Atilla
I knocked on Casey’s door and then went inside. She’d leaned back in her bed with a book while little Becca slept in the crib nearby. I was so damn proud of my girl. At seventeen, she was more mature than I’d been even twenty years ago. Hell, some days she was doing better than I was right now.
“You okay with Solena staying here a few days with Santiago? The kid isn’t ready to give her a chance, and he doesn’t want to be parted from Nora.” I leaned against the doorframe. “This is your home too, so I can tell her it won’t work if you don’t want her here.”
Casey set her book down and stared at me. Damn. She reminded me so much of her mother right now. Rebecca used to give me that same look, usually when I was being a dumbass. Guess that meant my daughter thought I was one too.
“Dad, I love you. I really do, but… you’re an idiot.”
“Don’t sugarcoat it,” I muttered.
“You like Solena, right?”
I shrugged. I did. The age thing bothered me a little. Not because I didn’t see her as a woman, because I certainly did, but I knew people could be harsh when it came to things they didn’t understand. Some might consider our relationship disgusting, and I knew they wouldn’t necessarily hold back. The last thing I wanted was to cause her more pain than she’d already experienced.
“Dad.” She sighed and closed her eyes. “Tell me the truth. Why aren’t you willing to give her a chance?”
I glanced at the bedroom door and saw it was still shut. I didn’t hear any noise from the kids’ room either. The last thing I needed was anyone hearing this conversation.
“You don’t have an issue with her being so much younger than me? She’s only six years older than you.”
“So what?”
“Things are complicated, Casey.”
She held my gaze. “So uncomplicate them. Her age is just a number, Dad. You know that. Mom was younger than you, right? And what about me? If I fell in love with someone here at the club, and they were twenty years older than me, would you stop us from being together?”
“Um…”
She rolled her eyes. “I meant because of the age difference.”
“No. I get your point. It’s more than just the age thing. She has a son she’s meeting for the first time. I’ve got you and a new grandbaby. Little Nora in there seems to think I’m her dad. And then there’s the club… What if Solena can’t handle the shit we deal with sometimes? Your mom wouldn’t have been able to.”
Casey struggled to get out of bed and peeked into the crib before coming closer to me. “Dad, she’s not Mom. No one will ever be Mom, and that’s okay. You can love more than one person. She’d want you to be happy. It’s what I want too. Stop keeping distance between the two of you and coming up with excuses about why things won’t work. You haven’t even tried yet!”
Seeing my daughter so upset really drove home how badly I was fucking up. I still didn’t know if I could make this work. Right now, the house was packed to the gills with my daughter, two kids, a baby, and… the woman I wanted but felt I shouldn’t hold onto.
“Can I ask you something?” Casey went back to the bed and leaned against her pillows again, wincing a little as she got situated. “What are you going to do if someone else comes along and sweeps her off her feet?”
Beat the hell out of him. Something must have shown on my face, because she smirked at me. She really was a little shit sometimes. Too much of her mom’s attitude.
“You’re right, okay? I don’t want Solena to slip through my fingers. Right now, she needs to focus on her son, and I need to find out what’s going on with Nora. I don’t think this is a good time to start a relationship.”
“If you wait for the right time, you may miss your window of opportunity, Dad. Kind of like with Mom. Except this time, Solena will leave because it’s what she wants to do. She’ll give up on waiting for you to make up your mind. I love you, and I think she’d be good for you. Besides, those kids deserve two parents. Would it be so wrong to raise Santiago and Nora together? Be one big happy family?”
No, it wouldn’t. “Are you saying I take a page out of Lynx’s book and just keep her because it’s what I want?”
“You’re a biker dad. The President of this club. Since when do you ever ask permission for anything? And did Lynx really keep her against her will? Do you think Solena wouldn’t be happy if you said she was moving in permanently?” She huffed at me. “Seriously. Stop trying to be someone you aren’t. If she can’t handle the real you, then none of this matters, anyway. But for what it’s worth, I think she’ll do just fine.”
My daughter had given me a lot to think about. I kissed her on the forehead and shut her door when I left the room. I checked on the kids before going back to my bedroom. I could hear the shower running in the bathroom, and only hesitated for a moment. Be true to myself, huh? All right. It was time to see if Solena could handle being mine.
