by Naomi West
“Hey, now, wait a minute!” I said heatedly, about to point out the number of fuck-ups that Max had made and demand that he be the one ejected from the club, if we were going to eject someone.
“Max has the floor,” Frank reminded me, putting a gentle hand on my wrist in a clear warning. He didn't want to rebuke me, specially not now, when my reputation was already hanging in tatters—but he would if he had to. I grudgingly shut my mouth.
“As I was saying,” Max said, shooting me a dirty look. “I think he should be ejected from the club. We don't need that sort of image. This is the most high-profile recognition that we've gotten in years, and it's because the dumbass didn't think. Brian Scott is part of one of the uppermost echelons of our society, thanks to his family's inherited wealth and their generous contributions to various charities. It's–”
“We get the point,” Bryce interrupted. “Maybe for once, Jake wasn't thinking with his head. “But I still think ejection is a little extreme. The kid has only masterminded most of our more complex missions over the past few years. Anyway, we all know Jake is harder on himself than any of us ever would be to him. The guilt alone should be enough to deter him in the future.”
Frank shot Bryce a warning look but didn't issue a rebuke to him either. I started to wonder what his punishment for me would be, if it were solely up to him. But I wouldn't find that out here. I'd be lucky if he would tell me that in private.
“Does anyone else have any suggestions for what the punishment might be?” Frank asked the group.
No one else spoke, and he laughed a little. “All right, so it's ejection or nothing, I suppose. Now, all those in favor of Jake being ejected from the Devil's Route MC?”
Max was the only person to raise his hand, not even his friends dared to raise their hands with him, much to his frustration.
Frank nodded decisively. “Well, it looks like he stays.” He narrowed his eyes at me, but there was a warmth there that belied his true feelings. “But don't let this happen again.” He stood up. “Well, I believe I'll need to go have a little chat with the sheriff and make sure that things are really smoothed over. Everyone else, have a great rest of your day.”
Chapter Thirteen
Halley
I drummed my fingers against the steering wheel, wishing that the traffic would actually move and that I could get to Jake's house. I was so glad to hear that he was out of jail, but no matter how bad I pressed for details, Frank hadn't told me anything more than that, saying instead that I needed to talk to Jake about all of it.
At least when Frank had called that morning, he was able to tell me that Jake was okay and that he'd be bailing him out of jail later that day. I had given Jake until the evening to call me, but he still hadn't done so. Finally, I hadn't been able to take it anymore, and I had texted him to let him know I was coming over. He had sent back an agreement, and I had left Cole with one of my neighbors, even though I didn't really want to let the kid out of my sight. Brian wouldn't be able to strike again so soon, though, not after the pounding he had taken, courtesy of Jake.
At Jake's house, I smoothed down my skirt and then rang the doorbell, fidgeting nervously, as though I was there on a first date. Which was especially ridiculous since Jake and I were engaged now — in the theoretical sense, at least.
Jake opened the door. “Hey,” he said, sounding a bit surprised. “What, were you already in the car when you texted me that you were coming over?”
I gave him a sheepish look. “Yeah,” I admitted. “I mean, I had some errands that I needed to run anyway, and Frank said that he was going to bail you out this afternoon, so I figured you'd be home.” I blushed, unsure what to say next.
Jake laughed, though. “I'm glad to see you,” he told me, catching my wrist and tugging me inside. “And I'm glad to be able to tell you that Brian is out of the picture.”
“What do you mean?” I asked. Surely, he hadn't killed Brian, or else they would have kept him in jail, right?
“Whatever you're thinking, no, that's not what I mean,” Jake said, taking in my distressed look. He pulled me into his arms, holding me against his chest in a way that was rapidly growing familiar to me. “What I mean is, Frank went to talk to him at the hospital. I don't know exactly what he said, but I do know that between that chat and my unceremonious beating of the man, he has agreed to never come near you again, for fear of what the club would do to him otherwise.”
I could feel my eyes widen. “So, he's never going to—”
“No,” Jake said firmly. “In fact, from the way Frank tells it, I doubt you're even in for a custody battle over Cole.”
I shook my head, amazed that it had been that simple. “Jesus,” I said — an ejaculation that I had probably picked up from him, since I'd been raised to never say the Lord's name in vain. I didn't even know what else to say here, though.
Suddenly, I leaned up on my tiptoes and kissed him, unable to stop myself. The thing was, my emotions were going haywire. I had been so scared when Brian had been there, then I had been so worried for Jake when the police had taken him away. And now, I was just so elated to find out that not only was Jake out of jail, but he also was confident that Brian would never bother me again…
Jake groaned and deepened the kiss, his hand coming up around behind the back of my neck so that he could keep me in place. His lips worked tenderly against mine; his tongue slipped along mine and smoothed the desperation out of the kiss.
“Fuck,” he muttered as we pulled apart from one another, his forehead resting against mine. “I want to take you right now, right here in the hallway.”
