THE HUSTLE: GODS OF CHAOS MC (BOOK FOURTEEN)

by Honey Palomino

“And for rudely jumping out of bed like that…”

  “And?” he said, the corner of his lip tugging up.

  “And for rudely saying what I said in front of Lucky and Slade.”

  I couldn’t even repeat it. He nodded and pursed his lips.

  “That it?”

  “Isn’t that enough?” I asked, exasperated.

  He paused, looking at me for a beat, before turning back to the bike. “It’s cool,” he shrugged.

  My mouth dropped.

  “That’s it?” My eyes immediately dropped back down to his ass.

  He turned back to me, taking the view away. I raised my gaze back to his quickly.

  “As long as you aren’t sorry we did…what we did…then everything else is cool.”

  “You’re big on the consent, aren’t you?” I quipped.

  He scoffed and nodded, smirking. “You bet your sweet ass, I am.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “Fine,” I said. “Anyway, I’m going through some shit, obviously. Sorry for the rudeness.”

  “Apology accepted but not needed.”

  “I hope I didn’t get you in trouble,” I replied.

  “Nah, fuck that,” he shook his head, running his hand through his hair, before grabbing a helmet from the back of the bike. “It’s all good.”

  I sighed, looking around and trying to figure out what to do next. I’d apologized, it had gone well, and now, well…it was time for me to leave.

  “Do you want to get out of here?” Storm asked.

  “What?” I said, confused. Had I spoken my thoughts out loud?

  “I gotta run an errand. Wanna come?”

  “Oh!” I said, looking around. Everyone was minding their own business, doing their own thing. All I was supposed to be doing right now, according to the Gods, was just waiting. Lucky was probably holed up with Ziggy somewhere.

  I looked back at him, his bright blue eyes lit up with promise like a neon sign.

  Between waiting and leaving, or spending a little more time with Storm first — the choice was blindingly clear.

  “I’d love to,” I said.

  “You’ll need to be sure to watch your step,” Storm said.

  He’d brought me to a place he kept calling ‘the trail’ but was actually The Salmonberry Trail, which I quickly realized was an abandoned rail line. It had obviously been abandoned for quite some time, considering the crumbling rail was returning to the earth by being swallowed up completely in sections.

  Green and blue stretched out as far as the eye could see and the sun shone overhead, broken up occasionally by bright, billowing clouds. Birds chirped from the branches of firs and pines and maples and birch trees, all mingling together in the lush landscape surrounding us.

  “So, what are we doing out here?”

  “A while back, we came into a whole bunch of surplus bikes. It was a payment for a job we did. So, we stashed a few of them here and there throughout the surrounding area.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know,” he shrugged. “Armageddon? Earthquake? Fire? Shit ton of things could happen.”

  I nodded in agreement. “You’ve got some stashed here?”

  “Yep,” he nodded, his boots stomping heavily on the ground as we made our way down the path worn through the middle of the old rail. “Just gotta check ‘em out every now and then. Start them up, make sure they’re still there, that kind of thing.”

  “Did you know you were doing this today?”

  “Nope.”

  “Slade gave you this job to get you away from me, didn’t he?”

  He laughed. “I suppose he did, yeah.”

  “I guess it didn’t work.”

  “No, ma’am, it did not,” he shook his head, looking over at me. He squinted, shielding his eyes from the sun. My heart skipped a beat as I drank him in, surrounded by this rustic scene of beauty, even Mother Nature herself couldn’t compete with him.

  “I’m not really sorry, by the way,” I said.

  He cocked his head in a silent question.

  “For…you know. Attacking you.”

  He smirked. “Glad to hear it,” he said, reaching out for me. He pulled me close, his lips landing on mine. With not a soul around, I gratefully accepted his kiss, threading my arms around his neck and kissing him back fully. His mouth was as hot as the sun streaming onto my neck and when he pulled away, his eyes peering into mine, I couldn’t breathe.

