Corrupting Cinderella

  Shaking my head, I continue. “So, sometimes when a woman has been taken as an ol’ lady, her man gives her a vest with her own patch.”

  Reality seems to crash into her with the force of a freight train. “Are you saying you want to give me that?” she asks softly.

  Finally. Christ, it took a fucking hour to get to the good part.

  “Yes.”

  “Is this the biker equivalent of an engagement ring?”

  “Sort of. It’s more than that, really. Will you wear it for me?”

  “Where?”

  I almost snap, but then I rein it in and realize she’s worried about wearing it in her world. “Only when you’re in my world, babe. I’m not asking you to wear it to court or something.”

  “Hmmm…so I’ll kinda be like a superhero with a secret identity?” she asks with a sweet lilt in her voice.

  Fuck, I love this woman.

  She’s going to be the best ol’ lady ever.

  Completely overwhelmed with everything Rock has explained to me, one thought burns brighter than everything else. Whatever this is, it’s a big commitment. Waves of anxiety are rolling off him.

  Too stunned to give him the answer he wants, I bust out the superhero quip.

  He seems to appreciate it, though, and some of his tension fades.

  I hold my breath, then jump. “Of course I’ll wear it.”

  He blows out a relieved breath, and it hits me how nervous Rock was about this conversation. A shiver of warmth spreads through my chest at the glimpse of vulnerability.

  I really love this man.

  It’s starting to sink in that I’m in way deep. Not only with Rock. But with all of his brothers too.

  And I’m okay with that.

  As an only child, I never had anyone to look out for me. After my father died and my mother turned into a negligent train wreck, I spent a lot of time fending for myself. My mother didn’t get her act together until I was in my twenties. By then, I’d been taking care of myself for a long time, and she seemed pleased to be relieved of any parental obligations. My husband came through the foster care system with his bitchy sister as his only family. Clay and I formed our own small family, and I never desired anything more.

  Until now.

  Rock is offering me a true family.

  A bloodthirsty family with a bit of chauvinistic bent. But family.

  Although I still can’t comprehend the emotional strength it takes to be available to all the brothers, I understand why Trinity feels safe with the club.

  “Baby doll, you make me so fucking happy.” He stands and pulls me up with him. The way he drags his gaze down my body raises my temperature by at least five degrees. On the way up he lingers on my breasts, then finally locks eyes with me. Those deep, gray depths with flecks of blue turn almost black. Smoldering for me.

  His jaw ticks. “You’re mine, baby doll.”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “Going to fuck you now.” He squeezes the words out through gritted teeth.

  The words are harsh, but his touch is gentle. I hold my breath as he traces his knuckles over my breasts. My nipples harden under his attention, straining through my shirt. He flattens his palms over both breasts, his thumbs drawing tight circles over the peaks. Through my clothes, I still feel the heat and respond instantly.

  One hand drops to my hip, and I’m yanked against him as he kisses me hard.

  In between kisses, I breathe out, “Yes.”

  I’ve got to get my hands on his skin, slide them over the hard muscles. He’s hard everywhere, and I don’t know which of his perfectly sculpted parts I want to fondle first.

  I break our kiss to tug his shirt up and over his head, then my own. I shimmy out of my pants next and kick them away.

  Down we tumble to the bed. I put my whole body into kissing him. I want him to feel how much everything he said means to me. And that even if I don’t exactly comprehend everything, I get the intent behind his words. I want him to understand I feel the same way.

  I honestly think if someone threatened to take him from me, I would kill them.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  It’s time for another club birthday party.

  This one better be a lot tamer than the last one I attended with Rock.

  It’s for Heidi’s seventeenth birthday. She’s been through a lot in the last few months, and everyone wants to make sure she has a nice afternoon. When her brother asked what she wanted, she said something simple with her two girlfriends, Axel, and her club family around her, so that’s what we’re doing.

