Wild Child: A Skull Kings MC Novella (12 page)

“No,” I said. “Leave it on.”

His hand hovered in the air before dropping down to his side. “Okay. Then...”

“You can stay,” I said, my eyelids fluttering. “I don’t want to be alone.”

I let my head sink into my pillow and closed my eyes, feeling comforted by the clean sheets. Footsteps fell heavily outside as the Skull Kings did their patrols. I could hear their familiar voices chatting loudly, just outside my door.

I felt safe.

Gabriel settled down on the other bed. I could feel his eyes on me, but I didn’t care anymore. I let myself give into sleep, slipping away. At one point, Gabriel turned on the television, and the voices of the actors on his shows weaved their way into my dreams.

Goodnight, Lisbeth.
I felt a light kiss on my eyelids.

––––––––

I
woke up to the sound of the shower running.

I’d been dreaming that I was lost in a hotel. There had been an earthquake, and I was running through an endless maze of hallways. I’d been looking for Gabriel.

I turned over in bed to look at the clock. It was only a few hours past midnight, but I was wide awake. I felt like I’d been asleep for years, dead as a rock. My anxiety, the jittery feeling that made me too afraid to turn off the lights, was completely gone. I was relieved. I could relax. But there was still an ache deep inside of my chest, evidence of some unfinished business I still had to take care of.

I got out of bed and stretched. The shower’s refrain seemed to call to me, like a spell. I walked past the chair with Gabriel’s jeans slung over the arm and went to stand in the bathroom doorway. Clouds of steam were wafting around inside, and I could see Gabriel’s blurry silhouette through the fogged-up shower door. He had his hands against the wall and his head tilted forward, letting the hot spray wash over his back.

Something awakened inside of me. I took off my tee shirt and my shorts. Gabriel’s head jerked up when he heard my clothes landing on the tile. He didn’t say anything as I finished getting undressed. Then, I went up to the shower door, blurry from the steam. When I opened it to step inside, I could finally see him clearly.

His short hair was slicked flat against his head. Without a word, he stepped over to make room for me in the cramped space. It was a lot like being in a closet. The moment I slipped in, he collected me in his arms.

“I’m sorry, Lisbeth,” he murmured into my hair.

I pulled away. “For what?”

Gabriel cast his eyes downward, but averted them from my body. Water dripped off of his lips as he spoke. “I kept telling you I was going to leave, but the truth is...I don’t know if I really meant it. For some reason, something inside was telling me to stay. And I just let you think that I was going to take off.”

I smoothed my hands over his shoulders. My fingers ran over the tattoo on his chest. “Well,” I began, having no idea what to say, “it doesn’t matter anymore, does it?”

Gabriel’s hands were on my hips. “You must’ve thought I just ditched you when I didn’t show up. I had no choice. We only had two minutes to get out.” He skimmed his fingertips along my spine, making me shiver. “I just need you to know that I didn’t just leave you there. I was never going to.”

“I know. It’s okay.” I rubbed his shoulders.

His eyes remained fixed downward. I wanted him to look at me.

“It’s okay,” I repeated, softer this time. I put my fingers to his chin, tilting his face up. “It’s okay...”

He inhaled sharply before I kissed him. His mouth was stiff against mine, closed off like a cinderblock wall. Then, I felt all the tension in his body melt away. He leaned into me, closing what little distance remained between us. My body molded easily against his, skin on skin, as his arms wrapped themselves around me. I curled my fingers through his hair as our tongues danced together.

I thought I could never get enough of him.

He whispered something, but the sound of the water drowned out his words. I arched my back as our hips touched. I could already feel him getting hard. He slid his hand down between our bodies to where our pelvises met.

I gasped as he began kneading my clit with his fingertips. I was in heaven. My eyes rolled back, darkening my vision and heightening my senses. Gabriel’s mouth was on my neck, sucking gently. He kisses and licked at my slick skin, wandering down to my breasts. His tongue swirled around my nipples, mimicking the patterns he drew against my clit. I breathed in the soothing, warm steam.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I held the knowledge that it wasn’t all over. There would be witness statements, testimonies, and all that. But all that mattered at the moment was Gabriel holding me, touching me.

