by Mackenzy Fox
I turn to him. “You good?”
I sometimes forget I’m used to seeing dead bodies in my previous line of work, and when it’s wastes of space like this, I don’t bat an eyelid, one less psycho out on the streets. Gunner, however, like most people, isn’t.
“Yeah, it’s just creepy.”
I roll my eyes. “Come on, we’ve gotta move him into the car then torch the place, you up for some arson while we’re at it?”
He looks at me with renewed interest. “Now you’re talking, brother.”
Epilogue
Steel
Three months later
Angel digs the needle into my skin like it’s her mission in life to make me suffer. It’s not her usual style.
“You take double your bitch pills this morning?” I gruff as she wipes my skin with a rag.
“You bet ya,” she smirks without glancing up, “the more you whine like a little girl, the more it’s going to hurt.”
“It doesn’t hurt,” I say, rolling my eyes, that’s a load of shit, ribs always hurt. I’m getting a new tattoo to fill the space on my abdomen; angel wings, I’m feeling kind of nostalgic.
Sienna giggles. I glance at her. “I don’t know what you’re laughing at, woman.”
She pouts at me. “Well, you chose a monster tattoo, what do you expect?”
Angel grins. “Right on, maybe I could hire you to pep talk all my clients?”
“Pep talk them out of it,” I mutter.
“What are you getting?” Angel asks Sienna in a teasing voice, she knows I won’t allow it.
Sienna pretends to think it over. “I was thinking a butterfly across my shoulder, or a dolphin or something?”
“How original, a butterfly,” I say sarcastically, “and you don’t even like dolphins.”
“How do you know I don’t like dolphins?” she says, confused.
“Because you hate the water.”
She ignores me. “Maybe something small then, like a heart and dagger, or a shooting star.”
“You’re not getting a tattoo,” I bark.
Angel looks affronted. “Why the hell not? She’d look good with one.”
“No, she fucking wouldn’t,” I say, annoyed, I don’t know why but I like Sienna’s skin perfect and natural and untouched. I don’t want to see a tattoo on her body, it won’t suit her.
“I like her how she is.”
“But you’re getting giant wings on your torso?” Sienna mimics as both the girls laugh at me. She’ll pay for that later, even if it is only in the bedroom. She’s never been afraid of me like so many are and I kind of like that about her, though it also means she knows exactly how to push my buttons.
“For your information, I’ve been planning this one for a long time, it finishes off the piece, and tattoos suit me.”
“What about your name scrawled across me?” she says, raising an eyebrow. While I like the thought of that momentarily, I shake my head.
“Kiss of death,” I tell her.
“What?”
“It’s the kiss of death, right, Angel?”
Angel smirks again. “I do a lot of covers-ups,” she admits. “In fact, I could just do cover-ups and stay in business for a looong time.”
“So, you wouldn’t get my name on your body?” Sienna asks, raising her brow, she’s so cute when she’s pretending to be offended.
“I don’t think Angel could fit ‘Little-miss-pain-in-the-ass-who’s-got-a-smart-answer-for-everything’ on any part of my body, so that’s a no.”
“There is one part of your body that’s long enough,” she says and leans down to kiss me as I smirk.
“Eww, TMI! Gross,” Angel says, affronted. “Get a room, guys.”
When she pulls back, I hold my free hand with hers and we link fingers.
“Does it really hurt?” she asks more seriously, watching what Angel does with a wince.
“It hurts a lot less when you give me some sugar.”
Angel wrinkles her nose. “Oh, God no, you two are not making out while I do this, uh-uh, no way. That’s where I draw the line.”
I chuckle then wince again, this hurts like a bitch and Angel is normally a lot gentler with me.
Sienna leans down to my ear. “I’ll make it up to you later, I’ll be your nurse,” she whispers, “just use your imagination.”
I grin into her hair liking the sound of that. “Oh, I know you will.”
