Cole (The Ride Series)

by O'Brien, Megan

  “What are the Knights into?” I asked quietly, unsure what type of response he’d give me, if any.

  He turned his head toward me and regarded me for a few minutes.

  “You don’t have to tell me anything, not yet anyway,” I assured him when I saw hesitation in his eyes. “And I don’t need to know the details. But if I’m gonna have to bail you out of jail anytime soon, I’d like to know what for,” I said dryly, earning myself a small smile.

  “I don’t plan on getting locked up darlin’. But good to know you’d bail me out,” he answered, still smiling.

  “That’s good,” I sighed, flopping onto my back.

  “We own a couple of bars in town--including the one I took you to the other night, along with some property and a mechanic shop. I take care of the books,” he said and shrugged casually.

  I tried not to insult him by looking too shocked. “You’re good with numbers then?”

  “Very. Always have been,” he said. “We keep our noses pretty clean, babe,” he assured me. “That’s not to say there isn’t the occasional bullshit and reason to be vigilant, but we can leave it at that for now.”

  “Okay.” I nodded as I looked up at the ceiling. He’d actually told me more than I’d expected.

  “You gonna take your pop’s place someday?” I asked curiously.

  He shrugged. “Maybe.”

  I nodded. It wasn’t my place to weigh in on such matters, not yet anyway. I left it at that, not wanting to push him.

  “We good?” he asked quietly.

  “Yeah, we’re good.” I nodded as he pulled me into his body, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. I felt him kiss my hair and I smiled.

  “You set the alarm?” I mumbled, close to drifting off.

  “Yeah,” he replied before I fell asleep.

  Chapter Seven

  I woke up abruptly to pounding at the front door.

  “What the fuck?” I heard Cole rumble in the darkness as he got up and pulled on his jeans.

  I sat up in bed and pulled the covers across my chest. Somewhere in the night I’d gotten hot and taken off his T-shirt.

  “Stay there,” he ordered before stalking out of my room.

  I soon heard heated voices, but I didn’t sense any real danger so I threw his T-shirt back on and crept into the living room, curious who was out there.

  I was shocked to find Henry, my father’s former right hand man in a standoff with Cole.

  “Henry?” I asked incredulously.

  “Dammit babe, I told you to stay in there,” Cole growled.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked Henry, ignoring Cole.

  “If this asshole would let me in I’d tell you,” Henry replied irritably.

  “Cole, let him in, it’s okay,” I said softly. Henry had always been good to me and I believed he’d been loyal to my father. Despite everything that had happened, I trusted him.

  He’d always been a large man. He was as tall as Cole but much heavier around the middle than I remembered. Years of beer drinking had finally caught up with him from the looks of it. I was surprised to see that his brown beard now had flecks of gray. They were sprinkled in his long hair as well, which was tied back in his ever-present ponytail. He definitely looked older and a bit tired, and I wondered if the stress of losing my dad accounted for most of that.

  Cole swore under his breath and pulled the door open to let Henry in. I went over and gave Henry a hug, feeling nostalgic for one of the few comforts I’d had of home. He embraced me tightly.

  “Hi, Rosie,” he said, tenderly using the nickname he and my father had always called me.

  “Hi Henry,” I smiled, feeling tears fill my eyes. “Good to see you,” I whispered thickly.

  “Wish it was under better circumstances,” he muttered as we broke apart.

  “And what would those circumstances be?” Cole interrupted, standing behind me, a formidable presence with his arms crossed over his bare chest.

  “I came to talk to Rosie. Do us a favor son and give us some privacy,” Henry requested.

  I winced, knowing Cole wouldn’t take too kindly to being called “son.” But that was just Henry. He didn’t mean anything by it.

  “Henry, Cole’s my man,” I explained. “He takes good care of me. Anything you have to say to me you can say in front of him,” I assured him as I sat on the couch and encouraged Henry to do the same. “I trust him Henry,” I emphasized when he still seemed unsure.

