by Jessica Ames
Finn’s eyes slide from me to Dad. “She’s mine.”
“Yours?” my dad growls and I prepare to step between them as his fists clench at his side.
“I’m claiming Carla.”
I blink. He’s claiming me? In the biker world that’s a huge deal. It’s stronger than a marriage proposal. Claimed women, or old ladies, are the property of their old man in the eyes of the club. It sounds old fashioned, but it means anything I do reflects on him and it also means I get the protection of the club. I get that anyway, being Gunner’s daughter, but this just solidifies it. It also means I’m off limits to any other brothers. The club has a code. Touching another brothers’ old lady is a punishable offense. I remember another brother sleeping with an old lady when I was younger. He sported bruises for two weeks after the brothers got to him.
So, Finn claiming me has far-reaching consequences that I’m not sure he’s considered. I haven’t even thought about were our relationship is going. I live nearly three thousand miles away on the other side of the country. This isn’t exactly practical, but my brain also doesn’t care about that. I want him and I want him however he comes.
Would I leave my life in Temecula behind?
I peer up at him and my face softens. I’d follow him anywhere. Even so, I bristle at him making all the decisions. He could have talked to me before he dropped this on my father. I would have liked the chance to talk to Dad and prepare him for the fact we’re… doing whatever the hell it is we’re doing.
“Where you going to talk to me before you made this grand gesture?” I demand, crossing my arms over my chest.
Finn grins, his dimple popping out, which annoys me.
“I might not want to be claimed by you,” I add, even though I do. I want it more than I want my next breath.
“Kitten, what did you think we were doing?”
“Having fun.”
“And we did have fun, but I didn’t go there with a brother’s kid for fun. I’m serious about us. I wanted you the moment I laid eyes on you. My life doesn’t make fucking sense without you in it.”
My heart swells at his words, but my dad snags him by the front of his hoodie and drags him so they’re nearly touching noses.
“Asked you to bring my daughter home, not use her for your own pleasure, you little shit.”
“Dad—”
He pulls back his fist and before I can stop it slams it into Finn’s face. Finn reels back, going back on a foot from the force.
“So, do I have your blessing?” He grins, his teeth covered in blood, and I want to strangle him. Why is he poking the bear?
I step between him and Dad, my hands raising. “Stop it! No more hitting him.”
My dad growls under his breath. “I’m going to kill him.”
“No one is killing anyone. I’m an adult and I can make my own decisions.”
Dad’s eyes flash with anger. “I sent him to bring you home, not deflower you.”
I snort. “Deflower me? I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I was deflowered a long time ago.”
Both my father and Finn growl at my words.
“Don’t talk about other men,” Finn snaps at the same time my father mutters, “I don’t need to hear that shit.”
I roll my eyes. I swear my dad sees me as a little girl, not a grown assed woman.
“I see you’re still causing trouble.”
I glance up at the voice and see Grim standing off to one side, his arms folded over his broad chest, his mouth tipped up in a smirk. He’s short, but wide, and I don’t mean fat. The man is all muscle. He’s my father’s vice president and my godfather. I’ve known the man my entire life.
I move over to him and I’m pulled into his arms immediately. “It’s not me causing trouble,” I tell him.
“Darlin’, you’re the only woman I know that can find trouble in an empty room.”
He’s right about that, but I don’t acknowledge it. He pulls back from the embrace and peers down at me, scanning my face. “You want to fill me in on why your old man punched one of my brother’s in the face.”
I really don’t, so I keep my mouth shut.
“He’s claiming Carla,” Dad unhelpfully supplies.
Grim takes this in without any emotion. Then his fist lashes out and he catches Finn in the jaw.
Seventeen
Rooster
“I send you to protect my daughter and you come back talking about claiming her? What the fuck, Rooster?”
Gunner isn’t just pissed. He’s pissed. He looks like he’s considering ramming my balls down my throat, and I wouldn’t blame him. Carla’s his only kid and he’s protective of her. That’s why I was sent across country to bring her home, although that protection detail didn’t include fucking her and then claiming her. I crossed a line, but the thought of being without her fills me with dread like I’ve never felt, even considering all the things I’ve done for the club over the years.
“She’s mine,” I say, readjusting my cut, which I’d put back on the moment I was able to. I feel better with the leather on my back.
“She ain’t yours,” he growls.
“You looking to get your face rearranged permanently,” Grim asks lightly. “Carla ain’t just Gunner’s daughter, she’s part of this club and was part of it before you were. She means something to a lot of us. Using her to get your rocks off ain’t happening.”
I grit my teeth. “Did I say that was what I’m doing? Told you, Gunner, she’s mine. Ain’t letting her go.”
“Ain’t your choice, brother.” He snarls over the ‘brother’. “Ain’t someone you can use and abuse for your own pleasure. She’s my damned kid.”
“I love her, man.”
Gunner’s eyes narrow. “You were together, what? Three or four fucking days? You love her after three days?”
I shift my shoulders. “She made an impression.”
“Must have been a hell of an impression,” Grim mutters.
