Chapter 16
The Raiders liked to ride over to Saguaro Lake a couple of times a year. Located in the Tonto National Forest, it was about forty miles away from downtown Phoenix. It was beautiful here. Breathtaking vistas surrounded by mammoth canyon walls. The perfect location for a family picnic or a fisherman looking to snag a fat bass or carp.
The Prospects had arrived a few hours before everyone else to set up our campsite along the east end of the river. Tents with portable generators were staged alongside the water’s edge so the children could get out of the heat and people could eat and drink while enjoying the splendor of the lake.
“We’re so glad you decided to join us today,” Chrissy said, as she fed the two-year-old on her hip a bite of sliced mango. “I was afraid you wouldn’t show after how Mouse treated you last night.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” I said, nervously tossing my braid over my shoulder. After how long German and I had spent in the shower this morning, there was little time left for anything but a simple hairdo when I’d gotten ready for the lake.
Sarah pursed her lips in warning but Chrissy waved her hand at the President’s Old Lady. “Don’t give me that look, Sarah. That man is a menace! I’ve never liked him and I was disappointed when Smoke told me he’d become the Club’s Enforcer.”
Dropping the smile from my face, I asked, “Where is he today?” Looking around as though Mouse would suddenly appear out of the lake like a terrifying sea creature from a horror movie.
Sarah shrugged. “Slade didn’t say. Club business. You know how it is. My guess is the man just pulled some unfavorable duty outside of the state for a few weeks until Slade can stand looking at his face again.”
“Time out isn’t enough for what he tried to do to Maddy,” Chrissy grumbled, as she agitatedly rocked the baby on her hip back and forth.
Sarah glanced at me and studied my face. “My Old Man said you told everyone the door to the bathroom stuck and that’s why Mouse had to break it down. That was some quick thinking on your part, kid.”
I sighed, giving up on the pretense of Mouse’s innocence altogether now. “It made me sick just to think of German in a fight. I know he wants the Devils and the Raiders to do business together in the future. I’d hate to see that end because of me.”
“It wouldn’t be your fault,” Chrissy said with a frown. “Part of me wished you’d come clean about Mouse. Maybe then the Club would have ordered the beating he deserved!”
Looking dubious, Sarah took a sip of her wine cooler. “I’m not sure that would have played out quite as you pictured it, Chrissy,” she stated pragmatically. “You know about Club loyalty as well as I do.”
Chrissy lovingly kissed her daughter’s cheek. “Wait until the babies come, Lexi. That’s when the real worry sets in. I once saw Smoke fight two men in a bar after we’d had our oldest. The fear! It was unreal. I started sobbing and couldn’t calm down for thirty minutes!”
“I’m sure those post-pregnancy hormones of yours didn’t help any,” Sarah said with a throaty laugh.
The thought of me and German having a kid together hit me harder than I realized. Suddenly, I was imagining a little girl with my red hair and his whiskey-colored eyes. The beautiful image nearly knocked me off my feet, it was so powerful. And alluring.
“It’s a lovely day for a picnic,” Sarah noted, proudly watching her two sons swimming in the distance.
It really was. I was glad I’d come. Not just for the scenery, but for the company as well.
Chrissy smiled. “I think this little one is finally ready for her nap. I’m so glad too, because momma wants a wine cooler!”
Gently setting her youngest into the pack-and-play at the end of the table, Chrissy sat down on the bench as Sarah handed her a refreshing beverage.
The moment that first icy sip hit her lips, Chrissy grinned. “I love it when the guys come up here. It’s my favorite part of Club life. The family parties. They’re unmatched.”
She was right. This was so much fun. So relaxing and calm as we watched the men playing along the water’s edge with their kids. You’d never know these were hardcore bikers by the way they doted on their wives and children. I wondered if the Devil’s Riders had similar parties and if German would take me to one of them someday.
A biker by the name of Gritty was manning the industrial-sized grill the men had trucked up from their Clubhouse. Waving us down, he let Sarah and Chrissy know the burgers and dogs were almost ready to be served.
Following the women outside of the temperature-controlled tent, we were met with a gust of hot air, making me eternally grateful for modern amenities. Inside we’d set up the drinks, chicken, potato salad, fruit, chips, and a myriad of desserts to go along with the burger and dogs.
German was with some of the guys. He was checking out their new custom bike that he wanted pictures of to send to Hammer. As soon as he came walking toward our tent, my heart began to flutter and beat faster. Between his dark good looks, his confident swagger, and those incredible tattoos, this man was every bit as mouth-watering as the food I was looking forward to consuming.
Scooping me into his arms without an ounce of care for who was watching, German whispered into my ear, “Did you miss me, Beautiful?”
