Page 1 of Army
Chapter One
Army smacked Willow’sass as he sat up in bed, his eyes squinting against the setting sun’s rays that poured through the open window.
“You’re leaving so soon?” she asked and grabbed hold of Army’s bicep to pull him back toward her.
He jerked out of her grasp and stood up. “I’ll be late for my brother’s fight if I stay for another round.” He walked to the bathroom.
“Can I go with you?”
“Nope. The event’s sold out,” he said over his shoulder before closing the door. Not wanting Willow to follow him into the shower, he pushed in the lock. Army was meeting up with several of his Night Rebels MC brothers at the Durango Center, and the last person he wanted glued to his side was Willow.
The doorknob turned slightly and then a soft knock tapped against the wood. Army turned on the water and stepped into the shower, welcoming the warm spray as he tuned out Willow’s muffled voice. Hooking up with her while he was in Durango was supposed to be fun, and for the most part it was, but for the past few months, Willow had begun to change what they had. She wanted to hang out after sex, hear from him when he was back in Alina, and even make future plans, but Army wanted no part of that. He had no intention of dating Willow or any other woman, and if she kept pushing him, he would lose her number and move on to the next.
Attracting women wasn’t a problem for the tall, well-built biker, and he liked a variety of chicks to choose from. The club girls were always fun, and the citizen women he hung out with were usually cool with his no-strings-attached requirement, but every once in a while a citizen wanted to change what they shared, and that’s when he’d bail. Willow was quickly rising to the top of his “too complicated” list.
As he came out of the bathroom, relief washed over him when he saw that Willow wasn’t waiting for him in bed. He grabbed his keys and spare change off the dresser and walked out of the room.
Willow sat on the couch and turned her lips up in a huge grin as she gestured to a plate of nachos and two beers on the coffee table. “I thought you’d be hungry and thirsty after all your hard work.” She winked at him.
He grabbed his leather jacket and slipped it on. “Sorry, but I don’t have time. I’m meeting some of my friends, and I’m already running late.”
Her lips turned downward. “But I made the nachos for you. I don’t eat fried food, even chips.”
“I know and I appreciate the effort, but I didn’t ask you to do it. I told you I had to go.” There was no way he was going to let her guilt him into doing something he didn’t want. No one told him what to do. Plain and simple.
“Since your brother’s fighting tonight, I’m sure he could get a ticket for me.” Willow rose to her feet and came over to him, curling her arms around his neck. “Please?” She kissed him softly along his jaw.
Army stiffened then gently pushed her back. “I told you it’s sold out. Anyway, that’s not what we do. Didn’t I give you a good time?”
“Yes, but I thought we could start doing more than just having sex.” She crossed and uncrossed her arms.
Sighing, he shook his head. “We hook up when I’m in Durango. It’s just for fun. You know I’m not looking for anything more than that. If you want to move on, I’m good with that.”
Panic flashed across her face. “No … I didn’t say that. I just thought we could go out once in a while for dinner or a movie.”
“Sorry, I’m not your guy for that. I thought you were dating. That’s what you told me a few weeks ago. Go to dinner and the movies with those dudes.” Army took out his phone and read a text from Chains asking where the hell he was. “I’m outta here.”
“Wait!” Willow pulled at his sleeve. “Can we see each other again before you go back?”
“I don’t have time. I’m leaving tomorrow.” He opened the front door.
“You’ll call me when you come back in town, right?” Her voice quivered slightly.
“I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
Willow fidgeted with the button on her robe. “You know, I’m good with what we have. I don’t know why I said what I did.” She came up to him and placed her hands on either side of his face. “Kiss me.”
Army pressed his lips against hers for a second then broke away. “Everyone’s waiting for me. I’ll see ya.” He walked out of the apartment and headed toward the elevator. Willow was standing in the hallway waving to him as the doors closed, but he just stared at her while making a mental note to send her a text when he returned home. The look on her face and the break in her voice told him the affair was over, at least for him.
Pulling up in front of the Durango Center, he saw the motorcycles of Chains, Crow, Eagle, Sangre, Paco, Cueball, Goldie, and Steel. After parking next to them, he entered the lobby and walked up to his brothers.
“It’s about fuckin’ time,” Chains said as he bumped fists with Army. “What took you so long?”
Before Army could answer, Eagle punched him in the arm. “Fucking up a storm with Willow?” The men laughed.
“What can I say? She couldn’t leave me alone,” Army replied as he took the tickets out of his pocket.
“When you’re done with her, give me her number. She’s hot as hell,” Eagle said, a smile in his voice.
