by Nicole James
“That’s gotta hurt.”
Wolf knew Crash was referring to him having to watch Crystal in a brother’s arms, and not being able to do shit about it.
“Yeah,” was all he could muster.
“She’s nobody’s ol’ lady yet, in case you want to give it another shot.”
Wolf shook his head. “I jerked her around so many times.”
“Yeah, you did. Doesn’t mean a man can’t change.”
Dog moved in to stand on Crash’s other side and put in his two cents, like Wolf needed anymore ribbing from his brothers.
“That right there is a girl on a mission.”
“Yeah, a mission to show Wolf what a fool he is,” Crash replied.
Dog chuckled. “That’s not hard to do.”
“Okay, boys, enough. I get the picture, I’m an idiot.”
“Yup.”
“No arguments here.”
Crash looked over at him. “So the question is, what are you gonna do about it?”
When Wolf refused to rise to the bait, Dog pressed it home. “If you had any balls, you’d go over there and cut in on that dance.”
Wolf looked over at him. “Oh, you’d just love to see that fist-fight, wouldn’t you?”
Dog shrugged with a grin. “Maybe.” He waited half a beat before adding, “You gonna just stand here like a pussy? Makes me ashamed to call you Brother.”
Crash leaned in to taunt, “Time to step up to the plate there, A-Rod.”
Wolf tossed his drink back, slammed the glass on the bar and turned to stalk toward the dance floor. He could hear his brothers laughing in his wake and Dog bellow out, “Gangway. Dead man walking.”
Christ, the things his brothers goaded him into doing. This was probably a huge mistake, but fuck it, he was committed to it now. No turning back.
****
Crystal turned in Shane’s arms as they swayed to a slow song. As they rotated around, she could see Wolf moving through the crowd toward them, his eyes on her.
“Oh, God,” she whispered.
Shane looked down at her with a frown, saw her eyes and turned to follow where she was looking.
“Please don’t fight,” Crystal blurted out, knowing what was going to happen when she felt Shane stiffen in her arms.
His eyes returned to her. “My days of backing down to Wolf are over, Crystal.”
“Please, Shane,” she begged and watched as his jaw clenched. He was struggling with caving into her request, and she knew just how much that would cost him.
“I’ve waited a long fucking time for this day, Crystal.”
“I know. I know you have, I’m just asking you not to throw the first punch.”
And then Wolf was upon them. Crystal’s eyes moved between him and Shane as Shane turned to look at Wolf. And then Wolf shocked the hell out of her by actually being cordial.
“Mind if I cut in, Brother?” And then he truly shocked her by asking, “Please?”
Shane must have been just as shocked. His eyes flicked down to her as if he were asking if that was what she wanted. She nodded, and then he was releasing her to step back as Wolf moved in.
She felt his hands settle on her waist, his palms hot on her bare skin. Hesitantly she slid her hands up his cut to encircle his neck. He pulled her closer, until they were brushing up against each other.
She looked up to see his dark eyes intent as he stared down at her. What the hell was he doing? Why was he putting them both through this? She watched as his eyes dropped to her mouth, and she couldn’t help but do the same. She studied those lips of his and could think of nothing more than tasting them again.
She wasn’t sure if he dipped his head, or if she lifted hers, but suddenly their mouths were only an inch apart. She didn’t know how long they danced like that, tempting fate, perhaps each seeing how long the other could last before they closed that last inch. Was it a minute? Ten?
They moved in a slow circle, the noise of the crowd and the music fading away until it was as if they were the only two in the room. She could feel his breath, and she was sure he could feel hers. Neither of them said a word. It was almost as if they were cast in a spell, a spell neither of them wanted to break.
“I guess I should have seen this coming.”
Her brow furled in a frown, and she whispered, “What? Seen this coming…how?
“From when I saw you the other day.”
“You…saw me?”
He nodded. “Saw you ridin’ up Main Street, bold as brass.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. Oh.”
