by Marla Monroe
Andrew Murdock choked back the laugh that was burning his gut at Ginger’s expression to his reply. She looked as if she was going to pass out and scream all at the same time. Poor thing. She had no idea that she was fighting a losing battle where they were concerned. He and Ajax were claiming her as theirs. They’d made their intentions known to Dominic and Reece as well as to Rhodes and Vernon since they were basically her sponsors because Jessie was their woman and Ginger was Jessie’s best friend.
“I–I don’t understand? Why would you change clubs for me?” Her pretty mouth trembled as she spoke.
“Well, we didn’t really change clubs, just charters. We’ve always been with The Ghost Riders.” Ajax leaned back with his arms stretched out along the back of the booth on either side of him. “We did it because we plan on making you our woman, baby girl. Simple as that.”
Murdock watched the two of them stare at each other. He could pretty much tell what Ajax was thinking, but Ginger’s thoughts were beyond his imagination at the moment. She’d clammed up and wiped her face free of any hint of her inner thoughts. Instead, she sipped at her Diet Coke and ignored them both as she stared out at the other diners.
His buddy looked at him with a smug smile. Ajax always had gotten off on aggravating women. He said it made the loving that much hotter. All Murdock thought about that was only if they managed to get her to the point of sharing their bed. While Ajax seemed to think she was already attracted to them, Murdock wasn’t as confident. She’d been relaxed and at ease around them when they had first met her, but the minute they’d acted like they were interested in her, she’d backed off faster than a mouse in a room full of cats.
The waitress brought their food along with refills on their coffee and water. She nodded at Ginger’s nearly empty glass and soon returned with a fresh drink. He liked that Ginger didn’t pick at her food or stick to salads as if she was on a perpetual diet. Her generous hips and softly rounded belly appealed to him and Ajax just as they were. Neither of them had ever liked bony women. Instead, they went after those who had enough meat on their bones to hold on to in the heat of the moment. Something about snuggling up to a lush woman set him on fire.
Ginger couldn’t be much taller than five four or so with strawberry-blonde hair. The golden strands reached just past her shoulders when she wore it down. Usually she seemed to favor pulling it back in a ponytail. It gave Ajax another way to bother her when he pulled it free. Though the cute dimple that appeared when she smiled was nice, it was her unusual pale-green eyes that made her striking.
Neither he nor Ajax had thought much about settling down with one woman until they’d met Ginger. They’d lived in Las Vegas for almost eight years and before that, mostly on the road since they’d been teenagers. Murdock met Ajax when they’d both been living on the streets of Chicago, trying to put food in their bellies and keep free of the gangs. Back then, if you were old enough to skip school, you were old enough to hold a gun or a knife and pledge a gang. At thirteen and sixteen, neither of them wanted any part of the gang lifestyle, so they stuck together and watched each other’s backs.
It didn’t take long for them to realize that they would never be free of the pressure as long as they stayed in Chicago, so they worked their way around the country, stopping in one spot only long enough to make some money to move to the next town or city.
When Murdock was twenty-three and Ajax twenty-one, they ended up in Los Angeles, working as bouncers for a group of clubs owned by a man they knew only as Mr. Tibbs. While they were there, they learned a great deal about clubs, management, and security. When they decided to move on almost five years later, they got jobs in Las Vegas with one of the casino owners and slowly moved their way up.
In the meantime, Ajax met Nolan “Gearhead” Cade, the president of the Las Vegas charter of The Ghost Riders. Something clicked for Ajax, so Murdock decided to ride with them. It didn’t take long for him to see a big difference in his longtime friend. Gone was the sullen and angry teenager who’d grown into an equally caustic young man. He seemed to find some sort of comfort in the rules and structure the MC demanded. Murdock realized that by moving them all over the US from crap job to crap job, he had inadvertently kept Ajax from finding what he needed to ground himself, structure and roots.
