Troubled Son: Savage Sons MC Romance

by King, Jayna

"Can I help you?" she asked once we'd settled down.

  "I'm here to see Moses."

  She smiled at me, her condescension thinly veiled. "You and every other girl who walks in the door, sweetheart. Do you have an appointment?"

  "Sort of," I answered, not exactly sure how to reply.

  She rolled her eyes, and I figured that she must have to run interference for her boss relatively frequently.

  "Is he expecting you?"

  "Yes," I answered with relief.

  "What's your name, honey? I'll let him know you're here."

  "Max."

  The young woman's eyebrows practically vanished into her hairline, and she looked me over more carefully than she had at first.

  "So you're the one, then?" she asked with a smile.

  I couldn't tell if she was being catty, or if she was genuinely pleased to meet Moses' old lady.

  I shrugged and smiled back. "Guess so."

  "Well, have a seat. I'll got let him know you're here."

  She walked into the back of the shop. I watched her go, feeling like an enormous and ridiculous giant. I was used to being taller than other women, and taller than a number of men, for that matter, but I'd never gotten used to the way that women like this gorgeous, petite pixie of a woman made me feel. I felt gangly, oversized, and awkward, and as good as I'd felt about my muscular curves that morning, I'd have traded them all to fit into a size four pair of jeans and a size small shirt. I wondered for a moment if anyone would even buy that Moses was really with me. If he had beautiful, thin women to choose from, why on earth would he pick me? My confidence gone, I sat down and waited for Moses.

  Chapter 16

  Moses

  I was working on finishing the outline of a jaguar that would be the last big section of a full sleeve I'd done for a good customer of mine. Since the guy was paying as we went, I planned to do the outline in one day and fill in with color in a couple of weeks when he got paid again. I heard Krystal's voice before she knocked 'cause she knew I didn't like sudden loud noises while I worked. A steady hand is essential to good line work.

  "Moses," she said after I'd told she she could come in. "There's a young lady here to see you. Says her name is Max,"

  She watched me carefully for my reaction, and I deliberately gave her nothing. I loved Krystal, but our relationship was a little complicated. We worked together great now, but we'd had our share of knockdown dragouts before. I'd say that she was like my sister, except that she was really hot and I'd fucked her more than a few times. The trouble was that so had every other Savage Son. She'd never turned tricks for us, but she'd spent her fair share of time hanging around the club doing favors for the guys. Since she'd started working for me and started working on Bug to become his old lady, we'd come to an agreement of sorts.

  "Tell her I'll be out in about ten minutes. And Krystal?"

  "Yeah?"

  "You be nice."

  "Sugar, I'm always nice," she purred as she closed the door behind her.

  "Goddamn, that girl is fine," my customer said through gritted teeth. "Makes me look forward to coming in here and lettin' you stick needles in me."

  "She's certainly a handful," I agreed, settling back in to finish up the job.

  When I finished, I wiped off the blood and ink, and slicked a layer of vaseline onto the fresh tattoo. "You know the drill by now," I said, knowing that I didn't have to run through the care instructions. "Krystal will get you on the books for the rest of it."

  "Thanks, man. Looks good."

  I peeled off my latex gloves and threw them away before I opened the door and followed my client out to the lobby. I still needed to clean up, but I was a little worried that I'd walk out to find Krystal trying to pull Max's hair out.

  I was pleased to see that everyone was behaving. Krystal and my client were bent over the appointment book at the counter, and Max was flipping through one of the binders that held photos of my work. She was facing the front window, so she didn't see my reaction when I saw her. My jaw nearly hit the floor.

  She had on the same badass boots that she'd worn a couple of days ago, and the jeans that she had on should have been illegal. They fit perfectly and left a gap of visible skin between the top of the jeans and the bottom of the ridiculously tight tank she wore. She heard me coming and turned around. Holy shit. I had no idea how great her tits were gonna look in the tight clothes I'd recommended. My mouth went dry, and I couldn't think of anything except wanting to bury my face in her cleavage. I had to play it a little cooler than that, though.

