Along Came a Demon (Shadow Demons 1): A Bones MC Romance

Merrily had gone straight to her suite, intending to wake Rose and leave immediately. Ruth, however, followed her, not saying a word until she closed the door behind them. Gloria, the young woman Ruth had stay with Rose while Merrily worked, was sitting quietly on the couch, reading where she could clearly see Rose sleeping soundly. As expected, both cats were curled on the bed beside the little girl.

“You’re not going to run, Merrily,” Ruth said gently. “If it makes you feel better, lock yourself in Rose’s bedroom with the girl tonight. But don’t do anything until you have a chance to talk with Alex.”

“I can’t, Ruth,” she said, sniffling. “I may be ignorant of this world, but one thing I’m absolutely certain of is that Alex gets what he wants. He’ll force me to stay, whether by persuasion or captivity. If I don’t leave now, I never will.”

“You’re still not going anywhere,” Alex said softly. He stood in the doorway, his demeanor aloof. Merrily hadn’t even heard him enter. His gaze burned possessively over her, the look in his eyes anything but the cool detachment she’d seen at the gala. He extended his hand to her. “Come with me, please.”

“I’m not leaving my daughter.”

“No one is going to take Bellarose from you,” Alex said with a small shake of his head.

“Why should I believe you? You’re the one who brought Daniel back into our lives! You can’t tell me it’s coincidence he showed up here right after I told you about him.”

“No,” he snapped. “It’s not. I made sure the Maddisons were here. What I didn’t intend to happen was for them to know you were here at all, but you insisted on working. Which is fine, but you’ll never again do it in a way that puts you at such a disadvantage.”

Merrily narrowed her eyes. “I don’t understand.”

“Did you notice that when Victoria started spouting her nonsense, not everyone agreed with her? What about when you pointed out how ignorant she really was? If you’d been there as a guest, at my side, you could have done some good instead of taking a dressing down from a woman who has no idea what she’s talking about.” Alex didn’t sound angry per se. His eyes, however, told a different story.

“If you’re angry about what I said to your girlfriend, I’m not taking it back. What I said was the truth.”

“Don’t expect you to. And she’s not my girlfriend.” He beckoned to her once more. “Now, come with me.” When she didn’t take his hand immediately, he gave an exasperated sigh. “Please.”

Merrily shook her head, but Ruth urged her on. “Go with him, dear. I’ll stay with Gloria and watch over little Rose.”

Apparently that was the extent of Alex’s patience. He snagged her hand and tugged, pulling her to him and out the door. Once in the corridor, Alex tightened his grip on her hand and marched down the hall to the stairs.

“Slow down,” Merrily snapped. “I can’t keep up in these heels.”

Instead of doing as she demanded, he simply scooped her up into his arms and sped up, taking the stairs two at a time when they reached them. Merrily’s heart raced as they hurried up the stars. Once they reached the top, he opened the door to another suite. She assumed it was his but that made no sense.

“Where are you taking me?”

“My home.”

“This whole place is your home.”

“My private residence,” he said impatiently. “After tonight, you and Rose will move up here. Anytime you have to be away from Rose, either Ruth or Gloria will be with her. Either here or in the suite you currently occupy.”

“I — I don’t understand. You want me to… live here?”

“I want you to feel safe.”

Merrily blushed. Her thoughts had gone straight to a place she never should have ventured. A man like Alex wouldn’t look twice at a woman like her. Not that she wasn’t pretty. Merrily wasn’t insecure that way. What she had trouble with was his status in life. His wealth. She had nothing. Only Rose. He had everything. Anything he wanted. Why would he settle for her when he could have someone like Victoria?

“I’m fine in the room you gave me.”

“You’ll be better here,” he said. He still hadn’t put her down, but walked through to a bedroom before setting her down and shutting the door. When he turned back to her, he pulled her into his arms, whirling her around until she landed against the wall. His hand protected the back of her head, but he crowded her personal space, bracing his other hand on the side of her head, caging her in.

