by Zoey Parker
“Hey,” Brittany bounced excitedly on the bed. “I’m back in Colridge now. What are you up to?”
“Coming over to see you,” Max replied flirtatiously. Brittany giggled with delight. She wanted to rest her head against his strong chest and feel his powerful arms wrapped around her.
“I’ve missed you,” she told him shyly.
“I’ve missed you too.”
Brittany was smiling. She’d been gone just one night and he’d missed her. He clearly cared about her deeply, just as she did with him. Was marriage in their future? She didn’t dare ask, but she’d certainly fantasized about it. She loved Max. Every fiber in her body told her so. She thought of her brother, and how she sensed he was trying to get her to behave in a way which would push Max away. Biting her tongue, she held in any talk of marriage and a future together. Instead, she opted to live in the moment.
“I’m taking off my clothes,” she told him seductively as she fumbled for the zipper to her tracksuit. “You’ve got ten minutes to get here before I start playing with myself.”
“I’ll be there in five.” Max hung up and Brittany dropped back down on the bed, giggling with excited delight before quickly shedding her clothes.
Chapter Fifty-Four
“Wait, what?” Jameson placed his bottle of beer down on the table and frowned at his friend.
“Brittany’s dating a member of the Skeleton Kings,” Zack repeated sourly. He couldn’t keep the secret to himself any longer. By his second beer, he’d been bursting to tell Jameson all about Max, and now he was on his fourth, which meant the truth came tumbling out with no hesitation.
“Seriously?” Jameson looked truly astonished. “Your sweet, innocent little sister?”
“Yep.”
“Well,” Jameson rolled his eyes and gently shook his head. “She won’t be sweet and innocent much longer.”
“Hey,” Zack growled, kicking at his friend beneath the table. “That’s my sister you’re talking about.”
“And she’s busy being railroaded by a member of the Skeleton Kings. You know as well as I do how they treat women. They’ll be passing her around like some sort of joint.”
Zack could feel his heart hammering angrily in his chest, could hear its echo in his ears. He wanted to think that Jameson was wrong, but he knew the truth. To the Kings, women were objects. Maybe it hadn’t happened yet but Max would ruin Brittany. He’d take what made her special – her innocence, her sweetness, and destroy that.
“You think he’s with her to get to you?” Jameson wondered anxiously.
“The thought had crossed my mind,” Zack admitted sourly, gazing sadly at his half empty bottle of beer, the contents no longer cold but lukewarm.
“Mmm,” Jameson finished off his own beer and raised his hand to order them another round. “No wonder you were so fired up over this guy this morning.”
“Yeah,” Zack agreed, recalling how he’d felt when he saw Max’ picture.
“Did you tell her he rides with the Reapers?”
Zack shook his head. “Brittany doesn’t even know that I’m with the Red Riders. If I tell her about her boyfriend being with the Skeleton Kings, it opens up a whole can of worms that I don’t really want to get into.”
“But if you told her she’d end it with him, right? It’s too dangerous to let them carry on being together.”
“I know, I know.” But if Brittany knew the truth about Max, she’d also be learning the truth about Zack. She’d find out all the things he’d done for the Riders, all the blood that was on his hands. He risked not only Max losing her, but also himself. He wasn’t even fully convinced that it would scare her off of Max, but it was sure to hit a sore spot with his relationship with his sister.
“So, say you withhold the truth,” Jameson leaned forward, lowering his voice. He loved a good conspiracy.
“You don’t tell Brittany he’s with the Kings. You’ve still got the break them up.”
“Yeah,” Zack agreed, draining the last of his warm beer.
“You can’t let her stay with him.”
“I know,” Zack’s voice became strained as two fresh bottles of beer arrived at their table, courtesy of a buxom waitress. Jameson leaned back in his chair to thank her and give her a suggestive wink. She giggled coyly, batting her eyelashes and then walking off with an extra swing in her step.
“It’s just that she seems really keen on him, and I fear that breaking them up…” he sighed and reached for his fresh beer.
“Breaking them up means breaking her heart,” he concluded sadly.
“It’s a risk you’ve got to take,” Jameson replied fiercely. “Either you break her heart or the Skeleton Kings break every bone in her pretty little body. As her brother, which would you rather?”
“Neither.” Zack felt helpless. Either way, Brittany was going to get hurt. As her brother he’d failed to protect her, failed to shield her from the darkness of his world.
“The heart is a mighty resilient muscle,” Jameson tilted his new beer towards his friend and gave a knowing smile. “It can bounce back from all sorts of things. And the scars you wear down there,” he placed a hand against his chest, “no one can see them. But the other scars,” now his hand raised slowly to his cheek where the skin was mottled and tight. “You wear them forever,” he concluded sagely.
