Struggling For Justice Page 8

  "Each day is a new day," Remmy whispered. "You get up, you spend time with those you want in your life and who make you happy. Tomorrow, when we wake up, I'll be back inside of you and I'll be happy."

  She nodded against him. "I'll be happy too," she whispered back.

  She would, because that's the kind of life she looked forward to living, where each day brought her contentment.

  "You're beautiful, lady," he added.

  She snorted, warming all over again. "I'm not, but thank you for saying that."

  His arms tensed. "I wouldn't let anyone else argue about that fact, and I won't let you even think you're anything but beautiful."

  "I've lost a lot of weight recently." She curved her hand around his jaw. "You can see my bones. I can feel them even now lying beside you and I hate how fragile I look."

  His mouth curved and he chuckled. "We can fix that."

  "Yeah?" She smiled, believing that she could get her strength back and take time to eat and exercise right if Remmy kept enforcing the thought that she was worth bettering her life. "If I keep eating food from downstairs, I might get back to normal in no time."

  Remmy nuzzled her neck and growled. "Tell me what's normal."

  "You know, more padding on my hips, my thighs, and not having my ribs show." She sucked in her breath when his tongue swept the sensitive skin at her neck. "It's weird, because I use to complain that my belly was too soft, but I felt stronger and had more energy when I was heavier."

  His head came back. "You're going to start eating more and taking care of yourself."

  "Okay," she agreed, because she wanted that too.

  "You're gorgeous, but I don’t think any man would turn down a softer place to lay his head." He kissed her hard.

  She took his words and buried them deep inside with all the other nice things he'd told her. Her self-esteem kicked her butt most days, and she wanted to be happy with herself. Not for Remmy, but because he had her believing that what she wanted was important, that she could put herself first. Something she hadn't done for nineteen years.

  Chapter Ten

  Six women, not counting the Silver Girls and Risa, which brought the total number of Natalie's students to twelve, stood facing the front of the class. Remmy leaned against the back wall of the community building—arms crossed, boots crossed—and took the time to check out his woman.

  Natalie hitched up her jeans without hesitating during her demonstration. "Most threats won't attack from the front. They approach you from behind where they have the element of surprise. Don't panic, because what the attacker doesn't know is women are more powerful in this position. Shari, could you help me demonstrate?"

  Shari hurried forward. "Don't kick my ass."

  The other women laughed. Natalie's brows rose and she laughed. "At least I won't lay you out...today."

  Remmy grinned. Every day, Natalie shared more and showed her true self to him and the others. The scared, weak, and abused personality he'd witnessed the first time he saw her rarely came out. Only when he left her too long, or she slipped into her head and he worked to draw her back out. The times where she stared off into space, lost in thought, and shut him out only happened a couple times a day now. He was getting better at noticing the signs, and could stop her retreat. Then last night and this morning, she'd given him all of her, every emotion, and he wanted to make sure he never lost her.

  Shari moved in behind Natalie, wrapped her arms around Natalie's neck as instructed. Remmy studied the two women. He'd had both of them for two different reasons.

  Shari comforted his physical needs on occasion, before Natalie came into his life. Natalie feed his soul with every breath she took and he hadn't looked at another woman. He had no idea what to do with the gift Natalie had given him, but he had the urge to nurture and keep her around.

  "No matter how heavy the attacker is you can use your core muscles to bend forward. If you have to throw your weight, do it." Natalie leaned forward, until Shari's feet came off the ground.

  The strength and confidence in her tone belied the way she dealt with her former brother in law. She'd cowered and refused to stand up for herself. He gritted his teeth. No matter how skilled a woman was in self-defense, emotional connections overrode common sense every single time.

  Fear, when directed against a man, made women weak. He'd seen it time and again. The only thing that made a woman strong enough to fight was the knowledge that they had someone back home, loving her. He'd seen his theory proven many times, especially with the Bantorus women. Love for their man gave them something worth fighting for, because more frightening than dying was the thought of losing their man's love.

