I wrapped my arms around her as tight as I could and held on. I buried my face in the sweat-dampened valley between her breasts, and I could feel the out of control beating of her heart, which matched my own.
I couldn’t seem to slow down my breathing. My sweetness had me all kinds of twisted up but in such a good way. Never ever had I come before the woman. She owned me.
I took her with me as I lay back down on the couch. I felt so sated and so tired. When I had the nightmares, they took so much out of me. Normally, I couldn’t sleep afterwards, but tonight was different.
Charlie helped me cope in other ways.
“Next time you say stupid shit, I won’t run.” Charlie’s soft voice penetrated my sated mind.
As I pressed a kiss to her hair, I smiled. “Thank you, Sweetness.”
“Next time, I am just going to sic Vegas on you,” she said, laughing.
My dick was still in her, and her laugh caused her inner-wall muscles to grab hold of me. Fuck me, I was close to going again.
“I am sure I will deserve it, Sweetness,” I agreed, holding her as close as I could get her. “Sleep now.”
“Hmmmmm,” she mumbled against my pec.
I felt a small kiss from her there just as I started to drift off to sleep, and as I did, I had the thought someone might see her naked, but sleep was seriously calling me.
40
CHARLOTTE
I was so warm right then. The feeling was pure bliss, and I knew if I opened my eyes, I would see the most magnificent arms wrapped around me. Last night had been so emotional and hard that I still felt wiped out. Not to mention, my head was pounding from my overindulgence of Stella’s fruity cocktails.
I vowed never to ever drink again. From what I could piece together in my foggy mind, I did have fun with the girls. For the most part, I thought ruefully to myself as I remembered the part of the night when Deck and the others returned to the compound and found us semi-naked. From there, it was not so much fun.
I could hear the soft snores coming from Deck. He’d had such a hard night with our fight and that horrible nightmare. I was on my way back to him when I heard him from the hallway. His tortured screams tore at my heart. When I made it to him, I was horrified at what I saw and heard. Deck was covered in sweat as tears escaped from the corner of his eyes. His whole body was tense and hard, lost in the memory of a horrible day he was never going to forget.
I also remembered looking up and seeing Booth standing just off from the couch, his eyes on Deck and sympathy etched on his face. But when he looked at me, and I saw the tears on his face running down unchecked, my heart just broke for him, too, for all of them. What they had to do to become the heroes they were now, I couldn’t begin to fathom and wasn’t really sure I wanted to—but if Deck ever wanted to share one day, I would be more than pleased to listen to him.
I ran my hands up and over Deck’s hard, muscled body, and I could feel them tighten from my touch. My eyes were still closed. I wasn’t ready to let the outside world in just yet, but I had so much to do today. The recital was tonight. I had to get Shiloh up so we could get to the dance studio and set up. The prospects had already gone and set up the chairs and tables for the refreshments Mia had planned.
The club had been so amazing with their help for the recital. Their love for Shiloh was so real.
So honest.
When Deck’s hands moved across my back and around to my sides, I pushed myself harder against him.
“Sweetness, you feel so soft.” His husky voice was turned on, making me smile.
I started to move my body just a little to get better contact with my soldier man’s chest when, suddenly, a voice stopped me like a statue.
“I wouldn’t move anymore, Teach, if I were you. We can see far too much of your breast now as it is.” I wasn’t sure, but I thought it was Ford’s voice. He sounded a lot like Sebastian, one of the club’s prospects.
My mind was panicking. How much had they seen? And who saw?
“Deck,” I shrieked, but he was already wrapping me back up in his arms and had me pinned under him in seconds, most of my body covered by his. He had his boxer shorts on, but sometime during the night, he must have kicked his jeans the rest of the way off.
I, however, was still completely naked after last night.
“Ford, you fucking arsehole, get your eyes off my woman’s tits right fucking now.” Deck growled from above me.
Okay, then, I got the name of the voice right.
