“Got it!” Letti said, walking into the room and waving her phone in the air. “Oh, hey, Ori.”
“Hey, sissy.”
She wrapped her arms around my waist and squeezed. “I miss you, jackass.”
I grinned. “Miss you too, fartface. Where are you guys goin’ tonight?”
“Girls night,” she said. “I left my phone here yesterday, so I had to come get it.”
“No, you didn’t,” Dad countered. “I coulda brought it to you.”
She waved her hand dismissively. “I wasn’t going to make you go out of your way when it was my mistake.”
“Don’t think you’re understanding my words, baby girl.”
“Oh, I understand them perfectly,” she said. “I’m just ignoring them.”
“Violet,” he growled.
“Daddy, I’m fine. I haven’t seen anyone getting fucked from behind, my virginal eyes are safe.” She rolled her eyes for my benefit and threw her phone in her purse. “Everly and I’ll go out the back, so we miss the orgy.”
“Jesus Christ,” Dad hissed.
“I haven’t heard that yelled out in ecstasy either, so my equally virginal ears are also safe.”
I couldn’t stop a laugh as my dad glared daggers at her.
“How’s Raquel?” Violet asked. I shrugged and she frowned. “What did you do?”
I shook my head. “Nothing. It’s not like we’re a thing.”
“But I like her,” she whined. “She’s pretty and funny and doesn’t take your shit.”
“Well, maybe you should date her, then.”
She wrinkled her nose. “You’re salty today. Did she dump you?”
I ignored her, taking a swig of beer.
Violet smiled. The one that always made me feel like she was reading my mind. I kept my expression as neutral as possible and she finally faced Dad. “I love you to the moon and back, Daddy.”
He sighed. “Love you, too, baby girl.”
She kissed his cheek, then guided Everly out of the kitchen and I relaxed.
“You gonna be able to make that run tomorrow?” Dad asked.
“Already told you I would.”
“You are fuckin’ salty.” He raised an eyebrow. “Trouble in paradise?”
“Considering there was no paradise, there can’t be trouble.”
“Right. Well, have a little fun and unwind. Tomorrow’s gonna start early.”
I gave him a chin lift and he left me standing in the middle of the kitchen, uninterested in anything that was happening out in the great room.
Goddammit, I needed to get a fuckin’ grip.
* * *
Raquel
I awoke the next morning and realized I needed a change of scenery, so I called my brother and let him know I was coming for a visit. I’d already made a reservation, so he couldn’t say no, even if he wanted to.
I packed quickly and headed downstairs to find Sierra pulling muffins out of the oven. “You baked?”
“I couldn’t sleep. Where are you going?”
“I’m going home for a few days. I need to get this thesis written.”
She cocked her head. “Is everything okay? Why do I get the feeling this is more about one very hot biker and less about your thesis?”
“Well, my arrangement with Orion is over, so it doesn’t matter either way.”
“He dumped you?”
“We weren’t together,” I pointed out.
“What a fucking asshole,” she hissed.
“Claws in, Sierra. It’s for the best.” I snagged a muffin out of the tin. “I was so distracted by his peen, I wasn’t paying attention to my own life.”
She handed me a mug and I poured coffee into it. “Well, I still say he’s an asshole if you’re having to run home to escape.”
I smiled. “I miss my family, so it’s a good excuse to see them.”
“Are you okay, though?”
“I’m good, honey. I promise.”
“Well, I’m gonna head to work. Text me your flight info and I’ll pick you up when you get back if I can.”
“Sounds good.”
Sierra headed out and I ordered a car. The flight left a lot to be desired, with turbulence galore, but once I was on the ground, I started to relax. There was something about being home. I made my way out of the airport and grinned, making a run for Rabbit.
I dropped my bags and he lifted me off my feet in a bear hug. “Hey, sweetheart.”
“Oh my god, I’ve missed you.”
He chuckled, setting me back on the ground. “Back atya. Come on, I’m parked illegally.”
