by Harley Stone
“You like that?” I asked.
“God, yes.”
She hadn’t felt anything yet. “Good.” I licked her from entrance to clit.
She about jumped off the bed. “Oh, oh, oh!”
Had that son-of-a-bitch never gone down on her before? I wanted to be pissed about his neglect, but honestly, I felt relieved. This could be something only we shared. I let the stubble of my jaw slide against her inner thigh, teasing. “Want me to do that again?”
“Yes.” Her answer sounded a lot like a prayer. She was so needy and perfect.
“You sure?”
“Less talking. More—”
I licked her again.
“God, yes. More of that.”
I got down to business, sucking, flicking, and swirling my tongue around her clit until she was fisting the sheets and speaking in tongues. I slid two fingers into her heat and took her over the edge. She tasted so damn sweet I made sure to lap up every bit of her honey before working my way north. I hadn’t gotten nearly enough time with her incredible breasts, and they called to me, pleading for my attention. I showered them in kisses and nips while Tina ran her hand over my head and neck, and her gentle touch was surprisingly erotic. As I sucked one of her nipples into my mouth, she tightened her grip on my hair.
I liked that. I liked it a whole fucking lot.
I paid homage to her breasts until she was fully worked up again, and then I headed north, kissing my way up her breastbone to her neck. Covering that delicate spot behind her ear, licking her jaw line, letting her taste herself on my lips.
The heat between her legs called to my cock, promising a warm, safe haven. As I lined myself up at her entrance and slipped inside, it didn’t disappoint. Wrapped in her silky-smooth heat, I hissed out a curse and started moving. She groaned against my lips.
“You feel heavenly, angel.” I was trying to keep my pace slow, but my god, she was so damn tight. Gritting my teeth against the intense torture, I ground my hips against her and drove in deeper.
Holy shit, she felt even better when I was sober.
By the grace of God, I managed not to come until she did, but once she squeezed the life out of my cock and cried out my name, I was done for. Gripping her hips, I thrust myself deep, emptying everything I had inside of her. Collapsing, I tucked her against my side and pulled the blanket up to cover us.
“I love you, angel.”
I could feel her smile against my chest. “I love you, too, Darius.”
Feeling happier and more content than any fool had a right to, I drifted off to sleep.
Epilogue
Tina
KAOS WAS GETTING patched in. I didn’t fully understand what that meant, but gathered it was an important step in his motorcycle club. He wanted me and Dylan there to celebrate with him. I was still kind of sketched out about the whole motorcycle club thing, but I trusted him. Besides, after all he’d done for us, supporting his promotion was the least we could do.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d worn makeup, but I was nervous and wanted to look my best. I concealed, powdered, lined my eyes, and then started swiping mascara onto my lashes. At the first swipe, the brush slipped out of my hand, bounced off the countertop and plopped right into the toilet.
Shocked, I took in the damage. Black streaks ran across the pale countertop, slashed the toilet seat, and marked up the bowl. Not to mention that my brand-new tube of mascara had been sacrificed to the potty gods. Disgusted with this turn of events, I put on a rubber glove, fished out the mascara, and tossed it into the trash.
Since only half of the lashes on one of my eyes had been coated, I used a makeup wipe to carefully remove my mascara. Peering into the mirror, I cursed my wimpy, insignificant lashes. It was Friday night, almost a month had passed since Matt’s attack, and my bruises were long since gone. In fact, the whole ordeal was behind me. Between the video evidence that Morse had provided and Matt’s coworkers that Link and Havoc had somehow persuaded to narc, the court had convicted Matt of numerous charges including attempted murder in the first degree, child endangerment, aggravated assault, and discharging a firearm in a public place. It would be at least thirty years before he even became eligible for parole.
My life was seriously looking up… despite the whole toilet mascara incident.
Cleaning up the rest of my mess, I gave myself one more once-over in the mirror and decided I looked presentable. Pushing away from the counter, I headed downstairs. It was time to go.
