Getting to his feet, Ryder dropped his pants down around his ankles. “I’ll go nice and slow, babe,” he whispered as the head of his dick tenderly started to enter me.
I gripped the edge of the counter as my body remained in a completely euphoric state of ecstasy.
“Fuck,” he growled, “you’re so damn tight.” He pushed a little harder with every thrust, making each time feel better than the last. I let my head roll back as I practically purred with excitement.
“That feels amazing, Ryder.”
Just like the first, my second orgasm consumed me without any buildup or warning. All of a sudden I was a shuddering, panting mess of feels and emotions, and Ryder followed closely. We stood there in the kitchen, naked, as he kissed the nape of my neck. A moment later, I started bawling crying.
“Babe? Did I hurt you?” Ryder spun me around in his arms, and the look of concern on his face made me cry even harder.
“That just felt so fucking amazing.” I was blubbering, smiling, and sobbing all at once.
Ryder started laughing hysterically.
“What?” I sniffled.
“You’re crying because we just had amazing sex? Am I understanding this situation correctly?” He was still laughing as I nodded.
“Help me get into the bath before you leave, jerk.”
“As you wish, my lady.”
Ryder drew me a bubble bath, lit a few candles, laid out a towel for me, and even made sure I had a fresh change of clothes waiting for when I was ready.
“Have I told you lately that you are the best husband in the world?” I kissed him as he was one foot out the door.
“You tell me that at least five times a day, but I still love hearing it every damn time.”
“I hope you never get tired of hearing it,” I called after him as he raced down the hall.
“I never could. Love you, Raine. I’ll be home early tonight.”
Even with being the president and basically the boss now, Ryder still tried to beat everyone to the shop in the morning to make sure the paperwork was all situated for the day.
Sinking into the nice warm water, I beamed with pride that my husband was such a wonderful man, provider, and outlaw. I knew most people wouldn’t understand the life we lived, the dangers that lurked, or the choices we willingly made every day, but it was our little slice of biker heaven.
The lavender aromatherapy candles mixing with the warm comfortable bath lulled me right into a little catnap. I must have only been out for a few minutes at the most when shooting pains forced me to wake up. I practically jumped out of my skin when I realized I was going into labor and the pain I had just felt was a contraction.
I frantically looked around for my cell. After the initial panic wore off, I remembered I had set it on the dresser before I got into the bath. When I tried to get up, another wave of shooting pain made it impossible for me to even think about moving.
Inch my inch, I slowly made progress getting out of the tub, grabbing the towel, and shuffling over to my phone.
I dialed Ryder over and over until he finally answered.
“Raine? I’m with a customer. Can this wait?” he said hurriedly.
“Do you think me calling five times in a row means it can fucking wait?” I screamed.
“What’s wrong?” I could tell from the sound of his boots hitting the gravel in the parking lot that he was already running to his bike.
“He’s coming—right now. Ryder, hurry. We’re going to have a baby today.” I was screaming from the pain as Ryder started shouting from the excitement.
“On my way, see you in a couple of minutes. Just breathe and I will be there before you even know it.”
I hung up the phone and shot a text to Crickett.
Me: Baby coming right now.
Crickett: Closing the bar. I’ll tell Holt and Collin to head to the hospital.
Me: Bring Fun Dip.
Crickett: On it. Anything else?
Me: Miss Gilda.
Ryder was running up the stairs as I was setting my phone down.
“How many laws did you break driving here?” I asked as he grabbed my bag from the closet.
“They were only traffic infractions baby, nothing Crowley wouldn’t have been able to get me out of it we really needed him to.”
“Holy shit! That was a big one.” I stood at the top of the stairs, paralyzed from the pain.
“We’re almost there, just down these stairs and into the truck.”
Ryder had to practically lift my ass into the passenger’s seat of my dad’s ginormous F250.
“Why aren’t we taking the little truck? The one I can actually get in and out of?” I barked at Ryder before he sprinted around to the driver’s side.
The engine was already running before he was all the way into his seat. “Because I am doing a little bit of work on it and this one is way safer.”
“Whatever, fine. I don’t give a fuck. Just get me to a damn doctor so he can give me something for this fucking pain.” I was trying to remember all the freaking breathing exercises I had learned in Lamaze class, but nothing was helping.
“Almost there, baby. Just a few more blocks.”
Chapter 11
Ryder
Holy! Fucking! Shit!”
Raine was gripping my hand like it was the end of the damn world, but it was just the beginning—our beginning.
“All right, you’re going to have to push now.” The sweet older nurse smiled sympathetically as she watched Raine’s eyes slam shut and her knuckles turn white. I had never seen my wife look so gorgeous than she did right then—cursing like a sailor, body covered in sweat, wearing a paper-thin hospital gown, hair matted to the side of her face, makeup smeared everywhere. She was a mess, but she was simply and perfectly stunning.
“Arggggggg! Fuck this shit. I swear to God you are never knocking me up again.”
“We’ll talk about that after we have the first one successfully,” I teased.
