“She’s the most beautiful van I’ve ever seen!” I exclaimed. “Oh my God, look at the logo!”
The bakery’s name and logo were painted on the side of the stark white van, glistening in the light from a fresh detail. The van hadn’t even made any weird noises when Brielle had driven it into the back parking lot of the bakery.
Brielle cut the engine. “You like it?”
“Like it? I love it! Who did the artwork?”
“Me,” she said with a smile.
“You? God, you’re talented.”
“I keep telling her that,” Jazz said as she stood next to me. “You smell like marzipan.”
I grinned. “I’m making a chocolate mousse and marzipan cake for Linden’s surprise party.”
“Linden? Linden Ward?” Brielle asked as she dropped the keys to the van in my hand. “I had two copies made for you, by the way.”
“Thanks.” I removed a set from the key ring and handed it to Jazz. “Yeah. You know Linden?”
She grinned. “I do know Linden. My brothers own Three Kings Tattoo Parlor, and the Blue Angels and their Old Ladies get all their ink done there. How do you know her?”
“That’s a loaded question,” I said with a chuckle. “I hit my head and she examined me to make sure I didn’t have a concussion.”
“Why was that such a loaded question?” Brielle asked.
“Because I was at a Blue Angels party when it happened,” I explained.
“Lucky. I wish I could go to a Blue Angels party, but my brothers would throw a shit fit.”
“They’re nothing but trouble. It’s better if you stay away. Trust me,” I said.
“You would know,” Jazz said under her breath.
I shot her a look.
“What? What’s that about?” Brielle asked.
I sighed. “I might as well come clean.” I explained my situation, quickly and without inflection, including the new car, because it was all wrapped up together.
“You really should’ve come to our girls’ night,” Brielle said. “We could’ve unpacked all that while drinking tea and painting your toenails.”
“Next time,” I said. “Promise.”
“So, you’re pregnant with a biker’s baby,” Brielle said. “Wow.”
“I’m calling him Hot Papa Biker,” Jazz said.
“You haven’t even met him. How do you know he’s hot?” I demanded.
“I saw him leave your apartment in the morning, right after he fertilized you. He’s hot.” She looked at Brielle. “He’s hot.”
“Fertilized?” I rolled my eyes. “Seriously?”
“Impregnated?” Jazz supplied.
“Can you be done now?” I demanded.
“Biker baby batter,” she tossed out. “Now, I’m done. I swear.”
I playfully shoved her shoulder and then glanced at Brielle who was clearly amused by the interplay. “You said something—about who your brothers tattoo. What’s an Old Lady?”
“They are either the wives or girlfriends of the bikers. But it’s more than that. It’s like claiming.”
“Claiming?” I repeated.
“Let’s not overwhelm her,” Jazz insisted. “She’s already trying not to catch feelings and failing miserably.”
“He bought you a car to protect your baby,” Brielle said. “How can you not catch feelings?”
“Okay, I think I’ll go inside now,” I said. “See you guys later. Thanks for driving the van over.”
“No sweat.” Brielle nibbled her lip and looked at me directly. “Congrats, by the way. As far as biker clubs go, the Blue Angels are family oriented. If they consider you one of them, you’ve got a family for the rest of your life.”
“Slash is a Nomad. He’s been on the road for fifteen years, and from what I understand, you don’t just suddenly become a stable biker dad and stick around just because you knock up a stranger.” I rubbed my temple. “I’m trying really hard to be positive, but I have my doubts about how this is going to work out. I’m just so hormonal right now…”
“That’s kind of why she’s resisting the whole dating-the-father-of-her-baby thing,” Jazz said to Brielle.
“Yeah, we so need a girls’ night,” Brielle said with a smile.
I grinned. “You know what? I’d really like that.”
“I think you need it,” Jazz said. “Like, really need it.”
Brielle looked at Jazz. “Can you give me a lift back to Dad’s garage? I left my car there.”
“Sure. Let’s go.”
The two of them climbed into Jazz’s car and left.
I went back into the bakery, put the finishing touches on Linden’s cake, and then got ready for the party.
I slid the mascara wand through my lashes as I stared at my reflection in the mirror. My cheeks were naturally flushed, and my eyes sparkled.
What the hell was I doing?
