by Jessie Cooke
Dax shrugged. “Because I’m the boss and I feel like it, how’s that?”
Storm smiled. Ryder and Hunter both dropped it and an hour and a half later they were getting off a plane in Las Vegas. “Have you ever been to Vegas, baby?” Ryder asked, sliding his arm around her as they made their way out of the airport.
“No. I’ve always wanted to see it.”
“I doubt you’ll get to see too much on a four-hour layover, but one of these days you and I will come for a visit and stay a few days, or a week.”
“Sounds like fun,” she said. It did sound like fun, and Ryder planned on putting it on his to-do list just as soon as it was possible. He’d love five days in Sin City with his new old lady. But hell, he’d love five days alone with her anywhere.
“Fremont Street, please,” Dax told the driver of the cab he’d hailed as they all got in.
“If you don’t mind me asking, boss...” Ryder began. Dax held up his hand and said:
“I do, actually. I’m kind of in a mysterious mood today. Go with it.” Hunter laughed. Ryder smiled and shook his head. He wondered if the boss got a hold of some of that Mexican weed while they were in Nevada—he wasn’t acting like himself.
“You okay?” Storm whispered into his ear.
He smiled; he was okay, just a little anxious and he wasn’t sure why. “Yeah, baby, I’m good,” he said.
When the cab got to Fremont Street Dax had the driver drop them off near the Golden Nugget. Dax took the lead and they all walked through the big casino, past the slot machines and around the tables, dodging people that all seemed to either be having fun or concentrating on their cards like their life depended on winning the next hand. In all the years Ryder lived in Vegas, he’d never really gotten into gambling. He went out to the bars and clubs and casinos with his friends and sometimes he’d play a few hands of poker or blackjack...but giving away his hard-earned money just wasn’t really his thing.
He did like people-watching, and Vegas was the perfect place for that. At the moment, he was watching Storm’s face. He particularly loved watching people who had never been to Sin City react to their surroundings. Storm’s eyes were moving as fast as their legs were as she tried to take it all in. The neon lights made her pretty eyes shine, and Ryder found himself wishing they were there alone and had a room upstairs he could sneak off to with her. He even felt the blood begin to rush from his brain down south and he wondered if the newness would ever wear off fucking her. He didn’t think so. She was the best that he’d ever had, and he only hoped that he measured up the same in her eyes.
They were almost to the exit door when Storm stopped, rose up on her toes, and put her lips close to his ear and said, “We definitely can’t bring Mom here.”
Ryder laughed. “No, baby, just you and me.”
“The only casino I’ve ever seen is the one on the rez. This one is kind of like that...on steroids.”
“Everything is bigger and better in Vegas,” he told her with a wink.
They followed Dax through the exit door and ended up on the other side of the casino and on one of the most famous streets in Vegas. Street performers were on every corner, some of them barely clothed. People were zipping by over their heads, dangling from metal cords, and it looked like everyone had a drink in their hand. Live bands played from the four stages right there on the street, and the noise level as it all clashed was off the hook. It gave Ryder a rush of adrenaline but when he looked at Hunter, he could tell that his friend wasn’t impressed.
“Not a fan of Vegas?” he asked him.
“Hate it,” Hunter said.
Ryder laughed and said, “Don’t hold back, Hunter. Tell us how you really feel.”
“Too many people, too much noise, too fucking much everything.”
Ryder laughed again and then he looked up and realized where Dax was taking them...the only question was why? They walked through another set of double doors and into another casino. This one was called “Carlie’s Cavern.” It was a small casino and Ryder knew that it was one of the newest ones on the old Vegas strip. He knew this because his friend Carl had just recently opened it.
Dax was still walking like a man on a mission, so Ryder kept following him with a hundred questions swirling in his head. They were almost to the center of the casino when Dax stopped walking. Ryder, Hunter, and Storm stopped too, and Ryder followed Dax’s gaze to a roped-off area in the center.
