by S. Nelson
I was next to them in no time. “I’ve been looking for you.” My tone was curt, aggravated I had to search everywhere to find her, and here she was, huddled off to the side with him. I shot him a look of irritation before seizing her wrist and pulling her behind me.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, allowing me to lead her away.
“I told you. I’ve been lookin’ everywhere for you.”
“I was talking to Luke.” She stopped walking and tugged her arm free. “What’s wrong with you? Why are you acting jealous again?”
“I’m not jealous. I’m annoyed I couldn’t find you, that’s all.” I turned to look back at Luke, but he was gone.
“Well, here I am.” Her hands found a home on her waist, and with her head tilted and her lips pursed, I prepared myself for a tongue lashing. “Don’t pull me away like that again. I was in the middle of convincing him to model for Maddie when you barged in. And now he probably won’t do it because he’ll assume you’ll be around, pounding your chest and scaring everybody away.
“I wasn’t that bad.” I scowled.
“Says who?” A slow and steady stream of air passed her lips. “You need to calm down. Not every guy wants in my pants, Tag. And even if they did, I don’t want anyone but you, even when you’re acting like an ass.”
“I don’t want to lose you,” I confessed, feeling like a jerk for acting out of line. Working through my need to control everything around me, including Morgan, was proving difficult. For so long, I wasn’t in control of a damn thing and I hated that helpless feeling.
“I’m not going anywhere.” She stepped into me and wrapped her arms around my waist. “You need to trust me.” Her hazel eyes sparkled with patience.
I nodded because spewing all the garbage inside my head would either confuse her or piss her off more, possibly both. Yeah, silence was the correct response right now.
“How about you make it up to me when we get home?” Morgan knew exactly what to say to distract me, and the promise of sex always did the trick. When her warm breath hit my ear, my dick twitched, then started to harden. “But be warned, I’m going to ride your tongue until I come at least twice. That’s your punishment.” Her teeth clamped down on my lobe before her lips pressed against mine, soft and tender. “How does that sound?”
I loved that she said whatever she wanted, never holding back. Sometimes her outspoken nature wasn’t ideal, mainly when she called me on my shit, but I wouldn’t change a damn thing about her. Perhaps, maybe the way she dressed sometimes, her skimpy clothes a source of a few of our arguments. But I wasn’t gonna focus on the green, deep V-cut shirt she had on or the shorts that barely covered her ass. I wasn’t gonna say a damn thing to ruin the opportunity to ravage her later.
I swallowed hard. “Perfect.” I twisted a fistful of her mahogany hair around my fingers, yanking her head back to deepen the kiss and she let me, until she shoved me back, severing our mouths.
“No more touching until we leave. That’s also your punishment.”
“Then we’ll be leaving shortly.” I adjusted my dick, groaning with the inconvenience of a rock-solid hard-on when I couldn’t do fuck all about it right now.
The first time I saw Morgan, I knew she was gonna be someone special to me. I couldn’t understand it or explain my feelings, they were just there, nagging me until I walked into the clubhouse and basically forced an introduction between us, not paying much attention to Brick, who had clearly not been happy to see me.
With her hand in mine, ignoring her no-touching rule, one she didn’t bother to enforce, I led her back to the party, toward the people I considered my extended family, even if my start with them had been far from ideal.
With every step, I reflected on everything that happened that had brought me to this point.
I’d unfortunately found out exactly who my father was and what he’d been capable of.
I’d killed a man at close-point range.
I’d seen an innocent girl, someone I’d started to develop feelings for, have her life stolen from her in the most gruesome of ways.
I’d taken a bullet for a fellow brother.
And I’d fallen in love with the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my days with.
Would I change a thing?
Oddly... not a one.
Dropping my wallet in that garage had been the worst thing to happen to me at the time, and my life had changed in ways I couldn’t have fathomed.
As I sat next to the men who accepted me into their club, into their lives, I couldn’t imagine not being a part of the Knights Corruption.
Our experiences bonded us together, and I couldn’t be prouder to wear the patch, on my cut and on my back.
“Can you believe it?”
“Which part?” I asked, tipping the remaining liquid from my bottle and into my mouth. I probably should’ve stopped two beers ago, but today was a day for celebration. In other words, I could get shit-faced if I wanted.
My VP, best friend, and soon-to-be somehow-related-to-me-through-marriage, although I wasn’t sure how that all worked, took a hefty swig of his drink. “Fuckin’ all of it.”
I was in mid thought of my response when I saw Sully walk out from the house, stopping to talk to Maddie and Morgan who were standing nearby. Tag and Linc hung back several feet from the ladies, laughing about something, and their demeanor made me smile.
There was a time not long ago we couldn’t hang out like this all together, not a care in the world, knocking back a few and having a good time. But thankfully, all threats were finally behind us, and for good this time. I was assured multiple times we weren’t ever gonna have another problem from the two remaining Reaper charters. Their presidents assured us they didn’t want any trouble, even going so far as to tell us they never liked Griller or Dutch, said they were too unpredictable. Sure, they could’ve just been saying that to appease us, but my gut told me the war with them was over for good.
