by Lilly Atlas
Shell hadn’t even been sick, and she was beyond exhausted. Of course, she’d lain awake half the night with Copper’s massive arm slung across her waist and the regular up and down of his breathing against her back.
Holy shit! Copper!
She shot up, eliciting another round of giggles from Beth. “Mommy you’re funny,” she said clapping her hands.
“Uh, yeah baby, mommy’s so funny. She glanced around the room. The jeans he’d laid at the foot of the bed were no longer there, nor were the boots he’d discarded before climbing in next to her. “You hungry, Bethy?”
“Starving,” Beth replied with all the drama only a four-year-old girl could display.
Shell blinked. Had she dreamed it? Had Copper even been here? Yes, he’d been here. The memory of him discovering one of her secrets was too strong to have been a figment of her imagination. But as for holding her all night long? She put her hand on her forehead. Maybe she was sick with some kind of brain disease.
“Your tummy feel good?” she asked her daughter.
Beth nodded and flopped down on the pillow Copper had used. “Mmm, this pillow smells good.”
Yep. Copper had really been there.
“Go in the kitchen, Bethy. I’ll make you some pancakes.” She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stretched her arms up and over her head until her back cracked. “Did you go potty yet?”
“No. I don’t hafta go.”
Suuure, she didn’t. “How about this. We’ll have a race and see who can get to the kitchen first after going potty.”
Beth’s eyes lit up, and she sprang off the bed. “Okay. I’m gonna win!” she shouted as she darted to the Elsa-themed bathroom down the hall.
With a chuckle, Shell peeled herself off the bed and took care of her own business. As she passed by her bed on the way to her door, she paused.
Don’t do it. Keep on walking, Michelle.
Of course, she didn’t listen to that little voice in her head. No, she grabbed Copper’s pillow off the bed, held it to her nose and inhaled. Her eyes nearly rolled back in her head. Cedarwood from the beard oil he preferred, a hint of smoke from those cigarettes he pretended not to smoke on occasion, and a zesty hint of soap.
Copper.
Like some kind of crazy stalker, Shell switched the pillow to the side of the bed she preferred to sleep on. A night with Copper’s arms around her might have been a once in a lifetime experience, but tonight, she’d fall asleep surrounded by his scent, and for a few moments she could pretend he was there. She’d hoped feeling his arms around her would have gotten some of the need out of her system. Yeah, she’d been dead wrong about that. All the experience did was make her crave more of him. More time with him, more contact with him, more of anything he was willing to give her. She sighed and shook her head. Why did she have to be in love with a man who didn’t want her?
Lord, she needed help.
“Mommy!”
“Coming, baby,” she called back.
Shell shuffled her way into the kitchen only to find Beth standing on a chair in front of the open refrigerator as she wrestled with a mostly full gallon of milk. “Firsty, Mommy?” she asked.
Yeah, Beth was feeling better.
“Whoa there, Bethy. How about I get the milk, and you get a cup?” she asked as she relieved her daughter of the heavy jug.
“Okay!” Beth said with way more excitement than the task called for. As she scampered off to the low cabinet that held her shatterproof cups, she said, “I go to preschool today?”
“I don’t know, honey. You’re really feeling good?”
“Super good! Please, mommy. I want to see my friends.” She did a little dance in place that reminded Shell of R2D2 rocking back and forth with anticipation.
There was a lot more healthy color in Beth’s face, and her appetite seemed to have returned. She held a hand to her daughter’s forehead. Definitely no fever. And being Wednesday, it was Shell’s morning off from the diner. She could really use a few hours to herself to just…be alone and quietly process everything that had happened the night before.
“All right. You win. School it is.”
“Yes!” Beth pumped a tiny fist in the air then held it out to Shell. “Pound it, Mom,” she said, face totally serious.
“Pound it?” Shell snorted out a laugh. “Let me guess, one of your uncles showed you that one.”
Small white teeth gleamed through Beth’s smile. “No, it was Copper. He’s not my uncle, he’s my best friend.”
