by C. M. Steele
Grace stepped in, answering that question. “Because he wasn’t conscious enough until yesterday to speak more than a word.” Damn, had I only been awake since yesterday?
“Oh my God.”
“Has Doc checked you out?”
“Yes, and so has my lovely fiancée, Dr. Grace Holden.”
“Beautiful and a doctor. Lucky,” Cowboy said, wagging his brows up at my woman.
I puffed my chest and stepped up to him. “Keep your eyes to your damn self, Cowboy.”
He tossed his hands up in surrender, but from the smirk on his face, the bastard enjoyed my jealousy. “We all better be careful. Rico’s been awake for a day, and he’s already claimed his woman. He beat all you love birds.”
“Technically, Boomer warned off Mick the second we walked into the tattoo shop,” Crystal said with a bright smile. Boomer had made it clear to all of us that she belonged to him.
“Was that before or after I ruined Mick’s tat books?” Morgan blushed. We all heard about her vomiting on them because she was completely shitfaced. Although, Mick sure as hell didn’t mind. The man had been in love with her for years. She could punch him in the balls and he would have taken it with a smile.
“You could ruin them all, little Momma.” Mick kissed Morgan, who was very visibly pregnant. When I left, Morgan hadn’t been far along in her pregnancy. None of the women were, but now all three Steele siblings were about to be parents. I’d missed a lot of time. I walked around the room, getting hugs from the entire crew while introducing everyone to Grace.
“Do you guys want something to drink?” Boss asked, doing his best to be stoic, but the man had tears in his eyes. He’d been a great friend and commander while we served. He became our father figure there.
"Yeah, I'll have a beer, and what do you want, angel?"
"I'll take a beer too." Boss slid two cold ones over to us, and we took a seat on the smaller sofa because I wanted to have her close to me.
"So you gonna tell us what went down? When we're going to strike?" Wrench asked.
"We need a game plan in order to do that,” Blade said, twirling his knife in his hand.
“That's not table talk,” Boss warned them, giving them the stare.
"Yes, Boss."
"We're glad you're back to the living anyway." Asher and Demi took a seat on the sofa adjacent to us. My little sister reached out and touched my arm. "I can't believe you're here." I placed my free hand over hers, giving it a squeeze.
"Well, I'm back, and nothing but old age and a bunch of grandkids will take me out again.” I sighed, leaning back and taking a drink of my beer.
"Grandkids? We haven't even gotten to the kids yet.” Grace huffed, lifted her beer to her lips, and tipped it back, setting down her now empty beer onto the table. Shit, she polished it off quick. Something about that was sexy as fuck. The image of her lips sliding over my cock rushed through my head. Soon.
"Oh, we will,” I grunted, lifting her onto my lap and letting her feel my need.
"So, Grace, where did you find this guy?" Asher asked. My family must have a thousand questions.
She sighed, taking another beer from Boss. The slight movement caused her ass to grind on my cock. The bad girl did that on purpose. “My father found him in the gulf where he was recreational diving.”
“Like in the water or paddling?” Demi wondered, but the guys already sensed the answer. We dealt with many fucked up people that Demi thankfully had never experienced.
“Like cement shoes,” I told them.
Grace reached over and squeezed her hand, then smiled. “It was luck. My father saw the boat and stayed out of sight until he saw them toss someone overboard.”
“What the hell? Why didn’t you get out before they caught on?” Wrench snarled, cracking his knuckles.
“I was double crossed by one of my own.” The fire in their eyes was unmistakable. Retribution would be had.
“So what’s next?” Cyber asked.
I heard the door open, and with a smile, I said, “Next, I want to eat some food, then go home and shower, make a baby, and then consider a plan tomorrow.”
“Whoa. Could you not say that in front of me, please?” Her father groaned, coming into the clubhouse with Boomer behind him. I bit back a laugh. Grace tried to get off my lap, but I held her still, kissing her lips. She let out a moan. We were interrupted by Crystal’s excitement, which Grace used to climb off me.
