Primal Hunger (Primal Howlers MC Book 4)

by Piper Davenport

  “Can’t tell you that just yet.”

  “How long do I have to be on lockdown?”

  “Not sure,” Dad said.

  “I have a girls’ night this weekend.”

  “Aero’ll take you.”

  I dropped my head and tried not to scream. “I don’t want Aero to take me.”

  “Then you won’t go out.”

  “This is totally unfair!” I said, throwing my hands in the air.

  “You know the drill. If we get shit sorted, I might change my mind.”

  “I don’t know why I even bother asking you,” I snapped, and stomped away from him. “I’m a fucking adult.”

  “Baby girl?”

  “What?”

  “Sunday dinner with Wyatt.”

  I faced him. “She forgave you?”

  “What makes you think she had to forgive me?”

  I rolled my eyes and tried to think of something quick. “Because you’ve been so freaking extra over the past few weeks, so I put two and two together.”

  He sighed, crossing he arms. “Yeah, she forgave me.”

  “Don’t fuck it up, Dad, I like her.”

  “I like her, too,” Drake said.

  “So do I.” He grinned.

  “Good, we’re all in agreement,” Orion said.

  “Dinner Sunday,” he repeated. “Drake, you’re cookin’.”

  “I’ll help,” I offered.

  “No,” my brothers said in unison.

  Granted, I was a pretty terrible cook, but I could at least boil water and chop veggies.

  “Both of you can suck it,” I snapped, and Dad chuckled.

  “Okay, I’m gonna head out,” Dad said.

  “Say hi to Wyatt,” I said, hugging him.

  “I will.”

  He left and I decided I needed some alone time, so I escaped to the guest room where I sat on the edge of the bed and broke down.

  * * *

  The next day, I woke just past noon to find the house empty, so I made myself a cup of coffee, and figured I’d sit in the living room and read. I didn’t even make it to the sofa before a bang sounded on the door. I tiptoed to it and peeked out the side window.

  Shit.

  “Open the door, Violet,” Aero demanded.

  “No.”

  “Do you want to explain to your brother why I was forced to break it down?”

  I narrowed my eyes. “You wouldn’t.”

  “Don’t test me, Letti,” he warned.

  I frowned, punching in the code, then opening the door. “What do you want?”

  “You’re ghostin’ my calls and texts.”

  “You made it quite evident yesterday that what we have…no had, was bullshit.”

  He sighed. “Baby, it’s not what you think.”

  “Oh, it’s exactly what I think. That’s the problem. I know too much not to understand exactly what that all meant.”

  “Except, you don’t.”

  “Oh, really?” I sneered.

  “My sister, Stella, was killed.”

  I frowned. “What?”

  He dragged his hands down his face. “On the back of my buddy, Harmon’s, bike. We’d been like brothers since middle school, started racing motocross, then went to school for mechanics, and my sister fell hard for him.”

  I didn’t really know what this had to do with anything, but he seemed to be fighting for every word, so I stayed quiet.

  “They wanted to go for a ride, but it was Portland and it had started to rain.” He slapped his forehead as he paced the tiny foyer. “I told her she could ride with me. I was a better rider than Harmon, hands down, but she wanted to go with him. I followed, but he got ahead of me, and I swear, Jesus, I swear I heard her scream even over the noise of the pipes.”

  “Oh my god,” I whispered.

  “They hit a slick patch and went down,” he rasped. “I couldn’t get to her in time. Her leg was pinned under the bike. I didn’t know it at the time, but her femoral artery had been sliced open, and she died in my arms as I tried to stop the bleeding. She was conscious for part of it and in so much pain, but then she just wasn’t there. I couldn’t wake her, couldn’t get the bleeding stopped.”

  “Honey.” I wrapped my arms around him and held on tight. “I’m so sorry.”

  “When you jumped on the back of my bike, everything flashed back, and I just lost my mind.” He slid his hands into my hair. “If anything ever happened to you, I…”

  “Nothing’s going to happen to me,” I promised, sliding my hands up his back.

  “I love you, Violet.”

  “I love you too.” I gave him a squeeze. “How long ago did all of this happen?”

