by V. Theia
God, he loved his old lady more each day.
He thrust one last time and then they were both coming.
They stayed heaving air for god only knows how long, her fingers came around his neck and Rider had thought his dick was dead for sure this time until her touch, simple and loving, stirred him up again.
This woman, there was just no quitting her.
He rolled himself off her and onto his feet, swayed a bit to find his bearings, Jesus, she’d drained the life force out of him, how was he gonna survive the next few months if she was this horny every single day?
He came back ten minutes later carrying an overflowing plate, finding her in his T-shirt. The wave of white blonde hair was draped over her shoulders, and her cheeks lovely and flushed.
Slick nasty love crawled up Rider’s throat.
He could go another round if his girl needed it, bend her right over the arm of the couch and make her scream his name.
“Food, Icy.”
She squealed delighted and almost ripped the plate out of his hands. Flashing an amused smirk, he dropped down by her side, pulling her legs up onto his lap he began rubbing her feet, rolling his thumbs against the balls where they ached the most, her moan was sex even as she nibbled on her sweet/salty combo.
The call he was waiting for all night came just after midnight. He didn’t have secrets from Zara, she knew about as much club business as there was to know. She was his queen and he wasn’t starting that bullshit where he kept things from her, good or bad, she wanted him. Keeping her legs on his lap he connected the call.
“How did it go?”
“I’m still alive, boss.” Snickered Grinder. “It went better than I thought. I just sent Texas back with what I could grab. The place was crawling with Russians, so it’s not much. Three flash drives, if Lawless can’t find anything on them then they aren’t leaving anything out in plain sight. I saw some ledger books, took a few quick pictures, they have money coming in from everywhere, big chunks, Prez. They’ve been transferring money to the mayor.” Not a surprise, that fucker was crooked as they come, he used Rider’s underground bunkers to hide his shady politics for a price.
Rider’s jaw grew tight and pensive.
“And get this. I hit re-dial on the landline, guess who it connected to?”
“Who?”
“Asshole Uncle Rex.”
Rider’s growl startled Zara enough she stopped eating, placed the plate on the coffee table and turned worried ice eyes on him. He rubbed her calf reassuringly. “The fuck is he doin’ talkin’ to the mob? Goddamn that fuckin’ man, why won’t he just die already.”
The ex-president of the Souls had never been a fan of Rider’s, not even when he was a young prospect, that asshole had preferred Hades, no accounting for bad taste, but since none of the other brothers at the time, Rider’s own father included, hadn’t wanted Hades, he was kicked out without the patch. Rex, Rider’s uncle on his father’s side, disliked his nephew, what with Rider biding his time and using his experience and contacts to kick the prez out years ago, cleaning house as he went, kicking most all the previous members with him.
Rex had tried to rouse several coup’s afterwards that never really went anywhere, Rider’s boys were too loyal to side with Rex, and the older bastards were too lazy to do much and the noise had died down, the ex-members fading into the background so much so Rider had forgotten they existed. Until now. With one bad smell he knew there would be more if he dug and searched. Rex never plotted alone.
As his mind worked to fit the pieces together, Rider had to factor his own father in there somewhere. Mad-dog was always Rex’s right hand, Once Rex had been ousted, Ajax Mad-dog Marinos, the then VP had voluntarily given up his patch … not so voluntarily as it turned out, but only Rider and Ajax knew the blow they both came to, Rider hadn’t given his father a choice for leaving the club in Colorado behind. He was now home in Austin and Rider barely spoke to him at all if he could avoid it.
He’d seen his father a few weeks ago when Gia was ill, they’d spoke maybe four words. Ajax made it clear how he didn’t think Zara had what it took to be associated with the club and that was enough for Rider to give his father the fuck you.
“You’re going to the club.” Zara stated when he’d hung up.
“Yeah, baby.”
“It’s late, can’t it wait until the morning?”
