“You don’t touch my momma,” she yelled up at him. There was a fierceness in her blue eyes that I recognized as her father’s, and had to bite back a laugh.
Raven snatched Lexa up and kissed her cheek. “It’s okay, Lexa. Uncle Hawk will take care of him now.” She settled the toddler on her hip and turned her gaze back to me. “I’ll call Bash.”
Oh, shit. I hadn’t even thought about my club prez. The grin that split my face at the idea of this idiot having to face Bash was evil and I didn’t try to hide it. The plumber was going to have to cancel his next appointment.
“Am I in trouble?” Lexa asked as Raven walked toward the door.
“No, baby.” Raven assured her as she opened the front door. “You did good. Thanks for helping me. It’s good to protect the ones you love.”
“Daddy won’t be mad at me?”
“Not even a little,” she promised and the door shut behind them.
“Let go of me.” The plumber demanded, seeming to snap out of his daze and realizing that I had a death grip on the back of his neck. The pain in his hand from his broken finger must have stunned him and now he was starting to realize he might be in trouble. “I have work to do.” He struggled against my hold. “Let go, man.”
“I doubt you’ll be working much the rest of this week, motherfucker,” I told him and did the one thing I’d wanted to do since this jackass had showed up at my bar.
Slamming his face into the bar top only gave me even more of a mess to clean up, since I’d broken his nose and the blood had splattered across the clean surface of the top. I didn’t care, though. It did what it was supposed to do—shut him the fuck up, knock him out cold and make him fall to his knees in front of me before falling on his face at my feet.
I popped my knuckles and went into the back room to get the bleach to clean up the blood, anticipating the arrival of my future brother-in-law.
--
We kept the bar closed Monday night. The mess in the bathroom was too much for just me and my brothers to deal with, and we needed to bring in a crew to clean up the bathroom or the health department was liable to shut us down.
Bash and I got home at the same time. He had a little blood on his shirt from the beating he’d given the plumber, but at least the prick had walked away from it. If I’d had my way that fucker would have been left crippled, but that was probably just the frustration of having to deal with him before the whole thing with Raven had happened. Still, the guy wasn’t going to be fixing any pipes for a few weeks.
The whole thing had left Bash in a piss-poor mood and he stayed in his and Raven’s room for the rest of the night. I couldn’t blame him. I wouldn’t be happy to get called from work to find out some guy had tried to proposition my female either.
Gracie didn’t get home until dinnertime, and I wanted to jump in and ask her about her day but she looked so distracted that I waited until we were in bed later that night before bringing up her day at work.
“Hmm?” Gracie sat down her hairbrush and lifted her eyes. “What did you say?”
“How was work? Did you overdo it?” She looked tired and so distracted that I was ready to ask her not to go in the next morning. Maybe her head was bothering her. She was still recovering from that fucking concussion, she needed to relax—she didn’t need to be going into the garage and dealing with that shit.
Her lips lifted in the first smile I’d seen from her all day. “No, I didn’t overdo it. I promise.” She sighed and pulled something out of the drawer beside the bed. Handing it over, she bit her lip.
“What’s this?” I asked and skimmed over what looked like a contract. It was Jenkins’ agreement, but she hadn’t signed it yet.
Why the fuck not?
“I had someone offer me something crazy today. A job and a scholarship and all kinds of nonsense that I’m still struggling to believe are real.” She sighed and took the paper back. “But I wanted to talk to you about it first.”
I didn’t know what I was more surprised about right then. The fact that my girl, who was always going on and on about being independent, wanted to talk about something that affected her lift in such a major way; or how hard my heart clenched at her wanting to include me. When I’d talked to Bash and Uncle Jack about setting all of this up with Jenkins I’d never imagined that Gracie would want my advice on it. I just thought that she would take it without much of a struggle.
“Okay, so lets talk about it.” I grabbed hold of her waist and pulled her onto my lap. She shifted so that we were facing each other and her legs wrapped around my hips. Yeah, that was better, but now my dick was rock hard and I had to fight through my need for her in order to concentrate on more important things.
