Glory

by Ana Jolene

  “Different as in bad?” That was what worried me about bringing her here. Our lives were as contrasting as a black and white checkerboard.

  “Just different.” She turned so that we faced the bonfire taking in the many members of Glory MC surrounding it. “But I like it here.”

  I could breathe easier knowing that. “Good. Come on, I want you to see something. I think you’ll like it.”

  A prospect by the name of Angel held out a bottle of whiskey and I accepted it. The liquid loosened me, helped me relax as I joined my brothers in their carefree charade.

  Taking her hand, I led Indy to the other side of the high rocks, exposing a sea of gyrating bodies. They moved to the thumping bass that exploded from the large speakers that stood like pillars on either side of the DJ booth. I had always had the feeling that Indy loved to dance. At Neptune’s she would sway her body along with the rhythm of music pouring out from the speakers as she worked. “Wow, so this is where the music was coming from,” she said with wonder.

  “We can go down if you want.”

  Her eyes lifted to mine and I saw the same glitter of excitement that was there when I asked her if she wanted to race. It was like a spark had ignited inside of her. If you gave Indy the freedom to do anything, she took it as if it was a gift.

  Grinning, she nodded. I gave her my hand, leading her into the mass of bodies, molding us into the mosh pit of motorcycle bikers.

  It was a chaotic riot, the yelling, the pushing, the slamming into sweaty bodies and spray of beer. Glory members and their women twisted and turned, clawed and tugged as they lost themselves to the music. The ground beneath us soon turned slippery with the spilled alcohol, making it easier to lose your balance. But it never once stalled the fury of movement. The crescendo built to a heightened peak, like a techno song reaching its warped speed. Through it all, Indy and I jumped and pushed as if our lives depended on it, our bodies a tangle of limbs even as our laughter filled the sky.

  I grabbed her waist and pulled her towards me, landing a hard kiss on her mouth. Indy responded with the same passionate intensity, kissing me as if she were drugged and fueled by the adrenaline rush of being here. We were jolted forward when a wave of momentum pushed us towards the outside where there was less turbulence.

  Lucky found us then, his voice booming over the music. “Guess I win, bro.” A jovial smile plastered his face. One look at his direction and I knew he was piss drunk.

  I couldn’t help the wide smile that curled my own lips. My own mood had lightened considerably, as if a physical weight had been lifted from my chest. “Win what?”

  “Power’s been back on for a while. Or didn’t you notice?” The music blaring in my ears was enough proof of that. It must have returned without me knowing.

  “Fucking bastard,” I shot back. Indy’s laughter at my side rang in my ears, more melodic than the music. I took the beer that Lucky offered.

  He backed up into the crowd as he spoke, holding out his own bottle of beer and pointing a finger at us. “Next time I see you, you better pay up!”

  Those were his parting words before hands grabbed him by his chest and lifted him into the air. His legs kicked as he tried to fight it, but it was too late for that. He was Glory now, and the rest of us wanted to celebrate his induction.

  I laughed as Lucky was thrown in the air, the crowd of hands catching his weight. His laughter was infectious. Genuine mirth shone in his eyes when they connected with mine. For all his life, Lucky had always wished for a family. Tonight, he’d earned one.

  Still grinning, I gave him a nod and the unspoken words still managed to transmit to him. Welcome home. My best friend replied with a smile before he was taken away in a wave of momentum, the rest of Glory MC letting him crowd surf as the crazier members threw him to the sky.

  The feeling of Indy’s arms wrapped around me brought me back to myself. Looking down at her, I took in her beauty. Her amber eyes were hazy with alcohol. Her lips were as plump as a plum, though redder in color. The tendrils of her dark hair were plastered to her face, sweat and dirt acting as glue. I dipped my head to whisper in her ear, feeling her shiver against me. “You’re sexy as fuck right now.”

  Surprise flittered through her expression before that blush swept over her cheeks. “I’m sweaty and covered in beer, Hastie. How is that sexy?”

  A wolfish smile pulled at my lips. “You look like I’d imagine you would after I’ve fucked you.”

