by Pj Fiala
Dakota skipped into the kitchen and climbed into Kayden’s lap. Kissing the soft hair on the top of her head, she closed her eyes and held her daughter close. Dakota turned around and looked into Kayden’s eyes. “Is Grandpa mad that we didn’t have coffee this morning?”
Kayden glanced at Payton quickly, then looked into Dakota’s earnest eyes and said, “Grandpa had an accident last night. He bumped his head, and the doctors wanted him to spend the night at the hospital so they could make sure he was okay.” Smoothing Dakota’s cheeks with her fingers, she continued. “He’s fine, and I’m going to pick him up in a little while. Would you like to come with me and then I’ll bring you back here before I head back to Sturgis?”
Dakota nodded. “I wanna go see Grandpa.” Tears formed in her eyes and Kayden quickly hugged her close.
“He’s just fine baby girl, but you come with me, and you’ll see for yourself. Okay?”
Dakota nodded her blonde head and swiped at her eyes.
Setting her down, she said, “Go get yourself dressed, and we’ll go.”
Watching her sweet daughter with a heart of gold walk from the kitchen, the lag in her step weighed heavy on Kayden.
Turning to Payton, she asked, “Can I borrow your car for a little while?”
“Of course, you can.”
Nodding, Kayden reached across the table and took Payton’s hand. “Thank you. Now tell me, what’s going on at the park?”
Payton squeezed her hand. “I thought Duncan being a park ranger would be a safe, comfortable job, but last night they ran across a growing operation right in the park. That’s a federal offense. It’s big, Duncan said. Now I’m worried he might be in danger. Whoever has balls big enough to grow marijuana in a state park certainly isn’t going to be too happy with the rangers who will be destroying their crop.”
“Shit. That’s bad. What on earth is going on in this town? The Devils, robberies, now pot growing operations? Lord, Payton, this is bad.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
21
Kayden walked into Oakes’ hospital room holding Dakota’s hand. Dog was sitting in a chair facing Oakes as he sat on the side of his bed, fully dressed in the jogging suit Dog had brought him. He looked tired and weary.
Dakota ran to her grandfather and he helped her climb up onto the bed. She looked at his bandage and then into his eyes.
“Are you better now? When Mommy puts a bandage on my owies, I feel better.”
Oakes chuckled and nodded. “I’m good, Kota. Did you have fun last night at Payton’s?”
“I had fun. I’m sorry we didn’t get to have coffee today. I’ll be staying with Payton a bit while mommy sells her conceal clothes at Sturgis.”
Oakes hugged her tight and looked over her head at Kayden.
“I know, little one, but we’ll see each other every day. Okay?”
Kayden walked over to him and kissed the top of his head, alongside the bandage that covered a good portion of it.
“They shaved some of my hair last night. Gonna be hard attracting the ladies with half my damn head shaved.” His voice was gravelly and weaker than usual.
Kayden and Dog chuckled. She stood back. “Seems the last thing you should be worried about is the ladies.” Looking at Dakota and back to her father she continued, “Language.”
Oakes looked up into her eyes, nodded his head once.
“We’ve been at the bar this morning, cleaned most of it up. Jessie’s there right now cleaning the floors. Chris is putting a new door on the building.”
She glanced at Dog then to her father.
“Your Mossberg is missing.” Her voice was tight, her lips thinned.
She watched her father’s eyes droop and he lightly shook his head. His refusal to look at her made her suspicious.
Her voice rose. “You knew that last night and you didn’t say anything?”
His sad eyes looked into hers. “I didn’t want to worry you. JT was there to take care of you and I hoped you’d get a good night’s sleep and we’d deal with it all today.”
Kayden glanced at Dakota and then to her father. She looked at Dog. “You get anything out of him?”
Dog shook his head. Kayden’s lips turned down, her brows furrowed.
“Mommy, you’re not supposed to do that with your eyebrows; you get lines. Remember?”
