by Nicole James
“I didn’t mean to interrupt you.”
His head turned back to the graves and then back to her. “You didn’t.”
Her eyes moved from him to the new marker. “I’m glad you were able to bring her home.”
He nodded. “Yeah.”
“You okay?”
He nodded again and looked at the horizon, before his eyes returned to her. “Yeah, just…a big day, you know?”
Summer nodded.
Walking over to her, Steve stopped just in front of her. His eyes studied hers, then flicked to the house. “She’s thrilled you came. It means a lot to her.”
“I didn’t just come for her,” she whispered.
Her words filled his heart, but he knew he had to get through this day, before he could deal with what that meant. Reaching down, he took her hand in his and brought it to his mouth, his lips brushing a kiss to the back of her hand. He pulled her hand back and looked at it, then his eyes lifted to hers. “I noticed the ring is missing.”
She nodded. “Yes.”
He studied her. “Not now, but later, when everything is settled, we need to have a conversation about that, okay?”
She nodded again. “Okay.”
“Okay.” Nodding, he threaded their fingers together and turned toward the house. “I could use a cup of coffee. How about you?”
*****
The wedding was beautiful. The weather was balmy for this time of year. The church was small and intimate, with candles burning everywhere. A string quartet played softly and when the Wedding March began, everyone stood and turned to look at the bride. Jessie was a vision. Her long dark hair was pulled back in a sleek bun and her dress was a stunning ivory silk with crystals along the bust and a sweeping train.
Summer looked at Steve. She would never forget the love in his eyes as he looked down at Jessie, and she smiled up at him, her hand tucked in the crook of his arm. He smiled down at her and they started slowly down the aisle. Summer saw Jessie staring at Cary waiting at the altar, her face glowing with love. While everyone’s eyes were on the bride, Summer turned her head to catch the expression on Cary’s face. She couldn’t believe how handsome he looked standing at the altar in his dark tuxedo, nor the look on his face when he first saw Jessie standing at the end of the aisle. His teeth flashed white in his closely trimmed goatee and his eyes sparkled with a gleam of emotion as he watched his bride come toward him.
When Steve and Jessie made it down the aisle, Summer watched as he passed his daughter’s hand to Cary and moved to sit next to herself and Pop, who were seated in the front row. She reached over and touched his leg and he looked over at her with a sheen of tears in his eyes. Summer smiled at him and he laid his hand over hers on his leg.
Soon the ceremony was over and they were all back at the farm. There were vases of white flowers everywhere. Steve had hired a caterer and there were servers making the rounds with silver trays of champagne and wine. A wonderful buffet of food was laid out. Everyone from town was there. Justin had come. Miss Myra had come. Margie was there. All of Jessie’s friends from school, along with Cary’s family.
As the evening progressed, the younger people gravitated out to the shed, where a band was playing and there were tubs filled with iced down beer and soft drinks. Steve walked out to check on them and was heading back into the house, when he noticed Summer coming out of Cary’s house. When she saw him, she motioned for him to come to her. Steve walked over. “What’s up?”
“Come here. I want to show you something.” She led him back to Cary’s. He followed her up the porch steps and waited as she opened the door.
Following her inside, he asked, “What were you doing in here?” He stopped short as his eyes took in the place. There were white flowers and white candles aglow everywhere. He turned to her. “You did this?”
She smiled and nodded. “Cary asked me this morning if I would light a few candles before he brings her back here tonight.”
“Summer, this is more than a couple of candles.”
“Do you like it?”
“No.”
Her smile faltered. “No?”
“Summer, it’s beautiful. It’s not that. It’s just…she’s my little girl and I really don’t want to think about him bringing her back here tonight.”
Her grin returned. “She’s a married woman, now.”
“Don’t remind me.”
“I won’t show you the petals I laid on the bed, then,” she teased, tormenting him.
“Now you’re just being cruel.”
She laughed. “Come on, then.” She led him outside, tucking her arm in his and looked up at him. “Did I tell you how handsome you look in this tux?”
“I clean up good, huh?”
“Not bad,” she replied, smiling up at him.
“You look absolutely gorgeous, by the way.”
“Thank you.”
His eyes slid down the black strapless gown she wore to the black sheer stockings, and his mind couldn’t help from wandering back to the night she wore black stockings from him. He grinned. “I can’t help but wonder if there are garters under there.”
She gave him a sly smile in return. “Maybe.”
He stared into her eyes, knowing he had to talk to her. “Walk with me?” he asked.
She nodded. They walked toward the shed and then circled it, avoiding the crowd and music. They headed to the barn. The big doors were open and they strolled inside. The moonlight shone in the entrance.
She ran her hands up her bare arms.
He pulled his jacket off. “Are you cold?” he asked, offering the jacket to her. She shook her head. He hesitated a moment, not sure he believed her and then tossed the coat over a stall. She strolled along the aisle, stopping in front of one particular stall. Steve followed her, the stall she had stopped at being the one they had made love in. The fact she’d chosen that one to stop at wasn’t lost on him. He stood looking at her and then moved toward her until he was as close as he could be. She wouldn’t meet his gaze, instead she stared at the black onyx studs running down the front of his pleated tuxedo shirt. “You’re not wearing the ring. What happened?”
