Worth the Pain (Royal Bastards MC Book 2)

by J. L. Leslie

  “There are wipes in his bag over there. I tried to tell you to get a burp cloth.”

  “That is the most horrible smell,” he mutters, grabbing the pack of wipes.

  “Nope. His dirty diapers are.”

  “Okay, I agree with that. Jesus, kid.”

  I get his pacifier and lay him down in his bassinet, his eyes already getting droopy. I watch him a moment, making sure he’s going to sleep before I go back for my cheese and crackers.

  “Is that all it takes to make you happy?” Hunter jokes. “Cheese and crackers?”

  “Watermelon too. But you took care of that as well.”

  “I have my moments.”

  I squirt some more cheese into my mouth, not even bothering with the crackers. It’s so damn good. Of course, it makes me remember how I craved this so much in rehab. Which makes me remember how I was pregnant and alone. And that makes me remember how Hunter treated me. My mind instantly goes into this whirlwind of whether I’m making a huge ass mistake giving him another shot.

  “Stop thinking so loudly.”

  I laugh a little, feeling like he’s read my mind. “What does that mean?”

  “I don’t know, Allie. I was an asshole before, and you’re wondering if I’ve changed. If this is a mistake.”

  “You’re always an asshole.”

  “True. But this is not a mistake.”

  He puts his hand over mine, his fingertip making lazy circles on my palm. The air between is so charged, so tense. Even when he was ignoring me before, all those years I tried getting his attention, there was this chemistry between us. This intensity. It’s always been there.

  Am I insane for wanting him? For needing him? For opening my heart to him?

  Maybe so. But if that’s the case, commit me.

  HUNTER

  “I should’ve done things differently, Allie,” I admit, staring down at her hand. I need to focus on it so I can get these words out. “I shouldn’t have said those things to you that night. I didn’t mean a single fucking word. I fucked up and was pissed off at myself. I took it out on you.”

  “Why?”

  I heave out a breath. “You were Wesley’s family. I crossed a line.”

  “Hunter, there weren’t any lines to cross.”

  “And I’ve been playing this push and pull game with you since. It’s fucked. I know it.”

  She shifts on the couch, tucking one leg under her and angling herself toward me. She fidgets her thumbs as if she’s nervous.

  “But you’re done with that, right? No more games.”

  Having her and Wes here feels like I filled some sort of void in my life I didn’t realize was there. My apartment wasn’t a home until I put them in it. Now, it’s the way it should be.

  “None.”

  Allie squeezes my hand, then stands up, facing me as she slides her pants down and off. She’s wearing a pair of light pink cotton panties, no sexy lingerie, and I’ll be damned if the sight of her in them doesn’t make me rock hard. Pushing them down, she kicks them off before lowering herself to straddle my lap. Her hands trail down my abdomen, tracing my inked skin. She touches the gunshot wound, now an ugly scar.

  “I am so afraid you’re going to break me again,” she admits. “So afraid of the pain I know you can cause me.”

  “I won’t ever hurt you again,” I promise. “Allie, you’re the one who can break me. Don’t you see that?”

  Without replying, she unbuttons my jeans and eases my dick out, stroking her hand up and down, spreading my precum over the tip. I keep my eyes on her, resting my hands on her hips.

  She continues to stroke me, seemingly mesmerized by how hard she’s making me. I reach between her legs and slide my finger along her cleft, making her quiver. I trail my hands along her thighs and to her core, against her soft wet flesh, pressing one finger inside her. She bites her bottom lip, stifling a moan as she rocks against me. I want to hear her scream, want to fucking make her scream. But I understand why she’s trying to be quiet. Wes is sleeping ten feet away.

  “One day, I’ll hear you scream my name again,” I whisper that promise.

  Her head falls back as I finger fuck her, adding a second finger inside her hot cunt. She’s glorious, her face flushed, in total abandon on top of me. She clutches at my wrist, and I withdraw my fingers from her. Gripping her ass, I position my dick at her entrance. Allie tilts my chin up, watching me as she takes me inch by inch.

