Leather for Two: Wings of Steel MC Read online

  LEATHER FOR TWO

  2015 Rhonda Lee Carver

  Copyright © 2015 by Rhonda Lee Carver

  All rights reserved.

  Published in the United States

  Published by Rhonda Lee Carver

  Cover Art by Bookin’ It Designs

  Leather for Two (Wings of Steel Motorcycle Club)

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations used in articles and reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and events are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Thank you to my family who is always there for me. I’d like to also thank Todd Tinker for contributing in making this story happen. And, last but not least, my biker friends.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Epilogue

  PROLOGUE

  Hearing the front door open, I looked up, expecting to see Diesel, but it was his best friend and a fellow member of the Wings of Steel Motorcycle Club. “Hi, Blaze.”

  He gave me a weak smile. “Can I come in, Bambi?”

  I always felt dizzy and wickedly alive when I saw Blaze. I had the excitement of a teenager with her first crush—palms sweaty, butterflies. Once upon a time, I blamed these uncontrollable feelings on the forbidden love theory. We want things we can’t have. It’s human nature.

  I couldn’t have Blaze. He couldn’t have me. And yet, a driving force drew me to him. I knew now the story in my heart had nothing to do with wanting Blaze because I couldn’t have him. I loved him because he made my body dance and my heart sing. I wanted Blaze like I needed my next breath. I dreamt of him. I watched him when no one was looking—and sometimes when they were. I once engraved our names inside a heart on a willow tree outside of the community college where I took classes. Several years had passed since and I still wanted to autograph trees with my secret love.

  No one knew of these torrid emotions. Not even Blaze. I deserved an Academy Award for my acting skills.

  “Yes, sure Blaze, but Diesel isn’t here.” I stood up from the chair, clutching the book I had been reading, hearing the crisp sheets of paper ripping under my tight hold. I didn’t want him to see my hands shaking. Hiding my feelings had gotten harder lately. Four years felt like a lifetime of pretending.

  What would he say if he knew I’d loved him since I met him?

  My gaze naturally skimmed over his whiskey colored hair that touched the collar of his black leather cut. His pale blue eyes were in competition with the sky on a cloudless day. His thick, tattooed biceps would fit nicely wrapped around me, especially right here and now. My fingers ached to rove and explore the toned and rippled parts of his beautiful body.

  Memory came back of one hot, summer afternoon last year that changed me forever. I was delivering a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies, his favorite, as a thank you for him fixing my dryer. I had knocked on the open door to his apartment, but didn’t get an answer. My intention to leave the plate on his desk didn’t work out as planned. I had taken a step across the threshold just as he stepped out of the bathroom, his naked body glistening with droplets of water. When he saw me he smiled, while I melted into his brown area rug. Once my brain started working again, I dropped the paper plate of cookies on the desk, sending them scattering onto the floor, and practically ran from the room, shaken from roots to toes.

  Blaze had the body of an Adonis and I attributed every orgasm, solo or with Diesel, to that moment when I saw Blaze nude. His dazzling eyes, olive complexion and smile got more of a rise in me than when Diesel would lick the intimate parts of my body. Fantasizing of Blaze was so wrong, and yet felt so right.

  My feelings for him were taboo here in the MC. Not only because Diesel was president of Wings, but he and Blaze were best friends for more than twenty years.

  Diesel and I could be called a couple, but lately I felt more like a sister to him. Things had changed—or maybe they had just stopped progressing between us long ago. He and I were no longer touching or communicating. He never had been giving at it either. When he did attempt to touch me on a rare occasion, I pushed him away. He spent more nights at his mom’s house than in our apartment.

  I had become his lady in name only.

  He liked his whores, and there were many who kept him satisfied.

  I didn’t care…not anymore. Had I ever? I was idling, or sleepwalking, through life until the opportunity for adjustment came.

  Oh, I had one big fault and couldn’t put all of the blame on Diesel. My heart belonged to another.

