The Bad Boys of Summer (13 page)

“
C
ome on
, Kellan. This is a big deal. I think a little celebration is in order, huh?”

Kellan sighed, rolling his eyes like ninety full days of sobriety after rehab was no big deal. He ran a hand through his freshly cut hair, still grumbling about how the stylist took off too much length, and squinted at the banner I’d made for him and strung up across my apartment door.

“This is silly,” he said. “I made it a whole three months without fuckin’ up, and you want to throw me some kind of party.” I shrugged and he narrowed his eyes at me, running his tongue over his teeth. “Well, shit. Did you at least get me a piñata?”

“That can be arranged,” I told him, hugging him around his shoulders. “What should we put in it, do you think? Candy? Cupcakes? Tiny little strippers?”

Kellan snorted a gruff laugh. “How ‘bout some pills and clean needles? Can never have too many of those.” He saw my sharp look and flashed me a sheepish grin. “I’m joking, sis. Really. C’mon, you gotta let me have my gallows humor.” He turned to me and put his hands on my arms. “Sometimes, if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry. And I really, really don’t feel like crying today. So just go with it and put up with my shit for a couple hours. Okay?”

Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. “Fine. But keep the relapse jokes to a minimum. You scare me half to death with those things.”

“Scout’s honor,” my brother said, holding up his hand in a mock salute. “I’m doing the best I can, Iris. Takin’ it one day at a time. I don’t want to let you down again.”

“And you’re not going to,” I told him, “because I was serious about what I said back at the hospital. You so much as look wrong at a pill or a needle again, Kellan Walker, and I will—”

“End me,” Kellan finished on my behalf. “I got it, trust me. Who needs to OD when you’ve got a family like ours, huh?”

I shook my head, taking my little brother in for a moment. God, he’d come such a long way in such a short time, and sometimes, his progress kind of scared me. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, for Kellan to go back on his word and disappear from our lives again, only this time, maybe Slade and I wouldn’t find him in time to stop something bad from happening to him. I read somewhere that addicts have the highest chance of ODing
after
they’d gotten clean—their tolerance drops, and they tend to forget that when they’re frantically trying to scratch that evil little itch. But so far, so good with Kellan. He was really putting in the effort, and I couldn’t have been more proud of him.

“Slade’s the only one here so far,” I told him, opening the door. “Dad and Mom won’t be here for a little while, and I invited a few of my friends. I hope you don’t mind.”

“That depends,” Kellan said, stepping into my apartment and hanging his coat from the rack near the door, “are they hot?”

“Too hot for you, little brother,” I answered, closing the door behind us and leading Kellan into my kitchen. “But hey, at least you’ll get some cake.”

I expected some lip, but Kellan just made a beeline for the store-bought icing monstrosity set up on my kitchen table. “Ooh, cake…”

“Hey, Kellan,” Slade said, stepping out of the bedroom where he’d just finished cleaning up. God, did my stepbrother look great when he got all gussied up for company. He was wearing a maroon, long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up—I wasn’t sure what it was about that look that got to me, but goddamn, it was hot. Like he was ready to get down to business, get his hands dirty. I was definitely up for some of that later, but right now, his hotness made it difficult to concentrate.

“What’s up, bro?” Kellan said, sucking icing off his fingers as he pulled Slade in for a bro hug. “How’s married life, huh?”

“We’re not married, Kellan,” I told him with an exasperated sigh. “We’re just living together. God, I forgot how annoying you are.”

“So you’re… what, his live-in girlfriend?” Kellan asked, eyebrows raised. “Damn, sis. No wonder you’re cranky.”

Slade chuckled. He was way more amused by Kellan’s shit than I was. Seeing the look on my face, he put his arm around me and drew me in close. “Your sister and I are taking things slow,” he said, then winked at me. “For now.”

A blush crept into my cheeks. I both loved and hated when he talked like that. It flustered me like nothing else.

It was so good to have everything back to… well, back to whatever passed for
normal
around here. Our family was back together. Kellan was safe. And even my non-conventional relationship with Slade had stopped being a topic of conversation months ago. My mom had accepted it more easily than Dad had. He still thought it was weird. But he’d stopped making faces whenever we kissed or held hands, and that was pretty good progress, all things considered.