Plucking her hand from her lap he brought it to his mouth, kissing along her inner wrist, relaying what Grinder had told him. “Why would your uncle have any reason to talk to the Russian mafia?”
“That’s the question, isn’t it? I doubt they’re swapping recipes.”
“What does it mean for the club, are we in danger from this?”
We. He fucking loved she thought of the club as hers. He’d watched his Icy-girl grow stronger in both mind and body this last year, coming into her own in their personal life and within the MC, she ran the office like a drill sergeant, even Texas feared her wrath if he moved her invoices, and fuck if Rider didn’t worship her every day for it. He smiled and kissed her knuckles, she gave his hand a supportive squeeze.
“I don’t know. I’ve made the mistake in allowin’ them room to breed whatever they’re up to. I can’t ignore this. If Rex is involved, be it for money or to make a move on the club, I gotta do somethin’.”
Pensive, Zara stayed silent for a second, worry in her ice blue eyes. He leaned over and cupped her cheek, his free hand going to her round belly, his baby, strong kicking his palm. For his family.
Everything he did was for the two people under his hands.
Rider would go to his grave fighting to make a safe, happy life for his old lady.
“Nothin’ will touch you or the peanut, Icy. I swear it. The boys and me won’t let any danger touch you.”
“Rider. I know that, it goes without saying. These Russian people have been unpredictable. It scares me that you or the one of the others will get hurt. There’s only a few months left before the baby comes.”
“Icy,” his gut twisting. “It’s not ideal, to go to war right now. Fuck, I want you to only think about what shit you want me to do in the nursery, you get me? This won’t touch our life and once it’s done all you’ll need to think about is when to decide to marry me finally.”
Her eyes filled with tears but she smiled at the same time. He had her in his lap cuddling her in.
“I love you so much, Rider. And I’m scared.”
While he called a prospect to come and sit with her, as she told him when he’d wanted to get Pretty-boy here instead; Don’t Rider, Mace was on a date tonight! Rider could give a fuck who was getting his dick wet when it came to his old lady’s safety, he pulled on some clothes and felt the acid build in his gut.
He’d bury Rex, see if he didn’t.
Then he’d deal with each one of the Russians who were swinging their bold egos in his town, starting with the annoying prick Grigori.
“Are you going to call Hawk home?” She asked in the doorway.
Rider yanked a shirt over his head and slid his Prez cut on top of it. “Maybe.” His VP and best friend was a maniac in all forms of the word and wouldn’t hesitate to take out Rex and the entire Russian mob if that was asked of him. He’d missed that shithead a lot. He hadn’t heard from Hawk in a couple weeks, but he was going to need a full-strength club if this new info was going to turn into a battle.
What was more worrying to Rider was he would have to do something he didn’t want to fucking do.
Reaching out to his father was the last thing on Rider’s to do list.
Now the Russians and his uncle were forcing his fucking hand.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“I don’t want your money, but I’ll take a fuck…” – Grinder
Don’t let anyone tell you sexual tension doesn’t turn a man a little mad.
Grinder was pushing food into his face so he didn’t crawl across the table and lick Luxe top to bottom down on the sticky linole
um floor, swallowing hard to fight down the desire she rose in him. The minute his call with Rider was dealt with he’d strode across to the diner counter and ordered food from a cheerful Paige working the night-shift and avoided looking at Luxe while he thought of a subtle way to invite her back to his place that would seem casual as fuck and not a plea from a desperate man.
He’d fingered her into a crying orgasm, he’d think it would be easy for the follow-on step.
Nothing about Luxe Reyes was easy.
And altogether worth it.
She’d wanted to eat, so here they were with Grinder filling his mouth long enough to come up with a plan.
Grinder wasn’t under any illusions winning his woman would be trouble-free. Nothing so amazing as she was would come to him easy. But he could see a crack of jagged daylight in Luxe’s armor and he wasn’t going to waste it. She didn’t seem to hate him anymore, that was a plus.
If only he was arrogant enough to use sex against her, to use it to keep her coming back for more, maybe he could.
