Colt moves in at my side, encouraging me to continue with a nod of his head. I alternate between looking into his eyes and the water, unable to process the sympathetic look he’s projecting.
“Daryl was a crazy asshole. By the time she decided to do something, he was following her everywhere, and would know if she bought a gun, so she talked me into doing it. The transaction was easy enough, but right afterwards I was approached by a teenager who claimed to be my friend’s sister, and convinced me to hand it over. Turns out she was being trailed by the cops. They threw the entire three years at me because my ‘friend’ claimed that I had made up the whole story about wanting to protect herself, and the teenage girl claimed I bought the gun for her knowing she planned to kill her parents.”
Running both hands through his hair, Colt blows out a deep breath. “Jesus, Harley. That’s fucked-up.”
“Tell me about it. The girl had all sorts of forged proof that we had contacted several times before I gave her the gun. The prosecutor got word that I was raised by the club, and turned it around to make it seem I was acting as a missionary by providing the gun. But it was the club’s ties to the judge on the case that saved me from serving more time for conspiring to commit murder. The parties agreed three years was a good middle ground. It may not have seemed much to them, but it felt like a lifetime that I was in there.”
There’s a tick in Colt’s jaw as his eyes darken. “You think your friend could’ve somehow been involved with your brother?”
“I didn’t even think of it before, but now… I don’t know. I always wondered if she lied because she was that afraid of her abusive boyfriend, or if there was something else going on. My father hired someone to dig into her history, but they never found any reason for her to want to go after me. While I was away, she met some other guy, and started a family. I haven’t seen her since the trial. I don’t know what I’d say to her if I did. There was a time I hoped she had a good reason to screw me over, but now… I just hope karma finds its way back to her, and she gets a glimpse of what she put me through.”
Anger flashes through his eyes. “Leave this friend and your brother to me. I promise I’ll get to the bottom of it. In the meantime you need to lay low, and stay the hell away from Axel. I don’t need you stickin’ your neck out, and gettin’ hurt.”
“You don’t know what you’re agreeing to.” I close my eyes. “Prison fucked me up, Colt. The only way I was able to live through it was to cut people and feelings out of my life. I’m not someone you want to get involved with.”
“You’re so far from fucked-up that it makes me wonder if you even understand what that means.” A warm hand wraps over mine. “Can’t attest to what you were like before, but seems to me you came out of there strong and incredibly brave. I’ve known big, tough men who came out with their balls tucked between their legs ‘cause they were beat down by the system.”
I open my eyes as his other hand wraps around my jaw. “We’ve all had things mess with our heads, darlin.’ We do what we have to in order to get past them. I can’t pretend I know what you’ve been through, but that part of your life is over. This wall you keep wantin’ to build between us is just somethin’ you taught yourself to survive. I get it. But the time for doin’ all this on your own is finished. I’m here now, and I won’t let you go through anything that brutal a second time.”
A small smile twitches against his lips. “You can trust me, Harley. Lean on me. I’m here for whatever you need.”
“I don’t understand,” I reply, slowly shaking my head. “Why? How do you know I’m even worth it when we’ve only known each other for days?”
“Oh, I know.” Lifting one shoulder, he breaks out in a wide smile. “It’s like I told you before—I just know I need you in my life. Have ever since I first saw ya. Don’t have it in me to walk away.”
Fighting against the urge to push him off me and tell him to fuck off, I touch his chest. “You have no idea what it is you’re getting yourself into.”
Thumb brushing over my lips, he tilts his chin with a small nod. “Oh, I think I have an idea. And truth be told, I’m up for the challenge.”
Warm, needy lips and a thrusting tongue meet mine in eager strokes that make me desperate for more, desperate to feel this beautiful man inside of me. I disappear in the large arms wrapping around me, wishing I could go back in time, and be the kind of woman he thinks he’s getting instead of the broken mess I’ve become.
Every kiss, every gentle touch of his hands feels like a silent promise. How can I say no to what he’s offering?