“Garrett, you’re back.” Crystal, who was as big as Morgan, rushed into her husband’s arms. Her sister, Sophia, ran into Doc’s. I’d missed a lot while I was gone, but at the same time, I hadn’t. I’d seen this shit coming.
Finally able to stand without embarrassing myself, I stated proudly, “Everyone, I’d like you to meet my hero and soon-to-be father-in-law, Dr. Stanley Holden.”
Morgan came up to him and said, “I’ll take you around the room and introduce you to everyone. You’re our hero too.” She kissed his cheek, tucked her arm under his, and dragged him around the room.
“So tell me you planned for some food?” I asked, stomach rumbling.
“We got you. The food is coming. Beast stopped to pick it up on his way home. He’s ten minutes out,” Boomer said, holding his wife tightly to his side. I couldn’t wait until Grace married me.
“Beast?” Grace arched her brows.
“Yep, and his wife.”
“Wife? He got married too?” Damn, I missed so much.
“Yep. Mary’s with him right now.” I didn’t remember what she looked like. I think I met her briefly, but if she made him happy, that was all that mattered.
“About half of us are married or on our way there.” Boomer, Jackson, Mick, Doc, Beast, and soon to be me.
“Oh, yeah, and Blade’s sister, Roxie and Doc’s sister Sammie’s married too.”
“Really? To who?”
“Our brother Danny married Sammie. And Roxie married a hot—” Sophia said, being cut off with a kiss from Doc, who didn’t like where her sentence was going. I’d ask Blade about that later. Did I know Roxie’s husband?
“Crystal and Sophia are sisters, and they have twin brothers, Danny and Mike, who are MMA fighters,” I told her.
“That sport is too hard to watch,” she said, cringing and shaking her head.
“Seeing what they are doing to their bodies, right?” Doc said, walking up to her and nodding.
“Yes. I start analyzing their injuries from a medical standpoint.” Which I suppose made sense.
“What kind of medicine do you practice, Grace?” Asher asked.
“I’m an Emergency Medicine physician. I just finished my residency and am board certified.”
“Wow, I could use you if you want to keep working,” Doc added with a smile. With all of us getting hurt and his new wife, he could use an extra doctor on hand. I wouldn’t mind the idea if it made her happy. Surprisingly, I wasn’t jealous of his offer, but that probably had to do with the fact that he loved his wife.
“I’ll think about it.” She didn’t seem enthusiastic about the offer. Did she not want it? Or was she being modest?
Chapter 9
Grace
This was all overwhelming. Everyone here was family to Ricardo even though they weren’t all related. My heart ached as they watched him come back from the dead. Hope, love, and joy washed over every one of them, and it melted my heart. For a bunch of tough-looking bikers, they were all gooey inside.
Every single female in the club was pregnant except his sister. She broke down as she welcomed her brother home, her heart written all over her face. Each one of them held back or even ended up shedding tears for him. He told me he didn’t have a woman who would miss him, but he had a whole family who loved my Ricardo.
When Doc offered me the job, my heart almost stopped. I never expected to be welcomed so easily, but they made me part of their family without question. A part of me wanted to jump at the offer, but what if Ricardo changed his mind about me and was only gratefu
l to us for saving his life?
The tremendous rush of insecurity hit me like a Mack truck. I took a deep breath and then pulled the beer to my lips, taking a small sip so he didn’t think I was an alcoholic. I downed the first beer because I felt intimidated.
“I’m done with the beer,” I said to myself, setting it down, but Ricardo picked it up and finished it himself.
“Are you okay, my angel?”
“I am. Where’s the ladies’ room?”
“I’ll show you,” Demi offered. She intertwined her arm with mine and led the way. As soon as we got into the room, she threw her arms around me. “Thank you. Thank you,” she sobbed.
I pulled her off so I could look at her. “Demi, I’m just happy that we could save him.”
“So are we. All of us.” She stepped away from me while doing her best to wipe her face. After grabbing a paper towel, she looked in the mirror. “Oh my fucking God. Why didn’t you all tell me I looked like Alice Cooper after a bender!”
