Worth the Pain (Royal Bastards MC Book 2)

by J. L. Leslie

  “You probably missed something. You know, like why your fiancé bolted.”

  I need him to go. The longer he’s here, the more there’s a chance he’ll see something that belongs to Wes. Like the baby blanket on the couch. There’s also a huge chance Wes will wake up. He hasn’t been down long.

  “I told Mason I didn’t want any protection.”

  He scoffs. “I’m not here to protect you. I’m here to get the job done. The sooner, the better.”

  He tosses the mail back onto the desk and starts toward the kitchen. Dammit, I have bottles in the sink. I grab his arm and jerk him back.

  “Leave.”

  He reaches up and grips my neck, gently squeezing. God, why does that make me wet? I press my thighs together, trying to relieve the ache. His gaze drifts down to my lips, and he licks his, the silver of his tongue ring glimmering in the light. Is it possible for a pussy to drip? Good grief, pretty sure mine is.

  “Don’t get in my way, Allie,” he warns. “The sooner we find this douche, the sooner you can go back to your boring little life in the suburbs.”

  “That douche is my fiancé. And I can assure you, there is nothing boring about him.”

  Okay, maybe that’s an overstatement. It is a tad boring but it’s comfortable — and that’s what I want for Wes. No one fighting, no drugs, no risk. That’s a good thing…I think.

  “Is that so?” he asks, his grip tightening. “Then tell me why your nipples are poking through your shirt. Why you’re so damn aroused, you’re squirming.”

  Am I? Who am I kidding? Of course, I am. The ache between my legs is almost unbearable. I just didn’t think he would notice so easily.

  “I’m not aroused,” I deny.

  Hunter inches closer, until his breath is on my face. I could snake my tongue out and lick his lips, he’s that damn close.

  “Oh yeah?” he challenges, reaching his hand between my legs and massaging my mound.

  I fight back a moan, my knees damn near going weak, and manage to raise my hand and slap the shit out of him. He lets go of my neck and touches his face, my handprint bright red.

  “Don’t ever fucking touch me again. And get the hell out of my house.”

  His eyes narrow at me, his jaw clenched. I stand firm, my arms crossed over my chest. Mainly to hide my hardened nipples so he won’t look at them again.

  Hunter storms out of the house, slamming the door behind him. Wes immediately starts crying, woken up by the noise. I peek outside as Hunter climbs on his bike. Thank God.

  I head down the hall to our son. He nuzzles against my boob, clearly hungry. Crap, I haven’t pumped. I sit in the rocking chair, unbuttoning my shirt as I gently rock my sweet, blue-eyed baby.

  Sweet. Innocent. How I wish he could stay this way forever.

  HUNTER

  I push the door open, stepping back inside Allie’s house, telling myself I’m only doing this to check their bedroom, see if there’s anything out of the ordinary there. I’m not here to see her because that would be a mistake, especially after she slapped the hell out of me.

  She’s not in the living room or kitchen where I left her. I hear a soft humming, and follow it, intent on letting her know I’m going check things out and do my job for the club.

  Spotting a door ajar and soft light coming from the room, I head over to it and ease it open. Allie’s sitting in a rocking chair, her eyes closed as she hums, a baby latched on to one of her boobs, suckling. The room is painted a light blue, baby zoo animal toys scattered about.

  “The fuck?”

  Her eyes snap open, and I see it — the truth. She hasn’t been hiding herself away, she’s been hiding a kid. A baby. Allie had a damn baby. I do the calculation in my head, figuring he’s only a few months old, if that. There’s a possibility he’s not even mine. That she hooked up with someone else around the same time. Maybe I’m doing the calculations wrong.

  But Allie’s face says it all. The way she’s looking at me. The guilt on her face. Pure fucking guilt.

  I can’t speak. Can’t get any words out. I have a baby. A son.

  Kids were not part of my future — not in my plans. Finding out I have one hits me like a ton of bricks.

  Unsure what to do, I turn and walk away. My head is reeling. I know I can’t have a conversation with her right now. I cannot ask her how she kept him from me. I’m ready to damn near strangle her.