  I nodded to the book she held. "Gonna let me work on you?"

  "Depends on where you want to put it."

  The sex in her voice matched mine, and I was afraid that she'd notice that I had half a hard on just from looking at her.

  "Come on back and we'll discuss it." I turned and walked back to the room where I'd been working.

  I closed the door after Max came inside.

  "You look good," I said as I started my meticulous routine of cleaning up and storing my ink and equipment.

  "Convincing?" she asked as she looked around the room.

  "Convincing and good," I said, my mind telling me that I shouldn't be complimenting her, but my cock overruling everything.

  Max smiled and looked a little uncertain. "I hoped you'd like it."

  "Max, a man would have to be gay and blind not to like you in that getup."

  Her eyes widened at the unexpected compliment. "So about that tattoo?"

  "Anytime you're ready," I joked. "It's gonna hurt, though. Think you can handle it?"

  "What makes you think I don't already have one?" she answered, wide-eyed and smiling in a flirtatious way.

  It ain't often that I'm speechless, but I couldn't think of a thing to say. I just shook my head and kept cleaning up

  "I talked to Tombley, and he wants me moved in by this evening."

  It's hard to explain the panic I felt. I spent so much of my time with the Sons and the girls that hung around the clubhouse that I doubted that anyone would understand the need I felt for privacy and for time by myself. When I'd built my house, I'd deliberately chosen a location nearly an hour from the clubhouse. I didn't want it to be convenient for anyone to drop by. I didn't entertain my brothers, and I sure didn't entertain any of the sluts I slept with. I kept a room at the clubhouse for that. My home was the only place I could be myself, or at least try to figure out who I was when I wasn't running drugs and hookers. I felt like I could breathe there, and I was not happy about having Max invade my space.

  "I'm gonna level with you, Max. I know that it makes sense that you can't live in your own place, but I'm kinda funny about having people in my house."

  She looked at me as if she were trying to read my mind. "I get it. I'm not thrilled about it either."

  "I have an idea. Let's drop your car at the clubhouse and go get a bite to eat. We can come back for drinks after dinner, and we can crash at the club tonight. I'll take you to my house in the morning."

  I could tell that Max was less than excited about spending the night in the club, and I thought that maybe I should just man up and take her home. I just wasn't ready yet.

  "I guess beggars can't be choosers." She put her hands on her hips in a way that was completely distracting. "You may have to feed me a lot of drinks," she warned.

  "No problem, babe."

  I knew it was a bad idea, but I wondered what the odds were that I could get Max to sleep with me.

  I finished cleaning up the room and realized that I needed to cover a couple of things with Max before we left.

  "Hey, you saw what was going on at the club the other night. You gonna be okay with a hands-on night? The only way the Sons are gonna believe that you're my old lady is if we're all over each other."

  Max took a deep breath and blew it out through her mouth. I couldn't help looking at her lips longer than I should have.

  "Yeah. I get it. I'll follow your lead."

  "Good." I
lowered my voice to a whisper. "And there's some shit going on with the Wyoming club that I'm gonna have to fill you in on at dinner." I leaned over close to her ear. "I don't want Krystal to know what's going on."

  Max nodded as she leaned back to put some space between us. I wasn't sure what to make of her. I wasn't used to women backing off from me, and I hoped that she wasn't gonna be so awkward that the Sons would pick up on it.

  "You okay?" I asked before I opened the door.

  She cleared her throat before she answered. "Yeah. I'm good."

  She didn't exactly look okay, but I figured I'd take her word for it. I thought that maybe a few drinks would loosen her up. I had to do something because if she pulled away from me every time I got close, we were fucked.

  Chapter 17

  Max

  I followed Moses back out to the front of the shop, telling myself to get my shit together. When he'd leaned over to whisper in my ear, I'd nearly passed out. He smelled like something earthy and clean and dangerous all at once, and I wanted to kiss him. It was all I could do to back away. My job would have been a whole lot easier if Moses had looked like Butch or any of the other Sons I'd seen. As it was, he was just magnetic, and that was a problem.

