by Ryan Michele
Stiff had an ease on his face that I had never seen on him before. It was as if he were calm, maybe even happy, but of course, everyone was happy after they’d been laid. Hell, my body felt great, so I probably looked the same.
Regardless, I was another conquest for him, a simple release. He’d said he felt something, but I had to remember who I had just been in bed with—the man who was rumored to hit anything in a skirt. I might be in jeans, but same concept.
I shook my head then finished with my hair and made sure all of my clothes were on right.
“I don’t even know where she’s sleeping,” I said.
“You’ll see it in a minute, Fire,” he replied, grabbing me around the neck and pulling me to him before he kissed me breathless.
When he released me, I wobbled a bit on my feet, trying to find my balance. My mind was just as unsteady. Never in my life had a man kiss me breathless like every time he did.
The walls I’d set around myself were beginning to fall and crumble around me, but I couldn’t allow that. I couldn’t accept that whatever this was between us was real. After all, nothing in my life was ever real when it came to men. That had been proven over and over again.
“Fucking love that look on you.” He softly touched his lips to mine then went to the door right as more pounding came.
Stiff swung the door open to reveal an amused Xander holding my sister in his arms, her head resting against his wide chest.
“Took you long enough.” He smirked, walking in then eyeing me. He shook his head knowingly, and I felt the heat creep up, but I didn’t back away from his eyes. He shook his head again as he walked through the house.
That was when shame and embarrassment hit me like a load of bricks on my head. Xander knew better than anyone how Stiff acted. Me, I probably looked pathetic and weak to him from giving in to desires that I’d had for so long.
I pushed that down and followed close behind.
“Be careful,” I told him unnecessarily.
“Woman, if you tell me one more time to be careful with your sister, I’m gonna have Stiff tie you up and stick a fucking gag on you.”
I stopped dead in my tracks. “You wouldn’t,” I gasped, my hand coming to my chest, even though my clit, fully sated from Stiff, began to throb at the thought. My eyes flitted to Stiff, and I was unable to stop them.
With his index finger and thumb, he brushed the sides of his lips in a move that was so damn sexy it should be videotaped and sent to porn shops around the world.
He clucked his tongue. “Don’t know, brother. She’s pretty fuckin’ good with that mouth.”
Xander chuckled while I glared; the warm feeling that resided in my belly seeming to flutter way.
“I can’t believe you just said that in front of your brother,” I snapped to his amusement.
“Babe, he knew it the moment he entered the place.”
While I doubted very much Xander knew that I’d sucked Stiff off—well, almost off—the house did sort of smell like sex.
Damn.
“Leave her alone,” my sister said with a groan, “and lay me down please.”
Her words snapped me out of my rollercoaster of emotions, putting all the focus on her.
“Like she said, let’s go.”
I followed as Xander went down the hall to the first door on the left. The door was partially open, but he pushed it with his boot the rest of the way. The room was simple yet very clean and new. The furniture was a dark wood, the posters of the bed and the lone dresser matching. The bedding was a soft bluish-gray and looked seriously comfortable. A television was mounted on the wall, but other than that, nothing. No pictures on the walls or decorations of any kind. Guess this was a man’s room.
I scooted around Xander then pulled the blankets and sheet down. The crisp, white linens didn’t have a wrinkle in them, and they smelled like dryer sheets.
Xander laid my sister down.
I’d changed her into a pair of sweatpants and a loose T-shirt after her bath earlier, and her small frame seemed to be engulfed by the bed.
I sat gently on the side of the bed. “How are you feeling?” I asked her, brushing the hair away from her face, seeing the bruising was even worse than the day before.
“Like I got run over by a truck.” The corner of her lip tipped up, telling me she was joking, but I still hated it.
“You’re gonna be fine,” I whispered softly. “I promise.”
“I’m really sleepy,” Jenn replied drowsily.
I’d given her a pain pill before coming over to Stiff’s place in hopes that when she was moved it would help lessen her pain. It seemed to be kicking in.
