Page 43 of Burning Ember

Jesus! She tastes even better than I thought she would. Drawing back, I meet her eyes.

“Doll, why do they call you Pumpkin, when you taste like fuckin’ cherries?”

A smile blooms on her lips and widens. She’s so fucking beautiful, like all the flowers of spring, refreshing and sweet, colorful and I only need the oxygen she gives off.

I swear to fuck her smile breathes life back into me. I brush her hair from her face. Then palming her cheeks, I don’t hesitate. I kiss her again, plunder her mouth like a man possessed. I growl as she straddles me and eliminates all the space between us.

Still, I need more. Following her jawline to her ear, I nibble and whisper how much she turns me on, how much I need her, how badly I want to be buried deep inside her. I let my teeth sink a little into the soft skin over her wildly beating pulse. She lets out a cry and then whispers my name. It’s the sweetest fucking sound there is.

The cry sounds again. Only it’s not a woman’s soft cry. When it rings out a third time, I realize it’s coming from the goddamn phone on my nightstand. The landline.

I squeeze my eyes shut, which does nothing to help my blinding headache and the dream from flashing back through my mind.

I reopen my eyes, but fuck there’s too much light in the room. My head pounds like there’s a damn bell being tolled inside it. Because there is, the fucking phone keeps ringing.

Squinting now against the light, I reach for it.

There’s only one person that calls this line at this time of day. And I don’t want to miss the call.

“Yeah.”

The robotic operator voice comes on. She tells me this call will be recorded, and I have a collect call from an inmate at the Central New Mexico Correctional Facility. She asks if I’ll accept a collect call from, “Ty Folsom.” Edge’s voice says his name. I push one to indicate yes.

His deep voice comes through the line. “Hungover?”

“As fuck.”

“Eleven more goddamn days and I’ll be right there with you, brother. Seems like time’s standin’ still though.”

“I bet. Hang in there. You’ll be seein’ my ugly ass waitin’ for ya outside the fence in no time.”

“How’s Cap?”

“Doctor met with Nick and D last night. Surgery went good. He’s breathin’ on his own, but not awake yet. They still want his body to heal a bit before they try to bring him out of it.”

A moment of silence follows. “The girl died?”

“Yeah. DOA. Probably a good thing though.”

“Nick livid?”

“She’s had time to cool down, but yeah. Not the best fuckin’ way to find out some other bitch was on the back of your man’s bike and ridin’ other things as well. I mean after so many years she knows he dabbles, but outta sight outta mind, you know.” The second I say it a picture of Doll flashes through my mind and my lower body stirs to life. “This shit puts it right in her face. I think she cares more about how it makes her look than anything else.”

“No shit.”

“We know who did it yet?”

“No. No witnesses and we’ve scoured for information, but I’m not sure if there’s any to track down. I’m hopin’ Cap can point us in the right direction when he wakes up.”

“Who’s coverin’ him?”

“Septic, Stone, Goose, and Rigor. Two HOCs at all times. Takin’ shifts. I got Grinder and Whiz Kid on Nick.”

Silence descends and I’m sure he’s thinking over what action to take to get the answers we need when he’s out.

“How’s everything else?”

I huff out a long exhaustive breath. I open my mouth, about to say,Lil’ Bird got you somethin’. A little welcome home gift from the club,but for some reason the words don’t come out.