Tempted Read online

  “You don’t sit your ass on anyone’s bike but mine. You got that?”

  “That’s what this is about? I just thought –”

  “There’s nothing to think about. Your ass, my bike. Period.”

  Jeez…talk about possessive. He reaches into his pocket and hands me a wad of cash.

  “Get yourself some snacks or something.”

  I get that the conversation is over, so I walk ahead of him. I pull my bottom lip between my teeth, hoping everyone will think it’s swollen because I’ve been chewing on it. Gage veers off to the pumps and I head into the store. And right into Lonnie.

  “What the fuck is going on?” She demands.

  “With what?”

  “You know what I’m talking about, you little bitch. I told you to stay away from him.”

  “Why don’t you go ask him?”

  “Because I’m asking you.”

  “I’m not in the mood for your shit, okay?”

  Razor walks up and glances between the two of us. “Everything okay, girls?”

  “Fine. Just a sisterly talk,” I tell him.

  “Good. You need anything, you let me know, baby girl.”

  In his eyes, I see the meaning behind his words. It’s clear whose side he’d be on if anything went down. Strange, considering this is the first time we’ve spoken. “Sure thing.”

  After he leaves, Lonnie turns to me again. “How come you’re so cozy with everybody?”

  “I’m lovable. I can’t help it.”

  I walk away, not looking back. Chrissy shows up at my side while I’m deciding between Cheetos and Oreos. Oh, why choose? I’ll just get both.

  She jerks her chin toward Lonnie. “What was that about?”

  “She thinks she has some kind of property rights on Gage and the club. She’s going to be royally pissed when she finds out what’s going on.”

  “Shit. You better get that apartment with the quickness.”

  “Trust me. First thing on the morning of the twenty-first, I’m signing that lease. I’m taking all my stuff with me, too. Furniture or not, I’m moving into that bitch right away.”

  “I hear you. How’d you get past a credit check, though?”

  “My dad’s lawyer took care of it.”

  “Oh. Cool.”

  Razor’s redhead approaches us with a smile and an outstretched hand. “Hi. I’m Cassidy.”

  “Raven. And this is Chrissy.”

  “Nice to meet you. I thought I’d introduce myself because you two seem like the only friendly women here.”

  “Tell me about it. Are you Razor’s old lady?”

  “Old lady? I don’t think so. We just started seeing each other.”

  “Oh…okay.”

  “So…you’re with Gage?”

  Fuck. Chrissy watches me, waiting to hear what I’ll say. Cassidy raises her brows. There’s something about her I can’t quite put my finger on, something not right.

  “Yeah.”

  She looks a little surprised, but she recovers and turns to Chrissy expectantly.

  “Ron. He’s still a prospect.”

  “Cool.”

  “Let’s go. I think they’re ready.” Chrissy grabs my hand and pulls me away. “No confío en ella,” she whispers.

  I don’t trust this chick, either. I pay for our snacks but on our way back to the guys, Chrissy freezes and tightens her grip on my hand. She looks petrified.

  “What?” I follow her gaze and see a couple getting out of a car at one of the pumps. “You know them?”

  “That’s Joel.”

  “Your ex? Is that the trick he cheated on you with?”

  “That’s her.”

  “Are you kidding me? She looks like a thumb.” She cracks a smile and turns a grateful look my way. I swear I don’t understand men. They’ll have diamonds and go out looking for rhinestones. “Please, tell me she at least has a good personality.”

  “She’s a total bitch.”

  Joel spots us and throws his arm around the girl. As they approach, a smirk forms on his lips. Bastard. I won’t get to my phone fast enough to play the song, so I start singing T.I’s “No Mediocre”. Chrissy bursts out laughing then raps Iggy Azalea’s verse. Bastard loses the smirk and Bitch sneers. Whatever. We’re jamming. Ron walks up and snakes his hand around Chrissy’s waist. Perfect timing. Joel drops his head and passes by without a word. Once they’re out of sight, Chrissy throws her arms around me.

