by Lowe, Aden
Kellen, President of the Hell Raiders, sat in an office chair behind a desk that looked ancient and beat to hell. He had a laptop to one side, and a big accounting ledger open before him. "Hey Dix, what's up?" He spotted her. "Georgie, hi." The pages of the ledger made a muffled thump as he flipped the cover to close it. "I hate going over accounts."
Dix dropped to a seat in a chair that looked like it came out of a 1970s hospital waiting room, split vinyl and all, and pulled her down to sit on his knee. "Georgie has a little problem I'd like to get your take on." He explained the damn pictures.
Kellen's eyes narrowed and his jaw hardened. "Okay, I'll talk to Trip and see what he thinks, and Crank would be useful on this, too." He spun his pencil through his fingers. "I'll make sure nobody else in the club finds out."
"Thanks, Kellen."
Georgie's eyes burned. It was no longer just her problem. She cleared her throat. "Uh, thanks, Kellen."
"Don't thank me yet. We have to find this bastard and have a talk with him, as well as getting the pictures taken down." He shook his head. "Hang around a bit while I talk to Trip and Crank."
Apparently that meant they were dismissed, because Dix helped her to her feet and stood to lead her from the little room.
Chapter Four
Back in the big common room, Dix led Georgie toward where Fabio and Crank busily worked to complete a mission on their game. While no one else was around, he'd like to get their take on the ass-wipe that tried to run them off the road. That kind of discussion in a large group tended to turn into a free-for-all ending with someone going hunting for the ass-wipe.
The big recliner to the side was empty so he sat there, and pulled Georgie into his lap. He had no intention of backing off now that she seemed slightly accustomed to his physical presence. He needed every advantage he could get.
Crank glanced at them, taking in how Georgie sat with him and leaned up against his chest, and raised one eyebrow before he turned back to full involvement in the game. "How's it going, Kid?"
"Not too bad." After a few minutes small talk, he brought up the car on the road. "I figure it was just some local douchebag that got his panties in a wad. Everybody else should be aware, though, just in case."
"I don't know, man, that's pretty persistent for a pissed off local. They usually just get close for a minute and blow the horn." Crank grinned. "You got any buried skeletons due to come haunting?"
Ice settled in the pit of his gut. "Nah, man, I'm a Boy Scout." He had to keep that shit under wraps. None of the Raiders were especially religious, but they all had a traditional Christian-based background that would balk at what he'd been. But far worse, Dix was a rat, and Hell Raiders didn't tolerate rats in their midst.
Fabio dropped the controller and threw his hands up in defeat. "Damn, that fucker comes out of nowhere and toasts my ass every time." He turned a mock-lascivious grin on Georgie. "Don't buy that Boy Scout bullshit, darlin'. Your boy Dix there is as bad as they get. Now, me on the other hand, I'm very, very good."
Georgie laughed and instantly took on the slightly flirtatious manner that made her a favorite at the Rattlesnake. "It's a good thing I like bad, then huh?"
Dix's heart pounded in response to her words, while the bantering tone raised territorial needs. Fabio was no threat, all tied up in his past shit, but hours spent watching her take that same attitude with other men in the bar had conditioned him to react. He'd turned into Pavlov's fucking dog, the one that salivated every time a bell rang after a few times of receiving food at the sound of a bell. Only his fists got ready, muscles tensed, and blood pressure went through the roof.
Clearly aware of Dix's involuntary response, Fabio threw his head back and laughed. "Be good to her, Kid. I'm glad she finally came around for you." He stood and punched Crank lightly on the shoulder. "Ima get a beer, man. Rematch later."
"Yeah, a'ight, man. But we both know it don't matter how many rematches you get, you ain't gonna beat me." Crank shut down the game console and put everything back where it belonged, then took his seat again. "Okay, Kid, tell me again about that car. And don't leave out anything."
