by Jenika Snow
“Hey,” her mom said and hugged her tight. It was freezing outside, but there wasn’t any snow on the ground, despite Christmas being only two weeks away.
Alexis stepped inside, and turned her head to look at Odin, who sat in the oversized leather recliner. His feet were up, his Beats headphones over his head, and his attention on a medical journal. How he focused on more than one thing like that was beyond her. She moved over to him, but he was so engrossed in the magazine and his music that he didn’t even realized that she was in the house. His dark hair was the same shade as hers and their father’s, but he had their mom’s blue eyes. Odin was smart, going to college to be a doctor, and wanting to stay away from the club life. It might not be for him, especially because he wanted to be a physician and all, but he also loved the MC and the guys in it. It was hard walking away from a “family business” like the club, but she was thankful they had parents that supported whatever they decided to do.
“So, lots to do today,” her mom yelled from the kitchen. The music that was playing was totally old school, but Alexis had listened to her mom play it repeatedly while growing up. Alexis ruffled Odin’s hair and smiled down at him when he tipped his head back.
“Hey,” Odin said, pulled his headphones off, and grinned. He was her “little” brother, and only a year younger, but already as big as their father.
“You two come in here and help with the prep work.” Their mom called out again.
“Come on, kid.” Alexis grinned, knowing he hated it when she referred to him in any context that made it out like she was older.
When they made their way into the kitchen it was to see her dad having her mom pressed up against the fridge. Their dad’s hand was doing something totally disgusting between their bodies, but at least Alexis was spared from actually seeing what that was. Brick whispered something in her mom’s ear, and that had Darra sighing.
“God, come on,” Alexis said and turned away.
“Should I get the hose?” Odin said in the same disgusted tone as Alexis had used. Her mother laughed, her father made the standard grunt he did when he was indifferent about something, but at least they parted ways. That was the thing about their parents, well, all The Grizzlies actually. The passion that the couples had was still so alive, even after over twenty years of being with each other. She hoped she had that kind of relationship one day.
On the heels of that thought the image of Nico slammed into her head, and she knew she was smiling like a damn schoolgirl. She thought about the last time she saw him, how he had gotten his bike out of storage because it was a rare day in a Colorado winter morning where the sun was out and shining, and the temperature wouldn’t freeze her tits off too badly. She had asked him to take her on a ride. It might have been stupid and illogical, but she had wanted that ride so damn badly. He had looked at her like she was crazy, but in the end he had taken her down the back roads. The wind had been frigid, but she had pressed her cheek to his back, inhaled the leather scent of his cut, and just basked in the freedom of feeling the only thing keeping her grounded was her arms around his waist.
“Honey, if you’re going to do the daydreaming thing about Nico, can you make sure you don’t do it around your father and brother,” her mom said with amusement in her voice.
Alexis looked at her mom, but she was at the sink, her focus on the dishes she washed and a smile on her face. She then looked at her dad and saw him glowering. Brick grunted and turned away, and Odin rolled his eyes. Her dad might give her a hard time about being with Nico, but if he didn’t approve or want her dating a bad boy like Jagger’s son, Brick would have made sure Nico wasn’t in the picture.
“Okay, we have a lot of prep work to do since we will have a houseful tomorrow, so chop-chop, people.” Her mother turned toward them, now in general mode, and handed Odin a potato peeler, Brick a sponge, and Alexis a rolling pin. “Odin, we need enough potatoes to feed an army, Brick, wash as we go, and Alexis, we need an apple and pumpkin pie.”
They all stood there for a moment, no one saying anything, but all of them glancing at each other. And when her mom gave them “the look” they all snapped into action. If there was one thing that could make even the toughest Grizzly do something they normally would turn their back on, it as an old lady with a goal in mind.
****
The house was insane with all the activity the following day, and it was only going to get even more hectic as everyone continued to come over. Jagger and his family had arrived first, but Nico hadn’t been with them, much to Alexis’s disappointment. Then the rest of The Grizzlies and their families were there, and a few of The Brothers of Menace had come by. Lucien, Kink and Malice showed up, but they were waiting for the rest of The Brothers, who should be there any minute.
