Glory

by Ana Jolene

  “Who replaces me as sec and trez then?” When Knuckle pointed a finger at Lucky, I gaped. “Him?” Sorry, but that was the last person I’d expect to get the role. Lucky had memory worse than an amnesiac.

  “Hey.” Lucky sounded downright offended. “I’d like to think that I’m a great candidate for that position, okay?”

  Kitt barked out a laugh. “No offense, brother, but are you sure you can handle all the responsibilities? It’s a lot of paperwork and record-keeping. I don’t doubt that you can collect any debts owed to the club though, you’ve been a great prospect, but this is a lot of work.”

  Lucky waved a dismissive hand. “Got this shit covered. Don’t worry about it.”

  Skeptical looks were flashed my way. “Look,” Knuckle walked to Lucky’s side. “He’s shown that he’s willing to lay his life on the line. I don’t mind putting him in as secretary and treasurer. Glory’s dwindling and with the recent hits, we’re going to need to look into recruiting.”

  It was words that nobody wanted to hear in the club. Glory MC was about love and loyalty. Newt was the one who had taught us that your place in the club was earned. There was no doubt that Lucky had proven himself recently, earning Flash to protect Newt the day he died. It was just surprising that he was being promoted so quickly through the ranks. No one had ever risen through the ranks this quickly in Glory MC’s history. Then again, the flares had changed how we did things in the club.

  Then there was me. Vice-prez. Could I do this? Did I want to do this? It had always been a possibility in the back of my mind, but I never would have guessed that it would happen so soon. I was nowhere near ready. And with the world as it was, I knew trouble would find its way back to us soon. But Newt’s memory rose like smoke. The club needed someone to take over. And I would never be the one to turn away from them. “Fine, I’ll do it.”

  Knuckle eyed me warily. “You don’t sound too happy about it.”

  I just had to get used to the idea, that was all. The position came with a lot of responsibilities, ones I wasn’t sure I was ready to take on. With more sincerity, I said, “I’d be honored to be vice-prez of Glory MC.”

  Knuckle grinned widely. “Anyone opposed to this?” There was no argument from the others. Just hopeful faces. Grinning, Knuckle slapped me on the back. “Congratulations, boy.”

  I couldn’t fight the grin that lifted my face. Just like that, I was vice-prez. I looked over to Lucky as Knuckle spoke. “Anyone opposed to this fool being sec and trez?”

  Kitt and Beck signaled their refusal.

  “Oh, come on,” Lucky yelled, clearly distressed. But the two sergeant at arms laughed, letting Knuckle know that they were actually joking.

  “He’s good,” Kitt said on a laugh.

  “Yeah,” Beck agreed. “Let the guy prove that he’s not such a worthless dumbass.”

  “Fuck yeah!” Lucky called out, doing several variations of celebratory hand gestures. A few of them even looked like gang signs.

  Jesus. “Fucker’s wasted,” I muttered as I shook my head.

  Knuckle grinned. “And I will be too now that we’ve settled all this. It’s my wedding night, after all. Congratulations,” he said again before patting me on the back.

  “Congratulations to you, too.”

  Indy

  “Wow.” I shoved another forkful of cake into my mouth. “This is the shit.”

  Hanna’s wedding cake was an elaborate display of skulls piled on top of each other, covered in blood-red roses. A black banner spanned the bottom, spelling out Hanna + Knuckle in elegant script. Not bad for a post-flare wedding. Seven had really out done herself. Cake was usually hard to come by but this tasted like absolute paradise.

  “Here, have some champagne.” I took the glass Hanna offered and sipped.

  “Shouldn’t you be mingling with your guests instead of serving drinks? This is your wedding after all.”

  Hanna laughed, embarrassed. “I guess I’m just not used to it, you know? I still can’t believe this will be my life.”

  The last time I was at a club event, it had been an eye-opener. As the doe-eyed innocent who jerked and flinched at anything anyone said or did, it was easy to be shocked by it.

