Chapter 1 #2
“Hey babe!” I sit down next to my best friend.
I hear the door open behind us and instinctively look to see who it is. Linc. He looks over at us, nods and walks to the other side of the bar. I turn my focus back to Mindy and see the look in her eyes as she watches Linc.
“I ordered you a drink. Double Crown and Sprite.”
“You’re the best. Okay, so tell me all about everything that I’ve been missing out on!” I demand.
“Well, the bar is doing great. He’s definitely making a profit off the place, which is good because I wasn’t sure we could turn this place around from what it had been turned into before.”
“Kevin ran it into the ground pretty good.”
“Oh, yeah. Completely. But now that Cass is running it, things are starting to pick up and take off. You know, there have been a lot of bikers coming in, and they are the most respectful and down to earth people I’ve ever been around.
It almost makes me wonder how they got stuck with such a bad reputation. ”
I think of the night at the clubhouse when the Moccasins returned me and what Cass had done to them right in front of my face.
The only emotion he showed was sympathy for me.
He never even flinched when he pulled the trigger or when their lifeless bodies crumbled to the ground. That’s where they got their reputation.
“Almost, huh?” I ask.
“Yep. Almost. I know that there’s probably a lot that the public doesn’t see. Some of it good, some of it bad. But I’m just gonna choose to be blind to it and pretend they’re the nicest people I’ve ever met, because they are when they’re in here.”
“I’ve only been around the guys at the clubhouse. I kind of haven’t been able to go out by myself.”
Mindy laughs. “I noticed. Speaking of…” she trails off as her head turns in Linc’s direction. He is sitting on the other end of the L-shaped bar.
“I don’t know a whole lot about him. I know he isn’t from here and doesn’t have anyone family-wise. But as far as a girlfriend, well, you’ll have to find that out for yourself.”
I know what my words will do. Sure enough, Mindy quirks a brow at me for a split second before getting up and walking across the bar to Linc.
Linc pulls out the barstool next to him for Mindy to sit.
They’re smiling and talking and from what I can see across the room, it looks like they’re hitting it off.
I light a cigarette and sip my drink. For the first time since I got here, I look at the girl behind the bar.
Lucy, Shorty’s wife, is working and she’s handling the crowd well for being a new bartender.
I watch as she scans the bar tentatively, ensuring all the customers are taken care of.
That’s a quality that’s hard to find in bartenders, which makes me glad to have her as a part of our staff.
Lucy approaches the side of the bar where I’m sitting.
“Your face looks so much better!” she beams. I’ve been watching my bruises fade a little every day. They’re still here but damn do they look a hell of a lot better than they did. Soon, the evidence of that terrible night will no longer be written across my cheek.
“Thanks love!”
“You good on your drink or do you need one?” she asks.
“I think I need another one and a blueberry bomb.”
“You got it.” Lucy fixes my drink, and I stare at Mindy and Linc.
Linc’s usual stone-faced demeanor is replaced with softness and a smile.
I can’t help but feel a pang of jealousy, though, because this is the first time I’ve really been out of the clubhouse in days and around Mindy and she bailed on me.
I hear exhaust pipes over the sound of the jukebox. More than one, but I’m not sure how many. I look at Linc. He meets me with a stare of his own but there’s no concern on his face. That means it’s Hounds. Which means Cass. Great.
The front door opens, and Cass walks in with Snapper, Scott, and Old School right behind him. He scans the room until he spots me in the corner only a few feet from him. He smiles and comes to greet me.
“Hi.”
“Hi,” I beam as Lucy sits another drink and shot down on the bar.
“I’ll have the same thing,” he calls to Lucy before sitting down in the chair that Mindy had abandoned.
“I might not look it, but I’m pissed.” Cass smiles through gritted teeth as he says the words.
“I don’t know why. It isn’t like I just ran off. I brought the new babysitter with me and everything.”
“I expected you to be at the bar when I was done with church.”
“And I expected you to be around more often than to just sleep and then leave again the next morning,” I fire back.
Cass’s nostrils flare. “Do you even have any fucking idea what I’m doing?” His voice is loud, but controlled. He isn’t loud enough for everyone else to hear, but it’s loud in my damn ear.
“No. I don’t have any fucking idea what you’re doing because you’re never around to fucking say anything!” I have a buzz already and that liquid courage is giving me balls. Balls that I’m not sure I can back up, but balls nonetheless.
