5
Dante
Were all redheads hot as fuck and explosive?
God, I hoped not. Ember was a unique creature, and I didn’t want anyone else to be like her. With every second I was near her, my goddam cock strained to escape the confines of my jeans and get its freak on with her.
Shit, I wanted her more than my next breath. A chill worked through me at the thought of undressing her and worshiping her body from head to toe. I shook in my boots, and this time I knew it wasn’t from arousal.
The temperatures were plummeting at an insane speed. I shivered while I watched her jog home. If she slipped and fell on her ass, I’d beat the crap out of the prospect who’d salted the sidewalk because he’d failed.
Fortunately, my girl made it inside safe and sound.
Exhaling a calming breath, I stalked toward my front door. Tara had told me my parents were home. I wasn’t surprised. My folks weren’t partiers like the others. I respected their convictions, but me? I liked to party.
Raising my hand to knock, I jumped back when the door flew open.
My mom screamed, “Dante!” Then she leaped into my arms and hugged me tightly. “What in the world? Why? How? Why?”
I laughed and carried her inside, so she didn’t freeze to death. “It’s good to see you too, Mom. I missed you.” I set her on her feet.
She stepped back and inspected me. “I just can’t believe it. Danny, come here!”
“How’d you know I was at the door?” I was curious if Tara or Max had called her. Her timing had been on point.
“The monitor.” She pointed toward the fireplace. “Your dad installed it a few years ago when that nut job had parachuted onto the compound.”
“That was some crazy shit.” A security monitor explained everything. “The place looks the same.” I inhaled the scent of home—a mix of apple spice and evergreen wafted in the air and some kind of baked goodie.
“You’re telling me. Come sit.”
I took my spot on the sectional and removed my coat. The Christmas tree had likely come down the day after New Year’s. Mom liked a clean home, and pine trees were messy, so she always took ours down as soon as possible. But she left some of the twinkling lights on the mantel and a few choice decorations, like extra candles and white poinsettias. My mom wasn’t a fancy person, but she loved silver and gold for the holidays.
“Where’s the girls?” It was approaching seven on a Monday. Thought they would’ve been home by now. Then again, my parents tried to let us live normal lives… As much as possible for being in a MC family.
“My phone must be broken, because I didn’t get your call to tell me you were coming home early,” my dad said from behind me.
I stood to greet him. “I wanted to surprise you.”
“Come here, son.” He opened his arms, and I walked into them. “Damn, something is making my eyes water.” He gave me a fierce bear hug and I could feel him holding back his emotions as I was doing.
“How’ve you been Dad?”
“Good.” He let go of me. “Better now that my only son is home. Why five weeks early?”
“Danny, let the boy relax.” Mom put her arm around me. “Would you like some coffee and cookies? I was about to get your dad and me some.”
“That sounds amazing. I have some things to tell you both.”
“Oh shit. Did you knock up a girl?” My dad dropped into his recliner and twisted his lips as he waited for my reply.
“Danny, really?” My mom huffed and put her hands on her hips, doing the mom pose. “He knows how to not let that happen.”
“I didn’t, even though I knew to wrap it up.” My dad studied me with a critical arch of his brow. He’d gotten my mom pregnant even though he knew she was off-limits. I’d been the result of his defiance.
“I didn’t get a girl pregnant,” I replied. “But if I did, you have no place to get angry.”
“He’s right.” Mom left and went to the kitchen.
“You know you can tell me anything. I won’t get mad. But your mom might tear your ear off.” My old man winked, and a grin stretched across his face. He was still snarky as ever and aging well for being in his mid-forties.
“I should wait for Mom, so I don’t have to tell it twice.” I cocked my head and smiled back at him.
“Wise man.” My mother entered the living room. She could always hear everything in the house, no matter where she was or where us kids were. It creeped me out how she seemed to know everything we did, though we couldn’t see her.
“That’s me, Mr. Wise.”
She smiled and set a tray on the square ottoman. “Freshly baked chocolate chip and peanut butter. I should’ve known you were coming home when I had an itch to bake two different batches of cookies. Help yourself and grab a mug.”
“Don’t have to ask me twice.” I went for the chocolate chip and bit it in half. “Damn,” I said with a full mouth. “I’ve never tasted a cookie better than yours. What’s your secret ingredient?”
“Love. Now you’ve turned into Mr. Charmer.” My mom smiled brightly as she sipped her coffee.
“Gag me.” My dad snorted as he collected a few cookies and his mug. “Don’t talk to him like he’s a baby, Em. He’s a Ranger and soon, he’ll be a Knight.”
“He can be all that and a wise charmer.” She gave me a nod. “Now, tell us what happened.”
“There’s no easy way to tell you, so I’m just going to be direct.”
“That’s how I like it.” Dad shot me a sharp nod.
“My CO found out I messed around with his underage daughter. I didn’t have sex with her. I swear.”
“Oh, Dante.” Mom stared at me with disappointment in her blue eyes.
“I didn’t know that she was his daughter or underage. We met in a bar, for Christ’s sake. Things got hot and heavy in the alley. She went down on me.” I felt like I might throw up my cookies as I told my parents what happened. No dude wanted to talk about getting a blowjob in front of their mom.
“Continue,” my dad said in a stern voice.
“Something made me stop.”
“After she blew you.” My dad pinched his face tightly. I was sure he was imagining one of my younger sisters in the same position. Shit, more than ever, I thought I might be sick.
“Look, I regret it more than anything. She’d gone home and told her dad that I used her. I don’t even know how she knew my name. Never told it to her. But when my CO showed me her picture, I didn’t lie. I owned my mistake.”
“Good boy.” My mom smiled weakly. “Were you charged?”
“No. He didn’t want the drama. He’s up for a promotion next month and just wanted me gone.”