  For too long I was locked in a cage of my own making, never allowing myself to venture too far. I allowed my disorder to be the excuse I used when something went wrong and a lot of my social life had faltered because of that. It was my fault that I never allowed anyone in until Hastie came along. Although it didn’t equate to getting rid of my disorder, this sinful biker had showed me that my disorder didn’t have to conquer my life if I didn’t let it.

  I would still have the running thoughts and speak too quickly for others to understand me sometimes. And I would most definitely have some bad days. But despite it all, I learned that there was still hope out there.

  The chaos that surrounded Glory MC and the motorcycle lifestyle mirrored my mind. Hanna had almost dropped it all and shut the door on Glory MC and their lifestyle. But after further deliberation, she decided to stay. She knew before getting involved just how dark it could be, how manipulating it was once you became a part of it. To survive this world, you also had to play by their rules. Or, in this case, to do whatever it took to survive.

  Unlike Hanna, I didn’t have an option. My mind was a trap and if I let it, it would hold me hostage forever. But now I was realizing that life didn’t have to be one big hole of darkness.

  “You’ve got a man who loves you,” I told Hanna, realizing that it made a world of difference. “Knuckle is going to take care of you.”

  A smile lifted her entire face, the bliss of a newlywed showing through. “Thank you for coming,” she said. “It’s really too bad they wouldn’t wear tuxes. That would have been a sight, wouldn’t it?”

  Hastie in a tux? That might be too much for the women of the world to handle. “I’d rather that we keep the admirers away and have them to ourselves.”

  Hanna nodded. “Oh, good plan.” Pushing off the table, she moved towards her husband. I watched, feeling like a voyeur as Knuckle wrapped his arms around his wife and leaned down to kiss her.

  Knuckle still scared the shit out of me every now and then, but I realized that he wasn’t the cold-blooded bastard that I made him out to be. With him around, Glory MC would remain safe.

  A slow buzz hummed through my body. As I brought the glass in my hand to my lips again, I saw Hastie approaching, his eyes focused on the drink I held. “What the hell is that?” he asked when he finally reached me.

  “Champagne. Want some?”

  He grimaced. “No, thanks. Where the hell is the hard liquor around here?” Seconds later, the prospect who was eyeing us earlier approached with a bottle. He was gorgeous with watchful eyes and golden, bronzed skin. “You keep looking at Indy. Do you like her?”

  I stiffened. Uh oh. Was Hastie’s possessiveness rising again?

  Angel’s eyes grew wide-eyed but he nodded. “She’s pretty.”

  “Yeah, she is,” Hastie said as he wrapped an arm around me. “But you’ll find your own woman one day.”

  I watched as the prospect’s cheeks reddened before he disappeared like a ghost. “Jesus. Did you have to scare him like that?” The poor guy looked like he was facing the grim reaper himself.

  Hastie lifted those broad shoulders in a shrug and focused his attentions on opening the bottle in his hands. “I thought I was being nice.” Nice? He looked ready to throttle Angel. It was a good thing Angel had walked away when he had. At least I didn’t have to do damage control again. Hastie took a swig and I watched as his throat worked.

  “Whoa, slow down there. I’m not riding home with you.”

  He grinned, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Got a lot to celebrate.”

  “Celebrate what?”

  “Me making vice-prez.”

  “What? No fucking way!” I couldn’t contain my happiness for him. “I’m so proud of you!” I pulled him in for a hug, scattering k
isses all along his jaw.

  “I’m proud of you, too.”

  I frowned. “For what?” Nothing could be better than making vice-prez.

  “You know.”

  For letting him in? For facing my fears? My gaze scanned the partying crowd. “Do you think they care that I’m crazy? Do you think it bothers them?”

  Hastie brought up his hand to swipe a lock of my hair that flew into my face. “You’d be surprised by how damaged a lot of the members of Glory MC are. They’ve got no room to judge. Same as me. I don’t look at you differently because I know you have a mood disorder. I’m just more aware. It just helps me understand you better.”

  I couldn’t help but feel warmed by his words. They brought hope. Damn, how the hell did I get so lucky to land a guy like him? “You deserve better. Someone who isn’t broken. You deserve the whole deal.”

