We walk into the store hand in hand. I don’t go straight for the pregnancy tests. I lead him toward the fall decorations. I’ve been wanting a wreath for the front door. I was going to make one but the ones they sell here will do. I have so much free time on my hands I don’t know what to do. I still manage the bar at the clubhouse but it’s different. A good different but I’m still not fully adapted to my new role. A few of the girls stopped talking to me. To them I’m an old lady now. It shouldn’t change our friendship, but it has. I’m an outsider now. No longer privy to the talks and giggles about the brothers and their fetishes or what have you.
“What about this?” Ryan grins, holding up a plastic skeleton that glows in the dark.
“Maybe for Halloween.”
He grumbles and puts it back looking like a kid who has been told they can’t get a toy.
“Hey guys. What are you up to?” I turn to the sound of Sara’s voice. Harley is coming up behind her.
“Just browsing,” I answer before my man even thinks about telling them why we are really here. Sara is married to Hades and Harley, her cousin, is Reaper’s woman. Sara just recently announced her pregnancy and they are both so young they make me feel ancient. I am at least eight or nine years older than them. I will say though that I adore them both. Sara is always sweet to me and doesn’t treat me like a social leper.
“Cool. Us too. We’re looking for stuff to fix up the office for Quinn and the clubhouse. Make it more inviting,” Harley pipes in.
“You should get MaryAnn to help. She loves to decorate and make crafty shit,” Ryan informs them with an amused grin. He knows I hate feeling put on the spot. Damn him.
“Really? Oh my god. Would you because I haven’t a freaking clue where to start.”
“Sure. I need to run a few errands, but I can meet up with you in a couple hours.” What I don’t say is I have to go home to take a pregnancy test. I know they won’t judge and would be excited but right now I don’t want to tell anyone. I want it to stay between Ryan and me until we know for sure and until I find the courage to tell him my suspicions.
“We’ll see you at the clubhouse,” Sara says, and they move on once we agree on the time.
“Come on. You can look at this shit later with the girls.” Ryan pulls me along until we are standing in front of the pregnancy tests. He starts grabbing one of each and throwing them in our basket.
“We only need one, silly.”
“Just want to be sure.”
I move my head back and forth but don’t fight him on it. I guess he has a point.
–——
Ryan bangs on the bathroom door. “You alive in there? How long does the box say we gotta wait?”
“I haven’t peed on the stick yet.”
“Well why not?”
“I can’t pee on demand,” I whine.
“Want something to drink? Did you try turning the faucet on? Want me to play the audio of a waterfall?” I know he means well and is trying to be sweet but if he doesn’t stop pestering me I am going to kick him in the balls.
“No,” I snap.
“Are you nervous?”
I pause before yelling at him to go away. “I’m terrified,” I whisper my confession not sure if he can hear.
The door opens, and I curse myself for not locking it.
“Hello. Woman on the toilet here trying to pee on a stick.”
He makes a, “pfftttt,” sound. “And? I’ve licked your asshole, woman. I can damn sure watch you piss on a stick.”
“Oh my God. Don’t say that.” My cheeks blush. It shouldn’t embarrass me, but it does.
He looks around the small room confused and raises a brow at me. “Who else is listening. You hiding someone in the shower?” He pulls the curtain back and I laugh.
“Just stop and get out. Let me pee alone in peace,” I plead.
“Fine.” He stomps back into the bedroom.
“Can you uh close the door?”
“Good God, MaryAnn. You act like I have never seen you naked.” He waves his hand around but does as I ask although he steps back in and turns the faucet on. He’s so damn thoughtful.
“Sometimes a woman needs her privacy,” I call out. Then I roll my eyes at myself I shouldn’t have to explain it but feel compelled to do so out of fear of hurting his feelings. He’s been so great to me. He is being so awesome about this I almost think he hopes that I am pregnant.
Chapter Ten
—Cupid
I’m pacing outside the bathroom door wearing a path in my navy-blue carpet waiting to find out if I’m going to be a father. I don’t want to get my hopes up but there is a part of me that wants it. I’ve not had much luck in affairs of the heart. Sometimes I have wondered if I were cursed. After I spilt with Mandy I had about given up on finding someone to spend my life with but then one day I was sitting around the clubhouse feeling sorry for myself and I noticed MaryAnn.
