Mack had her back to him, but he could see her shoulders shake in a laugh. She cleared her throat and straightened her face before she turned around, but Ash still wrinkled his nose at her. Mack chuckled and as Charlie wrestled the baby into a onesie she said, “So, what did you need to see me about?”
Charlie looked at Ash and then said, “Its business. Maybe we can talk later, when we’re alone?”
“Are you kidding?” Ash said, insulted. “If you mean business as in the family business, you don’t have to worry, I won’t divulge your corporate secrets.” He rolled his eyes and Charlie laughed.
“You say I’m the immature one. I just didn’t want to bore you. Besides, I’ve found out the hard way that if you don’t get to these community barbecue things early, there’s not much left by the time you get there. I’m hungry.”
They waited while Charlie finished getting the baby ready. She popped him back on her hip like she’d been carrying a baby there her entire life. Ash didn’t know whether to be proud, or worried, that she was that comfortable with him. He decided to try for proud. He had enough to worry about. His eyes went to Mack as he had that thought. Worries like how he was going to get through the weekend without touching her...again.
* * *
Mack’s first thought was that it had been way too long since she’d been laid. Just watching Ash move, the way the muscles in his arms rippled underneath his white t-shirt every time he moved them, or the slight tic in his jaw when he was trying to keep his temper in check with Charlie, all about drove her crazy. Truth was, it hadn’t been that long since she’d been laid at all. The problem was that the last person she was with was the man she was lusting after as they walked across the little trailer park toward the clubhouse. She’d promised herself the day she left California after crying for hours when he left her, that it was never going to happen again. It had been just as good as she remembered it...if not better...but that was a problem too. It was so good in part thanks to the feelings it stirred up in her, and those were dangerous. Those feelings made her want to break down and tell him the truth about why she’d left him...but she’d made a promise five years ago to never do that, and she couldn’t break it now.
Charlie walked beside Ash, looking so cute with the baby on her hip, chattering away like a normal little sister, and that warmed her heart. The two of them seemed to look for things to fight about, but Mack thought that was because they hadn’t grown up together like normal siblings and they were making up for lost time. She knew that Ash loved his little sister. She could see it in his eyes and the stubborn way he wanted to insist on protecting her whether she wanted him to or not. She wondered how he was dealing with the girl’s staying in her own trailer, surrounded by fifty men in theirs. She was sure he hated it, but touched that he’d allowed it all the same. She was happy for him and Charlie. Mack had never had siblings to worry about, or fight with. Ash and Sledge had been the closest she’d ever come to having brothers as a kid...and now, neither of them wanted anything to do with her.
She tried to think about something else, but his broad shoulders loomed in front of her and the ink sneaking out from underneath his t-shirt on the back of his arm reminded her of that night. She’d traced those tattoos with her fingers and God, were they itching to do it again. She thought about his reaction when the cute young thing in the wheelchair had flirted with her and she wondered if he felt the same way. Did he still want her? Was it a horrible idea for them to simply use each other for sex when she was in town? She snorted at herself and that caused him to turn and look down at her. Jesus, a glimpse of his face practically sent her heart into palpitations. It should be illegal to look that good. It was a horrible idea, she thought, answering her own question. Despite how good he looked, and how good he felt...she couldn’t deny to herself that the main attraction was that he was her Asher. He was the boy she’d loved her entire life, all grown up into a sexy man’s body...with a heart that she’d broken, beating inside. It was all bad, and she resolved to find out what Charlie needed quickly and then promptly put three thousand miles back between them.
When they once again reached the big, open space where they’d walked through the crowd on the way out, Mack finally got a good look at it. It was one hell of a setup with a built-in barbecue pit, a horseshoe pit, a big playground set for the kids with swings and a slide, a small pond on one side, and rows of picnic tables on the other. Folding tables and chairs had been set up too and a few of the tables were covered in food...salads and vegetables and desserts. The man who stood alongside the barbecue pit was pulling off chunks of tri-tip bigger than any she’d ever seen. Mack was usually no huge fan of steak, but the sight and the smell of the meat made her mouth water.
