I nod because even though sometimes it was a pinch, at least I had coverage on the contents. I wish I had known that lint could do that, though, and make a mental note to talk to Matt about how we can prevent something like that from ever happening again. Thankfully, the SUV was far enough away that it didn’t sustain damage. I had argued with Matt when he bought it for me, saying I didn’t need a new vehicle, but he told me that I was carrying precious cargo and even though my car was now roadworthy, he’d feel better if I was in something that wouldn’t break down. He also argued that he didn’t fit very well in my car, which was definitely true. The cool thing is, he found a teenager who needed a car and we gave him a great deal.
“We can use it when we need to buy stuff for the new house to replace what was lost,” I say, only to see both Juan and Matt give each other a look. “Okay, what was that about?” I try and fail to give them my ‘mom look’ which has both of them chuckling at me.
“Well, you see, once word got around to some of the clubs we’re friendly with that we had a house fire, they decided to do a poker run and give us the proceeds,” Matt cautiously announces.
“Plus, when folks found out that their favorite waitress was in the hospital, they’ve been extremely generous,” Juan adds.
“What exactly does that mean, Juan?” I question.
“I let it be known that twenty percent of the daily profits would be going to y’all,” he advises. “And before you say I can’t, I most certainly can do that for my family. But the customers weren’t satisfied with just that and they started leaving money with notes saying that it was for you and your family.”
My tears overflow at the sheer generosity of this small town I live in. It doesn’t matter how much or how little comes in, it’s the thought that they cared enough to part with their hard-earned money that makes me cry. That and the fact that ally clubs are doing a run for us? Yeah, I break down completely. For so long, I’ve pinched and scrimped, doing without for myself to make sure that the kids were taken care of and from the sound of it, those days are long gone. Of course, they already were, seeing as I’ll be working as the club bookkeeper, plus waitressing for a little while longer. “This is mind-blowing to me,” I admit. “I mean, my insurance policy was pretty good. It would definitely cover the contents.” I don’t mention the sentimental items I lost. I’m heartbroken that I don’t have the kids’ baby books any longer. At least Beau’s didn’t have much in it, but Aria’s was full to the brim.
“We can always take it and start college funds for the kids,” Matt says, wiping my tears away. “Well, for whatever they want to do that is because they may want to learn a trade instead.”
“I like that idea a lot,” I murmur. An idea pops into my head and I decide to share it. “Matt? I know that all the pictures I had of the kids are probably gone, but all the ones I took of them I saved to the cloud. I’m pretty sure my laptop didn’t survive either, but do you think we could get another one and reprint them?”
“I’ll go pick up a laptop for you today,” Juan asserts.
“Juan, who is minding the restaurant right now?” I question. He’s so hands-on that I’m surprised that he’s brought food for us every single day.
“Maria, of course. She’s probably harder on the staff than I am,” he says, winking at me. I can’t help myself; I giggle. The two of them have definitive rules for their employees, but they treat all of us as an extension of their family and it’s a fantastic environment to work in.
“I can’t wait to get out of here and resume a normal life,” I say. I mean, I enjoy spending so much time with Matt. We’ve spent hours talking in between visitors, and what he’s shared has made me fall deeper in love with him. I haven’t told him just yet. I figure I’ll wait until we actually leave the hospital.
“Soon, sweetheart. The important thing is, you’re getting better,” Matt states.
“God, I sound so whiny and I don’t mean to, I swear! I have loved all this time with you, Matt, but what about your business? What’s happening with all of that?”
“My brothers have stepped up, Mandie. Not only that, but I’ve got a good crew in place already. You don’t need to worry about that at all, okay? My place is right here, beside you,” he emphatically announces.
“Eat, eat, before it gets cold,” Juan instructs. “Then I will take the little ones to Maria and get her out of my kitchen.”
Giggling, I help Aria with her food while Matt takes Beau and starts feeding him. The normalcy of the situation, despite the environment, makes me smile even bigger. I never thought this is what I’d want, yet here I am, married to a man who has quickly become my best friend. He’s held me while I cried in pain and soothed my worries countless times.
