Smoke and Mirrors: A Demented Sons MC Texas Novel

by Kristine Allen

  “Aww, don’t be a grouchy old fart, Prez,” Truth said as he grabbed the door and tugged it open.

  “I’ll show you an old fart,” I growled as I tilted my head and bowed my chest out a little.

  “Playin’, P. Just playin’.” Truth laughed as he held his hands up to me.

  The corner of my mouth tipped. Didn’t stop me from giving him a friendly shove.

  They were my brothers and I loved them—no matter how much they pissed me off at times.

  Gwen was talking to Raiven down at the end of the row where Styx had parked his bike. Styx was watching her like a hawk. Between him and Lock, they split their attention equally between watching me and their women.

  Making our way inside, we greeted some of the members of one of the area clubs that were there. Gus and his crew were some badass motherfuckers, and I spent a few minutes shooting the shit with them before I stepped up to the bar.

  “I’ll take a Crown and Coke.” It was so loud in there, I had to lean halfway across the bar and shout over the grinding guitar.

  “I got you, Smoke,” Tessie, one of the bartenders, winked as she grabbed a glass. I’d had a few fun nights with her several months ago but nothing serious. She’d known where things stood, so she was cool. Not saying she wouldn’t jump at another chance, but I’d gotten that out of my system. Besides, she was a little too young and I could see her getting clingy if I carried it on too long.

  Not that I didn’t appreciate the sway of her hips in the tiny black shorts she had on.

  “Make that two, gorgeous,” Slice leaned over and announced to Tessie. “I got this round, P.”

  “Thanks, bro,” I replied. He nodded.

  Tessie set my glass in front of me and shot Slice a grin. “Hey, Slice,” she coyly purred as she set him up with his drink.

  Turning my back to the bar, I leaned against it and surveyed the crowd. I’d already scoped the room as soon as we stepped foot inside, but another sweep never hurt.

  Imagine my surprise when I saw a familiar blonde head pop around the wall that separated the bathrooms from the rest of the bar. The smile curling her sexy-as-fuck lips shot straight to my dick.

  Not cool.

  “Well, fuck a duck. That’s one fine piece of ass there,” said Truth from where he stood next to me. Following his line of sight, it chapped my ass to realize he was talking about Nova.

  “Fuck you. She has two friends with her. Pick one of them.”

  My brothers didn’t say a word. Tearing my gaze from Nova, I glanced their way. Every single one of them, including the ol’ ladies, was staring at me.

  “What?”

  “Nothing, bossman. Just never seen you stake a claim like that.” Styx was smirking as he stared at me.

  “It’s not like that. She’s an old friend,” I argued.

  “Hmm. Old friend like ol’ Tessie over there? Or old friend like past old friend?” Lock sipped his drink to hide his smile. Feeling like my daughter, I rolled my eyes.

  “Again, I ask—how old are y’all?” Pushing off the bar, I found myself moving in her direction. If she was a flame, I was the moth.

  Though I’d never looked at her in a sexual way in the past, her request had plagued my thoughts. It had left me with some crazy-ass daydreams. Things I had no business thinking about her.

  She sat at a high-top table with her back to me. As I closed in on her, her friends saw me and their eyes widened. I didn’t stop until I was all up in her space, my chest brushing her back.

  At my touch, her head whipped around and her startled gaze landed on my heavy-lidded one.

  “Grayson!”

  “Hey, Nova. I’m surprised to see you here. Didn’t take you for a headbanger.” Due to the noise level, I had to lean down to speak in her ear. My lips feathered along the curve. A visible shiver snaked down her spine. After shooting her a smirk, I took a sip of my drink.

  She craned her neck to speak into my ear. “I could say the same. You used to listen to country music.”

  The way she’d stretched up to be heard gave me a straight shot view down the front of her tank top. The cleavage she was sporting was doing crazy things to me. I tried to remind myself that this was my childhood friend. The problem was, my dick wasn’t getting the memo.

  “My taste is pretty eclectic.” I wasn’t necessarily talking about my taste in music as I allowed my gaze to rove over her.