  Her answering laugh made her look more beautiful beneath the moonlight. “Covered in sweat . . . and beer?”

  “Something else sticky.” That lovely blush intensified and I had to laugh. “Come on, let’s get cleaned up.” Throwing an arm over her shoulder, I guided her farther off into the distance, catching Lucky’s eyes. He nodded as we left, understanding we were done for the night.

  “Where are we going?” Indy asked later as she straddled the Harley. The moonlight provided the only source of light over us.

  “I’m taking you home.”

  “Home?” She wrapped her arms around my waist.

  “That’s what I said.” I walked us out of the tight space and revved the engine a few times, letting the others know I was leaving. I got a few hollers in response.

  “Hastie,” Indy said, her voice sounding suddenly cautious. “I’m not going to your house.”

  I craned my head to look at her over my shoulder. “Why the hell not?”

  “Because . . .” She didn’t continue.

  “What, babe?”

  Her voice was quiet when she spoke and she didn’t look directly at me when she said it. “I’m not having sex with you.”

  That stopped me. “I said I was gonna get you cleaned up. Not that I planned to fuck you. But if it happens . . .” I lifted my shoulders in a shrug.

  “No,” she said quietly.

  I cut the engine off and turned to face her. “Doesn’t mean you have to sleep with me. Jesus.” Didn’t realize I was such a chore to fuck.

  “I’m sorry,” she began and this was when my head began to swirl with confusion. What was she sorry about? “It’s just that . . .” she trailed off again.

  I pinned her with a gaze. “Just what?”

  “Figured that’s what you’d expect from me.”

  I brought a finger to her chin, the anger that I felt earlier returning. “I have no expectations. You give me only what you want.” It was a long moment as I held her gaze, making sure she understood me fully. We had come so much further than a simple one-night stand. When had it ever been only about sex between us?

  I didn’t want to admit it, but how she categorized me as another one of her other conquests she’d had in the past cut a bit. I didn’t ever want to be in the same class as dweedle-dumb and dweedle-dick.

  Her gaze slid past me towards another set of Glory members across the sea of parked Harleys. There were three of them; one was Kitt, the other Beck, our sergeant at arms. Between them was a woman with lust in her eyes. There was no question that they were heading off to fuck ’til dawn. Was that what had set Indy off?

  Indy was staring at them, her eyes on Kitt and the way he manhandled the woman. It was common knowledge that this particular sweet butt got off on the rough handling. I could see her pebbled nipples even in the dim lighting. Kitt noticed us watching and shot us a smile before running his hands over the woman’s hips, pulling her back into him. Beck moved in, running his own hands across her stomach and breasts, effectively sandwiching her between them. Did Indy expect that if she spread for me, that she would have to spread for the rest of the club?

  I leaned into her space, purposely crowding her before whispering in her ear. “Look at her. See the way she arches into his hands?” I waited for her reaction, and got a shiver and a shuddering breath in response. “She likes it. But it doesn’t mean I’m going to treat you like some fucking whore,” I finished.

  “I just assumed—”

  “You thought wrong.” Christ, I sounded like an asshole. I
forced myself to soften my voice. “Now come on. I’m taking you home.”

  Without protest, Indy straddled the bike and wrapped her arms around me. Starting the engine again, I pulled out and left the rest of Glory MC behind. As much as the club meant to me, only one person meant more. I had waited my whole damn life for something good to happen to me. Hell if I’d fuck it up now.

  Indy

  The air hadn’t cooled once night had fallen. Or maybe the overheated feeling I felt was due to my embarrassment. I felt like an idiot, making assumptions like that about Hastie and his intentions.

  I wouldn’t consider myself a prude but seeing Hanna earlier ride off with Knuckle and then seeing Kitt pawing at the other woman made me believe that Hastie would be the same with me. I had always seen him as a man’s man—the kind of guy who had had his fair share of women. Seven had once said that he went through women like underwear, a new pair each day. What made tonight any different?

