Gypsy's Lady
Page 29
He held out the patches to Mason, straightening his spine at the look on the man’s face. Anger and disappointment warred with acceptance, and Gypsy waited to see which emotion would win out. “Here, Mason.” Not my president, not anymore. “Take ’em.” If the anger won, Gypsy knew he’d be facing a beat out from the club, not something he’d expected given Mason’s seeming acceptance while at the table with Blue Line. “Take ’em.”
Mason pushed back from the table and walked to where Gypsy stood, crowding close, his chest pushing the hand that held the patches back against Gypsy’s body. “You think to leave my club like this?” Mason’s eyes were dark, the grey ring nearly disappeared by the dilated pupils. “You think to leave us behind like this?”
Lifting his chin, Gypsy nodded once. “I’m leaving, Mason.”
Without looking away from Gypsy’s face, Mason called out, “Who’s in the clubhouse tonight that can wield a needle and thread?”
Brute spoke up. “I can, Prez. I will, that’s what you want.”
Gypsy didn’t turn, but kept his gaze on Mason’s face, reading the first hint of something there. “Mason, I’m not staying.”
“Didn’t ask you to stay, motherfucker. You cut your own center and dropped it in church. Ain’t no comin’ back from that kind of shit, and you know it.” Mason stepped closer and Gypsy shuffled to the side, stopping when he pressed up against a body there. Gunny, who was holding out something to Mason.
“Mason.” Gypsy didn’t know if he was asking or warning, but the expression on Mason’s face fractured, the look of anger fleeing and acceptance finally breaking through.
Mason took what Gunny offered and Gypsy finally broke the stare, looking down to see an RWMC support patch in Mason’s hand. “Brute, take the man’s vest.” Pressure gripped at the collar and front of his vest and Gypsy rolled his shoulders to shrug it off, letting it fall into Brute’s hands. “Sew on this patch for me, would ya?” He handed over the square patch and Gypsy watched the transfer, seeing Brute head towards the table where a sewing kit had already been laid out. “You ain’t gettin’ away from me that easy, Gypsy. I’ve got a vested interest in you still.” Mason leaned close, mouth next to Gypsy’s ear and said, “I’ll be leveraging you soon enough. Stay smart as you always are, and keep Blue Line close. You fuckin’ watch Tugboat’s back, you hear me? You fuckin’ hear me?” Gypsy lifted his chin and Mason grunted in response. “I’ll be calling on you before long. Be safe, brother.” Pulling back, Mason slung his arm over Gypsy’s shoulders and looked around the room. “He’s our brother, even if he’s leaving the fold for a time. Rebels forever…”
The room shook with the force of the answering shout, the words as familiar to each of them as breathing. “Forever Rebels.”
***
Kelsey
Tablet propped on the kitchen counter, Kelsey dragged a stool over to sit in front of it, chin leaned on one hand. The women were chatting with Alan in the living room, their voices growing softer as they moved away. He had offered to escort them out, gracefully prompting an exit after he noticed how tired Kelsey had become. It was good to see the Rebels’ women, reconnecting with them. Especially DeeDee and Ruby, who had been the first to show, and now were the last to leave. Quiet descended on the apartment, and she twisted to watch him come through the doorway into the kitchen.
After studying her for a moment, he tipped his head to the side. “Want me to go, too?” She shook her head. “I’ll be in there.” He thumbed over his shoulder towards the living room. “Come find me when you’re done talking to your girl back home?”
Kelsey jumped off the stool and ran across the room, colliding with him hard enough to rock him back on a foot. His arms closed around her and immediately Kelsey was immersed in a sensation of being safe and loved. Home, she thought, he feels more like home than home ever did. “I love you, Alan.”
“I love you more, baby girl.” He kissed the side of her head, lips buzzing noisily in something she recognized as sweet, brotherly affection, then placed his hands on her shoulders. He pushed back, setting her aside. “Now ring your girl and then come sit with me.”
Nary answered the call on the first buzzing ring, and led off with the first of a barrage of questions that strained Kelsey’s efforts to keep up with. “Do you love him?”
Of course Nary had seen the difference in how Gypsy and she were. That would have been the first thing she’d seen, other than the fact of Alan standing in the same room. “So much, Nary. More than anything.” That was true, and the weighty words felt right rolling off her tongue.
“Does he make you happy?” Kelsey sighed and smiled, and then frowned when Nary made fake gagging sounds. “Hurk, hurk. Stop it. Never mind, I can see it on your face. Your terribly happy face that I want to squish and kiss.”
“So happy. Happier than I have any right being.”
“Stop it right there. You have just as much right—” Nary interrupted herself, palm slapping her leg in frustration. “No, more right. You have more right than anyone else I know to deserve happiness. Take it for what it is, honey. Take it and run. Take that happy and run with it.”
“I will.” She swallowed. “I am.” Shaking her head, Kelsey said, “Everything feels like a dream, Nary. A good dream. But it’s all so fairy-tale perfect. Who knew I’d find the man of my dreams in being rescued like we were. And who knew he’d know my brother. And who knew I’d be happier than I ever expected. It’s a fairy tale, but this isn’t a bad story. This is a good one.”
“It is a good story, ain’t it?” Nary’s smile was broad and happy. “A really good one.”
Kelsey sighed, propping her chin on her hand again. “The best.”
Malcontents MC
Gypsy
They were headed back to California, and Gypsy was feeling confident about the decision, and even more so about Kelsey. Walking out of the Rebel clubhouse for the last time had been bittersweet, because those walls were where he’d come into his own as a member, but knowing where he was headed made it worth it. And having Kelsey seated beside him, her support a palpable thing transmitted to him through the clasp of her hand in his, was the icing on the cake. Finding her was the best day of my life. He angled a glance towards her, catching a glimpse of her smile at the mountains in the distance. Everything felt exactly right about being with her.
