Chapter Twenty-One ABBIE #2
There are whoops and cheers now mingled in with the laughter, and someone pipes up from the back, “You sure that’s what she wants, Pres, cos she looks kinda squirmy?”
“Maybe we should take a vote!” Pitt laughs, and I nod my head vigorously, but a third voice, which I’m almost certain is Callie, calls out, “This is so precious, but do you think you can get the courting underway, Pres, so we can get back to our entertainment?”
That gets the largest hoots and cheers, and Ark waves a hand as he tells Signal to put the movie back on.
I expect him to drop me to my feet, but he turns and carries me into the clubhouse, his strides long and determined.
I really start squirming when we enter the hallway to the front door, but Ark reaches around to show me the palm of his very large hand. “You want another swat for the road?”
“No, I damn well don’t!”
“Good.” He swings me off his shoulder and once I’m back on my unsteady feet, I realize we’re standing next to a fully restored 1965 Electra Glide.
It’s the last panhead engine Harley Davidson produced and isn’t just a highly-sought-after collector’s item, it’s a big, gutsy beauty.
My eyes grow wide and I temporarily forget my outrage. “You finished her.”
A proud smile tugs at the corner of Ark’s mouth. “A few years back.”
“Wow. She’s beautiful.”
“Wait until you feel her open up on the road.”
I wrinkle my nose at him as he hands me a helmet. “I thought you were just winding me up. We’re really going on a field trip?”
He nods, reaching over to help me fit the helmet. “I have things to say, butterfly, and I want your undivided attention.”
My eyebrows shoot up, but he’s already swinging his leg over his bike, and my mind goes instantly hazy.
I’m well aware that Ark is an incredibly attractive man.
I’m sure he has sweetbutts falling over themselves to share his bed, and more than one unbonded omega who’s hoping for his claiming bite.
But when I look at him, I don’t see the president of the Iron Flyers, even when the club’s patch is staring me right in the face.
I see Ark, the first alpha I trusted and loved, and the symbol of my lost childhood and exile from the club.
But it’s hard to focus on the bad parts when he holds out a hand, his dark eyes sparkling. “Wanna come for a ride, butterfly?”
“I guess I’ve seen the movie before, anyway.”
It’s a weak pretext for taking his hand, but he smiles as I swing a leg over the bike and settle on the p-pad, my back nestled against the sissy bar.
It puts me a couple of inches above Ark’s seat, but he’s still big enough that I’m shadowed by his bulk.
Especially when he grabs my hands and wraps them around his washboard waist.
I expect him to reach for the handlebars, but he keeps one hand on mine while the other strokes up my bare leg. “You gonna get cold back there, sweetheart?”
I want to snort, since not only is it a balmy summer night, but I’m pressed up against the human equivalent of a furnace. Add to that the way his hand is stroking my calf, and I’m lucky I don’t burst into flames.
“All good,” I tell him, and he nods, satisfied. There are a couple of prospects on the gate, and they step back respectfully as we roar out of the gate.
It takes less time than I like to admit to be lulled into a compliant state.
My ass might still be tingling from his swats, but the Glide lives up to its reputation, the road passing beneath us like polished glass.
It’s impossible to ignore the intimacy of our positions, his body both a shield from the night air and a wall of warm muscle.
I’m also very aware of how I’m pressed to his ass, the allure of his scent like night-blooming flowers in rich, dark soil.
Heat courses through me and I try to clench my thighs to suppress the trickle of slick.
Of all the complicated alphas in the world, I am not going to perfume for this one.
Of course, my body has other ideas, and by the time he rumbles to a stop, there’s an embarrassing wet spot on my panties.
I leap off the bike before he can comment, but stop dead as I bump into a familiar chain link fence.
“What…” I pull off my helmet, blinking at the bare, empty lot. “Why are we here?”
“I want to help you put a ghost to rest.”
He’s still straddling his bike, but he nods at a nearby sign mounted on the fence. It has the logo of a development firm printed in the corner and an artist’s impression of a shiny new building. “Is this going to be a hospital?”
“A state-of-the-art omega refuge and rehabilitation center.”
