No Easy Ride: A Biker Erotic Romance (3 page)

***

Rex had left shortly after their conversation. Ellie had shut him out. She had been polite but distant and it pissed him off. He tried again to convince her that he didn’t care what her dad had done but it had fallen on deaf ears.

On the ride back to the club Rex wondered if her sudden freeze-up was less about what her dad had done and more about the fact that Rex was living that same kind of life. Maybe she thought he was like Manny and Xander. He was the Vice President of the Siouxan Brothers, after all.

The sad thing was; he might not be able to fight that logic. He wasn’t an angel. Since turning eighteen he did some things for the good of the club that someone like Ellie wouldn’t approve of. Nothing as illegal like the kind of crap that Xander and Manny got into, but the line was very fine. Fine enough that she might not see it at all.

Originally he planned on going to Manny with the information that Ellie had given him. There was no way to tell him what he knew without revealing who gave it to him and he couldn’t do that to her. He wasn’t as loyal to Manny as a VP should be and it might cost him his position if Manny ever found out.

He wasn’t sure if he even really cared. When Manny was locked up, Rex had been able to keep a handle on some of the guys that refused to give up their old ways. He managed to cut down the amount of dealing that went on inside the clubs, gave them the option of cutting out or getting a job in one of their more legitimate businesses. Most of them took the offer of a real job. He was proud of that. Manny wasn’t as impressed.

Dealing in drugs and guns brought in more cash than any of their other businesses. Even though Manny hadn’t made any overt moves towards getting back to the way things had been before, Rex knew it wouldn’t be long.

Then there was his obsession with finding out what Xander was keeping stored in those containers on former Siouxan properties. Rex had no doubt that Xander was into something big but he didn’t think they should get involved. Period. Even if that meant not getting revenge on Xander for putting Manny in jail.

He pulled up in front of the club and parked his bike. The stairs on the side of the building led up to his apartment. When he came around the corner, Manny was standing on the bottom step.

“I was just looking for you.”

“You found me.” Rex waited for his dad to move out of the way. If he wanted to talk they could do it inside where no one could happen to overhear their conversation. “Come on up.”

Rex got the door unlocked and went straight to the fridge for a beer. He offered one to his dad, watching him as he looked around his place. It wasn’t much and since he was rarely home he hadn’t put any time or effort into it.

“You’ve been gone since early this morning. She must be a hot piece for you to go back.” Manny took a long drink, watching his son’s reactions closely.

“What makes you think it was a woman that had me out this morning?” Rex leaned back against the wall, keeping his poker face tight. His dad was on a fishing mission and he wasn’t going to take the bait.

Manny laughed. “I know that look you’ve got. Someone’s got you all tied up in knots. Plus, there’s a nice little bite mark on your neck that wasn’t there last night.”

Rex barely managed to keep from reaching up to touch the spot. “I'm guessing you didn’t come looking for me to talk about the birds and bees.”

Manny pulled out a chair out from under the kitchen table and sat, crossing his legs out in front of him, studying the man his son had become. Rex wasn’t the angry kid Manny left behind ten years ago. He wished Rex had told him about Ellie. He failed the test and he couldn’t trust him. Until he knew more about what was going on with Rex and Ellie, he couldn’t trust that Ellie wasn’t using Rex to get information. She was Xander’s kid and blood runs thicker than anything else in the world.

He was hitting Xander’s storage units at midnight. If he couldn’t trust his son to have his back then he was going to have to find a way to keep him out of the way until the deed was done. “I need someone I trust to go pick up some cash in San Francisco.”

Rex tried not to let his suspicions show. He was no dummy. Manny hadn’t made it a point to come up to his apartment since he'd been back, now he was seeking him out to run an errand? “Depends. Is it legit?”

“Yeah, just an old debt that I need to collect. He’ll be expecting you.” Manny stood and drained his beer, tossing the bottle in the trash. “He’s got the cash ready. All you gotta do is get it back here.” He put a hand on the doorknob. “I got things to take care of. Come down when you get ready to go and I’ll get you the address.”

Dismissed. That’s how it felt. The Boss gave his order and that was all that needed saying. The old man was up to something and that something had to do with taking down Xander and the Karthadossians. Rex was sure of it. He was also sure that whatever he was planning, he didn’t trust Rex with the information.

***

After Rex left, Ellie showered and got dressed. She tried to get back to her book but the drive to finish the chapter she started was gone. Their last conversation kept replaying in her mind over and over. She needed a break from
constantly analyzing every word they both said.

The sun was still shining outside her windows, the breeze ruffling the leaves on the trees. It was perfect weather for an early evening ride. She locked everything up tight and gathered her stuff, tucking a new notebook and pen into her bag.

It had been a couple of months since she took the time to ride solo. She wasn’t going to count—or think about—the ride she took with Rex the other night.