Her smile captured my attention first. It was warm and genuine. And when she looked at me it felt real. She wasn’t looking at me like the other girls did. Like I was a man of power, a status to knock them up a peg. Being with her made me believe in love again. That maybe a sorry bastard like me did deserve a shot at happiness. Hell, if Sara could marry Hades after he kidnapped her, and Shelly could find it in her heart to love Boogeyman then there is hope for me.
My cell phone goes off in my pocket. It’s an unknown number so I let it go to voicemail. Nothing is more important than being in this moment with MaryAnn. If it were the club I’d know. The voicemail notification chimes and I clear it as MaryAnn exits the bathroom with an unsure smirk on her face.
“Well. Spit it out, woman. We have a bun in the oven or what?”
Slowly, she pulls the test out from behind her back. Her voice comes out in a small squeak. “It’s positive.”
I take the test from her hand and stare at it with the biggest grin. “I’m gonna take such good care of you, baby. You’ll see.” I kiss her forehead, promising her the world and praying like hell I can deliver. Her eyes fall to the floor and I have a sinking feeling she’s keeping something from me. “I take it you aren’t too happy about this. Do you not want to have my baby?”
A lone tear trickles down her cheek. “I want this. I want to be happy about it but there is something we have to acknowledge and once we do I’m not sure you will still feel the same. I’ll understand if it changes your mind about things—about us…about this.” She taps the plastic stick I have in my hands. A plastic stick that has given me the greatest blessing.
I place the test on top of the dresser. “There is nothing you can say to me to change the way I feel about you. Absolutely nothing. I don’t want any secrets between us.”
Sucking in a deep breath she looks away from me and takes a seat on the edge of the bed. I move in front of her and take her hands in mine as I go down to my knees.
“Talk to me,” I demand. Her head moves back and forth as sobs wrack through her chest. I tilt her chin up and kiss her tear-stained lips. “Tell me now.”
“This baby…Ryan. I want nothing more than to make a life and family here with you. I want it so bad I can almost reach out and touch it, but this doesn’t just concern you and me.”
I look around the room waiting any moment for some other dude to jump out. “Why do I get the feeling there is a third person in the room with us?”
“Because there is,” she says in a hushed whisper. “Zo Zo. There’s a chance this child could be his too.”
All the air in my lungs goes whooshing out. She has knocked me right on my ass. I fall back on the floor and shake my head. “Goddamnit.” I punch the floor wanting to hit his face instead.
“I’m sorry,” she cries out. “I never wanted it to happen this way. I didn’t ask for this.” Hearing her guilt and seeing her in anguish brings me out of my own hurt. This is what has been eating away at her all day.
“What are you sorry for? I knew the score. Does it hurt? Fuck yeah. I feel like y
ou just shot me in the stomach and blew a hole straight through me, but we’ll manage. I don’t need to know. In my eyes, you’re mine and that makes your baby mine.” I tell her what she needs to hear but inside I am fucking gutted at the thought that this baby isn’t mine. Jealousy spikes through my veins. “Does he know? Did you tell him first?”
“What? No. No. I never even thought about it until today.”
I nod my head afraid to open my mouth. I don’t trust the words that might fly out right now. I’m pissed off. MaryAnn belongs to me. She can’t be having his baby. I refuse to believe the possibility. “Then he doesn’t need to know.”
“Ryan, that isn’t fair.”
“I don’t care about fair.” I move back to my knees and place my head in her lap. Her deft fingers move through my hair.
“I know,” she whispers.
I look up at her and when our eyes meet there is nothing that matters more to me in this world than her outside of my club. Her lips come down on mine hesitant but true. I shut everything out. The worry and the doubt vanishes as I move up to the bed and lay her back. I need to be inside her. I need her to know that I’m not going any-damn-where.
Our mouths fuse together as I push her shirt up, needing to feel her hot flesh in the palm of my hand. I pinch and tease her nipples as I kiss my way along her jaw and down her throat. “I need you, baby.”
