Dice (A Righteous Outlaws Novel #3) (14 page)

“Save that for later,” she said with a sexy wink that had my cock straining against my jeans. It would be so easy to drag her off somewhere and take exactly what I wanted, but she’d been looking forward to this event, and I didn’t want her to miss it because I couldn’t control my dick.

I draped my arm across her shoulders. “Come on, let’s go play with some dogs.”

We walked around the event, and I did my best to greet the town people. I figured a little sucking up would make it seem more like we were saints in leather opposed to criminals. I noticed with Allison at my side, it made me more approachable.

Even Mrs. Kramer came out for the event with her great-grandkids. A boy and a girl, who Mr. Rollins would have a fucking coronary over every time they showed up to the complex.

“Aren’t they just the cutest?” Allison said to Mrs. Kramer, just as the boy kicked me in my shin and took off.

“Oh, yeah, adorable,” I mumbled under my breath.

“I better go get him,” Mrs. Kramer said. “Oh Allison. I have some extra yarn I’m not going to use. Stop by later and you can have it.”

“That’s very sweet of you. Thank you I will.”

Mrs. Kramer hurried as fast as her old legs would take her after her great-grandson who weaved in and out of people, using their legs as an obstacle course. Allison watched with humor in her eyes.

“I see you made friends with the old hag,” I said.

“She’s not a hag. She’s actually very sweet.”

“As long as you don’t step on her garden.”

“She takes her flowers very seriously.”

We continued walking and came upon Beast, who was in the middle of trying to free himself of a little pipsqueak of a dog who wouldn’t stop following him.

“Leave,” he demanded, and pointed back to the woman who was running the booth.

The dog looked up at him with a tilt of its head and sat down, but, as soon as Beast turned and started walking, the dog followed. The little mutt moved more like a bunny as it hopped toward him.

“Oh, for fuck sakes.”

Beast spun back around and headed toward the girl, the tiny dog right on the heel of his boots. “Stay,” he ordered and, once again, the dog sat down and tilted its head. Beast let out an annoyed breath and began to walk away again when the dog leapt up and chased after him.

“I think you’re going home with a dog,” I said, and Beast scowled.

“Not fucking happening.”

“It’s so cute, though,” Allison said, bending down and petting the fluff ball. “Is this a Yorkie?” she asked the woman.

“It sure is. Just rescued from a puppy mill in Alabama.”

“Oh, my God, how cute!” Aubree exclaimed, dropping to her knees and taking the little guy in her hands.

“Good you deal with it,” Beast muttered, but, as soon as he moved, the dog jumped from Aubree’s hold and followed him.

The expression of total distaste on Beast’s face was fucking priceless.

“Aww, she likes you,” Aubree said. “What its name?

“I don’t fucking know,” Beast groaned.

“Her name is Beauty,” the woman offered.

“Shut up!” Aubree exclaimed, jumping to her feet. “It’s like meant to be,” she said, scooping the dog up. “She’s the Beauty to your Beast.” She held the dog out to Beast and he growled.

“No,” he stated, but he should’ve known better than to try to argue with Aubree. The girl had a degree in that shit.

“Look at this face,” Aubree said, gripping Beauty’s face and leaning her head against the fluff ball. “How can you say no to this?”

“Easy. No.”

I had to give him credit. He was holding his own.
I
was tempted to take the thing in.

“It’s not even a dog. It’s a rat.”

Aubree covered the dog’s ears. “She can hear you.” She kissed the top of its head. “You do not look like a rat. You look like a little cutie pie.”

“If you like her so much, then you take her.”

“I would, but she wants you.” Aubree put Beauty down and she ran right to Beast’s boot, nipping at the toe and swatting at the lace. He went to step back, and she went belly up on his foot. Aubree beamed. “See.”

Beast reached down, picking the dog up. It nuzzled against his massive hand. He held his hand flat out to Aubree, to take the dog, but Beauty curled up in a ball and closed her eyes.

Aubree shrugged. “She already picked you.”

“I don’t do dogs.”