Angel stops and looks up at us. “My ears aren’t painted on, you know,” she shakes her head and gets back to work.
Sienna gazes at me lovingly. Things have been going strong for us ever since that night. Gunner and I took care of business and we made it back to Bracken Ridge without any further incident. We haven’t spoken of it since that night. I killed him, in self-defense, but it still happened, and I think Sienna is still shocked by everything that took place.
Cassidy is still not in a good way, she’s been staying with us, unable to practically leave Colt’s side. Since he untied her and carried her out of the abandoned house, she’s formed some kind of attachment to him which isn’t exactly healthy, but at least she’s eating now, and talking, though it may be some time before she’s able to fully recover.
I don’t think about that night very much, only the part where Sienna came back to me, that I will remember forever. We’ve been rock solid ever since. Sienna has quit the Stone Crow and moved in with me shortly after; she works in the office with me full-time. I was able to sell a couple of the old cars from Max’s stash and get good money for them and she decided to start a new business with the money; car and bike restoration, a present for me. We’ve set up in the adjoining garage next to the workshop. I’ll do up the Aston Martin first and then use the profits to keep buying and restoring more cars, without her help, this never would have been possible and I can now concentrate on that side of the business since Dalton is running the day to day mechanics at the garage. I’ve never been happier and I’m doing what I love.
Maybe this is just the honeymoon period, but it sure feels good. It’s solid, stable, we have no secrets, life may not be roses every day but we’re getting there. I can’t get enough of her, her mind and her body, everything about her turns me on and I know I’ve hit the jackpot.
I know I’m a moody son of a bitch and I like things how I like them, but we’re good together, she’s an angel, my angel, it’s why I got the wings.
It may not be perfect, and I know I’ll fuck up a time or two, but she loves me, she tells me every other day. I never thought I needed to hear that until now, I guess there’s a first time for everything and I’m not complaining. I’ll never go back, I’m home. I’ll never be sorry.
And I will make her happy. I’ll spend the rest of my life trying.
Sienna
The sun begins to set at our secret place on the ridge in the back of Steel’s truck. I’m lying on a makeshift mattress on my stomach and he’s lying on top of me, trying not to crush me. He’s kissing my neck as I try to take pictures of the sunset with the new, flash camera Steel got me for my birthday a couple of months back, I’ve really enjoyed getting back into photography.
“Will you keep still?” I say, tutting him.
He grins into my neck. “You’re the only ol’ lady in the world who complains when her old man is trying to give her some action.”
“Shh, not in front of the children,” I joke.
Yeah, it went to the table. They did their chest-pounding thing and I’m now part of BRMC as his woman. While Steel maintains that it’s just a formality, the whole “owning” me part, I couldn’t care less, I’ve never felt happier.
I turn and look at Lola, she has her head propped up on the back seat watching us, but she’s half-asleep, I look up higher and see Rocky curled up snoring next to her. Yes, we’re foster fails. We’ve fostered two other dogs and adopted them out to new homes since Rocky, but we just couldn’t let him go, he’s such a goofy, funny little thing and we’ve both grown attached to him be
ing around. He’s a different dog now, no longer fearful and so loving, I don’t know who he loves more; me, Steel, or Lola. We’re one big happy family, dysfunctional, yes, but happy all the same.
My plan hatched, I smile to myself as he moves his hands down the sides of my body and I wince.
“What’s the matter?” he says, pulling back from me.
“Umm… nothing,” I reply. He continues to run his hands down to my hips, making suggestive noises as he nibbles my ear, and when he moves his hands back up, I wince out loud again.
“What the fuck, Sienna?” he says, pulling right back off me and pulling my tank top up from the hem.
My pretend tattoo is covered up with a bandage along the base of my spine across my entire back. “Oh, it’s nothing, I cut myself on the…” I trail off as he rips the bandage off, ouch, and I can feel his stare glaring into my very core. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea? His temper is legendary.
