Lucifer’s Fury (A Motorcycle Club Romance) (6 page)

The feel of his hand on my cheek, wiping away the tears I hadn’t realized had begun to fall, sent sparks of electricity straight through my body. My vision blurred with fresh hot tears and my breathing became heavy.

“Okay,” I said. “I... I think I can do that.” Avoiding the stares of everyone else in the room, I raised my hand, forgetting all about the gun clutched within it, pointing at Suicide. “Shit. Sorry.”

Lowering the gun, I slipped it back in the holster. “You keep my girls entertained. They tend to get rowdy when they’re bored. And that’s never a good thing.”

“Maybe you should introduce us, Lola.” Jasper said, grinning over at Suicide.

“Shit. You’re right.” I pointed at the petite red head. “This is Cherry Pie, my Veep, and this angel of mass destruction is Siren, my Warlord.

“Nice to meet you, ladies. I’m Jasper, or Blaze, the President of Lucifer’s Fury, and this beast of a man is Suicide, my Warlord. Suicide will introduce you to everyone while I have a long overdue chat with Pandora here. Excuse us.”

Chapter 7: Blaze

When Lola Easton walked into the clubhouse tonight, I damn near fell out of my seat. I’d been staring at that old damn picture of her for months, and I guess I had half-expected to see that sweet-looking girl from years ago walk through the door.

The last time I saw her, she was wearing a sweet-as-sin sun dress, and I had never expected a six-foot-tall raven-haired beauty with tattoos decked out in full-on leather. Those damned high-heeled boots were smoking hot. And that gun strapped to her fucking thigh. Good Lord Almighty! Sexy as fucking sin!

My cock had been straining against my jeans, and it barely faltered when she had pressed the barrel of her Glock to my forehead. Jesus Christ. I was one screwed-up man, lust coursing through my veins.

“So how long have you known where I was?” she asked, her voice silky sweet.

“About six months, give or take. Suicide wouldn’t give me an exact location and only told me if you were all right or not. He was afraid that I’d show up unannounced and piss you off.” I chuckled. “Guess he was right. You probably would have shot me on the spot.”

Pandora laughed and the sound alone was music to my ears. “Yeah, I probably would have. So I guess you know about my run in with the Twisted Bastards. It’s really no surprise after what they’ve done to...” She shook her head. “Jesus, I fucked up something awful, Jasper.”

I shut the door to my office, flicked the lock to ensure we had privacy, and headed for my liquor cabinet. I poured a couple of glasses of bourbon and handed one to her. With a shaky hand, she took the glass, taking a hearty gulp. She looked like she could use it. Hell, the shock of seeing her again had rattled me more than I thought it would. Easing into the seat beside her on the couch, I caught sight of the tears in her eyes and pulled her against me.

“I saw the news. Most of the MC saw it.”

She nodded, her shoulders slumping forward as she looked down at the floor. Pain – so much pain – in her eyes. I wanted so much to make it all go away.

“Yeah,” she said. “Trixie and Juju were snatched up at a local bar and those asshats did a number on them both. Poor Juju was the one they... burned. Trixie was cut up and beaten so bad, and then she had to watch her girlfriend get burned alive. It’s all my fault. I should have stayed in the fucking shadows like we usually do. Should have pulled my fucking mask down but I acted impulsively. I killed their President and one of their guys got away. Slimy little shit slipped away like a snake. It all went downhill from there.”

Nodding, I listened to her recount every detail, from the shootout at the shipping yard to the scene at the clubhouse. All the while, I kept her body pressed against mine, inhaling her scent.

“How can I help?” I asked softly.

“I don’t know. The girls are on edge and want to make the assholes pay for what they did. I’m all for it, too, because I’m sure they aren’t finished making us pay for screwing with their business.”

“You’re right. For starters, we could get our crews together to discuss options. How does that sound?”

Pandora shifted against me, settling closer as she glanced up at me. She was even more beautiful than she was a decade ago.

“Would you really have done things differently?” she asked, her voice so soft, but I caught that hint of unease.

“Yeah, I would. I’ve missed you, Lola. More than you could ever know. When I found out you left, it broke me, sweetheart. It didn’t matter where I looked, you were everywhere. It killed me knowing you had to be thinking that I didn’t want you. I wanted you then and I still want you. I always will.”

