Nickie couldn’t believe how nervous she was about meeting Bud’s daughter. From everything Bud had said, he believed his daughter approved of him getting serious with someone, but would she, really? Or would she see Nickie as the enemy, trying to take over her dad?

Bud had chosen to use old forty-one highway instead of the freeway for the drive to Chattanooga. He’d explained it’d been the route before the interstate was put in, and Nickie enjoyed the scenery on the twisting two-lane road, but her mind kept wandering to what she should and shouldn’t say, and conversations she might bring up if no one knew what to say.

When they arrived in downtown Chattanooga, Bud parked at a hotel across the street from the city’s oddly-shaped aquarium. They checked in, freshened up, and Nickie retrieved the small soft cooler with artisan cheeses she’d stowed in her backpack. Angelica lived in an apartment on the Tennessee River, almost right beside the Tennessee Aquarium, so within moments they were climbing the stairs to her door and Nickie couldn’t remember ever being so nervous about meeting someone.

Bud stopped at the first landing and pressed Nickie against the wall. “It’ll be fine. Why are you so scared?”

“Damn werewolf senses,” Nickie said with an eyeroll. “Daddy-daughter relationships, especially the kind the two of you have, are special. I know you say she’ll be happy for you, but this meeting’s important. If she doesn’t like me…” Nickie shrugged as best she could, plastered against the wall. “I want to make a good first impression.”

“I know my daughter, and she’s going to love you.”

Nickie’s pulse slammed in her chest as Bud brought his mouth to hers and his thigh pressed between her legs and into her clit. His leg was insistent and unyielding, his body was immovable, and need knotted and twisted inside her until she was in danger of humping his knee. She pushed at him because it was too much, and he put his mouth to her ear and said, “When I get you back to the hotel tonight I’m gonna fuck your ass with my cock so big around you’ll worry I’ll split you in two.”

“Fuck, now I’m gonna smell horny when I meet her.”

* * *

Better horny than terrified, Bud thought, but didn’t say it because he didn’t want to remind her about being scared. He dragged her up the steps, knocked on the door, and waited for someone to open it.

Bash welcomed them almost immediately, and Bud pulled him into a hug. “Brother, good to see you.” They separated and Angelica stepped around the corner into the room.

“Nickie, this is Angelica and Bash. Angel and Bash, meet Nickie.”

Nickie held her cheeses up. “I brought you some artisan cheese. Thanks for welcoming me into your home.”

“I’m sure we’ll love the cheese,” Angelica told her as she pulled Nickie into a hug, “but you’re family now so you’re always welcome. I’m glad we have this evening with just the four of us. I mean, I’m looking forward to the party at the clubhouse tomorrow, but it’ll be crazy.”

“I still can’t believe they’re throwing a party just so people can meet me. It’s a little overwhelming.”

Angelica glared at Bud before taking Nickie’s hand and pulling her into the kitchen. “Bash, take dad out on the patio and ya’ll can do your thing with the meat. Nickie’s going to chop veggies for the salad while I finish up with the slaw, gravy, and mashed potatoes.”

* * *

Nickie was happy to have something to do with her hands, but it didn’t take her long to slice the tomatoes, cucumbers, and scallions. She broke the romaine and kale up as she washed it, and was easy with the baby spinach. “Your dad told me wolves don’t like salad.”

“They don’t, but we’re part human too. We need greens at least every once in a while. Plus, he told me you eat them.” She chuckled. “Apparently, we’ve both been nervous about meeting each other. Would it freak you out for me to tell you I read your werewolf books and loved them?”

Nickie was through washing the salad, but she didn’t stop. She needed something to do with her hands. “I’m pleased you enjoyed them. It’s always a little awkward when someone in my regular life reads my erotic stuff, but maybe that’s just me.”

“It let me see more of you, I guess. I mean, I know my dad wouldn’t be happy with a prude, so the mere fact you’re dating him means you have to like sex, but still… I guess it made me happy to know he’s with someone who can give him that, too.”

Nickie wasn’t sure whether to be pleased Angelica wasn’t upset she wrote erotica, or embarrassed because of the conversation.

Both. She was both.

“I have no idea about my dad’s sex life,” she told Angelica, “and I’d just as soon keep it that way.”

“Without making this conversation any more awkward, I’ll point out that werewolf hearing means there are no secrets in a house, and I’ll say that my parents sometimes decided to have sex on the kitchen table and were surprised so much time had passed when I came home from school and walked in on them.” She switched pans from one eye to another and grabbed the butter. “Okay, enough of that because I’m making you uncomfortable. Dad says you rode a bike around India, and over the Alps? I would love to ride the Alps.”

