Puck’s Property by Monique Moreau
ChapterTwenty
Ava watched as Puck and Whistle pushed through the double glass doors of her father’s shop to meet her and Kat for dinner. Kat was bouncing off the walls in her excitement, although she stopped in her tracks the moment her eyes fell on Whistle. Even Ava had to admit that Whistle was exceptionally handsome. He could have easily been a fashion model with a square jaw that sported the perfect amount of scruff and a pair of brilliant, unusually colored eyes. They were turquoise, framed by long, tar-black eyelashes. His matching black curls were perfectly tousled. Of course, she much preferred the warmth of Puck’s chocolate irises. Especially when they turned black obsidian, like when he was aroused. She instinctively rubbed her bottom in memory of the fight and makeup session they’d had yesterday after Abby and Loki left.
As they sauntered toward the counter, Ava sensed Kat’s nervousness. “These are Squad brothers,” Kat hissed beside her. “They’re…like…wow,” she ended, at a loss for words. “I’m glad you came early, so I wouldn’t have to face them alone.”
“Leaving you speechless, eh?” she teased.
That got her a whack on her arm. “Don’t you dare embarrass me,” Kay threatened in a deadly tone, eyes glued on their approach.
“Who me? I would never,” she retorted with a small chuckle.
As per his usual inconvenient timing, her father chose that moment to come out from his back office. Stumbling slightly when he saw Puck and Whistle, his shoulders squared back. His eyes went from Puck’s face to the patch on his cut and back to his eyes. Guess he recognizes Puck. His back stiffened, but he pasted on a professional smile. Ava frowned at his reaction.
Puck scooped Ava up in his arms and planted a smoldering kiss on her lips that screamed ownership. Ava melted in his arms and also cringed internally because it was in front of her father. As he dropped her gently back down on the ground, Ava had a little trouble on her rubbery legs, but he kept an arm hooked possessively around her waist. She glanced over her shoulder and found her father glowering at them.
Leaning down, Puck murmured in the curve of her ear, “Missed you, babe. How you doin’?”
She smiled up at him, loving how he took a moment to check in with her. “Good. A little tired. You know how it is at the jail. I wake up early, and those days tend to run me ragged.”
With an understanding nod, he murmured low, “I’ll take care of you when we get home. Promise.”
A flush of heat swept over her cheeks. By God, he knew how to make her ache for him. Shaking off the lust, she introduced Puck to her family. “Puck, you may not recognize Kat after so many years, but this is my little sister,” she said as she tried breaking away.
He tightened his hold for an instant before letting her go. “Sure don’t recognize her after all these years, but you’ve grown into a beauty,” Puck said kindly.
Kat flushed at the compliment, ducking her head in embarrassed pleasure. Squeezing Kat’s shoulders, Ava said, “And this is Whistle, Puck’s right-hand man. Whistle, this is my little sister Kat.”
“Whattup?” he replied with a chin lift.
From under her lashes, she returned his greeting. Whistle’s eyes didn’t linger, which Ava was grateful for. At fifteen, Kat was still a girl to a man like Whistle. At least, for now.
Ava’s father, Grant, put forth his hand and introduced himself. “Hey Damien, I’m Grant. Been a long time since I heard about you.”
Puck carefully laid his palm in Grant’s, and they had a little wrangling handshake standoff. “Glad to meet you, sir. I go by Puck now,” he replied respectfully, breaking off the handshake.
Grant’s face was set in a cold expression. Ava pressed her lips together to stop herself from jumping in. No good would come from her interference. Puck hadn’t formally met her father the first time they dated. It was during one of the rougher patches with her dad, when she refused to talk to him.
She wasn’t sure if that was the reason behind the antagonizing ripples coming off him, or if he didn’t like that she was dating a member of the Squad. He’d never commented on the men she dated in the past. She didn’t think the issue was about Puck being a biker, because he’d dropped enough hints of setting her up with a Renegades member. Either he didn’t like the Squad, or he was feeling protective of Ava because Puck had ended their relationship. She’d find out soon enough. While their relationship was one of reserve, her father wasn’t one to pull any punches.
“Hey, Kat,” her father said. “Why don’t you show Puck and Whistle around the shop. I’m having trouble with my computer and need Ava’s help.”
Kat glanced at her father quizzically. “Uhm…sure…yeah.” Directing Puck and Whistle toward a row of bikes near the front of the shop, she said, “Let me show you the new arrivals. They’re dope.” Although only fifteen years old, Kat practically lived in the shop and already worked there part-time.
Puck glanced back at her, but she gave him a reassuring nod.
Once they were out of earshot, she looked over at her father, who waved her toward his office.
Shutting the door behind her, she took a seat near his desk. “What’s going on?” He’d never once asked her for help with his computer. The man was a whiz with them.
