by Bijou Hunter
Leaving Heidi behind at the bar, Colt drives to his cousin Gunnar’s house. “They just got his double-wide set up near his parents’ place. I haven’t seen it yet.”
“And I’ll be staying with Vidalia?”
“She’s sweet.”
“MJ said that too.”
“If I remember right, Vi is close to popping their third kid. They have a boy and a girl. Cute kids. Oh, one thing about Vi is that she’s a freckle factory. Don’t freak out when you see them all.”
“Why would I freak out?”
Flashing me a smile, Colt doesn’t answer. I realize he just wants to make Vidalia less intimidating. He really does know where my head goes.
Along with a lot of freckles, Vidalia owns a warm smile. She’s also a redhead like Rae, so I’m immediately drawn to her. Like when I babysat Thisbe and she was so focused on me that she barely noticed her mom leave, I never get tense about Colt taking off because I’m having fun meeting Shawn and Cassie.
“I wanted to come down to meet you last weekend, but he’s getting close,” Vidalia says, rubbing her swollen belly.
“Another boy.”
Nodding, she smiles again, and I realize I’m smiling too. Her home feels safe, and I’ve forgotten to get nervous.
“This one will probably be our last. Each baby’s come about two years after the last, and I wouldn’t mind spending a few years not pregnant. Plus, space-wise, three will fill up our new house.”
“It’s really nice,” I say, having assumed a double-wide trailer would be like the trailer I lived in back in Prestonsburg.
“And Tawny and Judd are next door. I couldn’t ask for better in-laws.”
“What’s the town like?”
“Normal, I guess. We have a Walmart that I used to work at, and there are a few great restaurants, a few good ones, and a bunch of okay places. Decent schools, a few parks, lots of greenery. It’s the only town I’ve ever known so I can’t compare.”
“What’s the club like?”
“Most of the guys are nice, and most of their old ladies are too. Well, the women are catty, but not really around me because they figure I’ll rat them out to Heidi,” she says and gives me a little smile. “They don’t really like her, but Heidi rarely pretends to like them either. Like there’s no hate there, but she isn’t interested in chatting with them since she bosses around their men. If Heidi had different parts, she’d be running the club.”
“Do you think she wants Colt here?” I ask, worried for him.
“Of course,” Vidalia says, settling into a chair while the kids and I sit on the floor. “Heidi desperately wanted Gunnar to be president. She claims she needs a Remington Steele to help her get things done.”
“I don’t know what that means.”
“It was an old show with a woman private eye. Since no one took her seriously, she made up the persona of Remington Steele and then hired a man to play the role. He ended up being useful and I think maybe they hooked up. I never watched it, but that’s the gist I got from the internet.”
“So, Heidi wants a figurehead?”
“No, if she just wanted that then her husband, Jox, could do it. He’s big and kinda scary, but he’s... not the brightest person.”
“Colt wants to be in charge, but I’m afraid he won’t like it here. I worry he’ll be disappointed when it doesn’t work out. What if he is too embarrassed to admit he doesn’t want to stay?”
“This is Colton Johansson we’re talking about, right?” she asks, fighting a smile. “I know he’s your man, and you know him better than me, but he always tends to blurt out stuff. I never figured he’d be too embarrassed to be straight with anyone especially his father.”
“Maybe you’re right. We’ve only known each other a short time, and I’ve sorta been amazed by him. Maybe I haven’t been paying enough attention.”
“You want to protect him. That’s a good thing. I swear a few of the old ladies act as if they don’t care what happens to their men. It’s weird, but I always assume it’s because they married jerks and I married Gunnar, so I can’t understand.”
Smiling, I like how easy it is to be around Vidalia. It’s like how I feel around MJ versus Lily and Audrey who intimidate me. I can imagine spending lots of time with Vidalia. Her kids are adorable—though my heart belongs to little Thisbe who called me auntie before I left and nearly had me bawling.
I’m so torn. I want to get excited about moving here and having a friend like Vidalia. Tawny and Judd were really nice to me at the grill-out too. I can imagine loving life in Pema.
