Hammer's Pride by E.C. Land (brene brown rising strong TXT) 📕

down to my family interfering, and they’re not here, but I’d never be enough for a man like Hammer.

Early this morning proved it when I heard that girl moaning Hammer’s name in pleasure. How could I compete? Why do I even care?

Hammer coming into my shop and throwing me over his shoulder, and storming out to his bike is maybe one reason. I have to admit, though it infuriates me he could do something like this; it’d been hot. Even hotter with him putting me on the bike in front of him. I’m sure it’s illegal with the way he rode back to the clubhouse with me wrapped around him. My arms and legs held on to him tightly to keep from falling off. I realized by the time we pulled up in front of the clubhouse, I had nothing to fear in falling off because he’d made sure to take care in curves and such with me being in front of him.

Parking his bike, he doesn’t give me a chance to release him; instead, as he cuts the motor or engine, I don’t know what you would call it on a motorcycle and moves his hands to grasp me by my rear and lifts me up as he climbs off his bike.

Holy cannoli.

Without putting me down, Hammer prowls toward the clubhouse. Once inside, he keeps going. Men who hadn’t been with him at the coffee shop go quiet as they take in what he’s doing. Some even start to whistle and chuckle. During this, Hammer doesn’t say not one word.

Getting to his room, he opens the door, steps through, and uses his foot to kick it closed. The door slams closed as he moves a little further into the room, and then I find myself falling backward onto Hammer’s bed. The man comes to loom over me, his arms caging me to him.

“Don’t know what the fuck was going through your head leaving the clubhouse at two in the fuckin’ morning, Sunshine, but that shit ain’t happenin’ again. Nor will you not getting any sleep be happenin’ again. Last night I’d been reminded of some shit that fucked with my head, and I needed to be alone.”

“I’m sure you did,” I grumble, interrupting him in the process as that woman’s voice pops into my head.

“I know I fuckin’ did. Not that I need to explain myself to you, Avery, considering neither of us knows shit about the other, you’ll come to find, I don’t fuckin’ bullshit, and I don’t lie. Lie to me, and I’ll put your ass out. Or, in your case, tan your ass red for thinking you can do so. I won’t put up with it. Now we’ve got a lot to talk about, but first things first, I didn’t fuck some bitch in another room last night or earlier this morning. I passed out in my office after downing Wild Turkey. Slept on the couch, which gave me a fuckin’ kink in my neck.

“Second thing, you leaving the way you did is stupid beyond doubt. You put yourself in danger. After what happened to your house, you shouldn’t be doing anything without having someone at your back. So from now on, you’re gonna do that. You gotta be at the coffee shop at a certain time fine, but you’re also gonna do it with help starting tomorrow.

“For now, you’re gonna lay here and go to sleep. You’re dead on your feet and need to rest. I’m not playing games with you, and I’m telling you now, last night, I claimed you. You’re mine, and I’m not jokin’ around when I say I’m making you my ol’ lady.”

My heart is beating in my chest as each word sinks into my head. I don’t know what to feel or even think about any of it. What I do know is I’m not about to allow him to dictate my life.

“I’m not you’re ol’ lady, and you can’t tell me what I’m going to do with my own business,” I grumble in protest.

“Sunshine, I just did. I know you feel the connection like I do, and I’ll give you the rest of the day to come to terms with it, but you’re mine, Avery, and I ain’t lettin’ go,” he decrees, and my heart stutters to a stop right before it begins to beat again.

He can’t be serious.

“You . . . I . . . We . . . Ugh . . .” I stumble across the words trying to start a sentence to say something, but I can’t seem to get them to come out.

Hammer grins, and he lowers his head and presses his forehead to mine, and then steals my breath right along with a kiss so gentle if I hadn’t felt his lips against mine, I would have thought I’d imagined it all. Sucking in a breath, my lips part, and Hammer takes that as his opportunity to take the kiss further and deepens the kiss. His mouth seals to mine, and someone please save me before I combust. With only his tongue dueling with mine as he dominates the kiss, I yearn for more. My panties become wetter than they already are as my back arches off the bed, leaning more into him.

At this motion, Hammer repositions us without breaking the kiss. Falling to his side, he pulls me in flush against him. One hand reaching down to cup my rear in his grasp, the other slides up my spine up into my hair, where he tangles his fingers in the strands.

I don’t know how long we lie there making out, but when he breaks the kiss, his hands still in the places where he’d put them, both of our breathing is heavy.

“Knew I’d fuckin’ love your mouth. Thought it would be around my cock but gotta say I’m not one for kissing and all that shit, but we’ll definitely be doing a lot of that,” he announces, causing my body to shiver. “Now