by Evelyn Glass
“You’re… you’re sorry?” Nicole asked. Dawn saw Cade lingering over her shoulder, but he waited at Mona’s side for the rest of her story, as Dawn swallowed and slowly nodded her head.
“It’s still your club,” Dawn said. “Your family. And respect needs to be paid.”
Nicole chuckled darkly and turned her eyes to Cade.
“Got this one saying all the right things,” Nicole said.
“It’s not like that,” Cade said. “Let her up Nicole.”
The redhead curled her tongue over her teeth, and she seethed into Dawn’s face.
“I think you’re here to find a thrill,” Nicole said. “Little local playing at being an Alpha’s girl. Give us a chance, and we’ll see what you really do with it. You clutching poser—”
Before she could finish her thought, Dawn felt the girl’s body lifted away from hers, and she struggled to catch her breath as Cade took hold of her hair. His fingers failed to pull, but he did not give the redhead the chance to look away from his eyes.
“Dawn has seen the Panthers in action,” Cade said. “And I know that she’s loyal.”
“Why is that?” Nicole asked. “Because of all she does between your legs?”
Up on her elbows, Dawn smoothed her fingers down her throat and carefully watched the pair lock eyes. Was there something else between them? Something that she had yet to see even as she thought she understood?
“Fucking fine one to talk,” Cade said. “How does Lenny service you between the sheets?”
“Lenny is loyal,” Nicole said. “He knows that I’m not just a secret to have to hide away.”
“No. He would just play the fool and lead you to the slaughter.”
Raising her hand to strike, Cade’s fingers surrounded her wrist, and he artfully blocked her intended blow. His hold seemed firm yet tender, as he dragged her to a wooden chair, just passing Mona by as she puffed on her pipe.
“All kinds of excitement here tonight,” she said. “Who says that I need to get out more?”
Cade started to sneer for her to stay silent when his gaze withered under her glare, and he sheepishly shrugged his shoulders.
“Sorry, Mona,” he said. “We’ll be out of your hair in no time flat.”
“Good enough,” Mona said. “Plenty of fun to last me a lifetime. High time for me to knock off and put these old feet of mine up to rest for good and all.”
Mona started to slip away when Nicole pushed away from Cade’s hold and nearly knocked the older woman over with the force of her hug.
“Don’t talk like that, Mona,” she whimpered into the woman’s shoulders. “You’ve been so good to me. And when I get… when I take back what’s mine, I want you to share in it with me.”
“Sounds sweet,” Mona said. “But if you two keep fighting like a pair of wild rabbits in a cage, I’ll see you all at the finish line before your even try to make a start of it.”
Dawn fought the fear in her chest, even as she liked the implication that Mona counted her among one of three trying to make their way through this night to the next with their heads and their hearts intact.
“Think I’ll knock off,” Mona said. “And Cade?”
The blonde gazed up at her as he moved to his feet.
“Let’s say you let Nicole do her thing. But no reason why you shouldn’t keep the other one close.”
“That wise, Mona?” Nicole asked.
“If I’ve taught you anything, let it be this,” Mona said. She snuffed out her pipe and touched Nicole’s cheek. “Keep the nice ones close and use it to your advantage. Sound about right, Cade?”
As soon as he nodded, Nicole hung her head and rubbed her hands together.
“Sounds good,” Nicole conceded. “Still not sure. But I… I…”
The redhead bit down on her lip, and she smoothed her palms across the surface of her leather-coated thighs.
“We’re losing moonlight here,” Nicole said. “Time to move. And I… guess she gets to come with.”
Nicole started into the night when the sound of Cade’s voice held her back.
“What now?” she asked. “Didn’t you hear what Mona just said?”
“Can you give me five minutes, Nicole? Please. And then I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” Nicole challenged.
“I’ll ride you into the breach myself,” he said. “Take my licks as they come. God knows you’re going to need a hell of lot more than Lenny.”
Her nose crinkled at the insult, but Nicole squared her shoulders and stood strong and lithe in her leathers, as she pushed her fiery hair behind her ears and shifted her gaze to Dawn.
“You better not screw this up for me,” Nicole threatened. “You come along on his say-so. But if you take one step out of line—”
“I’ll see that she doesn’t,” Cade assured her. “But no more slapping her around.”
Bowing her in head with what seemed like the weakest of intentions, Nicole headed out, and Dawn heard the grumble of her motor as Mona sighed and patted his arm.
“Best of luck to you, boy,” she said. “Something tells me that you’re going to need it.”
Mona brushed a soft hand over her hair before she exited the room, and as soon as she was gone, Cade picked Dawn up off the ground and lightly pressed his fingers to her waist.
