Colt: Demons of Destruction

by Jacqueline M. Sinclair

  “You’re kidding?”

  “You seemed pretty serious about it five minutes ago.” He backed into the water, stopping when it was just past his knees. She was thinking on it. Her bottom lip had disappeared between her teeth, and her eyes were searching the water, looking for anyone that might see.

  With a huff, she reached beneath his shirt, undid her shorts, and pushed them down her legs. She stepped out of them, gave one last look around, and pulled his shirt over her head.

  Fuck me. Colt blinked and backed up till the water covered his waist, the sudden coolness doing nothing to stop the full-blown erection he knew was coming. Maci didn’t waste any time coming into the water, but he had a front and center view of her simple white bra and panties before she grabbed the float and headed in.

  “It’s colder than I thought,” she whimpered.

  He was standing a few feet away and watched as goose pimples pricked along her skin, and that bra was useless, it molded to her as soon as she sunk into the water, wetting herself, giving him a perfect outline of her tits.

  “Not cold enough,” he muttered, reaching in the water to make sure his shit was still confined to his bathing suit.

  He watched her struggle a couple of times before getting settled on the float. “You good?”

  “I’m good,” she said, waving him off.

  “I’m going to swim out some.” Get myself under control. She waved her hand, not bothering to look, which was fine with Colt. He dived under the water, wet himself down, and swam away.

  He wouldn’t leave Maci alone that long, but he needed a break from her. It’d been so fucking long since he’d wanted a woman like he wanted her. Being around her turned him into a flirting kid. Fuck that. Whatever was going on with her was getting ready to destroy life as the Demons knew it. He could feel it. He didn’t need to complicate it more over a piece of ass.

  Maci had gotten turned on, obviously turned on, just walking through the club house. He saw that shit every day and not so much as a twitch in his pants.

  But seeing her excited had stirred something inside him, brought it back to life, brought him back. How the fuck had that happened?

  He hadn’t been a monk the past year, but hell, even club whores had to work to make it happen, even when the urge was there.

  Stopping, treading water, Colt looked back. The raft was small and it was getting darker. He needed to turn back. He started slow, already imagining the vision of Maci leaving the water, dripping wet, the outline of her hair visible through her underwear. He needed a shower and privacy. Fucking Christ.

  Easing up to the float, Colt took in her long, lean frame. Before he’d even thought about it, he’d flipped the float, dumping Maci in the water. She came up, sputtering, coughing, and immediately disappeared under the water again.

  Sheer panic tore through him. He flung the float from between them and dived under, not surfacing until he had both hands gripped tight on her.

  “Maci…”

  Her hand cracked across his face before he could get another word out. She was coughing and hacking, but it didn’t stop her from laying into him. “I can’t swim, are you crazy?”

  She drew back again, but this time, Colt caught her hand mid-air, pulling her into his arms. “I didn’t know.”

  Ignoring her flailing arms, Colt eased them toward the shore, repeating the same excuse. By the time he had her on land, she’d managed to call him every name in the dictionary, and some he found questionable.

  “Why would you get in the fucking water if you can’t swim?” he barked, having had enough of her tantrum.

  “Because I didn’t think you’d try and drown me,” she panted, shoving against his chest with both hands. Colt didn’t budge, and she did it again, with no result.

  “Whatever,” she hissed. She grabbed her clothes and heading back to the cabin. Colt grabbed the towels and left the chairs, following behind her as she marched back up the bank.

  The view could be worse. Her ass was just as perfect as her tits.

  “Stop staring at my ass, Colt.”

  He grinned. “Make me.”

  She spun around, flinging his shirt in his face. He pulled it off, his grin still in place. “Lucky shot.”

  Maci froze, pulling herself up to stretch every inch out of her full height. “You have to sleep sometime,” she warned.

  Something inside him clicked. He’d stared down tougher men. Fought other bikers. Her warning shook up something inside him, a realization, that he may have met his match.

