by Paula Cox
“Do you now?” His tone was teasing. “Care to prove it?”
She didn’t look at Gunner this time; there was no way he’d agree that what she was about to do was a good idea, anyway. But she knew challenges and had issued more than a few in her time. She actually would not put her money in this exact moment on her being Horse’s type. She’d absolutely never had a boob-intrigued person refuse to stare at her cleavage. But he wanted to see how far she’d take the game, and he needed to know that she was committed. The best line she could come up with in the non-heat of the moment was, “Let me teach you this,” which in retrospect, was awful. But she put her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. He responded, pressing his hands into the small of her back to tug her body against his, kissing back with fervor, but not touching his tongue to her lips or trying to get at her tits or anything. He did spin her around, lifting her ass up and plopping her down on the desk, but she let him, spreading her thighs wide and letting him step between them while she continued the kiss.
That was all it took for Gunner to step in.
“All right, that’s enough,” he said, and Horse was pulled back, laughing. Gunner stood between them, his frame crackling with tension and anger.
The motion conveniently put him between Lola’s thighs, where Gunner had just been, and she laughed too. She leaned forward, wrapped her arms around Gunner’s shoulders, and tugged him gently back against her.
“Don’t worry, hon,” she said, kissing Gunner’s neck and feeling his answering shiver. “Horse isn’t after me. He’s just trying to unsettle you. Isn’t that right?”
Horse gave her a huge smile. “I like the Teach, Gunn. Well done. She’s quicker that you are.”
Gunner stiffened again, and Horse gave him a wink. It did nothing to calm the man down.
“You’re the only one who knew, Colton,” Gunner said, and he spat the name like Lola’s mother would’ve dragged out her middle name. “She’s just a girl to me. Why the hell would anyone target either one of them without knowing what the truth is?”
Horse scoffed. “Come on, Gunn, smarten up. I told you years ago that if you really wanted to protect either of them, you needed them to leave town and never associate with either one of them again. Set up a blind account through a lawyer. Keeping them here, in town? It doesn’t matter that people don’t know exactly —” he broke off, looking at Lola.
Gunner sighed. “Yeah, she knows. There’s not much point in keeping it a secret now.”
“Okay,” Horse said. “Look. We were as careful as we could be without erasing her from your life, and I get why you weren’t willing to do that. But now we’re in a fix. You want the girl back. We need to figure out why she was taken. I’m not your leak, man. I give you my word on that.”
Lola could feel the tension all through Gunner’s shoulders and back. She studied Horse for a long moment, taking in the creases around his mouth and eyes, the gentleness she thought she could see under the rough exterior. She was absolutely convinced he’d meant her no harm when he’d let her kiss him before. She didn’t know if he was gay or asexual or just not interested in her, but he was, in some odd way, taking care of his friend by checking her out. Given their relative ages, maybe Gunner was his surrogate son or little brother. He wanted to make sure that he was okay. She liked him.
And he’d been an okay kisser for someone who clearly was just having a laugh.
“Tell me what you think,” Gunner said, and he leaned back into Lola just a little. That was lovely; it felt good to ease his tension and relax his mood. She hadn’t felt like she’d accomplished much in the last few hours, although she didn’t think she’d actually been a burden. Still. At least she’d helped.
Horse nodded. “We both felt like the race this morning was off somehow, right?”
Gunner agreed. “First the bike, then Billy pulling the gun, then his reaction when I took it from him.”
“What did he say to you, anyway?”
“That he didn’t want to do it. He said something about things being bad when he got back to the clubhouse, but he didn’t say what. I reminded him that the Breed would happily patch him in if he needs out of the Vipers, but — I dunno, Horse, I still say they’ve got something on him. He’s the wrong kind of kid for them. He doesn’t use, he hates selling, he’s too small to beat anyone up. But why would the Vipers possibly be choosing now to come for us? We’ve existed here for years, them and us, and never really had a problem. It’s an odd decision for them to make.”
“Maybe they have more of a problem than you think,” Lola put in. Both of the men looked at her, and she shrugged. “Just because you haven’t had an external problem doesn’t mean there hasn’t been an internal problem. You could have accidentally said something that they didn’t realize. And if you say that this is a woman thing, I will hit both of you in the head.”
Horse snickered, and Gunner didn’t say anything.
“So, if we’re thinking the Vipers have something to do with all of this,” Horse said, “the next step is to set up a meeting. See what they know – if there’s something sanctioned or if someone’s gone rogue. It’s also possible, after all, that someone within their organization is trying a power grab, looking to set them and us against each other in a war and pick up the pieces over our dead bodies. You think your boy Billy might talk?”
Gunner considered it a moment, then nodded. “I think it’s worth a try, anyway. I’ll give him a call.”