  “Hmm,” she hummed in a sultry way. Her eyes glittered in the neon lights of the dark bar, telling me she’d likely had a few drinks already.

  The band announced they were taking a break, and house music started over the speakers.

  What the fuck are you doing, Smoke? This is not the girl to be fucking with. She wants things that you’re not prepared to give.

  Shut the fuck up. It doesn’t mean we can’t be friends. Again.

  Sure.

  “Who are your friends?”

  I looked over my shoulder at Slice as he grinned past me toward the table. I’d wondered how long it would be before one or more of them came over.

  “Nova, this is Slice.”

  “Hi, Slice! This is Erika and Michele.” The girls waved and tried to be covert about checking out my brothers. They weren’t very successful.

  While it wasn’t overly loud, I made introductions.

  We spent the rest of the night hanging out and listening to the band. They were pretty good.

  I’d forgotten how touchy-feely Nova got when she drank. Not that it had been often, since we’d been kids and she was younger than us. Of course, it didn’t stop her from tagging along to a few parties with us. I’d had to threaten several guys who thought her grabby hands were her way of telling them she wanted more.

  I’d stopped drinking after my second one and moved on to water, since I was on my bike. Nova and her friends were getting pretty looped. How could I tell? She’d drunkenly grazed my junk more times than I could count.

  “Nova, you should have your friend give you a ride home!” one of her friends shouted as if it was the most brilliant idea to date. Raiven sat up taller in the seat she’d claimed at the table with Nova and her friends.

  “Have you ever ridden with him?” Gwen asked as she rested her chin on her fist. She was fighting the tip of her lips. Styx grinned into his bottle of water, then leaned over to whisper in her ear.

  Not sure what he said to her, but it had her cheeks flushing before she whipped her head around to catch his lips with hers.

  “No, I haven’t ever ridden with him,” she answered, then raked her gaze over me. “You gonna let me ride your… bike, Smoke?” My name came out sounding sultry and breathy. She looked up from where she’d been staring at my cock with a devilish grin. By that time, fuck yeah, I wanted to let her ride—but not my bike. Every accidental brush against my cock had our platonic beginnings moving further into the category of ancient history.

  “I think you’ve had a little too much to drink to ride my… bike.” I smirked.

  “We could always bungee-cord her on there so she doesn’t fall off,” Radar piped in with a shit-eating grin. He’d disappeared with the brunette friend earlier, and I didn’t even want to know what they’d been up to. Now he was back and fucking with me.

  Without conscious thought, I wrapped my hand around the back of her neck. A zap hit my hand at the contact. Her pale eyes met mine in the dimly lit bar as her tongue trailed her bottom lip.

  The situation with Nova was quickly escalating, and I wondered how drunk she really was. Trying to decide if I needed to put the brakes on everything, I studied her glassy eyes. She looked past tipsy but not shitfaced.

  The band came back on stage and started the last of their set. I’d been standing near Nova all night but I stepped closer until I could feel her body heat. Though I’d been telling myself it was only because I wanted to watch out for her, I’d begun to question my motives.

  When her gaze caught mine and she stood, I stepped back out of her space.

  Excep
t she stepped up into mine.

  “Take me for a ride, biker boy.”

  “Move Your Body”—My Darkest Days

  “Boy? Who you calling ‘boy’?” he asked while trying to hold back the smile starting at the corner of his mouth.

  “Well, I remember a boy. Maybe you should help me out if I’m wrong.” There was enough alcohol running through me that I’d lost my filter. I’d also gained some serious balls. Pretty sure I was going to regret my boldness by morning, but hell if I could keep my mouth shut.

  He inhaled deeply as he looked up and ran his tongue along his teeth.

  When his green eyes nailed me with burning intensity, my breath caught. Though he closed in on me, we still weren’t touching.

  I knew he was trying to intimidate me because of my smart mouth, but I wasn’t one to back down. Especially not when I’d had some liquid courage.

  He leaned closer until his lips were brushing my ear. “Nova, you’re playing with fire.”

  “Maybe I like it hot?” I whispered back. I swear to fucking God, he growled.

