Liam: Lost Breed MC Series, Book 10

by Parker, Ali

  Marley pushed herself up off the couch and disappeared in record time. I supposed if I was her, I might have wanted to escape this too.

  My uncle reached for the jacket and pulled it out of the box. “Hyde was young when he joined their MC. Only twenty or so. We were just kids, and I was on the straight and narrow, getting my foot in the door with my telecommunications company. I knew there was money to be made there. Success to earn. Your father had my back and pushed me to go for it, so I did. And while I was making strides in the corporate world, Hyde was immersing himself in the wrong crowd. At least, what I thought was the wrong crowd.”

  “And that’s when you two stopped talking?”

  My uncle nodded. “I didn’t want to be associated with it. So I cut our friendship cold turkey and never looked back. He chose them over me, and since then, I’d hated him for it. Then Liam… well, I think you know how good he is with words.”

  I smiled and nodded. “Yes.”

  “He told me things about Hyde I didn’t know. He told me why he joined the Lost Breeds and what the MC meant to him. And what it means to Liam.”

  I ran my hands down my thighs. “Which is what?”

  “Brotherhood. Loyalty. Family. All the things I wanted for myself and prioritized but saw through a different lens than Hyde.”

  I chewed my bottom lip. “Uncle Tom, I don’t think I quite understand why you’re telling me all this.”

  He sighed. “I want you to know what happened to Hyde. I want you to know everything. And then if you still choose Liam, at least you went into it with both eyes wide open.”

  “Choose Liam?”

  He nodded. “He’s a good boy, Genie. I misjudged him.”

  “What?” I asked. How had he changed his tune so quickly? What could Liam have possibly said to him that made the pendulum swing so far in the other direction?

  “I have a lot to tell,” my uncle said. “Let’s have that glass of wine, and I’ll tell you everything. Who he was and how he died.”

  I swallowed and nodded. “Okay.”

  Was I ready for this? Was it going to change everything?

  And, if it did, where did that leave me and Liam?

  If my uncle was all right with me seeing Liam again, I knew where my heart was and had been for weeks. And if my uncle trusted him, then I was ready to run full speed into his arms and never look back.

  But first, I had to hear how my uncle’s friend was murdered, and that might very well change my mind.

  Chapter 23

  Liam

  Owen handed me a beer, and I looked up at him from where I sat in the corner of Ryder’s sofa.

  “I didn’t shake it,” Owen said earnestly.

  I frowned.

  Owen sighed dramatically and popped the tab himself before pushing the beer in my hands. “I feel sorry enough for you right now, man. I wouldn’t do you dirty like that.”

  I accepted the beer with a gracious nod and gulped back the first half of the can. When I came up for air, I dragged the back of my hand across my lips. “I should have listened to you guys.”

  The men in the room with me, Ryder, Owen, Rhys, Jax, and Sabian, all nodded their agreement.

  Sabian was the one to pipe up. “You should have. But everything is clearer in hindsight. And you were the one living it, not us. It’s easier to see the answers from the outside looking in.”

  “That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t have listened to you,” I muttered.

  Owen clamped a hand on my shoulder and sat down beside me. “You’ll get past it, man. Give it time.”

  I wanted to believe him. I really did.

  But getting past someone like Genevieve seemed like an impossible feat. A feat harder than taking down Isaac Reed himself.

  So I sighed and drank more beer.

  Rhys watched me out of the corner of his eye. “You did the right thing, Liam.”

  “Then why do I still feel like shit?” I asked, looking at the five of them for answers.

  It was Ryder who answered. “That’s part of the gig, kid. Making tough choices. Taking the back seat. Watching other people carry on with their lives without you. It hurts like a bitch. But the right girl will come along one of these days. You just have to be ready when she does.”

  It was easy for him to say. He had Dani.

  They all had their version of Dani. Their women were their other halves, steady rocks in their lives who were always there for their man when the going got tough. I wanted that. God, did I want that. And for the briefest time, I had wholeheartedly believed I’d found it with Genevieve.

