For the Love of Dixie (14 page)

“I wasn’t just anyone.”

“No,” I look up at him, “you were the love of the life. I wanted you to see me as strong, capable, and put together. I couldn’t bear to see you with pity in your eyes. If I’d seen a change in the way you treated me, it would’ve killed a part of me.”

“I wouldn’t have done that,” he says.

“You wouldn’t mean to. But it would’ve happened. Especially, with your father being the cause. God, it was always a slippery slope, and a tricky position for both of us.”

“Isn’t what we share worth the struggle?”

“That’s what we need to decide.”

“You’re having doubts now?” he asks, standing.

“No, but things are getting more complicated by the second. I mean, you’re basically doing undercover work that brings you in direct contact with hardcore racists. How far are you willing to go to be around Charm?”

“I don’t believe it, D’Rose.”

“No, but if you’re going to liberally using the word nigger or anything else derogatory toward my race, I can’t stand behind you. That would make me look like a fool.”

“This isn’t just for me or my brother. This is about the club. If I think someone’s trying to infiltrate, I have to check that out.”

“At my expense, huh?” I counter.

“Damnit, Dixie Rose! You’re putting my balls in a vise.”

“What do you want me to do, Echo?” I reply, exasperated.

“Be there for me no matter what, like an old lady is supposed to.”

“Now you’re questioning my commitment?”

He drops to one knee in front of me and my heart stutters. “Listen to me. You want real change to happen in this club? You want me to take Mouth down, right?”

“Of course I do,” I hiss, furious.

“Then let me do this the way I need to. I love you. I’m coming home to you, and this is all for you, so you can live the life you always should have had. I have to expose him fully and that means going from the inside out.”

His words make sense. I glance at the ceiling, reeling in my emotions and setting them aside to think logically. “If I agree to this, I want him buried under the shit you dig up. I want you to destroy him.”

“Done.”

I sigh. “Then let’s do this.”

Echo

There’s nothing sexier than your woman putting all her faith and trust in you. The minute D’Rose agreed to do this with me, the beast inside sprung from its cage. I push her legs apart and lean forward, sucking her right breast into my mouth through her tank top.

“Echo.” Her voice is raspy and her eyes are huge.

I massage her opposite breast as she buries her fingers in my hair and lets her head fall back. I know what she likes, and right now the last thing I want her to do is think too hard. Her throaty moans have my dick hard as a rock. I bite her hardened nipple. She arches her back and I roll the opposite hardened point between my fingers, elongating, and pulling gently as she writhes beneath me. Her breasts have always been sensitive. I pause long enough to shove up her tank top and pull down her bra. Her melon shaped mounds drop into my hand and I flick my tongue over her nipples.

“Echo.”

“Fuck yeah, babe. Let me hear you. I’m going to make you come without even touching that tight little pussy. Then I’m going to strip you bare and do it again and again.”

She cries out.

I push her breasts together and circle her nipples with the tip of my tongue.

“Yes, harder, please,” she moans.

I suck her nipple into my mouth, giving just enough attention to one turgid peak before I move to the other. Her ass lifts off the couch, and I know she’s close. I suck harder. Her words become garbled and her body tenses. As she screams my name her body quakes. I continue to suck gently, bringing her back down. When she slumps onto the couch I release my grip and strip her clothes off quickly before laying her down. I grab one of the accent pillows and place it under her ass, tilting her hips.

“I’ve been dreaming of tasting you all night.” I lick the crease where her leg and thigh meet, inhaling her aroma as I alternate between nips of the soft skin of her inner thigh and swipes of my tongue over the offended area. I grip her thighs, keeping her spread wide for me. “Ain’t no sweeter taste than this, babe.” I kiss her shaved lips and run the tip of my tongue up her slit, ghosting over her swollen clit. She bucks her hips. I repeat the action, increasing my speed.

“Yes, right there.” Her fingers grip at the leather. Her hips sway in a circular motion, and her pussy yields its nectar.

I continue to work her clit, easing two fingers inside of her heated core. Her walls welcome me, clinging to me. I slowly ease in and out, priming her for me. She’s so tight and wet, I can’t help but moan. “I love how tight and hot you are, babe.” I curl my fingers.

