Full Heat: A Brothers of Mayhem Novel

by Carla Swafford

  She refused to lie. “No. I’m just feeling my way. I find him fascinating. So many contradictions. He lives in a violent social structure but is so gentle with those weaker than he is. Crime is a normal way of life for them, but he’s noble and honorable. He’s wild, but there is a part of him that wants a home.”

  “You could always see through the bull crap surrounding people. Be careful. I think your heart is in the way this time.” Melancholy softened his smile. “You know your mother and I love you, and you’re welcome to return home whenever you want.”

  “I know, Dad.” She hugged him. “I love you and Mom too.”

  Readjusting her hold on the cotton towels and organic soap, she started on the path to Storm.

  The waterfall everyone teasingly called Niagara was no wider than two people, produced by an underground stream coming off a large flat rock about twenty feet up. As the water came from a small cave, it stayed around sixty-eight degrees for most of the year. Perfect for the summer, invigorating during the spring and fall.

  She came over a rise that led to the pond and waterfall, and she stopped. Storm was already beneath the water. One hand pressed to the rock wall for support, water streamed over his bent head and down his muscular back. Breathless, she moved closer, drawn by the sensuality. She’d never appreciated the male form as much as she did then. The man had a beautiful ass. She wanted to run her hands over every bulging muscle. Without taking her eyes off him, she placed the items in her arms on a rock jutting over the pond and stripped.

  “Storm?” She could stand there all day and watch him, but she preferred joining him. His gorgeous ass made her wish to bite it.

  He cut his eyes toward her. As if in slow motion, he turned to face her. Unable to resist, her gaze dropped. With fascination she watched his cock fill and lengthen. The man had a magnificent one. She would never stop finding it to be a beautiful sight. She slowly walked into the shallow stream to stand in front of Storm.

  “I’ve been waiting for you,” he said in a husky voice.

  “Do you think this is the way Adam and Eve felt?”

  “They were ashamed of being naked. I have to say you have nothing to be ashamed of.”

  She blushed and laughed. “There’s that good old Southern boy remembering his Sunday school lessons. Who took you? No way was it your parents. Your sister?”

  “Yeah.” He reached out and brushed her cheek with the back of a finger. “I really don’t want to talk about my sister right now.”

  She agreed totally. Her rambling talk had more to do with her trying to control her desire. She wanted to jump on him and scream, “He’s mine.”

  He pulled her underneath the fall and kissed her, his lips gradually trailing down her neck. His palm cupped a breast and squeezed and released in a way that had her moaning and pressing against his warmth.

  “Damn, you fit perfectly in my hand,” he whispered in her ear and nipped a lobe.

  Her breath caught. The man knew all the places to rev her engine. Most of her life she’d lamented not having any real curves or full breasts. Fortune had smiled down on her when it came to how she could eat without gaining weight. She was glad he appreciated what little pluses she had.

  He crushed her body to his. She loved the contrast. His skin was hot beneath the cool water. Like him, his body was a mixture of contradictions. He looked more relaxed than she’d ever seen him. He wasn’t checking the surroundings for an attacker. His hands weren’t balled into fists as they often were when he spoke with strangers.

  The only tense part of Storm was the part she wanted at that moment.

  He leaned back and watched the water stream down her chest and stomach. How the water kept from boiling with the heated look he gave her, she wasn’t sure.

  She pressed her mouth to his chest and flicked her tongue over a small male nipple. His hiss encouraged her to lick the other one.

  His fingers clasped the back of her head and he tugged her up to his mouth. Her lips parted, and he took what she offered. Overtaken and conquered. That was how she felt and delighted in it. His tongue stroked hers. She rubbed her breasts against him. The tips hardened until they ached.

  “Storm, please.” She lifted her knee and slid it alongside his as a hint.

  Fingers glided down her back and slipped between her cheeks. She stiffened but he merely continued on until he raised her leg higher. He dipped and thrust two fingers into her pussy. In seconds, waves of pleasure shook her body. Then he adjusted her butt on a small ledge and plunged into her heat.

