Chapter Two

 

Natalie finished packing the last of the pancakes with sprinkles she was trying out. The cookbook lay open with a little note from Simon asking if he could have them. She checked with Lexie last night before attempting to make them. Taking a bite of the weird one that always screwed up in the pan, she dipped it into the maple syrup she had keeping warm, and closed her eyes at the taste.

So nice.

“So, the hair? Is that a thing?”

Opening her eyes, she turned to see Devil standing in a pair of pajama bottoms, and nothing else, not even slippers. She herself wore pajama shorts and a cropped vest. Devil never leered at her, or even stared at her hair.

In fact, every time she saw him around other women, he rarely appraised them. Until Lexie came into the room, and, of course, his gaze followed that woman everywhere. Devil was a good-looking man, even with all of his ink that held the declaration of his love for Lexie and the kids. The list had grown a lot since Simon and Lexie’s name, since they had more kids now.

“Lacey said she could give me something a bit different and I told her to have at it.” She held the end of one of her new multi-color strands. “I like it.”

“It suits you, I have to say. You even look happier for it.”

She smiled. “It’s nice.” She ran her fingers through her hair and placed the pancakes in the heated oven to keep warm until all the kids woke up. Taking a seat at the kitchen counter, she sipped at her coffee, feeling Devil staring at her.

Glancing up at her, she discovered he was.

“Have I done something wrong?”

“Nope, you’re fine. Slash and Butler.”

Instantly she felt uncomfortable. They’d danced for about half an hour at the party last night, and she’d been so nervous. The club had been watching them, and even though she wanted to pull away, she’d not done it. Instead, she’d danced until Devil took over, dancing with her, and forcing the other men away. “Thank you for, you know…”

“Rescuing you?” Devil asked.

She nodded. “I didn’t… I’m not trying to come between the club or anything.”

“Believe it or not, Natalie, I know you’re not. You looked nervous as fuck, and to be honest, if it hadn’t been for Lexie asking me to save you, I wouldn’t have. I’m not always going to be there to put a stop to it. I’m not going to treat you with kid gloves. Both of those men want a piece of you. That is going to cause a problem in my club no matter which way I look at it.”

“Would you like me to leave town?” she asked, feeling the tears begin to build.

“No, I don’t want that. I want you to realize you’re going to have to make a choice.”

“And if I don’t make one?”

Devil’s fingers tapped against the side of his cup, and stared at her. “Do you have feelings for either of them?”

“They’re my friends, or at least I thought they were. When their feelings came out, I just stopped hanging around them. I didn’t want to be cruel because I’m not ready for anything like that.”

“I don’t think you’re a cruel woman, Natalie. Just be careful with my boys’ hearts, okay? Butler’s been through a lot, and as a whole, so has Slash. We’ve survived a lot of hard shit. We don’t want or need any more.”

“I won’t. I promise.”

She was saved from the conversation by Simon, Elizabeth, and Josh entering the room. Simon also carried baby Laurell in his arms.

“Dad, she needs changing, she totally stinks of poo.”

Devil sighed. “I take it your mother has David and Amelia?”

“David had a bad dream about killer clowns, and was such a baby,” Elizabeth said. “Simon said that was going to be his costume.”

“Yeah, did Simon say if he asked his dad or not?” Devil asked.

“Come on, Dad, it’s going to be Halloween.”

“Would you wear it if I say we’re heading to Fort Wills for a party and that Tabitha is dressing up as a princess?”

Natalie smiled as she saw Simon’s interest perk right up. That boy was totally smitten with The Skulls girl. Natalie didn’t want to leave until she watched how that played out. Even when they were kids, they were always sneaking cell phones to talk to each other. It was the cutest long-distance romance she’d ever seen.

“Are we?”

“Would you like to take that risk?”

“Tabitha’s not afraid of clowns.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” Devil stared at his son. “An easy way to settle this.” Devil grabbed the phone and began to dial, pressing the button again for it to go to speaker.

“Hello,” Tiny said.

“Tiny, is Tabitha afraid of clowns?” Devil asked.

“That’s a weird question.”

“Is she?”

