She laughed, standing, and making a run for the bedroom. I stood and removed my already halfway gone clothes and joined her.
Violet
“GOOD MORNING, LETTI,” Al said, poking his head into the hatchery. “You’re here early.”
I smiled. “Good morning. Yes, very light traffic.”
“You got a minute to chat?”
“Yeah, sure,” I said, setting my notes aside after visiting Ellie and her new calf, Quincy.
I peeled off my gloves and discarded them, washing my shaky hands before following Al to his office. I felt my heart race as I walked down the hall. It was a little over a week since the ‘incident,’ as I was choosing to call it.
Joe had quit the following day, so I’d returned to work on Monday to find a new security guard and I was sporting a gorgeous engagement ring. Not that I could actually wear it on my finger, but it was on a chain around my neck during work, then I’d slip it on at the end of the day. It was perfection. A pear shaped one-carat diamond in a halo with twelve diamonds encircling it. Aero and I had pinpointed six homes we wanted to look at over the weekend, so I had started to relax.
Rookie mistake.
Al probably had the cops waiting in his office, ready to slap the cuffs on me, or torture me to get information on the club. Holy crap, if they made me sit under a bright light, I’d sing like a canary. I was not made for interrogations. I was a terrible liar. I always had been.
I almost tripped, stepping over the threshold into Al’s office and grabbed the doorjamb hoping he didn’t see.
The office was empty, and I didn’t see anyone in a uniform as I walked down the hall, not even the new security guard, so I was a little confused.
He closed us in and waved to a chair across from his desk. “Have a seat.”
“Everything okay?” I asked, robotically. I wasn’t really hearing anything he was saying because the buzzing sound of guilt was filling my head.
“I think so.” He took his seat and smiled. “As you know we’ve built a facility in Colorado Springs for research and development in order to raise awareness about some of our more endangered animals.”
“Ah-huh,” I muttered.
Research building. Rehab facility. Letti, get with the program.
“Yes.” I cleared my throat. “It’s almost done right? And you’re doing rehab there?”
“Yes. Six weeks.”
“Oh, wow, that went fast,” I murmured.
He grinned. “I feel like it dragged, but that’s what you get for being part of the entire process from the beginning.”
I chuckled nervously. “Right.”
I glanced to the door, getting myself mentally ready for the po-po to crash through it.
“There’s a full-time position there that I think would be perfect for you.”
“Huh?” I said, focusing back on Al.
“A position. At the research facility,” Al repeated.
“Oh, really?”
He nodded. “I know how much you love the rehabilitation process, and you’re so incredibly talented with the hurt and sick animals. They seem to know you’re helping them and you’re able to keep them calm. That’s a rare gift.”
“Wow, thank you,” I said.
That was high praise coming from someone who loved animals as much as I did.
He slid a piece of paper toward me. “So. This is the job description. The pay is a little higher, but not much. I tried for more, because I think you deserve it, but we just don’t have the budget. I’m hoping the fact you won’t have a long commute will help offset that.”
I nodded, reading through the job description, trying hard not to jump up and down and squeal like a schoolgirl.
Oh my god! The pay was five thousand more than I was making, but the commute meant I’d be at work in ten minutes instead of an hour or more. That was worth a million dollars to me.
“Why don’t you take a couple days to think about it?” he said. “Take the rest of the day and tomorrow off and let me know on Monday.”
“I really don’t need to think about it, Al,” I said, my heart starting to beat at its normal rhythm. “I’m humbled that you have that kind of faith in me, and I’d love to take the job.”
He grinned. “Perfect. I’ll get the paperwork together. Go ahead and clear out your locker, and by the time you’re done with that, I should have something for you to sign. They don’t need you to start until Wednesday, so get some rest and enjoy your family. I’m sure they’ll keep you busy over there.”
“Wow. This is really amazing.” I shook his hand. “Thank you so much.”
He smiled. “You earned it, Letti. I’ll see you in a few.”
