by Carol Lynne
He dried her tears and crushed her against his chest once more. “You weren’t stupid, just reckless.”
“I hate this town.”
“So do I, bug.” Fuck the two weeks he still had left on his deal with Cecil. He needed to get her away from Broken Ridge as soon as possible.
* * * *
Santana woke to two deep voices arguing on the back porch. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. By the time they’d arrived back at the house, she hadn’t put up a fight when Stake had suggested she lay down.
She swung her legs over the side of the mattress and looked at the clock. It was nearly eight, no wonder her stomach was growling. She pulled on her shorts and shuffled toward the commotion on the porch. From the sound of it, Tiny and Stake were really going at it; something she knew was her fault.
“I thought I could trust you!” Stake bellowed.
“You can. I’d give my life for that woman,” Tiny argued.
She opened the door. “Stop!” she screamed. “It’s not Tiny’s fault. It’s mine. I told you that.”
Stake’s mouth snapped shut as he turned to stare at her. His hair was sticking out like he’d dragged his fingers through it a thousand times since she’d laid down. “How’re you feeling?”
“I was fine, but now I’m getting a headache from all the yelling.” She glanced from Tiny to Stake. “You’re the only two people in the world I care about. Please don’t do this.”
“I’m sorry,” Tiny mumbled, looking genuinely upset by the whole situation. “No matter how hard I try, I keep fucking things up.”
Santana moved to wrap her arms around her friend. “I had one of the best mornings of my life today. You did that. You gave me that.”
Tiny grinned down at her. “I think your man’s getting a little jealous.”
She looked over her shoulder at Stake. “Don’t let him intimidate you. He knows I only have eyes for him.”
“That doesn’t mean I enjoy watching you touch another man,” Stake countered.
She took a step back and was immediately pulled into Stake’s arms. “Are you hungry? I can put a couple of steaks on the grill,” he asked.
She nodded. “I’m starving.”
“I’m gonna get out of here. Are you still coming to the wedding tomorrow night?” Tiny asked.
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Stake began.
“We’ll be there.” Although she didn’t want to attend the celebration, she knew Stake would hate himself if he missed out on a brother’s big day.
Stake gave her a squeeze. “Maybe,” he told Tiny.
“You know Mad Dog thinks you’re the shit. He’ll be pissed if you don’t come.” Tiny kissed Santana’s cheek, despite the growl from Stake. “That’s the last time I let you down. I promise.”
“You didn’t let me down, so I wish you’d stop saying stuff like that.” Seeing Gordon had knocked her on her ass, literally, but she refused to blame Tiny for it. She hadn’t mentioned to Stake that she’d been pulled over by Robby, and didn’t intend to. Honestly, she didn’t care to step foot in the town of Broken Ridge ever again, and if they were truly leaving in a few weeks, she saw no reason she’d have to.
Chapter Eight
Stake was loading beer into the cooler when Santana walked into the kitchen. “Leave room for the apple salad,” she reminded him.
He glanced over his shoulder and narrowed his gaze at the faded dress that hung off her shoulders like a sack. Shit. He never thought he’d be the kind of man to criticize a woman’s dress, but, hell, the damn thing made her look thirty pounds heavier.
“What?” she asked, looking down at herself.
He stood up and kicked the lid of the cooler shut. “Where’d you get that dress?” Christ, how did you tell a woman she didn’t look good and still ensure her pussy was available afterward?
“I’ve had it for a long time.” She bit her bottom lip. “You don’t like it?”
He shrugged. “I was hoping for something a little sexier.” He walked over and set his hands on her hips. “I want every man at the reception to want to be me.” He gave her a soft kiss. “Does that make me a dog?”
“Yes.” She grinned. “The only dresses I have that are sexy belonged to my mom, and I don’t want everyone to know I took her clothes.”
Despite being roughly the same size, Santana was a hell of a lot more shapely than Ellie. “It’s been years. I don’t think anyone will even notice you’re wearing something of Ellie’s.” He took her hand and led her into the bedroom. “May I?” he asked, gesturing to the closet.
