1001 Dark Nights: Bundle Fourteen

by Kristen Ashley

  “You’re a ray of sunshine, Bone.”

  “I do my best.”

  Two hours later, I was definitely enjoying myself. Heath’s mom had taken the kids home, giving me and my sister a rare girls’ night out. Now I had a nice buzz going, and when Hannah suggested putting some change in the jukebox and dancing, I was all over it.

  We spent the next ten minutes studying every song, even though I knew all of them by heart. She liked country, which was just ludicrous. Fortunately, Bone loved classic rock, so there were some alternatives.

  I argued with her just for fun, but eventually we managed to agree on a playlist. Well, most of a playlist. Hannah had insisted on “Wicked Game” so she and Heath could slow dance. Stupid slow dances, reminding me that ultimately I was alone. I’ll just go to the bathroom when it comes on, I decided as the first song started to play.

  It’d been a long time since Hannah and I had gone dancing, and I’d forgotten how much it kicked ass. We laughed and drank and probably made total dorks of ourselves. I didn’t care. It felt good to let go, and I was having so much fun that when Wicked Game started, I wasn’t even annoyed with her anymore.

  I could use some fresh air, anyway.

  “You’re a slut,” I told Hannah, bumping her shoulder with mine as Heath caught her up in his arms. Then I grabbed my beer, chugging it as I watched them, the sexy music washing through me. Standing there alone, I admitted the truth.

  I missed Shade.

  “Hey,” said a low voice in my ear. I turned to find him behind me. He’d obviously just come in from a long ride, with his cheeks all windburned and that fierce look in his eyes that I’d come to love.

  “Hey,” I answered, moving toward him. Shade reached around the back of my head, pulling me in for a long, hard kiss that would’ve knocked up a lesser woman.

  “You’re pretty full of yourself,” I murmured when the kiss finally ended. His hands slid down my back, one wrapping around my waist while the other cupped my ass as the music washed over us.

  “I hear it’s a big day,” he murmured, swaying with me as Chris Isaak wailed about not wanting to fall in love. “Guess this means you’re finally free.”

  “That’s me,” I said lightly. “Free as a bird.”

  Shade pulled away and looked down at me, a shadow crossing his face. “Let’s go outside.”

  Catching my hand, he pulled me toward the back of the bar. Sara gave me a wink as we passed by, and I giggled, feeling silly. What’d been a good night was about to get better and I couldn’t bring myself to regret that—not for a minute.

  Shade pushed through the door and then we were on the back porch. He stepped over to the picnic table and sat down, leaning back against it. I gave him a sexy smile and straddled him. Then I wrapped my arms around his neck.

  “I like this table,” I said, pressing my breasts against his chest.

  “We need to talk,” Shade said slowly. “I have a present for you.”

  I perked up. “A present?”

  He smiled. “Yeah, a present. I sold that motorcycle today.”

  “What motorcycle?” I asked, confused.

  “The one that Rebel tried to trade you for. I sold it.”

  “Nice,” I said. “So what’s my present? Let me guess, is it in your pants?”

  Shade laughed, then shook his head.

  “Nope, it’s right here. Lean back.”

  I did, watching as he reached into his vest and pulled out an envelope. Then he handed it to me. “Congratulations on finishing your probation.”

  Smiling, I opened it and froze. There was money in there. A lot of it. Hundred dollar bills.

  “What the hell is this?” I whispered, looking back up at him.

  “It’s the money from the bike,” he said, his voice serious. “I want you to have it.”

  “I’m not a whore,” I told him, feeling almost sick to my stomach.

  “I know,” Shade replied. “But now that you’re free, I wanted you to have some traveling money. Options.”

  “That’s crazy. This isn’t mine.”

  “Yeah, it is, and you’re going to take it.”

  “Fuck you, Shade.”

  “You can use it to buy me breakfast tomorrow.”

  I blinked at him, feeling sick as the words sunk in. I’d known it was coming. He’d never pretended otherwise, but I’d always assumed that Future Me could handle it.