  I was going to have to find a way to get used to being close to him without wanting to take his clothes off. I wasn't sure how to go about it, but I had to figure something out.

  Krystal looked at me with a smirk. "You cleaned up all of the bodily fluids, right, Moses? Can't leave a mess for the cleaning crew."

  Moses slid his fingers into the back pocket of my jeans. "Oh, I need more than just a few minutes to take care of Max. Don't worry your pretty little head about the cleaning crew."

  I tried to calm the flutter I felt in the pit of my stomach, and I sidled closer to Moses. "No muss, no fuss," I said with what I hoped was a sultry sidelong glance at Moses.

  He pulled his hand from my pocket, smacked me lightly on the rear end, and grabbed a couple of helmets from beneath the counter. He looked at me. "Ready?"

  "And willing," I answered, not even sure what I was saying. I couldn't think straight when Moses put his hands on me.

  We walked out to the parking lot and Moses just died laughing when he saw the shitty car I was driving.

  "It's perfect," he said as he straddled his bike. "Follow me, and we'll drop your car at the club."

  He started the engine, and I realized that I was looking forward to climbing on the bike behind Moses. I thought about feeling him between my legs and my mouth went dry. Since I didn't really have a choice, I might as well enjoy it, I thought, climbing into the car.

  The Savage Sons' parking lot was much emptier than it had been a couple of evenings before, but that made sense since it was mid-afternoon. Moses handed me my helmet, and I was proud of myself for getting it on and buckled like a pro. I climbed on the back of the bike and realized that I would need a jacket. There was no way my tank top was going to be warm enough after sunset.

  "Hang on a sec," I said, putting my hand on Moses' shoulder to dismount. "I need my jacket."

  Moses killed the engine. "I nearly forgot," he said as he took his helmet off and handed it to me." I have a surprise for you."

  I was puzzled, but I stood there, holding his helmet as he walked across the parking lot. I will confess to enjoying the view -- long legs, broad shoulders. Good God, was Moses gorgeous. He disappeared into the opposite side of the building from the one we'd visited the other night. When he emerged a few minutes later, he carried a black leather jacket.

  "Here," he said as he handed it to me. "I had one of the girls fix it up for you last night."

  I took the jacket and held it up, surprised by its weight. The leather was a little stiff since it was brand new, but what I couldn't take my eyes off of were the patches that had been sewn on.

  "Property of Savage Sons?" I asked.

  "Yeah. You can wear the jacket, but you don't own it. It's our property, and you're my property when you have it on."

  "Wow." I couldn't think of anything else to say. I was offended, touched, and a little turned on, all at the same time. There was no way I could explain all of that to Moses, especially not in the MC's parking lot.

  Moses leaned down to me and spoke right in my ear again. "I know this ain't what you're used to, but this is the way it works." He put his helmet on and took the jacket from me -- holding it out for me to slip on. "You okay?"

  I put my arms through the sleeves and let the weight of the leather settle over my mostly bare skin. "Yeah," I answered.

  "Good. Let's go for a ride."

  The engine rumbled and I climbed on the back behind him, looking every bit the part of an old lady. When we got to a stop light, Moses turned around so I could hear him.

  "You up for a ride before we eat?"

  "Absolutely."

  Moses roared away from the stop light, and I felt the thrill of heading out with no particular destination in mind. The sun was still pretty warm, and I wasn't sure that I'd ever get cold sitting behind Moses. We headed down to a section of the loop that went around Denver, and we drove north until we got to Route 70, where we headed west. I saw a sign for Genesee Park just as Moses got off the highway. We wound through the park until Moses finally stopped at a parking lot near a trailhead.

  He turned off the bike and took off his helmet, turning to look at me over his shoulder. "You up for a walk?"

  "Absolutely," I answered as I climbed down. "I'm not used to being on the bike that long."

  Moses laughed. "You'd have to work up to a really long trip. That was only half an hour or so, girl."

  "I never claimed to be an expert."

