Calming the Riot Read online

  ***

  Turned out, his cousin was right. When Liar called his Gran, she seemed pleased as punch to hear from him. Until he asked about her health, that was. Just as Beast suspected, she denied being the least bit unhealthy. His offer to come down to visit was refused. Friday afternoon after a grueling day at Hock, Liar was packing a bag to visit Gran anyway, but that was derailed when Beast prowled into his room.

  Since Beast had to attend the party at Volt’s house being thrown in honor of the visiting Biloxi brothers, Beast insisted Liar come along too. On a Saturday afternoon, Liar found himself sitting inside Volt and Jackie’s house, but he was not happy to be there. Unseasonably warm weather meant many of the old ladies were in the pool enjoying themselves. There were no other women there unless one counted Mallory’s close friend Natasha, but she was married, and Liar didn’t count her. Jackie was busy playing hostess and wasn’t swimming with the others. Volt had challenged Beast to a game of pool in his formal living room which was used as a pool room.

  Liar was deep in thought when the doorbell rang. Jackie moved through the room, and Liar almost thought she was beginning to waddle, but hell if he’d tell her or Volt that. If Jackie’s bubbly greeting and the ensuing female giggles were any sign, the newcomer was another woman. The giggling made him think of Gran. She hadn’t laughed much since Gramps passed three years ago. The laughter reminded him that time was wasting, and he did not like it.

  He shifted his gaze from the billiards table to the entryway. Jackie was leading her friend Andrea into the room. She wasn’t wearing lavender scrubs today. Her fire-engine red tank top molded to her voluptuous body leaving damn little to his imagination. The tan shorts she paired it with were short enough that he couldn’t help but admire her creamy skinned legs. His dick twitched at the sight of her, and he looked away only to see his cousin drinking her in as well. Jealousy surged through him, and he had never been jealous of his good looking cousin before.

  He could see Beast was set to flirt with her, and Liar reflexively snapped. “What the fuck's she doin' here?”

  She was carrying a rectangular glass dish in her hands, and she bobbled it as she walked further into the room. Her eyes narrowed at him, but Jackie spoke before she could. “Liar, that is no way to treat my friend. Andrea’s the best, and I should know. We were roommates for ages before Volt decided I was the woman for him. C’mon, Andi, don’t mind Liar, he’s been cranky all day.”

  Liar felt his cousin’s eyes on him, but Beast called after Andrea. “Jacqueline’s right, Andrea. Liar’s been cranky all day, but that don’t mean those of us from Biloxi don’t know how to treat a gorgeous woman like yourself.”

  Her cheeks turned rosy, and Liar expected her to ignore his cousin’s taunts, but again she surprised him. Her voice was downright sultry when she answered. “I have no doubt about that, handsome. But don’t worry, it’s not a big deal. Liar’s been irritated with me since the day I met him.”

  If he weren’t mistaken, her tone was flirty. That woman was flirting with his cousin, and it was driving Liar up the wall. How could that woman look at him the way she did when he met her, hold herself so rigidly when he was in her apartment, but then turn around and flirt with an unknown biker at the drop of a hat?

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Andrea

  There were a couple of women I hadn’t met yet at Jackie’s shin-dig. Typically, being around more new people in this type of setting would make me anxious as hell, but Liar’s incredibly rude reaction to my presence, well and truly prevented me from dwelling on being the new girl in the group. With my plate of food, I pulled out a chair at a small table next to a woman who introduced herself as Natasha. She was a close friend of Mallory’s, and she seemed rather nice, but conversation was not in my wheelhouse at the moment. I ate two of the veggie pizza bites I made before Natasha cut into my thoughts.

  “Girl, you need to tell me what’s buggin’ you.”

  I smiled. “There’s nothing wrong.”

  Natasha lowered her chin and her gaze sharpened, informing me she didn’t buy it.

  I sighed. "It's nothing really — just that guy Liar. I don't know why he doesn't like me. It's very confusing."

  Natasha tilted her head and said, "Maybe you've got that backward."

  I chuckled. "No. Hard to misunderstand his supremely annoyed tone when he demanded quote, 'what the fuck's she doin' here?' end quote."