His frustration is evident on his face. Eyebrows drawn together.
Mouth in a taut line. I’m pressing his buttons and he’s fighting to keep his temper under control.
Lucy sets down Cass’s drink and shot on the bar and walks away.
Cass tosses back the shot and downs the double Crown and Sprite in two gulps.
“Say your goodbyes and meet me outside.” Cass’s demand is firm as he stands and walks out. Scott silently follows him out the door. I didn’t even notice him over there after he walked in.
“Bye, love.” I hug Mindy and kiss her cheek.
“You’re leaving already?” Mindy’s disappointment makes me sad.
“Yeah, but we will get together soon,” I promise, walking out the door.
Cass and Scott are already seated on their bikes when I walk out.
I open the saddlebag of Cass’s bike and grab my helmet.
I put it on in silence and then climb onto the back of Cass’s bike.
The ride to the clubhouse is comforting.
The night air is sticky, yet cool, and I can feel the moisture in the air as we ride.
Cass and Scott stay side by side, taking curves faster than I think they should, yet never losing synchronicity.
I didn’t realize until now how much I’ve missed riding. Something about it makes me feel better about everything and the buzz I have helps a little, too. The ride is over way too soon, though, and we arrive at the clubhouse.
Snapper and Old School’s bikes are out front alongside my car.
I step off the bike, my hand clinging to his shoulder for support. He doesn’t say anything as he unstraps my helmet for me and shoves it into the saddlebag. Scott is already walking inside when Cass grabs me by the hand.
I jerk my arm out of his grasp. “What is your issue?” I ask, my voice a bit louder than I intended.
“What is my issue? You can’t be serious! I’m going to fucking war for you and all you can think about is the fact that I’m not here with you? That’s a little fucking selfish and inconsiderate, Lilly, don’t you think?”
“That’s not fair. I’m stuck here, unable to leave— “
“There you go being selfish again! You think I want you to have to stay here? You think these men want to stay here all the damn time? No! They’re here for you, Lilly!”
Tears prick the back of my eyes. I am being selfish and I couldn’t even see it. I hang my head and turn to walk to the clubhouse.
“Where are you going?”
“Inside,” I say, as if it were obvious.
He grabs my hand again and leads me inside. No one is at the bar when we walk through, and I find that odd for a Saturday.
Cass’s grip on my wrist is firm, but he isn’t rough with me no matter how angry he is. He stops just inside our bedroom as soon as he closes the door behind us.
“Kneel down,” he commands.
I kneel and although the buzz I had from a few drinks is fading quickly, that little bit of alcohol left in my system fuels my mouth.
“What are you gonna do, spank me? I’ve heard about that whole power trip bullshit and let me just tell you that spanking isn’t my— “
“Oh no, baby. I’m not going to spank you. I’m going to fuck you.”
The promise in his voice makes my panties wet.
He’s dark and brooding, sexy, and powerful.
I look up at him from where I sit, kneeling in front of him.
He grabs a fist full of my hair and gently tugs me up to his level.
His actions are almost contradictory to his tone.
He’s firm, yet gentle, and it makes no fucking sense to me.
Cass’s large hand grips the nape of my neck and pulls me in close before his lips crash into mine.
Hot, blueberry-flavored tongues collide as Cass unleashes all his anger into desire for me.
His hands roam my body, scouring every inch with thirst. His fingers grip and grab all over, as if he’s fighting with himself to go slow and enjoy it while taking his time or rip everything to shreds and take what he wants.
My hands fumble at the belt on his waist as he hungrily devours my lips. My head tilts back, breaking our kiss as I moan his name.
His hands slide down my torso, undoing my blue jeans before I’m done finagling his belt.
He grips my hands and slams them above my head, while his other hand has his belt undone in a millisecond.
His jeans drop to the floor with a soft thud, and he releases my hands long enough to slip out of his cut and t-shirt before he slams them back above my head.
My shirt rides up, the bottom of it hanging on my tits, exposing my tanned stomach to him.
Cass’s mouth is back on mine, and he releases my hands to explore my body.
He touches just low enough on my stomach to send sparks through my abdomen before he grips my shirt in the center of my chest, ripping it wide open.
He doesn’t pause to take it off before his hand is behind my back unclasping my bra.
I welcome the feel of him undressing me, thriving on it.