Once we got the dogs inside and fed, we headed out on my bike to the Hog’s Den. Vaughn always had a smile for us from behind the bar and knew exactly what we liked. Two beers and spicy wings with a round of pool, of course.
The following morning, we woke up early with the intention of walking the dogs toward the bay. Jude could get as far as the water’s edge before he had to retreat to safer ground.
But he must’ve needed some reassurance before we set out because, before I knew it, his tongue was down my throat and his hand around our cocks as we rutted against each other. And as I stared into the eyes of the man who had become my whole world, I was filled with such incandescent joy, it was spilling over.
Afterward, on our way to the shore, Jude reached for my hand and intertwined our fingers. My breath hitched because it still felt new and strange to no longer have to hide.
The sun was shining through his golden hair—which was shorter now but growing back nicely—and he looked so beautiful right then. I sighed happily, loving what had become our uncomplicated life. It was perfection.
We walked to the water’s edge and watched the dogs lap up water, splash around, and generally make a mess of our legs and shoes. I smirked at the memory of Chopper mowing me down that one day and how it earned me a trip to Jude’s apartment. Maybe it was his plan all along to get us together. The bugger.
When I glanced at Jude, he grinned at me with a crooked smile, as if maybe he’d been thinking the same thing.
“What?” I asked with a laugh.
He pulled my hand to his lips and kissed my knuckles, his face growing serious. “Someday I’m going to marry you, Cory Easton.”
My heart rose to my throat, and I had trouble swallowing down the profound emotions his statement stirred. Holy fuck, I adored this man.
“Yeah?” I asked as tears pricked my eyes. “Would you consider taking my last name?”
His entire face lit up at the question. “Would you…like that?”
“I would be honored.” My fingers braced his neck as I pulled him to me for a quick kiss. “Gram would too.”
We almost broke apart at the sound of a nearby engine, but then I realized it was only Smoke driving by on his patrol. He’d be sure to poke fun at us later, like he was known to do now that the threat had finally lifted.
Get a room! he’d said on more than one occasion.
Sod off! Jude would reply with a smirk.
“Fuck, do I love you,” he whispered against my ear.
“And I love you, Jude Jack Easton York.” His eyes misted over as I pulled him closer and kissed his temple. I could tell he liked the sound of my name mixed in with his others. “Forever.”
Author Note
THANK YOU for reading Kickflip!
I hope you enjoyed it! Reviews help other readers find books. So if you feel compelled to leave even a couple of lines, I appreciate it!
Are you curious about Smoke and Vaughn? Flip to a short excerpt from their book, The Darkest Flame.
If you want to hear even more about Cory and Jude, read the bonus chapter at the end of Mal’s book, The Faintest Spark (book two in the Roadmap to You Heart series).
About the Author
Once upon a time, Christina Lee lived in New York City and was a wardrobe stylist. She spent her days getting in cabs, shopping for photo shoots, eating amazing food, and drinking coffee at her favorite hangouts.
Now she lives in the Midwest with her husband and son—her two favorite guys. She’s been a clinical social worker and a special education teacher. But it wasn't until she wrote a weekly column for the local newspaper that she realized she could turn the fairy tales inside her head into the reality of writing fiction.
She's addicted to lip balm, coffee, and kissing. Because everything is better with kissing.
She mainly writes MM Contemporary as well as Adult and New Adult Romance. She believes in happily-ever-afters for all, so reading and writing romance for everybody under the rainbow helps quench her soul.
Find Christina:
THE SWOON ROOM
(Her Facebook Reader Group)
INSTAGRAM
WEBSITE
NEWSLETTER
Also by Christina Lee
Standalones:
A Breath Apart
Love Me Louder
Beautiful Dreamer
Kickflip
Roadmap to Your Heart series (A spinoff from KICKFLIP)
The Darkest Flame
The Faintest Spark
The Deepest Blue
The Hardest Fall
The Sweetest Goodbye
Under My Skin series
Regret
Reawaken
Reclaim
Redeem
Co-written with Felice Stevens:
Last Call (MMM)
First Light (MM)
Co-written with Riley Hart (AKA Nyrae Dawn):
Free Fall series:
TOUCH THE SKY
CHASE THE SUN
PAINT THE STARS
Spinoff from Free Fall series:
LIVING OUT LOUD
Standalones:
EVER AFTER: A GAY FAIRY TALE
Forever Moore: A Gay Fairy Tale
Of Sunlight and Stardust
M/F books that can all standalone:
All of You
Before You Break
Whisper to Me
Promise Me This
Two of Hearts
Three Sacred Words
Twelve Truths and a Lie
The Roadmap to Your Heart Series
Book One
Vaughn O’Keefe has been part owner of the Hog’s Den for years. Privy to plenty of Disciples of the Road business, he’s never been more ruffled as when a new recruit named “Smoke” walks through the door. Something about the man gets his blood pumping, but he knows to keep his preferences under wraps around the club.