“What the actual fuck is that?”
I bite my lip as he runs his fingers over the writing.
“Ouch!” I try not to laugh. “Be careful.”
“You better not have,” he growls.
“I did,” I stammer, “it’s a surprise.”
I feel the heat of his anger radiate off him as he shakes his head. “What the fuck does that even say?”
“You don’t like it?”
“Sienna Clare Morgan!” he chastises, oh, he sounds really mad.
Oh, shit. I didn’t think this was a good idea at all but Angel thought payback was a good thing for all the abuse she’s put up with over the years while she’s tattooed his body.
“It was a birthday present.”
I turn to look at him as he stares at me with thunderous eyes.
“A birthday present is a new cologne, or a pair of riding gloves, or a hot fucking night on the town with my girl, not… not this!”
I pretend to look affronted. “I thought you’d get a kick out of it?”
“You realize that is permanently on your body?” he barks. Oh shit, I haven’t seen him this mad in a while.
“So are yours!”
“Mine are art, they mean something… this… this is some kind of joke! ‘Little-miss-pain-in-the-ass-who’s-got-a-smart-answer-for-everything’?”
He presses into my skin. “Owww,” I groan, trying to slap him away, “careful.”
He moves fully off me now to sit back on his hunches.
Angel and Deanna did a good job; they even put red ink around the whole thing and smudged it to make it look like my skin was sore. It’s extremely juvenile but I do wish they could see the look on his face right now—priceless.
He starts digging around in his pocket.
“What are you doing?” I say, if he was any good as a special-ops guy, he’d be able to tell by now I’m lying my ass off, but he’s in too much of a rage to see straight.
“Ringing fuckin’ Angel, she tattooed this thing on you, she can get it off.”
“It’s permanent,” I repeat like he’s an idiot.
“Sienna,” he says, and he actually looks really upset. I drop my head and begin to giggle.
He grabs my hips. “It’s not real, is it?” He sounds desperate as if he really does want to believe it.
I don’t answer.
“Is it real, Sienna?” He doesn’t wait for an answer as he begins to rub my skin with one of his large hands and I no longer pretend it hurts, I feel him scratch away on the press-on tattoo and he exhales in what sounds like relief. I feel him peel some of the writing off my back and mutters a string of profanities as he does—something about teaching Angel a lesson and giving my ass a hiding. He gives my ass a smack while he’s at it with the back of his hand.
“Not funny,” he says as I continue to laugh. “So not funny.”
“Oh my God, your face,” I say, coming up for air. He digs his hands into my hips and flips me over so I’m on my back; I look up at him innocently.
“Don’t give me that look.”
“Admit it, pretty funny.”
“Does it look like I’m laughing?” he repeats, he holds my wrists over my head and straddles me. “You almost gave me a heart attack.”
“Oh, stop your moaning; you get me all the time.”
“That’s because you’re as pure as the driven snow and I’d like to keep you that way.”
“Correction, I was as pure as the driven snow… until I met you.”
He smirks. “You’re going to pay for that.”
“Oh, yeah? Promises, promises, tough guy.”
He comes down over me and I squeal at the heaviness of his body, he lets go of my wrists and settles between my legs as I wrap them around his waist.
“That’s not a promise, princess, that’s an all-night free pass to do what I want as punishment for trying to emasculate me.”
I laugh out loud, as if that’s possible. “Because it’s your birthday?”
“No, because you’re mine.”
I grin up at him, still thinking I’m hilarious.
“I love you, Jayson Steelman.”
“Yeah, you say that now but you might not be saying that when I don’t let you come up for air for the next few hours.”
I laugh again. “Oh, I’ll be saying it, baby.”
He grins and kisses me hard, his tongue in my mouth, possessing me, taking me, owning me, and it feels like the first time every time.
He comes to my ear as he presses his body into mine, his heat, his hardness ripples through my body, we were made for each other. Our bodies fit together so well, like we were always meant to be.
