Biker Justice: A Skull Kings MC Novella (12 page)

Jameson lifted his eyebrows. “If he has a problem, tell him to take it up with me and my crew.” He extended his arms, indicating not only the Laughlin Skull Kings but the True Northers as well.

We were forced to glower in the dark as they began to make their way back into the parking lot. The Skull Kings rode out in a blaze of burnt rubber and engine smoke, the True Northers slammed themselves into several generic cargo vans, and Alan slid into the backseat of a black Mercedes-Benz. Soon, the four of us were left alone, brimming with even more questions than answers.

But at least Lisbeth was safe.

––––––––

L
isbeth dozed on the whole ride home. By the time we got to Liam’s apartment, she was out cold and had to be lifted and carried out of the car. There was a sunrise in the sky when I finally said my goodbyes to an exhausted Aspen.

I still had to pick up Xander, but there was something else in the back of my mind. Alan had mentioned that he was taking his business out of Arizona. Did that mean to Nevada? Maybe it was a good thing. He’d be taking his activity far away from Canyon City, Lisbeth, and my son. But what did that mean for Logan?

It was only going to take me about two hours to see for myself. Xander and Shayna probably would’ve appreciated the extra time to sleep in.

* * *

T
he house was easy enough to find. After taking the main road out into the desert, all I had to do was keep driving until that little gray structure popped into view. I struggled to force my car over the gravelly dirt driveway and parked in the shade of the house.

The front door was hanging open. That could not have been a good sign. There was a stinging dryness in my throat. I swallowed as I stepped out of the car and into the house.

“Hello?” I said. “Logan?”

My eyes adjusted to the darkness. There was nothing to see. As in, literally
nothing.
All the breath fluttered out of my lungs as I took in the main living room from corner to dusty, empty corner. All of the furniture had been cleared out without even a spare sock to indicate that there had once been life here.

My footsteps echoed as I circled the room. I closed my eyes and inhaled, picking up notes of wood, smoke, and coppery dirt. Even in its empty state, the house still smelled like him.

Suddenly, I jumped as goose bumps crawled up my arms. I heard a car pulling loudly into the driveway right behind my own. I walked to the doorway just in time to see Logan stepping out of a silver coupe.

“Carmen?” he said, squinting at me. He was holding a broom.

I felt myself blushing. “H—hey.”

“What are you doing here?”

I stepped aside as Logan walked in, not stopping to acknowledge me. “I was looking for you,” I said.

Logan’s smooth movements faltered slightly. Then, he turned himself away from me and began sweeping the floor. “Why?”

“I guess I wanted to see if you were leaving town since...you know.”

“Uh—huh.”
Sweep. Sweep. Sweep.
“Well, I’m not leaving yet.”

“Okay. Good.”

Logan shoved his broom handle to the floor, surprising me. He finally looked at me, but I had to look away. His blue eyes could’ve burnt holes right into my skin.

“
’Okay
,
good’
? Why don’t you tell me how you really feel?”

I parted my mouth to defend myself, but Logan cut me off.

“I treated you nice, Carmen. I blew my cover for you, which is a fireable offense, just so I didn’t have to lie to you anymore. I helped you help Lisbeth, because I could see how much you cared about her.” He spread his arms dramatically. “And you blew. Me. Off.”

“Logan, I—”

“What else am I supposed to do? Do I have to fucking discover a new element of the Periodic Table and name it after you? Do I have to build you a castle with my bare hands? Tell me, Carmen. What else can I do to let you know that I actually really,
really
like you?”

He finally stopped, watching me for an answer. I took a deep breath.

“I got your letter, Logan.”

“And?” he said impatiently.

“And I think you’re right.”

Logan’s expression softened. He lowered his arms.

“I did give up. I was scared. I haven’t exactly had the best luck with guys. Sure, it’s all nice and easy in the beginning, but things always got complicated a few months in. In the end, they always competed with Xander for my attention. When you came around, I was...” I gulped. “I was happy for a while, but I didn’t want things to get hard for me and Xander again.”

“Car,” Logan said. He stepped toward me, close enough to touch me if he wanted to. “You basically blamed me for what happened
before
we met. You realize that, right?”

I shrugged. “I’ve dated a huge variety of guys. In the end, they only wanted one thing.”

