Page 5 of Talon (Road Rebels MC 2)
We pulled up, and Jace insisted he carried the groceries in. He grabbed all of them at once before we barged into the clubhouse, and the moment we walked in people descended onto me. There were hugs and kisses and shouts of joy. People I hardly recognized called for me and wrapped their arms snugly around my neck. Fox grasped me tightly and spun me around, laughing into my hair that was now well past my shoulders.
And from across the room, I saw him standing there. Hauling beer into various places while his eyes kept flickering up at me.
It was Talon, and he looked very different.
The last time I’d seen him was a few days before I left for college. He had been tall and gangly, with light brown hair that was always in his eyes. His blue eyes were icy, and he would never talk with me, but somehow I always felt he was listening. He was all arms and legs, with no muscle tone whatsoever on his body. I could tell by the way he fidgeted with his fingers all the time that he was a technological guy, and I could only imagine what use a boy with his mind would’ve been to a gang like this.
But now, his hair was buzzed. Now, his eyes were a deep sea blue. Now, his gangly arms and legs were filled out with muscles that pressed against his clothing. His chest was broad with strength, and his arms were chiseled underneath the cuffs of his black t-shirt, and I found it hard to take my eyes off him.
Which was fine, because apparently, he was having the same issue.
I saw Hawk approach him and I waved, trying to play it off to my brother while he eyed me out of the corner of his eye. There was a woman at Hawk’s side, with beautiful features and amazing curves. I saw an engagement ring on her finger while her hand rubbed up and down Hawk’s back, their conversation pulling Talon’s attention away from me.
“That’s Hawk’s fiancée, Sydney Marshall. She was raised in The Road Rebels and left for a spell. It’s why you don’t know her,” Jace said in my ear.
“When did she leave?” I asked.
“After the Devil Saints,” was all Jace said.
“When did she come back?”
“About three months ago. With Hawk’s daughter,” he said, grinning.
“Are you fucking serious? Hawk’s got a kid!?” I asked.
“And he’s a great dad. Emery looks just like him. I’ll introduce you to her one day,” he said.
“Hey, Snake! Who the fuck you got here!?”
I crinkled my nose up at the nickname as I eyed him curiously. After all, keeping my attention on my brother was the only way I could keep my attention off Talon.
Even if he was stealing glances in my direction.
“Snake?” I asked lowly.
“Nickname the club gave me,” he said.
“Do I wanna know why?” I asked.
But all he did was grin.
“Ew. Gross,” I said as I shoved him.
“I didn’t say a damn thing,” he said.
“That’s some nasty shit.”
“Wait, you know where he got his nickname from?” Fox asked.
“I can only imagine. If there’s one thing I know about my brother, it’s his particular taste in very… interesting women,” I said. “I take it the nickname is a reference to his debauched sexual appetite.”
“Yeah. You’re college educated,” Fox said.
“That’s gross, Snake,” I said.
I stuck by my brother for most of the night while all of us ate pizza and drank beer. All night I could feel Talon’s eyes on me, but never did he make a move to come talk to me. I figured it was because I was near Jace. Or Snake. Or whatever the hell his name was. My brother had been very protective of me as a teenager, especially when it came to guys.
It was the reason why I never dated much, honestly.
Though I did have my fair share of fun experiences.
I caught Talon’s eye for a split second while I passed by him to go to the bathroom. His deep sea eyes locked on mine and I could feel my legs growing weak. How a man who’d never said a word to me could’ve captivated me like he did for so many years was beyond me. I was kind of hoping he’d follow me into the hallway, but when he didn’t, I simply chalked it up to him being thick-headed.
But his eyes were on me the moment I emerged, making me wonder if he had actually been thinking about it.
“Gemma!” Jace called out. “A bunch of us are headed to the bar. Wanna come?”
“Sure! Let me grab one more slice of pizza.”
I walked over to one of the boxes and grabbed the largest piece of pepperoni I could find. I placed the slice between my lips and hummed, grateful for the grease after being on a college campus that put a great deal of stock in the health of their students. Sure, there was takeout and shit I could get around campus, but it was expensive as hell because they know they could gouge the college students. It was a bullshit practice, so if I wasn’t eating on campus, I was eating ramen noodles with warmed up frozen vegetables.
“You done making’ out with that pizza, sis!?” Jace called out.
“Suck a dick, Jace!”
The room roared while I downed the rest of the slice. My eyes had been closed while I had been savoring the taste and texture of the melted cheese, which meant I hadn’t been paying attention to much around me. I could hear Jace talking to some people while he was standing by the door, waiting for me to come on, so I shoved the pizza crust into my mouth and opened my eyes.
And I was staring right into the eyes of Talon.
He had the smallest of smirks on his faces, and I wondered how long he had been standing there. I chewed slowly, the shock rolling over my features while his eyes raked down my body. I could feel the sexual energy coursing between us as my tits rose to peaks behind my bra, and I swallowed the food down hard while my eyes held his.
“Don’t wanna keep your brother waiting,” he said, nodding.
My eyes widened at the sound of his voice. Had he just spoken to me? I whipped my head around and saw Snake glaring at us, but I didn’t give a shit at this point. Talon had said his first words to me ever since I’d met him when I was fifteen, and his voice felt like melted dark chocolate cascading over my skin. Like someone had lit a candle and dripped the wax onto the small of my back.
It was warm and welcoming, and I wanted to hear it again.
“Come on, Gemma!” Jace called out.
“Hold onto your cock, I’m comin’!” I called back.
I could’ve sworn Talon chuckled just the slightest bit at my comment before he turned his back.
He went back to rearranging the beers in the fridge, and I turned to head back to my brother. I could see his eyes volleying between us, and at that moment he left me and strode over to Talon. I tried to grab onto his arm, trying to get him to stop this whole protective sham he had over me. I was a grown woman with a well-earned degree and knew more about the shitty side of this world than I ever cared to admit.
The last thing I needed was my brother sticking up for me.
Chapter 5
Talon
“I see the way you’re looking at her.”
r /> I turned my head to see Snake looming over my body.
“Just because we’re older doesn’t change anything,” he said.
But all I did was shrug and continue putting the beers into the fridge.
“I’m serious, Talon. Stay away from Gemma.”
“I hear you,” I said.
“Good.”
I listened to Snake stride away from me before I snickered and shook my head. The only reason he felt the need to flex his cock the way he was doing was because that was his sister. The poor girl probably dated all the fucking time in college, just never told him about it. He was a hothead who knew first-hand what men were capable of doing to women. He sank his dick into those trashy types all the damn time when the crew took road trips.
I guess he just thought all men had no fucking manners when it came to treating women certain ways in bed.
I still couldn’t believe Gemma was back. I hadn’t seen her at all since she left for college, and the way she seemed to retain the innocence that drew me to her was astounding. Her skin still glowed, and her eyes still sparkled. Her hair still glistened, and her smile still warmed my chest. I felt like I could soak up her innocence simply by being around her, and that’s why I never really talked to her all those years ago.
I knew if I talked to her, I’d bond with her. And I knew if I bonded with her, I’d have her.
And I knew if I had her, I would destroy her in all the ways I’d dreamt about while she was away at college.
A bunch of people were leaving for the bar, and I was glad for the space to breathe. My cock was already writhing in my pants, threatening to give away my disposition about the very woman that was just greeted back home. People kept asking me if I was coming like I didn’t have fucking work to do with Mac, but then he came striding around the corner, and everyone dispersed.
“Gemma’s back,” he said.
“Thanks for the update,” I said.
“You gonna talk to her?” he asked.
“Nope.”
“Why the fuck not?”
“Snake,” I said.
