WOLF: An Evil Dead MC Story (The Evil Dead MC Series Book 4) (23 page)

“Oh.” She didn’t know what to say to that. She knew that because of her, the bad blood between Wolf and Shane had made it all the worse for him. He’d taken more than his fair share of abuse, at least from Wolf. More than his buddy, Jake had had to take. She looked up into Shane’s eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“For what, darlin’?”

“I probably made it worse for you, I mean, when I came onto you that first night, trying to make Wolf jealous, that put you on his radar. I’m sure he put you through hell for it.”

Shane studied her a moment.

“Yeah, I’m not gonna deny it, he did. But that’s over now. Ain’t a damn thing he can do about it anymore. And, I gotta say, a little payback would be nice.” He grinned down at her. “You want to help me out with that?”

“Payback?”

“Yeah, surely you wouldn’t mind getting a little of that yourself.” When she didn’t answer, he grinned and suggested, “Let’s show him what he’s missing; show him what he can’t have.”

Before she could reply, he dipped his head and brushed his lips against hers. It was a soft kiss, not aggressive, not assertive, more seeking, testing the waters to see if there were any feelings reciprocated on her part.

Shane was a good looking man. He’d fought with Crash’s brother in Afghanistan, along with Jake. When he and Jake had gotten out of the service, they’d looked up their fallen brother’s family and had come to pay their respects to Crash. That’s when they’d first come to the clubhouse. Crash had invited them in, and they’d both taken a liking to the brotherhood to be had within the club. Later, when they’d been offered the chance to prospect, they’d both jumped at it.

Shane was a good man. If she took up with him, he would be kind to her, treat her right. She knew that, but the feelings just weren’t there. They’d hooked up once, in secret, and Crystal had enjoyed it. But she had known that if Wolf had found out about it, he would have made sure Shane never got his patch. Crystal knew, even then, that getting involved with her would be the end for Shane, so she’d pushed him away. The last thing she wanted was to be the reason he didn’t get his patch. She liked Shane. He was sweet. But she wasn’t attracted to him in a way that would make her believe they would ever have a shot at a future together. Not the way she was attracted to Wolf.

Shane pulled back to look down at her and smiled. “You’re still hung up on him, aren’t you?”

She studied his eyes. God, she was. So hung up on him it was insane. Shane must have read the truth in her eyes, felt it in her kiss, because he didn’t say anything more, just pulled her into his arms. She rested her head against his shoulder, wishing she could feel for Shane the way she felt for Wolf.

It would make things so much simpler.

****

Wolf stood at the bar, his eyes on the couple dancing. He knew he should look away. Why torture himself like this? But he couldn’t tear his eyes from them.

He felt Crash move in to stand next to him.

“That’s gotta hurt.”

Wolf knew Crash was referring to him having to watch Crystal in a brother’s arms, and not being able to do shit about it.

“Yeah,” was all he could muster.

“She’s nobody’s ol’ lady yet, in case you want to give it another shot.”

Wolf shook his head. “I jerked her around so many times.”

“Yeah, you did. Doesn’t mean a man can’t change.”

Dog moved in to stand on Crash’s other side and put in his two cents, like Wolf needed anymore ribbing from his brothers.

“That right there is a girl on a mission.”

“Yeah, a mission to show Wolf what a fool he is,” Crash replied.

Dog chuckled. “That’s not hard to do.”

“Okay, boys, enough. I get the picture, I’m an idiot.”

“Yup.”

“No arguments here.”

Crash looked over at him. “So the question is, what are you gonna do about it?”

When Wolf refused to rise to the bait, Dog pressed it home. “If you had any balls, you’d go over there and cut in on that dance.”

Wolf looked over at him. “Oh, you’d just love to see that fist-fight, wouldn’t you?”

Dog shrugged with a grin. “Maybe.” He waited half a beat before adding, “You gonna just stand here like a pussy? Makes me ashamed to call you Brother.”

Crash leaned in to taunt, “Time to step up to the plate there, A-Rod.”

Wolf tossed his drink back, slammed the glass on the bar and turned to stalk toward the dance floor. He could hear his brothers laughing in his wake and Dog bellow out, “Gangway. Dead man walking.”

Christ, the things his brothers goaded him into doing. This was probably a huge mistake, but fuck it, he was committed to it now. No turning back.

****

Crystal turned in Shane’s arms as they swayed to a slow song. As they rotated around, she could see Wolf moving through the crowd toward them, his eyes on her.

“Oh, God,” she whispered.

Shane looked down at her with a frown, saw her eyes and turned to follow where she was looking.

“Please don’t fight,” Crystal blurted out, knowing what was going to happen when she felt Shane stiffen in her arms.

His eyes returned to her. “My days of backing down to Wolf are over, Crystal.”

“Please, Shane,” she begged and watched as his jaw clenched. He was struggling with caving into her request, and she knew just how much that would cost him.

“I’ve waited a long fucking time for this day, Crystal.”

“I know. I know you have, I’m just asking you not to throw the first punch.”

And then Wolf was upon them. Crystal’s eyes moved between him and Shane as Shane turned to look at Wolf. And then Wolf shocked the hell out of her by actually being cordial.

“Mind if I cut in, Brother?” And then he truly shocked her by asking, “Please?”

Shane must have been just as shocked. His eyes flicked down to her as if he were asking if that was what she wanted. She nodded, and then he was releasing her to step back as Wolf moved in.

She felt his hands settle on her waist, his palms hot on her bare skin. Hesitantly she slid her hands up his cut to encircle his neck. He pulled her closer, until they were brushing up against each other.

