by Parker, Ali
Ryder held up his hands to call for silence. He had it in seconds. “Now, this isn’t the only thing I’ve called you all here for. Things are changing. We are changing. And I think it’s time I take a step back.”
The silence grew heavy. I sucked in a breath. Take a step back?
Dani stepped in even closer to Ryder and put her hand on his chest. He looked down at her, and she nodded encouragingly. Then he lifted his eyes back toward us. “This winter will be my last as your president, gentleman.”
Wait. What?
My mouth fell open.
A quick look around the room confirmed that everyone else was just as floored as I was.
A few voices called out in question of the decision.
Ryder stroked his jaw. “I know it’s sudden. And I know it’s a big change. But I have thought this through, and I will be leaving you in capable hands. Leaving us in capable hands.”
I looked at Owen, who mouthed Axel’s name.
It made sense to name Axel as the next president. He was Ryder’s right-hand man. But the more I thought about it, the more insane that seemed. Axel had his hands full with his kids and his family and his auto shop. How was he going to take on the responsibility of being our president without compromising something else?
No, that didn’t make sense. And Ryder wouldn’t ask that of him.
So who did that leave?
The room had descended into wild muttering. The voices grew louder as the men spiraled, and Ryder let it go for a minute or two before he called for order again.
“My successor is worthy of the title,” Ryder said. “He has proven himself, and I am confident that he will lead us wisely and fairly, should he accept the mantle.” His cheeks stretched in a grin. “Shall I name him?”
The room thundered with a unanimous cry: “Yes.”
Ryder’s gaze slid around the room and then fixated on someone standing very close to me. Someone with their hand on my shoulder.
“I give to you, the new president of the Lost Breeds, Rhys Davies.”
More applause. More celebratory shouts. More noise.
My mind reeled as Rhys’s grip on my shoulder tightened tenfold. Then I turned toward him, laughter pouring out of me, and grabbed him by the shoulders. “Holy shit!”
Rhys looked like a deer in the headlights as he stared at Ryder. Then his gaze slowly slid to me, and his face broke out in a wild grin.
“Holy shit!” I cried again, this time launching forward and wrapping him in a huge bear hug.
Rhys laughed and pounded my back with closed fists, and then the two of us were swarmed by the others. Owen got to us first. Then Aiden. And it was right and just that the four of us were the ones in the middle when everyone else converged and buried us under their bodies.
Rhys took me under his arm and knuckled my head, messing up my hair. “I’ve got your back, kid.”
I was glad we were buried under the bodies as I gave him one final squeeze. My original president was going to reassume his natural role, and the Lost Breeds were going to be grateful for him. Ryder was going to be grateful for him.
He’d made the right call.
Rhys would lead us to a bright future. A future that was fair and right and ready for us.
And we would meet it head on with pride, standing behind our leader fearlessly, ready for whatever the world was going to throw at us.
“Somebody get me a beer!” Rhys cried from under the dog pile of men.
“Fuck the beer,” I heard Owen yell. “Break out the real shit!”
Epilogue
Genevieve
I studied my reflection in the full-length mirror in my bedroom.
“This will do,” I said, running my hands down my hips and thighs.
I’d tried on every single lingerie set I owned, trying to find the perfect outfit to surprise Liam with when he got home from his meeting, and I’d settled on the one I was fairly certain would get his blood pumping the fastest: the sexy little red one-piece number.
For a bit of extra flair, I’d paired it with a pair of thigh highs with thick black lace straps around the thighs. They clung to my body perfectly. My black Jimmy Choos completed the ensemble, and the red soles matched the lace one-piece immaculately.
I’d gone to the extra effort of curling my hair, back combing it, and dousing it in hairspray for some serious lift. The desired effect had been achieved. I looked as close to a Victoria’s Secret model as I could get, and I felt pretty damn sexy.
All that was missing was my man.
I glanced at the clock on my nightstand. It was ten o’clock. Much later than I thought he’d be. The room flickered and danced from the flames of the six candles I’d lit and placed on different surfaces for the right amount of ambiance, and they’d already burned down about an inch or so.
I hoped he would get home soon. I could barely stand to wait any longer. I was nervous as hell, and it was taking every ounce of self-control I possessed not to call him and find out what the hell was going on.
With a sigh, I turned from my mirror to pluck my long white robe off the back of my bedroom door. I shrugged it on and caught a whiff of my lavender-scented bath oil that still lingered on my skin. I’d taken Marley’s advice and indulged in a steamy bath, and it had helped soothe my nerves a little and get me in the mood.
But the longer I waited, the more anxious I got.
I padded down the hall to the kitchen, and I poured myself another glass of wine. It was the only thing I could think to do to slow down my spiraling thoughts.
Liam was fine. He was among friends. And we could handle whatever transpired at this meeting. I was confident of that much. Whatever it was, we would get through it together.
And hopefully in one piece.
Fifteen more minutes passed as I sipped my wine in the kitchen.
Don’t call him. Don’t call him. Do. Not. Call. Him.
My fingers twitched as I stared at my phone, facedown on the kitchen counter. It taunted me, dared me to just pick it up and call Liam and make sure that everything was okay. That he was okay.
That we were okay.
I was being paranoid.
