by Jamie Begley
He raised the curtain, propelling her forward before stepping inside with her.
“I don’t want my picture taken,” Willa protested.
A hand on her shoulder had her taking a seat as Lucky put a dollar into the slot. As soon as the whirling motor sucked the dollar inside, Lucky sat down next to her on the small seat. Embarrassed, she tried ineffectively to scoot over, only to find herself pinned between the wall and Lucky’s imposing body. She noticed his T-shirt was short-sleeved, and his large biceps were highlighted by the tattoos covering his arms.
When his hand covered her throat, turning her to face him, Willa froze for a split-second before her survival instincts screamed at her that he was about to kiss her. Putting her hands on his chest, she tried to place some space between them. A kiss from Lucky was something she had never expected to experience, and she was pretty darn sure it would be more than she could handle.
“Have you been kissed before?” His low voice had her trying to wiggle away from him, but his body merely leaned closer until her breasts were flattened against his chest with her hands caught between them.
“Of course.” She tried to turn her face away but Lucky gripped her chin, denying her a chance to avoid the deepening intimacy that he was weaving between them.
His mouth moved closer until she felt his lips brush hers when he talked. “Who?”
“None of your damn business,” Willa said defiantly. There was no way she was going to tell him it was Lewis who had managed to kiss her in high school. It had been a terrifying moment which she’d had nightmares about for several months afterward.
The tip of his tongue traced her bottom lip.
“Don’t, Lucky,” Willa pleaded, seeing the flash of the camera.
“Why not? Don’t you want a taste? I want to taste yours,” he groaned. “I want to see if it’s as sweet as your frosting.” His mouth pressed harder against hers, parting her lips that she tried to keep closed, and her nails pressed into his flesh.
“You taste like vanilla,” he murmured.
“Please, Lucky…”
“What do you want, Willa? Do you want me to stop?”
Willa saw the flash go off again, and her head fell back against the wall of the booth. She’d had every intention of stopping him; instead, she had lost all control when Lucky deepened the kiss, driving all caution from her mind.
“Please … don’t,” she breathed into his mouth.
“Didn’t I tell you there isn’t anything redeemable about me?” He caught her lips again, exploring her mouth with his tongue as she went limp against him, letting him take what he wanted from her, guiltily aware she wanted it also. However, she wasn’t brave enough to give in to the desire he was wringing from her tense body.
Willa saw another flash across her closed eyes before Lucky tore his lips from hers and pressed his thumb down on the pounding pulse at the base of her throat. Then he gave her a hard look before standing abruptly, leaving her alone in the photo booth.
Willa gathered her composure, straightening her blouse before pushing back the curtain and stepping outside. Although Lucky was thankfully nowhere to be seen, Rachel and Cash both gave her curious looks as they approached the photo booth.
Willa wanted to press her palms against her flushed cheeks, but she forced herself to keep her hands to her side.
“Having fun?” she asked the couple.
“Yes, Cash is still bummed out about losing the cake walk, but I promised him a few of your cupcakes the next time I tutor Sissy.” Rachel gave her a mischievous grin.
“That works for me.” Willa spoke to the couple for several minutes before excusing herself, going in search of Rider.
She found him sitting on the bleachers, watching the little girl eat a candy apple warily. He couldn’t hide his relief when he saw her.
“Thanks, Rider. I appreciate you watching her for me.”
“It’s cool. I babysit for Beth and Lily occasionally. Not often,” he hastened to add, “but enough to take care of them for about an hour. I always shove food in their faces.”
“That always worked on me,” Willa joked.
Rider’s eyes turned frosty. “Why do you always put yourself down?”
Willa shrugged. “Rider, it’s pretty obvious I like food.”
“I like it, too, but I don’t put myself down because I do.”
Willa surveyed his muscular body. “There’s a big difference between your body and mine.” Willa couldn’t keep the amusement out of her voice. She liked Rider. He was sweet and uncomplicated.
“Yes, there is.” His eyes went to her breasts.
She burst out laughing, unable to help her reaction to his sense of humor.
“If I had a brother, he would be just like you,” Willa complimented, guessing from the thunderstruck expression on his face that it was the first time he had been placed in that category.
Rider stood up, brushing down his jeans before straightening. “I’m going to go mend my broken heart with those two women about to go into the haunted house.”
“You do that. I’m sure they’ll appreciate your help through the maze. Winter told me it goes through eight classrooms.”
“You’re not jealous at all?”
“Nope.” Willa couldn’t miss the amused twinkle in Rider’s own eyes.
“It’s a sad day when a woman refers to me as brotherly.”
“I’m sure you’ll recover,” Willa mocked.
“I might be heartbroken … You just don’t know.” Rider’s mouth twisted mischievously. Before she could react, he brushed his mouth over hers in a brief kiss. Raising his head, he stared down intently at her. “Nothing?”
“Sorry, but no.”
“Woman, you’re heartless,” Rider groaned. “I guess it’s the haunted house after all.”