Mack heard the sound of music, or something like a guitar being tuned, and she realized there was a small, wooden stage beyond the playground and one of those portable dance floors had been put in around it. She had to give it to the Westside Skulls, when they threw a party, they did it right. The guy on stage had long hair that hung loose around his shoulders and his arms were covered in tattoos. He wore a vest like the one Ash and his brothers wore too, but she was too far away to read what it said.
When they got to where the crowd was, Ash wandered off to where a group of what must have been more MMA fighters sat, shooting the shit. For the most part Mack realized that she could easily tell them apart, even in a group of extraordinarily large, muscular men. The fighters had lots of ink like the bikers, and some of them had long hair too, albeit it if they did, theirs was swept back into ponytails at the back of their necks where the bikers often just let theirs hang free. But all of the bikers wore their vests with their colors on them, even the old men who looked like they hadn’t been on a Harley in twenty years. And none of the fighters had facial hair whereas most of the bikers did. She supposed that might just be asking for trouble...walking into a ring or a cage or whatever they fought in with something loose that the other guy could grab onto and pull. She couldn’t help but wonder, though, if so many bikers mixed with so many fighters wasn’t a recipe for disaster sometime in the future. The egos alone had to be enough to fill twenty rooms.
“Hey, Mack, I’m going to take the baby to Sabrina and then we can talk,” Charlie told her. Mack nodded. She was anxious to hear what Charlie had to say. Charlie picked up the baby’s tiny brown arm and waved it at Mack, telling him to say, “Bye, bye.” Mack smiled and waved back...and she was still smiling when suddenly she realized the cloud that she thought had covered the sun was no cloud at all, it was Sledge.
“You’re back,” he said, almost in a growl.
“Yep. Charlie invited me.” She saw Sledge’s eyes flit over to where Ash was. Her eyes went with his and for a second she smiled again. Ash was telling a story of some kind and his face was bright and animated and he was using his hands. He looked more relaxed than she’d seen him...in five years. It was nice, seeing him happy in his element. The smile fell again when she realized she was staring and Sledge hadn’t missed it.
“He knows you’re here?”
“Yes.”
“You planning on seducing him again?”
“Excuse me?”
“Come on, I know you two spent the night together last time. He was a fucking mess the next day. Was it not enough for you to break his heart once...? Are you that fucking attention-seeking?”
Mack felt the lump rise in her throat. She wasn’t about to cry in front of him, though. She swallowed it and looked directly up into Sledge’s face with her shoulders squared and said, “Is your life so pathetic again that you have to live through Ash’s?” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she wanted to take them back. She was mad as hell at Sledge for treating her so poorly...even if he did think he was protecting Ash, she had been his friend too. More than that...she’d been like his sister, and now all she saw was loathing and disrespect when she looked into his eyes. But she honest to God hadn’t meant to use the ammunition that she knew would hurt him
the most. His hard eyes changed, saddening slightly at her mean words, but he caught himself quickly and narrowed them on her before she said, “I’m sorry, Steve...”
“It’s Sledge, and I don’t want your apologies. Just stay away from me while you’re here and remember...I won’t allow you to hurt him again.”
Mack had a retort on the tip of her tongue, again, but she decided enough was enough. Sledge would hate her no matter what she said, even if she told the truth. She had hurt his brother, and Sledge was the kind of loyal that would forgive a slight against himself, before he would against someone he loved. She was just going to have to make a point of staying away from them all. If Charlie wanted to see her from now on, she was going to have to agree to meet Mack somewhere else...neutral territory.
“Well, hello, beautiful.” The southern accent sounded familiar and when Mack turned toward the voice she felt the blood drain from her face. It was the flirty young guy from inside the clubhouse...only the scarring and bruising on his face was gone and he was standing upright, dressed completely different and smiling at her with a mouthful of teeth. She was sure that only minutes ago, at least one in front had been missing. She furrowed her brow and said:
“Tex?”
