Fox by Harley Wylde
Chapter Ten
Fox
An insistent chirping sound tugged at me. I groaned and tightened my hold on the woman in my arms, not wanting to move. Sadly, the damn thing making noise wouldn’t shut up. I cracked my eyes open and looked for my phone. My vision blurred and I felt for the annoying piece of technology along the top of the bedside table. Closing my fingers around the device, I squinted and managed to hit the button to silence it.
It was too fucking early. When Spider said ten o’clock for Church, I should have asked him to make it in the afternoon. Of course, I hadn’t planned on staying up making love to my woman. I smiled and looked down at her. She curled against me, her breathing deep and even.
If the vote didn’t go my way today, I’d seriously lose my shit. I hadn’t asked for a single fucking thing. Not once. I gave to this club all the damn time. Had bled for them. Only thing I wanted was Raven. At least her dad seemed okay with me claiming her. Not thrilled, but what father would be?
Speaking of fathers… I wondered when a good time would be to talk to Raven about the baby. I didn’t want to stress her over the situation, but if she wanted to keep him or her, I wanted to start working on the nursery. Or get us moved into one of the new homes. Assuming she would be all right with moving. Since this was the first place she’d felt safe in a while, it might hold sentimental value for her. If that were the case, I’d figure out a way to give us more space. I could always put a tiny house out back for when her dad wanted to visit. Enclose the carport and add a storage room on the other side.
Whatever it took to keep my woman happy.
I ran my fingers through her hair, not wanting to wake her. She had to be exhausted. I remembered what I’d promised her and picked up the phone to text Spider about Luciana and the others meeting Raven at the clubhouse. He’d probably have quite a bit to say about it, but I didn’t have the mental capacity to get into it with him right then. I needed a shower and coffee. Lots of coffee.
“Raven, time to get up.”
She groaned and burrowed farther into my side. Too fucking cute. I smiled and ran my hand up and down her arm. If it were up to me, I’d let her sleep the day away. I knew if I left without her, she’d either freak out when she woke to an empty house, or she’d be upset I hadn’t taken her with me so she could meet the other women.
“Come on, Sleeping Beauty.” I gave her a slight shake. “Time to shower and head to the clubhouse.”
She sighed and opened her eyes, blinking at me a few times. “Shower?”
“Yeah. I got you all dirty last night.” I waggled my eyebrows at her, making her laugh just as I’d intended. I let her go and rolled out of bed, yanking the covers off her in the process. She squealed and made a grab for them. “Nope. Sorry, sweetheart. Got to get up. Or stay home while I go to Church.”
She bolted upright in bed and scrambled off the mattress. “I’m ready.”
I let my gaze skim over her curves. “Not quite. You go with me like that, and I won’t have a club left. I’ll have to kill every last one of them for looking at my woman while she’s naked. Want to shower by yourself, or want to join me?”
She swayed on her feet and yawned widely. “With you.”
Taking her hand, I led her into the bathroom and started the shower. I had a feeling we’d be late to Church, but it would be worth it. Now that I’d had a taste of her, I wasn’t sure I could wash her and not want more.
Once the water had warmed, I nudged her under the spray and followed her into the glassed-in enclosure. I shut the door behind me and took a moment to admire the view. She’d tipped her head back while the water soaked her hair. Rivulets ran down the slopes of her breasts and her belly. My mouth watered, remembering how good she’d tasted.
“I’m one lucky bastard,” I murmured.
She heard me and opened her eyes, giving me a cautious smile. “I’m not too sure about that. I got the better deal.”
I tugged her against me. “How do you figure?”
“I’m broken, Josh. Some part of me will probably always be damaged. Being with you has been amazing, and in just a few days I feel like I’ve come a long way. I’m just worried something will set me off, the nightmares will return, or I’ll wake up one day and it will feel like I can’t breathe and need to escape.”
I cupped her cheek. “And when you feel any of those things, you tell me. I’m here for you, Raven, in whatever capacity you need. I’ll make love to you, when you allow it, and I’ll hold you when you think you’ll fall apart. You’re mine, but there’s a flipside to that. It means I’m yours too. Use me however you need to, sweetheart.”
As soon as I said the words, I caught their double meaning. I hadn’t meant anything sexual. Didn’t mean I’d turn her down if that’s what she needed or wanted. Even though Raven seemed to be doing remarkably well, far better than I’d thought she’d be this soon after escaping Balmoral, I didn’t kid myself into thinking all was well. I knew she’d have demons the rest of her life. She hadn’t needed to tell me. The fact she trusted me enough to share that part of herself, however, meant we were on the right path. She’d heal, even if she never became whole again.
“Do you think they’ll like me? The other women?” she asked. “Luciana seemed nice.”
“They’re going to love you, and remember, they have dark pasts too. They aren’t going to look down on you. They’ll see your strength, just like I do.” I leaned down to kiss her, my lips barely brushing hers before I pulled back. My cock started to harden, and I didn’t want her to feel obligated to do anything. I took a step back, but she advanced.
