Taking a Dare - A Hellion MC Novel (10 page)

"Thanks, Rye. Just wish he'd take to it and gain some
sweetness himself," she whispered back.

"Me, too. Just keep trying, though, all right?" I
said with a sincere smile before I opened the door and exited.

Head held high, I walked across the room without even
glancing at my dad.

I counted me not slapping him silly as I left a
win.

Chapter Ten

Church was a fucking joke in Dare's opinion. The
regularly scheduled and mandatory meeting of the Hellion's that
occurred each and every Sunday morning when all the brothers were
as fuckin' hung-over as hell was a motherfuckin' waste of time.

His mind was back on the night before. Of holding
Ryley in his arms and kissing the shit out of her while having her
kiss him right the fuck back. How could it be that the heat between
them could reignite so fast?

But it wasn't just heat. There was something else. A
kind of a completion somehow in just talking together, laughing
with her…

He tuned back into what was being said but found he
hadn't missed much. Numbers, blah-blah. Counts of this and that.
Who was doing what to whom and who the Hellions were supporting,
blah-blah-blah. Same shit every week that did his fuckin' head in.
And looking around the room at the faces that were sitting or
standing before the council table, he knew he wasn't alone in his
opinion.

More than one fuckin' jaw was canted in the yawn
position.

He went back up into his head where it was a lot more
interesting in his opinion.

Dare had watched the Escalade as it barreled down the
driveway taking Ryley away from him and the sight had dropped his
fuckin' heart to his knees. Almost as much as it had done when he'd
asked her to go home with him and she'd said no.

Why had it been so hard to watch her leave, for
Christ's sake?

He'd felt almost…what? Lonely? Heartsick when she'd
gone?

But that was crazy. He wasn't one of
those
type of guys. Hadn't ever been and never would be. As he'd stated
fervently on many an occasion, he'd
never
be a part of a
pair! Being one of the persons linked as a couple was for
jackasses, for fuckers who enjoyed being led around by their dicks.
Who lost the ability to make their own decisions simply because
they were giving the high-hard to the same piece of pink every
fuckin' night.

That wasn't for him!

No fuckin' way in hell was that
ever
gonna be
him! But somehow he knew that when it came to her, that was
abso-fuckin'-lutely not the truth.

What
was
true was that he'd wanted Ryley for
years, but now that he'd seen her, tasted her then all that want,
the yearning he'd carried for so goddamn long should've been taken
care of. Would have fuckin' stopped on the promise of being able to
have her in his bed. So why did he want even
more
of her
than just a sexy roll in the hay? It didn't make fucking sense.

Was it because he hadn't nailed her yet? Just one
time should be all it would take to get her out of his twisted up
insides, right?

But, he couldn't say that with any goddamn level of
certainty. That shit, that 'tied together forever' shit scared him
senseless. And the thought that he was more than willing to have
her lead him around by whatever appendage he had? Fffuuuccckkk…

He liked being free, for god's sake. He fuckin' loved
being able to play whenever and with whomever he wanted. And if the
one he'd chosen wasn't available it weren't no biggie to grab on to
some other sweet piece. No matter what Huff said about settling,
about getting less than what a man wanted when his sights were set
on a certain girl. And Dare knew without a doubt where his fuckin'
sights were set, were tuned to.

Did Ryley fuckin' feel the same way? Was the reason
she was still unclaimed because she valued her freedom in that
arena too? The thought sent his heart southward again as his mind
stuck on it. Maybe
she
didn't want to be tied down
either.

Christ!

As Trey's voice droned on, he tried to untangle his
mind until another thought hit. Had she really gone to Lock's or
had she gone to the motel? Maybe spent some time March?

And why the fuck did the thought of her with March,
or any other brother for that matter, piss him right the fuck off?
Who she got off with shouldn't be any of his business. It had never
mattered before with any of the other Honeys. As far as he was
concerned when it came to the club's girls it was share and share
alike.

But it
did
fuckin' matter with Ryley,
dammit!

Fuck!