  Natasha's head tilt turned into a sideways glance at me. She announced, "I teach second grade. I watch for eight months of the year as seven or eight-year-old boys pull pigtails, shoot spitballs− if they're fool enough to think I won't see that crap− and do other not so nice things to little girls. Then, I have to do parent calls or conferences only to hear that little Billy confided to mom or dad that he thinks the girl he has terrorized is pretty. So, I'll say it again. I think you've got it backward. He doesn't know why you're here, but he's so damn pleased about it, he wants others to think he's pissed."

  "How do you know that?"

  Natasha gave me a big smile. "Cause everything I really needed to know, I learned by second grade. Plus he's eyeing you like a Porterhouse steak right now."

  I looked over my shoulder. He wasn't eyeing me like a steak. He was glaring at me as if I were the wicked witch of the west, which I most certainly was not.

  "You are mistaken. I think I've put in an appearance and now I'm gonna split. Nice to meet you. Have fun."

  As I wandered back through Jackie's house from the pool area, everyone and their brother seemed to stop me to say goodbye. Twenty minutes later, I was wrenching open the persnickety door on my Honda when I felt a presence behind me. Before I could even look over my shoulder, I was spun around by my hips, and I was staring at a leather cut with the name Liar embroidered on the patch.

  "You're leavin'?"

  I was flabbergasted at this bizarre question from this equally bizarre man.

  "I'd like an answer."

  Apparently, I was so flabbergasted I'd almost forgotten the question.

  "Thought this would make you happy."

  His lips puckered a tad. "You thought leaving would make me happy?"

  His tone was disbelieving and almost incredulous. I was starting to think Natasha might be right until I heard what Liar had to say next.

  "The only thing that would make me happy is if you were leavin' to go to my bed. But that is damn sure not happening."

  "Well, she was wrong. Definitely wrong."

  I didn't realize my thought slipped out of my mouth until Liar asked, "Who was wrong? And wrong about what?"

  Well, now I'd gone and done it. I didn't feel like marring my Karma any further, so I gave him the truth.

  "Natasha. I heard how P.O.-ed you were that I was here. I don't know why you don't like me, but she said you were pleased I was here and just wanted others to think...well, whatever. I’m rambling. I'm leaving, so go enjoy yourself without glaring at people or being supremely annoyed during a festive occasion."

  I looked down at my keys in my right hand, but my head was tilted up by Liar's hands at my jaw. I gasped and wanted to rant at him, but his stubble framed lips descended on mine, and he kissed me.

  His kiss was a study in contradiction. He took from me greedily, but he also gave generously. His tongue slipped into my mouth so smoothly, but it moved and dueled with mine forcefully. He seemed like a starving man who suddenly found a feast. When he broke the kiss, my jaw dropped. I mean, what in the universe was that?

  Silence stretched between us, but Liar finally said, "Does that say I don't like you?"

  Well, no. No, it did not, but that was one thought upon which I was keeping a firm reign. I snapped my mouth shut to further control my blabbermouth, and I shook my head in response to his question.

  "Glad you know that. What's wrong with your door?"

  The subject change was so swift; my head reared back a touch.

  "What do you mean?"

  Liar nodded at my door. "Your d
oor. You hit the key fob on the way out here, but you were struggling to open the door. What's wrong with it?"

  I shrugged one shoulder. "I don't know. She's old. I only drive her once every other week typically. Couple of weeks back the door started sticking."

  Liar pressed his lips together. "Got any WD40?"

  "Is that oil?"

  He hesitated. I noticed his lips were quirking slowly upwards and then he said, "No, it isn't, babe."

  Babe? Ok, definitely moving right along past that.

  "You hesitated, and the answer is no. Not only do I not have any, but I also don't intend to buy any."

  An eyebrow joined Liar's lips in rising up his face. "Why not?"

  "I love the earth. I'm not spending money on a product that very likely destroys the earth in more ways than one."

