Chapter 2
Hellfire
Kit stiffened in my arms as I pulled her close. It took every ounce of self-control I had to contain my groan. Her lips were soft beneath mine. I kept my hands firmly on her hips, her body slowly relaxing.
As soon as she melted against me, those sexy lips parting, I slid my arms around her. Tightening my hold, I enjoyed the way her body fit with mine. Despite her height, I still had to bend while kissing her.
Her tongue brushed mine and a filthy image of her raced through my mind. She moaned when I deepened the kiss after she gave me the opening I’d been looking for. She was perfection. My hands slid over her back, touching everywhere I could, and leaving me wanting so much more.
Considering this was the first time we’d ever touched each other sexually, I’d take anything she was willing to give. It was already blowing my expectations out of the water. I’d spent over a decade watching her grow into the woman she’d become and everything about her called to me.
The door was wrenched open a second time and Kit gasped, shoving away from me, her hands on my chest. I let her go reluctantly. We stared at Smokehouse as he stood in the doorway of the storage closet once more.
His eyes were narrowed and he looked like he was about to say something when a resounding crack filled the room and my face felt like someone had pelted it with a sack of angry hornets. Turning my head, I stared down in shock at Kit.
Her eyes were wide, tits heaving, and her arm was still raised. She looked as shocked as we were that she’d just smacked me. Panic flashed over her gorgeous features. I’m so sorry, she mouthed at me, before she shoved past her brother and bolted away from us.
Smoke and I just stood there, like a couple of assholes, our mouths hanging open. "Well, fuck," Smoke muttered. He looked as confused as I felt. He turned and left, leaving me standing there the same way his sister had.
My brows shot up and the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding whooshed from my lungs.
I was expecting to get bellowed at. Threatened.
At the least I figured he’d attempt to put his size eleven boot up my ass.
He didn’t do any of that, leaving me even more puzzled about what the hell had just happened.
My cell vibrated in my pocket, cutting into my thoughts. Pulling it out, I said, "Hey, Dad." I frowned at the door to the supply room, trying to make sense of the shit show my life had just become.
"Hey, Ben. One of the pump trucks took a shit on us this morning."
I snorted out a laugh. Those trucks were responsible for pumping out shit, so his choice of wording amused me. "I’m heading over now."
"Thanks. I tried taking a look."
Grinning, I shook my head as I made my way out of the closet.
Dad’s version of ‘taking a look’ meant he tossed every swear word he knew at the truck while he banged a wrench on the engine.
Automotive repair wasn’t his specialty, but it was responsible for teaching me my colorful vocabulary as a kid.
Everyone had cleared out of the lower half of the clubhouse, except Toxic, who was still snoring at the corner table.
"If you touched anything we’re probably going to have to take it to a damn mechanic.
" I was decent with vehicles, but that wasn’t a skill I’d learned from my old man despite many hours standing around holding a flashlight.
The Army had taught me to fix shit. All my dad had given me was the curiosity to pull things apart to see how they worked, something that dismayed my mother many times as I grew up.
"Fuck off," he chuckled. I could all but see the seriousness spread over his face as his tone turned grim. "I tried not to bother you-"
"Dad. How many times do I have to tell you? Anything you need, I’m there." I shook my head again. My family respected my need for the club. They didn’t fully understand why I’d joined, but they respected my choice. No one else in my family was in an MC.
Pixie, my cousin, didn’t count. She wasn’t in a female MC, she just liked to fuck bikers.
My uncle Hal had done his best to curb her wild ways, but her mother had taken her after the divorce and he’d had no say in raising her.
Pixie marched to the beat of her own drum.
It was a drum no one was proud of. The only ambition she had in life, as far as I could tell, was to settle down with a biker.
Nothing wrong with that, but having her fucking my brothers wasn’t exactly comfortable.
Lock had pulled me aside when she first showed up and checked with me to make sure it was fine that she remained here.
She’d only picked this club because of me.
She knew it would embarrass me. She didn’t give a shit about family, only herself.
As much as I hated it, I let her stick around for my uncle’s sake.