“Yes, yes, yes,” she chants.

Her head thrashes from side to side. Her fingernails dig into my scalp and her legs strain as she tries to close her legs. I hum. Her body tenses, her muscles flex, and she screams, grabbing my hair.

I continue to lap at her, gently bringing her back to reality. Sprawled out between her legs, I place soft kisses on her belly. This isn’t a race, it’s a marathon, and I’m not stopping until she’s spent and completely reassured I’m more in love with her now than I was when we were kids. “You back with me?” I ask.

“Mmm hmm.” She nods, giving me a slow smile. With her mused hair tumbling around her face, she’s a wet dream come to life.

I crawl up her body and take her lips. She moans, tangling her tongue with mine. One of the things I love about her, she never shirks away from kissing me after I go down on her. I rock against her, feeling her heat through my jeans. I move back and grip her hair. “I need to be inside of you right now, but I’m not going to do it on a couch.” I rise and lift her up into my arms.

There are rules when you stay here—you clean the sheets, and clear the fridge out before you go. I’ve never been as thankful for that as I am now. After tossing her on the bed I shed my clothes. When I climb between her legs and slide home, she wraps her arms around my neck and her legs around my thighs. Pushed as deep as I can go, I line my pubic bone with her clit and find a steady rhythm.

Her nails dig into my flesh, and her muscles contract and relax around me.

“You feel so good, babe.” I move faster. “Tell me, whose pussy is this?”

“Yours.”

“I want to hear you say my name.”

“Yours, Echo.”

Her voice is shrill, and my cock swells. Her eyes swallow me whole as we both go up in flames. I’ve never felt as complete as I do right now, spilling into her as she calls my name and holds me tight from the inside out. I roll over, keeping us connected, and let her rest on my chest. I needed this physical affirmation to calm me. In my mind, she’s always been a runner. Now with my eyes open, I can see she was a hard ass survivor. Instead of turning and ratting my dad out, she removed herself from the situation and healed. I place an arm behind my head, and wrap the other one around her waist, running my fingers down her back. Her body is going slack, and I know she’s drifting off into what I hope is peaceful sleep.

“I’m going to make this all right, Dixie Rose. I promise you that. By the end, everyone will be welcome among the Kings, and you and I are going to the only Spencers that matter.”

Dixie Rose

Leaving the cabin was a sad thing, but no one can run from reality forever. Still, it was a nice break and we reconnected on another level. I feel lighter having come clean. For so long, my past was a secret kept between my father and I. It was my bout with depression and cutting that made him support my decision to leave right after graduation. He’d been there step by step, as I applied for grants, scholarships, and the colleges of my choice.

I pull up into Blue’s driveway and park. There was some sort of mini crisis, so I pretty much got off Echo’s bike and into my car. I walk up the driveway.

The door opens. Blue looks frazzled. Her hair is on top of her head in a messy bun. Her eyes are wide, and her lower lip is trembling.

“What’s going on?” 

“Calla,” Blue answers, all but spitting.

“What the hell is she up to now?” I ask, shaking my head. “I swear she’s the spawn of Satan.”

“The way I hear it, bastard was pretty close,” Blue says. “We got a paper. She wants to challenge us for custody.”

“What the hell? She’s not going to get it,” I snap.

Blue shakes her head. “I know, I keep telling myself that, but part of me is terrified she’ll pull something out of her ass.”

“Who does she want to be in charge of Bolton instead?”

“Twenty guesses, and the first one doesn’t count.”

“God, your mother?” I ask.

“Ding, ding, ding,” Blue says.

“And she’s going along with is?” I exclaim, horrified.

“Are you kidding me? Of course she is. I pretty much stopped existing. She’s at the jail every chance she gets, babying Calla like she always did.”

“After the shit she pulled?” I’m mystified.

“I know, I know. Don’t ask me, because I can’t understand it. Maybe denial is the only way she can really deal with things. I know she’s my mother, but right now…there’s a thin line between love and hate. If she thinks she can come in and take away my Bolty, she’s got another think coming.” Blue’s lips are drawn into a taut line, and her eyes blaze with anger. She’s in full Mama Mode.

I rather love it. It suits her. “Tell me what can I do?”

“Help me plan a wedding in a week,” she replies.