  They'd fought for their lives, and survived.

  "Okay, pair up and practice lifting your partner off their feet. Once you judge their weight and learn to stabilize yourself, we'll move on to what comes next. This isn't the time to let your partner fall. It's about strength and confidence." Risa clasped her hands. "Then next time we meet—and I hope you all sign up for the class again—we'll actually be putting force into our moves. I've volunteered a tough biker to act as our dummy, and you girls will have a blast showing him how tough you are as you get to physically prove that you can protect yourself."

  Remmy pushed away from the wall and slipped outside to the sidewalk. When Natalie had asked one of the bikers to help her by volunteering in her next class, Ink jumped forward, more than eager to hang out with the women. The kid had no idea he was going to get his ass handed to him by a bunch of females.

  Doris from the grocery store hurried along the sideway on the other side of Main Street. He lifted his chin and received a friendly wave in return. One of the busiest workers in Federal, she kept her fast past without stopping. She was also one of the nosiest people in town.

  He jaywalked across the street and whistled to grab Doris's attention before she disappeared into the florist shop.

  Doris stopped and turned around. He approached her. "How're you doing, Doris?"

  "Fine." She smiled. "What brings you out while the sun is shining?"

  He motioned toward the building behind him. "I'm waiting for my woman to get done teaching a self-defense class, but I wanted to ask you something."

  "Go ahead, sugar." Doris planted her hands on her ample hips.

  "Have you seen a man about six foot, dark blond hair, clean shaven, come into the store or hang around town looking a little too interested in his surroundings?" he asked.

  "A tourist, huh?" She pursed her lips.

  He nodded. "A familiar tourist who'd know his way around town and wouldn't have to ask any questions."

  "Would this man also be sporting a black eye?" she said.

  He gritted his teeth. "Yeah. That'd be him."

  "I talked with him yesterday while I was filling in for one of our cashiers." Doris frowned. "I noticed him when the sheriff came in the store and the man left in a hurry, leaving his change on the counter. It was only seventy-two cents, but he slipped out, making sure to keep his face turned away from Sheriff Colby."

  He knew he could count on Doris to notice anything unusual going on in town. "Did you point him out to the sheriff?"

  "No. It was lunch time and we had a crowd coming through to buy food from the deli," she said. "Besides, he wasn't stealing...I pocketed the change."

  "Do me a favor and call the club if you see him again. If I'm not around, leave a message with whoever answers the phone, and then call Sheriff Colby and let him know we've got a questionable tourist nosing around."

  "You got it, sugar." Doris grinned. "Anything to help out the Bantorus boys."

  Doris had ten or more years on him and was happily married, so every member was a 'boy' to her. He winked. "Thanks, Doris."

  Doris continued on her way, slipped inside the florist shop, and set the bell on the door to tinkling. If Will continued coming around Federal and looking for Natalie, someone was bound to inform him on where Natalie was staying. Bantorus MC would keep him out
of the club, but his presence in town would mess with Natalie's head. That couldn't happen.

  The fact that Will denied slashing her tires also set heavy on his mind. He couldn't rule out wayward teens as the culprit, but knife work was a signature left over by Los Li's dirty work. Though, they usually preferred leaving their mark on women and not tires.

  It was more important now that he convince Natalie to keep moving on with her life. As long as the truth behind last summer remained hidden, she'd be safe. If for some reason the facts about her husband came out, he'd lose her. That wasn't something he was willing to gamble with yet.

  Remmy crossed the street at the same time the women from Natalie's class exited the building. He nodded at them as a group, and slipped inside.

  "Guess what?" Natalie hurried over to him. "All the women signed up. With everyone's schedule, they voted on a once a week class, and they said they'd talk to their friends and see if they wanted to come next time too."

  "Good," he muttered, slipping his fingers inside her hand. "Let's get out of here."

  She stopped him from leaving. "What's wrong?"