“Maybe we can plan a trip. You have to do it in the summer, and my preference is to keep the mileage per day low so you can stop and do all the touristy things. I think I averaged around a hundred and sixty miles a day, but some days were more and others were a lot less. It’s beautiful and I’d love to do it again.”

“Has dad insisted you stay on the back of his bike, or does he let you ride your own?”

“Until recently, my security needs didn’t much allow for bike rides too often. I rented a bike and rode into the North Georgia mountains with one of my bodyguards one day, otherwise I’ve mostly been in the back of a Drake Security SUV.”

“You don’t have your own bike?”

“My house is in Pennsylvania, though I’m not there much. I have a condo for three months in Atlanta, and I’ll likely buy a house outside the city before the lease ends. I rode a bicycle a lot in Pennsylvania, but it’s a lot flatter there.”

“You’d buy a house? Not move in with Dad?”

“I haven’t been invited to move in, but it’s too soon for that anyway. I’ve decided Georgia calls for a swimming pool, and I get frustrated that the condo pool is only open from ten in the morning until eight at night. I like to swim early morning and late evening, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wished I could go for a swim around midnight.”

Their conversation was casual after that, and ten minutes later the men came in with steaks and pork chops from the grill.

Once everyone had settled into eating, Bud said, “Long story of how it came about, but Nickie and Katie had a chance to talk, so Nickie knows the story.”

“How’s she doing?” asked Bash.

“Well. Still mothering the other girls.”

“I sent her a gift certificate for a massage for her birthday last month,” said Angelica. “She has money but that isn’t the kind of thing she’ll do for herself.”

“I like you,” Nickie told her. “I mean, not just because you’re Bud’s daughter. So many women could never be nice to someone their husband had…”

Nickie trailed off as she realized she was about to stick her foot in her mouth, but Angelica saved her.

“It probably makes it easier on my account that Bash never screwed her, but I’d want to take care of her even if he had.”

Nickie’s gaze flew to Bash in surprise. She’d just assumed he’d gotten close to her and, well, intimate, since he went so far out of his way to take care of her.

“She was so messed up when I found her,” Bash said with a shrug. “She always felt more like a little sister I needed to protect. Angelica heard about her after we started dating, because the club is a giant motherfucking rumor mill, but I just hadn’t thought to tell her myself. I took them both to lunch so they could meet, and they hit it off right away once my Princess realized Katie is happy with her life and her job and doesn’t need saving anymore.”

The foursome went for a walk on the pedestrian bridge over the Tennessee River, and walked through two parks on the north shore. They went into the most interesting shops, but Nickie didn’t want to deal with carrying packages so she made mental notes of what she wanted to go back and buy. She rarely bought knickknacks because moving is a pain even when you keep your life simple, but she was a sucker for homemade soaps, salves, lotions, and candles. She’d learned werewolf noses don’t deal well with perfume or anything artificial, so she made do with naturally scented soaps these days. Bud seemed to particularly appreciate jasmine, and he’d get a hard on from patchouli nearly every time as long as it wasn’t too strong.

She was down to two security guys who hung back and stayed in the distance, and Nickie had to keep from looking for them and making it obvious.

They strolled across the river on another bridge on the way back, this one with a protected sidewalk to keep them away from traffic. Nickie marveled at the view from the top of an arch on the Aquarium grounds, and Angelica pointed out places on this side of the river Nickie might want to explore.

When Bash and Angelica finally walked them to their hotel, Angelica told Nickie, “We’ll meet you guys at the Tupelo Honey Café tomorrow morning at ten for breakfast. Dad’ll want to go to the clubhouse to help with the pig and spend time with his brothers, and I have an appointment for the two of us to get foot massages followed by mani-pedis at noon, and I know you want to go back and buy the soap you kept looking at, so we can get some shopping in, too. We’ll bring your bags back to your hotel and let you freshen up, run by our apartment so I can change clothes, and then we’ll meet the guys at the clubhouse around four. That work for you?”

“Sounds perfect. I feel bad walking into the party without food, but Bud said he arranged for some stuff to be delivered. I guess that’s what he’s mostly done since…”

“It’ll be fine,” Angelica inserted quickly, before the silence could be awkward. “I’m taking two dishes — you can walk in with one of them so you won’t feel emptyhanded if you want, but everyone knows you’re coming in from out of town. Don’t worry about it.”

