by Harley Wylde
I ran a hand down my face and tried to focus as the club discussed other business, but my mind was on the woman and boy at my house. I wanted to protect them from all the horrid things in the world, but I knew that wasn’t possible. Not without placing them inside a bubble, and neither of them would appreciate that. Once I knew all the facts, I’d sit down with Clarity and we’d figure everything out. Until then, I just had to hope that Shade would work fast, and that he didn’t dig up anything too horrible.
Chapter Seven
Clarity
Seamus hadn’t talked much since Scratch had left. Mostly, he prowled around the house, peeking out the windows and tensing at every sound. Who the hell did he think was going to come after us? I was a homeless woman with a family who didn’t give a shit, and I didn’t have so much as one friend in the world. I hadn’t exactly made a bunch of enemies during my short life. Of course, I didn’t know anything about the Devil’s Boneyard except the rumors around town. For all I knew, the club was into something bad and Seamus had a right to be overly cautious.
I’d gone upstairs to change, but I still wasn’t quite comfortable around the Prospect. He didn’t look at me inappropriately or make me feel unwelcome, but there was a predatory air about him. I’d gotten a quick look at some ink on his bicep that made me think he’d been in the military. I wondered how he’d gone from serving his country to being part of a motorcycle club, but not enough to ask.
Caleb was still asleep upstairs. I’d checked on him a few times, but he must have been completely exhausted. His chest rose and fell evenly so I left him rest as long as he wanted. He’d likely be hell to get to bed later tonight, but it had been a long time since he’d felt safe. I’d done my best, but he couldn’t hide the fear I’d sometimes caught in his eyes while we were on the street.
“You aren’t worried about people thinking you’re too young for our VP?” Seamus asked out of nowhere. He wasn’t looking at me, though. He was still watching out the window.
“He’s said several times he’s too old for me, but no one has ever made me feel so safe, or cared for. Not since my mother died. If other people have a problem with our age difference, that’s on them.”
He nodded, but there was a tenseness in his shoulders and back.
“Someone special out there you like who is maybe younger than you?” I asked.
He snorted.
Interesting. I moved a little closer. “Maybe she likes you too?”
He finally looked at me. “She’s a kid. A sixteen-year-old kid and I don’t… it’s not like that. But there’s something about her. She has this magnetic personality and when you look into her eyes, it’s like…”
“Like you’re free falling?” I asked.
He nodded.
“You going to wait for her to grow up?” I asked.
“Maybe. It’s complicated. Her dad is a Dixie Reaper. Pretty sure he’d kick my ass for dating his daughter even if she was legal.” He shook his head. “Best if I stick with women my age, or at least over the age of twenty-one.”
“Do those women make you happy?” I asked.
“Happy enough,” he muttered, and I knew he was damn well lying.
It was a slippery slope that he was on. Yes, the girl was underage, but he made it sound like he wasn’t thinking of her sexually. I wondered if he felt drawn to her like I did with Scratch. More a sense of rightness, like two puzzle pieces that fit together perfectly. I truly did believe in soul mates and I thought maybe Seamus had met his, even if fate was a cruel bitch and the girl was too young for him. For now, anyway. She’d grow up in a few more years, and I couldn’t wait to see what happened between them.
“You know, I really do believe that there’s someone special out there for each of us, someone we’re destined to find. Maybe she’s yours and you just have to be patient while she grows up. There’s thirty-two years between me and Scratch. Do you have a problem with that?”
“No,” he said quickly.
“Are you saying that so Scratch won’t kick your ass? Or because you really mean it?” I asked.
“Can it be both?”
I bit my lip so I wouldn’t laugh. “You’re at least twenty years younger than him. Don’t think you can take him?”
“No way in hell. He’s the boogeyman. Maybe he’s a cuddly teddy bear with you, the rest of us? None of us want to meet him in a dark alley, unless we’re on the same side.”