  Getting to my bike, I fire it up and take off, hoping a ride will clear my head. I have a son. Holy shit. After driving about an hour, I go back to the clubhouse. I want to go back to Allie, demand she give me an explanation, something, anything, just so I can make sense of it all.

  I walk inside the clubhouse, my brothers glancing over at me. I go straight to the bar and get myself a shot, tossing it back before pouring another.

  “Whoa, slow down, man,” Bishop says, shoving a piece of pizza into his mouth. “We have an early morning.”

  Yeah, we do. We’re supposed to start our official search for Paul. Allie’s fucking fiancé. The man who’s been raising my kid.

  Fuck. That.

  “She has a kid,” I say numbly. “A damn kid, Bishop.”

  “She’s engaged. People have kids out of wedlock all the time.” I glare at him, cocking my head to the side. It doesn’t take him long to catch on. “Oh. When the hell did that happen?”

  “One of the parties.”

  “Had no idea. Congrats, I guess.”

  “Congrats? I have a damn kid with Allie, Wesley’s fucking cousin, and you congratulate me?”

  He shrugs. “I don’t see the issue. She’s not off limits. There’s no one to tell you they don’t approve.”

  “And there’s not going to be anyone to tell me they do. It was a mistake.”

  “Well, you’ll be paying for that mistake at least eighteen years,” he replies with a chuckle.

  I pour myself another shot, but instead of taking it, I stand there and look at the liquid in the glass. No amount of alcohol is going to change this. Allie got pregnant with my kid, ran off to be with another guy and never told me anything about him. Was she ever going to tell me?

  I am pissed. Outraged. I just don’t know who I’m pissed at. Her? Myself? Right now, I’m pissed at the whole damn world. How could she do this to me? Was she ever going to tell me about him? I may not have planned on being a father, but that doesn’t mean I don’t deserve the opportunity.

  Mason walks in and hollers over at me, telling me to come talk to him. Great. Guess now is as good a time as any to tell my president I broke club rules.

  “Good luck,” Bishop taunts as I step past him.

  I head into Mason’s office, and he motions for me to take a seat across from him. A picture of the asshole who kidnapped Skylar sits on his desk, along with photos of Allie’s fiancé and some other girls scattered about.

  “Are you ready to admit I’m onto something?” I ask.

  For months and months, I’ve been adamant the guy who took Skylar wasn’t working alone. Yes, we know the Souls of Satan contracted him to kidnap Skylar as a means to collect on my dad’s debt, but he said he had more girls, and I believed him. I just haven’t found concrete evidence. The damn man was a ghost. Kind of like Allie’s now-missing fiancé.

  “Maybe. Seth is checking into some of the patients who were checked into the rehab center Allie went to. He’s cross-referencing them with the list of missing women you gave us before.”

  “And her fiancé worked there?”

  “Yep.”

  “Think the fiancé is involved, or did our perps suddenly get into trafficking dudes?”

  “I have no idea. Talk to Allie and see what she remembers about the place. Maybe even get Skylar to sit in. Allie may open up to her.”

  I shift in my seat. “I have to tell you something.”

  “Why the hell does that sound like some bullshit has occurred? I do not need any more beef between you and Jake. Get the fuck over it already. He knocked your sister up. Big d
eal.”

  I clench my jaw. “He broke club rules.”

  “Yeah, well, I’ve been thinking about making some changes,” he says with a sigh, running a hand through his hair.

  I furrow my brow, shocked by this. Our rules have been set since our chapter was established. They’re there for a reason. Which reminds me…

  “I knocked Allie up.”

  Mason’s eyebrows shoot up, then he bursts out laughing. “Rules, huh? Shit.”

  “You can take it to the club, let them vote on how to handle it.”

  He shakes his head. “The only thing you need to do for the club is make the announcement that you’re a dad. Allie has no family. No one to object to you breaking the rules. No need to stir up shit. We have enough going on.”

