“Thank you again for tonight, Stephanie. I cannot even begin to tell you what this means to me. I’ve been alone for so fucking long…. To be blessed with this precious gift? You just have no fucking idea. When I think of all the other possibilities you could have chosen after finding out you were pregnant, my heart aches. This is just so much. I want to kneel at your feet and fucking worship you, and yet I’m sure even that wouldn’t be enough.”
I reached up and kissed him softly, letting it linger until our lips merely feathered against each other. I took a deep breath, stepped back, and grabbed his hand to lead him back down the stairs. He walked to the door and I followed him out onto the porch, my hand still held securely in his. He stopped at the top of the porch steps, staring at the stars scattered brightly across the dark night sky.
“God, I want to stay with you tonight, Stephanie. But I won’t disrespect your parents’ home like that. When do you plan to leave? I need to see you both again. Fuck, I don’t want you to leave at all, especially with that asshole out there. We need to talk about where we go from here. God, I feel like you’re both an addiction in my veins already.” He turned to look at me with the moonlight reflecting in his eyes.
I pressed my lips together, biting them in my teeth. I didn’t want to leave either, but I had a job and a life that weren’t… well, they just weren’t… here. I needed to think about my options and decide what would be feasible and best for myself and my baby girl. The apartment management had called, telling me they had changed my locks, but I still had the situation with Michael to deal with. I cursed the day he moved in down the hall.
“I really need to head back tomorrow afternoon. Would you like to have an early lunch? We can talk then, if that’s okay?” I felt my exhaustion sinking in just looking over where, a short while ago, I had been assaulted by Michael and rescued by Colton. Jesus, it had been a long damn day.
“Yes. What time and where? Do you want me to pick you up, or do you want me to meet you somewhere?” He placed soft kisses to the top of my forehead as he spoke.
“Well, considering I don’t think both Remi and I will fit on your bike with you, how about we meet you at 11:00 at the café downtown?” I said with a smirk.
“I do have a truck, you know. But I can meet you since I don’t have a car seat for Remi yet.” He chuckled. Dang, I loved the sound of him having a car seat in his vehicle for Remi. Silly, I know. Like I said, I was tired and it must have shown because he lifted my chin gently with his hand, kissed me softly, and told me to go get some sleep and he would see us tomorrow.
I watched him walk to his bike, climb on and start it up. I loved the rumble of his exhaust, and I knew he intentionally didn’t rev his motor, slowly easing onto the throttle, trying to be as quiet as he could as he pulled out. For the second time tonight, I watched his taillights disappear.
I prayed that someday, God willing, I wouldn’t be watching him drive off at the end of a night together, but rather snuggling up in the same bed.
The next morning, over coffee and breakfast, my mom and dad approached me with an offer that would change the direction of all of our lives.
I FOUND MYSELF KNOCKING on Hacker’s door first thing in the morning. Déjà vu. I just prayed it wouldn’t end the same way it did last time, ’cause fucking A, he could pack a punch. I needed his help finding this Michael motherfucker. He was going to regret laying his hands on Stephanie like he did. She may have thought I was letting this lie, but that was the farthest thing from the truth. I couldn’t stand a man who abused a woman, but he really fucked up when he hurt my woman.
Hacker answered the door in his boxers again, with a wry look.
“Reaper, man, we gotta quit meeting like this. Do you have something against a motherfucker getting some sleep?” Hacker ran a hand through his hair and briskly rubbed his face.
“Fuck, bro, put on some damn clothes. I need your help.” I brushed past him, dropping down in his recliner.
“Oh, sure. Come on in, make yourself at home, Reaper. Shit. Fuck you. What if I had company? You’re damn lucky I didn’t answer buck-ass naked, you fuck.” He walked back over to his bed, flopping down and pulling a pillow over his face.
“Man, what the fuck ever.” I laughed. I had never known this fucker to keep a bitch overnight. He fucked them, then kicked their ass out. No cuddling, no pillow talk, just wham, bam, thank you, ma’am.
