Paladin is sitting next to Jayden, scrunched onto the end of the picnic bench. It might be due to the lack of space, but my eyes narrow all the same. Particularly when he hugs her to him. He’s getting a bit too handsy for my liking, but being surrounded by brothers, for now, I’ll let it go.
Amy comes over and tugs at Sam’s arm. “Wanna go potty.”
With an indulgent smile, Sam lifts her into her arms and carries her through the milling bodies. I watch her go. She’s pregnant, Sophie’s pregnant. I really wouldn’t mind having a kid of my own.
Nuzzling my mouth against her ear, I ask Ella softly, “Do you want kids, El?”
She turns around sharply and looks at me, as if wondering what’s the right answer to a question that seemed to come out of nowhere. I leave my face impassive. It has to be her desire as well as mine. After a moment she sighs and rests her head back against my chest. “Yes.”
Her answer, spoken so softly, I nearly miss it. I smile against her hair. “Me too,” I reply. Then, thinking of the babies due to be born in the clubhouse and wanting to add to their number, whisper, “And soon.”
She doesn’t protest, just gives a little delighted shiver. The thought of sinking my cock into her without barriers has my cock swelling more, and I feel rather than see her smile.
The meeting must be over. The officers come out and with drinks in their hands. Wraith comes over and in one smooth movement Sophie stands, lets him sit, then plonks herself back down on his lap. He gives an exaggerated “Oomph,” making us laugh.
Red’s followed him out. He stands at the end of the picnic bench, putting his foot against the back of the seat. Leaning forward with his hands on his knee, he asks, “What’s the latest on Heart? Fuckin’ bad business that.”
“Not a lot to tell, Brother,” Wraith gives the answer. “Shooter’s with him now, but there’s been no change.”
“Have to say, I’d hoped to hear better.”
The VP shrugs. “He’s just got to choose when he’s gonna come out of it.” He indicates Sam carrying Amy across. “We’ve got to arrange the funeral for Crystal but keep putting it off as by rights he should be there.”
“I hear she’s got a mother?” Red raises his eyebrow. “She getting on with sorting that out?”
“No way.” Wraith scowls. “Fuckin’ junky bitch that one. Trying to get hold of Heart’s kid, though fuck knows why.”
Red creases his brow. “You going to organise the funeral without her then?”
“To be honest, Red, we’re steering well clear. But if Heart remains unconscious, we’ll probably have to get in touch. It’s her daughter we’ll be burying after all’s said and done.”
“Fuckin’ bad thing to have happened.” Then Red shuts up, which pleases me. Anything else would be club business and the old ladies don’t need to know about that.
“Hi, Red, fancy some company?” Jill’s only doing her job, but it’s interesting she’s homed in on the handsome Vegas prez. Still, if the sweet butts know what’s good for them, they’ll approach the men they like and hope they’ll keep them satisfied all night. They’re fair game at a gathering like this, and would be out on their ear if Drum got word they’d turned a brother down. Without good reason, that is. We don’t tolerate violence toward our whores. My arms tighten around Ella, and again I wonder how the fuck she ever thought she could be one of them.
My gesture doesn’t go unnoticed, and Jill narrows her eyes. I stare her down, once again nuzzling my lips against my old lady’s hair. It was her fault, selling the idea of biker cock to my woman. She’d certainly skated around the edge of the truth when building up the image of a sweet butt’s life. Oh, it suits some just fine and is definitely better than walking the streets. Then there’s that elusive dream of becoming that one special woman to a biker. Jill hasn’t got a chance. I smother my laugh.
Red finishes up his conversation with Wraith, puts his arm around Jill, and walks off. Hmm, there’s obviously something I don’t know or am missing by the look Sophie throws after her, and the laugh Wraith gives as he turns Sophie’s face back and proceeds to devour her lips with a kiss.
A distant rumble of thunder makes me look up to see clouds billowing over the Tucson mountains. Unless we’re very lucky, this party will have to move inside soon courtesy of a late summer storm.
Drummer comes into sight, he stops with his hand on my shoulder. “Slick, Paladin. Want a fuckin’ word.”
