Jackal (Heartlands Motorcycle Club Book 12)

by Frankie Love

  I'm on my back, my head on his pillow, and I roll my head to the side, breathing him in. He smells like cedar and oil and metal. He smells like a man I want to know forever. He smells like a man that is already mine.

  I look up at him and he's smiling down at me. He looks at me like I'm the most beautiful thing in the whole world, like he'll never hurt me. He'll never let me go. And it causes my whole body to relax, to sink into his bed. As he parts my knees and moves his hand to my center, touching me so softly, it has me gasping for breath.

  "I want to taste you," he tells me. "I want to see if you taste as good as your kiss, like strawberries and ice cream. Sweet. So damn sweet."

  I moan slowly as he dips his mouth to my center, licking me up and down. And I shake. My belly tenses. My legs fall. He pulls my hips to the edge of the bed and he kneels before me on the floor. I wrap my legs around his head and he runs his tongue up and down me so slow. So, so slow. It has me panting. It has me clenching the sheets with my hands as he moves his mouth over me, blowing hot air, his tongue circling my clit and I feel like I'm on fire, but melting at the exact same time.

  It's so sexy to be kissed like this, down there. My body opens for him, and I feel my juice as it leaves my body. As he licks it up, tickling me, causing me to giggle and cover my face as an orgasm begins to roll from my toes to my fingertips. I moan in pleasure, "Oh God, Jackal. Oh, oh God."

  I run my hands through his hair as he begins to finger me nice and slow.

  "You're so hot," he tells me. "Your center is so damn hot and tight." He chuckles, shaking his head. "My cock isn’t going to..."

  I bite my bottom lip. "It'll fit. I mean, we'll have to make it fit because I need you inside of me, Jackal. I mean it."

  He laughs. "Fuck, baby, when you came against my mouth, you tasted so good."

  I smile as he moves up against me in the bed, his hands on my body and my hips, pulling me close. I wrap my legs around him. Loving the way our skin feels pressed together tight.

  "I did?” I ask. “You really liked it?”

  He nods, “You taste so fucking good, Lydia. I feel like the luckiest man in the goddamn world."

  "Stop it," I say. "You're making me blush."

  "And I'm making you wet," he says, his hands between my legs fingering me so damn slow.

  I moan again. "Oh, God. I want you in me," I say. “Peaches told me I would know you were a good lover if you got me off before you asked me to get you off.”

  He laughs. "You talked to Peaches about me? What did you say?"

  I smile. "I told her I wanted you to be my first and my only."

  He groans. "Fuck, sweetheart. You know how nice that sounds?"

  I nod. "I do. I do, Jackal. I do know."

  He rolls on top of me and I open my legs for him. I'm scared it's going to hurt. But he looks at me so tenderly, kissing my nose and my cheeks and my forehead. "We'll go slow, together."

  I nod, knowing he wants to take good care of me, and I want him to. I want him to grow into the man he can be, the man I believe he already is. He opens me up with his hands and he eases his cock, his big, thick cock between my legs. My pussy is wet and willing, ripe. His.

  I press my lips together, scared of the pain that I'm sure is going to come. But when he fills me up inch by inch, it's not the sort of ache I expected. It's deeper. So deep inside my heart, it brings tears to my eyes. "Oh, Jackal," I gasp. "I need you." I wrap my arms around his neck, not wanting any space between us at all.

  And he holds me close, cradling me as we begin to gently rock together, our bodies one, our hearts pulsing, our cores awake and alive.

  "Oh, baby," he says, breathing hot air against my ear, sending waves of desire through me in a way that is deeper than I anticipated, more full, more real, complete.

  "Oh, Jackal," I moan and then I laugh against him. "I don't even know your first name."

  "It's Vincent," he says.

  "Really?" I say. "Jackal suits you better, I think.”

  “And you suit me," he says as I thread my fingers through his hair, the scruff of his jaw against my cheek, and we move together faster, our skin slick with sweat and need, the pulsing heat of his body filling mine, unraveling me. Not ruining me. Not one bit.

  "Fuck," he says, "I'm going to come."