“What are you doing?” Her heart pounded, and it wasn’t in alarm. She supposed she should be scared, but nothing about Alex frightened her like it should. Either she was stupid, or she wasn’t as good a girl as she thought.

“Showing you your place in this house.” His growl sent shivers through her body. “After tonight, there’ll be no doubt where you belong or who you belong to.”

* * *

The second his lips touched hers, Merrily was lost. She had no idea why he was doing this, but he was definitely doing it. Merrily wasn’t going to stop him.

Between kisses he told her, “You want to work? I have plenty of things for you to do in the city.” Kiss. “I’ll even give you your own funds for a foundation of your choosing. You can do whatever the fuck you want with it.” Another kiss. “Build more shelters. Fix existing ones. All yours.” He deepened his kiss, swirling his tongue with hers until her knees gave out. Alex simply lifted her, urging her to wrap her legs around his waist.

Then he stopped, using one hand to gently grip her chin so she had to look at him. “But I will never see you in such a vulnerable position as I did tonight.”

“You could have said something,” she squeaked out.

“No. I couldn’t.” Alex put his forehead against hers, taking a deep breath before meeting her eyes again. “We set up that meeting for a reason. Your father works for Maddison. He does the dirty work. Maddison is in business with some very scary people, and apparently your father took something that didn’t belong to either of them.”

“What?”

“He’s a mule, among other things,” Alex said as he walked them to the bed, settling his body between her thighs, rocking side to side. Merrily shivered, clenching his shoulders convulsively. This was so surreal! In her wildest dreams, Merrily couldn’t have predicted this turn of events. She still didn’t know what to make of it, but she knew she wanted this time. No matter what happened in the morning or even in the next hour. She wanted Alex. “Maddison can’t prove it, but he believes your father stole over five million dollars in unlaundered drug money. Now, Maddison is hoping he can retrieve as much of that money as he can before it’s missed. To that end, he needs a way to funnel money into his associates’ accounts to keep it secret.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Maddison wants to merge his company with a portion of mine. He’ll cook the books and siphon my money to supplement the loss until he can get it all evened out. In the meantime, he’s putting the squeeze on everyone working for him. I made a deal with him tonight that means he will turn over his company’s books for my team to comb through. He’s already fixed them and will likely think they are airtight. Unfortunately for him, no one is better than us at things like this.”

Merrily stared at him as he finally pushed up to strip off his shirt, and she lost her breath. Muscles. Scars that shouldn’t be on a wealthy playboy. He had a rugged body. One she ached to learn. “Wait,” she breathed. Meeting his gaze, she asked, “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I’m many things, Merrily. I’m a dangerous man. I make no bones about it. I’ve hurt people and will again. I’ve killed. But the one thing I’ve done my best to hang on to is my integrity. I may not always tell the whole truth, I may hedge or be vague or give a partial truth, but I never outright lie.” He met her gaze steadily. “And I never will give you anything but the absolute truth. If you want to know the answer to something, be damned sure you can handle that answer.”

“What about Rose? Has Daniel figured out he has a daughter? Did you tell him?”

He shook his head, kneeling on the bed before lowering himself beside her. “Not that I know of. If he does, he found out tonight from someone other than me, and I don’t think that’s the case.”

“What are you going to do with me?”

He gave her a wicked smile. “I already told you. I’m showing you where you belong.”

“I’m not a whore, Mr. Petrov. If this is for me to buy my protection or my discretion about what you’ve told me about my father, know that I’d rather leave, and that I’d rather forget I have a father altogether.”

For long, long moments, Alex stared at her. “You’re mine, Merrily,” he said, a fierce gleam in his eyes as he settled his weight on top of her, pressing her into the bed. “You have been since the first moment I saw you. You belong with me. Not as my mistress, but as my woman.”

She shook her head a little desperately. “I don’t understand you. How long do you plan on keeping me?”