She peeled out of her garage, smiling at the neighbor’s shocked expression as she blew past his house. Staying off the highways, she hit the back roads and county highways. Without thinking, she headed towards their old neighborhood.

Her old house was one of the couple left standing. It had been empty for close to six years and was overgrown with weeds and vines. The city would tear it down—like they had the others—soon. Her old swing was still there, waiting on her.

She parked the bike and tossed her bag on the ground under the tree. The ropes were probably too rotted to hold her weight but she was going to give it a shot. The wooden seat creaked and moaned, but held. She pushed off, gently at first, then harder when the ropes seemed determined to hold.

As a kid, swinging had been a way to let go of the stresses of school and the kids who constantly teased her over her weight. She couldn’t count the number of times she cried herself into near exhaustion while swinging, imagining worlds where she fit in and had friends to lean on. It had been a lonely childhood.

Rex had pushed her on this swing often when they were young. He was always careful to not push too hard so she didn’t go too high. Once he got her going, he'd sit down and lean against the trunk, watching her. He never asked to swing himself, or take her offer to try it. He just sat and watched.

She came in order to find a way to stop thinking about him and here she was, swinging on her old swing with Rex on her mind. It seemed there would be no way to get around dealing with what had happened earlier.

Kicking off a little harder, she rested her head against the rope and let her mind wander. All these years she had a thing for Rex and now that she got a taste of him, she wanted more. She wanted it all. She wanted nights sleeping in his arms. Days where they did nothing but laugh. She wanted to be a part of his world and have him be a part of hers.

It seemed impossible. They might be attracted to each other, might like losing themselves in each other’s bodies but how long would that last? How long before the troubles her dad had caused came between them?

As much as she loved to explore what was happening between them, she was too afraid of being hurt in the end. It was that simple. She could imagine the disaster a relationship with Rex could bring. Were a few weeks or months of bliss worth the eventual heartbreak?

***

Rex put off going down to the club until the very last minute. He considered, more than once, getting on his bike and riding back to Ellie’s and hashing things out with her. It was on his mind so much that he picked up his cell and pulled her number up on the screen three times already, only to turn it off before committing to the call.

What the hell was wrong with him? She shut him out so why couldn’t he let it go?

Well, he was going to have to try, at least, for tonight. Maybe a nice long ride would clear his head and help him figure out what it was, exactly, that he wanted from Ellie.

He grabbed his travel bag and headed downstairs to get the directions from his dad.

***

It was close to full dark before Ellie was ready to leave the old house. She'd been swinging for so long that her bottom was asleep but it had soothed her more than she expected. She knew what she had to do now.

Gathering up her things, she got back on her bike and headed for her dad’s club. He might not want her in there but since that’s where he was, that’s where she would have to go to find him. She needed to talk to him about his involvement with Manny’s arrest. He never admitted it, but she'd know if he was telling her the truth or not. She had to know.

She came up the back way, avoiding the front and the groups of people that would alert him to her presence. She needed him off guard if she was going to get any real answers.

Sneaking in the back door was nothing new for Ellie. She did it a thousand times as a teenager, desperate to be a part of her dad’s world. He never caught her sneaking in, only trying to sneak out. It had caused more fights and tension than it warranted.

The door to his office was open. It was perfect. She'd walk in and hit him with the questions she wanted answered before he had a chance to prepare an answer. When she got close, she realized that he wasn’t alone. Two voices came from inside.

She pressed herself against the wall outside of the office, checking to make sure she couldn’t be seen. It didn’t take long to realize that she shouldn’t have come. Everything she'd ever suspected about her Father--and worse--was confirmed in minutes.

She had to get out. Had to warn Rex so he could stop his dad. As quietly as she came in, she went out, forgetting how her dad had always caught her as she was sneaking out.

Pulling up Rex’s phone number, she hit send and waited for him to answer.

***

Rex had been on the road a little over an hour when he pulled off to get gas. He got out his phone, thinking about calling Ellie yet again. The voicemail icon was on the screen and he had a missed call from her. He smiled wondering if she thought about calling him as many times as he thought about calling her.

He dialed in and waited for the recording to start. She was whispering and his blood went cold. ‘
Rex, you have to stop your dad. He knows, Rex. He’s going to ki—No. NO! Don’t touch me! Stop!’

Enjoyed
No Easy Ride?
Be sure to check out Emily Stone's other works!

Touch/Click on the covers below

The last time Cecilia Boyd saw Ray Owens was ten years ago when he took her for a breathless ride. But then he left to ride with a club in Nevada and she thought she'd lost him forever.
When he suddenly walks back into her life one day--no longer the grinning boy she knew but the president of the Knights Reapers MC--Cecilia isn't sure what to make of it all. 
Seeing Ray again is blast from the past and for just a moment Cecilia dares to imagine the two of them together again, where Ray is back for good. 
Can she find it in herself to forgive him for leaving ten years ago and rekindle the spark of passion after all this time? Or has time smothered their love forever?

