by Tia Lewis
“You should go to law school if you managed to convince Drake,” Nicole said, and she gave him a brief hug before going to the door to watch the men ride away.
“Yeah, you might have a point.” He looked deep into my eyes. “You okay?”
“I’m glad for you. That’s what I’m feeling right now.” I took his arms in my hands. “You did the right thing.”
“I know. I couldn’t go with them, though. I couldn’t watch that happen any more than I could’ve watched them take him out, you know?” He sat on the stool next to mine and Tamara slid him a drink. He gave her a grateful look. “I know how much the club always meant to him, probably more than anybody else here could ever know. I know how proud he always was to wear the ink, the patch. Even when he was inside, he was inside because he was a Blood Rider. And now he’ll never be again.”
“That was his choice,” Tamara murmured.
“Yeah, I know. But that wouldn’t make it any easier to watch, either.” He gave Tamara a meaningful look, and she was savvy enough to step out from behind the bar to join Nicole outside. When we were alone, he murmured, “I hope you’re okay with what I did.”
I blinked. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, arguing for his life like that. I hope you don’t blame me for it.”
“Why would I ever blame you for wanting your brother to live? I don’t understand.”
It was his turn to look at me like he had no idea what I was talking about. “He almost got you killed.”
“Okay, maybe. But what’s your point?”
“My point is, I don’t want you to feel like I’m betraying you or something because I wanted him to live. That’s all.”
I placed a hand on the side of his face and felt the stubble under my hand. “Do you know me at all? I mean, what about me gives you the idea that I would ever want to see another person die? Especially when it’s not like he held a gun to my head. He didn’t tie me up or threaten me. That was Eagle and his guys, not Gunner. And I was the one who was stupid enough to run away. It was childish. I don’t know what I was thinking. He didn’t make me do that, either. That was all me.”
“I know, and I still haven’t forgiven you for that.”
I smirked. “I don’t expect you to. But you see what I mean. I’m not vindictive. I’m not vengeful. I would never wish death on anybody—especially on somebody you love. And I know you love your brother, or you wouldn’t have fought for him in there.”
“You’re right. I do.” He turned his face and kissed my palm. “I’m so damn tired right now.”
“I know you are. Me, too. Once this is all over, things will go back to normal.”
“Normal?” he laughed. “Life will never be normal again, and that’s all your fault.”
I leaned over and kissed him. “If that’s the price I have to pay for being with you, I can live with that.”
An hour later, the guys filed back into the clubhouse. To my surprise, Gunner was with them.
“He wanted to say goodbye one more time,” Drake murmured to Nicole when she gave him a questioning look. “To his brother.”
“Oh, right.” She gathered the rest of us together. “Let’s go get dinner started.”
“No, wait.” Diesel took me by the hand. “I want her here for this.” Gunner raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. He waited until everybody else was either in the kitchen or in another one of the rooms before speaking.
“I couldn’t leave forever without saying goodbye,” he said.
“How’s your back?” Diesel asked.
“Stings, of course. It’ll be a bitch to take care of, but that’s the least of my problems. Things could’ve been a lot worse, too.”
“Yeah, they could’ve been.”
The two of them looked at each other for a long time, and I thought again about how alike they were. Not just physically, either. They were both proud men, sometimes to a fault. They were good men, too, even though Gunner had gone the wrong way.
“I want you to know before I go that I don’t hold anything against you. I never have, not a single day.” Gunner’s voice was gruff. I wished Diesel hadn’t wanted me there. It was a time when they should’ve been alone together.
“I can’t see how that’s possible,” Diesel admitted.
“You’re my kid brother. I wanted you to get away with what you did. I mean, that was my choice. I lived with it. And I’m glad I did, because look at you now.” He smiled. “You’re an important guy here. And you’ve got a good woman, too. That’s all I ever wanted for you, was for you to be happy. I’m glad it was me and not you who went away all that time.”
“I’ll never be glad.”
“Then I can be glad for both of us.”
They looked at each other for a long time before Gunner cleared his throat. “Anyway, I wanted to make sure you knew that before I left.” He looked around the room one more time. “Things sure have changed. But they’re for the better, I guess. Life goes on.”
“Yeah, it does.” Diesel held out his hand, and his brother took it. I bit my lip and willed myself to hold back the tears threatening to break loose. I didn’t want Diesel to regret having me there.
Gunner glanced at me. “Be good to her, too. A good old lady is hard to find. I should know. I keep trying.” He winked, and I smiled. Then he turned around and walked out the door without a look back at us. I heard his engine turn over, then the sound grew faint as he rode away.
Diesel stood in the same spot, staring at space his brother had just stood in. I put my hand on his back. “You all right?”
He swallowed hard. “Yeah. I just keep telling myself a lot of years passed without him, and we both ended up fine. We’ll both be fine again. Right?”
I leaned against him. “Right.” He put his arm around me, and I slid mine around his waist. It felt right, being there for him when he needed me. I had wanted to be for so long. I had dreamed of being the woman he went to at a moment like that one. I could hardly believe that my dream had come true.
