by Jamie Begley
“We don’t have any turkey, but I can make you a ham sandwich. You want me to make you one?”
“Yes, please.”
“Can I have one?” Leah asked.
“I’ll make you one,” Silas agreed.
“Me, too,” Jody said, sitting down on the bench.
“And me!” Moses yelled out, settling down next to Jody.
Her new papa sat down on the lone chair at the end of the table. “Might as well bring the whole pack of ham and the loaf of bread. Jacob, heat up that leftover potato casserole we had for dinner last night. Let’s do Ginny’s first dinner with us up right. Then we’ll all make cookies. I’ll make a few peanut butter ones just for us. How does that sound, Ginny?”
“Can Leah have one?”
“Daughter, there’s one thing you better know about me.” His face turned serious as he leaned forward. “What I give one youngin’, I give them all.” Smiling, he slid the cranberry sauce toward him to dump into a bowl that Silas had set down in front of him. “Well, except for Ezra, but as soon as he has some teeth, we’ll share with him. The ham is a bit too chewy for him yet.” Her new papa switched Ezra to his other thigh when the baby would have grabbed the bowl.
Looking around the table, Evangeline wished Trudy was there. She thought her sister would like her new family. Trudy had promised her that she would, and she always kept her promises. If she kept this one, she would keep the most important one. She would find Trudy, and they would be together again. She just had to be brave until that day came. Today wasn’t that day, but getting seven brothers, another sister, and being able to eat cherry jelly was okay.
Taking a bite of her sandwich, she had to admit the ham wasn’t bad. It wasn’t turkey, but it was good.
6
8 years later
Ginny 12 / Gavin 25
Gavin raised up on his elbow to stare down at the woman he had just made love to, unable to resist licking the drop of sweat that clung to her lower lip.
“I love you.” Resting his forearms on each side of her head, Gavin couldn’t believe the beautiful woman belonged to him.
Taylor slipped her arms around his neck as she arched seductively under the heavy weight of his body. “You better, or you just wasted your money buying me a ring.”
He reached for the wrist at his neck, lowering it to see the huge rock he had given her two hours ago. “You like it?”
It wasn’t the ring that he had expected her to want, but when they had gone ring shopping, Taylor’s eyes had been drawn like a magnet to the large diamond that was front and center in the jeweler’s case.
“I love it almost as much as I love you.”
Pulling her hand to his lips, he kissed her hand before placing it back on his neck. “I’m the luckiest man on earth.”
Gavin shuddered at the brush of her fingertips at the nape of his nape. “I take it back. I’m the luckiest man in the universe.”
Her lips curled up in a satisfied smile. “Was it worth the wait?”
“I would wait another four months if that’s what it took to get you in my bed.” He groaned, his dick already getting hard again as she circled her thighs around his hips so her pussy cradled his burgeoning cock.
“I just wanted to make sure you knew where your head was.” She sultrily rubbed her breasts across his chest, making him clench his teeth to keep his dick from delving back inside her pussy. “It’s not like you didn’t have a club filled with women to take care of you.”
“I told you it didn’t matter how many women were in the club if none of them were you.”
“I believe you, but I wanted to make sure.”
“You sure now?” he asked, then anxiously waited for her answer.
“Sure enough that I agreed to marry you, didn’t I?”
“Let’s go get married tomorrow,” he growled out as he nuzzled the curve of her neck.
“I told you I want a big wedding.” Pulling her head away, her expression turned pleading. “Don’t you want to see me walking down the aisle in a beautiful dress?”
“I would rather see my wedding ring on your finger tomorrow.”
Her gorgeous eyes darkened in hurt as Taylor slid out from underneath him to get to her feet. “If you loved me, you’d understand how important a big wedding is to me.”
The disappointment on her face had him realizing that it was going to be another of those times he was going to have to give in to her demands to make her happy.
Rising from the bed, he tugged her into his arms. “If it’s that important to you, then it’s important to me. If a big wedding is really what you want, then you can have all the bells and whistles.” Sitting down on the bed, Gavin pulled her down onto his lap.
His words didn’t lighten her mood. “Maybe you’re not ready to commit to me the way I want you to. Are you worried The Last Riders will talk you out of marrying me?”
“That’s not the reason, babe. I promise the only reason I wanted to get married as soon as possible is because I don’t want to take the chance that you’ll change your mind.”
Her thick lashes fell to cover the hurt in her eyes that had him thinking of ways to soothe her.
“Viper hates me, doesn’t he?”
“No, he doesn’t.” That was a lie. His brother didn’t like the woman he had chosen to spend the rest of his life with, but so far, he had kept his opinions to himself, unlike his best friend who he was just as close to as Viper. “I don’t know why you keep saying that. Viper doesn’t say shit about our relationship.”
“Only because he hopes you’ll get tired of me. If he had his way, you’d never see me again.” Resting her head on his shoulder, she ran a caressing hand down his chest. “He hates me almost as much as Rider does.”
Gavin stiffened as the woman he loved gave a small sob, burrowing closer into him as if seeking sanctuary. “What makes you think Rider doesn’t like you?”
