by Nicole Fox
“Good,” Animal replied with a nod. “Then you can give him the good news.”
“What good news?”
“About our baby.” He reached for her and laid a massive hand on her stomach, touching her just a little too far below the belt for comfort.
She backed away instantly, repulsed by such an advance and such an idea. “This isn’t your baby! I do have some taste, you know!”
His blond eyebrows drew down at this, but it wasn’t enough to make him go away. “Mina, listen. You claim the baby is mine, and I’ll back it up.”
She balled up a towel and threw it on the closet shelf. “Why would I do a thing like that?”
“Because it will get you out of hot water with your dad,” Animal growled, pulling her close once again and making her spill a handful of washcloths on the floor. “I know he’s still desperate to find out who the father is. It’s not me, but I’m just as likely a candidate as anyone else.” He put his face close to hers so that his dark eyes were only a few inches away. They flickered with malice and something else.
Mina wrenched her arm away from him, and it was only because he finally decided to let go that it worked. “He would kill you, Animal. There’s no way that would work.” It would serve her purposes fine if Animal ended up dead, so that part wasn’t so bad for her.
“Haven’t you seen me?” He stood up tall, letting his shoulders expand to their full width and puffing out his massive chest. “I’m way bigger than Park ever thought about being, and I could take him any day. In fact, I considered taking him down even before talk of this baby. I could take over the club and do whatever I want with it.”
She sighed and put a hand over her forehead. She had so little patience for this sort of thing anymore. It was no wonder Skid tried to stay away from her when she came on too strong. “Let’s just pretend for a moment that I agree to this. I won’t, but we’ll pretend. What do you get out of it? At the very least, my father is going to be furious with you for breaking your promise to him not to touch me. There’s also the distinct possibility that he might cream you, no matter how strong you are. It’s not exactly a good position to put yourself in. What do you get out of it?”
“Mina, you’re only thinking about the bad stuff, and most of that I’m not worried about. I can handle myself. You’ve got to think about the good parts.”
She was growing more and more impatient, tired of listening to him. If she’d just left the stairwell a moment sooner, she might have been safely ensconced in her room before Animal had ever gotten there. Too late now. “Which are?”
His grin stretched a little wider. “First, like I said, it will get your dad off your case. Park isn’t going to rest until he discovers who the father of that child is. Second, it will get me in good with your dad. I’m no idiot, and I know the best way to climb up the ranks of this club is to be buddy-buddy with the president. Then there’s the third part.”
She rolled her hand in the air, trying to get him to finish up already. Animal was enjoying stringing her along like this, even though Mina already knew she would never take the bait. She would rather hold out for Skid for another ten years instead of settling for someone like Animal.
He grabbed her by the hips and pulled her forward, holding her against his body. When Skid did the same thing, it lit her on fire. She could feel every square inch of her skin and the way it moved against his, and she felt as though she couldn’t get close enough. It wasn’t like that at all with Animal. Her entire body rejected the idea, her skin jumping and twitching as it fought to avoid contact with him. Mina pulled back. She managed to free her upper body, but Animal kept their hips tightly pressed together.
“I get to be with you, and you’ll be my woman. I’ve seen how you look at me. You never thought I noticed, but I did. I think you know I’ve always had a thing for you, Mina, and it’s time we just get it all out in the open. This pregnancy gives us a great way to do that without anybody questioning it. I’ll be your man. You’ll ride on the back of my bike everywhere we go. We’ll get newer quarters, bigger ones, where we can sleep next to each other every night.” His fingers reached around behind her hips and dragged across her buttocks as he let out a hiss of breath through his teeth. “I can just imagine your warm little body curled up next to mine …”
“Ew, no!” In one swift movement, Mina wrenched herself backwards. Animal’s grip was strong, but he hadn’t been ready for such a thorough rejection. She was out of his arms and over the bed in an instant, wishing she had some decent weapons in her room. A large sword hung on the wall behind Animal, but it was too long for the small space and not very sharp. Even her pocket knife wasn’t within reach, and she had never bothered to slip a gun into her nightstand drawer like most of the members did.
“How dare you think I could be with you?” she spat. “I’ve seen a lot of men in my life. Some of them have been drunks, thieves, or just plain crazy. I’ve learned to separate the good ones from the bad ones and to know what I want in a man. I can promise I would never choose you as someone to be with, Animal.”
He was angry now. His face flushed and his fists curled. “You’re not being very grateful, considering what I was willing to do for you.”
“Oh, because it was so fucking generous, right? You were doing me such a goddamn favor by claiming my child. Do you really think I’m dumb enough to fall for that? You only wanted to have a claim over me to satisfy your sick needs.”
“Is it so sick to want a beautiful woman?” he roared. “You don’t have any right to judge me, Mina. You’re the one who fucked someone and won’t say who. You want your dad to treat you like you’re mature, but look what you’ve done! You’re knocked up, and you aren’t even responsible enough to admit the truth. Then you go parading around the clubhouse in little skimpy outfits, trying to entice all of us. When someone takes the bait, you throw him back in the water. You’re nothing but a little bitch.”
