Between Embers (Lost Kings MC #5.5): A Companion to White Heat: Three Short Stories (8 page)

My skin tingles where his fingers brushed against me. “Yeah,” I answer with a nervous tremor in my voice. My hands flail in the air around my head. “All the bobby pins. So tight…it was giving me a headache.” Why am I so flustered?

“It looks pretty down.”

“Thank you.” Nervously, I grab a ponytail holder from my pocket and start twisting my hair into a braid. It’s all lumpy and snarled from the up-do, though, so it comes out messy. “Damn,” I mutter, yanking it back out.

“Here, let me help,” Blake offers, steering me to the mirror. He picks up my brush and gently tugs out all the knots, brushing my hair until it’s smooth. Blake used to do this for me all the time when I was a kid, but it’s…been a while.

“Do you still remember how to braid?” I whisper.

I’m watching him in the mirror, so I see the way his mouth slides into a warm smile. “Yeah, I remember. You got a pink bow you want me to stick in it?”

“No.” I bump him with my elbow for teasing me.

He works slowly, gathering all my hair in his hands. The tug and pull as he twists my hair into a loose braid soothes me and brings back a lot of memories. My eyes squeeze shut and I let myself enjoy the simple moment. When he reaches the end, he secures the braid with an elastic I hand him.

“You two going for a ride?” he asks quietly.

His low voice seeps into my mind, nudging me out of my trance. “Yeah. It’s a pretty night.”

He nods and stuffs his hands in his pockets.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, turning around.

“Nothing. Be careful.”

“We will.”

He still doesn’t move. “Anything else?”

Finally he meets my gaze. “Yeah. I’m uh, gonna be out of town for a bit. Some club stuff. But I’ll be back for your birthday.”

My eighteenth birthday is in a few weeks. Blake’s never missed a single one of my birthdays. Something soft and warm wraps itself around my heart. He didn’t want me to think he was abandoning me. “Going anywhere interesting?” I ask.

“Not really.” He flicks his gaze up. “I’ll take you for your birthday ride, and maybe we can do something fun?”

“Okay. Like what?”

His mouth slides into a smirk and he runs his hand over his beard. “We can go apple picking.”

I snort, then giggle, and he smiles even wider. “We haven’t done that in years.”

“No,” he agrees.

“I think Trinity said something about having a small birthday party up here for me.”

“So, we’ll go before the party or the next day.”

“Where?”

“Picking Ladder Farm?”

“Okay. I’d like that.”

He hesitates, then leans in and presses the softest kiss to my cheek.

“See you then,” he says before turning and walking out the door.

“Don’t be mad, but I’m driving behind a really pretty girl.”

“What?” I ask.

Z repeats the bizarre statement.

“Did you really call me to tell me you’re out picking up chicks on my best friend’s wedding day?”

His laughter comes through the line low and rich. If he were in front of me, I’d kick him.

“I’m driving behind
you.
”

“Oh.” My gaze flicks to the rear view mirror, but all I see is a big, black SUV. “Figures that’s what you’d drive. It looks like an undercover FBI vehicle.”

He chuckles again and this time his laughter melts me like butter. “It’s Rock’s.”

“What are you doing?”

“I needed to run an errand for him. What are
you
doing? I thought you stayed with Hope and Trin last night?”

“I did.” Z had been pretty annoyed I didn’t sneak out and come stay with
him
. But for once in my life, I chose girlfriends over dick. I didn’t regret it either. “I needed to run out for a topcoat.”

“What?”

“Nail polish. For the bride.”

“Ohhhkay.”

“Shut up.”

“Let me get ahead of you, so I can open the gate.”

I pull my car slightly to the right and he zips around me, flipping his blinker on and turning onto what barely looks like a road. It’s a good thing he found me because I’m not sure I would have remembered to turn here.

It isn’t the first time I’ve wondered about all the secrecy surrounding the Lost Kings MC. Z’s usually tight-lipped about anything related to the club. Not that I ask a lot of questions. Or that we do a lot of talking.

But now that one of my best friends is marrying into the club, I’m curious. Hope is a lawyer. And based on the multiple warnings my brother has given me to stay away from Z, the Lost Kings are criminals.

Alexander—what I call my brother when he’s busy lecturing me on how to live my life, because it annoys him when I use his full name—doesn’t understand that Rock treats Hope like a fucking queen. It’s hard not to be intrigued.

I don’t want that. I don’t need a man in my life permanently. Just in my bed from time to time. Z has been all too willing to offer those services on what’s becoming a regular basis.

I park a little way down the driveway—in case I want to leave early. Z parks next to me and opens my car door before I have a chance to grab my bag and purse.

“Why’d you park all the way down here?”

“I didn’t want to get blocked in if I need to run out again.”

He gives me a skeptical look, as if he’s not buying my bullshit. Before I explain further, he extends his hand and I swear to the big stone Buddha statue at the bottom of the hill, I want to swoon. And I’m not a swooner.

A few seconds later, I want to do something else.

Z shuts my door, then presses me up against it with his big bulky body. “You have any idea what it did to me last night? Having you under the same roof but not being able to touch you?”

The minute his body brushes against mine, any self-restraint I’d been holding on to flies away in the sweet autumn breeze.

L
ILLY’S
beautiful eyes widen but her body melts against mine. “Tell me,” she says in the same husky tone she uses after we fuck.

Rock expressed a strong preference that I not bother the girls last night. Since he’s the groom, and my president, I didn’t.

“It made me crazy.” That’s not a lie, either. It’s been way too long since I’ve had Lilly. Knowing she was here last night under the same roof, and I couldn’t have her, made me half-crazed with lust.