Now, for the second time in their lives, Murdock watched Ajax settle a little more into his skin. Ginger was another piece of the puzzle that they needed to be whole. She had no idea of her importance in their lives, but he would make damn sure she figured it out.
“I’m finished. I want to grab some snacks in case I get hungry later.” Ginger pulled some bills out of her purse and pushed them across the table toward Murdock. “Can you let me out?”
Murdock looked at the money and then pushed it back toward her. “Put your money away. We’ve got the meal.”
She frowned at him. “I can pay for my own food, Murdock.”
“Never said you couldn’t, but in this case, you’re not. Put it up.”
“Put it up like Murdock said, and I’ll let you out.” Ajax had already finished and pushed his plate away.
She looked from him to Ajax and then picked up the money and shoved it back in her purse. She looked expectantly at his buddy when he didn’t move. Murdock nearly burst out laughing when Ajax slowly moved out of the booth and waited on her to scoot out next to him. He was positive the other man wasn’t going to let her out of his sight. Sure enough, when Ginger all but stomped back toward the store area, Ajax followed right behind her.
Murdock watched her delectable ass sway as she walked away. He wanted to squeeze her too-tempting backside almost as much as he wanted to bite it. Soon. They would be at the hotel sometime in the next five hours. Until then, he would have to deal with his dick being hard as a rock while his balls dealt with the vibrations of the bike as they rode. Yeah, by the time they checked in that night, he was going to be more than ready to talk sassy Ginger out of her jeans.
Once he’d paid the bill, he strolled over to the store after adjusting his aching cock in his jeans. If it grew much more, he’d be busting out at the seams. He knew he wouldn’t die from blue balls, but suffering was another story. Right then, he felt as if his balls were in a vise. He needed relief and bad, but only Ginger could cool the fires that burned in his blood. He had no doubt Ajax was in the same boat. Though he’d noticed her staring with interest several times while they’d been on the run, she’d pretty much ignored them once the threat was past. It was as if as long as she thought she couldn’t have them she felt safe in lusting after them, but once it became a very real possibility, she lost her nerve.
Well, Murdock wasn’t having any of that. They would show her that they were there for the taking and would do anything and everything to make her happy. As much as he loved a good chase, he didn’t want to waste time playing games with Ginger. He wanted to seduce her, claim her, and bed her sooner rather than later.
* * * *
Ajax followed the object of his desire as she crossed the diner, heading to the snacks in the convenience part of the truck stop. Just as she reached the chip section, she seemed to realize that she was being followed and turned around. There went those hands on her hips.
“What are you doing?”
“Following you.”
“I have eyes. I can see that. Why are you following me?”
“To be sure nobody bothers you.” He grinned at her low growl in his direction.
Man, she was hot. He couldn’t wait to taste all that fire. If everything worked out, he wouldn’t have long to wait. All that delicious fire would be his and Murdock’s for the taking.
“I don’t need you to tag along with me while I pick out snacks, Ajax. Go hang out with Murdock while I look. You’re making me nervous,” she said.
“Nah, it’s more fun to watch you.”
She glared at him before turning her back to him in an obvious dismissal. If it had been anyone else, he wouldn’t have taken it, but Ginger, being who s
he was to him, could get away with it. He even found it funny, eliciting a chuckle from him.
I can’t believe how sexy she is when she’s all defiant and crap. I’m going to go insane with need before she lets us make love to her.
Ajax watched her choose several bags of chips along with a few different kinds of candy bars. She added several sweet rolls of some kind to the stack in her arms before changing directions and walking straight up to him. He grinned at her right before she dumped her haul in his arms with a “cat ate the canary” smug smile on her face. She almost danced on her way to the back where the coolers full of drinks were located. He followed behind her, carrying her bounty with a shake of his head. She thought he would balk at carrying her junk food around behind her. Instead it made him smile that she thought she would upset him. Baby girl had a lot to learn about him.
When she turned around with several bottles of Diet Coke in her hands, Ajax couldn’t resist teasing her.