“A very, very, very long time,” he said, then kissed her again.

* * *

This was probably not the smartest thing Alex had ever done in his life, but, dammit, he had to secure Merrily for his own. Tonight. He’d worry about all the secrets tomorrow. The team wasn’t going to like it, but they’d have to live with it. He meant what he’d told her; he absolutely would not lie to her. Not in any way. If he thought she might not like what he had to tell her, he’d give her the option, but there would be no secrets between them. He’d spent the past couple of weeks gathering information about her and her parents, so he had an idea of what to do, but now wasn’t the time to talk about it.

As he kissed her, Alex wondered for the first time in his life if he could keep a woman with him and happy. It had never mattered before. Any woman with him knew the score. He might see them for a time and made sure they were taken care of, but Alex Petrov had no desire to marry or have a long-term relationship. Truth was, he couldn’t. Not with the Shadow Demons. No matter. He’d figure it out.

Alex rolled them over so that Merrily lay sprawled over him. Locking her to him, his arms around her like a vise, Alex growled as he leaned up to kiss her again. She was tentative but kissed him back, moaning a little into his mouth. When he would have deepened the kiss, Merrily lifted her head, one hand going to his face to cup it.

“Stop,” she whispered. “Just give me a minute.”

No question she was spooked. Alex didn’t really blame her, but he wasn’t about to let her fears stop him. Not when everything in him was fighting to make her his. “Take all the time you need, my Merrily.” He rested his hands on her thighs, rubbing up and down leisurely. “I’m not interested in making you do anything you don’t want to do.”

She took a deep breath. Alex could tell she was thinking about getting off him and regrouping. He was careful not to force her to stay put, though that was exactly what he wanted to do. Willing her to stay, he simply stared at her. Finally, she spoke.

“I’m not going to deny I want this. But I want you to understand, it’s about the pleasure.” As she spoke, her gaze shifted. Instead of meeting his gaze boldly, she looked at his bared chest. Alex knew what he looked like. Not only was he ruggedly built, he had many scars, something most men with his kind of money didn’t have thanks to cosmetic surgery. Alex wore them proudly. To him, they were symbols of a lifetime of work. He couldn’t really say sacrifice because he enjoyed what he did, thought it necessary. If Merrily wasn’t strong enough to accept him as he was, then she’d prove him wrong when he was convinced she was the woman for him.

“Of course it’s about pleasure, baby. As much pleasure as I can give you.”

“I have no doubt you’re a capable lover, Alex,” she whispered. “I just need to know that I have a choice. You’ve said you won’t lie to me. I’m extending the same courtesy to you. I need help. Not for myself, you understand. For Rose.” Then she swept her gaze back up, meeting his eyes with her own. “I will do anything to keep her safe. She’s my world. I’m just asking you… No. I’m begging you. Please don’t make me do this for her protection.” A tear slipped down her cheek, and Alex’s gut clenched. The desire he felt for her wasn’t lessened, but the need to put her mind at ease, to help her find a way to live with a man like him without feeling like she was prostituting herself was more than his need for her body. “I’ll do it if that’s your price. I’ll do it, and it will be incredible for me whether it is for you or not. I’m just… I’m asking it not to be the price I have to pay. Because, again, to be honest, I want it so much I couldn’t tell you no, and it would break my heart.”

“This is your choice, Merrily,” he said, lifting his hands to her cheeks, cupping her face gently. “If you choose to walk out of here right now, I’ll likely spend the rest of the night in a cold shower, but you’re free to leave. No repercussions. But I’m not going to even hint that I wouldn’t try to persuade you back in here.” He pulled her down, meeting her halfway to kiss her lips gently. “You and Rose will have anything you need. You’ll be protected, have a safe home, and I will find who’s hunting you. No matter what. If you do this, if you let me have you, it’s for the pleasure.”

“Only the pleasure?” She looked vulnerable, but so desirable Alex had to restrain himself from pouncing, taking the advantage he had now.

