Chapter 7
Dirty
I gently tap my pen against my desk as I eye the white and blue Indian sitting in the middle of the garage with battery problems, something that is very common with that certain bike, but also has inconsistent throttle that isn’t very common, and I chew my bottom lip.
The owner said he needed it back by next week for a trip and would pay double if I fixed it fast, yet instead of checking the bike, I’m sitting here, feet on the desk, heart in my throat since yesterday.
My mind is stuck on a certain ice blue-eyed, white-blonde haired beauty that I can’t stop thinking about.
Doc and Trigger were right and no, I am not telling them that, their egos are fucking huge as it is but never the less, they were right when they said when you meet the girl you want to claim, you’ll just know.
I sigh. For years, I said fuck that—even after I thought Cheryl was the one, I didn’t believe them because I never got that all-consuming feeling.
Then when my son’s teacher, the one he tried getting me to meet, showed up, I felt those sparks instantly and suddenly, the crazy things the brothers did for their women made sense.
I’m fucking struggling with the concept that I want her and not just for a quick fuck, I want her for always, and that is a scary fucking thought when I swore I’d never claim someone, I mean shit, I want to fuck her, make love to her and I haven’t fucked a woman since Cheryl.
Fuck, fuck, fuck!
I groan, hanging my head back as I shut my eyes tightly.
So much is explained by my reluctance to meet her, the tightness in my chest when her cousin—who I learned about last night and didn’t know—drops off Lyra or picks Caleb up, and the protective feeling I have for Lyra, like she’s my own child.
All of it fucking makes sense.
Fuck!
I breathe deeply as the sound of bike pipes rumble throughout the garage, and I open my eyes and look at the ceiling.
The giggles from last night while I made my chili hitting me right in the chest, the happiness that filled my home making it so warm that I wanted to bolt the door and demand her to stay.
The whole night she barely said two words to me – Holly, my Holly, my darling…
She’s so sweet and kind, just like Ace said. She gave her full attention to the kids, never rushing them, rolling her eyes, or getting bored. She didn’t check me out or try to chat me up, her sole fucking attention was on her daughter and my son.
She was so fucking soft with them, ensured they were her main focus, and my heart raced with awe as jealousy filled me because her eyes were not on me, and I knew she was a darling, and fucking perfect, and I hate myself.
I didn’t want a woman. I had my son, my job, the club and Dolly’s mouth. I was settled, content, and yet, now the thought of the clubwhore touching me makes me shiver in disgust because I know Holly is mine.
Goddamn fucking fuck!
“Alex?” I hear Ace question as his boots echo along the floor.
“Did you know?” I ask him without looking at him, keeping my eyes on the ceiling as I picture Holly’s eyes, her perfect figure in her skater dress with curves in all the right places that I want to run my hands over, her thick thighs that call to be wrapped around me while I thrust inside her bare.
My cock twitches at the visual, and I grit my teeth.
“Yeah, brother,” he mutters, and I lean my head to the side and make eye contact with him.
He gives me a soft look and admits, “As soon as she looked at me, I knew she belonged to you and I knew Caleb was on to something, already seeing what I didn’t understand and what you refused to listen to.
Why else would you vehemently deny meeting her?
” he leans back against the chair, “You knew deep down she was yours, it’s why you gravitated towards Lyra, why you felt like she was your daughter, but your mind didn’t want to admit it, so you pushed back, only for your son to make the decision for you. ”
His eyes show sorrow and my stomach sinks because just like he knows, I know I won’t want to walk away from Holly.
Even after one night—watching her laugh and play with the kids, clean them up after dinner, help them wash their hands, and ignore the sparks between us—I know she’s mine and so does she but just like me, she’s running.
Fuck.
“I don’t want an old lady,” I admit with a croak, and he half smiles.
He understands and that is why I can be so fucking open with my brother, my blood. After Cheryl and our mother, women just hurt you. If Holly hurt me, I wouldn't survive. I have my son to think about, yet all I want is to throw her over my shoulder and make her move in with me. Fuck.
How do the brothers deal with these controlling feelings?
I want to drag Holly home behind the clubhouse, claim her, and never let her out of my sight but I'm scared. So fucking scared.
“I know you don’t, Alex, but she’s here now,” Ace says softly. “Will you really let her walk away? Just teach Caleb and leave? Will you let Lyra grow up without a dad? We both know you see her as your own.”
I look away from him and back at the Indian.
"She isn't Cheryl, brother. She isn't a patch chaser—hell, I don't even think she knows what that is.
She's sweet, kind, and an amazing mom. She'll fight you all the way until you claim her, because Alex, something tells me she's been through the wringer—not like Ash, Brit or Summer, fuck, even Jas with her whole mama ordeal, but you can see pain in her eyes.
Fight for her, show her she's worth it, and I promise, she'll surprise you. "
“Bet you won’t take your own advice though, huh?” I confirm, and he sighs.
“You know I’ll never settle down or have a family.
It isn’t in the cards for me, especially after the truth about Mama—the one woman I thought could never hurt a man the way she did,” he reminds me.
“I don’t have a connection with anyone, and I don’t want one.
I definitely don’t want kids, I’d end up fucking up.
I’d rather be the fun uncle. But you, big brother, you have so much love to give.
If you didn’t, you wouldn’t have thought Cheryl was the one. ”
I look at him again and comment, “Since when did you become all knowledgeable, huh?”
“Since I saw your interaction with Holly and how she couldn’t help but keep looking at you,” he says, “I saw the look in her eyes, brother, she feels your connection but is scared.”
“She’s not the only one,” I mutter, and he smiles sadly back just as heels echo in the room and I roll my eyes.
Fuck’s sake.