“I love you.” He freezes when the words pop out of my mouth. When he looks at me, his eyebrow raised, I can see the hope in his eyes. “I mean it, Matt. I love you.” Once again, I realize how unconventional we are with regard to our relationship. Hell, we haven’t even had sex yet, for Heaven’s sake!
He hands Beau over to Juan, then picks Aria up and gives her to him as well. Cupping my face in his large hands, he leans in until our foreheads are touching and whispers, “I love you too, Mandie. So fucking much it hurts when you’re not near me. I was never more scared than when I got the call from the hospital and seeing you, so tiny, lying in the bed obviously injured, broke my heart in a million pieces. Please don’t scare me like that again.”
“I’ll do my best, honey,” I murmur. He gently kisses me, and I feel the promise behind his action. I have no clue what life holds, but I know as long as he’s by my side, I’ll be able to handle it.
“That’s my cue to head on out,” Juan says. “You two lovebirds need some time alone.”
Matt
After Juan leaves with the kids, I maneuver myself into the bed next to Mandie and pull her into my arms. “I’m not sure this is allowed,” she whispers, as if she’s afraid a nurse will fly into the room.
“Sweetheart, where do you think I’ve been sleeping all these nights?” I ask.
The look she gives me has me chuckling because I usually wait until she’s asleep before I hold her all night long, then wake up before she does. The nurses have all seen me holding her close and not one of them has said a damn word to me. Not that I give a fuck; she’s my wife and if me holding her keeps the nightmares at bay, then that’s what I’m going to do.
“Really?” she asks. Her body and eyes show that she’s in pain, so I press the button since she’s been stubborn lately. “Matt, I don’t want to sleep again,” she protests.
“You need it to heal, pretty girl,” I reply, kissing her nose. “And it’s my job as your husband to make sure that you rest.”
I grin when she rolls her eyes at me. “Whatever,” she replies, yawning.
“Take a nap, sweetheart. I’ll be here when you wake up.”
16
Mandie
I’ve been home for a week now and still haven’t looked at my injuries. I go daily up to the outpatient center for them to clean and re-dress the wounds, and then I do physical therapy. Surprisingly, or at least to me, anyhow, Matt’s brothers and the old ladies moved us into our new house. I was blown away when Matt drove us up to the house and I saw it. They even painted the kids’ bedrooms and got them set up the way I imagined a kid’s room should look. Aria is in a princess phase and they managed to find a bed that looks like a carriage. Granted, her room looks as though someone vomited pink and purple everywhere, but it’s adorable. They strung fairy lights around the ceiling and painted the walls to look like she was in a castle out in the woods. There are tiny animals peeking from around trees and they even have trolls everywhere. It’s a wild combination but somehow, it works.
Beau’s room is a tiny biker’s dream. They found someone who crafted an awesome bed for him as well, mindful of the fact that he’s still a baby. The rails on the sides can be removed once he’s old enough, but right now, my boy sleeps in a motorc
ycle. It’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen and whoever made it definitely did a great job. The headlight even serves as a nightlight! The rest of his room has various biker insignia everywhere and there’s a ‘road’ painted along his wall that makes it look as though he’s riding.
They even set up our new office. Matt and I have matching desks that are far enough apart that we still have our own space. I’ve got a desktop as well as a laptop and all the information I need for the businesses has already been downloaded. Corrie plans to come over later this week to help me get stuff started.
“Mandie? Where are you at, sweetheart?” I hear Matt, but don’t reply. I’m standing in our bathroom facing the mirror. It’s time for me to see the damage. I’ll never regret my actions because losing my babies wasn’t an option. I’m just worried about how Matt will react. I mean, it’s not like I was perfect before anyhow, but the scars from the burns are a little more ‘in your face’ than the silvery stretch marks across my hips and lower abdomen. I figured today was as good a day as any since Ollie has the kids overnight. Tomorrow, we’re doing a combination birthday party for Aria, as well as a housewarming get-together.
