by Harley Wylde
“Do what?”
“Run.” She smiled a little. “The fact you’re hard doesn’t scare me, Josh. After last night…”
Her cheeks warmed. I pulled her against my chest again and hugged her to me. I knew I didn’t deserve her. She was too sweet, and despite all she’d suffered, too innocent. Yet I didn’t want to ever let her go.
“Not running, beautiful. I’m a badass biker.” I grinned. “We don’t run, unless bombs are involved.”
“Will you tell me more about you? Not now because I know we need to go, but I want to learn all about the past and present versions of you.”
I kissed her forehead. “Deal. Now, scrub up because if I put my hands on you, we’ll be late.”
She smiled and backed up, reaching for the soap. I shouldn’t have offered to shower together. Even if I wasn’t touching her, seeing her soap her breasts had to be the hottest thing I’d watched in a long time. Hell, I’d seen naked women every night at the clubhouse for as long as I could remember, but their images had blurred in my memories. All I saw now was my sweet, beautiful Raven.
After she finished, I took the soap from her and cleaned myself, trying not to stare as she washed her hair. I felt like a starry-eyed teen who had never seen a naked girl before. Except with Raven, I’d be struck dumb by her even fully clothed. I’d seen women who looked flawless. It was her scars, and all she’d survived, that made her shine brighter than all the others.
We got out and dressed. I pulled on my usual jeans and tee and shrugged my cut over my shoulders. Raven opted for denim shorts and a black V-neck tee. She put on a pair of sandals she’d picked up at the store yesterday and left her wet hair hanging down her back.
“You’re not riding on my bike with sandals on.”
Her nose wrinkled. “Why not? I was barefoot when I rode behind you the first time.”
“And it wasn’t safe. You could have gotten burned on the pipes. I still have the truck. We’ll take that.”
“Josh, I liked being on your bike.”
I crossed the room and tipped her chin up. “And you’ll get to go on more rides, but not today. Besides, I know you’re pregnant now. I didn’t know it when I let you ride behind me before.”
“Are you saying I can’t ride with you as long as I’m pregnant?” she asked, her eyes going wide. “Why not?”
I slipped my hands around her waist and hugged her. “Because you’re the most important thing in my life, Raven, and for now, so is the baby. If you decide we aren’t keeping the baby, then I’ll try not to get attached.”
She rested her head against my chest. “You really want this baby, don’t you?”
I sucked in a breath and contemplated lying my ass off. I didn’t want her to feel like she had no choice in the matter. But I didn’t want to start out with a lie between us.
“Yeah, I want the baby. Not enough to tell you to keep it. I’ll be first to admit I can be an ass at times, and domineering, but I would never force you to keep the baby, Raven. The decision is completely yours and I’ll support you no matter what.”
“What if I see the baby and can’t stand to look at them? What if they remind me too much of how they were conceived?” she asked.
She had a reason to be worried. It was quite possible that very thing could happen. Or she could look at the baby and fall completely in love with our child. And yes, I already thought of the baby as mine, simply because Raven was mine. They were a package deal in my opinion.
“Then we discuss adoption. It’s possible someone from another club might want to raise them. I know Havoc and Jordan adopted some kids down at the Devil’s Boneyard. If you don’t want the baby, we’ll make sure they have a loving home.”
She sucked in a deep breath and blew it out. “All right. For now, can we plan on keeping him? Or her?”
I smiled and hugged her tighter. “Absolutely.”
We left and drove to the clubhouse. The line of bikes out front was proof we were late, even if sex hadn’t been involved. I led Raven inside, noting the three club whores huddled in the corner. I narrowed my eyes at them, wondering why the fuck they were here.
Luciana and Violeta sat at a table near the bar. I took Raven over and pulled out a chair for her. Once she’d sat, I got a drink for her from behind the bar.
“Where’s Vasha?” I asked.
“Watching the kids,” Violeta said. She cast a glare at the club whores. “Once we saw them, there was no way we were bringing the kids inside.”
