CLUB TIES (The Trinity Falls Series)

by Mara McBain

  A buzzer shattered the silence. A soft cry tumbled from her lips before her hand could seal it off. Eva’s heart pounded as she stared at the door. Vixen barked, standing up out of her warm nest in Eva’s lap. Blushing, Eva realized it was just the timer on the oven. Nudging the pup off her lap, she hurried for the kitchen to rescue her sugar cookies. After putting them on racks to cool, she went back to her silent vigil.

  She needed to get out of here, but where? She knew Rocco would be watching her grandparents’ place in Atlanta. They were the only family she had left. A lump welled in her throat. Ginny had said that she was one of them now. She had no idea how much Eva wanted to believe that.

  A small smile curved her lips at the throaty purr of Harleys. She watched Mox and Rhys turn the corner and rushed back to the kitchen to put the finishing touches on dinner. The puppies danced around her feet, their pink noses scenting the air. When Mox walked in the door, she was as bad as the puppies, racing across the room to greet him.

  Sweeping her up into his arms, he crushed her in a worried hug. Eva clung to him, nose pressed into the crook of his neck.

  “Everything’s okay now, baby,” he murmured into her hair.

  She shuddered and squeezed him tighter, tears threatening. “I love you.”

  “I love you too, baby. Shhh, it’s going to be okay.” Carrying Eva to the couch, he sat down, cradling her close and stroking hair out of her face. “You should’ve let me stay with you after lunch. They would’ve survived just fine at work without me, and you wouldn’t have been sitting here alone and scared shitless.”

  “I’m okay.”

  “You’re shaking.”

  Eva swiped at a runaway tear, trying to pull her shit together. “I need to get out of here.”

  “You aren’t going anywhere.”

  “He knows I’m here.”

  “He looked for you and didn’t find you. Either he’ll move on now or I’ll deal with him.”

  “My God, Mox! You just don’t understand,” she cried in frustration. “He will kill you—and anyone else that gets in the way. I couldn’t live with myself if that happened.”

  “I told you, you’re the one. No grease-ball woman-beater is going to make me give that up. Let him come.”

  “Please let me go.”

  “Not a chance. I love you, and I know you love me. You’re scared right now, but you can’t deny that.”

  “I just want to run,” she whispered, burrowing her nose into his shoulder.

  “That’s normal, I guess,” Mox said with a shrug. “Human instinct is fight or flight, and women tend to choose flight as their first option. The difference here is you have a man to fight for you.”

  “I don’t want it to come down to a fight. Why can’t he just forget about me? He has whores in every size, shape, and color,” Eva said, pounding her forehead against his shoulder in frustration.

  “I can’t blame the guy for not forgetting about you. He fucked up a good thing.”

  “We were never a good thing. He was a good looking meal ticket, and I have no idea what he saw in me.”

  “Come on. That’s not true,” Mox said, easing her to sit back.

  “It is.” Eva shook her head, refusing to meet his probing gaze. Raking her fingers through her hair, she admitted, “And if we’re being truthful, we’re not much different.”

  Mox’s fingers bit into her jaw, forcing her face up to his. Eva caught her breath at the cold fury in his eyes.

  “We might’ve started out that way, but you love me.”

  Eva swallowed the lump in her throat, still shaking her head. His grip tightened to stop the movement.

  “Stop trying to push me away and be honest.”

  She crumbled, the tears held at bay, coming in a flood. Mox growled.

  “Enough with the waterworks. Just be fucking honest with me, Eva.”

  “Of course I love you! What woman wouldn’t love the way you treat me. Jesus, Mox. I don’t know what you want me to say here. I’m trying to do what’s best, trying to think of someone besides myself, and you won’t listen!”

  “There’s a difference between not listening and not agreeing with you. I hear what you’re saying, but I’m not a coward. Zeke and Ginny raised me to fight for what I want and what I believe in.”

  “Are you really that willing to die for me? Is that what you want? Is that what you think Ginny and Zeke want, for their son to die for some easy piece of ass?”

