Page 25

25

Raven

T he afternoon crowd starts to fizzle out, leaving the bar only partially filled. It's the first time I've had a second to slow down all shift. While wiping down the bar, my mind begins to wander.

I can't help but think about the closed-door meeting the MC had the other night. Jesse and the others didn't say much about it, but I want to know what's going on. Especially if it has to do with Dom and his crew. I have to know if the MC thinks more retaliation is imminent.

Jesse elbows my side. "What's on your mind, babe?"

I don't waste my opening. "What did you guys talk about at that meeting the other night? Does Viper think another attack is coming?"

"Damn, not even gonna ease into it, huh?" he counters jokingly.

I square my hips and stare him down. No way is he going to distract me from getting answers. "Not in my nature. So, tell me."

He lets out a long sigh. "Guess it won't hurt to fill you in. We mostly talked about the Bastards' crew and what more we need to do to suss them out."

"And . . . "

Jesse leans against the bar, taking a quick look over his shoulder to see if any patrons are close by. "And Viper's been sending groups out to do recon . . . and other things. We think they're regrouping somewhere because we delivered some heavy blows to their warehouses after the attack on Tweak. It'll probably take them a while to get their shit together, but I doubt they'll just disappear."

He rubs his jaw and looks at me before reluctantly adding, "Prez thinks they could be planning something big. We don't know what yet."

My stomach drops. I can read between the lines. The warning is there even though he won't say the words. A war is coming, one that will likely lead to bloodshed and bullet holes.

I want to puke. It's too late to take Nix somewhere safe—not that she'd go if I tried. We're at the mercy of Viper and the MC to handle security now. That means following orders, and I fucking hate following orders.

How the hell are we gonna get out of this mess?

"Hey," a warm hand grabs my shoulder. "Don't worry, Rae. We won't let anything happen to you or your sister."

I turn to Jesse, trying to still my panic. "Yeah, whatever you say."

He spends the next hour trying to calm me down and distract me in any way he can. It's hardly working when he turns to me with a smirk. "I'm surprised you never asked me about something."

My brow furrows as I look at him. "Asked you what?"

His smile widens. "What my MC nickname is."

Okay, I wasn't expecting that. "Isn't it J, or Jes, or Hey Asshole?"

Jesse laughs. "The last one is my dad's favorite. But no, it's none of those."

"Then what is it?" I ask, now very curious. I hardly know any of the other guys by their given names, just their MC tags. But Jesse doesn't have one, or so I thought.

"It's pretty raunchy," he informs me.

I scoff, "Is it?"

"Bad enough, the guys refused to use it."

"Didn't they give it to you?" I ask.

Jesse shakes his head. "Nah. Before they came up with one, I'd already been given a winner. By the ladies."

I bark out a laugh. "Okay, seriously, what nickname could they have given you that's so bad a biker gang won't call you by it?"

I watch as he licks his lips. "You can't guess?" He hits me with a salacious smile when I shake my head and leans toward my ear. He whispers the name, making my eyes widen and sending a surprising jolt between my legs.

"Oh my God!" I yell, slapping him on the side. "What the fuck. Why didn't the MC give you a new nickname? That one is raunchy."

Jesse laughs as he gives me a sexy smirk. "Oh, they tried, but none of them could compare to that one. So, I kept shooting them down."

"You can do that?"

He shrugs. "I did."

That makes me laugh. "Jesus. No wonder they didn't want to call you by your nickname."

"Some did for a little while. Until they learned what it meant." He's laughing now as I lose it.

Between fits of laughter, I choke out. "Who the hell didn't know what that meant?"

"I was sworn to secrecy."

After that, the looming cloud of war on my mind is a bit less daunting. There are only a handful of patrons left inside, and thanks to the shockwave of arousal Jesse's confession sent to my core, I'm wound tight and ready to spring. So, I decide to take a quick break.

Maybe Jesse would be interested in joining me. I could thank him for helping get my mind off everything . . .

I run my fingers down Jesse's arm as I saunter away.

"Hey, where you goin'?" he calls after me.

"Takin' a break," I tell him, "in the storage room . . . " I know there's one thing that would definitely get my mind off an impending biker war. I just need a willing partner.

After Jesse calmed me down and shared his secret nickname with me, I figure he deserves a reward. All the energy I have pent up needs to be released, and I know exactly how I want to do it. I see his eyes turn dark as he yells to the other Son manning the bar, "Hey, takin' a break. You good solo for a few?"

He barely waits for an answer before hurdling through the door behind me. His lips meet mine feverishly as we stumble between shelves to the back wall. We both know the score—this is just sex. Hot, dirty, fast. Just enough to get the blood flowing and distract us from our heavy conversation earlier.

My heart stammers as Jesse licks down my neck, palming my tits and biting my nipples through my shirt. His mouth worships a long line down my body until he meets the top of my jeans.

On his knees, he smolders up at me as his hands cup me through the denim. "Is this what you want, baby?"

I moan as he presses harder against my aching pussy. "Fuck, yes."

He drops my jeans and thong, giving himself access to my needy center. I grip his thick hair as he smiles against my skin. "So fuckin' wet," he coos, sliding a finger between my legs.