If his looks and his winning personality hadn’t already been enough to seal the deal for my affection, his words definitely were. “I did,” I returned, snagging his head and pulling his mouth down to mine. His stomach growled then and I laughed. “Was that for me or the food?”
He grinned an impish sort of grin. “Both,” he said, slapping my ass as he took my hand and pulled me toward the tent. “Whoever said men can’t multitask!”
Because we’d ridden on the bike, I’d worn jeans to the lake. As soon as I’d gotten there, I changed into a sundress to accommodate for the heat of the day. Underneath, I’d worn my bathing suit in case we decided to go for a swim. I’m not sure what the guys wore, as I didn’t see a single set of swim trunks among them.
We ate and drank our fill throughout the day, listening to music, Club stories, and the kids playing in the distance. At night, we lit a few fires in some barrels and watched the stars.
I was grabbing a bottle of water to rehydrate after a day of drinking and sunbathing, when German took me by the hand and suggested, “Let’s take a walk.”
The air had cooled some, but it was still warm outside. I followed behind him as we strolled along the water’s edge. We chatted about the great food we’d had and laughed about how Smoke had tossed a tipsy Chrissy into the water when their kids begged her to come in with them and she’d said no. After some time, German stilled, turned toward the lake, and gazed out into the distance of the night.
“I love the water,” I said, appreciating the way the cool sand squished blissfully between my bare toes. “Always have. My parents used to take me to the coast when I was young. They’re some of my fondest memories.”
German drew me into his arms and held me close. “I love it, too. There’s something so relaxing about it. I’d like to buy a houseboat one day. Somewhere I could pick up and go whenever I wanted to see or do something new.”
That sounded like heaven. “I can see that for you. You have the feel of a nomad about you.”
Chuckling, German tilted up my chin. “You got some sun today. Your pretty nose will have extra freckles on it by tomorrow.”
I scrunched the aforementioned appendage. “Yuck! I have too many already.”
German shook his head. “Not true. I like your freckles. They get my dick hard.”
I burst out laughing. “I will never understand men!”
“We’re not that complicated,” he refuted. “We’ve got a short list of what makes us happy.”
I grinned. “And freckles make the list, do they?”
“Yes. That and blowjobs,” German quipped, and I slapped him on the arm.
“You’re terrible!” I accused without any real venom.
Securing my hands to my sides, he held me in place as he kissed the bridge of my nose. “Freckles are definitely higher on the list.”
As he kissed me gently, my body shifted from humor to horny faster than I cared to admit. “Sure they are,” I said on a breathy exhale, loving the feel and smell of him all around me.
He pulled back then and said, “Let’s go for a swim.”
This boyish side of him made my heart ache, along with other less virtuous parts of me. “But you don’t have any swim trunks.”
German shrugged. “I guess I’ll just have to go without,” he reasoned with a dark grin.
I swallowed, feeling warm from the thought of seeing him swimming naked beside me. “All right then,” I agreed, pulling down the straps of my sundress to reveal my yellow bikini underneath. “I guess I’ll have to join you.”
German’s hungry gaze watched as I reached behind my back and unhooked my top. Letting it drop to the sand at my feet, a spark of lust lit his brown eyes.
“Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to get naked with me?” I posed, loving the way his hungry gaze consumed every inch of my pale skin.
Stepping forward, German hefted my breasts in his hands and growled. “You’re fucking beautiful, Maddy. You know that?”
I felt that compliment deep in my soul. German teased my nipples, pinching them gently between his forefinger and thumb. Moaning, I arched my back, begging for more. Leaning down, he complied by latching onto the stiff nub with his lips, alternately sucking and nipping as I ran my fingers through his dark hair.
Popping off my breast, he stepped back and began peeling off layers of clothing. When he was down to his boxers, I licked my suddenly dry lips. I could see he was already hard. His giant cock was straining against the stretchy fabric and I wanted him in my hands, and inside my body, so badly, it hurt.
Divesting himself of everything, German’s erect penis sprang loose and buoyed up toward his stomach. My eyes became hooded with lust as I recalled all the ways he’d pleased me with it last night and this morning. A gush of creamy fluid began to run from my pussy along my leg. Reflexively, I clenched my thighs together and began to breathe faster.
Wrapping his long fingers along the base of his erection, German jerked his shaft before choking it up to the head. “You keep staring at my dick, Baby Girl, and we’re never going to take that swim. Take your bottoms off. I want to see your pussy in the moonlight.”
Tamping down a sudden streak of modesty, I slipped my bathing suit bottoms down beside my bikini top.