  Except we’re doing it at Rock’s house. More specifically his backyard, because he did not want a trio of underage girls up at the clubhouse. Teller and I both agreed that seemed best. For now, Teller is sharing custody of Heidi with their grandmother. Most days it doesn’t go well. He tried to set their differences aside and invited his grandmother here today for the party, but she turned him down. Eventually, this stuff will have to be addressed in family court again, but I’m not going to worry about it now.

  Instead, I’m thinking about the beautiful cake Trinity brought with her. I’m thinking that it’s a perfect fall day for an outdoor party.

  Z took charge of the massive stainless steel grill Rock has nestled into the stone patio out back. The guys wanted to do a pig roast today, but Heidi shrieked when they told her, so it’s hot dogs, hamburgers, and chicken that Z is cooking up.

  “You okay, baby doll?” Rock’s arms wrap around my waist, pulling me tight to his front. His lips move against my ear, sending a shiver through me.

  “Yup.”

  I turn so I’m looking up at him, and a thrill goes through me. He’s one big, sexy man, and he’s all mine.

  “You’re sticking around, right?” he asks.

  “Of course.”

  He breathes a sigh of relief. “I’ll feel better with a female chaperon.”

  A quick glance around the party, and I understand why. I trust these guys, but I can see how from the outside it might not look so good. Especially since the girls plan to have a slumber party here afterward. Especially after some of the nasty accusations Heidi’s grandmother made toward the end of the custody dispute.

  “That seems prudent,” I say.

  Rock quirks an eyebrow at me.

  “It seems like the cautious thing to do,” I explain.

  He takes his arms from around my waist, plants them at his side, and gives me a sharp glare. “I know what prudent means, Hope.”

  I’m blushing furiously. Why do I do things like that?

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it that way.”

  “Honey, just because I didn’t go on to college doesn’t mean I don’t know all sorts of five-cent words.” His mouth kicks up in a devilish grin, but I sense he’s still annoyed with me. “Had a very hot English teacher,” he elaborates.

  I roll my eyes at him. Of course he did. “Seems like that would have detracted from your learning instead of enhancing it,” I tease.

  “Oh, on the contrary, I aimed to impress, so maybe if I ran into her after graduation, I’d have a shot at her.”

  “And how did that work out?”

  He only smirks at me.

  I pop him in the gut with my fist. “Jackass.” Not my smartest move. His abs are like punching a brick wall, and I shake off the sting.

  “Can’t you two take it upstairs?” Wrath grumbles as he makes his way over on his crutches.

  “You’re mistaken, bro. She’s fixing to kick my ass, not jump my bones.”

  Wrath runs his gaze over me. “I don’t think so, brother.”

  “Jerk,” I grumble.

  “You know it.” He twists to observe the backyard. “Where’s the birthday girl?”

  “Inside watching movies with her friends,” I answer.

  Wrath rolls his eyes skyward. “It’s a beautiful day. They should be outside.”

  Laughter bubbles out of me. “Okay, Dad. I’ll let them know.” I’m still giggling as
I stroll up to the house, and I hear Wrath grumbling behind me.

  Trinity is in the kitchen prepping trays of food to bring outside.

  “Do you need help?”

  She throws me a harried look but shakes her head. “I got it. Maybe, go hang with the girls?” Trinity says as she jerks her head toward the living room. Girlish giggles seep out into the kitchen.

  “You sure you don’t want to hang with them? You’re closer to their age.”

  Trinity seems stunned I would even suggest such a thing. “Heidi’s not a big fan of mine.”

  This is news to me, but it’s not the time to go digging for information.

  Feeling more than a little awkward, I creep into the living room. Mean Girls is on, but they seem more intent on gossip than the movie.

  “Is your brother here yet? He’s sooo hot,” Skye giggles.

  Heidi’s clearly not thrilled by her friend’s assessment of Teller. “Ewww, he’s a disgusting manwhore.”

  A laugh escapes me, and the girls glance up, startled and guilty expressions all around. “Hi, Hope. Come to watch movies with us?” Heidi asks while making room for me on the couch.

  Surprised by the invitation, I mumble, “Sure.”

  Skye and Penny seem less thrilled by my presence, but they murmur polite hellos at me.

