“So I can see. You had a hard time getting to bed last night, so I figured I would let you sleep. Now we are both even later. Everyone is waiting for us.”
She got dressed as he watched her lazily from the bed.
“We have to go Mike. You have a tendency to make us late a lot.”
“What is the big rush?”
Jessa shrugged. She didn’t really have a solid reason beyond the fact that something didn’t feel right. It was quickly becoming known to the group how good her intuition was, and she took it more seriously than everybody else. If she hadn’t put any stock into her gut instincts, she and Shane probably wouldn’t have been able to survive for so long. It felt a little too complicated to explain the rush of urgency she felt to leave, but she knew there had to be a good reason.
“I just want to get out of here. Just everything that has happened. I still want more distance between us and the city. If we go straight through for a couple of weeks, we can be there.”
He just sighed and shook his head. “You know that we aren’t going to be able to go straight there. Traveling is never in a straight line anymore. There’s really no rush. In fact, I would just be happy if we got there in the next month or two.”
“You may be right, but I want to get out of this place today. Did you hear what Carin was talking about? Those motorcycle gangs that had given them a hard time?”
He nodded his head, his mind returning to the torturous thoughts of the night before. “Yeah, what about them?”
“She told me this morning that she was pretty sure that she saw them the other night while they were out collecting food. If that’s true, and I have heard what they’ve done, I don’t want to be anywhere near this place. They know that she lives here and it’s only a matter of time before they’ll be back to finish the job. I don’t want to be here when that happens.”
“Okay, you got my attention.”
He got up and started to pull on his clothes. She hated to see the hard muscles being put away, but she was the one who had just ordered him out of bed.
“There will be time for that later, I promise.”
Jessa had to say it for her own sake as much as for his.
Michael moved to pull her to him. “I like the sound of that.”
5
When the group headed out, it was clear that it would take some time for everybody to get used to the new arrangement. Milo and Jason seemed to be hitting it off, and Jessa wondered whether or not Milo might be a calming influence on the little hothead. Milo was so laid back that even her own son was more mellow around him. Jessa wasn’t sure how Milo did it, but she was thankful for it. She was glad that she had Carin to talk to and they spent a large part of the journey together. Michael carried Shane every so often when his feet got tired. It was sweet, but Jessa could tell that something was on his mind.
It was strange that Mike and Jessa weren’t talking. Before the dynamic had changed and the two others had joined the group, it had been Jessa and Michael who had carried on the majority of the conversation, never seeming to run out of things to say to each other. But since they had left the shelter that morning, he was distant and quiet, constantly looking back the way they had come. He was acting strange, she realized, and Jessa wanted to know what was going on. She didn’t want to push him too hard, and he took any chance he could to evade the subject.
Finally, they stopped for a break and got the young boys some lunch. Jessa and Mike took a walk a little bit away from the group to explore the terrain. While they were out, Jessa looked him directly in the eye.
“What’s going on, Mike?”
Michael shifted uncomfortably. He felt like he needed to keep the information to himself, but it felt wrong. He hated to lie to her and he knew that she wasn’t stupid. She would figure it out soon enough, whether he told her what was on his mind or not.
“What do you mean?” he asked, hoping to buy himself more time.
“What is going on with you Michael? Don’t tell me that it’s nothing either. You never were a good liar.”
“It’s not something I want to talk about right now. Why don’t we wait until we find somewhere to hole up for the night? We can talk about it when we have more privacy.”
They hadn’t ventured far from the others. They could still hear Shane’s laughter as Milo and Jason joked back and forth. She nodded her head, but there was still a nagging feeling in the back of her mind. She hated being in the dark, especially when it was important, but all she could do was hope for answers soon.
They returned to the small band of young boys as Carin oversaw their lunch and grabbed a bite for themselves before they ventured off again. When Jessa gazed at the road ahead of them, she knew that it was going to be a while before they stopped, which meant she would have to wait for her answers.
Suddenly, there was noise in the distance. Everybody paused in fear and confusion. It sounded like an engine. They spent a still moment trying to pinpoint where the noise was coming from. Nobody spoke as they began to back away from the sound, silently understanding as a group that they would be safer off the road, without drawing attention to themselves. Jessa shivered. She had never met a person with a vehicle that was sane. They had all been crazy, she might even have called them evil, so she figured that the odds were not in their favor.
It was starting to get dark and she asked Milo to scout up ahead and check for some place for them to lie down. He had a knack for finding good shelters, and as they traveled further away from the city, he had become even more nimble. Jessa was sure that as they got away from the dead zones, his poor health would start to improve, but she hadn’t guessed it would be so quickly. It was nice to see him smiling more and moving around as if he had more energy. It didn’t take him long to find something and come back with a big smile on his face.
“I don’t know how you do it Milo, but I think we would be lost without you.”