Kayden chuckled. That girl remembered everything. “Sorry. You’re right and I’m glad you reminded me.”
Dog stood. “I’ll take off.” He turned to Kayden. “We’re leaving for Sturgis at eleven o’clock. We’ll pick you up at the bar.”
“I can just…”
Setting his jaw, he sternly said, “Be ready and stop running.” He turned to Oakes, walked the two steps forward and shook his hand.
“I’m here. I’m available and I want to help you.” He patted Dakota’s head, looked into Oakes’ eyes and said, “Being stubborn might only make things worse.” He glanced back down at Dakota.
Turning, he said to Kayden, “See you at eleven.” Then strode from the room.
Kayden huffed out a breath and plopped into the chair Dog had just vacated. Her eyes met her fathers. “What?”
“What are you running from?”
Kayden’s lips formed a straight line. “Nothing.”
She picked at invisible lint on her jeans. Oakes cleared his throat. “JT?”
Dakota looked up at her grandfather. “I like him, he’s nice.”
Oakes shook his head. “I agree, so is his daddy and his whole family.” He looked into Kayden’s eyes. “You could do so much worse.”
Abruptly standing, she released a breath. “Are you ready to go home?”
22
Kayden pulled her motorcycle into her garage. She was already weary from the morning she’d had and there was a full day ahead of her. Climbing the stairs to her apartment, she glanced down to look at her bike and the empty space where her Jeep usually sat. The garage was hot, though the shade from the sweltering sun gave her some relief.
Today she needed to focus and make connections. Finding people who loved her clothing and accessories was vital to get her a jump-start on being self-sufficient. It was beginning to be clearer she was going to need to be, and the bar was a thing of the past. Eventually, she’d need to talk to her dad about selling it and moving on. If the Devils wanted it that bad, they could have it, but it stuck in her craw to have to let them have their way. Bastards.
She stepped into her kitchen and took a deep breath. The fresh clean scent of the air freshener plug-in washed over her along with the cool blast from the air conditioner. It felt like she’d been gone from here for weeks. She laid her keys on the wooden table against the sage green wall and glanced at the cute little floral arrangement Payton had made for her when she first moved into the garage three years ago. She took a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water from a pitcher she kept in the fridge. Leaning against the counter, she drank her water and glanced at the clock above the stove. She had half an hour to get ready, then she had to face JT. He was more than likely pissed, maybe hurt. She hoped he wasn’t the type of man who screamed and yelled when he was pissed. She’d had enough of that with Rog. He was always pissed.
She showered, shaved her legs, blew her hair dry. The natural curl worked well for her sometimes, though she tried to straighten it often. Today she piled it up in a messy bun and let the waves flow around her head. She donned an Army green sleeveless blouse with a sweetheart neckline and blingy buttons down the front. A short, denim skirt and her brown cowboy boots finished off her outfit. Adding a bit of makeup to give her a smoky eye and gloss to her lips, she admired herself in the mirror and realized she wanted JT to think she was beautiful. Damn it all if she didn’t think he was something short of perfect and a damn fine man. Payton was right, if she didn’t give them a try, she’d never know and always wonder. That was, if he was still interested.
Hearing motorcycles pull into the bar parking lot, she glanced
out the window facing the road. The Rolling Thunder group was there and she needed to get a move on. She grabbed her purse and keys from the table and opened the door to her apartment. As she began descending the stairs to the garage, her heart stopped when the service door opened and JT stepped through it and then locked the door. His posture was rigid, his jaw clenched, his gorgeous mane of hair pulled back into a ponytail at his nape, a black Rolling Thunder bandana wrapped around his head. The black t-shirt he wore stretched over his broad shoulders while the fit of his jeans formed the most delicious ideas in her mind. He simply exuded a sex appeal that was impossible to resist, even if it broke her in the end.
She stepped off the stairs and walked two steps toward him, holding his gaze with hers. “Hi,” she whispered.
He nodded.
