by S. Nelson
“Then it’s a good thing you’re here.”
He passed Silas back to his mom and scooted over to let Ryder in. Suddenly, everyone around me broke out in song, a mixed melody of “Happy Birthday” assaulting my ears while Kena carried over a cake in the shape of a mouse wearing a red beret. If the character was from a popular children’s cartoon, I wouldn’t know, as I wasn’t into what kids watched.
As I sat next to the man I loved more than I could ever express, watching our friends laugh like they didn’t have a care in the world, something that wasn’t possible a year ago, I was reminded of how lucky I was.
I’d lost my family, then went through a horrific ordeal, but Linc was there to save me, to show me love and to give me the life I always dreamed of. One day I hoped I could repay him for all the gifts he’d so selflessly given me.
Silas smushed cake in between his grubby little fingers, as well as all over his face. But I couldn’t blame him; it was delicious. There were a few things I could do with this icing, I thought, licking my fork while I looked for Maddie. She was across the yard, chatting it up with Morgan, no doubt talking about her upcoming show in a couple days.
The pride I felt for her was immeasurable. She’d often tell me that if it wasn’t for the camera I bought her, none of this would’ve happened for her, but that was ridiculous. She was the talented one. Her success had nothing to do with me.
I wasn’t gonna lie and say that I didn’t have a little bit of a freak-out when I found out Morgan called in a bunch of models for Maddie to photograph over the course of a week, half of them partially naked guys. My woman didn’t bat a flirting eye at any of them, but it wasn’t her I didn’t trust.
She’d been sheltered her entire upbringing, then she was thrust into a den of evil on her first trip away from home. She didn’t have a clue how the world worked, going from one extreme to the next, and it was my job to keep her safe at all times.
I wasn’t nearly as overbearing as I was a year ago, but I pushed the limit sometimes. I was man enough to admit that. The thought of losing her crushed me, so I did everything I could think of to make sure that didn’t happen, and if I had to trample on a couple photo sessions, then so be it.
“He’s gonna be up past his bedtime,” Ryder grumbled beside me, his expression belying his tone. He loved his son to pieces, but I was sure having a toddler was exhausting, something I wasn’t planning on finding out for a few more years. If it was up to me, I would’ve gotten Maddie pregnant by now, but she wasn’t even twenty. I wasn’t gonna saddle her with a kid before she could legally have her first drink. On top of that, her career was starting to bud, as I had no doubt her upcoming show was gonna be a hit. That didn’t mean I wasn’t thinking about making things official between us, though. I’d already gone ring shopping, and while I wasn’t in a rush, I wanted to lock her down soon.
“You look like you’re gonna pass out now.” I laughed, tipping the bottle of my beer back.
“You have no idea. I’m too old to do this shit all over again.” Silas bounced on Ryder’s lap, giggling, and grabbing for his dad’s bottle.
“No choice in the matter now.”
“I love the little guy, but damn, I forgot how tiring babies are. Roman is just becoming self-sufficient for the most part. Now I have to wait another decade until this one is good to go.”
“I don’t think eleven is the right age for kids to go off on their own.” After draining the rest of my beer, I tossed it into a nearby recycle bin, the clank startling Silas. His bottom lip trembled, and I felt bad for scaring him. “Sorry, buddy.” A couple googly faces, and he was back to laughing.
“You’re good with him. Wanna take him for a night?”
“Nope.” My response was immediate.
“Fu…” He covered his son’s ears. “Fuuuuuckkk.” The bastard smirked. “That felt good.”
“Oh, Lord. You do need a break.”
Lost in the back and forth of some idle chitchat, mostly about the club, both of us turned our heads when we heard Braylen shout in excitement. She was standing next to Zoe and Brick, holding two glasses of wine, and staring at her stepdaughter’s stomach. Then Braylen turned cautious eyes on her husband, looking like she regretted her outburst.
“What’s goin’ on?” Ryder asked, as if I had any more of an idea than he did. Silas started to fuss, heightening his aggravation, his eyes pinned to his wife and daughter, and of course the mammoth of a man glued to Zoe’s side. “He better not have…. If she doesn’t stop lookin’ at me like that…. What the hell?” He rambled on but didn’t stay in his seat long, trekking toward his family. There was no way I was gonna miss this. I followed him, keeping a safe distance.
