Vengeance MC Box Set - Volume 2: Gage ~ Cash ~ Knight (Vengeance MC series Book 8)

by Natasha Thomas

  Without a hint of uncertainty, I answer,

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, we’re done,” she states, making her way to my closet. “Get your ass into the shower, shave that God awful beard, and lose the beanie.” Thrusting a large box I hadn’t known was in there at me, she demands, “Put this on when you’re done. Everything you need is in there and don’t come out until you smell less like a brewery and more like a human being. I’ll wait outside, but you’ve only got fifteen minutes shake a leg or three, buddy.”

  “Ah, what the fuck, Meg?” I question, dropping the box on the bed.

  Propping her hands on her slim hips, Meg shakes her head angrily.

  “I’m going to let you in on a little secret, that’s not so little. Aislinn loves you. Regardless of your idiotic comments about Jess, lack of personal hygiene of late, ridiculous temper, and caveman possessiveness, she loves you. And because I’m a generous woman by nature, I’m going to give you some advice. Do. Not. Fuck. This. Up,” she finishes, punctuating each word with a jab of her finger.

  “That’s it? Your advice is, don’t fuck this up?” I stare at her. “Shit, Meg. If you hadn’t noticed, I already have.”

  “Oh, stop feeling sorry for yourself, Dickster.” She’s killing me here.

  Meg’s sarcasm and sense of humor, albeit brash and some would say insulting, has me desperately fighting not to smile. There’s one thing you can always count on when it comes to this woman, and that’s her ability to lighten the mood.

  Dropping onto the bed beside the box, Meg runs her fingers across the lid almost reverently.

  “I’ll try and make this as simple as I can so that you can understand me. Shit happens, and life goes on. People move on, our Aislinn is a testament to that. Do you know how hard it was for her to say yes when you asked her to marry you? No, I figure you don’t. She wouldn’t tell you because she was worried about your feeling and not her own. I have no such hang-ups. Aislinn’s fear didn’t come from her marriage to Nick the Dick, it’s there because she’s terrified of taking that next step with you and failing. Her whole life revolved around you until you left. You were the center of her universe, Dexter. She woke up in the morning happy because she would get to see you, and she went to sleep in that shitty trailer with her even shittier mother happy because you were the last thing she thought about.”

  “I love her, Meg. I just don’t know how to make this right,” I admit.

  “Well, shut your trap and I’ll tell you,” she hisses impatiently. “Finding you again hammered something home for Aislinn. She realized that her world stopped the day you left. She was simply going through the motions, not really living. To fail with you means her world falls to pieces, Dexter, and knowing that, Aislinn still chose to take a chance on you.”

  Shaking her head sadly, Meg looks up at me with wide, tear-filled eyes.

  “This thing with Jessica, Aislinn doesn’t blame you for feeling the way you do. I might want to kick your ass, but she doesn’t. The girl is sick, Dexter, you have to know that. The girl you knew, for whatever reason, isn’t the same person anymore. Whether she’s diagnosed with a medical condition or not, it doesn’t matter, she’s not a well person.”

  “I know, Meg. Rationally, in my head, I know that.”

  “I thought as much,” she mumbles, sympathetically. “The thing is, your refusal to admit that to Aislinn and allow the chips to fall where they may will drive an immovable wedge between you in the long-term. Aislinn understands you’re struggling to reconcile the friendship you had with Jessica with the woman who did all those horrible things, she figured that out within the first day. That’s not to say it doesn’t hurt her that you defend Jessica because it does. Look at it from Aislinn’s point of view, Dexter. She was held hostage by a mentally unstable woman with a gun, tied up, threatened, and in order to protect herself, me, and a stranger had to put herself in harms’ way, again. Again, Dexter. She did it once before to protect you, and look how that turned out; she still lost you. What do you think was running through her head when she had to do it this time? Aislinn truly believed she would lose you again if she had to hurt Jessica to save us, and your reaction since has pretty much confirmed it.”

  My mind sifts through everything that’s happened over the past week, searching for evidence of what Meg has said. Jesus, she’s right. I pushed Aislinn away while I was dealing with this, so as not to upset her but the way I shut down on her could easily be misconstrued as anger toward her. My reluctance to talk about it with her would have come across as cagey. And when I questioned Aislinn about how Jess ended up unconscious that night, my emotions were at an all-time high, so it was more of an interrogation than anything else.

  “I see you finally get it, then,” Meg prompts.

  Roughly scrubbing a palm down my face, I huff,

  “Yeah. Yeah, Meg, I get it.”

  “Good,” she stands up clapping her hands. “Now get a move on because we’ve got ten minutes and you’re not going to want to be late.”

  “Are you planning on telling me what’s going on?” I ask, arching an eyebrow at her.

  Grinning widely, Meg lifts up onto her toes and kisses my cheek.

  “Like I said, everything you need is in that box,” she repeats, walking out the door and closing it firmly behind her.

  Lifting the lid, the first thing I see is a sheet of cream paper folded in half with the words, Read Me, written in Aislinn’s entirely feminine cursive scrawl. I do as I’m told, unfolding the sheet of paper carefully.

