Red Thorns: Red Thorns Crew Book 1

by Hart, Rebel

  I snatched the jeans out of his hands as he laughed. I smiled to myself as I walked through the door, only to find myself face to face with a full-length mirror. Oh, this was the dressing room. I figured this was a backroom with multiple dressing rooms.

  No matter. These jeans looked so small I probably wouldn't fit into them anyway.

  “When you’re done with those, toss them over and tell me how they fit.”

  I slid my jeans over my hips. “What? You don’t want me to come out and model them for you?”

  “We’re here to find you some clothes that fit. Not tease me. My treat.”

  My cheeks were on fire with his words. “I’ll throw them over once I’m done.”

  “Already found another pair you can try. Incoming!”

  I looked up and saw a pair of jeans being tossed over the top of the door. Well, they were supposed to be jeans. I held them up to myself and my eyes bulged when I saw how skinny the legs were. I mean, the roundness of my thighs didn’t even fit behind the outline of the fabric!

  “Max?”

  “Yep?”

  “Are you sure this is you making things up to me?”

  Another pair of jeans came over the door. “Why do you ask?”

  I sighed. “Oh, you know. Because these jeans are really tight. And I’m thinking this might secretly be about you, because you want to see me in a…”

  I tried to stretch the jeans out a bit, but they didn’t budge.

  “... much tighter pair of jeans,” I grunted.

  He chuckled. “Why can’t it be both?”

  The fabric I was pulling at fell from my hands as my body froze up.

  28

  Max

  “No.”

  “Nope.”

  “I can’t even zip these up. How small do you think I am?”

  “The legs are too long.”

  “This makes my butt look big.”

  I snickered. “At least you have a butt in these.”

  She poked her head around the dressing room door. “What was that?”

  I grinned. “Nothing. I’ll go get you another pair. But I’m also going to get you some other things to try on in the process.”

  She sighed. “What exactly are you getting me? Because you aren’t throwing over very good jeans.”

  “Like my leather jacket?”

  I watched her head disappear before I heard the sound of a zipper.

  “I’ll try on one jacket,” she said.

  I smiled. “Perfect.”

  Even though she kept vetoing the jeans I sent her way, I refused to stop. The clothes she wore on a regular basis practically swallowed her whole. And they did nothing for the beautiful body I knew was underneath. Yes, clothes needed to breathe. But they didn’t need to be two sizes too big in order to do that. I shoved the jeans into the arms of the woman following me around the store. I felt her staring at my ass, but I didn’t care. I put on a nice show for her to be entertained with while I picked out clothes for the only girl I had my sights set on right now.

  Dani.

  I plucked two different kinds of black shirts off the rack, although I already knew which one she’d feel more comfortable in. Then I walked over to the leather jackets. I had to grab a couple of different sizes because I wasn’t sure which one would fit her. But she definitely wasn’t bigger than a medium. After gathering the last of the clothes, I walked over to the dressing room. Dani had already pushed two other pairs of jeans underneath the door.

  I pushed all the clothes over the top of the door and listened to her yelp.

  “Max!”

  I chuckled. “Yep?”

  I heard the pouting in her voice. “The hanger hit my head.”

  “Might want to start choosing some clothes, then. Because there’s a lot more where that came from.”

  “Jerk off.”

  I grinned. “Gorgeous.”

  She snickered. “You really need to stop calling me things like that. You might not be able to get--”

  She bit off the last of that sentence, but I knew what she was about to say.

  You might not be able to get rid of me.

  I think I could stand something like that happening. With her, at least.

  After hearing her muttering and sighing behind the door for another twenty minutes, the doorknob finally twisted open. My heart leapt into my throat as I pushed away from the wall, waiting to see what she had chosen for herself. Her eyes were the first thing I saw. Apprehensive. Worried. Unsure of herself. But as my eyes traveled down her body, I prayed to God on high she didn’t see my cock growing against my pants.

