by Amy Davies
“Not from me,” Opal adds.
“Money is looking at a high, so we’re good on that front. Another movie dropped last week; the green is rolling in,” Slide tells me, and I smile. I fucking love money just as much as pussy. That’s why I always keep the club in the black, very high black. Besides the guns we run, we have a lot of legal business that is keeping us going.
“Awesome. Sarge, how is the run planning going?”
“Done. I mapped out the route we’ll take, marked the stops on the way. We ride out at sunrise.” Nodding, I look at the other brother’s, and no one says anything, so I bang the gavel and stand.
“Edge, hang back.” Opal’s steps slow, but I shake my head at him. “Go on, we’re good,” I tell him, and he gives us one more look before leaving the room, closing the door behind him.
Opal and I go way the fuck back, and not just within the club. We’ve been friends since high school, when he moved to town. Then we joined the army together. After we got out, we prospected for the club. Sarge and Edge followed us. Slide, Rookie and some of the other boys came later, but it was a clear choice who my VP would be.
I fold my arms across my chest and Edge mirrors my stance. We face off, but I am not backing down on this. He needs to step off when it comes to my girl; even if my girl doesn’t know she is my girl yet. Semantics.
“Listen, man, I know you care for Kara, but you need to step back. She is mine.”
“I get that, brother, I do. But Kara is a smart chick; she will know something is off. She knows how the club works. Having a shadow is not new to her. Tell her what’s happening. She is strong and can handle it. Fuck, man, if she is truly yours then she will need to show how strong and supportive she is. Tell her.”
I understand what he’s saying, but fuck, I don’t want anything to touch her. What he said is true, Kara does know the lay of the club. She was raised to handle every aspect; nothing was hidden from her. Her parents and Colt—hell, even my own parents—didn’t believe in hiding club business from us for our own safety. They wanted to make sure we knew what to look out for and what to stay clear of. At the end of the day, they wanted us to know how to handle the worst of the worst.
“I will talk to her when I’m ready. Not a fucking word from you, man. Not a word. You throw down like that again and you will meet me in the ring.”
“Whatever you say, brother,” Edge snipes, shaking his head at me—like he doesn’t believe me.
“Have I ever given you a reason not to believe I will follow through on something? Kara is my woman, my business, and I will handle her when I’m good and fucking ready. Do not get involved, Edge,” I grind out. I’m getting pissed off with him, and the need to punch him in the face is growing with each word he spews at me.
“Never,” he replies, dropping his arms to his side and backing down.
“Then let’s keep it that way, yeah? I will talk to her. Fuck, I need to get her to stay in the same room as me first.”
“Risky doesn’t seem the type to play games, Magnum. She’s used to getting her own way with the old fucker back in Phoenix. Make her listen. Take that choice away from her,” he tells me, just as there’s a knock on the door.
We both look over as the door opens, and Abe, a prospect, is standing there with a phone in his hand.
“Opal told me to come and give this to you, Edge. It’s been blowing up like crazy, so he said it might be important.” Edge nods, and Abe walks in and hands him the phone. Edge’s sudden rigid body and frown says it all. He isn’t happy to hear about whoever the fuck has been trying to contact him.
Locking his phone and putting it back in his pocket, he looks at me.
“She is one awesome chick. I can see her toeing the line here, pulling everyone into place, including the Regs. You need to control them, or shit will blow the hell up and you may lose her before you even get her. Treat her right, Magnum.”
“Oh, I will treat her right, alright.” I wiggle my eyebrows at him, making him laugh.
“If you say so. You have to get her on board first. Charm her and shit. Make her melt, brother.”
“Melt?”
“Yeah. You know what I mean. Smile, flash some skin, whisper sweet nothings in her ear,” he jokes, but I know the fucker is right. Edge can charm the panties off a fucking ninety-year-old nun.
Chuckling, he offers up his fist. Shaking my head, I bump knuckles with him and watch him leave the room, pushing Abe out in front of him. Taking a deep breath, I sit in my chair at the head of the long wooden table that bears the club’s insignia: a rugged skull, with the club’s name in a sleek banner above it.