  My Dex,

  If you’re reading this, then Meg was able to explain everything I wish I could have said to you over the last week. I tried so many times to think of what I could say to help ease your pain or give you a modicum of comfort, but the words and my courage failed me.

  I know you well enough to know that you’ve torn it apart, put it back together, and then dissected it again. And I have no doubt you’ve come up with the same answer each and every time you did.

  This is not your fault, Dex. You couldn’t have known Jessica would do what she did. You hold no responsibility for her actions or state of mind. You were her friend and confidant, but unfortunately, Jessica read more into your relationship and developed feelings for you that go far beyond what is healthy and acceptable. That is not on you, Dex, and honestly, if she is sick, it may not even be on her.

  So, because of that, I had a decision to make. Do I allow you the time you needed to come to terms with that on your own, or do I push you until you’re forced to talk to me? Obviously, you know which option I picked because we have just spent the past week apart.

  But now, I’m done Dex. I’m done waiting. Done missing you every minute of every day. Done worrying that you’re not okay and not being there to support you, hold you, tell you everything will be alright. I’m just done.

  This is not a goodbye note, Dex. This is your choice.

  If you miss me as much as I miss you, if you want to put this behind us and walk into the future together, meet me outside after you follow the rest of Meg’s instructions, which I’m sure she delivered in her usual charming fashion.

  I love you, Dexter Gage Peters, and if there was ever any doubt, I choose you.

  xxx Your Aislinn xxx

  I won’t lie, by the end, my tears are soaking the collar of my T-shirt. Setting her letter down on top of the lid, I examine everything else in the box. When I’m finished, my feet carry me to the shower as fast as humanly possible, so I can go and get my woman.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  ~ Aislinn ~

  “I love you like a drunk girl loves yelling she’s sober at three am while lying on the floor of a Taco Bell.”

  – Aislinn’s text to Gage

  “This was a mistake,” I mutter, nervously fiddling with the ends of my hair.

  Meg huffs, slapping the back of my arm.

  “God save me from whiny best friends. If I knew you were going to try and get out of this at the last minute, I
wouldn’t have wasted any of mommy and daddy’s court ordered trust fund to set this up. Now, will you please calm the fuck down, he’ll be here. I promise.”

  Just when I’m about to turn tail and run because the heartbreak of Dex not coming is more than I can bear, he walks around the corner of the clubhouse with a dazzling smile lighting up his face. It even reaches his eyes, something I haven’t seen for eight long days.

  When Meg and I devised this plan – with Bella, Blaine, Avery, and Beth’s help or should I say constant barrage of suggestions – I hadn’t considered what I’d do if Dex decided not to show up. All I could think of was ending the horrible tension between us.

  On a side note; I’m not advocating everyone currently fighting with their boyfriend, partner, or significant other rush out and get married, not at all. But in our case – mine and Dex’s – this is the push we need to get back to where we were before Jessica’s issues intruded and almost tore us apart.

  Dex’s lust filled gaze runs down my body like a sensual caress, taking in every detail of my dress. Honestly, I think he’s more interested I guessing what’s under it, but who am I to judge? I haven’t been able to take my eyes off how good he looks in his suit, and if he’s commando underneath or not.

  With large, purposeful strides, Dex is beside me in a matter of seconds. His arm wraps around my waist, and our bodies collide as Dex dips his head and kisses me deeply with so much passion, need, and desperation that I’m finding it hard to draw breath.

  His cock is thick and ready, pressing against my belly as he closes the last inch between our bodies.

  “I love you, and I’m sorry. Nothing I say is going to fix how I treated you, but if you give me a chance, I’ll prove to you every day for the rest of our lives I’m worthy of being your husband and a father to our kids.”

  Smiling up at him, I lean in next to his ear and whisper,

  “How about you just work on making it up to me later? I’ve missed you, Dex. I need you in my life, these last seven days have been hell on Earth for me, so what do you say? Are you ready to get married?”

  “More than fucking ready, baby,” he grins before turning to the minister Boss organized for me. “Hurry up and do your thing, I have a needy woman to satisfy.”

  “Dex,” I hiss. “You can’t say that kind of shit to a man of the cloth.”

  Throwing his head back, Dex roars with laughter. I don’t see what’s funny, but whatever. As long as my man’s happy, so am I.

  “Baby, you just said shit in front of him. I think the dude can handle knowing I want to consummate my marriage in say, the next ten minutes if he can pull the lead out.”

  “Jesus,” Meg groans. “I apologize profusely for the horny twins, they haven’t been cleared to be released into the general population yet, but we’re working on it.”

  “Can you two just get on with it? I’ve got a bottle and a stool with my name on them, and your yapping isn’t getting me there any faster. I’m an old man dammit,” Sarge complains good-naturedly. “There’s a good chance I’ll die before this shit show is done and dusted.”

  The minister gasps, his eyes darting between Sarge and Emily, who just slapped him on the back of his head.

  “My word.”

