This earns me a glare and she winces right after. Her hands reach up and she rubs her temples. “I’m not going to blame the tequila, but dammit . . . I feel like waking up in that movie with a huge hangover after an intense night with a tattoo. I guess I should be lucky it’s on my ass instead of my face.”
“Have you met Depay yet? He has the property patch inked on his face.” Her eyes bulge at the little piece of information I just handed her and I feel the need to explain some more. “Though I bet it was the only part left where he could get it since the man is inked all over.”
Her hand hovers over the ink, I bet she can feel the heat radiating off it. She glares as if it’s my fault until her shoulders sag. “I clearly didn’t think this through. At the moment I thought it was a great idea, but now? I have to sit on it. Like, really sit. Do you know how much time a person spends on their ass?”
I fall back on the mattress and let the laughter rip from my body. A grunt leaves my body when she throws herself at me.
“You can’t laugh at me,” she says with a stern voice.
“Baby, I’m not laughing at you, I fucking love the fact your ass is mine. Really mine, with my name branded on it to prove you belong to me.”
She groans overdramatically and lets herself fall onto the mattress next to me, and covers her eyes with her arm. “I’m never going to live this one down, am I?”
“Nope.” I make sure to let the P pop and it earns me a smack on the chest. Grabbing her hand, I hold it in place. “Just as long as you don’t expect me to pick the same spot because I kinda wanted it on my upper left arm.”
Lee scoots closer. “You did?”
“Yeah. First I thought maybe on my chest but I kinda like having it in sight when I’m wearing a shirt since I want it to cover the upper arm.”
“Lynn has the patch on her neck. She has more tattoos but when all the other old ladies started to explain everything it made sense she picked that spot. She used to be the president’s old lady before her son took over the gavel from her husband. Lynn is strong and fierce and it shows by the way she boldly makes a statement by having the ink on her neck. I guess for each of us—besides getting the patch—the place itself holds a different meaning along with it.”
“Uh huh.” It takes everything inside me not to burst out laughing.
She gives me another glare but all jokes aside, it’s the meaning behind the ink.
I cup her face and brush my lips against hers. “For all to see or placed on a spot on your body that’s only visible for me doesn’t matter one damn bit. But I do appreciate picking the very part of your body I fucking adore seeing. I am very much the ass-man you think I am. And I’m yours as you are mine, you know it, and I know it. The club knows since we’re bound and protected through the MC along with it. Do I want others to know you’re mine? Hell, yes, and we’ll get married so you’ll have a ring on your finger and documents stating you’re mine. But even if we didn’t, I would know deep down we’re in this together. You getting the ink before me is a seal stating our commitment to one another. I can’t start to explain how much that means to me.”
“I’m sorry about your house,” she suddenly croaks.
I place another kiss on her lips and wrap my arms around her. “It’s just a piece of property, Lee. It doesn’t matter. My home is where the three of us are together.”
“Denise,” she squeaks and tries to struggle out of my embrace but settles back down just as fast. “No, wait, she’s with Lochlan and Xena. And I think your parents wanted to pick her up bright and early. I think they are a little obsessed with her.” Lee has a smile in her voice when she adds that last part.
“You know I was adopted, right?” I wait for her to nod before I add, “Their biological son was kinda like a miracle. They never thought they would be able to have kids of their own since Broke suffered injuries when he was younger. I can’t share all the details but let’s just say those two adore kids and now they’re grandparents, so rest assured she’s going to be spoiled rotten with attention.”
“I know it’s a little late for this discussion, but . . . did you want kids?”
I let the question roam around in my head. “To be completely honest, the thought never entered my mind. I guess it took the right woman to fill a void in my life I didn’t realize I had. I can’t wait to explore many other things in our future.”
“Like?” she questions and holds my gaze.
“Like trying really hard to give Denise a brother or sister, or both for that matter.” She pinches my nipple and it makes me grunt. “Vacation. Disney World. Buying a house together. Whatever. Like I said, many other things.”