  She gasped, her mouth pressed to his shoulder. Without thinking, she bit him. He pumped harder.

  “Fuck, Mary Jane. You feel so good. I never want to leave. I want to be cradled between your legs for a long time.” His gently spoken words squeezed her heart.

  “I want that too.” She wanted so much more, but she needed to be number one in the man’s life that she loved. For Storm, the Brothers of Mayhem MC was number one.

  Chapter 14

  Storm carefully leaned over the rock ledge and watched the activity below. He had wanted a few minutes alone to smoke a joint. Cutter had followed and demanded they leave that night. After a stretch of complaining about the healthy food and attitudes, they shared another joint. Hell. The Parkers grew wicked pot.

  “That land isn’t part of the commune,” Storm said, nodding to the small valley below with a cabin sitting in the center.

  “This is why we need to leave. We’re so bored that we’re spying on their neighbor,” Cutter said in a disinterested tone. He rested his shoulders against a boulder and stared at the clouds overhead as he took a puff off the doobie.

  “No. We’re not leaving now. I promised Mary Jane one night here.” Storm squinted, watching a woman pick up a large bag from an SUV. The man slammed the back closed and turned around, checking out the area. “He’s looking this way.” Storm waved his men back.

  They hunkered down behind the rocks.

  What the hell? Why were they hiding? They weren’t doing anything wrong. Cutter handed him the joint. That was, not anything to bother the commune’s neighbors.

  There was something about the man that looked familiar. The way he held his shoulders and walked. When Storm chanced another peek over the ledge, he spotted the woman on the porch. She held a baby while a toddler tugged at the leg of her pants. The man took the steps two at a time and picked up the young child, pretending to drop him. The child screeched in delight. Then the couple disappeared inside.

  “What time did you say we’re leaving in the morning, boss?” Cutter slapped at his arm and grimaced. “Too many bugs here to suit me.”

  Storm shook his head. He’d never met two bigger babies in his life than Cutter and Wolf. They had complained about everything. The men did love their modern conveniences.

  “After daybreak. It’s only fair to let Mary Jane have some time with her parents. They were plenty upset when they learned about Jimmy.”

  He’d also heard her parents ask her to stay longer. Not until she said no had the tightness in his chest let up. He looked forward to getting her back to the clubhouse and his room—alone—without worrying about her parents walking in or hearing.

  He had to admit the whole day had been unbelievable. Their way of life suited him in ways he’d never imagined. He’d soaked in the physical labor and the feeling of accomplishment after a job was done. Yet the highlight had been when he and Mary Jane enjoyed some outdoor sex. For a woman who’d been a virgin up until a few days ago, she’d shown an unusual comfort in having sex anywhere.

  In the short time he’d spent there with her, he’d come to understand why she was such a free spirit. She was different from any woman he’d ever known. She rolled with the punches, found everything about life to be interesting, and laughed at some situations that would have him hitting someone. Being around her made him a better person.

  “There you are.” Mary Jane emerged from the trees near the trail, Wolf shadowing her every step. He’d bee
n ordered to keep an eye on her. “Dad had seen you come this way.” She smiled at Cutter, but her smile widened when her gaze landed on him. Damn. He liked how she lit up when she saw him. That woman made him happy.

  When was the last time he had been happy when it didn’t involve Mary Jane? Even the day he was released from prison he hadn’t felt that way. All he’d wanted was to get on a motorcycle and ride.

  Gripping his arm, she looked down into the small valley.

  “So this is the neighbor Mom told me about. Nice cabin they built.”

  Storm pulled her away from the ledge and wrapped his arms around her. “Be careful. The rocks are loose.”

  Any excuse to hold her. Strange how quickly she’d gotten him past his phobia. Touching her and having her touch him didn’t bother him as much. He still had a problem if she surprised him, though. His body would still tense up for an attack.

  “I guess we’ll be leaving tomorrow morning.” Her eyes sparkled.

  He was glad to see that. He worried she would want to stay longer, despite telling her parents once already she’d be leaving, then he’d have to tell her no. Seeing her happy made him happy. Fuck! There went that word again. Happy. Time to find another word. Or he needed to buy a clown outfit and have the word spray painted across his chest. He chuckled and pressed a kiss to her temple.