  We headed off on one of the trails. I followed, as Moses seemed to know where he was going. It was a little cooler, since we were outside the city and the elevation was a little higher. The snow-covered Rockies looked closer even though we hadn't driven that far, and the Aspens where we were had fewer new green leaves than they had in town. We wound through a little meadow, and I stopped short when I saw the most gorgeous bright blue bird -- a color I'd never seen on the east coast.

  "What's that?" I whispered, grabbing Moses by the arm.

  "Wow," he answered, voice as quiet as mine as we watched the tiny, electric blue bird light on a tree branch. "That's a mountain bluebird. You don't usually see them at this low an elevation. I get 'em out at my house all the time."

  I nodded and we resumed our hike, the trail starting to wind up a hill after we left the meadow. Moses had surprised me. The further we got, the calmer he seemed. It was like he was a different person from the tough, hardened biker I'd first met. I wondered if he realized that he was different. The trail emerged from the pine forest at the top of a hill with a breathtaking view of the plains to the east and the Rockies to the west.

  "Oh my," was all I could utter as I slowly turned around in a circle, soaking up the panorama.

  "Pretty view, huh," Moses asked with a smile, as if he knew just how much of an understatement that was.

  I laughed. "It's alright."

  He took off his leather jacket, leaving his cut on over his long-sleeved shirt. He spread the jacket on the ground at the center of the clearing on top of the hill, and he indicated that I should sit. I wasn't sure if he expected both of us to fit on the jacket, but I sat squarely in the middle, not sure if I could handle his being so close to me. He walked a couple of feet away and squatted over his heels, arms resting on his knees.

  "Mind talking some business?" he asked.

  "'Course not."

  "I met with Joker yesterday, and we've got some trouble brewing with the Vandals in Wyoming. They beat the shit outta one of our girls for selling on their turf."

  I shook my head. I knew that violence was inherent in the drug biz, but it still made me feel sick to my stomach. "That's awful. She going to be okay?"

  "Probably. She shouldn't have been where she was by herself, but that doesn't change the fact that she's hurt and probably won'
t be a very pretty girl after this mess. I'm telling you this for a reason though."

  I waited for him to continue.

  "First of all, we're gonna come up with a plan in church on Sunday. My guess is that Bug's gonna push to roll into Cheyenne with our guns blazing, and I'm gonna do everything in my power to see that we don't. If I can't pull it off, though, it's gonna cause some problems for this case. The FBI and the DEA ain't gonna let me just roll up there and kill people, even if they are pieces of shit."

  "You're right about that. You're going to wear a wire to your meeting, right?"

  "Yeah -- as long as you've got something small enough that there's no chance I'll get caught."

  "I got you covered. I'll do the show and tell when we get to your house, but you'll be amazed at the devices I have. You'll be safe."

  "Max, you have to know that I want this case completed. I want the Savage Sons shut down, and I want people to pay for what they've done wrong."

  "I know. And we appreciate your help."

  "Let me finish. Max, you have to know that if it comes down to a choice between closing this case for you or me getting out alive, I'm gonna save myself."

  The words just hung there between us. Moses eyes burned into me, and I wasn't sure what to say.

  He stood up and stretched. I could see his muscled flexing and relaxing beneath his clothes.

  "Max, I'm in, but I'm not gonna give my life for this case. That's all I'm saying. If it's my life or theirs, I'm picking mine. I just want to be clear."

  I thought about what he'd said. "Fair enough." I stood up as well. "We'll just have to make sure that it doesn't come down to that."

  "Deal."

  "So what else will you cover in church?" I asked, curious about the meetings that I knew I'd never be able to attend.

  "We're gonna deal with the little strip show you saw the other night, too, and a bunch of other petty stuff. I'll fill you in afterwards." Moses reached up and stretched with his hands locked over his head.

  I was transfixed by the sight of his abs -- clearly a focus in his workouts. He was lightly tanned, and the trail of dark hair that disappeared into the top of his jeans made my heart race. I looked up to Moses' face and realized that he'd seen me lusting after him. Shit. Embarrassed, I picked up his jacket and handed it to him. Fortunately, he decided not to embarrass me further, and he put the jacket on and gestured back towards the trail we'd followed to get there.