by Nina Levine
Blaze
Storm MC, Volume 3
Nina Levine
Published by Nina Levine, 2014.
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.
BLAZE
First edition. April 28, 2014.
Copyright © 2014 Nina Levine.
Written by Nina Levine.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
In The Beginning
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Epilogue
BONUS SCENES
Fierce Bonus Chapter
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Ryder by Jani Kay
Dedication
Blaze is dedicated to my readers.
It’s dedicated to the readers who love J and Madison as much as I do.
“Here’s to those who inspire you and don’t even know it.” ~ Anonymous
A Note About The Storm MC Series
Each book in this series continues on from the previous. While there won’t be major cliffhangers in each book, there will be parts of the story that won’t be resolved so please be aware of this.
Cover: Designed by LM Creations
In The Beginning
Madison (Aged 22)
I flopped down onto the couch in the clubhouse bar. It had been a long morning with my mother, helping her do some cleaning at the clubhouse. We’d finished up about half an hour ago and I was waiting for her to do a couple of other things before she could drive me home. My car was at the mechanics today being serviced so I was relying on her for a lift back there to collect it. I pulled my book out of my bag and flipped to the page I was up to. It was the latest Jackie Collins book and I needed to know what happened to the asshole who was cheating on his wife. Damn, nobody wrote a book as well as Jackie did.
I don’t know how long I’d been engrossed in the book when I heard a voice say, “So, it’s your birthday tomorrow. What are you doing to celebrate?”
I looked up to find J looking down at me. He’d just gotten back from a ride and was all sweaty but I didn’t mind; the smell of sweat mixed with the sandalwood scent he wore kind of drove me wild. On days like today, when he looked rough and ready after a ride, it was hard being only friends with him. I wanted more. However, I valued our friendship of nearly six years and didn’t want to risk losing it by taking a chance on something I knew wouldn’t lead anywhere. J wasn’t the kind of guy to settle down with anyone. He’d had a couple of girlfriends over the years but they never seemed to last long; six months was the longest I think I’d ever seen him with someone. Our friendship on the other hand, had lasted the distance.
He nudged my leg with his boot. “You going to answer me or are you going to keep daydreaming?”
“Shit, sorry,” I muttered as I jumped up. Thank goodness he couldn’t read my mind; that would have been awkward. “I’m going out to Hydes tonight, with some friends. Scott’s going to be there; do you want to come too?” I tried to ignore my desperate desire for him to say yes. Actually, it would probably be better if he said no because if he did come, things could get messy if I threw myself at him after a couple of drinks.
He smiled. “Sure, count me in. I’ve got some things to do but I’ll be there later on.”
My heart skipped a beat and the butterflies in my stomach went into overdrive. “Great.” Shit, was that the best I could do? Great? Lately, I was like a bloody school girl when I was around J; the things that came out of my mouth were embarrassing. Right now, he was so close to me that it was messing with my thought process.
He smirked and I watched as his eyes dropped to my chest that was covered by the tightest tank top known to man. It was a bloody hot day today so I was wearing very little clothing, and right about now, I was secretly thankful for that. I liked him looking at me this way. His eyes lingered on my chest for awhile before continuing their path down my body to my legs that were bare thanks to the short denim shorts I was wearing. The sensations this caused in me were like nothing I’d ever experienced. Sure, I’d had a number of boyfriends and wasn't a virgin anymore, but there was something about J; he made me feel things that both excited and terrified me.
His eyes finally found their way back to mine and he murmured, “Wouldn’t miss it, sweetheart.”
There was something in the way he spoke that caused me to stop and soak in his words. He hadn’t said it in the way a friend would say it; there’d been more to his words than that. I tilted my head and gazed up at him. He was watching me closely; his eyes were focused solely on mine now, not on my body. They burned into mine with an intensity that thrilled me. The world around me stopped and my attention was completely on J in that moment. Finally, I said softly, “Good, I’m glad you can make it.”
We stood staring at each other for a moment longer before my father interrupted us. “J, you got a minute?” he called out from the hallway.
J turned and nodded at him. “Be there in a minute,” he said and then turned back to me.
“I’ll see you tonight,” he promised, and then left me to go find my dad.
I watched him go; still stunned at the turn that conversation had taken. And shit, now I had to rethink my whole outfit for tonight; if J was coming, I had to rethink everything.
***
Eight hours later, I was happily tipsy. Okay, maybe I was a little more than tipsy but I wasn’t drunk. And J still hadn’t turned up. I’d been waiting for him all night but when he still hadn’t shown up an hour ago, I’d decided he wasn’t coming and had thrown myself into having a good time with my friends who had come and forgetting him; forgetting my extreme disappointment that he’d not come.
I was stumbling out of the ladies room when a strong arm curled around my waist and held me up; held me close to him. “Babe, how much have you had to drink?” he breathed into my ear.
