by Nicole Snow
“Why the hell was she so out of it?”
“Somebody gave her liquor, and lots of it. She'll feel like shit in the morning, but we're getting all the fluids into her we can.” She watched me raise an eyebrow. “It's okay. No risk of poisoning or anything.”
I clenched my jaw and turned away. It wasn't just the dead Grizzlies crew responsible for this shit. I wanted to rip my own guts out for being so late, for letting them hurt her and nearly kill her stupid bro.
Her bro. Best not to think about Jordan, I told myself. If that shit gave a damn about her, he'd be here right now.
Fuckup or not, you're all she's got. You're her everything.
“I need to see her.” I started to push past.
Emma got in my way, blocking the door with her short, curvy body. “She needs rest, Blaze. The more she gets, the better. It's the only way to heal burns like that.”
I wasn't listening to another word. Went right past her and jerked the door open, letting her jump aside at the last minute.
My girl looked so damned innocent and beautiful laying there in the little bed. One of those thin aqua-green medical sheets covered her, shielding the damage her tormenters had done. Good thing too, because seeing those burns would've made me break shit for sure.
“Blaze, I don't think...” Emma started weakly behind me, standing in the doorway. She swallowed her words the instant I scooped Saffron up by the shoulders.
Held her tighter than I'd ever held anyone in my life. I watched as she slowly opened her eyes, two gems waiting just for me, diamonds no fuck would ever dull again.
“Hey, beautiful. I'm here for good. Not gonna let you go. Ever.”
She gave me a long, soft stare, and then her lips pulled up in a thin smile. Thank God.
Saffron gripped me back. I held on tighter and cradled her in my arms. My bones were giving me hell after hardly any rest and a lot of kicking ass, but I didn't care for a fucking second.
All that mattered was right here in my arms, the only thing that would ever matter to me again.
“You're never getting out of my sight, babe, you understand?” I told her, feeling that heavy rock starting in my throat. “I fucked up, Saffron. Never should've put your safety in another man's hands, even my brothers'. Well, make no mistake. Those days are absolutely fucking over. From now on, you're mine. Morning, noon, and night. If I'm not holding you or kissing you or just watching you do your thing, you slap me right across my goddamned face. Scratch my fucking eyes out. If they aren't on you, baby, then they're somewhere they shouldn't be.”
She opened her lips slightly. I was all ready to catch the tears pooling near the corners of her eyes. Jesus, I was afraid what would happen when they came. Nothing worse than an MC President cracking up and blubbering like a damned baby in front of his old lady.
“What're you talking about?” She looked seriously confused. “You got there just in time. The shit they did...it was about to get worse. The bald bastard would've made sure we never had kids. He ran off as soon as the shooting started. You saved me from something a lot worse than some scorched up tats.”
I stood, considering her words. Was she serious, or just making excuses for my overdue ass? Before I could speak, she reached up and grabbed my shirt, urging me low. I went.
“Just shut up, Blaze. Shut up and kiss me. Make me forget about them...I only want to see you, me, and the future. Past is past. You did your job, and I'll love you forever for it.”
The rock in my throat shrank small enough to swallow. I leaned in, smiling the whole time, rubbing my stubble across her soft cheek just the way she liked.
“Baby, I can do that. I can do that for the rest of my life,” I whispered in her ear, feeling her body tremble tenderly against my chest when she sensed the heat.
We kissed. Through all the pain and bullshit, we kissed like it was our last, just as hot as our very first. We kissed until Nurse Emma had to turn away in disgust, until my lips were numb, and I still held on, knowing I'd never get enough of her.
“Easy, girl. Make a little room...”
I lifted her gently, careful to avoid the injured patch around her hip, and slid in the bed next to her. Fucking thing wasn't really meant for two people and it creaked under our weight, but that didn't stop me.
I held her tight, nuzzling her neck. If I was finally gonna get some rest, then I'd do it with Saffron at my side. Right here, right now. No other way.