The cute young fighter grinned and stuck out his right hand. “No, ma’am, I’m Tensee...the good-looking twin.”
“Oh! I thought I was losing my mind.” She took his hand and shook it. “I’m sorry. Nice to meet you, Tensee, I’m Mackenzie. My friends call me Mack.”
Tensee’s smile went from friendly to seductive and he said, “Well then, I think I’ll call you Mack, since I’d love to be one of your friends.” Mack felt herself blush. “What say you and me go inside and get us a drink to toast our new friendship?” Mack looked over toward Ash again. He was still in the midst of the story he was telling and now there was some girl with a barely-there skirt and a tank top that showed off her double-D-sized tits standing way too close to him for Mack’s comfort. Making a decision that if hot MMA fighters and alcohol was what it would take to get her through the day...she was going to go for it. She slid her arm through Tensee’s and said, “Let’s do that, new friend.”
16
Ash was fixing his plate when Charlie stepped up next to him. “Where’s Mack?” He looked around and then back at his sister.
“I don’t know. I thought you and her were off somewhere talking.”
“Nope. I took Mason back to Sabrina and talked to her for a bit. She’s going to hire me for real to babysit him when she goes back to school. The judge will love that, me having a real job and all.”
Ash chuckled. “Charlie, you do own a multi-million-dollar company.”
“I know, but you and I both know I don’t know shit about running it.”
“Watch your mouth.” She rolled her eyes and said:
“Anyway, that’s what I want to talk to Mack about.”
He raised his eyebrows. “You want Mack to run Dad’s company?”
“Why not? Dad trusted her. You know she’s smart and qualified. I think, better her than someone I don’t trust.”
“You trust her?”
“Seriously? You think Mack would do what? Steal from me? Come on, Ash...whatever happened between you and Mack, that was personal, not business.”
Ash didn’t acknowledge or deny that, although he knew his sister was right. There was some reason his dad had trusted her, and he did know Mack was smart. He looked around again, beginning to worry about where she might be or who she might be with. He saw Gracie, rubbing her big tits on one of the guys from San Gabriel. “Hey, what are you doing hanging around Gracie?”
“What?” Charlie looked surprised at the abrupt change of topic.
“Gracie. She’s trash. You need to stay away from her.”
“Wow, you have some nerve, you know?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You guys are the ones that use these girls and then you have the nerve to call them names. Why are they the whores and not you?”
“Charlie!”
“It’s a fair question. If you guys will sleep with a different woman every day, then why can’t they do the same thing with men and not be called ugly names?”
“I don’t know,” he said, exasperated again...because she was right, again. “It’s just looked at as different, and right or wrong, that’s how people view it. I want you to know that it’s not okay. I don’t want you thinking that lifestyle is right in any way.”
“I don’t. But I also don’t think it’s right for you, either. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I want to get some of that fruit salad before it’s gone. If you see Mack, tell her I’m looking for her.”
Ash put his plate down right where he stood and decided he was going to find out where Mack was. He walked around outside for a few minutes and when he didn’t see her, he went inside. He stood in the doorway letting his eyes adjust to the dim light. He was scanning the room when he heard Tex say, “I let my brother have her, but just because I’m not up to par yet. When I get well, he’s in for it.”
Ash looked down as Tex rolled his chair up next to him. “Have who?” Ash asked, hoping he wasn’t talking about the one he knew he was talking about.
“Your friend, Mack. Tensee came in here with her and even though I saw her first, I let it go.”
Again, Ash looked around, this time with his heart pounding in his chest. “Where are they?”