No, he had to get smart about it, use his big boy words until she truly forgave him, he couldn’t settle for less, no matter how much his lower half of his body told him to shut up.
They hadn’t had the most conventional of romances so far for fucks sake, the only men that started out committing a crime in the name of passion were locked up in jail.
Tonight, had cemented just what he wanted from Luxe.
Treat her as he would any other one-night hook up? That was a joke. The woman was becoming his whole damn system, electric need running through his blood.
Feeling more than protective over her tonight, the urge to lock her away again was strong, only this time it was for her own good, and his own damn sanity.
They still weren’t in the clear with Grigori, not until the underboss discovered he’d been robbed. He wanted Luxe protected, if only she’d allow it.
Every strategic move he'd planned out had gone according to the letter, so why did he feel like his skin was on fire? He'd watched her waltz around the party like she was host and entertainment rolled into one. All eyes had turned to Luxe and stayed there, as was part of their script, she knew how to work a room, how to charm and flirt and Grinder's heart was torn in two, he'd known what he had to do, find the fucking lock box, but his every instinct had him wanting to stride through the sea of criminals, grab up his woman and get her out of there. Talk about a war within himself. Only knowing those sketches were going to help get him his forgiveness made him move, made him do the job.
And then there had been the touching.
Luxe had handled it just fine, smiling sweetly all the while moving herself subtly out of the reach of grubby, pawing hands.
His imagination conjured up ways in which he’d kill every Russian and the like with a dick who’d dared to flirt or even smile longingly at her. He got real damn nasty in his efforts to keep his thief to himself.
Yeah, there was nothing else for it, he thought as silence sat on the table between them, he’d have to win the dirty rotten thief around.
Chew. Swallow. Plot.
A wedge of money suddenly landed on the table in front of him. Luxe used two fingers to push it towards Grinder, who was busy shoveling an All-American Slam all day breakfast into his mouth, he paused and cocked his brow. She’d yet to touch her own egg white cheddar omelette with a side of grilled veggies. “I wish they sold Tres Leches or Biscochitos. You guys suck for New Mexican food here.” she’d grumbled after ordering the eggs and a milkshake. Other than that, they hadn’t spoken a word to each other. What did he say to a woman he’d just brought to her climax and wanted so much more from without sounding like a drooling idiot? Please, baby, can I have some more?
“What’s this?”
“I took the money from the safe, this is your half.”
I like you, you, goddamn little magpie.
He laughed, fed more food into his mouth before wiping his lips with a napkin he pulled from the dispenser. “Couldn’t help yourself, huh?”
Luxe shrugged unrepentant. “It jumped into my hand, besides, it looks like a genuine burglary if I took the money as well as the sketches. Take it, it’s fair we share it.”
“Nah, love. You keep it. This wasn’t about what I could get out of it.”
She shrugged and shoved it back in her purse. Why did the thought of her greedy fingers turn him on? It made him so cock-hungry to fuck her. He pushed more food into his mouth before he ended up begging her to let him inside her with more than his fingers.
Just once.
Twice.
A hundred fucking times, let him wear out this need for her in all the wet. And now she’d told him she’d never orgasmed with a cock inside her … Grinder had pretty much nothing else on his mind. She needed more than one climax and this time with him pounding her little body, the dirty rotten thief needed fucking repeatedly until her voice box was hoarse.
"Your guys back at the party seemed pretty tight.” She mentioned bringing his focus off his hard on. “You're close to your club people?"
Voice cleared. Lust swept out of his throat. "Yeah. They're family."
"You don't have blood relatives?"
"Sure. There's Pop and uncles. And a few aunts and cousins. Pop never remarried after mom took off when I was a kid. We heard she passed ten years ago."
She gave him a look of sympathetic understanding. "Oh. Mine left just the same, she dropped me off one day when I was ten in Santa Rosa with Mimi, never explained why, we didn’t see her again until I was fifteen.”
