Club Scars

by Mara McBain

  “Yeah. The pissant had an attitude. He wasn’t working out, and he grabbed my old lady’s tits. He’s lucky to still be breathing,” Crux grumbled, hooking the leather thong that held the Tiger’s Eye. He rubbed the smooth stone between his thumb and forefinger. “What was he saying about your necklace?”

  “He was just spouting off about the type of stone and asking my sign,” she said with an eye-roll. “Lame. Do I like the symbolism mumbo-jumbo for Tiger’s Eye? Sure. But I love the necklace because it was a birthday gift from Gin. I sure as hell don’t wear it to pick up geeks in the bar.”

  Crux smiled and picked her up off the dryer. She stroked his shoulders as he walked. His strength never failed to amaze her. Even nine months pregnant, he carried her like she was nothing. He carried her all the way up the stairs and they tumbled onto the bed together, his hands going to her belly to stroke reverently.

  “I needed to blow off some steam tonight,” he said softly.

  “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  He shook his head, bowing over her to caress the swell of her belly with his lips. “You’re doing it.”

  Kat stroked his hair and closed her eyes, giving herself up to his touch.

  Two

  Cupping a steaming mug of cappuccino in her hands, Kat watched the birds gather at the feeder. Their bright colored plumage contrasted with the stark winter wonderland. Everything was so beautiful and pristine after the snowfall. The slam of the dryer door shattered the tranquility inside and she sighed as her husband’s muttered curses floated from the utility room. He appeared a moment later, dark hair standing on end and exasperation clearly stamped on his weary face. Weren’t Mondays grand?

  “What’re you looking for?”

  “Where the hell is my lined flannel?”

  “It’s hanging on the rod in the laundry room. I pulled it out of the dryer but didn’t get laundry put away last night. I’m sorry.”

  “No worries.”

  “Obviously it is a worry or you wouldn’t be stomping through the house like a mad man. Is something bothering you?”

  “I’m running late.”

  Kat glanced at the clock. He had plenty of time.

  “Where’re the keys to the truck?”

  “Probably on the hook by the door where you hung them last time you drove the truck.”

  “The son-of-a-bitch better start.”

  Glancing at the substantial drift that ran along-side the garage and swept around the battered pickup, Kat tried to remember the last time he’d moved the poor thing. She swirled her cappuccino.

  “Is something wrong with the bike or have you suddenly gotten sensible in your old age?”

  “Reaper’s coming back to work today. I told him I’d stop by and pick him up.”

  “Is his Jeep broke down?”

  “I don’t fucking know. Why the hell are you asking me?”

  “Don’t bite my head off. I’m just trying to follow all this man logic.”

  “The doc doesn’t want him sucking in a bunch of cold air so he can’t ride and he shouldn’t be outside shoveling and shit.”

  Kat nodded and glanced back at the swirling snow.

  "Take mine."

  “I’m not leaving you here all day without a fucking vehicle.”

  "Good. I was thinking about going into Cleveland today."

  "Son-of-a-bitch!" he snarled, shaking coffee from his scalded hand. He leveled an accusatory glare on her. "You're not driving in this shit. The roads are icy and it's colder than a witch’s tit out there."

  "Like I said, take mine."

  "You did that on purpose."

  Kat gave him a look of wide-eyed innocence and giggled.

  "Someone wants her ass kicked this morning."

  Kat smirked and rubbed her belly pointedly.

  His fearsome glare darkened.

  "You do realize that the kid is going to come out of there eventually and then you’ll have a lot of ass kickings coming?"

  "You can't remember where you put your keys. What makes you think your poor, sleep deprived brain is going to remember how many times I pissed you off in the last nine months?" Kat asked.

  "You're an evil woman," he said, walking toward her.

  "Which is why you love me."

  He leaned over her, corded arms bracketing her body so there was no escape.

  "You're banking an awful lot on that love. I think I could beat your ass without hurting the baby."

  Kat bit her lip. She searched his face. Damn he was scary, and sexy. She tried her cute smile. He didn’t blink. She swallowed hard. Leaning forward, she kissed his chin. He didn’t move. Wrapping her hands around his biceps, she used him for leverage and wiggled into a kneeling position on the bench seat. She trailed her nails through the crisp, dark hair on his forearms.

