by Ryan Michele
As Bristyl tightens even more around me, I burst inside of her just as she screams out her release. The air around us is hot, and I have to brace myself against the counter for a moment to get my bearings.
Fuck, she’s the best lay I’ve ever had, and the only one I’ll have from now on. Damn, I love this woman.
Pulling out of her, she instantly closes her legs and jumps down from the counter. She wobbles a bit, but regains herself quickly.
“Wow, that was a welcome home.”
Reaching down, I pull my pants up over my hips, my covered dick hanging out. “Beautiful, it’s just the beginning.” I lean over and kiss her hard.
Damn. Now this is the way my life is supposed to be.
“I’ve got an interview at the grocery store and that little hardware store tomorrow,” Bristyl tells me as we lie in bed, waiting for sleep to consume us.
“Got somethin’ for ya.”
She lifts her head and rests her chin on my chest as I look down at her.
“What’s that?”
“Ravage is going into the mini-storage business, and I need you to help me with it.”
“You want to give me a job?”
“The club will.”
“This feels a bit like déjà vu.”
I have no doubt that it does, but there is one big difference.
“The difference is, you’re my ol’ lady. Mine. Good or bad, up or down, we deal with it together. You know your shit when it comes to this, and we need your knowledge. Yes, Ravage will pay you, and pay you well. We’re working out all the details now.”
“Aren’t you afraid this will end—you and me? That we’ll get sick of each other or something?”
“Nope,” I answer straight. “You’re the only woman I’ve ever wanted to sleep next to. You’re the only woman I’ve went out of my way to see. You’re the only woman who makes me laugh in a way I didn’t know possible. You’re it. I’m it. We make this work no matter what.”
“I’m falling in love with you,” she whispers.
I smile. “Damn good thing, beautiful, because I’m already there, and that’s where this is going. The forever.”
Her eyes widen at my words, and a small gasp leaves her lips. “You do?”
“Yeah, beautiful.”
She climbs up my body, plants her lips on mine, and shows me exactly how much she loves me, too.
23
Bristyl
“I miss you,” Leah says through the phone.
It’s been a little more than three weeks since I left Florida.
“Miss you, too.”
“Sure, you’ve got McHottie up there. I bet he’s keeping you nice and busy.” She laughs, a sound that I miss. Like having someone to talk to, do my nails with who’s not a testosterone-filled male.
“Yeah, he does. You should come visit.”
“I’d love to. My parents will throw a hissy fit, but whatever.”
“So, what’s new?”
The conversation with Leah is nice, familiar, and enjoyable. Her stories about second chance romances and a new phone call prank that their friends set them up on are entertaining. She can always make me laugh.
After getting off the phone, I look around our new home. It’s beautiful. The dark slate walls on some of the accents, the beige on the others, and the rock fireplace give this room such a warm, happy feeling. Add in the brown sectional couch and two recliners with end tables, and it’s perfect.
Cooper and I fought over them. Well, not really fought. I wanted to find used; he refused. I wanted to buy them; he refused. It led to another one of our discussions that ended up with him fucking me senseless and me giving in. It’s our way though, and I love it.
I love him. So lucky how that all works. I wish my mom were here, though. If she could see the way Cooper and I are together, she would be happy for us. Happy for me. For us. I can feel her deep inside me like a warm hug.
Letting those thoughts out of my head, I sit at the computer and get to work. In the last week, Cooper and I have found two different potential spots for the mini-storage. It’s my job now to figure out which is going to give us more bang for our buck.
This whole job is fun. Not only do I get to work with Cooper, it’s exciting seeing something come from nothing and being in on the planning. We have a meeting with Pops and the club in a few days to go over all the plans. My ducks will all be in rows before that.
The knock on the door has me pulling away from the kitchen table where my laptop sets. Going to the door and looking out the peephole, my breath catches.
Princess. Holy shit. What’s his mother doing here?
Cooper and I have spent most of our time together here at the house, giving us some time to get in our groove. We haven’t been at the clubhouse much; therefore, I haven’t seen any of the Ravage MC.
I suck in a calming breath, put my shoulders back, and open the door, my heart beating so fast it’s ready to jump out at any moment.
“Hi,” I greet on a smile.
“Hey, we’re gonna talk,” she demands.
While that doesn’t sit right with me, she is Cooper’s mother, so I give her that respect.
“Sure, come on in.” I back away from the door, and Princess glides in, taking off her sunglasses and looking around the place.
“It’s nice. Can tell you did it, though. Coop can’t coordinate anything.”
I chuckle. “Thanks. That’s why the shirts with jeans. Can’t go wrong with that.”
We move to the living room, and an awkwardness settles around us. We ended on good terms. Well hell, maybe not.
She takes a seat on the couch, and I opt for the chair.
“So, what’s going on?” I ask.
She smirks. “Direct. I like that.” She shakes her head. “You need to come around the clubhouse with Cooper. You’re his, and you need to make that statement to the club. Everyone at the club.”
“Oooookay,” I say, not really knowing what else to say.