  Now here I was, nursing a beer and a broken heart.

  “Cheer up, pipsqueak,” Sabian drawled. “It’s not all bad. Look at the bright side. Now you’re free to hit the open waters again.”

  That wasn’t even remotely tempting, but I nodded anyway. “Yeah. I guess.”

  “Jamie thinks you’re cute,” Owen suggested.

  “Leave my little cousin out of this,” Jax growled.

  Owen laughed and held up both hands. “Relax. I’m just saying. She and Liam get along great. Always have. Maybe there’s something there?”

  I shook my head as Jax boiled in the corner. “No. Jamie and I are really good friends. That’s all. She’s like a sister to me.”

  “That’s better,” Jax said. “Besides. Last I heard, she was seeing someone.”

  “Really?” I asked.

  Jax nodded. “Don’t know his name or what he does. She won’t tell me. Says I’ll scare him.”

  I snorted. “Can’t say I blame her. She should at least test the waters and see what he’s made of before she terrorized him with the likes of you.”

  Jax shrugged. “Only the best for my little cousin.”

  Rhys pushed himself to his feet. “Another beer, Liam?”

  I looked at the nearly empty one in my hand. “No. I’m all right. I’m going to head home in a bit here.”

  Rhys nodded and disappeared into the kitchen, returning with a beer for himself and one for the president. The two of them cracked them open, and I amused myself by comparing the two of them.

  Rhys was younger by a good many years, but he had the same, “I don’t take any shit” air that Ryder had. Both men were powerhouses and leaders, and I thought back to the good old days in Chicago before everything went sideways and people started dying.

  Rhys was the man. He was in your corner always. He was there for you when nobody else was, and if you needed help, he’d give it. Hell, he’d give whatever he could to help you. Ryder was the same. They were both worthy of the men they led in their MCs, and I couldn’t believe how lucky we’d all gotten to have both of them in the same club as friends.

  Usually, men like them could be nothing but enemies.

  “We should get you laid, pipsqueak,” Sabian said, drawing my attention to him as he leaned against the fireplace. “What’s your type?”

  I shook my head. “Not interested.”

  Sabian arched an eyebrow and looked around at the other men in the room. “He’s not interested?”

  “Leave him be,” Rhys said. “Not all of us get over a woman by getting on top of another one, Sabian.”

  Had I not felt so lousy, I would have partaken in the playful banter that kicked off after Rhys’s comment. I listened instead, trying to find some solace in the laughter of my friends as they took jabs at one another’s expense.

  There was a knock on the door.

  Rhys glanced at Ryder. “Were you expecting other members?”

  Ryder shook his head and got to his feet. “No.”

  Rhys stood as well. The two of them went to the door, giving us a look to stay put. Unannounced visitors had a tendency to put Ryder on edge these days, especially at this late hour of the night when his son and woman were sleeping just down the hall.

  Owen, Sabian, Jax, and I glanced around at each other as we waited. We heard the door open. Then we heard muted voices, and the front door closed. Someone new had come inside.
Ryder was talking to them, but I couldn’t make out what the newcomer was saying.

  Rhys came back into the living room first and shot me a knowing smirk. He stepped aside and was followed by two young women.

  Genevieve and Marley.

  I instantly popped up to my feet.

  Genevieve moved into the living room with Marley right on her heels. Her best friend practically clung to her back as Genevieve came toward me and stopped a couple feet away. She looked nervous and rightly so. She’d just walked into the home of the president of the Lost Breed MC.

  She wrung her hands. “Um. Hi.”

  “Hi,” I said.

  Ryder came in behind the two women and instantly went to sit in his chair. He had the air of a man who was about to kick his heels up and enjoy the show.

  Sabian, Jax, and Owen leaned in close to each other and muttered something in each other’s ear before chuckling.

  I shot them a dark look. “Shut up.”

  They all snickered like schoolboys.

