Dark: A Motorcycle Club Romance (Emerald Saints MC)

by Sophia Gray

  I knew he was thinking about the MC, and how everything had ended. While the guys hadn’t been thrilled to hear about his departure, they respected his decision. We’d even asked Thomas and Lucas to be godparents. I didn’t want our kids growing up in the same circumstances Donovan had, but I wanted them to know their past and their heritage.

  I wasn’t rigging anymore. I’d put school on hold until after the baby, but now it was looking like I was going to be a stay-at-home mom. I loved keeping the house neat and clean for Donovan, and cooking for both of us. I knew he loved providing for us just as much. It felt so…normal, and completely unlike anything I’d ever felt before.

  “Do you regret it?” Donovan asked suddenly.

  I shook my head. “Not at all,” I told him softly. “This is exactly what I’ve always wanted, a real family.”

  “Let’s go visit Mom today,” Donovan said.

  Penny was in a cancer clinic just over the Mexican border. She’d decided to stop taking chemo and radiation and just live out the rest of her life on fresh fruits and vegetables. Medically, the clinic couldn’t do much to help her, but she was feeling much better than she had when she’d still been taking treatment. I knew her pain was minimal and the clinic did an excellent job with staying on top of her needs. Penny didn’t have long—she wanted to see the birth of her first grandchild—but I knew at least the rest of her time would be happy and comfortable.

  “That’s a great idea,” I said.

  Donovan kissed me on the forehead and I slid off his lap. It was getting harder to walk. I was about six months along, and I couldn’t wait for it to be over. At first, being pregnant had been fun. I’d loved the extra attention from Donovan and my breasts had swelled up to twice their size. I’d felt sexy and sensual and womanly. But now, I just felt ungainly and sweaty all the time. I couldn’t wait to meet our baby, but I wished the pregnancy would be over.

  As Donovan and I stepped out towards the car, I closed my eyes and let the sun wash over my face. It felt hot on my pale skin and I sighed gratefully. I had everything I ever wanted, and I couldn’t believe it had worked out the way that it did.

  “Dear, are you okay?” Penny’s voice broke me out of my reverie and I looked at her. There were tears in her eyes.

  “I’m fine,” I said hurriedly. “What’s wrong, Penny?”

  She sighed. “I’m just worried,” she said.

  I scooted over and wrapped her hand in mine. “Me, too,” I admitted. “Me, too.” Suddenly, my dream from a few minutes ago seemed farther away than ever. Penny was old and frail and there was no way she’d live long enough to see the birth of her first grandchild. Donovan was in danger, and there was no way I could get in touch with him. Everything was so scary and uncertain.

  Please be okay, I prayed, thinking of Donovan. Please come back to me.

  Chapter 26

  Donovan

  Leaving Anna and Mom was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I couldn’t stand to see Anna upset, and when she cried it hurt me. Anna had rapidly become my world. I loved the guys, and I loved the MC, but it didn’t feel like home anymore. Anna and Mom felt like home. And I wanted to do everything I possibly could to protect them.

  Thomas and Lucas let me know they’d gotten a message from the crooked cops earlier in the day. They were supposed to sell The Saints some arms, and we were meeting by the lake. As soon as they told me, I got a sinking feeling in my stomach.

  “I don’t think they’d just plan a handover like this,” I said, looking at all of my guys. “This seems crooked to me; don’t you guys feel like that?”

  Thomas shrugged. “We’ve been buying guns from them the whole time you were gone,” he said drily. “I don’t understand how it would go down now.”

  I clenched my hands into fists at my sides. “Because they know I’m back,” I hissed under my breath. “They were the ones who shot up the club the other night.”

  Lucas shrugged. “We don’t know that, bro,” he said. “It could have been another club. We’re in beef with a lot of dudes right now.”

  “We have to fix this,” I said sternly, gritting my teeth. “I’m not losing any more guys. What happened at the clubhouse was my fault, and if we all get massacred today, that’s on me.”