Allison rested her head against my shoulder as Aubree and Beast continued to battle it out. “Why don’t we leave these two to figure this out and we’ll go walk around a little more?” I kissed her forehead and she smiled.

“Sure.”

“Good luck, brother,” I said as we moved on to the next booth. With Allison tucked against my side, I scanned the surrounding area to make sure we didn’t have any unwelcome visitors. I swore, if one of those assholes from Gordita’s Army or Montamos showed up, I would get Allison as far away from them as I fucking could. There was no way in hell that I would let her be subjected to the darkness that was a big part of my life.

The coast stayed clear, but, even if they didn’t show up today, I knew it was only a matter of time. Right now all the brothers were here, and it would be a death wish to try anything, which is why they shot at Stumpy that night. It was him and Byrd; two prospects with no back up. They were an easy target.

Shit like this always got me excited. Let one of those bastards try to take me down when I was alone. I’d show them who was in charge in these parts. I might be smaller than the rest of the guys, but I could run faster, shoot more precisely and throw a hard fucking punch. The thrill that was always there, a part of who I was, was slipping away. Because, every time I thought of one of those Montamos fucks, or a prick from Gordita’s army coming after me, all I could imagine was Allison getting caught up in the crossfire. It scared the ever living shit out of me to think that she could get hurt or worse killed because she was with me.

This was exactly why I didn’t do relationships. It was too late now. I was already in over my head. I was drowning in her.

“Guess Aubree won,” Allison said, knocking me out of my head. She pointed across the way to Beast, who held Beauty in his arms, while Aubree flew past us in a blur of yellow to her booth.

“She suits you,” I said to Beast as we walked toward him.

He growled in response. Aubree skipped over, holding up a dress, and I spit out a laugh.

“No,” Beast barked, and Beauty stirred in his arms. The dark rage that always brewed so ugly in his eyes lightened slightly as he looked down at the dog.

“With a name like Beauty, she deserves to be beautiful.”

“Dogs don’t need clothes.”

“Everybody needs clothes,” Aubree argued and Allison laughed.

Beast cut a dirty look to Allison and, if I weren’t so amused by the situation, I would tell him to back the fuck off.

Allison held her hands up in front of her. “I’m sorry. This is just better than reality TV.”

“Glad somebody is amused.”

“Just let me put it on her.”

Beast didn’t say anything; he just spun on his heel, his new friend in his arms, and stormed off.

“Guess he doesn’t want the dress,” Allison said.

“He might not want it, but Beauty needs it,” Aubree said with a mischievous smile settling on her face. “And she will have it.”

She took off into the crowd after Beast and I laughed harder.

“I really like her,” Allison said. “She has spunk.”

“Aubs is good people. Plus, I love how she irritates Miles and Beast. Fucking classic.”

Allison slid her arms around my neck, and looked up at me with those gorgeous eyes. Desire and yearning flashed bright and my fingers dug into her sides. “How much longer until we can leave?”

“Why do you have somewhere to be?” I asked with a laugh.

“I can think of a few places.” She kissed my lips then my neck, moving closer to me and pressing her body tightly against my growing cock. Her hard nipples poked through the thin material of her dress, and I could feel them against my chest.

I swallowed down the rising need to throw her over my shoulder and get the fuck out of here.

“I thought you wanted to come?”

“I did, but I can’t stop thinking about your cock.” She reached down, cupping me through my jeans. That word coming off her sweet lips nearly undid me. The veins in my neck pulsed as she met my eyes and slid her teeth over her lip.

“Let’s get the fuck out of here, then.” I scooped her up off the ground and she yelped at my actions. Instinctively, she held on tighter, drawing herself closer to me.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“I want to say home, but I don’t know if we’ll make it that far.”

The spark of desire that crossed her face had me picking up the speed and ignoring every person who tried to talk to us.

I had enough of playing nice today with the people of the town. Now, I wanted to play dirty and I wanted to do it with my girl.

M
y phone buzzed
on the nightstand and I rolled over, swatting for it. Allison stirred beneath me as I brought the phone to my ear. “What?” I mumbled into the receiver. The last time I looked at the clock, it was two a.m., and I just finished blowing my load deep inside Allison.