“You always were a rebel.”
We walked outside and Rabbit threw my bags in the back of Tristan’s truck while I climbed inside, and then we pulled out of the airport.
“So…”
“So?” he asked, glancing at me, then focusing back on the road.
“How’s Parker?”
“Fuck me,” he ground out. “You gotta start in immediately, Raquel?”
I shrugged. “Well, damn. I thought for sure she’d have come around by now.”
Rabbit had been in love with Parker Powers from the second she’d arrived on the scene with Willow and Jasmine. Both women were married to Dogs and I was certain Parker would fall for Rabbit to round out the group. Apparently, I was wrong.
“You and I are supposed to have a thing, remember?” he pointed out.
“Yeah, I torture Tris with the illusion of that whenever I can.”
He chuckled. “Good for you.”
“I’m sorry she’s not seeing the brilliance that is you.”
“It’s all good,” he said. “Plenty of fish.”
Rabbit guided the truck through the giant gates at the entrance to the compound and my heart started to race, the excitement at being home palpable.
The Dogs’ main meeting house was a huge antebellum tobacco barn they’d converted into private bedrooms, offices, and a meeting hall. It sat in the middle of a fenced compound on thirty acres, along with outbuildings that housed workshops and a couple of old slave quarters. The workshops were used for everything from car repair to iron works and Olivia kept threatening to renovate the slave quarters and make them actual homes. The original house had burned down in the early nineteen-hundreds and had sadly never been rebuilt.
I jumped out of the truck and rushed inside, finding Olivia and Jasmine in the great room, laughing about something. God it was good to be home.
“Room for one more?” I asked, hugging Olivia, then, Jasmine.
“Always,” Olivia said.
“Where’s Tristan?” I asked.
“He’s making food,” she said just as my brother walked out with a plate, handing it to Olivia before hugging me.
“How was your flight?” he asked.
“It was fine,” I said. “But I’m kind of tired. Do you care if I turn in?”
“Not at all,” he said. “You know where you’re going?”
I grinned. “Unless I can sleep in the bunny hutch, then yes.”
“Jesus Christ,” Doc hissed. “Go to bed. Your shit’s already been taken up to your room.”
“Thanks, Tris.” I kissed his cheek, then hugged Olivia. “Night.”
I hightailed it upstairs, hoping my brother didn’t guess I was sad, and saw Rabbit leaving my room. “Your bags are inside.”
“Thanks.” I hugged him, holding on a little longer than usual.
“Hey, you okay?” he asked, stroking my back.
“Yes. I just missed you.”
He kissed the top of my head. “Missed you too, sweetheart.”
I pulled away with a smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“’Night.”
I closed myself into my room and tried not to cry myself to sleep.
Orion
AGAINST MY BETTER judgement, I rode over to Raquel’s place before my run, chastising myself for doing it, but unable to turn around.
I pulled up just as Sierra was unlo
cking the door. She turned and faced me, glaring daggers at me. “What do you want?”
“I want to see Raquel.”
“Well, she’s not here.”
“When will she be back?” I asked, trying to ignore her hostile attitude.
“Oh, I don’t know,” she ground out. “A couple of weeks, months, I don’t know.”
“What does that mean?”
“She needed a break, so she took a vacation.”
“Where did she go?”
“None of your fucking business.”
I sighed. “Okay, babe. I get it. You’re pissed about my fight with Raquel and she obviously filled you in on her version of it.”
“Actually, she said nothing. You just filled me in, and now I hate you even more.”
“Jesus Christ, Sierra, give me a break. Just tell me where Raquel went.”
“No. Maybe if you realize you just lost the best thing to ever happen to you, you’ll pull your head out of your ass. Have a nice life.”
She let herself inside, and I swear I heard the lock turn with more aggression than normal.
* * *
Raquel
I awoke later than usual and stretched, relishing the feeling of being well-rested. I hadn’t slept this well for months and I was once again glad I was home.
