Crash by Jeanne St. James

Chapter Thirteen

Crash straddledhis rumbling sled while they waited in formation for the lead rider to give the signal they were heading out and heading home.

The Dark Knights were taking the lead on the ride south, since the DAMC took point on the way north. All the cages, vans and RVs full of children, sweet butts, house mouses, camping gear and whatever else everyone dragged north for the long weekend would caravan behind the formation of sleds.

They’d ride with the Knights past Pittsburgh, then the other club would split off and head back to their own territory southeast of the Burgh but northeast of Shadow Valley. Both clubs’ territory had expanded in the past few years and now butted up against each other. It wasn’t like either club needed the territory, they didn’t. But it helped ensure no other clubs took over the gap that originally existed between the two and tried to start squeezing one or both clubs out.

One club who might’ve tried it was the Shadow Warriors. Luckily, those fuckwads no longer existed. At least, they fucking hoped not. If a stray Warrior or two still breathed, then they’d gone underground or patched into another MC. But if any of them happened to turn up like a reoccurring hemorrhoid, they’d be dealt with as needed.

The officers of all three clubs were currently having a quick pow-wow off to the side before they parted. They considered the weekend a success.

So did Crash. He might not have partied as much as planned, but he didn’t regret one fucking second.

What he regretted was leaving this morning.

His saddlebags were packed. His gas tank topped off. And his nut sac pretty much drained to the point of hollowed out prunes.

But the spot on the back of his Harley was glaringly empty.

For the first time ever, that bothered the fuck out of him.

He thought back to earlier this morning when he woke up to find Liz’s mouth wrapped around his dick, sucking it like there was no tomorrow. Because, in truth, there wasn’t. Not for them.

Her hair had been a golden cloud around her, curtaining her actions. After quickly moving those silky strands out of the way so he could watch her, he spotted the tube of lube by her hand. The same one they’d used the night before when he took her perfect ass. That had been the hottest goddamn sex he’d had in a long time.

He hadn’t found too many women who enjoyed anal, but Liz couldn’t get enough. She orgasmed so many damn times last night, he worried she might black out on him.

She didn’t. But he almost did. Because last night she pulled out all kinds of techniques to drive him to the edge and then pull him back. Toward the end, he was actually almost in tears, begging for her to let him come.

It was fucking awesome. She hadn’t exaggerated when she said she’d made a man cry. He could see why.

It almost happened again this morning.

Once he woke, it didn’t take long to figure out why she had the lube out and close by. For a man who never had anyone’s fingers up his ass—not even a doctor’s—once he realized her intentions, he made his reluctance known. And loudly.

She only smiled around his dick, pushed him back down, and worked her magic.

And, fuck him, after the initial shock of it, he finally relaxed and let her do her thing.

He never came so much and so intensely in his fucking life. In his post-climax daze, he found himself actually jealous—for the first time ever—of Nash for being bisexual. But for only a second before the haze cleared and he remembered that dicks didn’t do shit for him, but the woman who had swallowed every fucking drop she milked out of him did.

After another big breakfast and time enough to recover from her epic and life-altering cock-sucking, they ended up fucking one more time and then lying in bed until he could no longer put off what was happening next.

Him leaving.

It sucked, but Manning Grove wasn’t home and the Fury wasn’t his family.

“Gotta head back. Got a business to run. Don’t want the prospects to run it into the fuckin’ ground.” He struggled to keep the disappointment from his voice.

“They can do that in a day?”

“Yeah, they’re pretty fuckin’ dumb.”

She laughed.

Crash had stared at how she tilted her head back and didn’t restrain her husky laughter at all.

Christ.He could listen to her laugh forever.

But soon, he’d never hear it again. Not unless they talked on the phone and he didn’t do that shit. He was even bad at texting.

It was one reason why no woman had ever stuck. He’d forget to check his personal cell phone for a day or two. The messages from whatever chick he’d started banging would start out sweet and cute, then by the time he was done listening to or reading the last one, they’d turned nasty and he was accused of being a total fucking asshole—true—and ignoring them—also true.

If he wasn’t dying to hear a voicemail or read a text from them, or even talk to them on the phone, then it proved she wasn’t the one.

He’d even had a few women show up at the shop unannounced and cause chick drama.

Fuck that shit. He didn’t need that in his life.

He especially didn’t need a woman who made demands.