At last giving Jayden some space, Paladin gets to his feet. “Yeah, Prez?”
Drum jerks his head over his shoulder, and we follow him inside as he leads the way to his office. He leans back against his desk and doesn’t offer us a seat. For a while he says nothing, but fixes his steely gaze upon Paladin, who starts to fidget and, unable to meet Drum’s eyes, looks down at his feet.
“We got a problem?” the prez at last speaks.
Paladin glances up and sees Drum still staring at him. “What? Not that I know of.”
He doesn’t drag it out. “Jayden’s fuckin’ underage,” Prez states. “She’s here under the club protection. I won’t have anything happen to a fourteen-year-old girl under my roof.”
“Nothing’s—”
“Listen to me, boy,” he growls. “Nothing might have happened as yet, but I’ve got fuckin’ eyes in my head. I’ve seen the way she looks at you, and how you look at her.”
“I know how old she is, Prez. Same age as my sister. And—”
“And you’ve been sitting cuddling her for the last half hour. I wouldn’t even want to see you canoodling with any sister like that,” Drum interrupts again. Pushing away from the desk he stands up straight, which puts him inches from Paladin’s face. “Get any fuckin’ closer and you lose your patch.”
Suddenly Paladin gets a backbone from somewhere. “It’s not easy for her, Prez. She’s not a kid anymore. All she knows is what those bastards did to her, but she’s part woman, part child. In her mind she’s old enough.”
I feel myself tense, wondering what exactly he’s suggesting. Jayden’s under my protection first, and only second of that of the club. She comes as a package with my old lady.
Drum doesn’t miss a beat. “And in my mind, she’s not. Nor to any other fucker using their right head. I’m warning you, Paladin. I wanted you to watch out for her, not to fuck her.”
“I’m not.” Our newest member sounds petulant.
“And you’re not going to either. You worked fuckin’ hard to get your patch. You’re going to lose it quicker than you earned it at this rate. Fuck one of the club whores if you can’t keep it zipped.”
I’ve kept quiet up to now, but now I step up. I glare at Paladin to show my agreement with the prez, and then turn to Drum. “Once this Herrera business is sorted, I’m gonna be buying a house, Drum, for Ella and me. Jayden will live with us, go back to school and get her life back on track.”
“Can’t be soon enough, can it?” Drum tunnels his hands through his hair. “Look, Paladin, if you’ve got a thing for her, you’ll just have to wait until she’s legal. Four fuckin’ years. I don’t want anything else to happen to that little girl, and definitely not on my watch. You hear me?”
Paladin looks at his feet, and up again. “I hear you, Prez.”
“Now get lost. Go find one of the whores. Or two. Hell, three of them if that’s what it takes. But that’s a fuckin’ order.”
Paladin nods despondently and leaves us. Drum looks at me. “Am I reading it wrong?”
“Nah, Prez. I reckon you’re reading it right. But girl’s had a taste, had her innocence taken away. I reckon it’s as hard on her as it is for him. Keeping him around her ain’t helping much. There’s an attraction between them, that’s for sure.”
“Well, we’ll see how strong a fuckin’ attraction it is when she sees him with the whores.”
“Thanks, a fuckin’ bunch, Prez,” I grumble. A sulky teenager is just what I need. But for Ella’s sake, I’ll just have to put up with it.
Ch
apter Twenty-Six
Ella…
Despite being surrounded by over a hundred bikers, I’m actually having a good time today. My property patch feels like a shield, protecting me from unwanted attention. I’m staying close to the other old ladies and eating far too much as food keeps appearing in front of me.
As the drinks flow and are rapidly consumed, comments which would normally only raise a smile have me crying with laughter, and the antics of Horse and Sophie trying to outdo each other with terms none of us Americans can understand has us all in stitches.
“So, it was a right bodge job. The cack-handed pillock tried to fix it himself. I told him he was just taking the piss.” Horse winks at Sophie as the rest of us try to work out what he’s saying.
“Christ, I’m stuffed.” Sophie leans back and rubs her stomach, then nods at her English friend. “After you worked on it, I bet it ended up the bees’ knees.”
