by Jordan Marie
“You cut the club out of all of your decisions,” he says in all seriousness, looking at Skull. So much for listening to me. Katie elbows him.
“I said this wasn’t happening right now,” I growl, not caring if I do sound like a mama bear.
“The club had a traitor. I didn’t know who I could trust,” Skull answers, ignoring me. I sigh and sit back down in the chair by the bed realizing he’s not going to listen to anything I say. None of them are right now.
“How did you even know the club had a traitor?”
“It was the last thing Pistol told me,” Skull answers Torch, looking even more tired.
“And you trusted that fucker over any of us?” Briar asks.
“He wanted protection for his sister. He knew I was ending him. I was his last chance to save his sister.”
“So he gave you the info he had? Why didn’t he just tell you the traitor’s name?” Sabre asks.
“He died before he could.”
“Funny how the traitor turned out to be the one person you brought in instead of your brothers—who busted their asses to save you. Especially since you decided to go off half-cocked and face the assholes alone,” Briar says. I hold my head down and hope this blows over soon.
“Pistol was a member. I had no reason to think that there wasn’t another one of my brothers out there with a knife ready to do me in.”
“Pistol was a fucking problem you should have taken care of long ago,” Sabre says.
“Yeah, and some of you motherfuckers were fucking close to him. I had reasons for not going to you for everything and if I had it to do over again, I still would.”
“You mean me,” Briar growls.
“I figured you were the most likely, but I couldn’t be sure it wasn’t Shaft, Latch, or any of you guys.”
“Jesus Christ eating cheese biscuits, you’ve been fucked up about this that long?”
Skull doesn’t bother replying to Torch.
“You’re the club’s president. Kind of hard to be our leader if you think we want to kill you,” Sabre growls.
Skull closes his eyes and when he opens them, I see so much in his eyes that it physically hurts me. Anger, frustration, sadness… it’s all there. My man has been carrying a load heavier than I even knew.
“I don’t want to be.”
“Be what?” Torch asks, and I know he sees the pain in Skull’s eyes. He would, above all of them, because they are the closest.
“The fucking president,” answers Skull. “I don’t want the job. I’m tired. It’s cost me too fucking much.”
“Skull,” I gasp before I can stop myself.
“I’m serious, mi cielo. If I was just someone who walked up to you that day, none of this would have happened.”
“What a crock of shit! That’s the biggest load of bull I’ve ever heard in my life,” Torch says.
“He’s right. This has more to do with my family than it ever had to do with you,” I tell him.
“Possibly, but me being the president of Devil’s Blaze sure didn’t fucking help matters.”
“I get it. It’s hard carrying the weight of a president. Each decision is life or death for our brothers. It’s exhausting.” The words come from Tucker.
“You’re being stupid. This club is…”
“Draining,” says Beast, cutting in. “It’s hard to keep yourself breathing, let alone other men, because sometimes there’s nothing you can do to save anyone… least of all yourself.”
The room goes quiet, all eyes moving to the tall mountain who is so somber and quiet now that it’s hard to reconcile him with the laughing man I once knew. His beard and hair have grown until I’m not sure what is beneath them anymore.
“Brother,” Torch starts.
“I know exactly how he feels because every day I fight to keep from leaving the club and not looking back.”
“You want free?” asks Skull.
“I want to be alone. Maybe not forever, but then again, maybe so. I can’t sleep without remembering. I’m tired.”
“It’s my fault…”
“It’s not. I should have gotten rid of Jan ages ago. I could have taken my baby and kicked her out. It’s on my shoulders, not yours, boss.”
The room is thick with emotion. I war with myself, but in the end I push forward.
“I like being the president’s old lady.”
“You what?” Skull asks, shocked.
“I like being the old lady to a president,” I repeat. “My father was a president, so it’s in my blood.”
“What are you saying?”
