STAG: MC ROMANCE (Forsaken Riders MC Romance Book 7) (3 page)

“So is this party still on?”

“Sounds like it,” Sasha smiled. “And apparently Bull has been telling him all about you…” she trailed her fingers along the bar and winked in Becca’s direction.

Becca suddenly felt on show, as if she was being set up, and she felt like slinking back inside of herself. Retreating back to that dark place she had been hiding since Oscar had been born. Even though she wanted nothing more than to be swept up into the arms of a red hot biker, the thought of a man getting close to her again still did kind of terrify her.

She brushed her hair back off her face and tried to pin it up into the top knot. She would be fine. She was a sexy, confident woman and she could handle anything that was thrown at her. She had already gotten over the worst disappointment of her life, so why should this phase her? She hadn’t even seen him, so what did it matter if Bull had been trying to play match maker without her knowledge? She hadn’t done anything to give this Stag guy the wrong impression. He could walk in, turn her stomach, and she could want nothing to do with him.

But deep down inside of herself… she knew that wasn’t going to happen.

She swigged the beer and rolled out her shoulders, not even realizing she had been tense all evening. Her eyes darted down to the watch on her wrist and she saw that it was almost midnight.

Shit
, she thought,
I better check in with Laura before she goes to bed
.

She reached under the bar and into her purse to pull out her cell phone. Luckily there were no texts or missed calls, so she knew that everything would be fine. She sent her a quick message to ask her anyway though, if she had had any problems and wishing her a good night, telling her that she would see her in the morning. Her cell beeped straight back…

Laura: All good here Sis, don’t worry xx

Becca smiled. She really did have a good sister. She thought back to a life without a job and realized that that was why she was probably so introverted. She enjoyed being out there and interacting with people. And now that Oscar had gone off to school, it was the perfect opportunity for her to go back part time.

“Hey Becca,” Bull said as he slid onto a stool in front of her. “Can I get a whiskey?”

“Sure,” she smiled as she reached up and pulled down a bottle and a tumbler. She cracked ice into the glass and filled it to the top with booze.

“How are things?” he asked her.

“All good thanks,” she smiled. “And you? How’s it going being in charge around here?”

“Oh you know,” he laughed. “Not without its troubles I suppose…. But that’s what keeps it interesting.”

Becca smiled and nodded. She could only imagine what went on behind closed doors.

“Sasha says you’ve been doing a good job down here,” he said as he took the glass from her and nodded to her in thanks. “It’s refreshing to have a new girl around here who actually knows what she’s doing.”

“Why thank you,” Becca smiled, she was flattered.

“Sasha said you went off to college?” Bull asked.

“Yeah…” she said as she looked down to the floor, she would love to go into it with him, but she didn’t think he would really appreciate her situation. “But it just wasn’t for me, all that… you know?”

“Sure,” Bull nodded and smiled before he got back to his feet and turned to head over into the booth in the corner where some of the other guys were all sitting, deep in discussions about something which could have been last night’s ball game that they had all been betting on, or the next robbery they were due to stage.

Sasha appeared next to Becca again and started to clear up the counter top.

“He’s a good guy, your man,” Becca said genuinely.

“I know,” Sasha said dreamily. “I’m lucky to have found him.”

“Well he’s also very lucky to have you,” she said as she wrapped her arm around her friend. “And I’m feeling lucky to have found you all… This place is really starting to feel like a second home.”

“Aww,” Sasha hugged her back. “You’re too sweet, and clearly a little tipsy off one beer! Haha, come on let me get you another.”

Becca laughed. Maybe Sasha was right, it’s not like she drank much anymore. After having a baby, that was one of the last things she had been thinking about. It almost seemed silly that she should even have a job in a bar.

Suddenly, from behind her she heard the door swing open and the men of the Forsaken Riders all cheered in unison. Becca’s heart started to flutter in her chest as she suddenly remembered what was supposed to be happening. And when she turned and she saw the huge, heaving silhouette in the doorway, she almost stopped breathing altogether. She didn’t think that it would ever be possible to find someone who matched Bull in size and good looks, but walking into the bar at that very moment was someone who could have easily been his better looking, more buff brother.

Becca steadied herself on the edge of the bar, and tried not to gape in his direction. He was so handsome. So rugged and wild. She bit her bottom lip and turned to Sasha and mouthed…
Oh my God…

“I know right…” Sasha whispered.

