by ML Nystrom
“Bad news, that one,” Molly continued. “Been married to Blue for nearly seven years and spent most of that draggin’ him down. Been separated and back together more times than I got fingers. He finally got rid of her, and she’s still making trouble for him.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I said, not really knowing what to do with this level of girl talk. It seemed a little more suited to the club’s old ladies’ inner-circle sisterhood than to be shared with a stranger. Thankfully Tambre interrupted.
“Church meeting is over. Boys are comin’.” She lifted her slim, lithe body out of the lounger and went to greet her old man.
A number of bikers were entering the pool area, some heading for the food-laden table and others toward the ladies around the water. Molly chirped at all of them, introducing me as if I were a celebrity.
Taz, Cutter, Bruiser, Table, Hollywood—the road names started blending with the faces and I was having a hard time keeping everyone straight. They all shook my hand but some of them lingered around the grinning Molly and me. Cutter kissed Molly and wandered off to the coolers and the food. Bruiser grunted a greeting and lumbered in the same direction. Table and Hollywood decided to stick around the pool for a bit. I recognized Table as the guy shooting pool the night I took out Nikki. He waved at me and pulled up a straight-back chair near where I was stretched out. I felt a little exposed.
“You work out a lot, huh?” Table asked, setting himself on the edge of his chair. He looked like a cue ball with his shaved head. The Fu Manchu was recently groomed and today he was wearing a charcoal gray sleeveless T-shirt under his cut, showing off his ink. I assumed he was referring to the size and definition of my arms.
“If you count slinging two-by-fours all day as working out, then yes.” I sipped at my sweating tea.
He smiled a big white smile and I felt a flutter in my middle. He really was a good-looking guy.
“Name’s Eva McAteer. Builder, finisher, and all-around grunt for Irish Pub Builders Inc.”
“I’ll be damned! Never met a woman who works construction. You do got some serious muscle definition.” He didn’t look like he was a stranger at the gym with his giant arms and shoulders. He settled back, only to be jostled when Hollywood dragged up another chair next to him. “I was thinking you did some boxing on account of the way you handled yourself with Nikki. Kinda curious now how much you’d bench press.”
“You do gotta mean right hook,” Hollywood declared, sitting down as well. He pushed his Wayfarer sunglasses on top of his head, holding back his long dark hair like a headband. He looked a lot like a younger version of Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack character... except with better teeth, which I guessed was why his road name was Hollywood. “I saw you lay out Nikki when she got in your face a few weeks back. She wasn’t too happy ’bout it, but she had it coming for a long time.”
I groaned a bit. “I didn’t want to get into it with her. I really tried to get out of it, but once she took a swing at me….” I shrugged. “I don’t particularly like to scrap but it’s just not in my nature to back down from a fight.”
A tall brute of a man wandered by, busily texting. He was handsome in his own way, but huge! Long dark hair pulled back in a ponytail, silver choker chain around his neck; he was frowning and glowering at everybody and everything.
“That’s Mute.” Table pointed his chin at the behemoth and grinned. “He don’t talk much.”
I remembered seeing him at the bar, filling the roll of club bouncer. “Looks like he’s pissed at the world,” I declared in a whisper. I had the feeling that getting Mute’s attention was sometimes not a good thing.
“Nah, just worried ’bout his girl. She’s pulling a double over at the hospital tonight, and he don’t like it,” Table said, still grinning. Damn he has some white teeth!
Betsey had mentioned Mute and Katrina to me before. Mute was her partner at the River’s Edge bar. Katrina had started work there last summer and the two had been up and down for months before finally getting together. She also got caught up in the schemes of a former club member who was out to destroy the Dragon Runners. He had kidnapped her and gone on a wild ride through the famous Tail of the Dragon. Katrina had been badly injured in a wreck, common to those who didn’t respect the Tail, and he had died in a fiery explosion.
