Calming the Riot

by Karen Renee

  Andrea closed and locked the front door and turned to him. “Okay, you didn’t give me a chance downstairs to say this, but thank you.”

  Liar turned to her while shrugging out of his cut and tossing it onto the armchair. “What’re you thanking me for?”

  Her head tilted and impatience flashed in her eyes. “You know what for. For sending that guy a damn message for me.”

  It was a good thing Liar had actually played some poker that night; it helped him keep his own impatience from flashing in his eyes. “Didn’t do it for you, Andi.”

  Her eyebrows crunched for a second before she asked, “You didn’t?”

  “Fuck, no. I did it for me and for the club. We told that fucker not to come back to the poker room, and he did it anyway. That’s a level of disrespect we don’t tolerate.”

  Her chin dipped, and she crossed her arms under her tits. “Okay. That tells me why you did it for the club. Why’d you do it for you?”

  “You’re mine. I didn’t tell him that because I don’t want to focus more of his attention on you than he already had aimed at you. You gotta know I’m gonna protect you.”

  An argumentative look crossed her face, but then she cleared it. “That reminds me. You know, I’m not a ‘what,’ right?”

  “Run that by me again?”

  “When Blood had his arm around my shoulders, you asked him about his arm being around ‘what’s’ yours. I was the ‘what’ you were referring to, but I want to make sure you know I’m not an object.”

  Liar closed his eyes for a moment of patience. “Get your sweet ass over here, Andrea.”

  Her eyes narrowed for the briefest of moments, had Liar blinked he’d have missed it. “No. Not until you tell me you know I’m a human being and not some object you can refer to as ‘what’ is yours.”

  Liar closed the distance between them in a stride and a half. He ran his fingers into her silky dark hair and dipped his head to stare into her eyes. “You know I know you’re a human being. But, in my world, it’s a little different. You know just enough to be dangerous since you’re friends with Jackie. However, you gotta accept that between me and my brothers, our old ladies are property, even if we don’t treat them like that.”

  Her eyes flashed with annoyance, but he slid his hands further back, so he smoothed her hair behind her ears. “You’re mine, and I don’t like anyone else touching you. And you can bet your sweet ass I don’t like anyone who’s been a threat to you bein’ anywhere near you. I did not refer to you as an object. You’re mine, and I didn’t want Blood touchin’ you even though he had both our best interests in mind.”

  She dropped her arms and wrapped them around Liar’s waist. “Fine,” she whispered.

  He wanted to be relieved that she was giving in, but any woman saying ‘fine’ was a red flag, even if it was at the end of a discussion. “You sure about that, baby?”

  She gazed up at him with those big brown eyes. “Yeah. Hopefully, nothing like that will happen again.”

  Her body leaned into him, and her face was coming closer, but Liar was not doing this at her front door. He gently lowered his hands from her head and wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted. She squeaked and then giggled. “What are you doing?”

  Once he had her in her bedroom, he put her down in order to turn on the light. “You. Get naked.”

  A series of low whistles cut the air. It took a moment before he recognized she was whistling “Taps.” With his shirt off, he shot her a curious look which she answered. “Seriously? ‘Get naked’? Romance is officially dead. I thought someone should pay their respects.”

  He undid the button on his jeans but stalked toward her. Grabbing the bottom hem of her scrub top, he yanked it over her head and took her by surprise. “I’m minutes away from a case of blue balls, Andi. Get naked, so I can oil you up. I been fantasizing about you covered in oil and me fuckin’ you since we met. So, fuck romance, let’s get to it.”

  Her eyes slid to the bed, her lips twisted in a slight pout, but then she turned on her heel and went to her dresser. On her way, she released her bra and dropped it to the floor. Liar got his motorcycle boots off and made short work of his jeans and boxers. He was closing in behind her when she wriggled her ass out of her scrub pants and thong. A rush of blood surged to his cock, which reminded him he needed one of the two condoms from his wallet.

  Once he had the condom on her bed, he turned to find Andrea holding the oil and her hand about to rub her chest. “Oh, no, woman. That’s all me.”

  “I thought things were going to go too quick and you were minutes away from pain?”