But I already miss Farah, MJ, and Thisbe. I’m nervous about being so far away from Kori and Rae too. Waking up at the Johansson house makes me feel safe. It’s just better in Ellsberg.
But then I remember what MJ said about how she loved Quaid enough to give up her hometown and hurt her heart. I think of Colt talking baby names in the truck and us singing loudly to “Linger” on the drive. Yeah, I love him enough to give up anything.
THE HEIR
Heidi stashes her kids somewhere and meets me at a coffee shop a block from the bar. I don’t think talking in public is smart, but I let her take the lead. My cousin’s always been top of the class sharp. As kids, we weren’t particularly close. She was an anal-retentive alpha while I was an easy-going superstar. Now I’m looking to be her boss. I’m unconvinced this shit is going to play out like we hope.
Entering the little shop, Heidi snaps her fingers, and the staff scurries out the front door.
“They’re taking a break,” she says and walks behind the counter. “Want coffee? Or cocoa with marshmallows?”
Ignoring her taunt—badass men can like cocoa, dammit—I smile at her trick. “That was fucking cool. How did you do it?”
“We own this store. A few other legit places too. Nice way to launder our less public income.”
“Well, hell, what do you need me for?”
“As MJ would say, ‘misogyny,’” Heidi mutters while filling two mugs of coffee. “There are men here who don’t respect my authority in the way they would if I had a dick. It’s true I get Gunnar and Jox to pound on them when necessary. The inner-club nonsense is under control, but that ‘no girls allowed’ mentality means outsiders think we’re a weak club. A few dickheads from Indiana were sniffing around recently. And not for the first time either.”
“Sniffing around how?”
Heidi gestures to a small table near the back. Once we’re sitting, she glances around despite knowing we’re alone.
“The assholes hung around the bar mostly. They wanted to buy our product and tried hooking up with the working girls under our protection. I sensed they were figuring out our setup. They’d come into town, sniff around, and even start trouble before high-tailing it out of Pema. Finally, after they started a fight with Jox again, I had the local cops pick them up. I wanted to know who they were. That was a few months back. The cops found out the assholes were from a Bloomington club.”
“Why fuck with us?”
“They’re small and getting pushed out of their territory. I suspect they think we might be vulnerable.”
“Do they know we’re backed by other chapters?”
“I’m not sure these guys are all that smart. They’re dangerous, though. A couple did time for assault, one for murder, and another two are convicted rapists. These are not the kind of men we want in our territory, and they’re not the type we can negotiate with.”
“Did you tell your pop about it?”
“Of course,” she mutters, shooting her Heidi-glare at me. “I tell my pop everything worth hearing. He knows when I’m menstruating, for fuck sakes, but Pema isn’t his chapter, and he can’t take charge. Your pop asked if I wanted him to handle shit, but I said no. This is a Pema issue.”
“Wait, why do you tell him when you’re on the rag?”
“Apparently,” she declares as if irritated at someone not in the room, “I get more aggressive around that time of the month. Who the fuck
knows if it’s true?”
“Good to know. Now back to the Indy assholes.”
Tugging at her long brown ponytail, Heidi sighs. “I consider putting a hit on them, but cops care when people disappear. Maybe not our cops, but Indiana cops might, and that could get messy. Besides, the fuckers bailed after the cops kept them locked up overnight. It’s possible they might never come back. That doesn’t mean someone else won’t start trouble. I’ve done a lot up here, but the club needs a strong, visible president. Not someone behind the scenes, but someone cracking skulls when necessary. I can’t keep calling in favors from the cops without looking weak either.”
Sipping the coffee, I’d rather have a beer, but I don’t complain. “Pop doesn’t need me in Ellsberg, and I’m ready to make a move. I don’t know if I can take over here without stepping on some toes.”
“Step on them. I’m not a fucking child or a shrinking violet. I’d be cracking skulls myself if I wasn’t a chick and men’s heads weren’t made out of fucking stone. Besides, Jox gets antsy when he thinks I’ll go homicidal on someone. That means I’m stuck telling other people to do the bloody shit. It pisses me off. That stuff will be on you if you’re president. I can run a lot of the background shit, but you’ll need to keep the men in line.”
