by Levine, Nina
I glanced around and laid eyes on the Storm men who were standing together talking very seriously about something. Winter and King had joined them, so the group totalled six. Running my eyes over them, I noted a whole heap of muscle and tattoos. And raw male energy.
“They’re the guys from Winter’s club.” I looked back at her. “They need you to move your car. Do you want me to do it?”
“No, I’ll do it,” she said before giving me a small smile. “Thank you for not making me feel dumb.”
“Oh, Mum.” I leaned in and wrapped my arms around her. “You are not dumb. He is. And we’re going to find you a good man who knows how to be honest and how to love a woman right.”
She started her car. “First, we’re going to get you married.”
I shook my head at her. She’d been talking about my wedding for days now. “We’re not even engaged yet, Mum. You need to stop talking about it. I don’t want Winter feeling pressured about this.” But God did I want him to propose.
“Birdie, that man is far from feeling pressured about a wedding. He was born to marry you and he knows it. If anyone’s going to feel pressured, it’ll be you.”
I stepped back. “Move the car, Mum. I’m not talking about this anymore.”
Winter’s arms circled me and his warm breath whispered across my neck as he said, “What aren’t you talking about anymore? Is everything okay with your Mum?”
“Shit,” I said, turning in his embrace, “You need to stop sneaking up on me all the time.”
A lazy grin settled into place on his lips. “When you tell me I need to stop doing something, Angel, you know I’m going to do the opposite.”
“Ugh, don’t I freaking know it.”
His grin eased a little as he asked, “Your mum?”
“That guy she’s been hung up on for weeks? He’s married. She stalked him and just discovered it on his Facebook page.”
The grin died on his lips. “Fuck. How far into this was she with him?”
I took hold of his T-shirt. “You don’t need to involve yourself in this. And neither do Carey or Lucas, so get that thought out of your head now.”
“What don’t we need to get involved in?” Carey asked as he and Lucas stepped next to Winter.
I threw up my hands. “Why do all the men in my life feel it necessary to get all up in my business? Can’t a girl keep some shit to herself?”
Winter smirked. Carey shrugged his shoulders. Lucas watched me with amusement. Fuck, these three were never going to stop inserting themselves in my business. It was a place they’d always been because they’d always had my back, but God, sometimes a girl just wanted a little space.
Winter gave Carey the information he was after. “Your mother discovered she was hung up on a married man. I simply wanted to know how fucking long the asshole had been leading her on.”
I glared at him. “I will kill you later, Winter Morrison.”
He smirked again. “And I will enjoy the fuck out of it, but you need to start talking now.”
“Nah, it’s all good, man,” Carey said, “I know who the asshole is and where he lives. We’ve got this.”
I turned my glare to my brother. “You need to stop. Mum hasn’t fallen for a man in a very long time. She’s struggling with her feelings over him, and if you three carry on like this, she’s only going to feel worse. Just let her process this herself, and for the love of God, do not take a trip to that man’s house.” I pointed a finger at all three of them. “So help me, if you do, you’ll have me to answer to.”
Lucas turned serious and nodded. “Okay.” When Carey hit him with a dirty look, he added, “But just this once. If she hooks up with another asshole, all bets are off, and you will let us handle shit our way.”
I had no chance at winning this argument, so I just shook my head at them in exasperation.
Cleo cut in on our conversation. “Carey, your trailer is full now.”
“Okay, great. I’ll take these boxes over to Winter’s.”
“You wanna eat first,” Cleo asked. “Or are you coming back?”
“I’m coming back, but I’m always up for food,” Carey said with a grin. “Load me up, woman.”
Carey, Cleo, and Lucas left as one of the Storm guys came our way. “You guys ready to fill the truck?”
“Yeah,” Winter said, and then motioned between the guy and me with—“Birdie, Nitro.”
I smiled at Nitro. God, he was tall. “Hi. Thanks for this. I really appreciate your help.”