“Sorry about… about all of it,” he said. “You’re not hurt or anything are you?”
“I’d feel a damn sight better if you just—”
“Read you loud and clear.”
Cade kissed her quickly, and Dawn melted into his arms, into his lips.
“Listen to you,” he said. “You sound like an old lady. Like someone I’d want to be my old lady.”
“I like it when you talk to me like that, Cade.”
She kissed him again, and as Dawn rested her head to his chest and absorbed the beating of his heart, Cade swirled his hands down her back. His touch stopped just above her waist. Cade lingered in her hair before backing away and pressing his fingers under her chin.
“Is that all you like?” he asked.
“I… I like feeling that I’m in this with you,” she said.
“So you can land the story?”
“It’s not about that anymore.”
“Seriously?” he said. “You didn’t just dress up for shits and giggles.”
“Like you didn’t lap it up,” Dawn said, as she arched her eyebrow. “Wouldn’t have looked at me twice if I was only wearing this.”
“Don’t know about that,” Cade said. “End of the day, it’s all about having you in nothing.”
His fingers moved under her shirt, and Dawn sighed into the feel of his fingers when his touch grazed the edges of her breasts. Dawn fought the desire to moan, and she curved her body into his warm hold. In another world, another life, they would have hours instead of minutes to play around with each other. Throwing caution to the wind, she started to guide his hands under her jeans, and his fingers grazed her cunt when she could feel nothing but his warm breath dancing in and out of her ear.
“Got a photo hog waiting in the woods?” he asked. “Play your cards right, might make you something of a star around these parts.”
“I could do that and more right now,” she said. “And you know I came alone.”
“Sure. Someone else would have saved you from the failure to ride.”
Dawn suddenly felt as if she was back in grade school and trying to prove herself. Not that she couldn’t handle it on her own. But it hurt that he jumped to that conclusion, and she suddenly thought of proving his point to spite herself when he seized her wrist and brought her body back to his chest.
“I know, I know,” he said. “Cheap shot. And I am…” He turned away, his shoulders starting to sag. Dawn felt the fight falling out or her, and she didn’t know how or even if she could help him when Cade’s body whipped around, and he grabbed her hands. “Old habit,” he said.
“What is, Cade?”
“Hitting belo
w the belt,” he continued. “Move I make when the chips are down.”
“And are the chips down now?” she asked.
“Not sure,” Cade confessed. “This is not going to be easy to make fly. But I… I think…”
“Think that maybe you want me there to get the ball rolling?” Dawn softly asked, as she flattened her palm to his cheek. At the feel of his head curling into a nod, Dawn moved closer to his chest and let the biker envelop her in his arms.
“You feel good,” she said. “And I… I feel safe with you.”
“Let’s hope we can keep it that way.”
He started to kiss her again when the sound of Nicole’s voice pierced through the walls.
“Feels like five minutes, Cade!”
“Not even close,” he muttered.
“Not enough you mean,” Dawn said. “But if we keep moving, maybe we get some more time?”
Cade tilted his head, and as he scanned her body up and down, his eyes stayed flat. Dawn feared that his act of sizing her up might suddenly seal her fate in the least desirable direction, and Dawn silently vowed that she was still up for the fight when he laughed and slowly shook his head.
“Guess we need to see what happens,” he said.
Dawn felt as if she was floating as she touched her hands to his cheeks and smiled brightly. “What else can go wrong?” she asked.
“Don’t do that, Dawn,” he cautioned. “Don’t play with fire.”
“Hold my tongue then?” she asked.
“Try. If you can. But you need to listen to me.”
“Big bad biker,” she said with a laugh. “Is that what it means to be your old lady?”
“Something like that,” he said. “Can you handle it?”
Dawn started to say that she wasn’t one to be plopped into a corner to wait. He should know that much about her by now. She almost uttered the words when she suddenly felt too weak for another fight. On some level it might feel fun to meet him toe-to-toe and show him that she was made of only the firmest stuff, but the slightest thought that it would scare him off or that he may force her to stay behind forced her chin to her breasts.
“Whatever you need, Cade,” she said. “We’re in this together, right?”
Cade smiled as he touched her chin, and he looked into her eyes as his lip quivered.
“Last thing I thought was going down tonight,” he said. “But yeah.”
“Yeah?” she asked.
“As long as nothing major goes down,” he said.
“Cade, this is major.”
Their lips locked, and Dawn nearly forgot the story when he was this close. “Major” didn’t even begin to describe the way she felt when she was with him, and Dawn wanted to fall into the grass and feel him inside her. Michael would scold her; maybe Cade could do other things if given the chance. However, the only words that Dawn wanted to bring to life described how he made her feel.
