Aching to Exhale (26 page)

"He loved you," Raul whispered back. "They all do."

She closed her eyes, saddened by the turn of events. It was her fault Nichols wanted to go on the ride, even though he was too old and cantankerous to go up against the Los Li. Nichols protected her in a way her own dad never had. She'd never forget him or his selfless act.

She wasn't sure she'd ever understand the bikers' motivation, or what made them fearless in the battle of adversary. They faced dangers every single day. It was a part of their normal routine, much like the way normal people work up and went to their Monday through Friday job. It's all they knew and they were content.

"What happens now? So many people died."

"I had to pull strings,
mi vida
." Raul lifted both her hands and kissed each one. "I made a deal to protect the Lagsturns MC, it's who I am, and it's going to impact you."

She leaned toward him. "Oh, baby, what did you do?"

He squeezed her hands. "This is a one offer deal to wash the charges off my back and keep me out of prison. The bureau wants me to be reinstated and continue working with the FBI while living the life we planned. My fate will rest in Lagsturns members' hands, whether they let me walk or not. I'm not sure what they'll do with the information I have for them."

Her throat closed and she coughed, trying to exhale. The room spun. She pulled away and stood, walking to the other side of the room. It was unfair. He was saving her life, all because of her father.

If he returned to the Lagsturns, they would burn him at the stake for betraying their trust. She'd heard horror stories of what happened to exiled members who made the wrong decisions. She gazed at Raul. He sat there calmly, giving her time to understand the problem he faced. He trusted her.

Every single step, he'd asked her to trust him, and she had. Today was no different. She'd announced on national news exactly why she loved the man sitting in the same room as her and nothing had changed. He accepted her, faults and all. She couldn't imagine a day without him. Whatever happened, they'd face the problem together. If he couldn't get the Lagsturns to listen, she'd talk. She'd throw the biggest diva fit to date, and demand they listen.

Somehow, they'd figure out a way.

She returned to his side. "Sign the papers or do whatever it is you need to do so we can get out of here. Big Joe is going to bite all his fingernails off if I leave him alone outside any longer."

Raul grinned. "You're sure?"

She swallowed, pushing past the need to scream her frustrations, "Yes. But ask me tomorrow when I've singlehandedly kicked biker ass to make sure they don't kill my man, and I might answer differently. For now, I just want to go home."

He stood and looped his arm around her shoulders. "You do know, I already signed the papers before you arrived. I'm FBI."

She slugged him hard in the stomach. "Asshole."

He kissed her hard, chuckling against her lips. "I promised you, we'd get hitched, and nothing is going to stop me. Before we roll out of Vegas, we have a chapel to find."

Chapter Thirty-Two

Two weeks later.

Raul stood in the middle of the bedroom at the club. It was the first time Crystal made the bed since they'd returned from Nevada, and Raul already missed lying on the mattress, balls deep inside of his woman. He studied the room, everything was sparkling clean. Crystal had even removed the Kid Rock tickets and set out a brand new smelly candle on the bedside table.

He was going to miss this place.

The shower shut off. He walked over to the bathroom door and knocked. "Hurry up. Everyone's waiting."

"Hold your boxers if you're wearing any. I need to put my makeup on," Crystals shouted through the locked door.

He chuckled. She knew him well.

Underneath his jeans, he went commando, because she'd packed all his clothes earlier and he couldn't find a pair of boxers after he finished his shower. He also knew she'd be awhile in the bathroom, because no one could hurry Crystal along when her mind was set.

Yesterday, she'd dragged him through three stores looking for the perfect outfit for today. Then she needed new boots. By the time they were done, he was hungry, tired, and hornier than hell. She'd tempted, teased, and flirted with him throughout the whole excursion, until he'd finally put his foot down and took her behind the pillar in a parking garage.

He smiled, and sat down in the wooden chair to wait. She was still trying to create drama. When she discovered no one was interested in her being alive and instead focused on her father's high profile court case, she'd taken it to heart. If they went out for drinks, she danced on the bar. If they rode through town, she wore the skimpiest, sexiest outfit she had in the closet. He was enjoying the hell out of his wife's determination to bring the attention back around to her, and living up to her prior bad girl reputation.

