by Nicole Snow
“Everybody in favor of the girl staying permanently?”
Hands went up simultaneously. All my brothers said “aye,” but nobody said it louder than I did. Pop's gavel hit the wood beneath it with a loud clack!
“Then it's settled. The girl's gonna stay on as an assistant nurse. Least she can do for stirring up all this shit.”
I shot Pop a bitter glance. Damn it, I knew he wasn't gonna keep his cool forever without saying something guaranteed to piss me off.
“You boys meet Jack in the garage to hash out patrols and make sure all our equipment works. Remember, brothers, our friends could show up here with guns blazing at any second. I can't have a single man slacking on the fucking job. Got it?”
Another round of 'ayes' and nods. Pop pushed back his chair, relaxing his back, a signal to everybody else to get moving.
I was the last one out. Just before I closed the door behind me, our eyes linked up, and I saw the stern trust in his eyes.
“Don't let me down, son. You're getting your way this time because it's the right thing to do. Show me and the club that you're fit to lead this MC.”
“When we beat Mayor Fuck-face and the Skulls, you're gonna see how wrong you were, Pop. You never had any reason to doubt me.”
I stepped away, slamming the door behind me.
It took all fucking day to get everything in order with my brothers.
By late evening, everybody who wasn't on patrol was in the bar, drowning their worries in liquor and tobacco. I saw Warlock and slid into the bench next to him.
“I told Frannie to get going on Rachel's lessons. You'll be happy to hear she was falling all over herself to learn. Don't think she's had a purpose like this for a long time.”
I smiled. My older and wiser brother was right.
Having some meaning felt good, and I knew giving Rachel a little responsibility would go a long way toward undoing the damage her sick daddy did. Everything I knew about her said he'd brought her up like sheltered eye candy.
Well, as far as I was concerned, the photo ops, arranged associations, and family secrets were over. Rachel belonged to the MC now, her new home, and soon she'd belong to me too. Once the club was open, it gave as much as it got.
We were brothers and sisters, fathers and daughters, with ties thicker than blood. Especially blood that turned on itself like Rach's demented old man.
I'd make sure this beautiful dove mended her wings and took flight. With me at her side, she'd rise up like a phoenix, so strong and bright it hurt to even look at her.
“Thanks. She's gonna be amazing,” I said, no longer hiding the smile creeping across my face. “How you holding together with all this?”
Warlock shrugged. “Nothing this club hasn't dealt with before. I remember the big war with the Ass Busters from Wyoming. Almost fifteen years ago now, back when you were just a little shit. We lost a lot of good guys busting their asses on the highway outside Minot...”
Warlock had that thousand yard stare. He'd never been in the military like Pop, but he'd seen more shit than most soldiers.
Those old photos in the hallway were a testament to how many good men the club had lost earning its place in the world. Guys I remembered, some only vaguely, haunted those photos like ghosts in black and white.
Truth is, clubs like the Devils can't be anything but wolf packs that look after their own and flip the rest of the world the fucking bird. We were modern knights, made to wade through fire, blood, and steel on those growling steeds we rode.
The older I got, the easier it was to understand why Pop had turned into such a no nonsense hardass. He knew if our club let down its guard, even for one second, a gang of upstarts would muscle in our territory and turn everything upside down.
I wouldn't let them piss on the graves of everybody who fell wearing our colors. Neither would anybody else who wore the Prairie Devils' patch.
We couldn't quit, couldn't relax for even a second. We had to keep riding straight into the storm, hardening our bodies with the same fearless, uncaring energy that powered our bikes.
“We're better off with your experience, brother.” I slapped Warlock on his meaty shoulders. He managed a small smile through the painful memories.
“Better old and useful than dead and useless,” he said. “Or too beaten up to do anything but suck booze through a tube and vote by proxy.”
