Preacher (Dixie Reapers MC 4.5)

Harley Wylde

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Copyright ©2018 Harley Wylde

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Publisher:
Changeling Press LLC
315 N. Centre St.
Martinsburg, WV 25404
www.ChangelingPress.com

Editor: Crystal Esau
Cover Artist: Bryan Keller

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Table of Contents

Preacher (Dixie Reapers MC 4.5)

Author’s Note

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Harley Wylde

Preacher (Dixie Reapers MC 4.5)

Harley Wylde

Kayla: My twin brother, Johnny, practically disappeared when he started prospecting for the Dixie Reapers, and if I wanted to see him, then it meant going to the compound. I’d never been inside the clubhouse, wasn’t supposed to go there, but sometimes the devil on my shoulder prods me into doing things I shouldn’t. Johnny made it sound like there were drugs being snorted left and right and orgies, but that wasn’t what I found that night.

I never expected to fall for a heartbroken man I could never have, a man much older than me. But that night, Preacher took me in his arms, claimed my virginity with a passion that left me seeing stars, and I knew that I’d made the right decision. Even if it did come back to bite me in the ass two months later. When I’d walked through the door that night, I’d never counted on being fucked by a super hot biker, and I definitely didn’t expect to end up pregnant!

Preacher: When I lost my family, before even prospecting for the Dixie Reapers, I’d closed off my heart and vowed to never let another woman in. A quick fuck here and there with the club pussy kept me sane, but no one would ever mean anything to me. Then the most tempting woman I’ve ever met gave me a night I knew I’d always remember, right before she disappeared. When she turns up two months later, I find her in the arms of one of the prospects.

Fury hits me first, then she knocks me on my ass when she tells me she’s pregnant. With my kid. I turned away from God all those years ago, gave up being a minister, and signed my life over to the Dixie Reapers. I don’t know that I believe in a higher power anymore, but maybe it’s time I start praying again. Because giving this woman everything she needs, being the man she deserves, is going to take one hell of a miracle.

Author’s Note

Dear Reader,

Thanks to all of you who asked for Preacher’s story -- and here it is! Preacher, like all the Dixie Reapers MC books, is a stand-alone story, but if you’d like to read the series in chronological order, Preacher takes place between Torch and Rocky. Preacher is not as long as the other books in the series, but I tried to make it just as hot. I can’t begin to tell you how much I love these characters, not just in this story, but in the entire series. They hold a special place in my heart, and I hope they will offer you a bit of enjoyment.

The feedback I’ve received on this series has been amazing, and I appreciate each and every one of my readers. Venom, Torch, Rocky, and Bull have been Amazon bestsellers, and that’s thanks to all of you. If you have a moment to spare, I would love it if you’d take a few seconds to leave a review. It doesn’t have to be long. Just something to let other people know what you liked or didn’t like about the books. Reviews not only help other readers, but I love to hear what my readers think. I hope you found the story entertaining and enjoyed that gooey feeling you get when characters get their happily-ever-after.

If you’d like to be notified of future books, you can sign up for my newsletter or follow me on Amazon. Thank you again for taking a chance on my Dixie Reapers and Preacher!

Until next time…

Chapter One

Kayla

I wasn’t supposed to be here. Johnny had warned me away, telling me that the compound was no place for a girl like me. I nearly snapped his head off and reminded him I was a grown-ass woman and not some child. He was all of two minutes older than me, but acted like he was thirty and not nineteen. My twin brother was a pain in the damn ass, but I missed him. We’d done everything together, until he’d decided to prospect for the Dixie Reapers, then overnight, he was gone. All his time was tied up with club business, and he no longer came home to visit. He’d walked away from me, and it hurt like hell, especially since he damn well knew what life was like at home.

I didn’t have a car, and walking all the way to the compound hadn’t been fun, but as I approached the gates, I felt my stomach twist and turn. I’d met a few of the prospects from the times I’d shown up to see Johnny, but I’d never met the patched members, and Johnny wanted to keep it that way. He’d told me that what went on in the clubhouse wasn’t something I ever wanted to be a part of, and I’d avoided the place all this time, but as I heard the music blasting from inside I wondered if the temptation would be too great.

The hem of my denim skirt rode up, and I tugged it back down as I neared the gate. The prospect on the other side was one I’d met once or twice. He always leered at me and gave me the creeps, but so far he’d kept his hands to himself. His gaze caressed me in a way that suggested he’d like to do far more than look, and I tried to hold back my shiver of revulsion at the mere thought of his hands on me. It wasn’t that he was bad looking, but he definitely gave off a creeper vibe.

“You here to see Johnny?” he asked.

“Yeah. Thought I’d surprise him.”

“Oh, he’ll be surprised all right. He’s inside,” the prospect said, tipping his head toward the clubhouse. “But then, you aren’t allowed in there are you? Too pristine for a place like that.”

“I’m not pristine,” I snapped.

I might be a virgin in the strictest sense, but I was far from angelic. I’d never technically had sex, even though I’d given a few blow jobs and fooled around, but I’d used my trusty vibrator to take care of my virginity. I’d heard it would hurt, and no way was I trusting a guy with something like that. Especially not since the guys I knew were selfish and fumbling. No finesse whatsoever.

“Just remember that you were warned.” The gate slid open, and he motioned toward the clubhouse. “Enter at your own risk.”

That sounded like something the creepy guy in horror movies says right before the heroine does something incredibly stupid, like enter a house full of mass murderers, or choose the darkened pathway filled with deformed, dying trees instead of the brightly lit path. This was just a clubhouse full of bikers, one of whom was my brother. How bad could it be?

I stepped through the gate and made my way across the lot to the building with Dixie Reapers across the top in neon, and slowly climbed the steps. The noise from inside was even louder now, and I pushed open the doors, not sure what to expect. The way my brother talked, I half-expected naked women and orgies going on out in the open. My gaze scanned the room, but I didn’t see my brother -- or any orgies. The place was packed wall-to-wall with men and women in leather cuts with Dixie Reapers stitched across the back. Other than some smoking and drinking, I didn’t see anything wild going on. Not that those things were wild, but to hear Johnny tell it, all kinds of shit went down in here. They just looked like your average group of adults having a nice time.

No one paid me any attention as I moved farther into the room, but the fact I was the only one not sporting one of those leather cuts made me feel a little out of place. At least I’d worn my black top and not the red one I’d picked up first. Still, I didn’t exactly blend, even if some of the women present looked to be my age or close to it. I’d learned enough from Johnny to guess those were the old ladies. He seemed rather fond of the President’s woman, and I wondered if I’d ever get a chance to meet her. To hear Johnny tell it, the woman was up for sainthood. I didn’t think anyone could ever be that perfect.

At the end of the bar, a man sat alone, a line of shot glasses in front of him, and an old worn Bible nearby. I hadn’t taken the club for being religious, but then this man didn’t seem quite like the others. He wore the same cut as everyone else, but as I studied him, I realized he was more somber. There was almost a haunted look to him, as if he were trying to drown his demons in whiskey, or whatever he was drinking. I felt this pull, as if I were supposed to get closer to him.

Slowly, I made my way across the room and slid onto the stool next to his. He didn’t even so much as glance my way, but I could tell from the way his mouth tensed that he was more than aware of my presence, and didn’t seem to care for it. I didn’t know what he was trying to run from, and it was honestly none of my business, but I’d found that sometimes people just needed to be reminded they weren’t as alone as they thought. Despite the fact the room was full of people, not a single one had come to sit by him. Maybe he’d chased them off, or maybe they left him alone because of the vibe he was putting out. Neither was going to deter me. Someone as sexy as he shouldn’t be drowning their sorrows. Not alone anyway.

The guy behind the bar came over, a swagger to his step and a cocky smile on his face. His cut said Prospect, but thankfully he wasn’t someone I knew. The minute my brother found out I was here, he’d likely escort me back to the gate and send me home, which was the last place I wanted to be. The guy leaned on the bar, his arms folded so that his biceps bulged. I assumed I was supposed to be impressed, but he looked just like every other asshole in my neighborhood who wanted in my pants. Not happening, buddy.

“What can I get for you, beautiful?” he asked, his lips tipping up on one side in a way I supposed most would find sexy. It wasn’t making me drop my panties, that was for sure. I was completely immune to guys like this one.

“Rum and Coke,” I said.

The guy next to me snorted.

“What?” I asked, turning my attention his way.

When his gaze clashed with mine, the breath in my lungs froze. Dark hair and a close-cropped beard were sexy enough, but damn… The man’s eyes were truly things of beauty. I saw blues, greens, golds. Maybe even a hint of gray. Those were the kind of eyes a woman could get lost in, the kind of eyes that would make her do something really stupid.

“You ever actually had a rum and Coke?” he asked, his voice deep and smooth.

“Maybe.”

He smiled a little. Not a full-out smile, and not even a smirk. It was almost like his lips had turned up without his permission because it was gone almost as fast as it happened.

“Why don’t you give her a Sex On The Beach?” the guy next to me said.

The Prospect leered at me. “Oh, I’d be delighted.”

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “Just the drink, thanks.”

I could tell he wanted to say something, but he refrained, walking off to fix my drink. I focused on the guy sitting next to me again, and noticed his cut said Preacher. Since he had a Bible nearby, I wondered if that’s how he’d gotten the name. I didn’t think an actual preacher would be sitting here drinking alcohol. But then, I didn’t really know any religious types.

“I’m Kayla,” I said.

“Preacher.”

He went back to looking at his shot glasses, which were empty now. Now that he’d spoken to me, no way was I letting him go back to his brooding silence. He was probably older than I’d first thought, but that only made me curious. I was used to guys my age, who didn’t know what the hell they were doing. But a guy like him? I was willing to bet that he knew exactly how to treat a woman, both in and out of the bedroom.

“Why aren’t you partying with everyone else?” I asked.

“Weddings aren’t really something I like to celebrate,” he said.

“Don’t believe in marriage?”

He held up his left hand, a gold band on his ring finger. “Already met my one and only. And someday I’ll get to see her again.”

See her again?

“Did she move?” I asked.

“Yeah.” He glanced my way. “To heaven.”

Way to put your foot in your mouth, Kayla.

“I’m sorry. I wouldn’t have pushed if I had known. It must be hard being here without her.”

He shrugged. “It’s been twelve years, but it doesn’t get any easier.”

Holy hell! She’d died twelve years ago, and he still wore his wedding ring? Talk about commitment! I couldn’t even get a guy to go past the first date, and here he was, a widower for over a decade, and he still carried his wife in his heart. Part of me wanted to cry over the pain he must feel from losing his wife, but the other part thought it was touching that love like that still existed outside books and movies.

“She must have been really amazing,” I said.

“She was.” I got a genuine smile that time.

The Prospect returned with my drink, and another line of shots for Preacher. We talked and drank for over an hour until both of us were well on our way to being drunk. If anyone asked later, I’d say that’s how I ended up in their meeting room, or whatever the hell they called it, with my skirt shoved up and my panties ripped off me. Yeah, definitely the alcohol, and didn’t have a damn thing to do with raging hormones and a hot as hell biker who needed a little comforting.

