Crash & Burn

by Jessica Coulter Smith

  Whoever had made breakfast had added cheese to the eggs and they melted in

  her mouth. The bacon was nice and crisp, and someone had even put jelly on her toast.

  It had been a long time since she’d been allowed to have something like jelly. She usually ate plain, cold oatmeal for breakfast, a peanut butter sandwich for lunch—no jelly—and dinner consisted of the scraps after everyone else had their fill. It seemed her fortune had changed when the twins had claimed her as their own.

  Burn nudged some sacks under the desk. “I brought you some boots and the

  other things on your list. I wasn’t sure what hair stuff you needed, but I did get you a brush and some of those ponytail things. I figured you’d want to pick your own shampoo, make-up and crap, not that I think you need any make-up.”

  “I’ve never worn it,” she admitted. “I wouldn’t even know how to apply it. I’d probably end up looking like a clown if I tried. Does that bother you?”

  “It infuriates me, but only because it reminds of what was done to you,” Burn said. “And I know my brother feels the same.”

  “Whatever your life was like before last night,” Crash said, “you can put it behind you. Things are going to be different now. As soon as we know what Blitz has planned, we’ll make arrangements to take you shopping for the rest of the things you’ll need, and we’ll see if Blaze is okay with you meeting his mate, Luna. I’d imagine you’d like to have another female around.”

  “One who isn’t a whore,” Burn muttered.

  Crash kicked him. “Shut it.”

  “Do I stay in this room while you have your meeting with the Pres?” she asked between bites. “If you’re going to tie me up, could it be to the bed?”

  Crash dropped his fork onto his plate with a clatter. “What the fuck? Hell no, we aren’t tying you up!”

  Burn looked furious. “Willow, you’re free to move about the room as you please, and if you want to go out into the clubhouse, maybe sit at the bar, you just let one of us know. Until Blitz makes up his mind about you, you can’t have complete free reign, but no one is going to tie you up. Not now, not ever again.”

  She felt her cheeks warm with embarrassment. “I didn’t mean to offend you. I just…don’t know what to expect. My life has always been one particular way, then suddenly I was the property of the Double Deuces and treated more like a dog. And now…I’m owned by yet another M.C.”

  “No, honey,” Crash said, setting his plate aside. He cupped her cheek with his hand. “You aren’t owned anymore. Blitz may not let you leave the club, but you are no one’s property.”

  “Not yet,” Burn muttered then cleared his throat. “You know about old ladies, right?”

  “I was kept away from the few the clubs had. I was considered beneath them.”

  “If you agree to be our old lady, our mate, then you’ll receive a cut or jacket with a property patch on the back. It will say Property of Crash and Burn. In a sense, I guess we’ll own you, but not like what you’re used to. It means we’ll be responsible for you, and your actions will reflect on us. If you screw up, the Pres is going to have our asses, not yours. Understand?”

  “I think so.”

  “Sweetheart, do you understand what it means to be our mate?” Crash asked.

  “It’s like a wife, right?”

  “It’s more than that. When a shifter takes a mate, he never wants another

  woman. Ever. We’ll be faithful to you, and you’ll become our entire world. You’ll never want for anything, and you’ll have more freedom than ever before. We’ll even buy a house so we don’t have to live in this room. You can help pick it out.” Crash tugged on a lock of her hair. “Just say the word and we’ll give you the world, angel. We’re dying to make you ours, but we also want to give you whatever space you need.”

  “Within reason,” Burn said. “Blitz won’t wait forever. And neither will we.”

  “I understand,” she said. “And I appreciate that you’re willing to give me some time to process everything; I promise not to take too long. I’m honored that you want me as your mate, but it’s a little…frightening. All of this is almost too much at once after having nothing for so long.”

  “We want to spoil you, if you’ll let us,” Burn said.

  “While you’re in your meeting, may I watch TV?”

