King of Kings

by Shreffler, Betty

  “Nah, brother. I got this.”

  Jake, Trevor, and William clear a path right to our women. Pulling the biker off Erika, Jake gets in his face. The guy glances at the patch and puts his hands up.

  “I’m sorry, man. We didn’t see property jackets.”

  Jake motions his head, indicating the bikers need to get moving. Erika comes over to Dominic, and it’s only after she’s back in his arms, he calms down.

  “The rest of the time we’re here, I want you in either a property shirt or jacket,” he tells her. She caresses his face, and he stares down at her, his eyes transitioning from the darkness I witnessed to a softness he only has for her.

  “Not a problem,” she coos, kissing him with unabashed desire.

  Watching the two creates envy in me. She looks at Dominic the way Jenna looked at me, with unconditional love, and it causes my chest to ache.

  “That goes for all of you,” Jake orders the women. “As the party goes on, the men will be looking for available pussy. You need to make it clear you’re not available.”

  Synne glances at me. She’s the only woman in our group without a jacket, and I’m irritatingly aware. I pull my gaze from hers and take a swig of my beer as the group moves on.

  Music draws us to the concert stadium, and we create a space for our crew to drink and dance. Maci gets it going, pulling William into the middle of our circle and grinds her body against his. Pulling her ass against his dick, he practically dry fucks her there in front of all of us, without a care. Jake and Liz join in, Liz’s arms around his neck, moving with the music as she sways her hips for him. The other two couples join them, and I’m standing on the outside of the circle enjoying the music and my nearly empty beer. That is until a couple of patch members from another MC put their hands on Synne. My muscles tense and I move their direction, but she already has it handled. She’s turned them down and is motioning toward our group. Moving into our circle, she flashes me an upturned salacious grin as she sways her hips. Her body calls to me, and my feet respond, moving into her space. With her back to my chest, I put an arm around her waist, squeezing her hip as she lifts her hands, placing them around my neck and rubs her ass against me.

  “You keep teasing me.” I feather along her ear, biting it, and she pushes her ass harder into my cock, and the traitor reacts, hardening against her cheeks. “You need to stop.”

  “Do you really want me to?”

  She turns to face me, her gaze enticing, her lips parting, teasing mine. Squeezing her ass hard, I watch her eyes widen as she bites into her lip. She likes it. Fuck me.

  “What I want doesn’t matter. You’re not safe around me.”

  Brows dipping in thought, she studies me, questions written all over her face.

  “Why do you think that?”

  Dropping my hand, I put space between us as the memories strike at me, tearing open old wounds.

  “Keep your distance from me while we’re here.”

  Frustration burrows into my chest as I walk away from her. Looking down at my empty beer, I chuck it into a trashcan on the way back to camp. Wesley, Max, and Axel follow behind while the rest stay and dance.

  Dropping my fourth empty bottle on the ground next to the others, I stare into the campfire, its orange flames performing a dance. As the sun goes down, I imagine Synne swaying her hips to the music, tantalizing every single biker in her proximity. Kicking my boot at a log, I chuck it farther into the flames and grab another beer to continue my descent into emotionless oblivion.

  In the distance, I see several figures enter camp. The rest of the crew has returned, drunk and boisterous. Jake palms Liz’s ass and ushers her into the camper. Synne glances at me, disguises a frown by looking away, and follows them in. Ink has his arm around a giggling, busty brunette and leads her into his tent. With everyone entering their tents to sleep or fuck, Axel and I are the only ones left sitting around the fire.

  “You look tense, Pres. What’s on your mind?”

  Rubbing a hand over my stubble, I glance at his questioning gaze, then back to the fire.

  “It’s late. Let’s do a walk around camp, then call it a night.”

  “All right.”

  Standing, my knees are wobblier than expected, but I shake it off, joining Axel to make our rounds. With the whole crew accounted for, I crawl into my tent and collapse onto my sleeping bag, the weight of sleep tickling the edges of my eyelids. Closing them, I listen to the crackling of the dying fire and imagine red hair falling around me. Drifting off, I give in to the relief the alcohol has given me from my hurricane of emotions and slip into that blissful oblivion.

