Chapter 20
Kit
It had been just over a week since the guys had confronted The Italians at Children’s Lifeline. The mafia had taken their money from the line of laundromats and holed up inside of Amato’s mansion, according to Hellfire. They were preparing for what was coming. We all knew it.
The club was tense and on edge as they waited for Lock to give them the go-ahead to attack.
He wanted to make sure they had everything in place before they took them on.
That meant waiting for their extra weapons and ammo to come in, and for their allies to arrive from Wyoming.
Hell had mentioned that the Berserker’s Rage MC, who had come to assist during Seek's wedding, was coming down to give a hand against the mafia. They were an ally club who had worked closely with The Viking’s Rampage on more than one occasion.
It was also the club that Toxic had started out in when he was younger.
If Hellfire got any more tense, he was going to snap like a rubber band.
It didn't help that he was working himself to the bone at his family's business. He’d only been back for a few days, but was already jumping back in full-time, trying to catch up on the jobs his uncles hadn’t been able to finish before they left town.
I tried to convince him to take more time off, but he wouldn't listen to me. He wouldn't leave his dad shorthanded. They were always busy because they were trustworthy and had built a reputation for always showing up, no matter the circumstances. That didn’t give them a lot of downtime. Once he managed to catch up, he wouldn’t be working such long hours, but in the meantime all I could do was make sure he was fed and happy while he was home.
I wiped down the bar top as I thought about how much my life had changed over the last month.
Despite the looming threats, I was happier than I'd ever been.
Belonging to Hellfire was everything I always hoped it would be.
He was sexy and kind, but also the kind of man I knew would protect the family I wanted to one day have.
"Do you ever stop cleaning in here?"
Glancing up, I smiled at Hell as he walked up.
I'd been splitting my time between deep cleaning the bar since it was shut down for now and working on Sloane's nursery.
I spent a few hours each day working on it, instead of an entire day the way I had with Seek's.
I'd worked my ass off to give my friend the surprise of a mural in her nursery before her baby came, but since Sloane and Dani knew about the gifts I was giving them, I was taking my time.
"It keeps me busy," I told him. Cleaning helped clear away the worry and stress of everything that was going on. Both our apartments were already spotless thanks to all the stress we’d been under. They hadn’t taken me long to clean. The bar was always a welcomed challenge in times like this.
He leaned over the bar top and kissed me, his tongue sliding along mine. "I can think of other things that would keep you busy."
My cheeks flamed as he gave me a heated look. He was insatiable. We both were. We’d waited so long for each other it was almost impossible to keep our hands off one another. "You haven't been around much."
Being back working with his dad and helping the club prepare for taking on The Italians was eating up the majority of his hours.
"I know," he told me. "And I know you're going crazy being cooped up here.
Mom's having us over for dinner tonight.
I was hoping that would help make up for the fact that I've confined you here.
" He came around the bar and pulled me into his arms.
My heart leapt in my chest. Even after being together for a month, it was still doing that. I hoped it continued doing it forever. "I'd love that!"
"She invited Smoke and Dani, too," he cautioned.
I laughed. "That will be fun."
He gave me a wolfish grin. "We have a few hours before we have to-"
"Hell."
He groaned, tossing a dark look over his shoulder at Riptide. "Yeah?"
"Lock's calling church. The Berserker’s Rage crew just got here."
"I'll be right there."
Reaching up, I dug my thumbs and fingers into his tense shoulders.
He was like granite. I knew his gunshot wound was still bothering him and part of that was because he was always so tense.
It was like he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.
In a way he did. His responsibilities were enough to crush most men.
Not Bennett Portman. He shouldered the obligations with a smile.
It was just who he was. He would never dream of letting his family or his club down.
And now he had the added responsibility of me.
It didn't matter that I knew how to take care of myself.
With him around, I'd never have to and he wouldn't have it any other way.
In return, I wanted to be the one to take care of him.