Ugh, no one knew how to send a shot straight to the heart better than a child. Copper treated Beth like she was a princess and he was her humble servant, spoiling her every chance he got. She had that man, and most of the rough and gruff Handlers, firmly under her sparkly pink spell.
“Boom,” Beth said as Shell touched her fist to her daughters. “Don’t forget to explode.” She made a loud blast noise and wiggled her fingers.
Shell couldn’t help it, she threw her head back and laughed. Nothing put her in a good mood quite like some time with her playful daughter.
They ate an uneventful meal then Shell helped Beth get ready for school. Since Beth didn’t complain of a single ache or pain the entire time, Shell assumed it was safe to send her to school. Once Beth was all ready to leave, Shell set her up watching cartoons while she got herself ready. “I’ll just be fifteen minutes, honey.”
“Okay, Mommy,” Beth answered, already lost in the world of computer-generated characters.
When she reached her room, Shell tore off her clothes and took one of her patented four-minute showers complete with hair wash. As she stood outside her bathroom, trying to decide what to wear, a white slip of paper on top of the dresser caught her eye.
“What the…” Clad only in her favorite bra and panty set, she walked to her dresser only to find a note folded around a stack of hundred-dollar bills. Written in Copper’s chicken scratch were the words:
For last night.
Shell frowned. That bastard. Was this the reason he stayed? So he could pay her back the money he knew she’d never take? She absolutely despised taking money from the club. Work was how she earned her money. Working hard, and working well. She and Beth were not a charity case, and while they didn’t have excess, she was able to provide her child with everything she needed. Getting Joe to stop harassing her was one thing. Leaving cash on her dresser was quite another.
Oh my God. She pressed a hand against her stomach as breakfast threatened to make a repeat appearance. Was this the reason Copper spooned her all night? To soften her up and make her accept the money? A hot flush of humiliation stole over her.
“Who the hell does he think he is?” she said aloud into the empty room. “Well, fuck that.” Slamming through the drawers on a mission, Shell shoved her legs into some black skinny jeans then reached for a T-shirt. A mischievous smile curled her lips, and she dropped the T-shirt back in the drawer then moved to the closet.
If Copper thought he could dictate her actions, he had another think coming. She reached into the back of the closet where she’d stashed a shirt Toni made her purchase a few weeks ago. Admittedly, it looked fantastic on her but showed off a little more boob than Shell was used to. Maybe back in the day before she’d had Beth, she’d have rocked something so revealing, but nowadays she leaned toward more coverage.
Not today.
Copper wanted to pay her?
She was happy to make him pay.
“I WANT TO put it to a vote,” Copper said as he rested his elbows on his desk.
In a chair on the opposite side of the desk with his feet propped up, Jigsaw snorted. “You know every brother here will vote to pay her back the money, but you also know Shell won’t take a damn cent if it’s club money.”
Shit.
Jig was right. “We’ll make her fucking take it,” Copper grumbled.
Now Jig was outright laughing at him. The bastard hadn’t laughed for over six years, and now that he had a consistent woman
in his bed every night he thought life was fucking roses and sunshine.
“Something funny?”
“Fuck yeah, it’s funny imagining you trying to force Shell to take the money. Do it, Prez, but make sure I’m there to see her crush those cantaloupe-sized balls of yours under her tiny foot. Oh man, the guys are gonna love this.” Jig was giving him a shit-eating smile typical of Maverick.
“Look, jerkoff, by my count, she’s given this fuckwad at least eighteen thousand dollars to cover her pop’s debts. Our old president, who was apparently doing some shady deals behind our backs. In what world should she be out eighteen thousand dollars when she needs to buy her girl the fucking world?”
Jig sobered in an instant. “I hear you, Cop. Loud and clear. And I agree, she deserves every dollar back, but I also know her. She’s proud as fuck, stubborn as a damn mule, and does not accept handouts.”
“So, you got a better idea?”
“Sure do,” Jig said just as Mav and Zach showed up at the door.
“Hey, Boss. Jig,” Mav said as he barged in, uninvited. “Heard what you guys were talking about. Wanted to come in and offer our help.”
