Retribution (The Lone Riders MC Series Book 2) (20 page)

‘And they… they let you in here?’

‘There’s a complicated history, Mia, but there’s also…’

She held up a hand to stop him from talking. ‘I don’t know if I want to hear any more, Ben.’ She leaned back against the wall, thankful the clubhouse was quiet. Everyone was outside, enjoying a barbecue and beer and the warm night air. ‘I still don’t understand how you go from being a member of one of the most notorious MCs in the country, to being the lawyer of a rival club.’

‘The Lone Riders were never a rival to the Dark Angels, Mia.’

‘You said they had run-ins with us.’

‘They had run-ins with everyone.’ He sighed quietly, briefly looking over towards the clubhouse door, making sure nobody else was about. ‘Look, Mia, everything about that time was complicated, and maybe, one day, I’ll explain it all to you, but in reality, none of it matters.’

‘You reckon?’

He faced her again, reaching out to gently touch her cheek, his thumb lightly stroking her skin. ‘It doesn’t matter. It really doesn’t.’

‘I just… I know you can’t just walk away from a club like that, Ben. You can’t. Not without there being repercussions, so I don’t get how…’

‘One day, Mia. I promise.’

‘Sheriff Bailey knows too, doesn’t he? It make sense now, all those huddled conversations I’ve seen you two have.’

Ben bowed his head again, his hand still cupping her cheek. ‘He’s been a good friend to me. But he doesn’t always agree with the way I’ve handled things. Without him, though…’

‘This is too much, Ben. I need time to think…’ She took his hand, pulling it away from her face. ‘I need some air.’

‘Mia?’

She stopped walking, turning around to face him.

‘What you said before… Did you mean it?’

Of course she’d meant it. Even after everything he’d just told her, she still meant it. ‘I just need some time,’ she whispered.

‘And I need
you
, Mia. For the first time in my life I need someone.’

‘Too much is going on right now, Ben. My head, it’s full of…’

‘Please.’ He held out his hand and she looked at it, not really knowing what to do. She had feelings for this man, she really did, but out there was her crazy ex-husband just waiting to… to what, exactly? She didn’t know. He hadn’t explained what he really wanted, and even though this lockdown was supposed to make her feel safe, she couldn’t totally relax. But this man here, he’d once made her feel safe. He’d made her feel comfortable and safe and cared for. But he was right – they didn’t really know each other at all.

‘I… Ben, I can’t…’

He kept his arm outstretched, his hand open, just waiting for her to take it, his eyes almost pleading with her to stay with him. ‘I think I’m falling in love with you too, Mia.’

She bit down on her lip, trying desperately to stop hot, confused tears from falling. She’d never felt so weak, so exposed; so ready to just give in and do something she wasn’t sure was right, but she needed it. She needed him. Whoever he was. Whoever he’d once been.

Reaching out she took his hand, letting him pull her against him, closing her eyes as his mouth touched hers, his fingers winding in her hair as he kissed her slow and deep.

‘We should talk…’ she whispered, but it was a pitiful attempt to stop the inevitable. And she hated herself for the weakness she was displaying here, but just feeling him this close to her was giving her that warped, surreal safety she craved. ‘I’m scared, Ben. Scared of everything that’s happening, of what you’ve just told me…’

He looked into her eyes, slowly shaking his head. ‘There’s nothing to be scared of, baby, I promise you. My past, it’s gone, okay? It happened, and I’m not proud of some of the things I did…’ He closed his eyes, resting his forehead against hers, his thumb still stroking her cheek. ‘But it’s over now. I changed my life, I moved on.’

‘Did you?’ she whispered. ‘Because I saw a change in you when you started hanging around here. When you started riding again. And now that all makes sense. I just don’t understand… If you really wanted to leave all that behind, why stay so close to where it all happened?’

‘It’s complicated, Mia.’

‘You keep saying that, but it doesn’t really help me…’

‘I don’t want to lose you, baby. That’s why I had to tell you. Why I had to come clean. Things were starting to…’ He took a deep breath, letting go of her and sitting down on the couch, raking both hands through his hair. ‘When this is over, all I want is for us to try and build some kind of life together. Me and you. And I have no idea what kind of life it’ll turn out to be, I just know that, whatever it is, I want to be living it with you. That’s the only thing I’m sure of right now.’

