Keeping the Biker's Oath (Dogs of Fire: Savannah Chapter Book 5) Read online

  He dragged his hands down his face. “Babe, it’s been a shitty fuckin’ day.”

  “Yeah? Has it?” I snapped. “And how exactly am I supposed to know that, Tristan? Huh? You’ve shut me out for the entirety of it, so I’ve kind of been in the dark.”

  He reached for me, and even though I tried to avoid him, he was too fast for me and wrapped an arm around my waist, shoving his face in my neck and kissing me gently. “You’re right. I’ve been a complete asshole.”

  “Get off of me.”

  “Settle.”

  “Don’t tell me to settle, asshole. God! I can’t believe you listened to that…that… gash! Jesus Christ, Doc. You have Rabbit at your disposal. You could have had him hack into the county records system to confirm everything on that paperwork.”

  Doc went still and my blood ran cold.

  “Oh my god, he did that already, didn’t he?” I whispered.

  “Yeah.”

  “No, no, no, no.” I shoved him away, grabbing the envelope and discarded papers off the floor.

  “That’s not gonna tell you anything different, sweetness.”

  “I need to go,” I said, grabbing my purse and keys, but Doc tugged them gently from my hand.

  “Baby, you’re drunk, you’re not goin’ anywhere.”

  “I have to get the papers from my safe,” I hissed. “Figure out why the hell the divorce isn’t showing up.”

  He set my bag and keys on his dresser. “There is nothing you can do at eleven-thirty on a Wednesday night, Liv. Come to bed and we’ll take care of it in the morning.”

  “I’ll sleep in the bunkroom.”

  “Like hell you will.”

  Before I could leave, he wrapped his arms around my waist, lifting me onto the bed and pinning me to the mattress.

  “Get off of me,” I demanded.

  “No,” he said, grinning like an idiot. “You’re sleeping here where you belong.”

  “Where I belong?”

  “Yeah.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Like, in the arms of my loving man who’s wholly committed to me?”

  “Exactly.”

  “You couldn’t be more wrong about that, bub.”

  “Yeah? How do you figure?”

  “If my man was all of those things, he wouldn’t have listened to a club whore rather than talking to the woman he claims to love.” I shoved him. “Now get the fuck off me.”

  “Okay, it was a minor lapse in judgement on my part, I admit, but she caught me at a bad time when my defenses were down.”

  “You know what? It wouldn’t matter how low my defenses were, no one would ever be able to make me believe you’d lie to me, so I think this is just another nail in the coffin of our already decaying relationship.” I shoved him again. “Now, get off me.”

  He sighed, releasing me. “Baby, do you really think our relationship’s decaying or are you just being dramatic?”

  “Right now, I think it’s rotting on the vine.” I climbed off the bed. “If you’d asked me two hours ago, I might have said differently.”

  He closed the distance between us and slid his hand to my neck. “I fucked up, sweetness.”

  “You think?”

  He hunkered down slightly so he could meet my eyes. “I’m really sorry, Liv. I should have talked to you. And Bonnie should have been gone a long time ago. I fucked up royally, and I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”

  “You’ll spend the rest of fucking eternity,” I corrected.

  “All of it.” He kissed me gently. “Now, come to bed.”

  “Fine,” I said with a huff. “But I’m only going to bed with you because I’m tired and I’m cold.”

  “Got it.”

  “No shenanigans.”

  “No shenanigans,” he agreed.

  “I’m gonna need one of your Army sweatshirts to sleep in, please.”

  He kicked off his boots and threw them in the corner. “Baby, you’ve stolen them all.”

  “That can’t be true,” I argued.

  “How many of those do you think you’ve borrowed in the past?” he asked.

  “I don’t know… one?”

  “Six. You’ve borrowed six. None have been returned.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “But they’re soft and they smell like you.”

  He chuckled, grabbing one of his old Harley-Davidson long-sleeved tees and handing it to me. “Will this work?”

  I held it to my nose and breathed deep. “Yes.”

