Myshka? I’m wondering what that means as I walk back into the kitchen. “What else can I help with, Lisa?”

“Honey, everything is cooking, so bring yourself over to the table with me and Alba awhile.”

I walk over to the kitchen table and pull out a chair, sitting down and pour myself a glass of tea. “Lisa, how long have you been with Bennett?”

“Oh, honey, I’ve been with that man since my high school days.”

I’m a little curious to how she has handled this life all these years, it doesn’t seem to be a very easy way to live. It’s not like my life has been a walk in the park. They’re a big family here, and everyone seems to be happy. I guess I’m feeling a little overwhelmed. Everyone, including me, needs reassurance sometimes. “Have you been with him as part of the club just as long?”

Getting up to grab the food out of the oven, she places it on the counter before walking over to sit back down at the table before answering my question.

“Bennett chose this life, the club, not long after he was discharged from the Army. The club gave him a sense of purpose and brotherhood that he was struggling to find once he came home trying to adjust to civilian life. Naturally, I followed him.”

When I look at Lisa as she’s talking about Bennett you can see how very much in love she still is with him.

“Was it hard, you know, adapting to this lifestyle? The MC life that is?”

Smiling, she places her hand on top of mine. “Not gonna lie. It can be tough. Takes a strong woman to love one of these men. It takes someone strong to make it through life period, Bella. Whether it’s with the MC or not. Tell me, do you love Logan?”

I feel completely safe when I’m with him. He makes me smile so much my face hurts. When he walks into a room, my stomach flutters, and I get the most overwhelming feeling of warmth and peace. He was made for me.

I don’t hesitate already knowing the answer. “I love him.”

“Then there is absolutely nothing you can’t handle. Love will help you weather any storm, Bella.” Pointing towards the direction of the main room, she continues. “That man out there loves you, and you love him. Nothing else matters.”

Lisa gives my hand a squeeze before standing up. “Alright girls, let’s get all this food laid out on the table in the common room before they start a riot. Alba, if you would grab the two pitchers of tea out of the fridge and Bella, go grab the potato salad and coleslaw.”

We collectively grab everything and head out to the other room. The men are all scattered, either drinking or over at the pool tables, as we carry the food to the tables and begin setting everything down. Nobody moves to serve themselves until Lisa speaks, “Okay boys, come get ya some lunch.”

Alba walks up to me with a small plate of her own. “Bella, I’m going to head upstairs and eat in my room. It’s just a bit too loud and busy out here for me.”

“Okay. I’ll be up shortly. I’m going to see if I can find Logan.”

Alba turns around and makes her way upstairs. I peer around the room but I don’t see any sign of Logan, so I decided to step outside for a moment to get some fresh air and get away from all the noise.

I’ve just made it out the front door when he comes charging out. He’s breathing is rapid, and his fists clenched so hard his knuckles are white, but it’s the look on his face that has my attention. Devastation. What the hell is going on? I run over to him as he makes his way to his bike, mounting it.

“Logan!” I yell out. It doesn’t take me but a second to be at his side. I reach out, touching his arm, “Logan, what’s wrong?”

He looks to the sky letting out a long sigh before he finally turns his face to looks at me. “Angel, I need to get out of here. Take a ride with me.”

It’s more of a plea than a demand or a question. He hands me a helmet and I slip it on as I climb on the back of his bike and wrap my arms tightly around his waist, nestling into his back, inhaling the smell of his leather cut, forgetting all about the fact that I decided to wear a short skirt today.

I hear Jake call out to him as we peel away from the compound and through the gate.

We ride for what seems like forever with the sun upon our backs until we pull off the main road down a small narrow dirt one that seems to be more like a nature trail. It’s blanketed by an endless tree canopy until it suddenly opens into a clearing and in front of us is a breathtaking lake. The water looks so clear that there’s a mirror image of the blue green sky and white pillowed clouds from above.

Logan stops the bike up under a large oak tree, putting the kickstand down just before turning the motor off. I don’t bother trying to ask any questions so I carefully slide off the bike trying not to flash every woodland creature, as my dress tries to fly up with the warm spring breeze. Quietly I stand by his side and wait him out.

He reaches his hand out, grabbing at my hip. Pulling me closer, he wraps his arms around my waist. His grip tightens.

“Logan?” I barely get out before I’m lifted off the ground as he places me on his lap. I now have my legs spread on either side of Logan’s, as we sit on his bike under the shade of the oak tree. His hands still firmly on my hips.