“Edith,” he whispered. His old girl was sitting up on a high pedestal, surrounded by gold ropes. She was so shiny that it was almost blinding to look at her, but he couldn’t look away. It hadn’t been long since he sold her to Carl, but he missed her every day since.
“Damn. That looks just like Edith,” Hunter said.
“That’s because it is her,” Ryder told him.
“What is she doing here?” Storm asked. Ryder looked at her face. As she looked at Edith, he saw it dawn on her and then he saw tears spring to her eyes when she turned to him and said, “Ryder, no! Please tell me you didn’t do this for me.”
“Didn’t what?” Hunter asked, confused.
“He did,” Dax said. “Come on, we don’t have a lot of time before we have to get back to the airport.”
“Dax...” Ryder began, but Dax ignored him and walked toward the elevators. They all followed again and when they were on, Dax pushed the button for the top level. Ryder took the ride as an opportunity to ask Dax, “What are we doing here, Dax?”
“You’ll know soon enough,” Dax told him. The elevator stopped, the doors slid open, and when they stepped off, Ryder saw that the floor was all offices. Dax read the directory on the wall and then led them down a long hallway to the office of the CEO. Carl’s first and last name were on a gold plate on the partially closed door. Carl was visible, sitting behind a large desk in front of a window that looked out over Fremont Street. He smiled and stood up when he saw them.
“Come on in. Ryder! It’s so good to see you in person after all these years. Did you see your girl downstairs?”
“I did,” Ryder said, crossing the room to shake Carl’s hand. “She looks good.”
“Yeah, well, I was so excited to show her off that I didn’t even let them get her running. I just told them to polish her up and put her out there. I know she still needs a lot of work but she’s too damned beautiful to keep in a garage for long, you know?”
“I do,” Ryder said. Boy, did he. His dream had been to take her to shows some day so that everyone could see her. “Do you know Dax Marshall?”
“We spoke on the phone,” Dax said, holding his hand out. He and Carl shook and then Hunter and Storm were introduced before they all took a seat.
Carl looked at Dax after he sat and surprised Ryder more than he already was by saying, “So tell me more about this brother of yours.”
Gunner? Why are they talking about Gunner? Dax started talking and to hear him tell it, Gunner was the next big thing on the fighting scene. It wasn’t that he wasn’t good, because he was. Ryder loved watching him fight. But Gunner had been fighting in places like Texas and Massachusetts. Vegas was a whole different ballgame. Ryder tried to keep up with the conversation as the men talked about purses and Pay-Per-View. Hunter and Storm looked as confused as he was and when Carl said, “Can he be ready by Halloween?” something Ryder had seen downstairs suddenly appeared in his head. There was a sign behind the ropes where Edith sat. It was big and bold and in orange and black. He tried to visualize what it said, but all he could remember was Halloween. He’d been too focused on Edith to read the rest of it.
“He will be,” Dax said.
“Ready for what?” Ryder asked. Dax ignored him again and this time Carl did too.
“Okay then,” Carl said. “He’s in.”
“Great, thanks!” Dax stood up and shook Carl’s hand. Carl smiled at Ryder again and said:
“Maybe she’ll be home again soon, we’ll see.” Ryder didn’t have time to ask what he was talking about before Carl moved on
to tell Storm and Hunter he was pleased to meet them and say goodbye. Dax rushed them out of the office then and when they got back to the bank of elevators Ryder finally said:
“Dax...what the hell just happened in there?”
“When I found out that you sold Edith to help Storm and her mother, I called Carl. He wasn’t willing to sell her back even at a profit because he’d already set this up. He had planned on giving a brand-new Harley away...but then you called him about Edith. She’s going to be part of the grand prize in his Halloween Bash.”
“Halloween Bash?” Ryder asked. Storm was wiping at the tears that had escaped from her eyes. He hadn’t wanted her to know about Edith because he knew she would feel guilty about it. He didn’t regret his decision to sell her to Carl and use the money to pay off her mother’s debt and he didn’t want her to have to regret it. Dax was talking again, though, so he refocused on his president.