The thought of sharing her with anyone made him want
to punch the shit out of something. She wasn't just some fuckin'
piece of ass to be passed around. She was motherfuckin'
his
and whatever it was between them had snapped right the fuck back
into place proving it beyond any shadow of a doubt.

The look she'd given him, just after they'd shared a
long, deep wet kiss goodbye by the Escalade still told him how
special he was to her.

Hell!

He hated to admit it, but couldn't deny that his
crush was changing into something bigger, deeper somehow.

Dare suddenly remembered his last thought before he'd
fallen asleep the night before, even as the echo of her vanilla
perfume wafted up from his t-shirt, a shirt he'd
uncharacteristically worn to bed. Sleepily, he'd wondered if he'd
inadvertently, without his permission or foreknowledge, fallen back
in with the little spitfire who he'd had held in his heart for so
long.

And that thought, done in the full light of day,
shocked and rocked him to his core enough to bring him up and out
of his ruminations.

Dare again zeroed in on what was being said and
glanced at the brother's reactions that were still in the
'get-this-the-fuck-over-with' range.

That was until Trey brought up the Czars.

"You all know we've got an issue if we decide to
split and create a chapter in Billings as I think we should. We'd
need to have the fucking right of way to blow through goddamn
Belgrade, Bozeman and Livingston in order to have supplies brought
in as well as to support our brothers that decide to relocate to
that new club. With that in mind, I've approached Ham Banks,
president of the Black Czars, asking for a sit down to fucking chew
it over and fucking find a solution."

Dare felt his spine straighten. He personally hadn't
had any doings with the other club, but from what Si and Dice had
recapped, the fuckers were looking to make a name for themselves.
Which had been proven in their intrusion onto Hellion land.

"He says he's amenable but wants time to fucking talk
it over with his council."

"That's fucking bullshit, man," someone from the back
muttered and the hue and cry from the floor of the big room was
soon taken up with the brothers cussing out the other club.

Trey had to use the gavel to regain the attention of
his club.

"What fuckin' happens if they decline?" Dare thought
Pagan was the one that yelled the question that had been in his own
mind as well.

He saw Gus stand and answer. "Spokane has pledged to
stay and participate until this fucking shit is resolved. We're
Hellions and stand by our brothers whether they're in Missoula or
outer fucking Mongolia."

"Hear, hear," Silo boomed.

Dare saw Bishop shoot his fist in the air at the
other president's words. A gesture that was caught and repeated by
most of the brothers that filled the clubhouse.

While he was all for the show of solidarity, all Dare
could concentrate on was that Ryley was gonna be around for a lot
longer than the formerly scheduled week. And his heart seemed to
take flight at the thought.

Both he and his cock fuckin' hoped the negotiations
would take as goddamn long as was fuckin' possible.

As the meeting broke up, a lot of brothers hit the
bar filling glasses with a little hair of the dog to help alleviate
the worst of their hangovers. Dare, though, needed caffeine and
worked his way to the large urn set up in a corner by the
kitchen.

On a typical Sunday, Dare would be joining Hardwood
and Lulu at their house. To share a meal or to take a long ride
with just the highway in front of them, urging them down whatever
road they decided might be interesting.

But that Sunday, Dare didn't leave the clubhouse and
had no desire to do so.

He was waiting. Waiting for Ryley to show and to see
what the doings of the previous night might have changed in her.
Because it had done something to him. And he'd recognized it as
soon as he'd opened his eyes that morning, when he realized he
hadn't be fooled by her teasing attitude. That kiss (Christ! That
fuckin'
kiss
) exposed the truth of what Ryley had been
really feeling.

He just hoped she was aware that he was on the same
wavelength.

"Lu was thinking a picnic up in Lolo Forest would be
cool," Hardwood said, tucking the Hellion Construction's
receptionist against his side. The kids had gotten together almost
as soon as Mel had shown up for his apprenticeship. A fact that had
pissed Dare, Silo and Bishop off as they'd all been scheming on the
girl who dressed up for work in petticoated skirts and seamed
stockings. And who had, at that time, colored the hair around her
hairline a bright pink. Although now it was an all-over, deep
blue-black.