  Now I wasn’t so sure.

  I swallowed, then licked my lips. His eyes followed the movement and I felt his cock hardening between my legs. Jesus. Here he was dumping me and the guy still wanted to get laid. And wasn’t I just the dumb bunny, because even knowing he was leaving me, I’d still sleep with him tonight. I’d take as much of him as I could get. Somewhere along the line he’d turned into something more than a one-night stand.

  Too bad he didn’t feel the same way about me.

  “So,” I said. “This is it.”

  “Will you take the money?”

  “Yeah,” I whispered, feeling sick. “I mean, I shouldn’t, but…”

  “It’s freedom,” he said. “You could use some of that.”

  Shade was right—I really could. Unfortunately, for the first time in my life I didn’t want to be free. I wanted to be stuck right here. With him.

  We stared at each other.

  “Have you ever been to Portland?” he asked.

  “No.”

  “That’s my next stop.”

  “And you’re leaving tomorrow?”

  “Yeah,” he replied. “First thing. Something came up and I have to go.”

  “Right after breakfast,” I whispered.

  “We could eat later, instead. Somewhere down the road.”

  “That’s not funny,” I told him, my eyes suddenly full. Fucking hell. I hated crying. Hated it.

  “I’m not joking,” Shade said. “You could come with me. Just because I’m moving on doesn’t mean our one-night stand has to end. I’m not ready, and neither are you.”

  “Maybe you don’t remember, but I have a real bad track record with relationships,” I said, sniffing.

  “Well, I got no track record with old ladies,” Shade replied, his voice serious. “But I’m willing to take the risk if you are. That’s what the money is for.”

  “I don’t understand,” I said, looking down at the envelope again. There had to be a couple thousand dollars in there, maybe more.

  “In case at some point you decide it’s time for breakfast,” he said seriously. “That’s your out. If you come with me, you’ll have to leave your job. I’ll take care of you but I know you don’t want to have to count on a man. If you decide to end things, that’s your ticket back home. You won’t be trapped.”

  “You’re really serious?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I’m serious. I want you to come with me.”

  I waited for Wonder Woman to tell me what to do, but she must’ve been off fighting crime. I’d have to make this decision all on my own. Studying his face, I tried to read him.

  “And what would I be?” I finally asked. “I mean, if I went with you.”

  “Free, Mandy. You’d be free.”

  “And you?”

  He raised a brow, then shrugged. “Do you really have to ask?”

  “Yeah, I guess I do,” I said. Was he serious? He looked serious. “What will you be?”

  Shade smiled.

  “I’ll be yours, Mandy.”

  “For how long?”

  He leaned forward, resting his forehead against mine.

  “For as long as you want me, babe. I don’t have much to offer, but what I’ve got is yours. So are you in, or what?”

  I considered the question, wondering if a girl like me really could get a happy ending.

  Maybe.

  There was really only one way to find out. I took a deep breath, meeting his gaze head on.

  “Okay. I’m in.”

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note: When I originally wrote th
is story, I left it very open ended. I felt that was true to the characters and their story. The story definitely ended on a happy note, but it was a “Happily for Now” rather than a “Happily Ever After.”

  Readers immediately requested an epilogue for the couple, but I resisted writing it at first. My characters are very real to me, and I hate pushing them to do things that don’t feel like they’re a natural part of the story. Then I woke up one morning with an epilogue for Mandy and Shade in my head—an epilogue some readers may find a bit more sentimental than what I generally write.

  Those readers are just going to have to suck it up, because this epilogue is based on a true story, one I’ll share at the end. I was there to see it happen and it was very sentimental. It was also sweet and beautiful and a full thirty-five years in the making.

  This story takes place two decades after Shade and Mandy met, and it contains spoilers from Shade’s Lady.

  Columbia River Gorge

  Maryhill, Washington

  Mandy

  It was still dark when I woke up needing to pee something fierce. Shade slept folded around me, one knee shoved between mine. He gave a low growl when I pushed at him.

