Grave (Dead Souls MC Book 2) Page 3

  And it made my blood boil.

  “I’m scared,” Everly said.

  “I know,” I said.

  “What if they find me?”

  “Trust me. No one will find you at my place.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “Because my own club can hardly find me.”

  I watched her brow furrow as she turned her watery gaze back to mine.

  “Where do you live?” Everly asked.

  “Deeper into the woods. There aren’t any roads that connect my place to anything else, so people never ride out there to look at anything.”

  “You live in the woods.”

  “It’s cozier than it sounds.”

  “If there aren’t any roads, I won’t be able to get there,” she said.

  “I’ve got my bike.”

  “And I’ve got a duffel bag shoved full of stuff.”

  “We can strap it to the back. I’ll drive slowly.”

  “You seriously live in the woods?” she asked.

  “I seriously do. And if you’re a fan of sun rises like I am, you’ll enjoy it.”

  “I’m more of a sunset gal,” she said.

  I took a bite of my chicken and began to chew it as I looked up at her. She seemed to be relaxing a bit, though I could tell she was still on her guard. Her hands were still trembling while she ate. Her veins coursing with fear. I could practically smell it on her. The fear dripping from her skin.

  I was going to crush anyone that came after her.

  “Even better,” I said. “Because I have a very cozy porch.”

  Everly smiled at me before she continued to eat. I took my empty plate to the sink, then slid down the hallway and pulled my phone from my pocket. The guys needed to know what the hell was going on. I didn’t want them to be blindsided with something like this.

  “Grave! Tell me you changed your mind about drinking,” Diesel said. “It’s a good night tonight.”

  “Everly came knocking on the lodge door about an hour ago,” I said.

  I could hear shuffling around and Diesel ordering people to get out of his way. The commotion from the bar fell into the background and I heard a door slam over the phone. The click of a button told me I was on speakerphone, then Knox’s voice wafted over my ear.

  “What’s going on?” he asked.

  “Rex was arrested today in their home for Blaze’s murder,” I said.

  “Everly come to tell us that or some-... wait. She lives with her brother?”

  “Yep. And when he was being hauled off, he kept yelling at her that he knew it was her and that he was coming for her.”

  “Shit. I gotta tell Monroe,” he said.

  “She came to the lodge and she was really shaken up. Got some food in her and calmed her down a bit, but she’s still worried. I offered to have her stay at my place.”

  “That’s good,” Diesel said. “No one will ever find her out there with you.”

  “I figured. She’s taken a few weeks off work. She’s scared the Black Saddles will come after her while she’s there.”

  “Do they know where her and Rex live?” Rock asked.

  “Yep. She’s apparently got some bag packed with her shit in the trunk of her car,” I said.

  “Was she followed?” Mick asked.

  “Nope. No one’s rolled up on us or anything,” I said.

  “I think her best bet is to stay with you,” Mick said.

  “I agree,” Diesel said. “When are you taking her there?”

  “Once she’s done eating,” I said.

  “Good. Let me know when you guys get there safely. We have to play this under the radar,” Diesel said.

  “You got enough groceries for two people?” Rock asked.

  “No. I’ll need more supplies,” I said.

  “Don’t risk going into town. I’ll pick shit up in the morning and bring it to the lodge. You can meet me there to get it and take it back,” Rock said.

  “Brewer there?” I asked.

  “Right here. Little drunk, though,” he said.

  “I wanna know what the local police know about Everly, if anything. I wanna know if there’s information Rex’s club can get their hands on if they have established connections in the department,” I said.

  “I’ll get on it first thing in the morning,” Brewer said.

  “You need anything else?” Diesel asked.

  “Nope. That’s it for now. But I’m going to get off here and get Everly back to my place,” I said.

  “Let us know when you get there,” Knox said.

  “Will do.”

  I hung up the phone and went out to find Everly cleaning up the table. She was standing at the sink, rinsing dishes off into some soapy water. She had suds all the way up to her elbows and there was a trail of sweat trickling down the side of her face.