And Slade, for his part, was fitting in just fine. True to his word, he’d moved back home as soon as he could and took a position with the metro hospital. Not only was he instrumental to Kellan’s recovery, partly overseeing his therapy and making arrangements for a stellar outpatient program, but he was also patenting a device he hoped would become commonplace for drug addicts around the world. It was an epi pen-like delivery system containing naloxone, the drug Slade had used to save Kellan’s life. Since it was so fast-acting, it could be revolutionary in preventing drug-related deaths. The most rigorous of the medical trials it would have to pass to make it to market were coming up soon, but Slade didn’t even seem worried. I guessed that was an advantage of being a cocky bastard—you never bet against yourself.

Which meant the only sleepless nights Slade had around here were the ones he spent with me, making up for lost time. Even after six months, the sex with him was
hot.
He never ran out of ways to amaze me. I had the sneaking suspicion that he had some kind of manual stashed away somewhere.

“So, you set any long-term goals for yourself, Kellan?” I asked my younger brother. “I mean, since you’re so curious about what Slade and I are doing, I’m sure there’s something you want to share.”

“One day at a time, sis,” he said again, going back for seconds on the icing he’d stolen. “One day at a time.”

Come to think of it, that wasn’t a bad motto. It was a great way to look at life—like each day was an accomplishment in and of itself. Like the happiness you had right now was way more important than the past, or even the future. You had to cherish things while they were still around. You couldn’t take them for granted. Having suffered so much loss throughout my life, I was very well aware of what forgetting all that could do.

I looked up at Slade again and saw that mischievous spark in his eyes, the one I’d first seen seven years ago when he’d decided to set his sights on me. Even after all this time, it hadn’t faded. He was still into me, still in love, still looking for ways to one-up me. God, I hoped he never stopped.

“Yeah,” I said, slipping my arms around him and watching as Kellan sat on our couch, safe and sound. “One day at a time.”

J
ASE

This MC took me in when no one else would. It was the only real family I’ve ever known. Her asking me to leave was bullshit, but then disappearing without even saying goodbye was so much worse.

I was done with Maggie then. I never wanted to see her face again.

Five years. Five years of anger, pain and regret. Five years to move on and forget.

And five seconds to get sucked back in.

M
AGGIE

I have no right coming back here. No right asking for help. Not after the way I left everything - the way I left Jase.

But what choice do I have? I’m dead if I don’t.

I’ve made so many bad choices in my life. Caused so much pain. Maybe I deserve what’s coming to me. What right do I have putting Jase, my father, and the whole MC in danger just to help me?

The MC is Jase’s sanctum, and I may not deserve it, but I’m praying that it can now become mine.

M
aggie moaned
and giggled in the dark as she felt Jase’s tongue sliding between her legs. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, fingers tangling in his hair, feeling the motion of his head moving around her center. The coolness of the sheets and the low summer breeze from the open window countered the heat of his body against hers. She could only stand a few minutes of his sweet torture before she grasped at his shoulders, trying to pull him on top of her.

Jase moaned a few times as he lingered, his tongue flicking over her clit one last time before he obliged her silent orders. He traced a trail with his mouth up over her stomach and breasts. When she kissed him, she felt her own wetness on the 5 o’clock scruff on his chin. Jase slid his hips between her legs, his aching hardness pressing onto her sensitive lips. She gasped in his mouth and he laughed a low, sexy laugh that made her stomach shiver.

Jase seemed to tease her a few more moments, sliding his cock against her without entering, until she whimpered and squirmed beneath him. He dropped a hard, passionate kiss on her lips when he finally relented and pushed inside of her. She inhaled the moan he let out when he felt her warmth around his cock. He began to thrust into her desperately, pulling her body for leverage to get as deeply inside of her as he could. Maggie grasped at him, digging nails into his back with every powerful meeting of his hips on hers.

It was only a few minutes before they were both crying out in sweet release. Maggie bit into Jase’s shoulder, holding him close as she came. She felt him shudder against her, and deep inside her.

Maggie collapsed against the sheets, and Jase, on top of her. The sounds of their heavy breathing filled the bedroom.

Jase lifted his head up to look at her and planted a kiss on her lips. “That’s five—record broken.”

“Record broken
hard
,” said Maggie with a chuckle. “Good show, Campbell.”

“And to you, ma’am,” said Jase. He playfully bit around her stomach where he knew she was ticklish, and Maggie collapsed into giggles until she finally got him to stop.

Rolling off to lie next to her on the bed, Jase played with her curly hair as she lay on the pillow. “I feel like it’s been too long since we got to do this - at least this many times in a row.”

“Yeah, well, who’s to blame for that, mister?” said Maggie with a quirk of her eyebrow.

“I know, I know,” said Jase. “Things have been busy with the club, I know. Henry’s finally giving me better jobs than just bartending.”