  Genevieve swallowed and looked around the room anxiously before settling her stare on me. Then she smiled. “It’s good to see you.”

  “You too. But I have to ask… what are you doing here? How did you find me?”

  “Rude,” Marley hissed over Genevieve’s shoulder.

  Genevieve waved her friend down. “I… I needed to see you and Uncle Tom told me where I might find you. Um.” She looked around the room again. Clearly, we had too big of an audience for her to find her words. I couldn’t blame her. The MC men could be more than a little intimidating.

  So, I was caught completely off guard when she lifted her chin with determination, moved forward, grabbed the front of my shirt, and kissed me like her life depended on it.

  Sabian threw his fist in the air and hooted and hollered like a sports fan. Owen whistled then high-fived Jax. Rhys stayed quiet while Ryder chuckled, clearly pleased with this turn of events.

  When Genevieve pulled away, her cheeks were bright pink, and her eyes sparkled with joy. “I needed to do that.”

  I wanted to kiss her again.

  She still had my shirt clutched in her fingers as she looked me in the eye. “Liam, I pick the wrong guys every time. Like clockwork. I pick the guys with a chip on their shoulder and a point to prove. The guys with jealousy issues and tempers. The liars. The ones who hurt me and everyone else around them. And here I am, falling for a biker.”

  I licked my lips. “And? Is that bad?”

  “I don’t know yet,” she whispered. “I really don’t. But I want to know what this is. I want to give us more time. Because I’ve never felt the way I do when I’m with you. And it would be a shame to end things just because you have a different lifestyle than mine. Especially because I think that’s the reason I like you so much.”

  “What about your uncle?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “He’s on board. Whatever you said to him changed his mind. Changed everything. Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  She gave me a beautiful smile. “For redeeming his friend in his eyes and giving him the chance to grieve.”

  “Oh,” I breathed. I hadn’t expected that.

  Genevieve bit her bottom lip and stepped in closer to me before looking around the room at the men. “Which one of you is Ryder?”

  Her boldness turned me on. She was asking for my president like a damn boss.

  Ryder got to his feet.

  Genevieve had to tilt her head back to look up at him, and she released my shirt so she could hold out her hand to him. He took it and shook it as he gazed down at her. “I wanted to thank you,” she said softly. “For giving Hyde’s jacket to my uncle. I know it must mean something to you, too. I want you to know my uncle will take good care of it. It is very special to him. And it’s the only thing he has left to remember his friend. Your friend.”

  Ryder nodded. “It belongs with him.”

  Genevieve looked around the room. “I’m sorry for what happened to him. For what happened to all of you. For Hyde. And Jason. And Max.”

  Rhys stiffened by the fireplace.

  Genevieve turned her attention back to me. “And I’m sorry I didn’t reach out sooner. I’m sorry I let my uncle’s hatred cloud my vision of you. I’m sorry I didn’t fight harder and come find you and—”

  “Genevieve,” I said, cupping her cheek and pulling her in close. “You have nothing to be sorry about. Nothing.”

  Her cheeks turned rosy again as she smiled up at me. “Promise?”

  “Promise.”

  Sabian cleared his throat. “Just kiss her already.”

  I grinned.

  Genevieve’s eyes closed as I leaned in and pressed my lips to hers. The room erupted in cheers as she clung to me and the kiss deepened. My heart filled with joy that pushed out all the grief and pain that had made a home there over the last couple of days.

  This was how things were supposed to be.

  I’d known it the first time I saw her.

  “Hey,” a sharp female voice cut through the cheering.

  Genevieve and I broke apart, and everyone looked toward the hallway where Dani stood in her fleece house robe. Her dark hair was drawn up, her eyes were heavy with sleep, and she had a steely gaze set on Ryder. “Some of us are trying to sleep.”

  Ryder winced. “Sorry, babe.”

  Dani’s gaze flicked to Genevieve and Marley before she self-consciously drew her robe a little tighter. “Sorry. I didn’t know we had company.”