The light chuckle flowing through her body is making my cock hard.
“We don’t need to buy a house together. You could move in with me and Denise.” The words are a mere whisper, as if she’s afraid I would decline her offer. The added words, “Only if you want to,” affirms my suspicions.
“You bet that hot ass I want to. It’ll be perfect, closer to work for me too.” I shoot her a grin and I watch her whole face light up.
I hate to put a damper on it but I have no other choice. “We do have to wait until this is settled. Someone, or they for that matter, have tried to set fire to your house and they succeeded with mine. I won’t risk bringing you and Denise back, not until we’ve caught the ones responsible.”
“What are we going to do? Stay here? I’ve seen some barely dressed women prance around the main room in this clubhouse, I can’t let Denise witness those things.” She gives me a stern look but there’s no need; we’re on the same wavelength.
“Agreed. But I was thinking more in the lines of letting Denise spend a few days with my parents. You could stay there as well; it will give me a chance to handle things. I can ask Archer about the chicks coming over, but those living in the clubhouse are mainly the second generation. They don’t have an old lady. The older generation live in their own homes on the property, well a handful of the older generation don’t have an old lady and still think they’re God’s gift to women and screw whatever stray pussy is available.” I shrug and see her wince.
“Sorry. Probably shouldn’t have mentioned the last part, right? I’m not a virgin but I also wasn’t one who jumped from pussy to pussy.”
She holds her hands up. “Okay, can we maybe not discuss the whole pussy to pussy part? Wait, why do you live in Sunnyville and not here in the clubhouse where your parents live nearby?”
I get up and head for the bathroom, needing a little space between us and a breath or two to clear my head before I give her an answer. It might be easy to give her the words, but it’s not as simple as it sounds.
Strolling back, I grab my jeans and pull them on. Her eyes follow my every move and yet she doesn’t say or do anything else. A sigh rips from my chest as I lean back against the wall and cross my arms in front of my chest.
“I’ve told you about my biological parents, and the fact my adoptive parents made sure I knew who they were. Well, both my parents came from foster care. When I was old enough to prospect for Broken Deeds MC, I promised myself I would start the search for any of my living biological relatives as soon as I was a patched in member and could use all the resources we have to find information.” I rub a hand on the back of my neck. “I knew I could have asked my adoptive parents. Hell, any member of Broken Deeds MC would have helped me find more about my roots, except—”
She steps closer and places a hand on my chest. “Except you didn’t want to hurt their feelings even if deep down you knew you wouldn’t, and that they would be there for you no matter what.”
“Yeah,” I croak.
I sneak my arm around her naked waist and pull her flush against my body so I can bury my head into the crook of her neck.
I breathe her in and let her know, “My father started out as a firefighter in Sunnyville before he moved. I wanted a place for myself, somewhere where I could feel connected and still be a part of everything my lif
e is filled with. My adoptive family, the MC, my job, the businesses I have to deal with from time to time. Everything is a balance, pressure . . . in no way stressing me out or dragging me down, it’s just that . . . I simply needed something for me. And I know how selfish and ungrateful I sound.”
She pulls back and cups my face with both hands. “Stop. Just stop. You don’t sound ungrateful or disconnected; you’re living your life the way you want to. And I think it’s very touching how you wanted to find out more about your biological parents and feel connected and closer to them somehow and you found your way. Not to mention you have a strong connection with the MC family you grew up in and your adoptive parents. They are good people. I can’t start to tell you how much of a difference it is from the way I was raised. We each come from different backgrounds, parents, and upbringing. Each of us chooses to live our lives the way we want to. As it should be, and you know deep down you have the full support of everyone around you.”
“I’ve always felt like I was waiting on something more,” I tell her and have to swallow at the emotions clogging my throat. “I believe I’ve finally found what my heart desired and what my soul instinctively was searching for.”
