by Nicole Snow
I told her I didn't need one. I just needed Firefly, a ring, and someone official who could make us tie the knot.
She wasn't having it. Her eyes twinkled as she grabbed me by the shoulders, nearly knocking the water out of my hands.
“You wait! Don't let any of the guys start a damned thing 'til you're all dolled up. I'll put in a word with Dusty myself!” She winked, and trotted off to find her son.
Hard to believe Laynie once raised the MC's fearsome leader. Hell, I'd have to think about raising my own son or daughter soon. I hoped I'd still have a fraction of her energy when I hit my sixties.
“Let's get moving, darlin'. I'm eager as fuck to get down to it.” Firefly pulled me off the stool and wrapped his arms around me, grabbing my hips.
“Hold up. Laynie wants to help me find a dress,” I whispered, tilting my face to kiss him from the side.
Yeah, forget getting old. I wasn't thinking about what I'd be like at Laynie's age anymore.
Today was a day like I'd never imagined. I leaned into him, just savoring the moment. More grateful than ever before that we both had a long, bright future ahead.
And today – sweet, sweet today – was just the beginning.
“Babe, fuck, you look hot no matter what you're wearing.” Smiling, Firefly grabbed my ass, pulling my hips to his. “No more delays. Let's get Laynie's guy here and do it.”
“Come on, Huck. I'll look so hot in lily white you might have to spank me for the tease.”
“Shit.” His eyes went wide, giving me a perfect view of those big, blue eyes I loved. “Fuck...you're gonna get your ass slapped here before the ceremony if you say much more.”
I stuck my tongue out at him. It was all the taunting he needed before his lips clamped down on mine, hot and electric.
“All right, whatever,” he growled, reluctantly pulling away. “You get your shit together with the Prez's mama. I'll make sure the brothers are all ready. Gotta get my sister out here too.”
“Oh? I finally get to meet Hannah?”
It was strange that we'd stayed at her huge, luxurious house through all this without ever meeting her. Still, there was nowhere I'd rather be than back in our apartment, a perfectly cozy start to something amazing.
“'Course you do, darlin'. You're family now.”
I smiled like a fool for the dozenth time that day. Listening to him dial, I heard him start talking while I sipped the last of my water, laying a gentle hand across my womb.
Family. That was a word I'd be hearing a lot in the near future. I thought I'd lost it forever when daddy selfishly took his life.
Sure, I had a lot to learn, but it warmed me like nothing else to know I had one. It hadn't been taken away. I'd taken it back.
And knowing how Firefly did everything big and bold – especially between the sheets – this first baby wouldn't be our last.
A couple hours later, I stood in his old room at the clubhouse, helping Laynie shape everything in the mirror. The neat white dress she'd picked out looked a little old fashioned, with one noticeable difference.
The short white skirt attached was made for a woman to tighten up and ride off after tying the knot. Something she'd had custom made years ago when she'd gotten married to Dust's father, Early.
“See? It's like you were meant to wear it!” she said, her wrinkled face smiling as she clasped her hands together. “Turn around.”
I gave myself a little whirl, and we both laughed. “Backside okay?”
“Okay? Girl, you look gorgeous! You're really going to turn his crank tonight.”
Laughing more, we hugged, and then I heard music starting outside. Men laughed, chairs slid across the big bar section of the clubhouse, rearranging everything into a makeshift space for our wedding.
Oh, God. It's really happening, isn't it?
“Go ahead, Cora,” Laynie said, as if she could read my mind, a thousand memories flashing in her eyes. “Go get married.”
The same wiry preacher man who'd almost hitched us before stood behind the podium, looking like a turtle. He read the script I'd heard a hundred times in movies and songs.
Do you take this man...in sickness and in health...'til death do you part?
It all washed over me. I looked at Firefly for a long, hot second, the most intense of my life. Behind us, a couple brothers shifted in their seats.
Somewhere, Bingo whined. I heard Joker reach down, scratching the giant wolfhound's muzzle.
