by Lila Rose
“Saint’s gonna kill you.”
“And that’s why we haven’t said anythin’ yet. We wanted time to ourselves, get to know one another first before the shit hit the fan.”
He chuckled. “Good luck to you, brother.” He held his hand out, and I shook it. He pulled me close and whispered, “Stay strong. People will give you shit, but like I said, I ain’t seen you this happy in a fuckin’ long time. You deserve it, no matter who you’re with. Shit, I’m proud you found your fuckin’ one.”
I nodded, knowing I would take on the fucking world to make sure Lucas stayed at my side and in my life. He dropped my hand and patted my back.
“Baby,” Isla cooed from Country’s other side. Country had been seeing this younger woman for a few weeks. I wasn’t sure if it would last, but he seemed happy to see her.
“Hey, darlin’,” he said, curling his arm around her. “Where’s your girl at?”
“She’s talking with State at the other end of the bar.”
We all looked down there to see State grinning down at a woman who was waving her hand around as she spoke about something. I knew that look because I’d used it the first time I’d listened to Lucas. State found her appealing. She didn’t seem his usual type though. He went for tall and skinny. This woman was shorter and on the plump side.
“You want a drink?” Country asked Isla.
“No, I’m good. I’m driving tonight. It was the only way I could get Courtney here, that I promised I would drive her home, and she could have a few drinks to relax.”
I stood from the stool, and Country’s eye swung to me. “You jettin’?”
“Yeah, Prez. Got some place to be.”
He winked. “Have fun.”
I grinned because I knew I would.
It was another hour, though, before I got away since Tech came to me with a problem at Polished Pussies and Penises. I had to head over there and be backup for some other brothers since a bunch of drunk bachelor party dickheads had arrived.
By the time I got out of there, three pricks would have a few extra bruises to deal with at the wedding. One of them would be the groom, who wouldn’t leave Fantasia, one of our women, alone.
It left me in a crap mood, but I knew Lucas would have me feeling better in seconds. Hell, all I had to do was see his smile, and I’d be better.
I parked my car in the driveway since Saint wouldn’t be there, and Lucas would have Saint’s car in the garage. Lucas didn’t like to drive. He preferred to walk everywhere, but if he had to, he borrowed Saint’s car. He was slowly saving up for his own.
When I reached the front door, I heard noises on the inside. Before I could unlock it, the door swung open, and in it stood Saint.
Fuck.
“Hey, brother, what are you doin’ here?”
“Just dropped by to see you.” As soon as it was out of my mouth, I realized it sounded lame. I only usually came over when Saint had asked because, before Lucas got there, I felt like I didn’t want to intrude on Saint’s time alone or with one of his many women.
“Cool, come on in. I was just runnin’ out to check the car for Lucas’s phone. He’s freakin’ out he can’t find it.”
“I am not. Okay, maybe a little. Hi, Wa—Wreck.” He smiled as he stopped beside his brother. “I’ll go and check the car. You go and see if Mom needs help in the kitchen.”
“Your parents are here? Shit, brother, I’ll come back when it’s not family time.”
“Bullshit, Wreck. Get in here.” He handed the keys to Lucas, who then pushed by me, and I felt his finger graze my hand as he did. “The ’rents are just here for dinner since the aunt had her family over.”
“Saint, it’s family dinner, I’ll see you when I see you at the compound.”
“Brother, Mom always makes enough food to feed an army. Get in here to eat.”
I really didn’t want to meet Lucas’s parents. What if they hated me? What if they judged me to be a bad person before they found out I was with their son? Shit, I wasn’t dressed for the occasion either. I had on my boots, torn jeans, a Henley, and my club vest. If I’d known I was meeting the parents, I would have worn a fucking shirt or something.
Christ, my chest felt tight.
I would walk into any trouble without a problem, but this was different. Fear had my gut twisting.
“I don’t know,” I said just as a short, older woman, who had Lucas’s wild hair, stepped up next to Saint.
“Hello, who do we have here? My, aren’t you a big boy.”