“If I didn’t want you so badly, Merrily, I’d laugh. You’re probably the only woman in the world who wouldn’t try to use my need to her advantage.”

“I know what it’s like to need something very badly,” she said, not pulling away from him but relaxing just a little. “I want you, too. Let’s just enjoy the time we have. Two regular people with no worries or cares other than satisfying each other.”

Alex couldn’t help the grin. “That’s the best suggestion I’ve ever heard.”

* * *

Merrily hadn’t had sex since before Bellarose’s birth. She’d been too busy surviving to worry about relationships or even simple sex. Beside the fact that she’d had no babysitter, she would never bring a man into her life she didn’t trust with her daughter. Building that trust took time, and she had never found a man she wanted to invest the effort into. Now…

Alex Petrov was anything but a safe man, but she sensed the underlying good there. He was fiercely protective of what he considered his, from property to family. Once he considered someone part of his unconventional brood, he protected them. She could see that in the way he treated Ruth and the way Ruth treated him. And the way the whole staff treated Ruth and each other. Hadn’t it been one of the other servers who’d helped her off the floor, then called for Ruth?

Did she trust him with Bellarose? Yes. Solidly. Why, she had no idea, but there it was. She trusted Alex Petrov with the most important thing in her life. She firmly believed he would protect her little girl with his very life. She did not, however, trust him with her heart. Not because she thought he’d break it intentionally. The fact was, Alex was a playboy. One woman would never satisfy him. It wasn’t his fault. It was his lifestyle. His mindset. He might think she could be enough for him, but she knew she could never be what he needed. For now, Merrily would enjoy sex for the first time in nearly five years with the most incredible man she’d ever seen. Tomorrow would take care of itself.

Impossibly strong arms wrapped tightly around her, accepting her surrender as he kissed her thoroughly. Tongue delving inside her mouth, he swooped in, the conquering hero to take her away on a tide of sensation. Merrily couldn’t think about anything other than the flicking of her tongue against his. His scent was an intoxicating blend of leather and musk. Rough hands skimmed down her back, snagging on the delicate material of her blouse as he tugged it from the waist of her skirt. When those same calloused hands slid up her bare back under her clothing, Merrily moaned, arching into his touch. At the same time, he nipped her lower lip gently and she opened wider to him.

Had kissing a man ever felt like this? Merrily was fast drowning in sensation, her body coming alive like she could never remember it doing before. His groans, the way he kneaded and abraded her flesh with his big hands drove her nearly insane with need. Without realizing it, Merrily found herself grinding against him where she straddled his lap.

When she stopped abruptly, Alex chuckled against her lips. “Needy little thing,” he growled. “I love it that you don’t hold back. Tell me what you need. What you like.”

“It all feels so good,” she whimpered. Merrily was mortified she sounded so inexperienced. Shouldn’t a man like him want a woman who knew what she was doing? Merrily might have a child, but she was far from the worldly woman he probably thought he was getting.

“Sit up on me,” he commanded. “Take off your blouse.”

Alex urged her to do as he said, lifting her off him when all she wanted to do was mash herself against him. Only the thought of her bare flesh being against his made her not resist him. With trembling fingers, she undid the pearly buttons, pulling off the bowtie at her throat. Alex snagged it, but didn’t toss it aside, fastening it once again around her bare throat while she finished taking off her top and bra.

“My little Merrily.” His voice was gruff. “All tied up in a bow.”

When she was bare from the waist up, Alex’s gaze roamed over her, a possessive gleam in his eyes. His hands slid from her thighs up her sides to cup the slight weight of her breasts. His thumbs brushed her nipples lightly. There was something about the way he looked at her. More than just lust or even possession. It was a soul-deep… yearning? Like he was looking at something he wanted with his whole being and knew it was just out of reach. What Merrily hoped he never figured out was that she’d be willing to go all in with him if that look was real, because she knew he could easily play her.

