“Okay, if you think that’s best.” I didn’t really agree with him, but he knew her better than I did. “Is there anything I can do to help with stuff with Duke or things around here?”
Carbon looked at me and raised an eyebrow, “Can you cook?”
“Um, yeah, I can. I’m not a gourmet chef or anything, but I can make some decent meals. Why?”
“Because the prospects we have now can’t cook for shit. I swear people in prison eat better than this crap they’re serving us. You start cooking for us and as long as it is better than this shit, I’ll make sure you get paid.”
“Oh no, I don’t want any money. I’ve been staying here for free. I’ll be happy to cook.” Plus, it would give me something to do. If Reese was in one of her moods and Dash was busy, which happened more often than one might think, I was left to myself. I enjoyed reading and being able to watch whatever I wanted on television whenever I wanted, but I was used to being active and busy. I needed something to do that would either be physically challenging or productive in some way. Cooking for a large number of bikers would likely be both.
“Congrats, you’re the new Blackwings MC Chef. Make whatever you want and if we don’t have the stuff you need stocked, make a list and I’ll have the prospects go get it.”
“How many people do I need to cook for?”
“Usually around 20 for breakfast and 30-40 for lunch and dinner. If we are having a party or another club is visiting, the numbers will be a little different, but you’ll know ahead of time,” he explained.
“Okay, I’ll be in the kitchen getting started.”
“Better you than me, kid.”
***
Hours later I had made lunch for 30 bikers, cleaned and organized the kitchen, made the longest grocery list in the history of grocery lists for the prospects, and was almost finished putting away the groceries when I heard footsteps coming up behind me.
I turned quickly to find a haggard-looking Dash striding toward me. “You okay?” I asked.
He shook his head and continued toward me. When I was within arm’s reach, he slid his hand around the back of my neck and pulled me to him. His other hand went to the small of my back and his lips pressed against mine. He groaned and held me tightly to him while he kissed me with a ferocity I had not expected.
Finally, he pulled back, leaving me a bit dazed and unsure of my ability to stand independently. I placed my hand on his cheek and caressed it softly, “What happened?”
He pressed his forehead against mine and sighed. “Can’t say much. Club business, but Duke is in the hospital and it’s bad.”
“I know.”
He leaned back and furrowed his brows, “You know?”
“Carbon told me Duke was missing last night and was found this morning at the hospital having emergency surgery. How is he? Is he going to be okay?”
“Don’t know, darlin’. He’s in a medically induced coma right now. A machine is breathing for him. He was stabbed. It’s fucking bad.”
I gasped, “Someone did that to him? Why?”
“Don’t know that either. Do me a favor, yeah? Keep to the clubhouse for a few days. You and Reese can go out to the pool, but don’t leave the vicinity of the main building. Just until we know more.”
I nodded several times. “Sure, I can do that.”
“Church!” I heard bellowed from another room.
“I gotta go, darlin’.” He gave me a quick kiss on the lips and then he was gone.
I still hadn’t seen Reese. It was really hard for me to not go looking for her. I had to keep reminding myself what Carbon said. Still, I was worried about my friend, I was worried about Duke, and I was worried about my own situation.
Nothing better than a distraction in times like these. I set to work on making an outstanding dinner for everyone. It took me several hours, but it was worth it. By the time I finished cleaning the kitchen and putting everything back to rights, I was exhausted. I made it to my room, flopped face down on my bed, and promptly passed out.
***
The next few days passed by very much the same. Reese came back to our room, but she was like a zombie. She hardly said anything, barely ate, and she wandered around the clubhouse aimlessly. I was seriously worried about her and at a loss as to what to do. I approached Carbon about her again, but he assured me she would be fine and to just let her be.
There was also a new girl around the clubhouse, Duke’s sister, Harper. She was rarely at the clubhouse, or rather, I rarely saw her at the clubhouse. I assumed she was spending most of her time at the hospital with Duke.
I was beginning to go a little stir crazy. The bikers were always busy, including Dash. Phoenix was either at the hospital or holed up in his office with strict orders not to disturb him. Reese was lost in her head. Cooking for the club turned out not to be as much of a time-filler as I had originally thought. So there I was, bored, a little frightened, and very lonely.
It was getting late, dinner had been served, so I decided to go outside and read by the pool. Reese had brought some books she called trashy romance novels. I found the books not only entertaining, but for me, quite educational. I wasn’t against having a sexual relationship with a man nor was I afraid of one, I just didn’t know much about sex, other than insert part A into part B. Honestly, I hadn’t given much thought to relations with the opposite sex until I met Dash. I was using Reese’s books to learn as much as I could about sex, sometimes skipping ahead to just the intimate scenes. Even though I couldn’t get enough of the books and I was learning a lot, I still didn’t want anyone to know what I was reading or why I was reading it. So when Dash crept up behind me and yanked the book out of my hands, I had a freak out of epic proportions.
“Give me that back, right now!” I screeched.
“What if I want to read it, too?” the sarcastic little turd asked.
“Then get your own copy.” I continued to jump around like an idiot trying to grab it from him while he effortlessly held it out of my reach. Then, I promptly swept his legs out from under him, pinned him to the ground, and snatched the book from his thieving hands.
