Under an Endless Moon (Moonlit Ridge Book 2)

Wind lashed at my face and the stars twinkled and shined overhead as I clung to Otto as we rode through Moonlit Ridge. The howl of the engine was the only sound in our ears.

The small town was pretty much closed down for the night except for the few bars that remained open. The windows of the trendy stores and shops on Culberry Street were darkened and the streets were close to barren.

It felt as if we were completely isolated and alone as Otto took to the road.

His massive body at the helm of the heavy metal, tattooed arms stretched out as he commanded the vibrating, rumbling machine. Our hair whipped around us, and my heart thundered in time, my blood racing through my veins as we traveled beneath the glinting heavens above.

There was nothing in the world as exhilarating as being on the back of Otto’s bike.

I knew he kept our speed safe and controlled whenever I was with him, but that didn’t mean adrenaline didn’t buzz through me like an electric charge. My spirit nothing but a live wire plugged directly into the man.

This was when I felt the closest to him. When all the intricacies of our lives seemed whittled away, pared down to nothing, and this wordless, perfect moment was the only thing that counted.

We traveled all the way through the main part of town until Culberry Street curved and came to a T at Vista View. He made a right onto the two-lane road that followed along the side of the lake.

I never failed to lose my breath at the stunning view.

It was gorgeous. The expanse of lake was smooth as glass beneath the night. It was surrounded by lush woods, and the mountains rose up high behind it in the distance, their jagged peaks silhouettes where the moon sat proud halfway down the horizon.

Silvery rays glinted over the water, and the few lights of the houses and cabins tucked around the lake glowed their peace.

On the far side of the lake, I could barely make out the neon sign for The Sanctuary, the motel that Theo owned and ran.

I thought of what would be hidden there under the guise of vacationers.

A woman.

Possibly with children.

I didn’t want to fathom the horrors that might have brought them there, but ignoring it was impossible.

The pain and danger they’d endured.

The hope that began right there, beneath those bright, shining lights.

I hugged Otto a little tighter as worry infiltrated my being because I knew getting them to safety didn’t come without risk.

The lives my brother and his crew led were riddled with peril, though it seemed a little safer than when all of them used to ride with Iron Owls MC back in LA.

That was when it felt like every step they’d taken might be their last.

It didn’t mean they were immune now. Look at what had happened to River, Charleigh, and their little boy, Nolan, at the beginning of the summer. How their lives had intersected in a beautiful, horrible way. Charleigh’s ex trying to destroy them.

I still thanked God every day that they were safe. They’d made it through, and now they had each other forever.

It was worth it. Of course, it was worth it. For everyone they helped.

But that didn’t mean I wasn’t terrified any time one of them stepped out the door.

Otto set a big hand on my arms that were linked around his waist. I had to wonder if he had direct access to my thoughts and it was a silent promise that everything was going to be okay.

He slowed as he took a right into the neighborhood where I lived with River and his family, then the next left onto the long drive that led to our house.

A modern cabin tucked deep beneath soaring trees.

Two stories with a pitched roof, made of stones and dark brown woods.

Otto pulled his bike around the circular drive and stopped at the front. He killed the engine, and in an instant, the silence consumed. The night all around and the energy that’d been freed suddenly locked and held tight.

A stark tension that surrounded.

He reached around and took me by the hand. That simple touch was always enough to annihilate me.

“Off you go, darlin’,” he said as he helped me stand, which was all kinds of awkward considering the skirt and boots that I was wearing, but I never let that stop me.

No way when I loved how Otto’s gaze fired when I dressed like this, his eyes raking over me as if he couldn’t help himself.

Once I was steady on my feet, he climbed off, too.

The man a stronghold that towered in the night. So fierce and brutal, though he still wore that smirk on the edge of his decadent mouth as he reached out and carefully undid the straps of my helmet.

Sapphire eyes never looked away as he worked, the air thin and shimmery between us.

When he had it freed, he rested it on the bike’s seat then said, “Let’s get you inside.”

I forced all the need down and rolled my eyes the way I’d done back at Kane’s.

“I’m perfectly capable of walking to the door by myself, Otto. Look at me, such a big girl with my own keys and everything.”

It was pure sarcasm as I dug into my tiny bag that hung on my hip and pulled my keys out as proof, dangling them between us.

A rough chuckle skated out of him. “And what happens if you slip on those ridiculous heels and break your neck?”

I huffed as I started up the walkway toward the front door. “Then I guess River will find me in the morning when he wakes up. And ridiculous? I don’t know what nonsense you speak of. I look amazing in these heels.”

I started up the three steps to the wraparound porch that circled the entire house. Otto was right behind. Every step he took was an earthquake that reverberated through me.

“That you do, darlin’, but they look about as dangerous as the lives we lead, and since I promised your brother that I’d get you home safely, that means I’m going to get you all the way. Not going anywhere until you’re locked tight behind that door.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I grumbled. “The promises you make my brother. I see where your loyalties lay and how little I have to say about any of it.”

