Illusive, page 28
“Okay, I’m a virgin,” she announced loudly, holding out her arms and addressing the handful of rough and ready bikers that surrounded her, all with varying degrees of looks on their faces from thank fuck to well that was something I could have gone my whole life without hearing. “Cool? We’re good? Okay, great, so if we could just move things along here, and open the damn package before I die, that’d be perfect.”
Laughter tinkled through the room, including from her mother who had disentangled her body and was shaking her head.
“You know what this—”
“I swear to God, old man,” she groaned. “Open it.”
Old man? Pulling out the big guns now.
I finally tore the top of the pack open and tipped the contents out onto the table. I was right, they were papers. So I gathered them up and finally turned my attention to the title at the top.
“Application for Adoption,” I read out loud, my throat feeling instantly like it was trying to close as I scanned down the page. Blair’s information had already been filled out, a lawyer having already stuck little notes and ‘sign here’ stickers throughout the handful of papers.
I couldn’t look up.
If I did, I’d fucking risk everyone seeing a side to me many hadn’t ever seen.
Zoey’s hand reached out, resting on my knee, though I was scared to look at her too.
“I know I’ll be eighteen soon, and none of this will matter in the scheme of things,” Blair continued, clearing her throat several times just to get the words out through the thick emotion. “And I’m also aware that you and Mom at some stage may decide to call it quits or decide to break up.”
As I finally looked up and caught her eyes, I was shaking my head.
Tears trickled down her cheeks, but she smiled through them. “Hey, we all know shit happens.”
But it wouldn’t.
Because I intended on making Zoey my wife soon.
And while I wasn’t a perfect man, I already knew that for the rest of my fucking life I would do whatever I needed to do to make Zoey happy.
I would never stop fighting for her.
Never.
Showing Blair that I cared for her just like I did my other kids was a huge part of my plan, I just hadn’t figured out how to do it yet, but as it turned out, I didn’t need to because she was one step ahead.
“Even if you and Mom broke up…” she started, her voice trailing off for a second as she fought to not get overwhelmed. “I would still be so proud to tell people you are my dad. And it wouldn’t be just because you’re banging my mom, but because ever since I walked in here, you have treated me with nothing less than the love and respect and loyalty that a man should a daughter.”
The tear dropping down onto my cheek was something I couldn’t stop. I wasn’t sure if anyone other than Blair saw it because of the intense connection between us right now, neither of us looking away at that moment, but it was there.
I didn’t cry.
Not very often.
But this was my exception.
This kid had hit me like a fucking freight train.
Finding Zoey and falling for this amazing, strong, fierce woman who any man should be lucky to have standing beside him and having her love me back, that was a once in a lifetime. But having Blair walk in beside her was a bonus I never knew I needed.
“You’ve shown me the true meaning of family, and I don’t care that we’ve only known each other a few months. In that short time, you’ve given me so much more than any other person other than my mom. I feel safe with you. I feel loved. And because of you and all the men inside this clubhouse, I feel like I know now how I deserve to be treated and not to settle for anything less than that.” Blair continued to rattle on, even as I finally shoved my chair back and got to my feet. “And when someone asks who my dad is, I would love to be able to point to you.”
I dropped the papers onto the table. “Done.”
Her eyes lit up like she was surprised. Like she’d been expecting me to say no or that she had more things to say to try and convince me.
“Really?” she whispered.
“If you’d given me a fucking pen along with these papers, I would have already signed the damn things the second I opened them.” She ran at me, launching herself into my arms.
Blair and I were alike in a lot of ways, one being that we didn’t show a lot of affection by hugging and physical touch, so I knew this was big for her. The kid and I, we showed we cared by the effort we put in, by the things we did for others, and the time we dedicated to spending with them.
It was movie nights where we watched teen vampire romances.
“Well, someone get the man a pen!” Blair called loudly when she stepped back, sniffling loudly.
Rip was the first one to step in and lift Blair off her feet into a bear hug like no other. She laughed loudly as he swung her around. “Welcome to the family, little sister.”
Drake wasn’t far behind, hooking her around the neck and pulling her into his chest before dipping his head. They whispered together for at least a minute.
That was how different her relationship was with Rip compared to Drake.
That was how different my sons were when they showed how they cared.
Meyah was different again—she was kind, compassionate, and motherly.
I’d been a father before, but all three of my kids were so vastly different to the next, Blair now being no exception.
