And then he started to move within her.
Her body was so tuned and eager that she was coming within a couple of strokes. Her arms shook too much to support her, and she let her face fall into the mattress; the better to hide her screams, my dear, as he fucked her slow and steady. She could hear him groaning as her pussy tightened around him, squeezing him. The orgasm just kept going, rolling through her. Every time she thought the pleasure was about to ebb away, he’d hit some secret depth of her cunt, and she would shatter all over again. It hadn’t been like this ever, not even when she was playing with her toys.
His arms circled around her waist, higher than her belly, and pulled her gently up so that her back was pressed against his chest. She looped an arm around his neck to keep herself steady and tried to turn her face to kiss him.
“No,” he said gently and turned her chin with his free hand so that she was looking at the mirror over her bureau.
At first, she didn’t want to look, but when she tried to turn her head, he took her chin and very gently turned her back. She could see herself, breasts heavier than they had ever been, belly swelling with the beginnings of stretch marks tracing her lower belly. And she could also see herself being fucked by a gorgeous man, covered in ink, who was kissing her neck and meeting her gaze in the mirror.
“Oh God,” she whispered, and he pressed the bullet vibe into her hand.
“Come for me,” he whispered. “Come for me, and let go. Let go, Mindy-girl, please.”
She bit her lip for a moment and then turned on the vibe. All it took was a quick press against her clit, and the orgasm peaked, jerking her so hard that at this angle she almost came right off his cock.
Jack grunted behind her, and then his hands were tight on her hips, tilting her forward just enough that he could drive into her, fuck her hard and pounding, just like she wanted. She kept the vibe on her clit, felt him pushing deep inside of her. A scream of pleasure rose up inside of her and demanded release, and there was nothing she could do but let it out. She screamed his name, falling forward again so that he could bury himself in her. Just a handful of those deep strokes and he was groaning, locking himself deep inside of her with little shifts of his cock as he pulsed into her.
She could hear him whispering her name as he went limp, gently pulling her to the side with him and spooning her up in his inked arms for a little rest.
Chapter Fifteen
When Mindy woke up, she wasn’t being held anymore, and someone was moving around her room. She went from sleeping to awake so fast that her heart was still throbbing in her throat when she realized that Jack was the one moving. He had found an old suitcase of hers, and was stuffing clothes into the bag somewhat at random. She took a moment to steady her breathing and then sat up, wrapping the sheet around her breasts as she crossed her legs.
“What are you doing?” Her tone was sharp; she did her best to lighten it with a smile.
Jack jumped like someone who had been caught doing something they should not have done. Which, of course, was probably the case.
“Hi,” he said, after a moment. “I was…” He sighed and scrubbed his forehead with the heel of his hand. “I don’t want to have another fight.”
She raised her eyebrows and settled in a little bit more. “That’s good. Me either. So, could you tell me what you’re doing?”
He sat down on the bed, not quite close enough to reach out to her. But having him sitting was somehow less threatening than the hovering stand he had been holding before.
“You’re not safe here. Wester’s plan to kidnap you is proof of that. You should—” He visibly paused, collected himself, and then continued. “If you’ll let me, I’d like to bring you to the Chain Gang clubhouse. I have a room there. You’ll be safe; protected by all of the Gang’s brothers and girls. No one will bother you. And Wester will have to go through all of them to get at you again.”
“And how long do you intend this to go on?” Mindy asked. “It’s not like a biker gang clubhouse is a great place to have a squalling infant.”
He laughed a little ruefully. “You’d be surprised what we’ve had in that place over the years. But no, you’re right. I think this would just be temporary, while we sort out Wester and the Wardens. I know that man, and there’s no way he’s the actual brains of that operation. We need to figure out what’s going on and come up with a plan of action. But I need to focus to do that, and I will focus better knowing that both you and the baby are safe.”
It was foolish to say yes. Mindy had learned over the years that there was no reason to rely on anyone but herself. No one else stood up for her, no one else took care of her. Relying on other people led to pain and misery and unhappiness. But here was a man who wanted to take care of her, help her be safe, make sure that she and the baby were cared for. It felt like a dream. Like a movie. Like something entirely different than anything else that had ever happened in her life.
And yet here she was, with it happening. She had to believe that it wasn’t a fluke. Everyone had to have at least one dream come true in their lives.
“Okay,” she said, taking a long, deep breath before she could push the word out. “Okay. Let’s give it a try.”
She’d never seen Jack smile so broad, and she’d never felt so good as when he reached across the bed and took her hand.
Stupid hormones.