  “We’re meeting at Silver Lake,” Thomas said. He tapped his wrist. “And we have to get going if we’re gonna be there on time. Come on guys, hustle.”

  That was when I’d gone inside to tell Anna and Mom what was up. Except I hadn’t really told them. Seeing the fear on Anna’s face was the worst thing I’d ever experienced. I knew Mom still worried about me, but at least she was usually able to stay stoic. This time, she had smiled as if she’d known I’d be back. The thing was, I didn’t even know that myself. All I wanted was that secure knowledge, but it wasn’t there.

  Ironically, this was one of the only times I’d actually been afraid. The rest of my life, I didn’t have anyone to live for. Mom knew exactly what the life of a Saint entailed, and I never thought twice about her hearing the news of my death. It would have devastated her, but as president of a volatile MC, it wouldn’t have been unexpected.

  I climbed in the rig as the guys hopped on their bikes and revved the engines. I missed my bike, even though driving the rig made me feel powerful. I missed the wind in my hair and feeling the engine thrum below my ass. It made me feel strong, almost as strong as riding Anna made me feel. The mere thought of her conjured a sexy image in my mind: Anna, naked, spread-eagle on the bed and giving me a coy smile. My cock stiffened in my pants and I shifted on the bench seat of the rig.

  Silver Lake was only about twenty miles away, but the ride seemed to take forever. I hadn’t been there since I was a little kid, but I was surprised at how much of the landscape I remembered. Mom and Dad had taken me fishing there one time on one of our trips to the cabin. We’d fished all day and caught nothing, but it was one of my favorite memories with my parents. When I was little, the lake had seemed huge. Now I thought it looked small and grubby. I was amazed by the change in perspective as I’d grown up.

  Lucas signaled for me to pull over to the side of the road. Shit. Do I have a flat tire? Hopping out of the rig, I walked around, carefully inspecting every angle. Everything looked fine. The guys pulled off the road and Thomas walked up to me.

  “We need to walk from here,” Thomas said. “They’re gonna hear us coming.”

  I frowned. “This is a meet up,” I said. “I thought they were expecting us.”

  “They are,” Lucas cut in. “But they ain’t expecting you, Don.”

  I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. “Fine,” I snapped. “Let’s go.”

  The guys took some time hiding their bikes in the underbrush. I couldn’t do much about the rig, so I taped a piece of paper to the driver’s side window. At least that way someone would think I’d broken down. I didn’t want anything to happen to Anna’s rig, but I might not be able to keep it safe. If it came down to the rig or Anna, I knew in a heartbeat which one I’d choose.

  The guys and I didn’t talk as we made our way through the roads. Closer to the road, the woods were less dense. But as we went farther in, it was almost dark in the woods. Little sunlight filtered through the trees and I felt a damp breeze tousle my hair. The cool air smelled earthy and refreshing and I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Even though I was nervous as hell, I was jonesing to get this over with.

  “Guys, shut the fuck up,” I whispered. We were approaching a park near the lake and I knew the cops couldn’t be far behind. “Stay down.” I motioned for the guys to stay in place. They all dropped to their hands and knees. I got down on my belly and wriggled forward, trying to peer through the brush and look at the park.

  I heard voices but couldn’t make out what they were saying. It looked like there was a gazebo in the middle of the park. The murky green-brown water of the lake was behind the park, and there were six unmarked black vans and two cop cars parked alongside the water line. I
felt a rush of adrenaline and fear shoot through my body. Six black vans? Two cop cars? That’s more men than we brought, I thought to myself miserably. It would be a miracle if we were able to get out of this alive.

  Crawling farther forward, I squinted. A figure stood up and moved in the gazebo and I gasped out loud. It was one of the corrupt cops who’d tried cozying up to me after the accident. He was friends with Josiah, the guy in the MC who had fucked me. Fuck. This is worse than I thought.