The young man didn’t say anything, but he was beaming with pride. Like most people, all Milo wanted was to be of some assistance to them, and he always was. They all followed him out to a small subdivision that had once been considered very upscale. The houses were big and at one point they would have been as immaculate as the manicured lawns. But the heyday of the little housing development was over, and now it was a mass of huge, sprawling houses surrounded by a tangle of vines and bushes.
“This looks like a good place Milo. Thanks.”
Milo nodded enthusiastically at Michael, and the young boy looked happy enough to vibrate. He grabbed Shane’s hand and the two started into the two story house. They were going to pick out their rooms. Though Jessa still worried about everything, she was sure that Milo would have already checked the house before taking her son inside. She was surprised she had come to trust the two men with her son, as well as her own life. Jessa was not naïve to think that she could have been wrong about either one of them. She could be wrong about the newest members of the group as well, but she didn’t think so. As soon as she had met all of them, she had gotten a good vibe.
Carin and her grandson found rooms at the top of the stairs, while the rest found something downstairs. Everyone had learned from the last attack that it was better to be together. They were in different rooms, but everyone was staying in the same hallway.
It wasn’t long before they had made some dinner with what they had collected throughout the day. Shane was tired and went to bed quickly after he had eaten. Michael took him into the small bedroom that had been deemed his own and put him down. Jessa watched him with a soft heart and it made her miss Mike being open with her even more than she had before. She had not felt that way about someone in a long time. Jessa was head over heels in love with Michael and she didn’t know what she would do without him.
“So there were promises made this morning...”
The look in his eyes made her shiver and giggle all at the same time. “Are you sure about that? I don’t think you’re ready for more. You’re getting kind of old
Michael. Are you sure it will even work?”
“You mouthy woman. Come over here and I’m sure I will get it to work just fine. Never had a problem before.”
He lunged at her and she ran from him. She was feeling playful and something had come over Michael. He had a look of need in his eyes that she doubted she could quench. He needed her and when he told her he needed her, she knew that what he said was true. It was obvious that he did.
Finally, she allowed herself be caught and pulled in against the hard body she had come to love and know so well. Her body fit against his as if she was made for him and there was an easiness between them that she had wondered if she would ever get back.
“Promise me something, Jessa.”
His tone had changed and he had put a little space between them so that they weren’t driving each other crazy physically, at least for the time being.
“Anything Michael.”
Michael wasn’t expecting that answer and before he could say anything else, he had to kiss her. Her lips were soft and pouty, and looking into her hazel eyes Michael knew then that he would never have enough of her. Every time he had gotten his fill, he was already hungry once more. It was impossible for him.
“You are very easy to please tonight.”
His hands moved down her torso and she shivered as he moved to cover her with his own body. That was where he liked her, underneath him. He moved his hand between them and she gasped as he found her need swollen. Jessa was quickly closing her eyes and moaning, her hips rising to meet his fingers as he touched her ever so gently. She let out another soft hiss as his fingers started to come down on her wet flesh in a smacking motion. Her body jerked with the new feeling. Michael was always ready to give her something fresh. The new action was something that she didn’t remember him doing before, and she wasn’t prepared for the sudden crash of pleasure that took over her body.
Clinging to his neck as hard as she could, she called out his name before he covered her mouth with his free hand. Penetrating her with his digits, Jessa was too lost in her own need to care about how loud she was. His hand tightened to cover her noise as she screamed out again.
“Shhh, Jessa. We have to be quiet. You would wake up the dead.”
Her hand went to his and pulled it away from her body. “Then stop doing that.”
Michael chuckled and looked innocent. “What?”
“You play me like a fiddle and then blame it on me when I make music.”
He chuckled. “You have no idea how much I love your music Jessa.”
Her hand went in between their bodies and moved to grip the hardness pressed against her. He sucked in air through his teeth, groaning as she worked to free him for her touch. She wanted to feel him in her hands, as well as remind him that two could play at that game. Jessa knew him too well and he was already helping her reach him.
She felt the heat of his length against her. Jessa was already wet and hot from his ministrations. Rubbing her before she could stop him, Michael was poised to make her lose herself again, but she stopped him with a grip on the shaft. Holding him in place, she rubbed herself slowly. It was him that was starting to get noisy. She smacked him down on her heat, rubbing the tip against her core. Michael tried once again to press in.
“Stop Michael. It’s my turn.”
“Your control never lasts very long.”
His words made her shiver, but he stopped trying to get more. Jessa was driving herself crazy and moved quicker. Her idea back fired on her and then she was back to the edge of reason. Michael chuckled as his lips moved down to brush softly against hers. “Are you ready for me to take over now?”
Michael’s words were met with pressure where she needed him most. There was nothing else that she could do but nod her agreement with his plans. It was hard to say no to Michael and she did not have the strength to do so anymore.
“Then move your hand.”
She quickly did as he asked, and found herself rewarded with an instant surge of pleasure and fulfillment that she wasn’t prepared for. She cried out and his mouth covered hers, pressing her down into the bed while his hips pinned her down as well. Jessa was lost in a wave of pleasure as she came underneath him. It was how it always was; neither one of them seemed to be able to hold control for too long at all.
