Alex Read online

  “Yes. I loved my sister and Tiny like a brother. Once you learn something, Sunshine, you can’t unlearn it. Working as the head of a casino, you see and do a lot of shit to stay at the top.” Tears filled his eyes, but he batted them away. He wouldn’t even allow himself to cry. Witnessing his sadness filled her with equal pain.

  “You gave up everything for the club, and they don’t even know.”

  “I’ve killed men and women for the sake of the club.”

  “You’re the most devoted Skull of them all, and they hate you.”

  Alex shrugged. “I learned long ago not to care what they think. I can’t let this happen to you, Sunshine.” His voice broke. “I let my guard down, and you ended up fucking hurt.”

  “No, you’re not doing this to me, Alex. You’re not going to send me away.” She moved in front of him, cupping his face. The tears she’d witnessed seconds ago were gone. “You’re not going to get rid of me. I refuse to be another one of your fucking sacrifices.” She pressed her lips to his, kissing him deeply. He gripped her arms, holding her back. “What happened to Claire?”

  “What?”

  “You didn’t marry her. What happened to her?”

  “She’s married with five children and lives with her husband in a villa in Italy.”

  “Do you love her?” She didn’t know if she’d be able to handle him loving someone else.

  “No. I don’t.”

  Letting out a relieved breath, she smiled at him. “Thank God, I didn’t know what I’d do if you loved her.”

  “I can’t keep you, Sunshine.”

  “You’re not letting me go. We’ve been together, Alex. I could be pregnant because you don’t like wearing a condom. You’re not pushing me away. No, you’re not getting rid of me, not now.” This was a side no one knew. “You can be yourself with me. You don’t need to fight or be someone else. Be you, be Alex.”

  He took her hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles.

  “I can’t find him, baby. I can’t find him to kill him.”

  “You will. You’ll find this monster, and you’ll kill him.” She really shouldn’t be okay with Alex talking about killing people. Remembering the vulgarity of Preston, Sunshine truly believed he was doing the world a favor. She pressed another kiss to his lips. “We can do this, Alex.”

  “I can’t keep you.”

  “You already have me. You’re not going to get rid of me.” She held on tightly to his hand. “I’m not running away.”

  “I shouldn’t have Michael or you.”

  “Is that why you’ve sent Michael to Vegas?”

  “He’s protected when he’s away from me.” He smiled. “You’d really like him. He doesn’t like me all that much, but I can live with that.”

  Her heart broke for the man in front of her. Not one person in The Skulls knew what he sacrificed that meant they could all be happy, having families.

  “Alex, I love you,” she said, telling him the truth. She wondered how many people had told him that. From the shock in his eyes, she didn’t believe many had.

  “You love me?”

  “Yes, I love you. I don’t expect you to tell me you love me back. I’m not expecting anything else from you.” She smiled. “I love you, and you’re not getting rid of me.” Taking his hand, she took the album from him. Inside the box she saw several trinkets including a small box.

  “Claire gave me back the ring. I didn’t know what to do with it, and so I left it in the box here.”

  A couple of basketball shirts, fliers filled the box. Memories of a time that he wanted and dreamed. Putting the album inside, she saw another file, and pulled it out. Inside was a picture of a house with the dimensions of the rooms.

  “That was going to be the house I bought. Claire and I, we picked it out. It had a lovely basketball court, and it was close to a school.”

  A hard knot filled her throat at the evidence of another man Alex had been. Her anger only increased toward the bastards that had cut him off. He had a right to live the same dreams. Alex didn’t wear the patch, or the leather, he rarely rode a bike, but he was a Skull.

  “Come on, let’s go and see if Tabitha and Miles are kicking Adam’s ass.”

  He took her hand, leading her away from the dreams of his past. She was going to make sure he lived them. Witnessing him with the two children, Sunshine knew in her heart, he’d make an excellent father.

  ****

  “Come on, Angel, put your fucking fist behind it,” Gash said, blocking another of her pathetic hits. She hadn’t even tried, and her lame assed attempts were starting to really piss him off.

