RIDE (A Stone Kings Motorcycle Club Romance)

by Daphne Loveling

  A little after one o’clock, I heard footsteps on the stairs and a knock on my door. I opened it to find Seton in a bright white camisole and jean shorts, looking radiant. “Hey, Cherish! Ready to come shopping with me?”

  I wasn’t sure what we would be shopping for, but I didn’t care. Just tagging along with her sounded fine by me. I’d pick her brain for ideas while we were out, and hopefully by the time we got back to the clubhouse, I’d have a plan.

  8

  Levi

  A couple of hours after my conversation with Cherish, and I was still practically shaking with fury. I left the clubhouse almost immediately after she went upstairs, and got on my bike without saying a word to anyone about where I was going. I needed to clear my head and calm myself down before I tore the first unfortunate son of a bitch I happened to come across a new asshole.

  I drove fast and recklessly, almost daring the road to fuck with me. I flew out of town at a full thirty miles over the speed limit, and didn’t stop until I finally came to a lush valley of evergreens with meandering, winding roads — a rarity in this part of the state. I slowed and took the curves at a steep lean, letting the tension ebb away as I concentrated on being one with the bike. On the far side of the valley, I stopped in a pool of cool shade by the side of the road and parked the bike. I still wasn’t calmed down, so I lit a cigarette from the pack inside my shirt and paced a little as I smoked it.

  The story that Cherish told me had opened up some very old wounds that I’d thought had finally healed. Her version of why she finally decided to leave the Ranch was so similar in some ways to my own that it almost defied belief. It was a story I’d never told anybody, and I had tried so hard to forget it over the years that it felt as though I had just reopened a deep cut and exposed the raw nerves underneath.

  I saw how hard it had been for Cherish to hold back her tears as she told me her story. She had been scarred by her life at the Ranch in many of the same ways I had been. I had been a fool not to realize that from the beginning. Just the mere fact that she had had the guts to pack up and leave everything she knew should have told me that, without her having to open up her heart and spill it out right in front of me.

  When I got tired of pacing, I straddled the bike, leaned back, and lit another smoke. Gone were any traces of my initial anger at Cherish showing up unannounced at the clubhouse. I still knew she would eventually have to leave, but I was glad that she had chosen to take a chance by coming to Lupine. I figured that she was probably right when she said she might not have had the courage to get out otherwise.

  I was happy she had somehow heard my name, that knowing someone else had made it out had somehow given her some hope. The only trouble was, there was something about her that kept me thinking inappropriate thoughts about all sorts of things I wanted to do to her.

  I didn’t know what it was; she had a basic innocence about her that told me she’d probably never had a man give her pleasure before. But at the same time, somehow she had this effortless sexiness about her that drove me wild just to be around her. The way her hips naturally swayed when she walked, just begging your eyes to watch… My hands frankly itched to reach out and cup her ass, pulling her against my hard cock. I fairly itched to hear her start whimpering and pressing her wet, hot need against me…

  Fuck. Just like that, I was hard as a rock. It felt like I had been pretty much constantly since she emerged for the first time yesterday in the clothes she’d gotten from Seton. Hell, if she could make just jeans and a simple tank top look that good, imagine what she’d look like with a tight little dress that showed off all her curves and left nothing to the imagination. The video running in my head switched to her in a little black mini-dress with sky-high heels, lying on my bed as I slid the skirt up around her thighs. I could hear her breath, shallow and rapid, as she parted her legs slightly and I found the hot, wet center of her and began to stroke her clit…

  Goddamn. Okay. I needed to stop thinking about her. I was isolated enough here to get away with jacking off and being done with it, but I needed to stop entertaining thoughts of fucking Cherish. At least until she was gone and safely out of my life.

  I sat looking at the pines and brush in silence and thinking about how fucked up life could be. I stayed out there for a couple of hours, fighting off dueling impulses to either drive to the WFZ Ranch and bomb the place to kingdom come, or just chuck everything and go build myself a cabin somewhere up in the mountains so I wouldn’t have to deal with people and their complicated, fucked up lives anymore.

