by KB Winters
He smirked and dropped a hand on my thigh, stroking slowly, making me moan. “You’re a smartass.”
“That’s my most charming personality trait,” I insisted. “Regretting you didn’t get a quieter model?”
He laughed and jumped from the car, jogging around the front and pulling me out. “Nah, I like you best when you’re loud.” He kissed me again like I was someone else. Someone special and precious to him. Like I mattered.
It really was too bad I couldn’t keep Lasso.
He was exactly my kind of perfect.
Chapter 16
Lasso
“This isn’t exactly rustic,” Rocky grumbled at the same time I argued, “You said you couldn’t cook.”
My tone wasn’t accusatory as we dug into the smoky, spicy chili she’d whipped up when we arrived a couple of hours ago. Just surprised. “And I said it was more rustic than a tropical honeymoon vacation.”
She looked around the kitchen, at the exposed beams across the ceiling and the pine and chrome everywhere. Her gaze landed on the Sub-zero fridge, then the six-top stove with double ovens, and finally a large butcher top table with high backed wooden chairs.
“It’s the fanciest thing I’ve ever seen called rustic.” She paused and looked around again. “But I like it. It’s homey despite being big as hell.”
“You got something against big things?” She rolled her eyes as I knew she would.
“No, but I thought we’d be hiding out in some tiny one room cabin and calling it a honeymoon to soothe your ego. Not this,” she said as she waved her hands round the room. She realized her tone might be a tough offensive and sighed before turning back to me. “Sorry. This is great, I’m just … hell I don’t know, but thank you Lasso.”
“No problem. Wife.” It was still weird saying that, but it got easier and I loved getting a rise out of Rocky. Even a little one. “This chili is damn good for someone who can’t cook.”
“Thanks. And I never said I couldn’t cook. I said don’t expect me to cook.” Her shoulders had relaxed a little bit with each passing hour. But so far, I couldn’t do a damn thing to erase the worry from her eyes. “Do you eat at the clubhouse and if so, do you have a cook there?”
I laughed because it was just such a Rocky question. Most women wanted to know about illegal activities and fights and shit but she wanted to know about housekeeping.
“I usually eat at home and, no, there’s no cook there. If we’re on lockdown or some shit, the women and the Bitches will cook but otherwise we feed ourselves.”
“Bummer. Seems like a good way to make use of a vet who’s not cut out for the other stuff.”
“What other stuff?” I could tell something about the Reckless Bastards bothered her, but I didn’t know if it was just because they were unwilling to help or something more.
“You know what I mean, stuff like shooting a gun or whooping some ass. Or what about a guy who stutters? Can’t have him working at the gun range or the dispensary but maybe he’s a crack shot. Or the guy who’s good with numbers but can’t ride a bike to save his life.”
Yeah, she caught me, but Rocky didn’t smirk or brag about it. And she made her point. “You have to ride. That’s why it’s called a motorcycle club.”
“What’s organized socialization without arbitrary rules?” She pushed her bowl away and rubbed her belly. “And it’s time for me to lie down before I doze off sitting here.”
I watched her go, enjoying the sway of her hips and feeling a little disappointed I wouldn’t be getting any wedding night sex. The pregnancy was wearing on her in a thousand little ways, but she hadn’t complained about it yet. After rinsing the dishes, I joined Rocky on the sofa, lifting her head and putting it on my lap.
“If you’re trying to get head, I’m game but you gotta do all the work.”
A laugh bubbled up out of me at her words. “You’re kind of crazy, aren’t you?”
“Doesn’t matter now, you married me.” She moaned as my fingers sifted through her hair, snuggling deeper into my lap. She had to notice my cock hardening beneath her head but the champ that she was, Rocky ignored it. “Did you have a horse as a kid?”
“I did. Windsor, an appaloosa, you know with a spotted coat? Mom thought it looked regal so she named him Windsor.” Her laugh was pure and amused. “He was wild and energetic, perfect for a little boy. We’d rip around the property together as fast as we could, trying to outrun the wind.”