  I pulled Genevieve along behind me to Dani. “Genevieve, this is Dani, Ryder’s partner in crime. She’s a detective with the NYPD. Dani, this is my girl, Genevieve.”

  Dani smiled and instantly looked less tired. She shook Genevieve’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Genevieve. Liam has told us a lot about you. Like, a lot.”

  Genevieve giggled as I introduced everyone to Marley. The poor girl had been standing there like a fly on the wall, looking around at all the big bikers in fear. Once they got her talking, she relaxed a bit.

  I pulled Genevieve in close as we took a seat on Ryder’s sofa. “I’m going to take you home after this.”

  She snuggled in close. “How soon can we leave without it being rude?”

  I laughed. “We’re bikers, Genevieve. Don’t worry about being rude.”

  Chapter 24

  Genevieve

  I’d only been sitting on Ryder’s sofa for a grand total of half an hour when Liam squeezed my knee. “I think it’s time,” he muttered.

  “I just got here,” I said. I was painstakingly aware of everyone in the room and didn’t want to offend anyone by leaving earlier.

  Well, “offend” wasn’t the right word. I didn’t want them to think I was afraid.

  I wanted them to believe I was perfectly at ease there, especially with Liam by my side. They were his people and his family, and if I wanted to be part of his life, then I needed them to be my family too.

  My stomach flipped over. That was an insane thought.

  Liam turned his head to the side to hide his face from the others and dropped his voice very low. “I want you on your back. Naked. Screaming my name. Now.”

  I pinched my knees together. Oh God.

  “Stop it,” I hissed, willing him to behave.

  I tore my eyes away from him and instantly locked eyes with Dani.

  She gave me a knowing smile before looking around the room. “All right, boys. Time to clear out. I have a sleeping child in the next room, and if any of you wake him up, you’re on night duty. Got it?”

  I wanted to hug her.

  The men all grumbled and complained but did as they were asked, and soon, Liam, Marley, and I were being ushered out the front door to our vehicles in the driveway. Liam walked to an old F150 parked in the driveway and tugged open the passenger door. “I’ll drive you home, Marley. Climb on in.”

  She looked up at his massive old truck. “I think we should have asked your driver to stay. There’s only one seat
.”

  He chuckled. “Yeah. I know. Get in.”

  I pushed past her to climb up and sit in the middle seat. She got in behind me, and we sat hip to hip. Then Liam got in the driver’s side and started it up. The truck was loud as hell, and when we pulled out of the driveway and took off down the road, the seat vibrated under my ass as the engine rumbled.

  It was a cruel tease. My body was already high strung and eager for Liam’s touch. Having Marley on my other side was horrifying and a painful reminder that I couldn’t just reach over and rub his crotch.

  Not yet, at least.

  Soon, she would be dropped off, and Liam and I would have this whole bench seat to ourselves.

  I was chomping at the bit by the time we pulled into her driveway.

  Marley popped her door open and then turned back to us. “Thanks for driving me, Liam. Tonight was nice. Your friends are—”

  “Okay bye, Marley,” I said, leaning across her and pushing her door open the rest of the way. “I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

  “Genie, what the hell? Can you—”

  “Sorry. Can’t talk. Get out.”

  Marley blinked at me before she processed what was happening. Then a knowing smile stretched her cheeks, and she winked at me. “Be safe, kids. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

  She climbed out of the truck. She turned back to say something else, but I’d already closed and locked the door behind her. She shook her head at us as I told Liam to back up, and by the time he pulled out onto the street, I had my hand on his cock and my other sinking into his hair.

  He was already hard.

  “So you’ve been thinking about it too?” I whispered in his ear.

  His grip tightened on the wheel. “You’re going to make me crash, woman.”

  “It would be the sexiest crash of all time.”

  He chuckled deeply as I slipped a finger into the waistband of his pants. “Why don’t you just find a nice dark place to pull over? Hmm?”

  “Fuck,” he growled.

  “Is that a yes?”

  “Do you think I could ever say no to you?”