I didn’t say anything more. Just hummed and nodded along to let them know I heard. I wasn’t exactly freaking out that two men were talking to me, but I didn’t usually have men other than my brothers around me and more recently, Stud. I hadn’t even had a hookup. I never felt comfortable about that kind of thing, and for years I really didn’t have the opportunity even if I had the desire. Living in a tiny house separate from my brothers still didn’t mean total privacy. I found myself enjoying the attention and I relaxed back into the lounge, sipping at the glass of melting ice cubes. I liked Stud—a lot—but I knew he wasn’t really into me. How could he be with all those club women and practically every female he met falling at his feet?
“You shoot pool?” Table asked, leaning forward, placing his hands on his knees. “We got a table inside. I can teach you if you don’t.”
I smiled. Challenge accepted! “Let me break and you’re on! Rack ’em up!” I jumped up from my prone position and bent over to retrieve my shorts and T-shirt. I heard one of the men next to me groan.
“Damn!” Hollywood muttered. “You have serious muscles all over. You sure you got them things just from working construction?”
Table was grinning from ear to ear. “I got a gym where I train couple times a week. You want, I can take you there and we can go a few rounds.”
I looked him directly in the eye. That’s what she said ran through my brain. What came out of my mouth was, “We are talking about boxing, aren’t we?”
Table’s grin got bigger. “Sure, baby girl. We’re talking about boxing.”
Baby girl?
“COWWWWWAAAAABUNNNNGAAAAAAAAAAH!”
The cry was accompanied by a large body hurling itself through the air and landing a cannonball in the pool right next to where I stood. The resulting splash barely reached the men but drenched me.
“Hear ye! Hear ye! Ladies of all ages! The dynamic duo, Patrick and Angus, are in the hoooouuuuse!” This announcement, made by Patrick, was followed by a second cannonball, nearly on top of Angus, and sent another huge wave of water over me.
“You fucking turds!” I yelled. My T-shirt was soaked through.
They just laughed and started splashing each other. The kids in the pool thought it was hilarious and started in as well, smacking the top of the pool surface, sending water everywhere.
“Pipe down, you hooligans!” Betsey called, clacking over in her high-heeled pool mules. “Leave the water where it is or else you ain’t got nothin’ to swim in later! Food’s up, everyone! Grab it and growl!”
There was a small stampede as the kids and my two brothers scrambled out of the pool. Some ran dripping wet and some grabbed towels in their mad dash to be first in line at the food tables. I raised my hands up in the air as the small bodies hurtled around me and prayed my brothers wouldn’t get the idea to toss me in. Apparently, God was busy.
“Last one, Eva! Rotten egg!” Angus crowed as both of them grabbed my waist and shoved me backwards.
“You fucking bast—” was as far as I got before the water closed over my head. I came up sputtering and furious. “Assholes!” I hoped Betsey didn’t mind cursing around the kids. I’d heard it all my life, as my da hadn’t held back an ounce.
“Jesus, you okay?” Table leaned over the pool and offered a hand. His face had lost its grin and he looked pissed. “I’ll be your backup if you want to punch them out.”
I heaved myself out of the pool and stood up, slopping water everywhere. “I’m good. I may take you up on your offer, though. Be nice to have some backup when I kick their sorry asses!”
“They always treat you this way?” Hollywood asked, his dark soulful eyes snapping in anger.
Really, these guys were cool.
“Yep, but I can take care of myself.”
“Still ain’t right,” he muttered.
It was hard to believe these were bikers. I’d always heard MC men were rough and tough men who listened to and cared about no one but themselves and their club. Yet here I was with two Dragon Runners ready to throw down for me just because my dumbass brothers decided to toss me in a pool. I had to include Stud as well for being concerned about my back and shoulder, despite him having a woman with him when he came to see me. Then again, Stud always seemed to have a woman with him, while juggling another three.
Crap! Stop thinking about him, Eva!
I shrugged. “I’ll dry quick enough.”
“No need to wait, baby,” Table said, bending over and slinging my pack over his massive shoulder. “We got a clothes dryer in the clubhouse. I’ll loan you a T-shirt if you need it and you can hang in my room until your stuff dries. Come on and let me get you set up. I’ll bring you a plate in a bit and we can eat there while your clothes dry.”