“No.” As soon as I said it, the room was alive with gasps, sounds of men and women choking. Preacher man's jaw dropped. He looked ready to sink into his shell of a suit.
I made sure to shout the next part.
“I say it because just telling him 'I do' isn't nearly good enough. You, Firefly, saved my life. You saved me from the past. Hell, you saved me from myself. I would've said yes to being your wife just to repay you, but you're luckier than that. We both are. I do, Firefly...Huck...because I really, truly love you.”
Grabbing his hand, I brought it to my lips. The look of awesome shock on his strong, handsome face evaporated into a mischievous smirk.
Preacher man waited for the chatter to die down, and then he continued, this time putting my man on the spot with the same fateful question.
Do you take this woman...your lawfully wedded wife...for better, for worse, 'til death do you part?
“Fuck no.”
My heart almost stopped. Once again, more gasps, more shocks, more manic energy rippling through the crowd of bikers, plus the few women along for the ride. It got so loud Bingo let out a yip, and Joker had to grab his collar just to calm him down.
“Babe, just taking you ain't half good enough.” Firefly looked at the crowd, and then at me, waiting for the madness to settle down. “You stepped into a world of shit, the one I'd been in for God knows how long. You came out on the other side better, stronger, and you made me love. Every damned second. Love you, Cora. Own you. Gonna keep you mine forever.”
Preacher man smiled, staring at us while several more rowdy brothers let out loud hollers. At last, he said the words we'd been waiting for since we'd stepped up to the strangest altar I'd ever seen. The only one I'd ever stand in front of, promising the rest of my life to this man.
“By the power vested in me by the great state of Tennessee, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now –“
“Just fuckin' kiss her!” Sixty shouted, laughing as he was dragged back violently into his seat by several wild bikers.
And he did. Good God, Firefly kissed me!
So deep, so hot, so blinding I could barely feel my fingers and toes.
For one wondrous second, there was nothing but him, this kiss, and our baby inside me.
He owned me, just like he'd said, but he didn't realize what that fully meant.
Thankfully for us, I had a few good decades to show him, every single day of our crazy lives.
Brothers roared, slapped each other on their backs, and exchanged so many rowdy jokes a troop of Marines would've blushed. We sat at the head of the table, feasting on good barbecue and the best apple pie a la mode I'd ever had.
The badasses around us banged their bottles constantly, urging us to kiss. Bingo howled through the commotion, adding to the joyful chaos. I was used to the fork and glass thing at normal weddings, but this...well, nothing about it was traditional.
And that's why I loved it. A couple hours in, after we were full and happy, surrounded by friends and family, I couldn't keep my lips off him anymore.
Something about the flashpoint wedding, dressed in this old lily white skirt and matching heels, just made me feel like a virgin again.
One who was ready to give everything up to him tonight.
We'd just gotten through having our first real conversation as man and wife with Huck's sister. Hannah sounded more rough and tumble than I'd expected, a country girl at heart, despite her wild success in business.
I smiled the whole way through and laughed at her jokes – surp
risingly dirty. She elbowed Firefly in the side, whispering not-so-quietly in his face.
“Go get her, bro. I'm glad it won't be at my place this time. Poor Mika had a ton of cleaning after you moved out. Those sheets took several cycles to rinse, you know.”
“Aw, fuck me, sis,” he growled, playfully shielding himself as she punched his arm. “You're gonna be on the receiving end one day. You can only fuck around with gazillionaires for so long before one of 'em wants more than a hot new deal for making coin.”
She stuck her tongue out, and we all laughed. I sipped my sparkling cider – non-alcoholic, of course – enjoying the sweet, sugary fizz along my tongue. Dust appeared over Hannah's shoulder.
“What the fuck you two still doing here?” he said, his cold gray eyes shining. “Hit the road and get this gal out on her honeymoon, boy. That's an order. Besides, I'm fixing to borrow your sis for a minute. Got something business-like to discuss in the backroom.”
Hannah and Dust shared a hungry look. My chest tightened, and I pawed at Firefly's hand, hoping nothing insane would happen.
