by Jamie Begley
“That’s cool. I’m buying some property. You’re welcome to look it over if you want.”
“I’d like that,” Rachel said enthusiastically.
After dinner, she was glad she had decided to meet him at the restaurant as they said their goodbyes in the parking lot; it took away the pressure of being alone with him.
“I’ll give you a call when the sale goes through,” Scorpion promised.
“Do that. I enjoyed dinner,” Rachel said and meant it.
There was no chemistry that had set her on edge, but she could see herself and Scorpion becoming friends.
He watched as she drove out of the lot.
She was sure Evie would tell Cash she had seen her with a date. As a back-up plan, it wasn’t the greatest, but Scorpion was just the first. She had every intention of beginning to date and put herself out there to find the type of man she was searching for.
Chapter 27
Cash walked into the factory, seeing Shade talking to Jewell and Bliss as they filled their orders. Nodding his head toward Shade’s office, Cash went inside and waited.
“What did you find out?”
“Nothing concrete. I talked to Jewell; she said that Lewis received a phone call about twenty minutes before he got off work, and he finished his order and left. You talked to her?”
“Yes, she told me the same thing.”
“I checked his phone records; it came from a pay as you go phone. I couldn’t find out who bought it,” Cash said grimly.
“Find anything at his house?”
“He was fucking someone. He had a bag filled with sex toys and condoms.”
“Willa?”
“I don’t know. If so, she wasn’t giving it to him; he was taking it. She hated him, but I don’t think it was her.”
“Why not?”
“Because he had an underwear set in the bag and I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t have fit Willa. I checked the local hotel, then Jamestown’s. No one recognized his picture.”
“Go further. Start with the towns closest to the Virginia border. If you don’t get a hit, try the Tennessee border,” Shade ordered.
“He wouldn’t be able to drive far. With the kids, he would’ve needed to stay close,” Cash reasoned.
“Unless he had a sitter.”
“Thought of that. Beth is going to ask around church and see if any of the women there were babysitting for him.”
“That it?” Shade asked.
“Pretty much. If I find out anything, you’ll be the first to know.” Cash went to open the door.
“Cash, while you’re flashing around Lewis’s picture, show them one of Brooke. She may be the more memorable of the two.”
“Will do.” Cash closed the door behind him.
Going back to his bike, he started it before heading back out on his search, turning in the direction of the Virginia border. He wouldn’t stop until he found what he was searching for. If there was a connection between Brooke and Lewis, he would find it and give the information to Shade. What he did with it from there was his call.
* * *
For a man who’s promised to storm my defenses, it’s anticlimactic to not see him for three days, Rachel thought glumly.
It had taken two more dates, one with King’s cook and the other with Lily’s old boyfriend, for her to realize that finding the chemistry she shared with Cash wasn’t going to be easy to find with another man.
“Do you want something to drink?” Rachel asked Mag as the television show they were watching went off.
“No, thanks. It’s my bedtime.”
Rachel smiled warmly at the woman as she laid down her crocheting. It was a mess, but she kept doing it. She said it kept her fingers limber.
Rachel blinked back tears. The old woman’s health was declining. She would have moved back with her brothers weeks ago, but Rachel couldn’t bring herself to leave the woman’s side. She had missed her gift more and more each day as she wished she could have eased the woman the last few months. Mag had lived a full life, but a hard one. Rachel would have liked to help with the pain of her passing.
Rachel got off the couch, brushing a kiss against the woman’s cheek. “Goodnight, Mag.”
“Night, Rachel.”
As she was about to wheel herself from the room, Cash came in with a tired expression.
“What are you two up to?” he asked, staring between the two women.
“Nothing. I was just telling Rachel goodnight. I’m going to bed. From the looks of you, a good night’s sleep would do you some good.”
“I’ll get plenty of sleep when I’m dead.”
Rachel winced at his choice of words, reaching down to pick up the tea glasses and leaving the two to talk.