It seemed pointless, but Dix dutifully recounted the whole thing again. Georgie threw in a couple of details he'd missed, which made him work to contain the grin of pride that wanted to show itself. She might be mean as hell, but his woman was smart, too, and brave. She hadn't flipped her wig all over him back there when that car started getting too close. Most women who'd never been on a motorcycle would have. Normal car spacing could be freaky scary the first time on a bike, let alone some idiot swerving right toward you.
He must have let his attention wander for a second, because when he returned to the conversation, both Crank and Georgie stared at him like he'd suddenly sprouted a spare head. "What?"
Crank laughed aloud. "Kid, you've got it bad, all busy thinking about your woman when somebody just tried to kill you."
A flush spread across Georgie's cheeks. "I'm not his woman."
Crank laughed again. "Right, and I fucked the Queen of England. You might not know it yet, but you are." He paused to fish a pack of cigarettes from an inside pocket and light one. "Kid, your woman says somebody showed up at the Rattlesnake that you seemed to know and didn't much care for."
His blood ran cold for a second. Crank was too smart, and like a fucking pit-bull about breaking a secret. Since Dix's secret would end him with the Hell Raiders, he had to keep Crank off it. How could he throw him off the scent? "Oh yeah. Him. I went to school with the dumb bastard. Always hustling his way out of some kind of jam. Useless little fucker. And of all the places in the damn country, he would turn up at the Rattlesnake. He recognized me and right off started trying to hustle money or a place to crash." Best to keep it as close to true as possible, just leaving out a few key facts.
Crank nodded. "Yeah, I know guys like that. A bullet to the brain is the best way to deal with them, but citizens seem to frown on it for some odd reason."
"I think it's the blood. Getting somebody to clean up blood at the Rattlesnake is like finding hen's teeth." Georgie kept her face straight, bringing a chuckle from Crank.
"I heard that." He turned to Dix. "You sure that's all he wanted? Seems odd he'd turn up right before a car tried to run you off the road."
Tension boiled in Dix's belly. "I didn't think of it that way." Of course Strafer would do something like that. Especially with a little prodding from Belial or Lilith.
"Would this guy do something like that?"
"Yeah, he would."
Before Crank could ask any more uncomfortable questions, his phone dinged. He glanced at the screen. "Excuse me. I'll catch you later, Kid. Georgie, keep him in line."
The abrupt departure left Dix relieved. He was more than ready to put the problem Strafer brought up out of his mind and concentrate on Georgie. Would she rebuff him now that someone else had taken over handling her problem?
As if aware of the direction of his thoughts, Georgie turned slightly in his lap. "So, is there a place here that's a little more private?"
"Private?" He felt like an idiot as his brain struggled to process her words.
"Private. As in, a place we can be alone." She leaned in and brushed her lips along his jaw.
Heat seared his blood vessels and he turned to meet her mouth and he involuntarily clutched a fist full of her hair to hold her at the perfect angle. She softened into him and opened to admit his tongue, and met him with an eagerness he never expected from her. Her arms crept around his neck as another of those little half-whimper sounds escaped her.
Somewhere a door slammed, reminding him they were in the big common room. Reluctant, he drew back while her lips clung to his, asking for more. "Let's go find that privacy?" The words felt utterly foreign whispered into her kiss, words he'd never truly expected to say to her.
She made a little moan and pulled back. "Well, what are we waiting for?" Leaning in to kiss him again, she wriggled around, inflicting nine kinds of torment, an
d slid from his lap. She stopped long enough to allow him to stand, then rose to her tiptoes to nip his chest through the cotton t-shirt.
Dix cursed under his breath. Jeans and hard-ons did not mix. His gave a painful twinge as she pressed close. Some weird sense of modesty refused to allow him to adjust it.
As if she sensed his predicament, Georgie brushed her fingers over the front of his jeans and smiled. She lifted the hem of his t-shirt and raked her nails over his abs. "Fix it. I want it nice and hard."
The words sent sparks zinging along his nerves and forced him to push aside his embarrassment. Painfully aware of her gaze, he slid one hand into his jeans. The contact of his fingers made him suck in a harsh breath, but a gentle tug freed his cock and allowed it to surge upward.