  Doc smiled, stroking my cheek. “I love you, you know that, right?”

  “As tempted as I am to punish you cruelly, yes, I know you love me. Even though you’ve been a complete asshole today.”

  He kissed my nose. “I guess it’s my one for the year, huh?”

  “For the decade,” I corrected. “Somewhere along the way, you got the impression I was generous enough to give you one bad day a year. I’m shutting that shit down now.”

  He grinned. “I apologize. I’ll correct my behavior immediately.”

  “Good,” I said.

  “You gonna let me make it up to you?”

  “We said no shenanigans,” I said, although, I was saying it more to me because I was horny as hell and I had a feeling he knew it.

  “How about a massage?”

  “Oh my god, I would love a massage,” I breathed out.

  “Table or bed?”

  “I’m going to fall asleep, so bed’s probably safer,” I admitted, but the fact he was willing to set up his massage table showed how serious he was to make it up to me. That fucker only came out on my birthday and very rarely on Christmas.

  “Okay, you get naked and I’ll warm the oil.”

  I sighed. This night was going to end up with me fully lubed, I just knew it. Whether he intended to or not, shenanigans were afoot, and the massage was just going to rile me to a level neither of us would be able to control.

  * * *

  Doc

  I awoke to an empty bed and wasn’t concerned until I noticed Olivia’s purse and keys gone. I grabbed my phone, saw that it was six a.m., and groaned. It was too damn early to get up, even if I hadn’t spent most of the night fucking my woman into oblivion.

  I scrolled to her number and hit call, but she didn’t answer, so I left her a message and then headed to the shower. If she wasn’t back at the barn by the time I was out, I’d go get her, because despite the fact I’d fucked her into oblivion, she was still hurt by my mistrust of her and quite frankly, I didn’t blame her. I’d been a class-A asshole.

  After getting dressed, I made my way downstairs and found my woman in the office in the arms of one of my recruits and saw red. “What the fuck is goin’ on here?” I growled.

  Olivia pulled away from Rabbit and grinned. “Rabbit fixed it.”

  I crossed my arms. “Rabbit fixed what?”

  She waved a stack of papers in the air. “The divorce shit. He hacked back in and made it all official again.”

  I relaxed but glared at Rabbit who just grinned and closed his laptop.

  “Did you figure out what happened?” I asked.

  “It was never logged,” Rabbit said. “Olivia’s got the official signed and notarized paperwork, but it was never put into the system. So they just never got around to it, or someone didn’t want it in there.” He slid his computer into his backpack. “But it’s in there now, so we’re all good.”

  “Thanks, Rabbit,” Olivia said. “I really appreciate it.”

  “No problem, babe. Otter and I need to make a run…you need anything else?”

  “No, I’m good.”

  Rabbit gave her a chin lift and headed out of the room.

  Olivia slid her paperwork into her satchel and closed it up, then slid it over her shoulders.

  “Where are you goin’?” I asked.

  “I’ve got two clients this afternoon, so I’m going to do that from home.”

  “Do them from here.”

  “No, I figure I’ll just ha
ve a quiet evening in after—”

  “Babe, we’re goin’ to dinner.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Ah, no we’re not.”

  I smiled slowly. “Ah, yeah we are.”

  “No. We’re done, Tristan.” She grabbed her purse and faced me. “Last night really brought home for me how broken we are, and I think it’s time we call it.”

  “We’re not fuckin’ done, Olivia.”

  “You can think that as long as you don’t make this harder than it is, okay?” she said. “Just give me some space, please.”

  “You’ve got two days to pull your head outta your ass, then I’m comin’ to you. Got it?”

  “Tris—”

  “Two days, Olivia.”

  I turned and walked out the door, not realizing it was going to be a hell of a lot longer than two days, and I’d be pretty close to losin’ my mind, by the time I finally got her back.

  Olivia

  A KNOCK SOUNDED at my door and I peeked through the peephole and sighed. Pulling open the door, I forced a smile. “Hi, Jazz. Everything okay?”

