Burned: Devil's Blaze MC Book 2 (31 page)

Chapter 11

Sabre

Cock-blocked by my own fucking club. Hell, when did getting inside a woman’s pussy take an act of Congress?

I doubt Annie realizes the importance of what I just did, but the boys do. Now, if they’d just fucking leave. From the look on Skull’s face, that’s going to happen. If a man could go stark raving mad from lack of pussy and being teased to death, I am there. I am so fucking there. With a sigh, I let go of Annie and reach over and get my cut, putting it back on.

“What’s up?”

“Donahue brothers,” Skull answers wearing that and the haunted look again. I have an instant gut check moment. There’s not a brother among us that doesn’t grieve for the loss of Beth. There’s not a brother who doesn’t know the effect it’s had on our president. Skull is a different man.  

“Where we headed?” I ask, knowing now why all the brothers showed up on their bikes.

“Paradise Ridge,” Skull says and my lips firm up in disgust. Paradise Ridge is a spot on the back of a mountain where Tennessee and Georgia meet. It used to be a place where teenagers would park and make out, gaining it the name Paradise Ridge because many a cherry was popped there. The Donahue brothers claimed it not long after they took over as head of the Irish faction in Georgia, and it’s since become a place where bodies are buried and disposed of.  “Who called the meeting?” I ask, my mind already turning from Annie to the long ride ahead of us.

“Colin,” Skull says and that one name from his lips contains so much hate that it chills the air around us. 

“Right. I’m ready. Let me say goodbye to my woman and I’ll get my bike out of the garage.” I had moved my bike and other things to Annie’s in the past week. She’s never said a word in protest, and I’ve known from that first sweet taste of her that I wasn’t going anywhere. She’s the one. Now, if I could just finally claim her completely, I’d be a happy fucking man. 

“It was nice meeting you, querida. I am sure we will be seeing you around the club soon. Si?” Skull says and gives her a smile. Hell, even his smile is still cold. I look to Annie to see how she reacts. Damn, she’s beautiful. Her hair is all messed up, her lips swollen, her nipples are poking through that silky little top she has on, and her pale skin sparkles in the sun. I’m a lucky bastard. She’s got her hands wrapped around herself in a defensive gesture, but all it really does is point out the fact that’s she’s horny. A beautiful thing to behold for sure, but as I look around and see that all the brothers are watching, especially that motherfucker, Torch, I take the one step to her and block her with my body.  

“You are looking fucking hot, Annie. But if your nipples get any harder, every man around here is going to fall on you. Maybe you should go inside.”

She inhales and her cheeks blush even darker. She starts to pull away and I stop her. “I’ll be gone for a couple days. I’m going to send one of my brother’s out here to check in on you and make sure you’re safe. Try not to get him twisted up in knots over you, yeah?”

“Sabre! I would never do that, I can’t believe…”

I stop her tirade with a hot kiss, not giving her time to respond, just devouring her and letting my tongue pillage every part of her mouth. I can still taste my flavor on her and my damn balls seem to pulse with the need to come. My lips break from her mouth and kiss up her cheekbone and down into the valley of her neck before finally ending at her ear.

“You don’t have to do a goddamn thing sweetheart, just the look of you is enough to make a man come. I’m a lucky bastard, and I know it. I just want those other men to know you’re mine, too. Got it?”

I pull back away and she gives me this sexy smile and even I can tell she’s happy. Mission accomplished.

“Be safe, please?”

I nod, satisfied with her reaction. She could have asked a million questions, she could have demanded to know what was going on. Her not doing so is just another sign that she will fit into club life perfectly. I’ve made a great decision, which is good because I’m starting to really care about this woman. I’ve always known from my first look that no other woman would ever compare. Now, I’m starting to think it’s even more. 

“You got it, Peaches, and when I get back, you and I have some unfinished business.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it,” she smiles and it’s that smile I take with me as I get on my bike.

* * *

It’s about two in the morning when we reach the Tennessee, Georgia border. The crew is dog tired and none of us are looking forward to the meeting with Colin tomorrow. Colin is a bastard, though a few steps above his uncle who used to be in charge. We have a bad history with the Donahue family and I wasn’t expecting this meeting to be good. We’re bedding down for the rest of the night at the Green Goose, an old outdated no-tell motel that looks like hell and smells stale and that’s about the nicest thing I can say about it. The mattress lays like it’s been stuffed with straw and the occasional rock. I’m bunking down for the night with Skull. He’s in the opposite bed holding the locket in his hands that he always wears around his neck. It was Beth’s locket. A present he gave her on their wedding day. He’s never once taken it off since Beth’s funeral.