Georgie made a little sound and her teeth sunk into her lower lip and tugged at his waistband with one hand, and let her fingers dip in to slide across the head of his cock.
Damn, Georgie's fingers on his cock had to be the hottest thing he'd ever felt. She gave him one slow stroke, then withdrew. Where the hell was he going to take her? The walls of the bedrooms in the club house were paper-thin. While it made no difference to most of the guys, he had no intention of allowing the rest of the club to listen in on his first time with her. So it had to be somewhere more private.
All the possibilities raced through his mind, each quickly discarded as not good enough. The only option on Hell Raiders property was outdoors, in the forest or one of the secluded meadows up in the hills. Maybe it was old-fashioned of him, but Dix wanted Georgie in a bed the first time.
An idea finally presented itself. Of course. He should have thought of it immediately. "Come on, let's get to that privacy." Impatience surged as took her hand and drew her toward the door, which seemed to grow further away with every heartbeat. He had to consciously shorten his strides so she could keep up.
An aggravating bit of conscience insisted he should at least let Kellen or Crank know he intended to leave. If something came up with the pics of Georgie, they might need to reach him or her. Too bad. He could text after he got Georgie alone. The delay to stop and tell Kellen before they left might be enough for Georgie to change her mind. He couldn't take that risk.
An hour after standing, or it seemed that long anyway, they made it through the front door. Sheer habit made Dix lift a hand in farewell to Badger, like any other time he left the club house.
"Hey, Kid, you headed into town?" Badger's growling tone brought him to a stop.
Shit, if the old man decided to send him on an errand, as a Prospect, Dix couldn't refuse. Barely daring to breathe, he considered his options. "Wasn't planning on it. Going to spend some time alone with Georgie." He slid his arm around her waist and drew her close to emphasize his words.
Badger's brows climbed halfway up his forehead. "Oh, well, don't worry about it, then. I'll get somebody else to stop in and pick up my prescription."
"Prescription?"
"Yeah, it's no big deal though. It's just the blood pressure one, so it can wait for one of the others."
His desperation to have Georgie alone threatened to dissipate under the guilt of the old biker having to go without his meds. Wait. "Why don't you just go get it yourself?" Surely that made more sense than waiting for someone else?
"Nah, I better wait. Had a nasty headache all day. Rather not chance it."
Well, when he put it that way... The words nearly choked him. "I can pick it up for you. You don't fuck around with blood pressure meds."
"You sure, Dix? I don't want to interrupt your plans."
No, he sure as fuck was not sure. "I'm sure."
The screen door squealed a little behind him and Kellen came out onto the porch. "Badger, leave the kid alone. That damn joke doesn't get any funnier the millionth time around."
Badger grinned and went back to his whittling.
Kellen slapped Dix on the shoulder. "Ignore his ass, kid. Go have some time with your woman. You know we have the Ferguson place, right?" He went on to describe the location and how to get inside.
Relief made his knees weak, but Dix lost no time getting the hell out of there.
Chapter Five
It took everything Dix had not to let the tremor in his hands show. He owed Kellen big time. Until the Prez told him, he'd had no idea the club now owned the Ferguson place. Why the property even interested Kellen and Trip was beyond him. At only a quarter acre, a guy couldn't take a piss without hitting a neighbor, and there wasn't even an actual house.
But he trusted Kellen not to steer him wrong, so he turned off the road into the weed- choked path and navigated the clumps of daisies and milkweed carefully. Behind him, Georgie held on tight, clearly unsure of their destination. For the time being, at least, she seemed willing to go along with it.
Finally they broke into a small clearing and he parked the bike so they could climb off. The narrow trail led away to the north, up a steep hill, just as Kellen had said. The forest immediately closed in on them, but only a dozen yards in, they encountered a wooden suspension bridge.
Worn planks and weathered rope spanned a narrow gap between an abrupt drop and a massive tree. As directed, Dix felt around the base of a sapling near one of the support posts for the bridge. Right where Kellen said, the rough plastic of the fake rock met his fingers. He removed the key and put the rock back.
