I nodded before asking the question that had been top of mind ever since I’d learned I was his son. “You think it’ll change things between our clubs?”
I wasn’t surprised that he knew exactly what I was referring to. “Do you want it to?”
For me it wasn’t a difficult question to answer. “I don’t plan on leaving the Knights.”
He nodded, looking as though he’d expected such a response. “I don’t plan to leave the Riders either. I think there could be change, but it will come in the form of bringing our clubs closer together. I do plan to be in Hawthorne a lot more. And hope you’ll come down to Vegas and bring your girls.”
I wasn’t ready for that. I believed him to be a good man and felt his wife was likely good people. But I wanted to feel this all out more before bringing Riley and Layla into the fold. It was all still so new. I wouldn’t introduce Riley to a brand-new grandfather until I knew things were rock solid.
“In your own time,” he rumbled, as though reading my mind. “You ready to hit the road again?”
I nodded, tossing my napkin down and swigging the last of my water. I would kill for a cold beer, but I needed every ounce of my wits about me.
And it was a good thing too.
****
“Cut that motherfucker off!” Thorn hollered, his deep bellow carrying over the roar of our bikes and whipping wind. It was close to midnight when we’d finally zeroed in on my mark, and the bastard had just enough time to hop on his bike to try to escape.
But he wouldn’t get far.
The blood pumped in my veins, heart hammering as I locked in on my target. His illuminated taillight was like a beacon, taunting me.
The narrow strip of highway, devoid of cars at this late hour, was the perfect opportunity to open my motor up, pushing my bike to its limit as I narrowed the gap between us.
He swerved right in a desperate attempt to evade me. The tree that suddenly loomed in his headlights, its gnarled limbs outstretched as though toward him, was something made from nightmares. The next few moments were as though in slow motion. I pulled my bike back, skidding out in my haste as his bike hit the tree with a sonic boom. Giant flames erupted, scorching the air as they devoured the bike and licked up the tree.
There was no scream, no wail. No sound at all except the sinister crackle of fire.
“That bike’s about to go all the way up. We gotta go,” Thorn prompted.
I nodded, knowing he was right but transfixed by the flame. I didn’t feel the satisfaction I’d expected. Instead I felt the emptiness that had been a frequent companion before I’d met Layla. I’d seen plenty of death in my life but knew this one would stand out. Not because of the man himself, but for what he represented.
Change.
I’d always protect my family without question and by any means necessary, but seeking out violence wasn’t going to be part of the man I was. Not anymore.
With that I followed Thorn back toward town, where we’d likely crash for the night. I was eager to sleep off the memory of how quietly he’d died despite the violence that had harkened his death. His death wouldn’t haunt me. The earth was better off. But leaving my girls for what I know knew was a selfish errand, did. I itched to get back to the place I knew I truly belonged. Where I’d felt the first true joy of my life.
Home.
Chapter 22
LAYLA
The delicious scent of Cash wafted through my dream late the next evening. At first, I thought it must be a dream; after all, I still fantasized about Cash on a regular basis even though the man was mine.
“Baby.” His deep baritone sent a shiver down my spine as his lips caressed my shoulder. “Wake up.”
“Hmmm?” I mumbled, still not entirely sure I wasn’t dreaming. “Cash?”
“Yeah, baby. Open those beautiful eyes for me.”
I rolled over, doing as he asked, focusing on his gorgeous face staring down at me. He’d turned on the bathroom light, and the soft glow only enhanced the tender expression on his face. “There you are.”
“I’m so glad you’re home,” I whispered, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. “Missed you.”
He dipped low, taking my mouth in a passionate kiss. “Me too,” he murmured against my lips, pressing his hips in between my legs. The realization that he was naked had lust pounding a staccato beat through my veins, calling to his body in a desperate hope that he’d answer.
He pulled back only long enough to slide my panties down my legs and was inside me in the next breath. I gasped at the fullness of him as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me as close as he could get me. His lips were everywhere, as though desperate to mark every patch of my skin.
When he paused, pulling back to look down at me, I let out a whine of frustration, desperate for him to move. “I want to put my baby in you,” he growled.
“You could have already,” I panted, thinking about the time in the shower not long ago.
A look of satisfaction crossed his face. “Good. I’m gonna keep trying. You good with that?”
More like ecstatic. I wanted nothing more than to build a family with Cash. “Yes. I want that,” I rasped. “I also want you to move. I need it,” I begged.
His hips flexed in answer, and I let out a groan of relief. His movements intensified, his body taking mine in the way only Cash could, completely and overwhelmingly. It was only a few moments before I was biting my lip to avoid screaming out his name, his grunt of release following.
He collapsed on top of me, our breathing labored. I wrapped my arms around his back, holding him close. When I shifted slightly under his weight, he made a sound of disapproval. “Don’t move, baby. I don’t want any getting out.”
I laughed. “I don’t think it really works that way.”
“Well, couldn’t hurt,” he defended, pulling up on his elbow to look down at me. “Christ, you’re so beautiful,” he murmured.
“Are you okay?” I asked gently, sifting my hands through his hair, damp with sweat.
“I’m okay,” he affirmed. He pulled back from my body, lying on his side and pulling me close. “I’ll always need to protect you. That will never change. But this trip, it made me realize that this was more about me than justice. I don’t want to be that man anymore, prideful to the point of selfish. I’m a bigger man than that. You’ve helped me to be.” His words floored me as he continued. “I’m sorry for leaving, baby. If I ever do that again, it will have nothing to do with me and everything to do with you or my duty to the club. Do you understand me?”
“I understand you,” I murmured softly.
“Good. Now let’s get some sleep. I’m fucking wiped.” He sighed.
“Okay, but let’s put some clothes on. You know Riley will be in here first thing, hoping you’re home.”
He chuckled. “Good point.”
A few minutes later, Cash in boxers, me in panties and a sleep shirt, we fell asleep wrapped in each other’s arms.
****
We decided to pull Riley out of school the next day, wanting to be together as a family. We’d spent a perfect morning at the zoo followed by lunch at Francesca’s bakery and were now preparing to make our own pizzas for dinner. Riley’s giggles filled the air as she and Cash kneaded the dough, making an epic mess in the process. I couldn’t care less. Seeing them together was worth every surface being covered in flour.