Rake's Redemption (Wind Dragons Motorcycle Club) (27 page)

“I want to sleep with me inside you.”

“Why?” I ask, brows furrowing.

“Because it’s home.”

*   *   *

“Did I tell you what happened with Talon?” Anna asks me the next day, looking sadder than I’ve seen her in a long time. “Arrow broke his jaw.”

My eyes widen. “Can’t Talon fight?”

He’s the president of their club; surely he knows a thing or two.

“He didn’t fight back,” Anna tells me, looking down at her phone screen. “He just let Arrow punch him in the face a few times without doing anything.”

“Why?” I ask, wrinkling my nose.

“I have no idea. I don’t understand these men any more than you do.” She sighs, tucking her phone into her pocket and looking at me. “I really don’t know what to do here. Arrow
and Rake both hate Talon. I don’t see why everyone can’t just get along. We’re all tied together in some way, whether it’s good or bad.”

“I think the only good tie is your friendship with Talon,” I say. “Everything else is kind of shit.”

And I think Anna is kind of naïve about the whole situation, if I’m being honest. I can understand how she wants to fit Talon into her life, but her loyalty to Arrow and the club has to come first.

She opens her mouth to object but then closes it. “Yeah. That pretty much sums it up, actually.”

“Talon will be fine,” I assure her. “He’s a badass MC president.”

“That he is,” Anna says wryly. “I need to worry about fixing shit with Arrow, not Talon right now.”

“Is he still angry?”

“A little,” she says, wincing. “And I understand why. He’ll get over it.”

“Maybe you should be good until then,” I suggest.

Her lip twitches. “I think that might be for the best.”

Lana walks into the kitchen, where Anna and I are sitting, a bottle of champagne in her hand. “Just published a new book! You know the routine. Time to celebrate!”

“I’ll start being good tomorrow,” Anna jokes, making me laugh and Lana stare at us quizzically. We both congratulate her on her new release and decide to go out to dinner to celebrate.

Actual dinner this time.

*   *   *

“Adam,” Cara says, holding a book up to him. “Will you read this to me, please?”

Rake picks up the massive book and looks at my daughter. “The whole thing? I think we’ll be here for the next day.”

Cara giggles and shakes her head. “Just a little bit.”

“I’m sure I can do that,” he tells her gently. “Why don’t you get ready for bed first and then I’ll read to you until you fall asleep?”

“Okay,” she agrees. “But don’t leave, all right?”

My eyes widen at that.

“I’m going to be right here,” Rake tells her. “I don’t want to be anywhere else right now.”

“Sometimes you stay at your other house,” she says, shrugging. “I’ll go get ready for bed.”

Rake stands and stares at the empty place Cara just vacated. He turns to look at me.

“You know she looks just like you, right? I can’t say no to her. Anything she wants I’ll give her with just a flash of those big brown eyes.”

“You probably shouldn’t let her know that,” I say in a dry tone. I stand up and take his hand in mine. “I can read to her if you want.”

Rake looks down at me, those green eyes calculating. “You know I love her like my own, right?”

I swallow hard. “Rake, I—”

“I don’t care,” he says simply. “I don’t care how long it’s been, or that it’s not my blood in her veins. It’s your blood and that’s more than enough for me. You’re mine, and she’s mine.”

“Did you just tell me that you love my daughter before you’ve even told me that you love me?” I ask, smiling up at him, my eyes filled with delight.

“Some things don’t need to be said,” he says, using his hand
to grip my nape and pull me closer to him. “Go by actions instead. But if you want the words, then of course I fuckin’ love you, Bailey. I never stopped loving you. You always had a piece of me. Always.”

“And you, me,” I whisper, resting my palms on his chest. “Always.”

We stare into each other’s eyes, so many things passing between us in the silence.

This man, he’s mine.

I know his soul.

I see it.

It recognizes my own.

It doesn’t matter what happened when we were apart, or who we were. Everything is inconsequential. A love like ours was never meant to end in the first place. We’re like a magnetic force: we will always be drawn back together.