“It’s a Pay-Per-View fight. Carl has some kind of deal with HBO and it’s supposed to be an annual thing. This will be the first one and Carl is offering the bike as part of the purse...the grand prize. He’s trying to attract some big names and he thought they might not be as interested in money as they would a custom Harley. It’s all about putting on a big show,” Dax said, “You know...Vegas.” He pushed the elevator button and Ryder said:
“He’s giving her away?” He felt numb and he thought there might have been a slight catch in his throat. He wasn’t sure if he was sad or angry, but he didn’t understand why Carl would buy her just to give her away. As a grand prize or otherwise.
“He thinks giving away a custom bike, or in Edith’s case a restored antique one, will attract more attention. It’s showier, more Vegas,” Dax said. They stepped off the elevator and Storm took his arm as they fell back behind Dax and Hunter, and she said:
“Ryder,” Storm said. “I can’t believe you sold her.”
Ryder didn’t know what to say at that point, but Dax heard her and said, “No worries, my little brother will get her back.”
“And what will Gunner get for doing this?” Ryder asked. He still felt like he was in a state of shock. It wasn’t really adding up. Carl would be out the money he paid for her and Gunner would be getting the crap beat out of him for nothing...Of course Carl would make the money back on the fight. A Pay-Per-View fight was huge. But Gunner...what would he get?
“Gunner gets what he’s always wanted,” Dax said, “He’ll get to train with one of the best in the business...I hope.” He glossed over the “I hope” and went on, “The publicity will be more than he could hope for than anything else he’s ever done. You know that he’s always wanted to be a professional fighter. This gives him a big start so maybe he won’t have to spend so much time doing those piddly-ass tournaments on the East Coast and down South. He was excited about it when I called him this morning, Ryder. Trust me.”
“Who’s he going to be training with?” Hunter asked.
Dax smiled and said, “You remember Jake the Lion Wright?”
“Hell, yeah,” Hunter said. “That dude was a heavyweight champion. He’s training now?”
“Yep.”
“You know him?”
“Nah, but I just have to get my buddy Wolf, who does know him, to introduce us.”
“Piece of cake,” Hunter said. Ryder just followed behind them both, shaking his head in disbelief. It wasn’t until they were back at the airport and about to board the plane when he took Dax aside and said:
“I want you to know first of all that I am so damned grateful that you’d even think of doing this for me, but without sounding ungrateful or disrespectful...can I ask why?”
Dax put his hand on Ryder’s shoulder and he looked like he was about to say something really serious. Then suddenly he grinned and said, “Sometimes I just do shit because I can.”
Ryder really wondered about that Mexican weed. He was shaking his head when Storm touched his arm and said, “I don’t know what to say, Ryder. I just can’t believe you gave up something that meant so much to you for me, and my mother. I mean, when I thought it was your money, that was crazy enough, but...”
He leaned down and stopped her with a kiss. When he let her back up for air he said, “In the words of one of the greatest men I know...sometimes I just do shit because I can.”
33
Storm heard the sound of Ryder’s bike as he turned onto the end of her street. She was excited. It had been exactly a week since they’d gotten back from Nevada. She spent that time catching up and helping out with her mom, catching up on shifts at work, and just getting her head back together. She hadn’t seen Ryder in three days and they hadn’t made love since that day in the shower in Carson City. She missed him like crazy.
It was good to be home, though, and it was nice to wake up in the morning without that feeling of doom and gloom hanging over her...even though she still felt horrible about Edith. Ryder wouldn’t talk about it, however, other than to tell her that once she met Gunner, she’d believe like he and Dax did that with the right training, the kid had it in him to be the next champion. He only had three months to get there, though, and by nature Storm was a worrier. She was already trying to figure out what she could possibly do to make it up to him if Gunner didn’t win.