Her eyes moved up to his, searching between them. His dropped again to her mouth.
“You waitin’ to see how long it takes me to close this last inch?”
She swallowed, but didn’t answer. Did she want that? She did, but…
“Once your lips touch mine, girl, it’s over. You know that, don’t you?”
“Wolf, what are we doing?” she whispered.
“Playing with fire. Seems we’ve both got a thing for that.”
“Maybe we’re just asking for trouble.”
“I asked myself that same question. You come up with an answer?”
She shook her head. Then suddenly he was stepping back, grabbing her hand and pulling her through the crowd. He took a right turn and pulled her down the hallway to the restrooms. A moment later, he had her backed against the wall.
“I ain’t playin’ games, Crystal.”
“What are you doing?” She looked up at him as he stared down at her, searching her eyes before he answered.
“I don’t fucking know. I just know this happens every time I lay eyes on you. And I’ve come to realize it’s always gonna be that way.” He paused to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, his eyes following the movement. “When I saw you ride past on that bike—hell, I thought maybe it was fate, comin’ back around to give me another shot. Give us another shot.”
“Wolf.”
“Am I wrong? Am I the only one that can’t let go?”
“No,” she whispered, looking down.
“There was a time you couldn’t get enough of me. Did I kill that?”
She shook her head, and he brought his hand to her chin, tilting her head up, bringing her eyes to his.
“Crystal?” She wasn’t sure what his question was, but a moment later, he finally closed the space between them, his mouth coming down on hers.
They kissed a long time. And she remembered how badly she’d missed his kiss. He took his time, and he was good at it. Extremely good.
She found her hands drifting up, to pull his head back down when he broke off to breathe. He let her, and her enthusiasm only flamed the fire higher. He stepped in, crowding her against the wall, pressing his hips to hers, his knee forcing her legs apart. She felt his muscular thigh rub erotically against her crotch.
Dear God, if he kept that up, he’d get her off right here. She broke free, her hands coming up to push him back enough so she could gasp in a breath. “Wolf, wait.”
He didn’t want to be denied. She could see it in his eyes. It was a struggle for him to back down, but he did it. For her.
“You don’t feel it then? It’s gone?”
She could hear the torment in his voice.
“No, Wolf, it’s not that. I still feel it.”
People started coming down the hall. And then Cole was coming out of the bathroom. He paused when he saw them, his eyes moving between them. As he moved past, his eyes connected with Crystal’s.
“I want to see you before you cut out of here tonight.”
She nodded, frowning, wondering what that was about. “Of course.”
Wolf straightened, stepping back, giving her some room.
Green stumbled drunkenly down the hall, and Wolf must have given up on them having any time alone. He took her by the hand and pulled her back into the bar. They moved toward the rest of his club. They’d managed to commandeer a table, which is where Cole now sat with Crash. The rest of
them stood nearby at the bar.
Wolf turned to her. “You want a beer?”
She nodded.
Cole grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward him.
“I’ll keep her safe while you get it,” he said to Wolf, who nodded and moved off toward the bar. Cole pulled her down onto his lap. “You okay, darlin’?”
She nodded.
“I heard about the pregnancy,” he murmured in her ear. Cole was never one to beat around the bush.
She sucked her lips in. Crap. She couldn’t help wondering if he knew the rest, too.
“Babe, you should have told him,” he admonished her softly.
She nodded. “You’re right. I should have.”
He squeezed her hip. “He would have stepped up.”
“You think so?”
“Yeah. I do.”
She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter now.”
He nodded. “Yeah. I’m sorry about you losing the baby.”
She looked down at the hands in her lap, and then met his eyes. “Thank you, Cole.”
He studied her, and she knew he was trying to read her, read between the lines.
“You happy now?” He lifted his chin toward where Max and Liam stood.
She twisted to look and caught Max’s eye. He lifted his drink to her. Turning back to Cole, she saw the concern etched on his face. She nodded. “Yes. I am. I’m happy.”
