Resurrection (The Lone Riders MC Series Book 3) (22 page)

‘Was Benjamin Almeda ever a good man?’ Mia asked, her voice quiet and tinged with something that bordered on cynicism.

‘I think he was, Mia. Before the crap took hold and he let Hector take over. I should have stood up to him a lot sooner. That’s something both me and Sol regret – not standing up to him sooner. For a long time we let him win, and that almost destroyed everything.’

She looked back down at her hands, her fingers now nervously picking at the frayed hem of her denim skirt.

‘How are you, Mia?’

Her head shot back up, her eyes once more locking with his. ‘I’m fine… OK, I’m not fine about the fact my sister hates me, with good reason. Or that the brother I was just getting to know doesn’t want to talk to me just yet, I’m really
not
fine with any of that. But I deserve it.’ Her gaze dropped again. ‘I guess you could say I lost control, too. For a while. But what you did to Carrie… you have to understand what that did to me.’

He felt another piercing pain to his heart and he had to breathe in deep to ease it. ‘I’m really not that man anymore, Mia.’

She slowly looked up, her coal-black eyes softer now. ‘I’ll have to take your word for that.’

‘Let me prove it to you.’

She stood up, shaking her head, backing away towards the door. ‘No. No, Ben, I can’t. I can’t go back there, I’m moving on…’

‘Every second of every God forsaken day I was in that house, alone, I thought about you, Mia; about what I’d done to you, how I’d hurt you. And you had every reason in the world not to trust me. Every fucking reason. But I have changed, I promise you…’

‘I’m tired of hearing promises, Ben.’

‘I love you, Mia. Probably more now than I did before because now – now I know what I lost. What I threw away. I messed-up, darlin’. Big time. But I love you, and I had to come here, I had to fight for you…’

She was still shaking her head, and he felt his stomach dip; felt like someone had dealt a metaphorical blow to his solar plexus that quite literally winded him.

‘I’m moving on, Ben. And that’s something I really have to do, so you shouldn’t have come here. I’m sorry, for the way everything turned out but you shouldn’t have come here.’

‘Mia, please…’

‘Have a nice life, Ben. You deserve that. But I can’t be a part of it.’

He watched as she turned and walked away, and he felt his heart shatter into a million pieces.

Twenty-Nine

‘We need to get you a new bike,’ Charlie said, coming out from the back of the shop, his arms full of files and folders.

Mia looked up from the magazine she’d been flicking through. ‘Hmm? Sorry, did you say something?’

‘I said, we need to get you a new bike, now you’re staying here in
Newcastle
. Seen anything you like the look of?’

She glanced quickly around the shop, not really taking all that much in. ‘Haven’t thought about it, to be honest. I kind of like that Low Rider over there, though. Me and Drake were checking it out yesterday.’

‘Want to take it out for a test ride later?’

Mia looked at her father, the thought of taking a bike out and getting away from it all for a little while bringing a smile to her face. ‘Yeah. OK. Thanks.’

He returned her smile. ‘Right. I’d better get these books over to the accountant before he throws a shit fit. He’s been asking for them for over a week now. Drake’s coming over to help you out this morning… Oh, speak of the devil.’

Mia turned to see Drake saunter into the shop, displaying that undeniably sexy swagger that could turn many a female head. Including hers. And she couldn’t stop her smile from growing wider as he headed over to her.

‘Hey, gorgeous.’ He grinned, leaning over to stick his helmet behind the counter. ‘You OK today?’

‘Yeah. I’m fine, thanks.’

Charlie’s eyes flitted from Drake to Mia, a small smirk spreading across his face. He liked Drake, a man who’d come to England; a man who’d sought out the Lone Riders to escape a life he didn’t talk much about, but Charlie guessed it hadn’t been all that good to him. In the short time he’d been with the club he’d become a trusted member, which was why Charlie had made him his Sergeant-at-Arms. And he was good for Mia. Charlie trusted him with Mia. And right now, that was all Charlie cared about.

‘OK, kids, I’m outta here. There’s a guy coming in around ten thirty to pick up that Night Rod so if you could check it over, Drake, make sure it’s ready, that’d be great.’

‘Whatever you need, boss.’

‘I won’t be long. I’ll bring us back some lunch, then you two can head off for that ride. OK?’

Mia nodded, smiling at her father as he left the shop.

‘Ride?’ Drake asked, hauling himself up onto the counter.

‘Yeah. I’m looking for a new bike, seeing as mine’s back over in the states. Got my eye on that Low Rider over there.’

‘You want me to come with you?’

‘Of course I want you to come with me. We can go have ourselves some fun, can’t we?’