  From the corner, Axel startles me with a greeting. He’s on the floor, between Heidi’s feet, while she’s running her hands through his hair. Together, they’re a cute picture of teenage romance.

  “Hey, Axel.”

  “Does prez need me?” he asks. I can’t tell if he’s looking for a way out or he’s really worried Rock might need him for something.

  “He didn’t say so, but he’s right outside.”

  Unfolding himself from the floor, he plants a kiss on Heidi’s cheek and steps out. His big, booted feet haven’t even cleared the room before the girls burst into giggles.

  “You’re so lucky,” Penny sighs.

  “Who’s prez that he’s so worried about?” Skye asks.

  “My Uncle Rock,” Heidi answers with a whole lot of pride in her voice. “Hope’s his girlfriend,” she says while pointing at me.

  The girls seem less than impressed.

  “They’re all so old. Aren’t there any other guys in your brother’s club, like Axel’s age?” Penny asks.

  I tamp down a giggle at that.

  “Yeah, there’s two other prospects, but they’re older than Axel too.”

  “High school boys not very interesting these days?” I ask.

  Skye gives me a cool glance before answering. “We’re seniors now. We can’t date high school boys.”

  Oh dear.

  “Food will be ready soon, if you girls want to come out.”

  Heidi nods. “We’ll be there.”

  On my way back outside, I intercept Bricks. He gives me a quick hug. “Where’s the birthday girl?”

  “Inside watching movies with her friends.”

  He chuckles. “I brought Lisa and Deacon with me, but she’s probably not gonna wanna hang with them in front of her friends.”

  I’m not so sure about that. Heidi seems to do whatever she wants.

  “Winter brought Caleb too,” he continues.

  “Cool. Rock set up some games in the backyard for the little guys.”

  He’s tapping a big, pink envelope in his hands. When I glance at it, he shrugs. “For Heidi,” he explains while handing it to me.

  “I’ll stick it on the table.”

  He goes inside, and I drop the envelope in a box Trinity set up outside for people to deliver their cards and gifts to Heidi. It seems most people brought gift cards, although there is one big box wrapped in green and silver paper on the table. Idly, I flip over the card and see it’s from Murphy.

  That should be interesting.

  “Let’s eat!” Z shouts.

  Trinity races out of the kitchen to find Wrath. I watch them for a minute, until Rock wraps an arm around my waist. “Hungry?”

  “Actually, yes.”

  His lips find my ear, and he gently sinks his teeth into me, sending shivers through my body.

  “Not here,” I groan.

  His deep, rumbling chuckle races right through me.

  We’re interrupted by the girls flying out of the house. Z teases them, makes them say please and thank you about a hundred times before finally feeding them.

  They’re not amused.

  After everyone’s eaten, Heidi goes through her presents. She’s collected enough gift cards to fill the closets of three teenage girls. One by one, she reads the cards and thanks everyone. Only Wrath, Teller, Murphy, Axel, Rock and I are standing around when she gets to the last present.

  “It’s from me, Heidi-bug,” Murphy says with a grin.

  “I figured.” Heidi rips into it and beams at the helmet inside. “Oh, I love it! Thank you, Blake.”

  It’s a big, shiny black one with a full face mask, decorated with pink skulls and butterflies. Very Heidi.

  “We’ll take our ride in a few, okay?”

  “Yeah.” She smiles shyly. “I didn’t know if we were still doing that.”

  “Of course, Bug. It’s your birthday.”

  She bounces on her toes a few more times, then races over to show her girlfriends and Axel the helmet.

  I quirk an eyebrow at Murphy, which he doesn’t see, because he’s watching Heidi.

  Teller’s got an uncertain look on his face, but he answers my unspoken question. “They’ve been doing that every year on her birthday since she was like eight.”

  Wrath shifts and shakes his head.

  We’re interrupted by Heidi racing back. “Can we go now? Please?”

  Murphy sets his drink down. A corner of his mouth twists up. “Yeah.”

  “We haven’t done cake yet,” Wrath advises.