“Blaze...this is way outside standard procedure,” Emma said meekly at our side.
Both Saffron and I gave her stink eyes. Emma shifted uncomfortably.
“It's okay. There's not any real danger, is there? You said my chances of getting an infection were real low.” Obviously, my girl wanted me there, and I smiled like a fool.
“No...you're good...it's just that...”
“This is our infirmary. Not a goddamned hospital, Emma. Take your business somewhere else and let me hold my girl if it's not doing any harm. Go kiss and make up with Tank so we can get some shut eye.”
Her face darkened, but my words did the trick. After she left the room and closed the door behind us, Saffron laughed.
Sweet, sweet music to my ears.
“What?” I said, running my pointer finger up chin. God damn I loved that little nook where her jaw met her ear.
“You're an asshole,” she said, still laughing. “Poor Emma.”
“Yeah, but you love me anyway. Nothing's gonna change that, no matter how many fucks I have to beat or how many times I taste your sweet lips.”
She settled happily into the pillows, spooning herself perfectly against me. It was gonna be a long road to recovery, but I'd be right there at her side. Had a feeling everything would work out all right.
It better. Asshole or not, you always get your way – especially now that your way's merged into hers forever.
IX: So Bright It Hurts (Saffron)
The third night started in fire, and ended there too.
I never, ever forgot the way they burned me. But the memory that truly stands out is Blaze. Deadly, rock hard, beautiful Blaze, laying with me all night like a tiger protecting his mate.
I laid awake in a pleasant half-dreamy state long after Blaze began to snore and he thought I was out. No, it wasn't just all the crap they were pumping into my system to kill the pain, along with a small lake through the IV to help me fight the inevitable whiskey hangover.
I'd finally found my man tonight. I knew it before, but now I truly understood because Blaze shielded me. When he couldn't completely save my body from that bastard Irons, he saved my psyche, my heart, my soul.
He truly loved me, and I loved him.
Back in the ratty cellar, before my mind shut down from the torture, I accepted it. Pain was a real risk in this life, but I wouldn't have given it up for anything. I found myself as much as I discovered my one true love, my destiny as Saffron, and I swore if I got out alive, I'd be the best old lady a badass ever had.
And now I'd gotten my chance. Wishes came true.
Before I passed out into a deep, dark sleep, I squeezed Blaze's hand. My other, I ran down my unburned side, all the way to the hip, feeling the pure, perfect flesh.
The bastards hadn't burned everything. Not even close. Emma said the tissue they'd damaged would heal in time. It would definitely scar, probably so bad I'd never have good ink there again.
I didn't care.
I had a perfectly good man and a whole lot of pure skin. Soon as I was on the mend, I promised I'd scrawl the rest of my life on this flesh, starting with my love for the bad boy pressed up to me.
“You sure you're ready for this?” Tank hovered above me, his face tight.
“Emma says I'm good to go. Might be a little phantom pain and the usual discomfort...but it's not like I haven't been inked up a dozen times before. Let's do it.”
Tank went to work. He was the best man for the job and one I could trust to keep things under wraps. I found out at the bar he'd learned how to
do some wicked tattoos from his army days. Some guy named Freak back in North Dakota taught him a few things too.
Three months passed in a blur. The window in the little workout room was open, and a cool mountain breeze blew in, carrying all autumn's icy caresses.
The needle hit my skin. I squeezed the bar above my head to deaden the pain. Crap, Emma hadn't been kidding about phantom pain.
The burns had settled, smoothing away a little more of their red, rough exterior by the day. Now, they stung with damage, pulsing as the huge man navigated the needle gun over virgin skin.
Pain? Totally worth it.
The last three months had given me the calm everybody in the club needed. I healed, rested, and wiped away bitter memories in between serving up drinks to the boys.
Blaze was as good as his word. He cared for me the same way he did the first night I ever saw him, gentle and patient, even when the pain caused me to get pissy. Healing like this reminded me how Mom used to feel.
