Always (Wesson Rebel M.C. Series) (16 page)

Wiping the blinds
, I pause when I see a motorcycle with a very familiar rider pull up. I smile.
Houdini.
The man has been a breath of fresh air in our life.

Past

“Are you Baby Girl?”

I glance up from the papers I’m sifting through in the office while
R plays in his playpen. As much as an infant can play. I’m pretty much the club’s bitch, filling in wherever they need me. Today, it’s at the office in the garage. The first thing I notice about the man in front of me is his cut. Houdini, Nomad. I follow the path up his along chest to his face. My heart skips a beat. He has the most startling pair of electric blue eyes I’ve ever seen. His hair is black and his angular face is the type that you’d expect to see on an angel. A handsome biker is not the norm, so it takes me a minute to get my head on straight. “I’m sorry?”

He clears his throat. His voice is rough, like he
smokes too much. “Are you, Baby Girl?”

“Yeah that’s me. Are you here to get your bike serviced?” I run a hand through my hair
, wishing I’d done more than put it up in a ponytail. Life with a three month old is anything but restful. I rock the low maintenance-sheik look these days.

“No, Rule told me I should come to you to get set up in housing. I’ll be staying with Wesson for awhile.”

“What?” Since when do we put up non affiliated nomads?

His eyebrows quirk upward.

“Shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean any disrespect.” I backpedal fast. The last thing we need is to start some shit because I didn’t show someone the proper respect.

His lips twitch at the corner. “None taken.”

“Okay, so housing. Why don’t you take a seat, so I can check the availabilities?”

He nods and sinks down.

Maybe he doesn’t smoke. Maybe he just doesn’t talk.
I turn to the computer, ever conscious of his eyes on me. My hands fly over the keyboard as I pull up the logs. I know off the top of my head, the club house is full, except for Danny’s room which he can’t have, no matter how sexy he is. We have a vast number of properties and people constantly visiting from other chapters. So, we keep a physical record. R coos, so I pause and grin. “Hey, baby boy. I see you.” He gives me a toothless grin and I melt. By far, he’s the best thing I’ve ever done in my life. The image of Dallas flashes in my mind and I smile.
We’ve
ever done.

I return to typing and find a slot.
“Got it.” There’s a bedroom open in one of the houses with an attached bath. It’s in the back of the house, so he’ll have plenty of privacy and it’s only about fifteen minutes away. I turn my attention back to him and my smile wavers.

His eyes seem to see straight through to me.

“It’s a decent sized bedroom with its own bath in a house about fifteen minutes away from here.”

He nods as if to say that’ll do.

“I’ll write down the directions.” I offer up the smile, snatch a pen from a mug and jot down the address on a yellow sticky note. He’s too intense for me. I place the note in front of him on the desk. “I’ll give the prospects a call and let them know you’re on your way.”

He gives
a nod, to mean thank you, then stands and flashes a heart stopping smile at R. Who coos back at him. Without another word, he walks out of the office.

“I’m not s
ure what I think about him, R.” I get up from the desk and lift him in my arms. “Look at you making friends with strangers. You’re lucky your Daddy didn’t see you.” I cluck my tongue, mesmerized by his bright green eyes. “He’d be lecturing you.”

“About what
?”

I turn to face Dallas and grin. “Nothing important. What are you doing here?”

“I saw a pretty boy Nomad come out of here. I wanted to make sure he knew you were mine.”

I snicker. “Really?”

“Damn straight, woman.” He pauses. “When are you going to let me make an Old Lady out of you?”

My chest tightens. I know he’s growing impatient, but I don’t want to do this without my dad. I nibble my lip and shake my head.

“I’m not going to wait forever, Cora.”

“I don’t want to talk about this right now.”

“Fine, but we will talk about it…soon.”

Present

I walk to the front door and open it as Houdini pulls into the driveway. He grins and a part of me melts. This is the side of him, only I get to see.

I’d been mothering the boys for a long time, so it was only natural to pull him into the fold. He had shadows in
his eyes, so of course I was drawn in like a moth to a flame. As much as Dallas has been groomed to be King, I’ve been groomed to be Queen. I’m the ear that everyone vents to, the shoulder they lean on when shit gets too deep.

People like to think b
ikers have no heart. That they’re no more than surly thugs in leather vests. It’s not true. Everyone breaks and we all need someone to care. I provide that for them. It gives me an outlet, a way to give back. I cook, I clean, I listen to them bitch. Lecture them when no one else would dare and kick ass when it’s necessary.

I’m not weak, until it comes to
Dallas Wesson. Five years and a child later, he’s cracked open my sternum, captured my heart and held it ransom. Maybe he’d always held it. When we got together on my twenty-first birthday it felt like the fulfillment of a long foretold prophecy. It’s always been Dallas and Cora at the end of the day.

