Josephine sat beside Lucas in his pickup, not talking to him. Instead, she focused on trying to find out how everything got so damn messed up. Her plan had been to break it off with him, not move in with him!

 

She’d lost track of the conversation somewhere, probably when he told her he loved her. Love—what the hell did a biker like him know about love? She’d seen the girls at the clubhouse, seen the way the men leered at them and catcalled them. The whorehouse in the back of the lot spoke volumes, as well. How many times had Lucas frequented that establishment? He probably didn’t need to, when he had girls like Cherry ready to drop to their knees at any given moment to suck him off when he wanted it.

 

No, his declaration of love was only another manipulation, a way for him to get what he wanted from her—the baby. She should have known better than to think a man could just get her pregnant and walk away. What sort of man would do that anyway? She hadn’t been thinking clearly. With her mom’s illness and her own clock ticking, she’d acted out of emotion and not reason. And now she and her baby would pay the price.

 

Lucas wanted them because they were possessions, just things that belonged to him. And what was his stayed his. He didn’t share, and he sure as hell didn’t give away.

 

The truck stopped at a red light, and she kept her focus outside on the sidewalk. Before the light turned green, a motorcycle rolled up beside them. She recognized the patches; the rider was a Fury Rider. When he turned to look into the truck, she realized it was Cutter, but the bleach blond straddling him from behind wasn’t Cherry. Cutter raised a fist in greeting, which she assumed Lucas returned. Once the light changed, Cutter roared off, yelling into the wind along with the girl’s screech of excitement.

 

“That’s not what it looked like.” Lucas answered her unspoken concern.

 

“Not my business.” She shrugged. She didn’t believe him. Of course he would stick up for Cutter. They were brothers, not by blood, but not any less brothers because of it.

 

“That was Cindy on his bike. She’s friends with Cherry. He wouldn’t do that to Cherry, not when he made her is old lady.”

 

The truck drove through another intersection. The street lamps illuminated the cab of the truck as they drove along. “Whatever. Like I said, not my business.”

 

“I wouldn’t do that to you either, Josephine. I wouldn’t take another woman to my bed while we are together.”

 

She turned to look at him then. He glanced her way, then went back to watching the road. He sounded sincere, but she couldn’t allow herself to believe it. Her focus had been off for the past few weeks, and she needed to get it back. Lucas was paying for her mother’s care while she was with him, so she’d stick with him until she didn’t need him anymore. By then, he’d be tired of her and the baby, and they could just go back to living on their own, without him.

 

“I mean it. I wouldn’t.”

 

“I didn’t say you would.” She scooted down in the seat and rested her head against the headrest. The days were getting longer at work. Her feet hurt, and her head was throbbing. She needed a long soak in a hot bath.

 

“You’ll be safe at my house. You and the baby. I’ll take care of both of you,” he promised.

 

“I don’t want you to have to protect us. Don’t you get that?” She didn’t even raise her voice. She was too tired for that, too tired for another argument. She just wanted to sleep.

 

His hand rested on her thigh. No pressure, just rested there, letting her know he’d heard her, and he was there. She wanted to burrow into his chest and let him hold her, let him take all the stress and worry from her, but she couldn’t. She needed to be stronger, needed to stand on her own two feet. She’d made a royal mess of things, but she would get it all straightened out.

 

“When we get home, I want you to go straight to bed. You look exhausted, and all that fighting didn’t help any.” She sensed him looking at her, but she just closed her eyes and nodded. Sleep would be best. She would think it all through in the morning.

 

# # #

 

Josephine wasn’t exactly sure how she ended up in bed. She must have fallen asleep in the truck and Lucas carried her inside, because she couldn’t remember walking in or taking off her clothes. When she woke, she rolled over and felt the cool sheets beside her. He wasn’t there. She blinked a few times until the alarm clock came into focus. Ten in the morning. She was two hours late for work.

 

Jumping out of bed she searched the room for her cell phone. She needed to call them, let them know she was on her way. In all the years she’d worked for the dental practice, not once had she been even ten minutes late.

 

“Hey, you’re up.” Lucas sauntered into the room, wearing only a pair of jeans.

 

“I’m late.” She ran her fingers through her hair and started looking around for her bag and the phone. “Where’s my stuff?” She finally stopped to stare at him.

