by Debra Kayn
"Two down." Lee pocketed the gun. "I promise to get them all before they ruin another Bantorus woman."
Kurt stared down in Risa's face. Her breath came faintly. "She needs an ambulance."
Lee stuck his fingers in his mouth, whistled, and said. "Meet your men at the end of the block and wait for help. I want you out of here while I dispose of the bodies."
Kurt turned and began walking. When his legs shook and he almost fell, he stepped near the bank building, slid down the surface of the wall until he was flat on his ass with Risa in his lap. He buried his head in her hair.
"I'm sorry, angel." His voice broke and he dug the phone out of his pocket without letting her go. "You and me. One day at a time. For a lifetime. I promise you. Hang on, and don't leave me. I can't go on without you. Need you, angel. Need you so fucking bad it kills me."
He called 911, gave them his location, and dropped the phone. His body shook, and he held her tighter. "Stay with me," he whispered.
Her breathing shuddered. His breath escaped him. Without her, he had no life. From the moment he'd met her, he saw what Risa couldn't see herself. She was good and loving, stubborn and combative, so giving, so loving; he wondered how luck had shined down on him. She'd buried herself in his heart, and she was it for him.
He wanted no other woman. Only Risa for a lifetime, and even that wasn't long enough. He'd fucking die without her, and even then he'd keep on loving her past this lifetime. She was his soul. She'd made it possible to see how much love he had inside himself to give to her. He wasn't even close to giving her everything.
"My man..." Risa whispered back on a moan.
Careful not to jostle her, he held her to his chest. He had no idea how long it took for his men to come, for the ambulance to arrive, for him to argue with the paramedics that he wasn't going to let her go and if he had to walk to the fucking hospital with her, he would. He climbed into the back of the emergency rig and sat down on the bench. Afraid to blink while the paramedics started an IV in Risa's arm, he watched for any sign that she was aware of what happened.
An explosion rocked the ambulance. He lifted his gaze out the back window and watched the remains of the Sterling Building crumble in a cloud of dust. Lee had disposed of the bodies in a burial fit for any Los Li member.
He gazed down at Risa and found her blinking up at him. "You're safe," he whispered.
"T-the club? She grimaced.
"Sh." He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Everyone's fine. Concentrate on you. Love you, angel."
Her eyelids closed. His chest tightened. He'd almost lost her. Los Li would pay for the damage they carved into Risa. If it took his whole lifetime, he'd wipe the earth of every Los Li member.
Chapter Twenty Eight
Five months later—
Kurt lay between Risa's legs, pinning her arms to the bed. He scraped underneath her chin with the scruff on his jaw, loving the way she moaned.
"Love you, angel." He sank his cock into her sex. "Love the way you make me work at getting you to talk, and love the way when you do talk, you get all up in my face. Your cheeks turn pink, your eyes flash, and you do this thing with your hip that makes me want to sink myself inside of you and never leave. Most of all, I love how it's you and me."
"For a lifetime." She panted, grabbing at his sides and moving underneath him. "Now, give me more."
Heat spread throughout his chest. She'd begged him for more lately, but he wasn't sure she was ready. After having her damaged spleen removed, her broken hand healed, and letting her face and mind scar over after Los Li finished with her, he'd wanted to take it easy. She needed to take it easy.
"Next time," he muttered, keeping the steady rhythm.
Risa grabbed his face, her mouth softening. "It's time."
His heart raced. He wanted nothing more than to take her the way they both wanted. The way they both craved.
"Angel, I almost lost you. If I cause you to hurt and you're not ready, I'd lose you for good."
"I'm not going anywhere. I have a man, a club, a family, and hopefully a little boy or girl someday in the future that will grow up with all the love and family they ever need." She kissed him. "Now, you want me to talk, let me talk, because I'm feeling really good right now, like really good, and if you move a little faster, a little harder, there might even be something in there for you to enjoy too."
"Like the sound of that," he said.
She arched underneath him. "Then, dammit, give me a little more of that bossy biker I'm used to."
He thrust into her, testing her reaction.
Her pussy squeezed around him.
He was a goner.
Her head went back, her hips forward, and he thrust harder. God, just looking down at her he wanted to come.
He gave her long strokes, loving the way her sex pulled on his cock as if to hold him to her. Her arms hooked around his shoulders. He ground his pelvis into hers, letting her have more of his weight.
Half way in, his toes curled at the tightness, and she screamed his name. Everything that was Risa grabbed hold of his heart and he plunged into her, scooting her body up the bed in his force as he shot his load deep into her womb. Her shuddered reaction absorbed by him, caressing his length and drawing out his climax.
"That's it," she said on an exhale. "That's my man."
He leaned his head, resting his forehead on hers. "We good?"