  He grabbed my hand and pulled me along with him, our footsteps falling into sync as he guided me further into the forest. The trail was deserted and the further we got away from where Storm had parked his bike, the quieter things grew.

  About a quarter of a mile in, he turned off the trail and headed into the thick treeline on our right. We went a few hundred yards in and he stopped suddenly.

  “Here we go,” he said. I looked around, seeing nothing but thick brush underfoot and tree trunks as far as the eye could see.

  My eyes widened as he began pulling some of the brush away from the base of a tall pine, revealing two Harleys that were previously completely hidden.

  “Oh, wow,” I laughed. “Good hiding spot.”

  “Yeah,” he said. “I just need to get them started and check ‘em out. Shouldn’t take too long. And then, I have something I want to show you.”

  His smile was so charming, I felt a little surge of anticipation shoot through me. I’d have gone almost anywhere with him, as long as he kept looking at me like that.

  I found myself thoroughly enjoying watching him work. The first bike started up right away, the roar of the engine echoing through the quiet forest around us, sending a flock of birds flying up into the sky. He bent over it and I watched the muscles on his forearms and biceps rippling as he worked. My mouth watered as I watched his hands deftly testing the throttles, remembering the feel of his fingertips sliding across my skin.

  The second bike took a bit of work to get it started, but he knew exactly what he was doing, and within seconds, it, too, roared to life. After a few more minutes, he turned them both off and packed his tools away in his backpack. I helped him conceal them in the brush again and we stood back to inspect our work.

  “Good job,” he said, smiling down at me. He reached into his backpack and handed me a beer and pulled one out for himself. “Shall we?”

  He reached out his hand, his fingers wrapping hotly around mine and we walked out of the forest together, sipping our beers and relishing in the quiet of the forest. The sun was moving lower in the September sky, a reminder that this amazing day wouldn’t last forever.

  I couldn’t remember the last time I’d ever even hung out with someone after having sex with them. Usually I kicked them out before the sun came up. And even though things ended awkwardly earlier, to say the least, spending time with Storm felt as comfortable as ever again.

  I liked him. A lot.

  Sure, he didn’t talk much. But it was almost as if we didn’t have to.

  He could have asked me many questions, but I was thankful that I didn’t have to answer them. He knew enough. For now.

  We landed back on the main trail, the deteriorating rail line under our feet again as we headed north again, away from the bikes.

  “It’s not too much farther,” he said. I nodded again, perfectly willing to let him lead me around in the middle of nowhere.

  As we rounded a small corner, an old tunnel came into view. I gasped at the size of it. It was incredibly old and tall and rustic, disappearing into the side of a large boulder, the carved basalt tunnel looking like one big black eye looking out of the hill. Lush foliage lined the edges of the arched entrance, creating an inviting, welcoming look, instead of it being creepy.

  “It’s beautiful,” I whispered.

  “It’s called Tunnel 24. Come on, we can go inside.” He took our finished beer bottles and put them back in his pack before walking towards it.

  “I’m sure the answer is no, but in the interest of self-preservation, I have to ask —
a train’s not going to come through there, is it?”

  “No,” he laughed. “It’s abandoned. Don’t worry, Pepper, I would never put you at risk of being run over by a train.”

  I laughed, thinking to myself that just being in his very strong presence felt like being run over by a train. But I kept that to myself.

  “Okay,” I said, following him the short distance to the entrance of the tunnel. My gaze traveled around it, taking in the lush ferns and dripping, dew-covered greenery that released big, fat drops over the entrance.

  We stepped through the archway, instantly met by the musty cave-like smell of wet basalt and Earth. The edges were rough, indicating the tunnel was hand-carved many years ago. I closed my eyes, inhaling the heady scent, imagining a locomotive racing through the dark, tight space, carrying timber out of the deep forested hills.

  It had to be twenty degrees colder inside the tunnel than it was outside. All rays of sunshine had disappeared, only visible in the light at the edges, throwing faint shadows over the rugged edges of rock lining the walls.

  The deeper we traveled, the darker it grew.

