by Tess Oliver
He didn’t answer right away. “I’m going to make it so, Angel.” He lifted my chin. “Nothing will ever come between us again. I’ll make sure of it.”
An inviting mist floated up from the shower stall, coating the mirror and the fixtures with a silky layer of condensation. We stepped inside the shower, and Luke’s arms snaked around my waist. Our bodies pressed together, always a perfect fit. The warm water trickled down over our heads as he lowered his mouth to kiss me.
“Hmm,” I said, “I’m feeling much warmer already.”
Luke’s hands smoothed over my breasts and his thumbs drew circles around my taut nipples. After being so damn cold, the steamy water and his soothing touch felt like heaven. His mouth trailed along my neck and shoulder. I reached down and took hold of his erect cock and tucked it between my legs. He groaned in pleasure.
His touch warmed my skin more, and the lingering chill disappeared. The wild sudden storm, the crazy morning chasing my horse, my even crazier previous life and grandfather, all of it melted away with the feel of Luke’s hands on me, the hands of the man I loved to the point that he never left my thoughts. Not even for a second.
The narrow shower required creativity, and some contortionist skills were necessary. At first I tried to hook my leg around his waist, but there just wasn’t enough room for his muscular arms to go around me without his elbows smacking fixtures or soap racks. But the urgent need kept us persistent.
I turned to the back of the shower and braced my hands against the smooth tile. I jutted my bottom out toward him, and he took hold of my hips and drew me toward him. He had to crouch down some but that didn’t stop him. A tiny cry squeaked from my throat as he plunged into my waiting pussy. His hand slipped down in front of me and between my legs where he deftly massaged my clit.
I pushed harder against the wall to meet his almost punishing thrusts. Steam seemed to rise off our naked skin, mingling with the opaque, hot moisture in the shower. I stifled a scream on my arm as I climaxed around the urgent motion of his cock. Then his hand left my clit and his fingers ground into my hips as he held me against him. He pulled out and his deep moan echoed off the tile wall. His grip on me loosened and his hands slid across my belly. He pulled me back against his chest. “Has all the cold been washed away?” he asked.
“What cold?”
Chapter 2
Luke
Angel and I had finally pried ourselves away from each other long enough to get dressed. If it hadn’t been for the hunger pains in my stomach, I could have just as easily skipped going to lunch and stayed in bed with her all day.
We finally emerged from the bedroom and I was almost surprised that Gage hadn’t just left without us. My brother wasn’t really the type to wait for anyone. Jericho stood behind Gage as he fished for something in the hall closet. The bright yellow rain slickers, still dry and cozy, filled one side of the space. Gage yanked out a coat and tossed it to Jericho, who nearly dropped a crutch in his effort to snatch it from the air.
“You didn’t bring a coat?” I asked Jericho.
“Only my cut and Gage said they’re not allowed in the Raven’s Nest.”
Gage pulled out another coat and yanked it onto his shoulders. “Ten years ago, two different clubs ended up in the Nest at the same time. They tore things up pretty badly inside, so rather than ban club members, Russell just told them they had to leave their cuts outside.”
“Are there a lot of clubs out this way?” Angel asked.
Gage shook his head. “Nah, most of the time it’s just bikes riding through. You don’t have to worry, Angel, you’ve got three of us around to protect you.” He motioned toward Jericho. “Even Tiny Tim, over here, could probably knock someone senseless with one of those crutches.” He patted his stomach and looked at me. “After what must have been the world’s longest shower session, I’m starved.”
I took hold of Angel’s hand. “Yeah, well, we were really, really cold.”
“Please stop,” Jericho said. “Those of us who have been forced into involuntary celibacy do not want to hear about your shower escapades.”
We walked outside. The storm had left as quickly as it had arrived, leaving behind emerald green pastures and tiny diamonds of water on every leaf and branch. Even the mountains looked bluer, as if the heavy downpour had washed away layers of dust from their surfaces. The air was thick with the scent of rainwater, pine and grass.