  Turning around, I crawled back to my buddies. “Guys, they’re here,” I said quietly when we were all gathered together. “They’re in the gazebo, waiting for us. They were talking about something but I couldn’t hear what it was.”

  Lucas nodded. He looked nervous, and I reached out and clapped my hand on his shoulder. His heart was pounding through his thin frame and I knew he had to be just as scared as I was, if not more so.

  “I have an idea,” I said quietly. “You guys might not like it, but it’s the only way to let things happen.”

  Lucas and Thomas looked at each other, then at me. “Whatever you say, boss,” Thomas said quietly. He grinned at me and nodded. I felt a surge of relief. Whatever happened, at least my guys trusted me, at least they had my back.

  I didn’t know if it had any chance of working, but I had to contact Anna. She was the only one who could help. I hated the idea of bring her into even more trouble than before, but I knew if this worked, we’d all walk away alive. Hopefully we wouldn’t even have to have a confrontation, though I relished the idea of shooting the corrupt cops dead right in front of me. Those fucks had tried to banish the president of The Saints. They had no idea who they were up against.

  As it always did before a big fight, adrenaline surged through my body. I felt as powerful as a god as I explained to the guys what I planned to do. They all agreed that it was a good idea, and I knew they would have backed me through anything. I could have said, “Crawl on your stomachs and let them shoot you,” and the guys would do it. That was brotherhood, that was loyalty. Part of me couldn’t believe I was giving it up for the domestic life, but after this, I’d keep Anna safe for the rest of her life. I wasn’t going to risk staying in the club and having something happen to my family.

  I closed my eyes and thought about her. Anna. Anna Murphy. I imagined how she’d look on our wedding day, decked out in white and blushing like a schoolgirl. I couldn’t wait to stick my head under the dress and yank her garter off with my teeth. Maybe I’d even try to kiss her little pussy and see if she could keep quiet about it. I grinned to myself. I couldn’t believe I was excited about getting married, but there was something primal about finally making Anna mine. I knew I’d want the pastor to say “man and wife.” That’s exactly what she’d be—my smart little doctor wife, all adorable and ready for a fucking at a moment’s notice.

  “Well?” Thomas looked at me. “Are you gonna do it?”

  “Yeah,” I said darkly. “I’m ready.”

  Looking around me, into the faces of my guys, I realized this was the last mission we’d ever carry out together. After this, I was done. I was out of The Saints. I felt bittersweet; they’d been my family for so long, I knew they’d be hard to give up. But it was what was right, and I had to do right by my new family. Just like I’d always been loyal to the guys, now I had to be loyal to Anna and Mom. I wondered if Anna ever wanted to have kids. I’d never thought about it, but the thought of her surrounded by children was undeniably appealing. Plus, she’d look amazing with pregnancy curves. I loved Anna’s little body and her pert tits, but I couldn’t wait to see her rounded and flushed and carrying my child. I felt a surge of masculine pride I’d never felt before.

  Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I dialed Anna’s number. She wasn’t going to like this, but it was the only way.

  Chapter 27

  Anna

  “I can’t believe this,” I muttered softly under my breath as I hung up.

  Penny looked at me curiously. “Is everything okay, dear?”

  I burst out laughing. The tension of the moment had passed, and now I realized Donovan had reached out to me because he really did need my help. Without me, this whole thing would fall apart. I felt important, but most of all, I felt relieved “It’s fine,” I said through a hail of giggles.

  Penny looked at me curiously. “You really do love my son,” she said, more to herself than me.

  I blushed deeply. “Very much,” I told her honestly. “You have no idea.”

  Penny gave me a secret little smile. “I knew things would work out,” she said softly. “Just trust in here.” She tapped her chest and I knew she was referring to her heart.

  Still grinning, I dialed the cops and held the phone up to my ear. It rang and rang, and when someone finally picked up, I could tell answering the phone was low on their list of priorities.

  “Listen,” I said in a hushed voice. “There’s a big fight going down at Silver Lake. Cops and bikers are fighting! If you don’t get there, everyone’s going to be dead.”

