Mute (Dragon Runners Book 1) Page 7

  Claiming? Patching? Did one of them really like me like that? Plain old invisible me? Was that possible?

  I finally got out of the bed, intending on slipping quietly to the bar and grabbing a shot of something that might help me relax enough to sleep. I slipped on my jeans, left the bedroom, and tiptoed my way through the suite. I heard Brick snoring loud enough to wake the dead in his own room, so I felt safe enough that I could sneak downstairs and get back quickly. I got to the loft, and heard another noise. I looked over the railing and almost went to my knees in shock. There was just enough light to show Donna bent over the pool table, completely naked, and a shirtless Mute pumping into her from behind.

  The half-empty whiskey bottle sat on the green felt next to her. His pants were lowered just enough to allow him access. She was gasping and moaning with each hard thrust, and he held her hips, pulling her back into his body. The rhythmic slap of flesh on flesh echoed in the large room. I stood there and watched. I should have been disgusted or embarrassed. I should have turned away, but I couldn’t move. I was mesmerized by the sight of Mute’s flexing tattooed muscles, the silver chain around his neck glinting in the bluish moonlight. This was raw, almost brutal sex. Not even sex.

  This was fucking.

  Donna was clawing at the table and gasping. He grabbed her arms, forcing them to her back, and pounded inside her. Donna screamed her climax, helpless as Mute kept going. He threw back his head, eyes closed, driving harder, and I felt my own sex pulse at the sight. His neck corded up as he clenched his jaw. I watched as he reached his own release silently, thrusting one last time deep into Donna’s body.

  I was not a virgin, nor was I opposed to sex, but it had never been a big nor steady part of my life. It also had never been the supposed mind-blowing experience other women seem to enjoy. My one boyfriend whom I’d had years ago introduced me to it, and after that first painful night, it didn’t seem to me it was all it was cracked up to be. For the few months we stayed together, I let him do what he wanted, when he wanted. It didn’t do much for me, but it kept him happy for a while. Then he complained I didn’t participate enough. That I was cold in bed. He broke up with me using the clichéd “it’s not you, it’s me” line, but I knew he really meant it was me.

  This is why I was shocked to feel so turned on as I gazed at the sight below. I wanted it to be me there on the pool table, him holding me down, driving into me, making me come. There was also a pain in my chest knowing I had the answers to my questions. It would never happen. Mute only tolerated my presence for what I could do for the club and Betsey; otherwise, he had nothing to do with me. He would rather fuck a club bunny than be with me.

  I watched as he pulled out. He removed the condom, tied a knot in the end, and threw it in the closest trash can. Donna cooed and made a big show of rolling off the table. I couldn’t hear was she was saying. I just watched as she pressed herself against Mute while he wiped off and tucked himself back in his pants. Running her hands up and down his chest, she kissed and licked him, sucking at his nipples.

  He stood there still as a statue, watching her touch him. He didn’t touch her back, hold her in his arms, or kiss her. Instead, he looked up at the balcony railing, right into my eyes, like he knew I’d been there the whole time and the fucking scene was nothing more than a show for my benefit. I felt a sob crawl up the back of my throat. His face was hard. His mouth set in a grim line. His eyes dead.

  “You should leave,” I heard him in my head. “You don’t belong here.”

  He pushed Donna’s grasping hands off him, picked up the whiskey bottle, and turned to walk out of the house. She cried out after him and tried to follow, but he ignored her and continued through the door. The naked woman crumpled on the floor in a curled-up heap. I could hear her crying out her hurt. I knew how she felt, but I jammed the heel of my hand against my mouth to stifle my own sounds. Brick was still snoring from his room in the suite, ignorant of my movements.

  I went back to the guest room, climbed in the bed, and hugged one of the big, fluffy pillows to my middle. I buried my face in another one and let loose just a little, soaking it with the flood of tears I’d been holding back. Miraculously, after that little crying jag, I felt a great relief, almost giddy. I would do what I did best. I would lock my feelings and hurts into a corner of my mind and leave them there. I had a plan. Finish school, start working at the hospital full-time, save up some money, and move somewhere else. I would stick with it. I would ignore Mute, and do my job, period. I would wrap myself in a Harry Potter cloak of invisibility, and I would survive. With my mind clear, I was finally able to fall asleep.

