Circle of Death (13 page)

“Well, as much as I like to hear that, It’s not about what you want,” Devlin reminds me, crossing his arms. “It’s about whether you’re ready for me. Remember what we talked about.”

“I think I am—” I start to say.

“I’ll know when you are. Don’t you worry,” he cuts in, striding across the room to me. “And trust me. The second you are ready, really ready...you’re all mine, babe.” He scoops me up into his arms, planting another searing kiss on my eager mouth. “Now, come on. Don’t want the party to get started without us, do we?”

I can feel the heat of the raging bonfire before we even step into the clearing once again. It’s hard to believe that it was just last night I laid eyes on this place for the first time. Just twenty-four hours ago, I was surrounded by a pack of skittish girls, another one of the herd. And tonight, I’m strolling up to this gathering at Devlin Vile’s side. Already, my mind is adjusting to the madness of the place. Or is it simply so focused on Devlin that there’s no room left for any fear or uncertainty?

“There he is,” roars a voice from across the fire. “We were wondering when you’d show up, Dev.”

I peer across the clearing and spot a smiling man with sandy blonde hair waving us over. He’s a few inches shorter than Devlin, but broad and imposing all the same. And sitting on his knee is none other than Juliet. She nods meaningfully at the fair-haired giant, mouthing, “This is Packer,” to me. So this is the man my sister’s married, huh? I have to say, she’s done pretty good for herself. He’s almost on Devlin’s level of bad boy sex appeal...almost.

“What’s happening, brother?” Devlin says to Packer, clapping him on the shoulder.

“The gang’s all here now,” Packer replies, casting his eyes around the circle. “We’ve got a grill going, burgers and dogs at the ready, plenty of beer...” he trails off as he spots me, halfway hiding behind Devlin’s massive form.

“You must be our new guest,” he says with a friendly smile.

“This is Logan,” Devlin says, drawing me forward into the circle. “Logan, Packer.”

“Jules told me all about our surprise visitor,” Packer nods, staring at me in the firelight. “Nice to meet a member of my old lady’s family, at last.”

“Nice to meet a member of my family’s...old man?” I reply awkwardly, holding out my hand for him to shake.

Packer lets out a belly laugh and pulls me into a bear hug instead. “Any family of Jules’ is my family too,” he crows, “Welcome, little sister!”

Devlin grabs a couple of beers from a nearby cooler and cracks them open for us. I happily accept an icy bottle as Juliet looks on, casting her eyes between me and Devlin.

“Things are sure to be a little quieter out here tonight,” she tells me, “Well, as quiet as they ever get with these maniacs hanging around.”

“You’re every bit as much of a maniac as we are,” Packer laughs, slinging an arm across Juliet’s slender shoulders.

“What I mean is, things get a little out of hand when the civilian girls happen along,” Juliet continues, “No offense, Logan. Packer and I try and stay away when that particular cabal goes down, which is why I wasn’t on hand to intercept you last night. I don’t know what the hell comes over those girls when they land on this rock, but I do know that I want nothing to do with it. But tonight, it’s just the brothers and whatever girls they’ve brought along for the trip. Want to meet everyone?”

I don’t have a chance to reply before Juliet’s grabbed my wrist and started towing me around the fire to say hello to her chosen family. Devlin trails behind us, making sure the rest of the brothers know that I’ve been spoken for. I can’t say that I mind, either—some of the MC brothers seem a bit rougher around the edges than I can handle on my own.

“Am I seeing double?” barks a tall, lean man in his late thirties, elbowing a shorter grizzly man in the ribs.

“If you are, that makes two of us!” laughs his companion as we approach.

“You’ve got to be twins,” says the first man, looking between me and Juliet with a twisted smile on his face. “I fucking love twins.”

“This is Leon and Lobo,” Juliet tells me, nodding to the short and taller men, respectively. “They’re our Road Captain and Sergeant at Arms.”

“What is this, a freaking militia?” I whisper to her.

“Basically,” she shrugs.

“Jules told us her sister’d washed up on shore,” the man called Lobo grins.