I nodded, and left his office, heading to the staff lockers. After grabbing a box and dumping all my stuff in it, I checked in with Al, signed the paperwork for my new job, then shook his hand and headed out to my car. Setting my stuff in the trunk, I climbed into the car, and called Aero as I pulled out of the parking lot.
“Hey, baby, you good?” he asked, answering immediately.
“I kind of just got fired.”
“What the fuck?” he bellowed.
“Because they offered me a different job,” I said in a sing-song voice. “In the Springs.”
“Come again?”
I filled him in on my conversation with Al, including how nervous I was as I walked to his office.
“Oh my god, honey, I thought for sure they were comin’ for me.”
“Why? There’s no evidence.”
“When has that stopped the cops before,” I pointed out. “You remember how they treated Wyatt when Teddy came to the club without telling anyone. The cops totally interrogated her about Dad, saying they were concerned for her safety. And you know I wouldn’t do well under interrogation. I’d fold like a deck of cards, and I’m just way too pretty for prison.”
He laughed. “Well, it’s good you don’t have to don an orange jumpsuit then.”
“Oh, totally. Orange is so not my color.” I smiled.
“All the colors of the rainbow are your colors, baby.”
I chuckled. “Thanks, honey.”
“So, did you sign the paperwork?”
“Yes, definitely,” I said. “This means I’ll get to sleep in for an extra hour and be home every night for dinner.”
“Best news of all. I’m so fuckin’ proud of you,” he said.
I grinned. “Thanks, honey. I’ll be home in about an hour, then I don’t work until next Wednesday.”
“Right. You’re comin’ home and we’re goin’ out to celebrate.”
“I might even be there in half an hour if traffic’s light.”
“Okay, baby, drive carefully, yeah? I’ll see you in a bit.”
“Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
We rang off and I continued home, pulling into the parking lot forty-two minutes later. I left my stuff in the trunk and rushed up to Aero’s apartment, finding myself pulled into his arms and kissed thoroughly the second I walked through the door.
“Got a reservation at the Bistro,” he said, once he released me. “In forty minutes.”
“What?” I squeaked. “I have to shower!”
He smacked my butt. “Then you better get your ass in gear.”
I made a run for the bathroom and took the fastest shower I’d ever taken before. I was ready in thirty minutes, but the Bistro was almost fifteen minutes away, so we’d have to speed in order to make the reservation.
“Why are you just now putting on your boots?” I snapped as I walked out to the living room, trying to secure my earring as I moved.
“Because we don’t need to be there for thirty minutes,” he said.
“You said the reservation was at six.”
“I lied.”
“Oh my god!” I squealed, smacking his shoulder. “Why would you lie?”
“Because, other than work, you always run twenty-two minutes behind.”
“I do not.”
>
“You absolutely do. I’ve timed you,” he countered. “And your average is twenty-two minutes.”
I rolled my eyes. “You are evil.”
“Evil genius,” he said, grinning like an idiot as he wrapped his arms around me and kissed me. “You look beautiful.”
I slid my hands to his face. “So do you.”
He’d foregone his cut for a button-up shirt, even though he still wore jeans and his motorcycle boots, and he looked gorgeous.
“Let’s go,” he said, and grabbed his cut and my hand and leading me down to my car. Arriving at the restaurant, we were seated quickly, and Aero ordered my favorite wine.
As dinner wrapped up, Aero said he needed to stop by the club to pick something up before we headed home. I was fine with that, because it meant I could head over to Dad and Wyatt’s and get some Reagan love.
Pulling up to the cabin, Aero grabbed his folded cut from the back seat and shrugged it on, before opening my door. “You comin’?”
“I was going to run down to Dad’s.”
“Come in for a second and I’ll take you down when I’m done.”
“Honey, I’m in heels, and just want to take my shoes off.”
“So, take your shoes off.”
“Not in the cabin where I have no clue what’s on the floor.”