"Really? Ah, sorry, love. That must have been rough, girls need their moms."
"It was okay. Me and Mimi did okay together. I see her every couple of years.”
“Is it drugs? The reason she took off.”
Luxe shook her head. “Nothing like that. It would have made more sense. I just think she’s one of those people who aren’t meant to be a parent, she forgot I was around most of the time. She moves around a lot, she’s not homeless, she just can’t stay in one place long, she always finds work, she seems healthy and happy, she never married. Mimi misses her daughter, I wish for her sake mom would be more present in the real world. The last we heard she was in Portland.”
“What about your dad?”
Luxe laughed rolling her gorgeous eyes. “She told me it was at least seven different guys throughout my life, so it’s anyone’s guess.”
His heart kicked in understanding for the details of their earlier lives they had in common. “Family is what you make of it. Doesn’t always have to be blood.”
Grinder kinda wanted to pull her onto his lap and take the sad look out of her eyes. Whatever strong show you put on, baby, I’ll have your back. His bad thief could act tough all she wanted, even Grinder felt the loss of a mother sometimes.
"Me and the boys got a competition going,” he told her, swerving the subject to something lighter. His mouth twitched. “To buy Rider's kid the worst looking onesie-thing we can find. Zara, that's his old lady, just laps it up, and ‘cause Rider would do anything to keep her happy he just stands back and glowers the hell out of us. At last count the kid will have over fifty novelty onesies. I bought this god-awful crocodile one from an eBay bidding war."
She chuckled, her eyes turning warm. "Aren't you the big softy."
He ducked his head and smiled. Score one for making her laugh.
Another minute of silence went by, Grinder watching her suck around the straw. “Every October, Mimi and I, and whatever boyfriend she has on her arm at the time, go to the largest balloon festival in Albuquerque. Family is what you make it.” Her voice quieter, their eyes holding as she repeated his sentiment.
A minute went by. “Are you ever going to tell me?” he asked.
Her brow went up. “Tell you?”
“On a scale of one to goddamn you look sexy, Grinder, how close are you to forgiving me?”
Luxe visibly inhaled.
That reaction right there, as her fin
gers crept to her throat, tits rising in the tight silk red dress he was trying in vain to keep his eyes off, told him all he wanted to know. “Do you react this way with anyone else?”
“Maybe.”
“Does Steele make you shiver?”
Her beautiful features downshifted into a scowl. “I’m beginning to think you have feelings for Jamie.”
“I just don’t want him to have you.”
“I’m unsure if that’s sexist … or sweet.”
“I’ll take door number two.”
******
A hum vibrated through her pursed lips. His deep timbered persuasive voice unquestionably direct. But then, Nathan had been nothing but direct since day one. Crazily she liked the quality in him. The immensity of his body was such a turn-on. He was an unbending wall of a man.
Keeping the smile to herself, Luxe bit the inside of her cheek, his liquid gaze, growing darker by the second, skimmed over her, she felt it in every nerve ending, her breasts throbbing at the peaks for the rough touch of his hands again.
And it was that look that brought her to a conclusion.
Sleep with her kidnapper or walk away for good and drop the mild obsession for him.
“Does it matter if I forgive you, Nathan? I mean, really? I’m no one, you admitted to doing a shitty thing, why do you want absolving?”
“Because I damn well do.” He growled and her blood turned to molasses sloshing through her veins. Being enemies with someone shouldn’t feel this … good.
Oh Dios. Yes. The man was hot blooded with his emotions burning in his eyes.
Anger and frustration showed on his face, and in the flex of his tightly clutching fists resting on the table, the veins protruding on the backs of his hands.
Luxe slid out of her side of the booth, inched the skirt back over her thighs, the thing was skin tight, she could barely breathe in it. She hadn’t only wanted to distract the Russian mafia with her body. Oh, no, she’d caught Nathan’s eyes as well, everywhere she’d went tonight she’d felt his gaze on her, undressing her, stroking her.