  Burn’s eyebrows rose. “Of course. Watch whatever you want. We even get a few movie channels.”

  “Thank you,” she said softly. Willow handed her empty plate to Crash, then

  settled back against the headboard again. Everything was so surreal. Willow was almost afraid to believe this was her new life and terrified that it would be snatched away when she least expected it. They were offering her everything she’d always wanted, and she did want it, she was just afraid to reach for it.

  The guys finished their breakfast and took their showers. Once they were

  dressed, they each kissed her on the cheek and left, closing the door behind them.

  Curiosity got the better of her and she rummaged through the sacks, checking out her new things, and then dressed quickly. It took her a moment to figure out how to work the TV, but when she mastered it, she selected a movie and stretched out across the bed with her head propped on her hand.

  Freedom was a strange concept to Willow. Oh, it wasn’t complete freedom, but it was far more than she’d ever experienced before. The brothers trusted her, and she would never betray their trust. But while they had explained the mate thing to her, she still wasn’t entirely certain what they wanted from her. Obviously, sex would be part of the deal, and that made her stomach flip and flop. She’d never so much as kissed anyone before, much less done that. Yes, she’d read romances and had seen her fair share of men screwing women up against a wall, but something told her the experience with the twins would be different from her books or what she’d observed.

  “I want them,” she admitted to herself. But admitting it, while in a room by herself was one thing, admitting in front of them was another matter.

  The question was, what was she willing to do to make them hers? Being mated for life scared her. Not because she thought they would treat her badly, but because she worried she would be a bad mate. What did she know about relationships? Going from never having a boyfriend to having two husbands was a bit daunting, but she wasn’t going to say it was completely out of the realm of possibility.

  Maybe they’d take things slowly? A kiss would be a good place to start,

  wouldn’t it? And then if something more happened, it would be because she desired them, and wanted something more to happen. Would they take her at the same time, like some of the books she’d read? Or would they take turns?

  Her face flamed as she thought about them naked. She felt like a school girl with a crush, and she supposed that wasn't far off the mark. They’d rescued her. Crash had literally leapt through a window, into a burning inferno, and pulled her out to safety.

  She owed him her life, and it was a debt she wasn’t sure would ever be repaid. But she didn’t want to mate with them out of some misplaced need to repay their kindness. She was genuinely curious about the twins and what it would be like to belong to them.

  “Only one way to find out.” She’d spend as much time with them as possible

  today, and if they went out somewhere, she’d treat it like a date. A smile blossomed across her face at the thought of going on a date. Most women her age had been on quite a few, but she’d been denied that pleasure.

  If they were intent on giving her things she’d never had, then she would accept their kindness. And maybe they would give her the most important “first” on her list—

  a kiss.

  Chapter Four

  Crash and Burn took their seats around the table. They’d no sooner stepped out of their room than Blitz had called Church. As everyone filed in, Crash took a moment to study their Pres. The man looked a little pissed off and a whole lot stressed. It didn’t bode well for
their day with Willow. He had hoped the Pres would take a few days to figure out what to do about the Double Deuces who had escaped, but that didn’t seem likely now.

  Blitz banged his gavel. “Let this meeting come to order.”

  The room slowly quieted.

  “You probably know why I called this meeting,” Blitz said. “We had a few

  escapees last night, thanks to an act of heroism.” He nailed Crash with a glare. “But we can’t let them run loose. It will only be a matter of time before they replenish their numbers and come after us. And I won’t let that happen.”

  “What about the girl?” Cinder asked. “Think she’s part of the Double Deuces and only cried out as a ploy?”

  Crash growled. “She was tied to a fucking wall like a dog! You think she asked to be tied up? To be treated like garbage?”

  “What I think is that she was there when no other females were. Now either she was their fuck toy, or she was an entrusted member of the club. It wouldn’t be the first time an M.C. had allowed a female to patch in.” Cinder narrowed his eyes at Crash.

