“I lost my temper.”
“That ain’t no excuse. Her brothers have been pushing your buttons for years.”
He had never been able to win in a battle of words with his grandmother. “I’ll try to talk to her.”
“Good. You want another piece of bacon?”
* * *
Rachel tiredly got into her car after closing the church store. Her cell phone ringing had her searching through her purse until she found it. Her quick glance told her it was Lily calling.
“Hello?”
“Rachel, hi. I’m sorry to bother you, but I was hoping to ask a favor.”
“What’s up?”
“I can’t find my set of keys to open the store in the morning. I’ve searched everywhere. I was hoping if I offered you dinner you would run your set out. I could get another set made in the morning before I went into work.”
“No problem. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
“Thanks.” Lily disconnected the call.
Rachel wasn’t anxious to go to Lily’s house, but at least it was behind the clubhouse and she could avoid Cash as she had the last month. Whenever he had stopped by to see Mag, she’d made an excuse to leave or went to her room.
Several times, he had attempted to talk to her, but she would cut him short, ignoring all his attempts to put the past behind them. She didn’t want to forget; remembering what an ass he was kept her from falling for him again.
Ten minutes later, she parked her car in The Last Riders’ parking lot.
Going up the sidewalk that led behind the clubhouse, she managed to avoid the members on the trek to Lily’s house.
Lily opened the door before she could knock.
“I appreciate you going out of your way.”
“I didn’t mind. It was no trouble.” Lily opened the door wider for Rachel.
From inside the house, she admired what Shade had built for Lily.
“Hungry?” Lily asked, heading toward her kitchen.
“I’m always ready to eat,” Rachel joked.
“Good, I have plenty. Shade’s working late at the factory. They have a big order to get out. A few of them managed to get finished early and are rubbing it in the others’ faces.”
The loud music coming from the clubhouse could be heard inside Lily’s house.
“Doesn’t that noise bother you?” Rachel asked, taking a seat at the table.
“No, I like listening to it.” Lily smiled as she placed the chili and cornbread on the table.
Rachel didn’t say anything else, feeling Lily’s defense of The Last Riders.
They were sitting on the couch, drinking a glass of tea, when Shade came in looking exhausted. His grim face lightened into a smile when Lily got up to give him a kiss that had Rachel catching her breath.
She rose to her feet. “I’d better go. It’s almost Mag’s bedtime, and I don’t want her to lock me out.”
“Would she really?” Lily asked in shock.
“No,” Rachel laughed. “But she would make me wish she had by the time she quit fussing at me for making her get out of bed.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out the keys. “Here you go, I’ll stop by the store tomorrow to pick them up.”
“All right. Thanks again, Rachel.”
“Dinner more than made up for it,” Rachel replied, giving her a hug. “Bye, Shade.”
He nodded to her while he was making his own bowl of food.
Rachel smiled, closing the door and going down Lily’s steps. It had gotten dark since she had arrived.
As she was passing the backyard of the clubhouse, she heard a woman’s moan. Thinking someone had fallen or hurt themselves, she scanned the backyard until she saw a movement in the gazebo. The lights from inside the clubhouse illuminated the couple within, and Rachel easily recognized Cash’s tall frame. He had regained most of the weight and muscle tone he had lost since his accident. He seemed to easily hold the woman he had pinned to the side of the gazebo. The woman gave another moan. It was only when her voice impatiently said Cash’s name that Rachel recognized her as Bliss.
“Cash, quit teasing me!”
Cash’s hand was buried in the opened shorts as Bliss’s legs circled his waist.
Rachel stood frozen in place as Cash lowered his head, sucking on a bared breast while she saw Bliss’s hands go for his jeans.
“You need something bigger than my finger for that pussy?”
“God, yes!”
Cash’s low laugh had Rachel’s feet moving again, wishing she had never stopped. The image of them together would be burned forever in her mind. Bliss’s pleas and Cash’s confidence that he could satisfy the woman took away any doubts of whether they shared a sexual relationship.
Her head lowered, she crashed into a hard chest.
“Oh!” Rachel barely managed to catch herself. If Train hadn’t reached out to steady her, she would have fallen.
“What’s the rush?”
A small scream had both of their eyes going to the gazebo where Cash’s arms were holding Bliss as he thrust into her.
Train’s eyes returned to hers. “Come on; I’ll walk you to your car.”
Rachel hurriedly followed the path to the parking lot with Train walking casually by her side.
She was about to scramble inside her car when he stopped her.
“You okay to drive home?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” Rachel shrugged, trying to make light of what she had seen.
“I thought that may have bothered you. I know that you and Cash—”
“Had sex?”
Train hesitantly nodded.
“He doesn’t have a problem with getting laid, does he?” Her crudeness made her bite her lip in punishment.
“No, he doesn’t.”
Rachel flinched at his bluntness.
She didn’t think any of The Last Riders had a problem relieving their sexual desires. Train would definitely have no problem finding a woman. His black hair hung down past his neck and was tied back at the nape. His expression was always calm, but Rachel sensed the darkness within him that she had recognized in Shade. He was always the quiet one in the group, yet she felt the undercurrents of his seething sexuality that would be hard for a woman to resist. If she hadn’t made an ass of herself a few months ago over Cash, Rachel would have been tempted to find out just what Train was hiding.
“I could give you a ride home on my bike if you’re not sure,” he offered.
“I’m fine.”
“If you’re sure.” Train reached to her side, brushing her breasts with his arm as he opened the car door. Rachel couldn’t hold back the shiver of awareness, hastily climbing in her small car. Train carefully closed her door and then stepped back as she pulled out.
“You going to make a move on her?” Cash asked as he walked out of the shadows.
“Thinking about it. Any reason not to?”
“No. I guess not.” Cash started back up the pathway. “Did she see?”
“Yeah.”
They walked beside each other in silence until they got to the backdoor.
Train was about to go inside when Cash’s voice stopped him.
“Train, I... I…”
“Brother, if you don’t want me to touch her, all you have to do is ask.”
“I’m asking.”
“Cool, I’ll leave her to you then.”
Cash slung his arm around Train’s shoulder, letting him take some of his weight. He had overextended his strength and was tired as shit. Train easily took his weight without saying a word, helping Cash inside and up the stairs to his room.
“Want me to get one of the women for you?”
“Hell, no. You trying to put me back in rehab?” The men laughed.
After Train left, Cash starred at the closed door, still unsure why he had asked Train to back off. It wasn’t like he had a shot in hell at Rachel again, but something deep inside him told him that Train wouldn’t be a dumb-fuck and screw everything
up with Rachel the way he had.
He had heard her voice as he had come inside of Bliss, his dick nearly shriveling in the condom at being seen by her with another woman. He had shoved his dick in his pants and sent Bliss in the house. He had hoped to find Rachel upset, anything to show she cared; instead, he had seen the interest in her eyes for Train. Cash was experienced enough to know what that look on a woman’s face meant. His little virgin had been wondering how Train was in bed.