“I love you too, babe, but if you ever do that to me again, I’ll make sure you can’t sit down for a week.”
“I’m faster than you, old man,” I remind him as he cocks an eyebrow at my cheekiness. “Sure you can still keep up with me?”
“You’re forgetting you’re under me with no chance of escape.”
“I’ll get you again when you least expect it,” I say as I gaze at him. I’ll never ever grow tired of his beautiful face; a biker shouldn’t be this handsome or taut and terrific, added to that he has a heart of gold, even if he is a grumpy son of a gun half the time.
“Goading me is never a good thing,” he reminds me, pushing his hips into mine. “Lippy little thing with a smart mouth.”
“You love it,” I murmur.
I close my eyes at the friction, when he does this to me, I’m putty in his hands and he knows it.
“Sure you don’t want to watch the sunset?” He laughs as his elbows come down to the side of my head and he kisses me like he’s going to die. When we come up for air, I’m gasping.
“Hey,” I say, trying to pull him back down, “come back.”
“Maybe your punishment should be abstinence?”
I laugh out loud; we both know he can’t abstain from sex for five minutes.
“That would be punishment for you, not me,” I remind him.
“Is that so?” he says and lifts, pretending to get off me.
I wrap my legs around him like a ninja and pull him back down with my arms around his neck.
“Not so fast, big guy,” I say reaching up as far as I can, “maybe I’ll make an exception since it’s your birthday and all.”
He grins, falling back onto me. “Shut up and show me what that mouth is really made for.”
I know now that I’ve found him, the man I’m going to spend the rest of my life with. He’s everything a man should be—strong, dependable, capable, and he loves me to bits. I’ve never felt this liberated in all my life, he lets me be myself, and he even lets me play a few innings even when he likes to think he’s in charge. We don’t have it all figured out but taking it day by day and being totally honest only helps make us stronger. I’ll never want anything else, how could I? Steel is more than enough man for me to handle.
“Getting bossy in your old age,” I say as he moves down to cover my body. I love ribbing him about being older than me.
>
“You better believe it, princess.”
“I’ll never want anything more,” I whisper. “Just you, all of you.”
“You’ve got me,” he mumbles as we kiss like long-lost lovers.
“Forever,” I murmur back.
“Forever,” he grips me tight, “I’ll love you forever, princess.”
I wrap my arms around him tightly as I give in to him, our bodies melting into one as his mouth moves to my neck and I shudder from his touch. Everything is as it should be. I open my eyes and watch the burnt orange sun as it sets on the horizon behind me, it’s magical.
I love this place, our own private Idaho with nobody else around. I grin stupidly to myself, I’m free to be me, to be happy and that is the greatest gift of all. I close my eyes and revel in our own perfect piece of paradise.
Acknowledgments
Thank you to all of the amazing people that have supported me in my journey, mainly my sister Kiki who’s been a tower of strength, thank you! And my long-suffering hubby who keeps to himself (wise move!) Apologies to my fur babies Charlie and Bear for crying into your fur when it all got too much, love you to the moon and back, thank you for keeping me sane.
I’m forever grateful to YOU the reader for taking a chance on me as a new author, and hopefully you enjoyed Steel as much as I enjoyed writing it!
I have book #2 coming shortly in this same series which is Gunner’s story (bring the tissues!) I loved every minute of bringing Gunner to life. He’ll steal your heart…..AND…..I have a brand new Bad Boys of New York romance coming soon, book #1 is called Jaxon and it’s an enemies to lovers hot read with a lot of turbulence, angst and (you guessed it!) hawt love scenes.
I’ve also co-written a stand-alone book with my sister Daktoah Fox with Jason Mamoa as our muse (cause why not?) it’s being edited as we speak and is called ‘Broken Wings – a New York love story’ and is a contemporary romance. I can’t wait to bring all these characters to life for you guys, it’s going to be a crazy rest of the year!