Tonight’s another story.

The happy couple will be enjoying their wedded bliss, and I’ll be enjoying Lilly.

“I forgot the stuff I ran out to get. Fuck,” she mutters, pushing away from me and opening the door.

Inside, I’m groaning. The way her luscious mouth spits out the word
fuck
is incredibly hot. Reminds me of the way she says it when she’s riding my dick.

I need to make that happen again.

Soon.

Like right now. Because having Lilly bent over in front of me while she stretches across the front seat to grab her tiny plastic bag seriously tests my restraint. It’s a battle with my inner horndog not to fit my hands over her perfectly curved hips, yank her pants down and slam into her.

I’m hard just picturing it.

She backs out of the car, bumping right into my groin, and pure instinct makes me put my hands on her hips. “Sorry,” she says, straightening up.

My hands stay where they are. I close the car door and this time press her front to the car, fitting myself against her back. Lifting her thick, heavy hair up, I push it over one shoulder. My lips find her neck and my hips grind against her ass—just enough to tease her.

“Z, what are you doing?” She can barely get the words out.

“Preview of what’s going down later.”

“Oh, really?” she says in her teasing way. “I thought weddings were great for meeting chicks.”

Slowly, I inch back and turn her to face me. “You’re the only chick I want. And we’ve already met. Several times.”

She snorts, and I fit my fingers under her chin, lifting her head so she meets my eyes. “I’m not feeding you bullshit, Lilly.”

Doesn’t she get it by now?

“What if I wasn’t in the wedding party?”

“Then you would’ve been my plus one.”

She drops a little bit of her prickly wall, and leans into me, brushing a soft kiss on my cheek. Before she pulls away, I lift my hands to either side of her head, holding her still so I can kiss her deeper, really taking my time to remind her of all the ways our bodies fit perfectly together.

A soft moan flows out of her mouth and into mine and her hands go to my waistband, yanking me closer.

“Something to think about,” I say when we part.

“I’ll be thinking about it,” she whispers.

Instead of pushing her into the woods, tearing off her clothes, and fucking her up against a tree, I take Lilly’s hand and lead her up the driveway.

There’s a wedding to get ready for.

Inside the clubhouse, I reluctantly let go of Lilly’s hand. After yanking her to me for one last kiss. “See you in a bit.”

Her cheeks turn a bit pink, which is cute on Lilly. Few things embarrass her.

Like a lovesick pup, I watch her until she stops at Trinity’s door.

Sparky and Stash are hanging out in the living room rolling joints. “Party favors,” Sparky says, then falls over into a fit of giggles.

“Good to see you’re ready for the wedding,” I bite out. They ignore my sarcasm and keep rolling.

“Idiots,” I mutter.

“I heard that,” Sparky yells as I run up the stairs. Ignoring the stoner twins, I stride down the hallway and knock on Rock’s door. Well, after tonight it won’t be his room anymore. He and Hope are finally moving into their house. If I were sentimental, I might have some words about that.

Okay, I’m a little sentimental. It’s the end of an era.

Am I jealous?

Maybe.

Rock’s standing in front of his dresser fixing he knot in his tie. I flick my gaze at Wrath, positive it’s killing him not to poke fun at our best friend for the suit and tie. His mouth turns up in a grin. Twenty bucks says he’s already ribbed Rock about the suit.

“Ready?” I ask Rock.

“Fuck yes.” His eyes meet mine, and I sense the briefest hesitation in them. “She’s still here, right?”

“Oh, Christ,” Wrath mutters. “Cinderella isn’t going anywhere.”

“Nah, I made sure I locked the front gate after me,” I add helpfully.

“Thanks, asshole,” Rock growls.

Satisfied or fed up with the tie, Rock drops his hands and turns away from the mirror. “What’d Loco want?”

“Oh.” Yeah, meeting up with Lilly had wiped my brain clean of the whole reason I went out in the first place. I yank an envelope out of my pocket and hand it to Rock. “Wedding present. I think he was insulted he didn’t get an invite.”

“For fuck’s sake,” he curses under his breath, grabbing the envelope and setting it on the dresser without opening it. “With the crews we have coming in, that’s all we would have needed.”

Imagining that scenario makes me laugh and Rock glares at me. “What? Come on, that’d be some funny shit.”

“More like Loco would be trying to make deals with everyone behind our backs,” Wrath says.

Rock doesn’t even turn around. “Exactly.”

“He’s already got something set up with Sway.”

“Yeah, can you imagine him trying to work a deal with Stump?” Wrath’s mouth curls into a smirk. “That old bastard would probably shoot Loco.” He chuckles as if he’s reconsidering inviting Loco up.

“I don’t want anything going wrong today.” Rock’s so damn tense. When he’s not looking, I make a
what the fuck
face at Wrath.

“Hope imposed a no sex before the wedding thing on him,” Wrath explains.

Rock glares at him. “Shut up.”

Well, that explains it. I take a more serious look at my best friend. I’ve known Rock since we were teenagers. Was there for his first shitshow of a marriage.

“You did good, prez. She’s a keeper,” I say to reassure him. Just in case.

He responds with a brief smile. “Don’t I know it.”

The three of us have been friends for a long damn time. Before the club. And we love to joke around, razz each other, and generally act like obnoxious fucks. But Rock turns to both of us with a serious expression. “Thank you for everything. I know I’m throwing a lot on both of you today—”

Wrath isn’t one for all the feel-good shit. “Anything you need. You know that, brother.”