Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
With a groan, Lyric sat back and pushed away her empty plate.
She was bursting at the seams. Ash had taken her to a diner that served breakfast twenty-four seven, and since that was her favorite meal of the day, that was what she got; an order of strawberry stuffed French toast drowning in maple syrup, topped with whipped cream, and a side of bacon.
She had skipped breakfast that morning to go to Ash’s apartment, only scarfed down a protein bar at lunch, and never had time to eat dinner.
So yes, her stomach had been growling like a pissed-off biker.
Only, the biker sitting across from her was no longer growling. He wore a satisfied expression the whole time he made sure she ate every bite on her plate.
How he ate a triple cheeseburger without wearing it every time he took a bite, she had no clue. Magic, she guessed. And his big mouth.
After she covered a yawn with her hand, she checked the time to see it was creeping up on midnight.
Her mother had texted her earlier, worried that she wasn’t home yet, and Lyric assured her she was fine and lied when she stated she was hanging out with some of the sisterhood. No doubt her father put Jazz up to contacting her.
When she showed the text to Ash, his expression turned to granite. “You’re twenty-fuckin-four years old, not fourteen.”
“I’m not sure why the OGs watch us women like hawks when they never worry about any of you.”
“Shouldn’t need to explain that.”
“Hang on. You agree with it?”
Her answer came in the form of silence.
She rolled her eyes. “We’re perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves.”
He grunted.
“Anyway, speaking of hawks, we need to get you back on the schedule.” She pulled out her phone and showed him the finished drawing of his next piece.
When he grabbed her phone, his long, warm fingers brushed against hers.
The same fingers that had been inside her that very morning.
At the memory, heat shot through her and landed right between her legs. Where she was already sore. But a little discomfort wouldn’t stop her from going back to his place and doing it all over again if he offered.
Only, so far, he hadn’t offered. Maybe she had been awful at it.
Would he tell the truth if she asked? Only one way to find out. “Umm…”
Using two fingers, Ash expanded the picture on her phone and studied it. His face was much softer when he looked up. “Get me on your schedule as soon as you got an openin’.”
She held out her hand. “Let me check my calendar.”
He locked the screen and placed the phone face down on the table. “Just check it tomorrow and lemme know. You’re done workin’ for the night. You were startin’ to say somethin’. What?”
She was? Oh yeah. “I wanted to check…to see if…”
His eyes narrowed on her. “See what?”
“If it was acceptable.” She sank her teeth into her bottom lip so hard, she was surprised she didn’t cut it.
His head twitched and his fingers on the hand next to her phone curled. “Don’t get what you’re askin’.”
Her cheeks burned. “If I was acceptable.” How mortifying.
He blinked.
“If I sucked in bed.” The words rushed out of her before she could stop them.
Oops. That had been too loud. She quickly glanced around. Good thing nobody was sitting in the nearby booths due to how late it was.
“Baby, you didn’t do much. I did most of the work. Should be askin’ you instead.”
“You should ask me if you sucked?” Was he crazy?
“Yeah.” He watched her face closely.
He had to notice her confused expression. “Why would you suck?”
“Was tryin’ to make it good for your first time. From what I hear, the first time usually ain’t good.”
“From what you hear? What…” Her eyes went wide and her lips parted as a soft hiss escaped her. “I can’t be your first.”
“No, baby, I was your first.”
“I meant: I can’t be your first virgin.”
He didn’t confirm or deny it.
Holy shit. “Ash…”
He covered her hand with his and squeezed slightly. “Now you had time to fuckin’ think about it, you good with what happened?”
“Yes. It was what I wanted.”
“Was it what you expected?”
She shrugged. “I don’t have anything to compare it to.”
“Got that. But was there anythin’ you didn’t like about it?”
“No.”
“Good. Prolly’ll get a better handle on it. Figure out what you like and don’t fuckin’ like once you’re with the right guy.”
Why did it look like he struggled to get that last part out?
Time to go all in. “Or you can help me practice.”
He removed his hand from hers and sat back again. “Told you, ain’t for you.”
“You should let me decide that.”
“You ain’t the only one involved. I got a say, too, remember?”
But Lyric didn’t like what he was saying, that was the problem. “Maybe you can teach me more. Like a friends-with-benefits arrangement.”
His eyes shuttered and he sat straighter in the booth across from her. “Deserve better than that.”
“Just who is better than you?”
“Lyric—”
“Who? I trust you, which makes you the best to teach me. It’s true.”
