Copper (Hell's Handlers MC Book 4)

by Lilly Atlas

  His assessing gaze downshifted. “He’s on a few of the brothers’ shit lists. I got into it with him earlier, and he rode off ahead of Zach and I. He giving you any shit?”

  Shell swallowed. For the first time in her life, she was about to tell an outright lie to the man she loved. In the past, she always managed to avoid direct untruths with clever wording and omissions. Not this time. “N-nope, no trouble. He did seem a little off, but that’s all.”

  “Hmm.” Copper still stared down at her, and she had the distinct impression he didn’t believe her, but thankfully, Beth took that moment to interrupt.

  “Your face feels like Bobby’s dog,” Beth said, rubbing her hands across Copper’s cheeks. That girl was definitely a facial hair loving girl. Every time one of the bearded bikers held her, her hands assaulted their face.

  “Oh yeah? Who’s Bobby? He a friend from preschool?” Copper asked in his best dad voice.

  Beth giggled. “No, silly, he’s my boyfriend. And he has a puddle.”

  Copper’s forehead wrinkled as he looked to Shell.

  “Poodle,” she said around a chuckle. Beth comparing Copper’s beard to a poodle was pure gold.

  “Boyfriend, huh? Well, I think I need to meet this dude. Make sure he’s treating my princess right. What do you say?”

  “Yeah. He can come over with his puddle. You can meet them both.” As she spoke, she continued to pet Copper’s cheeks.

  “Great. Set it up, Mommy,” Copper said as he tickled Beth’s tummy. She broke out in a fit of giggles. “You like my fur?” He rubbed his cheek against Beth’s, eliciting even more sweet little-girl giggles.

  “Uh huh,” she said around her laughter.

  Emotion clogged Shell’s throat and had her blinking back tears. This moment was everything she’d fantasized about her entire life. Happiness, love, and laughter with Copper and the little family they made up. It was perfection.

  The dream.

  And it was fake. A lie doomed to end in a pulverized heart and crushed future. Instead of filling her up, the moment nearly choked her with thoughts of the man threatening to take away everything.

  She couldn’t let that happen. Somehow, she’d find a way to get them out from under Rusty’s thumb. With a forced grin, she shook off the desperation. Copper would pick up on her anxiety if she acted out of character.

  “Your mommy likes it too.” Copper winked and her face heated. Yeah, she liked it. Only she preferred it between her legs rather than against her own face. Maybe she could get a reminder of exactly what that felt like in a few hours.

  “Mommy loves it,” Shell responded, shooting for normal.

  Bobbing his eyebrows at her, Copper said, “All right, kiddo. Where to first?”

  “The slide!” Beth squealed. She launched herself from Copper’s arms and darted toward the spiral slide.

  “Hey, gorgeous.” Copper’s arms circled her. Two large hands fisted her ass and hauled her against him. The second her breasts molded to his hard chest, her pussy clenched and flooded. Just like that she was turned on and wishing they were alone.

  “Hi,” she whispered back, placing her hands over the flat planes of his pecs.

  He bent his head down, hovering millimeters from her lips.

  “Missed you today. God, I fucking missed you. Haven’t tasted these lips in over ten hours.”

  “Uh huh.” Her head spun as the faint smell of cigars, motor oil, and whatever soap Copper used tickled her nostrils.

  “I see I’ve rendered you speechless.” Those were the last words spoken before his mouth crashed against hers, and he not only rendered her speechless, but brainless as well. She loved her daughter above all else, but man, if Beth wasn’t around, Shell would have dropped to her knees right there and made him howl at the wind.

  She moaned, and he chuckled against her lips. “Hold that thought, darlin’. Just for a few hours.” Then he winked and took off after her daughter. “Here I come, princess.”

  Beth squealed in delight when Copper bounded up the ladder and sat behind her on the spiral slide.

  Covering her mouth with her palm, Shell giggled. That slide practically groaned under the weight of her colossal man. The thing probably wasn’t designed for two hundred and fifty pounds of muscled biker. “Here we go! You ready, Mommy?”

  “Hold on! Let me get a video of this.”