My eyes followed my brothers all crowding around Blair as a hand grabbed my club cut, and Zoey tucked herself in under my arm. I pressed my lips to her head, holding them there for a few extra seconds so I knew I could talk without my voice cracking like a preteen boy. “You know about this?”
“I did.”
“Do we need to have a talk about not keeping secrets?” I teased, but she merely let out a soft laugh and buried herself further into my arms. “This really what she wants?”
Zoey’s head bobbed up and down. “She knows she’ll never escape the fact that Steven is a part of her, but I think in a way, being able to feel like you are a part of her too, that’s what is going to keep her going.”
“That, and she had a mom who is the most incredible woman I’ve ever fucking met. You know if she ever comes looking for someone strong to help her get through, I’m pointing her in your direction.”
Zoey looked up at me with a smile, wrapping her hand around my neck and dragging my lips down to meet hers. Every touch from her was fucking heaven. Hopefully, if I don’t fuck this up, maybe she will slowly push back the fires from hell that for years have been slowly burning around my feet, just waiting for a wrong step so I could fall below.
I know I was a bastard, and I’d probably end up there anyway, but it was strange to think one person could possibly have such an impact on your life, that maybe they could rescue your soul.
It was something not many men got to experience—the one person who you just knew was the other half of you. For me, she was the good half. The half who helped me see the world in another way. The half who made me finally feel worthy enough of being loved.
The half who knew it wasn’t my fault Josie decided to leave this earth and instead chose to celebrate her and the positive changes her death forced us to face.
Zoey helped me see things from a different angle.
One that didn’t have me constantly blaming myself.
Or wondering why people would want to be near me.
She helped me see that I was so much more than the bad things I’d done.
Sure, I was still an asshole.
Still a killer.
But I was also a president.
A brother.
A widower.
A father.
And with the square box I had hidden away in my drawer, in a few months, if Zoey said yes, I was going to a husband.
DRAKE
“Congratulations.”
I looked up just as Mallory slapped today’s newspaper down on my desk, covering the list of properties and proposals I’d been skimming through. No matter where we were in a project, the next one was always on my mind. Something bigger, better, more challenging.
Raising my brow, I eyed the woman who had been my personal assistant and secretary for five years since things with the company really took off.
Mallory was bright and bubbly, making sure anyone who came into the office left with a smile.
She just had that kind of personality, but on the other side, the woman also kept me in line.
“On what?” I asked cautiously.
She nodded to the paper. “Page nine.” I held her gaze for a second longer before looking down and flicking through the pages to page nine and what I quickly realized were the gossip articles.
Vegas’ Own Bad Boy Bachelor
My eyes followed the thick dark font across the page as she read it out before dropping to the four photos below it.
“Fucking hell,” I cursed, shaking my head.
I was in all four photos—pictures of me leaving restaurants, casinos, nightclubs, private parties, all with a different woman on my arm. A model, a marketing executive, a popular actress, and then lastly, the woman who wrote the damn article, which, with only reading the first couple of sentences, I could already tell was written out of jealousy and resentment for my lack of commitment.
She wanted more.
She wanted dates, flowers, exclusivity, and eventually, probably a ring. And her writing this article was meant to make me feel bad or guilty for not being that man.
It didn’t.
There were three things in my life that I gave a shit about.
My family.
My club.
My business.
She was not on that list.
Actually, I was about to add her to another list—my shit list.
“You know I love you,” Mallory started, sitting back and rubbing her hand over her growing baby bump. She and her husband met the day she started work here. He was one of my best builders, and she would be leaving in a month to take maternity leave. I already knew the next year or so without her was going to be fucking torture. She knew me, she understood me, and she held me accountable. “But do you really have to date the entire population of the city?”
I sat back in my chair, folding my arms across my chest with a smirk. “And since when were you so concerned about who I stuck my dick in?”
Her nose crinkled at my choice of words, but she powered through, reaching out and patting me on the cheek. “Since one day, someone is going to do more than just write a nasty article about it.”
The worry in her voice made me sit a little taller.
It was genuine, I could hear it.
And I knew what she was trying to get at.
I tried my best to hook up with women who were looking for what I was. Women who weren’t in town for long or who didn’t have time to fuck around with relationships because they were too busy running their own companies.
But there were always going to be ones who wanted something else.
Something I wasn’t even sure I was capable of giving them.
Something I’d never offered to anyone before—love.