“Mom,” Saint started, curling his arm around her shoulders. “This is a brother of mine from the club. Name’s Wreck.”
“Wade, yeah, uh, call me Wade, Mrs. Storey.”
Saint gave me a surprised look before he covered it with a grin. “Right.”
“It’s so nice to meet you, Wade. Come on in and have some dinner with us.”
“Thank you for the offer, but—”
“Oh, I won’t take no for an answer.” She smiled.
“I found it,” Lucas announced, bounding up the stairs. “It was under the car. I don’t know how it got there.” He looked at all of us. “What’s going on?”
“We’re trying to talk Wade into joining us for dinner,” Mrs. Storey explained.
“That’s a great idea,” Lucas said. He either didn’t see the panic in my eyes or chose to ignore it because he was then shoving at my back. When Saint laughed and moved himself and his mom into the house more, I glared over my shoulder at Lucas.
“I am not havin’ dinner with your parents. What if they hate me?”
His hands fell away when he jerked his head back in shock, but then he smiled wide. “It’s sweet you’re worried, but they’ll love you.”
“Lucas….”
“Nope, you’re coming in. Besides, I’ll miss you if you leave.” He pouted, and I fucking wanted to kiss him.
“Fuck. Fine,” I clipped and stepped into the house.
“Who do we have here?” I heard boomed. Looking up, I saw an older version of Saint sitting in the living room chair.
“Dad, this is… um, well, he’s Zion’s friend from the club.”
His dad stood and walked closer, holding out his hand. I took it and shook. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Storey.”
“You also, son. Maybe you can tell me what goes on at a biker’s club. Zion isn’t forthcoming, and I’ve seen Sons of Anarchy.”
I laughed. “Well, I can tell you it’s nothin’ like that show. It’s a safe place for us to come together and hang out.”
“Hmm, good answer, but I’m sure I’m missing something.”
I shrugged, smiling. “I can’t think of what.”
“Dad, leave the guy alone. He’s here to have dinner and not get questioned about anything.”
Mr. Storey rolled his eyes but said, “All right, kiddo.”
“I’m not a kid,” Lucas grumbled under his breath.
“Lucas, honey, come set the table,” Mrs. Storey called. Lucas ducked into the kitchen as Saint shot out, holding three bottles of beer. I quickly took it, unscrewed the cap and took a big gulp, hoping it’d settle my gut.
I glanced at the kitchen and watched Lucas gabbing with his mom. Both of them were the same height, and now I knew where he got it from. He laughed at something his mom said, his expression soft. A small smile tugged at my lips. I felt myself relax a little, until I looked back at Mr. Storey, and he was watching me like I was an experiment.
Shit.
What had he seen? At least he wasn’t glaring at me or kicking me out. Yet.
Saint sat on the couch, and I quickly took the other spare chair. Saint and his dad went on to talk about a Yankees game, and I stared at the TV, trying to think of ways to get out of there.
“Wreck, guess who came to me last night askin’ if he could join the ranks at Polished Pussies and Penises?”
“Don’t have a clue, who?”
“Wait a second, what’s this about penises?” Mr. Storey asked.
I couldn’t stop a grin from appearing. Saint just laughed aloud and slapped his thigh. “Burn, old man.”
“Shut up, Zion.” He glanced over to the table. “Woman, is dinner ready?”
“Don’t you woman me, Gerry, and yes, it is.” She took a seat as Lucas walked out of the kitchen with another plate of something and put it on the table.
“Everyone good for drinks?” Lucas asked, his eyes on me.
“I’m good.” And I was, not only for a drink, but if he was close, I was more than good. I stood and went to the table as Saint and Mr. Storey did. I still felt uncomfortable, but since I was sitting across from Lucas, I knew it would help.
“Pour your beers into the glasses,” Mrs. Storey said. I glanced to the others.
Mr. Storey sighed. “She has this thing about being proper at the dinner table. Just go with it or she won’t shut up.”
“Gerry,” Mrs. Storey snapped.
“Love you, dear.”
She glared and then waited until we’d all poured our beers into the waiting glasses. Then she took the bottles into the kitchen.