Alexis went into the dining room and checked out the table. They had spent all day and stayed up late last night preparing everything. The table was set, food was in the center, and the sound of the front door opening and closing told her that the rest of the guys had shown up.
“Let’s eat before everything gets cold,” her dad said, and everyone came piling into the large rustic dining room. Her childhood home was massive, and built from the ground up by her dad and the rest of The Grizzlies.
She moved away from everyone and went to the window in the living room, and pulled the curtain aside.
“He’ll be here, honey,” Sonya said from behind her.
Alexis turned and stared at Nico’s mom.
“I know you’re anxious to see him, but he was handling some club business for his dad, and is running just a little behind.” Sonya smiled again. And then the sound of gravel crunching under tires had Alexis’s heart racing.
Nico’s small truck came to a stop behind all the other vehicles, and then her guy was climbing out. There was a light flurry of snow that had started to come down about an hour ago, and the blanket of whiteness that covered him had her smiling. All he wore in terms of winter wear was a jacket that was unzipped, his signature distressed jeans, and his too thin shirt, which she could see between the lapels of his coat. He also wore a beanie type hat with The Grizzly patch embodied on the front. He hurried up the steps, but glanced up, and when their gazes locked he smiled. God, she had missed him. She was over by the front door as soon as Nico opened it, and without wasting any time they were in each other’s arms and kissing passionately. She didn’t care that anyone of his or her family members could walk in and see what they were doing.
Nico pressed her back up against the now closed front door, slanted his mouth on hers, and kissed her deep and hard. He tasted good, minty and sweet, and she moaned softly against his mouth.
“I missed you, baby,” Nico said, and then slipped his hands behind her, down her back, and gripped her ass. She was wearing a dress, not a really short one, but short enough that the tips of his fingers brushed along her bare flesh.
“I missed you, too,” she responded, and held on tighter to his thick biceps. He was a patched in member with the club, had been for several years now, and he was just as a badass as any original member.
“You two better knock that shit off,” Lucas said from behind Nico. “If Brick sees you’re all but molesting his little girl in the foyer he’ll bust your ass.” Lucas started laughing now, and popped what looked like a piece of turkey in his mouth.
Nico didn’t turn around, but did flip off his twin.
Lucas tsked. “Is that anyway to act toward your brother on Thanksgiving, especially one trying to help your horny ass out?” Lucas said with amusement in his voice. “I was told to come get you two, because they are slicing into the turkey.” Lucas turned and left them alone without waiting for a response, or to see if they would follow him.
Nico pulled back and looked at her in the eyes. “All right, we can finish this later, for sure.” He flashed her a smile with straight, white teeth, and leaned down to kiss her once more.
They made their way into the dining room, and the noise was enough to hav
e her ears ringing. But it was the good kind of noise, the happy and family kind. Brick stood at the head of massive raw cut wooden table cutting the turkey, and her mom and brother were sitting side-by-side next to her dad. Jagger and his family were then next down the line. Diesel, Dallas, Stinger, and even their horde of old ladies and kids were passing around the side dishes. Lucien, Kink, Malice, and several of the other guys from The Brothers of Menace were on the other side of the table. And then there was Drevin. Poor Drevin that had never settled down and taken an old lady, and didn’t have any children. She could still see him finding the right woman, but he kept to himself, and did a lot of the more violent dealings for the club. She had a feeling that because he wasn’t settled down, he didn’t have anything to look forward to anymore.
“Come on, kids,” Molly said and gestured for them to sit on the other side of the table.
They sat side-by-side, and Nico reached under the table to take her hand in his. He leaned in close and whispered low enough that only she could hear, “I love you.” And then he leaned back and started talking to his brother, who sat across from him.
The noise escalated, the brothers were bullshitting with each other, and even busting one another’s balls, but it was all in good fun. She had this goofy look on her face, she knew that, and when she looked at her dad, and saw Brick glowering at Nico, she couldn’t help but smile wider. It took one hell of a guy to handle being in her family. But hell, it took one hell of a male to be in The Grizzlies, but she knew Nico was the right man to her in her life for the rest of it.