I’d left my hair down in soft curls that looked good, but probably wouldn’t survive the ride. Kaos had bought me a special outfit for the occasion, and as I donned the distressed jeans, biker boots, and a tight Harley Davidson T-shirt and made my way down the stairs, I felt empowered by the hungry look he gave me.
“You look like a badass, Mom,” Dylan said.
I probably should have called him out for swearing, but he was right. I did look like a badass. Besides, I’d gained a whole new appreciation for the more colorful adjectives of the English language, and I didn’t want to discourage my son from using the most appropriate word for the occasion. At least, not at home. School was another issue, but we were working on that.
“Thanks,” I said, hugging him as I took the black leather jacket that was dangling from Kaos’s hand. His mouth was hanging open, so I closed it for him, patting his cheek to let him know he was a good boy.
Dylan laughed. I doubted he knew exactly what was going on between me and my man, but my observant boy had no trouble picking up on our moods. He knew enough to find my actions funny.
“Hot damn,” Carisa said, looking me over as she came around the corner. “If I was into chicks, my cousin would have something to worry about.”
Giving her my cheesiest grin, I said, “Why thank you. You look pretty amazing yourself.”
She did, too. Carisa’s outfit could also be described as badass biker chick, and her thick dark hair had been straightened to within an inch of its life. It looked sleek and shiny. War paint on, lips a perfect shade of candy apple red, I feared for the biker hearts she was guaranteed to break tonight.
“Thank you for stopping by to pick up Dylan,” I told her.
She pulled me in for a hug only to dramatically push me away so she could look him over. “This handsome devil? Puh-lease. I should be thanking you. I’ve always wanted to be the lucky lady on the arm of the hottest guy in the place.”
Dylan’s cheeks turned crimson, and he let out an adorably shy giggle. “You look like a badass, too, Aunt Care.”
I loved that he’d given her a nickname. The two of them had gotten ridiculously close over the past month, and I had no doubt Carisa would look after him like he was her own. Even in a biker club.
“Oh stop,” she gestured for him to come to her. “You’re already my favorite nephew. Just don’t tell the others. We don’t want to hurt their feelings.” To me and Kaos, she added, “Ready to head out?”
“Let’s do the damn thing,” Kaos said, looking a little nervous, which was weird. I’d never really seen him nervous before.
We locked up. Carisa and Dylan climbed into her car while Kaos and I headed into the garage. He slid a helmet over my head, then popped open the visor to give me a kiss before putting on his own.
“I can’t believe you talked me into this,” I said.
“I only offered, angel. You could have ridden with Carisa and Dylan if you really wanted to.”
He kicked a leg over his bike and took a seat, offering me his hand. I let him steady me as I slid in behind him and wrapped my arms around his midsection. He was right, of course. I’d chosen to ride with him because I wanted to. I’d met most of his blood brothers, but this was different. I was about to meet his club brothers… the brothers he’d chosen. Tonight was important to him, and I wanted us to arrive together. United.
Besides, he looked damn fine in his leathers, and I needed to make sure any club hussies that were hanging around knew he was mine. Leaning ag
ainst him, I held on tight as he navigated the route. I didn’t hate the ride. In fact, it was kind of exhilarating. I felt safe behind him, but also a little wild. We must have made quite the striking pair, because people stared as we rode by.
And for once, I didn’t give a single fuck.
Kaos
When Tina and I pulled up to the fire station, Emily and Naomi were waiting for us.
“How are you doing?” Emily asked, focusing on Tina.
“Good.” Tina’s smile lit up her eyes and made my fucking heart soar. “Great, actually. I cannot thank you two enough.”
Emily’s gaze snagged mine and I gave her a nod, letting her know I hadn’t changed my mind. “Good to hear,” she said, patting Tina on the shoulder. “Naomi and I were hoping to steal you away for a few minutes. We have something we want to run by you.”
“Is everything okay?” Tina asked, the pitch of her voice rising. “Matt’s not—”
“No,” Naomi said, cutting her off. “It’s nothing bad. Just a little bit of paperwork.”
