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  "Hold it," he yells at her. Then he kicks the backs of my knees as he screams over the music, "Kneel. Hands behind your back."

  While I drop to my knees, the muzzle of the gun ceases to be in direct contact with my neck, and I breathe a little easier. The man doesn't seem trigger happy, but still, he's dangerous because he doesn't seem to know what he's doing. Slowly, I do as he says and put my hands on the small of my back.

  From the corner of my eye, I watch him take the belt from Lisa's hand. She takes a step backward so that her back is to the second wall of our little hideaway. I mentally order her to run past Eddy and onto the stage, but she doesn't do that. Instead, she calmly reaches into her sling and waits for him to put his gun into his belt. When he takes my belt with both his hands, she pulls out my gun and aims it at him.

  Lucky for her, my gun is a Glock that's meant to be carried loaded. Otherwise, we'd be in deep shit. With just one hand, she couldn't have chambered a round.

  "Eddy," she yells. "Drop your gun."

  He jerks around in her direction and reaches for his gun. Before he has a chance to raise his arm, all hell breaks loose. I hear two shots, and Crazy Eddy goes down, cursing a blue streak. He falls onto my back, bringing me down, and he’s no lightweight. As I struggle to get his body off me, I watch Lisa, with her back to the wall, slide to the floor as if she’s in slow motion. “Don't be hurt. Don't be hurt. Please don't be hurt,” I chant to myself.

  Andy kneels by Lisa's side while Brains helps me stand.

  "Are you all right?" he asks, and I can see the man truly cares for her. Before jealousy and fear have a chance to tear me up, I hear Lisa calling my name.

  "I'm here, baby." I kneel beside her and cradle her face in my hands.

  "Did I shoot you?" she asks, scanning me with her eyes.

  "No, you just got the bad guy," Brains answers for me. "You're an excellent shot."

  She shakes her head. "No, I'm not. We were lucky."

  Andy laughs. "I've gotta hand it to you, Lisa, you do look at the bright side of life. You get mugged and then you get shot at, and you consider yourself lucky."

  She smiles back at him. "Damn right, I'm lucky. I'm still here, and all I got is a bruise and a light shoulder wound. It's light, isn't it?"

  Andy's raises his hand from her shoulder, and when he stops applying pressure to the top of her right arm, blood soaks her shirt. He presses down again, saying, "It doesn't look too bad, but we're going to have a doctor check it out."

  "What about him?" Lisa points to Crazy Eddy with her chin.

  "He'll live," Brains says. "But he may not walk or use his right arm for a while."

  CHAPTER NINE

  I'm so wired that I can't sleep. I pace in my small hotel room while Lisa sleeps like a baby. When I brought her back last night, she was high on painkillers, so high that she couldn't stop talking about how scared she had been of losing me. She said that she didn't think she could have gone on with life if she lost me, too. I watched her fall asleep next to me, and the moment was so sweet, it was almost painful.

  The ER nurse recommended a body pillow to help her find a comfortable position, so I made one for her with extra pillows I wrestled from the night manager. She's lying on her side, propped up on the pillows.

  Now, as I watch her in the penumbra, I know what I should be doing. I should walk away from her. I should let her go find someone nice and safe, who would take her far, far away from me so that I never have to see her again.

  But the very thought of never seeing her again rips me to shreds, and the idea that someone else would hold her and share her life is just unbearable. She's mine, and Everest is right on the money—she owns me. Shielding her body with mine yesterday didn't require any thought. I did it because it was the right thing to do. She owns my heart, she owns my soul, and she owns my body.

  Is this why Cracker is a selfish and cruel bastard? Because he never got to find or keep someone who made him feel complete? I freeze that line of thought. It's easier to think he's just a sadistic bastard because that's his nature. I can't go around finding excuses for him. If I do, I'll start feeling sorry for the old man, and that would make me vulnerable. We only manage to work as a team because I've never shown him a weakness.

  Would making Lisa my old lady be considered a weakness? I shrug. Probably. Cracker would think I'm caving in too early in the relationship. That option would make her safe from anyone in the club, and especially from Cracker. Each member's property is sacred.

