She was cut off as my cell phone rang. I checked the screen, and seeing the name of my grandma’s seventy-year-old neighbor, Neil, I answered.
“Hey Neil. What’s up?”
“Hunter, hi. I, uh, I’m sorry to be interrupting your Sunday afternoon, but, uh, I thought you’d want to know…” Neil fell silent.
“Neil? You still there?” I pulled my phone away from my face and looked at the screen. I had a full signal. “Neil?”
“Hey, sorry, Hunter. I, erm, dropped my phone.” Neil paused and coughed weakly.
“Everything all right? You don’t sound too good, man.”
“I’m fine. I’m fine. Got one of those annoying summer head colds, but I’ll be okay. Anyway, I wanted to call and let you know that a tree came down on your grandma’s garage last night. Doesn’t seem to, uh, be a lot of damage, but you should head over and check it out—today, if you can. You know how your grandma was about those trees of hers.”
My head fell back onto the sofa cushion with a groan. A downed tree on top of her garage? That sounded like a fucking expensive headache. And given how little I had in the bank, it might be the thing that would make me have to sell her place. Fuck, I really loved that little house.
“I hear you. I’ll drive up today and take a look. Thanks for calling, Neil.”
“No problem. Hunter, listen, I um…” Neil trailed off and grunted softly then coughed.
“Neil?”
He groaned, then sighed. “Yeah—hey, I gotta go, kid. Take care of you.”
“Bye, Neil.” I shook my head as I put down my cell phone. Poor guy. Summer head colds sucked. I should swing by his place and see if he needed anything.
“Everything okay?” Amber asked, her forehead wrinkled in concern.
“Not really. I guess a tree came down on my grandma’s garage last night. I gotta go check it out and see what the damages are.”
“Oh no. I’m sorry.”
“Fuck, I hope it’s not bad. I don’t have the money to fix something like that right now.” I pushed off the couch with a groan. “But hey, you have fun with your bro and mom. Tell ’em I said hi.”
“Bam, wait. I think I should come with you.” Amber jumped up from the couch and grabbed my hand. “I don’t want you to go by yourself.”
“I’ll be fine, kitten. I’m used to it.”
“But you shouldn’t have to be. What is it that my mom always says? A trouble shared is a trouble halved? Or something schmaltzy like that. But it’s true. I’m here. You shouldn’t have to stress about it all on your own. Let me help you.”
“It’s a tree on top of the garage. Not much you could help with there. Besides, you got that thing with your family. It’s fine. I’ll be fine.”
“Give me a second, and let me call my mom. I know that once she hears about this she’ll want to come along, too. You’re part of our family now, and we take care of our own.”
Before I could reply, Amber walked away and grabbed her cell phone off the kitchen counter. Five seconds later her mom’s voice was resonating through the apartment as Amber put her on speaker phone.
“Hey honey, are you on your way?”
“No, Mom, listen, you’re on speaker phone, and…” Amber filled her mom in on the tree situation as I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest.
“Of course, sweetie. I’ll call Jackson, and we’ll meet you guys there. Text me the address. How about we swing by a deli on the way and grab some sandwiches. Make a day of it.”
“Sounds great, Mom.” Amber threw me a smug look then stuck her tongue out at me.
“And Bam Bam?”
“Yes, ma’am?”
“Don’t worry about anything. If we can’t figure things out between the four of us, we’ll call in the guys and get your grandma’s place straightened out. I’m sorry this has happened, but we’ll get it fixed.”
I had to clear my throat as I suddenly found it difficult to talk. “Thanks, Mrs. Bennett.”
“It’s Brittany, honey. And Amber? Don’t forget to text me the address. We’ll see you guys there.”
“Bye, Mom. Love you.”
“Love you, too, honey.”
Amber ended the call, then crossed over to envelop me in a hug. Her arms tightened spasmodically around me. “See? I told you—part of the family.”
I laughed huskily as I closed my arms around her, too. “Apparently.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t invite you to our family thing.” Amber burrowed her head into my shoulder. “I wasn’t thinking. I swear it won’t happen again.”
