Threat: A Blood Riders MC Novel (Book 1)

by Tia Lewis

  She didn’t look at me. She just stood there, waiting for judgment or something. I didn’t know what.

  “Is that all?” I looked over to see Creed was grinning.

  “Yeah. Pretty much.” She sighed.

  “Well, shit! I always knew you were pretending to be something else. I just didn’t know you were Bluth’s daughter, is all. Hell, I’d wanna know who killed my dad, too. If I knew my dad.”

  “Same here,” Ace said. “If you didn’t come around, we wouldn’t have known who got him, either. And they might’ve fingered us for it. Now they know who did it, and so do you.”

  “Right.” Creed nodded in agreement.

  “I’m glad you’re okay.”

  “Thanks, Ace.” She blushed.

  “Me, too,” Darcy said, going to her. “Nicole. That’s pretty.” She hugged her, and I saw the relief on Nicole’s face. It was good to see her looking happy after what happened. I stayed quiet, though. I didn’t want the rest of them to see what was going on inside me.

  I turned back to the bar when everybody else was talking, and Tamara caught my eye. “What about you, Drake? What do you think?”

  “I don’t know,” I admitted. “I went for her when I already knew who she was. What does that tell you?”

  “It tells me you might need a little time before you can trust her again, but I think you have a good start.” She raised a shot glass in my direction. A good start. I wondered about that.

  I turned around in time to see Nicole hug Jack and thank him for helping her. He told her it was no problem, she was worth saving. She looked more relieved than ever when he said that. I was glad he did.

  As he turned away, he saw me. “Don’t let your pride get in the way, son,” he said as he passed by, clapping me on the shoulder. I didn’t reply. I had too much on my mind to make heads or tails of any of it. I needed a decent night’s sleep before I could come up with an answer to what I’d do about her.

  It was past midnight by the time we all broke up. Most of them would stay in the Clubhouse overnight, just because it was already so late and they were tired. I figured we would have a group breakfast in the morning, judging from the way Darcy and the other girls were talking. But not Nicole. She was exhausted and still a little spaced out.

  I said goodnight to the girls and started down the hall to my bedroom, then realized Nicole wasn’t with me. She was standing where we’d been when I said goodnight. “Aren’t you coming?” I mouthed.

  She raised her eyebrows. Do you want me to? I nodded. She followed.

  “I feel disgusting. I need to shower,” she whispered while she undressed. I went in with her, and we washed together. I wanted to be sure she was okay. I didn’t like the way she was acting like she was in shock. Once she was clean and dried off, we climbed into bed. I held an arm out to her, meaning for her to rest her head on my chest, but she hesitated.

  “Do you hate me?” she whispered in the darkness.

  “Never. I could never hate you. If I hated you, would I ask you to sleep with me?”

  “You’re right,” she curled up beside me, and I wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

  “I meant it when I said I love you. I do love you, baby.” I stroked her hair back from her face. “I just don’t know who I love. I couldn’t say that out there. I’m having a hard time saying it now.”

  “If you love me, you love … me.” She looked up at me. “The only thing I pretended about was my past. My father was a great man, and I loved him. He took good care of me. I just graduated college. I studied Criminal Justice.” I snorted a little, and so did she. “Yeah, I know.”

  “Anything else I should know about you?”

  “I actually do still watch Spongebob, and I really didn’t learn to ride a bike until I was twelve. And I really do love you.” She whispered that last part. “It sounds crazy, doesn’t it? We’ve known each other for a couple of minutes in the grand scheme of things. But I do love you.”

  “I love you more,” I kissed her forehead. “Now get some sleep, sweetheart.”

  21

  Drake

  “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

  “I thought you said you wanted to do this. Plus, this is a perfect way to take our minds off things. Do something fun, you know?”

  “You’re right and I do want to do this. But when it comes time to actually do it and you realize you’re a clumsy person—”

  “Baby, you’re fine. I’ll be right here next to you.” I chuckled.

