by LeAnn Ashers
Locke nods.
Lane stares at a man across the room. “You will protect my daughter. She will spend her days in the club and you will be her constant guard.”
The man nods, and Lane turns away.
The rest of the members get busy preparing for it to all go to shit. I find everything I possibly can about these guys. For the next hour, we make a plan. Two of Lane’s men and Vin and Trey will plant tracking devices on their bikes along with a bomb. If they try to attack the club, we will blow them up. We will all be alarmed if they move in the direction of Lane and our club. Lane has his own tech guy, who I will be working close with.
These men aren’t going to get the best of us. They picked the wrong fucking club to mess with. I grin and sit back in my chair. I can’t wait to make these fuckers pay. Rapists, pedophiles, abusers. It will make my fucking day to rid the Earth of them.
I look around the room and can feel and see the rage. Butch has his knife out, stabbing the table over and over. He catches me looking and grins evilly, his eyes lighting with glee.
Crazy fucker.
“How are you holding up, girl?” Chrystal asks me. She is sitting on the floor, playing with her seven-year-old daughter, who is the spitting image of her mother.
Mia is currently in my lap asleep. The minute Ryan left with the men, she walked over to me and climbed onto my lap. This is the first time I have ever held a child. I have to admit that my heart melted. The feeling is indescribable. This little girl is so innocent and untouched by the horrible things in life. It hurts me to think that this beautiful angel may face hardships in her life.
The men have been back in the room for at least an hour now. I am curious as to what’s happening and what they are talking about.
I turn to Chrystal. “I’m fine, honey. How are you holding up after last night?”
She shrugs. “It’ll be over before you know it.”
“I say we go out to eat together after this, all the members of our club and Lane’s club. Give us all some bonding time,” Kayla pipes in with a blinding grin, rubbing her pregnant stomach.
Kayla is blind, and I wish she knew how beautiful she is.
Chrystal claps excitedly. She flashes a beaming smile at Myra and me. “That’s a perfect idea! I’ll call and see if the steakhouse down town has enough room to seat us all. How many men do you think there are?” she asks me.
I mentally try to count them all. “I would say at least thirty, including us.”
I shift baby Mia in my lap, and she squirms and sits up. I feel guilty now for having woken her up. She turns over in my lap and then lays her head on my shoulder. My heart melts at how sweet this little girl is. I look at Myra, her mother, and she’s looking at her daughter with so much love.
My heart hurts because I wish I had my mother. I have so many good memories of her. I remember her taking me to the park, rocking me to sleep, baking with me… And then, all of a sudden, my mother is gone.
“All right. They are putting tables together for us,” Chrystal calls through the room as she walks back into the clubhouse living room. Chrystal is beautiful. She has blonde hair, is petite, and gives off a vibe that makes you want to be around her.
“So, you fell into the washer?” Myra asks and bursts out laughing.
I groan and hide my face with my hand. Jordan and his big mouth. Everyone joins in with Myra, and I can’t help but giggle along with them.
“Don’t feel bad, girl. It’s almost happened to me many times,” Kayla reassures me through her deep laughter.
I feel at ease with these girls, and that’s something I’m not used to. I had a friend, but she rarely came around and I hardly went over there. Her mother didn’t like me. I was the real deal trailer trash.
“So.” Myra scoots closer to me and looks around the room.
I bend down closer to her, expecting her to tell me a secret.
“Have you and Techy fucked yet?” she asks.
My mouth pops open, and I blush. Did she just ask me that? I look to Chrystal and Kayla, who have scooted closer too.
“No,” I mutter and blush deeper.
“Ohhh!” Kayla draws out.
“Have you guys fooled around yet?” Myra asks.
Kayla scoffs, rolling her eyes. “Of course she has! It’s Techy.”
My belly churns uncomfortably. “I-I… We haven’t,” I tell them and then nervously lick my lips because I don’t know how to act right now. I’m a virgin and so far from experienced.
“What’s the holdup?” Chrystal’s eyes are lit with excitement.