I can’t help but blink rapidly a few times. “Say what?”

“Lawyer says if we go ahead and tie the knot, the judge will laugh Pixie out of court. They like complete families. He’s been here happily with his father and me for over a year. Stone has Shadow on the books as an engine specialist who travels, and I work with kids all day long. Calla barely has a leg to stand on, as is. But the marriage will push that leg right out from under her vindictive ass. Bolty is not a piece of property to be fought over.”

“And that’s why you’re his mom. Let’s fire up the computer and plan this wedding.”

“Yeah?” Blue asks.

“Of course.”

Blue attack hugs me.

I rock back on my heels before settling. “You know I always have your back.”

“I know, but you’ve been dealing with your own things,” Blue says with a shrug.

“Hey, I always have time for you. Hell, at one point, you were the only person I would’ve come back up here for with the exception of Dad and the Grans.” I cup her face. “Now, take a deep breath and know that we’ll never let that bitch get her hands on Bolty. He’s old enough to know where he wants to be. One conversation with him, and the judge will have him denying Calla’s wishes so fast, her head will spin.” I snap my fingers.

“I hope you’re right.”

“You know I’m right. Now, let’s move on to happier things.” I clap my hands. “We got a wedding to plan.”

“Yes, we do.”

“Venue?” I ask.

“I don’t know. Shadow is actually handling that, along with getting the word out to the nearest chapters. The man has made a lot of friends, or at the least, people who want to come and show their respect.”

“Yeah, I can see that with him,” I say. “So he’s sending out the word. You still need invitations.”

“There’s no time—”

“There is for those who are local. It’ll be a formality. Just because you have to do this fast, doesn’t mean you can’t have what you want. Kings have a way of getting the things they want done in a timely manner. It’s time you take advantage of that,” I state.

“You think?”

“I know. You deserve your dream wedding, babe. Let’s start with themes and colors.”

“Well, I was thinking black and white like the club colors, and pops of blue to represent…well, at the risk of sounding cliché…me,” she says almost bashfully.

“I love it. So black, white, and hints of blue. What else?” I grab the notepad and pen lying on the end table in front of us and begin to jot things down.

“I was thinking Rock and Roll chic meets biker. So it’s edgy, but a little refined.”

The more she shares, the more her vision comes together.

“Okay, so let’s find you a motif. There’s a little place called Etsy where people make things to order, and all you have to do is print them out and go,” I say.

“Oh, I love Etsy!” Blue cries.

I laugh. “Besties for a reason.”

“Without out a doubt.” She fires the laptop up, and we pour over biker invitations.

“This is the one!” Blue exclaims, tapping at the screen. The classic Harley symbol has been turned into a crest with a place for the bride and groom’s names and a wedding date in the center. The black and silver background is perfect against the orange emblem. “The words, too. ‘Our love is a journey to forever, ending…never.’ Yeah, that’s us.”

The tender expression that comes over her face makes me grin. She’s found her happily ever after and she knows it. I envy her certainty.
She had to go through hell to get it though. Maybe that’s the point I should be taking.
“We’ll put the place TBA. Do you know the date?” I ask.

“Saturday, the 31
st
, let’s say at five o’clock.”

I enter the information and request a rush before hitting send. “Done.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean for you to pay for it.”

“Oh, I’m not. Echo is, consider it a wedding present,” I say with a grin.

She laughs. “You’re awful, I love the way your mind works.”

“Invitations are complete. Let’s knock out the cake and the favors.”

“Favors should be something that will match the theme,” Blue says.

“What will people actually use?” 

“Something edible, or practical.” She throws her head back. “Kushies. My dad loved collecting them. It’ll be the perfect way to bring him into the wedding.” Her eyes water.

I snicker. “Wait—Psycho Strong collected Kushies?” I ask.

She laughs. “Oh yeah, man, everywhere he went. He’d pick up some lame Kushie. God, we have a box full of them.”

“So, Harley Kushie it is.” I type it into the search window. “Same classic colors?”

“Yeah, with Mr. and Mrs. Shadow. I’d put Barrett, but you know how they can be about actual names.”

I laugh. “Yeah, I do. How many do you think we need?”