Smoothing my hand over the stained wood, I smile proudly. Being given this club was the best day of my life, to the know that the original members of the Rugged Skulls trusted me to run this chapter was overwhelming, and as chick-like as that sounds, I don’t fucking care.
When I left the army and joined the club, I was all about the money and the free pussy, but over the years, things changed for me. Shit got old. Seeing my brother and sister find their loves and settle down made me rethink things a few years ago.
Jacob, my older brother, married his husband, Tomas, and they have two kids: my niece and nephew. Twins, Emily and Ethan. Then my sister, Jess, and her husband, Andrew, had my nephew, Kaysen.
Women were a dime a dozen, but one always stuck out to me, and when this shit brought Kara close to me for a time… Well, let’s just say that both my head and my cock jumped at the chance.
I was pissed as fuck when my dad phoned and told me the plan. Not pissed that Risky was coming here, oh no. I was fucking pissed because she got herself into that kind of situation. She knew better. It’s drummed into us to sense the red flags in everyday life.
Scrubbing my hands over my face, I close my eyes and think of ways to make her melt for me, as Edge put it.
Kara Lornes is a tough nut to crack, but at the end of the day, she is still a woman, and women liked to be wooed and shit, right?
Her name tells me everything I need to know, and I will use that to my advantage. She likes to take risks. I think deep down it’s driven her way of living ever since her parents were killed on the road.
Operation ‘Make Her Melt’ is in full effect. Starting now.
Six
Kara
“Here you go, Opal.” I hand over his beer before turning back to grab the shot glasses for the birthday boy. It’s Slade’s birthday party and the brothers are taking extra advantage of the situation.
Slade is sitting on a big-ass throne that the brothers say is the ‘Birthday Boy’ chair. His old lady, Ida, is sitting on his lap, and his old man, Jase, is standing proudly next to him. I swear it’s a requirement to join this club to be hot as fuck and ooze sex appeal.
Music blasts through the speakers around the room, playing some Led Zeppelin. I nod to the beat while serving the brothers that come up to the bar, which is mainly the prospects and Edge, who is sitting at the end of the bar, keeping a close eye on me and watching over the club by the looks of things. There are far more Rugged Regs here tonight. I can only assume they knew about the party, so they came to get their funk on.
“More shots,” gets called from the middle of the bar. Lifting my head up from the ice machine, I see Dora and two other girls, all smirking at me. Plastering a fake smile on my face, I walk over to them but don’t take any bottles with me.
“I’m sorry, what did you say?” I ask sweetly. Dora’s face grows tight, but she just offers me a conniving smile and flicks her eyes over to the side booth, where I know Magnum is sitting. Giving in, I flick my gaze over to where he’s sitting. My heart stutters, but I refuse to let it show on my face when I see a woman hanging on his arm, whispering in his ear.
She is fucking stunning, with long black hair that is curled to perfection. Her tight jeans look painted on, and a red halter top shows her flawless skin. She’s finished the look off with killer, fuck me heels.
I have no doubt that he h
as slept with her from the familiarity between them. He is comfortable with her touching him. My crush for him needs to fade; clearly, he has no interest in me. He hints, like calling dibs on me, but then does nothing about it. Talk about mixed signals. But I know that my head and body are sending mixed signals to each other too.
“I want more shots. Get them for me. Or do I need to take Magnum back to his office and persuade him to kick your skinny ass out of here?” My head snaps in her direction, her whiney fucking voice pulling me from the self-torture I was putting myself through.
“What ones?” I ask, resting my palms on the flat top of the bar, my voice now flatter than before, showing her how bored I am.
“Tequila. I believe Riley said it gets Magnum extra horny,” she quips, hitting the mark on my earlier thoughts. Turning my back on them, I collect a tray and shot glasses that have the Rugged Skull patch engraved on them, then a bottle of tequila.
Sliding it all on the table, I quirk an eyebrow at her, nodding to the tray.
“And what do you expect us to do with all of that?” one of the girls asks.
