Rivals Eye The Prize

The cage rattled over cracked desert asphalt, and my stomach did the same thing every time I glanced out the tinted window. Colossus rode point, his massive blacked-out Harley cutting through the dust like he owned the whole damn highway. Even from back here I could see the way his shoulders flexed under the cut — tense, alert, but every few seconds he’d glance back at the van like he needed to make sure I was still breathing. I pressed my phone between my palms, Mom’s last text burning behind my eyes: He’s bleeding, Lena. Please. I’d powered it off, but the words stuck like grease under my nails. Jax, the prospect driving the cage, shot me a grin in the rearview. “You good back there, wrench girl? You look like you’re plotting to rebuild the whole van with a coat hanger and spit.” I snorted. “If it keeps the Reapers from breathing down our necks, I might.” The other patched member in the passenger seat — a quiet guy named Tank — just grunted. “Reapers are getting bold. Offering cash for your head on a platter. Or your hands, at least.” My hands. The ones currently itching to be back in the garage instead of clenched in my lap. The ones that had just been sliding under Colossus’s shirt twenty minutes ago, feeling the heat of his skin and the steady thunder of his heart. God, that man. One kiss in the garage and I was already ruined for anyone else. The way he’d laughed — low, surprised, like joy was something he’d forgotten he was allowed to have — had cracked me wide open. We rolled into neutral ground — an old truck stop off the highway, half the pumps rusted out, the diner windows boarded up. The Titans killed their engines in a loose half-circle. Colossus was off his bike and at the van door before Jax even cut the engine. He opened it and offered me a hand down. His palm swallowed mine completely, warm and calloused, but the grip was feather-light. When my boots hit gravel he didn’t let go right away. Instead he tugged me close, voice low enough that only I could hear. “Stay glued to my side,” he murmured, gray eyes stormy. “If s**t goes sideways, you get behind me. No hero s**t with that wrench of yours.” I rose on my toes and brushed my lips against his beard, quick and teasing. “Only if you promise not to go full mountain and forget I’m tougher than I look.” His mouth twitched — that crooked almost-smile that made my knees stupid. “Deal, wrench girl. But if anyone so much as looks at you wrong, I’m not promising I’ll be gentle with them.” The chemistry between us crackled louder than the bikes. He kept one hand on the small of my back as we walked toward the meet spot — possessive, protective, but the touch was so careful it made my chest ache in the best way. Viper and Rogue were already front and center. Five Shadow Reapers waited under the faded awning, Blade front and center with a fresh black eye and a smirk that made me want to swing my wrench. “Nice to see the Titans brought their shiny new toy,” Blade drawled, eyes sliding over me. “Marco says those hands of hers can make a bike disappear off any radar. Name your price, Voss. We’ll even throw in a bonus for your brother’s hospital bill.” My blood ran hot. “My brother can rot. And my hands aren’t for sale.” Colossus’s fingers flexed against my back — a silent warning and a promise all at once. Viper stepped forward. “This meet is about territory. Not shopping for mechanics. You crossed our fence. You threatened one of ours. Walk away clean or we end this right here.” Blade laughed. “One of yours? She’s temporary, Prez. Soon as the giant gets bored and crushes her like he crushes everything else, she’ll come crawling. We’ve got better offers.” The words hit like a wrench to the ribs, but Colossus didn’t flinch. Instead he pulled me closer, his massive frame a wall of heat and muscle at my back. I felt him breathe in, slow and deliberate, like he was reminding himself he didn’t have to prove anything with violence. “Touch her and you deal with me,” he said, voice calm but carrying that deadly edge. “And I’m real tired of people thinking they can take what’s mine.” Mine. The word sent a thrill straight through me. I reached back and hooked my fingers in his belt loop, grounding us both. Blade’s smirk faltered when he saw the gesture. “Big talk for a guy who’s scared to actually touch his own woman.” Colossus didn’t rise to it. He just stared the man down until Blade looked away first. The sit-down dragged for another twenty minutes — territory lines redrawn, threats exchanged, cash offers thrown around like they thought they could buy me. Every time Blade’s eyes lingered on me, Colossus’s hand would tighten on my hip — gentle pressure, a reminder that he was right there. When it finally ended, the Reapers rode off with more bluster than bite. But I caught the way Blade glanced back at me one last time, like he was measuring exactly how much trouble I was worth. Back at the bikes, Colossus turned me to face him, both hands cupping my face like I was something precious. “You okay?” he asked, thumb stroking my cheek. “He was trying to get under your skin.” “I’m fine.” I leaned into his touch, voice soft. “Because you didn’t let him. And because you’re learning you don’t have to crush everything to protect it.” His gray eyes softened, the storm quieting. “You make it easy to remember that.” He bent down and kissed me right there in front of the whole club — slow, deep, claiming. Not for show. For us. When he pulled back his forehead rested against mine. “Tonight, after the run… my room. No interruptions. I want to show you exactly how gentle these hands can be when they’re not scared anymore.” Heat pooled low in my belly. “Promise, mountain man?” “Promise.” That rare crooked smile appeared again. “And maybe I’ll let you call me that while I’m proving it.” Jax whooped from his bike. “Get a room, you two!” Colossus flipped him off without looking away from me, and the easy laugh that followed made my heart do stupid flips. But as we loaded back into the cage, my silenced phone still felt heavy in my pocket. The Reapers wanted my talent. My family wanted my guilt. And the giant walking me to the van like I was the only thing that mattered in his world… he wanted all of me. The real question was whether I could give it to him without the past dragging us both under.