“Sounds nice. Why did you leave?”
“Too many expectations I had no plans on living up to. It won’t ever stop so I removed myself from the equation.”
“Do you ever regret it?”
I thought about her question as I often did over the years. “No. I mean I wish they could’ve been happy with who I wanted to be or maybe that I could’ve been happy being who they wanted for a son, but I don’t regret leaving.”
Her eyes wandered over the high ceiling as if she were looking for some truth up there before she spoke. “Me either. I miss my dad sometimes, but I’ve spent most of my life missing him, so I’m used to it.” Her sigh was heavy but she didn’t move, just lay there while my hands got lost in her thick red hair. “Do you wish I hadn’t tracked you down?”
I sighed at her question and kept running my fingers through her hair, massaging her scalp with my fingertips.
Do I wish she hadn’t tracked me down?
“No Rocky, I don’t. I’m glad you thought I was the kind of guy you could come to when trouble found you. I’m sorry you’re in the middle of this shit show but I don’t regret you showing up on my doorstep, not one damn bit.” I felt like a fool for saying all that to her but when I risked a glance at Rocky her eyes were closed and her breathing had evened out.
She was asleep.
It was for the best anyway. I hoped she hadn’t heard that verbal diarrhea because she didn’t need to hear it. She was here under my protection, she and our baby, and that’s what mattered most. It wasn’t her feelings or mine that mattered, just keeping her safe. My wife and kid. What a fucking trip to think of those two words in reference to me. The fucked up part was this was exactly what my folks wanted for me, a wife and a kid, though they’d probably shit their pants that I’d married a sexy bohemian who made a living selling craft items.
A laugh bubbled up out of me at the irony of them getting what they wanted in the most wrong way possible. There was a kind of twisted beauty to it that made me want to get up right now and tell them. But more than that, I was content where I was. Oddly so. Sitting on the ugly ass sofa Jag had insisted we put in here for ‘local flavor’ with my arm on the wooden rest and the soft weight of Rocky’s head in my lap, it all felt right.
More fucking right than anything had in a long time.
What that said about me and the predicament I was in, I didn’t even want to think about. Instead, I stood and picked up Rocky, enjoying those soft feminine curves as I tucked us both into bed, watching the stars pop in the sky through the huge bedroom window while she slept curled into my side.
***
I woke up the next morning to the smell of peppers and maple. “Ah, shit!” And the sound of Rocky swearing enough to make a sailor blush. With a laugh I kicked off the blankets and swung my legs around to the floor, smiling at her colorful language before going to the bathroom.
When I came out and joined Rocky in the kitchen, my shorts grew tight at the sight of her in nothing but a thin cotton t-shirt. “Breakfast and a show. I approve.”
Startled, she turned with a glare that quickly morphed into a smile. “Hey, you look normal.”
“Uh, thanks Rocky. You look good enough to eat.” She blushed prettily, and I went to the counter where coffee sat black and steaming. “Can pregnant chicks drink coffee?”
“No, but that doesn’t mean you can’t. Smoking is where I have to draw the line.” She looked wary and apologetic, but I could see how important it was to her.
“Other than a little grass, I don�
�t smoke and I’m happy to do it outside.”
Rocky’s smile was soft and feminine. It took everything in me to let her bring the food to the table instead of clearing the whole thing to make room for her. “Good. With the fucked up environment we have around us now, I want to keep things as clean as possible.”
She was so serious and fierce in protecting our child that I wrapped my arms around her.
“That kid is going to be the luckiest fucker alive to have you for a mama, Rocky.” She let out a tinkling laugh with her arms snaked around my waist, careful to keep the hot spatula away from my back.
“That’s our kid, the lucky fucker,” she murmured into my neck.
“You know what I mean, it smells incredible in here.” Like food and family. “Reminds me of Lulu; she was our cook my whole life. Made the best damn bacon I ever had.”
