Vendetta Road

by Christine Feehan

  Ice silently handed her a jacket and gloves and then stepped up to the window to take in everything happening in the parking lot. The cop, manager and Winston were walking together toward the stairs on the opposite end. Watching them, Soleil pulled on the jacket, zipped it up and tugged on the gloves, already moving to the door.

  Ice stopped her. “That him? The maggot? Does he have the cops looking for you?”

  She knew he might misinterpret the reason, but she didn’t care. They had to leave now. She nodded.

  He pushed sunglasses on her nose and handed her a helmet. She stuffed her braid into the helmet and settled it on her head. Ice took her hand and they walked out together, his arm around her waist as they went to the opposite staircase, their backs to the cop. She could hear them knocking on a door and the manager calling out to the occupant.

  Ice swung his leg over his Harley, and she put her hand on his shoulder and climbed on behind him, settling onto the seat, her arms around him. His brothers began to take off, one by one, in formation. Ice followed suit and then they were away from the motel. She could take a breath. Breathe. Elation filled her.

  Winston was checking hotels and motels. Some poor woman must have checked in alone and they were making certain that woman wasn’t her. Winston hadn’t even glanced at the motorcycles. Clearly, it hadn’t occurred to him that she would be with them.

  She tightened her arms around Ice and let herself be carried away by the experience. The wind was warm, and because there were no doors or windows, she felt as if she were right out with the scenery. It was beautiful once they left Vegas. She loved having the other bikes around them. Somehow, it made the experience more powerful. She loved the feeling of freedom. Several times, Ice put his hand over hers, and she loved that small connection between them.

  She should have been thinking about how she had screwed up and needed to end their marriage as quickly as possible, but she loved riding on the motorcycle with him. She loved holding him close and feeling the vibration of the bike between her legs. Maybe it was because she found Ice so sexy that she found the bike that way as well.

  Hours passed. They stopped for a water break and to top off gas tanks, but they rode steadily throughout the day. The buzz faded a little, to be replaced by aches and pains—her body protesting the long ride when she wasn’t used to it. She didn’t complain. She was just grateful she had Ice to hang on to. He continued to do little things that kept her aware of him. More importantly, the way he touched her, dropping his hand to wrap it around her thigh, rubbing the back of her gloved hand, just small things, but they made her feel important to him.

  They stopped to eat at a little diner just off the highway toward evening. They parked their bikes and went in, Storm catching the door to allow Soleil and Ice through. Ice had his hand on the small of her back as they walked inside. Her legs were very shaky, and she desperately needed the ladies’ room. As if he knew, Ice walked straight to the door. As she went inside, Alena ducked in with her.

  “Those boys, they just keep riding no matter what,” Alena said, laughing as they raced for the stalls.

  “I didn’t think we’d ever stop,” Soleil admitted.

  “I was expecting you to tell Ice to take a rest.”

  Soleil thought about that. She was tired, and she knew they had a distance to go. Vegas was at least eight and half hours from San Francisco by car. If Caspar was three or four hours from San Francisco, even traveling a different route, they still had a long way to go. She found she didn’t care. She washed her hands and looked at Alena through the mirror.

  “I like traveling this way. With him. He feels safe.”

  Alena’s smile was slow in coming, but it was genuine. “He’s a good man. He wants this, Soleil. I know you’re probably freaking out a little . . .”

  “You think? I tried to tell him I wasn’t drunk, that I was the one trying to get him drunk, but he wouldn’t listen. I thought about making a run for it for his sake, but he doesn’t want me to. I can handle all the details of getting an annulment, or divorce, but he says no.”

  Alena laughed softly. “That’s so funny. You both were trying to do the same thing. I think that just goes to show you that you’re meant for each other.”

  Were they? She didn’t want to leave Ice. She wanted a different life. She always had. But he was a stranger, and his way of life was so completely the opposite of everything she knew. When she let her brain actually work, she knew she was insane not to call a lawyer and get an annulment immediately for both their sakes, but she was already walking out of the restroom and he was there, leaning against the wall.