  “Stop putting yourself down. I’m not Rocco. I don’t know how many times I have to tell you that. I don’t think or act like him. I love you. To me, you’re fucking priceless. If he was stupid enough to call you a piece of ass then that was him. Don’t put words in my mouth. To answer your fucking question, yeah, I’d die to protect you if it came to that. In my family, that’s what a man does.”

  “That’s crazy. I’m not worth your life. What do you get out of this?”

  “You!” Mox thundered, grabbing her arm to prevent her from falling off his lap as she flinched away. She struggled for a moment and he gave her a hard shake. “Look at me. I’m getting tired of repeating myself. I get that you aren’t used to dealing with a real man, but you better get used to it. I’m not your dead beat father that ran away the moment things got rough, and I’m sure as hell not that piece of shit that spent the last couple of years making you feel like you’re worthless.”

  “Careful, Bro,” Rhys cautioned from the kitchen.

  Mox’s features twisted in disgust and disbelief. “Are you fucking serious? I’m not going to hurt her. You, of all people, should know that.”

  “I just didn’t want you to do something you’d regret,” Rhys said, holding up his hands in surrender.

  “He’s not hurting me,” Eva said softly.

  “Why don’t you figure out your fucked-up relationship before you start telling me how to deal with mine, pretty boy?”

  “Screw you. You know, you really remind me of Dad. I don’t know why I didn’t see it sooner.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment, and you didn’t see it because you didn’t want to see it anymore than anyone else did. Admitting I was Zeke’s son meant everyone had to face the fact that he isn’t any more perfect than the rest of us are.”

  “Here I thought you were going to say we’d have to face the fact that he fucked that skank-whore mother of yours,” Rhys sneered.

  Eva covered her mouth, smothering a gasp at the pain and anger that flashed across Mox’s face. He let her to the ground gently, standing to face Rhys. She franticly crab-walked out of his path. Sensing the tension, Vixen and her brother scurried to Eva, tails tucked between their legs. Pulling the babies into her lap, she pressed against the side of the couch.

  “We’ve been best friends for as long as I can remember, and you’ve never thrown that bitch in my face. What the hell is going on with you?” Mox asked, his even tone belying his clenching fists.

  Rhys’ face colored, and the cockiness drained from his body language. “That was a low blow. I’m sorry, Bro,” he said, struggling to meet Mox’s hard stare.

  “That’s not what I asked you.”

  Rhys shrugged, shuffling his feet.

  “You didn’t just piss me off because you felt like being a dick. Something has to be eating at you.”

  “Just finish your conversation. It’s important,” Rhys muttered.

  “Is this about Eva? Do you have a problem with us?” Mox demanded.

  “A little jealous, but I’ll get over it.”

  Mox’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding, right? The crown prince jealous of me? That doesn’t happen.”

  “Why the fuck do you think I’ve been making myself scarce around here? You two seem happy, like you hit the real deal on your first try.” Rhys gestured to Eva. “You shouldn’t screw this up. He really loves you.”

  “I love him too,” she whispered.

  Mox looked between the two, bemusement easing some of the tension. “You were running your lips a min
ute ago and now you’re an advocate for true love? And you, you were threatening to leave me, but want to get all mushy now. What the fuck is going on? It’s like the Twilight Zone around here.”

  “I’m sorry I opened my mouth,” Rhys muttered.

  “I’m sure you are, but what is going through your head?”

  “What’s going through my head is Mox and Reaper are in real relationships, and I’m still playing on-again-off-again with Becca. I mean, Mox and Reaper for fuck sake! That’s what is going through my head,” Rhys said with an embarrassed chuckle.

  “When you put it that way, I see what you mean.”

  Eva stared at the laughing brothers. The tension was gone. The knot in her stomach let up a bit. Cradling the pups in her arms, she pressed back against the couch and stood. Knees shaking, she circled around the men, slipping into the kitchen. Securing the puppies behind their gate, she turned to dinner, mind whirling. Mox loved her. Rhys considered them a real couple. Ginny said she was one of them. Her heart ached. She wanted this life. Was she brave enough to stand and fight for it?

  Eva flinched as Mox nuzzled the side of her neck with a growl, and groped her ass.

