Boone & Nova (Crimson Guard MC #4)

NOVA SHAW

My childhood was a constant drumbeat of shame and fear. I was still little when the world learned my daddy was a violent sexual predator and murderer. Though I no longer remembered him well, I recalled how happy my family of four felt back then.

My mother and brother—Laverne and Dan Shaw—never again smiled like they did when I was a kid. Our family was broken, long before the three of us went our separate ways.

These days, Laverne was dead, while Dan had fallen in love with Lula Reed. As for me, I still felt lost like I did when I was a kid.

I had experienced three big shakeups in my life.

The first happened when my dad was convicted of his crimes, and Laverne moved us to our maternal grandparents’ town.

The second was more than a decade later, when Dan came to Laverne’s funeral and found me pregnant and battered.

He took my daughter Skylar and me away from my abusive husband.

The third was earlier this year, when Dan fell for Lula, and we moved to a town dubbed “Little Memphis.”

Tallulah “Lula” Reed was the lawyer for the local Crimson Guard Motorcycle Club and a member. I never knew women could ride in these clubs. Dan’s Baton Rouge-based club, Black Rainbow, certainly didn’t have female members.

After struggling to make friends in Baton Rouge for years, I loved living in Little Memphis.

Lula’s family was always around. Her sister Sabrina was a tough chick with two girlfriends, Moe and Xandy.

Her sister Vanessa was a sensitive mechanic who didn’t do relationships.

Her brother Rowdy was a funny yet scary guy who loved his dog.

There were also Lula’s cousins, Clint and Elle. Plus, Clint’s petite wife, Ivy, was also new to Little Memphis. Along with Lula’s family, I was embraced by the Crimson Guard’s “foxes,” who lived at the Sorority House on a large estate on the north side of town.

Though I doubted I could ever be a tough chick like those women, I loved spending time with them. I also thought they were a good influence on my girls, five-year-old Skylar and four-year-old Lyric.

That’s why, on Skylar’s early release day from kindergarten, I drove them to the Sorority House to play.

The large white house had front pillars and two wraparound porches.

I spotted Jaslene Tooker on the top one, rocking in a chair and strumming her guitar.

She often played with the Crimson Guard band.

I suspected she was practicing for Dan’s upcoming wedding, which would be held at the Sorority House.

“Hey, little foxes,” Jas said and leaned over the railing to smile down at us.

Jas’s straight, dark hair was tied into two braids with sparkling pink puffs. I noticed how Skylar touched her loose blonde hair, likely wanting braids. The girls were always mimicking the behavior they saw from the Crimson Guard foxes. I didn’t blame them. I wanted to be cool, too.

Jas came downstairs and handed lollipops to the girls. She also insisted I take one.

“Life is short,” she said as she sucked at a red lollipop. “Don’t deny yourself of the small joys.”

Sharing her smile, I felt myself loosening up in a way I had struggled to do for most of my life.

Back in South Dakota, I’d played roles—the dutiful daughter, the hard worker, the submissive wife, the self-sacrificing mom.

Having never felt safe being myself in a real way, I wasn’t even sure who the real me was anymore.

The Sorority House brought out my fun side.

This beautiful house was filled with colorful furniture and quirky designs.

The foxes were loud and unfiltered. They cussed and fought like men.

More than once, they’d laughed at my reaction to their sex talk.

Life here was free in a way that it had never been back in South Dakota with my maternal family.

The girls walked confidently through the long downstairs hallway to the back porch. They pointed at Stevie Swanson in the yard nearby.

Hiding under a pile of blankets with only her face visible, Cher Swanson asked, “Are you excited about the wedding?”

Startled, I looked around before spotting her resting on one of the outside couches.

“Are you okay?” I asked while the girls hid behind me.

“I had a rough day with physical therapy. I’m trying to rest, but I get lonely in my room.”

“Who’s that?” Skylar whispered to me.

“It’s our friend, Cher. She isn’t feeling well.”

“Cher?” Lyric asked from behind me.

“The one with green hair,” Skylar told her little sister while inching closer to the couch. “Are you hiding?”

“No, I’m cranky.”

“I’m cranky, too,” Skylar said and sighed loudly. “School is hard.”

“We should eat chocolate.”

Lyric stopped hiding behind me and hurried over to Cher. “I’m cranky, too.”

“Ask Stevie to bring us chocolate. She’s brushing Death to Missouri.”

Skylar and Lyric walked over to Cher’s pink-haired younger sister. Stevie sat in the grass, brushing the outdoor mutt who lived at the Sorority House.

“Why is the dog named that?” I asked while the girls stroked Death to Missouri.

