Chapter 4
Talia
“Are you sure about this?” Rick asks, needlessly helping me into his truck.
My glare is the only response I give him. The chuckle from the back seat startles me and I move faster than my body is capable of right now, bringing a groan from me when I see eyes so much like my own staring back at me.
“Well then, you get to be our designated driver,” he says when he climbs behind the wheel. “Now, don’t get pissed at me, but Tanner wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer when he heard about the party.”
“Momma’s gonna kill you,” I tell him, slowly turning back around in my seat and clicking my belt into place. “Both of you.”
“Come on! This is going to be epic!” Tanner’s excitement pulls a grin from me. “Just don’t tell the parents. I mentioned that some of my buddies were going camping. So, they probably think that’s where I am.”
“I will omit. I will not lie,” Rick and I respond in unison with a pledge we started as kids, and the three of us laugh, remembering all the times we covered for each other.
*
Pulling up to the new gate, I’m not surprised to see that the party has kicked off. It’s barely ten, but music is blasting from speakers as others finish setting up makeshift bars in the front yard.
As if on cue, Timber walks through the entrance to the clubhouse and the man behind him slaps him on the back before pointing in our direction.
“Tanner,” I call his name as he slides out of the backseat. “This is a marathon, not a sprint. Keep eating and drinking water in between whatever else you do. If a sign says that an area is ‘off limits’, it is completely off limits. It’s not like the janitor’s closet in high school, understood?”
The cocky grin he gives me, along with a nod, does not ease my worries, but Tarak is nearly at the truck, so I push that away for now.
“I missed you.” Are the first words out of his mouth as he’s opening my door.
“Me too,” I reply, just as his lips hit mine. Within seconds, my back is pinned to the frame and my legs are wrapped around his hips. His hard cock is pressed against my stomach, reinforcing his words.
Moaning against his mouth, I lean forward, following him when he breaks off the kiss and looks worried.
“You okay? Was I too rough?” he asks me, letting out a low groan as I move my lips down along his neck. “How are you feeling?”
“No. God, I missed your …”
“Stop!” Rick’s normally low voice is a few octaves higher as he shrieks from the driver’s seat. “Christ, I’m right here.”
I can’t help the giggle that escapes me when I look over my shoulder to where he’s holding his keys out to me, reminding me I’m driving him and Tanner home later.
Timber’s loud guffaw earns him a glare from Rick as I snag the keys. “Come on, big brother.”
Looking toward the newly reconstructed front of the clubhouse, I smile, knowing it must have taken some doing to get it finished in time for this.
“How was your trip?” Rick asks Tarak.
“It made me wish I was back home on that Sleep Number bed,” Tarak easily dodges the question that Rick meant as small talk, but that I know better than to ask. Regardless, I stick my elbow into his rib cage and allow a small grin even as I keep my eyes straight ahead. “Oh, ah, I meant back home with you, baby.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I teasingly reply as we approach a grouping of tables. “Lots of new faces around here.”
“Besides our guys, I’ve only met a few of the men from Idaho …”
“Who’s that?” Rick’s eyes are locked on an attractive blond who’s exiting the clubhouse with Declan and an older man. All three of them are wearing a Northern Grizzlies cut.
“Down boy,” Tarak responds, his voice low so his words won’t carry beyond us. “She’s probably one of the Ol’ Ladies, so tread carefully. No man here will take it lightly if you hit on their woman. Fuck.”
My eyes quickly whip from his face to see Tanner approaching the woman in question with an extra beer in his hand.
“I’ll get him,” Rick blurts out, hurrying in their direction before either of us can react.
“I warned them to be respectful,” I tell Tarak when he lets out a sigh.
“Why don’t you give me those keys? It looks like I’ll be babysitting today,” he says, keeping his eyes on them.
Luckily, the people with Declan don’t seem to mind my brothers’ intrusion or the bickering that ensues.
“Any idea who that is?” I ask my Ol’ Man.
“That’s got to be Flint. His father founded the Northern Grizzlies,” Tarak says before pausing. “I don’t think that’s his Ol’ Lady, but what do I know?”
“That’s Fury,” a woman speaks up from behind me and we both turn to see a lady with auburn hair who’s about my mom’s age. “Her grandfather was one of the other founders. Sorry to startle you, I’m Bree. Flint’s Ol’ Lady. You’re the firefighter, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” I draw out the word, looking up at Tarak in confusion. “Talia.”