“You'll never be obsolete, man. Hell, guys like you are the reason we fucking suffered and bled, but came out stronger today. It's no secret Pop gets under my skin a lot of the time...but he manages to come to his senses. You older guys are the hard nails keeping this ship together. We're gonna punch through all this latest shit, same as we always do.”
“No doubts here,” Warlock said, turning his half-drained vodka tonic in one big hand. “Just hope we don't have to bury more of our own after we've buried every last fucker on their side.”
“We won't. Trust me, brother. If any one of us ever dies on my watch in combat, then I haven't been doing my job.”
I really believed my words. I'd been through big skirmishes, but always under Pop's command until the last couple years, when he directed most of our battles from behind the lines.
All the responsibility for casualties had been his. Now that I was in charge in most of the big firefights, all that shit was piled up on my shoulders, heavy as a giant boulder.
I was damned determined to keep it from getting away and rolling over us.
Warlock wished me a goodnight, got up, and staggered back toward the room he shared with Frannie. Excitement flickered in my blood as I sat at the bar a little longer, knocking back my whiskey in one shot.
The warm glow bristled like fire in my almost empty belly. I needed that heat now for what I was about to do.
The day had turned out ten times crazier I than expected, but I wasn't done yet.
I still had something I absolutely, positively had to cross off my bucket list. I got up, blood burning like lava, and made a direct line for Rachel's room.
“Fuck,” I muttered to myself.
My baby girl wasn't there. I found her a couple rooms over, in the infirmary. At least Frannie wasn't wasting any time getting her up to speed on medicine.
I pushed the door open and lingered out of sight, listening to her sweet voice asking questions. She was going to do an amazing job when crisis hit. Rachel's interest burned bright, just like her instructor's.
“Let's go over it again, hon. How do you tell when someone's in shock?” Frannie sounded just like a pro.
“Weak pulse, shallow breathing, clammy skin, unfocused eyes and...um...vomiting sometimes?” Rachel rattled it off perfectly until the end.
“Only sometimes. Don't let the obvious things like bleeding and vomiting bog you down, girl. You need to jump right in and check the vitals. They tell the real story.”
“Got it.”
They both looked up when I stepped around the corner. I braced my hand on the big steel table we'd installed for serious shit sometime ago, courtesy of an old clinic that shut down a couple towns over.
“You done overloading her brain for one night?” I aimed a big smile in Frannie's direction.
She cocked her head, pushing her hands on her hips. “Give her a little more credit. For someone who decided to pass on college, she's got awesome focus.”
“Yeah!” Rachel piped up. “I'm not an idiot. It's easy to pay attention because all this stuff is really interesting.”
“I'm sure it is,” I said, raising my hands to my chest as mock shields. “I didn't even understand half the shit you guys were talking about. That's why we leave the medical nitty-gritty to you ladies. No brother here has the patience to sit down and sort this shit out.”
“Thanks for finally getting me another set of hands,” Frannie said. The smile on her lips said she really appreciated it.
“It was Pop's decision, but you better believe I supported it. Just watch out, Frannie. Only a matter of time before she's doing most
of the leg work around here. I hear it's easier when you're young and spry.”
Rachel laughed. Frannie stuck her tongue out at me.
“She can have at it. I'm tired of getting my hands all covered in spit and blood every time one of you guys steps into it.”
“Spit?” Confusion crossed Rach's face.
“You wouldn't believe the way these big tough bikers blubber like babies when they're hurt. Sometimes for good reason. But usually they're crying over tetanus shots and a splash of alcohol on their scraped knees.”
Everybody laughed. Then that eager fire switched on again, filling my blood, spurring me to get on with what I'd come to do.
“Seriously, I need to have a chat with Rach. Can she break for the night?”
Rachel turned toward her mentor with saucer sized eyes. Frannie took one look at the excitement in her eager student's face and nodded.
“Go on. Just don't keep her up too late,” Frannie said knowingly. “We're gonna pick up on this again tomorrow in the early afternoon. I'll give her the night plus tomorrow morning to let some of the info sink in. Oh, and here!”