His gaze turned intense. “You’re Storm now. This is what we do.”
With that, he took off towards the truck they’d brought with them.
You’re Storm now.
What did that even mean?
Winter’s hand landed on my ass. Not in the kind of smack he liked to give, but more in the way of saying ‘let’s get shit done’. When I looked at him, he jerked his chin towards the house. I nodded to indicate I knew what he meant, but as he started to walk that way, I pulled him back.
Keeping hold of his hand, I said, “What does that mean?”
Lines creased his forehead. “What?”
“That I’m Storm now.”
The same intensity that had shone from Nitro’s eyes blazed from Winter’s. “It means you’re family now, Angel. These guys, the club, they’ve got your back. When one of us needs something, we give it, no questions asked.”
I stared at him in silence, turning that over in my head. Unsure of it. Probably because so much had already changed in the last couple of weeks that every new change of events had me racing to keep up. In a good way, but still, it was a lot to get my head around.
I was all for family, but what would that actually mean for me? What would our lives look like?
Winter moved closer. “It’s a good thing, baby. And you don’t have to figure out what it means right now. We’ve got all the time in the world. Okay?”
I smiled up at him, taking a deep breath. “Okay.”
As his arms came around me and he pressed a kiss to my forehead, a sense of peace settled over me. Winter was right; I didn’t have to figure out what everything meant right now. I just had to trust him and us. Trust that we were exactly where we were supposed to be.
32
Birdie
* * *
I moved off Winter’s bike and smoothed my hair after taking off my helmet, doing everything in my power to ignore my nerves and how they made me feel ill.
We were outside the Storm MC clubhouse, about to go inside to celebrate the birthday of one of the club member’s. While I’d met some of the guys a few nights ago when they’d helped me move, I hadn’t gotten a lot of time with them because they’d pretty much moved my stuff, eaten some dinner, and then left. So I figured tonight might be when I’d get to know them a little bit. Plus, I’d only met five of them the other night; there was a whole club to meet tonight. It was crazy how nervous I felt about it.
Deep breaths.
You can do this.
Winter is by your side.
God, why am I so damn nervous?
It’s just his friends.
“Angel,” Winter said, his voice all rumbly, “Stop overthinking this.”
“I can’t help it.”
“Why?”
For such a perceptive man, how this understanding eluded him was beyond me. “Because these people mean everything to you.”
His brown eyes searched mine, the love he felt for me clear as day in them. Reaching for me, his hand scrunched my top as he pulled me to him. “You mean everything to me”—he gave me more of that deep rumble that never failed to shoot desire through my veins—“and for that fact alone, every single person here tonight will be looking out for you. You’ve got nothing to worry about.” He brushed his lips over mine before adding, “But I love the hell out of you for caring enough to overthink it.”
I gripped his T-shirt and did my best to let him think I was good. He seemed to have a lot on his mind about the cl
ub the last couple of days, so I didn’t want to give him more to think about. Pasting a big smile on my face, I said, “Okay, let’s do this.”
He chuckled. “Good try, Birdie, but I see you.” He threw his arm over my shoulders. “I think we’ll start you off with a strong drink.”
The clubhouse was huge. And noisy. But then, I’d expected that. Music pumped through the air around us as Winter guided me to the bar and ordered us drinks.
“Winter,” a deep voice sounded from behind us, “you got a minute, brother?”
It was Hyde. I’d met him the other night when he helped move me into Winter’s house. When I turned to face him, he acknowledged me with a jerk of his chin, but his attention was heavily focused on Winter. It seemed like whatever he wanted to discuss was urgent or extremely important.
“Can it wait?” Winter asked.
I knew why he asked, and I loved him for not wanting to leave me alone, but I didn’t want to get in the way of club stuff. I touched his arm. “I’m good. You go.”
Hyde eyed me with appreciation before saying, “It can’t wait.”
“I won’t be long,” Winter said to me.