  The Skull had already called and said they would be heading back tomorrow, and Storm better be in line and ready to roll.

  “Mom asked me to bring you and your Brothers back to the gathering house. The meal is about ready.”

  “Hot damn, I’m hungry.” Wolf lifted his shirt and rubbed his flat stomach as he headed toward the trail.

  “When is that gut of yours full?” Cutter jabbed Wolf’s shoulder and loped past him.

  “Gut? I’ll have you know I’ve invested a lot of money and time in developing this.” Wolf picked up speed and hit the trail headfirst, pushing Cutter out of the way.

  “We better go before those two assholes eat all the food.” Storm draped an arm over her shoulders.

  “If they don’t kill each other first.” Her arm wrapped around his waist and squeezed.

  He had to admit he could get used to this happy business.

  —

  “Won’t take but a few minutes.” Mary Jane fluttered her eyelashes at him.

  Storm enjoyed the little ways she teased him. No one had dared to do that in a long time, not since his sister disappeared out of his life.

  He nodded. His heart swelled with her bright smile. Damn! He really should say no to her more. The last thing he needed was a rep for being pussy-whipped. But fuck, he loved seeing her smile.

  So that morning before heading back to Maggie Valley, they were riding down a barely there lane on their bikes with Wolf and Cutter following behind. As decided beforehand, the two Brothers would stay in the tree line while Storm and Mary Jane rode on up to the cabin. No need to scare the citizens. Mary Jane’s mom had gathered a basket full of vegetables for them to give to their new neighbors and had asked so nicely, Storm found he had no willpower to say no to the older woman. If he wasn’t careful, he would lose his badass card.

  Besides, he decided that curiosity habit of Mary Jane’s was catching. He wanted to know why the couple appeared familiar. A closer look would help.

  When they rolled up to the porch, the man stepped out of the cabin. The shadows of the overhang hid the man’s face, but his stance, one hand on the back of a rocking chair and the other supposedly relaxed by his side, warned that he held something by his leg. A gun maybe?

  Mary Jane hopped off, but Storm stretched his arm out in front of her, not wanting her to move forward.

  “Wait a minute.” Storm’s gaze remained on the man.

  The creak of the opening screen door drew Storm’s attention for a split second, but he worried what the man would do. He was the greater threat. So his eyes didn’t move.

  A woman’s voice asked, “Storm?”

  What the hell?

  Holding a little boy’s hand, the woman moved toward the steps, but the man on the porch grabbed at her arm. She whispered something Storm couldn’t make out. Then she turned back to Storm, coming closer and out of the shadows.

  “How did you know we lived here?” Tears streamed down his sister’s face. “Never mind. I don’t care. I’m so happy to see you.”

  There was that fucking word again. A word he may start to hate. It made his skin itch. Whenever that illusion took over, things would go wrong. He suspected he was about to find out how fucked up it was.

  The man came into the light. Thorn Savalas. Wolf’s brother and a former Mayhem Brother. He was also a dirty, lying bastard of an undercover cop. The man was the lowdown asshole who’d turned state’s evidence against the former Skull and many others, including him. Several of the Brothers would pay good money for his location. To shoot a hole through the ass-wipe’s heart would be too kind.

  “Come inside for a minute. Sit down and I’ll explain,” Cassidy, Storm’s sister, waved them in. A worried look wrinkled her brow.

  His gut warned him to crank his bike and get the hell out of Dodge, but when Mary Jane walked around his outstretched arm, he decided it was best to follow. He tried to convince himself it was to protect her. It had nothing to do with wanting to hear what his backstabbing sister had to say. People had disappointed him all his life. Why not the one person he’d counted on all his life to tell him the truth?

  “Sure.” Storm took pleasure in the frown that crossed his sister’s face when he dismounted his bike and stood straight. He wanted her to see his Brothers of Mayhem cut. To emphasize his pride in wearing it he tugged at the ends.