I shake my head, bemused. There’s a severe shortage of medical and care facilities in this city, but this lot has been abandoned for years. “Why? No one invests in this neighborhood.”
“They do now.”
I look past the sign to the lot. Every inch of the old, burned-out boarding house has been cleared away, a new concrete slab already gleaming under the street lights. “There’s nothing left.”
“Not one goddamn skin cell.”
His harsh tone has my head whipping around and my mouth falls open. “You had something to do with this?”
“I knew an investor. Rich guy, looking to support omegas in need after we rescued his sister from a trafficking ring.”
“That’s…” My head spins to think he made this happen. Somehow, he’s wiped my slate clean and found a way to help other omegas in the process. “Ark, this is amazing.”
His fists bunch on his knees, his gaze burning into mine. “I couldn’t save you from Narkle, so I wanted to send his ghost to hell after him.”
I walk over to him, my heart pounding in my chest. The very worst things that ever happened to me occurred right here, and I never thought I’d get their stain out of my skin. “Ark…”
He opens his arms and I step right into them, tears already prickling my eyes. “I know, baby.”
I bury my face in his throat, breathing in the scent of violets and vengeance. “I can’t believe you did this.”
He rumbles against my chest, his hand stroking soothingly down my spine. “You made the fucker pay, Abbie. I just wiped any trace of him from existence.”
I sniff, pulling back to look down at my boots. “I used to come out here and kick his ashes around. Or, at least, that’s what I liked to tell myself.”
He smiles and hooks a strand of my messy hair behind my ear. “Well, we can visit the sewer I had them flushed down… Or you can hop back on the bike, and I’ll take you somewhere with a better view.”
I give a shaky laugh as I untangle myself from his arms, sliding back onto the seat behind him. He pauses to help me get settled, his gaze lingering on my bare legs. “Gotta say, no one wears denim like you do, butterfly.”
I flush, tugging on the short hem of my skirt, but then give it up as a lost cause. “You look pretty good in it yourself, Pres.”
He smirks, and that smile is etched behind my eyes as we continue the ride. I block out everything but the feel and smell of him, not just as solid and protective as a brick wall, but with a huge, generous heart that beats against mine.
I finally look up as we navigate the second hairpin bend, a smile tugging at my lips as I realize where we’re headed.
It’s a steep climb to the Pine Lake Lookout, and I shiver the closer we get to the top.
Even over the purr of the Glider, I can hear the rumble of distant thunder.
Clouds are scudding across the sky as we pull into the parking lot, the wind snapping at my limbs, at least a few degrees colder than before.
I wait for Ark to turn around, but he reaches down and pats my calf. “Let’s get off and stretch our legs.”
I look at him doubtfully, but dismount and walk to the edge of the path.
The whole city is laid out below us, a midnight carpet of sparkling lights and pockets of leafy darkness.
If it wasn’t for the lightning flashing in the distance, it’d probably make a pretty neat make-out spot.
“We should get back down before that storm hits.”
Ark has climbed off his bike, but he shrugs as he removes his helmet. “Time for at least one kiss, don’t you think?”
I smirk, my heart back to double-time as I saunter over to him.
He makes a damn compelling picture leaning against the side of his bike, but my gaze is locked on his lips.
For a big guy, Ark has a pretty mouth, and I’ve often wondered how it will feel against mine.
Not to mention what his dirty blond scruff would feel like on other parts of my body…
Which it seems I’m finally going to find out as he draws me in with a powerful arm, only stopping when I’m planted between his feet.
I run my hand up his other forearm, watching the tattoos dance against his tanned skin.
When I reach his shoulder, I trail my fingers over his collarbone before curling them around his thick neck. “Just one?” I tease.
He smiles, and I realize what a crime it is that I see it so rarely.
The tension in his face eases away and I pull him closer, right as his arm tightens on my waist. Those soft, smiling lips part beneath mine as we kiss, open-mouthed, tongues tangling the moment we connect.
It’s both hungry and languid, and my fingers slide up his nape to thread through his hair.
It’s as silky as his mouth, another harsh part of him softening under my touch.
