by V. Theia
The same brother with anger and disgust in his cold deep-set eyes.
Rather than her own anger calcifying her bones she chose to glance at the second man in this ridiculous standoff. Though he hadn’t moved an inch she still felt Hawk at her back for solidarity and protection.
It radiated like a furnace and it was that which settled her.
“Okay, you can both stop peacocking now and calm your feathers. We should have told you, Ambrosio, now you know. That’s the only crime here. Hawk hasn’t don’t anything wrong. I haven’t done anything wrong and I’m not going to give you a list of reasons why this is about us not you.”
Ears flapped like bird’s wings. The bikers so damn interested in the drama. Even her uncle Jed had an elbow resting on the bar listening in.
“He’s too damn old for you, Gia.” Said Rider.
“Zara is ten years younger than you, big mouth, your argument is worthless. Next.” She shot back making a few rough men chuckle. “I’ll remind you I didn’t bitch when you forgot to mention you even had a girlfriend. Uncle Jed told me.”
“That has no baring here, Gia, for fucks sake.”
“I thought we weren’t cursing around the biker princess?” Snake could be heard from the back somewhere and someone wisely told him to shut his fucking mouth.
Gia sighed and rubbed Hawk’s arm before stepping forward towards her brother. “Is this really a problem for you? I understand it’s come as a surprise. It did to us, but, Ambrosio, it’s been a long time coming. We didn’t go into this lightly.”
“Between him and me? There’s a damn problem. Fucking A. So, you can run along with Zara while we talk.”
She huffed. “Not likely. What? Going to offer him my dowry? Or smash his face in? You sound just like dad.”
If it were possible under his natural sun golden tan Rider’s face turned purple and his jaw worked a vicious tick. She’d overstepped knowing how he felt about their domineering father. Never had she uttered those words to him before and she wanted to bite her tongue off. “I didn’t mean—”
“And I thought you had more fucking sense.” He bit out.
Behind her Hawk emitted a growl from the animal family and she turned in time to see him thunder-staring at his boss and friend.
This was getting so fucking out of hand.
Hawk pointed a long finger over her head. “I will start a fucking war over her if you keep throwing out shit she doesn’t deserve, so choose the hill you want to die on wisely, Rider.” Hawk said calmly. It was like that eerily calm before a storm hit and destroyed a whole town in minutes.
“This is my kin. My blood. If anyone starts a war, it’ll be me, you, arrogant fuck.”
“She’s my woman now. Gia is no longer your duty. She fucking means something to me even if we all know I’m a piece of shit who doesn’t deserve her.”
She saw Rider’s brows fold in as if he realized what truth he was putting on Hawk.
Zara sidled up to her man and curled an arm around his waist. The gesture brought her brother down from whatever lofty throne he’d put himself on where he thought he ruled the whole damn world. Heads together they spoke quietly.
Facing away from the room, she took her hands up Hawk’s chest slowly, felt how his breathing slowed.
“Hawk. Stop glaring at my brother and look at me, please.”
He did immediately. A frown bunched in the middle of his forehead.
“I’m your woman? That’s what you said.”
He frowned deeper than ever before but didn’t say a word.
“Colton Hawk, answer me, please. If you’re gonna declare something like that to a room full of your boys, then it would be nice if you’d told me it first.”
Behind her Rider muttered and she heard Zara shush him. Gia would scowl at her dumbass brother in a moment but for now, she held Hawk’s eyes and waited.
“It came out wrong.” His frown marred more of his face.
He was a hound dog.
“So, I’m not your woman? All this arguing with your best friend is for nothing? You’d make a war over something that came out wrong? Is that what you meant to say? We’re standing fighting my brother and I’m not your woman...”
She heard and ignored Rider sucking on his teeth.
“Gia…listen.”
She pressed him. “Am I?”
“I’ll take her, if not.” Piped in Snake so helpful. Hawk hissed savagely, swiping a dark stare at the guy. “I will break your fucking arms off and use them for coffee stirrers.”
Gia swooned.
He was just so swoon-worthy when he was possessive.
“Gia. This is club business, go back there with Zara and let me talk to my fuckin’ VP.” Said Rider.
Her hands remained on Hawk’s impossibly hard chest, he was pushing against it almost as if he liked her touch there, she turned to look at her brother. Irritation stole through her voice. “This is your MC, Ambrosio, but this here with him is my business. Butt out. I’m not some silly little girl having an emotional outburst. If you didn’t know I’m all grown up and can and do, make decisions for myself without you doing my thinking for me.” The absurdity of the situation made steam pool out of her ears almost like a cartoon character at the end of their tether.
This was one of the reasons she’d never gotten herself entangled with a biker, not even casual dates. The hierarchy of any MC and being in a relationship with one of them was fucking preposterous. Oh, the bikers could fuck anything on two legs, the more pussy the better, but god forbid a female associated to those bikers could act the same way and they all turned into pearl clutching hypocrites. Taking Hawk out of the equation she would have avoided them altogether, because her brother was this side of being old fashioned and fucking annoying to ever assume him and his club had a say in her love life.
