Burning Ember (53 page)

She places her palm over her mouth. “I’m sorry that was awful of me.”

“Honestly, babe, if the boys wouldn’t have pried me out of the room she was sleepin’ naked in with another man, there’s a good chance I would have killed her.”

Doll whispers under her breath, “I just might too if I ever meet her.”

I squeeze her tight to me. “See, you’re gonna make a great old lady. Which reminds me.” I pull my necklace over my head and place it over hers. She picks up the HOC medallion and studies it. “Is this like in high school when your boyfriend gives you his letterman jacket so he can let all the other jocks know you’re taken?”

I smile as I kiss her temple and run my lips down to her ear. “Yes. Only I’m lettin’ the other jerks know you’re taken.”

Before we leave, and a few minutes before the first raindrops fall, I burn the black bag.

All the items that used to be inside, we keep.

Ember seems to think I’ll need them. Someday.

Never knowing what lies ahead is one of the scariest things we face as we go through life.

EMBER

Leaving the restaurant doorway, we run across the parking lot toward his truck. Me with Mav’s cut over my head, him ushering me with his hand on the small of my back. The curses he’s spitting out behind me have my smile spreading wider. By the time we get to where the truck’s parked, we’re soaked through to the bone and I’m laughing.

Instead of going to the driver’s side, he jogs beside me to the passenger door. I yell, “No, just get in.” But he completely ignores me and opens my door.

Warmth flows through me at the gesture.

When we stopped at the hospital and he spoke to Cap as if he were awake, I nearly melted on the spot. And watching him from across the table moments ago, eating his lunch, lick his fingers, and stare heatedly at me, had me nearly crawling over the table to kiss the hell out of him.

I’ve been unable to shut off this ache to be closer to him all day. The tether on my self-control is non-existent. I think I lost it somewhere in-between last night and this morning. Most likely, in Mav’s bed, or when he sprawled me out on the kitchen island and fucked me senseless.

A heavy dose of lust hits me every time I look at him, every time he touches me, and every time we kiss. I mean, he’s standing before me now with his shirt sticking to every sculpted muscle and rain dripping from his impeccable jaw and chiseled features. He’s looking down at me, his golden eyes hooded, while rain pelts both of us. The electricity sparking in the sky is nothing compared to the energy buzzing between us. It’s a steady burn that’s been lingering beneath my skin, crackling and kindling, and growing by the hour, it ready to explode if given the chance to.

Before I can second-guess myself, I toss his cut behind me on my seat, and then slowly seize him by his belt buckle and pull him toward me. Mav hand come up and slip around my neck. And then he’s crushing his lips to mine. His tongue plunges into my mouth and swirls around as I sneak my hands around his waist and under his shirt. I hold on to him with an intensity I’ve never wielded before.

He groans and breathes against my lips, “Fuck. How can I already be so addicted to you?” His lips blaze a scorching trail down my neck sucking hard enough to leave a mark. “I’d take you right here if I could.”

“That could get us both arrested,” I moan and try to remind myself why that’s such a bad idea. But even the threat of Davis isn’t enough to pull me away from Mav right now.

Thunder rumbles in the background and we continue to get soaked. We disregard it all as he dips me back and his hot kisses move to my collarbone.

“Yeah, it would. Especially the way I want to take you.” He straightens and looks down at me. “The second we get back to the clubhouse, I’m gonna be buried inside you.”

“The second?”

His hand leaves my face to travel down my body. He cups and squeezes my butt. “You can bet your ass I am.” His crooked smile is genuine. Happy. And it makes my stomach do a tilt-a-whirl. Absolutely no trace of the sorrow and stress that covered his face a couple of hours ago remains. It’s as if today at the house never happened. Only it did. I saw a part of him that no one else has seen. I saw who he really is and how deeply he can love. I saw how utterly amazing his heart is.

Resting his forehead on mine, he teases, “You’re gettin’ me all wet here, Doll, and it’s supposed to be the other way around.”

“I’m plenty wet too.”

This earns me a raised eyebrow. “Oh, yeah? Here?” He cups my sex from behind and my core muscles start to throb as they beg for more.

“Yes.”

His fingers push my shorts and panties to the side. And an unintelligible sound leaves me as two fingers sink inside me.

“How much time do we have before your meeting?”

“About an hour.”

I push him off and then hand him his cut by shoving it into his chest. “Then you better drive fast.”

He kisses me hard and slow once more before backing up. Then using his cut to cover himself, he makes his way to the driver’s side.

“Damn, it’s pourin’,” he hisses as he slides behind the steering wheel and sweeps his hand over his face. His gaze slides to me and he motions with his hand. “C’mere.”

I scoot close, weave my arm around his, and lay my head on his damp shoulder. Mav’s hand curls around my thigh. He places a kiss on the top of my head as he starts the truck.

The rightness of this moment steals my breath for second. So much so that I wish I could capture it somehow and save it. Re-experience it days and years from now.

It feels too damn precious to just let it simply slip by.

But that’s exactly what happens.

As we make our way across town, he has to pull his hand away to fight through the puddles on the road. Torrents of rain continue to slam against the glass, and the windshield wipers work overtime to give Mav a clear view. Every so often, lightning flashes through the clouds and the whole sky brightens.

I’m glad he’s the one at the wheel, because I’ve never been very good at driving in weather like this. It makes me nervous when I can only see what’s coming. I hate the not knowing.

Witnessing what I like to call a New Mexico mini tsunami, I think of all the people who are scrambling for a dry place to sleep for the night, and again I think of Ivy. I hope she’s not out in this. But at the same time I know the shelter isn’t the safest place for her either.