  While Liar's lips and eyebrows may have been going up, his eyelids suddenly went down over his beautiful brown eyes. Then his right hand grabbed my left hand. Next thing I knew, we were running back into Jackie's house. Well, I was running because I was short, and Liar was taking humongous strides across the lawn. We stormed into the kitchen where Vamp, Frankie, and Volt were toasting tequila shots. They put their glasses down and looked at us.

  "Prez. Sorry to interrupt, but you got any WD40 in your garage?"

  Volt nodded, sauntered past us and Liar dragged me after him.

  "No, no," I cried as we went to the garage.

  Both men shot me puzzled looks, so I babbled, "You're not using that on my girl. I've been getting in and out of her just fine. No oil. I'll figure out something more environmentally sound."

  "WD40 isn't oil. The ingredients are a closely guarded secret, but it's not fish oil, and it isn't petroleum oil. So what would your environmentally sound option be, darlin'?"

  "Well, I don't know. Maybe canola oil? I'll have to do some research."

  Liar was not grinning. He was scowling and borderline glaring.

  "You do know, woman, that every time you drive that vehicle, you're using gas refined from oil."

  "Yes," I huffed. "But it's a necessary evil until I can get a Nissan Leaf. Plus I walk anywhere I need to go, as much as I can."

  Volt chuckled, pressed a dark blue can into Liar's hand and said, "I'll leave you to it, brother."

  I turned on my heel and quickly followed Volt back into the house. I had to weave around people on my way back to the front door. I realized my mistake almost immediately. There was a large pool of light shining on the driveway, and it was obvious Liar used the huge garage door in order to exit the house faster than me. I started jogging to my CR-V, but halfway there I heard the tell-tale screech of my driver's side door.

  I arrived at the door just in time to hear a delicate hiss from the can of WD40 and saw a dime-sized pool of golden liquid on the door hinge. I growled at this disregard for my wishes. Liar looked at me, shook his head and then started swinging my door back and forth. I stood in rapt attention for two reasons. One, because moving my door at all took a whole lot of effort for me, and Liar didn't seem to be the least bit strained. Two because watching Liar moving the door was a thrilling sight to behold. That sight being Liar's muscular biceps and pecs rippling with his movements. Yum-mee. My fingers had not stopped itching to knead his incredible muscles. The struggle with the need to knead is real with masseuses. I was so caught up in my thoughts, that I didn't realize Liar had stopped moving.

  "Keep lookin' at me like that, and I'll haul you to my bike and give you something you can really drool over."

  My eyes narrowed, and I snapped, "Thanks for supporting my wishes. I'm sure I could have attained the same result with organic oil and not have used an aerosol can while I was at it either."

  "Don't know. But you wouldn't have attained the same result without herniating a disk or pulling a muscle at the very least."

  "Whatever. Don't see how that should matter to you."

  A sinister smile crossed his lips. "Matters to me because you're gonna be in my bed."

  So audacious, this guy!

  "Well, that flies in the face of what you said when you followed me out here."

  He considered me briefly. "That's because Natasha wasn't the only one who was wrong. I was wrong too."

  "About what?"

  "You."

  "Me?"

  "Yep."

  I was supremely confused. "So, you didn't or don't like me?"

  "You just fishin' for another kiss? Or did you really not get the message the first time?"

  "I got the message, but I also heard you say me bein' in your bed was not gonna happen."

  "And that's what I was wrong about."

  Seriously, the audacity. "Oh no. You had it quite right. I'm not gonna be in your bed."

  "Yeah. You are. See, what I was most wrong about was that you're out of my league. You hangin' with my brothers. Blatantly flirting with Beast− which pissed me off when you got here−but it also gave me a hint, I misjudged you. That kiss though sealed the deal. You're a fuckin' dream come true, and I'm comin' after you."

  Liar

  Liar watched her drive away, and barely kept himself from following. Of course, following her was unnecessary. He was at her place Monday night. A chuckle bubbled out of his gut. She was a piece of work, that was for sure because he had never met a woman so adamant about protecting the earth. He smiled to himself as he approached Volt’s garage but was startled to hear his cousin’s voice from the darkness.

  “She an ex?” Beast asked.

  Liar fumbled for the switch and turned on the light. He put the WD40 canister on a shelf. “No.”

