by Anne Marsh
“That’s what you think,” Rain mutters as I set her on her feet. She promptly swipes the bow off her ass and slaps it over my crotch. Way harder than necessary, too. I can’t even appreciate the fact that she’s finally touching my dick because my balls are shrieking in protest.
“Rain Sullivan.” She takes a step toward Keelie Sue, holding out her hand. “Since you and Fang are friends, I’m going to pretend I don’t have to be embarrassed about his dramatic entrance, although I am sorry to crash your baby shower.”
“Not a problem.” Keelie Sue takes Rain’s hand, shakes it quickly, and then subsides back into her seat. I flick the bow off my dick. I don’t need my gift-wrapping giving Jace the wrong idea.
There’s a moment of awkward silence while my pack stares at Rain and she stares back. Some of the girls are pass-arounds, while others must be friends of Keelie Sue. Jace moves up close behind me.
“Are you and Fang—” Keelie Sue gives up trying to find a word and just waves her hand in the air like a palm tree facing down a Category Five hurricane. “Do you need an intervention?”
What happens next depends on what Rain says. That’s fine. Or not fine because Keelie Sue looks too thin and has too many circles under her eyes. She winces when she moves like something deep inside is pulling and not in a good way.
“Arriving over his shoulder wasn’t my idea,” Rain agrees. “But if you’re friends with Fang, you know he doesn’t think like a normal person. And if you’re asking if I need a hand kicking his ass, I’ve got it covered.”
Rain is funny and strong. She’s gonna smack me when I need it and she’ll never let me walk all over her, even if I literally swing her off her feet. My wolf growls in approval. Not that we’re gonna let her do any ass-kicking, but I like that she won’t let me hurt her.
Keelie Sue laughs outright at that, and then groans. Her hand snaps to her enormous belly, holding on for dear life. Jace rushes to her side. He doesn’t get there any faster than Rain, though.
Rain snaps into doula mode. Whatever shit’s happened between her and me, she won’t let it spill over and affect Keelie Sue. Still, I should help. I move in.
“Space,” Rain snaps at me.
Do I have to listen to her?
She sinks down by Keelie Sue’s side. “Look. Can I share the basic details with him? Because he’s like a human gnat. He’s not going away until he’s got what he wants.”
Keelie Sue smiles. It’s a little pale and more than a little tired. “Go for it.”
“She’s stretching to accommodate the baby and the ligaments that attach her uterus to her abdominal wall are under a lot of strain. It hurts.”
“Fix it,” I suggest.
Rain gives me a faint smile. “Nope. That’s just Mother Nature doing some rearranging so everything will fit. There’s nothing anyone can do.”
Huh. I frown. Pretty sure Jace’s face matches mine.
“I brought you here to make shit better.”
My present’s broken.
Keelie Sue laughs, her hands clutching her stomach. “You’re not God, Fang. You just think you are.”
Despite their amusement at my expense, both ladies go back to whispering. Rain’s strong, competent hands move over Keelie Sue’s belly as she asks questions. And while she’s keeping it on the down low, I’m a wolf. My hearing’s extra good, so she can’t keep secrets from me. I retreat to the back of the clubhouse so I don’t hear what they don’t want me hearing.
Jace follows me, slinging his arm around my shoulders, and not because he’s feeling grateful about the awesome present I brought his mate. He’s making sure I can’t run—or attack. I’m sort of offended he still thinks I’d go after him. Keelie Sue chose him, and what Keelie Sue wants, I want.
“How are we handling this?”
At least he waits until we’ve put some space between us and the girls before he asks.
“What?”
“You kidnapped a human. You brought her to the clubhouse. What do you think the problem is?”
I shake off his arm. “I didn’t shift in front of her.”
Jace looks pained. “Shifting isn’t the issue here. You just broke a crap-ton of human laws and she has every right to demand that someone throw your ass in jail. How long do you think shifting stays a secret when you’re locked up in maximum security?”
“She’s not gonna tell anyone.”
Jace pinches the bridge of his nose between his fingertips. “So it’s okay as long as you don’t get caught?”
There’s no good answer here, so I stay quiet.