“It’s obvious to me; I don’t know how you haven’t caught it. He’s always rude to me when you’re not around, but when you’re there, he couldn’t be nicer. The night I cooked that nice dinner for you and you didn’t show up, didn’t you say that Rider was the reason?”
“He needed my help that night—”
“He’s always butting into our special nights. You need to open your eyes, Gavin, and realize that Rider is trying to tear us apart.”
“We’re used to taking each other’s back when something comes up. I call him just as much when I need something taken care of.”
She lifted glistening eyes to his. “In other words, when you need something, you’re always going to turn to him instead of me?” Taylor tried to slip off his lap. “Maybe you should marry him.”
Gavin tightened his arms around her waist, holding her still. “Are you asking me to leave The Last Riders?” He watched her expression intently, reading the conflicting emotions flashing across her face.
“Would you?”
Gavin didn’t miss the wishful gleam in her eyes that she tried to hide behind lowered lashes.
“Are you asking?”
When he told Rider that he was thinking about asking Taylor to marry him, Rider had warned him that Taylor would never be content with him staying in the club. He had blown Rider off, telling him that Taylor knew from the get-go that he would never leave the club. Now she had him reconsidering Rider’s words. Was Taylor right, and Rider was trying to break them up by implanting the thought in his head?
Her eyes widened earnestly. “I would never ask you to leave the club. I know how much it means to you.”
Relieved that he wouldn’t have to make the choice, his arms softened around her. The reprieve was short-lived.
“I would never ask you to do something that would make you unhappy. You leaving the club has to be your decision. What it comes down to is: Will we be able to make our marriage work if you constantly put the club first? I’ll always put you first. I’m only asking for the same. Is that too much to ask from a man who swears he lo
ves me as much as you say you do?”
“No.” His arms went stiff while her body went limp against him.
She glided her lips over his chest, over his shoulder, to bite on his ear lobe as she tried to coax him into leaving the club. “The Last Riders expect you to throw yourself in front of bullets to protect them. Are they going to expect the same loyalty after we’re married?”
Taylor silkily slid her hand around his neck when he didn’t answer her question immediately. “Am I ever going to come first with you, or am I constantly going to be taking a back seat to The Last Riders?”
Gavin narrowed his eyes on hers as he splayed his thighs, letting Taylor fall to the carpeted floor without lifting a hand to stop her descent. Her jaw dropped at his unexpected reaction.
He loved Taylor, but no woman was going cut his balls off and think he was going to run rings around her just to keep her happy. His loyalty would always be with The Last Riders, despite how much he cared for a woman.
He jerked her hands away from him, angry that she waited until he slid his ring on her finger, all while the sheets were still warm from where they had fucked before voicing her concerns about where his loyalties lay.
“You didn’t care that I was a Last Rider when you asked Jewell to bring you to one of the parties and made sure she introduced me to you. My loyalty goes to who earns it. Not only is Viper my brother, but he’s earned my loyalty, just like the other brothers have. If you think I’m not capable enough to make sure that, as my wife, I would know when to put you first, then you should back out of the engagement while there is still time and find another sucker who won’t mind you changing your tune to get your way because, sorry about your luck, but I’m not that man.”
Any other time, Gavin would have laughed at Taylor’s gaping mouth.
So far, he had been easily malleable to most of her demands, shrewdly aware that she could be a bitch when out of his sight. He had wanted to fuck her and was willing to play whatever game she wanted to get in her bed. And while he had gradually fallen in love with her, it hadn’t made him blind to the person she was underneath.
Taylor tended to be manipulative, possessive, and overdramatic. None of those qualities were deal breakers for him, especially when coupled with the physical attraction he felt for her. Since meeting Taylor, he could better understand Rider’s attraction to Delara, despite the warnings from the other brothers and himself and the warning signs that had come true.
Gavin, on the other hand, wasn’t turning a blind eye to Taylor’s faults, just giving her the chance to realize that she didn’t need to resort to mind games to control him. He hadn’t planned on a long engagement, but now, discerning that she wasn’t cool with him remaining a Last Rider as she had pretended, maybe it would be better to wait. He would end his relationship with Taylor before he would ever walk away from the brothers. If it took a long engagement for her to figure that out, then he was all for waiting. Better yet, she needed to figure that shit out before any wedding should be planned.
Staring down at Taylor, his expression hardened at what she was attempting to do. Leaning forward, he cupped her chin, lifting her eyes to meet his. “You should do both of us a favor and end this now if you’re reconsidering your decision to marry me. I’ve always been straight with you about the club. I can promise to be faithful and protect you with my life if we marry, but walking away from the brothers isn’t an option. If you can deal with that, then you don’t have any reason to question to my loyalty to you.” Dropping his hand from her chin, he turned his hand palm up in front of her. “If not, you can give my ring back, and we can move on without any hard feelings.”
Consternation brought a red flush to her cheeks at his uncompromising attitude. He hadn’t earned his rank in the military and in the club by being a pushover.
The Last Riders had entrusted him not only with their loyalty but their finances. He was currently seeking to start a business that would ensure their future as well as help others. The brothers may no longer be in the military, but they still wanted to make lives better for those in need, which was why many had answered the call to serve.