“Hey stranger,” I tease
.

Houdini
flashes me a picture perfect smile and I can’t help but answer with one of my own. He’s come out of his shell so much since he’s been here, at least with me. I can’t say why I’m different. But given what I’ve learned about him, I’m just grateful he found an outlet.

“I had some time to kill and I wanted to
see how you were.” His voice sounds gruff, but his eyes are kind.

“I’m breathing. That counts for something, right?”

“Where’s the little man?”

“Napping.
Shhh
.” I hold a hand up to my lips. “Don’t jinx it.”

His lips quirk up and he steps through the door.

I shut it behind him.

“Where’s Irish. Isn’t she your shadow now?”

“Be nice. I don’t know why the two of you don’t like each other.” I frown.

He shrugs. “Don’t know, don’t care. I could give a shit what most people think about me.”

“Yes I know, you hard ass.” I lock the door and he follows me into the kitchen. “I need to get lunch going, are you hungry?”

He shrugs
, but doesn’t answer.

I roll my eyes.
“Always with the silent treatment, be careful I might start to take it personally.”

His shoulders shake and I know he’s laughing.

I head over to the sink and wash my hands. Sometimes, we sit in comfortable silence, then at other times, I vent and he listens. It’s his super power I think, the ability to truly listen. So many people are like a revolving door, they’re so self involved in a never ending bout of me, me, me. Houdini is special. Once you get behind that thick wall he’s bricked up and see what lies behind it, you fall a little in love with him.

“I heard from Dallas today,” I whisper.

Houdini doesn’t say a word, but I can feel the tension.

“He said he fucking misses me.” I snort. “Th
en why leave in the first place, I replied.” My voice shakes as I prepare the homemade Mac & Cheese. “I shouldn’t have responded. I know that. I don’t want him to do what he always does, find an opening and worm his way back in. But a part of me is terrified. What if I push him over the edge he’s tittering on, how would I live with myself? At the same time, how can I keep looking at myself in the mirror if I just lay down and give in. The same way I always do.” I shake my head. “I deserve more, better and I’m not so sure he can do it.” My heart is ripping in two as I set the noodles to boil and turn around.

Houdini’s eyes are full of compassion. He rises from the chair and walks over, wrapping his arms around my waist.

I let him pull me to his body and I break. He’s shown me the ugly parts of him, I can only do the same. “Ira.” My voice cracks. He strokes my hair and I take comfort from the one person not judging me. Everyone else expects me to take Dallas back, no matter what. They’ve seen the storms we’ve weathered. Houdini represents freedom and a chance to choose. Right now, he’ s the net catching me as I fall from a great height and try to keep from breaking apart during the descent.

Until We Bleed

Rowan

I can’t believe Dallas has been gone for a month. He’s not answering anyone’s texts, except for Cora’s and from what she tells me they’
re all about R. Danny is dealing, but I can already see the changes. There are circles under his eyes and his laid back personality is shifting. He’s withdrawn and brooding. I hate it. I already feel like I’m looking at a mini Dallas. I want the bastard to come back and take his spot. Life’s becoming boring. We’re staying at the club, because Danny isn’t ready to move into his father’s place and it’s clear Cora needs room to deal. For the first time since we were teens, our relationship is strained. I blame Houdini. The silent bastard has a hold on her I don’t understand.

This is bullshit.
We’ve shared the most intimate thing two people can experience together and now we can’t talk? Disgusted with the situation, I stand from the table and toss my half drunk soda in the garbage.
This shit ends tonight.
I storm out, ignoring the questioning gazes from the prospects. I need the anger to overwhelm my guilt.

She needs to be shaken up and broken out of the shell she’s formed ar
ound herself. If I don’t do it now and leave it too long, maybe I’ll never get back inside. Danny is on another run to meet up with charters. It’s a thing I’ve become used to…being alone. I push thoughts of him away. Right now, is about getting my best friend and lover back where she belongs…with me.

I cut the ten minute drive down
to five, slam the truck in park and step out—a woman on a mission. My flip flops slap against the heated pavement as I stalk to the door. I don’t bother knocking. I use my key. I push open the door and pray ole blue eyes isn’t here.

Cora turns around.
“Hey?”

“Where’s R
.?”

“He’s wit
h my dad today.” She smiles. “R totally has his Granddad wrapped around his finger.”

My lips twitch.
Perfect.
I shut the door behind me. “This has gone on long enough.”

“What?
” she asks. Her pinup eyebrows come closer together and her nose wrinkles.