Copper ran a hand down his face. “This ain’t a fucking locker room, boys. I ever catch you spying outside my door, you’ll spend a few weeks lower than the prospects.”
Zach rolled his eyes and sat on the edge of Copper’s desk.
He was losing fucking control. Last night, Shell hadn’t been intimidated by him, now his guys were acting as though it were lunch hour in High School. Copper ran a hand down his face and growled. This wasn’t some joke. This was Shell’s livelihood, her safety, her life. Maybe he was too close to his men. They didn’t fear him.
“That’s fucking enough,” he roared, slamming his fists down on his desk. Every single object on the desk flew into the air including the full mug of coffee. “Fuck,” he said as it landed on the floor, spilling hot liquid and shattering.
The three men in his office stared at him like he’d lost his mind. “Prospect,” he bellowed out the open door. Then he looked at his guys. “Quit the bullshit. I want Shell out from under these assholes thumb, and I want her money returned. Yesterday.”
“Sup, Prez?” LJ stuck his head in the door.
“Clean this shit up,” he said, pointing to the mess.
“On it.” LJ disappeared into the hallway.
There, that’s how they should all be acting. President says jump and they don’t ask how high, they just jump the fucking highest they can.
“Sorry, Cop,” Zach said. “I promise we’re taking this seriously.”
“You know we all love Shell like family. We’ll get it straight.” Mav was serious for once.
“I wasn’t saying Shell won’t take the money back. Just that she won’t take club money. So, we don’t give her club money. We get it back from Joe,” Jig dropped his feet to the ground and leaned forward.
“Yes!” Zach clapped once then rubbed his hands together. “Louie would be more than happy to get in on that action. Joe’s a dick.” As club’s enforcer, Zach was the one who paid visits to clients not repaying their loans on time. His favorite form of message delivery was a baseball bat he’d nicknamed Louie.
“All right,” Copper nodded. “Church Thursday at eight. We’ll discuss it then.”
A commotion in the hallway had them frowning at each other, then filing into the central area of the club room.
Shell stood at the bar, hands on her hips. Her hair was damp and a little wilder than usual like she’d run right out of the house after a shower. “Swear to God, LJ, if you don’t tell me whether Copper’s here, I’m going to shove one of those bottles up your—”
“I’m right here, babe. No need to sodomize the poor prospect.”
Shell spun slowly until she faced Copper. Those gorgeous blue eyes had narrowed to slits, and he could practically see sparks flying from her head.
“Oh boy,” Zach murmured. “Someone’s in trouble.”
“Yep,” Mav said, failing to disguise his chuckle. “You piss off the fairy, Cop?”
Mav had it right; she looked like a tiny, furious fairy.
“Don’t you tell me what to do, Copper.” Shell stomped over to him. She held up her hand, fist full of the money he’d left on her dresser. Ahh, should have known that wouldn’t sit well with her. “What the hell is this, huh?”
“Babe—”
“Don’t you babe me, Copper. Was this all a little game to you? Think you can butter me up? Sleep in my bed and, what? I’m so pathetic and desperate I’ll just take your handouts?” She shook her head. “I wake up to find a stack of money on the dresser like I’m some kind of whore. Well, you can take your money and shove it. I am not a charity case!” She screamed the last sentence as she tossed the crumpled money at him.
Then she spun and started to stomp toward the exit.
Oh, fuck no.
She did not come into his house, throw money at him, and call herself a whore. He rushed after, and with his long stride, caught her in three steps. With a hand at her waist, he whirled her around, shoved his shoulder into her stomach, and hoisted her up.
“Copper!” Shell screeched. “What the hell are you doing? Put me down, you big brute.” She beat her small fists against his back, but it might as well have been stuffed animals pelting him for all he felt it.
LJ gaped from behind the bar while the other three idiots hooted like fucking loons.
“Now that’s how you handle a woman, Cop,” Mav said, clapping slowly.
“Shut up, Maverick. I’m telling Stephanie you said that! Bet she won’t blow you for a month,” Shell called out, hanging from Copper’s shoulder.