He took my hand in his and smiled. He really was a nice guy. Hollywood looked like he would rather stick around, but he nodded at both of us before moving off toward the food tables.
I looked around as we headed toward the Lair and of course met the eyes of the last person I wanted to see when I was slinging water all over the place. Stud was stunned when he saw my condition and didn’t bother to hide it. That changed when he spotted my pack over Table’s shoulder and his hand holding mine. His jaw got so tight I thought he would crack his teeth. I suddenly felt guilty, like I’d done something wrong.
He crossed his arms and sent Table a chilling look. “Just in case you didn’t catch it earlier, she rode up here on the back of my bike.”
Table grinned, but it wasn’t a pleasant one. “That a fact? Well now, brother, that ain’t much is it? You’ve had a lotta girls on the back of your bike. Never seen one stick.”
Table stood nearly toe-to-toe with Stud, both men clearly not happy.
“Maybe this one will, maybe not. Not your call to make, brother.” Stud spoke in a low growl that was worse than an angry yell. The menace in his voice was unmistakable. I’d never heard Stud get really mad. Irritated maybe, just a few times, but this was real anger and to tell the truth, it was kinda scary.
“She ain’t claimed, brother,” Table said, not backing down. “She ain’t wearing a patch.”
Oh my God! These two men were about to fight! A real one! Over—over me? Some women might get their egos stroked from that, but me? That’s not just a no, that’s a big, fat, hell no!
“Excuse me, people, but I don’t speak biker! Patches, bikes, claiming? How ’bout I leave you two here and go find this clothes dryer myself while you guys enjoy your pissing contest?”
I went to slosh off into the clubhouse, but my dramatic exit was interrupted yet again. Betsey came running out of the clubhouse. “Stud! Nikki and that new girl Bambi are scrapping in there! Something about a sign-up sheet! What the hell have you done now?”
“Christ!” Stud muttered in both anger and disgust and shot me a look promising retribution before he stomped off toward the clubhouse.
I stifled a laugh behind my hand. Dramatic exit or not, that was perfect!
Eight
“Sorry for getting in your business, Eva. Offer is still good for the dryer and the T-shirt. Start over?” Table asked, holding out his hand to me, palm up.
I looked at his face. He wasn’t angry or pushy and the cold wet clothes were getting irritating. I smiled and took his meaty paw.
“Lead the way!”
Table led me into the large clubhouse. He did indeed have a room down a back hallway. There were eight of them on this side. He stopped at one that was midway down with his name on the front and opened the door.
“You leave it unlocked?” I asked.
Table chuckled and grinned at me. “I’m a full-patched Dragon Runner, baby. No one would steal from me, especially one of my own brothers. I trust every man here with my life.”
The room looked like it was lived in; clean, but a little messy. Clothes were draped over the back of a chair and the footboard of the unmade bed. The floor was clear except for a set of dumbbells sitting in a far corner. A big poster of a vintage Harley motorcycle was taped to one wall and another of a large black panther was taped to another. I felt strange stepping over the threshold, like I’d just entered somewhere I really didn’t belong.
“Here you go, baby.” Table handed me a faded black Harley T-shirt and a pair of drawstring sweats. “These should do. You’re almost as tall as me, but I bet my stuff will still swallow you.”
I took the rolled-up pile. “Thanks, Table. I don’t know what to say other than thank you.”
He smiled and pointed at a closed door. “No problem. Bathroom is through there. How ’bout you grab a shower and I’ll get us a couple plates. Food line is a bit long, so it will take me a while. Clothes dryer is in the closet at the end of the hall. Take your time.”
I nodded. What else could I do?
I shook myself out and jumped in his shower, noting the high placement of the extra-wide head and multiple jet settings. Table enjoyed a few creature comforts. I used his soap and his 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner, both having a masculine scent. There was only one towel hanging on the bar and I felt weird drying off with something I knew had been all over his body sometime earlier that day.
What the hell are you doing, Eva?
