by Chiah Wilder
“Yeah.” Shadow curled his fingers around the glass and guzzled the water down.
“Skinless, can you soak a few paper towels in cold water again for us?” Tania nodded toward the couch where Wendy and Rosie lay motionless.
“It’s a hundred and six fuckin’ degrees out there,” Animal said as he and Blade walked into the club.
“We’re just heading out for a ride to Silverton.” Shadow put the empty glass on the bar.
“We’re comin’ too,” Blade said. “I’m just gonna grab a long sleeved T-shirt. He walked out of the room.
“How’re Olivia and Lucy?” Shadow asked Animal.
“Good. They and a group of old ladies drove to Grand Junction and are hanging out at the water park. That’s why Chas, Rock, Jax, and Hawk are joining us.”
“A water park sounds like a good idea,” Tania said as she placed the cold paper towel on the back of her neck.
Shadow looked over at Skinless. “Take the club’s SUV and drive the club girls to the water park in Grand Junction.”
Tania squealed in delight, then rushed over to him and kissed him on the cheek. “You’re sweet as hell, baby.”
“Whoever wants to get the hell outta here and get their asses to a pool, this is your chance,” Animal said.
Wendy and Rosie leapt up from the couch, their sheer bras and panties plastered to their skin.
“Give us a few minutes to change and get our stuff together,” Rosie said as she scurried toward the stairway. “You guys, we’re going swimming,” she yelled as she bolted up the stairs, her footsteps growing fainter.
The club members chuckled as they watched Tania and Wendy rush after Rosie.
Tank clasped Shadow on the shoulder. “You made the girls happy, so they’ll be extra willing to please later tonight.”
“Yeah,” he answered, not really feeling it. Since he’d fucked that sweet piece at Eli’s party, he hadn’t been up to banging any of the club women. For reasons that pissed him off to no end, the sexy blonde had been a permanent fixture in his head for the past several days.
“Let’s ride,” Animal said as he walked out the door into the parking lot.
After dousing his head and neck with cold water from the nearby hose, Shadow pulled off his cut and slipped on a long-sleeved T-shirt he grabbed from his saddlebag. Then, he threw on his cut, straddled his bike, and waited for Hawk to give the signal to pull out.
Soon twelve Harleys roared through the twisting back roads, and Shadow reveled in feeling the breeze against his face. Silverton was roughly sixty miles from Pinewood Springs, and for part of the trip, the two-lane road followed the path of a small river that ran along its border. Shadow glanced at the clear water as it glittered under the sun and cascaded over the rocks while the motorcycles descended the mountain. Around the next curve, the road cut through a valley nestled between the Rocky Mountains. The sweet smell of grass swirled around him as he took in the hundreds of cows grazing on the green and yellow pastures.
At the end of the valley, the group of bikes rode over a few hills until they entered the town’s limits. Silverton looked like a town from the Old West with its two-story store fronts made of faded red brick and wood.
The brothers pulled into the parking lot of Coyote’s Café and secured spaces near the front of the roadhouse. Chrome from other motorcycles gleamed under the strong sun, and Shadow switched off the engine and jumped off his bike. The scent of hickory and grilled meat tantalized him as he walked toward the wooden steps leading to the restaurant.
Coyote Café had been serving thirsty and hungry travelers for the past eighty years and was a popular road stop for both bikers and motorists traveling through the Colorado backroads. It sat in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains and was built from railroad ties and mortar from a nearby rail yard.
“That was an awesome ride,” Chas said as he took off his sunglasses then started to clean the lenses on his T-shirt.
“An icy cold beer is calling my name,” Smokey said as he walked in tandem with Shadow.
“Me too, bro,” Shadow replied, hooking his shades to his damp T-shirt.
“It’s time for us to cool the fuck off,” Rags said, opening the front door.
A blast of chilled air rushed over them as they stepped into the busy eatery.
“Over there,” Chas said, jerking his head toward the back where Hawk and Animal were pushing tables together.
“Good food, cold beer, and some real hot chicks at the bar,” Smokey said.