“I’m not easy,” he murmured against the top of my head. “I’m a real pain in the ass.”
“Like I didn’t know that. Give me a break.”
“I’m just saying, in case you wanna turn around and change your mind, now’s the time to do it.”
I looked up at him. “And what about me gives you the idea that I would ever do something like that? I mean, Jesus H. Christ, I’ve been breaking my back for how many years to get you to look at me, and we’re finally together, and now you think I’m gonna turn my back on you? Do you even know me? Are you sure you didn’t hit your head and forget who I am?”
He laughed. “Okay, okay. I’m just sayin’. Better to do something like that now, rather than wait until later.”
“Uh-uh. I’m a stubborn person, Diesel, and I decided a long time ago that you were gonna be mine. So you’re a challenge. I like a challenge.”
He grinned. “Me, too. I guess that’s why we’re good together, huh?” Then he wrapped both arms around my waist and bent to kiss me. I held him close and sank into his kiss and reminded myself that sometimes dreams did come true. I would never take him for granted, not even for a single day. Not after I had waited for him for so long.
Epilogue
Violet
I couldn’t believe we were doing it—standing together, side by side, at the front of the church. I looked up at Diesel, standing to my right, and he took my hand.
The minister smiled. “And you two are the godparents?”
I nodded and swallowed hard. “We are.”
Nicole beamed as she handed little Elizabeth over to me. The baby smiled up at me and I smiled down at her. I loved her so much already, like she was my own. When Nicole asked me to be godmother, I had just about lost my mind with excitement.
Drake didn’t care either way if the baby was christened, but it meant a lot to her, so we were at her parents’ church. It was a small ceremony, just a handful of friends. I held the baby over
the font so the minister could pour the water over her head, and Diesel and I repeated the words he recited. I loved how serious Diesel took the whole event, too. It meant a lot to me that it meant a lot to him.
When it was all over, we turned around to face the rest of our friends. They applauded quietly, while Elizabeth stretched and yawned. Just another day at the office.
“Here you go,” I whispered as I handed her back off to Nicole. My arms always felt a little empty after I did that. I wanted one of my own like crazy, even though I knew Diesel wanted to wait. There was no reason to rush. We had only been together for a year, after all, and we were still enjoying our time together. Just the two of us. Sometimes I woke up in the morning and couldn’t believe he was mine, even after all those months.
We sat down in the first pew while everybody took pictures of the parents and the star of the day. They looked so happy, a perfect little family with Elizabeth in Nicole’s arms and Bobby in Drake’s. I smiled up at them and took a picture with my phone. Diesel, on the other hand, was very quiet.
“What’s up?” I whispered.
“Hmm?”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, why?”
“You seem sort of far away.”
“Oh, no, I’m good. I was just wondering something, is all.”
“What is it?” I lowered the phone and looked at him.
“I was wondering if you wanted to stand up there again sometime with me. I mean, it doesn’t have to be here. It doesn’t even have to be in a church if you don’t want it to be. As long as it’s you and me. What do you think?”
I looked down and saw the diamond ring in the open box, sitting on my lap. I hadn’t even noticed when he left it there. I looked up at him with my mouth hanging open.
“Are you serious?” I whispered.
“That’s a pretty serious ring, isn’t it?”
I giggled. “You know what I mean. You really want to marry me?”
“More than anything in the world.” He took my face in his hands. “Will you?”
“You know I will.” We leaned in for our first kiss as an engaged couple, and I noticed more applause. We were the big attraction all of a sudden, and all phones were pointed in our direction. I laughed and turned my face in, against his neck, while he slid the ring onto my finger.
“I can’t believe the guys were already talking about an engagement party. Oh, wait. Sure I can.” I smirked at my fiancé as we walked through the front door of our home. We had decided around six months in to live together in my little house. It was close to the clubhouse and the perfect size for us.
“You know they mean well,” he said with a sly smile. “I won’t do anything you have to worry about.”
“Yeah, yeah. I know.” Still, I rolled my eyes as we set our things down by the front door.
“As much as I love our friends,” he murmured, pulling me to him, “I’m glad it’s just you and me now.”
I giggled breathlessly as his mouth found my neck. He used his tongue to trace slow circles over my skin, and my knees went weak just like they always did when he kissed me that way. It never got boring, though. I was never tired of what he did to me with his hands, his mouth, his tongue. His cock.
His big, strong hands took their time as he licked and nibbled me. He pushed me back against the door, and I was glad I had something to lean against as his mouth covered mine. He thrust against me, and I felt his hard, sure length pressing into my hip. I wrapped a leg around his thigh, pulling him closer, teasing him the way he always teased me. I loved hearing him grunt helplessly as he strained for me, wanting more and more. Knowing I could turn him on like that, until he couldn’t think straight, was a huge turn-on.
Suddenly he lifted me up and carried me to the stairs. I wrapped my legs around his waist and kissed my way over his neck and shoulders as we went. When we reached the bedroom, he put me on my feet.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered as his fingertips ran over my skin. He started undressing me, taking his time, driving me nearly insane as he unzipped my dress and slid it over my shoulders, then let it drop to the floor. He licked his lips as he took in the sight of my lacy bra, and my whole body flushed when I saw how much he still wanted me even when it wasn’t new or exciting anymore. He held my breasts in his hands, stroking the nipples through the lace with his thumbs, before reaching behind me to unhook my bra.