With a sigh, Santana pulled away and sat on the edge of the bed. “I don’t think you’ll find anything that’ll fit. My boobs and ass are bigger than mom’s.”
He realized she saw her curves as a negative. Is that why she’d dressed in the sack? “Ellie’s body didn’t hold a candle to yours, bug.” He started through the clothes, looking for something stretchy. Making Santana try on something that didn’t fit would blow up in his face. He came to a mint green dress that seemed to have some give. Better yet, it was short and he could imagine the view of her tits through the keyhole neckline. He pulled it out and held it up. “I’d fuckin’ die to see you in this one.”
She shook her head. “That’s not going to fit me.”
He carried the dress over and knelt in front of Santana. “I promise it will.” He laid it beside her. “Just think how easy it’ll be for me to finger your pussy in this one.” He reached down and began to gather the long material of the dress she wore, rolling it up until he had a view of her underwear. He leaned in and scraped his teeth over the nylon that covered her pussy. “And eat your pussy.”
She gasped when he pulled her underwear to the side and slid his tongue between the lips of her pussy. “Please try the green one?” he asked before sucking on her clit.
Moaning, she buried her fingers in his hair as he continued to taste her. “Yes.”
He wasn’t sure what she was saying yes to, the dress or the attention to her pussy, but he felt satisfied she’d do as asked. Inserting two fingers to pump in and out of her core, he continued to suck her clit until her body began to buck against his mouth.
“Oh God!” she cried as her body climaxed.
He removed his fingers and gathered her juices on his tongue as she rode out her orgasm.
Falling back onto the bed, she started to laugh. “That’s one way to change my mind.”
* * * *
Santana scowled at Stake as she did her best to climb out of the truck without flashing her pussy to everyone gathered in front of the small country church. “I’m going to kill you for this.”
Laughing, Stake walked over and lifted her off the seat before lowering her to the graveled parking lot. “I’ll carry you anywhere you need to go if you’ll admit you feel damn sexy in that dress.”
Despite the short length of the dress, the fact that half her tits were on display and the four-inch heels, it was the expression on Stake’s face that made her feel sexy, but he didn’t need to know that. “I’m going to fall in these shoes and make a fool of myself,” she grumbled as he led her across the parking lot.
“I’ve got ya, bug.” He tightened his hold on her waist as they joined the mingling crowd of people.
The small church didn’t have air conditioning, so most people had decided to wait until the wedding was due to start to go inside. She glanced up at Stake, feeling proud to be his date for the evening. Although he still wore his black leather cut, he’d dressed in a crisp white dress shirt and a pair of black jeans with his hair tied back in a short ponytail at the nape of his neck. He made her swoon each time she caught a glimpse of him. She remembered how much she’d longed to be the woman on his arm while growing up, and through a twist of fate, there she was, standing next to him as his hand rested on her ass.
When people began to file into the church, Stake broke away from the conversation to smile down at her. “Ready?”
She returned hi
s smile and nodded. Before she could take a step, someone behind her lifted her off the ground. Her gaze immediately went to Stake, but he simply scowled. “Put my woman down, Tiny.”
Tiny did as he was told. “You look beautiful,” he told her.
She wanted to tell her friend that she felt a bit like the tramp she’d always considered her mother to be, but she held her tongue. “Thanks.”
Once again, Stake settled a proprietary hand on her ass and urged her forward. She knew Stake wasn’t really jealous of Tiny, but the two seemed to enjoy picking at each other.
They were ushered to the groom’s side of the church about halfway down, and she sighed in relief when she realized she’d be seated between Tiny and Stake. With tall men on both sides and another giant of a biker in front of her, she doubted she’d see much of the ceremony. “I feel like I need a stack of phone books to sit on,” she said, crossing her arms.
Stake looked down and grinned before reaching out and running a finger over her exposed breasts. “You can always sit on my lap.”
