Not much else was said. They helped me load my stuff, and we hit the road with the guys on their bikes behind us.
“You need anything before we get there?” he asked me. He seemed distracted.
“No, I’m good.”
“Okay.”
We pulled up in front of Smoke and Nova’s, and he helped me get inside with all my shit.
“Oh! There’s my handsome little man!” squealed Nova as she swooped in and took Tristan from me. I chuckled at her. She was going to make a great mom.
“Hey, Avery,” Mattie said as she giggled at Nova and her antics with my son. She was on the couch, leaning against the arm with a e-reader in her lap. She got up and went into the kitchen to spoil my son along with Nova.
Smoke came out of the bedroom and gave me a hug. “Hey, Avery. You doing okay?”
I smiled. “Yeah, everything has been going really well. Finishing up the last of my classes. Tristan’s doing amazing. It’s good.”
He cast a glance in Gunny’s direction, where he was in the kitchen saying goodbye to Tristan. “Everything okay with all that?”
Part of me was sure he was testing me. Then again, I knew he and Nova had worried about me. Still, the thought of discussing our private affairs with someone else didn’t seem right.
“Yeah. Everything’s fine. Why?” Doing my best to keep a believable face, I hoped he wouldn’t see through me. For a few seconds, he studied me, then he grinned and turned to the group.
“Gunny, I’ll meet you outside.” Gunny gave him that dude chin-lift thing and then looked to me as Smoke went outside. He said something quietly to Nova. I gathered it had something to do with me, because they both looked my way before refocusing on Tristan.
Gunny turned and moved with purpose toward me. Without pausing, he wrapped a hand around my wrist and pulled me along with him down the hall. He tugged me in a room and shut the door.
“What—” was all I got out before I was against the closed door, his hands were around the sides of my neck, and his lips were ravaging mine. A lusty moan bubbled up from my chest as I clutched his sides tightly.
One leg wrapped around his, and his stronger hand cupped my ass and hefted me up until his thick length was pressed against me. The pressure on my clit as he ground against it had me kissing him and clutching at him as if my life depended on it.
Lips still locked, I whimpered into his mouth as my orgasm slammed into me and I pulsed with pleasure. My nails were digging into him as I rubbed myself on him to extend the throbbing bliss I was experiencing.
Breaking away, he left me breathless. Dragging the tip of his nose and his beard along my jaw, he stopped at my ear. “Fuck, Avery. What the hell are you doing to me?”
“Me?” I asked in exasperation as I came down from the best high in the damn universe.
“Yeah, you.” He sighed. “I gotta go. I’ll be back to get you later. If it gets too late, Nova will give you a ride home. Just try to wait for me.”
“Okay.” It was all I could get out after he’d scrambled my brains with lust. One last soft kiss and he stepped back.
“Come on,” he clasped my hand and brought me back out to the living room. Giving me one last heated glance, he waved to everyone and walked out the door. All I could do was stand there in that lust-induced stupor and stare at the door.
It barely registered with me that Mattie stopped in front of me with a mischievous grin before stepping around me and going to her room.
“Damn, girl. Did you get in a quickie in our gym?” Nova snickered next to me, and I jumped because I hadn’t noticed her approach me. My hand slammed over my heart.
“Uh, I mean, um, no.” She full-on laughed at my inability to articulate.
“Like I said, y’all have it bad. Now I’ll just sit back and see how long it takes you fools to figure your shit out.”
“Figure what out?” My dazed gaze slid to the door where Raiven had entered. Presley followed and darted in the room to throw herself around my legs.
“Mattie!” Nova hollered. Mattie peeked around the corner.
“Yeah?”
“Someone’s here to see you!” Nova said. Presley squealed as soon as she saw Mattie and abandoned me with a quickness.
“Little Elvis!” Mattie said as she crouched to hug Presley. They went off to Mattie’s room, chattering the entire way.
“Now what are we figuring out?” Raiven asked with gleeful excitement. She was dressed in the cutest plaid shirt tied up around her waist, with cutoff shorts and red Chucks. Her hair was in double braids, and her makeup was perfect, as always.
