Live Free Page 3

  “All the time between me and Joey. We’ve been trying to figure out his secret.”

  “Aaah. I love you girls, but I’ll be fine. Contrary to the messy situation I’ve landed in. I’m a big girl who can take care of herself.” Evonne took the shot. “Phew. That’s potent.”

  “Yes, which is why you should lay off. When’s the last time you ate?” Joey asked, reappearing with a sullen look on her face.

  “Aaah, Hubby said no can do?” Evonne asked.

  “Yes, and don’t call him that. It sounds weird,” Joey said. She poked out her bottom lip.

  All three of them laughed.

  “Girl, you and that extra estrogen.” Juliette shook her head.

  “Just wait. It’s like having your period times a million. I know you’re not stupid, E. I’m not trying to be insulting or motherish. I just don’t want to see you taken advantage of,” Joey said.

  “Again, you mean?” Evonne grimaced. Her lower lip trembled, and her head grew light.

  “Oh, honey, let’s get you something to eat,” Juliette offered. She wrapped an arm around Evonne. Juliette had to be the sweetest soul she ever met. Saying no to her was nearly impossible. She could look at you with those big brown eyes full of genuine caring and you caved.

  Evonne admitted defeat. “Okay, what are you serving me?”

  Joey gave a small sigh of relief.

  Evonne ignored it. You decide to drown your sorrows with alcohol one time and they shut you down before you can get halfway to obliviated!

  “I was thinking sandwich and chips. Maybe some fruit?” Joey said.

  “In this place?” Evonne replied with surprise.

  Joey laughed. “We’ve taken over the grocery shopping. Got tired of all the questionable and horrible for you items they kept stocked. They still get what they want, but so do we. Our thighs and asses thank us. Or Jul’s do. Mine are about to boldly go where they haven’t been before.”

  Evonne snickered. “Thank God I have you two.”

  “Hil should be coming soon too. She was out of town researching something or another when we called her.”

  Evonne nodded, getting lost in the everyday conversation as they all feigned normalcy. You couldn’t run from your problems forever, but right now a little patch of lighthearted time with her girls was just what the doctor ordered. At least until she stopped feeling like her head had suddenly turned into a balloon. The tipsy feeling helped slow the emotions gushing from the metaphysical wound in her heart. She’d never taken a chance on anyone before. It hurt to know he’d come under false pretenses and turned what she thought was beautiful into a nightmare. A part of her wanted to see what the men had found. But the portion of her in charge of self-preservation said hell to the no.

  They all ended up in a small kitchen in the back.

  “Sit, both of you. I’ll make us lunch,” Juliette said.

  “Not even two months pregnant and I’m getting treated like an invalid,” Joey said.

  “The kitchen is the size of a matchbox, but if you like to be all in each other’s space, please come and help me,” Juliette teased with a wink.

  “When did you get to be such a smartass?” Joey asked, shaking her head.

  “About the time Shooter started tapping the aforementioned body part,” Evonne said.

  “Hey!” Juliette protested.

  “Aaah, there’s the shy librarian we both remember!” Joey laughed.

  “Y’all are freaking terrible,” Juliette said, unable to keep the sly grin off her face. Shooter seemed to make her happy, sickeningly so. She deserved it after the rough road she’d traveled.

  And what about me? What do I deserve? Right now, Evonne had no answer to that.

  The banter continued as Juliette moved around the kitchen and Joey provided just the right amount of comedic relief.

  * * * * *

  “That’s the last of it,” Crazy said, setting a box down in what used to be a guest room. Or as Rocky liked to call it, the crash here anytime room. He couldn’t shake the ire that rose. His life would be completely changed by this and for who knew how long? No more bringing bitches back home to bang or letting his brothers have a place to shack up. So much for freedom. Between his hectic training schedule and business with the group, he barely had time to himself as it was. Now…he’d have to what? Entertain this chick and play house? He shook his head, wasn’t in him.

  “I’m going to miss having access to the Boom Boom Room, Rocky.” Crazy sighed, shaking his head. “I need to get that money saved, so I can move out of the clubhouse and get my own shit. I get sick of biker bunnies everyone else and their brother have had. Sometimes you want a bitch to yourself, you feel me?”

