Sarge
What the fuck are you thinking? She’s twenty-two, and Lily’s sister. Shit. I had a son I’d never known about. That needed to be first and foremost in my mind right now, not the fact she smelled like goddamn sunshine, or felt like silk. I definitely didn’t need to be thinking about how tight her virgin pussy would be, or the fact she seemed just as drawn to me as I was to her.
When I’d seen that little shit at the gate try to hit her, I’d about lost it. He was lucky I hadn’t stomped his ass, but Katya had taken care of herself. If it hadn’t been for that, we’d have been down a man and Torch would have been pissed. Well, not after I explained why we needed a new Prospect. I had no doubt he’d stand by me on that score. No one hurt a woman around here, not without paying the price.
Her little show of defiance, then the way she’d defended herself, had gotten me hard as fuck, even before I’d gotten an up close look at her. After she’d said she was Lily’s sister, I could see the resemblance. A little. Maybe. Other than them both being blonde and having blue eyes; that’s about where the similarities stopped. This spitfire had something Lily never had. She was a fighter and full of sass. Lily had been quiet and sweet. I’d been intrigued by her, but not in the I want to keep her kind of way, not after I discovered she was very timid and meek. We’d had fun, but that was all it had been.
But Katya? Hell. If she were about two decades older, or even just one decade older, then she’d have been exactly the type of woman I wanted and had never found. The age thing was going to cause me problems around here. Not because no one else claimed younger women, but because she was younger than Pepper. My daughter was never going to let me hear the end of this.
I’d put some space between us before I’d done something stupid, like strip her naked and make her come. It was a struggle to maintain control, especially after that softly spoken “Promise” had slipped past her lips.
The front door opened and slammed shut, then booted steps headed our way. Flicker had a scowl on his face when he came into the room. “Do you know there’s a kid outside playing with my son? Who the fuck is he and where did he come from?”
“Theo is his son,” Katya said. “And since you have a kid I’m sure I don’t need to tell you where babies come from.”
And that was when I knew for damn sure I’d never let her go. Flicker’s jaw dropped, then snapped shut as he studied Katya. Then his gaze swung my way, but he still seemed at a loss for words.
“Katya is Lily’s sister. It seems when she ran, she took part of me with her.”
“So why didn’t Lily bring him to you? And why wait all this time?” Flicker asked.
“Because she’s dead,” Katya said. “I didn’t think Theo was safe anymore.”
Flicker pulled out a chair and sat, then looked at me expectantly. As an officer of the club, I knew he wanted answers. Even worse, he was my son-in-law, which was all kinds of fucked up with him being older than me. But as long as Pepper was happy, that was all that mattered. I sure the fuck hoped she felt that way about my relationship when I claimed Katya.
“Start talking,” Flicker said, his gaze moving to Katya. “How much trouble are you in and who’s coming for you?”
Katya sighed. “No one will come here to find me because I’m not staying. I’ve already accepted my fate, but I needed to make sure Theo was with his father.”
Flicker looked my way and mouthed her fate? I was done arguing with her. She wasn’t going back to the Bratva, and that was final. I needed to officially meet my son, get to know him, figure out what he needed and all that shit. But I also needed to handle Katya, and I had a feeling I was on borrowed time if I didn’t tackle that first.
“Watch her,” I told Flicker before leaving the room. I heard his muttered asshole, and I knew he’d yell at me later for giving him an order. Too fucking bad.
I stepped outside and saw Pepper kneeling with the kids. She stared at me as I walked closer, then looked at Theo, then me. She did that about a dozen times.
“Something I need to know?” she asked.
“Meet your brother, Theo.” The kid stopped what he was doing to look at me. “Hey, kid. It seems I’m your dad.”
He didn’t say anything. I hadn’t even considered whether or not he spoke English. I’d heard Katya speak to him in Russian, but she hadn’t used English when talking to him, at least not when I was around. Unfortunately, I didn’t know any.
“Do you speak English?” I asked him.
He still didn’t say anything. Or blink. What the fuck?
“Maybe we need Grimm?” Pepper suggested.
He was the only brother I knew who could speak Russian. I’d ask Katya, but if I brought her out here, I didn’t trust her not to try and run. Then again, if she did, I’d have yet another reason to paddle her ass.