  Opening the door to the house for Beast, Liar waited until he preceded him so he could close the garage door. Over his shoulder, Beast asked, “So, she’s fair game?”

  Volt was standing at the mouth of the hall. “She’s fair skinned, but she ain’t game of any kind, Beast.”

  Beast stiffened with surprise and Liar’s spine straightened. He agreed Andrea wasn’t game, but he damn sure didn’t like the idea of his president telling him she was off-limits. Luckily, or not depending on how he wanted to look at it, his cousin asked the very question on his mind.

  “So, she doesn’t exist?”

  “You serious about your transfer?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Your president releases you, she exists, but so do my fists. And I mean that. Brother or not, Jackie doesn’t like her girlfriends to be done wrong by the men in their lives. She’s had enough of that bullshit already. No way I’ll be able to keep from kickin’ either your asses if you do Andi wrong.”

  Liar didn’t know what Volt was talking about where Jackie was concerned, but he got the impression it was a long story. He couldn’t focus on that because his focus was devoted to the idea his own cousin, and much better looking cousin, was interested in one of the finest women Liar had laid eyes on in years.

  Beast gave Liar a sly grin. “We Huntley boys don’t do women wrong. But if Liar don’t man up, I’ll be showin’ Miss Andi how to have a good time.”

  “Shut the fuck up,” Liar snarled.

  “Touchy, touchy,” Beast said with a chuckle.

  ***

  The next morning, Liar decided he wouldn’t let any grass grow under his feet. That kiss with Andrea was just as top-notch as she was, so much, so it made a reappearance in a damn sex dream. Fuck. He hated waking up with pre-cum on his dick, and the moderate-level stiffy he was sporting would make takin’ a piss that much more challenging. Trudging to the bathroom, he took care of business and started the shower. It would’ve been better if he had started the coffee pot before taking his shower, but with Beast staying in the room next to his, he thought there was a possibility he’d have a prospect brewing some chicory root coffee. It had been a while since Liar had some, and it was one of the other upsides to Beast paying a visit.

  When Liar hit the kitchen though, there were zero signs of life. It was highly unusual. If nothing else, Trixie could be counted on to have a pot of java
on and maybe some slices of toast or some shit. It was nearly ten in the morning, and nobody could be found. Turning on his heel. Liar decided to hit the Dunkin’ Donuts on his way to Andrea’s. She didn’t know he was comin’ and he wanted to keep it that way. With curves like hers, he figured she’d go for donuts. It wasn’t to say she was overweight, but she was clearly a woman who didn’t shy away from her food and drink. The dish she bobbled last night had been filled with little hor d'oeuvres looking squares which turned out to be some of the best damn shit he ever put in his mouth. Someone said she called them “veggie pizza bites” but the dough didn’t taste like pizza, it tasted like crescent rolls. Jim hadn’t had crescent rolls in any form since the last time he saw Gran, which had been nearly a year ago. The dough was topped with a white cream that tasted of ranch dressing with carrots, broccoli and bell peppers on top of that. A woman who cared more about her waist-line than her food would not make something like that for a party.

  Liar walked to his bike in the humid morning sunshine. The calendar said it was late in October, but the Florida weather was not on board with the seasons. As he adjusted himself on his bike, another bike pulled up next to him. Adjusting his helmet and looking to his left, he saw it was Volt. He gave him a chin lift, and Volt lifted a finger to get him to pause. Once Volt’s bike was powered down, he whipped the bandanna off his head.

  “You’re up early. Didn’t you hit a club with our out of town brothers?”

  That explained why nobody was up. Liar had slunk out of Volt’s place before definite plans were made about whether they were going to a strip club or hitting a poker room. Stood to reason the brothers went to a titty bar. Having grown up outside of Biloxi in Ocean Springs, Liar knew how easy it was to find a poker game. Nothing said hitting the town to his biker brethren quite like watching anonymous women shake their moneymakers in your face though.

  Liar shook his head. “Nah, I bailed out before plans were decided. Worked out because I got things to do today, anyway.”

  Volt gave him a look that said he knew Liar was stretching the truth but tipped his chin up in dismissal.