Bear
It surprised me how the girls voluntarily went somewhere else for the night. Although, I was happy the two were making friends. It was time for them to get the chance to be kids and not worry about the darkness in the world. I still needed to take care of Spade, and I would. It wouldn’t be much longer before I gave them the good news their past would no longer come back to hurt them.
I ran a bath for Faith and helped her into the warm water. One of the old ladies informed me hot baths were a no-no while she was pregnant. Raven had even been kind enough to bring a few things she thought Faith might enjoy, like bath bubbles and massage oil.
I leaned over the tub to kiss her and started to walk out, until she stopped me.
“What did you mean you’d tell me later? About Piper.”
I sat on the toilet lid beside the tub. “Joe likes Piper, but he knows she’s too young. He agreed to watch over her and bide his time until she’s eighteen. I told him if she didn’t return his feelings, that was the end of it, and made sure he knew he had to earn a patch before he asked her out.”
She worried at her bottom lip, and I wondered if she was thinking about Corvin. I’d noticed the look on Piper’s face when she saw the picture. Even though the two of them hadn’t met yet, she felt a connection to him. Probably due to the abuse they’d both suffered.
“Joe won’t cross any lines and won’t hurt our girl,” I said. “Honestly, it makes me feel better that he’s goin’ to keep an eye on her.”
“Does this have to do with the age thing?” she asked, skimming her hand over the water and not looking my way.
I’d known this would come up. When I’d claimed her, I’d told her I was a lot older than her. It wasn’t fair to saddle her with someone like me. I took risks for my club. Some of those meant I could come home in a body bag instead of on my own two legs.
“I’m sixty-eight, Faith. On top of that, I’m the Sergeant-at-Arms for this club. It means I put myself at risk before I ask anyone else to step up. I’ve been shot. Stabbed. Nearly blown up a few times. Anytime I go out on a job, it means I could die. Even if I were to retire from my position tomorrow, there’s still my health to consider.”
She cut her eyes over at me. “Then we eat healthy. No more sodas in the house. Cut down on salt and sugar. And I want you to go in for a checkup.”
My lips twitched as I fought back a smile. “All right. I can do that. Let’s not go overboard on the food and drinks just yet. I’ll schedule an appointment and we’ll go from there.”
“Fine.” She looked at me and reached over to take my hand. I didn’t even care that she was getting my jeans wet. “I didn’t find you to lose you right away. Take care of your health and do your best to come home to us every time you go on a job. Deal?”
“I can do that.” I lifted her hand and kissed it. “Finish your bath, then I’ll work on relaxin’ you more. We have the house to ourselves. I think we should enjoy it.”
Her cheeks turned pink, which I fucking loved. I went to the bedroom and got things ready. I smoothed a towel over the sheets, set out the massage oil, and even lit a scented candle. I had no damn clue where it came from. I didn’t remember buying it, and yet it was here.
I heard the water draining a few minutes later and went to help Faith. I didn’t like the idea of her getting in and out of the tub by herself. If she slipped, she could hurt herself or the baby. I wrapped her in a fluffy towel and helped dry her off. Then I lifted her into my arms and carried her to the bed.
“You know, for an old man, you’re awfully strong.”
“Watch it. I might turn you over my knee and spank you.” Her cheeks turned a deep red and I wondered if she liked the idea. I hadn’t really been into that sort of thing, but it didn’t mean I wasn’t willing to give it a try. “Can you lie on your stomach?”
She nodded. I unwrapped the towel from her and watched as she stretched out. I took off my cut and placed it on the dresser before stripping down to my underwear. I straddled her thighs and poured some oil into my hand. Rubbing my palms together, I warmed the liquid before I smoothed it over her back.
I dug into her muscles without going so deep I’d hurt her. She moaned and I felt her slowly relax into the mattress. Starting at her neck and shoulders, I worked my way down to her waist before starting over. I backed up so I could reach more of her and slid my hands over her ass cheeks. Her breath caught as I kneaded the muscles. Sliding my hands down farther, I worked her thighs, letting my fingers slip between and slide up toward her pussy. I lightly brushed her curls with my fingers and felt how wet she was.
I kept rubbing her thighs, then her calves before working my way back up. She parted her legs, and I couldn’t hold back. I worked her hard little clit, not stopping until she’d come. The soft cry that left her made my cock hard as steel.
