by Harley Wylde
“She’s beautiful, Hayley. You did good.”
I smiled and ran my fingers over her hair. “Thanks, Dad.”
Hawk held out his hand and I went to him, letting him pull me down onto his lap. He banded an arm around my waist and kissed the side of my neck. I didn’t know what to think of our relationship, but I was eager to see where things might go. He said claiming me was forever. If that was the case, we had a lifetime to figure things out.
“We aren’t going to solve this today,” Beast said. “Chief Daniels, why don’t you spend some time with your family. Typically, we’d offer you a guest house, but having a cop around might make everyone here a bit antsy. Your kind doesn’t usually like us too much.”
“Understandable. But just so we’re clear, I’m not here as a cop. I’m here as a father and grandfather. Not to mention I don’t have jurisdiction.”
Beast smiled. “In that case, you’re welcome to the guest house. I’ll have someone stock the kitchen, assuming you’ll be here a few days.”
My dad nodded. “If my daughter is all right with me staying, I’d like to remain here until we figure out who’s after her. However long that takes.”
“Won’t the department miss you?” I asked.
“I put in for a few days off. I can request more. Let the mayor know it’s a family emergency. Can’t promise your mom won’t try to drive here. I damn near had to cuff her just to get her to remain behind.”
I laughed and shook my head. It didn’t surprise me. My mom let my dad think he was getting his way, but often she did her own thing anyway. Which meant she was probably already on her way here.
“Then it’s settled,” Beast said. “I’ll have the kitchen stocked, and make sure you have anything else you might need. Hawk can show you where it is when you’re ready to retire for the night.”
My dad shook Beast’s hand and thanked him. The big Pres walked out with one last look at Freya. It seemed my daughter was going to wrap everyone around her little finger.
“While I’m sure Hayley would like to cook for you, I say we order something. If it can’t be delivered, I can have someone pick it up,” Hawk said. “It will give the two of you more time together.”
My dad glared at him. “I’ll have plenty of time for her, and for you. The asshole who knocked up my baby girl and left her.”
“Dad, stop.” I placed a hand on his shoulder. “It’s not Hawk’s fault. Remember what I told you before. It takes two people to make a baby, and he didn’t know about Freya. I never told him.”
“And why is that?” my dad asked.
“Because she thought I wouldn’t want a family,” Hawk said. “She was wrong, by the way.”
“You clearly already knew her the night you caught her stalker. Is that why you were in town? Because of Hayley?” my dad asked.
Hawk nodded. “I heard she was in trouble and I wanted to help. I’d hoped she might want to see me again, but she acted like she’d never met me. I waited all night, thinking she might come to the clubhouse. She never showed, so I left at first light.”
“I tried to go see you the next morning. I was too late,” I said.
“The two of you are clearly together now. This isn’t a temporary thing, is it?” my dad asked.
“No, sir. She’s here to stay,” Hawk said.
My dad looked like he might take a swing at Hawk.
“Let’s get one thing straight. I’m not a ‘sir’ to you. You don’t look that much younger than me. Exactly how old are you, Hawk?” he asked.
Oh hell. This wasn’t going to go over well. Not even a little.
“I’m forty. Before you say anything, I know I’m a lot older than Hayley, but it doesn’t matter to me. I care about her. She’s beautiful, kind, and absolutely amazing. And our daughter is perfect,” Hawk said. “The raccoon is even growing on me.”
“I’m fifty-three,” my dad said. “I guess you can call me sir if you insist.”
“Dad, you know you can’t say anything about the age difference between me and Hawk. You and Mom aren’t exactly the same age. The two of you have a happy marriage. There’s no reason Hawk and I can’t be happy together. You always said age was just a number.”
“It is,” my dad said. “But I have the right to change my mind when it comes to my daughter seeing someone a lot older than her.”
I tapped my chin. “What’s that called again? Oh yeah, it makes you a hypocrite!”
“Keep sassing me. I can still put you over my knee,” my dad groused.
