Nothing Lasts Forever (Battle Born MC Book 2) Read online

  “Judge Judy just knows her shit, and I love it when she tells people they are stupid and ugly. Makes my day!” I squish in on the couch as we start watching and eating snacks.

  Two episodes later, I start to yawn, and, turning to Vegas, I say, “Let’s run to the store, grab some cokes and buy some frozen yogurt on the way?”

  “Sure, let’s go, I just need to grab Tank first,” she tells me.

  Dumbfounded, I ask, “He’s here?”

  “Yeah, he’s sleeping in the guest room. The club is wrapping up the Johnny bullshit, so, until then, I have my own security guard, one who likes to take naps,” Vegas says, rolling her eyes, and, even though I know she doesn’t know, her comment makes me a little sad. Is Axl only staying with me because he was told to?

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  Tank walks behind us, carrying all our groceries. His annoyance is obvious, and we keep walking around the store looking at more stuff that we don’t really need, but just to see how far we can push him before he breaks. “Vegas, I swear to fucking Christ! You said you needed two things! We’ve been walking around this goddamn store for fifty-eight minutes, and we’re ten things later! I’m leaving, and both of you are coming with me!” Tank storms off, speed walking over to the check-out line where he drops his armfuls of groceries and supplies on the belt.

  “Wow, he made it to almost sixty minutes, that’s by far the longest,” Vegas states. “The man’s got stamina. And he bought a rope. Tank is a whole lotta freaky. When are we testing Axl?” Her voice is eager, but her smile falls when I just shrug my shoulders. “Dana, what’s going on?” I see the concern in her eyes.

  “Oh, shit, sorry, hold that thought!” She all but yells at me, grabbing my hand to run behind her just as we are about to reach the door.

  Tank is walking toward the exit, holding two bags of groceries. As we reach him, a group of teenage girls walk up, eyeing the much older Tank up and down. Vegas whispers, “Get his pants.” She hisses, holding the ‘s’.

  She grabs his shirt at the bottom and pulls it up to his chest, lodging it under his arms, as I de-pant Tank. Since he wears sweatpants but no underwear, I get a full view of his tight fine ass.

  Quickly, Tank drops the groceries to the ground to grab his pants just before these girls get to see his “little tank.” Vegas and I run off as he yells after us, “I’m taking your two crazy asses home! Are you trying to get me arrested? Get your little punk asses back here and carry your own shit to the car.”

  His last threat makes us stop in our tracks, Converses screeching across the pavement as we turn to check if he’s serious. He’s stomping in our direction toward the car without our bags. We both make a wide path around as we pass Tank while he glares at us.

  Laughing, we pick up the grocery bags only to see the teenagers watching us from the store window. Vegas gives the girls thumbs up and they wave back. Tank is waiting for us with his hands on his hips, and, true to his word, he watches us load the car while we smile at him. Shutting the back of the hatch, we step closer to the back doors as Tank pulls on the locked driver’s door.

  Tank growls, “Dana, unlock the damn doors with your remote.”

  I dig my keys out to unlock the door. The door clicks, and Tank grabs the handle just as I lock it again. “Don’t fucking play with me, woman. I will spank the shit out of both of you, hog tie your spoiled little asses to the back seats and drop you off to the brothers that way. Try me.” His cold stare is penetrating me.

  I click the remote to unlock all the doors. I go to hand my keys over, dangling them from my fingers at an arm’s length, to the beast that is Tank. “Too far today, ladies, too far.” He snatches the keys from me and slips his large body into the front seat.

  Vegas and I stare wide eyed at each other at how pissed off he is. I mouth over the car, “What the fuck?”

  Vegas’ eyes bug out a little more and mouths back, “I know! Hog tied?!”

  Finally, we snap out of it. We both reach for the handles just as Tank starts laughing at us like a possessed demon and locks us both out. Our hands snap back from us pulling on the handles. He laughs again and unlocks the doors. We try again, only to have him lock the doors, and our hands pop off the handles. Again.

  I walk towards the back of the car and whisper to Vegas, “Let’s walk over to the strip mall across the street. Grab some frozen yogurt?”