“Sleep,” I told her, but her eyes were already closed and there was a slight rise and fall to her chest.
“She’ll be fine.”
I jumped at the sound and whirled around toward Stiff.
“You scared me.”
He smiled as Xander walked back in, carrying a small bag, reminding me that my sister and I had nothing with us. He set the bag on the bed, slapped his brother on the shoulder as he passed, then left the room. The loud thud of the door echoed, telling me he’d left the house.
“I need to go to my place and get some things. Is there any way someone could watch Jenn and you give me a ride over?”
“Yeah, babe. I’ll get it together.”
“Thanks,” I said, reaching in the bag and pulling out my sister’s pills, taking them over to the dresser and setting them out.
I felt a bit awkward. Here, I’d just had sex with this man, felt so damn good, and now I almost didn’t know how to act, which was seriously unusual for me. I’d never had this problem before. Then again, I’d also never had a one-night stand or a … whatever the hell this was. A couple days thing? I needed to pull my shit together.
“She’s fine. Come with me.” Stiff held out his hand, and I bit my bottom lip.
Slowly, I walked toward him, and he tugged me into his body.
I tentatively looked up at him, seeing heat blazing in his eyes, and his growing erection pressed into my thigh.
“Already?” I asked.
While I didn’t have a long list of lovers, I’d had zero who could go a second time only fifteen minutes after he’d just climaxed.
His lips came to my ear as I pressed against him. “Fire, I’m nowhere near done with you.” He kissed me long, hard, and deep. Then he pulled me into his room and showed me exactly how much he wasn’t done with me.
YOU’VE GOTTA BE shittin’ me.
I pulled up my dually truck to the address Chelsea had given me, and what I saw was not happening. A single-wide trailer sat in the vast area of several other trailers. While I’d lived in several growing up, this one had to be one of the worst, at least from the outside.
The paint was peeling, the metal underneath showed rust holes, window screens had holes, and while clean, scratches were all over the place. The wooden stairs leading up to the front door needed to be scrapped and new ones put in to replace them.
I stopped and threw the truck into park. “This is your place?”
Her spine stiffened and shoulders drew back, not liking my tone, which hadn’t been intentional.
“Yes. I’ll just go in and get a few things.” She reached for the door handle, opening the door, and I shut off the truck and climbed out, following closely behind her.
“You don’t need to come in,” she called back.
I grabbed her arm, and her eyes flared at me, burning me to my soul.
“Chels, didn’t mean anything by it. I’m guessin’ you pay rent, and I was pissed that the person you rent it from isn’t keepin’ it up. Got nothin’ to do with you, babe.”
She let out a huff of air. “I know it’s not a lot, but it’s mine.”
I gave her a soft squeeze, pulled her in close, and kissed the top of her head. “Get that, babe. Let’s get your stuff.”
I really didn’t mean to be a dick about it, but in my mind, I plotted all
the things that needed to be fixed, putting each of them on my to-do list. Not to mention, I needed find out who the fucker was who owned this place and beat the shit out of him. My boys and I would see to that.
Chelsea jingled the key in the lock for long moments, and I looked around her.
She looked up. “It gets stuck sometimes.”
Fucking, fuck me. You’ve got to be shitting me.
Even her damn lock that was supposed to keep her safe was broken. Add that shit to the list, too.
“I’ve got it,” I said in a very clipped tone, reaching for the keys.
I pushed my way through, hoping like hell the rickety stairs would hold both mine and Chelsea’s weight.
“No, wait!” she called out, keeping the keys. “There’s a trick.”
I watched and waited as she stuck the key between the door where the lock met the jamb, wiggling the key. Sure as shit, that fucker popped right open.
Chelsea turned around and smiled wide at me. While she was being a smartass about getting it open, I couldn’t help feeling as if that smile had hit me in the chest like a boulder.
The second thing that hit me was her lock was shit and needed to be replaced yesterday, along with her door.
She walked in first, and I followed behind, shutting the door.
