by Brook Wilder
I grunted as the waitress returned and placed coffee in front of me.
“I could be better. I feel like I was the highway last night and look like it as well.”
Brendan took a sip of his coffee without adding anything to it. A no-nonsense sort of guy, right down to his coffee. It wasn’t surprising in the least.
“I have your car. Not much damage to anything important, but you probably will need a new paint job when it’s all over with.”
The least of my concerns.
“I will pay for whatever you have to fix.”
Dad had told me more than once that Brendan had opened up his own car and bike shop.
He waved a hand, a chuckle escaping him.
“Don’t even waste your breath, Laura. We look out for our own. You know that.”
I knew that in more ways than one.
“How is your family?”
“You saw Jax last night,” Brendan replied. “Colby is around here somewhere. Parents are enjoying retirement. Last time they called, they were in Arizona, I believe.”
“Wow,” I said, thinking of the couple that had treated me like their own daughter. “Really? I thought your mom would never leave the hospital.”
Brendan’s mom was a nurse and had been the one to comfort my mom when Aaron had died.
“Me neither,” he grinned, drinking the rest of his coffee. “But dad talked her into doing it, and they haven’t looked back.”
We lapsed into silence as I fiddled with my cup, unsure of what to discuss with Brendan. When we were kids, the age gap had always truly prevented us from being close, and I had never been with him without my brother being around.
But now, we were both adults and I was seeing him on a completely different level.
“What do you plan on doing with the house?” he asked, finally breaking the silence. “And the bikes?”
I sighed. “I’m going to sell them, I believe.”
I had no interest in staying Paradise, and there was no reason for it all to just sit there and rot away.
“I will buy the bikes.”
I looked up.
“What?”
Brendan licked his lips and I thought it was the sexiest thing I had seen all day.
“The bikes. I will buy them. Jonah loved those monsters and I would like to restore them.”
“O-okay,” I started, my heart squeezing painfully in my chest. “You can have them then. Bikes for the car.”
“You drive a very hard bargain,” he laughed as our food arrived. “Those bikes are worth ten times the amount on your car, but I will take the deal.”
I shrugged, picking up a piece of bacon.
“I don’t have any use for the bikes, so I won’t miss the money.”
“Thank you,” he said, picking up his fork.
We ate for a little while and I was surprised at how at ease I was in his company. While my mom would have a heart attack over what I was doing, a piece of me felt like Brendan wasn’t the murdering asshole my mom had painted him to be. Most of all, my dad had trusted him completely, and I knew he wouldn’t have if he thought Brendan had killed Aaron.
So, what had happened? I wanted to ask desperately, but hung back, not sure if I really wanted to know in the same breath.
It was the past and no matter what I learned, it wouldn’t bring Aaron back.
“You look so serious.”
I laid my fork down.
“I was thinking about Aaron.”
A cloud of darkness stole over Brendan’s features, and he pushed away his half-eaten plate of food.
“I’ll tell you whatever you want to know, Laura. All you got to do is ask.”
I shook my head. I wasn’t ready yet.
“Do you know where he’s buried at?”
Surprise shone in his eyes.
“You don’t?”
“Mom left right after the funeral,” I explained, feeling the tightness in my throat. “I was too young to know what was going on, much less figure out that I would never see him again.”
Brendan cleared his throat, reaching for his wallet.
“Let me take you there.”
My appetite now gone, I didn’t even argue as Brendan laid a few bills on the table, and we walked out across the street to his bike.
“You good to ride?” he asked, hesitation in his voice.
I nodded, though my body protested. “I’m fine, really.”
Brendan swung his leg over the bike, and I climbed on, grabbing his waist just as I had the night before. I could feel the muscles of his stomach moving under my hands, the heat spreading along my arms and settling low in my belly. I hated the fact that he was so good looking.
He fired up the engine and we were off down the street, the cool breeze ruffling my hair. The leaves were changing, the weather was turning cool, my favorite time of year. Soon the harsh winter would set in, but I was going to enjoy the crisp, fall weather while I still could.
It wasn’t long before Brendan was turning into the gates of an old cemetery overlooking the town, the grey headstones dotting the surface. He followed a gravel path a few feet before cutting the engine.
“It’s over this way,” he said softly.
I forced myself to remove my hands from around his waist and climb off the bike, my muscles protesting the motion. I was there. I was going to see where my brother was buried. My hands shaking, I followed Brendan as he weaved through the headstones until we came to rest on a gleaming black one.