  He blew out a frustrated breath. “Fine. Didn’t think I’d be divulging anything of consequence in front of no Knight, but it’s crazy days,” he muttered.

  I looked at him expectantly ready for him to begin, feeling assured by Cole’s presence at my back.

  “I know things with the Sinners went to shit a while ago, you had a good sense for that and didn’t delay in getting outta there,” he began. “I hope you know I was always loyal to your father and to you.”

  “I do,” I said.

  “I never knew for sure who killed Ray, but I suspected the same thing we all did. Jake was always a bad apple. Him and that fucking Victor Cross,” he swore. “I know you’ve always watched your back honey, but Jake is on a fucking tear. We voted him out as Prez a while back. He was a fucked up leader, never did the job right. He’s somehow convinced that if he can get you back that he’ll improve his position. I think that mother fucker has lost his god damned mind.”

  I sucked in my breath at this news.

  “And I know that he’s gotten wind that you’ve set up with the Knights. He’s already made moves against the club,” Henry stated, his eyes shifting to Cole’s. “The combination honey, it’s not good,” he said, blowing out a breath.

  Cole grasped the back of my neck and squeezed. “He’s not going to touch a single fucking hair on your head,” he swore.

  Henry sighed, looking tired. “Honestly I don’t know what he’ll do. But I came to warn you. I was worried,” he admitted. “All I know is that you need to be careful--as in way fucking careful.” Then he turned his eyes to Cole. “The moves being made against the Knights don’t speak for my club. I need you to know that. I’d like a meet with your pop,” he requested. “Clearly, we’ve got a few outliers that need to be dealt with,” he bit out angrily. The club as a whole still wants to maintain the partnership we’ve had for the past twenty years.”

  “I’ll set it up,” Cole agreed, his hand on my shoulder.

  “I appreciate you looking out for our girl. Something we should have been doing, things just got fucked up,” he said, his tone laced with guilt.

  Cole simply nodded. “Appreciate the heads up.”

  Henry rose to stand and I stood with him. “I’ll be in town for a few more days, you call me if you need me okay?” he asked me.

  I nodded.

  “You’re a good girl Rosie, you always were,” he said quietly, his expression tender and fatherly. “I want you safe.”

  “I will be,” I assured him, though I wasn’t at all sure if that was true.

  “It’s taken care of,” Cole assured him. “I’ll be in touch,” he added.

  Henry nodded and headed for the door with a parting flick of the wrist. A gesture I hadn’t seen in eight years. It was so simple, and yet, it made my heart clench.

  I stood silently for a few moments after he shut the door behind him, a bit shocked and overwhelmed.

  “Babe,” Cole said gently after a few minutes.

  “Hmm?” I asked absently.

  “Come on, let’s go to bed,” he coaxed, holding a hand out to me. I took it without thought and followed him to my room. He tucked me in and soon joined me, pulling me into his side “It’s gonna be okay,” he said softly.

  I didn’t reply. I had nothing to say. He didn’t know that, he couldn’t.

  I woke up earlier than I would have liked and heard Cole’s deep voice on the phone out in the living room. I looked at my phone to make sure Kat had texted me back. She’d never come home and I had reached out
to make sure she was okay. Sure enough, there was a text saying she’d stayed with Sal. There was definitely a story to be told there and I was looking forward to the distraction.

  I lay in bed trying to collect myself for a few minutes when Cole returned, already showered and dressed. He leaned over me with a hand on either side of me, kissing me soundly. He smelled like soap and Cole. I breathed him in.

  “I gotta go babe, shit to do,” he explained.

  “Okay, I’ll call you after work,” I said sleepily.

  His brow wrinkled for a moment and something flashed in his eyes before he sighed. “Call your boss, take some time off,” he directed in that bossy way of his that drove me crazy.

  “What? No,” I said as I shook my head, suddenly more awake.

  “Were you not here last night?” he demanded. “Until this fucker is dealt with you’re not going to give him an invitation to get near you,” he said, his voice low and intense.