His words were painfully true. Mina would never admit it to his face, but Animal had pegged her. She was always fighting to feel independent, but she never acted like it. How could her father possibly treat her as anything but a little girl if she was just going to throw a fit when she didn’t get her way? And she hadn’t helped matters at all with her recent flirtatious attitude. It had only made her look like a fool. “I’m glad you think so, because I’m sure that means you would never want to be with me. That should make it pretty easy for you to find the door.” She pointed her finger behind him, commanding him to go.
Animal stood solidly in his place. “I’ll go, don’t worry. But I’m not going to make any promises to stay away. And I want you to tell me just one thing.”
She lifted her chin at him but said nothing.
“Who’s the father?”
Mina gave a snort of a laugh. “Like I would tell you! I never liked you very much anyway, and then you come in here with your schemes and your accusations, and you think I’m going to trust you with a secret I haven’t told anybody. You’ve seriously overestimated yourself. You know where the door is, and I suggest you use it.” She pointed behind him once again.
The big blond man stormed out and slammed the door behind him, leaving the room in a shocking silence. Slowly, Mina sank down onto the bed and closed her eyes. It was exhausting dealing with that sort of thing. She never would have thought one of the members—especially Animal—would attempt to come forward and claim a baby that didn’t belong to him. It was as good as suicide, but Animal had clearly been thinking about it from a different viewpoint.
A jolt of worry shot through her as she wondered if he would go to her father on his own. He could tell Park the baby was his. Mina’s denials would be ignored since she had already been so secretive about her pregnancy. There would be no way to prove Animal was a liar until the baby was born and a DNA test could be done. She tensed her legs, prepared to rise back up off the mattress and go tell her father what had happened. He wouldn’t be happy when he discovered one of his members had cor
nered her in her room and been so aggressive with her.
But she instantly realized what a bad idea that was. On any other occasion, her father would jump to her defense. Mina was his little girl, after all, and nobody was allowed to mess with her. But she’d messed up a lot with this pregnancy, and her father might not even care anymore. No, she was alone on this one. She couldn’t even tell Skid, because what could he do? As soon as he came to Mina’s defense, everyone would know the truth.
With a wistful sigh, Mina reached inside her nightstand drawer and fingered the tiny items she had stashed there. As soon as she had discovered she was pregnant, she had slipped off to a store and celebrated her news with a soft white blanket trimmed in lace, a tiny onesie, and a little soft teddy bear. She didn’t dare buy any more than that, for fear of being able to smuggle it into the clubhouse without anyone seeing her. It had been her private secret, her private joy, her private worry.
Now it was on everyone’s mind, and yet she still didn’t feel as though she could enjoy it. Mina would need her father’s permission to go buy more baby clothes, since he didn’t want her going anywhere without him or someone he trusted. And arriving home with an armful of tiny socks and booties would just bring everyone around to watch her, which she didn’t want.
Mina gently closed the drawer and closed her eyes, trying to imagine what she did want. She wouldn’t live in this clubhouse, with so many people around and getting in her business. She and Skid would have a little place of their own, with a nice yard and a good school nearby. They would spend their weekends together admiring their child as it grew and making love at night. It was a nice fantasy, but she doubted it would ever come true.
Chapter Eight
Skid
The bar was a dark one, perfect for the likes of Satan’s Legion. Skid and a whole crew of the other members had ridden out, eager to get out of the clubhouse and escape the tension that had been building ever since the announcement of Mina’s pregnancy.
Skid himself was particularly eager to get away. He knew Park wouldn’t let Mina out of the clubhouse, at least most of the time, and it was unlikely that any of the men would be willing to give her a ride. Nobody wanted to be associated with her, because they would instantly be blamed for her current condition.
He raised his finger in the air to get the bartender’s attention. “Another beer, please.”
The bartender was an older man with a gray handlebar mustache and his hair combed close against his head. He nodded soberly. “Coming right up.” He moved as though his body knew how to tend bar because he had been doing it for so long, but his spirit was no longer in it. His hands moved quickly and deftly as he mixed a martini or pulled the tap for a beer, but his eyes were dull as they watched the motions. A few moments later, a cold frothy mug slid down the bar to Skid.
There was no point in trying to drown his sorrows. He knew that. No amount of alcohol would make this all go away. It wouldn’t make Park understand that what he and Mina had was a whole lot more than just a fling. It wouldn’t make things easier on him once he was kicked out of the club and forbidden from seeing Mina or his child ever again.