“You don’t have to do that,” she said.
“Do what?”
“Run.” She smiled a little. “The fact you’re hard doesn’t scare me, Josh. After last night…”
Her cheeks warmed. I pulled her against my chest again and hugged her to me. I knew I didn’t deserve her. She was too sweet, and despite all she’d suffered, too innocent. Yet I didn’t want to ever let her go.
“Not running, beautiful. I’m a badass biker.” I grinned. “We don’t run, unless bombs are involved.”
“Will you tell me more about you? Not now because I know we need to go, but I want to learn all about the past and present versions of you.”
I kissed her forehead. “Deal. Now, scrub up because if I put my hands on you, we’ll be late.”
She smiled and backed up, reaching for the soap. I shouldn’t have offered to shower together. Even if I wasn’t touching her, seeing her soap her breasts had to be the hottest thing I’d watched in a long time. Hell, I’d seen naked women every night at the clubhouse for as long as I could remember, but their images had blurred in my memories. All I saw now was my sweet, beautiful Raven.
After she finished, I took the soap from her and cleaned myself, trying not to stare as she washed her hair. I felt like a starry-eyed teen who had never seen a naked girl before. Except with Raven, I’d be struck dumb by her even fully clothed. I’d seen women who looked flawless. It was her scars, and all she’d survived, that made her shine brighter than all the others.
We got out and dressed. I pulled on my usual jeans and tee and shrugged my cut over my shoulders. Raven opted for denim shorts and a black V-neck tee. She put on a pair of sandals she’d picked up at the store yesterday and left her wet hair hanging down her back.
“You’re not riding on my bike with sandals on.”
Her nose wrinkled. “Why not? I was barefoot when I rode behind you the first time.”
“And it wasn’t safe. You could have gotten burned on the pipes. I still have the truck. We’ll take that.”
“Josh, I liked being on your bike.”
I crossed the room and tipped her chin up. “And you’ll get to go on more rides, but not today. Besides, I know you’re pregnant now. I didn’t know it when I let you ride behind me before.”
“Are you saying I can’t ride with you as long as I’m pregnant?” she asked, her eyes going wide. “Why not?”
I slipped my hands around her waist and hugged her. “Because you’re the most important thing in my life, Raven, and for now, so is the baby. If you decide we aren’t keeping the baby, then I’ll try not to get attached.”
She rested her head against my chest. “You really want this baby, don’t you?”
I sucked in a breath and contemplated lying my ass off. I didn’t want her to feel like she had no choice in the matter. But I didn’t want to start out with a lie between us.
“Yeah, I want the baby. Not enough to tell you to keep it. I’ll be first to admit I can be an ass at times, and domineering, but I would never force you to keep the baby, Raven. The decision is completely yours and I’ll support you no matter what.”
“What if I see the baby and can’t stand to look at them? What if they remind me too much of how they were conceived?” she asked.
She had a reason to be worried. It was quite possible that very thing could happen. Or she could look at the baby and fall completely in love with our child. And yes, I already thought of the baby as mine, simply because Raven was mine. They were a package deal in my opinion.
“Then we discuss adoption. It’s possible someone from another club might want to raise them. I know Havoc and Jordan adopted some kids down at the Devil’s Boneyard. If you don’t want the baby, we’ll make sure they have a loving home.”
She sucked in a deep breath and blew it out. “All right. For now, can we plan on keeping him? Or her?”
I smiled and hugged her tighter. “Absolutely.”
We left and drove to the clubhouse. The line of bikes out front was proof we were late, even if sex hadn’t been involved. I led Raven inside, noting the three club whores huddled in the corner. I narrowed my eyes at them, wondering why the fuck they were here.
Luciana and Violeta sat at a table near the bar. I took Raven over and pulled out a chair for her. Once she’d sat, I got a drink for her from behind the bar.
“Where’s Vasha?” I asked.
“Watching the kids,” Violeta said. She cast a glare at the club whores. “Once we saw them, there was no way we were bringing the kids inside.”
“Spider’s chewing out your brothers right now,” Luciana said. “They knew we were coming and left those skanks in here. He’s pissed. Those three scurried outside, but once everyone went into Church, they came back like fucking cockroaches.”
I kissed Raven’s cheek. “You know where I’ll be if you need anything. It’s frowned upon for you to interrupt Church, but if someone’s bleeding or the building is on fire, by all means barge right in. Stick with Luciana and Violeta. I’ll be back soon.”
I walked down the hall and pushed open the doors to Church. Considering Spider was supposedly reading everyone the riot act, it seemed a bit too quiet. Hornet and Freak both stared at the table, the latter with flushed cheeks. Those two must have been responsible for the club whores. I wondered if Spider knew those women had come back inside. Doubtful. Couldn’t wait to see how pissed he got when he saw them.
“You’re late,” Spider said, leaning back in his seat.