He gazed at the bathroom door and hardened. Hell, she wasn't the only one who could demand what she wanted.

He unbuckled his belt, unbuttoned his jeans, and released the zipper by the time he opened the bathroom door, letting it bang against the wall. Crystal screamed and dropped the brush she held in her hand.

Then her gaze met his in the mirror, and his cock got even harder. Her eyes warmed and she sagged against the bathroom counter. Without looking away from her reflection, he moved in behind her.

She braced her hands on the counter and moved her tight little ass back against him. He caressed her curves from ribs to ass, glad he'd caught her before she could dress. Crystal in a black bra, black skimpy pair of panties in front of a mirror was right up there with riding a hundred miles an hour around Willow Bay, where a rider had to ride faster than the fear of dying.

"One more time,
mi vida
," he said. "For memories."

She nodded, widening her stance. He reached around her and covered her breasts, watching her reaction in the mirror. He'd never get tired of the way her cheeks flushed and her eyelids lowered with passion. She was hot, all the time, whenever he needed her, and he was finding out that there was never a time when he didn't want her.

His hardness pressed between her legs, and he thrust slowly, showing her what he would give her. She arched and flipped her hair behind her back. His balls pulsated in pleasure. He could look at her all day and die a happy man.

She moved with grace and a tinge of wildness as if at any moment she'd get the idea to push him to the ground and fuck him. He loved not knowing what she'd do next. She spoke softly, except when emotions hit her, which was ninety-nine percent of the time. Her mouth knew exactly how to make him hard, along with her lips and tongue.

She leaned back, turning her head, and kissed his mouth. He held her tight into his body, letting her warmth from the shower seep into him. She tasted fucking great.

She gasped against his lips, turned back around and bounced on her toes to the rhythmic sway he set. He lowered his hand and palmed her mound, slipping a finger through her wetness and around her clit. He bent his legs, found her entrance with his cock, and sucked in his breath when they connected. She bucked against him, and then moved into a slow glide.

He thrust all the way into her, and moved his hands to her hips. Perfect hips made for the size of his hands.

Her head fell forward. He looked down between their bodies and pulled almost out of her before plunging back in slowly. Her wetness squeezed him, and the erotic picture had him holding back. The need to slam every inch of him in her and seek his release heightened his arousal, and he forced himself to take his time and enjoy every second.

Crystal let go of the counter with one hand and stuck her arm between her legs. Her fingers skimmed his balls. He grunted, hips pumping, and grabbed her hair, forcing her face up, so he could see her in the mirror.

"That's it,
mi vida
. Touch yourself. Let me feel you come," he said.

She nodded. He held on to her as she moved against her hand. The movement stroked his dick, and he rocked back on his heels letting her have every inch.

Her movements grew more frantic, more hurried, more desperate. He held on to her and gave it to her harder, longer, more consistent until he could hold on no longer. Every caress, every moan, every single second was for him.

"That's it," he said, taking in the way her mouth opened and she closed her eyes.

On the edge, he was right there with her when her body convulsed around his cock. He shuddered with his release and plunged deep inside of her to spill his seed. She swayed, and he wrapped his arm around her waist to keep them both standing, not ready to leave the warmth of her body.

She panted and smiled at him in the mirror. "You do know we're due downstairs any minute and every single one of them will know we were having sex, right?"

He grinned. "Yeah."

Not one of the men downstairs would fault him for wanting to have sex with Crystal. Hell, half of them wished he'd give them a turn at her, but knew she was off limits. There was only one woman for him, and he had her. He wasn't going to lose her.

He wiped himself on her used bath towel, kissed her hard, and smacked her ass. "Get dressed, we need to go."

"I will if you leave me alone." She gave him a push. "Go. Let me try and fix what you ruined."

He laughed and walked out of the bathroom to leave her to do whatever it was girls do. He'd barely made it to the chair when loud banging broke the latch on the door and Big Joe strolled in as if he owned the place.