*****

Twenty-three year old Samantha Johnson is working at her local college bar when members of the Camden Knights—an outlaw motorcycle club—shows up. 
Paxton Keller, president elect of the Camden Knights, is growing disillusioned with the way the clubhouse is being run and is looking for a new way to reform his organization's name. 
When Paxton catches the eye of the curvy bartender, he’s surprised by the fact that she's not scared of his gang. A quick conversation and he finds himself intrigued by the sassy woman. An unassuming kiss, a few shots of whiskey, and the two find themselves tangled up in a night of passion. 
But what Paxton doesn't know is that Samantha grew up around bikers her entire life and when morning comes, he realizes that the tiny spark between them may set off a conflagration that could engulf both their lives.

*****

Sammie Johnson is in a world of trouble after she jumped in bed with Pax Keller--president elect of the Camden Knights motorcycle club and enemy number one of her father. 
Likewise, Pax finds his status as president-elect of the Knights in jeopardy after Sammie's background is revealed. 
When Sammie discovers a hidden plot that could potentially pit all the major clubs against each other, she races to warn Pax about it before the trap can be sprung. But will it be enough to keep the fragile peace among the different clubs? And more importantly, will the rest of the Knights believe her?

*****

When Sammie Johnson first stumbled into the arms of Pax Keller, president elect of the Camden Knights MC and the biggest rival of her father, she never expected it to be anything but a fling. She never thought she'd fall heads over heels for him, and she especially never thought she'd ever find herself involved with him and his motorcycle club. 
And yet, here she is. 
But when an unannounced group of visitors arrives at the Knights clubhouse with their demands, Pax and Sammie will find their world turned upside down. With enemies closing in all around them, will Pax and Sammie have what it takes to keep themselves together?

*****

Sammie Johnson and Pax Keller find themselves embroiled in events that are spiraling out of control by the second. The revelation of a planned attack on the Camden Knights has every motorcycle club in the area on alert and ready to go to war at a moment's notice. 
Pax's position with the Camden Knights and his life are both in trouble. With enemies closing in from every direction, Sammie takes Pax to the one place where she knows he won't be harmed, a place that has been close to her heart ever since she was a little girl. A place where they can wait out the storm until cool heads can prevail. 
But as the situation worsens and the threat of spilled blood becomes increasingly high, Sammie and Pax find themselves turning to an unlikely source for help. But are they too late?

*****

Vanessa is tired. She’s tired of all bullshit in her life, she’s tired of running away, and she’s tired of constantly looking over her shoulder wondering when her psycho ex-boyfriend is going to appear in her rearview mirror.
 
Brody is a biker making his annual trip back to Flat Springs, Arkansas when he notices a broken down car by the side of the road. Stopping to lend a helpful hand, he finds the tired and fearful Vanessa whom he takes an interest in. 
But when a wayward kiss in the heat of the moment leads to an unexpected night of passion, both Vanessa and Brody are about to discover that though they come from two different worlds, they may not be so different. 

*****

Miriam Harper couldn't have picked a worse time to be pulled over. Laden with enough incriminating evidence to put both herself and her motorcycle club--the Speeding Seraphim--away for a long time, she's willing to do anything to stay out of prison.
ATF Officer Brad McMahon has been heading the operation against the various biker outlaw gangs in North Nevada for almost a year now without making any progress in stopping the violence and flow of illegal arms. When a routine speeding ticket turns into something more, he knows that he might be looking at making a serious blow to the gangs in the area.
The trouble is, Miriam Harper is an old friend of his, one whom he once had feelings for but have long since lost touch with. He knows what kind of life waits for her behind bars yet he is torn between what his heart wants and what his duty demands. And as Miriam gives him a tantalizing offer, Brad may discover that even the most honest officer can be corrupted.

*****

The town of Pecan, Texas is known for three things: sweet tea, hot summers, and the Blue Mustangs motorcycle club. 
Sandy is the only daughter of Atticus Rivers, president of the Blue Mustangs. Twenty-two years old and having grown up around her father's rough crowd, she could shoot straighter, drink harder, and ride better than almost any of the men she knew. 
Any man... except for Christian Belz. 
Sandy knows that Christian is trouble. He's the up and coming vice president of the Mustangs and unlike the rest of the club, isn't afraid of letting his opinions be known to Atticus. Unsurprisingly, Atticus has taken a strong dislike to Christian and forbids Sandy from being involved with him in any way. 
But Christian's wildness is drawing Sandy in until she find herself flustered around him. When he offers to take her on a ride one summer night, Sandy isn't about to say no, even if it means risking her father's anger and compromising Christian's future with the Mustangs.