I put my hand on his hardness. He gasped, his mouth right near my ear. I had to choke back a moan when I heard the surprise and ache in his voice.

“I’m ready,” I said.

“Are you sure?”

I gave his shaft a squeeze. He groaned, the sound of it vibrating in my bones, and he pinned me against the cold shower wall. Moving roughly, he picked up one of my knees and slung my leg around his hip. I was completely open to him, vulnerable, and full of want and need. I knew he felt the same way.

He planted his elbows on the wall. His hands cradled my head, and I wrapped my hands around his wrists. He rocked his hips forward, touching his tip against my wet heat. His eyes searched mine.

And then, he was inside me.

I tossed my wet hair back as I rode him, pinned between the wall and his fever-hot body. I held tight to him, digging my fingers into his slippery skin, afraid I’d fall away before we got to finish. There was a desperation in his movements as he fucked me, as he murmured my name. This was so unlike last time, with his cock throbbing and alive as a beating heart, sheathing and unsheathing from the tight walls of my sex. I opened my thighs wider, inviting him deeper into me.

“Lisbeth,” he gasped through the warm spray. He clutched at my left breast, squeezing me. I felt my nipple hardening against his rough palm. His head dipped low and he whispered a few more words before choking me with a kiss. “I need you.”

Our heads pressed together, breathing the same breath, I couldn’t find the strength to respond. My head swam with the same feelings I’d had since I met him. Confusion, fear, wild excitement. But they were closer to the surface, now, evident in my face and my voice as I reacted to what Gabriel was doing to me. I was afraid to look in his eyes when he made me moan or cry out.

He pressed his forehead to mine, forcing his stare. His hips thrust forward, knocking me back against the wall. My ass slid against the wet tiles, and Gabriel kept thrusting. His pelvis ground itself against my clit, working it in a quick, steady rhythm that had me convulsing in no time.

My head fell against his shoulder. He turned his face into my neck.

“Come on baby,” he whispered, his breath tickling my ear.

I put my hand to the base of his skull, curling my fingers around his neck. My entire body tensed up, preparing for the release that was coming. Gabriel kept up his rhythm, pushing forward so hard he could’ve hammered me into the wall. My toes skidded against the floor while my other leg was still wrapped around his tight, narrow waist.

“I’m close!” I hissed. Then, I was already coming. Water droplets pelted against my skin, intensifying the rush I felt as I climaxed. I bit into Gabriel’s shoulder, stifling my scream, but it still echoed off of the walls.

Gabriel made a sound with his throat. His back stiffened under my hands. After I finished, he jerked himself out of me and came, his fluids barely glancing on my thigh before the shower rinsed it away.

I finally lowered my leg, stiff from being wrapped around Gabriel’s body. He met my eyes and grinned sheepishly, his cheeks still a little flushed.

“What?” I asked, unnerved by his stare.

Gabriel brushed his thumb across my bottom lip. “I’ve just always had this fantasy...”

My breath hitched in my chest.
Again?
I thought incredulously.

Then, surprisingly, “Will you wash my hair for me?” he asked.

I choked on my laughter. “Really?”

The color in Gabriel’s face deepened. “I mean, it’s just a comfort thing. My mom used to—”

“Say no more,” I said, bending over to retrieve the shampoo.

I rolled my eyes, feigning annoyance as I began lathering him up. My fingers moved easily through his short, smooth hair. “Tilt your head back.”

Gabriel closed his eyes, angling his head so the suds wouldn’t wash down his face.

I let myself smile privately to myself as I massaged his scalp, indulging in a little fantasy. Maybe, things could always be like this. Two people taking care of each other.

It wasn’t so bad.

––––––––

A
spen stood on the dressing room pedestal, staring into the three-sided mirror. Her reflections stretched on into eternity.

“What do you think about this?” she asked, placing her hands on her hips. She turned around to gauge my reaction.

Carmen stepped forward to arrange the billowy skirt around Aspen’s feet. “It’s...nice.”

“It’s yuppie,” I said flatly.

Aspen’s shoulders drooped. “I know.” She stared helplessly at the rack of dresses the saleslady had picked out.