  But then Lisa is going to be a lawyer. Even if she didn't join the DA office as she always said she wanted to, there would be ethical issues.

  Fuck, it would have been better if she’d decided to become a doctor or a nurse. We're always in need of medical attention, and having someone available for an emergency would be a blessing for the MC. But then medical professions have a code of ethics, too, and I think there are some wounds they need to report to the authorities…

  "Hey," Lisa says, derailing my train of thought. "What are you doing up?" She starts to raise her right arm toward me to beckon me to her, but she quickly puts her arm down. I take one of the painkillers the doctors prescribed and a small bottle of water from the dresser and sit beside her on the bed. I help her sit up and make her swallow the pill.

  "Come back to bed with me," she says. "I'm cold without you."

  I slide behind her and pull the covers over us. She's warm and soft and so… right. Next to her is where I belong. She's my slice of heaven, and I'm never letting her go.

  "As soon as the doctors say you're well enough to travel, I'm putting you on a plane or a train and taking you home," I tell her.

  "Oh, crap," she says. "I need to call Lyv and tell her. I'm now totally useless, and she needs to get reorganized."

  "Yes, she does. It's settled—you're coming home with me."

  Lisa doesn't answer right away. She takes a breath as if she's going to say something, then she stops. I can't see her face, but I can almost hear the wheels of her brain churning. She wants to ask something but doesn't know how to put it.

  I nuzzle the back of her neck and ask, "What is it? You should never be afraid to tell me anything. I want you to trust me, to trust me absolutely."

  She sighs. "Where is home, Brian?"

  Oh, right. I hadn't thought about that. I'm not sure living in the MC clubhouse is the best place for her, especially while she’s preparing for the bar exam. If she stays with her mother, I'm not sure I'll be welcome, and we sure aren’t going to camp on my piece of land. So I guess we need a rental while we build our own home.

  "That's an easy question, baby," I whisper in her ear. "Home is anywhere I'm with you."

  My answer seems to suit her because I feel her body relax, and she snuggles against me. Of course, now I have a boner that will never quit, and there's nothing I can do about it. Funny how it doesn't really matter. This is not just about her smoldering pussy, her delicious mouth, or her tasty skin; it's about all of Lisa. I don't need to be buried balls deep in her to know that she's my Lisa.

  So I rest one arm on her waist and close my eyes. I'm never, ever letting her go.

  CHAPTER TEN

  A few hours later, Lyv comes to pick up Lisa at my hotel to drive her back into town. She steps out of the car and is about to hug Lisa when she slaps her forehead with her hand.

  "Duh, I'm sure hugging you is not the smart thing to do," she says. Winking at Lisa, she turns to me. "I think I'll hug him instead."

  Her hug is like a full-body wrap. She's just as soft and curvy as Lisa is, maybe a little more boobs and belly because her pregnancy is starting to show. They smell the same, probably the same shampoo or body soap. Even if they don't really look alike, there is a real kinship between the two. They're like soul sisters… and my body tells me that I could do Lisa's sister. My brains and my body have an argument, and my body wins. It's a healthy male body, which has been tempted all night after being deprived for so long. Clearly, it cannot not react to such sof
tness.

  When I found out she was pregnant, I knew she couldn’t be as old as I had initially imagined when Lisa first talked about her boss who owned several restaurants. Still, I didn't imagine her that young and yummy looking.

  Xander Wild does have good taste.

  "Nice to meet you," she says, looking at me straight in the eyes after she lets go of me. "I understand you're following us to the city?"

  I watch Lisa slowly enter the car and hear the kids in the backseat welcoming her with shrieks of joy, or maybe of awe at the spectacular bandage she has on her right shoulder.

  My gaze comes back to Lyv, and I nod. "Yeah, I want to help her pack her things, and—"

  "Don't bullshit me." She drives an accusing finger into my chest. "I can pack for her. Tell me you want to spend more time with her. Tell me you want to check me out before you leave her in my care for a few days. Tell me you want to look at her leather jacket to figure out why someone tried to steal it from her, but do not bullshit me."

  I laugh and plead guilty. "All of the above," I admit. "Plus, I heard that your food is spectacular, and I skipped dinner yesterday. I'm famished, and I'm also hoping to get a good meal. If you feed me, you'll make me a happy man."