I was completely naked and lying on a couch most of the club sat on, my semi-naked boyfriend was lying on top of me, and at least one person I knew of had seen my breasts. I started to giggle. I couldn’t help it. Before I met Deck, my entire life was sad and lonely. My friends were the people I danced with, but they weren’t friends away from dance. My family had never taken to me, except for my grandparents, and they couldn’t exactly go out and have fun with me. I’d been lonely. Alone in the world. And then Deck stormed into my life, and suddenly, I had everything I ever wanted and so much more.
Never did I think that one day, I would be naked, under the man who was the love of my life, in a biker compound made up of ex-soldiers, but here I was, and I couldn’t be happier.
“What’s so funny, Sweetness?” Deck asked.
I looked over his shoulder and saw Vegas making her way to us with a large mink blanket in her hands and a huge smile on her pretty face.
“Oh, nothing. I just never thought I could be this happy,” I said as Vegas dropped the blanket down over the top of us.
“Here you go, you two. Seriously, Charlotte, when you said you were going to sleep with your man on the couch, you took it to a whole other level, didn’t you?”
I giggled again as I hid my face in Deck’s neck, then wrapped my arms around his shoulders and just held on. “This is my happy place, honey. Right here with you and your family,” I whispered in his ear.
He pulled back slightly, and his sleepy eyes caressed me. “Your laugh is like music to my ears, Charlie. You are my happy place, and this is your family. Never ever forget that, Sweetness. I love you so much, baby, so much,” he whispered back to me fiercely. Then he kissed me softly like we were the only two in the room.
“I love you, too, fiercely,” I told him, kissing him one last time.
His smile lit up his face.
“Now get me to our room without any more of my naked body being shown. Our daughter needs to rise and shine. Today is a very big day.”
I saw the look of love and satisfaction pass over his face at my words.
“Alright, then. Let’s go.”
41
CHARLOTTE
“Why can’t I wear my shitkickers?” Shiloh cried from her position on the floor.
We were only half an hour from curtain call, and I still hadn’t done my makeup for my solo piece as the sugar plum fairy. Alexander had been sweet about the whole mix up at the compound when he came to rehearse that day, so he was helping out with the music and getting the stage ready with all the props. And I could really do with the help. Deck left me with the prospects for half the day, but they had to take off a few hours ago, leaving just Dundee with us for protection and help. The other two had to go back to the compound to help the guys with the rogue soldier problem, promising that all of them would be back in plenty of time for the performance.
And now Shiloh was having a tantrum of sorts over her beloved black boots.
In all the time I had known Shiloh Johnston, she had worn the chunky, black boots everywhere. They were a constant on her little body along with her tutus and camo tights. And of course, I couldn’t forget her recent accessory, the gun holster.
Thank you, Darth.
Getting her to take them off and trade them for a pair of ballet slippers was a no-go. So I’d given up after a while. She loved to dance in them, and I was happy that she was happy.
Tonight, however, she needed to be in uniform with the other little girls. They were dancin
g Swan Lake, the Dance of the Four Little Swans. Well, a watered-down version of it, at least. And this time, I had a plan. It took me four hours, but I went out and found a pink pair of shitkickers. Shiny, pink patent leather with a white sole.
I had been ecstatically happy when I found them, I’d literally wept in the store.
Then the four little girls, my little badarse included, had also insisted on a costume colour change. They didn’t want to be white swans. They wanted to be pink swans, so that meant a two-hour drive to the closest ballet costume shop to rent four pink swan outfits. I swore after the recital was over, I was going to ban further dance recitals forever.
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I took several deep breathes.
“Yes, you can wear your shitkickers, baby girl. But tonight, I want you to wear special ones.” I took the boots from the bag and placed them on the floor next to Shiloh. Pink was Shiloh’s favourite colour, and shitkickers were her favourite footwear, so combining the two had win written all over it. Or at least, I hoped it did. Hunkering down next to her, I waited for her reaction.
“Oh, my effing God!” her tiny, cute pixie voice shrieked at the sight of the special pink shoes. Her smile was radiant. Looking at me, Shiloh launched her little tutu-clad body at me, not giving me time to brace myself, so I grabbed hold of her as we both fell backwards.