“Something is wrong with this picture.”
She cocked her head and frowned. “What do you mean?”
“There’s enough junk food here to kill a horse, but you’re going to eat it drinking a Diet Coke. Isn’t eating all of this stuff sort of defeating the purpose of drinking Diet Coke?” he asked with a straight face.
“One doesn’t have anything to do with the other. I happen to like the taste of Diet Coke more than I like the taste of regular Coke.” She strode toward the checkout counter.
Ajax followed her and added his burden to her drinks on the counter. The clerk rang everything up and before Ginger could pull out the correct amount of money, Ajax had already handed the woman the money for Ginger’s haul, leaving her stuttering out a protest.
“I was paying for that. I don’t want you two paying for everything. I don’t like being in debt to someone like that.” She glared at him.
“Baby girl, relax. It’s just some snacks, not a diamond necklace.” Ajax couldn’t help teasing her.
He’d never much cared for all of the back and forth teasing and such that women liked and even expected. Then again, he’d never met anyone that affected him like this golden-haired wildcat did. She made him want to see her smile at any cost. Teasing her was mild compared to what he wanted to do to her.
Without giving her a chance to react, Ajax took her elbow in one hand and her bag of treats in the other and guided her toward the door where Murdock was waiting on them.
“Hell, what did you do to piss her off this time?” he asked as he opened the door.
“Bought her PMS stash for her.”
“You asshole! I’m not having PMS!” Ginger stomped over to her car and unlocked the door.
Before she could slam it shut again, Murdock grabbed the door and held it open. Ajax leaned in, dangling the bag in front of her.
“Don’t forget this.” He and Murdock both chuckled when she yanked it out of his hand with a growl.
“Let’s go. I’m ready to get there so I can get away from you two bozos.” She slammed the door almost taking Murdock’s fingers off in the process.
“Whew, Ajax. She’s really strung tight. You thinking what I’m thinking?”
Ajax gave his friend a slow smile. They were always on the same wavelength. They’d been thinking alike almost since the beginning of their friendship. If it hadn’t been for Murdock, Ajax doubted he would be alive today to harass their sweet Ginger. Thoughts about how he’d had to deal with his old man’s fists and drunken rages tried to sneak past his blocks to consume him, but Ajax had been holding back that part of his life long enough he could prevent it from dragging him down into the destructive despair he’d nearly succumbed to so many times. He owed everything to Murdock. His buddy had never given up on him despite his early problems with controlling his anger.
Now he climbed on the back of his bike and settled his helmet over his head before giving Murdock a thumbs up that he was ready to ride. Glancing over at Ginger, he couldn’t help but smile to see her adjusting her seatbelt, her kissable lips puckered in a cute pout. He couldn’t wait to see those lips after they’d been thoroughly kissed or better yet, wrapped around his cock.
Ajax groaned as he adjusted his seating on the bike. Stupid! He shouldn’t have gone and thought about that, knowing he had several more hours on the back of the bike. Riding with a fucking hard-on was torture. He started the motorcycle and waited for Murdock then Ginger to pull out of the parking lot. Following behind them, Ajax kept a watch in his side mirrors for any sign of trouble, not that they were expecting any, but it was second nature to him to watch their asses. He never knew when someone was out to get him.
Despite Murdock’s conviction that their days of having to constantly watch their backs was over, Ajax believed that no good deed went unpunished, and he wasn’t paranoid because he knew they were out to get him. Trust came hard for him. He could honestly say the only person he trusted one hundred percent was Murdock and the man had earned that trust in blood.
With nothing looking out of place behind him, he settled in for the long ride ahead. Ginger was going to be livid when she found out they had only reserved one room with a king-size bed. She would insist on another room, but they had no intentions of letting her sleep alone. Nothing might happen between them, but she would be between them. If he had his way, she’d be that way from now on.