He’d lived more than four decades without ever succumbing to that bullshit and he planned on living the rest of his life without it, too. Even if it meant remaining alone.

He’d rather live alone and be happy than with someone who made him miserable just because she had tits and a pussy—no matter how tight that snatch was. If he was going to take an ol’ lady, or even a regular, she needed to be the right one. One he wouldn’t want to strangle and bury out in the woods after a short period of time.

He doubted Liz caused drama. Even though she had every right to with some of the shit Ozzy had caused this weekend. She also didn’t seem to be clingy or demanding. Even better, he had quickly pegged her as easy-going and not out to bag a biker.

Because if she wanted one, he had no doubt she could get one, unlike a lot of other sweet butts. But clearly, that wasn’t on her bucket-list. She was all about having great sex and a great life. In her own way. On her own terms.

Same as him.

An invisible two-by-four came out of nowhere and cracked him in the damn forehead…

He blinked and shook his head to shake off what hit him. But it wasn’t going anywhere. No, he couldn’t shake his revelation.

She was goddamn perfect.

He squeezed his eyes shut, drew a long breath in through his nose and let those four words sink in.

She was goddamn perfect.

His gut twisted and he opened his eyes again, seeing Zak and the rest of the DAMC’s officers mounting their sleds.

It was now or never.

Now. Or fucking never.

What the fuck was he doing? Leaving so someone else can snatch up a woman who was perfect for him?

Did he want to risk that?

Or did he want to fucking claim her as his?

For fuck’s sake, he’d only met her Friday. Today was only Monday. Why the fuck was he even considering this?

She probably wouldn’t want that, anyhow.

She belonged to the Fury. Would it cause issues between the two clubs if he tried to convince her to come to Shadow Valley?

She said she could work anywhere.

She also rented her place and didn’t own it.

As of now, she was free to walk away from the Fury, but if they ever found out she was the daughter of an Original, that might change.

So, if any time was the perfect time for her to leave without an issue, it was now.

Christ, asshole, you need to decide. Either go after what you want right now or risk losin’ her. This might be your only fuckin’ chance. You gonna blow it, then regret it later?

His heart pounded, his throat closed and his fingers curled so tightly into fists, they began to cramp, sending a stab of pain shooting up his arm.

Was he having a heart attack?

Was he getting too old for weekend-long fuckfests?

“Crash,” came from the sled next to him.

His head was spinning and he had a hard time concentrating on Coop.

“Dude, you look like you’re about to fuckin’ drop over.”

“Need to go,” he forced out.

“To the hospital?” Coop asked. “’Cause if you drop durin’ the ride home, you’re gonna take out everyone in formation behind you.”

“Ain’t sick,” he managed, even though he felt like he might puke. Puking on a sled before getting a chance to pull over could be disastrous, too. Been there, done that, had the regurgitated booze T-shirt to prove it.

“You sure fuckin’ look like you’re sick.”

His stomach churned and his chest became even tighter as he saw Z, Hawk and Diesel, as well as Romeo and Magnum from the Knights, fire up their sleds.

He should just go home and forget about her. That would be the smarter fucking thing to do. Chalk it up to being a great fucking weekend and that was it.

Go back to his bachelor life and—

Fuck. That. Shit.

When he told Coop he needed to go, he hadn’t meant home. Not yet.

No, he needed to go get Sunny. His Sunny before she became someone else’s.

Crash heeled up his kickstand, twisted the throttle and got out of line.

He heard Rig behind him, and also Coop beside him, shout his name. Because they did, all heads turned in his direction. He ignored them all and only stopped next to Jag, their road captain, and Z, who were in the first row behind the Knights.

Zak narrowed his eyes on him and Jag only rolled his and shook his head, both guessing Crash was about to do something stupid.

And maybe he was.

“What the fuck you doin’, asshole? Get back in line!” shouted Diesel, who was right behind their president. “You ain’t ridin’ up front.”

“Got somethin’ I need to do first.” Besides empty this morning’s breakfast from his twisting stomach. “Head out without me. I’ll catch up.”

“What the goddamn fuck!” Diesel roared.

“Can you not go into beast mode?” his ol’ lady Jewel asked him calmly. “You have two clubs watching us, wondering what’s going on.”

D’s nostrils flared and his lips flattened out.

“There a problem?” Trip asked as he approached, wearing a scowl.

