by Wilder, L.
“All the brothers do.”
When we got down to my room, I opened the door and she followed me inside. We walked past the king-sized bed and her cheeks reddened when I led her into the bathroom. She waited silently as I reached into the shower and turned on the hot water before facing her. “I thought a hot shower might do you some good.”
“I would love a shower, but I don’t have any clean clothes.”
“I’ll find you something.” I lowered my hand to the hem of her hoodie and carefully lifted it along with her t-shirt over her head. Just as I had dropped it to the floor, I noticed a large, make-shift bandage of gauze and Band-aids situated just above her hip. “This looks like it’s more than just a graze.”
“It’s really not. Claudine just got carried away with the bandages.” She looked up at me with those gorgeous eyes and tried to assure me, “So, don’t freak out about this. I’m fine.”
I’m fine. She kept saying those words over and over, and each time she said them, I found them harder to believe. There was no way she could be fine after all she’d been through. I slowly peeled the bandage back and grimaced at the sight of the wound. While it could’ve been much worse, it gutted me to see that she’d been hurt. “You don’t have to put up a brave front for me. You can talk to me.”
“I know I can talk to you and I will, but I just can’t right now.” Riley reached for my hand as she said, “I just want to put it all out of my head … even if it’s just for a little while. Is that okay?”
“It’s more than okay.” I grabbed Riley and pulled her towards me, and once she was close, I lowered my head and whispered, “Just know that I’m here for you. Now or whenever you need me.”
She lifted up on her tiptoes as she briefly pressed her lips to mine. As she dropped her hands to the waistband of my jeans, she replied, “I need you now. Take a shower with me.”
I wasn’t sure that it was a good idea, especially with her wound, but there was no way in hell I could refuse her, not when she was looking at me like that. Once we were both undressed, I removed the rest of her bandage then led her into the shower, pulling her close as the warm water cascaded down our bodies. After several moments, I turned her around, flattening her back against my chest as I reached for the bottle of body wash. I poured some onto the sponge before lowering it to her shoulder, carefully washing her back then slowly making my way down her arms. Taking extra care around her wound, I washed her abdomen, then inched my way up to her breasts. Needing more, Riley reached for the sponge I was using and tossed it, then she took my hands and placed them on her breasts.
A low moan vibrated through her chest as I spread the soapy bubbles all over her, my palms gliding over her smooth, soft skin. I plumped her breasts in my hands, and as I ran my thumbs over her nipples, she ground her ass against my growing erection. My hands moved with a mind of their own, roaming and exploring Riley’s flesh, sliding effortlessly across her body as she moaned her approval. While trailing kisses along her shoulder, my fingertips slid lower and lower along her belly, and I was careful not to hurt her as I eased my hand between her legs. When the tips of my fingers raked across her center, her head eased back against my shoulder as she widened her stance, urging me on. I placed my mouth close to her ear as I whispered, “You like my hands on you, don’t you?”
“God, yes!” she hissed as she rocked her hips forward against my hand.
“Good. Get used to it.” I moved my fingers in slow, methodical circles against her clit, increasing the pressure with each turn of my hand as I told her, “Because I like having my hands on you.”
I eased my fingers deep inside her, massaging the spot that drove her wild, and a pleasured moan escaped her sexy mouth as I started to move my fingers faster and harder. Riley’s body grew tense as the sounds of her soft whimpers started echoing through the room. I removed my hand from between her legs and held her close as her breathing slowed. Moments later, she turned to face me, and with her eyes sparkling with mischief, she said, “My turn.”
I watched with fascination as she lathered the body-wash between her palms. Riley was so damn beautiful. It was hard to believe that she was mine. “You do know, you’re mine, Riley.”
Looking at me through eyes filled with desire, she placed her hands on my chest and worked in painstakingly slow strokes to soap my skin. I could tell from the gleam in her eyes that she was enjoying having free rein to savor the moment. Her hands dropped to my stomach, and I thought I would lose all control. Repeating my words back to me, she looked up at me as she whispered, “You do know, you’re mine, too.”
