Los Perdidos: The Novel (Sons of Glory Motorcycle Club Romance) (8 page)

Liana noticed Rosie and me staring at her, and sauntered over to us, a glass of something clear in her hand. “Hey, Rosie,” she said, looking at me with a disdainful expression. “Who’s this?”

“I’m Flame,” I said evenly, meeting her gaze.

“She’s with Smoke,” Rosie said, her tone challenging.

“Is she, now?” Liana scoffed. “I doubt that will last for long.” The blond looked me up and down. “Smoke likes his women to be built like women – not little girls.” She stared pointedly at my breasts and sneered, then turned away from me dismissively. I felt a wave of heat redden my cheeks. It was true that next to her exaggerated curves, I felt like a little girl, but I refused to let her see this. I did my best to keep my face completely devoid of expression.

“What are you doin’ here, Liana?” Rosie asked coldly.

“I came to talk to Smoke.” She turned to me and said pointedly: “He left some of his stuff at my house a few nights ago.”

Rosie snorted. “Yeah, right,” she said, taking a pull of her beer.

Liana turned to Rosie, her expression one of barely contained rage. “What the fuck do you know about it, bitch?”

“Really? You’re gonna call
me
a bitch?” Rosie shot back. “Are you forgetting who you’re trying to fuck with, you crazy psycho?”

“Smoke’s out back, talking to Ram,” I said pointedly to Liana. “You know, Rosie’s
father
? I don’t think you want to disturb them.”

Liana looked less than pleased that I had addressed her directly. She cut her eyes toward me, and then back to Rosie. “Nosy bitches should keep your asses outta my business,” she said through gritted teeth. Then, affecting an air of indifference, her tone lightened. “I’ll wait for Smoke. I got time.” She took a seat on the empty bar stool beside us and emptied her glass, signaling to the bartender for another round.

Rosie rolled her eyes at me and said, “Hey Flame, you wanna go watch the guys shoot pool?”

“Sure,” I agreed, getting up. We left Liana there and walked toward the sound of cues hitting balls.

“That bitch is trouble,” Rosie murmured at me as we walked away. “You do not wanna get on her bad side.”

“Looks like I already am,” I said wryly.

“Yeah, but seriously. Stay clear of her. She’s a psycho bitch. She will fuck you up, for real. She and Smoke were together for years, since high school. Everyone just assumed she was his old lady for good. Then come to find out, she was fucking his best friend the whole time.” Rosie’s eyes grew serious. “His friend, Robbie? He was a prospect at the same time Smoke was. The two of them went through practically everything together. When Smoke found out about him and Liana, he went after Robbie. I don’t know exactly what happened, but Robbie’s gone. No one’s seen or heard from him since. Either he left the state, or…” Rosie trailed off.

Or what?
I wanted to ask, but I didn’t dare. Something told me I didn’t want to hear the answer said out loud.

“Anyway, afterwards, Liana tried to convince Smoke that Robbie had been forcing her to fuck him,” Rosie continued. “But Smoke didn’t buy it. She threatened to kill herself if he didn’t take her back. She even ended up in the hospital at one point. Smoke went to see her when she was in, and she took that as a sign that he forgave her. But once she got out again, he told her that he never wanted to see her again. Since then, she comes in here every month or so and tries to talk him into getting back with her.”

Just then, Smoke appeared in the hallway. He looked around the room, searching, and stopped when his eyes came to rest on me. As he started in our direction, Liana jumped up off her stool and walked quickly over to him, intercepting him before he could get to me. I watched Smoke’s expression closely as she spoke to him, but I couldn’t get a read on his emotions at all. A sharp knife of jealousy stabbed through me as I looked at the two of them. I imagined them together, in bed, naked, and a wave of pure rage coursed through me. For the first time in my life, I felt a strong urge to launch myself at another woman and claw her eyes out.

