She had a point. But I didn’t like that she did. “Babe, will you let us suss this out, then invite everyone in?”
“Oh my word, Connor, they help children. What do you think they’re going to do to me?”
“Jesus.”
She grinned up at me. “Let’s go welcome our guests, darling.”
I reluctantly took her hand and led her to the bikers now getting off their bikes, their women following suit. Maisie smiled her million-dollar smile and welcomed the group, ushering everyone inside for drinks and food before I’d even had a chance to vet any of them.
“I’m Cowboy,” the club’s president said as he approached. “It’s nice to finally meet you face to face.”
I shook his hand. “Hatch.”
“This is Curly and Mongoose, my VP and Sergeant. The rest of the crew decided to take advantage of your woman’s hospitality apparently.”
I chuckled. “She’s certainly hospitable.”
“I know we’re early, but we had two bikes break down damn near back-to-back and had to trailer them. I knew we needed to get to a proper shop when Trouble couldn’t get ’em patched up, so I changed our route, and drove straight here. I figured we could make our repairs, and still have time to loop back around to the stops we bypassed. If that’s okay with you, of course.”
“Our shop, tools, and manpower are at your disposal, but first, come on in and get something to eat and drink. We’ll figure out what you need while you take a load off.”
“I appreciate that,” Cowboy said.
* * *
Maisie
“I’m Maisie,” I said to the pretty brunette grabbing a beer from the cooler.
“Oh, hey. I’m Trouble. Nice to meet ya.”
“Trouble, eh?”
She smiled shyly. “I was kind of a pain in the ass when Cowboy found me. I refused to give him my real name, so he started calling me Trouble. It stuck.”
“Admittedly, I’m not sure I can call such a beautiful young woman ‘Trouble,’” I said.
“Stephanie’s the name I was given as a baby,” she said. “But nobody calls me that. Ever.”
I smiled. “Got it. How about I introduce you to my daughter. You’re about the same age.”
She shrugged. “Sure.”
I took her over to the pool tables where Poppy and Devon appeared to be in a battle with two of the Burning Saints’ members, Sweet Pea and Doozer. Doozer was almost as tall as Sweet Pea, and far more demonstrative. Sweet Pea had a quiet cool about him, whereas Doozer was most definitely the class clown.
Doozer slid away from Sweet Pea and made his way to us, his mouth wide with a huge smile. “Well, hi there beautiful.”
“Hi,” I retorted, and he laughed. “This is Trouble. Trouble, this is Doozer, Sweet Pea, Sparky, and my daughter, Poppy.”
“Hey,” Trouble said, her face pink, but her head up and confident.
“Right, well, you guys get acquainted. I’m going to sort out the pie situation.”
“I love pie,” Sparky said, and Poppy elbowed him gently.
“Yeah, honey, we know.”
I chuckled and headed back to the kitchen. I couldn’t help but wonder what Trouble’s story was. She was young, maybe a little younger than Poppy, and she was stunningly beautiful, which made her look a bit older. I could tell she’d had a rough life, but she still cared about looking pretty, considering she wore heavy makeup that was perfectly applied.
I glanced back to see Doozer in the throes of expert flirting, and Trouble looked like she was trying to appear unfazed, but I had a feeling she was lapping up the attention. Who wouldn’t be intrigued by the tall, dark, and handsome biker?
“Maisie,” Hatch called before I’d reached the kitchen, and I turned to face him.
“Hi, love. Where are the other guys?”
“They’re hauling their bikes off the truck. Two of them broke down on their way, so we’re gonna try and get them fixed for them. They still have a few more stops to drop off donations.”
“Worst time for their bikes to break down, eh?”
“No doubt.”
“Are they hungry? I can heat up some leftovers. I was going to get desserts set out, but I can get the ladies to help me with all of that.”
“Yeah, Sunshine, that’d be great. Outside of gas breaks, they haven’t stopped, so Cowboy says the crew’s pretty hungry.”