  Eventually, when I knew I couldn’t put it off any longer, I sat up, pointed my bike in the opposite direction, and headed back to the clubhouse. We had the meet with the leader of the Aztec cartel this afternoon, and as much as club business was the last thing on my mind right now, I couldn’t let down my brothers. I needed to be there to see how Lalo reacted to Grey telling him the Cannibals were probably responsible for the attacks on our club.

  The meet didn’t go well. Lalo Hernandez, the leader of the Aztecs cartel, was a short, stocky man about fifty years old, with black hair that was just starting to show gray at the temples. He had a thin mustache and a penchant for expensive suits. The Stone Kings had had a decent working relationship with Lalo and the cartel for a number of years. The truce that was set up by Grey’s dad when he was president was solid, and had held for as long as I had been a Stone King with no major problems.

  The first sign that there might be some tension was that Lalo showed up not just with his men, but with Skull, the president of the Cannibals, in tow. Skull stood in a group of other men who seemed to be all Aztecs. When he saw us arrive his mouth widened in an arrogant smile. He lifted his chin toward Grey in a mocking salute.

  Since Grey had told Lalo that he wanted to talk about the Cannibals, the move to bring Skull was, if not a line in the sand, at least pretty fucking concerning. Luckily, Grey didn’t have much trouble convincing Lalo to leave everyone but himself and three of his officers outside the abandoned depot where we were meeting. Grey, Trig, Moose, and I followed them inside, leaving the other men to stand guard and keep watch on the Aztecs and Skull.

  “What is it you want to talk to me about, Grey?” Lalo asked stiffly. He was wearing a dark pinstriped suit that looked like it cost more than my bike, his hands clasped in front of him.

  Grey frowned and explained the situation. “We may have a problem with the new members of your cartel, Lalo. I came to you because your organization and mine have always had a good professional relationship. Our truce is strong and has been for a long time. I’m sure neither one of us wants to do anything to jeopardize it.”

  Lalo nodded, and his expression became less stony. “Yes, that is true. The trust has been important for both of us for a long time.”

  “How well do you know the new president of the Cannibals?” Grey asked pointedly.

  “Skull? He came to me some months ago, not long after he was named president of the Cannibals,” Lalo replied. “He had a deal that he wanted to renegotiate between us regarding moving arms shipments. He made an offer that was very advantageous to us, and so I accepted.”

  “And you didn’t know him before that?”

  “No,” Lalo answered.

  Grey nodded. “We have reason to believe that the Cannibals are behind two recent attacks on our club. One of them killed a brother. The other one was out in the open, and injured some civilians.”

  “What makes you think it is the Cannibals?” Lalo asked smoothly.

  “There’s no other club who would have any reason to do anything like this.” Grey shook his head. “The first attack happened not long after Skull took over as president of the Cannibals, and I believe not long after their club joined your cartel.” He cocked his head at Lalo. “If it was the Cannibals, their actions would be breaking our truce.”

  “Why would the Cannibals do such a thing? What would they have to gain from it?” His voice was dismissive.

  “You tell me.” Grey c
rossed his arms. “I know Skull even less well than you. Maybe he’s just crazy, and has no motive at all. But more than likely, he does have one. And if you don’t know what it is, then I suggest you better figure it out. Because if he goes down, he’ll take your cartel down with him.

  Lalo made a noise of impatience. “This is a serious accusation, Grey.”

  “I am not accusing anyone. Yet,” Grey corrected him. “But the men who attacked us were too cowardly to leave a signature. When we find out who they were, we will have to take action. Justice will have to be served. If it is the Cannibals, the question in our minds is gonna be whether the Aztecs knew about it. You know what this could mean.”

  “Are you threatening me, Greyson?” Lalo asked, his expression turning dark, dangerous.

