by Nicole Snow
Blaze opened his mouth to give me more hell, but nothing came out. He closed it, his lips twitching angrily, drumming his fingers on the table.
“This is the kinda shit that needs to go up for a vote,” he said quietly. “You're not a voting member, Brass. Kindly get the fuck out. I need all the brothers here so we can make our decision.”
“You mean I'm free to walk?”
“Wherever you won't trip on our club.” He looked past me. “Let's recess, bros. I'll tell Sting and Moose to bring this fucker's girls back around. They can hang out in the bar with him while we make our decision.”
Blaze looked at me, and I nodded, exiting the room before his gavel clapped the wood. I headed for the bar to see my sis, wondering if it was really possible we'd just come to some kinda fucked up understanding.
Missy ran to me when they got in. Jackie followed cautiously behind her, taking a seat at the bar.
I dropped the strong man act in my rival's lair just long enough to grab my girl's ass and press her to me. Fuck, her lips tasted good.
There'd been too much drama and too much Jackie around to fuck her like I wanted. Christ, after this vote, I needed to get in her again. Every second my cock wasn't buried in her pussy was a shitty one.
“Did they treat you right?” I asked, shifting my eyes on the two man escort strolling toward the meeting room.
“They were great!” Jackie chimed in before her big sis could answer.
“Yeah.” Missy smiled. “Jackie got a kick out of Moose talking like a pirate. He's the one with the –“
“Eye patch,” I finished for her. “I know.”
I hadn't heard how their Treasurer even lost his fucking eye, but it must've been recent. Still, hearing the good news put me a little bit at ease. The Prairie Pussies were assholes, but I wasn't worried they'd steal my women and cut their throats. It was nice to relax, if only a little bit.
“Who's this?” Saffron said, heading for the table with a pitcher of beer like I asked.
Missy looked at my sister, and I had a weird flashback to me and Blaze sizing each other up. My girl spoke first, studying Shelly's old lady jacket. It had a big PROPERTY OF BLAZE on the back, standard for claimed women in most clubs.
“I'm Missy Thomas, and this is my sister, Jackie. I'm Brass' old lady, and proud of it.” She stuck out a hand.
“Brass? Holy shit!” Shelly looked at me for a long time before I finally took the pitcher outta her hands and she took my girl's palm, giving it a shake.
Jackie laughed.
Fuck.
Wasn't sure what was worse: waiting to see if the Devils behind the wall voted to save our asses, or trying to explain to my little sis that I finally had something in my life worth living for.
IX: Heart on the Line (Missy)
I had to look close at Shelly Reagan to see the family resemblance. Her eyes were much brighter, and she didn't have that darkness swirling around her like Brass, the same sweet intensity I wanted to tame.
As soon as I said I was his old lady, there was a minute of stunned silence. Then the woman laughed, threw herself at me, and tucked her arms around me in a big, brutal, almost possessive hug. Okay, maybe they had something in common after all.
“Damn it, Jordan. Brass.” Shelly – Saffron? – pulled away and stuck her tongue out. “You blather on about being away and all this club intrigue, but don't even tell your own sis you've finally found a girl?”
I watched her do something I thought I'd never see. Saffron reached up and shoved her fingers through his short dark hair, the hair that felt amazing underneath my fingertips. Of course, Brass didn't wait more than a second before he pulled away – something he never would've done with me.
“Whatever,” he grunted. “You know there's been some serious shit going on. My mind's been in strange places.”
We shared a look. The stern mask on his face broke in a thin smile, and then he grabbed my hand and clutched it to his chest.
“You heard the lady right, sis. This is my old lady, and that's never gonna change no matter what your hubby decides in there.” He gestured his head toward the closed meeting room. “I'm gonna fuck up the men who've wrecked my club one way or another. Then I'm gonna give these two everything they seriously deserve.”
The hair ruffling fingers must've been infectious. He leaned past me, tossing Jackie's hair, much to my little sister's surprise.
“And where are you staying here in Missoula?” Saffron asked, giving me a good look.