German stood back and stared hard between my legs. “Tease the lips apart and let me see how wet you are, Babe.”
Spreading my legs, I slowly traced the outline of my sex, scissoring open the folds to show him the pink, soaked center. Wanting, no, needing more, I slipped a finger inside the delicate folds. A gush of slickness coated my skin and my mouth popped open in a silent ‘O’ at how good it felt. Stroking back and forth, my fingers retreated from my inner walls and circled my swollen clit. Still tender from this morning, I moaned with desire at the thought of German stroking hard inside of me.
“Fuck me!” German hissed, jacking himself off for real now. “You look so good playing with yourself, Babe. Take your finger out and let me taste it.”
Doing what he said, I dragged my fingers away and brought them closer for his inspection. Extending his tongue, German licked the shiny residue clean from my hand as he growled his approval over how I tasted.
Reaching behind me, he smacked my ass and I bucked. “Let’s go for a swim before I forget all about it and just fuck you on the beach instead.”
I wasn’t complaining. I was definitely up for that plan of events. When I didn’t move, German spanked me again. Only this time, a little harder.
“Tease!” he declared, his voice an octave lower than before. “Fucking A, your pussy tastes and smells so good, Maddy. Even this cold water isn’t going to soften my cock any!”
Looking down, I could see just how hard and ruddy his dick was. Taking him in hand, I stroked the pearly bead that had crested along the slit of his cockhead. With a sharp intake of breath, his hips gave an involuntary kick forward.
“Babe!” he rumbled, warning me he wasn’t playing.
But I was. And I wanted a taste. It had been on my mind since we’d met. Falling to my knees, I curled my fingers around his shaft. Glancing up, I saw him looking down at me, his gaze so hot it could rival that of any forest fire.
“I want to taste you, too, German,” I told him, caressing his length as I spoke. “I’ve been fantasizing about it since we met.”
Snagging my braid, German coiled it around his wrist several times, drawing me ever closer to his groin. “You want to blow me, Baby Girl?”
I nodded, already so hot my passage felt swollen and achy. “Yes. More than anything.”
Angling his hips, German said, “Put it in your mouth then. I’ll teach you just how I like it sucked.”
Tentatively at first, my tongue flicked along the bead of creamy saltiness, lapping it up like a drop of sweet cream escaping down the edge of a glass. German’s muscles tightened, alongside his grip on my hair.
“You like to tease, don’t you, Babe?” German said, the rising and falling of his chest more pronounced now.
“I like whatever turns you on,” I told him, choking up on his length and bathing the sides of his steely flesh from root to tip with my raspy tongue.
When he shivered, I smiled and repeated the motion. When I got to the helmeted tip, I folded my lips over my teeth and he thrust into my hot mouth. I didn’t let him stroke though. Being the tease he’d accused me of being, I only sucked on the head, then immediately spit him back out, letting the tip pop free from my lips. I did this a few more times, causing German to growl in utter frustration.
“If you don’t want me to spank that ass, Maddy, fucking suck!” he demanded, so turned on the veins of his cock were near to bursting.
I smiled prettily and said, “Maybe I’d like that, too.”
I could practically see all the dirty fantasies he had in store for me flash through his mind’s eye then. “You keep this up, and you won’t be able to sit for a week. Except when you’re riding my cock!” he threatened.
Unfortunately for him, I liked his brand of “threats”. They thrilled me in ways I knew they shouldn’t, but couldn’t help desiring.
Dragging my mouth back to his groin, he growled, “Open up!”
I dutifully did as he commanded and he quickly speared inside, holding my head in place so I couldn’t tease him anymore. Thrusting several quick strokes, I choked on his considerable length. Spit, thick and slippery, ran down my chin. It was going to take some practice adjusting to his immense size, but I was more than willing to put in the work until I was up to the task.
“Fuck, I love that sound,” he growled, shuttling in and out at a quicker pace. Pausing, he rocked his hips backward and commanded, “Spit on the head then swallow me back down, Babe. Don’t be gentle with it, either. I like it rough.”
He didn’t have to tell me twice, I immediately complied. Spitting on his cock, I roughly jerked the slick fluid along his shaft, then greedily swallowed him back down again.
Electricity thrummed through German’s body straight into mine. My clit pulsed and I reached down to alleviate the tension there.
“Damn, Babe. That feels good. Are you playing with your pretty pussy, too?” he asked, the chords of his neck strained as he worked himself in and out of my mouth.
I hummed my response along his dick and he groaned, fucking my face as I fisted him hard. “Shit! You’re going to make me blow. Stop now or else you’re going to be chugging a gallon of come.”