“He’s the boy who dumped you in a hot fucking minute eight years ago,” he declared, leaning his back against the glass door, effectively blocking her view to the outside. “Kat told me you hooked up with him again. But to bring him here? To introduce him and his brother to Kat? What the hell are you thinking, Ava?”
Her eyelashes fluttered in surprise. She jerked back at his presumption. Who was he to comment on who she chose to be with?
“Where is this coming from?” Ava asked, social-work mode kicking in. Her father didn’t mince words, but what he said was out of left field, and he was coming at her hard. “I mean, I’ve been an adult for quite some time, and you’ve never gotten bent out of shape over anyone I’ve dated before.”
“That’s because you’ve never brought a man around before and you’ve certainly never dated a biker like him before.”
“Okay…so I’m bringing a Squad brother around. Do you have a problem with that?”
“The question is, why don’t you?” he asked, his eyes flaring with incredulity. “His track record isn’t spanking clean. He’s a fucking dirty biker is what he is. One who broke your heart before. Look at you!” He flung out his arm at her. “You’re a gorgeous, smart woman. Can’t you find anyone better than that asshole? Hell, I’ll find you someone better, if that’s the case.”
Ava’s head tipped back at his vitriol. Her temples started throbbing with pain, and her heart beat fast against her ribs. What the hell…?
Lowering his tone, he continued, “You’ve got a lot going for you, Ava. If you like bikers, I can set you up with Turbo. He’s a biker, but he’s a stand-up guy, a businessman. What does Puck have to offer you?”
Shaking her head to clear her mind, she stammered out, “Uhm…his heart.”
“Pfft. Come on, be serious,” he scoffed.
“I have to admit I’m surprised by your reaction. You’ve never gotten involved in my choices, or really much of anything in my life,” Ava noted, as she crossed her arms and rubbed them nervously.
“Ava,” he said, as his jaw flexed with tension. “I’ve been there when it counted, and I’ve shown up when you asked me for something. The big things. I know you still resent me, and so I try to back off, but this is too serious for me to let slide. Let’s face the facts; you’re pushing thirty.” Wow. Just wow. He’s bringing up my age now?
“The guy you choose now is the guy who’s gonna give me grandbabies. Kat loves everything about bikes, bikers, and the biker lifestyle. In that way, she’s followed in her mother’s footsteps. You’re the only one I can count on to make a normal choice. Plus,” he jutted his thumb toward the outside, “I don’t trust that guy. The Squad has a reputation for smuggling. They’re a bunch of wild jackasses.”
He pushed off the door and took the seat beside her. Ava simply watched, stunned, as he took her hand in his and said, “Look, I know you can’t forgive me for what happened between me and your mother. I’ve made my share of mistakes, and I know what it is to hurt someone I love. To live with that mistake. Knowing that I damaged my relationship with my firstborn. He’s hurt you once before. Can you trust him not to do it again? With the biker bitches and hangers-on in that club of his? Hell, Squad brothers makes the Renegades look like a bunch of Boy Scouts.”
Ava slumped into her seat. “This…is quite a speech.”
Her father fiddled with her fingers. It was the most physical contact they’d had in years. Normally, she was prickly when he came too close. They’d lived in a routine for the past several years. It was a delicate little dance they hadn’t strayed from. By bursting through the invisible fourth wall, he’d created a unique space of honesty. The courage to do that deserved a candid response from her.
“There’s no denying that I’ve resented you. It’s lessened since Kat’s mom left and I got closer to Kat. The way you stepped up to raise her helped change my image of you, which was pretty low.”
“Like I said, I regret hurting you and your mother. Neither of you deserved to be treated like that. I see myself in Puck, you know? The entitled asshole who doesn’t see past his immediate desires.”
“No.” She shook her head because there was a world of difference between her father and Puck. She had to make him see that. Truthfully, she was a bit offended by his harsh judgment and tried to maintain her equilibrium. “That’s where you’re wrong, Dad. Puck may come off like a bad boy, but that’s not who he is on the inside. He’s extremely attentive and caring toward me.”
“Humph,” her father replied.
“He’s not at the clubhouse, partying away every night. He works at the bar and then comes home to me.” Ava hesitated to bring up Puck’s arrest and incarceration, but she wasn’t ashamed of Puck’s stint in jail. After all, his case had been dismissed, and he didn’t have a criminal record. “When he was arrested—”
“What?” her father shouted, dropping her hands, and shooting to his feet.
“If you’d let me finish—”
His face slackened with shock. “Hell no. Not my daughter. Not happening.”
“Dad! Dad, will you calm down and listen to me? His case was thrown out of court, and he’d gotten arrested for protecting a woman from her abusive husband.”