 

He leaned his hip against the dresser, his muscular arms folded over his even more muscular chest. Did the man even have time to work out? How did he get so fit?

 

“You’re not late. I called your work and explained you weren’t feeling well. You have the day off. I put your clothes in the dresser and tucked the bag away in the closet. We’ll go over to your place this weekend to get more stuff. You didn’t pack very much.”

 

“I wasn’t exactly given a lot of time. What do you mean you called me in sick to work? You can’t do that. I’m an adult, Lucas.”

 

“Yep. An adult woman who, in the last twenty-four hours, has had as many tantrums as a toddler.” His eyes narrowed enough for her to see his irritation, and truth be told, she didn’t have the energy to fight him again. “I spoke with your manager. She even thanked me for making you take a day. She was worried about you. Said you’d taken extra shifts this past week?”

 

Josephine looked away from him. It wasn’t his business, not really. “Just a few extra hours to cover for someone else. Nothing big.”

 

“Yeah, and that’s why you’re looking at my feet instead of me.” He chuckled. “Come here. You are all wound up, and you just got out of bed.” He walked over to her and scooped her up into his arms, taking her right back to bed. “I know you said you’re not puking anymore, but you still need to stay hydrated, and you need some damn rest. Now, you’ll stay in bed this morning, and if you’re a good girl, I might let you up this afternoon.”

 

“If I’m a good girl?” She grabbed the comforter from his hands and pulled it up to her chin.

 

“I know this is a lot for you. You didn’t see any of this happening when we met at the hospital. I get it. You’re used to taking care of yourself and everyone around you, and now, here I am taking charge. I know it’s new, and it’s hard, but you’ll get used to it. I’m not going anywhere. I’m not going to start dating someone behind your back. I’m not going to cower to your attitude, and I’m sure as fuck not letting anything happen to you, not when I’ve just found you.” The bed sunk beneath his weight when he sat down on the edge next to her, leaning over to place his hand on the opposite side of her body, trapping her nicely.

 

“What if something happens to the baby, Lucas?”

 

His eyes darkened at the suggestion. “Nothing is going to happen to him. But if, and it’s a big fucking IF, something happens, then we’ll deal with it. I’m not just in this for the kid, though I’ll admit he got us together. If something goes wrong, we’ll figure it out. But it’s not going to. You’re safe here. Clay is just pounding his chest right now. Once he cools off, the club will figure out what to do with him and the rest of his crew. We aren’t going to allow all his shit to come into our town, though. That can’t happen.”

 

Maybe it was the way he vowed to stick by her through bad shit and good, or maybe it was his dedication to protecting their community, but the anger she’d been putting foremost in her mind started to wane. A day off of work didn’t sound so bad, especially with his half naked body to stare at.

 

“Will you be here, or are you leaving?” she asked.

 

He smiled, his confidence showing again. “I’ll be here for a few more hours. I have to meet up with Cutter this afternoon. The part for that engine came in, and we need to get it done today. I’d like you to come with me, hang out at the garage or the clubhouse or wherever. Bring a book and just chill out while I’m working.”

 

“You mean you don’t have a babysitter lined up for me here?” She smirked, feeling good about teasing him.

 

“I can arrange one if you want.” he said with all seriousness.

 

She knew he would, and it would beyond what she could tolerate. “No. I’ll go with you.” She sunk down under the covers.

 

“Sleep some more, then you can shower up.” He pressed his warm lips to hers and pushed off the bed. Standing over her, he seemed like an immovable giant, and she was glad he was on her side of things. “Sleep.”

 

“My phone—”

 

“I have it.” He patted his back pocket of his jeans. “You won’t need it. I’ll get you if it’s important.”

 

She didn’t argue. It was nice having someone take care of her for a change, even if it wasn’t real, and she knew it wouldn’t last. Just for a little bit, she’d let him take charge. Just for a little while longer.

 

# # #

 

Lucas didn’t like leaving Josephine alone, not even with two other members watching the house. Between her mood swings and her obvious lack of faith that they would make things work between them, he wasn’t sure if he was more afraid of Clay getting to her or her running off and getting herself in a situation too dangerous for her to comprehend.

 

The first thing he needed to deal with was Clay. Talking to Josephine was bad enough, but that asshole had put his hands on her, touched her—touched what was his. By now, he had to have heard how the vote went. Joe would have reached out first thing to get that shit off our table. Now we had to start looking for blowback.