  “Am I going to like it?” she whispered.

  A low growl vibrated through his chest. His green eyes narrowed to reptilian slits. She stopped petting him and leaned back. Her stomach rolled. Crux wasn’t playing.

  “I-I-that is…we…love you,” she stammered. The baby chose that moment to kick like a mule. She probably deserved it for being stupid.

  Crux leaned closer. The beginning of real fear crawled down her spine. She sat back on her ass suddenly. Her bladder protested. His lips slanted over hers in a hard, possessive kiss that left her breathless and heart hammering. He eased back, his expression still serious, and then he winked.

  “You’re damn lucky I love you.”

  Kat slumped.

  “Jesus! You almost made me piss myself!” she said, slapping at him in agitation.

  He chuckled and helped her out of the breakfast nook so she could waddle to the bathroom. Leaning against the counter, he sipped his coffee, while she muttered and tinkled.

  “You deserved it woman. Don’t mess with your old man before coffee.”

  “Put some gas in the Navigator today, will you?” she asked, coming back out and squeezing past him into the kitchen. “And put some more of that gas antifreeze stuff in.”

  “So that’s why you want me to drive your vehicle. Is there even enough in there to get me to work?”

  Kat rolled her eyes at her husband and popped her cappuccino in the microwave to warm it back up. “It’s a little under a quarter of a tank. You’ll be fine. I meant to put some in it last night, but it was cold.”

  “Aww, poor baby,” he teased, dropping a kiss on her lips as he headed out to start the vehicle.

  Crux shook his head watching his club brother step back up on the porch to kiss his beautiful girlfriend goodbye. The fucker had it bad whether he knew it or not. Maybe this time together had been good for them. Nothing like a good woman to put life in perspective, he thought. He leaned on the horn as Reaper walked in front of the SUV, drawing the middle finger from him and prompting a couple of porch lights to pop on in the neighborhood. Gunning it out of the drive, he let the posh four-wheel-drive get a little squirrelly on the empty streets before straightening it out.

  “Thanks for the ride, asshole. How’d we rate the Lincoln?”

  “I told her the roads were shitty and she could keep her ass at home.”

  Reaper laughed.

  “Lee happy you’re going back to work?” Crux asked.

  “Hell yeah. She gave me the polite Chink crap about missing me, but she’s probably soaking in a bubble bath with a sissy coffee as we speak,” Reaper said with a grimace.

  “A month at home with her and you still don’t get that she’s Japanese.”

  “Oh, it’s not that I don’t get it. It’s that I still don’t give a shit,” Reaper corrected and they both laughed. “So what the fuck is going on at the shop?”

  “No need to worry, brother. I ran the new guy off,” Crux said with an evil grin. “Bowie probably won’t be too pleased, but the little fucker was way too cocky and planned on making himself right at home in your weld booth.”

  “Bowie said he was going to make it clear to the kid th
at when I was ready to come back the job was mine.”

  “Yeah, well, it seems the pissant had other ideas. He was running his mouth to Moxie about how he was the better welder and that you’d be pushing a broom when you got back.”

  “I’ll push a broom right up the college boy’s ass,” Reaper growled.

  “We came to an understanding Friday night. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

  "An understanding, huh?"

  "He picks up his tools and I let him continue to breathe, after he tried to feel up my wife's tits. I think that's more than understanding."

  “I'd say so. Thanks, Brother,” Reaper said, a wicked grin lighting his face. "Kat didn't castrate the dumb ass?"

  "Pregnancy has mellowed her," Crux said, chuckling as he whipped the Navigator into the gas station.

  A roar went up as Reaper and Crux walked into the shop. Coffee cups were set aside long enough to deliver back-slapping hugs to their returning brother.

  “It’s good to see you back, Bro.” Mox said, offering him a donut.

  “Fuck. I even warrant donuts from you cheap asses. You must have missed me,” Reaper said with a laugh.

  “I had a coupon,” Sambo cracked.