Logan shook his head. “That’s because you’ve been seeing boys. It’s time you got yourself a real man.”

Before I could respond, Logan’s hand stretched forward and wrapped around the back of my neck. He pulled me toward him, and our mouths crashed together. My heart swelled about three sizes in my chest as we shared what felt like my first kiss ever.

“Carmen,” he whispered against my lips. His fingers traced across my jawline, down my collarbone, and to my chest. He explored my curves and settled his grip on my ass, indulging in a tight squeeze before grinding his hips against mine. “I need you, Carmen.”

My heart threatened to bang out of my chest. I pulled myself away with a gasp and touched my throbbing, bruised lips. “I have to go. Shayna’s watching Xander for me.”

Logan’s eyes fluttered. He captured my gaze, staring deep into me. His hands were still on my body, but his grip loosened. “Have dinner with me tonight.”

I had a shift, but if there was ever a time to call in, this was it. If Terrence gave me trouble, I could just drop Logan’s name and see how he reacted.

“Okay.” Optimism swelled up inside of me. I was afraid of it. I didn’t let myself smile.

Logan seemed to be following a similar vein of thought. His expression was mixed and unreadable as his hands finally fell away from my body. “Then, I guess I’ll see you tonight.”

––––––––

I
stared into the mirror, barely able to recognize myself. I wore a deep plum cocktail dress with heels and earrings, my dark hair piled high. I looked like a doll.

It took ten minutes for me to change. I whipped through my drawers, settling on the silk camisole I’d worn twice now and some black jeans. I pulled my hair back out, letting it fall in loose waves over my shoulders.

There.
I looked like myself, the very best version.

“Ooh,” Gia breathed when I stepped into the living room.

Xander rose from his position on the floor. Pieces of a jigsaw puzzle were scattered in a halo around him. “Mom, you look so pretty.”

“Thanks, honey,” I said.

Gia propped herself up on her elbows. “Will it be a late night?” She winked when Xander wasn’t looking.

“Shouldn’t be,” I said, color rising to my cheeks.

“Well, just let me know.”

I went through a whole flurry of emotions when I heard the first rumble of the motorcycle pulling up in front of the house: excitement, anxiety, fear. I gave Xander one last hug and begged them not to watch me through the window as I left, which was exactly what they did.

Logan was dressed in his usual, but I noticed that his hair was combed back and he’d shaved. He smiled and waved at the two faces in the window as I made my way toward him. Then, his eyes fell on me and lit up with recognition.

“Hey, I remember that shirt...”

I batted at his shoulder. “Hurry, let’s get out of here,” I said.

Logan placed the helmet on my head and strapped it under my chin. I climbed on the back of his bike and turned to the window for the last time. I could see my reflection in the glass as I waved, hovering somewhere between nervous and gleeful. My coloring was vivid and healthy. It was a good look on me.

* * *

F
ifteen minutes later, we came to a stop at the Skull Kings clubhouse. I raised my eyebrows at Logan as he helped me off of the bike.

“We’re eating dinner
here
?”

“Don’t look so scared. I ordered in from a great Italian place.”

It was eerie seeing the lot so empty and the grill shut away. Then, Logan stopped to take my hand, and my heart performed a somersault.

“Sorry,” he said, seeing the tension in my face. “Was that too soon?”

I shook my head.

Encouraged, he tightened his hold and led me to the doors of the clubhouse. When he opened them, I expected something to be different, but I discovered everything was exactly the same...

Except for a picnic blanket on the middle of the floor. The lights were turned low, and additional illumination came from some candles flickering on the bar.

“It’s not exactly five-star dining. I tried to be creative. I thought you’d like something a little different,” Logan said, sounding a little flustered.

I squeezed his hand. “It’s great. Really.”

We shared an awkward smile. For a moment, I thought we were going to kiss but it never came.

Logan cleared his throat. “Shall we?”

I settled myself on the floor, suddenly glad that I’d ditched the cocktail attire for something more casual. Logan sat on his knees and uncorked a chilling bottle of white wine. I studied our surroundings awkwardly as he poured my glass.

“So, what’s going to happen with your case now that Alan is moving out of town?” I asked, immediately regretting it afterward.