“We heard about what happened,” she replies, warmly smiling at me before looking up at Timber. “Can I steal her away from you? My friends want to meet her.”
“Keep her hydrated and off her feet as much as she’ll let you.” Timber’s instructions for my care are cut off by her soft laugh and a quick nod of agreement.
“I’m driving tonight. You go have fun,” I tell him as she pulls me off in the direction of a makeshift bar with a group of women off to one side of it.
At first glance, I notice the difference in their ages and how they present themselves, causing me to suppress a smile. From the more blatantly sexual to the demure, from those younger than me and going up to Bree’s age, some are noticeably pregnant while others are holding a shot and a beer. When they turn to greet me though and start introductions, there’s no doubt that their friendships are bound by more than the name on the cuts they’re wearing.
With my work schedule and being injured on the job, I’ve only gotten to know a few of the Ol’ Ladies here. I hope that down the line I’ll have relationships like these women seem to have.
“Actually, my older brother lives up in Idaho,” I say in response to one of the women asking me if I’d ever been up that way. “I visited him once a couple of years ago, but Timber and I have been talking about getting up there again.”
Bree nudges me toward a picnic table as she thrusts a bottle of water into my hand, and I continue telling them about Rick’s job and answering questions about my recent injuries.
When several of them look up past me, I turn and smile—relieved to be able to introduce Dylan to the group and divert some of their focus away from me.
“It’s a lot at first,” one of the women from Idaho says, as she sits down next to me and motions to everyone. “I grew up with my mom and grandma, then suddenly I have all of them.”
“I grew up in a huge family, but I think that’s the difference—they were just always there,” I respond, taking a sip of water to buy me time as I try to remember her name. “I can rattle off all their names without thinking. It’s just like my family has tripled suddenly and I’m finding out that I’m awful learning new names.”
“Well, I’m Molly,” she says with a laugh, gently touching my forearm before lifting it and indicating two different men. “I’m Royce’s Ol’ Lady and Flint’s my father. But the two of us only recently found that out.”
“Oh! Do spill,” I respond, nudging her and she smiles before continuing.
Bree, who turns out to be her stepmother, comes over with more water for me and adds to the tale.
After we chat, I slowly make my way over to talk to some of the others and next, Diesel’s Ol’ Lady. I’m ashamed to admit that I had been really intimidated by Colette, even as I’m happy to finally realize a very simple fact.
Walking into a crowd of people isn’t that awful, as long as I make the effort to get to know them one at a time. Exhausting, yes, but also kind of fun.
Timber
“So, this ugly son-of-a-bitch goes from being the dirtiest, up-for-anything dog to a fucking monk overnight.” Connal’s exuberant brand of storytelling has gained momentum with each beer he downs. Hell, we’re all half in the bag by now, I think. My eyes flickering over my brothers’ faces and those from Idaho—easily telling by their smile that they know this tale by heart. “We all thought he had cancer or something equally terminal.”
“Vice picked up his slack without any complaints,” one of the younger guys pipes up, shrugging his shoulder.
“You should talk, Royce,” another calls out. “You had to start a lottery system to satisfy all your groupies.”
“They merely showed me how wonderful Molly is.” His easy-going smile widens when his eyes fall on a woman on the other side of the bonfire. “And if a man among you didn’t know what that lightning bolt felt like, you’d be inside fucking, or trying to fuck, the muffler bunnies who came out for this.”
“Amen,” I conclude, raising my red plastic cup in salute.
For my part, I know exactly where Talia is. I’ve been keeping one eye on her all night, worried about her overdoing it.
“Hey,” Axel greets me, tilting a bottle of whiskey in my direction. I grab it and take a swig, enjoying the burn as it goes down. “Declan said our Ol’ Ladies’ new cuts will be here tomorrow.”
I snort, wondering about the delivery. “Don’t tell me, one of the nuns got a day pass from the orphanage to come drop them off?”
“Fuck off,” he says, reaching out to grab the bottle back. “Besides, a few of them could drink some of the zygotes inside under the table. Fuck, I’m not even thirty-five yet and the prospects look like they just got their training wheels off.”
“Yeah, aren’t they about your wife’s age?” I bite back with a chortle. Damn, I’m on a roll tonight ! I snag the whiskey out of his hand as he chokes on his mouthful of whiskey.
“Now I sincerely mean it—Fuck off!” he slugs me in the shoulder as I take my turn with the bottle. “She’s mature for her age.”
I nod, respecting him enough to bite my tongue on the rest of my liquor-soaked smart-assery. “How’s Joey dealing with things?”