She shifted and I had to bite back a groan. All she was wearing was one of my T-shirts and a pair of cotton panties. Panties that were already damp with a need that was just as hot as my own. Since we’d first made love on Friday night I’d been taking it easy with her. She’d been so sore on Saturday morning that she’d walked a little awkwardly. While the alpha in me had grunted in pleasure at knowing that I was the one to put her in that condition, I’d hated to see her in any kind of pain. I’ve taken my time with her ever since, making sure that things didn’t get too out of hand for her, but I was dying to let go and take her the way I craved.
“Jacob Jenkins wants me to take over for him when he retires. He represents the MC, which you must know.” She bit her lip again then shook her head, distracting me from images of tossing her back onto the mattress and thrusting deep into that sweet, hot, gloriously tight pussy. “Would you be okay with that? Me being the lawyer for the club?”
“I don’t have a problem with that, baby. You’re the smartest person I know, so I think you will do a great job when it comes to getting us out of trouble.” I grimaced. “We can get into some crazy shit, though. Are you ready to see the ugly side of what I do?”
I hadn’t really thought about how she would react to seeing that side of my life. I’d tried to keep it away from her as much as possible since we’d met, but if she took Jenkins’ offer, then I wouldn’t be able to do that any more.
“Hawk, I’ve seen ugly. My parents killed each other. Whatever you and your MC do, I can handle.” She brushed her lips over mine. “Nothing you do will ever stop the way I feel about you. I promise you that.”
I pressed my forehead to hers and closed my eyes, soaking in the moment. “Good, because I don’t ever want to lose you. I couldn’t handle that, Gracie.”
We sat like that for a long while. It was peaceful, holding her and knowing that she loved me. She might not have said the words yet, but I knew just the same. I’d known from the moment she let me inside her tight little body. Gracie would have never given herself to me if she didn’t love me.
“I think you should take the offer, baby.”
Her eyes opened and she stared at me for a long moment before she smiled. “Okay. I’ll tell Jenkins tomorrow.”
Fuck, that had been so much easier than I’d imagined. I blew out a relieved breath and pulled her against me. “Now that is out of the way, let’s move on to more important things.”
Her smile turned seductive and my dick twitched against her in reaction. When I felt how much more damp her thin panties had become, I couldn’t hold back the growl this time. “Yeah, this is definitely more important.”
Chapter 14
Bash
Today was supposed to be a good day.
Raven was practically bouncing around the house in her excitement as the day of Jet’s release approached and it was putting everyone else in a great mood. Jet was coming home tonight and she was so happy I wanted to soak up this moment for a rainy day.
As happy as she was, I felt like I had pens and needles in my veins. I couldn’t explain it, but I felt like I was running out of time. Maybe it was because I was going to face Jet Hannigan man to man for the first time since I’d let him beat the mortal hell out of me. Or maybe it was because I was going to as
k the man that had basically raised the woman I loved if I could marry her…
Yeah, I thought with a grimace. That was probably it. I was scared shitless that Jet was going to say no. It wouldn’t matter, I was still going to marry her anyway, but I knew that having Jet’s okay would make Raven happy. Her happiness was the only thing I wanted in life. If she was happy, then I was happy. It was as simple as that.
It was ridiculously early when I went downstairs to eat breakfast. I was riding with the rest of the club down to met Jet and then we were making the four-hour ride back. Raven was getting the bar ready today for the first part of her brother’s welcome home party, and I had a few of the sheep setting up for his afterparty back at the clubhouse.
As early as it was, I wasn’t expecting Lexa to be up, but she was sitting in her usual chair at the kitchen table as Raven rushed around the kitchen putting food on the table. Colt, Raider, Matt, Tanner, Spider, and Willa were already at the table talking and eating anything she put in front of them.
“Can I have some more juice?” Lexa asked Raven as she set her pancakes in front of her.