“Angel...” He leans forward resting his forehead on mine. “I just need to hold you.”

I look at him, seeing a myriad of emotions behind his beautiful eyes. The turmoil he’s feeling is so strong my heart aches. I can feel his emotions seeping from his fingertips right into me. I move my head, placing my lips on the side of his face, slowly and lightly placing soft kisses along his jawline until I reach the sweet spot just under his ear on the side of his neck, as my hands run across the top of his broad shoulders. Raising my hands, I cradle his face in my palms, never breaking eye contact, whispering, “Talk to me.”

Running his large hand up to the small of my back he pulls me into his body, closing the gap between us, until my chest presses against his. Gripping the back of my neck he kisses me. An all-consuming kiss, that makes you want to cry it’s so good. The kind where you feel like your feet have left the earth. Logan is pouring everything into this kiss. My body—my soul is consuming all of it as if it’s the very essence I need to stay alive.

His lips leave mine, only for him to whisper, “You are so fucking beautiful.”

He slowly lowers me until my back is resting against the gas tank. His eyes are hooded with desire as he lets his hands slowly run down my arms, caressing my skin, igniting a fire on my flesh with every stroke. Slowly, he unbuttons my top, exposing my white lace covered breasts. “I’ve wanted to fuck you on the back of my bike since the moment I laid eyes on you,” he rasps.

Bending forward he pulls the cups of my bra down before taking my nipple into his mouth, causing my breaths to quicken. I arch my back, eager for more as he moves to my other breast giving it equal attention. Running his hands up my thighs, he slowly pushing my skirt up around my waist.

“It’s sinful all the things I want to do to you, Bella.”

Watching me, he shifts my panties to one side, running his finger over my slit, then starts working my clit, moving in a circular motion. I’m so turned on watching him, watching me, combined with being out in the open that it doesn’t take long before I’m standing right on the edge of my orgasm. As soon as his finger slides into my opening, stroking my inner wall, I lose it.

“That’s it, come for me,” he demands.

As soon as those words leave his mouth my orgasm rips through my body. I don’t even have time to catch my breath before I hear the clink of his belt buckle and the zipper of his jeans as he frees his thick cock. Panting, all I can do is watch as he pumps his shaft a few times, coating himself with my wetness, before gripping my hip with one hand, and positioning the head of his cock at my opening with the other, and in one hard thrust he buries himself inside me, causing me to moan with pleasure.

“Fuck,” he groans, “you feel so good.”

With my hands clasping the handle bars, I use the leverage to rock my hips, meeting him thrust for thrust as he drives into me.

Leaning forward Logan hitches my leg higher up his waist. The angle has me riding the line between pleasure and pain. Growling, he grabs both my hips as he pounds harder. Seeing him lose himself in me is my undoing. I come harder than I ever have before, screaming out his name. Flashes of lights dance behind my eyes as my vision blurs and my back arches. I hear Logan moan as he follows with his own release.

I’m coming down from the euphoric high of the most intense orgasm I’ve ever had, when he slides his arm under my back, lifting me and pressing my chest to his, softly kissing me.

“You are the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

Tucking himself back into his jeans, Logan proceeds to clean me up. He helps me stand before getting off the bike himself. I go about fixing my clothes starting with pulling my skirt down, then buttoning the long sleeve blue jean shirt I’m wearing. I’m starting to regret my choice of wardrobe when I feel a breeze pick up. Logan notices me shiver and unstraps the rolled-up blanket from his bike, wrapping it around my shoulders. He guides me to the edge of the lake, where we sit down on the grass, but I end up pulled into his lap with my back to his chest and his arms around my waist instead, as we stare out at the clear water.

“It’s absolutely beautiful out here Logan. I’ve never seen this place before.”

“Few people know that this place is here.” He tells me, “My mom used to bring me out here.”

Continuing, he lets out a heavy sigh. “She died on my tenth birthday. We were heading out to this lake when she lost control of the car, going over the guardrail.”

My heart sinks for him, “I’m so sorry.” I couldn’t imagine losing my mom.

“I got busted up pretty bad. Didn’t even get to see her buried.”

I want to spin around and look at him but I have a feeling it’s easier for him to share staying just the way we are.

“My Aunt Lily had her buried out here. Just on the other side over there.” He points to the left. I look in the direction of where he’s pointing and in the distance, I notice a headstone amongst the lush green grass.

