HARD: MC Romance (FF MC Romance Book 1) (13 page)

TWENTY-TWO

Peyton

I sat on the hard fender with my hands at his waist and tilted my head back. Riding on the back of Navarro’s bike was like flying, and each time I did it, I grew a little fonder of it. While we rode along Mission Beach Boulevard looking for a place to eat, I thought of the phrase
as free as a bird
, and wondered if most bikers felt no differently than I did.

Riding was an unexplainable thrill, something that words couldn’t come close to accurately describing, but the word
flying
immediately came to mind. With the feeling of flight came a sense of freedom.

When I recognized the sense of freedom, it all made sense.

The outlaw biker really wanted nothing more than to be left to his own devices. The ride freed them from the clutch of whatever it was that brought them to drop their respective asses into the seat in the first place.

The satisfaction from riding seemed to be much different after the incident. Before, I enjoyed it immensely, but other than the thrill of being on the back of the bike, nothing else
happened
. After the incident, the ride seemed to rid me of all contamination, leaving me feeling cleansed of everything that was impure. 

I couldn’t help but wonder if each and every hard-core biker had some underlying reason – some catastrophe in their life – that made riding more of a necessity, and not merely a simple desire.

We parked in front of a small taco shop. I adjusted my hair tie and reluctantly released Navarro’s waist. “I have a lot of questions to ask while we’re waiting on food.”

He stepped off the bike and steadied it for me to get off. “I thought you’d be done with that article by now.”

“Actually, I haven’t even started,” I said. “But this has nothing to do with the article. Not really.”

“Ask me anything you want,” Pee Bee said. “But prepare for the truth. I won’t bullshit you like Ol’ Crip.”

I climbed off the fender. “How did he get his name?”

Navarro shot me a look. I winked at him.

“Crip. Short for cripple. Because he’s an old man.”

I looked at Navarro. “True?”

He nodded. “That’s what it stands for, but I’m far from an old man.”

“What about yours,” I asked Pee Bee.

“P. B.,” Navarro said. “Pretty Boy. Because he looks like a bearded girl.”

I laughed. “Pretty Boy and Crip. I like it.”

“Come on,” Pee Bee said. “I’ve got to feed the machine.”

I followed them into the restaurant, feeling much better than when I was at work. Riding was therapeutic, and whether or not I wanted to admit it, I needed a little therapy in my life.

“Why do you ride?” I asked Navarro as we sat down.

“Me?”

I nodded. “Yes, you.”

“Big picture?”

“Sure.”

He folded his fingers together as if he was preparing to pray. I studied his tattooed knuckles. On his upper knuckles, the word
STAY.
On the lower,
REAL
. It was easy to get lost in admiring his tattoos, and I enjoyed doing it.

“It’s hard to explain,” he said. “I get a sense of freedom when I ride that I can’t seem to get anywhere else. Being in a cage makes me feel like I’m locked up. Like an animal. The difference between riding and driving is the difference between a tiger in the wild, and one in a zoo.”

“And by
cage
, you mean a car?”

“Yep. A car is a cage. That’s what we call ‘em, anyway. Write that in your little fucking article.”

“I like that. And, I reserve the right to use it.” I turned to Pee Bee. “What about you?”

“You like rollercoasters?”

I grinned. “Love ‘em.”

He arched a brow. “Love ‘em, or like ‘em a lot?”

“Love ‘em.”

“Can you imagine riding one to work? And home? Like every day? Wouldn’t that be fuckin’ cool?”

“I wish there was one that went from my townhouse to my office. That’d be awesome.”

“I ride for the same reason people ride a roller coaster or jump off a cliff. It thrills me. Basically, I’ve got a rollercoaster that takes me everywhere.”

“Drinks?” the waitress asked.

“Budweiser.”

“Budweiser.”

“And you?” she asked.

“Budweiser,” I responded.

“Menus are on in the condiment caddy, I’ll be back in a few.”

“What’s good here?”

“Fish tacos,” Pee Bee said. “Don’t even look at the menu, just order.”

“Seriously?”

“Bitch, do I look like I’d steer you wrong?”

He wasn’t as tattooed as Navarro. Hell, no one was. But both of his upper biceps had tattoos, each of his shoulders were covered in a tribal pattern, and he had a star tattooed on his upper forearms.

To the unknowing, he looked like a thug.

