by Joy Blood
"You must have a death wish to wake me up then start making declarations."
"Three weeks, Ree. Give me three weeks." Accepting my fate, I throw away the sheet and fluffy comforter and bring myself to a sitting position.
"Three weeks and what?"
"Three weeks for me to prove I’m not a dick." I balk at his words.
"You think you only need three weeks to erase the years you were an asshole and bully to me? Wow, you’ve got some ego on you," I scoff, and climb out of bed. I need to pee. And some time to process the idiot in the room.
When I get back, I nearly fly off the handle at the sight. Rico has out a suitcase and is piling my clothes into it. "What the ever-loving hell are you doing?" I ask, staring daggers at him.
"Told you. Three weeks, Ree. You’re coming to the clubhouse with me," he says while stuffing in what looks like my panties. I’m going to kill him.
"Uh, no. I don’t think so. I’m going to stay here. You can...take me on a date or something. See where it goes from there," I offer, going to the bed to start unpacking the bag.
"Nope, not happening. There are too many fucking stairs in this house and I don’t want to have to leave the clubhouse to come see you."
"So convenient for you. Forget that this place is closer to my work. Forget that I need to sleep during the day. Oh, and forget that I don’t fucking want to!" I shriek, my temper unleashed. All he does is look my way and laugh. Fucking laugh.
"You are cute as hell when you get pissed. No way out of this. V is on board. Said he’ll carry you out of here himself if need be."
"You are a fucking liar." There’s no way.
"Go ask him. Talked to him about it before I made the climb." He has to be lying. There’s no way Vin would agree to this. I don’t get to call him out on the suspected lie because he starts taking what I took out of the bag and puts it back in. Then he opens his mouth again. "Besides, I’m not fucking you with their room right across the hall."
"No way! That’s how we got into this situation. Not happening again." Crossing my arms over my chest, I glare at the man in defiance.
"Not like I’m gonna knock you up more."
"One," I counter, waiting for him to respond. His forehead crinkles in confusion before his eyes narrow.
"Two."
"One, and I will leave with you right now and not put up a fight." He thinks it over nearly long enough for me to take back my compromise. Before I can, he nods. "But I’m not having sex with you," I quickly add.
"Yeah. We'll see. Pack the rest of your shi—uh, stuff, and I'll meet you out in the truck," he tells me with a smug grin to his face, clearly satisfied he partly got his way. We’ll see how long it takes for him to piss me off enough to make me leave.
It doesn’t take me long to pack up a week's worth of clothes, then I head down the stairs, suitcase in hand. Ellie stops me in the kitchen before I can make it to the door. Tanya is munching away on her PB&J, leaving a jelly moustache on her face. "Going somewhere?" Ellie asks, eyebrow arched. She no doubt finds this situation funny.
"I said I would give him a week," I explain, taking a seat at the table next to Anthony. "Can I have a carrot?" I ask him, and he is all too happy to offer his plate of veggies. He glances up at a now scowling Ellie before going back to his sandwich.
"You need to at least eat two," she says with her arms crossed.
"Fine," Anthony grumbles, then picks up one of the carrots and starts crunching away. I do the same, but it only makes me hungrier. Maybe a sandwich before I leave...
"Ree! Let’s get going. I need to get back to the clubhouse, and you need to get back to sleep!" Rico yells from outside the screen door. Rolling my eyes, I snag another carrot from Anthony's plate and give him a wink before kissing the top of his head. The “big boy” pulls away, but Dawn and Tanya happily accept my kisses.
"I’ll see you kiddos later. Love you guys." I go to Ellie, giving her a hug. "Love you too, Ells." She hugs me back, holding on for a second longer.
"Give it a try. He might surprise you." She lets me go to walk out the door. She and Rico go back years, before I met either of them, and she knows a side of him he doesn’t show, but still, I’m not letting my guard down.