Before I can reply, his tongue silences me, diving deep into my weeping folds. I bite my lip to dampen the sounds trying to escape my mouth as Jesse works his tongue and fingers inside me. Over and over, he thrusts, driving me closer to climax. I pull his head closer, tugging his hair hard as I feel my orgasm start to crash over me. I come undone all over him as he laps up every bit of my juices before pulling away, smiling.

But I'm not done yet. I pull him to his feet and claw at the button of his jeans. Faster than lightning, he helps me lower his pants and boxers, freeing his ready cock. I lick my lips as he pulls out a condom from his wallet. The wrapper is quickly discarded, and I roll the rubber over his shaft, impatient for him to be inside me.

Clinging to his rock-hard staff, I pull him to me, releasing a moan as he breaches my soaking pussy. He lifts me, locking my legs around him as he pounds into me, crushing me between his cock and the wall. His thrusts become frenzied as he grunts into my neck. It's fast, hot, and messy—exactly what I need. I feel him swelling inside me as my second orgasm builds.

Close, I'm so close. "Mmm. Fuck. So fuckin' good, babe. I'm gonna—"

I squeeze his ass in both hands as I bare down on him, feeling my release explode between us. "Oh God!" I cry as Jesse jolts against me, pumping into me as his orgasm crests.

"Fuck, that was incredible," he pants into my neck as he pulls out.

I dress as Jesse tosses the condom in the trash and tucks himself away, giving me a lopsided smile. "Thanks for that," I tell him.

He huffs out a laugh. "I should thank you. Fuck that was hot."

He plants a kiss on my lips as we head for the door, both still delirious and disheveled. We make our way to the bar as Archie calls out, "The last customer walked out before you two got loud."

Jesse laughs. "Well, they missed one hell of a finale."

"Yeah, it's a good thing Prez didn't decide to stop by."

I let out a chuckle as I turn toward the empty bar. The door swings open, and Reaper stalks inside. He looks rougher than usual, so it isn't any surprise when he eyes me and Jesse with narrowed eyes and shakes his head. "Christ," I hear him mumble under his breath as he takes a seat at the end of the bar.

Jesse watches him as he sits down. "All good, brother?"

"Fine," Reaper seethes.

"Somethin' happen?"

Reaper shakes his head. "Nothin' new." He shoots me a nasty look before shaking his head in disgust.

This fucking guy.

"What the fuck is your problem?" I can't even ride the high from my orgasm before this dick comes in to knock me down. Jealous fucking bastard.

He turns his sneering face to me. "Are you so desperate for cock you can't even wait till after the place is closed to spread your legs?"

Mother. Fucker.

"What? Jealous it wasn't you back there between my legs, Grim?" I sneer.

In the blink of an eye, he stands up, knocking the stool down behind him, seething as he leans over the bar. I watch as his body shakes with fury. This move might have intimidated most people, but I'm too pissed to care. I meet his fury with a blaze of my own, holding my ground behind the bar as I leer back at him.

Taking it a step further, I lean closer, daring him to pop off. He bares his teeth at me as I refuse to budge. "Did I strike a nerve, Big Guy?"

Reaper starts growling as Jesse steps in, pushing me back and putting himself between me and the furious MC enforcer. "How 'bout you take a walk, brother? Cool down before you do something stupid."

Reaper's lips curl at Jesse, and he pushes away from the bar, storming outside. I watch the door slam behind him. Good fucking riddance.

"What the fuck is his problem?"

Jesse sighs. "I don't know, babe. Probably something to do with the Bastards. He was pretty pissy when he came in."

"He's always pissy, but that," I point toward the door Reaper barreled through, " that was fucking bullshit. That was fucking psycho."

Jesse holds up his hands in surrender. "I know. I know, but as livid as he was, you gotta know he'd never cross that line. He'd never lay hands on a woman like that; none of us would."

"Yeah, well, he can still go fuck himself. That whole MC intimidator thing he tried to pull was bullshit."

A laugh escapes Jesse's lips. When I snap my head toward him, he sobers up fast. "You know, it's not every day someone has the balls to square up to Reaper like that. It was kinda hot."

I roll my eyes and shove his shoulder. "Shut the fuck up." My words don't hold any venom, and a tiny smile forms on my lips. Just like that, things are back to normal. Jesse has some kind of magic power to soothe shit over like that. It's impressive.

We get back to work, and I find myself watching Jesse. He's hot, with his muscular body, tats galore, and killer smile. Even his hair is sexy with that still-tousled look from our romp earlier. Everything about him is attractive, including his personality.

I start wondering if there could be something more, something deeper between us than our friends-with-benefits arrangement. But that would involve feelings, right?

And I don't do feelings. I only do positions.

Lots and lots of positions.

My stony heart wouldn't know feelings if they burst through my chest. Not those kinds of feelings anyway. I love my sister and loved my mother, but the other kind of love? Yeah, that's foreign to me. I've never felt it. Who knows, maybe I never will.

I look at Jesse again, almost hoping for something to snap into place. The seconds pass, and . . .

Nothing.

There's no moment of Oh my God, he's the one , no butterflies in my stomach, no aching desire to be anything more than the occasional rut.

Damn.

My body only wants him for one thing. I guess I'll just have to enjoy it while it lasts.