“She’s weird sometimes,” Saint muttered.
“I heard that,” Mrs. Storey said with another glare when she returned, then she smiled to me. “I’m just unique in all the best ways.” The other three laughed.
“Anyway,” Mr. Storey started. “You going to tell me what this is about penises?” He quickly pointed at his wife. “Not a word, Lucy.” She laughed as she dished up her meal.
While Saint explained, I helped myself to chicken and vegetables.
At the end, Mr. Storey nodded. “Sounds like a good plan. Business is all about adjusting with times. Good thinking.”
“Thanks, Dad,” Saint said and then looked at me from his spot beside Lucas. “But back to the person who I heard was lookin’ at joinin’. Kylo.”
Lucas coughed, food dropped out of his mouth, and Mrs. Storey patted him on the back. “Swallow or spit, Lucas.”
“That’s what he said,” Saint chimed in.
Now it was my turn to choke as a piece of meat lodged in my throat.
“Zion, your brother’s choking. It’s no time for that.” She looked at me. “Honey, are you all right?” I nodded. “Lucas?”
“I’m okay,” Lucas said hoarsely. He whacked his chest. “I’m good… just shocked. Kylo’s a friend of mine, and I didn’t realize he was thinking of joining.”
“Joining how?” Mrs. Storey asked.
Mr. Storey snorted and shook his head. “Sweetheart, he’s joining to have sex with men and women.”
“Oh.” Her eyes widened. “Oh.” She ate some food as we all stared at her. I wasn’t sure why the others were, but I was just surprised she was okay with all this talk. She glanced around at us. “What?”
“Where did your head go?” Mr. Storey asked.
She rolled her eyes.
“Mom’s an author, and sometimes when people say things, she runs off in her head and thinks of a storyline or something,” Lucas explained.
“Well, I wasn’t thinking of a story. I just thought that Lucas could maybe teach him a few things with the guys if he’s not experienced. You never know, you two could be more than just friends one day.”
That was when something broke. Mrs. Storey gasped. “Wade, are you okay?”
“Huh?” I blinked, my sudden anger swept aside for confusion.
“Your hand,” Lucas said.
I glanced down to see I’d held my glass too tight, and it had shattered. “Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry, Mrs. Storey. I’ll get something to clean this up.”
“Call me Lucy, honey, and call Gerry, Gerry.”
I nodded, stood from the table, and happened to glance at Gerry. He was studying me with a lot of concentration.
Fuck.
Chapter Nineteen
Lucas
I quickly stood and said, “I’ll help you clean your hand.” I didn’t like the way Dad looked at Wade. Like he was under the microscope, and he had him all figured out. I had an idea that Dad knew Wade and I were seeing each other. What didn’t help was that Wade had broken his glass from Mom’s suggestion of me teaching Kylo a few things.
In the kitchen, and since we didn’t have an ounce of privacy, I grabbed out the first aid kit and got as close as I could to Wade.
“Give me your hand,” I told him.
He did, and as I picked out the glass, he dipped his head to whisper, “I think your dad knows about us.”
Glancing back to the table, I saw Dad still watching us with a smile on his face. Thankfully Mom asked him something, and he looked away. I nodded, whispering, “I think you’re right.” I shrugged. “At least he seems okay by it.”
Wade made a noise in the back of his throat. “He could be just waitin’ for me to be alone and then bam, he’ll go all papa bear on me and tell me to leave you the fuck alone,” he said in a low, gruff tone, all full of worry.
I held his hand in both of mine and smiled up at him. “Relax, okay. He won’t go all papa bear on you, and if he does, which I doubt it, I’ll make sure to be at your side to have your back.”
“I appreciate it, but what happens if he tells Saint?”
I shrugged again as I applied antiseptic cream. “Then he tells my brother, and Zion will have to learn to deal with it.”
Wade’s head jerked back. “You’re okay with Saint findin’ out?”
“Well, yes,” I told him as I wrapped his hand in a bandage. He hadn’t really needed one, but it kept us in the kitchen for a while longer.