  “Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea, after all.”

  “Seriously, Nicole.”

  I pressed my lips tight together to keep from laughing further. She’d think I was laughing at her, which I was doing my best not to do. “I’m not trying to pressure you into anything here.”

  Nicole looked at me, eyes narrowed. “I know. I really do love the idea of riding next to you someday.”

  “And I love that idea, too. It’s good for a couple to have things in common, right?”

  “Aw, you’ve been reading those relationship books Tamara told you to pick up.” She elbowed me with a wicked grin.

  “Whatever,” I smirked. “I’m just trying to encourage you.”

  She blew out a long breath. “I’m just shopping for gear. It’s not like you’re actually taking me riding just yet.”

  “No, that’ll come later today.” I couldn’t help feeling a little bad that she looked so panicked. It also made me pause. “In all seriousness, it’s not a good idea to ride if you’re not confident. It’s just like driving a car—you have to be confident, or else you’ll end up all over the road. Maybe you’re not ready yet.”

  “No, no, I am. I just need to sack up.”

  “Please, don’t do anything with any sack.” She smacked my shoulder as she climbed off the back of my bike. I followed her into the specialty gear shop, the only shop the club did business with. Everybody knew me, and I saw more than a few smirks when they figured out what I was there for—rather, what Nicole was there for.

  “What kind of helmet do you want?” I asked. She looked overwhelmed at all the choices.

  “What do you suggest?” she asked with a shrug.

  “I’d prefer it if you got one with full face coverage,” I said, pointing to the line of helmets complete with visors.

  “You don’t use a helmet like these,” she pointed out, frowning.

  “I don’t care about my face as much as I care about yours.”

  “Aw.” She tilted her head to the side. “I care about your face, too.”

  “Listen.” I stepped closer, murmuring in her ear. “The President of a badass MC doesn’t wear a helmet with a visor. It just doesn’t happen.”

  “Gotcha.” She ran her fingers over a dark purple helmet. I could tell she was intrigued, so I helped her put it on and fastened the strap under her chin.

  “What do you think?” I asked.

  She rapped against the helmet with both fists. “It feels weird. But comfortable.”

  “Snug?”

  “Yeah.”

  “That’s what you want.” I showed her how to buckle and unbuckle the strap, how to remove it without pulling her ears. She gave me a brilliant smile.

  “Now what?”

  I stepped back, looking her up and down. “A jacket. Definitely.”

  “You don’t—okay, I’m not gonna say it,” she grinned.

  “I wear my vest,” I reminded her. “And we’re not here to talk about what I do. You wanna take a cheese grater to that skin of yours, be my guest.” I ran my hands up her arms. “But I’d rather you didn’t. I would never forgive myself if you ever got hurt. It’s bad enough you ride with me without a jacket now. I don’t want that anymore.”

  “Okay. Okay, I get it.” She leaned up to kiss me. Once she got serious and started looking, she found one she looked absolutely sexy as hell in. I needed to direct my thoughts to other things or else risk tackling her right there in the aisle. She was too much to resist.<
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  “We should’ve done this sooner,” I decided, pulling her by the collar on the jacket until her lips touched mine again. “I might need you to wear this to bed tonight. Just this.”

  “Yes, sir.” She bit her lip.

  It was a good thing I loved her, or else I might have lost my temper when teaching her to ride. Not that she wasn’t good. She was very good. It didn’t take her long to pick up on it. It’s just she was never the best at taking constructive criticism, and I wasn’t the best at giving it. Finally, Creed stepped in. Things went more smoothly then. I didn’t feel like throwing a helmet across the parking lot anymore.

  I had to wonder about that as Nicole rode around, a smile on her face that grew wider the more she rode. Things between us would never be boring, not with our combined stubbornness and the way we didn’t like being told what to do or how to do it. We were perfect together in every other way. Our similarities made things interesting. After her third lesson, we made our way to the local park not far from the Clubhouse and had a picnic date.

