"Rollin and I will stay here." Tucker's comment came as a surprise. "We linked the control system to our computers. If something goes wrong, we can control the drones from here if we need to."
"Fuck, I wish we'd had this shit thirty years ago!" one of the older brothers from Massachusetts, Shorty, quipped.
"Yeah, I don't know," Wolfman began, running his hand over his bearded chin. "Kind of scares me. All the new technology they're coming out with and what it can do."
"Can't stop progress, brother."
I agreed with Raze. The key was staying up to date with the shit that came out, but some of the old timers didn't even want to learn what made them tick.
"A couple more things before we head out," Reaper began. "Make sure you're packing extra fire power. And when shits over and your heading back, split up. I know that goes against the norm, but let's not give the cops a reason to pull anyone over if they happen to come across a group of you and get suspicious."
"We need to come back here?" Skipper from Massachusetts inquired, chewing on a toothpick.
"You brothers from Maine and Massachusetts can head home, the rest of you return here. Regardless of what you do, everyone checks in when this is over. Be smart out there, I don’t want to lose any more brothers." He picked up his gavel and slammed it down on the table. "Church is over. Say your goodbyes, we leave in five!"
I got up to leave Moody behind. The brother was quiet, as usual. He didn't give a fuck about anything, but I knew that he liked a good fight. I'd seen him take a risk or two over the years that should have done his ass in, but he'd always seemed to get lucky. I wondered if his reckless, don't-give-a-fuck attitude had anything to do with the wife and son he'd told me he’d once had. I wondered what his story was. I'd known him a long time and had never seen him with anyone, at least not any one more than once.
I exited the meeting room, my gaze searching for Luna. I didn’t know what the fuck had happened that morning, but I didn't want to leave without setting something straight with her. I wasn't a fucking mind reader, and if she was worried about something she had to talk to me. I wasn't good with emotional shit, and all of this was why I preferred to be solo. I didn’t have to worry about shit if I just fucked a woman and then turned her loose. Maybe I should have just stuck with easy pussy. Which is exactly what was strutting my way now--CC.
The woman just didn't give up.
"Hi, honey‒"
She didn't get to finish. Moody grabbed her hand on the way by, and whipped her around to pull her behind him.
"He ain't interested, but I am," he growled, not giving her a choice in the matter.
"We got five minutes, brother," I reminded him with a grin.
"Just enough time for her to suck me off," he responded without looking back, heading for the side door.
CC was stumbling along helplessly. She glanced back once to give me a look of daggers. Women didn't like Moody, they were frightened of him, but I knew that CC would be okay. I'd never known him to hurt a woman.
I saw Luna come out of the kitchen. Our eyes met instantly, and she swung in my direction. I hadn't taken the time to notice before, but she was wearing a sexy little dress that hugged her curves and showed a man exactly what he was getting. The scooped top was just low enough to show the swell of her tits, the hem high enough to expose a good expanse of thigh. The sight of her made my mouth water, and I cursed that I had to leave her so soon.
I grabbed her hand when she was close, searched the room for a quiet spot, and pulled her to the corner of the room that was empty. I sank down in the chair and pulled Luna down to straddle my lap. She caught her breath and I knew that she'd noticed my hard-as-fuck dick. That was on her. No other woman turned me on as fucking quickly as she did, and just by being in the same room. Fuck that, just thinking about her turned me hard. I ran my hands through the hair at the side of her face, noticing how silky soft it felt slipping through my fingers.
Then I kissed her, because I had to before I went insane. Her lips were so fucking soft I could have spent hours kissing her, but I kept it short because I had things to say and time was running out. She moaned against my onslaught, and then moaned even louder when I pulled away.
"Don't know what fucking happened this morning, babe, but if you want me to understand, you have to talk to me."
"I know, and I'm sorry‒"
I shook my head. "Don't be sorry. Just talk to me, yeah? I don't want to go through another day wondering what the fuck I did wrong‒"
Her pretty eyes rounded. "It wasn't you," she quickly said. "Well--" she pulled her gaze from mine and looked down between us, "not completely."