I sat in the back with Angel. Jericho dropped his crutches in the bed and hopped along the side of the truck to the front seat. There was a glint of sadness in Angel’s eyes as she watched him make his way to the door.
“He’ll be fine,” I said. “He’s actually moving pretty well considering it hasn’t been all that long.”
She nodded and then turned her face out the window. “Still can’t believe Dreygon did that. He’s always loved Jericho. Sometimes, it seemed he loved him more than me.”
Jericho slid in and heard the tail end of Angel’s comment. “Who loved who more?”
“Never mind, Richo. Not every conversation is about you,” Angel said.
Gage climbed into the truck. He turned back to Angel. “I checked on Chance. He looks pretty sore, and his fetlock feels hot, but I think if he’s confined to his stall for a few days, he should be fine.”
“Thanks for looking at him.”
Gage turned back around and started the truck. “It’s just a good thing he was smart enough not to panic once his leg got stuck. Could’ve been a lot worse. I guess he thought he’d been hobbled.”
“If he’d been truly smart, he wouldn’t have gotten stuck in the first place,” Angel said.
We headed off the ranch and out onto the main road. Rainwater had left deep trenches along each side of the two lane stretch of highway. But now that the sun had returned, the landscape was teeming with life. Two hawks circled above a patchy meadow, looking for burrowing animals that’d been flooded out of their homes. Jericho sat forward as we passed our old motocross track. Wind, rain and nonuse had flattened most of the jumps.
He turned back with enthusiasm. “Is that—” Jericho began.
“Yep,” I answered recognizing the MX gleam in his eye, a gleam I knew too well. “It’s not as impressive as yours. It used to look much better though.” I looked at my brother. “I guess you haven’t been out there for awhile.”
“No time and no one to race.”
“Well, I think you’ve got a few willing competitors now,” I said. “When you’re up to it, Jericho—”
He looked back at me. “Oh, I’m up for it. You just put a bike under my ass, and I’m up for it. This leg won’t stop me from spitting dirt in your face, Reno.”
“You’re on.”
The conversation and Jericho’s enthusiasm to ride despite his injury put a smile back on Angel’s face.
“The bikes are going to need some maintenance,” Gage said. “I drained the old gasoline a long time ago, but they need oil changes and new air filters.”
“We can do that,” I said.
We turned off onto the road that led to the Raven’s Nest. The small uneven lot was filled with trucks and jeeps. Russell, the man who’d owned the place, had come from a long line of loggers. His grandfather had been one of the first to join in a strike against the industry. Back then, the men lived in squalid, lice infested camps during logging season, and the work was back breaking and deadly. Russell had worked at a time when the horrid camps and measly pay had been replaced by better equipment and enough pay for a man to keep his family fed. But no matter the innovations and improvements in work conditions, logging still always topped the list of most dangerous jobs. Russell had bought the Raven’s Nest after he’d lost half his foot. He’d always claimed that the broken chain slicing off his foot had been the best damn thing that had ever happened to him. I hadn’t been
to the Nest in a few years, but the atmosphere was always casual and the food was always good.
“I guess everyone else had the same idea once work was cancelled.” Gage parked and looked back at Angel. “I apologize in advance for the behavior of my coworkers.”
Luke smiled at me. “Just imagine walking into an eighteenth century bar on the Caribbean after Blackbeard and his mates have come in from a month at sea, pillaging and plundering. Only replace the scent of salt and rum with the smell of beer and freshly cut timber. But there will be no difference in manners.”
“Yes, because I grew up in a posh household where everyone always said thank you and please.” Sometimes, it seemed, Luke forgot my sordid roots. Not sure how it was possible since my grandfather was the king of it all.
“Yeah, I guess it won’t be too shocking for you.”