“You know we weren’t much older than our boys when we took over the club from our fathers.”
“True.” Stone reached behind him and grabbed two more from the cooler, offering me one. I shook my head. If I had any hope of ravaging my gorgeous wife later, I’d better lay off. “Wait.” He popped the top. “You’re not thinkin’ of stepping down are you?”
He looked genuinely worried that I wanted to switch things up, but I had no plans on doing anything of the sort. They’d have to pry me out of that damn chair, and I was sure Stone felt the same about his seat at the table.
Besides Sully and Kaden, this club was my life. The Knights were a bonded brotherhood. We’d been through horrific ordeals, some of our women enduring worse, but we managed to come out on the other side.
We’d lost men, Zip, Breck, and a Laredo brother, Smiley, while others had nearly lost their lives during the first and second war with those bastards. The men and women all wore some sort of physical or emotional scar, but as the days passed, life got better, easier.
“Can you image those two running things?” We both laughed. “They’re smart and determined, but they’re too wrapped up in their better halves.”
“Speakin’ of better halves, here comes yours.” He jerked his chin toward the house, Sully sauntering her way toward me, gathering her black strands in one hand, and pulling them to rest over her left shoulder, exposing the sexy line of her neck. The sway of her hips mesmerized me, her pink and white polka-dot dress falling to her ankles but doing nothing to distract me from the body I knew was underneath. The front dipped down a little lower than I liked, and when I tried to get her to wear a sweater, even shoving one at her before we left the house, she batted my hand away and scowled at me.
“Hey, honey.” She stood beside me and placed her hand on my shoulder, but the contact wasn’t good enough. She yelped in surprise when I wrestled her onto my lap, kissing her hard as she squirmed on top of me.
“You better stop, or I’ll lift your dress right here and sink inside you. There’s enoug
h fabric to cover us both. No one will suspect a thing.”
“Except I heard every word, brother.” Stone tutted at me and shook his head. “Please don’t.”
“He’s kidding,” Sully argued, running her hand over my beard. I spotted a few more grays mixed in with the dark on my face, as well as around my temples. And there were some more lines around my eyes, but otherwise I felt I looked the same as I did twenty years ago. But I kept those thoughts to myself, because if these guys were good for anything, it was razzing. My wife told me she thought I looked more rugged, even sexier than the day she met me. All in all, I didn’t fret too much about getting older.
“I’m not,” I whispered in her ear, nipping the sensitive spot on her neck. She playfully smacked my arm, reaching across the table to snatch a brownie from one of the plates. She bit off half and offered me the other, smacking her lips against mine as soon as I devoured the chocolate. I really should’ve eaten more, my stomach grumbling with the small treat.
Addy joined us next, planting herself right on her husband’s lap. “You need to trim this thing.” She tugged on his long, dark blond beard. He had some gray too, but it wasn’t as noticeable with his lighter-color hair.
“I wanna see how long I can get it.”
“Not if you still wanna get it from me.”
“Nice. And in front of our friends.” Stone dug his fingers into her waist, and she laughed, gifting him a kiss when he released her.
“Hey,” Sully said, and at first, I thought she was talking to me, but she was looking directly at Addy’s husband.
“What’s up?” He moved his arm around his wife so he could take a drink.
“Thanks for not punching my son again.” I couldn’t tell if she was joking or pissy, but when her posture remained relaxed, I realized she wasn’t angry.
“Kaden’s paid his dues. Besides, he just committed to putting up with our stubborn daughter for the rest of his life. That’s more punishment than I could inflict on him.”
“I wonder where she gets that trait from,” Addy asked, shifting her weight on top of her husband.
“I don’t have a clue.”
If I’d been taking a sip, I would’ve spit out the contents all over myself, and my poor wife. Stone’s expression was serious, looking like he didn’t have a clue where Riley got her pigheadedness from. My buddy was the most obstinate man I knew, and that was saying a lot coming from me, who practiced those tendencies daily.
“Can you believe we’re gonna be in-laws?” Sully asked, her grin identical to Addy’s. “I’m so happy our babies are marrying each other. Then they’ll have babies of their own and we’ll be grandparents.”
Stone’s growl was indicative of him not appreciating the mention of babies. Even though he seemed happy about the kids’ engagement, I knew him, and he was still trying to wrap his head around the fact my boy was stealing his little girl away for good. So, he sure as hell wasn’t ready to start hearing about his daughter having babies. And I for one wasn’t ready for anyone to call me grandpa. Hopefully, that’d be a few years off.
“Let’s give them time to enjoy married life for a while before you have them saddled down with a brood,” I said, running my hand up and down my wife’s thigh, the soft material of her dress gliding under my fingers.
“I know. I just get excited at the thought of little ones.”
“You can borrow Silas for a few days if you want.” Ryder plopped down in the chair next to me, Braylen sitting next to him with the birthday boy in her lap. He’d come down from his earlier meltdown and was as happy as could be.