“She’s wound up tight, but that’s kind of how she processes all the bad crap. She’s had a few more cocktails than usual, and with this going on, I figure we’ll give it a few days, then take a little trip.” He’s slow to respond as he studies her where she’s sitting beside Talia. “Maybe dancing will help.”
“I’m not dancing with you,” I deadpan and hold tight to the bottle when he snorts and tries to take it back. Taking another shot before I relinquish it, I realize that I’ve never danced with Talia and tonight will be as good a time as any. “The Grizzlies seem like a decent bunch.”
“They are. Royce over there, he helped rescue Joey when she was taken. The second time, that is. Shade, and even Roy back when he was younger, are their version of Wolfman. I haven’t met many of the younger guys, but that kid, Hyde? Flint and Bree adopted him—so that tells me all I need to know about him.”
“The guy with the limp? He was telling me about the accident, fucking brutal.”
“Yeah, well, why don’t you hold on to this for me,” he says, pushing the bottle back into my hands. “Unless you changed your mind about that dance?”
“Fuck off.” I shoot his words back at him.
“You ain’t my type anyway.”
Shaking my head at his back, I watch him navigate his way over to Joey and good naturedly accept the comments from those around her as he drags her toward the clubhouse. When Talia’s eyes fall on me, I tilt my head to the side, inviting her to join me.
“How are you feeling?” I ask her when she’s close enough for me to see the glint in her eyes.
“Funny, I was going to ask you that very question,” she answers with a nod toward the bottle I’m holding.
“Ish nawt mine, Osicfer,” I mock-slur out the words.
“So, I have a question,” she says, ignoring my nonsense. “Where’s the debauchery? I thought this would be like an orgy.”
“Have you been to many orgies?” I ask, more than a little amused as I hip-check her. “And if you thought that, why did you bring your brothers?”
“I don’t know what you said to Rick before you left, but he’s barely let me out of his sight,” Talia states, looking like she just remembered that she was annoyed at me. “And he told Tanner about tonight. You know Tanner’s like a dog with a bone when he decides on something.”
“And he came hoping for an orgy?” I ask with a grin, looking around until I see Fury standing near a keg. Tanner’s nowhere in sight, but she’s laughing at something that Rick is saying. I nod my head in their direction, “Looks like little brother went searching for an easier target, and big brother isn’t giving up so fast.”
“Hmm,” she hums, her eyebrows knitting together before she thinks of something, and she looks at me in amusement. “By the way, everyone’s speculating that I’m pregnant. I’m not, but since I’m not drinking, the other women are teasing me about it, and I didn’t want you to panic if you heard anything.”
“Damn,” I let out the word as I exhale and we share a grin, knowing we’re on the same page about when we want to start trying for kids. “I appreciate the heads-up. Hearing that on top of the whiskey would have knocked me on my ass.”
“So, I was thinking,” Talia says, trying to contain a grin. “Wanna sneak off and hook up?”
“Does my very good girl have a tatted-biker fantasy she wants to explore?” I ask her in return, as I slide my arm over her shoulders and run through places we could use for a quickie that have just the hint of danger. I don’t want any of my brothers actually catching a glimpse of her, but if she wants to play, then there’s a storage closet just down the hall from the bar that might do the trick.
Talia sticks her bottom lip out and I lean down to gently kiss it before leading her inside.
Through the door, there’s a crush of people, which makes it easy for us to avoid getting stopped on our way to the storage closet I have in mind. The only barrier is the actual door itself. It refuses to budge when I yank on it harder the second time.
Suddenly, a burst of giggles coming from the other side of the wood door gives me a clear answer as to why it’s locked.
“Well, crap,” I grunt, looking over my shoulder for another place we can sneak off to.
“Almost done!” Throttle’s voice clearly comes through, quickly followed by an ‘ouch’.
I recoil, ushering Talia further into the building.
“Is that Throttle and Dylan?” she whispers, her hand over her mouth like they’re close enough to hear her.
“Yeah, come on,” I answer her, nudging her to move faster so they don’t catch us in the hallway. “Actually, I got a better idea.”
Prior to the trip with Wolfman, I needed to catch Diesel, who was up on the roof angling a satellite dish after the inspector cleared the work that had been completed. Now, I’m thinking that the top of this two-story building is out of the way enough to give us some privacy, with the hint of adventure that my Ol’ Lady seems to be looking for.