“Smoke” Callahan has done a couple of rehab stints and is finally clean, thanks to help from the Disciples. He’s on the right path and isn’t about to get sidetracked, no matter how much the guy who manages the bar gets beneath his skin. Besides, his last relationship with a man left him scared, alone, and with a nightmare of an addiction.
When the Hog’s Den becomes shorthanded, and Smoke is ordered to help out the one man he can’t have, his longing for the bartender reaches blistering proportions. Vaughn figures a night together should be enough to satisfy their mutual attraction. But neither banks on just how scorching hot it might be.
As Smoke’s past unravels and the one person he hopes never to lay eyes on again messes with all he holds sacred, it’s time to involve the Disciples. Problem is, he’ll have to risk his membership, his heart, and his own hide to keep everyone he cares about safe.
**Please note: Vaughn and Smoke are both bisexual and this book contains one brief consensual scene involving a female because hey, real life, and also, bisexual. Just saying…
**ALSO NOTE, these two characters were first introduced in another MM called KICKFLIP.
Here's the reading order of this series:
THE DARKEST FLAME
THE FAINTEST SPARK
THE DEEPEST BLUE
THE HARDEST FALL
THE SWEETEST GOODBYE
Excerpt from The Darkest Flame
Vaughn
“Bottoms up.” I poured tequila in the three shot glasses in front of me. “Extra limes if you need ’em.”
The president of the Disciples of the Road, his second in command, Jonas, and Fish, from the Scorpions Motorcycle Club, were toasting to whatever the hell they’d agreed upon in that back room.
I might’ve only been an honorary Disciples member because I managed their bar, the Hog’s Den, but I was party to more insider information than most. We had mutual trust, and I’d put my life on the line for them if it ever came to that.
Malachi, otherwise known as Mal or Prez, had been trying to clean up the club for years while still having his hand in the most
lucrative trade—auto parts. A difficult feat for sure. If he screwed the wrong people, they’d want payback. That was the way things worked in their world.
“Vaughn,” Mal said after he slung back the bitter liquid and winced at the burn. “One more hit.”
“Better watch your liquor, old man,” I said, and Mal laughed at my ribbing. He looked lighter tonight than he had in weeks. He was always stressed about club business and protecting his men.
I grabbed the bottle on the lower shelf again. “Coming right up.”
One late night a couple years back, Mal had confessed his history over a beer. How his former old lady had been strung out on meth and how he needed to do something about it or he’d lose more of the people he loved.
Mal had never seen eye to eye with his father, who had gotten the club involved in the arms and drug trade two decades ago. His father had been not only a ruthless president but also an addict, and in the end, he’d paid with his own life. Since then, Mal had strategically pulled out of all illegal drug activity and was now attempting to tidy up some other things as well.
“Jude, order’s up,” I called across the bar. A brown takeout bag sat on the counter, and the familiar scent of Hog’s Den wings wafted up my nose.
Warmth reflected in Mal’s eyes before he looked back and smirked. Jude was racking up the balls for another game of pool with his boyfriend, Cory. Those two had definitely softened the prez this past year. He still felt responsible for them, as did the other guys, even though they were no longer under his charge.
When Jude waved and whispered close to Cory’s ear, something burned hot in my chest. Their quiet affection seeped inside my bones as I imagined being as out as they were.
Screw that. I’d lose the respect of the club if I confessed how much I enjoyed the company of both men and women.
As a general rule, MCs were old school—barely allowing women into their fold, let alone queers. Though if there were any hope, this club would be the one to break ranks. Mal was a decent man with a good heart beneath the tough exterior. But he had enough on his plate as it was. So, I’d keep my preferences discreet.
As if to muddy my illusions further, Smoke swung through the door, the guy of my goddamn fantasies. Fuck, he was a sight to behold with those hard guns, tight jeans, and his leather cut with the word recruit stitched above his heart.
I’d wanted to bang him the minute he stepped foot in my bar with his messy blond hair that curled over his ears, his beautiful pout, and strong fingers that I figured would feel amazing wrapped around my cock.
Add in the incident at the compound a few months back and I was a goner.
I’d attended a party and stayed overnight, too tired and drunk to drive home. In the morning, I’d jumped in the shower for a quick pick-me-up before hitting the road, and walked out to a stunned Smoke, who had stepped inside the bathroom to take a piss.
His gaze had deliberately scanned the front of me, and fuck if my cock didn’t fill instantly, slapping against my abdomen. “Sorry,” he mumbled, backing out of the room. I’d never spent the night out there again.
Smoke high-fived Cory and Jude at the pool table. He’d grown close to the couple after he became Jude’s watchdog for months on end due to a situation involving some Latino gunrunners. Then he headed over to his leaders sitting at the corner of the bar.
I raised the bottle of tequila in a silent question. Smoke lifted his hand to swear me off, so I replaced the bottle on the shelf. He didn’t drink much, actually not at all that I noticed, which made him more of a mystery.
I was curious about his story. It might’ve helped lessen the intrigue surrounding him. But I was too much of a chicken-shit to get that close, especially after he’d seen how my cock had responded to him while his club brothers were awake in the next room.
