A tiny bark of laughter slips over my lips.
“You and I both know the only reason you’re telling her this is because you want to be the one giving her ass your handprint,” Alfie mutters and this time it’s not a tiny bark of laughter but a full-blown one ripping from me.
It must be the whirl of events leading up to this moment, but by laughing with these two there’s also a large weight falling from my shoulders. Maybe it should be as easy as quitting my job and letting these two enter my life. A guaranteed turnaround.
One where I would get to ride a horse again or maybe own a dog or a duck. I’ve always loved animals. But due to my job and the apartment I rent not allowing any pets, it’s been very lonely.
“What thought entered your brain, darlin’?” Alfie questions. “The one making your eyes twinkle with longing.”
I sigh and think about spilling my thoughts. I might as well, I have nothing to hide or lose at this point anyway. “I miss riding horses. Miss animals surrounding me like I used to have when my parents were still alive. And I really, really would like to have a pet duck. The building I live in doesn’t allow any pets. I never had one. And they look so cute and fluffy.”
“For sure as shit you’re going to be riding very soon. I have three horses and am always breaking in new ones or training other quarter horses we breed and sell. The ducks, though? We don’t have a pond. Maybe Joaquin can pick up a puppy for us, or a stray in need of a home. He’s been nagging me to get us a dog. Those things are cute and fluffy enough for you too, right?”
“They are cute and fluffy,” Joaquin says with a hint of laughter in his voice. “But like Alfie says, we don’t have a pond. Maybe we could let him swim in a large tub, until we have a–”
“No fucking ducklings. Get a damn dog. One of those large breeds and not the kind we need to carry either. If we leave it to you, I bet we’ll end up with one we need to hold like a second handbag or something,” Alfie grumbles.
Joaquin huffs and I can’t help but smile. These two are so different and yet they fit perfectly together. I should be thankful they open their arms to embrace me. They don’t judge why I came into their lives or about my past.
“You two really are something.” A sigh rips from me and I add with determination, “Even if I won’t ever get a duck, I’d gladly settle for having the two of you.”
“Geez, I don’t know if we should be thankful or crushed. I mean, I’m cute…not fluffy…but at least I get picked over a freaking duck,” Joaquin huffs overly dramatic.
Alfie snickers. “You are all cute and fluffy, boy. Besides, she didn’t pick. She embraced the two of us. We’re her ugly dicklings.”
“Oh. My. Gosh. You did not just make an ugly ducklings penis joke.” Joaquin rolls his eyes and laughter yet again fills the room.
Yes, I’m guessing my life is barely starting with this massive change. And if the contentment and carefree feeling is the promise of a future with them? I’ll gladly jump into this new adventure and see what life with Alfie and Joaquin has to offer.
CHAPTER SIX
– JOAQUIN –
I can’t stop touching her. I’ve always been an all-hands-on-snuggle-bear, something Alfie doesn’t mind when we’re home. And he also doesn’t mind showing affection when we’re in the presence of his brothers, but it’s different and brand new with the woman who is snuggled tight against me.
She laced our fingers when I threw an arm over her shoulder to pull her close. It’s a right in your face statement and Cassidy is so happy for me, she’s practically a puddle on the floor. She and Harlene are both my best friends. We go way back and also work together at the veterinarian clinic Harlene owns.
They’ve never judged me and accepted me for who I am; a weirdo with a strong will to carry life at the tip of my finger and twirl it around. Though I might seem as if I feel comfortable in my own skin, but it’s taken a lot for me to get there.
Both my parents are still alive and yet they’ve declared their own son dead to the world. I had to drop out of veterinarian school because I couldn’t afford it and it was made impossible to get a job with my father boycotting me whenever I applied.
All because I don’t fall in love with a gender but a person. Or the fact my heart has always been big enough for more. But maybe it was because I liked black nail polish or act overdramatic, or even girly on some occasions. Whatever. I left all the negativity behind me. The people I’m surrounded with now accept me for who I am.