  "Me too," I moan. "I'm coming now." I gasp, arching my back. Rolling on top of him as the orgasm moves through me in a way that has me shaking. I straddle him, pressing my hand to his chest as he thrusts deep.

  We come together, and when we finish, his come filling me up, I swear there are tears in his eyes. I kiss him hard, my hands on both his cheeks. He smells so good. He feels so good.

  My thumbs brush the tears away. "Fuck," he says, "That was incredible. You are incredible."

  I smile, knowing my eyes are filled with those same salty tears. "I love you, Vincent Jackal," I say. "I do."

  He grins up at me. "Good, baby, because I've been meaning to tell you that for the whole damn year."

  Jackal

  We fall asleep at some point and I wake up starving. I roll over, looking at her lying in my bed, the face of an angel, the heart of a saint. "You hungry?" I ask her.

  She nods sleepily, "Very, actually." Her eyelashes flutter open and her baby blue eyes meet mine. "That was everything I could have ever imagined," she tells me, running her hand over my bare arm. "Thank you for that. For this."

  "So, what happens next?" I ask her.

  She smiles. "We find some burgers and fries, maybe a shake." She gives me a smile and I laugh.

  "That sounds great,” I tell her.

  “I don't want to be out too late. I didn't tell Ruby I was staying over and to call her now, I just feel like I'd be worrying her. It's after 10 and she's probably headed to bed already.”

  I raise my eyebrows, "Really? Do you go to bed that early?"

  She smirks. "Actually, her and Ranger, they're having another baby. I just found out. So maybe you shouldn't tell anyone. I don't know if it's a secret, but anyways, it's been wiping her out, I think."

  "Wow. That's great," I say, wondering if Lydia wants a baby one day. I could picture her belly swollen, her tits huge, carrying our child. Before that, I'd have to make her my bride.

  "What are you thinking?" she asks as she slips on her dress.

  "Oh, I'm thinking that I don't want to let you go."

  "You aren't. You're just driving me home."

  "I'm going to jump in the shower real quick," I tell her. "And then we can head out. Sound okay?"

  "Sounds great," she says. "I'm just going to text Ruby and let her know."

  I take a quick shower, not wanting to wash away any of Lydia. When I'm all cleaned up, we head out to my bike and I squeeze her ass before she jumps on, wrapping those arms around my waist, holding tight. When we get to the burger shack, the sky is pitch dark and the tables that are scattered around the lawn are filled with people out on a Saturday night.

  We walk up to the counter and place an order. When she asks for a strawberry shake, I'm not surprised because that's exactly how Lydia tastes. We get our food, eat our burgers and fries, and talk about our plans for the rest of the summer.

  "There's not much left of it," she says. "But I would like to go out to Battleground Grove. Have you ever been there? It's a state park and I hear there are some really cool spots for photos."

  "What kind of photos do you want to take? Portraits?" I ask her, trying to get a feel for her plans for her life.

  "Yeah. I want to take pictures of families, happy families, or really just anyone, just to capture a moment when someone's smiling, when someone's day has just been made. I feel like that'd be really special to be a part of. People hang those kinds of photos up in their houses, over their fireplace, and look at them every day. The idea of being a part of that happiness seems really rewarding."

  "I like that," I say. "And I get what you mean. Even though I'm just fixing cars, it is satisfying knowing that I am making something work better
than it did when it came in. And I really like it when a car is totally broken down and the owner's lost hope and thinks that they're going to have to replace the whole damn thing. And then somehow I get it running again. That makes me feel like I'm doing something that matters."

  "I never thought of it like that," Lydia says. "But yeah, that makes a lot of sense. You like what you do?"

  I nod. "Yeah, I love it. I grew up around bikes, so I'm really comfortable with them. But when I was in juvie, we had these auto shop classes and I learned about cars too. And, while they're not my first love, I really do like it."

  "So, your dad or someone, they ride a bike too when you were little?" she asks me.

  I run a hand through my hair. "Well, the thing is I never knew my dad. But my mom, she was married to this guy, my stepdad. He was, well, he was in a motorcycle club."

