Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 126215 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 631(@200wpm)___ 505(@250wpm)___ 421(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126215 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 631(@200wpm)___ 505(@250wpm)___ 421(@300wpm)
But seeing her, seeing Lexie with his brothers at his club, taking to the life so well, he felt conflicted. He felt proud to give them something they had lacked, something Mia had lacked. A family. It ate him up inside every time he thought about the detached way she had told him about her lowlife parents. Killed him thinking someone like Mia hadn’t been given love. Then he almost burst with pride seeing what it had done to her. Hadn’t ruined her, broke her. It had made her determined to give her girl the best life she could, be the best mom he had ever seen.
Something had niggled at the back of his mind when she had told him about Lexie’s dad. He had been meaning to dig up where the fucker was hiding so he could put his mind at ease, but he hadn’t had time. Shit was busy with the club. Just because they turned legit didn’t mean they lost money. They fuckin’ gained it. They diversified, adapted. Which meant he was doing a lot of shit. Not all of it was always strictly legal, but it wasn’t exactly running guns either. With that came the other edge of the sword, having Mia and Lexie around the club. He loved his club, loved his brothers, but watching Mia with them sometimes made him feel like he was watching a ghost. Mia wasn’t like her. Nothing like her. Different in every way, apart from the golden hair on her head. But he felt the same as he did before. Happy, part of a family. Way he felt before his life got ruined forever. So he was waiting. Bracing. There was something that told him to be on guard. Something was coming. Brothers felt it too. May have had something to do with the whispers that the Lost Knights weren’t heeding their warning, that they were up to their old shit again. The plan was to check it out after the party, put their minds at ease.
Little did he know the party was going to be the thing to blow it all to shit. Take him back to darkness.
The day was amazing. The sun shining on the clubhouse, coupled with multiple children tearing around the joint, made it seem less of a biker hangout and totally more of a picnic. Not that I would ever tell Zane that. Or maybe I would, just to tease him. To see if I could turn that little twitch in the corner of his mouth he got sometimes around me and Lexie into an actual, honest to goodness smile. It was my mission to make him laugh. Not having laughter in your life was a sad thing indeed. From someone who laughed a lot, I knew it was the best medicine.
Various people turned out for the party, surprisingly, not all bikers. A beautiful African American man wearing the most to die for Alexander McQueen tee arrived. I had spoken to him briefly, met his partner, who was equally beautiful in a more rugged and hot guy way, similar to Zane and Cade in their broody silent type look. I was pleasantly surprised that the openly gay couple didn’t ruffle any feathers with the decidedly masculine crowd. There was also yet another hot dark-skinned man with the most kick ass tribal tattoo snaking up his arm. I had briefly been introduced to him and almost melted at his accent. It was the same as Gwen’s, as he was a friend from New Zealand, but I had never heard it on a man. Totally sexy. As was the way his eyes followed Lucy around the party, although she spent a good amount of time glaring at him.
Zane was, as usual, in a man huddle with a couple of other bikers, eyes flickering over to me every now and then. He had yet to openly acknowledge me, although Lexie had near pounced on him when we arrived. He had spoken to her quietly and tugged one of the pigtails she had in her hair. My girl looked cute. In her usual boho rock chick apparel, she was wearing a baby doll lace dress with a white lace tee layered underneath. She had a multitude of necklaces slung around her neck and high heeled slouchy cowboy boots. I, on the other hand, had gone for a pure white sundress, strapless and tight across the boobs with a full skirt than finished above my knees.
“Mia?” Gwen called.
She was sitting on Cade’s knee while he nuzzled her neck. I swallowed the lump in my chest that had me wishing Zane could show such easy affection.
“Yeah hon?” I called back with a forced smile.
“Could you pretty please go and make sure all the plugs are switched on for Lex? I promised I would, but a certain biker is not letting me off his lap.” She glared at her husband who didn’t look bothered in the slightest.
I laughed. “Sure.”
Honestly, I was happy to get away from the PDAs. I was feeling more than a little depleted that my own “Old Man” hadn’t even kissed me hello. I thought I looked okay. Great, actually. With the amount of effort I went to I thought at least I’d get a blazing look. But no. “Mr. Broody and Handsome can’t manage that,” I complained to myself, checking all the wires.
“Can’t manage what, Wildcat?” a deep voice grated, hands seizing me by the waist.
I was whipped around and my body pressed to a hard one. Zane’s eyes were now blazing. “A kiss hello,” I half snapped at him, but I wasn’t really successful, considering my voice was slightly breathy from his look, his touch.
Zane frowned at me slightly then pressed his mouth to mine. He attacked me with a desperation I could barely survive. I was slammed against the wall as his fingers dug into my hair. The sounds of the party drowned out and I wrapped my leg around his waist, needing friction, contact. His hand moved to cup my bare ass as my dress rode up.