“Nope. That would be my job now,” Hawk said.
My cheeks burned and I took Freya, rushing from the room. I wasn’t about to sit around and discuss Hawk giving me a spanking. Not in front of my dad of all people. What the hell was wrong with the two of them?
Cuddles climbed my dad, begging to be held. Nothing melted my heart quite as much as seeing my tough father holding my raccoon. Even when Cuddles had been small, my dad would walk around the house, cradling him like a baby. He’d never let anyone see that side of him outside our house, so I cherished those memories. The fact he was letting Hawk see him like this told me he’d accepted our relationship, no matter how much huffing and puffing he was doing.
The rest of the night went relatively smoothly. We ate, laughed over something stupid my brother had done, and my dad left for the guest house close to midnight. After such a long day, I wanted a shower before bed. While Hawk showed my dad where he’d be staying, I stripped out of my clothes and stepped under the hot spray.
I washed my hair and soaped my body, letting the water pound my neck and shoulders. I’d been so tense lately. The hot bath Hawk had fixed for me that first night had helped a lot, but today had been too stressful by far.
I’d enjoyed the conversations I’d had with Hawk the last several days. We had completely different taste in music and movies. For every action flick he’d asked me to watch, he’d willingly sat through a musical or romantic comedy. I’d discovered we both liked to read, even though we didn’t like the same books. There were times I wasn’t sure how things would work between us. I’d always heard opposites attracted, and that seemed to be the case with us. I hoped we weren’t heading for a big disaster down the road. Then he’d say or do something that made me laugh or feel all warm inside, and I’d know that we were going to be just fine.
I heard the shower door open. Hawk’s scent teased my nose and I smiled as he placed his hands on my waist. He kissed my shoulder, then the side of my neck. Every nerve ending lit up. My nipples pebbled and I knew I wanted his hands on me. The way he’d teased me at the baby store, I’d almost begged him to make me come in the car.
“Couldn’t resist. Is this okay?” he asked.
The tension I’d felt slowly ebbed. When he touched me, it was like the world fell away. Even if he only held my hand, it always made me feel better. It was like magic. Or maybe it was something more. Like love. I’d read plenty of books about love at first sight. Until Hawk, I hadn’t believed in fairy tales. When he’d come to bring me here, to claim me and our daughter, it was both terrifying and exciting.
“More than. I’m tired of waiting. It’s not like we haven’t slept together before. We made a baby!” And yeah, Freya was a handful, and it would be better to wait. I knew that. But I wanted to feel closer to him. No, I needed to.
I felt him smile against my skin. “Yeah, we did. And she’s beautiful like her mom.”
I turned to face him, placing my hands on his broad chest. My heart slammed against my ribs and it felt like my clit was pulsing just as hard. I’d more than healed since having Freya. From what I’d read, it wouldn’t hurt this time. Even before, it had only been a brief flash of pain and then nothing but pleasure. I’d been sore as hell the next two days, but it had been worth it. If I’d had the guts to seek him out the next day and we’d gone for round two, I think I’d have been begging him for more, regardless of how tender I’d been between my legs.
“Touch me, Alex. Please. I’ve
dreamed of this moment for so long. It feels like it’s been forever.”
“Because it has.”
He backed me against the tiled wall and kissed me long and deep. My knees went weak as I clung to him. His hold tightened on me and I felt the hard length of his cock. I worked my hand between our bodies and wrapped my fingers around him. He groaned and I felt a shudder run through him.
“I wanted to take my time with you. I’d planned to seduce you and spend all night making you come over and over.” He placed his forehead against mine. “I didn’t count on needing you so damn much. One touch and I’m about ready to come all over your hand.”
“I don’t need a seduction, Alex. Just you.”
He kissed me again, his tongue slipping between my lips. It felt like I was floating on a cloud. He lifted my leg over his hip, and I curled it around him. He placed the head of his cock against me and slowly pushed inside me. I cried out, my fingers digging into his shoulders. He froze, breathing heavy.
