Originals Ride: Hellions Motorcycle Club (Hellions Ride Book 8) (5 page)

“So I heard. Small town talk and all that.”

“Shit!” I feel panic like a punch to the gut. “What does Dia know?”

“You and Tommy took out seven members of Fury MC, a group of outlaw bikers from Florida. According to the local news, you’re, like, a damn hero, man.”

I drop my head. “A hero, I am not.”

“To the girl inside my house, you are.”

Just as I get ready to answer, the front door flies open.

“Okay, Blaine Reklinger, I gave you time to walk in that door and sweep me off my feet, but you take too damn long, so get over here and kiss me.”

I can’t help smiling at the way her blonde hair flies wildly around her face and how her hand is perched on her hip while she wears her black work shorts and red top. She taps her foot impatiently.

When I don’t make a move, she springs forward, jumping onto me and causing me to step back, almost sending us both off the porch. She wraps her arms fiercely around my neck as her legs come around my waist, and she holds on tightly before planting her lips to mine. I open, inviting her in, and she devours me as our tongues collide and teeth clank. I can’t get enough.

Breathlessly, she pulls away from my lips, but not my body. It’s then I can see the puffiness in her face, the redness in all her features, and the evidence of tears shed. My heart breaks. I never want to cause this woman pain.

“You’re alive,” she whispers, closing her eyes and resting her forehead against mine. “You’re with me, Blaine, really here.” I can feel the relief wash through her as her body relaxes, and I take her weight. “I love you more than the moon, the stars, the sun. My God, Blaine Reklinger, I love you,” she whispers with her lips brushing against mine with every word.

“Claudia Moakley, I was only afraid of one thing today.” I pause, pulling my head back so she will open her eyes to see mine. “I feared I wouldn’t have this moment right here. Baby, I know we have a plan, but I can’t.” With a squeeze to her ass, I say, “No, I won’t waste another minute by waiting to have life in order. I wanna marry you, Dia. You, me, ride for life, that’s it. I promise you the ring, the church, my name, and whatever you want, but baby, right now, I gotta know it’s me and you together forever.”

She smiles brightly and presses her lips to mine. “Always yours, Blaine.”

I hear Mary Alice squeal excitedly as I deepen the kiss with my woman, my future wife, and I do so with the knowledge I could have lost it all today.

Without untangling herself from around me, Dia pulls back and looks at her best friend. “Looks like we have a weddin’ to plan.” She turns her head back toward me, her eyes dancing in happiness. “And soon.”

“Whatever you want, baby.” I kiss her again.

Refusing to release her, I look over her shoulder at Rhett and Mary Alice. “I’ll be in touch, man. Gonna take my girl home now.”

Dia laughs against me as I turn around and carry her to my motorcycle. When I climb on and get it started, she hops on right behind me. The minute her hands wind around my waist, something changes inside me.

Every plan I had changed today and every single one of them for the better, but right now, this feeling I have for Dia is far deeper and more encompassing than anything we have ever shared before.

We hit the open road of highway 58, and the roar of the engine calms my mind.

Dia roams her hands under my T-shirt, finding her way to the skin of my abdomen and causing my muscles to flex involuntarily. The sensation of her legs against mine, her chest pressed to my back, and her hands around me makes it feel like she’s a part of me. Like the bike under me, she’s an appendage of my soul. The wind whips around us, and her hair flies around us both, hitting me in the face and reminding me I’m alive.

I am alive, and my woman is with me. We are one.

I twist the throttle, the bike spits oil like it always does, and Dia laughs against me as she tucks her head into my neck. I feel her lips first then her teeth as she nips, her legs tightening against mine. She runs her hands up my chest before she slowly traces down my waist to my jeans where she squeezes my cock through the denim.

I am alive, and my woman wants me. We are one.

Pushing the bike harder, I’m careful as we ride not to hit a bump yet still pressing the vibration through us both as I turn onto highway 24 rather than make my way to our place on the beach. When the turn for Nine Mile Road comes up, I slow without coming to a stop; instead, I roll us onto the road.

Nine miles of open road, nine miles of tight curves on a narrow road with the woman I love. Nine miles of life remembered. Nine miles of life cherished. Nine miles of a life of new beginning.

Nine miles, I ride. Me, Dia, and nothing but pavement beneath us. Then, when I can’t fight the need to be inside her anymore, I take my woman home and make love to her, knowing that plans change, life kicks us in the ass, but one thing that will never in my lifetime change is the love I have for the woman with me.

Dreams

Clive told Tommy and me to take a few days off. He even offered to pay us to do it. In good faith, I couldn’t let the man clean up the mess on his own, though. Therefore, Tommy and I both arrive at the shop on time as if it were any other day on the calendar.

Only, it isn’t.

We both look like hell and heaven all twisted into one. Knowing what we came so close to losing yesterday, it’s obvious Tommy slept about as well as I did, which was none. The glimmer in his eyes and the way his woman Marie drove by here on her way to work just to blow him a kiss tells me they had a similar night to Dia and me. They haven’t been together long. What started out as a hookup may be turning into something more substantial. Only time will tell, and yesterday, we almost lost it all. We both had the weight of taking a life on our shoulders, but at the same time, we both know, if we hadn’t, we wouldn’t be here to experience today at all.