“No, baby, it ain’t.” When he ground his hand back and forth against the back of his neck, he appeared to be gearing up for what he said next. “Tell me what you want in a man.”
“One as wise as my father. Who also looks at me the same way he looks at my mother.”
“Wanna man, not a boy, then,” he concluded.
Of course. But more like one particular man.
“No, not just any man. An extraordinary one. I want a relationship like what they have. You can see, taste, smell, and feel my parents’ love.
It’s actually tangible. My father would die for her.
” That was both heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time.
Not too many people would be willing to give their life up for another.
“Any OG would die for his woman.”
That was true. Same for his parents, too. “Just as I’m sure as Hawk would do the same for Kiki.”
“No fuckin’ doubt. If somethin’ happened to her and she was still breathin’, he’d go fuckin’ ballistic and get revenge. If she wasn’t, he’d go ballistic, get his fuckin’ revenge, then follow her down the same path.”
Damn. “Would you?”
He hesitated for a couple of heartbeats. “If I had one.”
“What about you?”
“Just answered that.”
“No, what are you looking for in an ol’ lady? The woman you’d die for.”
He sucked on his teeth. “You know I ain’t lookin’.”
“Neither was your father. Or Diesel. Or Slade. Or most of the OGs.” Especially Diesel. Rumor had it, Ash’s uncle was a complete man-ho until Jewel finally tamed The Beast.
Ash was usually compared to Diesel rather than his own father.
He grunted, but avoided answering the question.
They remained quiet as the waitress came over and cleared their plates. The server asked Ash if they wanted anything else. When he looked over at Lyric, she shook her head since she wouldn’t have been able to force anything else down if she’d wanted to.
The waitress set the check on the table, told them not to rush, and wandered away.
Ash snagging the check looked like a viper strike. It was that quick.
She reached for her wallet. “How much is mine?”
He slid it out of her reach and made sure she couldn’t see the amounts. “Ain’t payin’. Invited you.”
“But I—”
“Woman.” He tipped his head down and gave her a look that read: No lip. He yanked his chain wallet from his back pocket, scooped out some cash, and threw it on the table. “Ready?”
“You never gave me an answer.” At least not a direct one.
“Said I was payin’.”
“No, about…” She pulled in a breath, then frowned. “Never mind.”
He slid out of the booth, stood, and offered his hand to assist her in doing the same.
Once she was on her feet, he curled his long fingers around the back of her neck and steered her toward the exit.
“Thanks for breakfast,” she murmured as they headed out the door.
“Anythin’ for you, baby,” he murmured back.
“If only that was true,” she said under her breath.
If he heard her, he didn’t respond.
Between a full belly, the deep rumble of his straight pipes, and the vibration of his sled, Lyric’s eyes were getting heavy. Her bed was calling her name.
Her lonely bed in her parents’ house.
She swallowed a squeal when he took an unexpected sharp turn. She peeked around his broad body to see what the problem was.
Then she spotted exactly what he saw.
Four bikers riding in pairs, heading north toward Shadow Valley. In the same direction they were going.
Only, these weren’t just any bikers; all four wore Twisted Souls cuts. And one of the sleds had an empty side car attached.
The sudden turn took them on another path toward the tattoo shop. He was most likely following the theory that it was better to see your enemy before they saw you.
Ten minutes later, they were riding into the dark alley behind the shops where In the Shadows Ink was located. He pulled up next to her car and shut off his sled.
Before dismounting, she asked, “Do you think they were running drugs up to Pittsburgh?”
Even in the limited light, she could see how tense he still was. “This late at night, yeah.”
“If so, I’m surprised they’re wearing their cuts while trafficking an illegal substance.”
“Nobody said the Souls were fuckin’ smart, baby. But the cuts are for us. By wearin’ them in our territory, they’re pretty much givin’ us the finger and sayin’ they’re untouchable, remindin’ us that the mob got their fuckin’ back.”
“Do you think they purposely want to cause conflict?”
“My guess is they wanna do whatever the fuck they want in our territory. So they’re just provin’ that they can.”
But what the DAMC would do about it was the real question. She didn’t want to see the club get into a war with an outlaw club, or even the Mafia, but something needed to be done so the MC didn’t look weak.
If they allowed one MC to get away with it, others might try to do the same. Or even try to take over their territory.
The DAMC had a good thing in Shadow Valley. At the minimum, they had long-established, successful businesses, a growing membership, a solid family, and a great clubhouse.