“Gunny and Avery sorting out their shit,” Nova said with a laugh.
“What’s the problem?” Raiven asked. Her expression went wary, and my stomach bottomed out. Despite the times we’d gotten together since that first night, we really hadn’t discussed Gunny a lot. Most of our conversations revolved around the kids, my school, and her tattoo business.
Deciding to bite the bullet to see what her response was, I bit my lip, then admitted, “He’s confusing the shit out of me. He acts like he wants me, then backs up, then wants me, then… nope.”
“Ahh, so you need to find a way to call his bluff or force his hand.” Raiven gave me a devious grin. From her response, it didn’t seem like there was anything going on with her and Gunny. Relief like I’d never experienced before washed through me.
“Something like that,” I agreed.
“What if we dolled you up?” Raiven’s eyes went wide with excitement.
“While that would be fun, I don’t really have anywhere to go. There’s no way I could waitress like that. Nor would I want to go to class all dressed up like that. It would be a waste.” Disappointment grew.
“Sunday,” Nova said like it was an obvious solution. Raiven and I looked at her. Me in confusion, Raiven with dawning glee. I think had she not been holding her son, she may have actually rubbed her hands together like a mad scientist.
“Um, we don’t go to church,” I began. They both laughed, and my cheeks heated.
“No, hon. For family day.” Raiven grinned and bounced Bryson on her hip.
“Where would I get a dress like that by Sunday?” I asked, trying to show them it wouldn’t work.
“Duh, my closet!” Raiven exclaimed with a satisfied smirk.
“You think one of your dresses would fit me?” I asked skeptically.
“Uh, yeah. Hon, they’re stretchy enough that you’ll be just fine. Your boobs are a little bigger than mine, but trust me, it will be just fine. Can you swing by my place Sunday morning?”
“Um, I guess. Maybe I could have Gunny drop me off? Say you needed help with something or other and we were going to ride together.”
“Perfect! Count me in. We’ll say we’re all making our sides together at Lock and Raiven’s. Like a girl bonding morning. It will be a feasible excuse for why us girls are riding together. Where’s Gwen, anyway? She can be part of it too,” Nova said, looking as pleased as Raiven with their plotting.
Right as Raiven was going to say something, there was a knock on the door.
“Speak of the devil,” said Raiven with a broad grin. She and Bryson went to answer the door. Gwen gave them both a hug and came inside. “You’re just in time, babe.”
“What are we doing?” asked Gwen as she kissed Bryson and tickled him. Everyone looked expectantly at me. My face was warm, and I let loose a nervous giggle.
“We’re going to make Avery irresistible to Gunny,” Raiven said with unrestrained delight. Gwen’s eyes lit up, and a broad grin spread across her face.
“Heck, yeah. What’s the plan?” she asked as she hopped on the couch on her knees and leaned over the back. Her reddish-blonde hair was pulled up in a ponytail, and it swung with her excitement.
“She loved my look, so I have an idea. We’re going to get her all dolled up in one of my pin-up dresses. We’re going to do her hair, makeup, the works. He won’t know what hit him.” Raiven grinned in elat
ion.
“Awesome! We doing an updo or long? I say long. Do the curls and waves,” Gwen suggested. “What do you think?”
“I kinda feel like I’m just along for the ride. This is my go-to for wardrobe and makeup.” I waved my hand at my shorts and tank top. “Well, unless I’m at work, then I sometimes do my makeup. Are you sure you don’t mind? I don’t want to put you guys out.” Between the three of them, I was feeling a little overwhelmed. They were all so glamorous and pretty. It was a little daunting being around them.
“Hell, no, we don’t mind. Are you kidding? Gunny is one of my favorite people, and for months all I’ve wanted is for him to find someone that made him happy. He’s just never around long enough to meet anyone, so we wondered if he’d ever settle down.” Raiven seemed completely sincere, and any worry that she had feelings for Gunny dissipated.
“Well, I wouldn’t say that we met and the cosmic universe opened up. We kind of went about things ass-backwards.” I chewed on the inside of my cheek.