“Tabitha, honey, what do you think of clowns?” Tiny asked.

“Why?” Tabitha asked.

“Devil wants to know.”

“Tell him not to come as one. I told Simon years ago that I hated them, and he even punched a clown that was at the fair because he stood too close. Doesn’t he remember?”

Devil gave Simon a pointed look. “That will be all.” He hung up his cell phone. “Think about what you say to your brother before bed.”

“I’ll throw the costume in the trash,” Simon said.

Natalie got the pancakes out of the oven, and began serving to the kids. “You’ll do no such thing. I stitched that costume for you, and I won’t have that fabric go to waste. If you give it back to me, I’ll create something else.”

“You even got Natalie to work for you?” Devil asked.

“I’m doing the dishes for an entire year, and she even makes sure to use as many pans as she can. She browns meat in one pan, fries onions in another,” Simon said.

“Don’t exaggerate.” She rolled her eyes. It was one day that he was being a really bratty kid, and so she made him do a lot of dishes. He didn’t complain while eating the food. “I’m heading into town later to go to the post office. I’m expecting a delivery of fabric, and I want to be there when it arrives. The company I ordered from has a history of getting orders wrong, and I don’t want them to mess it up.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” Devil asked. “Or get one of the guys?”

“I can go,” Simon said. “I’ve got a letter I want to mail.”

There was no need to ask who the letter was for. Simon and Tabitha were also pen pals. She’d caught him writing so many letters over the past few months.

“I’m happy to take him,” she said.

“Great.”

Lexie walked in, and she watched Devil’s eyes literally light up as she did. She was dressed in a sunshine yellow dress with matching flip-flops. In her arms she carried Amelia, and David walked beside her. His cheeks were red.

“Pancakes.” She made to pass Devil, but he caught her around the waist. Natalie grabbed Amelia, kissing her cheek as Devil took his wife’s lips.

“Morning, wife,” he said.

All of the kids groaned around the table as if it was the grossest thing they’d ever seen, which always made her smile.

One day, she hoped to have a man like Devil who would love her so completely that all she had to do was walk into a room to brighten up his world.

They finished breakfast, and by the time she changed, Simon was already in the car, dressed, and ready to go.

“You never move this fast when I have to take you to school,” she said, climbing behind the wheel.

“Well, duh, school is boring.”

She knew from past conversations that Simon went every single day because his dad told him the only way to get a girl like Tabitha was to have a good education and a good brain.

Simon would do anything to make Tabitha happy.

Pulling out of the drive, she began her journey to town. “I’ve got to head to the supermarket first,” she said.

“Sure, I don’t mind. I’ve got nothing to do today.” He rolled down his window. It was already hot, and the car was boiling.

The drive didn’t take long, and Simon walked beside her as she got a cart and entered the supermarket.

“Does Dad know that you send stuff to Lucius?” Simon asked.

She paused, looking at Simon. Lucius was the man from the Chaos Bleeds: Nomad Chapter. She met him when his best friend Roxy had been dying, and she’d stayed in Piston County during her final days.

Before he’d left, he’d kissed her, but only to try to get the men to fight him. He’d wanted pain, and tried to do whatever he could to get it. A few days after he left, she got a text message, apologizing.

They talked, and whenever he needed something, she always sent him a care package in the general direction of where he was. He’d told her he would never settle down, that traveling and being on the open road was in his blood.

“I don’t know.” Lucius asked her not to tell Devil where he was, so she never did. It wasn’t her business or her secret. However, now that Simon mentioned it, she felt so guilty.

****

Slash wasn’t interested in any of the pussy that flashed his way. He sat at the table in Naked Fantasies, the nightclub owned by Chaos Bleeds. There were a couple of new women, and he saw several of the brothers wanting a taste, but he wasn’t interested. He’d not been interested in free pussy for a very long time.

“What’s wrong with you?” Dime asked, taking a seat at the bar. “You never check out the good pussy anymore.”

“Didn’t you hear? He’s in love with Natalie,” Charlie said, taking the seat on the other side of him.