  The sound of my tent zipper snaps me awake. Grabbing my Glock, I aim it at the zipper and wait. Red hair is the first thing I see, and I immediately lower my gun, switch the safety on, and tuck it under the edge of the sleeping bag. Synne crawls in and zips the tent closed.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I can’t sleep with Jake and Liz grunting and moaning so damn much.”

  With a chuckle, I move over, giving her room to lie down. Lying on her side, her cleavage is plump and visible in her tiny, silky nightshirt. My gaze drops to her creamy skin, and I turn onto my back, trying to avoid the reaction my dick will have if I don’t stop looking at her body.

  “You shouldn’t be in here.” It comes out as more of a growl than I meant it to. Rubbing my thumb on my temple, I work at the headache forming.

  “All right. I’ll sleep in the truck.”

  There’s disappointment in her tone, and I hate that it’s because of me. She sits up, and my hand reaches out and takes hold of her forearm. She lies back down, slowly putting her hand on my chest between the opening of my cut. Lifting my tank, she caresses my abs, and I lie there, eyes closed, indulging in it. Her finger toys with the edge of my jeans, and I look at her, seeing desire flash in her eyes.

  Sitting up, I put my hand through her hair and bring her lips to mine, craving that electricity that burned away the memories and pain earlier today. As she moans into my mouth, I take the kiss deeper and palm one of her luscious tits. Thumbing the nipple, I flick my thumb back-and-forth, feeling it harden beneath my finger. Moving down her stomach, I find the waist of her shorts and slip my hand down under them. My finger slides into her wet opening, and with a couple strokes of my finger, I’m adding another, pushing deeper, working that sensitive swell that turns her from moaning to tearing at my clothes. Helping her, I remove my cut, boots, tank, jeans, and briefs as she wiggles out of her shorts and tank. With my cock hard and pointing toward the sky, she lowers herself, wrapping her mouth around it. Looking down at her, I fist her hair, pumping my cock farther into her mouth.

  Not wanting to cum without feeling her pussy, I pull her off and lean forward, grabbing her body to bring her on top of me. With her hand wrapped around my length, she raises her hips and slides onto my dick, her tight pussy a vise grip, working to squeeze the cum right out of my hard, fucking shaft.

  Her hips rock forward as I grip them, slamming my dick into her, over and over, the sensation giving me the reprieve my mind and heart desperately need. Flipping her over, I push her back down with her ass up, spread her cheeks and slide into her soaking wet pussy. With my hands wrapped around her hips, I use them as leverage and fuck her hard, her ass slapping against my pelvis as she cries out in sync with each of my thrusts.

  She reaches her climax, and her pussy gets slicker, clenching around my dick. With each thrust, she brings me closer to mine. Pulling out, I cum all over her ass and take a moment to admire her naked body, my cum marking her creamy skin, and her sexy satisfied smile looking over her shoulder at me.

  Grabbing my tank, I clean her off, then toss it in the corner. Lying on my back, I open my arm for her, and she lies on it, her half-tilted smile sleepy and sexy.

  “Why are you afraid of something happening to me?” she asks quietly, so low, I almost miss the words.

  “It’s complicated.”

  Sitting
up, she stares down at me, her pretty red hair falling over her shoulder. Twirling it around my finger, I follow the strands, caressing her soft skin.

  “I’m pretty sure I’ve put most of the pieces together, but I’d rather hear it from you.”

  My finger traces the curve of her breast, and I like seeing the spark in her eyes as she reacts to my touch.

  “I’ve made a lot of mistakes, and those mistakes have caused the people I love to get hurt. I don’t want anyone else I care about to get hurt.”

  She reads my eyes, and there’s a subtle twitch around hers as if she can sense my pain.

  “What happened?”

  Lowering my hand, there’s a long silence between us as I struggle to say the words.