  “Mo-om,” Beth whined. As she dug out her phone, Shell caught her daughter peering up at Copper. “Mommy always wants to take videos of me.”

  “Well you’re pretty special,” Copper said. “And Mommy wants to be able to watch all the special things over and over again.”

  Hello, pang to the heart.

  They sounded like such a real family. And from the outside, they probably appeared that way. Playing at the playground with Copper referring to her as Mommy. Then they’d head to her house where they’d eat the casserole she prepared. Copper would read to Beth because she now refused to be read a story by anyone but him. Then after her daughter drifted off to dreamland, she and Copper would finally get the chance to give in to the desire that grew throughout the day. They’d fall into bed exploring each other for hours then sleep wrapped so tight they were almost one body.

  Domestic. Perfect to any outsider gazing in. Too bad it was all a fragile web of deceit. She paused, phone at her hip. If she played her cards wrong, this man could end up in prison for the rest of his life. Rusty would do it. Despite Copper’s love for his brother, Rusty hated him. Maybe hate was too strong a word, but he was so green he’d do anything to have what Copper did. And that was a dangerous thing.

  Could she do it? Would she do it? Keep vital information from the club? While she’d go to any lengths to keep Copper out of jail, and had in the past, she wasn’t sure she could continue to lie to him. She’d break. And where would that leave her daughter?

  Rusty’s daughter?

  Shell shuddered at the thought of that man having a relationship with her daughter.

  “Mommy, what’s taking so long?” Beth asked.

  “Yeah, Mommy, what’s taking so long?” Copper exaggerated Beth’s whine, making Shell laugh despite her mood.

  “Sorry, I’m coming.” She hurried forward until she was at the optimal angle to capture her two loves coming down the slide. “Okay, let ’er rip!”

  Beth let out a whoop of excitement as Copper pushed off. They careened through the first loop of the slide then came to a dead stop. “Hey!” Beth said. “What happened?”

  Copper wiggled his hips, then frowned. “I’m stuck.” He took his arms from around Beth’s waist. Without him holding her, she coasted the rest of the way down the slide with a “weee.” Hands going to the sides of the slide, Copper tried to push himself forward.

  “Damnit, I’m really wedged the fuck in here,” he grumbled.

  “Mommy! Copper said fuck!” Beth called as she ran from the bottom of the slide over to Shell. “Mommy, did you hear him?”

  But Shell couldn’t drag in enough breath to reply. She was laughing so hard her stomach hurt, and she bent forward.

  “What’s wrong with Mommy?” Beth asked. “Her face is all red.”

  “I-I’m o-kay,” she said, finally able to suck in a breath. Oh my God, she’d never seen anything so funny in her entire life as the giant badass MC president wedged into a child’s spiral slide.

  “You fucking laughing at me, woman?” Copper growled as he shimmied an inch at a time further down the slide.

  “N-no. N-never at y-you.” Shell hiccupped and wrapped an arm around her own stomach. Oh, the cramp. The muscles constricted and spasmed as she continued to laugh like she’d never laughed before.

  “We’ll see how fucking funny you think it is when I get my ass out of here,” Copper said.

  “Mommy! He said it again. Two times.”

  Shell sank to her knees, unable to remain upright. “I got it a-all on v-video,” she said as another round of hilarity began.

  “Can you please control
yourself long enough to help me out here?” Copper asked, twisting to glare at her over his shoulder.

  “S-sure.” Shell inhaled a deep breath then blew it out through pursed lips. She turned off the recording then struggled to her feet. On wobbly legs, she walked to the bottom of the slide. “I’ll pull your feet.”

  As best she could, she wrapped her hands around Copper’s ankles and pulled with all her might. That combined with Copper’s upper body strength finally dislodged the man. “Oh shit!” Shell flapped her arms as she tried to combat the backward momentum, but it was useless. She sailed back, landing on her ass in the dirt. Seconds later a heavy-as-hell biker flew off the edge of the slide and landed face down on her.

  Shell burst out laughing all over again. Bracing on his hands so as to avoid squishing her, Copper scowled. “You’re going to be deleting that video the second we get up.”