  Then he surprised me by grabbing my hand. He turned to his friends and told them, “I’m out.”

  “You need me to ride with you, P?” the guy named Styx asked. “Gwen and I are taking off soon.”

  “I’m good. Truth will go with me as far as his exit.” The guy named Truth had been in a grope-fest with Erika half the night. His head popped up from where he was talking in her ear.

  “Huh?”

  “You heard me.” Grayson gave him a look, and Truth appeared resigned but untangled himself from Erika. She pouted but didn’t say anything.

  “Hey, do y’all live close to each other?” The guy they called Radar questioned Michele.

  “Yeah, Nova is our neighbor. Erika and I are roomies.” She bit her lip that was devoid of the lipstick she’d left the apartment with.

  “Perfect,” he said. He and Truth did that guy fist-bump thing.

  Grayson rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Let’s go.”

  “But it’s still early. What if I wasn’t ready to go home yet?” I couldn’t help but stir the pot.

  “Then maybe you should’ve thought of that before you asked to ride my bike and all but grabbed my dick the entire night,” he challenged.

  “I didn’t—” I started, but bit my lip because maybe I kinda had.

  “Let’s bounce,” said Truth as he grabbed Erika’s hand and began to wind through the crowd toward the door.

  “You sure you don’t want me or Styx to follow along?” Raiven’s guy, Lock, asked Grayson.

  “Y’all don’t get out often anymore. Enjoy your night. Mattie can still stay with you, right?” he asked.

  “Of course. You know one of us will run her home in the morning.”

  “Cool. Thanks, bro.” They gave each other a one-armed hug because Grayson still held my hand tightly. The contact was driving me crazy. Between the heat of his hand and the tingling that shot through me, I was on the verge of combusting.

  “We’re out. Come on,” he said to Radar.

  We followed the path Truth and Erika had taken until we were out front. They stopped by a row of sleek, sexy bikes.

  Without saying anything, he handed me a helmet off the first one. I quickly braided my hair, pulled the helmet on, and cinched up the chin strap. It gave me great satisfaction to see the shock on his face that I knew what I was doing. There was a lot about me he didn’t know.

  “What’s your address?” he demanded after climbing on the bike and starting it. Buckcherry’s Crazy Bitch started playing as soon as it roared to life. I smirked.

  “What if I don’t want you to know where I live?” There was still enough alcohol in me that I was feeling feisty.

  “Nova,” he warned.

  Huffing as I rolled my eyes, I crossed my arms. “Fine.” I rattled off my address and he programed it into his bike’s GPS.

  “Get on.”

  “So bossy,” I teased.

  He raised a brow, and I wasn’t sure how to take it. Deciding to behave, I climbed on behind him after he flipped down the left rear foot peg. Once I was on, I pushed down the right one with my foot before he could reach back.

  The glance he gave me over his shoulder was a half-smile that said he was impressed that I was able to get on smoothly. It sent something through me that left me warm and fuzzy. Unfortunately, I was still a little too tipsy to realize I was entering dangerous territory with him.

  Looking over at the girls trying to get on with Truth and Radar had me giggling. They weren’t doing so well. Thankfully, the guys were pretty cool about it. Then again, they were both probably going to get lucky.

  At that thought, my attention focused on the man in front of me. I’d been shamelessly drunk in the bar. That had led to my less than upstanding behavior toward Grayson. No, I couldn’t blame it all on the alcohol. Truth of the matter, I’d been insane. The alcohol simply allowed me to act on the shit running rampant in me for the past eighteen-to-twenty years.

  Shit.

  Lost in my thoughts, I wasn’t ready when he hit the throttle and we moved forward. Instinct had me grabbing his waist. Once we got on the road, Radar pulled up beside us, and Truth was centered behind both bikes. After about a mile or so on the interstate, Grayson’s left hand fell back to rest on my knee.

  Between the proximity of my hands to his you-know-what, the firmness of his abs, the heat of his body, and that hand slowly stroking from knee to calf, I was brain dead. I’m talking drooling, dazed, panties soaked, brain dead.