“Spider’s chewing out your brothers right now,” Luciana said. “They knew we were coming and left those skanks in here. He’s pissed. Those three scurried outside, but once everyone went into Church, they came back like fucking cockroaches.”
I kissed Raven’s cheek. “You know where I’ll be if you need anything. It’s frowned upon for you to interrupt Church, but if someone’s bleeding or the building is on fire, by all means barge right in. Stick with Luciana and Violeta. I’ll be back soon.”
I walked down the hall and pushed open the doors to Church. Considering Spider was supposedly reading everyone the riot act, it seemed a bit too quiet. Hornet and Freak both stared at the table, the latter with flushed cheeks. Those two must have been responsible for the club whores. I wondered if Spider knew those women had come back inside. Doubtful. Couldn’t wait to see how pissed he got when he saw them.
“You’re late,” Spider said, leaning back in his seat.
“Sorry. Raven needed a hug and…” I sank into my chair and sighed. “She started to freak a little over the baby. I had to calm her down again.”
“Baby?” Breaker asked, looking a bit green at the thought. “Those fuckers got her pregnant?”
I nodded. “They did. She isn’t sure how she feels about it. For now, we’re planning to keep the baby.”
“We?” Bear asked.
“And that brings us to why I called Church,” Spider said. “Only Breaker and the club officers have met Raven. She’s the one we pulled out of Balmoral. Hatchet’s daughter. You may have seen her in the clubhouse that first night when Breaker brought her here. She immediately clung to Fox and has been living with him.”
“Hold the fuck up.” Hornet lifted a hand. “You’re telling me you put your hands on some poor girl who’s been raped and abused?”
I tipped my head back and counted to ten. Then twenty. When I thought I had enough control to not lunge for him, I scanned my brothers seated around the table. “Yes, Raven is living with me. No, I didn’t force her to endure my touch. From the first night she was in my house, she’s felt safer with me lying next to her at night. Anyone has an issue with it, I’ll be happy to settle this outside.”
Breaker cleared his throat. “I saw how she reacted to Fox. He got upset over how I’d found her and put his hand through the wall. Raven ran to him, worried he’d hurt himself. She held onto him and wouldn’t let go.”
“She’s like Luciana and Violeta,” Rocket said. “Only one person makes her feel safe, and it seems that would be Fox. I’m not sure I understand why we’re here, though. You could have just sent a text to let us know Raven would be living with him for a while.”
“It’s more than that,” Spider said. “Raven has agreed to be Fox’s old lady. I called Church so we can take a vote.”
“I’ll cast mine right now,” Rocket said. He lifted his hand. “I say give them what they want.”
More hands went up around the table. I hadn’t realized I’d been worried until I saw Breaker’s hand go up too. Spider slammed his fist into the table.
“It’s unanimous. Congratulations, Fox. You have an old lady. I’ll have Luciana contact the woman who makes the property cuts. Raven should have it by end of the week. Now, if there’s nothing else we need to discuss, everyone get the hell out and make sure you don’t scare our newest family member.”
I stood and hurried out of the doors, only to come to a halt at the end of the hallway. My heart hammered in my chest as I stared at the chaos in front
of me. Violeta kicked a club whore in the stomach and legs as the woman curled into a ball on the nasty floor. Luciana slammed her fist into another’s face. And my sweet Raven? She had a handful of another’s hair and smashed her face into the table until blood sprayed everywhere.
“Holy shit,” I muttered.
Spider came up behind me and grunted, taking it all in. “What the hell is going on out here?”
Joe ran over, his face pale and a slight tremor in his hands. “Pres. VP. I, uh… I tried to throw them out, but… I didn’t want to hurt them.”
I motioned for Joe to keep talking.
“CeeCee started mouthing off about how much she’d enjoyed your cock, and how she’d be riding it again soon. Talked about your woman being a cheap, ugly whore who’d never keep you satisfied.” He gulped and looked at Spider. “And um… Rochelle said some shit about Luciana getting fat and how you’d be available again soon enough. It sort of went to hell from there.”
I strode into the room and wrapped my arm around Raven’s waist, hauling her back against me. I turned to the side to set her away from CeeCee, who collapsed to the floor with tears and mascara running down her face.
