Jack (Rugged Skulls MC: Next Generation #7)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

JACK

“I don’t see why I need to learn history, it is in the past. We live in a society that doesn’t want to learn from anything they see or hear. They always do the same stupid shit over and over again and then whine about it,” my smart-witted son says to me as we sit at a table in the clubhouse doing his homework.

“Language,” gets called from across the room.

I look over my shoulder to see my sister Perri, leaning against the bar smiling at us, my mom, Risky next to her.

“I grew up in an MC, Aunt Perri, what did you expect my daily dialogue would be like?” Dom calls back, making me snigger at the look on my sister’s face.

“I expected your dad to know better. You are ten years old, Dom, you should not be this streetwise. Be a kid for longer, yeah.”

“Not a chance,” my kid replies.

“Leave the boy alone. He needs to grow up. One day he will run this club, like his grandfather and uncle,” Mom pipes in; the look she shows is one of pride for her family.

She is right, Dom will take the helm of the club one day, but that will be his choice, not anyone else’s. With my father handing the gavel to my twin brother Royal, I will take Opal’s VP patch and stand proud at my brother’s side.

“If he wants to. He has plenty of time to decide what he wants in life,” I tell them.

“Of course he does. My grandbaby can do whatever the hell he wants,” Mom replies.

I turn back to Dom and help him with his homework. Taking him in, I can’t help but feel pride in the man he is becoming but I will not push him to grow up too quickly; I want him to enjoy his childhood like we all did.

When his bitch of a mother arrived at the club claiming she was pregnant with my kid, my body felt like it had turned to stone. I was shit scared, and even cried. I am not ashamed to say that. I was fourteen, for crying out loud.

My world had come crashing down around me; I lived for the club and here I was, a teenage boy with a kid on the way. The pregnancy was shitty at best. She was always coming to the club making demands, treating people like they were there to serve her because she was carrying the President’s grandchild. She also knew that none of the women could hit her while pregnant.

The club rallied around me, making sure that I had everything I needed, especially support and guidance. The other club kids also had my back: the girls stepped up with schoolwork and emotions and shit, while the guys were always there to help me when I needed it.

To this day there will never be enough appreciation for them for what they did for me and Dominic.

Since his mother brought him into the world, we have not seen her. She tried getting money for my son, but my mom pulled her little blade and made idle threats to cut her into pieces.

Over the years I had to adapt to having a kid. My social life became non-existent, because I wanted to be the best father for Dom, not just some stereotypical teen biker dad. I wanted to prove everyone wrong.

“Why is Royal running across the yard?” Luna asks as she steps into the main room.

I frown and push to my feet, leaving Dom at the table. My mom is hot on my heels when we breach the outside.

He is yelling words but even as his twin I have no fucking clue what he is saying, as he tosses some bags into the bed of his truck.

He runs back to the side of the clubhouse, my mom gasping, and I snigger at seeing my brother run. He fucking hates running. He says that he will only run if he is being chased or…

“Fuck me. Tree is in labor,” I rush out.

“IT’S BABY TIME!” my mom bellows.

Everyone looks up, or comes running outside, as I run over to the truck, meeting my brother and his Ol’ Lady there.

“Looking good, sweetness.” I kiss her head, pulling her to me.

My brother pushes me off his woman, making me laugh and Tree smirk.

“He is freaking out,” she whispers.

“You think?” I wink.

“I am not freaking out, you are freaking out. Get out of the way, man, I don’t want her to have my kid in the parking lot.”

I can’t help but laugh at my brother’s reaction to his woman going into labor with their first kid.

“Royal, honey, calm down. We still have plenty of time. I have been having contractions all morning,” Tree explains to him, and I watch as the horror flashes across his face.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he gasps.

“This.” She waves her hand in front of him. “You are freaking the hell out and there is no need. Millions upon millions of women have given birth before me, advice has been passed down for generations. Our moms told me to listen to my body, so I did.”

Her eyes widen as she finishes speaking, her gaze dropping to the floor. I jump back, as the water spreads to my booted feet.

“My water broke,” she murmurs softly.

“Fuck generations. We are going right now.” He lifts her into the truck, running around to the driver’s side.

“We will follow behind you, sweetheart,” I tell my sister-in-law. “You will be fine.” I close the door, and my brother spins out of the compound.

Everyone is already gathered, ready to follow them to the hospital. Dom comes to me, his helmet in hand, ready to ride my bike.

“Come on, bud, let’s go and wait for your new cousin to arrive.”

“I hope it is a boy. There are way too many girls around here,” he grumbles, walking to my bike.

We get to the hospital in no time, the waiting room filled with leather and denim. Tree’s family have arrived sans her older sister, who lives in a different state but is on her way. People give us looks but keep their distance, the Ol’ Ladies rally around getting drinks, food, and snacks.

They’re also making a kiddy corner for the kids to keep them entertained because we have no clue how long the labor will go on for.

Dom is sitting next to Calder, both of them playing on his Switch. Sarge is sitting in his chair, leaning his head back, sleeping. That man can sleep anywhere, anytime, and still slit your throat if you came at him.

The hairs stand up on the back of my neck, and I can feel her before I see her. Leaning forward, resting my forearms on my knees, I turn my head to the side as she steps into the waiting space.