  Because the skin-tight dark-wash jeans looked fantastic on her.

  “Wow,” I breathed.

  Dani paused. “Not too much?”

  “Turn around.”

  She held out her arms and did a slow turn for me, giving me a second to salivate over her. Holy shit, the ass she had underneath those clothes would fit perfectly in the palms of my hands. The scooped-neck black shirt showcased the soft slope of her waist and the blossom of her tits. Breasts I wanted to taste, like the perfect mouthfuls they were. And the leather jacket? Fucking hell, that was the best part. She faced me and zipped it up, stopping just below those tits of hers.

  And damn it, I wanted to rip those clothes right back off.

  “I feel silly,” she said.

  I blinked. “You look hot as sin, Dani. I’m serious.”

  She shook her head. “It’s not me.”

  “Says who?”

  She paused, and my eyes found hers. I forced myself to pull my bulging eyes away from the perfection of her body and made myself study her face. And what I saw was a storm raging behind her eyes. I saw her fighting herself. While she wanted to retreat back to those old clothes of hers, I saw a confidence flourishing in the way she stood in front of me. Her shoulders weren’t slumped. Her head held itself a little higher. She didn’t look so confused as she stared up into my face.

  She looked more grounded than I had ever seen her.

  I walked over to her and looped my fingers into the belt loops. I pulled her close to me, feeling her breasts gracing my torso. Her hands held my arms while my eyes held hers. And as my hands settled onto her hips, I gripped her softly, holding her in front of me so I knew she was listening.

  “Listen, Daddy’s girl. The girls I ride with dress like this. The girls I ride with aren’t afraid to look good. They aren’t afraid of themselves. That’s what makes a girl a woman. Confidence. Knowing herself. Being unafraid to take what she knows is hers and make it her own. So if you don’t like it, I won’t force it on you. That’s not my style. But if you do like it? There isn’t a damn thing in this world to feel embarrassed about.”

  She swallowed hard. “Yeah?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. You’re sexy, Dani. Really sexy.”

  A smile curled her lips. “Am I really hearing you call me ‘Dani’ now and again?”

  “So what if I do?”

  The smile that took over her lips made my chest swell with pride. This was the girl I saw behind those eyes. She was more powerful and much stronger than she recognized. And I had a feeling that had to do with how she was raised. Raised as a girl to keep her head down and her nose in books. To speak when spoken to, and nothing else. To follow the commands of others instead of the beat of her own drum. And while I was guilty of playing on that with her in the past, I made a promise to myself as my smile slowly grew to match hers.

  I’ll help you find yourself, Bambi.

  “I like the jeans.” Her voice broke my trance.

  “I figured you might.”

  Dani swatted my chest. “Yeah, after tossing me seventeen different pairs.”

  I paused. “You counted?”

  “There are a lot of things I do that you don’t realize.”

  My hands slid to her lower back. “Well then, I can’t wait to figure out what the rest of them are.”

  “I really do like these jeans, though. How much are th
ey?”

  I shrugged. “Why does that matter?”

  “Well, I was hoping to get myself another pair. Maybe in… black?”

  I growled softly. “What makes you think I’m letting you pay for anything?”

  “You don’t have to pay for everything. I do have some money to throw around.”

  “And I promised you I’d make things up to you. Let me do this. Just go with it.”

  She sighed. “Fine. But I buy food next time.”

  “Oh, no. Not a fucking chance.”

  “Hey, I’m serious now.”

  “So am I. When you’re with me, I pay.”

  “When do I get to pay, then?”

  I shrugged. “When we’re ordering takeout. But I’m still the one tipping the driver.”

  She giggled. “Oh. Oh, yeah. Right. Of course. Totally.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Are you mocking me?”

  She smiled. “If you have to ask…”

  I swatted her ass cheek. “Bad.”

  Her cheeks flushed that beautiful color I never could ignore. “Max.”

  “Too far?”

  “No. I mean, I don’t know. Just--well…?”