  The moment she spotted him, her heart beat wildly and she could barely breathe. He had draped himself there, appearing casually gorgeous, looking down at his phone and not at the waitresses vying for his attention. The moment she walked out, he glanced up, his blue eyes drifting over her possessively. Just that look sent her stomach on a crazy roller-coaster ride.

  He smiled at her. His eyes lit up as if beneath the ice was a spotlight, shining through the crystal so that all that blue sparkled—just for her. He made her feel as if there were no other women in the world but her and she was his everything.

  “I have helmet hair,” she greeted and then silently cursed herself, wishing she had something scintillating to offer, but looking at him, she was tongue-tied.

  “You look beautiful, princess.”

  Ice took her hand and led her to the booth where his brother, Alena and Maestro sat. Ice waited for her to get in first and slide all the way to the wall. He slipped in beside her and pressed up against her, his thigh to hers. His brethren sat in the surrounding booths, almost as if she was in the center of the club. It was an interesting concept. She was most always alone when she ate—although she didn’t frequent diners. She had no siblings, and the idea of having others care enough to look out for her was part of that fantasy she seemed caught in.

  The waitress hurried over and handed them all menus. She stared at Ice and Storm. “You must be twins.”

  Ice didn’t look up. Storm answered. “That’s what they tell us.”

  The waitress threw back her head and laughed louder than Soleil thought was strictly necessary. Maestro shook his head and Alena looked bored.

  “Anything look good, baby?” Ice asked, leaning into her. He took her hand and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles.

  She tried not to be distracted, but that light, back-and-forth motion felt intimate. She pretended to study the menu, but she couldn’t think. He could wreak havoc with such a small gesture. Just when she thought she would have to pull her hand away, he dropped their hands to his thigh, pushing her palm over the hard muscle there and holding it to him. That felt even more intimate.

  “Princess?” Ice prompted.

  She cleared her throat. “I’ll have the taco salad.” It was the only item she could actually read, and she prayed it would be good because she was hungry.

  The waitress wrote down her order and then stood there, staring at Ice and Storm. They both gave their orders, as did Alena and Maestro. The waitress pulled her gaze from the twins to bat her eyelashes at Maestro.

  “My woman’s hungry,” Ice said without looking up. It was a clear order.

  His tone made Soleil shiver. He pressed her hand tighter and then threaded his fingers through hers. “We would have stopped sooner, babe, had you said you needed a break.”

  “I was pretty impressed,” Maestro said. “We all expected you to call a stop. Do you remember me?” He sent her a cocky grin.

  She tried not to blush. These men had seen her in the throes of passion, Ice’s mouth between her legs, her riding his fingers and screaming out her orgasm. Just like that she was hot and slick again, squirming a little in her seat.

  “You plied me with liquor all night. Of course I remember you, Maestro. I would presume you like music.” She was so glad s
he hadn’t whined and insisted on stopping. If it had been a test, she’d passed it with flying colors.

  “You’d be right,” Alena said, making a face when she took a sip of her coffee. “Maestro is amazing on the piano. He can play just about any instrument, and when he actually admits it, he can sing too.”

  “Coffee sucks,” Storm said. “But it’s all we’ve got. Alena has a soft opening of her restaurant in a couple of days. That’s one of the reasons we’re hurrying back. She wants to see to all the details.”

  She was grateful Alena had needed to go back to their home. What if Winston had caught her in the room with Ice? Judging by the way Ice had cordoned her off from the rest of the room with his body, he would have fought for her. He probably would have gotten beaten up or gone to jail. A little shiver went down her spine at the thought. Did she really have the right to put him in jeopardy? Any of them?

  “You’re opening a restaurant?” That didn’t seem like a club thing to do.

