“It’s going to be okay,” one of the prospects said to Josie.

“What’s your name?” she asked.

“Richie.”

“Okay, Richie. I’m sitting here with my cousin. Okay? My cousin’s stepbrother was Laszlo. Ever hear that name?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. And you may not realize who I am to Reese.”

“Right.”

“And you’re going to stand there and keep repeating yourself? How’s it going to be okay? You don’t know that. Have you ever seen one of these runs when fewer guys come back? Or one of the guys comes back missing a limb or with their face blown off?”

Richie’s face went white. “No.”

“Then you have no right to say that to me.”

“Sorry, ma’am.”

“Can I get a drink?” Steph asked.

“Get my cousin a drink,” Josie said.

“Yes, ma’am,” Richie said and hurried away.

“Jeez, you were mean to him,” Steph said.

“I know,” Josie said.

“Why?”

“Because that’s how it goes.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Look. There are a lot of people who think they understand what this all is,” Josie said. “They don’t. You have to have a certain mindset to make this work. This isn’t about throwing the middle finger to cops and drinking a lot of whiskey.”

Steph nodded and swallowed hard. “Isn’t it scary?”

“Yeah. It is. For everyone involved.”

Steph reached for Josie’s hand and squeezed. “You’re scared for Reese. You’re worried he’s going to get hurt.”

Josie didn’t respond to the obvious statement. She just kept staring at the gate at the end of the lot, waiting and hoping to see Reese show up. A long time ago it was sort of sexy. Watching him get on his motorcycle and leave. Watching all the guys leave together. The way he and Lasz would get to the end of the lot and then fist bump. Only they weren’t just going for a ride to breathe in fresh air. They were always going into trouble. Always looking for trouble. As much as it made Josie worried and angry, she knew there was a purpose for it. That was just part of the life. Accepting it all.

When she stopped accepting it, things fell apart with Reese.

And whatever was happening now…

“I hear them,” Steph said.

Josie listened. Sure enough, in the distance, she heard the rumble of the motorcycles. A sense of relief went through her. But it was short lived. She still needed to see Reese.

Steph grabbed her arm. “You’re sure about this?”

“I’m sure,” Josie said. “You have to be honest, Steph. Okay? We’re family to these guys. We’ll make this right.”

“I didn’t know… okay? When things…”

“Just leave it,” Josie said. “You’re Lasz’s sister. Believe me, these guys are going to love you. And your baby. She is going to be loved, Steph.”

“Are you trying to convince me or yourself?”

Josie looked at Steph.

I’m not sure, Steph, okay? Because when they find out you…

“Here you go,” Richie’s voice boomed as he returned with a couple of bottles of water.

“Thanks,” Josie said.

The rumbling thunder of the motorcycles got louder by the second until they finally showed up. Levi and Reese were the first to pull into the lot. Josie let out a sigh and touched her forehead. She shut her eyes for a second. She almost forgot how the stress of this life felt.

The only question that mattered was this. Was being with Reese worth the stress?

Thinking about his rock-hard body and the way he loved her… yeah, it was worth it, again and again.

The guys all drove into the lot and took their time lining up their motorcycles. Brett and Jason jumped off their rides and ran to Hawk. They were almost cheering, grabbing each other’s cuts, saying something. Reese looked at Josie and gave a nod. Levi stepped into her view, blocking Reese as he spoke to him.

They then started to all work their way toward the clubhouse.

Josie stood and smiled at them. Battle worn warriors, scars hidden in their eyes, all looking for a little comfort with either booze, women, or both.

Reese broke away from Levi as Levi looked right at Josie. He didn’t do anything though. No nod. No smile. Nothing. Just a straight face.

It made Josie uneasy.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Reese said. “Everything okay?”

“You’re bleeding,” Steph said.

“Reese, you are bleeding,” Josie said.

“VP, shit,” Richie said. “Let me get you a bandage.”

“Richie,” Reese snapped. “Go inside and serve drinks. I’m fine.”

“You’re cut,” Josie said.

Reese rolled up his sleeve, wiping away some of the blood. It was a nasty cut on his arm, but Josie knew it wasn’t something major. He had gone through worse in life; most of it Josie had witnessed firsthand.

“That’s gross,” Steph said. “I’m going to be sick.”

“Steph, stop,” Josie said.

“Christ, sweetheart,” Reese said. “Forget about my damn arm for a second. What are you doing here?”

Josie swallowed hard. “We didn’t finish our talk from before.”

“Is it that important?” Reese asked.

“It is,” Josie said.

She watched as Reese looked from Josie to Steph.

“Okay. Come into the clubhouse. The guys are fired up from our run. So just deal with the noise.”

“I’m going inside there?” Steph asked.

“Stay with me, Steph,” Reese said. “You’ve seen some of this before.”

“Not like this,” Steph said. “Lasz never let me get close.”

“You’re going to go into my room and hang out there,” Reese said. “Come on.”