“Oh, Char-char, dese are the prettiest shitkickers ever. Fank you, fank you, fank you,” Shiloh cried as she peppered my face with sloppy kisses.
Oh, thank the Lord.
“I love you, Char-char,” Shiloh whispered against my cheek.
“I love you, too, Miss Shiloh. Now let’s get up off the floor. I need to put on my makeup and become a sugar plum fairy,” I said giving her a sloppy kiss in return. I loved hearing her tell me that. I wanted to tell her it was a requirement that she said it at least ten times a day, and knowing Shiloh, she would, along with a running commentary of the count. So, I kept that to myself and just savoured when she said it once or twice a day.
“Need some help getting up?” Deck’s amused voice sounded from somewhere behind us.
“Daddy, Daddy, look at what Mummy gots for me,” Shiloh cried out as she scrambled to her feet.
I was frozen in place. My eyes found Deck’s, and I could see he was affected exactly the same way I was. I was barely breathing. She’d called me Mummy. Holy crap. Only a few minutes ago, she was calling me her usual Char-char, and then, out of the blue, she called me Mummy.
Deck was the first to recover, and bending down, he looked at Shiloh’s new shoes.
“Hey, Squirt, they are cool as shit. Why don’t you go find Darth and show him? Maybe he will help you put them on. It’s nearly time for you to dance for us, and then Mummy is going to dance for us.”
Mummy. Never had I heard a better sounding word in my life.
“I go and talks to Darf, Daddy. See ya later, army man.” She giggled as she took off with her new prize. “Fank you, Mummy, dese are cool as shit,” she parroted before she disappeared around the corner off in search of her bodyguard.
“Holy shit, Sweetness. Did you hear that?” Deck asked me, totally in awe of the moment. He reached down and helped me up from my position stuck on the floor. His large hands wrapped around my bare arms—well, bare except for the little lace wrap that would act as my fairy wings for the dance.
Did I hear it? I could hear nothing else at that moment. The word Mummy was on repeat in my mind.
“I’m Shiloh’s mummy,” I whispered. The tears flowed freely down my cheeks. Thank God, I hadn’t put on any makeup because I would look like a racoon about then.
As Deck’s arms wrapped around me, his leather jacket was cool against my body.
“Fuck, yeah, you are,” he agreed as he kissed the top of my head. He held me close as we enjoyed the beautifulness of the moment.
“Now, go get dolled up for your dance, Mummy. Our daughter is waiting.”
42
DECK
Holy fucking shit! How did a three-year-old, pint-sized tutu-wearing little girl rock your world?
By doing what my Shiloh just did, calling Charlie Mummy without any prompting from me and without any discussions about whether she would like Charlie to be her mummy from now on. Nope, she just came straight out and said it. All over a pair of shitkicker boots made in pink.
I thought I was going to be the one rocking my woman’s world there tonight. But it seemed I got bested by a three-year-old.
“Brother, Teach has totally outdone me with those pink boots,” Darth complained, coming at me.
“That ain’t the best part, brother.” I looked around at my club members, and they were all there to see my daughter and my woman have their moments on the stage.
“What you talking about, Deck?” Booth asked. He was standing next to a very pissed off looking Stella.
What the fuck was going on now? Then I saw Ingrid standing at the end of the aisle, dressed demurely for once. The girls were warned to dress more appropriately for tonight if they wanted to come, and looking closer at Booth, I saw he had a smudge of red lipstick on his neck. The same shade of red Ingrid was wearing. Oh, for fuck’s sake. At my daughter’s ballet recital? Jesus Christ, Booth.
But whatever shit Booth was causing with Stella was not going to have an impact on the joy of what just went down with Shiloh and Charlie.
“Shiloh called Charlie Mummy,” I announced with what I was sure a shit eating grin on my face. “No warning, no prompting. She just came out with ‘look what Mummy got me.’”
“Fuck, brother, that is fucking awesome.” Darth patted my shoulder.