“Hi, Dad,” Zoe said, biting her lip in nervousness, looking to Braylen, then Brick, her eyes drifting back to Ryder in the following silence.
“What’s goin’ on?” Silas started to cry, smacking Ryder’s cheek, but the man wasn’t fazed. “Tell me right now what’s happening.”
“Don’t freak out,” his wife warned, reaching for their son, but Ryder jerked back. Her arms fell with a frown. “Zoe and Brick have some news.”
“Oh yeah, and what’s that?” He stepped closer to Brick, Silas in a full-on meltdown now.
Brick moved behind Zoe, locking his arms around her waist and pulling her flush to him. “We’re gonna have a baby,” he finally blurted. Instead of Ryder giving him the reaction we all expected, he kissed his daughter’s cheek and congratulated her. Then he turned to Brick and pushed Silas at him.
“Get used to it.” Grabbing his wife’s hand, he pulled her away and the two of them disappeared without so much as another word, but not before I caught sight of a tiny smirk on his face.
“Congrats, you two.” I patted Brick’s shoulder and kissed Zoe’s cheek, but when he tried to pass me the baby, I backed off. “Nope. Ryder’s right, you have to get used to holding a screaming child.” A crowd started to form around the soon-to-be parents.
“Fuck you, man.” Frustration wafted off him and he’d only been holding Silas for less than five minutes.
“And you can’t curse in front of kids, Brick.” I was halfway across the yard when he shouted something at me, but my only focus now was getting to Maddie.
“We’ll get there an hour early to make sure everything is on point.” Morgan smiled at me as I walked up behind my woman, snagging her hand and pulling her off to the side, but before I could get her alone, I saw my sister and Kaden walking hand in hand toward my parents, my dad’s brow arching up in interest.
Curious as to whether there was gonna be another spectacle, I led Maddie closer, standing close to Kaden. The look on his face told me he was nervous, but I couldn’t understand why. Until Riley spoke.
“We have something we want to tell you,” she said, linking hands with Kaden.
My dad briefly looked toward Zoe and Brick, having heard their news. “If you tell me that you knocked up my baby girl, you better run now.” His expression was fierce, scaring even me and I wasn’t involved in this in any way.
Maddie shifted on her feet, leaning up to whisper in my ear. “Maybe we should let them talk.”
“Not a chance in hell.” My inquisitiveness canceled my nerves.
“I’m not pregnant, Dad. But…” Riley looked to Kaden and smiled. “We’re getting married.”
My mom clapped her hands and squealed. An actual squeal of delight. A noise I’d never heard her make before. But it wasn’t her who held my attention; it was my ol’ man. A few other people nearby heard the announcement, but they held their tongues, watching, waiting to see what my father was gonna do.
The silence that followed Riley’s words thickened with unease, all eyes on the bristling VP of our club.
Then in one swift move, he threw his arm around Kaden’s shoulder and pulled him close, kissing the top of his head like he was one of his kids.
And I supposed, he was now.
“Good man” was all he said, engulfing his
daughter in his arms and kissing her cheek. My mom wiped away a stray tear before it was her turn for hugs.
“Good luck.” I laughed, giving my buddy, now soon-to-be brother-in-law, a heartfelt embrace before moving on to my sister. “I’m really happy for you, sis.” I squeezed her tight and held on for a few seconds longer than I needed to. She’d gone through a lot with Kaden, most of which I only found out after the fact, and she deserved every bit of happiness in the world.
Everyone drifted from Zoe and Brick to Riley and Kaden and back again. Two unexpected announcements topped off this party, although now the birthday boy was in the middle of a complete meltdown.
Before Brick tried to pass Silas to me or Maddie, I pulled her away from the gathering and into the house. I needed some alone time with her.
“Where are we going?”
“Somewhere private.” I thought for sure she was gonna remind me that we wouldn’t be fooling around but she didn’t say a word, following my lead when I steered her down the upstairs hallway and walked into the spare bedroom, the only items inside a treadmill and a five-tier rack with seasonal decorations.