  "Really?" Lydia says.

  "Yeah, and the thing is, he's why I went and got locked up."

  "What happened?" she asks, setting her hand on mine.

  "If I tell you, Lydia…" I shake my head, "I ought to tell you. After what we just did at my place, I figure it's only fair for you to know the real truth about me. Then you can make up your mind on your own with all the facts."

  "You're kind of scaring me," she says.

  "I know. And I'm sorry it has to be like that, but the truth is I got locked up because my stepdad and I, we got in a big fight and he ended up dead."

  Lydia covers her mouth. "Oh my God, Jackal."

  "Yeah, we fought a lot. He was real mean to my mom. He'd knock her around real bad and hurt her. You know that phrase, ‘loyalty to a fault’? That was my mom. She would never walk away from the man who put a roof over her head. But I wish she would have because he made our lives a living hell. He hurt her until the day he died. And I don't regret that, what I did."

  "What did you do?"

  "I killed him. It was self-defense. And since I was only 14 at the time..."

  "Oh my God, you were just a child," Lydia says.

  "I know. But I'd seen things, kind of like how you’ve seen things. And it wasn't my intention that night. I came home, he was hurting my mom real bad. She was all bloody, beat up. He had thrown bottles everywhere. The place was a mess. He was on a rampage. He was a drunk and a mean one at that. And we got into it. I was mad at him for what he was doing to my mother. And he was mad that I was getting in between them. We started fighting and he fell after I punched him. The corner of the countertop cracked his head. And he was gone. Since I wasn't an adult, I got sent to juvie instead of the slammer. And that was my saving grace. It was manslaughter instead of murder, a fight that ended up with him dead, and a plea deal to lower the sentence. At 18, I got out. I was free, but it didn't feel like it. I'd already lost everything. My mom eventually forgave me, but things had changed for her. She lost so much after Rooster died.”

  "Is she still alive?" Lydia asks.

  "No," I say. "She passed away a few years ago. It was about that time I started feeling real lost. I'd been working at auto shops here and there, but I wanted to get away. I needed to start over, so I left California and headed east."

  "You didn't get very far though, did you?" Lydia says.

  "No. I'd always heard about the Heartlands growing up. And I knew there was a California chapter, but I just wanted to get a bit farther than that, a bit farther away from home, so I ended up here."

  "I'm glad you came here. I'm glad I found you, that you found us. And I know you said you don't have family, but maybe you're wrong about that. Because, Jackal, doesn't the Heartlands feel like a family?"

  I nod. "It does. And you know, Ranger said the same thing to me earlier today. He said I need to get over my past and get ready for my future because it's coming for me whether I like it or not."

  "But do you like it?" Lydia asks. "Do you like this idea of a future?"

  I laugh, slowly shaking my head. "Had you asked me a few months ago, I don't think I would have been ready. Hell, a few days ago, even. But now, after this, us, hell, Lydia, I want to make a life with you."

  We put our food away and get back on the bike. I drive her home and I kiss her lips, saying goodbye, hating to see her go but knowing that I'll see her again.

  In the morning, my phone rings, waking me up. I try to look up the number, not recognizing it.

  But when I answer the call, my blood goes cold, my heart goddamn stops.

  Ranger's on the line. "I’m calling about Lydia," he says. "Is she with you?"

  “No. Not since last night.”

  “She never came home last night," Ranger says.

  "Yes, she did," I say. "I dropped her off around 11."

  "She's not here now," he says.

  I get out of bed, reaching for my jeans. "She's not here, I'm telling you, Ranger. She was, and then we went and got something to eat and I took her home."

  "Shit," Ranger says. "I don't have a good feeling about this."

  My heart goes cold. Truth is, neither do I.

  Lydia

  Jackal hasn't been gone that long when I hear a bike out front. I know it isn't Ranger and Ruby. They said goodnight to me when I got home.

  It has to be Jackal. Maybe he wants to see me again, so I get out of bed, smiling at the thought of it, tiptoeing to the back door and letting myself out. I’m in a long nightgown, my bare feet on the grass, and I squint, trying to see who it is.

