Club Ties (27 page)

Chelios’ blade hadn’t spared an inch of her body. Eva wiped the damp sleeve of her sweatshirt across her face. She didn’t need a confession to know it had been the stoic Greek enforcer who had meted out such a gruesome punishment. Rocco wouldn’t have trusted it to anyone else, and it had been Chelios that Tawny had double crossed.

She closed her eyes, the conversation in the bakery on a constant loop in her brain. Had she done the right thing? If she’d gone back to Cleveland with Chelios would Tawny be fighting for her life, or had this been a message to her?

Her temples throbbed. What the hell was she supposed to do? It would’ve been so much easier if she’d never met Mox. He’d introduced her to a life she’d never even dreamed of. Just thinking about never feeling the love and security she felt in his arms again made fresh tears roll hot down her face, and she let out a soft sob.

She flinched at a touch on her back. Ginny’s hazel eyes searched her face as she looked up.

“This isn’t your fault.”

Eva shrugged, accepting the offered cappuccino. Her hands curled around the cup, craving the warmth in her hands and soul. Lips pressing into a thin line, Ginny steered her to a couple of chairs across the hall.

“I know you don’t want to hear this, but in life you have to play the hand you’re dealt. You didn’t ask for this shit any more than Tawny did.”

Nodding, Eva turned the cup slowly. Ginny sighed.

“Zeke and I have had our rough times, in life and in our relationship, but he is the one thing I’ve come to trust in and lean on as an absolute. No matter what has happened, he’s been there and I know my old man loves me. You and Mox are just starting out, but he has a lot of the same qualities his father has. He loves you, Eva. He loves you with everything that he is. I might be his mother, but I’m not going to sit here and tell you that you couldn’t find a richer man, maybe a bigger, stronger, better looking man, or whatever it is that you look for in that one ideal mate, but I will dare you to find a better man or one who will love you more.”

Eva swallowed against the lump in her throat. Her chest ached with the truth of Ginny’s words.

“What the hell is it with you and hospital speeches?” she choked out, unwinding the napkin from around the base of her cappuccino to blow her nose.

Ginny shrugged, letting out a little sigh as she leaned back so her head rested on the wall. “Maybe they just remind me of how short life is.”  

Eva straddled the powerful Harley Davidson. Her toes barely touched the ground, even on the stand side. There was no way she could stand the beast up. She shook her head thinking how easy Mox made it look. She wanted to escape. To hit the road and not look back. A weight settled behind her and she jumped, reaching for a hand hold as the bike rocked slightly.

“I gotcha.”

She shivered at the warmth of his breath against her ear and pressed back against his chest as Mox’s arms encircled her.

“What’s on your mind?”

“I just realized that you’ve never taken me for a ride. Your bike, the club, they’re such a big part of who you are, and I want to be part of that.”

Mox was silent for a long moment, seeming to mull her words over. His chin rested on top of her head as his huge hands stroked over her thighs. Finally he shrugged against her back.

“It’s been cold, but that sounds like an excuse. Truth is, I didn’t think about you wanting to. I’m trying to think if I’ve even had anyone ride bitch, and I’m coming up blank…unless you want to count Garrett,” he said with a low chuckle.

Eva snorted, giving him a half-hearted nudge with her elbow. “I don’t think your strapping younger brother would take too kindly to it being said he rode bitch. It’s not a big deal I guess. You just look happy, and natural, when you’re on your Harley. I don’t think I could stand the beast up.”

Mox shifted his feet slightly and straightened the bike up. “It’s pretty heavy. I’d suggest you not try it.”

“Because if I drop it, you’ll have to kill me?”

“Something like that,” he agreed with a low chuckle.

“Can you ride with your wrist messed up?”

“If I need to. With the weather conditions, it wouldn’t be the wisest move I’ve ever made. That’s why I’m leaving it here rather than taking it home. Less temptation.”

Eva studied the stitching on the leather seat. He hooked his chin over her shoulder to look at her.

“It’s in the mid-thirties today. Do you know what that would feel like with wind chill?” When she didn’t answer him, he shrugged again and fired it up.