“Bear, I need you,” she murmured. Faith lifted her head to look at me over her shoulder. “Please.”
I stood long enough to remove my underwear, then covered her body with mine. I slid my cock along her folds before pressing inside her. Placing my hand over hers, I laced our fingers together and braced my weight with the other one. With slow, deep thrusts, I savored the feel of her.
“So wet, and hot.” I brushed my lips against her ear. “You feel incredible.”
“Don’t stop! I’m so close.”
“Couldn’t if I wanted to.” Sweat slicked my skin as I fought for control. I maintained my pace until I felt her pussy tighten on me. She let out a whimper that turned into a keening sound. The heat of her release hit my cock, and it unleashed something inside me. I took her harder. Faster. As her pussy clenched on me again, I came, pumping into her until every drop of cum had been wrung from my balls.
I tried to catch my breath as I pulled out and collapsed on the bed next to her. Faith immediately cuddled into me, and I held her close, kissing the top of her head.
“Sorry that didn’t last longer,” I said. “Been a long time since I was with a woman. Guess I don’t have the stamina I once did.”
“Charlie, did you hear me complain?”
“No. Doesn’t mean I don’t feel like you deserve better.”
She pressed her lips to mine. “There’s no one better than you. So hush and just hold me.”
“Sassy woman!”
“I didn’t used to be.” She sighed. “Spade beat it all out of me. I guess I’m slowly finding myself again.”
“You be as sassy as you want. I like it.” I slid my hand down to her ass and gave it a squeeze. “Want to come again?”
She lifted her head. “What? But you said…”
“Doesn’t mean I have to. Roll onto your back and spread your legs.”
She did as I said, and I leaned down to suck her nipple into my mouth. The hard peaks were so sensitive she nearly came right away. I rubbed her clit while I licked and sucked the hard tips of her breasts. She came again, soaking the towel, but I didn’t stop. I wouldn’t be satisfied until I’d made her orgasm so many times all she wanted to do was sleep for a while. I didn’t think anyone had ever given her that. She’d seemed surprised when I’d made her come our first time together.
“That’s it, beautiful. Come for me. Scream as loud as you want.”
By the time she’d come four more times, she pleaded for a break. I kissed her. Held her close and savored this time we had together. Soon we wouldn’t just have the girls, but a little boy too. It would be harder to find time like this to have with each other.
“You’re an amazin’ woman, Faith. I can’t tell you how glad I am that you’re mine.”
She pressed a kiss to the center of my chest. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me, Charlie. There’s nowhere I’d rather be than right here with you.”
“I hope the girls will be happy here. I’ll do whatever I can to make this family work.”
“Charlie, just be yourself. I can tell the girls already love you. They’re happier than I’ve ever seen them, and that’s thanks to you.”
“We have some hard times coming.” I didn’t want to keep anything from her, unless I had to. “Spade will make his move soon. I’ll do whatever is necessary to protect our family. I need you to trust me and do as I say. Can the three of you do that?”
“We can, and we will.”
“He won’t be a problem for much longer. I promise this will be in our past soon enough.” I kissed her and hoped we’d all make it through this unscathed. I knew the Raging Demons wouldn’t play fair. Just because we’d been tipped off about their plan, it didn’t mean there wouldn’t be complications. Whatever happened, I’d keep my girls safe, and our unborn baby too.
My little family had quickly become everything to me. I smoothed Faith’s hair and wished I could say the words I held inside. I love you. But I knew it was too soon, and I didn’t want to scare her off. I’d tell her when the time was right.
Faith
Bear wasn’t home, and Cordelia had gone across the street to play with Marianna. Which left Piper home with me. She sat at the kitchen table, twisting her glass of lemonade in a circle, and staring into space. It was the most vulnerable I’d seen her in a while.
“Want to talk about it?” I asked.
She shrugged a shoulder. “Not much to say. We get a fresh start, but I have a feeling my asshole sperm donor is going to wreck it.”
“What makes you say that?” I asked, wondering if someone had said something they shouldn’t have. While we’d told the girls to be vigilant, we hadn’t given them details.
“I saw them,” she muttered. “The Raging Demons. Two were outside the fence, watching. I know they saw me, but all they did was stare. They’re here, Mom. You know it means Spade is here too, and he’s going to be after us. You specifically. I don’t think he realizes Cordelia and I exist most of the time.”