Chapter Five
Alexis and Nico, twenty-two years old
Alexis pulled her Honda up to the gates of The Grizzly clubhouse. She waited until the two prospects that were stationed right on the other side of the gate pulled it open, and then she drove her car up the driveway. She glanced at her rearview mirror and saw the two prospects closing the gate. They had to be brand new because she didn’t remember seeing them the last time she was home. She was back a few days earlier than what she had told her mom, dad, and even Nico. But she had wanted to surprise them. After her graduation, and upon completion of her associate’s, she had planned on coming back to Steel Corner and working with the club, but she ended up staying for another two years and completing her bachelor’s. To say her parents were pleased was an understatement, and although Nico had been less than thrilled, seeing as he had stayed back in town and they had only been able to see each other occasionally on the weekends, he was supportive of every decision she made. But it wasn’t just about her staying in school, but also about trying to find out if working for the club was really what she wanted to do. She lived the MC life and knew what it meant to live life on the edge. Her dad may have tried to shelter her, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t seen the life that surrounded them. It wasn’t always helping a charity—which she knew the club had done on more than one occasion. It also had to do with drugs, guns, violence, and, God forbid, but a total reality … death.
She cut the engine and for a minute just stared at the front doors of the clubhouse she called a second home. Her brother Odin was finishing up his last year at CSU for his bachelor’s, and although she was proud he had decided to go into the medical field, at first she had been surprised to find out he didn’t want to join the club like so many of the male offspring of The Grizzlies had. Nico and Lucas had even decided the biker life was for them, and even if she supported Nico’s decision of a dangerous life, she knew once his mind had been set all those years ago there was no changing it. Exhaling harshly she reached across her seat and grabbed her purse. She’d leave her bags in the trunk, because she was staying at her parents’, even if she wasn’t thrilled by the idea. Shouldn’t she have her own place? Hell, she’d settle for a job right away, but she needed to learn the ropes of the business. The summers while in high school and helping her mother with the books weren’t nearly enough time to prepare her for what she actually had to do. While her mother, Darra, had been doing the payable and receivable account ledgers for longer than Alexis had even been alive, her mother needed to retire, as did her dad, but he was stubborn and would probably still be part of the club as long as he could ride. Hell, he’d probably be pulling his oxygen tank around with him and have his cane strapped to the back of his motorcycle, too.
She climbed out of the car, and when she looked over at the garage she could see a shining black Harley that was all too familiar. She put the strap of her purse over her shoulder and made her way over to the massive bay doors that were open. The closer she got the louder the classic rock music became. And then she saw him standing in front of a broken down motorcycle, and a couple of prospects standing right beside him as they talked about engines and blocks. She looked at the leather cut he wore, and the MC logo patch on the back that showed the burning phoenix that was the emblem of The Brothers of Menace MC. As if Dakota sensed her staring at him, he slowly turned around to face her.
“Well holy fucking shit.” He grinned but didn’t make a move to come close to her.
He looked good—masculine to the nth degree. He was only twenty-five, but he had several days’ worth of dark beard growth on his cheeks and jaw that made him look more mature. He also looked just like his father, Malice.
“Goddamn, Alexis, you haven’t changed.” He grinned again and flashed her a set of straight white teeth. “Well, not since I saw you a couple years ago for that big ass Thanksgiving dinner at your folks’ house.
She smiled and nodded. “You haven’t changed at all … well, I take that back.” Her cheeks heated because she realized how that could have been construed. He looked the same, but older, and his body was bigger and more muscular. Yeah, he definitely took after his dad, but all of The Brothers were abnormally large and strong for humans. She lifted her arm and pointed to his cut. “So you finally patched in, huh?”
He nodded. “Yeah, couple years ago. But The MC life was always for me.”
“Yeah, I suppose it was.” That was pretty much the same thing for most of the Grizzly kids. “What are you doing here if you’re a Brother?”
He lifted a dark eyebrow. His hair was just as black, but short and disheveled along his head. “Helping these guys restore this bike.”
“I didn’t mean it like you shouldn’t be here.”