  Rocky laughed. “Yeah man, why do you think I got my own place? No worries about them expecting repeats or trying to cling on you for old lady status.”

  Crazy nodded. It might seem callous to others, but it was their life. They lived for the moment and the pleasure, because you never knew when your life would end.

  “We should head to the clubhouse. I get the feeling ol’ girl’s a sloppy drunk mess about now,” Rocky said.

  “Good luck with that shrew,” Crazy said. “I mean I get that her head is fucked up, but she’s always been uptight. She’s probably freaking the fuck out.”

  “You saw her. She’s a fucking firecracker; that’s for sure.” Rocky shook his head. “Once we come to some type of understanding, I’ll stay out of her way and she can stay out of mine.” He walked toward the door with Crazy behind him. Locking up, he welcomed the freedom that came on his bike. With the wind in his face and the rumble of the only lady he trusted between his legs, shit else mattered.

  * * * * *

  “I want you to stick to her like she’s having your fucking baby. I don’t trust the crazy fuck after her. He put too much time into it. Invested too many of his obsessed-ass emotions. He’s going to make a play for her if he sees an opening. Until this shit is handled…she’s your responsibility. Look. I know you have training. I won’t ask you to give that up, but we’ll have to make arrangements I’m satisfied with,” Tiny said.

  “Fuck, Prez, I don’t know her for shit. Why me? I can’t see she likes me very much,” Rocky said.

  “It might make it easier to keep her in check. Look, I know it’s a lot to ask, but I trust you. Moose and Shooter are tied up right now, so the obvious choices are out. We know Hawk would eat her ass alive.” Prez shook his head.

  “You know I’ll do whatever you ask, Prez. Just not sure how she’s going to respond.” Rocky shook his head. “Fuck! I don’t want to be worrying about a bitch.”

  Prez laughed. “She gives you shit, bring it to me. All right?”

  “Yeah. Let me go track her down and get her to my place,” Rocky said.

  “Might want to wait a bit.” Prez smirked.

  “Why?” Rocky wrinkled his forehead.

  “Because she’s, uh—well, caught up in a good time right now,” Tiny explained with a smile.

  “We talking about the same girl?” Rocky whispered.

  Prez laughed. “I’m pretty sure half a bottle of whiskey was involved.”

  “Oh, shit. I got to see this. Dismissed?”

  Tiny nodded.

  Rocky hurried down the hall toward the boisterous noise. Rock music filled the air and his brothers had formed a semicircle toward the back of the club they unofficially claimed as a dance floor. He wove his way inside the group and his jaw dropped.

  Evonne, Joey and Juliette were gathered together in a circle, moving their hips provocatively as they allowed the song to take over their bodies. Each beautiful in her own right, they wove different interpretations of the words with their movements.

  His jeans grew tight while his gaze focused in on Evonne’s perfect ass. Shit, has she always looked like that?

  The liquor had worked wonders on her. Her body looked so relaxed and the pinched, buttoned-up image she often portrayed had been shed. Suddenly her outfit became pure
pinup material. Her red lips parted seductively.

  Rocky stifled a moan. Fuck. Now is not the time or place. Hell, it’s not even the right woman. Like a cat entranced by a bird, he continued to watch the sway of her hips as she held her arms above her head, highlighting the delicious swell of her breasts. Every man had been captured by the women’s spell, but none dared join them. Rocky searched the crowd until he found Moose and Shooter leaning up against the bar while looking amused by the girls’ antics.

  Rocky swaggered over to Evonne. “What are you doing, Firecracker? You trying to get me in trouble?”

  Evonne tilted her head and gave him a slow once-over. “I’ve heard a lot about you. Maybe I wanted to see if you live up to the hype.” She sucked her full, rosy-red bottom lip between her teeth.

  “I think you’ve had too much to drink.”

  “I didn’t expect you to have such a conscience.” She puckered her lips.

  “I don’t.” He snaked a hand around her waist and pulled her flush to his body.

  Her eyes widened, and the pulse in her neck jumped.