  “This is amazing,” I said, as Storm came up behind me, gently wrapping his arms around my waist. I leaned back into him, appreciating his warmth.

  “You’re amazing, Pepper,” he murmured, his mouth falling on the back of my neck, sending shivers up my spine. His kisses were soft as feathers, trailing up behind my ear. He captured an earlobe in his mouth, biting gently with his teeth, causing me to gasp loudly, my voice echoing up to the tall ceiling.

  His hand ran up my waist and stopped just below my breast, his thumb rubbing along the bottom edge. I moaned and pressed back into him, feeling his hardness against my hip.

  “It’s late,” he whispered. “Nobody else is going to be hiking in here tonight.”

  “Is that so?” I replied, my heart racing. I looked around for a soft spot to land, but all I saw was dirt and mud and cold rock.

  He turned me around to face him, his lips landing on mine. I melted into his kiss, luxuriating in his warmth, delighting in his hands sliding along my skin. I wrapped my arms around his neck, his kiss deepening as I opened my lips, welcoming his tongue with my own. He moaned against me and I reached down, gripping his cock, wrapping my fingers around his massive strength through his jeans.

  He groaned as I reached down with my other hand, pulling open the buttons of his 501’s and pulling his cock out, wrapping my fingers around him again. He shuddered under my touch, his mouth crashing into mine again as I slid his velvety hardness between my fingers.

  His mouth tore away from mine, his eyes wild with lust.

  “I need you, Pepper,” he growled. “Now.”

  “I don’t know how —.”

  He pushed me backwards, until my back pressed against the cold rock wall. He knelt down, deftly taking my jeans with him, sliding them down my thighs. I kicked off my boots as he pulled them off completely, leaving me half naked in front of him.

  The cold breeze brushed against my naked thighs, leaving me shuddering under his gaze. Instead of standing up, he parted my thighs, his mouth descending on my sex, his tongue parting my lips and sliding between them as he searched out my clit, his lips capturing it and sucking hard, causing my entire body to quiver from the sensation.

  “My god,” I murmured as I leaned against the wall, trying desperately to hold myself up, my knees threatening to buckle at any second.

  He pulled away, standing up and scooping me up under my ass as he did so. My thighs wrapped around his hips and within seconds, he was sliding inside of me, deliciously filling me up and thrusting inside of me.

  “Yesssss,” I hissed, throwing my head back and holding onto his broad shoulders for support as his hips flailed against me, his cock thrusting up and into me deeply and roughly. Our voices echoed loudly through the tunnel, the cold forgotten as we worked together to find the deliciously decadent release we both craved so desperately.

  Within moments, we were there, ecstasy wrapping around us like a blanket of bliss as wave after wave of pleasure washed over my shuddering body, his cock buried deep inside me as he exploded hotly, his tongue tangling with mine as he growled into my mouth. Gradually, his pace slowed, his kiss softening until we gently parted, his body becoming his again, my limbs becoming mine, our lips reluctantly closing to each other.

  A slow smile spread across his face and it was contagious. His eyes, only moments ago full of hungry, demanding lust, were now gazing at me with what I can only describe as love.

  It struck me like a bolt of lightning that no man had ever looked at me like that. I sighed, smiling back at him, drinking in the foreign feeling of complete and utter acceptance.

  He leaned in closer, the smell of our sex wafting off him, as he brushed a kiss across my forehead affectionately.

  “I could get real used to having you around, babe,” he murmured. He turned away to pull his clothes on and I couldn’t help but agree.

  As we dressed and put ourselves back together, I felt my heart crack open, just a hair, but enough to allow just a tiny sliver of light in.

  And, even though I’d always expected it would hurt — it was quite the opposite.

  It was the best feeling I’d ever had in my life.

  Chapter 33

  STORM

  Once we got back to the clubhouse, we snuck right back to her cabin and fell into bed again. After sinking into her sweet softness a few more times, she laid snuggled against my chest as the moon rose in the sky.

  I dared not say a word.