“The Bison. The guys said it'd be the safest place.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Come on. We can do better than that. I'll talk to Blaze and see if you can stay at the new lake house we're renting.”
“Lake house?” Brass raised an eyebrow. “Fuck me sideways, sis. You've really come a long way in the world after growing up in shitty apartments. Whatever. Long as fucking Blaze is treating you right...”
She smiled. “He is. And you've come a long way too...”
I was about to grab his arm, press it between my breasts, a desperate little preview of all the ways I wanted to show him just how far he'd come. But the door to the meeting room swung open, and all the angry looking Devils came filing out.
Their President, Blaze, marched toward us like he was running on rocket fuel. Brass instantly tensed up, stepping out of my grasp. Saffron backed up toward the table, and I took a seat with Jackie, trying not to eavesdrop on the serious business unfolding behind me.
Well, good luck doing that. The men were right in front of me, and they looked like dynamite about to explode.
“Well? What's the word?” Brass asked.
“It's an aye. Unanimous. You're a sorry bastard, but you're fucking right. My boys and I can't risk watching the Grizzlies fall apart or become a damned front for the cartel to creep north. We'll help your asses out – on our terms.”
The thick tension melted. I turned, even as Saffron looked at me like I was nuts. She looked away, clearly marking the hard border she'd chosen to create between club business and family.
Brass and Blaze shook hands like two long bartering merchants finally making a deal. There was no smiling, none of the manly pats on the back I'd seen among brothers. It was a wartime alliance, a marriage of convenience, plain and simple. Nothing more.
“I'll have my guys bring that fucking video by and get it copied. We'll have it out to every Grizzlies charter as soon as Throttle gives the okay from Dakota,” Blaze said. “Better to head off the reinforcements to Redding before we've gotta fight 'em. Hope you're right about this shit making the other charters flip on Fang.”
“I am. You read my mind, Blaze.”
They shared a grunt, and then Blaze stepped up, grabbing Saffron and lifting her by the hand. “Come on, baby. Let's get his sidekicks some grub before they head to their rooms for the night.”
“Oh, no,” Saffron said, standing and shaking her head. “I'm not putting my own brother and his old lady up in that crappy lodge. It's a bad place for a little girl too.”
Blaze's eyes bugged out. “What the fuck are you saying, woman? You wanna bring 'em...?”
“The lake house. I knew you'd throw a fit if I said home, so I'm picking the next best thing. Seeing as we're not using it in the off season...”
“Jesus Christ.” Blaze pushed a hand through his spiky hair, going red in the face, as if he was trying to hold in a hurricane.
“Fuck. All right!” He turned to Brass. “You're welcome to stay at our favorite vacation spot. Might be safer anyway if any of the fucks from your club come milling around. Just don't –“
“I know how to behave myself, brother-in-law. I'll be a good boy. You don't need to worry about the girls neither. These ladies are always on their best behavior. I wouldn't dream of doing anything that would fuck up the new thing we've got here.”
They shared an icy stare. Finally, Blaze shook his head, growling as he threw up his arms and headed for the bar.
“Shit!” Saffron gave Br
ass an apologetic look and ran after him. “Let's get some fucking food, and then I want them outta my damned sight. There'll be time to play catch up with your bro and his chick after the heavy shit's over.”
I could practically hear her rolling her eyes. “Jesus, Blaze. Look, I know it'll be a late night for you, so I'll stay over with them and make sure nothing crazy happens.”
Brass looked at me and let out a laugh. I joined him. I wasn't sure how much Jackie followed what was going on, but she must have absorbed something. By the time Saffron returned holding some boxed up dinner for us, my sister was laughing harder than she had in months.
The cabin was beautiful. We ate an early dinner with Saffron and made small talk. Jackie and I weren't the only ones who had our stomachs twisted in knots any time someone mentioned family.
It was obvious Brass and his sister had suffered too. I knew they'd lost their mother to some other Grizzlies killers he'd fallen in with – but the way their eyes fell at the only mention of their mom all evening was all too familiar.