  “The woman I loved was shot by my enemies, the bullet meant for me. She died in my arms.”

  She takes my hand, raising it to her lips, and kisses it. The gesture surprises me, the subtle affection causing something in my chest to split, a crack of light pouring out through my dark depths of despair.

  My thumb caresses her bottom lip, and she sucks it into her mouth, letting it slide out with a quiet pop. Sitting up, I comb my fingers through her hair before gripping her neck, bringing her close to me, her hazel eyes barely visible from the campfire light, yet I can still see the fierce desire in them. She’s too damn brave, too beautiful, too tempting.

  “I don’t want to see you get hurt.” There’s an ache swelling in my chest, a massive wave of despair crashing into that foolish shell of hope. “The only way that can happen is if you stay away from me.”

  Gently, I turn her gaze away from me—I can’t bear to see her disappointment, can’t bear to see my pain reflecting in her eyes. She doesn’t leave, and I grit my teeth.

  “Synne—”

  She cuts off my words with her finger to my lips.

  “I lost my brothers. One to prison, the other to a bullet. I understand the damage caused by rivalries and revenge.” A deep sadness takes over her body, her shoulders slumping slightly, the memories casting shadows in her eyes.

  “What happened to them?”

  “I’d been a part of the Sinister Sons my whole life. The club and my brothers raised me. If not for them, I don’t know where I’d be or if I’d still be alive.” Taking her arm, I lower us back down and pull the sleeping bag over her as she continues. “When I was seventeen, I was at a party, just being a stupid teenager, you know. There was a guy in my class I had a crush on. He was the attractive bad boy type with a muscle car and a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. Only I was too naïve to realize how much of an asshole he was. At the party, he and his two friends made sure I got good and drunk, then lured me into a room alone with them. They tried to rape me, but my older brother, Jay was at the party and thankfully, came looking for me. He got me out of there and came back with our older brother, Seth, and a few Sinister Son members. They beat the shit out of those guys so badly they put them in the hospital. My brothers weren’t even charged with anything. It was all handled by the club.

  “Seth was a patch member at twenty-three, and at eighteen, Jay was a hang-around and already hooked. I fell in right along with them but could never be a patch member because I was a chick. They were still my family though, and one of the members, Skip, my father’s best friend, took to looking out for us after our father ended up in prison. But even before that, the three of us looked out for one another fiercely.

  “Unfortunately, Brandon and his friends never forgot about that night, especially since Brandon was left with an ugly scar from his lip halfway up his cheek. At a senior graduation party, I was getting drunk and high around a bonfire with the rest of my classmates while Brandon was planning his revenge. He waited for the right opportunity to get me alone, then he and his two friends dragged me farther into the woods and beat me, breaking my wrist and a couple of ribs, then left me there, spitting up my own blood. Through my tears, I called my brother Jay and he and Seth came to my rescue. They lost their shit after that. Both being patch members, they gathered a few more club members and hunted down Brandon and his friends at a house party in town. I wish they hadn’t. Everything changed after that night.

  “While I was in the hospital, my brothers raided the house, and all hell broke loose. My brother Jay was shot by one of Brandon’s friends who was high and didn’t know what the hell he was doing with a loaded gun. Seth fired back and shot the guy. My brother died that night.”

  Tears pool in her eyes before one escapes, trickling slowly down her cheek. She wipes it away and takes a long, deep breath.

  “Seth went to jail for assault with a deadly weapon. Got out three years later, only to go back two years later for illegal possession of a weapon and drugs. He’s never been the same since Jay’s death, and jail has become a revolving door for him. The sad truth is, I lost both my brothers that night.”

  Leaning toward her, I caress her cheek, following the smooth line of her jaw, and lift her chin to me so I can kiss away the sorrow. When I pull back, she stares up at me, her eyes a little less tearful, the curve of her mouth tugging at her lip before it falters.

