Wendy snickered and ducked back into the kitchen. “Consider it pay back for the nasty beer you dumped in my ice cream,” she called.
I shook my head and wiped up the coffee table. “I can’t believe I have to live under these conditions.”
Adley giggled, and I realized that was my new favorite sound.
I grabbed my bowl of melted ice cream and dropped it into the kitchen sink. I rinsed out the washcloth and draped it over the faucet.
“Such a waste of ice cream,” Wendy tsked. She set the ice cream back in the freezer and shielded her bowl from me. “Don’t even think about touching this.”
I leaned against the sink and folded my arms over my chest. “Touching what?”
She grabbed a spoon from the drawer and stabbed it into her ice cream. “My ice cream.”
“Oh,” I chuckled. “Don’t worry about that, sugar.”
I was getting a taste for something different than ice cream.
“Is there something else I should worry about you touching?”
I wiggled my eyebrows and shrugged. “Guess you’ll just have to wait and see.”
Wendy was only a couple of feet away from me, but I wanted her closer to me. I wanted her right next to me and my hands touching more than her leg.
“Don’t forget you hate me, Swifty.” She waved her spoon at me and smiled.
I shook my head. “Nah. We went over this already. I never hated you, sugar.”
“You just hated making sure I didn’t end up dead.”
“And now, I don’t need to worry about that.”
My words sunk in, and her eyes dropped to the floor.
Now, I couldn’t help but notice Wendy. The dark brown hair she always had piled on top of her head begged to be let down, and my fingers itched to sift through it. Her lips begged to be kissed, and her lush body made my hands tingle wanting to know what she felt like beneath me.
“Wendy,” Adley called from the living room.
Wendy pushed off the counter, and it took all of my willpower to not grab her and find out what she tasted like right then and there.
“I better go see what Adley needs.”
I nodded and watched her walk away.
Right now, we were going to worry about what Adley needed, but eventually, I was going to fill my need to find out just what Wendy tasted like.
*
Chapter Nine
Wendy
“So.”
“So,” I echoed.
Carnie tapped her fingers on the counter and looked around. “How many days has it been?”
“It’ll be eight tomorrow.” It was Sunday afternoon, and Carnie and I were sitting in the kitchen of the clubhouse.
“You think you’ll find out tomorrow?”
I shrugged and sipped my coffee. “Maybe.”
Carnie sighed, disgusted by the fact we hadn’t heard from the lab on the results of Adley’s paternity test.
Last Monday, Slayer had gone to the lab, gotten swabbed, and now we were just waiting. All week, Adley and I had tried to find a routine to our days, but every day seemed to be different.
The only thing that was the same was Slayer eating breakfast with us every morning and then him coming home in the afternoon to eat dinner with us. Every day, he went to the clubhouse to do God knows what, and Adley and I just hung out getting to know each other.
The timer on the stove dinged, and Carnie jumped up. “You sure you guys aren’t going to stay for dinner?”
I had assumed we would stay for dinner, but Slayer had told me he had a surprise for Adley and me. “I guess not. God knows what Slayer has in store for us.”
Carnie pulled two large pans of chicken and rice casserole from the oven and set them on the stove. The delicious aroma of creamy chicken and rice hit my nose and my stomach growled. “You couldn’t have waited to pull that out until I left?”
Carnie laughed and shook her head. “Nope, because I was hoping you guys would smell it and decide to stay.”
“Wendy!” Adley ran into the kitchen and grabbed my arm. “It’s time to go!”
“Well, that’s my cue to get out of here.” Adley pulled me out of my chair, and I grabbed my bottle of water. “I’ll let you know when and if we hear anything.”
Carnie smiled wide and crossed her fingers. “I’ll keep my fingers crossed.”
The clubhouse was oddly empty as Adley pulled me out the door and over to Slayer’s truck.
Carnie had told me Freak, Wrecker, and Pipe had been out of town all week, but they were on the way back to the clubhouse this afternoon. In usual Carnie fashion, she planned a huge welcome back meal because that was just what she did.
Carnie was happy, she cooked.
Carnie was worried, she cooked.
Carnie wanted something from Freak, she cooked.
No matter the case, Carnie cooked.
Adley pulled open the door to the truck and climbed up into the middle. “She was talking.”
I rolled my eyes and climbed in behind Adley.
“Figures,” Slayer mumbled.
“Excuse me,” I laughed. “No one told me you two were waiting for me in the truck.”
As soon as I closed my door, Slayer shifted into drive and pulled out of the parking lot. He headed in the opposite direction of the house and draped his arm over the back of the seat. His fingers rested on my shoulder, and I tried not to read anything into it, but it was hard not to.
It had been a week since Slayer had blatantly hit on me, and I was confused as hell trying to figure out what, if anything, was happening between us.
“So,” I drawled. “Just where are you taking us?”
Slayer glanced over at me. “Just sit back and enjoy the ride, sugar.”
“That’s easy to say for the person who knows where we are going,” I grumbled.
“I know!” Adley bounced in her seat. “Let’s guess where we are going.”
