by Joy Blood
“Where is he?” I ask Rock. He gestures outside.
“Passed out in my truck. Fucker started some shit at the bar on the outskirts of town. Turns out the owner isn’t a big fan of bikers.” Shit.
“Asshole started mouthing off about the guy watering down his drink. Bartender didn’t take too kindly to that, so, in typical Gin fashion, he started running his mouth about how watered down the guy’s mama was. Shit escalated from there,” Brand explains, shoving his hand through his ruffled dirty blond hair in frustration. He’s a younger guy, maybe two years younger than me, but a hell of a good shot.
“All right. Here’s the deal. We’ll let him sleep it off, then have church tomorrow to figure out how the fuck to go from here. You all know as well as I do the man has been through some shit. Doesn’t mean he can keep getting away with his bullshit, but it gives more of an understanding as to what the hell is going on with him.” They all nod in agreement and disperse. I wish to fuck I could head back to Kimi, but by the look on Rock’s face, that’s probably the last thing I should do.
“Goin’ to see if he’s awake,” I tell Rock, but before I can walk any farther, he stops me.
“How’s Kimi?” he asks, and I halt in my tracks. “Yeah, I know where you’ve been goin’. Her dad is my brother, after all.” Vin and Rock are only half-brothers, and at one time not too long ago, on separate sides of the fence. Now, though, since all the shit went down, and the fact that his old lady and Ellie get along so well, the two of them were somewhat forced into a brotherly relationship of some kind.
“She’s good,” I say, knowing full well I won’t be able to lie my way out of where I was.
“Good. You stakin’ your claim?” he asks, but continues before I can answer. “Better hurry the fuck up and get that shit done. No knowing who she will meet there in college. Could find herself a good, clean-cut boy who sweeps her off her feet.” The image puts a bad taste in my mouth, and I storm off outside to find Gin.
Like Rock said, he’s passed out in his truck. Opening the door, I smack his face a couple times, making him jump from the seat. “The fuck!” he shouts in alarm. “Jake?” he asks, slowing his movement. He rubs at the back of his scalp, wincing in pain. “Those fuckers knocked me out,” he grumbles, moving to get out of the truck.
“Being a belligerent asshole,” I say, moving from the space so his feet can reach the ground.
“Yeah.” He swats his hand. “Asshole was giving me watered down whiskey. Unacceptable.”
“G. Need’a step the fuck back.”
“Fuck off. You don’t know shit about it. You weren’t there,” he snaps, then starts walking away, but I won’t let him.
“Might not have been there when it happened. Sure’s fuck was there to see what did.” I clear my throat, trying to get out more words, but I don’t get the chance before Gin shoves me into the wall of the garage.
“You saw her! You saw what they did. You didn’t get to witness it! My fuckin’ woman, and all I could do was lay on the floor while they—fuck!” He storms toward his bike, and I let him go, knowing full well me chasing him down would just be stupid.
“Fucker has some demons that ain’t gettin’ resolved anytime soon. Maybe some time out will do him good,” Sage suggests, his voice coming from the door. I look up to see him leaning on the jamb to light his smoke.
“Stubborn asshole,” I grumble, and walk inside past him to slam myself down on my hard cot. Definitely would rather be in that big ass bed with Kimi right about now.
* * *
The week drags on and I count down the hours until I can drive off to SDU to pick up Kimi. But I still have a few more hours. I have something planned for the weekend I think she’s going to enjoy. Should be a first for her and something I haven’t done since my parents and Finn were alive.
“‘Bout done with that Cadillac?” Rock asks as I slam down the hood. Vehicles have slowly started to trickle into the shop, mainly from people who had dealt with the club in the past.
“Yeah.” I grab a few towels out of the cardboard dispenser on my tool chest and wipe away as much of the grease and oil as I possibly can without soap.
“You headed to Kimi’s this weekend?” he asks as I toss the towel into the communal trashcan. I nod in response, then ask, “Heard from Gin?”
“Nah. Fucker needs to cool off. He’ll come back when he does.” Asshole has been gone since the night he took off.
“Yeah.” I shrug, moving past Rock to start tossing shit into my truck for the weekend.