  “Let me up,” I whispered. His arm tightened, and he nuzzled my hair.

  “Fuck that. I’m not done with you.”

  My butt settled against the length of his dick, and I had to smile. Twenty years I’d slept next to this man. Twenty years spent mostly on the road, constantly on the move, always ready to discover what lay over the next hill. All that time and he still got hard like a teenager whenever we were together. Had to admit, it was good for the ego. Very good.

  “You’ll be done with me fast if I tinkle in the tent,” I said, and he gave a low chuckle, loosening his arm.

  “Want me to come along?” he asked. “Wouldn’t want anyone bothering you.”

  This was sweet, but considering we were surrounded by more than a hundred brothers of the Reapers MC and their women, the odds of anyone bothering me were slightly less than zero.

  Being the national president’s old lady came with a few perks.

  “No, I’m fine,” I said, but he was already sitting up to grab his boots. I crawled out of the tent, looking around the campground. The sky was just starting to glow over the gorge, throwing everything into shadows. Here and there a campfire still sparked. A few people sat in clumps, speaking in low tones.

  My back cracked as I stretched upward, reminding me I wasn’t as young as I used to be. Shade smacked my ass and I grinned at him.

  “Wanna go for a ride?”

  “What kind?” I replied, smirking.

  “Up through the hills,” he said, surprising me. “Maybe find somewhere to watch the sunrise.”

  I’d expected another kind of ride entirely, because after all these years, my man was still a horn dog.

  “Sure thing,” I said. “Pee first, though.”

  “You’re such a romantic.”

  “You know it, baby. Give me five and I’ll be ready to go.”

  “You always are,” he replied, chucking my chin.

  “Damned straight.”

  Ten minutes later I was on the back of his bike, arms wrapped tight around his waist. We’d passed through this area hundreds of times over the years, making runs between Oregon, Washington and Idaho in the course of his duties as president. Most women tended to settle down at home after a while, often making their own lives independent of their men. I’d never done that, although there were definitely times he had to leave me behind.

  For the first few years I’d worried about the fact that I didn’t have a normal life or regular job. I’d worried he’d meet another girl on a run, or that he’d get bored of whatever the hell it was that we had.

  It’d never happened.

  My sister thought I was crazy, but I’d never wanted what she had with Heath. The thought of owning a house freaked me out. I didn’t want to worry about mortgages and insurance and repairs and lawns.

  Hell, my car was almost more than I could handle.

  Not that we didn’t have a place—Shade owned a duplex that was our home base, and he always seemed to have enough money to cover our needs. I got health insurance through one of the club businesses, and pitched in wherever I could. Probably didn’t hurt that I’d always been a fairly low-maintenance kind of girl.

  Maybe our lives weren’t what most people would consider the perfect happily ever after, but it worked for me.

  We hadn’t been riding for long when he slowed, pulling in to the giant Stonehenge Memorial overlooking the river. Shade cut the engine, letting the silent solemnity of the circle of stones fall over us.

  “Let’s go watch the sunrise,” he said. I hopped off the bike and hung my helmet on the handlebar. Shade caught my hand. Together we walked to the edge of the henge. He sat, leaning back against one of the stones, pulling me down to sit between his legs.

  “You sleep okay last night?” he asked.

  “Always,” I told him, snuggling back into his arms.

  “You weren’t partying with the girls much.”

  “Sure I was,” I told him. “I just wasn’t drinking. Not in the mood, I guess. It worked out okay, all things considered. Probably wouldn’t have felt like coming out here with a hangover, and the sunrise is pretty.”

  “Glad you had fun,” he replied, sounding pleased. “You know what today is?”

  Shit, had I forgotten something? Not his birthday, that was in December. Not mine. Not Hannah’s or the kids or… Nope. I was drawing a blank.

  “Saturday?”

  Shade shook his head.