I removed my cut and set it on the dresser before toeing off my boots and removing my clothes. She’d fogged the bathroom mirror from the steam pouring out of the shower. Hell, I couldn’t even see her through the glass shower door. I pulled it open quietly and shut it without her even noticing I’d joined her. With her eyes closed, and her head tipped back, she looked at peace. The water sluiced over her hair, which seemed even longer now that it was wet.
I stood in front of her, placing my hands on her hips. Solena shrieked and opened her eyes, her body going stiff.
“Atilla?”
“Were you expecting someone else?” I asked.
“You surprised me. Why are you… I mean…” Her gaze dropped to my cock, which was quickly getting hard, before clashing with mine. “Why are you in here?”
“I had a talk with Casey. She’s all for the two of us being together. In fact, she called me a dumbass for dragging my feet.” I leaned down and pressed my forehead to hers. “What would you say if I told you I’d only shown you a small part of myself so far?”
“I’d ask to see the rest.”
“And if you can’t handle it?” I asked.
“That’s for me to decide, Atilla. And for what it’s worth, I don’t think I’ll have any issues. I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you. We might have only had the one night together, but it was a night I’ll remember forever.”
“Want to add more memories to it?”
She reached up and placed her hand on my cheek. “I’d love to. Are you sure?”
“I’m done running. We’re going to figure everything out together. Santiago and Nora are already like siblings. Might as well make it the real deal.”
Her eyes widened. “What?”
I grinned and looked in the direction where I’d left my phone. “Hey, Siri! Message Wire.”
I cracked the shower door open and listened for her response. It was faint, but I caught it. What do you want to say?
“Do whatever it takes to make Solena, Santiago, and Nora mine. Make sure no one can ever question the fact they belong to me.” I heard Solena gasp as Siri recited the text back to me. Send it? “Yes.”
“What did you just do?” she asked.
“I believe I just made you Solena, Santiago, and Nora Cutler. Too late to change it now.” She parted her lips, mostly likely about to protest, and I kissed the hell out of her. Casey was right. It was time to show Solena what it meant to be mine.
I backed her against the shower wall. She whimpered and gave in to me. I devoured her, taking what I wanted. It had been so long since I’d wanted someone this badly. The night we’d shared before had been about her. I’d given her what she needed. This time would be different. I wasn’t going to hold back. She was mine now, and I’d make damn sure she knew it. I didn’t give a shit who heard us. As long as she didn’t scream like I was killing her, then it should be fine. Last thing I wanted was for the kids to think I’d hurt her.
“You’re mine. Every single inch of you. And I’m going to make sure you never forget it.” I worked my hand between her thighs and stroked her clit with my thumb. Her nipples puckered and her eyes dilated. “That’s it. Come for me. Show me how much you want this.”
I rubbed the hard bud faster, and she screamed out my name. Before she had a chance to catch her breath, I eased her leg over my hip and thrust into her. She clawed at my shoulders as I fucked her hard and deep. I felt her pussy tighten on me and knew she was about to come again.
“I’m going to fill you so full of cum you’ll have a reminder of me for hours. You might still be dripping tomorrow.”
The heat of her release hit my cock and I couldn’t hold back. It seemed my woman liked it when I talked dirty. I’d remember that for next time. I pounded her pussy, not stopping until I’d emptied my balls and filled her up. She clung to me as I kissed her. My cock started to soften, and I eased out of her.
“Why?” she asked. “Why now and not that night?”
“You mean admitting you’re mine?” She nodded. “I didn’t think I was what you needed. Decided it didn’t matter because you’re what I want.”
I helped her wash, taking my time to explore her body. I might not be able to have sex again anytime soon, but it didn’t mean I couldn’t please her some more. I teased her nipples and clit with light pinching and soft strokes until I’d wrung three more orgasms from her. By the time the water cooled, she could barely stand.
I shut off the water and dried her off, then helped her into my T-shirt. While she climbed into the bed, I ran a towel over my body, then pulled on a pair of sweats. Crawling into bed with her was one of the best feelings. She curled against me, and as I held her close, I remembered what it felt like that night at the clubhouse.
It had been hard to let her go. Harder than I’d been able to admit to even myself. Life was too short. I’d lost Rebecca all those years ago because of an accident. If I lost Solena now because I was too damn stupid to hold on to her, then I’d regret it until the day I died.
“What about the house across the street?” she whispered, nearly asleep.