In slow, leisurely movements, he let his hands roam over her body, around her back, down to her ass, over her thighs and then hook under her skirt. Merrily took the hint and reached behind to unzip the garment. Alex slid his hands upward, taking the skirt over her head. That left her in panties and him in slacks.

“You’re lovely, my Merrily,” he said, his voice husky. Gruff. “I’m not sure there’s a woman anywhere who can compare to you in beauty.”

“There’s no need for flattery,” she whispered. “This is happening, as far as I’m concerned.” Merrily managed a small smile while part of her desperately wanted to believe him. “I’m a sure thing.”

“I never say anything I don’t mean. Part of the not-lying bit.” He pulled her to him then, rolling slowly so his big body sprawled over her much smaller one. His lips found hers again, and she didn’t care anymore.

Alex wrapped his arms around her tightly as he kissed her. His tongue lapped and thrust wickedly, making her answer with her own. Whimpers and moans came from her without her meaning to let them out, but, really, she was helpless against this man holding her so possessively.

He rocked against her, mimicking the act she wanted so desperately. Pressing her thighs to either side of his hips, Merrily moaned as he took her mouth. The feel of his hard body pressed against her pushed her to a near-euphoric state. Was she so desperate for intimate contact she was imagining how good this felt? Or was it the man in question? She strongly suspected the latter because, even when she’d been an innocent, sex had never felt like this.

Her fingers clutched at the muscles of his back, digging in to hold him to her. The more he kissed her, the more desperate for him she became. Her world narrowed to the man in her arms, to his drugging kisses and touches. He skimmed his lips down her throat and she whimpered, her fingers threading through his hair. The sensation almost tickled, sending goose bumps over her entire body. When he reached the swell of her breast, she cried out, arching her back to him.

“I love how sensitive you are,” he breathed against her skin before scraping his chin down to her nipple. “You’ll respond to every single thing I do to you, won’t you?”

Merrily couldn’t answer. She wanted to, but her brain was scrambled with sensation, her mouth not able to force out even the affirmative she wanted to utter. Instead, she thrust her breast at him, needing the contact.

He again rolled them, to their sides this time, his hand resting possessively on her hip. Hooking his thumb at the waist of her panties, Alex tugged until she lifted her hips to assist him in pulling them off her. With a growl, he cupped her bare bottom, kneading and squeezing almost convulsively as he held her tightly against him.

“Alex,” she whimpered, unable to suppress the need in her voice. She nuzzled his throat, rubbing her breasts over his chest. The feel of the dusting of crisp hair gently abrading her nipples was maddening, so much sensation she couldn’t process it all. When he pulled her leg over his hip, Merrily hooked her foot over the curve of his ass, pulling him to her with a soft cry.

“My Merrily,” he whispered. She felt him probing her entrance with his fingers before bringing them to his mouth, closing his eyes as if in bliss. “So fucking good…” He looked into her eyes as he licked his fingers clean. “You’re so wet for me.” Merrily held her breath as Alex shoved his clothes out of the way, positioned his cock and pressed into her. “Look at me, baby. Look into my eyes when I enter you.”

With a shaky breath, she did. Intense blue eyes captured hers. He tightened his grip on her hip as the tip of his cock pressed through her tender folds. He was large. While Merrily wasn’t a virgin, she had been celibate nearly five years. When Alex slid into her, the burn wasn’t painful, but the pleasure was dulled.

“Stay with me, baby. Relax.”

“I’m good,” she said, but she was tense. With his arms wrapped so tightly around her, no way Alex missed it. Slowly, he withdrew before easing back inside her again, farther this time. And again. Once more, and he was seated all the way inside her, their bodies pressed together tightly. He held her for long moments before moving again. When he raised an eyebrow at her, Merrily smiled tentatively and nodded. “I’m good,” she repeated.

Then Alex began to… move.