I took an extra long shower, blow dried my hair but left my face free of makeup, then dressed and headed downstairs.
“Are you hungry?” I heard my brother ask Olivia.
“I am,” I announced, breezing into the room and straight for the coffee. “I smell bacon. There better be bacon.”
Olivia chuckled. “It’s a biker compound. Of course there’s bacon.”
Doc handed her a piece of toast and a cup of coffee. “Go sit down and eat this first. You need to start small.”
“Thanks, baby.” Olivia took a bite and gave him a quick, closed-mouth kiss, then headed into the great room and sat in the chair closest to the fireplace.
I followed, flopping onto one of the sofas just as Doom walked out of the kitchen, phone to his ear. “Yeah, Rabbit, let him in.”
My focus turned to the foyer and I nearly spit my coffee out when Orion walked in.
“Orion, brother,” Doom said with a grin, giving him a hug. “What the fuck are you doin’ here?”
Very good question! Oh my god, my stomach roiled at the same time my vagina suddenly woke up. I could already feel the dampness beginning between my legs and I squeezed my legs shut to try and ease the ache.
God, seriously, this man and his dick were major trouble.
“Heard you had some trouble with the Spiders,” Orion said, glancing my way. “Figured you might need a hand.”
I frowned. What trouble with the Spiders?
“Appreciate that,” Doom said. “Come on in. You remember Liv? Doc’s woman?”
“Hi,” Olivia said, staying put.
“And that’s Raquel, Doc’s sister.”
I glared at Orion, then forced a smile and said, “Hi. It’s nice to meet you.”
His hand covered mine and my body thrummed at his touch. Jesus, I missed him.
“You too,” Orion said, smiling when I dropped his hand like it was a hot poker.
The men walked away, and I couldn’t stop staring at Orion. I wanted to lick him. Everywhere.
No, correction, I wanted him to lick me. Everywhere.
“Raquel?” Olivia whisper-hissed.
“Hm?”
“Oh my god,” Olivia breathed out and I met her eyes. “He’s not here because of the Spiders, is he? He’s here for you.”
I focused back on my coffee. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I think you do.”
“You’re wrong.”
“Raquel Susan Brooks, you better spill your guts right now, or I’m going straight into that kitchen and I’m going to ask Orion all about it.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” I hissed.
She grinned in triumph.
“I hate you,” I said.
“No, you don’t,” she countered. “You fear me, but you also adore me, so you’re torn.”
I tried not to laugh, but couldn’t stop a snort. She had me there.
“Why is Orion here, Raquel?”
I shrugged. “I’m not sure. Entirely.”
“Bullshit.” She leaned forward and tapped my knee. “How long have you two been a ‘thing’?”
I sighed. “Not long. It started as a friends-with-benefits kind of thing and I was good with that. I mean, let’s be honest, if I hooked up with a biker, both Dad and Tristan would kill me. But now Ori’s changing the rules. I told him I needed a break. Apparently, he didn’t care.”
“People who need a break from just a ‘friends-with-benefits’ type thing don’t typically jump on a plane and go running to their big brothers.”
“Well, you would know,” I quipped.
She chuckled. “And I’ve got twins in my belly to prove it.”
I grinned. “I can’t wait to babysit.”
“I can’t wait for you to babysit,” she said. “But quit trying to change the subject.”
I rolled my eyes and sipped my coffee, saying nothing.
“Does Rabbit know you have no interest in him?” Olivia asked.
“Oh my god, Rabbit has eyes for one woman and one woman only. I could strip naked, kneel in front of him and offer to suck him off and he wouldn’t care.”
Olivia sighed, continuing to stare at me.
“Don’t tell Tristan,” Raquel said.
“About you or Rabbit?”
I shrugged. “Either. Both.”
“Can’t do that, Raquel. Sorry. I don’t keep shit from your brother. It does not go well when I do.”
“Well, can you not offer information, then?” I begged. “If he asks, tell him, but only if he asks.”