Chapter Sixteen
Mindy stood in the bar at the front of the clubhouse, trying to look stronger than she felt. The room had gone silent when she’d walked in on Jack’s arm, and she couldn’t read the room well enough to understand why. She recognized the man who had sat with Jack in the diner booth. She recognized a few of the other gruff and narrow-eyed faces that were watching her. Even more than that, she understood the looks that were being directed her way. They said that she was trashy. That she was after something. That she was here for no reason other than to hurt someone they cared about. She’d had plenty of friends look at her that way. It was part of why she’d stopped trying to pretend that she was capable of anything outside of the bedroom. And those looks were happening right now, with the swell of her belly feeling bigger than she could possibly imagine, as if she was expanding right in front of them—God, she hated this part. Anything would be better than this. This was why she gave in and just ran away. It wasn’t worth all this. Nothing was.
The worst part was that Jack was clearly bristling in response to the questioning. Diner Man’s question had been fairly innocent, even though the tone was pretty shitty. He wanted to know who she was. That made sense, and she couldn’t fault him for asking why his boss and, she assumed, friend, was bringing some trashy waitress to the clubhouse. But it still hurt. Jack leaping to her defense wouldn’t fix either of those things.
In another situation, she would have just walked out of the clubhouse and called it done—taken a cab back to her shitty apartment, packed up her shitty things, and moved on to the next shitty town that struck her fancy. Start her new life there. If she were feeling generous, she’d send Jack a postcard with a forwarding address. Or maybe she’d see if he came looking for her. That would be nice—to have someone looking for her for a change. That would feel good. And terrifying. But mostly good.
“Look,” she said, telling herself that she was just testing the waters. “I can just go, Jack. We don’t have to do this.”
Jack caught her arm in a grip that was firm without being tight or painful. “You’re not going anywhere, Mindy. We’re going to sort this out like civilized adults.”
Her stomach twisted, and her throat tasted like acid. She wanted nothing to do with any of this, but she had no idea how to get away from the mess. “Jack—”
“No. No, we’re going to talk. That’s how this is going to go. Bodhi, come over here.”
The man from the diner took a long, slow breath, and then walked across the room like he was walking towards his death. He stopped, facing Jack, just more than an arm’s length away. His gaze did not fal
l on Mindy at all.
Jack reached his hand out to the side in a welcoming gesture.
“Mindy,” he said, “this is Bodhi. He’s my second in command with the Chain Gang and a longtime friend of mine. He’s awfully protective of me and the Gang in general because we’ve been through some serious shit these past few years.”
She put on her very best for-company smile. It was rusty, after all those years in storage, but she did it anyway.
“Hi, Bodhi,” she said and stuck out her hand to shake. After a moment, he took it. She made sure to keep her grip firm, but not overbearing. His hand was far too loose, but after a moment, he tightened his grip on hers and smiled. “Pleased to meet you,” she added.
“Bodhi, this is Mindy. She’s—” Jack glanced at her, looked her up and down, and then shrugged. “You know, honestly, we haven’t specifically discussed it yet. But she’s having my kid, and we’re going to try and make something work. The Wardens just made a serious pass at kidnapping her, and they nearly got away with it, so for now, she’s staying here, with me, and she’s going to be safe here. I need you to explain that to the rest and make it real clear that this isn’t a topic of conversation, and I’m going to go get Mindy settled in my room. Does that work for everyone?”
Bodhi smiled slowly, offering a short nod. “Of course,” he said, though there was still a little bit of hesitation in his voice.
Mindy tried to let it go; if the situation were reversed, she wouldn’t be very nice about it either. He was being a lot more gracious than she had ever been, than any of her other friends had ever been. She could try and believe it would stay that way. Even if it was hard to believe, she could try.
Jack nodded with the assurance of a man who trusted that his word would be obeyed without further conversation. Bodhi had accepted the order; now the order would be carried out. That was simply how it was.
In a way, Mindy envied the conviction. It had to be refreshing; to believe that strongly what you asked for would be given.
Chapter Seventeen
Jack took her hand and lifted up the bag he’d insisted on both packing and carrying for her, and led her down the hallway. The front room of the clubhouse was like every movie set of a biker clubhouse she’d ever seen: cement floor, bar in the corner, tables scattered around, pool tables, darts. There were also relatively nice couches where a few girls and guys were curled up. She saw women wearing leather. Not as many as the men, granted, but a few. It was nice, in an interesting way. She’d grown up with such a narrow and constricted version of what women could be. Seeing a broader version of that was interesting. She wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about it, not all the way, but it was definitely interesting.
The hallway, though, wasn’t the kind of masculine, hunter’s lodge kind of decor she’d expected. It was painted, first of all, and in a nice, welcoming blue. The doors were wood, but they were actual doors, not top to bottom plywood like you got in college dorms. They all had locks.
Jack’s room was the farthest from the main area. He unlocked the door and pushed it open, and she was surprised at the room in front of her. It was… well, nice. The bed was covered with a lush, maroon comforter and fluffy pillows with light gray covers. He had a light-colored wood desk in the corner with a laptop on it. There were a sliding closet door and another door that wasn’t all the way closed. When she peeked in, she could see an attached bathroom with a big bathtub and a showerhead. She made a happy sound at the base of her throat at the thought of curling up in that tub at the end of a long day on her feet and just letting her worries and pains soak away.
