolled over.

“Okay, just because I need the caffeine.” And his kiss. Ughn , she wanted his kisses again, those greedy kisses that turned her on so much her pussy was doing Kegels like crazy. She went up on her knees and Lottie shyly tapped his mouth. He hummed, then handed over the coffee. And because she was so nosy and curiosity wouldn’t kill her cat because Prince fought like a sloth, she buried her mouth on the lip of the cup, while she stole a glance at Bash and saw… and saw…

His bulge was massive, pushing against the crotch of his jeans.

Yep. Very aroused, and now her stomach flipped with nervous excitement.

That man was going to annihilate her. Virgins weren’t meant to ride oversized dicks for their first outing. She might have to take a week off from work when she slept with him to recover from the wreckage he’d leave behind.

“Bash, my gag reflex is fine, but I might need time to work up to blowjobs. I don’t want to disappoint you.” She exclaimed. Her tongue had gone AWOL. She swore it wasn’t even a thought a moment ago.

How was that honesty for a woman who wasn’t in a relationship yesterday but appeared to be in a serious one today?

Placing the takeout cup far enough away from Prince’s swatting paw, she buried her burning embarrassment by brushing his coat, making his silver fur shine, while he lazed with his eyes closed, uncaring that his mistress’s life was upside down.

“You always surprise me,” coughed Bash. “As for sucking my dick, that’s up to you, darling. Nothing will disappoint me, but it won’t stop me from licking between your thighs until you rip the hair out of my skull.”

Game. Set. Match to Bash.

“You are so mean.” She made a face.

“Being honest, baby.” He relaxed into the armchair. “Because I’m a greedy fucker where you’re concerned and want to know what those plump lips feel wrapped around my dick. If you ever want to try it, let me know. I’ll be an excellent teacher.”

Lottie’s lungs had been through a lot in a few brief hours, and if she didn’t get her irregular breathing under control, she might pass out.

Bash sipped his black coffee like he hadn’t just made a scandalous proposition.

But now she was considering it.