Mina
Mina was only partially awake when she realized she was still in Skid’s room. With a smile on her face, she snuggled closer to the warm body next to her. She wasn’t cold, but his heat was too inviting to pass up. Skid responded in kind, wrapping his strong arm around her and pulling her close. He flung a leg over her as well, enclosing her completely inside his body. Even in his sleep, he was protecting her. That was something she had some to understand from their conversation the night before. Skid might not always be acting the way she thought he should be, but he was doing what he thought was best for her. Mina had to accept that, at least for now, it was good enough.
A knock sounded on the door, jolting her from her happy fantasies and reminding her of just what they had done. “Skid? It’s Park. I need to talk to you for a minute.” Mina sat straight up in bed, turning wide eyes to Skid.
He rolled over and rubbed his face. “Yeah, just a second.” Then, finally realizing just who was at the door and who was in his bed, he sat up as well. He looked around the room for a moment before pointing at the closet. Grabbing Mina by the waist and lifting her over his body on the bed, he set her down on the floor.
Wrapped in a sheet and with her heart pounding loudly in her ears, Mina quickly skittered into the closet. Just as she pulled the door shut, she caught sight of Skid jumping out of bed and reaching for his pants. She allowed herself a moment to admire the lean strength of his bare thighs and buttocks, and her heart leaped for different reasons. He was just so damn sexy. Even the muscles of his back as he went around the bed to the door were so tempting she wanted to come back out of the closet and run her hands down them. She turned the handle on the closet so the click wouldn’t be heard as she shut the door.
She heard the sound of the door opening. “Sorry, had to throw some clothes on. I guess I slept in a little this morning.”
“That’s fine. I normally wouldn’t come and bother you like this, but I heard some rumors. Before I jumped to any conclusions, I wanted to hear it from your mouth first.” Park’s voice was calm, but sincere. He was there on business.
Mina sank back onto a pile of clothes, terrified of just what that rumor must be. Had someone found out that the two of them had spent the night together? Had Mina taken things just a step too far with her flirtatious behavior? She thought she had been careful when she had snuck into his room, but there was always the chance that someone had been outside and had seen her make her way across the fire escape. If Park had any idea she was there, they were both dead.
Park continued. “I know you were at the bar last night with some of the guys. I don’t want you to think any of them are talking about you behind your back, but a few of them came to me with some concerns. I hear you spent some time talking with the leader of a rival gang. You want to tell me a little bit about that?”
It amused Mina to hear Park pull out the dad voice even with the members of his club. She knew he respected Skid as his vice president, but it was clear he was still in the position of authority here. The fact that they weren’t talking about her allowed her to relax a little. She pulled a deep breath in through her mouth and let it out slowly, ensuring she didn’t give away her position.
“They’re right, I was,” Skid admitted. “But it’s a little more complicated than that.”
“I’m listening.”
“Stomper is the president of the Sons of Chaos, and I did spend some time talking with him. All of that is true. But the other part of the story is that he was my commanding officer in the army. I hadn’t seen him in a long time, and I hadn’t even realized until last night that he was in town. He caught me as I was leaving the bar, and that was when I found out that he’s the leader of the Sons. At first, I thought I would just leave. I was already on my way out the door when he said something to me, and I didn’t think I was too interested in talking to him.”
“What changed?” Park was still determined to find out what had happened, but his tone had softened somewhat. He had been hoping Skid would be honest with him, and he’d gotten it.
“A few things, actually. I was curious about him, for one. Being in the army can really change a man, and I knew that even when I was discharged he had already become a completely different person than he’d been when he had enlisted. I had, too. My other concern was his men. I don’t think they knew about my relationship with Stomper, and they looked like they were ready for a fight. I didn’t want to leave our men there if something happened.”
There was a moment of silence while Park absorbed this. “That makes sense. It sounds like you have your priorities straight. But you were with him for quite some time, from what I heard. Can I ask what the two of you talked about?”
Mina scowled at the door. Her father was never so kind when he asked her about her business. Park wasn’t going to just let the situation go, but he was playing the game nicely. When he talked to her, he was demanding and angry all the time. It wasn’t fair, and someday she was going to call him on it. Of course, that meant she would have to admit she’d been hiding in the closet. It would have to wait for now.
“Mostly our time in the service. You don’t really forget about the things you go through overseas. The training they give you might prepare you for how to survive in the desert or how to handle enemy fire, but it doesn’t prepare you for the people you meet or seeing them die. Stomper mentioned that he never fit in anywhere when he got out, and that was why he started the Sons of Chaos. I hadn’t thought about it at all until that point, but that might have been the same reason I joined the Legion. I needed a place to belong, a brotherhood that could at least come close to the way I felt about my fellow soldiers. You don’t find that at a nine-to-five job or with your regular friends and family. Unless someone else has been through it, they just don’t understand.” Skid’s voice was quiet as he reflected.
