“What do you mean?” he asked.
Did I want to tell him my ugly truth? But the words just came out. “My grandmother raised me. She was a wonderful person but she”—I paused, admitting something I’d never once voiced aloud—“didn’t love me enough to protect me from her emotionally and verbally abusive husband and son.”
In my peripheral view, I noticed it. It was small, but I saw him tense. I could feel his anger. For me, on behalf of me. And it was comforting, even though I knew that was probably messed up.
“You know,” I said, my voice quiet “when you’re told you’re nothing and no one tells you that they care about you, that you matter, hug you, or tell you that they love you...it’s the slowest way to die, I think.”
“Kate…come here,” Mac said hoarsely. He pulled me into him, wrapping his arms around me.
I hugged him back, because, dammit, I wanted to know what being in his arms felt like. He held me tight to his body, his hand going into my hair, and I relished the contact.
Mac had a harder edge than most because of his childhood. Even though he found the club early on, that kind of thing haunted a person all the way into adulthood. I knew better than most. He could be honest and open, but already I knew it had to be on his terms. He didn’t share with just anybody, and he had a tough time showing his emotions. I could read him easier because our traumas were so similar. Because I was the same exact way. It was nice to know that there was someone here who understood me on a fundamental level. How odd it’d be someone like Mac, but it felt like kismet, or maybe Mom was working her magic.
I pulled away and looked at everything around me; there was a lot to be gained.
When I noticed Mac’s hand traveling up and down my back, I realized how...personal our embrace had become. I pulled away further, and he didn’t stop me. “You okay?” he asked me, tucking some stray strands of hair behind my ear.
I thought about it. “Better than yesterday,” I said.
He grinned. “Glad to hear that.”
We headed back to the clubhouse. Even though I was tall, I felt small and delicate next to him.
Just when I was about to tell Mac I appreciated him listening to me, a woman came bolting out of the clubhouse and cuddled right up next to Mac.
“Hey, baby,” she started as she rubbed her hand up and down Mac’s chest.
“What the fuck are you doing here, Michelle?” Mac growled.
Michelle pouted, her arm like a vice around his waist. “Viper said you guys needed help with bartending. Party’s winding down, so I figured we could go up to your room. It’s been a while, baby; I miss you.”
I felt my stomach bottom out, seeing him with her. Meredith had told me about the club girls, and I knew some of the guys hooked up with them. Mac had clearly been hooking up with this Michelle chick. For some stupid reason, I’d thought he was single, but it should have been obvious someone like him would be with somebody. Or a lot of somebodies. Even though he teased me and made a lot of innuendoes, he’d never once made a move on me.
The knot of jealousy in my stomach was embarrassing. So what if he’d been kind to me? It didn’t mean anything, especially to Mac, and as much as I hated to admit it, I was more than a little disappointed.
“See you around,” I muttered. As I moved around them, I glanced over and met Michelle’s eyes. The look of triumph was evident, but I ignored it. I ignored it all and decided to take into consideration all the other good things I had.
While Mac was no knight in shining armor, he’d at least said some wise things I was starting to take to heart. Like deciding that I truly had a place here. As I walked over to Viking and Meredith, who included me like I’d always been there, the sting of disappointment I’d felt with Mac faded.
Slowly, I started to enjoy myself as I listened to a story Colt was telling. And as the night wore on, I found more and more reasons to stay, grateful that my luck was finally turning.
13
Mac
At church the other night, Viking asked if some of us would be willing to help fix up the bungalow for Kate. Even though she’d already moved in, there was painting and a few minor repairs to be done.
I don’t know what possessed me to volunteer, but Viking barely asked for help before I was offering to be there. Now, I’d be spending the whole day with Kate. But it might be a different Kate today since she hadn’t looked happy the other night when we were interrupted. Frankly, I was getting real tired of Michelle’s antics.
Standing by the bar, I checked my phone for the tenth time in the last few minutes. I texted Kate an hour ago that I’d be coming over to help, but hadn’t gotten a response. Figures.
As I was getting ready to leave, Michelle, once again, came from out of nowhere and was all over me. “I haven’t seen you since the barbecue,” she whined.
“Yup, and there’s a reason for that,” I said, peeling her off me. “You aren’t the only one I hook up with.”
She looked like I just slapped her. I didn’t know why she acted surprised. She knew what her role was. None of the guys ever promised a club whore more than a quick fuck. If she didn’t get that through her head, then she was going to start having a real problem here.
“You’re not hooking up with that bitch, are you?” she asked, her face contorting into anger.
I grabbed her by the shoulders and got right in her face. “What the fuck did you just say?”
Fear flashed in her eyes, but then she smirked when she realized my hold on her wasn’t enough to hurt. “I was wondering if you’ve been fucking Viking’s daughter.”
I looked her right in the eyes and spoke quietly, my fingers digging into her flesh. Her eyes widened at the rage radiating off of me. “First off, you don’t get to question me or what I do…ever. Are we clear on that?” She nodded her head, so I continued. “And don’t ever call Viking’s daughter a bitch again. If you do, you won’t have to worry about my reaction. Viking will throw you out on your ass so quick, your head will spin.”