  “Thanks, Ray. I needed that.”

  “Trust me. It was my pleasure.”

  “What was that about?” Gage asks as he approaches.

  I slip my hand into his, lacing our fingers. Suddenly, I don’t care about anything.

  “Cheating ex. You even think about it, I’ll Lorena Bobbitt your ass.”

  He smiles then throws me over his shoulder. I let out a yelp as he smacks me on the ass.

  “So possessive. I like it.”

  Possessive…but dead serious.

  CHAPTER 12

  ***Gage***

  “What kind of bike is this?” Raven asks.

  “Street Glide.”

  “It’s different from the others I’ve seen. How many do you have?”

  She’s sitting on the back of my bike, trailing her fingers across the saddle. I can’t help but think how perfect she looks sitting there.

  “About a dozen.”

  “All Harleys?”

  “No. I got a few sport bikes – Kawasaki, Ducati, Suzuki.”

  “Yeah, that’s all French to me.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll teach you everything I know.”

  “I wanna learn how to ride.”

  “Slide down. I’ll show you the basics.”

  She squeals excitedly and scoots down, placing her hands on the handle bars. I explain the gauges and show her how to start it. I glance up and Lonnie is staring at us with a scowl. Razor told me about their little conversation, so I know she’s pissed. Raven touches my arm to get my attention.

  “Gage?”

  “Gimme a sec. I’m gonna go talk to your sister.”

  Lonnie’s expression changes as I approach. She bites her lip and stares up at me hopefully. I pull her aside to get a little privacy.

  “I know you’re wondering what’s going on, so it’s best to just be straight with you. I like your sister.”

  “What do you mean you like her?”

  “I want her.”

  “But…she’s just a child!”

  “She’ll be eighteen in a few days. I’m not looking for your blessing or for you to be okay with it. I just need you to know it’s happening.”

  “Are you claiming her?”

  Her bottom lip trembles and tears well in her eyes. Shit.

  “Look…don’t blame her. For a long time, she blew me off because she knew you were into me. I pursued her.”

  “You said you didn’t want an old lady.”

  “I didn’t.”

  “But now you do. I waited…I waited all this time for you…”

  Waited? What the fuck? “What do you mean?”

  “When I got here…you were the first. I thought…the others I did because I thought that’s what you wanted. You were supposed to come back for me.”

  What the fuck is she talking about? I didn’t ask or force her to become a Hound. And if she thought I was going to claim her, why would I want her to fuck the whole town? She’s already crying, though, so I really can’t say that to her.

  “I’m sorry if I said or did anything to lead you on, but you need to stop. Even if it wasn’t Raven, it would be someone else. Not you.”

  “Gage…please…”

  “I’m sorry, Lonnie.”

  I walk away and signal the guys to get moving. Raven looks up at me with a worried frown when I get back to her.

  “Everything okay?” She asks.

  “Yeah. We’re good.”

  “You sure? She’s not going to kill me in my sleep, is she?”

  “You think she’
d hurt you?”

  “I’m just kidding.” She smiles, but it doesn’t hide her concern. She’s worried about this causing trouble between her and Lonnie. “I’m with you every night anyways.”

  “True,” I agree.

  We leave the gas station behind and ride for another hour before we arrive at the venue. The blood pumps faster through my veins. This is my kind of scene. Bikes and bikers as far as the eye can see. Before Raven, I would have added in the bitches, but I can’t seem to see anyone but her these days. Ron and Chrissy walk over to us and I watch the two girls together. It’s strange. They’ve only known each other for a few months, but they seem more like sisters than Raven and Lonnie do. But then I notice something else. Shit.

  “Girls, listen. You’re not wearing cuts, so don’t stray far. Stick to one of the brothers at all times.”

  “Cuts?” Raven asks.