  “Sorry. I’m so sorry, but do you think we could start? They only get worse, so in the interests of you escaping with your virtue intact just ignore them,” I rush out, hoping he doesn’t make a run for it before Dex, and I can say I do.

  “Yes, yes, dear. I think that’s a wonderful idea,” he stammers.

  With a quick glance over my shoulder, I can’t help thinking just how lucky I am. This big, loud, crass bunch of bikers and their women who have become so very important to me, helped me plan and execute what I will go down in history as one of the best days of my life. They might not be what you envisage when you think about family, but to me, I can’t imagine anything more amazing than the group of people who have welcomed me with open arms.

  They are everything I ever wished for; loving, protective, and willing to stand up for what and who they believe in. But best of all, they’re mine. I finally have a family to call my own, and there is nothing I won’t do to ensure that never changes.

  “Who give this woman to wed this man?” The minister asks after a short pause to gather his thoughts.

  “I do,” my dad’s gruff voice sounds behind me.

  And that is how I ended up finally marrying Dex after years of heartache, distance, and yearning. I am one of the lucky ones who can honestly say, I get to spend the rest of my life with my first love. My only love. My everything.

  *****

  “You happy, baby?” Dex asks a few hours later.

  From my position draped across his lap, I sigh contentedly.

  “Mmhmm,” I mumble as my lips find his neck.

  Never one for patience, Dex questions,

  “So when are you going to start giving me babies?”

  “Just a thought, but how about we make it through a month drama free, and then we’ll talk about procreation and all that entails,” I suggest.

  Chuckling, Dex’s hand finds the hem of my dress, sliding in and up the length of my calf and thigh, not stopping until he’s cupping my pussy.

  “I know already know what making babies with you entails, beautiful. My cock, your tight, sweet pussy, and a fuck load of practice.”

  “If I hear you say shit like that again, I’m going to reconsider shooting your ass. No father needs those images of his daughter and any man, husband or not,” dad growls as he sits in Cash’s recently vacated chair.

  “Sorry, brother. Didn’t see you there,” Dex chuckles, not caring in the slightest my dad heard him talking about my lady bits.

  Rolling his eyes, Dad groans when Adelyn drops into his lap.

  “Obviously,” he says drolly before addressing his wife. “Jesus, Angel. I’m getting fucking old, my knees aren’t what they used to be, so cut me some slack, yeah?”

  If it wasn’t for the wicked grin I catch before she covers it with mock outrage, I would have believed Adelyn is actually upset by what he said, she’s that good an actor.

  Gasping dramatically – seriously, Meg would be jealous of her mad skills – Adelyn clutches her hand to her chest, jumping off dad’s lap.

  “Are you calling me fat?”

  “What? Fuck no, baby. Come here,” he says, reaching for her.

  Stumbling away from him a foot or so, Adelyn continues her Oscar-worthy performance.

  “Oh my God. That’s the reason we don’t have sex as often anymore, isn’t it? You think I’m fat and ugly.” Allowing the first crocodile tear to fall, she sniffs, “It’s okay, you can tell me the truth. I’m hideous now I’m in my forties.”

  Whispering in my ear, Dex asks,

  “Is this what I have to look forward to for the rest of my life, baby? Guilt and manipulation for your own entertainment.”

  “I’m hurt,” I giggle. “I’m not selfish, Dex. It would be for others entertainment too.”

  Just then, my dad launches himself out of his chair, belying everything he said about his poor arthritic knees, and grabs hold of Adelyn, throwing her over his shoulder.

  “I’ll be back,” he tells us. “I’ve just got to teach my woman a little something about how to lie and get away with it.” Slapping her firmly on the ass, causing Adelyn to release a high pitch shriek, dad says, “I would’ve believed every word out of your sexy mouth if you hadn’t fucked up on the sex life comment, Angel. I give it to you at least twice a day, usually three times, so I know you’re full of shit. Now you need to apologize, preferably with your mouth wrapped around my cock.”

  “Eww,” I shout, stabbing a finger in his direction, “that was serious TMI right there.”

  “Fuck dad, not again,” my brother grimaces. “Can’t we have one family gathering without you carting step-mommy dearest off to fuck her in the closet, pantry, or bathroom? Think of the strain it’s putting on your heart, damn you,” he fini
shes, laughing at the furious expression on dad’s face.

  “I know where you live, you little shit, and don’t forget I also know about the time you…” his voice trails off.

  “Shut up, if you know what’s good for you old timer,” Steel snaps.

  “What’s this now?” Lou, my brother's wife, my sister-in-law inquires with a knowing smile. “Oh, are we talking about the time you found me bent over the washing machine at the clubhouse being fucked by your son, or was it the time we did it on your bike you were referring to?”

  “Fuck my life,” Steel grunts, throwing his arms up in surrender.

  Dad freezes mid-step at Lou’s last statement, swinging around to stare at my brother.

  “Tell me you didn’t?” He snarls.

  “Sorry, no can do,” Steel answers plainly.

  “That’s it, Angel. We’re going to find that little bastards bike right now, and I’m going to fuck you on every inch of it,” he threatens, and the sad part is, I have a feeling he intends to do just that.