“That I can do.”
“And I know you did solid work with the old Mullen businesses. It’s not like I think you’re a dimwitted meathead.”
“Like your husband?”
Heidi slaps me hard and then bursts into laughter. “Don’t fuck with my family, Colton Johansson.”
“That fucking hurt,” I say, rubbing my cheek. “Wait, are you on your period right now?”
“Yes, but I would have hit you anyway. Yet notice how we worked out our differences without anyone getting seriously hurt?”
“But I can’t hit you.”
“No, you can’t,” she says, laughing again. “But don’t talk shit about my dumb husband. The man obeys me, is a good father, and fucks real nice. If he were smart too, it’d be overkill.”
“Fair enough. No more mocking his pea brain. But keep in mind, if you hit me in the future, that I’ll hit him. It’s only fair.”
“Deal.”
“Plus, if I’m gentle with your man’s feelings, you need to promise to be sweet with my woman too. She’s not a tough chick like you.”
Heidi gives me a devious grin. “Cousin, give me time with her and who knows what I can do.”
“Well, I guess we’re going to find out because I’m ready to call Pema home.”
“Just like that?” she asks, suddenly sounding like an excited ten-year-old.
“You need a president, and I need peons to boss around. Seems like a solid fit. What else is there to talk about?”
“We haven’t touched on the Maverick issue.”
Standing up, I shrug. “He wants to run shit here. I heard.”
“No, he wants to be VP here. Maverick asked Gunnar to be president. Shit, he even asked Jox.”
“Why not be top dog?”
“He’s the second boy in their family. He’s never been top dog, but he doesn’t want to stay in Shasta.”
“Because of the love affair between River and Shane?”
Heidi snickers. “Those two dorks are really into each other, but no. Maverick has personal issues for why he wants out of Shasta. Once he hears you’re taking the top spot, he’ll want to be your VP.”
“So? I need a VP, and I’d rather have someone I trust. What’s the problem?”
“Your personalities aren’t especially compatible.”
“How do you figure?”
“You’re an affable asshole, and he’s a sullen asshole. Those two kinds of assholes don’t mesh.”
“And you’re a bossy asshole, but I’m looking forward to making shit work,” I tease while she gives me an angry look that I’m not buying for a second. “Maverick is like family. He’s loyal. Gunnar and Jox don’t want to be in charge. You have no dick. With the options I’m working with, Maverick as VP sounds great. We’ll figure out the personality thing once he and I call this place home.”
“It’s your call,” she says, standing up. “I’ll get the staff back in here, and you can return to your woman. Are we on for dinner later?”
“Most definitely. I want you to take me to the finest barbecue place in Pema. If it sucks, I might call off our arrangement.”
“If you do a good job for my chapter, I’ll cook all the barbecue you need, asshole.”
“Geez, do you kiss your kids with that mouth,” I taunt as we head outside.
“All the damn time.”
Laughing, I give my cousin a loving middle finger before getting in my truck and hurrying back to Gunnar’s place. Heidi and I will have plenty of time to hash shit out when I’m living in the Pema zip code full-time.
My mind isn’t on work anyway. I’m worried about Stella. Ditching her with strangers—even sweet chicks like Vidalia—feels all wrong. Stella doesn’t do well under pressure. I can picture finding her crying when I arrive.
What kind of dick am I to have left her so soon after we arrived? Why didn’t I make Heidi wait to talk to me? I swear I’ll grow bigger balls with my cousin in the future. For now, I just need to know Stella is okay.
Gunnar answers the door and gives me a smirk. “I heard my sister made you cry.”
“I heard your wife thinks I’m sexy.”
Smile gone, he gives me his patented sad sack expression. “Hey, not cool.”
“Sorry, but I need to see Stella,” I say, pushing him ever so fucking gently out of my fucking way. “Where is she?” I ask after finding the living room empty.