As far as I knew, my bastard brother hadn't visited her grave. I'd only done it a couple times, going with Blaze to lay flowers we picked out in the wild.
A few weeks into my recovery, I got a letter forwarded from Mom's old address.
The damned thing was short, but it sure wasn't sweet.
Jordan thanked me, said he was sorry, but he had to stick with his club. He'd disappeared out West, somewhere he said he 'belonged.' Thinking about Jordan diving back into the same shitty lifestyle that nearly got us both killed enraged me so much I tried not to think about it.
Guess you can lead a stubborn ass brother to safety, but you can't make him think...
On the bench, I grunted. Tank edged the needle gun off me for a second and looked up, concern showing in his eyes.
“You okay?”
“Yeah. Just keep going. I'll work through it.” I saw him raise a skeptical eyebrow. “Trust me, I wouldn't be doing this if I weren't ready. Check with Emma yourself if you don't believe me.”
He growled a low reply and continued. Nobody knew exactly what the hell was up with those two. All through my treatment, Emma made sure to skedaddle the minute she saw him, heading straight home when her work with me was done and none of the brothers needed anything.
I waited until the tattoo was all done before I said anything else. Didn't want to screw up my ink at the last second by saying something that would jolt him. Tank lifted the needle gun away and told me to stay still. He held up a mirror in his big paws.
The man was quite a beast, but nothing compared to Blaze. I caught the smile on my face in the reflection as he passed it lower.
“Wow,” I hissed.
Wow didn't begin to describe it. For a hulking quiet guy who was used to inking up skulls, fire, and demons, he did flowers pretty well. And the letters? Well, those were killer.
PROPERTY OF BLAZE, it read, flanked between two dark roses with twisting stems going down my hip.
Beautiful. Perfect. Overwhelming.
Giddy excitement shot straight to my head. Jesus, it was going to be hell making it through the day. I couldn't wait to show him tonight.
“Well?” Tank said.
“Oh, sorry. I was too busy gawking to answer. It's awesome!” I reached for his big arm and gave it a crazy squeeze with both hands. “Thank you so much! I know exactly who I'm coming to next time I need some ink.”
He smiled, got up, and stepped away to clean up.
“Seriously, Tank...you should check up on Emma,” I said, biting my lip.
He looked up. No anger there. More like a fiery longing, the look I saw on Blaze when we were alone together and we couldn't rush away to dive between the sheets.
“I already checked on her, Saffron.” His voice was stern. “She's not like you. Girl's here to do a job and get out. Doesn't want anything to do with me or the club.”
“That's what I thought too at first. Then Blaze changed my mind, and you guys helped. I consider this place and everybody here family, even if it took me awhile to figure it out after I took his patch.”
“You've chosen this life and you're cut out for it. Wouldn't have expected anything less for the boss. He got himself one badass bitch...”
He trailed off and I folded my arms. He mumbled an apology. I just laughed.
“Thing is, Emma ain't like you,” he repeated. “I've been torn up too many times and watched lots of other guys get burned. I know how fucking dangerous this lifestyle is, and people like you and me are a rare breed. I'm okay with that.”
“If you say so.” I stood, turning my back and sliding my pants back on. “What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. You know that old cliché? Well, it's not bullshit, Tank. Some of us need to find out what's best the hard way. You mean well, I know, but you can't stop a girl from finding herself, or the guy she's meant to be with, no matter how much it hurts along the way.”
“No,” he agreed. “But I can sure as hell stop anybody who's not fit for this shit from taking the wrong turn. This isn't just about her. It's about protecting everybody.”
I cocked my head, wondering what he meant.
“If anybody hurt her the way those fuckers did to you, I wouldn't have been as easy as Blaze. I'd kill every motherfucker wearing that patch, and probably get the whole club killed too. Boss is right. I'm a loose cannon. Need to keep a lid on it if I don't want the whole fucking world going to kingdom come.”
The last words ended in a growl. His eyes pierced right through me, a frustrated intensity that sent chills up my spine.