“Okay,” Horse said. “If you’re still leaning towards keeping the cops out of this, then I think that’s the next step. Set a meeting, set it here if you can, gravel pit if you can’t. You know what to do from there.”
“I do,” Gunner said. He was quiet for a moment again, then sighed. “I just need her back, Horse. I’m gonna tell you the truth right now. I will do absolutely anything they tell me to do to save that little girl’s life.”
“And Laurel?”
Lola could feel the pain twisting up inside of the man in her arms, and she squeezed him just a little tighter without even thinking about it.
“If I can get both of them out alive, then I will,” Gunner said. “But if I have to choose between them? It’s always gonna be Grace.”
Horse nodded. “I’m glad you know where your limits are. That’ll help. We’re heading into dark times now.” The older man sighed. “Sam always wanted you to stop riding and take care of that kid, Gunn. Maybe this is a sign.”
“You need me.”
“I needed you. I’m used to you now. I’d rather you didn’t go, but the kid’s more important than anything else. You take care of the kid, and yourself, and let the Teach help.” Another wide grin. “I’m pretty sure she’s ready to help in all kinds of interesting ways. I’ll take care of the club and me. Okay?”
“Yeah,” Gunner said. “I’m going to go upstairs. Wash up. Make the call. I’ll let you know what I find out.”
“You do that,” Horse said. Gunner stepped forward, and Lola hopped off the desk, landing on her kitten heels without wobbling. She was very proud of that. “And enjoy yourself while you wait. Hear me?”
Lola laughed and hooked her arm through Gunner’s. It was part a show for the members outside the door that was now opening, and part because she was concerned that without the support, Gunner would lose his balance and stumble. He was walking a tightrope now, and she was pretty sure it was just going to get narrower and more difficult as time went on. She wondered if he knew that. If there was going to be a way for her to help when things got tight.
Chapter Nine
Lola didn’t resist as Gunner led her out of the garage and around to the side of the building. He had a small apartment above the garage, both to keep an eye on the clubhouse, and to also have some privacy. A lot of the others didn’t mind living in close communal quarters; for Gunner himself, after an adolescence in foster care, he liked to have a door he could close, that no one else was allowed inside.
Except for this odd,
beautiful woman, who seemed happy to follow him wherever he might need to go. He had no idea what he’d done to earn her trust or her interest, but he was absolutely not going to waste the chance she was giving him. If she’d said the word, he would have found somewhere else for her to sleep — although he was pretty sure he wasn’t going to let her out of his sight entirely — but the way she hooked her arm through his made him surge with delight, and things much more primal.
He hadn’t liked seeing her with Horse, even though he could tell neither one of them was specifically into the kiss. He’d never seen Horse with anyone in a relationship, and having been on the receiving end of a passionate kiss from Lola, he could tell she was showing off. But he still hadn’t liked it. Something inside of him had surged up, wanting to claim her, push Colton off of her and make sure that there was no confusion about who the woman belonged to. Which was screwed up alpha male nonsense; Lola belonged to herself, even if she was willing to be with him for a little bit.
He pushed the more complicated thoughts to the side and made himself stop on the small landing that led up to his apartment.
“This is where you make your choice,” he said, his voice low and heated. “You come in here with me, you’re choosing me. We’ll go inside, and we’ll make sure both of us get rid of these bothersome aches, and we make sure we can focus on what comes next. You want to do something else, you say so, and I’ll take you somewhere else, and then I’ll come back here and take care of myself. I won’t be upset with you, and we’ll find the girl together, same as we were going to. But you come in here with me, I’m going to stop being a gentleman. We clear?”
Lola raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you going to open the door or are you going to stand here flapping your gums? I can think of a much better use for that tongue of yours.”
Well. That settled that. He opened the door for her, but she walked in under her own power, turning to face him as he closed the door behind him. He had every intention of waiting for her, but thankfully, she did not make him wait long. With a rough little sound in her throat, she pressed herself against him, molding to him from shoulders to knees. Her arms wrapped around his neck and he sealed their mouths, eager for the contact. He let his hands wander, cupping her ample ass and pressing her more firmly against him.
“Tell me you have condoms,” she said when she tore free of him for a moment.
“Yes,” he said and kissed her again. A lingering tension seemed to loosen in her shoulders, and her tongue flicked against his lips. He opened to her, tangling with her, pulling her harder against him. He was so hard he thought he might tear through his jeans just to gain access to her body. “We should take this to bed.”
She looked up at him, her eyes smoky and heated. “Why bother?”
Oh, that was a tempting thought. To turn her around and press her up against the door, yank down her jeans and spread her legs, fuck her here, his hands full of her tits while she pressed that ass back into him? That would be so very nice. “Because I like to save the filthy shit for the second time.”
She smirked. “You so sure you’re going to get a second time?”