“Since when did dogs get to come inside?” Ace mutters, and I smirk at the sneer Cheryl gives my brother as she retorts, “Since walking, talking diseases got to spread their nasty asses about.”
“Bitch,” Ace mutters and I snort, “Amen…” before I glare at the woman looking like she belonged more in a night club or street corner than inside my garage.
“You’re not due to see Caleb today, Cheryl, and he said no for tomorrow, so what in the fuck are you doing here?” I say, bored, fed up with her shit.
She knows not to just show up unannounced. If I tell her Caleb has said no, then she needs to walk a fucking away.
“I need some money to buy him some food,” she lies through her teeth, and Ace chuckles at her balls, but she ignores him and says, “I haven’t got stuff in he’d eat.”
My kid doesn’t even go to her shitty apartment, what fucking planet is she living on?
“More like you want cash for your little habit, knowing your drug test is done for the week,” I call her out, causing her nostrils to flare with anger.
“You’re not getting a cent from me just like you haven’t since the day Caleb was born, so whatever delusional side of the bed you woke up on I suggest you get up on the other side because last time I checked, I pay for fucking everything for Caleb.
Not once have I received a cent from you so even if he does one day say fuck it, I’ll have dinner with my egg donor, it will come out of your pocket,” I drop my legs from my desk and lean forward as a familiar knocking echoes making my heart race, my body hum and I state, “Expect a call from my lawyer regarding doing four drug tests a week for your blatant disrespect of me and my son,” and her eyes widen as her cheeks redden with anger before I demand, “Now fuck off, I have a customer!”
I stand along with Ace, and she screeches before storming out of the garage, us hot on her heels just as my darling climbs out of her car, furrowing her brows as Cheryl stomps past her in stripper heels, a dress that barely covers her ass, and so much make-up, her face looks orange.
God knows what she thinks of her.
Holly’s icy blue eyes come my way, connecting with mine as Cheryl’s tires squeal as she drives off in anger, pissed her plan to use my love for my son to get money didn’t work for the hundredth time she’s tried it.
I swear to fuck, my breath halts, my stomach tightens, and every single nerve in my body calls to gravitate towards the beauty before me.
Hair up in a bun, barely any make-up and a top and jeans, she’s fucking gorgeous and doesn’t even need to try.
“Did I interrupt?” Holly’s sweet voice washes over me, and I give her a small smile and deny, “No, darling, you didn’t, that was just Caleb’s mother.”
Holly scrunches her nose up, looking fucking adorable, before she mumbles, “Oh,” and I tilt my head at her.
I can’t tell if she’s jealous or not, but a big part of me wants her to be.
Fuck.
Shaking her head, Holly looks at her car, then at me. “You were right,” she admits and I raise a brow—it’s rare to be told that—and she sighs, “My car’s a shit box.”
I smirk but then wince at the steam under her hood.
Fuck.
“Hi, Mr. Dirty!” Lyra call from the back seat, gaining my attention, and I chuckle, seeing her waving at me.
I swear the kid is a fucking cutie.
I walk to the back door as Holly asks, “Can you fix it?” and I look at her and consider denying because her car needs scrapping, but she must read my face because she admits, “I’m not ready to part with it—I brought Lyra home in that car…”
Well, that explains it. I sigh as I open the door and help Lyra out before picking her up making her grin as she latches onto me before I look back at my darling and I bite back a grin at the look of awe on her face while my brother watches on with a soft smile.
He knows I’m definitely going to claim her, the contentment and ease I suddenly felt when she showed up, coming to me with car problems that I told her last night she could, proving it.
She’s mine, they both are.
“Hi, Mr. Ace,” Lyra says excitedly noticing my brother, and Holly frowns and turns as he walks closer with a grin.
“Should I be worried that my daughter seems to know every brother? I mean I knew she kind of knew Ace but that was more than a passing greeting…” Holly asks, and I chuckle.
“No,” I reply to her, and our eyes lock, the sparks instantly flying between us. I mention, “Mama and Dad's house is always open to brothers and prospects.”
Holly’s frown deepens and she asks, “What’s a prospect?
” just as my brother mutters, “Yeah, Mama’s legs were also open,” and I bite back a laugh because well, the man ain’t lying and I reply to Holly, “A prospect is a man doing grunt work for the brothers for a year before being voted into the club once they’ve shown loyalty, even myself and Ace here had to become a prospect before joining. ”
“Huh, I didn’t know that,” she mutters, and Ace chuckles as he takes Lyra from me and says, “Come on, cutie, let's go and take a look around the garage,” and she goes willingly and again, Holly’s frown deepens.
She’s confused by how comfortable her daughter is here, but she shouldn’t be because turns out, our kids know fucking best.
Swallowing the fear I feel, I slowly walk over to an unsuspecting Holly before stopping just shy of our chests touching, the heat instantly beginning to spread by being this close to her and I slowly lift my hand before rubbing over her frown lines on her forehead.
An electric current shoots up my arm touching her soft skin and she gasps as she looks my way, her icy blue eyes wide and I know she feels this, but she’s denying it.
Ace was right, I do have a fight on my hands.
“Let’s go have a look at your car, darling,” I whisper, and she swallows, her throat bobbing before she steps back, and I drop my arm, instantly missing her touch while the tip of my finger tingles as Lyra giggles at whatever my brother is saying to her.
“Okay,” she whispers in return and fuck me, the need to pull her into me fucking is all-consuming and yeah I’m scared shitless, I have a lot of hurt because of Mama and Cheryl but fuck, I’m claiming her, alright.
In this moment, I know I can’t live without her now that I know her, now that I’ve touched her soft skin.
She’s mine, they both are.