  I bet she would look beautiful pressed against the wall of a shower.

  “Just cleaning up. You know, since you cooked,” Everly said.

  “No problem. We’ll head out once you’re done,” I said.

  I looked over at the table and found her beer still unopened.

  “Not a beer drinker?” I asked.

  “Not a drinker at all,” she said.

  “Wish you would’ve said something. There were sodas and water in the fridge, too.”

  “It’s fine. I wasn’t thirsty.”

  “Mind if I ask why you’re not a drinker?”

  I watched her eyes grow cold and distant as she stuck the last of the dishes into the sink.

  “Just not,” she said flatly.

  And again, I decided not to press the topic.

  Chapter 4

  Everly

  I could feel his muscles flexing underneath my arms as I clung to his body. He was so broad my arms almost didn’t wrap fully around him. His back radiated a heat that blanketed me during the cold night, and I could hear my duffel bag flapping around with each bump we hit. We had decided to hide my car in one of their garages just in case someone came looking for me, then I threw my stuff onto the back of Grave’s bike. I’d never ridden on one before, and with a grin he promised me he would take it slow.

  And I found that I enjoyed it.

  The wind whipping through my hair. The dust splattering against my skin. Grave’s body pulsing against mine. I could feel my excess filling the crevices of his muscles. Pressing into his chiseled back as he hunched over the handles of his bike. He was strong. And big. And warm. Like a bear. His bike roared across the desert, passed by seemingly endless miles of brush and sand and cracked ground.

  How in the world could anyone find their way out here?

  For some reason, I was comforted by Grave. I came looking for Knox, and ended up getting the flirt. But our interactions were more than that. He seemed genuinely concerned for my well-being. His sentences were clipped and his demeanor was hardened, but beneath that surface was a man who seemed to be worried about the situation I was in.

  So much so that he offered me a place to stay.

  I pressed my cheek against his back and felt his muscles twitching. With every move he made, his body shifted. His legs would tense or his back would jump. His sculpted abs I laid my fingertips into as a way to hang on would rise and fall with his breaths. I could feel Grave’s heartbeat against my cheek on his back. Like a lullaby singing me to sleep.

  It was a comforting sound.

  His bike came to a stop and I lifted my head. A part of me was disappointed the ride was over, but I was beginning to get tired. Grave offered me his hand and I took it, sliding down off the seat and planting onto my feet.

  It was dark. The pitch black of night the woods had to offer.

  And it was beautiful.

  I craned my neck back and surveyed the thousands of stars in the sky, peaking through the trees. Above my head, an entire solar system spun. Twirling and cascading and ricocheting its light down onto our planet. I felt my jaw drop open as I slowly spun around, taking in the magnificence of i
t all.

  It was so dark I could see the curvature of our sky.

  “That’s why I live out here,” Grave said.

  I jumped at his voice, my feet stumbling me back into him. His arms wrapped around me, pulling me closer into his body. I steadied myself against him and closed my eyes, comforted by his grasp. His arms were thick with muscle. Strong and defined, with veins still bulging from his forearms.

  I wanted to dance my fingertips across them.

  “At a certain time of the year, you can see the Milky Way from my porch,” Grave said.

  “Really?” I asked. “You can see something like that out here?”

  “You can. If you time it right.”

  I craned my head to look up at him and found his eyes cast down towards me. With the way the shadows of the night played on his face, I could’ve sworn he was grinning at me.

  But I wasn’t sure if I was seeing things simply because I was tired.

  “Come on. Let’s get you settled in.”

  I walked into Grave’s home and it was nothing like I expected. It was small. Cozy. But with three entire bedrooms and two whole baths. The walls were painted an Easter green and there was white baseboard trim as well as crown molding throughout the entire house. The kitchen had granite countertops and there was a handmade wooden kitchen table prepared to sit two in the corner. The living room had a television mounted on the wall with plush microfiber furniture surrounding it.