“So, what's stopping you?” I asked, raising an eyebrow cheekily at him.
He let out an animalistic growl and scooped me up into his arms, carrying me down the hallway. “The fact that I have a perfectly good bed and you deserve better than to be taken forcefully in the hallway,” he said as we went.
I giggled a little as he tossed me onto the bed, but I wasted no time in stripping off my clothes, and he mimicked me. Soon, we were both fully naked, and he crawled across the bed towards me. “Are you sure about this?” he asked, his gentleness at odds with his previous actions, but much appreciated.
“Yeah,” I said breathlessly. “Jake, you have no idea how badly I want this, how badly I need this.”
“Oh, I know,” he said, his voice low with desire. “I've wanted you since the moment I laid eyes on you again, when you came by my shop.”
“Show me,” I whimpered, my legs falling open of their own accord.
Jake grinned cockily at me and then bent down to kiss his way down along my jawline, along my collarbones, down to my breasts, and finally, down along my stomach to my navel. He paused there, grinning up at me.
“Come on,” I groaned, when it became clear that the only reason he was pausing was to further tease me. I moved a hand as though I would bring myself off, but he slapped my hand away.
“Don't you dare,” he said, and I fell back with no complaints, letting him take control.
He dragged his hands down along my sides, and I shuddered, the friction right on the cusp between tickling me and turning me on. I could feel my toes curling even from that simple touch, could feel my slit dampening between my legs. And when Jake moved his fingers between my legs, I knew that he could feel my arousal as well.
There was something dirty and yet satisfying about that, too, knowing that he knew just how turned on I was by even those simple touches. Knowing that he was there, touching me, because he was just as lustful as I was. This wasn't Brian; Jake wasn't just going to use me for my own needs. The way that he touched my folds said that clearly he would stroke me to completion and then still make me keen for more. I remembered that from the first time we had coupled, the night that Cole had been conceived.
I gasped, though, as his fingers suddenly dipped inside of me, the rough pads dragging sensually across my most sensitive parts. As Jake worked his fingers, his slid his mouth up my body, until he w
as raking my earlobe with his teeth, sending shudders of lust down my spine.
“Jake,” I whimpered, squirming a little already beneath his ministrations. I needed more, I needed to feel him inside of me, filling me up, in a soft and careful way that I hadn't felt in eight years now.
Jake smiled gently at me, as though he were just as needy as I was, and without further ado, he lined up his prick against my entrance. I could feel his tip sitting there, waiting for him to thrust forwards—but he paused there, asking me with his eyes if this was really okay.
In answer, I reached up above my head, hands finding the headboard and using it for leverage so that I could push myself down, spearing my body on his thick, swollen cock.
We both paused for a moment at that, trying to catch our breath. “That feels...” I began, unable to finish that statement.
Jake groaned and dropped his forehead down against my collarbone. “I know,” he said. “God, you're so fucking tight, Halley. If you only knew what you do to me.”
I grinned a little and began moving against him, making little motions with my hips, trying to find some sort of a rhythm that he would respond to.
But after a moment, he caught my hips in his hands, forcing me to still. He began to move his own hips, shifting them upwards so that the tip of his prick hit my very core, and then shifting them backwards so that I could feel the slow drag of his entire length against the walls of my pussy.
I grabbed at the sheets, already pleasured beyond reason, unable to control my eyes as they slipped shut. “Jake,” I whimpered.
He stilled for a moment, and when I cracked my eyes open, he actually looked stunned. “Halley, Jesus,” he said softly, reverently. Then, he began to thrust into me with even more fervor than before. And as much as it embarrassed me to climax so soon, I felt that I couldn't help it.
I made soft noises as he continued to work me through my orgasm and far beyond, his fingers still a near-bruising pinpoint to all the soft lust. I twisted my face against the sheets, overcome with pleasure.
Suddenly, Jake's hips stuttered against mine, and with a groan, he began to spill inside of me, his head thrown back as he gasped his was through an orgasm of his own. Finally, he slumped against me, and I closed my eyes, just feeling his warm, safe weight against me. I clumsily wrapped an arm around him, and I could feel him smile against my skin.
Finally, he pulled away and flopped to the side, still maintaining small points of contact with me. “That was...” he began, trailing off.
I laughed a little. “Jake Ryce, is that all that you've got?” I meant it as a joke, but Jake seemed to take it seriously, if the look he was giving me was any clue.
“Darling,” he drawled, “that was just round one. Be prepared to go again, and soon.”
I shuddered with renewed pleasure and leaned back against the pillows, attempting to catch my breath before he ravaged me again.
Chapter Fourteen
Jake
I wanted this to be like any other time I relaxed in the clubhouse with my biker buddies, but there was no denying that things were different this time. Not only had there been that screw-up with Brian, but today was the day that Halley and Cole came to the clubhouse to meet everyone. And I was practically buzzing with nervousness. What if they didn't like her? What if they didn't think my sacrifices for them were worth it? What if something happened to Cole? Not that I thought anything would happen to the boy, but … well, I was a father now, and I couldn't help worrying.