“The club is aware they’re in the area. Bear and the others are doing their best to keep us safe. We have to trust them, sweetheart. We can’t hold everyone at arm’s length forever. The men here are good. They aren’t like Spade.”
She leaned back in her chair. “I know. Bear is the best thing that’s ever happened to us. It’s why I’m glad he’s claimed you. I didn’t give him much of a choice, but that still could have blown up in my face. Instead, he rolled with it.”
“I know it’s lonely since you’re the oldest,” I said. “Corvin will be here before too long. Hopefully, the two of you will get along well. And when you start school this week, you’ll make new friends.”
“It’s the middle of the year. No, not even that. It’s nearly the end of the school year. Making friends won’t be easy.”
“Your dad is getting a car for you. Maybe you could get a part-time job in town to get some extra spending money.”
Piper nodded. “That would be a way to kill some time when I’m not in class. As much as I love Cordelia, the kids here are closer to her age. Mom, I’m not the normal sixteen-year-old. I’ve seen too much, experienced things they can’t imagine. How many of them had to run in the middle of the night to escape their sperm donor and his biker gang? And yeah, I know it’s called a club, but let’s be real… the Raging Demons are a gang. They’re nothing but thugs.”
She wasn’t wrong. The Raging Demons were nothing like the Hades Abyss. It was the difference between night and day. Bear might say his club didn’t always walk on the right side of the law, but they were all good men. I could tell. None of them were evil. Spade’s club couldn’t say the same.
Not one man here would think of raping a woman, and yet Spade threatened that and more. He’d already done that to me many times. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I hadn’t always agreed to have sex with him. I hadn’t realized at the time it was rape, since we were together. Now that I’d had time to think, and to see how other men treated their women, I knew different.
“I’ll send Bear a message to let him know what you saw. Where were you?” I asked.
“It wasn’t far from Luka’s house. I went for a walk to stretch my legs, and I’m still trying to figure out who lives in which homes.”
I pulled out my phone and sent the text to Bear. I knew he was in Church, but hopefully he’d find the information useful. There was a chance he already knew. However, in case he didn’t, I wanted to keep him informed. He might not fear Spade, but I did. I knew how evil the man could be, had experienced it firsthand.
“At least Cordy only went as far as Spider’s house,” I said. If she’d gone farther into the compound, I might have worried the Raging Demons would find a way inside and snatch her, if for no other reason than to get to me. Spade knew I’d do anything for my girls. Bear had been right to be concerned I’d offer myself up in exchange for either of them.
“Want me to go keep an eye on her?” Piper asked.
“No, honey. Spider used to be the President of the club. I’m sure his house is just as safe as this one, if not more so. I think Fox lives nearby too. It’s time we trust the Hades Abyss to do what they said and keep us safe. We can’t say they’re better than the Raging Demons, then keep doubting them.”
She nodded. “You’re right, but it’s not easy. After not being able to rely on anyone other than ourselves for so long, it’s hard to trust in someone else. I’m trying, though.”
I ran my hand over her hair. “I know. Bear knows it too. You put on a brave face. It might fool everyone else, but I’ve seen the look in your eyes, watched the way you flinch whenever someone gets too close. You’re still scared, and it will take time for that fear to fade.”
I wanted her to be a kid. She was nearly grown, and she’d already spent most of her life trying to protect me and Cordy. It wasn’t fair. When did Piper get a chance to do things other teen girls did? Go on dates, hang out with friends, get a job… worry about school. She’d done none of that. As far as I knew, she’d never kissed a boy. Part of me worried she’d never let someone get that close to her. It didn’t matter how she’d reacted to Corvin’s picture, or that Joe seemed interested. If she kept everyone at arm’s length, she’d never experience the good parts of life.
“Promise me you’ll try, Piper. Give everyone here a chance, and the kids at school too. Don’t judge everyone you meet by what you’ve experienced so far. Our lives are about to be so very different from before. They already are! Bear is a hundred times better than any man I’ve ever met. The others here seem to be the same. I don’t want Spade to win. If you let him taint your view of the other people in the world, then you lose, Piper. Do you understand?”
She nodded. “I promise I’ll try to give everyone a chance. But I don’t know about dating. Let’s start with me making some friends.”
“That’s a very smart decision.”