  Before I knew it, we were all parked in front of our apartment building and he was patting my leg to have me hop off. Of course, I tried my damnedest to act unaffected and cool. Well, at least as cool as I could be when I was a teensy bit tipsy and high off the massive, sexy man stretching in front of me. It caused his shirt to rise up a little, and I so wanted to slip my hand up it.

  After he’d dropped his arms, he opened the saddlebag and handed me my purse.

  “You need us to stay with you?” Radar asked Grayson.

  “Naw, I’m good,” he brusquely answered.

  “Then we’ll see you in the morning, P,” Truth said as they held my stumbling neighbors upright. Their laughter echoed down to the girls’ apartment.

  Instead of following them, we both stood there. Awkwardly, I handed him his helmet back. He hung it on the handlebar, then studied me with narrowed eyes.

  “You coming in?” I finally asked.

  “Lead the way,” he answered with a flourish.

  My face heated as I walked ahead of him to my apartment. It took two tries to get the key in the lock, and it wasn’t because it was dark in the corridor.

  After the door swung open, I entered, and he followed me in, closing the door behind us.

  Suddenly unsure, I set my purse on the island and turned to him. I didn’t get a single word out before he was in my space with my braid wrapped around his fingers. His lips crashed to mine and his tongue demanded entrance.

  My hands initially pressed on his chest, but as the kiss deepened, they slid up until my arms wrapped around his neck. He tasted delicious. He tasted like sin. He tasted like heartbreak. But I didn’t care.

  Holy shit. I’m kissing Grayson fucking Adams.

  When he broke free to work his way down my neck, his grip tightened on my hair to tip my head to the side. A gasp escaped me as his lips and teeth took turns on my skin.

  He worked his way back up to my ear. By then, I was panting and my fingers were threaded through his thick hair.

  “This complicates things,” he whispered.

  “It doesn’t have to,” I breathlessly replied.

  “Dammit, Nova, do you have any idea what you’re doing? I can’t give you what you want.”

  “Then give me what you can. Give me what we both need right now,” I said with far more resolve than I was feeling.

  With a growl, he grabbed my ass, lifted me to straddle him, and started walking. Th
ere was only one possibility for my bedroom. Once we reached my bed, he let me down.

  Slowly.

  As in, I felt everything. And there was so much of it.

  My tank top was raised until I had no choice but to lift my arms for him to remove it. He tossed in to the floor and flicked my bra open like a pro. Calloused fingertips grazed my sensitive skin as he lowered the straps until I was completely exposed. Through it all, my heart raced.

  Though I wasn’t overly small, his hands engulfed both breasts. While they were occupied, his mouth resumed its torture of my flesh until he was pulling a nipple into his heated mouth.

  “Oh, sweet Lord,” I groaned as he tugged the other with his fingers. By the time he switched, I could feel myself on the verge of losing it. That quickly, he’d worked his magic.

  I whimpered when his hand left my breast, until he popped my jeans open and lowered the zipper. His mouth continued to work me over as he dropped my jeans partway.

  In a blink, he was on his knees with his huge hands digging into my thighs.

  “Goddammit, Nova” was all he got out before his nose was pressed to the front of my soaking scrap of lace. When he bit my clit through my panties, I jumped in both surprise and pleasure.

  For a moment he teased me through the fabric, but it wasn’t long before he shoved them down to join my pants, and he slid that wicked tongue along my slit.

  If I had to admit how many times I’d imagined this over the years, I’d be embarrassed. Except it was hard to be embarrassed when it was driving me over the edge. I realized I was pulling hard on his hair, but he didn’t seem to mind.

  In about two-point-two seconds, I was screaming his name as my orgasm slammed into me. Before I came down from the waves of bliss, he laid me back on the bed. With his lips and chin wet with my release, he kissed the sensitive skin of my inner thighs until he was unzipping my boots. Carelessly, everything was tossed to the side.

  “Get up on the bed,” he commanded.

  Scrambling to do what he said before he changed his mind, I moved until my head rested on the pillows. In the dim light, I watched as he removed his cut and T-shirt and unbuttoned his jeans.