Harlene and Cassidy accepted me before that and when Harlene’s father and brother died and she took over the veterinary clinic, she offered me a job and we all moved here. All while she knew I didn’t finish my education but again she saw my worth and accepted me as an assistant.
As if I was born to do this job and it amazes me how life has a way of sliding into place after it’s been shaking on its foundation. I help keep the clinic running smoothly and even get to assist in some of the cases; it’s all I’ve ever dreamed of.
Well, that and Alfie. First time I saw him my jaw hit the floor and slid right back due to all the drool. Hawt. Rough. Oozing sex and to top it off…he was interested in me. Me. The weirdo with his own twisted look on life.
If someone would have told me I was going to end up with two sides of love I would not have believed it. It’s the whole soulmates, white picket fence dream society dictates while in my head one soul shattered in three parts until it was set aflame to be merged into one the second Greta walked in the door.
I don’t even care if she’s DEA and came to us to investigate the MC. Okay, it’s bad, I know. But you have to accept the rain and the sunshine to be able to see rainbows shining in the heavens above. And she is utter sunshine while our grumpy man might be compared to the rain.
And hey, I could be heavenly while we three create the rainbow. See? My mind works differently but being accepted for who you are is a warm blanket after walking home in a thunderstorm.
“Still don’t want a leather cut, Joaquin? I mean, you could be allowed in church right now since I overheard Alfie’s claim,” Garrett says. “The man got you riding a bike and you’re already one of us, you’ve proven yourself loads of times in the past.”
I can’t help but snort. “The man also got me riding his dick. It doesn’t mean I need to wear something special to be able to be a part of something. This is all him, Garrett. I’m happy sitting here with the old ladies.”
Garrett shoots me a grin. “Ah. I get it now. You’re an old lady, Joaquin.”
“People and their labels,” I mutter under my breath.
Greta squeezes my fingers. Alfie explained it to us when we walked to the clubhouse together. The second he strolled into church and was among his president and VP, he would claim Greta. Seeing he did the same for me, our triangle is plain, clear, and accepted for everyone in this MC.
And mostly for us; equal sides and united as one. I take a deep breath and let it all sink in deeper, still not fully believing this is possible and how lucky we are to have found one another. And it’s not just us; we’re a family now.
“You know,” Garrett starts. “Back in the day they would call it a backup system. If something happened to one dude, the woman would still have the other man to take care of her and any children they might have.”
“Don’t you have to be somewhere?” I question. “We just found each other and you’re rambling about a safety net in case one of us dies. I thrive on positive vibes and you’re messing with our vibe, now shoo.”
“Shoo? I’m not one of the animals running around the clinic, Joaquin.” Garrett chuckles while I glare. He holds up his hands. “Fine, I’ll leave you old ladies alone.”
I shoot him a dashing smile and tell him in all sincerity, “I hope you get an old lady soon, one who will tie your balls with barbwire before she yanks them off.”
“Harsh, Joaquin.” Garrett shakes his head. “Fucking harsh for a man who has a nice set of balls himself.”
“What the
fuck, Garrett,” Alfie growls from behind him. “How do you know he has a nice set of balls?”
“You should soothe grumpy before the vein on the side of his head blows,” Greta whispers underneath her breath.
“You soothe the beast, I’ll do it the next time,” I whisper back.
Greta rolls her eyes and stands. Glancing back at me she says, “You don’t want to do it because you like seeing him go alpha on anyone who makes a remark about you.”
I shrug. “It’s sexy.”
She plunks back down next to me. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“I said get them in here, not go head to head with Garrett. Now, dammit,” Weston bellows from the doorway of church.
All heads turn his way and Alfie steps toward us. “Come on, you two.”
We follow him into church and he closes the door behind us. Greta’s hand slides into mine and I keep our fingers linked as we take a seat at the large table. I’ve been inside church once or twice before.