Chuckling, I look over the three of them. They’re all beyond fake, with their over-made-up faces and designer hair and clothes. Don’t get me wrong, some people can pull this look off. These three, however, look fake, like they are desperate to get out of the trailer park.
“You see, you open this bottle and pour its contents into these little baby glasses. Then you lick your hand with that overworked tongue of yours, shake a little salt on it, then lick that nasty taste you are once again used to having in your mouth, and finally swallow it. I’m sure you’re familiar with swallowing fluids. Once you’ve done that, you suck on this lemon and try not to let it change the already sour look you wear daily.” I bounce my eyebrows at her and give her a megawatt smile.
Her face contorts with so much rage I swear it might crack open and cover me in blood and dead brain matter. Straightening my back, I fold my arms across my chest, waiting for the barrage of words she thinks are going to cut me to the quick.
Sorry, sweetheart, I’m a biker princess. Not much fazes me.
But to my surprise, I hear a bellow of laughs fill the room. During my little bitch class, the room had gone quiet, fully. You could hear a pin drop. Looking around the room, I see club members laughing, and some of the girls.
My gaze connects with Ida, and she smiles, raising her drink to me. Moving my gaze over, I see Jase, and he winks, smiling. My breath catches in my chest from how beautiful that man is. Slade is resting his forehead on Ida’s shoulder, his own shoulders bouncing with his laughter.
My eyes land on Slide and Sarge. Slide has a huge smile on his face, though the girl under his arm is scowling at me. I wink at her and she looks away. Sarge is stoic as usual.
Moving over to the end of the bar, I see Edge smiling his usual big smile at me. He tips his beer at me and winks.
“Hey, what the fuck did you just say?” I bring my eyes to the girls in front of us, but the woman who was with Magnum is now standing in front of them, like she’s the mother hen.
Oh, here we go.
Shit just got real.
Risky is coming out to play, ladies and gents.
“Do I need to repeat myself? Maybe you just need to turn up your hearing aid, honey,” I reply.
“Riley, enough,” Magnum says from her side.
Typical man, protect the pussy that will get you off before protecting the person you were told to. Shaking my head at him, I turn to walk away, but I don’t get far. A hand grips my bicep, stopping my steps. Looking down, I see blood red nail polish on the hand.
My heart hammers in my chest as I bring my gaze up, traveling from the hand, up the arm to the body, then the face. She gives me a malicious smile, then speaks.
“You will know your place here, bitch. Now, be a good little girl and pour the drinks for us, or you can leave the way you walked in.” Magnum says nothing, just folds his arms across his chest, his biceps bulging ridiculously in the black t-shirt he’s wearing under his club cut.
Snatching my arm out of her grasp, I turn on my sweet, innocent girl charm and look at Magnum, seeing what he has to say on the matter. I think if he defends her, not even Colt or my uncle will keep me here. I will leave and find a way to stay off the radar until things calm down.
“Is that right, Magnum? If I don’t do my job, I will be out on my ass?”
My arms are still folded cross my chest, and my hip is cocked. Yeah, I can be a girl when I want to be. With my arms crossed, they push my boobs up in my top. I slipped into my old concert t-shirt that I have worn to death, so much so it’s ripped across the chest, showing the swell of my breasts. I added a pair of black cut-off shorts with frayed edges, and I slipped my feet into my worn Doc Martins. My hair is down with a curl to it and my make-up is heavier than usual. Hell, it is a party after all.
A Rugged Skulls party.
“Nah, babe. Your ass is fine just where you are,” he says, smirking at me, which I return. Clearly this Riley woman has no fucking clue about the connection between Magnum and me.
Leaning on the bar in front of the women, my forearms flat on the surface, my elbows angle inwards, pushing my breasts up that little bit more, drawing Magnum’s eyes to them. I smile.
“There you have it, ladies,” I fake choke on the word ‘ladies’. “Sorry, for some reason that word caught in my throat, but I bet you would be used to that, wouldn’t you? Something catching deep in your throat, that is.”