“Aaron, I brought someone with me today,” he said softly, crouching down.
I followed, and tears clogged my throat as I saw my brother’s name on the marker, along with his birthdate and the date of his death. There was a motorcycle etched in the granite, fitting for a man who wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps.
“Hey big brother,” I choked out, touching the cool granite with my hand. “I’m sorry it’s taken me this long to come. I miss you so much and I know you and dad are enjoying your reunion right now.”
Brendan cleared his throat as the tears blurred my eyes, and I rested my forehead on the granite, allowing them to fall onto the soft grass below. There was no doubt in my mind that Brendan came here often, striking up a conversation with his best friend about his goings on in his life, and I wished I had done the same.
If not for Aaron, then for me.
I don’t know how long I stooped there, crying, until Brendan laid a hand on my back, rubbing it reassuringly.
“We gotta go. The weather is looking bad, Laura.”
I leaned over and kissed the headstone before rising, wiping my tears from my eyes and not protesting when Brendan wrapped an arm around my waist.
“There’s no one left,” I whispered, my heart aching.
“You have me,” he said quietly. “I’m not going anywhere.”
I forced myself to step out of his embrace, feeling embarrassed and mad at the same time. I had him? I hadn’t even seen him in thirteen years. He hadn’t been there while I had privately grieved Aaron, while my mom had cried herself to sleep! He had not been there when I needed him the most.
A raindrop hit my cheek, and I forced myself to look up at Brendan, who was watching me with wary eyes.
“Take me back.”
Chapter 9
Brendan
We turned into the driveway just as the bottom fell out. I pulled the bike straight into the garage and cut the engine, my emotions rolling. I hated the fact that I had taken Laura to see Aaron, to hear her cries and know that I’d had a part in it. I hated that she had pushed me away when I had offered support.
Most of all, I hated the wounded look in her eyes.
Not waiting for her, I climbed off the bike and stripped off my vest, hanging it on the handlebars to dry.
“The rain’s going to be here for a while.”
She climbed off as well, the t-shirt and jeans molding to her body like a second skin.
“Then I guess you will have to stay here un
til it blows past. Come on, I’ll find towels.”
I followed her inside, shutting the back door behind me.
“Laura.”
She paused in the doorway, turning to face me.
“What?”
Shoving a hand through my wet hair, I took in a breath.
“I don’t want this animosity between us.”
She let out a broken laugh that shot straight to the little soul I had left.
“What makes you think that we have animosity between us? Could it be the fact that my brother is dead because of you and I’m having to visit his grave instead?”
Her angry words were like daggers to my heart.
“I lost him too you know. You aren’t the only one hurting.”
She shook her head, sending sprays of water around her.
“He was my brother. His death is the reason my parents split up and I was forced to leave my dad, you, this place, everything I know.”
I took a step forward, unsure of myself for the first time in forever. Hell, I couldn’t deny that fact.
“I didn’t kill Aaron; the Blood Eagles did.”
Her face went pale, her eyes round.
“W-what did you say?”
My tongue thickened as I struggled to tell her the words I had only uttered a few times since that night.
“It was the Blood Eagles that killed your brother, and I can very well bet they are the ones that are trying to kill you as well.”
I didn’t know why, other than to rile me and the club up into action.
“Why?”
I shrugged.
“I don’t know. They could be doing it to get to me, to make me call a war between the clubs. They know how much your family means to me.”
She licked her lips and I nearly groaned aloud. Even in this time of anger, I found it sexy as hell to watch her do so.
“But it’s just me.”
I gave out a harsh laugh.
“And? You are probably the most important person to me right now.”
Her eyes widened, and I regretted my words, even though they were true. I didn’t need to scare her off, not when I knew I couldn’t protect her if she wasn’t right here with me. But I knew my words reflected my feelings. She had been back in Paradise twenty-four fucking hours, and I was already falling deep for her. It scared the shit out of me to know she had that kind of power over me, a hard ass biker, who didn’t give a shit a day in his life.
Determined to lighten the mood, I gave her a chuckle.
“You remember that night we decided to go camping?”
Her gaze shifted, and a soft smile played on her lips.
“You mean when we went into the back yard without telling anyone? That was the worst beating I got in my life.”
“Me too,” I said, remembering the sting of the belt.