“Do you think anyone here will get hurt because of Spade?” she asked. “What if we’re responsible for getting someone hurt? Or worse, killed…”
I placed a hand on her shoulder. “We can’t think like that. Bear seems pretty fierce, and so do the others. From what the other old ladies said, they’ve each brought trouble with them. This club isn’t going to run from danger. Bear and I discussed it yesterday while you and Cordy were gone. He worries he won’t come home one day, that he’ll get shot or stabbed. It’s happened before, even though he survived. We can’t live our lives worrying about what tomorrow will bring. The only thing we can do is live for today and hope we get tomorrow too.”
Piper smiled faintly. “Were you always this wise?”
“I don’t know. Spade beat me down so much, for so long, I lost myself along the way. I’m slowly remembering who I was before I met him and discovering new sides to myself. I was your age when I met him, and he controlled my life. There hasn’t been time for me to grow up and experience much. You’re not the only one trying to figure out this new world we’re in. But I try to make decisions I think would make Bear proud of me.”
A throat cleared behind me. “Sweetheart, I’m always proud of you. All of you.”
I turned and saw him standing in the doorway. Blood dripped down his arms and I gasped before rushing to his side. “What happened?”
“Got into a scuffle with a few Raging Demons. Didn’t see Spade among them, but one got in a lucky shot.”
“And the others?” Piper asked, standing to come closer.
She saw the blood and hurried to the drawer by the sink, pulled out a clean towel, and wet it for me. I took it from her and cleaned the wound, wincing at the ragged skin. Whoever cut him, it had gone deep enough he’d need stitches.
“Most are dead. Fox wanted to keep one alive for questioning. I need the two of you to stay here, or over at Spider’s, until all this is handled. Understand? They shouldn’t be able to get into the compound, but I don’t like taking unnecessary risks. Not with my family.” Piper threw her arms around him and hugged him hard enough he grunted before patting her back. “I’m hard to kill, even if I don’t look it.”
“Is someone going to come look at your arm?” I asked.
“Dread. He should be here in a minute. Had to go get his kit.”
I led Bear over to the table. He sat and propped his arm up. I dabbed at the wound, not liking how much it still bled. “Piper, I need another towel. A dry one.”
“The kitchen is out. I’ll grab one.” She hurried down the hall and returned a moment later with a hand towel. I pressed it to Bear’s wound and hoped it would slow the bleeding before Dread arrived. If this was going to be part of my life now, I needed to take some first aid classes. I didn’t like feeling useless while he bled all over the place.
“That look… what did you just think about?” he asked.
“I want to learn how to treat your wounds when you come home like this. Or at least be able to patch you up well enough until Dread can get to you. I don’t like knowing you’re in pain, or seeing you bleed so much. I feel helpless and useless.”
He reached up and cupped my cheek. “Sweetheart, you’re far from useless. As to the helpless part… you’re doing just fine. Not much more you can do unless you know how to put in stitches.”
I shook my head. “I can’t, but maybe I should learn.”
“All right. We’ll talk to Dread. Maybe he’ll let you shadow him when he patches any of us up. Teach you a few things. Just some basic skills. If it’s something you enjoy, maybe you can go back to school for a nursing degree.”
I gaped at him. “Are you serious? I didn’t even finish high school!”
“Then work on your GED first. I’ll help. But only if that’s something you want to do. Don’t feel like you need to prove anything to me or anyone else. If you pursue your education, I want you to do it for yourself.”
“It’s not a bad idea, Mom.” Piper sat in one of the other seats. “I know you’ve always hated not having a high school diploma. Even if you didn’t go further than a GED, it might make you feel better about yourself.”
“We can discuss it later.” I heard a knock at the door and rushed off to let Dread into the house. While he stitched Bear’s wound, I sat and watched, wondering if Bear was right. Could I get my GED, get a nursing degree, and help this club? They were putting their lives at risk to keep me and the girls safe. I wanted a way to give back.
It made me wonder how the other old ladies contributed to the club or the town. I had a feeling none of them sat around doing nothing all day. It hadn’t come up in our conversation at the clubhouse last night. Once this issue with Spade went away, I’d have to talk to each of them. Maybe it would help me figure out my place here. I needed something to focus on other than Bear and the children.
For the first time in eighteen years, I could do something for myself. I had the chance to better my life and the lives of those around me. And it’s something I wanted to do more than anything.