by Naomi West
“What? What do you mean?”
“It wasn’t just a typical roofie. She didn’t just lose the night, but an entire lifetime full of memories. The only reason she knows anything about herself is because you gave her back her driver’s license.” It was too much information, but Rascal was no longer able to think clearly.
Vinny’s mouth worked like a fish out of water for a moment. “I—I really don’t know. I didn’t ask. But I had no idea it would be that bad.”
“What, like one night wouldn’t have been bad enough? You’re lucky she’s even still alive, but I don’t like to think about all the damage you’ve caused. I’ll figure out how to deal with you later.” Rascal turned on his heel and left. He wanted to lock Vinny in the bar and burn it down around him, but the middle of the day wasn’t the right time for that sort of thing. It would have to wait until later, and then maybe he would take Tat’s advice of having the rest of the club members help him out.
He hopped on his bike and roared out of town, uncomfortable with his new knowledge.
Chapter Eleven
Vera
The hot sun shone down on Vera’s back, warming her shoulders as she plucked weeds from around the carrots. They grew well here in the sandy soil that allowed their thick roots to expand, and she truly enjoyed the work. It was satisfying to pluck the little weeds and cast them into the bucket at her side, destined for the compost pile. She’d lost track of how long she had been out here already. There was nothing like getting down on her knees in the garden and listening to the birds around her to get her mind off of her haunting past, her nightmares, and the child that she now knew was growing inside her.
Lorenna had been doing her best to convince Vera it was time to go to the doctor. “The vitamins are a start,” she had said, sounding very motherly, “but you need actual medical care. There are tests they can run and better vitamins they can give you.”
“Not yet,” Vera had hedged. She knew it was inevitable, and that Lorenna was right, but the idea of going to the hospital still scared the hell out of her. “Maybe in a little bit.”
“You’d be able to hear the baby’s heartbeat.” Lorenna was baiting her now. “And soon enough you would actually get to see it on an ultrasound. It’s amazing what they can do these days.”
The idea had been a tempting one, but Vera knew that hearing a heartbeat or seeing an image of her child would only make it more real. She couldn’t deny what was happening, but she could keep herself distant from it, or at least give herself some time to get used to the notion that she could be a mother soon. And she hadn’t even told Rascal, which was going to have to be the first step.
As though her thoughts had been sent out to the universe, the subtle sounds of the New Mexico landscape were interrupted by the rumble of an engine. Her body immediately reacted, her muscles tensing and sending Vera to her feet. She grabbed the garden fence for stability as she watched the sleek black motorcycle come flying down the highway, slowing down to pull into Lorenna’s driveway.
Vera opened the garden gate and went out to meet him, undecided if she was going to berate Rascal for leaving her so long without sending any sort of word or tell him how nice it was to see him and how well she was doing.
But as the bike drew to a stop, Vera realized that the rider’s dark hair was too straight, his shoulders a bit too narrow, and his step completely wrong. It wasn’t Rascal at all. She had never seen the man who pulled up in front of the garage, and she took a hesitant step back. There hadn’t been any visitors in the time she had been staying here with Lorenna. She would have shouted for her, but Lorenna had gone into town to run some errands.
The stranger approached, moving slowly. “Hi. You must be Vera.”
She instantly felt defensive, and she considered running off onto the trails that led away towards the mountains behind the garden. He wouldn’t be able to follow her on his motorcycle at least. “How do you know my name?”
He seemed to sense her fears and he stopped, putting out a hand. “I’m sorry. I’m Lorenna’s son, Donovan. Is she home?”
Vera wasn’t about to answer that question and let this man know that she was there all by herself. “I thought her son died,” she said suspiciously.
“That was my brother,” Donovan acknowledged. “It’s okay, really. I promise I didn’t mean to startle you. Here. Take a look at this.” He reached for his back pocket.
Vera took another step back, but he only produced his wallet. He took out a photograph and held it out toward her. It was a picture of him with Lorenna, both of then smiling with a beautiful canyon landscape behind them. “I see.” She relaxed, realizing that she had overreacted, but she still felt disappointed that Donovan hadn’t been Rascal.
“I should know better than to show up unannounced,” Donovan said as he gently tucked the photo back into his wallet. He was a handsome man in his own right, with silky black hair that he kept just a little on the long side. His eyes were dark but gentle as he smiled at her. “My mom has been taking people in for several years now, and most of the time they aren’t interested in any company. But my cell phone died while I was out, and I thought I would just come by.”
“She’s in town,” Vera explained, hoping she could trust this man. His features reflected those of his mother, but it was clear that there was something else in his genes. Donovan had a slightly exotic look to him, perhaps a reflection of some Native American heritage. “She should be back soon.”
“No problem. Can I give you a hand?” He gestured toward the garden.
