Zack saw the black SUV and wished that he had warned Nicole about his mother before they got to the house. He’d hoped that they wouldn’t have to deal with her until morning, but he should have known better. Mona had to be in charge…of everything. As soon as the Uber drove up out front, Mona burst through the front door and raced toward them. Nicole looked slightly disconcerted as she threw herself at Zack. Over her shoulder as she held onto him, he told Nicole, “This is my mother, Mona.” Taking her arms from his neck and holding her back so that he could see her face he said, “Hey, Mona. This is Nicole, and Liam.” Mona gave them both a confused and slightly annoyed look. She looked back at her son then and said:

“Is that your baby?”

“No.”

“Good,” she said, rudely ignoring Nicole completely. “I got you all stocked for groceries…I didn’t know you were bringing a guest.”

“We’ll be fine. Skeeter is bringing a bike out for me. If we need anything I can run to the store in town.”

“Well, I was only trying to help.”

Zack rolled his eyes and said, “And I appreciate it. We’ve just had a long day and the baby is fussy and tired…”

Mona looked at Nicole and Liam again as if she’d forgotten they were there. Liam reached his little fat arm toward her and smiled. She didn’t smile back. Zack wondered if that was what she’d been like when he was a baby or if she just didn’t care for Liam since he wasn’t hers. He decided he really didn’t care. She was a cold bitch, and he’d come to terms with that a long time ago. “Fine, I’ll leave you to it,” she said, looking back at Zack and raising an eyebrow. “You’re coming by the club tonight though, right?”

“No, Mona. I’ll be there in the morning.”

“Zachary, you told me your father was dead and then you left town. I have to beg you to come back and now that you’re here, you’re not going to even spend any time with me? I raised you better than that.”

“No, Mona,” he said, steering her toward her car. “You didn’t.” She pulled her arm away from him and with blue eyes blazing, she turned on her six-inch heel and marched toward the SUV. Her jeans were so tight that Zack had to wonder how she walked in them at all, and the leather vest she had on didn’t look like it had much more give than they did. He shook his head and not for the first time wondered what his life might have been like if he’d had “normal” parents. As she was pulling herself up into the car she said, “Zack, can I have one more word before I go?” He resisted rolling his eyes. He looked at Nicole and said, “Go ahead and get Liam inside. I’ll bring the bags.” She nodded but picked up her backpack and Liam’s diaper bag anyways before going inside. He watched her until she disappeared, wanting to follow her much more than he wanted to have any conversation with his mother. He sighed and finally went over to where Mona sat in the SUV with the door open. He’d barely gotten close enough to hear her when she said:

“What are you doing traveling around with a club girl and a baby?”

Zack felt his jaw tighten. “She’s not a club girl.”

Mona rolled her eyes and said, “Whatever. What are you doing with her?”

He was on the verge of reminding his mother where she came from. He had heard all the stories. He knew she’d been a club girl once upon a time; she had just been that rare one that managed to get her hooks into the president of the club. Instead he said, “Since I’m thirty years old, I’d say that’s not your business, Mona.”

She narrowed her eyes at him and sighed. “I don’t know when you became so disrespectful. First, you don’t kill the man that took your father away from us…”

“If he hadn’t killed Dad, he would be the one dead right now and maybe so would I.”

“Your father would have never let anyone hurt you.”

“My father was on a mission and he wasn’t going to let anyone stand in his way, not even me. Dad was willing to ally with the likes of Eddie Martini and sacrifice relationships that he’d had for years. He was working against his own club, behind Randall’s back, and when those loyal to Randall started figuring it out and Randall confronted him, he became a liability. Dad needed Randall out of the picture, but he couldn’t kill him outright without a lot of backlash, so he tried to destroy him by attacking his family. What kind of monster does that? Women and kids are off limits even between clubs. Between best friends it shouldn’t even come up. Dad knew Tommy and Tammy their entire lives. He should have been like an uncle to them and yet he was willing to let them be kidnapped, sold into slavery, and even killed because Randall was about to get in his way. You see, Mona, things like that are what caused me to leave this club and this so-called family years ago. Dad got what he deserved, and I’m still not sure what I’m even doing back here for this sham of a service.”

His mother’s eyes filled with tears and when she spoke there was a tremor in her voice. Zack wasn’t affected by it in the least; he knew that she could turn them off and on at will. “I lost the love of my life. I don’t know anything about club business. All I know is that the man I loved and the man that led this club and made it so successful for the past thirty-five years is dead. All I’m asking of my son is to be there for me.”

Zack knew she was full of shit. Mona probably knew more about club business than anyone in the club. He also knew she didn’t beg him to come because she needed his support. She wanted more; he just hadn’t figured out what that was yet. For now, he was tired and he wanted to be rid of her so he said, “I’m here, Mona, for no other reason than that you asked me to be here. But I’m tired now so I will see you in the morning, okay?” She looked like she was about to argue more, and Zack was about to get pissed, but the sounds of a pair of bikes coming up the long lane distracted them both. As they got closer, Zack could see that it was his friend Skeeter and another man that he didn’t recognize. Mona didn’t like Skeeter. Skeeter’s mother had been one of Swinger’s favorite club girls once upon a time, and Mona took her hate for the woman out on her son. She rolled her blue eyes and said:

“I should go make sure things are going smoothly with the preparations. Be there early tomorrow, okay?”

Zack didn’t want to encourage her to say anything else or stay any longer so he said, “Okay. I’ll see you in the morning,” As the men drove up, Mona slammed her door and backed out of the driveway. Skeeter was grinning as he climbed off is bike. He waved at her. Mona ignored him.

