Chapter 5 Heron
“How long do you think they’re gonna be in there?” Hawk asked, flicking ash from a cigarette onto the concrete sidewalk outside the salon.
“Fuck if I know,” Talon replied. “I’m fucking bored.”
“Stop bitchin’,” I laughed. “None of us are doing much with our women inside.”
Hawk ticked his chin at me. “You claiming Rebel?”
“Yeah. I am.”
Talon laughed. “I knew it. You owe me twenty bucks, Hawk.”
Hawk lifted his hand and flipped him the middle finger. “I said he would claim her too.”
“But you also said it would take another month. I didn’t.”
Hawk mumbled under his breath, flicked his smoke to the ground, and stomped out the cinders. Reaching for his wallet, he pulled a twenty and slapped it onto Talon’s palm.
“Easiest money I ever made,” Talon joked.
“How many of you fuckers are betting on this? Everyone?”
“Yep. Even Crow,” Talon answered with a shrug.
Damn. Not even my pres held back. First, they made wagers on whether I could work things out with Rebel. Now this.
“Don’t look like someone pissed in your Cheerios, man. It’s not the only bet circulating.”
“Let me guess. My crow,” I answered with a groan.
“We all wanna see what you can do, brother.” Talon grinned. “I’m betting you have superhero qualities.”
“You’re an asshole,” I announced, flipping him off.
Talon lifted his hands, trying to hold back laughter. “Why am I getting shit from both of you? No sense of humor from either of you fuckers.”
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I wish we brought Cuckoo instead.”
I had to agree with Hawk. “Yeah.”
Talon slapped a hand over his chest. “Now my feelings are hurt.”
Hawk pushed off the wall he’d been leaning against. He approached Talon and slung his arm around his shoulders. “You wanna ride bitch on my bike? I’ll drive around until your feelings recover.”
He shoved Hawk. “Fuck off with that shit.”
Laughing, I shook my head. “Still bored, Talon?”
He lifted his hands and both middle fingers. “You can both fuck off.”
It took a few minutes before Hawk and I could stop snickering. The doors to the salon opened, and Bella walked out. Bree, Callie, and Gail followed.
No Rebel. Shit.
“Where’s my girl?” I asked as Bella slipped on her sunglasses.
“Finishing up her manicure. She wanted something special.”
“I’ll wait for her.”
Bella smiled. “She said to tell you it shouldn’t be much longer.”
Hawk ticked his chin toward me. “You good?”
“Yeah, brother. I’ll bring her home later.” I didn’t have to say it, but Hawk and Talon understood I wanted extra time with Rebel. Alone.
“See ya back at The Roost,” Bella called out as she waved, heading to the SUV. When all the women were inside and buckled, she started the engine and left the lot. Hawk and Talon followed on their bikes.
This worked out better than I could have hoped. I wanted time alone with Rebel, but now I didn’t have to find a way to make it happen. We had the whole day to do whatever we wanted.
Rebel walked out of the salon less than five minutes later. I swear to fuck; I forgot to breathe as she walked toward me, hair bouncing around her shoulders, free of the braids. I’d never seen it loose before now, and the soft curls shined in the early afternoon of the Nevada summer sun.
It was her smile that did me in. Sweet, sultry, and full of promise.
Fuck. My cock lengthened in my jeans as I noticed the shorts she wore and her long legs bared to my view. She’d worn leggings when the women arrived for their appointment.
Suddenly, it clicked. She did this for me. A change of clothes. Fresh makeover.
Goddamn, I wanted her.
“Ready for a ride, Spark?” And I meant that in more ways than one. My bike. My cock. Whatever the fuck she wanted.
She paused as she reached me. Her hand rested at her hip, and I followed from there, dragging my gaze over her belly, up over her generous tits, and the slim column of her throat before reaching her mouth. I didn’t move from there, needing to taste that cherry lip gloss I did last time and feel the softness of her lips.
“You going to stare or kiss me, Heron?”
I didn’t hesitate. Moving forward, I slid an arm around her waist and tugged her against me. The movement brought her into my hips, and I knew she felt the hard bulge when she shifted closer. My hands slid to her ass and gripped tight. If we’d been alone, I would have lifted her and stretched her legs around me so I could press my dick into that tight wet center of hers. I wanted to hear her moan and say my name. To cry out with pleasure when I made her come.
She had me worked up that fast.
“Love, if I kiss you right now, it won’t stop there.”
“Then I guess we should have our date before you fuck me.”
A shiver ghosted down my spine. Her sweet mouth saying that dirty word conjured a slew of scenarios in my head that ended up with me pumping hard between her thighs.
Wait. She said date. “We’re datin’ now?”
“You want to be with me? I want dates. Movies. Dinners. Rides on your bike. All of it. Plural, as in multiple times.”
A grin stretched my mouth wide. “And when do I get lucky?”
“As soon as I decide I can’t hold out any longer.”
I liked the sound of that. “Then I’ll make it my mission to get you hot and bothered, writhing on my seat and begging for my cock.”
A throat cleared as an older woman walked around us on the sidewalk. She made a noise of disgust in her throat, and I knew she had heard us. I didn’t care.
Neither did Rebel. She giggled. “That lady has no idea of the fun she’s missing.”
“Probably not,” I agreed. “Let’s ride, Love.”
