by Naomi West
I snorted and caught the keys that he tossed to me. “I can do that,” I told him. “I'll keep it safe until you're ready to ride with me again.”
“Good,” Bryce said. “Now, ambulance.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The first thing I did after making sure that both Bryce's and my bikes weren't anywhere near the Holy Flames' former clubhouse was call Scott and Adam and the other guys from the highway crew to ask for a report. From the sounds of things, most of the Holy Flames members were dead, and although there had been casualties on our side, those casualties had been relatively minimal. I breathed a sigh of relief at that.
The next person I called was Halley.
“What's happening?” she asked frantically. “Are you okay? Where are you? Is it over?”
“Shh,” I soothed. “Yeah, Halley, it's over. I'm on my way back to the clubhouse now to get you. And then I thought that maybe I could take you out to a nice dinner tonight. My treat because you've been so patient with me through all of this.”
There was a long pause, and then Halley started laughing, a note of hysteria to her voice. “Just don't ever do something this stupid again, Jake Ryce!” she told me. “Or I swear to god, I'm going to leave you.”
I smiled. “Yeah, you've mentioned that before,” I reminded her.
When I pulled up to the clubhouse, she was waiting outside, and she didn't even wait until I was off my bike before she flung herself at me, wrapping her arms around me. “I'm so glad to see you,” she said into my jacket. “Holy shit, Jake, I was so worried.” She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, just breathing in the scent of my jacket.
I smiled down into her hair. “I missed you too,” I told her. “I didn't even really have anything to worry about, with you as guarded as you were. But I still missed you.”
After a long moment, we broke apart. I reached back and grabbed the spare helmet, holding it out to her. “Get on,” I told her. “I figured I'd take you home and let you freshen up a little, and maybe I could hop through a shower? And then we'll go to dinner. I made us a reservation.”
Halley raised an eyebrow at me. “Who knew you were such a gentleman,” she said. “On our first date, we just went for drinks, but we've fast-tracked to where our second date is fancy enough that we need reservations?”
I snorted. “It's a celebration,” I told her. “I'm not going to scrimp.”
Halley laughed a little. “I'm just teasing.” She swung onto my bike, wrapping her arms tightly around me.
“You don't have to hold on that tightly,” I told her. “You're not going to fall off, I promise.”
“I know,” she said, and the flippancy from before had evaporated out of her voice. “It's not that, I just … I was really worried, Jake.”
I was silent for a moment, thoughtful. Not that there was really anything I could say to that. I wanted to promise her that I would never do anything like it again, but I knew myself too well. If something else were to come up with the Devil's Route, I'd be ready to fight to the death for them again.
“I can't leave the Devil's Route just because of us,” I said, twisting around to look back at her.
“I'm not asking you to,” Halley said seriously, her dark eyes fixed on mine. “Jake, I promise you, I'm not asking you to do that. I would never ask you to do that. I'm just hoping that next time, things don't escalate quite so far.”
I nodded a little at that. “Me too,” I said honestly. Then, I revved my bike, pointing her away down the street.
Halley led me inside her parents' house, a grin on her face. “Not going to lie, I still am super turned on by your bike,” she told me. Then, she blushed hotly, looking every bit the shy and conservative girl that I had picked up that first night at Tiffany's party.
“Oh really?” I asked, crowing her back against the front door. “Want to show me just how turned on you are?”
She giggled a little, looking embarrassed as she glanced off to the side. “Jake,” she said, but she slipped her arms around my waist, pulling me close, and when I bent down to kiss her, she opened her lips up to me like a soft flower in the spring sunlight.
I went slowly, trailing kissed over her jawline and down the column of her throat, leaving no area untouched, whether with my lips or with my light, inquisitive fingertips, which drew away the loose collar of her shirt and revealed plane after plane of her silken skin.
“Let's not do this here,” she gasped out, even though it seemed from her tone that she almost would like nothing more. I continued kissing and sucking at her, but she finally pushed me away a little. “Let's not do this here,” she repeated. “Come on. I have a perfectly good bed upstairs.”
I raised an eyebrow at her. “All right,” I told her, taking a step back. “Lead on, then. But you'd better hurry.”
She grinned at me and led the way up into her parents' pretty suburban house. I could tell she was swaying her hips a little extra just for me, and we only made it about halfway up the stairs before I had to pull her into another kiss, excited by the way her position on the step above mine brought our heights closer together and allowed me a different type of access to her mouth.
I stroked her cheek lightly, slowly the kiss down until it was almost like a meditation, as though we were both just ... existing there, inside of each other’s personal space. It was nice, but…
“I really need to take a shower,” I told her. “And I know you said the bed, but maybe the bed could come afterwards?”
Halley laughed a little. “You think you're up to all of that?” she asked.
