“Okay, cool. I’m pretty easy going, I can take it.” She jutted her chin out again. It was absolutely killing me it was so fucking adorable, and it took all my strength not to reach out and touch her face. Warmth spread through my limbs like wildfire, and my cock sprang to life again in my pants.
“Come on, I want to show you something,” I said, turning on the flashlight and taking her hand in mine to lead her into the forest. It was an easy, natural gesture and yet I couldn’t help but notice how perfectly our hands fit together.
We turned off the road and stepped into the darkness of the trees. We followed a small trail I had beat into the ground over the years. The trees formed a quiet hush, and the sounds of the forest filled our ears - a symphony of crickets, frogs, and all the other creatures that shared this land with us.
Silently, I led her deeper into the woods. Fallen pine needles crunched underfoot as we made our way down the trail. After a few moments, the sound of rushing water filled the air.
“There’s a creek just ahead,” I told her. The awkward silence had fallen away.
We broke through the trees, turned a corner and the creek appeared in front of us. We stopped to take in the beauty of the water rushing over the rocks, the spectacular vision bathed in bright moonlight. I turned off the flashlight, and we stood in the quiet darkness.
Lacey’s eyes were glued to the breathtaking sight of the lush, Oregon beauty, the creek rushing over boulders, foaming into white bubbles, and my eyes were glued to her face.
The moonlight spilled over her features, her eyes reflecting the shimmering water in front of us before she turned them up to me, catching me staring at her. Softly, she smiled as she held my gaze. I reached my hand out, caressing her face tenderly.
“You’re a beautiful girl, Lacey,” I whispered, daring to break the spell I had fallen under by speaking.
She brought her hand up, putting it over mine, and pressing it into her cheek as she smiled up at me.
“You’re sweet. But I’m not at my best right now, I must admit,” she said, gingerly touching her bruised cheek with her other hand.
“I wasn’t talking about your face. I was talking about you,” I replied, pulling my hand away and taking hers in mine again. “Come on, let’s keep going.”
We followed the trail along the creek, the moonlight lighting our way as I kept the flashlight in my pocket. The elevation began to increase, and we continued up the trail, climbing up the hill, until we couldn’t go any further. I stopped Lacey before we turned a corner.
“Okay, wait. Close your eyes.”
“Close my eyes?”
“Yep. It’s worth it, I promise.”
“Okay,” she said, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. “Don’t lead me over any cliffs.”
“You’re safe with me,” I said, feeling that familiar wave of protectiveness wash over me.
I grabbed her hand again and led her around the corner. The blast of the mist hit our faces and her eyes flew open. She squealed in delight.
“Wow!” Her gaze trailed up the massive waterfall in front of us, the force of the water falling and plunging into the naturally formed pool below. The pool fed the creek, narrowing at the edges as it swept through the forest, like a rushing, bubbling snake.
“This is my favorite spot,” I said, as she pulled away from me and ran to the end of the trail, as close as she could get to the waterfall without actually jumping in the pool.
“It’s amazing!” She turned her face up to catch the mist, and when she turned back to me, she was smiling.
She’s happy, I thought. Her life is just beginning. She’s finally free.
Her smile faded as she met my eyes.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, walking back to me.
“Nothing, why?” She’s probably thinking you’re going to attack her, you idiot. I couldn’t stop staring at her, and I needed to pull it together.
“You just looked so…oh, nevermind,” she replied. “Thank you for bringing me here. I love it!”
“My pleasure. I spend a lot of time here, but I don’t mind sharing.”
“Well, that’s good,” she said. A strand of hair fell in her face, little droplets of mist covering her head and shining like little bubbles in the moonlight. I reached down and pushed the strand behind her ear, and to my surprise, she stood up on her toes and brushed her lips across mine casually.
Fire shot through me as her lips touched mine and my body responded without consulting my brain at all. I pulled her into my arms, my lips crashing down on hers and kissing her with all the desire I had been restraining since the first moment I stepped out of the clubhouse doors with her. Her lips were soft, warm, inviting and we melted together, our lips working together sensuously.
She whimpered slightly, and I regained some semblance of rational thought. I pushed her away as quickly as I had pulled her in.
You’re like a fucking bull in a china shop.
“I’m so sorry,” I said, my voice gruff with desire, my cock throbbing hotly between us. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
She looked up at me, her eyes filled with confusion and pain and I felt like the biggest asshole ever.
What the fuck was wrong with me?
“We should get back,” I said, wanting to kick myself.
“Um, okay, sure.” She sounded sad, and it was all my fault. Only moments ago she had been looking up at a beautiful force of nature, looking happier than I had seen her so far, and I had gone and ruined the whole fucking thing.
I grabbed her hand, and led her back the way we came. She stopped behind me, and I turned.
“What’s that?” she asked, gesturing through the trees.
I followed her gaze and saw my boxing bag hanging from the tree.
“That’s mine. Like I said, I spend a lot of time here.”
“You’re a boxer?”
“Nah, not anymore. I used to be, though.”
“Oh. I see. Why don’t you box anymore?”
Good question. Because I killed a man. But I couldn’t say that to her - not here, not now.