Because to me, that’s what true love is.

One month later

W
HY
is Faye standing there with an MC cut on and no bra?” I whisper as I walk into the clubhouse.

Lana shrugs, her eyes wide. “I have no idea, but how come she has one? Shouldn’t we all have one?”

Vinnie walks in and comes to a standstill. “Faye, what the fuck?”

Faye walks toward us and grins. “I’m going to surprise Dex. It’s our anniversary.”

Vinnie doesn’t look impressed. “Why do we all have to see it though? You know you have a private house, right?”

Faye wiggles her eyebrows. “I heard you’re having a party here tonight. I want to have a little fun before I get fat and start waddling around again. Is that so much to ask, Vinnie?”

Vinnie stares at her for a moment, then pulls out his phone and walks off, presumably calling Sin.

“I want one,” Lana tells Faye. “Why don’t we all have these?”

Faye shrugs, looking down at the kick-ass cut. “They got it
made for me after the whole Wild Men fiasco. I think all the women should have one too. I’ll talk to Sin about it.”

“Is he going to care you’re standing here in jeans and a cut and nothing else?” I ask, pursing my lips to stop the giggle trying to escape.

“My nipples are covered, what’s the big deal?” she asks, rolling her eyes. “So Vinnie is having a huge party, and the men don’t want us here. Which is why I’m here. I want to see what’s going on.”

“They don’t want us here?” Lana asks, scowling. “Does Anna know anything?”

“I don’t know. You should call her and let her know though. I went on a snack run. Chips and dip, wine, champagne, and juice for me,” she says, nodding her head toward the kitchen. “I made a huge bowl of punch too.”

“I had no idea it was going to be this kind of night when I arrived,” I say, glancing at Lana. “Did you?”

“Nope,” she says, grinning. “But let’s go with the flow. Do you have a sitter for Cara?”

“You can drop her at mine if you like,” Faye offers, letting go of the cut and flashing more boob than appropriate. “Clover will love the company.”

“Cara’s with Tia and Rhett. I’ll just message and let her know I’ll be home late.” I pause. “And probably drunk.”

Faye grabs my shoulder. “That’s the spirit. I don’t know what slutty festivities Vinnie wants to get up to, but I’m intrigued.” She looks to Lana. “If you want to put on another show I’ll look away, I swear.”

Lana’s face turns bright red. “I will kill you.”

Faye laughs in return, and blows her a kiss. “I’ll be sober. So
my job will be remembering everything everyone does and talking about it in detail tomorrow morning.” She pauses. “While cooking the greasiest breakfast ever.”

She looks Lana and me up and down. “You might want to change into something . . . less.”

Lana rolls her eyes. “I’m staying only for a little. I need to get some words down tonight. I’ll call Anna now though.” She walks away with her phone in her hand.

Faye grabs my wrist and leads me into the kitchen. “Can you taste this for me?”

She pours a cup of a yellow punch and hands it to me. I bring the cup to my lips and take a mouthful.

Then almost spit it out.

“This is pretty much straight vodka!” I tell her, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. “What did you do, add yellow food coloring? There’s no juice taste whatsoever.”

“I added some . . . stuff to it.” She sniffs. “It’s from a recipe I found online.”

I wrinkle my nose in distaste. “Do you want me to try to fix it?”

“It is fixed,” she says, grinning. “Oh, come on, everyone will love it.”

I’m not so sure, but I decide to let it be. I won’t be drinking any more of it, that’s for certain. “Where is Rake, anyway?”

“He and Tracker went out to buy alcohol,” she says, sighing. “Apparently it was a last-minute plan.” She eyes me curiously. “You’re going to be okay here tonight, yeah?”

“Yeaaaah,” I reply, looking to the side. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Faye,” Sin growls, walking into the kitchen and eyeing his wife. “Fuck, you look sexy.” He looks to me and grins. “Hey, Bailey.”

“Hey, Sin,” I say, smiling. “Happy anniversary.”