  It was hypocritical of me to judge him that way though. Part of being bipolar meant that you had an increased sexual drive, and I had approached it like a starved man, taking on anything and everything, even if it was the cheapest pickings. Those cheap nights ended in cheap feelings the next morning and I would follow that with more alcohol, creating an endless cycle that grew tiring.

  In the back of my mind, I knew that what I was denying Hastie was a complete contradiction. I was ready and willing to have a one-night stand with those two guys I had picked up at Neptune’s. But for some reason, a mindless night of sex with a stranger seemed easier. There were no emotions, no tangles to untie later when morning light casted over the sheets. With Hastie, I knew it would be more complicated. If I had sex with him, would I discover it to be just as empty? Or worse, would it be passionate and intense, just like the man?

  My past experiences with sleeping around had resulted in a reputation that I couldn’t shake off. Hastie had saved me from making a big mistake the last time. But this time, I did more damage. I had hurt him.

  Nice one, Indy, I thought to myself. That was mistake number one. Care to make it two? I sighed loudly, trying not to think about how much of a fool I was being.

  Hastie began to slow as he approached a modest house. It was dark, but I could see its outline. As the engine cut off, I hopped down, taking in the rest of the house as Hastie dismounted.

  “Come on,” he said as if nothing had happened. As if I didn’t put hurt in his eyes with my stupid words.

  I followed, approaching slowly like something could jump out and grab me. I wasn’t sure what scared me so much about being in Hastie’s house. It just seemed so intimate. And I already decided I didn’t want that.

  The interior was bare to say the least. Walls devoid of color surrounded us on all sides. The few belongings in the house were scattered about, confirming that this was indeed a bachelor’s pad. Only the most necessary items were laid out within easy reach. Without a word, I followed Hastie into a dark room where he began to strip.

  As each sliver of his body was revealed in the moonlight, my mouth watered. My eyes darted to an unmade bed. A nightstand with a lamp sat beside it. The rest of the room was bare except for those two furnishings. When Hastie stood before me naked from the waist up, I realized I was staring. “Sorry,” I mumbled as I turned away hastily.

  His laughter rang out from the room. “Bathroom is right here. You can go clean up. Shower if you want.”

  No way. Taking off my clothes in close proximity to Hastie had bad idea written all over it. I was a red-blooded female and my control would crumble like a pastry. As my mind filed through all the reasons why I shouldn’t do just that, Hastie flipped on the lights in the bathroom.

  His touch on my shoulder jolted me. “Go on,” he said in a smooth voice. I looked down at myself, noticing the ugly stains of sweat, dirt, and beer. My eyelids fluttered down as I realized what a creep I must look like right now. No wonder he was keen on getting me clean. I must stink, too.

  With less reluctance, I entered the bathroom. Hastie appeared at the door then, handing me a fluffy white towel. “Thank you,” I said, taking it from him. As I shut the door between us, Hastie’s lingering smile caused my chest to tighten. It seemed that everything he did seemed directed to change my mind.

  One swift turn towards the mirror and my smirk faltered. What the hell happened to me? I looked like someone had beaten me up and tossed me into a river. All the alcohol left me dehydrated, making my lips cracked and pale. With the humid weather came the unattractive shine on my T-zone. Panda eyes topped off my Viva Gloom look. “Oh my God,” I groaned. I looked like a meth-upped druggie after the fall.

  Tossing the towel onto the counter, I ran the water and started scooping it up to splash onto my face. The moment I started dabbing it with the towel, I realized my mistake. All my makeup had melted off, leaving me looking like a sixteen-year-old.

  My insecurities returned in a rush. I had never been a great beauty. I had dark brown hair with a little bit of a kinky wave to it. My eyes were dull and lifeless as if you were looking at a doll instead of a human being. Without makeup, I looked just as tired and hollow as I felt on the inside. That veil that I heavily clung to was gone and being this exposed scared me to my core.

  Wetting my fingertips, I slicked down any annoying fly-aways around my hairline. The body had long left, making my hair look limp. In a frustrated exhale, I used the rubber band I found randomly on the counter and used it to tie my hair up in a high ponytail, pulling until my scalp hurt. “There,” I muttered. “Instant facelift.”