She looked away and shrugged. “Things had changed. It just didn’t feel right anymore.”
He wasn’t completely satisfied with that explanation, not that he wasn’t pleased with the outcome, but he had to get one thing clear. “So, he’s out of the picture?”
“Yes.”
“Why did you come back?” he asked softly.
She looked up at him. “I don’t know what you mean?”
“I think you do.”
She stared at him. His right hand strayed to her bare shoulder, lightly caressing the honey soft skin. He watched her eyes slide closed as his hand ran along her collar bone to her neck. “Answer me one question?” he asked.
Her eyes opened and she stared up at him.
“How good a liar are you?” He watched her brows draw together in a frown.
“What?”
“Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t want me,” he challenged in a whisper. He could see his directness and the way he was staring intently into her eyes, momentarily stunned her speechless. Maybe he needed to coax a response out of her. His hands settled on her waist and he pulled her closer as his head dipped down to where her shoulder met the curve of her neck. His lips brushed softly along her throat up to her ear and he whispered, “I’ve missed you.”
Her eyes slid closed again. “I’ve missed you, too.”
He pulled back. Her eyes came open and he studied them. “Have you?”
“Yes,” she admitted breathlessly.
“I’ve lain awake nights, missing you. Too many nights,” he confessed.
“Me, too,” she admitted, trying to pull his head down for another kiss.
He pulled back, just out of reach of her soft lips and stared down at her, wanting her to understand, wanting to be clear. “I don’t want you to leave again.”
She stare
d up at him. Her mouth parted as if she couldn’t believe she was finally hearing the words.
“I’m…I’m asking you to stay.”
“You want me to stay?”
“I love you, Summer.” He pulled back and his gaze moved out through the open doors toward the house. “I know this farm isn’t much, but do you think you could possibly see yourself making a life here with-”
She flung herself into his arms, cutting off his words with a kiss. His arms wrapped around her tightly. They clung to each other and his mouth plundered hers.
She pulled back. “It took you long enough,” she huffed.
“Yeah, sweetheart, it did. Too long. I guess it took losing you, to realize how much I needed you.”
“I love you, Steve.”
“I love you, too, sweetheart.” He pulled her back into his arms. As he kissed her, he heard a long low whistle.
Breaking apart, they both turned to see Cary with Jessie thrown over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, her long dress flowing, as he headed toward his house.
“About time you came to your senses, ol’ man,” Cary yelled out and kept walking.
Jessie lifted her head up and looked at her father with a big smile on her face as she was carted off.
They both burst out laughing.
~~~~~ The End ~~~~~
If you enjoyed reading
RUBY FALLS, please review it at
Amazon.com
Read on for a sneak peek of
CRASH
The Outlaw Series
An Evil Dead MC Story
By
Nicole James
Coming 2014
When outlaw biker Tyler “Crash” Shaw volunteers his services to his club brother, Cole Austin, VP of the Evil Dead MC, he suddenly finds himself a rich girl’s bodyguard and babysitter. Well, it’s a bitch of a job, but maybe he can have a little fun with it. He thinks he’ll get a kick out of teaching the pampered stuck-up girl a lesson or two on how the other half lives. She can cook and clean for him in exchange for his help. No free ride for her. He intends to teach her that money can’t buy her way through life.
The world saw a classy pulled-together wealthy lady. All he saw was a spoiled little rich girl. A troublemaker, that’s all she was to him. Until she revealed the shattered girl inside that tried so hard to hide her weaknesses and fears with a façade of arrogance, attitude, and sass.
He’d tear down those walls she tried so hard to build, if only she’d let him.
Could the love of a man so wrong for her be the only one to save her?
And in his darkest hour, would her love be enough to save him?
From the MC’s California charter in San Jose, to the casinos and brothels of Reno, to brother charters in the Deep South, this story will take you on a ride of highs and lows that lead ultimately to redemption.
I hope you enjoy this excerpt from CRASH…
Crash shut the acetylene blow torch off and flipped the front of his welding helmet up. Stepping back, he admired his work. It was finally starting to take shape. The twisted metal sculpture had begun to reveal a woman’s form, her face tilted to the sky above, her arms and hair flowing back, and her chest thrust out.
He’d cleared a large space to use for sculpting in the two-story industrial brick warehouse he’d converted into a loft apartment. Pulling off the welding helmet and gloves, he tossed them to the side and picked up a large canvas tarp. He threw it over his sculpture, not ready for his MC brothers to see just what he’d been spending all his free time doing.
Walking across the polished concrete floor, he glanced at the clock as he pulled his leather cut off the back of the barstool that faced the large granite island in the enormous open-plan area. It was time to meet the guys. He grabbed his keys and walked over to the metal freight elevator. Stepping inside, he slammed the iron gate closed and hit the button to descend to the first level where he kept his bike.