“Come back to bed,” he whispers against my lips. “You’re gonna need your rest for what I have planned in the mornin.’”
After several hours of sleeping with our bodies so coiled together it’s impossible to tell where either of us start and end, I sneak into the bathroom somewhere around dawn to pee, and take a quick shower. When I walk out in a towel, Colt’s arguing with someone on his phone. As I drink in every delightful curve of his naked body, I realize the sight of his sculpted muscles could never grow old, even if I were to stay with him forever.
Forever.
The word rips through my brain like the chords of an electric guitar vibrating from a giant speaker. What business do I have thinking about a future with someone like Colt? Sleep deprivation must be the only reason I believed his late night promises to stay by my side could hold any water.
When Colt catches sight of me gawking, his lips spread in an uneven, forced smile before he turns his back on me. Though I’ve been waiting for such a brush off since we first met, the gesture stirs a funny feeling in my gut that I can’t shake.
Something’s really wrong.
“Gotta go,” he says into his phone. “Be there as soon as we can.” He ends the call, and tosses the phone onto the bed.
“What’s going on?” I ask, frowning.
Refusing to meet my gaze, he collects his boxer briefs from the floor by the bed, and slips them back on. “Remmy needs me an’ Ranger back at the club. You can stay another day—I’ll leave some money so you can relax a bit longer. We’ll come back to join you when it’s over.”
“Leave some money by the bed? I’m not some fucking hooker, Colt!” Grabbing his arm, I wait until his gaze locks with mine. “When what’s over? What’s going on that you’re afraid to tell me?”
Head tilted back, he releases a great sigh. “There’s this big deal we planned to intercept between some shady soldiers and a big-shot drug lord from LA who does most his business in Tijuana.” His eyes find mine once again, plagued with undeniable guilt. “Was supposed to go down later this week, only Remmy thinks someone gave them a heads-up because the exchange was pushed up to last night. Now we’re hopin’ to stop them before they’re able to smuggle the weapons over the border.”
I gulp down a cry of protest. How in the hell was I able to forget everything the club stands for when I decided to become involved with Colt? Did I purposely block out the notion that Colt puts himself in mortal danger just by being a member of an MC that believes in doing what’s right for their country, no matter the cost?
“Sounds dangerous,” I finally choke out.
He dips his chin in affirmation. “That’s why you’re stayin’ put.” Wrapping me in his arms, his beautiful eyes convey the message he’s too afraid to say out loud, the one neither of us is ready to hear. “I’ll come back to you, darlin.’ I promise. I’m not about to lose you now. Not after we just found each other.”
When he bends down to deliver a deep kiss, it’s as if his surging lips and tongue are confirming what he truly wants to say, what’s been weighing heavily on his mind since he kicked Ranger out of the room the day before.
He loves me.
6
The drive back to the clubhouse is missing the usual thrill I get from having the open road to myself. I normally revel in the freedom of setting my own pace, and choosing which roads to take, but my heart races knowing Colt is so far away. Though he
told me to stay put, there’s no way I’m lounging on the beach a hundred miles away while worrying he’s getting his head blown off by some drug kingpin and a bunch of wayward soldiers. I’m so eager to get back that if it weren’t for a threat of a violation of my release conditions, I’d go full throttle.
The half hour lead I gave the guys turns out to be perfect. When I pull into the club’s parking lot filled with member bikes, the motor on Colt’s Heritage is still warm. I’m guessing they either pulled off to fill with gas, or to grab a bite to eat.
Deep voices floating out from the club’s meeting room stop the second I appear in the doorway. Over a dozen men wearing the MC patches openly gape up at me, Axel among them. It’s no surprise that his stare is the most menacing of the group, making it seem he wants to rip my skin off my bones. Screw him. He’s the asshole who stabbed his own sister in the back.
Then I find Colt next to Ranger, nostrils flaring and eyes so narrowed that he’s suddenly the one I fear. “What the fuck?” he barks.