“I’ll be back,” I said, then went to get Katya. She was having a staring contest with Flicker, and it looked like she very well might win. “I need to know if Theo understands or speaks English. He’s not responding to me or my daughter.”
She snorted, but didn’t break Flicker’s gaze. “He knows English. Tell him doveryat’. It means trust. It’s sort of our secret code. If someone tells him that word, he knows it’s okay to speak to them.”
Smart. I went back to Theo and Pepper, said the magic word, and the little boy relaxed. He gave me a hesitant smile. “You’re my dad?”
I nodded. “Yep, it seems that way.” He looked at Pepper, his nose scrunched as if he couldn’t figure out who she was or why she was there. He had to have heard me tell Pepper that they were brother and sister. Or was he confused because she was an adult? “I had Pepper when I was a lot younger. She’s my daughter, which makes the two of you siblings. You’ve been playing with her son, Reed. My grandson.”
“Aunt Kat said that I had to stay here with you now,” Theo said.
I was surprised at how clearly he spoke, and how grown-up he sounded. There were times I still had trouble understanding Reed, mostly because he talked so fast it all ran together, but Theo seemed older than his years.
“Yeah, you’re going to live here with me,” I said. “We’ll get everything squared away so you can go to school. Maybe you and Reed will have the same class.”
“Aunt Kat taught me when she was around, and other times she made sure I had tutors.” He pushed a truck across the grass. “She’s always taken care of me. I don’t even remember my mom.”
Katya had said that Lily was forced into a brothel after Theo was born. It hadn’t occurred to me that she’d have hardly ever seen him. Made sense now that I thought about it. It wasn’t like she could keep him there with her. But still, Katya was so young. She had to have been in high school when Theo was born. That was a lot of responsibility for a kid to handle.
“Theo, I want to get a chance to learn more about you, and for you to get to know me better too, but first I need to take care of a few things. Like making sure your Aunt Kat is safe. We both want that, right?” I asked.
“If she leaves here, I’ll never see her again,” he said. “She told me she has to get married and the man isn’t nice. I know my grandfather hates me. I ruined his plans for my mom.”
The kid knew too much, but I could understand why Katya would explain things to him. The more he knew, the safer he would be. Any other kid wouldn’t have these sorts of worries. I didn’t think Reed worried about much except whether or not Pepper would force him to eat carrots.
“In order to make sure your Aunt Kat stays here, I need you to go with Pepper for a little while. I’ll work on getting a room set up for you, but until then, she’ll see that you have anything you need.” I glanced at Pepper and she gave me a nod.
“Okay,” he said. He hesitated and watched me a moment, and I could see the wheels turning in his head. “If you married Aunt Kat, then she could stay, and she’d be my mom. She acts like a mom already.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, mostly because that fell perfectly in line with what I wanted. Katya wasn’t leaving. If I needed to put a ring on her finger to keep the Bratva away, so be it. Not that I thought for a moment they would care if she was married or not. Whether I married her or just claimed her, she wouldn’t be a virgin for much longer, and that’s all that seemed to matter to her father. I knew he wouldn’t back down easily, but if I made Katya mine, the club would have no choice but to fight for her. With her being my son’s aunt, I knew they’d go to bat for her anyway, but I’d never let her know that. I’d take whatever leverage I could get. With me being so much older than she was, I wasn’t sure if her attraction was more of the one-night variety or the forever type.
“Marry Aunt Kat, hmm?” Pepper asked.
“Shut it,” I told her. “Take care of Theo. I’ll send Flicker back out, if he’s done trying to stare down Katya.”
Theo giggled. “He’ll never win.”
I had a feeling the kid was right.
When I got back inside, the two of them hadn’t moved. Jesus, had neither of them blinked yet? Flicker had narrowed his gaze, but Katya was resting her chin on her fist, looking like she hadn’t a care in the world.
“Are the two of you finished acting like kids?” I asked.
Flicker broke first and glanced my way. “She started it.”
“I think Reed is rubbing off on you,” I said. “Pepper is outside with the kids. Y’all are keeping Theo for a night or two. Not sure what all he needs.”