“Ugh,” said Maggie immediately. She twisted around dramatically. “Don’t even want to hear his name.”

Jase laughed and tweaked her nose. “Maggie, we’re fucking in the man’s house.”

“Yeah, well, not for long,” she said.

“Oh?” said Jase. He laid his head down on the pillow next to her and gave her a hopeful grin. “Finally going to move in with me?”

Maggie grinned back at him and scooted a little closer. She had practiced broaching this conversation for hours in the mirror before her father had finally left the house, allowing Jase time to come over. “Maybe… “

“Seriously?” said Jase. He perched on his elbow and looked at her.

“When you put a goddamn ring on it,” she said with a laugh. Jase mussed up her hair. It was the response she always gave him when he asked about moving in. She waited just a beat before she tacked on the new part. “And if we’re moving into some place that’s not in LeBeau.”

When he didn’t answer right away, she looked up at his eyes. Some part of her knew he might be resistant, but truth be told, the bigger part of her heart which held his love had no fear until she saw that worried sternness in his jade-colored eyes.

Jase took a deep breath. “You’re still on about this?”

“About moving away? Yeah, I’m still ‘on about it’,” said Maggie. “Did you think I wasn’t serious when I brought it up before?”

Jase sighed and rolled over onto his back. Maggie felt her heart start to ache when he threw his legs off the side of the bed and checked his phone.

“Jase, don’t ignore me,” she said.

Jase turned half around. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to ignore you. I’ve just heard this before. Every time you and Henry have a fight, you talk about getting out of here.”

His words stung. He made her sound so reactionary and emotional. “That’s not what this is.”

“Then what is it? Why do you want to get away from here so bad, Maggie? I don’t get it.”

“Yes you do, you just don’t agree with it.”

“You’re right, I don’t. Henry has only ever made my life better, and you’re asking me to feel exactly the opposite about him—and break my commitment to the club by leaving,” said Jase. He stood up and put on his boxers.

Maggie sat up. “I’m not asking you to feel differently about Henry. How could I? I just… don’t you get it, Jase, that the Henry you know and the Henry I know are not the same man? He gives you the world, and every opportunity, but he can’t push me away from all of it fast enough. He acts like I didn’t grow up in that fucking clubhouse right alongside you.”

“You’re his daughter, of course he’s going to treat you differently from some stray kid he picked up.” Maggie could hear the tone in his voice had gone to a bitter place. “But he’s never let you want for anything. Hell, he’d probably let you live here until you’re a senior citizen.”

“That’s not the same thing as love,” said Maggie, shifting up onto her knees. “Giving me an easy place to live only makes sure I owe him obedience to his rules. He doesn’t care what I want—only what he wants. And he wants me to be with some normal person with an office job, a boring husband, and a weekend hobby.”

Jase stood at the end of the bed, clearly frustrated, but unable to find the words for it. He put his hands on his thin waist and shook his head. Maggie crawled up to him and leaned against his chest. He put one arm around her back with a light touch.

“He’s not going to let this keep on, Jase,” she said in a quiet voice. “You’re becoming his golden boy at the MC, but he wants me as far away from it as he can get me. You can’t honestly tell me you haven’t noticed what’s been going on since we got together…”

“We’ve been together a long time,” said Jase. He wouldn’t look at her.

“As friends, yes. And he was fine with that. But the second we crossed that line…”

Jase shook his head but said nothing.

“He’s kept you as busy as possible with club stuff. He’s kept me here as much as he can, and when you’re not here, he makes very clear that he isn’t happy about us. Haven’t you noticed that every time you stop by when he’s here, he finds some way to get you out of the house quickly? I mean, why are you even here right now, Jase? You have work in less than six hours.”

“It was the only time we…” he trailed off.

“It was the only time we could find where Henry wouldn’t be around,” said Maggie for him. “Where we knew he would be busy and we could steal a few hours. Is that how you want this to be—us forever sneaking around my dad?”

“If you moved in with me, this wouldn’t be happening,” said Jase. “He couldn’t stop us then.”

“He’s your president, Jase. He’s my dad. And he practically owns this town. Moving in together isn’t going to make those relationships magically disappear.”

Jase sighed. “What are you trying to say, Maggie? What do you want?”

“I want you to move away with me,” she said. “Let’s go find a new start somewhere else, away from all of this. Let’s have our own lives.” She ran her hands up his chest and looked up at his face with hopeful eyes.