Sully looked at him adoringly. “Do you remember when Kaden was that little? It seemed like yesterday.”
“I do. And I also remember the sleepless nights, the diapers, and how much of a cock blocker he was.” I laughed when Sully frowned.
“Preach, brother,” Ryder grunted, already looking like he needed to turn in for the night, and the sun had barely dipped behind the horizon.
Braylen stifled a small yawn, then kissed the top of her son’s head, pulling a fork from his hand when he managed to steal one from the table. Her eyes landed on us, then the couple next to us. “Congrats to you both. I bet you’re so happy they’re getting married.”
“Thrilled,” Stone deadpanned. “Especially since I’m the one who’s gotta pay for the damn thing.”
“Like you’re hurtin’ for money,” I reminded him. Because of wise financial decisions made a long time ago, none of us had to worry about money.
“Still.”
“Oh, stop it.” Addy leaned forward, her husband grunting when she moved the wrong way.
“You wanna break it? Damn, woman.”
“Oh, shush.” Her attention snapped back to Braylen. “And congrats to you both. A grandbaby. Now, that’s exciting.”
“Brick already told me he hopes it’s a boy. Said he doesn’t think he can handle a girl.” She chuckled, passing Silas to his father. She reached her hand toward Stone for the unopened bottle in front of him, popping the top and taking several sips.
“I hope it’s a girl.” Ryder bounced his son on his knee. “That’s what he deserves for gettin’ Zoe pregnant.” There wasn’t a hint of amusement in his tone, his eyes on Silas, but when he looked up and saw us all staring at him, including his wife, he looked confused. “What?”
“You’re not happy?” Stone asked.
“Would you be?” He threw the question right back at him.
“Point taken.”
“Roman.” Braylen used his given name for emphasis, looking at him with disappointment.
“Fine. I’m not upset. It’s just a lot to swallow. I know she’s grown and is old enough, and Brick does love her like crazy.” He sighed. “She’s been through a lot and she’s finally starting to get back to a form of her old self.” His eyes swung to his wife. “I don’t want her to get overwhelmed, that’s all.”
The things Zoe endured last year were horrific, and I completely understood Ryder’s concern, but I had no doubt Brick would be by her side, going overboard to ensure she was handling everything okay. She was in good hands with that guy.
None of us said anything in response, allowing a moment to pass in acknowledgment that we understood his worry.
The silence didn’t last, however, Hawke making a grand entrance, shouting his apologies for being late. After strolling up to us, he kissed Braylen’s cheek and slapped Ryder on the back, stealing Silas from him before he could protest.
“Happy birthday, little guy.” It was funny to watch grown men act all soft whenever a baby was present. When Silas started to fuss, the nomad handed him right back to his dad. “And that’s why I don’t have any. They’re cute, but too much work.” He laughed, swiping up an unopened beer from the cooler beside Stone. “What’d I miss?”
“A lot.” I filled him in on the engagement announcement and baby news.
He looked around. “Where’s my brother?”
“In the house, I think.” At that exact moment, Tripp walked outside, making himself a plate before walking over, but because I was still hungry, I snatched it from him as soon as he got close. “Thanks.”
He shot me an annoyed look, turning toward Hawke instead of giving me shit for stealing his food. “Thought you were going to Florida.”
“Not ’til tomorrow afternoon.”
There was a brief time when I thought Hawke was gonna stick around, possibly give up his nomad patch like Tripp had done all those years ago, but Edana didn’t want to come back here. In fact, she told him she was moving to Florida to help her sister out with her kids. He didn’t want to move there, so he spent his time between our different charters, trekking to the Sunshine State as often as he could. But I didn’t see that plan working out too long and expected to get a call from him soon about relocating to be with his woman on a more permanent basis. The good thing was, however, that Hawke had fully recovered, a miracle we were all thankfully for. We almost lost him, and for as heartbroken as
Tripp had been during those first days when we weren’t sure if the nomad was gonna pull through, he unfortunately knew exactly what his younger brother went through years back when Tripp had been shot four times and left for dead outside our gates.
Jagger soon joined us, followed by Trigger and Cutter, who was half in the bag, something I believed I only saw a handful of times in my life. He was also lucky enough to still be alive after straddling the line between life and death last year.
As the night wore on, the blending of voices from the various conversations making me smile, I was thankful for the brotherhood of the Knights Corruption I’d helped to create, alongside every member here, Tag included. Maybe it was the alcohol running through my blood making me sentimental, but I was filled with a sense of pride as I looked around at these men.
Our bond was unbreakable and there wasn’t a single situation we couldn’t tackle together.
So, bring on the weddings and the babies and whatever else life wanted to throw our way. Because there wasn’t anything we couldn’t handle.
The End
Are you curious about Ford and Owen Massey, Tripp and Hawke’s fearless cousins who showed up to help the club? If so, the Massey Security Duet is available now. Start with The Assignment.
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The second I laid eyes on our newest client, I knew I’d made a mistake by allowing my brother to talk me into taking this job.