Dime, Guts, Sexy, and Smithy were club members who hadn’t fallen for any woman. They tended to taste all the free pussy now that a great deal of the club was already taken. There was also Wild and Bob. They were two prospects that earned their patch a few years ago.

Over the past few months, prospects had come and gone, never able to hack it for longer than a couple of weeks, thinking it was something easy to be part of. Slash believed it was because of that popular TV show—that he hadn’t seen—but Natalie had gotten him a t-shirt, which he’d thought was fucking cute.

“Aw, are you going to get married and have lots of babies?” Sexy said.

“Fuck you.”

Just then one of the women approached. She had that sway in the hips that told them she was looking for some action. Dime was the first to reach for her, pulling her into his lap.

“Hey, boys, I’m bored,” she said.

“Now, Dolly, how could you possibly be bored when you’ve got all the men that you’ll ever need right here?” Dime stroked her thigh. She wore a garter belt with a corset. Her tits bulged out of her top.

To a lot of men, she was the epitome of sex and beauty. All he wanted was a cute, sexy-as-fuck tomboy who liked to wear jeans. Who stared in the mirror looking scared at the mere sight of a dress.

He’d caught her a few months ago in a dress, and she’d looked so stunning, and so scared.

“I think you should show Slash a very good time,” Dime said.

“I would love to take you all for a spin. Just line up, and I can take you better than any woman ever has in your life.”

There was no temptation there. Nothing. He felt … nothing.

“I’m out of here.”

“You’re not sticking around to play?” Dime asked.

“You can play all by yourself. I don’t want it.” Getting up from his seat, he put the books back in the office, and left the club. He went straight to Devil and Lexie’s house, which is where he normally found Natalie. Rarely did she leave, but he saw that the car the club had gotten for her was gone.

Knocking on the door, Lexie opened it, complete with her beaming smile. “Hey, Slash. You want Devil or Natalie?”

“Natalie, but I’ll settle for a coffee.”

She laughed. “Natalie’s gone to the grocery store. She’s taken Simon with her, so I wouldn’t worry too much. That guy will talk her head off a mile a minute. He’s taking a letter for Tabitha.”

“I thought Devil had gotten the letter writing down to once a week?” Slash asked.

“He has.”

Simon would write to Tabitha every single day, and when Devil finally saw how much that would cost in postage, he’d put a stop to it. Not only for his sanity, but also because it was entering serious stalker problems.

Slash was sure Tabitha and Simon often went a little overboard just to wind up their parents, or to freak them out.

There had been many times over the years that they’d played tricks on them. Slash often wondered what it would be like if Simon never got over his crush on Tabitha. The kid was convinced he was going to marry her.

Pushing those thoughts from his mind, he was pleased he didn’t have to deal with any of that kind of shit.

Lexie poured him a coffee, and through the kitchen doors leading outside, he saw Devil with his kids, rolling around. It was a beautiful sunny day, not too hot or cold. Perfect family weather.

In that moment, Slash felt envious of the family Devil had. Lexie and the kids were his entire world, and everyone knew it. He loved his club, but his family came first, which none of them minded.

Lexie was one hell of a woman. Even when she didn’t have to, she stripped to earn enough money to feed Simon. That was the club’s biggest secret. Simon wasn’t Lexie and Devil’s son.

He’d slept with her sister, who’d then dumped Simon on Lexie, who in turn had been struggling to make ends meet. She lost her job, and ended up stripping in order to take care of a son who didn’t belong to her.

In doing so, when Devil came to get his kid, he’d fallen hard for Lexie, and they’d stayed in Piston County. Lexie and Devil got married and had a great deal of sex.

Slash smiled at the love story with an erotic twist to it. It helped that Lexie was a woman who didn’t take any shit from anyone.

She was a strong old lady, a fantastic mother, and a great friend.

“So, you, Butler, and Natalie.”

He paused with the drink near his lips.

Lexie shrugged. “No one has any doubts about what is going on.”

He took a sip of his drink, enjoying the taste. “Does she talk about me?”

“Natalie?” He nodded. “Natalie doesn’t do a lot of talking, Slash. To be honest, she’s probably one of the quietest women I’ve ever known. She’s been through a lot from what Paris and Lola have told me. Considering they’ve been through hell—and they think she has, too—that’s saying something.”