I thought about it and about how tired I was after riding up to Oregon and down through Nevada over the past few days, culminating in the highway shoot-out and chasing Emilio back to his clubhouse. “Well, maybe not,” I admitted. “And I honestly probably need a nap before dinner as well or else I'm going to fall asleep at the table.”
Halley continued to grin at me. “Yeah, that's about what you look like,” she said. She shrugged a little. “That's okay though. Why don't I show you where the shower is and let you at it, and then you can take a nap when you're done? We'll go out to dinner tonight and then afterwards...”
“I want to right now,” I told her honestly, in case there was any doubt. “I just...”
“I get it,” Halley said.
“Why don't you join me in the shower?” I asked. “Not to … I mean, I only have limited energy. But we could kiss a little and I could scrub you down and wash your hair or whatever and...”
“That sounds really nice,” Halley said, looking really appreciative.
We both tumbled into the shower, and I couldn't stop gawking at her body for a long moment, at least until Halley began to look self-conscious and started covering herself up. I snorted and shook my head. “Halley, darling,” I told her. “You're gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. You don't have to hide from me.”
She smiled a little bashfully and stood under the spray, letting the water run over her hair. I stepped in close and began trailing sloppy kisses down her neck, tracing the line that the water droplets left. She groaned. “If you don't stop that, we're never going to make it out of here without…” She blushed and trailed off, and I slid a hand down her side, reveling in how slippery it was.
“Without what?” I asked innocently as I dipped a hand between her legs. Granted that some of the dampness there was undoubtedly due to the fact that we were in the shower, but…
“Jake,” she said warningly.
“I owe you one, remember?” I told her. “I might be too exhausted to get off now. At least, if I ever want to get up for dinner, I am. But that doesn't mean I can't work you over nice and slow, does it?”
Her breath hitched as I slipped my fingers inside of her, and she got a slippery hold on my biceps, pressing her face against my collarbone. “Jake,” she whimpered.
I twisted my fingers inside of her, moving them in perfect opposite rhythm. The little noises that were falling from her lips were so incr
edibly, and the way she was clinging to me for support was sexy, as though she couldn't even think to support herself anymore.
She spread her legs a little wider, giving me better access and then pulled away entirely. “Jake, I know you're tired, but I need...” She squirmed a little against my fingers, and I could feel how desperate she was to be filled up. “It was just so hard watching you go through with that mission and knowing that you might not be coming back,” she whispered. “And now that you're here, I need … I need to feel you. Please. More than this.”
I groaned and shook my head. “I've said it before, and I'll say it again: you're going to be the death of me. Here, turn around.” I got her moved around and then bent her over so that she was clutching the edge of the bathtub with that beautiful, full ass of hers up in the air at just the perfect height. I lined myself up, reveling in how slick she was, here in the shower, and pressed inside of her.
Almost immediately, her whole body went slack, until I was sure the only thing holding her up was my grip on her hips. Experimentally, I pulled my hips back and then snapped them against hers, and she made a soft noise, collapsing even further, opening herself up even more to me. “Please, Jake,” she said, her voice already ragged.
I began to move slowly, sensually against her, keeping my grip on her hips but using each thrust to pleasure a different area inside of her, making sure to drag the tip of my penis against her very walls, making her cry out and shudder at the sensations that were overcoming her.
But I wasn't going to go easy on her, not when she'd been begging so desperately for me to fill her.
Instead, just when she started to get comfortable, I set a bruising pace, snapping my hips back and forth in a brutal rhythm that had her crying out with every thrust. But she could take it, she could take it so well, and she didn't pull away from me. Instead, her hips began to move with my thrusts; she was using the very tips of her toes and that light grip against the edge of the tub to move her body against mine.
I rolled my hips around, and she made a soft, keening sound, trying to replicate the motion on her own, with little success. I grinned and did it again and again, reaching a hand down between her legs to stroke at the bundle of nerves there as well, as though I weren't already giving her enough stimulation.
Suddenly, her hands spasmed against the wall, as though she were looking for purchase but unable to find it against the slippery tiles. She grabbed the hand that was at her left hip, lacing her fingers in mine, and I could feel her orgasm tear through her, her walls slickening with her own juices as they collapsed around me. She was shivering, despite the heat of the water around us, and again, she would have collapsed if it weren't for my hands still at her hips. But I continued to press into her, not sure if I was more desperate to continue her ecstasy or reach a climax of my own.
We both reached that peak at the same time, though, crying out one another's names in unison. For a long moment, it was hard to tell where I ended and she began, there beneath the shower's hot spray. I focused on my breathing, on coming back into myself, and then I slowly drew myself away from her.
I was shivering a little as well, I realized distantly as she straightened up and found her way into my arms. I held her close, kissing her hair, and finally began to feel almost like myself again.
“That was...” Halley began. She pulled back and gave me a high-five, and I burst out laughing.
“What the hell was that?” I asked.