“I can’t explain it, I just know how I feel. I want her and she wants me. Ain’t no one going to stand in my way. Not even you, Gunner. You want my cut? You can have it, but ain’t walking away from Carla, and nothing you say is going to change my mind.”
He leans back in his chair, considering my words and his office suddenly feels smaller than it is, as if the air has been sucked from the room. I feel the weight of his gaze resting heavily on my shoulders.
“You seriously love her?”
“Can’t explain it. I just know the moment I laid eyes on her she was it for me. Know you don’t want to hear that, Gun, but it’s how it is. I love your daughter and I’m going to make her mine. I’d rather do that with your blessing, but either way, I’m doing it.”
He eyes me like he’s thinking about strangling me, then his eyes slide to Grim, who is leaning against the wall, his legs crossed at the ankles.
“What the hell do you think about this?”
Grim rubs a hand over his face. “I think I ain’t never been in love ‘til I met my Sophie. Never knew what love was ‘til her, but the moment I laid eyes on her, I knew she was the one for me. Can’t explain it, Gunner, but this shit does happen.”
Gunner’s expression is homicidal as he takes me in. “You hurt my daughter and I’ll remove your balls.”
“This mean I have your blessing?”
I’ll claim her without it, but I’d rather have it. Carla loves her father and I don’t want her at odds with him over us.
“She love your dumb ass back?”
“I sure as hell hope so.”
Gunner scowls at me. “You hurt her and I’ll de-ball you.” It’s not an endorsement, but it’s as close as I’m going to get. For now, I’ll take it.
“Noted.”
I push up from the chair and head out into the corridor, resisting the urge to whoop as I make my way to the common room. There, I find Carla sitting with a few of the old ladies and family members deep in conversation. Her head comes up as soon as I step up to
the table.
Her eyes crawl over my face, as if she’s cataloging every bruise Gunner and Grim gave me, and I see the dismay in her expression. I don’t like that it’s there, but I’ll deal with that later. I hold a hand out to her to take and she does, letting me pull her to her feet.
I tug her out into the corridor and push her against the wall. Her chest heaves as her questioning gaze meets mine. I don’t give her a chance to think. I kiss her until I’m breathless and she’s squirming beneath me.
“What was that for?”
“I love you.”
She blinks and then between her eyes furrows. “You love me?”
“Yeah, Kitten. Didn’t know I could love someone, but what I feel for you surpasses everything I ever dreamed of. You’re it for me. I want you, and I hope like fuck you feel the same.”
“We barely know each other,” she breathes the words.
“Don’t change what I feel, what I know you feel too.”
“Finn—”
“Deny it if you want, but I’ve seen the truth in your eyes. I know you want me.”
Her eyebrow cocks. “There you go, being all cocky again.”
“Ain’t cocky if it’s the truth. Ain’t going to make you say the words back to me, Kitten, but I hope you feel them too.”
Carla skims her hand over my chest. “I do, but maybe we should just slow things down a little. Take a breather.”
If she needs that space, I’ll give it to her, but I’m not going anywhere long term. She’s it for me and I’ll make her realize it, no matter how long it takes.
Eighteen
Carla
“Dad—”
“I just don’t understand any of this,” he interrupts me for the third time in as many seconds.
“You’d understand it better if you let me talk,” I mutter, irritation making my words snappy.
I love my father, but he’s pig-headed as hell and when he’s upset, he can’t stop running his mouth.
He sighs. “You love him?”
I soften my eyes as thoughts of Finn surround me. “Yeah.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, Dad. You and Grim need to leave him alone. I’m not a little girl anymore. I don’t need you to defend my honor. I know what I want and what I need.”
He runs a hand through his hair and peers around his office, his brows heavy. “Never thought I’d see the day you’d want to settle down with a biker, kid.”
I never thought I’d see it either. A week ago, I would have laughed at the suggestion, but the heart wants what it wants, and my heart wants Finn. I don’t know how he ensnared me so quickly, but he did. Everything with him just feels good, right, and I need him like I need my next breath. He’s quickly become my world, even if I don’t understand it. I’ve never believed in love at first sight, but the moment he sat at my bar, I knew he was mine, just as I’m his.
“Believe me, this wasn’t my plan either. I don’t want this lifestyle—no offense,” I add, my mouth pulling into a wry smile.
I watch as his eyes narrow. “You know Rooster comes with this lifestyle. Ain’t no getting away from that.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“You asking him to give it up.”
My temper flares at that suggestion. “I would never ask him to do anything like that.”
“Then, what? You’re going to become an old lady? Move back to Jersey? Can’t say I don’t love the idea of you being home, darlin’, but I know how you feel about this shit. You ain’t ever going to be happy as the wife of a biker.”
“With him, it’s different.”
His brow cocks in surprise. “You can put it all aside?”
I can, because the payoff is him and now I’ve had him, I’m not willing to give him up. Not for my dad, not for the club, not for anyone.
“Yes.”
His eyes widen a little as he lets out a breath. “You love him.”
“Yes,” I admit.
“He loves you too, you know?”
A smile graces my lips. “I know.”
