Authors: Casey Elliot
*****
A baby’s cry sounded faintly down the hall. On the porch, Phaedra was sketching in a brand new diary and singing softly to herself. Yet, as soon as she heard her son’s voice, she stretched and yawned before standing up to see to him. The nights had been long with little Alex now in her life, but she wouldn’t trade any of them for the world. She loved her little boy and the two of them had a special connection.
One of the good things about him being born was that she was finally able to leave the Wilson house and have some independence of her own.
“Alex needs changing,” the gruff voice came from behind her.
“I’m just on my way. He’s one demandin’ kid.”
She laughed as she leaned back into the body behind her and felt Derren’s strong arms behind her. He clasped her around the waist and seductively kissed her neck.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered before kissing her delicately on the cheek.
She gasped at his touch, feeling his hands all over her body.
“Oh my God, don’t start this again,” she pushed him away with a cheeky smile. “I’ve got to see to the baby.”
“Urgh, you’re such a tease,” he groaned playfully before walking away.
After changing Alex and lying beside him until he fell asleep, Phaedra made her way back out onto the porch. Her husband was leaning against the railing with a cigarette between his fingers. He blew smoke out into the air and watched it hang in the midday sun.
“He’s growing up so fast already.”
“He’s only six months old. How fast can he be growing?” he laughed.
Turning around and planting a kiss on his wife’s cheek, he leaned back and enjoyed looking up at his newly built house.
“I always wanted a house like this. I thought it would never come, but I’m glad I waited. It’s all just so perfect.”
“It certainly is,” she hugged him tight.
Then, she shifted away as sadness descended over her. She still hadn’t forgotten what happened.
“What’s wrong?” Derren asked.
“I just can’t stop thinking about your father.”
“I think about him too sometimes, but… it’s the way of our people. We always fight things out. Dying in battle is honorable. It’s the way he would have wanted to go.”
“It all seems so barbaric.”
“We ARE barbarians, Phaedra. We live off the land and we shun the outside world. It’s been that way for centuries, and it’ll be like that forever.”
“But, I can’t stop thinking that if I hadn’t come up here that day, he would still be alive.”
“Yeah, but if you hadn’t come up here, then we wouldn’t be together.”
“That’s true,” she sighed. “As long as we’re together.”
She slumped into a nearby chair and placed her feet up on the railing, feeling the sun on the soles of her feet.
“Why did you never come back for me?”
It was a solid question, but one the man couldn’t answer easily.
“I didn’t want to break your heart. You’re too good to be sucked into the violence of gang life.”
“Well… that worked out well,” she gave him a wry, sarcastic smile and reached out to hold his hand.
“I never stopped thinking about you though; you know that, don’t you?” Derren explained before falling to his knees in front of her. “Never. Every time I closed my eyes, you were there.”
“Same. I could never get you outta my mind,” she leaned forward and ran her fingers through a lock of his hair.
“I hate to say it, but I gotta get back to the club,” he frowned.
“That’s ok,” she kissed him on the forehead.
“And, what are you going to do with this fine evening?”
Phaedra looked up to the sky and thought about all that lay beneath it. Somewhere out there, her family would be getting ready for bed and she wondered if they ever thought about her.
“I think I’m gonna write a letter home,” she smiled.
The End
Wild Ride
*****
I kicked my bike up a gear and reveled in the smooth purring of the engine, as I raced down the highway. Nothing could get me here—not the idiotic decisions of my pack, not the creeping sense of dread that had begun to tinge my days, nothing. There was only me and the road, and the rumbling beast between my legs that promised everything would work out in the end.
I wanted to go somewhere where nobody knew who I was. The last thing I needed was a show of deference to my authority when all I wanted to do was pretend that I didn't have any authority at all. I wanted to be a nobody, a drifter, and I knew just the spot.
Cranville was two hours outside of Bellacourt, and a million miles away from shifter life. There hadn't been a shifter living within twenty miles of this city for some time. So, I would make it my haven.
The bar that I pulled up to, Harrington's, was starting to get busy already. Bikes lined the pavement outside, and I slotted mine in between two Harleys that begged to be ridden; neither was as sweet as mine.