Even if only members are allowed, Weston does let others sit in during a meeting if they’re either involved in business at hand or needed for crucial information. But the look on their faces show no interest for information.
“The guy is clean,” Decker says the moment Alfie takes a seat on the other side of Greta.
I can feel her body going tense and I give her hand a little squeeze of reassurance. Whatever happens, happens. I’ve been through my share of shit in my life and I can’t speak for Alfie but I won’t let this woman slip through our fingers. And deep down I know she’s honest and telling the truth.
The way I see Alfie place his hand on her knee underneath the table tells me we’re all fully in this together. My heart skips a beat. This is really it, something we have desired for years now and finally things have fallen into place. Well, we do have some bumps in the road to hobble over.
“I’m not lying,” Greta says with a firm tone.
She might have been all tears and open emotions when it was just the three of us in our bedroom, but now she’s the strong person she is, fighting for justice in her own way.
“He wanted me to plant evidence. He blackmailed me. Hell, he even mentioned he’s done it before with another chapter of Iron Hot Blood.” The whole room falls silent when she voices the last sentence.
Weston narrows his eyes and says in utter calmness, “Mind expanding a little about the last fact you threw on the table?”
“I don’t know all the details of that case. He only mentioned he had a woman plant evidence before and how it was easy enough since bikers only think with their dicks. Videos of dog fights. No. Wolf fights, I think he mentioned wolf fights. And he made another threat on top of it. Well, I think he did because he said the woman who planted the evidence for him turned up dead. It made me feel as if he had a hand in it instead of the bikers she was betraying. Either way he put me on the spot, he thought I didn’t have a choice. If I didn’t plant the evidence, he would spread the picture of me naked with two men along with some of the pictures and details of the lingerie shoot, and with it ruining my career and my life. Or I’ll end up dead.”
She clears her throat and before my eyes she grows a little taller as she says, “I’ve been deep in debt. I’ve put every ounce of dignity into a box and endured what I had to do for me to be able to crawl out of debt and kept my head high while doing my job. I might not be able to keep my apartment if he ruins my career but I refuse to fall to my knees for a man who justifies actions for selfish reasons and drags good men into the dirt to step on their backs to get there.”
Again, only silence fills the room, until Weston breaks it with the words, “Roper, get Figor on the phone and ask him to come down here.”
Roper stands, grabs his phone and stalks out of church to make the call.
“You just gave us vital information and with it, confirmation. I now know with a hundred percent certainty you’re not lying. I know what you’re talking about with the mention of wolf fights and the setup along with it. The woman in question, the one who planted the evidence? She did indeed turn up dead. But I fucking swear no chapter of Iron Hot Blood would harm animals in any way. But they do own a special breed that looks ferocious, though they are highly trained and for sure as fuck don’t participate in any dog fights. The president was arrested for the murder but it didn’t stick since he had a solid alibi, not to mention he was innocent and like you mentioned…he was set up, both with planting the evidence and trying to pin a murder on him he didn’t do. We need him here to talk this through because if it is the same fucker we’re dealing with? We will need the backup and all the information we can find since he got away with it once, and I’ll be damned if he taints me, you, or any one of our MCs.” Weston stands at the same time Roper strolls back into the room.
“He’ll be here in about two or three days,” Roper states. “He and his VP are getting on their bikes as we speak but it’s quite the distance he needs to cover to get here from his ranch to ours.”
I lean in and tell Greta, “Nevada and Texas aren’t right next to each other.”
Greta nods and turns her head in Weston’s direction. “Do you need me to do anything? I might have hit Matt and he punched me back, then I left. I don’t know…he might have already sent the pictures like he said he would.”
Alfie shakes his head. “He wouldn’t. If he’s done this before he’d wait to see what you would do before taking action.”
