Wildfire

by Bliss, Chelle

  Gigi: Don’t burn the place down with your mad cooking skills.

  Again, I shoot her back the middle finger. I don’t know why Gigi thinks she’s Betty fuckin’ Crocker. She is just a step above me in the cooking department, only able to make ramen edible. Just because she’s never fucked up ramen, while I have, she thinks she can host her own cooking show.

  I don’t make it to two steps away from the bar when Sadie’s at my back, skank-ass heels clicking against the hard, concrete floor. I spin around, coming face-to-face with her, not letting her bully me.

  She tosses her blond hair over her shoulder as she glares at me. “Tomorrow when you’re gone, Mammoth’s mine. Let those words sink in. Have your fun while you can, but within twenty-four hours, I’ll make sure you’re barely a memory.”

  I plaster a fake smile on my face. The bitch will not get to me. She’s trying hard. Hasn’t stopped since I walked through the doors and Mammoth picked me over her. “I’m pretty damn sure that even after I walk out that door, you’re not getting in his pants. Say what you want, Sally,” I sneer, getting her name wrong on purpose because fuck her. “But I know he’s not into your fake tits, fake hair, or fake personality.”

  She leans her upper body back as her hateful eyes travel down and then up, taking in everything that’s me. I’m still wearing Mammoth’s clothes, looking not one bit hot in the baggy ensemble. “I know his taste, sweetheart. I’ve been here long enough. Seen the parade of women on his arm. You aren’t it.”

  “I may not be his usual taste, but honey—” I give her the same look she’s throwing my way, full of hatred and disgust “—you’re not it either. You’re never riding the Mammoth train, no matter how many tickets you buy.”

  I don’t know what the fuck I’m saying. I’m pretty sure she doesn’t either. Sadie doesn’t seem like she’s playing with a full deck anyway because she doesn’t even blink at my bullshit.

  “You think you can hang with him?” she laughs, tipping her head back, but somehow her hair doesn’t move. The bitch has to have a lifetime supply of Aqua Net somewhere to keep her hair looking more like a perfect helmet than individual strands. “You’re getting watered-down Mammoth. The real Mammoth, you’ve never met, sweetheart. He needs a real woman to satisfy his hunger and cravings.”

  Now it’s my turn to not even fucking blink. I break down her statement word by word, wondering what in the fuck she’s talking about, but I figure she’s just right of the sanity line. “He looked pretty damn satisfied after I sucked his cock, Sadie.” I shrug, adding a smirk when her face reddens. “He looked even more satisfied after he fucked me…repeatedly.”

  She steps closer, glare turning fiery. “You want to know the real Mammoth?”

  “I do know the real Mammoth, bitch.”

  “Been in his room yet?”

  I shake my head, and I am suddenly pissed. Has Sadie been there?

  “Why don’t you go to his room and find out who the real man is. Not the teenybop version you’ve been playing with. See if you can hang with the real guy once you see what’s inside. After you realize you’re in over your head, I’ll be here to make sure he has a real woman to meet his needs and tastes.” She turns on her heel, stalking back toward the couch where all the women are staring at us with their mouths gaping open. “Fourth door on the right.”

  “You shouldn’t have fucking done that,” one of them says.

  “You know Mammoth doesn’t like his business out there,” another one adds as Sadie takes her spot right in the middle of all the bitches.

  “He’s going to be so pissed at you,” a third states, wincing.

  “Fuck her and him,” Sadie replies as I make my way toward the bedrooms. “She thinks she’s what he wants, but she couldn’t be more wrong. It’s time for the little girl to go back to wherever she came from and let the big girls handle Mammoth.”

  I had every intention of going back to my room. Well, Pike’s old room. I even have my hand wrapped around the handle, turning the knob, but Sadie’s words and my own curiosity get the better of me.

  I glance down the hallway, first to the right and then the left, before I shuffle down to Mammoth’s door. I stand outside, staring at the dark, rich wood, telling myself to stay out and mind my own fucking business. I’ve never liked people going into my room uninvited, and I’m pretty sure Mammoth feels the same way.

