Serena smiled and felt herself relax, her shoulders loosened and she nodded. She honestly couldn’t think of anything better.
“That would be great,” she said.
Stick stood back and pointed toward the door, “Come on then,” he grinned.
***
The sun was already high in the sky and Serena was glad that she was wearing little denim cutoffs. She and Stick walked slowly out on the dusty ground and she had to shield her eyes from the blazing light.
“It’s so quiet out here,” she said. “It didn’t seem like this yesterday.”
“That’s because everyone is asleep now,” he said as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a packet of smokes. He clamped one between his teeth and lit up before he held out the pack and offered one to Serena. She had never been a smoker, but after all of the stress, she was half-tempted to take one.
“No, thank you,” she smiled.
“Come on, I want to show you the view,” he said as he took hold of her hand and started to lead her out away from the house and all of the machines and garages. Past all of the outbuildings and into the desert. They walked past burned out cars that looked as if they had been left to rot, but they didn’t even seem to register to Stick at all. He led her far out so that the house was back in the distance and soon, Serena realized that they were reaching the edge of a cliff and that a big, open canyon was stretched out in front of them.
“Wow,” she exhaled as she stopped in her tracks, her mouth hanging open. “This is amazing.”
“I know, right,” Stick said with a beaming smile. “One of my most favorite places in the entire world. And no one really even knows that it’s here, except us.”
Serena felt honored that she had gotten to see it. The canyon was half in the light and half in the dark, but the colors that were rippling along its walls and caught by the sun were rich and deep and like nothing that she had ever seen.
“You’re so lucky to live here,” she smiled.
“I know,” Stick agreed. “But I guess everything has its price.”
When she turned to look up at him, she saw a small amount of sadness in his eyes.
“I’m glad I came here,” she said suddenly before she lost her nerve. “I’m glad that I came here and that I met you. You’re different.”
Stick smiled and turned so that his intense eyes were fixed on her once again. She knew, without him saying anything, that he felt exactly the same way. It was obvious. From the way he had locked eyes with her on Main Street to the way that had made sure that he had been around her from the second she had set foot in the clubhouse.
“I’m glad you came here too,” he said. “Because I like you. A lot.” He brushed a piece of hair behind her ear and took a step closer. His big hand was clutching the back of her neck and her heart was racing.
“I like you too,” she whispered. She felt dizzy with anticipation and Stick rubbed his thumb lightly over her bottom lip.
“But…,” he faltered. “Even though this is going to kill me, I can’t. I can’t go behind Lynx’s back like that…,” he trailed off angrily and looked down at the ground.
Serena’s heart dropped in her chest and she shook her head in confusion.
“What do you mean?” she asked. “He’s my brother, not my husband!” She laughed and waited for him to look back to her.
“He would never allow it,” Stick said.
He was still holding onto her neck and his grip wasn’t wavering. And she didn’t want it to. She took a step closer to him and let her hand rest lightly on the waistband of his jeans. She let her index finger flick lightly over the moist bulge of his hip muscles and she swallowed hard.
“He would kill me,” Stick whispered with a growl.
She could feel his desire growing, as was hers, and the tension between them was electric. Serena had never met someone before who had sparked such an animalistic reaction within her. It was overwhelming her and completely consuming.
Stick held her there, powerless to do anything but submit to him, and she could tell that he was torn. If he was feeling what she was, then he more than wanted to kiss her. He must have wanted to tear all of her clothes off and fuck her right then and there… But he was conflicted and she could see that it was troubling him.
“He wouldn’t,” Serena whispered.
She waited for him to respond, but instead of speaking, he pulled her close to him and their bodies pushed up against one another. Stick moved her lips close to his and when he kissed her, it was so powerful it almost took her breath away.
She felt lost in his arms, and as he held her there tightly and flicked his tongue inside of her mouth, she was consumed by lust for him. She ran her hands across his naked shoulders that were dripping in sweat from the midday sun, and she was completely his. She would have let him do anything to her in that moment, nothing else seemed to matter. She didn’t know how he had managed to turn her into so much of a pushover, but she was willing to do anything for him and she barely even knew him. Her desire was overruling her in a way that she had never known. It was as if he had cast some kind of wicked sexual spell over her that she was never going to be able to break free from.
Their kiss was the most perfect thing that Serena had ever experienced and as Stick held her tightly in his arms, she felt tiny and safe. When he pulled back and held onto her neck, he looked her deep in the eyes and smiled.
“You’re going to get me in so much trouble,” he said with a flash of excitement in his eyes. “But I can tell it’s going to be worth it.”
Serena knew exactly what he meant because she had felt it the moment she laid eyes on him. She knew he was going to ruin her in more ways than one. She knew that he was going to keep her on her toes and keep her begging for more. She knew that he was dangerous beyond comprehension, but none of it mattered. They had a magnetic attraction that could not be explained or denied. And no matter what happened, if that first kiss was anything to go by…anything would be worth taking the risk to continue.
“What now?” Serena asked, almost breathless. She was so caught up in the moment, her heart was pounding and she couldn’t see straight.