“Buggs will be here next weekend for the paintin’. So will Ellie, from my understanding. Bringing Kimi?” he asks, stopping me in my path.
“See if she can,” I lie, knowing I don’t want to bring her here just yet. If ever.
“She yours?”
“Don't fuckin’ know.” But I already do.
“Well, you better get to knowing.”
“Don’t want to bring her into this life.” I grab a bottle of water from my cot and chug half of it down before speaking again. “What she went through before V found her…shit.” I pause, clearing my throat. “Don't want to fuck it up more.”
“You are goin’ to fuck up. Hell, you’re a man, aren’t you? Shit, if I had a nickel for every time Buggs wanted to bust me upside the head, the clubhouse would be a mansion with chandeliers and staircases. That woman keeps me in line. Though, you repeat that to anyone, I will kick your fuckin’ ass,” he tells me, chuckling. “If Kimi does that for you, she’s the one. Make her yours. Bring her by next weekend.” He slaps me on the shoulder and walks away.
The whole ride to SDU, all I can think about are his words. Make her yours. Could I make her mine? Shit, there’s no question. Do I want to? Hell yeah, I do. Should I, though? Now that is the fuckin’ question.
* * *
Kimi doesn’t get out for a couple more hours, so I go right to the duplex to get showered and swing by the store to grab a few things before we leave in the morning. When I walk in, I’m damn near knocked on my ass at what I see. True to her word, she put everything we bought last weekend away, but there is also a fuckin’ couch in the living room area, along with two barstools at the kitchen island. That little shit went and bought furniture. I smile knowing she was here while I was gone. The place smells like her too.
Making my way to the shower, I flick it on, then clean off quickly, taking a second to smell the shampoo Kimi has sitting in the shower caddy—another purchase from our shopping trip. I can picture her face as I breathe in the sweet scent. I’m turning into a fuckin’ sap.
After a quick stop at the store that was anything but quick, I drive off to the campus and sit outsider Kimi’s dorm to wait for her. When she pulls up and gets out of her car, the first thing I notice is she has her new glasses perched on her nose, and damn it, she’s sexy as hell. Her hair is pulled back and piled on top of her head, looking a mess. She looks like a dirty librarian. All she needs is a pinstripe skirt. I mentally calm myself before stepping out of the truck and making my way over to her and her friend, who is chatting away like usual.
“Well, if it isn’t the silent biker,” Ari says, pulling her attention from bitching about her professor to me.
“Jake.” Kimi’s breathless voice washes over me, tugging a smile at the corner of my mouth. “What are you doing here?”
“The weekend,” I say, as if it’s self-explanatory.
“Looks like your weekend is booked, sweetie,” Ari tells her with a smile and a pat on the elbow.
“Jake, Ari and I were going to go check out the little carnival in town this weekend,” Kimi tells me, and my smile grows.
“Good,” I say, opening the door for them to go inside.
“But, Jake,” she tries, but I only keep walking toward their room, letting them lead the way.
“Get ready. Then pack a bag for the weekend,” I tell her as I walk over to her bed and slam my ass down. Shit, the thing isn’t any better than my cot. When I look up at her, she is staring at me in conf
usion. “Glasses look good, Key,” I say, and she reaches up to adjust them.
“They are strange to get used to. But I can see so much better. Thank you.” Her sweet voice hits me in the chest and I have to push back the need to pull her down onto the tiny bed with me.
“Good. Get ready.”
The carnival turned out to be five money-sucking booths and a carousel. Kimi loved it. This is our fourth trip around on the ride and she still has a big smile on her face. Every pass, she got on a different horse. This time, though, she’s sitting in the sleigh with me, tucked into my side. She has had a try at each game at least twice and hasn’t won shit. “I think I want to try for a bear. They are so cute,” she tells me, pointing to one of the booths. “Pandas are cute. Oh, and I need some cotton candy,” she informs me. Ari has since trotted off with Sam, who showed up an hour after we got here.
“Need to get you some donuts,” I tell her, tipping my chin toward the food court.