  “You admitted that you love me.”

  “Of course I love you,” she said, sighing as he pressed her against the counter. The sigh turned to a soft moan when he rubbed against her.

  “That seals the deal. You’re staying if I have to chain you to our bed.”

  “Our bed?” Eva whispered breathlessly as Mox’s big hands cupped her breasts.

  “You’re my old lady. What’s mine is yours. Besides, you said you liked that word.”

  “I do. I like that too.”

  Mox rolled her nipples between his finger and thumb, pinching and tugging. It was amazing how good he could make something feel that had been agonizing with Rocco.

  “Get my dinner on the table, or no more for you,” he said, releasing her breasts and stepping back, blue eyes sparkling.

  Eva moaned, biting her lip as she pulled herself together. It was amazing how she could forget everything when she was in his arms. She pushed off the counter. Giving him a playful smack with a plastic spoon, she turned back to the stove with an affronted sniff. “You’re lucky I don’t believe that.”

  “Lucky, am I?”

  Nodding, Eva carried the boiled potatoes to the sink to drain.

  Mox crowded in behind her with an evil chuckle, hands closing over her breasts again. Her arms trembled, hands whitening on the Dutch oven’s handles as it hovered over the strainer. Seeing her predicament, he laughed and took the pan from her hands before kissing behind her ear.

  “Don’t get your panties in a bunch, baby. I’m very lucky, and I know it.”

  Turning, Eva buried her face against him. “Tell me that everything is going to be okay.”

  Putting the pan down in the sink, Mox wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips against the top of her head.

  “It’s going to be okay. I promise.”

  Eva held him tight for a couple of long moments and then pushed back with a little shudder. She kissed his chest. “I’m going to hold you to that.”

  Chapter ~ 24

  Eva fingered the end of her side braid, eyes scanning the bustling crowd. She scrutinized every male face, praying she wouldn’t recognize one. She’d tried to beg out of the Christmas shopping trip, refusing to go into Cleveland, but the girls had begged and pleaded, changing their destination to a Mall closer to home. It hadn’t been until Ginny had offered to join the younger girls that Eva had caved in.

  Smoothing her black and silver Harley Davidson beanie, she followed the group into a leather store. The rich smell enfolded her senses immediately and she smiled. The cropped biker jacket she wore today was a hand-me-down from Ginny’s closet. The woman had more leather than a dominatrix.

  “I thought we were Christmas shopping, not shopping for you, Gin,” Rain teased.

  “This is how married women get Christmas presents. We buy them, wrap them, and put them under the tree.”

  “How is that a present for you?”

  “It’s his money, and I get what I want,” Ginny said with a laugh. “Zeke is only responsible for one gift.”

  “If you tell me he wraps a red bow around his pipes, I’ll be ill.”

  “Oh, baby girl. I get that present every night,” Ginny said, hazel eyes sparkling. She pinched Rain’s cheek saucily. “No. I really mean that it is his job to think of, and procure, one surprise for me under the tree, and I do the rest of the shopping.”

  “Taz’s idea of shopping is a rose and a couple of scratch-off lottery tickets from the Quick-Mart,” Tamara said with an eye-roll. The girls laughed.

  “Who says romance is dead?” Ginny asked.

  “So that’s what we’re missing out on not having a steady man,” Rain said, nudging Tawny. “What about Reaper, Lee? Join in the man bashing.”

  “Reaper is not a shopper,” the shy girl said with a giggle.

  “That’s putting it diplomatically, honey,” Ginny said, before turning to pin Eva with a look. “Give me the dirt on my boy. I can take it.”

  Eva smiled. “Mox is very generous.”

  Ginny shook her head and winked in Tamara’s direction. “Aren’t the new ones cute?”

  Eva traced a finger over a leather wallet as the girls continued their banter. Mox’s wallet was looking pretty shabby. A new one would make a nice stocking stuffer. She smiled. He was such a big kid. She was looking forward to Christmas morning more than she ever had.

  “There’s a Harley Davidson store down a little ways if you want to look there for a wallet. We could walk down there, see what they have, and be back before this crew is done,” Tawny said, hooking a thumb at the others who were admiring bustiers.