“I don’t want you to step down. I like our life. I like our club. I want Gabby to grow up being surrounded by a bunch of men ready to lay their lives down for her. I like having my sister close and a brother-in-law in the club. I like it all. Everything about it… and I don’t want to give that up.”
“Mi cielo…”
“I’m a Devil’s Blaze badass biker chick. My old man is the president, and I like it. It’s in my blood. It’s who I am.”
“Mierda,” Skull says, but I see relief in his eyes.
“Well, at least your woman has balls,” Briar says, still upset at being thought a traitor, I’m sure.
“She gets them from her dad,” Tucker says with a laugh, but when I look up at him, all I see is pride. I’ve never had that before. It feels really good.
“Skull! Put me down! You’ve only been out of the hospital for a week!”
“I’m fine, mi cielo. More than fine, and I need my woman.”
“Skull! It’s too soon! You almost died!”
“Las tonterías! It’s been too long, Beth,” I tell her as we make it to the door of our room. Once we get through it, I kick it shut with my foot.
“But your stitches….”
“Will be fine. I’m going to be using my dick, not my back,” I tell her, letting her gently down to the floor.
“Got it all planned out, do you?” she asks, but she’s smiling at me.
“All except one thing, mi amor.”
“I’m almost afraid to ask,” she admits.
“I can’t figure out why you have so many clothes on,” I tell her, grinning. I’m already taking my cut off, lying it on a chair.
“What if I’ve decided not to have sex again until we’re married?” she asks not-so-innocently. I would have a fucking heart attack, but I see her sliding her sundress off her shoulders.
Since that night we uncovered her scars together, she’s taken to wearing her sundresses again—at least around the club. Eventually, I’ll make sure she’s comfortable enough with who she is to wear them anywhere; I’ve made that my mission.
“Mi cielo, I’ll give you the world, but do not ask me to wait to fuck you, because that is not happening.”
“I want a big wedding,” she says. I do my best to hide my smile, although I’m pretty sure I fail.
“If you must, mi amor.”
“You and the men have to wear white coat tails,” she adds mischievously.
“Black,” I bargain, but in truth, if she demanded white, I’d bust my ass to make sure it happens. She doesn’t know it, but I’m going to bust my ass to make her feel like a princess.
“I can work with that.” She smiles.
“I can’t speak for Torch, though. You know how that son of a bitch is,” I tell her as I pull my shirt over my head.
Her dress slides down her body, pooling at her feet. Standing there with her hair down in nothing but her pale pink bra and a tiny lace scrap of fabric shielding her pussy from me, she has never been more breathtaking. I forget about everything, especially her insecurities. I must have stared too long because I hear the fear in her voice when she says my name.
“Skull?”
“You’re so fucking beautiful, mi cielo. I’m a lucky bastard.” On cue, tears spring from her eyes.
“I’m the lucky one, my love,” she whispers.
My Beth, so tender she cries at the drop of a hat, but her spi
ne is as strong as the finest steel.
“I don’t know about that, but you’re about to get lucky,” I joke with her, trying to shake off the seriousness that has intruded on our play. Beth has had too much of that. She needs laughter… and my cock. I undo my pants, shove them down, then quickly step out of them, too impatient to take it slowly. I’ve gone too long without her and I can’t wait any longer.
Beth is staring at my cock, which is rock hard and leaning towards her like the greedy fucker he is. He knows where he belongs and just where he will find heaven.
I take him in my hand, stroking him slowly. “See something you like?” I ask her.
She looks up at me, those fucking eyes that grabbed hold of me that first day and never let me go are dark with passion. Her tongue comes out and licks her lips.
“Always,” she whispers, and that one word wraps around me, settles inside, and sends heat down my spine and my dick throbs. Mierda!
I pull her to me, taking her mouth hard and fast. She’s right there with me, her tongue pushing into my mouth, tangling with mine as I swallow her groan of submission. I guide her back to the dresser, pushing the things on it out of the way. I lean her over it, letting her slap her palms down on the wood to brace herself. I step back to enjoy the view of her ass sticking out towards me. The creamy white cheeks peek out of the silky pink material. I can’t resist squeezing the fleshy mounds hard, pulling them apart roughly.
