Banger's Ride: Insurgents Motorcycle Club (Insurgents MC Romance Book 5) (23 page)

When she heard her name, Belle squealed and jumped up and down, and Ethan ran over screaming and hugging his mom before he and his friends ran around in circles, laughing and shoving each other. Ruthie and Holly made all kinds of noise as they congratulated their friend on her win. From the sidelines, Banger came up to her and also congratulated her. She was so happy to have won that she grabbed Banger and hugged him. When she realized what she’d done, she broke away, muttering, “Sorry.”

Banger pulled her back into him and hugged her, whispering in her ear, “I’ve missed you, woman.”

She pushed away. “I’ve missed you too.”

“What are we going to do about it?”

She shrugged.

Banger took her hands in his. “Let’s go to your house and talk.”

“I’m not up for it tonight. You can’t just decide you want to hang out with me tonight and then I don’t hear from you. I won’t let you do that to me, and I most definitely won’t let you do that to Ethan. When you left me, I was sad, I was hurt, but I got over it. Ethan was the one you hurt the most. He couldn’t understand why you left
him
. You didn’t even fucking call him to say good-bye. That was a crock of shit.” He circled his arms around her and pulled her close, but she twisted away from him. “I have to collect my prize money. I do want to see you again, but not tonight. Call me sometime.”

Leaving Holly and Ruthie in charge of the booth, she went to the judges’ tent to pick up the check. It took all of her strength not to agree to have him come over to her house after the festival, but she wanted him to know that it wasn’t that easy to get her back. In her opinion, he’d acted like an asshole, and she wasn’t going to let him jump back into her life whenever he decided he wanted to.

On the way back to her booth, Emily crossed her path. “Congratulations, Mom. That’s so cool that you won first place. I always told you that you made the best chili.” Emily played with her hair, braiding and un-braiding a small strand. “How’ve you been?”

“I’ve been okay. I’ve missed you. I can’t wait for the school semester to end so you can come back home. How are you doing?”

Emily raised her shoulders up and down. “Okay, I guess. I gotta whole new set of friends. I think you’ll like them.” She twisted her hair around her finger. “I guess things are okay. I gotta go now. See you.”

“I’ll call you soon. Take care of yourself.” Belle wanted to grab her daughter and hug her tightly, tell her how much she loved her, but she knew it would be too much too soon. She had to go back to the way it had been when Emily was a small child, with baby steps. That’s how they would build a relationship again—one step at a time.

*     *     *

The following morning,
Belle was awakened from a deep sleep.
Knock. Knock. Knock.

She glanced at her phone which read four thirty in the morning. Her bleary eyes stared at the large numbers as another knock echoed through the quiet house. She grabbed her robe and leapt out of bed, running down the stairs, her heartbeats pounding against her chest.
Please, please, don’t let this be about Emily.
She swung the door open and her eyes landed on Banger, but her brain couldn’t grasp that he was the one making all the ruckus.

“What in the hell are you doing here at four thirty in the morning? Are you drunk?” She pulled her robe tighter around her as the early morning chill seeped in through the open door.

“Nope. Open up.”

She unlatched the screen door and let him in, closing the door behind him. “Explain yourself, and it better be damned good.”

“Get dressed, then get Ethan up and dressed ‘cause I’m taking you both trout fishing.”

Belle heard his words, but in her sleep-fogged mind she didn’t understand. “We’re doing what?”

Banger laughed. “Trout fishing. You’re not too swift in the morning, are you?”

“I’d say the crack of dawn is usually not the best time for me. There’s no way you’re dragging Ethan and me to freeze our asses in a boat on a lake. No way.”

Banger’s smile disappeared.

“Mom, I wanna go. Please?” Ethan said from the top of the stairs.

Belle groaned, and Banger’s smile reappeared. “I guess we’re going fishing, woman.” She looked from Ethan’s hopeful eyes to Banger’s sparkling ones, and she sighed. “Yeah, I guess I’m going to freeze my ass on the lake.”

*     *     *

Teeth chattering for
a good three hours wasn’t exactly Belle’s idea of a good time, but she’d endure the cold, the icy wind, and her gnawing stomach again just to see the way Ethan’s face lit up every time he reeled in a trout. He was having the time of his life, and it was all due to Banger. Fishing, baseball cards, and playing video games were things Ethan liked to do, but she didn’t have the time to do any of it with him. She didn’t know a thing about fishing, and all she knew about baseball was that a player hit the ball with the bat. Ethan needed someone like Banger in his life. The two of them got along so well together, and it warmed her all over.

The morning had heated up, and the sun shined over them as Banger loaded the ice chest full of fish in the back of his SUV. “Are we going to eat them?” Ethan asked as he slipped in the backseat, slamming the door behind him.

“Yep, but we gotta clean ‘em first, and I’m gonna show you how to do that. I’m taking us to one of my favorite spots in the area. I want to share it with two of my favorite people.”

“Wow. Are we really your favorite people?” Ethan asked.

“You and my daughter, Kylie.” He looked in the rearview mirror and winked.

“If we’re your favorite people, why did you stop coming around?”

Belle felt Banger stiffen beside her, and she took a perverse pleasure in it. Now he could figure out how to explain his absence from Ethan. Banger cleared his throat. “Sometimes, things happen. It had nothing to do with you, but I guess you kinda got lost in the shuffle. Didn’t mean anything by it, I want you to know that. I’m not bullshitting you, kid.”