She cries out as my mouth closes around her tender bud and sucks. We claw at each other unable to undress fast enough. Unable to join our bodies as one quick enough. I fucking need to fill her hot cunt with my cock more than I need the air to return to my lungs, so I can breathe again.
My fingers move through her silken heat. “This pussy belongs to me.” Sliding down her body, I place a kiss on her stomach. “This baby…is mine too.” I push her jeans down around her ankles along with her boy cut bottoms. I move on down between her legs and kiss her inner thigh. Her fingers tug at my shirt, yanking it up over my head. I move to undo my jeans, needing to be inside her.
My phone keeps buzzing on the dresser, but I ignore it. No one is going to share in this moment with us. No one will come between us. Our bodies come together. Hips rubbing, chests bumping, lips touching, tongues tasting. I make love to her. I show her who owns her heart, body, and soul.
—–—
I left MaryAnn with Sara, Harley, and Amber upstairs at the clubhouse. Stephanie and her groupies were sitting on the opposite side of the room. The tension was thick. A cat fight was bound to happen but it’s time for church. Tiny Leone is demanding another delivery of girls. Reaper made a promise to Rebel Black that he’d bring him the man’s head. A vow he’s not soon to forget. We need to take this bastard out and put him to ground but it’s going to take a lot of careful planning.
My voicemail sounds again just as I am about to head into the meeting. Everyone hasn’t arrived, so I hit play. “Ry, it’s me. Its Mandy. I know you said you never wanted to see me again. I understand that, but we need to talk. It’s important. I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t. I’m at my mom’s. Come as soon as you can.” Fuck, I scrub a hand over my jaw. I don’t need her shit coming in on me right now. Tucking my phone in my inner pocket of my cut, I trade it out for a joint. I light it up and take my seat at to the right of Hades. Zo Zo walks in and taps my shoulder. “Can I get a hit, brother?”
“Yeah. Sure. Whatever.” I pass the joint to him unable to meet his eyes. What MaryAnn told me today about him possibly being the father of her baby is eating at my insides like fucking cancer.
Chapter Eleven
—MaryAnn
The heat of Stephanie’s glare ripples across my skin. Sara must feel it too, because she says, “Ignore her. We all do.” Harley and Amber breakout in giggles.
“Can I get an amen.” Amber holds her hand up for a high five. “I’d never put an ill wish on a person, but her—Uno needs to drive her a good thousand miles away and leave her ass stranded.”
“I don’t understand how that man is married to her. He seems so normal,” Harley says scrunching her nose.
I start to feel bad about talking shit but then I remember all the mean stuff she has said to me and about me. Her and her little posse are probably doing the same thing right now. “Should we invite them to help us decorate?” I ask with the straightest face I can possibly muster.
The girls look at each other and at me then back at one another before I start laughing too. Out of the corner of my eye, I spy Deandra, a club girl giving me a mean look. I offer her a smile and she turns away. If that’s how she wants to play it, then she was never my friend anyway.
Melissa, Cocky’s sister, comes downstairs and Sara waves her over at the same time Stephanie calls her over to her table. Melissa stares back and forth between the two tables before finally settling on ours. Smart girl. I haven’t really spoken to her since Cocky returned from a run with her a few weeks ago with her following after him in a beater car and a little boy aged about four in tow.
“CT go down for a nap?” Sara questions.
“I think he and Jimmy wore each other out. Don’t worry though, I’m watching them on my nanny cam app on my phone.” She flashes her phone screen and shows both boys sleeping soundly.
“Thank you for watching him this morning.”
“No problem. He’s so sweet. I miss Jimmy being that size. He’s so wild.” She lets out a sigh and tucks her black hair behind her ears. Her hair is long and curly. Big green eyes accent her heart shaped face.
“So what do you do when you aren’t taking care of Jimmy?” Amber pries.
“I was a dancer.” Her voice comes out low as though she is embarrassed. “But I was going to school to do hair.”
“You can always enroll somewhere here,” I suggest trying to make her feel less awkward.
“Maybe. Right now, I am laying low, hoping Jim doesn’t try to come for Jimmy.”