“Yeah, just wish I hadn’t had to listen to him wittering on while I was doing it. I did what he wanted, but it wasn’t my cup of tea.”
“A bit naff?” Sophie nods sympathetically.
“You could say that. Then, when I’d done what he’d asked for, the bloody wanker said he didn’t have the dosh.”
“That’s pants! Bet you threw a wobbly.”
Horse grins. “I told him what a tosser he was, then spray painted the whole thing black. As he stood there gobsmacked, I just sodded off. Went out and got shitfaced and moved on.”
By this time most of our table are bent double with wracking belly laughs. It’s the camaraderie and the alcohol that makes it so amusing.
Wraith tugs at Sophie’s hair, pulling her head back and kissing her. “Didn’t understand a fuckin’ word of that, darlin’,” he begins as he eventually finishes mating with her mouth. “Just assure me, when Horse leaves, you’ll be talking proper English again.”
“Proper English?” Her eyes open wide and there’s a twinkle in them. “Are you getting shirty with me?”
Another round of laughter. As I’m wiping the tears from my eyes, familiar arms encircle me from behind, and a voice murmurs in my ear, “Having fun?”
Once again, I stand up, allow Slick to sit down, and then reposition myself on his lap. “I am,” I confirm, knowing it’s the surprising truth. I never thought I’d be able to relax in an environment such as this.
The music’s been turned up, Wraith jerks his chin at Slick, then raises an eyebrow. They seem to have an unspoken conversation, then as the VP stands, Slick taps my leg and I slide off his lap.
“Come on ladies, time to leave.”
What? I’m still enjoying myself. As I go to protest, I see Pussy, one of the sweet butts has dispensed with her top and is now allowing her breasts to be fondled by a man from another club. Ah. And over against the wall a man’s got his butt on display, his hips bucking and oh, is that Jill? Hmm.
I cast a quick glimpse toward Jayden, but she’s wide-eyed and staring. Following the direction of her eyes, I see Paladin with his one arm around Paige, and his free hand inside her shorts.
“Jayden, come on. That’s our cue to leave.”
Turning sad eyes toward me, her hand covers her mouth, and slowly she shakes her head.
“Come on, girl, party’s over for you ladies.” Slick leaves my side and goes to give her a hand to help her up. Then he brings her to me. I can feel her shaking. Fucking Paladin. If he was going to bail on her like that, he could have waited until after she’d gone. What is he thinking of, openly groping a girl when he’s been fussing over my sister all afternoon?
Enraged on her behalf, I take her hand and follow Slick up to our suite. By the time we get there, she’s openly crying. Nodding to Slick I take her into our room, sit her on the bed, and rock her in my arms as though she were a child.
“Why, Ella, why?” she sobs. “I thought he liked me.”
“Men, Jayden. He’s a man. Look, I’m sure he wants to be your friend, but you’re only fourteen.”
Angrily she swipes at her tears and I pass her a tissue. “I may only be fourteen, but I can give him what he wants. I can give him the same as that sweet butt. Ella, you know what happened to me! I’m not innocent or naïve.”
I’m only too aware of that. My little sister has been exposed to things she should know nothing about. How the fuck does she come back from that? She shouldn’t be having such feelings about Paladin. Oh, I know some girls mature early and don’t give a damn about the age of consent, but that would never have been Jayden before her ordeal. They made her an experienced woman in a young girl’s body. How the hell am I going to protect her for the next four years?
I don’t know what to say, so I just hold her close, letting her cry it all out. After a while, I try to reason with her.
“Jayden, the age of consent is eighteen. There’s a reason for that. What you went through, your body isn’t developed enough, let alone your mind. You’ve got to enjoy your teenage years like any normal girl.”
“But I’m not normal, am I?” She clutches my shirt. “I know what they did was wrong. The first time it hurt, but then he made me enjoy it. What’s wrong with me, Ella?”
And that’s how that bastard had groomed her. Made her think it was what she wanted. Now she wants more. Suddenly I fear this is going to be a very long wait until her eighteenth birthday.