  “Just over a year.”

  “I’m so sorry, honey.”

  “I’m sorry I freaked you out.”

  I leaned back so I could meet his eyes. “You should be. I thought I’d lost you.”

  “Why would you lose me?”

  “Because I was going to murder you. Not a hair nor a fiber.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, that makes more sense.”

  “Are your parents still around?”

  “Dad fucked off when we were little.” He sighed. “Mom’s a train wreck most days. Losing your kid does that to you.”

  I nodded. “How old were you when he left?”

  “Six.”

  “Oh. My. God,” I whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t, Letti. I don’t want sympathy. I don’t fuckin’ deserve sympathy.”

  I took a deep breath and nodded, even though, all I wanted to do was hold the six-year-old little boy who lost his dad and the young man who lost his sister. But I’d give him this. Just this once.

  “What happened to Harmon?” I asked.

  Aero scowled. “Don’t fuckin’ give a shit.”

  I cupped his face. “But he lived?”

  “Yeah. Fucker.”

  I couldn’t imagine living with the guilt of killing someone you cared about, even if it wasn’t your fault, but I kept that opinion to myself. I didn’t know Harmon, so maybe he was a fucker. Or maybe he was a man who’d fallen for a girl who died on the back of his bike because he knew he shouldn’t be riding in the rain. I couldn’t even fathom what he might be going through.

  “Is that really why you came here?” I asked.

  “Partly,” he admitted. “I was havin’ a hard time back home.”

  “Memories,” I guessed.

  “Yeah.”

  I fisted my hand in his shirt. “Thank you for telling me.”

  He smiled. “You’re welcome.”

  “Next time, I’d prefer you tell me in the moment. I’ve been going nuts for hours.”

  “You have?”

  “Yes. I have been trying to figure out how to hide your gigantic body. Your dick alone will need a separate hole.”

  He wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me, carrying me to the sofa. “I’ll show you exactly which hole I’m gonna put my dick in, Letti.”

  I giggled, looping my arms around his neck. “Mmm, yes, please.”

  Before we could get to anything fun, however, he knifed off me just as I heard a key in the lock. The door opened and Raquel and Orion walked through the door, laughing at something.

  Raquel stopped moving so suddenly, Orion walked into her back. “Razz,” he complained wrapping his arms around her.

  “Hi Aero,” Raquel said, and Orion finally looked up.

  “Hey, Raquel,” Aero said.

  I shifted in my seat and tried to look disinterested.

  “You lookin’ for me?” Orion asked.

  “Yeah,” Aero said. “Got a few?”

  “Yeah, sure. Let’s head up to the cabin.”

  Aero nodded.

  Orion kissed Raquel, his back to me, and Aero waved his pinky finger toward me. I smiled, waving mine back, then he walked out with Orion and my sister-in-law set the alarm, then crossed her arms.

  “So, it’s Aero.”

  “What�
��s Aero?” I hedged, standing and heading to the kitchen.

  “What you wouldn’t tell me yesterday. The reason you were upset.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Oh my god,” she breathed out, pulling a mug from the cabinet and pouring coffee into it. “When did all that start?”

  “When did what start?”

  “Woman, I’m the queen of keeping secrets from her big brother. You can’t fool me.”

  I sighed. “If you tell Ori, I will deny all of it.”

  “Please.” She rolled her eyes. “He’d believe me over anyone, but I promise, I won’t tell.”

  I studied her for a few seconds, then I spilled. Chalk it up to needing someone other than Everly to know everything, or just needing a sympathetic ear, but I told her everything.

  “Wow,” Raquel breathed out when I was done.

  “I know, right?”

  “I can’t believe you’ve been able to keep this from your dad and brothers,” she mused. “I mean, Orion hasn’t said a thing, so I know he doesn’t have a clue.”

  “They’re distracted,” I said. “Ori with you and Dad with club stuff and Wyatt. If this all happened a year ago, I might not have been able to keep it on the downlow.”