Johnny was going to kill me when he found out.

* * *

Preacher

The gorgeous woman who had listened to me talk about my wife, and had seemed genuinely interested, was exactly what I’d needed. I didn’t know precisely when she’d ended up in my lap, or at what point I’d started kissing her, but it wasn’t long before we were stumbling down the hallway. I pushed her into the room we used for Church. If Torch knew, he’d kick my ass, but I never took women to my home. It made them think it was something more than it was.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been this damn turned-on, though. It should have scared me, the feelings tumbling around inside me, but I shoved them down and just focused on the pleasure. Her curvy body pressed tight to mine, and damn if it didn’t feel like her hands were branding me everywhere they touched. She fumbled with my belt, and a moment later she had my pants unzipped and her hand was diving into my underwear and wrapping around my cock.

I pulled her top off and dropped it onto the table, then leaned back a little to admire the view. The scrap of black lace that cupped her breasts was probably the sexiest thing I’d ever seen. Pulling up her skirt, I saw the panties matched, and I had this insane urge to keep them as a souvenir. Kayla’s hands were tugging my pants and boxer briefs down until my cock was freed.

She dropped to her knees and licked her lips, her gaze fastening on mine, as she leaned forward and gave my cock a long, slow lick. I groaned and sank my fingers into her hair, urging her to do it again. Fuck but that felt incredible! It had been a while since I’d been with anyone, but I knew it hadn’t felt like this.

“Open, baby. Wrap those lips around my cock,” I told her.

Her lips parted, and I thrust inside. Her mouth felt like heaven as I stroked a little deeper each time. She looked hot as fuck on her knees, my cock in her mouth. Those sultry eyes of hers were nearly my undoing as she stared up at me.

“You can take more, can’t you, sweetheart?” I asked.

She hummed, which I took as an agreement. Kayla deep-throated me, taking every fucking inch of my cock, not gagging so much as once. It was like she was made for this, made to be fucked. I gripped her hair tighter and fucked her mouth, not stopping until I came. She swallowed, and then kept sucking even after I didn’t have anything left to give. I was still hard as granite, which hadn’t happened since… No, I wasn’t going to think of her while I was fucking Kayla. It wasn’t fair to either of them. With any other woman, I wouldn’t have cared, but Kayla… She didn’t seem like the others I’d fucked for a quick release. She listened, and she seemed to understand my pain. This wasn’t a quick screw to let off steam. It was something more, which was downright terrifying.

I pulled free of her mouth and helped her to her feet. I normally fucked the women from behind, so I didn’t have to look at them, but I wanted to see her wide, expressive eyes as I pounded into her sweet pussy. Tearing her panties from her body, I urged her onto the table and spread her legs wide. My cock slid along her slit, and it felt so damn good. I closed my eyes a moment, just savoring the feel of her against me. Then my senses returned long enough to put on a condom. I hadn’t fucked without one since my wife died, and I wasn’t going to start now, no matter how tempting Kayla might be.

I slowly pressed inside her, gritting my teeth at how fucking tight she was. I’d never known a virgin who could suck cock like she could, but the way she gripped me had me wondering if I was her first. I nearly stopped, but she felt too damn good. She moaned and leaned back on the table, popping the front clasp on her bra and cupping her breasts. Christ! I sank balls-deep into her, only pausing a moment. The fact she wasn’t in any pain, and I hadn’t felt anything tear inside her, gave me a sense of relief that I wasn’t going to fuck up her first time.

She lifted her hips a little, letting me slide in even deeper, and my control snapped. I gripped her hips tight as I plunged into her again and again, fucking her with a passion that had long been absent from my life. Her sweet cries just added fuel to the flames, and I wouldn’t have been able to stop if I tried. I wanted her, needed her. I’d not allowed myself to feel a connection to anyone in so fucking long, but with her, even if it was just a few minutes, I completely lost myself in the moment. I didn’t shut down my emotions. It wasn’t mindless fucking, but something more.

“Rub your clit, baby. Let me feel you come on my cock,” I murmured.

Her small fingers circled the little bud, and I felt her pussy clench down. It wasn’t long before she was coming, crying out my name as her body tensed and her pussy tried to milk me dry. I fucked her until every drop of cum had been pulled from my balls, and even then I wasn’t ready to pull out. She clasped me tightly as she panted for breath, her eyes still glazed and hazy from her release.

“That was so worth the wait,” she said softly.

I didn’t know what the hell she meant, and my brain was too sloshed with alcohol to puzzle it out. I knew I hadn’t met her before, so how could she have been waiting for this? For me? I pulled free of her body and helped her stand. Her lips pressed against mine in the gentlest of kisses, then she fixed her skirt, refastened her bra, and pulled on her shirt. With a sassy smile, she kissed me once more, longer and deeper than before, and then she walked out the door. I waited a few minutes, trying to gather my thoughts. A good ten minutes passed before my mind began to clear, and I decided to clean myself up. Whatever had just happened, I knew that it was different from anything I’d experienced in the last twelve years. I’d already met my one and only, but Kayla had touched a part of me I’d thought long dead. If I’d known she was going to disappear, I might have moved faster. Especially when I realized the fucking condom broke.

Fuck my life.

I disposed of the rubber, zipped up my pants, and started for the door, pausing when I saw a scrap of black lace on the floor. I picked it up, inhaled her sweet scent, then stuffed the ripped panties into my pocket. I hadn’t wanted to keep a woman’s panties since the night I’d first slept with my wife. I’d analyze later why I wanted to keep the damn thing, then I went back to the main room looking for Kayla. The little minx was nowhere to be found. I didn’t know who she’d come with, or why she’d been here at all, but I wasn’t ready for her to go. There wasn’t room in my life for a steady woman, and there never would be, but it didn’t mean we couldn’t enjoy each other’s company a little more.

I stepped out onto the porch and scanned the area. No sight of her. The Prospect at the gate was smoking a cigarette as I approached, and he straightened when he saw me. I didn’t care much for the little shit, but one of the members thought he had potential. I personally didn’t think he was going to patch in. There was just something about him that had always set me on edge.

“What can I do for you, Preacher?” he asked.

“Did you see a woman come out of the clubhouse? Maybe five or ten minutes ago?”

“Yeah, she took off. Why? Did she do something wrong? Want me to go after her?”

The light in his eyes told me that he had other reasons for wanting to go after Kayla, and I wasn’t sure I liked it. She wasn’t mine, would never be mine, but she sure as fuck didn’t belong to some punk ass Prospect either. I’d had my doubts about this one, and I’d told Torch and Venom as much. Carter. That was the little shit’s name. I’d seen the way he treated the women when he thought no one was looking, and that wasn’t going to fly as long as I was around. It was one thing to use the sluts to let off a little steam, but it was another to treat them like trash.

“She didn’t do anything wrong. I just wanted to spend some time with her.”

He grinned. “Yeah, she’s a hot little thing. I’d love to get those legs of hers wrapped around me.”

I grunted and walked off so I didn’t give in to the urge to hit the little bastard. I had no business feeling that way about a woman I’d just met, one who meant nothing to me. But there was that little voice at the back of my head, the one I didn’t like most days. But she’s different.

Yeah, she was different. And different was very, very bad.

I’d ask around and see who knew her. Maybe she was a friend of Isabella’s or Ridley’s. If I had to guess, they were close to the same age, which made her too damn young for me. Then again, my Pres was in his fifties, and he’d claimed Isabella. Fuck, he’d damn well married her, and seemed more than happy. Maybe age really was just a number in the grand scheme of things.

When I went back into the clubhouse, I scanned the crowd and quickly found Ridley and Venom. They seemed surprised when I approached them, and I wondered if I’d been too much of a reclusive bastard lately.

“Preacher,” Venom said, slapping me on the back. “Enjoying the party? The ceremony was perfect. You haven’t lost your touch.”

I grunted, not giving a shit about the wedding. Yeah, I was still technically an ordained minister, but I’d given up on God a long-ass time ago. The day he’d let my wife die, I’d turned my back and walked away. I didn’t even touch my fucking Bible anymore, unless the club needed something. Like this wedding tonight.

“Do either of you know a Kayla?” I asked.

Ridley’s brow furrowed, and she shook her head. “No. Should I?”

“I thought maybe she was a friend of yours. Are Torch and Isabella still here, or did they already take off to celebrate on their own?” I asked.

“With the looks he’s giving her, they won’t be around much longer,” Venom said. “But Isabella is across the room.”

I glanced that way and saw the blushing bride. “Thanks.”

By the time I pushed through the crowd and reached Isabella, Torch looked about two seconds away from tossing her over his shoulder and walking the fuck out. She smiled when she saw me, and the next thing I knew, she’d thrown her arms around me and was hugging the shit out of me.

“Thank you so much,” she said. “It was the best wedding ever!”

“You’re welcome. I actually came over for a reason. Do you know anyone named Kayla?” I asked.

“The name sounds familiar, but I can’t place her,” Isabella said. “Did she do something wrong?”

Why the fuck did everyone assume Kayla did something bad? She was too fucking sweet to get into trouble, unless that trouble included a drunk widower and a broken condom. I needed to find her and make sure she was okay.

“I met her here tonight, and I was just trying to figure out who she knows.”

Torch turned his piercing gaze my way. “Some woman you don’t know was here?”

“I know her now,” I muttered.

“Who’s manning the gate?” Torch asked. “This event was family only.”

“Carter,” I said, trying not to sneer as I said his name.

Torch grunted. “I’ll have a word with him tomorrow. For now, I think it’s time I get my beautiful bride out of here.”

“Congratulations, both of you,” I said, then blended back into the crowd.

I still had no idea who Kayla was, or how to find her. My gut churned as I thought about never seeing her again, but I’d fucked up. If I’d stopped her from walking away instead of standing there like an idiot, then I’d know more about her.

She probably thought I was just another asshole, using her for her body.

I had this horrible feeling that I was never going to see Kayla again, and for some reason, that really bothered me. Fuck it. She was gone, and there wasn’t shit I could do about it right now. I’d have a few more drinks, then call it a night. I could battle my conscience tomorrow.

Chapter Two

Kayla

I shouldn’t have been a chickenshit and run out like that, but I hadn’t thought Preacher would want me to stick around. Weren’t bikers the fuck-and-leave type? At least when it came to random women like me. He’d needed comforting, and I’d offered it, but that didn’t mean he wanted to hang around and cuddle afterward. If anything, I’d imagine he’d be fucked in the head each time he slept with a woman who wasn’t his wife. So, I’d given him the space he likely needed, and since he hadn’t exactly come after me, I was probably right to leave.

I felt the stickiness between my legs and tried to fight down the panic rising inside me. He’d put on a condom. I distinctly remembered him doing that, but something must have happened to it. I knew condoms weren’t foolproof, but… Butterflies rioted in my stomach as I thought about the possible consequences I’d face. Surely I wouldn’t get pregnant the first time I had sex, right? That shit only happened in books and movies.