He nodded back. “Good. I guess. We all miss you, though.”
“I miss all of you, too.”
“Crystal, I want to ask you something. And I want you to be straight with me about it.”
“Okay.” She frowned, wondering where this was going.
“Did Mack run you off?”
She shook her head. “No, Cole. I left all on my own. I...I needed to leave. Put some distance between Wolf and I. You know?”
His hand came up to cup her face for a brief second before dropping away. “I know, sweetheart.”
****
A man sat hidden deep in a corner of the bar. He’d just had another girl look at him in horror when he’d tried to hit on her. He knew his disfigured face was terrifying. He had a fucking mirror. He didn’t need some fucking whore to sneer at him. He was contemplating cornering the bitch in the back hallway later and showing her the meaning of the word horror, when his attention was distracted by the flash of a patch on the back of a cut. An Evil Dead patch, the club of the man responsible for his damaged face. The man he’d sworn revenge on.
The crowd was thick, making it hard to see, but eventually a brief path cleared, revealing the man himself sitting at a table. Cole Austin, VP of the San Jose Chapter. He had a woman on his lap. And the tender way he was touching her face, she had to mean something to him.
She wasn’t his ol’ lady, and she wouldn’t be the major payback that was part of that plan, but she’d be a start. An evil smile formed on his distorted face. She’d be a real good start.
****
Crystal watched as Wolf returned with four bottles and passed them out. Cole kicked a chair out for him. Wolf sat, took her hand and pulled her from Cole’s lap to his, looping an arm around her waist. On one hand it felt awkward to be sitting on Wolf’s lap, especially with both Cole and Crash grinning at her as they sipped on their beer. On the other hand it felt so right, exactly where she belonged.
He made her feel like it was the most normal thing in the world, like there hadn’t been any split between them, like he wouldn’t be riding out of town later in the week and leaving her behind.
He seemed happy, grinning to his brothers, and them grinning back, like everyone was happy to have her back in the fold. But she wasn’t, was she?
A few minutes later, she felt a presence at her side and looked up to find Max looking down at her with Liam beside him.
“Hey, guys,” she said.
“You ready to head back?” Max asked, a warm smile on his face, while Liam’s eyes moved around the table.
She felt Wolf’s arm tighten around her and saw Cole’s eyes move from his brother to the two men. Crystal knew this could get real ugly real fast, and she quickly tried to diffuse it.
“Max, Liam, I want you to meet some friends of mine. This is Cole, Crash and Wolf. Guys this is Max and Liam, two of my bosses.”
Cole and Crash nodded. Wolf just stared.
“How many bosses do you have, Crystal?” Cole asked.
She smiled, trying to put everyone at ease. “Four.”
Cole’s brows rose. “Four? That must be a nightmare.”
She tried to laugh it off. “No. Not at all. They’re great to work for. Really.”
“You the ones that taught her to ride?” Wolf asked.
Crystal turned to smile up at Max. “That was Max, mostly. He was extremely patient teaching me.”
Max grinned down at Crystal. “Our girl here is a wild one. Blastin’ down the highway doin’ ninety-five.”
Cole’s eyes narrowed at the man. “That your doing?”
“The skills? Yeah. The wild side? No.”
Cole nodded, and she saw his eyes move over her shoulder to Wolf as he sat behind her. She twisted to look at him. “I really should be getting back. We start early in the morning.”
Wolf held her eyes. “Where are you staying?”
“There’s an apartment above the shop. I’m staying there.”
“With who?” Wolf asked with an edge to his voice.
“With no one.”
He lifted his chin toward Max and Liam. “And where are they staying?”
“Not with me, Wolf.”
He nodded, as if that was still to be determined.
She moved to get up. “It was good seeing you all.” Her eyes moved around the table. Cole’s eyes went to Wolf, almost as if he was wondering what Wolf was going to do or if he was going to do anything at all.
Surprisingly, Wolf said nothing.