Chapter Fifty-Five
Brittany pulled Max into her apartment as soon as she opened the door, showering him with kisses. They’d only been apart for a few days, but she felt like she’d missed him so much she could burst. He wrapped his strong arms around her slim waist and kissed her passionately. She could feel the hunger in his kisses, the longing.
They didn’t utter a single word as they staggered together towards the bedroom. They could just sense what the other wanted. As she stepped towards the bed, Brittany hurriedly shed the dress she’d been wearing. Only an hour earlier she’d carefully picked it out as she liked the way it made her legs look long and slender. She imagined sitting across from Max at dinner and flirtatiously lowering the neckline a fraction while chewing her lip. But the moment she’d seen him, she’d lost her appetite for food and hungered for something more carnal.
Once they were both naked, they tumbled together onto the bed, a collection of knotted limbs. They were still kissing. Brittany loved how Max tasted. She wanted to kiss him until her lips were numb. As they kissed, his hands navigated the curves of her bare body. She trembled with desire as his fingertips grazed her inner thigh.
“God, I missed you,” she uttered breathlessly as he carefully eased his fingers inside her. She was already so wet she thought she might climax any second.
“I missed you too,” Max growled the words in her ear. Brittany shuddered deliciously. She loved the deep resonance of his voice, each word sounding like it had been delivered from the pit of his stomach.
He kept easing his fingers in and out of her as they writhed together on the bed. Brittany could feel the flush spreading over her face, felt the tingle down in her pussy. Curling her toes, she gasped in delight as she came. Max grinned as he turned her over so that she was on all fours.
“You’re so sexy,” he declared as he reached for her hips and guided her body into position.
The sex was hard and fast but extremely satisfying. Breathing heavily they finally parted, falling onto their backs and lying side by side on Brittany’s bed, gazing up at the ceiling.
“We might have missed our reservation,” Max noted with a sprinkle of good humor.
“Ha, yeah,” Brittany agreed. She gently reached across the bed for his hand and interlinked it with her own.
“We could order take out or something,” he suggested.
“Sounds good.” At the suggestion of food Brittany’s stomach growled in yearning. “Seems that I’m pretty hungry,” she laughed.
“Did you have fun staying with your brother?” Max asked, his gaze held on the ceiling above them which was covered with cracked paint.
; “Yeah,” a smile pulled at Brittany’s lips as she remembered playing Candy Land with Zack. It had been fun, like a pleasant trip down memory lane. But then he’d been strange about Max. She sensed that he was trying to goad her into scaring him away, but why? Her smile fell, and she turned on her side to face Max.
The fresh ink of the tattoo she’d done on his chest stood out against his pale skin. The red soreness beneath it was gone, so it just looked clear and impressive. Brittany traced the line of some of his scars with her fingertip. He had so many. They ran like a dark map over his torso. Many looked as if they’d been made from deep, dangerous wounds.
“I told him about us,” Brittany stated softly. Her finger was floating over a particularly large scar which ran down from Max’ left shoulder towards his new tattoo. It was pinker in color than most of the others, suggesting that it wasn’t that old.
“You did?” Max turned to face her, denying her access to the scar as he rolled onto his side.
“Yeah,” Brittany shyly tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She instantly regretted having bought up talking to Zack about their relationship, since her brother had ultimately not seemed pleased about it.
“What’s wrong?” Max wondered softly, reading her troubled expression. “Was he not happy about us?”
“No. I mean, yes. No.” Brittany sighed heavily and sat up, drawing her knees up to her chest. “I thought he was happy about us, but then he got kind of…weird.”
“Weird how?” Max also sat up and looped an arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him, relieved by his support.
“I don’t know,” shaking her head she wished she could decipher what exactly was going on with Zack. He was definitely behaving strangely. “I got the feeling he was hoping we’d break up soon.”
“He was probably just being protective,” Max reasoned. “You said that you two have always been close.”
“Yeah,” Brittany wanted to shake the veil of sadness that she now wore. She was reunited with Max, everything should be great. But she kept thinking about Zack. She’d wanted him to be happy for her, it was important to her that he get along with Max.
“I guess I just wanted him to react to the news like a brother,” she sighed. “Rather than a parent.”
“I don’t think any brother worth his salt, would ever be okay about his baby sister dating someone.”
“You think?” Brittany shot Max a hopeful glance. Growing up Zack had kept her so sheltered from other people that she’d lost some of her grip on normalcy.
“Yeah,” Max gave her shoulders a squeeze. “He just cares about you, Brittany. I’m sure he’ll come around.”
“Will you meet him?” She felt Max tense beside her. Her heart began to flip flop in her chest. She’d pushed too hard, she was scaring him away just as Zack had intended. She wanted to smack her own head for being so foolish.
“Of course,” but when Max spoke, his words didn’t match his actions. It was almost like his initial flinch had just been a knee-jerk reaction. Had he met many brothers? Many parents. Jealousy burned bright in Brittany’s eyes when she suddenly considered how little she actually knew about Max. Had he had many girlfriends? Many sexual partners? He was her first on both counts and that was special to her. She swallowed uneasily.
