She awoke to the sounds of the sea and of birds calling. She rubbed her eyes and rolled over and looked around the room. The curtains and windows had been opened and the breeze was blowing them out into a billowing cloud around the room. She was alone. Diesel was nowhere in sight, the front door ajar letting in the sounds of the crashing waves.

She sat up and stretched. She had no idea what time it was or how long she had been sleeping, but she felt half in a daze. She felt jet lagged, as if she had missed several days sleep and was still trying to catch up.

“Coffee,” she said aloud as she shakily got to her feet and made her way over to the door.

She pushed it open further and stood in the doorway and looked out at the gardens and the beach beyond. It was almost like they were in the Caribbean. She had only ever seen photographs of places like this, and now she was actually there.

“How can this be so close to home?” she whispered as she wrapped her arms around herself.

“Sleeping Beauty wakes.” Diesel’s voice cut through the calm and made her jump.

She looked to the left and saw him walking toward her with two takeout coffees and a brown paper bag in his hands.

“Hey.” She grinned as she rubbed the back of her neck.

“Hey,” he whispered.

They walked down onto the beach together and sat down on the sand. It was a beautiful day and the sun was shining bright, but with the breeze blowing in from the ocean, it was keeping them nice and cool.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been anywhere so lovely,” she said as she sipped her coffee and instantly felt more revived. “Thank you so much for bringing me here.”

“Hey, it was your idea,” he teased. “I was just the driver. I was forced here against my will, don’t you know.”

“Ha…ha…” she said sarcastically as she punched him lightly on the shoulder. As her knuckles connected with his rock hard muscles it made her heart flutter and she clenched her thighs together. How could she keep forgetting how strong and powerful he was? It was as if he kept taking her by surprise.

“I’m glad we came,” she said. “When you suggested skipping town, I honestly thought you must be mad. But you’re right, this is perfect. And maybe we are both a little crazy anyway.”

“I had to get out of there,” he said. “And what better way to spend my time than getting to know you?” He touched her chin and kissed her longingly on the lips.

“What’s going on?” she asked him point blank. She could no longer take the mystery surrounding him and the bike gang that she was working for. If there was something big happening, then surely she deserved to be told. She was immersed in that world every day. If she was in danger in some way, then surely she had a right to know.

“It’s a mess,” he said as he rubbed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair. “I don’t want to dampen our mood by talking about it.”

“But I deserve to know,” she said sternly. And she really did mean it.

“I know you do,” he said as he looked into her eyes. “Especially if we are doing this…” He looked around and waved his finger back and forth between them. “I like you, Jen. I like you a lot. And I just want to be up front with you, but I don’t want to scare you off at the same time. You know?”

“You won’t scare me off,” she assured him as she reached up and stroked his face. “But I can tell something weird has been going on, and I think it’s only fair that you tell me so I know the full picture.”

Diesel reached down for the brown paper bag and opened it wide revealing two big sandwiches.

“I got you this,” he said as he handed one to her and juice from a tomato ran down her arm. “I thought you’d be hungry.”

“I’m starving,” she said. “But don’t change the subject.” She scowled with a grin.

“Okay, okay!” He breathed as he took another sip of his coffee and looked as if he were bracing himself.

“It’s all right,” she whispered. “I don’t scare easily.”

Diesel turned so that they were facing each other directly and then he let his eyes gaze out over the ocean.

“I told you that I hate going in Tanners after what happened…” he began.

Jenny nodded and urged him to continue.

“That’s why we’ve never met?” she asked him.

“Yes,” he said. “I haven’t been in there in so long, but the other night when I came in and I met you, well, something big was happening and that’s why I had to be there.”

“Okay…” She took another sip of her coffee.

“I mean, I can’t remember the last time I was there. It could have been a year or more. But the other night, we had a meeting. Something important. And although we never conduct business on site at Tanners after what happened when the club was still Red X, we felt as if, on this particular occasion, it was necessary. We needed to send a message.”

“What do you mean?” She was all ears.

“The other bikers we were with. They were the Iron Riders. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of them or been told much regarding our past with them, but it’s pretty fucking messy.”

“I’ve heard things,” she confirmed. “But I don’t know what’s fact or fiction anymore. It seems like a lot of people like to embellish the truth.”

“Our rivalry goes back decades. Generations of bikers and men I’ve never even met have been fighting those fuckers for as long as anyone can remember. They have fucked us over so many times and we have them, but when they killed Tanner it was something else. Something darker. They really fucking shot us deep. And we never thought we would ever be able to get over it and call a truce. Until now…”

“Why?” she whispered. “What’s different now?”

Diesel rubbed his chin and looked out over the ocean. She could tell he was troubled and she didn’t want to push him, but at the same time, she had to know. He had to tell her what she was getting herself into.

“Another threat has arrived,” he said finally. “And if we are going to stand any chance of defeating it, then we need to be stronger than ever. We can’t have any chinks in our armor. And The Iron Riders are a massive fucking weakness. We can’t have any more enemies. We need to pull together to fight.” He took a breath. “We came into Tanners for our meeting because we wanted to send them a message. We wanted them to know how serious we are. The Iron Riders stormed that place and killed one of our brothers. And we welcomed them back there to make them not only uncomfortable but for them to see that we have continued to thrive. The Iron Riders are no longer our enemy. But they will never be our friends. Do you understand?”

She nodded her head. She did.

“But this new threat?” she asked wearily. “What is it?”

“The Russians,” Diesel almost spat out the words. “Fuckers with money and connections. They want what’s ours and if we don’t hand it over peacefully then they are going to come and take it.”

“Oh,” she said, her heart sinking.