“Your sweet butts can walk away at any time, right?”

The Fury president hesitated as he stared at Crash. “Wanna be more specific?”

“Thinkin’ I don’t need to say it ‘cause you’re smart enough to figure it out.”

Trip flipped his black ball cap off his head, scraped his fingers through the top of his hair and slapped it back on. “Yeah, can figure it out. She’s free to go. If she wants. That what she want?”

“Dunno. Gonna find out.”

“For fuck’s sake,” Diesel grumbled. “This is all ‘bout pussy?”

Zak was no longer frowning but was fighting a grin. Sophie, his ol’ lady, was giving Crash a smile and two thumbs up. Ivy, Jag’s ol’ lady, was also grinning ear to ear.

Jewel was laughing as she clung to her grumpy ol’ man’s back.

“Just don’t wanna make trouble between the two clubs,” Crash said to Trip.

“Coulda said somethin’ to us first before causin’ a fuckin’ scene,” Hawk growled.

“Problem is he can’t think more than a second ahead of time. That’s what happens when your momma dropped you on your melon as a baby,” Jag said.

Hawk snorted. “Thought he was like that from when he was used as a crash-test dummy.”

Crash ignored all the ball-busting and kept his focus on Trip. The Fury prez shrugged and said, “If she wants to go, she can go. Gonna be a little bit of fallout if she decides that’s what she wants, but we’ll deal with it. She’s got no strings keepin’ her tied here.”

Crash gave him a nod in thanks, then said to no one in particular, “We’ll catch up.”

Hawk hooted. “Look how confident Stud is by sayin’ we.”

Kiki whacked her old man in the arm. “Good lord, Hawk. Leave the poor man alone.”

“Yeah, should I fuckin’ remind you how hard and fast you all fell for your ol’ ladies?” When Crash didn’t get any answers, he made a face and muttered, “Didn’t think so.”

He was done talking about it. Now he needed to take action. As he twisted the throttle once more, he heard one of the ladies shout, “Good luck!” then a whole bunch of encouraging hoots and hollers from the DAMC sisterhood.

That was not what he heard from his brothers.

What-fuckin’-ever. They can ride his ass later if he strikes out.

He drowned out the peanut gallery by revving his engine as he shot down the farm’s lane and headed back to Liz’s place in Parsington.

He hoped to fuck she was still there. Because if she went back to The Grove Inn to be with Ozzy, he would catch up to his club a lot quicker than expected.

And, guaran-fuckin’-teed, that ride would be made more miserable by the shit sandwich he’d be eating all the way home.

* * *

A loud rumblewas heard pulling into the driveway. A sound Liz easily recognized, causing her heart to do a little flip. She quickly saved the document she was working on and closed her laptop.

She figured this would happen, but she wasn’t expecting it to happen right away. Especially so soon after Crash left her place this morning. She hoped Ozzy would give her some space first before trying to mend fences. But apparently not.

She also expected him to be busy this morning at the motel getting the bikers checked out of their rooms. If he was done with that, that meant both clubs were most likely already on their way home.

The thought that she may never see Crash again caused a twinge of discomfort in her chest.

Maybe Ozzy thought they could go back to the way things were now that the other biker was gone. Liz wasn’t sure that would happen for a while, if ever.

She still hadn’t made any decisions when it came to her role within the club. The only thing she did do so far was drop the DNA kit in the mail first thing this morning. The sooner the lab got it, the sooner she’d get the results back.

Once she got that back, that might make it easier to decide.

She slipped her feet into the flip-flops she kept by the front door and mentally braced herself before heading outside, hoping things didn’t get ugly. She didn’t want it to be like that between them.

No matter what Ozzy had said, or even what he thought, she still cared a lot about him. It just would take a bit of time for the sting of his words, the truth on how he perceived her, to dull.

However, what she saw in her driveway wasn’t what she expected. Or who, more like it.

Yes, it was a Harley, but straddling that bike wasn’t Ozzy.

It was Crash.

Her heart did another little flip and her pulse surged like a thoroughbred coming out of the gate in the Kentucky Derby.

He looked so damn good with the customized machine between long legs encased in worn denim. His black leather cut fit his broad shoulders perfectly, a black bandana with the bottom half of a skull printed on it covered his lower face, and his dark wrap-around sunglasses covered those warm, golden-brown eyes. She bet if his hair was still as long as it was in some of the photos he’d shown her, he’d be wearing a skullcap, too, like most bikers with longer hair did. Especially since none of them wore helmets, what they called brain buckets.

