The Nomad Series-Collectors Edition

by Janine Infante Bosco

  “I was fucking worried about you. You charged out of the hospital crying hysterically so I signed myself out to come after you,” he explains, clenching his jaw as he glares at me.

  Man, if looks could kill, I’d be fertilizer.

  “And you punched Deuce because?” she presses.

  “Go get your things so we can get the fuck out of here,” Cobra continues, completely ignoring her question.

  That’s not what gets my blood boiling though, it’s the way he treats her like she’s the kid sister he lost and not the woman she is now. It takes every bit of self-control I can muster up not to rip into him for it. Telling myself this is all new to him, I curb my words and instead of telling him to get his head fucked, I tone my shit down…a little.

  “Whoa, hold the phone,” I interrupt, licking the blood from my lip. “Why don’t you quit ordering her around and ask her where she wants to stay? Give her the fucking choice.”

  “Ally,” Cobra warns.

  Wondering when Cobra became a condescending asshole, I ball my fists at my side and roll my neck from side to side as I try to talk myself down. Knowing I shouldn’t have crossed the line, not really sorry I did, I try to put myself in his shoes, but before I can try to smooth shit over with him, Ally takes charge.

  “No, don’t Ally me. You shouldn’t even be here. Does Celeste know you signed yourself out?”

  “She sure does,” Wolf mutters, shaking his head as he tears open a granola bar with his teeth. My eyes dart to him as he takes a bite. Fixing me with a glare, he points his snack at me. “Couldn’t keep it in your pants, could ya, Cowboy?”

  “Ally, quit fighting with me,” Cobra shouts. “Now, you’re coming home with me, where you belong, where no one can take fucking advantage of you,” he grinds out.

  My attention snaps back to Cobra and I let the shred of control I was hanging onto slip from me.

  “Fuck you,” I sneer. “That’s not what happened here.”

  “The fuck it isn’t,” Cobra spits, gritting his teeth. “I trusted you with her. I trusted you to take care of her, to be the brother I couldn’t be. I should’ve known better.”

  His words remind me of all the reasons I never wanted Ally to be my responsibility in the first place. He couldn’t have known better, but me, I knew. I knew all the reasons I shouldn’t have been the man trusted to take care of Ally. The only thing I hadn’t factored was becoming attracted to her. Hell, I didn’t even think I could like her much less crave everything about her. Now she’s under my skin, she’s in my head, she’s fucking everywhere.

  “He has been taking care of me,” Ally defends.

  Instantly, Cobra turns his narrowed eyes onto her.

  “You don’t know the first thing about having someone take care of you,” he mutters.

  “I know more than you think,” she spits back. “And every day I learn more. For twelve years everything was decided for me. I didn’t have a voice of my own and now I finally get to have that. I finally get to choose. I may not always make the right decision and that’s okay. I’m sure you didn’t always make the best choices but hopefully you were smart enough to learn from them. It’s part of life and this is my life. My life, my choice and I choose to stay here with Deuce,” she says, turning her eyes back to me.

  Hope dances in her mischievous eyes as a small smile ticks the corners of her full lips. Ignoring the glare Cobra gives me, I keep my eyes trained on Ally. The urge to kiss her spreads like fire. Instead, I wink at her and shove my hands deep into my pockets so I don’t lift her in my arms and carry her back into our room.

  “Ally, Deuce isn’t the type of guy you get attached to,” he growls.

  Having had enough mud slung at me, I tear my eyes from my pretty little Bonnie, yeah, she’s my Bonnie. Defending me like she is, laying it all out there and standing her ground it’s clear Ally’s a ride or die kinda girl.

  Putting that aside, knowing what happens to a man once he finds his ride or die, I focus back on Cobra.

  “You know I’m standing right here, right?” I ask sarcastically.

  “Then man up and tell her the fucking truth,” he dares.

  Yeah, he doesn’t want me to do that.

  He doesn’t want to hear my truth.

  He doesn’t want to know that I’m not letting go.