“Coop told me about your momma. I’m sorry about that, hon. It sucks, but you seem to have a good head on your shoulders. After all, Coop’s damn picky, and he wouldn’t make that mistake.” I sit, listening and taking it in. “In Ravage, you need to make your presence known as being Cooper’s. There are a lot of greedy bitches out there who will do anything they can to get their hooks in him.” She laughs. “I heard what you did to Tina. That shit’s priceless.”
Hell, I still can’t believe I punched a woman.
“You need to show everyone that you’re by your man’s side every step of the way. That means coming to the club on the back of his bike. That means helping out in the kitchen when we have get-togethers, which I will tell you is often. You’re the next generation of the Ravage MC ol’ ladies, and you set the precedence for everyone who follows you. Younger, older, it doesn’t matter because you’re in. They will look to you for guidance.”
“But I don’t know much. My parents kept me pretty far away from the club life. I only went to Sinisters for barbecues and stayed mostly with my mother.”
“It’s not like that here. You’ll see when we have our first one. You chip in, help out, and let your man know that you have his back at all costs. You also make sure you know when is enough, especially in front of the brothers. Ravage has a code they live by. They respect us, but we are not members of the club. Your man is, and you need to show him that respect.”
Memories of my mother float through my head. I can hear her saying those exact words to me when I was young and learning.
“My mom told me the same thing, but you saying them helped me remember.”
She places her hand on mine and gives a little squeeze. “Life is tough. There’ll be ups, and there’ll be downs. It’s how you handle them that makes all the difference. You love my boy?” I nod. “And that’s what matters. Love. Love is what binds us all together. We have that, we’re strong. We lose it, we’re weak. Ravage is never weak, and we never back down. You need to make sure
that your position is said loud and clear. And bitches like Tina, you’ll take down if needs be.”
“I get it. We’ll make it a point.”
“Good. Now tell me about these units and what kind of money they could bring in.”
On this, I blow out a breath, get my computer, and begin to explain. Two hours later, we are laughing as Cooper walks in the door.
“Mom? What’s up?” he asks, tossing his keys on the table by the door and coming my way. He wraps his arms around me and pulls me tightly to him.
“Just hangin’ out with your woman. But I’d better get going.” She rises from the chair, grabs my hand, and squeezes. “You’ll make a good ol’ lady. Stick with me, and I’ll teach you everything you need to know.”
“Mom, I don’t think that’s a good idea at all.”
Princess puts her hand on her hip and looks up at her son. “I know you’re joking right now because, if you’re not, I’m going to have to lay you out in front of your woman.”
He laughs. “That’s the shit I’m talkin’ about. Bristyl’s good; let’s keep her that way.”
Princess laughs. “You should have gotten a job as a comedian, boy. Good? You’re around Ravage now, everything is going to open her eyes.” She moves toward the door. “See you two at the clubhouse next Sunday night for dinner. Oh, and maybe we’ll take a go-around in the ring.”
My breath catches. She can’t be serious.
Cooper gives me a squeeze as I answer, “We’ll be there, but not in the ring.”
“We’ll see.” Princess leaves.
“Care to tell me what that was about?” he asks.
I turn in his arms. He’s so damn handsome he takes my breath way knowing he’s mine. All mine.
“She’s just helping me out and giving advice. I’m not sure about the ring thing, though.”
He chuckles. “She’ll teach you a thing or two. Who does she want to beat the hell out of now?”
I laugh because that comment doesn’t surprise me in the least. “No one. She’s a good woman. I like her.”
“Good, since you’ll be seeing a lot of her.”
“Yeah.” Lifting on my tiptoes, I plant a kiss on his lips. “Glad you’re home.”
“Me, too.” He lets out a deep breath. “But we gotta talk about somethin’.”
“This is the same thing as Leah telling me her harebrained idea of meeting that jerk at the rally. If it’s bad, Cooper, I don’t wanna hear it.”
“Your dad.”
This stops me.
“What about him? Is he hurt?”
“No, beautiful. He wants to talk to you, and I really think you should.”
It makes me nervous, which is confusing. I thought we would talk about anything else. Now, everything is messed up.
He’s sorry, and I get that, but it doesn’t change what he tried to do. My heart can’t take any more breakage from my family. At the same time, it hurts not having my father and brothers in my life. It’s almost like reliving the pain of losing my mother all over again, only now I have the power to do something about it. Forgiveness comes easier when you lost someone so precious to you.
It’s time. He reached out, and I’m ready to close this door so I don’t have to live in the past any more.
“I’ll call him.”
“No need. We’re headin’ down tomorrow.”
My eyes widen in shock. “What?”
“He called the clubhouse and asked if we’d come down. He apologized to me and said he wants to do it with you in person. And your brothers want to talk to you.”
“Wow.” It takes me a moment to gather my thoughts. It’s so sudden, like bam, in my face, but it’s all good. “Okay, that’s fine. I can do this.”
“Beautiful, you can do anything you put your mind to.” He leans down and kisses me. His lips are the softest thing I ever want to touch mine for the rest of my life.
24
Bristyl
“Why am I so nervous?” I ask Cooper, wringing my hands for the hundredth time as he comes back to the truck with the key to our room.