We don’t make it in the front door before the sound of a single Harley pulls up. Instinctively, Clive comes to the door, and we turn to see who it is.

Rhett twists the throttle, causing the bike to rev before he rolls into the parking lot.

“Figured you could use an extra hand,” he says, climbing off the steel machine.

“It’s appreciated,” I tell him as two then three cars pull in.

We stand in awe as more people arrive, all to lend a hand in the cleanup of the front office for Clive.

When I look over at the man who is as much a father to me as my own dad was, I see tears in his eyes. The events have shaken him. The age and worry stand out in his features unlike before.

The day moves quickly as each person takes on task after task. When the afternoon comes to a close, the front looks brand new with the fresh paint on the walls and new seats donated from a local dentist office. Even the shop is spit shined, and we got rid of some of the old oil stains. The town really banned together today in the wake of a tragedy.

As everyone says their good-byes, Tommy and I are profusely thanked for stepping in to save Clive, and finally, we are left with just the three of us.

“Boys,” Clive says as we stand behind him while he locks the front door, “did some thinking last night. Talked it over with the missus, and we made a decision.”

“Don’t think now is the best time to be making decisions, Clive,” I say suddenly, worrying over what the future holds for my job. I have more than me to think about. Claudia can’t go home since her parents have made it more than clear, if she’s with me, she’s not with them. I have to provide for us. Clive can’t close the shop because of Fury. If so, they win, and they cannot win.

“I’m no spring chicken. The time has come to find out if retirement really means you get tired.” He lifts the keys to the front door. “Blaine, you’ve been here every day since you were barely a teen. There ain’t an inch of this property that your hands haven’t worked on.” He takes my hand in his and turns it palm up. The cold metal of the front door keys hits my skin.

I shake my head in shock. My mind goes back to the day I almost lost it all.

The blue lights come on behind us. I should pull over. I should stop the car right now. I should do the right thing. Only, Tommy and I aren’t exactly the registered owners of the car we are currently riding in. In fact, if Clive finds out we’re taking this particular car out on a test ride, I’m sure he would have a heart attack.

The Plymouth belongs to Mr. Johnson who is a personal friend of some big wig in racing. The engine compartment no longer houses the stock engine but a larger Chrysler engine, instead. Everything is in line with the MOPAR family to make this a real contender to hit the track if that is the client’s intention.

Tommy and I didn’t bother to learn anything about the car. We simply took the first opportunity we had to take her out for a spin. Only, we had to wait for Clive to get off work and go home, which left us to take this beast out at night.

Small town, quiet roads with a loud, fast race car … Well, we should have known we would get caught.

It wasn’t long before the cop had the car parked on the side of the road and Tommy and me on our way downtown. He calls Clive who comes and picks us up at midnight.

“I should have left you two in there. A night behind bars, sleeping on a hard rack, might get through to your hard heads.”

“Clive,” I start to explain as we get to his old truck.

He throws his hand up to silence me. “You boys have so much potential. Don’t do stupid stuff that takes away from that. Gotta remember business is what keeps ya going for the fun stuff like racing your own car. Working ain’t about the fun stuff; it’s providing for it, boys. Don’t confuse the two.”

Without another word, Clive drives us home. Knowing we disappointed him upsets me; his quiet burns deep.

“Don’t fire us, Clive,” Tommy says barely above a whisper.

“Fire you? If Mr. Johnson wants to, he can practically shut my business down with this stunt you two pulled.”

“Shit,” I mutter.

“Fifteen-year-old boys and you think you know everything. If you would have wrecked that car, who would have paid to replace it? Huh, boys? Was your fun worth costing me everything?”

“No, sir,” Tommy says, hanging his head in shame.

“Integrity, boys. What you do when no one else is watching is what really makes you a man. Supporting the people who have taken a chance on you and not taking advantage of them makes a real man. So you tell me, what should I do with you?”

Clive could have beaten our asses, fired us, and even more, he could have marched into our houses and told our parents. He did none of it. Instead, he left us to have the integrity to tell our parents ourselves. When we both showed up for work the next day, he made sure we cleaned up the Plymouth and did all the work on it after hours at no charge. We also had to tell Mr. Johnson ourselves what we did and give him free service for life from Tommy and me. To this day, ten years later, I’m still changing the man’s oil regularly and not getting a dime.

Clive could have sent Tommy and me away. He should have turned his back on the two young boys who made a mess of his business more times than I care to admit, but he didn’t. Somehow, he’s here, giving it all to us.

“The time has come, son,” Clive explains. “Do right by your customers; do right by your partner, Tommy here. The shop, the land, the business, it’s all yours. The lawyer’s drawing up the papers. Tommy, you get a thirty percent lifetime ownership so Blaine can’t do anything fully without you.” A lone tear falls down his face. “Man’s gotta know when he’s not in the best shape to keep on keepin’ on. Yesterday, they got the best of me. I’m slipping. Age is catching up to me. I went in blind to them and had not one damn thing on my side but God and you boys. That’s all the warning I need to let go.”

“Are you …? Are you …?” I can’t seem to get the words out as I choke on so many emotions. “Are you really sure? We can leave things alone, Clive. You take some time off then come back.”