“Risky, stop,” Magnum says, reaching across the bar and touching my arm. The skin to skin contact feels like the burn of electricity zipping through my body. I jolt back, frowning.
Our gazes connect for a split second, and it feels deep. Intense. He knows his touch did something to me. He licks his lips—then her voice breaks the trance we’re in.
“The only thing down my throat, honey, is Magnum’s cock.”
“Like so many before him,” I add, making her scowl deepen, but then she closes the gap between her and Magnum. He doesn’t jerk away, and my stomach sinks.
“But not you, little girl,” Riley comes back with. Damn her comebacks are quick and good. Bitch.
“Is that a challenge?” My eyes bounce between her and Magnum, and I see the little quirk of his lips before he licks them again.
“You see, Riley—is it okay if I call you Riley, or would you prefer bitch? Cum-bucket maybe? There are so many fitting names, I suppose. Magnum here will never kick me out, because I was sent here to be under his protection. Now, do you want to go against the club? Because, honey, I can get my uncle Crude and Colt, Magnum’s father, on the phone, who happen to be the original Rugged Skulls President and Vice President.”
“Bitch.” And that’s the second she knows she has failed to push me over.
“Now that wasn’t such a quick and witty comeback. Want to try again?” Her lips curl in rage, but I just laugh. Her girls push forward, trying to get to me over the bar, but I laugh harder at their attempts. Like how the fuck can you fight over a three-foot thick bar of solid wood. Fucking dummies.
“Oh, you want to fight? Well, why the hell didn’t you say so.” I walk around the bar to face the four of them, face to face.
Risky by name, risky by nature.
“Oh, hold on there, Rocky Balboa,” Edge says from behind me, hooking an arm around my waist. A growl emanates from Magnum, and Edge releases me. I go to move forward, but Magnum steps between me and the four skanks.
Resting his hands on my hips, his rough palm meeting my smooth skin, my breath catches in my throat. Fuck, now I feel like them—minus the dick in my mouth. I swallow hard and my gaze meets Magnum’s. His demon eyes shine brighter than I have ever seen them. His smile breaks out across his handsome face.
Bending his knees slightly so he can meet my eyes better, he speaks.
“Baby, I know you can take them all on, but I kinda like you in one piece and with no marks on that pretty face of yours, yeah
?” Sighing, I nod, because for some reason my ability to speak has left me.
Fucking sexy, demon-eyed bastard.
“Baby! Did you just call her baby?” Riley spits the question out from behind him. Keeping his hands on my waist, Magnum turns his upper body to face her. Behind his back, I wink at her.
“Time to leave. Riley, take your bitches with you. No more stirring shit for you. Kara is staying and that’s final. Her before you. Always.”
“Fuck that, Mag—”
“Hey! No one calls him ‘Mag’, only Click—whoever the hell she is. But clearly, she’s someone important to him, so fucking respect it, bitch.” Magnum smiles down at me, stepping to the side and looking at the four women.
“You heard the Pres, leave,” Opal snaps from behind them, making them jump out of their skin.
Opal is a sexy mothertrucker, with his short, light brown hair and matching designer stubble. He has a small ring in his nose that adds to his sexy rebel style.
“Damn, he’s sexy when he’s angry,” I mutter, but the boys hear me. Magnum growls, Edge laughs, and Opal smiles. Opal has this calm demeaner, but you also know when not to fuck with him.
Good fucking riddance if you ask me.
“Really, Risk? For fucks sake,” Magnum mutters as I ogle Opal. He grins at me, sending me a wink, then leans on the bar. I scurry back to my place and give the boys a sweet, sugary smile.
“What can I get you, gentlemen?”
“No gentlemen here, Risky,” Edge says, smiling at me and then downing the rest of his beer. Nodding, I look between them. They really are fine looking men; as in panty melting with one look kinda fine.
“That’s good to know. Gentlemen are overrated anyway. I like my men rough, ready and rugged.” I wink at Edge, earning me another growl from Magnum.
This man loves to fucking growl—at me mainly—but damn it’s sexy and sends my body in quivers.