  Alena nodded. “I was so excited about it.” She leaned her chin onto the heel of her hand. “But now that it’s close, I want to vomit. It’s so scary. What if no one comes? What if no one likes my cooking? I’m the chef, and I won’t be dealing that much with the customers, but it’s my place and I want them happy.”

  “I take it you like to cook.” That was such a revelation. Alena wanted to be a chef and cook for others. She hadn’t thought much about it, but everyone probably needed to work. At least most everyone. She’d tried various ideas, but the moment any employer found out who she really was, everything changed. Most actually brought her business “opportunities” for her to invest in.

  The idea that Alena was making her dream come true moved her. She looked up at Ice. He had put his arm around her and was idly massaging her neck. He brushed the pads of his fingers there, massaging and then using the pads of his fingers again, sliding them gently over her skin. She felt those darts of fire running to her breasts. Making her entire body aware of him. Aware of everything about him. His scent. His heat. The way he brought every nerve ending alive. She was aware of the breath moving in and out of his lungs. She didn’t know if it was the motorcycle that had increased the connection between them, but it was definitely strong.

  “Does everyone in the club work?”

  “Pretty much, yeah,” Storm answered. “Savage and Reaper work at the club. They aren’t the kind of men to work for someone else. We all bring in money. The cash is shared collectively.”

  Soleil frowned. “You work and any money you make goes to the club? Not to you?”

  Ice shrugged. “We’ve always worked like that. This way, whoever needs it fast has something to draw on immediately.”

  “The club paid for my restaurant,” Alena pointed out. “We have a bar and a couple of apartments over the bar we rent out. Although, at the moment, we’re renovating them. We’re bringing in a grocery store as well. That’s just now getting up and running. Inez Nelson is the owner of the store in Sea Haven, and she’s going in with us as partners. Ink has his tattoo shop running, and Mechanic and Transporter have their custom automotive garage.”

  “That’s amazing. I didn’t even consider that all of you would have regular jobs.” She hadn’t, and that smacked of prejudice. She liked them, she wasn’t prejudiced against bikers, but she did have preconceived notions about them.

  Ice suddenly caught her chin and turned his head toward her. “Kiss me, babe. I don’t think I can go another minute. You want to save my life, right? That can be your job.”

  She didn’t think about it or protest. She turned her face up to his without hesitation and kissed him. Butterflies went crazy. Chaos reigned in her head. Her breasts ached and her nipples pushed tightly against her lacy bra, scraping on the fabric. He tasted like sin. Temptation. The devil enticing her down a dark, wicked path. She didn’t care. She gave herself to him and was instantly rewarded with the fire rushing through her veins.

  It was hot. It was dangerous. It was everything she remembered. Only Ice. Only Soleil. She cupped the side of his face as she kissed him thoroughly. Completely. Losing her ability to breathe so he did it for them. The hand holding hers beneath the table stroked her rib cage and then her stomach so gently, right over the places Winston had struck her. His fingers edged up the material of her tank, so his palm laid against bare skin. It felt as if he branded her. It felt as if he soothed those lingering aches.

  The waitress almost dropped their plates onto the table. Ice lifted his head very slowly, uncaring of the noise or distraction. He rested his forehead against hers. “Nice job, baby, you got me through the next couple of hours.”

  “Is that a real job?” She told herself she should be embarrassed by the public displays of affection, especially the behavior she’d engaged in with Ice the night before, but even thinking about it made her hot all over. She loved that she could be with him and he touched her or kissed her whenever or however he wanted. He made her feel wanted when she never had been.

  He nodded. “Need saving, princess, and it seems only you can manage it.” He took her hand again and this time, beneath the table, pressed it over his cock. “See what you do to me? That’s fuckin’ real, baby. That’s what you do. Need that. Need to know you can put that there for me.”

  She rubbed, wishing she could crawl under the table and have him for dinner. She looked up at him so he could see that need and hunger in her eyes. “I have news for you, honey,” she said, reluctant to be honest. “Just about any woman can do that for you. You’re amazing.”

