say and smile and I can’t believe how easy it is to admit that to her. Somehow, weirdly, I feel more of a man for it.
“I did what needed doing,” she says, and this time her smile is warm and real and all there.
“And so did I,” I say. “I mean coming after you. That needed doing too.”
We share a silence that’s so full of something warm and relaxing and true, I kinda forget what we were talking about.
“So, what kind of information do you need from me?” she asks with a lazy half-smile what seems like an eternity later.
“On the Sinners, where they live, I guess, and what they do, that kinda thing,” I explain. “I don’t know exactly. My president wants to meet with you and ask the questions. He didn’t tell me what they were.”
“Will you be there?” she asks, taking hold of my hand.
“Yeah,” I say, even though I’m not sure. But I’ll insist on it.
She leans in for a kiss and I oblige her instinctually. Each time we kiss, she tastes like a fresh new thing I just found, yet also something that’s been mine for a long, long time.
15
Brenda
What the fuck did I agree to?
We’re standing by his bike in a desert wasteland, surrounded by stunted shrubs and encircled by rolling sandy hills. The hot sun is so bright my eyes are watering and my mouth is full of the sand Colt’s bike kicked up on our ride here. I’m getting second thoughts about this. Nothing good ever happens in deserts, I know that very well from being King’s mistress back in Vegas. But I don’t know how to bring it up.
I also don’t know jack shit about the Sinners. How can I possibly be of any help to this MC President?
What happens when he finds out I won’t be any help? Will I ever leave this sandy wasteland?
“Relax,” Colt says, looking at me very deeply.
“What if I can’t give your president the info he needs?” I blurt out, unable to stop myself.
“You just tell him what you know, that’ll be good enough,” Colt says, but I hear an edge in his voice. He’s not sure it’ll be enough. He’s worried too. And now my heart’s racing on top of the sun scorching the back of my neck and making my eyes water.
“I wish we had some water,” I mumble.
“Yeah, me too,” he says and smiles at me. And just like that, it’s just the two of us, and the world is ours and nothing is too challenging for us to face. I scoot closer and wrap my arm around his waist and he wraps his around my shoulders, but it’s too hot to be hugging, which we realize at the same time a couple of moments later.
So I just take his hand, wishing we had some water.
“That must be them,” Colt says, pointing at a cloud of dust in the distance.
My nervousness grows in tune with the growing cloud of dust on the horizon.
Why do I even trust Colt enough to come with him to this desert wasteland where just about anything can happen? What if he sells me to the highest bidder?
I grip his hand tighter. He wouldn’t do that. We’re too perfect for each other. He knows it too. It’s in every kiss he gives me, every caress, every orgasm. He can’t say it yet, it’s too soon, but I know he knows it just as perfectly as I do. He’d never sell me. I don’t think he’ll ever let me go.
That little pep talk to myself stills my racing heart and keeps the black thoughts at bay.
A group of four bikers is now clearly visible in the center of the cloud of sandy dust.
If I just answer their questions, then me and Colt will be able to spend all the time in the world together. He promised me this, and I plan on holding him to his promise.
The bikers stop about a yard from where we’re standing and dismount. The dust their ride kicked up is settling like shimmering confetti around them as they walk towards us. Ace, Stormi’s newfound boyfriend is one of them, and that sends my heart racing even harder than it was while I still just worried about this meeting. He was a goddamn Sinner! What the fuck is this. The shortest guy of the three is also the stockiest, built like a tank, and his eyes are mischievous like a little kid. The tall bald