Chapter 10

AVERY

“So, are you going to tell me about you now?” Avery asked.

“Well, as you know, I’m president of Devil’s Reign MC. You probably heard that we are outlaws, and I will be honest, we are. I’m not telling you what we do, but we have illegal operations.

“We do have legitimate businesses as well—a shipping company, a custom bike shop, the bar, a strip club, and in two months’ time, a coffee shop.

“That’s what I have been working on this week, among other things. Bought an old restaurant with a drive-thru on Highland Street,” he said.

“How did you get involved with the MC? What about your parents?” Avery pushed.

“My dad was president before I was, like my grandfather was before him. My dad is currently serving a stint in the federal prison in Cooper for money laundering.

“He should be out soon with continued good behavior. My mom split when I was 16, couldn’t take the life anymore.

“I kind of get my sex drive from my old man, and he took full advantage of the club whores, frequently.” He shrugged.

“Do you see her? Your mom?”

“Nope. She moved to Florida, hooked up with some rich bastard, and never looked back.”

“She never contacted you?” Avery asked, shocked.

“Nope. It was hard on my sister; she was eleven and needed a mom in her life.”

“That I can relate to. Did she have anyone else to lean on?”

“Yeah. One of the longtime members’ old lady, Mama June, took her under her wing. They are still close.

“Lex looks at her and Papa Bear like grandparents since she doesn’t know my dad yet,” he said, opening up a package filled with brownies and offering her one.

“You said you don’t date... What about Alexis’s mom?”

“Ah, Dominique... Grade-A pain in my ass and Lexi’s mother. She was a ‘hang around’ in the clubhouse, trying desperately to become an old lady.

“I had only been president for about a year when I met her. She set her eyes on me and didn’t stray from that goal.

“I finally gave in, and she’d been my regular piece for about four months when she came and said she was pregnant.

“I was beyond pissed. I always handle my own wraps—uh, condoms, just because I don’t trust people, learned that from Mommy dearest.

“I demanded a DNA test, and she was, in fact, pregnant with my kid, so I kept her around so I could watch my kid.”

“Found out that she was poking holes in my condoms and got pregnant on purpose, and that pissed me off something fierce.

“Then she had the nerve to start sleeping with other guys while pregnant with my kid.” Justin paused and took another drink of beer.

“So what did you do?” Avery asked, hesitantly.

“Oh, that’s not all she did. Kiki, my sister, found her doing some lines of coke while she was still pregnant. We were so damn lucky that Lex wasn’t harmed.

“Her doctor still monitors her development just to make sure, but we think we might be in the clear,” he finished, ignoring the question.

“Oh my god, Justin! Poor Alexis,” Avery gasped.

“Yeah, it was rough. But it’s all resolved,” Justin assured her.

“What does that mean?” Avery asked.

Justin replied shrewdly, “Dominique won’t be a problem.”

Avery had no idea how to process that and wondered exactly what he meant by that. She bit into her brownie and commented on how good they were.

They talked about lighter things for a while, each processing the information they had heard.

When the conversation dragged just a little, Justin leaned over and kissed her, tasting the chocolate that now had invaded her mouth.

He quickly took it deeper and placed his hands on her face, feeling the warmth and softness of her skin.

Avery felt like she was being consumed by him. He was surrounding her with warmth and tenderness, something she hadn’t had in a long time.

The smells surrounding her were heightening her senses, and she didn’t know if it was a good thing or a bad thing. She could smell the fresh air, the trees, the earth, and Justin.

Why the hell did he have to smell so damn good? Whatever soap or aftershave he wore was spicy and pure male.

She could smell that and the scent of leather along with the faint, lingering scent of cigars. And the whole combination made her heart race and her panties wet.

She felt him shift their weight, and he gently laid her back on the blanket, where he moved to her neck and let one hand wander up to her hair, weaving his fingers in the silky locks.

Justin almost threw away all the self-restraint he had when she moaned softly. He nipped just below her ear and grabbed his shirt tighter in her hands.