“Now, I better take you back to the clubhouse before your brother has my balls in a vice,” Stick half-laughed. He was breathing in and out deeply and even though he was wearing jeans, she could tell that he was turned on. He bit his lip and groaned.
Serena pouted with disappointment. She wasn’t used to having her big brother around dictating any aspect of her life, never mind also having an influence over a potential boyfriend and love interest.
“Okay,” she said with defeat. “I don’t want to cause any more trouble, you know that.”
“Oh, you’re going to cause trouble all right,” Stick said. “I’m just glad I saw you first.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and they began to walk back toward the clubhouse, away from the beauty of the canyon and a spot that Serena now knew that she would always remember.
CHAPTER 8
Back inside, the house was a lot fuller of life. Stick pulled her close reassuringly as they approached the back door that led into the kitchen and whispered, “Don’t worry, everything will be fine, they are all going to welcome you.”
Serena smiled and hoped to God that he was right. He pushed open the back door and the sound of several voices all filtered out to meet her. She knew that she recognized one immediately. It was Bull and he was bellowing around the room.
“Morning,” he croaked as he clocked sight of Stick entering through the doorway, and then his eyes fell onto Serena and he looked at them both suspiciously.
“I took Serena out to see the canyon,” Stick said. “She’d had an unsettled night.”
Serena nodded and tried not to look guilty. Even though she was pretty sure she had nothing to even feel guilty about. She was single, nineteen, and was more than old enough to know her own mind. And they hadn’t even done anything wrong. What could she do if she found the guy attra
ctive? And why should it even cause so much drama?
“And?” Bull asked with raised eyebrows. “Did it calm you?”
Serena could tell that he knew there was more to the story than what they were letting on, but she decided to brazen it out.
“Yes, it did, actually,” she said with a wide smile. “After everything that’s been happening, it calmed me down a lot.”
“Good,” Bull smiled tightly.
The other two men in the room were both looking at her with intrigue, and although she didn’t know their names, she knew that she had seen them the previous day. No doubt, when they were pointing guns in her face.
“Have you been formally introduced?” Bull asked with a smirk.
Serena shook her head.
“Hawk,” one of them said.
“Stag,” said the other.
Serena waved at them meekly and then turned her gaze back to Stick.
“Serena kindly helped out around here this morning. I’m sure you were wondering.” Stick held his arm out to present the clean kitchen and Bull smiled and nodded.
“Thank you, it certainly hadn’t gone unnoticed,” he said genuinely. “But don’t feel as if you need to earn your keep around here, you’re our guest, Serena, you’re one of us now.”
He moved forward and placed a protective hand on her shoulder and she felt as if she had just been given the highest blessing. From what she had already gathered, Bull was the man in charge. The rest of the men, even though they were all powerful in their own right, seemed to fall silent when he entered the room and they seemed to look up to him in some way, as if they were always waiting for his next command.
“Thank you,” she said. “But really, it’s no trouble.”
Bull nodded and then he turned back to the huge pot of coffee and held it up between them.
“Yes, please,” she smiled appreciatively as he began to pour her a steaming hot cup.
It was funny how, in such a short space of time, they all appeared to have changed. After initially being so standoffish with her and frightening, now they all appeared to have a caring edge that was so endearing. It made her like Stick even more.
She cradled the mug of coffee in her hands and then looked from one set of eyes to the next. All four of the men were watching her and she felt as if it was her cue to leave.
“I’m going to head upstairs and find Lynx,” she said shyly. “Can any of you tell me where I can find him?”
“Third door on the left on the second floor,” Bull said with a nod. “I think he’s awake, I heard him talking earlier.”
Serena thanked him and headed toward the door to the hallway, and then she made her way into the belly of the monstrous house.
***
She stopped outside of Lynx’s doorway and knocked as quietly as she could. From some of the other bedrooms she could hear the low rumble of snoring drifting out and she didn’t want to risk waking anyone and pissing any of the bikers off any more than she already had.
“Come in,” he said, as if he knew that it was going to be her. When Serena opened the door, he was sitting in a chair by the window, staring out across the barren desert landscape and at the sun shining down over the mountains in the distance.
“Are you okay?” Serena asked as she stepped inside and closed the door behind her.
“Not really,” Lynx said. “You turning up here is going to cause me no end of worry.” He sighed and rubbed his forehead.
Serena felt instantly guilty. But how was she supposed to know that she was walking in to such a big, dangerous, tangled up mess?
“Well, maybe you should have been honest with me from the start and then I wouldn’t have had to come looking,” she said moodily.
Lynx laughed and nodded.
“Well, maybe you’re right.” He looked back out into the distance and Serena crossed the room so that she was near to him.
“I can see why you like it here,” she admitted as she sat down on the windowsill. “They all seem great, and I can already tell what you mean about them being like family.”
“They are my family now, Serena,” Lynx said sternly. “That doesn’t make you any less a part of that family, or any less my sister. But the people I have found here, these guys that I work and live with… We have a bond that will never be broken.”