  Inside the spacious cabin, Storm looked around as he stood in the middle of the living room. An open floor plan allowed him to see the kitchen, dining room, and living room in a broad sweeping glance. He stepped over a few toys scattered across the floor to reach pictures hung across one wall. Each framed photo showed a fucking happy family. A mom, dad, and their two kids grinning back. It was a surreal feeling. How did she even know how to be like that? How to be and look like a normal all-American family? It certainly wasn’t by the example their parents had given them.

  “My God, Storm. I’ve missed you so much.” Cassie reached out to hug him and he swerved out of her reach. Just the thought of her touching him made his skin crawl.

  “Hi, I’m Mary Jane Parker. How do you know Storm?”

  He felt bad for not giving Mary Jane a heads up, but he was out of his element. He should be fucking ecstatic for his sister and her new life away from the violence of their old life. But why the fuck hadn’t she taken him away to live like this when he was a kid? And why did she run off with the bastard that sent him into a living hell?

  “He’s my brother,” his sister said.

  “Oh, you’re Cassidy. He’s spoken of you.” Mary Jane, being the pleasant woman she was, reached out and hugged his sister.

  He wanted to tell Mary Jane not to be nice to her, to step away, but the words refused to pass his lips.

  “I hope what he told you was nice,” Cassidy teased.

  Storm couldn’t stand it any longer.

  “Why did you hide from me? Why did you leave with this asshole and not tell me?” His words came out raspy with hurt. Damn. He wasn’t that little boy any longer who needed his big sister’s help.

  “You were in prison. I couldn’t do anything for you. Or did you forget about the two times I visited you and you wouldn’t even talk to me?”

  “Who the fuck put me there?” He glared at Thorn.

  “Back off!” Thorn stepped in front of Cassidy. “You need to take a second and look at yourself. It was your decision to work with an OMG.”

  “Hey, guys, lower your voice. You’re scaring Brian and you might wake up the baby.” Cassidy said, her voice soft as she pleaded.

  Thorn knew referring to the Brothers of Mayhem with law enforcement’s favorite term, Outlaw Motorcycle Gang, would piss
Storm off.

  “OMG? You understood what it means to be a Mayhem Brother. We are more than a fucking gang! I should’ve known you were a cop from the first day!” Hatred radiated out of Storm with each word. Every time things were going good in his life, this man showed up to fuck it up.

  “You were supposed to serve only a few months.” Thorn got in Storm’s face. “It was your own fault you had more time tacked on.”

  Storm laughed. He sounded crazy and out of control, but he couldn’t help it. “My fault?” Each word cut deep. “You don’t know what the fuck you are talking about.”

  “Who are you going to blame? How about growing up and taking ownership?” Thorn stepped up, their noses almost touching.

  “I can tell you, I didn’t go in and ask to be gang-raped, but the bastards who did it paid. They’re all dead or carry scars to remind them not to touch anyone like that again.” His chest rose and fell. Squeezing his fists, he wanted to punch the ass-wipe in the mouth. He refused to let Cassidy know that their father had set it up. Chances were the bastard in front of him wouldn’t believe it.

  “Damn.” Thorn didn’t say any more.

  Storm couldn’t stand the pity showing in the man’s eyes. Before anyone could stop him, he slammed his fist into the motherfucker’s face. He expected him to land on the floor, but the man stumbled and then shook his head. Seconds later, he jumped Storm. They rolled on the floor, knocking over furniture with the women screaming at them. Between being pounded on by Thorn, and Storm landing a few punches of his own, Storm heard the children crying. Thorn must have heard it at the same time. They stopped fighting.

  “You stupid self-centered asses,” Cassidy was saying under her breath as she rocked the toddler and Mary Jane rocked a baby.

  Storm untangled himself from Thorn’s hold and stood. What the hell was he thinking? He looked at Mary Jane. She knew his secret. His shame.

  No matter how much he had fought against the men who raped him, he’d wondered if he could have done something different. Now she knew about the rape, but she had no idea that it had been his father who set it up. She didn’t know what kind of family he had come from. Her family was as wholesome as wheat bread. How could she stand being around him?