Colt was sure Vanessa was hiding a pair of balls the size of Oklahoma in those tight pants of hers. She didn’t even flinch as Hank stared her down. “Meaning what?”
“Meaning with all the trouble, and the cops looking for her and stuff, we got her a new ID.”
Her explanation brought a palpable tension to the room. Hank’s eyes widened, his lips parted. “You did what?”
“She said she wanted to start over. She can’t do that with the cops looking for Maci Newman.”
To everyone’s surprise, Hank threw back his head, his laughter breaking the tension. “Don’t ever underestimate our women, boys.”
Still shaking his head, he told Vanessa, “Give the brothers her name and let them get on the road.”
For the first time, Vanessa’s confidence seemed shaken. “I don’t know it.”
“Well who the fuck does?” Hank shot back.
“Kelly is the only one she told.”
Hank rolled his eyes. “Chad, go drag that piece of pussy off her knees, get what you need, then get the fuck back here.”
Colt started behind him. “Hold up, son. You’ve been at it for days. They can go.”
“Tucker was with us and he’s going.” Colt knew he sounded like a kid bickering in a schoolyard argument, but he needed to do something.
“And Tucker held down the room snoozing while we did what needed to be done. He’s fine. You wait.”
They watched Chad and Tucker leave, then Storm spoke up. “If Jess isn’t fucking pregnant, who is?”
They all looked from one to the other, not saying a word.
“All I know is it isn’t Jess. I dragged her ass to the doctor myself,” Colt explained. “Who told you she was?”
Storm balked at the thinly veiled accusation. “Kelly, but I saw the piss stick in her trash can. She said Jess had been over and they’d taken it together. It was positive. I saw it with my own two eyes,” he argued.
Hank eased back in his seat, rubbing his fingers across his forehead, but it didn’t erase the wrinkles from his frustrated brow. “Sounds like you need to have a talk with Kelly, don’t it, Storm?”
Colt watched as Hank’s words hit home. “That fucking bitch,” he grumbled, stomping out the door.
“I’ll be upstairs,” Colt said. He’d had enough of this shit for one day.
He didn’t have a room at the clubhouse yet, but there were free-for-all rooms for brothers to use first come, first serve. He couldn’t face the happy-go-lucky atmosphere out in the main hall, so he headed to one, and shut himself off from the chaos below.
It was still early, but Colt wavered from exhaustion to feeling overwhelmed. The emotional drain of the last year had caught up with him and snapped his ability to be reasonable. It was probably best he wasn’t around people right now.
Stripping to his boxers, Colt climbed into bed and pulled the covers up to his waist. His mind was cluttered with a hundred thoughts and image after image: his father, Maci, his mom. They all pulled him further from the moment, deeper into the past, keeping him where he needed to be, and that was just this side of his breaking point.
The ride back to North Carolina dragged on, and Maci was glad to step off into the open air of the terminal. She’d thought little of what she’d do when she got back, but getting to the Demons clubhouse was priority number one. It was also her most pressing problem.
She’d abandoned her car at the stock yard, and had no way of getting there. Taking a seat on a nearby bench, Maci considered her limited options. A taxi would cost her a small fortune, but it’d be faster, get her out of her misery sooner, but there’d likely be another bus headed a little further north than Raleigh.
The downside to that was she didn’t know which town would have a taxi service that would take her the rest of the way. She stood, her mind on asking someone inside, when she collided with a mass of leather coming out the door. “I’m so sorry,” she cried, looking up at the smiling face of Tucker.
“Colt’s going to be happy to see you,” he drawled.
Without thinking, Maci threw her arms around him. “I’m so glad to see you.”
“We thought you were gone,” Tucker laughed, squeezing her just as hard. He finally let her loose, introducing Chad. “Hank sent us to find you,” he explained.
Maci tried to keep the smile plastered to her face, but Tucker’s words stung. Hank had sent for her? Hadn’t he said Colt would be glad to see me?
“Colt wasn’t happy to come back and find you gone.”
