Oliver (Inked Menace Motorcycle Club #2): Shapeshifting Bikers

by Hawk, Ryanne

  “It’s futile to fight the feeling, bro, best to just acknowledge it,” Lucky called out.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Lucky,” Oliver growled through his teeth, pacing faster.

  “Don’t be daft or it will just get worse,” Hammer said.

  Oliver stopped and bent over at the waist, hands resting on his shins, doing a bit of the yoga that Lucky convinced them all to do.

  “I can’t be,” Oliver said with exasperation. “A leopard?” He lost all fight and hung there limp.

  Someone with high-heels kicked the back of his legs with spikes, and then Maura’s voice stung him with venom. “How dare you talk bad about my sister! She’s amazing, and anyone would be lucky to mate-bond with her, you bastard!”

  Oliver flung himself up to stand to his full height just as Hammer’s mate wrapped her hand around his neck and dug her claws into his flesh, not breaking skin, but enough to burn. She thrust him against the wall and pinned him there with brute strength and sheer will.

  Oliver choked and wheezed out, “You all gonna watch this happen?”

  His eyes flicked to Hammer, and the President shrugged. “I learned a long time ago not to get in the middle of my wife’s battles or she’ll kick my ass. You’re on your own, kid.”

  Lucky spoke up. “I told you to just admit your feelings, bro. Now reap the consequences.” He smiled at Cecelia who’d just stood and stretched like a lazy cat, ignoring the battering Oliver was taking. She leaned down and whispered something into Lucky’s ear and his brother nodded, then Cecelia turned and left the room without another glance back for his well being.

  Maura squeezed her hand tighter. Oliver wanted to fight back, but he didn’t want to hurt his brother’s mate. However, he also didn’t want to become her walking, talking punching bag, either. He sagged against the wall, and bit back the grin when she strained to hold up his dead weight.

  He wasn’t above using every means necessary to stay alive and keep his dick firmly attached to his body. He waited for her to drop him like a stone.

  “Not gonna fight me, Pretty-Boy? Afraid I’ll wipe the floor with you, and use your hair as a mop?”

  He refused to take the bait. He searched inside for calm, but his animal didn’t like the lioness taking charge of him. But the human half didn’t want to hurt the female, and he could. Easily, whether she knew it or not. She probably believed herself superior to him, but the truth was, he leashed his strength, not because he was weak, but because he had no need to lead. He preferred to be solitary, though he had come to love the club, his brothers, and even Flash, to a degree.

  “What the hell is going on?” The object of his dick’s throbbing said in that sexy accent of hers that seemed to drive him crazy.

  Maura turned her face almost a full 180 degrees, creeping him right the fuck out, even though it wasn't the first time he’d seen her do it, and said, “Nothing to concern yourself with, dear sister.”

  “Put him down, Maura.”

  He tried to grin, glanced up from under his curtain of fallen hair, and saw Amaraynth’s fists clenched at her sides. She’d changed into a loose pair of pants and a tank top that left nothing to his imagination. Her pert breasts were on display and her nipples were hard peaks, stiffening his already hard cock into a granite piston.

  “I’m good,” Oliver croaked, knowing they’d all hear him thanks to their sensitive shifter blood. One of the many advantages of being not quite human.

  “Where’d Cecelia go?” Amara said and sat next to Lucky in the only available seat.

  Maura leaned closer to Oliver’s ear and whispered, “Don’t make me do this again, or worse, pretty boy. I protect my family.”

  Oliver knew part of Maura’s rage stemmed from the knowledge of her sister’s torture at the hands of poachers, and from feeling helpless. So rather than get angry, he nodded his assent and she let him go.

  She stalked back toward her mate and stood behind him, a hand on his shoulder as she glanced around the table. Oliver kicked his chair back to its place and slid onto it, elbows on the table as he rubbed his neck. Amara’s eyes met his for a brief breath, then skated away and eventually settled on a particular carving on the wood that she traced with her finger.

  Lucky cleared his throat and said, “My mate went to see if she could find out anything on LexCorp.”