"Very good." She kissed him lightly. "And very late. You're going to have to make excuses to our family why we're not at the club."
Damn, he liked that too. Ever since she came home from the hospital, she'd started calling Bantorus MC her family. She claimed every single one of them, and was fiercely protective. More than once, she'd stayed up and met him at the door when he returned from a meeting, making sure he wasn't too hard on the men.
He grunted, pleased that Risa fit in so well. "Get dressed and we'll slip in the back."
"Oh, sneaky. They'll never know what we were doing to make us late," she said, adding her cute attitude.
He kissed her hard. "Love you, angel."
"Love you, too." She rolled out of bed when he stood. "Go warm up the UTV. I'll be down in a moment."
He dressed, set out Risa's coat and gloves, and walked down to the living room. Snow continued to fall, adding a total of thirty-eight inches on the ground. Kurt stood in front of the specially made window that took up the length of the wall in the living room of his and Risa's house, set a hundred yards above the club and the newly constructed warehouse. It'd taken twice as much money to have the house built in three months to beat the snow season, but it was worth all the money in the world to have their own place to call home.
He gazed at the peace and quiet settled over the Bitterroot Mountains. His hands tingled.
Two more months, and he'd be able to take the Harley out of the garage. He couldn't wait. Never having experience going this long without riding, he battled cabin fever and made sure his woman was never without him. He smiled to himself. She sure made up for staying off the Harley.
Though he held off on fighting until Risa could handle him being back in the ring, it was time to schedule another fight to work off the jitters. Sawyer had been shooting his mouth lately. He deserved a little one on one time in the ring.
Risa slipped her arms around his waist and pressed herself into his back. "Ready?"
Warmth filled him every time she was near. He sighed in contentment, reaching around and patting her hip. "You driving?"
"Absolutely." She laughed. "Oh, I forgot to tell you, Sheriff Colby gave me a warning the last time I drove the UTV to town that I wasn't allowed to race under the viaduct."
"How many warnings is that now?" he asked, hanging his arm across her shoulders and pulling her against his side.
She glanced up at him and grinned. "Only two. It's good to see Colby up and working again, even though I don't think the two seater should have to follow the same speed limit that the tourists have to obey."
The trip to the club took only a couple of minutes the way Risa drove the UTV. He carried her in the backdoor and brushed the snow from her clothes, while helping her out of her coat. He lingered on the front of her jeans, rubbing the contour of her thighs.
"Perv." She leaned into him. "Stop that or I'll make you take me upstairs to your old bedroom."
He groaned in disappointment. "Can't. Remmy took the room, because he couldn't stand listening to Cutter throw his knife at the wall all night."
Risa stilled. "Is Cutter okay?"
"Yeah." He frowned. "Why? Have you noticed anything?"
She shrugged. "No, but he's going through sunflower seeds like they're his only source of oxygen."
"I'll talk to him later and see what's up." He slung his arm around her shoulders and walked down the hall.
In the main area, he stopped.
Remmy, Ink, Cutter, Germ, Sawyer, Muff, Crain, Stripper, Big Dawg, and Ford stood shoulder to shoulder against the back wall below a framed hanging of an original Bantorus Vest. He turned his attention to Risa. "What's going on?"
"Well..." She glanced at the men before meeting Kurt's eyes. "Remember that long phone call I had with Tori a few nights ago?"
He nodded, not understanding what that had to do with his men looking like they were ready to do a police lineup.
"She gave me some tips on how to handle the girls and keep the sanctuary of the club under control." She inhaled a big breath and continued. "Since I've never been to Pitnam and experienced how Cactus Cove is ran, she advised me to put my stamp on Federal's club and make it my own...as the president's old lady."
Kurt fought a grin. "Did she?"
"Yeah. For some reason she's big on pictures and told me about the walls in the bar. I think I'd like that here, seeing as how I didn't have any pictures growing up" She dropped her gaze to his chest. "It might be nice later when we start our own family for them to see where they come from."
He hooked her chin, bringing her eyes back on him. "You want a picture of all of us?"
"Please?" She smiled, leaning forward. "The other guys already said it was okay with them."
"If it makes you happy." He palmed her ass before walking over to line up with the others.
She followed him, pushing him in the middle of the lineup, and walking down the line moving and adjusting everyone's stance. He glared at the men to do what she asked. If a damn picture made her happy, he'd stand there all day and let her document her life.
He looked around the bar, his men, and he inhaled deeply. Lee should be here to enjoy his club. He'd called only twice to check up on Risa and find out what happened when the demolition crew found the two bodies under the pile of brick. Luckily, Lee had wiped his prints from his pistol, thrown it into the building after taking off the suppressor and causing the cave in. The police became heroes for declaring the two wanted me dead, and Federal safe.
