“I love you, Mom,” she was sure to whisper as she passed her gifts to her. “Okay, everyone, dig in!” Melanie announced, and the sound of ripping paper reverberated off the wood walls. Then choruses of “thank you” and squeals of joy followed, as they did every year.
Melanie left the room, hearing her phone ring. Who would be calling her on Christmas morning?
She picked it up to hear a familiar voice on the line. It was Irene. “Hey, girl, what’s up? Merry Christmas!”
“You too, Mel! We really miss you over here. We just wanted to call and say hello.” The sound of five hellos came through the line. Irene had a grand total of four kids with Milo ranging in age from eighteen down to seven. They all knew Melanie as their aunt. “So, do you have a white Christmas there? The kids want to know. They barely ever see snow, you know.”
Melanie laughed thinking about the weather back where she grew up. It was nice to finally be somewhere where it felt like Christmas. “It’s always a white Christmas here, Irene. Tell them I will text them some photos before dinner, okay?”
“Will do, thanks. How are your little ones?”
“Not so little anymore. Kylie is bringing her boyfriend to Christmas dinner.”
“Boyfriend! Oh my gosh, how old is she now? I bet she’s a looker like her mom. You’re gonna have to watch out.”
“Oh, her father will take care of that, I’m sure. He’s already thinking about having the rifles sitting next to him at the table. He’s worked up a list of what questions he wants to ask the poor guy. I’m sure he’ll have him running and screaming before dessert.”
Both women laughed, and Melanie felt a warmth come over her. She had been so fearful that it would never be safe to contact her friends or mother again, and here she was talking to both. Caleb hadn’t been reachable lately, though. He’d apparently finally found the one and was off on some island getaway with him. But Melanie was happy to know it.
“Okay, well I have to get cooking, and I bet you do too. Let’s be better about keeping in touch, okay? Maybe we’ll get up there this summer, you know when school’s out.”
“That sounds great, Irene. Have a great day.”
“You too.”
Melanie felt a smile spreading larger across her face as she hung up the phone and made her way into the kitchen. It was time for the marathon cooking so that she could relax and enjoy the food at some point before midnight.
Melanie felt Andy come up behind her and kiss on her neck as she started grabbing supplies. She felt his hand wandering all over her body, and she giggled. “Oh, look at my sexy woman about to cook everyone a damn good meal. Too bad you’re going to be too busy, otherwise I might have you put some of those ingredients on me and lick them off.”
She slapped his arm playfully, and he spanked her ass cheek back. She blushed as their daughter entered the kitchen to see what she could do to help. She was a pretty good cook for a teenage girl. “Get a room, you two!” She called out, crossing her arms over her chest. Melanie and Andy laughed at her, and Andy went back into the living room with his parents.
“Sorry, kiddo. You’ll get it when you get old like us. Now, what would you like to help with; the pie or the ham?”
“Definitely the pie,” she answered, a smile on her face. As usual, dessert always fixed everything. “And, no Mom, I don’t think I’ll ever understand. I don’t even let Wiley kiss me at school. It’s private.”
Melanie looked her little girl up and down with a concerned look. Not only was she kissing this boy, but she was doing it in private. What else was she doing in private? “So he has kissed you?” It came out less like a question and more like a disappointed statement.
“Yes, Mom, that’s what boyfriends do, geez.” Melanie laughed and ruffled her hair. No way was she letting herself believe her little tomboy was doing more than kissing. A year ago she still thought that boys had cooties. She decided to change the subject.
“So have you decided to take Theater or to do Speech?” Melanie asked, handing her the pie pan and the can of pumpkin.
“I’m totally doing speech. They get to debate about current world issues and stuff. My friend Rose who’s a year older than me told me that they were just talking about the war on terror and abortion. I can’t believe those topics are allowed in school.” Melanie couldn’t believe it either for that matter, but her daughter loved to argue. She and Andy had always joked about the fact that their daughter would grow up to be a lawyer.
They worked in silence for the next several hours, rushing around the kitchen trying to get the food ready in time. At one point, Andy’s mother even joined in while the boys all sat and watched the television with Melanie’s mother napping in the recliner.
***
Dinner was long over and everyone was off doing their own thing. Melanie could hear her children playing a video game in the den, and her mother was already asleep for the night. Andy’s parents were sitting in front of the fire, watching It’s a Wonderful Life together.
Melanie felt so grateful for the life she and Andy had built together after the dark times they had faced, and she never forgot the feeling she had when they walked into their dream house and he proposed. He made her whole world that day.