“I am not joking. I am never going through this ever again.” She was practically spitting at me through gritted teeth and rage-filled eyes.
I wiped the sweat off her forehead while she pushed with all her might to bring our little boy into the world.
After a long fourteen hours of labor and Raine’s swearing skills improving exponentially, Abel Ravage Walsh was delivered at four in the freaking morning, weighing in at seven and a half pounds.
“You done good, momma.” I kissed Raine’s cheek while I bounced our sleeping son in my arms.
“I love you, Ryder.” Raine’s sleepy eyes fluttered closed. “I’m sorry for calling you a twat waffle and a cock bag and…what was the other new one I came up with?”
“A splooting sack of monkey shit.” I chuckled.
Through a yawn, Raine mumbled, “Yeah, that was a good one.”
“Love you, crazy lady. Get some rest.” I pecked her cheek as her breathing got soft and she started to quietly snore.
It was the most magical moment of my life. The woman of my dreams really had made my life complete. Looking down into the face of my sleeping son, I realized everything Abel had worried about for so long and fought so hard to protect had been completely justified.
There was a light tap on the door.
I opened it slowly. “Shhhh, mom and baby are sleeping.”
Crickett, Collin, and my dad were all standing in the hallway, practically gushing with excitement.
“Can I just hold him for a minute?” Crickett’s eyes were watery as she took in the sight of her first grandbaby.
I nodded and passed little baby Abel on over into her loving arms.
Collin shook my hand with a quick smile. My brother-in-law was a man of few words, but under his tougher-than-nails exterior, he was just like his old man—a soft teddy bear when it came to his family.
“He’s beautiful, son.” Holt slapped my shoulder. “Abel would have been proud of both of you right now.”
It had been a long r
oad with my father-in-law. I had barely felt like he trusted me half of the time, but I knew he had truly loved me and the rest of our family. I hadn’t missed him quite as much as I did in that moment, and I just hoped he was there with us somehow, enjoying the wonderful event.
“Hey guys.” Raine’s meek voice came from behind me.
Seeing the way Raine looked at her stepmother as Crickett strode over to her with her grandson in her arms was breathtaking.
“Congratulations sweetheart, I am so proud of you.” She beamed, wiping a tear from her cheek.
“I wish Dad was here,” Raine confessed.
“We all do.” Crickett kissed the back of Raine’s hand as they took a moment for each other.
After a few seconds, Crickett turned to me. “Will you grab Miss Gilda out of my purse.”
I rummaged around until I found the old unicorn rubber duck. I placed in Raine’s hands as tears filled her eyes. “I remember the day my dad got me this stupid toy.” Raine paused to wipe her eyes with the bedsheet. “We were on the way home from a doctor’s appointment and he stopped at a toy store to make me happy.”
I sank down on the end of her bed, taking the toy from her to look at it up close. The rainbow mane was fading and the white of the body was more yellow from old age. “Where’s the name Miss Gilda come from?” I asked.
Raine shrugged. “Fuck if I know.”
Crickett handed Raine our sleeping baby after kissing the top of his head. “I already am so in love with him.”
“So are we.” I squeezed Raine’s shoulder while looking down at the tiny face of my son.
I wasn’t usually a sappy guy—heck, I was usually a fucking dick—but having watched the birth of my son only a few hours before made me an instant puddle of dad-goo when anything remotely sweet happened.
There had only been a few times in my life that I had been truly sure of anything. The moment I saw Raine for the first time, I knew she was going to be mine. The moment Raine said yes to marrying me, I knew I would spend the rest of my life proving to her I deserved to be her husband. And right then, looking at my entire family together, I knew I was right where I was supposed to be, with people I would put my life on the line every damn day to protect from ever feeling another ounce of pain ever in their lives.
The End.
Bonus Chapter
Abel’s Letter
Crickett,
Oh, my love. I hate that I am having to write this to you, but I didn’t know how to say it out loud. When you read this, I will be gone. I knew right when Raine was kidnapped that it was never about her, never about anything else, but a trap for me. I am knowingly walking into my end giving up everything for my little girl. A life for a life is a price I am willing to pay to see my baby get home safe, into the loving arms of her family and the man she loves. Please know that I would have never let this get so far if I had known what I do now. I am so sorry that I will not be able to kiss you good night again or see your smiling face as the sun comes up through our windows. Crickett, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me or my family and I need you to know how truly in love I am with you. Hold my love close and keep your head high. My brothers and our children will need your strength to get through this. Please do not mourn my death but celebrate my life. You made my life full and wonderful.
I will always love you.
-Abel.
Untouchable
An Unacceptables MC Standalone Romance
Dedication
To everyone that has demons, deep down in the depths of their souls, and still find the strength to live life to the fullest—without boundaries or regard. This one is for you.
And to beer and Diet Dr. Pepper: thank you for helping me live by Hemingway’s mantra of writing drunk and editing sober.
Prologue
Trent
You all right?” Holt asked after hammering down the chilled shot of whiskey in his hand.