Drake frowned. Mia Rose wasn’t an easy woman to read, but she was one of the hottest he’d known. But she was damaged, and that made it harder for him to scratch beneath the surface because she didn’t talk too much about anything that had happened. But then again, neither did he.

Mia cocked her head, aware that he seemed slightly confused by what she was saying. ‘OK. Listen to me,’ she started, stepping between his legs, her hands on his rock-hard thighs. ‘I know I’m this ridiculous, complicated mess right now, and Ben coming over from the States, that didn’t help…’

‘Do you miss it?
America
?’

‘Do
you
?’

‘We’re not talking about me. And I told you the other night, the only thing I miss about back home is the weather.’

She paused for a second before she said anything else. ‘I wasn’t really over there long enough to miss it, Drake.’

‘Do you miss
him
?’

She looked up into his rather startling ice-blue eyes. She hadn’t really noticed them before, and they were beautiful, if not slightly out-of-place in his roughly handsome face. ‘I miss what I thought we had,’ she said quietly, reaching out to gently run her fingers over Drake’s heavily stubbled chin. ‘But I can’t go back there. Because none of it was real.’

He slid down from the counter, his arm circling her waist as he pulled her against him. ‘You said you weren’t ready for anything resembling a relationship, right?’

‘Right,’ she breathed, her hand sliding around the back of his neck, stroking it gently, almost absent-mindedly.

‘But, you
did
mention having some fun…’

She laughed quietly, pressing her body against him. He was so different to Ben. He was taller, bigger built, and when he held her she felt as though nothing could get to her. She felt protected. He was different to Ben. And he was just what she needed. For now, anyway. ‘And it
will
be just fun, Drake, I need you to understand that. I don’t want to hurt you, don’t want you to think that this is gonna turn into something it…’

‘I understand, Mia. Really, I do. We’re friends, and we’re having some fun, that’s all.’

‘You’re not just saying that because your dick is on red alert right now, are you?’ She smirked, because she could feel his hard-on throbbing against her thigh. Which wasn’t a bad thing. In fact, it was nothing but good. She hadn’t had sex in months, and her body was kind of telling her it was about time she went there again – hot, meaningless sex. Just what she needed.

Drake laughed, a deep, dirty laugh and she felt her stomach take a nosedive.
Jesus!
She was waking up now, no doubt about that! But there was still a glimmer of guilt there that was stopping her from doing this. She really didn’t want to hurt or mislead this man in any way.

‘Don’t think about it, Mia,’ he whispered, winding his fingers in her hair, gently pulling her head back just a touch. ‘Don’t think about
him
. Just think about this…’

His mouth was on hers before she had time to catch her breath, a kiss so soft and sensual she couldn’t quite get her head around the fact a man like Drake could kiss like that. And it was doing things to her insides that she hadn’t thought possible. It was like they’d suddenly turned to marshmallow or something, it was crazy!

‘Whoa, that was good, big guy.’ Her words were coming out in breathy gasps, and she felt slightly weak at the knees.

‘Close the shop,’ Drake murmured, his hand sliding up under her T-shirt. ‘Just for a few minutes. Charlie doesn’t have to know.’

Mia raised an eyebrow. ‘Is that all it’s gonna take, huh? A few minutes?’

He laughed that laugh again and she almost ran to the entrance, flicking the lock and spinning the sign to CLOSED, turning around and leaning back against the door. Her breathing was fast and heavy; she hadn’t felt this way in a long time, and she liked it. Low-down, dirty, meaningless sex… God, she wanted that so bad now!

‘Come here.’ Drake threw her the hottest sideways smile, and she walked slowly over to him, their eyes locked, her heart hammering hard against her ribs.

‘So, a few minutes, huh?’ She took his hand, dragging him through into the back room, kicking the door shut behind them.

‘Yeah, but a few minutes you’re not gonna forget in a hurry.’ He pushed her back against the table, pulling off his T-shirt to reveal a washboard stomach and more tattoos. Mia couldn’t take her eyes off him, or those tattoos. They were almost mesmerizing.

‘I like a man who’s got confidence in his performance.’ She pulled off her own T-shirt, unhooking her bra and tossing it aside.

He gave her that smile again, and she swore she could feel herself becoming wetter by the second. ‘You ready for a whole new ride, baby?’

She threw back her head, laughing quietly, that laugh slowly turning into one long, low groan as she felt him slide her panties down. She stepped out of them, his hands now pushing her skirt up around her hips as he lifted her up and sat her down on the table, spreading her legs and stepping between them. She kept them spread, placing her hands behind her and leaning back slightly, closing her eyes, another low groan escaping as she felt him touch her, his fingers sliding across her with expert precision. He knew just where to press that little bit harder, where to apply pressure, drawing out of her a sensation that was beyond anything she’d felt before. It was like every knot of tension, every pent-up emotion was being set free in the most delicious of ways.