I followed her gaze, feeling the emptiness on her face in the pit of my stomach. They were all nice dresses, sure, and they looked great on Aspen’s petite frame. The one she wore made her look like Snow White on her wedding day, but it just wasn’t
the
dress.

Carmen began paging through the dresses on the rack, rustling the taffeta and tulle skirts. “We need something more...more...”

“Edgy,” I offered. “Something that actually belongs on the arm of a tattooed biker.”

“Bingo.”

Just as Aspen began struggling with the zipper, there was a soft knock on the dressing room door.

“Come in!” the three of us said in unison, anticipating the saleslady with another armful of fluffy, white dresses.

But instead, it was Anna’s face that peered through the door. “Can I come in?”

Aspen raised her eyebrows at me, but I was too surprised to speak.

“We said, ‘Come in’,” Carmen said after a few awkward seconds.

Anna cleared her throat and stepped inside. Just before she closed the door, I caught a glimpse of Agent Fields, the man who’d met the Skull Kings at Pete Daddy’s. This time, he was in an official-looking white shirt and tie, staring at the ceiling and trying hard not to look like he was there to shop.

“Logan said we’d find you here,” Anna said. Her face was clean for the first time I’d seen it. I was used to seeing her with makeup, even in the mornings, when she’d rise from bed with a ring of last night’s mascara around her eyes.

“Yeah. This was first bridal shop we found,” I said. “Are you and Adrian coming to the wedding?”

Anna shook her head. “The two of us are actually going away for a while.”

“What? Why?”

Her eyes flicked to Aspen and Carmen over my shoulder. “Do you want to have a cigarette with me?” she asked suddenly.

“Sure,” I said, understanding.

We walked back into the showroom. Anna waved her pack of cigarettes at Agent Fields and motioned toward the exit.

“Make it quick,” he muttered as we passed by.

Outside, we settled down on a cold cement bench by one of the shop windows facing the street. We could see the sign of the wedding chapel from here. Beyond that were the towers of Paris, New York, New York, and the pyramid top of Luxor.

“Who needs the world when we have Vegas?” Anna remarked as she lit her smoke. “I’ll be sad to leave.”

“Are they putting you in witness protection?” I asked.

“Yup.” Anna exhaled loudly. “How about you? Are they making you testify?”

“No. They just took a statement. I’m just going to be one of about a million counts of felony human trafficking against him.”

Anna chuckled. “Nice.”

I stared down at my leg, a burnt gold next to Anna’s pale one.
What happens now?
I wanted to say. For once, the two of us were safe, but we wouldn’t get a chance to enjoy it together. Anna and I hadn’t ever had a normal friendship. Likely, we never would.

“So did you come to say goodbye?” I finally said.

“I guess so. I don’t know. It feels wrong to say goodbye.”

“I know.”

Anna took another drag and stared pensively at the passing traffic. “You know how people are like best friends in prison, and then when they get out, they act like they don’t know each other?”

I laughed. “Why? Is that what we’re like?”

“I mean, kind of. I can’t exactly keep ties to my old life once I enter the program. I’ll have to start completely fresh.”

I nodded. It seemed fitting. Anna had undergone a change. Her face was clean, and she was well-fed. She was practically a different person already.

“But who knows?” Anna continued. “It’s a small world. We could be like ships passing in the night.” She stubbed out her cigarette and tossed it into the street. “Or whatever.”

“So then it’s more like, ‘See you around’,” I said.

“Yeah.”

We sat in silence for what felt like a long time, both of us waiting for the conversation to end somehow. We watched the light at the intersection change three times and listened to horns blare as a car waited too long to make a left turn. Finally, it appeared that Anna had one more thing left to say.

“There’s something you should know,” she said, her voice dropping ominously.

“What?”

Her eyes darted around, looking for True Northers hiding in the shadows. “It’s about the drugs I stole.”

My stomach twisted. I got the strange sense that this was what Anna had been waiting to tell me all along. I tried to remember what she had told me about the drugs from that SUV haul. Then, I realized that she’d never told me anything at all.

“You sold it?” I whispered.

Anna’s eyes turned dark. “No. The gang caught up to us before we could. But I was the first one to get away, and I took the shipment with me.”