by Debra Kayn
"Plus, Olin lives only a couple houses down from yours." Sydney clicked her tongue. "That's convenient."
"Hm." She looked over to the garage, still shut up tight.
Sydney nudged her with her elbow. "What? It's not a good thing?"
The only people she confided in about her doubts regarding her relationship with Olin were Lindsay and Johanna. Olin was a private person, even with his relatives. That meant most people could only assume the status of their relationship.
"It's a wonderful thing when our schedules mash, but the new job and him being gone for a week pushed us off our normal schedule." She shook her head to soften her complaints to more of a nuisance. "I was hoping we'd be able to spend time together tonight but we came here, and he disappeared into the garage."
Sydney wrinkled her nose. "It's still early."
"For you." Ashley rubbed her arms. "I'm in bed by nine o'clock most nights. I'm old."
"Oh, stop that. I've seen you at the parties here. You can go all night." Sydney pointed. "The garage door opened. Let's walk closer. Maybe the guys will see us and call it an early night."
She walked toward the garage. A small group of men gathered outside and quieted as she and Sydney came into view. She spotted Olin in the center, and he lifted his chin, calling her forward.
Sharing a smile with Sydney over getting time with their men, they parted, and she headed toward Olin. Shore, one of the single Brikken members grinned at her. She gave him a little wave.
"Waiting for me?" Shore swept off his skullcap and stepped between her and Olin. He was such a flirt.
"In your dreams." She laughed softly. "How are you doing?"
"Better now that you're here." Shore winked. "Are you sticking around for a while?"
"Keep your pie-hole shut toward my woman, Shore." Olin's gravelly voice came across loud enough everyone heard him, including Ashley.
She blew out her breath. Men.
Looking at Shore, she said, "I have a feeling we're going to take off, but it depends on Olin."
"Shore," roared Olin.
From years of loving Olin, she knew when to step back. Barely escaping Shore's body as Olin tackled him, she turned from the chaos that always came from Olin. It was cute when she was a teenager to know he was prone to having a jealous streak. Twenty-odd years later, seeing him hurt others, hurt himself, and hurt their time together got old.
She walked away from the yelling, the slap of knuckles hitting bare skin. After all the tremulous years with Olin, him fighting over her only added to her irritation.
It would be easier for Olin to have come to her side and taken her home. Flirting with her and irritating Olin was Shore's favorite pastime. There was no reason for their conflict to blow up into a full-blown fight.
It seemed half the men of Brikken went out of their way to instigate a fight with Olin. Why Olin had to take the bait was beyond her rationale.
It was as if he had a death wish.
Ever since some enemy of Brikken stabbed him in the chest when they were first dating, and Olin almost died, he'd lived life believing he was invincible. His quick temper wreaked havoc for her.
She stopped at the motorcycle and looked back at the garage. The men had formed a circle. She suspected Olin was in the middle of the crowd, fighting and drawing all the attention.
She swallowed hard. Fighting always got him worked up.
When he got worked up, he wanted sex.
Her lower stomach fluttered. When he wanted sex, she benefitted.
One of them had to break the habit of always falling into bed.
"Ash," bellowed Olin.
She turned around and yelled, "Who's going to take me home?"
"Damnit, woman." Olin grunted in pain. "Don't you go one more foot away from—"
Olin roared, and two dark shapes fell to the ground. She tossed her arms in the air in defeat. He couldn't even answer her because he was too busy fighting.
A small figure circled the group and came closer to Ashley. She squinted into the dark. It was Sydney coming toward her.
Sydney waved her hand in the air. "Come on. I'm taking you home."
Ashley jogged across the field and slowed to a walk beside her friend. "Olin's only going to get angry that you're helping me."
"Jett told me to get you out of here, and I know him well enough, he'll keep his brother from taking it out on you—not that Olin would, I'm just saying, you don't need to be around them fighting." Sydney pointed to the truck. "Hop in. It's unlocked."
Grateful for the help, she slid into the crew cab and stared over at the men in front of the garage. All she wanted was Olin, and once again, he'd disappointed her. When was he going to get it through his stubborn head that he had to stop fighting every time she came around the Brikken members?
Chapter Nine
Warmth covered Ashley's back, and weight came around her, holding her down. She jerked fully awake, having only dozed off moments ago.
The rough caress of a beard tickled her bare shoulder quickly identifying the person in bed with her. She stretched her legs, unable to roll away from Olin.
"You broke into my house?" she whispered, not wanting to wake Lindsay across the hallway. "I locked both doors."
"You sleep with your window open." He kissed her neck. "Almost broke my fucking neck climbing up to the second story when the gutter broke away."
She sighed, closing her eyes, letting the pleasure of his mouth settle on her. "You're going to fix the gutter."
"Right." He licked her skin and pressed his hard cock against her ass. "First thing tomorrow. Now, roll over and give me some loving, Ash. I need you."
Never able to deny herself the pleasure of being with him, she rolled to her back. The light from the attached bathroom cast enough light on Olin's face, she gasped at the destruction on his beautiful face.
