by V. Theia
Fuck. Fuck. He felt sick.
There was no doubting how Rider let him off easily.
Anyone else in Texas’ position of being a snitch, disloyal to the club would have had his club tattoo sanded off first and then thrown into a shallow grave somewhere up the mountains. If he were unlucky, then that guy would be tossed to the wild pigs kept in a pen far up the mountainside, those things ate everything from bone to hair.
But they’d let Texas walk out of the club, leaving his patch behind.
That went a long way to show what kind of a man and president Rider Marinos was.
It was Zara who waved and made for Texas to stay right there because they were headed across the street.
Texas inhaled hard and dropped his arm from Poppy’s shoulder, she looked sideways at him and he said, “Just a second. It’s my old boss. And his wife.”
“Hey, Rider.” He spoke first, nodding his head at them both. “Zara, you’re looking well.”
“Tex.” Rider replied.
“It’s so good to see you, Texas. It’s been too long, how’ve you been?” He could have cut the tension with a cake knife. It was obviously Zara’s idea to drag her man across the street, not Rider’s.
“I’m good. How’s the kids?”
He wanted to ask how the brothers were but bit his tongue to stop the words.
He wanted to ask Rider how everything was with the Russians and his old man and uncle. It had all been brewing to a head when he was kicked out.
“Too much like their father,” Zara grinned and nudged the man himself.
Then she turned eyes on Poppy. “Hi, I’m Zara.”
“Sorry, this is Penelope. An old friend.” He tacked on for want of a better introduction. “Poppy, this is Rider and Zara.”
He didn’t even hear what Poppy said, Texas just wanted out of there. Mercifully she shivered, because it was his excuse to leave. “We should get going. It was good to see you,” this he directed at the small blonde woman who was looking at him with sympathy.
“Later,” he told Rider, jutting his chin. The other man offered the same.
“Hey, Texas?” Called out Zara when they were a few feet away. He was rushing Poppy along like his ass was on fire. “We’re having a get together tonight at Otis’ if you and Penelope wanted to come, you’re more than welcome to.”
At her side, Rider’s jaw tightened and Texas got it loud and clear, he was not welcome at any Souls gatherings.
“Thanks, Z-girl, but I’m just back in town, I have stuff to do.”
“That was your boss… the biker president?” Poppy questioned when they were out of sight. He grunted and kept on walking, thankfully the store he was looking for was two doors down and he hurried her there.
“He looked scary as hell.”
Rider was. Scary that is.
To everyone else but the brotherhood, to the club he was a stand-up guy, a fair boss and a better friend.
He’d let Texas off lightly and he still didn’t know why.
Four torturous hours later he was back in his apartment, Poppy had her new stuff and he was still brooding on that same thought.
EIGHT
“Good intentions are fine … unless he’s thinking about someone else.” – Penelope
It felt as though a lot could change in a week—a day even.
Penelope felt different.
For two days straight Tait gave her space.
Or rather, he kept himself out of her way.
One little shopping trip—which she felt guilty over, and he was avoiding her.
He was gone when she woke up.
Leaving her a note to say to get breakfast because he was at the gym and when he came back, around lunchtime, he mostly stayed downstairs in the other apartments, he said working on maintenance—for what, she didn’t know, since he said he liked the building being quiet. But he trekked back up at dinner, they ordered takeout, they ate, and then with his arms paint splattered, he went back down again and that was the last she saw of him.
She didn’t mind. He’d opened his home to her, spent freaking more money on her, the least she could do was stay out of his way.
But she missed his face, missed his grunts and silent stares.
Plus, she was bored and needing something to do. He’d refused help, saying he preferred working alone. So that morning, she dressed in warm winter clothes, boots and a thick jacket, brand new and bought by Tait, and she headed out, following the same path they’d taken the other day.
She looked through store front windows and sloshed through the banks of snow piled high on the sidewalk.
She loved snow and the cold weather. She felt good that she had a fresh start, even if she didn’t know the direction of her life now. It felt good to not have a plan in front of her.
It was a sign in a store window that caught her eye and she knew right there it was fate.
An hour later she flew into the downstairs apartment of Tait’s building to tell him the good news, only to come up short when he was in a discussion with a man with a fierce looking face and tattoos on his hands. He had one of those 1940’s modern hair styles, short around the edges and slicked off to the side on top and when both men turned, she felt the curiousness of his hard man stare.
Boy, if this was one of Tait’s biker friends, then she shuddered to see what the rest of them looked like.
She wouldn’t like to meet him, or any of them for that matter in the dark.
She took a step back, “Sorry, I didn’t realize you were busy, I’ll come back, Tait.”
It was the other man who spoke and his whole face changed when he flashed her a grin … wow, the handsome just bloomed right there as if by magic.
He lost at least 40% of his scariness.
“Hey, babe. No need to go on my account. Just dropped by to see this fucker.”
She sent her gaze to Tait, checking that he minded if she was there. She got nothing from his low-lidded glance so she let her eyes drop down his body. He was wearing a white thermal, sleeves rolled up and low riding sweatpants and both forearms were splattered with paint, some even dotted in his black hair.