His brother peered around the room and narrowed his gaze. "You've got about ten minutes or all hells gonna break lose outside. The no guns rule in place is off the table, and Duck isn't calling order."

"Jesus…" Raul stood and marched over to the bathroom. "Get the lead out. It's time."

"I told you, not until everything is perfect. Tell the boys not to hurry a girl." Crystal opened the door an inch and peeked through the slot. "I'm almost done—she spotted their visitor and smiled—Hey, Big Joe."

"Hey, Crystal." Big Joe blushed and waved.

Raul gazed up at the ceiling, calling for patience. Ever since they'd returned and the meeting to vote him in or out took place, which ended in Crystal talking for a half hour outside the door not letting them vote in peace, ended with most of the Lagsturns members half in love with her. The others went home and unfairly threw Crystal's dedication to the MC and Raul in their old ladies faces, trying to get a rise out of them…and failed.

Crystal was one of a kind, and he knew it. Big Joe knew it. The Lagsturns knew it.

A gun shot blast rocked the room. Raul hurried to the window. Below the crowd of bikers remained in place. He exhaled and his stomach cramped in tension. He had a feeling things were going to get ugly. The sooner they got downstairs, the better.

"Crystal," he bellowed.

She walked out of the bathroom, fluffing her hair. "Fine."

He took in the short black skirt, the long bare legs, the thigh high boots. Then he dragged his gaze over the low cut T-shirt hugging her ribs, showing a hell of a lot of cleavage, and the silver tag dangling between her breasts on a chain that read,
Property of Lagsturns MC, Crystal Rose.
His brothers presented the tag to her on their wedding day, along with a matching one for Raul. He was never going to take his off.

The tag represented everything to him. He was a Lagsturns, Crystal was his woman, and until the day he laid his motorcycle horizontal on the pavement and went away from this life, he was a biker, through and through.

Crystal cleared her throat. He smiled into her eyes and stalked toward her, hooking her neck and pulling her against his body. He kissed her dark red lips, not caring if the telltale sign remained on him. He'd tell the whole damn world he belonged to her if she wanted him to.

He pulled back reluctantly. "Ready?"

"Yeah." She ran her hands down her stomach. "You do know this will change everything, and I'm not going to be able to sit back and let anyone push me around. In my heart, I'm the president's old lady. I deserve respect."

Raul smacked her ass to get her going. "No doubt about it,
mi vida
. It'll be a full time job keeping you out of trouble."

Crystal stopped in the doorway, waited until Big Joe headed down the stairs and turned to Raul. "I'm scared," she whispered.

He kissed the tip of her nose and stayed close. "It'll be okay. Trust me. One day at a time and we'll manage just fine."

"Yeah." She patted his chest, straightened his vest, and cocked her head to the side, giving him one of her sweet smiles that totally lied about how fine she really was right now. "Let's roll, honey."

Yeah, he'd keep her. There was nobody like his Crystal Rose.

They walked down the stairs together. The lobby cleared of any members; he knew they were all waiting outside. He paused at the bar and gazed around the place. The old brown couch. The scarred bar. The cracked overhead light over the pool table. He had stories that involved everything in the building. He'd lived here for over eight years and there were fond memories. The best he had, so far.

He'd gone from Prospect to president within the confines of the meeting room. He'd shared pledges, bonded with the men, and grew to love the families that came along with being a member of the Lagsturns Motorcycle Club. Most of all, he remembered picking up Crystal, then a scared, broken woman at one of the many parties hosted here, and falling in love with her.

He couldn't imagine any other kind of life. His job would always come first. He owed the FBI that much, and he'd take his punishment for the deaths at the hands of the Lagsturns in exchange. He'd sworn to Crystal that he was okay with his decision, but there were times, like right now, where he wondered if he was doing the right thing. The line that often blurred for him was fuzzy.

Crystal ran her fingers down his arm and into his hand, giving him a squeeze in support. He lifted his chin. Yeah, it felt right. He'd trust his gut that today was about moving forward, for the good.