  But then again, I’ve sucked the man’s cock and let him fuck me ten different ways, giving him orgasm after orgasm. I feel like I have a right to know. I earned it, right?

  I’ll just take a peek.

  In and out.

  Make it quick.

  Don’t touch anything.

  A total recon mission.

  At least that’s what I tell myself anyway before I step into his room, closing the door quickly and quietly behind me.

  At first glance, Mammoth’s room is just a bedroom. There’s nothing out of the ordinary besides how neat and tidy it is for a badass biker guy’s space.

  Inside there is a sleek metal bed against the wall, a leather bench at the end, a dresser, and an old travel trunk like I’ve seen in some antique shops. The walls are painted black, and there are no pictures anywhere. No photos of other women or even one of his own mother hang on the wall or sit on top of his dresser.

  I don’t know what Sadie was talking about. There’s nothing crazy inside Mammoth’s room except for his cleanliness. I don’t think I’ve been with a single man who’s ever even made his own bed. There isn’t even a sock lying on the floor, tossed away and forgotten like I’ve seen in every dorm room I’ve ever been in.

  I don’t know if Sadie thought this would scare me away, but it doesn’t. The last thing I want is to pick up after a slob for the rest of my life.

  I blink, almost choking on the thought.

  What the actual hell?

  The rest of my life isn’t something that should even be entering my mind when thinking about Mammoth—or any man, for that matter.

  I’m too young to be tied down.

  Too young to promise myself to only one guy.

  I have life to live.

  Oats to sow.

  Epic adventures to have.

  Before I leave, I know I’m missing something. My Tamara senses are on overdrive, telling me to dig, snoop, and do all the things I’d kick Mammoth right in the junk for doing to me. I figure I have ten minutes before he’ll come back, which leaves me only a few minutes to figure out what crazy shit Sadie was talking about.

  So, I do what any girl would do, I start with the closet and find nothing except for dozens of T-shirts sorted by color, along with at least ten pairs of jeans and a leather jacket. I sweep my fingertips over the black leather, wondering what he looks like when he wears it. He couldn’t get much use out of it in Florida. The weather never seems to get cold enough to make it necessary.

  My gaze dips, soaking in the boots on the floor of his closet, placed into neat rows and in matching pairs. It isn’t like my closet where I just throw shit in there, figuring I’ll find what I’m looking for when the time comes.

  If Sadie thinks a clean man is scary…she’s way crazier than I ever imagined, and I make a mental note never to listen to another word the nutty bitch says.

  When I close the closet door and step backward, I almost fall over the big-ass chest I’d forgotten was against the wall behind me. After I let out a slew of curse words because fuck, the metal on the bottom hurt like a motherfucker when I jammed my heel into it, I kneel down and run my hand over the top of the chest, knowing I should just leave. The man has been nothing short of amazing, and I am invading his privacy, which is wrong.

  So freaking wrong, but I can’t stop myself.

  “What are you doing?” Mammoth asks, walking into the room like a silent ninja as I lift the top.

  I freeze, eyes wide, knowing I’m in so much trouble.

  9

  Mammoth

  Tamara drops the lid to the trunk, falling back on her a
ss and scrambling backward like she’s been stung by a bee. “Nothing, Mammoth. I swear. I was… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…” she blurts out, speaking fast.

  “Princess.” I know she’s scared.

  Tamara is a talker, but she never talks this damn fast.

  I drop to my knees behind her, placing my front to her back, and wrap my arms around her. “Breathe, baby.”

  She’s practically hyperventilating, her chest heaving with each short breath. “I’m so, so, so sorry.” She shakes her head, not relaxing in my arms.

  My lips find her neck, kissing the soft skin near her jaw. “I’m not mad,” I tell her, but I should be. She was snooping around my room, looking for God knows what and finding something she probably doesn’t understand.

  “Sadie told me.” She swallows, tilting her head, giving me access to the full length of her neck. “I knew I shouldn’t.”