  Their time together was a few hours here and there. She wouldn’t hurt him, and yet he needed her to hurt him.

  “I hate this.” She pulled away, dropping her fists.

  “You’re not going to become some kind of fucking super woman, Angel. I told you this starting out. You’ve got to be honest with Lash.” Gash stared at her, waiting for her to see sense. He couldn’t keep sneaking around like this. Angel, she was a sweetheart and he cared about her, but he had his own shit to deal with. He’d not even gone to Whizz yet to start his search for the bitch that took five years of his life away.

  “He won’t let me fight.”

  “And there’s a good fucking reason for that, baby,” Lash said, stepping into the abandoned warehouse that they’d turned into a gym. Tiny was looking to set up a gym in town in the old demolished building where they killed the Savage Brothers, Lacey’s old MC.

  “Lash?”

  “I noticed something odd about you two for a long time. The way you’ve been sneaking out and lying about going to the fucking salon.” The anger vibrated off Lash as he took in the two of them. “Are you fucking my woman?”

  “What? Ew, Lash, no, it’s not like that at all,” Angel said, stepping toward him.

  Gash was about to stop her, but one look from Lash had him stopping.

  Angel stood in front of her man, looking mightily pissed off. “You may cheat on me, Lash, you may even think about it with all of those women in the club, but I can promise you, I belong to you.”

  “Baby, I would never cheat,” Lash said, looking heartbroken that she would think it.

  “You doubt me because you’ve thought about it.” Tears filled Angel’s eyes.

  “No, I don’t doubt you.” Lash took her hand, kissing her knuckles. “Angel, baby, you’re the most beautiful person in the world. You’ve given me a son, and you’ve put up with the club after everything you’ve gone through. My biggest fear is you finding someone who can give you a better life.”

  Gash had a feeling he was going to pay for listening to this conversation.

  “You’re an idiot, Lash. I’m doing this with Gash because you wouldn’t. Tiny’s handing you over the gavel. He’s giving you the club. Don’t you think I don’t know what that means? I’m going to be your old lady, in Eva’s position. I want you to be proud of me, happy to have me by your side. I don’t want you to be scared of what’s going to happen. This with Gash and me, it’s to make me a better woman for you.”

  Lash cupped her face. “You don’t need to be a better woman.”

  “Yeah, I do. I need to be better. I need to be strong. If you don’t teach me, Gash will.” Angel squared her shoulders, facing her husband.

  “What?”

  “That’s right, buster. You’re not cheating on me, and I trust you. I love you. All of this, it’s for you. It always has been.”

  “Then I’ll take over your training. I’ll teach you everything you need to know.”

  “Good,” Angel said, smiling. “That’s why I called you here in the first place.”

  Gash did a double take. “What? You called him here?”

  “Yep, I couldn’t tell him, and I wanted him to see for himself.” She walked up to Gash and smiled at him. “You’ve been a great help, and now you can go and do what you need to do.”

  “You knew?”

  “Of course I knew. Eva
told me the key to being a good old lady, is to know what the men are thinking. You’ve got your own path to fight for, and I respect that. Thank you for giving me the courage to do this.” She moved away from Gash heading toward the car outside, leaving him alone with Lash.

  “I never touched your woman. I’d never fuck her,” Gash said.

  “I know.”

  “She thinks you’d cheat on her.”

  “Don’t worry. I’m going to set her mind straight about that.” Lash turned toward the door but suddenly stopped. “Out of all of the brothers she could have asked, I’m glad it was you.”

  “Why?”

  “You wouldn’t have hurt her. I know you’ve got shit to deal with, but you’re not a man to hurt women. It’s why you’re going to find it hard to get your revenge. I hope when you do, it’ll give you some peace.” He started walking toward the door.

  “You’re not going to chew me out for training your girl?”