  “Which one of you smart asses ran the college boy off before Reaper’s been cleared to go back in the weld booth?” Bowie asked looking down his nose at his assembled employees.

  They looked at one another, grins threatening.

  “What makes you think someone ran him off?”

  “The pretty bruise covering his glass jaw and the sheepish non-answers I got when he came to pick up his shit kinda gave it away.”

  “The numb-nut stuck his hand in Kat’s cleavage at the fucking bar Friday night,” Crux said defensively.

  “So Kat kicked his ass,” Bowie said with a sage nod. “Never mess with pregnancy hormones. Still means you’re in the booth until Reaper’s cleared.”

  Crux groaned as the others laughed.

  “Sorry, man. I told you the doc’s being over cautious,” Reaper said with an unapologetic shrug.

  “It’s better than putting up with the pansy ass,” Mox muttered.

  The buzzer blared overhead muffling the other guy’s agreement. Refilling coffee mugs and shoving donuts in their mouths, they trudged off to their work stations.

  Stuffing the last of Crux’s t-shirts in the bottom drawer, Kat straightened from her knees with a groan and looked around the master bedroom. She tucked the empty laundry basket in the bottom of the closet and closed the door with a sigh. That was the last of it. She bit her bottom lip, mentally crossing off her endless to-do list. For once, nothing new came to mind. The thick duvet covering their bed beckoned her. She looked at the clock, calculating how long she had before Crux got home. Dinner was on a slow simmer. She ran a hand over the downy soft bed cover. What the hell? Crawling onto the bed, she hooked her emerald, chenille throw from the foot and nuzzled into Crux’s pillow. A short nap wouldn’t hurt. Eyes drifting shut, she gave in to the numbing exhaustion.

  Crux stomped off his boots and stepped into the welcome warmth of the mudroom. He leaned the snow shovel in the corner. Pulling off his gloves, he blew into his cupped hands. It was getting colder. Where the hell was spring? Tossing his gloves and hat on top of the washer to dry, he shucked out of his coat. The spicy aroma of chili wafted to him and his stomach growled. Picking at the frozen laces on his boots, he shed those and wandered into the kitchen.

  Kat nowhere in sight, he helped himself to a sampling of dinner and smacked his lips at the burn. Pouring the last bit of remaining coffee in a mug, he warmed it in the microwave before going in search of his wife.

  He frowned and blew on his coffee as he climbed the stairs. His scarred face softened to a smile when he looked through their bedroom door. Curled up on the plush sage bed cover, her features relaxed in sleep, she looked like an angel. Shoving off the door frame, Crux pulled the blanket up over her shoulder. She didn’t stir. His stomach growled again and he smiled to himself as he backed from the room.

  Kat stretched, rubbing her nose against the soft cotton of the pillow case. She felt so much better. Yawning, she rolled to look at the clock. She blinked. Bolting upright, her head snapped around to look out the window. It was dark. She stumbled over her blanket as her feet hit the floor. Snatching it up, she tossed it back to the bed as she hurried for the stairs. Shit! Crux had to have been home for over an hour. Why hadn’t he woken her up?

  Fuzzy socks slipping on the polished stairs she forced herself to slow down. The brisk scrape of a whisk sounded from the kitchen as she waddled through the living room. Crux looked up from the mixing bowl as she stopped in the doorway.

  “Hello, my sleeping beauty.”

  The center island looked like a war zone. She couldn’t help smiling. He looked so proud of himself. “Hello yourself, handsome. What’re you doing there?”

  “Making some cornbread to go with the chili.”

  “That sounds delicious, baby.”

  “You feeling okay?” he asked, his forehead wrinkling in concern.

  “I’m fine, promise. You should’ve woken my lazy ass up,” she said, blushing a little as she dug for the muffin tin.

  “You obviously needed the sleep. The doctor said you need to listen to your body, and since you don’t listen to me when I tell you to take it easy, you should listen to someone.”

  Kat stuck her tongue out at him as she popped the liners in the cups. “How nasty is it supposed to get out there?”

  “They aren’t calling for any more snow. It’s too cold; just wind and low temperatures. I shoveled us out. If this fucking wind keeps up I’ll probably have to do it again in the morning.”