Chapter Six
Rico
I have a feeling waiting on this woman is going to become the norm. I watch as the screen door flies open, and she steps out, carrying the suitcase I started packing earlier. I immediately want to scold her for carrying the thing instead of rolling it behind her, but I don’t get the chance because the stubborn ass woman goes to her car and tosses the bag in the backseat. She turns my way, shoots me a snotty smile, then gets inside her car. "Little fucking..." Her tires kick up gravel as she speeds down the driveway. I’m going to spank her ass so fucking hard. The woman thinks I hate her, and hell, I’m sure she feels the same about me. I haven’t been friendly in the least since she walked through the clubhouse doors and stuck her hand out in greeting—a hand I didn’t take. Fuck, I wish I could go back and shake her hand, keep her from hooking up with Premo. The night I let her get past the asshole I turned myself into, we were fighting about sheets. Yeah, sheets.
"Well, I don't want them washed with mine. Who knows what’s growing on them from all the women you bang." I laugh at her snide comment.
"Oh, please, I don't fuck them in my bed, no one gets that from me. I just have them straddle my lap." I pat my hands on my legs and grin at her shocked expression. Her face turns red with anger, making my cock painfully hard—the same thing that always happens when we have these fights. This time, I pissed her off by opening the washer and tossing my bed sheets in with hers. The only reason she found out they were mine is because I'm the only one in the club with red sheets. Red, I don't know why, and they are soft as fuck too.
"Straddle your lap, huh? Those wheels don't get in the way?" She arches a cocky eyebrow at me. This is what she usually does, tries to make me uncomfortable by coming on to me until I back off. She knows if she starts flirting, I’ll give up. It’s the game we play—a game I'm about to forfeit.
"Nope, care to try?" I roll even closer, the argument about the sheets she took scissors to and tossed into my room far from my mind as I watch her stance change. Her breath hitches, her body tenses, and I just know she’s about ready to bolt, so I reach out and grab her arm, pulling her toward me in one swift motion. She falls forward, and I let go to grab her hips to pull her astride my lap. She tries to struggle at first, maybe just from the sheer shock of being pulled off balance, but then stops as her hands go to my shoulders.
"Rico, what—?"
"Bring your legs up here." I drag my palms down her jeans, right to her feet, and lift them over the curve of the wheels to get her in a more comfortable position. "See? Perfect angle." I roll my hips to further my demonstration, and she sucks in a sharp breath. My own noise comes from the back of my throat in a long groan, now fully aware that I have her on my lap and on my chair—where I’ve had more than a few women. This isn't how I want this to happen. Not with her.
"Rico." My name is a whisper brushing across my lips as she gets closer. Her wide eyes draw me in, causing me to ditch the asshole for just a moment. My hands leave her legs to travel up to her hips so I can press her closer to me, just to tease the both of us more. I thrust upward, and a breathy gasp escapes with each shift of my hips. They soon turn into moans, and I smother the sounds with my mouth. Surging forward with my tongue, I sweep inside her inviting mouth, savoring her taste, then pull back with a suck of her lip, only to go back for more, until I feel her body tense with her impending orgasm. I don't let it happen, though. I want—no, I need to be inside her when she comes.
I break the kiss and pull her off me, placing her feet on the floor. Instantly frustration fills her eyes, she thinks I’m stopping this. Her mouth opens, most likely to yell at me, when I back up only slightly. Before she can make a sound, I stand up, leaving the chair behind me, and her eyes grow into wide saucers. "Rico, you
don't..." I slam my body into hers and back us both up to the wall, stopping her from saying anything else.
"Off," I bark as I unbutton her jeans and pull the zipper down. She does as told, and I go for my own jeans, barely watching what I’m doing as her fumbling fingers slide her pants down, along with her red panties. They have to be fucking red. As soon as they drop to the floor, I find her mouth again, claiming it with my own. Bringing my jeans down just enough to free my painfully hard cock, I grab her hips and pull her up the wall. The pain intensifies in my lower spine, and I pull her away from the wall, pushing her onto my bed instead. As soon as her back hits the mattress, my dick finds her head and I sink inside. Inch by inch, I fill her up, loving the way her eyes roll back. When I’m fully seated, she wraps her legs around me, and I start to move, doing my best to ignore the pain and focus on the pleasure of having her wrapped around me. Finally. Fucking finally, I have this woman right where I’ve wanted her since I first laid eyes on her.