“Come here,” I said, an idea forming in my head. I led her over to the clearing where I had spent many hours alone and pounding my frustrations into this bag. It surprised me sometimes that it hadn’t broken off, as much as I had punched the fucking thing.
“You ever punched a bag before?” I asked.
She laughed, shaking her head.
“No, never.”
“Wanna try?” I asked. This was better. Instead of kissing her, I needed to be teaching her to protect herself. I needed to focus on the situation at hand, and ignore the way my body was reacting to her. I was a man, for fuck’s sake, not a hormonal teenaged boy.
“Uh…really? Okay, sure.”
I put the flashlight on the ground, pointed it at the bag and reached up to pull my gloves from the top of the bag. I slipped them over her hands, securing them tightly around her wrists.
“They might be a little big,” I said.
“A little big?” she giggled. “Your hands are huge!”
“Yeah, well, I’m a big guy, I guess.”
“So, what do I do? Just punch?” she asked.
“Well, first let’s work on your stance.” I stood with one front in front of the other, slightly turned, my fists raised up and covering the front of my face.
“Stand like this.”
She tried to copy me but it was all wrong. Her hips were going in the wrong direction.
“No, no…here, let me help you.” I walked around behind her, my hands landing on her hips, my cock swelling once more, a stark reminder of exactly what I was supposed to be ignoring. I pushed her hips, the curve of them sliding under my palms. I positioned her correctly, then reluctantly pulled my hands away. I reached up, raising her gloved fists up higher.
“That’s it, good. Now, remember that. You gotta keep your hands up to protect your face, okay? You start like that every time.”
“Okay
,” she whispered.
“Now, practice shifting your weight from one foot to the other. Kind of like you’re dancing. Like this,” I shifted back and forth a few times to show her.
She imitated me, and I smiled at her awkwardness.
“A little lighter on your feet. Drop your shoulders, relax a little,” I said, pushing her shoulders down. “Good, that’s it.”
“Now what? I just punch?”
“No, there’s a certain finesse to it.” I ran my hand along her arm as I extended it, her skin feeling like velvet under the roughness of my fingertips. “Keep one hand up to protect your face, and punch with the other. Let your fist turn down as you approach the bag. When you make contact, your arm should be extended straight out.”
She landed a few punches on the bag, trying to dance around at the same time. She looked at me, confusion filling her eyes.
“It takes some practice,” I said, smiling at her encouragingly. “You’ll get it.”
“I like it, though,” she asked, holding her hands out as I unwrapped the ties and pulled the gloves off of her. “Will you teach me more?”
“Hell yeah, I will!” I exclaimed, a little too enthusiastically. “We’ve got lots of time to kill, so I’ll give you lessons every day, if you want.”
Her eyes shined up at me, the easiness returning between us. I breathed a sigh of relief.
“I’d like that,” she said, smiling back at me.
A sudden swoosh sounded overhead and I turned my head up to find myself looking into a pair of familiar yellow eyes.
“What is that!?” Lacey jumped away and screamed.
“Oh, don’t be afraid. That’s Oliver.”
“Oliver?” she asked, staring up at the owl sitting on a branch of the tree that my bag was hanging from.
“Yeah, he hangs out around the clubhouse a lot. Ryder swears he’s known him for years, but we don’t really believe him. Lately, he’s been bugging me a lot.”
Another swoosh of the wind, and another owl landed on the branch, perching beside him.
“Oh, my goodness!”
“And that’s Olivia. Oliver showed up with her a few months ago, and I haven’t seen one without the other since then. I guess they’re a couple now.”
“Oh, wow, that is so adorable!” Lacey exclaimed.
“I can’t argue with that. They’re harmless, unless you happen to be a crow, and they don’t do much except show up when you want to be alone and stare at you. Little bastards,” I replied.
“I love them!” she said, staring up at them. “I’ve never seen an owl in real life before. Or a waterfall.”
“No?” I said. “Well, stick with me, kid, I’ll show you things.” I winked at her, remembering the feel of her lips on mine, wanting nothing more than to kiss her again.
“I think I will,” she said, threading her fingers with mine as we walked back down the trail and back to the clubhouse.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Lacey
So that was what it felt like.
To hold a guy’s hand. To voluntarily kiss someone. To see that look of desire in their eyes when they looked at you.
For someone who had gone through so much, done so much sexually, or rather had so much done to her, I felt like a virgin.
I had never had a boyfriend, gone on a date, nothing of the sort. Mom had kept me sheltered, home-schooled me, which, in reality, consisted of spending hours painting my nails, experimenting with clothes and make-up to make me look older, or at least meeting some exaggerated measure of the perfect image she had of me in her head.
Her idea of education consisted of me sitting at the kitchen table and reading whatever etiquette book she seemed to think was appropriate. Luckily, I liked to read, and I soaked up every bit of knowledge I could find in those books.
Socializing wasn’t high on her priorities list, to say the least. I never had a chance to meet boys my age, because I wasn’t around them. I was a virgin when she sold me to Monty. He quickly remedied that, but it was never something I wanted, and certainly never pleasurable.