“Logan, it’s a perfect resting place.”

“My Aunt Lily, she was Jake’s old lady, told him about this place. As kids, my mom and she came out here, it was a special place to them both. Jake up and bought this property that you’re looking at just to give them both a beautiful place to rest.”

“Both?” I question.

“Just a few feet from my mom is my Aunt Lily. She passed away from cervical cancer three years after my mom died.”

I scan over and see the second headstone. To lose two women he loved in such a short amount of time.

“Logan...What happened back at the club?”

He tenses and his grip tightens. I don’t want him to shut down on me now.

“I’m here to listen. I want to help any way I can. No judgment. Let me help carry whatever’s weighing you down.”

He leans down and kisses my neck. “Those men that showed up earlier...well, turns out that one of them is my father and the one I was sitting next to at the bar, drinking a beer with...is my goddamn brother.”

I’m shocked for him. I turn myself around in his lap and face him. “You never knew who your father was?”

“No, Angel. I’m the product of a short-lived romance. My mom never talked about him. Good or bad. Turns out my father left her because he was supposed to marry another damn woman.”

Moving me from his lap Logan gets up and lights a cigarette. Blowing the smoke out and running his hand through his hair, he tells me the rest of the story about his father falling in love with his mom then leaving her to fulfill his family obligations. His father never knew about him. Nothing at all. His grandfather kept him a secret from his own dad.

“That’s not the worst of it. My very own flesh and blood, my grandfather, killed my mom. He was the cause of the crash that killed her...and it almost killed me.”

He’s pacing back and forth, looking like a caged animal with nowhere to go. “I don’t even know how to process all this, ya know. I mean—fuck, twenty-five years.”

I listen as he tells me more about the whole unbelievable story, and I come to realize that his father lost so much too. I’m not going to tell him that right now. That’s the last thing he needs to hear.

“So, he tracked you down after finding out about you? At least he found you, right?”

Laughing he says. “He’s known about me for a whole goddamn year.”

He sits back down in the grass next to me, looking defeated and tired. I reach over and grab his hand in mine.

“Bella, he’s the head of the Russian family we do business with. Can you fuckin’ believe that? My dad is the Russian Mafia. It was his way of being part of my life until he got the guts to tell me he existed.

“But he found you, Logan. He wants to be a part of your life now.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not too sure I want him in mine.”

The sun is starting to set and fireflies are beginning to glow all around us as we sit for a few moments watching the sunset flickering across the water. I stand up and walk over to a patch of wild flowers and start picking a large beautiful bundle. When I’m satisfied with my hoard I walk back over to Logan and extend my hand out to him.

“Come on.”

Getting to his feet he holds my hand in his as I begin to lead him in the direction of the headstones. Stopping in front of his mother’s, I place half the flowers against her headstone before moving to his Aunt Lily’s and resting the remaining half of flowers against hers as well.

The whole time I can feel Logan watching me. Turning back around I wrap my arms around his waist and place my head on his chest, and listen to the beating of his heart against my ear. I want him to know how much it means to me that he brought me out here. “I wish I could have had the chance to known them both.”

We walk back to the bike. The sun has set and the air is getting cooler. Logan wraps the blanket around my waist, giving me extra protection from the night air once I’m seated on the bike. I’m on the verge of falling asleep when we finally make it back to the compound. Logan has me nuzzled into his side as we make our way into the clubhouse. We bypass everyone on our way in. From the looks on some of the brother’s faces, I’m guessing word has gotten around about the whole family reunion. He doesn’t pay them any mind as he guides me upstairs. I stop long enough to peek in on my sister, who has fallen asleep reading. I walk in and place her Kindle on the night stand but leave the bathroom light on before closing her door and heading into mine and Logan’s room. I go into the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face before stripping out of my clothes, slipping on one of Logan’s t-shirts, then crawl into bed.

Once he’s done brushing his teeth he strips down to nothing before walking out the bathroom. I can’t help but admire his toned inked body. He catches me looking and gives me his signature smile.

“Didn’t get enough earlier, babe?” he slides into bed.

“Never,” I smile at him.

He reaches over, pulling my back to his chest, spooning me from behind.

It’s been a long day, for the both of us. I yawn as I snuggle further into his embrace.

“Goodnight, Angel.”

“Goodnight, Logan.”