“With all of our men protecting you, he won’t get near you,” Sara assures her.
The basement door opens, and Uno emerges. I think we all notice that he doesn’t look at his wife, but his gaze is on Melissa as he walks toward the hall to Hades’ office. Amber raises her brows and Harley whispers, “Damn, did you see that?”
Melissa looks around. “See what?”
“The way Uno was looking at you… I don’t condone cheating but Uno damn sure never looks at his wife that way. I don’t think I have ever seen him look at anyone that way.”
“Like what?”
“Like he wants to rock your world,” Sara tells her with a snort.
Melissa stares down the hallway but he’s disappeared. We make small talk about the décor changes I want to make to Ryan’s house and that’s when Amber mentions Mandy, his ex. She was ass buddies with Stephanie, so I never interacted with her much. Bitch had horrible taste though. I shudder thinking about the teal paint in the living room.
“We need to have a paint party,” Harley suggests. “Forget cleaning up the office. You need all the help you can get.” She makes and ew face when I show her a picture of the living room.
Melissa says CT is asleep still but her little Jimmy is waking up. She starts toward the stairs right at the time Uno is coming out of the hallway. They bump smack dab into each other and when their eyes meet there is fireworks between them. I can practically feel their attraction pebbling across my skin.
The girls an I exchange looks, and Sara elbows me nodding toward Stephanie who has steam coming out of her ears. She is like a raging bull as she charges toward them. Melisa’s eyes widen, and she rushes upstairs to avoid the confrontation.
We all snicker, and Uno shoots us a shut-up glare. Stephanie is getting in his face threatening to go stay at her mom’s and he says, “Bitch, I wish you would.” I lose it. Everyone in the room does because he has never spoken to her like that. At least not in front of anyone that I am aware of. Even her bitch friends are laughing.
“Maybe I will.” She huffs out an angry breath and grabs her purse.
Uno simply hangs his head and shakes it as he goes back down to the basement.
His cunt wife sneers at us as she makes her dramatic exit.
Chapter Twelve
—Cupid
“Fucking bitch!” Uno slaps the file on the table in front of Hades.
“I know you aren’t talking to me.” Our Prez growls up at him with a face that could turn weaker men into stone.
“Sorry. Fucking Stephanie is acting like a Goddamn cunt.” You could hear a pin drop in the room it gets so quiet. Uno is the most pussy whipped motherfucker any of us know. I am fairly certain most of our jaws are on the floor. He never speaks of her in this manner. Ever. Sure, he might gripe or vent, but the dude is fired up.
Normally Hades wouldn’t stop church to counsel us in marriage, but this is highly unusual behavior and warrants a discussion. “What’s going on, man?” Hades questions him.
He runs a hand over his head and down the back of his neck before lighting up a cigarette. “She’s fucking crazy. Accused me of making eyes at Cocky’s sister.”
“Were you?” I ask.
His shoulder rolls. “I don’t know. I was just going to get the damn file and she was sitting with Sara and the other old ladies. She caught my eye. Then on my way back through she bumped into me. Nothing happened. Hell, I barely spoke to her. Said excuse me and Steph was jumping up out of her seat like I had grabbed her ass or some shit.”
“Get a leash on her or I will,” Prez warns.
“Boogeyman, It’s time you have a sit down with my wife,” Uno announces and Boogeyman grunts.
“Now that we have the cunt squared, let’s take a look at the surveillance Reaper and Terror have on Tiny.”
Church continues but we aren’t any closer to bringing that bastard down. All the intel proved was that Tiny doesn’t stick to a daily routine. The bastard doesn’t even use the same car. He seems to alternate between them randomly. We can’t just go in guns blazing. He’s a powerful man with big connections. He needs taken out quietly. No one can know what we are planning or else we risk exposure. We all have our reasons for wanting him gone. I’ve never been the best of men, but I loathe him for what he’s made me become. I never touched a woman in an ill way, never even thought about it. But when he threatened Sara and I found out he was the one he killed Harper it changed me. Changed the way I think. The way I feel. I want my revenge. I want to make him bleed for Harper and for me.
Cupid's Arrow (Devils Rejects MC Book 4) Page 4