Shadow glanced over and saw a curvy woman with long blonde hair leaning against it, her back to him. He sucked in a deep breath as he stood rooted to the spot and stared. As if sensing that someone was watching her, the woman turned around and he let out a breath. It wasn’t her.
“How ’bout that blonde who’s giving you the eye?” Smokey said as he nudged him. “She’s a sweet piece.” A low appreciative whistle came from the slight gap between his teeth.
“Yeah,” Shadow replied, looking away from her. “Hawk’s motioning us over.” He turned around and made his way to the back of the roadhouse.
There was one thing that Shadow had had a lot of in his biker years and that was hookups with chicks. Some of his one-night stands were wild and fun, while others were just dull and plain bad, but he never thought about any chick the next day. So he couldn’t figure out why the fuck he’d kept thinking about her. She was just a one-time fuck. I’ve had tons of those. But Scarlett was different, he grudgingly admitted to himself; she was a hookup, for sure, but she wasn’t like the rest of them. There was something about her that made him want to see her again, and it wasn’t just for sex, although he’d love another go with her. Wait … what the fuck am I thinking? I’d love to fuck her again … that’s all. Nothing more. Shadow ignored the fact that he never met up again with one-nighters, but he’d become so good about pushing down any feelings or thoughts he didn’t like, he was immune to them. His heart had turned to iron after his mother had been murdered.
“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath as he pulled out the wooden chair then plopped down. The fact that he was still thinking about the pampered, rich chick pissed him the hell off. He and rich folks didn’t mix too well, especially since he suspected that it was his mother’s rich boyfriend who had offed her and, so far, had gotten away with it.
“You good?” Jax asked.
Startled, Shadow looked up and saw Jax, Animal, Smokey, and Helm staring at him, concern etching their faces. He hadn’t realized that he’d clutched the water glass so tightly that it shattered in his hands. Drops of blood fell from his fingers and spotted the wood tabletop.
“Uh … yeah. Fuck,” he said, taking the napkins Animal handed him. “I didn’t know I was holding it so hard.” He laughed dryly, but he knew his buddies didn’t believe his bullshit.
“Here you go.” Helm slid his full glass of water toward him.
“What did you do, honey?” the dark-haired waitress in jean shorts and a form-fitting tee asked him as she wiped the area in front of him with a rag.
“I broke the fuckin’ glass,” he said.
She laughed. “You ain’t the first one to do it. You should come ’round here on a Saturday night when everyone’s good and drunk. A lot of broken shit then. I’ll get you an alcohol wipe and some Band-aids.” She scurried away and Helm shook his head as he watched her disappear into the crowd.
“What a fine ass that one has,” he said wistfully.
“I’m bleeding here and you’re thinking about asses?” Shadow joked.
“He’s always thinking ’bout asses,” Animal replied.
Helm laughed and leaned back in his chair. “That’s the truth, brother. I’ve never denied that I am an ass man.”
Shadow, Jax, and Animal laughed, and as Rags and Smokey shared which female parts they were partial to, Shadow looked over at the bar and saw the waitress making her way back over to the table. That’s the type of women I’m attracted to—salt-of-the-earth women, not pampe
red princesses.
“Gimme your hand, honey.” The brunette took his hand and wiped it clean, then attached three Band-aids around his fingers.
“What’s your name, sugar?” Helm asked.
She looked over her shoulder and smiled. “Brittany.”
“Well, you’re doing a real good job taking care of my buddy here,” Helm said.
Smokey rolled his eyes as he brought the beer bottle to his mouth, and Jax sniggered.
“I aim to please,” she said, winking at Shadow.
“I bet you do, sugar.” Helm’s gaze landed on her backside.
“That should do it,” Brittany said as she straightened up.
“Thanks for giving a fuck,” Shadow said.
The waitress threw him a big smile then proceeded to take the food and drink orders from the table.
When she rushed off again, Helm let out a loud sigh. “I gotta get some of her. Maybe I can take her for a spin on my bike.”
“All chicks wanna ride on a Harley,” Animal said.