They cut a path to the door, disappearing down the hallway I’d seen on our way in here. My attention was quickly directed back to the bar when the woman manning it said, “Here’s the whisky Winter ordered and a Jägerbomb from Monroe.” She hit me with a warm smile. “Enjoy.”
I leaned across the bar so I could hear her better over the music and laughter. “Who’s Monroe?”
Her smile grew as she pointed to a group of women sitting in the middle of the room. “She’s the redhead.”
The woman she pointed at waved at me and then motioned for me to join the group.
Picking up my drinks, I smiled at the bartender. “Thank you.”
“I’m Kree. Always here if you need anything.” She moved onto the next drink order, leaving me with a warm fuzzy feeling. Every single person here tonight will be looking out for you. Winter’s words from earlier replayed in my mind, and I took a deep breath as I decided to run with what he’d said.
I made my way to where Monroe sat with two other women. She stood to greet me, a friendly smile on her face. “Hi Birdie, I’m Monroe.”
She was super friendly and I was surprised that she knew my name. My face must have registered that surprise, because she said, “Hyde told me you’d probably be here tonight.” She then motioned at the spare seat. “Come join us. This is Tatum”—she pointed at the blonde sitting next to her—“and Hailee”—she pointed at the dark-haired woman on her other side.
Hailee smiled at me with the same kind of warmth Monroe and Kree had, while Tatum’s smile was a little more reserved.
I placed my drinks on the table and took a seat as I glanced between the three of them. The way they all stared at me had me feeling all kinds of nervous again. “God, I feel like I’m back in school trying to make friends for the first time, which is just ridiculous. But seriously, did you guys feel like this your first time here or is it just me? And if you’re gonna tell me it’s just me, maybe consider lying, okay?”
Monroe broke into laughter. Hailee grinned and nodded. Tatum cracked what looked like a smile, but I couldn’t be sure, because if it was, it didn’t last long. However, she was the one who picked up the Jägerbomb Monroe had bought, and passed it to me. She then took her glass and raised it to mine. “You’re not making friends here, Birdie. You’re making family.”
It was like she’d taken a blanket and covered me while I froze. It might have been the nicest thing a stranger had ever said to me. And it really did bring it home that Winter was right when he’d said I didn’t have to figure this all out at once. Family bonds were forged over time. I would build my ties with Storm over time. And looking at the kindness in the eyes of these women told me that the family I was joining might be one I would grow to treasure dearly.
33
Winter
* * *
I watched Birdie talking with her mum in our kitchen, my gut tightening with the ever-present need I had for her. It had been a week since she’d moved in and I often caught myself wondering how the fuck I’d let her stay out of my life for so long. Not even the heavy club shit I had going on at the moment kept her from my thoughts, and that was unusual because when shit was going down with the club, it was usually all I could focus on.
Her gaze drifted to me as her mother talked her ear off. Since Jennifer had discovered the asshole she’d been seeing was married, she’d leaned on Birdie a lot. I knew Birdie wanted to support her mother through this, but I also knew Birdie was ready for her mum to go home. It was almost 10:00 p.m. and Jennifer had been here since 5:00 p.m. We hadn’t been expecting her. Birdie had just wrapped her lips around my dick when her mother had pulled into our driveway. The way she looked at me now let me know her thoughts were with my dick again.
My phone rang, the caller ID alerting me it was King. With one last look at Birdie, I exited the house and took the call outside.
“What’s up?” I answered it.
“Just wanted to let you know your work on that Ryland stuff last week paid off. I appreciate the fuck out of what you’ve been doing for us, and I’ve got more for you to take care.”
“Whatever you need, King.” Over the years, I’d mostly taken care of cleaning jobs for the club. However, King had started putting my surveillance and reconnaissance skills to use. I’d take on any job he set me, but fuck, it felt good to be back doing what I loved.
“Axe was right about you.”
“Yeah?”
