After Glow

by Autumn Jones Lake

  “I’ll do my best,” he promises, earning a smack on the back of the head from Z.

  “Remember, abstinence is the only one hundred percent effective method of birth control,” she cautions them.

  “Not cool, Hope.” Ravage grins at her. “Not cool at all.”

  “Well, I guess a vasectomy is also pretty effective.”

  Ravage winces and clutches his balls.

  “I can’t believe you’re sending me with him,” Dex says.

  “Sorry. I wanted to get the ones who actually had a chance of being a match in as soon as possible.”

  “I’m teasing you. Thanks for setting everything up.” Dex drops his gaze to her stomach for a second before glancing at me. “This is really shitty timing for you guys. Sorry, Hope.”

  She reaches out and squeezes his hand. “Never a dull moment. That’s why I love you guys so much.”

  “Why am I going last, Cinderella?” Wrath asks. “Your favorite brother doesn’t get special favors?”

  “Aw.” She wraps her arm around him, and he hugs her to his side. “I’m sending you and Z last because you said there was no chance.” She nods at Bricks. “And he needs to get this out of the way so he can get out of here.”

  “My flight’s next week, bro,” Bricks reminds him.

  “Shit, yeah, I’m trying to forget you’re leaving us,” Wrath says.

  “I’ll be back.”

  Finished with handing out advice, she makes her way over to me and passes me my card.

  Teller strolls up and elbows my side. “We’re up first, Prez.”

  “Great,” I answer dryly. “Something for us to bond over.”

  Hope

  Once I’ve given out the test times, I think everyone’s desperate for a distraction.

  And I am starving.

  We work our way into the dining room, and Rock pulls out a chair for me. Swan—my new favorite person in the whole world—sets my own personal small roast in front of us.

  “Wait, why does she get special treatment? I’m ten times her size,” Wrath says.

  “Not for long,” I mutter, picking up my knife.

  Rock plucks the knife out of my hand and starts carving up my roast.

  “Because she’s incubating the next generation of Lost Kings,” Swan answers. She pats Wrath’s shoulder. “And I want the baby to come out all cute and chubby.”

  Heidi and Trinity help her carry the rest of the meal to the table. Before sitting down, Swan sets another dish in front of me. “Stuffed acorn squash. It’s full of vitamin C, folate, and iron.”

  I poke at it with my fork.

  “I swear it’s good.”

  “Thank you.”

  The dinner table is quieter than usual, but I’m too focused on satisfying my bottomless pit of hunger to play conversation starter.

  After dinner, Rock asks the guys to meet him in the war room for a few minutes.

  “How are you feeling about apple pie for dessert, Hope?” Swan asks.

  “Is there any strawberry ice cream left?”

  Her mouth twitches. “Yup.”

  I make a “gimme” gesture.

  “Apple pie and strawberry ice cream.” Rock chuckles and kisses my cheek. “Not the worst craving I’ve heard.”

  Never mind cravings. Rock and I have been traumatized by some of the other couples in our birthing class. We are the only first-time parents in the group and boy did those people love to share every single intimate, gross detail.

  “We’ll be back in a minute, baby doll,” Rock says.

  Trinity runs outside, and Heidi takes Alexa to the bathroom.

  “Ice cream sounds good,” Charlotte says.

  “Get your own,” I warn.

  She laughs as if she thinks I’m kidding, then turns serious. “I’m so glad the tests are finally set up,” she says.

  “Me too.”

  She moves a few chairs closer. “How are you feeling?”

  “Stuffed.”

  “I mean about the case.”

  I let out a long sigh. “Tired of it already.”

  “It’s before my time, but—” Her gaze darts toward the door. “How, um, well do you think Teller, um, knew her?”

  “Honestly, I have no idea. She was ‘dating’ Rock when I first met him, so, I’m not really sure.” I want to say something more reassuring, but what? “I’ve never seen them together if that helps. As far as I know, she only visited the clubhouse once or twice.”

  Her fingers twist in her napkin, shredding it into pieces.

  “You two okay?”

  “It happened before we even met. I’ll be more upset if it is his kid and he’s just finding out now. I think… I think that will be really hard on him.”

