His brows furrowed and his eyes widened. “Alma? What the fuck?”
She tapped her fingers against the steering wheel. “I’m kinda in a hurry here. We don’t have any claim on each other. We had some fun. You’re free to do whatever you want with whoever you want.”
He narrowed his eyes. “And so are you. I saw you taking advantage of that last night.”
“Last night? What’re you talking about?”
“I came by and saw you on the porch. You looked pretty cozy with that dude.”
She scrunched up her face, trying to remember what she was doing on the porch. Nicholas. That’s right. “Is that why you took off?”
He shrugged. “Like you said, baby, you and I are free agents.”
Sniffing, she shook her head. “That guy was my brother, Nicholas.”
“Your brother?”
“Yeah. You should’ve stopped over. I’ve wanted you to meet him. He’s the one who’s been using.”
He ran his fingers through his long hair. “Fuck,” he said under his breath. He looked at her and smiled sheepishly. “I misunderstood the situation, just like you’re doing with Alma.”
“So she’s not your main squeeze?”
“The club girls have vicious tongues sometimes. They’re very protective of each other. I wasn’t with Alma. I haven’t been with her since I met you.”
“You mean since we slept together?”
He caught her gaze and held it, then reached out and lightly stroked her jawline with his thumb. “No. Since I met you.”
Tingles of desire teased her as warmth spread through her. “Oh.”
“Yeah, ‘oh.’ You wanna come back inside so we can talk? It’s fucking hot out here.”
She smiled and unlocked the door. “Sure.” She followed him back into the clubhouse and avoided the brothers’ gazes. A few more members were in the main room, and she noticed Lucy and Fina were sitting at a table, shooting daggers at her. “I really should get going. I’ve got a bunch of work waiting for me at the office.”
“Let’s have a quick drink. I wanna tell you I’m fucking stoked about Chenoa being able to live with me. You ran out so damn fast I didn’t have a chance to tell you that. I know you’re the reason the department changed their minds.” He picked her up and set her on the stool, then settled himself between her legs. He stroked her cheek. “You went to bat for me. You had my back. When I first met you, I figured you were just like all the others who fucked me over with Chenoa. I was wrong.” He put his hand on the back of her neck and tugged her to him, then kissed her tenderly.
The gentleness of his kiss fueled by his unassuming words sent the pit of her stomach into a wild swirl. She opened her eyes and peered over his shoulder, suddenly becoming self-conscious at all the gazes fixed on her and Steel. Pulling away a bit, she cleared her throat. “You’re going to have to move out of the clubhouse.”
“Why’d you pull away from me, baby?” He drew her close to him again. “Don’t bother with being shy. The brothers don’t give a fuck, they’re just bored, and the club girls will back off now that they see you’re my woman.” His mouth captured hers and his tongue slid in, sending shivers of desire racing through her.
“Am I your woman?” she mumbled between kisses.
“All the way. You good with that?” His mouth brushed against hers as he spoke.
“I’m more than good with that.” She looped her arms around him and kissed him deeply, glad she was sitting as a lightness spread through her body, mingling with a heat that radiated through her chest. I’m Steel’s woman. She cracked open her eyelids and noticed that the men had gone back to talking among themselves and the club girls had left. “I really do have to go. I can’t blow off work, even though I want to in the worst way.”
“We gotta go up to my room so I can claim you the way a man should,” he said, his hot breath fanning over her face.
She grimaced and kissed his chin. “You’re so bad, tempting me like that, but I do have to go. I have a meeting I can’t miss. When’re you going to find a rental?”
“Today. I’ll come to your place tonight. Does seven work?” She nodded. “I can’t wait to claim you, baby.” He helped her off the barstool and gave her ass a swat. “A preview for tonight,” he said when she opened her mouth to protest. He gave her a quick peck on the lips and then walked her to her car. He opened the door for her and, as she slipped in, said, “Being my woman means we’re only with each other.”