  “Now remember the rule,” she said, unwrapping sandwiches.

  “Which rule is that?” I teased, going for a turkey and cheese. “No hoagies with nitrates?”

  “Ha, ha.” She rolled her eyes. “No talking about club business. We need to decompress.”

  “I can think of a few ways to decompress.”

  “You’re such a flirt,” she giggled.

  I leaned on one elbow, looking up at her and our lips touched.

  “I’m one lucky man, you know that?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, for starters I have the sexiest woman a man could ever ask for.”

  She blushed. “I’ll never get tired of hearing that,” she said with a grin.

  “Good. Because you’re gonna hear it for the rest of your life.”

  She stretched out beside me, on her stomach. I shifted to my stomach, too. Some kids were playing frisbee, and we watched as we ate. I could tell she had something on her mind but didn’t want to push. Finally, I asked what she was thinking about.

  “I was just wondering—especially now that we’re officially together.”

  “What is it?”

  “I wonder if I’ll know how to be a good … old lady.” She took a bite of her sandwich, chewing slowly as she thought it over.

  “You’re already the best girlfriend I could ever ask for. Why would you doubt yourself? You’re perfect.”

  She blushed again. “It’s just my mom died when I was so young—too young to really pay attention. And there are so many things I’ve forgotten about her, about the way my parents were together. I don’t have that example to fall back on.”

  “I understand.” That was enough to get me thinking, too. It wasn’t like I’d had a great example of a stable relationship growing up.

  “I just wonder if I’m going to fall short.”

  “Nah, never that baby. You’ve already shown me you’re gonna be a good old lady. The best one at that. You’ve been at my side through everything. You support me. You support the rest of my club. Everybody love you. Jack loves you. You make me wanna be a better man every day. You want what’s best for me. What else could I ask for?”

  “You’re right,” she smiled.

  I kissed her again, the taste of spicy mustard still on her lips.

  “Mmm, I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  She paused. “Drake?”

  “What’s up?”

  “Can we change ‘old lady’ to ‘young lady?’ I’m not old you know.”

  I chuckled. “It’s just a term, Nicole. It doesn’t mean you’re actually old.”

  “Ah, gotcha,”

  “You know what it means, right?”

  “Yeah. It means I’m your property.”

  “Hell yeah, you are. You belong to me ... forever.”

  “Forever …” She repeated. “I like the sounds of that.”

  “Me too, baby.” I kissed her one last time. “Me too.”

  Two Years Later

  Nicole

  “Come on! The rest of the Club will be here any minute.”

  “Could you please calm down? Jesus Christ, it’s just a banner.” Drake tacked up the other end of the “Welcome Home” banner which hung over our brand-new front door. I clapped my hands.

  “Perfect!” I declared, giving him a hug and a kiss. “I’m sorry to be such a pain in the ass about this, but I want the party to be perfect.”

  “Will there be food, cold beer, and women? Then they’ll think it’s perfect.”

  I laughed, checking the taps to make sure they worked. “And you reminded them this is a housewarming party, not a Club party, right?”

  “Yeah, but I don’t know if they know the difference.”

  “Oh, shit.” He laughed, putting his arms around me.

  “It’ll be okay. They’ll be on their best behavior.”

  I rolled my eyes, turning to wrap my arms around Drake’s neck. “I’ve seen their best behavior, and it’s nothing to write home about.”

  “So, we kick them out if they get too rowdy.”

  “How will they get home? We’re stuck with them until they’re sober enough to ride.”

  Drake’s face darkened. “Maybe this was a big mistake?”

  I heard the sound of engines roaring up the road. “Too late,” I murmured, kissing him once before going to see who was arriving. As it turned out, just about the entire Club had come at once. I could only imagine what the other drivers thought as a parade of bikers cruised down the highway.