"You're an idiot," she murmured, tenderly trailing her fingers over the swelling under his eye and over the strip of tape holding his bulging eyebrow together. "Did you kill Shore?"
"Nah. He's still breathing." He lowered his mouth and captured her lips, stopping her from asking more questions.
She lowered her hands from his face and reached under his T-shirt, needing his skin against her.
He sat up, removed his vest, his shirt, and stood from the bed. Accustomed to the shadows in the bedroom, she watched him bend at the waist and remove his boots, then his jeans and boxers.
"You're sexy, even when you're all beat up," she whispered, stretching her arms above her head.
He stepped toward the bed. She lifted the blanket, a shiver running through her.
Olin settled between her legs and braced his weight on his elbows. She snaked her arms around his upper body. He had the ability to wreck her from the first moment she laid eyes on him, and that skill remained through the years.
He came to her strong, determined, and put her on an impossible pedestal. One that she lived on every single day since, afraid of falling off. And, he somehow made sure she remained in his life despite the clawing and fighting always going on with them.
"I love you," she whispered. "I don't think you'll ever know how much."
"Then, move in with me." He hovered over her. "Let me take care of you. Stop waiting until everything is perfect between us. We're good together." He pressed his cock at her entrance. "Damn good together, Ash. Feel it."
Emotions clogged her throat. The doubts she had always disappeared when they were together.
She swallowed. "What if—?"
"Shut up." His gaze intensified. "Stop the what if's. I've been listening to them for a lifetime, and that shit doesn't matter. We will stay together, regardless of what happens. I will take you away from any man who tries to come between us. Proven that, Ash."
"But, what if I can't have—?"
"We'll never know unless we try." His gaze softened. "If we're meant to have a kid, you'll get pregnant. If not, I have you, and that's more than I deserve."
She'd
stopped using birth control when she'd turned thirty-five because of the risks. Six months ago, she'd stopped asking Olin to use a condom after another argument about having kids and moving in with him, and let fate take control. The only person happy about the decision was him. She only worried that she'd waited too long.
Maybe her fertile years were behind her. Maybe it was the universe's answer that bringing a child into an on again/off again relationship wasn't smart. Maybe the negativity she battled encompassed the rest of her life.
But, she loved deeply. Deeper than most people. Olin understood her love for him.
Olin plunged his hips forward, and his cock entered her. Overcome with needing to tell him she trusted him. She loved him. She wanted their dreams to come true. She thrust upward, holding his gaze. She couldn't live without him.
She'd tried before and ended up miserable.
No matter if they fought every single day because that passion, that anger, that frustration came from deep within her heart, she had never wanted someone or something as bad as she wanted Olin.
She suffocated without him. He gave her air to breathe. Only with him was she complete.
He lowered his forehead and thrust, withdrew, plunged. She locked her feet behind his knees and met him with every move.
His breathing filled the room. She moaned at the assault on her body, winding her up.
"Oh, God," she said on a hiss.
She clutched his upper body and lifted her head off the pillow, burying her face in the crook of his neck. Squeezing her eyes closed, she gave all her senses the freedom to have what she wanted without any repercussions.
"Damnit, Ash." Olin thrust and grunted. "Stop."
She shook her head and panted. "I'm not."
"Let it go." He raised himself to his hands and pounded into her harder.
She clawed at him and dug her heels into his legs, throwing her body against his. Thinking wasn't allowed. Worrying wasn't smart. Knowing Olin understood what was in her head without her saying a word was the most wonderful thing in the world, even if he fought with her while she was on the verge of an orgasm.
Because she was part of something bigger than herself, she was Olin's woman. She had a place in his world, and he'd always, always belonged to her.
"That's it," he whispered, grinding against her.
She arched, taken higher and higher by him. Loving how he was the only one who could draw her away from herself and let her have what she wanted.
Her lower stomach tightened, and she lost control, bucking against him until she unraveled. Her pussy squeezed him, and he buried his cock into her fully, letting her love take everything from him.
Olin lowered his upper body and cupped her head in his hands. "Love you more than I can say, Ash."
"I know," she whispered. "I love you, too. With my whole heart."
"Don't mean to make you crazy." He kissed the end of her nose. "Crazier."
"Me?" She scoffed. "You're the one who beat up Shore and didn't even realize I'd left."
He pushed off her. "Hell, woman, I saw Sydney drive off with you."
"You didn't come after me." She sat up and scuttled to the bathroom.
Turning on the shower, she caught sight of herself in the mirror and groaned. She'd come home from the clubhouse and had fallen into bed, exhausted and upset over their fight, and left her makeup on.
She stepped under the water and washed the evidence off of Olin coming inside of her. Knowing she had to get up in a few hours for work, she washed her hair. In the middle of rinsing the suds off her, Olin's arms circled her from behind.
"Don't get your bandage wet." She turned in his arms and kissed him. "You need to take better care of yourself."
"I want you to take care of me," he said.
"If I'm late for work, it's your fault."
"You've got a few hours." He squeezed her ass. "Wash me, and I'll lay back down with you and make sure you get up in time."