  He swiped as much oil from her open palm as he could, and he began to smooth it all over her ample tits. Her breathing increased, and a glance into her eyes revealed how turned on she was getting. “You like this now, you’ll really fuckin’ like it when it’s my cock we’re lubing you up for, babe.”

  She chuckled. “It isn’t the oil, Liar. I just like having your hands on me.”

  He smiled. “Same here, baby. Give me that bottle.”

  “How about I squirt it into your hand. That way I can—”

  “Don’t fuck with me, woman. Give me that bottle because this is gonna be fuckin’ hot.”

  She pouted with her eyes bugging out at him. When she gave him the bottle, he chuckled at her. He didn’t think it was nearly enough for what he really wanted to do with her, but he squirted a healthy dose into his palm and coated her waist, ass and down to her thighs.

  He whipped the covers off of her bed before he fell onto it pulling her on top of him. Setting the closed bottle of oil next to him, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. His hands were still slick, and as they roved over her back, it made her skin feel that much smoother. She began to squirm in his hold, and he broke the kiss so he could get the condom.

  “Sit up, baby. Gotta get gloved, and then you’re gonna ride me. Watchin’ you all slick on my cock is gonna be phenomenal.”

  She did as he asked, but she looked at him with confusion. When his cock was sheathed, he laid back down. Once she straddled him again, he put his hands to her hips, lined himself up with her center, and drove in hard. He stroked her pelvic bones and up her rib cage to her tits while she bounced on top of him. This had been a long-held fantasy for him, but he counted himself lucky because the reality was surpassing his wildest dreams. She was the hottest woman he’d ever fucked but watching her shiny body was better than he could ever have imagined.

  “Fuck,” he hissed. On one of Andrea’s downward strokes, he pinched her nipples.

  Her back arched, her eyes closed, and her head flew back. “Yes!”

  He was moments away from coming, so he dropped one hand so his thumb could circle her clit. The moment he touched her, she threw her head forward. Her eyes were blazing at him. “Liar, my God, I’ve never…I think, I’m gonna—”

  He returned her gaze, kept at her with his thumb and pinched her nipple again with his other hand. “Yeah, baby. I’m close too.”

  And he was close, so he pistoned his hips up on her downward strokes and was pleased as hell when Andrea took his arm in a vice-like grip with a keening cry of pleasure. With two more bucks of his hips, he blew his load with a loud, but satisfied groan.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Andrea

  Two things I knew for sure, it was morning, and I felt sticky in an unfamiliar way. I opened my eyes to see Liar lying curled toward me, and last night came rushing back into my mind. If we did that again, I’d have to start buying larger bottles of oil. It was hard for me to believe I hadn’t ever thought to try that before because it was great. He rode me with ease normally, but adding the oil gave both of us a slickness resulting in a fuck that was smooth on the inside and on the outside.

  I had to stop thinking about last night before I worked myself up. A smile played at my lips because having him next to me first thing in the morning was like a dream come true. It sounded hokey in my mind, but it was the truth. His
copper stubble was beautiful on his angular face. His arm was draped on my hip, lightly claiming me even in sleep. While I hadn’t liked him calling me ‘what was his’ last night, I absolutely loved the idea of being claimed by him.

  Watching his muscular chest rise and fall with his breathing, I thought about him saying he was falling for me on Monday. His comment about my excitement at that prospect prevented me from telling him I was falling for him too. Though, the truth of the matter was I wasn’t falling for him at all. I fell hard for him the day he walked inside my shop. Insisting that feeling was lust speaking was a self-imposed delusion. My falling only stopped when we got to know one another. So, no, I wasn’t falling for Liar because I was in love with him. Plain and simple.

  My lips were pressed together as I thought about whether or not I should just tell him I loved him. Part of me thought it was a complete no-brainer, but another part of me knew it was the ultimate form of putting myself out there. If he didn’t return that, then what? The thought made me uncomfortable, and I shifted slightly.

  Shifting my legs woke Liar up. Those liquid brown eyes caught mine and I had a difficult time breathing. I sharply exhaled a silent chuckle as I got myself together, but he was onto me, and the edges of his lips tipped up.

