Strays (Red Kings MC Book 1)

by Eliza Marsh

  She watched him with a raised brow and arms crossed against her chest, knowing Dean would most likely be very annoyed with the prospect for bothering him. Taco swallowed and closed his phone without saying goodbye, and Jackie could guess that Dean had hung up on the young man after giving him a concise answer. “Yeah, you're good.”

  Jackie nodded her head knowingly, but couldn't stand the dejected look on his face. “I'm sure Dean is grateful to have someone so alert watching out for his bike. You never know what could happen to it.”

  Taco snorted and rolled his eyes, but nodded nonetheless. “Yeah, I'm sure he is.” He began to walk out of the garage but turned back to her at the last second. “Just... don't touch anything else.”

  Jackie saluted him as he left, then picked up her airbrush and started trying to fix the obnoxious streak that had now dried over her masterpiece.

  The rest of the afternoon went on without much interruption. A few of the mechanics would come in searching for a tool, but all of the bikers, sans the prospect, had been elsewhere. Taco came to check on her progress occasionally, afraid she would mess it up if he didn't keep a close eye on her. She was just about to add the final layer of glaze on top of the art when a large group of bikes came roaring into the lot, her old truck ambling in after them.

  Jackie swore under her breath; she had planned to be finished by the time they got back. She picked up the airbrush and switched out the color canisters, crossing her fingers in hopes that they would go straight to the clubhouse and not bother her for a while.

  “Hey Jackie, guess what!”

  So much for that idea, she thought wearily. “You got arrested, didn't you?” she asked distractedly, not even bothering to glance at her friend.

  “What? No.”

  Jackie looked up to see if Dean was headed her way, but her eyes never made it to their intended target as she caught sight of a hardly-recognizable Tyler.

  “What the hell did you do to yourself?” she yelled, taking in the large tribal tattoos that adorned both sides of his neck. She was pretty sure those hadn't been there when he left.

  “That's what I was trying to tell you!” He rolled his eyes, his excitement not deterred by her outburst. “Guess who is the newest prospect for the Red Kings Macon charter.” When she stared at him blankly, still in shock by his drastic new appearance, he started pointing to himself, the ecstatic smile never leaving his face. “Me!” he finally said, looking as though he were desperately trying not to jump up and down with joy. In the background, Dean rolled his eyes at the kid as he entered the garage. “Isn't this awesome?" Tyler asked, rocking on the balls of his feet in barely-contained excitement.

  “Why are there tattoos on your neck, Tyler?”

  “It's part of my new look. Cool, right?”

  “You look like a punk,” she said, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

  “I think that's the point,” Dean replied as he slapped Tyler on the back, then pushed him towards the clubhouse. “Go get to work, grunt.” Tyler nodded, and the pair watched him bounce merrily out of the garage. Once the new prospect was out of earshot, Dean turned to look at her, a guarded expression on his face. “How do you feel about all of this?”

  Jackie sighed and looked to the ground, shrugging her shoulders. “He's excited. How can I say no to that?”

  He smiled and wrapped a tattooed arm around her shoulders. “It'll be fine, don't worry. Now, let's see this bike.” Dread filled Jackie once again as he steered her to face the motorcycle. He stared at the new art, and just as she thought she would die from anticipation, he grinned down at her. “Looks great.” She let out a breath and smiled. “Can I take it for a ride yet?”

  She shook her head and moved back to her equipment. “I still have to put a coat of glaze on top so the paint doesn't come off.”

  He grunted and shoved his hands into the pockets of his dark jeans, searching for a cigarette and finding none. “Come find me when you're done.”

  “And then you can treat me to dinner for all of my hard work.”

  He smirked devilishly and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her in close. Dropping his lips to her ear, he whispered, “I think we should skip straight to dessert.”

  She laughed as the scruff on his face tickled her neck. Pushing against his chest, she replied, “Maybe after dinner.”