The girls watched as Stag made his was over to the corner of the room and was welcomed with open arms by the rest of the men in the motorcycle club. They all hugged him, slapped him on the back, ruffled his jet black hair and plied him with drinks.

“Close up the door girls!” Bull called over to them, with a wide grin on his face. “The man of the hour has arrived! Now let’s have ourselves some motherfucking fun!”

As Sasha heaved the doors closed and began to bolt them shut, Becca looked around the inside of The Bleeding Bullet. There were still some regulars in there, women and men who liked to feel dangerous by hanging around with the outlaws, and others who were slightly more well known to the club; who had been loyal to them for a long time. Becca was starting to really get to know the dynamics of the place, and she found herself checking out each person and mentally noting if she thought that they should be there for this party. Could they all be trusted? She had no idea what may unfold once the doors were locked…

Bull came over to the bar and slapped his hands down on the counter and grinned.

“We want whiskey, and lots of it,” he winked. “Rack them up Becs,” he said.

Becca saluted him and dipped down underneath the bar. The bottles were all stuck towards the back of one of the low shelves and she had to get down on her knees and really pull at them to get them free. When she managed to reach them, she leaned back onto her ankles and jumped to her feet with four bottles, two in each hand. As she looked up, she was sure her heart was going to stop. Because there, right in front of her, smiling with the most perfect teeth and intense blue eyes she had ever seen, was Stag.

Becca swallowed hard and smiled back. Her heart going from zero to two hundred in a split second. She tried not to smile too wide, trying not to show him how attracted she was to him, but it was tough.

“Hi,” he said as he slid onto one of the high stools and leaned his elbows on the counter top.

“Hi,” Becca returned.

He looked around with a wry smile, as if he was trying to figure out what he wanted to say next but was playing with her.

“Can I get you a drink?” she asked first, not letting him have the chance.

“One of those would be great,” he nodded down at the bottles of whisky that she clutches in her hands. All four of them were hanging down loosely by her hips and she could sense that he was taking her all in. All of her. And it made something deep inside of her pulse.

“Sure,” she smiled as she reached up for a tumbler and cracked some ice into the glass before topping it up with the whiskey.

“So you’re Stag?” she asked confidently. “I’ve been hearing quite a lot about you tonight… Welcome back.” she smiled.

Stag nodded his head, a glint in his eye. His pupils were wide and dark and she was sure that if she looked into his eyes for too long she could easily fall in and be swallowed whole. They were a completely enchanting, icy blue.

“Thank you,” he said. “And as it so happens, I’ve actually been hearing quite a lot about you, too…” he trailed off and raised the glass to his lips.

“Oh really?” Becca smirked.

She was trying to hide how excited she was, also how nervous. The last thing she wanted to do was make a fool of herself in front of someone like him. Someone so attractive and raw.

“Yeah,” he took a sip of his drink and sucked in a lung full of air after it through his teeth. “First whiskey I’ve had in seven years,” he breathed. “Damn that’s good.”

Becca bit her bottom lip.

“Yeah… So you’re Sasha’s friend?” he raised an eyebrow.

“We’ve gotten pretty friendly since I’ve started working here yeah,” she smiled.

“And you’re the new bar girl… the girl with the son… the one who went to college?” he nodded as if he was impressed.

Becca stood back and crossed her arms over her chest. He certainly did know a lot about her for a man who had just gotten out of jail the day before and someone who hadn’t been back to The Bleeding Bullet until then since his release.

“Well, I’m a fan,” he said as he winked as her and turned on his stool and wandered back over into the corner. All of the Forsaken slapped him on the back and cheered him as he walked back into the fold.

I’m a fan
… the words rumbled around her mind and for the first time in a long time she was completely speechless.

Did that mean what she thought it meant? He was interested in her?

Sasha slipped up next to her and playfully slapped her on the waist.

“Seriously,” Becca laughed. “What was all that about?”

“I told you, Bull’s been telling him about you and he was instantly intrigued.”

“About me?  But why?” Becca was so confused.

“Oh I don’t know…” Sasha laughed. “Maybe it’s the fact you’re sexy, gorgeous and intelligent…? Or maybe it’s the fact he clocked your photograph up on the club house wall and demanded to know all there was to know about you…” She grinned and sucked on the tip of her finger.

“Which photograph?” Becca put her hands on her hips.