Vera didn’t want to ask for help, but Lorenna had cautioned her against moving or lifting things that were too heavy. “Well, yes, actually. I’d like to move this planter of peonies over where it can get better sunlight.”
Without hesitation, Donovan entered the garden and did as she asked, grabbing the planter and dragging it out of the shade of a scrubby tree. “Like that?”
“It’s perfect!” Vera was getting excited about the garden all over again. Lorenna had told her she could do whatever she thought was best, since she seemed to know so much about planting, and now she had Donovan’s strong muscles to help her with it.
“Anything else?”
Vera was happily directing him as he rearranged patio furniture and moved a few other planters, losing herself in her vision of the garden, when the rumble of another engine interrupted her. She turned to find Rascal standing at the garden gate. Her heart dropped into her stomach as she took in that dark curly hair, his wide shoulders, and the scowl on his face. “Rascal …” she whispered.
“Vera.” He cocked an eyebrow at the man behind her. “Donovan.”
“What are you doing here?” Her lips moved of their own volition, saying exactly what she was thinking. It wasn’t exactly a warm welcome, but it did get right to the point.
“I understand you need to talk to me.” He spoke to Vera, but his gaze remained on Donovan. “Let’s go.”
She hesitated, feeling confused and a little afraid. Why was he acting so strangely? Rascal had been incredibly kind to her when he’d brought her to the bar and the hotel, and then when he’d brought her to Lorenna’s. What had changed? Had Lorenna told him about the child? Vera didn’t think she would do that. “Well, I’m kind of in the middle of something here.”
“And what, exactly, is that?” he retorted, his eyes blazing at Donovan now.
The other man held up his hands, but he kept his back straight and didn’t avoid the biker’s gaze. “Just moving stuff around, man.”
“Right.”
“If you two get blood in my garden, I’m going to spank you both.” Nobody had heard Lorenna pull up in her little sedan, and she smiled as she came upon the scene.
“Come on, Vera,” Rascal insisted. He stepped forward to open the garden gate and took her by the arm. His grip was firm, but he was careful not to hurt her.
“I see you’re here to cause some trouble,” Lorenna said to Donovan as they walked away. Her voice hel
d humor in it, though. Vera had a feeling that the older woman had picked up on Rascal’s jealousy just as easily as she had.
Rascal, meanwhile, seemed to have no more to say. His cobalt eyes burned into her as he set her on the bike and then got on himself, roaring off down the highway.
Vera held onto him for dear life, clutching at his trim waist to keep herself on the bike. She and Donovan hadn’t been doing anything wrong, but it was obvious that Rascal had thought it was something more. She hoped he wasn’t angry with her, but she would just have to set him straight if he was.
Several miles later, he pulled off onto a dirt road that bumped at the tires of his motorcycle. Rascal slowed down, but he showed no signs of stopping as he ascended a large hill at the foot of the mountains. Vera held on a little tighter, pressing her body against his, but he didn’t seem to mind.
Finally, he pulled over in the shade of several pines, their evergreen needles standing out against the other scrubby plants that were native to the area. They stretched tall into the blue sky, white puffy clouds in the distance completing the scene.
“It’s beautiful up here,” Vera breathed as she looked down where the land descended away below them. It looked even steeper than it had from the bottom, and her stomach turned at the idea of getting back down. But that was something they would have to deal with later.
“Not as beautiful as you.” He got off the bike and pulled her into his arms, pressing his lips to hers as he traced the curves of her body with his hands. “You look wonderful. I think your time at Lorenna’s has done you a lot of good.”
She blushed and looked away. “She feeds me well; I have to say that.” Lorenna had also mentioned Vera’s looks, but not in the same way. It had been more about her “glow of motherhood” and how it did her figure some good to be filled out a little.
“Listen, I’m sorry I didn’t come back to see you sooner.” Rascal still held her tightly, not willing to let go even as they talked to each other. “I should have, but I didn’t want to get in your way.”
“You wouldn’t have been in my way,” she protested, in awe that this strong, confident man could think such a thing. “Not at all.”
He tipped his head to acknowledge her point, but it was clear he didn’t agree with her. “Maybe not, but I knew you needed some time to yourself as well. And I figured that if you needed me for anything, Lorenna would find me and let me know.”
“For someone who was so interested in keeping his distance, you certainly didn’t like the idea of me talking to Donovan.” Vera raised a challenging eyebrow, content to be in his arms again. Lorenna had told her time and again that she was safe at her house, and so far that had been true. But nothing compared to the protection she felt when she was in Rascal’s arms. She couldn’t explain why he had this effect on her, but she liked it.
Rascal had the decency to look slightly ashamed of himself. “That was rash on my part. Donovan is a good guy, but it caught me off guard to see him there with you. The two of you seemed to be working well together, and I didn’t like the idea. It should have been me.”