  When a man finds the girl willing to ride by his side, he doesn’t piss that shit away. He tucks her close and together they defy the odds.

  “Jagger,” Ally intervenes, pulling his attention back toward her. “I don’t want to fight with you. I know your concern comes from a good place but I’m not going anywhere and I really wish you would respect my choice.”

  Clearly conflicted, Cobra bites the inside of his cheek as he continues to divert his eyes between Ally and me. Watching him struggle, he takes her words into consideration and shakes his head. If he wasn’t still recovering from the gunshot wounds he probably would have thrown her over his shoulder by now. I think he knows that wouldn’t get him far either. Not with Ally and not with me.

  Planting a tight expression on his face, he points to me.

  “You’re a fucking dead man.”

  “Yeah, yeah, get in line,” I mumble. Rolling his eyes, Wolf slaps me upside the head and shoves his empty granola wrapper against my chest.

  “Throw that out for me.”

  Reading between the lines, I take the hint. Balling the wrapper in my fist I turn to Ally and brush her hair over her shoulder.

  “I’ll be inside,” I tell her. “Okay?”

  Smiling, she nods.

  “I’ve got this,” she replies, giving me the thumbs up.

  “You’re a keeper,” I murmur, forgetting all about the target on my back.

  Throwing a glance over my shoulder at Cobra, I watch him lift his hand and flip me the bird before I turn and head back into the motel room. Leaving the door open, I take a seat on the foot of the bed and listen as Cobra continues to warn his sister off.

  “When he fucks up, and he will fuck up, you come straight to me,” he tells her, then lowers his voice making it impossible to hear what he says next. Five minutes later, I hear the truck purr and Ally emerges.

  Kicking the door closed, she leans against it and crosses her arms.

  “Well, that was fun,” she says, rolling her eyes. “Are you still bleeding?”

  I shake my head as my eyes travel the length of her. Dressed in an old Satan’s Knight’s t-shirt, she looks like she was sent down from the heavens.

  “I’m good,” I assure her, crooking my finger. “Get over here.”

  “You lookin’ to order me around too?” she teases, pushing off the door.

  “Fuck no,” I tell her, taking hold of her hips. Noticing my palms are huge compared to her tiny frame, I bring her to stand between my legs.

  “I ain’t stupid enough to chain that spirit,” I admit, lifting the hem of the t-shirt a bit. Catching a glimpse of her bare pussy, a growl escapes my throat and I lift my gaze to her.

  “How you feelin’?”

  “Do you really want to know how I feel or are you asking if it was good or not?”

  Laughing slightly, I shrug my shoulders and inch the shirt higher.

  “Darlin’, I know you liked it. I can still taste how much you liked it,” I tell her, bending my head to swipe my tongue over her lower abdomen. Noticing the puckered flesh across her stomach, my mouth pauses. Lifting my thumb, I trace the scar and look up at her.

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” she says quickly.

  “Okay,” I rasp. Respecting her limits, I press my lips to the scar and pull her shirt back down.

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “Yeah,” I say, pulling her down to sit on my lap.

  “How come you didn’t let me take care of you?” she asks as I brush my fingers through her hair.

  “Thought I told you tonight wasn’t about me.”

  “Yeah, you did, but I don’t understand why. I mean it’s neve
r been like that before.”

  “Forget what it’s been like before,” I say. “You don’t have to understand why, you need to just forget everything you know about sex, Ally. Learn what’s right for you.”

  Biting her lower lip, she tilts her head to the side and studies me.

  “You’re thinking too much,” I point out.

  “I’m clean,” she blurts.

  “What?”

  “This morning when I went to the clinic they had the results from all those blood tests they took when I went the first time. I don’t have any diseases if that’s what you’re worried about.”

  I hadn’t thought about whether or not she may have had an STD. As the attraction built between us I tried to stay focused on her well-being and not think too much about what it might be like to have her in my bed.

  “I mean, I don’t think it was a pity fuck, well, we didn’t actually fuck, but…well…”

  “Ally, shut up,” I hiss, running my fingers through my hair. “Darlin’, I don’t pity you.”