Twenty minutes later, Crash met up with Cole, Red Dog, Wolf Man, and Cajun at a gas station. He rolled to a stop next to them as they all sat on their bikes, Cole casually smoking a cigarette.
“Thought Angel made you give up those cancer sticks,” Crash teased.
“What she don’t know, won’t hurt her. Will it?” Cole replied, squinting through the smoke as he took a drag.
“I ain’t telling her, brother,” Crash laughed with a shake of his head.
“Damn straight, you’re not.”
Crash glanced around. “Where’s Green? I thought he was joining in on the fun today. He’s always bitching about wanting to stomp some ass.”
“He’s not answering his phone,” Cole stated.
“Knowing him, he’s probably wrapped around some pussy and doesn’t want to drag his ass out of bed,” Red Dog added.
“We’ll swing by and pick him up. It’s on the way,” Cole said.
“Since when is Green’s place on the way to Sonny’s?” Crash asked.
Cole grinned. “That’s right, you haven’t seen his new place.”
The others laughed.
Crash glanced around at his brothers, wondering what joke he wasn’t being let in on. “Fuck. Every time that fucker moves, it’s to a worse dump than the place before. Where’s he at now?”
Wolf Man laughed. “Wait ‘till you see it.”
Cole fired his bike up, and the others followed suit. They pulled out, the five of them roaring down the street.
Ten minutes later, they were pulling into a ratty trailer park on the east side. Cole rolled slowly down the lane, the rest following. Crash noticed one piece-of-shit trailer after another. The further back into the park they got, the worse the trailers looked, if that were possible.
Cole finally pulled into the dirt and gravel next to what had to be by far the worst place of all of them. But, sure enough, there was Green’s metallic-orange bobbed-tailed chopper parked next to his other two bikes.
Crash parked next to Cole and looked over at him. Cutting off his bike, he said, “You have got to be shitting me.”
Cole laughed.
“There’s no way he’s got pussy in there. No chick would step foot in the place,” Crash insisted as he swung his leg over the bike and stood. “Hell, all he’s missing is a big-headed banjo-playing boy sitting on the front porch.”
The guys collapsed into hysterics.
“You would know. Isn’t that typical of where you grew up?”
“Shut the fuck up, Dog,” Crash snapped.
Cole got off his bike and headed up the porch steps, chuckling. “Well, come on. If it’s good enough for carnival folk, it’s good enough for us.”
“Fuck, carnies live better than this shithole,” Crash declared.
“Maybe some of you should wait outside. Don’t want the place to tilt,” Cole suggested with a grin.
“Hell, maybe we all should,” Wolf Man advised, laughing.
“Could be worse,” Red Dog mumbled.
“How could this place be worse?” Crash looked at him, dumbfounded.
“Could be parked on a hill.” Another round of laugher burst out.
They all trouped inside, Cole not bothering to knock. “Green!” he yelled. Not receiving an answer, he stomped through the tiny corridor that led from the combination living room/dining room/kitchen, toward the back bedroom.
Crash glanced around the place as he followed. The inside was just as bad as the outside. Ratty gold shag carpeting, wood paneling, empty beer cans, overflowing ashtrays, and a shit-ton of crap piled around the place.
Red Dog plopped down on a barstool that sat next to the counter separating the living room from the tiny filthy kitchen. He picked up a bottle of tequila sitting on the counter, unscrewed the cap, and took a long pull.
Crash followed Cole down the hall, his shoulders barely clearing the walls.
Cole entered the bedroom, stood next to the bed, and kicked it. “Get your ass up, fucker. We got shit to do today.”
Green groaned and rolled over,
flinging the arm of a woman off him.
Cole leaned over and pulled the cover back to look at her naked back and ass. She was out cold. “Nice ass. She one of Sonny’s girls?”
“Yup,” was all the answer Green gave as he sat up, swung his legs over the side, and rubbed his hand over his face. His eyes squinted over Cole to Crash. “You bring coffee?”
“No, we didn’t bring fuckin’ coffee, asshole.” Cole grinned and shook his head at Crash. “You believe this fucker?”
Crash glanced around the trashed bedroom. “Shit, Green, every time you move, it’s to a worse dump than the place before. At this rate, you’re gonna be ‘living in a van down by the river’.”
“Fuck off, dickhead.”
Red Dog, Wolf Man and Cajun apparently heard the joke, because their laughter could be heard coming from the next room. Red Dog yelled down the hall, “You save up your money, Green, and maybe someday you can park a van outside and use it as a guestroom.”
More laughter followed.
“Shut the fuck up, dickhead. Your ol’ lady will be my first guest,” Green hollered back at him.
Red Dog bolted off the barstool, barreling down the hall.
Crash held him back at the doorframe.
“Let me at the little fucker!”
“Relax, Dog. He’s too ugly for Mary to touch.”
A half hour later, they rolled into the parking lot of a new strip club called Queen of Hearts. The six bikes parked in a line in front of the doors. Crash threw his leg over his bike and turned to Cole. “So how long’s this place been open?”
“Six weeks,” Wolf Man replied from his other side.
“Yeah. Six weeks too many according to Mack,” Cole added.