He points a finger at me. “From here on out, you don’t do anything she doesn’t explicitly ask you to do.”
“Enthusiastic consent is my favorite.”
If Jace’s face contorts any more, it’s gonna get stuck that way. “You’re gonna have to give her back at some point.”
“Ware kept Marly when Big Dog dragged her off to his bayou cabin and locked her up. I can keep Rain.”
Honestly? That works for me. She’s kind of awesome.
Jace isn’t on board with my new plan, however. He punches the wall next to me with enough force to crack the plaster.
“That was different. Big Dog shifted in front of Marly. He also abused the shit out of her, which I sincerely hope is not what you’re suggesting you have in mind.”
“Rain’s doing okay. I’m not gonna hurt her.”
The look Jace gives me is all skepticism. Motherfucker doesn’t believe me.
“Imma go check in with her,” he says quietly. “See what she wants. Then we’ll take it from there.”
It’s not that I disagree with Jace. Rain deserves to make her own choices and to have her voice heard. And it’s true I kinda (absolutely) stomped all over her freedom of choice. But I’d like to think that my reason was a good one—and Rain knows that. Usually I don’t care what other people think of me, as long as I’m good with what’s gone down. But today… yeah. Today? Not so much.
Jace takes forever to return my girl. Man must have been a lawyer in a former life because he has a ton of questions. I kill time by wandering around the clubhouse and giving the prospects shit. I load Keelie Sue’s presents into Jace’s truck. I chat up the party guests and host an impromptu samba lesson. I could shoot some pool but I’m fidgety. If I were out in the bayou, I’d shed my human skin and go for a run on all fours, but since Rain doesn’t know about my furry side, that option’s off the table. Standing still’s not my thing, however, so eventually I head to the bathroom, whip out my Sharpie, and amuse myself by drawing caricatures of my brothers on the wall. I’m just finishing up a killer sketch of Jace, when he bangs on the door.
“Coming right out, sunshine.” I draw out the syllables of the last word and then whistle the Mr. Rogers theme song while I consider giving Jace shit about the forty-two minutes he’s been gone. It’s probably not a good idea. I don’t want to push my luck. Even if my bringing Rain here is good for the baby, Jace is strangely particular about felonies and drawing unwanted attention to the club. It’s not that he’s Mr. Law Abiding—he walks on the dark side just as much as the rest of us. It’s just that he plans his shit to maximize the bennies and minimize the penalties. Not that I’d ever admit it out loud, but the pack is better off with him as Alpha.
Jace yanks the door open. “Out.”
I take my time capping my Sharpie and turning around.
“Sometime today,” he snaps.
“Awwww. You missed me.” Since Jace is a big motherfucker, I have to body-check him to leave the bathroom. As my shoulder slams into his, I reach up and pat his cheek. He growls. So much fun. Sure, he punches me in the ribs too, but that’s just a love tap. I barely feel it.
Or maybe that’s because I’m already halfway to the bar. Rain’s there, which makes me a heat-seeking missile coming in for a landing. I half-expected her to flee the scene after she had Keelie Sue settled. It’s not like I’ve made my best impression on her and, in retrospect, forcibly dra
gging her here was stupid. Since I’m the King of Stupid and should probably make it my official pack, no one is less surprised than me, however, that I’ve done it. Fortunately, my natural charm and pretty face give me a leg up in the damage control department. I move closer and prepare to work my magic.
Rain’s still wearing my T-shirt and her scrubs, a new designer wardrobe having failed to magically materialize. Her hair’s falling out of its ponytail and she has a streak of something on her forearm. For a moment, I worry that it’s blood and that Keelie Sue has finally come apart at the seams or that the baby’s pulled an Exorcist and busted out of her, but whatever the rusty stain is, my nose says it’s neither human nor wolf. She looks tired. As I stare at her like some skill-less creeper, she reaches up, pulls the elastic out of her hair, and redoes the ponytail.
“Earth to Fang.” Jace catches up and smacks me on the back of the head.