“Your mom loves me,” Skeeter said, laughing, as he pulled off his gloves. Skeeter was not a very tall man, only about five foot seven, but he was built like a Mack truck otherwise. He and Zack had been inseparable back in the day and they’d raised a lot of hell. Those times and his times with Tammy were the only things he missed about “home.”

“Yeah, she was just telling me what a great guy you are,” Zack said with a grin.

“Lying fucker.” Skeet tapped knuckles with him and said, “This is Chris. He’s our newest prospect.”

Zack and Chris greeted each other and Zack said, “I appreciate you bringing the bike out. I wasn’t planning on showing up for this shit, so I waited too late to ride out. I don’t know what the hell Mona expects from me.” Skeeter raised an eyebrow and Zack said, “What?”

“Nothing, man. We have to get back. Are you coming out to party with us later?”

“Not tonight, but before you leave you’re going to tell me what the fuck that look was for. What do you know?”

“Your mom already hates me.”

“So who gives a fuck? She’s not your president’s wife any longer, so who cares what she thinks?”

Skeeter sighed. “She still has a pretty good following, you know; a lot of people are still loyal to her and no one wants to believe Swinger was working against the club. She’s been telling people that Randall and the group of brothers that have stayed loyal to him are just trying to make Randall look like a martyr so he’ll be voted in as president.”

“That’s bullshit, and as far as prez goes, Randall’s the only choice – even I know that. She’s cutting her own throat by pissing him off before that happens.”

“Dude, she’s convinced that it’s not going to happen. The past two weeks, she’s been working overtime to make sure that it doesn’t, bringing everyone she can around to her side.”

“She won’t even be there when they vote, much less have a say. Why would she possibly think she could sway anyone’s vote?”

“She thinks she as an ace in the hole, man.”

“What’s that?”

Skeeter slapped him on the back. “Not what, man, who. You’re her ace in the hole. Your mother’s minions are going to nominate you.”

* * *

Zack was still pissed off about Mona and her ridiculous plans when Skeeter and the prospect finally left, but those feelings and pretty much everything else on his mind disappeared, as soon as he walked in the door. Almost every one of his senses were engaged so quickly that it almost made him dizzy. There was music playing, Nicole had found the CD player on the kitchen counter, and soft rock met his ears. Something was sizzling on the stove and the smell of it reached his nose and made his mouth water and his stomach growl. But the sense that was assaulted without mercy was his sight. She looked like she’d showered. Her long brown hair was wet and hung in twisty waves down her back and she was wearing a long t-shirt…his t-shirt. It was longer than the shorts she’d had on earlier, reaching the tops of her thighs, but the idea of something he’d worn touching her skin and the fantasy that there was nothing underneath it combined to give him an instant hard-on. She didn’t hear him come in and she was shaking her hips slowly to the beat of the music as she used the spatula to stir whatever she had in the pan on the stove. Zack sat his overnight bag down and then he had to fist his hands and press them into his jeans to keep from going over and grabbing those hips from behind. He wanted to use them to turn her around to face him and then he wanted to shove his tongue in her mouth. After he kissed her lips he wanted to explore the rest of that gorgeous body before finally shoving his aching cock up inside of her. Fuck. She was killing him.

She turned slightly to grab the salt and caught sight of him. She had an embarrassed look on her face when she looked at him, likely from being caught enjoying the music. “Oh hey, I didn’t hear you come in.”

Zack smiled. “You looked like you were enjoying yourself. I didn’t want to interrupt.” Now he was having visions of her enjoying herself in ways that he wanted to enjoy her. Zack loved to watch. Nothing got him off faster than watching a beautiful woman bringing herself to orgasm while he lay close by, whispering dirty, sexy things in her ear.

“I hope you don’t mind that I borrowed your shirt,” she said. “I felt like I really needed a shower and I forgot to bring a night-shirt.”

Zack resisted the urge to lick his lips as his eyes drank in those long, tan legs reaching out from underneath a t-shirt that in any other situation would be anything but sexy. “I don’t mind at all. Make yourself at home. What are you cooking?”

“Oh!” she exclaimed, turning back to the pan. “I almost burned it. I found some shredded pork in the refrigerator. I was going to throw some barbecue sauce on it and make pulled-pork sandwiches. Is that okay?”

“It sounds great, and smells damned good too. Where’s Liam?”

“He ate and had his bath and he’s down for the count. He’s had a long day with the plane ride and all. I doubt that he’ll wake up before morning.” Another reason for Zack to not quell the thoughts that had his cock dancing in his pants.

“Oh…good. Do I have time to shower before that’s ready?”

“Yes, of course. I’ll keep it warm.”

Zack almost had trouble walking with the front of his jeans suddenly so tight. She was going to just about kill him before this was over. If she were any other woman, he would have had her pinned against the refrigerator in the kitchen by now…but he got the feeling any touch that she didn’t initiate would only scare her away…so, he had to figure out how to get her to initiate it.

He walked through the bedroom to get to the bathroom and saw Liam lying in the center of the bed. Nicole had piled pillows around the edges so that he didn’t roll off, and he lay with his legs underneath him and his bottom in the air. One of his hands was underneath his little head and he had the thumb of the other one in his mouth. Zack watched him curiously for a few seconds. His little mouth would occasionally begin to suck wildly on that thumb and his long, pale eyelashes would flutter, and then he’d relax again and the only visible movement was the gentle rise and fall of his back. Zack was confused by the tug he felt in his chest when he looked at the little guy. He was a part of Spider, and Zack had a list of things he’d like to do to that guy, none of them good. But Liam had the opposite effect on him; he was almost compelled to go over and pick up the sleeping baby and feel him in his arms. Weird. At least while he was looking at the baby, the painful erection he’d had for his mother had gone down. Zack laughed as he turned and headed into the bathroom. The little booger was a cock-block.