“You’re every bit as smoking as she is,” Leon nods sagely.

“Thanks? I think?” I murmur, as Juliet tugs me along. I hear Devlin whisper a warning for Leon and Lobo to cool it as we retreat. Nice to have some backup, I have to admit. Even if Devlin’s acting out of possessiveness as much as anything.

“These two are Chip and Dean. They’re our Treasurer and Secretary,” my sister goes on, drawing to a stop before two younger guys. The first looks remarkably like Harry Potter—if Harry Potter dropped out of Hogwarts and joined a biker gang, that is. The second has impeccable posture and short, blonde hair. I recognize him as the man Kari, my red headed school acquaintance, was hanging all over last night.

“What’s up?” asks Chip, the boy wizard lookalike.

“Pleased to meet you,” says his crew cut-bearing friend. His oddly formal greeting brings a little grin to my face. I guess the outlaw life really does attract all kinds.

“That bruiser over there is Brutus,” Juliet says, pointing to the surly, dangerous looking guy manning the grill, “But he’s not one for hello’s.”

“I get that impression, yeah,” I murmur.

“Over here we’ve got Xan,” she goes on, dragging me over to a gorgeous, borderline pretty man with long, ash-blonde hair and full magazine model lips. He raises his beer and winks at me, and I spot Devlin shoot him a warning glare.

I kind of love how protective he’s being of me, even with his own brothers. I guess I inhabit sort of a strange space as a woman hanging around these guys for the first time. My status as Juliet’s sister, a guest of The Club, and a chosen companion of Devlin render me not quite a sweet butt, but certainly not an old lady. I’m not sure if a word exists for what I am to these guys. Maybe, if I’m being honest with myself, that word is simply, “outsider.”

“This old coot is Otis,” Juliet continues, as we pass the oldest man of the lot.

“Well aren’t you two a sight,” he crows around a mouthful of burger. “Does an old man’s heart good, seeing the pair of you together. I love me a good set of sisters.”

Introductions complete, Juliet tows me back around the circle. Packer has gathered a few plates piled high with barbecue, and I realize just how hungry I am.

“Here you go,” he grins, handing me a loaded plate, “Dig in, girl.”

“Welcome to the Circle of Death,” Juliet smiles, clinking her beer bottle against mine.

“But I’m not really...in the circle, am I?” I ask Devlin in a lowered voice.

“For the week you are,” he says, placing a hand on the small of my back. “So relax, babe. Trust me, we know how to have a good time around here.”

I settle down with my delicious plate of food, my cold beer, the gorgeous man who’s taken a liking to me, my sister, and her husband. It’s like I’ve stepped into some bizarro version of my life where this kind of thing is the norm. Nothing to do but roll with it, I guess.

Even without a yacht-load of young pretty girls around, the men of the Circle of Death know how to have a good time. They run through stories of their adventures on the road (both legal and otherwise), hurl insults at each other, knock back beer and whiskey like its water, and crank up the hard rock as the night goes on. A few sweet butts who’ve been brought along for the ride keep the MC members company, shooting me skeptical and downright hostile looks as I sit beside Devlin. If every sweet butt is hoping to become a member’s old lady, my presence next to the crown jewel of the MC must not be very welcome.

But even if I wanted to be anywhere except right at Devlin’s side, he wouldn’t allow it. If either of us moves an inch, the other follows. It’s like our bodies have been calibrated, synced up with each other. I’ve never experienced anything like it. My thoughts keep drifting back up to Devlin’s bedroom as I wonder how that sense of togetherness would translate in a more...intimate situation. I have to clench my thighs together to contain my throbbing need, just thinking about it.

Juliet is perched happily on Packer’s lap, unabashedly locking lips with her husband. They can’t keep their hands off each other for a second. As sad as I am to have missed my sister’s wedding, small though it was, I can’t help but be happy for her. There’s a lot we still need to work through, but she’s my sister all the same. She’s found a way to enjoy her life, and a man to share that happiness with. I can tell from the way Packer looks at Juliet just how deeply he loves her. We should all be so lucky to find a guy who looks at us that way.