  I nod and get up, relieved I’m not going to get my ass beat by my brothers for fucking up. He took it easy on me. No punishment. I know I don’t deserve that.

  “I still want you to talk to Allie. I need that intel.”

  “We aren’t really on speaking terms,” I explain.

  “Did that sound like a request?”

  So much for not being punished.

  ALLIE

  I see Skylar approaching, Maisy’s carrier on one arm and her diaper bag on the other. I give her a small wave, my nerves making me feel sick to my stomach. Her eyes go wide when she sees Wes. I’m not exactly shielding him as I gently rock his carrier with my foot.

  We agreed to meet for lunch, and I suggested a place in Alabaster, not wanting to go back into the city so soon. I’m already seated at the table with Wes on the floor right beside me.

  She sits down across from me, placing Maisy down much the way I have Wes. She opens her mouth to speak, then closes it, speechless.

  “I have a son,” I blurt out, seeing no need in keeping it a secret anymore.

  “I see that. Um, when did…how did…who’s the father? Your fiancé?”

  She knows it’s not true. The timeline doesn’t fit. I shake my head, trying to find the courage to reveal the truth. To tell her everything.

  Skylar stares down at Wes, studying his face, his eyes. Her mouth parts, a slight gasp escaping.

  “He’s…um, he’s my nephew, isn’t he?”

  “Skylar, I wanted to tell—”

  “But you didn’t,” she replies, her tone accusing. “You change your name. Hide a kid from us. Does Hunter even know?”

  I sigh. “He found out last night.”

  “I don’t understand. I didn’t think the two of you were ever…you know.”

  “We did. Just once. It was at the party we went to.”

  Her gaze goes down to Wes. “You were on drugs after that. You…you were so strung out.”

  “I didn’t know I was pregnant at the time. I never would have used had I known. I found out in rehab.”

  “And met Paul.”

  “Yes, and he’s a great guy.”

  I always noticed in movies the relationship never worked when a woman said that. She’s too focused on him being a great guy and doesn’t ever admit she’s not in love with him.

  I know I’m not in love with Paul, but I hope that will come with time. I care for him a lot. That could be as close to love as I’ll get. Maybe I’m too damaged to fall in love.

  I watched Wesley’s ol’ lady go through so much devastation and heartache when he was killed. I can’t imagine allowing someone to get that close to me. Now, I have Wes to think about. He has to come first.

  “Say something, Skylar. Anything.”

  “I honestly don’t know what to say. You’ve been gone almost a year. I don’t even know you anymore. You created a whole new life for yourself.”

  “I’m not going to tell you I’m the same person I was before because I’m not. That person was a dreamer, unrealistic. I wanted things I had no business wanting.”

  Hunter. I wanted Hunter so badly, I couldn’t see how easily he could destroy me. Didn’t realize that was exactly what would happen.

  “There’s nothing wrong with going after what you want. My brother is stubborn, so damn stubborn, but you have a child together. That changes things.”

  “Does it? I don’t think it does. I’m not asking Hunter for anything. I don’t need anything from him.”

  Skylar frowns, her brow furrowed. “But that is his son. He has a right to be a part of his life.”

  I nod a little. “If he wants to be, I won’t stop him. But he didn’t stick around long enough to meet Wes last night. He bolted. And that’s precisely what I knew he would do.”

  I’m being honest that I won’t keep Wes from him now that my secret is out. But it’ll be up to Hunter to make the first move. If he wants to see his son, be in his life, he has to say so.

  HUNTER

  I wipe the cloth over the seat of my bike, giving it a nice shine. I needed to do something to stay busy. Giving my Harley a tune-up and wash did the trick for the most part. I still haven’t processed that I have a son. Blows my damn mind.

  “Skylar told me some interesting news,” Jake says, walking into the shop.

  “Yeah?”

  There was a time I could talk to him about anything. He was my best friend, had been since we were kids. He fucked all that up when he knocked up my sister. It’s that simple. I don’t play the whole “forgive and forget” game.

  “A kid, man. Wow. I know how that shit can be overwhelming.”

  “I’m not overwhelmed.”