She walked over to him, straddling him, taking his face in her hands and kissing him slowly. ‘You have really messed with my head, lawyer man. Biker boy. Whatever you are. But your past… that scares me, Ben, and I’m not gonna lie. Like I said, those kind of clubs, you can’t just walk away from them…’

‘Can you trust me? Please? If you love me, can you just try and trust me?’

She stared into his eyes, searching his face for something, some sign that he was being genuine, because she didn’t really know what to believe any more. ‘Okay.’ The word fell from her lips before she’d had a chance to think about it; to think about how comfortable she really was with all of this.

‘Thank you.’ He smiled, sliding his hands up under her skirt, tugging gently at her panties. ‘Because I really do need you, Mia.’

She slid her hands around his neck, playing with his hair, stroking his skin, raising herself up slightly as he slid her panties down over her thighs. ‘We shouldn’t be doing this…’ But his mouth falling on to hers shut her up, and she had no choice but to give in to him, her weakness taking over. She was too tired, too confused to stop it.

Quickly changing position, so she could rid herself of her panties, she straddled him again, moaning quietly as his hand slid back up her skirt, his fingers sinking into a wetness that surprised even her. Given the events of the past few days, sex had been the last thing on her mind, yet now it was all she could think about. It was like someone had just turned a page and all of a sudden the story had changed completely. The characters had moved on, and the only thing she wanted now was to feel him inside her. Deep, deep inside her.

‘Jesus, Ben!’ she gasped, flinching slightly as he roughly pushed three fingers into her. But she responded by leaning back slightly, holding on to his legs for support as she thrust her groin at him. ‘Oh,
God
, that feels
so good
!’

She didn’t care that they were in the middle of the clubhouse. Didn’t care that anyone who walked in could see what was going on. It was empty right now, everyone was still outside, but someone could come in at any time. And that was such a turn-on.

He’d loosened her shirt now, freed her breasts from the cotton material that had covered them, and Mia felt a freedom wash over her that was both terrifying and exciting. Scary, seedy, and incredibly sexy. Oh, Jesus, did she feel sexy right now! With his fingers both inside her, and touching her breasts until her rock hard nipples could take no more, she felt nothing but an uneasy peace take over. A momentary opportunity to forget all the crap and the lies and the secrets and just enjoy the here and now.

His dick was pushing against her through the denim of his jeans, straining to be set free, and it was she who gave it the escape it was craving, unzipping him slowly and reaching down to pull it out, moaning quietly as she touched his throbbing hardness – wide and rough and ready to take her. It pulsated in her hand, impatient to find its destination, and she wanted it there so bad she couldn’t stop the cry of frustration from spilling out of her. A cry he responded to, pulling his fingers out of her, and pushing her back down on to him.

He slid effortlessly inside her, and she took him deep, riding him hard, gripping him tight, her tiny moans of pleasure tipping him over the edge until holding out was no longer an option. His fingers dug into her thighs as he came so fast he almost couldn’t breathe; it was as if every pent-up emotion, every dark secret still locked within him was being set free. But they weren’t, not all of them. What he was giving her here was a time-out. Some breathing space. What came next he had yet to work out, but everything he’d told her so far, that was true. In the main. The things he still kept from her, they could wait. Right now they weren’t important. And until they became so, she knew as much as she needed to.

***

Kip took one last draw on his cigarette before throwing it outside, turning back to look at Mia and Ben, watching as they fucked the hell out of each other right there in the clubhouse. Nobody else was around, of course, but he suspected they wouldn’t care if they had an audience.

He’d heard voices, stuck his head inside to see who was still in there, and when he saw it was Mia he couldn’t bring himself to turn away. Even when they started fucking – she was his sister, and it was wrong, to be watching her do that – he couldn’t turn away.

Charlie had told him to forget everything he felt for her, but he was finding that hard to do. He’d had only hours to get used to the fact they were related, nowhere near long enough to be able to just push those feelings aside as though they’d never been there in the first place. It was sick, it was wrong, to even think that way about his own sister, but he’d been allowed the chance to think of her as someone else for far too long. And now he was paying for that; being punished for his own father’s secrets.