  “It’s our anniversary,” he replied, and I heard the laughter in his voice. “Twenty years ago today, I dragged you back to the clubhouse with me.”

  I frowned, trying to think. “Which time?”

  “The first time. I was so fuckin’ pissed at Rebel for trading you away, and then even more pissed that I didn’t get to fuck you as part of the trade.”

  “Bet you never thought we’d still be together twenty years later,” I said, teasing him. “If I remember correctly, I was just trying to get the breakfast you owed me. You weren’t interested in anything long term. You made that very clear. How could I have known I was supposed to mark the date on my calendar?”

  “Tell yourself whatever story you like,” he said, giving me a squeeze. “I think we all know you threw yourself at me. Couldn’t get enough. Happens a lot, you know. Women just—”

  I jerked my elbow back into his side and he grunted.

  “Okay, so I may have been an active player in the whole thing, too,” he admitted with a laugh.

  “Fucker.”

  “Bitch.”

  I twisted my head around and we kissed, savoring the closeness.

  “You ever regret it?” he asked when we finally pulled apart.

  “Regret what?”

  “Leaving with me? You could’ve had a family. A white picket fence and a dog. Hell, you could be president of the PTO right now.”

  I sighed, settling back into his chest, considering the question. The sky was streaked with red now, the puffy white clouds glowing with the light.

  God, what a perfect morning.

  “No,” I said, and it was true. “I’m not like Hannah. I never really wanted kids—growing up was hard enough, and then watching the girls go through hell with their dad…that wasn’t for me. To be honest, I’m not sure I ever had a clue what I wanted… I just knew I didn’t have it. Not until you showed up.”

  “So you’d do it again?” he asked, his voice serious. I twisted to look at him again, frowning.

  “What’s up? This isn’t like you.”

  “Maybe I’m getting old. Humor me.”

  I pretended that I had to think about it and Shade’s eyes narrowed.

  “Okay, I’d probably do it again. It’s been a good life together. So far, at least. Even if you never bought me breakfast with a capital B.”

  I winked at him, but he di
dn’t smile. Nope. His face stayed dead serious.

  “Babe, is something wrong?” I asked.

  “No, I think it’s probably just right,” he replied, confusing me. “Hold out your hand.”

  Twisting around further, I pulled away from him.

  “What the hell?” I asked, raising my right hand.

  “Other one,” he said, reaching into the pocket of his leather vest. Something shiny glinted in the sunlight.

  Oh, wow.

  Was he doing what I thought he was doing?

  He was.

  That was a ring. A sparkly, silvery, very shiny ring.

  “You’ve spent twenty years on my bike, and you never asked for a thing,” he told me, catching my hand. “You’ve always got my back, you’re selfless, and I’m a bit of a bastard because I think I took that for granted. I’m not taking it for granted anymore, babe. I’d like to make this official and marry you. Legally. So that what’s mine is yours and yours is mine. What do you say?”

  I swallowed. “Why?”

  Shade cocked a brow, amused. “I’m laying out everything I have here and you ask why?”

  “Well, when you put it like that, I suppose I’ll say yes,” I told him, my eyes filling with what felt suspiciously like tears. He slid the ring over the fourth finger of my left hand. It fit perfectly, because of course it did. He knew everything there was to know about me. Then he leaned forward and kissed me, catching the back of my head in his big hands.

  It wasn’t one of our usual kisses.

  This wasn’t about desire and need and hunger… it felt different. Almost sacred, like a promise. Everything was still around us, the massive stones casting perfect shadows in the dawn light. This place had been built as a monument to those who’d died in World War I. In that instant I felt like those long-dead soldiers were watching over us.

  Protecting us.

  Sort of like Shade had always protected me.

  He pulled away. The kiss must’ve felt the same to him as it did to me, because he didn’t seem interested in taking it further, not like he usually would.

  “We’re gonna go talk to the preacher,” he said, scooting me forward before rising to his feet. Then he reached down to offer his hand.