The elevator door chimed and Scarlett broke away from him, her fingers hurriedly smoothing down her hair. They began to part and Shadow watched their images spread out from the middle then disappear. Two older ladies stood aside as he grasped Scarlett’s hand and exited the car.
“You need to sign out,” the security guard said.
Shadow let go of her hand while she picked up a pen and then he followed suit before exiting the building. The heat was still pervasive, even though it was nearing five thirty.
Scarlett pointed at the Lanai Towers. “I saw two apartments over there. I really liked the one on the top floor.”
He glanced at the building for the umpteenth time that day and shook his head. “If you end up living there, I won’t be coming around.”
“Why?” she asked, pulling on the shoulder strap of her purse.
He shrugged. “I got some bad memories with that place.” Before she could reply, Shadow grabbed her arms and pulled her to him. “I need you.” He kissed her gently.
Looking around, she pushed away then giggled. “Real romantic and smooth.” She poked him lightly in the ribs.
Shadow shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. “I don’t mean like that—well … I do, but not right now.” He glanced at the Lanai Towers. “I meant that I need a friend right now.” Dragging his gaze away, he kicked at the sidewalk. “Fuck … I don’t know … Just forget what I said.”
Scarlett wrapped her arms around him, hugging him close. “I’m here for you,” she whispered in his ear. “Do you want to go somewhere to get a drink?”
A quick shake of his head. “Not feeling that. I’d like to go to Crystal Lake.”
A smile tugged at the corners of her kissable mouth. “Okay. Do you want to take your car or mine?” She ran her hands up and down his back.
“Mine, but the wheels are my Harley.”
The smile faded away and a look of terror crossed over her face. He laughed and playfully smacked her ass.
“I’m guessing you’ve never been on a bike.”
“Never,” she mumbled.
“Then you’re gonna love it. There’s nothing like the feel of the wind all around you.”
She glanced down at her sundress, waving her hand over it. “Can I go like this?”
“Yeah, but you’ll have to tuck in the dress under your legs or you’ll be flashing everyone.” He chuckled when she gasped. “We’ll be taking the back roads, so no worries—really. So what do you say?” There was nothing he needed more at that moment than Scarlett pressed behind him with the air wrapped around them. It was the salve that he craved to soothe the tension, the anger, and the sadness that coming to meet Flo had stirred up inside him.
“Okay,” she replied after a long pause.
Relief spread through him and he hugged her tightly. “You’re gonna love it. You probably should pull your hair back ’cause it’s gonna be flying all around and in your face. I got a bandana if you need something.” He tucked her hand in his, then they made their way to his motorcycle.
After folding his cut and putting it, the burgundy ledger, and her purse into one of the saddle bags, Shadow pointed out the parts of the bike that burned and pinched, then told her to keep her feet on the pegs at all times, hold on to his waist, and lean with him as they rode. Scarlett nodded at each instruction, then secured her hair in a low ponytail before scrambling on behind Shadow and wrapping her arms around him. When he felt her tits press up against his back, he looked over his shoulder and winked at her.
“Hang on, baby. Here we go.”
He switched on the engine, then pulled away from the curb.
Chapter Eleven
Adrenaline shot through Scarlett at the roar of the engine, and she tightened her hold on Shadow as they rode down the street. At first she was terrified, but little by little elation overcame her fear, and she opened her eyes and saw the trees, buildings, and people whizz past her as they headed out of town.
When they reached the outskirts of the county, Scarlett pried her face away from Shadow’s back and tipped her head back slightly, loving the way the wind whipped around her. It feels like flying! She’d been on this road many times, but on the back of the bike she could see everything more vividly. Holding on tighter, she watched pine and evergreen trees rush past. The streams that zigzagged through the valley looked like thin silver ribbons, and the wildflowers were a burst of kaleidoscopic color. It was awe-inspiring … and freeing. At that moment, she understood why Shadow loved to ride. Overcome with emotion, she kissed the back of his neck and then squeezed him tighter. He glanced over his shoulder and locked gazes with her for a split second, then he shifted his eyes back to the road.
