“You got it, Peaches, and when I get back, you and I have some unfinished business.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it,” she smiles and it’s that smile I take with me as I get on my bike.
* * *
It’s about two in the morning when we reach the Tennessee, Georgia border. The crew is dog tired and none of us are looking forward to the meeting with Colin tomorrow. Colin is a bastard, though a few steps above his uncle who used to be in charge. We have a bad history with the Donahue family and I wasn’t expecting this meeting to be good. We’re bedding down for the rest of the night at the Green Goose, an old outdated no-tell motel that looks like hell and smells stale and that’s about the nicest thing I can say about it. The mattress lays like it’s been stuffed with straw and the occasional rock. I’m bunking down for the night with Skull. He’s in the opposite bed holding the locket in his hands that he always wears around his neck. It was Beth’s locket. A present he gave her on their wedding day. He’s never once taken it off since Beth’s funeral.
“What are you thinking Pres?” I ask him, trying to drag him out of the thoughts in his own head.
“How old ghosts never stop haunting you, amigo. They never do.”
“Beth wouldn’t want you to live your life like this,” I tell him, knowing it’s true. Beth loved Skull, she’d want him to move on and be happy.
“Love is a funny thing. It starts with a touch and burrows down under the skin, infecting your blood and ultimately your heart. It never lets you go hermano, never. It can feed you and make you strong, nourish you and make you whole, or it can slowly destroy everything inside of you until the person you are withers and you are left but a shell. A sad, empty, old shell with nothing but memories of days you should have cherished more.” Skull sets the locket down on the fake wood nightstand by the bed, lays down, and turns out his light. It jars me, I know today’s meeting has destroyed him.
“Do you wish you hadn’t met her?”
“At times, si. Then I remember.”
“Remember?”
“That before Beth, I had no life anyway. Hold on to your woman, hermano. Hold on tight and enjoy while you can. El tiempo es corto.”
Skull’s mother was Spanish, not his dad. But, she raised him, he knows the language well. He sounds American as hell, but most of the time he slips into the other language. The club has become fluent, or at the very least has a grasp on what he is saying. Time is short. I lie in the dark and listen as, eventually, Skull’s breathing evens out. I pull out my phone and text Annie.
Missing you tonight, sweetheart.
There’s a brief lull. I figure she’s already sound asleep. I’m just putting my phone down when a message comes through.
Miss you too, Sabre. Please be safe. Love you. Xoxo
Love. I don’t know what that is really. I’ve never had it. Yet, I like the idea of Annie loving me. I like it a fuck of a lot.
Before I met Beth, I had no life anyway. I think on Skull’s words. I think I’m starting to understand exactly what he means. I’ve never had someone to come home to before. Someone to worry about me and take care of me. Annie does all of that and more. I need to appreciate that, cherish it, and make sure it’s safe. I sure as hell don’t want to be grieving like Skull does. I grab my phone and text Latch, a patched in member of the club who doesn’t go on runs and shit. He’s got a little sister at home he takes care of; she’s only sixteen and Latch is her only family. They lost their mother a year ago to breast cancer. Latch and I are tight. We have a connection the other brothers don’t know about and would never understand.
Me: You keeping an eye on my woman?
My phone vibrates a few minutes later.
Latch: Outside her house right now. Never fear.
Me: Everything cool?
Latch: She got a visit from an uncle, today. Carl something. It seemed to freak her out. I’m keeping a close eye.
Me: Do that. I’ll check in tomorrow.
Latch: I’m on it. Later.
I don’t like the idea of Annie having problems with me so far away. If her uncle is anything like her father, I know why she is upset. I’ll have to call her in the morning. I roll over in the bed to get some shut-eye. Tomorrow is going to be a long-ass day.
Chapter 12
Annie
How does someone you barely know feel like they own your soul?