Ultimately, I told Lock it wasn’t a problem, but I wasn’t endorsing anything she did.
We had an understanding. I wasn’t responsible for her, or any shit she pulled.
Still, I always ended up feeling accountable and having to handle her when she caused trouble.
She’d been watching herself since the day she’d gotten into a fight with Seek.
It was a nice break. I wasn’t sure why she chose to stay.
It hadn’t taken long before my brothers refused to touch her out of respect for me.
The only time she got any play was when nomads and ally clubs rode through.
If fucking bikers was her angle, she needed to go find a different club. Preferably in a city far from this one.
We’d already said goodbye to The Berserker's Rage MC and sent them home after the wedding reception. That was the reason Toxic was passed out downstairs rather than in his own bed. Once we’d gotten Dani back from Amato’s men, most of the guys started partying.
As much as I liked the Berserker’s Rage crew, I was glad they were gone because now I wouldn’t have to watch and make sure Pixie wasn’t getting into any trouble with them.
The majority of the Berserker’s Rage were single, so if they wanted to fuck one of the sweet butts, it was no business of mine.
But, much to Pixie’s dismay, someone had warned them of who she was and none of them would give her the time of day.
It said a lot about their loyalty that they were willing to give up pussy just so it didn’t make things awkward with me.
Starting up my Harley, I pulled out of the club’s lot and onto the road.
I raised a hand in greeting to Priest as I left.
Sucking in a deep breath, I let the wind wash over me.
Arizona didn’t have helmet laws and this morning I hadn’t felt like wearing mine.
If that meant my brains ended up splattered all over I-10, so fucking be it.
I needed the wind whipping past to tear the memory of having Kit in my arms away.
Until I could speak to her and make her understand that kissing her wasn’t a one off thing, I needed to put her out of my mind.
It was the only way to control the raging hard-on pressing against my jeans.
I accelerated, weaving in and out of traffic as I made my way south.
After what happened last night with Dani being taken, I was on edge.
I scanned the cars and trucks as I passed, watching for trouble.
It wasn’t likely that The Italians would hit again so soon.
Not after they lost a handful of guys last night.
Still, I studied everything as I went. I wasn’t going to be taken by surprise.
Those fuckers had a painful death coming their way, all of them.
No one messed with what was ours and lived.
I realized as I pulled into the parking lot that I was gritting my teeth. Relaxing my jaw, I cut the engine. I was only halfway to the cluster of mobile trailers that made up our offices when one of the doors flew open. Grinning, I watched as my mom planted her hands on her hips, glaring at me.
"You don’t call. You don’t come around," she chided, a smile spreading over her face. She couldn’t hold onto the mock anger she’d been displaying.
"Leave the boy alone," Dad said, striding over from the building that held our mechanic bay. Not that we had a mechanic at the moment. The last one had been fired six months ago and we hadn’t replaced him yet.
I opened my arms as Mom came down the stairs and stepped into them. "Sorry. Been busy."
She sighed as she hugged me. Her head just barely came to my chest. She was a small woman with a huge personality.
The quintessential mother type. Even if she didn’t have children, she would have mothered anyone who needed it.
"You’re the only one left around here, so you get the responsibility of all your brothers. "
I was used to that. I was the oldest of six boys.
Responsibility was my middle name. I didn’t hold that against my parents.
It was just a part of who I was. I was the spitting image of my father, from my size, to my demeanor.
"That’s no problem," I told her. Turning, keeping one arm looped over her shoulders, I nodded at my father. "Couldn’t get Alan out here?"
Dad sighed. "No, he’s on vacation. Salmon fishing up in Alaska."
"Sounds fun." It was mid-June and it was already as hot as the surface of the sun. Even now, at eight in the morning, sweat was rolling down my back. Squeezing my mom to my side once more, I hugged her close before releasing her. "Show me which truck."
Dad and I walked in silence to the bay and I circled the truck parked inside. "What’s she doing?"
"Keeps sputtering to a stop," he answered with a shrug.
Nodding, I popped the hood, and went around to stare down into the engine. I frowned as I tested the spark plug connections. Dad was standing next to me, arms folded over his chest, watching.