  “I’m trying to be nice because of your friends. But if you want it raw and uncensored, I’d be more than happy to give it to you.” The song switched to something slow and riffy. He gripped her ass with his hands and ground into her heat.

  She brought her arms up and wrapped them around his neck.

  “Problem is, you’re a little girl playing dress up. I don’t think you could handle it.”

  She clenched her jaw and raked her nails down the nape of his neck. “You know nothing about me.”

  “I know plenty. You’re an uptight skirt who needs a good hard fucking, some spanking and hair pulling. You need to learn to give.”

  “And what? You’re going to give it to me?” The brassy words didn’t match the quiver of her lip.

  Ballsy bitch. “You offering to let me take it?” The music changed, but he didn’t step away or allow her a moment to collect herself. She’d stepped into the ring with a big boy and now, she needed to pay the consequences. He gripped her hips and lined his rapidly growing bulge against her pussy.

  She gasped, and her fingers stiffened on the back of his neck.

  “Isn’t this what you wanted? Slow and dirty. You’ve been hurt and betrayed, so you think you’re all out of fucks? Be sure before you bring that firm ass my way, ‘cause a man can only say no so many times.” He flicked his tongue out to caress the ear he’d been whispering into. A moan shook her frame, causing sweet friction between them.

  Rocky knew with the clarity of a psychic this was going to happen between. Whether today or weeks from now, he was going to know what she looked like in the throes of passion when she was gripping his hair and begging him to make her come. “Shit, baby. You do that again, and I’m going to take you down the hall to my room.”

  She pulled back to meet his gaze. “What’s stopping you?”

  “Fuck, mama, you just sealed your fate.” He cupped her ass and lifted her up. Her legs wrapped around his waist, and he walked toward the hallway. Gazes from the others burned his back. But he’d stopped giving a fuck years ago. The disdain her friends might feel for him would roll off him like water off a duck’s back. She leaned down and sucked his bottom lip into her mouth, making him moan. Her teeth playfully nibbled, tempting and teasing. Fed up, he slammed her against the wall and took her mouth. She tasted like whiskey and woman. My favorite combination. He yanked her skirt up.

  She wrapped her legs around him, digging her heels into the small of his back.

  Tilting his head, he deepened their lip lock, clutching a handful of her thick locks, and pinning her in place. The heat coming from her center burned through his denim. They parted for air, and he ran his tongue across the swollen flesh of her lips. Disheveled, wanting and breathless, she’d never been more desirable. He sensed a wildness inside that she kept hidden. He wanted to strip away her layers and see it.

  Stepping away from the wall, he took her to his dorm room. Inside, he turned on the light and kicked the door shut with his boot. Spinning around, he slammed her against the door. “Can’t wait.” He flipped her skirt up around her waist and shoved her underwear down.

  “Don’t want you to,” she gasped. Their lips crashed together, and their tongues battled for dominance. Balancing her against the door, he slid his hand down her belly and pierced her wet heat with a finger. Her walls clung to him, and she flexed. “Shit,” he breathed against her mouth.

  “More. Make me feel anything other than this gnawing emptiness.”

  “I can do that, doll face.” He added another finger and she whimpered, moving her hips to keep his quick rhythm “That’s it, fuck my hand.” The smell of her arousal made him rock hard, and he longed to push inside her. Hot, wet, tight and a touch too innocent, she was a real temptation for a man like him. She offered something he hadn’t had in so long, he wasn’t sure he really remembered. His existence was raw, gritty and violent. With her, he could taste a bit of goodness.

  Her body trembled and he removed his fingers, sucking them into his mouth. The salty-sweet taste danced along his tongue. “So fucking good. I could eat you for days but right now, I want to be inside your pussy. You ready for me?”

  “Condom?”

  “Back pocket, I’m always prepared, Firecracker.” He winked and dug in to his back pocket as she reached down between them to work open his pants. She reached inside, gripped his cock and pumped. He groaned.

  “Keep that up and I’ll be covering you with the white stuff.”

  “Mmm…” She bit her full bottom lip and peered up at him with smoky, lust-filled eyes.

