Page 36 of Desert Loyalties
Suddenly she turns me and barks, “Don’t ever mention another woman getting you off again.”
I nod; regretted it as soon as it came out of my mouth. We sit there for a minute, chewing in silence, the hum of the fridge and distant sound of someone revving an engine outside the only noise. It’s a moment of peace, weirdly domestic, and it makes the chaos from earlier feel farther away.
Chapter 14
SKYE
Drake and I are in bed. We’d showered together, too exhausted to do anything more than rinse off the heat and sweat before collapsing, naked, onto the sheets. He lies on his back, one arm curled behind his head, while his other hand moves slowly across my bare back. I’m on my stomach, legs swinging lazily in the air.
His voice is quiet, serious. “Do you know anything about the Ceremony?”
“Not really,” I murmur, “Apart from the fact that every woman of the new generation said no.” I never really met the old timers, but the guys told me that they were pissed that none of the new patches could get their girlfriends or wives to participate.
“Ranger told me about it today,” he says, voice low. “Apparently three are three ways a woman can get in.”
I glance up at him, my cheek pressed to his chest. “Three?”
He nods, fingers tracing slow lines down my spine. “First... commit a crime in front of the brothers. Something real. No petty shit. Has to leave a mark.”
I stay quiet.
“Second,” he continues, “confess to something you’ve already done. On tape. With your face. No lies, no edits. Has to be enough to ruin you if it got out.”
I feel a little shiver slide down my ribs. Not from the cold. From the weight of it. “And the third?”
He hesitates. Long enough that I have to prompt him. “Drake?”
He exhales through his nose, like it pains him to say it. “Fuck all the brothers. In one night. Also on tape.”
I lift my head, eyes wide. “Are you serious?”
He’s not smiling. “Yeah.”
“There’s over fifty of you.”
He nods.
“Jesus.”
“I know.”
We’re both quiet for a beat, the ceiling fan whirring above us. I thought he was letting me weigh my options, until he says, “Same goes for the man bringing her in.”
I blink. “Wait. What?”
He rolls to his side, facing me. “If you choose the third option… I’d have to do it too. All of them. Same night. Same tape.”
I stare at him. Then laugh. “Okay. That’ll stop anyone cold.”
“That’s the point,” he says. “None of it’s supposed to be easy. It’s not about sex or crime. It’s about exposure. Loyalty. Sacrifice.”
My fingers drift to his chest, circling absently. “And you? Would you?”
He doesn’t flinch. “I’d do anything for you. Except let those motherfuckers touch you.” His voice dips lower. “I want you to be mine. My old lady. But I’m not putting your freedom on the line. Not for a patch. Not for pride. Not for men who wouldn’t do the same for you.”
I go still.
“You’d leave,” I say quietly.