It didn’t make her trampy that she was at the altar not long ago but lusting for a new man now, or perhaps it did, but she had no real deep down feelings of that nature for Ronnie. He didn’t make her tummy flip over. His voice never sneaked into her dreams to whisper crude things to her. And if Ronnie had been splattered in paint, she was positive she wouldn’t be turned on by the sight of it.
Tait’s eyes didn’t look anywhere but at her, so she stayed in the doorway.
“Poppy, this is Snake. Ignore anything he says, he thinks he’s funny.”
“Bitch, I am funny, you’re just jealous,” the snake man told Tait. “You sure you wanna shack up with this guy, babe? He’s come back to town like a mountain man. Hand to God, I thought it was a burglar when I clapped eyes on him, not even wearing a tie, look at the fucking fluff growing on his face.”
This made her lips twitch at the edges and she lost some of the tension in her shoulders.
“He bought me, so I’m obliged to stay,” It was good to see she could shock Tait, when his eyes flared. The snake guy choked on a laugh, maybe he thought she was joking too. “I just came to tell you my good news, I got a job!” she announced. Tait’s eyebrow inched up into his hair. “Yeah?” He asked.
“It’s just a couple of days a week to start. It’s in the bakery on main. Sweets by Paige. The girl is so nice and offered me the job right away. I’m so excited, Tait.”
Both men looked at each other. And then at her.
“You got a job at Paige’s bakery?”
“Yeah, that’s her. You know her?”
Tait hunched down to stir paint, giving a noncommittal grunt, it was the other man who spoke. “Yeah, babe we know Paige, she’s married to our brother.”
“Your brother,” Tait said quietly.
“Oh,” that took some of her excitement from her voice seeing
how Tait reacted. “I didn’t know. I don’t have to take it, Tait.” His head came up, as if he couldn’t believe she’d say it. She smiled at him. “Anyway, I’ll leave you to it, I’m frozen and want to head up. Bye.”
She heard the deep voice of Tait’s friend as she took the stairs and then Tait’s laugh.
God, that noise, it shot through it.
He sounded like all the good dreams a girl could ever have.
Honest to God, she wanted him and she didn’t know what to do about it, because he’d shown more arousal for the limp lettuce on last night’s tacos than he did looking at her.
The length of time didn’t matter, she thought, as she hung up her coat in his apartment and felt the heat envelop her when she kicked off her shoes.
Surprise attraction always came thick and fast where Tait was concerned, he’d held a piece of her for most of a decade, even before that she’d hero worshipped him and nothing about these last few days told her that those feelings had gone away.
Did she come to Colorado seeking out more than a safe haven? She couldn’t answer that. Because the answer was all caught up in her mixed emotions with the whole mess that was her life.
She could say she sought him out for a reason.
And that reason had everything to do with her heart ramming up against her rib cage.
She wanted him.
And she started to wonder about the reason he didn’t want her, and why he stayed away from New York… was it because he was still in love with Addison?
* * *
“She’s cute,” Snake smirked looking his way, his hands shoved deep into his jeans pockets, rocking back on his biker boots. Texas recognized the look on his face.
He’d seen it often enough when he was about to rip into a brother for liking a chick.
Texas cut him off before he got revved up because once he got going, there was no stopping Snake. He wasn’t known for being the joker for nothing.
“She is, and there’s nothing between us, so drop it.”
“Me thinks you protest too much. You’ve never had a chick living with you. Hell, did you even let them stay overnight?”
“It’s nothing. She was in trouble, I helped her out. That’s it.”
“That whole buying her shit, that was fucking hot, got a little tingle over it. Don’t tell my Winter I said so.”
Fucks sake, it had been hot, the bold way she announced it too, like she was proud to belong to him.
Not that he was admitting shit to anyone, least of all Snake or Poppy herself.
Reloading his brush, he started painting the last wall.
He couldn’t avoid her forever, and that’s what all these projects were for.
“You gonna keep her, seeing as you bought her?” Snake kept right on ribbing him. “She’s got stars in her eyes for you, Tex.”
Yeah, he knew that. She didn’t hide it well.
Before he took her up on her silent, little girl offer and mounted her down to the floor.
Already he hungered for that fucking mouth.
The one she kept bare other than the tube of cherry balm she slathered on them making them all glossy and inviting.
“She was engaged, Snake. I’m not poaching on someone’s turf; she’s going back soon. Not that I’m interested.” Fuck.
Snake just barked a laugh.
“She doesn’t look very engaged to me. Not the way her eyeballs slop you up like biscuits and gravy.”
He kept his own eyeballs on the wall in front of him, turning the color from garish butter to brilliant white.
He’d have to be a corpse in the ground being eaten by the worms not to notice her eyes following wherever he went. It was like being transported back years ago with a gapped tooth kid following in his shadow.
Only now it was a whole fucking lot hotter.
Never in his life had Texas needed to jerk off twice in the shower just so he could face a woman without a risk of sporting wood.