  “You strugglin’ with somethin’ Andi?” Liar asked me with a joking tone.

  My eyes examined his pillowcase. “Nope. No struggles here, man. How about you?”

  He chuckled, and I thought that would be that, but his fingers swiped at my chin. “I’m fine, but you’re a lousy liar.”

  It was downright reflexive when my eyes went to the left and then back to him again. “Whatever, Liar.”

  He rolled on top of me. “What’s on the agenda for today? You got clients?”

  I shook my head. “No, even if it’s ‘shop local’ Saturday today, it’s typically one of my slowest days. Most people are out of town or with their families, so getting pampered isn’t on their list of things to do.”

  His lips puckered as he pondered what I said. “That’s a bummer for you.”

  “Not really. It’s more of the calm before the storm because next week is a killer. People get stressy with family visitors and stuff. Besides, Jackie’s shower is later today anyway.”

  “Speaking of showers, babe, I’m thinking we both need one of our own. I’m sticky, so I can only imagine how you’re feeling.”

  I giggled and nodded. He grinned. His head dipped, and he kissed me hard but with closed lips.

  “You’re up first, Andi,” he said and rolled off of me.

  ***

  Liar walked up behind me, fresh from his shower. “So, you’re the one who made those green appetizers.”

  I was scattering chopped bell pepper onto the baked crescent roll dough which already had a layer of cream cheese spread all over it. “Yeah. The abundance of green from the broccoli and the bell pepper tends to put some people off. I should’ve opted for a yellow bell pepper, but I didn’t think about it when I was the grocery store. At the holidays I do a red bell pepper, but—”

  “Babe. Once we all had one of those jokers, not one of my brothers shied away from them. They’re fuckin’ good.”

  Well, that made me feel good. I smiled up at him. “Doesn’t change the fact that people eat with their eyes first.”

  His eyes heated. “Yeah. I eat with my eyes first, that’s for damn sure.”

  I dipped my chin toward my neck. “You’ve got to stop taking our conversations straight to the gutter.”

  He chuckled. “I didn’t say anything to put this conversation in the gutter. Thinkin’ you’re the one who goes there. Not that I have a problem with that at all, Andi.”

  “How was your Thanksgiving? Did your Gran enjoy having you and your cousin there?”

  His expression faltered. “I think she enjoyed it, but I also think she was happy to see us leave too. My Uncle Delmas was there, even though he wasn’t supposed to be down there until after next week. Hate to say it, but it was clear this was probably her last Thanksgiving. She seemed weaker than when Beast and I went to see her earlier in the month. I just hope she’s around for Christmas.”

  I frowned. There wasn’t much I could say to that, but I gave him a sympathetic look. “I hope she is too.”

  “Yeah,” Liar whispered. Then he asked, “So, how was your Thanksgiving?”

  “Good. Jackie had me and Cal and Mallory over for it. Volt fries a mean turkey.”

  A wry grin lit his face. “You can tell the turkey was mean when you eat it, huh?”

  I put the last bits of chopped carrots on top of the bell peppers and broccoli and gave Liar a skeptical look. “No. You know what I mean. It was great, and frankly, nice of him to do since Jackie shouldn’t be hauling a ten-pound turkey out of her oven, even if she does have a gourmet set-up.”

  ***

  “You know, people like you drive me crazy,” Abby said to Jackie.

  Jackie gave her a questioning look.

  “You want to be surprised about the baby’s gender. It makes me sick. The technology is there, Jackie, you should embrace it. I couldn’t look for cute girlie clothes or bad-ass baby boy biker outfits.”

  Jackie’s chin dipped at Abby. “So sorry to ruin things for you, Abs.”

  Abby shook her head. “I’m lookin’ out for you, woman. What are you gonna do about names? A good name is hard to come up with.”

  Jackie was chewing a cracker, and once she swallowed, she pointed a finger at Abby. “That I’ve got covered. Simone if it’s a girl and Callous Henry if it’s a boy.”

  Mallory’s eyes went big, and she looked at Jackie. “Does Cal know about this plan of yours?”