His tongue sweeps mine, and he makes a sound in his throat, something that’s both rough and sweet at the same time.
I offer him a soft moan of my own, and his thigh slides between mine, pressing against my sex.
My stomach flutters, my panties growing slick with arousal.
As he deepens the kiss, I clutch him tighter, my other hand gripping the leather of his cut.
Every inch of my body feels electric, and I press against his chest while the approaching storm gathers behind me.
When I finally break away, we’re both grinning like giddy teenagers. “Well, that was worth the wait,” I quip.
“Mmm.” He stands slowly, making no move to reach for his helmet. “It’s definitely a great start.”
I cock a brow at him and look over my shoulder at the darkening sky. “We should probably head back though.”
“Why would we do that, butterfly?” He steps forward until we’re toe-to-toe, something dark and hungry flickering in his eyes. “We haven’t had the best part of the trip yet.”
“Oh, yeah?” I peer down into the dark woods. “You planning on lighting a campfire and braiding my hair?”
“Tempting, but I was thinking more along the lines of showing you exactly how much I want you.”
“Oh…” I lick my lips, my heart jumping at the deeper notes in his scent. Even here with a storm brewing on the horizon, I can smell his arousal. Something that goes beyond dominance ripples off him, making my skin prickle with anticipation. “What did you have in mind?”
He nods towards the hiking trail that loops down to the lake at the bottom of the rise. “I thought I’d give you a five-minute headstart and then chase you down our old path.”
I snort. The last time we were up here together was on my seventeenth birthday. A bunch of us came to swim and hike and while there were other kids around, I distinctly remember watching Ark for most of the outing.
“You think you can remember the way in the dark?”
I widen my eyes at him. “Uh, I think I can remember how to trip over and break my ass…”
“Don’t be pessimistic.” He hooks a finger around my dog tags, pulling me closer. “I have great faith in your evasive skills. You’ve been running from me for a long time, butterfly.”
I slap his hand away. “Running from you? You’ve had half the club spying on me!”
“I meant emotionally. You’re an emotional runner, sweetheart. In fact, you probably hold the land speed record.”
“You’re ridiculous!” I splutter, shivering as a stray gust pulls at my hair. “Come on, Ark, it’s going to rain!”
“You think I care about getting a little wet?” A wicked smile curves his lips. “Besides, you already rubbed that sweet little wet spot all over me.”
“Ark!” I back up a step, trying a different tactic. If he wants to play, I’m definitely up for it, but not on the side of a mountain in a storm. “I think we should take this back to my suite. A warm shower, that big, comfy bed…”
“Oh no, butterfly.” He shakes his head, his eyes tracking my every move. “You don’t get to wiggle your way out of this.”
“I’m still not sure what you think is going to happen here.”
“I’m gonna give you a head start. You’re gonna run. I’m gonna find you and show you what happens when you get under a man’s skin and don’t let him up for air.”
Holy hell. Is he’s really going to do this?
“That doesn’t make sense,” I mutter, then hop back a step as he starts walking towards me, slow and deliberate.
“I’m just saying, you made that beautiful pack suite for us, right?
Designed it with all those pretty jewel colors that you know I love so much.
” He arches a brow at me, but I know it’s true.
I once told him about my fascination with peacock feathers, and the next day there was one tucked into my schoolbag, like he’d planted an iridescent flag in my heart.
“You always planned for us to end up there together, so why don’t we go make all your dreams come true? ”
He makes a rumbling sound, but he doesn’t stop stalking me. “That sounds pretty good, but right now I want you all to myself.”
“Well, that’s kind of hard when I have a pack. You’ll have to work on your sharing skills, Pres.”
“Oh, I’ve got no problems sharing you with them. The second, third, and hundredth times.” His smirk is all dark, wicked promise. “But the first time is all mine.”
The path ends under my feet, giving way to the hiking trail, and I stop abruptly. I prop a hand on my hip, trying to keep the tremor out of my voice. “Ark, do you really want to chase me through the woods like a couple of animals in heat?”
He leans forward, brushing my hair off my shoulder to bare my ear to his mouth. “Fly, Omega.”
I run.