  That man stood several feet in front of me. His pensive eyes seemed to burrow into my flesh, seeping into the marrow of my bones. I often wondered if he could see straight through me into all of my secrets. My stomach fluttered just imagining what he would find buried in my heart.

  He was the reason why I remained in Wings. I could have left many times, but my heart urged me to stay. I wanted to be near Blaze, even if my emotions were in lockdown. Dreams of spreading my wings and flying as far and as fast as the breeze would carry me were growing more tempting. The cage imprisoning me weakened every day.

  “I’m not here to see Diesel.” One corner of Blaze’s stunning mouth lifted, not quite a smile, and not quite a frown. His famous grin made my nipples pebble and my internal temperature rise.

  “What’s on your mind?” My voice quivered. I dropped the book onto the coffee table. I wanted to rake my nails down his back instead of shredding the pages.

  “I saw you earlier.” He stepped closer—all six foot two inches of masculinity and sex appeal. I didn’t move, although the oxygen seemed to diminish from the room. His warmth enveloped me and I wanted to fall against him. Don’t fall. Don’t fall. “Bambi, did you hear me?”

  “What? Where?” My voice half-worked.

  “At the compound.”

  “I-I have no clue what you’re talking about.” I lowered my eyes. Blaze knew me well enough that he’d see the truth if I wasn’t careful. I hated secrets, and why I dodged him every chance I could lately. I wanted him to know my feelings, but I didn’t want to place him in a terrible position with Diesel.

  “We’re friends. Don’t lie to me.”

  His warm tone made me lift my chin. Friends? Our gazes met and I swallowed against the constriction. His eyes were like a beacon, sending signals to every nerve ending in my body. My eyes filled with tears and I blinked them away. “I’m not lying. I’m only, well, ignoring the truth.” What more could I say? I didn’t need to tell Blaze that Diesel liked to play in someone else’s backyard. Everyone knew Diesel couldn’t be faithful.

  “You’ve been crying. Your eyes are rimmed red.”

  I glanced at my reflection in the mirror hanging on the wall and winced. I looked like shit. Not only were my eyes red, but my nose was shining. My hair framed my face in wild waves. “I didn’t realize I looked so bad,” I whispered.

  “You look like an angel.”

  I jerked my head around. “An angel?”

  He nodded. “Diesel has hurt you.”

  “No, Diesel no longer hurts me.”

  “There’s something wrong,” Blaze said.

  Words dangled on the tip of my tongue—words of love. Maybe he didn’t
feel the same way about me—and being together couldn’t happen—but the exhaustion of carrying my secret had reached a breaking point. Walking on eggshells. Monitoring everything that came out of my mouth around Blaze and Diesel. I wanted freedom. I had dreams that I had put off for too long. “Too much to list.”

  “Talk to me, Bambi.” He took a step closer and hooked his thumbs into the front pockets of his jeans.

  “I caught Diesel cheating a long time ago. Today wasn’t the first time. You know his excuse for being disloyal? All members cheat. Cheating is the way of life.” Even as the words left my lips, I felt a sickness deep in my stomach. If I truly cared for Diesel, his deceit would mean something and I wouldn’t easily sweep it under the rug. I had dreams of love and romance. An idea of living a normal life with someone, possibly a family down the road, and a dishonest man wasn’t part of the deal.

  “Diesel loves you. I can attest to that.”

  I met Blaze’s gaze and tilted my chin. “I’m not sure Diesel loves anyone, but I find your loyalty admirable.”

  His broad shoulders slumped some. “He’s a good guy. He just lives for the Wings.”

  “Don’t you all?” I muttered. My discomfort grew.

  He squinted. “You make that sound like a dirty thing.”

  “I’m not a part of the Wings, not like before. That says enough.”

  “You’re part of the family.”

  I shrugged. The discussion was useless. “Have you come here to sing Diesel’s praises?” I wanted to go to bed.