Knowing I was being irrational, I forced myself to appear calm and unconcerned as they continued to talk. Liana draped her arms around him as she spoke, leaning in and tilting her face up toward his. He did nothing while she did this at first. Eventually, his hands went to her waist. His eyes flicked toward me as he gently detached her and pushed her away. Liana gestured angrily. She turned in the direction of Smoke’s gaze, and her eyes locked on mine in an expression of barely concealed fury. Wheeling around, she turned on her heel and walked out, setting her glass on the bar with a loud crack as she passed it.

“Hey, babe,” Smoke smiled easily as he came up to me. He slung an arm around me and nodded at Rosie. “How’s it goin’, Rose?” he asked. It was as though Liana had never been there.

“Good, except for psycho bitch comin’ in,” Rosie answered, nodding at the door.

“Don’t worry about her,” he said smoothly. “Everything’s fine.” Smoke turned to me. “Babe, I gotta go talk to some people for Ram.”

“The Iron Alliance?” I asked, remembering the name of the rival motorcycle club I had heard them talking about.

He gave me an inscrutable look. “Yeah. The Iron Alliance. You wanna wait here, or should I take you home?”

“How long will you be, do you think?”

“Shouldn’t be much more than an hour.”

I thought about it for a minute. “I guess I’ll stay here,” I replied, “if Rosie will keep me company.” The young woman raised her beer in assent.

“Okay, then. See you soon.” Smoke gave me a rough kiss, then let me go. I watched him as he nodded at some of the other club members. Three men got up to join him, and the group exited the bar together.

Rosie whistled. “Damn, that man is fine. Looks like you’ve managed to get a hook in him, too. I haven’t seen him that calm around Liana since they broke up.”

My heart leaped as she said this. Liana’s presence had left a bad taste in my mouth, and I was eager to hear anything that could reassure me that the crazy blond was less of a threat than I feared she was. I hoped Rosie was right about Smoke. I was less sure what to think about Liana. I had a sinking feeling that I hadn’t seen the last of her.

Smoke took a bit longer than he said he would out on his run out to see the Iron Alliance, and it was almost two hours later when he came back into the bar, alone. Waiting for him for so long had made me a little impatient, and a couple more beers had loosened my tongue a bit. “I missed you,” I said to him when he pulled me in for a kiss.

“Missed you, too,” he murmured into my neck. “Sorry I took longer than I thought. You ready to get out of here?”

I nodded. “More than ready.”

I said goodbye to Rosie and we left. Soon, we were riding through the night to Smoke’s place, my adrenaline rushing from the thrill of the bike and the knowledge that soon, Smoke would be possessing my body completely. The slight chill in the air played across my skin, and I sank against Smoke’s back for warmth. The comforting smell of his leather cut filled my nostrils. His scent, the feel of him, were already so familiar to me. Just being near him was intoxicating. I knew instinctively that my body would never forget his, no matter what happened between us.

Soon, we had arrived at his place and Smoke was pulling into his driveway. He cut the lights and held the bike steady for me to get off. We walked up to the front door together, and he held it open for me to step through. Unlike the last time I had been here, this time when we got inside, he simply took my hand and led me to his bedroom without a word.

Smoke pushed me down onto the bed and sank down on top of me. Sighing with happiness, I wrapped my legs around his torso as he bent to kiss me. I felt him stiffen with need against me, and my body responded, craving his touch. I whimpered and rocked my hips into his, desperate to feel more of him. We lay like that, locked together in a delicious, sensual rhythm, as he probed my mouth with his tongue. The heaven of being there, in his arms, was unlike anything I’d ever felt in my life. Hazily, the thought entered my mind that I was falling in love with him.