“This is a closed meetin,’” Remmy growls from the head of the table. “Members only.”
Rolling my eyes, I walk into the room and meet the old man’s annoyed stare. I’m not about to let my dad’s old buddy intimidate me for not being one of the guys when he taught me as a young girl to always stand up for myself and for what’s right. “You told me that I’m welcome back here. Remember? Having a pussy and not being a veteran may stop me from becoming a full fledged member, but I have more of a history with this club than half the guys in this room!”
Most of the men laugh heartily, my father’s old buddies included. A few of the younger guys make cat calls.
I swing my head around to face my little brother. “I definitely have more of a right to be here than you.”
“Like hell,” Colt grumbles, standing. In the blink of an eye, he’s around the corner of the table, yanking me back out of the room by my forearm. The dark laughter that follows us out to the hallway before the doors slam shut feels like fingers on a chalkboard. I’ll never be a part of the “good old boys” club, and they all know it.
Beautiful blue eyes lit with anger cast a dark shadow over me, causing an unexpected bout of fear to swell inside my throat. “I told you to stay at the goddamned hotel!”
I reclaim my arm, rubbing the tender skin where his fingers likely left bruises. “Saying you’re going to protect me doesn’t give you the right to boss me around, and neither does the fact that I’m a woman!”
“You think I don’t want you in there because of some fuckin’ chauvinistic thing?” After glancing over his shoulder, he leans in close, voice lowered. “In case you missed it, your brother is in there. This is about your safety. I’m not about to stand back and watch while you place yourself in his direct line of fire. You can’t barge into a club meetin’ and demand equal rights with him around. He’s lookin’ for any excuse to have you thrown out!”
His hands press to the sides of my face as the anger in his eye fizzles. “You have to play it safe until we have proof he’s up to no good, darlin.’ You’re gonna have to find a way to trust me until we know more. Stormin’ in when we’re planning somethin’ big isn’t the way to go about this.”
Humiliation creeps into my cheeks until my face feels red-hot. He’s right. What did I think I was going to accomplish by insisting to be a part of their meeting?
Lips pressed tightly together, the words “I’m sorry” stick to my throat like peanut butter. “Still doesn’t make it right that he’s sitting in there like he belongs,” I grumble.
“I know. But that’s an issue for another time.” As if he can sense my embarrassment, a small smirk tilts Colt’s alluring lips. “Go back to my place and relax. I’ll let Kandi know you’re looking for company. I’m sure she’ll take you out for a drink to get your mind off things.” Holding my chin between his fingers, he plants a sensual kiss on my lips before pulling back, eyes dancing. “We’re not plannin’ on leavin’ until after dark. I’ll check in with you before we roll out.”
He moves back toward the meeting room with the kind of cocky swagger that makes me want to rip his clothes off, despite there being a ton of guys in the next room. I watch his tight ass, wondering how one human being can be so damn perfect in every way.
“Be careful,” I call after him.
Throwing an amused look back my way, he slips back inside the room, leaving me to struggle with an array of confused feelings. How was he able to change my mind so effortlessly? Am I that far gone that I’m prepared to do as he suggests no matter my own thoughts? Am I his lapdog now just become of my goddamned hormones? Or is it because I think that I could love him that’s making me act like an idiot?
I’m still pondering the lack of fight in me as I mount my bike and head for his apartment. Before long, I’m back to questioning why in the hell I want to get involved with a biker, especially if he’s going to turn all alpha on my ass. Staying with Colt could eventually lead to losing the person I’ve worked so hard to become.
By the time I pull up in front of the building twenty minutes later, I’m irritated with myself, and not sure if I should feel amused or angry with the sight of Kandi’s car waiting at the curb. Cheyenne and Lacey lean out the passenger and back seat windows as I’m parking my bike.