“I need your help tracking down this crazy fucker who is stalking Stephanie.” My humor ended with this announcement. I looked at him, waiting for his response.
At those words, he sat straight up, the pillow falling to the side. “The fuck?”
“Yeah. I don’t know exactly what happened, but she had damn bruises on her arms and he showed up at her parents’ last night. He had her slammed against her SUV when I pulled up. I swear to fucking Christ, if her dad hadn’t stopped me, I would have fucking killed him then and there. I put a beating on him, but he hauled ass before I could go back out to finish him off. I’m glad she didn’t call the cops though, because that would have just complicated things when I find this motherfucker. You know?” I could feel my rage building just talking about that piece of shit. I had to make a conscious effort to unclench my fists.
“Dude, you can’t just go after this guy like that. And you know if Snow finds out I helped you find this guy, I’m a dead man too. You have to bring it to the table, bro. You need to think of the potential blowback on the club if you do this. I’m not saying I don’t want to help you or that I don’t want to beat him within an inch of his life too, but, man, we gotta be smart about this.” I knew Hacker was right, but it sure as shit wasn’t what I wanted to hear.
“I’m worried as hell about her, man. She’s going back to Des Moines today, and I can’t be there to protect her. I have obligations to the club right now. It feels like I’m being torn in two.” I leaned forward in the chair, holding my head in my hands as I tried to calm the fuck down. I wanted to punch someone. I had never once regretted my obligations to the club coming before everything else, but I had never felt like I did about Stephanie before either.
“I get it, bro. Totally. I told you, she’s like my little sister. Let’s talk to Snow and see if he has any ideas or thoughts, okay? If he says we have the go-ahead, I’ll do what you need. Anything.” I stood and reached out, clasping his hand as I gave him a rough hug and pat on the back.
“Thanks, man. Now put some fucking clothes on. Shit, I think your dick just touched me.”
I walked out of the room laughing and looking forward to at least seeing Stephanie at lunch. I went to take a shower while I waited for Snow to show up at the clubhouse.
Remi and I were early, and she was busy coloring on the paper placemat when Reaper walked in, causing the little bell at the top of the door to jingle. I saw him scan the room until his gaze landed on us at the booth in the corner. His hair still looked wet, like he had just stepped out of the shower. The thought of him naked with hot water streaming down his body had my cheeks flushing and my girly parts tingling.
Bad, bad, bad girl…
I wasn’t sure how he was going to take my news, but I hoped he would be happy for me and supportive. I smiled up at him as he stopped at the edge of the table and leaned down to kiss first me and then Remi.
“My two favorite girls.” He slid into the booth across from me and reached for my hand, raising it to his lips. God, this man was more than I could stand sometimes. He sure had a sweet side, despite the shit he’d been through.
“So, I have some news to discuss with you, and I’m not sure how you’re going to feel about it all.” I felt nervous. What if he didn’t want us up his ass all the time? Would we cramp his style? He looked at me with some trepidation in his eyes.
“Uh, okay. I’m listening.” His face was an expressionless mask.
“So… I have an opportunity.” I cleared my throat and blurted the rest of my news out before I lost my nerve. “I’m going to buy the Oasis. I’m movi
ng home.” As I sat trying to gauge his reaction, my heart felt lodged in my throat, and my teeth worried my bottom lip. Would he really want us around?
“Are you fucking kidding me? Don’t fuck with me, Stephanie. I mean it, I don’t think my sanity could handle it if you told me this was a joke.” His face remained impassive, but surely his response meant he was okay with this.
“I’m serious. Are you mad? I don’t want Remi and I to cramp your style or have you thinking I’m trying to be up your ass.”
“Jesus, Stephanie. No way! Shit, do you have any idea how happy this makes me? Being able to see the two of you every day if I want? Damn, baby, I’m over the moon right now.” It made me get all gushy inside when he called me baby. His face was lit up with the sexy smile that I had come to love, replete with dimples. My heart thudded in relief and I smiled back at him.