  Eva glanced at Ginny. She was plumping Lee’s breasts. Eva snickered and shook her head. She opened her mouth to let the others know where they were going, but Tawny tugged on her arm.

  “Come on before they want to play with our tatas too!”

  Laughing with the well endowed stripper, Eva followed her out of the store and down the hall. She looped her purse strap over her head and the opposite shoulder as they wove their way through the tightly packed shopping center. A woman in front of them struggled with multiple shopping bags and a stroller while people streamed around both sides of her. The toddler was exercising his lungs, voicing his displeasure in a piercing wail. The mother jiggled the buggy, leaning down to pop a pacifier in the irate tot’s mouth. A moment later the pacifier was pitched to the side, and the screams intensified.

  Wincing, Eva slowed, ignoring the bodies jostling her. Bending down, she retrieved the soother and wiped it on her jeans before extending a hand to the frazzled young woman. She mouthed thank you over the din, and Eva smiled in return. Looking around for Tawny, she jumped at a hand on her shoulder.

  She spun, heart skipping a beat. Intense hazel eyes bored into her.

  “Where’re you going?”

  Eva bit her lip, a bit taken back at Ginny’s clipped tone. “Tawny said there is a Harley store down here, and I was going to compare prices. I want to get Mox a new wallet for Christmas.”

  Sharp gaze sweeping the crowd, Ginny wrapped an arm around Eva and nudged her back toward the leather store. “We’ll hit the Harley store next, but there are a few things I want you to try on first.”

  Keeping her mouth shut, Eva allowed Ginny to lead her back into the leather store and modeled clothes on auto-pilot. Her mind whirled. Did Ginny disapprove of Tawny? Mox had described the statuesque blonde as a bike bunny, and Eva had heard more than one old lady hiss about the whores that hung around the club. Did Ginny know about Mox’s sixteenth birthday present? Or was this as simple as Ginny being protective with everything going on?

  “What do you think?”

  Eva looked in the mirror and blinked. The leather bustier was both beautiful and sexy. Teamed with her jeans and boots, she looked wicked hot.

  “Wow.
It’s like it’s not even me.”

  Ginny laughed. “A woman should feel good about how she looks. The great thing about this piece is that it is so versatile. It looks killer with jeans. I’ve worn mine with anything from a short skirt and boots, leather pants, or with a long summer skirt and jean jacket for a fun flirty look.

  “Think I can get away with calling it a Christmas present for Mox?” Eva asked with a giggle.

  “It’s a Christmas present from Zeke and me.”

  “You’ve been too generous already. I’ll never be able to thank your family for everything they’ve done, no matter what happens.”

  “You stick close with us and nothing is going to happen. We look out for our own. Don’t forget that.”

  “I’m sorry I pissed you off earlier,” Eva said, lowering her gaze from the mirror as she unlaced the garment.

  Ginny’s fingers curved around her jaw and gently forced Eva’s eyes up to meet hers. “I wasn’t pissed, honey. I was scared. You’re like a daughter to me. I hope that one day you will be. When you’re a mother, you’ll get it. It’s all part of the overprotective gene.”

  Eva smiled and nodded, not trusting her voice. She blinked back a few tears as Ginny left the dressing room. They were too good to her. Pulling on her clothes, she couldn’t help wondering what a Lords of Mayhem wedding would look like. She giggled. It was a little premature for her mind to go there, but one thing was for sure; the reception would be one hell of a party.

  The girls buzzed, admiring the luxurious Irish Pub as they settled into a horseshoe shaped booth.

  “This is Kat’s and my favorite lunch destination when we go shopping and, I can’t deny, part of the inspiration for The Lantern’s remodel after the fire,” Ginny said, running her fingers over the lacquered Cherry table. “I love the combination of elegance and comfort. I really wanted to capture a bit of that.”

  “I think you did a great job of incorporating some of this place’s feel, but making it your own with the pictures and little pieces of Trinity Falls’ history. As an outsider, I find the stories fascinating,” Eva said.