“Don’t get lost,” Willa teased to his retreating back, not missing the one finger salute he turned and flipped her.
“Ready?” Willa took Chrissy’s hand, helping her down the bleachers before going in search of the other two children.
She found Charlie coming out of the haunted house and Caroline helping Winter at the fish pond.
“Leaving?” Winter asked.
“Yes, I need to go home and get started on tomorrow’s orders.”
“I would tell you to take a vacation, but I think the town would lynch me.”
Willa always felt a spurt of pride about her baking skills. It was the one thing she did well.
“I see you went to the duck pond.”
Willa’s hand went to the blue beaded necklace around her throat. “Yes, and the photo booth.”
“I’m glad you had fun. Where are the pictures?”
“Pictures?” Willa stared at her blankly.
“That is what the photo booth is for. I should check and make sure it’s working if you didn’t get photos.” Winter frowned. “No one has complained…”
“I forgot to look. I’m sure it’s fine. I’ll go check, and if anything’s wrong with the booth, I’ll text you.”
“I would appreciate it. I can’t leave the table right now.”
“I’m happy to help.”
Willa hustled the children away, dismayed she had left the pictures for anyone to see. She would die of embarrassment if anyone saw her and Lucky kissing, and she didn’t imagine he would be any happier.
When Willa found the slot where the pictures came out empty, she even looked around the floor to make sure they hadn’t fallen out.
“Can we take a picture?” Charlie asked.
“All right.” Willa lifted the curtain, hoping against hope that it wouldn’t work.
She smiled as the camera flashed, the children all making silly faces.
When it was over, Charlie jumped up. “Let’s get the pictures.”
Willa lifted Caroline and Chrissy off her lap, praying the slot would be empty. The children eagerly waited for the thin strip of pictures
to emerge, and she swallowed hard when it did. Charlie picked them up, showing them to his sister.
“I guess it’s working fine. Let’s go home.”
As they left, Willa felt as if everyone’s eyes were on them yet knew it was a figment of her imagination. Her last hope was that someone had seen the pictures were left behind and thrown them away. She was tempted to search the trash can closest to the photo booth, but she knew it would look ridiculous.
“God, could you please, please destroy those pictures? Maybe make sure that one strip didn’t develop? Or a tiny, little fire?” she mumbled.
“What did you say, Willa?”
“Nothing, Charlie. I was praying to find something I lost.” That tiny strip of photos in someone’s hand would be humiliating if they surfaced.
“I’ll pray, too.” Charlie climbed into the backseat when Willa opened the car door.
“Me, too,” both girls chimed in as she buckled them into their car seats.
Willa shut the sliding van door before getting in behind the steering wheel.
“How about we all pray?” Willa said fervently.
She was so upset over the pictures that the actual kiss didn’t register until she was about to go to bed. Could it be that Lucky was as attracted to her as she was to him? A spark of hope was lit deep inside.
Willa sat down on the side of her bed, stunned at the thought. Maybe her life was going to make a change for the better.
“It certainly couldn’t get any worse.” Willa wanted to take the sentence back as soon as she uttered it. She had learned long ago never to tempt fate. Even the Devil would laugh at her believing Lucky was attracted to her.
“Miracles happen.” Willa fell back against her bed, staring up at the ceiling as a fragile hope began to grow. Maybe, just maybe … all her prayers were about to be answered.
Chapter 9
Lucky found Viper in the kitchen, sharing a bottle of whiskey with Shade.
“I need to talk to you.”
Viper used his foot to push a chair away from the table. “Take a seat.”
Lucky sat down at the table.
“You need me to leave?” Shade asked, lifting the bottle as he began to stand.
“Stay.” Lucky reached for an empty glass, raising it for Shade to fill, and the enforcer lifted a brow as he filled it.
“What’s up?” Viper asked, motioning for Shade to refill his glass, too.
“I want to go to Ohio for a while.”
“Why?”
“With Moon here, there really isn’t anyone to keep the brothers in Ohio in check. I can stay there until Moon comes back. Besides, I’m ready to leave Treepoint, been here too long as it is.”
“You’re needed here. It’s been nice to have all the club business off my shoulders.”
“Moon is just as good. If any trouble comes down, I’m only a few hours’ ride away.”
“You’ve made your mind up?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I won’t stop you. I was going to send Train, but he doesn’t want to leave.”
“This solves both of our problems, then.”
“What problem of yours does it solve?” Shade butted in.
Shade wasn’t going to trick him into revealing more than he intended, though.
“Me wanting to dust off Treepoint.”
“Lily’s going to miss you.” Shade lifted his half-filled glass, drinking it in one swallow before placing it back on the table.
“I’m not Lily’s pastor anymore. She needs to find someone else to get spiritual guidance from. I’m certainly not the one to give it to her anymore. I never was.” Lucky stood, the chair scraping against the floor.
Stori and Bliss came into the kitchen.
“Going to Ohio in the morning,” he told them. “You girls want to be the ones to give me a send-off?”