He reached down, cupping her breast and flicking at the nipple. She groaned and arched into him, though there was no way he was getting any kind of solid contact with her body. If he could reduce her to moans and whispers with this?
“Yeah,” he said. “I’m very sure. And a third. And more than that.”
“Are you insatiable?”
“Are you?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Then we’re going to do just fine.” He reached down, his hands grasping her thighs, and lifted her with ease. She squeaked when he did it; he doubted too many guys made that sort of effort with her, which was a damn shame. She wasn’t a skinny rail of a woman, and he loves it. When he put her knees over his shoulders and slammed himself into her, he could trust that she would take it without breaking. Assuming, of course, that she wanted to. It felt good to have that kind of assurance.
The apartment was just a small studio, the bed area curtained off. He carried her through and tossed her onto his mattress with a little bounce. He followed her quickly, pushing her shirt up her belly as he kissed the flesh he was revealing. She wiggled out of her vest and then helped him with the T-shirt, pushing it up over her head until that beautiful purple bra was visible, barely hiding any of her soft brown flesh. Her nipples were a darker brown, and he homed in on them quickly and eagerly. Tugging the cup of her bra down, he pulled her nipple into his mouth, and she gasped, hooking her leg around the back of his thigh to grind her pelvis against his.
He had to laugh. “You trying to get me to fuck you hard?”
“Yes,” she said. “If you’re so sure you’re good enough to get a second round, there will be time to be all soft and gentle — or kinky and filthy — later. Right now, I just want to get fucked.” She sighed and pulled him tighter. “I want to feel alive. I want to believe in hope.”
“Yes ma’am,” he said and got his own jeans off. Hers were more awkward; why women’s jeans were made to be so tight and inaccessible, he’d never know, but they managed it, and he didn’t even rip her panties off.
This time.
Condoms he kept in the small nightstand by the side of the bed. He managed to grab one and roll it on without losing contact with her body. Her thighs were open, and she helped him inside, urging him and rolling with him until he was seated fully within her.
“Holy shit, yes,” she murmured, rocking against him, showing him the rhythm she needed. He found his hips moving, his lips closing over her nipple again, his back arched awkwardly to keep the two points of contact, but it was so worth it.
She bucked against him harder, her breath coming in desperate little rasps, and then his fingers slid down her body, finding the tight nub of flesh above where they were joined. When he began to circle there, adding in the sensation to his movements and her responses, she cried out, rippling around him, so harsh and eager that she almost took him over the edge as well.
When she sagged against him, lax with release and relief, he found his own pleasure, thrusting against her in eager, hungry pulses. After a moment, she came back to herself, urging him on with words and gestures, pressing her breasts together and letting him watch as she flicked at the nipples, her gaze locked with his.
He came quickly, the orgasm bursting through him in harsh waves that choked his breath and left him blinking back tears. But it took his fear and his anxiety and his anguish with it. He collapsed over her, letting himself luxuriate in her nails tracing soft, light patterns on the skin of his back, and just rest. For a few moments, anyway.
Chapter Ten
Lola let herself rest, finally, for the first time during the long afternoon into evening. She wasn’t silly enough to think that what she and Gunner just did was going to mean something in a long, durable kind of way. It had been just sex, and while it had been good sex, it had been for a direct purpose. She needed to feel powerful; he needed to burn off some of the adrenaline that was coursing through him. They could help each other with this.
She forced herself to ignore the seed of comfort that was flaring through her as she played her fingernails over Gunner’s shoulders. He was still breathing hard, big gasps that shook his frame. There was no logical basis for feeling like there was the beginning of a connection between them. She needed to stay focused on what was happening, right in front of her. She and Gunner were going to work together with the Satan’s Breed club to get back Grace and Laurel. Gunner’s daughter and his sister-in-law. If God were good, they’d both be back in their beds before the night was over. And then Gunner would, most likely, fade out of her life and her awareness. She was busting her ass to build a life away from — she sighed. Here, in this bed, it was hard to remember exactly what it was she wanted to get away from. Rough and tumble guys who only asked once, and then took it for granted that your answer counted until you gave a different one? The smell of motor oil and swe
at blended together in a haze, baked into the ground and the walls? No. Those were the things that didn’t bother her. The violence and the murder and the threats were the parts that needed to be changed. Because kids got hurt. Kids like her. She didn’t know it for a fact, but she would bet that kids like Gunner had been once, too.
During the conversation downstairs, Horse had something about Sam, and how she’d begged Gunner to stop riding. Sam sounded like the name of Grace’s mother. If Gunner hadn’t given up the club and the darkness for the woman he’d had a child with, what were the odds that he’d do it for some chick he’d just met? And even if she didn’t mind, what job would hire her to work in social services knowing that she had ties to the local motorcycle club? Gunner’s story about them being the good kind of outlaw sounded great, but how true was it really? How much did he personally control of the club at large?