  I hung up and dialed Donovan’s number. Unlike 911, he answered immediately. “I called them,” I said in a rush. “They know you’re there.”

  Donovan chuckled in his gruff way. “Thank you,” he said in a low voice. “You know, I expect you to marry me if we get through this.”

  I blinked and a hot flush washed over my face. Penny was watching me and she grinned as if she knew what her son had just told me.

  “Okay,” I said softly. “I will.”

  Donovan hung up and I closed my eyes. I was feeling dazed, like I’d just had too much to drink, but also blissful and floaty. I pinched my arm. Was this really happening? Did Donovan really just say that he wanted to marry me?

  I pictured him standing around the lake, looking smug and pleased with himself. Like he’d looked after we’d fucked the first time, only more satisfied. Because now he knew that I was his, that I was his forever. Really and truly. I couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to be Donovan, but I pretended—just for a moment—that I understood his cocksure behavior. He’d be strutting around like a peacock, thinking of all the ways he was going to wreck my pussy when he got back to the cabin.

  “Good talk?” There was a sly grin on Penny’s face and I felt the blush deepen.

  “You have no idea,” I managed to say.

  Penny patted the couch next to her. “Try me,” she said. “Sit down.”

  I perched my butt on the edge of the couch but I was too restless and after only a few seconds, I jumped up and started pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace. “He said he expects me to marry him if we get through this alive,” I said in a shaky voice. Penny grinned but she didn’t interrupt. Instead, she motioned for me to go on. “And I can’t believe it! I can’t believe Donovan McNally asked me to marry him!” My voice was at a squeak now but I couldn’t stop. “Oh, my god, I never thought about marrying anybody! I never thought I’d have a family. I never thought I’d have anyone who loved me the way that Donovan does!”

  Penny grinned but I couldn’t stop talking. The words were coming out of me like a geyser and no matter what I did, I couldn’t stop.

  “I don’t even know what kind of wedding he wants, but if I have anything to say about it, it’ll have to be in a chapel,” I said quickly. “There won’t be much time…I’ll have to just buy a dress off the rack. But you know what? I don’t really care, it’ll be fine. And we’ll have to come up with a budget, and a guest list, and what to do at the reception…should we serve a full dinner? Appetizers? A buffet?”

  Penny laughed softly. Her eyes were twinkling and I could see there was just as much excitement on her tiny face as there was on mine. “Don’t get carried away, dear,” she said, still smiling. “There’ll be plenty of time to decide all of that later.”

  “It’s just so exciting!” I squeaked, looking down at my hand. I never had imagined getting married, but now that it was happening, I wanted some jewelry. Nothing ostentatious—I didn’t
even care if it were gold—but I wanted something. Some public sign to show the world I belonged to Donovan. And I wanted him to wear a ring, too. I knew it wasn’t the manliest thing in the world to wear a wedding band, but I wanted everyone to know he was mine.

  I flashed back to our first meal, in the truck stop restaurant. The waitress had obviously seen him before, letting her eyes hang all over his taut body. But he hadn’t even noticed, staring at me the whole time. It had made me feel powerful, even though I’d been feeling jealous of the waitress’s curves. Now, I wondered if Donovan had felt that way all along. If the first time he’d seen me, he’d looked at me with love and not just lust. We’d come so far since then, it was hard to believe it had only been just a few days. But I was happier than I ever thought I could be. Even in the midst of disaster, I looked forward to the future.

  A future with Donovan. I closed my eyes and saw us together, after the wedding. I’d be in a white dress and he’d reach down and scoop me up, putting me on the back of his bike and driving away. As we rode, I knew he’d grab my hand and slide it down to his crotch, where I could massage his hard cock the whole drive to the motel. At the motel, we’d tear each other’s clothes off before the door was even closed. I knew Donovan would throw me on the bed and kiss me and take me. It would be the most passionate night of our lives, and it would last forever.