His eyes dart to Faye’s. “Fuck, so that’s what this is all about.”

Ooops.

“What? You forgetting our anniversary and throwing a party no one wants me or the women at? Yeah that’s what this is about,” Faye says, putting her hand on her hip, one of her nipples poking out.

“Fuck, I’m sorry,” Sin says, holding her cut closed. He leans down and whispers something in her ear while I make a quick exit.

*   *   *

“Do you think Rake will fuck us both again tonight?” the girl behind me asks her friend.

“I sure hope so.”

I spin around, my eye starting to twitch. I now know exactly what Faye was referring to when she asked me if I could handle tonight. It almost felt like Rake had been with every woman here, and apparently his “thing” was having more than one in bed with him.

I didn’t like this.

Not one bit.

What if he got bored of being only with me?

If this is what he likes now, how does he feel going without it?

I push away my insecurities and return to the table, sitting down with a long face.

“Chin up,” Faye says so only I can hear. “Don’t show them any kind of weakness.”

“I want to strangle them.” I sigh, sitting up straight and pulling
myself together. This is something I’m going to have to handle. It comes with being Rake’s.

Stupid man-whore.

“But watch him,” Faye says to me. “He’s ignoring every woman who tries to get his attention. He’s showing them without words that he’s not interested.”

I follow Faye’s line of sight, to where a beautiful brunette girl is trying to get his attention. She puts her hand on his bicep, but he steps to the side, her arm falling down.

“Still, the fact that he’s probably slept with all of them is a hard pill to swallow,” I admit, expelling a heavy sigh. When I hear him laughing at something the woman says, I stand up and walk over to him, unable to just sit there and watch any longer. As soon as I approach, he grabs me and pulls me against him. “This is my woman, Bailey, who I was telling you about,” he says to her, brushing my hair off my neck and placing a kiss there.

“She’s beautiful,” the woman says, eyeing me from head to toe. “Maybe you will let me join you sometime.”

When I look at her and realize she’s talking to me, I have no idea how to respond. “Ummm,” I mutter, elbowing Rake as I hear him chuckle softly. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think so.”

She looks sad, which makes me feel bad for a moment, until I remember what exactly we’re discussing here. She’s sad because she won’t be getting fucked by Rake tonight, or ever again.

Let the bitch be sad.

She walks away, ass jiggling.

“Bailey,” he whispers, lifting my chin up to look at him. “It’s the past.”

“Yet it keeps getting shoved in my face.”

“It doesn’t mean anything,” he says, green eyes boring into me.

“How would you feel if a man I slept with asked you if he could join us in a threesome?” I ask, putting my hands on his chest and pushing myself away. “You’d want to kill him. I don’t really feel the anger though, just the pain and jealousy that most of the women here have had you.”

I leave him standing there and return to my seat.

“You okay?” Faye asks, brow furrowing. “I know it must suck, Bailey, but if you want him, you need to learn how to handle this.”

“Faye, we’re going home,” Sin says, bending over and lifting her up in his arms. He’d made her take off her cut and put something on underneath it, so she is wearing a black tank top that still leaves little to the imagination.

“What? Why?” she grumbles, but wraps her arms around his neck.

“Because it’s late, you’re pregnant, and I want to fuck you,” Sin says, kissing her neck.

“Oh. Well, if you put it that way,” she says, waving ’bye to everyone.

“What’s so different about this party?” I ask Anna, scanning the living area. “It looks like all the other ones to me.”

Anna points to Lana, who is sitting on Tracker’s lap, full-on making out.

“Think of it like the clubhouse turning into a sex club for the night,” she says, rolling her eyes. “People can do what they like, no judgment. It’s why they preferred us not to be here. For example, Vinnie would probably feel awkward having sex in front of Faye.”

“Where’s Irish?” I ask, looking around but not seeing him. “I feel like I haven’t seen him in ages.”

“Apparently he met someone,” Anna says, leaning closer to me. “No one knows anything about her but he’s been going to see her heaps.”

My eyes widen. “That’s some juicy gossip.”