“It’s okay, kitten. We don’t have to be attached at the hip every moment of every day. You’ve got your family, and in a few weeks you’ll have your school stuff. You can do some shit on your own. I’m a big boy; I can take care of myself.”
“But you don’t have to. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. We’re together, right? You claimed me in front of the club; they gave me a vest. It’s kinda official now. So that means you’re stuck with me. Your worries are my worries, and vice versa.”
I had to laugh at Amber’s commanding tone. She was explaining relationships to me like I didn’t have a clue. Which to be honest, I didn’t really, since this was my first. But she didn’t, either. “Okay, okay. I guess you guys can come along.”
“Mighty kind of you to offer, since we’ve already decided we’re coming,” Amber teased as she smiled up at me. “Let’s get dressed and get on the road. If you’re lucky, we’ll have enough time for you to show me the local sights before my mom shows up.”
“You’ve been to Tahoe before, haven’t you?”
“Not the sights I was talking about.” Amber pulled out of my arms and danced down the hallway with a seductive roll to her hips.
I growled. If we had it my way, I’d show her the sights before we even left the apartment.
Amber tossed a seductive look over her shoulder, and I took off. She squealed and ran for the safety of my bedroom.
Directly, unknowingly, into the trap I’d laid. I had her right where I wanted her. And I’d have her a few more times before we left for Tahoe.
Chapter 23
Amber
I loved the feeling of the wind on my face and Bam’s large, hard body between my thighs. Riding on the back of his bike was second only to riding him in the bedroom. Although, given the way my body ached, it would’ve been better if we’d left a little more time between the two activities.
Not that I was complaining.
I wallowed in my pleasure-satiated body and the knowledge that I got to wear my “Property of” vest. My body knew it was the property of Bam, and I loved knowing that everyone who saw us knew as well.
My grin about swallowed up my face as Bam took a corner a little fast, and I had to tighten my grip around his body. Life was pretty damn near perfect. I wanted to shout it to the heavens and maybe have him make love to me again—this time in his childhood bedroom.
Okay, we’d do that last one after my mother and brother left. Ick.
Still, I had a wide grin on my face as we roared down the residential streets in Bam’s old neighborhood. Then the houses got further and further apart. The fences got bigger and more elaborate. Bam hadn’t said anything about his grandma living in the ritzy part of Tahoe. My confusion cleared up the further we rode. His bike weaved for a second as we left the pavement behind and the road got rougher. About half a mile further, he pulled up to what I could only describe as a cabin. It looked small from the road and only got smaller as we coasted down the driveway toward it. From here it looked like there were maybe five rooms inside at most; a small lean-to sat not far from it, with a ginormous pine tree speared through the roof.
Bam coasted to a stop twenty feet from the tree and killed the engine. His face was drawn as he surveyed the destruction. Closing his
eyes, he whispered, “Fuck me.”
My heart ached for him. I know he loved this house as it—and Pixie—were the only links he had to his grandmother. I gave his waist a squeeze before I swung off the bike, but I didn’t say anything. What could I say in the face of this?
Unclipping my helmet, I watched with solemn eyes as he swung off his bike and paced toward the uprooted tree. He angrily eyed the torn earth and mess of roots jutting out, then gave it a swift kick. “Son of a bitch!”
I winced, but still didn’t say anything. I’d been around enough alpha men to know that sometimes it was better to let them vent that anger—unless you wanted them to turn it on you. Instead, I turned my eyes toward the destroyed garage. Because it was destroyed. I knew almost nothing about construction, but even I could recognize a lost cause when it was this bad.
“I told her. You know?” Bam raged as his eyes flickered between the tree roots and the garage and back. “This tree was so fucking old, I was afraid this’d happen. I got her to agree to cut back the younger trees that were close to the house, but this one…She wouldn’t let me touch this one. Son of a bitch.”