I didn’t stop. I didn’t want to. I wanted nothing more than to make him break while stroking my own clit to orgasm.
“Fuck, Maddy. I can’t hold back. You’re killing me,” German warned, as he began rocketing back and forth inside the cavern of my wet mouth. “Suck it, I’m right there, Baby Girl!”
His body hardened to stone, his balls drew up tight, and his dick began to shotgun come into my mouth and down my throat. His guttural scream triggered my own explosion. My pussy clenched and I began moaning along his shaft as he fired stream after stream of the hot liquid inside of me. Like a wild animal, I drank it down, licking all the stray drops from his shaft and my fingers as my center squeezed and pulsed with the final spasms of my own mind-shattering orgasm.
German took a large gulp of air, his eyes never leaving mine. “Fuck me, that was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. I love the way you licked every last drop of come off my dick, Babe.”
Pulling me to my feet, German handed me my abandoned bottle of water and I chugged it down. Who would have known giving aggressive head was such thirsty work!
Handing him the rest of the bottle, German finished off the remainder and tossed it aside. “Come on, naughty girl. We’re going for that swim if I have to drag you in the lake kicking and screaming!”
There was no need for that. After how worked up I was, I welcomed the cool touch of the water against my fiery skin.
Hand in hand, we walked to the lake’s edge. When I paused to test the temperature with my toe, German growled and lifted me in his arms. “They’ll be none of that shit,” he said, before striding directly into the depths of the water.
Squealing with excitement, as much as from protest, I hugged German’s body close to mine. “Don’t let go!”
“Never,” he promised, kissing the top of my head as he waded in deeper.
When we were chest-deep, I slipped down alongside him into the water and hugged my legs around his waist.
“Don’t tell me the fearless Madelynn Framingham is afraid to swim in a lake at night,” German said, playfully nipping the skin of my throat.
“I’m not afraid,” I fibbed. “But I recently saw the first Jaws on TV and I’m rethinking this swimming at night business.”
“You do realize Jaws took place in the Atlantic Ocean, not a lake in Nevada, right?” He chuckled, as he stabilized my rear end with his big hands.
“I know that,” I returned, circling my arms around his neck. “But a girl’s still got to be careful. Other types of sea creatures could be lurking in this water and we’d never know it because it’s so dark out.”
“Makes perfect sense,” German returned, giving my rump a hearty squeeze. “You better stay close so I can protect you.”
I placed my cheek along his chest and we floated in the water for a bit, enjoying the silence of the night. After some time, I stroked his chest and felt a fresh scar along his shoulder. I’d seen it before, but since I wasn’t distracted by his other body parts at the moment, I was able to focus in on it now.
“What happened here?” I asked, my fingers gently massaging the puckered tissue.
“I was shot,” German explained matter-of-factly.
Pulling back, my eyes rounded in shock. “When you were in the military?”
“No,” he returned, placing my cheek back on his chest.
Kissing the wound, I passionately stated, “I better never find the man who did this to you!”
German stroked my hair and kissed the top of my head. “You’ll never meet him.”
“Why’s that?” I pressed.
“Because he’s already in hell,” German retorted.
I didn’t ask any further questions about the matter. I figured if German wanted to share his story, he would. However, there were other questions I had for the man I’d like answers to.
“German, why do you go by your last name for your road name? Everyone else seems to have a moniker of some sort.” I’d asked him about this before, but he’d kind of brushed off my question then. I was hoping tonight, as sated and comfortable as he was, he’d be in the mood to talk.
The water lapped peacefully around us before German answered. “I used it in the Marines. That’s where I met Reaper.”
That didn’t really explain anything. “You’re being deliberately vague,” I accused, gently kissing the side of his neck to soften him up.
German sighed. “It was my mother’s maiden name. My sperm donor’s surname was Park. When my mother died, I got rid of it and took hers.”
“How did she die?” I asked, feeling like I could because I’d lost my own mother so young and knew the pain of it all too well.
“Breast cancer,” he briefly answered.
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, rubbing his back to soothe the pain, though I knew nothing ever could.
German’s arms tightened around me. “I’d been overseas when my mother died. She’d never even told me she was sick.”
My breath hitched in my throat. “That must have been so difficult for you.”
“It was. My one request when joining the Club was taking my Mother’s surname as my road name. Luckily, the president at the time, a really decent guy, understood and let me keep it. It was the best way I knew how to honor the woman who’d raised me, put food on the table, and worked herself like a dog just to keep the lights on. Lord knew my father never gave a single fuck to try and help.”
“That’s a beautiful tribute to her,” I said, my cheek against his chest.