  Storm groaned. Alena rolled her eyes. Maestro shook his head. “Now he’s never going to shut up about how fuckin’ amazin’ he is.”

  Ice brought her knuckles to his mouth. “She’s amazing.”

  “Putting up with you, I have to admit, she is,” Alena said. “How did you meet Lana?”

  Soleil’s heart dropped. She picked up her fork and pretended to find the taco salad interesting. “I came to Vegas with a man who was really nasty. He wanted to get married, I said no, and he got very angry and shook me, left a few bruises. Lana was in the restroom when I came in, and she warned me to be careful when I made it clear I wasn’t going to marry him.”

  She touched the bruise on her face. “I have them a few other places as well. He got really angry when I made myself clear. I took off and remembered she put her number in my phone just in case.” She glanced at Ice a little warily.

  He immediately leaned into her and brushed a kiss over the bruise. “Thank fuck he was a bastard and I got you. Soleil doesn’t need any more questions right now. We don’t like them, she doesn’t need them.”

  She sent him a grateful smile. She wanted to fit in. She wanted Alena and the others to like her, but she didn’t know what she was doing just yet and she had quite a few things she had to figure out before she went much further.

  “Sorry, hon, Ice is right. However you came to us doesn’t matter, only that you did. It was a great wedding and we have some amazing pictures. The photographer was awesome. We sent him home when the party was in full swing, but we all took pictures just for you and Ice.”

  Soleil thanked her. Thanked all of them. “You all were so sweet to pull off a wedding in a couple of hours.” She was a little afraid to see the pictures. She knew exactly what had gone on once the photographer had left.

  “Your dress was amazing,” Alena said. “I can’t believe my brother has such good taste. And I loved your shoes.”

  Soleil loved those shoes too. They were very sexy and went with the dress perfectly. Ice had carefully wrapped the dress and shoes and they were stowed away with her extra pair of jeans in a bag on his motorcycle. Just the fact that he was so thoughtful had her wanting to cry. No one in her life had ever taken that kind of care of her.

  “She looks fabulous in heels,” Ice said, his fingers once more massaging her neck. He took her free hand and put it in his lap, o
ver that thick bulge that made her want to lick him from head to toe.

  She matched the rhythm of his fingers on her neck, slowly massaging the bulge from tip to balls. He was so hard. So perfect. By the time they were ready to ride again, she was fairly certain it was entirely possible to fall in love with a cock. She loved the shape and hardness of him. The promise of what he could bring her—of what she knew she could bring him. His taste. She had that taste in her mouth and wanted more on her tongue and down her throat. It was absolutely possible to fall in love with that portion of his anatomy.

  TEN

  Soleil stared at the house in sheer shock. It was the last thing she’d expected. The front of the house, facing the ocean, was all glass, from floor to ceiling. A massive covered deck wrapped from one side, around the back all the way to the other side of the house, leaving just a porch and entryway in the front. It was elegant and beautiful and impressive all at once.

  Her legs were still shaky from the long ride and she was very tired, but looking in through the glass, she could see a fire going in the fireplace, and that was something she’d always dreamt of when she’d fantasized about having a home. Just looking at it made her forget how exhausted she was.

  “Ice,” she whispered. “Is this really yours?”

  He slung his arm around her neck. “Ours,” he corrected. “Czar insisted we all have homes of our own. Wanted us to put roots down here and become part of the community.” He shrugged. “I liked this house because of all the glass. It still gives you a sense of freedom, not confinement.”

  Soleil looked up at him. That was a strange reason for buying a house, needing glass so one could feel free versus confined. She leaned into him. He was a strong man and gave her a sense of safety. It occurred to her that he felt safer out in the open rather than behind walls. That was an odd concept to understand. It only brought home to her much more that she knew very little about the man she had married.