by Marla Monroe
* * * *
Ginger woke up with a start. She wasn’t on the loveseat, but the guys weren’t in bed with her either. If it had been a dream, she’d still be on the loveseat. If it hadn’t been a dream, where were they? She didn’t hear them anywhere close by. Sitting up, she pulled the cover over her breasts and looked around. The bathroom door was open and the light off. Their bags still sat on the floor from the night before, so they hadn’t left her.
She snorted. Who was she kidding? They weren’t going to leave her here after chasing her across the state. Scooting across the bed, she stood up and stretched before grabbing her bag and slipping into the bathroom. She needed to hurry and get ready before they returned. What had happened last night couldn’t happen again. That had been a mistake.
Her body groaned as she moved, muscles that hadn’t been exercised in a long time making themselves known. Hell, it might have been a mistake, but he had been a damn pleasurable one. Not repeating it was going to be hard, maybe even impossible.
No! Not impossible. She had a plan, and it didn’t include becoming a biker bitch moving from one shiftless loser to another. Maybe Jessie and Raven had managed to snag good, stable men who rode bikes, but Ginger wasn’t taking chances with her future. She planned on having a home and family one day. That meant finding a husband who held a job and cared about her more than a club.
Face it. I want to go to bed with the same man night after night and wake up to him every morning. I can’t have that if I let myself get involved with those two. Think, Ginger.
The sound of a door opening and closing spurred her into action. She quickly dried off as she stepped out of the shower and pulled on her clothes. Five minutes later, she walked out of the bathroom dressed and ready to get back on the road. She hadn’t bothered with makeup. She wasn’t trying to impress them or anyone else right now.
“Hey, babe. Got coffee and breakfast sandwiches.” Murdock dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose before she could step back.
“Smells good. Thanks.” She grabbed a sandwich and one of the cups of coffee before settling on the loveseat to eat.
“Only a few more hours left till we hit Reo,” Murdock said.
“I should call Jessie to let her know I’ll be there soon.” Ginger sipped the coffee.
“We’ve already called ahead and let them know we’ll be there by two. I’m sure Jessie will be happy to hear from you though. She was pretty worried after you left.” Murdock seemed to be watching her as he drank from his cup.
“She should have known I’d be fine. I’ve been taking care of myself and on my own for a long time.”
“Not anymore,” Ajax said.
She jerked her head around to stare at the other man. “What do you mean?”
His mouth stretched into a slow sexy smile that curled her toes.
Focus, damn it!
“Just what I said. You’re not on your own anymore. You have us.” Ajax crossed his arms and leaned back against the chest that held the TV.
“Oh, no you don’t. You’re not hanging around and driving me crazy. I don’t belong to you or anyone.” She knew shaking her finger in front of the big man wasn’t a good idea, but she did it anyway.
Ajax growled right in her face before he pulled her by her waving finger into his arms and crushed her against him. It surprised her even though she should have expected him to retaliate.
“You’re ours whether you think you are or not. Might as well get used to it now, baby girl.” He nipped her lower lip before licking it and covering her mouth with his.
She didn’t stand a chance against his kiss. Especially not when Murdock slid in behind her and lifted her hair to nibble the back of her neck. She was in trouble, so much trouble. They were a force to be reckoned with and she had no defenses against their type of warfare. Why did she react to them so explosively?
When Ajax finally pulled back from the mind-numbing kiss, she wasn’t sure she had enough strength to stand on her own. Fortunately Murdock supported her while she regained her senses. That only pissed her off more. She needed to put some distance between them so she could figure out what to do about the situation. They needed to leave. Now. Before she did something stupid like suggest going back to bed.
“We need to get on the road, guys.” Her words came out breathy.
Ajax’s smile widened. He knew the effect they had on her and wasn’t above pointing it out. She held up her hand.
“Don’t. Just don’t. Move so I can get my bag and go.”
He leaned in the barest of inches. “Run, baby girl. Run all you want, but you’ll never get away.”
She shivered when he moved back so she could slip from between him and Murdock. Grabbing her bag, Ginger walked across to the door without looking back. She had no doubt they would be right behind her when she walked out of the hotel. She might not have gotten her point across, but Ajax had sure made his point loud and clear. She had a fight on her hands.
* * * *
Ajax climbed on his bike and settled the helmet over his head before starting the engine. He hadn’t felt this wound up about something in a long damn time. Hell, even when they had been in some of the messes they’d managed to get themselves in, he’d never been this excited. It wasn’t just the sex or the thrill of the chase, either. It was the promise of being a part of something that mattered. Family mattered.
He wasn’t stupid. He knew the draw that the MC had represented for him all those years ago. It had been the same thing the gangs had offered in their sick roundabout way, a sense of belonging. They’d offered to be his family. Unlike the gangs, however, The Ghost Riders stood behind their members, giving them support and loyalty like a true family did. The gangs only demanded loyalty to the gang. They didn’t offer it back to its members.