Scarlett’s body squeezed close to his, her golden hair flying all around her while she wrapped her arms tight around him flashed through his mind. Fuck! He wanted her out of his head, but he couldn’t seem to forget the way her soft, curvy body felt, or the taste of her lips. It pissed him off that he was still thinking about her and wanted to seek her out. Not gonna happen. No. Fuckin’. Way.
“Pulled pork sandwich with slaw.” Brittany’s voice sliced through his thoughts, and he glanced up and took the dish from her. “Thanks, honey,” she said, throwing another wink his way.
“I got the fried-shrimp basket,” Smokey said, and the thin teenager helping Brittany put the food in front of the biker.
For the rest of the afternoon, Shadow forced his brain to focus on the conversation, the food, and the women who flirted with him. All he had to do was keep his mind busy, and in no time at all, the hookup at Eli’s party would be forgotten—he had no doubt about that.
“Whatcha doing tomorrow?” Smokey asked him.
Shadow shrugged. “The usual—checking out the rentals.” He owned three storage places—two in Pinewood Springs and one in a nearby town. His mother had used some of the money her rich sugar daddy had given her to take out a hefty life insurance policy, making Shadow the beneficiary. For a long time he didn’t touch the pay out, viewing it as blood money, but Eli’s parents convinced him that his mother would’ve wanted him to make something of his life and invest it. So he’d bought the properties, and their revenues gave him a very comfortable life.
“You up for helping me out? Pat and Carlos called off for tomorrow, and I got an on-going project that I gotta do,” Smokey said. “It’s just gonna be Guy, Manuel, and myself, so I could really use the extra hand.”
“Sure, I’ll help you, but you’re gonna owe me big time.” Shadow laughed.
“Whatever you want, bro.”
“Just text me the address and I’ll get there after I do my rounds.”
“Will do, and if you want to make some extra money, I’ll cut you in on a big project I got going next week that’ll take several weeks to finish. Interested?” Smokey picked up his beer and took a long pull.
“Depends on how much we’re talking about.”
Smokey put the bottle on the table. “Around 15K.”
A wide grin spread across his face. “I’m in.”
Smokey lifted his chin. “Cool.”
Sometimes Shadow helped out the brothers who owned businesses if they needed it. In the past, he’d lent a hand at Wheelie’s carwash, Throttle and Rags’ landscape company, and Hawk’s motorcycle repair shop. He’d even helped Animal out a few times at his appliance repair business, even though he didn’t know shit about fixing fridges and stoves. Shadow liked keeping busy, and he preferred being outdoors as much as he could. He figured it was a throw back to his childhood when he’d spend hours away from the house in order to avoid another beating from his dad.
Bile rose in his throat and he chugged down the rest of his beer. Thinking about his dad always made him pissed and anxious. You were such a fuckin’ bastard.
“We ready to roll?” Hawk asked as he stood up. “Cara just texted me—the old ladies are back home, and the power’s been restored.”
The men with old ladies pushed back their chairs and jumped to their feet. The single ones lifted their chins at their buddies as they left the table, then returned to finishing their drinks and chow.
After another hour, Shadow pushed his empty plate away from him and drained the last bit of beer in his schooner.
“I’m gonna head back,” he said.
“The club girls will be real happy to see us after having fun at the pool,” Smokey said, his blue eyes shining.
“I’m ready for some fucking,” Rags said as he pushed up from the chair.
“I think I’ll hang around here and see if Brittany wants to have some fun after her shift ends.” Helm stretched his legs in front of him.
“Dude, she was kissing the shit outta the bartender when I went to wash up,” Shadow said. “Give it up.”
“No fuckin’ way,” Helm said, straightening up.
“Charlotte’s got a great ass,” Smokey said.
“One of the best ones of all the club girls,” Rags added.
“I can have Charlotte any time—I want Brittany.” A wrinkle crossed his brow.
“Fuckin’ pathetic,” Smokey said as he put on his sunglasses.
“Now’s your chance, bro—she’s coming this way.” Shadow fished out his mesh gloves from the pocket of his cut.