“Skull,” she gasps.
Pale red blooms on her white skin against my fingers, outlining where I’m holding her. It almost matches the material she’s wearing. Material that annoys me.
I grab the ends with both hands and rip it from her body.
“I liked that pair!” she protests. “It’s one of the last ones I have! Now I won’t have any to put back on…”
“Now that sounds like a fucking plan,” I growl, thrusting one finger into her pussy without warning.
“Oh, fuck!” she cries.
I love when I can make that sweet voice go dirty. Her pussy hugs my finger tight, sucking it inside her body greedily.
“Yes,” she moans when I take it out and then thrust a second one back in.
“You need something, mi amor?”
“You… Always you,” she moans, as my fingers thrust inside of her again. I pull them apart, stretching her tight little hole. My dick is dripping, demanding his turn. I slowly take my fingers out, pushing them up to slide against her swollen clit. Her whole body shudders in reaction. I rake across it again, pushing hard when I finish, her head reeling down in pleasure.
“God, mi cielo, you’re always so ready for me. I can barely hold back long enough to prime you.”
“Then don’t!” she urges. “I need you inside of me!”
I shift so my hand reaches around her now so I can keep playing with her clit. I let my other hand slide under her to thrust two inside. I keep up the dual pleasure, letting her ride my fingers while I work her clit until she’s riding me hard and fast.
“Skull, oh fuck… Sweetheart, I’m going to come. I’m going to…”
She can’t finish the sentence as she cries out in a long, loud whine of noise as her body quakes in climax. I hold my fingers on her clit still, just applying pressure while I continue thrusting inside of her with my others. I let her ride it out, and just when I think she’s about to come back down, I take away my fingers, line up my cock, and drive home hard. She cries out all over again, but this time, my groans of pleasure are louder. I pump into her hard and fast. My balls are already tight and I know this is going to be a fucking quick ride.
I manipulate her clit and angle my thrusts, letting my dick hit her G-spot, grinding into her. I can feel my cock swelling even larger, stretching her trembling walls. Just before I go over the edge, I pinch her clit, pushing her into her climax with me.
“Skull!” she cries, the sound of her voice so beautiful as I unload jets of cum deep into her, bathing her insides.
When it’s over, we stay pressed together, her back to my front. I reach up and take her bra off, wrapping my arms around her so I can hold her breasts in my hands.
“Mierda! One day soon, I will manage to hold out fucking you until you’re completely undressed.”
“You don’t hear me complaining…” she says, her voice hoarse and her breathing choppy.
“Si, but it was ill-done of me. Time to make it up to you.”
“Oh, fuck….”
“Did I tell you, mi amor, how much I love it when you curse?” I whisper in her ear, right before I carry her to bed.
Time for round two.
One Month Later
I was starting to think this day wouldn’t happen, but finally I get to make Beth completely mine. Today, on Gabby’s third birthday, we’re finally going to be a family.
We’re getting married at the spot that reminds me of where Beth and I made love in Georgia. I had a dock built just for the occasion. It feels like we’ve come full circle. In the past month, life has been calm. I sent out word to the Donahues that Colin and Matthew were taken care of and that Beth and Katie belonged to the Blaze, though Tucker had me tag on the Saints, too. It appears the old bastard and I are going to be tight allies. I’m okay with that. Tucker is a good man, and he would die in a heartbeat for my wife or my daughter. You can’t ask for more than that.
The club itself has been healing slowly. My relationship with Briar is still a little stilted, but we’re working through it. Torch wasted no time knocking Katie up and, though she’s barely more than a month along, he’s making sure she’s spoiled. Hell, he barely lets her walk anywhere, insisting on carrying her all the time. I half expect him to carry her up the aisle today.