 

As he walked away from his bike and headed up to Joe’s office, Cherry stopped him, rushing out of the clubhouse, looking as though she were in tears.

 

“Hey! Cherry!” He tried to stop her, but she only looked at him with red-rimmed, swollen eyes and ran around him to her car.

 

He watched her pull out of the lot, wheels squealing as she turned onto the main road.

 

“Fuck.” Cutter ran down the steps of the clubhouse and met Lucas, seeing the taillights just before she disappeared around a corner.

 

“What the hell happened?” Lucas asked.

 

“That girl has more crazy ideas than I can handle sometimes.” Cutter pointed to the gates that were closing, keeping unwanted traffic out of the lot. “I was talking with Joanie in the back room, and Cherry walks in. She starts accusing me of all sorts of shit.”

 

“Was Joanie dressed and standing upright at the time?” Lucas didn’t even hide the accusation. It wasn’t uncommon to have an old lady and still get action on the side. Girls like Cherry knew that, but not all of them accepted it.

 

“Yeah. She was.” Cutter answered with a hard tone. “She was asking me about Cherry. I guess Cherry had gone to her a month or so ago about working in the house, but since she heard about my claiming her, she wanted my okay before she approached her. I was telling her fuck no, but Cherry didn’t stick around to hear me. She didn’t fucking let me say a goddamn word. Joanie hightailed it out of the room, and I was about to take Cherry in hand when she bolted. Told me to fuck off and ran.”

 

Lucas shook his head. “I think I remember why we decided not to take any girl as an old lady or otherwise.” His own woman was back home, probably pouting when she woke up to see him gone and her stuck at home.

 

“No way was I letting her work the house, and I wasn’t doing anything with Joanie in that room. She just went all crazy on me.” Cutter looked back at the locked gates.

 

“You could just forget about her.” Lucas tested the waters. Cutter had only just claimed Cherry, and he could cut her loose. No one would give a shit. Lucas thought about how easy it would be to tell Josephine she was on her own after her little fits or her, more than vocal, doubts about them, but no way could he. He’d told her he loved her, and those weren’t just words to him. For the first time ever, he knew what love felt like, and he had it with Josephine. Did Cutter feel the same about Cherry?

 

“No way.”

 

The deep conviction in Cutter’s tone told Lucas everything he needed to know. Cutter said he wasn’t just fucking around with Cherry, but the look his eyes at that moment told Lucas he was in deeper than that. He fucking loved her, too. Cutter pulled out his phone and tapped hard on the screen.

 

“Cherry. You better be getting your ass home right away. I’m headed there now. It’s not what you think, not by a fucking long shot. I want you home when I get there.” The last sentence dropped off in volume, more worry than order.

 

“Go. I was just coming to talk to Joe. It’s fine.” Lucas waved him off. “When you find her, maybe take it easy. She’s new to this whole thing, too, you know.”

 

“Whatever, her ass is mine.” Cutter shoved his phone into his back pocket and stalked to his bike.

 

Wanting to get back home to his own bundle of trouble, Lucas pushed through the front doors of the clubhouse and headed straight for Joe’s office.

 

“Hey!” Joe waved him in from his desk. “Shut that door.” Lucas noticed how red Joe’s eyes were, not puffy like he’d been crying but red like he’d been digging into some of the supplies out at the warehouses.

 

“You okay?” Lucas shut the door and took the seat across the desk from Joe. He’d known Joe since he was too young to ride a bike. He’d been friends with his father, and he’d never once seen him high—drunk, sure, but never high.

 

“Yeah. It’s this COPD shit. Doc actually suggested I toke up, and who am I to argue?”

 

Lucas laughed. “I guess not.” He looked around the office. “Have you talked with Clay?”

 

“Yeah. About an hour ago. Man’s pissed as hell.”

 

“I bet.” Lucas nodded. “What’s the next step?”

 

“Next step, we wait. He could man up and get over it, or he could blow his shit.”

 

“I think he’s going to blow his top, and he’s going to come after us.” Lucas scratched behind his ear. “That asshole talked to Josephine. He actually went up to her and talked to her, and worse yet, he fucking put his hands on her.” As hard as Lucas tried, he couldn’t keep the anger out of his voice. “He grabbed her arm and took her to the car, saying shit about our decisions. That we better make the right call at the vote.”