  “No, I love Angel. I’m pissed at myself for always pushing her away from training, but she’s right. I only wish she didn’t lure me here under false pretenses. I’m glad I know the truth.” At the door, Lash stopped one final time. “Oh, and if you tell anyone what went down here, I’ll kick your ass.”

  “You’re going to make a good prez when you take over.”

  “For the club’s sake, I hope you’re right.”

  Chapter Ten

  “I want to take you to Vegas to see what I spent most of my life building up,” Alex said that afternoon. Tabitha and Miles were in the sitting room watching a movie while they did the dishes. Ink and Adam were smoking outside of the house.

  “Do you really think that’s a good idea?” she asked, concerned for his safety.

  “Yes. I think it’s a great idea. I’ll call ahead. I want you to meet Michael.”

  She smiled. He wanted her to meet his son. “You’re going to have to get permission from Tiny. He might not like us going out of town.”

  “Preston is a problem. I know he is, but there’s nothing that’s going to lure him out until he’s ready. If we’re in Vegas, he’ll follow us.”

  Sunshine thought about it. “Where would we stay?”

  “My casino, my hotel. I still own it. I couldn’t bring myself to sell it all off.”

  “If you’re here, who runs it?”

  “I’ve got a manager in place. If there’s anything he needs, I talk to him over the net. I promise, you’ll love it.”

  She chuckled. “I believe you.”

  “I’ll talk with Tiny, and we can leave tonight.”

  “Okay.”

  Someone knocked at the door, and she watched Alex open it. Eva stood in the doorway. “Are my angels ready?”

  “They are. I’m just going to talk with Tiny about something. Go ahead and get them.”

  “Thank you for this, Alex. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  “You’d have found someone else to look after them.”

  “I know, but they love spending time with their Uncle Alex.”

  Sunshine wanted to say something more. Alex moved away from Eva going outside to Tiny.

  “Hey, Sunshine,” Eva said.

  No one understood him at all.

  “Hey.”

  She finished putting away the dishes, waiting to see what was going to happen. Alex returned five minutes later as Eva was making her way out of the door.

  “See you soon, Uncle Alex,” Tabitha said.

  Alex hugged Miles and Tabitha, seeing them out. “Is everything okay with the baby?”

  “Yes, we’re all good to be adding to our family.” Eva hugged Alex, making her way out of the house. Alex closed the door, and Sunshine wished she could put the smile back on his face.

  “What did he say?” she asked.

  “We’re good to go.”

  “He’ll come around.”

  “You don’t know Tiny. He’s happy in holding a grudge.” Alex ran fingers through his hair. “I’m going to take a shower.”

  She watched him walk away. He always seemed to be walking away just lately. No one understood what he was going through.

  Sunshine passed Ink as she was leaving the kitchen. “I’m heading out in an hour. I think Baker’s taking over.”

  “Okay.” She made her way upstairs toward Alex’s room. Closing and locking the door, she removed her clothes, climbing onto his bed. The scar on her stomach still had a bandage over it but had healed up really well. The bandage was on as an extra precaution.

  Watching the door, she waited for Alex to make his appearance. She wanted to give him something no one else could. Everyone walked away from him, or he pushed them away. She wouldn’t be pushed away, nor would she walk. Preston scared the shit out of her, but she wouldn’t let him push her away. Alex needed someone strong who wouldn’t back down from him or fight him.

  “You’re here.”

  “You may have walked off from doing the dishes, but I finished them for you.” She leaned back against the pillows.

  His gaze moved down her body, going to her pussy. “What are you doing, Sunshine?”

  “What?” she asked, going for coyness. Lifting her leg up, she opened her other thigh so he’d have an unhindered view of her pussy.

  Alex growled. The sound only turned her on even more.

  “You know exactly what you’re doing to me.” He dropped the towel he’d wrapped around his waist. His cock stood out, long, hard, and ready to be sucked. Moving toward the end of the bed, she went to her hands and knees before him. “Fuck, Sunshine.”

  Crawling toward him, she kept her gaze on his cock. Alex had given her the confidence to be this way with him, to seduce him. He’d showed her a side of himself that he’d not shown any other woman.