  My arms tighten around her, my hands on her stomach and lips on her skin. “It’s okay,” I tell her again because the words I’d spoken before didn’t seem to have sunk in. “Relax.”

  She turns her head, gazing at me. “You’re not mad?” She sounds surprised and, hell, I’m a little shocked too.

  If it were anyone else in my room going through my things, I would’ve lost my shit.

  I shake my head softly, nuzzling her neck. “No, I’m not mad, but we need to talk about personal boundaries.”

  “I didn’t have any right to invade your personal space. I let Sadie play with my head.”

  “Fuckin’ Sadie,” I grit out through clenched teeth. “Don’t ever let anyone fuck with your head, especially someone like her.”

  Tamara turns in my arms, hooking her legs over mine to sit in my lap. “She told me I wasn’t your type. She told me I didn’t know the real you. She said tomorrow I’d be nothing but a memory, and you’d move on to someone who was more your taste.”

  My hands are on her waist, holding her tight, keeping my features gentle. “Sadie’s the one who’s not my type. She’s a bitter bitch because no matter how many times she throws herself at me, I always push her away. I don’t like fake people. I don’t like to play games either, and Sadie’s only about the games.”

  A frown pulls at Tamara’s full lips. “But am I your type?”

  “You’re in my bed, aren’t you?”

  She snakes her arms around my neck. “Technically, we’ve been in Pike’s old bed and not yours.” She smirks.

  “Not anymore,” I tell her, lifting her chin so she’s looking straight at me. “Tonight, you’re in my bed.”

  “Maybe.” She swallows, blinking those hazel eyes at me. “Maybe we should stay in Pike’s bed.”

  “Why?”

  “I like knowing you’ve never been with anyone else there.” She glances at my bed before giving me her eyes again. “I kind of like knowing I’m with you somewhere you’ve never been with anyone else before.”

  I can’t stop the smile from spreading across my face. “Princess, no one’s ever been in my bed except me.”

  She blinks, chewing on her bottom lip, staring at me like I’m yanking her chain. “No one?”

  “No one.”

  “But you’re…”

  “I’m not into club pussy. I’m also not into sharing. I don’t stick my dick into any chick who’s willing just for the sake of getting off. Before you…” I pause, not believing I’m going to admit this, but I know it has to be said. “I’ve never fucked anyone at the compound. When I’m with someone, it’s never here. I never have anyone in my bed to fuck, sleep, or anything else.”

  “Why?”

  “I like to keep my professional and private life separate.”

  She nods like she understands, but I’m not sure she believes me or really knows what the fuck I’m talking about.

  “Can we talk about what’s in the…” She ticks her head toward the chest.

  “What’d ya see?” I ask, not wanting to go into too much detail, especially if she didn’t see anything.

  “Nothing much.” She shrugs, unable to meet my eyes. “You walked in and scared the shit out of me before I had a chance to…”

  “Snoop?” I raise an eyebrow.

  “Well, um, yeah,” she mumbles with a small smirk. “I’m sorry.”

  “I have nothing to hide.” I brush her thick black hair over her shoulder, slowly dragging my finger back over her shoulder to her collarbone. “Not from you, at least.”

  “Mammoth, yo. You in there?” Eagle’s voice booms, followed by a pounding on my bedroom door. “Get your dick out of that chick. We got club business to handle.”

  “Fuck,” I hiss and slide my hand down from her waist to her ass, giving her two quick pats on those luscious cheeks. “I got to handle this.”

  She scoots off my lap and sits cross-legged on my bedroom floor before I rise to my feet. “Don’t let me stop you,” she tells me, smiling like she just dodged a bullet of some sort.

  “What is it?” I ask before the door is even fully open, finding Eagle with his arms crossed over his chest, pulling at a toothpick between his lips.

  “Lockdown’s over. Shit’s cleared up. Guys are headed back. They’ll be here in ten. Orders from Tiny are to wait until after the meeting before taking the girl home.”

  “Got it,” I tell him, starting to close the door before his big palm slams into the wood, stopping me.

  “Word is Crow’s pissed about—” Eagle lifts his chin toward my room where Tamara’s sitting, watching and listening to every word “—what’s been going on between you and the girl.”