The walk home was long, and I hunched my shoulders, trying to disappear as I walked down the broken sidewalks of my neighborhood. Once upon a time, it had been a nice place to live. A really fucking long time ago. Ever since my parents were kids, it had been crackhead and prostitute central for our small town. I think that was a large part of why Johnny had left, and I couldn’t really blame him. He deserved a shot at a better life. If he’d stayed, he’d likely have been dealing drugs on the corner, or have been killed in a drive-by. I knew the life he’d chosen wasn’t exactly safe, but at least he had a group of guys to watch his back. He wouldn’t have had that around here.

The dilapidated house I shared with my mom and her latest boyfriend was just up ahead, and I quickened my pace. It wasn’t safe to be out here dressed like this, especially since I’d lost my panties tonight. Guys in this part of town thought they could have whatever they wanted, and anyone who cried rape usually paid the price. I’d been lucky that nothing bad had happened to me so far. I knew a lot of that had to do with Johnny. He’d kept me safe all my life, even when my mom’s latest and greatest would get handsy with me. But I was on my own now, which meant I had to be smart.

When I got into the house, I locked the front door and paused, listening for any sounds. I could hear my mom and her current boyfriend going at it in her room, the smell of pot heavy in the air. The living room was littered with beer bottles, and I knew they were likely drunk too. Bad things happened when Ray was high and drunk. I quickly walked straight back to my bedroom, trying not to make a damn sound to alert anyone of my presence.

Johnny had installed two deadbolts on my door, and a chain, and I locked all three every time I was in my room. The first time I’d woken to one of my mother’s boyfriends looming over me in the middle of the night, jerking his cock off as he leered at me, I’d freaked the fuck out, and then Johnny had beat the shit out of the guy. I’d found all three locks on my door when I’d gotten home from school that day. Johnny had skipped class to make sure I was taken care of, but then he was always doing things like that for me.

I stripped out of my clothes and pulled on my pajamas. As much as I would have loved a bath or shower, no way I was chancing it tonight. If Ray had consumed as much beer as I thought he had, and if pot was thrown in to the mix, then I wasn’t safe outside my room. He was one of the worst of all the guys Mom had brought home over the years. He didn’t even hide the fact he wanted me, rubbing his cock in front of my mom as he stared at me. I didn’t trust him, and sadly, I didn’t trust my mother either. If Ray gave her an ultimatum, like he got to do whatever the fuck he wanted to me or he was walking out, she’d hand me over on a silver platter. He supplied all her drugs and booze, and no way was she giving that up.

The cheap cell phone Johnny had given me started ringing, and I quickly answered. He was the only one who ever called me, and I needed to hear his voice. I’d gone to the compound tonight, needing my brother, but I hadn’t even stuck around long enough to find him. Not after…

“Why the fuck were you here tonight, Kayla?” he barked into the phone.

“I needed to see you.”

He got quiet a moment. “Everything okay? Did Ray… he didn’t touch you, did he?”

“No. Not for lack of trying on his part.”

“Kayla, you can’t just show up unannounced at the compound. You could get me into serious trouble, you know that? This is the best thing I’ve got going for me, and I don’t want to screw it up.”

Tears pricked my eyes at his harsh tone. “I’m sorry.”

“If it’s not Ray, then why the hell were you here? I’ve told you this isn’t the place for you to party.”

“You think I was there to party?” I asked, my heart feeling heavy. Did Johnny not know me as well as I’d thought he had? We were twins, two halves of a whole, and yet… “I’ve never been a party girl, and you know it, Johnny.”

“Are you safe?” he asked.

I glanced at the locks on the door. “For now.”

“If you weren’t here to party, and it’s not Ray, then why did you need me?”

“It’s Joe.”

The silence on the other end lasted so long I’d thought for a moment he’d hung up.

“Joe-motherfucking-Banner?”

“Um, yeah. He’s been recruiting pretty heavy around here.”

“Jesus fucking Christ. You’re not joining his stable, Kayla.”

“I wasn’t planning on it,” I muttered. “But… he said if I don’t, then he’ll find a way to make me. I’m scared, Johnny. You know what he did to Vera. He fucked her up so bad she doesn’t even look the same anymore, and before she was even healed all the way, he had her working the streets.”

“I’m on my way. Pack a bag, something small with just the essentials.”

Pack a bag? Where the hell did he think I was going? It wasn’t like he could let me stay at the compound with him. He’d already told me there were only two types of women there. Old ladies, or club sluts. And since I wasn’t one of the first, and had no intention of becoming the second, there was no place for me there. Even if the most beautiful eyes I’d ever seen did flash in my mind for a moment. No way Preacher would ever lay claim to me. He was still married to his dead wife, and just because we’d fucked didn’t mean anything. I knew I was just convenient for him tonight, and that was fine. At least my first time with a guy had been on my terms.

“Kayla, did you hear me?” Johnny asked, and I realized I hadn’t said anything.

“Yeah. I’ll get some stuff together.”

“I’ll tap on your window when I get there. Don’t leave that fucking house.”

He hung up, and I stared around my room. I didn’t have much, but I still had my backpack from high school. I pulled it out and dumped a handful of clothes inside. Three outfits and the other important stuff like panties and such. My brush was on the dresser, and I shoved that into the bag too. My hand paused on the locks to my door, and I listened to make sure Ray was still occupied before I crept into the hall bathroom to retrieve my small bag of makeup and my toothbrush. I grabbed the box of tampons I kept under the sink too.

After my bag was stuffed as full as I could get it, I changed into something comfortable, and then sat on the bed to wait for Johnny. I heard his motorcycle roar into the driveway, and my body tensed. It didn’t take but another minute before he was tapping on my window. I lifted it and stared out at my twin, the only person who had ever been there for me my entire life. He held out his hand, and I gave him my backpack, then he helped me climb out the window.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“I’m putting you on a bus,” he said. “You’re getting the fuck out of this town before it ruins your life.”

I froze mid-step. “Leave?”

He turned to face me. “Kayla, I can’t protect you all the time anymore, and you’re obviously not safe living at home. Mom doesn’t give a shit what happens to you, never has and never will. And I’m sorry, but you’re just not tough enough to live here without ending up spreading your legs for Johns or dead in a ditch.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“You’re my baby sister… “

“By like two minutes.”

“Whatever. The point is that I don’t know how else to protect you. So I’m sending you away. I have enough money for a bus ticket out of here and then hopefully enough to get you established in a new place. I made some calls. A buddy of mine has a studio apartment over the garage where he works. He’s going to let you rent it for three hundred a month, utilities and trash included.”

“I don’t have three hundred dollars, Johnny.”

He pulled a wad of cash out of his pocket and stuffed it into the front of my backpack before zipping it. “Now you do. There’s about seven hundred there, but it should hold you until you can find a job. I’ll take care of the bus ticket when we get to the station. And Kayla… whatever you do, don’t come back.”

My eyes burned as I fought hard not to cry. “Does that mean I won’t see you anymore?”

“Not for a while. I’ll try to come visit when I get a chance, okay? But you need to do this. This is your chance to change your life.”

He took me by the hand and led me over to his bike. After he swung his leg over the seat, I climbed on behind him, slinging the backpack over my shoulders. I didn’t know where I was going, or what I’d do when I got there, but I knew he was right. I needed to get away from this place. I’d been lucky so far, but eventually that luck would run out.

But you know what they say about running from your past? It always catches up to you…

* * *

Kayla

Two Months Later

The money my brother had given me was long gone, and I’d found a job working nights at the local diner. It was hard work, on my feet for sometimes ten or twelve hours day, but the tips were decent. I had a feeling that had more to do with the fact my shirts were fitting a little snugger across my breasts than usual. I’d gone up at least a cup size, and they hurt like hell. At first, I’d thought it was my period finally coming, since the damn thing was several weeks late. But nothing had happened.

One of the girls I worked with, a single mom who was two years younger than me, suggested I might be pregnant when the smell from the grill had sent me running to the bathroom to puke my guts up. I’d laughed it off, until I’d really thought about it. I was late, my boobs were getting huge, and I was throwing up because of a smell? Yeah. I’d gone straight to the pharmacy after that shift and bought every kind of pregnancy test they had. Every last one had come back positive.

It had scared the shit out of me, and I hadn’t known what to do. Preacher had a right to know he was going to be a father, but I wasn’t certain if he’d even want to know. A guy like that, still hung up on his dead wife? I couldn’t imagine my news being welcome. So I’d kept it to myself. My frequent bouts of nausea had triggered some questions at work, and I’d finally had to tell the manager I wasn’t sick with the flu, but I was pregnant. He’d shrugged and gone back to his paperwork, just happy to know I wasn’t spreading germs to all our customers.

My shift was ending, and my back felt like it was damn well breaking. I’d worked a double when someone had called in sick, and now I was going to pay the price. Yeah, the tips were welcome because who didn’t need extra money? But my body was protesting. I knew I’d go home, shower, and likely crash before I’d even had a chance to eat. We ate for free while we were working, so I’d had two meals since I’d come on shift, but my stomach was already growling again. I was either constantly wanting to stuff my face, or I was hugging the toilet.

I clocked out and gathered my things before heading back to my tiny apartment. It wasn’t anything special, but it was mine. My brother’s friend, Jeremy, was actually a really great guy. He hadn’t hit on me once, had always been polite, and he checked on me periodically to make sure I didn’t need anything. I hated to admit that Johnny had been right to send me away. Now I had a chance at a good life, and even if I had to work my ass off, this baby would have the kind of home I’d never had. At least my place was clean, even if the furniture was threadbare.

Climbing the metal stairs that ran up the side of the garage, I could feel the fatigue pulling at me. I put one foot in front of the other, practically dragging myself up the next step by pulling on the handrail. My keys were already clutched in my hand, and I unlocked the two deadbolts before I pushed the door open. The scent of the lemon cleanser I’d used that morning teased my nose, and I reached inside to flip on the light. I’d no sooner cleared the door than something heavy slammed into my back, sending me sprawling on the floor.

A weight covered my body, and a hand slammed over my mouth. Panic welled inside me. My heart started racing, and I wished like hell I’d paid more attention to my surroundings. How the fuck had he managed to get up the stairs behind me without making any noise?

“Thought you could get away from me?” he asked, his lips near my ear.

My eyes went wide as I recognized who was on top of me. And I knew in that moment, I was completely screwed. I didn’t know how he’d found me, or why he’d bothered, but all those lewd looks I’d dealt with were going to become something much, much worse.

His hand skimmed up my thigh, shoving under the skirt I’d worn to work. I started thrashing on the floor, kicking my feet, and trying to bite the hand over my mouth. This isn’t happening!

“That’s it. I like it when they struggle.”

I could feel the bulge in his pants press against me, and then he was kicking my legs apart. I fought harder, slamming my hands on the floor, and doing anything that might draw attention to what was happening. I didn’t know if Jeremy was still downstairs, but there were times he’d slept in his office. I hoped like hell this was one of those times. I managed to kick over the table near the door and heard the crappy wood splinter on contact.