I could kind of see that. I didn’t know anything about Scratch’s background, but when he said he’d take care of us, protect us, I knew he’d do whatever it took. If someone told me the man had left a trail of bodies in his wake, it wouldn’t surprise me. Wouldn’t bother me either, since those people were likely bad men and women.
“He’s a good guy,” Seamus said. “The kind you want to have your back in a bad situation.”
“He’s the kindest man I’ve ever met,” I said. “No one’s ever treated me or Caleb the way he does. He makes me feel special, and he gives me hope for the future.”
Seamus smiled faintly.
I heard the rumble before the bike pulled up out front. Seamus peered out the window again, then gave me a wink.
“Looks like your man is home.”
Butterflies rioted in my stomach and I went to the front door, pulling it open just as Scratch stepped up onto the porch. There were shadows in his eyes, but he pulled me against his chest and held me tight. I clung to him, breathing in his scent.
“Hey, kitten. Miss me?”
“Yes.” I looked up at him. “Caleb is still asleep.”
He nodded, then looked over my head. “Seamus, you can head out. Stop by the clubhouse and see if anyone needs help, then you’re free until someone calls.”
“Yes, sir,” Seamus said as he brushed past us and down to his bike parked in the driveway.
After Seamus had pulled down the driveway, Scratch led me into the house, then locked the door behind us. He cupped my face with both of his hands and leaned down to kiss me softly. It surprised me every time such a big, gruff man was tender and sweet. It wasn’t something I was used to, but I liked it.
“Caleb is a pretty sound sleeper,” I said.
He arched an eyebrow, a smirk playing along his lips. “Is that right?”
I nodded.
“Is there something in particular you’d like to do while he’s asleep? Clean the kitchen? Play a board game?”
“Not unless it’s Twister, and we’re in the bedroom.”
Scratch burst out laughing, then led me up the stairs and down the hall to our room. I hadn’t moved my things in yet, but I knew he’d want me to. Right now, my new things were all still in the guest room. He shut the door and twisted the lock, then turned to face me with a predatory gleam in his eyes. I licked my lips as he shrugged out of his cut and tossed it onto the dresser. The hem of his shirt lifted and he pulled it over his head, letting it fall to the floor. Scratch stalked closer and I backed toward the bed.
“Think you can handle me, kitten? All of me? No holding back, just the two of us, and my cock as deep and hard as you can take it?”
My knees trembled and my panties grew damp. Oh yeah, I wanted that. I felt my nipples harden, and he prowled even closer. He settled his hands at my waist and tugged on my shirt. In a matter of seconds, he had me completely naked and at his mercy. Scratch dropped to his knees, then gave me a gentle shove so that I sprawled across the foot of the bed. He pressed his palms to the insides of my thighs and spread me wide open.
“So pretty,” he murmured, running a finger down the lips of my pussy. He held me open with his fingers and brushed my clit with his thumb. My body trembled and I fought to hold still. “Does my kitten want me to make her feel good?”
“Yes. Please, Damon. I need you.”
“You come for me, then I’ll fill this pretty pussy with my cock.”
His beard tickled my thighs as he rubbed his face against one leg and then the other. He kept rubbing my clit, his gaze dark and h
ungry as he stared at my pussy. I was close to coming, but couldn’t quite get there. Lifting my hips, I wanted more but wasn’t brave enough to ask.
He sank two fingers inside me and I couldn’t hold back my cries of pleasure. I nearly came off the bed when I felt his tongue swipe across my clit, then he was sucking it into his mouth as his fingers worked my pussy. Waves of ecstasy rolled over me, making my thighs shake and my heart race. I fisted the bedsheets and nearly sobbed, I wanted to come so badly.
“Damon, I… please…”
He lashed my clit with his tongue and drove his fingers into my pussy harder. I saw stars as I came so hard it left me breathless. I could hear my heart thundering in my ears and I blinked trying to clear my vision. Damon kissed his way up my body, pausing to suck and bite my nipples. Not hard enough to hurt, but it made my pussy clench and ache for more.
“You have on too many clothes,” I said.
