Up In Flames (Club Chrome 3)

She risked a brief smile. “I’m fine. Just tired. Still trying to recover from that binge Benton made me take. I’ll be all right.”

At the mention of that fucking prick, Benton, his hands curled into fists. If he managed to get his hands on that asshole, that kid would be drinking his dinner through a straw from here on out. “You let me know as soon as he makes contact,” he told her firmly. “I want to get this shit done. He and I are going to have a nice, long chat.”

Angel nodded quickly but it seemed she didn’t want to spend much time talking about what was going to happen at this meeting. He supposed he could understand her fear. This guy had been terrorizing her for quite some time. But all that was going to end. He would see to that.

“Where were you that night?” Angel asked, surprising him with her blunt question.

Of all the questions about that night, that was one he didn’t want to answer. “Why does it matter? I wasn’t there when you and Ashley needed me. Let’s leave it at that.”

“I need to know.”

He exhaled and would’ve done anything to change the subject but Angel wasn’t going to let him off the hook. He could see it in her eyes. Might as well bite the bullet and just get it done. “I just want you to know that if I could change—“

“I know. Just tell me.”

“I was with another woman. I was out fucking around.”

She didn’t blow up or start screaming, which was no less than he deserved but her simple nod was more devastating than if she’d heaved something heavy at his head. “She really loved you. I’m glad she died not knowing that. In her eyes, you were the one. You want to know why she never left? Because she believed that deep down, you were a good man — you just didn’t know it yet.”

That cut deep. “I didn’t deserve her faith,” he said, shaking his head. “What can I say? I was a mess back then. Not much better now, honestly.”

“We’re all messes,” she said quietly. Then, she inhaled a deep breath and announced, “I’m going to take a shower. Alone.”

A little deflated, he nodded, “Yeah, sure” and watched as she disappeared behind the bathroom door.

Pyro spent an inordinate amount of time staring at his cuticle. He wasn’t a praying man. Never had been. But sometimes, he wished it were possible to drop to his knees and get a little advice, something he could take to heart when he felt as if he were going to lose his mind.

There was something about Angel that reached into his chest cavity and twisted real hard. He’d never felt this way about Ashley and that shamed him because he should’ve. She’d been a good woman — the best, really. Better than he’d ever deserved but that hadn’t been enough. Hell, she’d been carrying his kid and even that hadn’t been enough. What kind of prick was he that he was out screwing other women when his pregnant girlfriend needed him the most? Shame burned his gut and he stalked to the cabinet to grab his whiskey. There was one thing that not even Angel knew — something he and Ashley had kept private. They’d known the sex of the baby…a boy. He didn’t know if that made things worse or helped with the healing. Every time he saw a kid around the same age his son would’ve been, he couldn’t help but flinch from the arc of pain that followed. Maybe he would’ve been a terrible dad or maybe he would’ve rocked at it. Who knew? It was too late now. Kids just weren’t in his future, he’d decided. He envied Bronx and his happiness even though he felt joy, too. He wanted his best friend to get some goodness in his life because he’d earned it. Lord knew Bronx had suffered his share of misery and Dee was just a good ass woman. Kind of life Ashley. Except unlike him, Bronx knew he had a good thing and was cherishing the shit out of his woman.

Pyro had the club. He was the club president of The Road Dogs and that was enough for him.

It had to be.

Much more than that wasn’t in the cards for him.

***

Angel climbed into the bed beside Pyro and curled up on her side away from him but that didn’t stop him from pulling her close and nuzzling the back of her neck, his hands immediately going to her breasts to cup and squeeze.

“You smell so good,” he murmured against her skin and she shivered with anticipation. “Good enough to eat.”

She turned and he captured her mouth with his, their tongues tangling and twisting as their breathing quickened. He had a way of inflaming her with a single touch. She hadn’t planned to sleep with him again but her resolve weakened the minute his hand touched her skin. She craved his touch as much as she’d ever craved a hit but it was perhaps more dangerous to her health and well-being if she kept giving into Pyro. Too bad she couldn’t stop.

He climbed down her body and delved between her thighs to seek out her clit. She gave into the pleasure, sinking into that abyss willingly as he took her to higher heights than she ever imagined possible. She twisted, groaning like a porn star, except her moans were real and unbridled as Pyro pushed her to the breaking point, only to stop and let the tension build again. “Oh Jesus,” she cried, gripping the pillow as she shattered into a mosaic of blissful colors and textures. Her body clenched and released in a sweet concert of pleasure as she rode that beautiful wave into brief and blessed nothingness. For a full heartbeat, her brain didn’t function and she simply existed. That was her happy place. Better than any high any drug had ever given her. It was Pyro. Pyro was her drug.

He rolled her over and she went to her hands and knees, giving him her ass as he framed her hips with his firm grip before plunging deep inside her, impaling her on his thick cock and hitting her G-spot perfectly. She moaned and whimpered with pure pleasure as he banged her with a ferocity that she matched, loving each thrust, each vicious thrust until she shuddered against the second orgasm ripping through her body.

Pyro finished seconds later, crying out her name and tucking and rolling with them both to the bed, still embedded inside her. He pressed small kisses to the back of her neck and held her tightly. He didn’t know why but he didn’t want to let go. She felt as if she were made for him. Her body matched his in a way that he never believed possible. For a brief moment he was going to let himself enjoy it and he wasn’t going to freak out over what that meant. At the moment, he was content to just let it be whatever it was.

Eventually, he pulled away to discard the condom and climbed back into bed. Angel was already sacked out. He tucked her back into the cove of his shoulder and followed her into a deep, sated sleep.

-10-

A knock at the door surprised both Pyro and Angel, sending each into different states of hyper awareness. Angel looked ready to bolt, instantly afraid that it was Benton or his thugs, whereas Pyro was hoping it was so he could end this right then and there. But as luck would have it, Bronx was on the other side.

“You should answer your cell,” Bronx said, walking past Pyro, carrying a sheaf of papers. His gaze flicked to Angel and he stopped long enough to make Pyro scowl then he handed Pyro the papers¸ saying, “This is the last of the investments owned by The Road Dogs while I was president. I’ve signed off and now everything is in your name.”

“You didn’t have to bring these over. I could’ve met you at the club,” Pyro said.

“Yeah, I needed an excuse to go for a drive.” He extended a hand to Angel with a grin. “You must be Angel.”

She accepted his hand and nodded shyly, not quite sure what to make of the blond biker. “And you must be a friend of Pyro’s?”

“That’s right. Have been for a long time. I’m sorry about your sister. That was a raw deal for everyone involved,” he said with appropriate condolences but Pyro wished Bronx hadn’t brought it up.

“You didn’t come all the way over here for paperwork,” Pyro said, narrowing his gaze at his friend. “So what’s with the visit?”

“All right, it’s true. I have information you might want to know,” Bronx said, flicking his attention Angel’s way. “And it’s about that shit hitting the streets.”

Pyro perked up, interested. “Yeah? Wha

t have you heard?”

“More dead junkies but no one cares because, hey, one less junkie on the street the better, right? Except now, the shit’s getting some high profile. Some rich kid just died and the tox screen came back to that new drug.” He turned to Angel. “So what exactly is in that crap?”

She swallowed. “I don’t know. Benton never shared the details of the cook. I was just supposed to find people to test it out before they sent it out on the street.”