OWNED & UNTAMED (Back Down Devil MC #11) - London Casey Page 0,58
out of breath. I’d let her shower, clean up, and then kick her out.
But this time was very different. I had Belle at the clubhouse. And when I saw her sitting at the end of the bar, sipping some drink with a straw in it, nibbling at the straw, eyeing me, smiling, it fucking damn near killed me. I’d been punched, kicked, stabbed, and shot, but it felt nothing like that moment.
I wandered down to Belle and she turned to face me.
“You’re quite settled,” I said.
“Just trying to look like I’m not terrified. I’m good at hiding myself.”
“Where’s Jim?”
“Having a drink with Maggie. How did everything go?”
“It went,” I said. “So do you plan on sitting there all day and night?”
“I’m not sure. I’m not allowed to go home, right? So what else is there to do?”
I put my hand to Belle’s waist. I leaned and put my lips to her ear. “You’re going to come for a ride with me, sweetie.”
I took her hand and led her out of the clubhouse. Cash, Max, and Kye all whistled and called out some dumb shit comments. Outside, Jim and Maggie were leaning against a railing, talking. It was good to see Jim actually smiling for once. Trev, Jasper, and Trent were standing at a picnic table with Cade, going over legal documents and maps.
Maybe I should have been in the mix of it all but I didn’t want that shit right then.
I wanted Belle. I wanted her all to myself.
The romantic reason would be to say because I loved her and wanted her for the rest of my life.
The truth… I wanted her all to myself because in the blink of an eye I could end up dead.
chapter twenty-four.
(belle)
My hands gripped his leather cut tight. The roar and rumble of the motorcycle chased away any thoughts I could have. I peeked over his body to see the open road flying at us. It was so powerful it stole my breath away for a few seconds.
I had no idea where we were going.
Just cruising from the town to a more country type setting. We weren’t going anywhere near my house or the land.
Minutes gave us miles away from everything wrong. And it felt good to be with Duke. Just like we used to be. Riding on his first motorcycle, getting ourselves into trouble, never thinking for a second that anything bad could happen to us.
Funny how innocence made you feel so invincible.
We ended up twisting and turning through about a hundred roads and then ended up at some flat land with trees. It was green, vast, and beautiful. Duke pulled over and killed the engine on his motorcycle. We climbed off and Duke nodded to the open field.
“It’s a nice little spot,” he said.
“How many women have you brought up here?” I asked. I instantly felt stupid for asking the question, sounding petty and jealous.
Duke touched my cheek. “Only you, sweetie. This is where I come to think. To just waste some time and clear my head a little.”
“You seem more the type to clear your head with your fists.”
“That too, sweetie. But since I can’t go out and get arrested, I figure why not come up here for a little bit.” Duke opened the bag attached the back of his motorcycle. To my surprise there was a small blanket and a few bottles of beer. “Had prospects pack me up. They’re circling around too. But they’re not watching us.”
“Circling? Prospects?”
Duke smiled. “Prospects are guys that aren’t patched in yet. Runts. Newbies. Trying to earn their way into the MC. I can’t travel alone, just in case we get attacked. So we’re safe with them cruising around.”
“Attacked?”
“Sweetie, this is war. I’m sorry you’re involved in it now but this is it.”
“What about the police?”
“Not for this shit.” Duke had the blanket and beer in one hand. He grabbed my hand with his other. He started to walk. “Nothing the PD could do for this. It’s old demons still struggling for power. It’s how we survive. None of that needs to be on your mind.”
Duke chose a spot between two thick and tall trees. The branches and leaves spread across and created a natural canopy. He spread out the blanket and twisted off the cap to a beer and handed it to me.
We sat next to each other and it was almost like the old days.
“So what did you have to do to get patched in?” I asked Duke.