Avery felt his other hand move down the length of her torso and stop at the hem of her shirt. He gently moved under the material and touched her warm skin.

Avery jumped a little when the cold metal of his rings hit her skin, and that woke her up from the lust-filled haze he was creating.

“Justin, I, wait,” she murmured and squeezed his shoulders.

Justin placed one last kiss on her neck, then looked at her. “What’s wrong, baby?”

“First, there are two of your men watching us, and I’m not used to an audience,” Avery said softly.

“Audiences aren’t so bad,” he joked, chuckling.

“You’ve had sex in front of people?!” she gasped.

He shrugged. “A discussion for another time.

“Baby, the prospects will not say anything; it is their job to show loyalty to the MC. These guys are almost done with their probationary time, and I know I can trust them. That’s why they are here.”

Avery bit her lip. “Justin, I, um, my scars are—”

“Not going to bother me in the least bit. I have some scars of my own. Granted, most of them are covered by ink, but I still have them.

“When you see them, are you going to be disgusted by them?” Justin challenged.

“Of course not!” she huffed. “And it pisses me off that you would think that!”

“Ditto, baby. Just because I am a biker doesn’t mean I am shallow either,” Justin growled.

Avery flinched at the tone in his voice. “I know, I’m sorry. It’s just that Zach, my ex, made it very clear that my body—”

“Is perfect. Your body is perfect, baby. That ex was a giant asshole and wouldn’t know beauty if it pissed on his leg.

“And I can’t wait to see it with my own eyes,” Justin assured her, pushing the hair back from her face. He leaned in and kissed her gently, teasing her tongue with his.

Avery felt her resolve breaking and reached up to pull him closer to her again.

His hand went back under her shirt and started teasing one of her nipples through the lace of her bra while grinding his erection into her leg.

Avery gasped when she felt how hard and large he was against her.

“That’s right, that’s all because of you, baby,” Justin growled huskily.

Just as she was going to respond, they heard his phone ring. Justin murmured, “Fuck.”

Justin waited a moment, then went back to kissing her, ignoring the ringing phone. Avery was shocked but went with it.

He ignored the device two more times and continued with their make-out session. He only stopped when he heard a voice.

“Prez?”

Justin growled and pulled back from Avery, looking up. “This better be fucking important, Prospect!”

“Yes, sir. Theo tried calling you a few times, and when you didn’t answer, he called me. Sir, there is something going on at the bar and they need you there…” Cole said, stuttering some.

Justin looked up at him. “Seriously? Now?”

Cole nodded. “I’m afraid so.”

Justin moved to his knees and looked down at Avery. “I’m sorry, baby. I gotta go.”

Avery nodded and smiled. “I understand.”

Justin got up, offered his hand to Avery, helping her up, then pulled her flush with his body. “I promise to make this up to you, baby. Can I call you tomorrow?”

Avery smiled, “Sure. Can’t guarantee that I’ll answer.”

Justin grinned. “Have a bit of a sassy mouth, huh?”

Avery shrugged, making Justin bark out a laugh.

“Cole, I need you to take Miss Harper back home for me. When she is safely inside her apartment, you can head back to the clubhouse.

“Marco!” Justin yelled, and a stocky man walked out of the shadows. “I need you to clean this up for me, then you can head back to the clubhouse too.”

They both acknowledged, and Justin turned back to Avery. “I’ll see you later, baby.” Then he kissed her deeply. He patted her ass as he was pulling back and winked at her.

She watched as he walked to his bike with his usual swagger, put on his helmet, waved at her, and drove off.

“Are you ready, Miss Harper?” she heard a man ask. She looked at him and saw a young man, just a bit younger than her, smiling.

“Sure,” she replied and followed him to the SUV that was parked off to the side. The ride was quiet back to her place.

She thanked him and went up the stairs, knowing that he was watching. She locked the door behind her and leaned back on the door and sighed.

“Well, Daddy, I bet you loved this. I can only imagine the look on your face if I told you I was on a date with a biker!”