I was thirsty for more than just the long ride. I thirsted for the sense of freedom that I got on my bike, but at all times. I wanted to be free of the constraints put on me by my own god damn society, but I wasn't thinking of that. I was a drifter now. I had no worries.
The seats at the bar were all taken by gruff bikers with long, scraggly beards and beer bellies that tugged at the front of their leather jackets. That didn't surprise me. While Cranville was a small town, the biker population was considerably high in comparison to the regular people.
I peered around for somewhere else to sit. It didn't matter where; I just wanted a cold beer and to watch the hours go by without someone bugging me about petty pack problems.
My eyes glued to a girl sitting near the back, her eyes on her phone, and a strained expression on her face. She was by herself, a barely touched beer sitting in front of her. Her auburn hair and blue eyes pulled me closer, but the freckles that dotted her nose were what really SEALed the deal. She was gorgeous, and all dolled up to boot. There may as well have been a sign over her head reading "Nick, this way."
I slid into the seat across from her, and her face tilted up at me in surprise.
"Jason?" she asked, though I could tell she already knew that wasn't the case. Her expression went from surprised to confused to appreciative. Whomever she had been expecting, I was clearly a better deal.
"Nick," I corrected. "I don't think Jason's coming."
Her sigh told me I'd been correct in my assumption. She'd been stood up.
"That obvious, huh?" she asked, bearing a caustic smile.
I shook my head. "Lucky guess."
A waitress came over before she could say anything else, and I ordered a beer and a plate of nachos.
"Please, make yourself at home," the girl said sarcastically when the waitress had left.
I smiled at her, trying my best to seem less intimidating than I knew I looked in my leather and stubble. "I'm not just going to leave a beautiful girl by herself when she's come all this way to meet someone," I said. "And, I'm hungry." I winked. "We can share."
She blushed and looked down at her beer, raising it to her mouth to take a sip. "I'm Juliana," she said once she had placed it back down.
"I'm Nick."
The waitress brought my beer over, and I clinked glasses with Juliana. She had a little round face and long lashes, giving the appearance of innocence. I could tell though, from the way she drew her eyes rakishly across me that she was no stranger to the body of a man. Good. I liked my girls experienced.
A small voice in me told me that I shouldn't be doing this, that I had obligations to my pack, but I didn't listen. I was a drifter, nothing more.
Juliana
While initially, I'd been a bit shell-shocked that a guy as gorgeous as Nick had just plopped himself across from me and started a conversation, I began to warm up to him as soon as I realized that Jason really wasn't coming. Not to mention that Nick was a considerable upgrade.
With his brown hair, dark eyes, and five o'clock shadow, he fit the tall, dark, and handsome stereotype to a tee. The scar that ran along the lower side of his jaw, and that I could only see when he tilted his head back to drink, made him look dangerous.
All in all, he was every girl's wet dream, and hell, if I'd walk away from that.
I was still a bit apprehensive, of course. I was an accountant; I didn't take risks. But, if I told myself in advance that it would be a one night thing, then there was no risk, right? And, I was frustrated that I'd been stood up. That was just plain rude.
Nick was charming as well. He had an aura that demanded attention, and I was more than happy to be attentive to him.
"So," he said. "You don't seem to fit the general vibe of the place." He gestured at my skinny jeans and floral tank top. "What's got you in a rough and tough biker bar?"
I snorted. "It was where my date wanted to meet," I said. "They have chicken wings on special tonight."
Nick let out a bark of laughter, tilting his head back so I could see that scar again. I wondered how he had gotten it.
"And he couldn't even show up for the wings," he commented. "What an asshole."
I sipped my drink and grinned. "Them's the breaks."
Nick matched my grin, spearing me with his gaze; "his loss, my gain."
I broke contact with those deep, endless pools of darkness. Biting my lip, I looked over to see if our food was on its way out. Really, I just needed an excuse to take a little breather. He was hot; too hot. What had I done to deserve this kind of treatment? Or rather, what was wrong with him?
But, when I looked back and studied him, I saw no malice in his eyes, no disorder. He seemed just a normal guy, out for a beer.
"What are you doing here?" I asked to satisfy my internal doubts. "Surely, a guy like you has better things to be doing on a Friday night than hanging out at a biker bar with a girl who got stood up."
