“You okay?” Colt asked as he and Sierra walked back to his hog.
“Yeah,” she replied softly. “You?”
“I think so,” he replied. “It had to be done.”
“I know.” She looked up at him, worried by the tone of his voice. He sounded like he was trying to convince himself.
They said nothing else, walking in silence, her hand finding his in the darkness. They waited at the bikes for the rest of the brothers. Chains was the first to arrive, moving slowly, his damaged knee obviously hurting after the long back to back walks.
“You did good, brother,” Colt said softly as Chains slowly swung his leg over his bike.
“Yeah. It felt good to get out of the clubhouse…and get a little payback.”
Colt chuckled. “You sure scared the piss out of Patch.”
“Yeah, he’s lucky that’s all I did. I wanted to kill that asshole. He’s the one who stomped on my knee.”
Colt nodded. A moment later, Nic, Harrison, Gunner and Fletch came trotting up.
“Fuck…I’m getting too old to be running,” Fletcher panted.
“It rigged?” Colt asked the group.
“Yeah. It should make a nice—” before Harrison could finish there was a heavy thump then the sky brightened with the flames of the burning clubhouse.
“Jesus. What did you do?” Sierra asked.
“Natural gas, baby,” Nic said with a grin. “That and a little gasoline. We put Dom’s bike inside on its side and opened the tank to spill the gas. That bitch was heavy as shit to get up the steps and through the door.”
“How did you light it?” Colt asked, impressed. Putting their motorcycle inside the clubhouse sounded like was something a bunch of drug-addled bikers would do. If they were lucky, the police might write off the murders, especially since the rest of the DEMC had cleared out.
“One of Dom’s stinky ass cigars.”
Colt nodded. “Let’s get the fuck out of here,” he said as he thumbed his bike to life. First responders were going to be showing up in a few minutes and he wanted to be long gone by then.
Colt stopped. The other riders continued for a short distance before they realized that Colt wasn’t with them anymore, then turned their hogs and returned.
“You go ahead,” Colt said as the other riders stopped beside him. “I need to spend some time getting my head right.”
The five men looked at him solemnly. “It had to be done, Colt. You know that,” Fletch said.
“I know, but I’ve never killed anyone before. It’s starting to sink in.”
Fletch watched Colt a moment then nodded. “Okay. If you need to talk, you know where I am.”
Colt nodded his thanks and the men moved off to turn around and continue to the clubhouse.
“You want me to go, too?” Sierra asked. She was going to have to hitch a ride if he did.
“No. Please stay.”
Colt allowed the Harley to idle a moment as the other bikes rumbled past and into the distance. When he switched it off, the darkness was near complete and the sky was vibrant with stars. They sat in silence a moment.
“What’s the matter?” she asked quietly, wrapping her arms around him.
“I’m a murderer,” he said softly. “Robbing people is one thing. I’m not proud of that, but it was a means to an end, and always I tried to make sure nobody got hurt. Hopefully that is behind me now.” He fell silent again, but Sierra waited him out. “But this…This is different. I killed two people in cold blood tonight.”
“You know it had to be done,” she said softly. She was still trying to adjust to what happened. If she was thinking about it, she could imagine what Colt must be going through.
“Saying that is one thing. Doing it’s another.” He pushed the stand down and Sierra took that as her cue to dismount.
He dismounted then made sure the bike was stable and wouldn’t fall. When he turned she melted into his arms and held him, his arms coming around her back and the back of her head, holding her with almost crushing tightness as his cheek rested on the top of her head. They stood like that for many minutes as Sierra wondered what thoughts were racing through his mind. Her eyes welled with tears as his embrace telegraphed the pain he was feeling.
“I love you, Sierra,” he said softly. “I don’t want to lose you.”
She blubbered once, his words breaking the dam on her tears. “I love you, too.”
“Can you forgive me for what I’ve done? I will never hurt you but I’m afraid that you’ll—”
“Shhh…” she hushed. “I know. You did what you had to, but it’s not who you are. I know that.”
He released her and pushed her slightly back. With no moon, he could make out her features but couldn’t read her expression. He caressed her cheek with a thumb and felt the wetness of her tears.