Carter started to unzip his pants, and tears streamed down my cheeks. I never stopped fighting, never stopped trying to break free. Even when he tore my panties, I still fought. But just as suddenly as he’d attacked me, his weight was lifted off my body, and I heard something slam into a wall. Gulping in huge breaths and crawling as far away as I could, I finally turned and saw Jeremy beating the shit out of Carter.

The Dixie Reapers Prospect fell to the floor, his face a bloody mess and one of his eyes swelling shut. Jeremy kicked him in the ribs while he was down, then sent a knee into the asshole’s nose, not only breaking it, but knocking Carter the fuck out. He slumped to the floor, and Jeremy made his way over to me.

He knelt and slowly reached out a hand, almost as if he were afraid to scare me more. “Please tell me I fucking got up here fast enough.”

“You did,” I said, wiping the tears away. “He was just about to… but he didn’t.”

Jeremy nodded. “I’m taking you home. When we get to town, I’ll call your brother, and he can meet us somewhere.”

“You’re throwing me out?” I asked.

“I’m sending you home, where you belong,” he corrected. “Johnny has always been your knight in shining armor, and I don’t know why he stopped now. But I think you need your brother right now, maybe more than ever before.”

“I can come back?”

He smiled a little. “I’ll leave the apartment vacant for a week or two, to see if you come back here. But I think you need to pack your things. Once Johnny hears what happened, he’s not going to want you to be quite so far away anymore. And Kayla… you should tell him about the baby.”

My eyes went wide. “How… “

“You didn’t tie off your trash very well. Some of the sticks fell out in the dumpster. Saw them when I hauled out the garage trash. I figured if you wanted me to know, you’d say something. Just tell me that you want this baby and some asshole didn’t force himself on you.”

“It was consensual,” I said. “But he doesn’t know. I’m not sure I can ever tell him.”

“That’s your call to make. But your brother needs to know everything, all right? He can’t protect you if he doesn’t know the entire story. And not just what happened now, but about that baby.”

“All right. Just let me get cleaned up, and I’ll pack my things.”

“I’ll wait here and make some calls. I’ll get one of the mechanics to open for me tomorrow.”

I went into the small bathroom and splashed water on my face before I started packing. I’d been so excited about having a real shot at a decent life, and now I was going back? I didn’t understand why Jeremy thought I wouldn’t be safe here. Yeah, Carter had found me, and he’d almost… I shivered. But that could have happened no matter where I was living. I’d seen the look in Carter’s eyes often enough to know something like this might happen one day. I’d tried to tell Johnny, but he’d blown me off, saying Carter was like a brother to him and would never hurt me.

After I packed the last of my things, and looked around the apartment one last time, I let Jeremy lead me down to his truck. My hometown was only about two hours away. Johnny had made sure I was close enough that he could easily visit whenever he had time, but maybe if I’d gone farther, Carter wouldn’t have come after me. I didn’t regret the past two months because I’d grown a lot during that time. And now I knew that I could make it on my own.

The two-hour trip flew by, and soon we were pulling into the parking lot of an all-night diner a few miles from the Dixie Reapers’ compound. Jeremy sent me inside with some cash and orders to get a slice of pie. I dragged my tired body into the diner and claimed a seat at a booth in the window. Jeremy had his phone pressed to his ear, and I knew he was talking to Johnny. When he finally came inside, I couldn’t tell if the conversation had gone well or not, but that question was answered soon enough when Johnny came roaring into the parking lot on his Harley.

It was good to see him, but the fierce look on his face told me this wasn’t going to be a pleasant reunion. And so I waited patiently for him to come in, to have a seat, and then I started telling him everything. From the night I spent at the clubhouse, and what happened with Preacher, to Carter trying to rape me. And lastly, I told him I was pregnant. He looked a little shell-shocked at that last part, and beyond furious over what happened with Carter. I spared him the details, but the anguish in his eyes was enough to tear me apart. Whatever I’d thought of my brother since he’d joined the Dixie Reapers, it was obvious that he loved me.

“Where’s Carter now?” he asked.

“I arranged for someone to contain him,” Jeremy said. “Figured the Dixie Reapers would want to take care of him.”

Johnny nodded before focusing on me again. “I think it’s time for you to meet the President of the Dixie Reapers. I’m not set up for company since I share my space with the other prospects, but Torch will probably find a spot for you. And he needs to know about Carter.”

“All right,” I said softly.

His gaze dropped to my belly. “And Preacher needs to know about that kid. I know you think he won’t want anything to do with either of you, but I think you’re wrong.”

I could tell there was something he wasn’t saying, but I didn’t want to press him. I rode with Jeremy to the compound, and as we pulled through the gate, my palms started to sweat and nausea welled in my throat. I knew I was seconds away from puking and nearly dove out of the truck when it came to a stop.

Johnny rubbed my back as I threw up the slice of pie, then he curled an arm around my waist and led me into the clubhouse. I didn’t know what to expect when we went inside, but it wasn’t for Preacher to nearly lose it and attack my brother.

Chapter Three

Preacher

I’d gotten tired of sitting on my ass at home, staring at the TV like some mindless idiot, but I wasn’t really feeling the vibe of the clubhouse either. More than one club slut had put her hands on me, and my dick wasn’t the slightest bit interested. I hadn’t fucked anyone, unless my hand counted, since the night I’d met Kayla. For the first time in twelve years, I didn’t wake up from dreams about my wife, fighting the urge to cry into my fucking pillow because I missed her so damn much. No, I woke up hard as a fucking post after dreaming about how tight Kayla had been, or how fucking fantastic her mouth had felt wrapped around my dick. I felt a little guilty, almost like I’d replaced the woman of my heart with some random woman. Except, Kayla didn’t feel like a random woman. And maybe that just fucked up my head even more.

I still didn’t know where she was, or who she was for that matter. She’d never given me her last name, and the few people I’d asked hadn’t shared any information with me. I had a feeling that punk ass Carter knew something, but he wasn’t saying a word. I didn’t know if he was looking out for Kayla, or for himself. The way he’d looked that night when I’d brought her up, I had a feeling he was keeping quiet for his own reasons and none of them good. There was something seriously creepy about that guy, but I seemed to be the only one who felt that way. I didn’t like the thought of him becoming my brother when he patched in, but unless I could sway some more people my way, he would likely get voted in. He did his work and kept his mouth shut, I’d give him that.

I sipped on my beer and attempted to look like I actually wanted to be here. Truth was, I didn’t much care where I was right now. I was miserable at home, miserable here… It ate at me that Kayla had run off, and I had no way to find her. The longer she was gone, the more I realized that somehow we’d connected that night, in more than just a physical way. I’d sworn to never get attached to another woman, and yet I’d done it anyway. We’d only talked for maybe an hour that night, and what had happened after that was over all too soon. But in those moments, I’d felt closer to her than I had to anyone since…

“Where the fuck is that punk-ass Prospect?” Tank grumbled as he settled on the stool next to me.

“Which one?” I asked.

“Carter. I have a job I need done, and no one seems to know where he is. According to Ivan, the guy took off two days ago and hasn’t been seen or heard from. I checked with Torch, and he didn’t get permission to take off like that. Last anyone around town saw him was this morning. He was at some second-rate hacker’s house. Wire’s wording, not mine. Whatever he’s up to, he didn’t want us to know what was up. I’m waiting to hear back from Torch on whether or not we need to question the hacker.”

At least I wasn’t the only one who didn’t like the little fuckstick now. Maybe I didn’t have to worry about him patching in after all. If Torch was pissed, then he’d likely be out on his ass once he came back. Good riddance, as far as I was concerned.

The Prospect manning the bar tonight, a favorite of Torch and his old lady, pulled a cell phone out of his pocket, frowning at the screen. I went back to focusing on my beer, not needing to get involved in anyone’s drama. The kid had a way with the ladies, and it wouldn’t surprise me if some hook-up was trying to get back in his pants. I felt Tank tense next to me and looked up just in time to see the kid go deathly pale, then vault over the bar and go running for the door.

“What the fuck was that?” I asked.

Tank shrugged. “I don’t know, but I’m thinking it’s not good.”

An engine turned over in the parking lot, and from the deep growl, I knew the kid had just hopped on his bike. It wasn’t like Johnny to leave a post, though, and apparently I wasn’t the only one who was more than a little intrigued. Tank slid off his stool and started for the door, but before he could get outside, we could hear Johnny peeling out of the compound and taking off down the street. He was a good kid, so I hoped whatever the fuck was going on that it wasn’t that serious.

Tank reclaimed his stool, but I noticed he glanced toward the door every few minutes. I couldn’t blame him for being worried. It wasn’t like Johnny to just disappear like that. Everyone knew that he was a favorite of our President and Isabella.

He wasn’t gone more than a half hour, maybe a little longer, when he returned. But he wasn’t alone. My heart started pounding, and I felt fury engulf me as he walked in the door with his arm around Kayla. She was pressed tight to his side, and looked so damn pale and exhausted. I didn’t even realize I’d stood until I was right in front of the kid, ready to take a swing.

“Get your fucking hands off her,” I said, my voice more growl than anything.

Kayla’s eyes went wide, and she paled even further. I watched as she swayed and her eyes rolled back in her head. Johnny cursed, and I reached out and snatched Kayla into my arms as she started to slump to the floor, giving the kid a glare that had made men cower in fear. Johnny just stared at me with raised eyebrows.

“What the fuck did you do to her?” I asked.

“Nothing.”

Torch, Venom, and Tank came over.

“Pres, I had planned on this introduction going a little differently,” Johnny said. “This is my sister, Kayla. And I think we need to talk.”

Sister? I looked down at the woman in my arms. Now that Johnny had said that, I did see a resemblance between the two of them.

“My baby sister,” he said, smirking at me.

Fuck. Baby sister? Johnny was only nineteen. Was Kayla even legal? I felt a little dazed, but remained upright with Kayla clutched against my chest.

“By two minutes,” Johnny said.

Oh, thank Christ. I breathed a little easier. Wait. They were twins? How had I not known that Johnny had a twin sister? Hell, had anyone known?

“Church,” Torch said.

“There’s something else,” Johnny said, focusing on me. “I didn’t do a damn thing to Kayla. But you did.”

“Me?” I asked. She’d wanted me that night. Had she told Johnny otherwise?

“Yeah.” He patted my shoulder. “Congratulations, Daddy. You knocked her up.”

My breath froze in my lungs as he smirked and walked off, following Torch and the other officers. Knocked up? Kayla was pregnant? With my kid? Holy hell. My knees felt like they might buckle, but I took one step, then another. As I cleared the clubhouse door, Bull followed.

“Where are you taking her?” he asked.

“Home.”

“You gonna claim her?” Bull asked.

Fuck if I knew what I was doing. What I did know for certain was that Kayla belonged with me. I ignored Bull and walked to my house. Torch had given me a four-bedroom home less than a mile from the clubhouse. I’d told him at the time that it was a waste of space because I only needed one bedroom, but he’d insisted. Now it looked like I’d be using at least one of those other bedrooms. A kid? The thought left me dizzy.