Ajax had been so close to joining a gang when he and Murdock first met. His old man didn’t give a rat’s ass about him for anything more than a punching bag and more often than not, Ajax didn’t have anything to eat. At least if he’d been in a gang, he would have had food and a way to take care of himself. That was what he had believed back then. Plus, with a gang, he didn’t really have to worry about his temper. It was always getting him into trouble back then.
He had known early on that he would end up like his old man, a drunk that liked to beat on people. He had the same temper that ruled his dad raging inside of him. It didn’t matter that he tried to control it. The anger rose inside of him and lashed out at whoever was around at the time. Sometimes he had thought it would drive him crazy. At least if he’d joined a gang, no one would have cared that he had fits of rage. Most of them had them, too.
Then Murdock had shown up and everything had changed.
Yeah, they still had to fight to get food and slept in abandoned buildings, but he wasn’t alone anymore, and Murdock had risked his life for him. Ajax wouldn’t forget that. His friend had spilled blood for him. There wasn’t anything more serious than that as far as he was concerned.
Now as he pulled in behind the POS car Ginger was driving, Ajax had another reason to stay cool and remain in control. Over the years Murdock had helped him rein in his emotions, introducing him to martial arts. He became an expert in many forms over the years, taking advantage of the discipline that they required to master them.
He kept a close watch in his mirrors to be sure nothing looked out of the ordinary behind them. They weren’t expecting trouble, but it usually found a way to sneak up on them when they least expected it. With Ginger in the mix, Ajax wasn’t letting down his guard. She was much too precious to him to make a careless mistake.
They rode for another two hours before pulling into the outskirts of Reo, Texas. He followed them through town to the other side of Reo, where The Ghost Riders’ compound was located. They had a mechanic’s shop that many of the club’s members worked periodically. The clubhouse consisted of several doublewide trailers built together. Many of the club members lived there. The club’s president, Dominic, and vice-pre
sident, Reece, were building a house now that they had settled down with their woman, Raven.
Their new friends, Vernon and Rhodes, were building a house for their new wife, Jessie. They had land not far from Dom and Reece’s place. It meant that there would be more room in the clubhouse for others to move in. He and Murdock shared a room there until they finished working on the cabin they had claimed. Now they would share it with Ginger. She just didn’t know it yet. He couldn’t stop the grin that grew at the thought of the fight that was ahead of them related to that.
As he pulled off his helmet, Jessie emerged from the house running toward them. Ginger sprang out of the car and met the other woman as she flung herself in Ginger’s arms. Ajax shook his head. You’d think they hadn’t seen each other in months instead of days. True, until recently, it had been years since they’d been together. Evidently they still had a lot to catch up on.
He walked over and opened the back door of the junk car and started unpacking her things. Murdock joined him.
“Gonna have to watch those two when they’re together,” he said.
Ajax snorted. “Yeah, figured that out, did you? I think we can count on Rhodes and Vernon helping with that job.”
Murdock chuckled. “Take my word for it. It will take us all to keep those two in line.”
Ajax had no doubt of that. He was looking forward to the punishments she’d earn when she got into trouble. He would love spanking her pretty ass when she needed it. His cock twitched at the thought. First they had to ease her into their life and settle her between them, and then they could explore her wild side. He couldn’t wait to start.
Chapter Six
Ginger followed Jessie inside the clubhouse. The guys were going to unload the car for her. She briefly wondered where she would be staying but figured she would find that out soon enough. As they made their way through the huge den area that housed a bar along one wall and a multitude of chairs and couches around the room, she waved at several familiar faces. Jessie pulled her along through the kitchen and down one of the long halls that held bedrooms. She opened the door to the room she shared with Vernon and Rhodes then closed it behind them once they’d entered.
“Now, spill. What do you think about them?” Jessie cut right to the chase.
“What do you mean?” she asked, feigning ignorance about what Jessie was asking her.
“Don’t even try it, Ginger. You know what I’m talking about.” The other woman crossed her arms and plopped down on the bed.
“If you’re talking about the two bikers your men sent after me, there’s nothing to say. They’re bikers. End of story.” Ginger sank down on the chair across from Jessie.
“Honey, they made their intentions pretty damn clear to the guys before they left. They want you. I don’t think you’ve got a chance in hell of getting away from them.”
“I’m not dating a biker, much less two of them. I have plans for my life, and they don’t include motorcycle-riding thugs.”
“I said the same thing, Ginger, and look where it got me.” Jessie leaned back on her hands.
“You wouldn’t have it any other way. You love those two men,” Ginger said with a grin.
“Yeah. I do. I can’t wait for the house to get built though. Living in this tiny room isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”
Ginger looked around the room. It wasn’t tiny, but it was definitely too small for three people with a house full of other people living around them. She needed to be looking for a job and start saving again so she could get her own place soon. She figured her room would prove to be much smaller since she wasn’t going to be sharing it with anyone.
“Did you grab the paper for me to look through?” she asked.
Jessie jumped up and pulled a folded up paper from the dresser and handed it to Ginger before returning to the bed.
“I circled anything I thought was really worth a shot. There’s not much.”
“How far is the next town?” she asked.
“About thirty minutes to Sky. They have a hospital there, but I don’t know about there being any positions open. You’ll have to call and find out.”