Josie watched as Reese walked with Steph. There was a small sting of jealousy because she wanted to hold his hand as they walked through the clubhouse. But Reese was a protector. Protecting Steph and the baby. Which actually made Reese even sexier. Doing this for Lasz. In a way, doing it for Josie too.

The clubhouse was busy. Everyone talking, yelling, cheering, drinking. The noise didn’t bother Josie at all but she saw the look on Steph’s face. Wide eyes. Unsure what to think when a woman or two walked by half naked. The language they used. The cigarette smoke that lingered in the air, that pissed off Josie because of Steph being pregnant.

“She can’t be near smoke, Reese,” Josie said to him.

“I know, sweetheart. But she’s not sitting outside alone. She’ll be fine in my room.”

That’s where they went, and it was much quieter.

“Relax, Steph,” Reese said. “I’ll have a prospect guard the door. Nobody will be allowed in without my permission. Or yours.”

“You can do that?” Steph asked.

Reese grinned. “I can do whatever I want.”

“Hey, Reese,” Josie said. “Can we go talk in the bathroom?”

“What?” Reese asked.

“You’re cut pretty bad. I can clean that up for you.”

Reese nodded. “Yeah. Sure.”

Reese stood and motioned for the bathroom.

Josie started to walk toward it.

“Steph, here,” Reese said. “Put something on TV. Relax. Put your feet up. There’s a charger for your phone next to the bed. Don’t go through any of my drawers and shit. Okay?”

“Okay,” Steph said.

“If you get hungry, let me know. I’ll have one of the prospects bring you something to eat.”

“Really? For free?”

Reese laughed. “Just relax a little.”

Josie stood in the doorway to the bathroom.

As Reese approached her, he smirked. That little smirk was enough to kick up butterflies in Josie’s stomach. She touched her belly and sighed.

Maybe the butterflies were just nerves.

Because she had to tell Reese - and the MC - who the father of Steph’s baby was.

* * *

“What happened?” Josie asked.

The cut had stopped bleeding. It was now clean and wasn’t as bad as it looked smeared with blood.

“Nothing.”

“Reese…”

“What? Do you really want to know?”

Josie looked at him as she opened a bandage. “I actually do.”

“Okay. We’re trying to track down the source of Starla’s supply. Because someone used her to move that shit. Offered her a deal. She didn’t really understand what she was doing… maybe. That’s her problem. So, we went to talk with another crew and things got heated.”

“Things always get heated, don’t they?”

“When someone else is wrong, yeah.”

“So, you’re never wrong?” Josie asked.

Reese touched her jaw and grinned. “Never wrong, sweetheart.”

Josie wanted to roll her eyes, but instead, her mouth went dry. She gently put the bandage on Reese’s arm.

“You’ll be fine,” she said.

“I know that. Thanks for patching me up, Josie.”

“Anytime.”

Reese laughed. “Yeah, right. This is like an old habit, sweetheart. You do it once or twice for memories and then it gets annoying. Then you hate it.”

“Maybe you could be smarter and not get yourself cut next time.”

“I’ll work on that. Maybe a bullet will be better.”

Josie slapped his shoulder. “Don’t say that.”

Reese stood up, now towering over Josie. “So, what are you really doing here? You called to tell me Steph’s having a girl. But that’s not all.”

“No, it’s not,” Josie whispered. “I just needed to see you. When you said you were going on a run… it got me scared.”

“Right. Because you still worry about me, huh?”

“Of course I do, Reese. You know I care about you.”

Reese gently touched her face. His thumbs stroking her cheeks. “We probably could have figured out a better way to handle our grief all those years ago.”

“Does that matter now?”

“Nope,” Reese said.

Josie was there for a different reason, but that reason went out the window as Reese leaned down and gently kissed her. He kissed her a few times before slipping a hand behind her neck and pulling her tighter. Their tongues flirted before he took control.

Josie quickly broke the kiss. She put her hands to his chest. “Reese…”

“We can be quiet, sweetheart,” he whispered. “I fucking need you right now.”

Josie felt her body tingle.

Reese moved away and opened the bathroom door. He looked back and grinned. “Come here. Look.”

Josie walked to the door and saw that Steph was sleeping. Her head to the side, passed out cold. Josie bit her lip, knowing what that meant. There was no excuse now. She knew what this all meant. What it did to Reese to go on a ride and almost not come back. The way it messed with his mind. He’d come back and be really clear for a little bit with thoughts. And he’d need his own release to calm down completely.

So, Josie shut the door and locked it. She turned and pushed at Reese, her hands shooting down to his jeans. She ripped his belt buckle open with ease and did the same to his jeans. Her right hand eased down the front and she felt him, thick and hard. With her other hand she scratched at his face and moved to her toes to kiss him.

The kiss was hotter than ever.