She licked her lips in an attempt to tease him as much as he was teasing her. “Think you could handle my ass in your lap for the entire ceremony?”
“Shit.” He removed his hand and covered his erection with his program seconds before an elderly woman sat beside him.
Santana recognized the woman as one of the club member’s old lady but couldn’t remember her name. Didn’t matter. Even though she now understood why the club families had turned their back, she still didn’t understand why they had all turned a blind eye to the way her parents had treated her.
Stake leaned forward and said something to the brother on the other side of the woman.
“Don’t look now, but someone’s staring daggers,” Tiny said in her ear.
Stake had already informed her that Rachel would most likely attend the celebration, so she’d prepared herself in advance. “Rachel?”
“How’d you guess?” Tiny chuckled. “She’s a piece of work. Thinks she’s better than everyone, but she spreads her legs like a fucking whore when she drinks.”
Santana slapped Tiny’s arm. Although she loved to hear it from someone other than Stake, she doubted a church was the proper place for such a conversation. “Later,” she whispered.
Remembering what Stake had told her about standing up for herself with the other women of the club, Santana turned until she made eye contact with Rachel. She didn’t drop her gaze until Rachel looked away. Bitch.
Although he was still talking to the club member, Stake reached out and rested his palm on Santana’s upper thigh. Had he known Rachel was staring?
Tiny chuckled, obviously reading Santana’s mind. “That’s for my benefit,” he told her.
She rolled her eyes. “You two are getting out of hand.”
“Naw,” Tiny said. “Stake’s been top stud for too long, it’s time he stepped down and let a real man take the lead.”
Stake broke away from his conversation to stare at Tiny. “Why’re you pushin’ my buttons? You have a death wish?”
“No, but you have Santana and I’ve already told you that if you cheat on her, I’ll kill ya. So with you off the market, I’m all set to swoop in and take your place.”
“Yeah, like you need more pussy,” Stake scoffed.
A throat cleared directly behind them, and Stake glanced over his shoulder before moving his hand higher on Santana’s thigh. “Mrs. Johnson,” he acknowledged with a dip of his chin.
Tiny nudged Santana in the ribs with his elbow as his eyes rounded. Santana grinned but didn’t turn around to confirm Mrs. Johnson’s presence. Alice Johnson had been an old woman when Santana had been a child, so she couldn’t imagine how she was still alive.
The music started, and they watched as three bridesmaids walked down the aisle on the arm of groomsmen. Like Stake, every man in the bridal party, except the best man, were dressed in white shirts, black jeans and their cuts. She assumed the best man must be Mad Dog’s brother.
When the wedding march began, everyone got to their feet. Santana couldn’t see a damn thing, but she supposed it didn’t matter since she’d never met the bride anyway. However, she did have an incredible view of Stake’s ass, which more than made up for it.
* * * *
Stake parked in the lot in front of the clubhouse. “Don’t flirt with Tiny in front of other people.”
Santana rolled her eyes. “It’s not me, it’s him. I think he’s just trying to piss you off.”
“I know he’s full of shit, but everyone else doesn’t.” He got out of the truck and walked around to the passenger door. He didn’t give a fuck what people thought of him, but Santana had already had a rough go of it, and the last thing she needed was to overhear the typical bullshit gossip. He opened Santana’s door. “And, don’t put up with any of Rachel’s shit tonight, especially because I’m sure she’ll be drinking.”
“I know, I already had to stare her down in church.” She cracked her knuckles before pounding one fist against the palm of her other hand. “I’m ready, coach.”
He couldn’t help but smile. Goddamn, she made him smile more than anyone ever had. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her deep as he lifted her from the pickup. Before releasing her, he ground his cock against her. “I haven’t seen you drunk before. You get horny?”
She shrugged. “I’ve never been drunk before, so I have no idea.” She tapped her finger against her chin. “But, it seems I’m always in the mood when I’m around you, so I’m going to guess the answer will be yes.”