  “What’s the matter, Alex?” she asked. Going up onto her knees, she wrapped her fingers around his shaft, pumping him with her fist. He released a growl, crying out.

  “Did I say you could touch me?” He pushed her hands away. The glint in his eye had arousal spilling from her pussy lips, gliding down her legs.

  Running her tongue over her bottom lip, Sunshine looked up at him. “What can I do for you, sir?”

  He reached around her, wrapping her long hair around his fist. “You’re going to push me tonight.”

  “You’re not going to hurt me, and I’m not going to go anywhere. I’m here with you, Alex. I love you.”

  “Stop it, Sunshine.”

  “No.” She closed her eyes, rubbing her cheek against the inside of his leg. “I’m not afraid. I’m not running. I’m going to stay here and love you.” She opened her eyes in time to see him swallow.

  “You want me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then we’re going to do this my way.”

  She could live without him loving her for now. He was fighting a great deal of his past. She’d fight with him forever for him to see that he deserved to be loved just like every single one of The Skulls.

  “Yes.”

  He took hold of her hand, wrapping it around his cock. “Stroke me, Sunshine. Get me hard.” He was already hard, but she didn’t have a problem with trying to get him harder.

  Alex hissed, taking hold of her other hand while also keeping hold of her hair.

  “Play with my balls.”

  She cupped his balls, caressing them as she worked the length of his cock.

  “Open your mouth,” he said minutes later.

  She did as he instructed, opening her lips for him to slide inside. Alex smelled fresh from the shower he’d just had. The tip of his cock leaking pre-cum tasted a little salty. She licked over the tip like she’d seen many porn actresses do. There was a huge difference between herself and those actresses—she wanted to be here with Alex, sucking his cock as he slid into her mouth.

  Slowly, he eased a couple of inches of his cock into her mouth, and she moaned around his length. “You’re going to drive me crazy.”

  He pumped into her mouth, giving her time to get
accustomed to his size. She stared up at him, creating a pace with her hand.

  “You’re going to make me come,” he said.

  She wanted him to come, to explode into her mouth so she swallowed the taste of him.

  Closing her eyes, she took over, working his cock with her hand and mouth. His balls tightened in her hands, his shaft swelling.

  “Fuck, baby, you’re going to be my fucking undoing.” Alex cried out as he filled her mouth with his cum. She didn’t have time to panic as she swallowed his salty load down. Opening her eyes, she watched the pleasure in his eyes as she licked him clean.

  He collapsed to his knees in front of her, capturing her face in his hands. Sunshine stared back at him, showing him all the love she felt. It had been like this for her for a long time.

  “Why are you doing this to me?” he asked, stroking her hair back.

  “Doing what?”

  “Why are you making me feel? I buried all of this down. I can’t have this. I’m not allowed to have this.”

  She placed her palm on his beating heart. “It’s time you started to want again, Alex. It’s not too late to marry, to be a father, to love.” She stroked up to cup his cheek. “It’s not too late to be a little vulnerable with me.”

  Tears filled his eyes, and she hoped they’d fall. Instead, he kept them down. He slammed his lips down on hers, and she opened up as he plunged his tongue into her mouth. His hands went to her arms, lifting her up off the floor. She didn’t fight him, going with him as he got to his feet.

  “Now it’s my turn.” He picked her up, carrying her the few feet to the bed. If she could give him these moments of peace then she’d be happy.

  ****

  Sunshine was breaking down all of his walls, and he didn’t know how to keep her out. It was scaring him, terrifying him. When they were in Vegas tomorrow, he’d create some distance. It would be for her own safety. Preston wasn’t going to give up. Alex wasn’t a fool, and it would only be a matter of time before he came out of hiding.

  Ten years was a long time to find out the truth of what happened. Preston obviously didn’t know the whole truth, and Alex hoped he never did.

  Pushing all fears of Preston to the back of his mind, he placed Sunshine on the bed, following her onto the sheets.