She blushed sheepishly. “I have no idea,” she admitted. “It just seemed like a good thing to do at the time.
I shook my head, still chuckling, and reached for the shampoo. Honestly, I was kind of glad for the light-hearted gesture; for a moment, there, things had been almost too serious.
Not that this commitment should scare me anymore. She and Cole were in my life for good, and I knew that. I just wanted to wait until that evening before I told her all the rest of it.
I smiled a little to myself, thinking of my plans, and then began to scrub her down with her loofa, wiping away all the stress of the past months.
Chapter Thirty
Halley stared around the Papillion that evening, her eyes taking in all the jewel-bright tones and fancily-dressed diners. “Wow,” she said. “When you want to take a girl on a nice date, Jake, you really go all out, huh?”
I shrugged a little, glancing around the place. “It was Tiffany's suggestion,” I admitted. “She said you probably hadn't been here yet and that you'd probably like it. It's all French food, so if that bothers you, we can go someplace else, but if nothing else, they should at least have a decent wine and champagne list.”
Halley turned to kiss me lightly on the cheek. “Jake, this is great,” she said. She laughed a little self-consciously and tugged at her flowing black dress. “I feel a little underdressed, though. I know you said it was nice, but I didn't realize it was this nice. I look more like I'm going to the beach than—”
I eyed the way the flowing material hugged her curves in all the right places, and especially eyed the way her breasts peeked out from the sweetheart neckline. “You look hot,” I told her honestly. “If it weren't such a fancy place, I'd take you to the bathroom midway through the meal and have my way with you there.”
“Oh really?” Halley asked. “Why wouldn't you do that here?”
“Because they probably have attendants in all of the bathrooms, and I don't feel like bribing someone just so I can fuck you in peace,” I told her, grinning devilishly at her. “Feels a little too much like prostitution.”
I was rewarded with a burst of surprised laughter, and I preened a little as the waiter came over to us. He gave me a cursory look, but he really only had eyes for Halley, and although I felt a little pang of jealousy, I really couldn't blame him. She was looking positively radiant tonight. I couldn't quit smiling as we were led over to our table.
“Let's get some champagne,” I suggested. “This is a celebration, after all.”
Halley grinned at me and nodded. “Okay. You choose, though. I don't really know anything about champagne except that I'm not picky about it.”
I wasn't about to tell her that I didn't really know that much about it either, except that I'd talked to half the club about what to get for the perfect night and gotten some recommendations. Fortunately, one of those recommendations was on the menu, and I ordered that.
When it came, Halley held up her glass to me, raising an eyebrow. “So, are we supposed to do some sort of toast or something?” she asked. “Something about, congratulations to you on being so incredible and amazing and stopping the Holy Flames for good?”
I laughed a little. “Well, there was something I wanted to say, something that I really brought you here to talk about, but it's a little different than that.” I set down my own glass of champagne and reached into my pocket, pulling out the little ring-box that I had there. Then, I got down on one knee next to our table.
“Halley, I know things have been really crazy lately, and I know that we already kind of talked about this back when you were looking for protection from Brian, but I want to do this for real. If you're willing to have me.” I popped open the box, displaying the brilliant diamond ring inside. “Halley Talin, you are an amazing, brave, strong, incredible woman, and I couldn't imagine spending my life without you and Cole as part of it. I know that sometimes I get wrapped up in my own things, in the Devil's Route and all of that, but don't think that means that you are any less important to me. I would die for you, if I had to. I would go to the ends of the earth to protect you. And I would be so honored if you would agree to officially marry me.”
Halley stared down at me for a long moment, her hand over her open mouth, tears in her eyes. “Oh Jake,” she said softly. But I suddenly realized I wasn't about to hear that one word that I wanted to hear. “Oh Jake,” she said again. “I want to say yes so badly. But you know that I can't. My parents would never support this, and I have to think about what's best for Cole. Of course, I want h
im to know you, and I want the two of you to have a relationship, but I also want to mend my relationship with my parents, and I want Cole to have a relationship with his grandparents as well. If they couldn't accept you, then...”
I swallowed hard and got up off the floor, closing the ring box and putting it back into my pocket. “Of course,” I said gruffly, sitting back down and taking a big sip of champagne, wishing that it was something stronger. “No, I totally understand that, Halley. And of course, you have to do what's best for you and Cole. I just thought… But yeah. No. That's fine.”
Halley sighed. “I feel like I've just totally killed the evening,” she said, her mouth twisting bitterly as she looked around at the place. People were tactfully looking away from us, but I could tell everyone was still listening in, wondering what had just happened with that proposal.
“Halley, it's fine,” I repeated. “Look, I'm sorry I sprung it on you like that. It just seemed like we were getting closer and closer, and like I told you the other day, before the mission … well, I seem to have really fallen for you.” I smiled a little. “At the very least, you can't blame a man for trying, can you?”