  “Maybe if you weren’t thinking with your dick, you’d have thought of that.”

  Burn slammed his fist down on the table. “Crash jumped through a damn

  window, into a burning building, and saved that woman. And she has a name. Willow was tormented by the Double Deuces and didn’t shed a tear over their deaths.”

  Blitz rubbed his jaw. “Cinder has a point. What do we really know about this girl? What if she was told to say those things when we rescued her? She could be a Trojan horse, just waiting for the moment to strike, or to let the Double Deuces through the back door while we sleep.”

  “Un-fucking-believable.” Crash shook his head. “If you don’t believe her, then just ask the Black Daggers. She said they owned her before the Double Deuces, so reach out to them and ask about a girl they snatched fifteen years ago. She said she’s only been with the Double Deuces a few months.”

  Blitz snorted. “Yeah, because I’m tight with the Pres of the worst, most lethal club in the U.S.”

  “Then we’re at a stalemate because we believe Willow,” Crash said. “What’s it going to take for the club to trust her?”

  “You should let me torture the information out of her,” Cinder said. “I’ll have her singing like a canary in no time.”

  Burn shot to his feet. “You’re not torturing our mate!”

  “Mate is it?” Blitz asked. “And she’s agreed to that? You think I’ll agree to that?”

  Crash drummed his fingers on the table. “We want to claim her, and she knows it, but she’s asked for some time. She’s never known freedom, not since she was five years old. All of this is a lot to take in. You should have seen her eating breakfast this morning. You’d think she’d never had scrambled eggs and bacon. There was a look of pure joy on her face with every bite.”

  “So because she acted like she’d never had eggs and bacon, you think she’s

  telling the truth?” Timber asked. “Don’t you think that could have just been some really good acting?”

  “If you’d watched her last night, if you’d heard her tell her story, then you would know she’s innocent.” Crash glared at Blitz. “You were there when she told us what happened to her. You saw the tears in her eyes, heard the emotion in her voice, how can you possibly think she’s lying? No one is that good of an actress.”

  “I’m giving you twenty-four hours to either mate her or turn her over for more questioning,” Blitz said. “But keep in mind that if she turns against us, if she sticks a dagger in our fucking backs, it is Burn and you who will hang for the offense.”

  Crash and Burn nodded.

  “Now, as to the Double Deuces who escaped…I made some calls and it sounds

  like they’re hiding out in a cabin on the outside of town. We’ll go after them tonight, under the cover of darkness. I don’t want them to see us coming, and I don’t think they’ll come after us before then.”

  “We’d like to stay behind with our mate,” Burn said.

  “No. I need all hands on deck for this,” Blitz said. “I’ll leave a handful of Prospects here to watch over her, and if Blaze wants to bring Luna to the clubhouse, she’ll be protected as well.”

  “Hell, Luna is safer at home than around these horny Prospects. Besides, I don’t think any one of them could shoot fish in a barrel. No way am I leaving my mate under their protection,” Blaze said. “And if Crash and Burn mate Willow, then they deserve for their mate to have more protection than just the Prospects as well.”

  Timber tapped on the table. “Any volunteers to stay behind with the Prospects to watch over the mates?”

  “I will,” Spark said, lifting a hand. “My beast is a prehistoric throwback, which makes me even bigger than Blaze’s bear and twice as deadly in shifted form. Unless they knock my ass out, no one is getting through me to harm the mates.”

  Crash had to admit he felt better with Spark’s offer. He trusted the sabretooth cat to care for Willow as if she were something precious, and to Burn and him, she was. He watched and waited to see if Timber and Blitz would accept the offer and breathed a sigh of relief when they did.

  “The day is your own,” Blitz said. “But I want your asses on your bikes and ready to ride by seven o’clock sharp. What you do until then is your own damn business.”

  The gavel banged on the table again and everyone rose to leave.