“Don’t play stupid. Your cuteness ain’t getting you out of this one
, bitch. I get that I haven’t been around for everything. But you chose to block me out. You say it’s for me, but I call
bullshit
.”

“What are you talking about?” Cora shakes her head. Her black locks fly around her slender face.

“Don’t bullshit me, Cora! You’ve always been a shitty liar.”

She clenches her jaw
and I know I’ve got her. I walk over and press her body back against the couch. “Talk to me. We’ve been through too much to let shit keep going down this path.” I lean in and block her in. “I know you better than you think. I know how you look when you come, how you taste and I know when you’re running from something. You think I believe you when you act like you don’t care about Dallas?”

She turns away
.

I grab her chin and turn
her face back to me. “No. You’ve done enough turning away from me.”

“Fuck you and your perfect life.”

Her words wound me. “What?”

She shrugs me off. “You left. You we
nt and lived your dreams and I stayed behind to deal with the fucked up shit going on in my head, my rocky ass relationship with Dallas and a new baby. What? Did you want me to bitch to you? Blow your phones up with my sob stories when I didn’t get enough sleep? Or when Dallas made me cry. When he punched the wall by my head and I thought he was going to hit me for the first time ever. Is that what you wanted me to tell you about? I had nothing good to talk about, so I didn’t. I had trivial conversations with you, let you think shit was fine when it wasn’t, because sometimes being a good friend means keeping your fucking mouth shut.”

Her words are a bomb exploding and impaling me with shrapnel. “I—
?”

“Exac
tly. See that look on your face? That sound in your voice. That’s why I didn’t want to say shit to you. I don’t need your pity. You and Danny have always been the solid couple. I get that, I accepted it. But for the first time ever, I envied it and I just couldn’t live with that.”

“Cora.” Her words hurt me.
I should’ve been there for this.
Was I so selfish she felt she couldn’t bring this to me?

“No.” She shoves me gently. “You don’t get to pity me.” Her chest is heaving, threatening to spill over her black tank top. “You want to strip away my layers, and leave me raw and naked. Well
, two can play this game.”

Her growly voice makes my breasts heavy. It’s been so long since we last came together.

“I see you too, Rowan. I know how to break you down and make you weak.” She trails her hand down my waist to my thighs and pauses.

My breath is coming rapidly and my pussy is wet. 

She smirks and slips her hands under my skirt, rubbing my swelling clit through the lace. “So wet, you want it, don’t you, baby? Have you missed this? Cause I have. I missed the two of you so fucking much, it ate away at me a little more each day. Who is Cora without Rowan and Danny?”

“Co-co.” I lick my lips and she s
lips a finger inside my panties. Her fingers are so soft and her touch is gentle. I whimper. She’s so different from Danny, but just as familiar. I spread my legs and she hums her approval. The little bitch can be damn demanding when she’s a mind to be. She rolls a finger around my entrance and slicks my clit. I know she’s using the oldest distraction method in the world, but right now, I don’t care. Suddenly, I need this more than I’ve needed anything. The reconnection means everything. She slips her fingers inside me and I grip the couch behind me.

“No, we can do better.” She removes her fingers. “Lay over the couch, and show me that ass baby. I’m going to take you from b
ehind.”

My heart is knocking while
I spin around quickly and offer up my ass.

She rubs it gently. “You got a nice ass for a white girl.”

I giggle at our long standing joke. This is the girl who I had slumber parties with, the one who held me when Danny and I had a fight and I couldn’t stop crying. The beautiful brown skinned goddess who takes my old man inside her and comes to life. Just thinking about it has my pussy growing even wetter.

She eases two fingers inside
and I moan.

“Oh
, you do like this, don’t you?” she says. “Do you want it fast?”She picks up the pace.

I clutch my muscles around her, seeking more.

“Or Slow.” She moves at a crawl and I push back my hips. “Oh yeah, fuck my fingers, Ro. You need to come, don’t you, baby? Need to give over that control? Let go. I’m running this now.”

Her words take away my restraint and I surrender. I grip the back of the couch and slam bac
k down on her finger, crying out when she curls them. I take out all my frustrations, fears and angst on her fingers. My thighs are shaking and my walls are clamping down as I ride the wave.

“Come for me now, Ro.”

“Cora…” I clamp down on her fingers, squirting liquid. Lights flash before my eyes and I l slump over the couch, spent.

“Spread those legs
, baby, I’m not done.”

I feel her kneel between my legs. A moment later
, her lips are on my still tingling pussy. “Oh God!” I jerk. 

She grips my thigh
s and licks a path up my slit. “You taste just as sweet as I remember, Ro.”  Her tongue flicks my clit.

The over
stimulation hurts so good. She drives her tongue inside me and I’m helpless to do anything other than fuck her mouth.