“Fox, I think she broke my nose,” the woman whined.
I grabbed her hair and hauled her up to her feet. “I don’t give a shit if she broke your nose. After what I just heard, I hope she loosened a few teeth too. You’re gone, CeeCee. Don’t ever come back here. You get me? I may not hurt women but push me and I will make your life fucking hell.”
She cried harder and I tossed her away like the unwanted trash she was. I felt Raven’s hands on my back right before her scent hit me. I reached back and held her closer to me. I should have known those bitches would start shit.
“Pres, your woman all right? Rocket, how’s Violeta?”
“We’re fine,” Luciana said, shaking out her hand. “You should be proud of your girl.”
I smiled. “Oh, I am. She was fucking fierce, wasn’t she?”
Turning, I lowered my head and kissed Raven in the middle of the clubhouse. I didn’t care who saw. She was mine, and I wanted her to know just how hot it made me to see her take down that whore. When I pulled back, a few of my asshole brothers wolf whistled and clapped. I flipped them off.
Breaker came up, a smile on his lips. “Welcome to the family, Raven. I’m really happy for you. Fox is a great guy.”
Her cheeks flushed and her eyes brightened. “Yes, he is. The best.”
Well, I wouldn’t go that far. I only hoped she felt that way in another month, another year, or a decade from now. Assuming I didn’t keel over before then. I planned to be around a long-ass time for her and our kid, or kids, but I knew bad shit happened and life sometimes fucked you over.
Fate was a fickle bitch. But if she tried to take me from Raven too soon, I’d dig my way out of hell to get back to my family.
Chapter Eleven
Raven
I couldn’t believe I’d done that! I’d physically assaulted someone, and all because she said something I hadn’t liked. I’d never been a violent sort of person, at least not toward others. The fact Fox hadn’t been angry over the incident, and if anything seemed pleased by my reaction, made me feel a little less sick over it. The woman might have been mouthing off about Fox, but I’d gone too far when I broke her nose. At least, I thought so. Everyone else seemed happy about it. Even Luciana and Violeta had attacked the other two women.
“You’re not angry?” I asked Fox as he drove away from the clubhouse.
“No. You were staking your claim, Raven. In my world -- now yours too -- that shit’s important. Those women wouldn’t have backed down if you’d asked them politely.”
“You pulled Spider aside to talk. I thought maybe you’d actually been upset about it but hadn’t wanted to say something in front of everyone. I didn’t want to embarrass you.”
He reached over and took my hand, lifting it to his lips. “Sweetheart, I was damn proud of you. As for Spider, I needed to get something from him. We’re making a stop on the way back to the house.”
We hadn’t driven through the gates, so whatever it was I knew it had to be part of their property. Fox drove past the house and continued down the road. The houses became farther apart until we were nearing the end of them. I saw two that seemed larger than the others, both set farther back off the road. Fox pulled into the driveway of the first one and shut off the engine.
“Are we visiting someone?” I asked.
“No. This house is empty. When I picked out the house I have now, I didn’t have anyone special in my life, and kids weren’t even on my mind. Now that I have you, and we have a baby on the way, I thought we might need more space.” He turned in his seat to face me. “We don’t have to accept this house. If you don’t like it, I’ll tell Spider we’re keeping the one we have. I’ll just need to come up with a way to give us more room. I have a few ideas, but this seemed like a simpler solution.”
I eyed the large home and wondered exactly how many rooms he thought we needed. As far as I knew, there was only one baby growing inside me. He’d mentioned the possibility of more kids, but we hadn’t really had a discussion about it. Did he want a large family? Could I handle having more than one child? Having grown up without a father, and then my mom throwing me out, I hadn’t had the best example of what a parent should be. What if I screwed up our kids?
“If you don’t want to go inside, we won’t,” he said.
I could tell he wanted this house. Or more accurately, he hoped I would want it. He hadn’t asked for a single thing since he’d let me move in. The least I could do was look at the house with him. I’d try to keep an open mind.