“First, let’s have your dad give us a clue.” I never knew what to call Slayer in reference to Adley and had just settled on calling him dad. We hadn’t talked much about her being his daughter, but it just felt like he was her dad. They may have not met each other more than a week ago, but they had some eerie similarities to each other.
When Adley thought hard about something, she tapped her finger to her chin. Slayer did the same damn thing.
They both had the same shade of brown hair.
Their noses had the same shape, and when they were upset their nostrils flared.
And the biggest thing that made me think Slayer really was her dad was just the fact that I felt it.
I know that sounds ridiculous, but I couldn’t shake it off.
If it came to be that Adley wasn’t Slayer’s, I was going to be shocked as hell.
We drove for half an hour, Adley guessing every crazy and ridiculous thing that Slayer could be dragging us to.
“Christmas tree!” Adley pointed excited at the large billboard we passed.
Slayer shrugged. “Could be.”
Adley clasped her hands together and shimmied in her seat. “Yes! I hope we’re getting a tree!”
It was three weeks until Christmas, and even I was excited by the fact that just maybe Slayer was hauling us out into the woods to get a tree.
Three turns later, we pulled into a grass field full of cars and trucks.
“Yes! I knew it!” Adley shouted. “Go, go,” she ordered.
I slipped out of the truck once Slayer parked.
Adley clamored out behind me. “Mama and I just had a fake plastic tree. I always wanted to get a real one, but we never did.”
She jumped up and down and was barely able to keep her cool. Hell, I was pretty damn excited too.
Adley ran ahead of us toward the entrance, and Slayer leaned toward me as we walked. “You know, sometimes she seems way older than twelve and then times like these she acts exactly like twelve.”
I shrugged and pulled my coat tight around me. “It’s part of growin
g up. I remember when I was that age. It was like I knew I should act more mature but then someone would break out the Barbies and bam, I’d be on the floor putting a wedding dress on Barbie so she could marry Ken.”
Slayer chuckled. “Ken and Barbie, huh?”
I shrugged. “Hey, I’ve got no shame.” I nodded to where Adley was standing waiting for us. I held my forefinger and thumb a centimeter apart. “I’m this close to skipping through the trees right alongside Adley.”
“Well, you aren’t that far out from being her age.”
I scoffed and looked up at him. “Excuse me. I am ten years older than your daughter.”
“Just a baby,” he laughed.
I curled my lip and scowled. “I am not a baby.”
He looked me up and down. “Maybe not, sugar. God knows you don’t look like one.”
There it was again. Slayer was flirting with me. He was noticing me as more than just someone keeping an eye on his daughter.
“And neither do you.” Gah, my flirting game was weak. And so lame.
Slayer silently laughed and shook his head. “You’re one of a kind.”
“Ditto to you.” I cringed and looked away. So lame.
“Can we get a wreath, too?” Adley called.
A couple walked past her with a large wreath that had a huge red and white striped bow on it. Her eyes lit up, and she clasped her hands together.
“Did you bring your wallet?” I turned to look at Slayer, and my eyes connected with his.
“I did, but let’s hope I have enough in there.” He gave me a wink, and his arm brushed against mine. He grabbed my hand and intertwined his fingers with mine. “Ready to find our tree?”
I nodded my head, unable to speak.
Slayer holding my hand.
Adley over the moon excited.
Finding our tree.
This was more than I could process.
Slayer pulled me along while we listened to Adley babble on about the shape and size of tree she wanted.
All I could do was try to take it all in and try not to think about that I was living a life that really wasn’t mine.
This was Christmas this year, but next year, I would be back in Pines Peak and this would all be a memory.
Enjoy it now, Wendy. This will never last.
*
Chapter Ten
Slayer
“I gotta go.”
“What?” Adley cried. “We haven't even put any ornaments on the tree?”
That’s because it had taken an hour to get the damn lights on the tree. It had been too long since I had decorated a tree and forgot how long it actually took.
Wrecker had just messaged me saying we had church, and I had to go.
“Uh, we can do the ornaments while he’s gone, and then, when he gets back, he can help us put the star on,” Wendy suggested.
Adley folded her arms over her chest and pouted out her bottom lip. “I thought we were going to do the tree together.”
“Or,” Wendy drawled. “We could make hot cocoa, bake a batch of cookies, and listen to Christmas music until he comes home?” Wendy plastered a smile on her face and did a little shimmy. “I’ve been jonesing to listen to some sleigh bells jingling.”
“What kind of cookies?” Adley asked.
“Uh, well, I think we are going to have to look at a couple of recipes and see what we can do.”
Adley pursed her lips and tapped her chin. “I guess that sounds okay.” She turned to Slayer and pointed her finger at him. “But once you get home, we are going to decorate the tree.”
I nodded. “You got a deal, doll.”
“No matter what time it is,” she clarified.
It was only five o’clock, and I didn’t think I would be gone that long. “Scout’s honor.” I placed my hand over my heart and gave Adley a nod.
“Like you were a boy scout,” Wendy laughed.
“When I was a boy, but I might have outgrown them.”
“Understatement of the year,” she mumbled under her breath.
“Shoo! Shoo!” Adley called. “The sooner you leave, the sooner you will be back.”