  She stayed in the shower for as long as she could, still pissed at Colt for dumping her in the lake, and embarrassed that she’d responded so…violently. Besides, the muddy lake water had turned her underclothes an orange hue, and it just wasn’t washing out.

  Peeling them off, Maci wrung them out and hung them on the shower head. She’d already washed her hair, and had lathered up more than once to try and clean the garments, but she gave herself a quick once over and rinsed away the soap. Drying off, she stepped onto the fuzzy mat and looked around. Nice. She’d marched straight to the bathroom from the lake. She’d thrown Colt’s shirt back at him. All she had was her shorts. This must be what hell is like.

  Wrapping a towel around her, she opened the bathroom door, intent on grabbing her bag and heading back. Only, by the time she found where her bag had been moved to, Colt was shutting the bathroom door behind him. Asshole.

  Figuring she had a few minutes, Maci dug a clean pair of shorts and a t shirt from the bag. Keeping the towel tucked around her, she slipped on a clean pair of underwear, then her jean shorts, but she’d been in such a hurry, she hadn’t dried off like she should have.

  She was still trying to coax the denim up and over her wet hips when the bathroom door swung open without warning.

  Maci bolted upright, but the hem of the towel was twisted in her shorts, yanking it away. It didn’t take Colt but a second to take it in.

  She reached for the towel, tugging it free and shielding herself. “Do you mind?”

  Colt smirked, and leaned against the bathroom doorway. “Not one bit.”

  Maci felt the strength leave her. The sexual tension between the two of them had been fun. Exciting, even. But having Colt walk in on her practically naked, when she was still pissed at him, was more than she could handle. Even at the water, all pertinent places had been covered. She could feel her chin begin to tremble, and looked away, defeated.

  The next thing she knew, Colt was standing in front of her, his fingertip tucked into her chin, pulling her face up to his. He stood there, waiting until she looked at him. With his eyes locked on hers, he took the towel from her hands and wrapped it around her, then cupped her face between his hands. He tilted her head down and left a kiss in her wet hair. “Go get dressed.”

  His raspy voice resonated deep down inside her. She pulled her gaze back up to his, half tempted to drop the towel and entice him to have his way with her.

  Could she, do it? Love a man who was a mystery, even for one night? Who’d likely forget about her as soon as he returned to his life, doled out the Rebel’s punishment, and got back to his whores?

  “You don’t want to do this,” Colt breathed, letting her go. She blinked, averting her gaze, her body temperature spiking even more, knowing he’d read her mind.

  She squared her shoulders. “Do what? Knee you in the junk for what you did?”

  Her words stunned him for a moment, but then he nodded, giving her the escape she needed. “One thing about it, the targets big enough, you wouldn’t miss.”

  He smiled, but it didn’t quite transform his features the way it usually did. It was forced, a blatant response to her practically calling him a liar, for thinking she wanted him.

  Trying to look indifferent, she grabbed her bag from the bed with her free hand, pushed past him and waddled to the bathroom as fast as her stuck shorts would allow. Not the dramatic exit she’d have gone for, but it was all she had.

  She found a pai
r that would fit, pulled them on and finished getting dressed. There was no need to delay going back out there. She’d have to face him. Sleeping in the bathtub wasn’t an option and she knew she couldn’t wait him out.

  Taking a deep breath, she collected her stuff and stepped out into the cabin. Colt was nowhere to be seen, but he’d started prepping food, and she remembered there’d been a grill at the bottom of the steps off the screened porch.

  May as well attack first. She stopped at the screen door, watching Colt put pork chops on the grill. She assumed they were from the freezer, but she hadn’t seen him take them out to thaw.

  Instead of heading down, she left him alone, and went back inside. There was a head of cabbage on the counter. She dug through the drawers until she found a grater and started making coleslaw.

  Colt had laid out two potatoes. She put those in the microwave and turned it on. She wasn’t a grilling guru, but she knew it wouldn’t take long for the pork chops to cook. By the time she heard Colt coming back up the steps, everything was just about ready.