“We look after our town, Jen,” he said. “But if these Russians manage to work their way into our framework, then it’s going to be nothing but trouble. They will destroy Slate Springs.”

“Where are they now?” she asked.

“They’ve been spotted around town,” he said with a sigh. “A few things have happened. They were at the motel and they have been sniffing around and causing trouble. We have heard what they have done to other similar small towns with lawless centers. They want to take out our livelihood. They want what’s ours, but we can’t let them.”

“So, obviously the police aren’t going to be of any use…” She half laughed.

“Well, yeah, we can’t exactly ask for help in keeping our smuggled weapons ours and not theirs, can we?” He laughed too.

Jesus.  

She smiled and touched his arm affectionately.

“I had no idea,” she said. “I could tell something was going on when there was that big meeting, and I had heard a few whispers of trouble. But no one knows anything, none of the girls, no one. We are all in the dark and yet, we are working for you. I mean, I could have been tending bar one night and one of these Russians could have turned up and done something. It could have been like when Tanner was killed all over again. Don’t you think all of you should come clean to the people that may end up caught in the crossfire?”

She felt herself beginning to get angry. And Diesel could clearly sense it too as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

“I would never let anything happen to you,” he said into her neck. “I promise you that.”

“But what about everyone else?” she pleaded. “You have to tell them.”

“And we will,” he said. “Don’t worry, we will.”

She looked out toward the ocean and became entranced with the waves breaking against the shore. Her dream had been so similar and yet so different. In that moment, she started to wonder if maybe she would be better off looking for a normal good guy. It certainly would come with less danger and drama… But it wasn’t just about Diesel’s bad boy edge. It was about him. He was the one she had found and he was the one she wanted. His personality matched hers perfectly, and although they had only known each other a short time, they were already close as could be. She felt comfortable with him and totally at ease. No one had ever made her as relaxed and at peace as he did.

She wasn’t going to throw that away for the idea of an easy life. She would rather her life was messy, complicated and full of illicit activities with Diesel by her side than a nice, average existence without the presence of any passion of uncertainty.

“You look deep in thought,” he said as he kissed the top of her shoulder. “I knew it would scare you off.”

“It hasn’t.” She smiled reassuringly. “But it has made me think.”

He looked down and nodded sadly.

“Not in a bad way,” she confirmed and searched his eyes for some positivity. “I just mean it’s made me realize what I really want.”

“And what’s that?” he asked her.

“I think you know… I want you…”

She couldn’t believe she had been so brave to lay all of her feelings out there like that, but she didn’t see any other way. Life was too short for pussy footing around. She wanted to get right to the point and let him know what she was all about. She liked him. She could imagine herself falling in love with him. And she had never been more attracted to anyone in her whole life.

People like this don’t come around so often… she thought to herself. You’d be a goddam fool to let him go.

“I want you too,” he said as he ran his big, rough hands through her hair.

He kissed her deeply and Jenny found herself being swept away again. She felt as if she was riding a wave of pleasure and she never wanted it to end. His kiss was so intense and powerful that it was taking her breath away, and each time he touched her and ran his hands through her hair, her skin tingled with electricity and she melted just a little bit more.

She could feel the throb between her legs growing stronger, and she wanted so desperately for him to just lie her down right there on the beach and rip all of her clothes off and ravish her. But she was too caught up in the moment. His kiss was so good, she didn’t want it to stop.

When their lips finally parted, Diesel wrapped his big, thick arm around her shoulder and pulled her in close to him. The afternoon sun was glinting in the sky and Jenny could tell that dusk would not be far away.

“How did we manage to sleep all day?” she asked him with a little laugh.

“Speak for yourself,” he said. “I only got a couple of hours, if that. And then I went into town and got us some supplies.”

“Supplies?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. “What kind of supplies?”

“Food mostly, you didn’t even stir when I was stocking the refrigerator.”

“Well, I hope you’re going to let me cook us up something good then later,” she joked.

“Damn right I am!” He laughed. “We can bring it down here and enjoy the evening al fresco.”

“Sounds perfect to meS.” he beamed and let herself fall even deeper into the groove of his arm.

“What will happen when we go home?” she whispered, already dreading the answer. “Everything feels so far away right now. What if when we get back, things aren’t the same?”

“In what way?” He looked at her with concern.

“What if something bad happens with the club? What if you have to go off and travel, get sent away on some crazy assignment? What if these Russians come into town properly and cause some serious issues?”

“Then we’ll deal with it.” He said it like it was a no brainer. “You’re worrying about hypothetical situations. Come on, Jennifer, I had you down as better than that…”

She was starting to get used to him calling her Jennifer and she had to admit, she was beginning to like it. It made her skin prickle and her heart race faster. The way he said it made her realize that he had a lot of affection for her. He was playing with her and making them closer.

“Will Bull be mad at you for stealing me this week?” she asked.

“Nah,” he shook his head as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his cigarettes. “Bull and I have been best friends for years. And I don’t often talk, but I have mentioned you to him a couple of times now, so he knows the score. He’d want us to be happy, believe me.”

“And do you think we’re going to be?” She grinned.

“No,” he said sternly. “I know we’re going to be.”

After her heart had temporarily dropped down into her stomach, she found her face cracking with a beaming smile and she leaned in and kissed him again.

“Well, let’s just hope I’m not going to get my ass fired by running off again.”

“Of course you’re not.” He sucked in on the end of a cigarette. “You’re with me. Everything is going to be fine.”

Jenny leaned in closer to him and let his words echo around her mind over and over. She felt it. She really did.

Everything was going to be fine, just as long as they stuck together.