Page 25 of Pound

Stunned. Shocked. Dazed. Dumbfounded. Speechless. And any other word that meant Did he really just say that? ran through her mind.

Meri hadn’t felt that alive in a long time. She was afraid he would reject her in the cold light of day, the same way Jake had. Well, if that was the case, she planned to enjoy the warmth of the darkness as long as she could.

“Here.” Pound cleared his throat and shoved the helmet and jacket in her hands. He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand while the other rested in his pocket.

Meri looked up at the sky as she donned them both, only to verify the moon was still a crescent in the sky and the sun hadn’t risen yet.

Pound threw his leg over the seat and grabbed his helmet off the handlebar. Before putting it on, he turned to her. “Come on, Mash is waiting.”

“Guess it’s daytime somewhere,” Meri mumbled to herself as she got on behind him.

Pound halted the helmet when it sat on his head like a cap. “What was that?”

“Nothing.” She was torn. She wanted to get the hell away from that place, but she didn’t want it to be because Pound couldn’t dump her on someone else fast enough.

As soon as she was seated, Pound reached back and pulled her arms around him. She wanted to rejoice in the feel of him, but there was a damper on her newfound liberation. They hurtled down the street and Meri let herself sink into Pound, even if just for the ride. Her ribs ached dully with every bump they hit, but she shut out the pain as best she could.

Every so often, he’d rub her hands which were wrapped around his midsection. It just drew her focus to the rock-hard abs beneath her fingertips. They felt delicious through his Henley. So much so that she let her mind drift to what they’d feel like without it. Meri had seen them plenty of times. As she slowly, and as covertly as possible, traced them with her fingertips, she closed her eyes and pictured them flexing. His body was lean and compact, tattooed and tanned. Absolute perfection.

Pound shocked her when he dropped his forearm to her knee and rubbed along the outside of her calf like they’d done it a thousand times. It stayed that way, distracting her for the rest of the ride when he wasn’t using the brake. It felt more intimate than when he rubbed her hands. The hope and daydreams she’d given in to while captive surged anew. Only to have her voice of reason pipe up and push it down. Yeah, it was probably just a natural place to rest it.

Before too long, they arrived at the Iron Travelers clubhouse. Pound helped her off the bike and with her helmet before leading her inside. His grip on her hand was gentle, but his gait was not. He practically dragged her along. He didn’t seem angry, but something felt off about him.

The second they got inside, they were met by Granite, and a man who, according to the patch, was the president of the Travelers, and a gruff-looking older man who wasn’t wearing a cut at all. The gruff man’s eyes hardened on Pound before softening when he looked at her. She noticed the other two sets of eyes in the room did the same.

Granite was the first to speak. “Welcome back, Meri.” He looked like he wanted to say more, but the gruff man stepped forward and removed her hand from Pound’s and shot him another look.

“You must be Meri.” He patted her hand between his. “I’m Mash, and if it’s okay with you, I’d like to look you over.”

His gentle manner was in direct opposition to his looks. Meri nodded. He looped her hand around his arm and led her out of the main room, to the apparent shock of those they left behind.

“What in the actual fuck was that?” She heard a voice she didn’t recognize asking. “He was downright pleasant.”

“Indeed, but what the hell was that, veep, you dragged…”

The voices faded as Mash led her to what could only be described as an urgent care unit dropped into the clubhouse. It was so out of place she gasped.

“Pretty neat, huh? I told Morningstar I wouldn’t dig into another Traveler on the kitchen counter, so…” Mash gestured around him. “Here, have a seat.” He washed his hands and returned to her. “I wanna get your vitals and start an IV.” He spoke as he took her blood pressure.

“I know I’m dehydrated, but I’d prefer to skip the IV.” He raised an eyebrow in her direction. “I’m a nurse. I know an IV would be best, but I really just want to call my kids and then sleep for three days straight.”

Mash pulled his phone out of his pocket and spoke into it. “Have a hot meal sent up to the room next to Cami. Make sure Meri’s stuff is there too.” There was a pause as the other person spoke. “No, that room. Doctor’s orders.” He growled the word at her like it was code or something.

He ended the call.

“Do you want a pelvic exam or need a morning-after pill? I assure you I’m a real doctor, just not the kind you find in the hospital.” His face looked sympathetic. She knew exactly what he was asking.

“No, Mash. Thank you for your concern, but I wasn’t assaulted like that. I had an unlikely ally at the right time. I would, however, like you to take a look at my ribs. I took a few kicks. I bound them when I could, but they’re still a little sore. I think they’re just bruised, but it never hurts to have a second opinion.”

Meri pulled the jumpsuit down to her waist, not caring that she exposed her breasts. The man hadn’t looked at her with anything but professionalism, even though he looked more outlaw than MD.

Mash gently palpated her ribs. They weren’t nearly as sore as before. “Definitely bruised. No definitive breaks, but maybe a hairline fracture or two. Can’t say for sure without pictures. How about you step in there and take a shower? Your brother dropped off a change of clothes for you earlier. Leave the shirt off. We’ll get those ribs wrapped and something for the pain. Food and water will be waiting for you upstairs.”

“Okay.”

It felt like heaven to be clean. Even more so to brush her teeth. She spent more time doing that than showering.

When Mash finished wrapping her ribs, she took a deep breath and pulled on her oversized tee shirt. The pain was minimal. “Nice work, Mash.”

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