Aero chuckled, holding his hand out. “Five minutes, tops. Then you can take your shoes off at your dad’s.”
I sighed, sliding my hand in his. “Fine.”
He helped me out of the car, and lifted me over the gravel and onto the deck. “Thanks, honey,” I said, and he took my hand and led me inside.
It was so unusually quiet.
“Where is everyone?” I asked.
My answer was a room full of bikers yelling, “Congratulations!”
I grabbed Aero in fright, but then laughed as my dad lifted me off my feet in a bear hug, kissing my cheek. “So proud of you, baby girl.”
I hugged him back. “Thanks, Daddy.”
He set me on my feet again and I was quickly folded into the group with hugs and congratulations abounding as I made my way through the crowd.
Wyatt had Reagan on her hip as she grinned at me, handing me a glass of wine, and hugging me. Reagan demanded my attention, so I took her from Wyatt and snuggled.
Well, until she caught sight of Aero, then all bets were off. My little sister wanted him, and she was too cute to refuse.
I handed her off to him, then leaned on my tiptoes and kissed him quickly. “You’re a sneak.”
He grinned. “Love you, baby.”
“Love you, too.”
As my family gathered close to celebrate with me, I held onto my man and sent up a silent prayer of thanks to the universe. I was so very glad I’d drop-kicked the accountant desire and hitched myself to a real man.
Violet
Two years later…
I RINSED THE dishes from the dinner Aero had cooked earlier and loaded them into the dishwasher, unable to stop a smile as I stared out at the water from my giant window over the sink.
Dad and Wyatt had gifted us a two-acre parcel of land on the club property down by the creek, which meant I could build my house with the kitchen, family room, and master bedroom facing the water.
There had been a small cabin already on the property, but it was so run-down, there was no way to renovate it, so it was demolished, and we started anew. It was also the only ‘charity’ Aero was willing to take from my father. And even that was a struggle, because he didn’t want to take any of it, but Dad had parcels for each of his kids on the land. Parcels my grandfather had expressed multiple times he wanted his grandkids to receive, so it was a gift to me, even more than to him, so he agreed.
After I signed a prenuptial.
This was the dumbest thing I’d ever heard, because neither of us had a pot to piss in, but Aero wanted to protect me. That led to a fight about why he’d need to protect me. I mean, really, if the man cheated, no one would ever find a hair or a fiber, and if he died, I’d resurrect him from the grave in order to kill him, so there was no need for a prenup.
What I hadn’t realized was that he actually had a nice little nest egg saved which he did not protect. It was all mine, should I want it, for any reason. He, however, had no access to my land.
This led to another fight about him not protecting his money along with mine, which ultimately ended with us in bed, having pissed off sex which made me realize, I needed to make him angry more often.
He’d bought the nipple clamps, but he’d also found a few electronic devices, whether to attach to me, or stick in me, which kept me in a state of arousal for hours. It was awesome.
I’d just closed the dishwasher when Aero strolled into the kitchen to wash his hands.
“Everything good?”
“Yeah. Just had to fix part of the wire to the coop.”
I grinned. We had chickens. We also had a four-bedroom, five-bathroom house, plus bonus room and office, with a huge great room and kitchen that was usually filled with family, bikers and blood. Our master was on the main floor. It was large and bright and had French doors that went out to a private garden oasis connected to our acreage.
“Have I thanked you lately for my chickens?”
He chuckled. “Every day I grab fresh eggs, baby.”
“I wonder if we should get a rooster so we can have the chance of fertilized eggs, you know, have some baby chicks around.”
“You really want a rooster wakin’ you at all hours of the day and night?” he challenged.
I wrinkled my nose. “Hmm, maybe not.”
He kissed my nose. “We can think about it, though.”
“I suppose I have enough of a rooster in you.”
“You need me to fertilize your eggs, baby?”
“You kinda already did,” I said, biting my lip to keep from squealing.
“Come again?”
I grabbed the pregnancy test and held it up to him. “Pregnant.”