He smiled and pulled away, then kicked off his boots and stripped out of his jeans and boxer briefs. I locked my gaze on him as he came around the bed, but when he reached for the bedside table drawer, I reached out and stopped him.
“The last one broke,” I reminded him.
He stared down at me a moment, then pulled the drawer open anyway. I wanted to scream in frustration. Didn’t he understand that I wanted to feel him inside me without barriers? He’d already admitted he would love a baby if we had one, and I knew I would too. If we were together, the kind that lasted forever, then did it really matter if we used a condom? I could see the determination in his eyes, though.
He rolled the latex down his cock and crooked his finger at me. I crawled to him, placing my hands on his chest and leaning up for a kiss. He tangled his fingers in my hair as he kissed me long and deep, his tongue stroking mine. When he pulled away, he gripped my waist and flipped me onto my belly. I squealed in surprise and looked at him over my shoulder. The sexiest smirk I’d ever seen was on his face, and he looked like he was ready to devour me.
I got my knees up under me, then he spread my thighs wide. With his hands holding my hips tight, I felt him slowly sink into me, his cock stretching me in the most delicious way. I pressed my forehead to the bed and nearly moaned with how damn good it felt. He started to stroke in and out of me, and fuck if it didn’t feel like he went a little deeper each time!
I clenched on his cock and I heard him curse.
“Fuck, kitten! You’re going to make me come if you keep doing that.”
“Please, Damon. Harder. Take me harder.”
He growled softly and gave me exactly what I’d asked for. Our bodies slapped together as he pounded into me. I felt his cock swell and I knew he was close. I slid my hand down between my legs and rubbed my clit.
“That’s it, baby. Make yourself come,” he said.
No matter how fast or slow I rubbed, I wasn’t getting any closer and it was leaving me frustrated. I whined and pulled my hand away.
“I’ll get you there, kitten,” he said.
His fingers spread my pussy open and he teased and tormented my clit as he thrust into me hard and deep. When he pinched down, I screamed out my release, feeling like I was flying. He kept toying with me, even as he came. His cock jerked inside me and he soon had me coming again. Damon’s body slumped over my back, but he held most of his weight off me.
I felt his lips trail across my shoulders, and then he was pulling away and slipping out of my body. I collapsed onto the bed and watched him through blurry eyes as he went into the bathroom. When he came back out, he was rubbing his hand down his face and looked unsettled.
“I think that punk ass Prospect gave me a faulty box of condoms,” he said.
“Did that one break too?”
“Yep. In over thirty years of fucking, I’ve never had one break. Until you. So either you have a magic pussy that destroys condoms, or there’s something wrong with that box.”
“Or maybe it’s the universe telling us that we don’t need condoms,” I said.
He snorted, then crawled into bed with me. He wrapped an arm around my waist and kissed my forehead. I loved the way he smelled and I pressed my nose against him, breathing him in.
“All right, kitten. We’ll do this your way. No more condoms. If you end up pregnant, then we’ll just get a nursery set up and prepare Caleb for being a big brother.” He sighed. “I don’t like denying you something you really want, and I have to admit that the thought of taking you bare is pretty fucking tempting.”
“I think Caleb would be a good big brother,” I said.
“There are some things we’ll need to discuss in the upcoming days, but I want all the facts first. But one thing I found out today is that it’s your birthday tomorrow. Why didn’t you say something?” he asked.
I rubbed my face against his chest. “Didn’t seem important. I haven’t celebrated a birthday in a really long time.”
“Well, we’re going to celebrate this one. We’ll have a small party at the clubhouse. You can meet my brothers and Jackal’s wife, Josie. They have a daughter about Caleb’s age. Doesn’t talk much, but she’s a sweetheart.”
“Wife? Not his old lady?” I asked.
“She’s both.”
“Oh.” I thought that over for a minute. When he’d talked about making me his old lady, I’d thought maybe bikers didn’t get married. Now that I knew one of them was, I had to wonder if maybe Scratch just didn’t believe in marriage. Or maybe he just didn’t want that with me.