Ginger looked through the paper’s want ads and sighed. Jessie was right. There wasn’t much to choose from. She would call the hospital in Sky to see if they had anything available before she checked on the waitress position and the front office opening. She doubted either of those would pay enough for her to get her own place.
“You know you can always live with us when we get our house built, Ginger. We’re going to have plenty of room.” Jessie seemed to be able to read her mind.
“Thanks. I’d rather have my own place if I can afford it though. I’d just cramp your style, if you know what I mean.”
To her amusement, Jessie blushed. Evidently that thought hadn’t crossed her mind. How could she possibly blush after living there in the clubhouse with her two men? There was no way they’d abstained from having wild monkey sex all this time.
“Anyway, the offer is open,” she said.
“Speaking of cramping your style, where are your men anyway?” Ginger asked.
“They rode over to the house site to make sure the ground is cleared to their liking. I wanted to wait on you, so I stayed behind.”
“Thanks, Jessie. I appreciate it. Do you want me to drive you over so you can be with them?”
“Naw. I can wait for them to come back. Nothing fun about watching a bulldozer move some dirt around.” Jessie stood up and stretched. “Let’s see what’s for dinner tonight. If it’s not something good, maybe we could go out and eat. We should celebrate you moving back.”
Ginger waved her hand. “No need to celebrate, but I’m all for going through the motions.”
She followed her friend back to the kitchen where Jugs and someone she didn’t recognize were talking about dinner. Evidently from the sound of it they were having spaghetti. It sounded fine to her, but Jessie turned her nose up at it once they’d left the kitchen.
“I’m tired of it. We’ve had it a lot lately. As soon as the guys get back, I’ll talk them into going somewhere tonight.” Jessie led the way down another hall to stop outside one of the doors.
She knocked once and waited. A muffled voice told them to come in. Jessie opened the door and walked in. Ginger followed her and realized it was Raven’s office. She was sitting at a desk typing away at the computer when they walked in. She waved at them but continued what she was doing. Jessie put her finger to her lips to indicate they should be quiet and pointed at a chair where she could sit.
After a few minutes, Raven turned around in her chair and grinned at them.
“Hey, guys. What’s up?”
“We’re thinking about talking the guys into going out to eat tonight. It’s another spaghetti night. Besides, I want to celebrate Ginger moving back to Reo.” Jessie sat cross legged on the couch across the room from Raven’s desk.
“Ooo, I like that idea. I’ll work on my guys, too. Where did you have in mind?” Raven asked with a grin.
“If we go into Sky, we could eat at the steak house and maybe stop by the bar for a drink and a dance or two,” Jessie suggested.
Raven’s smile sobered. “What about The Skulls? Has anyone seen them lately?”
“Nope. We’re hoping that without my land they’ve cut their losses and moved on.”
Jessie’s land had been targeted as a place for The Skulls, a major biker gang that had shown up, to use as a holding place for their illegal activities. When she’d thwarted their plans, using a legal move to distance herself from the land, the gang had disappeared. Ginger knew no one believed they were gone for good.
“Well count me in on a night out. I could use it. I’ve been pushing myself on this book for the last week. I think I need the distraction to loosen me up some,” Raven said.
Ginger had learned that Raven was an erotic romance writer. She had been hiding from an ex in one of the other charters when she’d had to move to Dominic and Reece’s af
ter some trouble. Now she was their woman. From the looks her guys gave her, they were totally in love with her. Ginger wasn’t sure what was up with all the ménages in the club. Both women seemed happy. Jessie sure kept a smile on her face.
“What do you think, Ginger? Steak and dancing?” Jessie asked.
“Sounds perfect to me.”
“I think I hear bikes pulling up outside. That’s probably our men. Let’s go present our case.” Raven jumped up and headed for the door.
Ginger couldn’t help but laugh as the two women raced down the hall. It was obvious they were in love. She hoped she would get the chance to feel like that one day.
* * * *
“I can’t believe we let them talk us into this,” Rhodes complained.
Ginger grinned at Jessie. Dinner had been delicious. She didn’t think she’d had a steak that good in a very long time. The men had caved easily enough about going to eat at the steak house in Sky, but when the girls had started in on wanting to go dancing afterward, the six of them had immediately said no.
Neither Raven nor Jessie let their fierce expressions deter them though. They kept on begging and bargaining until the men finally gave up. Well, Murdock and Ajax hadn’t, but faced with the others agreeing to go, they pretty much had to go along with them. Even now, Ajax was scowling at her.
“Hey, we stayed firm. Don’t look at us,” Murdock said.
“Just wait. That will change.” Dominic chuckled.
Raven, Jessie, and Ginger stood waiting for the men to stop piddling with their bikes. It was obvious to Ginger that they were dragging their feet. Ajax and Murdock kept looking around as if they expected trouble to pop up out of thin air or something.
“Come on, guys. The night is slipping away.” Raven tugged at the waistband of Reece’s jeans.
“It hasn’t been that long since we’ve been out, baby. Calm down.” Reece lost the battle not to smile.