“So, you miss Lulu?” She smiled again and pulled back to take her seat at the table.
“I guess I do. I hadn’t really thought about it—or her—in years.” I worked pretty damn hard not to remember much about Rose Petal. “The town was a great place to grow up, be stupid and not fuck up your whole life. But otherwise I’m happy I live in Mayhem.”
“An appropriate name for your lot.” This time she said it with amusement rather than her usual wariness.
“We get up to trouble when we have to, otherwise we’re mostly just brothers.”
“No offense Lasso but I’ve seen brothers throw in because someone said the wrong thing to a guy’s woman and your brothers won’t step up for you. With family like that, makes me glad I’m on my own.”
She was right in a way and I understood her perspective. “Except you’re not on your own, are you? There’s me and that baby in your belly. I’m sorry if that’s not enough, but it’s all we have.” I felt annoyed that she didn’t think I was enough, angry too. And it felt so fucking familiar I couldn’t finish my breakfast.
“It’s not that you’re not enough, Lasso. This is my problem and without your club’s help the chances that you’ll end up hurt because of me only increases and I can’t deal with that. Not right now.” She shoved her own plate away angrily and stood. “I have to … go,” she said and distractedly left the kitchen.
I decided to give Rocky some time on her own to get a handle on her emotions. Twenty minutes later I had the kitchen clean and I was just about ready to go after Rocky when my phone rang.
I knew who it would be, so I didn’t bother looking at the screen. “What’s up, Cross?”
“How are you guys doing?”
“Fine. You got any news?” I knew that was the only reason he’d call while we were up here.
“Yeah,” he sighed. “Big Boy took a while to crack but once that fucker opened up, he was a flood of info.”
“Good. Anything we can actually use?”
Cross sighed heavily but I ignored it, waiting impatiently while I got busy in the kitchen, getting shit ready for a picnic.
“Just one thing. Says Genesis is sending guys in waves, every couple days until the fourteen days are up. If she doesn’t show up in time for the heist, bad shit.”
I heard what he was and wasn’t saying. “Right. Has anyone showed up yet?”
He waited a beat before answering. “Not that we can tell but everyone is on high alert.”
“She’s not going, Cross but we’ll head back tomorrow night.” Rocky needed more time away from the stress of the city so tomorrow night would give her more time and allow us the cover of night to roll into town.
Another fucking pause. I rolled my eyes and continued making sandwiches with the phone tucked under my ear. I packed a cooler with the sandwiches, some water and fruit while I waited for Cross to figure out some diplomatic way to say whatever was working its way through his brain.
Finally he came back to me with, “Are you sure she can’t do this one job?”
He was like a fucking broken record. I took a deep breath and held it for a second, then let it out, filled with all the things I wouldn’t say to him because there would be no going back. I tried my best to keep my voice even. “No, Cross, she can’t and I can’t even believe you’d fucking ask me that. She would hate that I’m telling you this and I’m only doing this so you can fucking see why.”
I told him about the asshole giving her coke for her friends and then charging her for it so he could get her to work it off.
“What do you think she would’ve been doing if she hadn’t happened to have this unique skill? Jesus, would you have asked Lauren to do that?”
He growled into the phone and I could just imagine the anger coursing through him. “Never. But Lauren never would have dated that asshole.”
I wanted to throw the phone at the wall. Or worse. But I just said, “You mean she never would have gotten with the head of a criminal organization?” It was an asshole move to get sarcastic about it, but he was being a dick. “Right. Of course she wouldn’t.”
“Fuck you, Lasso.”
“No, fuck you, Cross! She’s carrying my kid and you just want me to hand her over to a psychopath? Yeah, fuck you too.”
I ended the call and squeezed the phone so tight it came close to cracking.
“That sounded like it went well.”
I turned to glare at Rocky, but she’d changed into a flimsy little dress that made her tits look like a dream. “We’re going fishing.”