“Shit,” Mav said as his laughter died. “Didn’t mean it, Shelly. Copper, put her down! That’s no way to treat a woman! Wait…did Shell say the words ‘blow you’?”
“Can one of you morons please help me?”
Zach just whistled, and as Copper passed Jig, his brother said, “Told you she wouldn’t take club money.”
So, she didn’t want a handout from the club. Fine.
But what the fuck was she thinking traipsing into a biker den dressed like that? Christ, her tits were on full display in front of his brothers.
He stormed up the stairs toward his room, ignoring her cries for help and the guys’ cheers.
Damn woman would be lucky if he didn’t paddle her ass.
CHAPTER EIGHT
BY THE TIME they reached Copper’s room, which was really more of a suite, Shell’s head felt ready to explode from the rush of blood and the ass-up-head-down position.
Plus, there was the surge of admittedly exaggerated fury.
Copper deposited her on the floor then slammed his door shut. She’d been in his room countless times before, mostly to put Beth down for a nap in his bed, but something about this felt different. Perhaps it was the way he locked the door behind them, or maybe it was the fact she wanted to rip his face off. Whatever it was, it had electricity dancing across her nerve endings.
Copper didn’t seem to notice at all. The calm indifference radiating off him only made her madder.
Well, screw him. “What the hell was that, Copper? You can’t go all caveman and manhandle me in front of my friends like that.” Hands fisted at her sides, she tried and failed to control her rapid breathing.
Silence was his only answer, that and the ticking of his jaw. But his eyes, they were anything but silent. They screamed with desire. His gaze focused on her very exposed cleavage and radiated with…hunger.
Mission accomplished.
Shell bit her lower lip to keep from smirking. Copper liked to think he had the upper hand at all times, but he was a man like any other. Flash some boob, and they turned to one-celled organisms.
“My eyes are about ten inches north, Prez.” Any other day, she’d be thrilled to have snagged his attention, but today she was practically vibrating with anger that had nothing to do with his ogling.
Copper grunt
ed and stalked forward, closing the distance between them. “Don’t want me to stare at your tits, don’t come into my house dressed like a fuckin’ Honey.”
Oh, he did not just say that.
“This isn’t about my freakin’ clothes, Copper. Or about where you’re staring. This is about you managing my life. Ordering me not to speak to Joe, giving me vague statements about the club taking care of my problems, and leaving money I didn’t want or ask for.”
“Knew you agreed to that shit too easily last night,” he grumbled.
She’d worked so damn hard to make a good life for her daughter. Worked herself to the bone to provide for and protect her family. That included Copper. Him leaving the money, money that was nothing to him, felt like a slap in the face. Like he was throwing all her hard work and sacrifices right back at her.
Granted, it wasn’t an entirely fair assessment. The man had no idea why she made some of the choices she made, or just how far she went to protect him. She couldn’t logically get mad at him for something he was blind to. But then rationality wasn’t winning out over flustered anger at that moment.
“Why’d you stay over last night, Copper? Huh?” She paced in front of him, throwing her hands in the air and glaring at him as she spoke. A lot weighed on his answer. Did he play on her love for him? Had he calculated what to do, cuddling up to her all night, acting on her loneliness and fantasies just to bail in the morning and toss her some cash?
Remaining where he was, Copper folded his arms and cracked his neck. “Told you last night, woman. I didn’t feel comfortable with you and Beth alone in the house after that asshole had been there. Plus, I was fucking beat. Easier to crash at your place since I was there.”
Made sense. Perfect sense. Calm, rational, unemotional sense. Shell couldn’t accept it. She wanted a reaction. Be it anger, sadness, agitation, whatever. She needed him to feel something toward her. She felt so much, so deep, and so agonizing. How could he stand there as though unaffected? She was sick and fucking tired of loving a man who felt nothing for her.
The tip of her nose tingled, warning her of approaching tears. This man had way too much power over her. Returning to Townsend had been a mistake. She was a fool to think she could live near him and not destroy herself, and Copper had driven that home last night.