“Right, darling, leave it to me. I’ll get them fed.”
He leaned down and kissed me. “You know how much I love you?”
“Yep. You tell me every day.”
He grinned and kissed me again. “Good. I’m gonna go help the BFK guys with their bikes as soon as I can find their mechanic,” he said scanning the room.
“What’s his name?”
“Trouble.”
I smiled and pointed towards the pool tables. “I think you’ll find her playing pool with Doozer.”
Hatch smiled and raised an eyebrow. “Her? That explains why I couldn’t find the dude.”
My man left again and I grabbed my ladies. Since Danielle was trying to get the playroom cleaned up, Payton and Cassidy offered to sort out dessert, while Darien and Kim started to pull leftovers from the fridge.
“Any idea where Flea and Grace are?” I asked.
“I think Flea’s out helping with the bikes,” Cassidy said, and craned her head toward the great room. “Grace is playing pool with Poppy. Remington’s there too. Not sure where Finch is, though.”
“He’s probably off discussing something lawyer-y with Mack,” Darien complained. “I swear those two can talk about briefs and tortes and crap all day long. I told Mack the only briefs I cared about were the ones I peeled him out of every night.”
“Jesus,” Payton hissed with a chuckle. “He wears briefs?”
Darien laughed. “Boxer briefs...well, if he wears anything at all. Which is why he kept getting me pregnant.”
“Oh my god, woman, way too much information about my best friend,” Kim ground out, waving a serving spoon in the air. “I did not need to know that.”
“I personally appreciate it when he’s commando,” Darien continued. “Easy access. Which is probably why I kept letting him get me pregnant.”
I made a gagging noise. “You Americans share far too much in regards to personal information. Particularly, sexually.”
Cassidy snorted. “Oh, please, little miss ‘protest too much.’ You can’t stand there and say you don’t wax poetic about the perfection of Hatch’s dick to anyone who will listen.”
“It was once, I was drunk, and it was just you four. Well, and Dani, but she’s somehow missing out on all of this. Lucky girl.”
“What am I missing out on?” Dani asked, waltzing into the kitchen.
“Maisie going on and on about Hatch’s perfect dick,” Kim provided.
I’m sure I blushed beet red as I squeaked, “I did not.”
“Actually, it was Darien discussing Mack’s briefs,” Payton said.
“Lack of them, thank you very much,” Darien corrected.
“Again, I do not need to know any of that,” Kim complained.
“I don’t think anyone needs to know it,” I added.
Dani laughed. “Maybe we should get you drunk again, Maisie. You share a lot when you’re drunk. It’s fun.”
“Bloody hell, you ladies are a bad influence on me.”
“Not according to Hatch we’re not,” Payton said. “He told Hawk you were a beast in bed that night.”
“He did not!” I squealed.
“No, he didn’t, but you should see your face right now.”
My friends burst into uncontrollable guffawing, and I considered dropping rat poison into their pies. In the end, I couldn’t help but laugh along with them, mostly because I had been a beast in bed that night. It had been an awakening of sorts for me, and Hatch had gone with it.
I may have sold my sex-toy company for close to a billion dollars, but I rarely tried the products out. We had
interns and product reviewers for that sort of thing, but that particular night had been a game changer for me, and one I’d always cherish. I had a wonderful group of friends I felt safe losing control with, and an amazing man who used that lack of control to give me immeasurable pleasure. Who wouldn’t want that?
The evidence of Darien’s latest pregnancy came waddling into the room, his big sister Huxley on the chase. Mack and Darien’s eldest daughter, Harper, was playing pool with her dad, and Teagan, the daughter they had before Grayson was somewhere with Daisy.
“Mama!” Grayson squealed.
Darien scooped him up and squeezed him tight. “Hey, baby biker man.”
Huxley snagged a piece of cheesecake off the island. “Some of us are going to watch a movie...do you need me to keep watching him, Mom?”
“No, baby. Go have fun. I got him.”
“Is Flash with you?” I asked her.