  Mute sat on one of several picnic tables that were scattered around the club’s courtyard. It was a cool night, but he was drunk enough not to feel it. All around him were the sounds of the woods. He tipped back the whiskey bottle, and swallowed the last of the strong liquor. It burned a welcome path to his stomach. He went to throw the bottle across the yard, but was sober enough to know Betsey would have his hide if she came back to a courtyard with broken glass in it. That woman ran a tight ship, both at the bar and at the clubhouse. He set the bottle down next to him, burped lightly, and listened to the crickets and katydids chirping and buzzing.

  Fucking Joker! Goddamn cocksucker! If he wasn’t a brother, he needs to be taken up the mountain!

  He glanced back at the lodge. Bet she’ll leave now.

  Sometime during his whiskey binge, he had come back into the lodge. Donna had followed him, chattering, touching, and rubbing. He didn’t remember her words to him, as he didn’t spend a lot of time paying attention to her. He found her annoying most of the time, and her constant pursuit of him was irritating to say the least.

  But tonight he was drunk and she was available. The minute she opened his jeans and pulled out his dick, he gave in and plowed into her on the pool table in the main room. He knew he was using her only to get off, his head full of Kat while he was pounding into her body, and now he was regretting it. Even if Donna was a club bunny, still didn’t make it right to be fucking her while he was wishing it was someone else.

  When he spotted Kat watching, he was thrilled that perhaps she would see how much she didn’t belong in club life, almost happy.

  Fuck! he thought again. If he was so happy about it, then why did he feel like shit?

  Chapter 7

  The day of the Dragon Runners’ Halloween barbecue was as perfect as a fall day in the mountains could get. The sun was high and bright in a clear, vivid blue sky. The trees were bursting with earthy colors, and the campground where the event was held was full of people, both biker and townsfolk. The crafters were out selling a year’s worth of handmade wares. Screaming and laughing children ran through the games area, some sporting face paint and carrying plastic prizes. The woody, mouthwatering scent of roasting meats came from a line of massive black smokers that had been set up at the pavilion picnic area.

  Betsey had everything running like clockwork. Four men were manning the smokers that had been going since before dawn. Paper plates, plastic cutlery, and napkins, all in massive boxes, were set out and ready to go. More than twenty large coolers lined the tops of the picnic tables, storing any dishes that people brought to share in the potluck, one side for cold and the other for hot. My task was to greet those who brought in food, put a label on the dish with their name so nothing got mixed up, and get it in either a hot cooler or a cold one. I had never thought to use a cooler to keep things hot, but it worked. Molly took in donated bags of Halloween candy for the trick-or-treaters who would come through the tents and cabins at dusk. Tambre’s job was to keep Betsey from panicking.

  “I don’t know!” Betsey exclaimed for the umpteenth time that morning. “Do we have enough barbecue? Ain’t got time to start another hog. I should send over to Ingles and pick up some readymade.”

  Tambre sighed and repeated for the umpteenth time that morning, “We’re fine, Betsey! We got plenty, and every year we end up with enough leftovers
to feed two more festivals. Ease up, sister! Everyone is happy! It’s all good!”

  Everyone was happy, even me. Mute and I had settled into another truce, hopefully one that would last. He didn’t communicate directly with me unless he had to, but he still had this urge to look out for me. I’d worked the Lair several times since the night I saw him and Donna together, but no one bothered me for anything more than friendly flirting. Brick’s edict had done its job, and Mute acted like a bodyguard, his burning gaze cutting down anyone who got too close. Stud talked with me a lot at the Lair and would make sure I had what I needed should I have to spend the night in the room that was now known as mine. Usually he’d lend me a tee even though I brought a few of my own.

  “Get that damn thing outta here!” Betsey’s yell cut through my thoughts. Brick had ridden up to the pavilion cover and the roaring from his bike was deafening.