Why did he return?

“You guys were heading out this morning,” slipped from her since she was still trying to process the sight of him in her driveway and didn’t know what else to say.

He yanked the bandana down to reveal his thick four-day-old scruff and turned those dark sunglasses in her direction. A second later he swung his leg over his sled and took long strides down the concrete pathway leading to her tiny front porch. Her heart now thumped in her throat as she watched the way he moved with ease and confidence.

With purpose.

And determination.

What the hell was going on?

He jogged up the two steps and didn’t stop until he crowded her. When his face tipped down, his expression was unreadable. Especially with those sunglasses on.

“Said you could do your job anywhere.” The low grumble of his voice did things to her like no other man’s ever had.

“Yes,” she said after a slight hesitation, not sure where he was going with that unexpected statement. She also didn’t want to guess.

She was afraid she’d be wrong. She was also afraid she’d be right.

He pushed his sunglasses up to the top of his head, exposing intense golden-brown eyes. Fine lines spidered out from the corners. Evidence he was no longer a young man, but one with a lot of life experiences.

A man old enough to know what he wanted. And, like Ozzy, what he didn’t want.

With a shock, it suddenly hit her what that was. Her pulse pounded in her ears as she waited for him to continue. To shed light on whether she was right on why he was here.

“Come with me.”

All air fled her lungs. Holy shit. “What?” she asked on a breath, as soon as she could draw one.

He dropped his head even further, until their noses were just a few inches apart, and locked eyes with her. “Come with me,” rumbled from him again.

“Very funny.” It wasn’t funny, not at all, but he had to be joking, right? Did he know what he was asking of her?

“Serious.”

Her first knee-jerk response was, “I… can’t.” Of course, that was her response. Because going with him would be crazy, wouldn’t it?

She couldn’t, could she? And if she could, did she even want to?

“What d’you have tyin’ you here? A father who don’t exist? A man who thinks you’re good enough to make you his whore but not his ol’ lady?”

She grimaced at the raw truth of his words. “I’m not a whore,” she said, even though it didn’t need to be. Another knee-jerk reaction because she was still in shock with what he was proposing.

To uproot her life and leave with a man she’d only known for a few days at best.

“No, you ain’t, but he treated you like one. Deserve so much fuckin’ better.”

“You hardly know me. How can you say I deserve better?”

“‘Cause I see you, Sunny. I actually fuckin’ see you. Who you are. What you’re worth. He don’t. If he did, you’d be wearin’ his cut and not be bendin’ over for anyone else’s dick. ‘Cause if you belonged to me? That wouldn’t happen.”

‘Cause if you belonged to me? That wouldn’t happen.

She needed it to be clear. Crystal fucking clear with his intentions. “So, you want me to come along with youto be with you, right? You’re not asking me to become a sweet butt for your club?”

“Fuck no. Ain’t willin’ to share.”

She rolled her lips under for a second, trying not to grin on how he growled that like a wolf protecting a fresh kill. “Will I have to share you?”

“With another woman or another man?” He stared at her for a second, then answered before she could. “A threesome with another man ain’t my thing. So, if that’s yours…” He shrugged.

“But you’d be okay to a threesome with another woman?” She continued to fight her grin. Especially when his face relaxed, a smile curled the corners of his lips and his eyebrows rose in interest.

“Ain’t gonna say no to a threesome with another woman. Long as it’s a once in a while type of thing. Also, someone we both agree on. ‘Cause I don’t got the desire, or even enough energy, for two women on a permanent basis.”

A permanent basis.

“You alone were enough to wear me out, Sunny. In a good way. Most fuckin’ women wear me out in a bad way.”

Holy hell, this was serious. He was serious.

But all of this was making her head spin. Her emotions were all over the place. One second she was elated, the next unsure and even worried about the unknown.

“I’m not sure I’m prepared to move,” she said more to herself than to him as she tried to wrap her head around this whole thing. About what he wanted from her.

So damn unexpected.

“Ain’t movin’ yet. Consider it a trial run. This way, if it don’t work out, then it don’t work out. No hard feelin’s. You still got your place here to come back to and you won’t feel stuck. Don’t ever want you to feel stuck. But how the fuck will we know if we don’t give it a shot?”