“Oh, yes please.” Her face lights up with a big smile, and I can’t help myself any longer. I plant my lips over hers and take her mouth in a slow, penetrating kiss.
“Love that smile,” I say when I pull back. “Let’s get you that bear.” I loop my fingers through hers and we get off the ride, going straight for the booth. It’s one of those damn ones where you shoot the targets. I wanted to play it, but she was so excited to shoot, I stepped back and let her do her thing. Now, though, I’m getting her the damn bear.
The guy goes through his speech about how many targets I need to hit, but I tune him out and start shooting.
Ping. Ping. Ping.
One by one, they all go down, and when the buzzer goes off, the man behind the booth gives me a glare and hands over the panda bear, which I give to Kimi, who’s still looking at me, her eyes wide. I only give her a shrug and lead her over to the food court where I grab her the promised cotton candy and donuts.
I bring her back to the duplex, surprised she hasn’t started asking questions. I’m not sure how much she knows about my past or if she even knows about Finn. I’m sure Ellie has told her about him. They were close—shit, we all were. Being cooped up in a house in hiding, people tend to either become best friends or hate each other.
“So…you can shoot,” Kimi says as we walk inside to the bedroom. I let out a silent chuckle at her subtlety.
“Yeah, Key. I can.”
“Is that a club thing or a Jake thing?” She is damn cute.
“Marine thing. Was a good shot. Got offered special ops. Didn’t go that way, though.” In need for water, I walk back out to the kitchen and grab a bottle from the fridge. Like the doctors said, my speech is getting better with more use, but the need to re-wet my throat is still there.
“Why didn’t you?” She gets up on one of the barstools, tearing pieces of her cotton candy off to eat. I have to force myself to keep talking and not take her back to the room.
“Brother and I were both in. He was a piss poor shot.” I chuckle. It was something I ribbed him about all the time. He didn’t seem to care that he couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn just so long as he was with me. “Couldn’t leave him behind. Didn’t take it,” I explain.
“You two were close. Did you have any other siblings?” she asks, her sweet face curious.
“Nope, just us. Long time ago,” I say to her saddened face. “Let’s get to bed, Key. Got a big day tomorrow.” Without waiting for her to respond, I walk over to the other side of the island and pick her up. The abruptness of my action breaks the seriousness of the conversation and she laughs as I carry her to the bed.
Fifteen
Jake
“Wake up, Key.” I rub up between her shoulder blades and back down across the seam of her tank top to the middle of her back. She groans, but still doesn’t get up, so I keep going, making small circles on my way back up to her bare skin. Leaning in, I pull her hair to the side away from her ear and start to lick the lobe, then tug it with my teeth. This gets her attention. I watch her beautiful skin as bumps break out all over.
“Jake.” Her breathy whisper only prods me on, and I roll her over to gain better access to her mouth. I catch sight of her flushed cheeks before I place soft kisses on her lips. “What a wake-up call,” she says in between kisses. I want so much to plunge my tongue into her mouth and keep her in bed all day, but I have plans. Reluctantly, I pull away, but don’t take my eyes off her. I can feel the wide smile on my face, and she gives me on her own.
“What’s that smile for?” She pushes what’s left of the covers away from her body, leaving her in that black tank top and a pair of shorts that should be classified as panties with how damn small they are.
“Surprise. Get dressed.” I swallow and walk out the room already fully dressed, in need of coffee. I woke up maybe an hour ago, got dressed, made a pot of coffee, then just watched her sleep. Didn’t care how creepy it seemed. She’s too damned beautiful not to watch.
Flicking on the electric kettle, I listen as it starts to heat, top off my cup, then grab the hot cocoa mix for Kimi. My girl and her hot cocoa.
My girl?
Shit. I know it shouldn’t, but damn it feels good to call her that.
Her footsteps draw my attention, but I take a second before looking up from my cup. I feel like I need to every time I look at her, just to calm myself. My eyes lock onto her big blue ones. She has her sleek black hair pulled back into a braided bun, and that smile…damn.