  I point to Marlowe and Renae who are standing together a few feet away. They’re Crow and Motor’s old ladies, so they’re wearing their patches. Raven and Chrissy just nod and turn back to each other. I don’t need any trouble. No cuts mean they’re not claimed and to other MCs, that makes them fair game.

  “Waben!”

  She turns around and her face lights up when she sees little Mikey running toward her.

  “Come here, jit!”

  She picks him up and spins him around. He laughs and when they stop spinning, he wraps his arms around her neck. I watch the two girls play with him until Ellen draws my attention.

  “She’s great with him,” she says.

  “He likes her.”

  “She’ll be a good mother.”

  I raise a brow at her. “If that’s some kind of hint, don’t even bother. You know where I stand on that matter.”

  “Mmhmm…we’ll see.”

  Aunt Nita walks up on my left. “She’s pretty, I’ll give you that.”

  Pretty? She’s fucking beautiful. Raven walks over with a gorgeous smile and a seemingly love-struck Mikey.

  “Hey, Ellen.”

  They kiss each other’s cheeks and Mikey grins at me.

  “Hi, Unca.”

  “Hey, Mikey. I see you found your friend.”

  “Yes! I like Waben.”

  “Awww. I like you, too, Mikey.”

  She turns to Nita with a big smile. “Hi, Miss Nita. Good to see you.”

  “You, too, my dear. Based on what my nephew here has told me, you can call me Aunt Nita.”

  Raven’s eyes widen and her smile gets bigger. “Really?” She asks.

  “Of course, sweetheart.”

  “Okay. Aunt Nita.” She giggles.

  I listen to the four women talk, about nothing really, and the world around me disappears. The three women in my life getting along…it’s a great sight.

  ***Raven***

  Oh. My. God. I love Aunt Nita! She has absolutely no filter. If you don’t like what she says, too bad for you. I want to be just like her when I grow up. Not only that, but she basically accepted me into her family. She has no idea how much that means to me since I have no family of my own. At this point, Lonnie doesn’t count.

  I spend most of the day with the women, but Gage and Ron stick close by. I’ve seen more bikes than I have in my entire life and heard more classic rock than I care to. It’s been fun, though. We’ve eaten a ton of junk and taken a million pictures with bikes.

  On our way out, members from some other MCs converge on the Dealers, so Chrissy and I get separated from them. They’re all shaking hands, talking, and laughing, so we amuse ourselves. The DJ plays Maroon 5’s “Animals” and we start to dance. A few men gather around us, watching with undisguised interest as we move and glide our fingers over each other’s bodies. Two of them approach us, their expressions looking like they’ve taken the words of the song’s chorus literally. They’re both wearing cuts bearing the name Black Snakes.

  “Hey, baby. Who you here with?” The older one says. He smiles, exposing his many gold teeth.

  “The Death Dealers,” I answer.

  They both look behind them and then the younger one looks us over, licking his lips.

  “You owned?” Lip Licker asks.

  Owned? What the fuck is he talking about? “Um…no.”

  Their smiles get wider.

  “What do you say we all go somewhere and party?” Lip Licker jerks his head to the left.

  “No, thanks. We’re good,” Chrissy says, linking her hand with mine.

  “We can make you a whole lot better,” Gold Teeth says.

  “She said we’re good. Back off,” I seethe.

  They lose the smiles and step toward us menacingly. Then I hear the booming voice of God.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

  No, not God, but a savior all the same. My knight in shining leather – Gage.

  Gold Teeth looks him up and down and sneers. The crowd disperses until we’re left with Dealers on one side and Snakes on the other. Gage stands in front, commander of his army. Dr. E and Razor are at his sides, and Ron looks like he’s barely holding himself back.

  “Two o’ yours, huh?” Gold Teeth takes the lead on his side.

  “Yes, they’re mine and off-limits.”

  “They ain’t wearing cuts.”

  “Doesn’t matter.”

  “Matters to us. What’s to stop us from taking what we want?”