I’d tried to have kids with my wife, had tried for years, but we’d never been successful. I’d always thought I was at fault, that maybe I had a low sperm count or something. I’d offered to see the doctor, but she’d always told me that we’d get pregnant when we were supposed to. But it had never happened, and then she’d been taken from me. The moonlight glinted on my wedding ring, and I stopped in the middle of the road for a moment. I waited for panic to set in, for the intense pain and sorrow I felt every time I thought of Rachel. It didn’t come.

I looked up at the sky and wondered if she was looking down on me. If there was a heaven, I knew that’s where she’d be. She’d been so perfect, so sweet. And she’d died far too soon. The stars shone brightly overhead, and this sense of peace filled me. A slight breeze blew and ruffled my hair, like a light caress.

“All right, Rachel,” I said. “I can take a hint.”

My wife would have never wanted me to turn my back on Kayla or the baby. That much I knew for certain, and as much as I’d thought about the woman in my arms over the past two months, I knew that she wasn’t the same as the others I’d fucked and walked away from over the years. Mostly because she’d never been far from my thoughts.

When I reached my home, I carried Kayla inside and went straight to the master bedroom, which was on the first floor. All the other bedrooms were upstairs and shared a bathroom. My bed was still mussed from earlier in the day, and I gently laid her down. I removed her shoes to make her more comfortable, then got a damp cloth from the bathroom and lightly pressed it to her cheeks and forehead.

Her eyes slowly fluttered open, and I gave her what I hoped was a reassuring smile. Must not have worked because she bolted upright and gave me a panicked look. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, and I worried that she’d hyperventilate and pass out again.

“Easy, baby. Do you want some water?”

“Where am I?” she asked.

“Home.”

Her eyes went wide, and she stared at me.

“Were you going to tell me?” I asked. “That you’re pregnant.”

“No. Maybe. I don’t know.” She relaxed a little, and her breathing slowed. “I honestly didn’t think you’d want to know. You’re still married to your dead wife and don’t have room for me and a kid. I can raise the baby on my own.”

I made sure I had her attention as I slid the wedding band off my finger, then placed it in the bedside table drawer. It was the first time I’d taken that ring off since the day Rachel had placed it on my finger. It didn’t feel as horrible as I’d thought it would, not at all like I was getting rid of her. I knew she’d always be a part of me, but it was obvious that I had responsibilities now and couldn’t pine after Rachel forever.

“What are you doing, Preacher?” she asked.

“Call me Nick.” I smiled. “The mother of my child should know my real name.”

“You don’t seem all that upset,” she said.

“The condom broke. I tried to go after you once I realized what had happened, but you’d vanished. I asked several of my brothers who you were or where you’d come from, but no one knew. The prospect, Carter, seemed to know something, but he wasn’t talking.”

She went deathly pale again at the mention of Carter’s name.

“I think I’m going to be sick,” she muttered before she scrambled out of bed and went running to find the bathroom.

I followed and held her hair as she threw up, rubbing her back, and wondering if this was a pregnancy thing, or a fear thing. It was obvious Carter’s name had scared the shit out of her, and I wanted to know why. If the little asshole had threatened her in some way, he would answer to me.

“Let’s get you rinsed off in the shower and tucked into bed,” I said. “We can talk more tomorrow. You look like you’re about to drop.”

She weakly nodded and let me undress her. I stripped out of my own clothes, then got into a hot shower with her. My body reacted to the sight of all those soft curves of hers, but I wasn’t about to take advantage. After I cleaned her up, I dried the both of us, then helped her brush her teeth. When she was finished, I carried her to bed, sliding in next to her.

Kayla curled against my side with her head on my chest, and she let out a breathy sigh.

“This is nice,” she murmured. “No one’s ever held me like this before.”

“You mean you’ve never cuddled in bed?”

She hummed. “You were my first. My only.”

Her words trailed off, more of a slur, but they ricocheted around my brain. First? Only? Jesus Christ. She really had been a virgin that night, and I’d taken her on the damn table like a common whore. And knocked her up too.

There was definitely a lot for us to talk about. But morning would be soon enough.

* * *

Kayla

I felt the warmth of sunlight on my face before the brightness registered. I’d slept harder than I ever had before, but that might have had something to do with the hard, and very naked, body that I was plastered against. I looked up and realized that I hadn’t dreamt about being in Preacher’s arms. No, Nick’s arms. But if I hadn’t been dreaming about that, then I likely hadn’t been dreaming about Carter either. Or rather having a nightmare about him.

I lifted the covers and checked my body, but thankfully I didn’t seem to have any marks from my struggle with him. Although, if I had, Nick likely would have said something last night. And probably come completely unglued when he found out I was almost raped. At least, the way he’d come after Johnny just for having an arm around my waist, I was going to assume that he would be angry over what happened to me. I didn’t understand why he’d reacted the way he had. We’d had a one-night stand, and while I was pregnant with his baby, he hadn’t known that at the time.

His left arm was thrown over the top of his head, but I noticed the wedding band he’d been wearing was gone. I’d thought that part wasn’t real either. Had he really removed it? For me? None of this made sense, and I was starting to feel incredibly confused. I didn’t know the man lying next to me, not really. Yeah, we’d talked for a while that night before he’d led me off to a secluded room and changed my life forever. And not just because the sex was incredible, but because he’d left a little something behind.

I’d been scared to death of being a single mom, but I’d known that I would make it work. It might have been hard to figure out the logistics of working nights and having a baby in my life, but plenty of other women did it and so could I. Oh, hell. Did I even still have a job? Was I going back? Jeremy had made me pack everything, but that didn’t mean I was actually staying here, right?

“You’re thinking too much,” Nick said, his voice a deep rumble.

I looked up at him again and found him watching me. “Sorry.”

“How do you feel?” he asked, giving my hip a squeeze.

“Better.” I really did feel better. Well, as long as I didn’t think too hard about why I was back in this damn town. Then I’d probably freak the hell out.

“Have you seen a doctor yet? About the baby?” he asked.

“No. I don’t have insurance, and before I could see if there was a free clinic nearby, Jeremy insisted I come back here.”

His eyes narrowed. “Jeremy?”

“My brother’s friend. I was staying in an apartment over the garage he owns.”

He sat up, leaning back against the headboard, but pulled me along with him so that I was still pressed to his side. It should have felt awkward, being naked in bed with him like this, but oddly I found it comforting.

“Why did you leave town? Or were you just here visiting your brother?” he asked.

“I lived here, with my mom and her boyfriend.” I pressed my lips together, not wanting to admit where I’d been living or why I’d left. I’d never been embarrassed before over where I come from, but Nick was different from anyone I’d met before. He might be a biker now, he hadn’t always been one. He’d shared a home with his wife, had been a minister in a local church. He’d led a respectable life.

“Why did you leave?” he asked again.

“There’s a pimp in my neighborhood who was pressuring me. The last woman who told him no nearly died and ended up working for him anyway. When I told Johnny what had happened, he got me out of town.”

The intensity of Nick’s gaze left me a little dizzy.

“What’s his name?” he asked, his voice deceptively soft.

“It doesn’t matter. I’m not going back there. I don’t think.”

“Fuck no, you’re not going back!” His arm tightened around me. “You’re staying right here with me.”

“Here?” I asked, looking around the room. It was probably the nicest bedroom I’d ever seen, and I’d be willing to bet the rest of the house was the same.

“Did you think you would show up here, tell me you’re pregnant, and I’d let you walk away?” he asked.

“I didn’t tell you I was pregnant,” I muttered.

“No, that would have been your brother. You should have come to me, Kayla. Was I such an asshole that night that you felt you couldn’t tell me we were having a kid?”

“It was a one-night stand, Nick. You didn’t make me any promises, and I knew you still loved your wife. Love, I mean.”

“Kayla, there will always be a place in my heart for Rachel, but she’s not the one I’ve been thinking about the last two months. I wasn’t lying last night. I looked for you. I asked half a dozen brothers if anyone knew you, even asked Carter, but no one would say anything.”

“Carter?” I could feel the blood drain from my face, and if I’d been standing, I’d have landed on my ass on the floor.

“Hey,” he said softly. “What’s wrong? Did that asshole do something to you?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Like fuck it doesn’t!”

“Nick, I… I didn’t come here because I’m pregnant.” If I didn’t tell him, I had no doubt Johnny would run his mouth. “Jeremy drove me here last night because Carter showed up at my apartment.”

Nick moved so fast he was a blur, but he was suddenly looming over me, his hands braced on either side of me. His jaw was so tense I worried he’d crack his teeth.

“I’m fine,” I assured him. “Jeremy heard me struggling and got to me in time.”

“In time to stop what, exactly?”

I swallowed hard and tried to look away, but Nick turned my face back toward him. His gaze softened, and he gently pressed his lips to mine. His kiss was sweet, and just what I’d needed right then.

“Talk to me, baby. What did Carter do?” he asked, his voice calmer than before.

“He knocked me to the floor and tried to… “ Tears pricked my eyes, and my heart ached as I remembered what had happened in vivid detail. “He unzipped his pants and was about to rape me when Jeremy came upstairs to check on me.”

Nick flung himself off the bed and roared his rage as he began pacing the length of the room. His hands dug into his hair, and he looked about two seconds away from committing murder. My brother had always protected me, but I’d never had anyone get so angry on my behalf before. Part of me liked that Nick seemed to feel so strongly about my well-being, and the other half was afraid of just what he might be capable of. Yes, he’d been a minister, but those days were long behind him. Now he was very much a Dixie Reaper, and I didn’t think for one minute they walked the straight and narrow.

“I’m going to fucking kill him,” Nick said, growling as he slammed his fist into the wall. The drywall caved in, and I winced.

“Johnny was going to talk to your President last night and let him know what happened. Jeremy made sure Carter was detained, in case the Dixie Reapers wanted to take care of the matter, seeing as how Carter was one of yours.”

He snorted. “Not mine. I never liked the little shit.”

“You’re not going to do anything stupid, are you?” I asked, earning me a glare. “All right, maybe stupid was a bad word choice.”

“I’m going to rip him apart one piece at a time, that’s what I’m going to do,” Nick said.

“You know this is completely crazy, right? I’m not anything to you. Just some random woman you hooked up with a few months ago.”

He tipped his head back and sighed before coming back over to the bed. He crawled in next to me and wrapped his arms around me.

“I’m just going to go ahead and say this, okay? So let me get it all out before you interrupt.”

I nodded.

“I’ve been in a really dark place for a long time now. I’m thirty-four, and I’ve only ever been in love once. Rachel was so damn sweet and perfect. She meant the world to me, and when I lost her, I lost everything. For twelve years, I’ve lived with the agony of her loss, feeling like a piece of me was missing, dreaming of her every night, and waking every morning wishing she was here. Then I met you.”

Me? What did our one night together have to do with anything?

“I’ve slept with women since Rachel died, but it’s just been a quick fuck to let off some steam, a fast release that never meant anything. I guess I’d thought that it would be the same when we hooked up, but it wasn’t. It took me a few minutes, as I stood there alone, and realized that you were different from the others. So I went after you, but it was too late.