“Forget the fact that his case was thrown out. He shouldn’t be engaging in behavior that will get him thrown in jail. Proves my point that he’s a criminal…or a borderline criminal. Whatever. The point is he’s not a regular, honest, hardworking man.” Raising his hands in a pleading gesture, he said, “I want what’s best for you. You could have any man you want. You have so much to offer. You should have the best, not some two-bit criminal biker.”
“You’re being unfair,” she said with a slight tremor in her voice. He was fast wearing on her patience.
“I’m being real. I’m a man and I know men, specially men like him and his friend. They’re more than rough around the edges. They’re criminals. The Squad has been one of the largest cigarette smugglers up and down the East Coast. Try asking him about it, although I wouldn’t trust what he says, because he’ll probably deny any involvement. Why can’t you find a nice boy…someone you work with or…or…anyone,” he pleaded.
She was a bit rattled by his revelation about the smuggling. She didn’t know about any smuggling. Was the Squad involved in illegal activities? She’d never considered it. The Renegades weren’t those kinds of bikers. It hadn’t crossed her mind, especially since Puck’s conversation only revolved around the Squad Bar and the Box. She’d ask Puck about it later. What truly concerned her was her father’s admission that he saw himself in Puck. Now, that was worrisome. Her father had never overstepped before, so he must feel strongly about it to broach the subject.
Ava rose and took his hands in hers. She happened to glance out the door and saw that Puck, Whistle, and Kat were back at the counter. Puck’s eyes ticked up and fused with hers. He knew something was up.
Breaking eye contact, Ava’s gaze returned to her father. “I appreciate your concern, but I have to go with my gut on this one, Dad. I will find out about the smuggling. That’s concerning because I don’t want Puck to spend another day in jail. Look, they’re waiting for me, and I need to go. We can talk about this another time.”
Griping her forearms, he shook her slightly. “Be careful. Don’t give your heart to a player. That man out there isn’t serious.”
Her jaw tightened, and she gritted out, “You don’t know him.”
“I know men, especially players. Remember? I was one once. Settled down too young. Wasn’t ready to get married and have a kid. Came to bite me in the ass, along with hurting you and your mom. Don’t let the same thing happen to you,” he warned somberly.
His tone sent a shiver down her spine. She definitely didn’t want a repeat of what she’d experienced when her father left or when Puck had ended their relationship. No thank you to that level of heartbreak.
“I’ll take your advice into consideration, Dad, but I’ve got to go.”
Her gaze flickered to Puck, whose gaze was intent on her. He pushed off the counter with a determined expression on his face, coming for her. Ava broke away from her father, kissed him on the cheek, and murmured, “Don’t worry about me, Dad.”
She was out the door and meeting Puck with a hand on his chest. Grasping her elbows, his gaze bored into her. “You okay, angel?”
“Yeah,” she breathed out. His touch stabilized the commotion her father had stirred up inside her chest. Puck’s dark eyes scrutinized her, drilling in as if he could comb through the layers of her soul.
“Come on, let’s go get something to eat. I’m starving,” she said.
Ripping his gaze from her, he raised his eyes over the crown of her head, probably latching them onto her father. Tugging on his jacket, she moved in front of him and dragged him away by his sleeve.
“Don’t like that fucker botherin’ my woman,” he grumbled under his breath from behind her.
“Hush now, that’s my father you’re speaking about,” she replied with a suppressed smile.
“He doesn’t like me,” Puck declared.
Her eyes slid sideways toward him. “How do you know?”
“Doesn’t take much to put two and two together. Kat looked surprised when he asked for your help, so I know that was a ruse to get you alone. And me being the first man you brought around the shop, at the age of twenty-nine—”
“That’s not true,” she cut in, although it was a total lie.
“Alright, but I’m the first biker. That much I do know. Either way, I mean something to you if you’re introducing me to your sister. I know that, and so does he. He’s threatened by me.”
“Yeah, baby, he’s jealous of your swag,” she teased, giving him a peck on the cheek. Puck let out one of his little quirky grunts. They’d reached Whistle and Kat, who had migrated toward the front door. Glancing over her shoulder, Ava found her father by the register, watching them intently.
Kat ran to give him a hug and then bounced back to the front door, and they left the store. Checking over her shoulder, she caught her father’s grim expression still following them. Ava stifled a sigh. Her father’s words tumbled around in her head. Smuggling. Player. She couldn’t let another person’s doubts—doubts based on assumptions and judgments, not on facts—affect her feelings toward Puck. But she would get to the bottom of what the Squad did, more specifically, what Puck did for a living. As for the rest, she had to trust him. She did, didn’t she? A flurry of fear flapped in her belly, and she didn’t like it. Not one bit.