His breath on my skin sent shivers through me and I instinctually leaned into him; the need to get closer was overwhelming. “A little bit,” I replied.
He chuckled. “Looks like a lot more than a little.”
I shrugged. “I was waiting for you and you didn’t come so I passed the time another way.” Somewhere in the back of my fuzzy mind, I was kicking myself for admitting that to him.
He froze and turned me slightly so that we were facing each other, his hand still gripping my waist. “Fuck, Madison,” he muttered, his eyes searching mine. “You want this as much as I do, don’t you?”
Now I was really confused. “Want what?” I asked.
“Jesus, you’ve got to know by now that I want you in my bed. I didn’t know how you felt; you’ve always given me mixed signals but now I can see that you want it too.”
Shit, this was not good. I shook my head. “No, J. It’s not a good idea. I just want to stay friends with you and that won’t happen if I sleep with you.”
“Don’t bullshit me, babe. You want this. It’s fucking written across your face.” He moved his hand from my waist to my ass, gripping it and pulling me to him. Leaning his face closer to mine, he murmured, “Your pussy’s wet for me, isn’t it?”
I knew I was done for in that instant. My desire for him, mixed with the alcohol in my system, collided, and all rational thought flew out the window. Unable to hold it in, I moaned. J caught it and that was enough for him; his lips smashed down onto mine and we began the dance of lust that could only lead to one place. His hands were all over my ass a
nd then one hand moved around to my breast. As his fingers brushed over my nipple, I moved my hands to his ass and pulled him into me. His cock was hard against me and it felt so damn good.
He ended our kiss and pulled away from me slightly. “Christ almighty, I need to get you out of here.”
I nodded, and looked around for my friends. If we were leaving, I needed to say goodbye to them.
J grabbed my hand and started to walk towards the door to leave. I pulled on his hand to stop him and he turned to look at me. “What?” he asked, reluctantly stopping.
“I need to tell my friends that I’m leaving.”
Frustration crossed his face. “Really?” he asked, impatiently. “Can’t you just text them? Cause I’ve gotta tell you, my dick’s been hard for you for a long fucking time and I don’t want to waste time fucking about looking for your friends.”
Whoa. He was bossy, and damn, it turned me on even more. But I wasn’t the kind of person to ditch a friend on a night out without telling them I was safe. “No, I can’t just text them. I’ve got to at least find Bec and tell her where I’m going.”
He let go of my hand and ran his fingers through his hair. “Okay, but make it quick, babe. I’m not kidding when I say that I’ve never been this hard for any other woman.”
I almost tripped over when he uttered those words. Confusion crowded my mind; how had I missed the fact that J wanted me as much as I wanted him? And just what did he want? One night? Or something more permanent? I realised that in that moment, I didn’t care; I wanted tonight with him and tomorrow we could sort out the rest. I just hoped that with whatever happened, we would remain friends because I valued the friendship we’d built over the years; J meant more to me than most of my girlfriends and I didn’t want to lose that. Friends could have sex. Couldn’t they?
***
We pulled up outside his house and I got off his bike and stood silently watching him. I was nervous which was unlike me. It was disconcerting to have knots in my stomach and to feel speechless around him.
He stayed on his bike, slowly removed his helmet and looked at me. “What’s wrong, babe?”
“What are we doing?” I asked softly, the passion I’d felt at the club had given way to nerves now.
He cocked his head to the side. “I thought we’d agreed on that already.”
I nodded. “We had but -“
He cut me off, his voice laced with frustration, “But what, Madison? It’s a no brainer for me. I want you and you want me. What’s there to think about?”
“Everything. There’s everything to think about. You’re one of my best friends and I don’t want to lose that.”
“Why would we lose that?” The confusion was clear on his face.
I sighed; why did men have to be so clueless? “So we have sex tonight. What happens tomorrow? Will it be awkward between us or do you think we can just go back to being what we were before tonight?”
“Fuck. Why do chicks have to fucking over analyse shit? Why can’t we just have tonight and go from there?”
He got off his bike and walked towards me but I took a step back. He’d annoyed me now with his attitude towards this. When I stepped back, he stopped and shook his head. “So that’s it? You’ve changed your mind?”
“Well, I had hoped that we could discuss it a little more but you don’t seem to want to do that.”
“Babe, I seriously just want to get you inside and get your fucking clothes off. As far as I’m concerned that’s all the discussion that we need to make this happen.”
“Yeah, well I think that you and I are talking about two different things now, J. You seem to just want a quick fuck and I’m more interested to know what happens beyond that quick fuck.” Disappointment settled in; I’d thought he wanted more but it looked like I was wrong. This was why you didn’t contemplate having sex with your male friends.
His phone rang and he scowled. Answering it, he barked, “I’m in the middle of something. What’s up?” His eyes did not leave mine.
I stood waiting for him to finish his conversation; the intensity of his glare stirring up the butterflies in my stomach. That glare was a mixture of heat, desire, frustration, annoyance and so much more. I felt the exact same things that he was projecting. However, in that moment, my annoyance at his attitude outweighed my desire to be with him.
