Page 129 of Burning Ember

Edge comes up to stand beside Taz. “This better be important, ol’ man, that bitch was deep throating my shit and takin’ it like a pro.”

He looks like he’s been through hell and heaven and back. His hair is spiked all over and his eyes are barely open. It’s obvious by the way his cut hangs off him, he lost a lot of fuckin’ weight in lock up.

“We’re fuckin’ celebratin’!” Griz hollers. “Edge is finally the fuck home. Mav has pulled the fork out of his ass. And I just got word from Nick that Cap moved his fingers tonight. No goddamn lie. He’s gonna wake the fuck up, you just wait and see if he don’t. I knew the reaper wouldn’t be able to drag him down.”

Pulling out my phone, I see a text from Nick saying exactly what Griz said. I text her back and let her know I’ll come by the hospital tomorrow.

“We’re all doin’ shots,” Griz declares. “Rigor! Get your skinny, miserable ass over here!”

Griz throws his arm over my girl and briefly pulls her away from me. He plants a big kiss on her cheek, and has her laughing. To me he says, “Keep this woman happy, you hear?”

“I plan on it. Now give her the fuck back.”

As Rigor makes his way over, Griz starts pouring shots. He hands them out one by one. We all slam them back. The liquid burns for a heartbeat, but then warms me from my belly to the tips of my fingers. Ember immediately starts choking on hers and the guys raze her, while I rub her back. I almost tell them to knock it off, but when she recovers, she throws their taunts right back at them. Gives as good as she gets it.

Watching them all together like this, and seeing Ember fit in our little group, sends a cool feeling of contentment coursing through me.

This is how it’s supposed to be.

My family, my friends, and my girl.

It’s all I’ve ever wanted. All I’ve ever needed.

Turning my head, I nuzzle my nose behind Doll’s ear. “I can’t wait to get you on the back of my bike.” She leans into me and her scent fills my lungs as I take her in. I nibble on her ear for a second and then whisper, “And I can’t wait to taste you again.”

A shudder rakes down her body and I smile against her cheek.

I’ve discovered over the course of the night that she’s not used to public displays of affection. But the more I touch her, the more she warms to my touch, which works for me, because I can’t go more than a few minutes without touching her or having my lips on her somewhere.

However, my lack of patience and hard-on are growing by the minute, so I’m all too ready to take her home and show her the other ways we’re going to be good together.

Rubbing my hand low over her belly, I slide my fingers under the top of her shorts. The muscles of her stomach contract and her thighs pull away from mine. A small guttural moan that only I can hear vibrates in her throat.

“You want that? My mouth on you down here?” Her breath hitches and her hand on my thigh squeezes my quad. My words and actions are making her hot and I’m tempted to take it further, let my hand glide down and stoke her between her legs.

It’s actually painful not to follow through.

“Looks like I missed the celebration,” Dozer says, dropping his plate on the table in front of me. It’s almost comical watching him try to fit his large body at the table. I do my best to ignore him, knowing he’s probably here to flirt with Ember and fuck with me.

His words from the stairwell come back to me.You and I both know you don’t deserve her. Sooner or later, she’s gonna figure that out and who do you think she’s gonna come to then?

“Whatcha got there, D?” Taz raises his eyebrows.

“Pumpkin’s cherry pie,” Dozer scoops up a bite and moans as he puts it into his mouth. He chews slowly and his glazed eyes lock on me. The tension in our little circle rises. On the next bite, he moans around his fork.

Heat crawls up my neck and my nostrils flare. I attempt to turn to face him fully. But as I try to pull away from Ember, she grabs my hand over her stomach and squeezes it to her, not letting me go.

“Fuck, that’s good,” Dozer groans.

My entire body is strung tight. A knot coils in my stomach. Muscles I didn’t even know I had, strain and I battle the urge to leap over the table to pummel him.

He sweeps a finger through the middle of the pie loaded with whip cream and then sticks it into his mouth. “Finger lickin’ good.”

Letting go of my beer, I rise to stand and Ember spins and grabs my hands. The pleading look in her eyes kills me. “Don’t.” Leaning forward to speak in a low voice so only I hear, she says, “It’s what he wants. And it’s not worth fighting over.”

She is worth fighting over. That’s what this is about. Little does she know we’ve been fighting over her since the day she arrived, and it’s simply time to put an end to it.

My attention is pulled away from her, when Taz being Taz has to comment too. “I like my pie a little more tart. Had a huge slice of lemon or was it banana? What about you, Bodie, what’d you have?” He nudges Bodie.