“Almost everything,” Katya said. “I grabbed him, his favorite bear, and a few changes of clothes but I had to leave everything else. If it had been noticed I was packing a lot of stuff or filling the trunk of my car, I never would have made it out of town, much less gotten this far. His things are in my back seat.”
I’d figured as much. Taking my wallet from my pants, I opened it up and pulled out a few hundreds. Flicker took them and stood. With a nod, he left the room, then the house. I had no doubt he was getting Theo’s belongings and would make sure my son had whatever he needed to get by for a few nights.
I eyed Katya, who was staring at me with a hint of defiance in her gaze. Yeah, she was going to be fun to tame. I didn’t want to break her spirit, but she needed to learn I was in charge. Moving closer, I waited until I was right next to her chair before I reached for her. I placed my hand on her shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze. As much as I wanted to claim her here and now, I realized there were dark smudges under her eyes, and she looked like she hadn’t slept well in a few days.
“Come on, kitten. I think you need to rest.”
“Kitten?” she asked. “My name is Katya, but it doesn’t mean I’m a cat.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “That’s not why I called you kitten. You look all cute and cuddly, but I’ve seen that you have claws and a sharp wit.”
She relaxed a little, and I could tell she liked the comparison. Made me wonder if anyone had ever given her a pet name before. I urged her up out of the chair and toward my room. I’d renovated my guest room into a play area for Reed, so there wasn’t another bed for her to use. There was a third bedroom, but it was currently not designed for company. While she napped, I’d have to come up with a plan for my son to have a space he felt was his own, without leaving Reed out.
Katya froze when we entered my room and she looked around. She tried to take a step back, but I was blocking the doorway. I urged her forward and paused only long enough to open a dresser drawer and pull out one of my softer shirts. I tossed it onto the bed, then folded my arms over my chest and stared her down. She might have tried to win with Flicker, but under my gaze, she submitted, her head bowing.
“You can wear my shirt to sleep in.”
“Thought you said you were tying me to the bed,” she muttered.
“Maybe later.” Her gaze shot up to meet mine. “Right now, you need to sleep. I’ll step into the hall to give you some space.”
Before I could leave she reached out and grabbed onto my cut. I should have demanded she let go, and with any other woman I would have. Katya was different, and I was going to make her mine, which meant she got certain liberties others didn’t. Placing my hand over hers, I waited to see what she wanted or needed.
“Stay,” she said.
I lowered my head until our noses nearly touched. “If you want me to stay, then I will, and I will damn sure claim you when you’ve had some rest, but if you’re thinking that baring that hot little body will leave me stupid and give you a chance to escape, I’m just going to go ahead and tell you it won’t work.”
“You can’t claim me,” she said. Her eyes turned glassy with unshed tears. “If things were different, I’d love to stay and see where things went between us. I’ve never been attracted to someone the way I am to you, but I can’t risk Theo’s safety. Or yours.”
It was sweet the way she worried about us. Her fears were unfounded, but she didn’t know a damn thing about me or this club. My brothers had my back, and they’d keep Theo safe too. My hands weren’t squeaky clean, but I didn’t need to tell her that just yet. The last thing I wanted was to send her running scared. Let her think I was better than the men she’d run from. I knew I was just as dirty as they were.
“Kitten, I can take care of myself, and keep my boy safe,” I said. “You’re not leaving. If you think for one second I’m going to let some Bratva bastard get his hands on you, then you’re mistaken. You came here, all full of sass and mother bear instincts, protecting a kid I didn’t even know I had, and you think you can just walk away?”
She rubbed at her neck and looked away. I knew she worried that we’d be in danger if she remained here. If the Bratva wanted her back, then they could come and try to take her. They wouldn’t win. Once I decided something was mine, I never let it go. Katya made the mistake of catching my attention, far more than a woman ever had before. Sure, I’d had fun with plenty of ladies over the years, but I’d never once thought to keep any of them.
“We’ll talk more after you’ve slept. You’re exhausted, kitten. Don’t even try to deny it.”