She was finishing the dishes when Cash came in, leaning against the counter.
“She looks tired tonight.” Cash frowned. “She’s always so full of energy; I forget how old she is sometimes.”
Rachel didn’t make a remark to his observation. Cash and his grandmother had a strong bond; she didn’t need to tell him what he already sensed was near.
“Mag is in bed.”
“Yeah, so?” Rachel paused in wiping the table.
“So, go put on your shoes; we’re going out.”
“I am not.”
Cash stalked toward her, and Rachel dropped the dishcloth onto the table, backing out of the kitchen into the living room. Once her ass landed on the couch, Cash squatted down in front of her, sliding her tennis shoes on and tying them for her. Rachel could only stare at him in stupefaction.
“Mag’s neighbor is going to stay with her for a few hours while we go out.”
“I don’t want to go out with you again, Cash.”
“Rachel, go out with me this last time. If you don’t want to go out after that, I won’t bother you again.”
Rachel’s gaze narrowed on him, listening to the nuances of his voice. “You’re lying.”
Cash shrugged. “I am, but I’m willing to bet none of the men you’ve been out with this week makes you feel like I can.” His hand took hers, lifting her from the couch. “Come on, Rachel. Your brothers are the wildest men in town; don’t you have a little bit of that in you?”
Rachel looked away. None of the men she had gone out with had her wanting to touch them the way her body craved Cash’s. What’s more, she had always felt that same wildness he’d spoken of, controlling it by working and studying hard. Her mother had begged her brothers not to take after their father, who had stolen her mother’s heart away from Cash’s father, and hadn’t let it go until the day they’d died together. After their deaths, Rachel had wanted to make her mother proud, and subsequently, she had smothered the inherited wild streak burning in her blood.
Giving in, she followed him outside.
“You brought your bike?”
“I figured you need to get used to being on the back.” Cash grinned, handing her a helmet. Rachel climbed on behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist.
“I’ve seen plenty of women on the back of your bike, Cash; it’s not exactly a privilege when a hundred other women have shared the experience.” Rachel wasn’t going to let him lead her to believe she was special.
He shot her a look that had her closing her mouth. She was pushing it with him again, and from that look, she was treading on dangerous ground. She held on tighter as he drove out onto the roadway. She’d thought he would head into town; instead, he headed in the opposite direction. As they passed Rosie’s bar, she wondered if he was taking her to his clubhouse.
When he passed it, she assumed he was simply taking her for a ride. She took a deep breath of the brisk, night air. There was nothing like the fresh, mountain air.
The throbbing bike underneath gave her a sense of freedom she had never experienced before. She could understand the lure of the motorcycle club; it was the tie that grounded them. If not, it would be easy to just keep riding without the responsibilities of life holding you back.
&nbs
p; Cash slowed the bike, turning into the lake where he had brought her before. When he pulled in, she saw several of his friends were already there. She stiffened, fearing this time wouldn’t be any different than the last.
She had been around them enough with Beth and Lily to recognize several of them. She wasn’t the type to be made nervous, but she didn’t know how to interact with them. She felt self-conscious around the women, who were completely feminine. The small blond with the spiked hair was dressed in a small, red bikini with a thong bottom. Next to her was Raci, a pretty brunette with a bright-pink bikini that was even smaller, the top barely covering her nipples and the bottoms barely covering a small patch.
Rachel swallowed hard, uncertain of how to deal with the uncomfortable situation. The weather was unseasonably warm, and the women were taking complete advantage by showing they hadn’t gained an ounce during the winter while her own ass had grown from Mag’s comfort food.
“Hi, Rachel.” Lily’s soft voice had her releasing a relieved sigh when she saw her friend sitting beside Shade. Beth was sitting on the other side of her, next to her husband, Razer.
“Hi.” She walked closer to the blanket they were sitting on.