I lie there holding my phone after Sabre’s text. I can’t sleep. I may have only been with him for a short amount of time, but I’m used to the way he spoons me and wraps his arms around me at night. He always takes one hand and wraps it around my breast, kisses my neck, and whispers goodnight in my ear. I’ve become addicted to that and have found that even one night without it and I’m wide awake. I crave him like an addict craves his next fix. I even want to cry after his text. That’s how far I’m gone. I get up out of bed and walk to the bathroom, it’s almost morning, I might as well stop pretending I’m going to sleep. The hour nap I had will be it.
After a quick shower, I stumble into the kitchen to find coffee. It’s going to take a lot of coffee to get through today. It’s just finishing up when there’s a knock on my door. That single-girl-all-alone-it’s-3 a.m. panic hits me. I walk cautiously to the front door, afraid it’s Carl. He came by earlier today, said he heard talk I was living with a man. There was no sign of Sabre though and his old truck was hid in the garage, so I think I covered. Still, I know there is trouble coming on that front and I have no idea what I’m going to do about it. I go quietly to the door and glance through the peephole. Latch is standing on the other side. He’s the man that Sabre has watching over me while he’s out of town. He seems like a nice guy.
“What’s up?” I ask, opening the door. I’m worried something happened since it’s the middle of the night and he’s here.
“I was wondering if my sister could spend what’s the rest of the night here. She got picked up at a local party and the deputy called me to come get her. I can’t trust her not to go back out if I’m not there.” He pulls a sullen-looking young girl from the side of the house; I hadn’t noticed her before. She’s beautiful. Her hair is the color of midnight and she’s got these deep, inky dark eyes and long, thick eyelashes. Her skin is pale and flawless, and she could easily be on the cover of any magazine, coming or going. She’s also full of anger and looks like she wants to kill someone.
“Sure, come on inside,” I tell them both, opening the door wider and stepping back.
“Annie this is my baby sister, Lucy. Lucy, this is Annie, she’s Sabre’s old lady.”
“I’ll be seventeen in two weeks, I’m not a baby,” she grumbles.
“I think we’re always babies to our big brothers. I know I was,” I tell her trying to make her feel better as I lead them into the kitchen.
“Was? How on Earth did you get him to stop treating you like a child?” Lucy asks.
“Well, my brother died in a car accident and there’s not been a day since then I haven’t wished he was back here to be over-protective again,” I answer, hoping my message gets across. I watch out of the corner of my eye and see her look at Latch.
“I just made a pot of coffee, would you guys like some?”
“Thanks, that sounds great. I didn’t want to bother you, but I saw you had your light on and figured it’d be better for Lucy to sleep here instead of my truck.”
“Why on Earth are you sleeping in your truck?”
“Remember, Sabre asked me to keep an eye on you. I can’t hardly do that Annie if I’m not around.”
“I thought you went home! You can’t stay outside all night. I’ll fix you a bed on the couch, and Lucy can have my spare room.”
“Annie, we should probably talk about that with Sabre, and I don’t mind….”
“Just hush it, I’ll go find some clean sheets. Lucy, if you want to follow me, I’ll show you where your room will be, sweetheart. You can get settled and then come out and have some coffee, or I could warm you some m
ilk.”
“Warm milk? Please. That sounds so gross.”
I laugh, “It kind of does, but it actually helps relax you. I was just about to make me some. Sabre texted me to let me know they made it okay, and I was just too keyed up to go back to sleep.”
“So they’re all good?” She asks and she seems interested, maybe just a little too interested.
“Yes, I believe so. You know how they are. They never give too much information.”
“Yeah, I do. I know them all though Latch doesn’t let me hang around at the clubhouse much anymore.”
“Really, why’s that?” I ask, opening the door to the room she’ll be staying in.
“He says I’m too old. One of the guys started asking me out and shit. I thought Latch was going to pop his lid. He doesn’t seem to get that I’m not a little kid anymore.”
“I get that, but he’s your brother. Still, you are just sixteen so that’s a little young for one of the members to be wanting to take you out on a date.”
