Rake's Redemption (Wind Dragons Motorcycle Club) (23 page)

“Okay,” I tell him, explaining the very basic steps. He puts the chocolate in a bowl then melts it in the microwave.

“That’s it?” he asks, raising his eyebrows. “Anyone can do that.”

“Even you?” I tease, watching as he dips a strawberry in the chocolate. He then lifts it to my mouth, and I open it, taking a bite, while his gaze stays locked on my mouth. “You have to put them in the fridge.”

“The second we are alone . . .” he whispers heatedly under his breath.

I ignore him and continue to finish the strawberries, then put them in the fridge. “Cara, I’ll heat up some pasta for you to eat now, the strawberries can be dessert, all right?”

“Okay, Mom!” she calls out, then races back to the living room.

Rake pushes me back against the counter.

I love the power I have over him, how I can make him want me with just the smallest actions.

That his need for me is the same as mine for him.

That we can’t get enough of each other.

“You’re so fuckin’ . . . fuck,” he says, shaking his head.

“Very eloquent,” I say, trying to lighten the intensity radiating from him. “I’m so what?”

“Just,” he replies, pushing my hair back behind my ear. “Everything. You’re everything. It overwhelms me sometimes.”

“Good everything?” I find myself asking, even though I know he meant it in that way.

“Very good,” he says, resting his forehead on mine. “Never did I think, ever, in my fuckin’ life, would we be here right now. Together. Winning. Beating the past. Fuck.”

“We haven’t won yet.”

“We will,” he says with confidence. “Because if there’s one thing I won’t lose, it’s you for a second time.”

*   *   *

“Uncle Rake, it’s my birthday!” Clover yells, running up to us as we walk outside, where a big bouncy castle has been set up.

“I know, princess,” Rake says, lifting her up with one arm and handing her a brightly wrapped present with the other. “Happy birthday.”

Clover takes the package and beams up at Rake. “Thank you! I’ll add it to the pile. Daddy said I can open them all later.” She then turns to me, her big hazel eyes curious. “Are you Uncle Rake’s girlfriend? Mom said he has a lot of them.”

Rake playfully tickles her. “Why you always gotta make trouble for me, Clover?”

“Someone has to.” She grins, her black hair blowing in the wind. This little girl is going to be an absolute heartbreaker when she’s older, and with that attitude too, men better look out.

“This is Bailey,” Rake says, gesturing to me. “You be nice to her, you hear me?”

“I’m always nice, Uncle Rake,” she says, an amused glint in her eyes. “Nice to meet you, Bailey.”

“You too, Clover,” I tell her. “I’ve heard so much about you. And happy birthday—I hope you like the present.”

“You chose my present?” she asks, staring down at the black-and-pink-wrapped gift.

“I did,” I reply, wondering about why she was asking. She turns her little head to Rake. “Uncle Rake, you didn’t even choose my present?”

Rake throws his head back and laughs. “Give me a break, princess. I don’t know what seven-year-old girls like these days.”

She grins, looking back at me. “Thank you for the gift, Aunt Bailey.”

My heart instantly warms at being called that. “You’re welcome, sweetie.”

“Now I have some other people for you to meet,” Rake says, then puts Clover down. “Clover, this is Cara and Rhett.”

Clover looks down at the two children by my side, as if only just noticing them.

“More friends. Yay!” she squeals, running up to them and taking them both by the hands. “Come on, let’s go play.”

Cara glances back at me once but then follows Clover into the bouncy castle, Rhett, as always, by her side.

“She’ll look after them,” Rake says, watching me. “Come on, baby. Let’s get something to eat; I’m starving.”

I roll my eyes. “What’s new?”

He hugs me from behind, enveloping me in his warmth. “Always hungry when I’m around you.”

His lips touch my neck, and I shiver.

I’m always hungry around him too. I step forward, pulling him with me. Everyone says hello and comes over to greet us. Rake goes over to Sin, who is working the grill, with a plate in his hand, while I sit down with Anna, Lana, and Faye, who are watching the kids and chatting among themselves.

“You two look so fuckin’ cute together” is the first thing Faye says to me. “I feel like taking a picture every time I see it, because I never thought I’d see this day.”

Anna looks up from her phone and smirks at Faye. “That some of the men would be happily taken?”

“That Rake could be satisfied by one pussy,” Faye replies casually, making me almost choke on the piece of candy I’d just popped into my mouth.