“Well, see you around.” She suddenly felt awkward as hell, and beat a hasty retreat toward the door, Max and Liam on her heels. They walked the two blocks back to the shop, and no one said a word. When they reached the shop, they walked around to the alley in back. Max and Liam escorted her to the exterior wooden stairs that led to the second floor apartment. The tour bus was parked half a block down. They waited at the bottom of the steps until she unlocked the door and entered.
Leaning back against it, she exhaled. Her thoughts going to Wolf. He’d let her walk away. Without a single word. It made her wonder if she’d misread the entire evening. Did the dance, the kiss, the things he said not mean what she’d thought?
She bit her lip, realizing how badly that hurt. God, he still had the power to slay her.
And then her thoughts turned to Max and Liam. She imagined that even now they were reporting back to Jameson and Rory about the ‘friends’ she’d introduced them to tonight. She could only imagine the speculations that would be tossed around.
She shook her head and moved toward the bedroom. She couldn’t think about that now. She needed to curl up and get some sleep.
****
“What the hell was that?” Cole drilled Wolf with a look after Crystal had left.
“What do you mean?”
Crash leaned forward. “One minute she’s cuddled on your lap, the next you’re letting her walk out the door. That’s what he means.”
Cole frowned. “Am I missing something? I mean, what I saw in that back hallway—”
Wolf cut in. “What you saw in that hallway was a connection that time hasn’t broken.”
Cole huffed out a breath and shook his head. “Don’t care how strong a connection you two have—it can all be washed away with a woman’s tears. And the way you let her go tonight—”
“What choice did I have?” Wolf snapped.
Crash gave him a ‘what-the-fuck’ look. “Who the hell are you? Are you not a member of this club? Because no member of my goddamn club says those words. What the fuck do you mean what choice did you have?”
�
�She works for those guys, Crash. She told me once to let her go. You heard her yourself, she says she’s happy. You want me to make a scene and cause trouble for her with her bosses? Fuck up her job? How’s that gonna win her back, genius?”
“So you did nothing? First time you’ve seen her in how long? Wolf, you didn’t even walk her outside.” Crash lifted his chin toward the door.
Wolf ran his hand angrily through his hair. Christ, he hadn’t. How’d she take that?
“I fucked up?”
Cole had no problem answering his stupid question. “You want me to say it? Yeah, you fucked up, Wolf. And don’t play dumb with me. You knew what you were doing. I don’t buy this crap for a minute, so cut the bullshit. What the fuck is your problem?”
Wolf shook his head, leaning over the table.
“Whatever. Do what you want. I came to get drunk, not to play your damn therapist, Wolf. I’m getting another beer.” Cole shoved his chair back and walked off.
Crash leaned his folded arms on the table. He waited until Cole had moved away, and then he started in with his own advice with a grin. “I got no problem playin’ your therapist.”
“Lucky me.”
“You need a woman in your life, Wolf. One who knows you. One who understands you. One who lets you be who you are.”
Wolf ran a hand down his face. Crash wasn’t telling him anything he didn’t already know. And he was describing everything Crystal already was to him.
Crash dipped his head closer, his voice quieting. “This life, this job, this club…it’s not always easy. It can suck the soul right out of you. You need someone to go home to, Wolf. Someone to take away the darkness, fill you up with light. Shannon does that for me. Angel does that for Cole. If Crystal can be that for you, why are you fighting it, bro?”
“I don’t fucking know.”
“Yeah you do.”
Wolf blew out a long breath. Yeah, he did. “I’ve never lived up to anyone’s expectations, Crash. What if I can’t live up to hers? What if I destroy her? Everything that’s good about her?”
“This more baggage your piece-of-shit father left you with?”
Wolf huffed out a laugh. “Probably.” Then he ran a frustrated hand down his face, shook his head and looked over at Crash. His brothers wanted him to cut the bullshit, fine. “Yeah, she’s what I need. I know that, Crash. But what if I’m not what she needs?”