“It was Keys. He’s only six years older than me, but it’s not him I’m interested in,” she says plopping down on the bed.
“So, there is someone in the club you are interested in?”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t matter. He doesn’t see me as anything other than a child and he’d never stand up to Latch to ask me out, even if he did.”
“Well, you’re too young to think about settling down anyway. But if it’s meant to be, when the time is right, it’ll happen. Look at me. I’m twenty-six and had given up the idea of ever finding someone I could love, and then my car broke down and I found Sabre.”
“Yeah, maybe, thanks for the room, Annie. I wasn’t doing anything wrong at the party, but I guess some of the neighbors thought we were too loud and called the law.”
“It’s okay. You get settled and come on out when you’re ready. I’m just going to get some sheets and things for you brother and get him settled on the couch.”
I spend the next hour or so talking with Latch and his little sister. I really like her. She’s sweet, funny, and a really good kid. I get the feeling she’s hanging with the wrong crowd and that’s why Latch is concerned. I also get a bigger feeling that she’s got a huge crush on Beast. That’s bad news. He’s a good sixteen or seventeen years older than her and there’s no way he’ll ever see her as more than a little girl, even after she becomes legal. Hopefully, that will work itself out. Once I get them settled, I head back to mine and Sabre’s room. I reach over and grab Sabre’s pillow and pull it into my body, hugging it tightly. I can smell his aftershave on it, and I inhale deeply. Just the scent alone is enough to relax me, and I feel my eyes closing fast. My last thoughts are that of Sabre. I really do love him.
Chapter 13
Sabre
I never had the feeling that I was coming home before. Annie makes everything different.
It feels as if I’ve been gone for a month, rather than just three days. I have a lot on my plate in the upcoming days with the club. I’m not the club enforcer or the Vice President, but as record keeper of the club and one of the main officers, I have a lot on my plate as we figure out where to go after our meeting with the Donahue brothers. Still, I’ve already told Skull and Pistol that I’m doing jack shit until I get the night with my woman.
With that in mind, as the other men turned into the club, I kept going and drove like a bat out of hell to get home. The minute I pull into the driveway and see Annie’s old beat up vehicle I feel a sense of peace. I’m barely off my bike when Annie comes running out. She jumps straight into my arms and I have to plant my feet to keep from being bowled over by her. She’s laughing and her eyes are alive with happiness. Her arms go around me and mine lock around her and that feeling of peace only intensifies.
“I missed you, Sabre. I’m so glad you’re home.”
Home. Yeah, I am definitely home.
“I missed you too, sweet Annie, and I’m getting ready to show you just how much,” I growl picking her up in my arms and marching up the steps into the house. She is nibbling on my neck and telling me how much she’s glad I’m home, and I wish I could hear her better. The truth is there’s blood roaring in my ears, my cock is rock hard, and I have to have her. I feel like a damn monk who is about to break a seven-year vow of celibacy. I open the door, Annie still in my arms and freeze. Latch is sitting at the bar, eating. My eyes narrow in on him.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I bark, my dick somehow growing harder.
“Having dinner. You just missed Lucy. She had dance practice.”
I set Annie down with a sigh. No way. I am not going to get cock-blocked again and Annie is not ready for playtime.
“Annie. Bedroom, now. Take your clothes off and get on the bed and wait for me.”
“Sabre.”
“Now, Annie.”
“Remind me again why I like the things you do to me,” she grumbles leaving the room.
“I’m about to remind you. Latch, get the fuck out of here,” I growl, my patience gone.
“Bye, Latch. Don’t forget, you and Lucy are having dinner here Thursday night,” Annie calls out.
“Wouldn’t miss it, Peaches,” Latch says with a wicked grin.
“I see you’ve made yourself at home,” I say watching him closely. He’s got that look in his eye that I haven’t seen in a long time. My Annie has caught him, I knew she would. Hell, I just had to see her from a distance.
“She’s special,” he answers.
“She is.”