“The one from your first weekend on the job…” Sasha prompted, “You know, the one where we you and I got up on the bar top and started dancing…”

Becca remembered back to the night. It had been funny and spontaneous and some of the best laughs she had had ever in her life. She had completely forgotten Lynx and Tammy taking photographs on her camera and saying they were going to display them in The Forsaken Riders Hall of Fame back on one of the club house walls. She felt herself blush.

“Oh jeez,” she said as she cringed and went to cover her eyes.

“It’s a good picture don’t worry,” Sasha laughed. “Plus, the second he saw it he zoned in on you… You, out of all of those other girls on all of those other photographs. And he wanted to know all there is to know. And… well, he seemed to like it.”

Becca’s pulse quickened and she felt the smile spreading across her lips again.

“Bull told him a bit of your story,” Sasha whispered, “And something stuck a chord with him. He said you sounded like a superwoman, the kind that he wanted to end up with…” she trailed off and patted Becca reassuringly on the arm. “Take the compliments Bec. You really do deserve them you know…” As she wandered away and wrapped her arms around Bull, Becca couldn’t help but focus in on her parting words.

She was always pushing away and dismissing people who seemed to compliment and look out for her. Maybe it was just a coping mechanism after being so let down and hurt in the past, but it was a habit now and it was going to be hard to shake.

Her eyes drifted just past Bull and Sasha as they locked lips and they met with Stag’s. He was stood with his back against the wall, with his feet crossed over at the ankles and he was looking at her with a wry smile.

It was such a rare thing in this world to meet someone and instantly feel something, but there she was, after she had all but given up on love. Suddenly, there was a glimmer of hope coming out of the darkness.

But a biker… an outlaw… an ex-felon who had only just got out of jail… could he really be the right person for her?

She, more than anyone, should know that people can change quickly, and she also had the knowledge that he had only gone down to help save The Forsaken Riders. If anything, that showed he had courage and loyalty beyond measure. And it’s not as if she had had a good run of luck with loyal men. Maybe this could work, maybe he could be a good person to take a chance on…

There was only one way she was going to find out.

Becca turned the lights down low on the bar and climbed out from behind it. She had officially clocked off and now the men and women still swarming around the bar were helping themselves. Bull had opened the bottles and refrigerators up to everyone and he was smiling, holding Stag in a head lock. The two looked close, and Becca could tell that before he had gone inside that the two of them had been the best of friends. They had a clear bond that Stag wasn’t showing with any of the other bikers. She knew that she hadn’t ever seen Bull like that with any of them either.

Sasha waved her over and she walked over to them, trying to keep her nerves under wraps. She had to remain strong and confident. She wasn’t a wallflower. She was a woman in charge of her own destiny and one who knew exactly what she wanted.

“So Becca, I believe you’ve met Stag.” Sasha smiled playfully as Becca reached the table.

Stag got to his feet and offered her his chair and she graciously accepted it. She was all for a man acting like a gentleman and she certainly wouldn’t ever discourage it.

“Thank you,” she smiled.

He walked powerfully over to the next table and picked up one of the chairs before turning it around and sitting on it backwards, so his large, thick thighs were tensed either side of the seat. He looked straight into Becca’s eyes and she felt her heart race. He was intimidating. And she liked it.

“So,” Bull said. “As I was saying earlier, I was telling Stag a little bit about you Becca…” he twirled a toothpick on the edge of his tongue before he reached into his pocket and pulled out a packet of cigarettes. He held one up to his lips and lit one before he passed one to Sasha.

“So I’ve heard,” Becca tried to play it coy.

They four of them all sat around the table and looked at each other. The tension was high and the atmosphere was wired. Becca could sense that they were all waiting for her to make a move, they all wanted to her to jump in on what was happening and question it. But she wasn’t going to give them it. If they wanted anything from her, they would have to pull it out of her.

Bull eyed her closely and then he leaned back and exhaled a plume of smoke into the air. He held the packet out to Stag, but he waved it away and shook his head. Now he had her attention even more. If it was one thing Becca hated, it was smoking. She had never met a biker, though, who didn’t love the damn things and to see Stag dismiss them so easily was more than a turn on.

“Sorry man,” Bull said. “I forgot.”

Stag nodded and brushed it off.

“Stag here used to chain smoke about fifty a day, am I right?” Bull continued.

“Yup,” Stag smirked. “It’s a filthy habit.”

He winked at Becca. She felt a fluttering not just in her heart now, but in her panties. He was sexy as hell.

