Prologue
DARE
If I go home, then she’ll be there. So, I don’t. I can’t be near her. I can’t be in the same room with her. And it’s for a million different reasons, none of which are because I don’t find her attractive.
It’s actually for the exact opposite reason. I find her too attractive. I want this to be real, and that’s fucking stupid, because she’s young enough to be my daughter, and it is very much not fucking real.
My wife.
A fake marriage, a fake relationship, one that happened just so that I can offer her the protection she needs. A way to keep her safe. My old lady, as far as anyone knows. My woman.
Chassis is a club princess, probably with more standing and power than even me, considering she’s the daughter of the original chapter’s president. Cake came to me because he trusts me. He didn’t hand me his daughter to defile, even though that’s exactly what I want to do with her.
Which is why I’m staying far away.
Marriage is in name only, which means I absolutely should not be lusting after my own wife.
Except I am, all the goddamn time. My body and brain are not in sync with this shit at all.
It doesn’t matter that she’s pregnant with someone else’s baby.
It doesn’t matter that she’s scared to fucking death that the baby daddy is going to come after it and her.
It doesn’t matter that she seems like she’d rather be anywhere else.
So, I’m continuing to stay away, well, stay down here at the clubhouse.
It makes shit easier on me, even though I’d rather be home with her. But I’m doing what I promised to do… keep her safe and keep her somewhat hidden. She’s protected by my ring, by my name, by her old lady status, and that’s what I’m offering her.
As much as I want her, I’m not going to push myself on her.
I can get my physical needs met down here with half a dozen women who would fall to their knees and suck my dick… eagerly. Spread any and every body part I asked them to without hesitation.
And they do—greedily.
But they aren’t the ones I want, so every fuck has been lackluster since I married this woman.
I keep searching for someone else to make me feel something close to how I feel when I’m around Chassis.
To take my mind off her, but it doesn’t work.
When I close my eyes, I see her big blue ones staring back at me.
I am so fucked.
So absolutely fucked.
“Hey, baby, you want to have some fun? You look like you could relieve some stress.”
Looking over in the direction of the voice, I flick my gaze to see Rocky standing beside me. Sliding my eyes down her body, I take her in.
She’s naked.
Completely fucking bare.
The sight should probably turn me on, but it doesn’t. At least not the way it should. Sure, I could get it up. That’s just fucking biology, but right now, I could take it or leave it.
Being in this situation reminds me of my past.
A past that I’ve tried so hard to forget, that I try really fucking hard to avoid thinking about, and yet it keeps coming back to haunt me. Kaitlin Riley. I fucking loved her and couldn’t keep her.
Couldn’t have her, and here I am, married, and it’s the same thing. I can’t have Chassis. Maybe this is my penance for all the bad shit I’ve done in my life, and I’ve done some really fucking bad shit.
Having exactly what I crave right in front of me, literally wearing my ring and sharing my name, but I can’t keep her for myself.
Shaking my head once, I clear my throat and get out of my head, refocusing on the conversation with Rocky. “Not tonight, I’m heading home,” I say. I don’t even know why I say it, because I really should not be going there, but I don’t want to stay here.
She pouts.
Since Loot’s been tangled up with Juliette, Rocky has been trying to get her hooks into me.
I don’t mind it too much. I can see through her.
She’s young and ambitious. She wants to be important, and to her, being head whore is important—or maybe she is gunning for old lady, which isn’t going to fucking happen.
Not sure what her angle is, and don’t really give a fuck, either. It’s pointless and useless for her to devote this kind of attention to me when she’s going to get absolutely nothing for it except for a few orgasms.
Turning my back, I leave her standing there naked. Whatever her ambitions are, she’s not going to get them through me. Climbing onto my bike, I straddle the machine and head straight for home, straight for Chassis. I don’t know if I’m wanted there, but I’m going anyway.
It doesn’t take me long to get to the house. It’s nothing big or fancy. A single-story ranch house built in the thirties. It’s only got one bathroom, but since I’m hardly ever there, it’s enough for Chassis and the baby.
Climbing off my bike, I straighten as I look around the neighborhood. It’s clean and tidy. People give a fuck about their yards and the appearance of their houses, even though they’re all almost a hundred years old at this point. Another reason why I chose this place.
Taking my key out of my pocket, I make my way up the walkway to the front porch and slip my key into the lock, but I don’t twist it or open it yet. Instead, I stand there, looking at the damn lock and wondering what the fuck to do.
Should I knock? Ring the bell? Open it up and waltz inside?
I have no goddamn clue, and it’s my own fucking house. I go with opening the door as I knock at the same time, then also call out Chassis’ name.
Stepping into the house, I listen for any noises that she’s making so I can figure out what room she’s in. Then I hear someone hiss the word shit, and I know she’s in the second bedroom. I cleaned it out about a month ago so she could do whatever she wanted with it for a nursery.
Closing the front door behind me, I move through the house toward the nursery, stopping at the doorway and lean against the jamb as I watch her. Instantly, my lips curve up into a grin because fuck me, she’s adorable.
Chassis’s long hair is pulled up into a messy bun on top of her head, and she’s sitting in the middle of the floor with a million of what I assume are furniture pieces surrounding her. For a moment, I forget exactly what the fuck this is between us, and I just allow myself to enjoy the moment.
That is, until she lifts her head and her watery blue eyes find mine. “Help,” she whimpers.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“So many pieces.”
My eyes search the floor, and she’s right. About a hundred pieces of wood are looking back at me. “What the fuck is it?” I ask.
“A crib.”
My eyes widen, and I shake my head once. “You’re going to put the baby in that?”
“Once it’s together,” she snaps. “It was the least expensive one I could find, but I didn’t know I was going to have to build it from scratch.”
I fall in love with her.
Right here.
Right now.
I haven’t even kissed her, but I fucking love her.
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