We stare at each other and there’s an underlying connection flowing to understanding. Telling this woman she’s managed to set my heart on fire is something I can’t voice because it will be too soon, and yet the emotions are there and staring right back at me.
Leaning in I take her lips and let her feel the words I’m saving for when she will embrace them fully.
I groan and reluctantly pull back when I hear my phone indicate I have an incoming message. Connecting our foreheads, I let her know, “That’s probably one of my brothers since we have church in ten minutes. We’re discussing your case.”
“Okay,” she breathes. “I have to check on Denise anyway. Come find me later?”
“Will do.” I brush my lips against hers and go in search for my boots and a fresh shirt.
CHAPTER NINE
– LEONTINE –
The last few weeks have been both bliss and confusing. Bliss due to Kain being absolutely attentive and sweet when it comes to me and Denise, confusing since he’s been keeping us basically locked away. Whenever I ask when we can go home, he always finds a way to distract me. Mainly with his mouth or his hands.
I have a feeling he’s been keeping things from me and the weird text Paula sent me adds to my suspicions. She requested a secret meeting about certain things she found out about Gordon. It was in mine—and my company’s—best interest if we met as soon as possible. The last sentence in her text, though? It had the whole alarm bells ringing loud factor.
“Your ankle is all healed?” Archer questions as he takes a seat next to me on the bench I’m sitting on.
I tear my eyes away from Denise who is playing in the backyard of the clubhouse. They’ve made a playhouse for her along with some new swings, and she enjoys the attention everyone is giving her.
“As good as new.” I give him a smile and might as well ask him for some advice seeing he’s the president of this MC and knows what’s going on.
Kain left for a twenty-four-hour shift and I can hardly shoot him a message about the text Paula sent; he needs to focus on his job.
“Kain left for work,” I hesitantly say.
His eyes narrow. “He won’t be back till tomorrow. Something he needs to know?”
I release a sigh and grab my phone to pull up Paula’s message and hold it out to Archer.
“I see,” he murmurs and his eyes land back on mine. “What do you want to do?”
I release a tiny snort. “Here I was asking you for advice.”
Archer chuckles. “Let’s just say I was raised by a very independent woman, one who no one should ever underestimate. From what I’ve heard and seen you’re a tough one too. You raised that sweet little girl perfectly on your own and even if you reached out to the idiot who didn’t give you the right name from the start, you also didn’t keep it from him the second you faced him. I value honesty. Loyalty along with it, another thing you showed when you went all in and inked the patch.” The corner of his mouth twitches and I know he’s laughing on the inside because of the spot I picked.
“And now you’re showing me a message. I don’t know if you did it because I was easy to reach with me sitting next to you, and it doesn’t really matter; the fact is you did. But me being his Pres and Kain not able to do anything at the moment . . . you did right by all of us, including your old man and your daughter. Because this Paula bitch? I’m sorry to give it to you straight but I don’t believe in pussyfooting around anything. Paula killed your father. And I have enough reason to believe she wants you dead too. She might be working with Gordon but we’re not quite clear what the connection is.”
Denise squeals and rushes toward me. “Mommy, mommy, Grandma wants to bake cookies, can I? Can I? Please?”
“What? Sure. I guess so,” I tell her while my voice wavers.
“Can she have a cozy sleepover along with it?” Archer directs the question at Roan who is standing behind Denise.
“Absolutely. If it’s okay with your mommy of course.” Roan gives me a sweet smile.
“Of course,” I reply, my voice sounding a little stronger than a moment before.
“Yay!” Denise starts to cheer and pull at Roan’s hand as she waves goodbye to me and Archer.
Archer stands and glances down on me. “Come on, I need to show you something.”
I follow Archer inside the clubhouse and into a large room they call church. I’ve spent enough time with Archer’s mother, Lynn, and the other older generation old ladies to know church isn’t for women and prospects. It’s where they have their meetings and where club business is discussed.
“I thought I wasn’t allowed to be in here?”
Archer smirks and points at a chair. “You thought right. But you’re the center of a case were working on so that makes you club business. Have a seat.”