“Not sure. They were up at the bar, but I don’t see them there now. My pain meds make me fall asleep sometimes out of the fucking blue. I must have missed them leaving.” Tex was still talking when Ash headed for the stairs. He took them two and three at a time, stopping in front of the first door and pushing it open, without bothering to knock. That one was empty. He went down the hallway doing the same thing, once catching one of the affiliates getting his knob polished by one of the club girls, but otherwise finding them all empty. He cursed and ran back down the stairs. Just as he made it back to the great room, Mack and Tensee were coming in the front door. They were both smiling from ear to ear and Mack’s cheeks were flushed with color. Her hair was disheveled too...and so was the fighter’s. Ash saw red and he cleared the six feet between them in three long strides before doubling his fist and slamming the unsuspecting fighter dead between the eyes.
“Ash! What the hell are you doing?” Mack screamed. Tensee didn’t fall, but he looked a little dazed for a few seconds. As soon as he recovered, or maybe even before, he threw out a right hook that knocked Ash backwards and almost on his ass. Sledge appeared from somewhere and caught him. Ash tried to wrench himself free of the big man’s grasp as Tensee stood poised and ready to strike again. But Sledge wasn’t letting him go.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
“Stay out of it. Let me go...”
“Fuck that. These guys get paid to fight...a lot of fucking money. You really want to get your ass kicked by one of them here in front of all your brothers? This is about her, isn’t it? She’s nothing but fucking trouble...” Ash pulled hard and slipped from Sledge’s grasp. He went back toward Tensee, who was ready for him. The two men hooked it up and the sounds of Mack screaming and everyone else yelling was like fuzzy background noise. It wasn’t until he heard Wolf’s voice...nearly shaking the walls of the club...that he froze.
“What the fuck is going on here?” Wolf didn’t yell it, he bellowed, and Tensee froze as well. They were both on the floor by then and reluctantly, Ash looked up at Wolf. His president didn’t seem to have any interest in Tensee. That “I’m going to kick your ass” glare was locked onto Ash’s face. “You going to explain yourself?” Ash looked around at the crowd that must have gathered as they were fighting. All eyes, including Mack’s horrified ones, were on him.
“Sorry, Boss,” he mumbled. How the fuck was he going to explain this?
“Office. Now.” Ash nodded and stumbled to his feet. The crowd made a path for him, but he could still feel their eyes burning into him as
he made his way to the office. He went inside, closed the door behind him, and began to berate himself for his own stupidity. Seriously, how the hell was he going to explain this? He paced back and forth with the thoughts racing in his head, trying to think of an excuse that wasn’t going to make him look or sound like a giant, jealous pussy. Nothing came to him and the longer Wolf kept him waiting, the more the anxiety took over his brain and no rational thought could get in. Wolf was waiting to come in on purpose, Ash was sure of it. It was a trick his father used to use, because sometimes waiting for your punishment was actually worse than the punishment itself.
When the doorknob finally turned, Ash dropped into the closest seat to him and wiped the blood off his lip with the back of his hand. He heard Wolf slam the door behind him and then listened to his boots slam against the tile floor before he finally came into view. Wolf stood and glared at him for a long time before finally taking his seat at the head of the table. He didn’t say a word, but he didn’t have to. Ash knew his boss well and he knew that Wolf’s dragging his hand through his beard was worse than if he put into words what he was actually thinking.
“I’m sorry, Boss.”
Wolf shook his head. “I don’t want to hear you’re sorry. I want to know what the fuck that was about. They said you started it. That boy and Mackenzie went out for a ride in his new car...”
“Oh fuck, is it a convertible?”
Wolf frowned. “What the fuck does that have to do with anything?”
“She was...her hair was...I thought they...fuck...”
“Oh, fuck me!” Wolf said, “You thought they’d gone outside and he’d fucked her, and they were sneaking back in?” Ash nodded. Wolf looked even more pissed. “Well, what if they had? You got any claims on that woman?” Ash shook his head, more ashamed of himself than ever. “Then what the fuck is going through your brain?”
“I don’t know, Boss. Mack and I have history...fucked-up history. I went five years without seeing her and I was fine, and then as soon as she turned back up...I lost my damned head. I saw them. I thought he fucked her and I just saw red.”
ASH: Westside Skulls Motorcycle Club: (Westside Skulls MC Romance Book 4) Page 11