  Blaze tore his hands from his pocket as a tired sigh escaped his lips. He smoothed his goatee and his gaze narrowed. “No, that’s not why I came.” He took another short step, close enough that I got a whiff of his scent—leather, musk and man. I wanted to bottle it and sniff it on lonely days. “I’ve had a lot on my mind lately.” His voice turned husky.

  “What is it? Darcy break up with you again?” Darcy was Blaze’s on-again, off-again girlfriend for the last year. I didn’t like Darcy. Honestly, yes, I was jealous, but my dislike for her ran much deeper than her affection for Blaze. The woman couldn’t keep her legs closed if her life depended on it, and I had a sinking feeling Diesel had spread them a time or two. I often wondered if Blaze suspected the same.

  Some things weren’t talked about, infidelity included. Being president of the club pretty much made Diesel king, or at least he liked to believe he held that special status.

  Blaze gave his head a jerky shake. “No. We’re through. For good. Darcy took off.”

  “Probably for the best.” I had a sliver of satisfaction. More than a sliver. I did a cartwheel on the inside. I wanted Blaze to be happy, but happiness couldn’t be found with a woman who would sell her soul to the devil for a dime.

  “Rena,” he started, then stopped and licked his lips. Shock overcame me. Neither he, nor anyone else here in the club, had used my real name in so long that it seemed foreign to me. I had gotten used to the nickname Bambi given to me the first day I met Diesel. “If you were mine, I wouldn’t, couldn’t cheat.”

  His words swirled in my brain. Could I be hearing right? Or was I hoping? “What do you mean?” My knees wobbled. My heart skipped several beats.

  He pushed a large hand through his hair, sending waves through the silken strands. “I’m just going to say it. Should have long ago. I wish you’d chosen me instead of Diesel.”

  Afraid I’d fall on my face, I plopped back into the chair, pressing my fingers in the cushioned arm rests. “We shouldn’t be—”

  “Yeah, I know. This conversation is off-limits, but if I don’t say it, I think I’ll explode.”

  I stared up at him, my head spinning. “You say this as if I had a choice between you and Diesel. That’s not the case. I met him and, well, I became his embellishment.”

  “You couldn’t see it?”

  “What?” My lips trembled.

  “Don’t you know how I feel for you?” The creases around his eyes deepened.

  My knuckles ached and I thought I would strip the flowered material of the chair with my bare hands. I laid them in my lap and clasped them tightly, controlling the shaking. I’d thought about this moment so often that it felt more like fantasy than reality. I’d always thought it would be me confessing my feelings. “I had no clue.”

  He dropped to his knees in front of the chair, placing his large hands on either side of me. His heat spread over the exposed skin of my arms and I wanted to reach out and touch his cheek, but I kept my hands clasped. I’d never been this close to him before, and every concealed urge in me came to the forefront. Goosebumps popped out on my skin and my lungs wouldn’t work properly.

  “I’m not a romantic man, Rena. I can’t offer you sweet, fancy words, but I need to know. Do you have the same feelings for me?” The freestanding light behind the chair illuminated his features.

  “I-I can’t do this. We can’t do this.” I stood up and his hands fell to his sides. My knees quaked as I moved around him, quickly heading toward the hallway. I heard the heavy beating of his boots as he followed me, gaining on me. My heart raced and I thought it possible it would burst right out of my chest. I placed my palm over the beating as if I could calm it with my own touch.

  His fingers dug into my arm and he twirled me around to face him. I could see a mysterious darkness in his eyes, the grim set of his jaw, and I knew he faced an internal tug of war. “Tell me you don’t feel the same and I will walk away. I will never mention this subject again.” The confession was there, at the back of my throat, itching to break free. His hand came up and he swept a callused palm across my cheek. He lowered his face so close that I could smell the mint and whiskey on his breath. “Have I been wrong, sweetheart?”