“Dude, let me in,” Miles said on the other end, and I shifted to sit up.

“What do you mean let you in?”

“They’re after me.”

“Who is after you?”

“Just let me in, and I’ll explain.”

I heard a slight tap on the door, and I jumped out of bed. “You have got to be fucking kidding me,” I muttered as I pulled my jeans on.

“What’s the matter?” Allison asked.

“My best friend is an idiot. Go back to sleep. I’m just going to be in the living room.” I kissed her head, and hurried out of the room, making sure to close the door behind me.

I ran to the front door and flung it open. Miles pushed past me, soaking wet from the rain. “Took you long enough.”

“What the fuck are you doing here?” I asked.

“They were following me, and I needed somewhere to go. If I went to the clubhouse…”

I ran a hand through my hair, trying to calm the anger that was surging through my veins. “Are you fucking high again?”

“No, I swear.” He held his hands up in front of him. “I haven’t used in a while.”

“Then, who is after you?” I ground out.

“Fucking Montamos.” He shoved his gun into the waistband of his pants and paced back and forth.

The calm that I managed since the minute my phone rang vanished. Anger rushed through me with a goddamned vengeance. My eyes went straight to the closed bedroom door where Allison lay sleeping. “So, you fucking come here? Put Allison in danger? Where’s your fucking head, Miles?”

I shoved past him and went to the door, slamming the deadbolt into place. I gave a quick glance out into the parking lot, and then pulled the curtains tightly shut so not even a speck of light could find its way in.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know where else to go. I lost them up on the highway and I just kept driving. If I went back to the clubhouse, they would know where to find me. I drove by your house but didn’t see your bike. Figured you were here. I just need a place to crash for the night.”

I flexed my fingers in a desperate attempt to keep myself from knocking him out. This was so typical. If there was a shit storm, he was the fucking center and he always dragged me into the fucking mess. It never bothered me before, but it wasn’t just me he was endangering now. Allison needed no part of this fucking mess.

My temper flared, and all I could see was red.

“Is everything okay?” Allison asked, and I spun to see her standing behind us in the hallway, a silk robe tied tightly around her waist.

“Everything’s fine, baby. Just go back to bed.”

“I can make some coffee,” she offered.

“That’s not necessary.” All I wanted was for her to go back behind closed doors, away from the clusterfuck that was my life, and away from Miles and the potential danger he was bringing to her doorstep.

“I’d like some coffee,” Miles said, stepping around me and waving to Allison.

I rammed my hand into his chest and shoved him back, “I don’t care what the fuck you want.”

“Eugene, it’s just coffee,” she said, heading into the kitchen despite my objections.

Miles patted my chest. “Yeah, Eugene, it’s just coffee.”

“Fuck you,” I said, but the bastard smiled and I couldn’t help but smile back. I pushed my fingers into the bridge of my nose. “I think I’m going to need something stronger than fucking coffee.”

Miles went to join Allison in the kitchen, but I grabbed his arm, halting him. “Coffee, and then you’re going to tell me what the fuck is going on. No more bullshit. I want the fucking truth this time.”

His eyes bore into mine, but he knew damn well that shit wasn’t going to intimidate me. Finally, after a heated few seconds, he nodded. “Fine. I’ll tell you everything, but you’re not going to like it.”

I smirked. “Do I ever?”

His eyes dropped from mine and his shoulders slumped. “This time, it’s worse. It makes all those other times look like a trip to fucking Disney World.”

I had no idea what kind of mess Miles got himself into now, but, for the first time, I was scared. Not for Miles or myself but for Allison. She didn’t need to get swept up into whatever shit storm Miles was involved in.

We sat at the counter, drinking the coffee Allison made, except she was sipping on chamomile tea. She tried to get Miles to drink it, but, after one sip, he was spitting and wiping his tongue with a napkin, claiming it tasted like flowers.

An hour later, after another cup of coffee, Allison said good night and headed back to bed. She pressed her lips to mine, and I wanted to follow her back to our bedroom.