  “Good,” Hammer said and patted his wife’s hand.

  Oliver kept his gaze on Amara, but she refused to look up. She’d stilled and had gone white as a sheet. He stretched his leg out and kicked her shin under the table, jarring her face up in a jolt of shock.

  “What the fuck?”

  “Just trying to bring you back to the present moment, Amara.”

  She deflated in her seat and nodded once then exhaled. She mouthed, “Thank you,” to him and turned her attention to his brothers.

  Cecelia breezed in carrying a manila folder and dashed to his President, handing him the information before she walked to Lucky and resumed her position as lap dog.

  Oliver had the absurd vision of her sprouting a long tongue and long, shaggy ears. He chuckled, lowered his head onto the table, and pounded his leg with his fist once before he picked his face back up and sobered. He waved his hand when the others sent him curious looks. “Not important,” he said.

  It seemed madness had currently overtaken him, or lack of oxygen from the lioness choking the life out of him. Either way, he was losing his marbles.

  “Back to what we know,” Hammer said, and Oliver glanced his way as he perused the papers Cecelia had given him. “Looks like LexCorp has a base of operations in New York City.” Hammer waited a beat, then continued. “Who’s up for a road trip?”

  The table was quiet, each of his brothers lost in their own thoughts. Oliver didn’t need to think. He spoke up. “I’m in.”

  A chain reaction happened. “Of course I’m going,” said Amara. She sipped water from the glass set in front of her.

  “You’re not going without me,” Maura said, making Hammer frown.

  “I don’t think we should all go,” Brick said, carefully schooling his face into an emotionless veneer. “It will be hard to blend in with a huge group. If this is reconnaissance, then the least amount of people possible will be best.”

  “Agreed,” said Lucky.

  “We’ll go in a team of four. Me, Maura, Amara and Oliver.” Hammer said and banged the gavel. “The rest of you, find out whatever you can about LexCorp. Their other labs, personnel, connections, whatever.”

  “When are we leaving?” Maura said and slid of her mate’s lap to stand. She stretched and cracked her neck, then smiled at her sister.

  Amara didn’t smile back.

  “Thursday morning we’ll take the train into the city.”

  “You don’t want to drive?”

  “Parking will be a bitch, we’ll be faster on foot through the traffic, and we’ll be less noticeable without the bikes.”

  Lucky said, “Shouldn’t you have a back-up plan or exit strategy?” He toyed with a lock of Cecelia’s hair.

  Their president lifted his face, his eyes glowing alpha yellow. “I’ll rip the teeth out of anyone who gets in my way.”

  “Subtle, boss,” Flash said, finally speaking after absorbing the flow of information. “I thought the goal was to get in and get out unseen.”

  She flashed her trademark smile at him, the one she used when she knew she was goading someone, or calling them out.

  Flash had the unique ability to draw out your animalistic side if you let her. Oliver cleared his throat. “I think we should leave the bikes someplace close by, just in case.

  “We can bike in tomorrow night, get a lay of the land so to speak, park in a garage of some sort, then take the train home. We can do recon the following morning, do the original plan. Ride the train in plain clothes, do some walking. Then take the bikes home. No cut.”

  “Why? It makes no sense,” Hammer said, grinding his teeth. Maura rested her hand
on his shoulder, leaned down and pressed her lips to his cheek.

  “It makes perfect sense, love.”

  “Fine. Meat, I’ll need you to stay here to run things while I’m gone.”

  Meat nodded. “Sure thing, Pres.”

  “What about me?” Flip asked.

  “Call the other charters and packs, discretely. Find out if any of their shifters have been kidnapped, gone missing, or reported being tortured.”

  Flip swallowed and nodded his head once.

  “The rest of you, stay available. We have no idea what we’re about to face, and we may need you.”

  Everyone around the table nodded, and Hammer banged the gavel down.

  Lucky and Cecelia left, followed by Brick, Flip, Meat and Flash, until only Amara, Maura, Oliver, and Hammer remained in the room.

  “Is this wise?” Amara asked to no one in particular.