  She’s right. Teller hated missing those few months with Alexa when Heidi and Axel lived in Alaska. Missing out on years of his own child’s life? I can’t imagine how he’ll handle that. Charlotte and Teller haven’t been together that long and she already knows him so well. I reach over and squeeze her hand. “I’m glad he has you to be there for him.”

  “If you need any help, let me know.”

  “Well, if it goes any farther after the testing, I might tag you in.”

  “You got it. Whatever you need.”

  Rock

  “This will be quick, so take a seat.” I push the door closed and wait a second before taking my place at the head of the table.

  “Are we burning down the lab?” Ravage asks.

  “No, this has nothing to do with that.”

  Wrath stares down the table at Rav. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

  “I’m kidding. Sheesh.”

  I nod to Sparky since he’s the one who requested the sit-down. “Boss, remember that highly concentrated strain I was working on? The Mind-Blower?”

  I can’t keep up with every single one of Sparky’s “mind-blowing” projects, but I nod anyway. “Well, it’s not as good as I thought it was gonna be.” He glances at Stash. “You agree, right?”

  “Yeah. It’s good shit, don’t get me wrong, Prez. But the shit we’re already selling Loco is way better.”

  “How much money did you waste on this project?” Z asks.

  Sparky bristles. “It wasn’t a waste.”

  “Research and development is never a waste,” Teller adds.

  Sparky crosses his arms over his chest and dips his chin. “Thank you, Teller.”

  “That it?” I ask.

  “Well, since it’s not up to the same standards of what we usually sell Loco, but it’s still good shit, we should offer it to the Demons. They’re always asking to get their hands on our stuff.” Sparky shrugs. “Might be a nice gesture.”

  “Nice gesture my ass. Their sources are tapped right now. We can get a good price for it,” Teller says. “That’s all Chaser kept talking about at the Christmas party. And I doubt he’s found anyone since then.”

  “You don’t want it for your personal supply?” I ask Sparky.

  His eyes widen. Maybe I shouldn’t have suggested he smoke up any more than he already does.

  “No, boss. As Z so helpfully pointed out, we used a lot of club resources on this project, and I’d like to recoup our costs.”

  Z rolls his eyes.

  “All right. When will it be ready?”

  “I can have it ready in a couple days.”

  “I’ll call Stump. Work it out. If we’re meeting them halfway like we used to, it should be quick.”

  Teller raises his hand. “I’ll go.”

  “Me too,” Murphy adds.

  Sparky taps Stash’s elbow. “You know the most about it, you should go to give Stump the specifics. Those two hardly ever smoke up anymore.”

  I doubt Stump cares about the specifics of Sparky’s babies. As long as he can sell the shit and turn a profit, he’ll be interested. But Stash nods anyway. Doesn’t take much for him to say yes to a run.

  “We’ll decide who’s going once I set up a time.” I glance around the tab
le. “Anything else?”

  Ravage and Stash shake their heads and stare at the door. “What’s your problem? You both look like you’re about to piss your pants.”

  “Swan said there was pie,” Stash answers. “And we want to get back to the table before Hope—”

  Ravage elbows him in the ribs, shutting him up.

  Wrath’s got his head down, rubbing his forehead, but on closer inspection, the fucker’s laughing. Under the table, I kick him. “Ow! What the fuck?”

  “You’re a dick.” Dex glares at Stash. “Saw you stub your toe the other day and bawl like a baby. You were doing what she’s doing, you’d be curled up in the corner in the fetal position sucking your damn thumb.”

  “He already does that every night,” Z says with a straight face.

  “All right. Enough already. Jesus Christ.” I point to the door. “We’re done. Get out.” I glance down the table. “Except Sparky. Stay put for a minute.”

  As soon as Wrath opens the door, the sounds of Alexa screaming her head off greet us. Teller and Murphy both hustle out of the room.

  Chuckling, I turn and shake my head.

  “That kid’s gonna grow up so fucking spoiled.” Z laughs.

  “No man’s ever gonna make her happy,” Dex adds.

  Wrath snorts out a laugh. “I think that’s the point.”