She stepped over to the edge of the walk-in shower and grabbed a washcloth off the shelf. "Are you working an early shift at the club?"
He was often needed at odd hours in the garage where Brikken worked on motorcycles. She was never allowed to know exactly what kind of business the club dealt with, but she'd been around long enough to know that members were often arrested and put in prison for the activities Brikken was involved in.
She'd supported Olin as he'd watched his dad and his oldest brother serve time in the state penitentiary.
That risk of Olin getting in trouble and being taken away worried her. It was another problem that always made her hesitant to fully commit her life to him. What if he got arrested and she was left alone?
"Yeah, I'll be at the clubhouse all day." He shook the water from his long hair and ran his hand down his bushy beard, expelling the droplets. "I'll be around after you get off work. I expect you in my bed at my house tonight."
"Oh, you do?" She pulled his beard, loving how every month that passed lately seemed to bring out more gray.
"We don't have to be quiet over there, because your sister will be over here." He walked out of the shower and handed a towel back to her. "Don't put anything on. I want you naked."
She huffed. "Can you ever just stand back and see what I do? Maybe I wasn't going to wear anything."
"You're cold." He lowered his gaze to her breasts. "You always throw on a shirt to get warm."
Annoyance erupted from her throat. "Do not."
God, she usually covered herself because that was the sensible thing to do and when Olin was gone, it was the only way to warm herself.
She marched past him and slid into bed, taking all the covers. He chuckled. His weight dipped the mattress, and he pulled her against his front, ripping the blanket out of her hands, and recovering them both.
Sighing in pleasure, she closed her eyes. "Don't forget to make sure I get up when my alarm goes off."
She always slept like the dead with Olin. Alarms, phones, and even yelling couldn't wake her up. She thanked her parents for making her childhood a continual battle. It was her escape during the late-night arguments and the slamming doors at three o'clock in the morning.
With Olin beside her, she received the best sleep of her life. Deep. Dreamless. Energizing.
He kissed the back of her head. "Go to sleep."
"Olin, I can't be late—"
"Sleep."
Relaxed and content in his arms, she said, "Fine."
Olin's body relaxed. Smiling into her pillow, she couldn't let herself forget to leave a note for Lindsay letting her know she'd be at Olin's house tomorrow night.
Chapter Ten
Jett leaned back in the chair in the meeting room of the clubhouse and kept his hands on his thighs. Olin shoved away from the table, unable to take the news sitting down. The list of parts he'd found at Shechanics the other day was written on a piece of paper on the table.
"You're sure they were unmarked parts?" asked Jett.
He stared at his brother. The question didn't deserve an answer. He'd grown up under Chief's tutelage, putting stolen parts on bikes from the time he could hold a wrench. He could spot chopped parts with his eyes closed.
Jett stood and crossed his arms. "How well do you know the owners?"
"Met them a couple of times." Olin rolled his lips over his teeth.
Ashley would have the information he needed. From what she'd shared with him, she already suspected the odd times of the deliveries were worth noting. Though, he assumed she hadn't played with the idea that her bosses were using stolen parts on the vehicles they worked on and pocketing a good chunk of change.
But, his woman was smart. It wouldn't take her long to figure out the books she was asked to keep were a false front. Before that happened, he hoped to convince her to let him take care of her. There was no reason for her to be working a demanding job when she could be spending more time with him and enjoying the protection Brikken could offer her.
That way she'd feel more co
mfortable with her decision. Finding out she worked with crooked people would infuriate her. She'd lose her temper, and he wanted her far away from Shechanics in case of any blowback.
"Can you get closer and find their source?" asked Jett.
"Yeah, but there's Ashley." Tension filled his body. "You know well enough, she's going to question why I'm hanging out at her work."
Jett sniffed in amusement. "She'll smack them down if she believes you're flirting with them."
Olin grinned. Ashley wasn't jealous. She owned him. That's what he loved about her. There wasn't a man alive who didn't want a passionate woman marking her territory, and he let her have her moments because he liked the reminder of who belonged to him.
He scratched underneath his beard. "I'll figure something out."
"How long will it take?"
Brikken needed a new supplier since Krondy, and his crew quit. The last thing they needed was a delay in shipments. If whoever was dealing with Shechanics could handle a bigger load for more money with Brikken, he'd steal their middleman.
His plan to make a presence where Ashley worked, to make sure she remained safe, took a curve when he'd spotted the boxes. Coupled with Ashley's curious question about late-night deliveries, he was a hundred percent sure they were chopping some of their parts.
"It'll take what it takes." He stood and walked toward the door. "I'll let you know what I find out when I find out."
He walked down the hallway and out of the clubhouse. As president of Brikken, his older brother needed information to continue the business that supported over three hundred and fifty members, plus their families. Olin's job was to make sure the shipments were made on time, and there was no link back to Brikken.
Outside, he almost ran into Thorn. His younger brother frowned and pushed away from Olin.
"Hey." Olin grabbed his arm. "What's up?"
Thorn inhaled deeply. "I'm losing it, bro."
Easy going and rarely keyed up, Thorn scanned the fence line. Olin followed his gaze. "Talk."