“Because Missouri is where Boone was locked up.”

Hearing the handsome biker’s name left me swooning. I could barely get through a day without finding myself lost in thought over his muscled body and beautiful face. He was like every sexy man from my romance novels wrapped into one perfect package.

Normally, I wasn’t easily swayed by attractive men. Many of Dan’s friends in the Black Rainbow were handsome. I never lost my cool with Zodiac’s icy good looks or York’s rugged masculinity or Ojai’s pretty boy splendor.

I was as indifferent to the Crimson Guard men. Lula’s little brother Rowdy was very sexy and charming, but I viewed him as a big kid. The club’s VP, Rock, was striking with his hypnotic green eyes against tawny skin. I knew they were impressive, but I never swooned as I did for Boone.

I couldn’t even think of the sexy biker without a silly little heat swirling around my belly.

“Chocolate, huh? Don’t you already have lollipops?” Stevie asked, snapping me out of my lovesick stupor. The girls patiently explained how they were grumpy and needed more sugar. “Well, I can’t argue with such logic. Is your mom cool with me hopping you up with the good stuff?”

My girls looked up at me, and I shrugged. “A little candy won’t hurt.”

Those old voices from my stepfamily reminded me how I was indulging my girls when I should be teaching them self-control.

Skylar and Lyric were close in age, like Cher and Stevie. Several of my stepsisters were also close in age. I’d prefer my babies grow up to be like these wild biker girls than to turn out like those bitter pills.

“Were you wild as kids?” I asked Stevie after she brought several Snickers Mini bars for Cher and the girls.

“I don’t know. We were definitely loud, but I never felt particularly wild. I followed the rules, but our parents didn’t have a lot of them.”

“When did you start coloring your hair?”

“When we were teenagers,” Cher mumbled while chewing, “our mom was always dyeing her hair different colors.”

I ran my fingers through my long brown hair and wondered if I could pull off a quirky color.

After swallowing, Stevie told me, “Rumor has it you’re looking to get a tattoo.”

“Me too!” Lyric cried with her mouth full. “I got one here.”

Stevie examined Lyric’s thigh, where Skylar had drawn a flower. “Very cool, baby fox. You’re going to ride with my club one day, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” Lyric said and nodded. “I’m a fox.”

I grinned at my daughter’s certainty. As a kid, I had wanted to play sports and run around as the boys did. Once I moved to my grandparents’ place and Laverne married her first strict husband, I was expected to wear dresses and enjoy cleaning.

As Stevie mimicked my smile, she asked me, “What about you?”

“I have a tattoo idea,” I said and showed her the picture I found online. “Hearts with each girl’s name and birthday.”

“That’s sexy,” Stevie said and rubbed my forearm where I wanted the tattoo. “Haley is a great artist. She did most of my tats. When you’re ready, I’ll come with you to pop your tat cherry.”

“Ooh, me, too,” Cher cooed from under her blankets.

“Me too,” Lyric said, and Skylar nodded.

“Do you think there’s time to do it before the wedding?” I asked while Stevie brought chalk outside for the girls to draw on the pathway.

“Sure. Something like that won’t take Haley long at all.”

I ran my fingers over my forearm and admitted, “I’m scared.”

“It’s going to hurt, but not like giving birth twice must have hurt,” Stevie said and smiled. “Besides, we’ll take edibles and get you super chill.”

As I settled in the lush lawn stretching out behind the Sorority House, my girls drew flowers on the concrete. Stevie checked on her sister before joining me on the grass.

“Rumor has it that you might have a thing for Boone,” Stevie whispered.

Gasping was the wrong choice, but I couldn’t help myself. Romance seemed so easy in the books I read. I wasn’t as interested in romantic movies. I liked to picture people in my head more. They became realer that way.

But they weren’t real, and romance didn’t work like it did in books.

“Want me to set you guys up?”

“No.”

“How come?”

“He’s not my type.”

Cocking an eyebrow, she asked, “Are you not into hot guys?”

“I don’t know.”

“Boone’s a grumpy dickhead, but also really sweet. I bet he’d treat you nicely. I mean, if he didn’t, the foxes would kick his ass.”

“I don’t know. I feel like dating would be a mistake.”

“You know, I nearly died earlier this year,” Stevie said. “I nearly lost my sister, too. And Lula was stolen away. So much bad stuff happened. It was all so sudden. We had walked into that parking garage dozens of times. That day felt like any other. Things can change so fast.”

Stevie leaned in and hugged me. “You know how that feels, don’t you? You were just living your life when a psycho shot you.”