“Faye,” Anna admonishes, flashing me an apologetic look that turns into a wince.

“It’s okay,” I tell her. “I know he was a man-whore.”

Lana leans forward, resting her elbows on the table. “Yeah, but name one of them who wasn’t.”

“Arrow wasn’t too bad,” Anna says a little defensively. “At least not as bad as the rest.”

“Rake was the worst,” Faye says, staring Anna down. “Sorry, but you have to admit.”

Anna and Lana reluctantly nod.

“Yeah, but now he’s the same way he was with Bailey in high school,” Anna says. “He doesn’t even look at any other women. And trust me, I’ve been watching him.”

Faye looks to me. “You’re his, and he’s yours. It’s actually beautiful to see. Who’s next? I vote Vinnie; he needs to be taken down a peg.”

We all look to Vinnie, who is out on the grass, enjoying the
sunlight. He pulls his T-shirt over his head and stretches out, and we all lower our gazes to his six-pack.

“Don’t think it’s going to be hard for him to attract someone,” Lana murmurs, fanning herself dramatically.

“Where did he pull those muscles from?” Faye asks quizzically. “I don’t remember them looking like that, and I’ve known Vinnie ever since he was a prospect.”

“His getting women isn’t the issue,” Anna adds, tapping her finger on her chin. “His cut does that regardless. What he needs is to find a woman he wants to actually keep.”

“One who loves him for him,” Lana adds, always the hopeless romantic.

“Hopefully she’s awesome like all of us,” Faye says, squaring her shoulders. “And a total babe.”

Anna rolls her eyes. “You mean hopefully she’s a good woman who treats Vinnie well.”

“Yeah. That.” Faye grins, then looks at Clover, who is spinning around in a circle in excitement. Cara and Rhett run to her, and the three of them start laughing at something. “There’s a future clique right there.”

We all watch the three of them, and I have to agree. If Rake and I stay together, these people will all be a part of our lives for eternity. I find myself hoping for that to be so, for Rake to be mine, and for me to belong to this family. There is obviously a scary side to the biker life, and the thought of putting Cara in any danger has me extremely worried, but I know Rake will never let anything happen to her. My gaze finds him, still standing with Sin, who is now putting meat on his plate.

“Where’s Tia today?” Lana asks softly, writing something in a notebook in front of her.

“She had to work,” I tell her. “Trust me, she’d be here if she could.”

Lana smiles and puts her pen down. “Maybe she could be the woman for Vinnie. She fits in perfectly with us, is beautiful, and knows how to handle men.”

The four of us share a look.

“What are you all conspiring over now?” Tracker asks as he walks over, blue eyes narrowed. He takes a seat next to Lana, then pulls her seat in closer to his. “I feel fuckin’ sorry for whoever it involves.”

Faye smiles sweetly and blows Tracker a kiss. “All you have to know is it has nothing to do with you.”

“Thank fuck,” Tracker replies quickly, running his thumb over Lana’s knee. “Can’t believe our princess is seven years old now. I remember the day she was born.”

“Really?” Faye asks, dragging the word out. “I remember you staring at my crotch with a horrified expression like she was going to drop out in front of you.”

Tracker shudders as if remembering the moment. “What did you expect from me? At least I wasn’t an asshole like Rake.”

Faye’s eyes narrow. “That’s right. What did he say again?”

Tracker chuckles, then stops when he sees the look on her face. “Something like ‘Say ’bye to your tight—’ ”

“How is that bastard even alive still?” Faye growls, eyeing Rake like she wants to punch him.

“Because he’s family,” Anna reminds her, unable to keep the amusement off her expression. “Oh, come on, it’s a little funny.”

She and Tracker laugh some more, while Lana shakes her head with a smile on her face.

“And now you’re doing it again,” I blurt out, making everyone laugh harder.

“Hey! It’s all about the Kegels, isn’t that right, Bailey?” Faye winks at me, making me laugh harder. “You gotta squeeze and release,” Faye says, making a circle with her hands, closing and opening it.

“Yeah Faye, we get it,” Anna says in an extremely dry yet amused tone.

Faye looks to Anna and grimaces. “Fuck, I’m being an insensitive bitch right now, aren’t I?” She puts her hand on Anna’s and says, “You’re going to be blessed with a baby, you know that, right? It will even come out with a beard.”

