by Jenika Snow
“Yeah, Callie. Fuck, baby.” He tightened his hold on her waist as she took over the rocking motions. Up and down she moved, sinking harder and faster on his cock until her head grew dizzy from it all. She was going to come again.
The taste of sweet release was so close that on the next down stroke she ground her clit against him. The explosion inside of her rivaled the one before. Callie threw her head back and cried out as her pussy clamped down on his cock. Lucien dug his fingertips into her, and his low, animalistic grunt signaled he’d found his own release. If it were even possible, she felt him harden even further inside of her.
She collapsed against his chest, their skin sweaty and their breathing cacophonous. He wrapped his arms around her and rolled so they were on their sides facing each other. The heavy length of him was still buried inside of her, and spasms continued to travel through her. Closing her eyes and resting her forehead on his damp chest, she listened to the sound of his heart beating.
After several minutes of silence, and the feel of Lucien stroking his fingers up and down her back, she pushed back and braced herself on an elbow, staring down at him. For a second he just stared at her, and then lifted his hand to cup her cheek.
“What is it, baby?” he said softly.
“Nothing.” She smiled. “Well, that’s not true. I’m just worried about how all of this will play out with my dad and the club when all of this comes to light.” She lay on her side and stared at the ceiling. The bed was small, barely big enough to hold her, but having Lucien’s massive body on it, too, required her to be pressed right up against him, nearly lying on top of him. “Because I don’t want this to be the only time we see each other.” She looked over at him. He was staring at the ceiling, his jaw locked tight as he looked deep in thought. She had contemplated not saying anything, not wanting to ruin this moment, but it needed to be said, because that was their reality. “I love you, Lucien,” she said softly, and when he looked at her Callie’s heart jumped in her throat.
“Everything will work out, Callie, because I’ll make sure it does.” He kissed her on the forehead again, and she loved this gentleness in him. “Because I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you, and I meant it when I said I wouldn’t let anyone or anything take you away from me.”
Chapter Nine
Lucien grabbed a tool from beside him and started taking apart the engine in the rusted out Harley. He had been in the garage at the clubhouse for the last three hours, and mainly it was to keep his mind off Callie. It had been two long fucking weeks since he had been with her, and to say that it was damn hard was an understatement. But she had been staying busy by packing up the rest of her things for school.
Did it suck that she’d be several hours away when they had just started being with each other? Yeah, it fucking sucked, but he wasn’t going to hold her back by being a selfish bastard. She needed to go to college, to learn and make something huge out of herself, even if she had told him she didn’t know what she wanted to do with her life. The point was she was out there taking the initiative, and that was what he wanted for her. She was a smart young woman—his woman—and he wouldn’t tell her what she should and shouldn’t do when it came to living her life. Now, those fuckers that she’d be going to school with, well, they better watch their damn manners, and keep their hands to themselves, because if they so much as looked at her wrong and he found out he’d beat their asses to the ground. Lucien never pretended to be something he wasn’t. He had always been a violent man toward the ones that wronged him or the ones he considered his family. But with Callie he found himself even more possessive, dominant, and he didn’t care if others saw how he acted toward her as being over the top alpha.
Being inside of her that one time hadn’t quenched his need for her, and in fact made him want her more, made him feel like this possessive obsessed animal that couldn’t stop until she was his. But she was Lucien’s, and nothing would change that. He sure as fuck wasn’t an insecure man, and knew what he wanted in all things, but he also felt a little unsure about where he was going with Callie because he’d never felt this way before. He ached for her, but not just to be with her sexually. He wanted to hold her, to kiss her. Hell, he’d even settle on going for a ride with her on his Harley and sitting there in silence. He just wanted her.