“No shit?”
“No shit.”
He lifted me onto the counter and kissed me, then leaned down and kissed my belly. “How far along are you?”
“Oh, it was the night you introduced that TENS unit to my clit.”
He grinned up at me. “Yeah?”
“Yep. I’m pretty sure it was then, anyway. I’ve got a doctor’s appointment on Friday to check everything.”
“What time?”
“Ten.”
“I’ll move a few things.”
I stroked his beard. “Thanks, honey.”
“You happy?”
“So fucking happy,” I breathed out. “You?”
“If I wasn’t a man, I’d jump around and squeal like a little girl I’m so excited.”
I laughed. “I’d pay to see that.”
“Never gonna happen.” He slid his hands up the sides of my thighs and tugged me forward so my crotch was to his waist. “Proud of you, baby. Can’t wait to grow old with you.”
I looped my hands around his neck. “Me too, honey. I’ve been asked to help out at the zoo next week. Feel like coming with? We can stay at the condo. I’ve already checked with Dad and it’s free.”
“Yeah. I need to check on the shops up there anyway, so it’ll give me something to do.”
“Perfect. I get to see Ellie and her babies. I’m so excited.”
I loved my new job. It was the best job I’d ever had, not that I had a whole lot of experiences, but I felt like it had been made for me. And the fact I got to visit the zoo at least one day a month meant I got to keep up with Ellie and her calves, and also get updated on all the new programs being offered.
“That’s great, baby. Gonna make sure you’re safe while you’re there, though.” He raised an eyebrow. “I take you and pick you up.”
“I figured.”
The doorbell pealed, then Raquel called out, “I’ve got a couple little demons here who want to see their aunt and uncle.”
Orion and
Raquel had two children now, Luca Thorne, who was almost two and Elena Jenae who was three months old. Dad and Wyatt had another child as well, a baby boy, Braxton, who was a year old. To say our family was growing leaps and bounds was an understatement, and I loved every second of it.
Aero’s mother had fully recovered and although she refused to leave Portland, she visited twice a year, and we went at least once a year as well. Harmon, or Harm as he was known as now, was a fully patched member of the Dogs of Fire out of Portland, and he and Aero were rebuilding their friendship. He also kept a close eye out for Marlene, which meant Aero slept easy and didn’t worry about his mom as much as he used to.
Aero helped me slide off the counter and we greeted Raquel and Orion as they walked inside, Raquel holding Luca’s hand, Orion carrying the baby in her car seat.
“Lucky,” I squealed and lifted Luca in my arms, kissing his neck. He belly laughed the only way a baby can belly laugh and slapped my face.
Raquel let out a deep sigh. “I think we need to set up a kid room in every house so we don’t have to bring all this stuff everywhere we go.”
I glanced at Aero and then chuckled. “Well…”
“Well?”
“I’m pregnant, so I think that’s a great idea,” I said.
“What?” Raquel squeaked, clapping her hands. “That’s awesome! Congratulations.”
She hugged me, then Orion followed suit, just as my dad and Wyatt walked in with Reagan and Braxton, followed closely by Drake and Teddy. Luca pitched forward to get to Wyatt, so I handed him off and relayed the news of my pregnancy to the rest of my family. My dad let out a whoop as he picked me up and spun me around in a circle.
“Sunny, careful,” Wyatt warned. “She could puke at any second.”
I chuckled. “I’ve been okay today, but she might have a point.”
Dad set me on my feet and cupped my face. “Can’t believe my baby’s havin’ a baby. So proud of you, baby girl. Your mama would be too.”
I blinked back tears. “Thanks, Daddy.”
He kissed my forehead, then we went about getting the kids settled in an area we could see them. I smiled, watching my giant of a father on the floor playing with all the kids, letting them wrestle him or just climb all over him. Teddy was on the ground with them as well and he seemed to be having just as much fun as the kids.
Primal Hunger (Primal Howlers MC Book 4) Page 16