  “Well, it’s definitely working. Ori thinks you’re pining for Snowcone.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “Ew. No.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. He loves himself way too much. He seriously thinks his shit don’t stink and talks about all his areas of expertise. He’s gross.”

  “I haven’t gotten to know him well enough, but I could see that,” she agreed.

  “It works for me if they think I’m into him, though. Because Dad knows Snowcone won’t act on it. He’s pretty much made it clear none of the brothers can go there, and I’ve made it clear I don’t want a biker, so for the moment, we’re okay.” I sighed. “The problem’s going to come when Dad finds out. He’s going to kill Aero. Or worse, make him fight.”

  “Well, your secret’s safe with me,” she said.

  “I appreciate that.”

  “I kind of hope you figure it out soon, though. I want to be first on your list for a double date.”

  I chuckled. “I can do that.”

  “Right, let’s figure out what I’m making for dinner. We’ll start with wine and then maybe end with tequila.”

  I grinned. “That sounds perfect.”

  Violet

  SUNDAY DINNER ARRIVED and I’d spent Saturday night at Aero’s. I found it hard to leave him on Sunday, kissing him multiple times at his door as I tried to walk out of the apartment.

  I finally managed to separate from him, walking out to my car and groaning. My rear driver’s side tire was flat. Pulling out my phone, I texted Aero and let him know, then threw my purse into my car and popped my trunk. It was Sunday family dinner and I was already late.

  “What the fuck happened?” Aero asked, jogging toward me.

  “As you can see, my tire’s flat.”

  “Okay, give me a sec. I’ll fix it.”

  “Thanks, honey.”

  He slid his hand to my neck and leaned in to kiss me quickly. “You’re welcome.”

  “You need to quit,” I warned.

  “Or?”

  “Or, I’m gonna skip family dinner all together.”

  He grinned, grabbing the jack and donut from my trunk. “That’s not really a threat to me, is it?”

  I sighed. “Well, it might be if Dad wants to know where the hell I am and calls you to find me.”

  He chuckled, kneeling beside my car and setting the jack in place. “You might have a point.”

  Aero managed to fix the flat in less than ten minutes, so I was on the road and pulling into the driveway fifteen minutes later.

  I rushed inside and shrugged off my jacket. “Sorry I’m late. I had a flat.”

  “Why didn’t you call me?” Dad demanded, pulling me in for a hug.

  “Because my dad showed me how to change a tire,” I sassed, turning to Wyatt and pulling her in for a hug. “Hi, Wyatt. Welcome to the crazy.”

  “Hi, honey,” Wyatt said as Dad pulled his phone out and fired off a text to someone. “For someone who had to haul a tire around, you look like you just stepped out of a magazine. I love your sweater.”

  I wore skinny jeans with knee-high boots, and a V-neck sweater that Aero said was his favorite ‘on account o’ the fact it showed off the glorious tittage.’

  I chuckled. “This old thing?”

  Drake laughed and Wyatt grinned at him.

  “What’d I miss?” I asked.

  “Location joke, sis,” Drake provided, and salted the water for the pasta.

  “Hi, Teddy,” I said, and Wyatt’s brother smiled at me, holding his hand out. I shook it and then looked over his shoulder at Orion’s picture. “That looks great, Ori. Did you draw a squiggle for him, Teddy?”

  “Yeah,” he said proudly. “I helped.”

  “Looks like you did a great job.”

  We chatted for a little while Drake cooked, then a few minutes later, the doorbell rang. “Letti, keys, baby girl,” Dad said.

  “Why?” I asked, even as I grabbed my bag and rummaged in it for my keys.

  “Aero’s gonna replace your donut.”

  I forced down my panic. “This could have waited, Dad,” I countered. “You didn’t need to call Aero. You didn’t need to call anyone.”

  Dad held his hand out and I slapped the keys into it.

  “Be right back,” Dad said, and left us while he went to talk to Aero.

  “Just let him do his thing, Letti,” Orion said. “You know you’ll never be able to argue.”

  “No, I know,” I said. “I just wish he hadn’t…”

  “Hadn’t what?” Drake asked.

  “Nothing,” I said. “Is there more wine?”