  “I am not threatening you, Lalo.” Grey’s words were frank. “I am telling you as a business associate that your alliance with Skull may threaten something much larger.”

  Lalo’s voice was tight. “What are you suggesting?”

  “I suggest that you find out what the Cannibals’ relationship is to those attacks before I do. And I suggest that when you find that relationship out, you tell me and give our club a chance to mete out justice before this thing blows up in all of our faces and starts a war.”

  Lalo’s face turned to stone. “I believe we are finished here,” he said. He nodded once to the man on his right, and the four of them filed out silently as we watched them leave.

  “Well, that went well,” Trigger said sarcastically when they were gone.

  “What do we do now?” I asked.

  “We wait,” Grey said.

  Trigger swore. “How long?”

  “As long as we have to,” Grey retorted, his voice flinty. Trigger didn’t push it.

  The sounds of cars and motorcycles leaving reached our ears, and we lingered, waiting for them to be gone before we turned toward the exit to rejoin our brothers. It wasn’t surprising, in a way, that Lalo hadn’t been all that receptive to the accusations against the Cannibals. After all, we had no proof. His inclusion of Skull among the men waiting outside didn’t prove anything one way or another, either. I resisted the urge to punch something in frustration. I wondered how long the Stone Kings would be willing to hold off from acting before tensions started to rise.

  When we got back to the club, the sun was just beginning to set. I had been so caught up in club business that I’d forgotten Cherish had planned to be gone by now, and my stomach clenched at the thought that I might have missed her. But just as we had parked the bikes and gone inside, Seton emerged from the kitchen and walked toward the four of us.

  “Greyson,” she began, and nodded her head at the rest of us in greeting. “I asked Cherish to stay for the rest of the week.”

  He swore softly and looked at her with a frown. “Seton, this isn’t a halfway house.”

  But Seton was fierce. “She has no place to go, Greyson,” she said in a voice that brooked no argument. “Believe me, the last thing she wants to do is inconvenience us all. But she’s got no one. You’ve got to give her a little time to get on her feet.” Her eyes widened. “She told me that she comes from a fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints community in Arizona. Like, sister wives and stuff.” Seton’s gaze flickered toward me for a moment, and I looked away. “Can you imagine how hard it would be to go from a life like that, to just being a normal twenty-first century woman?”

  Her hand went to Grey’s and squeezed it softly. “Please. Just let her stay for a few more days. Let her rest, get some distance from whatever life she left behind, and then I’ll help her figure out what her next steps will be.”

  Grey scowled and said nothing, but I knew Seton had won, and so did she. She let out a little squeal and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you, baby!” she grinned, and then skipped off. Before Grey could say anything, she was gone, having run upstairs to tell Cherish the good news no doubt.

  “Son of a bitch,” Grey said gloomily. “I can’t say no to that woman.”

  I didn’t say anything. My mind was ping-ponging back and forth between unexpected relief that I hadn’t missed saying goodbye to Cherish, and unease at having to avoid her for at least another few days. I wasn’t sure how the hell I was going to stand it until she was safely gone and out of my life.

  9

  Cherish

  I hadn’t been sure exactly what to expect from my shopping spree with Seton, but I ended up having more fun than I could remember having in a long time. Maybe ever.

  She picked me up in her car and first took me on a “grand tour of scenic Lupine,” as she called it. Jokes aside, though, Lupine was a very pretty town. I hadn’t seen much of it, apart from the highway into town and the bus station, so it was fun to see the different areas, from the outskirts with its small shopping centers and big box stores, to the beautiful historic main street that bustled with activity, where I had first found some members of the Stone Kings. Seton took me into the restaurant where she worked, and introduced me to her boss, a no-nonsense type woman named Jillian. Then she drove me to the house where she and Grey lived, and had me try on a few more of her clothes to see if there was anything I wanted.

  “Seton,” I protested. “I can’t keep taking things from you. I don’t have any way to pay you back.”