  Even though I only asked Sparky to stick around, Z stays in his seat. After everyone’s gone, he lifts his chin at Sparky. “Hey, I didn’t mean that to sound how it came out, bro. You know I think you do good work.”

  That’s more or less the reason I asked Sparky to stick around.

  Usually stuff just rolls right off Sparky’s back, but he’s still defensive. “Bro, I hate coming to the table and saying I failed.”

  “You didn’t fail, Sparky.” I sit forward, leaning my elbows against the table. “Now we know that strain doesn’t fit into our plan. We cut our losses and move on. No big deal.”

  “Okay, boss. I just don’t like you disappointed in me.” He shoots a glare at Z. “I don’t care what you think.”

  “I haven’t been disappointed in you yet, Sparky,” I assure him. Z, thankfully, doesn’t take the bait and keeps his mouth shut.

  “Thanks, boss.” He eyes the door. “Can I go now?”

  “Yeah, yeah. Go get your fuckin’ pie.”

  After he leaves, I sit back and close my eyes for a second.

  “You should be feeling better about this father gig every day, Rock,” Z says. “You’ve certainly had enough practice.”

  “Amen to that. Christ, you think it’s time we dial back his smoking?”

  “Good luck there, brother.”

  “Stay for a minute? I want to give Stump a call and set this up now.”

  “I’d call Chaser. I don’t think Stump’s all with it lately.”

  “I can’t disrespect the old man. He’s still their president.”

  “Let me make the call, then. I’ll call Chaser. VP to VP.”

  “Just try not to set it up on a Thursday. That’s when I’ve been trying to schedule Hope’s doctor’s appointments, so she doesn’t forget them.”

  “She happy we finally got the tests set up?”

  “I think so. She’ll be happier when it’s done.” I glance at the door, making sure it’s still shut. “You know what she told me she’s fuckin’ worried about? Helping out whichever poor, unfortunate soul fathered that kid. She’s worried about our numbers if whoever it is ends up moving out there to be near his kid.”

  “Damn, Rock. I think most girls would be worried about some bitch trying to sue their man.”

  One corner of my mouth slides up. “Well, she worked out a defense strategy with her friend. In case Inga winds up mysteriously dead in a ditch, she has a plan B.”

  There’s a murderous gleam in his dark blue eyes. “That’s our girl.”

  Hope

  Trinity pushes the dining room doors open wide and sweeps into the room with a wicked grin, Heidi trailing behind her. “So, ladies. Did I mention that little sister plans to peddle sex toys?”

  “What the… what?” I ask, staring at both of them.

  Heidi’s red from the neck up, but she tosses a catalog in my direction. “A girl at school sets up these parties. It sounded like a fun way to make some extra money.”

  “Mercy hosted one of these last Christmas.” Charlotte reaches past me and grabs the catalog and flips through it. “It was fun. When are you thinking of hosting?”

  Heidi snatches it out of her hands. “You—my brother’s fiancée—are not invited. No way.” She plops into her chair and heaves out a sigh.

  Charlotte sits back and pouts. “No fair.”

  Trinity plucks the catalog from Heidi’s hands and glances at the front page. “I leave the toy buying to Wrath.”

  “Well, he is an overgrown child,” I tease, making her snicker.

  “Who’s an overgrown child?” Wrath asks as he strides into the dining room.

  Heidi slides down in her chair. “Kill me now.”

  “No one,” Trinity says, passing the catalog to Heidi before jumping on Wrath to distract him. No seriously, like flying spider-monkey jumping on him. He catches her, and for the next five minutes, it’s nothing but obscene noises and whispers from their corner of the room.

  “Guys, seriously, I just ate dinner,” I warn.

  “Don’t be jealous, Cinderella, your man should be here soon.”

  “I’m not jealous, you big man-beast.”

  He chuckles and leans over to tug the catalog out of Heidi’s hands. “Whoa, whatcha got here, lil’ Heidi?”

  “Seriously. Someone stab me with a fork,” she mutters. She glares up at Trinity. “Why?”

  “You’ll probably get a ton of business from these guys,” Trinity responds, patting Heidi’s shoulder.

  Heidi seems less than convinced.