She deserves it. Beth has finally let me in on everything. Though Beth might have more scars on the outside, I’m sure Katie is carrying around some deeper ones on the inside. Redmond, the bastard, actually put Katie on the boat that was rigged to explode. That’s why I thought I lost Beth that day. Katie survived, but not without some heavy burns and a damaged hip on a leg that was already hard for her to walk on because it was a little over an inch shorter than the other. Some of the stories Beth tells me of their time under lock and key with the Donahues still give me nightmares. One thing good about it: I’m obviously marrying a fucking strong woman. Sometimes, I wonder what I ever did to deserve her. I’m a lucky bastard.
That thought only repeats when I hear the piano music start. I’m standing under an arch of roses on the dock. The minister is here as well as Torch, who is serving as my best man, and Tucker, who is standing up for me, too. He’s not walking Beth up the aisle; that was her choice, but she still wanted him to be part of the wedding. It works for me. Besides, I like the bastard. Go figure.
“I did this right by eloping. This fucking tie is about to get me,” Torch whispers. I tear my eyes away from the area the women are supposed to march in from to look at him. He’s pulling out a bowtie, which is attached by a piece of elastic around his neck, like an idiot.
He’s wearing tux pants, like me. His shoes are shined and he’s even wearing the suit coat with long tails, but he’s not wearing the standard white shirt underneath. He’s wearing a black and white t-shirt which has a cat lying on its stomach, all four legs bent, with the words “Need someone to pet pussy” above it. There’s a man beside it wearing a tux that says “Best man for the job”. Christo!
I tear my eyes away from him as the music picks up tempo. A horse-drawn carriage glides up. I’m giving Beth a princess wedding that even Cinderella would be jealous of. Out first is Katie. She’s wearing a soft pink dress, her brown hair brushed straight until it glows and one white rose pinned in her hair. She walks slowly, giving me a brief smile, but then shifting all of her attention to Torch.
“Fuck me. Maybe I should rethink this and do this whole wedding thing,” he whispers and I grin. I dreaded it, but even I have to admit the thought of seeing my woman walk up the aisle to me is something I’m looking forward to. Wh
en Katie is in place, the music shifts again.
Another carriage pulls up outside. And slowly, my woman is assisted down. She’s bent over and I see our daughter beside her, holding her mother’s hand. My girls. My world. They start walking along the white silk path that has been created. Gabby drops little pink rose petals, and she’s dressed almost exactly like Beth, except her dress is pink like Katie’s.
Beth. Dios mío. She takes my breath away. She’s wearing a white dress that hugs her curves. It’s all white silk. I’m a man, so I know shit about these things. It hides every inch of her, but at the same time, lets a man know that the valleys and curves underneath make men find religion and pray to God to touch.
Her face is hidden under a veil, but my daughter’s is smiling broadly. When they make it to me, I reach out my hands to both of them. My family.
“I threw flowers, daddy!” Gabby says.
I laugh. “You sure did,” I tell her, picking her up for a kiss. “I love you, calabaza.”
“Pumpkin!” she giggles.
“That’s right! You’re daddy’s pumpkin. Happy Birthday,” I tell her, kissing her again before Katie takes her away.
Now I turn my attention to Beth. Carefully, I raise the veil showing me her beautiful face. She’s smiling, and the happiness in her eyes—knowing I’m the one who put it there—means the world. There’s a few tears running down her face. My thumb shakes as I wipe them away.
“I love you,” she whispers shakily.
“Mi cielo, tu eres mi mundo,” I tell her. “You are my center. My compass. Without you, I lose my way. Without you, I merely exist.” As I say the words in front of all of our friends and family, in front of my club, Dragon and his men, Diesel and his new woman Violet, and even the Saints, I have no shame when my own eyes cloud with tears. My heart is too full. Finally, I have everything I’ve ever wanted.
“My world,” Beth whispers, reaching up to kiss me sweetly, and we turn towards the minister—toward our future.