Maddie was on me as soon as I closed the door. “I need you,” she whispered against my mouth, her fingers working furiously to unhook my belt.
“What happened to not messin’ around until we got home?” I assisted her urgency, drawing my zipper down and freeing myself.
“I can’t wait.” Her dress rose until the material was around her waist, drawing her panties down until they rested at her feet. She kicked them aside and pulled me close, her tongue dipping into my mouth before I could form another thought.
“Fuck. You know how to drive me crazy.” I nipped her lip and grabbed a hold of her delectable ass, pulling her up my body so she could wrap her legs around my waist. Taking another look around the room, I couldn’t see anywhere I could put her to make this easier, so against the wall it was gonna have to be. I raised her up and lined myself at her entrance, sinking inside her slowly. “Slow and steady.” The air was punched from my lungs when she ground down on me, clutching on to my shoulders for balance. “Does that feel good?” I rotated my hips and thrust forward, barely able to catch my breath before I did it again. With our bodies pressed so close together, and the wall as our anchor, the friction was perfect, her clit rubbing against me while my cock was buried to the hilt.
“Again,” she whispered, sucking in a mouthful of air on a gasp. “Please.” Her plea urged me to go faster but I wanted to take my time. “Linc, please.”
“No. I wanna savor this.”
“Please.” Her skin flushed and her pale green eyes darkened with pleasure. She tangled her fingers in my hair and yanked my head back, burying her face in my neck as I ground into her, over and over. “You feel so good.” Her tongue ran over the column of my throat, biting my chin before she sealed her lips over mine again.
“Maddie,” I growled, my movements picking up. “I can feel you squeezing me. Are you gonna come?”
“Soon.” She was barely able to speak, tightening her legs around me and losing herself to the feel of me driving into her. If we were home, I’d pull out, flip her around and fuck her how she liked. Then I’d tease her mercilessly until she begged for more. But we weren’t home, and I couldn’t take my time.
“Closer?” I smirked when her lips parted, her bottom disappearing between her teeth, stifling a moan. “Tell me.”
“I’m close.” Again, her face was buried in my neck. “Right there.” She bit my shoulder as she came, her satisfaction muffled by my shirt.
I tipped the edge and fell right after her, stilling afterward to expel the air that was caught in my throat. Kissing the tip of her pert nose, I lifted her up, fell from her body, and put her on her feet. She was wobbly at first but regained her balance quickly, grabbing her panties from the floor and pulling them back on.
“I need to use the bathroom before we go back down.”
Maddie opened the door and peered into the hallway, and thankfully there wasn’t anyone there. After she cleaned up, she reemerged. I grabbed her hand and led her back down to the party, but before we ventured outside, I pulled her into the corner.
“I love you.” What I felt for her was so much more, but those words would have to do for now.
“I love you too.”
She stared at me, and I got lost in her gaze, wishing away the time so I could have her all to myself again. As we made our way toward the others, I breathed a sigh of gratitude that Maddie had been shoved into my life, gifting me with a love I didn’t even know existed.
“Where were you guys?” Linc and Maddie strolled out hand in hand, grinning at each other and I refused to delve into what I thought they might’ve been doing. Ryder warned everyone to keep their pants on, but something told me some of these guys didn’t heed his advice.
“Just showing Maddie around.” He kissed her temple, mumbling something into her ear that made her blush.
“I’m sure.”
“Jealous, prospect? Oh wait, I can’t call you that anymore, can I?”
“Nope.”
Marek had given me a full patch a month back, sealing my membership with the club. He’d given me an out last year, and for as much contempt as I held for him after what he orchestrated to be done to me, all on a misunderstanding, I’d come to crave the brotherhood of the Knights. Prez never apologized for what happened, but he did take care of all expenses pertaining to my mom, which was an enormous relief, as well as setting her up with Dr. Eisner, who managed to get my mom into remission. I supposed that was all the apology I needed.
Linc patted my shoulder and I groaned. “Oh shit, did you finally do it?”
“Do what?” Kaden strolled over, his woman not in tow for once that evening. Riley was huddled together with Chelsea and Zoe, more of the women joining their group to discuss whatever it was that women talked about endlessly.