He ended his call and put his phone back in his pocket. “I’ve got to be at the clubhouse in an hour. Are we going to do this or not?”
Un-fucking-believable. “I can’t believe you just said that. No, we’re not doing this,” I snapped, and reached into my bag to get my phone out.
He stepped into my space and placed his hand over mine, stopping me. “I’m not sure what the fuck happened in your mind between the club and here, babe. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to fuck about so I’ll just take you home, but this is a conversation that needs to be finished at some point.”
I shook my head. “No, I’ll find my own way home, and this is not a conversation that needs to be revisited. You’ve made your intentions pretty clear.”
His nostrils flared and his breathing grew ragged. “I’m taking you home, Madison.” He made his way back to his bike and tried to pass me the helmet. “Put this on and get on the bike.”
My eyes widened. I wasn’t used to J talking to me like this. Ignoring him, I scrolled through my phone looking for the phone number of my only friend who hadn’t been out drinking with me tonight; hopefully she’d be able to come and pick me up. I finally found her number and hit dial, returning the glare that J was sending my way. She finally answered her call and agreed to come and get me.
J folded his arms across his chest and planted his feet wide. He was angry now and didn’t hold back. “Why the fuck couldn’t you just let me take you home?”
“Because you’re being a prick and I don’t want to be anywhere near you,” I threw back.
“So now I’ve got to wait here until your friend arrives. Would have been a lot easier to do it my way.”
“No-one’s asking you to stay!”
“Jesus, Madison. As if I’d fucking leave you alone at this time of the night.”
I was exasperated. On the one hand, I wanted to punch him, but on the other hand I wanted to rip his clothes off and screw him.
The next ten minutes were ten of the longest minutes in my life. We didn’t speak while we waited for Sally to come and get me. Instead, J paced and threw me a foul look every now and then. I sank further into my disappointment. When she pulled up, I quickly got in her car without a backwards glance at J. I could feel his angry eyes on me though. I must have been out of my mind to think that he and I could take our friendship further.
***
I woke up on my birthday and felt like shit. Not only did I have a headache from the slight hangover I had, but I felt ill over what had happened with J last night. Luckily I hadn’t planned anything special; it meant that I could pretty much just keep to myself. And so it was that I spent most of the day at home, reading and eating junk food. I wallowed in my heartbreak, because it was true, I was heartbroken that not only did I screw up a chance at a relationship with J but I’d probably screwed up our friendship too.
He never called or came by but at three o’clock that afternoon, I heard the rumble of a bike outside. Figuring it was Scott, I ignored it, stuck my headphones in and went back to my book. I didn’t want to see anyone.
A couple of minutes later, my headphones were ripped out of my ears and J stood in my bedroom, staring down at me. I couldn’t pick his mood. He seemed mildly annoyed but at the same time, he had a soft look in his eyes.
I moved off the bed so I was face to face with him. “What are you doing here, J?”
“Came to say happy birthday.” His voice was soft. It did things to me and I mentally cursed him; it wasn’t fair that he could make me feel this way when I was so upset with him.
“Thanks.”
His eyes scanned my face. I wasn’t sure wha
t he was looking for but I figured he hadn’t found it when he muttered, “Fuck. This isn’t going to be easy, is it?”
Good God, he confused the shit out of me. “What isn’t going to be easy?”
His chest rose and fell in a heavy movement. “Us.”
“What, our friendship?” I really wished we were doing this on any other day than today. Today I wasn’t feeling the best so I was struggling to keep up with him.
A look crossed his face and then he appeared to settle something in his mind. He grabbed my hand and began walking us out of the bedroom.
“Where are we going?” I asked while trying to slow him down by pulling back.
It was futile though; he just kept powering through the house and out the front door. He let go of my hand once we were outside so that he could lock the front door.
“Where did you get a key for my house?” I had no clue that he had that key.
“Scott gave it to me. We’ve both got one in case you ever needed us.”
He said that like it was the most normal thing in the world. As far as I was concerned, it wasn’t. “I want that key back. And Scott’s too. You guys don’t need to worry about me.”
His amused eyes landed on mine and he shook his head. “Not going to happen, babe.”
Before I could say anything else, he grabbed my hand again and directed us to his bike. He handed me a helmet and indicated for me to put it on.
Again, I argued. “Tell me where we’re going.”
“Got a place I want to show you.” He pointed at the helmet and then the bike. “Put it on and get on the bike.”
I assessed the situation and decided it was just going to be easier to do what he said so I did. Moments later his bike roared to life and we took off. I held onto him tightly and eventually relaxed. Having grown up around bikes my whole life, I loved being on the back of one. And being on the back of J’s, with my arms wrapped around him, felt amazing. Exhilarating. It felt like I was home, and I had no idea where that thought came from, but it was what was swirling around my mind.