  Washing my hands was my next task. But what to do about the smell? A shower was simply out of the question. Once naked, there would be nothing to stop me from resisting Hastie. In a huff, I grabbed the towel and dampened it, running it under my armpits just to be safe. Scanning the counter, I found no cologne. Hastie didn’t seem like the type to use it anyway. There was aftershave though, but Eau du Musky Man was not something I thought I could pull off.

  Deciding that I had wasted enough time, I stepped out of the bathroom, switching off the light behind me. It plunged me in the darkness again, but I didn’t mind. This was where I was most comfortable. The demons were easier to ignore that way.

  However, temptation lay only a few feet away. Hastie, no longer shirtless, had changed into new clothes. The black shirt fitted to his body like Saran Wrap, encasing that hard body. Dark jeans covered his thick thighs but he wore no socks on his feet. This was a far more laid back look for Hastie, but he still had that deadly appeal that turned women into frenzied sluts.

  The truth of the matter was, I wanted Hastie. Badly. I wanted to run my tongue up those washboard abs and around those hard pecs. I wanted to draw my fingernails along his back, marking him for my pleasure. I wanted to do things to Hastie that would make me the slut everyone believed me to be. And I wouldn’t feel the least bit guilty about it.

  When Hastie’s gaze landed on mine, it was difficult not to drop my panties right there. He studied me with an expression I couldn’t exactly describe, those green eyes scrutinizing my face. “You look the same,” he whispered.

  “Were you expecting me to look like a hag without makeup?”

  He chuckled as he moved towards me. “No. It’s just that other women without makeup look drastically different. You . . . you still look drop dead gorgeous. You test a man’s will, babe.”

  Oh God. Be still my heart.

  “Indy, relax. I’m not going to pounce on you.”

  “I didn’t do anything!”

  “You have this look in your eyes.” “The look” he was referring to was probably me trying to resist tearing all my clothes off and attacking him. “You don’t need to hide from me.”

  “You just make me nervous.”

  “Nervous?”

  “I can’t seem to control myself around you,” I admitted.

  That lopsided grin of his twisted my stomach into knots. Hastie had to be well aware of the effect he had on me. He was a sad
ist for bringing me here, testing my control. That glint in his eyes told me that he wanted me to break. To surrender. But I wouldn’t. The second I did, he’d want more from me. And there wasn’t enough of me to give. “Like I said, no expectations. You give me only what you want.”

  At that precise moment, with him looking at me like I was the only woman in the world, I wasn’t certain what it was that I wanted anymore.

  I nodded as he pinned me with that intense stare. When I figured he thought he got his words across, he left the room, leaving me alone and wondering what the hell I just said no to.

  Hastie

  Turning away from Indy was one of the hardest things I had ever done, but it was necessary. I didn’t know if the sight of Kitt and Beck with that woman had really thrown her off, but Indy was standing there like she didn’t trust herself. I didn’t like it one bit.

  She looked like she needed space, so that was what I would give her. I wanted her to be at ease, not some scared rabbit who would run at one of my slightest movements. We could do something normal instead, something I hadn’t done in a long time. All the drinks I had earlier left me uncoordinated so racing was out of the question. But maybe if we . . .

  Christ, this was so fucking far from what I was used to. I had no clue how to woo a lady. Let alone how to reassure her that I wasn’t some psychotic thug. My idea of relaxing involved cleaning my guns, but I doubted that handling firearms would make her less scared of me.

  I winced as I adjusted myself in my jeans. She had me hard as a diamond, those sweet curves of hers reminding me of that time I tasted her tits in her Chevelle. Her soft moans flashed through my mind in a cruel reminder of that night. Letting out a frustrated sound, I gave a mental shove at the memory. But the vision lingered like a phantom, no doubt fuel for fantasies later on.

  The sound of light footsteps behind me caused me to turn around. Indy stood there, her eyes wide and her lips slightly parted as her breath came out in soft puffs. She didn’t say anything at first. She just looked at me with an intensity I could feel burning through my body like a brand. It seared me into spot despite the desperate need to cross the distance between us and crush her mouth to mine.