  There was even a wood-burning fireplace off in the distance.

  “The winters get cold out here,” Grave said.

  “This house is…”

  “Not what you expected?”

  I giggled and shook my head as I walked down the hallway. I slid my hand across the wall, taking in the textured feeling of the plaster. His house was beautiful. Like it was once fit for a family.

  “Does anyone live here other than you?” I asked.

  “Nope. Just me. The guys come out here sometimes to drink beers and sit on the porch.”

  “You have a porch out back?”

  “I do. It’s got some chairs and a firepit. Nothing fancy, but the view is great.”

  “Can I see?”

  “Sure,” he said. “Make yourself at home.”

  I walked towards the back of the house and found the sliding glass doors. But even I could see why the guys liked it before I stepped out. There were lounge chairs in a semicircle around an in-ground fire pit, but the chairs were facing the horizon. Facing away from the town of Redding and straight on into the large trees in the distance. There was nothing but cold, cracked ground, the etched outline of the shadowed mountains, and stars.

  So. Many. Stars.

  I spread myself out on one of the lounge chairs and adjusted the back. The night air was becoming chilly, but I wanted to enjoy the view just a little while longer. I tried counting the stars in the sky and stopped at three hundred, losing my place amongst all the twinkling beams.

  Then, I felt a blanket flutter over me.

  “You’re shivering,” Grave said simply.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be out here for so long.”

  “You’re fine. Take your time. I put your bag in the room that looks out to the backyard. If you walk through the glass doors, take a right. It’s the only door on your right after that. The bathroom’s right across the hall. It’s shared by the other guest bedroom, but it’ll be solely yours while you’re here.”

  “I can’t thank you enough, Grave,” I said as I turned my head. “Your kindness is-”

  “You’re doing us a service, too,” he said. “Thirsty?”

  “No,” I said as I shook my head. “I’m okay.”

  “Don’t stay out too long.”

  “Okay.”

  I heard Grave walk back inside with his heavy footfalls as I slid down into the lounger. I pulled the blanket up to my chin as my eyes began to droop. The view was spectacular, and the warmth of the large blanket around me was pulling me into a deep slumber. I felt my eyes fluttering closed as I worked to keep them open. I wanted to see if I could stay up and see the Milky Way. Maybe it was that time of the year and I could witness something as spectacular as that.

  But the last thing I remembered was being lifted into the air. Lifted and pressed into a warmth that was growing familiar.

  And I nestled into its presence before my eyes succumbed to sleep.

  Chapter 5

  Grave

  I carried Everly in my arms and felt her press deep into my muscles. She felt like a bag full of feathers. Light to the touch and soft against my skin. I bit down on my tongue to keep my body from raging out of control. Her body against mine stroked a fire in my gut I hadn’t allowed to rage in so long. I walked her into her room and laid her down in bed, desperately fighting the urge to press my lips to hers. She rolled them into her mouth, like she was thinking hard about something in her sleep. And as she released them, I watched as they unfurled. Like a rose’s petals blooming in the spring.

  I tucked her into bed, making sure she kept nice and warm. The back of my house always stayed the coldest at night, but I couldn’t have her in the other guest bedroom. Between how much she seemed to enjoy the view of the sky and how close she would be if she was in the other bedroom, I couldn’t chance it. I could feel my cock throbbing between my legs, even as I tucked her in.

  I smoothed some hair away from her forehead and bit back a growl. Her skin was electric, and I could feel it coursing through the cells of my skin.

  I backtracked out of her room and shut the door. I went out into the living room and took a seat on the couch. The furniture creaked underneath my weight, signaling to me that I’d probably need a new one soon. I tore through furniture. It was hard to find decently made shit that held my weight on a regular basis. I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my contacts, knowing damn good and well Diesel wanted to know when we were safe.

  “You guys make it?” he asked.