Her shoulders slumped and she gave a nod, then reached for the hem of her shirt. I should have walked away, given her some privacy, but the moment the black lace of her bra came into view I was incapable of leaving. She kicked off her shoes and shimmied out of her jeans, then just stood there with a lost look in her eyes. I ran a hand down my face in an effort to knock my brain back on track. I grabbed the shirt I’d pulled out for her, placing it in her hands.
Katya drew it over her head, then reached behind her. Next thing I knew, she was reaching into the arm holes of the shirt and pulling her bra straps off, then the garment fell at her feet. I’d never seen a woman do that before, and it made me wonder what else I’d missed out on by never sticking around longer than it took to get us both off. She kicked the bra away and climbed into bed, pulling the covers up to her shoulders.
I wasn’t about to take a chance on her attempting an escape. I held out my hand. “Panties too.”
Her eyes went wide, but she obeyed, sliding them off under the covers and giving them to me. I gathered her clothes and walked out. She gasped behind me, but I just smiled and kept going. Not only did I want to make sure she didn’t try to sneak away, but it didn’t seem like she had anything else with her. She’d want clean clothes until I could take her shopping for a few more things. Our small town didn’t boast a lot of the nicer stores, but if she got a few days’ worth of items, then I could order more online and have it delivered.
I dumped everything into the washer and got it going, then went back to the bedroom. She still looked a little shocked I’d taken her clothes.
“I’m going to wash your things. I’m assuming you didn’t stop to pack, since you said you were trying not to draw attention.”
“I don’t have anything else,” she said.
“After you’ve gotten a little sleep, I’ll take you out to eat and pick up the essentials you’ll need. We can order more later.”
Her brow furrowed and I knew she was about to argue, tell me that she wasn’t staying. I had news for her. She was most definitely staying, even if I really did have to tie her to the damn bed.
I pulled off my boots, set my cut on the dresser, and yanked my shirt over my head. I pulled my belt free and let it fall to the floor. Katya squirmed, but she didn’t bolt from the bed, which was surprising. I’d half-expected her to take off when I started getting undressed. I wasn’t removing anything else, but she wouldn’t know that until I got into the bed with her.
“Think I’ll just lie right there with you. Make sure you sleep like you’re supposed to.”
“I’m not a child,” she said.
I chuckled and eyed her curves that I could still plainly see under the blankets. “No, kitten, you definitely aren’t a child. What you are is a stubborn woman who refuses to do what’s best for her. So you know what that means?”
She shook her head as I approached and slid into the bed next to her. “It means I’m going to take care of you, since you won’t take care of yourself.”
Her gaze softened and she closed her eyes, a sigh slipping past her lips. “You’re biting off more than you can chew.”
“You let me worry about that. Sleep, kitten. All your troubles can be dealt with better once you’ve gotten some rest. I’m betting you’ve been going non-stop for twenty-four hours, if not longer. You’re going to get sick, Katya.”
She huffed but her body slowly started to relax. After a few minutes, I reached over and pulled her against my side. She snuggled closer, but didn’t wake. While there were things I could be doing right now, I could plan just as easily in this bed as I could pacing my damn kitchen. I’d have to let the others know I had a guest and that she’d brought my son with her, and possibly a bit of trouble, but that could wait. Flicker already knew what was going on. As the club treasurer, I knew he’d tell the others if he thought it was necessary.
A soft snore escaped Katya and I bit my lip so I wouldn’t laugh. It was pretty damn cute, but then so was she. Those flashing eyes, sassy attitude, and smart mouth might run off a lesser man. For me, she was absolutely perfect. I closed my eyes a moment as a wave of sorrow hit me, knowing the only reason I’d ever found her was because Lily had died. I might not have loved her, or wanted her long-term, but I’d never wished her harm. I’d hoped that she’d started a new life somewhere, found someone to make her happy. It hadn’t seemed likely with the way she vanished, but part of me had wanted to be wrong. I hadn’t wanted trouble to find her, even though Wire had said it seemed she was on the run. If only she’d told me about Theo. I wouldn’t have married her, or claimed her, but I’d have kept the both of them safe.
Whatever it took, I’d make sure the men who hurt her paid the price. A father was supposed to love and protect his kids, not whore them out. The fucker was dead if he ever showed his face here.