I pushed her away, making her stumble back. “Fuck you, Mac!” she spat. “You’re such an asshole!”
I laughed. She wasn’t wrong about that.
“Lady problems?” Wolf asked as he walked in from the kitchen, a beer in his hand.
“That’s no lady,” I joked.
“When are you heading over to Kate’s?” Wolf asked, setting his beer bottle aside and sitting on a stool I’d just vacated.
“In a few minutes.”
“She’s pretty hot, huh? It’s gonna be a good day watching her work.”
I didn’t like how much interest Wolf showed anytime it had to do with Kate, but I didn’t want to encourage him, so I didn’t respond.
“On a scale of one to ten, she’s like a twenty,” Wolf droned on.
Seriously, this asshole was asking for me to punch him in the face. “Dude, you got a death wish? Viking would kill you before he would let you get near his daughter.”
“Funny, he must trust me enough because he asked me to watch her and her friend when they go out next week to celebrate her birthday.”
“What?” I asked sharply, glancing over at Wolf’s smug face. “He asked you to do that?”
“Sure did.” He smirked like he knew how much he was getting to me.
That was the bad thing about being friends with someone for as long we had. Sometimes they knew you better than you knew yourself.
“Maybe I can talk him into having you go with me,” he added casually, but was watching me too closely.
I shrugged. “Sure, you do that.” I slapped his back as I walked away.
“See you over there in a few minutes.” He laughed behind me.
I was acting like an idiot with a crush, and Wolf saw right through me. If I wasn’t careful, the whole club would catch on.
I rode my bike over to Kate’s in case we needed to go pick anything up. When I pulled up to Kate’s place, I saw her car, but no one else had shown up yet. As I was getting off my bik
e, she walked out onto her porch. Even in sweatpants and a zippered hoodie, she was smokin’ hot.
“Hi, Mac,” she greeted me quietly, once again the shy girl instead of the vibrant one that had started to emerge.
I could tell she was thinking about the other night and Michelle hanging all over me, but, like every time before, I didn’t miss how her eyes checked me out. I couldn’t remember a time where a female had held my attention like this. I told myself it was because she was off-limits, but that was too easy of an excuse. In truth, she was different, unique...special.
“Hey.” I joined her as she walked to her car. “So, what’s the plan for today?”
“Painting,” she said, popping open the trunk.
We each grabbed a couple of gallons of paint from her car and made our way back inside. Taking a look at the taping she already did, it wouldn’t be difficult to finish up before the day ended.
“Where do you want to start?”
I watched her as she bit her bottom lip while she contemplated the best order to do things in. She had an air of innocence about her, and she was oblivious to the fact that she was sexy as sin.
“I think we should start in the bedroom.”
“Sounds good to me.” I winked at her and loved the blush that started to creep up her cheeks once she realized how I interpreted her suggestion.
“That’s not what I meant,” she said as she rolled her eyes and shoved my shoulder.
“Oh yeah?” I asked, crowding her space. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed you checking me out.”
“Wh-what?” Yeah, she knew she was caught, but she tried to lie anyway. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Sure you don’t, sweetheart.” I was standing so close to her, I could feel her shiver as my breath fanned over her neck.
Just as I was about to do something stupid, I heard the other guys driving down the driveway. She quickly stepped away from me to meet everyone outside. I followed behind, seeing quite a few of our guys pulling up.
“Oh wow,” she whispered as she stood in the doorway.
“What?”
“I didn’t expect so many people to come help today.”
“You’re Viking’s daughter; therefore, you’re family. That means something around here,” I explained.
“Still trying to get used to that.” I didn’t think she meant for me to hear her, but I did.
“I know,” I said. “It’s strange at first, but just accept it for what it is, and you won’t feel so weird about it, trust me.”
We made some quick introductions. Fitz and Hawk had just gotten back from dealing with more of the Phantom shit show and had missed the barbecue Meredith had set up for Kate. Hawk slowly looked her up and down and then turned to me, a stupid grin on his face. It was obvious his asshole brother had been talking shit with him.
We spent the next few hours painting, then fixing up some minor stuff in and around the bungalow. The place was looking good, and I could see that Kate was pretty pleased with it.
“Hey, I’m taking a quick break. Be right back,” I told Wolf as I grabbed my pack of smokes from the coffee table. I needed a few minutes to myself. My dick had been in a permanent hard state watching Kate bending over for the last couple of hours. I needed some fresh air before someone caught me eye-fucking our president’s daughter.
I had just lit my cigarette when I looked over and saw Kate standing at the other end of the porch, staring at Viking’s bike. She hadn’t noticed me yet, so I took advantage of that and walked up behind her.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” I asked, admiring the sleek red beast in front of us.
She jumped a little and spun around to face me. “Oh my god, Mac! You scared me.”
“You were staring pretty hard at the bike. Ever been on one?”
She shook her head. “I never knew anyone who rode before.”