“No matter how much I searched for you, not even knowing who you were, it didn’t stop me from having vivid dreams about you every fucking night and waking up so damn hard that even my hand wasn’t good enough. I have no idea what’s between us, Kayla. I’m not going to say I love you because you’re right, we barely know each other. But I do know that you’re different.”

“You dreamed about me?” I asked. No one had ever said something like that to me before. The guys who had wanted in my pants were always off after the next sure thing when I wouldn’t put out. But Nick had dreamed of me every night? He’d said more than once that he had looked for me. No one had ever gone to so much trouble for me before.

“Yeah.” He smiled a little. “What do you know about life in the club?”

“Nothing. I know Johnny is a Prospect and that means he works his ass off for you in hopes of being patched in, whatever the hell that means. And he’s told me about the wild parties that happen in the clubhouse, without any details of course. I know the women who are just with one guy are called old ladies, and I guess that’s the biker equivalent of a marriage?”

“Something like that,” Nick said. “Some of the guys marry their old ladies, some don’t.”

“I’m going to assume that not all the club dealings are what one would consider legal.”

“Um, no, they aren’t. But we don’t put drugs in the hands of kids, and we don’t deal in women. And we never will.” His arms gave me a little squeeze. “I want you to be my old lady, Kayla. We’re having a baby together, and I know that’s not necessarily a reason to stay together, but I want a family with you. I think we can make this work.”

“It doesn’t bother you that you’re thirty-four and I’m nineteen?” I asked. I honestly didn’t care how old he was, but I knew some people would give him grief over our age difference.

“Have you met my President and his old lady? There’s like thirty years between them, and they’re completely crazy about each other. Age is just a number. As long as you’re legal, I don’t see a problem with it.”

“What exactly does it mean to be an old lady?” I asked, not completely opposed to the idea. Nick had seemed like a great guy that night, even if he’d been in a lot of pain. And I had to admit the idea of waking up next to him every morning wasn’t a horrible one.

“You’d be inked as Property of Preacher, and you’d get a cut like mine but with a property patch on it. Some of the old ladies are about your age and have kids, so you’d have people to hang out with, and our kid would have an extended family close to his or her age. Sometimes the old ladies put together events for the club or help in other areas, but never anything illegal. And I’d never put you in danger.”

“I don’t know.” I glanced up at him through my lashes. “Maybe the sex wasn’t as good as I remember. I’d hate to tie myself to someone permanently who was a dud in the bedroom.”

His smile was predatory as he leaned in closer. “Then I guess I’d better give you a reminder.”

Chapter Four

Preacher

She hadn’t agreed to be mine, but before we left this bedroom she damn sure would. I’d fuck her every way imaginable until she agreed, give her so many orgasms she’d be willing to do anything for me. Our last time had been quick, but now I had all the time in the world. If that had been her first time, I was going to make sure I made it up to her. She should have been worshipped, should have been screaming my name over and over, but I’d fucked all that up. Not this time, though.

I tossed the covers to the foot of the bed and just took in the beauty of her. She reached for me, but I pinned her hands over her head, wrapping my fingers around her wrists. Her lips parted, and I watched as her eyes dilated. It seemed my sweet girl liked it when I got a little forceful. It made me wonder what else she’d like.

I kissed her slow and deep, savoring her the way I should have done before. She moaned a little as I rubbed my beard against her jaw, then placed a kiss there. Her skin was so fair, she’d end up with beard burn if I wasn’t careful. Although part of me liked the idea of marking her. She was so fucking responsive, her nipples already hard and poking against me. I released her hands, but when she tried to move them, I growled at her.

Kayla placed her hands back over her head, and I smiled at her. “Good girl. Keep them there.”

“Yes, sir,” she said softly, and fuck if I didn’t get even harder. Where the hell she’d learned that I didn’t know, but I’d find out. Later.

I latched onto one of her perfect, pink nipples, sucking and grazing it with my teeth until she was squirming beneath me. Kayla kept lifting her hips, as if silently begging for my cock. And she’d get it, just not right this minute. I took my time, lavishing attention on first one nipple, then the other. Her breasts were pink from my whiskers by the time I started moving lower. When my shoulders pressed her legs farther apart, she let out a little gasp.

“Nick, I… “

I gently blew across her pussy, and her thighs clenched against me. She’d been bare last time we were together, but now there was a fine dusting of hair. I actually found that even sexier. The scent of her arousal teased my nose as I spread her open. Fuck, but she was gorgeous, all pink and soft, and so fucking wet.

I lapped at her folds, gathering her nectar on my tongue. If I’d known she tasted so damn sweet, I’d have done this the first time. It had been a while since I’d bothered to really pleasure a woman, but the soft sounds Kayla was making told me I was on the right track. Maybe making a woman scream wasn’t a skill you ever lost. I licked, sucked, and lightly nipped her with my teeth until she was panting and begging me for more.

“Please, Nick,” she said. “Please.”

“Please what?” I asked.

“Please make me come. I need it, need you.”

I sucked on her clit again, getting her right to the edge, then backed off. “Look at me, Kayla.”

She looked down her body until her gaze met mine, though she looked so far gone I wasn’t sure she was really seeing me.

“I was your first, wasn’t I?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Anyone ever make you come before me? Put their hands or their mouth on this pretty little pussy?”

“No one’s ever made me come but you.”

“That didn’t entirely answer my question. Has anyone touched you, Kayla?”

She whimpered. “Yes.”

“Did they taste you?”

“N-no.”

I stroked the lips of her pussy. “This is mine. Understand? No one touches you, no one tastes you but me. And no one sure as fuck puts their cock in you except me. You’re mine.”

She bit her lip and slowly nodded.

“Say it, Kayla.”

“I’m yours.”

Fucking right she was. I went back to pleasuring my woman, not stopping this time until she was thrashing on the bed and screaming out her release. I lapped up all her cream as she shivered from the force of her climax, then I slowly rose over her. My cock was more than ready for what came next.

“Eyes on me, baby.”

She tried to focus on me, but she looked a little dazed. My cock slid against her pussy, and then I started sinking into her. If I’d thought she felt good before, being inside her completely bare was goddamn intense. I couldn’t remember anything ever feeling this incredible before, and soon I was driving into her, not able to hold back. Her nails bit into my shoulders as the headboard banged into the wall with every stroke.

“Nick! I’m coming!”

I growled and took her harder, faster, as her pussy gripped me tight. I felt the gush of her release and kept thrusting until I came inside her. As my cock twitched and pulsed inside her, I knew that as soon as I recovered, we were doing this again. And again. And again. Kayla was like a drug, and I was completely addicted to her.

“Mine,” I said, looking into her eyes and pressing my cock a little deeper.

“Yours,” she said softly.

I didn’t understand the possessiveness I felt toward Kayla. I’d been married to Rachel, had known her for years, and I’d never felt like this. Sure, I’d loved her. I’d loved her so fucking much I’d thought I’d hurt forever after she died. But with Kayla, I felt as if the broken pieces could possibly be mended, as if I had a second chance, and I didn’t want to squander it.

I kissed Kayla, a slow and lazy kiss, that started to turn into something more. Her stomach growled, and I chuckled as I pulled away, slipping free of her body. Her cheeks flushed, and she looked so damn adorable.

“Sorry,” she said. “I had some pie when I got to town last night, but I guess it’s time for breakfast.”

“Come on, honey. We’ll go shower, and I’ll take you out for breakfast.”

She hesitated.

“What’s wrong?”

“I just… I’ve ridden on a motorcycle before, with Johnny, but now that I’m pregnant I don’t know that I should.”

She was right to be concerned. I was a cautious driver, but the other idiots on the road were what made riding a bike so hazardous. There was an SUV in my garage, a car I’d kept well maintained yet hadn’t driven very often. It was old, and I knew it was time to let the damn thing go. But for now, it would get my woman and my baby safely where they needed to go.

“You look like you want to say something but aren’t sure if you should,” she said.

“I kept Rachel’s SUV. It’s fifteen years old, and I don’t know how you feel about riding around in it until I can get something different, but it runs well.”

She cocked her head. “How do you feel about me being in Rachel’s car?”

I smiled a little. Here I was offering her something that I thought would be awkward for her, and she was more concerned about how it would affect me. Just proved that Kayla was right where she belonged -- here with me.

“I think she’d be okay with it, and so am I. It’s time for me to move on. I can’t start a life with you and our kid if I’m still holding onto the past. She’s gone. Yeah, I loved her, and she loved me. She’s the one who died, though, not me.”

She got a pinched look on her face and looked down at the bed, then around the room. “Is all this… “

“No. I bought all new furniture when I moved in here. The car is all I kept, other than a small box of photos and some of her favorite things. Her wedding ring is in there too. I used to keep her picture by my bed, but… “ I shrugged. “After a week of dreaming of you nonstop, it didn’t feel right keeping it out, so I put it up too.”

“I don’t mind if you want to keep a picture of her out,” Kayla said softly. “She was important to you, and I don’t want you to feel like you need to keep her hidden away.”

God, but she was fucking perfect. I had to bite my damn tongue because I almost blurted out that I loved her. It was entirely too soon to feel something like that. Right? Sure, I’d thought myself in love with Rachel for years before I’d proposed, but even with her I hadn’t felt this instant connection. It was a little frightening, but I was going to trust in fate not to steer me wrong. Kayla had been dropped into my life right when I needed someone most. I’d never met anyone like her before.

“Breakfast,” I said. “We can talk about things later.”

She nodded and followed me into the bathroom. As I started the shower, I realized she only had the clothes she’d worn last night. I didn’t know if her things were still at her apartment, or if she’d brought everything with her last night. Yet another thing we needed to talk about.

* * *

Kayla

The Nick I was seeing today was so different from the broken man I’d met at the clubhouse two months ago. He was attentive and touched me so reverently. It seemed like he was kissing me every few minutes, not that I was complaining. I didn’t understand exactly what had happened to make him change, but he seemed to think that I had something to do with it. Over breakfast, we’d discussed a few things, mostly me moving in with him, which wasn’t up for negotiation since I was his, as he liked to remind me throughout the day. I didn’t mind, though, not really. I’ve give him a mock glare or two whenever he did that growly thing before kissing me senseless and saying “mine” in that possessive tone of his, but really I was loving every minute of it.

The only disagreement we’d had all day had been over Carter. My brother and a few others had brought Carter back here, and he was stashed somewhere in the compound. Nick was determined to take care of “the little shit” as he referred to him. I didn’t want him to get his hands bloody on my account. Not that I cared if Carter lived or died, as horrible as that might sound, but I just didn’t want Nick to do something he might regret later.

I’d managed to distract him so far, but I knew time was running out. There was only one thing I could think of that might keep him by my side and not off handing out justice to the guy who’d tried to rape me. We’d been back at the house for an hour now. My clothes, what little I’d owned, were now put away, and he’d promised me a shopping trip in the near future. Which was nice, but not necessary.

I straddled his lap while he sat on the couch and ran my hand down his chest. “Nick, did I tell you that my pregnancy seems to have some side effects?”

“Like morning sickness? Are you feeling okay?”