We headed inside. The crush of warm bodies, after coming in from the brisk air, had managed to produce its own manmade cloud of beer, sweat and manly aftershave. The lighting inside came from hundreds of tiny bulbs that stuck up out of deer antlers. Most of the little bulbs were usually broken, and on a cloudy day, the interior of the Nest was as dark as a cave. The massive room was a maze of thick polished oak, rustic tile and dark green fake leather. Not much, if anything, had changed since I’d last been there.
My brother’s head stuck up above most of the others.
“Hey, Barringer,” someone called out. “We were wonderin’ where you were.”
The other men had always treated Gage with an air of respect that he hadn’t really ever worked to earn. They just knew him as the man who was always honest, who took no shit from anyone, and who could pop an arm out of a shoulder socket in an arm wrestling match using only a sliver of his strength. Fortunately, very few people had been foolish enough to challenge him after his last traumatized opponent.
Angel saw the restroom sign and pointed toward it. “I’ll be right back.” She pushed through the crowd and I watched her. The second one of the other men stopped her to introduce himself, my fists clenched along with my jaw.
Gage sensed my tension immediately. He glanced in the direction that my eyes were glued. “Cool it, Luke. They saw you come in with her. They’re just being friendly.”
Angel laughed at something the guy said and then continued on toward the restroom. “She knows how to take care of herself,” Gage added. “So don’t be a dick.”
I scrubbed my hair back, something that I’d always done to cool my head when it needed to be cooled. “Fuck you, Gage. You don’t know what we’ve been through. In fact, it’s still not over.”
“Her grandfather isn’t here today, so you can relax. She’ll be fine. She’s not going anywhere. Angel never takes her eyes off of you. The two of you are so attached, it almost worries me.”
I looked at him.
“I’ve just never seen you this wrapped up in a girl before. Maybe it’s just envy on my part. Can’t even imagine what it would be like.”
I shook some of the tension out of my shoulders. “I wasn’t ready for it either. But trust me, you’ll know when it happens.”
“If it happens,” Gage added.
Jericho was garnering a lot of attention with his crutches and because he was Jericho. Rita, a woman who had worked at the Raven’s Nest since I could remember, came over with her order pad. She always wore crazy rhinestone clips in her short red hair. Today’s adornment was a flashy red and green dragonfly.
She clucked her tongue as she looked down at Jericho’s leg. “You poor baby. Let’s get y’all to a table.” It took her a second glance to recognize me. “Luke, right? Haven’t seen you in these parts in awhile. Where’s Seth?”
“Underwater somewhere, I imagine,” I said.
She looked around. “What about your friend? The one with the great smile?”
Gage stepped in to answer. “Uh, we lost Dex. He was on official business, and he got shot.”
Her face dropped. “Oh, I’m so sorry.” She put her hand on my arm. “I know you two were real close.”
She led us to a booth that was just being cleared. Several other patrons tried to snag it first, but she shooed them away. “We’ve got a young man on crutches.” She sidled up next to Jericho and pinched his cheek. “And if he isn’t the finest damn young man that’s crossed that threshold in a long while . . .”
Jericho slid into the booth with a satisfied smile.
Gage slid in too.
I glanced toward the restrooms. There was no sign of Angel yet. “I’m going to go over there and wait for her so she knows where we’re sitting.” The excuse sounded even lamer after I’d said it. Gage’s eye roll was deserved, but it still pissed me off. I got up and walked away.
“We need to get you a hat that says ‘I’m a dick’ on the crown,” Gage called to me.
I raised my middle finger up in the air and continued on, even knowing full well that my brother was right. I reached the small hallway just as Angel came out of the ladies’ room.
Her eyes rounded. “Were you waiting for me?”
“I guess.” I was feeling slightly embarrassed at my possessiveness, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself. “We’re at a booth. Jericho’s already got Rita, the senior waitress on staff, wrapped around his finger, and he didn’t have to say a word.”
“Not surprising.”