She gasped, pulling away as if she just realized our bodies were touching. “I’m not sure I’m ready for that, Jasper. So much time has passed. I don’t even know you anymore. We’re different now, you and me.”

“I’m the same guy, sweetheart. I promise you that. And you’re the same spirited woman you were then. You finally have your cut too. It looks good on you. I just want a chance to get to know you again. But I’m just glad I finally got the chance to say this much to you.”

Lola smiled and laced her fingers with mine. I don’t think she even realized she did it but I’d take what I could get. Trust would come in time. “Blaze, huh? Guess that probably has something to do with you putting flames on all of your bikes.”

I gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “You know it. See? You know me.”

“I guess I still do. A little anyway. I should have guessed you were still here.”

“I couldn’t leave. I figured if you ever came back I had to be here. I couldn’t miss the chance to tell you the truth.”

We talked for over an hour, sipping bourbon and chatting away about her time in the Marines and starting the Gypsy Riders. I told her about her father’s plans and his death at the hands of a rival club. She asked if I had ever gotten married. I told her I hadn’t. She hadn’t either, which made me damn happy. As our conversation wore on, no matter how much we – well,
she
– tried to avoid the topic of our history, it just couldn’t be avoided.

“I missed you a lot, Jasper. I sat on those courthouse steps and cried for hours when you didn’t show up. No matter how bad the hurt was that day, and ever since, I still loved you just as much.”

“I never stopped loving you either, Lola.”

Throwing caution to the wind, I brushed my fingers along her cheek and down along the silky soft skin of her jaw, tilted her head up, and pressed my lips to hers. She whimpered softly and opened up to me, her hands wrapping around my neck as I deepened the kiss. I pulled her onto my lap, her gorgeous long legs straddling my hips. She ground against me, driving me wild with need. Not that it took much.

Lola pulled away, breaking the kiss, looking into my eyes as I rubbed my hands up and down her sides. She felt so damn good.

“I missed you so fucking much. Why don’t you and the girls crash here tonight? You can have your girls ride out here in the morning and we’ll all discuss our options. What do you think?”

“Okay,” she said, pointing a stiff finger into my chest. “But no sex. I mean it, Jasper. It’s too soon for that. And don’t pout, either. It won’t change my mind.”

“Whatever you say, doll,” I chuckled, holding my hands up. “You lead and I’ll follow. I swear.”

A soft knock on the door had us both scrambling apart.

“Yeah!” I shouted. Then remembered I locked the door. I hustled across the room opened the door and returned to the couch with Lola.

The short little gal with flaming red hair walked in the office. Her eyes wild. A smile lighting up her face. “You guys decent in here? If not I can wait…or I can watch. I love to watch.” She giggled. “Either way, I’m one happy girl.”

“Cherry Pie, we’re not doing a damn thing but talking. What’s up?” Lola asked.

Stepping into the room, Cherry Pie’s eyes wandered over Lola and then me then back to Lola. “Yeah, sure. You weren’t doing anything. Honey, your lips tell a different story, and that nice flush of your skin is something I have never seen on you. Looks good. Sexy. Anyway... I’m thinking we should hang here tonight and chat in the morning. I have my eye on one of the boys, and Siren is warming the Warlord’s lap, if you can believe it. She loves the big boys with a death glare. That’s a crazy match if ever I saw one. Two warlords getting hot and heavy. Yeah.  Big fucker like that and short little thing like her… it has circus act written all over it. I’m just waiting for him to toss her ass over his shoulder like a caveman.”

Lola glanced over at me, arching a brow.

“Yeah,” I said. “Have at it, but be easy on my guys. I don’t think they’ve had women quite like your bunch before.”

Cherry giggled and waved her hand in the air. “You should worry about that one since you’ll have to fight to get through the cobwebs blocking your path. Might as well call her a virgin badass biker bitch. Later, guys. See you in the morning.”

The door snapped closed and Lola planted her face in her hands. I could see the crimson of her cheeks and what Cherry Pie said finally hit home.

“Lola? You all right, doll?” I could tell that Cherry Pie embarrassed the hell out of her.

“Um... no. I can’t believe she said that shit,” she mumbled from behind her hands. “Vicious little...”

“Are you... a virgin? I mean
we
never. But it’s been ten years. Surely you’ve...” I felt heat bloom on my own damn cheeks. Jesus.