Up to this point, everything he’d done to her had been so pleasurable Merrily had a hard time wrapping her mind around it. But this… It was as if he’d opened up a whole new world of sensation she had no idea existed outside of fairy tales. Perhaps he had. After all, it was easy to think of him as her Prince Charming. With a bite. Though Alex had been unfailingly kind to her, she could feel the latent power in his body. Feel the need to drive into her with a brutal force he tempered.

For how long? Did she even want him to hold back? Right now, she thought it best. Her body still struggled to adjust to him, but there was no way she could voice it. Every single stroke made her shudder. Her clit throbbed in time with her heart, on the very edge of the ultimate pleasure.

“That’s it. Just relax. Let me have you.” The words might have been whispered and tender, but it was a command nonetheless. God help her, but Merrily responded, letting her head fall back as she leaned into him. Alex found her bared neck with his lips, licking and sucking gently as he continued to thrust into her.

His hand gripped her ass possessively, urging her to move with him. She did. Her breaths came in little gasps, and she was lightheaded. Sweat beading on her skin soon had her shivering, though not with cold. Anticipation sizzled in the air around her, making her all the more needy.

“Alex,” she gasped.

“Let it happen, love. Give me your orgasm. Can you do that?”

He asked so sweetly, as if it was all up to her, when Merrily knew he was demanding it from her as surely as if he’d ordered her to come.

“Yes,” she whispered, then her body fragmented. Merrily shuddered, crying out sharply as the first wave hit her. His cock was so thick she could feel it throbbing inside her spasming flesh. He stilled his movement inside her as she rode out the pleasure, her orgasm seeming to linger. She knew she should be ashamed at her lack of experience because she came, and he hadn’t even broken a sweat. Later. She’d worry about it later. Right now, she was overwhelmed — delightfully so — by how good sex could be.

When she finally stilled, Alex rolled once again, this time pinning her solidly beneath him. “Now,” he growled, “It’s my turn.”

“Oh!” She cried out when he thrust into her with quick but shallow snaps of his hips. He threaded his fingers into her hair, angling her head for his kiss. Wicked flicks of his tongue drove her higher and higher. He moved more aggressively inside her, but with nowhere near the power she knew was in that magnificent body. He’d started to sweat, his jaw set in a grim line of determination.

“You need more,” she whispered.

“You can’t handle more. Not yet,” he bit out. Again, it wasn’t harsh. He was simply stating a fact. “I absolutely will not hurt you.”

“I won’t break, Alex. Do what you need to.”

“I need to pound into you on your hands and knees. To take you like a raging animal.” This time, he let the full range of his emotions show on his face. He snarled as he picked up the pace but was still careful with her. “I need to mark you, to hold you still so I can come in you until I’m spent. Most of all, I need to fuck you hard. Mercilessly.” He shook his head. “You’re not ready.” Then he gave her a grin that was almost sinister. “But you will be.”

Then he threw back his head and roared as his cock swelled inside her, releasing. He held her hips pinned beneath him. Just like he’d said. His hot seed spilled inside her and none of the outrage she knew she should have felt that she hadn’t insisted on protection surfaced. Hell, she hadn’t even voiced the concern! All she could think of was how right it felt. How good.

Alex finally collapsed over her, his breath coming in great heaves. His lips trailed gently over her neck up to her jaw then finally to her mouth. Languidly, he kissed her, praising her. When he rolled off her, he didn’t separate from her, merely continued to kiss her, his arms around her tightly.

“My Merrily,” he said against her lips, continuing to kiss and nip her gently. “What am I going to do with you?”

She had no answer for that. What could she say? She didn’t put stock in men’s pretty words. After all, she’d had a child who belonged to another man. A man who didn’t want Rose or her.

“You don’t have to do anything with me.” She tried to keep her voice steady. Her gaze too. This was the most wonderful experience of her life, and she would enjoy it to the very last second. “Just hold me a few more minutes?”

“Definitely.”