  “Thanks,” he said, taking in her work.

  “I figured I get to eat, too, right?”

  Colt chuckled, but said nothing. He sat the plate of barbeque pork chops in the oven and looked around. “Anything I need to do?”

  “I think I’m about done, unless I missed something.”

  He looked around. “Looks like everything.” He grabbed the bread off the counter and put it on the table.

  “Then as soon as the baked potatoes get done, we can eat,” she said, flatly.

  Colt grabbed two beers out of the refrigerator and handed her one. “I didn’t do that on purpose, Maci, walk in on you like that.”

  Maci huffed. “No reason you would.”

  “What?”

  God. That sounded catty. Jealous, even. “Nothing, Colt.” How could she explain her self-doubts to a man like him? He was perfect. He probably wanted for nothing, or no one, his whole life. “Can we just eat, please? And get through the next few days without killing each other?”

  She swung to face him, her attention landing on the vein throbbing on the side of his neck, his entire body rigid. “Sure,” he ground out, turning away.

  Maci let loose the breath she’d been holding, waiting for his answer. How was she going to do this? Keep her distance from him and still be civil?

  “Maybe you should call Hank and have someone else come up here with me.”

  Her suggestion was quiet, hadn’t sounded impulsive, but it still caused Colt’s fingers to tighten around his fork. “It doesn’t work that way, sweetheart. Hank tells me to do something, I do it. No questions asked.”

  “I can call him. Tell him it’s not working out.”

  Colt laughed, but shook his head. “I’m sure you would, but it’s not in your best interest.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Maci asked, her fork paused mid-air with a piece of meat.

  Colt sighed. She was still mad because he’d flipped her over in the lake. He could admit, now, it had been a douche move, given that he barely knew her. He was sorry about that.

  She was still pouting because he’d walked in on her getting dressed. He didn’t regret that one fucking bit. Except that she’d gone to pieces over it.

  He made a point not to hang around women. He couldn’t stand crying, whining, and bitching, and he’d found out early, the fewer times he went out with one, the less of it he had to put up with.

  Only, he found himself wanting to comfort Maci. He didn’t know another woman like her. She was soft, vulnerable, but she had a quiet strength that impressed him. She had grit. He couldn’t imagine what had happened to drive her to the Demons, but he was sure it was huge. Life changing. She was dealing with it the best way she could.

  “The quickest way to get through this is to just do it. Changing up Hank’s plans will only drag it out and piss him off.”

  Maci smirked, rolling her eyes. “What?” Colt asked.

  “You’re afraid of him.”

  Colt shook his head. “You read that wrong. I respect him,” he argued. “There’s a difference.”

  Maci raised a brow. “Really?”

  Colt found himself growing more concerned than amused. As much as he didn’t want to, he liked Maci. Maybe that’s the reason he tolerated it as much as he did, but her lack of tact was going to cause her some problems with the others. “Look, I realize this is a different world for you, but I’d caution you to be careful about the subjects you approach, and with who. Most of my brothers won’t find your blunt personality as cute as I do.”

  She seemed to take a minute to digest his words, before dropping her gaze back to her plate. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to cause trouble or seem ungrateful.” There was a hint of color in her cheeks, and he found himself wondering if it was from the warning or his admission.

  They finished their meal in silence, and it was almost as tense as the conversation. They hadn’t even been there a day, and already they were driving each other crazy.

  “Why did you wait?” Maci asked, softly.

  “Why did I wait for what?”

  “To join the Demons,” Maci clarified.

  Colt felt a wave of anger rise in his chest. He wiped his hands on his paper towel, threw it on his plate, and pushed himself away from the table. He didn’t owe her an explanation, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to try and wrap his emotions up in a neat little package she’d understand, if she even could. “You need to drop this shit.”