Angelica looked to her dad. “I like her, so don’t fuck this up.” She looked to Nickie. “I’ve been wanting my dad to find someone for a long time. At first, I didn’t think you were anything like my mom, but now I see a few similarities. She was strong, and she stood up to him when she knew she was right. She didn’t take shit off him. I mean, he bossed her around something awful, but she let him do it so he’d think he was in charge. I see the same thing with you. You’re choosing to let him be a caveman because it works for you. Everyone else, he bosses around for real.”

Nickie was flabbergasted. She meant to say she’d never be able to live up to her mother’s legend, but what came out was, “I’ll never try to replace your mom.”

“No one can replace her. You’ll be your own person. He’s been single a long fucking time, and he isn’t the same person anymore, anyway. You’re what he needs — someone with her own life who won’t take shit off him.”

Bud gave a little growl from beside Nickie, and Angelica met his gaze, daring him to disagree. “Am I wrong?”

“No, Angel. As usual, you’re too fucking right.” Bud let go of Nickie and drew his daughter into a hug. “I have no idea how you got to be so smart, but I’m proud of the woman you’ve become.”

* * *

Bud breathed in relief when his Angel pulled into the parking lot in her little MG the next day. He walked to them and helped Nickie out of the front seat as Bash opened the trunk with his keys and put everything into a box so he could carry it all. The other ol’ladies would likely be at the edge of the parking lot waiting to greet Angel and Nickie, and it would be best if they didn’t have their hands full.

“Did my two favorite women have a good day?” Bud asked.

“Angelica took me to the most wonderful little day spa, and my masseuse had magic fingers. Unfortunately, it was all from the knees down, but I got her name and wouldn’t mind giving her an opportunity to do the rest of me.”

She held her fingers up and Bud grinned at the tiny little gold wolf painted onto her deep blue thumbnail.

“Good to know you were thinkin’ of me. Aaron’s here with his wife and kids, and Nathan usually drops in for a while but he hasn’t yet. Patrick’s here with his wife...”

Mac had been one of her guards while she and Angel had shopped, and he cruised in on a motorcycle and parked in another section of the lot. Mac and Bud nodded to each other as Mac took his helmet off, and Bud continued telling Nickie who was present that she already knew. “Ranger and Jonathan are already here with Bethany, and Mac’s going off the clock for the party. Tyler followed you to the gates and kept going. No one will mess with you on RTMC property, and with Aaron here, he’s good with all your guys going off the clock.”

“Oh, I look forward to meeting Bethany!”

Bud slapped her ass. “Don’t get any ideas about living with three men.”

* * *

The next couple of hours were a whirlwind for Nickie. She met so many people she stopped trying to remember names, and hoped she’d met the most important people up front. She and Bethany hit it off right away, and she was pulled into the group of ol’ladies and made to feel like one of them.

Nathan walked in with four women, and Nickie later found out they were members of his local pride, and the five had plans for later but Nathan had needed to make an appearance at the party. Lions in the wild are frequently monogamous for a few days while the female is in estrus, but Nathan had told Nickie he wasn’t monogamous with anyone, ever.

God, she wanted to write a lion shifter so badly now. She was pissed about having to run it by Apollonius first, but she’d have to figure out a way to be sure he’d approve of whatever she wrote because it was going to happen.

Nathan looked at Bud before walking to Nickie and hugging her. She wasn’t certain, but it was almost as if Nathan made sure it was okay with Bud before he touched her. She didn’t know how much of it was Bud being a caveman, or if perhaps it had more to do with the lion and wolf making sure they didn’t overstep boundaries. It bugged her, but not enough to say anything. Bud had apparently given the okay, after all.

Nickie had heard Bud mention Duke, Brain, Gonzo, and Dawg plenty, and she felt a little as if she already knew them. Gonzo and Aaron’s kids played together and were adorable, but Nickie was glad for the children’s area set up in the back so the grownups could talk without them around. A few of the ol’ladies had babies they kept close, but they weren’t talking yet and did a lot of sleeping. Nickie was uncomfortable around babies and small children, but she tried to say all the right things about their adorableness. Duke and Gen’s baby was already a handsome little fellow, so she didn’t have to think of something nice to say. Gonzo carried his baby around as much if not more than his wife, and Nicki couldn’t help but smile at the goofy grins the obviously bad-ass biker had for his infant son.

As the sun began its descent towards the horizon, the kids and many of the adults said their goodbyes. By the time twilight took hold, the energy had changed and a few women were dancing seductively on tables.

Bud pulled Nickie into the clubhouse and to one of the many dartboards. “You told me you used to play?”

“Used to. It’s been a while.”

“From what I hear,” said Brain, leaned over a pool table and lining up a shot, “we need to get her to read us an excerpt from one of her books.”