  Gage’s jaw twitches. These guys don’t know who they’re messing with. I grip Chrissy’s hand tightly.

  “I’ll put a bullet in your brain so fast you’d be dead before you even tried to touch ‘em.”

  Tensions rise and everyone’s trigger finger seems to be itching. The Snakes’ president steps forward and places a hand on Goldie’s shoulder.

  “Cool it, Ram.”

  Ram/Goldie sniggers at Gage and takes a reluctant step back. His president approaches Gage.

  “It’s all good, Hunter. Just a misunderstanding. The Dealers and the Snakes are good.”

  Gage jerks his head at us then shakes the other president’s hand. We move to his side and he places his arms around our shoulders. That sends a pretty clear message, and all the Snakes stand down.

  “See you around, Ace,” Gage says to the Snakes’ president.

  When we get back to the bikes, he stares down at us sternly.

  “How could two little girls cause such big trouble? That could have turned out very differently.”

  “They’re too hot for their own good,” Ron chimes in as he sidles up next to Chrissy. He drags her away and leaves me with Reaper.

  “They started it. We were just minding our own business.”

  “I know. We need to find a way to let the world know you’re mine.”

  “Any ideas?”

  “A few.”

  He reaches into the neck of his hoodie and pulls his necklace with the “12 Gage” pendant from around his neck. He places it around mine, fingering the pendant where it rests between my breasts.

  “That’s a start,” he says.

  I beam up at him, knowing this is big for him. He’s backing up his words with actions. Soon, everyone will know I’m his. All I need now is my very own cut. I know it’s going to take a while for him to get there, but at least he’s moving in that direction.

  “Let’s go. I need to get you alone.”

  “I second that, Miss Alvarez.”

  We stop at the same gas station on the way home and then we all go straight to the clubhouse. Chopper is on the grill and there are some women busy setting up for the guys’ return. Right away, Chopper comes over to me and wraps me up in a bear hug. I return his embrace, giggling as he squeezes tighter.

  “How you doin’, lil darlin’?”

  “Great. It’s good to see you.”

  He looks between me and Gage with a big grin. “Looks like I’ll be seein’ a lot of you around here.”

  “You keep making those burgers and you will.”

  He kisses my cheek and pats his son on the back. “I�
�m fittin’ to do that right now. You two run along. I’ll send someone over with some grub for you.”

  “Thanks, Chopper.”

  Gage takes me to his room and I push him down on the bed and straddle his hips. “I had fun today.”

  “See? And you didn’t want to come with me.”

  I pull down the zipper on his hoodie and slide my hands under his black T-shirt. His stomach muscles jump and he grabs my hips.

  “Oh, I want to come with you. You won’t let me.”

  He flips over and stretches out on top of me, a smirk on his sexy lips.

  “Just a few more days, babe. Then I’m going to chain you to my bed for a week.”

  “Oh, really?”

  “Yep. You’ll get food and bathroom breaks, of course, but trust I will be inside that pussy every other minute of the day.”

  I quiver beneath him, sinking my nails into his back as he kisses my neck. “You’re so crude.”

  “Yeah…but I believe we already established that you love my dirty mouth.”

  “I love what your dirty mouth does to my body.”

  “Just wait, baby doll. There are so many things I’m going to do to you with my mouth.”

  He sucks at the base of my neck, swirling his tongue on my skin. That’s definitely leaving a mark. His hand travels down my body and grips my thigh, raising it up so he settles between my legs. I throw my head back, giving him better access to my neck.

  “Gage…”

  “I love the way you say my name.”

  “Gage, Gage, Gage.”

  He chuckles and covers my lips with his. I moan into his mouth and wrap my arms around his neck.

  “I love kissing you, too. Sweetest lips I ever tasted.”

  “And I bet you’ve tasted a lot.”

  He stares down at me with furrowed brows. “Actually, before you, I hadn’t kissed anyone in a long time.”