“You get it?” Brick was next to hover over me, grinning from ear to ear.
“Yeah.” I removed my cut in preparation.
“Babe, why don’t you go talk to my sister.” Linc jerked his chin toward the small group of women on the other side of the yard. Once Maddie was out of earshot, I shoved his arm.
“You afraid she’d get turned on once I took off my shirt?” The quick flick of his eyes toward me and the slight scowl told me I was right, not that Maddie would get turned on, but he didn’t want her looking at me.
“Let’s see it.” Brick tipped his beer and swallowed the remainder of his drink, tossing the empty into a nearby can. “Why didn’t you have one of us go with you?
“I wasn’t sure when I was gonna do it.” Grabbing ahold of the back of my shirt, I dragged the material over my head, then down my chest. I had to put the club emblem on my back, near my left shoulder blade because my chest was completely covered. I’d had to have some corrective work done on some of the ink on my front because of the scarring from Cutter’s handiwork. I still didn’t like that guy so much, but I didn’t hold it against him anymore, understanding the dynamic and emotions behind why they did what they did.
Turning slightly, I glanced at Kaden, who was directly behind me. “I can’t reach the bandage.”
“How fresh is this?”
“Got it yesterday.”
He carefully peeled the tape from my skin to reveal a skull with flames shooting out from both sides and a large sword slicing through the middle of it. Our club’s emblem, the final seal needed to be fully integrated into this brotherhood. Everyone had this same tattoo. Where they chose to put it was up to them.
“Looks great,” they all complimented, one after the other. Marek had come back outside and walked by our group, stopping briefly to see why everyone was clustered around me.
“What do you think, Prez?” I asked, looking for his approval even though I already had it.
“There’s no getting out now.” A half smile tipped his lips, his eyes glazing over as they bounced to each of us.
&n
bsp; “You feelin’ good?” Stone appeared out of nowhere and bumped into him, both men slow with the reflexes.
“A bit, yeah. Too much celebrating today is to blame.” His focus moved from Brick to his son, his grin widening.
“You better slow down, ol’ man. Mom’s not gonna wanna carry you inside.”
“Don’t you worry about me or your mom.” Prez winked, which was so unlike him, at least from what I knew of him. “Your mom will be well taken care of.”
Kaden nearly choked on his drink mid swallow. “Oh, God. I gotta go. I don’t even wanna contemplate what that meant.” His face scrunched when his dad laughed.
“Speak of the temptress.” Marek held out his hand for his wife, yanking her into him when she slid her palm in his.
“Since when am I a temptress?” The sound of her laughter drifted on the early evening breeze, Prez kissing her neck and making her squirm.
Even though the connection between Sully and me was tainted with horror, not of my doing, but because of my biological father, she never held any of her past against me. She welcomed me with open arms, even during the first encounter we had at the safe house when I wasn’t sure if Marek was gonna order for me to be killed or not. She was the one to convince her husband to make me a prospect. He didn’t wanna do it, and I didn’t wanna accept, but he hadn’t given me much choice in the matter. It was either join or die, and I still had my mom and my sister, Penny, to worry about, so I reluctantly agreed.
“Since always.”
“Be careful, Mom. He’s on his way,” Kaden shouted as he walked away, not wanting to bear witness to his parents’ PDA.
Watching everyone pair off with their women reminded me that I didn’t know where mine was. Tossing my shirt back on, I caught up to Brick before he and Zoe took off inside.
“You know where Morgan is?”
“I haven’t seen her.” He pointed toward Maddie a short distance away. “Ask her.”
And I did, getting the same response from her. Scouring the entire outside first and not finding a glimpse of her, I walked into the house, searching every room on the first floor, even the bathroom. But still no Morgan. Then I descended the stairs to the finished basement, otherwise known as Ryder’s mancave, and saw Evan and Harrison, Jagger’s boys, on the couch playing a video game. Roman sat in between them, but he didn’t have a paddle, too wrapped up in watching the screen in front of them. Then I saw Luke near the far wall, talking to someone with his back to me. I swore he got taller since the last time I saw him, his height a trait he inherited from Tripp, and because he hovered over the other person, I couldn’t see who he was speaking to. Until he shifted slightly to the side.