Frannie reached to the opposite counter. Grunting, she picked up four big textbooks and shoved them in Rachel's direction.
I instantly stepped in, giving Rach a no-you-fucking-don't look. “Help you carry these anchor weights to your room?”
“I'd like that,” she said softly.
Fuck, the smile on her face...pure heat throbbed inside me from the waist down. All my muscles were begging to lay into her, and I had to look away to keep my whole body from seizing up.
Soon, soon. Keep it the fuck together, man. Last thing I need to do is embarrass myself like a gawky fucking teenager.
I scooped up the books. We each wished Frannie a goodnight and left the infirmary, heading straight for her room.
Tonight, with any luck, the last little star was about to fall in this angel's life. Mine too.
I'd had it up to fucking here with all these crazy distractions. If I had to, I'd nail the door shut and throw boards over the windows to keep the rest of the world the fuck out.
There was no more room for anything else. Tonight, it was just me, Rachel, and an old bed I hoped would be able to take the pounding we were gonna give it.
Just a few more steps baby girl. Then you're mine, and I'm never, ever gonna let you go.
V: Like a Gritty Fairytale (Rachel)
My heart was pounding when I opened the door. My hand shook as I reached inside, switched on the lamp, and quickly threw myself inside to make way for him.
Him! Jack's in my room now, and for once it's not about some club bullshit or making up for dumb mistakes.
Today, the hungry glint in his eyes told me there was only one thing he was after.
The door clicked shut and I threw the lock. The mechanism had a loud finality, as if it meant to seal us inside another world.
“Over there,” I said.
I pointed to the small table where I kept a couple old romance books Frannie had given me. Jack leaned over the short table, giving me a lovely view of that rock hard ass he carried so well beneath his jeans.
He turned and looked at me, wearing his trademark shy smile. Or maybe not-so-shy today?
Old floorboards creaked beneath his feet as he stepped closer, bridging the last distance between us.
“Romance, huh? Didn't realize you were such a bookworm.”
“Just something to keep the mind busy. I like to read, but it isn't my favorite thing in the world.”
Jack was only inches away from me. I stared up into his big dark eyes. They completely sucked me in until I was lost in them. He left me awestruck, strangely curious about all the mysteries wrapped around this beautiful man.
“I had a feeling you'd say that, baby girl.” He pushed his forehead against mine, stamping my lips with his hot breath. “Reading's no substitute for the real thing. Aren't you curious what a real man is like?”
Holy shit, holy shit...
My brain just shut down. His hands went to my low back, and then sank lower. He cupped my ass and squeezed, pulling me into him.
The bulge tenting the middle of his jeans pressed close. Sweat sizzled on my brow. I temporarily forgot how to breathe.
“I'm curious, yeah. Especially if that man is you.”
I lifted my eyes slowly to his. Hunger steamed in the stars lining his pitch black pupils, tiny pinpricks as sharp and hot as lust itself.
“Don't you wonder any longer, Rach. Let me show you...”
He moved in for a kiss. I thought I was ready, but nothing truly prepared me for the hot, wet bliss of his wandering lips.
I moaned into his mouth, louder when his hands tightened on my ass. Jack kissed me deep, winding his tongue with mine, moving his lips in a steady, hypnotic pulse on my little inexperienced lips.
Excitement boiled up, bright and hot and addictive.
Through my daze, I noticed he was pushing me toward the bed, stopping to gently tap his knees on my legs when I reached the edge. He broke his kiss, sliding his calloused hand over my face, pouring more humid breath onto my cheeks behind it.
“Fuck. I can't wait any longer, baby girl. Let me unwrap you so we can do this thing. I've wanted to get you naked and tangled since the second I laid eyes you...”
More kisses. I was shaking in his arms, but he steadied me, a mountain of a man growing hotter by the nano-second.