  “We need to find these bastards and shut them down, so yeah, babe,” Oliver said. “It’s necessary.”

  “What are you scared of, sweetie?” Maura’s fierce energy crackled around the room, touching them all in palpable waves.

  Amara rose to stand. “I’m not afraid,” she said and turned to leave the room.

  It was then Oliver noticed the fine white lines marking her back, some crisscrossing, others in odd shapes. He saw her hand tremble, and he couldn’t resist the wave of empathy coursing through him. He jumped from his seat, startling Maura, and sprung over the table, quick and spry, landing softly on the pads of his feet. He didn’t dare grab Amara, somehow knowing she’d turn on instinct and belt him out of fear.

  “Amara?” he said quietly. An interior need to comfort and soothe the worse of her hurts hyper-focused his attention on the way she inhaled. The way she walked with a stiff back, head straight, shoulders set in order to keep her emotions in check. What strength this woman had. Courage. Oliver wanted to give her something. Something sweet, and tender, because he knew she hadn’t seen much of either in her life.

  She stopped walking and rotated her neck in that freaky way most cats did. She didn’t say anything.

  He looped his arm through the one she’d planted on her hip, and almost smiled when she shuddered at the contact. If he were a housecat, he’d probably be purring at the reaction, but he was a tiger, and tigers roared.

  He leaned his face close to her ear and said, “Come on, baby, I don’t want to be alone tonight.”

  Amara met his eyes and nodded, then resumed walking back toward her room.

  The tiger prowled his mind, but not in an aggressive way. It was a way that Oliver hadn’t felt since he’d been a teen and first noticed the unique scent of female lust. But it was deeper than that. Oliver understood lust. Primal and carnal reactions. This feeling pounding through his head, heart, and blood went further, into unchartered territory, and for the first time in his life, he felt whole and scared shitless.

  A barrage of thoughts slammed inside his head as they walked, hand in hand, toward the apartments. How did he make up for all the horror she’d faced? How did he touch her with the reverence she obviously deserved, craved, and needed without triggering bad memories for her? How did he jump with blind faith into the abyss of love without drowning?

  He didn't think there were any easy answers. He didn’t have much to judge relationships by, choosing short flings, and one-night stands instead of lasting connections. His parents, both tigers, were solitary predators who met, fucked, and once his mom got knocked up, went their separate ways. The idea of mate-bonding was lost on him. In all honesty, he wasn’t sure he was capable of such depth. He envied Hammer and Lucky, their consuming love for their women, but at the same time, he didn’t know if he wanted that level of commitment.

  As Oliver and Amara stopped in front of her door, she turned to face him with those large blue and green eyes filled with longing, lust, and a hardness he could understand, but wanted to alleviate.

  Her breath hitched. “Do you want to come inside?”

  Oliver showed her his teeth, offering a feral grin at the playful innuendo. “I think we need to finish what we started.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  He inched his face closer to hers, and licked a light trail across her lips. “Yeah.”

  She smirked, kicked the door open and swiveled on her toes. “Come and get me then, tiger,” she said, laughing as she spun and ran, jumping over the bed.

  4 Chapter Four

  Just as Amara leapt to clear the bed, a strong hand gripped her ankle and she was pulled backward to land on the soft mattress while a large man sat on her back. Oliver eased upward and allowed her to turn over onto her back, and she lay pinned beneath the sexy and smiling man currently showing her his very white teeth.

  “Now what, cowboy?”

  She smirked at him, noticing the way his breath hitched as he gazed down at her face and the way his supple muscles moved with the grace of his species.

  “There’s a reason they call me King of the Jungle, sweetheart,” he said, his eyes never straying from hers. He licked his lips and Amara’s pussy tightened in response.

  “I thought you were a tiger. Aren’t lions the kings”

  “Please. Those bitches don’t even live in a jungle. They’re desert cats. And maybe, yeah, lions might be superior to a regular tiger, but I’m not normal. I’m humongous.” He arched a brow and grinned down at her.

  “Do you tackle every woman you see?”