She put a stop to that right now.
“He’s my man, he’s been mine since I was seventeen and if you must know, I’ll say it in small words, so you boys can understand, since you’re all standing around rubbernecking like gossiping hens.” Grown men chuckled unapologetic. “I would have been his when I was fifteen.” Ambrosio hissed like a pained cobra, firing a hard stare at Hawk. Gia talked over him “Stay quiet before you say something you later regret, you’ve had your unsolicited input.” She felt a hand slide up to the nape of her neck, holding her gently. Shards of electricity curled around her encouragingly. “I would have been his when I was fifteen, but he didn’t notice me until two years later and even then, he was too damn proud and ethical and loyal to you to do anything about it. We’ve wasted ten years and I refuse to waste anymore because you can’t see past him being your friend and biker VP and to acknowledge your sister can date anyone she damn well pleases. Tough shit, Rider, if you have a problem. Mind your own damn business while I talk to my man.” It was more than evident she was talking to Rider the MC president and not her brother Ambrosio. So be it.
“Here, here.” A soft cheering voice Gia recognized as her brother’s girlfriend.
“Well?” She was beginning to lose her patience with Hawk.
But the moment she looked up into his impossibly ice blue eyes she felt her heart stumble and roll over languidly. That look… oh… like he’d been told Jesus existed and he was buying the beers and hookers from now on.
It was worship and acceptance and complete adoration.
“Hawk…” her voice disappeared into her lungs.
“Yes.” He gruffed.
“Yes?”
“You’re my woman.”
Oh, god. Hallelujah.
Rider muttered. “Jesus fucking H Christ.”
But Hawk didn’t break their gaze.
He just went on looking at her. And looking at her.
******
Much later, with thankfully less drama, Gia cuddled with her niece while Zara did … whatever she was doing in the bedroom back there to calm her man down. When they’d emerged, Rider strode out to the bike shop after kissing Zara hard
and fast. They’d switched off the baby so her sister in law could head home.
“You and the VP, huh?”
“Yep.” Gia smiled dunking her teabag in the cup of hot water.
“I got shit timing,” half-laughed Tag rubbing his face that appeared a little flushed. She sipped the tea, grimaced at the taste, wishing it was coffee and asked him why. “‘Cause I had an idea I’d ask you for a date the next time you were in town.” Her eyes went cartoon large. Ohh. “Had a mind to do it the other day but too many people were around, and I got stage fright. What with you being the prez’s sister and off limits.”
Gia scoffed. “I’m not off limits.” Quickly followed by a laugh, embarrassed at the conversation. “Well, I am. But not because of your boss. He just thinks he’s in charge of me.”
“It’s the rule we got, babe. All female relatives are off limits.”
“That’s stupid.”
He grinned his white tooth smile and she didn’t feel a tiny flicker of interest for the handsome face with his sweep of dirty blond hair and vivid eyes the color of the bottom of a Mediterranean pool. So, if he had asked her out her answer would have still been a polite thank you but no.
“Lucky for me I suppose since I didn’t get around to asking you out…” he tried for a smile, but Gia saw he was uncomfortable rubbing a hand around the back of his neck.
She didn’t have a chance to reassure him it was fine because Hawk standing in the doorway glaring at Tag began to roar a chest noise. A great big pissed off rattle.
“The fuck did you just say?”
“Jesus.” Tag exclaimed with choked laugh.
“Hawk will do. Better still, your fucking VP. What the fuck did you just say to my girl?”
His girl. Oh, boy. The burst of happiness in her chest made up for the shitty argument earlier.
She put down the cup and went to him immediately, placing her hand on his wide chest and another to his belly.
“I was just talking to Tag and you can stop that growling please, baby.”
“I’m gonna leave you to it…” Tag wisely decided but had to push by Hawk still blocking the doorway. He sent Gia his eyes for a second and she saw regret there. He mouthed sorry to her.
“Out.” Hawk barked low to his buddy and grabbed her in by the waist.
She went willingly, kissing his jaw.
Once they were alone she let go of a sigh.
“So, that was a day, huh?”
He grunted, spanning her waist and he dropped his head, taking her lips.
The faint taste of scotch on his tongue intoxicated her as he lashed into her mouth, claiming and owning. She ran her hands up the span of his chest, his every exhale showing how tortured he was by this. “Let’s go grab some dinner, little bit.”
And that’s all she wanted at the end of every day.
Even if every person in her life didn’t approve of her choices.
She just wanted to go grab food with the biker love of her life.
******
It was much later that night when he left Gia sated in her bed after she’d ridden hell out of him and he thought his balls might die when he climbed back on to his Harley and took the ride back to the club.
With one specific task in mind.
Not to find Rider and air out their differences. Shit with him would work out on its own time, he didn’t need to push it.
Nah. He was here for someone else.
He strode through the club, ignoring the drinking and brothers pulling on blunts and the half-naked women sprawled on laps.
Hawk found who he was looking for in a back room drinking neat bourbon and playing pool by himself. He closed over the door with a quick click and faced Tag.