"We'll be doing stuffed pork chops and au-gratin
potatoes for dinner if you're not up for a picnic," Lu enticed with
a smile. While Dare could admit she was beautiful, she didn't hold
his heart. Not when a little aqua-eyed, brown haired beauty he'd
lusted after for so many years was available.

But was she really available?

"Think I'm gonna hang here for a bit. Appreciate the
offer, though. You kids have fun," he replied back, knowing he
didn't sound like himself. Christ, he didn't damn-well
feel
like himself either. He'd never waited on a fuckin' woman before
and hated that he was doing so then. "You gonna stick around for
breakfast?"

"We need to pick Julie up from a sleepover," Hardwood
explained.

"Her first one with civilians! I can't wait to find
out how it went," Lulu continued with shining eyes directed towards
her man. Dare would've given a body part to have Ryley fuckin' look
at him again with the same look of love and adoration. She'd done
it before so he had hope it would be repeated.

There was a commotion at the door and Dare couldn't
help but stand straighter as a parade of women came in, their
sharp, shiny voices calling to each other as they balanced huge
bowls and trays while making their way into the club. The long bar
was the ladies goal which the newest recruits, Stealthy and Rinse,
had set up with holders and candles in order to keep the food
warm.

Once again, Ryley was in the middle of the pack and
he felt his cock unfurl with a deep sharp throb at the sight of
her. Wearing a pair of brown leather pants and a light blue t-shirt
that simply hugged her curves, she was sexier than the Honeys that
surrounded her and who were showing a helluva lot more skin.

He couldn't take his eyes off her.

Because in his mind, there was only one person that
mattered in the whole of the room. That actually counted in the
full fuckin' scheme of things.

Ryley.

"Need a word, Dare," Trey said from over his shoulder
interrupting his view of his girl.

His
girl.

"Now," Dare's pres said firmly, causing his eyes to
shoot to where his broad brother stood. "Outside, yeah?"

Without a noise, Dare moved to the door wondering
what could be so important that Trey needed to say it outside. But
as soon as they were on the tarmac, weaving their way through all
the different bikes, the big man began to speak.

"Need to let you know, amigo," Trey started before
stopping to clear his throat, heralding whatever he was going to
say wasn't gonna be good. "Gus is asking me to call for your
cut…"

What the fuck?

That shit was only done when a brother had fucked up
and fucked up so bad the club could no longer support him. Dare's
mind raced to figure out what he'd done that would cause Gus to
demand it.

And came up fuckin' blank except for one reason and
one reason only.

"Or to send you to Sheridan to ride out the rest of
their stay," Trey finished with a sigh. Their steps had stopped
just inches off the furthest row of bikes.

"Because of Ryley," Dare stated flatly, cutting right
to the chase.

Trey wouldn't meet his eyes but instead sent his gaze
to roam over the two long lines of machines that glittered in the
sunlight.

"This is fuckin' nuts, dude," Dare cried, raising his
arms up before dropping them to his thighs with a slap. "The man is
seriously deranged. I had a thing with his daughter ten years ago.
We might be reconnecting now, which is, by the by, none of his
fuckin' bidness. But to call for my cut? My fuckin' cut?"

Trey held up a hand, his head pointed towards his
feet. "Didn't say I was gonna take it, brother. Only that he is
asking for it."

"But still…" Dare's mind was whirling. How could the
old man even think that Trey would let him go?

But then, how could Dare let his Ryley go?

Christ!

"What do you want me to do, man?" Dare's voice held
all the confusion he was feeling, and he saw Trey's reaction to it
in the other man's scowl.

"Dunno. But know you gotta fucking work it out your
own way. I'm just here, brother. Here for you whatever goddamn way
you want to play it." Trey's eyes were on him and seemed to be as
open and as honest as he'd always been with Dare.

Trey studied his fellow Hellion and gave him silence
as the younger man seemed to think it through.