“Sorry. Raven needed a hug and…” I sank into my chair and sighed. “She started to freak a little over the baby. I had to calm her down again.”
“Baby?” Breaker asked, looking a bit green at the thought. “Those fuckers got her pregnant?”
I nodded. “They did. She isn’t sure how she feels about it. For now, we’re planning to keep the baby.”
“We?” Bear asked.
“And that brings us to why I called Church,” Spider said. “Only Breaker and the club officers have met Raven. She’s the one we pulled out of Balmoral. Hatchet’s daughter. You may have seen her in the clubhouse that first night when Breaker brought her here. She immediately clung to Fox and has been living with him.”
“Hold the fuck up.” Hornet lifted a hand. “You’re telling me you put your hands on some poor girl who’s been raped and abused?”
I tipped my head back and counted to ten. Then twenty. When I thought I had enough control to not lunge for him, I scanned my brothers seated around the table. “Yes, Raven is living with me. No, I didn’t force her to endure my touch. From the first night she was in my house, she’s felt safer with me lying next to her at night. Anyone has an issue with it, I’ll be happy to settle this outside.”
Breaker cleared his throat. “I saw how she reacted to Fox. He got upset over how I’d found her and put his hand through the wall. Raven ran to him, worried he’d hurt himself. She held onto him and wouldn’t let go.”
“She’s like Luciana and Violeta,” Rocket said. “Only one person makes her feel safe, and it seems that would be Fox. I’m not sure I understand why we’re here, though. You could have just sent a text to let us know Raven would be living with him for a while.”
“It’s more than that,” Spider said. “Raven has agreed to be Fox’s old lady. I called Church so we can take a vote.”
“I’ll cast mine right now,” Rocket said. He lifted his hand. “I say give them what they want.”
More hands went up around the table. I hadn’t realized I’d been worried until I saw Breaker’s hand go up too. Spider slammed his fist into the table.
“It’s unanimous. Congratulations, Fox. You have an old lady. I’ll have Luciana contact the woman who makes the property cuts. Raven should have it by end of the week. Now, if there’s nothing else we need to discuss, everyone get the hell out and make sure you don’t scare our newest family member.”
I stood and hurried out of the doors, only to come to a halt at the end of the hallway. My heart hammered in my chest as I stared at the chaos in front of me. Violeta kicked a club whore in the stomach and legs as the woman curled into a ball on the nasty floor. Luciana slammed her fist into another’s face. And my sweet Raven? She had a handful of another’s hair and smashed her face into the table until blood sprayed everywhere.
“Holy shit,” I muttered.
Spider came up behind me and grunted, taking it all in. “What the hell is going on out here?”
Joe ran over, his face pale and a slight tremor in his hands. “Pres. VP. I, uh… I tried to throw them out, but… I didn’t want to hurt them.”
I motioned for Joe to keep talking.
“CeeCee started mouthing off about how much she’d enjoyed your cock, and how she’d be riding it again soon. Talked about your woman being a cheap, ugly whore who’d never keep you satisfied.” He gulped and looked at Spider. “And um… Rochelle said some shit about Luciana getting fat and how you’d be available again soon enough. It sort of went to hell from there.”
I strode into the room and wrapped my arm around Raven’s waist, hauling her back against me. I turned to the side to set her away from CeeCee, who collapsed to the floor with tears and mascara running down her face.
“Fox, I think she broke my nose,” the woman whined.
I grabbed her hair and hauled her up to her feet. “I don’t give a shit if she broke your nose. After what I just heard, I hope she loosened a few teeth too. You’re gone, CeeCee. Don’t ever come back here. You get me? I may not hurt women but push me and I will make your life fucking hell.”
She cried harder and I tossed her away like the unwanted trash she was. I felt Raven’s hands on my back right before her scent hit me. I reached back and held her closer to me. I should have known those bitches would start shit.
“Pres, your woman all right? Rocket, how’s Violeta?”
“We’re fine,” Luciana said, shaking out her hand. “You should be proud of your girl.”
I smiled. “Oh, I am. She was fucking fierce, wasn’t she?”
Turning, I lowered my head and kissed Raven in the middle of the clubhouse. I didn’t care who saw. She was mine, and I wanted her to know just how hot it made me to see her take down that whore. When I pulled back, a few of my asshole brothers wolf whistled and clapped. I flipped them off.
Breaker came up, a smile on his lips. “Welcome to the family, Raven. I’m really happy for you. Fox is a great guy.”
Her cheeks flushed and her eyes brightened. “Yes, he is. The best.”
Well, I wouldn’t go that far. I only hoped she felt that way in another month, another year, or a decade from now. Assuming I didn’t keel over before then. I planned to be around a long-ass time for her and our kid, or kids, but I knew bad shit happened and life sometimes fucked you over.
Fate was a fickle bitch. But if she tried to take me from Raven too soon, I’d dig my way out of hell to get back to my family.