I know that Jordan will be my first and I don’t want to put a timeframe on something like that. So I say, “I’m a virgin.”
All of them gasp. My eyebrows arch at their shock.
“I wish Torch was mine!” Kayla pouts,
I laugh at her. Mia opens her little fist and grabs my cut. Turning my head to the side, I kiss the top of her head.
The doors open and the men file out. Chrystal jumps up and goes up to Kyle. My gaze goes to my man, who eyes me as he stalks over to me.
He’s so hot. There’s no other word for this man. The way he carries himself, the way he talks. I really like everything about him. I hold my breath as he gets closer and closer. I still get those nervous butterfly jitters around him.
He stops in front of me and looks at my face then to Mia. His face softens to something I haven’t ever seen before. “Fucking beautiful.”
I blush and hold Mia tighter.
“All right, everyone. Let’s go out to eat downtown at the blue steakhouse!” Kyle yells.
Behind Jordan, Ryan approaches me. I kiss Mia on the head and hand her over to him. He winks at me and then pats Jordan on the back.
Jordan leans forward and takes both of my hands. He pulls me from my seat and my front collides with his. I bite my lip, grinning. Jordan bites my lip. He pulls my lip free and sucks it into his mouth.
My knees buckle, and he tightens his grip on me. I hold his face, pulling my lip free. I kiss him hard. I slide my hands up his face to his hair, and I tug on the ends. Jordan chuckles. I feel his hand move down my back to my butt, and he slams my bottom half against his.
“Come on, guys!” Chrystal yells.
I pull back. I laugh and hide my face against Jordan’s chest. He buries his hand into my hair, and he chuckles as he kisses the top of my head.
Jordan finds it amusing that I get embarrassed. How could I not? I was caught in an uncontrolled make-out session in front of thirty bikers.
“Don’t worry, angel. They know who you belong to.”
I burst out laughing. Grabbing his hand, I pull him along with me as I meet up with Chrystal, who is waiting on me. She strips out of her cut and puts a bulletproof vest on. I still have mine on under my clothes.
Jordan puts his hand on the small of my back, leading me out the door. Chrystal’s daughter is getting loaded in a huge Hummer by Kyle. A man climbs in behind the wheel. Kyle slams the door shut. Ryan is on the other side of the Hummer, putting his daughter in.
Jordan pops a tablet out and steps away from me. He walks over to the Hummer on the driver’s side. The window pops open, and the man takes the iPad. He puts the iPad on top of the dashboard.
I walk over to Jordan’s bike. Butch is parked directly beside him. My helmet is hanging off the handlebars. I pull it off and put the helmet on my head. After grabbing the straps, I try to buckle them.
“Here,” Butch says. Then he pops in front of me and buckles my helmet for me.
That was sweet. I smile at him and pat his forearm. Butch looks at his forearm like he can’t believe I touched him. Then, to my surprise, a slight smile tugs at his lips.
“Ready, angel?” Jordan climbs onto his bike.
I nod and climb on behind him. He grabs my bottom and pulls me flush up against him. He starts the bike, and then I see Lane raising his hand above his head.
The gate opens and my stomach twists with excitement. Kyle, with Chryst
al on the back of his bike, and Lane drive together out of the gate. Everyone follows closely behind. Butch is driving his bike directly beside us. Ryan and Myra are in front of us. Behind us is the Hummer. It has all the kids in it. Liam is driving beside the Hummer like he’s guarding it.
I love this! I love the feeling and seeing all of these motorcycles driving together. Not able to help myself, I let out a whoop and lift my arms above my head, my head thrown back and the wind pushing my hair behind me.
Jordan shakes with laughter, and I grin up at the sun. Leaning forward, my hand going back to Jordan’s waist, I crane my neck to the side. Butch is shaking his head with a small smile.
For the next ten minutes, it’s just us and the open road. Myra turns around every minute or so and grins at me. She loves this as much as I do. This is where I am meant to be for the rest of my life. I feel it deep in my soul.