That evening, Saffron turned in early, helping set up a comfy room for Jackie downstairs. Brass and I sat on the porch, feeling the crisp bite of early spring on our faces. He stared out at the darkening lake's waters and the high ridges leading toward Glacier National Park beyond them.
“Damn. Just seeing it makes me want to go hiking, you know?” Speaking above a whisper felt like screaming in the nighttime stillness.
Brass laid a hand over my shoulder, pulled me close, dangerously close to his lap. “Didn't take you for the kinda girl who enjoys getting down and dirty in the woods. That park's got some nasty fucking bears too. Shelly and I used to head up there all the time 'til Ma couldn't make the trips anymore.”
I laughed. “I've dealt with more Grizzles than I ever thought I would. What's a few more? Some of them are really fucking nice when you get past all the teeth and claws.”
My hand slipped into his. I clenched my fingers tight around his. He closed his eyes and puffed dragon smoke into the cool air.
“Fuck, babe. You really wanna play with bears?” His eyes sparkled, drawing me in like they always did. I nodded. “Wrong answer.”
In a flash, his hands were on me, lifting me high and plopping me down on his lap. I felt the raging hard-on beneath his jeans instantly. Everything below my waist tingled, and the wetness was instant with my legs spread over his waist, splayed wide for the cool breeze and so much more.
“Brass...” I whispered. “Your sister's not even asleep yet...she's still banging around in the kitchen.”
Just past the screen door, a pot clanged, putting a big fat exclamation mark on what I'd said.
“I don't give a shit. Not 'til you choose the words coming outta those sweet fucking lips more carefully, babe. You wanna play with bears?” He pushed his forehead against mine. It was warm, pleasant. “Fuck that shit. You better tell me there's only one bear you spread those killer legs for. I'm not the sharing kinda guy. Instinct tells me to rip another dude's dick off if he even looks at what's mine, you know that?”
I shuddered. My tongue flicked against my lips, mischievous as the thoughts and desires soaring through my flesh. I wanted him, ached to my core for him, yearned in a way I hadn't known.
“Yeah?” I whispered. “What else does instinct tell you to do?”
His hands spread wider on my ass and then clenched it. His fingers dug in, hard enough to make me wriggle against him, pushing my clit over his dick through our jeans.
Holy shit. He was so fucking hard. Rough and eager as diamond, except diamond didn't feel so warm and smooth, and it sure wouldn't feel as good as him inside me.
Despite all the chaos, I'd remembered my pill. My pussy tingled, swelled, and ached a little more when I thought about pulling him up inside me without a condom.
Deep. Bare. Ready to surrender everything that was quintessentially his.
Fuck it. I couldn't be a good girl anymore, not when he was so close.
How was I seriously supposed to resist this? His hips ground against mine, pulling me closer, and resistance wasn't even on the radar when his lips found mine.
His tongue twined with mine and formed slippery, hypnotic, wonderful circles. I moaned into his mouth. It only encouraged him.
Brass grabbed my bottom lip with his teeth, sucking it deep into his mouth, flicking his thick, strong tongue over both our lips again and again. It was his trademark, a salacious preview of what was to come.
I reached between my legs and put my hand on his dick. He grunted. Smiling into the next kiss, I pushed my way around him harder, breath hitching when my clit pressed perfectly on his hardness through the denim.
Jesus, to hell with that denim! I wanted him to grab my waist and rip the jeans off right fucking now.
“Brass!” The screen door popped open and banged in its frame.
Mortified, I looked up at Saffron. Brass broke our latest kiss and shot his sister a look that could've cooled the sun. The brunette threw one hand over her mouth and barely stifled the humiliating laughter just in time.
“Well, I was going to ask if you two wanted some dessert...but it looks like you've beat me to the punch.”
Red hot blood filled my cheeks. I tried to look away, fighting to wriggle my way off him, but he wouldn't let go. His fingers stayed tight around my ass, painful reminders of sheer sex stopped in its tracks.
“Go back inside, sis. We'll be in after a little while.” Anger flowed through his voice. Not a shred of shame. “And yeah, keep something warm for us. Lemme guess – it's that patented brownie a la mode stuff, right?”