“Are we done here?” I glared at him.
“Nope. I wanted to take you out to the lake.”
“I thought you said I needed to stay close to the clubhouse.”
“You do unless you’re with an officer of the club and I just happen to be one of those.”
“How convenient,” I rolled my eyes.
“Shut it. Let me up so we can go.”
“Fine.” I was going for indifference, but on the inside, I was jumping up and down while rapidly clapping my hands. I truly enjoyed spending time with Dash and I really, really wanted him to kiss me again.
When we got to the lake, there was a little canoe on the shore. “Where did that come from?”
He pointed to a shed just inside the tree line. “I think it belonged to Phoenix’s grandparents. I’ve never seen anybody use it in the years that I have been here.”
“Are you sure that it floats?”
He smiled proudly, “Yes, I am. I made the prospects row it across the lake and back earlier today.”
I giggled, “That’s just mean.”
“Not really. Stuff like that teaches them loyalty. If they want to be a part of this club, they have to be willing to risk their lives for any of the brothers. Testing out a canoe is nothing in comparison.”
“Okay then.” They were all about the brotherhood and I just didn’t get it. Maybe if I had grown up with a family and friends, I would understand, but I hadn’t. This large group of men who would apparently die for one another because they belonged to the same organization just didn’t make much sense to me.
He gestured toward the canoe, “Get in. I’ll push it off and hop in.” Moments later we were floating in the middle of the lake, watching a magnificent sunset.
Once it started to get dark, Dash pulled out a blanket I hadn’t noticed before and spread it along the bottom of the boat. H
e lay down on top of it and held his hand out to me, “Come down here. It’s easier to look at the stars lying down.”
I carefully positioned myself beside him and took in the view. There were thousands of tiny twinkles scattered all over the dark blue sky. I had never had the opportunity to sit back and take in the night sky before. It was breathtaking.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” he quietly asked.
“Mm-hmm,” I agreed. I felt Dash’s fingers intertwine with mine and he gave my hand a little squeeze. I turned my head toward his and he slowly brought his lips to mine. This kiss was softer, gentler than the others had been.
He rolled onto his side and pulled me to do the same. My hands were in his hair, his were, oh my, his were on my butt again. Both this time, and they were squeezing it. And it felt great. Before I could stop myself, I moaned into his mouth. He must have liked that because his kissing and squeezing became more urgent. His hands started to roam all over my torso. I wasn’t nervous, but a little unsure of things. I guess he sensed it because he pulled back and said, “If you want me to stop, just tell me.”
“Okay,” I quickly blurted and pulled his face back to mine. I did not want him to stop.
He pulled back again, “I mean it, Ember. At any time, if you want me to stop, just say so and I will.”
“Got it. Stop and you’ll stop. Now, stop stopping.”
He grinned and dove back in. I had nothing to compare him to, but there was no way all guys kissed this good. I could do this with him for hours.
His hands were on the move again. I tensed when I felt his hand against the skin of my stomach. He didn’t move his hand for several moments, giving me the opportunity to tell him no. When I didn’t say anything, he started moving his hand again. He slowly slid it up my stomach to right below my breast. He pulled back from me and met my eyes, “This okay, darlin’?”
“Um, yeah, yes,” I stuttered out.
“I’m going to touch you. That okay?”
I nodded quickly. I wanted him to stop asking me questions, because I couldn’t formulate answers.
“I need the words, darlin’.”
Seriously? I couldn’t say, whatever it was he wanted me to say. I had mustered up the courage to do things with him, speaking those things aloud had never crossed my mind. Thinking quickly, I said, “Continue, please.”
He stared into my eyes the whole time his hand made its way over my breast to the top of my bra cup. Surprisingly, I found his unwavering eye contact comforting, encouraging even. He gently pulled the cup down and placed his whole hand on my bare breast. He groaned and lightly massaged it. Then, he moved his fingers to my nipple and I don’t know what he did, but it felt like a bolt of lightning had hit me, tingling right down to the apex of my thighs. I shamelessly moaned and thrust my chest farther into his hand.
He brought his mouth down to my ear and rasped, “You like that, baby? Having my fingers teasing your pretty little nipples?”
“Mmmmm-hmmmmm,” I breathed, squirming as he continued to work his magic fingers on my nipples, now moving between the two.
“I’m going to pull your shirt up and pop those gorgeous tits out so I can see them before I put my mouth on them. I’ve been dying to know what color your nipples are and how red they’ll turn after I suck them long and hard.”
His words were causing the sensations at my core to intensify. I needed more and I had no problem asking for it. “Please, please, Dash.”
“Love hearing you beg, baby.”
The next thing I knew, both of my breasts were exposed, one being cupped by his big hand, the other being kissed and sucked by his mouth. I don’t believe anything in my life had ever felt so good. I could feel the wetness between my legs and I desperately wanted him to touch me there, too.
He switched breasts and by this time I was squirming all over the place, needing something, I didn’t know what, just more. Dash sat up and pulled me onto his lap so that I was straddling him. Our groins were pressed together and I could feel his hardness pressing into me. He continued to lavish my breasts with attention from his mouth and I began rocking my hips against him.