  “What are you then?”

  “Not talking with you about it.”

  “I honestly don’t give a shit if you talk to me or not. Skylar is on me to patch things up with you. I’m doing my part. You want to hate me for the rest of your life, that’s up to you.”

  “Tell Skylar to mind her own damn business.”

  “I prefer to keep my balls intact.”

  His comment makes me chuckle. My sister is a fucking firecracker. She’s mouthy as all hell and can be downright disrespectful at times. Guess we’re a lot alike.

  “In all seriousness, Hunt, our differences aside, you have a damn kid. You and Allie have a child together.”

  “She’s Jane now, remember?”

  “Fuck that. She’s always going to be Allie. Come on. Don’t try to act like a baby isn’t a big deal. It has to blow your damn mind.”

  I heave out a sigh. “A little.”

  “She told Skylar she’s not going to keep you from being part of Wes’s life.”

  “Wes?”

  “That’s his name.”

  “She named him after Wesley.”

  I wonder if she put my last name on his birth certificate or if she used Paul’s name. Whoever this guy is, he’s been the one there with my kid. Raising my son.

  “Have you talked to Mason about it?”

  “Yep.”

  “I’m guessing he doesn’t want to put it to a vote or anything, seeing as she doesn’t have any family.”

  “Said it will only stir up shit.”

  “He’s probably right.”

  I get the feeling Jake is hiding something. That he somehow knew Mason wasn’t going to bust my balls about this. I know this guy. At least, I thought I did before I found out he was fucking Skylar behind my back.

  “Listen, you may have screwed up with her, but you don’t have to screw up with him.”

  “What? Now I’m just supposed to be this father figure? Have visitation and pay child support?”

  I try to imagine doing this weird exchange with Allie every other weekend. Having a baby at the clubhouse, in my apartment. Hell, riding a baby on my bike. How would that shit even work?

  “If that’s what you want. Come on, Hunter. You and Skylar grew up with one parent the majority of your lives. I know you don’t want that boy to do the same thing. I know you didn’t want that for Maisy.”

  I shrug, tossing the rag onto the counter. “He has two parents. Allie is engaged, remember?”

  He laughs. “Oh, I remember. Paul. The dickwad she met in rehab when s
he was strung out. Sounds like a keeper.”

  The same thoughts have crossed my mind. How did they even form a relationship? Shouldn’t he have been staying away from her? He was a nurse, and she was a patient. How does that even happen without crossing lines?

  “She doesn’t seem too distraught about his disappearance,” Jake scoffs.

  I grin, the old camaraderie we share still there even though I pretend it isn’t. Some things don’t change no matter how hard you try.

  “You noticed that too, huh?”

  “Damn right. She didn’t shed a tear, and this guy put a fucking ring on her finger. Something isn’t right.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking.”

  Something definitely isn’t right. A happy, soon-to-be-married man doesn’t walk out of his house without a trace. Whatever it is, I’ll get to the bottom of it. If he’s going to be a father figure for my son, I need to know everything about him.

  ALLIE

  I push the buggy down the aisle, stopping to grab a package of diapers from the shelf before I look over my shoulder. Again. I can’t shake this eerie feeling that I’m being followed, but every time I look, no one’s there.

  I’ve been to this grocery store dozens of times. Mostly, I’m with Paul, and we have Wes with us. It’s not out of the ordinary for me to come here.

  But Paul isn’t with us. I haven’t heard from him at all.

  “It’s okay, baby. I got you,” I whisper to Wes.

  And I do. I won’t let anything happen to him. I would die first. He means everything to me. Every-fucking-thing. When I first realized I was late and what that could mean, I was terrified. I didn’t want to be pregnant, much less with Hunter’s baby. I knew I would be doing it completely and utterly alone. He wouldn’t be in the picture, not after the things he said to me.

  Feeling Wes move for the first time was indescribable. I was growing this life inside me, and he was mine. The drugs had to stop for good. While I was getting clean, I prayed I hadn’t done irreparable damage to my baby. Never again will I relapse. Never again will I touch a single one.