I continued touching her hair because it stirred up the clean floral scent of the shampoo she must have used that morning. I inhaled deeply, getting lost in the warmth of her honeyed eyes. She was so fucking innocent, so fucking beautiful, I had to fight with myself not to give into my baser needs and spend what little time we had left kissing and touching her.
"Explain, babe." With her bottom against my dick, I couldn't help lifting my hips to grind against her core.
She caught her breath, tugging her bottom lip between her teeth. "I can't think when you do that."
"I don't have much time." I leaned forward and kissed the side of her neck. "Tell me what it was that bothered you this morning." I worked my mouth up her satiny flesh to a spot behind her ear. She shuddered and began to rock her hips against me. I dropped my hands to her naked thighs and squeezed. "Why the hell are you wearing a dress now when I can't do a fucking thing about it?" I complained in a low growl against her flesh. "Talk to me," I insisted.
I didn’t know why I was so adamant about finding out what had upset her earlier, especially when it seemed that it wasn't bothering her any longer. But I cared for Luna, and I wanted her to know that it wasn't all about fucking her.
"It's nothing, really. I was being silly." I pulled back and gave her the look, the one I saved to intimidate people when they weren't giving me what I wanted. I'd made a fucker or two wet their pants with that glare.
She laughed softly, completely unafraid. "Are you trying to scare me?"
I groaned in frustration.
She kissed the corner of my mouth. "Jace, Seth gave me everything material thing that a woman could ever want, but in the end he gave me nothing of himself, and he, um, he began to hurt me, physically. It went on for years. I'm not proud that I let a man treat me like that. I was embarrassed to tell you what a wuss I'd been."
I shook my head, disagreeing with her "Not a wuss, babe. You took yourself out of that situation."
"Not soon enough."
"You're a strong, beautiful woman, darlin'. Seth was the one who screwed up. He didn't deserve you." If I ever got my hands on the prick, I would end him for hurting her.
"Who does?" Luna asked coyly, arching her throat so I had easier access as I continued kissing her.
I stiffened, drawing back to look her in the eyes. I wanted to say that I deserved her, but the fucking truth was that I didn't. I wasn't a decent man. I was a killer, and I used women for my own satisfaction. Luna deserved a good, caring man who would treat her like the angel that she was, one that would give her a family. I didn't want to think that there was someone else out there like that for her, I didn’t even want to think of another man's hands on her, but I knew it was the reality. It occurred to me, though, that as long as I was in the picture, her chances of finding Mr. Right were slim to none.
I thought about the war that was coming up. I thought about the life that I'd led, the jobs I'd taken that had made me a rich man. And then I thought about what it meant to be a nomad, and how it had always worked for me.
No attachments.
No commitments.
No fucking regrets.
Fuck. What a time to be thinking about getting out of the way so that Luna could move on and look for her happy ending. But I couldn't do it right then, I couldn’t cut her free. It was bad timing, and it wouldn't be fair
to do that to her and then leave two minutes later. Besides, if shit went wrong that night, God could take matters out of my hands, anyway. It was a fact of life that I lived with, that any day could be my last.
"Don't answer that," Luna said after a long silence.
It was as if she had sensed what I'd been thinking and was afraid to hear me say the words. Realizing that my brothers had begun to head out the door, I knew that our time was up. Pushing all other thoughts aside, I twisted my hand into her loose hair and slammed my mouth down on hers, losing myself in her sweetness and her quiet strength. Fuck, I didn't want to let this woman go.
But I knew that I would.
Because it was the right thing to do.
Chapter 31
Luna
I was still tingling from Jace's last, smoldering kiss. My pussy was wet and still buzzing from being in close proximity to his hard cock. I was certain that if we'd had more time, he would have fucked me right there in that chair. Instead, he'd slipped me off his lap and I'd watched him walk out the door. I didn't know what was going on, but I wasn't stupid. I knew that it was dangerous, maybe even deadly, and I could only pray that it turned out the way that they all wanted it to.