The roar echoed through the Handlebars and Hotrods garage. The others looked up from the break tables. Ginny stood up in concern. Rocking the machine off its stands, Mox let it roll toward the door. He plucked his coat off the pegs and grabbed Rhys’ as well.

“Put this on over your coat.”

“We don’t have to do this right now,” she protested, but her eyes said something different.

“Slide off and get on the back.”

“Are you going to be able to handle the clutch with that wrist, brother?”

Eva slid out under Mox’s arm and looked at Crux who was walking toward them. The scarred biker looked anything but happy. She looked back at Mox. His square jaw was clenched. Her eyes darted to Ginny. Those lips were set in a grim press. She shook her head at Eva. Shoulders slumping a little, Eva hung Rhys’ coat back on the hook.

“It’s way too cold out there today, but can I claim a rain check for the first warm day?”

Mox searched her face, before his gaze darted to Crux and finally Ginny. His eyes narrowed in annoyance.

“Come on, Eva. We need to get back to the restaurant,” Ginny called.

Mox let the hog roll in an easy turn, nearly clipping Crux’s boots before parking it back in the empty bay. Eva followed him.

“I love you,” she whispered, tugging on his jacket to pull his lips to hers.

“Love you too, baby. See you in a bit.”

Ginny shoved the cardboard box she’d carried lunch in into the backseat with a little more force than necessary.

“What the fuck was that?” she hissed at Eva.

“What?” Eva asked, feigning confusion.

“What?” Ginny mimicked sarcastically. “If your guilty conscience is morphing into a death wish, you can do that without my son!”

“He said he could handle it.”

“He said that it wouldn’t be wise and that it is freezing out.”

“I just wanted to take a short ride.”

“You just wanted to make him jump through hoops and prove he loves you. Don’t play fucking games with his life!”

Eva sighed, slouching in the passenger seat. “I didn’t want to hurt him. I just wanted to…I don’t know…don’t you ever just want to get the hell out of here? Haven’t you ever dreamed of getting away, just you and Zeke, and leaving all the craziness behind?” 

Ginny’s face softened a little and she reached out to squeeze the younger woman’s hand. “Of course I have. Who hasn’t? But what you’re missing is how much he needs his family right now. He loves you. Who else is he going to trust to help protect you?”

“That’s just it. I don’t want people getting hurt because of me.”

The look Ginny gave her was filled with understanding. “That’s the deal with the Lords. They’re all in for their brothers, be it good, bad, or ugly.”

Eva shook her head and turned to look out the window as Ginny put the Charger in motion. When was this going to end? How ugly was it going to get? The image of Tawny seared itself to the back of her lids as she blinked tears away. Death would’ve been more merciful.

“Road rash doesn’t look any prettier,” Ginny muttered, breaking into her thoughts. “If Mox had laid that bike down at any speed, you wouldn’t have looked much different than Frankenstripper.”

Eva gasped at the coldhearted moniker, staring accusingly at Ginny, mouth agape. How did she read her mind, and how could she be so callus? The older woman pressed a lacquered nail to a button and lowered the window as she lit a cigarette.

“Is that something else that comes with the club? If you’re not a member, or an old lady, you’re not shit?” Eva choked out. “How could you? You just said the other day that you’ve known her for her whole life. How can you be so cold?”

Ginny shook her head and blew out a plume of smoke. “Maybe it is something I’ve learned from being around the club, and maybe it just comes with hard knocks, but there are times you laugh instead of cry because you don’t have the tears to spare.”

Chapter ~ 33

Eva stared at herself in the mirror; the bustier Mox’s parents had bought her for Christmas was perfect with jeans and boots for the club’s New Year’s Eve bash. Slipping in silver hoop earrings and letting her long hair hang loose around her shoulders, she called it good. She smiled as her fingers fluttered over a macramé beaded choker Mox had put in her stocking. He said the blue beads reminded him of her eyes. His words made the simple adornment priceless.

The week since Christmas had been blessedly uneventful, but no one was letting their guard down. She’d been allowed the one visit to the hospital the day after Christmas, and since then it had been The Lantern or their apartment. Ginny had been her shadow. It was going to feel good to go over to the clubhouse tonight and unwind.