  We don’t bother with protection. I never have with her. I know when she had Wes there were complications. That she can’t have any more kids. Wes is it. The only child she’ll ever have is mine.

  “Can I trust you?” she asks, and I know she’s not referring to the fact that I’m fucking her bare. Can she trust me with her heart?

  “Yes.”

  I pull her down, capturing her lips as I begin to move, thrusting my hips up. Lord have mercy, she feels incredible. She rocks against me, meeting my thrusts, digging her fingers into my shoulders. I dig mine into her ass cheeks, breaking our kiss, and bounce her up and down on my dick, her soft mewls driving me crazy with need. She drops her head back again, her lips parting, a gasp escaping. She’s close. I grind against her clit, her whispered, “Oh, Hunter,” music to my ears. Then I lift her and lay her back on the couch, slamming into her over and over again, chasing my own release as I fuck her relentlessly.

  She rests one leg over the back of the couch, the other falling over the side, her toes scraping the carpet. I sit up, cupping her ass as I pound into her, watching my slickened dick disappear into her cunt. Magnificent. Mag-fucking-nificent.

  Allie reaches behind her head, gripping the arm of the couch, her eyelids hooded as she gazes at me. She arches her back, pressing herself down on me, and I groan as I come, her pussy tightening around me as she pulsates with another orgasm.

  No one else has compared to this. Not even close. I could’ve had this with her the whole time. I was an idiot for pushing her away. For causing her the pain I did. I’ll prove to her I’m worth the pain. I will never hurt her again.

  ALLIE

  I shift and roll over, nuzzling my face against Hunter’s chest. His morning wood juts against my stomach, jolting me awake.

  “Morning, sweetheart,” he says, his voice all gravelly and sexy.

  I want Hunter. I have always wanted Hunter. Now, I finally have him.

  “I can get used to this.”

  He gives me a cocky grin, making my stomach flutter. “You should. This is how the rest of your life is going to be.”

  Hunter gently kisses my forehead, showing me yet another sweet side of him, making me fall even harder for him. I didn’t know that was even possible. This man destroyed my heart, damn near destroyed my life. I shouldn’t love him the way I do. Still, I can’t bring myself to say the words. Not until I hear them from him. Not until I know without a shadow of a doubt he loves me.

  “I’ll check on the kid.”

  I roll my eyes. “He does have a name.”

  He chuckles. “I know.”

  I watch him climb off the bed and strut from the room in only a pair of gray boxer briefs, the material forming to his ass. That morning wood of his I mentioned…well, it’s damn near on display.

  “I’m getting up too,” I mumble, then quickly do just that before I keep staring at him.

  I make a pitstop in the bathroom then join him in Wes’s nursery. The guns are gone. The leather is gone. The smell still lingers, though. It suits him perfectly. I know without a doubt he’s going to be just like Hunter.

  “I think he likes it in here,” I comment.

  The only thing we have in here right now is his crib, the rocking chair, and a few boxes of his things.

  “What does he need?” Hunter asks. “You know, to make this room his.”

  “A dresser for one thing. I didn’t take the one he had since Paul purchased it,” I answer. “And maybe we can paint the room before I really unpack all his things.”

  “Whatev
er you want. We can get all that today and get it done.”

  “We have time. It’s not like he knows it’s not painted.”

  “I don’t want either of you living out of a box,” he says. “We’ll go pick out whatever you want for him.”

  I really like the sound of that. The three of us making this our place and doing it together.

  “Okay.”

  “And we’ll get you a car. The club has a few to choose from. They can add the cost to my dues.”

  His voice is almost urgent. Like he wants to take care of these things because he won’t be able to later. I don’t like the way he sounds, but I don’t want to read too much into it. Perhaps he simply wants to get us settled in.

  “You don’t have to do that for me. I can get a job, save up, and get a car.”

  “You need one, Allie. And I’m going to give you everything you need.”