“In the back with my kids.”
I cross the room with a few very large steps. Hearing kids laughing before I step outside, I spot Vidalia sitting in a chair while filming her little ones on the trampoline.
And there jumping alongside them is my dream girl. Holding their hands, Stella bounces higher and higher. She laughs with the two and four-year-old, and her giggles are music to my ears.
“She’s a keeper,” Gunnar says, patting my back a little too roughly.
“Yeah, she’s my Vidalia,” I murmur and then turn to sigh. “Sorry about the sexy shit I said at the door. I become an asshole when worried about her.”
“It’s cool. I get it. Love makes a man stupid, but do it again, and I’m punching you in the fucking head.”
“As your chapter president, I’ll allow that.”
Gunnar sighs dramatically. “Crap.”
“Yes, my peon enforcer, you’ll be living in my fun orbit every day now.”
While Gunnar whines to his woman about how I’ll make him miserable, I walk to the trampoline where Stella still bounces. She’s never been so beautiful. Or at least her current beauty is a tie with how gorgeous she was in bed last night. And the night before. Okay, so Stella’s a vision essentially in every situation.
Which is why I’m always sporting a hard dick. Just like now with these kids and my cousin and Vidalia nearby. That’s why as soon as my Stella climbs off the trampoline, I plan to race her to the hotel for a few hours of alone time. It’s vital for our first night in Pema to be a sexy one.
THE UNWANTED
One of my worst foster families owned a trampoline. The first time I jumped left me euphoric. I craved the freedom I found in those seconds in the air. I felt weightless, no longer held down by my fear, loneliness, and resentment.
The foster family—whose names I’d forgotten years ago—used the trampoline as a reward for good behavior. I did my best to make them happy, but it was never enough. The trampoline quickly became more of a punishment. It sat out back, so close, yet out of reach. I grew to hate that damn trampoline.
But meeting Colt reminds me that it’s okay to have fun. He embraces his silly side and refuses to allow others to steal his joy from him. That never means he’s a weak person. He just knows how to find balance.
Which is why when I s
ee the trampoline in the back of Vidalia’s home, I decide to regain what I lost years ago.
Helping Shawn and Cassie into the enclosure, I join them for a good bounce. Their laughter infects me. Grinning widely, I’m a kid again.
By the time I see Colt, I feel euphoric. His smile tells me that he knows why I’m on the trampoline. Though he can never really understand how I felt growing up because his parents actually love him, he’s a smart, warm man. In some ways, he knows me better than I know myself.
I climb off with the kids and hurry to Colt. His kisses are undeniably filled with way more heat that we should show around kids. I don’t know what’s gotten him so horny, but I’ve seen this look on his face before. He’ll struggle to keep up with a conversation until I offer him naked loving.
In our hotel room, Colt pins me against the wall with his hot body. Just so there’s no mistaking I’m one hundred percent on board with his needs, I reach around and cup his ass possessively.
“Did you miss me?” I ask as he rushes to strip us naked.
Unable to speak except in grunts, Colt tugs open his jeans, revealing a raging erection. My breath catches and eyes widen at the sight of his hard flesh. His cock beckons to me, and soon my fingers slide along the shaft. Colt groans, barely holding on. He needs relief so he can regain control of his brain long enough to actually enjoy sex.
“You poor thing,” I murmur, kneeling before him. “Let me make everything better.”
Colt might feel guilty about getting his jollies before I get mine. But his conflicted heart is no match for my lips around his cock.
It takes so little love from my tongue to get him to let go. My wet mouth sucks at his thick head for maybe two minutes before hot cum splashes against the back of my throat. Colt shivers with pleasure as I suck him dry, wanting more, craving the flavor of his relief.
“Now you,” he says, lifting me from the ground as if I’m a ragdoll.
“Not yet,” I mumble, squirming against him. “I’m sweaty.”
“The world is sweaty,” he says before laughing at his words and resting me on the hotel bed. “I saw our future today,” he says, sliding off my shorts. “And it was of you crying out my name in this town.”