Thoughts of what he wanted to do to and with her floated around in his head as he followed the POS car she was driving. While he and Murdock weren’t rich, they had enough money to make sure she had anything she might want or need. The first thing he wanted to do was buy her a new car that would be safe and dependable. The crap car on wheels she was in now had seen better days years ago.
“Ajax, you awake back there?” Murdock’s voice over the speakers in his helmet reminded him to stay alert.
Checking both side mirrors, he liked that there was no one very close at the moment.
“Watching baby girl’s ass would keep anyone awake.”
His friend’s chuckle sounded loud over the speakers.
“I heard that, you two perverts.” Ginger didn’t sound nearly as pissed as she had earlier.
“We’ve got about an hour till we reach our exit to the hotel. Anyone need a bathroom break or are we good to go?” Murdock asked.
“I’m fine,” Ginger said.
“I can float a little longer.” Ajax grinned at Ginger’s snort over the radio.
An hour later, they exited off the interstate and wound around until Murdock led them to their hotel. It was nicer than what they normally crashed in, but both of them had wanted Ginger to be comfortable. When they parked out front, Ginger started to climb out of the car, but Murdock stopped her.
“I’ll go in and take care of it. Stay here until I get back.”
“I’ll get my own room. You’re not paying for mine, Murdock.” She tried once again to push the door open wide enough she could get out.
Ajax just watched in amusement. She was fighting a losing battle. Murdock wasn’t letting her go in with him. He walked up and planted himself by the back door. There would be hell to pay later, but making up with her would be worth the battle scars.
“Sit back down, woman. I’ve already paid for it and am just picking up our keys. Then we’ll all go in together.” With that, Murdock nodded at Ajax and walked toward the entrance.
Ajax quickly took over the position of holding the door mostly closed so their little wild cat couldn’t squeeze out. She gave the door one last shove before settling back into the driver’s seat with a frown. He took advantage of her retreat and opened the door, so he could plant himself in the opening blocking her exit.
“Why do y’all have to be so stubborn?” she finally asked without looking over at him.
“Why do you insist on paying for every nitpicky thing?” he countered.
She turned and stared up at him. “I don’t like owing anyone. Sometimes the interest is too high to pay it back.”
Ajax frowned. Who ha
d taken advantage of her like that? He’d kill them. Ginger was as generous as the day was long. It hadn’t taken him and Murdock long to figure that out. She’d opened her home wide for Jessie when she had needed help. She’d even helped Jessie find a job, not that she’d ended up needing it.
“You don’t owe us anything, baby girl. We don’t play that way. Relax and let us take care of you.”
“You may say that now, but there’s always a price down the line. You might even think you’re being all magnanimous, but at some point you’re going to expect something from me that I’m not willing to give.”
Ajax wasn’t sure what to say to that, but he was saved from trying to defend them when Murdock walked up.
“Okay. Let’s grab our stuff and go. We’re on the fourth floor.”
Ajax stepped back and let Ginger climb out of the car. He grabbed his overnight bag from the saddlebags on his bike then walked over to see if he could help Ginger with her things. She pulled out a duffle bag and locked the doors after retrieving her bag of snacks. When he grabbed her duffle, she held on.
“Let me carry it for you, baby girl. I promise to give it back.”
She let go of the handle with a sigh that told him how tired she really was. He felt guilty for badgering her. She’d essentially been on the road for three days and cleaned out her apartment by herself. She was bound to be worn out.
They followed Murdock inside to the elevator. As they waited for it to return to the first floor, Ajax caught his friend’s attention and nodded at Ginger. He closed his eyes and nodded his head. Murdock caught on immediately and nodded after looking at her. She was standing there with her eyes closed, holding onto her bag of snacks as if her life depended on it.
When the bell dinged and the doors slid open, she shuffled inside and leaned against the back of the elevator. He followed them down the hall once they reached the fourth floor. Murdock stopped next to 415 and carded the door. When it clicked, he opened it wide and stepped back.
“Here you go, baby.”