“Before we met, he told me you’d never fucking fail me, and you haven’t, brother.” He paused for a moment. “Get some sleep tonight; I need you at the clubhouse by five in the morning.”
He ended the call and I stared out at the inky night. Ryland was giving Storm the kind of hell that caused King little sleep. That he hadn’t ordered me home from Brisbane while I’d been taking care of Dad’s house, even though he’d desperately needed all hands on deck, increased my respect for him. But then, my respect had always been high for him ever since his brother had shared stories of their family while we’d passed time in Afghanistan. Axe and King had been through some shit, but King had always come through for their family. King knew that Axe had shared shit with me; he also knew none of that information would see the light of day. The last five years of me handling club business for him and keeping my mouth shut at times I could have benefitted from opening it had proved that to him.
The sound of the front screen opening had me turning to find Jennifer and Birdie coming through the door.
“Thank you for dinner,” Jennifer said. “And for putting up with me for the last five hours. The good news is that I have plans with my girlfriends tomorrow night, so you’ll have Birdie all to yourself.”
Birdie moved in close and I spread my arm across her shoulders, savouring the feel of her hand when she pressed it to my stomach. “Our door’s always open, Jennifer,” I said, meaning every word. As far as I was concerned, Birdie’s family could move the fuck in if they needed to.
Her eyes crinkled and her lips pulled up in a smile. “Thank you.” She kissed Birdie goodbye and made her way to her car.
Birdie rubbed her hand over my stomach while moving her other hand down to my ass. “I love you so damn much, Winter Morrison. I’m not convinced any other man would sit through five hours of my mum.”
Jennifer slipped inside her car, kicked over the engine, and waved goodbye as she reversed out of the driveway.
As soon as her car disappeared into the night, I lifted Birdie over my shoulder and carried her inside. Her laughter hit me fair in the gut; Birdie’s happiness was my mission in life.
I kicked the front door closed behind us and continued on to our bedroom where I threw her on the bed. Moving on top of her, I reached a hand under her dress. Eyes to hers, I said, “Five fucking hours is a long time, Angel. You got any idea how hard I am for you right now?”
<
br /> Her hands came to my chest as her brows arched. “And who told my mother our door is always open for her? Can we just keep that in mind?”
I slid my fingers under her panties and found her clit before dropping my lips to her throat. She arched her back as I worked her pussy, and her neck as I kissed my way up to her mouth. “Our door is always open. Doesn’t stop me from getting hard.” Pulling my head back so I could look at her properly, I said, “What I’m saying here is I’m looking for you to work your magic with those lips.”
She smiled that sexy smile of hers before biting her lip and digging her fingers into my waist. “Oh God…. Yes,” she moaned as I pushed two fingers inside her. Her legs opened wide as she rocked herself against my hand and arched her back some more.
Birdie was the most beautiful woman I’d ever laid eyes on. And watching her lose herself with me was something I’d never stop loving or wanting to do.
I found her sweet spot, growling dirty shit in her ear while chasing her first orgasm of the night. We were just getting warmed up here.
Her hands moved to grip my biceps, squeezing them hard as she came. “Fuck,” she said, breathless, “That was fast.”
I caught her lips in a kiss before saying, “Your man is skilled.”
She rolled her eyes and laughed. “And full of himself.”
I grinned down at her before moving off the bed. Standing at the end of it, I unzipped my jeans and stripped. “Now I need those lips, baby.”
She pushed up onto her elbows and trailed her eyes lazily down my body before meeting my gaze. “I think I’d prefer a show.”
I took hold of my dick. “What kind of show?”
“The kind where you get yourself off before coming on my tits.”
“Fuck,” I hissed, working my dick. “Get your ass up here and talk dirty to me some more.”
“How about you get yours down here?”
I moved before she’d barely gotten the words out of her mouth. Settling myself between her legs, I pinned her hands to the bed above her head and growled, “How about you do as I say?”