Tempted (13 page)

“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.

“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.”

This is interesting.
“How come?”

“I’m surrounded by easy women. I can cover my
dick, not my mouth. The Hounds…I pretty much know where their
mouths have been.”

“That first night, you didn’t know where mine
had been.”

“True…but I had a feeling about you. I
couldn’t let you get away.”

“Now I feel special.”

“You should. You are.”

Now I really
do
feel special. I bask
in the adoration in his eyes and pull him down to me. He kisses me
softly then climbs off the bed.

“We should get back out there,” he says.

“You go ahead. I’ll be out in a minute.”

“Okay.”

I use the bathroom and wash my hands and
face. My hair is a mess.
Doesn’t this man own a comb or
brush?
I finally find a brush tucked away under the sink and
run it through my hair. I trail my fingers over the red spot on my
neck with a smile. I can’t wait to see my breasts covered with his
hickeys. I pull his chain from under my wife beater and smile
giddily at my reflection. I’m his. I belong to him. Never in a
million years would I have thought I would happily refer to myself
as a man’s property. But I am. He
owns
me. It’s scary to
feel this way, to feel so strongly about a man who isn’t interested
in love. Yes, he may have changed his mind about the relationship
aspect, but what about the rest? What kind of relationship will we
have without love? I don’t know, but I want him. We’ll see where it
goes from here.