“So major, Dawn. I…”
He brushed his hands about her thighs, and Dawn was ready for him to lower his fly when Nicole whipped around the grass and the trees looking every inch a superhero. She was perched over the seat of her bike, her flame-red hair catching the moonlight, as she brought the bike to a stop just beyond their feet.
“So are we doing this or what?” Nicole asked. “We’re already late.”
“Keep ‘em on their toes, Nicole,” he said. “Cause this is going to knock every last boy on his ass.”
“Except Lenny,” she reminded him. “He’s already wise.”
“And he doesn’t have that far to fall,” Cade teased.
“Prick,” Nicole said. “One more minute to follow, or I do this on my own.”
“Make it two, and we’re coming.”
Dawn let him drag her to his bike and helped her on board. Slipping behind her, he purred into her neck and dared to bring her fingers around the handlebars.
“Sure you don’t want me to take the lead?” Dawn asked.
“You don’t know what you’re doing,” he said. “Not just yet.”
“But in time I could get the hang of it.”
“Hope we have that much time to play around with it.”
Revving his motor to attention, they watched as one as Nicole took off. Cade was quick at her heels as his bike brimmed under their bodies. As she leaned into the turns, Dawn tried to relax in the night air, and she shifted her gaze to see the stars just sparkling through the black velvet sheet of sky. It could be peaceful; it should be. However, as Nicole intensified her pace, Cade had no choice but to follow suit and pick up speed.
“Not going to let me fall are you?” she asked, as she managed to look into his eyes.
“Not if I can help it.”
Nicole disappeared down a steep incline, and at the sudden sound of her screeching tires, Cade’s hold grew harder and he practically hit the air as he moved down the hill.
“Crazy… she better be alright.”
Sharing his sentiment, Dawn held her breath until she saw Nicole and her bike resting off to the side of the road.
“You okay?” he asked, as he pulled up beside her. Nicole nodded as she brushed some grit from her leather slacks and smirked under brimming eyes.
“Nothing is going to hurt me,” she said. “Not tonight or any other night.”
Cade dismounted with a sigh and hunched down to inspect her tires.
“One wrong move, and you would have caught a flat,” he said.
“But I didn’t, right?” Nicole asked.
He stayed silent as he inspected the rubber, and when he seemed convinced that way ahead was as safe as possible, Cade rose to pat her shoulder.
“Not for lack of trying,” Cade said. “But let’s say we take it a touch slower. After all, don’t you want to get to your big night in one piece?”
“Kind of smarts when you say it like that,” Nicole said. “But you might have a point.”
“Always do.”
“Cade…”
Nicole was off when Dawn touched his cheek.
“What now, sweetheart?” he moaned. “You’re already in the thick of it.”
“But do you trust her?” Dawn asked. “I mean… after all she’s been though. What if she flips out as soon as she sees him?”
“You know a lot, Dawn,” he said. “But in her bones she’s still a Whitaker. I’m telling you that they’ll close ranks when push comes to shove.
“So sure about that?” Dawn asked.
“My world, Dawn,” he said. “You still coming with?”
Maybe he was trying to scare her back to Mona, and if he was any other source, Dawn might have flown and tried to hide. However, she knew him, and her nod seemed to send a light into his eyes.
“Hope I don’t come to regret this,” he said. “Hold on tight, Dawn.”
“I’m right here.”
Nicole’s pace wasn’t half as frantic as they kept moving deeper into the night, and Dawn took advantage of the slackening to press her head to his shoulder. She parted her lips to ask a few of the million questions worming around her brain.
“You’ll show me how to handle her like a pro one of these days?” she asked.
“Best you keep clear of Nicole,” he said. “Takes a long time to know just what to do with her.”
“I meant the bike, Cade,” she said. “Get your mind out of the gutter.”
His eyes softened and hit hers for a small second before he turned the corner.
“Did you feel that, Cade? I leaned into it.”
“Just lean into me, Dawn.”
Doing as she was told, she saw a slim structure just dotting the horizon, and Nicole started to yelp when Cade pulled up alongside her and pulled on her hair.
“Ow! Why the hell did you do that?”
“Ever hear of something called stealth?” he asked. “Because you’re tossing away any advantage that you might have.”
“Might?” she challenged. “Cade, I have the upper hand here. I—”
“Will you t
wo please stop fighting?”
Their motors came to rest, and Dawn took the chance to fall to her feet as she stared them down.
“Seems to me like it’s a bust right off the bat if you keep this shit up.” Dawn started to stomp off, smiling softly as Cade hurried after her. His fingers just grazed the edges of her sleeves when she pulled away and kept walking. “Think you all might be better off with a referee,” she said. “Maybe I should—”