Eventually I persuade her to get ready for bed and wait while she cries herself to sleep. Leaving the door slightly ajar so I can hear her, I go to see if Slick’s in his room. He is, lying in bed with just a sheet covering him. He’s not asleep, his arm is up over his eyes, and as soon as he realises I’ve entered, he sits up.
“Is she okay?”
I shake my head. “No. What Paladin did—”
“Paladin was only doing what the prez told him to do. He’s got feelings for her which he shouldn’t have. Prez told him to knock it on the head. To make it clear to Jayden that he wasn’t for her.”
Oh... “But he hurt her so much, Slick.”
Slick reaches out his hand and I take it, sitting beside him on the bed. “Had to be done, darlin’. She’s too young, you know that. But the way they’ve been with each other, best thing is to keep them apart.”
“Those bastards ruined what should be a fun time in her life. She should be laughing and joking, stealing kisses behind the bleachers, not offering to put out. Slick, what are we going to do with her?”
“We,” he parrots. “I like the sound of that.” He places a kiss on my forehead. “We are gonna buy a house off the compound. Get her into a different school and watch her like a hawk. We’ll get her some proper counselling—same for you, darlin’.”
My brow furrows. “You’re saying she’ll be living with us?” It’s exactly what I wanted, but it’s a burden Slick wouldn’t want, would he?
“Better than living with your bitch of a mother, ain’t it?”
He’s not wrong there. But does he know what he’ll be taking on? “Slick, a teenage girl…”
“El, I’m well aware that it’s not gonna be a walk in the park, but you’ll want her close by, and fuck, after what she’s been through, she deserves to have you near. Anyway, I like the kid. And I love you. You wouldn’t be happy with her out of your sight, and I wouldn’t want you out of mine. So, we all live together, okay?”
I hadn’t thought how we’d progress from here, but now Slick’s offering me a future. Showing what an amazing man he is to take on a problem girl as well. “I love you so much, Slick.”
“And I love you too, Ella. You’re going to make a wonderful mom one day.”
The thought of having his child makes me go gooey inside. How did I get so lucky to end up with this man?
“Marry me, Ella. One day, when you’re ready,” Slick suddenly says. “Let’s make it official in the civilian world as well.”
Unable to stop, I fling myself at him and he wraps me in his strong arms, pulling me over him. In that position, it’s hard to ignore the evidence of his erect
ion beneath me.
“Slick, I want you.”
“You’ve got me, darlin’.” He throws off the sheet that’s been covering his nakedness and gets to his knees, pulling my t-shirt over my head and dispensing with my bra in one swift move. “Stand,” he instructs. When I do, he unbuttons and pulls down my jeans.
“We need to be quiet.” I point to the door that’s slightly ajar.
He smirks. “I can do quiet. I’m not so sure about you.”
Suddenly I’m on my back, and he’s between my legs. He wastes no time starting to tease me, running his hands up my thighs until he reaches my slit and his fingers start to probe.
“Fuck, you’re wet already.”
His fingers slide in and curl around, reaching that place no one’s found but him. His mouth comes down and mercilessly lashes my clit. It seems only seconds before my stomach muscles clench. As Slick works my body as though he knows it better than I do myself, his hand comes up and covers my mouth as I reach my peak, unable to hold back a scream.
As I try to recover my breath, Slick sits up and watches me with a wide grin while reaching out to get a condom ready. This time there’s no fear, no worries or concerns. This is my man, and he’s going to make love to me.
He applies protection, then places himself at my entrance. “One day, I want to feel you skin to skin. Can’t wait for that, darlin’. And to put my baby in here.” His hand touches my stomach, which clenches at his words. I want that too.
His brow creasing with concentration, he starts to push inside, taking care to ease himself through tissue already swollen by my orgasm. Automatically, I raise my hips to help him.
When he reaches my cervix he pauses and asks, “How many orgasms do you think you have in you?”
How many? I’m sort of hoping for one. But today was the first time I’d ever come with a man inside me, so already sated I’d be okay with settling for what I’ve already had.
Satan's Devils MC Boxset 1 Page 96