Nova laughed. “Honey, have you heard Lock and Raiven’s story?”
“Um, no. We didn’t really talk about that.” My gaze flickered nervously from Nova to Raiven.
“Well, we kind of hooked up within the first couple of days we met. And, well, we were kind of on the run.”
“Kind of?”
The laughter faded, and she got serious. She pressed a kiss to her son’s head and looked at Nova. “Let me take Bryson in to Mattie. Do you think she’ll mind?”
“Of course not. She loves those kiddos,” Nova replied.
Raiven brought Bryson to Mattie and came back. She sat on the couch and took a deep breath.
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” I offered.
“No. It’s okay. Besides, if things go the way I hope they will, we’ll be sisters,” she said with a soft smile. In my opinion, she was being pretty optimistic. Not that I wasn’t hopeful, because the thought of having family nearly made me tear up.
She proceeded to tell me the story of her move to Texas and what happened with Lock during that time. The way Gunny stayed and looked after her and Presley said a lot about the kind of person he was. It made the way he took me and Tristan in make complete sense. He really was a nice guy on the inside of that bossy exterior. Then, the fact that her ex had been with the mafia and had gone after her was wild. That was the kind of thing you saw in the movies.
“Damn, girl. I’m so sorry you had to go through that,” I said. The relationship between her and Gunny made so much more sense after hearing the story. The thing was, I still believed there may have been more on Gunny’s part. Surely my similarity to Raiven couldn’t be purely coincidence.
“You know what? I’m a firm believer in everything happening for a reason. If I hadn’t been running from Stefano, I would’ve never met Lock. Now, I can’t imagine my life without him.” Her incredible outlook humbled me. She’d been through a lot in her life too, and yet she was happy. She loved her husband. She had beautiful children.
“I’m not sure if that works for everything and everyone,” I murmured as I thought about my life and the things I’d been through.
“You don’t think so?” Raiven asked with a raise of her brow.
I shrugged.
“What about Tristan?” Gwen asked quietly. She was twirling the ends of her hair as she studied me and waited for my response.
“She’s got a point,” Nova pointed out. I glanced to my sleeping son, snuggled into her shoulder. “Were you planning to get pregnant the night y’all hooked up?”
“God, no!” I shook my head. “I’d never do something like that.”
“So think about it. If it wasn’t for you and Gunny hooking up one random night, you wouldn’t have Tristan—and you wouldn’t be friends with these three sexy bitches here,” Raiven said as she waved her hand to encompass the three of them.
Friends.
Something I hadn’t had for most of my life. Sure, I’d been friendly with people while I was in the air force, but I really hadn’t hung out with them. I’d spent my free time doing college courses so I could have my bachelor’s degree before I got out.
Biting my lip, I let my gaze travel from one to the other.
“You’re right. And I won’t have Gunny if I don’t get him to pull his head out of his ass.”
They all grinned.
“Then let Project: Rectal Cranial Insertion Removal commence,” announced Raiven with a whoop.
My only concern was that if Gunny secretly had feelings for Raiven, it wouldn’t matter what we did—I’d always worry I was merely a substitute.
“Don’t Believe”—Seether
“Wait. So you’re telling me Hacker tracked shit back to Viper. For sure?” Lock asked Smoke after he’d shared what he’d found out.
“Yes,” answered Smoke.
“Not just speculation this time?” asked Styx.
“No.” Smoke ran a hand across his beard thoughtfully as he looked us all in the eye. There was more. I could tell by the expression on his face. My guts told me it wasn’t going to be good.
“And what else?” I quietly asked as my fingers drummed on the tabletop.
“Torque met with me this morning. He had told me he needed to talk to me last week, but things have been a little hectic. Anyway, after I called you, I called him. We met up and he gave me some news that could be good or bad.” Everyone started talking at once.
“Who the hell went with you?” Styx demanded.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Lock added. As the SAA, he should’ve gone with Smoke, so I knew it wasn’t sitting well with him.
“What the fuck?” Truth muttered.
“Jesus, Smoke.” That last one was from Straight before he fisted his hand over his mouth. The rest of us simply sat there not knowing what to say.