“I’m thankful to her, too,” he teased, lightening the mood some. “I could have been named something stupid like Bishop, poor fucker.”
I laughed, despite the intensity of the moment. “It is a strange nickname. Who named him that?”
“I did,” German said with a chuckle. “That little shit always had women falling all over him. When he was a Prospect cleaning up trash after a Club party, girls would line up and beg to do it for him! Ox and I were drinking one night, watching this shit go down, and I said, Bitches literally fall to their knees and worship the kid like he’s a visiting Bishop leading Sunday service or something . After that, the name just stuck.”
I erupted into a fit of giggles then. “I see now.”
He pinched my rump under the water. “You’d better not,” he jested.
Liking his possessiveness, I cuddled closer. “With a name like Ox, I’m assuming the Club Enforcer got his nickname due to his size?”
“Yeah, that dude is fucking strong! I swear, he must have been raised near toxic waste to grow so big.”
“What about Hammer?” I queried. “Is that because he’s the Club mechanic?”
German pushed off the lake floor with his foot and started to float, resting me atop his chest. “Yes and no. For someone with such a good sense of humor, Hammer has a temper. He was at a scrap yard picking up some shit for a bike restoration when he saw the owner beating his pit. Well, Hammer broke the guy’s fingers one by one with a hammer for his blatant animal abuse, and told the bastard he’d kill him with it if he ever found out he got another dog.”
I was shocked but strangely touched. “Another dog? What happened to the pitbull he beat?”
“Hammer took him and kept him as his own until he passed away a few years ago,” German said. “He was a great dog. We all missed Thor when he passed.”
“Thor? As in, Thor’s Hammer?” I said with a giggle.
“Yup. I told you Hammer had a good sense of humor.”
“What about Reaper? How did he get his road name?”
German propelled us through the water as he stared up at the moon. “Like I said, Reaper was in the Marines with me. He was a good shot. A really good shot.”
Enough said. “What about Hawk? You’re VP.” I’d heard him talking about these men so much, I felt like I knew them personally at this point, though we’d never actually met.
“Hawk’s father was in the Club, and he’d had that nickname since he was a kid. Hawk’s grandfather was Shoshone and said his grandson had the vision and ferocity of the great bird of prey. The nickname stuck and he kept it as his road name because it fit him so well.”
“And Pipe?” Try as I might, I couldn’t place this one.
German glided along, his arms making gentle circles in the water to keep us afloat. “Pipe, as in, pipeline. There are no secrets around my Brother Pipe. All information flows to that man sooner or later.”
That made sense. “So, if you were going to give me a road name,” I said, lifting my chin and looking him directly in the eye, “what would it be?”
“Not Lexi,” he said, giving me a wet kiss before pulling me to shore. “Come on, Babe. It’s time to get you back on dry land and into bed at the Motel. It’s getting late.”
Swimming to shore, we got dressed. It was past ten by the time we met back up with the Raiders. By then, the sleepy children were being packed up in cars with their mothers and the Prospects were breaking down the tents.
I was sad to leave my new friends, but I was exhausted from the long day in the sun. As we pulled into the parking lot of the motel, German stroked my hair. “Did you have a good time today, Baby Girl?”
Smiling tiredly, I leaned into his body and looked deep into his soulful brown eyes. “I did. I’m so glad we went. Chrissy and Sarah were so much fun to hang out with. I can’t imagine a better day than being by the water, eating delicious food, surrounded by all your friends and family. It was pure magic.”
Stroking my hair, German nodded. “I had a good time, too.”
As he led me back to the motel room, I felt like the world’s luckiest girl. Until we got to the door and German tensed.
Reaching for his ankle, he lifted his pant leg where a small ivory-handled pistol was holstered. I hadn’t even known he was carrying it. Placing a finger against his mouth to let me know to be quiet, he toed open the cracked door of the motel and flicked on the lights at warp speed. The room was a mess. All of our things were scattered about. Stepping inside, German checked over the bedroom and bathroom for any unwanted “guests”.
Shaking, I closed the door so no one could sneak up behind us or see what German was doing. I had no idea if his gun was legal. The last thing we needed was for someone to spy it, freak out, and call the cops.
When German was done searching the room, he said, “We need to pack up and go somewhere else. We can’t stay here tonight.”
“Are we going home to Coldwell Manor?” I asked as I began to gather my things and stuff them haphazardly into my bag.
“No. We can’t go there. It’s not safe because that’ll be the first place the kidnappers expect us to run to.”
“Where are we going then?” I wondered aloud, moving around the room in a bit of a blind panic.
After a moment of deep thought, German said, “I’m taking you to my Club where you’ll be safe. No one would have the balls to bother you there.”