Josie touched Reese’s bare hardness, feeling his length, root to tip. She squeezed and groaned as they kissed, wanting him as much as he wanted her. She scratched her hand from his face down his body, feeling the roughness of his leather cut. She broke the kiss and inched down to his neck, tasting him.

With both hands she began to ease his jeans down, letting him be free. She felt his cock touch her clothed body, and even that was enough to make her jump and tingle.

Josie moved down, looked up, and never broke her stare as she fell to her knees before the sexy outlaw. Reese put his hands to the sink and gritted his teeth.

Using her right hand, Josie slipped her hand under his thick shaft, holding him. She came forward and gently kissed him. She left a trail of kisses to his cock, up to his tip. Her tongue came forward and she swirled around him. She readied herself as she opened her mouth to welcome him. She closed her eyes and gently moved down on him, taking his full tip into her mouth. She paused and groaned, sucking, pulling back, feeling the defined ridge of his tip slide against her top lip.

“Fuck, sweetheart,” Reese groaned.

Josie groaned back and moved down more. She worked him into her mouth as far as she could reach. Her right hand held his thick root, slowly pumping him as her mouth loved the rest of him. Her left hand moved under his shirt, feeling the rippling muscles of his stomach.

She started to move faster, taking his cock into her mouth over and over. Her mouth and her hand working together, giving Reese a chance to relax and release from whatever had happened out on the road.

He moved his hands from the sink and played with her hair for a few seconds before gripping tight. He gently thrust at her mouth, testing her. Loving her with soft movements, exploring her mouth as she just stared up at him. She wanted to taste all of him… everything he had to offer.

Reese let out a deep groan and sucked in a breath.

“Ah, sweetheart,” Reese said.

He stopped moving.

Josie picked right up where Reese stopped.

Reese pulled at her hair, easing her back and off him. She moved away with a wet kiss sound and took a deep breath. His cock was throbbing, seconds away from releasing.

“Reese…”

“Get the fuck up here,” he ordered her.

Josie climbed to her feet and Reese went to work. He ripped her jeans open faster than anyone had ever done to her before. He moved so fast and so harsh that Josie clutched his arms, feeling like he was going to throw her to the ground.

Reese pushed her jeans and panties down as far as he could, leaving Josie to hurry and kick them off her feet. He grabbed her hips and turned her around, pulling her tight against this body.

Josie cried out when she felt him touching her from behind. She put her hands to the wall and bucked her ass back at him. Reese growled and cut his hand between her legs from behind, touching her tender slit. She moved to her toes and gasped, waiting for him to fill her. The sensation came a second later as Reese guided himself to her body, wasting no time in thrusting forward, pounding into her.

Josie curled her fingers against the wall, gasping for air as Reese filled her to capacity and beyond. He was ruthless with his thrusts, not giving her a second to catch her breath as he started to fuck her. Pulling and thrusting, going from zero to sixty in three seconds. His hands tight around her hips, his middle fingers hooked around her hipbone, pulling her as he slammed forward, making sure there wasn’t a spot not explored inside her.

“Reese,” she managed to whimper as the swell in her core began to mount.

She was on her toes again, her body shivering, reaching her breaking point. She had no idea how Reese was still holding on though.

Reese moved his hands. His right hand climbed up her shirt and he made her stand. Josie eased back against his body, Reese still thrusting at her, hitting all the right spots, even at the angle where they stood. She turned her head, able to attempt to kiss him. It was an extra sloppy kiss; she tasted more of his lips than his tongue, but whatever. His left hand stayed at her lower belly, keeping her tight. Reese stopped kissing her, starting to groan and hiss. She felt him thickening inside her, ready to explode. That’s when Josie took over, pumping her hips at him harder and faster, bringing him to climax before she stopped and felt her own body begin to feel as though it were paralyzed.

They remained in that same position, kissing, Reese grunting as he thrust, his cock pulsing inside her over and over.

Josie felt like they had stood there for hours, but it was only just a few minutes. A wild and hot kiss that matched their wild and hot sex.

Finally, Reese eased out of her, his hands guiding her hips forward. He fell out of her body and she felt her knees buckle. Her hands slapped the wall and she stood there, biting her lip, feeling another orgasmic rush attack her.

“You okay, sweetheart?” Reese asked.

Josie slowly turned and felt her face burning hot. “I’m great.”

Reese touched her chin. “Good. You’re getting to me, sweetheart. All these thoughts and feelings.”

“I thought you said the past didn’t matter?”

“I never said the past,” Reese said. “All the stuff I’m thinking right now. About you. About me. Where we are in life. How to make this work itself out.”

“Is this you being romantic right now?”

“Something like that, Josie. I don’t want to ever lose you again.”

Josie swallowed hard. “I’m standing right here, Reese.”

“Yes, you are.”

They kissed again. Reese pinned her against the wall.

She broke the kiss quickly and stared into his eyes. She bit her lip.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Josie swallowed hard.

She had to tell him the truth about Steph… and then watch everything fall apart.