She frowned and then smiled. “Are you serious?” When I nodded she squealed, clapped and turned, running back up the stairs. I could hear the patter of her feet and I smiled. It was nice to see her smiling again. For a minute she looked like the girl I met on the beach in San Diego.
Within minutes she was back, chirping, “Okay I’m ready.”
She stood there wearing a giddy grin and the same dress but a floppy hat now covered her head and she held a straw bag under her arm.
“Come on, I’ve got lunch.”
“Good because someone ruined my breakfast.”
Her lips twitched when I looked over my shoulder at her while I locked the door. “Thank you,” she moaned when I reached into the cooler on the way to the lake and handed her a sausage and egg sandwich. She tore into it and moaned even louder with the first bite.
“I wasn’t trying to ruin your breakfast Rocky, but it’s shitty for you to keep saying you’re alone when you’ve got me.”
She stopped in the dirt path and turned to me. “I know you feel responsible for me because of the baby, Lasso, but I can’t help but feel guilty about dragging you into my shit show. It’s not about diminishing your importance here.” She sighed, frustrated and marched toward the dock with her shoulders hanging low.
The bass boat was where it always was and in a few minutes, I had helped her into a seat. I took the seat opposite her and fired up the motor and before we knew it we were in the middle of the small lake.
“Have you ever fished?” I asked?
“A few times with my dad but I was about eight or nine.” She looked around at the scenery with the willows and thick green grass along the overgrown plots of land before she turned back to me. She grabbed the hem of her dress and pulled it over her head to reveal a pink bikini with white daisies. I tried to keep my gaze on the water, but we were alone and Rocky was lathering her arms, legs, chest and back with sunscreen.
“Take off your shirt,” she ordered.
I looked over at her, a mix of adorable and sexy in her barely there bikini, pregnant belly and windblown hair.
“Sure thing, sweetheart, but maybe wait until we anchor down someplace,” I bit back a grin at the sexy scowl that shot straight to my cock and then my shirt was crawling up my body. “I like it when you’re feisty.”
“You have mental issues. We’ll have to enroll the baby in therapy right away.”
Her words put an image in my mind of a little kid, old enough to walk but still kind of wobbly and like that the pregnancy became real to me. That baby in her belly became a person.
We putte
red along lazily in the hot sun for a few minutes, sitting next to each other but lost in our own thoughts. And then . . .
“Ho-ly shit!” I screamed.
Something cold and slick hit my back and Rocky laughed.
“Sun protection, cowboy,” she said, but her hands lingered all over my back and around my waist, sliding slow and sexy along my abs. “And maybe a little bit of copping a feel.”
“A little?”
“Hey, I’m just don’t want you to get skin cancer.”
We both laughed. “You were so close to sounding sincere too.”
“I know, dammit. Turn around.”
I made her wait until we reached one of my favorite fishing spots before I exposed my body to her.
“There, now you can put your hands all over me.” She took her sweet time and I swear I nearly came in my shorts and would have if she’d brushed my nipple one more time. “All right, dirty girl. Now we fish.”
We worked in silence for a long time, first setting up our rods over the side and then waiting. Always waiting. The patience I learned fishing as a boy helped me as a soldier where there was even more fuckin’ waiting. Though the silence was comfortable, even companionable, I wanted to talk. To hear her sweet voice and that sexy laugh.
“I got one!” she yelped.
I leaned forward, ready to help her from her perch opposite me when she held up her prize: a colorful bass.
“Great catch!” I said, proud as I could be.
Her skin was flushed pink with excitement and her smile spread wide across her gorgeous face.
“Thanks! That was as fun as I remember.” She winced and grabbed her belly and I was at her side in an instant. “I’m fine. I’m fine. I think I woke up the baby that’s all. But I’ll rest a bit, give you time to catch up.”
“There’s food in the cooler, fruit and water too.”
“Aww look at you being a mother hen,” she joked and poked me in the side until I laughed. “Thank you, Lasso. Seriously.”