Liam was in the middle of important MC business. I refused to be the girlfriend who called to check in on him like an overbearing helicopter parent. I could only imagine how badly they’d harass him for that.
Besides, I wasn’t that girl.
I was the girl who would be waiting here for him, ready to brace for whatever storm awaited us—together. I would be whatever he needed, whenever he needed it.
Although it would be nice if he needed something now. I’d never been very good at waiting.
Then, right on cue, my front door opened with a soft click.
I spun to the sound, and my wine sloshed over the side of my glass to spill in a dramatic red splatter down the side of my white robe. I didn’t care.
Liam stood framed by the doorway, smiling at me.
“Everything is okay?” I breathed.
He nodded. “Everything is okay.”
“Thank God.” I put my wine down and rushed to him. He met me with open arms and scooped me up as I wrapped my arms around his neck and clung to him. “I was so worried.”
“I’m sorry I’m so late.”
“It’s okay.”
“No. I should have called. Things just got a little wild.”
“What happened?” I asked, pulling away and cupping his face in my hands.
“Ryder—” He paused and looked me up and down. “What are you wearing?”
“I’ll show you in a minute. When we’re in the bedroom. Tell me what happened first.”
He gently pushed me back a couple of steps so he could close and lock the front door. Then he shrugged out of his jacket and hung it on the hook on the wall by the door. “Ryder named a new president.”
“What?” I asked. “Really? Who?”
“Rhys.”
“Seriously? That’s huge, right?”
“Very huge.” Liam nodded. He was still grinning from ear to ear.
I laughed softly. “This is good news?”
“Yes. Rhys deserves this. And Ryder deserves the break. He and Dani are expecting a second child.”
“That’s exciting. What does this mean for you?”
“It means my best friend is the new president of the Lost Breeds. It means I have a very bright future. And it means change is coming. But I’m ready. Because I have all I need.”
My heart swelled with joy. “So do I.”
“You’re still willing to do this thing with me?” he asked, reaching for me and stroking my cheek.
I leaned into the warmth of his palm. “I can’t see my future without you, Liam. I think—I think—”
“I love you too,” he said.
I bit my bottom lip and smiled at him. “You do?”
He nodded. “I’ve loved you since the day I saw you walk by the cafe on your way to the women’s shelter with Tracey.”
I giggled and pushed playfully against him. “Say more sweet things to me.”
“I’ve loved you since the first time you told me your name. Since you held your ground in front of that asshole to defend strangers. Since—”
“I get the picture,” I whispered, pressing a finger to his lips. “I love you too, Liam.”
I dropped my robe.
Liam’s gaze slid down the length of my body. “Whoa.”
“Whoa?”
He nodded, letting his gaze wander back up. “Yeah. Whoa. Now come here.”
“No,” I said, resisting. “You come with me.”
I took his hand. Liam let me guide him down the hall to my bedroom—our bedroom—and I knew his eyes were on my ass as I walked, so I deliberately threw a dramatic sway into my hips.
When I slipped through the doorway to the bedroom, I turned back toward him, feeling even sexier in the candlelight. “I wanted to take your mind off of things when you got home.”
“My mind is only on one thing,” he growled.
I giggled softly and reached for the top of one stocking to slowly draw it down. Liam watched, practically salivating as I put on a show for him.
“We’re going to run this city, you and I,” I cooed. “You’ll run the streets with the Lost Breeds. I’ll run the shelters.”
“Sounds good, baby,” he purred.
I moved on to the other leg. “We’re going to help people.”
“You’re so fucking sexy.”
I went to the bed and sat down on the edge before beckoning him closer with a curl of my finger. He came to me, and I gazed up at him—at the man I loved more than anything in this world. The man I never expected to find.
“I’m ready for whatever comes next,” I whispered.
Liam went to his knees on my bedroom floor and rested his hands on my bare thighs. “I’m ready for a future with you.”
“I never would have dreamed I’d fall in love with a biker,” I said, running my thumb along his jaw. “And yet, here we are.”
He pushed my legs apart. “Here we are.”
As he laid me down on the bed, I descended into a realm of suspended paradise, where the worries that plagued me minutes ago could no longer reach me and where the long-awaited sense of calm made a home in my heart.
This was what had been missing from my life.
The constant of a man who adored me, who knew how to love me, and who knew how to hold me when everything else around us was unknown.
This was only the beginning of a life full of memories we had yet to earn together.
I was home and so was he.
The rest would fall into place in time.
The End
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About the Author
Ali Parker is a full-time contemporary and new adult romance writer with more than a hundred and twenty books behind her. She loves coffee, watching a great movie and hanging out with her hubs. By hanging out, she means making out. Hanging out is for those little creepy elves at Christmas. No tight green stockings for her.
She’s an entrepreneur at heart and loves coming up with more ideas than any one person should be allowed to access. She lives in Texas with her hubs and three kiddos and looks forward to traveling the world in a few years. Writing under eleven pen names keeps her busy and allows her to explore all genres and types of writing.
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The Parker’s Wicked Playground
Liam
Lost Breed MC Series, Book 10
Copyright © 2019 by Ali & Weston Parker
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
The novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and plot are all either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons – living or dead – is purely coincidental.
First Edition.
Editor: Angela McCallister
Designer: Kellie Dennis, Book Covers By Design