As she clung on to Ben, her head thrown back, his hands on her thighs, his eyes looking down at something Kip would now never get to see, he felt his stomach turn, so violently he had no choice but to double over and throw up.

Ben Salter had a past they only vaguely knew about. But Kip had heard rumors. He’d been doing some digging of his own while he’d been out helping look for Lennie. And he’d heard things – enough to know that Mia could be in as much danger with Ben as she had been with Lennie. And when the time was right – when all this crap was over and things had started to settle down – he was going to deal with that problem. Whatever it took.

Twenty-Five

‘You off out?’ Lexi smiled at Shane as he passed her on his way out of the clubhouse.

He stopped and returned her smile, a broad grin taking over his quirkily handsome face. ‘I guess that lockdown gave us all a touch of cabin fever, huh? And as much as I respect that man of yours, darlin’, it’s kinda nice to be able to get back to normal; come and go without permission.’

‘At least you lot got the chance to get out of here every now and again,’ she said, collecting a handful of used mugs from one of the tables. ‘Even if it was only to look for that monster.’

‘Yeah, well, he ain’t gonna be a problem no more, is he?’

‘No,’ Lexi sighed. ‘He isn’t. Thanks to Bear.’

Shane’s eyes followed her as she carried the pile of dirty crockery into the kitchen, watching every move her hips made, his memory filling with those times when he’d lain between those incredible legs, fucking her hard and holding her tight. When he’d been the only person she’d trusted. The one man she’d turned to. When she’d taken a time in his life that had been confused and complicated and so messed-up; she’d made that time the best time of his life. Until Coby had walked back into her world. And fucked-up his. ‘Yeah. He’s a real hero, that man.’

‘You okay?’

Her voice jolted him back to reality and he looked at her, throwing her another smile. ‘Yeah, darlin’, I’m just fine.’

‘You looked miles away for a second there.’

‘Just letting my mind wander to that party we got going on tonight. Be good for everyone to cut loose for a few hours, don’t you think?’

Lexi leaned back against the counter, folding her arms. ‘Yeah. Guess we all need a chance to let our hair down, after everything that’s happened.’

‘Maybe we should all use tonight to mark a new start, huh? Some people round here sure could do with one of those.’

‘A new start? Or a party?’ Lexi asked, smiling slightly.

Shane’s face broke into a slow grin, his eyes never leaving hers. ‘Both, darlin’.’

She laughed, and he felt his insides twist at the thought of Coby’s hands touching her, all the things he’d done to her; things Shane had done himself, once-upon-a-time. And even though that had been a long time ago, he could still remember the feel of her skin, soft and smooth beneath his fingers, how warm she’d felt when he’d slid them inside her; how wet she’d been. Something that had started out as pretend had thrown them together at a time when they’d had no one else to turn to. A time Shane couldn’t forget. A time he wanted back, without the distractions that had ruined it all before. Without Coby getting in the way.

She threw him another smile before she turned away from him, busying herself stacking the dishwasher.

‘Time to celebrate new beginnings, Lexi.’

She turned back to face him. ‘Yeah. New beginnings.’

He held her gaze for a few seconds more before he finally broke the stare. ‘Well, I’d better get going. Got a few things to do before I can even start thinking about enjoying myself.’

‘Shane?’ Lexi’s voice calling him back stopped him in his tracks. ‘Coby says you’ve organized some fireworks for tonight, is that right?’

He turned back around. ‘Yeah, that’s right. Thought it might be nice for the kids, you know? And there ain’t nothing like a good old firework display to make people smile.’

‘It’s really thoughtful of you, Shane. To go to this much trouble.’

He tipped his cap as he threw her another wide grin. ‘Nothing’s a problem when it comes to you, darlin’.’

She walked over to him, kissing him quickly on the cheek. ‘Well. It’s still good of you. Go on, get out of here. I’ll see you later.’

He watched her walk back over to the sink before he left the kitchen, and headed out into the morning sun. She’d see him later. Yeah, of course she would. But she also had no idea how much she was going to need him, once tonight’s party was over. And that was a thought that only made Shane’s smile grow wider.