Lily scooted closer to her husband, giving her enough room to sit down next to her. Beth then edged closer to Razer on the opposite side, giving enough room for Cash to sit down next to Rachel.
“It’s beautiful out here at night, isn’t it?” Lily smiled, handing her a soda out of the cooler. “Rider came out earlier to set out the torches.”
“It’s nice here. Holly and I bring Logan.” Rachel looked at Beth cuddled up to her husband’s side. “Who’s keeping the babies for you?”
“Evie and King. I think she would keep them if we let her,” Beth said wryly.
Rachel agreed with her. She had seen Evie with the children, and her attachment to them was obvious.
Winter came out of the water with Viper’s arm wrapped around her waist. The tats on him and the others caught her eyes. They all had similar ones on different parts of their bodies. The center was a Navy seal insignia with a snake wrapped around it from the bottom up, leaving the face of the snake glaring back. Objects surrounded the insignia: two revolvers with a metal chain wrapped around the barrels of the gun, linking them together; brass knuckles; a hand of cards; and a razor knife. The whole tattoo had a layer of shadows, giving it a eerie effect. Rachel’s mind began playing with the thought of where Cash’s tattoo was. He had one on each of his biceps, but she hadn’t noticed a similar one on his chest.
Winter sank down on the blanket across from her while Viper reached into the cooler, pulling out two beers and giving one to his wife.
“I’m surprised you’re out on a school night, Winter,” Rachel teased, never imagining in a million years the woman, who had been her high school principal, would be sitting across from her in a bikini, drinking a beer. She had thought her staid and boring. She had been a mentor, and Rachel hadn’t thought of her as a flesh-and-blood woman.
“I usually don’t. I hate being tired first thing in the morning, but we all punish ourselves sometimes for a good cause.” Rachel didn’t understand the sidelong glance Winter threw her husband, which he ignored, lifting the beer to his lips.
A sudden squeal had Rachel jumping until she saw Rider throw Bliss into the water, going in after her and pulling her into a passionate kiss, gradually edging her over to the darker side of the water. Rachel lowered her gaze, embarrassed and unaccustomed to seeing couples make out in front of her.
“Let’s go for a swim.” Razer helped Beth to her feet.
Rachel watched as all the couples except Lily and Winter went into the water. The air rang out with splashing and laughter.
“I’ll open the store tomorrow. I need to organize a few things for Willa,” Lily said. “Lewis’s younger children need a few things, and I thought I would make a couple of bags for them and deliver them when you come in.”
“I’m sure she’s going to need several things. I picked them up some games to keep them occupied.”
“I offered to take them to the Saturday matinee to give her a break.” Winter’s husky voice was due to her husband kissing her neck.
Rachel looked away from the affectionate couple, only to see Lily’s mouth captured by Shade’s, his hand on the back of Lily’s neck holding her in place.
“Let’s go for a swim.” Cash rose to his feet, holding out his hand. Rachel took it, standing up.
“I don’t have a suit,” she protested.
“Lily brought you one. You can go into the trees and get changed.” Cash went to his saddle bags, pulling out a swimsuit then handing it to her.
She really didn’t want to swim, showing her body, but all the women wore suits. Rachel was sure Lily’s suit wouldn’t be too brief. Looking at it, she saw it was a one-piece. She could do this.
Hesitantly, she went into the trees as Cash pulled off his t-shirt and began unbuttoning his jeans. Her mouth dropped open when he changed into a pair of blue shorts he pulled out of his bags, changing in front of everyone. He didn’t have on underwear, his semi-hard cock visible to everyone sitting around. Lily and Winter were not even paying attention, though.
She went into a copse of trees, gingerly changing into the one-piece. Nervously, she came back out, but no one looked in her direction as she walked into the cold water. Cash was already in, waiting for her.
“That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
“I’m a private person,” Rachel defended herself. “It’s freezing.”