“You’re crying.”
“Yes.”
“Why? Is it what I did?”
“No. It’s what you said.”
“You’re not upset?”
“No more than you. I don’t like what happened tonight any more than you do. You could have killed them all, but you didn’t. You gave them another chance. If they were too stupid to take it, that’s not your fault.”
“I don’t think that justifies murder.”
“No, maybe not. But keeping the club safe, keeping our guests safe, maybe that does.”
He thought about her words. She was right. They could have come back and started shooting again. What if they had killed one of the paving contractors? How would I have felt about that? he asked himself. Innocent blood spilled, innocent lives lost, all because of me. It was a burden he would have to carry the rest of this life, but deep down he knew it was the right choice, the only choice. It would be the club’s responsibility to keep their guests safe. Better to act now, before an innocent life was lost.
“You’re right,” he finally said softly. “What if they had done that after we opened? We can’t risk anyone getting hurt because of bad blood.”
She smiled as she heard the resolve returning to his voice. Colt was a good man. He would probably struggle with what he’d done for a while, but he would heal, and she would help him. He stepped back, tipped her face up with a finger under her chin, and kissed her softly. His kiss was slow and deep, and yet tender in a way it had rarely been before. Through the kiss she felt she could see another side of Colt. To the world he may be Colt McKinnon, badass biker and President of the Death Valley Motorcycle Club, and he was, but there was so much more to them than that. He truly cared. He cared about the DVMC and those who looked to him to lead them to something better, but she could also tell he cared about more than just the club. All of them did. He’d purged the DVMC of the bad apples, those who prevented the club from prospering, and in doing so he’d given the club, and its members, a future.
She reached up and touched his face, her hand resting lightly against his cheek. “We’ll get through this. Together.”
He took her lips again, pulling her in, needing to feel her close. She gave him strength and clarity. She kept him grounded and allowed him to soar. With her at his side he could do anything, survive anything. He would move every grain of sand in this God forsaken desert if that’s what it took to keep her safe, to keep his brothers and sisters safe. He needed her. He needed her, not just her body. He needed that part of himself he didn’t even know was missing until this moment. His brothers and sisters had his back, but Sierra, she had his heart.
“I want you,” he whispered, pulling back and gently pushing open her riding jacket.
She flashed hot, remembering the last time they had made love in the desert, remembering the power of that night and the passion they had shared, a night like none she’d experience before…or since.
“You can have me…always,” she whispered in return, shrugging her shoulders and allowing the jacket to fall.
They slowly undressed each other, their leathers dropping into the soft loose dirt with soft splashes of dust. They settled beside the bike, their lips never far or long removed from each other’s body as they touched, kissed, and caressed. The night air was cool to their bare skin, but no match for the roaring heat of their passion.
Colt lay back, the ground hard and covered in a thick layer of choking, powder-like dust, but he scarcely took note. His attention was focused on Sierra, softly lit by the rising moon and the glow of stars, making her more beautiful than he believed any mortal woman could be. She settled over him, holding his cock erect as she lowered herself, taking him inside with a soft sigh.
She began to move, his magnificent cock touching inside her in the way no other man had. Slowly grinding her hips, his hands on her thighs, she ran her hands through her hair as her head tipped back, her eyes closing in profound pleasure. His hands traveled up her sides, finding and cupping her breasts, his fingers gently tweaking her nipples to tender hardness.
She tipped forward, mashing her breasts into his chest as she kissed him with electrifying intensity before pushing back, driving him in as deep as she could. He groaned, forcing his hips up, meeting her push with one of his own, her moan joining his in the still night air. As she relaxed, he slowly pulled back then pushed in again, gasping in pleasure as his cock slid through her wetness.
Sierra wrapped her hands in Colt’s long thick hair, arching her back and drawing his lips to the valley between her breasts. He began to move in slow deep thrusts as his tongue and lips darted and caressed her skin. She moaned again, the pleasure of their joining meeting the knowledge that he felt for her as she felt for him, his announcement of love sending her passions spiraling higher than she believed possible.