  “No, everything is not okay,” she snapped, walking inside without permission. “You’re not returning my calls or texts and it’s the sip and see today, so I’m here to collect you.”

  “I’m not going.”

  “Um, yeah, you are.”

  I twisted the hem of one of Doc’s Army sweatshirts in my fingers. I’d worn one every day since we’d broken up, which was probably not the healthiest thing to do, but it gave me comfort. “Jazz, I can’t see him.”

  “Well, it’s a good thing he’s not going to be there, then,” she said. “So, go put on something cute and be quick about it.”

  “Why is he not going to be there?”

  “Because he didn’t want you to miss it.”

  I pressed my hand to my chest, the pain almost too much to bear. God, I hated this. It had been a little over a week since I’d cut ties with Doc and I’d heard nothing from him. No texts, no emails. Nothing. Jazz, Lyric, and Willow had sent a steady barrage of communication, but I’d responded to very few. Even Sage, Grinder’s daughter, had tried to reach out. But I ignored them all.

  “What is going on with you two?” Jasmine asked, her tone softer.

  I filled her in on the Bonnie situation and Jasmine let out a quiet whistle. “Cunt.”

  “Yes,” I agreed. “But he believed her, Jazz. Over me.”

  “Well, no, he didn’t believe her over you, honey, he just believed her for a few minutes before he checked with you.”

  “He shouldn’t have had to check with me!”

  “Or, you two could have found out when you went to get a marriage license, making you a near bigamist.”

  I groaned. “Why do none of my friends just have my back instead of being logical and shit?”

  Jasmine smiled. “Sorry. He should have handled that a completely different way, I agree. He should have come to you the second Bonnie did the background check. The way he handled it was a dick move.”

  “Yes.”

  “He fucked up.”

  “Royally,” I agreed.

  “But can’t you give him a break?”

  I shook my head. “Not right now. Not for this.”

  “Okay. Well, go get dressed. I’ll wait.”

  “I feel like he should be there. Not me. This is family.”

  “Honey, we’re your family too.” She smiled. “Doc spent the morning with Doom and Lyric, so he’s had cuddle time with Sterling already. Doc wants you to know you have support.”

  I swiped at the tears streaming down my face. “Well, he needs to stop being thoughtful. It’s pissing me off.”

  “I don’t think he can do that when it comes to you.”

  “Maybe not,” I conceded. “I do have the stroller they wanted from their registry.”

  “Good. Go get dressed,” Jazz said again. “You need your people around you again.”

  I nodded. “Okay. I’ll be quick.”

  I decided on my favorite summer romper. It was yellow with embroidered blue flowers on it and I paired it with a pair of blue, denim wedges. Once I was dressed, Jasmine helped me haul the stroller to her SUV and then we headed to Doom and Lyric’s home in the historic district right beside Forsyth Park. Her home was a magnificent 1850s mansion she’d restored several years ago, and I always wondered what it had been like when it was first built. I could just imagine wonderful ladies in hoop skirts walking the streets with their men in top hats.

  “Just leave the stroller in the rig,” Jasmine instructed as we pulled up. “Alamo will grab it.”

  “Okay,” I said, and we headed inside. I couldn’t help but hang back a little, feeling self-conscious as we walked inside.

  “Liv!” Sage squealed, pulling me in for a hug.

  “You’re home?”

  Sage had graduated from Oregon State University a few years ago and decided to stay. The last time I’d seen her was on the convoy out to Colorado to stay at the Howlers’ compound.

  “I am,” she said. “I was getting sick of the rain and I missed home.”

  “It’s so good to see you,” I said.

  “You too, honey. Go see the baby. He’s adorable.”

  I nodded and took a deep breath. The house was filled with our closest friends and family, but it seemed so wrong that Doc wasn’t there. I forced down my sadness and followed Jasmine into the family room where Lyric was sitting in her huge cuddle chair, her bundle of deliciousness swaddled close.

  Willow held hand sanitizer out to me and squirted some onto my hands before I approached the baby.