  She wasn’t sure why she was goading him. She tried not to analyze her reactions too much when it came to Oliver, but at the same time, a secret part of her was terrified of the feelings invading her body. Sure, sex was fun, and a great pastime, but she wanted the no-strings-attached kind, and as she looked up into his rugged face, his black and blond hair pulled back into a long pony-tail, she knew that what was happening between them was something more than a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am.

  His gaze roamed her face and dipped down to her breasts peeking out of the top of her shirt. She inhaled and laughed when his eyes bulged and locked onto her chest. “Men are so easy.”

  His jaw ticked for a second as he clenched his teeth, then he shifted slightly so the bulge between his legs rammed against her sex. Amara moaned and closed her eyes as tingles blossomed over her body, her flesh breaking out in goose-pimples.

  “Do you know what’s happening between us?”

  Amara snapped open her eyes and zeroed in on his molten gaze. He stopped moving above her, bracketed a hand on either side of her head, fell forward and leaned closer to her until they were inches apart. His breath fanned her face and she smelled some kind of alcohol mixed with mint.

  “Have you been drinking mojitos?”

  “Do you always change the subject in uncomfortable situations?”

  Amara turned her face slightly to stare at the wall, irritated he read her so well, and so fast.

  “I’ll take your silence as a yes.”

  It was a statement, so she didn’t budge. An exaggerated breath drummed in her head, and she almost choked when his heavy weight lifted off of her and an emptiness filled the void.

  Amara didn’t dare move, but she did say, “Where are you going?” in a meek voice she’d never heard come from her throat before.

  “You’re not ready, and I won’t push you.”

  At that, Amara whipped her face to stare at him. He tugged his hair free of the elastic and ran his hands through the tangles.

  “Is your hair growing at an alarming rate, or is it just me?”

  Oliver shook his head and laughed without humor. “Part of the process of my people.” He shrugged. “Or so I’ve heard.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He stopped moving and stared at her. He stared so hard into her eyes, it felt like he was willing her to understand. The unusual color snared her better judgment, and she found herself lost in their depths, swimming in a lush jungle haze of sweaty sheets, singing birds, and a sky filled with stars.

  “Mate-bonding?” she whi
spered, her head foggy. Her limbs trembled under the weight of knowledge.

  He nodded once, then severed the connection crackling between them. “It appears so. I’m gonna hit the gym, and you should get some sleep. We have a tough few days ahead of us.”

  He didn’t wait for her to answer. Instead, he turned and left her room, taking all her air with him.

  “Well, this sucks.” Amara said to the vacant space. “Really, way to make an ass of yourself, Amara.”

  She flopped onto her stomach and stared at the floor. It’s too bad I’m not mate material, she thought. Oliver would make one hell of a sidekick. She tried to laugh, but ended up on a choking sob. Her leopard sidled up to the forefront of her mind and swiped at her with claws out.

  What, I gotta fight you too?

  Her animal hissed and showed her teeth, then lay on her stomach, head resting on her paws.

  Yeah, yeah. I get it. You liked him. So did I. But I’m not a cruel and heartless bitch. My home is across the pond, and his is here. No. I’m being responsible. He’ll find another mate. One more worthy.

  The leopard stood and growled, her tail low and fluffed, ears pinned back, mouth open and teeth exposed.

  A soft knock interrupted her inner conversation and for a brief second, elation wound through her, until her sister’s voice said, “Amara?” and she walked into the room.

  Amara didn’t bother to flip over. “What.”

  “I saw Oliver headed toward the gym with a roll of duct tape, a granola bar, and a large bottle of water. Everything okay?”

  “Peachy.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  Maura’s high-heeled black boots came into view.

  Amara sighed. “Not really, love.”

  Maura’s knees cracked as she crouched down and her hand slipped under Amara’s face and tilted her neck up. Pain radiated up her spine.

  “How about now?”

  “When did you become so mean?”

  Maura let go and Amara’s face dropped like a stone. She didn’t fight the momentum and allowed her nose to hit the metal frame of the bed, giving herself something else to focus on instead of the hurt look in Oliver’s eyes as he’d walked away from her.