Another motorcycle passed them in the opposite direction, and the biker lifted his hand in greeting. Shadow did the same, and a warm feeling spread through Scarlett. Since Warren had told her Smokey was in an outlaw motorcycle club, she couldn’t get it out of her head, and had decided that maybe she should end her liaison with Shadow. Her parents would be flipped out enough if they just knew she was fucking one of the workers, but knowing he was a member of the Insurgents would throw all kinds of drama into the pot. So she’d tried real hard not to look at him while he was working or to bring cool drinks down to the construction zone, and she’d succeeded for the most part, but it had proven to be one of the worst weeks of her life. Then Scarlett bumped into him in the elevator and all her self-control, all her pats on the back for resisting him, crumbled the minute he took her into his arms.
I’m crazy about him, and I don’t care what anyone thinks. This is my life, dammit! She snuggled her face against his white T-shirt and inhaled the scent of him: leather, soap, and his aftershave, which had a hint of darkness—something spicy yet dangerously seductive.
The bike veered to the right, and for about a mile they rumbled and bounced over a dirt road until Scarlett thought her teeth would shatter. Then the bike stopped and Shadow kicked the stand down, then he held out his hand to help her off the bike before he swung his leg over.
“That was fantastic!” She clapped her hands. “I felt like I was flying. It was so liberating.” Scarlett looked at him and he gave her a soft smile.
Shadow leaned back on his heels, his intense gaze boring into her. For a long second a tenderness crossed over his face, then it was gone, and she wondered if she’d imagined it. Scarlett had never seen that look before and it made her feel all soft and mushy inside. The silence hanging between them magnified the cicada’s group chorus. The smell of earthy, musty wilted green odors and the sweet fragrance of pine swirled around her. From the corner of her eye she could see butterflies flitting from flower to flower, their colorful wings outshining the hues of the mountain irises and columbines.
Scarlett ran her fingers through her windswept hair, pulling through the tangles.
“I guess you should’ve used my bandana to wrap it up.”
His deep voice startled her, and she cut her gaze to him.
“I guess so,” she said. “Are we going to the lake?”
“Yeah.”
He walked over to Scarlett, then cupped her face and kissed her. It was a whisper-soft brush of his mouth, but she shivered at the contact. He threw her a wicked smile, then turned around and pulled out a blanket from a compartment on the back of the motorcycle. He clasped her hand and squeezed it. A small smile curved her mouth, and she leaned against him as they walked forward.
The sun bounced off the lake, making it look like molten silver. A large fish leapt through the air and landed back into the water, creating hundreds of ripples that milled out and scattered over the lake’s surface.
“Let’s sit here under the shade.” Shadow opened the blanket and spread it out on the grass.
Scarlett sat down—legs crossed and each foot placed on the opposite thigh—and ran her hand over the soft cotton cover.
“It’s been a long time since I came here,” she said. “I forgot how beautiful it is.”
“This
and Hanging Lake are where I go when I need to get the fuck away.” Shadow sank down next to her. “Not many people come here; it’s not flashy enough for the tourists, which suits me just fine.”
She smiled and gazed at the reflection of the mountains wavering on the water. “I can see why you come here—it’s so peaceful. When things get too crazy, I love to swim. The water always relaxes me and takes me away.”
He cocked his head and caught her gaze. “I didn’t know that.”
She pulled at the grass. “I didn’t know about this.” She waved her arm around. “I guess there’s a lot we don’t know about each other.”
Shadow nodded, then gave her a small kiss on her cheek. “I think we should change that.”
“Me too,” she whispered.
The branches of the trees creaked in the soft wind.
“Can I ask you something?” she asked looking over at him.
He lifted his chin.
“Okay … uh … Are you in an outlaw club?”
“Yeah. Does that scare you?”