  A large smile spreads across her face, “Let’s do it.” Determination laces our faces for payback.

  Tank grimaces as we start walking away from the car. Getting out, he yells, “Alright, enough, let’s go.” We just smile and keep walking away. “Not fucking around with you two,” he threatens.

  Vegas and I keep walking and laughing as she says, “What is he going to do, rope us both?” We simultaneously turn when realization hits that he is in fact darting in our direction with his rope in hand, and that he will rope or hog tie at least one of us. We both pick up our pace and haul ass, sprinting toward the store.

  Tank gives up his pursuit on foot and runs back to the car, starting it and driving in our direction. By the time he catches up with us, we made it to the Big Freeze. Heaving inside the store, with our hands on our knees, we try to catch our breath. We look up and see Tank sitting on the hood of the Rabbit, glaring at us. We look at each other and laugh, shrug and grab some frozen yogurt.

  Being the nice girls that we are, we really are, we take Tank some frozen yogurt, handing him strawberry with chunks of cheesecake on top. He hesitates before reluctantly taking the frozen treat from me. Vegas and I get into the car. We enjoy our treat on our way to the bar together to check in with the girls.

  Chapter 5

  Dana

  Axl, Blade, Kat and Jenn laugh while Vegas and I tell the group what we did to Tank at the store today. Axl throws his head back, laughing and squeezing me tighter around the waist. Feeling a little off since Vegas’ comment earlier, I step back just a bit. Axl’s eyebrows raise up in question.

  Vegas interrupts our moment, telling the group, “I have to say that Tank has, by far, been the hardest to crack and the most fun. Good God, today was classic, Tank! Love you, dude.” Vegas tries to fist bump Tank, but he slaps her hand away. “You were my favorite, little ninja. Not anymore,” he pouts.

  “Aww, Tank, you’re still my favorite bodyguard.” She sweetly lays her charm on thick.

  He shakes his head, but his hard exterior cracks just a bit as he tries to hold back a grin.

  Vegas keeps going. “Come on, you know it was funny.” She bumps his shoulder.

  Tank gives in a little more, “It will be funnier tomorrow.” His smile is stretching across his big head. And the room laughs again at his little concession.

  Axl breaks up our little party. “It’s time I get my badass, little prankster princess home. Catch you all later.” Waving everyone good night, Axl and I head out to take me home.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  Axl

  I’m worried and anxious to get Dana home so that we can talk about what has her acting different and stepping away from me earlier. Getting right to it, because I’m too tired and worn out to be patient, I blurt out, “Why the hell did you step away from me for, Dana?”

  Stunned at my approach, her attitude kicks in. “You don’t have to stay here because you were told to, Axl,” she spits her words at me.

  Slapped, I feel slapped in the face. “What the fuck do you mean, Dana? I wasn’t told I had to do anything.”

  “Oh, so these nights and days you’ve been with me weren’t for my protection, and Blade didn’t order for you guys to keep watch over us?”

  “Yes, Blade said you all needed a person on you, so what?”

  “So, you admit that you are here only because of orders from your Prez!” Dana yells at me.

  I yell back, “You have lost your shit, Dana!” I point my finger at her crumbling face. “I’ve been too sweet to you, too soft. I wanted to show you the man I could be for you. For you to sit here and tell me that I a
m only here because of a job? Dana, I didn’t want us to be just a fuck. I wanted to be the man to take care of you!”

  “This whole thing we are and have been doing confuses me, Axl! You say you want me, but what do you really do to have me? Nothing. I don’t want a perfect man, Axl, I want a man. A real man that takes what he wants from me. All this toeing around us is driving me crazy!” Dana’s face is reddening, and her chest is heaving from shouting her words at me.

  I step closer and my hand reaches for her face to bring her mouth closer to mine. I slam my lips against hers. Nipping and biting them until she opens for me, I wrap my tongue around hers. My hands hold her head in place while her hands clench at the front of my black t-shirt. Teeth are clashing, each trying to devour the other. Taking my mouth from hers, I kiss down her throat, tilting her head back with my thumbs.