His hands edged my shirt, lifting up. He rolled it halfway to my breasts, exposing my naked skin pocked with goosebumps.
I froze. There was something I had to tell him, before he really rendered me speechless.
“Wait. Wait, wait...there's something you need to know.” I swallowed hard.
I didn't want to tell him and expose my immaturity. But this rock hard man deserved to know what he was getting by taking me as a lover, even if it meant he might not want me at all.
But men like virgins, right? I hoped everything I heard was true. Like, really, really fucking hoped, sending a silent prayer up high.
“I've never done this before, Jack. I'm a virgin.”
The smile on his face melted. It scared me at first, but that deeper, much hotter heat on his skin didn't lie. It was like his body temperature had gone up a few degrees.
Would he burst into flames and take me with him? God, I wanted him to.
“No fucking way.” He shook his head.
“Are you serious?” He ran his hand to my jawline and stopped, spreading it to hold my chin.
“I wouldn't lie to you.” I nodded, loving the raw masculine feel of his palm on my softness.
“Baby girl, you just made my day, my week, my whole fucking year. I'm gonna teach you so much, and it's gonna be amazing.”
I moaned in agreement. The heat lining my skin developed into a full on blush. It was hell confessing to him, but heaven now that the big secret was out.
“Kiss me again, and then take off my shirt.”
The look in his eyes said he wasn't offering anything. This was a command I had to obey, however rough and pleasurable that might be.
I tensed my hands around his back, fingering the edge of the t-shirt he wore beneath his jacket. His shoulders rolled, pushing away his leather and letting it fall to the floor.
Jack pushed onto my lips for another kiss, and brought his hands to mine. He helped me lift his shirt away, high over his head.
I didn't dare look until he withdrew his lips. Just one glimpse of his bare chest and I was guaranteed to lose it.
And I did. My eyes wandered slowly up his rock hard abs, stopping at the devil's face tattooed across his breasts. It was just like the big patch on their jackets. On each bicep he had matching pitchforks.
He lived, breathed, and wore the MC's symbols. Now, it looked like they empowered him too.
He was a slab of total strength, muscles fused together into tight dark canyons, all the way from his abs to those bulging biceps on each side. He pushed himself into me, encouragi
ng my hands to go higher.
Smiling, Jack turned, exposing his back. It was cut just like the rest of him, muscular and broad.
Between his shoulders, he wore one giant pitchfork. The words Prairie Devils MC were stamped in dark ink below it. So was another phrase.
The road forgets. Devils don't.
“What's that all about?” I asked, gingerly touching the ink. “The road forgets?”
“Yeah. You can hop on the nearest highway and become a whole new person. You'll be forgotten sooner or later by your shitty job, your friends, your family. But if you wear these colors or live under them, then you're part of the MC forever, and the club never forgets.”
“Never?”
“Hell no. That goes for our members, our friends, our enemies, and even our old ladies. You give respect, you get it. You shit on us, and we won't take the heat off until you're nothing but ash.”
A chill went through me. It was easy to forget that this handsome warrior was part of a group that was so feared.
Feared, and respected.
He was taboo in all the ways family and society warned me about. Off limits. Except just now, he wasn't. He was within my reach – all of him – the kind hearted Adonis and the violent outlaw.
“Is it the same with you?” I asked.
“Fuck yeah, it is. Except I can give a lot more than respect to those who deserve it. I can deliver love, and all kinds of good things with this body that won't ever stop.”
I steeled my eyes and took a good look at him. He wasn't lying. I reached out, reaching for his tats, the inks that invited me to slowly run my nails across his divine surface.
He exhaled hard, slowly, clearly enjoying my touch.
“Fucking A. You have no idea what you do to me, do you, baby girl?”
I was too deep in man candy to answer. He turned, faster this time, and wrapped me in a tight embrace.
Jack's moment of slow, sensual tolerance had ended. The beast inside him surfaced, and his fingers went for the shirt he'd started to lift before.
