Chapter 4
Storm
With a glass of whiskey in my hand, I tried to fight the demons that were coming at me tonight. I knew that I wouldn’t be getting any sleep.
I saw the faces of those that I had taken out through my scope. The women, the men, and the kids that had bombs attached to their chests.
“Pres., Armand called. He wants a meeting.”
I tilted my head back and looked at Red, “When?”
“Tomorrow night,” Red said with a wince.
That wince was because we had a barbeque scheduled for tomorrow, and one thing I had learned as Pres. and well, being a man, was that I didn’t cancel plans for anything. Therefore, I said, “Tell him to wait until Saturday.”
“He ain’t gonna like that, ya know?”
“I don’t really give a fuck. He wants the power we can offer him; his fucking ass can wait until Saturday. We have plans as a club.”
Red shook his head, a smile threatening to pool at his lips, and then, he nodded, “Got it.”
As Red walked away to let Armand know what I said, something pulled at me, to finish my whiskey, and then head up to my room at the clubhouse.
The moment I was undressed and lying in my bed, I pulled out my phone and looked at a picture I had swiped from the photographer, Raine, who begged me to hire.
And yeah, when we had another major event happen like a wedding, we were hiring her again.
Because she had captured a photo of someone who I was quickly learning was my one weakness.
Yes, Raine, my daughter, and I loved the hell out of her.
I would take a bullet for her.
I would give my heart for her.
But she wasn’t the person that had the power to bring me to my knees.
Not with a single fucking smile in my direction.
Raine didn’t have the power to tell me to walk off a cliff and die.
But Lena did.
As I stared at the photo of her in that light blue dress as the sun hit the top of her head just right, it appeared as though it was shining out of her body.
Bolts of lighter colors surrounded her.
Yeah, I felt like a creeper as I zoomed into the image and caught that soft smile on her face.
That soft smile I would give everything for to be the only one to see it.
And I thought of that, as I stared at her picture, my eyes grew heavy.
And for the first time in over a fucking decade I got more than four hours of sleep, I got five.
I would take that.
Fuck yeah, I would take that.
***
It was finally Friday. We had planned this barbeque four weeks ago, and we planned it around everyone’s schedule.
The tattoo parlor was closed, the garage was closed, and the girls needed a break because they had both been balls to the wall ever since they had graduated.
Porter and Cason had gotten up around dawn to get the meat ready and into the smoker so it would be ready for this afternoon.
The club girls who cooked were in the kitchen getting things ready, and the club girls who couldn’t cook were making sure things were cleaned up, and the fucking bathroom was stocked.
Two of the prospects were setting up the bar outside.
I wasn’t going to lie, I kept checking my watch wondering when she would show up.
Just as I lifted my head, Raine walked into the clubhouse around one with Tank trailing behind her carrying a purple tote bag.
“That Color looks good on you,” Cason pipped up.
“Man, it really brings out your eyes,” Hippie called out.
Tank rolled his eyes and then gave them both the finger, while calling over his shoulder, “I love being pussy whipped. Eat shit and die.”
Everyone scoffed at him. But I was happy for my girl and the man she had.
Raine came to me as Tank headed to the kitchen, she leaned down, and pressed a kiss on my cheek, “Hey, Daddy.”
“Hey, baby. Where’s your sidekick?” I wasn’t going to question why I asked her that.
She lifted her brow, “Umm, do you need glasses or something? He just walked in here with that purple tote bag.”
I stared at her.
Her eyes finally caught on to who I was really asking about, and then I watched as a slow smile spread across her face, “She’s almost here. She had to let the dish she made sit up for an hour.”
I nodded.
A little while later people started to show up.
And a couple made an appearance, a couple that couldn’t go five minutes without making out.
The boys loved it.
Who didn’t love girl-on-girl action?
But not this guy.
It did nothing for me.
Which was why instead of watching the two of them, I was checking my watch a-fucking-gain. Raine had said she was almost here.
That meant in the next five to ten minutes. Not fucking thirty minutes.
Where the fuck was she?
She better be okay.