Lola tilted her head to the side, looking away from me and I knew the answer. She didn’t have to tell me a damn thing. When she finally stood up, I got a little worried she was about to bolt again. I eased forward, ready to chase her ass down. I wasn’t planning on letting her get away from me again. Not this time. Hell no.

She headed for the bottle of bourbon on the edge of my desk, taking a long gulp straight from the bottle before looking at me. Her cheeks were stained red, her gorgeous lips swollen from my kisses. So damn beautiful. I’d never seen a more gorgeous woman in all my life.

Looking everywhere but at me, she turned the bottle up and gulped down more bourbon. Wiping her mouth, she shot me a heated look. “I planned on saving myself for my wedding night. Never got married so... I thought… Never mind. It doesn’t matter.”

“It does matter,” I said. “It matters a damn lot. I’m so damn sorry for leaving you at the courthouse. I’m sorry I let your father screw with what we wanted. I’m sorry I wasn’t a stronger man for you, Lola. But there hasn’t been a day I haven’t loved you fiercely with every fiber of my being. With or without you by my side, I’ll always love you, doll.”

“I still love you too, Jasper. But...”

“No buts this time, sweetheart. We’ll go slow. First, we need to handle your little problem. Then we’ll see where things go.” I shook my head in disbelief. I still couldn’t believe she was right here in front of me. It almost felt too good to be true.

“What?” she asked.

“I just can’t believe your here. Should we join the others?”

“Not yet. Can we just stay right here for a bit longer?”

“Anything you want doll.” I promised. She sat down beside me and I tucked her against me.

Chapter 8: Pandora

Jasper’s crew was beyond welcoming, and my girls were having a damn good time. A clubhouse full of sexy bikers donning leather cuts was all they needed to feel right at home. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel the same way. When Jasper and I finally slipped back into the party, all eyes drifted our way.

I shrugged it off and scanned the room for my girls, finding Siren straddling a very happy Suicide. She looked like a kid sitting in his lap like that, so small and fragile, even though I knew how dangerous she was. But Suicide was a big, brooding man in comparison. And that smile on his face – good god – it was almost creepy.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile. It’s unsettling.” Jasper laughed so hard his chest rumbled as he pulled me against him. It almost felt like he was staking his claim, and maybe he was. A small part of me was shockingly all right with that.

After spending time alone talking and catching up with each other, everything seemed to be falling into place comfortably. The old wounds weren’t gone but they hurt a lot less. Maybe I had needed to see him. Hell! I know I needed to see him. To touch him again.

“Yes, it really, really is. He’s kind of scary,” I said with a soft laugh and a shake of my head. “But she’s a wild one. She just might break your big mean-ass Warlord,” I warned in a teasing voice.

“God, I hope not.” He chuckled, locking his muscular arm around my waist, keeping me pressed against him. “Let’s introduce you to the guys. I think there are a few you might remember.”

So many new names and faces, and every one of them was welcoming, except for a couple. I had expected a few to have issues with me and my girls. It’s typical in clubs like this. Not in mine, though. We didn’t have any sweet butts or sweet cocks to deal with. So that in itself made our little group drama-free.

The only man giving me a truly pissed off look was the one I took to the floor when I had arrived tonight. Taking him down like that in front of his brothers was stupid of me. I knew the right thing to do was to apologize. It needed to be done if our clubs were going to work together. I needed to know there were no hard feelings. If I couldn’t trust him then that was going to be a problem, and I just could not risk that.

“I’ll be right back. There’s something I need to take care of.”

I excused myself from the table, leaving Jasper with Suicide, Siren, and a few other guys. Cherry Pie had long since slipped down the hallway to the private rooms. I didn’t see who with and it wasn’t my business. She could handle herself.

The pissed-off man with the death-glare cursed as I stepped up beside him at the bar. He turned his head to the side, his cold, hard stare told me he was still sore about being put down by a woman. Letting out a long sigh, I took the seat beside him. Fluffing up a man’s ego could take a bit of time so I settled in for the long haul.

“Look, I’m really sorry about earlier. You were right. I shouldn’t have worn my colors inside the clubhouse. It was disrespectful to every member of Lucifer’s Fury. Clean slate?” I asked sweetly, holding out my hand, hoping like hell he would shake it and let it all go.