  “Well I couldn’t be around many more people than when I’m at work,” I retorted. We stared at each other for a few minutes and I softened when I saw how worried he was. “I have bills to pay, honey,” I explained. “I’m not going to hide away for God knows how long. I promise to be careful, but I still have to live my life,” I said, putting a hand on his cheek and grazing it gently down to his neck where I could feel his pulse. “I’m going to go to the gym, too. I’ll go stir crazy otherwise,” I explained.

  “If I can’t take you home, promise me you’ll wait until somebody from the club collects you,” he ordered. “From anywhere you go,” he added.

  I was tempted to quip that I really couldn’t picture Wes or Sal jogging next to me on a treadmill, but I decided to bite my tongue.

  “Cole!” I protested.

  “No, darlin’.” He shook his head. “Even that’s less than I’m comfortable with. You agree to that or you get chained to the bed.”

  Something about those words sent an unexpected thrill through me. “Chained to the bed?” I smiled seductively. “That sounds fun,” I said, biting my lower lip.

  His eyes dilated in response and he groaned. “Shit, I really have to go. Otherwise I’d stay and play, baby.”

  “Damn,” I muttered.

  He leaned in and kissed me, closed mouth. If he let it become more we both knew he’d never leave. And with that, he shoved off the bed and stalked from the room. I heard him set the alarm and soon after his bike roared off.

  Kat came home as I was finishing up in the shower.

  “Spill!” I exclaimed after I’d thrown some clothes on and she was flopped on my bed.

  “Oh God, Scar, I am in trouble,” she groaned.

  I laughed knowing the feeling all too well.

  “I take it you had fun?” I asked and cocked a brow at her.

  “He’s so fucking hot,” she sighed. “I didn’t plan on spending the night at his place, but Cole called and said it probably wasn’t a good idea for me to come home. Which I want to hear about, by the way,” she noted.

  “Later,” I said dismissively. I was so tired of my shit. I wanted to talk about someone else. “So what happened?”

  “We stayed at the bar for another drink and we just hit it off,” she sighed dreamily. “Then after he talked to Cole he took me to his place and we watched movies and made out,” she said as she giggled.

  I smiled, happy for her.

  “He was a perfect gentleman, until I forced him not to be,” she said.

  “Good for you,” I said.

  “He is amazing in bed, Scar. Like AMA-zing,” she emphasized.

  I nodded knowing all too well what she meant.

  “He’s having a thing at his house tonight, you’re coming,” she said, pointing a finger at me.

  “I’ll see if the warden will allow it,” I muttered.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  I sighed and gave her a brief recap of Henry’s visit.

  “God, Cole must want to kill that bastard,” she said when I was done.

  “He’s not pleased,” I agreed.

  “What about you, how are you?” she asked, concerned.

  “I’ve been better,” I admitted. “All the more reason for you to distract me with Sal stories and for us to go have some fun tonight,” I said as I grinned, lightening the mood.

  “Sounds good to me,” she said as she smiled. Then she reached over and grasped my hand. “I like this new Scarlet.”

  I had to admit despite all the rest of the bullshit, I did too.

  Kat joined me at the gym and we had a good workout. Wes picked us up without muttering a word of complaint, despite both Kat and I feeling a bit awkward about it. I’d been getting to know Connie even better over the last few weeks and I had begun to consider her a good friend. It felt odd to have my friend’s boyfriend playing bodyguard. He basically told us to can it after we thanked him for the ride the third time.

  I fired off a text to Cole before I headed to work. He said he’d pick me up after work and we’d head to Sal’s together. I was looking forward to it.

  Connie and I got ready in the bathroom together after work, laughing and gossiping. I decided to walk on the wild side a bit and wear fairly short black shorts, a very tight fitting and low cut tank top, and my kick ass ankle boots. I dressed it up a bit with a chunky necklace and tamed my hair into a French braid of sorts that I was wearing over my shoulder. Wes was picking Connie up and we were all meeting Kat there. When we emerged, Cole and Wes were posted at the bar with beers.