  I waited for her to gather her thoughts as my hands slowly slipped down to her ass cheeks. I cupped them softly, massaging them for the first time. I liked how they felt. Malleable, but strong. Her body leaned against mine, her hands sliding along my torso. She threaded them underneath my leather jacket. I felt her hands splayed out over my back. And as I held her close to me, I placed a soft kiss on the top of her head.

  And not once did she smack my hands away.

  “Not too far,” she whispered.

  I grinned. “Come on. Let’s go find that black pair of jeans.”

  With a soft pat to her ass, I released her from my grip. What I wanted to do was pull her into that fucking dressing room and have my way with her. Not the time, though. There was a time and a place for that. And now wasn’t it. I wanted her to walk out of here with some clothes. Some decent clothes. Ones that made her feel as confident as she did right now.

  “Here. These,” she said.

  I draped them over my arm. “Want a light-wash pair, too?”

  She furrowed her brow. “How do you know so much about jeans?”

  I shrugged. “Comes with the territory.”

  “Uh huh.”

  “So what do you think?”

  She slid the light blue faded jeans off the rack before smiling.

  “I think I could wear these.”

  I took them from her. “All right. Three pairs of pants. You’ll need at least six shirts with these.”

  “Six!? What’s wrong with the one I’ve got on?”

  I shrugged. “That’s fine. Let’s get five more of them.”

  “I don’t want them in all black, though.”

  “Then let’s find them in other colors.”

  As we walked around the store, I reached for a bike helmet hanging on the wall. She needed her own so both of us could be safe while riding around. I tucked it underneath my arm while she kept holding shirts up to herself. Watching her settle into the niceties of clothes shopping made my grin grow from ear to ear. She tossed me shirts, then another pair of jeans. She even found a leather belt she wanted to wear, so I told her to hand it to me. I didn’t care how much money we spent today. That wasn’t an object right now.

  The whole point of this was confidence. Helping her bloom into the woman I knew existed underneath those baggy-ass clothes of hers.

  And it seemed to be working.

  “Okay, that’s definitely enough,” she said.

  I nodded. “Sure about that?”

  “Yep. And I’m helping you pay for this.”

  I thrust everything onto the register counter. “Not a chance.”

  “Max.”

  “Daddy’s girl.”

  “Hey. What happened to my name?”

  I grinned. “When you earn it back, you’ll hear it.”

  “By doing everything you ask me?”

  “By knowing when to step up and when to back off. I’m treating you, Bambi. Let me do that.”

  My hand covered the total as it mounted and mounted. I knew these clothes would cost me damn near eight hundred bucks. Especially with the helmet I was buying for her. I didn’t care, though. I more than had the money. For now, at least. And she needed some nice things in her life. I wanted to give her those nice things.

  So I paid without her knowing the price and we headed outside.

  “Max?”

  I tucked the bags into the storage compartment of my bike. “Yep?”

  I felt something warm press against my cheek and it gave me pause. My eyes fell closed and a sigh left my lips as her own lingered against my skin. I leaned into her. I didn’t even notice I was doing it until she puckered her lips and kissed me again. And again. Shooting electricity through my body and sparking a fire in my gut.

  “Thank you. For everything.”

  I nodded. “Of course.”

  She kissed me one more time on my cheek. The softest, most innocent of kisses I’d ever experienced in my life. And I felt my cock rising to the occasion again. I straightened up and handed her the helmet I purchased for her. All black, with red trim that matched the colors of my bike. She snickered as she took it from me. She slid it over her head with ease. And when she popped open the visor like a pro, I knew I had made the right decision.

  “Hold your thoughts. Because we have one more stop to make, Daddy’s girl.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Whisk me away, Buckaroo.”

  And with a chuckle, I threw my leg over my bike, giving her my hand to help her on behind me.