  I blinked, hoping the tears didn’t fall. “No, Blaze. You’re not wrong.” The divulgence came as if the prison door opened. Freedom at last. No more secrets. No fear of exposing my foolish self.

  His jaw softened. I had never seen him look so pleased. “I can’t get you out of my mind. I’ve tried everything, just short of cutting out my own heart. I would if I thought it’d relieve this misery.”

  I took a step backward, pressed against the cold wall. My body temperature rose to boiling. I could melt—into his arms. If I did, I wouldn’t leave, and I couldn’t be entranced by something that could never be. “Why are you telling me this?”

  “I was drowning in this need, baby. The look I saw in your eyes tonight, it snapped my last bit of control. My God, if you were mine, I’d have you in my bed every breathing moment.”

  My adrenaline kicked into racecar gear. My heart thumped so loudly, I wondered if he could hear it beating. Could he also smell my desire warming my inner thighs? His fingers touching my neck faded any more thoughts. His rough hand smoothed over my skin, awakening cells. Would he kiss me? Oh how I wanted him to kiss me. I wanted to feel his beard on my neck, my chest, breasts, and lower to my quivering thighs. He could take me and I wouldn’t refuse. I wanted to make love with the real man, not his image.

  Diesel’s scent and touch were the only I’d ever known, but I’d craved Blaze’s. I’d fantasized what he would feel like. What his lips on mine would do to my soul. “I can’t hold the lies any longer. I’ve wanted you for so long. I never would have dreamed that you’d want me too,” I said on an exhale of breath.

  “I don’t want to hurt Diesel. You belong to him…”

  Blaze’s words cooled the desire flowing through my veins. ‘Belong’ was not a word I ever related to my relationship with Diesel. I pulled my head back slightly. “I don’t belong to him.”

  “You’re his woman.”

  “In name only. My heart…it belongs to—” Should I speak the words?

  “To who, baby?”

  “To you,” I said it. There was no going back now. Life would change as I knew it. The truth had a way of turning things upside down.

  He slipped his fingers upward into my hair, coiling the strands around his fingers. “We could leave, Rena. We
could get away from here. Just you and me. I have enough money saved.”

  I blinked. Did he realize the magnitude of his words? Did he understand how hopeful he made me? “Blaze. You’d never leave the club.”

  “This is the only life I’ve known. My dad wore this cut before I was a gleam in his eye. I’ve worn it ever since I can remember, but we can’t stay here. Not like this. Here you’ll always be Diesel’s woman. I want you as mine and only mine. Every time he is near you I have to battle painful emotions.”

  I swallowed back the pain of comprehension. That’s all I was known as, ‘Diesel’s woman’. I wanted more…wanted to be known for more. I’d never fit in here, in the club. I wasn’t like the other women who abided by the rules, felt at home on the back of a Harley.

  Blaze was willing to give it all up for our love.

  The choice would be with us forever…

  ****

  Blaze

  Blaze walked into the compound. He passed Dog at the bar, his head hung over an empty shot glass. Blaze patted him on the back. “Dog, you okay?”

  “Fine,” Dog muttered.

  “Where’s Diesel?”

  The man shrugged and mumbled something incoherent.

  Blaze shook his head and made his way down the dark hall and to the last door on the right. It was closed and as he started to knock, it swung open. Candy, a chick that had just started as a barmaid adjusted her big jugs in her too-tight T-shirt. She looked up, a smile extending her mouth from one noisy hoop earring to the other. “Hi there, Blaze.” She showed off a top row of yellow, uneven teeth. As she sashayed past him, she tiptoed her fingers across his cut. He got a strong smell of flowers and pussy, both making his stomach churn. “You and I haven’t had a chance to get to know each other yet,” she slurred. She shook her head so fast her long earrings clanked.

  Blaze frowned, stepped into the room and closed the door in Candy’s face. A quick sweep of the dark space and he found Diesel in the corner pulling on his jeans.

  “One minute sooner and you’d seen tits juggling and white ass bouncing.” Diesel laughed.