Instead, she saw only pain on his face. “Maggie…” Jase took her hands in his. “My whole life is here. My friends are here. My mom wouldn’t have anyone else if I left.”

In all her imagining of this moment, Maggie had not prepared herself for this. She thought she had, but she discovered a level of pain for which she had no name “Don’t you love me?” said Maggie, unable to stop the tears surfacing in her eyes.

“Of course I do,” said Jase. He kissed her hands with fervor and looked into her eyes. “Of course. I love you. That’s why I want you to stay and make a life with me here.”

“Jase, what if I can’t? What if Henry won’t let us?” she said.

“He will. We’ll make—“ Jase was interrupted by the sound of a motorcycle rumbling down the neighborhood street. Both he and Maggie froze and looked at each other. “What is he doing coming back this early?” said Jase.

Maggie saw the look on his face, and gave him a sarcastic one of her own. “I thought we didn’t have anything to worry about from him?”

Jase frowned and made a soft, grumpy noise at her. He walked over to the window and stuck his fingers between the blinds to get a look outside. Maggie stood behind him with her arms crossed and listened to the bike pull into the driveway and park.

“Oh,” said Jase as he let out a breath. “It’s not your dad, it’s just Will.”

“Like that’s any better,” said Maggie as she moved to put some clothes on. Jase was right behind her, stepping into his jeans and fumbling his white shirt over his head. By the time he had his cut on, they could hear Will’s soft knocking on the front door. “What’s he doing here?”

“How should I know?” said Jase. “I’ve been busy the last few hours.” He nuzzled up to her as she pulled her hair out of her shirt. As upset as she felt, she couldn’t resist his embrace, but the kisses she gave him were short. She followed Jase down the hall to the front door.

Will leaned patiently against the porch railing, chewing on a toothpick and staring into the dark sky. He turned to them with a smile. “Hi, guys. I’m sorry to interrupt.”

“Everything okay?” said Jase as he straightened his cut.

Will tossed the toothpick into the garden as he straightened. “Henry’s been looking for you, he needs you for something, but you weren’t picking up your phone.”

“Yeah, I turned it off,” said Jase. “For a reason.”

“Well, he’s… insistent,” said Will with a soft shrug. “I said I might know where you were.”

Maggie stepped up to the doorway. “You didn’t tell him, did you?”

Will shook his head, pursing his lips. “Not that you two are a secret, or anything. But I think we all have an unspoken code to, uh… move around the facts.”

“How’s that?” said Maggie.

In a bit of embarrassment, Will’s lopsided smile made an appearance. “I think Henry knows exactly where Jase is when he’s not answering his phone, and he doesn’t mind me offering to be the one to possibly catch you in the act.”

Maggie sighed heavily. Next to her, Jase said. “He really needs me to come right now?”

“Captain’s orders,” said Will.

“You don’t say,” Maggie said in a flat voice. She felt emotions rising and turned away from the men at the door. She heard Jase speak softly to Will for a few moments.

Jase came up behind her as she stared at the dark living room fireplace and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He nuzzled into the side of her hair and kissed her. “I’m sorry, he says it’s important.”

“Shocker.”

He held her tighter, as if his embrace could wipe away the truth. Maggie felt tears running down her cheek and wiped them away nonchalantly. In the dark, he couldn’t see.

“Just stay with me,” said Jase into her ear. “I don’t want to lose you. You’re my world, you know that don't you?” He squeezed her again. “You have been my world for a very long time.”

Despite herself, Maggie sighed and nuzzled into him. She planted a few tiny kisses on the side of his warm face. “You’re mine, too.”

He held her for a few more moments before he released her, leaving her feeling as cold as she ever had.

Maggie trailed Jase to the front door like a ghost, clinging to his hand. Before he walked out, he turned and kissed her deeply. “Just hang on for me, okay? Things will smooth out.”

Even though she didn’t believe that, Maggie gave him a tight, teary smile, and a nod. She said nothing, only kissed him on the side of his mouth.

“I love you.”

“I love you too,” she said.

After one last lingering embrace, Jase finally pulled away from her and headed down the porch steps towards the driveway. Will was already on his bike; he gave a smile and a wave up to Maggie, and she returned it. Jase climbed on his waiting bike, shiny and chrome under the steady glare of the streetlights. She felt her heart race a little at the sound of them revving up, and waved at her biker boyfriend one last time as he backed out of the drive.

As they pulled away, Maggie’s face turned to look down the hallway towards her room. Under the bed, she could see the shadow of the suitcase she had already half-packed. She stared at it as she listened to the bikes disappear into the night.