“It’s not the fanciest thing in the world. If you think you’d be uncomfortable here, I can find a way to put you up in the hotel. But some of the club folks are pretty good cooks—guys and girls, don’t look at me like that, we all take turns at whatever needs doing—and I… Damn, Mindy, I just want you where I can lay my hands on you. Is that alright with you?” He looked so shy, all of a sudden, with a softness to him that she’d never seen before. He had been brusque, fierce, sexy, and firm with her, but never shy.
Mindy reached out and took the bag from his hands, setting it quite firmly on the floor next to the bed. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him. Instead of going for a kiss, she turned her head to the side and let herself rest on his shoulder. She made a happy, contented sound as his arms closed around her.
“This is fine,” she murmured, swaying slightly against him. It took him a moment to give in to the movement, and then she felt some insubstantial tension drift out of his frame as well. “I like being close to you, too, Jack. I feel safe here.”
“I’m going to find someplace else by the time the baby comes, okay? I’m not going to make you have a baby here in this place. The crap the kid could get into, crawling around. But this is a safe place to be until I can find something better.”
She nodded against his chest, then drew back. She’d been on her feet long enough, and she was tired of having them swell. She pushed her shoes off and rubbed her soles, trying to ease the ache in them. Jack grabbed his chair, dragged it over, and sat down. He reached down and lifted her left foot into his lap. She sighed happily as he began to massage, first working his knuckles into the arch of her foot, then slowly starting to spread that tension and pain out. She let her back go, flopping back onto the bed. She could feel the weight of the Bean most at this point, pressing down into her back. Everyone said that, at some point, this would make her feel dizzy, or even sick; so far, however, so good.
“So, can you tell me what’s going on?” she asked. “Why are the Chain Gang and the Wardens fighting? Why am I even relevant in all of this macho guy stupidity?” He ticked the bottom of her foot for a second and she shrieked and tried to yank it away; he held onto her ankle and reeled her back in, behaving himself after she gave him a glare.
Jack sighed. She got the idea that he’d told this story a lot, and that it had caused him some pain every single time. “We used to be one club. The Chain Gang. Prez was a guy named Grim Teller. Good dude, but the club was running into financial stuff. A lot of the guys were using, a lot of guys ended up in jail, and Grim wasn’t having it. He kept trying to run against the cops instead of focusing on the club’s legitimate interests. He was putting all of us in danger. So, some of us let him know that we weren’t putting up with that anymore. It wasn’t why we’d decided to ride, and we didn’t want anything to do with that kind of lifestyle.”
“What’s the difference?” she asked. His gaze shot up at her, and she saw the defensiveness in his eyes, but after a moment, it faded. He sighed.
“I know it might seem weird to an outsider. But not all clubs are full of the kind of outlaws they make TV shows about. Yeah, we live rough, and yeah, we sell drugs, but we sell the kind of drugs that working people use when they get home after a long week, and they just want something to help them unwind. We don’t sell to kids, we don’t deal in flesh, and we sure as hell don’t sell guns. There’s a difference.”
“Okay.” Mindy agreed. “I can see that.”
He nodded and switched feet. “Anyway. We let Grim know that wasn’t the kind of club we wanted to be associated with, and we—me and Bodhi and a few other patched folks—I guess you’d call it a mutiny. We ran him out of the club. A bunch of the guys went with him. And we said good riddance. Club’s big enough for two gangs of meatheaded fool men.” He grinned a little, just a bit ruefully. “And that was fine, for a little while.”
“And then?”
“There’s always an ‘And then,’ isn’t there? Yeah. And then, someone killed Grim Teller.”
She hissed in a breath, and Jack nodded.
“It was a bad thing, too. He wasn’t just killed, he was slaughtered. And… it happened the night we were together. I bumped into Bodhi that morning when I went out for supplies. I needed to go and deal with it, and it took so much longer than I thought, and when I got back, you were gone.” He was quiet for a moment, then shook himsel
f like a dog shaking off water. “Sorry. Wrong story. Anyway. Most of the Gang was out at the roadhouse that night. I was conspicuously absent. So, some folks have gotten it into their heads that I’m the one who killed Grim, and that I sent the rest of the Gang out to the roadhouse to make it less obvious I wasn’t there.”
She propped herself up on her elbows; damn, he looked good like this. He looked up and grinned at her, clearly aware. “Why didn’t you tell them you were with me?”
He shrugged. “It wouldn’t really have made a difference. You’re a woman, and the Wardens don’t patch women. The Gang wouldn’t care you were a woman, but you weren’t patched so they wouldn’t have listened either. Why drag you into this, just to make your life messier?”
BIKER DADDY: The Chain Gang MC Page 7