To show him that he could let me help carry some of those responsibilities that called him in opposite directions.
He groaned in appreciation of the quick massage that wouldn't do nearly enough to chase the stress from his muscles. "Be ready by six. We'll all drive over together," he told me.
His kiss was brief, but it still made my lips tingle.
Other parts of my body sparked to life as I watched his powerful form move through the room toward the door.
How I managed to keep my hands off him for so long, I'd never know.
I was just glad I didn't need to anymore.
I went back to cleaning, trying to put my curiosity aside as the two clubs met next door to discuss a game plan.
The rest of the day passed quickly for me and I was dressed and ready by the time Hellfire finished up with his meeting. Dani and I were downstairs, chatting as we waited for the men. I studied both Hell and my brother's faces as they walked up. They both looked grim. "Everything okay?" I asked.
"Yeah," Hell answered. He wasn't going to tell me what was going on until we were alone inside his apartment and I was fine with that. "Let's get going." He held out his hand and with a roll of my eyes, I dropped my keys into his palm.
He was the kind of man who always drove.
Who filled my gas tank up for me, even though I was perfectly capable.
I was grateful his mother had raised him with manners, but Hellfire was anything but a gentleman.
He was dangerous and deviant in his own ways.
That didn't mean he didn't treat me respectfully.
As a woman who was used to being single, it was hard to give up the habit of doing everything myself.
A part of me was giddy over having an old man to take care of me.
The other part couldn't help the occasional shake of the head or roll of the eyes.
I always showed my appreciation though, because at the end of the day he would be helping me teach our sons how to treat women and I wouldn't have them doing anything different than their father.
The thought of having Hell's babies made me pause on the way to the car.
A flush crept over my skin. I wanted it so badly.
Being a mother had been in my plans from the time I graduated high school.
I just hadn't met the man I wanted to have babies with until a couple years later, then I had to wait until he finally claimed me.
That dream of mine was a reality now. I wouldn't bring it up with him until after The Italians and Fremont were taken care of, but just the idea excited me.
Especially with Sawyer here now and all the other children running around the clubhouse these days, the urges living inside me were threatening to burst free.
"Vixen?"
Blinking, I realized we were all standing by my car and Hell was staring down at me with a frown on his face.
"Sorry," I muttered, sliding into the backseat as he opened the door for me.
He shut it behind me and got into the driver's seat.
He had to shove the seat all the way back and he was still crammed inside my car. I bit back a laugh.
"Everything okay?" Dani asked me as Hell pulled out of the clubhouse parking lot and onto the road.
"Yeah," I answered with a smile. "Just lost in thought."
"Are you nervous?"
"Nervous?"
"About eating dinner with his parents?" Dani prompted.
This time I let my laugh ring through the car.
I met Hellfire's eyes in the rearview and they were crinkled at the edges, letting me know he was smiling.
The man smiled whenever I laughed. God, he knew how to melt a woman's heart.
"I've eaten dinner at the Portman's so many times, I may as well call them family," I explained to Dani when she gave me a puzzled smile.
"Oh. That's nice," she said. "At least there's no first meeting jitters then. I was so nervous to meet all of you for the first time."
"Well, those were different circumstances," I said, nodding toward her belly with a soft smile.
"True."
Hell pulled in front of his parents’ house and we all piled out of the car.
Their house was located on three acres, and their business was set up out front.
The trailer that acted as their office was dark and next to it the huge metal building that served as their mechanic's garage loomed.
It wasn't dark yet, but everything out front was shut down.
Their house was the exact opposite, lit up from inside and on the front porch Hell's Mom and Dad were waiting for us with a smile.
He opened the back door and helped me out, his large hands lingering on my hips as I slid out. He leaned down and brushed his lips over mine, then pulled away before his parents could see. They were already introducing themselves to Dani, who they hadn't met yet.
I followed Hellfire over to his parents. Lisa turned and pulled me into a hug. "It's been too long since my son has brought you to see us," she claimed.