“I didn’t know you had such a claim to me.” Vera smiled up at him, daring him to say otherwise. He had come back for her. It might only have been because Lorenna said she wanted to talk to him, as he had mentioned, but he had come nevertheless. That was all she needed.
“Oh, trust me. I do.” He kissed her again, his fingers exploring the flesh of her backside as he lifted her off the ground.
Vera’s heart soared as she kissed him back, her tongue entwining with his and remembering the taste of his mouth. Her core tightened, and she knew she had fallen for this man. Every part of her body seemed drawn to him, and even being as close to him as possible wasn’t enough.
He must have felt it, too, because the next thing she knew he was lifting her off her feet and laying her gently among the pine needles, which made a comfortable cushion underneath her. He gently lifted her shirt with his hands as his lips traced a line down her jaw to her ear, down her throat, and radiated around her collar bone.
His kisses only made her more desperate for his attention, and Vera let her hands rove underneath his white T-shirt to explore the sculpted muscles of his back. In her mind, she was instantly brought back to their lovemaking sessions at the hotel. She wanted him desperately, and she didn’t know how she had managed to go for the past several weeks without him. All of her nightmares and her worries flew right up into the desert sky and dissipated as she freed him from his clothes and revealed the glory of his hard, muscled body.
“I want to take my time with you,” his whispered as he removed her bra and kissed her nipple, causing it to harden and beg for more. “But I want you so badly that I don’t know if I can stand it.”
“I know.” She brought her hand down between his legs, wrapping her fingers around his shaft. He definitely was ready for her, and the touch of that velvet skin made her own core respond. “I need you too.”
He sucked air in through his teeth and closed his eyes as she caressed him. “You don’t know what you do to me.”
“I think I do.”
Vera gasped as he penetrated her, but it was a noise of pleasure. The way he filled her up made her feel as though she was whole, like she had been missing a piece of herself but didn’t know how to find it again on her own. He thrust gently, using his arms to keep his full weight off of her, but she liked having him on top of her. Even in this moment, he was shielding her from the world. She spread her legs, letting him come in deeper, and wrapped them around his waist.
“Hold on,” he said as he grinned at her. Rascal pushed himself backward and rolled over. Vera clasped her hands behind his neck and held on tightly with her legs as he maneuvered himself down onto the pine needles, ending with her on top this time.
She giggled with pleasure, realizing that she was the one in control now. Vera braced her fingertips against his shoulders and counterbalanced against the ground with her knees as she drew his cock out to the very tip before slowly letting it sink back inside her, burying it to the hilt. She experimented with different angles and speeds as she moved, looking for the one that would bring them the most pleasure. She knew she should have felt vulnerable, sitting naked on top of a man in the wilderness, but nothing mattered as long as she was with him.
Rascal’s eyes rolled up in his head with pleasure, and his big hands easily pulled her forward. He took her breast into his mouth and suckled at her nipple until a shiver of pleasure traced its way down her abdomen to her core, causing it to tighten.
Vera threw her head back, pushing her chest forward and letting him do as he pleased. He knew how to make her body happy, and who was she to stop him?
He broke contact with her breast and moved to the other one, the breeze cool against her skin where his tongue had touched her. Vera pushed her hips harder against him as he worked, enjoying the way he worshipped her body. He gathered her hair into his fist and gently pulled her hair back, tipping her face up to the sky as he pulled her flesh into his mouth and made it his own.
She moaned with pleasure, loving the way that he made her feel as though she was dominant over him even though she knew it was the other way around. Her pussy was slick with desire around his hard cock, and she couldn’t get enough of the way his skin felt against hers. The gentle tugging on her hair as he sucked even harder at her pert buds was enough to send her over the edge. She rammed against him as orgasmic waves rifled through her core, squeezing around his member and telling him just how much she was enjoying this.
His body responded in kind, his cock engorging even more. He bucked his hips against her, pressing her to him and keeping her from flying off from his efforts. Her breasts pounded at his face as he slammed upwards, moaning with pleasure as he filled her with his seed. Rascal grunted his satisfaction.
Afterwards, Vera curled up into the safety of his body as he wrapped his arms and legs around her. She knew she had fallen for him, even though she shouldn’t have. But
whether she felt anything for him or not, she had something she had to tell him. “I assume you came because Lorenna told you that I wanted to talk.”
“No. I came because I had a hot woman riding my dick like a professional cowgirl,” he said with a chuckle that ruffled her hair. He pulled her closer in apology. “But yeah, she said you wanted to see me. Is everything okay?”
“Well, yes. There’s just something I thought you ought to know.” She felt her body stiffen against his as she once again thought of her predicament. It didn’t seem fair to either one of them, but she supposed that was how life went. “I’m pregnant.”
Rascal said nothing for a moment, his muscles tensing against her back. Then he pushed himself up off the ground to look down at her, brushing pine needles out of his hair as he did so. “You’re what?”