Any other time Tag would have been one of the patched in club members out in the main room high with a score of bitches on his body.
There was a reason he was in here alone.
It only fueled Hawk’s irritation.
Though the face showed alarm, his eyebrows winging up into his perfect as usual just fucked blond hair he offered a smile. One Hawk didn’t return. “You wanna grab a game, brother?”
“Not here to play.”
“Figured. You wanna take a swing at me?” He put down the pool cue and rested a hip against the large green velvet covered table.
Hawk couldn’t say he knew much about Tag. Not where he came from, who were his kin or what the fuck he did in his spare time. That could go for any of his club brothers. What he knew was; who he could rely on. Who would be at his back in a situation and who could throw down and make their MC world the best it could be.
He considered Tag one of those men.
That wouldn’t change.
But the boil of fury in his gut wouldn’t go away.
“We’ll see.” He stayed by the door. Any closer and he was likely to choke the fucker. “You hear I’m with Gia and still you felt you had to throw your hat in the ring. Just in case.”
The brother’s face fell. “It wasn’t like that, H.—”
“It was exactly fucking like that.” He spat out and ignored the other man frowning. “You were trying to give her options. Didn’t matter you’d just heard I was with her now. There was no other reason to tell her you were gonna ask her for a date other than to give her fucking options, brother.”
Any other man would have been standing there dead. What with the slice of fire going up Hawk’s stomach, any other fucker trying to get in between him, and Gia would be a walking corpse. Save for the fact this was Tag and usually he wouldn’t hurt a fucking flea unless that flea was inside a metal cage and throwing about fists.
“I get it. I mean, even if she wasn’t taken and you asked her out, I still woulda ripped your head from your shoulders, but I would have had more respect for you than to do it when you knew she wasn’t fucking taken.”
Tag snorted and rubbed a hand over his hair messing it up.
“But you didn’t, you did it not ten seconds after you knew she was mine.”
“Hawk, man. It wasn’t like that, I swear.”
“Don’t feed me bullshit, Tag. I don’t eat that slop. She was who you were telling me about, wasn’t it? Something real, you said. You missed your shot, only, you didn’t have a fucking shot at all, cause as I said, I woulda ripped your head off had I found out you ever made a play. Don’t even care we’re club brothers, or we’ve been in scrapes together and you’ve had my back and I had yours in the club war. Don’t fucking care,” his teeth at the back felt like dust from grinding them together. “So, this is what I’m gonna tell you; you stay away from Gia until you can look at her and not wanna stick your dick in her. ‘Cause, Tag, I catch even a fucking whiff of you flirting or making another play for what’s mine, and even your mama won’t recognize you in your coffin.” He pulled open the door. He was trying to be a better man, better all-around for Gia. So, walking out of that room and no bloodshed was fucking hard for him. He got his point across with violence, usually.
“Fuck. You can’t fucking blame me for something I didn’t fucking know. No one knew you wanted her.”
“You see her in the club you walk the fuck away, Tag. I mean it.”
“I’m not fucking in love with her, Jesus, you’re talking like I’m gonna hump her leg. She’s a nice girl, I thought I might have dated her or something.” He exhaled, and Hawk swung around.
“There’s one thing I can recognize and that’s when someone is in love with my Gia. I’ve been there. Ten fucking years. I get it. It’s why I’m letting you keep breathing. Until you can look at her and not want her, stay the fuck away. And keep a wide berth from me for a while until I forget I want to bury you.”
“Ten years. Fuck. I didn’t know…”
He left and took the ride to Gia’s place to climb into bed with her.
Only, he pulled into the garage port to see her coming through the connecting door in her sleep shorts and top that didn’t disguise her nipples, her hair mused and a pillow mark on her face.
His heart ramped up.
“I heard the bike, I’m glad you came back,” she smiled sleepily and cozied up to his shoulder with her hands on his belly even before he switched off the engine.
A possessive surge overcame Hawk.
It stung and made him grab her roughly around the waist amid her squeal of surprise, depositing her on the front of his bike facing him so her sweet covered pussy brushed against his cock.
“Need you.” He growled, and he watched her face soften. “Guide me inside you.”
And then in the closeted garage, on top of his bike he fucked his little bit of a thing. Her cries soothed his angry soul and tamed the monster.
She was his.
She belonged only to him.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
“Me and my man.” - Gia. AKA Oh-my-god, I’m dating Colton Hawk!
Going out to dinner with Hawk became an odd, nerve tingling, belly warming event. What with Hawk collecting her from home, riding her to the Italian restaurant on the back of his bike, holding her hand without her slipping it into his first. And being attentive as she’d never seen him before with conversation and then to cap off her night when she’d reached for her wallet he’d given her such a manly grunt, his eyebrows twitching under his mane of hair, moving her hand from the check like she’d offended him.
She wasn’t a woman who needed a man to pay for everything, she never expected it. She liked to think she was equal regarding treating her special person to a meal.
Only, Hawk had other ideas, after he’d thrown down some notes and took her hand again, he had her on the back of his bike strapping on the helmet gently under her chin before he spoke and when he did, the noise did something funny to her heart.