“Thank fuck. I’m tired of hidin’ this.”
It was my turn to jerk my head back in shock. “You are?”
“Hell yes.”
“So… you’re okay if, um, people… I mean, your brothers know?”
Wade grinned. “Babe, I’ve been wantin’ to tell people for a couple of weeks. I don’t give a fuck who knows you’re mine.”
I didn’t know what he said after babe.
He’d called me babe.
An endearment for lovers and partners.
“Did I lose you?” he asked, smirking. He knew what he’d done to me, made me all melty on the inside again.
“Yes,” I whispered. “I mean, no, you didn’t lose me.”
“I wished to Christ I could kiss you right now.”
I laughed. “Then I guess Zion would find out.”
He flashed his teeth in a wide smile. “Yeah, he would. But don’t want to scare your mom because kissin’ you would usually lead into messin’ around, and a head job is outta the question right now.”
“Boo,” I teased. I patted his waist. “Your hand is all done. You can take the bandage off when you get to the compound. You didn’t really need it, but we got to stay in here longer alone.”
“What are we whispering about?” Dad asked, stopping beside us. Of course, I jumped. I hadn’t heard him approach. I was lost in Wade’s eyes and still on the word babe.
He’d called me babe. I’d never forget it. Perhaps I would mark it down on the calendar.
Wade also looked shocked when Dad appeared out of nowhere. His body tensed, his jaw clenched, and he looked a little pale.
“Nothing, Dad. We’re coming out now to finish dinner.”
We were, until Dad’s hand landed down on our shoulders. “So,” he drew out quietly, “when did this start, and why doesn’t Zion know about it?”
“What start?” I asked, panicked. I was no good under the spotlight.
They both stared at me.
Dad chuckled. “Never team up with this guy in anything. He gives too much away.”
Wade snorted. “I’m startin’ to see that, sir.”
“Pshh, not sir, just Gerry.”
Wade nodded. “All right, and to be honest with you, Gerry, we’ve been seein’ each other for a month.” Wade glanced at me, smiling when he saw my wide eyes. He was just going to lay it out t
here. “And I can’t see my days without Lucas in them.”
Oh my God, that was the sweetest thing ever.
“Wade,” I whispered.
Dad patted Wade’s shoulder. “I can see that, son. Every time you look at my boy, you’re all starry-eyed. The others haven’t noticed. They don’t have my brains like Lucas does, but I know them, and they won’t like being kept in the dark. Especially Zion.”
“Dad, we wanted to get to know each other before Zion found out. We’re not sure he’ll be happy with it.”
He studied me and nodded.
“But we also think it’s time he knows,” Wade added, and I nodded.
“Then, let’s do it,” Dad stated.
“Wait, what?” Wade said.
“We didn’t mean this second,” I told him.
He patted our shoulders and smiled. “No time like the present. Then at least I’m here to stop Zion killing anyone.”
“Maybe I should ring in some brothers, in case,” Wade suggested.
Dad laughed, then turned and went back to the table.
“What was that about?” Mom asked.
Before Dad could say anything, I grabbed Wade’s wrist and pulled him toward the table. “About me. All me, I, um… you see….” I lost my courage and couldn’t get the words out because Mom and Zion were staring at me.
Wade’s heat hit my back. He tugged his wrist free and placed his hands on my shoulders.
I took a deep breath. “I’m dating someone and have been for the last month,” I blurted.
Zion laughed. “Are you talkin’ about that Gregory guy? I thought you and he were kaput ages ago.”
I shook my head. “No, not him.”
Zion’s head tilted to the side, and he glanced from me to over my shoulder, back to me and then over again. His jaw clenched. Slowly, he pushed his chair back and stood.
Wade moved to step in front of me.
“You,” Zion snarled, and I heard Mom gasp, maybe even clap, but I wouldn’t look away from Wade and my brother in case I needed to kick some butt.
“Yes,” Wade answered in a rough tone.
Zion faced Wade, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dad stand back up and come around behind my brother.
“You came to my house, seduced my brother, and now you two are datin’?”