But I knew deep down inside that he’d never steer me wrong.

“No,” I said.

He raked his fingers through his long hair and leaned back in his seat. “Then get the fish tacos.”

The waitress brought our drinks. “Three Bud’s.”

She handed us the bottles of beer. “Had a chance to look at the menu?”

“Don’t need to,” I said. “I want the fish tacos.”

“One order of fish tacos.”

She looked at Pee Bee. “And you?”

“Fish tacos.”

“What about you?”

Navarro’s mouth curled into a smirk. “Give me the pork chili verde. Corn tortillas.”

“Just couldn’t go for the fish tacos?” She joked. “Make it easy?”

“I’m a non-conformist, and nothing’s ever easy for me,” he responded.

“What a surprise,” she said.

I didn’t totally agree, but I kept my mouth shut. In my opinion, Navarro was a non-conformist, but I believed life was extremely easy for him.

All Navarro had to do to succeed in life was be Navarro.

And being Navarro, at least for him, came naturally.

TWENTY-THREE

Nick

My opinion was all that mattered. If someone didn’t share my views, they were wrong, because I was always right. Being exposed to life-changing events seemed to be the only thing to ever get me to look at life – or myself – with honest eyes.

Pee Bee and I stood in the shop, solving the world’s problems, one at a time. The conversation soon included talk of Peyton, and to my surprise, he didn’t accept it well.

“How the fuck am I supposed to answer that? I’m not you, and you sure as fuck aren’t me. It really don’t matter what I say, you’re gonna come back with some bullshit and tell me I’m either dumb or crazy. When we’re done talkin’, you’ll be right. Because you’re always fuckin’ right,” Pee Bee said.

I kicked a small stone across the floor of the shop, then met his gaze. “I asked you. I want your opinion.”

“I think you’re reacting to what Whip and them did. You know, in Pete’s bar.”

I shook my head. “I think it’s more than that.”

He shrugged. “Like I said. I give an opinion. You shoot it down.”

“I didn’t
shoot it down
.”

He picked at his fingernails for a few long seconds, then cleared his throat. “All I know is this. Been knowin’ you for damned near ten years. You ain’t never had – and you ain’t never wanted – an Ol’ Lady--”

“I didn’t say I wanted--”

He leaned forward and shot me a glare. “Motherfucker, let me finish.”

I took a drink of my beer and nodded. “Fine. Finish.”

“Where was I?” His eyes fell to the floor. He rubbed his beard for a minute, then looked up. “Oh, yeah. So, you always say how you don’t need an Ol’ Lady. Fellas with Ol’ Ladies aren’t devoted to the club. When Stretch had that Ol’ Lady from El Cajon, you told me his devotion to the club went to shit, and he needed to get rid of her. Remember that?”

I nodded. “I do, but--”

He raised his hand in the air. “Motherfucker, I ain’t done.”

I sighed. “Continue.”

“Okay. So you don’t like Ol’ Ladies, and you bang bitches like the rest of us. Hit ‘em and quit ‘em. Some cute little bitch with an attitude comes along, and you start beatin’ that little pussy of hers up. Well, here’s my point.” He crossed his arms and shot me a glare. “All you was doin’ was fuckin’ her. That’s it. Never would have amounted to shit. When she was done with that article, I
guarantee
you that you’d have kicked her to the side.”

“What’s your fucking point, Peeb?” I tossed my empty bottle toward the trash can, missed, and it crashed to the floor and shattered.

He nodded his head toward the trash can. “See what I mean? There you go, tryin’ to intimidate me.”

“What?”

“Bustin’ bottles and shit. Subliminal stuff. You ain’t tryin’ to hear what I got to say.”

I shook my head and turned toward the fridge. “I missed the trash can. And your little speech made no sense.”

“I was tryin’ to be nice.”

“Since when are you nice?”

“Fine, motherfucker. How about
this
,” he snapped back. “Until Whip and them fellas raped her, you didn’t give a fuck about her or how she felt. All you cared about was dippin’ your dick. Then, they raped her. All of a sudden, you feel like you gotta take care of her.”

I opened my beer and stared back at him. “Not true.”

“True as fuck.”

I shook my head. “She’s been different since she came to the shop on the first day.”

“Grab me a beer, motherfucker.” He motioned toward the fridge. “Different how?”