“I would have to be willing to…” Her words petered out. Because that was when it hit her she was willing. She wanted to spend more time with the man in front of her. A lot more time. Their weekend together wasn’t nearly long enough. Her brow furrowed, but she needed to be clear about something first… “It wasn’t only about sex?”

“Fuck no.” He snagged her chin within his fingers, tipping it up, and stared down at her. “Look… Ain’t talkin’ about claimin’ you at the table and makin’ you my ol’ lady. Not yet. Talkin’ about explorin’ whatever’s between us. Givin’ us some time to do that. Can’t do it when you’re here and I’m there. That ain’t gonna work for me.”

“Are you worried about Ozzy?” Was he worried that Ozzy would try to convince her to come back to him, whether to try to claim her for himself or go back to how things were?

She expected the latter, but not the first part. She couldn’t imagine Ozzy committing to any woman. It was just the way he was.

“Truth? Fuck no. You said you love him but ain’t in love with him. That means I got a shot.”

Crash wanted her to fall in love with him?

She closed her eyes and swallowed down the unexpected feelings that were bubbling up. Because she was afraid it had only taken one long weekend to get her there.

And that was impossible, wasn’t it?

No one fell in love that fast.

Maybe it wasn’t love. Maybe she was in lust with him. But that lust might be the seed needed for love to grow.

So, yes, they needed time to explore their connection. To see if it was solid and true. She had never been one to believe in love at first sight. She couldn’t trust what she was feeling. Not yet.

Even so, she never expected this was how the weekend would end or even how this week would begin.

What he was proposing could be a major change for her. A future she hadn’t even considered, but, when she allowed herself to do so, found she wasn’t opposed to it.

Not at all.

His warm breath swept over her lips when he whispered, “You want what I want?”

Say yes. He’s only asking for a chance. Give it to him.

Take a chance, Liz. Take a chance on yourself.

What could it hurt?

Maybe you’ll end up with a bruised heart at the end.

Or maybe you’ll find a man you’ll love forever.

She considered the man before her. The one who didn’t bother to hide the hope in his eyes.

He came back for her.

He wanted her.

He was willing to explore the connection they had all weekend.

Not once had he disrespected her.

Not once had he made her feel like a whore.

Not once had he called her one, either.

How could she say no?

She couldn’t.

So, she didn’t.

When she finally opened her eyes and stared directly into his, she whispered, “Yes. I want that, too.”

His mouth crushed hers and she hung onto him for what felt like hours but in reality, was only a minute or two.

“It sucks we don’t got time to fuck right now, ‘cause you got me hard as a fuckin’ rock. But we got a bit of a ride ahead of us. Though, doubt we’ll catch up to the rest of my club.” He brushed a lock of hair off her cheek and dragged his thumb over her bottom lip. “Thanks for givin’ me a chance.”

Goodness, the way he said that made her heart swell to twice its size. “Thank you for seeing me for who I really am.”

With a grin, he stepped back, grabbed her arm, spun her around and smacked her ass. Hard enough to make her squeal and a laugh bubble from her. “I’ll kiss the sting away later. Now, go pack a few bags. Enough to tide you over for a coupla weeks. Grab your work shit, too. Gonna gas up your Benz on our way outta town. And—”

“You make it sound so easy.”

“It’s that fuckin’ easy.” He was so damn confident.

But, holy shit, maybe it really was that easy. She could grab enough stuff to last her at least two weeks, take her laptop with her and just go.

She could simply leave with him.

He was right. She could always come back if it didn’t work out.

In the meantime, she could continue to pay the rent the same way she’d done for the past two years. Dan wouldn’t care if she was gone as long as he wasn’t footing the whole lease himself. She could easily afford to keep her place here until she was sure.

Until she was sure she was done with Manning Grove, the Fury, and…

Hell, even Ozzy.

Her heart squeezed.

Should she, could she, leave without even saying goodbye?

Would it be easier on both of them? At least, for now?

When she did come back—whether to get the rest of her stuff or because things didn’t work out—she could smooth things over with him then.

When things weren’t so raw.

In the end, if it didn’t work out with Crash and she didn’t want to stay in Shadow Valley and didn’t want to return to Manning Grove, either, she could go anywhere. Her options were limitless.

This might be the push she needed.

But right now, she didn’t want to go just anywhere.

She wanted to go with Crash.

And that was what she did.