  She smiles, and she's even prettier. Not spectacularly good looking but warm and caring. Really lovely.

  "As long as you make Lisa happy, you'll get all your wishes granted from me." She gets back behind the wheel, and I wonder why Xander Wild let her go. She's obviously a keeper. Just like Lisa, she's got the whole package. Curvy looks, smarts, and a positive attitude.

  She gives me the address of a red-brick building on the corner of 57th and Third and tells me to park my bike in her underground garage, where the attendant will direct me to her parking spaces. She drives away, and I stay behind to check on my crew. I go knock on Brains’s door. He's sharing the room with the prospect. He opens the door, and I can see they're all packed up and ready to go ride with Xander and Andy to the next venue later today.

  "How did it go, bro?" Brains asks.

  "Perfect," I say. "We should always have a cop witness our shootings. It really lightens up the questioning. Plus, Andy let them know that Lisa's brother had been a fellow officer who died on the job. It was smooth as silk."

  "How badly was Crazy Eddy hit?" the prospect asks.

  "He got one in the arm. It looked close range, so I think it's Lisa's handiwork. He got another one in the thigh," I tell him. "He'll probably limp, but he'll live."

  "That's good," Brains says. "From what I gathered, he's not a bad guy. Just a misguided dick. An idiot, crazy in love with his Prez’ daughter.”

  Crazy Eddy's lucky Brains is getting soft with age. If I had been in his shoes, there would have been no question about my aim. When a man puts a gun to one of my brothers’ heads, he signs his own death warrant. Maybe Brains’s show of mercy will have earned us a favor with the Lady Liberty Bastards that we'll be able to cash in someday.

  "Did you hear from Waxer and Lobster?"

  Brains and the prospect laugh.

  "Yeah, we heard them alright. Lucky I had Earplugs here with me," Brains says, pointing to the prospect. "Otherwise, we would never have slept."

  The kid shrugs and explains. "I had to share a room with Lobster before…" He leaves us to fill in the rest.

  I wink at Brains. "Looks like you may have picked a name for him."

  "Earplugs?" The incredulous look in the kid's eyes is priceless. "You're gonna call me Earplugs?"

  Brains tells him, "Sounds good to me. You can build a legend around it. Work on it, and it will help you score points with the chicks. Something like, 'I make them scream so loud that neighbors complained they had to get earplugs.'"

  A smile starts to grow on Daniel’s face. Sure, now that we've found a nickname for him, his real name comes to mind. The kid shakes his head and looks ready to embrace his new name.

  "We'll give them a wake-up call around ten and meet with Xander and Andy at noon by Jones Beach," Brains tells me. "You're riding with us?"

  "No, I've got something to finish up in Manhattan, and then I'll join you.”

  "Finishing up something?" Brains sneers. "That's what you kids are calling it now?"

  The prospect snickers, and I glare at him. I give him my worst stare, the one that puts the subs in a catatonic state, and he lowers his gaze. I smirk. Who would have thought? He's built like a regular quarterback, and he's a sub. Whether the prospect gets his patch or not, I'm bringing him to The Styx when we get home. He's gonna be a perfect playmate for Patricia, my cute assistant who moonlights as a dominatrix.

  I walk out to my bike and realize that there's another business I could start: a BDSM matchmaker agency. As I drive away, I try to come up with a good name for the place, something like Master Matching, Dungeon Dating… I'm truly certifiable!

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  By the time I get to Lyv's place, I'm famished, and the smell of pizza hits me right in the gut. Lyv shows me the bathroom, where I wash my hands, and when I come out, I follow the sound of laughter to a large room that looks like it's a dining room, living room, and play room all in one.

  It's got a messy, homey feeling that makes me feel comfortable right away. Lisa's sitting at a large table with the kids, joking with them as they munch on pizza slices, and the lasts doubts I had about starting a family vanish in front of this domestic scene.

  Yeah, she's the one I want behind me on my bike and in my bed for the rest of my life. I want to find her just like that, minus the wounds obviously—laughing with our kids when I come home.

