Twisted Steel: An MC Anthology: Second Edition by Elizabeth Knox (top 5 ebook reader txt) 📕

his knuckles on the top of his head. “She hightails it outta here, it ain’t gonna be because of us, dumbass. That’ll all be on you.”

When he releases him, Tim looks ready to come out of his chair and kill him, but Wolf pats his chest. “Don’t let him get to you, Green. We’re goin’. Nice meeting you, Sara.”

I nod my head, and Wolf pushes Red Dog around. “Let’s leave these two lovebirds alone, boys.”

They troop out, and Tim just sits until they’re gone. When the back door slams and boots clomp down the back steps, he meets my gaze.

“Guess that cat’s out of the bag.”

“You mean the one where you’re in a biker gang now?”

“Yeah, that one.”

“Were you planning on telling me?”

He nods. “You said you wanted to go for a ride. I figured it’d come up when I slung my colors on my back.”

I sit quietly, staring at him, and trying to take this all in. “How long have you been in?”

“While you were doin’ four years of college, I was doin’ four years in the Marines. Started prospectin’ with the Dead not long after I got out, so I guess it’s been about sixteen years now.”

“The Dead?”

“The Evil Dead MC. That’s our club’s name.”

“Oh.”

He stares at me a long time. “You still want to take that ride, or are you thinkin’ about leaving?”

“I still want to take that ride.”

He smiles, like he just got a reprieve from death row.

“Thank God.”

We make a quick stop at my hotel to change clothes, and then head out.

An hour later he’s ridden us up into the mountains, then down along the coast. Before I know it, he’s pulling over near Natural Bridges State Beach. It’s early in the afternoon when we arrive. We climb off the bike and find an overlook spot to sit and watch the surf break against the arch-shaped rock formations.

“I always loved this spot,” I say, staring out at the water.

“I remember,” Irish says. I feel his eyes on me and turn to find him studying my face.

“What?”

“Nothing. Just, you haven’t changed a bit.”

I huff out a laugh. “Were you looking for wrinkles?”

He chuckles and turns his head. “No. Just looking at you.”

I turn back to the water.

“I haven’t been back here in years. I think the last time was when I came home from Iraq,” he murmurs.

My smile fades, and it’s my turn to study his profile. “Tell me about it.”

He shrugs. “Not much to tell. Went over there, kicked ass, took names, and came home.”

“And then you joined the MC?”

“Yep.”

He doesn’t seem to want to talk about it, so I don’t push. I decide that if he wants to talk, he will. I look out over the surf. “It’s whale season.”

“Yeah. Guess so. They should be heading north.”

I see a spray of water as one blows, and tap Tim’s arm, pointing. “Look! There’s one.”

We watch for a few minutes, but it’s the only one.

“Straggler,” Tim says.

“Don’t say that.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. Just . . . I guess I hate to think of it out there all alone.”

“Sometimes it’s good to be alone.”

I think about that statement. Sure there are hours, maybe even days I like solitude, but overall I get lonely, and I hate loneliness. Melancholy swamps over me like the tide coming in.

“What’s wrong, babe?” Tim asks.

I shake my head and look down. The next thing I know, tears are welling in my eyes. Strong arms wrap around me, and I tuck my head under Tim’s jaw.

“Come here, sweetheart.” He holds me tight.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what I’m sad about.”

“You sure?”

I wipe at my cheeks, dashing the tears away. “I love LA. I do, it’s just . . . I don’t know, it’s full of people, and yet can be the loneliest place on earth. I guess I’m not making much sense. I must sound silly to you.”

“Not at all. Sometimes, I’m in the middle of the clubhouse, packed with people, and I feel that way.”

I stare up at him. “You do?”

“Sure.”

“I wish . . . I wish you’d looked me up when you got out of the service.”

He stares at me for a long time. “I wish I had too, Sara. Maybe things would be real different for us.”

“We ended so horribly.”

“I was angry when you left. It felt like you’d abandoned me.”

“I’m sorry I left you that way, Irish.”

“I realize now how selfish I was to ask you to stay.”

I shake my head. “You weren’t selfish.”

“You had to go. I know that now. Hell, maybe I knew it then.”

He’s trying to make me feel better, but I’m only feeling worse.

Like he senses my feelings, like he always used to, he takes my hand, and lifts it to his mouth, kissing the back, then shakes it. “Hey, only happy memories today, okay?”

I stare out over the surf. “Remember coming here to watch the sunset? How picture-perfect it would be when the sun turned bright orange as it sank below the horizon, turning the sky ribbons of purple and red. They were really beautiful, weren’t they?” I murmur, turning to gaze at him.

He brushes his hand over my hair and meets my eyes. “Gorgeous.”

We stop back at my hotel, and spend the rest of the day and night in bed there. I can’t get enough of this man, and it seems he can’t get enough of me either. I feel like I’ve been storing up all my desire, hoarding it away for this moment in time.

We don’t eat. We barely sleep, and it’s glorious. The man has the stamina of a bull, and the way he looks at me makes me melt. It’s like he’s thanking his lucky stars for this moment. He takes his time with me, worshipping every inch of my body, and I’ve never felt so adored.

I can’t help comparing him to the boy I knew all those years ago. The man he is today is a long way from that teenager. He’s strong, yet tender, and somewhere through the years