Saffron looked right at me and gave a curt nod. Oh, God. I thought I'd be sick right then and there, all my redness turning green now that my shame was complete.
“I'll keep it ready for you two.” One more wickedly knowing smile and she went back inside.
I slapped his chest so hard I heard the thud. “Let go of me!”
“You fucking kidding, babe?” he growled, tightening his grip until I couldn't move. “We haven't fucked for days. Shelly makes a mean fucking treat in her kitchen, but I'd give up ever tasting it again for one more taste of you. Right here, right now...”
“But Jackie's waiting for us,” I moaned, desperate to extinguish the guilty fire roaring inside me.
“She can wait a few more minutes. She's probably stuffing her face with brownie and loving it. Come on. Down by the lake.” His eyes narrowed. “Don't bullshit me, baby girl. I know you want this as bad as I do. Things are about to get a lot more fucked up before they get better. We gotta take advantage of these times together, you know?”
I nodded, wondering where he was going. He rocked his rock hard erection into me, raising his hips high enough to lift my whole body, and then I couldn't wonder about anything at all.
I came undone. His dick made me want to jerk and moan like a madwoman, igniting a temporary insanity any courtroom would've approved.
Warm, hot breath poured into my ear. His stubble raked my neck, prickly and masculine. Sexy as hell? Oh, yeah.
Damn! There was that heat again, thawing the glacial shame in my veins, becoming the filthiest kind of lust.
“I'm making sure Fang and his psychos are dead one way or another. Don't know if I'll walk out alive when the big showdown comes.” He kissed my neck, right in the middle, giving me a shudder that silenced all the worries his words wanted to stir. “Only one thing's clear: I'm not leaving this fucking planet without having you as much as I can. I don't care if I die tomorrow with lead in my chest, or in my sleep when I'm a decrepit old bastard. We're fucking, babe. Fucking on demand. Fucking day and night. Fucking to remind you you're my old lady, and you're never gonna get claimed half as hard as when I'm between your legs, filling your pussy, no matter what the fuck happens from here. Come on. Live and learn. Let's fuck.”
By the time he whispered those last two words, I was a shaking, sweating, sopping wet mess in his hands. My hips were moving on their own, shifting a
gainst him again and again, every nerve screaming to be fucked while my stupid head tried to say no.
He wasn't hearing anything without me underneath him anymore. It took me a minute to realize he'd picked me up, and we were heading toward the thick trees near the lake. He carried me in his arms through the cool evening air, into the wilder darkness.
It got a lot cooler when he laid me out on the big flat boulder near the water. It was the perfect height for him to stand between my legs and grind while he sucked and kissed at my throat, like the Earth decided to put it there thousands of years ago just for us.
This is crazy, I thought, shaking my head. Absolutely fucking –
Crazy.
No, crazy was his tongue, sliding down my shoulder as he pulled at my shirt. He was already tearing at my bra strap by the time it was over my head. My breasts popped out into the cool night air, and my right nipple slid into his mouth.
The temperature couldn't have been much higher than the fifties, but I was burning up each time his tongue circled, bowing and dipping, hungrily lapping at my flesh. My nipples softened in his mouth. God, my hips were still rocking, bucking up and down on any part of him they could find.
“Brass!” I reached for his head and scratched through his hair until he looked up. “I need you inside me. Please.”
He looked at me like I'd just granted his deepest, dirtiest wish. Maybe I had. All I knew was I'd never seen anyone undress so fast.
His cut, shirt, jeans, and boxers came off one after another, piling on the ground beneath us. His dark tattoos glistened beneath the moonlight, and it looked like the ferocious bear snarling on his chest was doing an angry dance when he moved for my bottoms.
“Pick your sweet ass up, babe. These are coming right the fuck off.”
He wasn't kidding. The instant my butt was up, the jeans were gone, and he tore away my panties in a fistful.
“Oh, God.” I whispered to the moon and the stars, a prayer, all I could do to keep sane in the dark calm before he fucked me deep, skin-on-skin for the first time.