  29

  Dani

  I closed my eyes and tried to get comfortable with the way my clothes hugged me. And the more we traveled away from the clothing store, the more alive I felt. I didn’t hear my clothes whipping around in the wind. All I heard was the sound of the bike’s engine and the muffled world as it rushed by me. I didn’t feel so off-kilter on the back of the bike, either. Like my clothes were dragging me in all sorts of directions. I felt more stabilized, more grounded.

  It didn’t keep me from clinging to Max, though.

  The way he swatted at my butt made me feel things I’d never felt before. It didn’t even hurt, either. It just… shocked me. And that shock turned into a desire that clenched my heart. When his hands slipped over the globes of my butt, I felt held by him. I know it sounds stupid and weird. But I’d never felt safer than when he held me like that. As if he were cupping the entirety of my body and protecting it, all at once.

  I almost groaned with disappointment when his hands moved.

  My arms wrapped around him as we sped down the street on his bike. And while I wanted to close my eyes, I made myself look at the world around us zooming by at lightning speed. Or, at least it felt like we were going that fast. I giggled and clung to Max as we took tight corners. My hands splayed along his abs as I rubbernecked to look around. Shops passed by in a blur and groves of trees melded into blobs of dark green and brown.

  I wondered what the changing of the leaves might look like going this fast down the road.

  When we pulled into what looked like a subdivision, though, I perked up. Where were we going? We had been riding for a while. At least, it felt like a while. How long had we been riding around?

  Pay more attention, Dani.

  We rode through the subdivision and out a back exit. The road we turned onto was lined with trees and ditches on either side, and riddled with potholes. I felt my gut growing nervous. Where in the world was this man taking me?

  My question got answered, though, when we pulled into a driveway.

  The leaning trees shadowing the concrete expanse gave way as we pulled up to the house. My eyebrows rose as I studied it, trying to come to terms with it. I don’t know, it felt… out of place. The white exterior. The pristine porch. The uncracked driveway that looked as if it had been recently
poured. The red shutters made sense, though. Blood red, like the roses on Max’s arm tattoo. Blood red, like the colors of his bike. Of my helmet.

  Of the Red Thorns.

  “Where are we?” I asked.

  Max didn’t answer me. He simply turned off his bike and put the kickstand down.

  “Coming inside?” he asked.

  I pulled my helmet off. “Is this your place?”

  He shrugged. “Mine and my brother’s place, but yeah.”

  “You have a brother?”

  He pulled his helmet off. “You coming or what, Bambi?”

  I grinned. “Oh, I’m coming all right. Just let me get… off… ugh.”

  His hands fell to my waist and he practically picked me up off the bike. He set me down onto my feet before taking my helmet from me. Then I watched him hang both of the helmets on either side of his handlebars. Mine was slightly smaller than his. I liked the way they looked side by side on his bike. His hand fell to my lower back and he guided me to the front door. The blood red door that matched the shutters.

  Once I got inside, I couldn't keep my shocked gasp inside any longer.

  “What? Did you think I’d live in a dump?”

  My eyes took in the vaulted foyer ceiling. “I don’t know what I expected. But it wasn’t this.”

  “Nicer than you expected?”

  I didn’t want to answer his question because I didn’t want to seem mean.

  “Eh, it’s fine. This is the house I grew up in, actually. Sits on seven acres, got a lake on it if you ride far back enough into the backyard.”

  I turned to face him. “Maybe we could go see it?”

  He grinned. “Sure, sometime.”

  I nodded. “So is your brother around? I’d like to meet him, if that’s okay.”

  “John’s not here right now. Just the two of us.”

  Butterflies erupted in my stomach. They flew around, fluttering so hard I thought I’d take off toward the vaulted ceiling. I swallowed hard as nervousness crept up my back. Did he bring me here to--?

  “Breathe, Bambi. Don’t forget to breathe.”

  I drew in a broken breath. “Sorry. Yeah. I--yeah. Yes. Okay.”

  His smiled at me like a hungry beast. “You didn’t think you’d be able to get away with looking that hot today without me needing you, did you?”