He let my breast pop free from his mouth and told me, “That’s it, baby. Get yourself off. I want to see you come for me.”
I must have looked confused because he asked, “Have you never come before?”
“Have I what?”
“Had an orgasm?”
Oh, I had read the word come in several books and knew what it meant, but I had never heard it spoken in this context, which confused my lust-addled brain. I blushed and looked away, “Um, no, I haven’t.”
He growled and placed his hands on my hips. He took my breast into his mouth and used his hands to move my hips against him. It felt incredible. Something was building down low and the feeling kept getting more and more intense with each pass of my hips. This was the more I was seeking.
Dash jerked my hips even harder against him and bit down on my nipple at the same time. Pain flashed for a split second before waves upon waves of the most exquisite pleasure pulsed through my core. I cried out Dash’s name into the night air. He groaned along with me, thrusting his hips harder against me. I felt a stinging sensation on my rear end and then I felt his hand rubbing and kneading the same spot. I was pretty sure he just smacked my bottom. Odd as it was, it felt rather good.
Dash let go of my breast and moved his mouth to mine. He thrust his tongue into my mouth and then I felt another stinging sensation. This time on my arm. Why would he smack my arm?
Ouch! I felt another sting on my side. What was he doing? Before I could get a word out of my mouth, I was tossed into the water. Confused and disoriented, I tried to calm my panic and get myself to the surface. I relaxed my muscles and waited for my body to start floating. As soon as I knew which way was up, I kicked my feet and quickly brought myself to the surface.
I felt Dash’s hand cover my mouth from behind seconds before I broke the surface. As soon as my head was above water, he whispered in my ear, “Shhh! Someone is shooting at us.” I immediately tensed. “Stay calm. Stay quiet. Phoenix and the boys should be here any second now. There’s no way they didn’t hear the shots. He knows you and I are out here. We just have to stay behind the canoe until they get here. Nod if you understand.”
I nodded once and tried to suck in air as quietly as possible. He was right. Mere moments later, even though it seemed like an eternity, we heard Phoenix and numerous other brothers barreling toward the lake, firing shot after shot into the night.
Blessedly, there was no return fire from any direction. Shouts of “Clear” were called out around the lake and then we heard Phoenix again, “Dash! Ember!”
“We’re good, Prez,” Dash shouted.
“Where the fuck are you?”
We drifted around the side of the boat and were blinded by the light Phoenix was shining in our faces. Thank goodness Dash thought to straighten my clothes while we were silently floating in the lake.
“You two okay?”
“Yeah, we’re good.”
“Thank God. Hurry up and get your asses over here. We need to get back inside,” Phoenix ordered.
We swam over to the shore, which was a lot harder than it should have been. It’d been a long time since I swam any significant distance, but I was in fairly decent shape. This should have been easy. At one point, Dash grabbed one of my hands and was pulling me through the water.
As soon as we made it to where I could touch the ground, I put my feet down and walked the rest of the way. I took two steps onto the shore and everything just stopped.
CHAPTER 15
Dash
I had just stepped onto the shore and turned to see if Ember needed a hand when she dropped. I barely managed to get my arms underneath her before she hit the ground. I lifted her and had her cradled against my chest when I felt it. Her side was wet, warm, and sticky. I looked down to my hand and even though it was dark, I could tell that my hand was covered in blood.
/> “Fuck! Phoenix, she’s hit!!” I yelled as adrenaline flooded my veins.
Phoenix started barking orders, “Get her inside now! Badger, find Patch and get him here yesterday! Byte, pull the feed from the security cameras and…”
His voice faded away as I got closer to the clubhouse. I crashed through the back door and damn near busted my ass tripping over my own feet in my mad dash to get Ember inside and get her some help.
“Bring her in here, brother.” Patch’s voice had never sounded so good. He was already in the small room he had set up to treat the club members when we were injured or sick. He had enough equipment and drugs in there that he could damn near perform surgery if need be.
I placed Ember’s limp body on the table and Patch jumped right to it. “Take a step back, brother, so I can get a good look at her. You can stay as long as you stay out of the way.” Any other time he would have had my fist in his face for speaking to me like that, but this was his turf and Ember needed help. I silently nodded and took a step back.
Phoenix burst into the room, breathing hard, fear in his eyes. “How is she? She okay? How bad is it?”
“If you want to stay, calm down and stand there by Dash. No disrespect, Prez, just need the room to work.”
“Got it. Talk to me,” Phoenix said.
“They got her twice. She took one to the arm, clean through and through, will just need some stitches. The other grazed her side. It’s a deep graze. I’ll clean it out and put a few stitches in it, too. She’s going to need antibiotics to prevent infection, particularly because both wounds were submerged in lake water.”
My momentary relief vanished with Phoenix’s next question, “Why isn’t she awake?”
Patch shrugged, “Probably just shock. This was likely more excitement than she’s ever had and once the adrenaline wore off, it was probably just too much for her. Happens all the time. She’ll come to soon, usually happens as soon as I start numbing the area for the stitches.”
Dash (Blackwings MC Book 1) Page 9