Our bedroom.
Where the fuck did that come from?

I took her face in my hands, looked into her sleepy eyes, and kissed her back. Then, I watched her ass sway back and forth as she made her way down the hall.

Miles started to laugh, bringing me back to reality.

“Shut the fuck up,” I muttered.

He held his hands up. “I didn’t even say anything.”

“You don’t have to. I’ve known you long enough to know what you’re thinking.”

“You have no fucking idea what I’m thinking right now.”

“No? You’re not thinking that I’m a pussy whipped idiot who is ruining his life by shacking up with some chick?”

Miles smirked and shook his head. “Normally, that’d be exactly what I’m fucking thinking, but, this time, it’s different.”

“And, why the fuck is that?”

“Because she’s different and you’re different with her. You look…shit, you look fucking happy.”

“I am. I always thought Cash and Kade were fucking morons, but they just figured it out before the rest of us.”

I didn’t do relationships. I always thought they were a waste of fucking time. I watched my Mom go from one fucked up relationship to the next. I watched Nick change wives as often as most guys changed their fucking underwear. It all seemed pointless, but then I met Allison, and I never wanted anyone so bad. And, now every time I looked at her, I couldn’t imagine a life without her. Couldn’t imagine not coming home to her at night and waking up to her in my arms.

But this life. It wasn’t for her. She deserved better. She deserved a goddamned white picket fence and a man who didn’t dodge bullets on a daily basis. Who wasn’t a fucking criminal and who didn’t have people knocking on the door at two in the goddamned morning.

“But enough about me. What the fuck is going on?”

Miles let out a rush of air and grabbed the bottle of whiskey off the counter. He twisted the top off and tilted the bottle to his lips, taking a massive gulp. “I fucked up.”

“What’d you do, Miles?”

“What haven’t I done?” His voice was weighed down by regret. His gaze lost to the distance.

I grabbed two rock glasses and poured the whiskey from the bottle, passing him a glass. “Why don’t you start from the beginning?”

He downed the glass in one gulp, and then quickly poured himself another. He didn’t even put the bottle down before he started chugging the new glass. He stopped halfway through and placed it on the counter.

His gaze went dark as he stared off again.

“Dammit, Miles, fucking talk already.”

He swallowed the rest of his drink then took a deep breath. “I lost control again. It only took shooting up one time to send me back down that spiral I’ve gone down so many fucking times before.” He laughed, but it wasn’t a good laugh. It was more self-deprecating than anything else. “It’s an expensive habit.”

Right then, I knew where he was going with it. My gut was right. Miles was stealing from the company. From the brotherhood. From his family. All to support his fucking habit. “Sienna isn’t losing her mind then. You’ve been stealing from us?”

He nodded.

“Goddamn it, Miles. Sienna is going to blow a gasket.”

He ran a hand down his face before resting both hands on the counter. “That’s not the worst of it. That part’s actually like a fucking walk in the park compared to the rest of it.”

This time, I downed the liquid in my glass and refilled it. What could possibly be worse than stealing from his family? Spending the money on drugs and making us feel guilty for accusing him when shit didn’t add up right. What else could he have done? The muscles in my neck tensed as I braced myself for the truth. Silently sending up a prayer that whatever he had to say wasn’t nearly as bad as he thought it was. Though, it was pointless, because Miles didn’t overreact. He downplayed things if anything. So, if he thought it was bad, it was really fucking bad.

I caught his eyes across the counter and nodded. “Give it to me straight. No bullshit.”

For a long moment, he stared at me. “Oh fuck.” He grabbed the bottle and downed half of the amber liquid. “I was getting the shit from Montamos.”

My jaw ticked at his confession, my fists clenched, and every muscle in my body tightened. He was getting his shit from our enemy. From people who tried to kill us, and would have succeeded, if we weren’t smart enough to outwit them. He wasn’t playing with fire; he was fucking engulfed in it.

“Despite the money I stole, I was still in debt with them. So, to settle my debt, I became their fucking guinea pig. They wanted to know if they were being screwed by their supplier so all their new shit they tested on me.”