 

“What?” Joe’s eyes narrowed. Getting the women involved was bullshit, especially before shit even went down with the vote. You don’t talk to the women to get messages to the men. It just wasn’t done. “She okay?”

 

“Yeah, she’s shaken up and scared now that I’m too dangerous for the kid and her, but she’s fine. I have her at the house. Croc and Zack are there watching the house. I want him, Joe. I want that fucker all to myself.”

 

“I get it.” Joe nodded and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his stomach, which was growing at a rapid speed thanks to his inability to move around much anymore. “We continue on as usual. Business is getting better with the expansion of services. The medical docs are happy with the shipments coming in, and Clay doesn’t know who our growers and buyers are at the moment. For now, we just keep on as we have been but with wide eyes and open ears. We hear so much as one fucking peep that those Iron Rebels fuckers are in our area, and we’ll go after them.”

 

“We need more than that, Joe. We need to send those fuckers a message that they aren’t coming into our town. Let them run their shit around us, outside of this place. They don’t need this small a town for their products.”

 

“What do you think we should do? Have a sit down with them?”

 

“Why not? Let them know they can’t touch this town—next door, who cares, but not here. What’s this place have that they want so much anyway? They can peddle their shit anywhere else.”

 

“They want the medical line; they want that revenue stream. You’ve seen how well we do with it. They want a taste. You think we should partner with them?” Nothing about the way Joe was looking at him suggested he liked that idea.

 

“Fuck no. We don’t partner with them for anything. The medial line stays ours. It’s the only hand we have out there in that shit. They can have everything else. Now that the garage is picking up and the house out back is starting to bring in more cash, we don’t need to reach any further than that medical shit.”

 

“I agree with you, but it’s those assholes that don’t see it that way. They want what we have.”

 

“No shit.” Lucas rubbed the back of his neck. “This has to get settled. I’ll reach out to Clay, get a sit down. Maybe we can try the civilized way, not that those fuckers are civilized in the least.

 

“Fine. Set it up for tonight. Let Cutter know, and I’ll get Forrest on board. Maybe we can roll his ass out of his house for once.” Joe laughed but quickly started coughing.

 

“Yeah, about that. Some of the guys are starting to call for him to step down, get someone in that chair that will actually be in that chair.”

 

Joe caught his breath and nodded. “I know it. And right after him, it’ll be me they want stepping down.” He’d been president since Lucas joined up as a prospect. Having Joe step down would start an entire new generation of board members. “You wanting my seat?” Joe asked with a wry smile.

 

“Fuck no.” Lucas stood from his chair. “The view from my chair is just fucking fine.” And he meant it, too. Josephine already had trouble with the club. If he took on the responsibility of the whole fucking thing, she’d really have an issue. And he couldn’t blame her. He’d be busier with club business than he would be with her and the baby, and that’s not where his needs were anymore. Settling down, being a husband and a father, now that started to sound fucking appealing. He was finally starting to understand what his father was talking about when Lucas joined the club.

 

His father always told him to get his priorities in order, make sure he never let the club become more important than his family. His dad never took a board seat because his priorities were at home, and Lucas never thought he’d make the same call. Fucking and riding, those were his priorities when he signed up.

 

Now he had a pregnant girl at home waiting for him, and he couldn’t wait to get back to her.

 

Lucas left the clubhouse with every intention of going straight home, waking up his girl, and sinking his cock straight into her. He hadn’t touched her in too long, and he needed her, needed that connection and that reclaiming of her body.

 

Just as he swung his leg over his bike, his cell rang.

 

“What?” Lucas answered it.

 

“Man, your old lady just took off.” Croc yelled into the phone. The roar of his bike was in the background. “Zack tried to stop her, but she gave him the finger and got in the truck. She took off.”

 

“Where are you?”

 

“We followed her. We’re outside some house on the other side of town. There’s a medical truck here.”

 

“Her mom.” Lucas sighed. He was still pissed but relieved that she didn’t hightail it back to her own house. “She’s at her mom’s. Stay there until I get there. Don’t let her leave. If she tries, take out the tires.”

 

“Cut the tires?”

 

“If she tries to leave, yeah.”

 

“Whatever you say, man.”