“There are a few things that I need to talk to you about though… I need to go into work tomorrow so I can turn in my two-week notice, and I need to pack. My parents want me to leave Remi here with them. For several reasons, I agree. While I’ll really miss having her with me—I mean, I’ve never been away from her—I think it would give you an opportunity to spend quality time with her. What do you think?” I questioned. We were never going to get those years back, but I really felt it was important for him to be able to have some one-on-one time with her.
“Hell yeah, I would love to be able to spend time with her, but can’t you just call them and tell them you’re not coming back? If so, I can see if I can leave for a couple of days to help you pack and bring your stuff home. I don’t like the thought of you going back alone with that stupid fuck still hanging around.” He looked frustrated and his fingers tapped rapidly on the table. Truth be told, I didn’t even really know him, but it felt good to have someone who wanted to protect me.
“Reaper, I don’t think I’ll need to worry about Michael after the ‘come to Jesus meeting’ you had between your fist and his face.” I was pretty sure Michael wouldn’t be bothering me anymore. Granted, I wasn’t looking forward to the thought of possibly running into him in the halls, but I didn’t think he was a worry now. “I’ll be back the weekend after next.”
“I don’t fucking like it. I want you to check in with me every time you leave your place and every time you get home and have your door locked. I’m not trying to control you, baby, but I’m really worried about you going alone. It also might be a good idea to have Hacker set up his tracking system on your phone.” He still didn’t look happy, and I appreciated his concern, but for a second, I felt my hackles rise when I felt he was dictating checking in with him. The thought of having a tracker on my phone almost sent me into panic-mode. After I searched through my phone and found the app Michael had buried in a folder, I was sick, but when I tried to put myself in Colton’s place, I understood his concerns.
We made the decision to drop the subject for the time being and enjoy our lunch. Remi had been absorbed in her coloring, but when I asked her if she wanted chicken or grilled cheese, she seemed to realize “Daddy” was here and begged to go sit by him. The rest of lunch consisted of Remi trying to “share” her food with Daddy and stealing his fries with a giggle every time he acted surprised that she had taken another one. Watching them interact warmed my heart. The physical similarities were uncanny really. I could imagine what Colton had looked like as a small boy.
“So why Remi, anyway?” he surprised me by asking suddenly. At the sound of her name, Remi looked up at him and smiled with her face stuffed full of fries. We both laughed at her comical expression.
“You mean, why did I choose the name Remi?” He nodded when I asked. “Well, it’s kind of silly, I guess, but her daddy was ‘Colton’ and it was like a Colt pistol… so her name is Remington Amelia. Remi for short. Remington because it was another brand of firearm. Am I sounding crazy?” I began to blush and fidget. At the time, it made total sense to me. Now, maybe it seemed a little odd.
He was quiet for several minutes. I looked up to see his reaction to my crazy rationale. He appeared slightly taken aback.
“So you basically named her after me,” he said in a quiet voice.
“Well, yeah. I didn’t have your last name, or I would have given it to her, even though I couldn’t find you. So that was the most creative thing I could think of. It sounds a little weird, but it made sense at the time, and I liked the name.” I twisted my fork in my hand nervously. I hoped he didn’t think it was stupid.
“Thank you, baby. Every time we talk, I find more and more things you do that blow me away. You really are an amazing woman. I don’t deserve either of you, you know? I’m really a fucking mess inside. I’m not the same guy you met back then, and I probably wasn’t completely sane back then. I’ve kil—I’ve done things,” he whispered so Remi wouldn’t hear, “and I would do it again to keep my brothers, sisters, and my country safe. But you have made me selfish. I want you and Remi in my life; I just don’t know how it’ll all work out.” To hear him voice aloud the fact that he had ended people’s lives was a bit of a shock, despite knowing he had deployed as a sniper. I could also tell by his expression that he truly believed that he didn’t deserve us. I pushed my plate to the side and grasped his hands firmly in mine.