“Yeah. Angelica said there’s one with a threesome. I wanna hear that one,” Dawg groaned from another sofa, and Nickie did a doubletake when she realized a blonde was giving him a blowjob.

“Oh no. I’m not that drunk.” She turned and looked at Brain. “Who blabbed?”

“I told you,” said Angelica. “The club’s a giant rumor mill. Usually not so much between chapters, but Atlanta and Chattanooga are pretty tight.”

“My guess is Shadow’s the culprit this time,” Bud said with a chuckle. “He and Brain compare geek notes all the time.”

“I think I wanna hear an excerpt, too,” said Duke from one of the sofas.

“You should make the men read it,” Angelica said from her perch on the edge of the bar. “Now that would be hilarious.”

“Yeah, I can do that. I’m thinking I send an excerpt from the threesome story to Brain, or maybe Dawg, since they want to hear one so badly.”

“Fuck, I’m not sure I can hear Dawg read it without needing to find some relief somewhere,” Angelica said with a laugh. “His voice can ooze sex just asking about the weather.”

“Well, then. He’s our guy. Give me a way to send it to you, Dawg. It’s too long for text. I’ll need a few minutes to pull it up and copy it, so figure it out.”

Nickie’d kept a margarita in her hand for probably the past three hours, but she’d only had five or six. She’d had plenty to eat and spaced the drinks out, so she was barely buzzed. Angelica gave her Dawg’s email address, and she did the copy and paste thing to move the text. Meanwhile, Brain told a prospect to set up the stage and mic, which turned out to mean they pushed some tables together against a wall and Dawg stood on them.

Nickie sent enough of the sex scene to keep Dawg talking four or five minutes, but the man knew how to work an audience and he made it last close to ten. Halfway through, his hard-on clearly showed through his oh-so-tight, worn and faded jeans, and Nickie turned and buried her face in Bud’s chest.

“You aren’t going to get pissed at me for being turned on by this, right?”

“Don’t see how I can,” he chuckled as he pressed her hand against his granite hard cock. “Is that really how a woman feels with a dick in both her ass and cunt?”

“It’s romance, so it isn’t always like that, but it can be if the guys know what they’re doing.”

“And if I could deal with you topping a slave, you’d have it.”

“You’re enough for me day-to-day. I don’t want to deal with two men all the time, I just need to exercise the Domme in me every once in a while.”

Dawg was getting close to the scene’s orgasm, his voice dripping sex until the room was permeated with it. Nickie grabbed Bud and pulled him to her, all wild heat and raw testosterone. Strong, agile hands grabbed hers and pressed them to the wall over her head, and Nickie’s insides melted into liquid heat. Dawg’s voice spoke of bodies tangling, souls joining. Bud’s lips captured hers, his tongue invaded, his leg spread her thighs and his knee pressed into her clit.

Nickie had orgasmed in front of people more times than she could count while in BDSM clubs, and she instinctively understood it’d be okay here, so she relaxed and let Bud work his magic — his lips, tongue, thigh. His hands grasped her hands, pressed into the dark wood behind her. Totally at his mercy, heat moved like electricity to her clit and her empty pussy, and when Dawg’s voice told them about all three partners orgasming together, reality shifting and hearing each other’s thoughts, feeling what the others felt, Nickie fell into a dizzying abyss of pleasure, Bud’s mouth on hers the only reason she didn’t scream as a fiery release pulsed through her body.

Bud lifted her in his arms when her knees threatened to dump her in the floor. “That’s my girl.” He snuggled her to him and she didn’t fight him, let him hold her like an infant. God, his arms were so safe, so warm, so strong. Those same hands holding a belt were just as loving, cruel though they may be. Fuck, but the thoughts of him with his belt had her blood streaming to her clit again, and she groaned at Bud’s cocky chuckle.

He sat on a sofa and put his mouth to her ear. “Everyone in the clubhouse is so horny they can’t think straight, even the dozen or so who had an orgasm just about when you did. Damned fine writing, Nickie.”

He raised his voice to say, “I’ll pay to have a few copies of all the books from that series delivered to the clubhouse here and in Atlanta. Perhaps it’s time we started a grown-up lending library.”

“I loved it when my Princess was reading them,” Bash said with a chuckle. “I’d come home and she’d jump me. No foreplay necessary.”

Nickie wanted to say she’d gotten her werewolf and vampire stuff mixed up but she hadn’t known either were real when she wrote it, but the words wouldn’t come out. Took her a second to realize that probably meant there were people in the room who didn’t know about vampires and werewolves. Good thing the magic knew, or she’d have been in all kinds of trouble.