Old Lady (4 page)

“What if someone comes here?” she muttered again.

“They will get jealous,” he said as he rested his head on her breasts.

She laughed. Quietly, they lay together. Beside her, Nick drifted in a deep sleep. Perhaps, she also drifted away because the flicker of his tongue on her nipple felt like a dream at first. The sweet, slow strokes brought her out of slumber. She moaned and opened her eyes. His lips slowly roamed over her breasts, removing the last cobwebs of sleep from her mind.

Her fingers speared through his hair and stilled. His knee nudged apart her legs and before she could understand as to what was going on, his cock, already hard, dove inside her moist center. The last remnants of sleep tore away from her eyes as she gasped loudly. Seeing the emotions that twirled in his eyes, pleasure and passion rose steeply inside her, turning her insides into molten jelly in an instant. As he pounded into her, she wrapped her legs around him. Once more, she was eager to find the release that already her body craved. Her wet pussy stretched and clenched around his cock as he stroked in and out. Each time he pressed hard into her, his pelvic bone ground into his. The ride was hard and fast. Her fingers grasped his shoulders as she clung on while he thrust in and out.

Quickly, without warning, the momentum built and he spiraled higher and higher with each bold stroke until she teetered on the edge of the high cliff that beckoned her to take the fall. The yearning for precious release was now a full blown need. It spread through her limbs until he was a bundle of quivering muscles. She wanted – no, needed – the escape from this wondrous torture that engulfed them both.

And yet, she wanted him to take the plunge with her. He was catching up fast. Her nails dug into his flesh, demanding and craving more. His lips captured hers once more, and she kissed him with the fervor of a starved woman. Her breath was hot as his greedy lips roamed over her. She wriggled and squirmed as her hips pumped to keep pace with him. Together, they rose and fell, each one of them desperate to reach the end of this road. Wobbling on the high cliff, she fought the storm that crashed and swelled through her veins.

He was close, she could feel it. Gabby allowed herself the luxury of pure pleasure. When the orgasm careened through her muscles, she screamed out his name in a burst of ecstasy. “Nick!”

An instant later, he erupted inside her. For a long moment, he remained still in her. With a sigh, he rolled off her. “Babe, you’re going to kill me one day.”

Putting her hand on his chest, she snuggled into him. “I could say the same thing about you. This is crazy.”

“It sure was.”

They pulled on their clothes and settled down to eat the food. She was now famished. For some strange reason, everything appeared brighter, better, and tastier. It was love, surely it was. Nothing else could have put that bubble of happiness in her heart and the smile that refused to leave her lips. She needed Nick in his life as she needed air to breathe. He was a part of her life, and if he ever left her, she wouldn’t just be devastated, she would probably die of heartbreak. If he didn’t remain with her, she would never be happy again.

It was a scary thought – and yet, even it wasn’t enough to mar her joy at the glory of this beautiful moment.

Gabby loved her life and wanted nothing to change.

That was her only wish.

CHAPTER FOUR

Nick surveyed the warehouse that he selected. It was a drab, gray building but it would suit the plan he had in mind. Soon, he planned to convert it into a storeroom for the goods he’d already agreed to buy. Although Hell Brigade traditionally made their money from distributing stolen goods across the state, he wanted the club to move into a cleaner, legal arena. It had been devastating to see two of their friends in the jail a few months ago. He didn’t want such a repeat ever again. After catching the traitor who gave them away, Nick decided to steer the club into safer zone.

He wanted the best for them, and it was important to make them fall in line.

“I don’t like it,” growled Matt as he studied the place. “It’s very old.”

“Right now, it’s all we can afford but as the money starts to flow in, we will be able to afford a better place. It’s got potential and that’s all that matters now.”

“Why do we need to do this?” said Matt as he ran his fingers over one of the walls and then stared in disgust when they were covered in grime. “Our business is doing so well, and we don’t have any more threats from traitors.”

“It’s never safe to indulge in illegal activities, and I just don’t want a repeat of the last episode that we had to suffer through. It’s important to be legal,” said Nick in a patient voice. Although he was the club’s treasurer, if he didn’t get the support of the other men, they wouldn’t be able to move ahead with this plan. 

“Pah!” snorted Matt as he moved away.

Nick struggled to control his temper. Couldn’t they all see that he wanted something that was better for all of them? How long would it take before they agreed to his proposal? His gaze strayed to Ronald who was inspecting the place with an intrigued expression on his face. “I don’t know about this, Nick. It’s too complicated.”

“It’s easy as a pie.”

“The profit that we get from buying goods from other states and then distributing them here is so much leaner than what we earn now. It won’t even cover a quarter of our expenses,” he grumbled.

“That’s just the beginning,” said Nick. “I’ve charted out our cash flows for the next two years. Things will pick up. Trust me. Once we started pulling in great volumes, profits will increase exponentially. It’s going to work out well, but of course, we’ve to put in hard work. Everyone who agrees to become a part of the regular workforce will get paid, and all of us will get a cut from the profit.”

“That we do already, man, and we don’t even have to work too hard for it,” said Matt.

“That’s risky, dude. Every time you drive a truck of stolen goods, you risk going to jail and I don’t want that to happen to anyone of us ever again. We need to move into legal trade,” he insisted.