I wondered again if this was maybe too big a step to take. I should have introduced the two of them to Frank first, in private, before I brought them here to the clubhouse. I should have–
But it was too late for 'should haves' now. I hadn't introduced them to Frank first, and now there was nothing here to ease my worry.
“Hey,” Bryce said, slipping into a seat beside me and reaching out to squeeze my shoulder. “Look, I don't know what kind of monster the kid is. You said he's seven, right? But I met Halley at the shop, remember? And she was perfectly lovely then. You've got nothing to worry about. Unless you're so insecure that you think half these guys are going to actually be sleeping with her by the end of the week, because with legs like that, well, you'd be lucky to have things otherwise.”
I couldn't help but laugh a little at that. Good ol' Bryce. I could always count on him to be there to lighten the mood. I grinned over at him. “Just make sure that you're not the one sleeping with her at the end of the week,” I said, my tone mock-stern.
Bryce gave a sketchy salute. “Aye aye, captain,” he said cheekily.
I laughed and shook my head. But before I could respond, there was Halley, walking confidently into the room.
To everyone else, she appeared cocky, that was. I could see the nervousness in her eyes and around the edges of her smile. I could see the way she kept glancing down at Cole as though worried about his own reaction. I could see the way ... well, there was just tension, in every line of her body. It wasn't natural.
Her eyes searched the room, and she looked relieved when they found mine. She made her way over to me, and I stood to meet her.
“Hey,” I said to her, in a quiet undertone. I knelt down next to Cole. “Hey buddy, how are you?”
“Okay,” he answered, sounding nearly as worried as Halley looked.
I smiled at him, hoping to reassure him. “Hey, that doesn't sound too happy—did you know this place has a TV screen as big a movie theater?”
His eyes became saucers in their sockets, and he glanced back at his mom. “Really?” he asked.
And Halley, bless her, had taken my advice. She pulled out the latest animated movie from her purse. “I brought you something to watch while Jake and I have adult conversations with the others,” she said.
Jake's eyes lit up, but then he frowned. “Don't want to leave you,” he muttered, practically pasting himself to Halley's side.
Halley looked stricken at that, biting her lower lip.
“Hey, bud,” I said, reaching out to him. He reluctantly came closer to me, and I clapped a hand on his shoulder. “You know me, right?” He nodded mutely. “And do you think I would ever do anything to hurt your mama?”
After a long moment, Cole shook his head. “You beat up Daddy 'cause you thought he was being mean,” he said slowly.
I winced but nodded. “That's right,” I said. I looked pointedly around the room. “And if any of these guys gave your mom a hard time, I'm going to be right here with her, okay? So you can trust me to keep her safe.”
Cole cocked his head to the side for a long time, considering me carefully. Finally, he nodded slowly. “Okay,” he said. “But if you don't help her...”
One of the bikers gave a low whistle. “Pity the poor boy who tries to take home his sister one day!”
Cole, for his part, looked a little confused at that comment, but he let me lead him into the other room and get him settled in front of the large screen that was up on the wall. As Halley and I left the room, he was giggling at whatever was happening in front of him.
“Thanks for that,” Halley said under her breath as we rejoined the others. “I needed that for him.”
I smiled gently over at her. “Any time. I mean it.”
“Thanks,” she said again.
I led her out into the living room again. “Everyone, this is Halley.”
Bryce was the first person to come up and introduce himself. “Hi,” he said. “You might remember me from Reaper Custom Choppers—I work for Jake.”
And then it was Frank. “Hello,” he said, squeezing Halley's hand in his firm grip. “I'm Frank, the head of this chapter of the Devil's Route MC. Jake has been like a son to me.”
On and on it went, each member coming up to shake hands with her, and I could tell Halley was probably not going to remember a single name by the end of the night. The only person who was conspicuously absent was Max.
I leaned towards Frank, just as we were wrapping up the whole thing. “Hey,
” I said, quietly so that no one else could overhear. “Where's Max?”
Frank pursed his lips, looking around the group as though his son might suddenly disappear. “I don't know,” he said finally.
I frowned and folded my arms over my chest, wondering what the kid was plotting now.
Chapter Fifteen
Halley
Just like that, the meeting was over and everyone was filing out, leaving just me and Jake sitting in there. I sighed with relief and sank down into a chair next to him, finally done with all of it. “Uh oh,” Jake said, taking one look at my face. “Was it that bad? You didn't like them?”
“No, everyone's great,” I said, shaking my head. “I love them, especially Frank. God, every time I was starting to feel overwhelmed, it seemed like he was right there, offering me something to drink or moving me on to meet with someone else or something. He was so great, I can't even tell you.”
