Page 9 of Lost King

The unmistakable sound of a Harley revving its engine from behind me as I hit the industrial area of town has me shifting my attention to my side mirror to catch a glimpse of who it might be. Just about the time I slow my speed to try and get a good look, the fucker guns it, speeding past me so close and so fast it causes the standing water on the edge of the road from last night's rain to kick up, soaking me in the process. I don't recognize the bike and waste no time taking off after the dickhead, but before I can catch up to the ballsy son of a bitch, he swerves around a delivery truck stopped at a flashing railroad crossing. The train whistle blows on its approach as the guy effortlessly dodges the guard rails a mere minute from becoming bug guts on the front end of the locomotive. Damn it. I slow to a stop. Keeping a close eye on my surroundings, I wait for the train to pass. Who the fuck could this guy be? Maybe he's was a young punk out joyriding and decided to be a complete bonehead. I think back to the reason a few of the brothers went to hang out at Charley's the other night. From what they reported it was a pretty uneventful night. Either way, maybe I should say something to Prez.

When I make it to the clubhouse, I notice the only bike outside belongs to Grey, so I back my bike up alongside his. Besides Rain and Ember, Grey, Austin, and Blake are the only members who live here. For now, the place is quiet, so walking inside I decided to head upstairs and take a quick shower.

"What happened to you," Grey emerges from his room upstairs as I head down the hall to my room, one half my body wet with muddy water.

"Some asshat sped past me on my way here," I acknowledge him, pushing my hair from my face.

"Damn, brother he must have come pretty close to soak you like that."

"Too fuckin' close," I tell him. "I'll catch you downstairs, man. Gonna clean my ass up."

Grey nods his head and heads downstairs. I open my bedroom door, walk into my room, and strip out of my wet clothes before I walk my naked ass to the bathroom and start the shower. Not wasting time, I wash the grime off, step out of the shower and wrap a towel around my waist as I look at my reflection in the fogged-up mirror. Running my finger through my hair, I pull it back securing it with a hair tie. Rubbing my palm over my beard, I debate whether or not to trim it or go for a complete clean shave but I decide to keep it and opt to shape it up a bit before retrieving a pair of jeans from my dresser drawer and get myself dressed.

Once downstairs, I run into Logan and Reid sitting at the bar, both drinking a cold beer. After walking behind the bar grabbing a cold one for myself, I plant my ass on the barstool to the right of Reid. In the process, I catch the time on the clock on the wall. Hell, Already noon. Things should start picking up soon. "How's it going?" I lift my beer towards my brothers.

"Can't complain. Heard some dickhead got too close for comfort on your way here earlier?" Logan questions. They probably came in lookin' for me, and Grey filled them in. "Some fucker decided to go all Evel Knievel on their bike down near the old metal fabrication factory on the other side of town. Came this close," I gesture holding two fingers an inch apart, "to being minced meat by a fuckin' train in the process."

Logan and Reid give me their full attention and Reid asks, "you get a look at the guy?"

I shake my head, "naw, I heard him first though. He revved his bike before gunning it. Almost like he wanted me to hear him first. He was making himself known. He sped past me and with a face full of muddy water I didn't get a good enough look at the rider before taking off after him."

"You thinkin' it's just some punk ass kid?" Reid leans against the back of his barstool.

Shrugging my shoulders, I take a swig of my beer, "not sure. Could have been. The guy was reckless."

"I have a gut feelin' we shouldn't pass it off as some dick tryin' to showboat. He was behind you and would have seen your cut," Logan's brows furrow. "So, I'm not convinced it's nothing," he downs the last of his beer. "All this aside, we have a party to get ready for. The girls will be showing up soon to help get things ready, so let's get to settin' out tables and fire up the grills," Logan announces chucking his empty bottle in the trash.

The ladies walk in not long after, with no Emerson. "I thought Emerson was ridin' with you ladies?" I ask.

"She said she was running late and would drive herself," Alba explains.

Bella walks up and pats my arm. "Don't worry, she'll be here in about an hour. She got held up at the hospital."

An hour later, Prez kicks things off with a speech. "Today we celebrate adding a permanent member to our growing brotherhood. Grey started prospecting for our club over a year ago," he motions for Grey to step forward and as he walks past earns cheers and hollers from the entire family gathered here today.

That's also when I notice Emerson walking around the corner of the building and towards the women. Her captivating eyes meet mine as I follow her across the yard. The brief smile she gives me throws me for a loop and steals my heart from my chest. A clasp on my shoulder loosens the hold Emerson has on me.

"Claim her later, brother. Let's watch our brother get patched in first," Gabriel redirects my attention, and I reluctantly peel my eyes away from Emerson.

I listen as Prez continues his speech. "Son, from day one you've earned this cut. You show up to every meeting, finish any and every task given. You've done it all while showing respect to this club and yourself. Time and time again you have demonstrated your commitment to the club and your brothers with pride."

Taking his prospect cut off and given his fully patched cut, Grey slips it over his shoulders, the grin displaying how proud he is in the moment. He clears his throat. "After being allowed to hang around for a while and getting to know you guys, getting to see the tight-knit family you are, getting to experience the brotherhood you offered, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. I knew I was missing somethin' in my life—a family; a brotherhood," he looks down at the patch that bears his name, "I'll wear this with pride and with respect for my club and my brothers."

The backyard erupts with cheers. One by one we all make our way to congratulate him personally. "How's it feel, brother?" I ask him and hand him a cold beer.

"Feels great," he takes the beer, and clinks it against mine.

"You've earned it, man," I smile and raise my bottle.

The party has been in full force for a few hours now. Night has fallen. Music is playing through the giant speakers set up under the covered patio area off the back of the building, and everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. My eyes have been glued to Emerson all night, and those tight as fuck jeans she's wearing have caused me to sport a semi the entire night. Noticing she's gone MIA, I decided to go on a little treasure hunt and find her. Once making a loop around front to make sure her car is still here I circle back around to the backyard and make my way through the sliding doors leading to the kitchen. As I'm turning the corner to head down the unlit hall leading to the downstairs bathroom, we collide. Emerson loses her balance, but my hand shoots out wrapping around her slim waist helping her stay on her feet. She sways slightly before her palm comes to rest on my chest as she steadies herself. Emerson has let her hair down tonight and has been thoroughly enjoying herself and maybe has had a little too much to drink by the looks of it. I keep my hands on her. Partly to make sure she doesn't fall, but mostly because I don't want to let go. The soft curves of her waist fits my hands like a glove. "Sunshine, you okay?" I ask her because she hasn't stopped staring at her hand still placed on my chest. "Hey, beautiful," I place my finger under her chin, guiding her eyes to mine.

"Umm," she blinks a few times, "yeah, I'm okay. Just a little tipsy is all," she tells me as her eyes fall to my lips, then licks hers. The need to kiss her becomes unbearable. "Quinn," she breathes my name, and the soft melodic sound of her voice draws me closer to her.

"Sunshine, unless you want me to claim those sweet lips of yours I'm gonna need you to stop lookin' at me like I'm your favorite candy," my voice drips with lust as I dangle by a thread.

"What if I want you to?" Emerson whispers, and I think my heart skips a beat and my cock twitches with her admission. My eyes close, but only for a moment. "Babe, I won't make a move unless you say so," I pull her body flush against mine letting her feel the effect she has on me. "What do you want?"

"You."