by James, Marie
“Tell him you want to go.” I hear him snort loudly. “I’ll gladly stay here and keep an eye on that girl.”
Chills run up my back at the sound of Wrench just mentioning Emmalyn. I have absolutely no use for him on the mission, but over my dead body will he stay here while I’m gone. Never going to happen.
“That’s not going happen,” Kid says almost like he could hear my thoughts. “Kincaid wants me here, so I’m staying.”
“You ready to go, Wrench?” I ask making my presence known.
“Why am I even going, Prez? There’s nothing for me to do on these things.” He rubs his already dirty sleeve under his nose.
“You get to haul gear,” I reply to his already pissed off face. I drop my bag at his feet and walk away.
I smile at the string of profanities he releases as I make my way to the kitchen, hoping Rose is still here. Just as I’d hoped, she’s at the counter putting up leftover food.
“You make nice with Emmalyn?” I bark out a laugh. She’s only eleven years older than I am but she’s somehow turned into the house mother for all of us unruly bikers.
“I think so.” I pick the heavy glass dish of leftovers off of the counter for her and carry it to the fridge. She walks with me and pulls the door open for me.
“What the hell do you mean ‘I think so?’ Either you did, or you didn't.”
“She didn’t yell at me or hit me with anything when I talked to her last.” I shrug and grab a bottle of water from the fridge before I close the door.
“She’s been through too much shit to be toyed with,” she says as a warning.
I lean against the counter. “Did she say something? Tell you about her life?” Now I’m the gossiping biker. It seems Emmalyn brings it out in all of us.
“No, Kincaid. She didn’t say anything. You can see it in her eyes, in the bruising on her face.” She walks up and lays a hand on my forearm. “Emmalyn needs to be nurtured not used. If you have anything other than good intentions for that girl you need to cut her loose. She deserves to be treasured; she needs to be protected.”
“I knew that the second I laid eyes on her, Rose,” I say with sincerity.
She gives me a small smile and stands up on her toes to kiss me on the cheek.
“You better get your lips off of my President,” Doc bellows as he walks into the kitchen.
Rose winks at me and turns to her husband who grabs her by the waist and playfully pulls her to his chest. “Did you lay down the law about that girl, baby?” He kisses her forehead.
“She was loud and clear, Doc.” I walk past him and slap him on the back. I stop before leaving the room. “Do you guys think you could…?”
Doc interrupts me before I can finish my sentence. “Our suitcases are already in the room, Prez. We’re here until you’re back.” I nod and leave the kitchen. I couldn’t imagine my life without each and every one of these people in it.
I head back down the hall, realizing I forgot the keys to the SUV on the dresser and stop cold when I see Emmalyn coming out of her room. She’s put on a pair of blue jeans and a sweater which she’s clutching to her chest protectively.
“Leaving me already?” I say jokingly, but the words sting just a bit.
She gasps at my voice since her back was to me as she pulled the door closed. A smile spreads across her face.
“I was going to get something to drink before bed.” We each step forward, closing the distance between us. “I thought you’d left already.”
I turn my body to let her go past but step into her before she can slide past me, pressing her gently against the wall. The resistance I managed in her room earlier is nowhere to be found in this dark hallway.
I lean both forearms beside her head enclosing her in an embrace that doesn’t even have our bodies touching.
“Diego,” she pants close enough that I can once again feel her breath on my face.
“Am I scaring you?” She shakes her head no. “Can I kiss you?”
She licks her lips, which I take as an invitation. I press my lips against hers with more restraint than I actually feel, and she whimpers at the initial contact. I pull back and look into her eyes; happy to find them closed and her head tilted up slightly, seeking mine.
I lean in again and sweep my tongue over her lips, enticing them to part for me; they do. The first sweep of her tongue on mine pulls a moan from the back of my throat, and I feel her grip my leather vest and pull me against her body. Not one to deny her, I push myself into her harder, fully aware she can feel my hardened length against her stomach.