Shrugging, she pulled harder at the grass. “I don’t know enough about those clubs to know if I should be or not.”
“That’s fair. My club is the Insurgents and we’re a brotherhood, which means that we’re not just a riding club—it’s our way of life. I mean, we don’t just put on leather and ride our bikes as a hobby.” He rubbed his hand over his chin. “The brotherhood is us and we are the brotherhood.”
“So, you’re more involved with your club than the average biker?”
“I guess I’m not explaining this right. For me and the other members, we take the club, our loyalty to it and each other, and our bond to a life-and-death level. We step in front of a bullet for each other. There’s a closeness among us that you don’t even see in most families. We’re united through the ride, the middle finger at society, and the respect we hold for our brothers. Being an Insurgent is a culture and a way of life. The freedom and excitement of that life are kickass.”
His eyes sparkled as he spoke and she wanted to lean over and kiss him while running her hands through his thick black hair.
Shadow laughed. “Being an outlaw biker is not for the cowardly or the weak. It’s hard for citizens to really get it, you know?” He brushed his knuckles over hand.
“Is that what I am? A citizen?”
“Yeah.”
“Are the wives and girlfriends citizens too?”
“No—they’re old ladies.”
A lock of hair fell across his forehead, giving him an almost boyish look. She reached out and brushed it aside and didn’t stop as she ran her hand through his hair, loving how soft it was—like silk beneath her fingertips.
“Do they like being called that?” she murmured.
“Yeah,” he replied thickly, his heated gaze holding hers.
“Shadow,” she whispered.
He moved closer to her then dipped his head down and covered her mouth with his. Scarlett stretched out her legs and let him gently push her all the way down on the blanket. She circled her arms around his neck and tugged him closer to her. His hands teased over her body, and hers slid under his shirt, skimming over his firm muscles. Scarlett felt the surge of wild passion only Shadow could stir in her.
She traced her fingers over his corded back as he pulled up the hem of her sundress. Arching her back, Shadow slipped the dress up and over Scarlett’s head and hovered above her, capturing her eyes with his smoldering gray ones.
“Scarlett,” he rasped before pressing his mouth on hers and kissing her passionately. Without breaking away, he had her cotton bra with the tiny daisies off in one fluid movement.
Cupping her breast in his hand, he pinched her nipple between two fingers even as his index finger stroked back and forth against the hard tip. Bolts of heat streaked through her, and she pressed against him.
“I missed you so much,” he growled and leaned over her, his desire-filled eyes piercing into hers.
“Oh, Shadow. I almost died without your touch,” she whispered close to his ear as she parted her legs.
His hand slid down and cupped her sex. “Fuckin’ soaked, baby. I like that.”
Her hips jerked and she cried out when he slid her panties down her legs then tossed them aside. Scarlett was completely naked and exposed, and she didn’t give one crap if anyone was watching them, all she wanted was Shadow inside her. Now.
The sound of him unbuckling his belt and then unzipping his jeans was music to her ears, and she giggled and flushed from the anticipation of having him buried deep inside her. There was no doubt about it: Shadow was her drug, and like an addict, she always needed another fix.
“I want you right now,” she said.
“Fuck, baby, I love hearing you say that.” He kicked off his boots then pulled down his jeans and boxers until he stood naked in front of her.
Scarlett’s eyes took all of him in, and she reached out and pulled him down to her. He chuckled at that. “Do you like what you see, baby?” His tongue slowly swiped across her lips.
“Oh yeah. You’re just perfect,” she whispered, tugging him closer before kissing him.
Shadow pulled up, knelt between her legs and spread them. Scarlett watched as he looked down at his hard dick while easing it into her. Then he grunted and pushed in hard, and she wrapped her legs around his waist and moved with him. Wild. Hard. And so very deep. She met his thrusts, scratched his back, screamed out while thrashing about. To be with Shadow and not have anyone around to hear them, unleashed a frenzied desire that Scarlett had kept cooped up inside her for far too long.