He relaxed back into his chair just as the waitress came over and slid the nachos in front of us. I dug it. I truly was starving.
"I needed some air," he said.
"So, you came to a bar?" I asked quizzically.
He shrugged. "Maybe it's better to say I needed some space."
"That's cryptic," I said dryly.
He popped a chip in his mouth and chewed. "Does it matter?" he asked.
This time, I met the challenge of his eyes and thought about his question. Did it matter? Honestly, probably not. If I were going to have a one night stand with the guy and never talk to him again, the only thing that mattered was that he was hot and that I could stand him. Check and check.
"I guess not," I said finally, "to getting space and being stood up."
We clinked glasses and tipped them back, drinking heartily. I was already feeling lightheaded bubbly, my favorite stage of intoxication. It was a stage that made promises of things to come—much like Nick's gaze.
Nick
Damn, she was hot. I couldn't believe that she wondered why I'd want to be sitting with her. If she only knew the things her sultry stare was doing to my cock, I doubt she'd ever question my motives again.
I couldn't wait to take her home. I would have taken her into the back alley right then if I didn't have it in my head that I wanted to take some time with this one. She had a body that I longed to explore, and I wanted to take my time doing so.
We drank and chatted for another hour or so, finishing up the nachos and trading little stories about our lives. Nothing personal, but I got to know enough about her to know that she was nothing like the girl I was supposed to marry back home.
Not that there was anything wrong with Heather. She was a sweet girl, but lacked the aplomb and assured grace that Juliana possessed. While Heather was demure, Juliana had a measured confidence that struck me. She was analytical, I could tell, but I could also tell that she had analyzed our present situation and had been happy with what she found.
She offered to call for a cab, but I said that I'd brought my bike. Since I hadn't had much to drink, she agreed to let me take her for a ride.
I handed her my spare helmet when we got outside and told her to hold on tight. As she straddled the seat behind me, her tight thighs gripping at my hips, she held on very tightly indeed. I loved it. That girl could press herself against me so hard that I couldn't breathe if she wanted. I'd die happy.
I rolled out and down the streets that she called into my ear, the engine of my bike nearly drowning her out. I liked that she had to get real close to say anything. I could feel her breath on my neck, and it caused a jolt of electricity to zap straight down to my balls.
I couldn't wait to get her inside.
When she told me to stop, I pulled into the drive we'd stopped in front of and kicked down my stand.
"This is an interesting place," I said.
It wasn't. It was a ramshackle little house with peeling paint and a roof that was in bad need of repair. It’s only redeeming feature was the beautiful and well-kept garden on the front lawn.
"It's not," she said, snorting as she got off the bike.
I followed suit.
"My landlord doesn't really believe in fixing up things when they break," she explained. "I've been at him for months, citing all sorts of codes and renter rights. He comes in and starts to fix something, and then heads off to god knows where." She blew a piece of the straight hair that had landed on her forehead after removing the helmet. "Honestly, if the rent wasn't so cheap, I'd be out of here."
"I thought you were an accountant?"
She gave me a grim smile. "Just got out of school," she said. "I started a little late, and now I'm in my mid-twenties and up to my neck in student loans." She gestured around her. "Behold, the fruits of my labor."
I laughed and pulled her toward me, inhaling the sweet smell of her shampoo. "Well; at least, if we break anything, it won't matter," I purred into her ear.
I pulled back and saw a smile light up her face. "You make a very solid point, Nick."
I leaned down and pressed my lips into hers, willing my drifter persona to take over, to lead me away from thoughts of responsibility and action.
She was my rock in this endeavor. Any time my mind started to drift, the feel of her body tight against mine, held in the vice grip of my arms, brought me back to earth.
She moved against me, already grinding up against my crotch. As I had suspected, this girl knew what she was doing. I hardened instantly, already wondering what delightful little things I'd discover next about this mysterious girl—what other tricks she might have up her sleeve.
Winding my hands in her hair, I pulled her face closer, my tongue invading her mouth dominantly. The way she moaned let me know that she was mine for the taking, and it sent a thrill through me. I touched her everywhere, not giving a crap whether her neighbors might look out and see or not. She was mine for the night, and I wanted everyone to know it.