“I quit when I went away,” he said. “Perfect opportunity, even though there wasn’t much else to do in there.”

“I can imagine,” Becca said.

And she really could. It must have been so difficult for him to spend seven years of his life restrained. Seven years without anything but a few measly possessions and an uncomfortable bed. 

All for the club,
she thought,
he did it all for them
.

“Anyway,” Sasha said as she got to her feet and stubbed out her cigarette. “Let’s not forget we have a bar to run…” She tugged at Bull’s arm and winked at Becca from behind Stag. Bull rose to his feet and slapped Stag on the shoulders in a brotherly way before he and Sasha turned and left.

Becca watched them move across the room and suddenly she knew it had all been a ploy. Not just for her to go and sit down at the table with them, but probably this whole thing. The whole party seemed forced and strange.

“Did you want the party?” she asked Stag. Her dark eyes flickering up to meet his.

“I wasn’t bothered either way,” he said as he leaned forward so that his face was only centimeters from hers. “But I knew I wanted to come down here tonight and meet you, that’s for sure.”

Becca felt her cheeks blush red and she looked down at the ground. After all, the last man who had shown any interest in her had been a primary school teacher; this was kind of a rapid contrast… But she liked it. She liked it a bit too much…

“Sorry,” he said as he bit his bottom lip. “I’m being too forward.”

“It’s fine,” Becca said as she sat up straight and regained her composure.

“I suppose a girl as good looking as you is used to it,” he said, but he wasn’t using it as a question, he genuinely meant it. “Listen, let me show you a good night tonight, you’ll see I’m not a dangerous criminal…”

She wasn’t even sure she would have minded if he had been, but deep down she knew he was full of goodness, she could tell after just speaking him for ten minutes. He had a softness about him on the very edge of all of the attitude and bad boy behavior. It was as if he was just yearning for someone to unleash it properly. And Becca knew that she was more than capable of being the one to do it.

“Okay,” she smiled. “But you’re going to have to work for it.”

She laid on the sass, hoping that it would make him realize that she wasn’t the type of girl he could mess around.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said with a wry smile. She could tell that it had turned him on.

He got to his feet and made his way over to the bar. She watched as he went and took stock of how broad his shoulders were, how tall he was, and of how he towered over all of the other bikers, except for Bull. He was like a tank, a machine, she could only imagine what he would be like without his clothes on.  As she let her eyes grace down the entire length of his body and rest on the bulge between his legs, she felt her pussy tighten and moisten.

He was incredible.

She brushed a loose strand of hair out of her eyes and breathed in deeply. Sasha was grinning at her from the other side of the room and Becca had to try as hard as she could not to return a beaming smile. Stag returned with a vodka for her and slid it across the table, placing it in her hand.

“To new friends,” he said as he held his glass towards her. And she lifted hers and they chinked them together.

“To new friends,” she repeated.

***

They sat around the table for what felt like only minutes, but when Becca looked at her watch she could see that it was almost two am. She was tired, but she was enjoying herself. She was having the time of her life in the company of this intriguing new man who seemed to only have eyes for her. She could sense the other women in the bar looking at him. They draped themselves around the furniture and gazed longingly at him. If it had been an easy lay he was after, he could have picked any one of them, but he didn’t even look twice. The only person in the room who had his attention was Becca. And he was making her feel more special than any man ever had.

“It’s getting late,” she finally said reluctantly. “These long nights are starting to catch up with me,” she smiled.

“I can imagine it’s not the easiest job in the world when you have to get up with a child in the morning,” he said gently.

“No it’s certainly not,” Becca laughed. “But I enjoy it, and it means I get to spend a lot more time with him. If I was working in an office I wouldn’t only see him for an hour before bed… This way I get to help him get ready for school on a morning, collect him from school,  have dinner together, and I can do his homework with him. And then he takes a bath, climbs into bed and is fast asleep…. And I slip out and come to work, wake up and do it all over again.”

Stag smiled warmly.

“That’s admirable,” he said as he reached out and squeezed her hand lightly. “In my past, I’ve known a lot of women who wouldn’t do the same…. Always looking for the easy ride.”

“Not me,” Becca said firmly as she shook her head. “I’d rather wake up tired every day than lose out on any time with him. And I’d rather get my ass out to work rather than relying on any kind of benefits or support.”

Stag smiled again and nodded.

“It makes a refreshing change,” he said.