My cock twitched as her hands trailed up my legs. I was trying my damnedest to let her wander and enjoy, but she wasn’t making it easy, especially when her greedy eyes dropped to my growing erection. Her soapy fingers gently wrapped around me, moving ever so slowly up and down my thick shaft. Trying to keep from coming unglued, I pressed my hand against the cold tile and growled, “Fuck!”
I never knew that a woman’s touch could turn me on as much as hers did. After several long, firm strokes, she stepped to the side, letting the water rinse the soap from my body. Her hands slid along my skin, taking the rest of the suds with them … and the last of my patience. As she finished, she ran her fingertips once again over my chest, looking up invitingly into my eyes, she said, “You have no idea how much I want you right now.”
And at that moment, the dam broke. I turned off the water as I looked down at her and said, “You’ve got me.”
I took her hand and led her out of the shower and handed her a towel. Once we were dried off, I lifted her into my arms, carried her to my room, and lowered her onto the bed. Then reaching into my bedside drawer, I took out a condom, and she watched with anticipation as I rolled it down my thick, throbbing shaft. Her flushed body squirmed against the mattress as she pleaded, “Hurry.”
I had no intention of making her wait. Hell, I wanted her just as much as she wanted me. I lowered myself down on the mattress and settled between her legs as I dropped my mouth to hers. I felt her tremble beneath me as I slid deep inside her. I stilled, not because I wanted to, but because I had to. She felt so fucking good, so wet and tight, that I had to fight the urge to come right then and there.
“You feel so damn good,” I growled as I finally started to move. Her nails dug into my lower back as her hips rocked against mine, meeting my every thrust. I began to drive deeper and harder until I found the pace that we were both desperate for. I could feel the pressure building, forcing a deep, needful growl from my chest. She tilted her ass towards me, grinding harder against my cock as the sounds of my body pounding against hers filled the room.
Her head reared back as she moaned, “Oh, Lincoln, don’t stop!”
Her body began to tremble as her orgasm took hold, her muscles contracting around me and pulling me deeper. I continued to drive into her, and a sense of satisfaction washed over me when I finally heard the sound of air gushing from her lungs and felt her body fall limp beneath me. My growl echoed around us and my entire body tensed as I came deep inside her. After several moments, I managed to collect myself, discard the condom in the small basket next to the table, and lay down on the bed next to her. Instinctively, she curled into my side with her head on my shoulder and her leg resting on top of mine. Once our breathing slowed, I looked down at her and said, “There have been times in my life when I’ve been afraid, but I’ve never been as scared as I was tonight. I don’t know what I would’ve done if something had happened to you.”
“I’m here now, Lincoln, and I’m not going anywhere.” She placed her hand on my chest as she asked, “Do you know why?”
“Tell me.”
“Because I love you.” Her eyes locked on mine as she added, “And right here with you is the only place I want to be.”
“I love you, too, Riley Nichols. More than I ever thought possible.” I leaned down, and just before I kissed her, I said, “I’ve made mistakes, plenty of them, but taking this chance with
you wasn’t one of them.”
We shared a kiss that was long and tender, then I got up and gave Riley some clothes to put on. Once she was dressed, I called Mack to come down to the room. After he checked her wound, he bandaged her back up and gave us some ointment that would help with the healing. As soon as he was gone, we both got back in bed. Riley settled back into the crook of my arm and it wasn’t long before she drifted off to sleep. For hours, I just lay there watching her sleep until I finally gave in to my own exhaustion. The next morning, she was still sleeping soundly next to me, and it pained me that I had to leave her. I could have spent the entire day with her wrapped in my arms, but I had club business that had to be tended to before that could happen. Careful not to wake her, I eased out of bed, threw on my clothes, did my business in the bathroom, and slipped out the door. When I got down to the conference room, Gus was already there with Riggs, Blaze, and Shadow. “Where is everybody?”