  “Yet,” she interjected. “Seriously, Cherish, don’t worry about it. I have more stuff than I know what to do with. Besides,” she said with a twinkle in her eye. “I think that Grey and I might start trying to get pregnant sometime soon. If we do, then I won’t be able to wear a lot of these clothes for long anyway.”

  For some reason, the mention of Seton and Grey having a baby put a picture in my head of a little infant wearing a leather jacket and covered in tattoos. I giggled to myself at the thought.

  “What?” Seton asked, cocking her head.

  “Nothing,” I said, suppressing a grin. “Really.”

  She made me keep trying things on despite all of my protests. Since it seemed sort of ridiculous for me to keep running to the bathroom to change clothes, eventually I screwed up my courage and started pulling off shirts and pants in front of her. It seemed to be completely normal to her, and she barely looked at me as we continued chatting, so little by little I loosened up and forgot to feel strange about it.

  One thing did catch her attention, though. “That is some kind of grandma bra,” she laughed, nodding at me.

  I looked down. “Is it?” I asked.

  She laughed. “Cherish, it’s got a ridiculous amount of material. I’ve seriously seen shirts that have less coverage than that. Plus, it doesn’t even fit you.” She hopped up from the bed where she was sitting and reached over to pinch together some of the loose fabric. “Look at that. We need to go bra shopping.”

  I started to protest, but then realized maybe I should just be happy that she hadn’t opened a drawer and started handing me some of hers to try on. “And the same thing with those granny panties you’ve got on,” she continued.

  “What’s wrong with my underwear?” I asked, confused.

  “Well, for one thing, you could fit three people in there. And for another, hello, VPL.”

  “VPL?”

  “Visible panty line.” She had me turn around and showed me what she meant in the mirror. “There’s just too much fabric. Trust me,” she said firmly. “You’ll thank me once you’re wearing something that fits better and is prettier.”

  I started to ask her why I needed for underwear to be pretty, but my mouth shut with a pop when an image came unbidden into my mind of Levi. I imagined him looking at me in this pair of bra and panties, and suddenly, I could see what Seton meant. Not that he was ever going to see me like that, but still. If anything made me blush with more embarrassment than the thought of him seeing me naked, it was the thought of him seeing me naked with underwear that reminded him of someone’s grandmother. Sighing, I agreed to let Seton take me out shopping, and hoped the experience wouldn’t be too painful.

  We
got back into the car and headed to a shop near one end of the main street. Before she went in, she made me swear not to look at a single price tag. “Bra shopping can be a little scary at first when you look at prices, so just don’t do it. I promise that you can pay me back for the whole thing once you’ve settled in and gotten a job.”

  Seton spoke to one of the sales ladies, who introduced herself to me as Bev. Bev was very nice and immediately led me into a fitting room to measure me, then disappeared for a few minutes as I waited and tried not to feel self-conscious with the three-way mirror. She returned with a variety of bras in more colors, shapes, and styles than I had ever known existed. Mercifully, Seton let me try them on in privacy, saying only that I had to choose three, and that only one of them could be white or beige. I selected one basic one in a color Bev called nude, one light pink, and one black with a small, non-overwhelming amount of lace.

  Next, we picked out enough underwear to last a week, and Seton whisked everything out of my hands and marched up to the counter to pay with a credit card. “Yay, done!” she said when she returned with the bag, which she handed to me. “Let’s go get something to eat. I’m starved.”

  We had a late lunch at a small cafe a few doors down, watching the world go by from our table by the window as we chatted about everything and nothing. It was surprisingly easy to be around Seton, and I marveled at the fact that it seemed there were no topics that were off limits. At the Ranch, I had been so used to being careful of what I said and did, for fear of bringing shame on my family or my husband, that I hadn’t really talked much about anything deeper than chores, church, or children. It felt good to have a friend I could actually say things to without worrying about being shamed for my thoughts.