“Really?” Maci couldn’t stop the smile.
Slapping at Chad’s arm, Tucker moved toward the truck, tossing his other arm over Maci’s shoulder. “Let’s get out of here.”
Her nerves shook free as they drove. Tucker was his usual, chatty self, and Maci hated to seem rude, but her mind was on Colt. What was she going to say to him? She knew what Tucker said, but what if he wasn’t? What if he didn’t care whether she came back or not? Or worse, what if he still blamed her?
Finally, she decided it didn’t matter. She’d just have to face it. Marsha had convinced her that she deserved answers. No matter what they were. She squared her shoulders as they pulled into the parking lot, unprepared for the small group mingling outside.
Chad must have told them. Tucker was driving, but Chad had been playing with his phone not long after they left the bus station.
Vanessa untangled herself from Hank’s arms and met her half-way across the parking lot. Maci fell into her hug like a long, lost friend, and the two walked back to the building arm-in-arm.
Her nerves took flight as they approached the group, Hank’s eyes scanning over her, taking in the new and improved Maci before his eyes fell to Vanessa, a look of appreciation on his face. “You ladies don’t play, do you?”
Vanessa let Maci go and reclaimed her spot against Hank. He planted a kiss on her cheek, wrapped his arms back around her, and then looked to Maci. He tossed his head toward the building. “Colt’s upstairs. Third room on the left.”
The world got a little smaller as Maci pushed through the clubhouse door and made her way up the stairs. She paused in front of the room, her emotions way too unsteady to attempt conversation. Breathe in. Breathe out.
It was calming her, until a tattooed arm sailed over her head and beat on the door for her. She swung around to see Storm starting down the stairs, staring back with a satisfied smirk on his face.
Maci didn’t have time to respond. A whoosh of air filled the space and Colt’s deep voice boomed from the doorway. “What the fuck?”
Turning slowly, Maci came face to face with the man who made her blush with a smile. Only this time he wasn’t smiling. His scowl faded, but the anger was still there, just below the surface. She could see it pulsating against his skin.
“What have you done?”
“I got a haircut.”
Colt’s eyes raked over the rest of her, and Maci tried to stand tall under his scrutiny, but it was hard to do standing in the hallway. “Can I come in?”
Not even bothering to look her in the face, Colt dropped his hand and stepped aside. Maci brushed past him, then turned, prepared to recite the apology she’d came up with on the bus. But Colt, oh god, the man was too sexy for his own good.
He pushed the door shut, stalking toward her with a noticeable appreciation for her new style. “I think we need to talk, Colt.”
Crossing the space, he continued to bear down on her, but there was only so much room to back away. Maci found herself against the far wall, boxed in by Colt’s muscular arms at her head. “Talk.”
That simple word shouldn’t have made her weak, but the desire in his voice amplified everything around her; his scent, his body heat. She closed her eyes, trying to distance herself from him. “We really need to talk about Jess.”
Warm heat fanned across her skin as Colt nipped at her neck. “She’s gone,” he said, flatly.
“She’s pregnant.” Maci’s voice cracked as Colt made his way higher, leavi
ng slow, wet kisses up her neck.
“She lied.” He breathed the words into her ear so softly, Maci wasn’t sure if it was the extreme feeling of relief, or his physical presence, but she was coming undone, second by second.
“Where does that leave us?” she asked.
“I’d say overdressed.”
Maci knew the instant he was gone. Her eyes flickered open, but he was still the first thing she saw, his massive body just a reach away. “The question is,” he said around a smirk, “Are you going to fuck me and leave again, or do you plan on hanging around this time?”
Maci’s throat went dry. “Does it matter?”
Colt’s head cocked to the right. “Damn right it matters.” He reached out, tugging the hem of her shirt in both hands. With no effort on his part, it ripped up the front and the cold air from the room chilled her skin. “If you’re leaving, we have a lot of ground to cover.” His fingers dipped under the material, sliding it over her shoulders, before looping his index fingers under the straps of her bra, pulling them down to her elbows.