And okay, so part of me is noticing that the whole ponytail-making process stretches Rain’s borrowed shirt over her fabulous tits. That’s an amazing view that I’d have to be dead to not appreciate. But I’m not totally a horn dog. I mentioned that Rain looks tired, right? There are faint violet smudges underneath her eyes and her face looks sort of crumpled. I don’t think she enjoyed our sleepover as much as I did. She needs a really good mattress and a nap. I can so help with that.
I take another eager step toward her and Jace bodychecks me. “No.”
I growl, but slow my roll. Another brother offers Rain a chair. She perches on it with a worn-out smile and I wonder if she realizes that sitting down leaves us wolves in the power position. She’s at a disadvantage. She’s not only looking up to us, but she’ll have to waste precious seconds getting to her feet if she needs to run.
I scan the room, looking for threats and spot three. In addition to Jace, Ware’s a disciplined motherfucker who specializes in delivering clubhouse justice. He’s accompanied by Ben, a transplant from a Western pack. He’s the size of a small mountain and he has some good moves. I could take two, but three would be a challenge and keeping Rain safe would require her cooperation. The prospects have vanished, which is a bad sign. Rain is club business now, whether she realizes it or not.
Jace lobs a conversational softball at my girl. “We gotta solve this.”
Rain tilts her head, watching him. She waits him out, however, and doesn’t say anything. Smart girl. She’ll make him fill in the unspoken parts with actual words.
Jace gives her a head tip. He can see how smart she is. “Are we cool or do we still have a problem?”
“A problem?” Rain’s voice is cool, but her gaze bounces around the room now, doing a head count. I think she’s cottoned on to her situation, stuck in a biker clubhouse with a bunch of big guys who rock at keeping secrets.
Jace nods slowly. “Our boy here didn’t use his manners, so as I’ve pointed out, I need to know if you’ve got a problem with that.”
“And if I do?” Rain holds his gaze, refusing to drop her eyes. Jace’s face tightens. She’s challenging his authority in his place, and that’s not smart. I tense, getting ready to intervene.
“I’ll fix it.” Jace takes a deliberate step toward her. He’s big, he knows it, and I know it, but Rain just folds her arms over her tits and gives him that calm, collected gaze she does so well. I wonder if it’s something they teach in medical school because the look in her eyes promises that nothing he says or does can possibly surprise her.
Still, I don’t like the way he’s trying to scare her. I don’t think he’d really hurt her and I know Keelie Sue would kick his ass if he did (or whatever was left of it after I finished with him), but intimidation is definitely on his honey-do list. I step forward to shut him down and let Rain know someone has her back, but am immediately yanked backward, my brothers locking their arms around mine. I could break their hold but it’ll be loud and messy, and I don’t know what Rain wants. I probably should ask her.
Jace stops in front of Rain. He’s so close now that their knees practically brush and I jerk against my furry jailers. My brothers move with me, however, making it clear that as far as they’re concerned, my ass is in time out.
Rain doesn’t pull her punches. “It’s not your problem to fix.”
Jace shakes his head. “Fang’s my boy, my problem. He doesn’t do well with rules, so this isn’t the first time I’ve cleaned up after him.”
He makes me sound like a misbehaving puppy. Usually I don’t care what others think. I pull my weight. I fight hard for my pack. Those two things are what matters and anything else can be settled with my fists. Since I’m turning over a new leaf, I’m cutting back on the punching, so that must be why I feel hurt. Fuck. Reforming has had a bad effect on me.
I shove the feeling stuff deep down. I don’t have time to go all Oprah on myself—I’ll either figure it out later or do what I do best and ignore it.
“I’m part of this conversation,” I say to Ware.
Ware grunts, which sure doesn’t sound like he’s on board with my decision-making. Benny Boy just shrugs and tightens his grip on my arm. Fuck it. I start wading forward, dragging my wolfie anchors with me.
Rain doesn’t budge from her seat but swear to fuck it feels like she just climbed up on top of that chair and went nose to nose with Jace.
She stabs a finger in my direction. “He screwed up. He fixes it.”
The frustration’s coming off Jace in waves. He wants this shit tied up, and I’m betting he wants to go back to Keelie Sue.
“I don’t think calling the cops will help any,” he growls.