He started laughing. “I know, I know.” They hadn’t spoken more than a handful of times since the altercation he’d had with Nico all those years ago at the graduation party, but she still considered him a friend.
“So, big time college grad, huh?” He took a step closer to her and stopped. He shoved his hands in the front pocket of his jeans. “Your old man said you’re going to start managing the club finances.”
She nodded.
“I hope you’re ready for all that.” He wasn’t saying it in a joking manner.
Alexis knew what he meant, knew that once she did the books she’d know where a lot—not all of course—but a lot of where the club’s money came from. Most of it was illegal funds, of that she wasn’t ignorant of, but this was her family, and she didn’t judge. “I hope I am, too.”
Dakota nodded. “Hey, maybe since you’ll be in town indefinitely we can get together for lunch or something and catch up?”
“Sure, but I’ll probably be busy for a little bit as I get settled in, and then with Nico—”
“He can come along,” Dakota said and smiled. “Listen, that altercation four years ago at the garage is behind us. We have both grown, and there isn’t any animosity between us anymore.”
“So you guys talk a lot?” Nico hadn’t mentioned Dakota anytime he had visited her or when they had spent time together.
Dakota shrugged. “Okay, the whole animosity and altercation thing isn’t really the truth. I mean I am pretty sure he’s still pissed deep down, but he is kind of a hardcore guy when it comes to you.” He smiled. “And rightly so, but I’m over it. Why hang onto that shit when there isn’t a point?”
“Yeah, I’ve told
him that before, but you know how a Grizzly is.”
He chuckled softly. “Yeah, I do. But I was serious about catching up. Aside from the few times I saw you for holidays and shit, it’s been too fucking long since we actually talked.” He stared at her, right in the eyes actually and said, “Besides, I actually have someone I’m dating, and I’d like you to meet her.”
That took her back a little. “Really?” She sure as hell hadn’t meant to say it the way it came out.
“Yeah, hard to believe, huh?” He was chuckling.
“No, of course not. I just thought you were never going to get serious with anyone.” She shrugged.
“Alexis, I think I said that when I was like sixteen and that bitch Sheila slept with my friend.”
She glanced down at the ground, thinking back to the time he was speaking of. Now she remembered them actually talking about it, but right up until he mentioned she had actually forgotten all about it. “God, I totally forgot that was the reasoning behind that. All I could hear in my head was you saying that.”
“It’s cool. That was a long ass time ago.” He grinned. “Besides, I value your opinion. How many of the girls I dated did you tell me were no good?”
“A lot.” She said on a chuckle.
“And how many were actually bad news?”
“All of them.”
He nodded. “Yeah, and even if we were only kids at the time you knew, or your bear could scent out the bitch in them.” That had both of them laughing. “So, anyway, I’ll let you get back to it. I’m sure the guys are anxious to see you. Just hit me up if you want to do lunch sometime.” He turned and walked back over to the bike.
She turned away from Dakota and headed back toward the front of the clubhouse. When she gripped the handle and opened the door, the sight before her didn’t surprise her one bit. It was guys all around, playing pool, cards, getting drunk, and even engaging in sexual acts with the club girls. But it was a sight she had seen with members of The Grizzlies that hadn’t had old ladies. She didn’t see her dad, but she did see Mason, Bodhi, and Jakob hanging around the pool table. Over the last year she had been wrapping up things for graduation, but looking at the guys proved that they hadn’t changed one bit. The most identifying thing about all of them was that they wore Grizzly MC cuts. Jakob and Bodhi, brothers and only two years apart in age, were Diesel’s sons and looked just like their father with their shoulder length blond hair tied at the nape of their necks, and their light blue eyes. They had probably already seen far too much in their twenty-four and twenty-two years of age. But being in the MC meant the members had to grow up fast. Mason, Court and Lilly’s only kid, took after his father and mother with his green eyes and dark hair. Still in his early twenties he was the oldest of The Grizzly MC children, and she knew there was talk about him taking over as VP when Diesel actually stepped down. The stories that she heard the other club members tell over the last four years told her that Mason was a lot more hardened than any of the prospects of the other patched in Grizzly offspring.