A scent of the beach or the ocean instantly hit me, and as I turned toward the room, I stopped dead. I was at the beach minus the sand at my feet and the water crashing against them.
Hanging on the light blue walls were large prints of the ocean, the waves crashing against the shore. One was of a beautiful sunset spread across the horizon of the water.
Chelsea had oars and anchors on the walls in a way that looked really good. The two couches were covered in light blue fabrics with large bright blue, red, and yellow pillows thrown sporadically along them. Under the small coffee table was a dark tanned rug that covered almost the entire floor of the living space, the color reminding me of sand. A glass bowl sat on the table with sand, stones, and shells inside.
Looking at the kitchen, I saw it was decorated in much the same theme.
“Have a thing for the beach?” I asked in amusement.
She smiled and bit her lip. “Yeah, somethin’ like that.”
“I can tell there’s a story here. Hit me.” I really wanted to know more about her, so if this was her thing, I needed to know.
She moved into the kitchen, tossing the mail that we’d picked up on our way here onto the counter. Then her eyes lifted and met mine.
“Always wanted to go to the beach.” She shrugged. “So I brought the beach to me.”
My chest tightened from her words. She was finally letting me in, and it only made me crave more.
“Ever been?” I asked.
She shook her head. “I’ll get there someday.” Her tone was absolute, and I had no doubt she would have her toes in the water and ass in the sand one day. If I had anything to do about it, it would be sooner rather than later.
I only smirked.
“Why don’t you have a seat, and I’ll pull together my stuff?”
I wasn’t going to sit; instead, I followed her down a small hallway to her bedroom, the beach theme continuing. Lots of light blues, yellows, and reds graced the pictures of the beach on the walls.
She turned around and jumped, surprised to find me right behind her, her hands coming to my chest. “Crap!”
I grabbed her wrists. “Calm down, Fire. It’s all good.” I brushed my lips against hers, fully admitting to myself that doing that one gesture was better than kissing her and fucking her. It felt more intimate, and I felt closer to her. From the way her breath caught, I figured she liked it, as well.
Being in her space and seeing her holding her breath because she didn’t know if I would kiss her senseless or let her go was a hell of a turn on.
“Yeah,” she breathed out, and I released her. She then went to a small closet, grabbed a duffle bag, and began throwing things in. “How long do you think we’ll be there?”
When she asked, my first thought was forever, which knocked me on my ass. I’d never had a forever or a thought of it, and fuck me, I liked it … a lot.
“Plan for a couple of weeks.”
She snapped her head up. “Really? That long?”
“Yeah, Fire.”
Her eyes held mine, and unspoken desires flashed between us. I was positive that if I had anything to do with it, her beach would be coming to my house.
WE ROLLED UP TO Denny’s place two hours before this Javier guy was supposed to show. Xander and Hooch had kept eyes on the place all day and seen nothing out of the ordinary. They’d also had a chat with the two morons who seemed to be on task for this.
I’d gone to my mother’s earlier, knowing Xander would be busy. She wasn’t there and hadn’t been for a while; undeniably missing in action.
After I got back from that dead end, Spook sat us down, and we planned, making sure every exit was covered. Javier would definitely have backup, and all the wire taps we’d placed on the house and the idiots’ cells hadn’t shown anything about them being on to us. Yes, it was a sneak attack, and the five guns on my body proved I was ready.
When the black Town and Country with fully tinted windows pulled up to the house, we all braced ourselves. The front doors opened, and two beefy guys stepped out of the car. Then the man on the passenger side shut his door and went to the rear, opening it.
A strongly built Italian man—I supposed he was Javier—wearing pressed pants and a suit jacket got out of the car, buttoning his jacket as he did. The two brutes searched the area, and since we were hidden in the house next door, we weren’t detected. Its occupants had won a free meal at a local steakhouse that could only be used tonight. Lucky them.
One brute went into the house, Javier following, while the other brute stood at the door, hands in his pockets.