I shrugged. “She surfs, snowboards, fucking bungie jumps, drives a Jeep--”

“She drives a Jeep? She drives a fucking Jeep?” He burst into laughter, and eventually caught his breath. “That’s your excuse?”

“Amongst other things.”

“There’s 200,000 bitches in SD that drive Jeeps.”

“Like you said earlier, asshole. I wasn’t done.”

“Hurry the fuck up and
get
done,” he said. “I got another point to make.”

I turned to the fridge, grabbed another beer, and handed it to him. “All the things she does aren’t important. The fact she does them is.”

“What the fuck does that mean?”

“It defines what type of person she is. She’s adventurous.”

“And that’s what you like about her?”

I nodded. “Yep.”

“That’s what you’re lookin’ for in life?”

“I’m not looking to get fucking married, Peeb. Not even to have an Ol’ Lady. I was just saying that I enjoy it when she’s around, and I hoped she keeps coming around after the article’s done.”

“And you say you’re sayin’ all this because she’s adventurous?”

I nodded. “Yep.”

He glared at me while took a long drink of beer.

He lowered the bottle and wiped his beard with his free hand. “Why didn’t you put an ad on Craigslist five years ago?
Tattooed biker seeks adventurous bitch. Must drive Jeep and bungie jump
.”

“Now you’re being an asshole.”

He chuckled. “Don’t get me wrong, I like the little bitch. She seems to be a solid motherfucker. I mean, if you’re askin’ me. But you sayin’ you’re wantin’ to keep her around and shit just makes me think it’s for the wrong fuckin’ reasons.”

“What if I was saying it, and she hadn’t been raped?”

“But she was.”

“I’m asking you, asshole. What if she wasn’t?”

He shrugged. “It’d be a different story. I’d probably say somethin’ like,
damn, Crip, you’re finally settlin’ down.
”

“I’m not settling down. I’m saying I enjoy her company.”

He finished his beer, tossed the empty bottle into the trash can, and met my gaze. “I guess all I’m sayin’ is this. Don’t enjoy it for the wrong reasons.”

Standing there staring back at him, I had no response to give. All I could do was hope that what I felt was a result of a clear mind, not a sympathetic one.

TWENTY-FOUR

Peyton

The weather in the San Diego’s area was perfect, at least in my opinion. Spring and early summer temperatures were in the high 60’s and low 70’s. Navarro and I sat at the coffee shop, enveloped in silence. As the early-morning sun warmed my legs, I wondered just why he had scheduled our morning meeting.

He rocked his chair on its rear legs. “Got anything for me to read yet?”

“The article?”

“Yeah.”

It seemed things between us had become awkward. At least much more than before. It had been two weeks since the incident, and although I felt much better about everything, I certainly didn’t feel
normal
. I wondered if he sensed it, or if he had reasons of his own for being someone other than his natural self.

“No,” I said. “Not yet.”

He dropped the chair back down on its legs and reached for his coffee. “What’s the hold up?”

“Hold up?” I shot him an evil stare. The real kind, not the friendly version. “Have you ever written anything for publication?”

He looked at me like I had three heads. “No.”

“Well,” I said. “It isn’t easy. I’m trying to decide where to take it. And we’re not done with the interviews.”

“I was just asking.”

I was tired of people asking. Camden asked every time he saw me. Navarro was asking. I even asked myself, but lately those times had become infrequent.

“It’ll be done when it’s done. And, when I’m done with it, you’ll be the first to know. You’ve got to proof it, remember?”

He took a drink of coffee and nodded. “Just asking.”

I took a sip of my latte and studied him. Relaxed in his seat with his coffee in his hand, his shoulders were rolled forward. His broad chest looked deflated, and he seemed considerably smaller than he actually was.

“What’s been wrong with you lately?” I asked, the words coming out before I had a chance to stop them.

I wanted him to be the way he was when I met him. Rough. Aggressive. Angry. In-you-face.

But something was different.

He rocked the chair on its back legs again. “What do you mean?”

“Look at you.” I shrugged. “You’re docile.

He shot me a look, but it was forced, and I couldn’t really identify it. “Docile?”

I nodded. “Compliant. Unassertive. Accommodating. You know, docile.”

“No I’m not.”

“Okay. Whatever. Let’s go get some ice cream.”

“Now?”

“Yeah. Right now. I want ice cream.”

He stood up. “You gonna bring your coffee with you?”