Reaching the clubhouse, I watch as Ari's car makes it past the gate, waving at the prospect as she goes. I don’t pay the kid any mind as I roll by and bring my truck to park next to her car, which she’s already vacated. I want so bad to hop out of the cab, go over, and give her ass a smack for not riding with me, and for speeding the whole way here, but I don’t get the chance, because she’s already walking inside, carrying that suitcase again. Stepping out, I head to the back to get my chair when I find Sage already taking care of it. I push past the annoyance of him helping me and take the offered chair. "Got your hands full, I see," he says, nodding toward the clubhouse.
"You have no fucking idea," I grumble, taking my seat in the chair and heading inside.
"She's here. That’s got to be something, right?" I scoff at his optimism.
"Yeah. We’ll see how it goes. The woman hates me."
"Then whatever the fuck you were doing the past few years worked." He laughs, and I want to pummel him into the dirt. "Pres said he needs to talk to ya." Sage smacks my shoulder, then leaves me to go inside. Instead of going to my room, I steer my chair toward Rock's office, finding him alone.
"Pres? Sage said you wanted to see me," I say, moving farther into the room when he waves me through the door.
"You get a hit on that thing I asked about?" I shake my head, mentally kicking myself for forgetting my Pres asked for a favor.
"No. Not yet. Something came up, and I got a little distracted. I'll get on it tonight."
"That’s fine. Been this long. A few more days aren’t going to hurt." I shrug in answer. "Still can’t wrap my head around it. Haven’t said a word to Buggs yet either. Want to know for sure."
"I understand. I'll work my magic."
"Good. Thanks. You move Ari in here with ya?" Great. He’s going there.
"Yep. Might be moving out too. Want to try to get a place in Cental near the hospital so she won’t have far to go for work."
"That a fact?" he says in surprise. "Well, congratulations, brother."
"Yeah. Now I just need to convince her to live with me. Was like pulling teeth to get her to agree on staying with me for a week."
"Better get to work then. That one isn’t going to be easy to win over."
"You're telling me," I grumble, starting for the door.
"Let me know what you find out, Reek. And good luck," he says the last in a small chuckle under his breath. I’m going to need a hell of a lot more than luck to win Ari the fuck over. I’m going to need a fucking miracle.
Chapter Seven
Ari
As soon as I walked into Rico's room, I tossed my suitcase onto the floor and went straight to bed. I was half tempted to go back to the room I stayed in before, but decided against it. I told him a week, and I'll give him a week…unless he fucks it up. I’m only able to get four more hours of sleep before the alarm I set on my phone goes off. With a long groan, I force myself from the bed and make my way to the bathroom—Rico's bathroom. It's bigger than the one in the president suite. I’m guessing because of the chair.
Rico being in that chair shocked me. At first, I thought maybe it was a motorcycle accident, him being a biker and all, but I soon learned that wasn’t the case. I also thought he was paralyzed, then found out that wasn’t the case either. I still don’t know what happened, but I do know it involves Vin and Ellie and their whole story with a man named Avil. I only get bits and pieces here and there about him, mainly from Kimi, who spent a short time with the man. Avil Cantrell. Evil bastard had a sick obsession with Ellie. He’s Anthony's biological father and the one who, in a sick, twisted way, brought Vin and Ellie together.
I get through with my shower and blow dry my hair. It’s cut short, so there isn’t much to do, just a little mousse, dry, then done. Nice and easy. I pull on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt without really looking at them. Doesn’t matter what I wear, I’ll just be changing into my scrubs when I get to the hospital anyway. I take a quick glance around the room. I didn’t look at it much before I face planted on the bed. The computer screens he has lined up above a small desk are all off, and the desk is covered in clusters of papers and what looks like a stack of books. Tilting my head to the side, I step closer to the table and reach out to grab the book on top. What to Expect When You're Expecting, along with numerous other pregnancy books and a top 10,000 baby names. I flip through the pages and wonder if he’s read anything from them. I haven’t even gotten myself one. I might be a nurse, but I don’t know anything about having a baby. I never thought I would ever want to have a baby. When the doctor came in and said I was pregnant, my jaw hit the floor and didn’t come back up until hours later. I still don’t think I’ve fully wrapped my mind around the reality of it. Seems like Rico has.