“We were startin’ to think Colt kidnapped you as his sex slave when you just up and left!” Cheyenne calls out, giggling. Flowing, white-blond hair and surgically-enhanced DD boobs bounce along with her enthusiasm. “C’mon, girl! The day isn’t gettin’ any younger! We’ve got a fun day planned!”
Last time I heard those words, I was pampered relentlessly by Kandi, so I can only imagine what it means this time. With a shake of my head, I slip into the back seat at Lacey’s side, nearly gagging when I’m immersed in a cloud of hairspray and cheap perfume.
“Holy shit!” Kandi exclaims, turning to face me. “You dirty girl! You spent the entire time down there getting royally fucked! I can see it in your eyes and your complexion! You’re absolutely glowing!”
“No idea what you’re talking about,” I growl.
“You little tramp!” Cheyenne squeals, clapping her hands together. “We want every detail, starting with how big he is, and if he’s a freak in the bed! Oh—and if he went down on you, and if you had that glorious cock in your mouth!”
“Jesus, girl!” Kandi scolds, swatting at her. “At least let the poor woman get a drink in before you drill her with all the sordid details!”
I nod in agreement, relieved for her intervention. “I’m all for anything involving booze.”
As we spend the next half hour passing into the heart of downtown, the other women try to pry as many details as possible, though I’m still not willing to give them much. Aside from Shawna and a couple girls in high school, I haven’t had many female friends. Sharing personal things still seems so foreign.
Kandi parks in front of a seedy looking club with the silhouette of a stripper on a pole flashing across the sign and everyone perks to life.
“Little early for this, isn’t it?” I ask as we all pile out at the same time.
“It’s never too early for strippers,” Cheyenne answers, laughing. “Thought of becomin’ one myself after my step-daddy bought me this amazing rack.”
My stomach roils. What kind of twisted fuck would buy their step-daughter a set of fake tits? I’m still reeling from the disgusting disclosure when she hooks her arm through mine, and pulls me inside. “Hope you’re ready for this.”
A woman around my age covered in tattoos and not much else greets us in the reception area, giving each of the girls a hug before Cheyenne introduces me to her as “Colt’s girl.” The woman’s upper lip curls and she turns away, making the others burst out in nasally giggles. I’m equally irritated by the label.
“Don’t worry. Dee’s one of the hundreds of women Colt has turned down,” Cheyenne whispers, nudging me. “Better get used to the hate, because this is only the start.”
; Instead of setting her straight, I ball my hands into fists. I already feel like I’ve lost the respect of everyone who thinks I’m Colt’s old lady. What would happen if it were true?
Dee leads us through a pair of velvet drapes into the dimly lit club where a hip hop tune blasts from the speakers. A perky waitress in a mini skirt and bandeau top appears to take our drink orders before we even sit.
We’re the only customers, though it’s no surprise considering it’s so early in the day. Quite honestly, it’s the kind of place that doesn’t look as if it’d ever be full. A raised platform, highlighted with red rope lighting, features a recently polished pole on center stage that overlooks small tables and outdated plush chairs. I follow the others to the front row, finding it somewhat odd that the middle chair is left open for me.
Kandi touches my knee with a giant smirk on her cherry red lips. Her usual scent of leather and lilacs cancels out the prevalent smell of spilled booze and weed clinging to the stifling air. “My little brother wanted to meet you,” she explains. “I didn’t think you’d mind.”
The others break out giggling. Before I have a chance to ask what’s so funny, the music is replaced with the blaring wail of police sirens. A small flicker of paranoia settles in the back of my mind, even though I realize it’s part of whatever’s happening on stage. Smoke billows from the floor, and fluorescent lights flash in a dizzying pattern.
A moment later, a mountainous man in a generic police officer’s uniform steps through the haze. Eyes hidden by the brim of the hat, the only thing visible of his features are a square jaw and generous lips. A muscular arm covered in various patterns of colored ink raises to point an officer’s baton my way.
Pleasure & Pain: Inferno Glory MC Page 4