“See? That’s what I’m talking about. A month ago you would have told me to fuck off, and you would have shoved your cock down my throat to shut me up. Now? Now you’re different.”

He loomed over me with a blank look on his face.

“Sit down,” I said.

He complied, sitting back in his seat. He looked defeated. I wondered if I was being shallow and insensitive. I quickly decided maybe I was simply being selfish, and that something may have happened in his life that I was unaware of.

“I’m sorry. It’s just. Here lately, you’re different. Like I said, you’ve been kind of soft and passive. Is there anything you want to talk about?”

He shook his head. “No. How about you?”

“Me? I’m not different. I’m the same. You? You’re--” I paused and waved my hand toward him. “You’re not
you
.”

He took a drink of his coffee and leaned forward. “Can I speak freely?”

“Sure.”

“I’m worried about you.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Me?”

He nodded. “Yeah, you.”

“Why?”

“You came to me and were some cute bitch that was going to write an article about my club. I was flattered, excited, and pretty gung-ho about the whole deal. Add to it that you’re cute as fuck, and it made everything that much better. Or worse. Or whatever. So, I invite you to the clubhouse.” He leaned back in his chair, rubbed his beard, then sighed heavily. “You asked questions and I answered. It was interesting, and I actually enjoyed it. Then. We fucked. Enjoyed that, too.”

So did I.

He paused and shook his head. “Then, one day we got coffee and we went to get lunch. That day we went to lunch? I was having a pretty good time with you on the back of the bike. Actually wondered for a minute what it’d be like having you around. Never met a tough little bitch like you. Thought you were pretty fucking good stuff.”

I wasn’t sure where he was going with the conversation, but hearing him say how he felt warmed me much more than the morning sun. I never would have guessed being called a bitch could be such a rewarding experience, but it was.

His face went solemn, but didn’t last long. An angry look soon replaced it. “Then, they raped you. And, I’m worried. I want you to be the same, but I wonder if you ever will be. I wish it never would have happened.”

I started to speak, but the words got caught in my throat. I sat and stared, incapable of speaking and not really sure what feelings – if any – my face was conveying.

I was filled with anger. I didn’t want what took place to have happened either, but it did. Afterward, all I wanted was for things in my life – and for me – to be the same, but I knew they never would be. The fact that four complete strangers viciously stole my chance of having a perfect life from me and left me feeling guilty, filthy, and forever tainted caused me to feel pain that I never knew existed.

“I feel responsible,” he said.

My response was dry and coarse. “Don’t.” 

“I can’t help it.”

“You know,” I said.

My eyes began to well with tears. I fought not to cry, but wondered how long it would last. “That day? I keep replaying the morning in my head. When I decided to go get the recorder. I should have called the bar. I knew the name of it. I could have. But I didn’t. I wanted to go in there
without
calling. I wanted to put on my big girl panties and go to the biker bar without you. Sit where we sat. Do some research. Watch who…watch who came and went. If I would have called, and maybe gone ten minutes…ten minutes…”

He raised his hand, trying to get me to stop.

But I needed to finish.

He stood.

I waved him off, and then realized tears were dripping off my chin and onto my lap.

I cleared my throat. “Ten minutes. Just ten minutes later. Ten fucking minutes.”

I wiped my face with the tips of my fingers. “So, somehow…somehow I convinced myself it’s all my fault.”

His jaw was tight, and he was breathing through his nose. He was angry, but I knew he wasn’t angry with me. He shook his head. “It’s not your fault.”

I bit down on my lower lip and tried to stop it from quivering. It did very little to calm me. I was taught not to hate, but I hated the men that did what they did to me. Cutting their cocks off might have satisfied everyone else, but it didn’t satisfy me, no matter what I tried to tell myself.

“Can you just…could you…hold…”

I wanted him to hold me, but I couldn’t say it.

The crying got worse, almost turning into a full-blown blubber. Everything just seemed to come crashing down, and I began to feel heavy inside. My heart began to ache. I closed my eyes and wondered what I had ever done to deserve feeling the way I felt.

Nothing.

Life wasn’t fair.

I closed my eyes and cried, wishing Navarro wasn’t watching. I wanted to be in North Carolina, where my father could comfort me. As I wept, and wished things were different, I felt Navarro’s arms around my waist.

He lifted me from my seat and held me in my arms.

But the pain never stopped.