Blowing out a relieved breath, Tina looked to me. “Do you mind?”
Ha! If only she knew. She would, soon enough. Stomach clenching, I shook my head. “Not at all.” Carisa pulled into the parking lot, and I waved at her. “I’ll get those two troublemakers settled and meet you in the dining hall.” Then remembering that she’d never been inside the club, I looked to the ladies.
“We’ll show her where it is,” Naomi assured me.
And then they were off. Feeling more nervous than a rookie with a pre-game puking problem, I turned and smiled at Dylan as he reached me. Over the five weeks that I’d known him, Dylan and I had come to an understanding. He didn’t act up around me, and I treated him like the little man he was so desperate to be.
“You ready to head inside and see the place?” I asked.
He nodded, his gaze taking in the restored old building.
I watched him as we entered. Wide-eyed excitement lit up his face and had him firing off questions about the pool tables and dart boards. Promising him we’d get in at least a few games before we left, I kept to the edge of the room and tried not to catch anyone’s eye. I needed to have a private chat with the kid before I’d be ready to introduce him. As I led him toward our destination, Carisa peeled off for the bar to get a drink.
Compared to the rest of the club, the dining hall was relatively quiet. Specks, our club treasurer, tried to wave me over, but I held up a finger, asking for a minute. His gaze snagged on Dylan, and he nodded. Leading the boy to the end of the table I sat, inviting him to do the same.
“You want anything?” I asked. “Water? Juice? Beer?”
He chuckled. “Sure, I’ll take a beer.”
Of course, he would. I stood and retrieved a root beer from the kitchen, setting it in front of him.
“This wasn’t what I meant,” he said, eyeing the can.
“Too bad. That’s as good as you’re gonna get.”
Despite our goofing around, my nerves felt like exposed wires, all raw and vulnerable. I could go for a real beer myself, but I needed to be stone cold sober for this conversation.
“This is a cool place,” Dylan said, looking around.
“I’m glad you like it. There’ll be some kids here soon. Wasp’s son, Trent, is about your age. Like his dad, he’s a bit of a smartass. You’ll like him.”
Dylan grinned and set down his root beer. “Where’s Mom?” he asked.
“Talking to Emily and Naomi again.”
“Ah.” He nodded. “You got stuck with babysitting duty again.”
I stared at him, surprised. Without even knowing it, the kid had given me the perfect opening. “It’s funny you should say that.”
“Why?” he asked sounding confused.
“Because we both know I’m way too cool to be a babysitter.”
Dylan laughed, and a little of the tension drained out of my shoulders.
“And…” I stared at him, wondering how to ask what I so desperately wanted to know.
Before I could even form the words, Tina came dashing into the room with a stack of papers in her hands. Emily and Naomi were hot on her heels. There were tears streaking down her face when she reached me. Waving the papers in the air, she said, “You… You want to adopt him?” Her voice cracked, and the hope and awe in her tone choked me up.
“What?” Dylan asked.
Tina must not have seen him sitting there, because her eyes widened, and her hand flew to her mouth.
“And, Dylan…” I started again, turning back to the boy and regaining his full attention. I was determined to finish my previous thought. Locking my eyes with his, I wanted him to see how very much I meant what I was about to say. “It’s only called babysitting when the kid isn’t yours. I want you to be my son. I want to adopt you. If you’ll let me.”
Eyebrows jumping almost to his hairline, he looked from me to his mom, and then back to me. “You… you want to adopt me?”
His bottom lip trembled. Tears welled in his eyes. It was all I could do to keep myself together. Swallowing back the ball of emotion that kept trying to lodge itself in my throat, I nodded. “Yes. With all of my heart, I want to be your dad.” I let that sink in a moment, as he gaped at me, processing. “Emily assures me we can make that happen. But it’s totally up to you.” I glanced up. “And your mother, of course.”
Tears continued to cascade down Tina’s face, but she didn’t move to wipe them away. “Whatever you want, baby,” she told him as he looked to her. “This is your choice and there’s no hurry. Take all the time you need to think about it.”