“Em,” I gasp against her lips doing my best not to grind my erection into her. I seal my mouth back over hers, moving my hands from the wall on either side of her head to grip her chin on each side. I use my grip to tilt her head to the perfect angle for my invasion.
In my kiss-drunk haze, I’m cognizant enough to feel her hands working to untuck my shirt, and I know if I feel her small hands on my skin so close to my cock, the Senator doesn’t have a shot at seeing his daughter again. The thought is sobering, and I release my grip on her face and wrap my hands around her frantic wrists. “Em,” I say again.
“Please,” she whimpers.
One last taste, I tell myself.
I tug her arms from my waist and pull them over her head and against the wall, pushing her heaving breasts further into my chest; I groan. Gently, I kiss her lips and the column of her neck, memorizing the delicate smell of her skin. I tenderly kiss the very tip of her nose before pulling back, releasing her arms and stepping away from her, putting me flat against the wall on the other side of the hallway across from her.
We stare at each other, harsh breaths rushing from our kiss-swollen lips. Her sweater has fallen open, and the outline of her perfect hard tips are glaring at me. I groan loudly and adjust the steel rod in my pants.
“You have to leave tonight?” she asks softly.
For a second, I run scenarios through my head to try to figure out how to leave in the morning, but I know the last thing I’d want to do is leave her bed once I’ve been in it.
I nod, push off from the wall, and kiss her cheek. “Answer the phone when I call, Emmalyn.”
“I will,” she promises.
I leave her standing in the hall and go to my room to get the keys, closing the door behind me. I stay in the room until I hear her make it back to her room and lock the door behind her.
The faster I get this damn job over with the faster I can make it back to her. I make my way outside and see my guys talking with other members while they wait for me. Wrench is still grumbling about having to not only go along, but that he has to pretty much be the bag bitch.
We’ve never gotten along, and I’d hoped that he wouldn’t stick around. I never thought he’d be a glutton for punishment, but he’s like a fungus you can’t get rid of. I wish, not for the first time, that Socket was here rather than his asshole brother. I know it’s terrible to wish someone was dead, but Socket would’ve been more of a benefit to society than his idiot brother.
“Let’s load up guys.” I slap Shadow on the back and make my way around the far side of the Tahoe to climb in the passenger seat. One last glance up at the tiny light in Emmalyn’s window has me anxious to get back already.
Chapter 15
I can still feel the echo of his kiss on my lips as I lay down on the bed that remains too big for only one person. I was parched from the heavy breathing I did when he was in my room earlier, which was nothing compared to how my mouth felt after having his lips on me.
My mouth was thirsty, greedy for him in a way that I’d never felt before. My body was humming and begging, for what I’m not exactly sure, but it needed him. I look down at my simple wedding band and instantly feel grateful to him for backing away, knowing I didn’t have the courage to.
I need to get things right in my head, in my life, before I move on to anyone, even if it is only a sexual relationship. Sexual desire is new for me, something I never r
eally felt for Bobby. I don’t know many women who would get turned on at any time by the man that has been abusing them for years.
Diego in the room with me? It’s like my blood becomes thicker and my heart pumps harder. I can’t control the light sheen of sweat that pops up on my skin, and I have to squeeze my thighs together when my pulse drops to my clit.
Maybe him leaving for a few weeks is going to be best for both of us. I need to clear my head of the fog that seems to settle when he is around.
I climb off of the bed and make my way over to the dresser pulling the simple gold band off of my hand as I walk. I shove it into the corner of the top drawer. I want to throw it away, so I never have to see it again, but the reasonable part of me knows I can sell it. The symbolism of chucking it into a trashcan would do me good no doubt, but I’m in no position to throw away money.
I crawl back into the lonely bed knowing I’m missing Diego, telling my brain that I miss the companionship most. My entire marriage has been one wish after the other of time alone, time to myself where I had no worries, and the second I actually get that wish I no longer want to be alone.