I was going to ask her to go for a ride with me, but she changed the subject before I had a chance.
“So, thanks for your help today. I can’t believe how much we got done.”
“The place is looking good.” Our hard work had paid off, and it was starting to look like a home.
“Yeah, it is. I think this is going to work out.” She sounded surprised.
“So, you’ve decided you’re going to stick around a while?” From my conversation with Viking, it sounded like she still hadn’t confirmed what her plans were.
“I think so,” she said as she leaned on her forearms against the porch railing, mirroring my position.
I looked over at her and was hit with a sudden and unexplainable need to slam my lips on hers and make her mine. Just then, the front door opened, and her father walked out.
“We’re about done in there. Zeke and TJ are putting a few things away, then we’re all going to head out,” he said to his daughter.
“Thank you so much for everything today.” She turned and hugged Viking.
The shocked look on his face made me think this may have been the first time she had done that.
“No problem at all,” Viking said, hugging her in return. “If you need anything, give me a call, okay?”
“Will do,” she responded with a smile as her dad, and a few other guys, started down her front steps.
“Oh, before I forget, Wolf and Mac are going with you next weekend when you celebrate your birthday,” he announced over his shoulder before he got to his bike.
“What?” she said, confused. “Why?”
He got behind his bike, gunning the engine. “I’m not comfortable with my barely legal daughter hanging out down there without someone watching out for her.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary.”
“I do.”
She looked like she was about to argue but when she looked at me, I shook my head a little. “Fine. But they better not keep Evelyn and me from having fun,” she said in a huff.
Viking just shook his head and laughed.
I couldn’t contain my laughter, even as Kate stood there and mumbled something about not needing a babysitter.
I was going to tease her about the many ways we could have fun together when I saw her watching the bikes as they drove away.
“Want to go for a ride?” I asked.
I’d never had anyone ride with me before, but this was something I wanted to share with her.
“Really?” She looked both hesitant and excited.
“Yeah. Go inside and put on a pair of jeans and a jacket, then we’ll head out.”
Suddenly, a huge smile broke out across her face, and she ran into the house like her ass was on fire. A couple of minutes later, she was following behind me as we walked to my bike.
Once there, Kate hesitated for a minute. “What’s up?” I asked.
“Uh…” she replied as she stood staring at my bike. “I don’t know what to do.”
I handed her the spare helmet I kept in my saddlebag. “You don’t have to do much. Just hold onto me and don’t fight against the movement of the bike,” I explained.
When I looked at her, she was biting her lip again. It looked seductive as hell. She took a fortifying breath and got on the bike.
Wanting to take her somewhere I knew she would enjoy, I drove to one of my favorite spots along the Colorado River. It was far enough away from the more touristy areas but still had a beautiful view.
The drive ended much too soon. I was enjoying the feel of Kate’s arms around my waist. It had me thinking of other ways I’d prefer to have her wrapped around me.
“Oh wow, this is gorgeous,” Kate announced as we walked down to the water’s edge.
“Let’s go sit down over there.” I grabbed hold of her hand and led her over to a large boulder.
I felt her tense slightly at the contact, but she quickly relaxed and didn’t pull her hand away. I helped her climb up the rock and sat down next to her. We were quiet for a little bit, enjoying the view.
“So, what else brought you out here, beside
s looking for your father?” I asked.
“Isn’t that enough?” she replied with her own question.
“Normally, I would say yes. But you started telling me a bit about your home life the other night. I had a feeling there was more you weren’t telling me.”
“Hmm…good-looking and intuitive.”
“I knew you had been checking me out,” I joked, and she rolled her eyes.
“Oh please! You’re so cocky.”
I just winked at her, and she shook her head. “Anyway, the truth is, I’d been undecided about whether I wanted to meet Viking or not, when my living situation took a turn for the worse.”
She stopped talking, but I wanted to know more. “Continue,” I prodded.
“You don’t want to hear my whole sob story.” She tried to make a joke about it, but I could tell it wasn’t something small.
“I want to know everything about you,” I told her, shocked by my admission. I never cared to learn the small details about the chicks I hooked up with, but I did want to know more about Kate. “It sounded like your childhood was as fucked up as mine. You said your grandmother raised you…?”
“Yes…” She didn’t say anything and then, in a rush, “My mom killed herself when I was six years old.”
Jesus, that was heavy. When she didn’t say anything more, I took her hand and laced my fingers through hers. It seemed to help as she continued her story about how things got worse after her grandmother died.
I didn’t understand how people could be so cruel to their own family, but my own parents were proof that just because you were related to someone didn’t mean they would love you. When she started explaining about her friend Jonathan, I interrupted.
“So, this guy… he was just a friend?”
She looked at me, and I realized she heard the hardness in my voice. “Considering you’re hot and heavy with that Michelle girl, I don’t think you have a right to get mad.”
“There’s nothing between me and Michelle. Yeah, we used to hook up, but that’s over. Been over since I laid eyes on you.”
Mac (Desert Sinners MC Book 1) Page 8