  Last time, something as innocent as ‘I could stay here forever’ had spooked her. But I quickly realized now that I wasn’t inside of her, that if we weren’t actually doing it, or barreling down the road on the bike, we hadn’t really had much time to talk to each other at all.

  It felt so odd to barely know someone, and yet feel like you knew every square inch of their body. But that’s what it felt like to me.

  I knew how she would whimper when the tip of my tongue hit the back of her ear. Or the way her eyes dilated, almost daringly, when I pulled her hair back. I’d memorized the feel of her velvety walls squeezing me tightly every time I thrust into her as deeply as I could go.

  Hell, I’d even memorized what she tasted like — sweet and pure.

  But, now, I wanted to know everything about her. I wanted to know about her past. I wanted to see what she looked like when she was a little girl. I wanted to hear about her dreams for her future.

  Did she even have any?

  Her future was in limbo. This was not a normal situation, I reminded myself.

  Fuck, I shouldn’t even be here. But I’d somehow convinced myself that this was therapeutic for her. At least that’s what got me over the hump the first time, and then, well, to be honest — I hadn’t given it much thought after that.

  Once I’d had a taste of her, once I’d stepped over that line and saw that I was perfectly welcome to do so — I’d not taken much time to consider if this was the right thing to do anymore or not.

  I took a deep breath, the silence between us becoming louder. We’d fucked so much that there was no way in hell I could do it again right now, so the only thing left to do was talk.

  I racked my brain trying to come up with the right words. I loved having her this close to me, and I didn’t want to do anything to scare her away again. But maybe that wasn’t up to me anyway.

  “I have to leave,” she whispered. At first, I didn’t think I heard her correctly. I looked down at her and she raised her head, resting her chin on my chest.

  “What did you say?”

  “Artie’s going to find me.”

  “No,” I said, shaking my head firmly. “You’re safe here.”

  “He knows my name,” she replied, softly. “That’s why I was crying earlier this morning. That’s why I freaked out.”

  “And that’s why you’re here,” I reminded her.

  “That’s what Riot and Lucky said,
” she nodded. “But Artie…”

  “Artie is a fucking punk,” I said, a wave of anger washing over me. “And he’s going to have to go through me — and all the other Gods — to get to you. I really don’t see that happening, babe.”

  She nodded, her eyes distant. I knew this had to be hard on her. The pain in her eyes was clear. I wanted to wipe it all away with a kiss, but I knew that wasn’t what she needed.

  She needed security.

  Safety.

  Confidence.

  “All my life I’ve been alone, Storm,” she whispered. “Well, not at first. But once Pop died, it was just me. I was only fifteen. And he was gone in an instant. I had to leave him there, on the street, with strangers, because I knew in that moment, I had to take care of myself. I bribed the funeral home to buy his ashes without them reporting it. And then I spread them in the Hudson all by myself. I was so young…” Her voice trailed off, tears shining in her eyes.

  “And it’s been that way ever since. I couldn’t rely on anyone once he was gone. Not the strangers in the street, not the foster care system that I knew I’d be thrown into, not the fame hungry population of Hollywood. And now…”

  Her eyes searched mine as she shook her head.

  “You’ve gotta understand, Storm.”

  “Understand what?”

  “Not even now,” she shook her head, her eyes full of sadness and regret, “I can’t rely on you, either.”

  My heart broke at her words. Deep down, I knew she was trying to say goodbye but I wasn’t ready to hear that.

  Even now, I was afraid of saying the wrong thing. But she was wrong. Dead wrong.

  “You’re wrong,” I said, reaching up and cupping her cheek with my palm. I peered into her eyes, hoping my words would somehow penetrate the wall she’d built around her heart. “Maybe you don’t believe it, or trust me. But whether you do or not, that doesn’t matter, Pepper. Because our loyalty to you doesn’t waver. You can rely on us to protect you, that’s just a fact, whether you feel it in your bones or not.”

  She sighed, her gaze darting away for a second before meeting mine again.