It wasn’t easy, and it took all my control, but I didn’t hold her hand or any part of her as we walked back through the maze of patrons. Angel walked in front of me, and the line of men sipped their beers and watched her stroll past. One of them, a man with a full beard and handlebar moustache reached out and grabbed her hand. “We hardly ever get pretty new faces to talk to in this place,” he said.
I squeezed between him and Angel, and his moustache twitched in anger. “You’ll have to wait for another pretty face then,” I said.
The short, curt conversation caught the attention of some of the other men standing nearby. Angel grabbed my hand and yanked me through the crowd toward the booth. She wasn’t happy with me, and I wasn’t feeling too good about myself either. She didn’t stop at the table but kept pulling me along until we were outside of the restaurant.
“I’m sorry, Angel. I know I’m being an asshole.”
She trudged through the lot without responding or looking back. We reached the truck. She released my hand but she still hadn’t looked at me. She gazed out at the open fields across the way for a long moment and then turned to me. Her teal-blue gaze held every emotion, and it was hard to know what she was thinking.
I opened my mouth to speak, but she pressed her finger against my lips. Then she leaned her body against mine and placed her palm against my face. “Luke, I don’t want to be some possession that you feel you have to protect to the point that no one else can look at or talk to me. I grew up with that. My grandfather would have stuck me in an iron cage and tossed food scraps inside, if he’d thought he could have gotten away with it.”
“I’m sorry, Angel. I don’t mean to be so obsessive, but I- I can’t stand the thought of ever losing you. Being with you has made me crazy with greed. I don’t want to share you with anyone. I don’t want to share you with the world. I want you all to myself.”
She kissed me unexpectedly. “You have me all to yourself. There’s no one out there that means as much to me. You know that, right? You know that I’m just as crazy about you. But I don’t want to have to worry about you starting a damn fist fight any time a guy blinks in my direction.” She kissed me again. “So stop it, O.K.?”
“I will try my hardest,” I said.
She looked a little disappointed at my response.
“That’s all I can do. I can’t promise, but I’m going to try and keep my fists unfurled and my jealous rage to a low roar.” I ran my fingers along her arm. “Besides, this isn’t my fa
ult. It’s yours.”
She leaned back. “And why is it my fault?”
I pulled her to me. “If you weren’t so fucking unbelievable, I wouldn’t be so nuts about you, and I wouldn’t spend every goddamn minute watching you or touching you or thinking about you.” She relaxed in my arms again and I kissed her. “And if I weren’t weak with hunger, I’d drag you into the back of that truck and slide off those panties right now,” I said.
“Well, at least you’re always consistent,” she said. “I’m starved too. Let’s go inside, and try and tamp down some of that testosterone, all right?”
“Check.”
We walked back inside and met a puzzled look from Gage and Jericho. Angel scooted into the booth. Gaze looked at both of us. “Do I even want to know where you’ve been?”
“Told you so,” Jericho quipped.
Angel laughed. “That’s right, we did it right there on the hood of the truck.”
Gage’s eyes rounded.
“Hey, Mr. Gullible,” I said, “did you order lunch yet?”
He nodded. “Sure did. Jericho and I are having steaks. Don’t know what you two are having. You didn’t leave any instructions on your way past the table.”
Rita came back with some water. “There you are, Luke.” She winked at Angel. “So you’re the pretty new face that everyone’s talking about.” She pulled out her notepad. “What’ll you have?”
“Chicken salad sandwich,” Angel said.
I motioned toward Gage and Jericho. “I’ll have what these two are having.”
“Great. Food shouldn’t take too long. Most of these guys will be clearing out of here soon. Their pockets are empty, and their bellies are full.”
Two men stopped at the table. One was the guy with the twitchy moustache. “So, Rita says this is your brother, eh Gage?” he asked.
“Yep. Luke, this is Sam.”
“Should have figured he was a Barringer.” I had no idea whether the comment was a compliment or an insult, but Gage’s face seemed to be leaning toward insult. “See you at work tomorrow.”