Another reason she was excited was that Ryder was taking her to the ranch tonight. They were having a birthday party for one of the guys and it would be the first time Storm got to meet most of them. What she was most excited about was that he was going to introduce her to Hurricane Katrina. She had been surprised when Dax called her two days after they got back from Vegas. He asked if she might be interested in working in the catering business. She was sure Ryder had told him that was what she most wanted to do, because otherwise it would be just too much of a coincidence. She was giddy when she told Dax that she’d love to do it and she would do anything—cook, clean, serve—she’d just be so happy to have the opportunity. Dax told her that Kat was terribly short-handed. Storm wasn’t sure if that was true or if he and Ryder were just trying to find a place for her in the “family.” She didn’t care either way; she would do a great job and they wouldn’t regret hiring her. She was a little nervous about meeting Kat, though. Hunter had said a few things about her and Storm heard that one conversation between her and Ryder on the phone. But Ryder said she was a nice woman, as long as you stayed on her good side, and Storm planned on doing that.
She had spent most of the day trying to decide what to wear and trying things on and taking them off. Her room looked like a hurricane had settled right down in the center of it now. Luckily, she had finally found a skirt she liked and the blouse she wanted to wear went well with it. She had settled on a denim skirt that came to mid-thigh and a black and burgundy tank top made out of light polyester material. Even in Boston it was hot this time of year. She had put on a pair of sandals, but deciding she was going to go into this being nothing but herself, she wore her black and white Chuck Taylors instead...high-tops. She pulled her hair back into a long braid down her back and put on some lip gloss and hoped she wouldn’t embarrass Ryder. She had never seen the inside of an MC clubhouse, or old ladies, or club girls, except on television. Ryder was trying to convince her that her favorite show was all Hollywood, but she really needed to see that for herself.
When she heard his bike stop in front of the apartment she pulled open the door and was in his arms before he was all the way off the bike. He chuckled and said: “Wow, baby, if you missed me this badly maybe we should always go a few days without seeing each other.”
She glared up at him and he leaned down and kissed her. When he finished tasting her and pulled back, she smiled. “That gives me chills,” she said. “I did miss you, so bad.”
“I missed you too. You look great. Are you ready?”
“I thought I was...but damn, you look hot. Do we have a few minutes?” She was ready...ready to jump his sexy bones.
He laughed. “A few minutes?”
“Half an hour?
”
“Forty-five minutes.”
“Someone is a little grandiose.”
Laughing again, Ryder slapped her on the butt and said, “Get inside, woman, I’ll give you sixty.”
Storm giggled on the way into the apartment and Ryder followed her. He turned toward the bedroom, but she put her hand on his wrist and led him toward the kitchen instead. He raised an eyebrow and she said, “There’s laundry all over my bed.”
Chuckling he said, “Okay...what about the couch?”
“Okay...if you want to get into a boring routine...” Ryder grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into the kitchen. He picked her up and sat her on the table. When her skirt rode up and he saw she didn’t have on any panties, he gasped. “Don’t worry, I wasn’t going to the club without them...I was just hoping you’d be in the mood.”
He laughed and shook his head at her. “You’re something else, Stormy Waters. I’m never sure what to expect from you.”
She grinned up at him and said, “That’s because sometimes I just do shit because I can.” Ryder laughed again and used one hand to push her back onto the linen tablecloth that covered the rectangular table. She lay there and watched as he pulled off his shirt and unbuttoned his jeans. She absently licked her lips when he pushed them down and his shorts went with them, revealing his beautiful cock. Sometimes just thinking about it made her mouth water. She loved having sex with him. She loved pretty much everything about him, though...the sex was just at the top of the list.
Once Ryder was completely nude he leaned down over her and kissed her on the lips and then he let his slide down across her chin and to her neck. She arched her body up off the table so that he could get to her neck and he licked his way across that before lifting his head and pulling her shirt up to expose her stomach. He leaned down and kissed her right above her belly button and then used his magic tongue to make sure no part of her belly was untouched. Her pussy was throbbing, and she was sure she was making a wet spot on the tablecloth. She didn’t care, though; she’d throw it away.