To his visible surprise, Rain nods. Me? I already know she’s a little less law-abiding than she’s made herself out to be—plus she told me she wouldn’t ring-a-ling-ling the cops about my misbehaving and Rain’s the kind of person who keeps her word. “So how would you usually handle something like this?”
Sensing victory, Jace hops up onto the bar next to her. His leg bumps her arm and it’s my turn to growl. I don’t like him being near her, but the touching is worse. I have to fight to keep from full-on attacking.
“Got a couple of options but it depends on how bad our boy here fucked up. I could fine him, kick his ass, or strip his colors.” Jace watches me as he lays out his choices. We both know he’s got no intention of emptying my wallet—that’s for human prospects. Plus, I don’t give a shit about money and I’ve got a ton of it. As punishments go, it would be meaningless, and Jace clearly feels the need to make a point here. Frankly, I’d been betting on Option B, the always popular ass kicking. It’s that third option that makes me pause. I hadn’t planned on getting kicked out of the pack.
Exile seems drastic, doesn’t it? It’s also really, really permanent. Bruises heal, but being stripped of my colors would be a forever kind of thing. My club is my family, my everything, and while I’d like to have my own pack someday, I can’t quite imagine what my life would be like without them right now. No. Scratch that. I know exactly what it would feel like. I spent all those years tied up in my Pop-Pop’s backyard, getting the crap beat out of me when he needed a punching bag. I didn’t have the club then and it sucked.
Lone wolves don’t have it easy. I’ve always had issues with authority and I don’t mind the DIY aspect of being pack-less, but I don’t want to go it without my brothers. Like most family, they can suck and suck hard, but they’re mine. I just never considered that they might not think of me as theirs. I thought I’d left that shit behind with my childhood and being chained up in the backyard because there was no place for me in the house. Not like that rundown, piece-of-shit farmhouse was a fucking Four Seasons, but I vowed no place would ever be off-limits again. I go where I want to go.
So no, I’m not a fan of Jace’s option three. My idea of punishment is harsher, quicker, and leaves marks, but it’s like an awesome thunderstorm that blows in and wreaks havoc but also clears the air. Exile’s for more serious crimes.
“Pass.” Rain makes a face. I’m not surprised that the
idea of me getting the shit beaten out of me isn’t her idea of a solution. I’m not knocking her opinion, but violence has its upside. Once it’s done, it’s over and everyone moves on.
I raise my hand. “Do I get to make a suggestion?”
“Please,” Jace growls. Maybe he doesn’t want me gone after all?
“I want an apology,” she says quietly before I can start running my mouth. “You get down on your knees and you give me a real, heartfelt, genuine apology. No jokes, no games.”
I don’t kneel. Not for anyone, not any more. Her idea of revenge is perfect because she wants me to do this in front of my packmates. Volun-fucking-tarily. I’m not knocking a serving of humble pie, but it has its place, and it’s not in front of my brothers. I’m going to hear about this for years, and it’ll come up with every challenge I make or accept.
Jace’s fingers bunch up on his thigh. Possibly, he’s thinking about pummeling the shit out of me even though that ship has sailed as far as Rain’s concerned. “I want this done.”
Rain smiles sweetly at me—and points to the floor at her feet. She’s gonna make me grovel and I respect that.
“I do this for her,” I say, holding Jace’s gaze. Ware lets go of my arm and smacks me on the back of my head.
Jace shoves off the bar. Possibly he knows I’m hesitating because going down in front of Rain right now would put me at his feet, too. He strides to the end of the bar and crosses his arms over his chest. “Fucking do it. Don’t do it. Or Imma move on to my choice.”
From the unhappy grump on his face, he’s done with me and exile is looking good. I try to tell myself that’s okay. That that’s just the way shit rolls in my life. Except Rain’s looking at me too, a little tired, a little hopeful, and I don’t want her to give up on me too so I make my boots move.
I keep right on moving too until I’m in front of her and I can lean in and brace my arms on either side of her. I can almost pretend it’s just her and me, back in my big bed, and fuck the rest of the world. My fingers toy with the ends of her ponytail.