We are in Crest at one of the chain hotels, and I can’t stop fidgeting. My body is a tight wire, ready to snap and zap everything and anything around me. He’s my father. There’s no reason to be nervous, yet I can’t help it. Those feelings of never belonging and him wanting to push me to do something I didn’t want to, they ride me hard. They pull me to a place I don’t like. Nevertheless, I’m a grown-ass woman, and I will do this.
“Because he’s your dad. I can still go with you, Bristyl. You don’t need to go alone.”
I suck in a breath, hoping it will calm me. It does a little. “No, I need to go to him on my own and do this. And tomorrow, we’ll go to breakfast as planned.”
We get out of his truck, and Cooper leads us to the room. After pulling myself together, it’s time to face the music.
“I’m gonna sleep for a bit. When you get back, you can take me to dinner.”
I laugh. “I thought the guy was supposed to take the woman?”
“Beautiful, you’re from here; you’ll know where to get me a steak.”
I stand up on my tiptoes, hand on his chest, and kiss him. “You got it. I’ll only be a couple of hours.”
“You’ll be fine. You need to call me when you get there and when you’re leaving.” He wasn’t too happy about the plan to let me go on my own, but this is something I need. I want my father to tell me what’s going on. I want to hear from him and him alone. Having Cooper there may influence what he tells me. It’s time to woman up and get this shit done.
“I will.”
He smacks my ass on the way out, the door clicking behind him.
Driving his truck is fun as hell. It’s a huge four-by-four, and I have to jump to get in the thing. Makes me feel like I can run over just about anything and everything in my way.
When I’m waved into the gates of Sinister Sons, my brain fills with memories. Some great, and some bad of recent.
I can still feel Wolf in this place as I drive up. I shake my head quickly to forget. Wolf deserved what he got. I just wish none of us would have been there to see any of it.
The door opens, and my father stands by the side of it. My pulse picks up, and I swear my heart is going to jump out of my chest.
“Baby girl, I’m so damn sorry,” he says as I jump down from the truck. He then envelops me in his arms, and tears form in my eyes. When he kisses the top of my head, my body shakes. Then, when he pulls away from me, his hands don’t leave my arms. “I fucked up. Bad. I gotta live with that. Never did I want that for you. Never. And I shoulda put an end to it as soon as it was brought up. It’s over now. No one will ever ask something like that of you again.”
I can only nod, too afraid to speak and have my voice crack.
“Love you so damn much. Only ever wanted the best for you. If that’s not in Sinisters, then so be it. But you’re my baby girl.”
Blowing out a deep breath, I ask, “It was all because he said so?”
My father shakes his head, let’s go of me, and runs his fingers over his mustache and down his face. “Come.” He directs me over to a set of picnic tables that I frequented a lot during my time here on lunch breaks. We sit, him across from me.
“Can’t tell you a lot.”
I nod again in understanding.
“But, yeah. Wolf wanted you in the fold. He pressured me to get you in, and that’s my mistake.”
“You had to know I’d never do anything like that, Dad.”
“Part of me hoped you wouldn’t and would get the hell away from here.” He looks down at the table, then at his hands. “Things haven’t been right around here for a while, but I’m in charge now, and I’m gonna make it right. All of it. We’re going back to the way it was. The way it should be.”
“That’s good. Stone, Hunter, and Racer need that, Dad.”
“You need it, too.”
My eyes drift off to the distance, lost in momentary thou
ght. “Not here, though. I decided that I need to carve a piece out of life and make it my own. Not what you want or anyone, but what I want. I want to be with Cooper. He’s part of the Ravage MC, so that means I’m part of them.”
“But, baby girl, you’re doing the same thing that was asked of you with Sterling.”
My eyes bore into my father. “No, it’s not. The difference is that I love him, Dad, and he loves me. There’s more to life than a title. Love without it, there is nothing.” A funny feeling washes over me like the sun got a little bit brighter for a moment. My mom. Thanks.
He sits back. “Got it. He treat you good?”
“The best.”
“He’d better.”
An unusual silence comes over us as my brothers come to the table. They’re not loud and rowdy like always. They’re more timid, and as twisted as I may be, I like that they are. It shows me that they know they were wrong.
“Sorry, Bristyl.” Racer pulls me up from my seat and wraps me in his arms. “Didn’t want to tell you that shit. Didn’t want you anywhere near any of it. I’m so damn sorry.”
I wrap my arms around my brother. “Thank you. I needed to hear you say that.”
“You forgive me?” he asks, pulling back and looking in my eyes.
“We’ll work on building that bridge we had together. It’ll take a while, but we’ll get there.”
Stone pulls me in, and then Hunter, all saying the same things. Then we sit at the picnic table, and it’s as if a switch has been lifted. My brothers go back to their ornery selves, and my father busts their asses for it.
When it’s time to say goodbye, I feel so much better.
I turn the truck over, and a calmness comes over me. We’re going to be okay. It will take some work, but we’ll get there. I love them, they love me, so it will work.
I pull my phone out, ready to call Cooper, when my phone rings and Leah’s name comes up.
“Hey!” I say cheerfully, ready to tell her that I’m home and we need to meet up.