There’s a huge curve up above us, and I lean with Jordan. He takes one hand off the handlebar and grips my knees in a tight grip. Once we get past the curve, the town comes into view. I love this town. It’s a growing city, but it still has the hometown, country feel to it.
There’s a green light up ahead, and everyone guns it so we can all make it through before it turns red. I burst out laughing as I hear vehicles squealing.
A few minutes later, we pull up in front of the steakhouse we were at last night. Kyle and Lane pull in and park beside each other. The rest of us all pile in.
People have stopped in the middle parking lot to stare at the number of bikers. Amusement bubbles as I watch them turn around and get right back into their vehicles. Jordan climbs off and then helps me off. I take my helmet off and sit it on the handlebars of the bike.
Jordan tucks me into his side, his hand resting half on my back and half on my ass. His touches are getting more and more frequent—not that I mind.
I lick my lips and wrap my arm around him. Jordan, with a grip on my jaw, roughly pulls my head to the side, and I grin. He puts his lips on mine in a short, hot kiss.
I will never grow tired of kissing this man. Ever.
We enter the steakhouse after Kyle, Chrystal, and their daughter. Chrystal informs the lady at the front that we have reserved seats. She stares at all of us, wide-eyed, taking in all of the men. I have to admit they probably do look scary. They are all tattooed and scarred, especially Butch and some guy in Lane’s MC. His face is scarred up, and his eyes are almost black. He catches me looking and grins at me. I quickly turn away, and Butch moves beside me, blocking my view of the man.
Butch is staring down at me, and he full-out grins.
Oh my God.
I didn’t realize how handsome he is. He has tattoos running up his neck and down to the top of his chest. His arms are completely covered. His nose looks like it’s been broken way too many times. He has a birthmark under his eye that adds to his to scary-o-meter. His hair is cut short on the sides, but on top, the hair hangs down to his ears.
The lady grabs a huge stack of menus and leads us to the back of the restaurant. A huge table stretches from one end of the room to the other. There are other people seated in tables of two and fours. We all take our seats, and I end up sitting next to Jordan and Butch.
I want the same thing I had last night, so I don’t even bother opening the menu. I push my seat in closer to the table. Jordan suddenly whips his head to the side. I jump at the movement. He grins at me, and I suck my lips into my mouth. What is he doing?
He leans forward, his face dangerously close to mine. I suck in a sharp breath, my heart pounding. I feel his hands on either side of my hips. Then my feet are off the floor as the chair and I are lifted off the floor.
I gasp and hold on to his forearms. He sets me back down, but I am side to side with him. He wraps an arm around me and pulls me into his side.
I get it now. You couldn’t wipe the grin off my face if you tried. His head moves in, his lips grazing my ear. I shiver.
“I wanted you to be close to me. Fuckers are staring at you.”
I laugh in disbelief at this man. “Possessive much?”
He kisses my ear. “I am possessive, especially over my woman.”
Oh dang. I shake my head as I look around the room at all the men. Half of them are staring at Jordan and me with shit-eating grins. Blushing, I look at my plate.
“Fucking beautiful,” Jordan whispers to me.
I blush deeper. He starts shaking with laughter, and I smack him on the leg. That’s what he gets for enjoying my embarrassment.
Jordan has a bad habit of saying fuck with everything, I’ve noticed.
Butch growls beside me, and I sit really still, my eyes wide. I slowly look over from the corner of my eye. He’s glaring at something, holding a steak knife in his hand. With wide eyes, I follow his gaze.
To my utter shock, he is staring at a woman in front of us. She’s sitting with another girl. She is blond and super tiny but has killer curves. Her hair hangs down to the middle of her back. She has large, brown eyes that give her a doe-eyed look. She has a small pert nose, long eyelashes and her lips are full.
She looks so sweet. But why is Butch staring at her? She is staring at him too, a small smile on her face. She winks at him, and I jump in shock.
Holy shit.
She turns her gaze from Butch and then turns back to the waitress, who is holding a piece of paper. She shakes her head and then pushes her hand away. Oh, I get it. He was hitting on her.