I chuckled under my breath. “You got it, kid. Let me just talk to Wendy in the kitchen quickly.”
Adley plopped down on the couch and grabbed the remote. “I’ll try to find one of your Christmas movies, Wendy.”
“Good thinking,” Wendy called. She followed me into the kitchen and moved by the door so we were out of sight and earshot of Adley.
“Is something wrong?” Wendy whispered.
“Not sure. I know Wrecker, Pipe, and Freak are back from some club business.”
She glanced over her shoulder and then looked back up at me. “Don’t be gone long.”
“Is that your request or Adley’s?”
Wendy’s cheeks heated red. “For Adley, of course.”
I reached up and brushed her hair from her face. When we had gotten home from picking the tree and then going to the store to get decorations, Wendy had piled her hair on top of her head, but it was slowly falling out of the hair tie and framing her face.
“What about you, sugar?” I whispered.
“I, uh, what about me?” She licked her lips and fidgeted under my gaze.
God damn, but Wendy was beautiful. She never wore makeup, and I had never known a woman who was able to get ready in under five minutes. She was easy going and extremely low maintenance. She also had no idea just how sexy that made her and how bad I wanted her.
I tried to drop little hints and flirt with her, but most of the time, she missed it or got embarrassed. “You gonna miss me while I’m gone?”
“Oh, uh, well, about that. Would it, well…” She cleared her throat, and her eyes dropped to the floor. “Can I? Or would it be inappropriate. You know, I’m supposed to be here for Adley, after all.”
I chuckled and hooked my finger under her chin. I tipped her head back and moved closer. “Can’t you be here for Adley and me?”
She bit her bottom lip and held her breath. “Slayer,” she breathed out.
“About damn time you said my name?”
“What are we doing?” she whispered.
We both moved. Her head tipped back, and my lips hovered above hers.
“I’m gonna kiss you, sugar. You okay with that?”
She slightly nodded, and her eyes fluttered shut.
My arm snaked around her waist, and my other hand cupped her cheek. My lips lightly pressed against hers, and she sighed from my touch.
Her hands were pressed against my chest, but she relaxed her arms and wrapped them around my neck. My tongue skimmed along the seam of her lips, and she gasped softly. I swept inside, her sweet taste covering my tongue.
Her tongue moved against mine, and a growl escaped my mouth. My hand moved down, and I squeezed her plush ass. “Wendy,” I whispered against her lips.
Her eyes fluttered opened, and she looked like she had just had the best kiss of her life. “Yeah?” she replied, dazed.
I didn’t want to leave, but I knew I had to. “I gotta go. We can continue this later.”
She stared at my lips. “What exactly was this?”
“A goodbye kiss, but I can tell you I’m gonna need a hell of a lot more later.”
Her eyes connected with mine. “Maybe.”
“You still gonna act like you don’t like me?”
She leaned up, pressed a quick kiss to my lips, then stepped back. “I never said I didn’t like you.” She patted me on the chest then moved out of my arms. “Go do your biker thing, and I’ll try to keep Adley distracted from decorating the tree without you.”
She walked back into the living room without a backward glance. I watched the sway of her hips wishing I could just stay and not leave, but I knew that wasn’t possible.
I grabbed my keys from the hook by the door and headed out to my truck.
Kissing Wendy wasn’t something I planned, but I had known it was going to happen.
No
w that it had, I was going to do everything I could to make it happen over and over. At least, until I worked her out of my system.
*
Wendy
Adley was passed out on the couch, and I glanced at the clock.
It was half past eleven, and Slayer still wasn’t home.
Adley and I had made two kinds of cookies, drank three cups of hot cocoa, and watched two Christmas movies and Slayer never showed up.
I couldn’t even message him to find out if he was okay or if he just got held up at the clubhouse.
Maybe Carnie would know what was going on.
Hey. I didn’t know how to ask about Slayer without it sounding like I cared about him.
What’s up? Carnie replied.
Not much. Just wondering what you’re up to.
It took a minute but she finally replied. Impromptu get together at the clubhouse.
Oh. They were having a party. Sounds fun.
What are you doing?
Pining away for Slayer?
Contemplating drinking a bottle of wine?
Perhaps ordering a whole pizza and eating it all?
None of those were good answers. They each gave away more than I was ready to say.
Watching Christmas movies with Adley. I mean, Adley was technically asleep, but there was a Christmas movie playing.
Fun!
It was. I did have a great night with Adley. I just kind of thought Slayer would have been a part of it. Especially after that kiss we shared in the kitchen.
Yup! Have fun and I’ll call you tomorrow. I tossed my phone on the coffee table and sighed.
Twenty-two years old.
Sunday night.
All alone watching Christmas movies while I stayed up waiting for Slayer.
Lame, lame, lame.
*
Chapter Eleven
Slayer
“You should have brought Wendy and Adley.”
I shrugged on my coat and pulled my keys out of the pocket. “Next time, I will.” I hadn’t expected to be at the clubhouse for longer than an hour.
It was half past eleven, and Wrecker finally called it a night for the club.
Slayer (Fallen Lords MC Book 8) Page 7