“I think you’re beautiful. I’m thrilled you’re his sister.” I excused myself, entering the bathroom stall, and peed. Once I’d gone to wash my hands, Demi stared at me, finally appraising me as a sister would for anyone dating her brother.
“So are you and my brother getting married?”
“I don’t know. We’ve technically only really met yesterday, so it’s not like he’s ready to marry me.”
“You want him to ask you. I can see it in your eyes. That’s good, because my brother has already claimed you as his. He made that clear out there for all of them to see. I’m sure he’s going to let everyone know as soon as possible. Oh my God. It just hit me.”
“What?”
“When they find out he’s back, they’re going to come after him.”
“Don’t worry, Demi. The guys will keep him safe,” Crystal said, walking in with a woman I hadn’t met. “Sorry, Grace. This is Mary. She’s married to Beast, who isn’t as scary as his name implies.”
“You’re so beautiful. No wonder he calls you his angel,” Mary said.
“Thank you. You all are gorgeous. I’m glad everyone around here is either related or knocked up because I’m already feeling jealous and a little envious,” I confessed, aiming my gaze at their bellies.
“If he gets his way, he’ll be like the rest of these cavemen and you’ll be waddling soon.”
“Oh, he already growled, Mary. It would give Beast a run for his money with how loud it was,” Demi teased.
“Are you done cornering my angel?” Ricardo grumbled on the other side of the door.
“We’re coming. Hold your horses.”
“These men.” They all rolled their eyes at the same time and I lost it, laughing to the point of tears streaming down my face.
They all left the room when Ricardo threatened to come in. I exited last, right into Ricardo’s arms. “I don’t like you being far away from me.”
“We can get much closer,” I whispered against his lips. He spun me around and pinned me to a back wall, crushing his mouth to mine. “Ah,” I moaned, clutched onto his shirt, drowning in his kiss.
“Hey, no fucking in the clubhouse,” Boomer said, chuckling, “Unless it’s me and Crystal.” I pressed my head onto Ricardo’s chest, my face flushed with embarrassment.
“Come on. I have to feed you before I fuck my baby into you.”
“Why, Dr. Holden, that blush on you is absolutely sexy,” he grunted in my ear. I huffed, attempting to move away, but my caveman wasn’t having that. I moaned when my ass hit his hard cock through his pants. “This is what you’re doing to me.”
“Good. Now, feed me so you can feed me later.” I reached down and brushed my hand over his shaft and walked away before he could catch me.
He grumbled about needing to use the bathroom and turned on his heel.
More and more Riders showed up and were introduced to me as we ate and laughed. My dad even joined the fray, teasing Ricardo and me.
“You have wonderful friends and family, Ricardo.” He kissed my temple and then whispered, “They’re yours too. I’m not letting you go.” He gave me one more kiss before he took our plates and dumped them. Doc stepped up to him, and they had a private conversation.
“Hi, I know we haven’t had a moment to talk, but I’m Sophia. Doc’s my husband. It’s really nice to have another girl around here. They keep us well protected, so it’s good we have people to hang with. If you ever want to do a girls’ night or even a girls’ day, you just let us know. We all understand that this is new to you. I’m so glad Doc dragged me back here.”
“Dragged you back?”
“Well, more like he got his head out of his ass and came to get me.”
“Hey, babe. Are you ever going to let that go?”
“Nope.” She smiled widely, displaying all of her teeth, and then he grunted and kissed her. The mating call of the Steele Riders. A grunt and a kiss. I grinned, and then Ricardo sat next to me. “Hey, woman. Are they trying to get you to run?”
“No?” I answered.
“Are you sure? It doesn’t matter. I’ll never let you get far before I find you again.” He grabbed my face and gently tasted my lips.
“I’m ready to go to bed.” He pulled back and stared at me, knowing immediately that sleep was the last thing on my mind.
Chapter 10
Ghost
After another round of welcome back and goodbyes for the night, we left the clubhouse and Blade drove us back to my home. My heart was ready to burst with all the love I’d seen in the past few hours, but it was the woman beside me whose love I required to be happy.