“Jesus, no telling. Let’s say 350. I mean, if we have too many, no one’s going to get butt hurt.”

“Truth,” I reply, and type up the order.

She waves a Visa in front of me. “It’s on Shadow now.”

I wink. “You learn fast.”

“Ha, he threatened to spank me if I didn’t let him and the club foot the bill.”

“I’m shocked you didn’t ignore him, just to get punished.”

“Not this time at least.” A sly grin spreads across Blue’s lips.

I laugh. “He’s so corrupting you.”

“Don’t sound so happy about it,” Blue grumbles.

“You’re freaking adorable, remember you’re marrying a scary motherfucker.”

“He’s not scary.”

“Spoken like a truly smitten woman,” I say.

“Because Echo is a teddy bear?” Blue counters.

“Bah, I wouldn’t want him if he was.”

“Exactly! We were destined to be resistant to the nine to fivers,” Blue jokes.

“We’re jamming, woman. Invites on their way, favors not too far behind. Now, we need to talk table settings and flower colors.”

“I’m not sure about the tables because I have no clue where they’ll be holding it, but I can make tentative plans. I want to do white with a touch of blue. That’ll keep it simple, fast, and very easy to DIY. We’ll do some of those vintage blue mason jars for centerpieces and then find something more masculine to pair with it. I’ll have a blue themed bouquet, and maybe I can have like…a KOC charm somehow incorporated.”

“What about your dress?” I ask.

“I want it to be blue. A white dress doesn’t seem right, not for me. At least not now.”

I frown. “Why?”

“Because I’m anything but innocent after all I’ve seen and been through. I want it to reflect who I am at this point in my life. The old Bluebell, she wanted all the bells and whistles with a princess gown and other frivolous shit, I couldn’t cares less about.”

“You know you’re more than what’s happened to you, right?” I ask gently.

“For the first time ever, I think I do. Before I felt I was trapped in a role, not realizing all along, I had the power to change things whenever I was ready to.” She sighs. “Live and learn, right?”

“Definitely. I think we both know a lot about that.”

“No, you were always braver. You got out and created the life you wanted away from all this madness,” Blue says suddenly pensive.

“I didn’t have a little boy depending on me. Apples and oranges, and trust me I had oceans of issues to wade through. We all have our scars. But that’s good, because it means we survived.”

“I like the way you look at things.” Blue nods.

“It’s that or lose my mind, which would be a real travesty, given my profession.”

Blue laughs and I grin. We get silly together for a little bit, but suddenly the doorknob turns and we glance over.

The door opens and Bolton walks in looking pale.

Shit.

“Is it true?” he asks.

“Bolty, why don’t you come in and sit down here with us?”

“No, Ma. Don’t sugarcoat it. Is that bitch trying to take over custody?”

I cringe.

“Yes, she is, but there’s no judge in his right mind that would listen to her and transfer custody. Shadow’s your father and you were fine under my care before he got out.”

“But he’s a convict with a record and in association with a
gang
, if that’s the angle they want to take. God, why is grandma doing this?” he asks, pacing the length of the couch.

“Because she’s lost. They’re not going to win, okay? Me and your dad, we’re getting married Saturday. Our family unit is solid.”

“I don’t want you to do this for me.”

“Hey.” Blue steps up and places her arms on his shoulders. “We were already getting hitched, this is just bumping up the time table. Your father is happier than a pig in slop. He only waited because he thought I wanted the big wedding with all the trimmings.”

“And you don’t?” Bolton asks.

“The only thing I care about is that at the end of the day, the three of us share the same last name.”

Bolton crushes her to him, and I can’t help but see his father in him.

Blue hugs him tight. “Everything is going to be fine, Bolty. You let us worry about it.”

I meet Blue’s gaze, and the sadness there hurts my heart. I want to claw Calla’s eyes out and leave her in the middle of the desert where the animals will pick her clean. The bitch leaves a wake of destruction everywhere she goes.

Bolton clears his throat and stands up straight. “So, this weekend?”

Blue smiles, and we allow him to regain his dignity.

“Yep, Aunt Dixie Rose was just helping me get all those girly details together.”

“Well, I’ll leave you to it then,” Bolton says, retreating to his room.

“I swear, I wish I could wring my sister’s fucking neck.”