I was going to a party with Slash. As in, we were taking the same car so I could hold the cake while he drove. We were going to arrive together.
We were defined by the boxes we put ourselves in.
Slash was the father of my child.
He’d bought me a car.
He’d held me while I cried.
He hadn’t asked me for anything.
He hadn’t pushed or inserted himself into my life…he’d just been there when I needed him.
My phone chimed. I looked down at the sink counter.
He was downstairs.
I closed the mascara and then quickly glided some gloss onto my lips. I grabbed my shoulder bag that rested on the bed, made sure I had my keys and cell, and then locked up.
My black ankle boots clunked as I went down the stairs. When I reached the back door, I paused and took a breath.
I opened the door. “Hey,” I greeted, hoping my voice didn’t sound breathless.
His eyes drank me in from the top of my styled dark hair to the floral print dress I’d decided to wear.
“Hey,” he said slowly.
Our gazes locked.
All I could think about was moving into his arms and tilting my head back for a kiss.
I was thinking too much. Overthinking would be my downfall.
“Come in,” I said quickly, stepping back.
He brushed against me, his leather cut grazing the front of my dress.
My nipples pebbled immediately.
Slash stared down at me. “Brooklyn?”
“Yeah?”
Before I knew it, I was sandwiched between him and the wall.
His fingers went to my chin, and he lifted my face. His hazel eyes glittered in the light, and I could feel every hard inch of him.
I moved ever so slightly, which caused him to groan and drop his head. “What the fuck are you doing to me, woman?”
“What do you mean?” I asked breathlessly.
“You smell like chocolate and almonds, and I’m trying to be patient as fuck here, but all I can think about is—”
I stood on my tippy-toes and covered his lips with mine.
His fingers tore through my loose waves of hair as he pinned our bodies together.
I wanted this.
I needed this.
I glided my hands up the back of his cut and fisted his shirt.
I wanted to feel his hot skin against mine. I wanted to feel him moving inside me.
A cell phone trumpeting jarred us both out of the moment.
“Motherfucker,” Slash seethed, his mouth still against mine.
“Ignore it. Ignore everything. Take me upstairs and—”
The phone went off again.
With a growl, Slash wrenched away from me and reached into his pocket for his cell.
I pressed a hand to my heaving chest, my heart beating out of control.
“What?” Slash snapped into the phone. “This better be a fucking emergency.” He paused. “Yeah. Okay. We’re leaving now.”
He hung up and shoved his phone into his leather cut.
“Emergency?” I asked, raking a hand through my hair.
“The Boxer equivalent to an emergency.” Slash grimaced as he adjusted himself. “Linden’s leaving the clinic early.”
“So, we’d better get the cake over there…” I sighed.
He reached out and grasped my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. “It’s better this way.”
My heart plummeted until Slash moved and he was once again pressing against me.
“It’s better that we were interrupted, because once I have you back in bed, I’m not letting you leave it for a long time.”
I dreamily floated along in my own thoughts as Slash drove us to Linden and Boxer’s. My lips still tingled from his possessive kiss, the taste of him on my tongue.
I wanted to lick every inch of him.
My thighs clenched, jostling the boxed cake on my lap.
Slash noticed the movement. “I’ll slow down.”
I wanted to tell him it wasn’t his speed that had caused the cake to falter, but my own unruly hormones. My body was quickly overruling anything my mind said about the situation. Though Slash hadn’t opened up about his past yet, it was his actions in the present that proved his character.
I sighed.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked, glancing quickly at me and then back to the road.
I wasn’t about to admit the thoughts of deeper feelings that were brewing inside me, so I settled with distraction. “Sex. With you.”
“Any rules?”
“Rules?”
“Yeah, rules. Or boundaries. You’re fond of boundaries, right?”
The night we’d been together there had been no-strings-attached, so there hadn’t been anything holding us back from the all-consuming passion that blazed between us.
Our situation was different now, but I didn’t want to erect any walls when it came to the potential of physical intimacy.
“No rules,” I said quietly, and then I boldly turned to look at him. “The night we were together…I had no inhibitions. I liked it.”
“I liked it, too.” His tone was gruff. “God, I’m gonna be hard this entire party.”
I grinned cheekily at him.