“What are you thinking Pres?” I ask him, trying to drag him out of the thoughts in his own head.

“How old ghosts never stop haunting you, amigo. They never do.” 

“Beth wouldn’t want you to live your life like this,” I tell him, knowing it’s true. Beth loved Skull, she’d want him to move on and be happy.

“Love is a funny thing. It starts with a touch and burrows down under the skin, infecting your blood and ultimately your heart. It never lets you go hermano, never. It can feed you and make you strong, nourish you and make you whole, or it can slowly destroy everything inside of you until the person you are withers and you are left but a shell. A sad, empty, old shell with nothing but memories of days you should have cherished more.” Skull sets the locket down on the fake wood nightstand by the bed, lays down, and turns out his light. It jars me, I know today’s meeting has destroyed him.

“Do you wish you hadn’t met her?”

“At times, si. Then I remember.”

“Remember?”

“That before Beth, I had no life anyway. Hold on to your woman, hermano. Hold on tight and enjoy while you can. El tiempo es corto.”

Skull’s mother was Spanish, not his dad. But, she raised him, he knows the language well. He sounds American as hell, but most of the time he slips into the other language. The club has become fluent, or at the very least has a grasp on what he is saying.
Time is short
. I lie in the dark and listen as, eventually, Skull’s breathing evens out. I pull out my phone and text Annie.

Missing you tonight, sweetheart.

There’s a brief lull. I figure she’s already sound asleep. I’m just putting my phone down when a message comes through.

Miss you too, Sabre. Please be safe. Love you. Xoxo

Love.
I don’t know what that is really. I’ve never had it. Yet, I like the idea of Annie loving me. I like it a fuck of a lot.

Before I met Beth, I had no life anyway.
I think on Skull’s words. I think I’m starting to understand exactly what he means. I’ve never had someone to come home to before. Someone to worry about me and take care of me. Annie does all of that and more. I need to appreciate that, cherish it, and make sure it’s safe. I sure as hell don’t want to be grieving like Skull does. I grab my phone and text Latch, a patched in member of the club who doesn’t go on runs and shit. He’s got a little sister at home he takes care of; she’s only sixteen and Latch is her only family. They lost their mother a year ago to breast cancer. Latch and I are tight. We have a connection the other brothers don’t know about and would never understand.

Me:
You keeping an eye on my woman?

My phone vibrates a few minutes later.

Latch:
Outside her house right now. Never fear.

Me:
Everything cool?

Latch:
She got a visit from an uncle, today. Carl something. It seemed to freak her out. I’m keeping a close eye.

Me:
Do that. I’ll check in tomorrow.

Latch: 
I’m on it. Later.

I don’t like the idea of Annie having problems with me so far away. If her uncle is anything like her father, I know why she is upset. I’ll have to call her in the morning. I roll over in the bed to get some shut-eye. Tomorrow is going to be a long-ass day.

Chapter 12

Annie

How does someone you barely know feel like they own your soul?

I lie there holding my phone after Sabre’s text. I can’t sleep. I may have only been with him for a short amount of time, but I’m used to the way he spoons me and wraps his arms around me at night. He always takes one hand and wraps it around my breast, kisses my neck, and whispers goodnight in my ear. I’ve become addicted to that and have found that even one night without it and I’m wide awake. I crave him like an addict craves his next fix. I even want to cry after his text. That’s how far I’m gone. I get up out of bed and walk to the bathroom, it’s almost morning, I might as well stop pretending I’m going to sleep. The hour nap I had will be it.

After a quick shower, I stumble into the kitchen to find coffee. It’s going to take a lot of coffee to get through today. It’s just finishing up when there’s a knock on my door. That single-girl-all-alone-it’s-3 a.m. panic hits me. I walk cautiously to the front door, afraid it’s Carl. He came by earlier today, said he heard talk I was living with a man. There was no sign of Sabre though and his old truck was hid in the garage, so I think I covered. Still, I know there is trouble coming on that front and I have no idea what I’m going to do about it. I go quietly to the door and glance through the peephole. Latch is standing on the other side. He’s the man that Sabre has watching over me while he’s out of town. He seems like a nice guy.