“Right through here,” I say, hitting the light switch to illuminate the stairs as I make sure that the lock catches on the door behind us. My plan isn’t foolproof—there’s a coded entry so I know that not everyone has access to the roof, but I don’t want us tripped up by random guests finding their way upstairs.
“Oh! It’s beautiful up here!” She turns into my embrace, and I breathe a sigh of relief that my first choice was occupied.
My eyes search out the dark corners, making sure that we are alone and to find a place where we won’t be spotted if someone comes through the door.
“Hey, stay back from the edge,” I softly call out to her a moment later. “Get that sweet ass of yours over here.”
“No one saw me,” her voice is just above a whisper. When she turns, she slides her cut off before pulling her T-shirt over her head. I stop her from undoing her bra, for once acting like the cautious one in this relationship.
“And no one will, if I have any say about it,” I grunt back. Reaching forward, I catch her cut and tee, not wanting either to touch the ground and know we have to have a discussion about how she needs to treat her cut later. Placing them on top of the machinery beside me, I nearly drop them myself as the moonlight makes her pale skin glow.
“What’s that look for?” she asks, suddenly shy as she reaches for me, pressing her body against mine to hide from my view.
“I don’t think I can be gentle tonight,” I tell her, my large palm cupping her cheek, giving her one chance to stop me.
“I’m b…”
“I’ve had broken ribs, Talia,” I hiss out, my frustration growing. “I know you aren’t fully healed yet.”
“No, but I’m better and I can take you,” she replies. The eager look she’s giving me tells me she wants me as badly as I need her. “It’s been too long.”
My mouth slams down on hers, even as I tell myself I’ll be careful. Talia’s arms drop and I quickly realize she’s lowering her shorts, so I reach down to get started on my belt; just pushing my jeans down far enough to free my cock.
“Get up on me,” I growl, spreading my legs as I brace my back against the wall behind me.
It’s the moment that I’ve thought about for so long, maybe not on a rooftop with the hum of voices filtering up to us and a band playing in the background, but the feel of Talia’s pussy sliding down my cock, when we’re finally skin to skin—is every bit as divine as I knew it would be.
She’s on birth control and there’s no doubt in my mind we’re in it for life. Even if I knock her up, I’ll have a ring on her finger and our vows exchanged before our child makes an appearance.
“Did I mention I missed you?” she moans, rolling her head back as she tightens her pussy like a vise around my dick.
“Show me how much.”
With my hands gripping her ass, I help her slide back up, supporting her as she tries to find her rhythm; I have to admit this position is impossible. Holding her to me, I slide down the wall—dropping at the last moment and scaring a little scream out of her.
“Better,” she murmurs, her legs now braced on the ground as she rocks up and down my length.
Leaning forward, I lick along the top of her breast and tease her nipples through the satin fabric of her bra. They’re practically pebbles when I pop them free and alternate sucking them into my mouth.
“Much, much better,” she whispers, increasing her speed. “Come with me, Timber.”
“Nah, you go on ahead,” I reply with a chuckle, trying to play it cool.
Her snort lets me know she’s not buying that for a second. I guess I’ve got to up my game.
Sliding one hand down her stomach, I feel a shiver course through her just as I slide my finger over her clit. Talia’s hands squeeze down on my shoulders as I start to flick her little bean until she throws her head back and screams her release into the cool night air.
Gripping her hips, I give a final hard thrust up into her pussy and grunt as I release my cum inside of her. A primal feeling comes over me as I think about the day we repeat this act with the intent of making a baby.
My musings are interrupted when Talia gasps and wraps her arms over her chest, looking around as a blush rises up her throat. That’s when I hear it—Talia’s screams were obviously heard over the music and some of the guys are echoing them down in the yard below us.
There’s no stopping the chuckle that bursts out of me because I know damn well that I’d do the same thing if I were down there.
“That isn’t funny!” she says, smacking my chest as she slides off my cock. “They’ll all know it was me!”
“They’re not going to know, babe,” I reply, even though I know that the blush on her face will give her away. “Come on, let’s go get cleaned up and find some food.”
She mutters to herself as she pulls her T-shirt and cut back on and I tone down my grin. This was her idea after all, and I find myself not caring that the guys heard how satisfied Talia was.
Exiting the clubhouse, movement near one of the bonfires catches my eye and there’s no missing the shit eating grins that Throttle and a couple of the guys are sending our way.
By my side, Talia stumbles when she registers their reaction. I simply hold her closer and steer her toward Joey and Dylan as I frown at my brothers.