She heard footsteps behind her as she looked up at the stars and the light flurries that piled in the yard. She closed her eyes as she felt Andy’s strong arms wrap around her waist, warming her from the inside out. “I love you, Melanie,” he whispered in her ear, and it made her feel complete.
“I love you too, Andy.” She turned around and gave him a peck on his perfect mouth, tasting the cold on his lips.
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***
PART 1 of the KNIGHTS DISCIPLES Trilogy
Laura Mills isn’t asking for much.
Laura Mills wants only three things: keep her little brother Lucas out of trouble, finish her part-time degree in criminal justice, and do her best to not feel flustered every time she catches the sight of William Shriner riding out of the Knights Disciples MC club house.
William Shriner doesn’t forget a thing.
Laura is an old friend of the club who’s helped change the outlook the rest of the community had about the Disciples. Will—as the club’s sergeant-at-arms—is more than thankful for all that Laura does. The club still owes her a favor, and Will’s determined to see the debt paid.
A tiny spark comes alive in the endless sea of darkness
When Lucas gets into hot water with an out of town gang, Laura turns to the Disciples for help. But what she doesn’t expect is William Shriner taking a personal interest in the case, staying up with her late at night, and comforting her as her little brother flirts dangerously close to the fire.
***
They stopped looking for Shane Perry fifteen years ago.
They did all they could do; filed reports, dragged the lake, and finally presumed him dead. The high school football field lit up with candlelight at his memorial, and mourners gathered to gaze at his glossy image: youthful and tall with a heart melting grin.
Bikes and bikers are all Maggie Rice has ever known.
She was riding before she could walk and switching out clutch plates by junior high. She was a quirky, fiery haired tomboy and it was her dream to ride with the 417s. Formerly her father’s crew, they all had a hand in raising her after his passing. Now that she ran her own garage, it seemed her chance had arrived at last.
When the ghost of Shane Perry rides into town, he threatens to spoil it all.
The day of her initiation into the 417s, Shane waltzed back into town as if he’d only been gone the weekend, and his first order of business was to crush her chance at happiness. No woman was going to ride in Shane Perry’s gang, not ever, and certainly not his closest childhood friend.
Maggie doesn’t believe for one second his arrival is coincidental.
Was it
possible to hate and love a man at the same time? Where had Shane been all those years and why was he back? And when the Hell did he get so damned gorgeous?
***
Allison Russell has a special knack for getting into trouble.
An intoxicating mix of beauty and bravado, she made her living unearthing things certain people would rather remain buried: stolen goods, dirty secrets, and more than a little trouble. She lived for the thrill of the hunt, and a fat stack of cash after a job well done sure didn’t hurt.
Jake Brighton has two talents, riding and thieving.
He loved them in just that order, too. There was no better feeling than making a clean getaway with his partners in crime and fellow bikers, the Dixon Crew. He’d been riding with the Dixons since before he was shaving. They were his friends and his brothers and he’d proudly take a bullet for any one of them.
And that’s why he ain’t buying what Allison Russell is selling.
A case of mistaken identity on the job leads Allison to a startling discovery, but before she can inform her client she must escape the Dixon Crew with her life. She must persuade the handsome but distrustful Jake Brighton to come to her aid, but his loyalty to his friends may just be the only thing more powerful than the aching tension growing between them.
Jake believes in his crew, but Allison intoxicates him.
If what she says is true, he’s been living a lie. But trusting a beautiful woman is never easy, particularly one who stirs a lust in him he’s never known. Is Allison the real deal, or is she using him to satisfy her client?
***
Grace is the very best at what she does.
Working for the Public Defender’s Office is thankless and the pay is meager, but she’s a true believer in the justice system. The beautiful, underpaid attorney has made it her life’s mission to see to it that ‘innocent until proven guilty’ still means something.
Tobey is a self-confessed career criminal.
Enforcer, thief, con-man ... He’s done it all and proudly. Tobey never cared for authority and a life of crime agrees with him.The handsome thug carved out a comfortable life for himself pulling odd jobs for a motorcycle gang, but only when he feels like it.
There are some things Tobey won’t do for any price.
Namely murder, so it’s a shock when he’s arrested for the death of a local businessman. Tobey knows he’s been framed, but the evidence is overwhelming and the outlook is grim.
That is until the lovely public defender comes to his rescue.
But when Grace uncovers evidence to exonerate Tobey both their lives are in danger and Tobey is quickly coming to the conclusion that he can’t let any harm come to his beautiful champion, not now or ever.
***
Casey Stone has always known her family was a little different.
She doesn’t know the details, but she’s heard enough whispers through cracked doors to know they’re criminals of some variety, and she’s happy not to know which.