  He presses a peck to my lips and heads down the hall to the bathroom while I go get Wes a bottle ready. I already feel at home here with him. Not like I’m a guest.

  Yes, I’m afraid of what may happen to him being in the club. I probably always will be. But I’m more afraid of what will happen to Wes and me if we aren’t with him. If we aren’t a family.

  HUNTER

  I carry the box full of dresser pieces into my apartment. I’ll make another trip down for the paint, and everything else Allie decided she wanted once we got in the store. She’s happy, though, so fucking happy, and I made her that way. Fucking pride swells in my chest.

  She carries Wes over to his bassinet and places him there, getting a diaper and some wipes out of his bag. She hums as she changes his diaper, and I let her know I’m going down to get the rest of the stuff. Once I’m back, I take the paint to Wes’s room and smile when Allie comes up behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist.

  “From gun room to nursery.”

  I laugh. “Who’s to say Wes won’t want guns in here one day?”

  “Because our son is not going to be a little hellion. He’s going to be a gentleman.”

  “Good luck with that.”

  I turn around and face her, pulling her to me so I can capture her lips. Her arms go around my neck as she stands on her tiptoes, eagerly returning my kiss. She slowly pulls back, letting her lips skim over my chin and down my neck as she drops to her knees. She licks her lips as she unbuckles my pants.

  “Yo, Hunt!”

  Allie gazes up at me, her eyebrow arched. She stands up and gives me a quick peck. “Maybe later.”

  “Definitely later,” I reply with a swift smack to her ass.

  I walk out of the room to find Bishop in my living room, tickling Wes’s tummy as he grins down at him.

  “That whole thing about you always being welcome? It no longer applies.”

  “You didn’t answer your phone, man. Mason’s been calling.”

  “Shit.”

  I find my phone on the kitchen counter, the battery dead. I forgot to charge it last night. Must’ve died while we were shopping.

  “The Eagles are headed our way so we can hash out the…” his voice trails off when Allie joins us. He clears his throat before continuing. “We need to go to the clubhouse.”

  There’s a flash of disappointment on Allie’s face, but she quickly masks it. We had plans to get Wes’s nursery ready today. I have a damn dresser to put together. I thought I had more time.

  “I’ll make this quick,” I assure her. “Do you want to come with me? Skylar might be there with Maisy.”

  She shakes her head. “No, I’m good. I’ll finish unpacking and get my mess cleaned up.”

  “I’ll be back as soon as I can. I…um, I’ll put together the dresser when I get home.”

  So close. So close to just blurting it out. Saying those three little words. But what do I know about love? My old man didn’t really have any relationships after my mom died. He didn’t show Skylar and me how that shit was supposed to work. I think that’s why she clung to Jake as long as she did. And at the time, he was safe because she knew they couldn’t be together. He was safe because he was all she knew.

  Well, I’ve known other women. A lot of them. And because of that, I know I’m in love with Allie. And I’m going to tell her at some point. But I don’t want it to be when Bishop is standing five feet away from us, waiting on me to head out.

  When I say it, she’ll know I mean it. I think she needs that. I know she fucking deserves that.

  ALLIE

  I thank Skylar for the ride and tell her I’ll only be a minute before getting out of the car. I grab the box from the trunk and head inside Southern Hospitality Rehab Center. I’ve spent the entire day unpacking and found a few of Paul’s things I must’ve packed by mistake. I don’t want them in Hunter’s place, not when we’re trying to make it our own.

  I step inside. Jill’s at the front desk on the phone. She waves me over before she disconnects.

  “No baby this time?” she asks, and I shake my head. “Listen, honey, I’m so sorry to hear about you and Paul not working out. Men. They can be such idiots.”

  I frown a bit, confused as to what she means. Sounds like Paul told her he’s the one who ended things. It doesn’t matter. If that’s what it takes for him to get over what happened between us, I’m good with it. I want him to be happy. I truly did not mean to hurt him.