The bridge gave him the willies, but Kellen swore it would hold them. Dix took a deep breath, reached for Georgie's hand, and started across. The thing swayed sickeningly with their first steps and it only got worse until they finally stepped onto the narrow platform perched on the side of the huge tree. With another deep breath, he gave thanks for something at least somewhat still under his feet.
From the platform a three-foot wide bridge angled up to another platform balanced between three trees. As they crossed, Dix noted the movement joints in the solid bridge. He had to admire the complexity of the construction. The next platform turned out to be a small deck on the front of a little house.
The full-sized door opened easily after he unlocked it, and led into a different world. They stepped inside and Georgie looked around with open-mouthed awe. A stained glass window high on the opposite wall painted dazzling patterns on the polished plank floor. To the left, a small table stood against the wall with a pair of benches. Beyond, a seating area held a pair of leather chairs with ottomans, a tiny wood-burning heater, and a television suspended from the wall. On the right, a compact little kitchen waited, complete with a two-burner cooktop and a tiny fridge.
A narrow ladder led to a loft that turned out to be a bedroom. A second stained glass window threw splashes of color across the tan comforter over the built-in bed. Kellen certainly hadn't exaggerated with he said the place was amazing.
Now that the moment had arrived, awkwardness kept him still. He couldn't just jump her because they were suddenly in front of a bed. That would make him as bad as the jerk that spread her pictures all over the internet.
The almost shy smile she wore made her seem very young and uncertain. About as young and uncertain as Dix felt. Since when had he hesitated at the prospect of sex? Never. Not since he… he shut the thought down, refusing to go there. Even when he wanted only Georgie and had to settle for whatever was available at the moment, he hadn't been so anxious about it. Sudden shame filled him at the memory. He should have waited, no matter how long it took.
The awkward silence compelled him to say something. "This is, uh, quite a place."
"Yes, it is." She turned to look him in the face. "Look, Dix, if you changed your mind, it's no big deal." A miserable combination of resignation and what looked like self-condemnation crossed her face. She stepped back a little. "I'll call one of the girls to pick me up. Probably doing me a favor." Her head dipped down as she moved to turn away.
Panic set in. Fear of her leaving forced him to reach for her. "No." He caught her arm and drew her to him. "I don't want you to leave."
Eyes gone huge and lumi
nous, she stared up at him, lips parted. "You don't have to do this, Dix. I don't need it. And the last thing I want is a pity fuck."
He ignored the harsh words and dragged her against his chest. "You don't get it, Georgie." He threaded his fingers through her hair to cup her head. "I've been dying to do this forever. I just want it to be perfect."
Held immobile, she waited while he lowered his head, slow and careful, until his mouth met hers. He paused at the barest touch to give her a chance to say something, but she pressed closer, seeking more contact. Her mute surrender sent his pulse racing and he groaned as he gave in fully to the years of wanting her.
Dix had imagined the moment so many times, but the reality eclipsed his dreams by far. Her hands came up to lift the hem of his shirt and her warm palms spread across his abs to send shards of sensation blasting across his nerve endings. He released her long enough to shrug out of his cut and peel his t-shirt off and drop them.
She brought her hands to his chest, skimming light fingertips over the scars there. The unspoken questions in her eyes as she looked up threatened to hurtle him back through time to a nightmare world.
Rather than give in to the pull of horror, he held on to her and bent to her mouth once more, determined to lose himself in the paradise she offered. Sweet kisses pulled him under easily, washing the old memories away.
Georgie slipped out of her shirt at some point, her naked flesh searing his chest. With a mind of their own, his hands roamed to explore the delicate skin of her back. She made an impatient noise and caught his hand and placed it directly on her tit. The sheer perfection entranced him and he left her mouth to bend and taste her.
When she moved, Dix dimly realized she was kicking her shoes off and quickly followed her lead. Barefoot, he turned and lifted her to move the few feet to the bed. He laid her on the thick comforter and straightened to look. She was so fucking perfect, so stunning lying there with her hair spread wild around her, chest heaving with passion.