She smiled. “I know. I’ll see you later tonight.” She drove away and kept glancing in her rearview mirror. He stood in the same spot watching her. She turned down the small road and he disappeared from her sight.
I’m Steel’s woman and he’s my man. Her body buzzed as she said the words over and over again in her head. The enormity of it covered her like a warm blanket.
Best day ever!
Chapter Twenty-One
Joel coughed and sneezed as he reached for his fifth tissue from her Kleenex box on her desk. “This is bullshit,” he muttered as he blew his nose.
“I keep telling you it’s freezing cold in here, but Janet and I are the only ones who think so.”
“It’s not the cold. It’s the fucking desert heat. It kills me.”
“It does take some time to get used to it. I’m from here so it doesn’t bother me, but you’re from Kansas where it’s a lot more humid. I remember going to Dodge City to a biker rally with my mom and dad. It was the only trip we ever took as a family. Anyway, it was in the summer and was so humid that I could hardly breathe. I guess it’s just what you’re used to.”
“Your story doesn’t help with my fucking stuffy head. Anyway, I’ve put in for a transfer. I’m sick of feeling miserable all summer long.”
“I didn’t know.”
“I also applied for some federal positions. I just need a change.” Joel grabbed another tissue. “We got that inane meeting. We better get going.”
Janet came by Breanna’s cubicle. “You guys headed over to the meeting?”
“Yeah. Poor Joel’s miserable with allergies.” Breanna pushed her chair from her desk.
“And the fucking dryness this state is famous for.” Joel walked in front of them.
“Everyone I know is sick with that head and respiratory stuff. It’s crazy. Seems like you and I are the only ones clearheaded.” Janet laughed.
“I keep saying it’s all this AC. I turn it off at night. If I don’t, then I get a sore throat.”
“So you just sweat all night?” Joel opened the door to the meeting room.
“I have an attic fan. The nights are cool for the most part, so it works nicely.”
“I want to get one of those,” Janet said.
“You’re both pathetic,” Joel growled as he took his seat at the table. Breanna and Janet followed suit.
During the meeting with Special Agents Raley and Powers, Breanna kept replaying Steel’s words “You’re my woman” over and over in her mind. His growly voice, his heated eyes, and his sensuous lips when he told her that would forever be seared in her memory. Each time she thought about it, her stomach fluttered and her nerves tingled. She couldn’t believe that she was his and he was hers.
“Do you have anything to add?” Raley’s voice broke in on her daydreaming.
“What? Uh… no, not really,” she replied, as she felt her face and neck redden.
“Do you even know what we’re talking about?” Raley asked.
She glanced around the room. Joel rolled his eyes, Powers leafed through a code book, and Janet looked at her with an “oh shit” expression on her face. Breanna swallowed. “The EBT cards?”
“Good guess. Did the agents being in the room tip you off?” Joel said as picked up a bottled water.
She frowned at him. What the fuck is his problem? Is he trying to get me in trouble? Ignoring him, she turned to Raley. “I’m sorry, I did zone out for a few minutes. I have this bad headache and it’s just throbbing.”
Raley sm
iled. “It’s okay. I know it’s damn hot in here, but a freezer in your offices. Not sure what’s going on with the AC. I called the repair guy, but he hasn’t shown up.”
“No worries,” Agent Powers said. “We were just asking if any one of you have any names you could give us of suspicious persons. You know the reservation a lot better than we do.”
“Have you looked closely at Roy’s Market? It’s a small grocery store a couple of miles from the rez, but the prices are unusually high. A lot of the Natives go there because they don’t have cars and the store is close. Those types of markets tend to be more expensive, but that one is unduly high. It’s way higher than the small convenience store that’s attached to the gas station on the rez.”
“Who runs the store?” Raley asked as he popped open his can of Dr. Pepper.
“A guy named Roy Eldridge. He lives on the reservation,” she replied.
Powers raised his brows. “Really? I didn’t know he lived here.”
“You know him?” she asked.