  Dean growled and captured her lips in a dominating kiss. It took her only a moment to respond as he pushed her against the metal storage container that separated one bay from another. Before things could advance any further, a phone began to ring, and Dean groaned in annoyance.

  He pulled the device from his pocket and put it to his ear, removing his lips from hers just long enough to mutter, “What?” He continued their kiss even as Jackie tried to pull away to allow him proper space to have a conversation. He sighed and ended the kiss, speaking quickly into the phone. “I'll be right there.” He snapped the phone shut harshly and pocketed it, staring down at Jackie.

  “I know,” she said softly. “You gotta go.”

  He grinned and began backing out of the garage. “Find me when you finish. I'll think about that dinner.”

  11

  Jackie sighed happily as she stepped under the hot spray of the shower, letting it soothe her aching muscles and wash away the sweat from the previous night. With Tyler diving headfirst into his new prospecting duties, he was bound by MC law to be on hand whenever they needed him. That meant every wild night during the last couple of months had him serving drinks during the activities and cleaning up once they ended in the early hours of the morning. He usually ended up crashing on any available surface once he finally finished with his chores.

  That left Jackie and Dean with an empty apartment to sneak off to after they put in their required time at the party.

  And that led to lots of sex in lots of various rooms in many, many different positions.

  This is why she usually found herself in this same situation every morning after a party – in the shower, letting the hot water work its magic on her tired muscles as she examined the bite marks and bruises leftover from a fantastic night of sex.

  The routine was always the same, always perfect. Dean would leave while she showered, she'd fix herself some breakfast, and Tyler would come home a little while later, none-the-wiser to what had transpired earlier.

  Perfect.

  Except that's not what had happened this morning.

  Lost in her thoughts, she failed to hear the creak of the bathroom door, the sound of boxers dropping to the floor, or the shower curtain sliding open. It wasn't until cold hands trailed against the hot skin of her sides that she registered the second person in the room, squeaking as she jumped around to face him.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, her voice high as his hands continued their exploration.

  “Showering,” Dean replied calmly, moving them towards the wall to maneuver the spray of water to better cover them both.

  “And what's wrong with the shower at your place?”

  “Yours is closer.”

  “It's also occupied.”

  He smirked as he closed the distance between them, their naked bodies pressed firmly against each other as he leaned to whisper in her ear. “You sure weren't using that excuse last night when your bed was occupied, and I decided to crawl into it anyways.”

  Jackie giggled, accepting defeat as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “We haven't fucked in the shower yet, so I guess we might as well.”

  “I didn't say anything about fucking. I was just gonna shower.” She laughed again, then pulled him in for a passionate kiss. “Well, if you insist,” he mumbled against her lips, unable to get enough of her no matter how many times they kissed.

  Hands roamed across soft, wet skin as their tongues battled under the hot spray of water. Jackie's fingers trailed lightly against the hard contour of muscle on his back as Dean gripped her hips much the same way he had the night before. He shoved her against the cold tile of t
he shower wall and covered her body with his as she arched against him, causing him to groan.

  “God, the things you do to me,” he growled, lips moving across her collarbone to her shoulder, then up her neck. He tangled his hand in her wet hair, wrenching her head back to give himself better access to the sensitive skin he craved. Her fingers slid down his tattooed abdomen, creeping lower and lower until Dean grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her head. “What's your hurry?” he whispered hoarsely, earning a groan of dissatisfaction from the woman as she glared up at him heatedly.

  "I need you," she whined quietly, giving futile attempts to wrench her hands from his grasp so they could go back to their mission. Jackie simultaneously loved and hated the effect the biker had on her, the passion flaring within her any time he was near. There was just something about him...

  “Jackie!” She pulled away abruptly, her eyes going wide as her brain connected that the voice calling her name was not coming from the man in front of her. It was, in fact, coming from elsewhere in the apartment. “Jack!” She had no time to respond to anything before the door to the bathroom was flung open, and the tired voice of her best friend met her ears. “Oh, good, you're home.”