"Try not to worry, honey," Marie said upon joining me at the bar. She sat down on the stool next to me. Rosa was with her. "Our men are big, tough bad asses. They can take care of themselves."
Was she trying to convince me of that, or herself? I just gave a nod. It was late and I was tired, but knew that I wouldn't sleep if I went to bed. Apparently, I wasn't the only one worried. "How is Reba?" I asked. I knew that Marie and Rosa had been spending time with her.
"Sleeping, thank God," Rosa responded tiredly. "Bee and Wolfman's rooms are right next to hers, so Bee is going to check in on her once in a while. We have our phones in case she needs us."
"It's so quiet now." The part of the building that housed the families was closed off by a door, but there was always some kind of noise filtering through. The clubhouse, where we were now, was usually active and noisy. But now, as sat at the bar, there was no one behind it, and there were no club girls around, either. There were a few clusters of women that had arrived with their men from the other two chapters, and they were sitting around on some of the couches and chatting quietly. The worry on their faces spoke volumes. "I feel like we've been deserted."
"Don't let the emptiness fool you," Marie warned as she stood from the stool she’d been sitting on and moved behind the counter. "Jim's been left in charge, and there are about five prospects scattered around the place, keeping watch."
Keeping watch for what? I wondered.
"Now, what will we have, ladies?"
"Is there any white wine back there?" Rosa asked as her gaze scanned over the hundred or so bottles of liquor on the shelf behind Marie.
"That sounds good to me, too," I smiled.
Marie found a bottle and set it down in front of us. "Three wines, coming up." She pulled three wine glasses from the rack and filled them to the brim.
I laughed. "Aren't you supposed to only add like a third to the glass?"
She shrugged. "That's a stupid rule. Besides, we all know that we're going to drink more than a third of a glass." She lifted her glass toward us, and before I knew it we were toasting and taking that first sip.
I thought about Casey alone in her room, wondering if she would be willing to come out and join us. She was making progress, day by day. I didn't think that being alone all the time was good for her. As far as I knew, Jim and I were the only constants in her life. Doctor Lockhart came three times a week, but their one-hour sessions went by quickly, and sometimes left Casey quieter than usual. I supposed that she had a lot to think about after the doctor left.
The outside door opened and Jim walked inside. He looked the place over as he walked through the room. "I got all you pretty ladies to myself," he said with a cocky grin on his whiskered face.
It seemed that all the men had a similar thing going on with regard to facial hair, anywhere from a five o'clock shadow to Wolfman's full, bushy beard, but some of them definitely rocked it more than others. Jim's scruff looked like the result of a few days of forgetting to shave, the same way he wore his hair since cutting most of it off.
"Why, you planning on taking advantage?" a vivacious redhead with a flirty twinkle in her eye quipped, a question that was met with laughter.
Jim shot her a wink and said in a voice that only a fool would have taken seriously, "I just might!"
"You couldn't handle us," a young brunette joked as he continued by.
"You're probably right about that, darlin'," he teased back. "I can barely keep up with my own old lady."
I was glad to hear Jim admit that he had an old lady. The redhead looked too interested in him. He continued to walk up to where the three of us were at the bar. "Can I get a beer while you're back there, honey?"
"Jim, do you think Casey is awake?"
His gaze moved away from Marie to me. He shrugged. "Not sure, why don't you go check and if she is, bring her out here? She needs to get out of that room."
"I agree." Marie set a beer down in front of Jim.
"I think we all agree on that," Rosa added.
"Okay, then." I took a sip of my wine and set the glass down. "Hopefully I'll be back with her. Don't let anyone drink my wine."
I walked with determination to the room that Casey shared with Jim, praying that she was up and that I could convince her to come out and join us. I knocked on the door, listened for her low response, and then opened it. Casey was in her pajamas, sitting on the bed and watching a Hallmark movie. I returned her smile and shook my head.
"Hallmark? Really?" I asked disbelievingly. "Now I know you need to get out of here."