“Not really. I’ve stopped at the market to pick up some stuff before coming to work. Nothing big. Just pop and sandwiches. I did think the prices were high, but it seemed typical for those types of markets.”
“Is he Navajo?” Raley asked.
“No, but he has permission from the tribe to live on the rez. He’s living with a woman who’s Navajo,” she answered.
“He sort of gives me the creeps,” Janet said in a tentative voice. All eyes turned to her. “Maybe I’m wrong. I don’t know.”
Breanna smiled when she saw the woman’s face turn beet red. Her coworker lacked confidence, and people generally made her nervous. Breanna was surprised she was a social worker, a totally people-oriented field. “He gives me the creeps too.” Janet smiled at her.
“Maybe he’s a lech with women,” Joel added after yawning loudly.
“We’ll check him out. Thanks, Breanna,” said Agent Raley. “Anyone else?” When no one answered, he cleared his throat. “That’ll do it. Keep sending us the reports on lost or stolen cards.”
Breanna walked to the office and Janet came up beside her. “Thanks for backing me up,” she said.
“No prob. Roy does give me the creeps.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “And I wouldn’t be surprised if he was involved in all this. I mean, two dollars for a twelve-ounce can of Diet Coke? Something’s not right.”
“I know,” Janet said. “It’s good you spoke up. At least the agents will look into it.”
“You women really give a shit about all this, don’t you?” Joel came over to them and leaned against the doorframe.
“I’m not up for another discussion about whether or not EBT fraud is a victimless crime. I’ve got a ton of work to do before five o’clock.” Breanna went behind her desk.
“Me too. That’s why that meeting was just bullshit and a waste of time. When they start paying me overtime, then I won’t give a damn about how the department wants to waste my time. But until then, I’m going to resent like hell these fuckin’ meetings.” He walked away.
“Do you think he has an opinion on food stamp fraud?” Janet asked. She busted out laughing and Breanna joined her.
At five o’clock, Breanna turned off her computer and rubbed her eyes. She hated sitting all day at the screen, as it killed her eyes, neck, and shoulders. She wished she could afford to get a massage; it would be divine to have someone rub out all the kinks of a desk job.
When she got home, she quickly cleaned up her place, took a shower, and slipped on a pink jean skirt and an ivory crop top. She made sure to put on her new white sheer bra and thong. A few spritzes of her favorite perfume and she was ready for Steel.
Standing in front of the open freezer, she surveyed the selection of frozen dinners. Something tells me he isn’t a frozen dinner type of guy. She groaned audibly and slammed the freezer door shut. For the past several years she’d wanted to take cooking classes, but the nearest community college was an hour away, and she didn’t have the time to make the commute. She watched cooking shows all the time, but living alone hardly gave her any incentive to try and prepare elaborate dishes.
She went over to one of the drawers near the stove and took out six take-out menus, but nothing grabbed her. She sighed and decided pizza was the easiest, so she pulled out the flyer and set it on the kitchen table.
A few minutes before seven, she heard the roar of his cams as he burst onto her street. Her stomach did flip-flops. It was crazy, but she was so damn nervous to see him. What if he tells me he changed his mind? What if he was just trying to teach those club girls who’s boss?
The ring of her doorbell made her jump. I act like I’m fourteen and this is my first date with the boy I’ve been crushing on. Totally pathetic.
She smoothed her hair down and opened the door. Her gaze traveled over him, taking in his tight jeans, his snug crotch, the dancing ink on magnificently sculpted arms, the muscle shirt molded to his firm chest, his beautiful hair, his silver and turquoise feather earrings, and his rugged face. She swung open the screen door and fell into his arms, kissing him passionately.
“Nice way to greet your man, woman.” He nuzzled his face in the crook of her neck and inhaled deeply. “Your scent is intoxicating.” He scooped her up and stepped inside, kicking the door closed.
She buried her face in his chest as he marched her to the bedroom and laid her on the bed. “And what do you think you’re doing?” she asked as she watched him kick off his boots and strip off his clothes. His erection was obvious.