  Her eyes widen as if I’ve just told her the sky is pink.

  “You don’t?”

  “Fuck no,” I reply with a shake of my head. “I fucking admire you, Ally, and don’t doubt that I want you. You have no idea how much I’m fighting to do what’s right. If you were any other girl, I’d have you spread out on that bed. I’d fuck you until you couldn’t breathe much less walk.”

  Grabbing the end of the shirt, I pull her back to me.

  “When we fuck, Ally, it’s going to be hard, reckless and raw. I’m going to fuck you without restraint. Then and only then will you know how good sex can be and you’ll never forget it either. It’ll be branded to your memory because everyone should remember their first time.”

  “But it wouldn’t be my first time,” she says hoarsely.

  “It’ll be the first time you love it.”

  And she will love it.

  She’ll love every fucking thing I do to her.

  Every move.

  Every touch.

  Every taste.

  Every time she comes.

  -Thirty-one-

  ALLY

  Tearing the paper off the box, I shake it in my hands like I used to do on Christmas morning. My brother and I would shake the presents, trying to guess what they were before we actually opened them. I almost never got it right and I’m pretty sure if I tried to guess what was inside this box, I most definitely would have been wrong. I didn’t expect a present much less the leather jacket I was holding.

  “Deuce!”

  “Do you like it?”

  “Are you kidding me?” I ask as I throw the box off my lap and stand. Slipping my arms through the sleeves of the buttery leather, I spin around. Dressed in his t-shirt and my new leather jacket, I place my hands on my hips and laugh.

  “How do I look?”

  “Like every man’s dream,” he says, leaning back on his elbows. “Open the next one.”

  Keeping the jacket on, I giddily spin around and grab the second box, ripping the paper quicker than I did with the jacket.

  “It’s a skull cap helmet. It won’t cover your face but you’ll still be safe,” he explains as he comes up behind me and I pull the half helmet from the box. Turning to face him, I cradle the helmet in my hands.

  “Thank you,” I whisper, swallowing down the emotion suddenly clogging my throat. Taking the helmet from my hands, I hold my breath as he fits it onto my head.

  “You okay?”

  Nodding, I release a sigh as he secures the chin strap.

  “All set,” he murmurs, thumbing my chin. “Now you’re ready to ride.”

  “We’re going to ride?”

  “Once you put some pants on,” he says with a laugh.

  “Really?” I shriek.

  Standing on my tiptoes, I throw my arms around his neck. My shirt rides up my body and his hands snake around to grab my ass.

  “Thank you,” I whisper into his neck.

  “My pleasure,” he replies, releasing my ass as he pulls back. “The night’s young and all ours.”

  My cheeks ache from the big ass smile on my face and I make a quick dash to the bathroom. After a quick shower, I dry my hair and pull my clothes on. Dressed in a pair of black leggings and a Johnny Cash t-shirt I picked up during our trip to Target, I lace up my boots. Slipping into my new leather jacket, I grab my helmet and head into the parking lot of the motel. Straddling his bike, he leans forward over the handlebars and whistles when he sees me.

  “Jesus,” he calls. “Look at you.”

  “You like?”

  Biting the inside of his cheek, he gives me a nod.

  “Love,” he mutters, sitting up straight. “Come on, Bonnie, hop on.”

  A grin spreads across my face at the nickname and I brace one hand on his shoulder as I throw my leg over the Harley.

  “Does that mean you're my Clyde?”

  “Depends, do you want to go rob a bank?”

  “Is it bad that I’m not totally turned off by the idea?” I ask as I wrap my arms around his waist.

  “Maybe we should start small and knock off a liquor store,” he suggests.

  “I’m down,” I tell him, leaning my chin on his shoulder. “I’ll distract the clerk with my fake southern accent and you get the goods. Now come on, Clyde, take me on a ride I’ll never forget.”