Anna smiles. “I know. And you’re not being insensitive; I’m super happy for you. I know that my time will come.”

Anna wants to have a baby? I throw her a
You better talk to me
expression and she nods once.

Rake walks over to the table, a mountain of food on his plate, and sits down next to me, offering me some. I take a chicken wing and nibble on it while Faye gives Rake a dirty look that soon turns into a smile.

“Save your bitchy looks for the prez, Faye,” Rake tells her, taking a giant bite of his hot dog.

“I’m going to call the kids in to eat,” Faye says, standing up, stealing Rake’s second hot dog and taking a huge bite out of it.

“Hey,” he grumbles, and draws his plate closer to him. “Get your own, woman!”

She grins and walks over to where the kids are getting their faces painted, then sends them to the kids’ table. There’re about ten children, and Arrow, Rake, and Sin carry the food over for them. Lana gets a phone call and heads inside, leaving me and
Anna alone. I see Arrow hand something to Clover, something that looks like candy. I glance at Anna, who is also watching her man.

“I’m surprised Clover still has teeth, with the amount of strawberry candy Arrow sneaks her,” she comments, covering the glare of the sun with her hand. “They’re little heart shapes too. Can you imagine him going into a store to buy them?”

I cover my lips with my hand, smothering the giggle that vision brings. “No, I can’t.”

But I can’t imagine anyone confronting him about it either.

“Cara is going to be my niece,” Anna muses, now watching my daughter. “I’m going to be the best aunt ever.”

“Getting ahead of yourself there,” I tell her, but my heart warms at the thought. “Either way, you’re still like her aunt.”

Anna smirks in my direction. “Yes, but it’s going to be official too. Trust me, Bails. I’m always right. I’m a scientist, you know.”

I roll my eyes. “Seriously? That’s your answer to everything.”

Anna laughs, her eyes sparkling. “What? It makes me sound smart. It’s useful for winning arguments.”

“Don’t think you could use it against a lawyer,” I tease, nodding at Faye.

“That’s the truth. She always knows exactly what to say. There’s so many hilarious lawyer jokes though. Every time I come across one, I forward it to her,” Anna says, laughing. “Everyone hates lawyers.” She pauses. “They’re up there with car salesmen and real estate agents.”

“You’re terrible,” I say, but laugh with her. “Teachers have a good reputation. I’m educating the youth of today to be the leaders of the future.”

“You make them glue stuff,” Anna blurts, laughing. “Your job sounds fun.”

“Hey, I do more than that!” I say a little defensively. “I set them up for everything they need to know for their future years of studying! I help build the foundation for their education.”

Anna nods her head sagely. “Yeah, you’re right. But come on, you do a lot of gluing and painting.”

I puff out a breath. “You’re infuriating.”

Lana sits back down and looks between us. “What did I miss?”

“A career war,” Anna says, grinning. “What do you have for us, Lana?”

“Not this again,” Lana grumbles, lifting her legs up on the empty chair in front of her. “If I was on a deserted island, I’d be one of the first ones they’d kill off. What could they use a romance author for?”

“I’m sure you have some other skills,” I tell her, biting my lip and trying not to laugh at her random comment.

“I have no survival skills at all,” she disagrees, tilting her head. “I’m book smart. Not very practical.”

“Well then,” I say, sounding choked. “Hopefully Tracker will be there to save your ass and stop the people on the island from voting you off.”

Anna looks at Lana, squinting her eyes. “That was such a fiction writer comment by the way.”

Lana shrugs, smiling. “You live in your world, and I live in mine.”

“My world being reality?” Anna asks, laughing. “I’d love to see into your head. See how you come up with all these characters and plot lines. All the evil little twists you add into
your books. Do you have an evil laugh you use when you kill someone off?”

Lana beams. “Actually I do. Do you want to hear it?”

We both nod.

She clears her throat and then laughs. “Mwahahahaha.” She looks at us. “What do you think?”

“I think you could even go eviler,” I say, considering. “Is
eviler
a word, author friend of mine?”

“Why does everyone always ask me?” She laughs. “That’s what editors are for. Trust me, I make up more words than the average person.”

“That’s true,” Anna adds, nodding her head.

“Hey at least I don’t say
chipotle
like ‘chipottle,’ ” Lana says to Anna, unable to keep a straight face. “That was some funny shit!”

“You said you wouldn’t bring that up again!”