  “I still carry the guilt of what happened that night. I spent years obsessing over how if I’d done things differently, if I hadn’t been at the senior party, Jay would still be alive, and Seth wouldn’t be so messed up, but it was Skip who set me straight. He told me if I’m not dead, then I’m living, and I need to make it mean something. So, I did. I made the decision to stop feeling guilty about being alive, about wanting things for myself, and I started living.”

  Pulling my arm from around her, I sit up, my jaw tight as my guilt, anger, and frustration descend on me like a sudden downpour of rain on a sunny day.

  “It’s not that simple for me. For me to live, to have any kind of happiness, means putting others in danger. Being around me puts you in danger.”

  “Because I’m a redhead like she was?”

  Avoiding those intense hazel eyes, I stare at the scuffs and dirt on my boots instead.

  “Yes. The Wild Royals would hurt you to get to me.” Turning to her, I fist her hair in my hand, tilting her head back, putting her lips inches from mine. “Because of this gorgeous red hair, this beautiful face, they’ll assume you mean something to me. They’ll think you’re a tool to tear me apart.”

  Brows curving down, she stares at me, confusion filling her eyes.

  “Why does it matter that I have red hair like hers?”

  Opening my fist, I break contact. Reaching for my briefs, anger surges through my chest like lightning clawing through clouds in a darkened sky.

  “Her name was Jenna. And before that, Angela. Both red hair. You’re a walking target, and you need to stay away from me.”

  Grabbing her tank and shorts, I toss them in her lap.

  “Jake and Liz should be asleep by now. Go back to the camper.”

  As disappointment fills her eyes, she crumples up the clothes in her fist and unzips the tent, walking out butt-ass naked. The colorful ink of her tattoos wrap around her right shoulder, arm, and down her ribs with the tail feathers of a phoenix touching the top of her ass. If I wasn’t so angry, so disappointed in myself, I’d be enjoying that view far more, but I can’t. I was weak, giving in to what my cock wanted and not thinking enough of what a mistake it was. I can’t let her get close, can’t have feelings for someone as incredible as Synne. I couldn’t survive losing her too.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  SYNNE

  “So, your brother has a thing for redheads?”

  Liz’s brow creases as she hands me another stack of brochures. Pulling off the rubber band, I fan them out on the table in front of us. Liz glances over her shoulder, and we both look at Nix, who is trying to cure his hangover with another beer. All morning, he’s been withdrawn, his posture slack.

  Glancing our direction, he gives us a brooding glare, tips his beer back, then walks off with Max and Axel. With that attitude, it’s better he’s not at the tent. He’s liable to scar
e off customers.

  “Yeah, he does. I know you left the camper last night, and now he’s walking around like a wounded animal. Care to explain?”

  Liz is working a mom-pose with her hand on her hip, her brow raised, and a distinct air of expectation.

  “We fucked, talked, and it got emotional.”

  “How emotional?”

  “Emotional enough, he kicked me out of his tent and told me to stay away from him.”

  Liz runs a hand over her forehead and into her hair, letting out a puff of air.

  “Jesus, he’s got it bad for you. How do you feel about him?”

  “I thought we needed the company and to get the sexual tension between us out of our system.” I grab another stack of brochures and yank the rubber band off. “Now, I can’t get your brother out of my system.”

  Liz laughs, squats down, closes the cardboard box between us, and shoves it under the table.

  “You’re hooked.”

  “Doesn’t matter. He’s right. It’s best I steer clear of him. He told me I’m a target with the Wild Royals and why.” Twisting a strand of red hair around my finger, I flick it into the air.

  Liz’s mouth turns down, sadness etching into the frown lines of her face.

  “He has a legitimate reason to be worried about you. He’s attracted to redheads, and the Royals know because of the last two women he was with. The Royals could easily think you’re his girl and go after you to get to him.”

  Setting my hands on the table, I put my weight forward and let out a breath. Being with the Kings has brought back that feeling of family. I believed I found a place to start over with people who would care about me as much as I care about them. The thought of having to pack up and begin my search for another place, another job, another home creates a gut-wrenching ache in my stomach.

  “Maybe it’s best I leave Nashville.”