I closed my eyes to soak it all in, breathing harder with every touch as he took inventory of me. My head swam, my heart raced.
He sat in front of me, on the edge of the bed, then smiled up at me. He pulled me to him, my hips in his hands, and planted a kiss on my stomach.
I sighed happily as I wrapped my arms around his neck. “I love you,” I whispered as he kissed from one hip to the other, running his hands over my butt before slowly lowering my panties. “I love you so much.”
“I love you, too,” he whispered. He let me unbutton his shirt and slide it over his shoulders and down his arms so I could touch his bare skin, running my hands over his bulging muscles. Meanwhile, he moved his hands from my waist to my butt, gently stroking me with a feather touch that he knew drove me crazy like nothing else did. I dug my nails into his shoulders as the slow, pulsing ache started between my legs and radiated through the rest of me.
I closed my eyes again when his lips skimmed my breasts. He took one nipple into his mouth, then the other, flicking his tongue over them. I cried out until my voice went hoarse while I held his head in place, gasping for air, begging for more. “Yes, yes, harder…please…oh, God, you’re so good,” I rasped, as wetness pooled between my thighs and the slow ache turned into a throbbing need.
His hands moved up and down my legs until he pulled my thighs apart and slid his fingers along my swollen, wet cleft. “Oh, yes…” I sighed. I rocked my hips, grinding onto him, searching for more while his mouth worked at my breasts and he flicked my clit with his thumb. I screamed softly, throwing my head back as all the tension finally broke and washed over me.
He kissed me softly, holding me up while I recovered. I smiled down at him. “Your turn,” I whispered, and he smiled wickedly as he stretched out on the bed. I worked his pants down over his legs, then did the same with his shorts.
I ran my hands up his legs and reminded myself that he was all mine, forever. My perfect man, my protector and lover, and friend. We were friends first, and we would always be friends. It was the best that way, after all.
His rigid cock was in front of me, and I took it in my hands before running my tongue along the underside until he moaned. How many times had I done that to him? I would never get tired of it.
He moaned again when my lips moved lower and lower as I took more of him into my mouth. I could just about make it to the base, but not quite. He ran his fingers through my hair as he worked in and out of me, jerking upward over and over, and I worked with him until he tensed and cried out, then pulled out of my mouth before I took him too far.
“Too good,” he laughed. “Come here.” He pulled me up by my arms, and I straddled him. He looked up at me like he had never seen me before like I was the most beautiful woman in the world. I thought for the millionth time about how lucky I was.
“Fuck me,” he whispered. Yes, I was lucky. I grinned down at him as I took his length inside me again. Then I got started, moving up and down, rolling my hips in circles, grinding my clit against the base.
“I love you,” I whispered again. I would never get tired of saying it.
“I love you.” He pulled me down for a kiss. I had never been so happy. He held me tight, and we moved together. He thrust up into me as I thrust down on him and I let out a quiet little scream as another orgasm blindsided me. I hadn’t expected it so soon. I closed my eyes and sat up again, rolling my head on my shoulders while he ran his hands over my body.
Then I started again, this time with more purpose. “That’s right, baby. Work my dick,” he growled. He watched as I rode him, and the lust in
his eyes drove me on and on, harder, faster. I couldn’t control myself for long with his thick, hard cock filling every inch of me, and soon I was screaming, riding him for all I was worth.
Then I screamed once more, throwing my head back and almost howling as I came again. It was too good, just like always. I whimpered as I slid up and off of him, then fell onto my side with a satisfied groan.
Only he wasn’t finished, and I let him take over at that point. I wanted him to have it the way he really liked it. So he positioned me on my hands and knees, which I wouldn’t have stopped him from doing even if I had the strength to. I loved it when he took me that way.
He drove himself in with a single, sharp thrust that left me breathless. I moaned, loud when he thrust into me again. The flat of his hand smacked against my ass, and I cried out.
“You like that?” he asked, then did it again on the other cheek.
“Yes!” I shouted as my skin tingled. I couldn’t get enough.
“Tell me you love it,” he ordered as he did it again, then again. I trembled all over. My arms shook as I fought to hold myself up.
“I—love—it!” I cried out between thrusts. It only made him take me faster, harder, deeper.
“Oh, Diesel! Yes! More!” I pushed back against him, thrusting with him. When he slid one hand down between my legs and stroked my clit, I lost it. I buried my face in the mattress to muffle my screams in case the neighbors heard.
“Yeah…Violet…I love it…” He moved faster, faster, the speed of his hand matching the speed of his thrusts as he pushed me over the edge again. I screamed, almost sobbing with pleasure as the biggest climax of all slammed into me just as he slammed into me one more time before exploding.
We collapsed side-by-side onto the bed, exhausted. It took a while for our breathing to quiet down. We were both sweaty, my hair was a mess, I was sure my makeup was a disaster. And I loved every second of it.