Mox came out of the bathroom, rubbing cologne across the back of his thick neck. He smiled, blue eyes sparkling as they raked over her. His voice was hoarse when he spoke.

“Damn, you look hot.”

“You look fine yourself, stud,” she said with a shy smile.

“This old thing?” he asked with a teasing grin.

Eva ran her hands down the front of the ice-blue button-up she’d bought him. She stroked his chest, her hand resting over his heart. Her fingers gently tapped out the rhythm until he laced his fingers through hers and brought her hand to his lips. The kiss he gave her knuckles was soft and reverent.

“You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Eva froze. She stared up at him, unsure of what to say to that. His stare was intense. The grip on her hand didn’t falter. Leaning against him, she struggled for a reply. She remembered him saying that Ginny and Zeke taking him in had been the best thing to ever happen to him. That selfless act had changed the course of his entire life. How could she compare to such love and commitment?

“That might sound crazy to you, but I love you, Eva. I think I did from the first night, or it might have been the second,” he said with a teasing wink.

She blushed remembering their second night. He’d been so passionate, yet gentle. The concern he’d showed for her had been overwhelming. Since, he had showed her a life she’d never even imagined. Mox’s simple world of love and family blew Rocco’s money and power out of the water. She felt safe and loved, almost worshipped, when with Mox.

“I know it’s only been a little over a month, but I want you to know how I feel. I don’t have any doubts when it comes to you. You’re the one I can’t live without. I love you, and I want you to marry me, if not today, then tomorrow, or the day after that. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m willing to wait for as long as you want to, but I want the ring on your finger, and I want the world to know how I feel.”

Her head shook back and forth, eyes glued to the small, velvet box he had produced. Had he lost his mind? What in the hell would his family say? His hand cupped the side of her face, stilling the frantic negative reply that threatened to give her whiplash.

“Stop thinking about what everyone else will say, and just consider what you want.”

Her teeth sank into her bottom lip. He read her mind like Ginny. He opened the box and her lips parted in awe. Three round diamonds glittered from a white gold band. It was stunning.

“The three diamonds are supposed to represent our past, present, and future,” he said quietly. “I thought it was perfect for us. Our past might be fucked up, but we’re good together, and I want us to have a future together.”

Eva didn’t know what to say to that. She wanted that future more than he could possibly imagine, but could she commit to that with everything else going on? His pale gaze pleaded with her. He wanted this.

“It’s not very big, only a half carat altogether, but we can get—”

Placing her fingers against his lips, she stalled the words, shaking her head. It wasn’t about money. What had Ginny told her at the hospital? She wasn’t going to find a better man. He loved her. She loved him. She had to take the chance.

“Yes.”

Mox’s face lit up in a gorgeous smile. She loved that smile. It was like the sun coming out from behind the clouds as his uncertainty melted away. The ring fit perfectly. Her hand shook. It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. What the hell was Ginny going to say? She swallowed hard and shook her head. For now, it didn’t matter. She would deal with that when the time came. For now, she was engaged to a man who made her feel like a queen.

“I love you so much,” she whispered, throwing her arms around his neck.

He laughed, sweeping her off the floor to spin her in circles. “You said yes. I can’t believe you fucking said yes.”

“How could I say no to a man as wonderful as you?”

“I’m going to hold you to that. All I want to hear out of your pretty lips from now on is yes.”

Smiling down into his baby blues, she whispered,

“Yes, baby.”

Eva pressed close to Mox’s back, her left hand tucked in his back pocket, as they worked their way through the crowd. Her stomach was roiling dangerously. She couldn’t help but remember the bitter poison that had spewed from Ginny’s lips when Rhys’ former girlfriend was mentioned. After their disagreement at lunch the other day, would she think Eva had coaxed her son into proposing? She leaned her forehead against his broad back. Her life was a soap opera.

“Are you getting cold feet on me?”

“Only on the telling them part. How far is it to Vegas?” she asked, her voice muffled by his shirt.

“That would get Gin to dislike you for sure,” Mox said with a chuckle. She groaned. Turning, he wrapped his arms around her. “If you don’t want to do this tonight, or if you’re having second thoughts—”