With my eyes closed, I slip my shirt off my body, then the camisole, which is the only thing that is soft enough right now. “Here it goes,” I whisper to myself before I open my eyes. I know from where the nurses scrubbed each day where I got burned but seeing it is a different story. “Oh my God,” I cry out, looking at the skin that’s stretched and marred across my upper arm and shoulder. Turning slightly, I can see where my clothes burned into my skin. As the tears fall and my vision gets blurry, I don’t hear the bathroom door open, nor the man who I love with everything I have walk up behind me.
Gentle kisses touch the mangled skin as he strokes his hands down my arms. I continue to cry despite his ministrations, unable to stop the wave of emotion crashing through me. He turns me and pulls me into his arms and holds me as the past few weeks run down my face and I sob into his shirt. “Shhh, I’ve got you, pretty girl, you’re okay,” he murmurs.
“I don’t know what I expected,” I stammer out. “I don’t regret it, but honestly, Matt, what can I do to keep the kids from being afraid of me?”
He picks me up and carries me into our room and sits me on the end of the bed. “You know we’ve talked about how I was hurt on my last mission, right?” he asks me. I nod, watching his face. “Keep in mind that most of my scars are now covered with tattoos, but they’re still there.”
“Did Reese do them?” I ask.
“He didn’t start them, another artist did, but he’s done all of my work since then. He has the skills and if you want, once everything is fully healed up, you can get tattoos as well. But I’m telling you right now, I don’t give a flying fuck if you do or don’t because they show me, you’re a survivor. You’re still here, the kids are still here. Hell, Champ is still here. Because of you, Mandie. Just like I’m still here because of Jackal.” His voice breaks and I see his eyes start to glisten as he slowly pulls his shirt off then turns.
On his back I see a 3D tattoo that looks so lifelike, I have to touch it. Standing, I move closer and only then can I see the damaged skin underneath the beautiful artwork that spans his back and runs down his left side. The dragon is so lifelike I half expect it to breathe fire or something. Seeing the scars has my tears flowing once again. I know the pain he endured, and it was far worse than what I dealt with, that’s for sure. Starting at the top, I kiss along each scar, my tears dripping onto the colorful skin. I can see it goes further down and nudge him a bit. “Let me see the rest, please,” I murmur, my own scars temporarily forgotten.
I see him take a shuddering breath before he undoes his jeans and lets them fall, then he slips his boxer briefs off. The dragon continues across his left ass cheek then wraps around to the front. I kiss each scar, blushing a little at the proximity, before I move to the front. “It’s not pretty,” he warns.
“Oh, honey, the pain you went through,” I cry, looking at the beauty that was wrought from the agony he suffered. The tail of the dragon goes down his thigh and I see that despite the seriousness of what he’s showing me, his erection is proudly jutting out. I gulp a bit, wondering just how in the hell it’ll ever fit inside me, but my eyes are on the dragon. The head comes over his left shoulder and the dragon’s arm circles underneath his arm to rest at the center of his chest where a treasure box sits. I can see he’s had new work done and start crying harder when I realize that in each of the baubles that are in the chest, he has one of our names with mine being over his heart. There’s even room for more, should we have kids down the road. “It’s beautiful,” I finally say, looking up at him. “I can’t believe you did this.” My fingers trace each of our names, along with the date we got married.
“You and the kids are my treasure, sweetheart,” he replies. “Are you sure the scars don’t bother you? You don’t find them repulsive?” I can hear the uncertainty in his tone, and it breaks my heart knowing that another woman put those doubts in his head.
Deciding to take the biker by the dick, I move closer to him and reach down to caress him. “Not one bit, honey. You’re still the most handsome man I’ve ever known and right now, all I gotta say is her loss is my gain. Please, make me yours, Matt. I think we’ve waited long enough, don’t you?”
