The Hounds Descend (Lucifer’s Hounds MC #3)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

Lilly

Lilly Summers. That had been my name my entire life.

Now, in a little over a year, I’d be Lilly Sonnier.

The plus side is I won’t have new initials.

The other plus side is I’m marrying the man that introduced me to a new lifestyle, a new family, and a new sense of the word love.

Cass has done everything in his power to give me a beautiful life in the time we’ve been together, and oh did he succeed.

Our first Christmas together is approaching quickly, and I may be a little stressed out.

“Baby! Did you talk to your dad? Is he in town yet?” I yell across our kitchen to Cass who’s sitting on the couch in the living room with his feet propped up on our coffee table.

“Yeah,” he says, mindlessly. He’s zoned out into a football game on the television and I’m ninety-nine percent sure he’s answering out of habit and not because he actually heard the words coming out of my mouth.

I roll my eyes and laugh to myself as I finish rinsing the dishes and loading them into the dishwasher.

Life has been fantastic around here. Since we got engaged, we’re worse than we were before with not being able to keep our hands off of one another.

He’s still gone often with the club, but my God when he’s home it’s amazing.

“Did you tell him we’re doing Christmas dinner here at one o’clock on Christmas day?” I ask.

I’m met with silence for a few seconds before he’s yelling at the television. “Go! Go! Yes! Touchdown!”

I giggle to myself as I watch his excitement from the kitchen. The New Orleans Saints just scored a touchdown and are leading by fourteen points. Something I learned about him after we met, he’s a Saints fan. It makes Christmas shopping pretty easy, though.

The game cuts to a commercial and he walks into the kitchen. “What did you say, baby?”

“I asked if you told your dad we’re having Christmas dinner here at one o’clock on Christmas day?”

“Oh. Yeah, I told him. He said he wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

I smile at him as he takes me in his arms and spins me around the kitchen, almost knocking me into the island. He tips me backward and kisses me then sets me back upright. His smile nearly knocks the air from my lungs.

“Mom and David are coming, too. So are Mindy and Linc. Did any of the other club guys not have somewhere to go?”

“Fernando came for Thanksgiving, so I’m sure he’ll come over for Christmas, too. Everybody else has family to be with.”

“Okay. I just want to make sure we have enough for everyone to eat and I want to be sure that everyone has a gift to open.”

Cass’s bright-eyed smile makes my heart happy. “I love you,” he says, placing a gentle kiss on my lips. The room spins when his lips mesh with mine.

I open my eyes when he draws back. “I love you, too.”

The sound of the sports announcer draws Cass’s attention, and he bolts into the living room, hopping over the back of the couch in the process. His black Hounds long sleeved T-shirt fits him perfectly, showing off his arms and shoulders through the thin material.

The smell of the chocolate cake I just mixed-up wafts through the kitchen reminding me to check on it.

Christmas is in two days, and I’ve been more in the spirit of Christmas this year than I ever have before.

The multicolored lights from the Christmas tree reflect off the countertops as I walk through the kitchen to open the oven.

I stick a toothpick in the cake, determining that it’s done.

Using a red oven mitt with a reindeer on it that I bought at a craft store last week, I pull the delicious smelling cake out of the oven.

The sweet smelling chocolate scent fills the kitchen, making everything seem cozier.

A lady at the bar gave me a recipe for an upside-down German Chocolate Cake, and I’ve been eager to try it out.

While I wait for the cake to cool, I make a shopping list for all of the last-minute ingredients I need for Christmas dinner and a few last-minute gifts.

I hear the television in the living room go from football to Christmas music.

Cass knows me so well. He walks back into the kitchen as I’m writing my list out.

His nose lifts in the air, breathing in the scent of chocolate cake.

“Nope. It isn’t done yet,” I say softly.

He frowns at me. “Well, what are you waiting on?”

“It’s got to cool off. Then it’ll be done.”

He reaches over and touches the top of the cake. “It’s cooled off.”

Before I can protest, he grabs a knife and cuts a slice. He digs in with a fork and his eyes bulge when he puts the bite in his mouth. “Oh my God. Is this the recipe Pamela gave you?”

I nod my head at him.

He sounds like he’s having an orgasm eating the rest of the small slice he cut.

Looks like I’ll be making another one tomorrow.

The sound of a motorcycle outside makes Cass grin and makes me curious, looking out the window.