He’d been through some fucked up shit, I’d heard. I still didn’t know the details, and probably never would. None of my business. But Mal seemed to take him under his wing, so I always suspected it had to do with drugs.
What I did know was how Smoke looked at me sometimes, like he wanted to lick me from head to toe. Even the way his fiery gaze had drifted straight over to me now. Hell. I forced my brain to think of something else—like a nest of hornets stinging my dick in order to keep the hardness from swelling my pants right in front of the damn club president.
I had never tried coming on to him, and he returned the favor. But if looks could kill, we’d have incinerated each other across the room thousands of times over. That was how I knew he wanted me but was toeing the line, same as me.
“What’s up, Prez?” Smoke pulled up a stool. Jonas, who was constantly pushing those reddish-brown strands behind his ears, made room for one more at the bar.
How’s the new recruit working out?” Mal asked. “Still out on patrol?”
“Yeah, I left him with Felix,” Smoke said, retrieving a pack of gum from his back pocket. It was a habit I’d come to associate him with. Which explained his spicy cinnamon scent.
Mal spun his empty shot glass in his fingers. “Any problems tonight?”
“Nah, been quiet.” I felt Smoke’s gaze on me as I reached for the empty keg beneath the tap.
“Got a new assignment for you,” Mal said, tilting his head to the Scorpions member sitting beside him. “Think you’re ready to play with the big boys?”
Smoke’s eyebrow quirked up. “You mean I haven’t been already?”
He didn’t give away smiles very easily, so when the corner of his lip tilted like that, it definitely left my tongue wagging.
Mal and Fish exchanged smirks and knowing glances.
“Of course I’m ready,” Smoke said with certainty in his voice.
That was the thing about Smoke. He had a quiet confidence about him. Like smooth velvet over solid muscles. And hell, if that wasn’t attractive about the guy, I didn’t know what was.
“You’d have a vested interest in this one,” Mal said, and a tempered look passed between them that told me it had to do with Smoke’s past. He’d come to the Disciples from the Devil’s Asylum, one of the most ruthless motorcycle clubs in the Midwest.
I didn’t want to seem overly interested, so I left the relatively empty bar to deposit the keg in the storage room before heading back their way to grab a fresh towel and wipe my hands. The after-work crowd would be filing in soon, so I made sure the pretzel bowls were full as well.
“Fish has been having some trouble, so he needs your help, if you know what I mean,” I heard Mal say. In club speak that meant that Mal needed Smoke to use his former contacts to help the Scorpions out.
“Got it, Prez.”
I kept my head averted to attend to my task of mopping up a large wet spot on the bar. But for some reason, a shiver stole across my shoulders. I didn’t know why. I had seen and heard plenty of shit way more dangerous than this.
The door jangled open, and two regulars strode inside wearing leather jackets, tight jeans, heels and more confidence then many had walking into a place like this.
The blonde and brunette sidled up to the bar, where the brunette ordered a margarita on the rocks, no salt.
“Hey, Vaughn,” the brunette said in a flirty voice.
“Hey yourself,” I said, reaching for the triple sec. I ignored how she leaned over, her cleavage on display.
“What can I get you, darling?” My gaze slid over her shoulder to her blonde friend and instead met stunning green eyes. Smoke could disarm me with one lustful glance. Sure, the guys might’ve thought he was salivating over these women, but I knew better. He’d been teasing me mercilessly for months with those meaningful looks that told me he wanted to screw my brains out. And the fucker knew exactly what he was doing to me as his gaze shot down to my fast filling boner.
“A hard cider,” the blonde girl replied as her friend stayed in the same position. I grabbed the bottle of cider and slid it past the brunette, whose gaze was focused on the television above my head.
The blonde
grabbed the bottle and turned to Smoke as my jaw tensed. It wasn’t like I hadn’t witnessed this scenario before. Smoke enjoyed flirting as much as I did. As was evidenced now when he slid his arm around her shoulder. Though his eyes were still pinned to mine.
“Want to go somewhere private?” I heard her rasp. Several guys in the club were all about getting some action, and I pretended Smoke wasn’t in that same category, even though I’d seen him leave with his share of women.
It made me damn curious how else he spent his time.
His ruddy lips, almost in the shape of a heart, moved to her ear to whisper something more than likely seductive, his gaze never retreating from mine. So as not to call suspicion to myself, I reached for a dirty glass to tuck beneath the bar.
But hell, just waiting for his response made my dick tent my pants. I probably needed a hookup with somebody just to get him out of my head.
“Might happen,” Smoke said in that level and self-assured voice. And then his fingers grazed his zipper. “Getting nice and hard thinking about it.”
Hot holy damn, I almost combusted right then and there. I felt my neck and cheeks fire right up like a torch. Why in the hell he teased me so ruthlessly, I didn’t know.
Right then Mal stepped toward the middle of the bar. “I need to wrap up some business on this end, ladies.”
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