“I do have morning sickness sometimes, although I seem to be fine today. I was talking about other things.” I leaned down and kissed him slowly. “Things that can be a lot more fun.”

His lips tipped up on one corner. “Is my naughty minx trying to say she wants to come again?”

“Mmm-hmm.” I pressed my lips to his again as my hands started working his belt, then unfastening his jeans. His cock was already hard, and he thrust into my hand.

“Stand up,” he said.

I reluctantly pulled away and stood.

“Did you forget something?” he asked.

“What?”

“When we’re intimate, and I give you a command, isn’t there something you’re supposed to say?” he asked.

My cheeks flushed, and I got even wetter. I’d read so many naughty books over the years, some a bit racier than others, that my “yes, sir” had slipped out earlier without thought. But it seemed Nick had liked it, a lot, and expected it of me. Who’d have known I could get so turned-on by something like that?

“Sorry.”

“Clothes. Off.”

“Yes, sir.”

I slowly removed my clothes, hoping that I looked sexy doing it. I’d never really done a striptease for someone before, but there were lots of things I wanted to try with Nick. When the last of my clothes hit the floor, his gaze raked over me from head to toe. He didn’t reach for, though, didn’t ask me to do anything. I felt exposed, and extremely hot.

“Go get your toys, and get the lube out of the bedside table,” he said.

My heart gave a kick as I hurried to obey. When I came back, my vibrator, small anal plug, and the lube in hand, he was staring at me with an eyebrow raised.

“You forgot something again,” he said. “Come here, Kayla.”

I stepped closer, and he took the items from my hands, placing them next to him, then he reached for me. Before I had time to protest, I was across his legs, and his hand smacked down hard on my ass. I gave a yelp and tried to get up, but his arm pressed against my back and held me down.

“What was it you were supposed to say?” he asked.

“Yes, sir,” I said softly as his hand cracked against my ass again.

The first few swats had hurt, but now there was this burn and the beginnings of a delicious ache. His hand smoothed out the sting before he spanked me a few more times. I was trying so damn hard to hold still, but my pussy was starting to throb, and I felt so damn empty.

He stopped, but he didn’t let me up. I felt him reach for something next to him, then he held the plug up for me to see.

“If you were a virgin, why did you have this?” he asked. “Maybe instead of asking if anyone had licked your pussy before, I should have asked if you’d had a cock in your ass.”

I gasped, and my eyes widened. “N-No, sir. I haven’t.”

“Then why do you have this, Kayla?”

“I… “ My cheeks flamed, I was so embarrassed to admit why I had it.

“I’m waiting, Kayla.”

“I like the way it feels inside me when I use my vibrator.”

I thought for sure I would die from admitting such a thing, but he set the toy down and didn’t comment. Not at first. The hand on my ass slowly slid down, his fingers stroking my pussy. I spread my legs a little, as far as I could considering my position, and he rubbed my clit. A moan slipped past my lips as he teased me. Then, suddenly, his hand was gone.

I heard a click and then the whirring of my vibrator. He lightly rubbed my pussy with it before trailing it upward. As he pressed the toy between the cheeks of my ass, I gasped and froze.

“You said you liked the way the plug felt when you were using your vibrator, but have you tried to put your vibrator somewhere other than your pussy?”

I swallowed hard and slowly nodded. Yeah, I was a dirty girl. I might not have ever let a guy stick his cock anywhere other than my mouth, before Nick anyway, but I’d tried as much as I could on my own, wanting to know how everything felt.

He pressed the toy a little harder, but not enough to penetrate me.

“It’s not as big as my cock. Think you could take me?”

I stopped breathing for a moment. “Yes, sir. I think I can take you.”

The vibrator was back against my pussy, trailing up and down. Light, teasing strokes that made me want to beg for more. When he rubbed it against my clit, I cried out and nearly came from the shockwave of pleasure. He turned up the vibrations, and soon I was coming. My clit throbbed from the force of my release, and I tried to pull away from the toy, but Nick swatted my ass.

“Be still,” he commanded.

“Yes, sir,” I said, whimpering.

He made me come twice more before he shut off the vibrator and tossed it aside. I didn’t know what to expect next, but I was ready for it. I heard the bottle of lube open and then felt it drip between my ass cheeks. Nick spread my cheeks wide and slowly worked a finger inside me. I tried not to clench, did my best to relax and let him in. It burned as he added a second finger, and eventually a third. When he stopped, I waited in anticipation of what he’d tell me to do next.

“Stand up, Kayla,” he said.

“Yes, sir.” I scrambled to my feet, and he stood up. Nick pushed his pants a little farther down his hips, then pointed to the couch.

“Bend over the arm.”

“Yes, sir,” I said as I quickly moved around the edge of the couch and leaned over, my belly pressing against the padded arm.

His hand caressed my ass cheeks, then he nudged my legs farther apart. Nick reached over me and picked up the lube off the couch, and I heard the bottle open again. I moaned as I heard him applying it to his cock in swift strokes. Then he tossed the bottle down and picked up my vibrator again.

“Since you like having this toy in your pussy while you use your plug, we’re going to see how you like using it while I fuck your ass with my cock,” he said.

His words were almost enough to make me come, and I moaned as he turned the toy on and slid it into my pussy. He stroked it in and out several times, before pulling it out and teasing my clit. Nick alternated between fucking me with it and making me squirm as it buzzed relentlessly against my clit. Again and again. I was so damn close to coming, and yet he wouldn’t let me.

He pressed the toy inside me again and gave it a tap. “Let’s see if you can hold that inside you.”

I braced myself as he spread me open, and I felt the head of his cock press against me. I was nervous as hell, but excited too. He took his time, working his cock into my ass, being careful not to hurt me. There was a pinch of pain as I stretched to accept him, but he didn’t stop until he was balls-deep inside me.

“You feel fucking incredible,” he murmured. “You ready, baby? Ready for me to fuck this luscious ass?”

“Yes,” I said, my voice almost a whine as the vibrator inside me sent pleasure rippling through me.

Nick was gentle at first, but when he realized I could handle more, he began thrusting harder. The intensity of his cock and the vibrator pleasing me at the same time was almost too much, and I came so hard that I nearly cried. One orgasm turned into three, and I was a quivering mess before long. He didn’t stop, didn’t slow down.

“I love watching your ass take me,” he said, pounding me a little harder. “I’m gonna come, baby.”

I bit my lip as he kept thrusting, not stopping until he’d filled my ass with his cum. I felt his cock twitch inside me, his hands still gripping my hips. He didn’t seem to be in a hurry to pull out, but I didn’t mind. His hand slipped between my hips and the couch, and those wicked fingers of his started playing with my clit.

“Come for me one more time, honey. Let me feel that ass squeeze my cock.”

I didn’t think I could, didn’t think I had anything left to give, but it didn’t take him long to wring one more orgasm from me. Nick slid free of my body, and turned off the toy, tossing it aside. I was boneless and nearly tumbled to the floor, but he swung me up into his arms and carried me to the bedroom. After tucking me under the covers, he disappeared again, only to return with the toys and lube. He placed the bottle next to the bed, then took the toys into the bathroom. I heard water running, and when he came back, his hands were empty.

“I think it’s time for a nap,” he said, easing into bed with me.

I pressed my cheek to his chest and draped my arm across his waist, snuggling into his side. “Nick.”

“What is it, honey? I wasn’t too rough, was I?”

“No.” My cheeks warmed. “I liked it. A lot.”

“Good.” I could hear the smile in his voice. “Then what is it?”

“I think I could love you.”

He audibly swallowed, and his voice sounded thick when he responded. “I think I could love you too, sweet girl. Real damn easy.”

“Nick?”

“What, baby?”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For not turning me away that night. For letting me into your home, into your life. Just… thank you. No one’s ever made me feel the way you do, and it scares me a little. But I know you’d never hurt me.”

“No, honey. I’d never hurt you.” I felt his lips press against the top of my head. “Get some sleep. We can talk more after you’ve rested.”

I smiled softly and slowly succumbed to sleep. But if I’d known what he had planned, I’d have fought harder to stay awake. Sneaky bastard.

Chapter Five

Preacher

I knew Kayla wouldn’t be happy when she woke up, but I needed to do this. Carter had dared to touch what was mine, had tried to violate Kayla, and I wasn’t going to let that stand. I’d called Torch as soon as she’d fallen asleep, and he’d agreed that I had the right to take care of Carter any way I saw fit. Yes, he’d betrayed our club, but it was my woman he’d hurt.

Rage burned hot in my veins as I stepped into the old barn at the back of the property. It was far enough away, that no one would ever hear the screams, and with all the land we owned, hiding a body wasn’t an issue either. The dimly lit interior smelled musty and faintly of piss. As I approached Carter, the piss smell made more sense. His pants were soaked across the crotch.

“What’s the matter, boy?” I asked. “Piss your pants like a little bitch?”

“Fuck you,” he said, glaring at me defiantly, but I saw the fear lurking there as well. Oh yes, he was scared, and he had every right to be.

“You knew I was searching for Kayla. You knew exactly who she was, and it seems you knew where to find her.”

“She’s just a hot piece of ass. You’ve fucked club sluts and not cared if we had a turn,” he said.

“She’s not a slut.” My hand clenched into a fist, and I swung with all my might, knocking his head to the side with the force of the blow. “She’s my old lady, you dipshit. The mother of my child. And you fucking tried to rape her.”

He paled, and I could tell that he knew he was well and truly fucked.

Johnny stood next to me, looking ready to commit murder, but he held back. He knew it was my job to protect Kayla now, my job to take care of any trash who dared to touch her. Two other Prospects, our President, and two brothers were here as well. All watching and waiting. I knew they wondered if I had it in me to do what needed to be done. At one time, I’d have said no. It was one thing to break the law and another to murder someone. But he’d touched Kayla, and he deserved to die.

I worked him over with my fists, bones crunching as I broke his nose, his jaw, and a few ribs. He cried and begged me to stop, begged for his life. I wondered if Kayla had begged too. Had she pleaded for him to stop? To not rape her? Fury engulfed me as I made him bleed.

A phone rang, but I didn’t stop. Carter was barely recognizable, but he was still breathing, and that was a problem for me. A hand landed on my shoulder, and I looked at Torch.

“It’s Kayla,” he said softly.

“What about Kayla?” I asked.

“She woke up, and you were gone. Tank’s there, and he tried to calm her down, but she was freaking the fuck out, talking about how the daddy of her baby was going to be in jail because he was too stupid for his own good.” Torch chuckled a little, then sobered. “She got a little too worked up and passed out. I know you want to finish this, but you need to take care of your old lady.”

I glanced at Carter.

“I’d be honored to finish the job,” Johnny said. “I promise he’ll suffer. I’ll make it last all night if I have to.”

I glanced at the Prospect, the twin of my woman, and nodded. “Do it.”

Someone handed me a towel, and I cleaned up as best I could before heading home. When I walked through my front door, Tank was standing next to the couch, staring down at Kayla with a helpless expression on his face. I knew exactly how he felt. I wasn’t going to touch her, though, until I was clean. After taking the fastest damn shower, and pulling on fresh clothes, I relieved Tank of guard duty and gently roused Kayla.