  “And hello to you, too. Yep. We’re good. Got her laid up in a room and everything.”

  “Good. How is she? Knox wants to know.”

  I felt a twinge of jealousy at the fact that another man wanted to know how she was doing.

  “She’s good. Stronger than she looks. She liked my porch.”

  “Everyone likes your porch,” Diesel said.

  “Put her up in that back room with some blankets. You know, the one you always stay in.”

  “She’ll enjoy that skylight if she likes the stars,” he said.

  “That was the plan, yeah.”

  “You okay? You sound… tense.”

  “Haven’t had a woman in my home ever.”

  “First time for everything. Just try to keep your dick to yourself.”

  “Not a problem with that one,” I said.

  Though that was the biggest fucking lie I’d ever told anyone.

  “Rock’s going to the store for you guys tomorrow and he’s wanting a list because he’s an uptight asshole when it comes to food.”

  “How many times has he asked for one?”

  “Twelve. He’s drunk as fuck,” he said.

  “That’s what happens when you take Rock drinking. He’s a repeater,” I said.

  “Could you send him a fucking list so he’ll shut up?”

  “Once you get off the phone with me, sure.”

  Diesel hung up the call immediately and I chuckled on the couch. Rock really was the most annoying little asshole when he drank. He became a sap. Telling everyone he loved them and constantly repeating himself. I grinned as I pulled up a text message to the drunk ass, then began to type out things Everly and I would need. I wanted to make sure she ate well. She would need her strength with the task she was about to take on.

  Milk. Eggs. Bread. Marbled ribeye steaks. Chicken breasts. Buttermilk.

  The list went on for a while, but if Everly was going to be here for six weeks, it would take a lot of food to keep us entertained and energetic. I sent about three weeks’
worth of groceries to Rock and told him I would be coming to the lodge tomorrow with money to pay him back for everything.

  The text message I got back?

  “Got it. Love you, man.”

  Even in text messages, he was the sappiest man on the planet.

  I shoved my phone in my pocket and started for my room. I slipped in and shut the door behind me, then breathed a sigh of relief. Getting some space between myself and Everly was going to be necessary. I wanted her. Every part of me wanted to go into her room and wake her up with my tongue between her legs. The thought of it alone sent shivers down my spine and pulsed the veins of my cock.

  But I couldn’t have her.

  She was terrified of what she was going through, and I wasn’t going to take advantage of that.

  I stripped out of my clothes and slid into bed with nothing but my boxers on. I usually slept naked, but if Everly was the type to barge in on me for some reason I didn’t want her seeing my cock salute her first thing in the damn morning. I pulled the covers over me and stared up at the skylight, watching the stars twinkle above me.

  But all that did was remind me of Everly’s excitement

  I had no fucking clue how I was gonna entertain this woman for weeks on end. Hell, only the guys ever came to stay for a damn night. I didn’t have family that visited, so I didn’t have shit like board games or whatever it was families did at night. I did manage to snag some internet out in the middle of fucking nowhere, but it was spotty at best. Strong enough to stream movies and television shows with two or three other things connected to it. But streaming more than that at once and the internet failed every damn time.

  Shit. I couldn’t entertain the damn woman with Netflix for six weeks.

  I closed my eyes and tried to get some sleep, but all I saw was her. Sleeping in that bed, curled up without a man next to her. I bet she enjoyed it when a man pulled her close. Slinked his arm around her waist and cupped that small pooch at her belly. Fuck, I could kiss that bare shoulder of hers in the morning before my hands drifted below her panties, pulling her awake with nothing but the sound of her own panting.

  And my growling in her ear.

  I shook the thought away and opened my eyes. Damn it, I had to find a way to get her off my fucking mind. That wasn’t going to happen. She was scared and running from her brother. From The Black Saddles. From a club we all knew would want her dead with what she had done. I fisted my comforter and pulled it over my shoulder, then turned on my side as the frame groaned underneath my weight.