  She shook her head back and forth. “No way, buddy. I’m sure I’ll need something to hold over your head at some point.”

  A growl rumbled in his chest as his fingers slid under her shirt. He tickled along her sides making her squirm and shout. “Ready to delete it?”

  “No,” she said between gasps. “Never!”

  The tickling stopped. “Hmm.” One of his copper-colored eyebrows rose. “I’m sure I’ll think of a way to get what I want.”

  He dropped his mouth to hers, his fingers switching from tickling to pleasuring as they stroked the skin of her stomach.

  “Yay!” Beth yelled. “Wrestle time.” Then she took a flying leap, landing on Copper’s back which made his arms buckle and his big body land on Shell’s.

  “Ooof,” she gasped as the air left her lungs.

  “Do you smeeelll what the Rock is cooking?” Beth screamed as she bounced on Copper’s back.

  Slapping a palm over her mouth, Shell suppressed the laughter that wouldn’t seem to stop. Copper rolled his eyes then reached around his back, snagging a giggling Beth. “Who’s been watching old school WWE with you, princess?”

  It was one of the happiest ten-minute chunks of time in Shell’s entire life.

  She would do anything to keep this magic alive. But it might not be possible.

  There might be only one way to keep Copper out of jail and her daughter away from Rusty, and that would be to leave town.

  And end things with Copper.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  THE MOMENT COPPER’S eyes opened, the same goofy grin he’d been sporting for days appeared. Shell still slept, her smooth-as-silk bare back to him. Good thing he spent most nights at her house. If his men caught him looking so blissed out first thing each morning, he’d never hear the fucking end of it.

  Shifting, he winced. There were a few downsides to crashing at Shell’s. Mainly, the queen-sized bed. Nothing more substantial would fit in her tiny room. It wasn’t that he objected to sleeping all cuddled up to Shell—that would happen even if the bed was swimming-pool sized. But his big ol’ body straight up didn’t fit. Both feet hung off the edge which drove him nuts, making him curl in a tight ball on his side. Each morning he woke stiff and achy. For more reasons than one.

  Reaching down, he adjusted his hard cock which was half morning wood and half the naked woman next to him.

  Shell let out a soft sigh and burrowed deeper into her pillow. As she wiggled, her sweet ass brushed Copper’s hip.

  Okay, now the boner was one hundred percent sexy woman.

  Maybe it was time to think about moving out of the clubhouse. Get a place with a yard Beth could run in, a kitchen large enough to house a table for more than two people, and a monster-sized bed he didn’t wake in feeling like a craggy eighty-year-old. He closed his eyes, visualizing himself coming home to Shell and Beth at the end of a long day. Beth would be on the floor, building a tower with those pink and purple blocks she’d become obsessed with. He’d stop for a few minutes, tickle her until she squealed, then continue on to the kitchen. Shell would be at the stove, hair high on her head in a sexy pile, denim cutoffs cupping her ass and drawing his gaze. She’d be barefoot, those adorable pink-tipped toes tapping to her favorite country song, unaware of his presence.

  After stealthily admiring her for a few seconds, he’d move in behind her, resting his hardness against her. With a sweet smile, she’d automatically tip her head up to accept his kiss. And he’d kiss her all right. He’d kiss the hell out of her.

  Copper sighed. Yeah, it’d be nice to come home to their house each night.

  Wait. His eyes flew open.

  Their house?

  Shell barefoot in the kitchen?

  When the fuck had he become interested in domestic bliss? He glanced at his sleeping woman. Did the when matter? It was time for his mind to accept what his body already had. Shell belonged with him. All the reasons he’d fought being with her still existed. But he was ready to say fuck it. Fuck whoever thought he was robbing the cradle. If Shell grew bored with her ol’ man, fuck that too. He’d do what he needed to keep her interested and tied to him. Hell, it wasn’t a problem now, but he’d take out fucking stock in Viagra when the time came if that’s what he had to do to keep his woman satisfied.

  And the other reasons? His role as president of the MC? His promise to Sarge? The club ran through Shell’s blood. There was no separating her from her family. He could ensure her safety and happiness far better with her than apart from her.