We had decided to escape to the backyard, the three of us, and hold a camp-out without telling our parents. They found us hours later, huddled under a blanket that was our tent, the rain pelting us. I was forbidden to go over to their house for a week.
“What made you think of that?” she asked softly, crossing her arms over her chest.
I shrugged.
“The rain I guess. Being in this house with you.”
Hell, my emotions not to mention my hormones were raging like a bull out of the gate.
“I missed the hell out of you, Laura.”
She laughed.
“But was just a kid back then.”
I took a step closer, feeling the wetness of my shirt and jeans on my skin.
“You might have been a kid, but you kept us all together.”
Laura shook her head.
“I didn’t think you recognized me other than as a bratty kid that was always in your way.”
“Maybe so,” I said with a smile. “But I see you now.”
Her breath caught as she looked at me, her eyes dancing with unnamed emotions.
“I-I didn’t want to see you when I came.”
That stung, but I could understand why.
“What about now?”
“I-I can’t stop seeing you,” she admitted as I came to stand before her. “This is insanity. We shouldn’t be.”
I silenced her with a kiss, my hand drifting up her neck to angle her head. She whimpered under my lips and I held my breath until she threw her arms around my neck, kissing me back. The fucking world exploded around us. My other hand slid up to her wet shirt and pulled up the hem to touch her stomach. It might be insanity, but it was what we both needed.
She ran her hands through my hair as my fingers creeped upward until they were cupping her full breast. I rubbed a thumb over her nipple, causing her to gasp in my mouth.
“You are so fucking hot,” I whispered against her lips, rolling her nipple through her bra. “I wanted you the first time I saw you.”
“Brendan,” she breathed, pulling back to look at me.
If she was going to ask me to stop, I would likely implode on the spot, but I would stop. This was Laura, not some chick in the clubhouse.
“P-please,” she pleaded.
I nearly came right then and there. With a growl I ripped off her shirt, sliding it over her head and feasting my eyes on the lacy bra she was wearing under it. My hands trembled slightly as they cupped her breasts, bringing my head down to take one of her nipples under the scrap of lace into my mouth. Laura moaned as I did so, her hands in my hair once more and holding me against her chest. I wanted her naked under me, so I could feast on her body, watch as she orgasmed around my cock.
Breaking the kiss, I pulled back, my breath harsh to my own ears.
“Are you sure?” I forced myself to ask, to slow down.
“I, yes,” she said, her eyes heated with passion. “I want you Brendan.”
Slowly, I pulled my t-shirt over my head, a clap of thunder shaking the house. Her eyes went to the tats on my arms, tracing them with her gaze until she found the center of my chest.
“What’s that?”
I looked down at the brand right above my heart, the puckered skin meaning more to me than anything.
“It’s your brother’s initials.”
I’d had them done shortly after his death, wanting more than just a tattoo to commemorate my best friend.
She took a few steps toward me, her fingers reaching out to trace the letters.
“Why?”
“Because I loved him like a brother,” I bit out, watching her fingers touch my skin.
Chapter 10
Laura
I couldn’t believe this. Brendan was standing before me, his chest bare, and I was touching him. It was beyond a dream come true, and I planned to take full advantage of it.
Dropping my fingers, I ran my hands up his arms, feeling the muscles move and bunch under my touch. He was so strong, yet there was a vulnerability about him, a naked emotion he was hiding. When my hands reached his face, I touched the scar there.
“What’s this from?”
He laughed, his hands grabbing my waist.
“What is this, twenty-thousand question sex?”
I gave him a smile, pressing my lips to the bottom of the scar.
“I’m just trying to learn the man you have become.”
“Bar fight,” he said gruffly, his fingers sliding up to unclasp my bra. “Broken bottle. Twenty stitches and a ruined face.”
“Not a ruined one,” I answered as he released my bra, helping him slide it off my arms.
My breath stilled as his hands wandered back to my heavy breasts, rubbing over my nipples lightly. My breasts were my most sensitive part of me, and his hands on them felt like heaven. I did the same, running my hands over his chest and down his abdomen, tracing the thin line of blond hair to the waistband of his jeans. My fingers trembled as I undid the button, sliding the zipper down carefully until his cock fell out, heavy and large with need.
“Shit!” he whispered, pressing his forehead against mine. “God, I want you so bad.”
My lips curved into a smile as I reached for him, feeling it jump lightly in my hand.
“So, what you are saying is this will be fast and furious?”