I looked at Spook who nodded. Then I slipped out the back door with Hooch and Dawg on my tail.
Pulling the Taser from my cut, I aimed it and fired. The man at the door fell into a heap on the ground with a hard thud. We stopped, waiting to see if either Javier or anyone else in that house would come out because of the noise. When no one did, it took all three of us to fucking move the guy. Hooch tied his hands behind his back with zip ties, and then tied his feet together, leaving him on the side of the house.
I lifted my arm, giving the all clear sign. Hooch and Dawg then went to the back door while Spook, Boner, Bosco, and I tagged the front. With Spook’s nod, I turned the door handle, thinking it would be locked, but the fuckers were stupid. It opened with ease.
Spook went in first, gun in hand, while the rest of us followed behind him, our guns at the ready. The two assholes we’d beaten the shit out of were sitting on the dingy sofa. Javier stood in front of them as his guard made his way in front of Javier. It was like a well-orchestrated play. Good for them.
“Javier?” Spook asked in a quiet tone.
“What the fuck is this!” he exclaimed, moving to the side of his guard. “Who are you?”
“We’re the Vipers Creed MC, and we have some business to discuss with Gonzo.”
A crooked smile appeared across his lips. “Oh, yes, the assholes who keep callin’. What didn’t you understand about Gonzo not returning your calls?” His tone was causal, like getting bombarded happened all the time. Fucker.
“Too bad we’re persistent. Need to talk to him,” Spook replied.
“And you think coming in here with your guns pointed at me is going to accomplish that?” Javier arched a brow.
“Well, this could go two ways. One,” Spook started, “you call Gonzo and make a meet. Or two, we take you and piss everyone off, which isn’t our intention.” Spook clicked his tongue. “What should we do?”
“He’s not going to like this,” Javier snapped, reaching into his jacket.
I aimed my gun right at his head. If he pulled out anything except a phone, he was on ice.
�
�Easy there,” he said with a small smile playing on his lips.
Javier pushed buttons on the phone then held it up to his ear. “It’s me,” he reported. “It appears that the assholes who’ve been trying to get to you, beat the shit out of Denny and Dwaine. Now they’re here looking for you … Yeah.” He grinned. “Yeah.”
I had no clue what he was smiling about, but I didn’t like it.
“All they want is a meeting.” Javier looked at Spook. “What is this in regards to?”
“Becky Collins and Gary Reece.”
Javier’s smile disappeared, and his brows furrowed. Then he repeated the information to who I assumed was Gonzo on the other line.
He listened then said, “We know Becky is his”—he nodded his head at me—“mom, but what the fuck does Gary have to do with anything?”
“Those idiots”—Spook threw his arm out, indicating the two men on the couch—“decided to find Gary’s daughter at school, who did absolutely nothing and hasn’t heard from her father in ten years, and beat the shit out of her. Then they threw her at the feet of her sister, warning her, as well. The sister is under our protection; therefore, so is the woman these assholes beat up. It was all done because they are Gary’s kids.”
The “under our protection” thing hadn’t really been in the works at the time, but it was now, so it was all true.
“Since these two beat the hell out of her, we beat the hell out of them, and all of this leads back to Gonzo. So we need a meet to clear all of this up. Fuck, I’ll even talk to him over the phone at his point.”
“You hear all that, boss?” Javier asked then nodded, but it was more to himself than to anyone else. “Yeah.” Javier pulled the phone from his ear then held it out to Spook.
I stepped up and took it, handing it to my president. We took no chances with his safety.
Javier just chuckled.
“Spook,” he relayed into the phone. “Could have avoided all of this if you’d returned my call … Right.” There was another pause before Spook said, “These two women have no idea where their father is, haven’t talked to the fucker in years, and know full-well he’s a dick. They’d have no problem giving their father to you if they knew his location. I even talked to the mother and grandmother, and they know shit, either. Your beef is with Gary, not them.” Spook paused, and then his eyes narrowed on the two assholes on the couch. “You’re fuckin’ shittin’ me.”