“You guys heading out?” she asked as she picked up the remaining empty plates.
“Yep,” Rags said.
“Where you going?”
“Back to Pinewood Springs.” Rags wrapped a bandana around his head.
“So you’re not too far away.” She smiled. “Have a good trip back home.”
When Brittany started to walk away, Helm called out to her, “Hey, you got an ol’ man or something?”
She laughed, her light brown eyes sparkling. “Yes, and he is something.”
Helm scrunched his face. “You into having some fun on the side?”
“Shit, dude,” Shadow said as he elbowed the biker in the ribs.
“What? It’s a fair question since you saw her kissing a dude.”
Shadow’s gaze cut over to Brittany’s. “Ignore him, he’s fallen on his head one too many times.”
She shook her head. “I guess bikers like gossiping just like anyone else.” She put the dishes back on the table, then placed her hands on her hips and glared at Helm. “First off, I don’t cheat on my husband; second”—Brittany looked over at Shadow—“the dude I was kissing was my old man and he’s the bartender, and third”—she picked up the plates again –“mind your own business.” She turned around and stomped away.
Helm took out his sunglasses. “It’s too bad she’s hitched ’cause she’s got a mighty fine ass.”
The men guffawed and swaggered out of the restaurant. They crossed the parking lot and jumped on their bikes. With a load roar, they sped away from the roadhouse and made their way back home.
When Shadow entered the clubhouse, cold air swirled around him at the same time Tania’s fingers curled around his muscled forearm.
“I owe you a big thank you, baby. The pool was perfect.” She leaned against him, her ample tits spilling out of her top. “I got some fun things planned for us.”
Shadow smiled and gently pulled out of her grasp. “I’m glad you girls had fun. I’m beat, but if I get a second wind, you’ll be the first one to know, okay?”
Disappointment spread across her face. “You don’t wanna play?”
“Not right now. I got some shit I gotta do with the rentals. I have to look over the books.”
“Can’t you do that tomorrow?”
“No. I’m helping Smokey out at one of his jobs in the morning.” Shadow squeezed her shoulder. “Another time, okay?”
> “All right,” she said, casting her gaze around the room. “It’s your loss.” Tania walked away and made a beeline for Hubcap, who sat on a bar stool with a bottle of beer in his hand.
As Shadow watched Tania wrap her arms around the biker’s neck and then kiss him passionately, Scarlett’s lips pressed against his own flashed through his mind. Fuck!
He walked up to the bar and told the prospect he wanted a bottle of Jack. Gripping the whiskey in his hand, he walked out of the room and trudged up the stairs.
Chapter Five
“I never know what you want. You seem so restless, especially the last couple of weeks.” Warren picked up his scotch. The ice cubes clinked against the glass.
“It’s just been so hot outside,” Scarlett said as she looked out at the golf course.
“What the hell does the weather have to do with it? Except for that one day last week when the power was out, you’re always in air conditioned places.”
She shrugged and fiddled with the napkin in her lap, avoiding his gaze. What she wanted to tell him was that she was at a crossroad—a junction—in her life. Up to this point, the road she’d traveled had been straight and planned, but the moment she laid eyes on the black-haired man with the stormy gray eyes, a desire to break loose seized her. After their torrid and urgent coupling, Scarlett knew Shadow was a sudden and dangerous detour diverting her from that orderly path.
“You’re not pregnant, are you?” he asked while he motioned the waiter over for another drink. “Is that why you’ve avoided making love?”
She glanced up at him and put her fingers to her lips as a heavy sigh escaped from them. Her long hair swished around her shoulders as she shook her head no.
“Then why the hell are you freezing me out? Did I do something wrong that I don’t know about?” He reached for her hand and pressed it to his lips.
“I’m just feeling out of sorts, that’s all.” She slipped her hand out of his grasp.
“Well, see a fucking doctor. A man can only take so much, sweetheart.”
The waiter put the drink in front of him, then began to clear the empty lunch plates. “Would you like anything else?” he asked, shifting his eyes between them.