Firefly just looked at both of them, standing a little taller. “Club business, or personal?”
“You wouldn't understand how to mix business and pleasure, Huck,” Hannah chirped, slowly sizing up the huge, handsome MC President with her eyes. Judging by the way she flipped her hair over her shoulder, she liked what she saw.
And what girl wouldn't? There wasn't an ugly man in the entire club. Lucky for me, I'd bagged the handsomest one of all.
“Whatever. I'm too damned happy today to give a damn,” Firefly said, turning to me and squeezing my hand. “Come on, darlin'. Let's blow this fuckin' bash.”
We turned to go, and we were halfway to the garages when Dust caught up to us. He grabbed me by the shoulder, and I stopped in my tracks, staring anxiously at the look of tension on his face.
“Had to come out here and say it, Cora. I think Jimmy would be proud. You've got your reasons for hating your old man, yeah, nobody's gonna blame you. You found yourself a good man,” he said, looking at Firefly, too. “My old buddy would've shit bricks if he'd found out you were marrying a biker. Hell, I nearly did myself, 'til I realized my boy here really meant this fuckin' crush. But he'd be happy, knowing you're with a good man. Hope it's helped him find peace, wherever he is. Oughta do the same for you, too.”
“That means a lot, Dust. Thank you.” I smiled, trying not to let the sadness of losing daddy so suddenly creep back into my heart.
“You enjoy yourselves. This glorious lovin' only happens once in a man and woman's life.” We both nodded solemnly, letting his words sink in, and Dust walked back to Hannah, leaving us to finish our short walk to Firefly's bike.
His words turned over in my mind on the way out the door. I'd thought about daddy a lot lately, somewhere in the space between getting tortured by monsters and falling in love.
He'd been a selfish, stupid prick for getting himself killed, for taking his own life. But he was also family, and that was beginning to mean the world to me with the baby on the way.
Firefly helped me put on my helmet and then took the seat in front of me, driving us to the gate. It was finally hot outside, the first sweet, sticky day of many, starting a typical Smoky Mountain summer.
We were planning to ride free, wherever the roads took us for the next week or more. We'd probably wind up somewhere around Gatlinburg and take in the touristy attractions for a few days, before we found ourselves a cozy cabin deep in the forests.
The sun shined bright and hot, but the air was crisp. My man was even hotter.
He was hard, and wonderfully ready for me, rippling underneath my fingertips as I held onto him. We took the winding roads leading deeper into the mountains with a smile on our faces, both knowing we had at least a solid week ahead with nothing but fun, love, and excitement.
I hadn't been this happy since the day I'd lost my father. Hell, maybe not even before then.
Life went on. The wedding proved it, and so did the fact that we were about to start a family.
Why should I hold onto the hate, the anger, the bitterness weighing down my heart? I had to set it free.
When we took a tight turn and I knew Firefly couldn't hear me over the growl of the engine, I mouthed the words, just a soft whisper disappearing in biker thunder.
I forgive you, daddy. I'll love you, always.
You were only human, and so am I.
I won't make your mistakes. But I won't hold them against you any longer.
I'll do better. I'll miss you.
Mark my words, your grandkids will grow up with the happiest smiles on their faces anyone's ever seen.
We passed the exit to Gatlinburg a short while later. I squeezed his shoulders, pushing my face close to his ear, fighting to keep my lips off him.
“What's with the detour?”
“Gonna take you somewhere special,” he said. “By the time we get into town, half the shit'll be deserted and the fucks will move slow as molasses to get us checked in anyway. Can't wait that long, Cora. Can't fucking wait.”
He reached up and squeezed my hand, slowing as we turned onto an unpaved forest road. Little pebbles bounced all around us, jumping away from the bike. Thankfully, he'd slowed us down, taking us deeper, through the narrow veil of trees hanging overhead.
When he stopped near a couple large rocks and cut the engine, I heard it. A soft, peaceful stream burbled nearby, lending a natural white noise to this whole stretch of forest.