I reached for her hand, sliding my fingers through hers as I led her to my bike. I wasn’t sure if she had ever ridden before and opened my saddlebags, digging out the extra helmet. Didn’t wear them much myself, but I kept two in case I had a rider. Funny, but I wasn’t the type of guy to put a woman on the back of my bike unless she meant something to me.
The thought reminded me of Cerys. She fucking loved to ride. My ex took to it like a pro. Thinking of her irritated me. I hated that she seemed to surface when I was with Rebel. It probably had a lot to do with how things ended between us.
Pushing those thoughts aside, I lifted the helmet and placed it over Rebel’s head. “You ever ride?”
“A few times.”
Hmmm. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. She hung out with bikers and lived at The Roost. Still, it irritated me.
“Who?” I asked, unable to stop myself from finding out.
“Cuckoo. Carrion. Even Falcon once.” She placed her hand on my arm. “It won’t be the same as riding with you.”
No, it wouldn’t. I didn’t have a chance to get jealous with a comment like that.
My gaze dropped to her nails. She’d gotten them painted with a unique design. Each nail had a different object on the surface: a crow, a motorcycle, and a blazing flame of fire stood out the most. My spark. She might not have told me it was official yet, but with my crow and the flame, she all but declared it to the world.
“It’s a spark,” she whispered. “Your spark.”
“You’re too damn cute, Rebel.” I leaned down and quickly kissed her lips, needing that little bit of connection. “I’m wearing you down.”
She snorted. “It’ll take more than a manicure and a ride on your Harley.”
“We’ll see.” I was confident that a date, a few kisses, and a ride on my bike would be all she needed to want more.
When I had her helmet strapped on, I threw a leg over my bike, settling onto the leather seat. Rebel climbed on behind me. Her hands slid around my waist, clasping together just inches above my cock.
“You need to scoot closer.”
“How close?”
“Until those sexy thighs are wrapped tight around me.”
She wiggled her bottom until any space between us had been eliminated. “That good?”
Oh, yeah. “Perfect, Love.”
“Where are we going?”
“You don’t have a preference?” I asked, wondering how much of this day she planned.
“Nope. Surprise me.”
So that was what she wanted. Spontaneity. A wild ride. The wind in her hair and all her cares left behind. I could do that. Plus, I wanted her to see that I could show her a good time apart from life at The Roost and the parties.
I started my bike and eased away from the curb, slowly leaving the parking lot to merge onto the road. It was hot as hell out today, and I thought of something she might enjoy. Rebel looked too pretty to watch her melt in the heat. When I glanced at her nails, I saw a shark on one of them. It gave me an idea.
I’d have her experiencing a whole new world in only twenty minutes.
Rebel didn’t say anything during our ride. She squeezed my leg when we turned, riding into the parking lot of The Mandalay Bay. If she knew where I was taking her, she didn’t say. I found a parking spot close to the front and turned my bike into the empty space.
She stood when I shut off the engine, ripping off the helmet with a squeal. “Are we going to see the sharks?”
Yep. “Destination Shark Reef Aquarium,” I confirmed.
“Heron! I’ve always wanted to see it!”
So she hadn’t been here before now. Score one for me.
I flashed her a grin, stowing her helmet before I led her by the hand inside.
She barely registered the decor, which reminded me a bit of an Indiana Jones movie. I knew inside and beyond the ticketing area a hidden temple, exotic plants, thousands of creatures, and, of course, the sharks awaited. I’d been here a couple of times before but refused to dwell on who I came with. Cerys was my past, not my present or future. That title belonged to Rebel.
She hopped from foot to foot in excitement as we waited in line and purchased tickets. As soon as we had them, she tugged me toward the exhibit and into that underwater world I knew she adored. No girl who painted a shark on her fingernail did so unless she loved them.
I laughed as she pulled me from one area into another, only pausing to stare at fish and other aquatic life a few seconds at a time. Her impatience was fucking adorable. We stopped first inside the tunnel and stood beneath the glass enclosure. Sharks, fish, stingrays, and other creatures swam by and over us.
“It’s like we’re in the middle of the ocean.”
“Yeah, but it’s good we’re not,” I joked.
“I wouldn’t mind it. Not if we had a boat.”
Someday, I’d take her on a trip like that.
Once we arrived at the shipwreck exhibit with the sunken ship and dozens of sharks, she approached the glass. A look of wonder crossed her features, and a little sparkle twinkled in her azure eyes.
“Aren’t they beautiful?”
I supposed they were, but she entranced me, not the marine life that swam around us. “Not half as beautiful as you,” I murmured, sliding my arms around her waist from behind and dropping my chin on her shoulder. “How many species do you see?”
“Oh, Gosh! So many. Sand tiger, sandbar, and white tip reef. Look! There’s a sawfish!”
“I see it.”
“Oh, wow! A hammerhead!”
“Badass,” I agreed.
We didn’t move for nearly an hour. Rebel watched that tank until she finally turned around, wrapping her arms around my waist.
“Thank you, Heron.”
“Anytime, Spark.”
She lifted her head, and I thought I saw tears. It was too damn dark in here to be sure.
“You okay?”
“Better than okay. This is the best first date ever.”
“It’s not over yet.” I winked. “Come on.”
We left the Aquarium and walked outside, noting the sun dropping lower to the horizon. Perfect. The heat had eased a little. I had a place in mind to eat and hoped she’d enjoy the spot.
“Hungry?”
Her stomach rumbled in response. “Yeah.”
“I’ve got just the place.”
“Lead, and I’ll follow.”
She couldn’t have said anything better.