Thankfully we had the house to ourselves because I needed to demonstrate all the passion I had for my saving Grace. My siblings couldn't stand to live there anymore without me, so they’d rented an apartment from Boomer. I understood that. I could have kissed Boomer for taking her father in. I didn't want to be a dick, but I needed to have Grace screaming my name over and over.
“Let me do a cursory check just to be sure,” Blade said, jumping out of the SUV and going into the house. Two minutes later, he was back to the SUV. “Everything looks good inside. All the systems are up and running. Do you remember the codes?”
“I got them.” I frowned, hating that everyone worried about me. I stepped out, holding back the pain from the day with the tiniest of grunts escaping. Grace exited the other side, and then I pulled her to me. She shouldn’t have gotten out without me, which I’d have to remind her later about.
He clapped my shoulder as we walked up the stairs, and then he added, "A prospect or two will be doing perimeter checks every hour, and you know the sensors are top of the line."
"Thanks, Blade." I walked us inside, but Blade stood outside the door.
Grace threw her arm around him for a quick hug before I pulled her back and slammed the door in his face. I could hear his burly laugh on the other side of the door. "You need to stop being so nice to them,” I grunted out, feeling insanely possessive over her. It had been a first for me to get even a hint of jealousy over a woman, especially with one of my brothers.
"Why? Are you jealous, Ricardo?" She stared with lustful eyes, stroking my cock through my joggers like the little minx she was. I wanted her to drop to her knees so I could show her how jealous she made me.
"Very,” I groaned, slamming my hands on the door, pinning her between me and it. I wanted to devour her, mark her, and breed her like a wild fucking animal out for one thing. Grace was it for me. Some had come and gone in my life, but Grace was a keeper for the long haul. Once I had her under me, I was never letting her go. Hell, the second I opened my eyes to see her sweet face, she was stuck with me.
"I do recall you saying something about a shower." On her tippy toes, she slid her tongue along my chin. “I feel very possessive as well.” The softness of her voice felt like every word caressed over my flesh.
"Right this way, angel. Then you can show me that you’re mine."
I wish I could c
arry her ass to the shower, but I didn't want to fuck up my progress. I wasn't fooling anyone when it came to my injuries. They’d recovered well while I was unconscious, but with my movements, I aggravated it.
We entered my bedroom, and it looked just as clean as when I left it. My siblings, more than likely; my sister dusted everything in the house. “This is our room.”
“You’re very presumptuous, Mr. Martinez,” she accused, staring at my lips and making her way down to my cock.
She understood damn well what she was doing to me, and enjoyed it. Fuck, so did I. Soon, she’d be my wife. Very fucking soon. “I don’t presume anything. I know you’re mine, and this is where you belong.” I thrusted my hand into her hair, gripping onto the base of her skull, and brought her lips to mine.
I pulled away and walked us to the bathroom, turning on the water in the large shower stall. As I waited for it to heat up, I grabbed Grace’s blouse and dragged her to me. Her plump breasts smacked against my chest, driving me insane with lust. Images of them full of milk, ready to feed our baby, slammed into my head. "It's time to get you undressed. You've seen all of me. I think it's time I see those fabulous tits that have been on my mind all damn day.”
She crossed her arms and gripped the hem, lifting it off and over her head, dropping it onto the floor. Without taking her eyes off of me, she snapped her bra off, letting it join her top. Fuck me. I’d never seen anything sexier. I needed her naked and under me now.
I groaned, reaching out and cupping the meaty, smooth flesh. Eyes closed, hands gripping my biceps, Grace let out a whimper that went straight to my sack. "Are you on birth control?"
"No." Another jolt straight to my balls.
"Good. I'm not pulling out."
"I'm not asking you to. I've had a month of fantasizing about you." I lifted my shirt over my head and tossed it with hers, kicking off my shoes at the same time. My eyes were glued to her tiny fingers slowly unbuttoning her shorts. Four fucking buttons even seemed like so damn much right now. I took off my joggers and socks, standing naked and rock hard in front of her.