I winced again at the vicious kick he gave the tree. I felt that one in my toes; I could only imagine how his foot felt. “I’m sorry, Bam.” I bit my lip as we surveyed the damage. “But at least it looks like the house wasn’t hit. Just think how bad it could’ve been if it fell the other way.”
Bam looked at the house for a second, then tipped his jaw at me. I could tell he was holding back whatever smart-ass comment he wanted to say. He was just spoiling for a fight—something to get his aggression out since the tree wasn’t fighting back. He just didn’t want to take it out on me.
It was sweet in that badass-biker-who-had-feelings-for-me-and-didn’t-want-to-piss-me-off kinda way. Something I’d seen my dad do for my mom a million times before. A warmth spread through my body that had nothing to do with the summer sun. I wiped at the smile that threatened to tug at my lips. The last thing I wanted to do was smile in the middle of Bam’s heartbreak. He certainly wouldn’t understand.
But I was beginning to.
I was falling for this big, behemoth, bossy-as-all-hell biker. Falling, hell—I’d already fallen. I loved him.
I loved Hunter “Bam Bam” Kincaid.
I loved the way he made me feel. In clothes and without. I loved the way he tried and failed to get Pixie to cuddle with him when he thought no one was looking. I loved the way he’d risked everything to be with me, and how he’d had no doubts. I loved the way he protected me when it felt like everything was falling apart.
And I loved the way he loved his grandma’s house.
There had to be a way to fix this so he got to keep the house and land. We could figure it out together.
I walked across the barren yard as a bird chirped overhead. Bam continued to berate the fallen tree, and I couldn’t help but smile—mostly because his back was turned to me. God, I loved this man. Sneaking up behind him, I wrapped my arms around his waist and held him tight. “I’m so sorry this happened, Bam, but we’ll figure it out. You’ll still have her house.”
Bam turned in my arms and wrapped his own around me. “I’m a fucking fool. Not only do I have the house, but I have you, too. Thanks for putting up with my shit, kitten.”
“Anytime.”
We stood there in each other’s arms as a gentle breeze ruffle my hair and the scent of pine enveloped us. I loved him. Now I just had to figure out the perfect time to tell him. And I knew was this definitely wasn’t it.
“You know, in one short week this’ll all belong to me.” Bam rumbled under my ear. “That’s what Harry called to say. My mom hasn’t filed a petition, and near as he can tell, she won’t. He thinks it’ll cost too much on her end, and our case is too good. Which means probate will close Friday, and this heap of branches and needles will me mine.”
“That’s great, Bam.”
He grunted. “I thought so at the time. I’m thinking less and less so, now that I’m staring at this clusterfuck.” His voice trailed off as he sighed. “Christ, she loved that tree. I guess my grandpa planted it when they first built the place. She just couldn’t stomach getting rid of it when she didn’t have him.”
“Sounds like something you’d know a lot about.” He’d held onto his grandma’s cat and her house with everything he had. Apparently sentimentality ran in his family.
Bam laughed softly then kissed the tip of my nose. “Ya got me there.”
We both turned at the sound of crunching gravel and watched as my mom’s car pulled into the drive behind Bam’s bike. A second later she and Jackson stepped out of the car.
“Holy shit,” Jackson whistled.
“Jackson, language.” My mom barked. Then her eyes ran over what was left of the garage. “Okay, I take that back. Holy shit is right.”
Bam laughed as he kept one arm around me and walked me toward my family. “Yeah, it’s not pretty.”
“You got that right.” My mom’s forehead wrinkled with her frown. “But you have insurance, don’t you?”
“I don’t even know how that works. I’ve been paying the mortgage out of my own pocket, and I think the taxes and insurance are all rolled up into one package, but I don’t know how to go about making a claim or who to even call. Plus it’s all in her name, so who knows if they’ll actually pay out. Those fuckers are always looking for a loophole to avoid paying.”
My mom nodded. “First things first—let’s unload the food, and I’ll make lunch while you kids take pictures with your smart-ass phones. Then we’ll dig through your grandma’s paperwork and see if we can’t figure out who and where we need to call.”