  She shoved Dean up against the farthest wall, knowing the opaque shower curtain would still show two shadows should Tyler bother to look hard enough. “What are you doing here?” she asked as innocently as she could, glaring at the naked man next to her as he smirked evilly.

  “I live here,” was the smart ass response she received as she heard the sounds of things being shifted on the counter as Tyler presumably sat on top of it.

  “Yes, yes, but you're home early. Why are you early?” She clamped a hand over Dean's mouth as he snickered at her exasperated tone. Whether she was exasperated at her friend's sarcasm or at getting interrupted mid-sexual exploit had yet to be determined.

  “Eh, they didn't party too hard last night. But you and Dean sure checked out early.” The amusement was evident in his voice as he fiddled absently with a bottle of lotion on the counter. “Start a party of your own at his place?”

  “Yeah, uh, something like that.” Mischievous hands began to roam across her skin, and she tried to swat them away quietly. “Stop it!” she mouthed vehemently to Dean as he smirked.

  “I really don't know what you see in him,” Tyler continued, oblivious to the happenings going on in the shower a mere three feet from him. “I mean, he's a cool guy and all, but he doesn't seem like your type.”

  She tried to ignore Dean as he pulled her closer, their slick bodies touching once again. She instead focused on her friend and his horrendous timing. “Are you seriously trying to have a heart to heart with me about my choice of men while I'm in the shower, Tyler?”

  “Well, you can't exactly escape the conversation if you're stuck in there, now can you?”

  “Tylerrrr...” The elongated syllables were partly due to her frustration with his train of thought and partly to Dean's rough fingers as they trailed up the ridge of her spine. “Can we please talk about this later? I'm gonna be late for work.” That wasn't a lie. She had, however, previously decided that it was okay to be late when Dean had convinced her that morning shower sex was a good idea.

  “Oh, fine. I did come in here for a reason though. I was wondering if I could borrow your airbrush equipment-”

  “Yeah, sure, whatever,” she said distractedly as lips nipped at the skin on her shoulder and hands caressed her sides. She'd agree to just about anything so long as Tyler left the room, and Dean continued what he was doing.

  Tyler narrowed his eyes, now fully aware something was off that he wasn't catching. It was then his gaze fell to the floor, to the blue boxers laying haphazardly on top of girly pink shorts and a woman's tank top. The connection clicked, and he hopped off of the counter quickly and backed away from the pile of clothes. “Oh my god... Dean's in the shower with you, isn't he?”

  Silence reigned momentarily, the only sound coming from the spray of water hitting the tile.

  “Maybe,” Jackie squeaked pitifully, causing Dean to bark with laughter, thoroughly answering Tyler's question.

  A disgusted groan was followed by the slam of the bathroom door, Tyler's ranting about common decency meeting their ears and causing Dean to laugh even harder. Jackie smacked his inked chest, trying to hold back a grin of her own.

  “So, I guess shower sex is completely out of the question now?”

  12

  "So it's not like I meant to fuck her sister. Not my fault they look so much alike." Murphy continued to dig as he rambled on casually. "She could have said something. I think that makes her just as guilty. Really, I'm the victim here." Dean stopped briefly to glare at the blond man, who merely shrugged. "I'm just sayin'. I was wrongfully deceived."

  "You're just mad 'cause you got caught," Dean grunted, wiping the sweat from his brow.

  "Well yeah, I was having fun with what's-her-name. Her sister wasn't even that good in the sack." The larger, dark-haired man snorted at his best friend and shook his head. "Don't give me that, asshole. You'd be right by my side at the bar picking up chicks if you didn't have a permanent bed buddy."

  "Not my fault you can't keep a woman satisfied." Dean smirked and leaned casually against the handle of his shovel as Murphy sputtered with indignation at the playful jab.

  "Me? I'm a Casanova compared to your emotionless ass. I'm romantic and charming-" Dean openly laughed at this comment. "Hey, fuck you, I'm very charming."