Okay, mad was definitely front and center.
“I owe you an apology for running this morning. I’m very sorry,” she whispered.
His jaw tightened again but he never looked away from her. Her heart hammered in her chest; his scent and the muskiness of just him in the heat swirled around her and made her light headed. She lay her palm gently on his chest, stood on her toes and lightly touched her mouth to his. At first he resisted, not opening his mouth to her. She pushed her breasts into his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. She pulled her lips from his, just a fraction, and whispered, “Kiss me, JT.”
He hesitated only for a moment before his hands shot out and pulled her hips into his. His kiss was searing and the hunger with which he devoured her lips made shivers run the length of her body and settle between her legs. He reached down and pulled her skirt up, quickly grabbing her ass and she hitched her leg up and wrapped it around his legs as she whimpered.
He walked her back deeper into the garage, until they were next to her bike. His voice gruff, he asked, “You want this now?”
“Yesss,” she hissed.
He quickly spun her around and gently pushed her shoulders forward, so her hands lay on the back fender of her bike. She felt her panties pull down her legs, then he lifted her leg and pulled them off of one leg and let them lay on the ground. She kicked them aside and heard his zipper and clothing rustle and a package crinkle, then she felt his hands rubbing her ass. His breath next to her ear, he nuzzled her neck and breathed in the scent of her hair.
Gruffly, he said, “This morning when you sped out of here on this bike, I was pissed. But, you’re sexy as hell on it and my thoughts quickly turned to having you, like this, as soon as possible.” His hands continued to massage her ass, the work-roughened pads such a contrast to her soft skin, then his fingers slipped inside her wetness, and she hissed as his fingers slowly slipped in and pulled out. “Seems like you like this, Kayden.”
She dropped her head between her arms and closed her eyes. It’d been so long since she’d been touched, it felt like heaven. Her eyes moistened and her knees quaked. Then she felt a sharp slap on her ass and she yelped. Her head shot up and she began to stand, but he held her in place with a hand on her shoulder. His head close to her ear, he whispered, “That’s for taking off like you did without any explanation.”
His calloused hands rubbed the spot he’d just slapped, soothing the sting. Another slap on the other cheek had her hissing out a breath. “That’s for not trusting me to help you when I’ve shown you over and over that I’m here for you.”
He gently massaged the sting and she whimpered. That was unbelievably hot and she was so turned on she thought she’d scream at any moment. Feeling his hands on either side of her hips, she felt the tip of his cock at her opening but he stood still.
“Tell me when you’re ready,” he groaned.
It didn’t take her a second before she begged. “Yes. Now. Please.”
He chuckled and then very slowly slid inside of her. Her release of breath in the steamy garage sounded unbelievably loud. Her elbows shook from the excitement, her knees still quivered. He urged her feet wider apart, opening her up to him. She was completely vulnerable and open and had never been more excited in her life.
His pace increased, his length filling her completely before pulling out and leaving her empty and wanton. As he slid back in, she heard him groan and increase the pressure on her hips with his fingers. Their thighs slapped together, the pace became fast and furious. She felt her skin grow dewy, she could feel the blood rushing through places it hadn’t been felt in years. Three years, to be exact.
“Are you ready, Kayd?” he gruffed out and pushed in hard two more times.
She managed to hiss out, “Yes.”
He leaned forward and ran his fingers in circles over her clit and she moaned loudly. She heard him growl and increase the motion as he moved in and out of her. His ragged breathing in her ear was the end of her, and she tumbled over the edge, crying out as her orgasm sped through her. He thrust a few more times until he groaned loudly. She could feel his heart beat against her back and his cock pulsing inside of her. Sexy.
Slowly, he pulled out of her and she lowered herself to her elbows until she could stop shaking. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her up to stand, she turned to face him. His smoldering gaze held her attention for long moments. He pinched the end of the condom and pulled it off, hitched up his pants and walked to the corner, dropped the condom in the wastebasket, tucked himself into his jeans and zipped up. He walked to her and kissed her lips. “You drive me crazy, Kayden.”