  “Dana, no more pussying around with this. I’m taking you, all of your heart and body tonight. You want me to take it, I will.” My hand swiftly takes her tan sweater off, then I unbutton her jeans, sliding them down her slender hips, taking her underwear with them. I couldn’t give a fuck, she’s getting naked for me.

  Dana hops on one foot then the other, kicking her sneakers off. I tug my own shirt off as she reaches for me, helping me to take my pants off. I reach around her back and unsnap her bra at the same time that my pants are pushed down, and her black bra hits the floor at my feet.

  Dana’s small hands wrap around my dick, pumping and stroking aggressively right before she slides to the floor and wraps her lips around me. She takes me deep and hard to the back of her throat and I groan out loud. My head falls back as I let her suck my cock and suck it well she does.

  I wrap my hand around her golden hair and pull her up. A gasp of pain escapes her mouth. “You’ll suck my dick later, princess,” I tell her and smash her lips in a quick kiss. Reaching around her, I grab her ass and pick her up. Dana’s hands lace behind my neck as her legs lock behind my back.

  Taking two steps forward, her back hits the wall just as I push my dick through her silky, hot pussy. Dana gasps again, pushing at me, “Where’s your condom, asshole?”

  I laugh at her little fists pounding at me. This bitch is really mad at me?

  “Shut the fuck up, princess.” I grab her chin. “I’m taking what’s mine, you better be on birth control or you’ll be having my baby. I don’t give a fuck.”

  I smash my body against hers again and she stills as I kiss and nip at her neck, rocking forward into her. My mind and body buzz with lust as I pound out my energy into her body. A few more thrusts and then I pull out and kneel, throwing one of her legs over my shoulder. My tongue eagerly finds her cunt. Starting from the back, I claim her with my tongue. I find her clit and my tongue starts licking at an unrelenting pace.

  Dana’s body tenses before she comes on my face and tongue. I don’t let her come all the way down before I’m back up onto my feet and into her body, pounding into her. I chase my own release to coat her pussy and claim her body. I use her for my pleasure, taking what she said was mine, and roar out my victory as I come long and hard into her.

  My forehead is resting on her shoulder and her fingers run along the back of my head. She hums out her satisfaction, as our bodies relax together. Pulling out, I take her hand and lead us into the bathroom and into the shower. The hot water hits our bodies as I hold her to my chest never wanting to let go of this moment. Today Dana is finally mine.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  “Why do you always believe I’m out the door, princess?” My voice softens as I reach for her face and lift her chin up to me. I find her sad and defeated eyes. Softly, I pull her lips to mine. Dana’s face crumbles a little more as her gaze finds the sheets.

  “Katie, my dad’s wife, is not my real mother. My dad left my mom when I was around five.”

  Dana rolls onto her back, staring up into the darkness. My hand starts gliding across her stomach, stopping at her hip and giving her a light squeeze.

  “My mom was constantly angry at my dad, for him always being gone and partying. Who knows what else he was doing. About the time I turned eight, she and him were constantly gone. I was left home alone to take care of myself.”

  She releases a sigh before continuing, “It wasn’t all bad. I had Vegas and her parents. Jenn and I had each other in this fucked up mess. For a while, Fuego and Cindy took Jenn and I in as their own. Jenn and I had our room together at their house.”

  Through the moonlight, I can see a small smile creep across her face. “The three of us are sisters. Did everything together, her parents always took us with them on vacation. Even though Snake hated us being there.”

  Dana stops, her eyes tracking back and forth as her mind replays the memories.

  “Princess, what happened next with your mom and old man?”

  Taking a breath, she continues, “Eventually, when I was in middle school, Mom died of a drug overdose. My dad, right about that time, started seeing Katie. He had his shit together shortly after that because of Katie.” Dana’s muscles tense at her last statement. “They have a son together, Gabe, my little brother. He’s in his teens now. He sees the stars when he looks at my dad. And Katie is an awesome mom.”

  “I take it that your dad didn’t do shit for you for a lot of years?”

