Sprite (Royal Harlots MC #3)

Chains

S eeing the way that asshole treated Sprite made him want to do more than punch him in the fucking nose. But the thought of not being able to take her home with him tonight played through his mind, and he held back.

When Savage gave Sprite the green light to head out, he didn’t give her any time to think over his offer. helped her grab her stuff from the kitchen and got her out to his truck. He was thankful that it had been raining earlier and he needed to drive his truck into the bar. Otherwise, she’d have to ride on the back of his bike with him—not that he’d mind having her body wrapped around his as he rode down the highway.

“What about my car?” she asked.

“Leave it,” he insisted, “we can pick it up tomorrow. Right now, we just need to get out of here.”

“Okay,” she stuttered. “Can I at least grab a few bags out of the back seat so that I’ll have my clothes and personal items?” wanted to protest the idea of her needing clothing at his place, but he was rushing things. He didn’t want to scare Sprite off before he even got her home.

“Sure,” he agreed. “I’ll put my truck over to where you parked, and we can get your stuff.” He helped her up into his truck, careful not to put his hands anywhere that they might not be welcome, and pulled across the parking lot to where she was parked.

“Shit,” she cursed. Sprite looked about ready to jump out of his truck before he even stopped it. “That fucker cut my tires.”

He parked his truck and got out with Sprite hot on his heels. “He got all four of them,” he confirmed, walking around her car. He got to the trunk and stopped cold in his tracks. “Fucking hell,” he shouted.

Sprite quickly rounded her car to where he stood, and her gasp filled the night air. “Oh my God,” she breathed. “He’s really gone too far this time.” Her mother’s boyfriend had stuck a blade into each of her tires, but then, he went and threatened Sprite, and that was unacceptable.

pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and called Savage. “You might want to get out here. We’re in the back of the parking lot,” said, not waiting for a response. He didn’t have to because Savage was out the back door of the bar before could even end the call. He and Bowie joined the two of them at the trunk of the car and there was so much cussing, he wasn’t sure who was saying what.

“That fucker wants a fight, we’ll give him one,” Savage said.

“How could anyone threaten another person like this?” Sprite asked. wrapped his arms around her again, and damn if she didn’t feel right there. He looked over the message that the asshole spray painted on the trunk of her car again and noticed that the paint was fresh. He didn’t take much time writing that Sprite’s days are numbered—he even forgot the “ed” at the end of the last word.

“You don’t have to worry about him,” promised. “He won’t be able to get to you at my place.”

“Yeah, but I have to go to work tomorrow,” she insisted.

“I’m sure that Savage will give you off a few nights until we can straighten this mess out, right?” he asked Savage.

“Working at Savage Hell isn’t my only job,” she said, answering before Savage could. “I work as an accountant during the day. I’m a CPA now, and I just started this job. I haven’t been at the accounting firm long enough to have built up any time off. They’ll fire me for sure, and I’m saving for my own place. I can’t lose that job, .” He wanted to tell her that she was welcome to stay with him for as long as she needed, but from the stubborn look on her face, she wasn’t going to allow that.

“And you’ll need to head to work at Redstone Arsenal in the morning,” Savage reminded. He had some time built up and there was no way that he’d let Sprite go to her day job without any protection. If her mother’s boyfriend showed up at the bar to harass Sprite, there would be nothing stopping him from doing the same at her day job.

“I have some time off,” said. “I’ll hang around your office and make sure that you’re safe,” he offered. Sprite looked up at him and he could tell that she thought his idea was a bad one.

“You are not taking off work to babysit me, ,” she insisted. “I won’t allow it. I will be fine at the office. The firm has fantastic security.”

“I don’t care what type of security your firm has,” growled. “I don’t want you going in alone.”

“Guys, guys,” Bowie said. He was the peacemaker of the club and always deescalated a situation before it got heated. “I have nothing to do for the next couple of days. How about if I take you to work, hang around in the parking lot for a bit, and if everything looks good, I’ll leave and then come pick you up at closing time?” Bowie offered.

“Bowie,” Sprite started, “I can’t ask you to do that.”

“It’s either his way or mine,” insisted. “What’s it going to be, Sprite?”

“Well, since Bowie has time off, and won’t be stalking me in my office all day, I’ll do it his way,” Sprite said. She smiled up at him, looking pretty proud of herself and all wanted to do was kiss her.