One side of her lips hitched up. “You drive me crazy, too, JT.”
She looked down at her blouse, straightened the hem then cocked her head toward the stairs. “We can go and clean up before we have to go face everyone at the bar.”
He simply nodded.
23
Following her upstairs was difficult because all he could think about was that her panties were in her hand and her ass was right in front of his face. But they had a bar full of people waiting on them, so time was running short. The cool air hit him first as the door opened, but then the clean scent of her apartment soothed him where he’d so recently been irritated and then aroused by her. The apartment smelled like her and it felt like a balm on a wound.
She turned her head and looked into his eyes. “You can use the bathroom first; it’s this way.” Her smoky voice elicited shivers of excitement in him. They continued down the hallway and she reached into a darkened room and flipped a switch, illuminating a tan bathroom with a wicker framed mirror over the sink. She stepped aside and a sly smile spread her lips. “I’ll go slip on a clean pair of panties.” She pecked his lips and glided into a room just down from the bathroom. Oh, what he wouldn’t give to follow her in there and have the whole afternoon to play with her any way he’d like.
After cleaning up and forcing himself to turn toward the living room, he looked out the window over her sofa and saw a smaller shed behind this garage. It had an extra tall garage door on it and a service door alongside. It butted up to the hill behind it, giving the impression that it was built in it, which seemed rather strange, but so did a lot of things.
The air changed in the room, and her presence was felt, creating gooseflesh on his arms.
“What are you looking at?”
“How long has that shed been here? I don’t remember it.” He turned to look at her and his eyes locked on her shiny lips.
She shrugged a shoulder. “A few years. Dad built it to store his motor home. He bought it after mom died, which was…” She bit her bottom lip and cocked her head. She was adorable. Her eyes looked sexy today. She had different makeup on and he wondered…no, he hoped it was for him. “I guess it’s been about fifteen years ago now. We were going to travel the country in it as soon as I graduated, but I guess as I got older, he realized I wasn’t going to be around to do that since I wanted to go to New York. But, he kept the motor home and said it’d be a good way to retire.”
JT watched her glance out the window, a little frown marring her lips. “Of course, who knew I’d be home so soon and sick on top o
f it?”
She shrugged and looked into his eyes. HIs brows furrowed and his head cocked just a fraction. “Not sure if Dad told you, I had a partial nervous breakdown. New York life just wasn’t for me, I guess.”
He swallowed. “I’m glad you came home. I’d never have met you otherwise.”
Her brows rose into her hair and she tilted her head to the side slightly, an action he was growing to love. It made her seem vulnerable and shy. “That’s really nice to say. I’m glad I met you, too.”
The honking of a horn broke the spell that was spinning around them. He glanced toward the door and then back to her. “We’re driving the chaser truck today, so we need to go. You ready?”
She nodded and stepped into the kitchen and grabbed her purse from the table. He opened the door for her and nodded as she moved onto the landing. He turned the lock before stepping out. They went down into the garage and he couldn’t help himself; he had to look over at her motorcycle. That was a memory he would relive over and over the rest of his life. He’d never spanked a woman before, and he had to admit he enjoyed it. The look of her smooth round ass tinted pink where he smacked her, her muscles bunching afterward and her moans, was dream worthy.
They walked out of the garage and toward the bar together, entering through the kitchen door. The first face he saw was Ryder’s as he entered the bar and the grin on his brother’s face made his flame a bright red. Gunnar chuckled and his eyes shot to his brother’s in a flash. Soon every one of them was looking their way, and the room seemed far too silent to have all of these people in it.
Oakes was the first to say anything. “What took so damn long?”
Kayden’s face burned bright red and she looked at the floor for a split second before squaring off with her father. “Don’t see what difference it makes how long it takes me to get ready. Since I’ve been running to the hospital and back, I haven’t had a minute to myself.”