“Casey will still move with Becca. The other one can remain empty until we need it for something. Your place is right here in my arms.”
A smile curved her lips, and for the first time in forever, I felt a sense of peace wash over me. This was what I’d been missing. I knew a lot of guys enjoyed the club pussy and didn’t look forward to settling down. Hell, some might never keep a woman. For me, it was the one thing I’d wanted for so very long. Not only me, but quite a few men in my club. We weren’t the same as a lot of the others. Lynx hadn’t hesitated to claim Meredith, and I knew either Rebel or Maui would end up asking for my daughter.
I didn’t think either had the balls to outright take her. They could prove me wrong, though. Whatever the case, it was my daughter’s decision. If she wanted one of them, I wouldn’t stand in her way. But the second they hurt her, all bets were off. Same for little Nora. She was only seven now, but one day she’d want to date or get married.
I only hoped I lived long enough to see it happen. I didn’t exactly live a safe lifestyle. A stray bullet could take me out, or a bomb. Shit, a fucking driver on the road not paying attention could kill me. It was possible I’d live another twenty or so years, or I could breathe my last tomorrow. No one ever knew when their time would be up.
I watched Solena sleep for the longest time before finally shutting my eyes. Breathing in her scent, and feeling her soft curves against me, made me smile. I had no idea if heaven and hell really existed. If they did, this was probably the closest I’d ever get to being in heaven.
We’d need to talk to the kids tomorrow. Santiago seemed more concerned about Nora than his own circumstances. He’d already wanted to stay here instead of going to Solena’s apartment. I didn’t think it would bother him to discover he never had to move out of this house. I wondered how long they’d been together. Had he been watching over her for a while? Or had the two just clicked?
Looked like we’d be shopping too. They’d both need clothes, shoes, and a ton of other shit children should have. I’d get someone to head over to Solena’s place and pack up all their belongings. We’d already gotten quite a bit for Santiago, especially when it came to toys. I’d never had the chance to shop for Casey when she’d been little. Oddly enough, I looked forward to helping Nora pick out dolls and stuffed bears, or whatever else she might want.
I wanted those kids to be happy, to know this was their home, and to feel secure. Picking up my phone, I read Wire’s response to my message from earlier.
It’s done.
I shot back a reply, thanking him, and checking on any progress with Nora’s background. The phone rang, and I answered it quickly, so it wouldn’t wake Solena.
“Hello,” I said, keeping my voice low.
“Nora’s mom was a woman by the name of Wendy Roberts. The woman grew up in the system, and I haven’t been able to track down her parents. On Nora’s birth certificate, it lists her father as unknown. If she has a family out there, I have no idea who they are, and so far I haven’t been able to track anyone down. The mother is currently in prison for a very lengthy sentence.”
“Since I’m keeping her, I guess it doesn’t matter. I just don’t know why she thinks I’m her dad. If the father wasn’t listed on the birth certificate, would she have ever met him?”
“Probably not,” Wire said. “Doesn’t mean the mother didn’t show her a picture at some point, though. The guy could have been a biker. Looking at Wendy’s past financial records, she liked going to bars and drinking. I have a feeling Nora was the product of a one-night stand.”
“In other words, we may never know.”
“Right. Not to risk pissing you off, but have you thought of taking a paternity test with her? Wendy has been all over Oklahoma over the last decade. She may very well have been to a party at your clubhouse before.”
“Any way you can hack into her phone records while you’re at it? You can see any pictures she has, right?”
“If they’re stored in the cloud,” Wire said. “Give me a few minutes -- I’ll see if I can find anything. What am I looking for? Pictures of bikers?”
“I guess so, or anyone you think could be her dad.”
“Nora is seven, so adding in the length of a pregnancy, I’m going to look back eight years. If I find anything interesting, I’ll let you know. Assuming there’s anything to find at all. She could also have only used burner phones.”
“Why would she need one of those?” I asked.
“They’re cheap, for one. It also looks like she’s had a lot of issues with drugs. She’s been to jail twice. In fact, that’s how Nora ended up in her current situation. The mom signed her rights over to the same phony adoption people who took Santiago. It was right before she was sent to jail for possession with intent to distribute. Guess she didn’t want her daughter in the system like she’d been.”
“Thanks, Wire. Keep me posted.”
I ended the call, set the phone aside, and finally let sleep pull me under.