  “When’s the food gonna be ready, woman?” he yelled back with equal volume. “Been working all morning, running kids up and down the Tail. You need to feed your man!” He winked at us. Clearly, he enjoyed riling up his old lady.

  “I’ll feed him a knuckle sammich if he don’t get outta my face! Q’s ready now, just gotta get it pulled off. You can announce the blessing and get ‘em started. I need to… Brick!” she squealed.

  He enveloped her in a bear hug and made rapid smacking noises with his mouth against her neck. She laughed and pretended to struggle to get away from him.

  “Stop it, you horny old goat! I got stuff to do!”

  “Mmmm… best damn woman in the state. Love you, baby.”

  “Love you too, darlin’. Now get the hell outta my way!”

  He left with a roar of laughter and the thunder of his bike.

  The club brothers were working various jobs around the campground. The prospects got the lower ones, like emptying trash cans and making sure the camp bathrooms were stocked with toilet paper and soap. Some were regulating the games, and most of the senior members were taking the kids on motorcycle rides on a short Tail run. I’d seen Brick, Taz, Stud, and Mute with kids on the backs of their bikes. Only kids that were twelve years old and older could ride, and they had to wear helmets that made their heads look four times bigger than their bodies. No helmet, no bike ride. Mute took the older kids, as communication was a safety issue. Mute could hear the kids on the helmet mics, but could only communicate back with hand signals. This could have been a major frustration for him, but he seemed to handle it well. I was actually pretty impressed with his patience and easy demeanor in the few glimpses I got of him with a starry-eyed and excited teenager on the back of his bike. This was not the Mute I knew at the bar.

  Brick announced the blessing through the campground PA system. It was nice to see no one argued or got offended, or even if they did, no one said anything. The people bowed their heads and the men removed their hats.

  For the next few hours, Betsey, Tambre, Molly, and I helped control the chaos that happened around the food tents and picnic areas. It was self-serve, but we four kept up with replenishing the food platters, drink coolers, checked beer kegs, filled napkin dispensers, kept the food lines in order and moving, helped a few people who were in wheelchairs, and handled anything else that came up. I was exhausted by the time most of the mass of people had come through the lines, but I was also ecstatic and happy. I’d been a needed part of a well-oiled machine, and I was thrilled to be included. I was treated like I belonged there. This was my place, where I fit in. The townsfolk greeted me as if I was a part of the club. They smiled and nodded, some calling me by name, remembering me from the bar.

  “Hey, Kat, how’s school?”

  “It’s going well, should be done soon.”

  “Still gonna work at Mute’s place when you’re done?”

  Mute’s place?

  “I don’t know yet. Depends on when I get hired and where my forever job will be.”

  “Kat! Get your butt over here and get some food!” I heard Betsey holler, unintentionally rescuing me.

  The hickory smoke flavor of the barbecue was fantastic. There was a plethora of vegetable dishes, casseroles, breads, deviled eggs, and salads, with just as many cakes, pies, and other desserts sitting on the groaning tables.

  The riders took a break from running the kids and joined everyone at the picnic table that was reserved for club members. Brick, Taz, Mute, Cutter, and Stud came and sat with us as we women chatted about the next round of work and the ride that was coming up later in the afternoon. Stud sat down next to me with a piled-up plate of food. Brick and Taz sat across from me, next to Betsey and Tambre. Cutter sat on the other side of Molly, and Mute sat down next to Brick, not quite in my line of sight but still across from me. The noise of the world shrank as they surrounded us in quiet protection. The sense of belonging to this fantastic group of people was stronger than ever, something I’d never had before in my life and now found myself needing.

  Brick was talking between bites of food. “Good thing we sent Dodge and Bruiser up here last week. Some asshole decided he needed firewood and started taking pieces of the pavilion for it. They said it looked like an ax was used. Only reason it’s still up is the framework is all metal poles and pipe. I bet that fucker felt it good when he swung in and hit steel.”

  The people around him laughed and shook their heads. He loaded up his fork and continued, “The prospects will do a trash run at five and take the bulk of it to the landfill, otherwise them dumpsters will be overflowing. They’ll come hose down everything tomorrow when the pavilion is empty. No use doin’ it today. Community house needs to stay open late.”