Fucking at any time was great, but there was something about a hard, drunk fuck that couldn’t be beat in his opinion. It was a good thing he’d made her leave the underwear at home. Shit. Just the thought of fucking her hard had all his blood flowing from his brain to his dick. “Drink all you want, but not too much that you can’t wrap your legs around me later.”
A car pulled up beside them, prompting him to release her. He opened the tailgate and lifted the cooler. “Can you make it without holding onto me?”
“I’ll try.” She started across the parking lot with Stake close behind her.
“Damn your ass looks good in that dress,” he noted.
She grinned over her shoulder and attempted to give her sweet ass an exaggerated wiggle, but the movement caused her to lose her footing on the gravel. Stake dropped the cooler and caught her before she tumbled to the ground.
Laughing, he left the cooler where it was and carried her the rest of the way across the parking lot. “Will you be safe here until I get back?”
Her cheeks flushed, she nodded without looking at him.
“Hey.” He tilted her chin up. “You’re fine. I like it when you let loose with me.”
“I almost made a fool of myself in front of everyone,” she mumbled.
“So? Other than me and Tiny, who the fuck here do you give a shit about?” He’d never understand why women where always so concerned about what other people thought.
Sadness filled her beautiful eyes.
Fuck. He hadn’t meant to sound so pissed off. It was a flaw he had to really work on with her, not because she’d asked him to, but because she’d had enough verbal abuse in her life without him adding to it.
“It’s not that I care about anyone else specifically, but I’ve had a lifetime of being humiliated around these people. I guess I want to show them I’m different now,” she explained.
Tiny passed by with Stake’s wayward cooler in his hands. “You dropped this.”
“Thanks. Take it over with the others, would you?” Stake asked.
Tiny looked between Santana and Stake before nodding. “Sure.”
Stake led Santana over to stand in a shaded spot on the side of the building. He put his back to the clubhouse and pulled her against his chest, facing outward. “See that blonde over there talking to Cecil?”
“Yes.”
“He’s fucking her, and she’s young enough to be his granddaughter. My aunt do
esn’t know, but everyone else here does, including her best friend.” He scanned the crowd again. “Do you know Iggy?”
“Kind of.”
“Well, Iggy’s some kind of sick sex freak who is hard all the time but refuses to fuck because he thinks it’s gross. Instead, he likes to get head while sitting in the clubhouse for anyone to see.”
“That is gross. Why’re you telling me this?” she asked.
“Because I’m trying to make you understand that everyone here has problems that they would probably consider humiliating if they knew everyone else knew. The fact that Ellie was a drunk and Smash raised his hand to you more than he ever should have, isn’t something for you to worry about. First of all, that’s Smash and Ellie’s shame, not yours, and secondly, it was a long time ago. Even if it wasn’t, these people aren’t worth worrying about. We’ll be gone in another two weeks, and with luck, you’ll never see most of them again.” He spotted his mom walking across the lawn toward them. “Christ. Here comes my mom. Don’t pay attention to anything she has to say.”
“I wondered where the two of you were.” Stake’s mom stopped in front of them and eyed Santana warily. “It’s nice to see you again,” she told Santana.
“You remember my mom, Peggy, don’t you?” Stake asked, his lips brushing Santana’s ear.
“Yes. How’ve you been?” Santana asked.
“Well, I’d be better if I could get my son to come by and change my oil like I’ve asked him to do for the last month.” She propped her hands on her hips and stared daggers at Stake.
“I told you when you asked that you needed to take it into town and have it done, or have that worthless piece of shit living with you do it,” Stake argued. He’d spent more than half of his life trying to please his mom, but by the time he’d reached his twenties, he’d come to the conclusion that nothing would be enough for her. Other than a few times a year, he didn’t even bother going by the house he’d grown up in because he never knew who he was going to find shacked up with his mom.
“Jerry has a bad back,” she argued right back. “I told you that.”
“I don’t give a fuck. I’m not changing your damn oil, so stop asking, and take care of it yourself.”