Kelsey stepped from the truck and arched her back in an effort to stretch her muscles. Gypsy understood, his own were complaining about the long term of enforced stillness. She twisted at the waist and caught him staring at her, grinning in response before she stuck her tongue out. “Cheeky,” he called, and she laughed.
“You lifted that from my brother.” Kelsey shook her head and leaned into the vehicle to retrieve her small bag of essentials and her purse. She’d learned better than to try and carry her own suitcase at the first hotel they’d stopped. Slipping the straps over her shoulder, she turned and surveyed the building spread out in front of them. “This is yours? All of it?”
“Ours, and yeah, it is.” Gypsy had a good idea what the real estate market was for this area, and knew what he’d sent out wouldn’t have made a dent in the purchase price of this house and expansive grounds. Blue Line had argued, telling him the club had contacts everywhere, and finally told him if he didn’t like the house, the club could sell it for a good profit. “And Bulldog’s, and Tugboat’s, and Maggie’s.” They’d be staying together for now, and the house—compound, he corrected himself mentally—had ample room for the entire group. “I heard Hurley and Mela will be heading back this way, too. We’ll have room for them if you want to extend an invitation.”
She looked at him over her shoulder, lip caught between her teeth. “Okay.” She might not fully believe him yet, but she’d get there. I’ll get her there.
“And when Nary and Vicious fly over to make sure you’re doing well, they’ll have room to stay, too.” The compound was essentially three homes joined together by common areas. With a total of fi
ve bedroom suites and another five guest bedrooms, there was plenty of room. “Blue Line said he and Belle’s place is just over the hill. Within walking distance as long as there’s no weather.”
“This is real, right?” Kelsey shrugged, letting the bags slip to the ground as she turned to face him. “All this. Everything? It’s real?”
“Real as can be, darlin’. Real as I am, standing right here.” He held out his arms, waiting. “Why are you all the way over there, Kelsey? Come here, honey. Let me prove to you it’s real.”
Her eyelids slipped slowly closed for a moment, and her lips moved. Then her eyes snapped open and she ran to him, jumping at the last moment so he could lift her. Legs wrapped around his waist, she leaned forwards and rained kisses down on his face. “You’re real,” she murmured, raising her hands to cup the edges of his jaw. “You’re really real.”
“I am.” He smiled against her lips. “We are. This is as real as it gets, Kelsey. And I hope you’re happy, because you’re stuck with me.”
“For life,” she agreed, and pressed her mouth to his. He stroked inside with a lingering lick, tongue sliding alongside Kelsey’s and drawing an airy gasp from her.
“Hell, yeah. You’re my baby for life.”
~ Fini ~
THANK YOU FOR READING Gypsy’s Lady!
I hope you enjoy this story featuring Gypsy and Kelsey, returning characters in the Rebel Wayfarers MC world as well as Lila Rose’s Hawks MC books.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Raised in the south, MariaLisa deMora learned about the magic of books at an early age. Every summer, she would spend hours in the Upshur County library, devouring stacks of books in every genre. She still reads voraciously, and always has a few books going in paperback, hardback, on devices! On music, she says, “I love music of nearly any kind—jazz, country, rock, alt rock, metal, classical, bluegrass, rap, gangstergrass, hip hop—you name the type, I probably listen to it.
“I can often be seen dancing through the house in the early mornings. But what I really, REALLY love is live music. My favorite way to experience live music is seeing bands in small, dive bars [read: small, intimate venues]. If said bar [venue] has a good selection of premium tequila, then that’s a definite plus! Oh, and since I’m a hand gal, drummers are my thing—yeah, Paul and Alex—you know who you are!”
ADDITIONAL SERIES AND BOOKS
Please note each book is part of a series, for the most part featuring characters from additional books in the series. If the books in a series are read out of order, you’ll twig to spoilers for the other books, so going back to read the skipped titles won’t have the same angsty reveals.
It is strongly recommended they be read in order.
Rebel Wayfarers MC series:
Mica, book #1
A Sweet & Merry Christmas, short story #1.5
Slate, book #2
Bear, book #3
Jase, book #4
Gunny, book #5
Mason, book #6
Hoss, book #7
Harddrive Holidays, short story #7.5
Duck, book #8
Biker Chick Campout, short story #8.5
Watcher, book #9
A Kiss to Keep You, novella #9.25
Gun Totin’ Annie, short story #9.5
Secret Santa, short story #9.75
Bones, book #10
Gunny’s Pups, novella #10.25
Never Settle, short story #10.5
Fury, book #11
Gypsy’s Lady, #11.5
Cassie, book #12 (2018)
Road Runner’s Ride, novella #12.5
Occupy Yourself band series:
Born Into Trouble, book #1
Grace In Motion, book #2 (2018)
What They Say, book #3 (2018)
Neither This, Nor That series:
This Is The Route Of Twisted Pain, book #1
Treading The Traitor’s Path: Out Bad, book #2
Trapped by Fate on Reckless Roads, book #3 (2018)
Other books:
Alace Sweets
With My Whole Heart
More information available at mldemora.com.
Books by Lila Rose
Hawks MC: Ballarat Charter
Holding Out
Climbing Out
Finding Out (Novella)
Black Out
No Way Out
Coming Out (Novella
Hawks MC: Caroline Springs Charter
The Secret’s out
Hiding Out
Down and out
Living Without (RWMC crossover)
Walkout (novella)
Hear Me Out
Break Out
Fallout
Romantic Comedy
Making Changes
Making Sense
Trinity Love Series (m/m/f)
Left to Chance
Love of Liberty (novella)
Paranormal
In the Dark
Death (with Justine Littleton)
Young Adult
Senseless Attraction