She looks flustered, like she made a mad dash to be here. Wearing leopard-print cotton dungarees rolled up to her ankles showing her Vans, the white T-shirt underneath looks like it has stains on it. Her red hair is bundled up into a messy knot on top of her head, with a bandana keeping strands in place.

Fuck me, she looks edible.

“Any news?” her soft voice comes.

“None, yet, but hopefully soon. All of my girls took their time making an entrance,” Tree’s mom answers.

Lilith looks around the room, taking note of where everyone is. I feel a trickle of something down my spine, and I get the feeling that she is looking for me.

Once her gaze lands on me, her pale-skinned cheeks turn pink. Offering me a small smile, she steps in my direction, which is something that Lilith has never done. Not once has she ever initiated a conversation between us.

Lilith is shy, and super fucking sweet, so sweet that is borderline na?ve.

Growing up I would watch her when she came to visit, but I kept my distance because she was not like the girls I liked to mess around with. We have always had this soul deep connection but neither of us took that step.

Then, when she found out that Dom was conceived, she stepped back completely, looking heartbroken when Kady told her I was going to be a father. It was like someone had sliced up her heart, so she stayed away from me.

“Hi, Jack.”

Fuck, I love my name on her lips.

“Lilith.”

“May I?” She points to the empty seat next to me.

“Have at it.” Looking across the room, I see the guys watching. Calder has a smirk on his face, so I flip him off on the downlow.

“How did Royal react when my cousin went into labor?”

She leans closer to ask me. Damn, she smells good. Like sugar and candy.

Bringing my gaze to her face, I bite back a moan at how fucking beautiful she is. Pale skin, freckles across her nose and cheeks and captivating green eyes, from her Irish heritage, I learned years ago.

“You been working?” I look her up and down, seeing that the stains on her T-shirt look like little blots.

Licking her lips, her cheeks darken, and it makes me grin. Tucking a short piece of hair behind her ear, she finally brings her gaze up to meet mine.

“Yeah, I make my candies on Sundays. I also had to make a pink sugar ballet dancer silhouette,” she tells me.

“It is fucking crazy what you can do with sugar. Makes me think of what other wicked things you can do with your hands.” I wink at her.

Her face goes full-on red blushing, and it makes my cock hard.

She coughs trying to clear her throat and I chuckle, making her glare at me.

“What?”

“You can’t go around saying things like that to women, Jack.”

“I am not saying them to women, Lilith, I am saying them to you.”

“Jack,” she whispers my name, looking away.

Tucking my fingers under her chin, I make her look at me. There is no way she is hiding from what this thing is between us anymore. We have both run around in circles over what we both feel, but I know that I need to take shit slow with her.

Her ex did a number on her by cheating with her fucking cousin, and Lilith caught them fucking in her apartment.

For years I have kept women to a minimum, only getting off when the urge got to be too much. There was no way I was bringing different women into Dom’s life for them to leave. He may not know her, but I know he feels something about his mom not wanting him.

My mom and her big mouth.

Lilith is different, I knew that the second I saw her with Dom for the first time. It is like a switch went off inside of him and he looked and sounded lighter for having her in his life. When she comes to the club, Dom seeks her out, and fuck me that does shit to my heart.

“No, pressure but I want to know you better, babe. Don’t you think we have done enough running around each other?”

She gives me a barely there nod, but I see it.

“I don’t know.” Her gaze flicks across the room to my son, who is laughing, and pointing to a pouting Calder.

“Baby, Dom likes you. He knows I am into you,” I tell her. “But we will go slow, build something, but you need to know that I am not going anywhere, babe. And I am not him .”

Her eyes flash with unease but also anger, and hell, it adds to her sexiness.

“Lilith.” Her name is called, and we look over to see her aunt waving her over.

She sighs. “I had better go and see what they want.”

“Yeah, baby. We will speak soon, yeah?” My hand lands on her knee, making her jump.

I smile at her, loving how she reacts to my touch.

“I, umm. Go.”

“Yeah.” I can’t help but chuckle at her again, making her brows dip before she leaps out of the chair and rushes to her family.

“You making your move, Son?” My father and president sits next to me, taking her now empty seat.

I pull my gaze from my girl, who is talking to her family. She looks at me over her shoulder, offering a small smile.

“Yeah, Dad.”

“Well, kid, it is about fucking time. I am not getting any younger, so me and your mom would like more grandkids,” he says.

I laugh at him, leaning back and mimicking his posture: legs spread wide, fingers locked together resting on our stomachs.

“You literally have a grandkid about to be brought into the world, for fuck’s sake.”

He shrugs. My father is easygoing unless someone threatens the club or family. Old age has mellowed him and most of the older members of the club, all except Sarge, who has always been a fucking grouch.

I take in the room that is packed with Rugged Skulls members or family and it makes me proud as fuck to be a part of the club. Even though it is in my blood, I have always been proud of the loyalty and respect the club gives others when needed.

My father plans on Royal and me taking over the club in a few years, me as the VP, supporting my twin. It would be a fucking honor to stand beside him, to protect him in all aspects of the club and life.

We were brought up this way, and fuck me, it has taught us to be the men we are today. In the Rugged Skulls MC, no one stands alone.