“Alfie’s right. He’s done it before and feels confident and superior. I think you should send him a text. Somewhere in the lines of asking him not to send those pictures and what he expects you to do. He might not reply over texts, maybe he will if he’s that stupid. Anyway, it’s a first move to keep this warm before we can burn this fucker,” Weston growls out those last words in anger.
Greta takes out her phone, types what Weston just said and turns it to show him. He nods and a second later Greta presses send. It only takes a handful of minutes before her phone vibrates.
“He replied back. He says he’ll meet me at the same time and place in a few days and to wait for him to text me.”
Weston and Decker both give her a tight nod.
“This gives us time to plan. We might not even need a few days to wrap this shit up. But we do need Figor, and not just for backup. This man smells trouble from miles away and he’s dealt with this asshole before.”
“Is she okay to roam around till then?” Alfie questions, and I’m sure he’s referring to the previous order where Weston explicitly told him to keep Greta in our house and away from the rest of the ranch and the old ladies.
Weston rubs a hand over his face. “Why the fuck do all of you need to claim a woman wrapped in trouble?”
“Hey,” Roper snaps. “I resent that. My woman wasn’t in any trouble when I claimed her. In fact, she was the one who recognized trouble heading our way instead.”
“Whatever,” Weston grumbles and glances at Alfie. “She’s shown loyalty, you claimed her, it’s your responsibility.” His gaze slides to Greta. “You do understand our dynamics and what it entails for Alfie if you betray us, right?”
Greta places her hand over Alfie’s and gives our linked fingers a little squeeze. “I understand very well. And I would never turn my back on the men who welcomed me into their lives, even if I walked into theirs under false pretenses. Acceptance might be a word in the dictionary and for some a mutual agreement, but for me? These two who I now realize complete me, and who have a family surrounding them, who don’t judge and stand strong? I will never walk away into loneliness and solitary emptiness after being wrapped with warmth and adoration they gave me. They showed a glimpse of a possible future and I have accepted them, and all of you along with it.”
“A simple yes would have done the trick,” Weston grumbles.
Roper chuckles and slaps his chest while I quickly wipe away a tear leaking from my eye.
I lean in to kiss her cheek, Alfie treating the other side of her face with his li
ps while I murmur, “Thank you for touching my heart.”
Waving my hand, I try to steer my emotions back on track. Gosh, I can be such an emotional mess. But it’s worth it. Like Weston said, a simple yes would have done the trick but she opened her heart and gave us a look inside.
“Okay, that’s it. Joaquin is about to spread the waterworks. We’re done here and I’ll call church once Figor arrives.” Weston turns on his heel and heads out the door, Roper and Decker slide out of the room too, leaving only the three of us behind.
“I won’t let you near that asshole again,” Alfie suddenly growls. “We’ll wait for our other chapter to get here and handle it before the meet. Then we’ll clear out your apartment and you’re moving in with us.”
Greta reaches out. “It’s okay, Alfie. I’m an agent, remember? I am trained to handle these kinds of situations. The breakdown I had might have given you the impression I’m weak, and maybe I was in that moment when I was caught off guard by a partner who should have had my back instead of dragging me to the other side of the law and throwing away everything we as agents stand for. I am strong when I’m not blindsided and need to function and do what I was trained to do.”
“You didn’t have a breakdown, sweetie,” I tell her. “You simply switched from being an agent to being a woman who needed to be comforted by her two men to get through the shit life threw at you. We all have our moments where we need others to lean on. Heck, you’re the one who managed to drag Alfie out of his wallowing cloud of self-pity he was in after he was shot. See? Even the mighty stumble every once in a while.”
“I didn’t fucking stumble, I took three damn bullets,” Alfie grumbles.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, sugar.” I roll my eyes and notice the smile and warm look sliding over Greta’s face.
“Keep rattling that mouth and I’ll shove something in there to shut you up,” Alfie says and my dick goes from flaccid to rock-hard.
“You know damn well I’d still be able to hum with a mouth full of cock,” I huskily reply.
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