Raven wiped her hands on a dishtowel and reached for the container of orange juice. Dropping a kiss on top of my daughter’s head, she poured the juice then helped Lexa cut her pancakes. Watching them together like this never failed to melt something inside of me that normally felt like a stone in my chest.
This right here, having my pregnant female taking care of my daughter like she was her own—knowing that she loved Lexa as much as she loved me, this was my idea of paradise.
That pins-and-needles feeling burned through my veins again, making me question for the hundredth time in the last few days my choice to go with the rest of the club today. I couldn’t shake this bad feeling.
“Morning, Daddy.”
I shook the odd feeling away and smiled down at my baby girl as I moved across the kitchen to take my place beside her at the table. “Morning, Lexa.”
Raven loaded down a plate at the stove and set it in front of me, humming. Raven rarely hummed and it just made me realize even more just how important today was to her. Jet was like a dad to her. Having him come home was definitely a day to celebrate.
Pausing long enough to brush a kiss over my lips she turned back to the stove, continuing to hum her happy tune. I ate my breakfast, watching her with a new tightness in my chest. Fuck, I didn’t want to go today, but I knew she would want me to. Having everyone there to meet Jet as he walked out of San Quentin was what mattered today.
By the time I’d finished my breakfast, Hawk and Gracie were downstairs. Hawk was dressed for the four-hour ride down to get his brother and Gracie was ready to go to work. She’d been working for Jenkins for a little over two weeks now and Jenkins had already told me that he thought Gracie was going to make an exceptional lawyer.
I was glad that everything was working out in that department. It meant that things were less tense for Hawk and in turn less tense for Raven. Anything that made her life easier, I was going to make happen.
“Okay, Lexa.” Raven picked my daughter up and sat her on her feet. “I’m going to clean up in here and then we’re going to watch some cartoons. Later, Aunt Willa is going to hang out with you while I go decorate for Uncle Jet’s party.”
“I’ll pick up the cake on my way over,” Gracie told her as she sipped her coffee. “Six thirty, right?”
“Yes. Thanks, Gracie.” She gave her a quick hug, then went back to straightening up the kitchen as Lexa ran off to watch TV in the living room.
Fuck, she was hugging people. My female was hugging. She was so fucking happy she was letting down her walls and getting all touchy with people. Yeah, I definitely couldn’t piss her off by staying home now. Fucking hell.
From out front I heard the rest of the MC driving up, and I reluctantly stood. It was time to go. Grabbing hold of Raven, I pulled her against me and kissed her mouth long and hard, memorizing her taste and the feel of her body against mine all over again. Something was screaming at me to stay home, but she wasn’t going to let me and I didn’t want to argue with her on a day that she’d been looking forward to for so long.
“Be careful,” I murmured against her lips. “Please, just be careful.”
She grinned up at me and cupped my face with both her hands. “No, you be careful. Bring my brother home where he belongs and keep everyone safe. I love you.”
I held onto her for a minute longer and then brushed another kiss over her lips before following my club brothers out the back door. As I climbed on my bike I glanced back and saw her standing in the doorway. She was grinning and waving at everyone that called out to her in greeting. When had I ever seen Raven Hannigan that happy?
Never.
Catching my eye, she blew me a kiss and then stepped back into the house, closing the door. I turned to glare at my club. “Let’s ride, you fuckers.”
The ride down to San Quentin was supposed to take a little over four hours, but we got there in three and a half. We were early, so we parked right outside the gates and waited. I leaned against my hog, my eyes trained ahead while I watched for any sign of the man that had been determined to end me the last time I’d been face to face with him.
Beside me, Hawk turned his hog off and leaned forward. “You gonna pussy out?”
I spared him the killer glare I wanted to give him. I was worried that I might do something stupid if I looked at my VP. Like grab him by the neck and choke the life from him. Not smart to murder a man in front of a badass prison like San Quentin. Too many cameras and witnesses. “Fuck you,” I growled and stiffened when I saw the doors open and Jet Hannigan walking toward us.