“I’ll try. No promises, though.”
“Liv?” Rabbit called from the foyer.
“Yeah, bud?”
“Linda’s here. She’d like a word.”
She frowned. “With me?”
“Yeah.”
Olivia left me and I used the distraction to escape to the kitchen for another cup of coffee. I was just walking back out to the great room when my brother stalked in.
“Raquel, my office, now,” Tristan demanded, and made his way down the hall.
“Goddammit,” I grumbled and followed into his office. “What can I do for you, darling brother?”
He closed the door behind me. “You and Orion.”
“Me and who?”
Tristan raised an eyebrow and leaned against his desk. “You seriously trying that shit with me? It might work with Dad, but you forget who you’re talking to.”
I sighed, wrinkling my nose. “He and I have been seeing each other for a little while, but I broke things off.”
“Why?”
“None of your business.”
“Fair enough. But why’s he here?”
I shrugged. “You’d have to ask him.”
“I’m gonna fuckin’ lose my religion if you don’t start telling me the truth.”
“I don’t know why he’s here. I told him I needed a break. He said okay, but now he’s here, so I have no idea.”
He cocked his head. “Did he know you were coming here?”
“No.”
“Raquel,” he warned.
“Okay, fine!” I snapped. “I didn’t tell him anything, but he knows me enough to know that when I’m feeling any kind of emotion, I’m gonna go running to my big brother. You’re my emotional support human.”
He sighed and pulled me against him. “What’s really goin’ on, sissy?”
I burst into tears. “I don’t know. I’m just all out of sorts right now.”
“Why?”
“Maybe because I’m failing two of my classes,” I growled, pulling away from him. “And I’m failing because I’ve been so wrapped up in Orion, I couldn’t focus.”
“Ar
e you seriously failing two of your classes?”
“C in one and a C-minus in the other.”
“Well, shit,” he said.
“Well, shit, indeed, big brother. Do you have any idea what Daddy’s going to do when he finds out?”
He rolled his eyes, releasing me. “You haven’t told him?”
“No, I haven’t told him!” I threw my hands in the air. “The second I do, he’s gonna ship me home for good.”
Someone pounded on the door, and I reached over and opened it. Orion walked in and glared at my brother. “What the fuck’s goin’ on?” he demanded.
“Oh, put your dick back in your pants,” I snapped. “I told him everything. He’s fine with it.”
“Then why the hell are you crying?” he asked, at the same time Tristan said, “Not sure I said I was fine with it.”
I turned to Tristan. “Can you give us a minute?”
He studied Orion for a minute too long and I groaned.
“Tris, please,” I pressed.
He finally left and I crossed my arms and faced Orion. “What are you doing here?”
“Honestly? I don’t know.”
“Well, enjoy your stay. Savannah is renowned for their southern hospitality.” I stepped to the door, but he took my arm and pulled me to him.
“Frazzle, give me a break.”
“I will as soon as you start telling me the truth.”
His thumb stroked the sensitive inside of my wrist. “I love you.”
“What?” I squeaked.
He smiled. “You heard me.”
“That wasn’t the deal,” I ground out.
“Oh, I’m fully aware of what the deal was, Raquel, but unfortunately, my heart no longer gives a shit.”
“Well, that’s a problem, because I’m probably coming home soon…permanently.”
“I told you I’d help you.”
“Yeah, and that went great,” I said, my sarcasm at its height.
“Might I point out that you’re the one who constantly comes up with distractions when I try to explain shit to you? Usually in the form of sucking me off?”
I sighed. “Your dick is my kryptonite.”
“Well, I have a plan to make it all work.”
I scoffed. “Right.”
“You’ll get my dick and an A.”
This earned him a full-on snort. “You’re high.”
He chuckled. “I wish.”
Pulling me to him, he leaned down and kissed me. I sighed, sliding my hands up his back and burrowing my face into his chest. “What’s your plan?”
Primal Howl (Primal Howlers MC Book 1) Page 5