“Hell yes.” Stori eagerly twined her arms around his neck.
“You’re leaving?” Bliss’s quiet sentence had Lucky putting an arm around her, drawing her close to his side.
“For a few months.”
Bliss shrugged his arm off. “Train’s waiting for me in the other room. I’ll ask Raci if she wants to join your party.”
Surprised, Lucky watched as Bliss went back into the other room.
“What has her so pissed?” Lucky asked the others in the room. “Since when has she ever cared about anyone but Shade?”
“Don’t know, but I’ll ask her later. We still partying?” Stori’s hand went playfully to his belt buckle.
“What do you think?” Lucky started toward the basement door with Stori still attached to his side.
“Send Raci downstairs,” Lucky told Viper and Shade.
“Will do.” Viper lifted his glass toward him. “Have fun.”
A knife went through his heart at hearing the same words he had given Willa earlier in the night, and Shade’s perceptive gaze didn’t miss the flinch.
“I always do.” His hand lowered to Stori’s ass. “Always, brother.”
* * *
Lucky stood up, covered in a fine sheen of sweat as he stared down at the bed where Stori was naked, still tied to the headboard. Gripping his knife, he cut the ropes binding her wrists. She lowered her arms, curling onto her side, too exhausted to move. Raci was already asleep, having passed out before he was finished with Stori.
Ember rolled over, pulling the sheet from the bottom of the bed to cover her trembling body before going back to sleep. All the women were too tired to be made to leave his bed so he could grab a few hours’ sleep before he left town, but he wouldn’t allow himself to sleep deeply if they were in the bed next to him.
He raked his long hair back from his face. He hadn’t cut it since he had stepped off the podium for the last time.
He tugged on the jeans lying on the floor then quietly left the bedroom, going through the basement and upstairs to the kitchen. Then his bare feet carried him outside into the backyard. He paused long enough to fill his lungs with fresh air, driving out the scent of sex that clung to his damp skin before he walked forward until he came to the view that Lily often stared at.
The majestic mountains of Kentucky were one of three things he was going to miss about Treepoint. The club was another. His mind shied away from the third, however, not wanting to sully her image after his night of sexual gluttony.
Lucky raised his head, staring at the moon as it began to sink behind the mountains. He pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes. He was unable to bring himself to pray. He had gone against the very essence of everything he believed in, committing untold sins then repeatedly asking forgiveness. It was a vicious cycle that had held him prisoner until the only hope he had left was to cut the tie to Treepoint as he had the church. The door was now closed to that source of solace, and he was on the outside where he wanted to be.
That was what he had been telling himself over and over, trying to make himself believe he was ready to move on to a different way of life. He had to give himself time to adjust, and leaving would give him that, another lie he repeatedly told himself.
Sinking to his knees, he shivered, not from the chilly morning air, but from having his soul ripped apart.
He jerked when a hand gently touched his shoulder.
“Dean, are you okay?”
Lucky dropped his hands but he didn’t turn to face Rachel, unable to look at the woman who had sat in his church since high school.
“I’m fine.” Lucky cleared his throat. “What are you doing out here? It’s freezing.”
“I don’t know. I woke up, and something told me to come outside. Then I saw you…” Her voice trailed off into silence.
“Go back inside. I’m fine.” He didn’t want to talk to her. The one he wanted to talk to wasn’t listening to him anymore.
Her hand flattened against his shoulder and a warmth began to seep into his damp flesh from her touch, spreading down his arm and cour
sing through the rest of his body.
“I don’t think you’ve been fine for a while, Dean. For years, you’ve given everyone else your strength until you have nothing left for yourself when you need it the most.”
Lucky shook his head. “I turned my back on what gave me strength.”
“My gift left me for a while before it returned even stronger. He doesn’t leave us. My ancestors came across the Appalachian Mountains during the Trail of Tears. It would have been easy for them to give up, but they didn’t. Instead, their beliefs were handed down for generations. They weren’t given an easy path. My grandmother told me stories about how they would look for the moon to rise every night to rest and give thanks for surviving another day. Then they looked for the sun to rise so they could see their way.”
Rachel’s hand tightened on his shoulder as her voice dropped reverently. “Look, Dean, the sun is rising. You can find your way if you just open your eyes.”
Lucky raised his head, seeing the sun’s rays just beginning to break the dark sky. “I don’t deserve to be found.”
“Dean, I would quote several passages to you that show you how wrong you are, but I’m sure you know the passages better than me. God rejoices when His sheep return home. You were the one lost, not God. He’s been waiting for your return all along.”
The warmth from Rachel’s touch began to burn, as if his soul which had been ripped apart was being welded back together. The sun’s golden rays surrounded him in an abundance of colors.
Rachel gasped behind his back, dropping her hand, while Lucky shakily stood, his turmoil for now quieted.
She crossed her arms over her chest, shivering.
“Go inside. If you get sick, Cash will kick my ass.”
She nodded yet didn’t move. “Cash said you’re leaving for Ohio?”
“Yes.”