"Didn’t know if you had any of them." Rico's voice startles me from the door, and I almost drop the book, clasping it to my chest.
"Good god, you about scared the kid right out of me!" I gasp.
"Sorry. Not used to knocking on my own door. I can do that, though." He rolls closer. "Need a ride?"
I shake my head. "No. Thanks." I place the book back on the pile. "And I won’t be back right away in the morning. I’m having breakfast with Kimi." Why I feel the need to tell him my plans is beyond me. It's not like we’re in a relationship or anything.
"Yeah. Right. Well, I’ll see you when you get back. Have...have a good night." He chokes on the words, as if they leave a bad taste in his mouth. The guy can’t even be civil enough to exchange pleasantries?
"Yeah. You too," I say sarcastically, then walk out the door, not caring if it shuts behind me.
* * *
The sun is just starting to come up when I make my way out to my car. My shift is over, and I only have two more nights to go. Usually, this whole nightshift business doesn’t bother me, but now that I have a tiny human invading my body and sucking the energy right out of me, I can’t seem to get enough sleep. Last night wasn’t too busy at least. A car wreck brought in a man and woman with only bumps and bruises. Then came a screaming child with an earache. Not bad for the ER.
I get into my car, a little blue, two-door Mazda, and take a moment to relax in my seat. I swear I could fall asleep here. Right here...
Knock. Knock. Knock.
My eyes fly open, and I franticly look around. I'm still sitting in my car in the parking lot of the hospital. When I turn to the knocking, my eyes grow wider. When I see Rico sitting there in his chair, I look around for my phone. Finding it, I bring the screen to life and bypass the several texts and missed calls to find the time. Two hours. I’ve been sitting in my car sleeping for two hours. Two hours! Oh god, Kimi must be worried sick. "Open the door, Ree," Rico calls from the other side. I push open my door. "You didn't even have the doors locked?" he barks, taking the door in his hand and pulling it the rest of the way open. Crap.
"Hey, Puerto Rico. Nice weather we have today," I say, attempting to make a joke.
"Funny,” he deadpans. "Get a good nap in?" I nod. "Kimi called me and
said you didn't show up, then said you didn't answer your phone. She figured you might have forgotten and went back to the clubhouse to sleep. When I told her you hadn't done that, she got a little panicky."
"I'm so sorry. I got out here and just stopped for a second to rest my eyes. I had no idea I was so tired." I try for an apology, but realize he’s here and not Kimi. "Why are you here? Kimi could have come here to see if my car was still in the lot."
"I have an appointment." His voice is gruff. Before I can ask him about his appointment, he holds out his hand. "Come on." I pause for a second before taking it, and he helps me out of the car.
"I need to call Kimi and let her know—"
"Already did. Told her we would stop by before heading home." He says “home” like it’s an everyday occurrence—him picking me up from work and stopping to see my friend before heading home. "First, I want you to come with me. Could use someone who speaks doctor for this." He starts to roll toward the hospital without another word, and I look back to my car, then to him, quietly debating whether I’m going to go with him. "Get walking, Ree. Ain’t got all day," he hollers before I decide, and I roll my eyes at his back before starting forward.
In complete silence, I trail behind him through the twists and turns of the building. The hospital is connected to the clinic, making it one complicated maze. If you go through the wrong door, you’re screwed. I know my way around the hospital, but the clinic is like a foreign country for me. When I came in for my appointment, I got lost. Rico seems to know right where he’s going, though. We walk onto the elevator, and he presses the button for the fourth floor. Oncology/Joint repair. I look at him as we start going up levels. His focus seems to be on the buttons in front of him. He doesn’t once glance my way, so I decide not to say anything as we continue our short journey to the check in desk.