As soon as Riot grabbed my hand, that was all I could think about. I had never had my hand held. Not even by one of Monty’s friends. And I hadn’t even realized it until that very moment.
I was in awe that a gesture as simple as a handsome man’s hand in mine could barrel through me with such force that it would leave me speechless. A yearning flooded over me as Riot led me through the woods. A yearning for everything I missed, everything I was deprived of, all the normal parts of growing up and experiencing life.
Such simple things.
A warm, comforting hand in mine. A quiet walk through the woods at night. A rushing creek bathed in moonlight.
I had missed so much. There must be things out there I don’t even know I’ve missed.
When I saw the waterfall, I was overcome with emotion. A pure, bliss-filled bubble of joy swelled inside me and everything finally dawned on me.
I was free now. I could do these things. All the things I had missed out on, they could be mine now.
Riot stood in front of me, and I watched him in awe. He looked wild and savage amongst all the raw natural beauty surrounding us. Little droplets of mist clung to his beard, and I smiled. Something about this man filled me with so many different emotions, things I had never let myself feel before, things that the barricades I had built up seemed to be useless against.
And, for once in my life, I desperately wanted to feel those things. They didn’t hurt. They were amazing! Tenderness, protectiveness, happiness, and what? Lust? I couldn’t ignore the warmth that spread from my limbs to my loins. That was new, too.
It felt as if my body was coming alive, as if my life was slowly expanding around me, as if I was awakening from some deep slumber and had finally woken up to the sunlight.
Without thinking of anything but how grateful I was, my lips, eager for something new themselves, brushed against Riot’s mouth.
I didn’t think any further than that, but the kiss that he laid on me almost brought me to my knees. I whimpered, grateful he was holding me up with his muscular arms that he had so deliciously wrapped around me, when he abruptly let me go.
I didn’t know what to think. Had I done something wrong? I had wanted it. Fuck, I had loved it. The electricity shot through me like a rocket as he kissed me, burning every inch of my body, shimmering inside me for long after he pulled away.
The entire walk back to the clubhouse, I was trying to figure out how I could get him to do it again.
***
“Police aren’t releasing any details, but it appears the Mayor was slain in the luxury condominium skyrise, the Escala, in East Seattle. It’s not clear at this time who owns the condo, but police have released a photo and a name of a person of interest….”
Riot and I walked back into the clubhouse to see a group of brothers, along with Cherry, Tiff and Grace crowded around the television.
“Shit,” Ryder said, standing to Grace’s left.
“What’s going on?” Riot asked.
The crowd parted slightly, all eyes landed on me as they turned my way slowly. I gasped as I saw a photo of my own face staring back at me from the television.
“Police are searching for Lacey Carrington. Ms. Carrington is not being called a suspect, the police say they just want to ask her some questions. Authorities have not revealed Ms. Carrington’s relationship to the Mayor or how she is involved in the case, as of yet.”
“Oh, fuck.” I sank to the couch, my eyes glued to the screen.
“Don’t be alarmed, Lacey,” Grace said, sitting down next to me and taking my hand. “We knew this was going to happen. You’re safe here, I promise.”
I nodded silently.
“Police haven’t released any details on the manner of death of Mayor Patterson. The President of the Council, Ron Green, will take over all mayoral duties for the time being.” The blonde, perky reporter was holding a microphone that was almost as big as her fac
e, and he eyes were as sharp as a hawks. “We’ll be updating you as more information comes in. I’m Diana Trudeau, with KATU news, Portland.”
Riot turned off the television and I felt everyone’s eyes on me again. I felt like I was going to be sick. I knew this was going to happen, but the reality of it all was just too overwhelming.
“How can you be so sure they won’t find me?” I asked Grace again. I turned to look at her, and was comforted by the confidence in her eyes.
“Because that’s what we do, Lacey. And we take our job very seriously,” she replied.
I nodded, wanting so desperately to believe her, but the creeping doubt inched deeper into my soul.
You killed Monty, that silent voice reminded me.
“I hope you’re right,” I said. “I’m going to get some sleep now. I’m so exhausted.”
“Of course,” Grace said gently. “Let us know if you need anything.”
I stood up, avoiding all the eyes that were turned my way, especially Riot’s.
I knew if I looked at him again, I would either spontaneously kiss him again, or more likely, burst out crying.
And that wasn’t me.
I pushed all the thoughts away, and pushed the pain as deep as it would go inside me, and walked to my room alone.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Riot
Goddamn, it hurt to see her like that. She looked like she had seen a ghost by the time she finished watching that newscast, and who wouldn’t, with their face plastered all over the TV like that?
She had gone through hell, and it wasn’t over, not by a long shot. I knew what starting over felt like, but not when you were forced to assume a new identity all alone.
All of us Gods had gone through some sort of hell, otherwise we wouldn’t be here. We’d be suited up in a corner office or something. Instead, we were suited up in leather and tattoos, and the constant smell of booze and weed was our cologne. But the thing that kept us all sane was that, at the very least, we had each other. It was a brotherhood of misfits, and I was thankful to be a part of it.
RAW: THE ULTIMATE MC COLLECTION Page 19