My stomach cramped at the thought and I hoped he didn’t sense my agitation. If all he was willing to give me was status as his old lady, then I’d take it and be happy. I’d try to bury my fear that him not wanting to marry me meant he didn’t really want me forever. The little devil on my shoulder wasn’t making it easy to ignore that feeling though. I didn’t want to fall for him, for Caleb to love him, and then have Scratch ask us to leave one day. I’d rather live back out on the streets than put either of us through that kind of heartache.
“We should probably rinse off in the shower, get dressed, and check on Caleb,” he said. “If he sleeps all day, we’ll all be up into the wee hours of the morning.”
“I’ll check on him if you want to go ahead and shower,” I said, moving to rise from the bed, but he wrapped his fingers around my wrist and held me still.
“Kitten, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” I couldn’t bring myself to look him in the eye, though.
He pulled on me until I was lying next to him again.
“Don’t lie to me,” he said, his voice stern and deeper than usual. “Never fucking lie. About anything.”
I swallowed hard and felt my eyes sting with unshed tears. I slowly nodded, but didn’t know how to tell him what I was feeling. That I was scared he’d change his mind and ask us to leave one day. I knew a marriage license didn’t mean forever would really happen, but it would make me feel more secure.
“Why are you trying to put distance between us?” he asked.
My throat grew tight and I didn’t think I could answer without crying.
“Look at me, Clarity.”
I took a shuddering breath and looked up, our gazes locking. I couldn’t hold back the tears and they silently slipped down my cheeks. I wasn’t this person, this weak woman who cried so easily. But as he stared at me, it felt like the wall I’d put up around my heart was cracking. The blue of his eyes darkened and the harsh lines of his face softened. Scratch cupped my cheek and wiped away my tears.
“Kitten, talk to me.”
“I’m scared,” I admitted.
“About what? The party? We don’t have to have one, but I thought it would give you a chance to meet everyone.”
“No. Not the party. I’m… I’m scared that you’ll change your mind.”
“Change my mind?” he asked.
“What if you decide not to keep me? What if you wake up one day and want us to leave?” I asked softly.
“Kitten, what made you think I’d ever wan
t to get rid of you?” he asked.
“You said that Josie was Jackal’s wife and old lady. I just thought…” I couldn’t finish saying it.
“You thought because I hadn’t asked you to marry me that I wasn’t as serious about keeping you?” he asked.
I shrugged.
Scratch sighed and pressed another kiss to my forehead. “Kitten, I’m an old man and I’m set in my ways. I honestly never thought about getting married, or having more kids. If you want a ring and a piece of paper that says you’re mine, then we’ll talk about it.”
“You’re not old,” I mumbled.
He chuckled and hugged me tight. “Only you don’t seem to think so.”
“I’m sorry I got emotional.”
“Kitten, you’ve been through hell, and you’ve fought long and hard on your own. You were bound to break down sooner or later.”
“We should go shower and then check on Caleb. You were right. He shouldn’t be allowed to sleep all day. He needs to get into a routine now that we’re not sleeping in doorways.”
“I’ll start the shower. Just lie here and relax a moment, give the water some time to heat up.”
I watched as he walked into the bathroom, and a few minutes after I heard the shower running, I followed him. It hadn’t escaped my notice that he’d said he’d give me a ring if that’s what I wanted, but he hadn’t said it was what he wanted. If he didn’t really want to get married, then I wasn’t going to beg him to do it. Maybe one day he’d want the same thing I did, but until then, I’d be content with what he was willing to give me.
Chapter Eight
Scratch
Caleb had played in the living room for most of the day, enjoying the few toys we had for him. The way his eyes lit up whenever he saw a train on TV, I knew that would be his next present. I’d downloaded a shopping app on my phone and had already started pricing them, along with a few other things I thought he’d like. When I finished browsing through the toys, I picked out a few things for Clarity and added them to my cart with overnight shipping. With some luck, they would arrive before her party. If we had one.