He got on the bed and hovered over her. “Claiming you the right way.” He crushed his mouth over hers, plunging his tongue deep inside. As they kissed, his hands roamed over her curves and under her skirt, searing her flesh. Each touch inflamed her arousal even more; by the time he’d taken off her clothes except for the thong, she was burning with need and desire.
“Are you on birth control?” he said against her inner thighs.
“Yes. Are you clean? Have you been tested?”
“I’m good, baby. I want to take you raw and feel every inch of you around my cock.”
She pulled his hair and squirmed. The way he was touching, licking, and biting her thighs and belly was driving her crazy. Each time he came near her throbbing clit he’d back away, biting and licking everything around it. He was teasing her to a frenzy. “I can’t wait to feel all of you too.”
For the next two hours, her life was suspended in rapture as Steel claimed every part of her, marking her as his woman. The love bites over her breasts and belly would be doozies by the following day, and she was pretty sure her ass would be red from his erotically charged spanks and bites. She’d never experienced such intense lovemaking as she did with him, and she couldn’t get enough of it. She was addicted to him, and she didn’t want it any other way.
As she lay in his arms, bubbles of joy fizzed through her, and she realized for the first time in her life she was truly happy. Her happiness took her by surprise; it was light as a feather, bright as a beam of sunlight. It was a foreign feeling to her, and this rough biker had made it happen. She looked up at him and kissed his Adam’s apple. He lowered his head and pulled her up to him, kissing her gently. “I love you. You’re the only woman who has conquered my heart, soul, and body.”
She clutched his waist. “And I love you. I’ve never trusted a man enough to let love into my life until you. I felt a pull toward you from the first time I saw you.”
“I felt the same pull even though I fought it, but all along you’ve been the woman who was destined for me.”
They held each other in a comfortable silence as the lingering light was obliterated by the rapidly falling night. A tangy, earthy scent filled the room from their arousal, and they lay sated, their legs tangled together as she watched the shimmering stars emerge from the passing clouds. Aside from the occasional hoot of a hidden owl, a loud grumble was the only sound to permeate the silence.
A low chuckle made his skin vib
rate against her cheek. “Are you hungry?”
She pushed against her stomach, trying to stop the noises. “I thought we could order a pizza and watch a movie. Does that sound good?”
He twirled her tendrils around his finger. “Whatever you want. I’m happy eating you.”
She giggled. “Should I order it now?”
He rolled her on top of him. “We’ll order it in an hour.”
She bent her head down and they kissed hungrily as a cool breeze sifted in through the window.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The man stubbed out his cigarette in the overflowing ashtray, then tilted the chair back and crossed his hands over his stomach. “Pretty fucking stupid to sell to the president of an outlaw MC. What the hell were you thinking?”
“How the fuck did I know the asshole had a daughter living on the reservation? I didn’t even know he was Injun.”
“Now you do. What a mess.”
The young man with white-blond hair shook his head. “I told Dustin about it. He said the fuckin’ Insurgents are snooping around, trying to find out where the shit’s coming from. He wants to cool it for a while until things die down.”
The man scowled at him. “And how the fuck am I supposed to make money? I paid a lot of money for a product that I can’t sell. That won’t do.”
The short, blond-haired guy wiped his mouth with his hand. He’d been drooling and it repulsed the distributor. He was beyond angry at the inept MC who’d been privy to the smack operation. He’d told Dustin to just leave it to him, but he’d insisted on bringing in the group of punks—something about owing them or some shit like that. All he knew was his operation was in jeopardy, and he wasn’t ready to call it quits by a long shot.
“Maybe you could set up shop in another county. One that’s not controlled by the Night Rebels.”
The man’s fingers itched to be around the young idiot’s throat. He wanted him out of his sight; he was irritating the fuck out of him, and the urge to strangle him was intensifying. “Maybe you could shut the fuck up.”
STEEL: Night Rebels Motorcycle Club (Night Rebels MC Romance Book 1) Page 19