***

‘Where’s Coby?’ Charlie asked, wandering into the kitchen, his hands in his pockets as he watched Lexi clean up.

‘Out, somewhere. With Kip and Jesse, I think. Why?’

Charlie shrugged. ‘No reason. Just wondered if there was anything interesting going on, that’s all.’

‘Well, apart from Ben and Mia being all loved-up, Kip still sulking because he can’t indulge in a spot of incest, and a big delivery of beer kegs happening at around three-thirty this afternoon, it’s all pretty mundane around here today. And that’s a welcome change, believe me. After the past couple of weeks.’

‘There’s the party tonight, though,’ Charlie said, pouring himself a coffee.

Lexi turned around to look at him. ‘You actually gonna tell Mia the truth any time soon, Dad?’

His eyes met hers as he took a sip of his drink. ‘I’m telling her today, Lexi. By tonight she’ll know the truth. But we’re gonna have to be there for her, kiddo. Because we don’t know how she’s gonna take it.’

‘Well, I think we can all probably hazard a guess that some kind of shit’s gonna hit the fan, so you might want to tell her well before the party kicks off. Alcohol and secrets never end well around here.’

Charlie looked down into his coffee, swirling the hot liquid round and round in the mug. ‘How’s she doing?’

‘She’s okay. I mean, she’s got really conflicting feelings about Lennie, which is probably understandable. When she first got together with him he wasn’t the man he turned out to be in the end, so of course she’s gonna be confused now he’s dead. But Ben he’s… he’s been really good to her. Having him by her side has been a real help to Mia, even though their relationship’s complicated…’ Lexi noticed her father’s expression change slightly at the mention of Ben. ‘What’s the matter? Look, is something going on with Ben…?’

Charlie shook his head, downing another mouthful of coffee. ‘No. I just want Mia to be happy, Lexi. I want her to find someone who’ll keep her safe, who’ll look after her. I want her to find someone like you found Coby.’

‘Well, let’s hope she goes a much easier route to find him than
I
did,’ Lexi sighed, kicking the dishwasher door shut. ‘And by that last comment of yours, I’m taking it you don’t think Ben’s the man for her?’

‘I don’t know,’ Charlie sighed, placing his empty mug in the sink. ‘Lexi, do you know much about him?’

‘No, not really. I mean, I only got to know him a few months ago, didn’t I? When I came back to
Paradise
. I wasn’t here when he started working as the club’s lawyer. But he seems okay.’

‘You know he used to be a biker, though, don’t you?’

‘Yeah. I knew that. Was he part of an MC?’

‘I don’t know all that much myself, sweetheart. I just know that he’s familiar with the way things work around here, which is why Coby trusted him to look after the club’s interests. After the last lawyer this chapter had they needed someone they could trust.’

‘Kip doesn’t seem to trust him all that much.’

‘And that surprises you?’ Charlie asked, raising an eyebrow.

‘Yeah. Okay. I suppose it’s gonna take a while for him to get anywhere near my brother’s good books. Look, Dad, about telling Mia the truth…’

‘It’ll be fine, kiddo. Eventually.’

‘Yeah,’ Lexi sighed. ‘Let’s hope so, huh?’

***

‘Oh, God, it is
so
good to be able to wake up and not be in that bloody clubhouse,’ Mia sighed, stretching out on the bed, flinging her arms out either side of herself, making the most of the space Ben had just vacated.

Ben leaned over and pulled the sheet away from her, taking in every inch of her gloriously naked, beautifully tattooed body, giving into temptation and throwing himself back down on the bed beside her.

‘Hey! You gave that space up, mister!’ she laughed, turning on to her side, running her fingers over his chest. ‘I’m kind of claiming it as mine now.’

‘’Well, I’ve changed my mind. I’ve decided another five minutes isn’t gonna hurt.’

‘You’ll be late,’ she whispered, touching his slightly open mouth. ‘It’s back to normal now, lawyer man. Whatever that “normal” happens to be. Because I’m not all that sure any more.’

He kissed her slowly, taking his time to taste her, and to let that taste linger so he could remember it later. When she wasn’t with him. ‘I’ve got to sort myself out, Mia. I was serious when I said I wanted us to start a new life together, and I know your life will always involve the Lone Riders, and I can’t take that away from you, but maybe it’s best if I go back to keeping that professional distance I used to have. I’m not sure me going anywhere near that kind of life again is such a good idea.’