“It was awesome, man. Charlie was sitting down on the floor, and she couldn’t get up from the shock of it all. Tears were streaming down her face. Damn, it was one of the best moments of my life, brother,” I said.
The lights above us flickered a few times, then they slowly dimmed, signalling the night’s event was about to begin. I quickly found my seat, as did the other members and friends of the Wounded Souls. All of them were smiling and happy for my family.
Then Charlie appeared on stage, dressed in a silky white robe over her ballet costume. Her hair was pulled completely off her face into a neat, tight bun, and her face was all made up with stage makeup. Her eyes were dark, and even from my seat in the second row, I could see she had thick, long lashes—they didn’t look real—and her lips were a deep ruby red. She looked absolutely beautiful, but she looked better when she was just my sweetness. She walked across the stage towards the microphone.
“Thank you, all for joining us here tonight. The Sunshine and Daisies dance class welcomes you to a night of Swan Lake and sugar plum fairies.” She smiled at the audience, and being accustomed to looking at such strong stage lights, Charlie’s gaze easily found mine. And I got my smile.
“I love you so much,” I mouthed the words to her.
She answered with a saucy wink and grin, then she did a pirouette for the crowd and glided off the stage, her arms stretched out.
For the next half an hour, we were entertained by girls of various ages, all dancing some part of Swan Lake. To be honest, I was bored shitless, and Charlie hadn’t been back on stage since her first greeting
Pretty boy Alexander, who thought putting his hands on my woman in my own compound was a good thing, took over the emcee job. The smartarse prick had even winked at me when he came on stage to introduce one of the performances.
“And now, ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Four Little Swans.” Charlie’s voice was coming from somewhere behind the curtain. I could hear giggling that sounded very much like my little swan.
“Mummy, doos my shitkickers look okay?” Shiloh’s voice was so loud, it sounded like she was holding the bloody microphone.
Darth and Booth were laughing quietly while Steel and Mannix were just about pissing themselves. Creed was just sitting there, but I could see even in the darkness his eyes were shining with laughter. Kind of.
“Ba
by girl, you look breathtaking. Are you ready to dance for Daddy and your uncles?”
I smiled at Charlie’s answer. Soft and gentle encouragement. Not reprimanding Shiloh for speaking loudly and out of turn.
“Abso-effing-lutely.”
Oh, God, she didn’t. Looking around the audience, I could see that, except for the members of the club, people were shocked.
“Might have to get a handle on that child’s language, Deck,” Ingrid called out, a sly grin on her face.
“Mind your own business,” Stella said angrily to her, taking the words out of my mouth.
“Who the hell do you think you are?” Ingrid responded loudly back, causing some parents to look our way. Fucking great. Who invited this bitch?
Before Stella or I could retort, Booth held up his hand. “I suggest you tread carefully, Ingrid. Deck is an officer of this club, so you show him and Shiloh respect. And Stella is totally off limits, get me?” His voice was low and quiet so as not to attract too much more attention our way.
I could hear Stella’s intake of breath before she mumbled, “I’m so confused.”
Yeah, darlin’, I can’t say I blame ya.
“Knock it off. Shiloh is coming out.” Darth growled as Shiloh and her friends made their way onto the stage, all four of them tethered by their arms. Shiloh was decked out in the chunky pink boots, and the others were in standard ballet slippers. My girl was unique. The familiar sound of the upbeat swan music we had all been listening to at the compound for the last three weeks started to play.
“That’s my girl,” I yelled, standing up and clapping hard as I could.
“Encore, encore,” Booth and Steel shouted, their hands making just as much noise as mine were.
“Go, Squirt. Good job, kid,” Darth cheered, his deep voice sounding more like a bellow.
Rainn, Vegas, Stella, and Mia were all on their feet, whistling and clapping. Shiloh was still on the stage taking her tenth curtsey and lapping up the attention like a sponge. She was waving madly at everyone in our row and lifting up her tiny feet to show off her new boots.
HIS SWEETNESS Page 23