His lips broke away from mine and he traced a burning trail down my neck. My nipples tautened instantly at the feel of his mouth on my hot skin. Soon my breath was coming in short, ragged gasps. I felt his hands push up under my shirt, and I instinctively raised my arms so he could push it up over my head. Then his fingers were at my bra, and that, too, fell away, so that my waiting breasts were exposed before him. I fisted my hands in his hair as he kissed the cream of my skin, then bit and sucked at my hardening nubs. A low moan escaped my throat. I clung to him, my head thrown back in ecstasy. I writhed my hips against his, and he answered every thrust, pushing his hard shaft against my pulsing sex. My legs spread wider as I moved against him, my mind empty of everything but my need. The pleasure was so great that before I knew what was happening I exploded, calling out his name as I came under him so hard that it felt like a bomb had gone off inside me. I shuddered and shook, clinging to him as though he was the only thing anchoring me to the earth. Eventually I opened my eyes to see him gazing down at me in triumph. “That’s only the beginning, babe,” he growled.

When my orgasm had subsided enough for me to stop shuddering, Smoke lifted himself off me and pulled off first his shirt, then his jeans. Standing before me in his glorious nakedness, he took me in with his gaze. His eyes were hooded with desire as I sat up and peeled off my own jeans, then my soaked panties. He kneeled between my legs and pushed my thighs apart. Seconds later, he was inside me, thrusting himself inside my dripping pussy and filling me completely. I arched my back and cried out as his tip hit my cervix. “Jesus, Flame,” he groaned. He rocked against me, pushing deeper and deeper with each thrust. He was like a man possessed, as though the release he sought was more than sexual. I clung to him, urging him on as I felt my own tension begin to build again. My sex clenched against him, feeling every throb, every thrust. We locked eyes, and he began to push me higher and higher, wordlessly taking me with him toward the cliff. “Oh, baby,” he intoned. “What you do to me… it’s so good. So, so good…” Soon, with a final groan, he muttered, “Oh, fuck, yes, baby, I’m coming…” His head arched back, his eyes rolling back in his head, as he grabbed my hips and emptied himself inside me. The heat of his release, the molten lava of him filling me, sent me over the edge a second time, and I screamed against his shoulder as the waves crashed against me. I felt myself pulse around his cock as my body milked him of every last drop of his seed. We collapsed against one another, panting, and soon fell wordlessly into a dreamless sleep.

When I woke again, it was just after midnight. Smoke was already awake – for how long, I didn’t know – and was lying on his side next to me. He had propped himself up on one elbow, and was looking down at me with an expression I couldn’t quite read. I smiled at him and he smiled back. The tension in him that I had noted earlier seemed to have gone from his body now.

I snuggled up next to him. “Hey, you,” I said softly. He pulled me closer and enveloped me in his arms. “Hey,” he murmured. We lay like that, murmuring softly to each other as I kissed his chest and he stroked my hair.

After a few minutes, I decided to hazard a question or two about earlier in the evening. “So… Liana. What exactly is up with her?”

He sighed. “Nothing you need to worry about. We used to be together. We’re not anymore. End of story.” He kissed my hair.

“That’s not what she seems to think,” I ventured.

“What she thinks doesn’t make any fucking difference. It’s over. The sooner she figures that out, the better for her.” Smoke shifted position, and I lay my head on his chest.

I decided to leave the subject of Liana alone, for now. “How did it go tonight?” I asked. “With the Iron Alliance?”

His tone became guarded, and I immediately regretted asking. “It was fine,” he answered. Though he kept his tone light as he spoke, I could tell it was an effort for him to speak about it. I seemed to have stumbled onto a danger zone.

“I’m sorry,” I said instantly. “I didn’t mean to pry.”

Smoke was silent. “No, it’s okay,” he said finally. He sat up, his back against the headboard, and looked at me. “It’s just club business. Nothing for you to worry about.”

Nothing for me to worry about
was starting to sound like a refrain. I wasn’t so sure that was a good sign for the future of our whatever-this-was. I lay there quietly, listening to the rise and fall of his breathing. Finally, unable to stop myself and against my better judgment, I asked another question. “Smoke, what exactly is your club business? I mean, I get that Los Perdidos owns the Black Dog. And I gather that the warehouse we went to outside of town belongs to you guys, too. But what do you guys do there? Are you selling stuff from there?”