Disbelief sucker punched me in the fucking gut as I slumped against the counter. “So, that night you called me to come get your ass… when you were tripping balls… that’s why you were in their territory?”

“It was some good shit that night.” He let out a heavy breath and pulled out his comb, running it through his hair before putting it back into his back pocket. “But yeah. That’s why I was there.”

I snatched the bottle off the counter and chugged. Fuck the cup. We were so far past that at this point. We needed a plan. Something to get him out of this shitfest he created. “You have to come clean to Sienna.”

“I know.”

He plopped down onto a stool, and rested his elbows on the counter. In all the years I had known Miles, through all the shit he had done, I had never seen him so defeated. I don’t think I’d ever seen him even close to looking defeated. He always carried his fuck ups with pride and arrogance. He didn’t give a shit about the consequences or the disappointment from anyone. And, somehow, he always managed to turn shit around and make it right. But I think he knew what I knew.

There was no making this right. He stole from his brothers. He played with the enemy. Sienna was one thing, but our brothers? That was a whole other thing. I wasn’t sure they could forgive treason. Even if it was Miles.

“Today. After work. Me and you are going into Sienna’s office and you’re going to come clean. About everything. Maybe me being there will be like a buffer, and she won’t kill you.”

Miles nodded. “Doubtful, but okay. What about now?”

“I’m going back to bed with my girl, and you’re sleeping on the fucking couch. But I’m telling you right now, if any of those fuckers show up on the doorstep, you get them as far away from here as you possibly can. I’m not putting Allison’s life at risk because you fucked up.”

“Got it.”

I started toward the hallway when Miles called my name.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.”

It might have only been one word, but that one word held a million others.

I wanted to say that he was my brother and he didn’t need to thank me. It was what we did. Instead, I cracked a smile then continued making my way back to my girl.

The room was dark, but, in a couple hours, sun would filter through the curtains and another day would start.

I slipped into the bed, and Allison curled into my side. Her warm body pressed nicely against mine, and I wrapped my hand around her, holding her close.

“Everything okay?” she asked, nuzzling closer to my chest.

No. Everything was not okay. It was a fucking mess, and I wasn’t sure what tomorrow would bring. I didn’t want to lie to her, but I also didn’t want her to worry about anything. So, I stroked her arm and kissed the top of her head. “It will be,” I said, and tried to make myself believe it.

She propped her chin on my chest, and fixed those pretty cobalt eyes on me. “Your tone makes me think otherwise.”

“It’s nothing you need to worry about.”

Her fingers toyed with the small patch of hair on my chest. “I’m worried, because I can tell you are.”

She could see right through me, something not many people even cared to attempt. But she knew me better than the people I had been around most of my life and she cared. That was more than I deserved from someone like her.

“You’re so tense,” she said, pressing her lips to my pec. The simple kiss spread heat through my body, causing my dick to twitch with want. She tossed the blankets off of us, and began to kiss down my skin.

“Al, what are you doing?”

She looked up at me, biting her bottom lip and a damn sexy smile pushing through. “I want to make you feel better. Please let me.” Her tongue swirled down farther, and I gripped the sheets.

“You don’t have to do that.” Allison wasn’t like the whores that I fucked in the past. Who would suck my dick as an attempt to weasel into my life so I would make them my old lady. Allison didn’t need any tricks. She didn’t need to do this.

“I know, but I want to. I want to make you feel better.”

“You make me feel better just by being here.”

Her hands followed her tongue to my thighs, brushing slightly against my balls. “I want to taste you. Don’t make me beg.”

My fingers knotted in her hair, wanting to drag her back up to me, so I could stay in control. But then she glanced at me with want and desperation, and every reason why I didn’t want her to take my dick into her pretty little mouth, vanished. I let my head fall back on the pillow, and guided her head to my throbbing cock.

Her tongue swirled around the head before her lips parted and she took me into her mouth. Warm silky heat surged through my veins with each bob of her head. Desire and need to take back control slowly faded as she cupped my balls.