The ding from the cell phone Diego gave me has me scrambling for it like a teenager waiting for the late night call from her secret boyfriend.
Diego: Sleep tight, Beautiful.
The sentiment makes me smile, but I wait a few minutes to text him back. I don’t want to seem overeager, so I close my eyes and picture us in the hall again. I can feel my cheeks heat from the memory, and my body is stimulated once again.
Emmalyn: Goodnight.
Short and sweet. Not expecting anything else, I set the phone back on the bedside table, but the ding from another text message chimes less than a minute later.
Diego: I should never have said those mean things to you earlier. I’m sorry.
This is a new concept for me; a man apologizing for words. This would seem simple enough for most people, but to me it’s monumental. Many people would say words are just as hurtful as physical abuse; those people have never been kicked in the ribs until they’ve been spitting blood. His harsh words earlier, referring to my early morning hand session, stung when he said them, but his apology for them comes as more of surprise.
Emmalyn: You were speaking the truth.
I respond to him honestly. I was thinking of him. I don’t want to be lied to, so I don’t plan to lie to others. I could’ve left it alone and just ignored it, or I could’ve thanked him for his apology, but my body is still humming from the interaction in the hall earlier.
He doesn’t respond, and I spend the next several hours wondering if I should’ve just left well enough alone.
***
I wake up surprisingly refreshed for having been up half the night worrying about my text to Diego. I also wake up resolved. I’ve been here for thirty-six hours, and that’s long enough to get settled. My plans for the day include finding a job, if even a temporary one. I have to become independent, something I can’t do sitting in this room.
After getting dressed, I head out to the kitchen to track down Rose. I ran into her in the kitchen last night after my brief rendezvous with Diego. She told me to come find her in the morning, and she let me know that she and Doc will be staying here until Diego gets back. I was relieved with that information. Well, that and knowing that Wrench is with Diego and his team wherever they are.
I falter when I step into the kitchen. It’s packed with bikers. Many I’ve never met since I stormed out yesterday morning and was less than social at dinner last night. My eyes dart frantically around the room looking for a familiar face. They aren’t staring at me like they did yesterday morning, but their President isn’t at the counter hugged up to a tramp either. I can tell that they are aware that I’m here, but I appreciate the fact that they aren’t making a spectacle of me.
I spot Rose across the room and smile. Stopping by the counter, I grab some eggs and bacon and make my way over to sit by her and Doc. Doc nods at me and goes back to talking to Kid, who is also at their table. I look around and notice the women who were in the kitchen last night while we were making dinner are here. They smile at me and go back to eating, carrying on like it’s normal for me to be in this room sharing a meal with them. It brings me comfort. Bunny is not in the room, and that also alleviates some of the nerves I had walking in here this morning.
“Do you have any plans today?” I ask Rose.
“I’m all yours,” she says with a smile as if she already knows I’m going to ask her for a favor.
“I was hoping you could show me the town.” I cut my eyes to Doc and Kid who are still talking but at the same time, I can tell they’re paying attention to me as well.
“Sure,” she says taking a bite of toast. “Anything specific?”
I wipe my mouth with a napkin I grabbed out of the holder in the center of the table. “Bars.”
She raises her eyebrows at me.
I shrug. “It’s what I know, and I need a job.”
“You don’t need no job, Emmalyn,” Doc says from the other side of his wife.
“I do,” I tell him firmly. “I’m not going to stay here and live off of the club. I need to pay my way.”
Doc gives me a light smirk and cuts his eyes to Kid, who immediately pulls out his phone and begins texting.
“Don’t do that,” I say holding my hand up. “I’m not a baby, and the last thing I need is permission from your President to get a job.”
No one responds to me until Kid’s phone chimes a text alert. He nods his head slightly at Rose, who then turns to me.
“Sure. Emmalyn. I’ll take you to look for a job.”
I narrow my eyes at Kid. “Seriously?”