“He’s probably somewhere texting Tate,” Huxley said.
I chuckled. “That makes sense.”
Tate was the daughter of one of our neighbors and she and Flash had been best friends since kindergarten. From the second they met, they were inseparable. Her dad, Zach, and Hatch got together at least once a week for a beer and Hatch said he was ‘way too cool to be an accountant.’
Huxley skipped off and Darien wrinkled her nose. “Someone needs a change. I can see why Huxley went to watch a movie.”
Darien carried her son out of the kitchen and the rest of us sorted food for everyone. As the new arrivals filed in, a few of their women joined us in the kitchen and I found myself wishing they lived closer. There was a bond I’d never experienced outside of club life.
Minus
“You still think I’m crazy?” I paced back and forth from one end to the other of the small bedroom, while Cricket sat calmly at the foot of the bed. Her hands folded in her lap.
“I never said you were crazy.”
“You know what? You’re right. You said I was wrong. But now I’ve got proof that he wants to start shit with me.”
“I’m not sure that’s entirely fair, Jase. It takes two to fist fight, and from where I was standing, it looked like you were both a split second away from happily tearing each other apart.”
“Hatch fuckin’ started it!” I shouted.
“Listen to you. You sound like a little kid who’s in trouble for fighting with his brother.”
“He’s no brother of mine,” I seethed.
Cricket’s face fell. I could tell my words hurt her feelings. They also pissed her off.
“You pigheaded, ungrateful, asshat,” Cricket said.
“What?”
“You’re in Hatch’s clubhouse asking him for help with the Spiders—”
I interrupted, “This shit with the Spiders affects his club as much as it does ours.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it. The Saints have a bigger target on their backs and more to lose than the Dogs, should the Spiders decide to go to war. Besides, Hatch didn’t come to you for help. You went to him.”
“And I appreciate his help, but that doesn’t give him the right to pull some half-assed attempt at taking me down a peg in front of my club.”
“Is that what he was doing?”
“Fuckin A.”
“Is that A as in Alpha Dog or Alpha Male?”
“Look, Cricket. I know you think this is all about some macho, toxic male, bullshit—”
She flicked a nonexistent piece of lint off her lap. “You said it, not me.”
I ignored her comment and continued, “This is about respect. Your brother got bent out of shape over nothing and disrespected me in front of my crew.”
“What about the lack of respect you showed him? On the day he was patched in as President no less. And like it or not, he’s not just my brother. He’s your brother too.”
“Look, I’m sorry about what I said before—”
“I’m serious, Minus. My brothers are the only family I have and if you’re gonna be with me, that means we’re all a family. And the head of that family is Hatch.” She shrugged. “Unless you don’t plan on you and I being together long term.”
“Low blow, Cricket,” I ground out. “You know that I do.”
“Good. Then act like it. Because, not only is Hatch essentially your brother-in-law, he’s also your club brother. You may not ride under the same patch, but you’re supposed to be allies out on the street. Now more than ever.”
“You think I don’t know that?”
“I do. I simply think you’re not acting like it.”
“Thank you, consigliere,” I said flippantly.
Cricket rose to her feet and looked me dead in the eyes. “You don’t get to do that,” she said with an anger I’d never heard in her voice before.
“I didn’t mean to—”
“Didn’t mean to, what? Bully me as my boyfriend or strong arm me as the club’s president?”
“Fiancé,” I corrected, then answered her question, “And neither.”
“I am the Burning Saints’ consigliere, and as such, I’m here to advise you to sac up and act more presidential, starting by apologizing to Hatch and Booker,” she said. “Tonight.”
I fought every urge to argue and instead remained silent.
“You’ve now enlisted the assistance of both me and my brother. The Wallace family has done right by you and your club, at least two of us have, maybe it’s time you do the same and show a little gratitude.”
With that, Cricket walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
* * *
Cricket
I had to leave the room or I might murder my boyfriend...fiancé...whatever. God, how the hell did I end up with the very definition of a man-child?