She took his lips greedily, whimpering softly into his mouth moments before she clamped down on his manhood as her orgasm took her, her breath coming hard and fast before she relaxed, her head going to his shoulder as she panted. He stopped his thrusts, allowing her to enjoy her rapture.
Colt held her in his loving embrace, waiting for feeling to return as she recovered from the toe-curling orgasm. As strength returned to her legs she brought her lips back to his, kissing him lovingly, before crawling off him and settling into the dust beside him. It took a bit of squirming before she found a reasonably comfortable spot to lay but then opened herself to him. He entered her again, holding himself up on hands and knees until she pulled him down and wrapped her arms around him, wanting to feel his touch. He lightly settled onto her, her breasts gently rubbing against his chest as they moved together.
“Make me come, Colt,” she whimpered, rising up slightly to hold him tight.
He grunted in effort, trying to hold his orgasm, wanting to time his rapture to hers. He was breathing hard, the thick dust coating his throat, sweat beginning to form despite the coolness of the night, but he’d never felt more alive. They had been making love in the dirt for many long minutes, truly making love for the first time in his life. He’d realized he was falling for her several weeks ago, but he’d been afraid to say anything, afraid she would reject him or not share his feelings. Having her profess her love for him had sent him reeling, and he wanted to please her over and over again.
“Come with me,” he whispered as he began to drive into her harder, faster, driving them both to completion.
“Yes…yes,” she gasped as her second orgasm of the night began to surround her. Knowing they were going to climax together excited her deeply. “Come with me.”
The feel of her under him, her arms gripping him tight, the feel of her skin against his, her soft sighs, gasps and whimpers of pleasure wound him tight. “I’m going to come,” he grunted, struggling against the encroaching pleasure. “I can’t hold it,” he gasped as his control began to slip.
Hearing that his control was slipping away from him, hearing the strain in voice as he fought his pleasure for her, pushed her over the edge. She felt alive, her body burning with pleasure. “Come…” she breathed as she tumbled in the maelstrom of her orgasm.
Her soft sigh as her release took her shredded the remainder of his control and he splashed into her as he continued to pump his hips, extending their orgasm and drawing out their pleasure. He wanted to cry out to the world, his body alive with pleasure, as if a million volts of electricity poured into every nerve, making him feel incandescent with pleasure and his love for her.
They gasped quietly at very nearly the same moment as their climaxes released them and they relaxed as their pleasure washed out of them. The moon was clearing the nearby mountains and he could see the softness of her gaze.
“I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you, too.” As much as she wanted to lay still and have Colt hold her forever, the hardness the ground was becoming increasingly painful. “We should go, before they come looking for us,” she murmured after a moment.
“I know.” He didn’t want to leave the comfort of her arms, but she had to be getting uncomfortable after lying on the ground so long, so he staggered to his feet, wincing as his knees complained about their treatment, and helped her to her feet.
Now that their passion had been damped, the chill of the night quickly made its presence known and they hurriedly redressed, snickering and giggling as they began to shiver from the cold. Dressed, they rode the last few miles to the clubhouse with Sierra tucked in comfortably to his back. It felt so right, so natural, they could have been doing it for years.
Colt wheeled the bike around and parked it. “We should check in,” he said as they dismounted. Tonight was their night, but he didn’t want someone looking for them later, or checking up to see if he was okay. They entered the huge open space that was the clubhouse and all eyes turned toward them. Music was playing and drinks were out, and it was clear that the men that had been tasked with solving the Death Eater problems were being well taken care of by the rest of the club.
“What?” Colt asked as everyone continued to stare at them.
“What the hell happen? Did you lay your hog down?”
“What?” Colt asked, looking at Sierra to see if she knew what they were talking about. “Oh,” he said then looked at himself. They were covered in dirt and their leathers were nearly white with dust.
Perri began to giggle as she looked at the pair. “I think they lay down, all right, but not on his hog.”
The rest of the club began to laugh as realization dawned. Sierra burned in embarrassment, but the group poured two shots, holding them up in invitation. They looked at each other before they burst into laughter and moved to join the group. She was home, and at home you had to expect a little good-natured teasing.