“Don’t stop, Alex.”
He thrust deep, giving me every inch. It burned as I stretched to take him.
“Fuck, Hayley. I can’t hold back. If you don’t want this, if you’ve changed your mind, say it now.”
“I won’t break.”
It was all he needed to hear. He sounded like a savage beast as he fucked me. My ass slapped against the wall with every thrust of his cock and pleasure rolled over me in waves. He somehow managed to brush my clit with every stroke, and I knew I wouldn’t last. He thought he couldn’t hold back? I was seconds from coming and he’d barely gotten inside me. I screamed out his name as I came so hard I nearly blacked out. I felt the heat of his release, and then we were suddenly on the floor of the shower. Hawk leaned against the wall and placed me on his lap.
“That was…”
“Wonderful?”
“I was going to say too short.” He moved my hair off my face and kissed me softly. “Let me catch my breath and maybe we can try again. In a bed this time.”
“If you make it any better, I may not survive.”
He smiled and hugged me tight. “You’re good for my ego, baby.”
“I don’t think you need your ego stroked.”
“Maybe not.” He winked. “But you can stroke my cock anytime you want.”
I giggled and smacked him on the shoulder. He was terrible, but in the best way.
“Can you come for me again?” he asked.
My breath caught and I nodded. Hawk slid his hand down my belly and between my legs. He parted the lips of my pussy and rubbed my clit. His strokes were so achingly slow and light I thought I might lose my mind. I arched my back, silently asking for more.
He curved his other arm around me more and reached up to cup my breast. He brushed his thumb over my nipples, and I couldn’t hold back my whimper. It felt good. Almost too good. He gave the hard tip a slight tug as he pressed his fingers tighter against my clit and it felt like fireworks went off. I came, bucking against his hand. I never wanted the sensations to end and I babbled incoherently. Hawk didn’t stop. He played with me until I’d come twice more. Only when I knew nothing other than his cock would satisfy me did I tell him I’d had enough.
Being in his arms felt so right. It was like I was finally where I belonged. Now that Hawk was mine, and I was his, I refused to let anything come between us. I hoped they found the person who’d tampered with my car and put an end to it all. I was tired of people doing stupid things, tired of feeling like I needed to have eyes in the back of my head. All I wanted was to have my happily-ever-after. That wasn’t too much to ask, was it? I might not be a princess, but Hawk was still my Prince Charming.
Just with biker boots and a dirty mouth.
And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Chapter Nine
Hawk
Beast had called the officers into Church, along with Chief Daniels. He’d put Torch on speaker so we could all hear what the other club’s President had discovered so far. Shield hadn’t had much luck with the tracking device. It seemed to be the sort anyone could purchase if they knew where to go and was too common to trace it back to a shop. Which left us with trying to figure out why the drugs had been placed in Hayley’s car, and who had done it.
“I talked to James Gilbert,” Torch said. “The man Hayley tried to remember is Seb Martin.”
“What the fuck kind of name is Seb?” I asked.
“A made-up one,” Torch said. “From what Wire and Lavender have dug up, the man was on the run and changed his name four times. We think the drugs in Hayley’s car are from a batch that was stolen from the Bartinelli Family about a year ago.”
“Again I say… what the fuck?” I looked around the table, seeing the same confusion on everyone’s face that I was feeling. “So this guy stole the drugs from the Bartinellis and hid them in Hayley’s car because…”
“Opportunity,” Torch said. “We assume at any rate. We can’t find the guy. He’s vanished.”
“Thought Wire was the best,” I said.
Beast shot me a look that clearly said shut the fuck up. I shrugged my shoulder.
“He is,” Venom said, joining the conversation. “All the officers are present, by the way.”
“Same here,” Beast said. “As well as Chief Daniels.”
“Wire said Seb dropped off the grid. Didn’t even clean out his bank account. If he’s using another ID, he must have bought a much better one than all the others. Personally, I think it’s more likely the Bartinellis caught up to him and he’s in a shallow grave somewhere,” Tank said.