"Bennett."
Looking up at him, my brows pulled together. "Yeah?" My name had come out in his serious tone. It was hard for some to differentiate that tone with his normal gruff voice, but as his kid, I knew him well.
He looked uncomfortable, but determined. "Is everything okay?"
Straightening and abandoning the engine before me, I met his worried dark brown gaze. It was like looking into a mirror. A slightly older reflection of myself, but still so close to me it was hard to tell us apart. "Yeah."
"You…" He sighed and scrubbed a hand over the back of his neck, trying to figure out what to say. "You asked for this time off and-"
"Do you need me back?" I asked, worried. The last thing I wanted was to leave him in the lurch.
"No. Fuck. No. It’s not that. You deserve a damn break. I just- We’re just worried about you."
Frowning, I leaned against the truck. "Why?"
"You mean besides the fact that you came home with a bullet hole in you?"
I grinned. "Those are Mom’s words," I told him.
"They’re mine," he snarled. He leaned his elbows on the frame of the truck, leaning forward. "You work all the fucking time. Do God knows what with that club of yours." He pierced me with a look and I knew what was coming. They wanted me to settle down. Get married. Have kids.
I wanted to do all those things, besides settling down, but it wasn’t as easy as just finding a woman.
Not when I refused to look over the years because I’d already found her.
Just hadn’t done anything about it. Until this morning.
If they were patient, maybe I could convince Kit to be mine. Maybe we all would get what we wanted.
"You’re a grown man and I don’t want to tell you what to do-"
"Then don’t," I muttered, turning back to the truck.
Popping the top off the fuel filter housing, I reached in and pulled it out.
Bingo. There was nothing but grime coating the filter.
I tossed it into the trash can nearby, then walked over to one of the shelving units I kept stocked and grabbed a new one.
Taking it from the box, I groaned internally when I saw Dad still watching me.
"We’re just wondering what your plan is, Ben?"
"Work. Play. Whatever I want," I told him with a forced grin.
"Don’t you think it’s time to…change things up?"
"Nope. I like my life." I wasn’t about to jinx it by telling him about Kit. Pouring my heart out to him didn’t seem right when I still had yet to tell her.
He was quiet as I replaced the filter. "I appreciate that you and Mom are worried about me," I told him, wiping my hands on a rag that was hanging off the grill of the truck, "but I’m doing exactly what I want to do. "
He sighed again. "Alright, Son."
"What would you have told Gramps if he had this talk with you?" I asked.
He grinned. "I told him exactly what you said."
I chuckled. As much as I was a replica of my old man, he was of his. "How is Gramps?"
"Busy causing trouble as usual. He bought a boat."
"...a boat. What’s he doing with a boat?"
"Trolling around the Bayou. Claims he’s fishing."
"For what? Gators?"
He chuckled. "Who knows. But he’s happy and he keeps shutting the door in the faces of the live-in companions I send his way."
Shaking my head, I laughed. Gramps was ancient and stubborn. He wasn’t about to accept any help. Not if they were going to keep him from having fun in his old age. Looking over, I saw the worry creeping back into Dad’s expression.
"Don’t worry," I told him, slapping a hand on his shoulder. "I’ve got everything under control." Everything except a certain dark-haired vixen who was driving me crazy.
"I’d tell you to enjoy your vacation, but something tells me you’re not at home relaxing," he said with a grin.
I hadn’t told them about helping to build the school. Not that we were working on it right now. Lock and Rip would let us know once we were cleared to keep building.
"Why don’t you come in for some lunch?" Mom asked as we walked up. Their house was out back, behind the trailers.
My stomach rumbled, and I nodded. Spending time with them, and getting a good, home-cooked meal was the perfect way to spend my afternoon. "Sure."
The hours passed quickly and soon it was time for me to get going. Saying goodbye to my parents, I climbed back on my bike and headed back to the clubhouse. If I was lucky I’d be able to catch Kit alone.
We had some things we needed to discuss. Like that kiss. And the fact that she’d slapped me so hard I’d nearly been left staring at my own ass.