She looked up to see his dark eyes intent as he stared down at her. What the hell was he doing? Why was he putting them both through this? She watched as his eyes dropped to her mouth, and she couldn’t help but do the same. She studied those lips of his and could think of nothing more than tasting them again.

She wasn’t sure if he dipped his head, or if she lifted hers, but suddenly their mouths were only an inch apart. She didn’t know how long they danced like that, tempting fate, perhaps each seeing how long the other could last before they closed that last inch. Was it a minute? Ten?

They moved in a slow circle, the noise of the crowd and the music fading away until it was as if they were the only two in the room. She could feel his breath, and she was sure he could feel hers. Neither of them said a word. It was almost as if they were cast in a spell, a spell neither of them wanted to break.

“I guess I should have seen this coming.”

Her brow furled in a frown, and she whispered, “What? Seen this coming…how?

“From when I saw you the other day.”

“You…saw me?”

He nodded. “Saw you ridin’ up Main Street, bold as brass.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. Oh.”

Her eyes moved up to his, searching between them. His dropped again to her mouth.

“You waitin’ to see how long it takes me to close this last inch?”

She swallowed, but didn’t answer. Did she want that? She did, but…

“Once your lips touch mine, girl, it’s over. You know that, don’t you?”

“Wolf, what are we doing?” she whispered.

“Playing with fire. Seems we’ve both got a thing for that.”

“Maybe we’re just asking for trouble.”

“I asked myself that same question. You come up with an answer?”

She shook her head. Then suddenly he was stepping back, grabbing her hand and pulling her through the crowd. He took a right turn and pulled her down the hallway to the restrooms. A moment later, he had her backed against the wall.

“I ain’t playin’ games, Crystal.”

“What are you doing?” She looked up at him as he stared down at her, searching her eyes before he answered.

“I don’t fucking know. I just know this happens every time I lay eyes on you. And I’ve come to realize it’s always gonna be that way.” He paused to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, his eyes following the movement. “When I saw you ride past on that bike—hell, I thought maybe it was fate, comin’ back around to give me another shot. Give us another shot.”

“Wolf.”

“Am I wrong? Am I the only one that can’t let go?”

“No,” she whispered, looking down.

“There was a time you couldn’t get enough of me. Did I kill that?”

She shook her head, and he brought his hand to her chin, tilting her head up, bringing her eyes to his.

“Crystal?” She wasn’t sure what his question was, but a moment later, he finally closed the space between them, his mouth coming down on hers.

They kissed a long time. And she remembered how badly she’d missed his kiss. He took his time, and he was good at it. Extremely good.

She found her hands drifting up, to pull his head back down when he broke off to breathe. He let her, and her enthusiasm only flamed the fire higher. He stepped in, crowding her against the wall, pressing his hips to hers, his knee forcing her legs apart. She felt his muscular thigh rub erotically against her crotch.

Dear God, if he kept that up, he’d get her off right here. She broke free, her hands coming up to push him back enough so she could gasp in a breath. “Wolf, wait.”

He didn’t want to be denied. She could see it in his eyes. It was a struggle for him to back down, but he did it. For her.

“You don’t feel it then? It’s gone?”

She could hear the torment in his voice.

“No, Wolf, it’s not that. I still feel it.”

People started coming down the hall. And then Cole was coming out of the bathroom. He paused when he saw them, his eyes moving between them. As he moved past, his eyes connected with Crystal’s.

“I want to see you before you cut out of here tonight.”

She nodded, frowning, wondering what that was about. “Of course.”

Wolf straightened, stepping back, giving her some room.

Green stumbled drunkenly down the hall, and Wolf must have given up on them having any time alone. He took her by the hand and pulled her back into the bar. They moved toward the rest of his club. They’d managed to commandeer a table, which is where Cole now sat with Crash. The rest of them stood nearby at the bar.

Wolf turned to her. “You want a beer?”

She nodded.

Cole grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward him.

“I’ll keep her safe while you get it,” he said to Wolf, who nodded and moved off toward the bar. Cole pulled her down onto his lap. “You okay, darlin’?”

She nodded.

“I heard about the pregnancy,” he murmured in her ear. Cole was never one to beat around the bush.

She sucked her lips in. Crap. She couldn’t help wondering if he knew the rest, too.

“Babe, you should have told him,” he admonished her softly.

She nodded. “You’re right. I should have.”

He squeezed her hip. “He would have stepped up.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah. I do.”

She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter now.”

He nodded. “Yeah. I’m sorry about you losing the baby.”

She looked down at the hands in her lap, and then met his eyes. “Thank you, Cole.”

He studied her, and she knew he was trying to read her, read between the lines.

“You happy now?” He lifted his chin toward where Max and Liam stood.

She twisted to look and caught Max’s eye. He lifted his drink to her. Turning back to Cole, she saw the concern etched on his face. She nodded. “Yes. I am. I’m happy.”

He nodded back. “Good. I guess. We all miss you, though.”

“I miss all of you, too.”

“Crystal, I want to ask you something. And I want you to be straight with me about it.”

“Okay.” She frowned, wondering where this was going.

“Did Mack run you off?”

She shook her head. “No, Cole. I left all on my own. I...I needed to leave. Put some distance between Wolf and I. You know?”

His hand came up to cup her face for a brief second before dropping away. “I know, sweetheart.”

****

A man sat hidden deep in a corner of the bar. He’d just had another girl look at him in horror when he’d tried to hit on her. He knew his disfigured face was terrifying. He had a fucking mirror. He didn’t need some fucking whore to sneer at him. He was contemplating cornering the bitch in the back hallway later and showing her the meaning of the word horror, when his attention was distracted by the flash of a patch on the back of a cut. An Evil Dead patch, the club of the man responsible for his damaged face. The man he’d sworn revenge on.