Never in his life did he lie awake on the sofa while he listened to a woman roll around his bed in the other room and wish like hell he could crawl in there with her.
The attraction came faster than he realized and now with every breath he took inside his own apartment, she was there, soaking his lungs in that sweet stuff she slathered herself in. He knew this because she did it on the couch, one bare leg up on the foot stool, she went up and down with the lotion like a damn sex show.
Turning him on hard enough that Texas had to rush off to the bathroom and take his own dick in his hand to calm the fuck down.
This was not good.
He thought she was cute that first day. Worried about her state of mind.
And then the shit just exploded in his gut.
Now he was lost in what to do about it.
“She just got a job with Paige, sounds to me like she has plans to stick around, bro.”
But the fact she was Harrison elite stopped him from acting on the attraction he was feeling for her.
He’d been around that block already, got burned from a girl back there. Not planning to do it again.
Not with a jilted groom in her very near past. That was bound to rear its ugly head one of these days and her father wasn’t going to let her stay away for long.
Astor liked his flock near to keep them under his thumb, his wife was practically one of those Stepford wives with no opinions of her own.
He was punishing Poppy by giving her the cold shoulder, but sooner or later, he’d bring her home.
“She’s a fucking goddess straight out of your posh boy fantasies, man, and you’re not tapping that?”
“Drop it,” he said over his shoulder. “Or I’ll call your wife and tell her you said another woman was a goddess. She’ll put you on the naughty step.”
The way Snake groaned made Texas think he wouldn’t mind it at all, that dirty freak.
Snake was leaning up against the windowsill, a takeout coffee in his tattooed hand. He’d done the obligatory proud dad bit and pushed a million photos of his new babies under Texas’ nose. Really cute kids. He felt a pinch for not being there, being on the outside meant he wasn’t welcome now when the next generation came into the world.
It was just something else he needed to accept.
“Cleaning these up to rent?”
“Nah,” he answered. “Just wanted something to do.” he looked over at Snake from his haunches. “Did you get the Russian problem plugged up?” He asked, having an idea what Snake would say before he actually opened his mouth.
“You know I can’t talk about it, Tex.”
Jaw tight, he nodded and turned back to the paint.
He was tempted to sulk like a little bitch, but he had a reason for asking, not because he was trying to get back in with the club. He made sure he set his own sails on fire with that.
“Fine, you don’t have to talk about it, but you can listen. On my run yesterday, I detoured over by the distillery, you know they had that big fire a few years back and never reopened?”
Snake grunted, sipped his coffee.
“It’s mostly just flattened ground now. But I noticed a warehouse that wasn’t there before.” The paint slapped on the wall, methodically in slow strokes, just to give his hands something to do. “So I see this big Mercedes parked outside with a white school bus next to it. I got curious. I mean, who would be out there? It was two of Grigori’s men and what looked like the makings for a porn set, unless they’ve gone into the QVC world.”
That got Snake’s attention and when Texas glanced over, yeah… the joker’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Same thing on this morning’s run. There’s cameras and lights inside. More buses parked there today.”
Before he got kicked out, Texas was well in the know of how Lawless and Hawk were doing what they do best by picking off Grigori’s men one by one. They got that number down real low, to the point the club were sure Grigori wouldn’t have any of his bulls left. But it appeared he was recruiting.
He shrugged w
hen Snake didn’t choose to say anything and Texas turned his back. “Just thought the club should know, if you didn’t already.”
He went on painting and ignoring how heavy his chest felt to be living on the outside.
“Should you be here, talking to me?”
Snake snorted and crumpled up the empty paper cup and left it on the windowsill, the man never could pick up after himself. It was good to see some things didn’t change.
“We haven’t been forbidden to talk to you, if that’s what you’re asking.”
Texas looked away and rolled a shoulder. “Wouldn’t blame any of you.”
“You ever gonna tell us why you did what you did?”
He’d tried to and it only came out worse.
“It’s over with, Snake, no point in dragging over the crap.”
“Tell me this then,” when there was only silence, Texas turned around and saw how serious Snake’s face was and it was the first indication that maybe this drop by wasn’t just a drop by. “You still doing it for your cop brother?”
He supposed he deserved the air leaving his lungs, but it didn’t lessen the blow any. When he spoke, his voice felt forced and rough. “I haven’t spoken to him…or been in contact with my brother since the day I rode away from the Souls.”
Snake whistled and scratched a hand around the back of his head.
“Wish you’d come to us, man.”
“Yeah, me too.”
He was kicked out. He hadn’t renounced the club and in his chest, in his heart and brain, Texas still felt like he was club. Souls was in his blood and he was starting to realize how fucking much it sucked.
More silence and this time Texas just let it envelope him as he stood back and surveyed the now painted wall. “What do you think?”
“You could have a new career.”
Yeah. That was on his list of shit to do eventually. Decide what he wanted to do with his life. And where.
“You going to tell me why you dropped by or not?”
“Seeing as how I had to hear it from Zara you were back in town, I came to kick your ass.”