“Boy, you sure know how to make a girl feel special,” I grumble and plant my ass where he wants me to sit.
Archer chuckles and grabs a file from a safe. He closes the safe and takes a seat next to me, holding the file in front of him.
“The police of Sunnyville received a video a few days ago. It shows that Gordon placed a metal bucket inside your garage right before the fire started. The boxes you had stashed there caught fire and it filled the garage, along with the house with smoke.” The words Archer gives me hit hard and yet I keep quiet since somehow I think there’s more.
Archer keeps staring at me for a few breaths, pulls an old article from the file in front of him and slides it in front of me.
“Paula killed her late husband exactly the same way as your father died. And if I’m correct your father had a meeting scheduled with Gordon that night, correct?” he questions.
My head slowly moves up and down. “That’s correct. Except Gordon called me last minute. He had some kind of emergency and couldn’t reach my father. I couldn’t either and Gordon left town so I headed over to my father. I . . . there was . . . he was dead when I got there.” I slide my eyes down where I pick my thumbnail. “I still can’t believe someone killed him. Why would Paula do that? She has nothing to gain with killing my father.”
“Revenge,” Archer simply says.
He pulls a picture from the file and it’s a copy from a yearbook.
“What am I looking at?” I whisper and let my gaze wander over the faces. My heart jumps and I gasp, my hand covers my mouth as I shake my head. “How can this be? They never said anything. We did a background check.”
“Paula changed her name. That is the reason their connection of high school sweethearts didn’t come up during the background check. We have other, more thorough ways to screen people. Though it took some time to follow up on a few things but we recently discovered those two had a rather hateful ending to their relationship. Gordon cheated on Paula and she broke it off. Gordon mo
ved right after and accepted the job your father offered him. Our guess is Paula took her time and finally saw a chance to get some revenge. She ultimately tried to frame him for the murder of your father. We checked. Gordon was supposed to have a meeting with your father but something happened, he wasn’t in town that day. He had to rush to the hospital in another state because his mother was admitted, she died later that night. With Gordon’s phone records and him being out of town this eliminated Paula’s intentions to frame him, forcing her to deviate. The video of Gordon starting the fire at your house turned up only a few days ago. Wyatt came with the twisted scenario that maybe Gordon caught onto Paula’s intentions and tried to confront her, or hell, bribe her with a part of the company or hard cash through the company. Whatever was needed to get her out of the way since Gordon has some ulterior motives himself since he needs to marry you to obtain your business. And to make sure he can get close to you, he needs Kain out of the picture.”
My eyes feel all dried up by the way I’m unable to blink as I keep staring at Archer. The truckload of information is crazy enough to rip my head right open to check if I have any brain cells left to process this insanity. Archer keeps placing forms in front of me and I have no words to voice my thoughts.
Archer points at one piece of paper. “Gordon contacted a boarding school which had a pre-prep department that takes younger pupils.”
“Stop,” I croak. “Please, stop.”
“We believe it was Paula who set fire to Kain’s house and anonymously gave the video of Gordon to the police in an effort to pin both these arson cases on Gordon. We also have a hunch the papers Gordon wanted you to sign were the first step to fire Paula. He needed to get rid of her to succeed in his plans, which were to tie you to him completely.”
Tears are suddenly sliding down my cheeks. I can’t believe what I’m hearing. People I’ve trusted—people my father trusted—want me dead or dealt with and my daughter out of the way along with it.
“We suspect Paula is keeping an eye on you and yet both Paula and Gordon are nowhere to be found. It’s as if they know we’re onto them and it’s only a matter of time before they’re caught. That is also the reason I ordered Kain to go to work since we need to keep up the routine. I had a hunch Paula would reach out when she knew Kain wasn’t near you, and I was right. First day back after the few weeks of leave Kain took, and she reaches out to you.”
Flameover: An Everyday Heroes World Novel (The Everyday Heroes World) Page 9