Pressing her lips together, Mina realized just how important the club was to Skid. This wasn’t just some organization he had joined for fun. It wasn’t just some way to make a little money and keep a roof over his head. Satan’s Legion was like his family, just as the army had been. She wished she had understood this earlier. It now made more sense than ever that he didn’t want to tell Park about their relationship. Skid didn’t want to lose her, but he didn’t want to lose his family, either.
The sound of boots on the floor indicated that one of them had stood up and gone to the window. It must have been Park, because his voice sounded different when he spoke again. “That all sounds legit. I have to admit I was concerned that Stomper was trying to recruit you for his club. I couldn’t see any other reason why you would spend that much time with a rival leader. I didn’t like the idea of you leaving.”
Mina thought she could hear the smile on Skid’s lips. “He told me he was there if he needed me, but there was no direct recruitment talk. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Good. I’m glad to hear it.” Park sighed. “I’ve got enough on my hands with this issue with Mina. Of course, nobody has come forward to claim the baby. And why would they? I’m not stupid, and neither are the men. They know I’d kick their ass. I wasn’t really thinking at the time about how hard it would be for someone to admit what they’d done, knowing what the consequences would be. But I guess it’s just as well. Mina is enough to handle on her own, without some cocky biker trying to take her away from me.”
Mina rolled her eyes in the darkness. Didn’t Park understand that she was her own woman? There was nobody who was going to take her away from him, because she wasn’t a child anymore. Park didn’t have to deal with her at all. She had to smirk, though, knowing that Park had the father of her child right in front of him.
“I like to think it’s all going to work out,” Skid replied. “Mina has been a little wild sometimes, but she’s a smart girl with a good heart.”
“I agree, which is exactly why nobody is good enough for her. Well, I guess I’d better get on with the day’s business. Sorry I woke you. I heard you had company last night.”
Mina bit her tongue and nearly yelped.
“Yeah, well, you know how it is. I’ll see ya.”
Just as the door to Skid’s room closed, Mina came tumbling out of the closet. She tripped over the sheet that was still wound around her body and fell on the floor, laughing so hard that not a sound came out of her mouth.
Skid rushed to her side and scooped her slim shoulders into his arms. “Are you all right?” He looked down at her with concern in his dark eyes.
She tried to catch her breath long enough to tell him, but all she could do was point at the door and continue laughing.
It was contagious, and they lay together in a pile on the floor, enjoying their amusement over the whole scenario. “I thought I was going to die when he mentioned I’d had company last night,” Skid whispered. “If he had any idea who it was, or that you were in the closet, he’d probably have shot me on the spot.”
“At least he didn’t tell you how difficult and troublesome you were,” Mina replied, suddenly sobering up as she poked a finger into his wide chest. It wasn’t fair that the two men could have such a candid conversation.
“He wasn’t lying,” Skid argued, “but I did defend you, so you can’t really complain.”
Mina got to her feet and smiled at him. “He’s going to shit himself when he finally finds out about us. All your posturing about how things will work out, and sitting there looking so innocent when Park told everyone about the pregnancy. He’ll remember that.”
He blinked at her. “Wait a minute. How did you know about that? You weren’t in the basement. Park had called all the men down there, and I remember that Grill told you not to come.” Skid stood up and reached in the closet for a shirt.
She smiled as she tugged on her pants, amused. “Today wasn’t the first time I sat around in a closet and eavesdropped. I know more about this club than people think I do, and a lot more than I’m told.” She went to him and stood on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on his cheek. “Looks like it’s time I get out of here.”
Skid pressed his lips together and furrowed his brows, but he nodded. “Okay. I’ll hang out in the hallway and let you know when it’s clear.”
Mina caught him by the arm before he could get to the door. “Don’t be silly. I’ll just leave the same way I came in.” She pulled up the sash on the window and smiled over her shoulder at him.
Shaking his head, Skid caught Mina in his arms and kissed her thoroughly. Mina reveled in his touch and the knowledge that he still wanted her even though he’d had everything from her last night. She turned in his arms so that she faced him fully, letting their kiss deepen.
“You can go,” he growled, “but be careful. That’s my baby in there, too.” He ran a thick hand across her stomach.
She slipped out the window easily and made her way along the fire escape to her own room. The sun had only just started its journey through the sky, and even in their industrial part of town everything looked beautiful. The air was fresh, the birds were singing, and the entire scene below her unfolded in crisp definition. Mina knew that it wasn’t the fact that she was so far off the ground that was making her heart soar. Skid wanted her, and that was the first time he had truly claimed their child as his. Things had been rough, but they were going to get better.