She moans her encouragement, massaging my thighs.

I rock back and forth, eager to feel more of the sparks zinging through my body. “Yes, right there, Cora,” I beg her to finish me.

She sucks my clit into her mouth and I’m hit with a wave of pleasure so powerful it wipes everything else from my mind. I coa
st in a blissful sea of white space. I come with the warm weight of her breasts pressed against me back.

“
Mh-mm, damn, Cora.”

“You back with me?” s
he asks, trailing her fingers down my right arm.

“Yes, and don’t think for second I forgot what we were talking about before you sexed my ass up.”

She laughs.

A tin
kling bell like sound I haven’t heard in far too long.

“You tenacious bitch.”

“And don’t you forget it,” I counter.

She moves off me and
I stand up on spaghetti legs. “Holy shit, Cora.”

“I needed to be in control.”

We exchange a look. She needed this just as much as I did.

“We’re always better together, babe. You know that,” I whisper.

She nods, but remains silent.

“You know you owe me a story,
right?”

She sucks her fi
ngers in her mouth and bats her eyelashes. She removes them with a nice, wet, pop. “You sure that’s what you want from me, Rowan?” She rolls the r in my name.

“Yes.” I ignore the arousal already winding
its way back through my body.

She sighs. “Alright, let’s go out back. You thirsty?”

“I could use some fluid replenishing.”

She winks and sashays her juicy ass over to the fridge. She pulls out water
and I follow her into the backyard. She’s added a turtle sandbox and a swing set since my last visit.

“I bet R, loves that.”

She smiles at me. “He does. I’m thankful for the easy way to expend energy. From the minute he’s up, he’s on the go.”

The pride in her voice is adorable. “Such a proud mama,” I say.

“Damn straight.” She grins. “For a while there, I didn’t think it was going to happen.”

“I didn’t know you were trying.”

She snorts. “Dallas was always trying. I was just a willing participate in the wicked deed.”

“You were more than that.”

She giggles. “Occasionally.”

“It feels good to be back here with you like this.” We sit in the wooden swing suspended by sturdy metal chains.

She hands me a water.
“It does.”

I unscrew the top on my water, take a sip and rock us back and forth as I choose my next words carefully. “Why the radio silence?”

“You know why.”

“No, I don’t. Because if you’re
trying to tell me you couldn’t talk to me, but you could bond with a complete stranger, I’m going to call bullshit again.”

“Who? Houdini?” s
he snickers.

“Yes,
” I huff.

“Oh
, Ro, are you jealous?”

I shrug and focus on the plastic bottle in my hand, refusing to meet the probing gaze I feel on me.

“We were just two fucked up people looking for a nonjudgmental source to understand.”

“He looks just fine to me,” I mumble.

“You know better than me, looks can be deceiving. The worst scars are usually the ones you can’t see. The bad shit lives inside our minds and haunts us continually.” Her voice is laced with a heavy sorrow.

“What’s wrong with him?”

“Uh-uh, not my story to tell.”

“He’s creep
y. Why doesn’t he talk?” I ask.

“He has his reasons
and he does talk.”

“Yeah to you maybe. You going to tell me
, Dallas,
I have my name tattooed on your hip
, is okay with this friendship?”

“They’re friends of a sort.”

“Uh-huh,” I say, not believing her.

“What you think
…I’m lying?”

I place a hand on her shoulder. “No,
Baby Girl, I think you have a huge heart and blinders.”

“He’s my friend
and I owe him for all he’s done.”

“Wh
at do you mean all he’s done?” I squeeze her arm gently. “Cora.”

“Nothing, he just gave me a calm spot in the middle of chaos. Maybe I was drawn to him because it gave me something else to think about other than my own problems.”

“Cora what happened between you and Dallas? I thought you were working things out.”

She sighed. “We were, until we weren’t. Shit’s gotten really stre
ssful around here, even before—Rule…” She closes her eyes. “…Died. They were gearing for war, training like a damn army, doing runs to gather money. Rule was laying into Dallas hard. He was vicious, Ro. I don’t think I’d ever seen it so bad. I don’t know if he was just on edge about the Rolling Bones, or if something else was going on. My Dad was deteriorating, or seemed to be. Looking back on it now, I think he was just finding his way back through the maze.” She shakes her head. “Either way it was putting strain on us both. With him gone I was taking care of R pretty much by myself, living on tiny amounts of sleep. God, I resented Dallas. He’d pushed so hard for the baby and then I was left at home, feeling like a single mother. The Old Ladies stopped in to check on me, but it wasn’t the same and I didn’t want to ask for the extra help. They’ve all raised their children and some don’t have a maternal bone in their body.”