  He rambled off several other comments and orders. I felt myself fading away from the conversation and lapsing into a food coma. I was ready to pop from being so full, and my mind was drifting so much I didn’t realize when I started leaning into the warm body next to me until an arm wrapped around me and pulled me into it. I startled awake and looked up into Stud’s amused face.

  “So what do you say, baby girl?”

  “Sorry… um… what?” I stuttered, coming fully awake.

  Molly chimed in, “Just say yes, Kat. You’ll have a blast!!”

  “Yes?” I answered. “To what?”

  “The fun run, sleepyhead! Stud said you can ride with him.”

  The fun run was the final one of the day when the members ran the Tail just for themselves. It was a show of brotherhood, but instead of cuts and colors, everyone wore costumes. Old ladies were included, as well as any other invited women. Not everyone got to go on the fun run, and I understood it was a big deal to be a part of it. “I’ve never ridden on the back of a motorcycle before. Is it hard to do?” I asked.

  “Nope, just gotta get a good grip and hang on tight,” Stud answered with his arm still around me. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  I glanced up at Mute. His face was blank, but he was looking into my eyes with a direct stare.

  What else can I say? “I guess I could do that.”

  “Great!” Molly chirped. “We’ll finish up here, get changed at the cabin, and meet back up here around five thirty. Y’all get going! We’ve got stuff to do.”

  The men were quickly shooed off, and we four went to the club’s reserved cabin where I found out what “get changed” meant. This was the ultimate in girl time—it looked like Tambre’s beauty shop had exploded. Both Molly and Tambre ignored my protests and in no time at all, my hair was up in a halo of hot rollers. Betsey had brought in a bottle of tequila and four shot glasses. She pressed one in my hand.

  “Bottoms up, ladies!” she exclaimed, before slinging the liquor back. All of us followed her lead. The burn took my breath away, but I managed to down it without choking.

  “Trust us! You’ll like it!” Molly was having fun playing with her grown-up doll, and Tambre was enjoying working with my hair as well. Betsey sat back, her own hair up in hot rollers, adding to the fun comments. She poured another round of shots for us, and in true Betsey form, fil
led the air with words.

  “You got two of my boys dangling and you don’t even know it, do you?”

  “Huh?” I said, holding my head still while Tambre worked her magic. “What are you talking about, Betsey?”

  “Stud and Mute, girlfriend!” she said, picking up a bottle of fire-engine-red nail polish. “Them boys is both hot for you. Cain’t you tell?”

  Stud I could maybe see, as he’d been so nice to me, but he’d never touched me in any other way than friendship. Mute? Definitely not, after watching him with Donna.

  I burst into laughter, mostly to cover up my discomfort on the subject. “Mute’s not interested in me, Betsey! He can barely stand to be around me! And Stud’s just being nice.”

  “One of them will have to make a move soon, especially when they see you in your costume tonight! Voilà, baby!”

  Molly whipped out a shiny black stretchy something, along with a mask and headband. “I’m… ah… oh my,” I stuttered. Betsey handed me a third shot. Or was it the fourth? It was getting easier and easier to toss them back.

  The cat suit was one piece, fitted tightly to my body, hugging every curve and leaving nothing to the imagination. It was like being naked in public. Molly had also made a black mask, tail, and ear headband to go with it.

  “Go put it on! I wanna do your makeup next!”

  Molly was practically frothing. I really didn’t want to put that suit on, but Molly had worked hard to make it and I didn’t want to spoil the night for her. I went into the only other room and wrestled myself into the tight suit. The material looked like leather, but stretched like spandex. It smoothed over my skin, showing off my hourglass figure. It made me look sleek, mysterious, and sexy. I found myself liking it, liking the feeling of being a desirable woman. The mask added a bit of ambiguity, and I could pretend to be somewhat invisible in it, but I was sure it was obvious who was in the costume. I’d thought I would be uncomfortable in something that showy, but I found myself looking forward to being seen in it. Of course, I was also a little drunk, so maybe the warm stirring in my gut was really the alcohol.