Ethan seemed satisfied with Banger’s answer, and he busied himself by playing a game on his phone, Belle listening to the intermittent bells and pings. As they drove over the rocky terrain, Banger slipped his hand inside hers and held it tightly. Calmness washed over her as they drove in silence, each happy to be in the other’s presence.

They pulled into a clearing among the evergreen and aspen trees, and as soon as the car stopped, Ethan jumped out, running toward a gurgling creek. “Be careful,” Belle called out after him. She bent down to gather her tote and jacket, and when she rose, Banger planted a kiss on her cheek. She turned her head and smiled at his lopsided grin, the one she was sure landed him in a lot of women’s beds. He cupped her chin, tilted her head back, and kissed her softly on the lips.

“The water’s cold,” Ethan said as he crouched down by the creek.

Breaking away from Banger, Belle pushed out of the car and sprinted to her son. “You’re too close. The water is really flowing. I don’t want you to fall in.”

“Hey, come over here. I need some help cleaning the fish,” Banger said.

Ethan and Belle walked over to where Banger had set up a few chairs, a table, and piles of wood. After starting the fire, Banger brought the ice chest with the newly caught fish over to the table and told Ethan to start setting the trout on the table so they could clean them. Belle watched in amusement as her son’s face wrinkled in concentration, Banger’s fingers flying as he scaled, cleaned, deboned, and rinsed the fish as fast as Ethan placed them on the table. Neither of them spoke, as all their energy was given to the task at hand. From the way her son’s eyes danced when he glanced at Banger, Belle knew he was having the time of his life.

Banger moved his head up and jerked it at a chest near the campfire. “Take out the frying pan, put a little oil in it, and place it on the cooking grate over the fire. We’re almost ready to fry these fillets.”

When she opened the chest, she smiled as it revealed not only the frying pan and oil, but rolls, oranges, potato chips, chocolate sandwich cookies, a spatula, utensils, and napkins. She pulled out the frying pan and oil, placing the greased pan on the cooking grate. Banger brought the aluminum platter piled with fish over to the fire. “Be right back. I’m gonna wash my hands.” She watched him go over to the creek, crouch down, and wash up, Ethan standing beside him.

There was nothing like eating freshly caught fish grilled over a fire; it was delicious. And when Banger brought out a bottle of chardonnay, the icy reserve around her heart began to melt, but she reminded herself of the solitary confinement he’d put her in for a month just because she knew a man from a rival club. As the day passed, she realized he’d gone out of his way to give her and Ethan a special day in different ways, and she was finding it more difficult to stay mad at him.

After gorging on fish and potato chips, they went for a walk. Slim shafts of the sun’s rays pierced through the evergreen forest as they walked, their footsteps muted by the pine needles, which carpeted the ground. The light spring wind ruffled her hair, and she took out an elastic tie and gathered her tresses in a ponytail. The scent of honeyed sap from the pine trees floated in the air, and in the distance, she heard the oozing rush of the creek.

Ethan ran ahead, stopping every so often to retrieve something from the forest floor to add to his collection. Banger slipped his arm around her waist, and she slammed into him when he abruptly stopped, his strong arm holding her steady. He nuzzled his nose against her neck. “Fuck, baby, I’ve missed your scent… and your taste.” He nipped the sensitive spot right below her neck, and a current of desire sparked so intensely that she gasped, her gaze locking onto his hungered one. “I missed you and the boy.” He threw her a cosmic smile, and it landed right between her legs.

“We missed you as well.” Belle nuzzled against his face; his graying beard was soft as a light breeze. With the tip of her tongue, she traced the outline of his lips. He groaned and caught her mouth, plunging his tongue deep inside. She responded and their tongues fluttered and stroked each other’s, their passion growing. When he glided his hand down the sides of her body to her ass, firmly cupping her cheeks, sparks of sensation zinged through her. She craved his touch, his taste—his everything.

Ethan’s laugh brought her out of her aroused state. She whispered against Banger’s lips, “Not here with Ethan.” He kissed her, pressing her closer to him. She turned her head and saw Ethan on his haunches, scrutinizing something on the ground. “What are you looking at, honey?” she said.

“This big ant hole. There must be millions of them, and they’re all so busy coming and going. It’s totally cool.”

She and Banger, hand in hand, walked over to see what all the fascination was about. They both agreed that watching the ants as they worked was pretty cool.

As the sun dipped and sherbet orange and pink streaks covered the sky, Banger packed up all the stuff he’d brought while Belle helped Ethan find the “perfect rock” for his collection. As they drove, “Hotel California” by the Eagles played on the classic rock station Banger always listened to. Belle watched as flashes of green zipped past them, and she concluded that the day had been perfect. She never imagined that dragging her ass out in the cold at the crack of dawn could have turned into one of her favorite days. Covering Banger’s hand with hers, she stroked it lightly, then looked into his gentle eyes and smiled.

When they arrived at her home, Ethan rushed inside and climbed the stairs to his room. Belle faced Banger. “I can’t thank you enough for today. I had a wonderful time, and I know Ethan was in heaven.” She brushed a kiss on his lips.

He leaned his forehead against hers. “You gonna invite me in?”

Longing pulled at her heart, her breasts, and her pulsing mound, but she remembered how hurt she had been when he’d dropped her cold, and how humiliated she’d felt when her calls and texts had gone unanswered. “Soon, but I’m not quite ready to give you all of me. You know, you hurt me just at the time when I was beginning to trust you.” She smoothed down his T-shirt. “I need some time. I hope you can understand.”