"Okay. Hold still." She hurried over to the bar and grabbed Alana, who had the camera. "Take a few pictures in case someone blinks. That way I'll be able to pick out the best one to hang on the wall."
Alana held up the digital camera. "Say cheese."
None of the men said a word.
After Alana snapped several pictures, Risa planted her hands on her hips. "This doesn't look right. The guys look like they're miserable. Does that camera take pictures by itself?"
"Yeah." Alana showed her the display. "All you have to do is set it, wait ten seconds, and it'll take twenty pictures, click, click, click."
"Perfect." She pushed Alana toward the men. "All you girls go kneel down in front of the guys."
Ink stepped forward. "Uh, Risa, sweetheart, bitches aren't old ladies. Tori don't allow them in Cactus Cove when the members' women are around."
Kurt whipped his gaze toward Risa, folded his arms, and brought his hand to his chin to cover the grin he knew would be arriving at any second.
Right on target, Risa faced the men. Her cheeks grew pink, her eyes narrowed, and she said, "These girls have every right to be in one of my pictures. Bantorus MC, Federal charter began here, and through no fault of our own, you inherited Alana, Carrie, Monica, Jojo, Shari, and me. I won't allow anyone to make them feel less than family, do you hear me?"
Ink ducked his chin, stepped back in line. Kurt winked at Risa. The second they were done with the pictures, he'd use the meeting room to sink himself between his old lady's thighs again. He loved that temper of hers, and every day she became more vocal, letting everyone know exactly how she was feeling.
Several minutes later, Risa had the girls settled. She set the camera, ran to the others, and squeezed in beside Kurt. He slung his arm around her shoulders, and she curled into his side. He looked down, and his chest tightened. She kept her face turned to the side and her scar hidden against his chest.
There were days that went by when she ignored what had happened to her, but the lasting effects showed up every now and then. Sometimes he'd catch her staring in the mirror or her step faltering outside a store window when she caught her reflection. Even now, when the occasion called for good times and a memory they'd all hold close to the heart, she remembered and hid the telltale signs of her past with Los Li.
He swore again that he'd do anything in his power to make her forget.
"Angel?" he said.
"Hm?" she tilted her head and gazed up at him.
He captured her lips. Sweet, gentle, and intimate, he kissed his woman until she forgot about the camera. She forgot about the men flanking her side, and her girls around her. When he pulled away, she carried her smile as she turned straight toward the camera and the flash went off for the last time.
That beautiful shot of his woman at his side, her smile, her love shining in her eyes, would be the picture he'd have framed and placed on the wall. It's where life began for him, Risa, and the members of Bantorus MC, Federal Charter.
THE END
Author Bio
Top Selling Romance Author, Debra Kayn, lives with her family at the foot of the Bitterroot Mountains in beautiful Idaho. She enjoys riding motorcycles, playing tennis, fishing, and driving the men crazy in the garage.
Her love of family ties and laughter makes her a natural to write heartwarming contemporary stories to the delight of her readers. Oh, let's cut to the chase. She loves to write about REAL MEN and the WOMEN who love them.
When Debra was nineteen years old, a man kissed her without introducing himself. When they finally came up for air, the first words out of his mouth were...will you have my babies? Considering Debra's weakness for a sexy, badass man, who is strong enough to survive her attitude, she said yes. A quick wedding at the House of Amour and four babies later, she's living her own romance book.
Website: www.debrakayn.com
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Debra Kayn's Backlist
Breathing His Air – Bantorus Motorcycle Club
Aching To Exhale – Lagsturns Motorcycle Club
Soothing His Madness – Bantorus Motorcycle Club
Grasping for Freedom – Bantorus Motorcycle Club
Fighting To Ride – Bantorus Motorcycle Club
Laying Down His Colors – Bantorus Motorcycle Club, anthology titled Melt My Heart
Archer, A Hard Body Novel, book 1
Weston, A Hard Body Novel, book 2
Biker Babe in Black, The Chromes and Wheels Gang, book 1
Ride Free, The Chromes and Wheels Gang, book 2
Healing Tra
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Wildly, Playing For Hearts, book 1
Seductively, Playing For Hearts, book 2
Conveniently, Playing For Hearts, book 3
Secretly, Playing For Hearts, book 4
Surprisingly, Playing For Hearts, book 5
Chantilly's Cowboy, The Sisters of McDougal Ranch, book 1
Val's Rancher, The Sisters of McDougal Ranch, book 2
Margot's Lawman, The Sisters of McDougal Ranch, book 3
Florentine's Hero, The Sisters of McDougal Ranch, book 4
Suite Cowboy
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Resurrecting Charlie's Girl
Betraying the Prince
Love Rescued Me
Double Agent
Breaking Fire Code