‘You thought it might be?’

He took her hand, squeezing it lightly, bringing it up to his mouth to kiss it gently, rubbing her knuckles with his thumb. ‘I got a taste for it again, that’s all. It brought back a few memories, but it only brought back the rose-tinted ones, you know? And there were others. So many others. And those are the ones that are stopping me from even thinking about going back.’

‘The Lone Riders are nothing like the Dark Angels, Ben.’

‘I know, baby. But I still think… There was no guarantee Coby would have let me in anyway. He knows my past, and he’s a wary man. As the club’s lawyer he can control me, to some extent. As a brother, I’m an unknown quantity. An ex-member of a club the Lone Riders may not want certain people to know they have any association with.’

Mia looked at him, watched as his expression changed the more he spoke. ‘I want you to talk to me, Ben. I don’t want any more secrets, any more surprises…’

He squeezed her hand again, smiling slightly. ‘There won’t be any.’ He felt a wave of guilt hit him as he said those words. But she didn’t need to know, that Ben Salter didn’t really exist. There was no need for that truth to come out. ‘I promise.’ They were moving forward now. As best they could.

‘I love you,’ she whispered, pulling him down over her, spreading her legs to let him lie between.

His dick responded immediately, and he knew he was going nowhere until he’d fucked her one more time; claimed her as his. ‘Yeah.’ He slowly slid inside her, his fingers intertwining with hers on the pillow, her eyes closing as he pushed that little bit deeper. ‘I love you too, baby. I love you too.’

She wrapped her legs around him, and he allowed his thrusts to pick up speed, her fingers tightening around his with every push, her hips bucking up to pull him in as far as he could go, her inner muscles gripping him so tight it was almost painful. She was so beautiful, and he was barely able to take his eyes off her as they made love, her tiny cries and soft moans making him realize just how much he needed this woman. She was connected to a world he was finding it hard to distance himself from, and being with her was dangerous, for a man like Ben Salter. He should be cutting ties, walking away, leaving this and everything associated with it far behind him. He had everything he needed to make a fresh start somewhere new, away from his past. Yet still he chose to stay where the past had already started to catch up with him. How long would it be before it finally trapped him?

A long, loud moan of pleasure filled the room, shaking those thoughts of the past from his head as he looked down at Mia. Her eyes were still closed, her fingers still gripping his, her legs still wrapped around his waist and he could feel himself reaching that precipice again – his body stiffening for just a second until he erupted inside her, filling her up, taking her over. And the power that gave him was indescribable. His cries were verging on animalistic as he continued to pump into her, each spasm giving him a new-found strength; each thrust telling him he was doing the right thing. Walking away from everything was weak. It would leave him exposed, take away that last little bit of power he was still holding on to. He didn’t have to walk away. He just had to learn how to handle the life he’d now chosen, without letting the old one interfere.

‘Something on your mind, baby?’

He looked at Mia again, her face almost glowing, her cheeks flushed, her breasts still heaving. She’d unwrapped her legs from around him now, but her fingers were still holding tightly on to his. Yeah. He loved this woman. He loved everything about her. Leaving her behind wasn’t an option. ‘Just thinking. About us.’

She finally let go of him, smiling as she gently stroked his cheek with her fingertips. ‘What
about
us?’

‘Now that Lennie’s gone…’ He noticed her face cloud over slightly, and he sat up, pulling her astride him. ‘Everything’s gonna be okay now, Mia.’

She leaned forward, resting her forehead against his. ‘It all happened so fast,’ she whispered, her fingers absent-mindedly stroking the back of his neck. ‘One minute we don’t know where he is, or what’s gonna happen next and… and the next minute he’s dead. He’s dead.’

Ben ran his hands lightly up and down her spine, an action that caused a tiny moan to escape from her, her back arching slightly in response. ‘He can’t hurt you any more.’

‘I know,’ she murmured. ‘I know he can’t.’

‘So let’s move forward, baby. Okay? This party tonight, it’s all about new beginnings.
Your
new beginning. Our new beginning.’