  Yeah, it was time to officially claim her as his ol’ lady.

  Shell’s pert ass settled against him making his dick twitch. He could continue his planning later.

  Right now, he had other business to attend to.

  Rolling to his side, he brushed his lips back and forth across Shell’s spine, directly between her shoulder blades. Her skin was warm and satiny-smooth against his lips. She didn’t react, so he kissed her again, right above the first one. Then another, and another until he sucked at the little ridge of her spine right at the base of her neck. A soft whimper and gentle shiver was her response.

  His woman was awake, playing possum. He slipped one hand around and cupped a soft, warm breast in his hand. When he thumbed her stiff nipple, Shell moaned. “You holding out on me? Pretending to be asleep?” he whispered against her ear.

  “No,” she said shaking her head against the pillow. He squeezed the sensitive tip of her nipple, and her ass arched into his cock. “Just enjoying the way you’re touching me. Didn’t want you to stop, so I stayed quiet.”

  “I’ll never stop touching you, baby. Anytime you need these hands on you, just say the word, and they’re yours.”

  She rolled over until they were facing each other and traced a finger across his lips. Catching the tip between his teeth, he sucked it into his mouth. Her eyes flared with heat. “And your mouth?” she said, a little sass in her tone. “Do I get that whenever I want?”

  “Yes ma’am,” he said as he released her finger then took her tempting mouth. She bowed into him, boldly slipping her tongue into his mouth and rubbing her tits all over his chest. Each time they had sex, Shell grew bolder, more willing to take what she needed.

  “And this?” Her small hand circled his cock. She grasped what she could of his girth saying, “Can I have this whenever I want?”

  “Fuck, yes,” he breathed as he hardened to the point of agony. Each time she touched him, he had the almost uncontrollable urge to pound her into the nearest flat surface. “You thinking you might want it now?”

  Her smile turned sly. “Hmm,” she said, stroking his length. He squeezed her ass in response. “I suppose I could be persuaded…”

  Christ, she wasn’t even working to get him off, just idly gliding her fist up and down his length. His body wasn’t getting the message that it wasn’t quite time to unload. His balls heavy and full, drew close to his body as fire burned low in his gut.

  A teasing glint glittered in Shell’s eyes. Damn woman knew exactly what she was doing to him. And she fucking loved it. While nothing was better than seeing her happy and care
free, he wasn’t about to shoot his wad all over her stomach before he even had a chance to hear her cry out in pleasure. Best sound in the world.

  He swatted her hands away and ignored her giggles then lifted her top leg over his hip. Grasping the base of his cock, he squeezed, hard, and counted down from a thousand by eights.

  992, 984…

  Wasn’t working. Well, it worked enough that he wasn’t going to embarrass himself on thrust one. Guiding his head to her dripping pussy, he was about to sink in when the blaring of his phone had them both starting.

  “Ignore it,” he said with a growl, sliding the weeping tip of his cock into her.

  She groaned, fingers curling into his chest. “Copper, it’s five forty-five on a Tuesday morning. If someone’s calling, something is probably wrong. You should at least check it.”

  “Fuck.” Shell had a point. Who the fuck would be calling at this hour?

  One of his men, but only if they had a serious problem. Rolling to his back, his dick slipped out of her, making Shell whimper with the loss. Not exactly the sound he’d been after.

  He snatched his phone off the turquoise nightstand and frowned at the screen. “It’s Jig. Shit. What’s up, brother?” he answered.

  “Sorry to call so early, Cop, but this couldn’t wait.”

  Copper rubbed his eyes and stared at the wet tip of his wilting cock. Shell remained on her side facing him, with one hand resting on his stomach. “Don’t worry about it. I was up.”

  Was being the key word.

  “We got another five-grand missing.”

  It took a second longer than it should have for Jig’s words to register. Probably because of the early hour combined with the fact most of his blood was still concentrated in the dick area. But the moment he comprehended Jig’s words, he flew to a sitting position.

  “What the fuck do you mean? I put the money in the safe myself last night after we counted it together. It was fucking dead on.”