I cleared my throat and shook my head, refusing to sink back into that pit I’d sat in for so many years, wondering why the hell I had so many problems with commitment. “I promise, next time I take someone home from the casino, I’ll give them one of those online psych tests to make sure they aren’t going to try and cut my balls off when I try to leave the next morning without giving them my number.”
Mallory’s gentle pat on my cheek got a little harder, and I pulled back with a grin.
“You just wait,” she said, awkwardly shuffling around my desk and pointing her finger at me and narrowing her eyes, though I could see the smile pulling at the corner of her mouth. “One day, you’ll feel it. It will bite you right in the ass, sink its teeth in, and love will have you addicted.”
“That sounds painful,” I answered, following her as she headed back out my office door. “I think I’ll pass!”
“One day, Drake!”
We’ll see.
NEXT IN THE SERIES:
The story continues in:
Innocent – The Exiled Eight MC Book Three
If you enjoyed this book, you will love:
The Club Girl Diaries
Click here to purchase
Harmony (The Club Girl Diaries Book One)
Chelsea (The Club Girl Diaries Book Two)
Blizzard (The Club Girl Diaries Book Three)
Hadley (The Club Girl Diaries Book Four)
Family (The Club Girl Diaries Book Five)
Wrench (The Club Girl Diaries Book Six)
Skylar (The Club Girl Diaries Book Seven)
Shake (The Club Girl Diaries Book Eight)
Meyah (The Club Girl Diaries Book Nine)
BLURB – Book One
I was a club girl.
I made no excuses for who I was or what I’ve done.
We had our purpose—to cook, clean, and keep the men happy.
After a lifetime of watching men walk in and out of my life, it was strangely comforting and a feeling I’d grown accustomed to.
All I wanted was to have fun, play my music and finish college.
At the club, I could do that.
No strings attached, no risking my heart.
At least, that was the plan.
I was born to be president.
The Brothers by Blood MC was my family—my home.
The club ran in my veins.
I wasn’t looking for much more.
The last thing I expected was to find Harmony—a club girl with all the makings of a perfect old lady.
She was beautiful, strong, and fiercely independent.
The walls around her heart were up, but the fire in her eyes and her love for the club fueled my need to have her by my side.
And on the back of my bike.
When her safety is threatened, I would do everything to protect her and get her to trust me. But after a lifetime of broken promises, would it be enough?
The Exiled Eight MC Series
Click here to purchase
Irrevocable (The Exiled Eight MC Book One)
Illusive (The Exiled Eight MC Book Two)
Other books by this author:
The DePalma Family
Click here to purchase
When Angels Seek Chaos (The DePalma Family Book 1)
Her Ransom: Royal Bastards MC – Miami, FL
Bayward Street
Check out these books by co-authors:
Addison Jane and KE Osborn
The Vindicated Series
Click here to purchase
Deceit (The Vindicated Series Book One)
Liberate (The Vindicated Series Book Two)
Revive (The Vindicated Series Book Three)
Perceive (The Vindicated Series Book Four)
Conceal (The Vindicated Series Book Five)
BLURB – Book One
Covert, stealthy, cunning—I’m trained as a weapon. A lethal killer. I do what needs to be done in order to protect those who can’t protect themselves.
I’m never the same person twice.
It’s never been an issue.
But I underestimated her.
The beautiful woman next door. There’s something sexy about the way she watches me, eyes wide with an innocent curiosity. I find myself aching for her attention. I want her to look at me, but not when I’m covered in the blood of the man I just killed.
I live in the dark. She could be my light. I want her. And I know she feels it too.
When what I do puts her life in danger, everything changes. And I start to realize that maybe not all is as it seems. Every part of me screams to save her...
But what if I’m wrong.
What if she’s the one saving me?
Thank you so much to the people who helped me get this book finished.
Kimberly—you’re always my biggest cheerleader and always there when I need a slap in the face.
Kay—there’s not much else to say but these books wouldn’t be what they are without you.
Nicki—thank you for always working so hard to make my work polished!
My betas—girls, you are the real MVPs for always jumping in at the last minute to read and give me feedback.
My mini—kid, we got through another one. Deadlines are a lot of late nights, frozen meals and you doing what you can to help, but we always come out the other side because we are a team.
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USA Today Bestselling Author Addison Jane is a born and bred kiwi girl with a passion for romance and writing.
When she gets the chance she enjoys the little things in life such as reading, dancing, music, and Facebook, but her world really revolves around the little girl who calls her Mum. It’s an awkward balance between alpha males and Disney princesses, but it works.