Serena could see how much it meant to him and although she was a little jealous that he had never spoken of her, to her knowledge, that passionately and protectively, it gave her hope that maybe one day she would feel the same way about something after spending so much of her life feeling alone.
“I watched you and Stick from downstairs earlier,” he said suddenly, breaking the silence. “I watched him take your hand and walk with you right out of sight and toward the canyon.”
Serena instantly tensed up.
Shit, she thought.
“Stick’s one of the good ones, but I don’t want you getting involved with any of the guys here, Serena. It’s too dangerous.” He turned to look at her and she could tell that he was being deadly serious.
“But why?” she asked like a brat. “I’m a grown woman, Lynx. I’m not a kid anymore. Just because you remember me that way doesn’t mean that that is who I am. I’m an adult. I’m out on my own in the world and if I like someone, I’m not going to just ignore that and step aside because my big brother, who hasn’t even been there for me for over ten years, suddenly decides he wants to have a say in how things are going to go in my life!” She had her hands on her hips and her voice had risen so much she was instantly worried that she may have inadvertently woken someone.
“Serena,” Lynx said as he got to his feet, he towered over her and grabbed hold of her shoulders so forcefully that she thought he was going to crush her. “I’ve just told you how I feel about it and it’s not up for discussion. Whilst you’re here in my town, in my clubhouse, with the men I call my brothers, you will listen to me and do as I tell you. Otherwise, I’ll be packing you straight off home.” Spittle hit her cheeks. He was so angry with her he was turning bright red, and she shrugged her way out of his grip.
“Jeez Lynx,” she gasped. “Don’t be so rough.”
“Don’t you get it, Serena?” He grabbed hold of her again. “People have been murdered around here because of the war we’re all involved in now. You’ve walked in at a crucial time where we got majorly fucked over last week by our enemies. Anything could happen in the next few weeks and I don’t want to put you at risk.”
“But… I can look after myself,” she said defiantly. “And I don’t intend on leaving the house.” It was the first time the thought had even entered her head, but if that was what it took to get Lynx to lay off her and Stick and to just let their relationship happen and progress as fate had planned, then she would be prepared to do it.
“I’ve told you how it has to be,” he said angrily. “If you can’t handle that, then you have no place here.”
Serena felt the tears welling up behind her eyes again. She wanted to be able to tell him that she would do as he was asking, but she just knew there was no way she could be certain. Her pull to Stick was too strong. It was so strong it was scaring her. And after four long years of being single, there was no way that she could just turn her back on what could potentially be the love of her life.
“You don’t own me, Lynx,” she said.
“Even if none of this was happening, Serena, I still wouldn’t allow it,” he said sternly. “My brother shouldn’t be fucking around that close to home,” he snarled. “It’s disrespectful.”
Serena was stumped. She had no idea how to respond to him.
“How is it disrespectful if we have genuine feelings?” she pleaded.
“Stop!” he snapped. “I’ve told you enough times now and I’m not going to tell you again. Stick will be told the same. Stay away from each other, Serena, or I’ll be putting you straight back on the first Greyhound out of here and back to Mom and Dad.
She dug her fingernails into h
er palms and turned on her heel before she barged out of the room and slammed the door behind her. She was breathing in and out so fast she felt as if she was going to explode.
Lynx making Stick forbidden was only going to make her want him more. And now she knew there was no way she was going to be able to resist him. He was like a powerful drug. And Lynx banning her from taking it any further was just like he had put that drug in front of her and left the room.
He was practically asking for her to disobey him.
CHAPTER 9
After the argument, Serena was determined to stay out of Lynx’s way. She hid up on the top floor of the house and spent the rest of the day looking longingly out of the window and over to the canyon. Now that she knew it was out there, all she could think about was how Stick had taken hold of her hand and led her out across the desert to his favorite place.
And that kiss.
It had been so much more than she ever could have imagined. It had brought her back to life and now she was open and ready.
She ran her hands through her hair and pulled out the elastic that held it in place. Her blonde tresses fell down across her shoulders as she stood up and made her way to a mirror. The girl that looked back at her looked defeated and worried. But she was determined that she wouldn’t stay that way for long.
She went into the bathroom and grabbed her make-up bag and then she positioned herself in front of the mirror and started to make herself over. She slicked on some black eyeliner and winged it out at the tips before she curled her eyelashes and plumped them up with mascara. She instantly looked like a vamp. A girl who could take on anything. Someone older and more in charge of what they wanted. She outlined her lips with her plum colored pencil and then she glossed a nude matt lipstick on her top and bottom lip. She pouted at herself and smiled. It didn’t take much for Serena to enhance her looks, and she was happy with the results. She spritzed on some perfume and then she pulled off her shorts and t-shirt and slipped into a long flowing white maxi dress. The way it floated down around her body felt amazing. It was cooling in the warm summer breeze that drifted in from the open window.
STICK: MC ROMANCE NOVELLA (Forsaken Riders MC Romance Book 8) Page 5