Brian was just playing around when he sidled up to the Stone boys’ sister and offered her a drink.
He isn’t a cruel man, but the boys were watching and their sister is objectively beautiful - long legs, modest curves, and a face that begs to be kissed. He just couldn’t resist riling them up a bit. Then she spoke and he was lost.
The Stone boys were not about to let this one slide.
They couldn’t send her running to him any faster than by forbidding her to see him. If they’d told her she’d destroy the subtle truce between two rival gangs and cause a cycle of violence and death, she might have been more willing to listen.
Now there’s a line drawn in the sand, and Brian and Casey are standing on opposite sides.
Can Brian put an end to the feuding before he loses Casey forever? Or is it too late already to repair the fragile trust between them?
***
Michael Lawrence is not the kind of man who runs from a little conflict.
He’s a brute. Or at least that’s the reputation he’s so carefully cultivated throughout his years of running his crew, a gang of motorcycle enthusiasts comprised of thugs and professionals alike. They all have one thing in common: they all find Michael Lawrence a lot more frightening than local law enforcement.
Sarah knows all about Michael Lawrence.
Or so she thinks. She’s come across his handiwork writing for the paper and what she’s seen has disgusted her. Sarah detests violence, the thing Michael Lawrence seems to bring with him everywhere he goes.
Now Michael is getting to know Sarah.
Sarah’s latest article has Michael’s crew all worked up, as it implicates about half of them. Michael’s not too pleased, either, but when his crew decides to take matters into their own hands it’s Michael’s reluctant duty to keep her safe.
And Sarah doesn’t have the good sense to be terrified.
The beautiful reporter has no fear and no particular fondness for Michael. Can Michael bring her around before she runs headlong into serious trouble? And more importantly, how will find the strength to let her go when the danger’s passed?
***
Jackson Kent knew where he was meant to be.
Growing up the only child of the president of Desperados MC, he’d never doubted his place in the brotherhood. And when his mom took off, leaving his father and him because she couldn't handle “the life,” Jackson knew he’d never leave his home, his dad, and the guys who would one day be his family. Nothing would ever come before them.
Melody Turner didn't know where to call home.
Touring the country, performing six nights a week, and living on a bus with four guys, day in and out was seriously taking its toll. After an incident with an obsessed fan, her manager orders her to take a break from the constant crazy of being a rock star, and Melody decides to head to her parent’s house, in the backwoods biker town where she grew up.
Neither one had ever expected to see the other again.
But after running into each other at the local coffee shop, feelings and sensations that Melody hasn't felt in years come rushing back. Jackson had been the first boy Melody ever loved, and until the day she left to chase her dream, she thought they’d be together forever. Now, as they spend time together, she remembers why. But the problems they had twelve years ago still exist. Melody won’t give up her dream. And Jackson puts the club first, always.
But if they could learn how to compromise, they might both find a place to belong.
***
Returning to the small town of her childhood wasn't supposed to end in blood.
Eliza Garcia has spent the past eight years working as one of NYPD's top detectives but now, after a particularly harrowing case, she's returning home. Forced into sabbatical by her concerned superiors she arrives back in the small New England town to find it completely changed. Overrun by bikers and criminals she barely recognizes the picturesque place she grew up in and determines to put things right.
And when she runs into her high school sweetheart, Jason Harris, it becomes even more personal. Now the second in charge of the Raiders Motorcycle Club, Jason tries to dissuade her from her reckless mission. Eliza knows that the man she once loved is still in there, beneath the leather and grease and blood. As their youthful flame begins to kindle once more and the town burns around them, Eliza knows she will need him to help her.
But there are more dangerous people than her who aren't willing to let him go without a fight.
***
Cole Rogers is a man who does what he wants, when he wants.
It’s always served him well, but when he decides to part ways with the Cheetahs motorcycle gang he gets his first dose of real consequences. There’s only one way to leave the Cheetahs: in a body bag.
Brianne knows Cole Rogers takes his coffee black.
She also knows he has outrageously blue eyes and he’s a good tipper. For six months he’s been coming into her diner and for about as long she’s been admiring his backside when he leave
s.
She’s about to get to know Cole a lot better.
When Cole shows up at the diner to tell Brianne her life is in danger, she realizes she’s been lusting after an insane person. When he shows up at her house she elevates that assessment to dangerously insane.
Cole’s not taking no for an answer.
His crush is no secret and the Cheetahs will use her to find him. He has no choice but to take Brianne, willing or not. But being close to Brianne isn’t helping him think any straighter. Can he convince her he’s not the enemy and let him save them both?
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