  “No, he didn’t stop doing what he was doing long enough to see how messed up Mom was, or my life in general. Papa was a real wild man. He would stop by every now and then. Take me out for a movie or something like that. Mom was real smart about covering her shit up, so he didn’t see it. He was heavily involved in his club, and, as long as it appeared like his cash was keeping me safe and fed, he didn’t have a reason to invest much more of himself. After she died, and he was forced to take me, only then did he see how fucked up I really was. Katie made sure of it, they almost split over it. He tried to make it better with me. He tried to right the wrongs. I was an angry teen though, and he had his work cut out for him. It was Katie I responded to the most. She got me to settle down after high school, God knows Vegas and Jenn didn’t help.”

  Dana’s laugh is lighting her mood. Her stomach is tightening under my arm with the movement.

  Turning her toward me, a smile plays across my face. “A wild child in high school, huh?”

  Her hand lands on my cheek. “Oh yeah, rock and roll fed my fucked-up soul.”

  “Don’t believe you,” I tell her, egging her on for more.

  “I snuck around a lot. Lost my virginity at a Guns N’ Roses concert.”

  “Shut the fuck up! Jesus, I wish I was there.”

  Dana rolls further into me, spooning with me, her back to my front. I hold on to her, wishing I was the man at that concert. Of all the concerts I went to, I wish that was the one. My mind wonders off, thinking what it would have been like. What if we had met all those years ago. That’s my last thought before I drift off to sleep. Dreaming of my little pained rebel.

  Chapter 6

  Dana

  This last week has gone by smoothly except for Jenn. I have been feeling worried with how recluse she’s been. “Jenn, you want a coke?” I call out over the dance floor to my girl. For some reason, her set is a little more tired and lagging tonight than usual. Not that we have a big crowd, thank God for that.

  Jenn chuckles back in response as she reaches the bar, “Yeah, give me a coke, straight up. Hand to God, you love those things a bit too much,” Jenn says while plopping her ass onto the bar stool in front of me and Kat.

  “Jenn, you love these just as much as me, bitch,” I tell her as I pull a classic glass coke bottle out of the fridge that’s reserved for all special drinks. Popping the cap off, I slide the soda over to her.

  “What’s got you beat, girl? You aren’t hitting the tracks as hard tonight?”

  Jenn twists her bottle around on the bar top, staring down at it, then picks it up to take a long drink before answering. “Shit has just been hard. You know, in our early twenties it didn’t matter all the things we h
ad happening to us. We were too busy being young and taking in the new-found freedoms of the world. Now that all that has slowed down, it’s almost as if the world has caught up with me, forcing me to look at it or deal with it.”

  She sighs and looks down again at the bottle that’s resting in her right hand. “Someday, I will tell you all about what’s going on up here,” she says and taps her head, then her heart, “and in here. But for now, I just gotta let it be.”

  “Fair enough. You know that Vegas and I are right here when you are ready, and you never have to fight your demons alone, right?” Jenn nods back non-committedly, turning her head to look through the crowd, and finding James. Concern is deep into his eyes as they hold on to hers.

  Turning back to me, she says, “James helps, he really does try so hard for me. I can’t let him in until I get my shit figured out, Dana. This shit inside of me is a mess. It wouldn’t be fair to him.”

  She stops and looks again for James, who is working and watching the floor. “He can’t see how messed up it is in here.” Jenn points to her head, then closes her eyes, taking in a deep breath to calm the rage and pain reaping havoc through her. “The music, though, it is getting me through it. I will get there, I hope I can.”

  I take a minute to digest her words. She has me a little shaken with her impromptu confession. Not wanting to spook her, I don’t pry any further. “You got this, sister. Do you have any new mixes you’ve worked on lately?”

  “Yeah, I do. I’ve got a new set ready for the Santa Crawl Event coming up,” Jenn finally smiles in response.

  “Should be a good night then, with the tattoo shop next door, our business has doubled over night. You remember Emilia, the old owner who passed, his wife, she’s going to start working with us too, especially on the weekends. We are crammed pack on the weekends.”