“I don’t stalk, but I’m good with that,” mumbled, even though he wished like hell that she had picked him.

“You are not a very good liar,” Sprite teased, “but thanks for trying.”

“We’ll help you get your stuff into ’ truck and then, we’ll call Cillian to come tow your car into his shop to be fixed.” Sprite knew that Cillian would call his sister, Banshee and that she’d have to answer a million questions. As the Harlot’s Prez, Banshee would want to know all the details and would probably insist on keeping an eye on Sprite herself.

“Thanks, Savage,” she said. Sprite took a suitcase from Bowie and tossed it into the back of ’ truck. “I have to be at work by nine,” she said. “Can you pick me up at ’ place at eight-thirty?”

“Yep,” Bowie agreed.

“I’ll text you my address,” said. “I moved out of my shithole of an apartment a few weeks back, and into a house that I bought on the other side of town.”

“You could have asked us to help out with moving,” Savage insisted.

“I know, but I only needed two other guys, and some of the guys from base volunteered,” said.

“Well, any time you need help with stuff like that, we’re available,” Bowie offered.

“Thanks,” said. He wasn’t used to asking for help from anyone. The only reason two of his friends from base helped him move into his new house was because they overheard him talking on the phone to the realtor when she delivered the news that he had gotten the house. They both insisted on helping him and there was no way that they’d let him refuse.

“You ready?” he asked Sprite. She nodded and let him help her back up into his pickup truck, even thanking him before he shut the door for her.

Savage stopped him before he could get into the driver’s side. “You hurt her, and you’ll answer to me too,” he said. knew that Savage was like an overly protective big brother when it came to any member of the Harlots.

“I don’t plan on hurting her, Savage, but if I do, I’d want you to kick my ass,” said. Savage patted him on the shoulder, letting him know that they were good, and he got into his truck.

“What was that all about?” Sprite asked.

“That was Savage letting me know that if I hurt you, he’ll fuck me up,” he admitted.

“Oh,” Sprite breathed. “Do you plan on hurting me, ?” He could think of a lot of things that he wanted to do with her, but hurting her wasn’t one of them.

“No,” he whispered, “I don’t plan on hurting you, Sprite. I’d never lay a finger on you.” He started his truck and headed out of the parking lot, noting the cute little pout on Sprite’s lips. “What’s that all about?” he asked.

“What’s what all about?” she countered. She wasn’t going to make any of this easy on him, and that worked for . He didn’t mind doing things the hard way, especially when it came to the woman that he’d been trying to get up the nerve to ask out for weeks.

“What’s up with the pouting?” he said.

“I was just wondering something,” she admitted. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to ask or not, but he knew that not knowing would end up killing him.

“What were you wondering?” he asked.

“I was wondering how you would feel about me wanting you to lay a finger on me?” she asked. He damn near swallowed his tongue at the thought of getting his hands on Sprite.

“You want me to touch you, Sprite?” he asked.

She shrugged as though her request wasn’t a huge fucking deal. “I think that I do,” she admitted. “Is that a problem?” she asked.

“It’s not a fucking problem at all,” growled. He had been thinking about all the ways that he wanted to touch her for the past few weeks. There would be no way that he’d turn her down now that he finally had a chance with her.

“I need for you to be sure, Sprite,” he said. “Because once I have one taste of you, it won’t be enough. I’m going to want more than a night together, does that work for you?”

“I think so,” she squeaked.

“What about your no dating Royal Bastards?” he asked. He was giving her more than one out, but he needed to make sure that she was completely on board with what he wanted to do to her.

“We won’t be dating,” she insisted. “We’ll be fucking. There is a difference.” usually felt the same way, but there was something about Sprite that had him thinking about wanting more with her.

“Right,” he said, not wanting to argue semantics with her.

“What does that mean?” she asked.

“It means that I’m sure that I like you calling what we’re doing, ‘Just fucking’,” he admitted.

“Then, what should I call it?” she questioned. “Do you want a relationship?” she asked.

“I didn’t think that I did before I met you, but now I’m rethinking everything,” he admitted.

“That’s really sweet, but I don’t know that I want more, . So, if you want to keep things light and just have sex, I’m all in. But my life is so crazy right now, I can’t promise you more, .”

“Fine,” he agreed. He would take whatever Sprite wanted to give him, but he’d make no promises that he wouldn’t beg her for more. “And for the record—I’m not sweet.”