Becca nodded and felt herself turning slightly crimson again. She had never met someone who had actually listened to her the way he did. He genuinely seemed interested in what she had to say, and cared about it.

“Well,” she sighed as she got to her feet. “I’ve had a lovely night, but with that, I better get myself home.”

Stag rose to his feet too and Becca noticed a buzz behind them of all of the women who were watching him hungrily. She had seen these women around the bar and it was obvious what they wanted. They all hung around waiting for one of the bikers to pick them out and say, ‘Okay, you’re mine’. They were so pathetic, they would have had any of them… And with them knowing about Stag and the fact that he had just gotten out of jail, they were all chomping at the bit to get their claws into the fresh meat.

“I’ll walk you out,” Stag said as he wrapped a protective arm around the back of her waist. They moved towards the main door and Becca could feel the eyes burning into the back of her head. The women hanging around there were all shooting daggers at her, and what she wanted to do was turn around and give them a mouth full, but she knew she couldn’t. It would only give them more ammunition to go after him.

She waved over her shoulder to Sasha, Bull, and the rest of The Forsaken and they all called goodbye across the bar. Since her and Stag had been talking, the drinking had escalated and more people had arrived. Some of the girls were dancing on the bar, much like Sasha and Becca had done on one of her first shifts. On the night that the very photograph that Stag had seen that had attracted him to her had been taken.

He pushed the big double doors open and the warm night air hit them, Stag wrapped a protective arm around her shoulder and helped her down the steps.

“Now I’m not letting you drive,” he said as he raised a cell phone to his ear. “Let me call you a cab…”

“But what about my car?” Becca laughed. “I’ll need it for the morning.”

“It’ll be back at your house for six am. Don’t worry,” he winked.

He held out his hand and she reluctantly passed him the keys.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“I’m positive,” he said before he spoke into the cell, “Hi Reg, it’s Stag. Can I get a car to The Bullet now? Thanks.”

He hung up and smiled.

“It was great meeting you,” he said as he looked at her deep in the eyes. “I’ll get one of the boys to drop the car off for you, okay?”

“Thanks,” she nodded.

“And I’ll see you here tomorrow night right?” he asked cheekily.

“I’m not down to work for tomorrow,” she said with a shrug.

“Even better,” he grinned. “I’ll pick you up from your house at eight.”

Before she had chance to protest, the cab flew around the corner and Stag began to back away toward the doors of The Bleeding Bullet.

“But you don’t know where I live,” she called back to him.

“Do you honestly think that’s going to be a problem?” he winked at her.

She couldn’t keep the smile from her face. And as the cab pulled up beside her, she opened the door and just stood looking at him. He really was handsome. She could see some of the women still loitering around the entrance to the club, no doubt wanting to get their hands on him, but she knew she didn’t have to worry.

You can’t make a man stay
, she thought to herself,
if he wants you, he’ll fight for you…
  

“Good night,” she called to him.

Stag stood staring down at her with his arms crossed over his chest. She slipped into the back seat of the car and sighed down. Her head was racing with thoughts and her emotions were a tangled mess.

Should she really be going there?

What if he ended up being bad news?

But Becca just had this feeling. She just knew that he wasn’t going to be the bad guy. He would be everything but the bad guy when it came down to it. He may look the epitome of trouble, but he had something else. A finer quality. He had learned and lived. He was mature and changed from all of the others because of his experience inside.

The cab pulled off down the street and Becca had to practically dig her nails into her arms to stop herself from turning around and waving to him again.

Just play it cool Becca
, she coached herself.
Make him want it even more
…

She got back to her neighborhood around ten minutes later and the cab driver told her that the motorcycle club had already taken care of the fee. She thanked him and stepped out into the night. The air was still so warm for two-thirty in the morning and she took her time walking up the driveway to the house. The lights were all off inside, and she could imagine Oscar and Laura sleeping soundly in their rooms.

When she let herself into the house, she tiptoed around as to not wake them, ran herself a large glass of water to counteract the few drinks she had drunk and made her way very quietly to bed.

She stopped outside of Oscar’s room and opened the door a crack. He was fast asleep on his stomach with his arm hanging down the side, skimming the floor. His covers were bunched all down around him and the leg of his pajamas was caught up. She smiled. He looked so peaceful lying there. She rested her glass of water down outside his bedroom door and crept in. She kissed him lightly on the head and readjusted his blankets and tucked him in. She really was lucky to have such a wonderful child in her life. She thanked the world for him every single day.