  He glanced back at the door. "I've had enough standing around."

  "Wait." She held onto his arm. "You're upset."

  "Nothing for you to worry about." He kissed her forehead and moved over to grab her bag. "Let's get back to the club."

  She picked up her can of mace, whistle, and the extra copies of the manual she'd printed out before coming. "Please don't lie to me. If something's wrong or you're having second thoughts about us, I want—"

  "Lady," he said in a rush. "When I say it's nothing, it's nothing."

  "But—"

  "Damn." He planted his feet. "I said I'd take care of you, and you're going to have to trust me to do my job. What I don't need is you questioning me. The only thing you need to do is listen to me."

  Her head snapped back. "So, I'm a job to you?"

  He gazed at her. What was she trying to do, start an argument?

  She took her bag from him and stepped back. "I'm not reading anything into...us. We had sex. I get that. I also get that this started because you were helping me, and circumstances threw us together. But if something is wrong, and you're trying to protect my feelings, don't. I have a right to know if the reason you're in a bad mood involves me or something I've done. I can tell you're not telling me the truth when you say everything is fine."

  "Then maybe you don't know me," he said.

  He knew more about her situation than even she realized. More than even her dead husband knew. He carried her happiness inside of him, and could bring closure if he told her the truth. Because he was Bantorus, she'd never learn the truth.

  He lowered his voice. "All you need to know is that you're okay. We're okay. What's happening between us is okay too. I'm a biker. There will be things I do or say that you won't have a clue about what it means. That's my business, and as long as we're good—which we are, you don't need to question me."

  "Like you running guns for the militia?" she asked.

  "Jesus," he muttered. "How did you find out about that?"

  She shrugged. "I live in the clubhouse. I hear things. I also pay attention. So, I know why the Silver Girls are hangers, and I also know that before you brought me to the club to live with you, your nights...days...any spare time was spent visiting the girls, and it wasn't because you were taking care of them or had a deep desire to have a conversation. You used Shari more often than the others, and even though I think she's a sweetheart, I didn't need to know about your sexual activities before I came here. From what the girls say, you've got quite the reputation."

  He rocked back on his heels. "It's only talk."

  "Backed by fact, apparently," she said.

  He shrugged. "Doesn't concern you."

  "You're a slut." She glared.

  "Jesus Christ, drop my past." He stepped toward her and looped his arm around her waist, dragging her against his body. "You liked me being a slut this morning."

  "I also liked it last night." She stiffened. "But, if I hear about you going back to Shari or visiting the girls while you're still fooling around with me, then I'm through...doing whatever this is we're doing while I start over in Federal."

  "You're going to stay in town?" he asked, liking the sound of her finally admitting that she was his property.

  An emotion foreign to him flashed in her eyes. "I don't have any real choice, Remmy. I'm here and I can teach my class. That means I can make some money and get back on my feet."

  "You'll get your home back once everything gets sorted," he said, feeling as if he'd never get rid of the Oman's' deaths and the destruction that followed because it would be a crime that went without retaliation.

  "Even if I did somehow manage to win back what is rightfully mine, I wouldn't want it," she said, heaving the bag over her shoulder. "I'm ready to go."

  He walked out of the building. At the Harley, he tied the bag to the bike, handed her a helmet, and when she put her foot on the peg, he stopped her. He had more to say, and he couldn't hold back and wait until she got around to accepting what was going on between them.

  "We're good. You and me. I like what we've got going, and I don't want my attitude to push you away because it's different from what you expect. We come from two different worlds. My past isn't going away, and I'll always be a Bantorus member. A lot of this shit, you're going to have to either take or decide you can't handle it. But, I swear on my life, right now, I want you, lady. You're my woman. Each day, if I change my mind or you decide you need out, we'll talk and move on from there. But, you don't know me well enough yet to get what it means to me when I say, you're my property. I fight for what I want, and I want you. I don't plan on fucking it up between us by going to another woman, so get that out of your head."