“They’ll be here soon. We wanted to go over everything with you before they got here.” Gus waited for me to be seated before he turned to Shadow and said, “Why don’t you start things by telling him what happened last night with Devon and his crew.”
Shadow looked to me as he asked, “Do you remember what Devon told us about how Riley got away from them at the gas station?”
“Yeah. They were in some fight with some gang.”
“That’s right. This gang apparently thought they had something to do with the death of one of their members.” Shadow handed me a slip of paper. “Riggs told us last night that they’d been in a turf war with the Arañas for months.”
“Yeah, I remember.”
“I figured we might as well use their war to our advantage.” He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms then said, “After we took care of the two assholes in the backseat, we put Devon back in the car and torched it. Then we waited until the flames died down and tagged the side door with the Hurricane’s gang sign. After we crossed it out, we wrote over it with the one Arañas uses, making it look like a retaliation strike.”
“Damn. That was good thinking, brother.”
“Maybe. I’m just worried about Nichols getting blowback from it. Malek was expecting a shipment from him, and now, he’s got four of his members dead and no guns. He’s not going to be happy about that.”
“Who’s to say that Nichols didn’t already give them the weapons?” Blaze turned to Riggs and asked, “Can you check Devon’s phone records and see if he made any calls after he left the farm?”
“I already did. There were no calls coming in or out.”
“Then, there we go.” Blaze sounded pleased as he continued, “Nichols gave them the shipment and it was stolen when they got hit.”
“None of that matters anyway,” Gus interjected. “I talked to Nichols this morning. I’ve put the family and their farm under club protection. He’s given me a list of his buyers, and I’ll see to it that they know he’s no longer in business.”
“Seems rather generous of you,” Moose told him as he walked into the room. “Is this because of his daughter and Murphy, or is there another reason?”
“He got me in contact with his supplier. We’ll be able to buy direct and save a shit-ton of money. Is that reason enough for ya?” Gus grumbled.
“Yeah, that’ll do just fine.”
“Glad you think so. Before the others get here, I wanted to make sure we were all on the same page with Rider. He’s been prospecting for just over a year, and I think he’s more than proven himself to be an asset to the club.”
“Agreed,” we all replied.
“Then, we’ll put it to a vote.”
With that, the others started rolling in, and church was set into motion. As I sat there listening to my brothers talking back and forth, I felt like all the pieces of the puzzle were finally falling into place. I had my brothers, my family, and against all odds, I had my girl, so I guess the saying is true—“In the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take.”
CHAPTER 20
Riley
I had always loved being at the farm. It was my home. Full of precious memories and feelings of warmth and happiness, it was a place of childhood dreams and fantasies. Whenever I was there, I felt safe and loved, free from judgement and disparagement. It used to be my happy place, but that all changed the day Devon kidnapped me.
It had been three weeks, and I was still haunted by the memories of everything that had happened, especially the moment when he killed Anna Belle. I could still see the cold look in his eye when he lifted his gun in the air and pulled the trigger. I hadn’t even realized what he’d done until her lifeless body fell to the ground. There’s no way to describe the heart-wrenching pain I’d felt when I realized she was gone. Even back when my father gave her to me, I never thought of her as just a horse. She was my gate to freedom. Whenever I was riding her, it was like magic. I could hear the thuds of her hoofs hitting the ground, and as they grew faster, the wind would start to whip around me. Seconds later, she would hit that perfect stride, and I would feel like I was soaring through the air, looking down at all the splendors of nature. After that, it wouldn’t take long until all my troubles seemed to just slip away.
I didn’t think I could bear to go back to the farm, knowing that Anna Belle was no longer there—that Devon had stolen that magic from me—but Murphy encouraged me to try, telling me I shouldn’t let him steal any more of my joy. So I followed his advice, and each time I returned, it became a little easier. I was standing by the training ring, watching Travis adjust Requiem’s saddle, when my father walked over to me. He put his arm around me and said, “I know there’ll never be a horse that could ever replace your Anna Belle, but I wanted you to know … when Requiem has his first mare, she’s yours.”