  Revving the engine of his bike, he laughs and I squeeze him tight before he peels away from the motel. We barely make it out of the parking lot before I’m certain that this will be unlike any ride I’ve ever been on before and most definitely one I’ll never forget. When I’m old and struggling to remember the memories that made my life worthwhile I’ll remember this moment. I’ll remember Deuce and the way he turned every nightmare into a cherished memory.

  With the wind smacking our faces, we ride. Blowing lights and ignoring speed limits, we take to the road and I learn what living life in the fast lane is like.

  I’m not the girl on a quest for freedom.

  I am the face of it.

  Placing one hand on his shoulder, I lift the other into the air and bend my head back, letting the wind drift over me. Free and full of life, I leave the past behind and allow myself to breathe. I allow myself to dream new dreams and promise myself to make them all come true. If I’ve learned anything from life, it’s that tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. I’m learning to live day by day and to make each one count. If tomorrow comes, and it’s a bad day for me, then at least I had today.

  At least I had this moment.

  Never wanting it to end, we ride for what seems like hours and seconds all at the same time until he pulls up in front of a diner. Hiding my disappointment as he kills the engine, I climb off the bike and work at removing the helmet.

  “That was fucking incredible,” I beam, shaking out my hair.

  “You said you rode before,” he says, taking the helmet from my hands.

  “Yeah, but I never felt it if that makes any sense. I was either too fucked up or lost inside my own head to really appreciate it, to feel every bit of the adrenaline coursing through my veins.”

  Smirking, he leans forward and brushes my hair back with the tip of his nose before he whispers against my ear.

  “Wait until you feel what else I’ve got coming your way.”

  “Bring it on, Clyde, bring it on,” I whisper back as he takes my hand in his. Grinning at me, he pulls me toward the diner. As we climb the stairs a wave of familiarity washes over me and I brace my hand on the banister.

  “What’s the matter?” Deuce asks from the landing.

  Lifting my head, I glance up at the sign and it all comes rushing back to me.

  “I’ve been here before,” I tell him, staring up at the sign that reads Vegas Diner.

  Deuce fires off a bunch of questions but I’m too consumed by the memories of me and my brother racing up these very steps. I can hear my mother yelling from behind for us to slow down and my father’s boisterous laugh.


  “We came here every Sunday when I was a kid,” I say, finally tearing my eyes from the sign to meet Deuce’s worried gaze.

  “Do you want to leave?”

  “No,” I shake my head.

  “All right,” he replies, linking our hands once more. “Whatever you want.”

  As we climb the rest of the stairs, I spot the sign taped to the glass door. Quickly, my eyes roam the print, learning the famous diner that’s been in business for thirty-five years is closing at the end of the month. I don’t know what comes over me but I suddenly feel like I was meant to come here today. After learning my parents died, it’s almost as if they sent me here. A sign maybe, they may be gone but like I never left their hearts, they will never leave mine. Following the hostess, we slide into the booth and I shrug my leather jacket off. Deuce orders us some sodas as I stare at the jukebox connected to the table.

  “As a kid I loved these things,” I say as I turn the dial on top of it. “Jagger and I used to fight over who got to pick the songs.”

  “I’m starting to think he’s a control freak,” he mutters, rubbing his jaw.

  “I think it’s a twin thing. He’s always thought that since he’s five minutes older he’s entitled to have authority,” I say with a laugh.

  “You showed authority today,” he points out.

  “I did, didn’t I?” I reply thoughtfully before shrugging. “It felt right. I don’t mean fighting with my brother, but defending you and sticking up for myself. I don’t regret that.”

  “Appreciate what you did but you don’t need to defend me, darlin’,” he says as he tears the paper off the straw. “The last thing I want is for whatever this is,” he pauses, pointing between us. “I don’t want it coming between you and your brother.”

  Wondering myself what exactly this is between us, I start to talk when the waitress interrupts asking if we’re ready to order.

  “Do you know what you want?” Deuce asks, glancing at the menu in front of me, the one I hadn’t even opened yet.

  “Chocolate chip pancakes with a side of bacon please,” I say, handing back the menu. She takes Deuce’s order and then she heads to the kitchen.

  “Chocolate chip pancakes?”