  “Jesus Christ. I’m going to give it to you so good.” He ripped the corner off the silver packet and handed it to her. Together, they managed to work the protective layer over his sensitive prick. “Hope you’re ready for this, Firecracker. I’m going to have you screaming my name.” He lined up and thrust inside, gliding easily into her slickened center. He gritted his teeth as she formed around him like a glove tailor made for his cock. “Shit.”

  “Oh, Rocky.” She dropped her head against the door with a thud and gripped his shoulders.

  The bite of her nails into his flesh and the contraction of her pussy unleashed a beast. He pounded into her, digging his fingers into the supple flesh of her hips.

  “Yes, yes.” She dug her heels deeper into his back.

  His breath hitched. She is one hot fuck. Her muscles contracted and he growled, angling his body, so his pelvis rubbed her clit.

  Tiny puffs of air exploded from her mouth and she trembled. “Close, so close.”

  “That’s it, come on my cock, baby. Explode for me, Firecracker.” He gritted his teeth as his balls drew up heavy and ready to blow their load.

  “Oh, oh!” she screamed, clamping down on him and he fucked her through her orgasm, releasing all he had as she milked him dry. Spent, he collapsed against her, pinning her to the door with his body. Her legs slid down to the ground as the echo of their ragged breathing became the only sound in the room.

  Chapter Three

  There was no walk of shame or regret with the morning rays filtering through the window. Her body ached deliciously and she felt as if she’d shed her skin. Sure, Levi still had her mind fucked, but Rocky had taken away the freshness of the memory of Levi’s body against hers, moving inside her. It’d been a slow torture, remembering how sweetly Levi had played her body. The way he made her come to life as he plotted her captivity and the ruin of those she loved. Evonne thrust the thoughts from her head. After clawing her way out of that dark room, she felt no desire to revisit it so soon.

  One thing this cluster fuck had done was make her take a good look at herself. No one looked all that pretty under a microscope, but she could see how she’d gone about protecting herself from being harmed the wrong way. It was time to live. She couldn’t be the carefree girl she’d once been, but the woman she had become wouldn’t cut it either. She took a shaky breath
as memories of the accident assailed her. The car had spun out, crashed into the guardrail, bounced off and began what she feared would be a death roll.

  The door opened and she glanced up…grateful for the distraction.

  Rocky appeared in the doorway. A towel hung off his lean hips.

  Her eyes ate up the colorful tattoos that covered his chest. She licked her suddenly dry lips. He had a murder of crows flying across the right side of his chest toward his heart. Her fingers itched to trace each marking.

  “Well, rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty, how’s the head?”

  “It’s good.” She smiled and noted that his hair looked even blacker when it was slicked back from his face.

  “Good. I was a bit worried you might have fuzzy brain.” He eyed her cautiously.

  His expression and the inference made her laugh. “Oh no, I remember in great detail everything that happened last night.” She ran her hand down her shirt-clad body.

  The tension eased from his shoulders. “Good shit. We should get dressed and head over to my place. I have a practice session today and I want you to be settled.”

  She nodded. “I’ll be quick in the shower.” Her eyes scanned the floor for her clothes.

  Rocky laughed. “The librarian took pity on you and dropped off some clothes. They’re on the chair over there.”

  “Oh, shit,” she whispered. The thought of her friends came barreling at her. “They’re going to kill me.”

  Rocky chuckled. “If the death glare I got was any indication this morning…possibly.”

  She tossed the covers away and slid from the bed. “Well worth it.”

  “Maybe if you’re a good girl, you’ll get a repeat performance.” He smacked her ass as she walked to the bathroom.

  She jumped. “Hmm, assuming I’d let you,” she taunted.

  He glanced up at her, looking stunned.

  Evonne tossed him a playful wink and shut the door behind her. Butterflies danced in her belly. Heat filled her cheeks, traveling down to her neck and her breasts. What am I doing? She felt off kilter, uncertain and uncomfortable. The transition wouldn’t be seamless or easy, but she wanted it. So she buried the urge that told her to tuck into her shell, to stick her head in the sand and regain control. She felt alive. I have to change to be stronger. I need to open my eyes and get tough, or he’ll have won. Breaking down right now would be all too easy.