“That’s very sweet, but you don’t have to do that, Dad.”
“I know I don’t have to, sweetheart, but I want to.” His eyes were filled with remorse as he continued, “I want you to have a reason to keep coming back here.”
“I don’t need a horse for that. I have you.” The past few weeks had been really hard on him as well. He was riddled with guilt over what had happened, and he wanted desperately to make things right. I reached up and gave him a hug. “You’re all the reason I need.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that.” Then he glanced over at Lincoln. “I’m not always the best at admitting when I was wrong, but I have to say, I was wrong about him.”
“Yes, you were. I tried to tell you.” I turned and watched as Lincoln hovered over the grill as Moose and T-Bone tended to the ribs. Rider was standing next to them, proudly sporting his new Satan’s Fury cut, and they were all drooling over Moose’s BBQ. Since Dad and his property were now under club protection, the brothers had been spending a lot of time at the farm. Gus wanted to make sure that my dad didn’t have any trouble like he’d had with Devon, so there were always a couple of prospects keeping watch and Riggs had installed an unbelievable security system. Dad had been looking for a way to thank them for everything they’d done, so he used Requiem’s arrival as an excuse to invite them all out for a BBQ. The guys jumped at the chance to have some of Moose’s famous cooking. It also gave them a chance to celebrate the fact that Rider had been patched into the club, so they all came out with their families and they brought enough food to feed an army. When Lincoln saw that I was watching him, he smiled at me with one of those smiles that made my heart leap in my chest. “I’m just glad you finally figured it out.”
“What can I say? I’m a protective father. You can’t really blame me for that.” Before I had a chance to respond, he asked, “So, how are you liking it over at his place?”
My new living arrangement was a touchy subject. Dad had made it clear from the start that he wasn’t happy about me moving in with Lincoln, but like Lincoln, he was concerned about my safety and didn’t put up much of a fuss. Having me gone hadn’t been easy for him, but he was trying. “It’s good, Dad … really good. I’m happy there wit
h him.”
I could hear the sincerity in his voice as he said, “I’m glad you are. Really I am. You deserve all the happiness in the world, Riley, and if you don’t find it there with him, you’re always welcome to come back home.”
“I know, but I love him, Daddy. My future is with him,” I explained.
“I’m hoping this farm is a part of your future, too.”
“Of course, it is, and you and Hunter are, too.” I looked over at my brother and smiled as I watched him ride Requiem around the training ring. He was dressed in his best Wrangler jeans and ropers and his favorite cowboy hat, so there was no doubt that he was trying his best to impress Gigi, one of girls from the night he was arrested for stripping. I could see why he would be interested in her. Not only was she really sweet, but she was stunning with long blonde hair and beautiful green eyes. Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t the only one who’d noticed. She was leaning against the fence, watching Hunter do all his fancy riding tricks, when Gunner came up and stood beside her. I knew right away there was going to be trouble. Gunner was a handsome thing, and if he took a liking to Gigi, she’d know it. When Hunter noticed that they were talking, he led Requiem over to the fence and asked her, “You doing okay?”
“I’m doing great.” She smiled brightly as she ran her hand down Requiem’s forehead. “He’s really beautiful.”
“Isn’t he though.” Gunner winked at Hunter as he said, “He’s almost as purty as you, Hunter.”
Hunter’s neck grew red with embarrassment. Trying his best to rebound, he quickly replied, “Is that right? I didn’t think you were the type to notice.”
“Hard not to when you’re all gussied up like that, but don’t worry. You’re not my type.” Gunner looked over at Gigi and let his eyes slowly skirt over her as he said, “I have a thing for beautiful blondes.”
Knowing he needed to get Gigi away from Gunner as quickly as possible, he looked over to her and said, “I’m going to put him back in the stables. I’ll be right back.”