“He’s a good man, but he’s not baggage free, sweetheart. No brother is. They join the club because they have that crap dragging behind them and want a safe place to come.”
“I know that, Dad.”
And I do, but Finn doesn’t seem like the other brothers in the club that I know. He’s funny, light. I don’t see demons in his eyes like I do when I look into my father’s or Grim’s.
He sighs. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“I do.” I lean forward and press a kiss to his cheek. “Trust me, okay?”
“Sweetheart, the one thing I know for sure is I trust your judgment. Ain’t nothing I can say anyway that will stop this.”
“Nope.”
“Then all I can say is he better treat you right. If he doesn’t, I’ll kill him.”
The serious tone of his voice tells me this isn’t an idle threat.
“He will.” I wave that off. “Anyway, enough about me and Finn. Do you want to tell me why I had to haul my ass thousands of miles across the country?”
Anger flashes in his eyes, though it’s not directed at me. “It’s club—”
“You say business and I swear I’ll scream,” I say, holding up a hand. “You promised you’d explain everything if I came home.” My arms raise at my sides. “I’m here, so start explaining.”
He peers at me and for a moment I think he’s not going to speak, but then he says, “It’s complicated.”
“So uncomplicate it.”
He eyes me and I see the heaviness weighing on his shoulders. “A rival club is after blood. They want our patch. Ain’t keen on giving it up to them, so we’re butting heads. They made some threats against a couple of the old ladies. I got freaked and sent Rooster to get you. Know you were probably safe in California, but you were too far away for me to protect you if things went wrong. I need you home, sweetheart. I know it probably pissed you off that I disrupted your life, but the thought they could get to you and I wouldn’t be there to protect you was driving me crazy.”
Cold runs through my body. “Do you think they would come after me?”
“I have no idea. Women and old ladies are supposed to be off limits, but these guys don’t seem to follow that code. They followed Maria home after work one night and roughed her up a bit.”
Maria is Grim’s daughter. I grew up with her, so hearing this makes my stomach twist unpleasantly.
“She’s okay,” Dad adds at my expression, which I’m sure is filled with terror. “A few bruises, nothing more, but I never want that kind of fear in your life, sweetheart. Not ever.”
I understand, even if I don’t like the fact I’m here. Growing up, it was just me and Dad—as well as a bunch of uncles who weren’t mine by blood—but he’s always been protective of me. He wasn’t thrilled by my choice to move thousands of miles across the country, but he was always the kind of parent who let me find my own way, and that’s what I did. I found my own way. I just never imagined all roads would eventually lead back to New Jersey. I thought I was done with this life, I thought I would be able to have some semblance of normality, without worrying about death, jail or the other plethora of things that can go wrong in this life.
Now, I’m putting myself knee-deep back in that world, but I don’t have any regrets. Why? Because as much as I’m Finn’s, he’s also mine.
“You happy?” Dad surprises me by asking.
I mull over the question for a moment, really thinking about his words. Then I soften my eyes. “Yeah, Dad. I’m happy.”
“Then that’s all I give a shit about, sweetheart.”
I hug him. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. He puts a foot wrong—”
I roll my eyes. “I know, you’ll kill him. He’s a good man. I know he acts the joker, but there’s more to him than that. You might not see it, but he’s shown it to me over the past few days.”
I leave Dad’s office and head toward th
e common room. When I step inside, I see Finn sitting at the bar with another brother I don’t recognize. His face is a mottled purple and black, his eye swollen shut and I feel a pang of guilt that he’s hurt because of me.
He pushes off the stool and comes to me. His hands move to my arms as if he has to be touching me. Butterflies flutter against my stomach as he peers down at me, his expression soft.
“Everything go okay with your dad?”
I nod. “He’s not thrilled, but he’s not ready to shoot you either.”
“Winner,” he mutters and then dips his head to claim my mouth.
My knees wobble as he kisses me like I’m the reason for him breathing and I have to cling to his biceps when he’s done to keep my feet.
“You have to stop kissing me like that,” I pant.
He grins. “I’ll stop kissing you like that when you stop liking it.”
I smile. “You make my legs feel like jello.”
He brushes his mouth back over mine. “That just means I’m doing it right, Kitten.”
He’s an amazing kisser. In fact, everything about him is perfect. I don’t know how I lived without him before now.
Nineteen
Rooster
Carla looks beautiful as she sits next to an old oil drum, the orange flashes from the fire casting shadows over her face. She laughs at something one of the old ladies says, her face soft and relaxed. I like this version of her. It’s so different from the highly-strung bar worker I met only a few days earlier. She seems more at ease, more relaxed and considering how much she fought coming here, I’m surprised to see it.
Our road trip changed her, and for the better. Carla is a different person from the one who left Temecula. She seems at ease with everything happening around her and I dare myself to believe a relationship between us could be possible.
Her eyes meet mine and she smiles, which makes my body relax. She puts me at ease in a way I’ve never felt.
Needing to touch her, to have her near me, I make my way over to her and slip in behind her, pulling her against my chest. She moves willingly and I love the feel of her sitting between my legs. I kiss the top of her head as she pulls my arms around her.