Overhead, the moonlight poured in through breaks in the trees and the kudzu vines, blanketing us in a soft, almost otherworldly glow. Firefly looked at me, his cold blue eyes big, bright, and finally, warm.
“It's beautiful out here. How do you find these places?”
He smiled, stepping toward me, pulling me into his arms. “Babe, I've got a whole damned map burned into my brain marking all the places I'm gonna fuck you someday. This one's a good start for our honeymoon.”
His hand slid slow, moving down my back, before he stopped on my ass and cupped it. I let out a moan for a split second, before his hungry lips covered mine.
We kissed. We twined tongues. We wedged our bodies together closer than the rocks lining the stream. Gradually, he led me toward it, into the clearing where more lovely moonlight filled the night.
“Fuck,” Firefly snarled, pulling me down to the ground with him. He tore at my clothes, nearly shredding poor Laynie's skirt.
I had to fight him to take it off without any damage, keeping my promise to return it to her in one piece. Once my sleek, bare legs were wrapped around him, there was no stopping him.
He tore at my top, threw off his own clothes, and hauled me up on his knees. The man looked so good out here in nature, so rough and primal, that I almost came the second he took my nipple in his mouth.
His teeth locked around it, all while his hand aggressively mauled my other breast.
Hungry. Possessive. Fucking hot.
My fingers reached across his shoulders, touching his back. I dragged my nails across his skin, careful not to rip him up, but wanting to just the same.
We'd shared too much blood, sweat, and tears. Tonight, we'd share bodies yet again.
I wondered why it always felt like it was new, exciting, and forbidden. He reminded me when his face sunk lower, kissing and nipping down my belly, before he started working on my thighs.
Growling, Firefly held my legs apart, the perfect view for watching the huge, dark stripes inked along his back ripple.
“Oh, Jesus. You're going to ruin me tonight,” I whispered, losing my words when his teeth pushed into the soft, sizzling skin around my inner thigh.
“Ruin you?” he echoed, forcing me to feel the heat of his breath in every word, dangerously close to my soft, aching pussy. “Baby girl, I'm owning you tonight, and every night after. Wrecking you for my dick's just the best part.”
Shit, shit! His tongue slid into me, pushing up in a slow, torturous lick.
I practically self-combusted on the spot.
My hips rolled, dying to have his face wedged there good and proper. I craved his lips, his tongue, his everything without hesitation. They shot me straight to the beautiful stars and moon lighting up the night, all the places I wanted to frolic, alone with my man.
Sweet energy pulsed through me the instant he grabbed my legs, pulling them apart. All the better to take me with his tongue. Firefly licked straight through my folds.
He licked deep. Forced me to feel every scratchy prick of his stubble, one more thing that reminded me I'd married a real man, a big, beautiful bastard so hard and serious no one would ever question our love.
My body tensed up as his tongue lashes quickened. He found my clit, drew it into his mouth, and sank his teeth down just right, delicately holding the little bud taut while his tongue flicked over, and over, and over.
Holy hell! My fingers and toes instantly curled.
I needed something to grab onto, but there were no sheets out here. My legs folded completely around his body. My hands pushed through the scratchy earth, knocking the pebbles underneath us around while the stream sang to my pleasure.
Come, come, fucking come for me, darlin'!
I could feel him saying it, and nature urging him on. Hot, naked, and sweating underneath the moonlight, it hit me. I'd never done something this taboo!
Anyone could be watching out here. Anything, too.
And somehow, I didn't even care. Nothing else mattered except knowing that I had a man who wasn't afraid to strip me naked and fuck me stupid.
Anytime, any place, any way he pleased.
“Firefly, Firefly, don't stop!” I pleaded, scratching his short, dark hair when his tongue slowed.
He always teased me near the end. The bastard knew how to tie my body in knots and then cut them loose at once, sending me spinning off to pleasures I was just starting to comprehend.
But there wasn't any fathoming the ecstasy that swept in, picked me up, and slammed me down again.
I came – hard enough to make the stars quadruple in the sky.
Blood turned to fire, raging in my veins. The stream's gentle hum became a roar, pounding harsh and staccato in my head.