  Lyv sneaks up behind me, holding a fresh pizza pie. She stops next to me and stands on her tiptoes to whisper in my ear, "Lisa's great with kids. She's got the right combination of love and firmness."

  Lisa looks up at me and smiles. "Here you are. We started without you. The kids were starving," she says. "Brian, these are my buddies, Alexandra, who's nine—“

  "Nine and a half," Alexandra interjects.

  "And Oliver, who is seven."

  "Nice to meet you." I shake the hand that Oliver extends to me. I wouldn't want to offend the little man.

  "Are you Lisa's boyfriend?" Alexandra asks.

  "Alexandra!" Lyv scolds. "You know better than to ask personal questions."

  She tries to look contrite but totally fails.

  I wink at her and ask, "What do you think?"

  She studies my face. "Yeah, I think you're the reason Uncle Andy's not getting anywhere with her."

  Lisa laughs. "Andy's not interested in me, honey. He's been dating Mary Ann forever."

  "Duh… it's been ten years, and they're still dating." Her little fingers do quotation marks around the word dating, and I realize that Alexandra does not look at life through the rose-colored glasses I thought the girls her age wore. How did she get so cynical at age nine… and a half?

  "Yeah, Alexandra," I tell her. "You're right. Lisa and I go waaayyy back."

  "I knew it. I knew it!" Alexandra yelps. "And will you—"

  "Enough, young lady," Lyv says, and the little girl clams up.

  Alexandra looks mainly like her mother, but I can see something of Xander Wild in her, somewhere in the shape of the eyes maybe, or just the eyebrows. Oliver doesn't look anything like either of them. He probably takes after a different father. He's quiet, but he doesn't seem to miss a thing.

  We have a pleasant meal with the children, who quickly get excused from the table. Oliver's playing with a few cars and a fun-looking miniature garage while Alexandra curls up with a book on the sofa. I'm pretty sure she's not going to read a single word but eavesdrop on our conversation.

  Lisa watches me observing Alexandra. "Does she remind you of someone?"

  I nod as I remember Lisa doing the same when we were kids. David and I would run off while Lisa hung back then gave us a full report on the tidbits of interesting information she had gathered while listening in on the adults’ conversation.

  After serving us
a fabulous tiramisu and a very strong Italian coffee, Lyv excuses us, as well. Sounding very motherly, she says, "You kids may go play in Lisa's room now, but don't make too much noise. Mommy will be taking a nap on the sofa."

  She does indeed go lie down with her head next to her little girl's lap. Following Lisa across the room, I witness a strange role reversal as Alexandra tenderly smoothes her mother's hair.

  Lisa closes the door behind us, and I push her gently against it. Before she can say anything, I frame her face with my hands and cover her lips with mine. As I take possession of her mouth, I feel her melt against me as if her body shifts to mold into mine. Her right hand reaches for my waist, and she pulls my shirt out of my pants as if she’s desperate for our skin to touch. I slide a knee between her legs, and within seconds, she’s riding my thigh. She moans into my mouth, and the sound she makes vibrates all the way to my dick. I'll never get tired of the noises she makes. I let go of her face and slide one hand down the front of her pants. I zero in on the little nub hidden in her wet folds and let her buck against my hand a few times. She catches fire before I have time to slide a finger in her.

  She shudders and breaks the kiss to catch her breath. She rests her head on my chest.

  "You're good?" I ask.

  Her entire body shakes, and I realize she's laughing as if I just asked the funniest question ever.

  "Not quite," she says. "I think I still have some room for another desert."

  She reverses our positions so that I'm leaning against the door. She fumbles with my belt buckle. My scrambled brain finally registers what she means by desert, and I help reach for it while she drops to her knees in front of me.

  I'm not going to last long. I've had fantasies about this, except that in my fantasy, she didn't have one arm in a sling and a bruised shoulder but very available and nimble fingers. I watch her lick her lips and slowly take me into her mouth. Oh fuck… who cares about hands? Her eyes are closed, and when I let out a hiss I see the corner of her mouth rise in a smile. Thank fuck she enjoys doing this because I sure love it. I rest a hand on her head and gently move my hips. I speed up the cadence, and she doesn't balk when I finally burst into her.