“Careful,” he warned, his voice deepening. “If you tease me, I’ll tease you right back.”
“Meaning what exactly?”
“You’ll find out.”
“See? Now I’m just looking forward to whatever you dish out,” I taunted.
“Famous last words, Brooklyn. Famous last words.”
Slash turned down a street and parked in front of a cute, modest home. He cut the ignition and got out of the car, coming around to the passenger side.
“Are we the first ones to arrive?” I asked as Slash grabbed the cake from me so I could climb out.
“No,” he said.
I took the cake back from him. “The street is empty of cars.”
“Boxer had them park one street over and walk so as not to ruin the surprise,” Slash explained.
“Sneaky.”
We ambled up the walkway. Slash went ahead of me and rang the bell. A moment later, the door opened.
“Thank God,” a pretty brunette said. “Boxer! They’re here with the cake!”
“Careful on the steps,” Slash said. “You sure you don’t want me to take that for you?”
“I’m protective of it,” I explained. “I’ve got it.”
“Head right into the kitchen,” the woman commanded, standing at the open doorway. A baby was strapped to her chest, and she had one hand splayed across its back.
That’ll be me soon.
The thought came unbidden and like a lightning bolt.
I stumbled over my own two feet and almost went down, but Slash caught my elbow and steadied me.
“Shit,” I muttered.
“Whew, that was close,” the woman said. “Good reflexes, Slash.”
Boxer appeared in the hallway. “You got this handled, Mia?”
“Yup,” she said with a nod.
“Great. I’m gonna take Monk and swing by the clinic and grab Linden.”
“Wait until she puts the cake down,” Mia commanded.
“Yes, little drill sergeant.”
She stuck her tongue out at him, which caused him to grin.
“God, Linden is going to go nuts over that cake,” Boxer said as he looked through the clear plastic top of the box. He then reached out as if to swipe the cake from me.
“Don’t you dare,” I warned, making him laugh.
I headed in the direction of the kitchen, passing by the living room where South Paw and Crow were hanging a sign and blowing up balloons in silver and blue.
I set the cake on the counter and breathed a sigh of relief.
Boxer went to the sliding glass door and opened it. He whistled and a moment later, a yellow lab only a few months old bounded into the kitchen. It was gangly and cute, and it knocked into me when it came to greet me, tail thwapping constantly.
“Monk,” Boxer snapped. “Sorry. He failed obedience school and has zero manners.”
“That’s okay,” I said with a grin, crouching to love up on the lab. The dog flopped onto his side and rolled over, showing me his belly. “How’d he get the name Monk?”
“We named him after Thelonious Monk,” Boxer explained. When I raised my eyebrows in confusion, he clarified, “A famous jazz artist. Fucking genius.”
“Ah.” I gave Monk one last belly rub and then stood.
“Where are we going?” Boxer asked Monk.
Monk sat up and wagged his tail and then he darted for the front door.
“I’ll text Mia when I’m on my way back with Linden,” Boxer explained. “She’ll rally the troops and get everyone into position.”
He left the kitchen and a moment later, the front door shut.
“I’m gonna go move the car,” Slash said to me.
I nodded.
He gripped the back of my neck and pulled me to him. He kissed me hard and fast with just a bit of tongue that made me want to fling myself into his arms.
When he pulled back, he smirked as if he knew what he’d done to me.
I stared after him.
Someone cleared a throat.
I turned my head and saw Mia standing next to the sliding door, a huge grin on her face. “We haven’t officially met yet. I’m Mia.”
“Hi, I’m Brooklyn.”
“I know who you are.”
“Oh.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean that to sound all did she cook your rabbit yet.” She smiled.
“It’s totally okay. So, what do you know about me?” I asked.
“That you own Pie in the Sky…and a little bit about your relationship with Slash.”
I sighed. “So, you know? That I’m...”
“Pregnant,” she finished for me. “Admitting it is the first step.”
The baby against her chest began to stir. Mia dipped her head and brushed her cheek against the baby and another pang went through me.
“Did Slash tell you?”
“Yeah, he told us. He kind of had to.”
“Why?” I frowned.
“Because he decided to stay in town, and for a Nomad to commit to staying in one place for the foreseeable future, he needed a damn good reason. You were the reason.”