  “Heaven’s, Volt doesn’t even know,” Jackie said smiling but gave Mallory a serious look. “And if you don’t mind, I’d appreciate it if you kept it to yourself for now.”

  Forty-five minutes later, Jackie had unwrapped gifts, and I served the cake. I sat down on the floor in my living room with a slice of cake. I noticed a woman named Trixie stand up and grab her phone off the coffee table. She leaned toward Jackie to give her an awkward hug. “Good luck with the baby. I wish you the best.”

  “Why does this sound like a permanent goodbye, Trixie?” Jackie asked.

  Trixie crossed her arms defensively. She shook her head and I admired her ash blonde hair with purple tips. “Don’t go makin’ this harder than it is.”

  “She isn’t,” Mallory said.

  “Listen, Prissy Pants, I may have come to like you—”

  “Prissy Pants? What is that all about?” Mallory demanded.

  “Trixie, there is no reason you can’t—” Tennille started.

  “Don’t you start up now, NeNe.”

  “Don’t call me, NeNe, Patricka.”

  “Wish I could be called ‘NeNe,’” Frankie put in.

  Tennille shot her a sideways glare. “Like you need another damn nickname. Hell, when we first met, I didn’t know what to call you sometimes. Frankie, Lorraine, Rainey, and Lo-lo. Of all people, you got the nicknames covered.”

  Frankie shrugged. “Whatever. Trixie, what is going on?”

  Trixie sighed. “I’ve been takin’ myself out of Riot. If you girls are all hangin’ without any chance of any of the brothers bein’ around, I’ll swing by. Assumin,’ I’m not workin’ my ass off, but otherwise, it’s time for me to move on. Only so much a chick can take, if you know what I mean.”

  Abby sauntered back in from the kitchen with a piece of cake in tow. “Don’t you dare think Blood and I aren’t gonna hunt you down and take you to lunch with us like we always have. Cause that date’s a standing one, even if we’ve never declared it as just that.”

  Trixie’s head tilted slightly to the side. “Fine. But don’t you dare let him bring anyone else along. I mean it.”

  Janie stood up from the armchair. “Much as I don’t want to, I think I’m gonna get rolling too, Andi. It was bad enough dealing with Trent beforehand, I don’t want to court him being
a jackass when I get home too. But I won’t bore y’all with that. This was tons of fun. It was great to meet all of you Riot ladies. Jackie, congratulations again.”

  I put my cake on the coffee table and stood up to walk both ladies to the door. “I’m so glad you both came. Trixie, it was great to meet you. I hope to see you again.”

  Trixie shot a smile my way. “Yeah, well, if I ever get a promotion, I might need to come by your place for a massage, so who knows.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” I said as I gave her a light hug.

  I held the door open, and Trixie walked out. Janie was fast on her heels, but I stopped her with a hand on her bicep. “If you need to stay here or if Trent gets out of hand—”

  She cut me off. “No, honey. He’s a pain in my ass, but much like Trixie, I’m moving on. Papers should be served to him soon, and then, well at that point I might need some help. We’ll see though. Just listening to me is definitely support enough, Andi.”

  I smiled at her, but I didn’t feel like I was giving her ‘support enough’ at all. “Okay, girl. We’ll do lunch again soon, right?”

  “You betcha! Might switch up my pastrami sandwich for a Firehouse Hook ‘n’ Ladder instead.”

  I giggled and closed the door after her.

  Liar

  Liar followed Volt down to the parking lot and helped load in all the baby gifts. He couldn’t believe all the shit new parents needed.

  Volt closed the hatch on the Liberty and turned to Liar. “You tell Andrea what’s goin’ on?”

  Liar took in a deep breath. For the most part, brothers left each other alone about how they handled their personal problems, but he wasn’t sure Volt would approve of Liar’s plan. “No. I don’t intend to let her know either.”

  One of Volt’s eyes squinted at him momentarily. “You really think that’s wise? You know she walks to work many days?”

  “Yeah. I am gonna get her to cut that shit out. She needs to use her wheels. I don’t want her to know, and I know that’s a little fucked up.”