“I’ll have to work faster.” His green eyes locked on hers. “Harder.”
Christ this man was lethal, but she was too far gone to give up on the game. “And if I stay?”
Colt sidled up to her as she scratched out the words, just close enough that her bared nipples heated from contact with his skin. “Then you stay mine.”
This version of Maci was sexy as fuck. It took willpower he didn’t know he had to draw this out. She’d run from him, and as much as he might have deserved it, he wasn’t ready to let her off the hook for that.
He didn’t even bother hiding his smile when her eyes travelled down, widening at the bulge in his boxers. The scratches she’d left on him at the lake were fading, and the thought of more to come had him throbbing.
His smile faded when Maci sunk to her knees, tugging the boxers to the floor as she went.
“You know, I’m not an expert on many things, Colt Johnson, but I think you’re trying to punish me.”
Looking up at him from the floor, Maci brushed her parted lips so close to his aching cock, they barely brushed the sensitive skin. Every muscle in his body tensed, his hands clenched into fists at his side. Christ. He tried to control his breathing while she reached behind her back, unclasped her bra, and freed those perfect tits of hers, but nature was taking its course.
“Maybe you need to define yours.” Eyeing him, she licked her tongue along the underside of his cock and he fought to control the shiver the touch sent through him.
Fuck. This wasn’t his first blowjob, but this was Maci and she did things to him no other woman had. The taunting was killing him.
“Does that mean I’m yours, along with every other girl you come across, or I’m yours and only me?” she pouted.
Maci swirled her tongue around the head of his dick while she waited for his answer. He cleared the desire from his throat. “Just you.”
Maci hummed, sliding her lips over him. Her fingers scraped up the back of his legs and he sighed, thinking she was finally going to give in and give him proper head. Nope. She pulled away, looking thoughtful, but her hand slipped between his legs and cupped his balls in her hand. It somehow seemed appropriate.
“Are you sure about that?”
As sure as I’m standing here about to pass out from waiting. “Maci, if you don’t suck my cock soon, I’m going to cum all over you the second you do.”
With a satisfied smirk, Maci adjusted her knees on the floor and wrapped her lips around his cock, halfway to the base, and slowly slid to the tip.
A deep groan rose from his belly. It wasn’t even anything special, but the feel of her warm mouth around him was like a new sensation all together. He needed more.
Fisting her hair in his hands, he looked down into her bright blue, timid eyes. Douche that he was, he hadn’t considered if Maci hadn’t fucked anyone before, she probably wasn’t in the habit of giving out BJs. “Just relax.”
She tried. He was no masochist, but she probably could have filleted his nuts with a dull knife, and it would have felt good at that moment, but he was needy. And impatient.
Stepping free of her, Colt bent down and scooped her up, dumping her unceremoniously on the small bed. He reached for the pants she wore, wishing he hadn’t let this shit drag out so long. He wanted her so fucking bad.
Maci beat him to it, freeing the button and shoving them down. Colt reached into a fishbowl beside the bed and plucked a condom from the supply. He rolled it on and settled himself between her legs, supporting his weight on one arm.
“I’ve missed you.”
Maci’s soft admission touched something deep inside him, stealing the urgency from the moment. Laying his body against her, Colt rested his forehead against hers, struggling to keep his anger from colliding with this moment. “I didn’t know what to think when Hank told us what happened to you. I was mad. Confused.”
He could feel his heart hammering in his chest. He didn’t know where this thing with Maci was going, but for the first time in his life, he felt like he’d found something he needed to hold on to with both hands, and nothing made that clearer than having her back in his arms.
“I wanted to tell you,” she breathed.
“I’m almost glad you didn’t. I shouldn’t have just walked away from you when we left here.”
Shifting his hips to the side of her, Colt propped his head on his fist, and ran his fingers along her flat stomach. “Hank said he attacked you.”
Maci sighed as she ran her palm up Colt’s arm. “Nothing that didn’t heal.”