When he met my gaze again, his watery eyes were running over, too. “I don’t need to think about it.” Giving me a lopsided smile, he visibly pulled himself together like the mature little man he was and nodded. “Yeah. Yes! Let’s do this. I want you to be my dad.”
Blinking back my own goddamn tears, I opened my arms. He flew into them, smacking his head into my chin.
“You know… this makes you way cooler,” he said, squeezing me.
Laughing, I hugged the shit out of the little asshole.
My little asshole.
“You ready to go get patched in?” Link asked, breaking up our moment.
Releasing Dylan, I turned to nod at my president. “Sure am.” Turning back around, I chucked Dylan under the chin. “Be good… Son.”
He grinned at me. “I will… Dad.”
That hit me right in the fucking feels. Taking one more moment to compose myself, I stood. Emily and Naomi had been joined by Carisa and several other women. I had no idea when they’d all come in, but there wasn’t a dry eye among the bunch.
I didn’t want to leave Tina and Dylan alone, but my cousin gave me a watery smile. “Go. I’ve got them.”
I followed Link down the hall and into the chapel where we held the weekly meetings everyone called church. In a blur, the meeting was called to order and business was handled. Then Havoc called me up to the front and I was put on the spot.
Clapping me on the back, Link addressed the club. “I gotta be honest with you, brothers, I didn’t know what the fuck to think about an NHL player turned soldier. Figured he’d be some kind of entitled little fucker.”
Laughter and nods of agreement came from the group.
“But this man right here… he’s solid. When the ladies needed him to step up and take in a single mother and her child, he didn’t hesitate. Hell, he was the one who suggested it.”
Feeling like a goddamn poser, I shook my head. If that was the reason I was finally getting patched in, Link was about to be sorely disappointed. “I didn’t do it for Ladies First. I did it for Tina and Dylan.”
Link nodded. “And when he fucked up, rather than make things worse, he called in and got orders.”
“I wasn’t tryin’ to follow protocol,” I said, coming clean. “I was looking for advice. I knew keeping her at my place would cross a line, and I didn’t want do that shit. Matt had crossed enoug
h lines, and… that wasn’t what she needed.”
“I know,” Link said. “And that’s why you’re worthy to wear this patch. Stop being a dumbass and trying to talk us out of this. Look at this bunch, Kaos.” His gesture encompassed the whole gathering. “A crew of fuck-ups with more issues than Sage can shake a stick at.”
The club’s shrink nodded in agreement.
“But they’re good men who are just trying to help where they can. Just like you. Now shut your mouth and repeat after me.” He walked me through the pledge, and once finished, he shook my hand. “Welcome, brother.”
Everyone stood and repeated the greeting.
Within the span of a couple hours, I’d become a dad and gotten patched in. Feeling like the luckiest son-of-a-gun on the planet, I followed everyone out to the common area, where I found Carisa talking to Shari. Sneaking up on the two of them, I couldn’t help but overhear their conversation.
“So, you just… sleep with all the bikers?” Carisa asked, her expression intrigued.
“Oh, honey, there’s no sleeping involved. We fuck. But not all of them. I don’t force myself on anyone. I have needs, some of them have needs… we provide a service for one another.”
“And who do I talk to about signing up to be a… a club girl?” Carisa asked.
“A club whore,” Shari corrected. “We wear that shit like a badge of honor.”
That was about enough of that bullshit. “Nobody,” I said, inserting myself into their conversation. “You’re not becoming a club whore, Carisa.”
She rolled her eyes and said, “We’ll talk later, Shari.”
“You most certainly will not,” I roared. “I mean it, Care. Don’t try me. I will tell your mom. Hell, I will announce it in my fucking Christmas cards so the entire family can kick your ass.”
“Why, Kaos?” Shari asked, sounding like the very model of innocence. “Do you have a problem with consenting adults having sex? That’s probably something you should talk to Sage about. Look, there he is now.” She waved him over.