“You look like someone kicked your puppy,” Hatch observed with a smile. “You okay?”
I scowled up at him, taking his arm and dragging him into one of the bunk rooms and slamming the door. “You need to stop being a dick to Minus.”
My brother let out an exaggerated sigh. “Christina.”
“Don’t you ‘Christina’ me,” I snapped. “You know he’s on shifting sand right now and trying to figure out how to make it all work. You’ve got ten years of experience on him and have a huge support system which he doesn’t have.”
“He’s got you.”
“Yeah, Con, I know! But so do you. I don’t want to have to choose between my man and my brother, and if you make me do so, you’ll lose.”
“I’m not makin’ you choose between us, Cricket.”
“You absolutely are.”
He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. “How do you figure?”
“By continually poking the bear.” I waved my finger at him. “Stop being a dick. Cullen, Cade, and Cam have embraced him. I need you to do the same.” I patted my chest and blinked back tears. “I love him with every fiber of my being, Hatch. I have for years. You know this. Don’t test me in that. Please. I love you just as much, but he will win every time. We need your help, but I will not accept it if it comes with strings.”
“Jesus,” he hissed, pulling me against him. “There are no strings, sissy.”
I wrapped my arms around his waist. “Will you please try to be nice?”
“Yeah, Cricket, I can do that.”
I peered up at him. “Will you apologize?”
“No way in hell,” he said, but he smiled so the sting was lessened.
“Can’t blame a girl for trying.”
He gave me a squeeze and I pushed away from him.
“Cricket!” I heard Minus call.
“You better take care of that,” Hatch suggested.
I nodded, and pulled open the door. “In here, Minus.”
Minus walked in, giving Hatch a suspicious look. My brother stuck his hand out and Minus shook it, then Hatch left the room.
Minus faced me and scowled. “Why the fuck are you crying? What did he say?”
I rolled my eyes, shoving the
door closed. “He was actually just being really sweet.”
“Did you tell him you verbally assaulted your man?”
I crossed my arms. “Do you think I’d take an argument you and I had to my brother?”
“Did you?”
“Are you seriously asking me that?”
“Cricket—”
I raised my hand, interrupting him. “No, Jase. Don’t bury yourself more in your own bullshit. What I did was express my desire for my brother to treat you with more respect. I also reminded him that should he continue to poke the bear, he’d lose me, because you were my heartbeat, and I would always side with you.”
Minus sighed, holding a hand out to me. “I’m sorry, baby.”
“You should be,” I retorted, taking his hand and letting him pull me into his embrace.
“I love you,” he whispered, kissing my temple.
“Damn straight you do. You’re lucky to have me.”
He chuckled. “I am lucky to have you and you need to know, I never take that for granted.”
“I know,” I admitted, standing on my tiptoes and kissing him. “I love you, too. Even if you act like a damn man-child on occasion.”
“Excuse me?”
“I don’t stutter,” I retorted, stepping away from him, but his hand wrapped gently around my arm.
“You think I’m a man-child?”
“On occasion, yes.”
He locked the door and slid his hands to my neck. “You want me to show you how wrong you are?”
I licked my lips. “Depends on exactly how you plan to do that.”
“Not sure I can, baby. I’m a man-child. I don’t communicate well.” He lifted my sweater over my head and unsnapped my bra before I’d even registered he’d moved.
“You can show me,” I panted out as he drew a nipple into his mouth, then blew on it, making it pebble tight.
“Oh, can I?” he challenged. “You’ll allow it?”
He knelt in front of me, tugging my skirt down and letting it pool at my feet. I was left in my knee-high boots and panties, and he shoved his face between my legs and ran his tongue over my clit, dampening the lace of my thong.
“I’ll allow it,” I rasped, finding my panties yanked down my thighs and his tongue back on my clit.
I wanted to spread my legs, but my underwear was preventing it, so I wove my fingers into his hair and gripped tight. “I want—”
The Davenport Christmas Chronicles Page 10