“It was inconspicuous. I drove my car to get a coffee. We were careful. No one knew we went there to meet up. And while our relationship with Torque’s club is precarious right now, he’s not our enemy. Turns out, word through the ‘dark grapevine’ is that there’s someone with a serious grudge against us. Someone who’s willing to make some pretty ugly deals to get at us.” Smoke leaned back in his seat, with one hand tapping flat on the table.
“Who?” questioned Truth.
“It’s not confirmed, but Torque thinks Rebound made a deal with the Scorpions, facilitated by Viper.”
“What kind of deal and for what gain?” Radar asked with a frown. With Rebound being out bad, no club would take him. Out bad meant he was done in the MC world, and he’d be lucky if there wasn’t a green light on him. Meaning, beat the fuck out of on sight.
“Revenge. He wants us all gone. Torque thinks he blames us for him being put out bad. He thinks he’s trying to get us killed, but wants to get to our families first, to fuck with us.” Smoke stroked his beard after dropping that bomb.
“What the fuck?” Styx shouted as he slammed both massive hands on the table and stood. To say he was pissed might’ve been an understatement. Rebound had been put out bad by the Vagabonds after going rogue and lashing out at us. That wasn’t Styx’s issue with him, though.
Rebound was the one he’d caught fucking his ex, Grace, which was what led to Rebound going rogue. Sparky had told Rebound to stay the fuck away from us. That’s where Sparky fucked up, though. He should’ve put him out bad like he told Smoke he was going to in the beginning, instead of going easy on him.
“I thought he was long gone?” demanded Lock.
“I’m going to fucking kill him,” growled Styx as his fingers curled and dug into his palms. To hear Rebound was possibly the root of our issues had him fuming. Hell, it didn’t sit well with any of us.
“What do the Scorpions have to gain by helping him?” I questioned. This was not their territory.
“That’s not exactly clear either,” answered Smoke with a frustrated growl.
Through everything, Slice hadn’t said much. He was extremely tightl
ipped and I couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking. “Slice?” I asked.
His eyes had been locked on the center of the table where the Demented Sons Logo was burned into the tabletop. At my voice saying his name, he looked up. “What?”
Though he grunted in an attempt to avoid answering me, I wasn’t letting this go. “What are your ideas?”
After a moment’s deliberation, he finally replied with, “May I have permission to make a phone call?”
“Now?” asked Straight incredulously.
“Yeah,” replied Slice.
“To who?” Radar asked, like Slice had lost his damn mind. I’m not going to lie, he was making me a little nervous too. We didn’t simply ask to make a phone call in the middle of church.
Through the exchange, Smoke sat silently watching and listening. At Radar’s question, he looked toward Slice for his answer. That was one thing I loved about Smoke—he had a good head on his shoulders. He was patient and calculated when he needed to be.
Slice appeared uncomfortable. Though he didn’t fidget or anything, I could tell he didn’t know what to say.
He glanced up at us one by one. Then he sighed. “My cousin is in the same prison as Viper. His brother, my cousin Julian, lives not far from there. They have, uh, well, some connections. They kind of owe me a favor. Before I make the offer, I want to talk to them.”
Radar fell back in his seat with his eyes closed. “Fuck,” he whispered.
“Obviously Radar knows about this. Do you want to enlighten the rest of us? What offer?” asked Styx with a hint of sarcasm.
“Before I came here, after I got out of the Marine Corps, I was living down in the valley with my cousins. They have some very powerful connections. Money was tight, so I took on a few jobs for them. One of those jobs went south, and I saved their asses. They owe me. I might be able to find out where Rebound is and get Viper taken care of—permanently.” His jaw clenched, and the muscle ticked as he defiantly made eye contact with Styx.
The room was silent.
“That’s getting us into territory we can’t come back from. We’re not that kind of club. We peddle weed, but we’re not criminals. Surely there are other options,” Truth argued. Styx barked out a laugh, and Truth glared at him.
Jax and Jokers: A Demented Sons MC Texas Novel Page 17