Lola and Paris ended up being taken by one of the club’s enemies. They’d had a few of them over the years. Their enemy had raped and beaten them before they could get to them. They’d lost a great deal over the years even as they’d found so much as well.

“Losing her parents and the ranch, it must have hurt her a lot.”

“According to Paris, who went to school with her, Natalie never fit in. She was always drawing in her notebook, always wore boots for working. Rarely did she have the time for guys or even the girls. She didn’t play, or care about getting attention. Since her father died and she sold the ranch, she’s not been back yet.”

Devil still had men maintain the ranch until they could figure out what to do with it. The club made a vow to her father to protect her. He’d fallen in love with her long before then.

“I want her, Lex. I love her more than anything in the world. I can’t even begin to describe how much she fucking means to me.” He paused. “What do I do?”

“You don’t give up,” Devil said, coming into the house.

Lexie turned toward him, smiling as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

Whenever Lexie was in a room, it was like his Prez couldn’t keep his hands to himself.

“Do you really think Butler is interested in her?” Devil asked.

“He’s not backing down. You saw him.”

“I also saw the way he looked at our new cleaner, Mandy.”

Slash had seen that as well, but Mandy had taken some time off to go and deal with family, and a new woman, a married woman with a spiteful bite and bitchy attitude, had taken her place. “Yeah, well since Mandy left, he’s turned his attention back to Natalie, and I don’t give a fuck what you say, he’s going to stay on her case.”

Devil shrugged. “I don’t want a war brewing inside my club over a woman.”

He didn’t say anything. What could he say? Just because Butler eye fucked a different woman didn’t mean shit.

****

Butler stood in the post office as Natalie arrived with Simon in tow. The kid wouldn’t stop talking, even when they got to the counter. He watched as Natalie placed a small package to send to Lucius there. The club knew that the brother had gotten in touch with Natalie, and continued to text her.

No one had interfered. Even though Lucius was part of the club, he wasn’t. He was a Chaos Bleeds, but he didn’t follow any rules. The Nomads didn’t have a Prez or any kind of leader. They lived by their own rules, but when they needed them, they came, it was as simple as that.

“Is Lucius all right?” he asked, stepping up behind Natalie, and placing a hand at her back.

“You scared me,” she said.

“Natalie has a date,” Simon said.

Butler glanced at Simon, who paid the clerk for his letter.

“Traitor,” Natalie said.

“You have a date?”

“Yep,” Simon said. “As soon as he found out that I wasn’t her kid, he was all over her just like he was all over the fruit in the produce section.”

“You accepted a date with a stranger?”

“A creepy stranger,” Simon said.

She finished paying for her package and they all left the post office together. “Lucius is fine. He’s … dealing. We don’t really talk all that much. Sometimes he apologizes, which I think he does when he’s really drunk because he can’t spell when he can’t see his cell. He just wanted a few items for his next stop.”

“I don’t care about him.”

“You asked.”

“Yeah, then Simon mentioned the creepy stranger.”

“Yep, I did. Can we have ice cream? It’s so hot right now, and I really could use an ice cream.”

“Sure.” They walked the few feet to the stand, and Natalie sighed. “He worked at the ranch. He’s not a stranger. He’s just a guy I know from a long time ago.”

“So, he’s an old dude who intends to take advantage of you.”

“There’s nothing to take advantage of. It’s a date, and I’m hoping it will be fun.” She tucked some hair behind her ear, and he saw her cheeks were flaming red.

“Why not ask me or Slash to take you out?” he asked.

“Look, with everything that is going on, I’m not … I don’t want to be the cause of something.”

“You think it’s easier to date a stranger?”

“Yes, I do, because one day you and Slash will ask me to make a choice, and I don’t want to do that. I don’t want to be torn between the two of you. You’re both my friends, were my friends. I…”

She didn’t get to finish as the ice cream man opened up. She’d tried to keep them at arm’s length. He got it. Natalie didn’t want to hurt either of them, but going after a different guy, or trying to be with someone else, wouldn’t cut it.

It was either him or Slash, no one else.