Colt could still feel rage pulsating through him. He tamped it down, refocusing his attention on Maci. “I can’t imagine what you’ve lived through.” It was no wonder she fell apart when her trailer burned. She probably felt like this nightmare was never going to end.
“You have to be one of the strongest people I know,” he said, admiring just how resilient she was.
Maci disagreed. “Your mom is strong. She’s great.”
Colt snuggled in beside her, all thoughts of making love to her forgotten as they worked to put the past behind them. “She’s right, you know?”
“About what?”
“You being there is the only thing that helped us make sense of it.” Colt swallowed hard. “I can’t say I didn’t blame you at first. I needed to blame someone. When I talked to Mom, she was the first to say that you being there was the only thing that kept it from being just another Demon murdered. He died for a reason, a cause.”
Colt felt a wet tear slide against his cheek and looked up to see Maci swiping away more. “He never even thought twice, Colt. He knew I was in trouble as soon as he saw me,” she sniffed. “The split second it took for him to push me behind him was all it took for that man to reach us.” She shook her head. “It all happened so fast.”
Cradling her to him, Colt tried not to imagine what Maci, or his father, had endured that night. He lay silent for a long time, just holding her, trying to find some simple pleasure in having her in his arms, without anything hanging over their heads for a change.
“So what do we do now?” she whimpered, wrapping herself around him.
Colt tried to look ahead. He knew enough to know his life would never be the same. He also knew that life around the clubhouse would be full of talk of Cain and he didn’t want Maci exposed to that.
Colt brushed a kiss across her hair. “We pick up the pieces.” Colt pulled her tight into his arms. “I think getting away a few days is a good start.”
“Back to the cabin?” she asked.
“Is that where you want to go?” He played with a wisp of her new hair while she considered it.
She rolled over, straddling him, and Colt was reminded of the unused condom still covering him. “I’ll go anywhere with you.”
Colt grinned, flipped her back over, and pinned her to the bed. “You sure about that?”
“You got everything?”
Maci
passed him the small suitcase that held everything she owned. “Do you think I’m holding out?”
A look of guilt flashed across Colt’s face as he tucked it into the backseat of Tex’s truck. He turned, cupped her face in his hands, and left a light kiss on her forehead. “We’re going to fix that.”
She’d gotten a little shopping done with Jess, but clothes had been an afterthought during the two weeks they’d spent at the cabin. “I’m good. It hasn’t been a problem yet.”
Colt chuckled around a smirk. “Your ass has been naked for two weeks.”
Maci grinned wide. “I don’t see a problem with that.”
Shaking his head, he opened the passenger side door, slapping her ass as she climbed inside. “Oh I’m not complaining.”
They’d been well prepared this time. They’d borrowed Tex’s truck, and had spent a few hours running errands, picking up supplies, and thinking ahead. Maci had purchased a bikini but hadn’t bothered to wear it. What little time she and Colt spent in the water was done naked.
She was also on the pill now, as one of their stops was by the same clinic that Colt had dragged Jess to. She’d listened, shocked as Colt relayed how he’d taken her there, and sat with her, while they waited for the results. As sad as it was to say, Maci had smiled a little when he’d added how he’d left her there. The woman clearly wasn’t thinking if she thought she’d get away with such a lie.
Colt had visited the doctor for reasons he hadn’t made clear to her. She was happy in her ignorance. The mischievous smile Colt had offered when she’d asked him about it hinted of things she wasn’t ready to face. She just wanted to enjoy the here and now, without the secrets of his father’s murder hovering between them.
She was sad to leave. Worried about the life they’d be returning to. Vanessa had said she could stay with her and Hank a little longer, but she’d imposed on them enough. She needed to figure out how to start making some money, and get a place of her own, get back on her feet. Her cash wasn’t going to last long without some income to supplement it.
Colt would go back to driving the tow truck for the Demons, and she was nervous about what that meant for them. He’d be gone most nights and she didn’t look forward to sleeping without him next to her. She’d become spoiled by having him to herself every day.
Colt: Demons of Destruction Page 15