  When I get close enough, I realize it isn't Jackal at all. It isn't anyone I know, certainly not someone from the Heartlands. The man has a large scar across his face and eyes written with pain that I don't want to understand. He scares me in a way I’ve only ever felt when my father was trying to sell me to Slider.

  “There she is,” he hisses. “Get her, Welder.”

  Before I know what’s happening, another biker has wrapped something around my mouth, blindfolded me, and shoved me into a car. My hands are bound and I’m in a trunk with no idea of where I am going. Even though I can't see, I cry for help, but I don't know where I am. I only know I’m not home, I’m not with Jackal, and that’s the only place I want to be. I don't cry long though, because fear takes the best of me. Whoever is doing this, whoever is trying to hurt me, they will pay. They will.

  I close my eyes, squeezing them shut even though everything is pitch dark. I tell myself it’s going to be okay. I didn't come this far, didn't have a night like I just had, only to lose it all. I'm kidnapped and alone but I'm not losing faith because I have hope. Even as I'm pulled out of the trunk, shoved into an empty room with a gun pointed at me, I refuse to fall apart.

  I love Jackal and he loves me. Maybe this is the end. And if it is, I'll have gone out without any regrets.

  "We know you're connected with the Heartlands. We've been watching you,” Welder seethes.

  "Me?" I say. "What do I have to do with anything? I don't know anyone. I'm nothing."

  “You're a little whore, that's what you are, sleeping around with Vinny."

  "Vinny?" I say, thinking back to Vincent Jackal. He told me his real name, his first name. "What do you want with him?"

  "Oh, we're holding you hostage until he shows up and then we're going to kill him."

  "Why? Why do you want him dead?" I ask. The tears are now threatening to fall again but I blink them back, refusing to let this man see me cry.

  "Because he needs to pay for what he's done."

  "And what did he do?"

  "He killed Rooster, our president."

  I shake my head, still not understanding. His dad, his stepdad, was their club president? I look at the men, trying to understand, and then I see the logo on the one of the men's jackets. It's a devil with blue horns. They're the Blue Devils. I've heard of them. Ranger's been talking about them, he and Conley both.

  Crap. I knew Jackal had a bad past but I didn't realize this was the motorcycle club he'd betrayed. "Don't hurt him. You can do anything you want to me. You can kill me but don't lay a hand on Jackal.”

  In my
head, I'm thinking he's been through too much.

  But they just laugh. "Why don't you give him a call, sweetheart, and let him know how you really feel?" They shove a phone in my hand and force me to call Jackal. He picks up right away.

  "Jackal," I say, “it's Lydia."

  “Baby, where are you? What happened?"

  "I'm okay," I say, looking at the man who’s pointing a gun at me. "I'm really okay. You don't need to worry about me."

  "What do you mean 'you don't need to worry'?"

  "Just… I'll be home soon," I say.

  Behind me, a man hisses. "You going to let her say that?" he asks.

  "Welder," one man asks the other. "You're going to let her lie to him?"

  Welder grunts, "You tell him the truth or I will."

  I shake my head, not wanting Jackal to come here. I don't want anything to happen to him.

  Welder grabs the phone from my hand. "You get here, to the Blue Devil headquarters, or I kill her." He hangs up the phone, not saying any more, and a cold shudder runs through me.

  "What happens now?" the guy asks Welder.

  "Now we wait." He sucks in air, licking his teeth. He's foul-smelling and he looks like a monster. His cheeks are slashed with scars, his hair greasy, and he’s dressed in leather that's never been cleaned. "We wait till Vinny shows up and then we have some real fun," he cackles, and I close my eyes.

  Whenever I think about Jackal it’s like a dream, but this? It’s a nightmare.

  And I'm so scared to wake up.

  13

  Jackal

  Hearing her voice on the phone scares the shit out of me. The Blue Devils have her.

  Fuck, I should have known it.

  I look at Ranger and Conley. Everybody was already planning on meeting at Ride or Die this morning before we headed out on our ride, but plans have certainly changed.