Logan faltered before he was able to answer. “Um, well I’m supposed to finish a bunch of paperwork on that, and it’s going to take a few weeks. But they’re taking me off of the case at the moment.”

I felt my stomach sink. His empty ranch house flashed through my mind. I took a swig of wine. “And what’s going to happen after that?”

“I requested a transfer to the regional office in Phoenix. It’ll probably be granted. I was thinking about getting a place down there.” He lowered his eyes. “Unless there was a very compelling reason for me to stay in Canyon City, of course. I’d commute if that was the case.”

I avoided his gaze, but I could almost feel it burning in to me.
Unless there was a very compelling reason for me to stay,
his voice echoed in my mind. He was talking about me.

“Enough work talk. Let’s eat,” Logan said suddenly.

He began unwrapping packages of food he pulled out of a picnic basket. When he said Italian, I’d imagined pasta with meatballs. Instead, he doled out an antipasto plate of gleaming prosciutto and fat olives, crusty bread, and an heirloom tomato salad with thick slices as big as my face. There was a theme here, and I identified it right away: finger foods. It was easy enough to figure out from the lack of plasticware.

My heart beat faster as I thought about hand-feeding Logan a piece of oil-soaked bread. I watched as he rolled an olive and some cheese inside of a slice of prosciutto. He hovered it in front of my mouth. “Ladies first.”

I finished it in two bites. His thumb brushed against my lip and I suppressed a shudder, wondering if the intimate touch had been on purpose.

“My turn?” he said hopefully. Then, he opened his mouth so wide I could see his fillings.

I laughed, and just like that, the tension broke. I snorted wine up my nose when Logan tried to feed me an olive speared onto his finger. But he was sweet, too, asking if I wanted anything salted, topping off my wine, and swiping at stray crumbs falling into my lap. As we joked and ate, it was almost like the past few weeks hadn’t even happened.

It was like that night at Amazon, when I drank too much and was surprised at how easy it was to talk to him.

“Can we start over?” I asked suddenly.

“What do you mean?”

“We didn’t have a very great start. The whole mess with Lisbeth got in the way of things. But that’s over now.”

Logan nodded. “True.” A slow grin spread over his face. “Okay. To new beginnings.”

I raised my glass against his. “To new beginnings.”

“We’ll go as slow as you want, Car.
But
just so you know, I can put you and Xander on my health insurance if we have the same address—”

“Shut up.”

“I’m just sayin’.”

I smiled. “We’ll get to that in a few months. Maybe.”

“Then, what are we supposed to do tonight?”

I leaned in. “Why don’t you tell me?”

Taking my cue, Logan drew close and pressed his lips against mine. It was just a small peck, a tiny seed that eventually bloomed into a deeper kiss. His hands crawled up my thighs to my hips, and my arms wrapped themselves around his neck. I could taste the traces of our salty, vinegary dinner on his tongue as it danced between my teeth.

“I need you, Car,” he whispered.

I needed him, too.

I lowered myself onto my back. Logan’s mouth moved from my lips to my chin, down my neck, and breathed into my cleavage. He kneaded my breasts through the silk of my camisole and the thin lacy cup of my bra. I reached up and pulled both layers down, exposing my hard nipples. Logan groaned immediately, and his mouth descended down to me, licking and nibbling and sucking.

A bulge hardened inside of his jeans, bumping into my thigh. I drew my legs apart and his hips sank in. My breaths grew shallower as I rubbed myself on him, driving both of us crazy.

Logan pulled away quickly. He took off his shirt, flashing that tight, flat abdomen of his. I ran my fingers over his ribs, his flat nipples, touching his tattoos. I saw them in a new light now. He’d collected them over the years as he worked undercover. They branded him. They were part of him. He glanced down at himself, noticing my stare.

“I got a little too deep undercover,” he said. He grabbed my hand and pulled it over his left pectoral, right above his heart. “I didn’t know where my job ended and my life began, but
this.
This is real, right here.”

We kissed again, feverishly. His hands slid up my stomach, around my back, and unhooked my bra. I picked myself up so he could slip everything off over my head. I worked on his belt in the meantime and reached inside his jeans once I got the zipper down. My hand wrapped around his shaft, and I felt a twitch of desire in my belly.