“Got it. Hope I'll see you at Miner's party tonight. Thanks again for the tattoos.”
He nodded and I closed the door gently behind him. Should've known better than to stick my nose where it doesn't belong. But then, wasn't that how I ended up here in the first place with my knight in boots and leather?
Poor Tank. Poor Emma. I shook my head softly. They both needed to be smacked upside the head and realize life was too damned short for these games.
Good thing I had a happier thought on the brain.
Poor Blaze. When he sees the new ink tonight, he's a goner. I'm gonna fuck him silly and remind him where I belong, and who I belong to.
“Alaska? You're gonna freeze your fucking balls off, man.” Moose slapped Miner on the shoulder.
“Good rides and awesome fishing. I'm only gonna be up there in the sunny months, soon as I get my shit set up this Fall. I figure taking one Alaskan winter's just paying my dues. Shit, maybe I can be the first Prairie Devil up there in the tundra.” He grinned, a split second before Moose gave him another manly handshake.
If the old man wasn't sore in the morning from all the congratulations flowing his way tonight, then I'd be really surprised.
Blaze and I had already given him our best.
It was sad to see him go. But he'd be back, welcome to meetings and events for the MC.
Your Soul Belongs Forever was inked on Blaze and lots of other brothers. This catchphrase was one more reminder that the club never let go. Once a brother, always one, and Miner was welcome here whenever he came home.
And the doors weren't just open to old brothers either. The club expected more men rolling in to visit from North Dakota for business before winter made their routes far more treacherous.
Blaze didn't talk to me direct about club business, but I overheard plenty. The Devils were outlaws with good hearts, and at the end of the day, I was okay with that.
“Hey, go easy,” I whispered, watching as Blaze tipped a bottle of Jack to his lips. “You want to feel more than just whiskey kicking in your veins, don't you?”
I reached behind, unseen, and gently squeezed the erection straining against my ass. He'd had it there for at least the last five minutes.
The six weeks we had away from sex while I healed was pure hell. We were still making up for lost time, but tonight was extra special.
I squeezed him again until he grunted in my ear. The guys laughed, drowning out our desire. Not that it was anything unus
ual in the clubhouse tonight.
One look around the room told me as much.
Reb and Roller were firmly planted at the bar with new whores on their knees. The prospects were circling each other for their first shot at the skanky blonde slut, Marianne, who used to share everybody's bed. I still watched her like a hawk at the bar, though she'd been nothing but friendly.
She missed Blaze, and it wasn't hard to tell. I feared for the way I'd lay into her if she ever got too close.
He rubbed his hard-on against me through my jeans. God, he was so long, so ready, so eager to claim my flesh.
No, I didn't have much to fear from whores and skanks. His interest was focused on me like a laser beam, and tonight was no exception. Whenever I began to doubt it, he reminded me, hot and forceful and totally irresistible.
“Let's go, baby. I've been nursing this shit all night just so I don't have to wait to drive. I'd rather have you riding me warm than Jack any fucking night.” His hand slid around to my thigh, clenched, and then moved up.
I gasped, sharper than usual. The fresh tattoo still tingled, but it was nothing I couldn't handle.
We got up and started our slow trek to the garages, pushing through brothers, associates, and party girls who shared the evening cheer. Tank sat by himself on the outskirts, a bottle of whiskey at his side.
His loneliness made me wince, but so did seeing the poison. After what happened on that horrible night, I'd drink anything except whiskey. Wasn't sure I'd ever taste the stuff without retching up my dinner.
Blaze jerked the door to the garage open and we nearly ran smack into Stinger. The VP had his back to us near the door. He stood on the single step leading down as some girl below him had a mouthful of...
“Oh my God!” I started to laugh.
Stinger turned, red faced, frowning as big as he usually smiled. I never knew a man could zip up so quickly without getting it caught. The whore on the ground wiped her mouth and stood up, brushing dirt off her skirt like she'd been doing nothing crazier than sweeping up a spill.
“Hey, Prez. Goin' home?”