He gives me a big smile but offers no explanation. Well, I guess it’s a good thing Diego is ‘allowing’ me to look for a job. I begin to eat again.
I’ll deal with his ass later.
Kid’s phone begins to chime repeatedly as he’s flooded with text after text. I push my plate away when I hear Doc chuckle on the other side of Rose because I know that Diego is sending Kid order after order on how to deal with me.
After we’re all done eating, Kid stands up from the table. “You ready?” he asks me.
I look at Rose not realizing the plans changed. “We’re ready,” she says carrying her plate to the sink.
I quietly get up from the table and mimic Rose’s actions, placing my dishes in the sink. I’m fuming but refuse to take my frustrations out on them. I plan to keep it all bottled up and save it for Diego when he gets home from his business trip.
I follow them out of the kitchen and toward the front of the building to get in the car. I inwardly cringe when I see Bunny walking through the front door. I’d hoped I would get lucky enough not to run into her this morning.
“The Queen and her entourage,” she spits as she walks past.
I’d planned to keep walking, but Rose stopped in her tracks in front of me and turned toward her.
Kid places a hand on Rose’s arms before she could comment. He gives Bunny a menacing look. “Don’t.” One word. It was enough to send chills up my spine, but Bunny seems unfazed by it.
“Seriously?” She asks. “You don’t,” she says to Kid. “Don’t pretend you weren’t fucking me from behind when I sucked Kincaid off last month at his birthday party.”
My eyes widen at her words, and I don’t know which part floors me the most. There are so many points of consideration in just those few words. She had a threesome with Diego. She openly admitted to it. She hates me for no reason other than Diego brought me here. I wonder how many of the girl’s plans have been changed since my arrival.
Just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not still going on.
I see Kid pull his phone from his pocket and give her a pointed look. She narrows her eyes but doesn’t say another word.
“Crazy bitch,” he mutters and turns back to me. “I was drunk,” he says like he owes me an explanation.
I
gnoring him, I turn back toward the door. Confrontation, even with women, is not something I plan to do anytime soon. I’m on their territory, and she’s obviously marking it as hers. I want no part of it.
Chapter 16
There is nothing worse than sharing a hotel room with another grown man and being surprised by a spontaneous erection. While on top of the blankets. While wearing nothing but boxers. That’s exactly what happened last night when Em admitted through her text message that she was thinking of me when she came yesterday morning. If I closed my eyes, I could hear her moans and soft gasp as she peaked.
All I could do last night was groan and roll over, hoping the pressure of the mattress against my stiff cock would be enough to make it go away. Did it work? Nope. Not a chance. Then Shadow laughed at me when I had to get up and walk in between him and the TV with my obvious erection to go rub one out in the bathroom. Note to self, take the bed closest to the bathroom from now on.
I’m thankful, after waking up from dreaming about her all night, Shadow is still passed out in his bed, and my walk of shame to the restroom is completed without judging eyes. The ache in my heavy balls taunts me as I shower, knowing it’s been over a month since they’ve been emptied by anything other than my own hand. The blowjob on my birthday was the most recent and it’s been so long that I can’t even remember the last time I sank into the tight heat of a woman.
I slam my left hand against the shower wall and grip my cock if only to ease the insistent throbbing in my balls. The last thing I need is to begin a new mission sexually frustrated. Emmalyn’s beautiful face comes to mind as I stroke my length. I groan, coming in seconds as I picture myself buried deep inside of her. The image in my mind, I know, will be nothing like what she’d feel like in the flesh; that’s if she ever lets me between those perfect thighs of hers.
I’m mentally telling myself I need to focus on the job ahead of us rather than the woman I can’t stop thinking about that’s back home. I step out of the bathroom and hear Shadow chuckle, clearly from the scowl on my face since I know I’ll never be able to get her out of my mind. Compartmentalization has never been an issue before now. Before Emmalyn. I shake my head in frustration and grab clothes out of my suitcase.