  I gave everybody a big hug, ushering them into the house so Drake could show them around. It was his first real house, and he was prouder than a new father to show it off. Tamara, Darcy, and Violet helped me in the kitchen, putting out food, plates, and napkins for our hungry bunch. I heard music coming from the backyard, so somebody figured out how to work the sound system.

  “I love what you did with the kitchen already,” Darcy said, nodding her head in approval. It had taken six months, but I’d finally convinced her to start culinary school after walking her through the financial aid process. She’d fixed most of the dishes for the party.

  “Thanks. I love it. And so does he. That means everything to me.” I couldn’t express it in words, the feeling of knowing the man I loved was happy where I was happy. That we were building a home together. I’d finally gotten over my fear of being in my father’s house overnight, and it had taken nearly two years to work through boxing up his things, donating other items and throwing out years’ worth of stuff I would never use. My therapist had encouraged me to take my time, which was what I did. Drake had moved in around three months after the events of that horrible day and had helped me through everything that came up as a result of that and my father’s death.

  In the end, we’d gotten a nice little sum of money for the house, and the money made in the sale had gone toward the house of our dreams on Long Island. Big, bright and sunny with lots of windows. A finished basement for Drake’s man cave, a big room upstairs for me to hang out in and read or do whatever I wanted to do. Three bedrooms including our own. A massive kitchen big enough to entertain a crowd—which we were doing—and a backyard where Drake hoped we would one day install a pool.

  He was like a kid in a candy store when we shopped for furniture. He’d never had the chance to do that before, so it was all new and fresh to him. I humored him as we went through the process, reminding myself that most men would probably rather go in for a root canal than help their girlfriends shop for furniture, draperies, and the rest.

  Eventually, we’d put together a home that reflected the both of us … even if I asked that he keep all neon and bike-related memorabilia in the man cave. I thought about that as I carried a tray of mini cheeseburger sliders out to the guys in the backyard. They descended on me like vultures. He smiled at me from over their heads, and I shook my head in mock frustration. They would never learn any manners, but I didn�
�t expect them to.

  An hour or two into the party, I stepped inside for a much-needed break. It took a lot of energy to keep up with the Blood Rider’s crew. I sat at the kitchen island, sipping a glass of Merlot, listening to the sounds of music and laughter coming in from outside. This is what it’s all about, I thought, saying a silent prayer of thanks for the blessings in my life. It hadn’t been an easy road—after those first few weeks of bliss wore off, Drake and I had done the hard work it took to create a relationship—but it was a rewarding one. I picked at a sandwich, thinking back on where we started. He had an Italian hoagie with oil and oregano.

  “Hey, you,” I smiled at the sound of his voice, and the man of my dreams crossed the big, cream-colored kitchen. “I was looking for you.”

  “You found me,” I grinned, kissing him. After two years, it still felt good. There was still a spark.

  “You okay?” He looked closely at me.

  “Absolutely fine. Tired, but that’s to be expected. All the commotion and loud music—I just needed to take a breather, is all.”

  He nodded thoughtfully. “I was hoping all night to get you alone, anyway.”

  “You’re so bad,” I grinned. “Didn’t we already christen every room in the house?”

  “That wasn’t what I meant,” he said, smirking. “Although I don’t see any reason why we couldn’t re-christen, that’s for later. No, right now, I wanted to ask you something. With all of them out there—everybody I care about is here, you know? So it felt right.”

  “What do you mean? What felt right?” He reached into the pocket of his black jeans and pulled out a black velvet box. I gasped, looking at him. “Are you kidding me? Are you sure?”

  “I’ve never been surer. I only need you to say ‘yes.'” He looked so hopeful. I knew that no matter how long I lived, I would remember the bright look on his face.

  “Yes! Yes, of course!” I didn’t even look at the ring as he slid it on my finger. I could only see him. I took his face in my hands and kissed him, tears flowing down my cheeks.