I thumbed the top of my rocks glass, shaking my head. “It’s all so fucked, ya know?”
His hand landed firmly on my back then his fingers gripped at the leather of my cut for a few seconds. “We’ll get through this, brother. Abel would have wanted us to keep moving forward.” He let go, threw back another shot, and then continued, “We will make this right. Just have faith. We all need time to heal and grieve.”
Holton Walsh was one of the best men that I knew. He was the vice president of our club, wearing the patch with honor. He had dedicated his entire life to becoming the best outlaw he could be, from running the bar, to helping out at the garage, never backing down from a fight and always putting the club above himself. I truly admired him.
“I hear ya, brother. It just all feels off,” I couldn’t help but admit.
He pursed his lips and nodded. “We’ll get back onto an even keel.”
Holt shoved away from the bar to make his way over to where his son was sitting with Red, Collin, and Ozzy. We weren’t having a funeral for our fallen king; we just did what he would have wanted us to do: gather at our bar and be together.
Even though we were all together, it didn’t feel right. Why weren’t we out searching for the motherfucker who shot Abel? Why weren’t we offing every Sinners member we could get our hands on? Why wasn’t anyone mad or at least showing it? Rage pumped through my veins. I couldn’t even think straight.
Jesse slammed down onto the stool next to me with a throaty groan. “Raine, another? Please and thank you, sweetheart.”
Raine smiled sweetly with watery eyes at Jesse while opening a bottle of Bud for him. “Of course.” Without even asking, she filled my bourbon up and threw in a couple more ice cubes. “Doin’ good, Tre?”
I nodded while trying to smile at Abel’s daughter. She looked so much like him, it killed me. Her father was why I was alive; it didn’t seem right that I was still breathing and he was six feet under.
Jesse turned to me. “How’re you holding up?”
Fuck this.
I chugged the rest of my drink, slammed the glass down on the bar top, and walked away without answering.
How am I holding up? I’m fucking not.
Am I all right? Fuck no.
Am I mad as fuck? Hell yes.
I made my way into the restricted area in the back to get some privacy. I needed a shred of alone time or I was going to punch someone.
Looking into the mirror, I didn’t recognize myself. I saw the shell of the man I had become. How had I gotten so lost along the way? The years had built me up, stripped me down, burned me alive. I felt like a pile of ash getting tortured by the slightest breeze.
Standing in the employee bathroom of the Unacceptables’ bar, I tried to piece it all together. Abel was dead. Regicide, the most despicable act—the lowest of the low, even for outlaws. Those fuckers were going to have to pay for what they’d done. Somehow, some way, revenge was going to have to happen. My faith in the skull and bones on my back was fading. My resolve to keep going was as well, but my brothers needed me, and I knew I somehow needed to pull my shit together for all our sakes. I just didn’t know how to at that point.
I burst out of the bathroom and into the small office that used to be Abel’s. The fake wood paneling was fading and the dank room smells like beer and old socks. I stared at the pictures lining the walls. Abel smiling with different club members, baby pictures of Collin and Raine, pictures from Abel’s wedding day. I was about to turn to leave when one caught my eye. It was from the day I got patched in. Abel and Holt had their arms around my shoulders. Grabbing it off the wall, I removed the picture from its frame and slid it into my back pocket.
After rummaging in Abel’s desk for his electric clippers, I made my way back into the bathroom. I plugged them in and let the razor roar to life in my hand. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Line by line, my hair fell onto my shoulders and the floor. My sunken eyes bored holes in my soul as I let myself go back to my roots. I had to dig deep to see the man I once was, the broken Marine that was rescued on the side
of the road by men in cuts.
It was a lifetime ago, but in that moment, it felt like only yesterday that bikers were peeling my mangled body off the concrete in a dirty alley.
“Hey man, you all right?”
The words faded into the darkness as I fought to understand where I was, who was talking, what the fuck was going on. I tried to open my swollen eyes, tried to form words. All I could do was spit out loogies filled with blood and choke repeatedly. Moaning like an imbecile, bloody and beaten within an inch of my life, I just lay there in a gutter like trash.
“Fuck, I know this guy,” one of the men said. I knew I had heard the voice before, but I couldn’t place it. “Let’s get him back to my place,” the familiar voice continued, and I was so grateful. I had no idea who they were, how many of them there were, anything, but I was in no position to care. I needed help, and they were offering it to me.
“He’s pretty fucking banged up. Shouldn’t we take him to a hospital or something?” inquired an unfamiliar male voice.
“Nah, Ava will know what to do.” That name, Ava…I knew that name. Where do I know it from? Who is this guy? Why can’t I remember?
The men lifted me into the back seat of what seemed to be a pickup truck as I slipped in and out of consciousness. I tried to stay awake, stay alert, but it was futile. After driving for what felt like a lifetime, we pulled down a long gravel driveway.
As soon as they got me inside and onto the couch, I passed out. The pain was excruciating, the blood loss made me weak, and my head was in a damn fog from getting boot stomped over and over.
The Unacceptables Series Box Set Page 23