  Shaking his head, Dean went back to digging, happy that they were almost done with their laborious task. "Hurry up," he said, urging the other man to focus. "I wanna get this shit done and go home."

  "Is the Missus making you a nice, home-cooked meal?" Murphy teased with a grin, slowly getting back to work.

  "You sound jealous, Murph."

  "Nah, I like the revolving door of beautiful ladies that keep my bed warm at night. Although it would be nice for someone to clean my apartment and do my laundry."

  Dean snorted at the mental picture of Jackie doing domestic chores. "She's not a maid. Don't think she'd ever touch my dirty clothes."

  "Then what's the point?" Murphy asked, confusion clear on his face.

  Chuckling, Dean pushed his shovel into the dirt and shook his head. "You'll find out one day, man. At least I hope so."

  "What's this?" the blond asked, work forgotten yet again. "You sound a bit smitten."

  "Keep digging," Dean grunted, ignoring the other man as he laughed.

  “You really like her, don't you?” Murphy asked with a knowing smile, not surprised when his friend continued to ignore him. “That's cool. I like her too. She's a great gal. Not sure what she sees in you, though. You're not exactly the prettiest of the bunch.”

  Dean sighed in frustration and rolled his eyes, knowing Murphy would continue to chatter away endlessly. “Shut up and dig.”

  “Hey, I can multitask.” To make his point, Murphy proceeded to merrily throw some dirt out of the hole with his shovel. “See? I'm a fucking grave-digging master.”

  “You're a fucking idiot.”

  “Like I said, don't know what she sees in you. You're rude, and you're ugly, and you're rude-”

  “I'm gonna hit you in the face with this shovel.”

  “-you threaten people, that's not nice. You're lucky she didn't see me first. You'd have been shit outta luck after she fell in love with me on the spot. Actually...” He stopped digging once again and rubbed his chin deep in thought. “Maybe she is in love with me and just doesn't want to break your heart by dumping you. Or maybe she thinks she's not good enough for me, poor thing.”

  Dean took a mock swing with his shovel in Murphy's direction. The blond jumped back and used his own to block the weapon with a grin and a chuckle. With a glare, Dean went back to work as Murphy twirled his shovel in his hands and made kung fu noises as he jumped around.

  “I swear to God-”

  Dean's threat was cut off by the sound of a cell ph
one, and he reached into his pocket to pull out the device, never moving his glare from the biker that was still swinging his shovel. “Hey, Ma. How are you?” Dean asked gently as he answered the phone.

  “Hi sweetheart, I'm fine. How are you doing? Eating healthy, yes?” the older woman asked from the other end of the phone.

  “Yes, Ma, just like you said.” The blonde man snickered at the patient tone his friend was using, despite the annoyed glare still on his face.

  “Good boy. And how are things?” she asked eagerly.

  “Things are great actually,” Dean replied with a small smile, ducking his head and turning a bit to the side so Murphy couldn't see it.

  “Great? Why great? What's happened? Have you met a girl?”

  With a chuckle, Dean slowly climbed out of the hole and motioned for Murphy to finish digging. “There might be a girl involved, yeah.”

  “What's her name? Where'd you meet her? What does she do?”

  “Slow down, Ma. It's nothing serious.”

  His mother scoffed, and he could imagine the eye roll she was giving him. “Nothing serious? You are with a girl, and things are going somewhere with her, that's serious for you. Now give me details.”

  He stopped briefly to take in her words, realizing she had a point if he thought Jackie was important enough to mention. Shaking his head, he grudgingly answered the nosy woman's questions. “Her name is Jackie, she's friends with one of the guys, and she's an artist.”

  “An artist? What does that mean?”

  “It means she draws, and she's very good at it.”

  His mother paused briefly in thought before continuing. “Sounds like she doesn't have a real job and is only after your money.”

  Dean laughed at her brutal honesty, knowing these two women would get along very well should they ever meet. “She has a job, Ma. Pays all her own bills.”