Because if anyone kept her from me, I was going to be making fucking heads, roll.
Then, not even five minutes later, I was clenching my hand around the glass so hard I was amazed that it hadn’t shattered into a million pieces when she walked in.
Relief flooded my veins.
But as my eyes tracked over her frame... Fucking hell, where did she shop for jeans? At Turn Storm The Fuck On?
And that top, I loved it, but I hated it. It was one of those slouchy sweaters. The one that left one shoulder bare.
I loved it because it looked damn good on her.
But I hated it because everyone else could see that amazing golden-tanned skin of hers.
And just by the sight of her, those demons became less and less.
Over the past few years, I had tried to fight the emotions that I held for her. However, I knew that it was a losing battle. I was forty fucking two years old and a mere slip of a twenty-one -ear-old almost twenty-two-year-old was my undoing.
No one and I mean no one had ever gotten under my skin with just a fucking smile.
What no one knows, and it’s something I’ll take to my grave?
I wasn’t watching the two women.
No, I was imagining what it would feel like to have a raven-haired beauty's hands touching me like they were.
Feeling her body up against mine. Fucking hell, I moved my jeans to give relief to my aching cock.
Once it was back to semi-controllable, I got up and followed Lena into the kitchen.
The moment I reached Lena, I leaned my head down and asked, “What did you make, Precious?”
I ignored the stares from the club girls and the jaws that were gaping at me.
She grinned up at me, completely ignoring them too, and said, “Oreo dirt cake.”
I lifted my brow, “What the fuck is that?”
She scoffed, then reached across the industrial table, tagged a plastic spoon, scooped some of the dirt or whatever the fuck she called it and then offered it to me.
When I went to grab the spoon she jerked it away from me, “Nope. I don’t trust you to take a small bite, you’re going to take the whole thing.”
Narrowing my eyes at her, “Ain’t nobody fed me since I was a fuckin’ baby.”
She shrugged her shoulders, “First time for everything. Now, open up, big guy.”
I sighed, she was the only one on this planet that could get away with shit like this and I followed dutifully by opening my mouth for her.
The moment the first taste hit my tastebuds, I let out a moan.
When that moan hit her ears, she grinned, huge.
“It’s good. Right?” she asked. Merriment danced in her tawny-flecked eyes.
I nodded, then without a care to the rest of the people who had shown up, I tagged the damn dish and started with it out of the kitchen, and to a corner table, and while Lena chased after me.
When I sat down, I kept the thing protected as I ate from it.
Laughter was dancing in her eyes, “Storm? What are you doing?”
“I’m eating,” I said as I scooped another spoon of this stuff into my mouth.
“It’s for everyone, Storm,” she said as she moved to grab it, but I held onto it and let out a light growl at her.
Then she threw her hands up, “You gigantic pain in my ass. Everyone’s going to think I didn’t make anything. It’s going to make me look bad.”
At her words, I stood up, kept my hands on the damn dish, and let out a whistle.
Everything halted and all eyes came to me, “Lena made this good-tasting shit. Don’t any of you dare say she didn’t make anything.”
At my words, I sat back down and then started to eat again, Lena was laughing while shaking her head.
And then I watched as the small crowd that was already here started to part and then I saw Red storming over to me.
“You fucker. I’ve been waiting all day for that shit. Ever since she told me she was making it. Give it fucking over.”
I smiled as I took another bite, and then pointed at the gigantic go to hell patch that was on my kutte.
My President patch, “See that? What does it say.”
Red was shaking his head and then grumbled, “You’re such a dick.”
I smiled, “Yeah, I know I am. But I’m the one with the good shit. She can make it for you another time.”
At that I looked at Lena and lifted my brow, she smirked, a sneaky look formed on her face, and then walked away.
And had I been watching, trying to read lips instead of my eyes not locked on her ass I would have caught on what was being said.
Because Red let out a whoop and then called out, “I’ll be right back.”
That motherfucker strode back in with another pan and then I glared at him.
But I stopped glaring when Lena leaned her head out of the kitchen, narrowed her eyes at me, and said, “You try and take that one too and I won’t make it again.”