  “Yeah, it’s on the counter,” Wyatt said. “I’ll pour you a glass.”

  “I can get it,” I countered. “You relax.”

  Dad walked back in and told Wyatt to follow him. They were gone for just a few minutes when we heard dad yell, “Orion, Drake, Letti, den! Raquel, watch Teddy please.”

  We glanced at each other and shrugged, then headed into the den.

  “What’s up?” Drake asked.

  “Why’s Wyatt crying?” Orion demanded. “Wyatt, are you okay?”

  “Wyatt’s pregnant,” Sundance said.

  “Thorne!” she admonished.

  I grinned. Not just because Wyatt was pregnant, but because she’d just put my dad in his place. No one used his given name, so to hear Wyatt verbally spank him gave me nothing but pleasure.

  “Oh, my god, that’s awesome!” I said and hugged her. “Congratulations.”

  “So, why are you cryin’?” Orion asked again.

  “She’s worried y’all are gonna hate her,” Dad shared.

  “You’re dead, big man,” she threatened with a groan, dropping her face into her hands.

  “Why would we hate you?” Drake asked.

  “Because of Mom,” Orion deduced.

  I wrapped an arm around her and gave her a hug. “Oh, my god, we loved our Mom, Wyatt, but we love you too. If Dad’s happy, we’re happy. I mean, if you were a total cunt, we’d say something, but you’re awesome. I can’t wait to meet the baby.”

  She glanced at Dad who gave her a look of smug triumph.

  “You’re still in trouble,” she warned.

  He grinned. “Can’t wait to find what kind of punishment you’re gonna dish out.”

  “Gross, Dad,” I hissed.

  “Over the line, Dad,” Drake complained, even as he hugged me. “Congrats, Wyatt. We’re happy. Don’t worry. I gotta reheat a couple of things.”

  “Sorry, Drake.”

  “It’s all good,” he said, and I followed him out of the room.

  I forced myself to be present at dinner, but it was hard to focus when all I wanted to do was crawl back into bed with A
ero.

  I was really glad Dad and Wyatt were happy, I just needed to figure out how to get there myself. Aero was gaining the brothers’ trust, but I didn’t know if that would change when our secret got out.

  “Letti,” Dad called.

  “Huh? Sorry.”

  “You okay?”

  I forced a smile. “I’m great. Just distracted. Sorry. With Ellie and classes starting, I’m in another world.”

  “Last semester, baby girl,” Dad said proudly.

  “No pressure.”

  “You got this,” my brother encouraged.

  “I just can’t wait for it to all be done.”

  “Amen to that,” Raquel said. “It’s the best thing ever.”

  I chuckled. “You would know.”

  Raquel had just graduated. She was one semester ahead of me, and graduated with a molecular biology degree and was now working with Dad’s company to create different strains of CBD and THC products to help adults with developmental delays and difficult behaviors. It had really helped Wyatt’s brother, Teddy, who had a lot fewer outbursts and seemed happier overall.

  I managed to keep my wits about me for the rest of dinner, but I couldn’t help noticing my father watching me closely. I just had to keep things quiet until Aero got his patch. Then we could reveal our secret.

  If we could keep things quiet.

  * * *

  Aero

  I felt my phone buzz and pulled it from my pocket. Violet was currently running her tongue down my chest in an effort to keep me from leaving her.

  “Ignore it,” she begged.

  “It’s your dad, baby. I can’t ignore it.”

  She wrinkled her nose, glancing up at me as she ran her tongue over my nipple, and she was so fuckin’ cute, it made it even harder to focus on my phone.

  “Quit,” I warned, and she smiled, flicking her tongue over the same nipple she’d just been concentrating on. “Letti.”

  “Yes, love of my life, pleasurer of my loins?”

  “Your dad wants me at the cabin. Now.”

  She dropped her head to my chest. “Fine.”

  “We’ll pick this up later. I promise.”

  “You’ll need to add a few orgasms to the pile since you’re interrupting one now.”

  I cupped her face. “I’ll double ’em.”

  She slid her hands up my back. “I’m going to hold you to that.”

  “You need to let me go, beautiful.”