Talking on the phone to her in private, and making sure none of the other members heard them, made him feel like a sneaky fucking bastard. It wasn’t like he didn’t want to tell Kink that he loved Callie with this deep-rooted need that bordered on obsession. He needed to go about this the right way, because as it was he had fucked up big time by not telling Kink how he felt for Callie right away. It was more about the timing. He had been trying to decide how to go about this, but the last couple of weeks had opened his eyes to a lot of things: his feelings, what he wanted out of life, and what he wanted with Callie. This was a sensitive subject, and it wasn’t like he was just going to come out and tell Kink that not only was he fucking his daughter, but that he was also madly in love with her. He wanted a life with Callie, wanted to have a family one day with her. She needed to have her own life, experience things, too, but he only wanted her. He might have never felt this way, or wanted an old lady, but she was his, he had claimed her, and nothing would change his mind on the end result.
They needed to tell Kink, and the other members, too, because this involved them as well. A club member didn’t keep things from his brothers, but Lucien was doing just that and he felt like a piece of shit because of it.
His cell rang, and he grabbed a rag and cleaned his hands off before answering it. He saw the flash of Callie’s number on his screen, and he felt like a damn teenager for how happy he was when he saw that it was her. Lucien stood and glanced out the open bay doors of the garage. He made sure he was alone, and then he answered the phone.
“Hey, baby.” He turned away from the clubhouse and went to his workbench.
“Hey yourself,” she said softly.
He was getting hard just from hearing her voice. “You nearly packed?” She’d be heading off to the university next weekend—only a few days away—and only be coming back to River Run for holidays and on weekends, and that was going to be damn hard. But he didn’t cancel out the fact he was probably going to show up randomly, just to make sure she was okay, and to tame the urge to touch her on a constant basis.
“I am, but I was thinking…” She paused, and he knew what she was going to say.
He turned and looked at the clubhouse, saw Kink leaving with a few of the other guys, and felt this gut-wrenching ache of betrayal. Lucien closed his eyes and exhaled roughly. He knew that he couldn’t betray Kink anymore. “Baby—”
“Lucien, I can’t do this behind my dad’s back anymore. We have to tell him about us.”
He breathed out, feeling this relief fill him, but it was short-lived when Kink stopped and waved at him.
“Later, brother. I’m heading home to be with my girls,” Kink shouted out, and Lucien lifted his hand goodbye.
“Yeah, baby, we need to tell him now, because this is a bad situation already, and the longer we keep it from him the worse it’ll get.” He wasn’t about to tell her that when they did tell Kink he would go bat-shit crazy, kick Lucien’s ass, and worry about the damage afterwards.
“I know.” She sighed, and he hated that she was feeling this way. “How about you come over tomorrow? We’ll have dinner, and we can tell my dad together?” She sounded unsure, a little frightened, and he hated that she was feeling these turbulent emotions.
“Callie, everything will be okay. I’ll make sure it is.” He wanted to pull her close right now, to hold her, kiss her, and make sure she didn’t feel like this. Yeah, he was totally fucking gone for this woman, and there was no changing the fact that it would only get more intense.
“I’ll text you the time to come over, but I want this out of the way, Lucien. I don’t want to have to talk to you behind anyone’s back. I don’t want to hide my relatio
nship with you, and I hope you wouldn’t either.”
“No, baby. The last thing I want to do is keep how I feel for you in the dark. I’ve already done it for too long.” She was breaking his fucking heart. Of course he didn’t want to hide their relationship, and although they didn’t have some childish title to go along with what was happening with them, she was his and that was more than any boyfriend or girlfriend label that someone came up with. He was old enough to know what he wanted in life, and that what he had with Callie was real. “Baby, I want to be able to hold you, kiss you, and have my way with you anytime and anywhere. I don’t want to have to do anything behind someone’s back, least of all a Menace brother.”
“People will get hurt, Lucien. It’s inevitable. And I don’t want that, but I also love you and don’t want to not be able to be with you because of what others think.”
“I know, Callie baby, and we’ll figure it out.” He stayed on the phone with her for a few more minutes, and when they hung up he stared at the driveway. He was the worst kind of person to be doing what he was doing behind Kink’s back, but tomorrow he’d rectify that, because the truth needed to come out, like three fucking months ago.