  “We thought you might be a while,” Cole surmised correctly as I ducked under his arm and kissed his neck.

  “Good thinking,” I said as I smiled against his neck.

  “You look hot,” he whispered in my ear.

  I grinned, pleased.

  “You about ready?” he wanted to know.

  I nodded and we headed out. There was something so thrilling about roaring off on the back of Cole’s bike with Wes and Connie behind us. In that moment I felt so strongly that I belonged right where I was, something I hadn’t felt in my entire life. I squeezed Cole’s torso in a silent thank you for being such a large part of creating that feeling for me.

  Sal lived in a little bungalow not far from Cole’s. I saw quite a few bikes parked out front as we pulled up behind Kat’s Corolla. Cole grasped my hand and led me inside, lifting his chin to almost everyone we passed through the crowded house filled with music. The house was so full I could barely take in what the place was like, aside from the fact that it was sparse. He grabbed us beers from the fridge and led us outside to a folding chair where he promptly pulled me into his lap.

  I laughed at his possessive hold. “Well ok then,” I said and grinned, looking down and kissing him.

  He gave me a crooked grin in return and squeezed my neck in that gesture I had come to love.

  The backyard was plain. It had a large concrete patio and some simple landscaping bordering it. The whole yard was enclosed by a high fence that provided a sense of privacy, but it obviously did nothing for the noise of the rowdy crowd. I assumed that if he had these get-togethers often, either his neighbors hated him or they had some sort of understanding.

  A cute brunette with curly hair approached almost immediately. If it weren’t for her welcoming smile I’d worry that she was one of Cole’s past flings.

  “Hi, Scarlet, I’m Ettie,” she said and grinned.

  I gasped and smiled back. “So you do exist,” I said as I laughed.

  “So how much credit should I take for you two getting together?” she teased Cole. I liked her immediately.

  Cole chuckled as a tall, heavy set guy with a buzz cut came out to join us.

  “I’m Mack, Ettie’s man,” he introduced, holding out a hand.

  “Nice to meet you,” I said and shook his hand as I marveled that such a petite woman seemed to fit so well with this huge man. But they clearly adored each other. It was apparent within two minutes of seeing them together. Mack promptly put an arm arou
nd his girl and kissed her temple sweetly.

  “Need a beer darlin’?” he asked.

  “I’m good for now,” she said as she smiled, her eyes alight.

  “How long have you two been together?” I asked as the guys started talking shop.

  “Five years,” she told me.

  “Wow with how smitten you two seem I would think it would have been mere months,” I said with a laugh.

  “We’re lucky,” she said. “Though I’ll tell you, all these guys, they get a girl and that’s it, or so it would seem,” she added.

  I tilted my head, beyond interested in what she was saying.

  “They play the field and fuck anything that walks, but once they settle, they settle,” she said with a wink.

  “Has Cole, um settled before to your knowledge?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “You’re the talk of the town,” she replied.

  I wasn’t quite sure how to feel about that. Cole pulled me back down on his lap and I focused on finishing my beer instead.

  “Scar, there you are!” Kat exclaimed, finding us outside. “Can I steal her for a bit Cole?” she asked.

  He nodded, “I suppose. Don’t get into any trouble,” he said, kissing me solidly.

  “Wouldn’t dream of it,” I said, winking at him.

  Kat took my hand and led me back into the house where we got another beer.

  “What’s up?” I asked.

  “Sal is being weird,” she muttered.

  “Weird?” I asked as she pulled me to the relatively empty living room and onto the couch.

  “Standoffish,” she sighed.

  I’d been afraid of that and knew she had been too.

  “Oh sweetie, I’m sorry,” I said sympathetically.

  “Ugh, I shouldn’t have slept with him so soon,” she groaned. “I never do that, but I couldn’t seem to help it!” she lamented.

  “You went with your instincts and you had fun right?”

  She nodded.

  “He might come around. For now I’d just give him his space, make him come to you. If he knows what’s good for him, he will,” I said firmly.