Smoke paused for a second, then two, as though trying to figure out how to answer. “Yeah, the warehouse belongs to the club. We have various… business dealings… with some other organizations in the area. The Iron Alliance recently reneged on a business agreement that we’ve had with them for many years. Ram sent me and some other brothers to…
discuss
the situation with them.”

I didn’t like the tone he had used when he said
discussed
. “Smoke, what kind of business dealings are you talking about?” I asked. I suddenly needed very much to know what had been going on tonight.

A warning tone crept into his voice as he responded. “Look, you don’t need to know that. It’s club business,” he repeated.

“Yes, I know it’s club business,” I persisted. “But if you’re in danger out there, that kind of makes a difference to me, you know? Are you? In danger, I mean?” I paused, then asked the question that had been plaguing me all along. “Is what you’re doing illegal?”

Smoke sat up looked at me then. The expression in his eyes chilled me. “Look. This is none of your fucking business, do you understand? When I said club business, I meant club business. Private. I shouldn’t have told you even as much as I did.”

“Is it illegal, what you’re doing?” I pressed.

Smoke snorted, then looked away. “What do you think?”

I blanched. “So, you could go to jail? Jesus, Smoke, what are you doing?”

“I’m doing the business of the club,” he said flatly.

Oh, my God. If I heard the phrase
club business
one more time… “But the business of the club – what if it’s hurting other people?” I persisted.

For a moment, Smoke’s expression turned from anger to pain. Then his face hardened into a scowl. “Look, College,” he sneered. “You’re outta your depth here. I should never have brought you to my house. I should never have given you the impression that this was anything other than a…”

At that moment, his cell phone began buzzing on the night stand. “God damnit,” he said through gritted teeth. He picked it up and pressed a button. “Yeah,” he said. He listened for a moment, and then scowled. “Shit. Yeah. Okay, I’ll be right there.”

Smoke turned to me, his expression closed off. “Listen, I have to go do something. Right now. I don’t have time to take you back. I’ll come back when it’s all over and take you home.” He got out of bed and dressed without a word. Grabbing his cut, he stomped out of the room. I heard the door slam behind him. A couple of seconds later, his engine roared to life and he sped away.

I sat in Smoke’s bed, my arms hugging my knees to my chest. I breathed deeply, in and out, in and out, and fought the urge to burst into tears. So, I didn’t matter to Smoke, after all. I was just a convenient fuck. I dropped my head to my knees in shame and frustration. I should have listened to Dana and Kara, I thought miserably. This thing between Smoke and me, what I thought we had – it was all in my head. Things between us would never work. Even though I wanted him more than I had ever wanted anyone. Even though earlier, when Smoke looked into my eyes as he fucked me, I felt like I was drowning in him. Even though I felt more alive, more like a woman, when I was with him than I ever had before.

Suddenly, I couldn’t stand to be in Smoke’s bed for one more second. I vaulted up off the mattress as though it was burning me. I began to pace: I couldn’t stand being here, in Smoke’s house. Not now that I knew I didn’t matter to him. I had to get out of here. But how? I could call a cab, but somehow, the thought of being alone in a vehicle with a total stranger made me feel raw and exposed. I pulled on my clothes in a frenzy, thinking. Should I call Kara and ask her to borrow Josh’s car and come get me? Shame filled me as I imagined having to tell her that she and Dana had been right about Smoke.

As I pulled on my boots, I heard the front door open softly.
He’s back,
I thought with a mixture of excitement and dread. I put on an expression of proud indifference as I prepared to face him. As I walked through the bedroom door into the living room, I called, “I thought you had to go deal with your problem.”

“I did,” Liana said, pointing a gun at my chest. “Lucky for me, it’s right here.”