She moaned low and slow as he pushed his fingers inside her, going deep, his breath warm against her neck, his breathing heavy. It was beautiful, and it really was just what she needed; sex that meant nothing, just an excuse for an escape that was necessary.

He was bringing her to the edge now, she could feel those tingles start to intensify, so when he pulled out of her it was like a shock to the system; that feeling of being yanked back from the precipice was excruciating!

And then he was kissing her again; that wonderfully sensual kiss she’d experienced before, and she lost herself in it, her arms loose around his neck, her legs wrapped around his hips, his mouth moving against hers in the most beautiful way. She was so lost in that kiss that she hadn’t even realized he was inside her until she felt him moving, felt him pulling her closer, his hand in the small of her back edging her around just slightly so she was the perfect angle for him to go deeper. Every action, every touch of his fingers against her skin was driving her crazy! Everything he did was so slow and soft and gentle, but that only added to the intensity of it all. He was a man who didn’t like to rush things; he’d thrust into her a couple of times, then he’d withdraw, and he’d kiss her in that beautiful way before pushing into her again, building up a rhythm that seemed to be turning every tiny sensation, every minute tingle into something wild and wonderful. She’d never been fucked like this before. Ever. And it was incredible!

Burying her face in his shoulder, breathing in his smell – a mixture of cigarettes and a musky cologne – she held on to him, knowing this build-up could only last so long before it all came crashing to a head. And she wasn’t wrong. Ranking the rhythm up just a touch, their bodies began moving that little bit faster, his thrusts still so gentle but when he came – it was like the floodgates had opened! She felt him rush into her with a force so strong it caused her to come, too, almost simultaneously, their bodies moving and working together in perfect harmony. And it was an orgasm that seemed to go on forever – wave after wave crashing over her, again and again until she thought it would never end. She was almost crying out for mercy. Until those waves finally subsided, and everything slowed down, except their breathing. That remained heavy and fast, despite the slow and languid pace the sex had taken.

‘You had every right to be confident,’ Mia gasped, leaning back and closing her eyes, taking a few seconds to pull herself together; let her body readjust.

‘I don’t lie, sweetheart.’

She bit down on her lip as his mouth covered her nipple, his tongue flicking over it, another flurry of goose bumps covering her skin. ‘OK, big guy, we’ve got to call time on this,’ she groaned, leaning forward, taking his face in her hands and kissing him slowly. ‘We can’t keep this place closed forever. Charlie’ll go spare.’

He grinned, lifting her down from the table, his hand resting in the curve of her waist as they kissed again. ‘You still want me to come on that ride with you this afternoon?’

She reached behind her for her bra and T-shirt and reluctantly got dressed. ‘Of course I do.’ She smiled at him, wriggling back into her panties. ‘I said we were gonna have ourselves some fun, didn’t I?’

And now she knew just what kind of fun they’d be having.

***

Ben’s head was down as he checked his phone for directions. He knew the bike shop Charlie owned was on this road, not far from the city centre; a road he’d heard was famous in this city for housing a great number of motorcycle shops selling everything from Harleys to road bikes and racers.

Charlie had let it slip – intentionally or not Ben wasn’t sure, but he’d lay money on the latter – that Mia was working in the shop when he’d spoken to him just a few days ago. And seeing as he probably wasn’t all that welcome at the compound, he’d decided to take his chances and see if she was here. If she was alone, all the better. Because he wasn’t giving up without a fight. He’d almost booked his ticket home over a dozen times, lifting up the phone and punching in the number for the airport, but when the time had come to place that booking he hadn’t been able to do it. He’d even gotten right to the airport, at one point, thinking that if he was there in person then it might make buying that ticket a lot easier. He was wrong. He wasn’t finished here. He hadn’t fought hard enough, and he wasn’t making that mistake again. He loved her, and he wasn’t giving up without a fight. Even if that fight was turning out to be the hardest one of his life.

Turning a corner he looked up, checking the shop fronts, until he found it. Charlie’s place. One of the bigger shops on the road it appeared to be packed with Harleys ranging from Road Kings to Fat Boys and Softails. But Ben wasn’t interested in the bikes. Peering through the window he scanned the shop floor, trying to see if someone was inside. And then he saw her, leaning back against a Low Rider, flicking through a magazine. She had her hair pulled back off her face and he wished she’d raise her head because he ached to look at her properly. What they’d shared – the time they’d spent together, it seemed like a lifetime ago even though it was little more than a few months. And the only thing Ben wanted now was her. He needed her, she was the only thing that gave him any reason to get up in the morning and he would sacrifice anything – whatever she wanted, he’d do it, he just needed her back. Forgetting her wasn’t an option. It just wasn’t happening.