  “It’s none of Crow’s business what’s happening.”

  Eagle nods like he agrees, but it’s not his opinion that matters, and throws up his hands. “Not my business or my problem. I’m just passing along what I’m hearing because you’re a friend, Mammoth. What you do with that information is up to you.”

  “Thanks,” I tell him because I was a dick. The very mention of Crow and Tamara makes my blood boil, and no matter what, Eagle did nothing to earn my anger.

  “I’ll meet you in Church,” he says as he walks down the hallway away from my room. “Ten minutes.”

  When I turn around, Tamara’s on her feet, standing in the middle of my bedroom. “So, that’s it, right?”

  I rub my hands together, blowing out a breath, trying to ignore the knot in my stomach. “Afraid so, princess.”

  Her lips immediately turn downward. “I was hoping we had longer. I’m not really ready to leave…” She kicks at the hardwood floor, staring down.

  I stalk toward her, grabbing her by the waist and hauling her body flush against mine. “It’s been fun, yeah?” I whisper against her lips, wanting nothing more than to kiss her…forever.

  Forever?

  Damn.

  Never in my life have I ever thought that word. Not about anyone or anything. My life, inside the club and out, has never lent itself to thinking about anything too long term. But there’s something about this chick, something I can’t put my finger on, that has my mind going where it shouldn’t.

  She doesn’t look at me. Doesn’t give me those hazel eyes that have my cock itching to be inside her every minute of every day. Owning her. Possessing her. Wanting her. “This is no place for someone like you. My life is…”

  How do I explain to someone outside the life what it’s like to be inside it? Especially a sweet little thing who was raised so differently.

  “I get it,” she says into my chest.

  I place my fingers under her chin, forcing her to give me her eyes. “You don’t.”

  She blinks, shoulders sagging forward as she sighs. “I do. We had a good run, didn’t we, handsome?”

  “The best,” I tell her, wishing I could give her more. “Don’t go pulling shit like this again, though. Got me?”

  There’s a halfhearted smile on her face. “But I wouldn’t have met you if I hadn’t.”

  She has a point. But then again, what if I hadn’t been here when she sho
wed up at the door? “Promise me you won’t do it again, Tamara?”

  “Ooh,” she says in a singsong voice. “Pulling out my real name. Shit’s getting serious.”

  I tighten my hand on her waist, gripping her just above her hips. “You could’ve been hurt. You’re lucky Morris and Tiny like your family, or shit could’ve gone an entirely different way.”

  She stares me straight in the eyes, not even blinking when she says, “I’m a big girl. I would’ve been fine.”

  The fire that’s been simmering in my belly boils over, spreading through my veins like molten lava. “Baby,” I whisper, trying not to yell, “big girl or not, this shit is no joke. Any other MC, any other biker, and shit could’ve ended badly. I don’t care how big or small you are, if there’s a gun pointed at your head, you’re never going to be the one in control.”

  “Fine, JD. I promise,” she murmurs, trying to placate me but failing miserably. The roar of the engines has her stepping out of my arms. “You better get to Church and meet the guys.”

  “We’re not done,” I tell her, leveling her with my gaze.

  She turns her face, staring out the window above the trunk, dismissing me. “We’ve hit the end of the road, big guy. You don’t need to bring me home. I can get a ride from someone else.”

  “Like fuck, princess. Your ass is gonna be on the back of my bike, heading toward Tampa in under thirty. I don’t want to hear any bullshit from you about it either.”

  Her eyes snap to mine, narrowing into little slits. “I don’t know who you’re talking to, but although this has been fun, I’m not yours to boss around.”

  I close the space between us before she has a chance to react, grabbing her chin, done with her attitude. “Listen, I get you’re all badass and don’t need anyone, including me, but that’s not how I roll.”

  Her hazel eyes flash with anger, but she does nothing to pull away from me.

  “So, have your cute little ass ready in thirty. You got me?”

  “I got you,” she hisses, scrunching her nose. “Loud and fucking clear, JD.”