  Murphy joins us, wrapping his arms around Heidi. He leans over and kisses the top of her head. “Your brother has Alexa.”

  “Your girl’s trying to corrupt us,” Charlotte informs him.

  Murphy frowns in confusion and looks to Heidi for an explanation.

  “Stop picking on Heidi, please,” I plead. “There’s nothing wrong with a little side-action,” I add, throwing a wink at Trinity.

  “Good one, Hope.”

  “Oh my God. This is my worst nightmare,” Heidi mutters.

  Wrath hands the catalog to Murphy. “What have you done to our sweet, innocent Heidi?”

  Murphy’s eyes widen, and the corners of his mouth slowly curve up. “Is this the thing you were telling me about, beautiful?” he murmurs while squeezing her shoulder.

  “Yes. I made the mistake of telling Trinity about it, and she ratted me out to everyone,” she says, sending accusing looks to Charlotte and me. “And then Bat Ears over there overheard.” She gestures to Wrath, who snickers.

  More of the guys trickle back into the dining room while Heidi’s explaining. Her cheeks turn redder and redder with each brother who takes a seat at the table.

  When Ravage notices what they’re discussing, he stops in his tracks, turning away from the kitchen. “Are you really gonna let your woman sell that stuff?”

  Murphy snorts. “Let her? Fuck yeah. I’m gonna be her biggest customer.”

  “Real men don’t need sex toys,” Stash announces.

  “A real man enjoys pleasing his woman any and every way he can,” Wrath corrects.

  “Truth,” Murphy adds.

  Teller returns with a sleepy-eyed Alexa in his arms and takes the seat next to Charlotte.

  Rock joins us next, and the table falls silent. He eyes each of us with suspicion before sitting next to me.

  “What did I miss?” he whispers in my ear.

  “Wait for it.”

  Teller glances around the now-silent table. “What’s going on?”

  Wrath’s gaze darts around the table as if he’s trying to figure out who gets to break the news to Heidi’s br
other.

  Ravage’s cheeks are red and round from the effort of holding in his laughter. “Yoursister’ssellingsextoys!” bursts out of his mouth in a big rush before he gulps in a lungful of air.

  “Smooth, bro,” Wrath notes.

  “Huh?” Teller glances at Charlotte, then Heidi, then Murphy. He reaches over and grabs the catalog. We all watch as the slow realization of what he’s holding washes over his face. “What the—what the fuck is this?”

  “Your sister’s new side hustle,” Trinity says.

  “What?” He glowers at Murphy. “Haven’t I put up with enough? I’ve been pretty good about the two of you—”

  While the rest of us laugh or mumble some variation of, “Yeah, not really,” Murphy holds up one hand, wobbles it back and forth, and says, “Debatable.”

  Charlotte taps a page of the catalog and nudges Teller to get his attention before he chokes Murphy. “You did burn out my Purple Pleasure Stick. You owe me a new one.”

  “Gross,” Heidi mutters. “I so didn’t need to know that.”

  “Did you use it on him or the other way around, Charlotte?” Rav asks.

  “I’m going to be sick,” Heidi moans. “Too much. Way, way too much information.”

  Teller chucks the catalog on the table and hugs Alexa to his chest. “I can’t deal with my baby sister selling sex toys. I need to pretend none of this happened.” He throws a glare at Murphy. “I blame you for this, pervert.”

  “Me? A girl from school set her up with it.”

  “Damn, I knew I should’ve gone to college,” Ravage says.

  “They got any of those buzzy cock ring toys?” Sparky asks, grabbing for the catalog. “We should buy a mess of ’em for the Champagne Room.” He glances around the table. “Even the quick-shooters want to make sure their ladies are satisfied.” He pauses and seems to consider what he just said. “Not that I have any experience with premature ejaculation.”

  “Sure, Sparky,” Stash snarks.

  “Now I’m going to be sick,” I mutter.

  “Can we not discuss cock rings around my niece?” Teller shoots a glare at Sparky. “Or your sexual dysfunctions?”

  “Her mom’s the one dealing the cock rings,” Sparky points out.

  “I’m not dealing them,” Heidi protests. “It’s a legitimate sales business. We throw a party where we demonstrate—”