“Stop. You do deserve her. Everyone deserves to be loved and cared about. Reaper, you can act all hard and tough, but you really are a good man. Don’t sell yourself short. She adores you, and she just met you. I’ve been stuck on you for years because of how good you were to me that night, and again now. You could have told us to get lost, but you’ve embraced her like you’ve been there since day one. Now, change of subject but speaking of names… what’s up with ‘Reaper’ anyway? Why do they call you that?” His face went flat momentarily at my question before he met my eyes and tried to play it off as nonchalantly as he could. I was beginning to wonder if I had stepped out of line with my question.
“It was Hollywood—Mason—he had told the guys in the MC that I was a sniper. So for a little while, they called me One Shot for… uh well, then they switched to Reaper when I began to officially prospect.” He looked down at the table and my hands resting on his. “Anyway, it stuck.”
“It’s kind of sexy….” I wiggled my eyebrows in an exaggerated attempt to lift the mood and neutralize the somberness weighing heavy at the table.
He smirked and laughed as he shook his head at my ridiculous attempt at humor. God, I loved this man’s smile and the deep sound of his laughter. If I had my way, he would smile and laugh 24/7.
It was time for me to head back to the house and prepare for my trip back to Des Moines, but I was loathe to leave Remi and him behind. I told myself it was only two weeks; I could do this. I did break down and agree to let Erik set my phone up. I told him I would meet him at the MC’s clubhouse on my way out of town to pick it up.
HACKER HAD THE PHONE ready for me in record time. Snow had agreed to the resources used for the phone after I told him about Stephanie and Remi and where I hoped things were going. Hacker was fucking good at his job, and it amazed me how a guy who had been such a jock in high school could be such a brainiac computer nerd. The guy was truly indispensable with all the techno shit he did for the MC. If he couldn’t find the software or hardware for something we needed, he fucking created the shit. The man was a fucking genius, and I loved him. Next to Hollywood, he was probably my best friend. Part of it was that he had a rough deployment when he was in the Marines and so he, Hollywood, and I just got each other.
Joker knocked on the open doorframe to tell us there was a blonde chick named Steph, who had come into the garage office portion of the clubhouse, claiming to be here for me. I couldn’t hold back my grin. Jesus, I was so fucked. I couldn’t even hear her name without smiling like a fucking idiot. By the way Hacker was laughing at me, I could only imagine he saw it too.
“Fuck you,” I said to him with the smile still plastered on my face, and I followed Joker out to greet Steph and bring her back to Ha
cker. There was a rule in the MC that no bitches or old ladies were allowed in the clubhouse without the escort of a patched member. The only exception was if the member had to conduct business or was otherwise called away, a prospect could be placed as a guard, of sort, if she wasn’t escorted by her old man.
Club whores and the sluts, or “party girls,” who specifically came to the parties to brag about fucking a biker were the only exception, but these women all understood they were making themselves available to any member that took an interest. We had a strict rule that the specifics of the acts be consensual though. We didn’t condone rape, specific non-consensual sex acts, or underage girls. Period. No exceptions. Ever.
I arrived to the office at the front of the garage to see Stephanie looking around at the framed pictures of classic bikes, cars, and trucks we had either restored or customized. I felt a burst of pride knowing several of the pictures were personal pet projects of mine that I had a hand in. My favorite was a ’67 Camaro we had restored for some rich fucker down in Florida. It was a deep red with wide white racing stripes up the hood, which sloped along the hood scoop. Damn, that was a sexy-ass car. Not as sexy as the blonde standing there admiring the pictures though. Yeah, my fucking smile just got downright lecherous at the thoughts of everything I wanted to do to her in that moment.
When I slid my hands slowly around her hips, drawing her back into my stiffening cock, that I was not trying to hide from her for the record, she placed her hands on mine and looked over her shoulder at me. Those eyes. Fuck, they slayed me every time. I couldn’t resist biting down at the juncture of her neck and shoulder. When she squealed and spun away laughing, I had to force myself not to throw her over my shoulder caveman-style and haul her back to my room.
Colton's Salvation: A Demented Sons MC Novel Page 16