“I’d love to meet your brother,” Max reassured her brightly. But even though he was smiling, he still looked troubled.
“You would?” Brittany challenged dubiously.
“Of course,” Max leaned close and let his lips brush against hers. “If he’s important to you, then he’s important to me.”
“So are we like,” Brittany pulled away from him and sat across from him on the bed. She suddenly wished she was dressed. Being naked made her feel even more exposed than she already did.
“Are we serious?” she hated how pitiful she sounded when she asked the question. She half expected Max to shudder at the suggestion before making his excuses and leaving with haste. Perhaps Zack was going to get his wish granted after all.
“Yes,” but Max didn’t miss a beat in responding. He swiftly crossed the space between them and cupped her head in his hands. He was so warm to the touch.
“We are definitely serious,” he kissed her. This time, there wasn’t hunger in the kiss but tenderness. Brittany could feel herself melting against his heat, her fears and anxieties fading away.
“I love you,” she whispered the words unwillingly as they parted. She wasn’t even sure where they had come from. It was as if her heart suddenly had control of her lips and was making her say things without any involvement from her brain, which would have screened the words and told her that it was too soon. Brittany held her breath and feared that she’d taken things too far.
Max smiled, his eyes crinkling in an adorable way.
“I love you too.” He confirmed. Brittany threw herself against him, holding tight, threatening to never let go. He loved her. She loved him. That was all that mattered.
Max embraced her back, holding her against his bare chest.
“I’ve never said that to anyone before,” he admitted shakily. Brittany leaned back to look into his eyes. She saw something in them that she’d never seen before – vulnerability.
“I never thought I’d find love,” he continued, reaching for her cheek and gently stroking it. “My life has been brutal and lonely and…”
“And now you have me,” Brittany smiled sweetly at him.
“And now I have you,” he agreed with a smile. “And you know what? I’m never going to let you go.”
“That’s fine with me.” They kissed and the kiss quickly heated into something more. As the day outside darkened to night they made love several more times, each time whispering their love to one another. If Zack had hoped that they would part, then quite the opposite had happened. They were now stronger than ever.
Chapter Fifty-Six
Zack pulled up at the gas station just after dark; above him the sky sparkled with the glittering of stars. But he didn’t pause to look up. He drove directly to a pump and stopped his bike. He ran his hands through his hair and glanced around. It was empty at the station, apart from the clerk inside who gave him a stiff wave.
The clerk knew who Zack was, or rather who he rode with. Any gas he pumped there would be on the house. Stretching his legs, Zack stepped away from his bike and wandered around to the front. He felt tense and uneasy. He wished he could just let the thing with Brittany and her boyfriend go, but he knew it would be dangerous to do so.
From where he was standing, he could read the sign out on the highway informing him that Colridge was now just twenty miles away. With a reluctant groan, he reached into the pocket of his leathers and retrieved his cell phone. He made a call as he strode back towards his bike. There were signs around prohibiting the use of cell phones at the station. He ignored them all.
“Hello?” Nancy picked up and didn’t sound happy to have heard from him.
“Nancy, hey, it’s Zack.”
“I know.”
Clearing his throat, he wedged the phone against his shoulder and neck as he began filling up the tank on his bike. The petrol chugged out slowly, filling the air with an acidic scent.
“Are you free tonight?” he asked directly.
“Tonight?” he could hear how outraged Nancy was by question. “Whatever I’m doing tonight is none of your damn business,” she told him curtly.
“I think it is,” Zack countered. “I think that you’re going to meet me so we can talk.”
“We’ve nothing to talk about.”
“We need to talk about Brittany.”
If Nancy had been intending on hanging up, she hesitated.
“She’s in danger,” Zack admitted stiffly.
“If she is, then you’ve only got yourself to blame!” Nancy raged. “I know who you really are, Zack. What it is you do.”
“Trust me, if she’s in danger then it’s nothing to do with me,” his grip on the petrol pump tightened in
anger. His comment was only half true. But still, being with Max was putting her in danger. Their relationship had to end. Soon.
“Look, I don’t want any trouble,” Nancy stated quietly, fear creeping into her usually confident voice.
“Me neither,” Zack insisted, “That’s why I’m currently on my way over to Colridge. And Brittany can’t know. Got it?”
“So, what? You’re going to sneak into town under the cover of night and then disappear before dawn?”
“That’s the plan.” With his tank full, Zack placed the pump back in its rack.
“You’re certainly good at creeping off,” Nancy noted bitterly. Zack grimaced and rubbed a hand down the back of his neck. He wished he hadn’t slept with her, maybe then her reaction to him wouldn’t be so emotional and unnecessarily difficult.