“Can you see if there’s movement in their organization?” Forge asked. “Are they mobilizing or possibly heading this way? If they want their drugs, they’ll be coming for Hayley. If Seb was smart, he’d have sent them after her to deflect attention from himself.”
“So we give them the drugs,” Beast said.
Chief Daniels growled. “You’re just going to give drugs to a known crime family? You know they’ll end up in the hands of children. People will die. Do you want that on your conscience? Or do you just not have one?”
Ouch. I waited to see what the Pres would do. On the one hand, he didn’t need the chief making him look bad. On the other… Well, I knew Beast didn’t want kids to get those drugs either, but Hayley was family now and he’d do anything to protect her.
“I didn’t say we’d let them keep the drugs, fucker.” Beast glared at the chief. “We hand them over, and when they’re outside our territory, we arrange for a little accident. But we need to wait until they’re far enough away they won’t tie it back to us. The last thing we need is them coming for Hayley again. The entire point is to make sure she and Freya are off their radar.”
The chief’s shoulders sagged. “You’re right. Sorry. Do whatever you have to. Hayley is what’s important right now. If those drugs end up on the streets, we’ll just have to work hard to round them up.”
“All right, so the plan for now is to let the Bartinellis know we ran across their missing drugs, and they’re welcome to them. I want the drop away from the clubhouse,” Beast said. “I’m not putting our women and kids in danger.”
“I’m sure you’ve already thought of this, but in regards to the tracker, could it have been that asshole who’d been stalking her?” Tank asked. “If he kept leaving shit on her car, that meant he knew where he could find her at any time. Right?”
Shit. He was right.
“It’s possible,” the chief said. “He never would give us much of anything. It was a damn miracle he got sentenced at all. I half expected him to end up locked in a psych ward somewhere. Fucker was nuts.”
“The tracker was disabled,” Forge said. “Whoever was keeping tabs on Hayley can’t do it anymore, assuming it’s not the guy in prison. Plus she has a new vehicle. I think we need to focus on the drugs. And see if we can figure out what happened to Seb. If he’s still alive, he could still come for Hayley, not knowing we don’t have the drugs anymore.”
“What if we used the car as bait?” I asked. “No one knows we have the drugs. If this Seb person is still around, he could believe the drugs are still stashed in Hayley’s car. And he’ll want them back.”
“You think he noticed the tracking device was disabled?” Forge asked.
“It’s possible. Or maybe he thinks it’s malfunctioning. We won’t know if we don’t try,” I said. “I’d rather offer up the car as bait than my woman.”
“You think he knows she’s here?” Beast asked.
“If he put the tracker on her car, yes. Or if he overheard anyone around town say Hayley left with us.” I leaned back in my seat. “The guy is going to be desperate, if he’s still breathing. Let’s make him think he can have what he wants.”
“Forge, work with the chief. I want men watching that car so we can nab anyone who comes for the drugs. And, Chief, you’re definitely not a cop right now. We get this asshole, he’s not going to jail. Not until we get what we need from him. After that, I say we let the Bartinellis have him.” Beast slammed his fist on the table. “Church dismissed. Get the fuck out.”
He took his phone off speaker and picked it up. I figured he wanted to talk to Torch about Lyssa and Madison. I left the chief with Forge to go home to Hayley and Freya. They’d both been sleeping when I left the house. It might have been my imagination, but I could have sworn Freya had been a lot quieter the last two days. She still had some crying fits. The last few hadn’t been too bad, and she’d been easily soothed. From what Hayley had explained, the purple crying only lasted so long. Maybe it was nearly over.
I knew Hayley would be grateful. She’d been able to sleep a decent amount the last few nights. Well, except last night. I grinned thinking about all the times I’d made her beg for more. I hadn’t been able to fuck a woman four times in a row in a damn long time, but Hayley made me feel a lot younger. With her, it seemed I could go all night.
