Page 28 of The MC's Surprise
That made me pause, curious. “He rides?”
She nodded, lifting a shoulder. “He goes to rallies sometimes too. Not enough to where he’d join a club, but he still enjoys it.”
“You should have him come to the clubhouse,” Prez suggested, his arm around Maggie with Zoey on his opposite hip. “Some of the older generation still hangs out there. They’regood company and don’t discriminate if someone’s not part of a crew.”
I didn't think anyone in the crew felt that way, but we’d never had a random rider come hang out before. Might be a good way to get more prospects once this batch was promoted.
“I second that,” I offered.
Sierra looked contemplative, her lips pursed. “I don’t see why not. You’ll have to meet him eventually.”
My eyebrows flew up. “I will?”
Butch snorted, giving me a look that said I was an idiot and even Prez was shaking his head.
“What? What’d I miss?” I demanded.
“That’s your kid,” Butch said, jabbing a finger in the direction of Sierra’s belly. “You really thought you’d never run into her folks while raising it together? Your mama’s gonna want to meet Sierra too. You’re family now, relationship or not.”
Oh shit. I hadn’t thought about it that way. I thought about Sierra being part of my crew, but I honestly hadn’t thought about the families meeting. I blanched a little.
“Uh… You’re not like a daddy’s special princess kind of girl are you?”
Sierra’s grin was positively wicked when she replied, “Well, I am his only kid. What do you think?”
Fuck. I wasn’t the guy you introduced to your parents. Especially not after I already knocked her up and stuck her with me for the next eighteen years at least.
Rooster came up beside me, having obviously heard the whole thing, and patted my shoulder. “Might want to start digging, brother. I get the feeling her daddy isn’t going to be happy you knocked up his only kid. You’ll be six feet under by the end of the night.”
16
Sierra
Watching Vegas panic over the idea of meeting my parents was entertaining. Luckily, he was spared from the first meeting at this party. My parents had date night at least twice a month to keep the romance alive, and he wouldn’t miss that for the world. He did agree to swing by another time during the conversation, but I kept that bit to myself for now so Vegas could relax.
Me and the old ladies of the crew managed to beat the rest of them, which made me feel better about parking. I was always worried I’d hit someone’s bike on accident. My dad’s truck was too big for me. I slid out of the seat, watching in awe as the bikes flowed into the parking lot en masse without anyone clipping anyone else, or swerving to avoid each other. It was like they’d done it a million times, and I was a little jealous of Melissa as she rode in on Wraith’s bike, her arms wrapped around his waist. I’d never been on a bike before. It looked fun.
Once they were all parked and it was safe to cross, I headed for Vegas, gesturing at his bike when I got close.
“I’m surprised you drive anything else. I wouldn’t.”
He hummed, pulling the helmet off his head and tucking it under his arm. He stood, grinning at me. “Only reason I have a cage is for bad weather. If I could, I’d never set foot in one. There’s nothing better than being on a bike.” He studied me for a second, his eyes narrowing. “Well, almost nothing.”
I didn't have time to think about what he said before he leaned in, his lips brushing over mine. I sucked in a sharp breath, locking eyes with him when he pulled away. Never in a million years did I think he’d kiss me. And I was so stunned by it, I didn’t kiss him back. He stroked his thumb over my jaw once before tipping his head. “What’s this?”
I drew in a shuddering breath, licking my lips, my mouth suddenly dry as the Sahara desert. It took a long minute for me to figure out what he was referring to. “I, uh… I was running up some wooden stairs as a kid and tripped over my untied shoelaces. I got three stitches and a lecture about being careful on stairs.”
“Troublemaker, weren’t you?” he grinned, running his thumb over the mark.
My face flushed, but I couldn’t help the sass that came out in response. “You have no idea.”
He chuckled, then tipped his head toward the clubhouse. “Come on. It's important to celebrate the good days when things are rough.”
He acted like it was totally normal to kiss me and took my hand, pulling me inside without explanation. I followed numbly, my mind a mess. It didn’t make any sense. I’d seen the way he looked at Charlotte at the casino. I thought he was interested in her. It looked like he had hearts coming out of his eyes any time he looked in her direction, even though he tried to hide it. He never showed any interest in me. I mean, he was flirting a little back at the shelter, but I figured it was just part of his biker personality. The charming bad boy schtick would get a lotof women to drop their panties. It felt good to have his attention like that, but I didn't think it meant anything.
Now, though, I was wondering what I missed. Since when was he interested? And what was I going to do with that information? I was pregnant with his baby. If we started hooking up, that might muddy the waters. I also didn’t have many relationships in the past. Men didn’t stick around when they found out how much of a failure I was. I didn't want Vegas to do the same thing. Hell, I didn't want him to know about my past at all. He didn’t know just how badly I failed every time I tried something new.
Good relationships weren’t built on lies, even by omission. But who was to say he was even interested in a relationship. Maybe he was just looking for a hookup since Charlotte wasn’t giving him the time of day? He didn't have to be abstinent just because the woman he was in love with was seeing someone else.