“She doesn’t let you keep your distance,” he answers and I nod my head in agreement. “Do I report to the club or here tomorrow?”
“Here, I’m going to be busy at the club for the next few days.”
“You got it. Be good to her, brother,” he says, slamming the door shut. I sigh. There are things to discuss with Latch, but I need Annie, it will have to happen later.
I go straight to the bedroom and what I find there takes my breath away. Annie is on the bed, gloriously naked, except for the sheet she has pulled over her. I should have told her I didn’t want her covered up. I know she’s shy. I know she’s never done this before. A better man would understand that and move forward carefully. That is not who I am though, and Annie knows that. It’d be wrong for me to be any way other than the way I always plan to be with her.
“Come over here and undress me, Annie.”
Her cheeks darken in color, but she slides out of bed and comes to me. She’s beautiful as always, but knowing what we’re about to do and what she is about to give me makes her even more so. She comes to a stop in front of me.
I can’t stop my hand from coming up and caressing her collarbone and following the delicate path to her neck. “So beautiful.”
Her hand gently covers mine and her sweet voice feels as if it takes ten years of darkness away from me.
“That’s how I feel every time I look at you, Sabre.”
So sweet, she could make my teeth ache. Her innocence intrigues me, but I can’t wait to show her how good being bad can be. I take off my cut and toss it to the chair across from us, and then pull my shirt off. Her hands move over my stomach, her fingers moving slowly as if she’s memorizing every line. Bit by bit she moves up my chest, her hands breaking apart and each thumb searching out my hard, small nipples and petting them. The touch is erotic and innocent at the same time.
I’ve done my best to bring Annie to this point; knowing what to expect from me. Each time I touched her brought her to orgasm; in the way I talked to her, texted, and in the videos or other things I made sure she watched. I’m not a tender man, not by a long shot. Annie brings out instincts and feelings I’ve never had before. Yet, sex is elemental to who I am. She may start off a virgin, but I plan to show her every forbidden pleasure my mind can dream up and make her want it…need it…crave it.
“I thought you told me to undress you?” she asks, placing a gentle kiss on my chest.
“I left the best parts for you,�
� I grin.
“I’m a little nervous,” she admits and I can hear her voice tremble.
I bring her face up close to mine, taking in all the myriad of emotions her eyes are trying to show and then kiss her softly. Our lips caress and graze each other in a slow dance that is intended only to divert her and to amp up her excitement.
I use my teeth to pull her lower lip into my mouth, sucking on it. I nibble it, let my tongue taste its flavor, all the while letting my hands pet and follow the contours of her body. I can’t resist massaging those sweet, luscious globes and bringing her even closer to me. I could be wrong, but I think that’s what pushes her over the edge and to the point her nerves take a back seat because she practically takes over our kiss. Her tongue forges into my mouth, trying to own it. Her hands move down to my sides and her fingernails bite into the skin, and the sweet sting of pain mixed with need acts like a drug in my system. I wanted to take this slow and easy the first time. Being with Annie doesn’t allow that, I just can’t. Together the two of us always end up being a raging wildfire.
“Annie…I can’t be slow. You deserve someone who can take his time and worship you patiently. Fuck, sweetheart. I don’t have it in me,” I tell her when we break apart. My voice is unsteady from the need coursing through my veins.
“I don’t want you to be anything other than the man I fell in love with.” The words lie there for a second and they’re backed up by the trust shining in her eyes. I may not be soft or able to give her what she deserves, but I vow I will make this good for her. I just hope I can. I know nothing about virgins. My darker desires always made me run from them.
“You can undress me next time…get up on the bed, now, Annie,” I order. She backs away and when the bed presses against her legs, slides upon it. Her eyes stay on me the entire time. I like that, I will demand it from her—especially when I introduce her to the pleasures of having more than just me and her in our playtime. I bank those thoughts down as an image of Latch touching my woman tries to plant itself in my mind. It will happen, but tonight belongs to Annie and me.
Burned: Devil's Blaze MC Book 2 Page 27