But just as that thought occurs to me, I feel Devlin’s gaze swing my way. Raising my eyes to meet his, I’m rendered breathless by the intensity I find there. He fixes his gaze on my face, and it’s like the rest of the world doesn’t even exist for him. Maybe I have found someone who cares for me the way I deserve. But is it really care and admiration Devlin feels for me, or simply lust?

As he runs a hand down my back, I have to admit that I don’t much care, either way. Sensation sears down my spine at his touch, radiating out to every last inch of my body. Whether Devlin’s fascination with me is destined to be short-lived or eternal, it doesn’t make a difference tonight. Tonight, I’m only concerned with one thing: proving to Devlin that I’m ready to give in to him, the way he wants me to. He and Juliet have both told me, in their own ways, that I can’t take what he has in store for me. I have to show them, and myself, that I can take it. I want to. But more than that, I need to.

By midnight, I’m feeling perfectly at home amongst these MC bad boys. Probably I’d be a bit less comfortable if their president wasn’t watching over me, making sure no other men try to snatch me away. I can tell that the rest of Devlin’s brothers are not to be fucked with. Even the most tame-looking among them could do some serious damage if provoked.

“This is all well and good out here, but I could use some action. Let’s...hit the casino,” Devlin suggests, shouting over the blaring music.

“Oh,” I reply, intrigued but far more eager to head straight back up to his room. “Yeah. All right. That sounds good.”

“I need to borrow your sister,” Devlin says to Juliet, whose lips are permanently affixed to Packer’s.

“What for?” Juliet demands, coming up for air. She sounds more than a little bit suspicious about Devlin’s intentions.

“Someone needs to blow on my dice,” Devlin answers, grinning as he snakes an arm around my waist.

Juliet narrows her brown eyes at him. “Mind if Packer and I come along, then?”

I feel a twinge of annoyance at her trying to derail my departure with Devlin.

“Before we go, I want to take one more shot with my sister,” I say, grabbing Juliet’s hand and tugging her off Packer’s lap. “Come on, Jules.”

I all but storm off toward the rustic-looking bar, leaving the MC guys behind so I can have a word with my runaway sibling. The bartender furnishes us with two deep shots, and I knock mine back without a word to Juliet. She follows suit, wiping her lips with the back of her hand. The extra bit of whiskey has given me the courage I need to confront her—I’ve never been very good at standing up to Juliet.

“Devlin and I don’t need a chaperone,” I tell her, cutting to the chase. “This kind of thing may have been OK when I was fourteen and going on my first date, but I’m a grown woman. I need you to give me my space.”

“Devlin might not need a chaperone,” she replies evenly, “But you do. You’ve been here for one day, and you already think you understand how these guys’ minds work. News flash, little sister: you haven’t got a clue.”

“And I’m never going to get a clue if you keep trying to shelter me,” I shoot back. “You forfeited your protective big sister card when you ditched me for this life. Can’t start acting like one now.”

“I’ll always be your big sister,” she tells me, reaching to lay a slender hand on my arm. “Whether you like it or not.”

“Please just let me see how this thing with Devlin plays out,” I all but beg her. “I’ve never met a man like him before, Juliet.”

“That’s because there is no other man like Devlin Vile,” she says, shaking her head. “You can’t possibly be prepared for what he could do to you, because there’s no one out there who could have prepared you for him.”

“That’s my risk to take,” I tell her finally.

And though she doesn’t say another word, I can see understanding blossoming in her brown eyes. She knows all about taking risks, after all. And she also knows that sometimes the biggest risks—running away from a bad situation for the unknown, putting your trust in someone else’s hands—are the ones you simply have to take if you’re ever going to find your happiness. It’s that shared knowledge, I think, that finally makes her back off. Resolved that she’s finally willing to let me go, I turn on my heel and take a deep breath, making my way to where Devlin Vile stands, waiting.

“Everything OK?” he asks, slipping a muscled arm over my shoulders.