“Sweetheart, can you open your eyes for me?”

Her chest rose and fell, but she didn’t so much as twitch otherwise. My hand smoothed across her cheek, and I tried several more times. My heart thudded heavily as I worried that the stress had been too much for her. Weren’t pregnant women supposed to be coddled or something?

“Baby, please wake up. You’re scaring the shit out of me.”

Still nothing.

I left her only long enough to get a cold, wet rag, and then I pressed it against her cheeks and forehead. Slowly, she started to come to, her eyes a little unfocused at first.

“What happened?” she asked.

“Tank said you flipped out, and then you passed out.”

She blinked a few times, then glared at me. “You left me! You fucked my brains out, then you snuck away to deal with Carter, knowing that I didn’t want you to do that.”

“Honey, I couldn’t let him get away with hurting you. What if you’d lost the baby when he knocked you down? What if Jeremy hadn’t come along in time to save you? If he’d gone free, someone else would have suffered.”

“He’s dead, then?” she asked, her voice eerily quiet.

“I don’t know. If he’s not yet, he will be.”

Her gaze met mine. “Then you didn’t kill him?”

“No, sweetheart. I beat the hell out of him, but he was still breathing when I left. Someone else will take care of it.” I didn’t think she needed to know that someone was her brother. “You know, being part of the club means I’m sometimes going to have to do things you might not like. Are you going to lose it every time I go somewhere?”

“No. I’m sorry. I just… “ A tear slipped down her cheek, then another. I gathered her into my arms and stroked her hair. “I don’t want to lose you.”

I couldn’t help but smile a little. “You’re not going to. I’m going to be here for a very long time. I’m going to hold your hand as you give birth to our baby, and then I’m going to knock you up a few more times. We’ll have to practice a lot.”

She giggled and pressed closer to me.

“I’m sorry that you were scared when you woke up.”

“I’m sorry I flipped out,” she said. “I’ll do better next time. I’ve just never had anyone to worry about before, except Johnny, and he can take care of himself. But now I have this baby, and I have you. I’ve never had a real family except Johnny, and he walked away. I guess part of me is scared that it’s going to disappear.”

My heart ached for her. “I’m not going anywhere, honey. We’re going to grow old together, okay?”

“Okay,” she agreed softly.

“I know I’ve said that you’re mine, and I mean that to the depths of my soul. But it means something else too.”

“What’s that?” she asked.

“It means that I’m yours.”

She smiled a little. “Does that mean you’re getting a property tattoo too?”

“Come on. Let’s head to the clubhouse for a minute. There’s someone I want you to meet.”

She nodded, and I walked her out to the SUV. It wasn’t a far walk, but after her passing out, I didn’t want to take any chances. We drove to the clubhouse, and I noticed Zipper’s motorcycle was out front, just like I’d hoped it would be. The man was completely bad-ass, but he was also an incredible artist and did all the ink for the club. He even had a special room set up in the clubhouse for tattooing.

We went inside, and I found Zipper kicked back at a table, nursing a beer.

“How drunk are you?” I asked.

“That’s my first one,” he said, motioning to the still mostly full mug.

“I need some ink done.”

He stood and motioned for us to follow. When we stepped into his makeshift studio, Kayla checked everything out. I let Zipper go through his spiel about the machine he used and how everything worked. Then I sat on the chair, and he looked at me in confusion.

“I thought you wanted a property tattoo for Kayla? Everyone said you’d claimed her last night.”

“She does need one, but there’s something I need done first.” I pulled off my cut and my shirt, then pressed a hand right over my heart. While my arms were inked, and part of my back, I didn’t have a single tattoo on my torso. Yet. “Right across my heart I want Kayla written in a script. Something dainty like her.”

She snorted. “Not dainty.”

“You are to me.”

She blinked at me, then smiled a little.

Once Zipper had sketched something out, and I’d approved it, he got to work. Kayla sat on the stool next to me and watched in fascination as Zipper inked her name onto my chest. When he was finished, he swabbed it with A&D ointment, then put some Saran Wrap over it. I stood up, and Kayla immediately sat in the chair.

“Honey, I don’t think you need to get inked today. You passed out earlier,” I said.

“I was justifiably upset,” she said. “You’re wearing my name, now I want to wear yours.”

Zipper shrugged. “If she starts looking a little pale, we can always stop and pick it up another day. Are we just doing a plain font?”

“No,” I said. “But I’m not going to ask for butterflies or flowers, or anything else girly like the others did. Kayla’s right. She might be dainty to me, but she’s also incredibly brave and strong. She’s got the heart of a Dixie Reaper through and through. Kayla has the heart of a lioness, and I think she’s going to be just as protective of her family. All of us.”

Zipper quirked an eyebrow. “So what am I inking?”

“Have you ever seen a Celtic symbol for family that looks like a tree with knotwork?” I asked.

Zipper pulled out his phone and tapped and swiped a few minutes before showing me an image. “Like this?”

The tips of the branches were Celtic knots, as were the roots. “Yes, just like that.”

“It’s beautiful,” Kayla said.

“You need a break at any time, you just say so,” Zipper told her. “Any color preferences?”

Kayla told him her favorite colors were purple and teal, so Zipper pulled those out as well as black for the lettering. The trunk and branches of the tree were purple and he made the knotwork teal. Across the top it said Property of in a black script, and under the roots it said Preacher in a more classic font. Kayla didn’t cry once, and as Zipper tended to the tattoo and gave her instructions for how to care for it, she smiled brightly at me.

I pulled her into my arms and kissed her hard. “Now you’re never getting away.”

“Good,” she whispered before pressing her lips to mine again. “Because I’m right where I want to be.”

* * *

Kayla

One Month Later

I rubbed a hand over my belly, which was starting to show a little already, and watched in amusement as Nick tried to put the crib together. He’d been at it for an hour, and so far, he hadn’t done much except spew a ton of cuss words. I’d tried really hard not to laugh, but it was getting harder and harder. For a man who claimed to do all the work on his bike and the SUV, he sure was having a rough time with one piece of baby furniture. The parts were scattered around him in complete chaos. It was almost like the box had exploded and the pieces just went everywhere.

“Nick, I have something being delivered for the baby’s room,” I said.

He gave me a pained look. “Does it have to be put together?”

“Yep.”

He groaned and closed his eyes, probably praying for patience. I’d actually seen him praying a few times over the past month, something he’d told me he hadn’t done since Rachel died. He’d never be a true minister again, even if he was still ordained, but I think having me and the baby in his life had brought a little of his faith back. He definitely smiled more and seemed lighter overall. He’d even taken me to Rachel’s grave and introduced us, which might seem weird to some people, but I think it gave him a sense of peace.

In all our talks, he’d never once said how she had died, and I’d always been a little curious. That day, the entire story came out. It seemed their life together hadn’t been quite as perfect as he’d said. Rachel had been spending time with another man, and while it might have been innocent, it had driven a wedge between Nick and her. The day she’d died, she’d been out with the other guy, and the car they were in had been broadsided by a guy who ran a stop sign. It just happened to hit on Rachel’s side. Nick said she’d lingered a few days, but she’d never woken up.

He’d confided that even knowing she’d been out with someone else, he’d still loved her, had still wanted their marriage to work. And maybe that’s what he’d truly been mourning all this time. Not only the relationship they’d once had, but the one he’d wanted them to have. The kind he and I shared.

There was a knock at the front door, and I went to answer it, letting in my brother and Ivan, who carried a large cardboard box. Johnny winked at me as they went upstairs and carried the box into the baby’s room.

“Another fucking bed?” Nick yelled as I neared the doorway. “Christ, woman! How many beds does the kid need?”

“Remember that appointment you couldn’t make two days ago?” I asked as I stepped into the room. “The one where I got to hear the baby’s heartbeat?”

He nodded.

“Well, unless you want your babies to share a crib, we’re going to need two.”

Nick stared at me. “Two?”

I nodded. “Yep. There were two heartbeats. It seems we’re having twins.”

He flopped onto his back and stared up at the ceiling a moment, then sprang to his feet and held me tight. “Twins. We’re having fucking twins,” he murmured against my hair.

“You just better hope they’re nothing like their mother,” Johnny said. “Kayla got into all kinds of shit when she was little. I always got blamed, but nope, she was the instigator.”

I stuck my tongue out at my brother.

“I love you,” Nick said as he held me tight. “I don’t fucking care that it’s too soon to say something like that. It’s how I feel.”

I breathed in his scent and closed my eyes. “I love you too. I think I have from the moment I saw you sitting all alone at the bar in the clubhouse. You looked so damn lost and broken, and I wanted to fix you.”

“You did,” he said. “You healed me, Kayla. You’ve given the life I always wanted. The family I always wanted.”

Johnny cleared his throat. “If you two are going to get mushy or get naked, I think there’s somewhere else I need to be.”

Ivan snorted. “Yeah, like anywhere but here.”

I turned in Nick’s arms and smacked my brother on the back of the head, then whacked Ivan too.

“Just you wait. Both of you. One day, some woman is going to walk into your lives and knock you on your asses. And I hope like hell I’m there to see it. You know what I’m going to do when it happens?”

“What?” Johnny asked, looking a little worried.

“I’m going to laugh my ass off.”

Nick chuckled. “I think she just cursed you. Maybe you should stay away from the ladies for a while. Just to be safe.”

I grumbled under my breath, but my irritation was quickly forgotten as Nick swept me up into his arms.

“You two know the way out,” he called out over his shoulder as he carried me down to our bedroom.

He slowly undressed me, then knelt at my feet, pressing his hands to my slightly rounded belly. “Twins,” he muttered.

“Yep. Twins.”

He pressed a kiss to my stomach, then murmured softly, “I love you, both of you, so damn much.”

I ran my fingers through his hair and wondered how I’d ever gotten so damn lucky. Me, the girl who had never known what a family truly was, who had never known love. Somehow, I’d ended up with a wickedly sexy, honorable man who worshiped the ground I walked on. And I loved him more than anything. Life was about as perfect as it could get, and I had to wonder if maybe wishes really did come true… because Nick was everything I’d ever wanted. And so much more.

Harley Wylde

Short. Erotic. Sweet.

Harley’s other half would probably say those words describe her, but they also describe her books. When Harley is writing, her motto is the hotter the better. Off-the-charts sex, commanding men, and the women who can’t deny them. If you want men who talk dirty, are sexy as hell, and take what they want, then you’ve come to the right place.

When Harley isn’t writing, she’s thinking up naughty things to do to her husband, drinking copious amounts of Starbucks, and reading. She loves to read and devours a book a day, sometimes more.

You can find Harley online at http://harleywylde.com. Harley Wylde is the “wilder” side of award-winning author Jessica Coulter Smith. You can follow her on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jessicacoultersmithauthor/ and Twitter https://twitter.com/kitcatjms.

Visit Jessica’s website: http://jessicacoultersmith.com. Want to be notified of new releases or special discounts? Sign up for her newsletter! Find more books by Harley Wylde at http://changelingpress.com/author.php?uid=196.