  Murphy slaps Wrath on the arm. “We won’t be gone long, bro.”

  We watch them walk down the driveway for a second before Teller walks into the house.

  Turning back to Wrath and Rock, I sigh. “Aw, that’s sweet that they have a birthday ritual.”

  Wrath gives me his “are you nuts” face.

  “What?”

  “He needs to knock that shit off. It ain’t okay anymore.” He throws a glance at where Axel is hanging out with Skye and Penny.

  Wow. Okay. “Wait, I thought you were team Murphy?”

  Wrath shrugs his massive shoulders. “Axel’s a good kid. He cares about her.”

  Now I’m utterly confused. “Murphy cares about her.”

  Wrath looks at me like he’s surprised to find himself in the middle of this conversation. “It’s not about that. It ain’t cool to have another brother’s girl on the back of your bike.”

  Rock taps Wrath on the shoulder. “We’ll worry about it another day. Axel’s fine. Teller’s fine with it. Let it go.”

  “Yeah, okay.” All at once, the tension seems to drain out of him. “You seen Trin? She was ripping your kitchen apart looking for a lighter earlier,” he says with a smirk.

  Rock chuckles. “Yeah, she found it.”

  “Cool. The cake she made is pretty kick-ass. She’s real excited about it too. Those two better not be gone too long.” He throws a glare down the driveway as the sound of Murphy’s bike starting up fills the air.

  A giggle bubbles out of me. “You’re so cute,” I say without thinking.

  Wrath’s blue eyes flare in surprise. “Cute? Sugar, there’s absolutely nothing ‘cute’ about me.”

  Rock’s staring at me like I just stood up and announced my intention to take up stock-car racing.

  My mouth opens and closes a few times before I frame what I want to say. “Well, I think it’s cute you’re all worried about Trinity being disappointed if Heidi doesn’t get to see the cake she made for her.” I manage to babble out while sounding very much like a petulant child.

  Rock and Wrath share a glance. Wrath settles back into a pose of indifference. “She spent a l
ot of time on it, that’s all, Hope.”

  “Sure. Okay, Wrath.” I give Rock’s hand a squeeze and then head inside to see if I can help Trinity out.

  As soon as Hope’s out of earshot, I burst out laughing. “She so has your number, brother.”

  “Shut the fuck up.”

  Wrath loves his lethal image, so I enjoy poking at this one. “Aw, I think it’s nice. She thinks you’re cute. Like a fuzzy puppy or something.”

  “Jealous?”

  “Nope. She’s referred to me as sexy, sexual crack, big and scary, but never cute.”

  “You want her to find me sexy? Cause I’ll charm the pants right off her if you want.”

  This whole conversation just stopped being funny.

  “Thought so,” Wrath says with a grin.

  “Fuck you.”

  I’m still watching Hope’s sexy ass swaying away from me. I wish I’d taken her in the garage when I’d had the chance. It might have helped ease some of the leftover tension from earlier. I realize I’d been a bit of a dick, but something about my girl thinking she needed to explain a two-syllable word to me rankled.

  “Seriously, you think we need to have a talk with Murph?”

  I can’t even deal with that situation right now. “Dude, she’s known him since she was a kid. It’s their thing. Let it go. If Axel has an issue, he can bring it up.”

  “Whatever.”

  We wander back and rejoin the party. The girls are busy teaching Bricks’s kids one of the games we set up outside. It’s a cute picture, and I take a second to appreciate my Lost Kings family all in one place. I’m not related to a single person here by blood, but it doesn’t matter. They’re family.

  Familiar arms snake around my middle and squeeze. Her scent drifts to me, but I’d recognize her by feel alone.

  “Hey, baby,” I rasp, placing my hand over hers. I tug her around until she’s facing me and slip my arms around her.

  “Having fun yet?” she teases.

  I’m not sure if I would call this afternoon “fun,” but I am content and I tell her so.

  With everyone else occupied, I nudge Hope into the garage. “Got a project I want to show you.”

  She rolls her eyes because she knows I’m full of shit. Can’t lie to my girl worth a damn.