***
“What did you want me to promise you Michael?”
He sighed and just shrugged. “You already have.”
Jessa was too exhausted to think of anything more. Her eyes were already closing and she was ready to pass out. Michael had a way of making her body explode, almost painfully at times, and now all she could think to do was sleep. There was going to be another long day of walking and whether she was sore or not, she had places that she had to go.
“Love you, baby.”
Michael looked over at the sleeping woman, her breathing already slowing down to indicate that she was already falling asleep. He knew then that leaving her was going to be the hardest thing he had ever done, even if she was the one that he had to leave for. If people like that gang were roaming around, people like Jessa were going to get hurt. There was no means that Michael wouldn’t use to keep her safe and he knew that it could cause destruction. But Michael didn’t care. All he cared about was getting revenge for his family and finally being able to come back to the woman he loved with a level head.
6
“What do you mean he’s gone?” Jessa asked, her voice frantic.
She tore through the house and out the front door, looking everywhere for him, but she knew that Michael was gone. There was no note, no trace that he had ever been there. He had taken his pack and everything he owned with him. A little part of her already knew that he was gone, but the rest of her was still hoping that it was some kind of mistake. He wouldn’t leave her like that, would he?
Milo had been the last one to speak to him the night before. He had wondered the same thing, what was going on, when he had seen Michael walking away with his bag on his back. Milo had been sitting on the porch enjoying the quiet scenery and keeping an eye out to make sure that they were not seen coming in.
He had asked him where he was going and Michael just said that he had to go for a while. Milo tried to get more information from him, but he was not giving anything up. There was a sadness in Mike that Milo couldn’t forget.
“Just take care of them while I’m gone,” Michael had told him.
“Are you going to come back?”
Michael nodded that he would. The last thing he wanted to do was leave them, but he had to. “Yes, I will be back. You guys just go on towards the coast and I will track you to wherever you are. I have to take care of something.”
Milo didn’t want to have to be the one to tell Jessa. While she was nice most of the time, he had seen her upset and the truth was that she scared the living shit out of him. “You can’t leave like this. Jessa is going to be devastated.”
Michael knew that it was bad form, but he couldn’t be the one to tell her. He wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but he knew that he couldn’t be there when her eyes welled up and she would look at him like he was leaving her for good. He didn’t want to have to explain himself. Michael wasn’t sure how to explain it, anyway. All he knew was that he had to get revenge for his family before he could be whole again. Jessa had gone a long way at helping him see that there was life after all of it, but there was still the need for him to fix that one last piece of him that just wasn’t right.
“Just tell her that I will be back as soon as I can and that I love her.”
Milo had shaken his head. “It should be you to tell her those kinds of things, Michael.”
“I know, but I can’t. Will you do that for me Milo?”
He nodded reluctantly, indicating that he would, but he didn’t want to agree to it. Milo didn’t want to be the one to break her heart and Michael hoped in the back of his mind that he would actually do as he said he would.
“Yes, Mike, but I wish y
ou would tell her yourself.”
He just shook his head. “If I could I would, but if I do, I will never leave. It is impossible to leave a woman like her. She has ways of making a man forget everything.”
“I’ve heard.” Milo got red-faced when he realized what he had let slip. He looked embarrassed and barely able to hold it together.
Mike slapped the boy on the shoulder and told him again to keep them safe. “I will be back soon Milo, just keep them safe and going east. I will be back before you know it.”
The memory was not serving Milo well at all. As Jessa looked at him with anger and that look that he dreaded to see, there was no way that he wanted to tell her what he had to. He had to tell her about it all and he just couldn’t find the words. The way that she kept asking wasn’t helping and Milo wanted to just run away. It was the first time that he had felt that way in his new group, but there was no way that he wanted to be in the middle of it.
Jessa could see his stress and tried to tell him that it was going to be okay. It didn’t feel like it was going to be okay, Milo and Jessa were both stressed out and the rest of the house was getting up from the commotion.
“What’s going on, mom?”
Jessa looked back at her little boy and she was as speechless as Milo was. “I’m not sure, baby. I think that Mike had some things that he had to do. I was just asking Milo if he was going to be back or not.”
Milo nodded that he would be. He had even more eyes on him and the young man was afraid that he was going to be back to stuttering again.
“He is coming …back. Just had to go.”
Jessa was not satisfied with the answer, but she knew that she wasn’t going to be able to get much more from Milo as upset as he seemed to be. It was clear that he didn’t want to be the messenger of bad news, but he really didn’t have a choice. It was a chore given to him and one that he had promised to take care of.
Jessa and the rest of the group waited for more, but there was no more forthcoming. Milo didn’t even know why he had taken off, no one really did.
DIESEL (Forsaken Riders MC Romance Book 13) Page 81