I murmur, “The next time it’s like this.” I gesture with my chin to the torrent hitting the windshield. “Will you take me somewhere?”

“Yeah, Doll, anything you need. Where do you wanna go?”

“To a shelter in Albuquerque.” He spares me a glance and gives me a curious look. I explain, “There’s a friend there that I’ve been meaning to pay back. I owe her money.”

“You got it. But you can also take the truck and go if you want.”

Looking up at him, I ask, “You’d just let me take your truck?”

He glances at me again. “Yeah, I told you. I trust you and I’ll take care of you. That’s means if I can do somethin’ for you, I will. All you have to do is ask.”

We make the turn leading to the clubhouse when Mav’s growls, “You’ve got to be fuckin’ shittin’ me.” His eyes are on the rearview mirror.

Every hair on my body begins to rise as I recognize the flashing red and blue lights reflected off the rearview and windshield. A siren blares for a few seconds sending a tremor down my spine.

“Are we being pulled over?”

“Yes,” he practically hisses.

“Why. Were you speeding?”

“No.” Tension spikes through his jaw as it pops, he grips the steering wheel hard. “Leo’s—cops fuck with us whenever they can.”

He slows and pulls to the side of the road as my stomach bottoms out. Mav reaches past me and opens the glove box. The first thing I see is a black gun. But he doesn’t grab the gun. He removes his registration and shuts the box with the gun still inside. He takes his ID from his wallet and has it ready to hand over the minute a figure appears beside his window and taps on it with a flash light.

It’s dusk, but I can make out Davis’s features as Mav’s window descends. He’s wearing a hat and rain drips from the brim.

“Tail light? Or you got a better one this time?” Mav snarls as he passes his documents to Davis. Davis is getting drenched but it doesn’t seem to faze him one bit.

“You were swerving. Had too much to drink tonight?”

Under his breath, Mav growls, “Swervin’ . . .
my ass
.”

“I smell beer. You been drinking?” Davis asks.

Mav snaps, “I had
A
beer with my burger. Is that a crime?”

“Depends on how many you had.”

“You deaf. I said I had
A
beer.”

Suddenly, Davis’s focus leaves Mav and his eyes meet mine. “Who’s this?” A spear of panic shoots through me and I cling tight to Mav’s arm.

“No one you need to concern yourself with.” Muscles strain under my grip.

“Hey, we’ve met.” Davis says, brushing Mav off as if he hadn’t spoken. “Pumpkin, right? Lily’s cousin. You still visiting or does this mean you’ve taken up with one of their lot?” he gestures between Mav and me.

Mav turns a little so his body’s blocking me from Davis. “Who she is and who she’s with is none of your fuckin’ business. Now can I be on my way, I got shit to do?”

The turbulent thunder rolls through the sky, but both Davis and Mav are silent. I can only imagine the way Mav’s looking at Davis right now. I’ve been on the other end of that glare and it’s damn scary.

“It’s a dangerous night to be out. Watch yourself, son.”

“Yeah, not your fuckin’ son. And maybe you better make sure you watch yourself too.”

In the next instant Mav grabs his license and registration from Davis, throws both to the passenger floor as his window goes up. Then blatantly ignoring Davis, Mav shifts and peels out as the truck pulls back onto the road, leaving Davis behind.

“What are you—”

Before I can spin around a wall of muscle slams into me from behind and pushes me forward. It’s all I can do to stay on my feet. Abruptly, I find myself between a wall and a body made of steel. My cheek is flattened to the cool surface. One hand circles my throat, his thumb rubbing over my pulse. The other hand grips my ponytail and pulls my hair back.

A wave of scorching hot need lights inside me. “Luce . . .”

Mav’s been furious and deadly silent since we drove away from Davis. The tension he was radiating in the truck was palpable. When we pulled into the lot of the clubhouse, he came around to my side, dragged me out of my seat, pulled me all the way into the clubhouse, past the main room, and didn’t stop until he sealed us both inside his office. The moment my eyes landed on the wall of photos, his body slammed into mine.

“Doll, I need to either fight or fuck. And I think you know which I’d rather do.” His cock pushes hard against my ass. “Say the word and I’ll find Taz—let it out in the ring.”

“Mav.”

“With what’s ridin’ me, I’m gonna be rough and I don’t want to hurt you. Don’t want to scare you away, now that I have you. But I also don’t want to hide this part of me. I asked you not to hide, so I won’t either. I’ll leave the choice up to you.”

“How rough?” Fear laced with excitement gives my voice a shaky quality. I’ve never been more turned on in my life. Adrenaline is actively firing through my veins, and I need this too. I want the quick, harsh fucking his mood and impatience promises. I’ve been yearning for it all day.

“As rough you can take it.” His hot breath sends goosebumps skittering down my neck. “Just tell me if it gets to be too much.” He buries his face in my neck and I shiver.

Reaching back, I cup his ass and pull him into me. “What in the hell are you waiting for?”

No sooner have the words left my mouth then his teeth bit down on the skin between my shoulder and my neck. Not too hard, but still painful. His hands leave my hair and his fingers work in rough harsh movements to open my shorts. The sounds of our breath and my zipper descending seem magnified. He shoves my shorts down over my ass and to my lower thighs. Then he cups both of my butt cheeks and rubs his hands up and down.

I gasp, and jerk back as he hauls my ass out and presents it to himself. “Fuck. This ass. I can’t wait to see this ass bouncing on my cock. I’m in love with this.” He rubs his hands over my cheeks again. When they leave me, I hear the sound of his belt being unbuckled. He rips my panties away. Then his fingers stroke over my sex, feeling how wet I am for him.