****
Callie was a nervous wreck, and it was because of two things. Tonight Lucien was coming over with a few of the guys from the club for dinner, and her dad had been the one to set it up. She hadn’t even had time to ask her father about having Lucien over. Kink had been the one to arrange this, to invite some of the guys over that weren’t on a run, because he said he had something to talk to them about. He had been distant, concerned even when he looked at her. She worried that he knew already about them, that maybe he had somehow heard from someone that she was with Lucien. Cookie even seemed a little off, like she was avoiding Callie, and that had her worried that maybe she should just come out and say everything before they had a room full of people. Why he would want some of the club members present when this was all said was beyond her. Although they were all like family, this was something that she’d hoped to just tell her dad at first.
Glancing at the clock she saw that it was a half past six in the evening. Lucien, Cain, and Tuck were supposed to be coming over to eat, and Cookie was still in the kitchen preparing things. Lord, she was a nervous mess. Not only had she hardly seen Lucien since she had been back in River Run, but they were going to lay it all out in the open, and let the chips fall where they did.
“You okay, Callie?” Cookie asked.
Callie turned away from the clock and stared at the other woman. “Yeah, I’m fine, just wondering what tonight is all about since my dad called some of the guys over.” She rubbed her hands on her thighs. She had texted Lucien earlier tonight, hoping he had some kind of insight on why Kink wanted them over tonight, but he had been as clueless as she was. Hell, Kink had been the one to sit her down and tell her that they needed to talk, that some of the guys were coming over, and that it was really important that she be there. She was afraid of what he was going to say, of how things would play out, but she had no choice in the matter and would just have to stick it out. If they weren’t going to bring up the fact she was with Lucien, then she’d still have to bring it up tonight. This had gone on long enough, and she planned on talking about the last three months, her feelings, and how she was going to be with Lucien because she loved him.
“It’ll be okay,” Cookie said cryptically, and Callie watched as the other woman turned away and started busying herself in the kitchen. She was overly trying to distract herself, that was for sure, and Callie wondered exactly what in the hell was going on. Callie had never seen Cookie act like she was on edge or nervous, but tonight she was definitely showing those characteristics.
“Everything okay, Cookie?” The other woman might be only a few years older than Callie, but she looked at Cookie as a role model. After all the shit Cookie had been through in her life, and had still stayed strong and prevailed, she was someone that Callie wanted to take after, wanted to learn from, and seeing her nervous like this was a little unsettling. Cookie always seemed in control. Even when Callie had gotten the news about her mother passing away Cookie had been there, giving her the strength she needed not to totally break down.
Cookie turned around and nodded. “Of course, honey.” Cookie had started using those motherly endearments after Callie’s mom had passed away, and although at first it was a little strange hearing the slightly older woman calling her them, Callie couldn’t lie and say it wasn’t comforting. She liked hearing them, in fact.
“You sure? You look a little nervous, and it’s kind of freaking me out. Well, even more than tonight already is.”
Cookie nodded and then swallowed loudly. “I…” She glanced down, twisted the towel in her hands, and then looked back up at Callie again. “You should know before you’re bombarded in there with all the guys.”
“Okay…” Callie stared at her, feeling her entire body strung tight. “What’s going on?” Her heart was racing, and she had a feeling this most definitely had to do with her and Lucien. Damn, had someone overheard them talking? She wouldn’t put it past one of the guys to have followed Lucien up to the university just to see what he was up to, although that would have been shady behavior. But then again they would have seen what Lucien was doing as the same fucked up thing. “I don’t like surprises, and this whole weird and funky vibe I am getting from you and Dad is making me feel like I’m walking on eggshells.”
Cookie moved over to her, stared into her eyes, and for a moment all Callie could see on Cookie’s face was pure uncertainty.