I didn’t have to go commando as I did bring panties and a bra to change into with the intention of wearing the same shorts and T-shirt that were now sopping wet. Table wasn’t back yet, and I didn’t want to wait any longer than I needed to get underwear back on my ass. I wandered to the end of the hallway and found the washer and dryer in a closet with accordion folding doors. I dumped in my clothes, added a dryer sheet just because they were there, and started the timer.
A noise distracted me, and I glanced to my right. The door to the room next to me was cracked open and my heart dropped. It clenched in a pain that I didn’t know was even possible. What’s worse was that my head told me it didn’t have a reason to be hurt, but that fucking organ apparently had a mind of its own.
I could see a sliver of Stud’s profile as he stood in a bedroom almost identical to Table’s. His shirt was off, and I could see the magnificent delineations of his pecs and abs. Unfortunately, I could also see a woman crouched in front of his open pants, eagerly sucking his cock. Stud’s hand was wrapped around her bobbing head. I could hear the slurpy sounds she was making. Stud had his eyes closed, jaw and mouth tight. I recognized that frizzy blonde hair. It was Nikki!
I didn’t know whether to cry or gag. This wasn’t the first time I had seen a man get a blowjob. Wasn’t even the first time I’d seen Stud get a blowjob. Living in close quarters with five men for so many years, there wasn’t much I hadn’t seen, heard, or smelled. While I lived in the RV, I could hear one or more of them masturbating and the amount of Kleenex they went through was astounding. After I moved out, they felt freer. I’d seen more than once, some woman Patrick or Angus had picked up at a bar sneaking from the RV in the early morning hours. I didn’t have to imagine why they were there as they talked about it frequently. Owen had a collection of porn magazines I found once, and Garrett also had the occasional hookup but would go to the woman’s place. I spotted him a few times coming back to the RV either very late in the night or very early before Da got up. Connor was even more discreet, and if he ever went with a woman, I didn’t know about it as he didn’t kiss and tell, and I hadn’t caught him yet.
I punched the dryer button and the machine came to life loud and violently. I barely heard the surprised yelp from Nikki as I ran back down the hallway to Table’s room. Yes, I was hiding, but at that point, I didn’t care. I was hurt and telling myself I had no reason to be hurt. I knew Stud didn’t want to be with just one woman. He was free and didn’t have to answer to
anyone about anything. He liked it that way and was happy. At least I assumed he was happy.
Fuck, Eva! Get it together and get over yourself!
I was sitting on the bed when Table knocked on the door.
“Eva? You find the dryer all right?” he asked, coming in with two plates balanced on his arm. The mouthwatering aroma of barbeque filled the air. I managed to put Stud out of my mind and smiled.
“Yup. Already started it. That smells fantastic!” I held the plates as Table pulled two beers from a mini fridge near his bed. I took a bite of the barbecue. Holy Mother of God! Sleeper, the prospect who was manning the grill, was pure genius! Sweet, tangy, smoky flavor burst in my mouth. I think I moaned.
We sat side by side on his bed, eating, drinking, and chatting. I found out Table worked as a tattoo artist and also did some boxing through a local gym.
“Some of my matches ain’t exactly legal,” he admitted with a wry smile, “but it’s good money and I need all I can get right now. The wife and I split up last year and I’m trying to buy her out in the divorce. It ain’t going too smooth, and she’s being a real bitch ’bout everything. Helps that she lives down in Dilsboro. Haven’t seen her in about eight months now. Just talking through lawyers at this point and biding my time until the divorce is final. Real pain in my ass.” His eyes gazed into mine. “How you feel ’bout that?”
How did I feel about that? How was I supposed to feel about that?
“I’m sorry that’s happening to you. It does sound like a lot of hassle,” I said, and meant it. I was still unsure of where he was going with this line of conversation, but I had an idea.
He nodded and kept talking. “I’m being straight with you ’cause I’m interested. My life has a lot of baggage right now and any woman getting to know me needs to know that. I need you to tell me straight too, Eva, before I start talking again. You got somethin’ going on with Stud?” he asked, his tone serious and his eyes boring deep.