“When did this all go down?” my dad asked.
“A couple of weeks ago, before Christmas. But he only called me into his office last week. Probably taking his time to figure out what to do about his daughter and me.”
“And you’re just now telling us about it?” Dad narrowed his eyes. “We’re your parents. We could’ve helped you.”
I got it. He felt disrespected. But… “Help me do what? I’m a grown man and can handle my own shit.” I drank my coffee to stop my mouth from crossing the line. My parents couldn’t have done a darn thing to help me. I got booted out early. It could’ve been a whole helluva lot worse.
“Danny, please. Dante’s right. He can take care of himself.” Mom turned toward me. “And what about the girl?”
“What about her? She’s seventeen and probably back at boarding school by now. I honestly don’t care what’s happened to her.”
Just then, the front door opened, and my sisters entered. They had perfect timing because I was so over talking about my major fuck up.
“What the heck?” Demi screeched.
“Dante’s home!” Dezi yelled next.
I hopped to my feet and went to hug my sisters. “Yep, you two had better stay in line.”
“Great. No more sneaking around with boys, Demi.” Dezi elbowed our sister and made a tart face. I couldn’t read if she was joking or not. She’d been the most mischievous of the three of us. But it had been a long time. We’d all grown and changed. It was like I didn’t know them anymore.
“Don’t listen to her. There’s only one boy she wants… Max,” Demi whisper-shouted.
“Shut up, Dem!” Dezi shoved her away.
“Max Harrisburg? Boxer’s boy?” This was the first time I heard this. To say I was stunned was an understatement. Max and I hadn’t been close before I left for bootcamp. We’d gotten along just fine. We’d just ran in different circles due to me being a couple of years older in high school. It hadn’t been cool to hang out with freshmen and all that.
“Oh my gosh!” Dezi’s face turned beet red. “I hate you, Dem.”
“Aww, come on. We all like Klymax.” Demi winked at Dezi. “You know why he’s called Klymax, right Dante?”
“I hate you!” Dezi ran out of the room. Seconds later, her bedroom slammed shut.
“You should be nicer to your sister.” Mom issued Demi a disapproving glare. “You know how your dad and I feel about her with Max.”
“Sorry.” Demi grimaced. “It’s so fun to rile her up, though. She shouldn’t make it so easy.”
“Sometimes I don’t know what to do with you.” Mom rolled her eyes and drank her coffee.
“So you guys don’t approve of Max?” I asked.
“No,” Dad shot back. “He’s probably packed full of STDs. Don’t get me wrong. Love the kid and would give my life for him, but he isn’t going anywhere near my baby girl.” He got to his feet and went down the hallway, likely to comfort Dezi. They had always had a special bond.
“I don’t see Max slowing down anytime soon,” Mom muttered as she stared in the direction my dad went. “He’s on the fast track to getting a girl pregnant.”
“He’s your typical bad boy, biker playboy. Much like his dad, so I’m told.” Demi reached for a cookie. “Dez isn’t even on his radar.”
“Hmm. That’s a good thing.” I sat back down and took a peanut butter cookie. If my parents didn’t approve of Max, I wouldn’t either. They knew him better than me, and I trusted their opinions.
“Plus, he’s two years older than her. And they’re just too young to be getting serious,” my mom replied. “He’s a good boy, but he loves the MC life… all of it.”
“All of it?” I wasn’t sure of her meaning.
“She means the kittens.” Demi glanced sidelong at me. “Is that what you’re after now that you’re back? Screwing on pool tables and orgies. Maddox likes to party, although I haven’t seen him take a girl to his room.”
“Demi,” Mom hissed. “Don’t talk about Maddox or any of the other men. What they do is their business.”
“I’m not judging them. I’m just telling it like it is. So, what about you, Dante?”
“What I do is my business.” I’d always dreamed of being a Knight and protecting our territory. The brotherhood my dad had shared with his MC brothers had been what I wanted for as long as I could remember. But I wasn’t interested in the kittens or orgies.
My fiery redhead flashed behind my eyes. I needed to talk to her. Make her understand why I hadn’t kept in touch with her and now that I was home, I would make it up to her.
“Okay then. I’m going to take a shower and head to bed. Goodnight.” My sister left and took her sassy attitude with her.
We all knew Demi wanted nothing to do with bikers. She believed there were few who could be faithful, which was a bunch of bull, considering all our uncles hadn’t cheated on their old ladies.
Most of the Knights were stellar men. Fearless. Protective. Deadly.
Of course, some were all about the club’s kittens, always hungry for pussy. Not a horrible thing in and of itself. I loved it myself, but there was only one I wanted.
“She’s determined to turn my blonde hair gray,” my mother muttered. “She often acts like a scorned woman, but I can’t for the life of me figure out who burned her.”
I considered my mom’s words as I finished my cookie. One name popped into my head. A guy I’d overheard her talking about on multiple occasions, but I’d blown it off because she hadn’t said one nice thing about him. I’d figured she hated him. Then again, I hadn’t known why she would hate him. He was like family. We’d grown up around the kids from the North Dakota chapter.
As I thought of it, I couldn’t recall ever hearing Demi talk about another boy.
“What are you thinking?” my mom asked. “Do you know who could’ve hurt Demi?”
“I don’t know if he hurt her or why he would, but the only person who comes to mind is Ace.”
“Ace Knight?” My mom’s blues bulged. “Cobra’s son?”
“Yep.” I nodded and twisted my lips. The little fucker better not have touched my little sister. If Demi hated him and swore off bikers, my gut told me she might have given Ace her V-card, then he ghosted her.
“I don’t want to think about what might have happened. It would all be speculation. I’m going to go check on your dad and Dez.” She left with her brow furrowed.
Ace Steel Knight.
Shit.