“Callie, your dad and I wanted to talk to you about something that we’ve just found out.” Cookie swallowed roughly. “We have known for a while, and have wanted to talk to you about, but he was freaking out, and I didn’t know what to say, and…”
“Oh God.” Callie moved away, feeling her face heat, because she had known this was about Lucien and her. “We actually meant to tell you, Cookie.” She turned around and faced the other woman. “We were going to tell you and my dad today, because we were tired of sneaking around, and it felt like this big betrayal.”
Cookie didn’t respond, but she knitted her eyebrows in confusion. “You were going to tell us tonight?” Cookie asked.
Callie nodded. “Yeah, I was going to cook dinner, and Lucien was going to come over, and we were going to tell you guys about it all, but it looks like you knew already.” She rubbed her forehead and breathed out. “We just didn’t know what to say, but you guys already know. What I don’t understand is why you’d invite the other two guys along? I know the rest of the members are on a run, but I would have preferred if this stayed among the four of us. Not that I don’t love the guys like my family, but, well, you know.” She shrugged.
“Callie, sweetheart.” Cookie took a step closer. “You were going to tell us about you and Lucien being together tonight?” Cookie sounded confused, and shocked.
Oh. Shit.
“You and Lucien? Like Lucien, the President of the club?” Cookie whispered the last part, her eyes wide.
The sound of the doorbell ringing stopped Callie from responding. But she wouldn’t have known what in the hell to say anyway.
“Hey, can one of you get that?” Kink called out from the next room, and Callie stared at Cookie, and then looked at the front door.
“I’ll get it,” Callie said way too softly for anyone but Cookie to hear. She hadn’t said anything to Callie, but she did continue to stare at her with this shocked expression on her face. “Yeah, I’ll just go get that.” She turned away and went to the door, her knees shaking, and her legs feeling like they’d give out at any second. When she grabbed the handle and turned it, pulled the door open, and took in the three massively huge bikers standing on the porch, she looked at Lucien immediately. There he stood, in front of the other two men that were talking softly with each other, and his silver eyes trained right on her.
“Callie.” He said her name softly, and when the other
two men, Cain and Tuck, pushed past him and came inside, they still stood there staring at each other.
Callie wanted to tell him that tonight wasn’t about them, or at least it hadn’t been. She still didn’t know what her dad and Cookie were going to say, but now Callie worried that Cookie would tell everyone what Callie had said in the kitchen. But whatever Cookie and Kink were going to tell them was definitely important for them to call this impromptu dinner, and she thought that was a little unnerving on its own. She stepped aside to let Lucien in. This was the first time she had seen him since being back from her orientation. It was safer, and smarter, just to keep their distance until they could tell her dad about all of this. But it was damn hard, and when he walked by, purposefully brushing his hand along hers in passing, this thrill of electricity moved through her. He smelled good, masculine and potent, and reminding her of everything that was Lucien Silver. She stared at the way his jeans molded to his hard body, and at the fact his dark t-shirt and cut didn’t hide the play of muscle underneath the material. She remembered vividly what he looked like with nothing on, so strong and big, towering over her as he thrust deep into her body and took her virginity.
“Brother.” Her father’s voice came through in a booming bass, and she moved away from Lucien to shut the door. The two men clapped each other on the back, and it was so strange to see the man she loved and her father embracing as if what she and Lucien were doing behind everyone’s back wasn’t their reality. Her dad seemed tense, though, and she wondered, if they weren’t going to confront them, what was making them act so weird.
Chapter Ten
They all sat around the table, Tuck and Cain seeming oblivious to the fact that the rest of them were looking at each other with shifty eyes, wondering what in the hell was happening, but not speaking. They had finished eating about ten minutes ago, and the silence was starting to become thick and uncomfortable. Callie grabbed her water, took a sip, and looked at Lucien from over her rim. He sat between Cookie and Cain, and her dad was at the head of the table, his focus on the beer bottle in front of him.