  He stood, raked his plate into the garbage can, and set to cleaning up. She sat motionless for a few minutes, then stood and started gathering up her dishes, and soon the small area was spotless.

  “I saw some books over on the nightstand. I’m going to settle in and read for a bit before bed.”

  Colt nodded, grabbed a beer from the fridge, and went back out onto the porch. There was something peaceful about it; the wind coming in off the water, the sounds of wildlife, interrupted by the sound of an occasional boat trolling by, the new moon keeping it hidden, except for the tiny running light that gave away its location. Everything seemed amplified in the night and he usually found it relaxing.

  Tonight was different. He’d spent less than twenty-four hours with this girl, and she’d gotten under his skin.

  He propped himself on the couch and laid there thinking about the woman inside. Images of her lying on the float, completely oblivious that the water had made her panties practically see-through, flooded him. The swell of her tits in her plain bra was just as fucking sexy to him as those fancy, matching sets. He considered it, and thought, what made her even more attractive was she seemed to have no clue how attractive she was.

  Innocent.

  Exactly what he didn’t need in his life.

  Rolling onto his side, Colt looked toward the water. It was too dark to make out where the waves met the shore, but he could hear them, and he closed his eyes, trying to find some balance, with the nagging question playing over and over, exactly how did she fit into all this?

  Images of a defiant Maci filled his brain. She was so damn cute, with her hands on her hips, bitching about the borrowed bathing suit. And that moment of indecision down at the water, before she finally accepted his challenge and stripped.

  He groaned, sitting up, guzzling the rest of his beer. It was early for him, and he was nowhere near ready for bed, but his thoughts were going to make for a long damn night.

  “Colt?”

  He tensed at the sound of her voice. He didn’t know how much more of her he could take tonight, before temptation got the better of him. “Yeah?”

  “Your phone was going off.” Maci stepped through the doorway and handed Colt the burner phone. He’d left it on the nightstand when they’d gone down to the lake. The number was Hank’s and he immediately called it back.

  “What’s up?”

  “Just checking in,” Hank said. “We’re coming off a holiday weekend. These fuckers are scattered. It’s
going to take us a few days.”

  Colt closed his eyes, running his hand through his thick, black hair, saying nothing.

  “You good?”

  “She’s a pain in the ass, but we’re good.”

  The sound of the screen door closing punctuated his words. Fuck. He hadn’t even thought of her standing there, or his retort to Hank.

  “This shit keeps getting better and better,” he mumbled, watching as the inside door closed, shutting him out.

  “Hang tight, brother. This shit’s been a long time coming, but we have to do it right.”

  “I know,” Colt sighed. “You want to at least tell me why I’m stuck here with her?”

  “Sure thing.” The brief glimmer of hope lasted a heartbeat. “As soon as I get some confirmation back.”

  Colt collapsed against the couch, biting back his frustration.

  “And Colt, if you have to get out and about, ride clean, no colors. No telling where the bastards are coming in from. I don’t want you coming across any before we get a handle on what we’re doing.”

  “OK.”

  “I’ll check back when I have something.”

  The line went dead and Colt tossed the phone on the couch beside him. It was going to be a long few days.

  “They say the devil’s beating his wife.”

  Maci didn’t move, but she hugged her arms tighter across her chest, and continued watching the rain fall. The sun was shining, and there was a partial rainbow visible above the trees. It was a beautiful sight, and she probably would have missed it if she’d gone out back.

  It was a shame such a pretty day was spoiled by the rain. Now what would they do? They’d be stuck inside all day. Colt would probably hide on the back porch while she tip-toed around. Trying not to be a pain in his ass.

  “I’m sure that’s a little more common than a sun shower,” she said dryly, remembering what the Rebels with the Devil had done to her. At least one of them had, anyway.

  Colt appeared beside her, leaning his frame against the opposite side of the door. She didn’t as much as glance his way, but she could see enough of him in her periphery to know he was shirtless, but still wearing his swim trunks.