He obviously knows who it is, but I didn’t know we were going to have any visitors this evening.

I peep outside through the blinds over the sink and spot two people on the bike that pulls into the driveway. Hmm. Could be Scott and a pin cushion, could be Linc and Mindy, who knows. I look over at Cass.

“You didn’t tell me we were expecting company!”

He shrugs his shoulders. “It’s my house, too. Didn’t think I needed your permission.” He sticks his tongue out at me. The playful glimmer in his eyes turns me on instantly. My God, I love his sense of humor.

A knock on the back door pulls my eyes from his and I’m already ready for whoever is here to leave so I can drag Cass to bed.

Cass winks at me before walking across the kitchen to open the door.

Mindy and Linc walk in, shivering and covered nearly head to toe in leather.

Mindy’s blonde curls peak out from under the handmade crochet beanie I made her last Christmas, and the sight makes me smile so hard my cheeks almost hurt.

We’ve all been so busy lately that I have hardly seen Linc and Mindy. Instantly forgetting my naughty thoughts of dragging Cass away, I run across the room and pull my best friend into a hug.

“Ladies! If y’all could hug a little further inside so we can shut the door and not freeze anymore, that’d be awesome,” Linc says, his hands on Mindy’s back slowly pushing us back into the house. He closes the door and shakes Cass’s hand.

“I missed you!” Mindy cheers, taking her gloves off.

“I missed you too! So much. What have y’all been doing? I’m sorry I’ve been so busy.”

It’s been chaos since the last time I saw her.

Thanksgiving Day was the last time they were here and that’s highly unusual.

We’ve been in our house eight months now and Mindy and Linc were normally here once every week, at a minimum.

Or we were hanging out at the club house.

Mindy still works for us at Creek’s, and I’ve been back behind the bar a little bit in the last few months with holidays and losing Ryan at the bar because she found a job more suitable for her.

“Gah, what have we not been doing?” she says, grinning at Linc who’s watching her from across the room where he and Cass are standing.

Linc and Cass both have a beer in hand, and I wonder when they walked to the fridge but don’t question it.

“We’re going to go out and make a fire in the firepit out back. We’ll have it ready in a few minutes for you two,” Cass says, walking away with Linc behind him.

I drag Mindy to the couch in the living room and sit down.

“Y’all are still coming over for Christmas, right?” I ask.

“Well, yeah! It’s Christmas and you know you two are our closest family. That’s something I was hoping to talk to you about.”

“What?”

“Okay, so. You’re my best friend and Linc and Cass are pretty close, too, right?”

“Yeah…”

“I found out right before Thanksgiving that we’re pregnant! And we want y’all to be the godparents.”

I squeal with excitement and tears of happiness prick the back of my eyes. “Oh my God, Min! I’m so happy for the two of you! Of course, we’d love to be the godparents!”

She squeezes me in a hug, laughing and crying all at once.

“Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”

“I didn’t want to jinx it. I wanted to wait until we’d gone to the doctor and confirmed and had an ultrasound and found out everything. I was so nervous.”

“You should’ve said something! I hate that you were so worried, and I had no clue. You know I’d have been right there with you.”

“I know, it was just something that Linc and I were dealing with together. It brought us even closer, if you can fathom that.”

I laugh at her sarcasm. “I’m so excited for you. You found the happiness I could only have ever hoped you’d find. Linc is the perfect guy for you, and I can’t wait to watch you with your baby.”

“There’s something else I need to talk to you and Cass about, too.” The big smile she donned moments ago was gone.

“You’re leaving the bar.” It isn’t a question. I know that’s exactly what she’s doing. We’ve talked about this so many times in the past few years whenever we’d get on the subject of the ‘if’ we ever found a guy and the ‘if’ we ever got pregnant scenarios that we played out so many times.

“Yes. But I’m giving notice and I’ll wait until we find someone to take my place before I leave!” she says defensively.

“Mindy, I’m not mad! Cass won’t be either. I’m glad, actually because the last thing you and my godchild need is to be stuck inside a smokey bar!”

Her shoulders relax at my words. “Okay, good.”

“You should’ve known I wouldn’t be mad, goof.”

“I know. I knew you weren’t going to be, but I still didn’t want to disappoint you or hurt your feelings by wanting to leave. I love working there and I couldn’t ask for anyone better to work for than my best friend and her future hubby.”

“You’re the best, and not only because you’re my best friend.”

“Is that cake I smell?”