  She shook her head in disbelief and looked off into the distance. He waited, giving her time to absorb what he offered. Life was fast and hard in the MC, but she'd learn to take each day as a gift if she stuck around.

  She turned her attention back to him. "I'll take it, only because I think you're giving me more than I'm able to give you in return. You don't know what will happen tomorrow, and I don't know what is happening in the next ten minutes. I'm not looking for a relationship, yet I like being with you. You're my friend. You're also my lover. You're also the only man besides my...Robert that I've shared my life with, so I'll take you and what comes with it, if you give me time to understand what all this means and learn how you live your life. I'm not sure I even remember who I am or what I wanted to be back when I had dreams and thought I had options. I never thought I'd be standing here having this conversation, much less living in a biker club. But no other women. That's a deal breaker."

  "Fair enough," he said. "Give me a kiss."

  She leaned in and kissed him sweetly. He chuckled, causing her to pull back.

  "What?" she asked.

  "That's it?" He tilted his head to the side and squinted at her in disbelief. "You're going to kiss me with lips tight enough you could whistle when I know what that mouth can do?"

  "We're out in public." She glanced around. "There's a group of people walking down the next block, heading this way."

  "I don't give a shit." He kept his gaze on her. "I want your tongue inside my mouth, reminding me that you know every part of my body. I want your breath feeding me. I want the taste of you on my lips. I don't want some pansy ass kiss."

  "Rem..." She pursed her lips to the side and looked up the street.

  "Now, lady."

  She moved closer, paused, and studied him. He gave her nothing, because she was going to have to learn he wouldn't put up with anything but her giving him a hundred percent.

  Then, like gas on a flame, she smiled. The devilish gleam in her eye had him hot and willing to walk into fire for her.

  She slid her fingers into his hair, fisted the strands, and brought him closer as she leaned down. Without any hesitation, she sealed her lips against his,
opened his mouth with her tongue, and properly kissed him.

  Her head tilted to the other side, and she deepened the kiss, giving him long sure strokes of her tongue while he absorbed her taste, her arousal, her breath. His cock hardened with each pulse of his heart until his jeans held him back, tormenting him in pleasure.

  A soft moan escaped Natalie's throat. He hungrily took the sound and muffled the noise. Strung tight and hot, he wanted to lay her down on the sidewalk, cover her body, and settle between her legs.

  "Disgusting," a feminine voice said, interrupting his kiss.

  Natalie broke away from him and buried her head into his neck, laughing softly. He looked past her at Mrs. Palmer, who sat on the city council, and winked. "You have a good day now, Mrs. Palmer."

  The older woman harrumphed and kept walking. Her husband lifted his chin in approval and followed his wife. Remmy reached behind him, grabbed the helmet, and handed it over to Natalie.

  "Let's get out of here," he said, starting the engine.

  Natalie climbed on back, wrapped her arms around him, and tapped his stomach. He pulled away from the curb.

  At the viaduct, he passed Sheriff Colby staked out beside the concrete pillar, watching tourist exit the interstate. He waved low and headed out of town. First thing tomorrow, he'd come back into Federal and make sure all law enforcement officers were on the lookout for Will Oman. While visiting Federal wasn't against the law, he wanted Will nowhere near Natalie.

  Chapter Eleven

  A line of ten people deep stood on the sidewalk, gossiping in front of Cleo's Coffee Cave, while they waited in line to order their coffee in the walk-by window. Natalie listened to the stories and speculations from a few feet away, since Germ took the job of ordering for everyone in Bantorus MC.

  Kurt, Ink, and Cutter stayed to keep her company and to help carry the cups. The Silver Girls, along with Sawyer and Big Dawg, shopped for the weekly groceries at Country Mart. She'd wanted to go with Remmy while he ran errands, but he said it was faster to ride wherever he was going on his bike, alone.

  "What shift is your husband working at the mine?" said an overweight woman with a baby on her hip to one of the women in front of Natalie.