Matt
Her words break the final chain that I didn’t know was wrapped around my soul. She doesn’t care repeats in my head as I draw her close and kiss her with every ounce of passion I feel. When she sighs, I invade her mouth with my tongue and soon, our tongues are dueling with one another. It’s not like I haven’t kissed her before, but it’s different this time. It’s a claiming kiss. One filled with hope for the future and a promise that together, we can overcome anything life throws our way. I pull back slightly, breathless, then pick her up and carry her to our bed.
Once we’re laying side by side, I caress her face and say, “I love you so fucking much I don’t know that there are words that can express what I’m feeling.”
“I feel the same way,” she admits.
“I honestly don’t know how long I’ll be able to last when I finally get inside you, sweetheart, so I want to explore a bit.”
“I uh, I’ve got stretch marks,” she says, her voice low.
“From carrying two children, pretty girl. Does it feel like they turn me off?” I ask, grabbing her hand and guiding it to my dick, which is harder than it’s ever been.
Her soft giggle makes me smile as she slowly strokes me. Too much of that and I’ll be coming in her hand, not in a pussy that I know will fit me like a glove. I lean in and capture her lips with mine once again. Kissing her is quickly becoming my favorite thing in the world to do.
She leans in closer and I feel her nipples graze my chest. Moaning softly, I reach up and start stroking her breasts. Soon, her moans mingle with mine and I can feel her desire as she presses against me. I move and begin peppering her jaw and neckline with kisses, causing her to writhe, so I toss a leg over hers. “God, Matt, it’s never been like this before.”
I can feel the sense of urgency swirling around us both but at the same time, despite her words, she’s not pressing for more than I’m giving her. Leaning down, I capture one of the raspberry colored nipples in my mouth and begin nipping and sucking on it while my hand plumps the other breast. “You smell good enough to eat,” I mumble, causing her to giggle.
When I look up at her, she shrugs and says, “That tickles, honey.” I smirk as I switch sides, giving the other breast the same attention, while my hand strokes down to her hip. Cupping her ass, I draw her closer and groan when I feel the heat emanating from her pussy. As my hand moves toward the apex of her thighs, I can feel her desire leaking from her core. Swiping my fingers through, I bring them to my mouth and suck them in while she watches, her face flushed.
“I knew you’d taste good,” I murmur as I move down her body until I’m situated between her thighs. “Open for me,
sweetheart,” I command when she closes her legs tight.
“No one’s ever done that,” she whispers. I can see she’s nervous, but at some point, she’ll realize that I want nothing between us whatsoever. I want it all – the good, the bad, the ugly. So I do what any self-respecting biker would, I lean in and swipe my tongue through her folds anyway. The moan that erupts from her mouth has me grinning because with little effort, I soon have her legs over my shoulders and my mouth planted against her pussy.
“Based on how addictive your taste is to me, you’d better get used to it,” I advise before I start eating her pussy like a starving man. When I insert a finger, she moans, and I feel her pussy clench. “Do you like that, sweetheart?” I murmur.
“God, yes,” she stammers. “Please don’t stop, Matt.” As I continue in my mission to make her shatter, I add a second finger then search for her G-spot. Once I’ve found it, I apply pressure as I suck on her clit. Her back arches up and a keening cry escapes her as her pussy practically breaks my fingers when her orgasm hits. I don’t stop, wanting her well-lubricated for me since I’m not a small man in stature or dick.
“Give me another one, pretty girl,” I command.
“I-I can’t,” she says.
“Yes, you can,” I advise, thrusting my fingers in and out as I lap at her pussy. When I feel the unmistakable flutters again, I double my efforts until she’s screaming my name, then I continue until all that’s left are occasional shudders. Crawling back up her body, I line my dick up at her entrance and slowly, almost reverently, start pushing inside.
Despite two orgasms, she’s still tight and my eyes cross at the sensation. I continue, using shallow thrusts until I’m fully seated, my groin pressed against hers. “Matt,” she whispers, her eyes bright and her face flushed.
Matt - The Black Tuxedos MC Page 13