  “Crash. Burn. Remember what I said. Twenty-four hours, but if she isn’t your mate by the time we ride tonight, then Luna’s safety takes precedence and I’ll make sure Spark knows Willow’s expendable.”

  Crash fought back the growl that rose in his throat and nodded before walking briskly from the room. If he didn’t get away from Blitz right then, he might go for the Pres’ throat. To say he wasn’t pleased with the turn of events was an understatement, but they had a little time to convince Willow to be theirs. He didn’t want to press her, but she needed to know about the change in timeline. He’d leave out the torture part though.

  When they entered the bedroom, she made a pretty picture stretched across the bed, her attention rapt on the TV, almost as if she’d never watched one before. Crash moved further into the room, curious as to what she was watching. When he saw it was an older romance, he couldn’t help but smile. It just showed how soft their Willow was.

  Even after everything she’d been through, she still believed in a happy ending. He just had to convince her that she could have one too.

  “Did the meeting go okay?” she asked, turning her gaze toward them.

  Burn closed the door and leaned against it while Crash sat on the edge of the bed. How much should he tell her?

  “It went…not as well as we’d expected. We had a discussion about you, and then about what to do with the remaining Double Deuces. We’re going after them tonight at seven, but you have us to yourself until then.”

  “And the part about me?” she asked, looking one to the other.

  “You have twenty-four hours to either mate us, or be subjected to more

  questioning and removed from our care,” Burn said.

  That wasn’t exactly what Blitz had said, but Crash knew Burn was right. If she didn’t accept them as her mates within twenty-four hours, and Cinder had his wish to torture her for information, she would no longer be left in their care. The thought of Cinder getting his hands on her soured Crash’s stomach.

  “What else aren’t you telling me?” she asked.

  “If you aren’t mated to us by the time we ride tonight, then you’ll be considered expendable if anything happens while we’re gone. Spark is going to remain behind to watch over Luna and you, but if shit happens, then Luna will come first.” Crash sighed.

  “I don’t agree with it, but we can’t argue with the Pres. I’m just glad he relented and allowed a patched member to stay behind. He was going to leave you with just the Prospects, but I don’t know how much I trust them. They’re still proving
themselves.”

  She looked at the clock. “So I have roughly ten hours to decide?”

  “Less,” Burn said. “We’ll have to mark you, and since you’re an innocent, that isn’t something we can rush through.”

  “Mark me how?”

  “We’ll each bite you during sex. You’ll have a mark on each shoulder, which will leave a scar, showing you belong to us. The Pres will ask to see the marks before he’ll agree that you’re mated to us, and therefore, worthy of protection tonight.”

  Her cheeks bloomed with color. “And it has to be during sex?”

  “It’s the best way for you to carry our scent. Even if you shower, you’ll still faintly smell of us, more so than if we just hugged you.” Burn pushed away from the door and stood beside the bed. “I know it’s a lot to take in, and we’re rushing you after we said we wouldn’t, but Blitz has upped the timetable, and we’d be foolish not to heed him. He’s not playing around, Willow. Doubts were cast upon the story you told us last night, and now he’s even less sure that he can trust you.”

  “So I need to prove that I’m committed to the club, and in order to do that, I need to prove I’m committed to you.” She nodded. “I’m not stupid. I know what questioning is like in an M.C. I want to avoid that at any cost, and I really do trust the two of you.

  You’ve been so nice to me and treated me better than anyone ever has before.”

  “We could take you shopping, grab some lunch at a nice restaurant, and give you some more time to think things over.” Crash took her hand. “I don’t want you to feel like we’re rushing you.”

  “You aren’t rushing me,” she said. “I thought about it while you were gone, and the idea of belonging to you both doesn’t frighten me. It’s the way I feel about it that scares me. I’ve never wanted anything before, except freedom, and I’ve never desired anyone. And now I’m feeling all of these emotions and there are places on me that tingle that never have before, and it’s all a little…overwhelming.”