She shrugged. "There's nothing else on."
"Well, turn it off, you're coming with me. You don't even have to get dressed. There's no one out there but Jim and a bunch of women."
"I was just thinking of going to bed."
"No you weren't." I decided to take matters into my own hands. I turned the TV off and went to where she was sitting. "Don't make me get mean." A snort of laughter escaped her. "You've been cooped up in this room for too long, honey. Time to join the living." I reached for her hand.
"Will there be drinks?"
I smiled. "Absolutely. Right now we're drinking wine." I pulled her from the bed easily, which revealed that she wasn't as opposed to leaving the room as I'd first thought.
"Where are the men?" We were halfway to the door.
I halted, looking back with surprise. "Didn't Jim tell you?" She shook her head.
Hmm, I supposed that he didn't want to alarm her. "Well, the men have gone on some kind of secret run. Club business," I explained, deciding not to make it sound like too much of a big deal, for her sake. "In the meantime, you, me, Marie, and Rosa are going to relax and possibly get tipsy."
When we entered the room, Marie and Rosa clapped lightly upon seeing Casey, their expressions revealing their delight in seeing her. Jim looked pleased, too, though his expression was not as animated. I didn't release her hand until we were at the bar and sitting down. Marie slid a glass of wine in front of Casey.
"So glad that you decided to join us, honey."
"Well, Luna didn’t exactly give me any choice."
"We've been worried about you," Rosa murmured with a small smile.
Casey smiled in turn, reaching for her glass. Her gaze moved around the room over the rim of her glass. "You weren't kidding when you said the men were gone. Why didn't you go with them on the run?" she asked Jim.
"It was my turn to stay here with the prospects and watch over shit." He moved up behind her and put his hands upon her shoulders, leaning in."Are you disappointed I'm not gone?" he asked against her ear.
I loved seeing the blush spread across Casey's cheeks, and averted my gaze so that she wouldn't see the sudden tears in my eyes. It seemed that Jim claiming her and promising her that she didn't need to
worry about her step-father had gone a long way into helping heal her mentally. She didn't seem as fragile. I took several sips of my wine.
"You're the lucky one, honey," Marie began, shooting Casey a wink. "Your man is here, while all of ours are out doing God knows what for the club."
"Do you think you're lucky, baby?"
"I know I am," Casey replied to Jim's question. She was rewarded with a kiss on the head.
"We're all lucky to having found our other halves," Rosa remarked with a smirk.
"Don't you mean better halves?" Jim countered, not turning loose of Casey.
Rose snorted and brushed him off. "That's what all you alpha males would like to think. Hate to burst your bubble, but you all were cavemen before we came into the picture."
"Yeah, we balance out your lives," Marie added. "Give you a reason to come home at the end of the day, to a hot meal and a clean bed."
Jim shrugged, a cocky smirk on his handsome face. "Not much different from coming back here. Always had a hot meal and a bed."
It didn't go unnoticed that he'd left out the "clean".
It was Marie's turn to release a snort. "Yeah, a hot meal of questionable content and a dirty, stained bed with a skanky whore," she laughed. "Don't insult us."
"You can't deny that you bikers got an upgrade when you finally settled down with a decent woman."
Rosa may have been the one who made the comment, but Jim's gaze rested on Casey as she tilted her head backwards to look up at him. "Not going to argue with you there." He turned his gaze back to Marie and Rosa. "Reaper and Raze definitely got an upgrade, too," he relented with a grin. And then he looked at me.
"Don't include me in this. As far as Jace is concerned, we're just casual, exclusively." I cringed at the less than adequate description of our relationship.
Everyone within hearing distance burst out laughing.
"’Casual exclusively’ kind of contradicts itself," Casey observed.
I shrugged. "I know it doesn't make sense."
"Jace is in denial. He's got it bad for you, anyone can see that." Marie was pouring herself another glass of wine. I held mine out with a smile.
Dangerous (Nomad Outlaws Trilogy Book 2) Page 24