“What’s up?” I ask, opening the door. I’m worried something happened since it’s the middle of the night and he’s here. 

“I was wondering if my sister could spend what’s the rest of the night here. She got picked up at a local party and the deputy called me to come get her. I can’t trust her not to go back out if I’m not there.” He pulls a sullen-looking young girl from the side of the house; I hadn’t noticed her before. She’s beautiful. Her hair is the color of midnight and she’s got these deep, inky dark eyes and long, thick eyelashes. Her skin is pale and flawless, and she could easily be on the cover of any magazine, coming or going. She’s also full of anger and looks like she wants to kill someone. 

“Sure, come on inside,” I tell them both, opening the door wider and stepping back. 

“Annie this is my baby sister, Lucy. Lucy, this is Annie, she’s Sabre’s old lady.”

“I’ll be seventeen in two weeks, I’m not a baby,” she grumbles.

“I think we’re always babies to our big brothers. I know I was,” I tell her trying to make her feel better as I lead them into the kitchen. 

“Was? How on Earth did you get him to stop treating you like a child?” Lucy asks.

“Well, my brother died in a car accident and there’s not been a day since then I haven’t wished he was back here to be over-protective again,” I answer, hoping my message gets across. I watch out of the corner of my eye and see her look at Latch.

“I just made a pot of coffee, would you guys like some?”

“Thanks, that sounds great. I didn’t want to bother you, but I saw you had your light on and figured it’d be better for Lucy to sleep here instead of my truck.”

“Why on Earth are you sleeping in your truck?”

“Remember, Sabre asked me to keep an eye on you. I can’t hardly do that Annie if I’m not around.”

“I thought you went home! You can’t stay outside all night. I’ll fix you a bed on the couch, and Lucy can have my spare room.”

“Annie, we should probably talk about that with Sabre, and I don’t mind….”

“Just hush it, I’ll go find some clean sheets. Lucy, if you want to follow me, I’ll show you where your room will be, sweetheart. You can get settled and then come out and have some coffee, or I could warm you some milk.”

“Warm milk? Please. That sounds so gross.”

I laugh, “It kind of does, but it actually helps relax you. I was just about to make me some. Sabre texted me to let me know they made it okay, and I was just too keyed up to go back to sleep.”

“So they’re all good?” She asks and she seems interested, maybe just a little
too
interested.

“Yes, I believe so. You know how they are. They never give too much information.”

“Yeah, I do. I know them all though Latch doesn’t let me hang around at the clubhouse much anymore.”

“Really, why’s that?” I ask, opening the door to the room she’ll be staying in.

“He says I’m too old. One of the guys started asking me out and shit. I thought Latch was going to pop his lid. He doesn’t seem to get that I’m not a little kid anymore.”

“I get that, but he’s your brother. Still, you are just sixteen so that’s a little young for one of the members to be wanting to take you out on a date.”

“It was Keys. He’s only six years older than me, but it’s not him I’m interested in,” she says plopping down on the bed.

“So, there is someone in the club you are interested in?”

“Yeah, but it doesn’t matter. He doesn’t see me as anything other than a child and he’d never stand up to Latch to ask me out, even if he did.”

“Well, you’re too young to think about settling down anyway. But if it’s meant to be, when the time is right, it’ll happen. Look at me. I’m twenty-six and had given up the idea of ever finding someone I could love, and then my car broke down and I found Sabre.”

“Yeah, maybe, thanks for the room, Annie. I wasn’t doing anything wrong at the party, but I guess some of the neighbors thought we were too loud and called the law.”

“It’s okay. You get settled and come on out when you’re ready. I’m just going to get some sheets and things for you brother and get him settled on the couch.”

I spend the next hour or so talking with Latch and his little sister. I really like her. She’s sweet, funny, and a really good kid. I get the feeling she’s hanging with the wrong crowd and that’s why Latch is concerned. I also get a bigger feeling that she’s got a huge crush on Beast. That’s bad news. He’s a good sixteen or seventeen years older than her and there’s no way he’ll ever see her as more than a little girl, even after she becomes legal. Hopefully, that will work itself out. Once I get them settled, I head back to mine and Sabre’s room. I reach over and grab Sabre’s pillow and pull it into my body, hugging it tightly. I can smell his aftershave on it, and I inhale deeply. Just the scent alone is enough to relax me, and I feel my eyes closing fast. My last thoughts are that of Sabre.
I really do love him.