Taylor gave a small laugh; it didn’t fool him that she was serious about trying to make him choose sides between her and the club.
“I love you. I guess I’m just worried about coming in second place for you.”
“You could never come in second place with me. I love you.” His expression softened as he tried to reassure her. “I wouldn’t be willing to commit to you unless I believed I could be the husband you need me to be.”
Taylor raised herself onto her knees to twine her arms around his neck, ignoring his outstretched hand. “Are you sure about that? I plan to be a very demanding wife.”
Lifting her back onto his lap, he wrapped his arms around her waist to press her tightly against him. Feeling the satisfying pressure of her breasts fitting snuggly against his chest, his thoughts turned from irritation to desire.
Falling back on the bed, he could only stare at the dazzling creature above him. Even with her hair messed up and smudged makeup, Taylor had that quality that lured men to her. He hadn’t been the only brother who wanted her in his bed, but he was the only one to succeed. “Now there’s the woman I love. I was worried for a second that she was slipping away from me.”
Taylor rolled her eyes at him. “I can be a real witch sometimes. Sorry.”
The repentant grin had him gripping her hips to press her down suggestively on his dick. “Make it up to me, and I’ll forgive you.”
She started sliding her hand between their bodies. “I can do that.”
His head reared back as Taylor grabbed his cock and started using her magic touch to make him forget the misgivings he was having about asking her to marry him. He spread his thighs on the bed as she started lowering herself to place her mouth over the erection that was aching to relive the skillful caresses of the night before.
Tucking a strand of her tawny hair that was hiding his view behind her ear, he sucked in a shaky breath when Taylor covered the head of his cock with her silky lips.
The sound of his cell phone had him gritting his teeth in frustration. Rising up onto his elbows, Gavin started to reach for it at the same time Taylor clamped a hand on his wrist.
“Don’t.” Her eyes pleaded with him not to answer as she pushed at his shoulder to press back down with her other hand.
“Babe, I have to answer.”
“Let it go just this once.” Grasping his wrist, she used all her strength to stop him as she pleaded. He hadn’t known Taylor was capable of using the amount of strength she was exerting. It was hot as fuck.
Gavin started to relax back onto the bed as she wiggled back downward toward his dick. Both his cock and head wanted to give in to her demand when the phone stopped ringing, but his conscience wouldn’t let him.
Prying his hand from hers with his other hand, Gavin reached for the phone. All the brothers knew he was proposing to Taylor last night, so they wouldn’t interrupt unless it was important.
As he picked up the phone, an eerie feeling struck him not to redial the number that had just called. Shrugging the feeling off, like the complaints that were coming from Taylor, he hit the number.
As he listened to the voice on the other end, he started sliding his naked body out from under Taylor to reach down for the clothes that had been strewn on the floor the night before.
“Be there in ten.” Disconnecting the call, he dropped his phone onto the bed as he started tugging on his boots.
Taylor resentfully tossed her hair over her shoulder as she sat up on the bed. “Let me guess. It was Rider, wasn’t it?”
“You guessed wrong.” Setting his booted foot on the floor, he twisted sideways to lay a hand on the bed next to her hip. Standing, he placed his other hand on the other side of her hip. Letting his mouth hover seductively over hers, he traced the seam of her lips with the tip of his tongue before answering. “It was Shade.”
Her f
orehead puckered in a frown. Taylor had been with him long enough to know that Shade only called when it was an emergency. “What did he want?”
“Won’t know until I get there. Am I going to see you tonight at the club, or are you going to make me pay for bailing on you now?”
When she turned her face to the side, he had his answer.
“Why should I?”
A firm hand turned her face back to his. “That’s cool if you don’t.”
Relenting under his impervious reaction to her refusal, she quickly sidestepped, shamelessly backtracking when she saw that he wouldn’t be begging her to reconsider. “I’ll be there.”
Gavin pressed a hard kiss on her lips. “Now that’s the woman I fell in love with.” He brought his hand to the still damp pussy that had him almost blowing off Shade’s request to meet him. “I’ll make this up to you tonight.”
“You better.”
Removing his hand, he stood. “Ask any of the brothers; I always keep my promises.”
Taking his bike keys off the nightstand, he turned toward the bedroom door, his thoughts already switching to what Shade needed to discuss with him.
“Gavin ….”
He gave her a cocky grin from over his shoulder. “What?”
“Never mind.” She shook her head at him. “It’s not important. I’ll see you tonight.”
“You sure?”
“Would you stay if I begged you to?”
Gavin turned from the door to face her. “Where in the fuck is this coming from?”
“It’s a legitimate question. Are you always going to leave my bed every time one of The Last Riders calls?”
“Depends on who’s calling and why,” he answered honestly.
“I wouldn’t leave a bed you’re in no matter the reason.” Instead of giving him the angry glare he was expecting, she shimmied her butt off the bed to sensuously walk toward him. “I guess I’m going to have to work harder at getting you to stay.”
The sultry perfume she was wearing teased his nostrils as she grew nearer.