Unwillingly, his mind slipped to the past. He was no longer in the dingy bar but standing just outside a reinforced tent in Iraq. His fellow soldiers were around him, shading themselves from the sun and trying to find another cigarette. Johnny had received a huge package from home, one that his mom had put together for him, and even though he had a giant tin of homemade cookies, he only ate one each day. It wasn’t a particularly special memory. Skid would have thought it would be the hard times and the combat that would have stuck in his brain more than anything. Those times were there, too, but even the long hot afternoons when he and his men were off-duty were still vivid images.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
Skid looked up, startled. He’d barely touched his beer. His eyes slowly swam out of the past to discover Jewel standing at his side.
She was dressed in a skimpy blue top that barely covered her breasts and showed most of her midriff. The skin on her flat stomach was a little smoother than that on her face, but she was still an attractive woman. Jewel had put on eyeshadow that matched the color of her top, and she slid her eyes sideways at Skid as she picked up his beer and took a sip. “I said your name a minute ago, but you didn’t answer. I guess you were miles away.”
“More than you know,” he replied gruffly, taking his beer back and keeping his fingers firmly around the handle. Jewel, like the other club girls, was a constant mooch. It was basically their role, and in a way he didn’t blame her, but he wasn’t feeling particularly generous.
“What were you thinking about?” She leaned on the bar, arching her back so that her hips were thrust backward. Her ribs rubbed gently against the side of Skid’s arm. “Maybe it’s something I can help you with.”
“I don’t think so.” He tried looking off toward the other end of the bar, but the men clustered down there were laughing and raising their beers in the air. They looked so happy, like they didn’t have any cares in the world. It unsettled him, and he turned his gaze to the mirrored shelves behind the bar. Rows upon rows of liquor bottles surrounded the reflection of his own face, and he frowned.
“Don’t be so sure,” Jewel purred. She reached out a finger and trailed her nail down his bare arm. “There’s a lot a woman can do to ease a man’s mind, especially a woman who knows what she’s doing.”
“No, thanks.” He hadn’t been with another woman since Mina. That wasn’t like him, or like anyone else in Satan’s Legion, but she had done something to him. He didn’t know what, and he didn’t like to think about it too much, but Skid knew he was different now.
Jewel pressed against him fully now, engulfing his upper arm between her breasts. “Come on, Skid. You know you want me just as much as I want you. Of all the men in the club, you’re the only one I want.”
“More like the only one you haven’t managed to get into your bed yet,” he scoffed. Yes, a woman could probably ease his mind quite a bit at that moment, but it couldn’t be just any woman. He needed Mina.
“What’s the difference?” she asked pitifully. “I could have my pick of any man in this bar, club or not. I chose you. You should be thrilled. I can show you a night of passion you’ll never forget.”
Skid turned to look at her fully now, feeling angry and frustrated. “I said no, okay? Quit throwing yourself at me. It’s disgusting.”
Jewel backed up, but she wasn’t done with him yet. “I bet you wouldn’t think it was so disgusting if I had asked you a few months ago. I’ve noticed a change in you, Skid, and the way you look at women.”
A fiery heat prickled under his skin. Had he somehow managed to let his secret slip? Had he glanced at Mina for a second too long here and there? Had someone else been in the stairwell that afternoon when he had pressed her against the wall and kissed her, eager to have so much more? “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She was close to him again, probably thinking she was making some headway. “Sure, you do. You don’t go out and party anymore. I mean, you’re here at the bar, but that’s nothing compared to the way you used to be. You’re not slipping off into the darkness with random women or talking to any of the club girls. Something’s come over you. Tell me what’s the matter, and I can fix it.” Jewel bumped her hips suggestively against him.
“Knock it off,” he growled. “I’m sure there are plenty of other guys in here who would be thrilled to have you do this to them, but I’m not in the mood.” He downed his drink and stood up, ready to go find another corner of the bar to sulk in.
“It’s got something to do with Mina, hasn’t it?”
“What?” Skid turned back to her, angry and worried.
“Ever since Park said she was pregnant, it’s like every member has had some sort of hang up.” Jewel crossed her arms over her chest and furrowed her brows, no longer flirtatious. “I don’t see why everyone has to get their underwea
r in a twist just because she went and got herself knocked up. It’s happened to plenty of other club girls, and nobody thinks a thing about it.” Her lip had curled up into a snarl.
“Maybe that’s because she’s not just one of the club girls,” Skid retorted. “Sorry to burst your little bubble, Jewel, but she’s more important than that.”
“No, she’s not,” Jewel argued. “She thinks so, and her daddy thinks so, but you give her a little more time and she’ll just be someone else to fuck like the rest of us are.”
In a moment, he had her by the arm. He yanked her close, his face right in hers. Jewel’s eyes widened, but her look of fear quickly turned into one of satisfaction. Skid tried to ignore it. “You might not think anything of her, but Park does. As the vice president of this club, it’s my job to protect her the best I can, even if it’s from the likes of you. If you know what’s good for you, I suggest you shut the fuck up unless you actually know that the hell you’re talking about.” It was all he could do not to shake her like she deserved.