  “You came,” Lyric whispered, smiling brightly up at me.

  “Hi. I’m sorry I’m late.” I leaned down and kissed her cheek. “He’s perfect.”

  “Do you want to hold him?”

  “I’ll wait until he’s awake.”

  “Okay. Go get some food. There are lemon drop supplies in the kitchen. Make yourself at home.”

  “Okay, honey,” I said and made my way into the kitchen.

  “The guys took care of the stroller,” Jasmine said, handing me a lemon drop.

  “Thank you.” I took a sip and let out a sigh. “You know, I love these way too much.”

  She chuckled. “You only live once, right?”

  “Depends on who you ask.”

  “Who wants a daquiri?” Quin asked, dumping raspberries into the blender, followed by a generous pour of rum.

  “I’ll take one,” Willow said.

  “Me, please,” Quin’s daughter, Kinsey, said.

  Quin chuckled. “Virgin daquiri, coming right up, munchkin.”

  Jasmine covered Kinsey’s ears and whispered, “I’d like the whore daquiri, please.”

  “On it,” Quin said with a grin.

  “Where are the rest of the kids?” I asked.

  “Dash has Alfie, Mo has Baz,” Jasmine said.

  “I’d imagine Xavier’s wherever Badger is,” Quin said.

  Willow and Dash’s daughter’s name was River Alfred, in honor of Willow’s deceased father, but they’d called her Alfie ever since she was born. She was almost five now, and Alamo and Jasmine’s son, Sebastian, was about two. Quin and Badger’s second child, Xavier was also about two now, and was rarely out of Badger’s sight.

  For the next three hours, I ate, I drank, and I communed with my sisterhood. It was exactly what I needed, and I was so grateful Jasmine had forced me out of my dark hole.

  “We should get Baz home,” Jasmine said at close to ten. “You ready?”

  “You go. I’m going to help clean up. I’ll grab an Uber.”

  “One of the recruits’ll drive you home,” Doom offered.

  “Okay, buddy, thanks,” I said.

  “Thanks for stickin’ around to clean,” he said with a grin.

  As bikers and their women and children filed out of the house, I worked with a few of the stragglers to clear away dishes, wipe surfaces down, and put furniture back in its place.

/>   I was feeling somewhat in the zone. Totally relaxed and settled…well, until Doc decided it would be a good idea to bring a cunt hole, whore bag, slut butt, bitch into my sphere of influence.

  “Damn it,” Doc said as he walked into the kitchen and stalled. “I thought you’d be gone by now.”

  “Hi, Liv,” Linda said.

  I glanced at her. Linda was one of the women who hung around the club on occasion. She was actually kind of sweet, but right now, all I could see was red.

  Well, more accurately, green.

  “Did you two come together?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” she said. “I had to work late.”

  I glared at Doc and he stared me right back down.

  “Shit,” Doom said, walking into the kitchen. “Ah, Linda, how about you come with me?”

  “Oh, sure,” she said. “Good to see you, Liv.”

  I didn’t answer her as she followed Doom out of the room.

  “Well, you didn’t waste any time, did you?” I sneered.

  “If you actually think there’s something goin’ on there, Liv, then you’re high,” Doc said with a frustrated sigh.

  “High, you say?”

  “Liv…”

  “I’m sorry,” I said, wiping my hands on a towel. “I just cleaned the blender.”

  “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “You might want a drink.”

  “If I do, it won’t be blended,” he said.

  “Well, Linda might want a drink,” I said.

  “Olivia, I don’t need the fucking blender.”

  “Are you sure?” I asked, lifting the glass jar off the blender.

  “Liv,” he warned, just as I hurled it at him. He ducked and surprisingly it landed with a clatter, but didn’t break. “Jesus Christ, woman!” he snapped.

  “What the fuck?” Doom growled.

  “It’s all good, Doom,” Doc said. “Just need to deal with something.”

  I was suddenly lifted over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and hauled up the stairs.

  “What are you doing?” I squeaked, pounding his back.