She circled around to the trunk with Jackson lazily following behind to help.
Bam pulled me even closer to his chest and murmured into my ear, “Smart-ass phone?”
I bit back a giggle. “She’s a little crazy. But this kinda crazy is so much better than the past year’s crazy. I got my old mom back. Thank you.”
“You’re sweet, kitten, but I had nothing to do with that.”
“We both know that’s not right.” I smiled up at him and for a second got lost in his gorgeous blue eyes. The words I love you hovered on my tongue, and I almost said them, but…
“Are you two going to stare at each other all day or is someone gonna help me with this heavy-ass cooler?” Jackson yelled from all of five feet away.
“I got you, bro,” Bam yelled back before ducking his head again to murmur to me, “What is it with your family and asses?”
I snorted. “What can I say? We like butts.” I slapped his jeans-clad ass. “It’s half the reason I’m with you, bucko.”
“You’re gonna pay for that one, kitten.”
“I sure hope so.”
Jackson rolled his eyes as he heaved the cooler out of the trunk. “If I knew I was gonna spend the day watching my sister making goo-goo eyes and talking dirty—” He shuddered. “I would’ve happily gone back to the clubhouse and cleaned the shop bathroom with a toothbrush. Hell, I’d’ve used my toothbrush.”
“Enough, children.” My mom commanded. “Amber, let go of your man for one minute. Bam, help Jackson with the cooler. And Jackson, try not to be such a child.”
“She started it,” Jackson muttered, and I snickered as he and Bam took off for the house lugging the huge cooler my mom had packed.
“I heard that,” my mom hollered.
“Thanks again for coming out, Mrs. Bennett.” Bam said, walking backward as he held up his half of the cooler. “It’s been a while since I had family that I could count on.”
“Honey, I told you, it’s Brittany. And I gotta call horseshit on the rest of what you’ve said,” my mom replied.
The light in Bam’s eyes died as a grim expression came across his face. I opened my mouth to rebut her when my mo
m continued.
“Don’t get me wrong, that ma of yours sounds like a train wreck. I just meant you’ve got the club. You need to start thinking of them as your family now. Sure, we are, too, now, but you’ve got the guys at your back. They’re ready and willing to help you with anything you need.”
Bam’s eyes twinkled again as he smiled. “Sure. It’s just hard to get out of the prospect frame of mind, ya know? I’ve been so busy busting my ass, sometimes I forget I’m a member and not a—”
Bam gasped and dropped to his knees. The ice chest landed with a thud next to him. A second later he fell to his side, clutching his left arm.
“Bam?” I shrieked. My heart in my throat, I ran the few feet separating us and kneeled next to his side. A bright red stain blossomed across his upper arm. “Oh God. Oh God.”
My mom and Jackson dropped to their knees next to us just as the dirt exploded a few feet away. A faint pop echoed through the trees.
“Shit, shit, shit.” Jackson said. “Everyone stay down. Some fucker is shooting at us.”
“We gotta get inside.” My mom kneeled next to Bam, shielding him with her body. “We’re sitting ducks out here. Where are the keys?”
Bam groaned as he rolled to his side and dug in his pocket. “Here.”
I grabbed the keys from him as tears burned my eyes. “Oh my god. Are you okay, Bam?”
“We can take a goddamn inventory once we get inside the fucking house. Lucky for us whoever is out there is a bad fucking shot. Now get moving, kitten!”
“Right, right,” I muttered to myself as I duckwalked/ran to the front door, trusting the others to follow along behind me. Bam didn’t say, but I’d guessed that the generic-looking house key was the one I wanted. My hands shook as I tried to fit the key into the lock, and I missed my first try. Before I could stab at it again, Bam’s hand covered mine as he helped guide the key home.
Shoving the door open, I jumped inside and held the door as my mom, Jackson, and finally Bam crossed the threshold. Just as I slammed the door shut, I heard the unmistakable sound of a bullet ricocheting off the metal door.
Rough Ride Page 21