“Damn, baby, I love what you’re giving me,” he groaned as he kept pummeling in and out.
“Don’t stop. Don’t you dare stop!” she yelled.
“No fuckin’ way, baby,” he grunted.
Faster and faster. Deeper and deeper. Harder and harder. Sweat misted over their bodies, making them stick together in the warm evening. A jumble of emotion burned through her as she watched Shadow’s face light up with fierce desire.
“You feel so fuckin’ good,” he growled.
The sound of his balls slapping against her ass drove her mad, and she tightened her hold on him, urging him even closer until they were fused together by their raw passion and lust.
“I’m so damn close, baby.” He gritted his teeth.
“Me too.” She gasped.
Shadow moved his hands under her hips and pounded wildly, and then a wave of ecstasy crashed over her; every nerve ending in her body was alive and vibrating.
He stiffened, then his body shook. “Scarlett … fuck, baby. Fuck,” he grunted.
She felt his seed pour out in hot, dense ropes, and she clenched and unclenched around him, milking his dick for every last drop.
Stroking his damp skin, she smiled when he collapsed on top of her.
“Fuck, woman. What the hell are you doing to me?” he rasped before nuzzling her neck.
After a few minutes, he rolled away and drew her flush to him. She snuggled against his hard body and absentmindedly traced the lines of his tattoos.
“Did these hurt?” she asked.
“Not too much. You like them?” He kissed the top of her head.
“They’re badass.”
Shadow chuckled. “You like bad boys, huh?”
“I never thought I did until I met you. I usually go in for the suit-and-tie sort of guy, but then, you were wearing a jacket when I saw you at Brooke’s party.”
“And I hated it.”
“Eli must be a very good friend for you to swap your jeans for dress pants.” She gently poked him in the ribs.
For the space of a held breath there was silence. Then Shadow cleared his throat. “Yeah, Eli and me are real tight. We’re more like family than friends … like cousins or something.”
“So you two go way back?”
He interlocked her fingers with his. “Since we were kids.”
The space between them had gone from light-hearted to s
omber, and Scarlett sensed that something sad and awful lingered in Shadow’s past.
“I’ve been friends with Kiara since I was fourteen—she’s my best friend. It’s good to have someone that close to you who knew you when you were young.”
“Like I said, Eli and me are tight, but the Insurgents are my family.”
“It must be wonderful to belong to something like your club. I’ve always felt like a fish out of water my whole life.”
“No fuckin’ way. You’ve got everything, baby.”
She tipped her head back and met his gaze. “Because my dad’s rich?” She snorted. “You talk about ‘citizens’”—she made air quotes with her hands—“not understanding your biker world, well, people who aren’t rich don’t get my world at all—and it is a different world. There are so many fucking rules I have to follow.”
“Like what?”
She pushed up a bit. “Like which schools you can go to, what to wear, what to eat, where to eat, who to date … blah, blah blah. It’s even worse if you’re a woman. My only reason for being, according to my parents, is to marry and keep the fucking family line going. Who I marry is also decided based on a sound business decision.” A warm flush started creeping up her neck, and she waved her hand to cool down her face.
“So, I’m your act of rebellion against your parents?” Shadow asked, a smirk pulling at his lips.
“Not really … at least not consciously—that was Marcelo.” His brows raised slightly and she cocked her head to the side while looking at him. “I’d met him during my junior year of college when I studied abroad for one year in Rome. We had a fiery and romantic relationship, and he’d asked me to stay after my year was up. I’d fallen hopelessly in love with him, so I told my parents I wanted to finish out my studies in Rome and live there. They didn’t agree with me, but I did it anyway.”
“But it didn’t work out?”
“No … it was a disaster after about three months. My dad cut the money flow, so I couldn’t afford the tuition. Marcelo didn’t think it was too much fun going to school full-time and working, and honestly, I was miserable. I came home with my pride wounded.”
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