  A lethal smile spread over Hastie’s lips, making me wonder what was so amusing about my words. “Still pushing me away, baby? I thought we were past this.”

  “I’m not.” I winced even as I realized that I was. Like Hanna, I had to get used to the idea of having someone to lean on.

  “You don’t get to choose which parts of you you’ll give me. If you give me your heart, I’m taking everything that comes with it. Even the little broken, fragmented pieces of you because together, they make a whole and I want all of you or nothing at all.”

  The weight of his gaze grounded me. Instinct told me to run, to fight, to push away, but I knew Hastie. I knew what we had to go through to make it this far. “Regardless of whether you have bipolar or not, people go through shit, Indy. To make a relationship work, you have to put in the effort because you love the other person. And I love you, Indy. We’ll make this work.”

  My smile grew then. In this hopeless, barren world, I believed that we could grow our love. It would take some nurturing. Some sacrifice. But it wasn’t impossible anymore. Hastie had given me hope.

  Hastie

  Two weeks later . . .

  I yawned, stretching out the tight muscles in my back. I’d been sitting in this chair for far too long. The church meeting had gone on longer than expected. But now that I was vice-prez, it was all part of my new responsibilities. After four hours, a pack of cigarettes, and a lot of arguing, we finally figured it all out.

  Exiting the meeting room, I went straight to the bar, hearing the echoes of laughter and music from the speakers. My gaze landed on the beauty behind the bar. Indy smiled when she saw me approaching. “Bet you need a drink after all that.”

  “Hell yeah and keep it coming.”

  “You got it, handsome.” Seconds later, a glass was set in front of me.

  Indy bent low, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of her cleavage. My eyes locked on it before moving up to her amber eyes. “Why don’t you and I go to the back room for a bit?” My words dripped with suggestion and a playful smirk tugged at Indy’s lips.

  “I don’t know how my boyfriend would feel about that,” she teased.

  “He doesn’t have to know.”

  “Oh no. I’m faithful to my man.” My grin widened. God, did she even know how pumped it made me to hear that?

  “Well then, he’s a very lucky bastard, isn’t he?”

  “Very,” she agreed. I watched as she went off to serve other patrons, smiling and flirting with the man two seats down from me. Normally the flirtatious smiles she was sending the man would have triggered a jealous fit, but her earlier words resonated: I’m faithful to my man. I knew that whatever advances were sent her way, she would always say no unless it was really over between us.

  “Want another?” she asked when she returned.

  “I can get it myself.” I pushed off from the bar, ignoring the confused glances from Indy and the other patrons. Of course I went for the whiskey, helping myself to a generous glass.

  When I lifted my gaze, Indy was looking at me. “What are you doing?”

  “You deserve a little break.” I offered her the glass. “Here, have a drink.”

  “No. Get back on the other side. You’re gonna get me in trouble.”

  “Babe, trouble finds you regardless.” Nobody said a thing as I stalked towards her and pushed her up against the bar. Her ass pressed against the front of me, like two pieces of a puzzle finding home. Could she feel my straining erection I had for her? In an explorative sweep, my hand roamed the edges of her short skirt.

  As her moan sounded over the music, my gaze flipped up, catching the eye of one of the patrons she’d served earlier. My message was clear: she’s mine was all but screamed in the possessive way I held her to my body.

  Attention back on Indy, my hands explored the curves of her body, never failing to mesmerize me. Her skirt had rode up over the globes of her ass, revealing a glimpse of see-through panties.

  “Why’d you stop?” Indy asked over her shoulder when I froze. She followed the line of my focus and simply said, “Oh,” when I looked at her in shock.

  “Oh?” I echoed. Indy laughed, pushing me away from her as she turned in my arms. “You’re taking a break,” I growled, leaving no room for discussion. Grabbing hold of her wrist, I pulled her towards the back room.

  Hanna jumped behind her desk as the door slammed open. “What the fuck?”