“It doesn’t hurt to look, right?”
He smiled. “Right. Come on, sweetheart. Let’s see if we even like this place. I haven’t been inside it since they finished putting up the walls and made it livable.”
I opened the door and got out, then followed him up the walkway. The yard had been cut. A flower bed stretched along the front of the home, but only dirt filled the space. Someone had placed stones along the outer edge to form a border. Decorative pavers led from the front porch down to the mailbox. The home had beige bricks and a brown roof. Rustic wood shutters framed the windows. It would have fit into any suburban neighborhood and didn’t look a thing like a house I’d expect a biker to have. Then again, I hadn’t really known any before coming here. Maybe they all lived in beautiful homes like this one.
Fox pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked the door. He motioned for me to enter first, and the moment I stepped inside, I knew we’d be taking the house. The entry had a natural stone floor that continued into the kitchen to our left. A large family room on the right had dark hardwood floors. I saw three other doors on this level as well as French doors that led into what appeared to be a sunroom.
The brightly lit space called to me, and I had to see it. I pushed open the doors and stepped down into the room. The same stonework in the front entry covered the floor. Large windows encased the space on two sides. The third held mostly windows, but also had a large glass door that led out into the backyard. Since it didn’t have a fence, I could see for what seemed like miles. In the distance, I saw a line of trees. I hadn’t realized the club had so much property. Although, if he wanted children, we’d need to put up a fence.
“It’s beautiful,” I murmured.
“Come on. Let’s see the rest of this place.” Fox took my hand and pried me away from the sunroom. One of the other doors opened to a small bathroom with a standing shower, sink, and toilet. The other two were probably intended to be bedrooms, even though they were on the smaller side. Unless someone had thought to make one an office.
Fox walked back to the front entry and went into the kitchen, pulling me in his wake. The stone floor covered the room, just as it did the entry and sunroom. The walls were a pale, buttery yellow. The cabinets were a darker wood, and the counter tops boasted a smooth marble in a café au lait sort
of tone. Brand-new appliances were in place, the tags still on them. I walked across the large space and opened a door on the opposite side. It led into a small side entry. I saw a door with glass in the top, letting me look out into the side yard. An open doorway showed a spacious pantry with a lot of shelves and room along one wall for a chest freezer. It even had an outlet already available.
“I haven’t seen a laundry room,” I said as I went back into the kitchen. Surely a house this size would have one? Or some sort of spot for a washer and dryer.
“Let’s look upstairs.”
Fox and I climbed to the second floor. All the doors stood open so we could easily peek into each one. One door stood off a ways from the other rooms. I went inside and saw a washer and dryer, along with cabinets over the top of them and a counter on the opposite wall that would give me space to fold clothes.
“This place has four bedrooms up here,” Fox said. “And a big bathroom for three of them. Want to check out the master suite?”
Suite? Did he mean it was bigger than we had right now? I went inside and my jaw dropped a little. The room sat at the end of the hall and had two exterior walls. One wall had two windows and the other had one. The light made the room feel open and welcoming. A nook caught my attention and I saw someone had added a small sitting area through an archway to the left of the lone window. Just large enough for a bookshelf and two chairs. The perfect spot to relax at the end of the day. The space also had a window.
“The bathroom is amazing,” Fox called out.
I left the little nook and went to see the bathroom. A large sunken tub looked big enough for four or five men the size of Fox. The shower had an open doorway, but as I stepped inside, I saw the drain and showerheads -- yes, plural as there were two -- were designed in such a way the water wouldn’t seep out into the main part of the bathroom. The wall between the shower and the rest of the room had been made of glass blocks, letting in light but obscuring anyone’s view.
Double sinks and a long counter sat under a mirror. The sinks were unlike any I’d seen before. They looked like large bowls on top of the counter, and the curved spout reminded me of a waterfall when I turned it on. The cabinets and drawers under the counter would give us plenty of room for towels and other bathroom items. I found the toilet hidden behind another door, which seemed a bit humorous since most bathrooms didn’t hide the toilet. There were even his and her closets.