Butch’s body relaxes, but he doesn’t take his eyes off her for a second.
She watches him too, not scared at all.
“Do you see this?” I whisper to Jordan.
“Mhm,” he mumbles.
I sit back in my seat. He shakes his head in disbelief.
The woman stands up and looks at Butch. She winks again and picks her purse up. She turns around and walks out of the room.
Butch stands up and walks out, following her.
He’s following her!
I burst out laughing, and Jordan joins with me. Then a couple of men sitting around do too. I seriously can’t believe all of this.
Once everyone is done eating we all go our separate ways. I wave bye to everyone, and Jordan and I go farther into town for a ride.
Thirty minutes into our drive, we pull to a stop at a secluded lake. The more we ride, the more I fall in love with it.
“What are we doing here?” I ask Jordan and climb off.
He gives me a wicked grin. His fingers loop into my belt loops on my jeans. “We are marking something off the bucket list of yours. We are going skinny-dipping.”
My jaw hits the ground. “With you?”
He winks. “With me.”
Oh my God. I can’t get naked in front of him. He saw me when I got hurt and lifted me out of the tub, but this is totally different.
Jordan laughs and then goes over to his saddlebag. He pulls a bikini out. I glare at him. He made me think I was going to have to go naked.
He walks over, hands me a suit, then walks behind a tree. I hurry out of my clothes and slip the bikini on. I am mentally freaking out. I run my hands up and down my legs, my nerves getting the best of me. I take my hair down and put it back up in a bun on top of my head.
Jordan whistles at me, and I blush deeply. He chose a white, skimpy bathing suit.
“Damn angel,” he calls.
I grin, shaking my head. Jordan is in swimming trunks, strutting his way over to me. His abs are on full display. This man is ripped. His arms are huge and muscular. And don’t get me started on his killer smile.
He stops right in front of me. His gaze drags lazily up and down my body. I set my hand on his chest. His fingers wrap round my wrist, and he raises my arm above my head.
“Spin.”
I do as he wants, and he whistles again. I laugh and turn around.
“You sure do know how to make a woman feel confident.” I wink at him.
Jordan grins at me. “You should know how fucking gorgeous you
are every day.”
Be still my heart. This man. No words.
“Jordan,” I whisper as tears fill my eyes. I have never been so happy in my entire life.
Jordan leans forward, and I think he is going to kiss me, but his shoulders come to my stomach and I get thrown over his shoulder.
I scream and laugh. He runs with me down toward the water. My forehead hits the small of his back.
“I can’t swim!” I yell out before he jumps off the dock.
We hit the chilly water with a big splash. I hold my breath and clutch Jordan for dear life. He pulls me off his shoulder and into his arms. We surface and I suck in a ragged breath.
I let Jordan go to see if I can touch the bottom on my own, but I sink. Jordan lifts me back up, and my legs go around his waist. The water reaches the bottom of his chest.
I am face-to-face with him. His hair is wet and slicked back, and I look like something close to a drowned rat. I move my hands up and down his arms, and his hands flex on my butt where he is holding with both hands.
“It’s not skinny-dipping, but it’s close enough.”
I nod in agreement. “I never realized how much I’ve missed in my life until now. I’ve never even been swimming before. Jordan, you have given me so much…” I trail off, touching his cheek. “Thank you so much.”
His face softens. “Angel, you’re my woman and I want you to have the best life possible. To do everything you dreamed of. And I am going to be right by your side.”
Butterflies. My stomach is a mess of butterflies.
A drop of water is hanging off his top lip. Not able to stop myself, I kiss him. I surround his face with my arms, my hands sinking into his hair.
He pulls back and growls, “Mine.”
Sweet baby Jesus. I tighten my legs around him as the kiss heats up. He pushes me by my butt into his erection, grinding me into him. I just noticed him being hard. I start to ache and grind into him.
He stiffens, and I stop, fearing I have done something wrong. He grips my ass tighter and then pushes me into him. His lips move over mine like never before. He nips, sucks and licks, and my mind is blown.