  “Yes, they definitely are,” I agree. “I found a few things I wanted to return. I know he’s already gone for the day, but do you mind if I just drop them in his office?”

  “Sure. If it were me, I’d probably burn it all. Or trash it.”

  I laugh at that and head back to his office. He still has the picture of us on his desk, which makes me sad for him. I tell myself he’ll find someone who can love him the way he should be loved. I was not that person. Couldn’t be that person.

  I place the box of his things on his desk and write a short note, telling him exactly that. Ending it this way is much better than the yelling that occurred between us. No need for us to part on bad terms.

  I walk out, finding the front desk empty. A shine catches my eye as I walk past. Keys. I do a double-take, recognizing them. One of the Souls had those keys. He spun them around on his finger when I was there. Why in the world would Jill have them on her desk?

  Then it hits me. The guy in the grocery had been spinning his keys too. It was the same guy!

  “You headed out?”

  I startle at the sound of Jill’s voice. She simply comes back to sit at her desk, her behavior the same. Friendly. Sweet. Nothing out of the ordinary except the keys on her desk that belong to one of the Souls.

  “Yeah. Thanks for letting me drop that off.”

  “No problem. I’ll be telling Paul how stupid he was for ending things with you too. You’re going to do fine, though. You and that beautiful baby boy.”

  “Thanks. Take care of yourself.”

  I go back to the car and let Skylar know I’m ready to go. I’ll tell her about the keys once we get out of here. She backs out of the parking space and pulls off. I glance back, and a man is walking out of the center. The same man with the keys that were on Jill’s desk. The same man who was following me in the grocery store.

  “Back to your place?” Skylar asks.

  I shake my head. “No. We need to go to the clubhouse. I need to see Hunter.”

  “You know they’re having church. Jake said it could be a few hours.”

  “I don’t know what they’re planning. But whatever it is, they need to know what I just saw first.”

  She glances over at me. “Jesus, you’re white as a ghost. What did you see?”

  “I think I know who’s helping the Souls. It wasn’t Paul. It was Jill. It was her the whole time.”

  “Jill?”

  “She’s the receptionist at the rehab center. She checks everyone in, checks everyone out. She has access to patient records too. It was her all along.”

  The moment the words are out of my mouth, my body is jolted
forward. I turn and look behind us. All I can see are headlights from the vehicle riding our ass. I can’t see who’s driving, but my gut tells me it was the guy at the center. That he followed us. Knew I was onto them.

  Skylar punches the gas, but her car is no match for the truck. He rams us again, and both Wes and Maisy start crying as we skid off the road into the ditch.

  “Glovebox!” Skylar yells as she tries to restart the car.

  I pop it open and immediately grab the gun she has in there. I check the safety, making sure it’s off. The door to the truck slams, and he’s coming to finish us off.

  Not today, motherfucker.

  HUNTER

  I lean forward, my elbows on the table. I don’t like where this shit is headed. Neither does Jake. But we’re outnumbered. The vote will carry no matter how much I protest.

  “Mason, come on, man. This isn’t a good idea,” I say.

  “Tell me a better one,” he replies. “We want Dean alive. If we go in guns blazing, there’s a slim chance of that happening. Once we get him, then we can go in guns blazing.”

  “Whose fucked up idea was this?” Jake asks.

  Mason laughs. “Your ol’ lady.”

  Son of a bitch. I should’ve known Skylar would come up with some shit like this. It’s smart but too dangerous. We shouldn’t put the Harlots at risk.

  “The Harlots want to do their part,” Mason explains. “When we agreed to let them form their own club, we knew there would be risks.”

  I don’t point out that I was against that too. I understand other chapters have their female counterpart, but we’ve done fine without one.

  “And who would be going in?” I question. “Have you thought about what it means if we tell them to send someone in and they don’t make it out?”

  “That is unacceptable,” Mason says firmly, looking at all of us, including the Eagles. “They’re doing a job for us, so it’s our job to protect them at all costs.”