Joy (Hell's Handlers MC 7)

Viper grunted. No way was he about to tell Sarge what a wildcat Cassie had been in bed. He wasn’t sure what had happened there at the end, but it wasn’t like anything he’d ever experienced. If it wouldn’t make him sound like such a pussy, he’d swear their hearts became one.

“You still good with the plan?” Sarge asked, sounding vulnerable for the first time since Viper met him.

He cast his brother a narrow-eyed look. “Yeah, of course. You think I’m gonna bail now?”

Sarge’s gaze landed on the sleeping Cassie before he shrugged.

Shit. Viper made sure she was fully covered before propping himself against the headboard. “I’m not gonna flake out on you, brother.”

Sarge removed his boots then lined them up at the foot of his bed. He was the neatest fucker Viper had ever met. Leftover from his Army days. Apparently, some shit got drilled so deep into his head, he’d never dropped the habit. Once Sarge was boot-free, he rested back on the bed, curling an arm under his head. “This more than a fuck?” he asked.

Viper glanced down at Cassie. She was on her stomach, face turned away from him. He couldn’t resist stroking his hand up and down the gorgeous slope of her back. If the warmth in his chest was any indication, this was definitely more than a fuck. At the very least, he wasn’t ready to walk away from her. “Not sure. Think it might be.”

“Viper?” Cassie’s sleepy voice had him smiling. “You okay?”

“Yeah, baby. Sarge just got in. We were talking. That’s all.”

“Oh.” Cassie rolled over. She propped up on one elbow, taking care to keep herself covered with a sheet. “Hey, Sarge.” Between the sex and falling asleep shortly after a shower, her hair was a wild mess around her shoulders. Instead of looking crazy or scruffy, it was sexy as fuck. Viper shifted his hips to avoid giving Sarge an eyeful of tented sheet.

“Hey, girl. Damn, now I’m kinda wishing I was the one who got to give you a ride out of Washington,” he said with a wink.

Cassie laughed and scooted back until she was sitting up, the sheet still around her. Her face was flushed, and Viper wished they were alone. Wrapping his arm around her, he dragged her to him and kissed the hell out of her. When he finished, her eyes were glassy and lust-filled.

“Looks like I’ll be at that bar a lot over the next few days,” Sarge said with a laugh.

Cassie frowned. “The next few days? Thought you were going to Tennessee.”

“We are,” Viper said. “We’re gonna lay low here for a few. Just to make sure no one is on to us. Then we’ll head out.” He held her gaze wanting to ask her to come with them, but afraid she’d burst out laughing.

The whole idea was insane. They’d just met days ago. Now he wanted her to uproot her entire life and move across the country. If she did, she’d never be able to contact her family. The club would surely be monitoring them for communication from her for a while.

A small snore came from Sarge’s bed. Cassie peeked at him then laughed softly “Guess that’s the end of that conversation.” She rested her head on Viper’s shoulder. Damn, she felt good there. Better than good. She felt right. Like she belonged in that very spot. When she sighed and melted into him, it gave him the confidence to breach the subject.

“You can’t go home, Cas,” he said, running his fingertips up and down her spine.

“I know. I don’t want to anyway. I was walking away from them when I was kidnapped.”

“What do you want to do?”

She played with the sheet for a few seconds before looking up at him. “Well, I was, um…I was thinking, maybe…well…”

“I’d like you to come with us,” he said, keeping his voice low to avoid waking Sarge. “It’ll be a long trip, and rough at first. We’ll need to lay low, stay off the grid for a while.”

Her gaze met his, eyes hopeful. “Why Tennessee?”

“Sarge knows of a motorcycle club there that’ll let us prospect. They’re called Hell’s Handlers, and they’re good guys. Not into the shit the Tribe is into.”

She tucked her lower lip between her teeth as though deep in thought. “I don’t know much about motorcycle clubs, but my one experience hasn’t been good.”

He nodded. “It’s in my blood, baby. It’s all I know. All I want. But I’ll promise you this, I will not get involved with a club that hurts women. I don’t stand for that shit. Neither does Sarge. I was lied to my whole life about what the Devil’s Tribe was. I will be not played again. It won’t be an easy life, not like you’re used to, but it’ll be a good life.”