“You’re shy,” Cash corrected. “But Lily is, too, and she manages to go swimming with us. You’ll warm up in a few minutes when you get used to it.”
Rachel treaded water as he talked, not noticing he was gradually maneuvering her toward the part of the water that was shaded from view by the bank from the overhanging trees. She stopped following him, but Cash swam back to her, sliding his arm around her waist and bringing her slick body toward his.
“Need my help warming up?”
She placed her hands on his muscular chest, her eyes going to the tats on his bulging muscles. “Do you have a tattoo like the rest of the men?”
Cash raised a brow, letting her turn his back to her. It was on the back of his shoulder. She looked closely at the separate symbols, a laugh escaping her.
“Each symbol represents a member, doesn’t it?”
“Yes.” He turned back to face her. “Guess which one is mine.”
“I don’t have to, I know. Greer and Tate have come home busted up too many times from those brass knuckles of yours.”
As they talked, their bodies drifted into the deeper, shaded water. Cash’s arm slipped around her waist, pulling her close once more, at the same time Rachel turned toward the shore. Someone had turned on some music, and she could hear the soft sounds from the bank.
“Your friends like to party, don’t they?” she mused.
“They work hard and play hard.” His mouth brushed the side of her neck.
Rachel turned her head away, placing her hands on his chest. “Stop, Cash. I’m going back to shore.” Cash’s hand tangled in her fiery hair.
“When do you play, Rachel? I never see you around town, just having a good time. Don’t you want to let loose and have fun?”
“I lost control one time with you, Cash, and look what happened.” Her voice tightened as his mouth traced to the base of her throat, his tongue licking the droplets of water pooled there.
“Was it so bad, Rachel?” he murmured, his mouth going to the curve of her breasts exposed by the modest swimsuit.
When her hands moved to his shoulders, trying to push him away, Cash tangled his legs with hers, forcing her to hold onto him to keep from slipping under the water.
“Not until you opened your mouth to the whole town.”
Cash lifted his head. “If I hadn’t said anything, would you have ever told your brothers?”
“Of course not.”
“So
it worked out, didn’t it?” Cash’s smug face had realization dawning on Rachel.
She began hitting his chest. “You bastard. You deliberately humiliated me in front of everyone in town,” she yelled.
Cash grabbed her hands, twisting them behind her back and holding her in place with his strength. “What I did was force you to admit you were attracted to me. Even if we had started seeing each other, you would have dreaded telling them and put it off, worrying about their reactions. I took that pressure away from you, like pulling a band-aid off a sore.”
“Did you see how they freaked out? Tate said some hateful things to me.”
Cash’s face tightened. “What did he say to you?”
“Never mind,” Rachel said haughtily. “You threw me under the bus then weren’t there to protect me from the consequences. Thanks for nothing, Cash. Can we go back to shore now?”
He didn’t release her. “They are your crazy-ass brothers, Rachel. If I had planned to keep you away from them, then I would have handled it differently. I knew you would want to maintain your relationship with them, though, so only you could handle them, and you did. They’re afraid, if they say anything to you now, you’ll run off again.”
She bit her lip. He was right. If he hadn’t interfered, it would have driven a wedge between her and her brothers. This way, they had learned she could stand on her own two feet without them.
“Of course, if I never saw them again, it wouldn’t break my heart.” His mouth returned to her breasts, tugging down the top of the swimsuit before nuzzling her.
She felt a rush of warmth between her legs as she began to get aroused, her hips unconsciously pressing against his. The feel of his hardened cock against her stomach had reality storming back as his hand released hers, going between her thighs and slipping under the material to rub her clitoris.
“I’m not going to do this again, Cash… never again…never ever again…” While her head shook back and forth, tendrils of her damp hair clinging to her cheeks, his finger began stroking her. “Do that again,” she begged.
His mouth covered hers, sliding his tongue into her mouth, taking control of her mind and body in one motion as he began to manipulate her body toward an orgasm.