  “If it’s shitty like this, don’t bother. I’m not going out in this crap. It’s March already. Where the hell is spring?”

  “I said the same damn thing when I was shoveling, but your calendar over there tells me we have three weeks yet.”

  Kat glanced at the Happy Bunny calendar and flipped it the bird.

  “Smart ass rabbit anyway.”

  Crux laughed and checked the open cookbook before turning the oven on.

  “I thought you reserved your cooking for the open flame.”

  He shrugged, shoving the book back onto the built-in shelf. “Too fucking cold for an open flame so I thought I’d desecrate your kitchen. Come to find out, cookbooks aren’t much different than reading mechanic’s manuals.”

  “They’re just coated in flour and vegetable oil instead of grease and motor oil,” she teased as she started putting away the baking supplies. She glanced at him, biting her lip self-consciously. “I didn’t expect to sleep that long.”

  He reached over to rub the back of her neck. “Not a problem. You’re sleeping for two,” he said with a smile.

  She snapped him with a dishtowel.

  “Speaking of, I bought you a box of Swiss Cakes on the way home tonight.”

  “Aww! Someone wants naked time tonight. You’re a brave man.”

  “Knock that shit off. You know I think you’re beautiful.”

  Kat laughed and waddled over to him for a hug.

  Kat smiled in the dark as Crux wrapped around her from behind. A little shiver of excitement skittered down her spine as his hot breath fanned the side of her neck. She wiggled her butt, nestling it back into the heat of his groin.

  “How’re you feeling?”

  “Promise not to run screaming into the snow if I say horny as hell?”

  He chuckled against her ear, his voice a throaty purr, “Promise.”

  Her eyes closed as his callused hands slid under her nightshirt to rub her swollen belly. She’d long ago given up being self-conscious of her changing shape. Crux had been fascinated with their growing child since before anyone could tell she was carrying. The baby rolled, responding to its father’s touch. As crazy as it sounded, their connection was so damn sexy. He was going to make an amazing father and that was hot as hell. She gasped as a foot or an
elbow gouged into her ribs. Crux tickled the bulge with gentle fingers until the little one rolled away.

  He tugged on her nightshirt and she obediently shifted and lifted her arms so he could pull it off her. Settling back around her, he stroked her full breasts. She moaned as he rolled her nipples lightly. They were so damn sensitive. She could feel him hard against the back of her thigh. He growled as she swayed her hips, teasing him. He lifted her top leg slightly and slowly impaled her.

  Kat bit her lip at the amazing fullness. Her muscles contracted around him. He pushed deeper into her tunnel, flattening against her back. She shuddered. A low whimper escaped her as he squeezed her breasts. Her nails dug into the sheets as he started to rock in her. Her breath came in pants. It was amazing what he could do with short, slow thrusts. Her teeth sank deeper into her bottom lip as she pushed back onto him. It was heaven.

  They rocked in unison for what seemed an eternity, their bodies melded. A keening whimper broke from Kat’s throat. She wanted him to press her down into the mattress and grind into her until their sweaty bodies exploded but her belly wouldn’t allow it. She wanted to feel the power of his body. She needed it.

  “Get up on your knees.”

  Gooseflesh erupted over her fevered skin at the low growl of his voice. She moved slowly, not wanting to lose contact with him. He pulled out and she whimpered.

  “Knees!” he ordered.

  Pulling her knees up, Kat pushed up onto all fours. He groped her ass. She leaned back into his touch, arms and legs trembling. He rubbed the head of his cock teasingly against her swollen lips, pulling back when she tried to rock back onto him. She tried to reach back for him and ended up with her face planted in the pillows. He laughed.

  “Smooth, Grace.”

  “Shut up and fuck me,” she said, the order coming out a frustrated whine.

  Her teeth sank into the pillow as he filled her. She rocked back into his thrusts. The bed springs squawked in protest and she bit back a giggle. His fingers bit into her hips, and he pounded into her. She forgot about the bed. Grunts and her gasping cries filled the room. She was so damn close. A low keen erupted into a cry of bliss as an orgasm rippled through her. Crux slammed hard into her half-a-dozen more times and then bellowed his release.