  “Could I get a moment with her?” Hanna’s eyes darted between Indy and I. Sensing something was going on, she simply stood and left, closing the door behind her.

  Finally alone, I turned to Indy and just stared at her. Under my gaze, she squirmed and bit her bottom lip. “Christ, Indy.” She was killing me.

  “You don’t like it?”

  Like it? I fucking loved it. “Turn around and bend over.” I wanted to see it again.

  As Indy poised herself over Hanna’s desk, I closed the distance between us, lifting the edge of her skirt again.

  And there it was. Riding the edge of her hip and ass was my name written in elegant script. “My God,” I breathed. “That has to be the sexiest thing I have ever seen.”

  In the next heartbeat, her panties were at her ankles, resting against the top of her boots. My hands were busy relearning her body, as if seeing my name branded on her skin made the experience feel new.

  There was no shame as Indy widened her stance. “I had no idea you were getting this done. You continue to surprise me, baby.” She ground her ass against me, pushing, wanting to hasten the experience.

  My own control was slipping but I didn’t want to rush this. When that burning desire couldn’t be ratcheted any higher, I pressed against her, filling her with my cock. Indy gasped, and then moaned when I started to move.

  The whole time, my eyes were glued to her ass. Didn’t help that the tattoo stared back at me, a blatant reminder that she was mine.

  I didn’t deserve her. Never would. She could protest, fight me, or leave me. But for however long my heart continued to beat in my chest, I would be hers.

  Her body tightened deliciously around me before a keening sound charged the air. I breathed in, holding as much of the passion she was giving me until black spots flickered in my eyes. All the while, I never ceased hammering into her. My own orgasm blindsided me, hitting me full throttle until my mind felt like it had short-circuited.

  I blinked hazy eyes at Indy’s amused expression. This woman was unbelievable. She had given me all things: her heart at first. Her body, second. And now, the crazy woman had trusted me with her soul, too.

  EPILOGUE

  Indy

  “Will I have to carry you again?”

  “You didn’t carry me! I hauled my fat ass up all those stupid rocks the last time.”

  Hastie shot me a devastating smile that never failed to make my heart do somersaults. “And it took us about two times longer for it.”

  “Hey! At least I made it in once piece.”

  “Just barely.” I jabbed him in the side with my elbow and pushed past him. The last time we were here, it had been my birthday. Except unlike then, I wasn’t huffing
and puffing at the physical challenge. I was making good ground, energized by the fact that things were going well in my life lately.

  I felt a certain serenity standing up on that cliff the last time I was here, looking down at the dead shrubbery that dotted the desert landscape below. A sense of peace veiled over me, more comforting than a warm blanket on a chilly night. The place had become a sanctuary of sorts, an escape from the chaotic world we lived in.

  I’d been too scared before. Too self-conscious about what others thought about me that it prevented me from letting others see who I truly was. In living the lie though, I had let my mood disorder define me instead of accepting life and letting go of the residual negative stimuli associated with it.

  Things were better now. Of course I had my bad days. But in embracing who I was, flaws and all, I not only forged a stronger bond with Hastie and my friends but I had also stopped feeling bad about myself. My disorder was no longer eating at me, destroying every single thing I loved in the process. I was now in better control and with the support of my friends and the family I had found in Glory MC, I felt that I could do this. After all, it was all about willpower at the end of the day.

  “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Hastie murmured, gaze focused on the horizon.

  “Um. Could you give me a minute alone, please?”

  His green eyes flashed with worry for a second before he slowly nodded and moved away to give me space. His overprotective tendencies still bubbled up to the surface every now and then, but he was getting better at controlling it. In a way, I believe it directly correlated with how much he trusted me. That he didn’t argue with me on this request was an example of his confidence in me.

  Taking a deep breath, I turned towards the edge of the cliff. The view was just as mesmerizing as I had remembered. The sky was a gradual wash of blues, peaches, and pale yellows, darkening right before my eyes. All of the colors reminded me of words that Hastie had once said to me long ago: Color, Indy—that’s what you are to me. You bring color into my life. I want to hold onto that forever.