I tried to force the teasing into my words and keep the hurt out, and I turned away from him and started to put the key into the lock.

A short gasp rocked out of me when he took me by the wrist and spun me toward him. Rays of moonlight rippled in behind him, his giant frame covering me like a shield. The breath was ripped out of my lungs when he reached out and ran his fingertips down my cheek.

“You fuckin’ count, Raven. Count more than anyone else.”

My stomach twisted and my heart careened. God, why did he have to say things like that? Make me feel like I was the most important person in his life before he turned around and broke my heart when he would leave some bar with another woman?

But it was times like these when I thought…

I blinked to stop the stupid train of thought. I was moving beyond that. Beyond him. It was time. I just had to figure out exactly what direction I was going to go.

I turned back around and finished unlocking the door, and I pushed it open to the darkness radiating from inside. I stepped through before I shifted to look at him from over my shoulder.

“Here I am. All safe and sound.”

“Only way I want you.” There was a softness to his voice when he said it.

“Goodnight, Otto. Thanks for giving me a ride home.”

He wore that easy, casual grin, though I swore there was a storm brewing in the depths of his blue, blue eyes. “It’s my pleasure, darlin’. I’ll see you soon.”

I paused, unable to let him go before I whispered, “Be safe.”

My chest clutched when he reached out and hooked his pinky with mine. He swung it between us, his voice low when he murmured, “Promise.”

It felt like a full minute passed before he released me and rocked back on the heels of his boots as he shoved big, tatted hands into the pockets of his jeans. He remained planted, just wearing that grin, until I shut the door and locked it between us.

With the separation, I breathed out a strained breath and attempted to pull all the frayed edges he always left me with back together. To stitch myself up and mend the pieces he always left undone.

When I heard his motorcycle kick over, I crossed the foyer to the curved staircase that led to the second floor. I kept my footsteps quieted as I went. The landing was dark when I hit the top, and I crept to my bedroom that was down the hall on the left.

I slipped inside, closed the door, and moved across my room as I wound the strap of my bag off my shoulder and tossed it onto my bed. I peeled myself out of the heels that I had to admit were kind of ridiculous but in the best way, then slinked out of my skirt and corset before I pulled on a tank top and sleep shorts.

I stole back out into the bathroom that was next to Nolan’s room, brushed my teeth and washed my face, then padded back into my room and crawled into bed.

The second I climbed under the covers, my phone buzzed from my purse. I grinned when I saw who it was from, the nickname I’d given him long ago saved in my phone.

Talk about ridiculous.

I wavered, unsure if I should answer him directly or taunt him a little. Taunting him seemed the prudent way to go.

I bit down on my bottom lip as my fingers flew across the screen.

If only I had the courage to make that happen, but the last thing I wanted was for Otto to think I didn’t possess it. For him to know that I’d never recovered.

It took him two minutes before he finally responded.

I hesitated, knowing I was doing nothing but poking the bear, but loving the power a little too much.

Okay, maybe I had taken the inappropriateness too far. Maybe the margaritas I’d been slinging back at Kane’s had gone to my head. Maybe I was playing with fire. Because I might not have been able to hear his voice, but I knew the words he shot back were rabid.

I reread it four times.

Another man.

Another man.

Maybe I was looking too much into the phrasing. Conjuring that hope I needed to stamp out.

A seed of guilt sprouted. I shouldn’t toy with him like this. Lead him to believe something that wasn’t true. But I couldn’t bring myself to confess to him what it really meant. How I was stuck, and I wasn’t sure I would ever get out of the quicksand that forever dragged me under.

Still, I tapped out a reply, hoping to assuage some of what I’d done.

There was the tease. A promise that I was off the hook. Besides, I doubted that Otto would ever truly be angry with me.

A heavy sigh pilfered from my lips.

I knew I had to end all of this if I was ever truly going to get over him. Just stop it. Stop the teasing and the playing and the pathetic eagerness to always be in his space. That endeavor wasn’t looking too great when another text blipped through and a rush of anticipation stampeded through my body.

Only this one wasn’t from Otto.

Disquiet thudded through my veins.

I wavered, unsure of what to say or if I should even respond. Finally, I decided to tap out a quick message.

A firm, final ending.

I blocked his number before I gave him the chance to reply, and I leaned over so I could plug my phone into the charger on my dresser. I started to pull my hand away, though I slowed when my attention caught on the relic that sat on a decorative box beneath my lamp. My chest tightened as I gave in and picked up the small hand mirror.

All the lightness floated away, and in its place were the memories that both comforted and haunted.

The mirror was antique, patinaed, ornate metal. The glass hazed and distorted and cracked down the middle.

The faintest light glowed through my window, and I held it up and gazed at my reflection.

“Look at you, Raven. Look at who you are. If you could only see the way I see you. You are brave and strong. So goddamn beautiful. A bloom in the middle of the darkest night.”

The old whisper of Otto’s voice wisped through my brain and threatened to drip down into my soul. Hell, who was I kidding? He’d been there all along. And I had no idea how to get him out.