Nick could see that they weren’t convinced by the glances they exchanged with each other. Frustration swirled in his gut, but he curbed it. He didn’t want to get into an argument with them. If he intended to convert them to his way of thinking, it would take patience and time. After they finished inspecting the place, they all left the venue. Nick went to the clubhouse to pick up Gabby whom he’d left in Willow’s care.

Sure, she was a grown girl and didn’t need babysitting but ever since she received those threatening calls and since he learnt of her plan to run away to escape Joseph’s unwanted attention, he was all the more careful. He didn’t want to give her an opportunity to abscond, but more than that, he wanted to make sure that she was safe. In the clubhouse, with other people around who were aware of the danger she was in, he felt moderately comfortable with the idea of leaving her.

When he walked in the kitchen, she was washing the dishes along with Willow. Seeing her, his heart slammed into his chest. She was so beautiful, so vulnerable, and gorgeous. Soon, when she was free of Joseph’s negative influence, they would be able to live a normal life once more but until that moment came, he couldn’t afford to take any chances with her safety.

“Hey, handsome,” she said when he slipped his arms around her waist and deposited a kiss on the nape of her neck. “How was your day?”

“It’s much better now,” he muttered as she turned in his arms. Since he didn’t want to give too many details in front of Willow who was eyeing him with a speculative gleam in her eyes, he didn’t say much. “Are you finished?”

She sensed his moon. “Sure. We could go home if you want.”

“Why don’t we grab a bite to eat at the pizzeria around the corner?”

“Ok,” she agreed.

As she picked up her purse, he smiled at Willow. “Tough day?” she asked.

“I’ve had better.” He sighed. She was going to get the news from Ronald anyway so he didn’t feel the need to add more. “Did Gabby invite you for the barbeque on Sunday?”

“Yes, she did. I’ll be there. Do you want me to bring something from home? My potato salad is divine.”

“I can vouch for that,” said Gabby. “But I’ve the recipe so I will make it myself. I just need you to turn up for moral support. It’s the first time we’re opening the house for an informal meal, so I am a little bit nervous.”

“You’ve got it in the bag, darling,” said Willow. Thankfully, she didn’t ask any more questions about his meeting with Ronald and Matt. “I guess I will see you guys there. Tomorrow, I am off for a two day trip to visit my sister but I will be back Saturday night and will see you guys. Take care.”

Gabby hugged Willow. It was easy to see that the women were fond of each other. Gabby had such a winning, easy personality that whoever she met and befriended loved her. Nick was glad that she was settling into this new routine with ease. He liked to see her happy and with each passing day, this dream of his was becoming a reality. Soon, when Joseph was in jail, they would all be ready to breathe easier.

As they stepped out, Gabby raised her chin and took a deep breath. “I feel like something amazing is going to happen.”

He didn’t quite feel so optimistic. This struggle with Ronald and others was sapping him of all energy, but the sooner they found a common meeting ground, the better it was for the club. Living on the edge of danger by transporting stolen goods was certainly exciting, but he wanted them all to move on to better things.

They entered the pizzeria and he raised a hand in greeting to the boys who worked behind the counter. This was one of their usual hangout places, and he knew each person who worked here well. “Hey, boys. How is it going?”

One of them came forward with a menu, but they didn’t really need it. Quickly, Nick dictated their usual order. Gabby leaned back and ran her hand over the edge of the table. “I take it from that mournful expression on your face that Ronald and Matt still haven’t fully agreed?”

He sucked in a deep breath of air as he tried to expel the disappointment from his mind. It was going to be an uphill battle. He’d known it and was prepared to deal with their resistance. If he wanted something good to happen, he needed to put in the extra effort. When the club began to earn its money through legal means, they would all settle down.

“It’s not working as well as I hoped, but I am confident and of course, I’ve you for support.”

“Always.” She caught her hand in his and squeezed. “Forever and ever.”

Hope filled his heart. As long as he had her, nothing could faze him for long. Nick dispelled the gloom that threatened to envelop him. As he stared into her eyes, Nick felt as if he was standing at the edge of something momentous. Soon, their lives would be on track. These were just minor hiccups and they would work out well. “How was your day? Did you finish the book report that you were working on?”

As she began to give him an enthusiastic recount of the work that she finished and sent in via email to her counselor, Nick forced himself to enjoy the enthusiasm that surrounded her. She was so eager to experience life and to enjoy herself that he couldn’t hold on to the faint sense of unease that clung to him. It wasn’t just his setbacks with his biker friends that played on his mind, but lately he felt as if there a storm headed his way. He couldn’t tell what it was that made him feel that trouble chased him on mighty feet, but something, an instinct born of years of experience, cautioned him to be careful.

If trouble was indeed headed their way, he wanted to be prepared, but he also didn’t want to let go of these blissful moments of joy that he so relished with Gabby. Perhaps he should’ve devoted more time to think about the feelings of dread that refused to let go of his heart, but instead Nick focused on Gabby’s words and didn’t pay attention to the tempest that was fast approaching them. If he was more careful, more insightful, he would have run straight home with Gabby, locked her inside, and guarded the key – but he wasn’t aware of the danger that pursued her and perhaps it was just as well because if he had known, Nick probably wouldn’t have been able to function during the last few days that they had together.