“What’s the surprise?” she asks, walking over to the countertop where I placed her empty cup and the cocoa. She proceeds to pour the now hot water into the mug, then follows up with three scoops into the steaming liquid. My eyes staying on her, I absentmindedly reach into the silverware drawer and grab out a spoon. It’s such a simple act of routine. Standing here in the kitchen like a normal couple, finishing each other’s actions.
“Thank you.” She takes the spoon and proceeds to stir the contents of her mug. The steam billows out, and I grab a treat from the fridge and walk back over, handing it to her with a smile. “Whipped cream!” Her bold, genuine smile almost brings me to my knees. I love this woman. Shit.
I continue to watch in silence as she sprays a bunch into her cup, then takes a sip. She pulls back with some of the topping left on her nose, and I let out a quiet chuckle. This girl.
Stepping forward, I swipe my thumb across her nose, then lean in to give her a kiss, tasting the sweetness on her lips. “Finish up. Meet you in the garage. Bring your bag,” I tell her, then flick off the coffee pot before walking out the door.
As much as I love having Kimi on the back of my bike, what I had planned for the weekend required my truck. I look through the back to make sure I haven’t forgotten anything. The cover over the bed will hide all the stuff, so she won’t be able to guess where we are going or what we are doing. This will be another first for her, and I’m damn sure going to make it a good one.
* * *
“Not even going to give me a little hint?”
We’ve been driving for almost two hours and she’s done nothing but try to get me to spill the beans about where we are going. My inability to talk is finally working in my favor. I haven’t uttered a word since we started driving, and it’s starting to annoy her. Badly. “Jake, you aren’t being fair. You can at least talk to me about other things. Giving me the silent treatment is just stupid,” she complains, and I laugh. Well, try to laugh. She catches the shake of my shoulders, and out of the corner of my eye, I catch her eye roll. She starts to complain more, but I quiet her by pressing my finger to her lips.
“Here,” I rasp out, then clear my throat. Maybe I shouldn’t go so long without trying to talk. Her eyes grow wide as she looks around, realizing where we are. She was so busy bitching about me not telling her, she forgot to enjoy the scenery. All around us are trees and tall rock formations.
I pull into a small, secluded parking space and get out of the truck before she can say another word. There are no other vehicles around in the
lot, just the board that holds the information about the place we’re going to visit. “This place is beautiful, Jake,” she says in awe, looking all around us. “Are we…?” she drifts off and walks over to the board to read. I continue to the back of my truck to open the tailgate, pull out the pack I have all ready for her, then grab mine.
“Are we going to hike to this?” She points up to the board. The faded, cracked picture doesn’t do the waterfall justice. I give Kimi a nod, then hold out her pack. “I’m wearing flip flops and shorts, Jake! You could have told me. How am I supposed to hike without my boots?”
There go my shoulders shaking with laughter again. Her face flames red, but before she can blow her top, I reach farther into the bed of the truck and toss her boots over. She’s quiet for a moment as she gapes at me. I just smile.
“Get ‘em on, Key,” I say, and start double checking my pack. She huffs a little more, then stomps over to a stump to sit down and put on her boots. Hopefully hiking wasn’t a bad idea.
About an hour later, I find out that hiking, in fact, wasn’t a bad idea. She seems happy now to be out of the truck and walking along the patted down trail toward our destination. It’s about an hour and a half in, and there are several places to pitch a tent. It’s getting late in the day, too late to check out the destined waterfall and get camp set up, but she doesn’t complain. “Have you been here before?” she asks, slightly out of breath. I’m used to the exertion, but her, not so much. Not that I care. I wouldn’t expect her to be able to do a five-mile hike with no issue. She pauses for me to answer, holding back to get close enough for me to speak so she can hear me. I take this as my chance to pull out a couple water bottles and hand her one. Accepting it, she downs a few gulps of water as I do the same.
“Came here couple times.” Her questioning eyes prompt me to tell more. “Parents, brother, and me. Summers,” I say, summing up what I mean. The urge to tell her more comes back full force, and I rub along my throat, pinching at the scar that holds my deepest annoyance. Am I angry this happened to me? Yes. Am I angry for the reason it happened? No. I would have given anything to make sure Ellie and Kimi were safe from the madman who’d made it his life’s mission to be a vile bastard.