Hawk chuckled. When he spotted his brother, he climbed off his bike. Around us, everyone else followed suit. The gate opened and out walked my club’s old president. I watched with what felt like a ten-ton anvil sitting in my stomach as one club brother after another hugged and patted Jet on the back.
I wasn’t going to pussy out. I just had to suck up the fucking balls to ask the man that had beat me to the point of unconsciousness, busted my arm and then told me I could have his sister for keeps before I’d tucked tail and deserted her, if I could marry the same sister I’d abandoned. Nothing to it.
Fuck.
Sucking in a breath, I climbed off my hog and stepped forward as Uncle Jack released the eldest Hannigan brother. Jet took a step back. Those freaking green eyes so identical to his sister’s were assessing me, measuring me. I stood there and let them, knowing that when there were two alphas like him and me, sometimes you had to let the other sniff you out to gain his respect.
It felt like we stood there for hours, but after only a few seconds Jet snorted and stuck his hand out. The weight that had been pressing down on my chest eased and I clasped my club brother’s hand. Jerking him into a hug, I pounded him on the back just as hard as he did me.
When we both pulled back, I grinned at him. The fucker had gained even more muscle while inside and he was just as strong if not stronger than I was now. “You gonna let me marry her?”
The grin on his face dimmed slightly. “You mean your ass hasn’t asked her yet? What the fuck were you waiting on, dumbass?”
I shrugged. “You.”
Jet shoved me back a few steps, but he was grinning again. “Idiot. You better ask her soon or I’m going to tell her to get rid of your sorry ass.”
“If you two are done getting all emotional over there, lets get this motherfucker home,” Colt grumbled and tossed a set of keys at his brother while Little John unloaded Jet’s hog from the flat bed he’d driven down.
Jet’s eyes brightened and something about him changed as he climbed on his hog for the first time in almost a year. His shoulders straightened, his body tensed, and when he started his bike I thought I saw a glitter in the older man’s eyes. We stood back, watching him, not judging him for getting emotional over being on his hog again after so long. It would have been the same for any one of us. A man’s bike was
a part of him, sewed in to his soul from the first time he sits on it. Being away from it for so long and then getting back on it was like being welcomed home by an old friend.
“Take me home, boys.”
Raven
“But I don’t w-want you to go.”
I bit back a curse as I glanced down at Lexa. Her big, blue eyes were shining with tears and her little face was scrunched up in an expression that I rarely saw from the little girl that I considered my own. She was seconds away from a full-on meltdown and I didn’t know how to stop it.
We were in the kitchen and I was standing in the doorway, ready to leave so I could decorate the bar for Jet’s homecoming party. I’d told her more than a few times that I had to leave her for a little while this afternoon and she hadn’t gotten the least bit upset about it. Now that I was going out the door she was clinging to my leg.
I glanced from the top of Lexa’s dark head where she now had her face buried in my thigh to Willa, who was just a foot away, gazing helplessly down at her niece. “I have to go,” I murmured to her, as if trying to explain myself to the woman that had been the only motherly figure in Lexa’s life until recently.
“I know,” Willa murmured and gave me a small smile. “It’s okay.” She bent down and carefully pulled Lexa into her arms. “Hey, doodle bug. I thought you were going to teach me how to make those friendship bracelets that Gracie had taught you to make.”
“I want Raven,” Lexa sobbed, clinging harder to my leg. “I don’t want her to go.”
“Baby, I won’t be gone long,” I promised her as I crouched down to her eye level. “Please don’t cry,” I begged. I couldn’t handle her tears. They twisted something in my chest and made me want to cry too.
Lexa threw her arms around my neck and buried her wet face in my chest. “I want to be with you. Please, momma.”
My entire being melted and I held her closer. It wasn’t the first time that Lexa had referred to me as her momma before. She’d said “my momma” several times, but it was the first time she had actually called me that. I glanced at Willa, a little worried about what I might see there. For the first three years of Lexa’s life, she had been the closest thing that Lexa had to a mother. Now, after only a few months Lexa was calling me “momma”. Would she hate me for it?